I Love How You Love Me
Page 24
So beautiful, and so trusting, that he knew he needed to do the most difficult thing in the world.
“I should go.” He kissed her again. “Soon.” One more kiss and he forced himself to draw all the way back, bringing her up with him, naked and soft in his arms. “Now.”
“But you haven’t—”
He kissed her again before she could tear away the very thin thread of control he was still managing to hold on to. “And I won’t. Not tonight. Not until you’re ready for more.”
“I’m still not ready to have sex,” she said softly. “But that doesn’t mean you need to leave right now. So soon. Not before I touch you, too.”
He was tempted. So damned tempted that his hands shook as he picked up the blanket from the other arm of the couch and wrapped it around her. “When I said I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone else, I meant it. That’s why I’m not going to stay. Not tonight. Not until you can swear to me without even the slightest hesitation that you’re ready for more. Because when that day comes, you’d better believe I’m not going to walk away. Or stop. Not until both of us are so overfull with pleasure, with each other, that we’ll be raising the white flag together.”
“Thank you,” she said softly as she tucked the blanket more tightly around herself, then ran a hand through the hair he’d so enjoyed tangling in his hands as he’d kissed her. “Not only for a great night, start to finish, but also for leaving when it would be so much easier not to.”
They both stood, then, her bare feet peeking out from beneath the soft red blanket. What a beauty she was. And what a fool her ex had been not to love her.
He brushed his fingers across her cheek one last time, letting the pad of his thumb linger on her lush lower lip. “Sweet dreams, Grace.”
He had barely taken a step back when she surprised the hell out of him by gripping his T-shirt in her fist and yanking him into her. Her kiss was hot and hungry and just as sweet as their first kiss had been the night before, but full of a newfound confidence. The confidence he knew she must have possessed before the rich asshole from D.C. had done everything he could to stomp both her heart, and her life, to bits.
* * *
Dylan knew he couldn’t push Grace too hard, or too fast, but making himself walk away when he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anyone, or anything, in his entire life was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. He’d loved seeing her blurry and needy and knowing it was because of his kisses, his caresses. But the high of her taste, her scent, the sweet little sounds she’d made as he teased her over the edge not just once but twice—none of those things could make him forget his fury at her ex or his worry that one of the Bentleys would come back one day to hurt Grace and Mason.
Dylan’s life had been a good one. He didn’t have any major demons, any serious darkness in his past, or inner conflicts that kept him tossing and turning at night.
Not until now.
Because he had her demons now.
He had never been a violent man. Ian, Rafe, and Adam had always been far more likely to use their fists. But for the first time ever, Dylan could barely think past the urge to track down the bastard who had hurt her and pound the guy’s face in.
He pulled out his cell phone as he slid behind the steering wheel and pulled his brothers into a group text.
NEED TO MEET ABOUT KEEPING GRACE AND MASON SAFE.
MY HOUSE. TONIGHT.By the time he pulled into his garage, his brothers had dropped everything, just as he’d known they would, and were waiting for him.
“Tell us what’s going on,” Ian said.
Dylan let them inside, poured them all drinks, and pounded his before answering. “What do you know about the Bentleys in D.C.?”
“Fortune 500. Generations of money and charity work. Politics.”
Dylan downed another shot of whiskey in one gulp. “You can add something else to that list—scum. The guy who got Grace pregnant is a Bentley. But that’s not all they did.”
Adam leaned in, his expression hard. “What did they do to her?”
“They tried to break her, tried to pay her off to get rid of Mason, and to stay quiet about having anything to do with them.”
“The former senator is Mason’s father?” Rafe asked incredulously.
“No. The son. Richard Bentley. He accused her of trying to trick him into marriage.” He scowled. “As if anyone would actually want to marry into that sick and twisted family.”
Ian looked as furious as Dylan felt. “The bastard always seemed too slick.”
“The cleaner they seem on the surface,” Rafe agreed through his own clenched teeth, “the dirtier they always are underneath. What other details do you have?”
“Richard’s parents paid her a visit the day after she gave him the news and shoved their sin money at her while informing her that if she ever tried to go up against them, they’d use their name and charity and connections to crush her.” Adam cursed low and long as Dylan laid it all out for his brothers. “She didn’t use a dime of their money, didn’t want anything to do with them. It’s why she left D.C. So that they wouldn’t see that she had the baby, and so they wouldn’t try to hurt either her or Mason. She doesn’t think of Richard as the father. Not after what he and his family did.” Dylan’s blood was boiling. “Best case, she wants to believe she’s hidden and forgotten, but a family like that, they keep tabs on their mistakes. And they think they deserve anything. Everything they want. Whether they should have it or not. Especially now that the word on the street is that her ex and his new wife are having trouble conceiving. What if Richard and his family realize that Mason is the only Bentley heir they’re going to have? They’ll come after her to try to steal him away.” He swore. “I can’t just sit on the sidelines. I have to protect her and Mason. I can’t risk something happening to them.” Before Rafe could ask, he added, “She and I talked tonight about my pulling you guys in. Even though I know she wishes she could handle this situation all by herself, she’ll do anything to keep her son safe.”
“I’ll dig into the guy,” Rafe said. “His family, too. Whatever dirt there is on them, I’ll find it.”
“I’ll do the same on the business end,” Ian told him. “I’ll find out what else the family has their hands in.” And figure out where to yank to destroy them, was his unspoken promise. “I’ll also check in with Smith to see what he knows about the Bentleys.”
“I should go.” He kissed her again. “Soon.” One more kiss and he forced himself to draw all the way back, bringing her up with him, naked and soft in his arms. “Now.”
“But you haven’t—”
He kissed her again before she could tear away the very thin thread of control he was still managing to hold on to. “And I won’t. Not tonight. Not until you’re ready for more.”
“I’m still not ready to have sex,” she said softly. “But that doesn’t mean you need to leave right now. So soon. Not before I touch you, too.”
He was tempted. So damned tempted that his hands shook as he picked up the blanket from the other arm of the couch and wrapped it around her. “When I said I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone else, I meant it. That’s why I’m not going to stay. Not tonight. Not until you can swear to me without even the slightest hesitation that you’re ready for more. Because when that day comes, you’d better believe I’m not going to walk away. Or stop. Not until both of us are so overfull with pleasure, with each other, that we’ll be raising the white flag together.”
“Thank you,” she said softly as she tucked the blanket more tightly around herself, then ran a hand through the hair he’d so enjoyed tangling in his hands as he’d kissed her. “Not only for a great night, start to finish, but also for leaving when it would be so much easier not to.”
They both stood, then, her bare feet peeking out from beneath the soft red blanket. What a beauty she was. And what a fool her ex had been not to love her.
He brushed his fingers across her cheek one last time, letting the pad of his thumb linger on her lush lower lip. “Sweet dreams, Grace.”
He had barely taken a step back when she surprised the hell out of him by gripping his T-shirt in her fist and yanking him into her. Her kiss was hot and hungry and just as sweet as their first kiss had been the night before, but full of a newfound confidence. The confidence he knew she must have possessed before the rich asshole from D.C. had done everything he could to stomp both her heart, and her life, to bits.
* * *
Dylan knew he couldn’t push Grace too hard, or too fast, but making himself walk away when he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anyone, or anything, in his entire life was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. He’d loved seeing her blurry and needy and knowing it was because of his kisses, his caresses. But the high of her taste, her scent, the sweet little sounds she’d made as he teased her over the edge not just once but twice—none of those things could make him forget his fury at her ex or his worry that one of the Bentleys would come back one day to hurt Grace and Mason.
Dylan’s life had been a good one. He didn’t have any major demons, any serious darkness in his past, or inner conflicts that kept him tossing and turning at night.
Not until now.
Because he had her demons now.
He had never been a violent man. Ian, Rafe, and Adam had always been far more likely to use their fists. But for the first time ever, Dylan could barely think past the urge to track down the bastard who had hurt her and pound the guy’s face in.
He pulled out his cell phone as he slid behind the steering wheel and pulled his brothers into a group text.
NEED TO MEET ABOUT KEEPING GRACE AND MASON SAFE.
MY HOUSE. TONIGHT.By the time he pulled into his garage, his brothers had dropped everything, just as he’d known they would, and were waiting for him.
“Tell us what’s going on,” Ian said.
Dylan let them inside, poured them all drinks, and pounded his before answering. “What do you know about the Bentleys in D.C.?”
“Fortune 500. Generations of money and charity work. Politics.”
Dylan downed another shot of whiskey in one gulp. “You can add something else to that list—scum. The guy who got Grace pregnant is a Bentley. But that’s not all they did.”
Adam leaned in, his expression hard. “What did they do to her?”
“They tried to break her, tried to pay her off to get rid of Mason, and to stay quiet about having anything to do with them.”
“The former senator is Mason’s father?” Rafe asked incredulously.
“No. The son. Richard Bentley. He accused her of trying to trick him into marriage.” He scowled. “As if anyone would actually want to marry into that sick and twisted family.”
Ian looked as furious as Dylan felt. “The bastard always seemed too slick.”
“The cleaner they seem on the surface,” Rafe agreed through his own clenched teeth, “the dirtier they always are underneath. What other details do you have?”
“Richard’s parents paid her a visit the day after she gave him the news and shoved their sin money at her while informing her that if she ever tried to go up against them, they’d use their name and charity and connections to crush her.” Adam cursed low and long as Dylan laid it all out for his brothers. “She didn’t use a dime of their money, didn’t want anything to do with them. It’s why she left D.C. So that they wouldn’t see that she had the baby, and so they wouldn’t try to hurt either her or Mason. She doesn’t think of Richard as the father. Not after what he and his family did.” Dylan’s blood was boiling. “Best case, she wants to believe she’s hidden and forgotten, but a family like that, they keep tabs on their mistakes. And they think they deserve anything. Everything they want. Whether they should have it or not. Especially now that the word on the street is that her ex and his new wife are having trouble conceiving. What if Richard and his family realize that Mason is the only Bentley heir they’re going to have? They’ll come after her to try to steal him away.” He swore. “I can’t just sit on the sidelines. I have to protect her and Mason. I can’t risk something happening to them.” Before Rafe could ask, he added, “She and I talked tonight about my pulling you guys in. Even though I know she wishes she could handle this situation all by herself, she’ll do anything to keep her son safe.”
“I’ll dig into the guy,” Rafe said. “His family, too. Whatever dirt there is on them, I’ll find it.”
“I’ll do the same on the business end,” Ian told him. “I’ll find out what else the family has their hands in.” And figure out where to yank to destroy them, was his unspoken promise. “I’ll also check in with Smith to see what he knows about the Bentleys.”
