Page 27 of Graciously His

“You’re doing so well, ” I whisper.

I trail kisses along her neck as her breath catches, her wrists twisting in my hands. I transfer my grip, pinning her with one hand as I tilt her head back with the other, ensuring she can’t look away. She lets out a breath, almost a protest, her eyes filling with tears again.

“That’s right. Cry for me, love. I’ll show you how good I can make you feel, even when you pretend you don’t want me to fill you up.” A heavy thrust, and I’m seated fully.

Grace’s moan is sweet in my ear. She pulses around me, so damn tight that I almost come. Her eyes are open, glazed with tears. I pull back to look at where we’re joined.

“Look at this…” I thrust again, her gasps turning into little sobs. “Look at you, letting me take care of everything. Letting me take everything.”

I set a deep, slow rhythm. Grace submits, her body trembling, her eyes trusting despite the tears. This, right here, is why I love her so much. Even though she was married to an idiot and abused by her mother—even though she was ill beyond anything anyone could recognise—she’s still the trusting girl in the white lace dress. The one Nick stole.

I think of my dead brother as I fuck his widow.

“You feel that?” I whisper to her. “That’s me, erasing Nick. Every single part that was his, is mine.” I thrust harder, feeling how her pussy flutters. A knowing smile twists my face. “You liked hearing that, didn’t you? You like knowing I’ve got you now that he’s dead.”

Her eyes find mine as I let her feel the full strength of my love. The surrender in her eyes makes me take her even harder.

“Can you come from being fucked like this, love?”

Grace does the last thing I expect: she nods. She fucking nods through her tears. I snarl, unable to rein myself in. The bed creaks beneath us as I force myself into her body as far as I can, her cunt squeezing rhythmically. She doesn’t scream this time. Instead, she gasps, clenching hard. My fingers find a grip on her throat, forcing her still. I’m about to lose myself in her completely.

“I love you, Grace. I love you so fucking much.”

I let myself go, feeling how her body accepts what I give, hearing distantly that she’s sobbing again when I finally fill her up.

Chapter 14

Grace

Nate stays inside me, softening slowly as I breathe. I become aware that the fire has heated the room to an almost uncomfortable degree. My body is unspooling slowly, whispering with pain. It’s not the usual kind. There’s no inflammation here, no air hunger. Instead, I’m sore deep inside in a way that is unfamiliar. And I’m aware that Nate’s mouth is at my throat as I try to put myself back together. I swallow as I feel his teeth on me. He’s marking my skin, probably on purpose.

There’s a word for a woman like me, but I don’t let myself think it. My eyes feel swollen from all the tears I’ve cried today, and I desperately need a moment of privacy.

“S-stop,” I finally say. “I need to—”

“Does my wife need something? The bathroom, maybe?”

His voice is proprietary, but he removes himself. I wince at the trickle of fluid on my thighs. I want to disappear. Sink away. Wake up again this morning, before everything changed.

“Grace.”

I curl in on myself. I can’t respond. I won’t.

Then—oh God—his hands are on me. He pulls me across the sheets, forcing me to uncurl.

“You’re not going to shut me out after letting me in,” he murmurs. “Let’s go.”

He carries me past the fading fire, into an ensuite bathroom. I don’t register anything except Nate’s expression, brows narrowed, eyes sharp. I look down, refusing to engage. I need to get away. There’s no escape, but the urge to run remains, a phantom limb he lopped off.

“I’m going to check you now,” Nate says, “then you’re going to use the toilet. After that, I’ll tidy you up and get you ready for bed.”

He seats me on the counter, in the space between two sinks. I look down at his feet, bare and solid on the tiles.

“Let me see.”

My shame twinges, and I shake my head.

“You’ve just had sex for the first time in months—if not years—and we both know it wasn’t gentle. Open your legs now and let me take care of you.”