A State of Grace Pt. 01

This is the sequel to the "My Saving Grace" series; in fact, this tale begins right where Part 8 left off. If you haven't read that series, I'm afraid this one won't make any sense to you. Thank you for all the well-wishes I've received by email while I've been away on this latest hitch. I hope you all enjoy this latest story, and as always, I welcome your comments (both public and private). – CM

*****

Grace picks up the narrative:

Kevin held me close, for several minutes. I relaxed against my loving brother, molding my body to his and letting him take whatever comfort from me that he needed. Although we shared a deep emotional bond with each other, I hardly needed it to pick up on his feelings right now. Kevin knew he had had no choice but to shoot – and kill – our Uncle Trent, but that didn't mean he wasn't still shaken. There'd been some rough, nightmare-filled nights since then, but I was there for him. I was deeply honored to comfort him.

After a few moments, I reluctantly pulled back from him. I cupped his face in my hands and smiled into his eyes.

"Let's get back to the house, Kev," I said softly.

I could tell from the look on Kevin's face that he understood the subtext as well as my actual words. It wasn't just time to leave the parking lot of the funeral home; it was time to put Trent's death behind him. Our family had already reassured him that he'd done what had to be done, as had the Authorities. Now he had to forgive himself!

Rather than try to crawl back to my seat from where he had pulled me into his lap, I simply stepped out on his side and walked back around to mine. After I'd seated myself and buckled in, Kevin started the car and pointed it towards our parent's house. It wasn't long before he parked his Subaru in the driveway. Neither of us was surprised to see that Mom and Dad's RV was still parked at the curb in front of the house.

As we walked inside, we could hear the two of them talking in the kitchen. I reached out and took Kevin's hand and pulled him towards the stairs. I could tell that even though it was just after 9pm, my brother was exhausted. He didn't need to endure any more "talks," no matter how well-intentioned they might be. Of course, our parents had other plans.

"Grace, Kevin, please come join us in the kitchen," Dad said quietly, but firmly.

"Dad, Kevin is wiped out, can it-"

"I know he is, Honey, and I understand you want to spare him any more lectures," Dad replied. "But your Mother and I will be leaving soon, and we've been talking about your situation. This is something you'll want to hear. And trust me, there won't be any painful lectures."

"Alright, Dad," Kevin said tiredly, squeezing my hand as he did so.

"Kevin, Love, you're so tired-"

"It's okay, Gracie," he said. Then he leaned forward and kissed my cheek. "As long as you're with me, I can face anything!" he whispered, before pulling back.

Kevin followed Dad into the kitchen, gently tugging me along behind him. He wouldn't let go of my hand. I melted just a little inside, as I realized that he meant what he'd just said. God, I love you, Kevin! I said to myself.

Upon reaching the kitchen, we were surprised to see that, in addition to Mom, there was a good chunk of the family present, too. Aunt Lily, Fleur and Elizabeth, Elizabeth's brothers Jeremy and Craig, and our Grandparents were also there, crowding the kitchen table. Kevin lead me to the only free seat, then he stood behind me, resting his hands gently on my shoulders. I didn't waste my time trying to get Kevin to sit and let me stand. He never would've gone along with that.

Looking around the table, I sensed a variety of emotions. The twins, Jeremy and Craig, were still smoldering with barely suppressed rage. I could tell it wasn't directed at anyone here, so I wasn't concerned. Aunt Lily was still deeply sad, but her cringing fear was gone. She sat up straight in her chair with her head held high. Fleur sat like a lioness watching over her cub. Her arm was wrapped firmly around Elizabeth and her expression promised a brutal death to anyone that might want to raise their hand to her. As Kevin took a comfortable stance behind me, I caught Fleur nodding slightly to him; one guardian recognizing another.

For her part, Elizabeth snuggled tightly against her girlfriend's side. Her face was troubled, but not scared or angry. Her mood was difficult to read. Grandma was still very sad, but her face was clear now, and her head was also held high. It was clear that she'd resolved herself to grieve no longer. Grandpa was even more difficult to ready than Elizabeth. His face could've been carved from granite, for all the emotion he displayed.

Like Grandma, our Mom was still a little sad. But, her face was no longer blotchy. Her eyes were clear, and she was even smiling, slightly. Whatever this discussion was going to be about, it clearly wasn't going to be some kind of scream fest. Or at least, not one to do with Kevin and me. I allowed myself to relax a little bit.

"We've all been talking," Mom began. "Our family is going through so many changes..."

Mom paused for a second, before Dad touched her arm. She visibly steeled herself before going on.

"One thing that we've been discussing is what will happen after you, Grace and Kevin, move. We believe that we've come up with a solution that is equitable to you, Kevin, Grace, and will still help get the other issues settled."

I was a little confused. What other issues needed to be solved? What was Mom talking about? Fleur decided to speak just then, answering my unspoken questions.

"Elizabeth and I just can stay in our house any more," she said, her soft French-Canadian accent adding a lilt to her words. "The memories of that night are haunting both of us. It just doesn't feel like our home, now."

"It's the blood," Elizabeth said, with a shudder. "I can't get the stain out..."

She saw the expression on Kevin's face at the same time I did, and hastened to reassure him.

"Oh, Kevin, no!" she exclaimed. "You saved all our lives that night, sweetie! Don't think for even a second that I'm upset with you!! It's just that living there, seeing the place where it happened every single day, I just can't do it. I guess I'm not as strong as I thought I was."

Fleur lowered her face to kiss the top of Elizabeth's head, and squeezed her tightly. Elizabeth closed her eyes and allowed herself to be held, drawing comfort from Fleur's strength.

"You're not weak, honey, just human," Fleur said.

"She's right, Liza," I said, using Elizabeth's nickname from childhood. "That's a normal – and perfectly understandable – reaction. Believe me, you're anything but weak!"

"Anyway, we've already put our house up for sale," Elizabeth said after a moment. "I think that in the current market, it will sell pretty quickly, especially given what we're asking for it. But of course, that leaves the problem of finding another place."

"And I take it from what you didn't say, that Aunt Lily feels the same way about her house?" Kevin asked, though from his tone it wasn't really a question in his mind.

"I can't stay there," Lily confirmed, shaking her head. "That house stopped truly being my home the first time Trent-"

She stopped speaking and shook her head again, more vehemently.

"No need to get into that. It's enough to say that I can't live there any more than Elizabeth and Fleur can live where they are."

Kevin and I nodded our heads simultaneously in understanding. It's only human nature to associate places with events (and vice versa, of course). But what did all that have to do with Kevin and me? That's when our parents and grandparents re-entered the conversation.

"That leads us neatly to the part of the conversation that directly involves the two of you," Dad said. "Gracie, honey, you'll be graduating in just over 5 months from now. At that point, as we've already discussed, you and Kevin will need to move out of this house anyway. So, what we've been thinking about is moving the time table up somewhat."

"Oh?" I asked, still not – quite – sure where this was going.

Mom nodded her head in agreement with Dad.

"This house has been a wonderful home for us, but now that you and Kevin are about to fly from the nest, so to speak, it's too big for our needs," she said. "So we are going to sell this house to Fleur and Elizabeth."

Ahhh, I thought. That's what she meant. The idea actually made sense, in many ways. Our parents' house was close to the garage Fleur managed, and it was a reasonable commute for Elizabeth as well. Plus, I happened to know that my cousin and her long-time girlfriend intended to adopt children at some point, and this house would be ideal for raising little ones...or not so little ones, for that matter.

"Please don't think we're kicking you out ahead of the agreed upon time!" Dad said, holding his hands up. "'Lily has had an idea that we think will suit you. If, after hearing it, you don't want to do it then we'll come up with something else."

"What did you have in mind?" Kevin asked.

"I thought that I would move in here with Fleur and Elizabeth for a little while," Lily said. "With that being the case, I'll need someone to take care of my house, until I've got all the documents I need to start the selling process. Trent, even back when we were happy together, never trusted me with the important details of our lives. I don't know what the combination to his safe is, and I don't know where his key to our safety deposit box is... Well, at any rate, I was hoping you and Grace would take care of the place for me until Grace graduates this spring...and you find a place to live wherever you are going."

Lily smiled wryly at us.

"I will let you live there rent free. Just take care of the utility bills, and don't mess it up."

That last bit was said with some humor; she knew we wouldn't abuse her property. I was very intrigued by the idea, frankly. Kevin was too, to judge from his expression. While both of us had loved this house – and always would – we weren't all that sentimental about it. That was doubly true since we were already making plans to leave. This would be an opportunity for Kevin and I to stretch out a bit, and do it on the cheap.

"What do you think, baby?" I asked him, noticing Dad wince slightly as I did.

I wasn't entirely sure what his answer would be. It was Aunt Lily's house, yes, but it had also been Trent's house; the man Kevin had faced down and killed. While it wouldn't bother me in the least to live there, I wasn't completely sure how Kevin might feel. In some ways, I could understand why he might not be thrilled about living there. But on the other hand, neither of us had been in that house for years; not since we were very young children. We didn't have any bad memories associated with it (other than the fact that it was Trent's house).

Kevin smirked just a little, having also noticed our Dad wince at the endearment. Then his face went blank while he thought things through. After a few moments' worth of internal debate, he nodded his head thoughtfully.

"I like it," he said, simply. "It'll give us a degree of independence while you finish school. Aunt Lily's house is a little closer to campus, which will help us on gas. I think we should go for it."

"I agree," I said. I turned my gaze back to Aunt Lily. "We'll take you up on your offer, Aunt Lily."

Aunt Lily smiled warmly at us.

"I kinda thought you might," she said with a smile.

We talked a bit longer, hammering out the fine details about how and when we'd all trade premises. Finally, Kevin yawned mightily and leaned against the back of my chair.

"I'm sorry, guys and gals, but I'm totally wiped out. I've got to hit the sack," he said.

I stood up and we both made a trip around the table, telling everyone either goodnight or goodbye. We left the kitchen together and headed up to Kevin's room, which we shared as our own (our beds were both queen-size, but his was a lot more comfortable).

I closed and locked his bedroom door behind us as we entered, and he sat wearily on the chair next to the bed. I settled myself lightly in his lap and leaned against him, and nuzzled his neck. He moaned very softly as my lips and tongue traveled down his sensitive throat. I pulled back just enough to see his face. Kevin's beautiful eyes were three-quarters shut, and he had a dreamy-looking smile on his face as I resumed my attentions.

"Mmmmm, that feels so good," he whispered as I kissed and nibbled at the base of his throat.

I grinned to myself as I loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar. His neck, throat, and the little hollows made by his collar bones were all very sensitive (as were my own!). Paying a little attention to those hot spots never failed to both relax and arouse my loving brother!

And right now, I reflected privately as I pushed his suit jacket off of his shoulders, he needed me badly. Hopefully, now that the funeral was over and Trent was buried, he could finally finish the healing process. I planned to start that healing right here and now!

I finished unbuttoning Kevin's dress shirt and pushed it off. He leaned forward slightly, helping me remove it. Before he could sit back again, I quickly tugged off his undershirt too. Kevin sighed softly as he leaned back in the chair and I ran my fingers lightly over his chest. I loved playing with the soft curly hairs on his chest and tracing the hard lines of his muscles.

"Oh Gracie," Kevin whispered, "I love what you're doing."

"I'm just getting started, Kev," I whispered back, and then nibbled at his earlobe.

While I didn't want to leave his arms, I had to get off of his lap to get his trousers off. So, I quickly stood and pulled him up with me. Working as quickly as I could, I finished undressing my brother and admired the result.

Kevin was such a handsome man, whatever he might say about himself! His chest was well-defined, with solid pecs and a light sprinkling of curly brown hair. His arms were nicely developed and strong! His flat belly was solidly-muscled, but not quite a classic six pack. He had a treasure trail from the bottom of his navel to his manhood. On more than one occasion he had asked if I wanted him to trim it, or even shave it off completely. I told him no, everytime. I don't mind a little man-scaping, but neither one of us cares for the shaved-bare look that seems to be so popular these days.

His thighs and legs have a sculpted look. I'm happy to say that I have a lot to do with that! I'm the one, after all, that got him into bicycling. And between those wonderful legs...oh, yeah! My Kevin has a wonderful manhood, around 7 inches long, with just the perfect thickness to really make me feel filled. And, he has a perfect set of balls swinging right below it that I just love to play with!

His face was a kind one. His eyes were warm, and twinkled at me now, in spite of his weariness. That face wasn't what one might call "classically handsome," but he certainly attractive. The scar on his left cheek, barely a month old, was still red and angry-looking. The scar on his left thigh was more thoroughly healed, but it too was still plainly evident.

Far from detracting from his looks, they just made him that much more attractive to me. They were both the results of his attempts to protect me. In fact, the scar on his thigh was received when he literally saved my life! I could never take away the pain those scars represented, but I could spend the rest of my life showing Kevin how much I loved him – and give him all the loving he could handle!

I was kneeling in front of him as he carefully stepped out of his shoes and trousers. That just happened to put his beautiful cock right in front of my face. The temptation was too strong to resist. I leaned forward and took him in my mouth. He gasped and then let out a long, low moan of pure pleasure.

"Oooohhhh, Gracie!'

I lightly cupped his sensitive sac in one hand and stroked his muscular buns with the other while I gently sucked his stiffening shaft. His hands came down to rest lightly on my shoulders, and I let out a contented moan around his thick penis. Unlike some women I know, I really love to please my man this way! The look on his face, the sounds he makes, the way he starts to lose control when I bring him near the edge...it's such an incredible turn on!

This time was certainly no exception either! Kevin's low moans and soft gasps combined with the pure pleasure on his face combined to form a perfect erotic storm. Not wanting to send him over the edge just yet, I let his rock hard shaft slip out of my mouth. I swirled my tongue around the head of his cock, grinning up at him when his hands tightened on my shoulders.

"Oh yeah, baby," he whispered intensely. "It feels so good...so good, Gracie..."

After taking a few moments to let him calm down, I took him back into my mouth, plunging down to the point where the head of his cock was pressing against the opening of my throat.

"Gracie!" he said urgently, "Oh Gracie! I'm close!"

Then Kevin gently pushed me back until his thick manhood slipped back out of my mouth. I looked up at him, a wordless question in my eyes.

"I'm so tired that I don't know if I can go more than once tonight," he explained. That being the case, I want to be inside you!"

He bent forward and lifted me to my feet. With deft and nimble fingers, he unzipped my dress. I let it fall and pool at my feet, leaving me in just panties, bra, and stockings. He made short work of removing my bra, revealing my firm little breasts to his hungry eyes. Kevin pulled me close and kissed me with gentle but hungry passion. His tongue caressed my lips, seeking entry, and I eagerly let it in. I savored the feeling of it gliding over my own tongue, and moaned softly into his mouth.

Kevin's strong, calloused hands were gentle as the stroked the silky soft skin of my back, wandering down to cup my ass. He broke our kiss to lick and nibble his way down the line of my jaw to my incredibly sensitive ears and neck.

"Oooh, Kev, yes...that's it..." I whispered, trying to stay quiet.

His mouth wandered south, toward the warm, soft slopes of my breasts. As excited as I was, my nipples were already standing out like little pink pencil erasers. Fortunately, he didn't take long to make his way to them. I gasped in pleasure as his warm, wet mouth enveloped my left nipple. He sucked gently, simultaneously swirling his tongue over the tip and lapping at my aureola for good measure!

His mouth on my breast and nipple were too much to resist, and I muffled my cry of joyful pleasure by stuffing the back of my hand into my mouth. My brother chuckled softly and switched to my other breast, while he gently kneaded the cheeks of my tingling ass. It felt so good...Kevin was so strong...ooohhh...

Kevin went to his knees in front of me, looking up into my eyes with a wicked grin. I gave another soft cry as he kissed his way down my belly and swirled his tongue teasingly around my navel. Then I gave an involuntary squeak of surprise as he caught the waistband of my panties in his mouth and started dragging them down with his teeth!

"Oh! Oh, Kev," I whispered breathlessly. I was so incredible turned on by this point, I could feel a line of moisture seeping down my right leg!

As he reached my ankles, Kevin switched to using his hands. He gently lifted my feet one at a time, pulling my panties free and tossing them near my dress. Then, he gazed up at me, his warm eyes locking with mine, his hands lightly stroking my stocking-encased legs. I moved to roll them down, and his hand shot out to cover mine, stopping me.

"No," he said, in a low sexy growl that sent shivers of pure arousal up my spine.

His eyes shone with excitement, love, and lust.