Chapter 9
Dean
Bryson’s likely going to sic his lawyers on Grace or me. I don’t know which is worse. But I’ve got video proof that he grabbed her first, instigating the whole thing, thanks to the wildlife cameras I have set up around here. It’s the only reassurance I have that Bryson can’t get what he wants… this time .
Regardless, I still want to murder him for threatening my girl.
Just listening to her talk about how their families are friends, and how she could be “matched up” with someone like that, has me seeing red. I want to chew his head off like Oscar does with some of her toys.
Chill the fuck out, Dean .
I need to reel in my possessiveness before I overstep. We barely know each other.
“I’m all his,” she’d said to Nick.
Those three words crushed me because it isn’t true.
Grace heads to the kitchen and pops the cork on the half-empty bottle of wine from last night.
“You don’t get much of a choice on how to live in the Finch family.” She doesn’t bother to pour a glass. My girl drinks straight from the bottle. “When I completely cut ties with my mother, I’ll lose my trust fund, my home, everything that has the Finch name attached to it. It’s fine.” She takes another pull from the bottle. “My oldest brother Mason was cut out already, and he’s never been happier. He set himself up for big success, basically shoved it in our mother’s face publicly, which made her disown him, and he has zero regrets,” she says, with a little shrug. “I’m taking the more silent approach. When I leave, I’m not even saying goodbye.”
Her peaceful expression about it almost makes me believe what I could offer her has a chance of making her happy. I’d certainly treat her a million times better than any of the guys in her social circle, which, by the way, sounds like a cult for the filthy rich.
I want Grace to have the finer things in life. If I could provide them for her myself, I would in a heartbeat. But I can’t, which kicks my pride square in the balls. She has no idea how easy she has it. She’s not making thirst traps online just to make ends meet like I am. She’s paid to wear pretty things and take selfies.
Bryson’s words come back and punch me in the throat. “Keep staying pretty, Miss Finch. Your beauty is the only thing you have going for you because you certainly were not blessed with either of your brothers’ brains. None of you stand a chance against me and I will get this fucking property.”
I can’t let her get involved in my fight. Bryson has no morals, especially if he went after her and grabbed her arm like that. I’m not jeopardizing Grace in any way, for any reason. Even if it costs me everything.
This woman might be the greatest way to go down and lose it all.
“You’re luckier than you realize, Dean. ”
The hell I am.
Taking the bottle from her and bringing it to my lips, I chug. My tastebuds pucker as Chardonnay pours down my throat.
“I’ve got nothing and no one,” I say, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “If that’s luck, it’s bad.”
“You have Nick. And you now have me. You’re winning at life, my guy, whether you know it or not.”
She tries to take the bottle from me, but I don’t let it go. Instead, I use it to pull her into my chest. Again, Bryson’s words assault me. “We both know you’ll come begging one day, sweetheart. I’m looking forward to seeing you on your knees. You mother will be so proud.”
“I’ll make that Christmas Tree Killer look like an amateur if Bryson ever threatens you again, Grace. The fact that he touched you has me seeing red.” My muscles tighten. “Fucking hell, I don’t even want him breathing the same air as you. Or air at all for that matter.”
She blushes at my confession.
Which makes me add… “I don’t want another man touching you.”
There. I said it. I’m a possessive prick.
“Well, you can relax, killer, because no one wants to touch me with a ten-foot pole.”
She’s wrong about that. I don’t just want to touch her. I want to lick, suck, kiss, and fuck her. “I do. Does that bother you?”
Her gaze slowly searches my face, I guess to figure out if I’m serious or not. “I think allowing you between my thighs already should be answer enough. ”
It’s not. Things have changed since this morning. “Do you really want to stay here through the winter?”
“Do you really want me to leave next week?” she counters.
Something’s weird with this wine. Surely one sip of some fermented grapes can’t make me this fucking stupid, right? I’ve already said too much. And I’m about to do worse.
Grace shrugs. “I’m sure Bryson’s already making calls to start more trouble. Jackson will hear about what happened here and then he’ll likely tell my mother. Once she finds out I’m here, she’ll bulldoze her way into getting involved and make me leave so Clyde-Smith can get to you alone.” She pinches the bridge of her nose. “My happy little bubble is going to pop too soon.”
My heart swells hearing her say that this place is her happy bubble. I know that feeling intimately.
“Your parents really have that much control over you?” I can’t imagine what her life is like.
“I’m not on a short leash, Dean. I’m in a choke-collar, locked in a cage that’s way too small.” Her gaze casts to the floor. “I hate my life. I hate that I can’t breathe. I hate that I’m always in a gossip circle or news column. I hate that my mom has used me and my brothers as bargaining chips to feed her bank accounts and status. It sucks and I’m lonely.”
Holy hell. How can Grace be treated by her family like that? I can’t even fathom it. Then again, I was nothing more than a burden to my parents and was sent to live with my grandfather when I was eight. I didn’t have anything to do with my mom or dad after the age of thirteen, when I told my grandfather I never wanted to see them again, which was fine by everyone. That was a long time ago, and I’ve never regretted it.
Saying goodbye to family is sometimes the best gift one can give themselves.
This mountain saved me. Could it save Grace, too?
“Stay with me.”
Her brow pinches. “What?”
“If you want to be here through winter, you have to stay with me. At my house.”
Concern gives her a guarded expression. I don’t blame her. This is nuts.
“I have a spare bedroom.” Rubbing the back of my neck, I go full steam ahead. “I’d feel better keeping you safe with me at my house. That’s my condition if you’re going to stay up here through winter.”
Holy hell, what’s wrong with me? I’ve never acted this recklessly in my life. She’s going to say no. She should say no. She doesn’t know me at all. She can’t live with a stranger, in a secluded house, on a mountain with shoddy cell service…for months.
I brace for her rejection.
Grace rolls her shoulders back.
I hold my breath.
She arches an eyebrow. “What if I have conditions of my own?”
“Whatever they are, I’ll meet them.”
“I haven’t even told you what they are yet.”
“Doesn’t matter. Whatever you want, you get. That’s all there is to it.” I just want to keep her for as long as I can. The thought of Grace going back to a miserable, controlled, and lonely life makes me want to protect her even more .
Her cheeks blaze red. “Dean.”
“Grace.”
Is she going to back out now that I’m giving her what she wants?
“Are you sure you want me to stay in your house with you?” Grace bites her bottom lip. “Winter is a long time to be cooped up with someone you barely know.”
“I’m glad you realize that. And if you want to leave at any point, I’ll get you out of here. I have snowmobiles, a plow, and friends who can dig us out, if necessary, but it might take some time.”
“You expect that much snow?”
“I know there will be that much snow.” Too scared to move and break the connection we’re somehow building, I keep still. “Spring is a long time coming, sugar. Why don’t you take the week to think it over.”
“I don’t need a week. I want to do this.” Grace places the bottle on the counter with a resounding thud. “And I want you.”
When her gorgeous eyes lock onto mine, my control finally snaps, and I crush my mouth to hers. Seeing Grace get man-handled, and the way she stood up to that cocksucker, has me feeling many kinds of ways. I don’t know if I can trust her or not, but every fiber of my being screams that she’s mine. Whether she belongs to me only for winter or a lifetime, I’ll take care of her for however long she lets me.
I can’t compete with big money and fancy things, but I’ve got my own riches, and I’ll happily share them all with this woman.
Our tongues swipe against one another and she makes the sweetest little moans I’ve ever heard. Her nails scrape down my back, but I can barely feel it through my thick flannel shirt.
Grace runs her fingers through my hair next, and debris scrapes against my scalp. Shit. I’m still a mess from all the work Nick and I did today. There’s PVC pipe shavings, sawdust, and who knows what else all over me.
“I need a shower.”
Grace flashes a wicked grin. “I have one of those.”
She lures me into her bathroom and my fingers make quick work of unbuttoning my shirt. I peel it away and drop it on the floor. Then I tug my grey undershirt over my head and toss it too, just before I kick her door closed, shutting us inside her tiny bathroom.
Grace quickly lifts her cream-colored sweater off, and I stare at the pale pink bra lifting her breasts up. My mouth waters like I’m a starved animal with a meal.
Before this morning, I hadn’t touched a woman in over two years. Grace has broken the chain tethering my control, and I’m desperate for her. I want to taste her again. Worship her. Get inside her.
When I kick off my boots, Grace follows my lead, doing the same with her shoes. Unbuckling my belt and working my jeans off, my heart kicks hard against my ribs. I want to fuck this woman until she can’t walk. If I’m not mindful, I’ll do just that, and it could hurt her.
Every breath she takes pushes her tits out. I lean down and bite her nipple through her bra while she unclasps it. Growling, I clench the fabric between my teeth, pull it off her body, and let it fall to the floor. Dropping on my knees, I take her underwear off with my mouth next.
She moans as I sink my fingers into her ass cheeks and press my nose to her pussy, breathing in deeply.
This is a preview of the beast she asked to play with earlier. “Do you still want this?”
“More than anything.”
Lifting her foot up to place on my shoulder, I nip her inner thigh. “You can tell me to stop at any time.” Before I go further, there’s one more thing. “And this isn’t part of the deal to stay with me. If you don’t want—”
“Dean, respectfully, shut the fuck up and eat my pussy before I lose my goddamn mind.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Chuckling against her core, I part her lips and drag my tongue along her sweet flesh.
A guttural groan vibrates out of her.
With Grace braced against the small vanity, I hold her steady and feast on her. Her pussy has teased me all day, with the scent of it still clinging to my beard, and my dick has been desperate for a taste. Licking her cunt eases the sexual torture I’ve endured for hours, while simultaneously sending a surge of hot blood straight to my cock.
I slowly work one finger inside her. Then I add a second digit. She grinds herself against me, while I give her clit all the attention it deserves, too. I love how her breaths saw out of her in rasps. Curling my fingers, I hit her sweet spot while simultaneously sucking on her clit. Her inner walls clamp down on me and her thighs shake.
“I’m close,” Grace whimpers.
With that, I back off entirely .
“Wait. No!” She looks positively murderous. “Come back!”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Rising to my feet, I kiss her hard before quickly turning to the shower and turning it on. Then I go back to giving Grace my undivided attention. While the water heats up, I kiss her neck, nipping her sweet skin while my hands roam all over her soft body.
“You feel so good,” she purrs, holding me close and wrapping her legs around me.
“So do you.”
I carry Grace into the shower and press her against the tiled wall. The slickness between her legs slides along my hard dick. I grind against her, and the friction must hit her clit because she groans over and over, the faster I go. Steam billows around us. My lungs fill with her scent. Her pussy, her perfume, her shampoo.
“I want to fuck you,” I growl against her ear.
She tightens her thighs around me. “Yes, please.”
We don’t have a condom. My dick slides against her again, and I’m so tempted to push inside her just once… just to see how good she feels… but there’s no way I will do that without permission.
“I’m not protected,” I remind her.
“I’m on birth control.”
“But what about—”
“I’m clean,” she says. “Are… are you?”
The last time I was tested was two years ago, and I was fine. I haven’t been with anyone since. “Yeah.”
I still have the results if she wants to see them.
“Get inside me,” she begs .
Water cascades down my back while I hold her in place. “You sure about this?”
“ Dean !” she roars with frustration.
I kiss her again, shutting her up. Then I press the crown of my dick against her pussy and start pushing my way in a little at a time. Each inch I sink into her body feels like I’m digging myself into a hole I’ll never climb out of.
Her pussy is so fucking tight, it robs me of breath.
“Holy hell,” she groans, her nails digging into my shoulders. Her breath hitches. “You’re big .”
I should have primed her better to take me. I thought I had but… “Does it hurt?”
“In the best of ways.” She grips me tighter. “Fuck me hard.”
God. Damn . “Yes, ma’am.”
I pull out slowly, until only my head is left inside her, and then slam home in a quick thrust.
She gasps when I do it again, and again, and again.
Grace is as light as a feather in my arms. She’s tall, which means her tits are at the perfect height for me to bite in this position.
I rail her against the tile until I feel her pussy squeeze with the orgasm I denied her moments ago with my mouth.
“Fucking hell your pussy grip is insane.” I’m seeing stars.
“Harder. Faster.” She’s no longer able to keep her legs hooked around me. That’s okay. I’ll hold her up while I give her what she wants. Our bodies slap together as I fuck us both to the edge of a release. Grace blows first, her orgasm making her scream and thighs shake as I keep thrusting.
“That’s a good girl. Come all over my cock.”
Her eyes are wide, mouth slack, and her nails dig into my shoulders as she rides her release. Then she turns into a rag doll in my arms. Her body’s melting from coming so hard. I love that. Let’s see how boneless I can make her. Going from rough and fast to deep and deliberately slow, I drive her towards another climax. Grace’s dark silky hair is saturated and clinging to her face and shoulders. She digs her nails into me again and I relish the burning sting it brings.
My balls draw up tight. Every thrust into her tight cunt shoots pleasure down my spine.
“Fuuuuck,” she cries out when she comes again. At this angle, I think I’m hitting her g-spot. I’m definitely hitting something that’s working for her.
My body aches from a hard day’s work, and this is the best relief I’ve ever felt. For no good goddamn reason, my mind flashes to Bryson, and the possessive part of me roars to life. I fuck Grace until she screams my name. My lust kicks into high gear and I take her harder. “Tell me… to stop… if this hurts… too much…”
“If you stop… I’m going to kill you… with the sledgehammer.”
That’s my cue to rail her until she comes again. I didn’t even know it was possible to make a woman orgasm so much. Her thighs shake like she’s being electrocuted. The sound that rips from her throat has my ears ringing. I slam into her until my orgasm finally gets close .
“I’m gonna come.” My warning makes us both tense. “Where do you want it?”
“Inside me,” she whimpers while I thrust harder. “I want to feel you come inside me.”
This is a mistake. I’ve never unloaded inside someone without a condom before. I’m also not about to deny this perfect creature what she wants.
“Fill me up,” Grace begs.
My body temp rises a million degrees, and I crush my mouth to hers just as my release barrels out of me. Her pussy pulses around my throbbing cock and my vision goes white. Grunting, I fill her with everything I have, and my ears start ringing even louder.
Before I have a stroke, I ease back to catch my breath and am about to pull out when Grace stops me.
“No. Don’t.” She grinds against me as I hold her up. “Stay inside me a little longer.”
“Woman, I’ll stay inside you forever if you let me.”
I’ve never felt something this good in all my life.
The water showering down on us is turning cold, which spurs me into action. I blindly reach for the faucet and turn things off. Her nipples are hard pebbles against my chest, and she has goosebumps everywhere. I’m still burning up and can’t feel my cheeks.
“Can you hang onto me a little longer, baby?”
Nodding, she repositions her arms around my neck. I grip her ass and carry us out. My dick hasn’t softened yet either. I don’t think it will as long as I’m inside her.
Snagging a towel, I drape it around her and get us out of the bathroom .
“You’re like an opossum,” I tease.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“I like you clingy.” Cocking my brow, I try to read her expression. “Are you sure I didn’t hurt you?”
“I’m tougher than I look.”
That’s not a direct answer. “Grace.”
“I’m fine,” she says quickly.
Laying her on the bed, I finally pull out and she winces which makes me feel guilty. “Damnit, I was too rough.”
Immediately going into action, I try to see if I’ve torn her. I’m not saying I’m hung like a donkey or anything, but I’m a big guy and I fuck hard. Her encouragement only made me unleash that part of me I usually hold back.
“I’m fine, Dean.”
“You’re sore.”
“That’s a good thing.” She closes her legs and gives me a lazy smile. “Maybe if I’m lucky, when I wake up tomorrow and try to walk, the hurt will give me flashbacks of what we just did.”
Is this woman for real?
Getting all comfy in the bed, she closes her eyes, and that serene smile stays on her sweet face while I tuck her in. The chill in the room finally gets to me. I’m cold and exhausted, and there’s still so much work to be done. “Sleep tight, sugar.”
“You’re not going to stay?”
“Did you want me to?”
Grace nods, but her eyes are still closed.
Shit. I don’t want to ghost her, but I can’t stay right now. “I’ll be back in a little while, okay?”
“Mmph. ”
Hurrying to get dressed, I ignore the fact that I’m no cleaner now than I was before taking that shower. But her hot water is depleted. And the fire is also out, which means the cabin is dropping in temperature.
After tossing a few logs on, I leave quietly and rush to the cabin I left Oscar in. The last thing I’d needed was for her to bite that New York asshole because then I’d have a lawsuit against me for sure. And I have no doubt my dog would have gone after him because she doesn’t take kindly to threats, and I can tell she’s protective of Grace too.
“Come on, girl.”
Oscar leaps off the porch and runs circles around me before doing her business in the grass, then she hops in my truck, knowing it’s her dinner time. Even going home to feed her feels like I’m too far away from Grace.
With an uneasy heart, I drive away with that woman’s cabin in my rearview mirror.
“I’m in so much trouble, Oscar.”