Marco only scoffed. “There’s something else we need to discuss. Leo.”
Lucas frowned. “What about him?”
“You helped him finish a job. Does that mean you want back in?”
“Not at all. I was just doing him a favor. You know I have a soft spot for that kid.” Lucas sighed. “Marco, I meant what I said when I left. I want a new life, a different future. That future, I’m beginning to realize, involves Grace.”
“That’s too bad,” Marco finally said. “I could use someone like you. Someone I trust. There’s an upcoming war, Lucas.”
“With the Morozova Bratva. I’ve heard Matthias mention it.”
“For someone who claims to be out of the life, you keep yourself informed.”
“I need to be a better man. For Grace.” Lucas stood up. His woman might be wondering where he was right now. “It was good catching up with you, Marco.”
He opened the door. Marco had some parting words for him, apparently.
“Lucas, you know this better than anyone. Men like us, killers, we can’t change. Sooner or later, this woman of yours will see you for who you truly are. A monster.”
Lucas shook his head. Before he made the biggest mistake of his life and punched the lights of the head of the Severin Familia, he walked out. His anger visibly cooled when he spotted Grace speaking with another woman. They both sat at a table near the front.
Gino and a few Familia members were left, drinking and laughing at the tables. Most of the customers had left by now and the staff were busy tidying up. He recognized Sky, Marco and Matthias’s adopted sister, from the scars across her bare arms. Grace didn’t seem fazed by them, unlike most people.
Grace looked up when he approached. The smile she beamed at him made his heart race and woke the sleeping beast inside of him.
“Lucas, I was keeping your girl company,” Sky said. Her eyes warmed. “We don’t see you often enough, but I saw an article on your latest exhibit on the paper.”
“I’m not his girl,” Grace said quickly.
“Yet,” he finished. “Thanks, Sky.”
“Not a problem. I was telling Grace that this is the first time you’ve brought a woman here.” Sky glanced at him, twinkle in her eyes. “I also got her an application. She said she needs a new job.”
“Because this place is special to me, just like Grace.”
Lucas was pleased Grace took the initiative to fill out a form, although she didn’t need to. Even if Paolo didn’t have an opening, the Familia had other restaurants. Restaurants and other smaller businesses made up the front of their operations, while they dealt with guns on the back end.
Sky nudged him in the ribs. “Don’t be stranger, all right? I hope to see you soon, Grace.”
“I won’t,” he promised. Lucas finally herded Grace out of the restaurant and back to his car.
“That was nice,” Grace said.
“Not too much?”
She shook her head. “It was wonderful meeting your family.”
“Good. I’m glad. The evening’s not over yet. Let’s head back to my place.”
Chapter Nine
Grace slipped out of her clothes, about to reach for the robe, but she hesitated. What was the point of wearing that when Lucas needed her naked? Her heart raced, threatened to spill out of ribcage. Tonight, she felt fearless.
She might have been angry at Lucas for the way he acted at the diner earlier but not anymore. Bert deserved what he got. She hoped he’d take that little lesson to heart and treat his employees better. She knew Lucas had held back. Lucas was capable of more violence, but he’d pulled himself together the same way he’d controlled himself with Donny Castello.
Grace wanted to get out of that place anyway, but she never had the guts to quit her job, her only stable source of income. Her life had been one predictable and monotonous cycle—eat, sleep, and work. She was sick of it. Lucas brought color and excitement. Being with him taught her that it was fine to let go once in a while.
Grace felt like she was leaving a bad chapter in her life only to start a new one. It was crazy she felt so much for a man she just met but she also wanted to see where this led. She was no longer scared of how fast things were going between them.
She wasn’t drunk. Grace only had one glass of wine, knowing she had to pose for Lucas tonight, but she seemed to have tossed aside her all her inhibitions, and it felt amazing.
Grace opened the door and immediately felt Lucas’s heated gaze on her.
“How do you want me? Same as before?” she asked. Something had changed between them. She was sure of it. She didn’t feel shy or awkward around him anymore.
“Yes, but this time, I want you to place your hands in a different area. I want to redo this sketch.”
Grace sank onto the leather couch, keenly aware of the kiss of fabric against her bare skin. Her skin looked flushed. She felt languid, relaxed, but she also more alive than she’d ever been in her entire life.
“Like this?” Grace asked, settling her hand on her hip, the other on the leather.
“Let me show you.” Lucas approached her. “May I?”
“Of course.” Her voice sounded breathy as he moved her hand an inch lower. Then he picked it up and placed a kiss on her fingers. Electricity raced from her hand to the rest of her body.
“You didn’t bother with a robe tonight,” Lucas said.
Normally, she’d blush and drop her gaze, but she looked him in the eye this time around. “You disapprove?”
Lucas placed her hand down. “No, that pleases me. Shows you’re comfortable in your own skin and being around me.”
“Arrange me as you see fit.”
At her invitation, Lucas moved his fingers to the side of her neck, he tilted her head sideways. He should have gone back to his sketch, but he wasn’t in the mood to pick up his pencil again. Lucas traced the rest of her with his hands. Light, feathery touches. He skimmed the shape of breasts, felt her exhale as he tweaked one of her hardening nipples.
Grace didn’t stop his exploration.
“Beautiful girl,” he murmured.
At that moment, she realized she’d let this man do anything to her and she wouldn’t, couldn’t resist. She didn’t want to. Tonight, Lucas let her into his world. He let Grace catch a glimpse of his heart.
She had a feeling he wasn’t much of a sharer. Lucas was someone who preferred to keep his face hidden from the public eye, who never appeared at his own shows, but he’d opened up to her. He let her meet his family. That meant plenty to her, more than Lucas could ever know.
****
Lucas left kisses on both her tits. He trailed his digits lower, to caress the underside of her breasts. Then he moved to her ribs, her rounded stomach. He memorized every inch of her skin and couldn’t wait to do it all over again.
He crawled on top of her, waiting for her to tell him to stop, to go back to his work. She did none of those things. It was like the night she’d asked for a kiss from him. Lucas held himself back then, but not anymore. He’d waited long enough.
He sought her mouth, savoring the heat and sweetness of her as he let his hands roam down the length of her body. Lucas slipped them between her legs, finding her wet and slick for him. He stroked the soft pink folds of her pussy and felt her widen her hips for him.
Lucas deepened the kiss. At the same time, he pushed two fingers inside her cunt. She arched her back, moan muffled as he added a third digit in her. He pulled his mouth back, loving the rise and fall of her breasts rubbing against his chest. She was so responsive. So perfect.
“You’re still dressed,” she whispered. “This makes me feel a little dirty.”
“I can take them off.”
“I like it.” Her cheeks turned a rosy pink at that admission.
Lucas smiled. “On the outside, you act like a good girl, but deep down?” He nipped at her lower lip, drawing a little blood, but she only grew wetter against his fingers. “You like being my dirty girl, don’t
you?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Only for you.”
Oh, he liked that answer.
Lucas pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the floor. He left more kisses down the length of her body. Little bites as well. He liked seeing the color of her creamy, smooth skin change color. He bet her body would look fucking amazing decorated with his personal marks of ownership.
Reaching her thighs, he parted them so he could put his mouth to the most intimate part of her body. Grace cried out against him as he licked and sucked at her pussy lips. Lucas tongued her clit, nipped lightly at it. She let out a cry, the sound like music to his ears. She shuddered. He lifted his face to enjoy the sight of her coming apart, smiling at the glazed look that settled in her eyes.
Lucas climbed on top of her again. He kissed her on the mouth, waking her up from her momentary stupor.
“I want you to undo my jeans. Now pull my dick out,” Lucas ordered.
Grace widened her eyes. She bit her lower lip but didn’t argue. She unzipped him and took out his cock, which started to harden for her. It felt like a steel pipe between his legs. Lucas needed to be inside her soon or he’d go mad.
“You want this?” he asked her.
“Yes, please.”
Lucas decided he liked that word, liked hearing her beg. “Get me ready. Move your hand up and down. That’s it.”
Lucas groaned. Her fingers on his prick felt like heaven. She worked him, up and down, slow and fast until he was ready to blow. It didn’t take long. Lucas gently pushed her fingers away.
“Wait.” He grabbed his pants from the floor and pulled out the spare condom in his wallet. After ripping the packaging, he slid the rubber over his prick. He’d prefer to ride her bare. He was clean and he bet she was the same, but they’d share fluids another time. Lucas returned to his position. He hefted her legs above his shoulders and guided his dick into her waiting hole.
She began to touch him, but he pinned her arms above her head, restraining them. Like this, she was helpless, only able to take what he chose to give her.
Grace fluttered her long eyelashes at him and uttered the words that undid him completely. “Please, Lucas.”
Lucas penetrated her. Fuck, but her cunt was hot, tight and inviting. He slid all the way in, balls-deep, and she took him without protest. She groaned once he was fully seated inside her.
“God,” she whispered.
Lucas rutted her, slow, steady strokes at first before picking up the pace. With every thrust, she raised her hips to meet him. Animal noises, groans and pants, emerged from both of them. Her pussy walls tightened around his shaft, making him growl. Lucas pulled his prick out of her, changed his angle, and plunged back in. She gasped, back arching, parting her lips slightly.
He took her inviting mouth again, plunging his tongue down her throat while he repeatedly hit her sweet spot. She buckled against him. Each time he entered her, Lucas felt like he was closer to drawing out her soul, making it touch his own.
He pumped her faster, rougher, and deeper. Grace only got wetter. Lucas made sure he bumped against her clit each time. All the muscles in his body tensed. His balls tightened against his body. At his last push, she came, screaming out his name. He exploded into the condom, letting go of her arms and collapsing next to her. The couch was big and wide enough to fit them both.
She curled up against him, a little ball of warmth. Lucas gathered her close, breathed in the scent of her, and knew he could never let her go. Tonight, he let her into the world he thought he’d left behind. The world he realized would always be there for him. Lucas might no longer kill for a living, but they were blood. The Severin Familia would always have his loyalty, but his heart belonged to someone else now.
Sky was right. Lucas never invited anyone, especially a woman, to his home and to meet his family. Grace fit right in, like a glove.
“Aren’t you going to continue your work?” she asked him once the sweat on their bodies had cooled down. Lucas didn’t want to rise, not yet.
“Later, but you can go to sleep. I have everything I need.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
Chapter Ten
“Grace, good. I caught you before you left for work,” Sadie said, emerging from her bedroom.
Her best friend rubbed at her eyes and yawned, still in the clothes she’d worn the night before—a low-cut dress that left very little to the imagination. At least Sadie remembered to take her heels off before falling asleep in her own bed.
Grace checked her watch. She was running late and couldn’t afford to be. Not on her first day at Paolo’s. Grace wanted to exchange words with the manager. They probably knew Lucas recommended her, but she didn’t want any special treatment.
She could spare five minutes to talk to her best friend. They both had been busy so lately that the last proper conversation they had was when Sadie invited her to Lucas’s show.
“What’s up?” she asked.
She could still smell the alcohol on Sadie’s breath. Sadie was probably having a hell of a hangover. They were running out of aspirin. She made a mental note to stop by the drug store before heading over to Lucas’s studio.
“I was wondering if you could accompany me to another art show tonight. Please?” Sadie didn’t wait for her to answer and continued, “It’s going to be a blast. Rumor has it a famous model’s going to be there and—”
“Sorry, Sadie. I’m busy tonight,” Grace interrupted before Sadie could prattle on. God knew she loved her best friend to bits, but Sadie could talk anyone’s ear off for hours.
Sadie dropped her smile. Concern showed in her blue eyes. Her best friend looked awake now, almost sober. “You’re seeing him again, aren’t you?”
“I am.” Grace didn’t elaborate further because she had a feeling Sadie didn’t like Lucas and her arrangement very much.
“Grace.” Sadie neared her and grabbed her hand. “Let’s sit down. We need to talk.”
“I can’t. I don’t want to be late for my new job.”
Sadie widened her eyes and clapped her hands. “Thank God. You left that shitty diner. Did you give Bert the Jerk a piece of your mind? Where are you working now?”
“Paolo’s.”
Grace thought Sadie would be happy for her. After all, Paolo was more high-class dining than the old diner, but Sadie drew her blonde brows together.
“Grace, what do you know about Lucas Glass?” Sadie finally asked her. Before she could answer, Sadie went on again, “Rumor has it he has dangerous connections. To the Severin Family. They own this city, along with a few businesses in town. That includes Paolo’s.”
Sadie had dropped her voice to a whisper even though it was only the two of them there.
“I know,” Grace answered, looking her in the eye.
Sadie stared at her, as if she didn’t really know her. Like they weren’t best friends in high school and didn’t grow up together. “You do?”
“Yeah. I pretty much guessed it.” Grace hesitated, but she didn’t keep secrets from her best friend and Sadie was family. Sadie had been there for her, for everything. For her father’s death. “There was an incident on the night we met. The police were involved but Lucas took care of it.”
Grace decided to keep the details to herself again. Sadie didn’t need to know a gun was involved. She had a nightmare about Donny Castello last night, except in the dream, his features were twisted, and he had a maniacal look on his face. Nightmares couldn’t hurt her, however, and Lucas assured her that Donny would be behind bars for a long time.
“Grace, who are you? You know this guy’s dangerous and you’re still seeing him tonight? I know you’ve been going to his place over the past three days.”
Sadie’s words made sense. The old Grace would’ve heeded her advice. Her father was a cop, after all, and he’d instilled a sense of justice in her. She never broke the law, but it wasn’t like being with Lucas was a crime. Lucas was trying to change. He’d told he
r himself. He stepped away from his past to pursue a career in art.
“What’s wrong with that?” Grace was suddenly furious. “I’m an adult. I can do what I want. Besides, weren’t you the one who kept encouraging me to go out? Meet someone? I’m doing just that.”
Sadie grabbed her shoulders. “But you don’t know any better. I even called Steve—”
“You called my ex?” she asked, horrified. She gave her best friend a push. At this rate, Sadie was going to let herself be demoted to a bad friend. “Why the hell would you do that?”
Sadie knew she didn’t ever want to see that asshole again.
Just great. Just when she thought she had cut all connections to Steve, there was a chance that bastard would try to contact her again. Remembering Steve was as self-centered as they came, she figured maybe he wouldn’t bother.
“I don’t know.” Sadie bit on her lower lip. “Maybe because you’re becoming reckless and turning into this new person because you’re not over Steve.”
“I wasted five years of my life with that asshole. You knew how wrecked I was when we broke up. Meeting Lucas was the breath of fresh air I needed. I don’t see Lucas to forget Steve. I’ve already forgotten Steve. I’m looking forward, not backward.”
Grace didn’t know where all this pent-up frustration was coming from but she couldn’t shut up. “You really shouldn’t have done that,” she finally said.
“I’m sorry. Okay? Steve says he’ll call you, but I tell him there’s no need. I made an error, but you’re making the biggest mistake of your life if you continue going down this path.”
Seriously? Grace was just posing for Lucas. This was just a side-hustle—except in her heart, Grace knew it wasn’t. Never before had she felt so alive, posing nude in front of Lucas.
God. The chemistry between them was off the charts. She didn’t even think she could ever like sex, but with Lucas? She woke up that morning with her body feeling deliciously sore. Well-used. Satiated.
Mafia Claimed (Severin Family Book 3) Page 5
