Текст книги "Unlawful Justice"
Автор книги: K. Langston
Соавторы: K. C. Lynn
сообщить о нарушении
Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 19 страниц)
“That’s none of your business.” I try to keep my voice steady but my thumping heart is filled with anger, making it almost impossible to control my emotions.
“If you think he’s going to stick around you’re dumber than I thought. Grayson doesn’t do relationships. He only likes to fuck. Trust me, I know.” She smirks.
Don’t let her get to you, Liv. She’s only trying to bait you.
With a deep breath I turn to face her as I dry my hands, my eyes holding hers in a challenge. “Now that’s where you’re wrong. Grayson isn’t the same as he was back in high school, which you would know if you still spoke with him, but you don’t because he’s smarter than that. You see, some of us decide to grow up after graduating and get lives.”
That’s just the problem—Mandy never grew up. Since high school she’s been married and divorced twice because she can’t seem to keep her legs closed.
“You couldn’t even keep Clint, what makes you think you’re going to keep a man like Grayson?”
Her nasty remark hits me like a punch to the gut. It takes every ounce of self-control not to attack the bitch. I swallow back the hurt clogging my throat, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of seeing me upset. “There’s a big difference between Grayson and Clint. When Grayson has something worthy, he appreciates it. He takes care of it. He doesn’t sneak off to go slumming.”
Her eyes narrow but she holds on tight to her snide smirk. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” With that parting comment she walks out, leaving me with fire running through my veins and pain gripping my chest.
Turning, I face the mirror and exhale a deep breath. As I stare back at my reflection, I think about the way Grayson looks at me and touches me.
He loves me. He would never do what Clint did.
Never.
I’m pulled from my inner thoughts as Tania walks in, fixing her now-rumpled hair. “Do not tell me that was Mandy Whit-whore I just passed out there?”
I nod, still struggling to find my voice.
She can tell I’m upset, and fire flashes in her eyes. “What did that slut do? That’s it, I’m gonna kick her ass… Hold my earrings!” she says, her hands moving to her ears.
I quickly grab her wrist to stop her. “No. It’s fine. I promise. We had words, but I can handle her.”
She looks at me uncertainly, gearing up for a fight. “You sure? ’Cause you know I will cut that bitch.”
A chuckle escapes me; her loyalty easing some of the tension coiled beneath my skin. “Positive, but thank you for the backup.”
After a nod she walks up to the mirror and starts wiping at her smudged lipstick.
“Looks like you had your own little encounter,” I comment.
She smiles at me knowingly. “Yeah, but mine was a lot more fun.”
“Does that mean you finally said yes to that date with him?”
“Nope.” She smacks her lips together after freshening her lipstick. “Still not ready to give in to him quite yet. I want him to work a little harder,” she adds with a wink.
“You are a cruel, cruel woman.” I tease.
“I know, right? Come on, let’s get you back to your man before he comes lookin’ for ya.” Grabbing my wrist, she leads me back into the crowded bar.
I keep my eyes trained forward, squashing the urge to look where Mandy was before, wondering if she’s still here.
It doesn’t matter. She doesn’t matter.
Even as I say the words to myself, my stomach still churns.
“You couldn’t even keep Clint, what makes you think you’re going to keep a man like Grayson?”
I shove the nasty thought away and plaster a smile on my face as we reach our table. I’m just about to squeeze in behind Grayson to get to my chair, when he grabs my hips and pulls me down to sit on his lap. He wraps his arms around me, hugging me close before pressing a warm kiss to my bare shoulder.
My strained smile softens into a real one as his warmth erases all of my self-doubt.
“I ran into Jay just before you got back,” Terrell tells Tania. “I invited him to come to the barbecue this weekend.”
“You did what?” she squeaks, her face stricken with panic.
Terrell frowns at her outburst. “I said I invited him to the barbecue. We’ve been talking about having a beer for a while and this way he can see Mom and Dad, too… That a problem?”
“Nope,” she responds quickly, too quickly.
Terrell doesn’t believe her, but before he can question her further one of her favorite songs come on. Tania immediately jumps from her seat. “C’mon, Liv. It’s time we did some dancing.”
I don’t get a chance to respond before she has me by my wrist again and we’re moving through the crowded bar to the dance floor.
“I can’t believe that man. I’m gonna kill him.” I can barely hear her spit the words over the pounding beat. “He did it on purpose so I’ll have to see him. The bastard is trickier than a damn leprechaun.”
I burst out laughing at the analogy. “If you would put him out of his misery already, he wouldn’t need to be tricky. You like him. I know you do. Stop playing so hard to get.”
“No, not yet. It needs to be on my terms.”
“Why? What are you waiting for?”
She stops and turns to me. “He scares the hell out of me. When he looks at me it’s like he can see things others can’t. Parts of me I don’t allow anyone else to see. So I’m waiting for him to want me so bad that when he finally does get me, he ain’t ever lettin’ go. Because, mark my words, Liv, when I let that man in, I’m finished. Done. I’m going to marry the sexy bastard.”
I gape at her, shocked at her admission, and by the look on her face she is, too.
Then she smiles. “Shit, that felt really good to say out loud. Now enough chitchat, let’s dance.”
Stepping out onto the dance floor, we spot a few girls from school we recognize before falling in line to do the electric slide. I lose myself in the beat, easily finding the right moves, and all the while I feel Grayson’s eyes on me, his fierce gaze possessive and dark. Smiling, I dip my hips a little more, giving him a sassy wiggle of my fingers before turning and continuing the dance with my back facing him.
One dance turns into seven. Tania and I are having so much fun that we can’t bring ourselves to leave. For the first time in so long I feel…normal, my heart lighter than it has been for weeks.
My eyes move to find Grayson again, but I don’t see him or Terrell at the table. I do a quick scan and my feet falter, my stomach bottoming out. He’s standing at the bar with that bitch, Mandy. Their faces are close as they talk. When I see her hand move to rest on his forearm, I look away, nausea making it hard to swallow.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Tania asks.
I shake my head and give her a fake smile. “Nothing. Everything’s fine. I just need a drink. I’ll be right back.” I hightail it off the floor before she has a chance to stop me, because she knows I’m full of it. As I make my way back to our table, the sound of my name being shouted stops me.
Spinning around I see Ben Marshall, a former classmate and good friend whom I haven’t seen since graduation. “Oh my God, Ben?”
We move at the same time, both of us pushing past the crowded bodies before embracing one another in a tight hug. “What on earth are you doing here?” I ask, collecting a step back to get a good look at him.
“I’m visiting my folks for the weekend. Colin wanted to come out for a beer,” he explains, pointing over to his cousin sitting at one of the tables.
I wave at Colin before bringing my gaze back to Ben’s. “Well I’m glad I ran into you. It’s been a long time and you look great.” Ben was always a little awkward back in school, which is probably why we got along as well as we did. But now his glasses are gone, hair trimmed and neatly styled. His body is much leaner and more defined. He’s really grown into a man, a handsome one at that.
“Thanks, you do too, but you’ve always been beautiful so that hasn’t changed.”
I smile at his compliment. “Thank you.”
His expression turns remorseful, and I immediately know what’s coming. “I heard about what happened.”
I nod, unsure of what to say. It warms my heart when people offer me their sympathy, but it also makes it awkward sometimes. I appreciate it more than words could ever say, but I also don’t want to be defined by this for the rest of my life.
“I’m really sorry, Liv,” he says, reaching out to brush my cheek. “I wanted to call and check on you, but it’s been so long I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
I shake my head. “No, it’s okay. Don’t feel bad. I’m all right. At least I’m going to be. I’ve had a lot of amazing people in my life helping me through this.”
He opens his mouth to say something else, but our moment is interrupted when I feel a strong, looming presence next to me. Glancing up, I find Grayson staring at Ben, his eyes dark and furious.
“Who’s your friend?” he asks, pulling me in next to him, his arm wrapping possessively around my waist.
It’s something I would usually welcome—if he didn’t seem so upset.
I swallow thickly, hating the tension filling the air. “This is my friend, Ben. Ben, I’m not sure if you remember him or not, but this is Grayson Taylor. He—”
“Her boyfriend,” Grayson says, effectively cutting me off.
I glare up at him, annoyed by his clipped tone.
Ben clears his throat, shuffling his feet. “Yeah, of course I remember. Though we’ve never been formally introduced. How’s it going?” he says politely, offering Grayson his hand.
Heat burns in my cheeks when he doesn’t return the gesture, his narrowed eyes throwing daggers at the poor guy.
Ben’s hand retreats into the safety of his front pocket. “Okay, well, it was good to see you, Liv. Good luck with everything.”
As he turns to leave I shrug from Grayson’s hold. “Ben, wait.” I walk closer to him. “I’m so sorry,” I say, embarrassed by Grayson’s rude behavior. “It was really good to see you again, too. Maybe next time you’re home we can catch up?”
I don’t have to look behind me to know Grayson is brimming with disapproval, but I don’t care. I won’t let him intimidate my friends.
Although, I think it may be too late.
Ben’s eyes lift above my head before quickly coming back to mine. “Yeah, maybe. Take care,” he says, before quickly walking away.
“Bye,” I reply softly, to his retreating back.
I spin around to face Grayson, fury reflecting back at me in his stormy blue eyes. “I can’t believe you. That was so rude.” I race past him and swipe my purse from my seat.
“I was rude?” he asks, coming up behind me.
“Yes, you,” I snap. “Why…” I trail off when I see Mandy not far behind him, watching us with a pleased smile. It takes my anger to a whole new level. “You know what? Forget it. I’m out of here.”
I take off, pushing my way through the crowd. “Hey, Liv,” Terrell shouts with a grin. “How…” His words trail off when he realizes how pissed I am.
I bypass him, my determined steps tearing up the floor beneath me. I feel bad for ignoring him and not saying goodbye to Tania, but I need to get out of here before I lose my temper on both that bitch and Grayson.
Once I step outside I’m immediately pelted with heavy drops of rain.
This night just keeps getting better and better.
Swiping my already soaked hair out of my face, I consider going back inside to get Tania until Grayson comes flying out the door. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“Home. Without you!” I stomp past him, heading to the field behind the bar.
I’d rather walk in the pouring rain than be around him right now. I don’t make it far before his arms encircle my waist and he picks me up. “What are you doing? Put me down!” I demand, swatting at his muscular forearms.
“Don’t think so, baby.” He turns around and heads toward his truck.
“I don’t want to be anywhere near you right now,” I shout, trying to wiggle out of his grasp.
“Well too bad, sweetheart. You’re not fucking leaving here without me.”
This is one of those times where his bossy attitude isn’t sexy. It’s downright irritating. “You can’t make me leave with you!” I fight harder, trying to squirm free when he pins me against the side of his truck.
“Stop it, Liv. Now.” His dark tone and furious gaze cuts through the relentless rain, halting my struggle but not my racing heart. He deposits me in the truck before getting in on his side and slamming the door.
“Why are you acting like this?” I yell, as he peels out of the parking lot, the rear end fishtailing only slightly before he regains control and maneuvers us onto the slick road.
His right hand clenches tight around the steering wheel. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No, I’m not. You were a complete asshole back there. What did Ben ever do to you?”
“He had his fucking hand on my woman. He’s lucky I didn’t break it. How do you expect me to react when I turn around and see that shit?”
I gape at him. “Grayson, we were talking about what happened to me. He felt bad and was offering nothing more than sympathy. He was one of my really good friends back in high school.”
He grunts. “Oh yeah, so good that you haven’t seen him since?”
I grind my teeth, his comment making my blood spike with additional heat. I stare back at his hard features, remembering what I saw just before I ran into Ben.
Jealousy moves swiftly through my veins.
“What do you care anyway? I’m surprised you even noticed since you were so absorbed with your ex.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
I scoff. “What? You think I didn’t see you? How do you think it made me feel to see her rubbing against you and you doing nothing about it?”
His jaw flexes. “That’s not what happened.”
“No? It sure looked like that to me. Was it as innocent as my talk with Ben? I have a hard time believing that considering the run-in I had with her earlier in the bathroom.” My blood rushes hotter and faster with the intruding memory. “Ben respected you and tried introducing himself. What I got from Mandy was an insult that I would never be able to keep your attention. Guess she was right.”
Okay, that was a low blow, but I’m so upset and hurt right now that I don’t give thought to the words flying from my mouth.
“Are you fucking serious?” He bellows so loud it makes me flinch.
“Very,” I grind out.
As we pull onto the farm he drives all the way up to the guesthouse, throwing the truck in park and killing the engine. “How can you even fucking say that? And why the hell didn’t you tell me what happened?”
“It didn’t matter because I trust you.” My words come out harsh and raw, burning my throat. “I thought we trusted each other. But after I saw her with you, and the way you’re acting about Ben, clearly, I was very wrong.” Leaving him with that, I swing open the door and jump out into the monsoon, the cool rain washing over my heated skin.
“Liv! Get the fuck back here. This isn’t over,” he shouts.
Shaking my head I turn to walk around the truck, heading for the main house.
I refuse to sleep in the same room with him tonight.
However, before I can make it far, he meets me at the front of the truck and grabs my arm, spinning me around to face him. Rain pours down his face, not affecting his hardened expression. “That’s bullshit and you know it,” he roars, his face inches from mine. “You fucking tell me right now that you know what she said is bullshit.”
“NO! Because I don’t. Not anymore.” Tears burn the back of my eyes and my heart pounds inside my chest.
“Then I’ll fucking show you.”
As soon as the words pass his lips, his mouth crashes to mine, hot and demanding. My hands immediately weave through his sopping wet strands, and I match him stroke for stroke. All of my pent-up hurt and frustration pouring into the kiss.
It’s hot, punishing and downright beautiful, eliminating any and all doubt that this man undeniably belongs to me.
With a growl he lifts me off my feet and pins me against the front of his truck, my legs locking into place around his waist. The hardness and heat from the engine greet my back. One arm holds me in place, his lips still attacking mine with fevered hunger. I feel his other hand dip between our soaked bodies as he quickly works to free himself. I grasp at his face, pulling him closer, needing him to eliminate any remaining space between us.
Then, seconds later, that same hand is pulling my panties aside. He poises at my entrance, his wild eyes holding mine. “Tell me yes, Liv. Tell me you want this.”
I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more in my life. It claws at me, desperately seeking for him to claim me.
“Yes. I need you soo…” My words die on my lips as he glides in on one easy thrust, filling me with every smooth inch of his hard cock.
I gasp at the delicious intrusion.
“Do you feel this?” he asks, slamming into me again. “I’m yours, Liv. Yours. I could never belong to anyone else.” His mouth moves across my chilled, wet skin, setting fire to my heated blood. His hot breath finds the shell of my ear. “And you’re mine, baby. From this perfect body, all the way down to your beautiful fucking soul. Mine.”
Each stroke grows more powerful with every word spoken, and my heart surges with more love than I’ve ever known. Both hands maintain a firm grip on the back of my thighs, squeezing and gripping with each deliberate thrust. “Say it. Tell me you’re mine.”
My fingers dig into his shoulder, fisting the saturated material of his shirt, every part of me clinging to every single part of him. “I’m yours.”
“Damn right you are. And I won’t ever let you fucking forget it.”
The rain continues to fall, pounding on the hood of the truck, washing away what is left of my inhibitions as he takes me in a way no other man has. “God, Grayson, it’s so good.”
His eyes hold mine, blazing with deep love and dark desire. The shared breaths between us have become desperate and ragged. “That’s because it’s you and me, baby. Only. Ever. Us.”
“Yes!” I throw my head back as the building pressure reaches its peak. He fills me deeper, touching a place inside of me I never even knew existed.
The result is beautifully devastating.
I explode around him, clenching and writhing beneath his tense, hard body as my orgasm completely destroys me. Grayson grits his teeth on a harsh curse, burying his face in the crook of my neck as my teeth scrape the slope of his shoulder, stifling my screams.
By the time we both come to our senses the rain has tapered to a drizzle, and any question whether Grayson is irrevocably mine or that I am undeniably his, has been completely obliterated.
He carries me inside, walking straight to the bathroom where he quickly undresses us both after he starts the shower.
Once we both step inside, his strong hands cradle my face, eyes full of remorse. “Tell me. Tell me you trust me and you know I would never do that to you.”
I nod, my heart aching as the hot water begins to warm my freezing body. My hand reaches for his wrist, feeling the strong pulse beneath my fingers. “I do. I shouldn’t have let her get to me. She was one of the many women Clint cheated on me with. Then she had the nerve to throw it in my face while we were in the bathroom. What happened with Clint hurt so badly because it wounded my pride, but if it ever happened with you… I wouldn’t be able to take it. It would destroy me.”
“Never, Liv, there is no one else that matters to me but you. What you saw was us arguing, and me telling her to fuck off.”
“I believe you.” I look at him sadly. “Now I need you to believe me. What you saw of Ben and me was his sympathy for what happened. Even if I haven’t seen him in a few years he was a really good friend of mine. You hurt me, and I was embarrassed by the way you treated him.”
Through the billowing steam I catch a glimpse of remorse wash over his face. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I didn’t like seeing his hands on you. You’re mine, Liv, and only I touch you like that. But I overreacted, and I’ll apologize to him. I’ll make it right for you.”
“Thank you,” I respond, pressing a kiss to his bare, wet chest.
He lifts my face back up to his. “We good?”
“Yeah, we’re good.”
“Good. Now tell me you love me.”
I smile.
This is the kind of bossy I love from him. “I love you.”
“And I love you.” He presses his lips to my forehead, and my heart fills with relief.
Everything will always be right in my world as long as I have this.
As long as I have him.
