Page 14 of Deception (Deranged Drifters MC #22)

Chapter Fourteen

Griffin’s Beach Kent

K ent knew when he picked up Gracie the next night for a nighttime picnic, she wasn’t quite ready for something so intimate.

The war waging in her head between what she feels and what she thinks becomes evident every time they get close to each other.

Every kiss and touch tells him she wants him as badly as he wants her, but she gets stuck in her head as she overthinks it.

They’ve gone on dates with Nolan to help ease her discomfort. At the end of each night, they kiss to the point of panting, and he knows she craves more just like he does, but he stops. Moving too fast will hurt them more than the pleasure it will bring.

After multiple dates where he spent time with both of them, he finally takes the chance to bring her out on the picnic date he asked her on. They sit on a blanket on the bluffs under the night sky.

“This is really pretty,” Gracie says, smiling at him. “But I have to be honest and say I expected something a little more than prepackaged sandwiches.”

Kent laughs. “I ran out of time today. I had to run an errand for Colt, and it was one of those that I probably shouldn’t have been doing, but also wasn’t told exactly what it was for that very reason. I ran out of time, but I had something else planned. Promise.”

“You’re close to patching in. Soon, you’ll get to know what it is you’re delivering.”

The light at the end of the two-year prospecting tunnel makes him sigh in relief. “I hope they give me the patch.”

“You don’t think they will?”

He shrugs. “My attitude hurts me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m a little too chill for them. For everyone, really. It’s why I’ve never really had a long relationship. Being reactive and volatile is the norm, and that’s just not me.”

“Being calm and collected, especially under pressure, is an underrated skill, if you ask me. I wish I could be as chill as you are. But I think you might be surprised.”

Smiling, he reaches out for her hand. “I hope so. I don’t know what I’ll do otherwise, but I know I’ll figure it out. Like how I managed to pick up dinner when I only had an hour to shower and clean my bike before picking you up.”

“You could have texted me. I would’ve gotten something ready.”

“I know you would have, but you can’t tell me you’ll ever forget this date. I mean, possibly days-old ham sandwiches, juice pouches, and the starry sky above us… Pretty damn memorable.”

She giggles and looks at their hands. “That’s a good point. I don’t think I’ll ever forget this.”

Taking a bite of his sandwich, he winks at her. “I promise to do something more romantic for our next date.”

“I don’t know how you do it, but everything so far as been romantic. Or maybe I’m just easy to please. Who knows?”

The words shoot straight to his groin. “I plan to find out one of these days.”

Instead of a smart comeback, Gracie just stares at the blanket and chews the small bite she took. This would normally be where she jokes and tells him he’s lucky she even showed up, or that he has a funny idea of time. It’s become their normal banter.

“Hey, what’s going on?” he nudges her with his knee. “That was the perfect opening to tell me that I’m just a stupid guy.”

“You’re not stupid.”

She still won’t look at him, and Kent sets the food down. “Gracie, look at me.”

When she does, he’s surprised by the glossy-eyed look as he sees unshed tears. He studies her, hoping he didn’t step over the line of what she’s comfortable with, but she doesn’t ease his worry when she continues to stay silent.

“What’s wrong? I was just kidding—”

“What if it’s me?”

He tilts his head in confusion. “What if what’s you?”

“Ignore me,” she says and forces a chuckle as she looks back down at the blanket. “I’ve just been in my head all day. It’s… It’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid if you’re upset,” Kent says and pulls her onto his lap, letting her rest her head against his chest rather than look at him.

“This is me, baby. Nothing you feel is stupid, and we both know there is nothing you can say that would be dumber than some of the shit that comes out of my mouth.”

Swallowing, she pauses, but she holds onto him. It gives him a little bit of relief to know she finds comfort in his embrace. “What if I’m not good?” she whispers.

“Good at what?” She stays silent, and he catches on. “Oh! Wait, you’re worried about that?”

Pulling away, she sits in front of him again. “There just… There’s a lot that goes through a girl’s head when she thinks about having sex with someone she likes. Usually, experience makes it easier. At least, I assume it does. But my experience wasn’t… normal.”

“Gracie—”

“Please don’t tell me I’m being ridiculous.”

He reaches for her hand and strokes the top with his thumb. “I wasn’t going to.”

She sighs and looks up into his eyes. “I wish I could explain how I’ve gone over that night with Nolan’s dad in my head every day since it happened. How I worry my skills in that department made him not want to talk to me again. That it’s the reason my son doesn’t have a father in the picture.”

“I can promise you that your performance in the bedroom—or wherever it was—isn’t the reason that jerk isn’t around.”

“How do you know?”

Cupping her cheek, Kent smiles. “Because even bad sex is good sex for guys. And the truth is, it’s not that hard to get most guys off. The fact he didn’t want to talk to you again had nothing to do with you. It’s all him.”

“I suppose it’s obvious he got off. You know… kid and everything,” she says with a small giggle.

Normally, he’d chuckle along with her, but he really hates this guy who ruined something that should have been so special for her. “That’s not really the point.”

“But what if it was me? What if I wasn’t good? Or maybe I’m just not pretty enough. He probably thought I was stupid, and it was easy to get me naked because I’m just a dumb girl.”

“Gracie, listen to me. What he did had nothing to do with you or how good you were. He’s the type of guy who wants to get into someone’s pants and walk away. He’s the type of guy I will beat the shit out of if I ever find out who he is because he’s not a man. A man doesn’t treat a woman that way.”

She gives him a shaky smile as she fights back a sob. “It’s just really hard looking at Nolan knowing he doesn’t have a father in his life.”

“He has me. I’m not his father, but he’s got me. Always will. Plus, we can’t forget your brother or your dad. Hell, he has the whole damn club.”

“He has you,” she repeats.

“For the rest of my life.”

Gracie lunges into his arms, her lips on his, and he’s more than happy to give her comfort however she needs it. Their tongues dance, and he appreciates the sitting position. He’s had a kink in his neck the past few days from slouching so much.

Her hips shift as he strains against his fly, and she pulls away to smile at him. “It feels like you might like me.”

“Sorry,” he mutters and kisses her neck. “Actually, you know what? I’m not sorry. I want you, Gracie. There’s no reason to hide it.”

“You do?”

Taking her hand, Kent places it over his groin as he looks into her eyes. “Yeah, I fucking do. But I know you’re not ready yet, and that’s okay.”

“I want you, too,” she whispers. “I’m just scared.”

“I don’t want you to be scared of me.”

She shakes her head and pats her face with the back of her hand in an attempt to cool her red cheeks. “I’m not scared of you. This is all so… This means a lot. If things don’t work out, I don’t know if I could take it if I lost you.”

Smiling, he strokes her face. “You won’t lose me. You’re stuck with me, kid. I get that you’re scared, but one day, I hope you’ll realize that I’m here. There’s nowhere I’d rather be than with you. You and Nolan.”

“God, you’re sexy when you talk like that,” Gracie says with sigh and a smile. “It’s crazy how much I trust you. I don’t trust many people outside my family.”

“That means so much to me,” he says. “Can I ask a personal question?”

“Well, you did help me birth a child, so I think there’s little out of bounds,” she jokes.

Thank God her humor is back. “When you were with Nolan’s dad, did you enjoy it?”

Her grimace answers that. “It was awkward. It hurt, and then it was just… over. Then he left.”

Licking his lips, Kent feels the nerves kick in. “I’d like to do something, but if it’s too much, just tell me.”

“What are you going to do?”

Leaning her back, he kisses her mouth, then her cheek, then her neck. His fingers unbutton her jeans, and he hesitates when her breathing hitches. “Do you want me to stop?”

She shakes her head, and he smiles when she gasps as his fingers slip beneath her panties and strokes between her lips. Finding what he looks for, he kisses her cheek and watches her, monitoring her reaction.

“Is this okay?”

Nodding her head, she smiles before closing her eyes. “It feels… good.”

“Don’t overthink it,” he whispers as he gently sucks on her earlobe. “Just feel.”

She kisses him, and he’s more than happy to help give her something else to focus on to keep the thoughts bouncing around in her head from taking over.

As much as he’d love to slip his hand down further to feel how ready she is—something that will likely make him explode—he doesn’t want to overwhelm her.

Too much too fast will send her running, and he wants her to know there’s no pressure.

All he wants is to show her how good it’s supposed to feel.

Gracie pulls away and gasps, her chest rising as he kisses her neck, his fingers never relenting. “Kent...”

“Don’t overthink it,” he whispers against her skin. “Let the feelings take over.”

Her mouth opens as the orgasm hits, and she grabs his arm as she stiffens and shakes. “Oh, wow.”

Kent slows his fingers down, slowly pulling them back up as she closes her eyes. “How do you feel?”

“That’s what it was supposed to feel like?” She bursts into a fit of laughter. “I take it back. I don’t think I’m the one who was bad.”

He laughs with her and re-buttons her jeans. “I think you’re correct.”

“Do you really think sex would make things even better with us? It won’t ruin what we’re building?”

“You’re my best friend, kid. You know me better than most, and I’ve told you more than anyone else in my life. How women never saw me as the type to settle down with, but I’m glad they didn’t. I’m falling for my best friend, and I want to experience everything with you.”

She smiles and cups his face. “You weren’t thinking we’d have sex tonight, were you?”

“I mean, I’m a guy. I’m always going to hope, but I made sure not to bring anything with me to make sure that even if you begged, we wouldn’t. Because I’m not the pull-out type.”

“Begged?”

Falling onto his back, his cock throbbing painfully against his zipper, he smiles up at the night sky. “Oh, I have this fantasy of you on your knees as you plead for me to take you. It’s a pretty good one, if I do say so myself.”

He knows oversharing could scare her, but he wants her to know that he’s here. And he wants her. The insecurities this asshole who took something so precious from her gave her pisses him off more than he’s ever been before. It’s an odd and uncomfortable feeling.

“Do I take care of you now?”

His breathing hitches. He’s dreamed of her hands on his cock, and he aches even more. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’ve already done more than you thought we would tonight.”

“Doesn’t it hurt, though?”

The way she bites her lip when he turns to look at her shows excitement rather than apprehension. “Yeah, kind of.”

“Show me what you like,” Gracie whispers and unbuttons his jeans like he did to her.

“Gracie, you don’t have—”

“I want to, Kent.”

Shifting, he slips his jeans and boxers down enough to free his cock, and he chuckles when her eyes widen.

“Probably not the right thing to say, but holy shit,” she says and gently takes him into her hand. “Nolan’s father was nothing like this.”

“What do you mean?” Kent asks, gasping when her thumb spreads the thick fluid on the tip. “You’ve done this before.”

Shaking her head, she gives him a proud smile. “No, I haven’t. And I mean that he wasn’t nearly this big.”

“Really?”

The way she keeps biting her lower lip makes him want to take her right now. Condom or not, he’d love to show her what sex should be. She’s so damn sexy, and she doesn’t even know it.

“Really. Show me what you like.”

His large hand wraps around her much smaller one, and he stares at her as she focuses on their hands moving along his length. He watches for any sign of hesitation, but she still looks intrigued. Which is a good sign.

“You like this?”

Like this? I fucking love the feel of your hands on me, kid.

Letting her please him, he puts his hand on his chest while he rubs her back with his other. “Fuck, Gracie,” he moans. “You might want to prepare yourself. It’s about to get messy soon.”

She giggles and uses her other hand to fully encircle him. He moans as his balls tighten in the familiar way that tells him it won’t be long now.

Her fault my ass. This girl is a natural.