Embrace (10 page)

             
“Eventually the truth came out. I was so angry and hurt by her actions that I wanted to hurt her just as deeply. In reality I hurt myself a lot more. My father barely spoke to me for weeks after she finally admitted the truth. He just kept saying how I threw my future away on a girl who would never settle for someone like me. Chad, obviously, never spoke to me again. Of course that was after he walked right up to me the next day and clocked me right in the jaw. Can't say I blame him, I kind of had it coming.”

             
“And the baby?” I can't help but ask, mildly panicking over the fact that he just told me he got a girl pregnant but never having made any mention of a child in his life.

             
“She lost it a few weeks later.” His eyes flick away from mine for a moment before finding my face again.

             
“So you're worried that I don't actually want this and that I am somehow playing you and that in the end you're going to lose Alec in the process?” I ask, my question sounding stupid even to me but wanting to get away from the topic of the child he lost.

             
“I want to make sure that I am worth the risk for you Grace. My relationship experience begins and ends with what I just told you. I've never cared for another person enough to want anything more.” He says, finally meeting my eyes. “I'm not
good
. I leave heartache and disappointment everywhere I go. Hell, I've already shown you how epically I can fail and the mistakes I make when I panic. You deserve so much more than this Grace but I can't seem to let you go.”

             
“The tattoo.” I say, propping my chin on his chest, finally putting together the meaning behind the Johnny Cash lyrics tattooed across his bicep.

             
“It represents a very long line of people I have hurt along the way. Make no mistake, I have been far from perfect since then. But this, you and me, I guess it kind of hits close to home.” He admits.

             
“I get it. I get how similar this situation is to your past and how uneasy that may make you but Zayne, I'm not her. I don't think you're not enough and I don't want you to be anything but who you are. I may be inexperienced but I am not stupid and I am choosing to enter into this with my eyes wide open. Yes you may hurt me and yes this may end horribly but right now, I don't care. I just want you.”

             
“But Alec.” He starts, but I hold my fingers up to his mouth to silence him.

             
“Alec has nothing to do with this. We are both adults and what we choose to do when he's not around is not a concern of his. I need you to start treating me like Grace and stop treating me like Alec's fragile little sister. I'm not made of glass and trust me, I've survived much worse.....” I break off, not able to complete my sentence.

             
“I wasn't... I'm sorry Grace. It's a little too familiar. After Chad, I swore I would never hurt someone I cared about that way again. Despite our competitive nature, he was like a brother to me and it gutted me when I saw how badly I hurt him. I have only formed one other relationship like that in my life. Alec is not only my best friend and business partner, he's my brother too.” He says, rolling to his side to face me.

             
I readjust, reaching up to brush his messy hair away from his forehead. “And I love that about you. I love how much you value your friendship with him. But again, I am a grown woman. I make my own choices. Is it wrong to keep this from Alec, maybe it is. But we have to be free to explore, well whatever this is.” I say, gesturing between the two of us. “Without him influencing which way this goes.”

             
“So to sum all this up, you totally want me.” He says, flipping the mood from serious and heavy to joking and playful in the matter of seconds and then laughing at his own cockiness.

             
“I totally do.” I joke back, grabbing his face with both of my hands and kissing him square on the mouth. “And you're damn lucky for it too.”

             
“That I am Grace Morgan.” He says, kissing me again. “That I am.”

Chapter Eleven

              I wake to a slight swaying motion and in desperate need of a bathroom. It takes me a moment to realize that I am still in the master suite of the yacht and that the person currently draped over my body is Zayne.

             
I can't remember falling asleep but we must have talked into the late hours of the night. Having no clock in the cabin and my phone somewhere on the deck, I have no way of knowing the time. I gently peel Zayne's limp arm from my waist before sliding my legs out from underneath his.

             
He stirs lightly, rolling onto his stomach, but doesn't wake as I quietly slip from the bed and tip toe into the master bathroom. I take a couple of minutes to freshen up, locating some much needed toiletries in a small wicker basket under the sink.

             
My body feels deliciously sore and I can't help but smile at myself in the mirror, remembering the way that he literally trembled against me as we brought each other to the brink over and over again.

             
I have no idea where this will go and at least for right now, that's okay. Because no matter what happens, good or bad, last night will forever be remembered as one of the best nights of my life.

             
Trailing my hand along my collarbone, visions of his fingers, his lips, his eyes, flash through my mind. The way he held me, caressed me, explored every inch of my body like he was on some grand adventure.

             
When I reenter the room, Zayne is still fast asleep. I feel around for my dress, figuring it must have ended up on the floor sometime throughout the night but I can't seem to locate it anywhere. The room isn't dark but it's dim enough that locating a tiny scrap of black material proves impossible. Remembering I also have no underwear, I do the only thing I can, crawl back into bed and wait for Zayne to wake.

             
It doesn't take long for him to stir, probably in large part due to my restless body not being able to find a comfortable position in the bed and feeling anything but tired. I know the minute he's awake and am not at all surprised when one eye peeks open and a lopsided smile stretches across his perfect lips.

             
“Good morning.” He says, stretching his arms out causing the muscles in his back to tense and flex. I try my best not to be distracted by his perfectly tanned skin and smooth broad shoulders but a man this beautiful deserves to be admired.

             
Catching me ogling him, I get another brilliant smile before he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me to him. He rolls to his side so that we are facing each other and places a sweet kiss to the tip of my nose.

             
“Do you have any idea where my dress is?” I ask, swiping a strand of stray hair from his forehead, taking a moment to fondle the silkiness of it before letting my hand fall to his chest.

             
“I like you better this way.” He says, his hand trailing down my bare back leaving goosebumps in its wake.

             
“That may be, but the fact still remains that eventually I need to go home and in order to do so, I need clothing.” I laugh when he crinkles his nose is dislike.

             
“Well I guess it's a good thing that you will
not
be going home today.” He grins wider when he catches my expression.

             
“I thought we didn't have a destination. Certainly we aren't so far out that we can't head back to the city. Even if I find my dress, it's extremely too short to wear with no panties. Thanks for that by the way.” I say, pushing myself into a sitting position and playfully swatting his bare butt cheek.

             
“I said that there doesn't need to be a destination, not that there wasn't. You assumed.” He laughs, tugging my arm so that I am forced to lay back down. Instead of curling into his side, I lay on my back. “Besides, I am nothing if not prepared. There are clean clothes for both of us hanging in the closet.” He chimes, clearly very proud of himself.

             
While I know how he is, it still surprises me that he is always so through. Never missing a beat when it comes to getting his way. He eliminates any and all excuses before I even have a chance to make them just to ensure that I am his for as long as he wants.

             
“So where are we going then?” I ask, peering up at the cabin ceiling, just now noticing that it is the same dark color as the walls.

             
“You'll see.” He says, laughing when I look over and give him an evil scowl. “You know, it's not wise to be mean to the man that has the power to keep you here forever.”

             
“Oh please. I am much too valuable.” I say with my best rich person impersonation. “Someone would find me in the matter of hours.”

             
“Is that so?” He laughs, rolling towards me and draping his leg over both of mine, pinning me to the bed.

             
“Care to test that theory?” He asks, trailing his hand down my naked torso and finally settling on my side. I know what's coming before he even moves. I can tell by the mischievous look on his face that in the matter of seconds I am going to be squealing and bucking against him as he tickles me into submission.

             
“Don't you dare.” I manage to warn but my words fall on deaf ears. Squeezing my side, he flips his body over top of mine and straddles my waist, effectively immobilizing my lower half, leaving only my hands to fight him off.

             
“I swear to god Zayne, if you don't stop.....” I get out through my laughter, not able to actually form a full coherent sentence.

             
He continues his torturous movements for a few more moments, my body wildly flailing beneath him, trying desperately to get away from him but not actually being able to move at all.

             
Abruptly he falls forward, pinning my hands above my head. Hovering over me, he studies me intently for a moment, his face soft and relaxed.

             
“What?” I question breathlessly, still trying to calm my lungs from trying to fight him off.

             
He doesn't respond right away but still continues to hover. If he wasn't looking at me so adoringly, I might feel self conscious under his gaze but right now, I don't feel that way at all.

             
“You're so beautiful. You know that?” He asks, tightening his grip on my wrists when I roll my eyes, completely unintentionally might I add.

             
“Sorry.” I say on a laugh.

             
“Do you even realize that you do it?” He asks, a playful smile lighting up his face.

             
I shake my head, bursting into laughter when he does something completely unexpected and rolls his eyes at me. I start to say something and he does it again. By the third time, I'm ready to smack him in the back of the head, only I can't because I am pinned below him.

             
“Do you see how annoying that is?” He asks, tacking on one more eye roll to really drive his point home.

             
“Okay, okay. I get it.” I laugh, unable to argue with the fact that it is probably not the best way to communicate with a person.

             
“I knew you'd see it my way.” He says, his voice dropping low as he slowly lowers his face to mine, stopping just mere inches from my mouth.

             
I try to lift my head to meet his lips but he pulls back a few inches, purposely teasing me. I pout my lip out and try again, making it closer this time but still not able to reach him.

             
“Fine, don't kiss me.” I say, plopping my head back down on the pillow. “I didn't really want to kiss you anyways.” I say in the snarkiest voice I can muster.

             
“Is that so?” He asks, dragging his bottom lip between his teeth causing my breath to hitch. My god this man is so unbelievably sexy and what's worse is that he knows it. Leaning down, once again his faces comes within just inches of mine.

             
“You want to know what I think?” He asks, cocking his head to the side, a lazy smile turning up the corner of his mouth. “I think that you are dying for me to kiss you. I think that right now, all you can think about is how it feels when I drag my tongue along your lower lip.” He says, showing the action on himself, my body immediately tensing below him.

             
“Or when I nip your tongue with my teeth.” He says, dragging the tip of his tongue through his teeth on a slow hiss.

             
My breath immediately quickens and I can feel my pulse beating rapidly against my chest. If I had to guess, I would say that he can see it too. He knows exactly what he's doing to me. He can see the flush of my cheeks. The way my eyes become hooded with lust. The way that my body clenches below him.

             
“You love how it feels to taste me, for me to taste you. Tell me Grace. Is that what you want? Do you want to feel that right now?” He asks, scooting his hips and grinding his erection across my belly.

             
A breathless “Yes” falls from my lips even though I want to fight it. I want to play hard to get and tease him the way he's teasing me but I can't find it in me to resist. I want him too badly in this moment to do anything but give into the fire creeping through my veins and slowly pulling me into an all consuming inferno.

             
“Yes what Grace?” He purrs, sliding his bare body down mine, his skin like silk across my naked torso.

             
“Kiss me.” I plead, arching my back and pressing my body into him.

             
“Just a kiss?” He asks, leaning down to take my breast in his mouth, releasing my hands which immediately fly into his hair.

             
“More.” I moan when he flicks his tongue across my hardening nipple and then moves to the other one.

             
“More?” He hisses against my chest.

             
“Everything.” I cry out when he nips at my hard bud with his teeth.

             
“You'll have to be more specific than that.” I can feel his smile against my skin as his lips trail below my breast and slowly down my stomach.

             
“I want everything.” I repeat, arching my lower body up when his lips land just above my hip bone. My skin feels hot and sticky and while normally I would be embarrassed by my behavior, I want him too badly to care if I have to beg or not.

             
He laughs lightly, his kisses working inwards across my bare pelvic bone. “I think that can be arranged.” He growls, sending my already sensitive body in an absolute frenzy of need and want.