Of course, it was easy. He just sent me.
Would Grace really want to see me if she knew what I did for a living? Hearing it and seeing it were two totally different things. I was torn in two where she was concerned. I'd longed for her for too goddamn long to just walk away from marking her tender flesh with my scent. She needed to know that she belonged to me, and our relationship moving forward or not would solely be my decision.
It had to be. Her life was at stake simply because of the idea of us being together. My father would never accept her. Or anyone for that matter.
I got on my bike and took the long way to the library, letting the chilly November wind blow through my hair. It would be snowing before too long, and some part of me looked forward to it. It felt clean, alive, whole. All the things I struggled to find inside of myself anymore.
My father had accepted the idea of bringing Cole on board with the syndicate, though I still wondered what would cause a man to offer his services to us. We usually had to force compliance upon anyone we wanted to work with. Digging into his story was something I planned to do the minute I had the chance to.
The parking lot at the campus library was packed, which was never a good sign. It was hard enough to find a place to hide out and read when it was empty, but no doubt I'd be recognized by ten people. My family was too well-known not to. Of course, everyone had it backward. We were pillars of the community, my father's a loving, giving individual. It was sickening to ponder on too long.
I pushed the door open and walked into the familiar smell of old books. Breathing in deeply, I glanced over at the front desk, hoping to find my girl. The crabby old woman that gave Grace hell all the time looked up, sneered and glanced back down.
"Welcome to the library," her voice rang out.
Ignoring her, I jogged up the three flights of stairs in front of me and picked up the World War II novel I'd started the week before. Books were my only reprieve and a secret one. Should someone from the syndicate find out that I spent half my days reading, I'd never hear the end of it.
Leaning back, I lifted the book to my face and read through a few lines before looking up. I could feel someone's eyes on me. Grace.
Her dark hair was down around her shoulders, her soft pink lips lifted in a knowing smile. She was mine, and she was well aware of the fact.
I smiled despite myself. Her long black skirt and frilly button up white blouse made her look like a stand-in for George Washington’s wife, but she did that shit on purpose. Under her antiquated clothes was a tiny little lace bra and panties that barely covered her pussy. It was all for me, though. She knew it, and I did too.
My dick twitched in my jeans before growing thick and hard. She didn't have to do much more than show up, and I was itching for carnality.
I licked at the side of my mouth and let my eyes run down her slowly. When I returned my gaze to her pretty face, her cheeks were pink. Beautiful.
She wanted me to deflower her, to open her up and show her how it felt to truly live, and I would, but on my own time. I needed to be sure I could protect her or walk away if needed.
Glancing back down to my novel, I started to read again and worked to ignore her. The more I pushed her away, the closer she would come, but it was a game of cat and mouse. One that I wanted to last for a long time.
"Hi." Her voice was soft as she stood before me. "Find everything you're looking for?"
"Mmmhmmm." I glanced up and let her steal my heart with her big brown eyes and innocent smile. "Well, actually... I could use a little action, but I figure the war's coming up soon. So scurry off, miss. I'm busy."
"What?" She smiled and reached for the book, pulling it down. "Did I tell you how much I hate you?"
"Did you lick your fingers for me yesterday?"
Her cheeks burned red as she glanced around and reached up to tug at the collar of her hideous blouse. "No. Stop it."
"Well, that's not good is it?" I reached out and brushed my thumb over her lips as she lifted her eyes to lock onto mine. "Sounds like someone needs a spanking." I glanced around and bit my bottom lip before pressing her with a hard stare. "You wanna pick the table I bend you over or are you leaving that up to me, ‘cause I'd love it to be front and center. You're a beautiful woman. Let's show you off a little, hm?"
"Erik." She moved in closer and giggled, nervously. "Come home with me tonight. Please? I'll make dinner, and you can bring your horrible history novel, and we'll hang out."
"I'm only coming over if you plan on spreading your legs for me again. I wanna pop that cherry inside of you." I leaned in and gripped the side of her face, brushing my nose by hers. I loved the way her breath caught, as if she were expecting something intimate from me there in the library.
How badly I wanted to kiss her.
"What? I don't know if I'm ready for that."
"Then no." I kissed the tip of her nose and moved back, lifting my book back up.
"Seriously? I'm offering dinner and... and..."
I glanced up. "And your pussy for me, Grace. That's what I'm asking for. If it's a no-go, then scurry off and get back to work." I glanced back down, knowing I'd pissed her off. It was all part of the game. She'd play it, or I'd walk, and life would go back to normal.
"Erik."
"Shhhh... I'm reading, Kitten." I flipped the page and leaned back, resting against the cold marble pillars. "If I were interested in dinner, what are you cooking?"
"I'm not cooking. Forget I said anything." She let out a soft huff and spun on her heel, walking away in a hurry.
I smiled, unable to help myself. She'd be back to gather me up after she realized what she was giving up for the night. I could hold back as long as it took. Hearing her come on the phone the day before had been more than enough to hold me over until she offered herself up to me, to be my toy, to do anything I demanded of her.
Until then she was left to her own devices for pleasure, and me mine.
Chapter 10
Grace
I paced the floor in the bathroom at the library, my heart racing in my chest. I wanted to give Erik my virginity. I knew he played a good game, but once he got me alone, I had no doubt that he would take care of me. He'd made me feel things in the last few days that I never expected to feel my whole life.
I was falling in love.
"Who the fuck are you kidding? You're already in love." I leaned forward and applied a thin coat of red lipstick. My clothes were ridiculous, but he seemed to find it humorous. Asshole. He knew why I wore them. I could see it all over his smug face.
I wanted to call Jenna so badly, but I knew she would force me to walk out of the library alone that night. There was no way I was letting that happen. I almost had him in my bed, and though it might only be for a night, I wanted it... bad.
"You can do this." I narrowed my eyes and jerked back as the restroom door opened and Nelly walked in. She gave me an odd sideways glance and closed the door to the stall she entered. I thought the moment was over. I wasn't that lucky.
"You do realize that when you're on the clock, you're supposed to use the restroom and get back to work. None of this dilly dallying stuff you seem to enjoy so much." Her voice was filled with disgust as the sound of her peeing filled the air.
"Right. Thanks." I walked to the door and slipped out into the hallway as quickly as possible. Gross. We'd worked together for a long time, but hearing her pee was out!
"You look like you're in a hurry to get somewhere." Erik's voice caught my attention, and I glanced up, finding him at the top of the stairs as if he were waiting to go down.
"My shift is over." I walked toward him and tried to still my beating heart. It amazed me how quickly he affected me. Every part of my body wanted me to move in closer, to reach out and grab hold of him. It was disturbing and new.
"Oh yeah? Going home to cook dinner for George?" He winked and jogged down the stairs.
I took off after him, trying hard not to trip over my skirt. Maybe it was a little t
oo long for my own good.
"I'm really a good cook."
He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and I ran into his back, yelping and reaching up to grab his shoulders. He spun around and smiled down at me as I pressed my hands to his thick chest.
"You know I want more than food, kitten."
"Fine. You can have anything you want. Just come with me." I brushed my thumb over his nipple and took a shaky breath as I gazed up into his dark eyes. "Please."
"You're not too proud to beg, are you?"
"I've never begged for anything, but I might be willing to with you." I hated how quickly I put myself in a subservient position with him.
"How many men have you dated, Grace?" He said my name with a hint of agitation.
"None." I moved around him. "I have other things to keep me busy."
"Like stacking books?" He opened the door to the library and gave me a cocky grin.
"It's better than what you do for a living. At least mine are books, not bodies."
He grabbed my arm and pulled me back roughly. "Hush. You don't get to talk about what I do in public. You think you know me, baby girl, but you don't. It's dangerous even walking on the same fucking side of the street as me."
I jerked my arm from his grasp. "I'm making clam linguine and salad for dinner. I live at-"
"I know where you live, Grace." He walked past me toward the parking lot, never looking back.
I'd felt like an idiot quite a few times in my life, but that was the worst by far. Had I really thought he would stop what he was doing and come have dinner with me? I was more than willing to open my body to him, and we both knew it, but why couldn't it start with something simple. Less frightening? Like dinner?
"Fuck you too," I whispered and walked around the building to my car.
I drove home in silence, forcing myself to work through the details of the upcoming library event instead of pondering on my stupidity.
***
The darkness in my apartment wasn't at all comforting as I unlocked the door and walked in. Erik was right. Knowing him was dangerous, and here I was, spouting loudly about him killing people on the stairs of a public library.
"No wonder he doesn't want anything to do with you." I dropped my purse and keys by the door and walked to my bedroom, unbuttoning my shirt and slipping my skirt over my legs until it hit the ground. I reached up and ran my fingers through my hair as I flipped on the light in my bedroom and screamed.
"What? I got here first." Erik shrugged and gave me a sexy smile. "You didn't really think I was going to pass up pasta did you?"
"Get out." I covered my breasts with one arm and my panties with my free hand. "You made me feel like an idiot. I can handle a lot, but not-"
"Not happening." He got up and crossed the room like a hungry lion, his eyes running down my body, his voice deep, ominous. "Dinner can happen later."
"Erik. I'm serious. I can't do this." I reached for him as he picked me up and pressed me to the wall beside my bedroom door. The thick press of his hard body against mine was bliss, but nothing compared to his strong hands running down my sides, cupping the bottom of my ass and playing with the edge of my panties.
"You're not doing anything but what comes naturally to you, Grace. Stop thinking so goddamn much. Lust is power. Use it, kitten." He brushed his nose up the length of my neck and ground into me. "Feel how hard you make me? You get to relieve me of that tonight. I'm going to open up every sweet part of your tight little body and mark it as my own."
"Fuck," I whined and pressed my mouth to the side of his neck as he ran his fingers down my soft skin, dipping into my wetness and rolling his hips as he held me against the wall. "I hate you for making me want this so bad."
"No you don't, and you don't want this." He chuckled low in his chest and walked to the bed, dropping me roughly on my back. "You want me." He reached down and tugged at the front of my bra until my nipples peeked above the lacy white material. "So beautiful, angel." He ran his thumbs over my buds and squeezed softly while licking his lips.
"Erik. I don't know if I'm ready for this. I want you, but..." I closed my eyes and lifted my chin as indecision raced through me. Whores opened their legs for strange men. I was quickly becoming one, or so my mother would have classified me.
"Open your eyes and watch me, Grace." He reached down and squeezed the base of my throat as my eyes fluttered open. He had to be the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. He was going to love me and leave me. And if I were anything like my mother, I'd get pregnant the first time.
"Do you have a condom?" My voice was nothing more than a scared whisper.
"Of course I do." He smiled and leaned over the top of me, pressing his body against mine. "Relax. I love to tease you because you let me. If you were a little more aggressive with me-"
"You wouldn't put up with that." I wrapped my legs around his taut waist and reached up to run my fingers down his short black beard, letting the hairs tickle my fingers. "I want to kiss you so bad." I licked my lips and searched his eyes for an invitation, finding none.
"I already told you the rules." He kissed the tip of my nose and moved down my chest, licking at my breasts as he pulled my hands far above my head and gripped my wrists tightly. "Keep your hands up here. Tonight's my night. Got it?"
His steely gaze bore deep inside of me, and I nodded, too scared to speak. I had no clue how childish or spooked I might sound. I was having trouble breathing as it were.
"Don't hurt me," I whispered roughly as he glanced back up from licking at my stomach.
"That's not something you have to worry about." He moved down and licked at the sides of my panties, dipping his tongue into my center and groaning low in his chest. "I'd never hurt you."
"Good," I whimpered and dropped my knees fully to the side. "I wish I were more experienced."
"I don't." He moved down on his knees at the bottom of the bed and pulled my panties off slowly, his eyes locked onto my body. "This is my moment to have, my gift to unwrap."
A soft sigh left me as he ran a strong hand up my stomach, through my breasts and cupped my face. His free hand cupped my mound while he moved his fingers back and forth until they were nestled against my entrance.
His lips were soft against my hip as he bathed me with his tongue.
A moan rolled off my tongue as one of his thick fingers pressed into my heat, opening me. "I'm scared."
"Don't be." He glanced up and smiled, his dark demeanor fading a little.
He captured my heart as he moved back up my body and laid beside me, curling around me as he pumped his middle finger in and out of my body.
"Please kiss me." I turned to face him and touched the side of his face.
"Tell me if I hurt you, Grace." He pressed another finger inside of me and leaned down brushing his nose by mine. "I wanna taste every inch of you, but first we start here."
I moaned loudly and closed my eyes, turning away from him and trying to assess if I were lost in pleasure or pain. "It's too much."
"No, it's not, baby. You're more than ready for my cock, Grace." He licked the side of my throat and nipped at my ear. "Let me open you up, kitten."
"Erik," I cried out and reached for him as he moved down the bed, stood up and pulled his shirt off. He turned to face me as he worked his jeans over his hips and ran his hand down the length of his cock.
"Like what you see?" He smiled and tore the rubber packet open with his teeth. "We're gonna wedge all nine inches inside you tonight."
"No." I sat up and reached for him. "I'm not ready."
"You’re ready when I say you are, kitten." He leaned down and brushed his fingers down the side of my face. "Fuck, you're beautiful. You almost make my heart stop every time I see you." He crawled onto the bed with me, forcing me back. Soft tanned skin stretched across miles of thick muscle, captivating me as I ran my hands down his side and around his back to squeeze his ass.
"You're a liar," I mumbled against his chest and glanced down th
e line of our bodies as he lifted up. There was no way in hell he was fitting inside of me. No way.
"I'm a lot of things." He took his cock in his hand and brushed the thick head through my folds, teasing me as I jerked beneath him. "But a liar ain't one of them."
"Wait." I gripped his shoulders as my breathing got off. "What if I can't do this?"
He laughed and pressed into me a little before laying down and kissing the side of my face up to my ear. "You're already doing it, Grace. I feel like a fucking teenage boy again. I'm almost shaking, baby."
"You are not." I laughed and clenched as he pressed in deeper. The battle between pleasure and pain started deep inside of me.
"Grace. Relax and let me in." He rocked forward, and I cried out in pain. "Shhhh..." He brushed my hair back. "Wrap your legs around my waist and stop waiting for something horrible to happen. I'm being careful this time. Take advantage of it."
I closed my eyes and let out a long exhale as he pushed in farther, his hips bumping against mine as he groaned low in his chest. "I want you so bad. I want to be so good for you."
"You're so deliciously tight, pretty girl." He brushed my hair from my forehead and rocked deep inside of me as I tried to catch my breath. "Grace. Open your eyes and look at me. I wanna watch you come."
"I can't come. It's too much." I tensed again before the soft press of his lips against mine forced everything to dissipate.
I moaned and opened my mouth as his tongue slid along mine. The delicious taste of him was enough to melt me. I rolled my hips and reached up to clasp the back of his head, running my nails through his hair as he pulled his thick cock from me and forced it in again.
Pleasure bubbled in my stomach as he made love to my mouth and body, his own willingness to sacrifice comfort met with my own.
I wanted more. Faster like he'd done with his fingers.
"More," I whimpered against his lips.
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