She quirked a brow at him. “Uh, family drama is something I’m quite used to, Wade.”
He knew Gracie was referring to her father, but al he could think about was the look on his sister’s face. “I don’t think I handled this very wel .”
“She’s your sister; she’l forgive you. But can I give you some advice?”
He pul ed her into his arms, soft curves fitting against him. Damn, he wished they were back at his place. “I’l take anything I can get right now.”
Gracie leaned back a few inches, her gaze caressing his face. “Deanna seems like an intel igent woman to me. If she chooses Jonas, then maybe you should trust her judgment.”
Women and their logic. “I’ve seen him with women, Gracie. He’s not exactly the boy next door.” Wade left out the part that they’d even shared women. Jonas with Deanna? His stomach turned just thinking about it.
“She strikes me as the type who can handle it, though. If it even comes to that. In the meantime, it could put a wedge between you and your sister if you try to stand in her way.”
He mul ed that over and came to one conclusion. “If she wants him, then I’l step back. But if he pushes her, even a little, there’l be hel to pay.”
Wade couldn’t make any promises where Dean was concerned, though, and his brother tended to be damned protective of his twin.
Gracie came up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. Wade growled low at the contact. Cupping the back of her head, he held her stil , reveling in her sweet flavor. The satiny softness of her lower lip beckoned him to bite. He heeded the cal and nibbled on her a moment before pushing his way into her mouth. Their tongues played, and Wade’s cock hardened to the point of pain. Gracie was the first to pul back. “We need to save the rest of that for later, when we’re alone.”
“Mmm, I’m going to make you beg for me, baby.”
“I’m pretty sure I’ve already done that, darling.”
Wade groaned as he watched her walk away, the sway of her hips a thing of beauty. He looked at the mess around him. Hours. It’d be hours before he could get her in his bed. One more thing to lay at her stalker’s feet.
His Gracie Lynn wasn’t supposed to have friends. She had her loser father, and she had him. He knew everything about her. The people she worked with, the books she read, the few brief relationships she’d had with men. But as he sat in his car across from her apartment, he watched a tal brunette walk out her front door carrying trash to the Dumpster. He frowned. Where had they al come from? And she wasn’t learning from the lesson he’d tried so hard to teach her, either. She should be begging his forgiveness by now. Trying to get back into his good graces. Instead she was surrounded by friends, and they were helping her clean up the bits and pieces his outburst had created.
He thought over the previous night for the hundredth time. He hadn’t meant to lose his temper. He’d only been trying to show her that he wouldn’t tolerate her slutty behavior. She’d caused him pain, and he couldn’t al ow that. The instant he’d seen her leaving with that big oaf, something had snapped inside him.
At first he’d been exhilarated to be inside her apartment. Touching things she’d touched. He’d spent time in her bed, letting himself imagine what it would be like when he final y had her al to himself. He’d savored the release that visual had afforded him. But then he’d remembered the other man, standing at her window, bare chested. He’d gotten angry al over again. As he went through her dresser and saw al the silky panties, he’d started picturing her wearing them for the stranger. Her beautiful body encased in silk for another man. Something in his mind had snapped. It had scared him a little. He’d literal y floated outside himself, watching as his body had moved through the rooms, destroying the things Gracie Lynn treasured.
“It was necessary,” he reminded himself. For her, for his perfect Gracie Lynn, he would do whatever it took to save her from herself. She would thank him for showing her the way. He knew that in his gut. Love wasn’t always easy, but theirs was beautiful and timeless. And worth the extra effort of preserving it. Besides, the fates were on his side. He hadn’t known she wouldn’t be returning. He’d taken a huge risk staying so long, chancing getting caught. Yes, the fates had approved of his lesson, and they’d made sure he’d had enough time to do it right.
Gracie Lynn belonged to him. No other had a right to touch her. She was his love, perfect and sweet. That man, the one stuck to her like glue, he was the real problem. He was corrupting his sweet Gracie Lynn. Turning her into a whore.
“I can’t let it continue.” He watched, mere feet away, as another of her friends carried more trash to the Dumpster. “Soon, my love,” he promised, as he took the worn scrap of paper out of his hoodie pocket and clutched it close to his heart. “Soon.”
20
After cleaning her apartment, they’d al gone out for a late dinner. For the first time in months, Gracie had been able to relax and enjoy being among friends. She’d gotten to know Wade’s brother and sister better. It was inevitable that she found herself comparing Wade and Dean.
Both men had short, dark hair and the same dark brown eyes, but Wade was somewhat tal er and a little less intense. Dean was every bit as muscular, but maybe rougher around the edges. He was friendly enough, but Gracie couldn’t help feeling there was something dangerous about him. Deanna, on the other hand, had been ful of questions. It seemed the woman was intensely curious about the new woman in her brother’s life. When they’d gotten onto the topic of interior design, however, her entire demeanor changed, became more animated. It had been the perfect change of topic. Being the center of attention wasn’t Gracie’s forte.
At first she’d been wracked with nerves. Having Wade’s siblings’ approval was important to her, which was crazy. Who knew if she’d even see them again? Gracie’s mind snapped back to that moment in her kitchen, when Wade had asked her to move in with him, to make her stay a permanent one. She liked the idea way too much. Living with a man was a big step, especial y when she’d only spent a few days with said man. Gracie stil wasn’t sure if he would get bored with her once her stalker was caught. And had his offer been a spur of the moment thing, one he’d later regret?
Her nervousness came back ful force as she stood in the middle of his bedroom watching Wade from across the room. He leaned against the doorframe, his entire body relaxed, as if he had al the time in the world. But his quiet intensity was doing a number on her. He was acting so strangely. He’d been silent on the drive back to his place. She was about ready to jump out of her own skin.
“Shouldn’t we be looking through my blog posts? You said there mi
ght be a clue there, that maybe he reads and comments.”
He nodded. “And those e-mails as wel . We need to read through them careful y, see if anything clicks with you. But there wil be time for that tomorrow. I’ve got something else in mind right now.”
“You do?”
He nodded. Gracie watched with fascination as Wade’s sexy mouth tilted sideways. “Yes, I do.”
Gracie was about done with this new game of his. She crossed her arms over her chest and said, “Care to fil me in then?”