Grayson
. . .
THIRTY-SEVEN
I follow Maisie’s taillights, remaining a safe distance behind her. I should have just thrown her in my truck and made Chesney come get his, but I was so flustered to get her home, I didn’t want her exposing herself.
I know it was them. They’ve been keeping tabs on me, and now, it seems, Maisie too.
I should kick myself for thinking we live in some bubble where no one could get to us if I kept playing my part.
They don’t care. They care about me staying focused and winning them money.
They didn’t like that my last fight was ugly, and they also don’t like that Maisie has taken up the majority of the thoughts in my head.
I should have told her to wait for me. She’s independent, though, so she probably would have told me to fuck right off, and that would have been that.
I regret not tearing that store apart until I found who was stalking her, but my need to get her safely home won out.
I couldn’t spend another second without having eyes on her.
I’m sure as soon as they saw me pull up, they dipped out the back doors.
The fact the man let Maisie see him at all means they were sending a warning.
They wanted her to know she’s being watched. Or, more specifically, for me to know.
We are home in no time. I hop out of my truck to open her door for her before she’s parked. I want her inside as soon as possible, so I pick her up and throw her over my shoulder. I usher her inside, noticing a few packages on the porch from the mail Roxy must have dropped off.
“Jesus, Grayson,” she yells. “I can walk myself into the damn house. Plus, there’s groceries in the back seat.”
“I’ll get them,” I grunt, throwing her down on the couch. She crosses her arms over her chest, glaring at me.
I run out of the house, checking the long drive to make sure no cars followed us here before grabbing the few bags of groceries and kicking the boxes stacked by the door in with my foot.
Maisie swipes a small box from the pile with her name on it while I put the groceries away.
If she shopped for us, I’ll for damn sure be putting them away.
I chuckle under my breath when I see the new bottle of lube she bought.
I start opening the boxes addressed to me—a new security system to watch over Maisie. You can never be too cautious when you have the mafia breathing down your neck. I pull out two new security cameras and an alarm system when something shiny and glittering draws my attention.
“What the fuck is that?” I growl.
Maisie's wide eyes snap to mine, her small hand pinching a wedding ring in front of her face. She looks between the ring and me, trying to come up with words.
“It’s from Carl,” she mutters, looking confused.
“Your cheating ex?” I seethe.
“Well, yeah, but not like that—”
“Lose the fucking ring, Maisie, before I do it for you. It’s not spending another fucking second under my roof.” I take a step forward, but she draws the ring into her chest, hiding it from me.
“No! You can’t have it.”
Is this woman trying to drive me crazy? I can already check off bad men stalking her today. I don’t need to add her lying, cheating, piece of shit ex sending her love declarations in the mail. Does she still want him? Does she still love him?
“Why?” I grit out, ugly, green envy flooding my vision.
“Because I told him to send it to me.”
I step closer, my voice rising. “You what?”
“I saw it before I caught him cheating on me. It’s worth money, and he owes me at least that.”
Her words should alleviate the jealousy coursing through me, but I can’t focus on anything except that damn ring from another man gripped tightly in her hand like she’s still clinging to the relationship. I know she’s not, but tell my pride that. Good luck.
“Maisie, you have all of two seconds to get that ring out of my sight before I throw it out the window and then throw you over my knee and teach you a lesson with my palm.”
She smirks. “Sorry, cowboy, but I’m going to have to call your bluff. This ring could fetch me a pretty penny at the local pawn shop,” she coos.
I pull out my phone, transferring ten thousand dollars into her bank account.
I had her added, since she’s been helping so much around the ranch.
It’s way more than the ring is worth, but I would pay her five times that to get it out of my house.
Perks of the mafia actually paying me a cut for my fights after a little pushback.
I still somehow ‘owe’ them money, though.
Maisie’s phone dings in her pocket. She pulls it out and gasps when she reads the notification.
I don’t give her a second to process before I’m snatching the ring from her and throwing it right in the disposal like I told her I would, where it fucking belongs.
She’s thrown over my shoulder in the next minute, squealing as I make my way to the leather chair in the living room.
“Grayson, put me down,” she grunts, hitting my back.
“Not happening, honey. You’ve earned yourself a punishment, and it’s time to pay up.”
“Don’t you dare, Grayson Miles,” she threatens, huffing against my back.
“If you want to call the cowboy’s bluff, you gotta ride the punishment, baby.” I slide her down my front, slouching into the leather chair. Maisie tries to brush the hair from her face, but I stop her. “Nuh-uh, you don’t need to see for what’s about to happen.”
I grip her hips, drawing her onto my lap. She falls against me with a humph, a giggle following. I trail my hand down her spine, and I feel the shivers I cause under my touch.
“Gray,” she moans, leaning back into my palm, chasing my touch.
“This is a punishment, Mais. Don’t act like you love it so much,” I chuckle, feeling her thong through her flowy dress.
“Doesn’t seem like it to me,” she taunts, wiggling her ass in my lap. My dick strains painfully against my jeans.
“Such a brat,” I rasp. My hand finds her neck, and then I squeeze, shoving her forward so she’s laid flat across my lap sideways.
She stays put like I knew she would. My girl loves to be dominated.
I know I told her this would be a punishment, but I want her to enjoy it.
This punishment is for teaching her who’s in charge.
I’ll let her take the reins outside these walls, but in here, under my roof, I will be the only man she thinks about.
I drag my palm down her spine, squeezing her round ass cheeks, my fingers tingling at what’s to come. “If you’re going to even mutter another man's name under my roof, let alone bring his fucking ring in here, then I think a lesson’s in order, don’t you?”
I have her dress lifted over her ass, revealing herself to me. Her skin pebbles, and I trace my finger under the hem of her flirty red thong, as if she knew this was going to happen.
“Grayson,” she groans, squirming under my touch.
“Shhh, honey,” I rasp. “It’s time to train the brat out of you.”
“F-fuck,” she mutters, her fingers digging into my jeans to balance herself.
I dust my knuckles over her ass. “Do you trust me?” She nods against my leg. “If it gets to be too much, saddle is your safe word. Got it?” She nods jerkily. “Words, Maisie. I need words.”
“S-saddle. My safe word is saddle,” she whimpers, and I can tell she’s equally nervous and turned on.
“Good girl,” I praise before dropping a kiss to her ass, leaving a little bite behind. Her skin reddens so perfectly, and I can’t wait to see the mark my palm will make. “I will always be tender with your heart, but your body is mine to break.”
My palm connects with her left cheek, the smack ringing in the silence. I groan under my breath at the red handprint left behind and how her legs clench. Maisie’s whimper might just be my new ringtone.
“Still going to be a brat?” I ask.
“Yes,” she screams, burying her face against me, waiting for her punishment.
“Such a naughty girl,” I chuckle, bringing my palm down in the same spot. I can tell it’s extra tender when she flinches in my lap, but her body melts back into me immediately, and she begins to grind against my leg, seeking any kind of friction. “Ready to apologize yet?”
“Never,” she moans, shoving her ass up for more.
I massage the tender skin, chasing away the pain. “My girl has a pain kink, doesn’t she?” I growl, smacking her right cheek this time. “My dirty girl.”
“Fuck!” Maisie screams, trembling in my lap. “Please, Grayson,” she begs, her voice desperate.
“Please what, Mais?”
“I-I’ll be a g-good girl,” she pants. My hand cups her pussy, and she grinds her hips back against it. “Please.”
I circle her clit once through her soaked underwear before pulling away. She groans in protest. “Good. I’m glad you’ve learned your lesson.” I lift her so she’s sitting on my lap, straddling my waist.
“But—”
“But what?” I tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. She shoots me puppy dog eyes, rocking in my lap, seeking friction. “Those eyes aren’t going to work on me today, baby. If you’re a good girl the rest of the day, I’ll reward you later. How about that?”
“I thought I was always your good girl,” she pouts, planting a kiss on me.
I chuckle, booping her nose. “Goddamnit, you are so hard to resist, woman.” I draw her in for another kiss, and she giggles into my mouth, knowing she’s won.
“You know you love me,” she teases.
“I…” The words almost slip from my lips before I catch myself. We stare at each other with wide eyes and panting chests. She didn’t really mean that—she was just teasing, and it rolled off her tongue—but my feelings for her are anything but a joke.
I think I might be falling in love with Maisie, and I’m about to show her just how much.
My drug and my antidote.