Be Mine Read online

"Can you feel that?" His breath heated her skin, increasing the burn. "Can you feel how much I want inside you?”

  "Luke, this is all too soon." She blushed when he arched a brow, his eyes dark blue orbs of fire, and she knew he remembered what happened in her office. "That was too soon as well." What he was offering tempted her to no end.

  "Then we'll take it slow."

  She made a sound between a chuckle and a huff as she placed her palms on his chest. The heat that continued to radiate from his body made her languid that she wanted to just lean into him. "I don't exactly know what your definition of slow is, Mr. Bryce, but it sure isn't mine."

  "Mr. Bryce again? Should I finger or better yet, taste your pussy for us to get back to first names?"

  "Oh God, stop." This talk of raw sex was turning her on so much. Yup, she was certified desperate.

  Luke sighed. "Gracie, what do you want me to do?"

  She looked at him helplessly before closing her eyes. She disentangled herself from his hold to sit on the couch. "I don't know," she said softly. "I don't know what to say."

  Luke remained stoic, his hands on his hips.

  She darted a glance at him and shuddered at his unreadable gaze. She took a deep breath.

  "I'm flattered that you think I'm worth your time, but I'm not the woman for you."

  A muscle ticked on his jaw. "You are the woman for me, Gracie. Your husband must have been quite the bastard for you to be afraid of getting involved with someone else."

  Whoa! Okay, she was so not going to talk about Jonathan.

  Gracie stood up. "Didn't it ever occur to you that it's because I want to be loyal to his memory?"

  "Do you?" He arched his brow.

  "Take me home, Luke." Talking about the man who destroyed her may have been inopportune, but it sure as hell was the icy blast she needed.

  Luke's mouth thinned. "Gracie, I—"

  "How dare you take me here and feel as though you have some right to talk about my life just because you want to get into my knickers?" She didn't know where her anger came from. All she knew was that it felt so good to lash out. Then she squealed when in two strides, Luke held her. Fear took the place of excitement running down her spine. It must have shone in her eyes because Luke's face was suddenly a mirror of shock and remorse. He loosened his grip on her arms that allowed her to step away. He drew a harsh breath, turning to stride to the windows, looking out at the expanse of darkness.

  "What are you afraid of, Gracie?" he asked softly. "What did he do to you to stop you from moving on?"

  Gracie suddenly felt cold. "It doesn't matter. Take me home. Please."

  Luke kept silent but in the end nodded. When he pivoted and looked at her, there was a gentleness and sadness in his eyes. He raised his hand to cup her face, and Gracie couldn't stop herself from leaning into his palm. His scent surrounded her like a warm cloak as his breath fanned her face. Luke kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, then her nose, before planting a sweet one on her mouth. Sighing, Gracie opened for him. She couldn't help it. He was breaking her down, breaking every resistance she put up.

  "I can't take you home."

  Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

  Before she could utter a word, his mouth swooped down on hers and the fire that was doused a few moments ago, flared again, filling her body with a wild desire she didn't expect. She held on to him, he moulded his body against hers. Hard and soft. Luke slanted his head to gain more access to her mouth, his tongue tangling with hers, the shadow covering his jaw abrasive yet erotic against her skin. She whimpered as her arms encircled his neck, their breaths frenzied, mixing even as their mouths nipped and sucked each other’s lips. But soon, he broke the kiss, putting his forehead against hers, their hearts hammering against each other’s ribs.

  "I don't know what happened to you in the past, but please give me a chance to help you let it go," he murmured, his breath mingling with hers.

  Gracie's breath caught in her throat. Luke brushed her lips with another feather-like kiss and spoke against her waiting mouth.

  "I've never felt this need for a woman in all my life as I have this craving for you, Mrs. Sinclair. I can't think straight when I'm not with you. I can't keep a coherent thought when I'm with you. All I want to do is to take you to my bed and fuck you, make love to you. To see you come apart repeatedly before I spill inside of you."

  Gracie moaned. Her blood spiked when Luke's tongue traced the seam of her lips before sucking on them gently.

  "Mine, Gracie. Be Mine. Stay with me tonight."

  Slowly, she removed her arms and gently pushed away inside Luke's embrace to look at his eyes. She melted at the tenderness and passion mirrored there. Felt cherished at the way his gaze took in her face. Felt truly wanted at the way he held her close. Something inside her cracked, making her suck in her breath. Her forehead slightly furrowed at the razor-sharp pain that seemed to make a "Z" across her body. She gasped at the intensity, nearly doubling over.

  "Gracie?"

  Chapter Thirteen

  Her gaze took in his handsome face, trying to memorize every angle and plane. She touched his skin, enjoying the smooth and rough texture that awakened the tiniest of nerves in her fingertips before her forefinger traced his oh-so-talented mouth. Since Jonathan's death, not once had she been inclined to go out on a date. Raw to the core, Gracie felt that one man was enough. Didn't Jonathan say she didn't do it for him? What made her think it would be different with Luke?

  The phrase second chances suddenly came to mind.

  Yes, there was that, but she wasn't sure if she deserved it. Jonathan had stripped her so bare that she had lost confidence in asserting what she needed to love herself.

  The pain she felt dulled to a gentle throb and a smile softly tugged at her mouth. It was a good kind of pain. A pain that broke through the web of insecurity built from the hurt of her past. A pain that allowed for the tears in her heart to flow down the waterfall of broken dreams and half promises, to be churned and cleansed in the pool of hope that waited down below.

  Luke would be there in the pool, waiting to catch her when she fell. Her man of hope. She looked down at his chest before travelling to the column of his throat. He hissed when she leaned forward to kiss the pulse that beat at the base.

  Yes, she would take the risk, her past be damned.

  "Okay," she said softly. "We'll take it slow.”

  She squealed when Luke swirled her around as they both laughed. When her feet touched the floor, Luke took possession of her mouth again. It wasn't a chaste kiss. It was a kiss of pent-up passion, his lips roughly brushing against hers, bruising, even painful. To Gracie, it was glorious. She moaned when his tongue claimed her mouth, licking and branding every crevice, every sensitive part before mating with hers in a dance older than time itself. Her mouth fitted his as though she was meant for him, and only him. Her blood roared in her ears, cascading through her veins, and lighting her up like a shooting star. Her whole body rejoiced at the invasion, opening her up to Luke. He carried her, and she automatically placed her legs around his waist. She groaned against his mouth as she felt his arousal against her mound when he sat on the sofa.

  No words were needed. Luke cupped her face and traced her lower lip with the rough pad of his thumb. Then he brought his other hand to her face, framing her face in both palms. Gracie's eyes fluttered closed as her mouth parted under Luke's kiss. She didn't think she would ever tire of his mouth on hers. Her heartbeat sounded like the waves slamming against the rocks. All her senses zeroed on his mouth and the havoc it was wrecking on her. She loved his taste, the firm but soft lips that moulded so perfectly against hers. And his tongue. Oh God, his tongue teased, licked, and tasted her. He entered her mouth as though it already belonged to him. With a whimper, Gracie encircled her arms around his neck to bring him closer, her breasts pressing against his chest. Luke's kiss liquefied her insides, making her even wetter. He mated with her, hungrily seeking more when she thought she had
nothing left. Glorious bolts of desire zinged their way down to her groin. She squirmed and felt her wetness. Yup, her panties were ruined, but she bloody didn't care. Her core's muscles squeezed automatically and signalled the frustration of not having anything inside it.

  Luke's hand travelled underneath her hair to cradle her head as his mouth continued to cause mayhem with her senses. Gracie's hands moved away from Luke's neck to splay them against his muscled chest, whimpering when he lifted his hips teasing her with his shaft against her belly. Their heated breaths became the only sounds in the room. Luke's hands were all over her, shaping her waist and stomach before he removed her coat, letting it fall to the floor in a whispered heap before taking the ends of her T-shirt to lift it off.

  Gracie broke the kiss. Luke's fingers stopped.

  Their breathing was harsh, their eyes mirroring their lust.

  Gracie took Luke's hands away and removed her garment herself.

  "What's that?"

  Gracie looked down at her inner arm. "It's my patch." She blushed. "A contraceptive patch to help me regulate what I go through every month."

  "Well, fuck me..." Luke breathed.

  She laughed softly. "Isn't that what we're about to do?"

  She grew hot underneath Luke's gaze, as it seemed to brand her everywhere. Her chest moved up and down, her breasts pressing against her bra with every breath she took. She trailed a finger between her breasts and smiled seductively when Luke's eyes flared. Gracie's heart thumped against her ribs. Part of her delighted in the passion she saw in his eyes, yet even with that cleansing pain, the stubborn part of her subconscious jabbed at her, reminding her of what Jonathan used to say. That she was a slut incapable of pleasing a man. How could she be incapable of pleasuring Luke when his groans and his arousal showed otherwise?

  "Luke, I—"

  But Luke didn't let her speak. Instead, he leaned towards her, taking her mouth in his.

  "I like the way you say my name," he murmured in between kisses.

  Gracie allowed herself to be drawn into his arms. The ache in her body ran rampant through her. She needed Luke. She needed what his mouth, his hands, what his body promised. Unable to wait, she tried rubbing her clit against his denims, but her own jeans made the friction less enjoyable. As though reading her mind, Luke's hands moved towards her waistband and unzipped her fly. Gracie shuddered when she felt Luke's finger graze her wet panties. Her vaginal muscles clamped automatically, her frustration ratcheting a notch. Gracie grabbed his shoulders for support as a sudden wave of passion lashed against her. She keened softly, throwing her head back when Luke moved the cloth aside to bring skin to skin, finger to nub and channel. Her muscles clamped against one finger, then two, her hips undulating of their own volition, as she rode his hand. She needed him inside her. She didn't know if asking for more was making him think of her as a whore. The thought made her stiffen, and she pulled away.

  Luke noticed the lessening of her ardour when she suddenly stopped moving.

  "Gracie?" he rasped. She moaned when his fingers moved inside her pussy. "Go on, baby, I want you to enjoy."

  She kept her eyes lowered.

  "Gracie. Look at me."

  She refused.

  "Please, Gracie."

  Slowly, she did what he asked, breathing hard. Apart from the hunger burning in his eyes, Gracie also saw tenderness. A tenderness not borne out of pity, but a tenderness that told her he wanted to please her.

  "What do you want?"

  She swallowed.

  "Tell me what you want, babe, and I'll give it to you."

  Oh God! Here was a man who wanted her pleasure first rather than his own.

  "You, Luke. I want you."

  He smiled as he sat up, the movement making his fingers inside her flick. He grinned before putting his fingers as deep as he could and placed his thumb against her clit.

  "Ohh..." Gracie closed her eyes. Luke was taking her to a carnal world where fingers had just unlocked the door. Her pulse ran wild as he stoked the coil of pleasure heating up her belly.

  With his other hand, he reached out behind her and unhooked her bra. Gracie's breath hitched when he took her bra straps off her shoulders, the cups precariously holding the wealth of her breasts. He gently peeled the lace away as his eyes feasted at the sight of her erect nipples before his hand replaced her bra. Her breasts swelled at his touch. She gasped as more liquid heat pooled inside her jeans to bathe Luke's fingers. Luke rubbed his thumb against one nipple, then the other.

  "You're beautiful," he whispered as he continued to knead and tweak her breasts. She arched into Luke's hand. The room's chill forgotten, she gave a soundless cry when his mouth took the place of his thumb. She held on to his shoulders, afraid that she might fall as wave upon wave of ecstasy washed over her. Luke's tongue flicked and laved before his mouth sucked. Gracie whimpered, her arms around his head, her head thrown back when his tongue swirled hard and fast around one areola while his fingers played with the other. His tongue sent erotic signals down to her sex and her clit stiffened against his thumb. She gyrated harder against his fingers, trying to ease the ache that was building to unreasonable proportions.

  "Ohh..."

  "Yes, baby. Moan for me."

  She did, and she rode his hand, whimpers tumbling out from her lips. She was so close. Gracie had never felt so wanton before. Goosebumps skittered over her body. Her senses were heightened and completely focused on the fingers inside her.

  It made her feel so damn sexy.

  "Oh, babe, you're so wet," he growled. Gracie looked down to see Luke's jaw was clenched but a smile was on his mouth as he pleasured her. His fingers flicked and rubbed, circling her clit, strumming it gently, and spreading her own juices that seeped from her channel against her erotic nub.

  Luke's fingers went in and out, wrenching a cry from Gracie. Desire swirled inside and around her. Luke's eyes were at half-mast, his face alight with satisfaction at the pleasure he was giving her. Incoherent words tumbled from her lips from the language called lust. She could feel her orgasm building. Luke was taking her to the precipice. Her blood pulsed through her until finally she plunged headlong into bliss.

  "Luke! Oh God! Luke!"

  Paroxysms of pleasure drowned her and made her so dizzy that she slumped down against his chest, her breathing ragged. She moaned as Luke's soaked fingers left her channel. A little while later, she heard licking and slurping sounds.

  "You taste good, Gracie," Luke murmured against her ear. "Sweet and delicious. I could get used to this."

  Gracie groaned with a half-hearted laugh. She thumped Luke's chest with her boneless fist. He chuckled with amusement.

  "Did you like that?" He kissed her forehead.

  "Hhhmm...."

  Luke's masculine scent mixed with his cologne swirled around her. It made her salivate for him, the urge to also taste him strong. Slowly, her fist flattened against his chest before it made its way down to cup his arousal that strained against his jeans. With one move, she flicked the button of his jeans and slowly opened his fly.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Luke had his eyes closed as he savoured Gracie's taste on his tongue. He loved her taste. He had a raging hard on and it shouted for him to sink into her sweet depths, but he refused to listen despite the discomfort. He didn't want to scare her. If there was to be any sex, it would have to come from her. She would need to give him permission.

  Tonight was going to be all about her.

  He felt Gracie's hand caress his chest before popping the button of his jeans and sliding the zipper slowly. He raised his head. Gracie's head was still on his chest. He watched as her fingers continued to pull on his zipper. Lust surged up his already granite hard cock. His balls tightened when he felt her fingers lightly stroke his shaft against his boxers. Gracie looked up at him even while she continued to touch him. She raised her mouth against his throat and licked. Luke groaned when her mouth moved up to suck on his neck. Then her hand moved inside
to enclose his girth before moving up and down. His cock twitched in approval. He turned his face to claim her mouth, thoroughly enjoying what her hand was doing to his arousal. He bucked his hips against her fingers and groaned when he felt a fingertip spread pre-cum over his cock head. She stood up, the leather softly rustling around them as she stood, before she knelt in front of him, hooking her thumbs over the waistband of his jeans and sliding them down together with his underwear.

  "Shit, Gracie. What are you doing?"

  Gracie gave him the most seductive chuckle he had ever heard. She didn't reply. Instead, she kissed his stomach and licked the skin around his arousal. The brush of her silken hair against his thighs, his balls, and his cock sent a scorching fever through his system. He gave a soft growl, closing his eyes as her hand enclosed around him. Luke bucked his hips when she held his cock up to lick and suck gently on his balls.

  Luke hissed as Gracie licked the length of his shaft, circling her tongue around his cock head, flicking the sensitive underside, skimming her lips against the thick pulsing vein before taking him all in. His head fell back on the couch's backrest as he yielded to Gracie's mouth. His heart raced as her mouth took him in, her sweet cavern caressing his rod. He swallowed but his throat was dry. He looked down and took Gracie's hair to twist it in his hands. He watched as her head bobbed up and down his gratified cock, her cheek hollowing with her need. He hissed when she moaned, the sound vibrating off his genitals.

  "Oh fuck!" He was so turned on by the sounds of her mouth against him that the pain building inside him became exquisite.

  His butt tightened and his thighs strained when she took his entire length inside her mouth until he could feel the back of her throat. As her mouth retreated, she looked up. Eyes on him, she gave him another deep throat. Damn, she had no gag reflex! Luke groaned as his pleasure grew, radiating all the way up his spine, into his brain. Gracie's hand gripped him and pumped in concert with her mouth. She licked and sucked, teased and strummed, hummed and nipped. She took him out of her mouth and ran her tongue down before alternately kissing and licking his balls then holding him straight up to run her lips against the thick vein that ran from the base to the tip. Sliding, sucking, allowing her teeth to gently graze against him. She had an absolutely wicked tongue. He bucked when he felt her tongue's tip lick inside the cock slit before her mouth bobbed around him at a faster pace. She mewled sounds of enjoyment as she pleasured him. Again and again, she sucked. Then Luke held her head steady as his hips bucked, fucking her mouth. He could feel his balls prepare to fire.