“Let’s have lunch this week,” I said. “But call me if you need anything, okay?”
Remi hugged me. “Thanks, Grace. I really appreciate everything.”
“Any time.”
“It was nice to meet you… um… sorry, was it Tick?”
I giggled. “Flea.”
“Oh, god, I’m so sorry.” She covered her mouth with her hands, her face bright red.
“Not a problem, babe,” Flea said, trying to hide a smile.
“I’m gonna go now,” she said, pointing to her car.
“Drive safe,” I said.
She nodded, climbed in her car, and drove away. I handed Flea my keys and he decided we were going to take a detour to his place.
* * *
Flea and I pulled up to Hatch and Maisie’s place at five minutes to six. I saw that my brother’s truck was already there, which didn’t surprise me. He was always early to everything.
Flea grabbed the six pack of beer and bottle of wine we’d bought and we climbed out of my car and headed to the door. It was opened before we had the chance to ring the bell.
“Twice in one week,” Poppy crooned, pulling me into a hug.
“Hey, bestie.”
She hugged Flea, then took my hand and dragged me inside. “We’re playing Pictionary. We just took a quick booze break, but Devon and I are winning.”
“Unfair advantage,” I complained.
“Oh, pish,” she hissed.
Devon was an artist. He could draw anything, but outside of that fact, he and Poppy had always been able to read each other’s minds.
We arrived in the great room and Flea stepped into the large kitchen connected to the great room and poured me some wine. I made my way to Cassidy who was waving her hand frantically.
“Did you really quit?”
I grimaced. “I did. Vitaly was a creep.”
“Okay, you’re going to think I’m crazy.”
“No,” I deadpanned and she rolled her eyes.
“Impertinence will get you everywhere with me.”
I grinned. “I know.”
“I’m opening a school.”
“Um, okay.”
“Kim bought the building. She’s a silent partner.”
“Congratulations?”
Cassidy grinned. “I want you to come and teach.”
“What?” I whispered.
“You know my classes have a two-year waiting list. Now I can dedicate more time to teaching and dancing, especially if I have my star pupil teaching with me full-time. I hope to build it up and have a draw for ballet superstars who will help take the school to the next level.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I’ll make it worth your while, honey, just say yes.”
“Yes!” I squeaked, pulling her in for a hug.
“It’s going to take a few months to get up and running…”
“She can work at the shop until then,” Flea said, sitting beside me and handing me my wine.
“I should probably talk to Hatch about that.”
“Talk to me about what?” Hatch asked, sitting across from me and pulling Maisie onto his lap.
“Working at the shop until Cassidy gets the school up and running.”
“Fuck, yeah you can,” he said. “We’re dyin’ without you.”
I rolled my eyes. “So melodramatic.”
Flea wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close. “He’s right. The shop’s a mess right now.”
“I would love to come back. Thank you.”
The words were barely out of my mouth when my dad walked in. Maisie smiled at me, then pushed off Hatch’s lap and walked over to me, leaning down to kiss my cheek. “Try, love.”
I sighed. “Okay.”
She cupped my cheeks and grinned. “Proud of you.”
She stood again and hugged my dad, while I took a deep breath and met his eyes. “Hi, Dad.”
“Hey, sweetpea.”
“Who’s watching Grams?” I asked.
“Flick,” he said.
“Oh. Good.” I smiled. “Um, thanks for… you know.”
He grinned. “You’re welcome.”
Okay, it was a start.
Flea gave me a gentle squeeze and kissed the back of my neck. “Good job, honey.”
I leaned back against him.
The group decided Pictionary would have to wait until after dinner, mostly because Maisie said food was ready and everyone cared more about the food than the game, so we all piled to their gigantic table and loaded our plates.
Flea stayed close, but I ventured out of my comfort zone and actually talked to my dad for almost ten minutes. It was nice. I was willing to take baby steps, but I still fully intended to guard my heart for the time being.
As wine flowed and many desserts were consumed (mostly by me), I stayed close to my man and relished the feeling of calm in the midst of the chaos of my family.
God, I loved these people.
I’d been consumed by my anger, but my amazing man had shown me a love I couldn’t measure, and in that love, I’d found grace.
He was everything I’d ever needed and I knew I’d never let him go.
Grace
Two years later…
“GRACE!” FLEA CALLED.
“Just a second,” I said, again.
“It’s been a hell of a lot more than a second.”
I giggled adjusting my dress. It was date night and we were meeting my family in Portland for dinner. Lordy, what a difference a couple of years made.
Flea and I had been married for nine months now and loving every second. Dad had walked me down the aisle and we were on the right side of a pretty healthy relationship. He’d even agreed to do some counseling with me which helped to solidify that bond again.
I hadn’t had a nightmare in over a year. Not coincidentally, they’d stopped the second I moved in with Flea.
Dad had married a really lovely woman, Maren, about eighteen months ago and I adored her. She reminded me a lot of Maisie, only she was southern and super funny.
And, speaking of marriages…Grams and Flick made their senior epic romance official a few months ago. I’d never seen my grandmother so in love, and Flick was besotted with her… and the cats.
Flea’s mom came around about six months in. Flea was pissed it took her so long, but since he’d helped to bridge the gap between me and my dad, I did my best to bridge the gap between him and his mom. So far, so good.
Cassidy’s conservatory was growing in leaps and bounds and I loved my job. I got to teach the little kids all the way up to high school, stepping in for Cassidy when she needed someone for the prima classes. I was the lead principal in the company now, and had a lovely partner, Esau, who was strong and swishy, and perfectly gay. This meant Flea didn’t worry about him grabbing my pussy. Apparently, Ace had freaked out on Cassidy years ago about the same thing, only her partner hadn’t been gay, which made it all the worse for her.
Due to shady practices, PBC had been shut down, and Director Walsh’s name and reputation were in the toilet. She’d apparently been milking her students’ families out of millions by padding teaching hours, dorm room expenses, and food services. Her assistant had kept an extremely accurate record of everything. Ms. Walsh had apparently pissed off the wrong woman.
Vitaly had been arrested on three counts of rape and deported back to Russia. I wished they’d kept him stateside, but one of the rapes was of a high-ranking official’s daughter in the mother land, so whatever punishment he would have received here was a cakewalk compared to what he got back home.
“Grace Isla Jameson, you don’t get your ass out here now, I’m coming in.”
I grinned and pushed open the door. “You don’t scare me, you know.”
He let out a quiet hiss. “Fuck.”
“You like the dress.”
“It looks like one of your tutus,” he said. “I fuckin’ love the dress.”
He was right, it did look a bit l
ike a tutu. It’s why I bought it. Strapless with an organza and feather embellished skirt, it landed just below my butt, but I still chose not to wear panties. Something I’d tell him later. In public. Just to drive him crazy.
“Will you grab my shoes, please? They’re on the top shelf.”
“Yeah, baby.”
I headed to the windows and reached up to close the drapes when I felt his hand slide between my legs. “You forgot something.”
Okay, maybe I’d tell him now. In private. “I didn’t forget anything.”
His fingers dipped into me. “We’re gonna be late.”
“Do not tear this dress.”
“I won’t tear the dress.” He turned me to face him, tugging the sweetheart neck down and sucking a nipple into his mouth. “What do you want, Grace?”
I licked my lips. “Your hand on my ass.”
He pulled me to the bench at the end of the bed and sat down, guiding me over his lap. He slapped me gently once, then slid his fingers inside of me again. “Spread.”
I spread and he tapped his fingers against my pussy, pressing them inside again before smacking my ass. Hard.
“Yes!” I hissed.
Once more with his hand to the other ass cheek and then his fingers drove into me and I came apart.
He helped me to stand, dragged his jeans and boxer briefs off, then sat down again on the bench. I straddled his hips and he guided his cock into me before holding me tight and driving me down his length. I wove my hands into his hair and kissed him as I rode his cock until I knew I wouldn’t be able to wait.
“Get there,” I begged.
“Now, baby,” he rasped, and I let myself go, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and holding on for dear life as I caught my breath.
“Okay, so the dress works.”
He chuckled. “Little bit.”
He helped me stand again and I fixed my dress then cleaned up while he redressed.
“I’m going to have to wear panties, damn it.”
Flea wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed my head. “Pick a pair you don’t care about. Gonna rip them off you later.”
I shivered. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
I turned to face him, leaning up to kiss him. “Love how you take care of me, honey.”
“Love everything about you, honey,” he returned.
I grinned and grabbed panties, then he helped me with my shoes, and we headed out for what I knew would be a perfect dinner.
After all, I had my perfect man.
Coming Soon!
Unedited Excerpt ©2018 Piper Davenport
CHAPTER ONE
Remi
“9-1-1, WHAT’S YOUR emergency?”
“There’s a man trying to break into my apartment,” I whispered as I hid in my bedroom closet. “His name is Vitaly Popov and I have a restraining order against him.”
I had been texting back and forth with my friend, Grace, when Vitaly showed up at my door. Vitaly had tried to rape me earlier today and Grace had walked in and helped me get away. I’d immediately reported it to the director of our ballet conservatory, and she’d promptly let me go. Fired because Vitaly was the bigger name. I was a girl from a small town in Georgia. I was nobody. Grace had left in solidarity to me, and I’d headed to the police station to file a report, then home to nurse my wounds.
Apparently, Vitaly now knew about the restraining order, because he yelled nasty things to me through the door in Russian. I knew they were nasty because I dated a Russian guy for about a minute, and the first words he taught me were the bad ones. How Vitaly knew where I lived was a mystery, but that made this situation even scarier.
“Okay, stay calm. What’s your address?”
I swallowed, then whispered, “4200 Alberta, unit twelve.”
“Where are you? Are you safe?”
“I’m in my closet,” I whispered. “I’m safe-ish.”
“Alright, ma’am, I’ve dispatched police officers to your address. Are you hurt?”
“No. No, I’m fine.” Tears streamed down my face. “Just scared.”
“What’s your name?”
“Remi…ah, Remington.”
“Cool name.”
“Thanks.”
“Okay, Remi, officers are three minutes out.”
I squeezed my eyes shut as Vitaly continued to pound on my front door. In the distance, I heard the muffled sound of sirens and the banging stopped. “I hear the sirens.”
“Okay, hon, I’ll stay on the line with you until the officers arrive.”
“Thank you.” I bit my lip. “The banging’s stopped. I think he’s gone.”
“Officer’s are walking up your stairs. Can you open the door for them?”
“Um, sure,” I said, and hauled my butt off the floor, easing out of my closet and heading to my front door. I checked the peephole and saw two men with uniforms, so I unlocked the door and pulled it open. “They’re here.”
“Okay, Remi. They will take it from here.”
“Thank you.”
I hung up and slid my phone into my pocket.
“Ma’am? Do you need me to call for an ambulance?”
“What?” I frowned. “Oh. No, these are from this morning. I reported them when I asked for the restraining order.”
Just as I was giving the officer the restraining order information, Grace came running up the stairs, followed by her badass biker boyfriend, Flea. “Remi? Are you okay?”
“Don’t move,” the cop ordered.
Flea’s hand went to his waist and I realized pretty quickly he was strapped. All I needed was a shoot-out on my doorstep.
“It’s okay, they’re friends,” I rushed to say.
Grace pushed past the officer, despite Flea’s growl of warning, pulling me in for a hug. “Where’s Vitaly?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“I have everything I need,” the officer said. “We can put a car out front for a few hours―”
“No, she’s going to pack a bag and come with us,” Grace said.
“It’s fine,” I argued. “I don’t think he’s going to come back.”
“Not really up for discussion,” Grace bossed. “Pack a bag…enough for a few days. You’re coming with us.”
“Grace―”
“Don’t argue with her,” Flea said. “It’s not worth the wasted breath.”
She smiled. “What he said.”
“Ma’am, what do you want to do?” the officer asked.
“I’ll go with my friends.”
“Okay, my partner’s searching the vicinity for Vitaly. We’ll head out once you’re gone.”
“Thank you,” I said, and went about packing a bag.
* * *
Finch
“No sign,” Hatch said as I joined him back at the front of the building.
“Me neither,” I said, and shook my head. “The message you gave him was ignored apparently.”
“Little fucker. He’s gonna regret that.”
Hatch Wallace was the Sergeant at Arms for our Motorcycle Club, Dogs of Fire. I was a member and typically worked closely with Mack, our club legal counsel, but tonight, I was at Hatch’s place when my sister, Grace, freaked. And when Grace freaks, we pay attention.
“Let’s check on Gracie’s friend,” Hatch said, and I followed him up the stairs.
We passed a couple of beat cops and one of them turned and cocked his head. “Merrick Lundy, is that you?”
Hatch stalled as I faced the officer. “Who’s asking?”
“Mike Watts.”
I grinned. Mike had come up in the academy with my dad. “Hey, Mike. It’s been a while.”
Hatch’s protective stance relaxed, and he continued up the stairs.
“What are you doing these days?” Mike asked.
“Law.”
“Of course you are. Shit, you could always bring an argument.”
I chuckled. “That’s what I’ve been told.”
“Well, good for you,” he said. “You and your sister were always good kids. Sad about your mom.”
“Thanks.”
“Gotta get back to it. You take care of yourself.”
“You too, man.” I gave him a chin lift and headed up the rest of the stairs.
Where I froze.
Remington Fucking Charles.
Goddammit.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she snapped.
Apparently, she remembered me too. Petite, blonde, and ample with both tits and ass, she was even prettier than she was two years ago.
I smiled. “Saving you.”
“You know my brother?” Grace asked.
“Merrick’s your brother?” Remi asked, a look of horror crossing her face.
“Finch,” I corrected.
Her head snapped to me. “What?”
“Finch. Not Merrick.”
“Club name,” Grace provided.
“You’re part of the club?” Remi asked.
“Yeah, babe.”
“Don’t call me babe,” she ground out. “Since when?”
“Since I was eighteen.”
“Wait.” She waved a finger in a circular motion toward me. “You weren’t wearing your fancy vest last time I saw you.”
“I was dressed for court last time I saw you.”
“You’re a lawyer?”
“Yeah.”
“Of course you are,” she hissed, dropping her head back. “What the fuck did I do, God? What? Huh? Is this my punishment? Okay, message received. I will never fuck some cute guy I just met in a bar ever again.”
My sister’s face was bright red as she tried to hold back her laughter, and I watched Remi in all her dramatic glory. Fuck me, this woman was stunning.
Hatch and Flea were doing their best to pretend they weren’t listening, but Hatch gave me a fatherly eyebrow lift and I knew he’d expect some sort of explanation later.
He wouldn’t get one.
Well, he wouldn’t get much of one. What Hatch really wanted to know was whether or not I respected her before, during, and after I fucked her. And I did.
The particulars weren’t important…not to him anyway.
I studied the cuts and bruises on her face and rage threatened to burst out of me. “You’re the one Vitaly attacked?” I asked.
Road to Grace (Dogs of Fire Book 8) Page 19
