Chapter 46
FORTY-SIX
NOAH
Gracie’s eyes are wide as she stares up at me, and I can’t help the amusement I feel.
Never in my life did I think that this would be how I exposed myself to her, that this would be how it went, but we’re here now and there’s nothing else left to do but feel and hang onto what we have in the moment.
And what I have in this moment is her pussy squeezing my cock like a vice and a head filled with images of the two of us together.
There are so many things I want to do to her—with her—but tonight isn’t about that.
Tonight isn’t about exploring or savoring, it’s about taking what belongs to me.
And she is what belongs to me.
“I hate you,” she whispers, her eyes swimming with something I can’t name and even though her words feel like a shot to the heart, I know she doesn’t mean them. Not really.
“Hate me all you want, love. It doesn’t change the fact that you belong to me.”
I pull back until it’s only the tip of my cock inside of her before slamming my hips forward and her head hits the pillow, her eyes rolling to the back of her head and her mouth open in an O.
“So good, babe. So fucking perfect.” I do it again, reveling in the way she reacts to me.
And only to me.
“You feel so fucking good wrapped around me. This pretty pussy was made for me, wasn’t it?”
I still my movements when she remains tight lipped and stare down at her patiently. I have all the time in the world to hear the words, but I know that she’s right on the edge.
“Wasn’t it?” I repeat and she moans.
“Yes,” she mutters reluctantly, and I grin down at her before driving into her again.
The groan that leaves me is deep and raspy and I lick my lips before slamming my mouth down on hers. I start fucking into her with quick, deep thrusts, unable to hold back any longer.
I feel my balls tighten as she clenches around me the way she does when she’s seconds away from coming, and the only thoughts in my mind are the words I’ve longed to say to her but couldn’t.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
They’re on a constant loop in my head, and my brain and body beg for me to voice them aloud, but I refrain, knowing that this isn’t the right time or place.
“Come for me, my love,” I say instead, and as though her body is perfectly attuned to me, she does just that.
Her whimpers and cries are music to my ears as I thrust into her faster, quicker, deeper until I can’t hold back any longer, and I’m filling her with my cum and groaning her name into the crook of her neck.
I pull back and rest my forehead against hers, panting as I fight to catch my breath.
Our breaths intermingle, and the only way this moment could get any more perfect would be if she wasn’t here because I kind of, sort of, maybe kidnapped her.
“I don’t care if you need time to come to terms with who I really am, but I can’t let you have space from me, Gracie. I can’t,” I whisper into the silence once we’ve both finally caught our breaths.
She tenses beneath me and I’m sure if her arms and legs were free from the restraints, she’d be pulling away from me. I know that this must be overwhelming for her. Not only was she kidnapped, but she found out that the guy she’s been dating is also her stalker.
If I’m being honest, I don’t think she’s processed that fact yet. The way she reacted when I came into the room without the mask was… strange, to say the least.
It wouldn’t surprise me if her mind is just not allowing her to put the pieces together, keeping itself in denial of who I really am.
And that’s okay, because for her, I’ll wait forever.
Well, not wait, wait. But I’ll be here every step of the way, pushing her in the right direction.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” she snaps, and the fury in her voice makes me jolt.
“You’re really not as calculating as you think you are, Noah.
You’re not sneaky and you’re sure as hell not sane.
Even if I had somewhat forgiven you for everything you’ve put me through, today pushed me over the edge.
Now, let me fucking go,” she demands, the ire in her tone making my blood freeze to ice.
“Gracie, I… I only brought you here because you’re in danger. Everything else, we can talk about, but I can’t just let you leave when there’s someone out there watching you.”
She snorts. “I’m not in danger, you asshole. The only person I’ve ever been in danger from is you, and a few little messages aren’t something that you can use as an excuse to kidnap and keep me here.”
Jesus, she’s really hung up on this whole kidnapping thing.
And what the fuck does she mean that the messages didn’t give me the excuse to bring her here? Of course, they did. She could be in danger for all we know. We have no idea who—hold the fuck up.
“How did you know about the messages?”
I never mentioned them.
Not once since have I mentioned a single text or note.
Not once have I brought up the fact that someone knows about us.
The only person who does know about them is Lana, and I’m positive that she wouldn’t have mentioned anything to Gracie, not without telling me about it.
She shouldn’t know about any of it.
Unless…
No.
There’s no way, it’s an utterly ridiculous thought, one that simply can’t be true.
But still… now that I think about it, all of pieces fit. The way she acted when I came into the room, the way she’s been a little off lately, not badly… just different. The way she was so angry over me kidnapping her and how she knew about the messages.
It hits me all at once, and I have to swallow down the bile that’s crawling up from my gut.
“It was you,” I whisper, my tone filled with disbelief and betrayal. I stare down at her, and she doesn’t deny it.
I spring away from her, climbing off the bed and to my feet as pain and anger fills me.
What. The. Fuck.
“You knew,” I rasp, and it’s a statement. I don’t need to question it because the truth rings out between us.
She knew it was me wearing the mask.
How long has she known?
Has she known the entire time?
Why didn’t she just tell me, instead of leaving me a note and sending me texts?
Why would she…
The wording of the note and messages comes back to me then, and I realize that they all came back to one person.
Her brother.
Is that what she wanted to happen? Did she want her brother to find out?
It doesn’t make any sense, unless…
Unless it was all a lie, and this was her way of getting me to take a step back.
It always came back to her brother. The way she told him she was seeing someone, the way she threatened me with him… what, exactly, did she want to happen?
Was this entire thing just a game to her?
Was she trying to force Cole in the middle of our relationship, knowing that he wouldn’t accept me as someone who could love her? Was this her way of denying us? Was she so unable to voice her own opinion that she wanted Cole to do it for her?
“Why?” I demand, my voice cold even to my own ears. I’ve never spoken to Gracie like this, but it fucking hurts to know that everything between us was a lie. “Do you really hate me that much?”
Did she do all of this to fuck with me? Was she playing with me this entire time, using my feelings for her as a way to hurt me?
None of this makes any sense, and I can’t stop the turbulent emotions from bubbling to the surface.
She doesn’t answer me, all she does it stare at me, her eyes brimming with anger.
“Because that’s all I can come up with. Do you hate me, love?
Or did you want your brother to find out and cut me out of both of your lives?
Were you hoping the threat of him finding out would make me stay away from you?
You could have told me, you know. You didn’t have to lie about our entire relationship.
” I sneer the last word and turn to face her fully, my face a blank mask as I feel my walls slipping into place.
Pain, confusion and fury filling me. “I thought we were finally getting somewhere, but I guess I don’t know you nearly as much as I thought I did if you were able to do something so heartless like this.
Jesus fuck, Gracie. I thought you were in danger, but really, you were just playing some sick game with me. ”
My kind, sweet, loving Gracie did this.
She hurt me like this.
The one person on this earth who I didn’t think was capable of something so callus stabbed me in the back like I meant nothing to her.
“Our relationship?” she sneers, a look I never imagined I’d see on her face. “Our relationship was nothing but a lie from the beginning. A deception. A manipulation. You’re the one who started us on this path, Noah. I was just the one to end it.”