Oscar

by SJ McCoy

  He got to his feet and plucked a couple of kids off his leg as they tried to cling to him.

  Terry chuckled beside her. “You’re not the only one who’s fallen in love with him, Grace. I think you’ve got some serious competition for his affection there.”

  Grace sputtered. “Fallen in love with him?” She glared at Terry. “You’re back to acting crazy.”

  Terry just shrugged. “I’ll let you two have a minute while I round everyone up. There’s a lot to tell you.”

  Again, she had that weird feeling. She didn’t like being excluded. She got over it quickly when Oscar reached her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Hello, beautiful.”

  “Hey.”

  “I missed you today.”

  Wow. She hadn’t expected that.

  “When we get done here, will you have dinner with me?”

  She nodded. She needed to eat, and she didn’t have any other plans. It’d be rude to say no after the weekend he’d given her.

  “And stay with me afterward?”

  She met his gaze. Still no cockiness, no smirk, just a question in his eyes. She nodded again. She could make a dozen excuses—about work in the morning and needing to get home and not having a change of clothes—but they’d only be excuses. She didn’t know what was going on with him, but she didn’t need to. She needed to stop complicating it. A hot guy, who she already knew was great in bed, had just asked her to stay the night with him. Why would she say no?

  “Hey, Gracie, come on.” Spider waved them over to where they’d pulled four of the cafeteria style tables together.

  Oscar put his hand in the small of her back as they made their way over. It seemed as though heat radiated out from his fingertips and flowed through her whole body. Hell yeah, she’d stay with him tonight—and it would only be because he made her so horny. It would have nothing at all to do with the fact that being so close to him again made her feel relaxed, and happy—like she’d come home.

  ~ ~ ~

  The week flew by. It was Friday before Oscar had a chance to catch up with himself. They’d made a lot of progress. TJ was taking care of all kinds of red tape—and mending fences with various departments of the city and county governments which Grace had managed to sidestep for the last few years.

  Oscar had spent his days in a whirlwind of meetings and phone calls. He’d broken contracts with suppliers he’d had lined up for the new nightclub. He’d managed to switch some of the contractors over to do work for the shelter, but he’d trodden on some toes, too. So, be it. It was all for the greater good.

  TJ had come back to life in a big way. He worked tirelessly with the bureaucracy and then spent the rest of his time with the vets. Oscar was glad he’d found a purpose again. He wasn’t over his own trauma, not by a long shot, but it was obvious that helping other guys was helping him.

  Grace had only been able to join them in the evenings. He knew that bothered her, but he didn’t know what to do about it. She still worked for Harry and had said several times that she intended to stay with him until the day he closed his doors for good. Oscar knew he should talk to her about what her plans were after that, but he hadn’t made the time yet. They’d stayed at the center until going on ten o’clock every evening. He and Grace, and Terry, Spider, and TJ had naturally formed a kind of leadership committee, but there was a whole bunch of other people who stayed late and worked hard every day too.

  He looked around. TJ was playing pool with a bunch of the guys. A gaggle of oldies were chatting in the cafeteria area. Spider and Grace were standing outside the pantry having what looked like a heated debate. Oscar frowned. He’d hate for the two of them to fall out. He’d been skeptical when Grace had first told him that Spider played the big brother role in her life. He’d expected to have trouble with the guy at some point. He didn’t know many men who played that role without a vested interest. Spider was one of the few exceptions. The more time he’d spent with them, the more he’d realized that they really did have a brother sister relationship. Although, they didn’t normally fight.

  He took a few steps toward them.

  “… I need the work.” Grace was glowering at Spider.

  If she’d been looking at Oscar that way, he was pretty sure he would have backed right down. Spider didn’t.

  “No. What you need is to get a life, and it seems to me, this week you’ve had one. So, no. I don’t want you to come in and work. I want you to go home with him.”

  Oscar pursed his lips. Grace had come home with him every night this week. He’d assumed that she would tonight, too. They planned to knock off at eight since it was Friday.

  “You’ve got a band tonight. You need the help, and I’m only going to have a job for another week. So, I need the money.”

  Oscar sighed. Damn. He hadn’t known things were that bad for her. He wanted to make it right. It was time to talk to her about her role at the center going forward. They were setting up as a nonprofit so the center could employ her. He just hoped that she wouldn’t get too touchy about the fact that he was the only source of funds the nonprofit had—so effectively he would be paying her wages. It wasn’t a conversation he was looking forward to. He knew how independent she was, and he also knew that she didn’t want to feel beholden to him—in any way.

  Spider caught sight of him and rolled his eyes. “Can you talk any sense into her?”

  Oscar doubted it. He went to join them. “What’s the problem?”

  Grace turned her angry stare on him. “I need to work, and my so-called friend here is taking my shifts away.”

  Spider shook his head and blew out a sigh. “Your so-called friend is trying to do you a favor. You’re beat, Gracie. You’ve been working your ass off for Harry all week, and then coming and working your ass off here, too. I don’t want you keeling over from exhaustion while you’re working for me.”

  “I was hoping you were going to have dinner with me,” said Oscar.

  “I was, but I forgot he has a band playing tonight. He needs the staff, and I need the money.”

  “I don’t know that I can help with waitstaff, but I’ve been thinking about your situation. I wanted to talk to you about it tonight.”

  She put her hands on her hips. He knew it was never a good sign when a woman did that, but it still turned him on when Grace did it. Then again, it seemed everything she did turned him on.

  “What do you want to talk about?”

  Spider grinned at him and began to back away. He’d effectively diverted Grace’s anger onto Oscar, and now he was about to beat a sneaky retreat. Awesome!

  “Can we get out of here and go grab something to eat? I need beer and meatloaf before I can face you being mad at me.”

  She scowled. “I told you. I need to go and work for him …” She jerked her head at the spot where Spider had been standing. “What the …”

  Oscar smirked. He couldn’t help it. “Come on, Grace, you can’t blame him.”

  She drew in a deep breath, looking as if she might explode, then slowly let it out, looking defeated and much more tired than Oscar had realized she was. “Did you say something about a beer and some meatloaf?”

  He smiled and slung his arm around her shoulders. “I sure did. Let’s go eat.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  By the time they were settled into a booth at Gavin’s, Grace felt like Spider might be right. She was in danger of keeling over from exhaustion. Once Gavin had brought their beers, Oscar reached across the table and took hold of her hand. “You look wiped out.”

  “I am.”

  “It’s been a long week, we’ve achieved a lot, but it’s been twice as hard for you. You’ve had to go work for Harry all day.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  He smiled. “That I’ll be glad when you’re finished there.”

  She pursed her lips. She wanted to yell at him, but she knew he meant well; he just didn’t understand. “I’ll probably be
just as tired then, I won’t be working all day, I’ll be pounding the streets looking for work instead.”

  “You don’t need to do that.”

  She scowled. “I don’t have a big fat savings account I can live on for a while. This is me you’re talking to remember, not one of your other friends.”

  He smiled but didn’t say anything.

  “What?”

  “You think of us as friends?”

  “Yeah. I do.” She’d been able to come to terms with that over the course of the last week. At first, she’d thought he would disappear after they had sex; that was all he wanted women for. She knew now she’d been wrong about that. He’d stepped in to save the center. He’d spent every moment she could spare with her. They worked well together at the center, and they worked even better together in bed every night afterward. He’d been as good to her as anyone had ever been, and that had helped her relax around him. She’d let him into her inner circle—which was very small. She was under no illusions about a relationship with him—she’d told the truth when she’d told his mom that neither of them was looking for one of those—but she had come to see him, and to trust him, as a friend. A thought struck her. Maybe his smile was amusement at her assumption. “Don’t you?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe.”

  Oh. Her heart sank, and a ball of disappointment settled in her stomach. He didn’t then. Maybe she was just a perk of the project. He’d told her he threw himself one hundred percent into everything he did. Maybe she was just one element of the center that he was doing well.

  Gavin returned with their meatloaf and gave them an inquiring look. Oscar shook his head slightly, and Gavin backed away without a word.

  “I’m sorry.” Grace had recovered enough to get past the awkwardness. He didn’t owe her a damned thing. He certainly didn’t owe her friendship. “I really am beat.” She dropped her gaze to her plate and set to work on her food.

  They ate in silence for a while until Oscar set his fork down and looked at her. “I don’t know if this is the wrong time to bring this up, but how would you feel about working at the center?”

  She met his gaze. “What do you think I’ve been doing?”

  “I mean, taking a job, with a salary. Becoming an employee of the nonprofit.”

  She stared at him for a long a moment, then carried on eating while she thought about it. The part of her that had, at various points over the last few weeks, dreamed about being in a real relationship with him, railed against the idea. She couldn’t take a job from him. She couldn’t be dependent on him for her living. It’d be all wrong. Another part of her, the part that had ensured her survival in a cruel world was nodding. It made sense. She knew how to run the place. She did it well. It’d give her the time to dedicate to making the place a success. She’d love to spend her days serving the community and making sure they were taken care of—especially if it meant she’d be able to take care of herself by getting paid for it. Eventually, she looked up. “Have you brought this up with the others yet?”

  “No. I wanted to ask you first.”

  “Well, I think we should establish a real committee, and I think you should run it by them.”

  “And if they agree, you’ll do it?”

  “Yeah. It makes sense.” It really did make sense, even though to her it meant that she and Oscar would never have any kind of relationship. Not a real one. She’d keep sleeping with him until he lost interest. But he didn’t even see her as a friend. And even if he wanted to—which she now knew was a crazy idea—he could never be her boyfriend and her boss.

  He smiled, but he still looked concerned. “Are you sure you’re okay with it?”

  “If you are.” She wondered if he might say something—about the two of them—but he didn’t.

  When they got back to his place, he backed her up against the door as soon as they went inside. She was tired, and she was sad that her little fantasy about them being friends really was nothing more than a fantasy. The feel of his arms around her and the weight of his body leaning against her still felt like coming home. She needed to get over that. Whatever that pull between them was, it obviously meant nothing to him. Still, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. Wanting to feel for a moment that she belonged somewhere, that she belonged here, with him. Even though she knew it wasn’t true, the warm feeling still washed over her, and she clung to him.

  His hands which had been roving over her back and her ass stilled. He sensed the change in her, and she felt it in him too. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close to his chest. “I wish I understood you, Grace.”

  She let out a bitter little laugh, which sounded a lot like a sob. “Ditto.”

  He leaned back and hooked his thumb under her chin, forcing her to look up into her eyes.

  “Did I do something wrong, Gracie?”

  Her breath caught in her throat. Spider called her Gracie, Terry called her Gracie, lots of people did but hearing him say it was too much. That feeling that filled the air between them that filled her up whenever he was close threatened to overflow and engulf her. He sounded so tender, so caring. She had to remember that it was no doubt just part of his repertoire. She shook her head. “No. You really didn’t.”

  She could tell he didn’t believe her, but he let it go.

  “Can we just go to bed?”

  He took her hand and led her through to his bedroom. She was amazed how quickly she’d felt at home here. She, the girl who’d slept in alleys and under bridges had adapted, without issue, to sleeping in a bedroom that was bigger than Louise’s entire apartment. She no longer found it strange to walk on the marble floor or to get ready in his dressing room in the morning. She just hoped that her transition back to her own reality would go as quickly and easily once this was over.

  He sat down on the edge of the bed and drew her to him. “Do you want to just go to sleep?”

  She nodded. She didn’t, but if he was suggesting it, then he couldn’t be that hot for her tonight. It was hardly surprising; she knew she must look like crap. She was so tired.

  When they were both in bed, he turned out the light and rolled over to kiss her cheek. “I care about you, Grace. I hope you know that.”

  She held her breath for a moment. She didn’t even know what that meant to him. He didn’t see her as a friend, but he cared about her? Maybe she was a charity project to him, like the center. She bit her lip to stop herself thinking that way. It was stupid. He meant well, that was all she needed to know.

  She kissed his cheek and looked at him, glad for the darkness so he couldn’t see her face. “I care about you, too.”

  He wrapped his arm around her and held her close. Once again, the warmth of contentment swept through her. How could she feel so close and connected when he felt nothing? Well, he cared for her.

  The warmth of something more than contentment began to build between her legs. She might be exhausted, but she wasn’t made of stone. His strong arm was around her, her breasts were pushed up against his chest, and she was sure that if she edged forward a little, she’d feel the heat of his thick hard shaft.

  She couldn’t resist. She did edge forward—and she was right. She brought her hand up and caressed his face, then threaded her fingers through his hair.

  “I thought you were too tired,” he murmured, even though she could feel him growing bigger as she ran her fingers down his neck.

  “So did I, but I want you so much. I’ll never get to sleep unless we …”

  He propped himself up on one elbow and ran a finger down her cheek. Then he traced her jawline and continued down her throat and between her breasts. “How about you lie back and let me do the work then?”

  She smiled. “It’d be my pleasure.”

  “I’ll make sure of it.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Oscar knew he could give her all the pleasure she could handle, physically. He’d hoped that they were getting closer, too, but sh
e’d gone cold on him tonight, and he thought he knew why. At dinner when she’d said she thought of him as a friend, he’d screwed up. She’d asked if he thought of her as a friend and he hadn’t wanted to say yes. He’d started to think of her as more than a friend. He was now convinced that his mom was right—that Grace was his person. The one he was supposed to be with. It was so far out of left field that it made him edgy, but he knew it was true.

  His attempt at letting her know that he thought of her as more than a friend had backfired on him. His answer of maybe had pissed her off. That was the only explanation. She’d changed after that. Maybe she’d felt like he was pressuring her. He didn’t know. All he knew was that she hadn’t been receptive.

  He cupped her cheek in his hand and looked down at her. It was dark enough that he couldn’t see her face clearly, but he knew she was looking back into his eyes. Maybe with time, she’d learn to love him? He wasn’t about to give up. He’d slow down, win her over, do whatever it took.

  Right now, he had the opportunity to love her, and he wasn’t going to waste another minute stuck inside his head. If he had his way, he’d love her hard every night until she loved him back.

  He walked his fingers down over her ribs and then slid them over the curve of her belly and between her legs. As he stroked her, she sighed, and her arms came up around his neck. “Fuck me, Oscar.”

  He was glad she couldn’t see his smirk in the dark. He loved that she was so blunt, and he was only too happy to oblige. She was already wet for him, and his cock was straining to be inside her, He positioned himself above her, and her arms came up around his back.

  “Hard,” she breathed.

  He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, wanting to take it slow, to be tender. Her fingernails sank into his ass, and he gasped as his hips thrust hard and he plunged deep, making her gasp with him.

  She grazed her nails up his back and then back down before digging them hard into his ass again. It ignited him, and he lost control, going harder and faster, plunging deep inside her as she gasped beneath him. She brought her legs up and wrapped them around his back, allowing him to go even deeper. He was pounding into her, and she was urging him faster and faster. Some part of his mind became lucid enough for a moment to realize that she was making this all about him. No. He’d promised her pleasure. He slid his hand between them and circled her clit with his thumb. She groaned, and as her inner muscles clenched around him. He knew he didn’t need to do anything with it, just the extra pressure was enough. He found his rhythm again, each thrust of his hips burying his cock deeper and pressing his thumb against her most sensitive spot. Her groans grew louder. “Oscar! I …” He didn’t want to leave her with enough breath to talk. He picked up his pace, and the tension building at the bottom of his spine began to ripple outward. The ripples became a tidal wave as Grace’s orgasm took her. Her muscles tightened and drew him in, milking him for all he had. As his mind spun away, that was the only thought he could hold onto—he wanted to give her all he had. He wanted to love her with his body, his mind, and his whole self.