by Anne Rainey
“Yes! God, yes, Wade!”
Hearing her cries tore another hole in his control. The sudden burning thought of another man doing this to her had him nearly snarling. Wade had never felt such a powerful mix of tenderness and possessiveness toward a woman.
Wade began sliding his tongue in and out of her, slowly, building her pleasure little by little. He used his thumb to stroke over her soft clitoris, licking and nibbling, plying her flesh. Al too quickly she screamed and clutched fistfuls of his hair, anchoring him to her as she rode out a wild climax.
Wade cupped her pussy in a protective, possessive hold and claimed, “Mmm, this is my hot little pussy now, Gracie.” And he meant every word. He wasn’t letting her go. And he sure as hel wasn’t going to lose her to some asshole bent on making her his “love.”
Her answer was the most wicked grin he’d ever seen on a woman. Seconds later she was asleep, her legs stil spread wide, his hand stil covering her mound. He moved off the bed and stared down at her. A red-haired angel, that was Gracie. Sweet one minute; fiery hot the next.
She was the most potent of mixes. “Fuck,” he groaned, raking his fingers through his hair. He should have known he wouldn’t be able to walk away once he got her out of her clothes. Witnessing al that passion, it was akin to waving a red flag at a bul . No way in hel was he going to be able to resist going after it, again and again.
Careful not to wake her, Wade readjusted her legs to a more comfortable position, then pul ed the blankets up, covering her body from his view. She stirred a little but didn’t wake. The cast on her wrist caught his attention, and a kind of rage he’d never felt fil ed his gut. The bastard would pay for hurting her.
Wade leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, then murmured, “Sweet dreams, angel.”
He flicked the light off and left her to sleep in peace. As he walked back out to the living room, the couch came into view. He sighed. “It’s going to be a long ass night.”
Outside the apartment, he stared at the truck he’d seen Gracie get into at the hospital. It’d been sitting in front of her place al night. He looked down at his watch. Four in the morning. Why had the man stayed al night? Gracie Lynn didn’t date. He knew that. She loved him, only him. She had no need for other men. But the truck didn’t move. It stayed there, taunting him. An evil specter keeping him from the woman he loved.
Sitting in the nondescript sedan, he pul ed the slip of paper, so precious to him, out of his pocket and gripped it tight as he watched Gracie’s front window. There weren’t any lights on, only darkness. Were they in bed together? Had she let that man, that disgusting piece of filth, into her body?
He moaned. “No, no, no. She would never betray me that way.” But then who was that man? She didn’t have any family. He knew that; he’d checked. He knew everything about Gracie Lynn. The schools she’d attended growing up; the grandmother who’d died when she was little. That useless drunk of a father who always drained her bank account and forced her to work two jobs. Gracie Lynn was alone. Like him, she’d been waiting for the right person to fil her life with love and happiness. Soon, he would be able to take her away. She would quit her jobs and be his wife. She would be the mother to his children. She would greet him every day with a smile and take care of his house and love his children.
That’s the life she was meant to live.
The curtains moved suddenly, and he held his breath, waiting, hoping to see Gracie Lynn. Instead the man stood there, bare-chested, his gaze scanning the parking lot. When it landed on his car and lingered, he held his breath. Only after the curtain fel back into place, leaving him once again to his thoughts, did he manage to breathe.
Touching a finger to his cheek, he realized she’d brought him to tears. She would have to be punished. She needed to learn her place.
Reaching over, he opened the dash and pul ed out the razor blade he kept there for emergencies. He pushed his sleeve up, revealing the pumping vein in his wrist. As he stared at Gracie Lynn’s front window, he slid the sharp, cold steel down his wrist, slitting the skin easily. Blood oozed from the fresh, shal ow cut. Ten more thin lines later and peace settled over him.
Yes, she would have to pay for causing him pain.
9
It was Sunday, and Wade had woken her early. Apparently the man was a morning person. Gracie so wasn’t. After two cups of coffee and a bagel, Gracie was clearheaded enough to place a cal to her boss, Marie, at Coughlin’s Furniture Manufacturing, the company where she worked when she wasn’t at Serene Comfort. She’d explained to the kind, older woman about the car accident—leaving out the crazy stalker bit of course. When Marie offered to give her Monday and Tuesday off to recuperate, Gracie grabbed it with both hands, only too grateful for the break. Silently, Gracie admitted that at least part of the reason she wanted the time off was so she could spend it with Wade. Once she’d taken care of that little detail, Wade had practical y dragged her out the door, explaining that they were heading to his place to meet his associate.
She wasn’t certain why Jonas couldn’t come to her home as planned, but she was curious enough about where Wade lived to go along with the change.
Gracie stil couldn’t believe she’d al but begged him to make love to her the night before. Worse, she couldn’t believe she’d fal en asleep on him! Her cheeks burned with mortification at the thought. What must he think of her? Surely he wasn’t used to women fal ing asleep in his arms.
The things he’d made her feel, though . . . Oh, wow. Two orgasms, and yet he’d kept his pants zipped the entire time, not once asking for anything in return. Strangely, she wished he had. She wanted to pleasure Wade. The feeling was a unique one, considering she’d never real y thought much about sex. It was usual y over too quickly. With Wade it wouldn’t be quick; she knew that instinctively.
Now as Gracie looked out the passenger side window at the deserted city street, her eyes widened in disbelief. “This is where you live?”
“Yup.” He paral el parked, then cut the engine, before turning toward her. “What do you think?”
She didn’t want to be rude, but she just couldn’t imagine anyone living in such a rundown old warehouse. “I think it looks like it should be bul dozed.”
He winked and opened his door. “Exactly.” He exited the truck and jogged around to her side and swung open her door. Cool September air floated over her skin as Wade reached in and unhooked her seat belt, then careful y helped her to the ground before grabbing her purse for her.
She slung it over her shoulder, and then Wade took her hand, entwining their fingers as if they’d been doing it for years. Gracie tried not to be too obvious when she inhaled his woodsy, male scent. God, the man smel ed delicious. Like a sinful piece of chocolate. She never could resist the dark, creamy confection. She tried to tug her hand out of his, but he wasn’t getting the hint. “Wade,” she said his name as a warning.
“You have a problem with holding my hand, Gracie?”
Actual y, she liked feeling his hand, so strong and able, wrapped around hers. He made her feel safe. “Not real y, but . . .” She wasn’t sure what to say, how to explain her feelings. Last night he’d licked her to completion, twice. But she didn’t know where she stood with him in the bright light of day. Was last night enough for him? He hadn’t said anything about it al morning, and it was eating away at her self-confidence.
“I like touching you, Gracie. I like knowing you’re close,” he said, his voice soft and inviting, “so quit sounding so harassed and let me have my way, wil you?”
A little thril went through her. Okay, so, he wasn’t through with her. Good to know. She kept her hand where it was; arguing with him would get her nowhere anyhow. The man put new meaning to the term hardheaded.
After grabbing her laptop from the floor of the truck, Wade used his elbow to shut the door and made his way up the steps. A large, dark-haired man suddenly appeared at the front door of the warehouse. Large might be the wrong word. The man was huge! Every bit
as big as Wade, but somehow more . . . dangerous. Gracie tightened her hold on Wade, as if he were somehow her savior.
The stranger held the door for them to enter, his lips curving upward in a sexy grin. “Our little damsel in distress, I take it.”
Wade was silent as he took her into a large living area. She was so enthral ed by the sumptuous décor, so incongruent with the outside, she nearly lost track of the conversation. “Oh my, this is beautiful.”
The spacious living area held only the most necessary pieces of furniture. In fact, Gracie suspected the room wasn’t quite as large as it appeared. But the clever way it’d been decorated made it seem both roomy and cozy. High ceilings and white oak hardwood floors complemented the Asian-style, burgundy, L-shaped couch and matching round chairs. The steel appliances in the kitchen area added to the sleek modern style. She hadn’t figured on Wade’s being into interior design, and she especial y hadn’t expected the ugly warehouse could have such an exquisite interior. She was suddenly curious where the steel spiral staircase off to one side might lead. His bedroom? Don’t even go there, girl.
Wade led her to the plush sofa. She sat down and pul ed her purse into her lap. Both men remained standing. She felt on display with their gazes locked onto her so intently. Usual y she liked to blend into the background. It made her uncomfortable to be noticed by a man. For whatever reason, she didn’t real y mind being the object of Wade’s and Jonas’s attention.
“Gracie Baron, meet Jonas Phoenix. He’s a friend, as wel as the other half of Phoenix-Wade Investigations.”
Gracie looked up. Way up. Her heart pounded so hard she was sure the two men could hear it. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Phoenix.”
“It’s Jonas, and it’s definitely my pleasure. The circumstances are rather unfortunate, though.”
She crossed her legs at the ankles and adjusted her skirt, more to give herself something to do than anything else. “Jonas then.”
Jonas smiled as he moved to a long, oak bar that ran along one wal . “Would you like something to drink?”
“No, thank you.” She watched the man help himself to a bottle of water and frowned. “Do you both live here?”
Jonas tossed a bottle to Wade before answering. “No, but our business is run out of the connecting building next door, so I tend to stop in a lot.”
Wade unscrewed the top of his water and took a long drink. “But you’l be sure to knock on the interior door from now on, right?”
“Of course.” Jonas winked at her. “I’m house-trained, I promise.”
She was intensely curious about the two men. Private investigators—it seemed so exciting. “How did you two meet?”
“Special Forces. We ran a few ops together. Been BFFs ever since.”
Wade rol ed his eyes. “Christ, don’t start, Jonas.”
Jonas chuckled and moved to sit on the couch next to her. Wade stayed standing, his watchful gaze making her acutely aware of her banged up face. She’d tried to cover the bruises with makeup, but there was only so much cosmetics could hide. Gracie had the insane urge to run to the bathroom and check her appearance. How annoying was that? She shouldn’t even care what Wade thought of her looks. Just because he’d pleasured her the night before, that didn’t mean they were a couple. He probably had no intention of even touching her again. She should be fine with that. Her life was too insane as it was. She didn’t need to add a relationship to the mix. Now, if only she could convince her body, maybe she could stop craving the man for like five minutes!
“Phoenix-Wade Investigations.” Gracie liked the name. The two men together made for a potent combination. She’d bet her last dol ar they had plenty of female clients, too. “What exactly do you guys do?”
Wade was the first to answer. “Domestic cases mostly. Electronic surveil ance.”
“So, like, cheating spouses?”
Jonas spoke up from beside her. “Mostly. From time to time we take on cases that involve a little more time and attention, though.”
“Like a crazy stalker?”
Jonas laid his arm on the back of the couch. There wasn’t anything blatantly sexual in the way he sat, but it seemed as if he were caging her in. She shifted a little, then grimaced when her rib cage protested the movement.
“We’ve had our share of strange cases,” he explained. “Yours isn’t the first. It wil , however, get our ful attention.”
She glanced up at Wade and noted his gaze on the arm Jonas had behind her back. She couldn’t read his expression, and that served to make her even more nervous. “And why is that?”
“Don’t you know, Gracie?” Jonas said, his voice dropping to a low murmur.
She shook her head, honestly confused, and a little turned on if she were being honest.
Wade moved closer and said, “Because you’re special.”
Gracie reached down and rubbed her cast. Her wrist was beginning to throb. She was a little bit grateful because the ache yanked her out of the sensual web Jonas and Wade so effortlessly weaved around her. She remembered the pain pil s in her purse, but nixed the idea of taking one because she hadn’t cal ed the doctor about the dosage. Besides, she had a feeling she’d need a clear head if she hoped to hold her own around the two powerful men whose entire focus was now centered on her. “Why me? What makes me so special?”
Wade sat on the other side of her and placed his hand on her thigh. She felt the heat clear through her skirt. “I’l answer that one later.” He looked at Jonas over her head. “Jonas, Gracie needs time to adjust.”
Jonas took one last drink of his water before standing and heading toward the bar. “I need to get back to work anyway. Those bil s won’t pay themselves. See you two in a little while.”
Gracie was genuinely confused now. “I thought we were going to go over the e-mails.”
Wade stroked her thigh. His smile told her he knew exactly the effect his touch had on her. “Later for that. First, we need to get a few things straight.” He paused and glanced across the room at Jonas. “Knock.”
“Right.” He tossed the bottle in the recycling bin and grinned back at her. “It’s nice to meet you, Gracie.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too. And thank you for helping Wade with my . . . problem. I real y appreciate it.”
“We’l get this guy. Don’t you worry.” He left through the interior door, putting Gracie alone with Wade. Silence fel over them. His caress on her thigh didn’t let up. The feel of him so close to her pussy sent her into orbit. She distracted herself by talking about her surroundings. “Your home is magnificent. I never would have expected you were into interior design.”
Wade cocked his head. “I’m not. My sister is the one with the creative touch. The warehouse took a lot of time and sweat, but she was very happy with the end result.”
“You have a sister?” Gracie was suddenly very alert. A chance to learn more about the man who made her body hum with pleasure was too good to pass up.
He nodded. “And a brother. Dean and Deanna are fraternal twins. Younger than me by two years.”
“What do they do for a living?”
“Dean runs his own construction company. Deanna is a registered nurse. She does interior design more as a hobby. Jonas has been trying to get her to do his apartment, but she keeps giving him the cold shoulder.”
“Why? Don’t they get along?”
He rubbed her thigh, a little higher this time. Gracie had to swal ow back the need to beg Wade to move beneath the heavy denim of her skirt.
“Like brother and sister. It’s more that Deanna likes to razz him. She can be a handful.” Suddenly he stood and held out his hand. “Come, I want to show you something.”
She squinted up at him, suspicious and a little sorry his hand was no longer teasing her to distraction. “That sounds like a line.”
He chuckled. “You’l see that too, I promise. For now I have something else to show you.”
She slid the strap of her purse over her shoulder, then hel
d out her good hand and let Wade tug her to her feet. He took her to the spiral staircase that she’d been curious about earlier. She hesitated, as if aware that when she took that first step she would be accepting more than just a look at his house. She would be accepting a part of Wade that not many people got to see. How she knew that was a mystery. Gracie looked over her shoulder. “What’s up there?”
He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose, his voice deep and smooth when he said, “I promise it’s not a pit of snakes. You’l like it.
Trust me, sweetheart.”
Trust. It wasn’t something she was very good at. Stil , she was beginning to trust Wade. With her life and her body. It was a scary thought.
Gracie started up the stairs.
When she reached the top, she was presented with a sight that simply stunned her speechless. The room itself was huge, but what caught her eye wasn’t the elegant furnishings, nor was it the floor to ceiling windows that spanned the length of one wal . What held her spel bound were the books. Tons of them. Three entire wal s of shelves and al of them fil ed to bursting with books. Hardbacks and paperbacks alike, there were tons of them! Even if she were given an entire lifetime to spend in this one room she’d stil never be able to read them al .
She walked to one wal and caught names like Dickens and Poe and Byron. Oh, how she would love to sit down in a chair and read until her eyes simply gave way to exhaustion. She never would have expected that the powerful, dangerous, ex-Special Forces turned PI would be a fan of literary art. She took in several titles and realized the man had truly excel ent taste.
“Do you like it?”
Gracie dropped her purse to the floor and picked out a book at random. It looked extremely old. Careful of the fragile nature of the item she held in her palm, Gracie touched the old softened leather and gently inhaled the fragrance of aged paper and ink. She loved the smel of old books. So much history. How many people had held that same book in their palms? Cherished it as she was doing at that very moment? When she opened it her eyes lit up at one of the titles inside. Edgar Al en Poe’s The Pit and the Pendulum. It was one of her al -time favorites! Her heart leaped when she heard a sound from directly behind her. She turned around and found herself face-to-face with Wade. The dark hunger in his gaze went straight to her blood, heating it and sending a bolt of lightning through her system. In her awe, she’d nearly forgotten he was even there. Forgotten Wade? Hel , she would’ve thought that was an impossibility!