Be Mine Read online

  "Don't go," he said quietly. "Please don't go."

  She placed her hand over his. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm just going to remove my jacket." He let go of her arm, the jacket rustling away from her body and on to the seat. Luke's hand was never far and when she placed her hand in his again, he caught it. As though some unseen force propelled him, he moved and captured her mouth in his. The moment his tongue swept inside her mouth, all coherent thought disappeared. Gracie melted in Luke's arms, opening herself to his tongue, his mouth, giving in to the ache of wanting him, of tasting him because she couldn't get enough. He cupped her face with both hands, slanting his mouth for a deeper invasion. But this kiss was also desperate almost needy, a side that she didn't believe was in him. Gracie dimly heard their coffees arriving by the clink of china and the gentle thud on the wooden table. She didn't even notice the server leaving. Luke ended the kiss and placed his forehead against hers, both their breaths heavy.

  "Thanks, I needed that."

  Gracie smiled against his mouth, her hands covering his. "And you have it. I'm here."

  For as long as you need me.

  They moved apart to get their coffee. Gracie looked at the bar. The server busied himself with another customer. Gracie liked their discretion.

  "This place looks like a cantina." Luke observed the tiny lights suspended over the place.

  "Yes, it does," Gracie agreed. "And their coffee is good. Nicaraguan." She took a sip and sighed in pleasure.

  Luke did the same and nodded. "I was an arse outside."

  "Is that your way of apologizing?" she teased.

  He smirked. He looked as though he was in control, but Gracie could see that his mouth was pinched. "Probably."

  She looked at the dark liquid in her cup, scenting the aroma and taking it into her lungs.

  "Aren't you going to ask me?"

  She looked at him. "Who she was?"

  He waited.

  She shook her head. "Whoever you were in the past isn't my business, Luke. By tomorrow, I'll be the same."

  "Gracie, you are not going to be left in my past. Didn't we agree that we'll take it slow?" He reached out to cup her neck underneath her hair, caressing her.

  "I'm going to make a sound if you keep doing that."

  He snickered. "Go ahead."

  "Exhibitionist."

  "Who, me? Who's going to moan?"

  Gracie sighed, shaking her head when she heard Luke laugh softly. She removed his hand and entwined her fingers with his.

  "By now you should already feel it in your bones that I'm not letting you go."

  She was thrilled by what he said as though the sun decided to visit the centre of her heart even if her mind urged for caution. "One day at a time then."

  Luke seemed to accept that because he eased his grip on her hand. He gathered her to his side, keeping a possessive arm around her waist.

  "I was never involved with her," he started.

  "You don't have to say anything." She looked at him, putting her finger against his mouth. He gave it a kiss before his mouth quirked to the side.

  "I want to."

  "Okay," she said the word slowly, still wondering why it was so important for him to tell her, bracing herself in case his answer hurt. "Who is she?"

  "My sister."

  Seeing Felicity after all this time blindsided Luke. His only reaction was to take Gracie away from a girl who had never done him any harm.

  Except be part of their father's legal family.

  "Oh my God, Luke..."

  He gave a slight wince.

  "Why didn't you tell me?" Gracie looked at him in bewilderment. "Why did we go away?"

  "Because I'm a bastard."

  "Luke!" She gasped.

  "No, I really am. Our father got my mother pregnant. He promised to marry her only for her to realize that he was already married."

  "Oh."

  Shit, she was moving away. Literally. Figuratively, he wasn't sure. She left his side to drink from her cup. Luke's chest squeezed painfully. This was what he was afraid of.

  "If you don't want to be with me, I'm cool with that." He didn't mean to be harsh, but he was beginning to hurt like a mother.

  "No! No, that's not it. Oh, dear God, no." She laughed softly and bit her lip, shaking her head.

  He frowned, and he couldn't stop himself from rubbing his chest to ease the ache. Relief was a great balm too. "Then what is it?"

  "He did the same to me." Gracie's voice was so soft, Luke thought he misheard her.

  For a moment, Luke stared at her before realization dawned. "Oh shit." Luke exhaled. "I'm so sorry."

  "It wasn't your fault," Gracie replied offhandedly.

  "Neither was it yours, babe." He pulled her back to him and kissed her hair. "I'm beginning to understand why."

  "Why what?"

  "Why you won't let me in."

  Gracie remained silent before she finally spoke. "I still have a lot to work through."

  "And I'll be there for you."

  She looked up at him, her eyes crinkling. "Wow,” she said softly. “Who would have thought that the ruthless Luke Bryce was a romantic."

  At that moment Luke wanted to give her the world.

  "Only with you, Gracie Sinclair. Only with you," he said before taking her lips in his.

  Gracie sighed when he ended it. "Tell me about your sister."

  He blew out a breath. He wanted to know more about Jonathan Sinclair to know what he did to Gracie. That would have to wait. "There's nothing to tell, really. I never had any contact with them."

  "But you recognized her."

  He nodded. "She was the only one who tried to contact me. Among all my father's daughters."

  "What happened?"

  "I pushed her away," he said quietly.

  "Why?" Her face was aghast.

  "I didn't want to have anything to do with my father's family. I don't want to have anything to do with them now."

  "But she made the effort—"

  "It was just a ruse," he interrupted, remembering the humiliation and devastation of not finding Felicity at their agreed meeting point. "I went to the place she told me to meet her. She wasn't there. Her mother and her two other sisters were."

  Luke could still remember the day. He had hopes of an olive branch being extended to him. Felicity had been so excited. He heard it in her voice when they spoke on the phone, and he couldn't help his own excitement build. He'd always been alone. It would be fantastic to be able to have a sister.

  He continued. "I asked where Felicity was. They said she had to go somewhere. I said I was supposed to meet her. Sue, her mother, said that Felicity never intended to meet me before reminding me that I was a bastard and that her daughters would not sully themselves with the likes of me."

  Gracie gasped. Luke saw her blink back the tears. "Oh my God..."

  "So." He smirked. "That's why I wanted to leave."

  "Didn't Felicity try to explain afterwards?"

  "She tried." He nodded. "I didn't give a fuck. I still don’t. They were all the same."

  Suddenly, Gracie threw her arms around him and held him tight. He stiffened. He didn't want her pity. He tried pushing her away. She clung to him. The more he pushed, the more she tightened her hold.

  "Don't let go, Luke," she whispered in his ear, her breath against his cheek, against his throat. "I'm here. Don't let go."

  He crushed her, holding her tight. Gracie's mere presence was enough to break through the tightly knit ball of anger inside his gut, covering it and taking it as hers. It was as though a huge weight had lifted. The albatross he dragged with him all this time was finally unchained. He didn't know how long this feeling of letting go would last. He just knew that he had never felt immense relief as much as he did now.

  Immense peace.

  They left the bar, and Luke couldn't get to their destination as fast as he wanted. He went to the reception desk of the hotel and got them a room. The fire in Gracie's eyes inflamed
his own and their hands wrenched each other’s clothes, their mouths the only part that connected them. Luke laid her down on the bed, his heart hammering inside his chest and head, his mouth running through every inch of her body, his body heating up with a hunger he couldn't control, fuelled by her moans. He dipped his fingers inside her, and when she winced, he stopped.

  "Gracie, I'm sorry. Fuck! I'm sorry," he gritted, his ardour lessened by the slight pain in her face.

  Gracie cupped his face, hovering above her even as she raised her hips to meet his hand.

  "Don't be sorry, Luke. Take me. I want you to take me."

  He took her slowly, teasing her opening, thumbing her clit until she sighed, then moaned. Soon she was riding his fingers and his hunger thundered in his ears while his cock throbbed with the blood flowing into it, making it nearly painfully hard. He growled when she arched and whimpered in ecstasy. Her slick heat coated his fingers and when he flicked them fast inside, Gracie came with a keening cry, bathing his hand with her liquid heat. He rubbed her clit, covering it with more of her sweetness while he took her nipples one at a time in his mouth.

  "Luke! Oh God, I need you to be inside me." Her breath came in hard pants, her hands gripping his ass, making room between her thighs for him. Her eyes flared to dark brown pools when Luke licked his fingers clean before kissing her, making her taste herself on his tongue. He brought her arms up above her head, holding them with one hand while his other hand guided his cock into her.

  "Oh fuck, Gracie." Luke closed his eyes as her inner muscles surrounded him with her fire. He blazed a wet trail down her neck when she dipped her head on the bed, exposing her throat. Luke's breath stuttered at the ripples of satisfaction that seemed to burst throughout his body, groaning at the intensity of the pleasure he felt around his cock as her walls encased him in her silky wetness. He looked at her, the delight lighting her face, parting her lips as he rammed into her in short and long thrusts. He watched Gracie's skin blush at the rapture he was giving her, staccato cries of bliss falling from her lips. Her breasts undulated under his chest, and he couldn't stop himself from bending down to take what she offered.

  "More..." she begged. "Yes!" She praised when he increased his pace.

  Luke raised himself on his arms as his pelvis met her upturned thighs, before he took one of her legs and placed it on his shoulder.

  "Oh, baby..." He was able to push deeper into her vagina, his cock hardening as more blood pumped into it until he could feel his balls tighten and the orgasm coiling inside him.

  "Yeessss! Luke!" she screamed, gripping the bed sheets hard as she came. One, two, three thrusts and his climax came out of him, his groans stuttering with the onslaught, draining him even as he flew when Gracie's sex squeezed him.

  Luke fell on top of her, their bodies slick with sweat even in the cool air, their hearts still hammering in tune with their hearts' song. Slowly, he eased himself out of her despite her groans of protest and cradled her in his arms.

  He never knew what contentment was.

  Until now.

  Chapter Nineteen

  There was a lightness in Gracie's step when she left the doctor's office Monday morning. In hindsight, using a patch to help regulate her flow was a blessing in more ways than one. Having replaced the old one, she left the clinic. She felt her face heat up when her doctor asked about how she was feeling, knowing that she was using the patch for a different reason. But her doctor's face was so bland Gracie needn't have worried. She giggled when she left the doctor's consultation room. For two consenting adults, she and Luke were like two horny teenagers.

  He had made love to her one last time before taking her home and promising her that he'd return. However, she still had a wealth of skepticism, not expecting he'd do that.

  "But you've got work," she said after he let go of her.

  "I own the bloody company, Gracie, and I haven't had a self-imposed holiday which I'm dying to spend with you," Luke growled. "Let Terrence run it for another week."

  Gracie warmed at the memory as she walked down the lane leading home. Her panties dampened just at the thought of Luke's thick arousal plunging in and out of her and taking her to a different kind of nirvana that she had no other choice but cling to him. She could feel her folds down south thicken and pulse, while her channel quivered. A smile curved the sides of her mouth, and she giggled when a well-built attractive man passed her and smiled back.

  Sorry. I'm taken.

  Gracie halted abruptly mid-stride, her jaw slacking. Where the hell did that thought come from? Chuckling ruefully, she continued walking. Yeah, she was on cloud nine at the moment. She'd be on splat zero soon enough.

  As she neared the corner leading to her house, her pace slowed. It was all well and good for Luke to make promises. Problem was, she didn't believe in promises anymore even though the hard kiss he planted on her mouth had been enough for her heart to be lit by a spark of hope. Sure, she had said yes, but the habit of not trusting or believing was difficult to uproot in just a short span of time. She wasn't even sure if time would make a difference since it was also the very same concept that made her jaded. It was difficult to change a mind-set that was almost carved in stone. For once, her heart and mind were in agreement. Her mind wrestled with the new memories Luke made. He was like any other man, right? He could make promises with his actions to soften the blow of never coming back. She expected to feel pain in her chest, but there was none. She had entered into a fling with one of the most attractive men she had ever seen without expectations. She pressed her lips together as a thought flitted through her consciousness. It had taken Luke to make her realize that Jonathan was really wrong.

  She suddenly thought of what happened when Luke bumped into his sister. Knowing that he had one shouldn't have been a surprise. His aversion to talking to her was. Perhaps because she didn't have any siblings it became a wish Gracie had since she was little. Being allowed to see just part of what Luke had gone through made her feel for him, the lost boy who became an embittered man.

  She continued with her musings as she turned the corner.

  They didn't get to talk about Jonathan either. She didn't think it was the right time to talk about her previous marriage. Luke, despite his anger, was hurting. She didn't need to throw her self-pity into the mix. She couldn't believe the parallelisms between Luke's life and hers either. Who would have thought that serendipity would throw them together?

  It wasn’t serendipity. It was the bloody folders.

  Gracie snorted, shaking her head.

  "Mum! Flynn! I'm back." She closed the door behind her before taking off her coat and hanging it on the coat rack. She saw her friend come out of the kitchen. "Hey, Noreen."

  "Hi! Your mum's cookies are delicious!" Noreen closed her eyes, savouring what was already in her mouth. "I'm going to get fat in this house."

  Gracie laughed. "Nah, you're too hyper to gain any pounds."

  "Oh, speaking of which," Noreen brushed her hands together as she continued chewing. "I need to get the ceramics out of the kiln. When do you want to drop by and make more of your creations?"

  Gracie hesitated.

  Noreen grinned. "Can't decide because your evenings are now booked, huh?"

  "Noreen!"

  Noreen raised her hands. "Just saying, girlfriend. Right, I better be off. Gracie, call me?" She made her way to the door.

  "I will," Gracie replied, smiling ruefully. "Thanks."

  "Mummy! You left without me." Flynn pouted and flounced on the sofa.

  "Oh, darling! Mummy didn't bring the car. I didn't want you to tire yourself." Gracie sat and enveloped her son in her arms. He nuzzled against her neck. Gracie chuckled as a different kind of warmth filled her. She breathed in Flynn's baby smell that gave her comfort and peace.

  "I could have brought my bicycle."

  Gracie laughed.

  "Soon you'll be hard pressed to reason with your son, Gracie," her mother said wryly.

  Gracie stood u
p. "So true."

  "You all right, luv?" Theresa cocked her head to one side.

  Gracie's eyes flew to her mother's shrewd ones.

  "Yes, Mum. I'm fine."

  Theresa searched her face much to Gracie's discomfiture before nodding. "As long as you know what you're doing."

  Gracie inhaled, and then let out her breath slowly. "It's not going to happen again, Mum. Can we just drop it, please?"

  "Oh, luv, I didn't mean to rile you." Theresa sighed. "I'm sorry. It's your life. I just want you to be happy."

  Gracie moved to embrace her mother. "I know, thanks. I know you mean well. I don't think it's going to last."

  Theresa turned on her heel to return to the kitchen with Gracie following. She got out a mug from the cupboard and put the kettle to boil. Gracie sat Flynn on her lap, hugging his small body to her chest as she waited for her mother to make her tea.

  Her mother handed her the mug, her face skeptical. "With Luke? I doubt that."

  "What do you mean?"

  Just then, the doorbell rang. Theresa's mouth curved into a smile.

  "That might be your answer."

  Gracie laughed. "What? The postie's my answer?"

  Theresa harrumphed. "We thought the man yesterday was the postie and it wasn't. The postie doesn't come at this time, Gracie." She extended her hand at her grandson. "Come, Flynn luv. Let's watch some telly."

  "I want to stay with Mum."

  Gracie giggled softly. "C'mon, little big man. Take my hand and let's see who's at the door, then we can play the whole day."

  "Okay."

  She took a sip from her mug before setting out to see who it was. The doorbell rang again.

  "I'm coming!" she called out, then muttered. "What an impatient so and so!"

  Gracie opened the door and her eyes widened.

  "Yes, you did. Several times as a matter of fact." Luke grinned, his eyes twinkling.

  "Luke!" Gracie felt the flush burn the skin of her neck and slowly creep to her cheeks. He was one piece of delicious male. Gracie's throat suddenly became so dry that her voice came out like a croak. "You're back."