by A. C. Arthur
True to his word, RJ removed the rest of his clothing and pulled one of the cushioned chairs from the corner closer to the bed. He sat and waited for the performance to begin.
“Show me what you planned to do with the one that got away from you the other night.”
“You mean the one you broke,” she said as she lay back on the bed.
He figured it had broken after he stepped on it, even though she hadn’t given him an update. “This replacement’s better.”
She adjusted herself on the bed and switched the vibrator on. “We’ll see.”
RJ swore he’d died and gone to heaven. The sight of Grace lying gorgeously naked on that bed, legs lifted so that her feet were planted on the mattress, knees spread, was more than he’d ever imagined. When he expected her to slide the apparatus between her legs, she lifted it to her lips instead, licking it up and down until his fingers gripped the arms of the chair.
He recalled her tongue moving over his dick just like that in the past, and he dropped one hand down to soothe his aching erection. She took the toy deep into her mouth and he began jerking his dick, wanting to be inside her mouth the same way that vibrator was. She removed it from her mouth with a plopping sound that had him moaning. Then she rubbed it over her breasts, circling her nipples and going down her torso to her stomach. He licked his lips when he knew what would happen next.
Grace glanced at him before switching the vibrator on, the low buzzing sound much louder in the otherwise quiet room.
“Now,” he whispered, his throat hoarse with need. It was possible he hadn’t quite thought this through, because now watching her seemed like torture.
She obliged, slipping the vibrator down until it eased inside her. On a long deep moan, she arched her back from the bed, her head sinking into the pillows. With one hand she moved the vibrator in and out of her pussy, while the other hand toyed with her breasts. RJ jerked his dick like he was ready to come at any moment—which he probably was.
He was entranced by her moaning, the thrusting of her hips that matched the motion of her hand, the sound of that vibrator and the jiggle of her breasts. And then he was done. Done with the watching part.
He stood from the chair, grabbed a condom from his wallet and hurriedly rolled it on. Climbing onto the bed, he grabbed her wrist and eased the vibrator out of her. He took it from her hand and turned it off. Then he was between those long legs, lifting them onto his shoulders and glancing up at her once more.
“Do you trust me?” When she only blinked at the question, he hurried to make himself clear. “Trust me to make you feel good,” he whispered. He saw her nod just before he lowered his head.
His mouth touched her warm folds and he moaned. On a deep inhale he let her scent permeate every part of his body, and as she shook with the intensity of the pleasure ripping through him, he licked her. Tender strokes over her pussy, a quick, clever flick to tease her hardened clit. She bucked beneath him and he gripped her bare ass in his hands, lifting her lower half off the bed so she was closer to his face, feeding him.
“Dammit.” The one clipped word from her spurred him on.
“So sweet. Just like I remember.” It was the truth—she tasted heavenly. With each caress of his tongue over her soft flesh, he could think of nothing in his life that had ever tasted better. And it was just like he remembered. The feel of her thighs against his cheeks, the throbbing of his dick each time his tongue stroked along her damp skin. It was all as good as before, a part of the memories he’d cherished and secretly longed for again.
“I want more,” he groaned. “More of you.”
She was pumping into his mouth now, trying to give him what he wanted so he’d provide the release he knew she so desperately needed. He planned to give it to her. Easing two fingers between the crease of her ass, he let one linger momentarily over her anus before continuing on to sink inside her entrance. She bucked again, a mixture of curses and moans softly filling the air.
He slid another finger inside her, feeling the contraction of her body around him. This was it right here. The silken honey that seeped onto his fingers and eventually his tongue as he continued to lick her pussy was addictive. So much so he had no idea what he was going to do from this moment on. The need for her was going to be too great to watch her walk away again. Not this time. Even if all he got from her was this physical gratification, that’s what he wanted. What he’d needed for far too long.
Pumping his fingers in and out of her while flicking his tongue over her clit had her body jerking wildly beneath him. She whispered his name.
“Ronald,” she said again and again and he thrust his hips, wishing it was his dick buried to the hilt inside her instead.
“Gracie.” He said her name softly when he let his mouth leave her, his fingers still moving. “My sweet Gracie.”
Her body tensed the second her climax hit and he hungrily put his mouth over her once more to catch every drop of her release. Moments later he was easing away from her, lifting his body so he could drop a tender kiss on her mouth. She clapped her hands to the back of his neck and dragged him down for a deeper kiss, one that fused them together in a thick haze of longing, need and something more, something he wasn’t sure either of them was ready to name.
Instead of thinking too much on that, RJ positioned himself between her legs, sliding easily into her. She gasped when he entered her, bowing up off the bed. He massaged her breasts and began moving inside her, losing himself in the glorious warmth that always welcomed him. This is where he belonged, there was no longer any doubt in his mind. It was only Grace for him, now and forever.
He couldn’t get enough, and he totally lost himself in the feel of her muscles holding him tight, the sound of her voice whispering his name. When she wrapped her legs around his waist, he leaned forward, putting his arms around her back before changing their position. He sat on the edge of the bed while she straddled him, bouncing up and down over his dick until her name ripped from his throat. “Grace. My sweet Gracie.”
“Yes.” It was the smallest whisper from her that played over and over again as she moved her hips to match his upward thrusts. “Yes, Ronald. Yes.”
And that’s what RJ continued to hear in the next seconds when she arched in his arms, her second climax causing her body to tremble around him. He came right behind her, shuddering not only with the pleasure tearing through him, but with the love that followed that brilliant explosion. That was it, that was the name of the emotion he’d felt earlier. Love. It was what had been pulling him toward her from the moment he’d first seen her on this island. The love that hadn’t died in the ten years they’d been apart. The love he prayed she wanted to accept this time around.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
FOUR DAYS LATER, Grace rolled over in the bed, going still the moment she realized she was alone. Lying on her stomach, she extended her arm over the rumpled sheets where RJ had lain for a while last night. It had been just a little while longer than the previous nights, and she’d thought he might stay until morning. He hadn’t done that on any of the nights he’d come to her room.
After their tryst on the yacht, they’d returned to the shore much later that evening. He’d taken her to her room and stepped inside for just long enough to take her in his arms one more time. The embrace had been long, each of them holding on to the other as if they thought it might be their last opportunity.
“I wish you’d trusted me ten years ago,” he’d whispered just before pulling back slightly. “Part of the reason I admired you so much was because of your work ethic and your tenacity to pursue your goals no matter what. There’s no way I would’ve ever asked you to give that up.”
She’d let her forehead rest on his chest as regret filled every crevice of her being. “I should’ve told you that night. I don’t know why I didn’t.” Or rather she had known. Fear was a cruel bastard that she wholeheartedly despised.
He’d lifted his hands to cup her cheeks, tilting her face up to him. “Everything I just said is still true. I still admire you and wholly support your career goals.”
Grace knew that; otherwise his father and possibly the rest of his family wouldn’t have been so open to her being here and writing the story. “I appreciate that, RJ. I really do.”
He’d kissed her again, a very soft and lingering kiss that had left her dreamy-eyed and hopeful. In the days that followed she’d continued with her interviews, speaking to Chaz and then conducting a third interview with Veronica. She and RJ had also continued with their evening trysts, most times after the family dinner that Grace no longer needed an invitation to attend. During the days when she wasn’t writing, she had an unspoken invite to everything on Riley’s itinerary. In fact, Riley had taken to texting Grace daily reminders so she wouldn’t forget and stay in her room working. But Grace liked being in her room, especially during the time that RJ was there with her.
That’s what scared her.
After talking about what happened that long-ago night, she and RJ seemed to be of one accord, just like they’d been before. In Manhattan, their private space had been RJ’s penthouse, because it was away from the RGF offices and his parents’ palatial home. It was where RJ could relax and be himself instead of being one of the top executives at the company, or the oldest son of the family. It was the one place where Grace could feel comfortable and not like she was in constant competition with her sisters.
Here, on the island, the villas that RJ and his family were staying in were much larger than Grace’s room, but in her room they had privacy. For all intents and purposes, her room was now like his penthouse had been, all except for RJ spending the night. She never asked him why he didn’t. She hated the thought that she was once again allowing fear to take up space in her life.
Her vibrating phone disrupted her thoughts and she rolled over in the bed again, catching herself before she tumbled over the edge. With a shake of her head, she reached for the phone on the nightstand and removed it from the charger. The notification was a text message from Riley.
Truth or dare at 2 p.m. in the café.
Grace groaned and buried her head in the pillow. Did she really want to play truth or dare with Riley and the gang, which was the name Maurice had given the group of four couples? Were she and RJ a couple again? Another groan escaped at the question because she was so confused. She was beginning to believe that was her natural state of being now—at least it had been since setting foot on this island.
Her phone vibrated and chimed in her hand. She startled and then lifted her head from the pillow to stare at the screen. “Dammit.”
She answered it with a bland, “Hi, Eddie.” Eddie’s gravelly voice was the last thing she wanted to hear this morning.
“What’s going on? Is the story almost done? I was thinking of sending Tiege down to get some pictures of the wedding. He says he has a connection that could get him onto the property without any detection,” he rattled off without pause.
She bolted up in the bed. “Absolutely not!” Shaking her head as if she thought he could see her, Grace frowned. “I mean, why would I need Tiege here if I’m just doing interviews?”
Tiege was Veronica’s former stepson, so Grace knew exactly how the guy would get in undetected. Veronica really was planning her exit strategy if she’d told him about the wedding being here this week.
“Don’t try that stunt with me,” he replied. “The only reason I’m sitting on the fact that Riley Gold’s wedding is taking place this week is because this story is a lot bigger.”
“Look, I’m getting a lot of good material. The story is coming along nicely and will be in your inbox early next week.”
The wedding was Saturday, three days away, and her flight out was already booked for early Sunday morning. She planned to give the story one final pass on Monday and send it off to Eddie that afternoon.
“Send me what you’ve got so far. I want to make sure you’re on the right track.”
“Not a chance. That’s not how I work. I’ll send you the complete story when it’s done and no pictures.”
“Do you have any idea how much circulation we’d get if we landed the first and only wedding photos?”
“Do you have any idea how powerful both these families are? You sneak into this venue to get pictures and they’ll come after you. I mean, they’ll go over your head to the owner of the paper and they’ll make his life a living hell as payback. How do you think he’s gonna react when he finds out you’re the one who brought that type of heat to his doorstep?” She was bluffing, sort of.
Grace really had no idea how RJ, his family or Tobias dealt with the media when they overstepped boundaries. That wasn’t a conversation she and RJ ever needed to have, because up until this point she’d represented his family and their business with the utmost respect on the few occasions she’d written about them. Sure, this story was a totally different ball game, and she’d taken a very calculated risk in coming here to do it in the first place. But she did know that after several recent debacles—the blogger who’d printed those designs from King Designs and insinuated Riley had stolen them from Chaz, the reporter who’d revealed Nina and Major’s business connection, and the woman who’d made a fake video depicting Maurice as an absentee dad—the Golds had met their quota of dealing peacefully with the media. Any intrusion into Riley’s wedding wasn’t going to go over well, Grace knew that for certain.
“Look, I’ll meet my deadline. That’s all you need to worry about.”
“You’d better, or you’re through. Not only will I never work with you again, but if I’m ever asked about you—”
“Okay, I get it, Eddie. Like I said, the story will be in your inbox by close of business on Monday.” She didn’t wait for Eddie to say another word, but disconnected the call on her own terms. Having him threaten her when the sun was barely up wasn’t her idea of good morning conversation.
She fell back onto the bed, feeling the urge to toss her phone again. But recalling how that had turned out last time, she simply dropped it onto the mattress and closed her eyes. She was definitely going to have a story for Eddie come Monday morning. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the story she’d pitched to him. Well, not exactly. The new angle she’d told RJ she would take on the story had turned out to be a great call. What she’d written so far was informative and enlightening; it was inspirational and touching. Not surprisingly each of the Gold siblings and Chaz spoke not only highly of Ron and Tobias, but also of what the two companies meant to them, to the people they’d ultimately become. She’d felt motivated just writing it, pressed to take everything her parents had taught her about resilience and courage to be the very best reporter she could be. She didn’t want to toss that aside.
She climbed off the bed, went to the table where her laptop was and opened it. Plopping down into the chair, she waited for it to boot up and clicked on the file with her story draft. After reading over what she had so far, Grace knew she couldn’t change it. Not just because she really liked it, but also because it was exactly what she’d promised RJ she would write. It wasn’t the juicy exposé she’d promised the Daily Gazette. It was a story about how RJ’s family had broken the mold of all fashion houses and become number one all while facing adversity. No, she wasn’t going to change a word, not even if it meant Eddie would probably try to ruin her career.
* * *
“I dare you to kiss RJ.” Maurice chuckled heartily after saying those words.
Grace froze, obviously regretting choosing a dare over the truth. RJ didn’t move either, but not for the same reason. He’d come into this game knowing exactly what his siblings would try to do. They’d each been on him about what happened in the past between him and Grace. Riley had been especially emotional, which he totally chalked up to her impending nuptials and new outlook on love.
&nb
sp; “I don’t think she’s here by mistake,” she’d said a couple nights ago when they were the last two at the table after dinner.
“She’s not. She’s writing a story about our family, remember?” he’d replied, and Riley had smirked.
“You’re a goof, but you’re not stupid. She could’ve stayed in New York and written that story.”
“We’re all here—what better time to come and interview us?” he’d countered.
“There’s such a thing as a phone. Zoom, Skype, email. Besides those other options, she wasn’t guaranteed an interview with any of us. She had no idea we would agree to this story. Yet she used money from her savings to pay for the room and airfare just to spend two weeks on this island.”
“How do you know she used her savings?” Because of everything Riley had just said, that was the most important part to RJ. Grace hadn’t cared that she didn’t make a lot of money being a reporter. Even when her parents had compared her salary range to that of her sisters’, she’d argued that she made enough to live comfortably and that she was following her passion, doing what she was meant to do. And he’d championed her courage and determination. But the thought of her taking any type of financial hit because of this trip didn’t sit well with him.
“She mentioned it the other day when we were having drinks,” Riley had said with a wave of her hand. “But what I’m really saying is that I don’t think she’s here just to write this story and I’m hoping my big brother is smart enough to figure that out himself.”
Riley had left him to stew over that information and he’d been letting it ruminate in his mind since. On more than one occasion when he’d been with Grace at night, he’d thought about bringing it up, but since the night on the yacht, he’d liked the new low-stress caliber of their relationship. They’d been simply enjoying themselves, rekindling the things they enjoyed most about being together. Rocking the boat with questions and talk of where this was or wasn’t going was something he’d decided not to do.
