Grace Anne (6 page)

She turned away from his attempt
at humor. “I’m having a bad day, Mr. Cunningham. And I have a headache from
hell. Whatever you want is in the contract. If you have any questions I’m sure
my attorney would be more than happy to listen to you.”

“Grace, please. I want to speak to
you about your family.” She looked at him sharply then at the phone that
started ringing. Before she could get to it he moved to the desk. The voice at
the other end sent chills down her spine.

“Did you really think I’d not find
you? You’re as stupid as those cunt sisters of yours if you thought that. When
I find you, and never doubt that I will, I’m going to enjoy killing you.
Killing you so that I can get what I want.”

Michael picked up the phone as the
person continued. “Who is this?” He looked at her and paled. Then he put the
phone down in the cradle and walked toward her. Stalked would have been a
better term. “Come with me. Now.”

She suddenly found herself in her
office. It was cramped and with him in the room, it seemed smaller. When she
was sitting on her little couch with her head between her knees she saw her
tears falling to her shoes. She didn’t want to cry in front of this man more
than any other person she’d known.

“I get those sorts of calls all
the time,” she told him from her bent position. “It’s not that big of deal. And
you had no right to answer—”

“She knew my son’s name. She told
me that if I was smart, I’d take Trace away from here before whoever it was
came after him too.”

She brought her head up and looked
at him as he continued.

“Now, we’re going to calmly talk
about this and you’re going to tell me truthfully if this is the reason you’re
selling this building to me.”

The knock at her office door didn’t
really give her any reprieve. She’d hoped that his family wanted to go and they
wanted him to come with them, but she wasn’t that lucky. Michael told them that
they’d meet them in the restaurant and that she and he would be there soon. The
door was closed again before she could voice that she wasn’t going anywhere.

Chapter 6

Michael watched her as she stared
at her lap. He wanted to pick her up and shake the truth from her, but knew
that he’d only upset her more. Instead, he looked around the small office. He
was both impressed and horrified at what was there.

The desk was huge. He couldn’t
believe how big. But he could see that it was more of a workstation with a
computer than it was a working desk. He didn’t know why, but he thought she’d
have her real desk, one that she’d do her business on, somewhere on the upper
floors. This one was for putting together her business.

The array of colors around the
room were a little too much for him, but the more he stared at them, the more
he could see that they weren’t just thrown about like he’d first thought, but
in an order that he could see now had been thought out, colors and patterns
together along with buttons, zippers, and other things like ribbons and things;
he’d never guess what they were in a million years. The mannequins, several of
them with materials draped over them in layers, stood in a long line; a large
container of scissors sat on a tray along with a stapler and rolls of tape. She
was designing things with not only style, but with colors, patterns, and
accessories. He turned back to her when she started to speak.

“If you just leave me alone they’ll
leave you alone too. They only threatened you because you…they think you might
mean something to me. I’m sure that once you buy the building—”

“You think you can hide from them
and that selling me the building will give you the money to do it, don’t you?” When
she looked at him he could see the truth of his words in her face. “It won’t
work. They may give up on Trace and myself, but they will eventually find you
again and then what? Do you want to keep running from it, or simply wait until
they find some other family you attach yourself to in order to get to you?”

“I never asked you and your family
to come here. I never asked you to bring your son into my life that day. I was
doing just fine until you had to have my building.” She stood up and he nearly
smiled at the fire. He liked this much better than the beaten girl she’d just
been.

“No, you didn’t. But now we are.”
He watched her pace and tried to regain control of his wayward thoughts,
thoughts of stripping her down and seeing what delights she had on under those
soft, flannel pants and t-shirt. “Who is it that was on the phone and how many
calls have you received?”

Her laugh was short and harsh. “You
mean today or just over the past week? Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Suffice
it to say that there have been numerous. I’m selling, Mr. Cunningham. If you
want this building, then tell me now or it goes on the market. Your choice.”

Michael stood and walked to her. He
wanted the building, but right now, right this moment, all he could think about
was her leaving him. He didn’t know why that thought was there, but he suddenly
didn’t want her gone. She backed away as he moved closer.

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you not
to run from a predator? As prey, you would do better to gather your forces and
make a stand.” He pulled off his jacket and tossed it toward the chair. “There
are greater strengths in numbers, Grace.”

“I know what I’m doing.” He moved
closer as he pulled his tie loose and left it hanging. He toed off his shoes as
he moved. “Unless you plan to try on one of the dresses over there you’d better
stop taking off clothes.”

Her voice had gotten huskier and
low. He felt it as though she’d touched him, ran her voice along his skin, and
caressed him. He unbuckled his belt and pulled it free of the loops. “No. I’m
not going to try on dresses. Take off your shirt, Grace. It’s making me crazy
trying to imagine what you have on beneath it.” She didn’t move, but he could
see her nipples harden. “Grace, take off the shirt or I will.”

She backed up several steps as he
moved closer. She stopped when she backed against the long counter behind her. When
he was about a foot from her he reached out, ran his fingers over her breast,
and never took his eyes from hers.

“Are you bare beneath here? I can
feel the lace of something and it makes my mouth water to taste you.” He lifted
her breast in his hand and watched her eyes flutter closed. “Watch me, Grace. Watch
while I suckle at your nipple and taste you.”

Michael stepped the last foot to
her, lifted her by her ass, and sat her on the counter. Her legs opened and he
moved between them and pulled her shirt over her head all in one move. He was
so wrong about the lace beneath. It was more than he could have imagined.

The strapless bit of sex was
black. Silky black lace that was filled with her heavy flesh and left her
nipple bare. He moaned at how tight her dark nipples were and how long. He
leaned down and took the hard tip into his mouth as her fingers laced in his
hair. Christ, he was in heaven.

She was warm and tasted like fresh
strawberries. Spreading his hand at her back, he pulled her closer as he moved
his mouth up to her throat and to her shoulder. Nipping at her, he felt her
legs wrap around him and he rocked them both against the ledge. Taking her
mouth, devouring her, he turned them to find something, anything he could take
her against. He looked at the desk and realized that even for the small size of
the room, the desk was simply too far away. He lowered them to the floor.

Her hands parted his shirt;
buttons flew everywhere as she tore her mouth from his and took his nipple into
her mouth. He moaned when she bit him, his cock aching now to feel her clamped around
him as he pounded into her. He sat up on his knees to open his pants while she pulled
her pants down to her hips, lifted both legs up, and pulled them off. Michael
grabbed her legs as she tossed away her pants and panties and wrapped her
ankles at his shoulders.

“Are you protected? I don’t have
protection, but if I’m not inside of you soon, I’m going to explode all over
you.”

“Yes, no…I’m safe. I’m on the
pill.” She moaned as he moved his cock at her soaking entrance. “Please, fuck
me.”

Keeping her legs up, he bent her
back and entered her. She was tight and hot; her walls clenched at him, rippled
along his cock as he moved in and out. Michael wanted to come now, felt his
balls tighten against his body even as he let her legs go and they wrapped once
again around his hips. He leaned down and over her and took her mouth again
before moving down to suckle at her luscious nipple.

Her scream of release had him
throwing back his head as he followed her. He rocked as he jettisoned into her.
Every part of his body came; he’d never felt such an orgasm in his life and, as
he dropped his weight on top of her, he realized that he wanted her again.

Rolling to his back, Michael took
her with him. His pants were still around his legs, so he shimmed out of them
and held her. His cock, still buried in her, stirred when she moaned, but he
was sure he needed a little more time before he could take her again. When she
stretched he thought maybe he’d need less than he’d thought. When she looked
down at him, her chin resting on her fist, he thought maybe he could get used
to this.

“This doesn’t change anything. It
was really good sex, but I’m still going to leave.”

He smiled at her words.

“If you want the building then
tell me now.”

“Grace, I don’t know how other men
have reacted to your bossy ways, but you’ll find I’m much bossier. You and I
just had incredible sex, not good sex, and I for one plan to do it a lot more.”
He rolled her to her back and rocked his hips into her. “Now would be nice, but
my family is—Christ.”

She bit his neck and tightened around
him. When she wrapped her legs around him and surged up Michael’s eyes crossed.
Before he knew it he was being pushed to his back and she was astride him.

With her hands on his chest she
rode him. Watching her face as she enjoyed herself, Michael found himself
mesmerized by her. With her eyes closed he could still read every time she hit
her sweet spot; her breasts flushed and her nipples hardened. When she moved
her hands along his waist to her hips then moved to her pussy he nearly came
watching her. As she slid her finger along her clit she surged forward and
moaned. Michael watched as she lifted her free hand, cupped her breast, and
rolled her nipple.

“Your cock feels wonderful,” she
practically moaned at him. “I’d forgotten how good a real cock can feel deep
inside of me.” She leaned back and her hair brushed over his thighs. Michael
gripped her hips tighter to him. “Oh, Christ, I’m coming.”

She grabbed his hands and held him
as she rode faster. Her breasts, flushed now, bounced and bobbed; her nipples lengthened.
Sitting up, he took one peak into his mouth and bit her. Her scream of his name
had him rolling her over and fucking her hard, each stoke of his cock pulling
deeper and deeper until he came. Michael was sure that this woman was not getting
away from him, no matter what.

~~~

Grace stepped out of the shower
and heard Michael speaking. She closed her eyes and wondered what he was still
doing here. Especially in her bedroom, especially after what they’d done in her
office downstairs. Grace wiped the moisture off the mirror and looked at
herself.

He’d bruised her. There were marks
on her neck from his mouth and more along her breasts and hips. She shuddered
when she remembered his mouth there and how tightly he’d held her as he’d come.
Grace turned her back to her reflection and started to pull on clothes. As soon
as she got dressed she was showing him the door and locking him out of her
house and out of her life. She didn’t need this right now. The phone ringing
had her pulling on one sock and rushing out the door. He was just picking it up
when she came out.

“Yes, this is Gracie’s house. She
was in the shower…I’m sure that’s none of your business, but I’m reasonably
sure that she’s a bit over twenty-one and no longer needs a—I see. Yes, I can
see where, as her brother, you’d think that, but again—”

Grace tried to take the phone from
him before he told Cain…well, she didn’t want him to tell her brother anything,
thank you very much. But he pulled her against him and buried his face into her
shoulder. She forgot what she’d been doing until he spoke again.

“Yes,” he growled, and she wasn’t
sure who he was talking to until he continued. “Yes, she’s here. If you give me
a minute to kiss her again I’ll let you talk to her.”

The phone was suddenly on the
small end table and she was being lifted against Michael’s body. His mouth
seemed to be everywhere. Before she could catch her breath or even try to stop
him, she was pressed against the wall and Michael was nipping at her ear.

“It’s your brother. He wants to
speak to you.” He licked along the column of her throat. “I need to get you out
of this room or we’ll never leave it. Talk to him and I’ll be in the kitchen
with ice packs on my nuts.”

She giggled and he kissed her
quickly. He stepped away only to return and yank her to him and kiss her again.
He was stalking away from her when he barked “phone” at her. Grace picked up
the phone to hear her brother talking to Alyssa.

“…thinks he is to tell me that he
is going to kiss her… No, I didn’t catch his name. That’s a good idea, that way
I can hunt him down and castrate him. Lousy bastard. Gracie,” he shouted, and
had her jerking the phone from her ear.

“I’m right here. Damn it, Cain,
what the hell was that for? Now I’ll probably have permanent hearing loss.” She
grinned when he growled. “If you only called to be nasty to me then I don’t
care to—”

“Who was that man and what is he
doing answering your phone? I demand that you tell me—” Before Grace could
blast her brother, she could hear Alyssa talking in the background and she didn’t
sound any happier. When she got on the phone next, Grace was still steaming.