With a grin, she shook her head, figuring he probably did know and had enjoyed it. RJ may not seem interested in the personal attention the media always wanted to offer the Golds, but he enjoyed any attention she gave him. The thought warmed her heart.
“I can’t believe you’re here. That you stayed.” That wasn’t what she’d planned to say to him, but the words had tumbled free anyway. “I mean, when I finished working it was really late and I just climbed into bed.” She’d known he was there, had even cuddled up to him for a while, intending her touch to initiate foreplay. Then they’d get to the business of sex like they’d been doing each night and afterward he would return to his villa. But the sex hadn’t happened and he hadn’t left.
His eyes were open now, holding her gaze intently. “You were sleeping pretty soundly when I woke up. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“So you undressed and joined me in the bed instead of leaving?” It was obvious that’s what happened, but she wanted to him to tell her why he’d done it.
He reached over to take her free hand, weaving his fingers through hers. “I didn’t want to leave last night.” He looked at their hands and then returned his gaze to hers. “I didn’t want to be without you again. For ten extremely long years I vowed to sleep alone and I intended to honor that decree forever. I wasn’t going to let anybody else in, Grace. Not into the space that was reserved solely for you.”
In that moment her heart felt like it was breaking again, but this time for the sadness so easily detected in his tone. “I never meant to hurt you.”
With an easy smile, RJ brought her hand up to his lips, kissing each of her fingers. “I know. I understand what you did and why you did it.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said, because she was. She was sorry that she hadn’t talked to him about what she was feeling, sorry that she hadn’t given their relationship the respect it deserved by ending it better.
He reached for her then, pulling her until she was on top of him. He hugged her close, whispering, “Don’t apologize, baby. It’s in the past. We’re here now and that’s all that matters.”
Grace held on to him for what felt like hours. She inhaled the fading remnants of his cologne, felt the steady strength of his body beneath her. This wasn’t a memory. She felt everything—the overwhelming sense of remorse mixed with the undeniable push of hope. Easing away slowly, she placed her palms on his chest and adjusted herself until she was sitting over him, her legs spread, her pussy flush against his dick.
His arms had fallen to his side but he continued to look up at her, not speaking, just watching and, she suspected, waiting to see what she would do next. She grabbed the hem of her nightshirt, pulling it up and over her head before tossing it onto the floor. He waited a beat before lifting his hands to cup her breasts, kneading them gently. She leaned into the touch, arching her back to give him better access. Then she lifted slightly off him, just enough so she could reach a hand behind her, lowering it to rub along his dick.
He didn’t make a sound, but in the early morning light she could see a muscle tightening in his jaw. She eased her hand into the slit of his boxers and touched his dick skin to skin. His hands stiffened on her breasts until she wanted to scream with the mixture of pleasure and pain. When he lowered one hand to push beneath the band of her panties and down further until he was rubbing her clit, she bucked over him and gasped.
A tidal wave of desire washed over her and she shook her head to try to find some clarity, but there was none. There was only her and RJ.
“More,” she whispered as she moved. “Give me more.”
Grace wanted it all. Every inch of him, every part of his soul, every emotion he possessed. She needed it desperately. The sheet went first when she pushed at it until it his legs were free. Then she attacked his boxers, yanking them down his legs until they were flying across the room to land wherever. Her hands were on his dick again, this time holding and stroking it until she could close her mouth over the tip.
RJ sucked in a breath, his hands immediately going to the back of her head, gripping her hair as he spoke through clenched teeth.
Grace obliged, lowering her head until the better portion of his length was in her mouth, touching the back of her throat. She pulled up slightly and began to suck while he guided her head, lifting his hips slightly off the bed to meet her.
There was nothing else, not here on this island and not in New York, that could ever compare to this, to him. The taste of him, the feel of his hands in her hair, the sound of her name in his voice.
“Gracie, baby,” he whispered.
Yes, she wanted to reply, she was his Gracie and only his. Even after years apart there was no denying a part of her still belonged to this man.
He was the one to move fast this time, easing her away, then hurriedly sliding off the bed to find a condom and put it on. The second he was sheathed he reached for her, turning her over and then pulling her up onto her knees.
“I thought about you every day,” he said as he positioned himself behind her, then thrust deep inside her.
Grace arched her back and yelled with the explosive pressure of his quick entrance. He didn’t waste another moment but began pumping into her fiercely. “Every. Damn. Day. Gracie. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
“I know,” she breathed, her fingers clenching the sheets. “I thought about you, too. All the time. So much. I missed you so much.”
She could say that now and not feel as if she were going back on her word. The decision to walk away from him had been made, and they’d both served that ten-year sentence of being apart. Now was no time for regrets.
“Missed you more,” he declared. “More and more.”
There was no use holding back; he felt too good inside her and she’d needed this too much. Her legs trembled and her arms shook until she had no choice but to lower the top half of her body to the bed, moaning into the mattress as her release took her.
He stayed deep inside her while her muscles gripped him, rubbing a hand up and down her back and over her ass while his other hand still held her hip.
“I need more, Gracie.”
The second she heard him whisper those words she knew what he was asking. “Yes,” she immediately whispered. “Yes.”
When he eased out of her she felt an immediate sense of loss but she knew it wouldn’t last long. During one of their many nights together, he’d come across her toiletry bag where she’d stored the new vibrator and a few other pleasure items. It was in the bathroom in plain sight and she wasn’t the least bit embarrassed by him seeing it. Most of the items in that bag they’d explored when they were together. So she knew he’d gone into the bathroom to grab the lube and when he returned, touching his fingers to her anus with the cool product, she felt desire bubbling deep in the pit of her stomach once more.
“Gracie,” he moaned while moving his finger over the tight area, pressing inside slowly.
Her nipples were pebble hard, her pussy clenching with need. She wanted to tell him to hurry and to take it slow and to give her more all at once. Instead she bit down on her bottom lip, closing her eyes to the delightful sensations rippling through her at his touch. The moment he moved his hand and pressed his dick there she let her hips relax and breathed in deep. His hands were on her ass now, holding her open.
“I missed this,” he whispered. “Missed it so much.”
She had, too. There was never going to be another man she allowed to have her this way, never going to be anyone she trusted the way she trusted RJ. He eased into her slowly until she felt full and on fire with need.
“Please,” she moaned. “Now.”
He gave her what she wanted, pumping in and out of her with slow measured strokes, until they were both gasping with satisfaction, breathing hard and loud as the need built into a crescendo between them.
* * *
Now was exactly what RJ wanted to give her. Except there was even more to it. He wanted to give Grace now and forever.
Leaning over her slightly, he reached a hand around between her legs until he found her clit and rubbed simultaneously with his thrusts into her. She moaned long and deep and he felt her body shaking beneath him. He was so tightly embedded in her he could hardly think straight. This connection they had when they were together like this was deeper than anything he’d ever experienced with anyone before, and more than he ever wanted to give anyone else.
This was for them only; it was their shared moment, the time when they were the most connected intimately and emotionally, and he’d thought he would never experience it again.
“I love you, Gracie.” The words came before his mind could process whether or not it was wise to say them. “I love you so damn much.”
She made a sound that was too close to a whimper and he paused.
“Please, don’t stop, Ronald. Please.”
He continued, loving the sound of his name on her lips, the feel of his dick being gripped by her muscles, the warm dampness of her pussy. It was everything and still on some level not enough. Until she bucked beneath him, her body going still, his name a litany on her lips.
“Never stopped loving you, Ronald.” She gasped and shook her head. “Only you. I only love you.”
As if that was what he needed to take that leap into pleasure, he pumped into her a couple times more before his body jerked, his release coming with such force he lost his breath.
The moments felt like hours before he could ease out of her and fall flat on his back on the bed. She collapsed onto her stomach and he reached out to take her hand, bringing her fingers to his lips once more. “I love you, Grace.”
She turned her head toward him, touching her lips to his biceps before whispering, “I love you, RJ.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE AIR WAS warm even though the sun had already set. It was the night before the wedding. The family was gathered outside on a grassy area, with the magnificent mountains and water as a backdrop. The ceremony would take place here tomorrow morning at eleven.
Grace stood off to the side, admiring the work Riley’s event planner and her massive team had created. A gazebo covered in peach, orange and white roses was at the end of a twenty-foot aisle flanked by rows of white chairs. White silk was draped from one chair to the next, and gold lanterns with peach ribbons hung from iron shepherd’s hooks at the end of every other row. Tomorrow the floor of the aisle would be covered in fresh white rose petals.
She’d seen the gowns that Nina, Desta, Marva and Veronica would be wearing. While Marva and Veronica would don original designs by their husbands, made of the same cream-colored fabric, Nina and Desta had signature dresses from the RGold line in the palest peach hue. Riley’s wedding gown consisted of over seventy yards of pure white bias-cut organza tiers that hung beneath a tight bodice, creating a gorgeous fantasy-looking piece that Ron Gold was more than a little proud of designing. They were all going to look amazing. Even the guys, who would wear specially designed cream-colored tuxedos.
When Veronica had invited Grace to the island, Grace knew it was going to be for Riley’s wedding, but she hadn’t given any thought to whether or not she’d be invited to attend. For tonight’s dress rehearsal, she’d been asked to stand in for Riley, as the family believed it was bad luck for the bride to walk down the aisle before her wedding day. Grace’s family believed that same superstition, so this wasn’t Grace’s first time as a fill-in. It was, however, the first time she would walk down an aisle and see RJ standing at the altar. The implications of that were huge and not easily ignored.
“You all right?” She jumped at the voice and turned to see Riley standing next to her.
Grace knew she’d never seen a happier smile. Riley was ecstatic to be marrying Chaz. There was no doubt the two of them were madly in love, and if there had been a doubt, they’d both dispelled it during their separate interviews with Grace. Riley and Chaz had fallen in love against all odds and under the scrutiny of the media. Yet each day Grace watched them in this tropical setting surrounded by family, she saw how tight their bond truly was.
“I’m fine. Just daydreaming, I guess.” Grace shrugged in the hope that it would help downplay the surge of longing she felt when thinking about walking down that aisle toward RJ.
“Daydreaming of a wedding possibly?”
Obviously, she hadn’t convinced either Riley or herself.
Grace shook her head. “No. We’re not ready for that.” Which was exactly what she would’ve said ten years ago. She’d really had no clue that RJ had been ready to propose to her. Sure, they’d talked about their future, but that was just talk. Conversations they’d had in the middle of the night, ideas for a shared life she’d thought was further away than RJ did.
“I don’t know,” Riley said. “RJ really wants to be married. And I’m not just saying that because I’m getting married tomorrow. He never talked of not getting married or not committing to one woman for the rest of his life until after you left. Now he’s not frowning whenever one of us holds hands or kisses or says anything about being a couple. He’s been doing that for the last decade and we were all wondering when he’d snap out of it.” Riley touched Grace’s shoulder. “The minute he saw you again, he did. How amazing is that, that even after all this time the two of you are still in love.”
The event planner arrived with her clipboard and two assistants by her side. “Let’s get started. We want to be at the rehearsal dinner on time,” she said.
From that point on, everybody followed her directions, until the moment it was time for Grace to walk down the aisle.
Ron stepped up and extended his arm to her. Their interview had gone as well as could be expected, but she knew he still wasn’t happy about the story. When she only stared at him, the edge of his mouth tilted up in a smile that looked so much like RJ’s she couldn’t help but smile back. She linked her arm in his, and when the event planner gave the signal they started walking slowly down the aisle.
“You’ve put a smile back on my son’s face,” Ron said to her.
He hadn’t spoken about her and RJ during their interview yesterday morning. He’d only answered her questions and made sure to tell her what he didn’t want to see in the story. She’d agreed to not print the personal stuff about him and Marva.
“I missed him, too,” she admitted.
Ron reached his other hand over to place it on top of hers. “Don’t waste any more time,” he told her. “Life’s too short.”
Grace looked at Ron and then because they were still walking, she looked straight ahead toward the altar, where RJ was smiling at her.
* * *
Ten years ago, he’d asked her to be his wife. Tonight, RJ wanted to ask her again. He wanted this trip to be the beginning of their future. But how could he tell her that here, in the middle of Riley’s rehearsal dinner? He couldn’t, that was the bottom line. This was Riley’s time, and his sister deserved every bit of happiness in the spotlight that she’d created for herself. He wasn’t going to upstage that or even interrupt it with an impromptu proposal of his own.
“She looks happy,” his mother said when she came to sit beside him.
They’d finished dinner and dessert about fifteen minutes ago. Grace had been called over to take pictures near the fireplace with Nina, Desta and Riley.
“Yeah, Riley can’t wait to be married tomorrow,” he said, keeping his eye on the photo session.
“I wasn’t talking about Riley,” Marva said. She touched RJ’s hand. “You look happy, too.”
He glanced down at his mother’s hand covering his and then over to her. “I am,” he admitted and then took a deep breath. “I didn’t realize how unhappy I was until she was back.”
“I told you to go after her.”
“
I know you did,” he said, remembering his mother had come to visit him the week after Grace had left. “I didn’t because of my pride. But as it turns out, I think the space was exactly what Grace needed to do the things she wanted to do.”
“I told her she could’ve done those things while being married to you.”
He grinned. “I told her that, too. She’s stubborn.”
Marva chuckled. “Like somebody else I know. My grandchildren are going to be a handful if they take after you and her.”
Two hours later, RJ was still thinking about his mother’s words. He was also thinking that, before he jumped the gun and went shopping for another engagement ring, he wanted to talk to Grace, to see where her head was with all this. They’d admitted their love for each other again and weren’t opposed to showing it in public, but that had been the extent of their new relationship. Day after tomorrow they’d be heading back to New York and to their normal lives; he wanted to get some things straight before then.
That was one of the reasons he was on his way to her room again—the other was that they’d already arranged to meet at ten. She’d volunteered to help decorate Riley’s room with Desta and Nina so they hadn’t left the restaurant together after dinner. He’d gone to his room first and changed into shorts and a T-shirt. He’d also wanted some time alone to think about what he was going to say to her. Now he was almost to her suite and his phone was vibrating. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the text from Grace.
Got a little sweaty so I’m grabbing a shower. Door’s open.
Wishing she’d waited for him to get in the shower, RJ smiled as he entered her room. He locked the door behind him and walked to the small refrigerator where he knew there were bottled waters and a couple vodka and rum miniatures, which he’d put there a few nights ago. He took one out, opened it and went to the table where room service had left a clean set of glasses and coffee cups. He poured his vodka into one and he took a seat, waiting for Grace to get out of the shower.
Harlequin Dare May 2021 Box Set Page 45
