Chapter 8 #2
I sink into the relief that swells, remembering the distance she put between us this morning, aware she’s offering me more forgiveness than I deserve right now. I take the seat beside her, our sides pressed together.
“You sure you have enough space?” she jokes, but I’ve already got my arm around her shoulders, tugging her even more firmly against me.
“Not at all. I’d tuck you under my skin if I could.”
She narrows her eyes. “Wow, you are really dropping the mask tonight. I bet you have zip ties and duct tape in your truck, too.”
I give her a nonplussed look. “Why would you need both? Zip ties would do the trick all on their own.”
“What an amateur.” She scoffs. “You can’t use zip ties on someone’s mouth.”
I waggle my eyebrows lecherously. “There are better ways to keep someone quiet.”
A surprised laugh bursts out of her, her eyes wide as she stares at me in disbelief. “Maybe we shouldn’t watch cop shows. It might give you the wrong sort of ideas.”
I nudge her head to the side with mine, leaning down to nuzzle my face into her neck. She giggles as my bristles scrape against her sensitive skin, a sigh escaping when I press a lingering kiss to the column of her throat.
“You love my ideas,” I rasp.
“Mmm, you’re not wrong.” But she gently pushes me away, lifting the remote and pressing play on the show she’s queued up. I pull back with a smile, leaning my head against hers, loving that we’ve found our way back to good again.
All the chaos in my head has faded away, and I know it’s all on Gracie. I never should’ve pulled back. Not when it’s her who quiets the background noise, giving me focus and calm. After a bad shift, the only thing I want to do is crawl into bed with her and forget everything I’ve seen.
If only I could forget this time—
“You okay?” Gracie asks softly, leaning her head back against my shoulder. “You went kind of tense.”
I don’t look away from the television, trailing my fingers over her arm. “Nothing, baby. Just happy to be here with you.”
I feel her watching me, but then she nods, turning back to the show, a comfortable silence descending as we watch two suited-up detectives stride up to a taped-off crime scene.
“Why doesn’t Nick wear a suit?” she asks curiously. “He’d be able to wear the shit out of one.”
I turn to glare at her. “No.”
“No?” she asks, eyes wide with faux innocence.
I stamp a firm kiss against her mouth, growling, “No.”
The glare from the television drags me out of unconsciousness, and I glance around, disorientated, before it sinks in that we fell asleep in the living room. I’m horizontal on the couch, my legs hanging awkwardly off one end, and Gracie is sprawled over me, one leg pressed between mine.
She sighs in her sleep, and I shiver as her warm breath coasts over my neck. I smooth my hands down her back and up again, her shirt rucking up under my fingers. On the next pass, my hands are on bare silky skin, and I let out a low groan.
She murmurs, her lips grazing my collarbone. “Braxton,” she breathes.
“Baby.” My voice is hoarse with sleep as I run my hands over her sides and then down to the waistband of her leggings, dipping them under and teasing the lace trim of her panties with my fingertips. “Want you.”
There’s a soft sound of agreement, and then she moves, arching her torso so she can shove my shirt off, fingers dancing over the contours of my abdomen and chest. A nail flicks teasingly against a nipple, and I exhale sharply, tangling a hand in her hair and pulling her head back.
I can just make out her eyes, pupils dilated, as I demand, “Naked.”
Gracie lets out a husky laugh as she sits up, knees planting on either side of my hips.
She smirks down at me as she grips the hem of her shirt, dragging it up over her head.
I can’t resist the urge to grab her hips, grinding her down against my erection.
She gasps, hips undulating against me, dropping the shirt on the ground.
“That’s it, baby,” I rasp. “Use me. Make yourself feel good.”
Her eyes are heavy-lidded with desire as she reaches back, undoing her bra and slinging it away. I wet my lips, reaching up to grab two handfuls of her pert breasts, rolling my thumbs over her hardened nipples.
My cock throbs, trapped in the confines of my briefs, and I shake my head, warning her, “This isn’t going to be slow, baby. Need you too badly.”
Gracie’s eyebrows lift, even as she thrusts her hips against me, her breathing speeding up.
“Who said I wanted slow?” Her hands land on my pecs, and she leans forward until her mouth is inches from mine, our breaths mingling.
“I want you to fuck me.” There’s the slightest tremor to her voice, her eyes dipping away from mine.
I watch her for a beat, feeling the way her heart is pounding under my hand, her cheeks flushed. “Yeah?” I taunt. “Is that what you want?”
Her eyes dart back to mine, full of fire. “Yes,” she says, voice firmer. She pushes my hands away from her breasts, grabbing them herself, a breathy moan escaping as she pulls on her nipples. “Or…I could just do it myself.”
A wicked grin curls my lips, and then she lets out a shriek of surprise when I twist us, manhandling her beneath me. She blinks up at me, trying to get her bearings, but I’m already grabbing her leggings and panties, yanking them down her legs in one smooth motion.
She spreads her knees, welcoming me between her legs. I hover over her, heart in my throat as I shake my head. “Can’t believe you’re mine.”
Gracie stretches languidly underneath me, her arms above her head and breasts arched up, nipples brushing my chest. “This seems a bit uneven,” she says saucily. “You’re still wearing too many clothes.”
I chuckle darkly, yanking my shirt off and quickly kicking off my pants and briefs. She spreads her thighs wide, the flickering screen shining a light on her glistening pussy. I curse low and loud, reaching out to swipe my fingers through her soaked folds, circling her clit.
“You want me, baby?” I ask roughly. “You’re so goddamn wet.”
“Please, Brax.” She reaches up, curling her hands around my neck, scratching her nails against my skin. “I need to feel you fill me up.”
“Yeah?” I let her drag me down, kissing her long and deep, tongues sliding against each other in a sensuous dance. “What do you need, Gracie?”
Even in the darkness of the room, I can see her cheeks flood with crimson color, simultaneously hating and loving it when I demand she tell me what she wants—in explicit detail. “Tell me, baby. Give me the words.”
Her lashes flutter shut, but I don’t let it last. Without warning, I thrust two fingers inside her, deep and hard, making her cry out as her body jerks under me.
“You want my fingers?” I demand, pushing them deep and twisting my wrist. Gracie moans, but shakes her head wildly.
I lean down, nipping at her lower lip. “You want my mouth?” Her tongue dips out, flicking over my mouth, teasing me, but then she shakes her head again.
“Tell me.” I pull my fingers back, leaving them resting right at her entrance.
She narrows her eyes. “I want”—she grinds her sex down on my hand, trying to get the pressure where she wants it—“you to fuck me. I want to feel you so deep inside me that I don’t know where I end and you begin.
I want your cock.” She reaches down, wrapping her fingers around my girth, jacking me firmly. “Inside me. Now.”
“You got it,” I mutter, my control fraying by the second. I pull my hand from her body, slotting myself firmly between her legs and lining the head of my dick up with her entrance. “Hold on, baby.”
That’s the only warning she gets before I thrust home, both of us crying out in unison as her silken heat surrounds me, sucking me deeper into her body. I give her a second to adjust to the intrusion, her inner walls fluttering around me.
I pull back, giving a few test thrusts—shallow and teasing. I palm her ass with one hand, digging my fingers into her fleshy cheek, sliding my other arm under her neck, yanking her to me.
“Hold on,” I tell her, and then I slam my hips forward, digging my cock as deep as I can get it.
I start thrusting hard and fast, powering into her, feeling the way her arousal drips around my cock.
My heart thunders in my chest as I lose myself in her body, sweat coating my back.
She’s holding on for dear life, scratching her nails along my upper back, her breathing loud in my ear.
The heels of her feet dig into my ass as she drives her hips up to meet me.
There are no more words between us, both of us lost to the pleasure of our bodies—something I’ve never felt with anyone else before. I press my face into her neck, pressing rough kisses and bites all over her, marking her as mine.
“Braxton,” she whimpers.
“I got you. I got you.”
I push up on my knees, giving me enough space to slide a hand between our bodies, finding her clit easily, the swollen bud slippery with her arousal. I rub it furiously, just how she likes it. She arches her head back, tendons straining in her neck.
“That’s it, beautiful. You’re gonna come for me, aren’t you? You’re gonna come all over my dick.”
I can’t look away from her. She’s a goddess, her hair in disarray, her skin slicked with sweat. Her tits bounce with every movement, and I bend down just enough to suck one into my mouth, teeth grazing against her sensitive nipple.
“You’re gonna come,” I breathe against her skin, my balls drawing up tight. “And I’m gonna fill you up. I’m gonna mark you as mine from the inside out. Because you are mine, aren’t you?”
“I’m yours,” she says breathlessly. Electricity shoots down my spine, my vision whiting out. “I’m yours, Brax.”
That’s what sends me over the edge, even as I try to fight it back, a loud groan rumbling out of me. I never stop moving as my cock pulses, shooting rope after rope of cum deep into her. I pinch her clit, and she detonates under me, her pussy squeezing me like a fist, milking the cum from me.
I surge forward one last time as I collapse over her, my dick still throbbing in time with my heartbeat. Gracie wraps herself around me, clutching me to her. She lets out a shaky exhale, damp air rushing over my neck, and I shudder.
It takes minutes before I can talk without sounding winded. “You okay?” I lean back just in time to catch her smile, her eyes blue and warm as she watches me.
She reaches up, running her hand through my hair, nails scratching against my scalp. “I’m perfect,” she murmurs. “Messy and in need of a shower, but perfect.”
I brush my nose against hers. “Midnight shower together?”
Gracie dips her chin, shifting under me and making my softening dick slip out of her. She pulls a face. “Better make it quick, because this couch is about to get a lot wetter than it already is.”
I stand, hauling her up beside me, wanting to keep my hands on her and not an inch of space between us. She sighs, snuggling into me, even as she presses her thighs tightly together, making me smile.
“Gracie.” She tilts her head back, her eyes sleepy, and I know I need to do everything in my power to keep this woman. She’s it for me, and I can’t let anything get in the way of that—even if it’s myself. “Love you, Rumpel.”
Her smile is soft and satiated. “42 percent.”
My head jerks back, mouth dropping open. “Are you kidding? I only lost four percent?”
She lets out the sweetest-sounding giggle, patting me on the chest. “Keep working on it,” she says solemnly. “Who knows what will happen?” Gracie gives me an arch look. “But a good start will be cleaning me up and putting me to bed.”
I laugh, unable to help myself, my hand landing against her ass with a solid thwack. She yelps, eyes flaring with shock, but I’m already ushering her to the bedroom. “Sure, baby. I’ll clean you…right before I dirty you all up again.”