She was in his hands. Finally. Thank fuck.
But the beautiful mess in his hands kept struggling. She clearly didn’t want to be there. Finally she gave up, and looked at him with a pool of tears threatening to spill from her luminous eyes. “Please let me go, Sean. I shouldn’t have come. I thought I could do this, I can’t. I’m sorry, please let me go. Please let me go. Please just let me go,” she whispered brokenly.
“Grace, stop it. She’s a room service attendant. She was just setting up dinner in my room.”
She didn’t hear him through her whispered pleas and tears, and he had to repeat himself three more times before she stilled.
“What?”
He repeated himself a fourth time.
Her body remained stiff. “What about the woman in the grocery store?”
“Huh?”
“I was at a market a week and a half ago. I saw you there, with a woman who was tall and blonde. Are you seeing someone else? Because if you are, I can’t do this.”
He stared at her confused, and then understanding slowly dawned across his face. “Baby, that was my realtor—my realtor who is married to one of the guys I play basketball with. We were getting food to get ready for an open house at my place.” His eyes met hers, steady and unwavering. “And Gracie, trust me, even if she wasn’t married, I wouldn’t be able to look at her. I can’t look at anyone. You ruined me, baby.”
A look of horror crossed her face before she buried her face in his chest. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I keep screwing this up, you don’t deserve this.”
Now that the fight had left her body, he slipped his arm under her knees, scooping her up in his embrace. He pressed a hard kiss to her forehead. “Why don’t you let me be the one to decide what I deserve,” he muttered as he strode purposefully down the hallway back to his room. Once inside, light shudders wracked her body as he set her down.
She was fucking wiped out. He battled anger at the thought that she hadn’t been taking care of herself.
“When was the last time you slept? Or ate?” he demanded.
She looked guilty. “Had some wine on the plane, slept a few hours on the flight,” she mumbled.
“Before that,” he almost barked.
She mumbled something else about coffee, energy bars, and a double shift before he started to strip away her clothes.
Truly exhausted, she didn’t fight him. He scooped her up again once she was naked and ambled towards the bathroom. She hissed when he set her bare ass against the cool countertop and went to turn on the tap in the bath.
And then he proceeded to wash every inch of her body, tenderly and carefully, until she began to tremble. Her eyes met his, and even though they hadn’t yet spoken, in that moment, she knew that he loved her.
That his love was as strong for her as hers was for him.
He showed the same tender touch as he dried her off with a thick towel, wrapped her up in a plush robe, and fed her the dinner that had been meant for him.
Afterward, he held her in his arms on the bed in complete silence.
“Sean—” she started hoarsely.
“Shh,” he soothed. He slipped his hands under her robe and traced light circles on her back. “Want to watch porn on pay-per-view?” he whispered with a smirk.
Her body shook with laughter, and she looked up to gaze in his eyes.
In that one moment, he knew if she looked at him like that forever, he’d be able to conquer the world. This beautiful, feisty, crazy, brilliant woman was it for him. The same girl, then woman, who had him unhinged for more than two-thirds of his existence.
“I want to laugh harder, but I’m so tired,” she murmured against the skin of his throat. The word harder and the soft feel of her lips against him reminded of the growing discomfort below his waist. He shifted and silently admonished his uncooperative body part.
“Sleep then, baby. We’ll save the porn for later.”
She kept giggling. “We have to talk Sean.”
He settled her into his embrace. “We can save that for later, too. We have all the time we need baby.”
He lay awake long after she’d fallen asleep, studying the profile of the woman who slept in his arms.
She was a beautiful soul.
She could give him hell better than anyone he knew, but that was one of the things he loved best about her. Grace was kind and unassuming, and even though she tried to fight it, she cared. He saw that when she was with her brother, her family, even with him. Hell, he’d even seen it when she tried to placate that crazy blonde friend of hers at the bar.
But she did it all at the sacrifice of herself. Even when she’d broke things off with him, she was catalyzed by what her brother would think, not what she wanted. He would have to help her see that there was a better way. That she deserved more.
His mind wandered to the worrisome amount of weight she’d lost. He’d have to talk to her about it in the morning. It was clear the woman couldn’t take care of herself without him in her life. She needed him, his angel-faced beauty. He sighed deeply.
The face of an angel set atop all lush curves and hips.
Those thoughts caused him to nearly groan aloud, and he glared at his semi-erect state.
He was going to be a better man for her. One who could give her more. She needed someone that could give her the promise of a house in the ‘burbs and babies with red hair and gray eyes, and he wanted to be the one to give it to her.
It was unfamiliar territory, and he wasn’t sure when it had happened, but he knew he loved her.
Now it was just a matter of convincing her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At some point during the night, she woke to hands on her body. Firm hands, sweeping caresses, and the softest lips draping kisses along the curve of her nape.
“I missed you so much,” he murmured against her skin. One of his large hands cupped her breast while the other wandered leisurely between her thighs. “You’re so wet for me, you missed it, too.”
He was absolutely right.
Her face flamed hotly as Sean slightly bent his knees behind her and nudged her face so that she was looking over her shoulder and deep into his eyes.
“Keep your eyes on mine,” he commanded.
Drawing in a shaky breath, she nodded.
Even if he hadn’t ordered her, she wouldn’t have been able to tear her eyes away. His hands rubbed lazily up and down her sides, stopping to cup her breasts and gently thumb the dark, rosy peaks. He parted her knees with one of his own before pulling her back into his lap.
She shouted as he jerked up, pulling her down and slamming into her core. “Oh, oh, ohh.”
“Eyes, Gracie. Eyes,” he instructed quietly.
This wasn’t charming, playful Sean, she thought dazedly. This was a darker, more needy side to him that made her need him, too. He bucked up, thrusting into her a few times before stopping.
She mewled softly in protest, and he reached up to flick her lip. Eyes steady on hers, he bent his head to her ear and whispered, “I love fucking you this way. I love fucking you any way. You are it for me baby, always have been.”
Wanting him to fill her, needing him to feel her, Grace began to slowly push back and undulate against him. He hissed with pleasure and reached around to run his hands along her stomach, dip between her thighs.
“Faster, Gracie.”
She picked up the pace, panting as she stroked herself up and down the length of his hardness.
“So sweet, Gracie. Do you see how your tits and your ass bounce when you ride me? That’s what I get to see.”
Their image slowly came into focus as his words registered in her brain. She bit her lip as he narrated their movements for her.
“Feel how you slide over my cock? Feel how much you’re dripping.”
At his words, she felt herself get even wetter, but then he guided her hand between her leg and she groaned.
He applied pressure right above her pubic bone, and she k
eened softly. “You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen, Grace. Look at those pretty, hard nipples.” He pinched one to emphasize his point, and she cried out.
It felt so good. Everything felt so good, from his touch to his strokes deep inside, to his wicked whispers. He made her move at an almost brutal pace, and she was covered in a layer of perspiration, legs aching when she begged him to take over.
He refused.
“Keep going,” he nearly barked, and she was helpless to stop. She needed to come so badly, and this seemed to be the only way. Wanting to make him as crazy as he was making her, she circled her hips against his and brought one of her hands up to cup her breast. His eyes darkened when she reached behind her, curving her arm around his neck as she sensuously rose up and down.
Keeping her eyes on his, she moved her hand from her breast to between her legs, stroking herself with her own fingers. He roared, abruptly rolling her beneath him before hitching her legs up over his shoulders. “You little tease,” he growled.
She laughed huskily, but her laughter faded as he forcefully rammed into her until they erupted in flames.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She groaned and pulled the covers up over her head. She wasn’t as exhausted as she had been, but she was still tired. This was a lush sort of tiredness though, one where she felt deliciously achy all over. If this was a dream, she didn’t want to wake up. She snuggled deeper into the pillow, but soon an off-key tune filtered through to her brain.
There once was a girl named Grace
She could be mean but had a pretty face
She wouldn’t let me call her Gracie
But her underwear was nice and lacey
She sat up abruptly in bed, eyes flashing wide open. “Sean!”
His beautiful mouth smirked, and he leered at her before she realized she was naked except for the sheets bunched at her waist. “Oh,” she gasped, pulling them over her chest.
“Shouldn’t have said anything,” he grumbled good-naturedly. “The view was better without the sheets, sweetheart.”
She shoved her fist to her mouth to stifle the laughter before sinking back into the bed. Vivid flashes of the last twenty-four, forty-eight, seventy-two?? hours flooded her mind She’d flown across an ocean to get to him.
Across an ocean, with no luggage or clothes or word to the hospital.
And now she’d slept with him in the middle of the night, and he was making up songs about her.
“What time is it?” she croaked.
He set a glass of water on the nightstand next to her.
“Almost two,” he said casually.
She nearly bolted up in bed again. “What?”
“I don’t know why you’re so modest. Not like you’ve got something I haven’t seen before. Or won’t see again. But I mean on you, baby. Not on other women. You’re the only woman I want to ever see naked again,” he rushed to assure her, mentally kicking himself for his stupidity.
She scowled at him. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“You needed to sleep. Save up all your energy for our talk today,” he said bluntly.
She shifted uncomfortably and kept her eyes away from his.
“Regretting your impromptu jet-setting, sweetheart?” he tried to keep his tone light, but she flinched at the harshness that filtered through. “Never mind. We’ll get to that. You need to eat first.”
He tossed the robe he’d so carefully wrapped around her the previous night and motioned to the table set up in the corner. Her mouth watered as she took in the omelet, toast, fruit, oatmeal, and juice that was all perfectly arranged by the window. He strode over to pull the shade, letting some sunlight in the room.
Suddenly unsure, she lingered in bed.
“Come on,” he urged. “Up. Eat.”
He turned his face so that she could slip on the robe, and she reluctantly padded over the table and slipped into the chair. She spooned some oatmeal into her mouth and tried to squelch the mild sense of foreboding in her stomach.
He sat across from her and watched.
Self-conscious, she kept her eyes averted and continued to feed herself small bites.
“Are you on a diet?” he demanded.
She wrinkled her brow. “What?”
“You’ve lost weight.”
She scowled. “King of the obvious.”
“Were you trying?”
“What business is it of yours?”
“You know exactly why it’s my business, Gracie. You knew the minute you stepped into the hotel,” he stated quietly.
Their eyes met in silent battle. Finally, she caved.
“No,” she huffed.
He immediately frowned. “Are you sick? Are you okay? Is everything okay?”
She licked her lips and tried to bite back the sarcastic retort that wanted to slip off her tongue. She was here for a reason. With a purpose.
“I was really stressed after we had that blowout,” she began.
“And do I look like I’m peachy keen?” he asked sternly. “I never wanted it in the first place.”
She glared at him. “Will you stop interrupting me?”
Fuck. She was right. He needed her to stay, he needed her with him, and here he was pushing her away.
“Sorry,” he mumbled contritely.
“I was really stressed, and I ended up working a lot. It was hard to sleep, hard to eat. I didn’t want to see anyone. I cried a lot.” Long lashes swept over her cheeks as she kept her gaze downcast.
He couldn’t help himself. “Why, Gracie?” he whispered.
She bit into her lower lip. “Because I love you. Because I think I always have, and I always will, and I pushed you away because I’m a coward but I couldn’t bear the thought of not being with you. And I only realized it after I tried to be with someone else, and I couldn’t. He was so nice and so patient, and I really tried to get over you, but I couldn’t. You’re in my mind, you’re in my heart, and you own my body. It would never be fair to anyone else to try and live up to what I feel for you,” she whispered, tracing her fingers along the strong planes of his jaw.
Was that a tear that streaked down his face? She squinted at him. “Say it again,” he ordered.
She’d said a lot, but she knew what he wanted. “I love you, Sean. That’s why I came here.”
He expelled a long breath, but before she knew it, he’d scooped her up and planted her in his lap. He traced her bottom lip. “Say it again.”
“I lov—” His mouth crushed hers in a hard, demanding kiss, and she moaned. His lips caressed, nipped, and soothed, and she finally felt free to release all the pent up emotion and angst from the last six weeks.
But something nagged her mind.
She pulled away sharply. “Wait. How do you feel?” she asked baldly, color staining her cheeks. She didn’t want to put him on the spot or force him into saying anything he wasn’t ready for, but he hadn’t said anything back. She figured she’d be the one to say it first considering she was the one to break it off first, but that didn’t mean she was going to let him off the hook so easily.
He drew back and looked at her tenderly. “I have something to show you.” He slipped her off his lap and walked over to his suitcase. He rifled around, exclaiming in satisfaction when he found what he was looking for.
She gazed at him curiously when he stuck a clenched fist behind his back. When he reached her, he knelt down before her and laughed at her expression of panic.
“Relax, baby. It’s not that. At least not yet.”
“Well then, what is it?” she asked impatiently, inwardly thrilled at his ‘not yet.’
“Hold out your hand.”
She looked at him warily, but eventually did as he asked. There would always be a part of her that would be distrustful of the ten-year-old Sean she was sure was still buried somewhere inside.
She let out a little gasp of shock when she looked down to the soft, fibrous braid tied with a pretty pink bow.
“
Do you remember?” he asked, blue eyes sparkling.
“How could I forget?” she murmured slowly. “I cried for weeks.”
Once again, he shut his eyes against the guilt but rallied on. He swallowed the lump in his throat. “When I was moving, Lucas came over, and I had just found this.”
She looked worried, so he assured her. “We’re okay. I’ll tell you more about that in a bit.”
She nodded silently.
“So I’m standing there, with a hot wheels with a pink glitter paint job in one hand and a pretty red braid in the other. And we talked about when we were kids, how you and I would torture each other. Mostly me torturing you,” he said quickly at her aggrieved look, “but you were pretty good at retaliation. And anyway, Lucas asks me why I did it. Why I snipped your braid.”
“Because you were a snotty eleven-year-old?” she suggested with an impish glint in her eyes.
“You can do better than that, Gracie,” he murmured.
She shook her breath, but he could tell she was breathing shallowly.
“Because I wanted a part of you I could carry with me—always.”
He took a moment to enjoy the speechless shock that crossed her face and the slight open hang of her mouth because he knew those moments would be few and far between in the future. He didn’t expect the tears from her though, his tough girl, even though it seemed like she’d been crying a lot lately. Silently, they streamed down her face, and he brought his fingers up to wipe at them. “Don’t cry, baby, I hate it when you cry.”
“Is that a recent development?” she joked, with teary eyes. “You didn’t seem to mind much when we were younger.”
“I know,” he sighed. “I was stupid. I admit it. I think I just wanted you to care somehow, it didn’t matter if it was the good kind or the bad kind.”
“So why did you move to London? If you needed me, why did you leave me alone? Why did you have to move to another country?” she whispered her questions, but she could still hear the accusatory note in her tone.
“Baby, I didn’t move to London,” he said, puzzled. “Why would you think that?”
State of Grace Page 17
