— GRACY —
“Are you okay?” I whisper.
His whole face went white when he glanced over those papers he’s holding. They don’t make any sense to me but the way they were all spread out on the table it looked like Maggie was reading them and needed some fresh air. That’s probably why I found her on the patio instead of inside the house.
“I knew that fucker was behind everything,” Eddie mutters and grabs his phone. He waits a few breaths before he starts to rattle, “Clemente, did your lawyer get your hands on those documents they said Gracy signed?”
Eddie throws the papers he was holding on the bed and starts to stalk back and forth as he listens to whatever Clemente is telling him.
“I have something I want to compare it with because I have a gut feeling. Yeah. The clubhouse. Okay. An hour, see you there.” He hangs up and grabs his head as he tips it back.
I’m almost afraid to breathe because the way he’s acting? My hunch about this being the thing that led to his mother ending up in the hospital is true. I mean, if Eddie is reacting this way, it must be very bad. It pains me to see him like this.
I take a deep breath and repeat the question, “Are you okay?”
Eddie slowly drops his hands and his gaze collides with mine. The torment raging through him is intense.
“No,” he growls and he’s standing before me with my next breath.
He takes my lips in a raw kiss and the way his tongue is swirling against mine makes me gladly submit to his dominance.
His mouth is ripped away and right next to my ear as he says on a hot breath, “I need to feel you wrapped around me. You’re the one thing keeping me grounded. The only good that entered my fucked-up life. Say yes, Gracelynn.”
How can I ever resist when the feelings he just shared with me could have been voiced by myself?
“Yes,” I gasp when he rolls his hips, allowing me to feel his hard length pressing against my belly.
A growl rumbles through his chest and he pulls slightly back to create space between us. He starts to tug at my jeans and it makes me reach out to do the same to him but it takes too much effort.
Frustration makes me snap, “You do yours, I do mine. Shit. You better have a condom.”
He reaches for his back pocket and holds out a foil package.
“Yes!” I breathe as I kick away my jeans and underwear while throwing my top over my head and onto the floor.
I’m left in just my bra while Eddie is still dressed. Well, his zipper is down and his jeans are hanging onto his hips and he has his fingers wrapped around his huge, hard dick as he slowly slides up and down. He rips the foil package with his teeth and easily slides the condom on.
“Gosh, that’s sexy,” I whisper, mainly to myself.
There’s a rumble in his chest before he’s on me. My back is pressed to the wall behind me and my ass is in his hands as he lifts me up, allowing me to wrap my legs around his waist.
“Sorry, darlin’,” Eddie grunts. “First round is going to be hard and rough.”
As if I would file a complaint. “Just get inside me already because I’ve never felt this empty and wet and you’re the only one who can do something about it.”
He reaches between us and aligns his dick with my pussy, sliding it back and forth and coating himself with my juices. Sweet heaven, if he keeps this up, I will come without having him inside me.
He enters me with just the tip and if I thought he was big when I looked at it, it feels like a monstrosity now. He buries his head in the crook of my neck, his hot breath spreading over my skin and the grunts coming from his mouth is making sparks of electricity dance through my body.
This is not just sex, this is an intimate connection, a driven need to devour one another. I slide my arms underneath his leather cut and let my nails trail up and down his back. Even through the fabric of his shirt he loves the feel and it makes him slide fully inside me in one hard thrust.
I’m gasping for my next breath as Eddie starts to pound inside me. By now I’m consumed by this man and can only fist the fabric of his shirt to hold on. The pleasure building inside my body is bound to explode any second.
His fingers are gripping my ass, his mouth is sucking my neck, and the way he switches up the angle of his thrusts so he grazes my clit is making me scream his name as my pussy starts to convulse around his dick.
The way he says my name on a hot breath as it flows over into a rough grunt is making my body shake with a bonus orgasm as tribute. Hot damn, I don’t think I’ve ever had such a raw connection with someone. Eddie is struggling for his next breath and so am I. I can feel him soften inside me and when he slightly shifts, he slides out, making the both of us groan.
“Way too fucking short,” Eddie mutters.
And all my mind offers in reply is, “Most definitely not talking about his dick.”
The way Eddie bursts out a laugh makes me aware I’ve said it out loud. He’s still chuckling when he strolls into the bathroom to get rid of the condom. I take this time to quickly put my clothes back on and I’m done the second Eddie walks back into the room.
This after sex thing, papers scattered on the bed, Maggie in the hospital, Spencer, Rush, the whole shebang is making me question how to act or what to say but it seems Eddie takes over when he stalks right up to me and wraps his fingers around the back of my neck to pull me close.
I expect the kiss to be raw and hard but he surprises me by giving me gentleness. Our lips are caught in a sensual dance and it makes me want to throw my clothes back on the floor. He pulls away too soon for my liking and gives me an intense stare as if he’s checking to see if I’m okay.
“I’m going to need to handle a few things in the upcoming hour but you’re going to be by my side every second, understood? Those papers behind me are proof of my innocence and if they get into the wrong hands, I can’t put the one responsible behind bars. Hell, maybe it’s more than one person if my suspicions are correct and it would also add murder to it. Because this also is proof my father, along with Nicolaus, Rush’s father, were murdered by Rush.”
Eddie takes a moment to expel a breath or two, as if he’s contemplating what he should tell me or keep to himself, before he continues. “Nicolaus and my father’s functions were more the overseeing kind. Make decisions, take on new projects, visit potential investors, that sort of thing. Except, the night they died they were standing on top of a building that we handled the renovations for. The police ruled their deaths as an unfortunate accident. Something about floors not being safe and it gave way causing them to fall to their death. But neither of them should have been there. These papers?” Eddie’s voice is an angry growl and he swallows hard, as if to catch himself losing control and is trying to calm himself down.
He glances back at the bed and points. “These papers shine a whole new light on what went down that night. And I know for a fact Rush didn’t just shove me out of the way so he could take over the club, this has been going on for a while to gather funds for his drug dealing ambitions. I might have pulled you into this but the papers lying behind me are the real documents while the forged ones were the ones that got me convicted. And with Spencer forging documents and working with Rush, I’m thinking those two have been working together for years. I don’t know the finer details yet, but I’m going to find out. By doing so I might open a can of worms where there’s no turning back from. I can’t promise your safety and maybe it’s better if you move in with Clemente for a few days, or as long as it takes for me to solve this. And I might have to put someone at the hospital to keep an eye on my mother because I’m pretty damn sure she didn’t know she had this and my mind is still boggling over the fact these papers were in her possession, and I’m wondering how she got them. See? It’s all a fucking mess and I don’t know where to start.”
“You start by facing one thing at a time. And you’re not going to send me away like a little child. All of this involves me too. I’m here, I can help. Let me help. And you know as well as I do that you have a solid partner in Clemente if—”
“If I keep you safe because if something happens to you, I’m sure my next breath will be my last. That’s why I suggested you could stay with him, let us work this out. Because I also can’t focus if I’m not sure you’re safe,” Eddie tries again.
It’s not going to work; I’ve made up my mind. Besides, I need to do this, not just for him, but for me. “I ran away from Spencer once and ignored everything to pick myself up and start over. Look what that got me. Almost losing my mother’s family’s legacy to a man who never loved my mother but wanted her money instead. And he might be getting it too. I’m done ignoring things and not stepping up for what’s right. So, you forget about stashing me away because I’m not going to leave your side, understood?”
“You’re right,” Eddie says with determination now evident in his voice. “How badly I want to keep you out of this, it’s not possible because you’re connected to all of this too. Come on, we have to pack a bag for my mother and get back to the clubhouse. I need to talk things through with Clemente first before I get my brothers up to speed. Then we’ll drop the bag off at the hospital and hopefully get some good news.”
“I’m sure she’ll be awake when we get there, and if she’s not, you know it’s for the best that she rests up to regain her strength. And maybe those papers made a huge impact on her and explains why her body reacted this way. We have to stay positive for now until we know more. One thing at a time, remember?”
The corner of his mouth twitches. “Mr. and Mrs. Positive, huh?”
“You know it,” I quip. “Go grab those papers and tuck them away safely. I’ll head into the other bedroom and grab a few things for her.”
I turn on my heels and head for the door but Eddie snatches my hand and makes me glance back.
“You’re really something, Gracelynn,” he murmurs. “A reason to live beyond the need for justice to prevail. I’m one lucky man to have such a good thing in my life. A strong woman who doesn’t let anyone interfere with what she wants.”
My chest blooms with warmth. “Save the sweet talk for later, pretty boy. Because saying things like that will get you laid and we don’t have the time...we have work to do.”
He barks out a laugh and tries to keep from smiling big. “Yes, ma’am,” he finally says and heads for the bed to snatch up all the papers.
It takes me a few minutes to grab what I need from the other bedroom and I hear Eddie throw a question at Rhett as he steps from the patio into the living room. “What were you doing out there?”
“I had to get some fresh air, Pres,” Rhett groans. “You and your old lady were getting it on in the bedroom and the dog takes after the owner because he’s rubbing one out on a stuffed animal while I’m here twiddling my thumbs. Yeah, stepping out there and enjoying the ocean view seemed like the right thing to do.”
My cheeks heat when I hear Rhett mention he heard me and Eddie having sex, but his ramblings right after make me giggle. I place Maggie’s bag in the hallway and enter my own bedroom to pack myself a bag because we’re going to be staying at the clubhouse. With everything going on and Eddie being the president of Unruly Defenders MC, that’s where he needs to be.
I make sure to bring Finn’s bowls and food so everyone is set for at least a few days. We all head out and a few minutes later we’re walking into the clubhouse. It’s crowded and Yates comes rushing toward us to take the bowls and Finn’s food out of my hands.
“Where do you want me to put them?” he questions.
“My room. I’m not trusting Finn running around here when I’m handling things so he can sleep, eat, and stay in our bedroom when we need to do other things and can’t bring him along,” Eddie tells him.
“Smart,” Yates quips. “But I’m sure the little dude is going to fit right in. It’s all of the others who need to adjust to having a dog around. And an old lady, let’s not forget Gracy is the first old lady of this MC’s new generation. You’re moving in too, right, Gracy?”
I have to swallow a few times at the dryness in my mouth to form a word, and I’m glad I don’t have to because Eddie is answering for me.
“Are you seriously stealing my thunder, VP? I was thinking of having her hang around here for a few days and letting the guys and the place grow on her before popping the question.” Eddie shakes his head and hardens his tone. “If she runs away, I’m blaming you.”
Yates’ eyes slide to me and they widen as crinkles appear in his forehead. He holds his fingertips in front of his mouth and by doing this he’s clearly saying “Oops,” without words and it makes me smile big. The mischief dancing in his eyes makes him appear ten years younger and I have to say, he makes me feel at ease.
“Don’t worry, Yates, I’m not going anywhere. Well, not without Eddie.” I shoot him a wink and head for the room we were in the last time.
Eddie follows me and we drop our stuff on the bed. I scoop Finn up and it makes me wonder. “Did you mention we were leaving Finn here? In this room or with the guys? Did you need to have the meeting now or are we going to your mother first?”
Rooney pops his head into the room. “I could watch the little doggie for you. I’m going to do some reading so I could be in my room or in the main room, whatever makes you feel at ease but Finn won’t be alone, he’d be with me.”
“Okay.” I give Rooney a grateful smile. “But don’t feed him any chocolate.”
“No worries. I used to own a Dutch Shepherd. I know how to take care of a dog.”
“A man with many talents,” I compliment. “Wait, what else can you do, and did you bring me some more chocolate? I need more. I would love to pay for them too.”
Rooney steps inside the room and lowers his voice. “I’m testing some new stuff. One of those is vanilla truffle with a twist of caramel. I could use a test subject if you’re offering.”
“Hells yes,” I squeak and add, “I’m never going to leave you guys ever again. Well, I probably can’t in a few months of testing, my ass will be too big to fit through the door with all the chocolate I’m going to stuff into my mouth.”
Rooney snickers, “From what Rhett mentioned, Pres here will make sure to burn those calories right off.”
Eddie growls low in his throat.
“I’m outta here. Come find me when I need to look after Finn, and I’ll have some chocolate for you, ‘kay?”
“Thanks Rooney,” I quip and have to smile at Eddie’s reaction, being all protective while Rooney was only joking around.
Earlier at the house I was slightly embarrassed when Rhett mentioned he heard me and Eddie having sex. And with Rooney mentioning it I know these guys are all close friends. A bunch of dirty gossip, teenage level, bachelors. But I have a feeling I’m going to fit right in, because they all seem nice, supportive, and caring. I can see why Eddie is fighting hard for this place and those brothers along with it.
“Let’s head over to the hospital first, I’ll postpone the meeting. I hope my mother is awake since I need to ask her where she got the papers from,” Eddie says, rubbing a hand over his neck and he looks so tired.
“Let’s go, hopefully we’ll get some good news about her, and the papers.” I take his hand and give a little tug to get him moving.
I grab both the stuffed animal and Maggie’s bag with my other hand along the way. We walk into the main room and I notice Rooney is sitting next to Hudson at the bar. I bend down to scoop Finn up and hand him over to Rooney.
“He’s in your care now. Don’t let him slip out of the front door and if you want him to sleep, give him this.” I thrust the stuffed animal in his lap and Finn starts to squirm to get it.
Rhett starts to laugh and snatches up the stuffed animal. “You guys go ahead, I’ll watch Finn and Rooney. I’ll show everyone else Finn’s neat trick.” He ushers us away and starts to explain. “Check it out, you know the whole statement how the dog takes after the owner? And how Pres walked out of prison, stepping in here with an old lady attached to his arm? Look.” Rhett throws the stuffed animal on the floor and takes Finn from Rooney, placing him on the floor. Finn heads straight for the stuffed animal and starts to hump.
“For fuck’s sake, this is why Finn stayed at my mother’s most of the time,” Eddie mutters while laughter fills the clubhouse.
“Come on, I need to head out of here with these teenage fucks with one-track minds,” Yates grumbles before he raises his voice. “Ash, tag along. We need eyes on our Pres’ mother, that’s you.”
The four of us head out and I’m hoping with all my heart we will get some positive news about Maggie. And hopefully Eddie will get an answer about where the papers and the envelope came from.