Be Mine

by Cate, Isobelle

  Luke stepped inside the threshold before he caressed her cheek with his knuckles. "I promised you I'd be back, remember?"

  Pleasure zinged through her spine before almost exploding in her head. The feeling made her heady, cozy.

  "I thought that was brought about by the moment we had."

  Without preamble, he placed his hand under her shoulder length hair before leaning down to kiss her. Her eyelids fluttered closed, giving in to everything that was Luke. He licked the seam of her lips, nipping, nibbling, and sucking. Her mouth opened for his probing tongue before she took the initiative and sucked on it. Luke growled in appreciation. He hooked his arm around her waist to bring her closer to him, making her feel what effect she had on him. His taste and smell played havoc with her senses. When he sucked on her lower lip, her clit experienced another sudden bolt of desire that made her gasp against his mouth. All too soon the kiss ended, and she sighed in disappointment.

  "Still think that yesterday was spur of the moment?" he asked against her mouth, his voice deep, before his mouth moved to graze her jaw.

  "No," she said huskily. "But—"

  "No buts, Gracie." He raised his head just enough to look deep into her eyes. "I made a promise. And I keep my promises, no matter how long it takes."

  She almost purred at the unbanked desire in his eyes. They smouldered for her. Her! That never happened before. She sure as hell didn't mind burning in their depths.

  There was a tug on her left hand and the cold splash of reality set in.

  "Flynn! Sorry!"

  Flynn eyed Luke again with curiosity.

  "I swear if Flynn faced me during negotiating contracts, I'd fold."

  Gracie laughed. "He can be pretty unnerving at times."

  Luke grinned, and Gracie's heart melted at his boyish charm. "So what would you want to do?"

  "Excuse me?" She blinked.

  "Isn't it obvious I want to spend more time with you?"

  Gracie couldn't keep eye contact, so she looked at Flynn. Her stomach knotted with excitement and a sense of disbelief. This sexy man wanted to spend time with her. The man who somehow helped free her inhibitions.

  "Luke—"

  He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest with his feet braced and his face troubled. "Flynn, you have to help me out here, mate."

  Gracie's eyes widened. He returned her glare with amusement and determination.

  Flynn kept quiet as though waiting for Luke to say more.

  "Do you want to go somewhere with me and your mum?"

  Flynn shook his head.

  "Didn't you want to go see the animals in the zoo, luv?"

  Gracie whirled around in surprise at her mother's voice.

  "Mum!"

  "I want to go to the zoo!" Flynn squealed, a grin lighting up his face.

  "The zoo it is," Luke exclaimed. He pivoted to look up at the sky. "The weatherman said on the radio that today was going to be cold but sunny."

  Gracie stared at both Luke and her mother in bewilderment. Flynn ran to Theresa, who immediately took his hand.

  "C'mon, Flynn. Let's get you dressed while Mum and Luke wait for you."

  When they disappeared, Gracie turned to Luke.

  "You fight dirty."

  He shrugged, his deep blue eyes never leaving her face.

  "You didn't answer. Can't waste precious time."

  She shook her head and bit her lower lip to stifle the smile that threatened to spread across her mouth. Luke leaned towards her.

  "Biting that lip must be painful," he murmured. "Can I suck it to remove the sting?"

  Gracie laughed, feeling breathless.

  "Well?"

  "Stop talking that way," she said, her knees weakening.

  He tilted her chin so that he could look deeply into her eyes. Gracie thought she was going to combust because they seemed to see into her very soul.

  "You're beautiful, Gracie." His gaze swept all over her face before focusing on her parted lips. "I will keep on talking to you that way until you accept that I desire you. If there is anyone else who will desire you, I'll punch them in the face."

  Gracie giggled, but as he brushed his thumb across her lower lip, her breath hitched. He bent down.

  "It's not a laughing matter, babe." Luke's teeth nipped gently at her jaw before forging a hot trail to her ear. Gracie moaned when he licked the sensitive spot behind the lobe before dipping to the erratic beating pulse at the base of her throat.

  Luke whispered, "You are mine. No one else's. I want a repeat of yesterday. I want more.

  Gracie hadn't noticed that her hands clung to the lapels of his jacket. He continued.

  "I love the way you taste. I like going down on you to feast on your pussy. I like the way my tongue gets coated with your cream. I so love the way your clit follows my every command, the way your pussy lips open up to me. And I so love the way my cock fucks you until you scream and cum hard."

  What was she doing still standing upright? She should already be a puddle on the floor! Slowly the sides of her mouth lifted, her eyes alight with mischief. The hell she'd be beaten at the verbal foreplay. She leaned up to gently suck on his throat. She smiled when she felt the low rumble coming from his chest. She moved closer, almost unable to stop the moan coming out of her when she felt the long thick ridge between his legs.

  "And I love the way your cock tastes in my mouth," she whispered. "You taste heavenly, Luke. So granite hard covered in soft suck worthy skin. You're so thick and long that you stretch me, and I like that so much. I like to suck you, to glide my tongue over and around you. I like teasing your cock slit, playing with your balls as I gently pamper them with my tongue. But most of all? I love your taste when you cum inside my mouth."

  "Damn, I think I just did."

  Gracie's laughter tinkled as she pulled back.

  "Who started it?" She arched a mocking brow.

  "You don't play fair," Luke growled in her ear before kissing her temple. Gracie grinned, while Luke adjusted his jeans.

  "You think?"

  Chapter Twenty

  The trip to Chester Zoo was a success. Flynn's eyes were filled with wonder while he kept pointing at the animals he only saw in his bedtime story books. Luke insisted on paying for all of them despite Gracie insisting that she would. She watched helplessly as Luke blocked her from paying, firmly telling the staff member at the till to charge his card. Afterwards, they made their way from the elephants to the meerkats, Flynn squealing that they were the ones he saw on television. They doubled back because Flynn wanted to see the giraffes and made their way to the fruit bat forest. When Luke carried Flynn, the boy latched on to him, his small arms not letting go of his neck. Something inside Luke cracked that caused him to close his eyes. Pain? No, not really. It felt like a glow beginning in the middle of his gut, radiating through him. An indescribable feeling.

  Of belonging.

  He saw Gracie watch him, and he banked the raw emotion that holding Flynn in his arms made. A grin lit his face instead.

  A while later Gracie stopped and looked away, frowning. She held on to Flynn so hard that he squirmed.

  “Mum!”

  “Sorry, baby,” Gracie rushed. “Let’s put you in the stroller okay?” Flynn didn’t object.

  "Something wrong?" Luke placed his arm around her shoulders.

  Gracie continued to look around. "I feel as though someone is watching us."

  "Babe, of course someone will be watching us. You're one sexy woman even wrapped in that thick coat." Then he leaned to lick her ear. "I'd like to unwrap you later and kiss every inch of your soft skin."

  He laughed softly when Gracie reddened.

  Luke kept up with Flynn's chatter, making faces that made the young boy laugh, and answered all of his questions. Flynn's initial wariness towards Luke soon melted as the day lengthened. Nobody would have been the wiser to think they were not a family. Luke went out of his way to explain things to Flynn. When Gracie was tired, he accompanie
d Flynn around the zoo before meeting up with Gracie. Flynn took to him like a duck to water.

  Still, Luke continued to sneak in bits of sexual banter, chuckling softly at the way Gracie blushed or the way she leaned towards him when he placed a kiss on her nape. Most of all, he loved holding her in front of him, his arms around her waist as he pressed his raging hard on against her ass.

  By the time they arrived in Gracie’s house, Flynn had already fallen asleep. Luke carried him up to his bedroom and tucked him in. At that moment, Luke realized he liked it. He looked at the sleeping child. This boy was not his, but he was partly Gracie. Could he want a child of his own? Would Gracie want to have his child? To have Gracie carry his child brought warmth to his heart. His child. He blew out a breath as he looked up and stared blankly at the elephant and giraffe wallpaper. He swallowed. Holy fuck...he was thinking of having a family with Gracie. So soon? The epiphany hit him like a sucker punch and he had to sit down on the sleeping boy's bed. He stared at Flynn's sleeping form without actually seeing.

  His own son. Would he be a good father? He was a cynic when it came to talking about kids, slinking lower into his chair when his friends began talking about holidays and childish antics. Not gonna happen, he had said. Yet so many times in the past, when he was forced to drop by during birthdays, he had envied them. Watching his friends and their wives or girlfriends laugh with joy made his chest hurt that he had to make his excuses and leave, not wanting to feel that tight knot of unacknowledged need. Now here he was exploring the possibility of having a child of his own. His face hardened, determined. No way in hell would he be like his father. No matter what happened, he would not allow his child to go through what he went through. He wouldn't allow Gracie to raise his child alone. He ran his hand through his hair and down his face. Having children would change his life for good. His life had already changed. It had already started with Gracie.

  He exhaled loudly. Now wasn't the time to think about those things. He prided himself on thinking rationally. While he admitted that he had fallen in love with her, thinking about children at this juncture in time was hasty. He had to take it slow. It was already too much of a whirlwind as it was. He wasn't complaining, he just wanted to get it right. Not everyone was lucky to get the chances he got even with a relationship such as this. This definitely wasn't a fuckship. Well, okay...a fuckship that turned into a real relationship. A relationship he wanted.

  Suddenly Luke needed to be with her. To feel her close by his side.

  As he came down the stairs, he saw her talking with her mother. Theresa had her coat on. She looked up, saw him, and nodded.

  "You only have one chance, Mr. Bryce," Theresa stated without preamble. "That's all I will give you."

  "Mum!" Gracie stepped back, mortified.

  Luke gave Theresa a perfunctory nod.

  "I understand."

  Gracie looked at him askance when the door closed behind her mother.

  "What on Earth was that all about?"

  "Theresa and I talked yesterday before they left to bake more biscuits. She warned me against hurting you."

  "Oh, Mum!" She placed her face in her hands, her voice muffled.

  "Hey," he cajoled, taking her hands away from her face. "I told her my intentions were honourable."

  She gave a hysterical laugh. "I don't think having sex in such a short space of time is exactly honourable."

  "What if we had sex tonight and made love tomorrow? What if I made love to you the day after tomorrow and the day after that?"

  "That only means you could get me pregnant. That's a possibility, though not exactly with the patch I have."

  "But what if I continued to make love to you the next week, the coming week, the next month, the coming months?"

  Luke tenderly cupped her face in the palm of his hand. He took a tendril of her hair with his other hand, rubbing the silky hair between his fingers before tucking it behind her ear. It was getting to be a habit with Gracie. He looked at her parted lips and the mouth that held so much magic for him. He bent down to kiss her, his tongue tracing the seam, sucking gently on her lips.

  "Would forever prove my intentions are honourable?" he queried against her mouth. He pulled back and sucked in his breath when he saw the molten fire in her eyes. Here was the first woman who tugged at his heartstrings. Completely. He really and truly loved her. For the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do if she rejected him. His head almost burst with his anxiety at the thought.

  But Gracie smiled. The tenderness in her eyes made his heart swell with joy.

  "God help me if I'm rushing into things," she murmured. "Yes, Luke. We can try for forever."

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It was Luke who took her hand to pull her to the bedroom. As soon as she closed the door, he turned her to face him to meet his lips. The sweetness of his kiss made Gracie sigh and open up for him. She curled her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. He groaned at her response, slanting his mouth to deepen the kiss while undressing her to trail his mouth over every inch of skin, his stubble abrasive as it was erotic. It made her skin tingle in its wake, making her very much aware of his lips on her. Gracie undressed him too, and she had never felt so good doing so. As soon as his chest was exposed, she leaned forward to splay his skin with butterfly kisses and flicks of her tongue that had him softly growling. Her palms tingled against the tiny hairs on his forearms, on his chest before it dipped down to forge a sensual trail to his groin. Luke was all hers. Her eyes raked every contour and plane of his torso. She looked up at him before leaning forward to lick, then suck his nipple. Luke hissed, his hands on her hair. A deep-throated sound came out of him when she swirled her tongue around his own hard bud at the same time her hand moved up and down his jean-encased arousal. He lifted her and laid her down on the bed. Without preamble, Luke ravaged her mouth once again, leaving her senses reeling. Desire pooled in her apex even as her legs spread so that he lay between her thighs. Her hips bucked against his covered arousal, wanting the friction to ease the ache inside her soaked underwear. She ran her hands through his hair and down his back, embracing him to her as close as she could.

  "Luke..." Gracie's eyes closed when his mouth dipped to alternately suck her hardened peaks through her lace cups. The gentle roughness of the lace cups added to the delicious friction of his tongue. Then he removed her bra and continued to lavish praise on her breasts, licking and grazing his teeth against the sensitive nubs, his hands cupping and kneading them against his mouth.

  "Please." She gasped. "I want more. I need more."

  Luke plundered her mouth again. Gracie raised her head to greedily meet his invasion.

  "I will not give you more, Gracie," he said against her mouth as he coaxed her tongue out to catch his.

  Gracie pushed against his chest.

  Her forehead creased. "No?"

  Luke trailed his tongue against her jaw before lifting his head to gaze at her.

  "I'll give you everything."

  Gracie's blood sang in her veins. Her need to belong to someone, to be claimed deafened her to everything around her except the thudding of their hearts, the frenzy of their breaths, and the joint song of their souls. Heat radiated everywhere he touched. He licked, nipped, and placed open mouth kisses that increased the ache inside her. Her heart thudded so hard in her breast she thought it would pop right out.

  Then he stopped. Dazedly, she looked at him, a smile slowly easing on her lips when he knelt on the floor by the end of the bed. She squealed when he grabbed her hips and dragged her down and instantly French kissed her sex against the thin barrier of her panties, causing more of her sweetness to flow.

  "Oh God! Yes!" She gripped his head, holding on to his hair, her arms squeezing her breasts together. Her back arched, her thighs strained as Luke pleasured her core with his mouth.

  He stopped and looked up as he inhaled, closing his eyes. Gracie felt the hot blush rise to her cheeks.

  "You sm
ell good. You taste even better."

  At his words, more blood plumped her labia. Gracie shuddered when he trailed a finger over her wet underwear, bucking her hips instinctively against his finger. Her impatience was growing at Luke's slow teasing, taking his own sweet time. One side of his mouth lifted in a cocky grin. She bit her lower lip in anticipation and excitement as he slowly undressed her. She held herself up on her elbows. Luke opened her wider and began kissing her inner thighs, caressing them before gradually cupping her ass cheeks. He returned to face her sex again. Her breath hitched, her stomach undulating with the effort of trying to keep calm. She closed her eyes and sucked in her breath when he blew against her core.

  "Gracie, I want you to do something."

  "What?" Her voice came out as a breath of air.

  "Keep your eyes open. I want to see you when I tongue and finger-fuck you."

  "Oh God, again? I don't think I can."

  "Yes, again and yes you can," he growled.

  "What is it with you and having eyes open at the most unforgiving moment?"

  "To know that I was the cause of your coming undone."

  She swallowed hard as she jerked her head, not trusting her voice. Or if she still had one because she was so turned on.

  Luke's mouth curved sideways in a smile before he moved to partake of the luscious feast.

  Gracie's hips jerked slightly when she felt his tongue dip against her sex. Luke flattened his tongue and lapped up her sweetness. Gracie's breath came in short pants mixed with her soft groans. Luke laved her from bottom to top, top to bottom, gently rolling her clit from side to side. His eyes never left her face. Gracie was caught in a web of heat that transformed her body into a live wire. Her mouth parted in a silent cry even as she pressed her mound hard to his mouth. The erotic bolts his mouth did to her brought her higher and higher to that break in the clouds where she knew she'd find bliss. She whimpered even as she tried to keep her eyes open. The urge to close them was so strong, but they were mesmerized at the way Luke deftly pleasured her. He flicked at her clit incessantly, and she cried out when she felt a long tapered finger enter her.