by L. Nicole
There’s no other explanation.
I can’t resist bringing her hand up and kissing it. The need to taste her skin and feel her touch consumes me.
“It’s a pleasure Ms. Clarington,” I murmur, my voice thick with hunger.
I study her eyes. I watch them dilate, and I can feel the tremor that moves through her. Am I scaring her? I don’t want that, but I have about as much hope in capturing the wind in a jar than I have in controlling my reaction to her. I’ve never been more captured by a woman in my life.
“Grace, please,” she answers, nervously.
“Grace,” I say and there’s a wealth of satisfaction in my voice. It’s as if I’m breathing the words and they contain a precious secret in them.
“I… Uh… Do we know each other?” she asks, her cheeks tinting a soft pink. A color that I find I want to keep bringing to the surface.
“We will,” I assure her, causing her body to stiffen and her eyes to dilate even more. She tugs on her hand trying to free it. I find myself resisting because I don’t want to let her go.
Charlie throws his head back and laughs, and that finally makes me let her go—but, I don’t want to.
“Sorry, Grace. Victor is really rather harmless, he just forgot to take his medicine today.”
I elbow him in the side, harder than I normally would, but I wink at Grace.
“I just know when I meet someone special.”
God, that sounds cliché as hell, even to my own ears. What in the fuck is wrong with me? It’s like meeting Grace has robbed me of any brain cells. I don’t know what this woman is doing to me but from the moment I spotted her I became entranced…bewitched by her. Almost as if Cupid himself shot me with his arrow.
“Ms. Clarington, could I borrow you for a second?” an older man interrupts, taking her away from me, and I can do nothing but watch her walk away.
I do watch too. I can’t help from it because her ass is swaying in that pale green dress she’s wearing, the fabric hugging her ass cheeks and clinging to her back, making me wonder what she looks like underneath it. I can’t help but imagine leading her off somewhere private, perhaps the study and bending her over the desk, gripping those hips, and sliding into her from behind. Would she be loud or quiet? Would she scream my name while I fucked her silly? All I can think of is filling her up over and over again. I want to toss her over my shoulder and have my way with her. Stake my claim on her. Like a damn caveman. Mark her ivory skin with my handprints when I spank her into submission. I bet underneath that sweetness there is a sex kitten ready to purr for me. Her soft, dark hair is swept up on top of her head and swirled around, secured by a sparkled clip. It’s beautiful, simple, and stylish. I want to reach up, undo it, let her hair fall, run my fingers through the silky strands, and muss it up all around her face, more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my fucking life. I just want her. I want to bury my face between her thighs and get a taste. I bet she tastes sweeter than sugar.
“Smooth man, real smooth,” Charlie laughs, reminding me of my surroundings.
I clear my throat and wish my indecent thoughts away but it’s hard when she is still within my sights. “You didn’t warn me,” I accuse, still unable to tear my gaze away from Grace and her beauty.
“I wasn’t sure you would be attracted to her. Besides, you were adamant you were marrying Maria, no matter how I tried to warn you away from it.”
“Maria makes sense on paper,” I mutter with a sigh, watching as Grace bends down to hug a little girl that looks to be about four. The image morphs into a fantasy of that being her with our child. My pulse hammers in my ears. The thought of putting my heir in her stomach makes my blood hum with need. She’d be beautiful pregnant. We’d make a beautiful baby. Her sweet complexion and my dark eyes. I can already picture her standing in the entryway of the house and waiting for me when I get in, ready to fulfill my every desire.
I’m in trouble.
“But?” Charlie prompts.
My thoughts shift back to Maria. “She does nothing for me,” I admit.
“Not like Grace,” he says, knowingly.
Am I so transparent?
“Not like Grace. You should have introduced her to me sooner,” I mutter, not at all happy that Grace has been this close and yet I never knew she existed.
“It never occurred to me before, but now…”
“Now?”
“You always did like to play the hero, Victor.”
“And Grace needs a hero?” I ask, my gaze moving back to the woman in question, because I can’t seem to not look at her.
“Worse than anyone I know. She’s about to lose everything she holds dear and even in doing that, I’m not sure it will be enough,” Charlie says.
“I don’t understand,” I respond, frowning.
“Her father, Daniel, passed away unexpectedly. He was a good man, but he let the wrong guy in charge of his assets. He robbed Daniel and the company blind, took the money and left him in bad shape. Daniel was busy restructuring and trying to dig himself out of the mess, but the stress was just too much. He died of a heart attack.”
“Christ.”
“Yeah. He tried to protect Grace. She had no idea that they were facing financial ruin. She’s been going through hell, and none of it was of her making. She can’t even properly grieve her father because of this mess and now she’s being forced to sell the only home she’s ever known. The last real link she has with her father.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I argue.
“I’m afraid there’s no way around it. I’m just hoping she can manage to sell the home for enough money to cover the majority of the outstanding debt. If not…”
“I meant, it’s not going to happen, because I refuse to let it. I’m going to make sure Grace gets to keep her home,” I vow to him and the longer I stare at her, the more positive I become. I’ve found the woman I want to marry.
Now, I just need to convince her to say yes...
“I want to know everything about Grace.”
4
Grace
I take one final look at the place, my heart literally breaking. I received three offers on my family home, all below my asking price and way under the amount of money I need, but definitely more than I have. As I recline back in Dad’s old office chair, I try to decide what my next move should be. What would he have done if he were now?
The smart thing to do would be to accept the highest bid. The problem is, the guy with the highest bid plans on destroying this place. He’s only buying it for the land and location. My childhood home would become nothing more than a giant strip mall. I can’t let that happen. My dad would roll over in his grave.
That leaves me with the other two offers, both of which are really low and will still leave me owing so much money I won’t be able to breathe. I could file bankruptcy, both personally and as Dad’s corporation. It would be total bankruptcy and all of the men and women that the company I’ve inherited employs will lose their jobs. All of this feels like a heavy weight on my shoulders and it is suffocating me. The sad truth is, I don’t have any real choices. I’m trapped, which had to be how my dad felt. Is all this stress why he had a heart attack? Is the pressure what killed him?
My body jerks as the phone rings. My first instinct is to not answer the call. I want to run away and hide, but even I know that’s not possible. Hiding won’t solve my problems. It won’t bring my father back or magically make things okay.
“Hello?” I answer, after reaching over to take the phone out of the base.
“Grace?” A deep voice asks. I frown because the man’s voice is familiar, although I can’t place it right away. It’s deep and graveling and very masculine. My body tingles simply from hearing him say my name, but I ignore it. I don’t have time to be silly, even if I wanted to be. I have more pressing matters to concern myself with.
“Uh—” The effect of his voice on me is so strong that I have trouble forming words.
Defin
itely silly.
“Is this Grace Clarington?” the nerve tingling voice repeats.
“Yes, may I ask who’s calling?”
Geez, I really need to get my head together.
“This is Victor Serepova.”
“I’m sorry, who?”
“Victor Serepova,” he repeats, and I’m pretty sure he’s annoyed that I didn’t immediately recognize him by the irritated tone. “We met at your open house. I was with Charlie?”
“Charlie? Oh! You mean, Charles. I remember now.”
There’s silence at first, and I feel subconscious. Does Mr. Serepova think I should have remembered him? If he’s hanging around with Charlie, chances are he’s somewhat important in the business world. I’ve never felt the need to learn that world, but I guess now I will have to—that’s if I can manage to save my father’s business.
“I have a proposition for you. We can discuss it when I take you to dinner.”
My brows arch, confusion masking my face. “A proposition? Dinner?”
“Yes, Charlie explained about your financial difficulties. I believe I have an answer that would solve not only your problems but my own.”
“I uh… How do you figure that?” I ask, equal parts of confused and intrigued.
“Have dinner with me and find out,” he dares me.
“I don’t know you.”
“So get to know me over dinner.”
“I don’t usually have dinner with people I don’t know, Mr. Serepova. No offense.”
“That’s probably smart as a single woman, but I’m safe. Ask Charles if you need to. He can vouch for me.”
“I just…”
“Have dinner with me, Grace. Listen to what I’m proposing. I promise you won’t regret it.”
I don’t know what I’m thinking but something about this man intrigues me. I remember the way he made me feel when he showed up for the open house with Charles. Intense. “Where and when?”
“Are you free tonight?”
I cover the phone to muffle my gasp. “That’s kind of short notice.”
“Not really, I’ve been wanting to have dinner with you from the moment I met you at your home. How about you tell me when you’re free?”
I don’t know why I do it. Maybe I’m just insane, but something makes me respond to him in a way I never thought I would.
“I’m free tonight.” The words come out fast and almost too eager.
“You won’t regret it.”
“That’s what you said, but I should probably warn you part of me already is.”
“I’ll change that during dinner. You’ll see,” he brags and for some reason that makes me smile.
“Where should I meet you?”
“I can pick you up. See you at seven.”
“I’d prefer to drive, but seven is fine. Just let me know what restaurant to meet you at.”
“You’re going to be stubborn, aren’t you?” he asks, startling a laugh from my lips. I guess he’s not that worried about impressing me.
“Guilty as charged.” I find my lips stretching wide.
“How about we meet at Nancy’s in Burlington? Would that work for you?” Victor asks. I nod into the phone and then stupidly realize there’s no way he can see the action. Talking with Mr. Serepova is affecting me more than I’d like to admit.
“That’s good. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Tonight,” he says and even I can hear the satisfaction in his voice. It warms me, even if I don’t understand it.
Once I hang up, I just sit here and stare at the phone, trying to figure out what just happened. Then, I realize what I’m doing and rush upstairs to get ready for my meeting with Mr. Serepova. I don’t know what he wants to talk about, but I find myself hoping he has a miracle in his pocket. I don’t think it’s possible, but I’m hoping it just the same.
5
Victor
It goes against everything inside of me to allow Grace to meet me at the restaurant. She doesn’t know me, so I get why she doesn’t want me to pick her up. I should have sent a car for her, but I didn’t want to flex my money, not until I’ve at least made some kind of progress with her. Charlie warned me to go slow, but ever since I laid eyes on her, she’s all I think about. I’m obsessed, and I’m a man who takes what I want. It’s just not in my nature to move slow when I want something.
And I definitely want Grace.
I stand outside the restaurant scanning the parking lot so I’ll know the minute that she arrives. I texted her about an hour ago to make sure that we were still on for tonight, and I asked her what she would be driving. If she thought it was weird, she didn’t comment. I just needed to know what she would be driving so I could look for her if she didn’t show. All I could think about was what would happen to her if she broke down on her way here and she was alone with no one to watch out for her. I wanted to be the man driving her here, guarding her, making sure she was protected. I take care of what’s mine. Grace doesn’t know it yet but that means her.
I remain standing at the restaurant entrance when she pulls into a parking space. I wait on her instead of walking over to her car, like I really want to. I’m sure Grace doesn’t understand the restraint that I’m showing. Maybe someday she will. I only hope I don’t mess this up before I get the chance to show her what it means to really be cared for.
I don’t think that Grace has ever had that. She’s had her father, who obviously loved her, but he left her in the shape she’s in and that is unconscionable. He should’ve never risked everything the way he did. I oversee almost all of my own assets, but I also have them diversified in such a manner that if a problem does occur, I’m not left completely penniless. I sure as hell won’t leave my family worrying about what happens once I’m gone. It might sound stupid, but I definitely want Grace to be happy. I want to be the man who takes care of her, who cherishes her, and always makes it known that she is special. She’ll never doubt the way I feel about her.
I’ve got it bad for her. The more I learn about her the more I fall. I’ve been doing my homework but there is only so much I can learn from a file.
“You look beautiful tonight, Grace,” I compliment her as she walks toward me.
Dressed in a simple mint green, knee length dress the woman is perfection. Her hair is pulled back and secured at the back of her neck. She’s carrying a matching purse that is same shade of green with splashes of white, and it’s all paired with the same colored sandals on her feet. She’s not trying to look sexy. I get the feeling this is her everyday clothes, but I’ve never seen a woman look more beautiful.
“I think I might have underdressed.” she laughs, but I can hear a tint of uneasiness in her voice. I make her nervous.
“Not at all, you look gorgeous, you will put the other ladies here tonight to shame.” She’s also delectable, but I keep the thought to myself.
“Uh, okay.”
I see shocked expression written on her face, and I know I’m probably coming on way too strong. I want to kick myself. I need to tone it down here. Grace is not used to me, and I’m sure as hell not used to feeling like this. Out of control. This woman has thrown me for a loop. She has no idea what she’s done to me and there’s no way to make her understand. At least not yet. In truth, I don’t even understand myself. She makes me feel things I thought I would never experience.
“Shall we go inside?”
I place my hand at the small of her back to escort her inside the restaurant. The host is already holding our table, I took care of the reservation earlier. As soon as we enter, we’re ushered straight back to my private booth. First, Grace moves into the booth, taking her seat, and I slide in next to her. I see the surprise on her face. She expected me to sit across from her. The woman doesn’t realize that I don’t want to be away from her. Right now, I’m not sure I can handle letting her go at the end of the night. This going slow thing, may just kill me. Keeping my restraint is hard. All I want is to touch her. Show her that I’m the man
she needs. I want to be the man she desires. The one she turns to in all matters.
“You’re very…”
“Appealing?” I joke.
“I was going to say, that you seem very assertive.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Maybe not, but I think you have to be careful because you could give people the wrong impression.”
“And what impression are you getting, Grace?”
“I’m not sure I know how to answer that yet,” she replies. “I don’t really know you. This is all so overwhelming.”
“After tonight, you will know me much better.”
“Do you always come off so… Strong?”
“I like you, Grace. I’m trying to show some restraint, but the truth is I’ve never been this affected by a woman before. I’ve thought of nothing but you since our first meeting.”
“I don’t know what to make of that,” she murmurs, her face coloring that pale pink shade that makes me hard.
“Charlie tells me that you can be a very private person. He also says that you have a way of keeping people outside of your life.”
“It would appear that Charlie says too much,” she mutters, clearly not happy. “Doesn’t everyone do that? You don’t just meet someone and then let them know all your hopes and dreams, your deepest secrets. Boundaries aren’t a bad thing.”
We are interrupted briefly for our orders. I order for the two of us and she doesn’t seem to mind or if she does, I don’t notice.
I pick back up where we left off as she takes a healthy drink of her wine. “I want to know yours, Grace. I want to know everything about you.”
“That’s crazy, Mr. Serepova. You don’t even know me.”
“My name is Victor, Moya Krasota. I need you to call me, Victor.”
“Victor Moya Krasota? But, I thought your name was Serepova?” she asks frowning, the lines forming on her forehead highlighting her confusion.
I grin, because she’s adorable. I’m so used to women who are so busy throwing themselves at me, it is refreshing to have a woman be completely open. She’s also definitely not trying to impress me, which is good. It’s also bad, because I get the impression she’s not even sure she likes me.
