Lucas, Samantha - The Seduction of Anne Ruby [The Seduction 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Samantha Lucas

  He wasn’t letting anyone else near Anne, not unless or until he absolutely had to.

  “I’ll figure this out.”

  “You know that part of my responsibility will include policing even you.”

  Grey rolled his neck, hearing it crack twice. He was tense and didn’t like the turn this conversation had taken.

  “I won’t put you at risk, Vaughn.”

  His heart ached. His groin ached. He was tired of thinking. All he wanted right at the moment was to bury himself inside Anne’s welcoming body and see that look of acceptance on her face while he did. Time was never still, and at some point, all the different aspects of his life were going to collide. He just prayed there wouldn’t be any collateral damage.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Tell her to fucking go to hell!” Grey threw his cell phone onto the sofa. He wanted to throw it against the wall, but he had to admit he actually did need the thing.

  “What the hell was that about?” Jake came into the room from the second bedroom, white pajama bottoms tied low on his waist.

  “Jackie tells me Brittany is writing a tell-all about our marriage.”

  “Shee-it.” He moved to the kitchen and started coffee.

  “Can you stop it?”

  Grey rubbed the top of his head, feeling aggravated to the soles of his feet.

  “I have no idea. Jackie has the lawyers checking into it. Fuck.” He sunk down onto the sofa and dropped his head into his hands. Everything with that woman had been a huge mistake, and he was still wondering how he had allowed it to go so far.

  “Grey, I’d like to tell ya that it won’t be so bad, but…”

  He looked over at Jake and shook his head.

  “There isn’t any way to make this better than it is. She knows too much about me, and she’s a vindictive bitch.”

  His stomach started to turn. He would miss his career, the spotlight he’d grown accustomed to, but what really bothered him was the same thing that bothered him about the sleaze rags.

  “Once it’s out there, it’s forever. Sophie can read all this shit someday, Jake. How do I explain to my little girl that daddy gets off tying women up?”

  He scrubbed his hands over his face. The scent of the brewing coffee started to fill the space. This wasn’t good, but he knew from experience that there was no reasoning with Brittany.

  “I don’t think there’s enough money on the planet to stop her this time.”

  “Well, Grey, if you pay her off every time she gets a stick up her bony ass, you’ll be in bankruptcy court faster than—”

  Grey held up his hand to stop Jake.

  “I know. I know.”

  “Grey?”

  He swiveled fast to see Anne sticking her head into the parlor from the bedroom.

  “I thought you were asleep, baby.”

  With a shrug, she brought her thumbnail to her lips and began chewing it nervously while she clung to the door, standing with one bare foot over the other. “I missed you.”

  He closed his eyes and let her words coat his entire being then went to her and pulled her into his arms. She was exactly what he needed right now.

  “Jake, this is Anne.”

  He turned her but kept her body close to his. She had one of his long-sleeved shirts on, which covered her ass but left her thighs bare and sexy as hell. She waved and smiled.

  “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

  Grey didn’t like Jake’s smile. It was a little too gleeful.

  “I didn’t mean to disturb you.” She looked up at him, seeking his approval. He loved the way her eyes sought him out.

  “You didn’t.” He turned to Jake. “You guys have plans this afternoon?”

  Jake leaned on the bar that separated the living and kitchen areas and shook his head. “None other than going through the exhibit hall again. We’ve only seen maybe a third of it so far.” He laughed and winked at Anne.

  Grey fought the urge to push her behind his back, but he knew Jake was just trying to get his goat, and he’d be damned if he let him see he had.

  “Anne has to work tonight, so I’ll be free for whatever godforsaken activities you have planned once she leaves.” He started pushing her back toward the bedroom door. “But until then, leave us the fuck alone!”

  He heard Jake laugh as he closed the door and grabbed Anne into a heated kiss that he felt way too deeply. He stopped himself from taking her, though, because he still felt anger simmering in his bones over what Brittany was doing, and he didn’t want to take Anne like that.

  “Let’s go out.”

  She smiled up at him, her eyes slightly glazed over. He loved the way she gave herself to him so fast and so completely. He kissed her forehead then released her, knowing he had very little control where she was concerned.

  He moved to grab his clothes from the night before and quickly changed into his jeans.

  “Um…Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise.” He winked at her as he grabbed a new shirt out of the armoire.

  “I have to work tonight.”

  He reached into the other side of the armoire and pulled out a halter-style sundress, yellow with large red roses printed all around it. “Put this on”—he dropped his voice—“and don’t wear panties.”

  Her breath caught, her eyes flared, and she stood still for just long enough that he knew she was fighting whatever instant reaction she’d had to his command, but then she slowly reached out and took the dress. Her cheeks held a lovely blush, and she smiled at him shyly.

  “Yes, sir.” She was breathless.

  She made him instantly hard by how easily the words had fallen off her tongue.

  “You are a very good girl, Anne.” He reached out, pushing his hand through her hair, circling her neck and pulling her to him. He savaged her lips with his mouth, shoved his tongue inside, and loved it when she sucked on him with a tiny, little whimper.

  She went limp in his arms, and he knew he could take her right there on the carpet, but he wouldn’t let himself. He pulled back, closed his eyes, and slowly took his hands off her.

  “Good God, woman.”

  He opened his eyes and smiled at her. Her lips were wet and swollen, her eyes slightly glazed—she was fucking gorgeous…

  And you can’t keep her.

  He ground the words into his brain like shards of broken glass.

  “Get dressed, love. No panties.” He warned her one last time, and she disappeared into the bathroom.

  * * * *

  “You are constantly surprising me.”

  Grey took his change from the woman inside the small white box and thanked her.

  “Is that a good thing?” He put his arm protectively around Anne, guiding her to the turnstiles.

  “I suppose.” They took turns entering the amusement park. “It certainly isn’t boring.”

  He took her hand and led her under the train bridge into the park.

  “Is this another place you bring your daughter?”

  He smiled but wasn’t sure how much of the truth he wanted to tell her about his history and the park. “We’ve come here a time or two, but no, this isn’t like the zoo, if that’s what you mean.”

  He led her to an old street car pulled by a large horse and helped her step up into the last bench seat. It was a stunning California day—warm sunshine but not too hot. As it was still early in the year, the crowds of the famed park weren’t too thick yet, just enough to have a good buzz of energy thrumming through the air. He put his arm around Anne and tucked her close to him while they waited for the driver to nudge the horse into motion.

  “What about you, sweet Anne? Do you come here often?”

  Something sad crossed her eyes, and he didn’t at all like it.

  “No. Not ever really.”

  He wasn’t sure if he should push or not. He wanted to know, wanted to dig deeper and know everything about her, but the mandatory shortness of the relationship made him want to respect her privacy, so h
e opted for just enjoying the day with her.

  The car jerked into motion, the driver ringing a bell and beginning a speech that described the buildings on either side of them as they headed down the old-fashioned Main Street to the park hub.

  “But you have been here before, yes?”

  She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Never.”

  “But you work right across the street.”

  She laughed, but the sound was hollow. “And that has what to do with it exactly?”

  He thought about that for a moment. He really knew nothing about her, didn’t know of her past, her family, her upbringing. For all he knew, she could have grown up Amish.

  “Nothing, I guess. Were you born here?”

  “Riverside.”

  One-word answers.

  Not good.

  He decided to drop it for the moment, but he had the sudden need to know more, to know everything.

  When the streetcar stopped at the other end of the street, he helped Anne down and once again placed his arm around her, keeping her near him. They ventured to the farthest point east to begin, and he found himself captivated watching her as she slowly lost herself to the magic of the place. It continually nagged at him though, if she was born and raised in Southern California, how could she have never been to Harbor Gardens before?

  After a few rides, some money spent at the shooting gallery, an impromptu dance with one of the park characters, and a few stolen kisses, he guided her to a café along the edge of a large man-made lake. He pulled out her chair and placed a kiss to the top of her head.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  She agreed and smiled at him. He stared at her for a long moment. That smile wasn’t reaching all the way to her eyes, and he was desperate to know why. He went to the short line all the way at the far end. He’d been coming here since the day he and Vaughn had got off the bus. He had no idea why it had been so important, but the legendary theme park was one of the main things they’d wanted to see once they hit the golden coast. He recognized the girl at the register, and relief swept through him. He had the incognito thing down pretty well these days, but when he had to go face to face with someone, there was always risk. To minimize it, he’d made acquaintances with a core group of employees, from sweepers to management, to help out in that department.

  “Hey, Allison.”

  The young woman finished emptying a roll of quarters into her cash drawer before she looked up. The smile that spread across her face was pleasing and welcome.

  “Grey. It’s been awhile!” She kept her voice low so no one would hear above all the other noises that surrounded them, from falling water to piped-in music to the chatter of thousands of voices.

  “I know. Been busy.” He didn’t directly allude to the custody case or his troubles with Brittany, but he was well aware that he really had no private life and she most likely knew as much about what was going on with him as he did.

  “Yeah.” She frowned. “I’m sorry about that.”

  He shrugged. “There’s nothing to be done for it, love.”

  He quickly ordered two deep-fried ice creams and two sparkling ciders then paid with cash. Before moving to the window, Allison spoke again. “Enjoy your day. You can probably use it.”

  “I intend to.”

  As he waited in the line to receive his food, his thoughts wandered back to Anne. It wasn’t fair to her to make her open up when he wasn’t going to be there for whatever the aftermath of that would be for her. He knew when people buried things, suppressed emotions, there was a reason for it. Another valuable thing he’d learned in rehab. All his drinking and drug use had really been about escaping the violent home he grew up in. He wondered what kind of home Anne had come from.

  He took his food and went back to the table where he left her. He stopped when she came into view, his heart catching, his feet stalling. She was truly the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Sitting in her pretty floral dress, her hair pulled back from her face in a ribbon, several loose strands falling free and blowing in the slight breeze coming across the water, she looked more like Hollywood mirage than reality, yet he’d tasted every inch of her and knew how very real she was.

  “Here you go.” He slid one bowl and glass in front of her, placed his on the table, and quickly discarded the tray on the empty table beside them.

  Sitting on the upper floor, the large deck hung out over the water, and from their spot in the far corner it was very much like they were at a private home. The only thing breaking the illusion was the frequent passing of watercraft below them, full of tourists.

  They ate in silence, Anne staring out over the water while Grey stared at her. He had wanted to make her happy by bringing her to the park, and he simply couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d screwed up.

  “Grey?”

  Grey prepared himself for a fan meeting and was thrilled when what he saw instead was Thorton Wolfe. He stood and exchanged a warm greeting, each embracing the other.

  “Thorton, I want you to meet Anne Ruby, a very good friend of mine.” He looked to Anne and finished the introduction. “Anne, this is Thorton.”

  They exchanged handshakes and the basic pleasantries.

  “Can you sit for a few?”

  Thorton looked over his shoulder, although Grey couldn’t tell at what.

  “I have a few minutes.” He took one of the straight-back chairs, spun it, and straddled it backwards.

  He was wearing jeans and a rather touristy shirt this afternoon, very different from his normal leather and chains, but his long, dark hair, goatee, and two deep scars that ran just beneath his right eye still sent off an aura of danger and “stay away.”

  “How’s the ex?”

  Grey chortled then groaned.

  “Hmmm, bad as the rags are making it sound, eh?”

  “I don’t even know yet. It’s a mess. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  Thorton breathed in slow and deep, looked at Anne, then back to Grey.

  “You know, if you need…”

  “If I do I’ll let you know, but this is way different than with Nolie.”

  Anne stood up from the table, drawing both men’s attention.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find the ladies’ room.”

  Thorton and Grey both stood as well. Thorton reached to touch Anne’s arm, and everything in Grey went rigid. He wanted to body slam him into the table, but he held back and blew out a deep, frustrated breath. He shouldn’t be feeling this much.

  “Go down these stairs here at the back, follow the path, and they’ll be on the right just a few steps away.”

  Anne smiled. “Thank you.” Then she turned her focus on Grey. “Be back.”

  Once she left the table, the men sat back down, although Thorton first scanned the perimeter of the restaurant.

  “You here with someone?”

  “Young woman and her son. She wanted to take him to have his picture taken with the bears over there, but when I saw you, I wanted to come say hi. She’s under my protection.”

  Grey instantly understood.

  “So you aren’t going to let your guard down for a second.”

  “Can’t.”

  Tension radiated from Thorton’s body, but that seemed to be his natural state as far as Grey could tell.

  “So is this a permanent situation?”

  Thorton rubbed his hand over his mouth. Grey could tell whoever the woman was, Thorton had her in his peripheral vision.

  “It’s not like that.”

  Grey and Vaughn had met Thorton a few years back when he helped Grey with a particularly heinous situation. Grey owed the man more than he could ever repay, but he wasn’t entirely comfortable in his presence. The man gave the distinct impression that he could have you dead in a heartbeat, should the urge strike him.

  “It doesn’t ever seem to be like that with you. Last woman you were with, you weren’t with her either, if I recall.”

 
Rebecca was an experienced sub that Thorton had shared with him and Vaughn one night at one of the clubs downtown. It had been a memorable evening, and he immediately began thinking about Anne. Would she be able to handle the club? Would it even be fair to ask her?

  “In the circles I travel in, it’s safer for everyone if I don’t collar a woman. It would be asking too much to put up with my existence. What about Anne? She’s lovely, but she’s not collared, and she’s here with you in a very vanilla setting. What’s up with that?”

  He shrugged. “We’re sharing a few weeks together before my custody case goes to trial.”

  “Hmmm.” Thorton stood. “They’re up next, I should go. Grey—” Grey instantly tensed at the change of tone. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing with that woman, but be careful. There are always consequences when you awaken a sub. If you can’t claim her, you should find someone who can.”

  He held out his hand, and Grey shook it begrudgingly, grinding his teeth, biting his tongue, not wanting to push Thorton’s buttons. He knew the man’s past, his history, and the code by which he lived, and at the moment, Grey was way outside of it.

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Within a few moments, Thorton had disappeared into the crowd, and Grey hadn’t even been able to pick out the woman he’d been with.

  He sat back down to wait for Anne, realizing, without her presence, he felt an emptiness he hadn’t before.

  Thorton was right, he knew that. However, there was nothing he seemed to be able to tell himself that would allow him to step away from her. He needed her, and more, she needed him. He didn’t know how or why, but he felt it at a cellular level, and until he was convinced otherwise, he wasn’t finding her another goddamned dom to do his job.

  He only hoped he wasn’t getting himself in hot water with Thorton’s people. Now that he was aware of the situation and had read it dead-on, he knew he was going to be watched. What he hated most was the part of him that knew he needed them watching him with Anne because Thorton was right about everything, but he honestly didn’t give a fuck, and that fact scared him senseless. All he wanted was to lose himself in her and let her do the same, the inevitable consequences be damned.