by Katy Kaylee
I nodded. “I believe you. I should have talked to you when I had doubts. I’m sorry.”
He moved to sit on the coffee table in front of me. “What do you want, Grace?”
I wiped a tear that had fallen on my cheek. “I want you to forgive me. I want to promise you that if you give me another chance, when I feel insecure, I’ll talk to you and not run.”
His lips twitched up slightly. “I don’t want you to feel insecure about me.” He reached forward and wiped another tear. “That’s the point. I’ve fallen for you. I’ve fallen hard.”
His words both soothed and increased my guilt. “I’m sorry, Hunter. I should have realized.”
“Yes, you should have.” He studied me for a moment. “You’re not the only one with insecurities, Grace.”
Oh, yes, of course. I reached to him, pressing my palms against his cheeks. “I’ve fallen for you too.”
Relief shone in his eyes. “So, we’re good?”
I nodded.
“You trust that I’m not going to run around on you?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“There’s only one thing left to do,” he said.
I arched a brow. “What’s that.”
“Make up sex.” His lips devoured mine, and while it seemed unwise to have sex in my office, I wasn’t in a state of mind to stop him. In fact, once his lips were on mine, all I could think about was having him inside me. Like that would somehow fix how badly I’d handled everything.
“I need you inside me, Hunter. So bad.”
He growled. “Those are some of my favorite words coming from you.” In a flurry, our clothes were undone and pushed aside enough that we could touch and taste. When he stood and pushed his pants down, I immediately grabbed his beautiful, thick cock and loved it with my mouth.
“Ah fuck, Grace…your mouth is fantastic,” he said as his fingers threaded through my hair.
I inhaled his musky scent and savored the sweet-salty mix of his pre-cum. He let me work him, but then he groaned, and reaching for me, he hauled me up, turned us both, and pressed me against the wall.
He sucked my nipples through my bra, leaving wet marks on it until he finally was able to undo the front clasp and free me.
He sucked again, on one and then the other.
“Hunter,” I gasped. “Fill me. I need you to fill me.”
My skirt was already bunched around my waist, so he tugged my panties down, dropping to his knees as they slid down my legs.
“I love your pussy, Grace.” He rubbed his nose in the nest of hair between my thighs. “I’m going to eat you up.”
My hands gripped his head. “Oh, God,” I said as anticipation rushed through me.
The minute his tongue touched my center, I felt like rockets had gone off in my brain. His touch was always electric, and I felt him in every part of my body.
His tongue was quick and sure, and within minutes, I was crying out as an orgasm slammed through me.
“Fuck, give me more, Grace,” he said as continued to suck and lick and push me up the pleasure hill again.
“Hunter,” I gasped. I loved what he was doing, but I needed him inside me. I wanted to come on him and around him, and for his dick to take me there.
“One more, baby,” he growled as he inserted two fingers inside me and sucked my clit. I was helpless to do anything except let him give me pleasure beyond belief. Soon, I was flying again.
He stood, and I saw he had a condom and his dick sheathed. Then he kissed me hard, letting me taste myself on his tongue.
“I need you so fucking bad,” he groaned as he lifted my leg over his hip and plunged inside me.
I cried out in pleasure and relief. I gripped his shoulders, holding on to him like a lifeline as he filled my body, but also the hole made when I’d walked away from him two days ago.
“Do you feel me inside you, Grace?”
“Yes. I love it when you’re inside me.”
“This…between us…is special.”
“Yes,” I gasped as he thrust in again.
“Say it, Grace.”
“What’s between us is special.”
“Fuck yeah.” With that, he moved in and out of me, filling me and making me feel whole again.
29
Hunter
Monday
I loved making her come on my mouth, but it wasn’t until I was deep inside her that I felt like I could breathe again. Like she was mine again.
It was amazing how much this woman was now a part of me. Not just physically, but in my soul. That had to be love. I wanted to tell her, but not while I was fucking her against her office wall.
I needed this, and I think she did too. The physical connection, and then the release to get rid of the negative and reconnect again. But next time, when I told her how I really felt, there would be more finesse and reverence. I wanted her to know for sure that it was my heart speaking and not my dick needing a jolt.
But for now, this was what we both needed. My hips undulated, thrusting my cock deep inside her and then withdrawing. I pulled her leg up higher, thrusting in deeper making her gasp. I loved it when she did that.
“Come on me, baby,” I said through heaving breaths. I was getting close, but I wanted her to do the honor of pulling me over. I looked in her face, gauging how close she was. She had a sexy light sheen of perspiration on her soft skin. Her head was tilted back, as if she was reaching for her ultimate bliss. I sucked on her neck, not caring if I left a mark or not.
As I teetered on the edge of my own release. I cupped her tit and brought her nipple to my mouth. I licked it.
“Oh, God…I’m almost there,” she gasped.
I sucked her nipple into my mouth, drawing on it hard.
She cried out my name, and it was the most glorious fucking sound I’d ever heard. Her pussy gripped my cock as I plunged in. Stars burst in the back of my eyes, and pleasure rocked through my body.
I let out a feral roar, and my release tore through. “I fucking love your pussy…” I chanted it as she contracted and massaged my cock, drawing out the epic orgasm.
I was still coming when there was a knock on her door.
“Oh God, Hunter,” I felt her getting distracted.
“Go away,” I growled, as my dick continued to pump into her.
“Ms. Reynolds?”
She went completely still and her eyes were wide. “Oh, no.”
Sensing something was up beyond a client or delivery guy knocking on her door, I stopped moving. “What?”
She pushed me away and started putting her clothes back together. “Get dressed,” she hissed at me.
I removed the condom, tossing it in her trash, and yanked my pants up. “Who is it?”
She pulled her panties off her ankles and seemed at a loss as to what to do with them.
I took them from her and put them in my pocket, then buttoned my shirt. “Who’s there?” I asked her again.
“Ms. Reynolds?” The man rapped on the door more aggressively this time.
My irritation sparked anger. I walked to the door, yanking it open just enough to show my head. “She’s in session, asshole.”
The bland, middle-aged man with barely any hair, jerked back. His eyes widened.
“Hunter. It’s okay,” Grace said from behind me. She pushed me aside and opened the door. “Mr. Brown. I wasn’t expecting you.”
He looked at me. “I see that.” He frowned. “You’re Hunter Raven, are you not?”
I quirked a brow at his formal language. “Who wants to know?” I turned to Grace. “I thought sessions were confidential.”
She looked at me, and I hated the despair I saw there. Who was this fucker? “This is Stuart Brown. He’s investigating me.”
Oh shit. I liked to think the Rookery’s offices were all soundproof, but I was pretty sure Mr. Brown knew exactly what Grace and I were doing, and it wasn’t therapy.
Mr. Brown pulled out an envelope from his pocket. “I wanted to deliver th
is to you in person.”
She took the envelope and opened it.
“I was going to say that I didn’t think you had anything to worry about, but under the circumstances now—”
“What does that mean?” I stepped closer to him, not liking his tone.
“This is my hearing date,” Grace said.
“I’m not her client.” I had to salvage this somehow. “And you if you say otherwise, I’ll ruin you.”
I saw the flash of fear in his eyes, but then he stepped back, and I had a sense that he was going to use my words against Grace. Fuck, I was making it worse.
“Ms. Reynolds will have a chance to defend herself at the hearing,” Mr. Brown said.
I stared at him. “You enjoy this?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Hunter, please,” Grace said to me. Then to him: “I’ll be there.”
I ignored her. “Do you enjoy fucking with people’s livelihoods?”
“I don’t do that. I uphold the ethics of the profession. If someone loses their livelihood, it’s because they acted unethically.”
“Since when is love unethical?”
Grace’s breath hitched behind me. This wasn’t the way to tell her how I felt, but I wasn’t going to let this weasel turn what we had into something sordid.
He stared at me for a moment, and then looked over at Grace. “We’ll see you Thursday.”
She nodded. “I’ll be there.”
He walked out the door. The urge to kick his ass was very high. Instead, I slammed her door behind him. I took a breath, knowing that this wasn’t about me. This was about Grace and her work. Steadying myself, I turned, ready to support her.
She stood, looking lost.
“It’s okay, baby,” I pulled her to me, feeling glad when she didn’t pull away.
“What will I do?” Her voice was flat. Like she’d given up.
I pulled back and cradled her face in my palms. “You’ll fight. I’ll fight with you. I told you before, we’ll weather this together.”
She pursed her lips and gave me a look that suggested I was nuts. I supposed she was right. Instead of helping, I was pretty sure I’d made it worse.
“Tell me what you need me to do,” I said feeling completely impotent. There had to be something I could do. I was Hunter-Fucking-Raven. My family had powerful friends and allies. While I wasn’t one to go asking for favors like a mafia boss, I’d do whatever it took to make Grace’s problems disappear.
“There’s nothing to do. I’ll go the hearing, see what they say, and accept the consequences.”
I frowned. “Just like that? You need to stand up for yourself like you do against me and my brothers.”
“That’s different, Hunter.” She pulled away and went to her desk. It felt like she was pulling away from me.
“Let me help. My father has many friends in the city, maybe one can intervene.”
“No!” She rubbed her temples. “No, thank you. I just need to prepare a statement and hope they believe me. I wish I knew who reported me.”
I did too. Immediately, my thoughts went to Yvonne. A woman who would tell Grace I was cheating, could also be a woman to report her. She was also in a position to know I’d been forced into counseling. Nothing happened at the Rookery that didn’t get gossiped about.
I might not be able to do anything about Mr. Fucker Brown from the licensing board, but I sure as hell could do something about Yvonne.
“I’m going to find out, Grace. I promise.” I walked over to her side of the desk and squatted down so I could be at her level. “Tell me this doesn’t hurt us.” It was selfish of me to be worried about our relationship considering she was on the verge of losing her career, but I needed to know she was still with me.
She gave me a wan smile. “I think it’s clear that I can’t avoid you.”
On the one hand, it sounded like she was still with me. On the other hand, it sounded more like she was stuck with me, not that she wanted me.
I kissed her on the forehead. “It will all work out, Grace. You’ll see.”
She sighed. “I know the city, maybe even the world, caters to you and your family, but some things even a Raven can’t fix or rig.”
I flinched. She wasn’t wrong that me and my family had a lot of sway. But that was because money talked.
“Ravens don’t give up, either, Grace. If we go down, we go down fighting.”
I left her in her office, hoping she wasn’t going to talk herself out of us. Jesus, I walked down there to fix us, I did, but then walked out feeling broken again. Why couldn’t love be easier?
As I rode the elevator back up to my floor, I changed my focus to Yvonne. She was at her desk as I made my way to my office.
“I need to see you now,” I said to her as I passed her desk.
“Yes, sir,” she jumped up and grabbed a notepad.
“You won’t need that.” I strode to my desk and sat behind it, watching her as she entered.
She looked a bit nervous, as she should have been.
“Have a seat.” I nodded toward the chair in front of my desk. I sat back and studied her, knowing it would make her uneasy. “Are you still interested in seeing me?”
Her breath hitched, and the worried look was replaced by hope. “Yes.”
“What would you do to make that happen?”
Her brows knitted in confusion. “What do you mean? I’d do anything you wanted me too.”
“I’ve been hard to get.”
She laughed. “You got that right. I didn’t think it would be so hard, considering your reputation.”
I tilted my head. “My reputation is one woman, one night. Is that all you want?”
She shook her head. “No. But I’m worth more than one night.” She shifted and leaned forward, showing off the swells of her tits.
My dick lay dormant in my pants. “Are you vindictive?”
She flinched. “What?”
“You heard me. Are you vindictive?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“So, when you told my friend that I was fucking you, you weren’t trying to get back at her?”
Yvonne’s eyes widened. “I never said that.”
I leaned forward. “You suggested it, though didn’t you?”
“She must have misunderstood.”
She was clever, I had to give her that. According to Grace, Yvonne told her she was with me during the day, which was true, but only as my secretary.
I leaned back again, not wanting her to be too keyed up or worried until I got to my real beef.
“It almost worked,” I admitted.
There was a flash of triumph in her eyes, but I would have missed it if I wasn’t so intently watching her.
“Of course, she might still end it with me. She’s under investigation for seeing me.”
Yvonne licked her lips, clearly unsure how to respond.
“Someone reported her.” I drummed my fingers on the desk. “I’m going to find out who it was. I have my tech team right now going through the phone records from the Rookery to see if the call to the licensing board came from anywhere in this building.” That wasn’t true but would be soon enough if she didn’t confess.
She swallowed, but she remained calm. She was a tough nut. “No one would call from here, sir.”
I nodded, wondering if she realized she was giving herself away. I liked to think I was an honest, law-abiding man, but if I had to break the law to get her home and cell phone records, I’d do it.
I decided to be cryptic and subtle just like she’d been with Grace at the party. “Thank goodness I’m a Raven. I have a lot of resources at my disposal.”
Finally, there was a flash of worry in her eyes.
“I’ll find out who did it,” I said with certainty.
“Is that all, sir?” she said. Inside, I laughed. Had she forgotten that she wanted to fuck me?
“Yes, Ms. Nichols.”
She stood and started walking toward the
door.
“Oh, Ms. Nichols. There is one more thing.”
She turned and waited.
“You’re fired.”
30
Grace
Thursday
The instinct to protect oneself was high. It was why people lied. It was why a part of me wanted to fudge the truth as I had to Mr. Brown when he first showed up at my office.
But I’d worked with enough people who were living with lies and deceit on their consciences to know that I’d never be free of this fiasco if I didn’t tell the truth. It would perpetually hang over me, my career, assuming I still had one after today, and even my relationship with Hunter, which was already strained.
I loved that he wanted to fix this but, in many ways, his approach was like a bull in a china shop. He did more harm than good. So I asked him to stay away and not do anything. I could handle this on my own. He didn’t like it, and he never outright agreed to it.
I also told him we should avoid each other for now, thinking that would help him not think about me and my problems, and therefore want to fix them, as well as allow me to focus on my hearing. I crossed my fingers that he let me do this without him.
I planned to walk into the hearing prepared to tell the truth and let the chips fall where they may. How I was going to live if I didn’t have my license, I wasn’t sure. I had done some research and found a couple of nonprofits that needed social workers who didn’t need to be licensed, and a foundation wanting someone with a human behavior background to help them sort through grants for non-profit social programs. That one in particular sounded interesting. The only problem was, neither paid well enough for me to stay in Manhattan.
By the time the day of the hearing came, I figured that while I’d broken the rule, I’d only done it once and tried to remedy it, so if I was lucky, I’d get six months or a year probation or maybe a suspension. Afterwards, I’d work harder, rebuild my reputation, and get my career back on track. I’d worked too hard and sacrificed too much to let one indiscretion ruin my career.
That was what I was telling myself as nerves threatened to undo me while I sat, waiting to be called to my hearing. Finally, I was called into the room where a group of people sat at the front of the space, making me think of being in court. I was asked to sit at a table facing them.