by Lily Rede
Like for the rest of my life.
She didn’t think he was a prude – and he certainly didn’t kiss like he had anything but a healthy male sex drive, but if he couldn’t handle a little aggressive petting on the couch…
The door banged behind her and Matt stormed out, looking pissed, and sadly, fully dressed. He caught her arm as she reached the SUV.
“What the fuck, Grace?”
“I told you, we’re not a good fit.”
“I only wanted to slow you down a little, sweetheart, not drive the car off a cliff.”
He studied her in the scant light from the porch light, unconsciously stroking the soft skin of her inner arm with his thumb.
“Do you want to tell me what this is all about?”
“Not really,” she whispered.
“You make me feel – God, Grace, just tell me. Whatever it is, I promise we’ll handle it. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”
“But I want you to hurt me!” she blurted out.
Okay, that sounded bad.
Grace tugged her arm free, wrapping her arms around herself. Matt looked a little stunned. She took a deep breath and plowed ahead.
“Well, a little at least.”
Matt frowned, trying to understand, and Grace realized that she had to come clean. The time to politely back away was way over, and had been since she’d had her hand wrapped around his dick, big and hard, and pulsing with life. She wanted to groan, remembering it.
“I want you to tie me up and spank me,” she said tightly, “I want you to handcuff my hands behind my back and clamp my nipples and order me to suck you off. I want you to pin me down and take me hard and fast and make me beg for more.”
She paused.
“I want you to fuck my ass.”
Matt said nothing, his face shut down – blank.
“I like being dominated, Matt. I’m not looking for hearts and flowers romance, or someone who’s going to take it too far the other way and be a bully, but…submitting to a lover turns me on. It’s not a phase. It’s just – me.”
“I can’t – ” Matt finally choked out, “I can’t do that.”
If Grace had had any lingering hope, those four little words would have killed it. Nothing to do but suck it up. She could try, give a plain relationship a shot, but she knew that an important side of her would remain unsatisfied. She didn’t want to be the one who broke Matt Harris’ heart, and she had a horrible feeling that with very little effort, he could shred hers if she let him in. Grace hoped that he couldn’t see that she was near tears, and opened the car door.
“Grace, wait,” His voice was gentle and a little desperate as he turned her around.
“Please, Matt – ”
Whatever she was going to say was lost as his mouth came down on hers, so sweet and seductive that her heart turned over, but controlled, gentle, making her squirm for something deeper, harder. She pulled away, panting.
“You can’t tell me you don’t feel anything,” he said, resting his forehead against hers.
“At some point I’ll want more.”
And you can’t give it to me.
The words hung, unspoken between them.
A loud ring interrupted the moment. Matt’s phone.
“You should get that.”
“This is more important.”
Grace bit her lip.
“What if it’s a fire?”
Matt glared down at her, and then fumbled for his ringing phone.
“Shit,” he muttered, answering it.
THE DRIVE UP INTO the hills was short, for which Matt was grateful, taking the corners as fast as his SUV would allow. He was still reeling from Grace’s confession. Hell, this whole night had been one shock to the system after another. The disapproving glances at them during dinner, the explosive electricity that sparked between them on the couch with Grace’s lush lips against him and her deft fingers sliding down his body to wrap around his dick, and then the mind-blowing revelation of what she wanted from him – what she needed from a relationship to be satisfied.
The news of another fire seemed almost tame in comparison, and Matt was ashamed that he felt slightly relieved at the change in course. He needed time to process, time to get his feet back on solid ground by doing something he was actually sure he could do. Grace had insisted on accompanying him to the site up in the hills. Rafael had assured him that two units had already been dispatched, but Matt knew they would need all the help they could get.
He glanced at her in the darkness of the cab. Grace was quiet, her hair still tumbled down around her, looking straight ahead, lost in thought. She looked more like herself this way, but Matt was beginning to realize that he didn’t know as much about her as he thought. Sure, she was edgy in her looks and her tastes, and the rumors had swirled around town for years, but Matt had dismissed them as lingering resentment over her brother’s behavior. Instead, he’d focused on her sweetness, her kindness, and her love of books and children.
You suspected she had a wild side, his libido whispered, and his fingers clenched on the steering wheel. He’d ignored it, too focused on controlling his own dangerous desires to think about what she might ask from him.
Stupid, said his brain.
Unfortunately, his cock didn’t seem to care, swelling demandingly behind his zipper. Every breath he took filled his head with wildflowers and Grace, and her words wouldn’t leave him alone.
“…Tie me up and spank me…make me beg for more…”
Something dark slithered through him, running a hot tongue of sensation up his cock. The little sex fairy who had uttered those wishes in no uncertain terms was now sitting next to him, quiet and tense. And he knew that she wasn’t wearing panties, because he’d ripped them off himself.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered, and Grace darted a look at him from under her lashes.
How could she do this to him? Resentment rolled through him, followed by the rueful realization that she didn’t understand. Grace didn’t know his history – he hadn’t told anyone about his father except Rafael. She’d never met his mother, just a shell of the woman she was.
If she knew, she wouldn’t ask. Hell, she wouldn’t come near you with a ten-foot pole. Not with those demands.
How could he give her sexual orders and not feel like a monster? How could he strike her, even for her pleasure? How could he control himself when she was submissive, turned on by giving him anything and everything that he wanted with no off button? She terrified him with her honesty, even as she pissed him off – she didn’t want intimacy or love, just a sexual partner to share her edgier desires.
He terrified himself because he was already trying to figure out a way to make it work.
CHAPTER SIX
GRACE STEPPED OUT OF the SUV, eyes wide as she took in the flaming warehouse, one of a cluster of storage units at the top of a winding road. Two fire engines flashed their red lights as firefighters fought the blaze, shouting orders to each other. With a quick, “Stay by the car,” Matt hurried to pull an extra set of gear from an engine compartment and started suiting up.
The flames burned high, threatening to spread to a second storage unit, and Grace felt her stomach clench as Matt stepped up to join Rafael on the line. Strong, sure, and completely in control, here in his element.
Not like before.
She’d shocked him and she knew it. The look on his face had moved from confusion to horror to outright terror, and her heart had sunk. They were quite a pair – both wanting something that the other simply couldn’t provide. At least now she could get back to her life.
And try to forget that you had Matt Harris, nearly naked and godlike, under you, his hands all over your body, if only for a few minutes.
For a brief moment, Grace thought about trying to be what he wanted – a normal girlfriend who dressed and acted like everyone else, whose most exciting sexual escapade was a romp in the shower. Matt turned her on, there was no doubt about that, but she’d bee
n down this road before – she couldn’t change to please him, and she’d seen his face. Horror. Unlike most of her previous entanglements, it would hurt when Matt had finally had enough, when she’d pushed him to his boundary and he left her. Better not to get seriously involved at all. He wasn’t into her kind of fun, and that was that.
But he ripped your panties off.
Grace was still tingling over this unwanted not-subtle nudge from her inner tramp. There were more important things to worry about, like the fire raging in front of her. Three fires wasn’t an accident. Not in a place as small as Bright’s Ferry.
Evie separated herself from a small cluster of people and walked toward her, the look on her face confirming Grace’s suspicions.
“It’s the same guy, isn’t it?” asked Grace as soon as she was in earshot.
“There are differences, but the sprinklers over the whole complex were disabled, the fire alarm pulled, and no one was inside. Just like the others. Chief Hammond assures me they’ve got this one under control.”
“Unbelievable,” murmured Grace, watching the flames, “I’m glad no one was hurt.”
“I’m sorry I pulled you away from your date,” said Evie, unable to conceal the curiosity in her voice.
“Don’t worry, it was over,” Grace replied sourly.
“Really? What happened?”
Grace hesitated. She and Evie were growing close, but aside from Fiona, who was almost a sister, and Colin, one of her oldest friends, no one knew about her sexual proclivities.
“You don’t have to tell me,” said Evie, but there was a note of hurt in her voice, “I mean, we haven’t known each other that long…”
Grace quickly shook her head. Unlike Grace, who had a “fuck them all” attitude about the good people of Bright’s Ferry who looked down on her, Evie’s no-nonsense exterior hid a soft and gooey center – she’d worked hard to get the town to see beyond her own family’s sordid past. She had a few trust issues, and Grace never wanted her to feel left out or unwanted.
“I don’t know if Colin mentioned it – ” A quick head shake from Evie confirmed that he hadn’t, “but let’s just say that I don’t think we’re compatible. Sexually.”
“Matt Harris looks like he wants to eat you up with a spoon and then lick the bowl, Grace. Are you sure you aren’t reading him wrong?”
“I’m a little, well, submissive, in the bedroom. And Matt’s just not – I need – we aren’t – it’s a whole big mess. Shit.”
Evie looked at Grace, her gray eyes flickering in the firelight, and Grace was surprised to find herself blushing under the scrutiny.
“This conversation has a two drink minimum. Once all this is taken care of, you can buy me a shot and tell me all about it,” Evie said, “but I will say this. It’s amazing how willing someone can be to try new things with the right person.”
She smiled.
“Let’s just say that we both have control issues, but Colin is very creative about getting his way.”
At that moment, Deputy Zeke trotted up. There was ash in his red hair and soot streaked his sweaty face, but it was his eyes that had Grace’s spine tingling with dread.
“What did you find, Zeke?” asked Evie, correctly reading the expression on the young deputy’s face.
“It’s…well, I was walking the outer buildings like you told me to, and over by the dumpsters…” he trailed off, clearly upset.
“Spit it out,” ordered Evie, and Zeke held up a dusty plastic rectangle – a credit card.
Evie squinted at the little blue piece of plastic.
“I’m sorry, Miss Mallow.”
“That’s my credit card!” she gasped, “But how – ”
“Do you keep a storage unit up here?” asked Evie.
Grace shook her head.
“When was the last time you saw it?”
“I had it last night at the club. I gave it to Adam to start a tab and then completely forgot about it when the fire started.”
“Are you sure Adam gave it to the bartender?”
“Evie!”
Grace’s screech was loud enough to catch Matt’s attention, and he glanced in her direction. Noting her distress, he said a few words to Rafael and hurried over. Behind him, the fire was under control – a testament to the Bright’s Ferry Fire Department’s quick thinking and constant skill training.
“What’s wrong?” asked Matt.
But Grace wasn’t done freaking out.
“Adam wasn’t anywhere near here. Besides, why would he burn down a storage unit that’s totally in the middle of nowhere?”
“Grace, I have to ask these questions, you know that.” Evie’s gaze was steady, but there was a note of censure in her voice.
Grace couldn’t look at Matt, but when he took her hand, she didn’t pull away.
“So you haven’t talked to him recently?” Evie continued, and Grace shook her head.
“I gave him my car keys and told him to go get a cell phone.”
“We’ll need to talk to him, Grace.”
With a quick nod at Matt, Evie and Zeke moved away to join Tony, who was just getting out of his department SUV.
Grace couldn’t help the rush of tears, and tried to swallow them down. She was still holding Matt’s hand, and she clung to it like a lifeline.
It’s starting all over again.
“He didn’t do this,” she insisted, finally meeting Matt’s eyes, and the strength and empathy she saw there made her want to curl up against his chest and blubber.
“Then someone’s going out of their way to make it look like he did.”
“You believe me, right?”
Almost involuntarily, Matt drew her close, enveloping her in warmth and safety, his hands tucking her against his chest, his breath ruffling her hair. She felt him press a kiss to her temple and was too overcome to protest.
Does he have to feel so good? Dammit.
“I believe you.”
Behind them, Zeke cleared his throat, and Grace pulled away, a little flustered. The awkward deputy was as red as his hair, whether from embarrassment or from the glow of the dwindling fire, it was hard to say.
“Mr. Harris, the Chief needs you.”
“What’s going on?”
“There’s another fire.”
FOR A BRIEF MOMENT, Adam wished he were back in his little bedroom above the soup kitchen where no one knew him, no one cared where he came from, and no one looked at him with years of reproach in their eyes. What he wouldn’t give to be completely anonymous.
He sat across the conference table from Evie Asher and Sheriff Tony, nervously fiddling with a paper cup of coffee. An exhausted Matt Harris was there as well as a representative from the Fire Department, and the way he scrutinized Adam made him uncomfortable. Grace was waiting outside – despite her protests, Evie wouldn’t let her sit in on the interview, and Adam was grateful. Grace would stand up for him, he knew it, but it was time for him to stand up for himself.
Adam had arrived home late, new cell phone in hand, along with a car full of supplies to fix up Grace’s house, generously donated by Russell Lansky. He had showed him to the scrap pile behind the construction offices, told him to help himself, and then waggled his eyebrows and rushed away to meet his “hot date.”
Adam hadn’t been home ten minutes when Zeke Biggs arrived to take him in for questioning. Not one fire, but two – a storage unit in the hills and a house across town. The storage unit fire was out, and the firefighters had been too late to save the house. The family was on vacation – that was something at least.
Zeke was apologetic as he helped Adam into the back of the SUV.
“Sorry, Adam. Just doing my job.”
Zeke had been a year ahead of Adam in school, a shy, awkward kid who had been the target of some serious bullying. He’d shocked everyone by passing the deputy’s test with flying colors, and Sheriff Tony had taken him on.
Good for him, thought Adam. He’d certainly never been that motivate
d.
Evie leaned forward, noting every little fidget with her cool cop’s eyes.
“Adam, we found Grace’s credit card at the storage unit. Do you have any idea how it got there?”
Adam blinked.
“That’s impossible. I left it at the bar at the club. I started a tab…”
“The bartender says he doesn’t remember seeing it at the end of the night.”
“I was with Russell Lansky that whole time! Ask him!”
“We will,” said Tony.
“The club was pretty crowded, right? You could have swiped the card before you left.”
“But I didn’t! Why would I do that?” Adam asked, desperately, feeling the walls closing in.
“What about the Haden house? Maybe you finished your errands, set fire to the storage units, and then headed back across town to the house.”
“It wasn’t me. I don’t know what else to tell you. I don’t even know the Hadens.”
Adam looked anxiously from Evie to Tony, skepticism etched on their faces. He shook his head, overwhelmed. Finally, something flickered in Matt’s eyes.
“Ease up, Evie,” he said, “Do you have any real proof?”
“The credit card is pretty damning, don’t you think?”
“Anyone could have taken that card while the club was being evacuated. Unless you’ve got something solid that’s not Adam’s juvie record, which isn’t admissible in court anyway, let him go. It’s late.”
Adam was surprised at Matt’s abrupt defense. Then again, the man was trying to get into his sister’s pants, and Adam himself had actually pushed her toward him. In light of recent events, he wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but hell, the man was going to keep him out of jail, which was fine by him.
Evie sat back with a dissatisfied “hmph,” but nodded and waved her notebook filled with scribbles.
“We’ll check your alibi out and be in touch.”
