Be Mine

by Cate, Isobelle

  "When?"

  "Whenever, I'll call you again." She ended the call.

  "That bad, huh?" Corinne commented.

  "Yeah, that bad."

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Five weeks later...

  "Mummy, we need to get Luke ice cream."

  It was their turn at the checkout counter. Theresa helped Gracie put the groceries on the conveyor belt while the cashier swiped the groceries through, a bland look on her face. The queue behind Gracie reached all the way to the back, the trolleys filled with food for the holidays. The more the aisles were stocked by the grocery staff, the more they were depleted. Several times Gracie saw harried staff go in and out of the store-room with pallets of merchandise. Organized chaos was the order of the day.

  Gracie's eyes twinkled with amusement. "And why is that? It's getting colder and colder, sweetie. Besides, we have so much food already there isn't too much room in the fridge."

  "But I heard him say that he was always hot," Flynn mumbled, looking up at his mother.

  Gracie gave him a wary look. "Did he, now?"

  Flynn nodded vigorously. "I always hear him say that to you."

  "Oh." Gracie blushed furiously. She bent down to get more groceries and glanced at the cashier. She had lost the bland look, her eyes lighting up as though wanting to hear more of their conversation.

  "You've swiped the butter through the sensor twice, luv." Theresa stared at the cashier. The cashier's apologized, two red spots on her cheeks. She frowned in concentration as she continued to pass the items through the beam.

  "Gracie, I'll take Flynn. You finish here." Theresa took Flynn's hand. "C'mon, luv. Nana needs to sit down. My legs get tired after a while." Flynn obediently walked with Theresa to the bench three feet away.

  Gracie blew out a sigh, smiling wanly at the cashier, who gave her an interested look. She kept quiet and couldn't wait to pay. Finally, her ordeal was over, and she pushed the cart towards the bench where Theresa and Flynn sat. Gracie stopped at the amused stare of her mother.

  "What?"

  "Out of the mouth of babes, Gracie."

  "Mum!"

  "What?" Her mother's eyes widened innocently. She stood up before her mouth turned to a gentle smile. "I've never seen you as happy as you are now, sweetie. That makes me happy too."

  Gracie's own mouth turned up slowly in an answering grin as they all walked towards the exit and to the parking lot. Yes, she was happy, more that she had ever been. Just thinking of Luke made her insides flutter as though a host of butterflies rejoiced with her. Since that night when she had never felt so sated and spent from Luke's lovemaking, she saw the world with new eyes. Theresa told her that there was lightness in her step. Even if she had initially gently scoffed her mother's observation, Gracie did feel the change.

  Particularly after she removed her wedding ring.

  Her ring was practically a part of her, a protrusion on her finger not much different from an arthritic node. All her married life and even after Jonathan had died, she kept the ring despite of what her late husband had done to her. After the first time she was with Luke, she suddenly took notice of its existence. Its dull gold sheen seemed to wink wickedly, reminding her of Jonathan's lies. Sadness claimed her as she gently fingered it. She also realized one thing. Flynn was her one saving grace, but she wasn't the one who was inadequate, as she had been told. It was Jonathan who lacked the capacity to truly love someone else other than himself. With that thought, Gracie held onto the wedding band and pulled. It took a while, the band refusing to relinquish its hold on her, but she finally did it. As soon as the ring slipped from her finger, a huge weight that balanced itself on her shoulders gave way and fell into an unknown abyss. She felt immensely lighter and Jonathan's memory and influence even from the grave reluctantly vanished like the fog.

  Luke was practically living with them now. He had asked Gracie to move in with him in the loft, but Gracie didn't want to uproot Flynn away from Theresa. They did however spend some of their weekends in Cheshire. Flynn was given the run of the house, never having a huge garden where he could play. When she had to return to work, so did he and not seeing him almost every hour of every day made her miss him terribly. But when Luke came home to her, the night sizzled with passion, each one desperate to make up for the lost time during the day.

  The weeks passed all too soon since that day she literally bumped into Luke. She met Terrence and Serena, who had started seeing each other. At first, Serena felt uncomfortable around her, but Gracie let her know that she didn't hold any grudge.

  Luke made her laugh, took her to candlelit dinners, and watched movies with her and Flynn. He had wormed his way into their lives and into their hearts. Even Theresa finally took a liking to him, teaching him Gracie's favourite dishes and started to fuss over him that sometimes Gracie giggled at the embarrassment on Luke's face. She also saw that Luke enjoyed it, the planes of his face relaxing, making him more boyishly handsome. Flynn had ceased staring at Luke and often wanted to sit on his lap until he fell asleep. Then Luke would carry him to his room and tuck him in.

  But they never spoke of Jonathan. Luke didn't pry. Gracie didn't tell.

  "You're a natural," Gracie had once said to him as they readied for bed.

  Luke kissed her breathless before he spoke. "You think?"

  She grinned. "Uh huh."

  He lay down beside her, drawing her to his side. He looked up at the ceiling. "Maybe in time."

  Gracie looked up at him from the crook of his arm. "Maybe in time what?"

  He gazed down at her. "Maybe in time I'd want to have children."

  She blushed. "Oh."

  They didn't speak of it again.

  What they did talk about was his life before his mother died. Gracie listened, her heart aching at the loss he experienced. Once Luke started, it was as though a dam burst, and he couldn't stop regaling her with stories of how, even if it was just him and his mother, they had wonderful memories of long talks, Christmas lunches with Terrence and his family, relaxing weekends helping his mother tend to the garden where she grew vegetables. And it all disappeared when she passed away, when he started making a name for himself, and when women wanted to live vicariously through his wealth.

  Now as she and Theresa placed the groceries in the trunk, her heart swelled with emotion to almost bursting. Her eyes began to smart with unshed tears. Her whole body tingled and thrummed as though urging her to squeal with elation. She just felt like jumping up and down again. She wanted to just run into his arms and make him hold her, spin her around as their laughter surrounded them, and to never let go. Sometimes, the edge of irrational worry, the tug of skepticism pulled against the fragile ropes of her happiness. Could she ever trust her heart to someone again?

  The memory of Jonathan swept her off her feet only to let her land hard on the gravel of reality, which twisted its thin fibres into her heart and mind. Then as though something burst forth from its moorings, Luke's face dominated her mind's eye. The way his eyes crinkled with laughter, the way they darkened when he looked at her before taking her to paradise. She remembered the way his hands felt against her skin as he cupped her jaw, massaged her nape, held on to her hair as he took her from behind or when she took him in her mouth. She felt the whisper of his skin against hers as they moved in sync with each other before bursting forth with their release. His mouth, oh the way his mouth teased her, electrifying every filament of her being, making her believe she would never be able to come back down to reality unless he allowed her to. And his tenderness. Who would have thought that the CEO of Bryce Engineering LLP had it in him when, as a client, he had been very demanding? Gracie giggled, then pressed her lips together to hide her smile. Luke could be demanding in bed. Thinking about him beneath her while she rode him almost made her knees buckle under her. The more she thought of him, the less she remembered what Jonathan looked like, the less she remembered the pain of betrayal. The more she was able to forgive. Luke gave her a chan
ce to move on, replacing sad memories with new and happy ones. She didn't know how long this would last, but for now she'd take it and be thankful.

  Because Luke had given her a reason to love again.

  Putting the last grocery bag in the trunk, she gently slammed it shut. Theresa helped Flynn into the car seat before slipping in beside him at the back. Gracie turned around to both of them with a happy smile on her face.

  "All set?"

  "All set, Mum!"

  Gracie switched the motor and eased out of her parking space.

  "Let's go home."

  * * *

  Cilla watched the car leave the parking area. She counted a few more moments before she joined the traffic, keeping a close distance but not enough to be noticed. She was calm, composed, the drug in her system making her less jittery. Spaced out? Maybe, but for some reason, despite her perception of tunnel vision, she saw everything clearly, knew what she had to do as though she had a clipboard with a list of things to check after having done them. She watched the woman drive, her young son secure in the car seat behind. Beside the boy was an older lady. The grandmother? The nanny? She didn't care. She just needed to get this done and she'd leave, find another place to live where no one knew her. No one would know her past.

  She swallowed, her taste buds quickly tasting the possibility of freedom. She couldn't wait for it to happen.

  Soon...

  * * *

  Luke was leaning against his car with his arms folded across his chest when Gracie turned in the driveway. Her heart somersaulted at the grin he had on his face, reflecting an unspoken carnal promise. The sun was low on the horizon but it threw enough light to see Luke's smile. The streetlights chased away the gloom of twilight, making the dead leaves look like scattered copper sheets. As soon as Gracie switched off the engine, Luke strode towards them. He opened Gracie's car door, cupped the back of her head and proceeded to kiss her sensuously. Teasingly. Thoroughly. Gracie placed her palms against his chest, his body heat deliciously warming her skin.

  Theresa cleared her throat. Gracie bowed her head against Luke's chest while Luke grinned.

  "Hello, Theresa. How are my favourite girls doing?"

  Theresa snorted. "That's not gonna work on me, Luke. You know that."

  "Can't say I didn't try."

  Gracie opened the trunk, and they all took the grocery bags out.

  "Hey, mate," Luke greeted Flynn. "Looks like you did a lot of shopping."

  "Yeah, but Mum didn't get you ice cream."

  Luke arched his brow, looking at Gracie, who blushed.

  "Flynn, go with Nana. Please." Her tone was gentle but firm.

  "The weather's cold now anyway, Flynn," Luke interjected. "So that's okay."

  "But you keep on saying you're so hot when Mummy's around."

  "Flynn. Now!" Gracie said, brooking no argument. Her eyes flew to Luke, whose eyes twinkled in amusement as understanding dawned on his face.

  "Let's go, Flynn." Theresa grabbed Flynn's wrist, dragging him towards the house. "You should learn to stop listening to big people's conversations."

  "But—"

  "To the house we go, and Mummy and Luke will follow."

  Gracie heard Luke's chuckle. Her face reddened further with embarrassment.

  "So Flynn heard me say that," he murmured, facing Gracie, placing his hands around her to cup her ass and bring her flush against his hips.

  "Mr. Bryce, you're insatiable," she said, a rueful grin lifting her mouth. She turned her head towards the car, raising her hand with a grocery bag as well as the key fob. She pressed on the fob to lock the car's doors.

  Luke snagged her around the waist again. She couldn't push away as much as she wanted to. A cold wind blew against her face, rustling the fallen leaves on the street. Some of the leaves, which had continued to hold on for dear life in the nearly bald branches let go, resigned to their fate. She turned her face against it to allow it to blow the tendrils of hair that wafted across her face. Facing Luke again, he caught her by surprise when his mouth swooped down to crush her mouth in a searing kiss. It heated her blood in no time, letting it flow like magma through her veins. She had no doubt that they would both heat up if Luke continued his onslaught. She moaned, opening up to him, a willing victim to his plunder. Her tongue played and teased. She nibbled as he did, pressing her body closer to his, desperately wanting to be under his skin. She sighed as his mouth left hers to travel up to her ear and lick the sensitive skin behind the shell. She shuddered when he sucked on the pulse at the base of her neck. She smiled when he nudged his arousal against her mound.

  "He's right, you know," he murmured, his eyes dark with his desire. "You did well not to buy the ice cream. I like the heat we generate. I'll always like the fire we build. After all, the nights are getting colder and colder."

  "Hhhmm." Gracie grazed her teeth lightly against the slight stubble on his jaw. "Wonder what the weatherman says for this evening. You know, we've been experiencing a lot of freaky weather. It might be warm tonight."

  He chuckled. "Then I'm going to the grocery and buy ice cream so that I can pour it over you and eat you."

  Gracie giggled. She gave him a peck on the cheek.

  "C'mon, I still need to cook dinner. We can continue this ice cream discussion later." She squirmed her way out of his hold but didn't get too far. Luke kept his arm around her waist.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Christmas was going to be the best Luke experienced in a very long time. He could just feel it in his bones. He found Gracie the perfect Christmas gift. A heart shaped diamond and platinum necklace. A precious stone for a precious woman who graced his life. He hoped she liked it. He got Flynn a train set, and he smiled anticipating the numerous hours he'd be spending with Gracie's son. He also got gifts for Theresa and Noreen, only too glad that they liked him enough to be a part of Gracie's life. He also couldn't stop smiling every time Flynn asked to be carried on his shoulders so that he could put the star in the Christmas tree in three houses, Gracie's, the loft, and in the house in Cheshire.

  After tucking Flynn in bed on Christmas Eve, Luke found Gracie downstairs in the kitchen.

  "Hey," he placed his arms around her from behind. "Hmm...you smell good enough to eat." He brushed her hair away, putting an open mouth kiss against her neck. He smiled when she leaned back sighing.

  "Leave some of me for next year." She turned her head to accept his kiss before turning around in his arms to deepen it, her tongue swiping languidly inside his mouth. She smiled against his lips when he groaned. "How about some hot chocolate?"

  "I'd rather have the chocolate on you and make you hot."

  She giggled before moving away to get mugs from the cupboard. Luke sighed but grinned. He crossed his arms over his chest, his hip resting on the counter while he watched Gracie quietly prepare two mugs of hot chocolate, pouring the already heated milk in to the ceramic mugs.

  "God, you're beautiful, you know that?"

  Gracie blushed. "Yes, you keep saying that."

  Luke placed their mugs down on the counter and cupped her face with both hands, his gaze boring into hers. "You are, Gracie. Inside and out. Don't think otherwise."

  She closed her eyes, leaning into his hand, her lips parted. When her lids opened once again, Luke sucked in his breath as his heart felt like bursting at the deep emotion in her gaze.

  "I've done so for quite some time, Luke," she said softly, holding on to his forearms. Her eyes glowed as she took in every inch of his face. "And I love you for doing that." She leaned against him, her face grazing his light stubble, her sigh like a whisper against his skin. "I really do love you."

  Luke cupped her neck and crushed his lips against hers, her moans, their combined breaths heating the space between them.

  "Luke." She gasped. "Hang on...hang on." She laughed softly, ending the kiss.

  "Dammit, Gracie, I want in your mouth."

  "Not until I say what I have to say."

  Luke g
rowled softly against her neck, nibbling at her skin, smiling when she shuddered.

  "Go ahead. Say it." He kept at sucking on her neck, grazing his mouth upwards to her ear lobe while his hips and his arousal kept her against the counter.

  "Why don't...ah...why...why don't we...shit, Luke. I'm wet again."

  He lifted his head, a cocky smile on his mouth. "That was the intention."

  She held on to his shirt for a bit longer before she let go.

  "Gracie? What is it? There’s anything wrong?"

  She shook her head, still smiling. "I wanted to say that since tomorrow's Christmas, I think we should celebrate it in your house."

  Luke's brow furrowed. "My house? The loft is too big. It'll be cozier here."

  "No, Luke, not the loft." She caressed his face. "Your house. Where you were born. Where you had your happy memories."

  Luke looked at her, speechless. Something deep inside him started to rumble like water about to shoot out from a geyser, drowning any ambient sound.

  Gracie spoke, "Didn't you say that you'd make happy memories with me? Let me also do the same for you."

  It was like a ball of light hit Luke square in the gut, making his breath whoosh out of him. His heart sped as though he had sprinted around the track and field oval. His throat tightened and he could feel moisture seep into his eyes.

  "Luke?" The light in Gracie's eyes became uncertain. "Luke, are you all right? We don't have to if you don't want to do so. We can stay here."

  "No. I mean, that's..." He closed his eyes. "Gracie, dear God, Gracie...." He couldn't find the words to express how much spending Christmas at home meant to him. Hell, he didn't even realize how much he wanted to spend Christmas at home but it had always been cold. Always alone, but not anymore. Gracie's simple act of compassion for him had begun the healing process of washing away the years of anger, of mistrust, of pain, healing the cracks that he didn't realize he had left open because they were the very wounds that kept him going, fencing him to realise his goal and prove his detractors wrong. To prove his father wrong that he was better than his sire ever was or could be.