Page 24 of Guarding Grace (Hawk Security #2)

Everything about Terry exuded power, but more than only muscles. It was in the way he carried himself, the way he spoke with others, the way I’d seen him make decisions. Terry was so…the best word for it was male . So, why didn’t his hand stray to at least stroke my shoulder?

As the movie went on, I caught him glancing at me, but only because I was paying as much attention to him as I was Arnold and Jamie Lee.

He didn’t merely glance at my cleavage. His eyes traveled the length of me, like a gentle caress—the journey I wished his hands would take.

“It’s so perfect,” Terry said as the characters crossed the threshold into the secret offices with the Omega emblem set in the marble floor. Omega Sector, The last line of defense , it read.

“Yeah.”

“Hiding in plain sight,” he said with a laugh. “Any communication about Omega the news media overhears is like a joke about the movie. They have no idea we’re real.”

“That’s what Pete thought,” I lied. He’d never spoken with me about it. “He always made me proud.”

“You should be.” He gripped my shoulder. “Omega is the best. True ghosts.”

Omega . The word rattled around in my head as I recalled the furtive conversations. I’d known Pete was in a black program he couldn’t talk about, but I’d never connected the Omega mentions until this moment.

Terry pulled his hand back.

I missed the short touch, but it also felt like a revelation to finally have a glimpse of my brother’s world. I knew Pete’s work had to be different than the movie, but how much different? It hurt to know I’d never be able to ask him, now that he was gone.

I sensed that Terry wanted me just as I wanted him. He just couldn’t or wouldn’t allow himself. He was back to stubborn Terry.

During our kiss, he’d warned me that he wouldn’t be able to stop, but now he had. Maybe it had been my fault for arguing with him too forcefully. “I can’t thank you enough,” I murmured.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

I didn’t need noble Terry, when I wanted the passionate man I’d tasted earlier, the man whose eyes caressed me this evening. “You know I like you.”

He nodded while looking straight ahead at the screen. That deflated my ego several notches, but if he’d changed his mind, I had to know. “When we kissed before…”

His eyes finally traveled to mine, with heat in them. “You deserve better than me.”

Where the hell had that come from? “Don’t put yourself down. I don’t know a better man than you.”

He chuckled. “That only shows you don’t get out much.”

He’d hit the nail on the head with that one.

I’d poured all my time into my business, but a near-death experience made things much clearer now. I could work hard on my business while still making time for me. And now I knew what else I wanted.

I tugged on his arm. “I know enough people to know you’re the one for me.”

He pulled away. “We can’t. It wouldn’t be right.”

I sat up. “I’ve had enough of this shit.” My butt stung something fierce, so I laid back down. “Call Zane and have him pick me up.”

He jolted. “What?”

“You said to get through this we needed to be a team, but you’re acting like I have typhoid, so I want Zane to be my protection.”

“No way.” The heat in his eyes said I’d gotten to him. “You can’t be serious.”

It was time. “After this morning, I want you more than I can say, but if you don’t want me the same way, then I don’t want to be around you. It’ll hurt too much. I can’t die before I’ve even lived.”

“Grace, I never meant to?—”

“Shut up. Did you know that this morning was my first kiss since college? It’s time to man up…” I grabbed his hand and got the same zing as before, the zing that told me I was doing the right thing—right for me at least. “If you’re chicken, call Zane.”

He stared at me a long moment, and then slowly, he brought his mouth near mine. “Are you sure? Because this is a bell that can’t be unrung.”

I could tell the position was awkward for him, but I speared my fingers in his hair and pulled him down to meet my needy lips anyway. “I’m sure.” I shifted down the sectional and soon our faces were upside down against each other, like in the Spiderman movie.

I couldn’t reach his crotch like this, but I did pull his hand down to my breast. The feel of him kneading my flesh ignited the afterburner of my desire. He delved deeper, taking over the kiss, and soon there was no question who was in charge.

He pulled at the hem of my top and his strong fingers slid into my bra, caressing me and tweaking my nipple. Moaning my pleasure, I reached up, but I could barely reach the bulge of his erection with my fingertips.

Still, that was enough to pull a groan from him, followed by a quick yank on the hem of my skirt.

I moaned my agreement as his finger moved inside my panties and parted my soaked folds. I gasped as he teased my entrance and then slid that finger inside me. I couldn’t control my moans as I bucked against his hand, still unable to do more than brush against the outline of his cock.

“Tell me if you want me to stop.” His voice was rough with desire.

“No. I want this. I mean, I want more.”

After today, I did need this. I needed him. I needed to leave the shitstorm of my life behind for a little while. This was the second time today our tongues had tangled, and arguments be damned, I couldn’t get enough of him.

He pulled his hand away. “You better be sure,” he warned.

“I’m sure. Please don’t stop,” I begged.

He sat up and shoved the coffee table away. “Kitten, I’ve been wanting to taste you all day long.”

No man had ever talked that dirty to me. I wouldn’t have guessed I would like it, but I did. The jolt of excitement went straight to my core. “Like I said, green light.”

He pulled my legs off the sectional.

“Ouch.”

“Sorry.” He reached up to yank my panties down with determination—not too rough, but definitely not gentle. He was a man on a mission, a man in control.

On my back like this, my wound only hurt moderately. I steeled myself for what was to come, but the words escaped anyway. “I’ve never?—”

He stopped, eyes wide. “Never? You’re a?—”

“No, no, no. I’m not a virgin, but I’ve not ever…

I mean, not like this.” With flushed cheeks, I didn’t know how to say I’d never had a man go down on me before.

The closest I’d gotten had been Jeffrey in college who was going to, but I hadn’t showered since the morning, and when his nose had wrinkled, I’d gotten cold feet.

I also didn’t mention that I hadn’t showered since this morning.

Terry huffed. “Let me guess, the wimps you went out with wanted blow jobs but didn’t reciprocate?”

I nodded. “And it’s been a long time.” My dry spell had been years now.

“Me too.” His face softened. “But trust me, this is not something to be scared of. ”

I nodded again, hoping to God that it lived up to half the hype it received in my romance novels.

He dragged my panties down, throwing them across the room. “I’ll bet you have no idea how beautiful you are.”

I blushed. “Stop it.” I was halfway there with just the way his eyes devoured me.

An instant later, his mouth was on me.

My brain froze.

He lifted my legs over his shoulders and began licking and sucking.

Grabbing handfuls of his hair, I cried out, “Terry.” My sounds became unintelligible as he tortured my clit in the most delicious way. I squeezed his head with my thighs as he drove me higher with every skillful stroke.

Then he thrust two fingers inside me and the assault was almost too much to bear.

I rocked into him. When he stroked that area inside me that I’d heard about, but never experienced, his eyes locked with mine.

I was completely at his mercy, an instrument he played to perfection.

He was too good at this, way too fucking good.

I clamped my thighs on his head and yanked at his hair, writhing against his mouth. It was all too much and not enough at the same time. With another lick of his tongue, I exploded and screamed one last time. My body shook from the intense pleasure searing me from the inside out.

His wicked tongue teased me through the waves. My shaking and spasms didn’t stop for the longest time, and when they did, I went limp.

Finally, he pulled away with glistening lips and a very satisfied look on his face. “I told you it was nothing to be afraid of.”

Breathlessly, I nodded. “That was?—”

“Great?” he suggested.

“Great is a start…” I panted. “But I was going to go with out of this world.”

He laughed and licked his fingers—oh, this man was sexy with a capital S. All these years, he’d been right in front of me, and all I’d seen was my tormentor.

Worn out, I held out my arms to him in invitation. “Lie with me.” I wanted to return the pleasure, but would need a few minutes to recover first.

Repositioning us, he placed me on the side that didn’t have a wound and lay on the sectional next to me. He tucked my hair behind my ear. “Kitten, you’re something else.”

“Something good, I hope.” I ran my nails down his spine.

“You bet.” After a short kiss, he snuggled me to him, cradling my breast. “Don’t you ever call me a coward again. ”

“Then don’t ever make me beg again.”

“Deal.”

I was certain he could feel the rapid beat of my heart. A few minutes later, I’d recharged enough to reach for the bulge of steel in his pants. “Your turn.”

Terry

Before I could react, Grace raised up to her knees and attacked my belt.

She pulled my zipper down. I cooperated by lifting myself as she pulled my pants off.

There was nothing more beautiful than watching her face as she pulled my aching cock free.

I was willingly crossing the Rubicon today.

If Pete hated me when he got back, that would be the price I’d have to pay.

Grace and I would face him together, as a team.

She stroked me from root to head. “I always knew you’d be big, but my God…” When she added her tongue and licked the bead of pre-cum from the tip, I didn’t care if she was just stroking my ego or not.

I grunted. “Baby, you have no idea how beautiful you look right now.” Yes, the view of her fisting me was intoxicating.

She dragged her hand up and down again. “I like this.”

My cock grew impossibly harder under her touch. “Baby, he likes you too.” I couldn’t stifle my groans as she pulled hard and licked me again. “Are you gonna suck me or just torture me to death?”

“If that’s what you want.” Her tongue circled my crown before her lips took me in.

I hissed out a breath and arched up into her.

She met me and sucked me in deep before lifting off and releasing me with a pop.

“That’s it, baby.” I reached for her hair.

She batted my hand away and broke contact. “I’m in charge,” she announced, and for once I didn’t argue with her.

She fisted the base of my shaft and began a rhythmic slide of her lips up and down, taking me deep, sucking me hard. All the while, she maintained eye contact.

I couldn’t look away. It was a vixen’s mind-meld as she held me in her trance, watching my reaction to her tongue, the way she hummed around my cock, the strength of her grip, every little thing.

When she cupped my balls with her other hand, I tensed, so close to blowing that I couldn’t take it. I pulled her hair, lifting her off me. “Baby,” I bit out hoarsely. “I’m not coming in your mouth the first time we do this.”

“I said it’s your turn. Let me finish you.”

“No. I’m going to finish inside you, with your sweet pussy clamping down around me and you screaming my name so loud they hear it in Vegas. And you’re going to come again and again for me, baby—all night long.”

Her smile said she wasn’t going to argue.

Then my phone rang. “Fuck.” It was Lucas’s ringtone.

“Just let it go,” she pleaded as she stroked me again.

“I can’t. It’s Lucas.” One of our inviolable rules was that you always picked up a call from the boss.

Rolling off the sectional, I answered, “Goodwin.”

“How is Grace doing?”

I looked over at her. With the flush in her cheeks from what we’d been doing, she looked perfect to me. “Just fine, considering all she’s been through today.”

“Good. Tell her Constance is on her way with her things. She’ll be there any minute.”

“Copy that. What do we know about the two who shot at us?”

“They’re not a part of Russo’s crew. We established that much, but they’re scared of whoever hired them and won’t talk.”

“Marku?” I asked.

“Could be. Or whoever the buyer of that shipment is. Jordy and Winston are still getting confirmation on that. This is turning into a real shitshow, so whatever was in that case had to be something special. You just keep our girl safe.”

I looked at Grace and smiled. “Copy that.”

Lucas ended the call.

Grace’s phone dinged. I waited for her to get it, but she ignored it instead.

I gave her the good news. “Lucas is sending Constance over now with your clothes.”

She sighed a relieved breath. “Finally. What about my cats?”

“He didn’t say.”

Her phone dinged again with the arrival of another message.

“You need to get that?” I asked.

Reluctantly, she nodded. “It has to be work.” She struggled off the sectional. “How about a short timeout?”

I smiled. “To be continued.” I pulled my pants back up and buckled my belt .

She cursed as she searched her handbag for her phone. It was cute.

I was going all-in with Grace. The terror I’d felt almost losing her in the attacks today had made the feelings I held for her clear as day.

I wasn’t repressing them any longer, Pete or no Pete.

She wanted me as much as I wanted her, and that made this the perfect decision, the only possible decision.

Holding up the phone triumphantly, she swiped at the screen. “Hi, Peyton. What’s up?”