"Oh God...." Her pussy quivered again, making her wet, her nipples pebbling inside her bra. She squeaked when the car behind her blared its horn. Colour flooded her cheeks.
"That's what you get thinking of being fingered," she muttered before she burst into a fit of giggles. "Holy shit. Get your mind out of the gutter and on the road, Sinclair."
Soon she turned into the tree-lined street leading to her house. She parked the car outside her garage before switching the engine off. She turned her head to see light spilling out from the open entrance door. Her mother came out but before she could open her mouth to talk, Flynn scooted out from behind her. A smile broke on Gracie's face. All the weariness of the day melted away when she saw her son run towards the car. He waited until she opened the door and hurled himself at her.
"Oh!" Air whooshed out from her as she laughed.
"Hi, Mummy!"
"Hi, sweetie." She hugged her son, revelling at the warmth of his embrace. She inhaled deeply. "You smell nice, baby."
"I took a bath." The air whistled through the gap of Flynn's front teeth. "I have something for the tooth fairy." He opened his hand to show his tooth nestled in the middle of his palm.
"Well then, we better prepare your tooth and hide it under your pillow."
Flynn untangled himself from his mother's arms to run back into the house. Theresa clucked at Flynn as he zoomed past her. She shook her head as she chortled.
"Tea's ready," she said from the doorway. She pivoted to follow Flynn inside the house. "Flynn, you come back and finish your tea!"
Gracie got out the car, chuckling and shaking her head at her mother and son's antics.
"Hey, neighbour." A svelte woman in overalls strolled from the house beside hers.
"Hey, Noreen." Gracie grinned as she opened the back door to take out her things. "How was your day?"
"My arms are tired and the clay has taken permanent residence under my fingernails."
"But it does help you with the masterpieces you come up with." Gracie giggled. “Speaking of which, Noreen, I've been given the rest of the week off. So I can join you to set up at the fair. And mark my word, no one will be able to resist your pottery."
"Brilliant! I was wondering what I'd do with all of the orders and the fair." Noreen's face broke into a grateful smile. "Your work is not too shabby either."
"Oh, please! I've only just started." Gracie laughed before she noticed a figure crossing the street towards her. Noreen turned around before facing Gracie with an amused arch of her brow.
"Guess that's my cue."
"What? No. You can stay," Gracie replied, trying to stop her heart from racing with excitement. Why did she always feel she was running a marathon when he was nearby?
"Uh, I don't think the hunk coming over here would like that," Noreen replied with a giggle before retracing her steps. "Laters, Gracie."
"Laters," Gracie mumbled, but Noreen had already turned her back, greeting the man with a "Hi." The lamplight hid his face in the shadows but her heart jumped, knowing that familiar gait. He sauntered towards her, and Gracie felt that if she sprinted up to the house he might just pounce on her, bring her to the ground and she'd willingly raise her hips so that he could enter her from behind. Her cheeks flamed at the primitive sexual picture her mind conjured. She didn't want him to suspect how he affected her, so she scowled.
"Do you have stalker tendencies?"
"No, I just followed you home."
"Mr. Bryce, that says stalker to me. The letter "S" is glowing in the middle of your forehead." She scoffed, shaking her head.
"You were upset earlier." Luke shrugged. "I wanted to make sure you were sane enough to drive."
She gawked at him.
"You arrogant—"
"Son of a bitch? Prick? Bastard?" He cocked one brow in mock salute. "Yes, actually I am, but I still wanted to make sure you got home safely after pushing me in the parking lot and driving like a she-devil. Good thing the police didn't catch you. You’d probably be summoned if they look closely at the CCTV footage."
What he said annoyed her, but the thought that he wanted her safe trumped everything else. A tingle of pleasure that felt like mist coming from the ether weaved through her, lubricating the rusty deadbolt she used to keep her heart safe.
"As you can see, I'm home safe, so you can go." She reached for her purse inside the car.
"Not until you say yes to going out with me."
Gracie straightened and exhaled in exasperation. "That's enough."
"Or what? You'll spank me? Put me in the naughty corner. Sure, I'd like that. We can do naughty things together there."
"Luke! I'm serious!"
"So am I," he said, closing the gap between them. "Is it so hard to accept that I want you?" Gracie shivered when Luke's breath teased her ear. He caged her between him and the car's open door. Then he bent his head to brush his lips against hers before capturing her mouth. Her gasp at the sudden invasion opened her mouth, and Luke gave a low groan before his tongue entered her mouth coaxing her passion with each stroke of his tongue. She held on to his shoulders, giving in again. Damn her traitorous body. He slanted his mouth to deepen the kiss, eliciting another sigh from her. Luke wanted her and the intensity of that knowledge lit the embers inside her. She placed her arms around his neck, her fingers playing with the hair on his nape as she pressed her body closer. Her tongue darted towards his. Her teeth grazed his lower lip before sucking on it. She smiled against his mouth when he gave a satisfied groan. Then her breath caught when she felt his arousal by her hip. Liquid heat slowly trickled into a pool between her thighs. She hummed in approval when Luke's hand cupped her breast, his thumb wreaking havoc on her nipple through her blouse. Her back arched to give Luke more of herself. His hips pinned her against the car and sensually ground his erection against her pelvis. Her sex filled with an aching need for him to be inside her. Her clit throbbed at the thought even as her channel experienced a pain that needed to be soothed. If there were neighbours just coming home from work, they’d be watching a spectacle. At the moment she didn’t care.
Desire fired in Gracie's belly, sending bolts to electrify every nerve ending she had before striking at her lust-starved sex. Luke's continued gyration against her pelvis caused the flood of longing to soak her apex. Her senses zeroed on the way Luke's mouth stoked her need to the point of an uncomfortable hunger. She could kiss him all night long while his hands moved over her body, and she wouldn't tire of him. She opened her eyes in a daze when Luke ended the kiss to skim her face with his breath. She missed being kissed, missed his mouth and couldn't focus, caught in the web of passion that had long eluded her.
Gracie sucked in sharply as she felt Luke's mouth move to her ear. A sound of surrender came out involuntarily from her throat. He licked and sucked her earlobe before going for the sensitive spot behind her ear and the dip between her neck and shoulder.
"Go out with me," he whispered as he continued to grind against her.
Gracie swallowed. "I can't."
"Why?" His voice was husky. "There's nothing stopping you. And you know you want to."
Damn, Luke knew how to push the right buttons. But she was so afraid that if she did, he'd only be disappointed.
"Your girlfriend—" Gracie began. It was a lame excuse to get out of what Luke wanted to do.
A low growl of exasperation rumbled out of his chest. He stepped away. Gracie felt like a canoe untethered from its mooring. The cold air happily seeped through her body where Luke's body heat had previously been.
"Cilla is not my girlfriend," he bit out as he ran his hands through his hair.
"She looked and acted like your girlfriend."
He turned to her, his eyes unfathomable.
"She's my weekender."
"What does that mean?"
"That I have her every weekend." He paused. "She's my fuck buddy."
Gracie's heart somersaulted as blood drained out from her face to rush back up again. It was th
e wake-up call she needed. The need to feel wanted had overrun her rational mind, causing her to nearly throw all caution to the wind.
She gave a brittle laugh. "I'm not the woman for you, Mr. Bryce. I'm not a subscriber to the fuck buddy system. I'm sorry if I led you on. I'm not the person you think I am, and I can't be the person you want me to be."
Chapter Nine
Telling Gracie the truth about Cilla was another curve ball that blindsided Luke. What the hell? His mind seemed to have a mind of its own, if that made any sense, going against the grain by moving a step ahead before Luke could even process the words coming out of his mouth. He was very familiar with his dick going haywire at the sight of a woman. He expected that. But his brain?
Shit!
What was it about Gracie that gave him the compunction to tell her the truth? He couldn't understand what was happening to him. From the moment she drove away that first night when he felt his gut plummet at seeing her leave, to finding out she was available for the taking, he couldn't stop thinking of her. He had never wanted a woman as much as he wanted Gracie. Fuck, he had never obsessed over a woman in his life before. Women played the hard to get card and he moved to someone else. He refused to be cornered in a game he always came out the winner. Telling her the truth smacked of desperation. Shit, he was grovelling all because he wanted a few nights to ease his craving to be inside her.
However, something stirred inside him, something so unusual that he didn't have a word for it. No matter how much he believed he wanted Gracie just for a moment, it wouldn't be enough. What was it about this woman in front of him, whose features were cast in a soft glow by the street lights and shadows that made him want to hold her? Why did he want her to scream his name when she orgasmed and not let any other man have her? Because that would make him happy. And he wouldn't allow her time to come down before he made her climax again, joining her before they basked in the afterglow.
He watched emotions flit through her face. Even in the dim light of the night that surrounded them, he saw the flush rise to her cheeks. Was that consternation? Disappointment? Or was she just as turned on as he was? He envied the things she held close to her chest that felt the roundness of her breast as her chest rose and fell. His body should be the one protecting her instead of those inanimate objects, his hands the ones to cup her breasts and tease her nipples instead of her bra.
"Gracie, I never envisioned you to be as you put it, a subscriber of the fuck buddy system."
"But you're proposing that we do."
Luke's eyes narrowed at her body language. Bloody hell, there it was again. His need to erase the anxiety that seemed to cloak her. Gracie's shoulders slightly curved inward, as though she was protecting herself from some violent onslaught. It wasn't too much, but he was honed to everything she did, no matter how minute. Being honest with her had boomeranged.
Big time.
"Gracie," he started. He remained where he was, waiting for her next move.
She shook her head as she turned to slam the car door and beeped it locked. Squaring her shoulders, she faced him again.
"Right," she said. The tip of her dusky pink tongue poked out to lick her lower lip before she bit down to stifle a grin. Luke's hands balled into fists to stop himself from grabbing her and swooping down to take her mouth in his again. She wanted to smile. That was a good smile, wasn't it? Shit! He had fucked and seduced so many women, anticipating their every move. Then Gracie messed with his orderly disordered life, and he couldn't read her. He was so screwed.
"I'm not the woman for you," Gracie continued. "I'm a widow. I have a child. I'm sure you don't want that complication. And I'm heaps older than you."
"I'm thirty," he interrupted, his hands on his waist. "I know you're not forty."
Gracie shrugged. "Still. I'm what, ten years older than you?"
"Eight."
"Sorry?"
"I read your file. Terrence checks on everyone we hire. It's eight."
"Ouch," she said softly. She had a mysterious smile on her face and it was turning his insides to mush. "You don't mince words, do you?"
"I don't give a damn about the age," he bit out. "I want you."
"But that's my point," Gracie said as though she were talking to a child. "I can't be your weekender or even your workweek squeeze. Flynn is waiting for me inside that house, and I intend to spend my time with him. He's all I have left."
He breached the distance, holding her by the shoulders. "Then let me spend time with both of you."
He saw her eyes widen.
"Excuse me?"
Seriously, Bryce? Luke was at a loss, and he didn't know where that came from. At least he had one up over his brain. "I want to spend time with you and your son."
"Luke, you hardly know me," she said, perplexity marring her beautiful face.
"Isn't that the reason why two people spend time with each other?" he asked, his thumb grazing her jaw. His mouth lifted to one side when he saw her lean into his caress and at the soft sigh that came unbidden from her lips. "All I know is that I like the way your lips taste, how your breasts feel in the palms of my hand, how your nipples harden, and how your clit responds when I rub it."
She gave a strangled groan. "Luke."
He gave her a lopsided grin that made her panties wet.
"I like the way you say my name. I wonder how it would sound when I make you cum again. I couldn't let you do that in your office, could I? Then everybody would know I had my fingers deep inside you."
"Oh God, stop."
Gracie had her palms on his chest. Just her mere touch made him crave for her. He wanted to carry her like a caveman and take her back to his flat and make love to her until they both fell asleep, exhausted but satisfied.
"Stop what?"
"Bryce Engineering is a client and a duty of care is stipulated in our contract."
"Oh, babe, must we talk about business?" he whispered, not wanting his company to intrude into his seduction.
"Babe," she almost exclaimed as she tried to pull away. "I'm not your babe."
"But you will be."
Luke didn't care how that sounded. He wanted her. He needed her. And he wasn't going to settle for anything other than what he decided was going to happen.
Be careful. You might be doing what her husband did to her.
His jaw hardened, hating the way his mind had taken the role of Jiminy Cricket. Bloody hell. With Gracie, he couldn't think straight.
He stepped back a little, taking her wrists and turning them face up. Her eyes flew to his, and he held them with his gaze. He used his thumbs to circle her pulse points. Heart in his throat, his cock became painfully hard by the second as her moan travelled from his ears down to his groin. The image of her hands on his shaft before her lips enclosed him in her warm mouth made him back her against the car and make her feel his heat against her stomach. He lifted both her wrists to his mouth, then gently flicked his tongue over the pulse. Gracie's breathing sharpened, her lips parting. He blew softly on her wrists and was rewarded with a soft whimper.
"Stop, please." Gracie's voice was husky with need.
"Seriously? Why? I know you like what I'm doing to you. Why stop?" He continued his assault before he reluctantly brought her wrists down, still holding them.
Gracie looked at him, her eyes searching his. Luke felt himself being sweetly pulled to her as though she would be able to reach his soul. His heart hammered in his chest. Gracie's shoulders slumped as she bent her head. Luke watched her, his heart suddenly hollow. The same hollow feeling he got when he knew he was going to lose something he wanted in his life.
He let go of her wrists, and she slowly pivoted to walk towards her front door. He watched her move farther away from him. His gut clenched.
"I'm not just offering you the kisses or the touches we've just shared. I'm offering you much more," he called through the distance that she stopped but didn't turn to face him. Luke raked his hand through his hair, opening his mouth to say s
omething but thought better of it. He needed to get away. He wasn't thinking straight. It was time to go, to take stock of things.
He pivoted to walk back to his car, then stopped mid-stride. "Kids are not a complication. They never are. It's parents who complicate things."
This time Luke left Gracie watching his car speed away.
Luke didn't know how long he drove. He wasn't conscious of where he wanted to go either. He just wanted to leave because he couldn't stand being close to Gracie when he craved her. Finally realizing where he was, he reached up at the button in his visor and waited for the door to open. As he manoeuvred into the slot allotted for the Maserati, the lights of the five-car garage switched on softly. Killing the engine, he got out to make his way to the door leading to the main house.
He took the steps up to the living room, his shoes tapping quietly against the hardwood stairs. The higher he went, the more the memories flooded his mind, cloaking him in comfort. The house had been his childhood home. It had been the place where he had some of the happiest moments of his life. It was where he felt safe in his mother's embrace, felt her understanding, felt her happiness. Felt her pain before she succumbed to the disease that plagued the last years of her life.
After his mother died, Luke refused to sell the house, refurbishing it into a house of rustic charm and grace with wooden floors, high beams, adobe walls, and soft lights. It was his haven against the harshness of the life he had to live.
He made his way to the kitchen. His caretaker always made sure that the house was stocked should Luke decide to take a break from the city. He opened the fridge and grabbed a beer, taking several gulps of the chilled liquid before making his way to the living room. Three sides of the living room was an expanse of glass that gave Luke a one hundred eighty degree view of the enclosed garden. He didn't switch on the lights, finding comfort in the darkness. He sat on the leather sofa, sinking comfortably into it, taking one more swig before resting his arms over the back and the side of the couch. Luke's eyes narrowed before taking another drag from his beer, only to realize that it was empty.
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