Road to Grace Read online

  “I insist,” he said, kissing me again.

  His hand went to my breast and he rolled my nipple between his fingers, then he moved his hand between my legs and slipped a finger inside. “Soaked, baby.”

  He rolled onto his back, pulling me with him. “Straddle me.”

  I continued to kiss him as I did as he ordered, but he broke our connection to reach for something in his nightstand. A condom. Which he rolled on quickly, then tapped my hips. “Lift up a bit.” I did, and he positioned his cock at my entrance. “Now, lower yourself. Slowly.”

  I slid slowly onto him and bit my lip as his girth filled me.

  “Okay?”

  “So good,” I rasped.

  I shifted and slid a little lower, then a little more. All the while, he worked my nipples, my clit, my mouth. I had to give it to him, he waited until I was grinding hard against him before he rolled me onto my back and gave one swift push. The biting sting of my lost virginity shocked me enough to cry out, but he caught the sound with his mouth and stilled his hips.

  I could tell Flea was having a hard time keeping control as he stroked my cheek. “We’re gonna give this a minute.”

  I felt tears leak down my cheeks and I took a few deep breaths. “I’m okay.”

  He kissed me gently before drawing my nipple into his mouth, then the other. Sliding his hand between us again, he fingered my clit and I couldn’t help but rock my hips against him, which pulled him further inside of me.

  “Slow, baby. You need to get used to me.”

  “More.”

  He thrust into me and I raised my legs, wrapping my ankles around his hips. He continued to surge into me, until my climax overtook me. I came undone just as he gave one final thrust and a grunt, then rolled us onto our sides again. He ran his finger down my cheek. “You okay?”

  I nodded. “I think so.”

  He wiped one of my errant tears from my cheek. “I’m gonna slide out and it may sting a bit.”

  I nodded, gripping his shoulders as he moved his hips away from me. I swallowed a cry as the sting caught me unaware again.

  “Don’t move,” he said, and kissed me gently. “I’ll be right back.”

  He headed into the bathroom and I took a few deep breaths. God, I was sore. I heard the toilet flush and then Flea returned with a warm washcloth.

  “Spread, Grace.” I did and he settled the soft cloth against me, soothing the sting. “As soon as you feel a little better, you should pee.”

  I frowned. “Why?”

  “It’ll help prevent a UTI.”

  I felt heat creep up my neck and covered my face with my hands.

  Flea stretched out beside me and gently pulled my arms away. “Don’t hide from me, honey. Ever.”

  “I just feel so… I don’t know… young and dumb, I guess.”

  He frowned. “What the hell for?”

  “Because I know less than I thought I did and I feel so inexperienced compared to you. I don’t want you to ever be disappointed in me,” I admitted. “I want to be sexy and fulfill you.”

  He kissed my shoulder and chuckled. “Grace. You do. You have no idea just how much you do.”

  “I didn’t even know you could get a UTI from sex!” I cried. “I feel like an idiot.”

  “Stop,” he growled.

  “Don’t you dare growl at me.”

  He let out a deep sigh. “Baby, I’m sorry I growled, but I never want to hear you call yourself an idiot.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “You need to hear me on this, Grace. We’re in this together. We’re a team. I will never… look at me…” I met his eyes and he continued, “Never betray your trust. I will hold all your secrets deep in my heart and protect them with my life. You have given me something precious, honey, and I won’t ever take that for granted.”

  I blinked back tears. “Flea,” I whispered.

  “There is something so humbling about being someone’s first choice. I’m honored I was yours, Grace. Thank you.”

  He kissed me, and I held him tight as he wrapped his arms around me and stroked my back.

  “You’re making me cry,” I complained.

  “I want you to understand exactly how I feel.”

  I closed my eyes and nodded. “I do.”

  “Good,” he said, stroking my cheek. “Are you sore?”

  “Yes. It hurts. Like a mofo,” I said. “You broke my vagina.”

  “I’m sorry.” He smiled gently. “We can hide up here tonight if you want to.”

  I shook my head. “I haven’t seen Poppy in forever. I need some bestie time.”

  “I’ve got some ibuprofen, let me get you some.”

  While he did that, I climbed gingerly off the bed and stepped into the bathroom. The pain was starting to subside. What was left was an ache that wasn’t entirely unpleasant, because it reminded me that I was his. Wholly and completely.

  I cleaned up as best I could, then wrapped a towel around myself and walked back into the bedroom. Flea handed me a couple of ibuprofen and a bottled water. He had pulled on his jeans and shirt, so I headed to my bag for the fresh pair of panties I’d packed in anticipation of tonight.

  “You came prepared,” Flea mused.

  “My secret’s out.” I grinned. “I had hoped you’d take care of it tonight.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “It?”

  “The ceremonial breaking of the hymen.” I cocked my head. “I feel like we should do some sort of fire dance.”

  Flea laughed, sitting down to pull on his boots. “I bet they’ve fired up the drums outside. You wanna burn something?”

  “Like my panties?”

  “You wanna burn your panties?”

  I shrugged. “I kind of like the idea of commemorating the moment.”

  He stood and held his hand out, palm up. “Give ’em.”

  I handed him the wisp of lace, a little disappointed he didn’t get to see me in them, but still excited to burn them. He shoved them in his pocket, then pulled on his cut while I finished dressing.

  Once I was ready, he locked his room and we headed down to the party.

  Flea

  “GODDAMMIT!” HATCH BELLOWED, stalking through the kitchen as we grabbed drinks.

  “What’s going on?” Grace whispered.

  “Gracie!” Poppy squealed, running into the room and pulling Grace in for a hug.

  “I’ll be right back,” I promised, and walked toward the offices in the back.

  I could hear Hatch yelling from Crow’s office, so I followed the sound, pushing open the door. Maisie stood against the wall, her face contorted in confusion.

  Booker was sitting in a chair in front of Crow’s desk, his fingers flying over the keyboard of his laptop.

  “What’s goin’ on?” I asked.

  “Someone stole Hatch’s identity,” Maisie provided. “They’ve racked up close to ten-thousand dollars in credit card debt so far.”

  “Jesus,” I hissed.

  “I’m shutting it down, brother,” Booker assured him.

  “I want to know who the fuck it is. I wanna take care of them myself,” Hatch snapped.

  “Darling, it’s going to be okay,” Maisie said.

  “This asshole tried to fuck with the shop, Maisie, I want to deal with him.”

  “Shit,” I said, leaning against Crow’s desk.

  “It’s handled,” Booker said. “He didn’t get past the firewall.”

  Maisie pushed away from the wall and walked to her husband, gripping his cut. “Listen to Booker,” she said. “He’s got it handled.”

  Hatch studied her for a few seconds, then his eyes got soft and he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “Okay, Sunshine. I’ll chill.”

  “I think you need to ply your woman with alcohol,” she said, and Hatch chuckled.

  “Let’s get you some wine.”

  The room seemed to exhale in relief as Hatch calmed down and led Maisie out of the office. Crow stood and shook his head. “Yo
u keep your eye on that, Book.”

  “Yeah, Prez, I will.”

  With the stress level down, I headed back to the great room and found Grace taking shots with Poppy at the bar.

  * * *

  Grace

  Flea’s arm slid around my waist just as I tipped my fourth shot of tequila to my mouth and sucked it down.

  “So, wine turned into tequila shots?” he asked with a grin.

  I licked my lips and leaned up to kiss him. “It’s actually kind of a miracle. Real Jesus-type stuff.”

  Flea chuckled. “Nice.”

  “Everything okay with Hatch?”

  “Yeah. It’s good.”

  Poppy leaned over and hugged him. “Hey, stranger.”

  He grinned. “Hey, babe. Where’s Sparky?”

  “The dog or the man?”

  “Either.”

  “Devon took the dog out to pee.”

  Devon was Hatch’s nephew and he’d patched in about two years ago, earning his club name by constantly getting electric shocks when they were working on building projects. Ironically, Poppy had named her puppy that years ago because he’d shocked her the second she picked him up.

  “Are you hydrating?” Flea whispered as he hugged me close.

  “I just started drinking.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “So, that’s a no.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “It’s an, I plan to when I drink more.”

  “I’m gonna get you some water.”

  I hooked my finger on one of his beltloops. “But that means you have to leave me.”

  He chuckled, sliding his hand to my neck. “Not for long.”

  “One minute.”

  Leaning down to kiss me quickly, he said, “One minute.”

  Poppy pulled me away from the bar and into the little alcove where the kids’ computers were.

  “Spill.”

  I knew exactly what she was saying, since we hadn’t talked for a day. I smiled. “So… we’re official.”

  She grinned, clapping her hands. “I knew it. Devon says Flea’s been wound up like a top for weeks.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded. “You picked a good guy, Gracie.”

  I smiled. “I know.”

  “You’re gonna need to get on the pill.”

  I groaned. “I know, Mom.”

  “Do it before… you know.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Too late.”

  She gasped. “Already?”

  I felt heat flood my face. “Yes,” I hissed.

  “No judgement,” she rushed to say. “I’m just surprised. You must really trust him.”

  “I do.”

  She smiled, pulling me in for a hug. “I’m so glad, honey.”

  Flea peeked around the corner, raising an eyebrow to make sure I was okay, and I smiled, pulling away from Poppy. He was carrying a red cup of something and a bottled water.

  “What ya got there?” Poppy asked.

  “Cranberry juice,” he said, handing me the cup.

  Poppy nodded. “Oh, good thinking. Make sure you pee a lot, Gracie.”

  “Can we please stop talking about my urine output?” I demanded. “I’m good.”

  I finished the juice and dropped the cup in the trash.

  “Poppy!” Devon bellowed.

  Poppy rolled her eyes. “One second without me and the man can’t deal.”

  I chuckled. “Better go tend to that.”

  “I’m going to make him feed me.”

  “Good plan.”

  She strolled out of the alcove and I smiled up at Flea. “Thank you for the juice.”

  “You’re welcome.” He kissed me quickly. “How are you feeling?”

  “Good. No more pain.”

  “If that changes, tell me.”

  “No.”

  He frowned. “Come again?”

  “I will not be running to you if my hoo-ha starts to sting again, thank you very much.”

  “Your hoo-ha?”

  “Stop,” I said, biting back a laugh. Him saying ‘hoo-ha’ nearly sent me over the edge.

  He chuckled, pulling me in for a longer kiss. “You hungry?”

  “Starved.”

  “Let your man feed you, then.”

  “Lead on.”

  He took my hand and we headed out back to the picnic tables, where I proceeded to load my plate up with pretty much everything being offered. This was my last hurrah. Tomorrow I’d be on lean protein and veggies to keep my body in peak physical condition.

  By midnight I was pretty tipsy, not to mention tired. By one a.m., I could barely keep my eyes open. Flea had pulled me onto his lap on one of the sofas in the great room and I’d burrowed as deep as I could against his body.

  “You wanna sleep here?” Flea whispered.

  I shook my head. “The cats,” I grumbled, biting back a yawn.

  He shifted me onto the sofa cushions and kissed my cheek. “Be right back.”

  I don’t know where he went, but before I could figure it out, he was helping me off the sofa and pulling my jacket on me. He led me outside and we climbed into a car.

  “Where’s your bike?” I asked, securing my seatbelt.

  “Grabbed one of the loaner cars.” He pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the freeway. “You’re too tired to ride, so I’ll pick it up tomorrow.”

  I rolled my head toward him. “You are the most thoughtful human being alive, did you know that?”

  He smiled. “Glad you think so.”

  “Can you stay tonight?”

  “Yeah, if you want me to.”

  “I want you to,” I said.

  “Okay, baby.”

  The drive was quick, and we pulled up to my grandmother’s in record time. I was a little more awake when we arrived, but Flea still insisted on unlocking the door and carrying everything inside.

  I checked on the cats, then headed back to the guest room. I barely remember undressing and sliding under the covers before Flea was at my back and pulling me close.

  “Night, baby.”

  “Night.”

  The last thing I remember was him kissing the back of my neck.

  * * *

  “Maisie?” Mom said, sobbing into the phone. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Maisie! Mom has a gun!” I screamed, hoping she would hear me.

  Only, it’s not Mom anymore. It’s Flea. He’s holding the gun to my head.

  “Maisie! Help! Oh, God, please!” I screamed, trying to make myself so very, very small.

  “Grace?”

  “No!” I screamed.

  “Honey, it’s me,” Flea said. “You’re dreaming.”

  I opened my eyes, and he stroked my cheek. “Flea?”

  “Yeah, baby, I’m here.”

  I threw myself into his arms and took several deep breaths. “You had the gun.”

  “Fuck, baby. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

  Having him hold me slayed any lingering dragons of my nightmare and I suddenly felt energized… and horny. I ran my tongue over his pulse and pushed him onto his back, straddling his hips.

  “Wait, baby,” he rasped. “I want you to be calm before we do this.”

  I frowned. “I am calm.”

  “Honey, you just had a nightmare―”

  I lay my hand over his mouth. “Fleabio.”

  “Yeah, baby?” he mumbled.

  “This is the very first time I’ve woken up from one of these fuckers and felt safe. So, I’d very much like for you to stop talking and do something different with your mouth.”

  He kissed my fingers and flipped me onto my back. “Like what?”

  “Your choice.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yep. Unless, you’re going to let me taste you.”

  “Fuck,” he rasped.

  “Yep, we can do that…,” I said. “After I treat your dick like a lollipop, okay?”

  He hissed, kissing me before rolling onto his back. “Have at it.”

  I gr
inned in the dark and started to kiss my way down his body. “Make sure you tell me if I do something wrong, okay?”

  “Just don’t bite my dick off. Otherwise, you can’t do anything wrong.”

  I chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  I ran my tongue up his already hard length and wrapped my fingers around it. It was soft and big, and felt like steel wrapped in silk. Licking the precum from the top, I took the tip in my mouth and sucked. Ohmigod, he tasted amazing. I pushed my mouth further down his length, taking him as deep as I could without choking myself, continuing to suck as I moved back up.

  “Fuck,” he rasped, his hands pulling my hair.

  I added my hand, but before I could go any further, I was pulled up his body and flipped onto my back. “Was I doing it wrong?”

  He didn’t answer, but his mouth landed on mine, and then he was tearing open a condom packet and sliding into me. I whimpered as his girth filled me, needing more.

  “You okay?” he whispered.

  “Yes. More,” I demanded.

  He slid his hand between us and fingered my clit, but didn’t move.

  “Honey, are you going to move?” I growled.

  He kissed me gently. “Give your body a second to get ready, Grace. You’re tender and I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “I’m not that tender,” I countered.

  He pressed deeper into me. “No?”

  “God, no,” I whispered, lifting my hips to pull him deeper into me.

  Flea linked his fingers with mine and pushed them over my head, burying himself deeper again. He covered my mouth with his and I met his tongue with mine as he slammed into me harder and harder.

  “Baby,” I panted out. “I can’t…”

  “Come,” he whispered, and I exploded around him.

  He wasn’t far behind me and kissed me as he pulsed inside of me, then slid out of me gently and headed to the bathroom. I heard the toilet flush and then Flea climbed back into bed with me, sliding a warm washcloth between my legs.

  “That feels amazing,” I whispered.

  “Are you sore?”

  “Not even a little bit,” I said, rolling to face him.

  He stroked my cheek. “You gonna have time to get in with your doctor?”

  “For what?”

  “Get on the pill.”

  “Oh, yeah. I can probably do that this week.”

  “That’d be good.” He smiled. “I got tested on Friday, so the results should be back on Monday or Tuesday.”