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  Luke was right. They agreed to a no-commitment relationship, but Cilla had hoped that by enticing him to her body, it would be enough to assuage him before she got tired of him or got as much money as she could to pay for her fix. Then her supplier would move in for the kill. Annoyance hummed through her. The tables had been turned. He had tired of her instead. Correction. Some other cunt was pleasing his cock. She had to find out who she was.

  No one took what belonged to her. It was also scaring her because if her supplier got wind of this…Cilla didn’t even want to think of what could happen to her.

  Her strategy had to change.

  She nodded, sighing. "I guess this is it."

  "Yes, it is."

  Cilla smarted at the finality of his words. "Can't say I didn't try."

  He looked at her, searching her face. She became nervous. She smiled sweetly, hoping he didn't see behind the mask she wore. He nodded before walking to the door to open it for her. Cilla exhaled slowly in relief.

  "Goodbye, Cilla."

  "Goodbye, Luke. I'll see you around."

  Chapter Seventeen

  Gracie was in the shower when she heard Flynn's voice from her open bathroom door.

  "Mummy, where are you?"

  "In the shower," she called. "I'll be out soon."

  Steam surrounded her while she closed her eyes to let the hot water do its magic. Lord, her thighs were aching and her sex was sore but the images of Luke's mouth or shaft between her legs brought a throbbing response from her, causing her inner muscles to twitch at the memory. She didn't think that level of lust existed, that it was only a fantasy, a pipe dream. Luke showed her that it was real. Her body responded to his every wish and made it her own. When she screamed, he stopped, but she'd beg for more. It was a contradiction.

  A beautiful and delicious contradiction.

  She returned every blissful touch which she hoped was in equal measure. Judging by Luke's groans and the guttural shouts, she had succeeded. There was just no way of forgetting him now. Her body knew, no matter how much she denied it, it knew that Luke was the man who could give her what she needed. Just thinking of how the man coaxed her orgasm from her made her feel as though she was on fire, lighting up the hunger that had lain buried for a long time. Her lips tingled at the memory of his mouth and his tongue. Her ears remembered his breath and the timbre of his voice that had her sex quivering as though his mouth was on her. And his hands, damn those long tapered hands that heated her skin through her blouse and played with her pussy as though it was the most precious thing in the world when they were in her office and then again when he took her in his house. Gracie pressed her legs together, feeling the slickness between her thighs amidst the water cleansing her. Her lips parted as her fingers slid down her body to part the lips down below. She gasped at the heat that poured out from her as she found her clit. She thought of Luke's fingers instead of hers teasing her sex. She came undone with a soft moan, her teeth biting her lower lip to stop herself from crying out, her heartbeat furious one minute, then sliding back comfortably the next.

  Holy shit, playing with herself in the shower was a first.

  She giggled before reality struck, her vow not to let anyone in and not to get involved shattering.

  She was good enough. More than good enough.

  And Jonathan was wrong.

  That brought a smile to her lips.

  A while later, she came down and saw Theresa and Noreen talking. She wasn't expecting Luke to arrive early. Actually, she wasn't going to anticipate that he would, so she donned a pair of leggings and a hoodie, not bothering to wear a bra.

  "Mummy, the tooth fairy visited Nana's house," Flynn exclaimed, showing a shiny pound coin in the middle of his palm.

  "Wow!" Gracie smiled. "What are you going to do with the quid?"

  "Buy candy."

  "Too much candy, young man." Gracie hugged her son's body.

  "Mum!"

  "I'm going to cook some breakfast. What do you want to have?"

  "Sausages, but I also want sweets."

  "Let's have sausages first, then we'll see."

  Flynn ran back to Theresa. "Nana! Mummy's making sausages!"

  Gracie laughed before taking out the sausages from the fridge. Theresa took out the pan, while Noreen played with Flynn. Warmth spread through her as she remembered Flynn, who had been her reason for living and surviving. Then her mind returned to Luke.

  Would he? No. Gracie cut the thought down. She refused to entertain the thought.

  Because it would only make her hope.

  Gracie had just put the sausages into the oven when the doorbell rang.

  "I'll get it." She turned to the wall clock in the lounge, frowning at the early time. She rubbed her forearms, suddenly feeling chilly before opening the door.

  "Luke!" She gasped, warmth beginning to spread across her chest.

  "Gracie."

  "I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly."

  She felt the flush rising up to her cheeks as he looked at her appreciatively. She crossed her arms over her puckered nipples. Luke's dark hair was damp with rain drops suspended in the thick strands. He wore denims and a T-shirt underneath his jacket. Behind him the rain poured, making a sound like a gentle surf as the droplets hit the ground.

  "Who is it, Gracie?" Theresa asked, her voice becoming louder as she neared. Gracie turned to her and saw her mother's eyes widen. "May we help you? You're not the postie, are you?"

  "The last time I checked, no. I'm not. I don’t know if you get the post on a Sunday." Luke's eye crinkled as he smiled. "I came here for Gracie."

  Gracie blushed under her mother's cynosure. Theresa gave Luke a thorough glare before sighing.

  "Hmmm..." Theresa muttered. "You might as well come in or you'll be dripping all over the place." Then she pivoted to return to the kitchen. "Guess I'll have to cook the sausages."

  Gracie stepped aside and this time made sure that she was far away from Luke. Luke glanced down at her and gave a sexy chuckle.

  "Make yourself comfortable," she mumbled. "I'm going to get changed."

  "Oh, you don't have to on my account." Luke grinned as his eyes roamed the contours of her body. He leaned towards her to whisper, "You are dressed. You just don't have any bra. Better for me to suck on your tits later."

  "Stop it!" Gracie hissed before she flounced up the stairs. She didn't like Luke's amused chuckle that followed her, and she was annoyed at the smile that tugged the corners of her mouth and the way more butterflies had decided to take residence in her belly. Permanently.

  By the time she came down, Luke had moved from the lounge to the kitchen with a cup of tea between his hands. Gracie's mouth lifted a little seeing Luke being the centre of Flynn, her mother, and Noreen's attention.

  "Luke," she began, biting the inside of her cheek to stop the smile that wanted to break out. "I see you've met my son, Flynn, and my mother, Theresa Mason. You already know Noreen."

  Noreen bit into the vegetarian sausage pierced by her fork's tines. "Hi ya."

  She could see that Luke wanted to squirm in his seat and stifled her grin. Flynn couldn't stop staring, his dark brown eyes rounding like marbles on his small face.

  Luke gave Flynn a quick smile before he exhaled slowly.

  "Cat got your tongue?" Gracie teased, sitting down beside him. She caught her mother's eye but didn't respond to her quizzical look. There would be a lot of time for that later. Theresa exhaled loudly and stood, returning to the kitchen.

  Luke grinned before shaking his head. "This very moment, facing a shark would be more comfortable than the curious stare of this little big man."

  Gracie laughed. "I assume you've never been around children."

  His face clouded momentarily before it relaxed, piquing her curiosity.

  "No, I haven't. Terrence's children are with his ex, so I've not had a chance to try my children skills."

  "And yet you want to spend time with Flynn and me." She inclined he
r head to one side. "I don't understand you, Mr. Bryce."

  "Must we go through this again?" Luke raised a brow as he drank from his mug, his eyes heating up above the rim. Heat warmed Gracie's cheeks that made a beeline to her crotch.

  "Flynn, would you like to go to Nana's house? I'm baking some biscuits for the church tomorrow. What do you say?"

  "But you've just returned." Gracie looked askance at her mother.

  Theresa harrumphed. "Well, there are more people than biscuits. Jesus said we need to feed the multitude."

  "I better go as well," Noreen piped in. "I need to get started on the pottery."

  Gracie watched Luke's face close when Flynn bounced out of the couch and ran up the stairs. Theresa laughed as she placed her hands on her hips.

  "Are you okay?" she asked.

  Luke's head whipped to her. "Yeah. Why?"

  "No particular reason," she said. "I'll just get Flynn dressed."

  Something tugged inside Luke, a memory of happier times. He waved at Noreen when she left but it was more of an afterthought that he did. Whatever Gracie did with Flynn used to be his life. The closeness he sensed between mother and son brought back the brief sadness he felt when he lost his own mother. He looked down on the floor to get a grip and force his thoughts to the side.

  Gracie walked past him and up the stairs, not looking at Luke. He inhaled and nearly closed his eyes at her scent. Sweet, seductive. He heard Flynn squealing from upstairs as Gracie's laughter floated down to him. Luke couldn't help the grin that widened his mouth. He would love to hear Gracie laugh often. He didn't want to see her cry.

  Leaving his mug on the coffee table, he stood up and walked towards the French doors leading out to the garden. The rain had lightened to a soft drizzle. The glass panes that buttressed the cold from outside fogged up from the warmth of the lounge. Something stirred inside him when he heard the laughter of mother and son. He shook his head in bemusement. That unfamiliar pull made his chest constrict with an emotion he didn't expect to ever feel. In fact, the last time he felt it was when his mother was alive.

  A sound behind him made him turn around. Theresa was putting her coat on.

  "Don't you live here?" he asked. Okay, that didn't sound right.

  Theresa paused what she was doing before she shrugged into her coat completely. Her mouth quirked in a semblance of a smile.

  "No. My house is a few blocks away."

  "I can take you and Flynn," he said, fishing his keys out of his pocket.

  "That's okay. I have my car."

  Theresa twisted her scarf around her neck before getting the umbrella from out of the stand.

  "You sure you'll be all right?"

  Theresa arched her brow. "Young man, I've been doing this way before you even stepped foot in my daughter's home."

  "Okay, I deserved that," Luke said, looking sheepish, feeling the heat rise to his face. His ears burned as though they had just been thoroughly boxed. "Sorry. I didn't mean it the way it came out."

  Theresa shrugged, blowing out a breath and shaking her head. "I hope you know what you're doing."

  Luke bristled. "Gracie means a lot to me."

  "Don't think I don't know what you're up to." Her eyes bored through him.

  He wanted to snap back but what moral grounds did he have? All of his relationships had been fuckships. After all of them, how could he say Gracie meant a lot to him? It was like the boy crying wolf. Just when the real thing came, no one wanted to believe. And he saw that in Theresa, watching the gamut of emotions that flitted through her face. Annoyance, apprehension, sadness, resignation. She hesitated for a moment before she spoke. "I don't want to see Gracie hurt again, Luke. And I know that you're the love 'em and leave 'em type."

  Luke’s mouth quirked. “That’s a stereotype.”

  Theresa’s brow rose. “I saw the way you kissed my daughter the first time you came over here. I can see how you look at her with lust,” she spoke in a gentler tone. “I can sense that you want to break down the walls she’s put up. And I know who you are, Mr. Bryce. If you’re not dating one of The Sun’s page three Barbies, your face is plastered all over the tabloids with women in your arms. So even if I didn’t stereotype you, your reputation did.

  He couldn't find fault in that.

  "I don't interfere with my daughter's life unless she wants me to, but I will make an exception this time. Do not hurt my daughter. She's been through enough to last more lifetimes than I'd care to count."

  Luke inhaled deeply, exhaling to calm his heartbeat. "I have no intention of hurting Gracie, Mrs. Mason," he said. "It's the farthest thing from my mind."

  "Perhaps. But for how long?"

  The pitter-patter of giant feet came running down the stairs, followed by Gracie's softer, more gentle tread.

  Theresa then gave a huge smile when Flynn halted in front of her. "Don't you look like the charmer you are."

  Flynn was bundled up in a thick shirt, an orange jacket, and dark denims.

  "Mum wanted me to wear brown pants. Wouldn't I look like a pumpkin?"

  Theresa chortled. "You'd still be the pumpkin of my eye, Flynn."

  Gracie knelt in front of him and gave him a big hug before kissing him on the forehead.

  "Don't give Nana a hard time, okay?"

  "He never does, luv," Theresa said.

  Flynn threw his arms around Gracie's neck, burying his head against her shoulder. "I love you, Mummy."

  "I love you, Flynn."

  Gracie closed the door and turned to face Luke. He had his hands in his pocket, his hair ruffled and wavy with a lock falling over his forehead.

  "So," she said. "What do you want to do?"

  Chapter Eighteen

  "How about we go out to town and have a regular Sunday."

  Gracie laughed. "And a regular Sunday is what?"

  "Browsing the shops." Luke enclosed her in his arms, his hands on her lower back, pulling her closer. He brushed his nose against her jaw, tracing her cheek before he bit her earlobe. When she moaned, he licked and sucked the sting away. "Or we can stay here and I can eat you. I can suck your clit and lap your honey."

  She shivered and nearly melted had it not been for Luke holding her close. She placed her arms around his waist, inhaling his clean scent and sighed. "Honestly? I'm sore."

  "Hmm...we can't have that, can we?" His voice deepened. "And since I'm guilty as charged, let me make it up to you."

  "Good." Gracie gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'll change to denims and grab my bag. Then we can window shop."

  That wasn't exactly what he wanted, but he couldn't help grinning. Yeah, window shopping would do him good. The anticipation of making love to her at the end of that day would more than make up for it.

  The sun decided to take over and by the time they arrived and found a parking space, it had stopped raining. Water and small puddles trapped in pockets between the cobblestones glinted like diamonds in the daylight. The city streets were starting to crowd with early shoppers, the Christmas market already in full swing. They browsed through Saint Anne's Square, eating their sandwiches as they explored the stalls, the aroma of cooked food, mulled wine, and chocolate creating a cornucopia of gastronomic delights. The narrow walkways around the stalls made for a picture of congested traffic with people as cars.

  They were looking at the display of bracelets in the Links of London store window when someone accidentally bumped into both of them. Gracie slightly pitched forward, grabbing at Luke while at the same time bracing her arm against the glass.

  "Sorry!" a girl's voice squealed behind them, the explanation rushed. "It's so crowded. I'm really sorry."

  They both turned to look at the strawberry blonde haired girl wrapped in a checkered coat. She carried a few high street and plain plastic bags in one hand and a coffee cup in the other. She looked to be in her early twenties. Her high cheekbones and nose were red from the cold. Her eyes, perfectly made up with pale and earth eye shadows and mascara, sparkled as though she
was enjoying the pre-Christmas madness. She had a ready but apologetic smile that showed her pearly whites. She had a black haired female companion with her, who was less exuberant and who had a scowl on her face at being nudged as well from behind.

  "That's okay." Gracie smiled. "No harm done." She turned to Luke, whose face was carved in stone. She turned to look at the girl, her face pale underneath her dusky complexion, her mouth parted in what looked like shock, dismay, and was that remorse?

  "Let's go, Gracie." Luke gripped her arm in an almost vice like grip. "Let's get out of the crowd so that we don't bump into people."

  "Luke!" Where the bloody hell did that rudeness come from? Gracie turned to look at the girl in bewilderment. Her eyes flashed with anger at the put down before sadness replaced it. Gracie was at a loss. Was she one of Luke's past weekenders? The thought made her realize her own position and the green-eyed monster suddenly reared its head. Luke pulled her none too gently away from the girl, who stared at them until the crowd swelled into the gap like the closing of the Red Sea.

  Gracie kept up with Luke's longer strides, half running. When they were out of the crowds close to the entrance of the Royal Exchange, she wrenched her arm from his grasp.

  "What the hell, Luke? That was bloody rude." Her eyes flashed dangerously.

  Instead of retorting, Luke raked his hair before taking her in his arms so fiercely that her breath whooshed out of her into his shirt. Luke was trembling. Dear God, why was he shaking? What was this all about?

  "Luke?" Gracie looked up at his face, fixing the lock of hair that fell over his forehead. His eyes went from inscrutable, unreadable, before a curtain lifted to allow her to see.

  Broken.

  People were beginning to stare. Taking Luke's hand, she graciously pushed their way through the less dense crowd, going against the flow of people and through a corridor between Starbucks and Austin Reed. They entered the Sandinista bar and found a cubicle in the corner away from the door, away from prying eyes. After the bright autumn sunlight, the bar's dark interior was a haven from the crowd. Hardly anyone was inside. After giving their order, Gracie watched as Luke leaned back against the seat, his eyes closed. She moved away so that she could undo her jacket, but Luke's hand jack-knifed.