Homewrecker Incorporated (35 page)

He gripped both of my hands in his. "I would never hurt you like that," he whispered, staring into my eyes.

I didn't bother trying to stop the tears. I didn't want to hide from him or the way I felt about him anymore. My sister was right. He was my joy and I needed to hold on to him with all I had.

"Not to impose on this moment for you two"--Gregory clapped Grey's shoulder--"but Claudia, do you think your friend could help us dig up something to keep Kristen and Arrow from releasing those stories and enforcing the contract Chad signed?"

"If anyone can, it's Bridget, but you should probably ask her yourself. She does work for you after all." I laughed.

"That's who you were talking about? The girl Josh is in love with?" Gregory said, his expression shocked.

"The one and only," I replied with a smile.

"Well shit, I'll have to give Ben a bonus for hiring her, or maybe I should fire him since she was only here to spy on me," he said with a laugh.

Grey inclined his head toward the door and held out his hand for me. I took it and walked out with him.

❖

"I don't want to let you out of my sight. I know we need to talk more, but I need to stay and help Gregory and Chad deal with all this shit," he said as he walked Grace and me to the elevator.

"I can stay and wait for you," I said, smiling up at him. My gaze drifted to his lips.

"I have a feeling it's going to be a while. Can I meet you at your place?"

"I can find somewhere else to be tonight," Grace said with a smile.

"I think he's talking about my other place," I reminded Grace. "But I'd rather go to your place instead?"

"Of course, you can take my key and Vince can drive you."

"I can drive myself, I have my car here, but maybe Vince can take Grace home instead?"

"I can just take a cab," Grace interjected.

"No, take the car. Vince is probably bored of shooting the shit with Bruce downstairs by now," Grey said.

"Okay." Grace nodded.

"Guess it's settled, then." Grey wrapped his arms around my waist. "I'll see you at home later."

I really liked the sound of that.

Chapter 24 

I smiled wide when Grey walked through the door into his kitchen where I was waiting with the remnants of my sad attempt at cooking dinner.

"We should probably order some takeout," I said, scrunching my nose as I shrugged.

He laughed, the deep timbre resonating through me as he eyed the plates of slightly burnt pasta.

"Let's talk first," he said, taking my hands and pulling me to him. He cupped the side of my face as I looked up at him. "Why is it so hard for you to trust me? It doesn't matter what either of us do, how much we love each other, if we don't have trust, we'll never truly move forward." He searched my eyes as I considered his question.

"Isn't it hard for you? After what Ashley did?"

"Yes, but I'm not going to let her bullshit keep me from finding my happiness. I won't let it keep me from you. It took me years to move past it, but I have moved past it. Part of what helped me to do that was sharing my pain with you."

I took a deep breath. He was right. I had to let go, to share my past, my pain with the only man who'd even come close to my heart in fifteen years. 

"You remember what I told you about my mom?"

"Of course," he replied, stroking my cheek with his thumb.

"When she died, I blamed my father. I thought he left my mom for another woman, a woman he'd been cheating on her with. I spent months trying to console her. She fell into a deep depression for weeks at a time. I was always worried about her, so much so I almost didn't go to college because I was afraid to leave her alone, but as time went on, she seemed to get better and she insisted I go to school. She didn't want me to put my life on hold."

Grey continued to hold me, wiping away the tears that were streaming down my face as I talked. I didn't try to turn away or hide them. I felt safe for the first time in as long as I could remember.

"A month or so after I left for school, my sister found my mom's body. I was so angry. When I finally saw my father again, I attacked him. I called him a killer because he was the reason she wanted to die. He was the reason she left me." A sob escaped me but I kept going. "But that wasn't it, not really. I've never said it out loud before, but I blamed myself. I left her, just like he did." I buried my face in Grey's chest. He held me tight as I cried.

"It wasn't your fault, sweetheart," he whispered against my hair. "None of that was your fault."

"I know," I said when my tears slowed. "And now I know I was wrong about my father, about what happened between them."

Standing in the kitchen with Grey's arms around me, I recounted everything my father shared with me in my hospital room. My mom's affair, the paternity test, the letter, and my father's cancer.

He listened in silence until I'd told him all of it. 

"How do you feel now?" He looked down at me and my heart melted when I saw the redness in his eyes. He'd cried with me, truly shared my pain. 

"Better than I have in a really, really long time."

He placed a gentle kiss on my lips. "Me, too."

"I don't want to ruin this moment," I said, taking a step back as I wrung my hands together. "But I want everything out on the table."

Grey's lips tightened.

"Do you want to know about my work, about Homewrecker Incorporated? I'll tell you anything you want to know."

He laughed and I felt a wash of relief. "You guys seriously called it that?"

"It started out as a joke but somehow it stuck. Officially, the business was Mason, Dawson, & Associates, LLP Private Investigators, but that isn't exactly sexy."

"All I need to know is you're done with it, at least the part about seducing other men," he said, stalking toward me. He put his hands on the wall behind me, boxing me in as he stared down at me, his eyes dark with lust. It was quite a shift in mood, but I was more than ready to roll with it.

"Because while I'm a pretty understanding and supportive guy," he whispered against my ear before I could respond. "If you're mine, if this"--he slipped one hand between my thighs--"is mine, I won't share."

I melted under his touch, my body liquid against the wall while he moved his hand back and forth between my legs.

"Yes, I'm done with it," I breathed out, desperate for more.

"Then say it," he commanded.

I pried my eyes open to look at him. "Say what?"

"Say you're mine."

He pressed his hand harder against my jeans and I let out a breathy moan.

"I'm yours, Grey. Only yours," I whispered.

Those simple words snapped the tether of his restraint. He crushed his full lips against mine and gripped the underside of my thighs, hoisting me up. He groaned but didn't stop. We spun around and my ass connected with the cold marble of the countertop.

His kiss was rough--possessive. I'd never been a woman who could be possessed. I could never give up the control, but with him it was as easy as breathing.

Grey broke the kiss long enough to pull my tank top up over my head, and then his lips were back on mine as his soft tongue dipped into my mouth and he fumbled with the clasp of my bra. When the red satiny material fell away, Grey moved back, his eyes hooded as he admired my ample curves. He dipped his head, his large hands cupping my breasts as he sucked my nipple between his teeth. I threw my head back as he rolled his skillful tongue around the sensitive flesh. The sensation traveled straight down between my thighs. He worked the same magic on the other nipple before our lips met again.

I pulled his shirt free from the waist of his pants and slowly undid the first couple of buttons while he unzipped my pants. He started to lift me to pull my pants off.

"Let me." I pushed him back gently.

I'd gotten lost in the moment when he lifted me earlier, forgetting his body was still healing. I slipped down off the counter and slid my jeans down to the floor. Stepping out of them, I grabbed his shirt and pulled him toward me. I stared up into his golden hazel eyes as I finished with the buttons and pushed the shirt off his shoulders. Grabbing the hem of his undershirt, I lifted it up as he raised his arms.

Seeing his wound for the first time, I cringed. The laceration on the side of his abdomen wasn't wide. There were probably ten stitches, but I knew it was deep. I traced my fingertips around the area, which was purple and yellow with bruising.

"When do these come out?" I looked up at his face.

"They were supposed to come out today," he replied. "But I got busy and had to cancel my appointment," he said with a smirk.

I leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss over the injury. Standing up straight again, I felt as if I might burst. I placed my palms on the side of his face, gazing into his eyes as they swam with emotions matching my own.

"I love you, Grey," I whispered, pulling him to me.

His pupils dilated and a slow smile spread across his face.

This time our kiss was sweet and full of love.

"I've loved you since I watched you run and hide from me in the lobby bathroom," he announced, trying to contain his laughter.

"Oh my God, you saw me!" I said, my face flushing and my eyes widening at the revelation.

"I can't believe you didn't say anything!"

"It would have scared you away. I did a pretty good job of that without telling you," he said, his tone grew more serious as his gaze drifted to my mouth.

I bit my lip and one corner of his mouth turned up as he leaned down and took my bottom lip between his teeth. I ran my tongue along his top lip. He moaned deep in his throat and released my bottom lip before his tongue met mine.

He hooked his thumbs inside the waist of my red panties and dropped to his knees, slipping them down as he peppered my torso with kisses. When I stepped out of them, he ran his tongue up from the inside of my knee, stopping just centimeters from where my body ached for him.

"I love the way you taste," he whispered, looking up at me with those beautiful eyes.

I moaned in anticipation and he flashed a crooked grin, obviously pleased with the way his words affected me. Using his fingertips, he spread my swollen lips and licked slow circles around my clit.

I cried out as my legs trembled beneath me. He slid his tongue down between my wet lips and then moved away to stand. The loss of his mouth was acute.

"Can you taste how sweet you are?" he asked, kissing me and slipping his tongue into my mouth.

I sucked on it and smiled lazily.

"Yes, I like tasting myself on your lips," I whispered before he kissed me again.

He ran his hands through my long waves, fisting it, before he tilted my head back to gain access to the sensitive skin on my neck. I moaned as he nipped and sucked his way up to my ear before he released my hair and kissed my mouth again. He stepped away, gazing into my eyes as he undid his pants. The look he gave me was intense, full of need. My gaze drifted down to his hands as they moved the zipper down. His erection strained against the charcoal material. I licked my lips in anticipation as he moved his pants and underwear down, releasing his hard cock from its confinement.

Swallowing hard, I put my hands over his, dropping to my knees as I took over the task of undressing him completely. I flicked my tongue over the swollen crown, tasting the salty sweetness of his arousal. He growled, stepping out of his pants before I took the head of his cock into my mouth. I rolled my tongue around the silky hard skin and then flicked it along the underside as I took in as much of his length as I could handle.

"I need to be inside you." He grabbed my biceps to pull me upward.

"I wasn't done." I pouted.

He huffed and picked up his pants, rifling through the pockets for the condom he ripped open. I watched with rapt attention as he slid the material over his impressive length before he grabbed my face and kissed me hard, backing me up against the counter.

"Turn around," he commanded, his eyes hooded.

Obeying the command, I leaned over the counter. My hard nipples brushed against the cold surface as Grey gripped my hips. His erection pressed against my wet lips, spreading them apart as Grey slowly pushed inside me.