Trust. It wasn’t something she was very good at. Stil , she was beginning to trust Wade. With her life and her body. It was a scary thought.
Gracie started up the stairs.
When she reached the top, she was presented with a sight that simply stunned her speechless. The room itself was huge, but what caught her eye wasn’t the elegant furnishings, nor was it the floor to ceiling windows that spanned the length of one wal . What held her spel bound were the books. Tons of them. Three entire wal s of shelves and al of them fil ed to bursting with books. Hardbacks and paperbacks alike, there were tons of them! Even if she were given an entire lifetime to spend in this one room she’d stil never be able to read them al .
She walked to one wal and caught names like Dickens and Poe and Byron. Oh, how she would love to sit down in a chair and read until her eyes simply gave way to exhaustion. She never would have expected that the powerful, dangerous, ex-Special Forces turned PI would be a fan of literary art. She took in several titles and realized the man had truly excel ent taste.
“Do you like it?”
Gracie dropped her purse to the floor and picked out a book at random. It looked extremely old. Careful of the fragile nature of the item she held in her palm, Gracie touched the old softened leather and gently inhaled the fragrance of aged paper and ink. She loved the smel of old books. So much history. How many people had held that same book in their palms? Cherished it as she was doing at that very moment? When she opened it her eyes lit up at one of the titles inside. Edgar Al en Poe’s The Pit and the Pendulum. It was one of her al -time favorites! Her heart leaped when she heard a sound from directly behind her. She turned around and found herself face-to-face with Wade. The dark hunger in his gaze went straight to her blood, heating it and sending a bolt of lightning through her system. In her awe, she’d nearly forgotten he was even there. Forgotten Wade? Hel , she would’ve thought that was an impossibility!
Gracie held the book to her chest, as if in some feeble effort to protect it from him. Or was the book protecting her? She shook the thought from her mind, not al owing herself to guess at the answers that lay hidden there.
“Amazing, Wade. This room is absolutely amazing.”
He smiled, as if pleased by her compliment. “When I saw your books, I thought maybe you’d enjoy this room.” He tapped the book she stil held to her chest and said, “I see you’ve chosen one of Poe’s col ected works. Very good choice. Poe is my favorite. I’ve read everything he’s ever written dozens of times over.”
His voice captivated her. As it had since the first moment he’d spoken to her. Gracie took her mind off the sound of it and concentrated on the book in her hand instead. “I love Poe, but especial y this one.”
He leaned down and kissed her. This time his lips pressed against hers and lingered a second before lifting away. “You can take it home if you like. In fact, help yourself to whatever appeals.”
Stunned by both his generosity and the kiss, Gracie quickly shook her head. “Oh, no, Wade. I couldn’t. I’d be too afraid of ruining them or losing them.”
Wade laughed. “I’m not worried about it, Gracie. I saw how precious those books in your living room were to you.” He eyed the book and murmured, “In fact, I think I’m a little jealous right now.”
She blinked. “You are?”
“You’re holding that book against your pretty breasts, protecting it as if it were a lover instead of paper and ink.” His voice dropped an octave. “You have two options. Read Poe’s delightful y twisted story, or let me take you to my bedroom, where I can worship those perfectly pierced nipples the way I did last night.” He raised a hand to her hair and smoothed his way down to her neck. He cupped her nape in a dominating hold. “What’l it be, pretty Gracie?”
10
Gracie wasn’t sure how to take this man. He was just so candid. It threw her off balance. The ache in her breasts let her know exactly what her body wanted. Just the thought of having Wade’s mouth wrapped around her nipples, suckling and teasing, had her pussy throbbing and her panties soaking wet. But the man had to go and get al authoritative on her. She had two options? What if she wanted to do something else? It was damned arrogant of him to act as if he were her lord and master.
“You like it when people do what you say, don’t you? You like to be in charge, having everyone obey.”
He was quiet a moment, just watching her with steady, predator eyes. It was discomforting that he could be so motionless—almost as if he wil ed the very air around them to a halt. She shook off the fanciful notion, not wil ing to give in to her wayward imagination. She could il afford to be anything but alert and on guard with Wade.
“Tel me, Gracie,” he said, his voice deceptively calm, “would you be one to obey my every command?”
Immediately her back went rigid with anger. “I don’t bow and cower to men. Ever!”
At once, he had the book out of her hands and his mouth inches from hers. His fingers bit into the flesh of her upper arms as he growled, “The only place I’l ever command you is in the bedroom. I don’t want a damn doormat, Gracie. I want you. Ful of fire and sass. The very thought of you cowering is ludicrous. You’ve had a stalker for the last two months, and you’ve yet to show any real weakness. Don’t you know it’s your strength that I find so appealing?”
She was too confused. Her mind was muddled from the intoxicating nearness of him. “Then why would you want to command me in the bedroom? What’s that about?”
He loosened his hold, but didn’t let go. She was only too glad he didn’t. “It’s my way. I want you to submit to me, Gracie. The way you did last night. Give yourself over to me. No reservations, no fear. You’l only find pleasure in my arms. I promise you that. Only pleasure, baby.”
She was just about to cave, to give them both exactly what they so badly craved, when his manner swiftly changed. He turned and looked at the staircase, as if listening to some faint sound that only he could hear. Then suddenly he thrust her behind him and pul ed out the gun he had strapped to his ankle. Then she heard it too. Footsteps on the stairs. Was that more than one set of footsteps? Her heart kicked into high gear, and she clutched onto the back of Wade’s shirt.
“Yo, Wade, where are you?”
Wade cursed and lowered the gun, but he didn’t put it away. “Up here,” he yel ed back; his voice was raw power itself. She suspected just the sound of it could have grown men going weak in the knees. Al she could see was the rippling muscles of his back. The shirt covering him could barely contain the corded planes. Every nerve, every sexy, hard inch of him was at attention.
“Wade?”
He hushed her. “Stay put until I’m sure.”
Could her stalker have found her here? But no, whoever had cal ed up to them, Wade had recognized the voice. She stayed quiet and concentrated on the developing situation. Out of the silence, Gracie heard a female voice. It was seductive, with a hint of laughter. Immediately, Gracie was swamped with a nauseating amount of jealousy. Had a past lover come cal ing? When she’d al but made up her mind to step around Wade to find out for herself, he surprised her by moving to the side. She got her first glimpse of their visitors.