Tempting Grace: The Vaughn Series, Book 4

by Anne Rainey

  Grace tiptoed to her dress, which was now a crumpled mess on the floor. She picked it up and slipped it on, then located her shoes. It took longer than expected to find both heels. She’d kicked one off at the end of the bed, but the other had slid beneath it. Shoes in hand, Grace sneaked out of the bedroom, grabbed her purse and rushed out the door, and smacked into a man in his pajamas. “Sorry,” she muttered.

  He grinned as he looked her over. “No problem. Really.”

  Grace grimaced as she imagined what she looked like. Sex, that’s what. It was probably tattooed on her damned forehead. She tried to muster up some shame, but it just wasn’t happening. The sex had simply been too good to wish it’d never happened. In fact, she was hoping the memories would sustain her for the rest of her life, because she sure as hell wasn’t going back for a repeat performance. It was too dangerous to her heart to go anywhere near Jackson Hill. He should come with a warning sign or something.

  Grace quickly fled down the hall to her own room. When she came to her door, it took her a ridiculous amount of time to find her keycard. She finally located it beneath a pack of tissues and slid it into the lock. As she stepped inside her room, she finally let herself breathe. Then it all hit her at once, and she slumped to the floor. What had she been thinking? She should have known she wouldn’t be able to go on this trip and still keep her heart intact. But he’d wanted a relationship. Hadn’t he said that last night? He was offering more than sex, so why was she so afraid? Because she knew Jackson. He’d sleep with her for awhile, it’d be great, then he’d be ready to move on to his next conquest. Her constant refusal to go out with him had posed a challenge. He liked a challenge. As soon as he had her tied around his little finger, she’d be out the door faster than a video game at Christmas time.

  Her phone rang. Right away she knew who would be on the other end. She stood and went to it, staring as it rang again. “You can’t hide forever,” Grace muttered. “Be an adult and answer the damn thing.” She ordered her hand to pick up the receiver when it rang a third time.

  “Hello?”

  “Chicken.”

  That single word uttered in Jackson’s sleepy morning voice had the power to push her out of her self-recrimination. “I needed a shower,” she hedged.

  “You were running,” he teased. “Don’t lie.”

  She went to the couch and plopped down. “I wasn’t running, I was walking.”

  “Why are you so afraid of me? Am I so terrible, Gracie?”

  For the first time since meeting the overbearing man, Jackson actually sounded unsure of himself. She didn’t want that. She wasn’t sure what she wanted, exactly, but she didn’t want him thinking things that weren’t true. “I’m not afraid of you,” she told him. “I’m afraid of the way you make me feel. I’m afraid of a relationship with you.”

  “Why, baby?” Jackson asked, his voice as warm and tempting as fresh baked cookies. “I’d never hurt you. You must know that by now. There’s nothing to fear.”

  Oh, god, this was too cruel. It was like standing a little girl outside the gates of Disney World then telling her she couldn’t go in. “I’m just a simple woman with a smartass attitude. I’m not up to your speed, Jackson. We both know it. You just refuse to see it.”

  “Get real. You’re smarter, sassier and sexier than any woman I’ve ever met. You’ve all but flayed me alive with that wicked tongue of yours, so don’t act like we aren’t in the same league.”

  “We have a conference to attend,” she said, hoping to derail him. “This has to end. I enjoyed last night, but it won’t happen again.”

  Silence greeted her. When a loud knock sounded on her door, she dropped the phone. She left the couch to peek through the hole in the door. Her heart nearly stopped beating and her hands shook. Jackson. She bit her lip and turned the knob, knowing she shouldn’t. Knowing he would only turn her inside out all over again. Jackson moved faster than she expected, stepping inside her suite and shoving the door closed behind him. He slammed her against the wall with all the force of a man who was through being polite.

  “Bullshit it won’t happen again,” he bit out. “It’s going to happen, I can promise you that. Over and over, baby. So many times you’ll want to stay in my bed just to make it easier on the both of us.”

  “In your dreams,” she shot right back. A split second later, he captured her lips with his, effectively shutting out all else. Their tongues mated, and just that fast she went down in flames. Glorious, hot, wonderful flames. They engulfed her, and she forgot her reservations, her worries of never having his whole heart. Suddenly her body was reminded of just how truly wonderful it felt to be loved by Jackson Hill. She hadn’t really needed the reminder, but as she slid her arms around his neck and sank into the kiss, she knew it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered save for his taste. He picked her up and took her to the bedroom. They fell onto the bed together, rolling until she sprawled on top of him.

  He broke the kiss and whispered, “I promised you could go wild, remember?”

  “I remember.” She wasn’t sure what to do, though. She sat astride him, looking at him with his arms behind his head, a grin curving his sexy lips, and Grace suddenly felt vulnerable and unsure. Two things that usually had sarcastic comments spilling out of her mouth. For once, she had nothing to say. She could only stare at the male perfection stretched out beneath her.

  Jackson reached up and cupped her cheek, sliding his thumb over her bottom lip. “Take off your dress, baby.”

  Right, lose the clothes, good idea. She forgot about the zipper this time and yanked the black material over her head. After tossing it to the floor, Grace cupped her breasts and squeezed. “I can still feel the rope against my skin. My nipples tingle when I think about it.”

  Jackson leaned forward and wrapped his powerful arms around her upper body. He placed a gentle kiss to each hardened tip. “I woke and you were gone, pet. The next time I bind you, I’m going to spank these pretty tits until they’re nice and pink.”

  The use of that hated nickname should have doused her desire, but all it did was send her into a whirlwind of lust. God help her, she liked the idea of being his pet. At least in the bedroom.

  “I think I’d rather tie you up instead. Have you ever been tied to the bed, Jackson?”

  “No,” he stated firmly. “The rope is for you, not me.”

  She frowned. “Speaking of rope… How did you manage to get that through airport security?”

  He smoothed his palms over her ribcage, then down to her thighs. “I didn’t want to chance it. I can just see explaining that one.” They both laughed. “No, I bought it after we arrived.”

  Grace’s blood ran hot in her veins when Jackson let his fingers journey toward her clit. He stopped short of touching her where she needed him the most, which made her crazy. As she braced herself on his chest, his words hit her. “Wait, you’re telling me you went out and bought rope?”

  “No, I called down to the desk.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “This is Vegas, baby, they’ll get you damn near anything for a price.” He winked. “Now, can we please talk about the rope later?”

  His fingers came dangerously close to her mound again, but not close enough. Grace wanted to beg him to touch her pussy, to put her out of her misery. She wouldn’t, though, not this time. She was determined to make him plead a little for a change. Smoothing her fingertips over his muscular pecs and on down to his six-pack abs, Grace knew she’d never get enough of touching him. He was so big, so strong. She felt safe with him. As she came to the waistband of his black boxers, she laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I can’t believe you walked through the hotel in your underwear.”

  “It was only the hall, no one saw.” He swatted her thigh and ordered, “Lift up so I can take them off. They’re becoming a nuisance.”

  Who was she to say no? Grace lifted to her knees and let Jackson skim out of the only thing keeping
her from her goal. He tossed them to the end of the bed and pulled her down until his cock was aligned with her pussy. “Mmm, much better.” He started to move back and forth, rubbing against her swollen clit. She already wanted to feel him buried deep, but there was something else she craved even more.

  She clenched her thighs tight. “Not so fast, big guy. I’m running this show, remember?”

  He stopped and frowned up at her. “Just trying to move things along. You seem a bit slow this morning.”

  “I haven’t had my coffee,” she whispered as she licked his chest. The flavor of his warm, male skin had her suddenly ravenous for more. She trailed kisses down his torso, tasting and licking as she went. She lifted off him and lay down between his legs, eye level with his cock. It was huge. Veins traveled the engorged length, and a drop of moisture dripped from the slit in his tip. She dipped her head and lapped it up, tasting his salty male essence. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to do this.”

  She heard him emit a low growl in his chest, then his fingers grabbed handfuls of her hair. He pushed his hips upward and ordered, “Suck it, pet. Take me to heaven.”

  Grace wrapped a fist around the thick base. Her fingers weren’t anywhere near touching. She opened her mouth and sucked the bulbous head into her mouth and swirled her tongue around once, twice, before teasing the tempting slit again. She heard him curse and push her head down a little more, as if determined to fill her mouth with his cock. Grace opened wider, eager to suck him deep, but she could only take in half of him before she started to gag.

  At once Jackson pulled back. “You don’t have to, baby. It’s okay.”

  Suddenly, Grace needed to please him. To show him she could match him, in bed and out. It seemed imperative to show him she was as capable of making him burn the same way he so easily sent fire licking through her veins. She let herself relax, enjoying his salty heat, licking and suckling the head. She opened again and sucked him in. His fingers flexed in her hair. His feral expression as she took another inch inside had shivers of awareness running down her spine. His jaw flexed as he watched her play with his cock, teasing and tasting. She pulled him out all the way and licked the entire length. He groaned, and his fingers tightened a little more, pulling almost painfully now. Grace took him deep again, this time swallowing his entire length.

  “Fuck, yes,” he growled. “That’s the way. Swallow that cock, pet.”

  Grace hollowed her cheeks and sucked hard. Jackson cursed and pulled her head backward. She released him with an audible pop. He wrapped his own hand around hers at the base of his cock and rubbed the head back and forth over her lips.

  “I’ve imagined you like this. You have no idea how many times I jacked off in the shower thinking of your pretty blonde head buried between my legs, baby.”

  Grace licked her lips, enjoying his sticky male fluid. She opened again, ready to suck him into her hungry mouth, but he held her away.

  “Taste my balls. Let me watch you lick them, Gracie.”

  Grace’s pussy flooded with liquid heat at the guttural words. As she dipped her head to the heavy sac beneath his rock hard length, Jackson hummed his approval. At the first swipe of her tongue his hips shot off the bed.

  “Christ, yes.”

  Grace thrilled at the notion that she could drive him so completely wild. It fueled her desire to bring Jackson pleasure. She’d never been that into the act of fellatio, but with Jackson it was almost better than having him buried inside of her. Almost.

  She cupped his balls and sucked as much of the tender orbs into her mouth as she could, licking and teasing, before she released them and drew his cock to her mouth again. She brought his tip between her lips and flicked it with her tongue.

  “Damn, baby, that’s enough,” he said as he urged her off him. “I’m too close to filling that hot little mouth with my come.”

  “I wouldn’t mind,” she said softly.

  He smiled at her and shook his head. “Soon, pet, but not now. Right now I have something else in mind.” He lifted to a seated position, grasped her around the waist and pulled her onto the mattress beside him. “Turn over, on your stomach.”

  Grace didn’t need to be asked twice. She turned and stretched out, waiting for him to make his next move. When he left the bed, she swiveled around. “Where are you going?”

  “Stay put,” he ordered as he leaned down and kissed the base of her spine. “I need supplies. I’ll be right back.”

  He disappeared into the bathroom. Several seconds went by before he reappeared carrying a bottle. She knew that bottle. It was her hand lotion. Confused more than ever, she asked, “A massage?”

  “No. Although I wouldn’t mind giving you a full body massage.” He waved the bottle in the air. “This is for lubricant. The best I could do on such short notice.”

  Her suspicions rose. “Uh, what are you planning to lubricate?”

  He placed the bottle on the bed next to her, then sat on the edge. His hand smoothed over her ass, his gaze holding hers captive. “You can’t guess?”

  “You want to…back there?”

  He dipped a single finger between her ass cheeks. “I want to fuck you back there, yeah.”

  “I don’t know, Jackson.”

  “You’ve never been touched there, have you, baby?”

  She snorted. “Of course not. Not all guys are as depraved as you.”

  His finger slid over her anus as he whispered, “You like my depravities, though.”

  “That’s just what I let you think.” It would have sounded better had her voice not quivered.

  He dipped his finger inside the forbidden hole, and they both groaned. As he came over the top of her, pushing her legs apart and settling between them, Grace just barely had the presence of mind to put up a token protest. “This isn’t something I’m comfortable with.”

  Jackson smoothed both hands over her buttocks. “You weren’t sure about the rope, either, but that didn’t turn out so bad, right?”

  “The rope is different.” His warm palms parted her, and she could well imagine him staring at her there. Her face heated. “Jackson, please don’t.”

  “Ah, sweet Gracie, don’t you know I only want to bring you pleasure? Let me have this virgin ass, baby. You’ll see it’s not as bad as you’re imagining.” He reached for the bottle, but she got to it first. She picked it up and held it out of his reach. “What is it? Are you afraid it’ll hurt?”

  “You only want to possess me. That’s what this is about. Total submission.”

  “Yes, that’s part of it. I want to make you mine, completely mine. The thought of other men touching you makes my gut burn as if I’d downed a bottle of acid. But there’s more to it than that. I want you to surrender to me. Give me your trust, baby. You won’t be sorry.”

  Grace knew she could be making the biggest mistake of her life. He could crush her heart as no one else could. She wouldn’t be able to recover if Jackson destroyed her. But it was time to take a leap of faith. All this chemistry had to lead somewhere. Hell, he couldn’t just be scratching an itch. She wouldn’t believe that. She had to trust that he felt something for her.

  She took a deep breath and handed him the lotion.

  Chapter Nine

  He’d known the instant he’d woken to find her gone that what he felt for Grace went deeper than lust. He was in love with her. The confounding woman damn near drove him to drink at times, but then she also made him feel whole, as if a piece of himself had been missing and he just hadn’t known it. As he stared down at her stretched out on her stomach, trusting him with something precious, he wanted to howl it at the moon, shout from the highest mountain that Grace Vaughn belonged to him. No other had a right to touch her. Her soft cries and naughty glances were for him alone. He knew half the reason he was about to take her anally was because he wanted to fill every part of her, to imprint himself on her in a way that spoke of pure, animalistic ownership. He’d never needed anot
her woman’s total submission before. Hell, he’d never even asked. But with Grace, nothing less would do. He wanted her completely, with no barriers between them.

  Jackson popped the top of the bottle of lotion and poured some into the palm of his hand. He smoothed his hands together, warming the fragrant liquid, before he stroked Grace’s baby-soft skin. She moaned as he gently massaged her, readying her for the invasion of his cock where no man had ever been. The thought tore a growl from his chest.

  He smoothed his fingertips over her lower back. “Your skin is so delicate, baby. I could bruise you so easily.”

  “Mmm, I don’t think I care with you doing that. Oh, my, that feels so incredible. You are one talented man, Jackson. I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

  His chest swelled with pride. He let his fingers drift over the small indentations above her bottom and murmured, “You are being a very good little pet, Gracie. Shall I reward you?”

  “Please reward me,” she moaned.

  Jackson let his slick fingers dip between her ass cheeks and slid one digit up and down her anus. Over and over again, making certain she was completely slick with the vanilla-scented cream before he wiggled it into the tight pucker a bare inch. Her startled intake of breath at the tiny invasion reminded him that she was new to anal sex. He forced his raging libido down, hoping to build the pleasure slowly.

  “Will you beg for me, pet?” The need to fill her with his cock instead of his finger began to ride him hard.

  Her body, once so pliant, now seemed strung tight. “I don’t know what you want. Please, you’re making me crazy.”

  Her husky voice nearly did him in. “You know exactly what I want. Admit you’re mine, baby, tell me now before I fuck this tight little ass.”

  “Oh, god, this is so insane,” she cried out.

  “Say it, Gracie.”

  She turned her head and glared at him. “Fine, I’m yours, happy now?”

  He grinned. “For now.” He pulled his finger free and poured more cream onto his fingers, then spread it around. “When my cock slides into this sexy little butt, it’ll feel so incredible you’ll come back for more. You’ll crave this type of lovemaking after I’m through, I promise you.” He slid two fingers into her this time, spreading her open, willing her muscles to relax. She writhed beneath him, and he had to hold her hip to keep her from hurting herself.