But hadn't she learned her lesson?
"I can't let you do that," she spoke.
"Why not?"
"Because you don't know me."
"You keep putting obstacles my way," he said, his mouth quirking sideways in a soft smile, his eyes twinkling. "I like obstacles."
"Why are you doing this?" Her voice mirrored her agitation.
"Because I want you," Luke said, tucking an auburn strand behind her ear. Gracie shivered at the delicious sensation of his knuckles caressing the sensitive spot behind her ear. She sucked in her breath before reluctantly taking his hand and putting it by his side.
"You cannot want me, Luke," she said, giving him a sad smile. "You have your life ahead of you. You have...a girlfriend."
"Cilla is not my girlfriend."
Gracie bristled, but she continued, "I have a four-year-old son. I don't think you'd like to be saddled with that."
His eyes shuttered any emotion he was feeling.
"What's your son's name?"
She smiled softly as she thought of the one thing that had made her marriage bearable.
"Flynn. His name is Flynn," she said. Her eyes soon lost the dreamlike quality when she looked at him again. "So you see, what you're asking from me cannot happen. Find someone who doesn't come into the relationship with complications."
"I'll be the judge of that."
"Oh God, Luke! Why are you being so difficult?" Frustration made her move away to pace the floor. For a long time, silence reigned in the room and Gracie thought he had left. When she turned he was still there, but he was as immobile as a statue. His eyes turned glacial, and she shuddered at the change. He was no longer the man of fire who nearly made her combust. Her heart stopped at her throat.
"Do you want me to go?" he asked.
"Yes!"
He looked at her, his eyes unfathomable. Finally, he nodded and without a word walked to the door and left the room. The click of the latch sounded like the boom of thunder before a storm, jarring Gracie.
Her office felt very cold.
Gracie sat down, her shoulders slumping. She swivelled her chair so that she faced the window. The buildings dotting the Manchester skyline twinkled against a dark sky that resonated with the loneliness inside her. She had long ago accepted that she would never be good enough for any man. Jonathan had told her that. It was a mantra inflicted on her by the man she had loved deeply. Maybe she had loved Jonathan too much only for him to trample on that love. She allowed him to step on her dignity that she started to believe that, except for Flynn, no one would accept her for who she was. That she was a waste of space. Flynn once caught her crying softly in the bathroom and he had gone to her to embrace her. She was so broken that she held on to her big little man. Children hadn't learned to be judge, jury, and executioner. Her son didn't judge her. To him, she was good enough.
She swivelled back to face her desk and started looking at the files without seeing. Her visions blurred and slowly huge droplets fell on the papers she was looking at. She hiccupped and finally succumbed to her pity party.
Gracie heard a knock on her door before Matt entered.
"What was that all about?"
"What was what all about?" she asked, sniffing and tried to wipe her tears away.
"What the bloody hell did Bryce do to you?" In two strides, Matt was in front of her desk, his eyes flashing in anger. "That arrogant prick. I swear—"
"You swear what, Matt?" she asked, taking a Kleenex tissue from its container on her desk. "He didn't do anything."
Except that, we were close to having horizontal acrobatics in my office.
"Then why are you crying?"
She blew her nose before answering. "I've been having this migraine the whole day and it hasn't subsided. I just need to get home and rest."
Matt was skeptical but backed down when she looked at him unwaveringly.
"You do that," Matt agreed finally. "Better yet, why don't you take the week off, Gracie? No." He held his hand up when she was about to protest. "You've been working non-stop, and you have to give yourself a break. I have to give you a break."
Gracie blew out a breath that played again with her fringe. She eyed the folders stacked on one side of her desk. The offer was so tempting, but with several client reports stacked on her in-tray, having a break was out of the question.
"Veronica can take over doing the reports," Matt said.
Gracie gave a weak laugh. "Are you also a mind reader apart from being an accountant?"
"No." He shook his head, allowing a small grin to light up his face. "You were eyeing the folders. Just caught up quickly."
They both smiled, and then Gracie sniffed.
"Seriously, Gracie, are you okay?"
She walked around the desk and reached out to smooth away his forehead. Matt was a mere five years older than she was. He was tall and handsome with an angular face and dark blue eyes that had women falling for him. He had the physique of a runner but muscled as well because he made it a point to weight train in the gym. Gracie never considered him anything other than a good friend and no matter how many times Matt flirted with her in the past, they both knew that it was just good natured ribbing until Gracie's husband, Jonathan told her he didn't like it and they stopped. Matt became angry not because Jonathan wanted them to stop but because Gracie's husband seemed to corral her every movement, leading to Gracie becoming a shell of her usual self.
Matt was the only one, apart from her mother, who knew what had really happened. He gave her first and only job. They made a good team. He didn't like what happened to her during her marriage, but neither was he a man to interfere. So when Gracie returned to work after the funeral, he helped her with Probate, talking with his solicitor and paying all the fees until Gracie could get back on her feet. He didn't ask questions. He just made sure she had enough work to keep her mind off unwanted memories.
"I'm fine," she assured him. "You've been such a good friend for so long and you know me well, but I'm fine. And stop frowning. Girls don't like frowning men."
Immediately, Matt grinned, showing perfectly white teeth, which made Gracie chuckle.
"Go," Matt said, a low laugh rumbling from his chest before giving her a hug.
Gracie clung to him tightly. Matt had been so good to her and the comfort of his brotherly embrace almost broke the dam.
"Thank you." Her voice was muffled against his shirt.
Matt released her and smiled.
"Spend time with Flynn. God knows I've worked you too hard these last few weeks."
"That's what I intend to do." She smiled, walking away to shut down her computer and grab her purse. Matt accompanied her to reception area.
"I mean it, chuck. Enjoy the break."
Chapter Eight
Not giving a rat's ass what the receptionist thought of him, Luke stormed out of Gracie's office, eschewing the lift for the stairs. His feet flew off the steps, reaching the ground floor in record time. The adrenalin pumping in his veins felt good, though it didn't take the edge off his exasperation.
Gracie Sinclair was the most infuriating woman he had ever met in his life!
And thinking about her was giving him a raging hard on.
He slipped into his car, slamming the door. He winced as he felt the vibrations around him. His Maserati didn't deserve to take the brunt of his frustration.
He closed his eyes. Shit! What was he thinking of when he accosted her in her office? He was such a prick! He groaned when his cock twitched at the memory of being cradled by her hips as their shared kiss poked at the coals of his need. He was only too glad his coat had been long enough to keep his arousal hidden or he would’ve left a bug eyed receptionist in his wake. Gracie tasted exquisite. Her lips, the caverns of her mouth, her tongue. Her sweet taste he had licked from his fingers. He sighed, remembering the feel of her tight vaginal walls against his fingers. It heated his blood like no other woman had ever done. He loved the way she came, loved the way he ha
d swallowed her climax in a kiss, her hot breath sensually coasting down his throat and spreading across his chest. The excitement she aroused in him was starting to drive him crazy.
It was scaring the crap out of him.
What made her so different from the others he fucked? They all excited him, made him hard, made him cum, gave him his release, gave him peace. But the peace they gave was fleeting and disappeared even before he left the bed.
Whether it was his conscience or his logic, he didn't know, but something told him that what Gracie could give him would last longer. She made every effort to stay away from him. To be aloof. Her prim and proper air only hid a woman who was filled with passion, and Luke vowed to find a way of bringing her out.
Even if they had to stay in bed for a week.
How could a slip of a woman have such power over him? He expelled a long breath. Everything about Gracie enticed him. The furrow of her brow when she was concentrating on what she was doing, the way she cocked her head to one side showing the column of her throat that he wanted to nibble on. It was in the way her lips parted when she breathed, the sudden fire in her eyes when he walked towards her. It was in the sway of her hips, the way she walked so confidently in those fuck-me heels, and the swell of her breasts. How he’d love to feast on them. All he wanted to do was to take her to his bed and worship her body until the sun rose and set and rose again. Bloody hell. Didn't she even have the slightest inclination that she held all the aces?
For once in his life, the thought of giving in to a woman felt right. All he wanted to do was to sink into her depths, stay there, and be a part of her because he needed her.
Holy shit. He needed her.
Luke ran his hand through his already tousled hair.
Almost a lifetime of fuckships left him empty. Everybody shagged everybody. Unshakable lust trickling down to boring sex. End of story. It was for that reason he refused to have the same woman each weekend. Cilla Williams had been the exception. Now that he had set his eyes on Gracie, would she be the same? If that was the case, then he just needed to get embroiled in a fuck fest to get her out of his system. Hell, even thinking of Gracie in a fuck fest didn't feel right. All the women he had always wanted to satisfy him. This time, he wanted to satisfy her. He wanted to see that glazed look of her release as she came, wanted to hear her sighs as she floated down, wanted to feel her body as she melted into him. He wanted Gracie as he had never wanted anyone else.
Luke shook his head as he stared out of the car's window into the dark sky. No woman had ever held him in the grip of this feeling that wanted to burst from his insides to obliterate him. The surprising thing was that he was willing to let it happen. It was heady, exciting, happy, and erotic all at the same time. That was what Gracie did to him, but she was going to be difficult to woo. Luke gave out a bark of laughter. To woo someone? That was something he never thought he would do in his entire life.
Something had happened to her. Luke could feel it in his gut. He couldn't believe that the attraction he saw flitter through her eyes was a figment of his imagination. He saw her eyes dilate with desire before she tamped it down. Her body told him so when he touched her and it was the bloody phone that brought that wall up again. She refused to give in to what she truly wanted. Repressed. Yes, that was the word. She was repressing herself from the pleasure he knew he could give her and that which she would enjoy. For once, he wished her bastard husband was alive and Luke would give him a piece of his mind. Luke's mouth twitched at his macabre humour. This was one time that talking ill of the dead wasn't appalling at all.
He would have to tread carefully. He had to show her that he could be trusted not to hurt her, to be trusted to want her. He didn't have that much experience with taking a relationship to more than a week that included the weekdays and not just the weekends, but if it did, he wanted Gracie to see that he could be someone who would cherish her in the time they had together.
He exhaled, leaning back on the seat and propping his elbow on the car window as he pressed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. His eyes narrowed, zeroing in on the building's entrance of Gracie's office. He wasn't a patient man. Neither did he allow his clients to look at any other option other than what he placed on the negotiating table. Whatever he wanted, he got.
And he wanted Gracie Sinclair. For how long, he still didn't know, but something told him he wanted her for more than a weekend. A week maybe? Point was, he would get everything he could. He could try to use his negotiation skills, but he doubted it would work. This was going to prove difficult, but he was willing to take all the time he needed to make Gracie see his side of things. That way, he wouldn't be forcing her. He shook his head, a sardonic smile painting his face. A matter of semantics maybe, but he just couldn't get the auburn haired, chocolate brown eyed beauty out of his mind and his shaft wanted out of his pants like a dowsing rod. He stifled an oath. He didn't know how long he'd be able to wait.
He looked at his watch before pressing the speed dial on his cell phone.
"Terrence, everything okay?"
"You're on your holiday. Stop thinking of work."
Luke shrugged as though his friend could see it. "Couldn't help it."
He heard Terrence sigh, then chuckle.
"Yes, everything's fine," Terrence said. There was a shuffling of papers in the background. "I've spoken to Barry about Belton. He doesn't see any problem about pulling out."
"But...?" Luke knew there was always a 'but.'
"We'll need to meet with the client to explain things and say that they allow us to pull out or we'll have to jack up our fees."
Luke drew a cursed breath. "We're midway through, mate."
"Don't you think I know that? I'm as annoyed as you. But we'll be losing a lot if we continue. I'll arrange the meeting. Barry said he'll join us to drive the point home."
"Do that."
"Will do. Enjoy your time out of the office."
Luke ended the call.
Gracie's face came unbidden in his mind. If there was anything Luke wanted to do, it was to drive his arousal's point home into Gracie's sex, which he was sure was going to be sweet. Why did he always have to think of Gracie in a horizontal manner? His mind conjured different angles of how he could drive through. He shut his eyes, groaning. He forced himself to think of anything else except Gracie, but it was no use. She filled every recess of his mind.
As though his mind conjured her, he saw her walk out of the building, walking towards the parking lot. She looked as though she had just cried.
Fuck! This was his fault.
Luke threw his mobile phone into the passenger seat and got out of his car.
"Gracie!"
She froze mid-stride and pivoted to him.
* * *
Gracie was relieved that Matt didn't pursue his line of questioning. She bit her lower lip, lost in thought. Had Matt prodded further, she wouldn't have known what to say. From the din of the silence that buffered everything around her, she heard her name being called as though from inside a tunnel. She turned, looking for the source, then stiffened yet she couldn't stop her pulse from beating faster.
"What are you doing here?"
Luke strode towards her.
"I waited for you."
Gracie almost gave in to the hysterical laughter bubbling out of her chest. "Haven't you done enough?" She walked to her car.
Luke frowned, following her. "What happened?"
She sighed as she opened her car door. She needed to keep this on a professional level even though her body was acutely aware of Luke's heat warming her.
"Nothing I couldn't handle." She threw her purse into the passenger seat. "Veronica Mathers will be dealing with your account as of today."
"Why?"
Gracie gave a huff, shooting him a glance. "Yours is not the only account I am responsible for, Mr. Bryce. And do you always have that irritated frown on your face?"
"Luke."
She hesitated, ev
entually relenting. "Luke. We hurdled the report, the rest is just a lot of paperwork and audits. Veronica is very good at her job."
Luke was now just inches away from her, and Gracie just wanted to lean into him, to be able to feel a man's arms around her like he meant it. He was one damned erotically enhanced magnet! She looked up and heard him inhale sharply.
"You've been crying. I thought I was just seeing things." He looked very pissed. "Shit!"
"I have to go, Luke. Please step aside."
"I made you cry." He ran his hand through his brown hair, clenching his jaw. His face hardened as he grappled with the knowledge.
"No, you didn't. Now please step aside." Dammit she was close to tears again, and she just wanted to go home. Shit, she wasn't supposed to cry.
Luke didn't budge.
Gracie knew what she was going to do was juvenile, but desperate times called for a bit of crazy. She shoved Luke away, catching him unawares.
Luke stared at her as though she'd lost her mind. Quickly, she got into the car, started the engine and screeched away from the parking lot.
Gracie glanced at her rear view mirror. Luke was still rooted to the spot. Inhaling sharply, she turned her attention back to the road. Shit, what had she done? Client or not, he had been harassing her.
He's still a client.
She finally gave in to the hysteric giggles dying to leave her throat. Luke's face had been comical, as though he'd never thought someone would dare pull a fast one on him. Neither could she stop the nearly maniacal glee she felt at leaving him in the dust.
"Ugh! Why did you have to complicate things, Mr. Bryce?" She shook her head.
She didn't want to be throwing her weight around, but if Luke was going to tell Matt what had happened in the parking lot, she'd tell Matt what their client did from her perspective. It would also give more credence to her suggestion that someone else take care of the Bryce account.
As she eased into the rush hour traffic, her thoughts of Luke disappeared. She inched her way into the road that would shave off her travel time going home. Finally, she gave a sigh of relief as she left the city centre traffic behind. She gave a cursory glance at the other driver while they waited for traffic light to turn green. She should be flattered that a younger man was giving her the attention, which had soon disappeared after Flynn arrived. It would have been different if it had been just harmless flirting but it had gone beyond that. Gracie squirmed in her seat as she remembered Luke's fingers playing with her pussy.
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