“Yes,” she returns.
Positioned behind her, I grab her thighs. “Cheek to the pillow, Lucy. Don’t move.”
My hand travels over the soft skin of her ass. I position my cock outside her entrance and she inhales. I’m making her nervous. To gain her attention, I deliver a hard slap to one of her cheeks. The sound of my palm meeting her flesh echoes in the room with a pop. She jumps in place, then I enter her.
“Oh, my god,” she exhales, holding her cheek to the pillow. I can tell by the way her arms are positioned at her side that she’s debating on making a run for it or turning around to face me.
“Don’t fucking move, Lucy.”
“Do it again,” she pleads.
My cock swells inside her and I’m forced to take a breath. I look at the ceiling rather than at her as my hand delivers another slap on the opposite side.
“Michael,” she pushes out, clenching me. “Oh god. Oh god.”
She’s on the edge and taking me with her.
“Turn around,” I clip, harsher than necessary.
She does, her legs spread in front of me. She watches as I grab her thighs and pull her body to the edge of the bed before driving into her again – hard and fast. My hands on each side of her waist move her body into me. When her fingers come up to touch my chest, I lose control.
“Fuck,” I hiss, bending down and giving her my weight. “Fuck.” I release into her without warning.
She does this to me. She’s completely undone me without so much as trying.
Her body starts to tense as her climax comes. “Relax, Lucy,” I tell her, continuing to drive in and out. “Relax. Feel this.”
Reaching up, she moves both arms over my shoulders and pulls me closely to her. It’s taking all my upper body strength not to crush her under my weight.
“Don’t stop. Please, for the love of God, don’t stop,” she chants in my ear.
Hearing her so enraptured, I don’t stop moving. Her hot, slick center is taking all of me again and again. Once she finds where she wants to be, Lucy doesn’t let go quietly. She fucking screams.
And I’ve never seen or heard anything like it. Ever.
“Oh, my god. Seriously,” she breathes, finally letting me go enough that I can sit up to relieve her body of the weight of my own. She kisses me hard. “You totally just spanked me.”
Smiling down at her, I try not to laugh. I’m still buried deep and if she laughs, I’ll feel it. “I did.”
“I’m a sicko, aren’t I?”
Now I do laugh, only slightly. “No, Lucy.” I kiss her nose before she’s able to hide her face. My hands reach for hers and pin them above her head. Holding her wrists there, I say, “You’re not a sicko.”
“Thank you,” she replies.
“You’re a little loud, though. Christ, my ears still burn.”
Gasping, she returns, “Don’t tell me that. You’ll make me self-conscious.”
Pulling out of her, I stand and take her with me. “Get up. We’ll get dressed. Then you’re going to let me say what I need to say.”
“Right,” she complies. “You’re always talking. I liked my plan better.”
Lucy
“HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN?” I voice my matter-of-fact question tersely so he clearly knows I’m not happy.
Michael just explained how he knows about the evil queen’s attempts to take Dillon away. Now I want to know when he first knew. It took all of one minute to lose my shit, then the tears of embarrassment started to fall shortly after.
“Does it matter how long I’ve known?” he asks quietly. “Jane Gilroy has already done some of the footwork, and I think–”
“What?” Surely, he didn’t just allude that someone I’ve met only once is working on something so personal. “What did you say?”
Michael tightens his arms around my waist. When we finished cleaning up and made our way to the living room, he put me on his lap, which I found peculiar, so we could have this talk. Too late, I realized it was because he’d already mentally tallied my reaction. And his assessment was right.
Not only am I disappointed, I’m also far from relieved to have the help.
“Listen to me,” he placates, wrapping his hand around my neck and forcing me to look at him. “I’ve known Jane Gilroy a long time. She’s been in this business longer than I’ve been studying it. She’s got a reputation for shredding her opponents in court. She’s a rabid dog with a bone with this kind of shit.”
“I don’t know her,” I explain. “I was going to…” The truth is, I’ve done nothing. I’ve avoided all of this by merely wishing it away. It’s childish, I know, but I’ve been holding onto my life by a string since Gabe died and it fell on me to handle.
“One more thing,” he says softly. In the dim light of his living room, I note his heavy apprehension. “Corbin’s aware of this, too. He’s as pissed as I am.”
Sitting up and pushing his hands off me, I move to stand. The t-shirt he gave me twenty minutes ago hangs mid-thigh. The open neck of it reaches my chest, so not only do I feel exposed emotionally, I’m physically open.
I cover my chest with my arms and adamantly state, “No one’s helping me. I’ll do this on my own.”
Michael’s voice grows tight. In a low warning tone, he replies, “Jane will help you do this. It’s already been decided.”
“No.” I shake my head. “This isn’t you and Corbin giving me a car, Michael. This is my life. I want a say.”
“And you’ll have it. When we meet with her, you can say whatever you’d like.”
He’s not listening.
I’ve done everything right since Gabe died. I’ve taken care of Dillon, kept him safe and happy. I’ve paid my bills on time, even while working a job that wore me to the bone. I’ve not been in a relationship with a man since my husband died. I’ve given up everything I thought my life would be…until now. I’m not giving up any more.
All thoughts of Michael and Corbin meddling leave my mind as I picture what could happen if Margret got her wish. When it came to me, she was relentless while I was married to her son, but now that she blames me for his death, she’ll be impossible to get rid of.
Leaving Michael alone on the couch, I walk to the center of the room so he’s no longer touching me. I can’t think clearly when he’s so close. “I’ll meet with her.”
“Good,” he exhales in an audible breath. “I’ll go with you if you’ll let me.”
Still half-pissed about his scheming, but relieved he’s paved the way for help, I say, “I’ve met Jane. From what little I know of her, I like her. I’ll call her Monday.”
Standing up, but remaining cautious, Michael closes the distance between us and looks down. “You’ll see her tomorrow night. You can set something up then.”
“Okay.”
Michael’s lip curves up on one side, the brightness in his eyes evidence he’s happy with himself. “Now, can we sleep? You’ve exhausted me.”
Yes. Totally happy with himself.
Michael
“I’M HERE NOW, DENI. I need to go.”
My sister is still chirping into the phone. She’s giving me an unwelcome play-by-play of our mother’s latest antics. From what I understand, Kat Ingles is on the cusp of finding a man of the cloth to marry Lucy and me in a quiet ceremony at our church back home. I’ve hardly spoken to her since I left, yet the woman is making plans like I called and told her I’d asked Lucy to marry me.
“I’m telling you, Michael. Damage control. You need to talk to her, and soon. She’s considering the wedding date!” she exclaims. “I hate to say this, but I’m almost happy she’s focusing on you rather than me for once.”
I believe that.
“How’s Jane doing with Lucy’s monster-in-law?” she questions.
I’d almost forgotten I told her. After finally telling Lucy that Corbin and I knew what was going on, I’ve done nothing but think how she’ll take the news when she finds out about her husband and all I’ve done in keeping her the way I have since he passed.
“Nothing will come of it, but it’s moving forward. Lucy agreed to talk to Jane.”
“This is good.”
“With any luck, Jane’s clients will soon be part of Mercer Law, as will Jane.”
Deni breathes a sigh of what I deem is relief. “You deserve everything, Michael. Even if you don’t believe it, you deserve to be happy.”
“One thing at a time, Deni. I gotta go. I’m at Lucy’s now.”
Without listening to my second attempt to cut her loose, she presses, “What do Lillie and Corbin have to say about you two anyway?”
“They don’t know.”
“What? How’s that?”
“Jesus, Deni. Can I go? You’re making me late.”
“Are you wearing a tux?” she asks, but I don’t answer. Instead, I disconnect.
“Would you like me to go get her or shall I wait here, Mr. Holden?” Marcus inquires, scanning my face in the rearview mirror.
“I’ll grab her,” I reply before opening my door to start making my way to Lucy’s.