Robby went as white as a sheet, clearly seeing pain and blood in Gray’s eyes. His own. He started to backpedal, mouth opening and closing like some guppy, revealing straight white teeth that weren’t going to be either straight or white by the time Gray was finished.
“No!” Then Frankie was there in front of him, trying to use her curvy body to stop his murderous march. Her small hands curved around his upper arms as she was forced to walk backward. Her dark eyes pleaded with him. “Just leave it. He isn’t worth it.”
“That’s it, be a good little boy and do what mummy says,” Robby taunted behind her. “I bet you had wet dreams about your mum, dint’cha, big guy?”
Gray’s growl was more animal than man as he surged forward another couple of steps, Frankie slipping on the carpet in front of him as she tried to hold on and was shoved backward.
“I’m gonna fucking kill him.”
“Mind you, I heard that she was the local bike anyway. Let anyone have a ride on her—”
Frankie stiffened, but then dropped her hands. He glanced down to see a fury that matched his own in her eyes. Her lips pressed together, a thin line of anger as her hands clenched.
“You’re not. I am.”
Before he could utter a word she turned, wound her arm back, and let fly with a perfect right hook that should have gone down in history as one of the most beautifully executed punches, ever.
Her fist connected with the side of Robby’s face in slow motion. His head rolled to the side. Lips wobbled like a loose elastic band. Blood and spit flew as he staggered backward, so surprised he dropped on his ass right there in the middle of the corridor.
Frankie stood over him, her chest heaving and her fists clenched. Gray had no doubt she’d happily clock the guy again if he even looked like getting up.
“Don’t you
dare
say anything about his mum.
Ever.
Do you understand me?”
Robby just nodded, looking up at her with a stunned expression on his face. As though his world just got rocked on its axis and resettled into a freaky new version he didn’t like. Gray hid his grin, wanting to punch the air in victory. Since they were kids, he’d always known Frankie had a mean right hook on her; he’d just never expected to see it deployed again. Especially not so effectively.
“Y-y-you… Hit me. That’s it; I’m having you both for assault.” Robby’s expression twisted with anger as he pushed himself to his feet.
Instinctively Gray reached for Frankie to shove her behind him out of danger, but she was having none of it. Toe to toe with Robby, she glared back at him.
“Be my guest, sunshine. Would you like me to help you file the report? I’m looking forward to the part where I get to tell them you were dropped on your arse by a…let me get this straight. ‘Dumpy lump of a woman who’s so boring in the sack you needed to get some action elsewhere.’ I’m sure they’ll find that highly amusing.”
“Screw you, bitch.”
Robby’s eyes narrowed but Gray saw the expression in them a second before he covered it up. No way was he filing a report and admitting he’d be bested by a woman.
“Er, no thank you. Been there, done that.” She swept him with a scathing glance, ending with a pointed look at his groin. “Nothing to write home about in any way, shape, or form. C’mon Gray, we’re leaving,” she said as she turned, stuck her nose up in the air and swept past him like a battleship in full sail.
Gray paused for a moment, looking the other man full in the face as he issued a warning in a low and deadly voice. “Insult me, insult my mother; that’s fine. She’s dead and I don’t care. But upset Frankie again and I will hurt you more than you can comprehend.”
Chapter Seven
“Bollocks, that bloody
hurt
!” Frankie hissed, shaking her hand to take the sting away as Gray led her out of the front door of the hotel. She was mad. So mad she literally shook, not feeling the slight chill of the night air as they crunched over the gravel in front of the lobby steps.
“He’s a twat. I can’t believe he said those things. What the hell is he doing up here anyway?” she demanded, looking up at Gray as though he had all the answers. He just shrugged, making his loose hair dance over his shoulders.
“I don’t know, sweetheart, but I can’t believe you did that.” Capturing her hand he studied it for long moments. His sinfully soft lips pursed into a hard line, expressing his disapproval. “You might have hurt yourself when he hit your fist with his face.”
His wordplay and the cheeky expression did it for Frankie. Amusement surged up, making the corners of her lips quirk, quickly followed by a laugh. “Yeah, there is that. Reckon I could charge
him
with assault?”
“I think the cops would have an easier time believing that than him charging you.” He chuckled as he wrapped a large arm around her shoulders, pulling her in tight against his body. She went easily, happy to be nestled against him. Somehow, with just the lightest touch he made her feel protected and secure. It was an odd feeling, one as a modern woman she didn’t think she needed or wanted. But it was…nice.
The semicircular driveway was packed with taxis so it didn’t take them long to find a ride home. No limo this time, but she didn’t care. As long as she was with Gray nothing else mattered. Tucking her into the backseat of a large blue sedan, he slid in next to her. His low conversation with the driver got her attention as he gave her address.
“My place?” she asked softly as he sat back.
“Yeah. That okay? I thought you’d be more comfortable there.” He lifted her hand as he spoke, brushing his thumb over her abused knuckles. She caught her breath at the touch, unexpectedly erotic as he lifted her hand to his lips and began to kiss the bruises one by one.
“Yes, of c-course…”
She was caught. The slight hum of the car and the radio on low in the front created a safe cocoon around them, cutting off the rest of the world until all that mattered was the two of them. Lights from outside the car washed over his face, a palette of colors reflected in his light eyes.
“Thank you.”
“What for?”
He smiled, a sensuous curve of his lips as he moved. His hand lifted slowly to touch her hair, tangling in the curls that had escaped during the evening. His touch was soft, his expression gentle, but she had the feeling of being hunted. Stalked.
Shifting in her seat, she brushed her thigh against his and the mask in his eyes dropped for a second, raw hunger beneath. Her breath left her on a shaky rush. He blinked and the soft look was back, but she wasn’t fooled. She’d seen the need and hunger. For her.
“For what you said about Mum.”
“
Pfft
.” She waved her hand dismissively. “He’s a twat, forget about him. He’s not important.”
His thumb rubbed over the tender skin of her throat, just under her ear. A feather-soft touch, delicate and sensual, that seemed out of place for such a big man.
“She loved you,” he said suddenly, breaking the charged silence between them. “My mum. Thought you were wonderful. I did too. Do. Fuck—” He broke off to laugh, the rich, deep sound reaching right into her and wrapping around her heart. She’d always loved his laugh. “Bugger, look at me. Open my mouth and manage to fuck a simple sentence up.”
His hand changed position suddenly, cupping the side of her next as his thumb hooked under her jaw to make her look up. Capturing her, holding her where he wanted. His prisoner. Her breathing hitched as he looked down, his eyes blazing with heat.
“I’ve wanted you for years, Frankie. Soon as I figured out what it was for, I about wore my dick out wanking…thinking of you.” His lips quirked. “Last of the great romantics, eh? Sure you’ve always wanted a guy to tell you he thought of you when pulling one off as a horny little teenager?”
Sight unseen, she slid her hand down his chest, over his hard abs, and over his groin. Boldly, she stroked the thick, hard length pulling the fabric taut. God, he really was hung like a horse. Excitement and a little fear thrilled through her. Would she be able to take him all? She wanted to. All she could think of was him parting her legs and sliding into her, inch by thick inch.
His grip on her jaw loosened, his eyes closing as a shudder rolled through his muscled body. She smiled, feminine triumph welling up as she moved down to cup his balls. This big, powerful man was completely at her mercy.
The memory of the kid he had been was totally gone, banished by that hot encounter in the changing rooms. Now she had room to make new, physical memories of the man he was. The man she wanted to get horizontal with as soon as they could manage it.
His hand slipped from her neck as he leaned back, spreading his thighs to grant her better access. Leaning forward, she ran her lips across his jaw, heading for his lips—
The car stopped and they both blinked. Studiously, the driver rooted around in his door compartment as they both sat up, straightened their clothes. Frankie felt the blush crawl over her cheeks. Almost. In the car. Again.
Gray smoothed his hair back and paid the driver before turning back to her. His expression was serious.
“Last chance to back out, sweetheart,” he said softly, hand on the door latch. “I can order the driver to take me home. Because if I come up, it’s not going to be for coffee and cuddles.”
* * *
They were going to do this.
Anticipation and excitement washed through her in equal waves as he led her silently through the quiet apartment building, big hand wrapped around hers. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was charged. Each little look they exchanged, each gentle stroke of his thumb over the inside of her wrist, drove the tension between them higher until her stomach was a mass of butterflies doing what felt like the tango.
Anticipation coursed through her as he stopped in front of the door and held his hand out for her keys to open it. Unlike her, he managed to unlock it without dropping them all over the floor. She pouted a little in disappointment. The guy had an ass on him, firm and powerful, tight enough to crack nuts with. Her fingers itched to dig into it, preferably as he drove deep into her.
The door swung open. A single light inside revealed the hall, but the rooms beyond were in darkness. He held the door open for her and she walked past him, feeling a little like a sacrificial virgin walking into the dragon’s den. And what a dragon. A glance from under her lashes as she passed revealed his expression and she shivered. His face was hard, tight with desire and need. Lust shone in his eyes and the rigid set of his body told how much control he was exerting over himself.
All that control and all she wanted to do was test it, tease him until it broke, and find out what would happen if it did. A thrill of excitement danced lightly up her spine. He was so big; his tall frame made her feel tiny and delicate, despite her abundance of curves. He could easily hurt her if he wanted or if he wasn’t careful. But that wasn’t Gray. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, either through inattention or by design. He just wasn’t built that way.
She stopped in the hallway and placed her bag down on end of the narrow table. Behind her, the door clicked shut and her keys clattered into the bowl next to her hand. She didn’t look at him but she could feel his gaze on her. Her skin prickled, hot and cold chills racing over her skin to center between her legs, the ache there deepening by the second.
He cleared his throat.
“Do you want a drin—”
“No.” Shaking her head, she cut him off. “Bedroom. Now.”
His intake of breath was followed by a masculine sound of approval. As though he’d thought she’d never ask. “Fuck, yeah. Please.”
Hard hands landed on her shoulders, firm not cruel as he spun her around. His mouth crashed down on hers a second later, sweeping aside her defenses and claiming her mouth with a kiss that rivaled the sun for heat. She gasped as the dam broke, her hands over him as much as his were over her. Touching, stroking, exploring.
Backing her up through the darkness, he yanked the zip of her dress down, muttering an apology when the sound of fabric tearing filled the room. She shook her head.
“Rip it, doesn’t matter. I just need you, right now,” she urged and mashed her lips against his to kiss him back. She didn’t care. It was just a dress. Right now all she cared about was getting him inside her.
Her back hit a wall and he pinned her for a second, driving his big hands through her hair to hold her mouth still. His tongue thrust deep, exploring, taking, claiming. She whimpered, the sound lost in his mouth as he scattered the pins that held her hair in place. They pinged free, dropping to the floor in a light symphony of sound.
A groan of pleasure escaped his throat as he slid his hands through her hair, winding the long locks around one fist and holding her lips in place as he started to strip her dress from her. She moaned and clung to him, her hands twisted in his shirt as the fabric dropped to her hips, and she wiggled them until it dropped to the floor.
Yanking her away from the wall, he lifted her with ease, urging her legs around his waist. They both gasped as she settled against his rock-hard erection, the thick bar pressing against her clit in a way that made her eyes roll back in her head.
“Oh God, baby. That feels f…antastic,” he gasped, then dragged her head back to leave a trail of hot, openmouthed kisses up her throat.
She closed her eyes and ground her hips against his, her clit rubbing against his cock as he started walking. Each step was an exercise in delicious torture. The fabric of his trousers was expensive but against her clit, exposed by the fact her panties were still in his pocket, it might as well have been sackcloth. Heat coiled in her body, her pussy clenching as liquid heat slipped from her to dampen the front of his trousers.
“So warm…no. Hot,” he groaned between kisses as he turned to shoulder a door open. Then they were in her bedroom. He made the bed in a couple of strides, dropping her to the soft surface and riding her body down at the same time.
“God, you’re gorgeous…and you’re mine.”