Mace was a very private person, especially when it came to his background. Some days he would let me in and I’d see this wonderful, fun guy, and other days, all I could see was the pain that consumed him.
“Leeta, maybe you should calm your friend down,” Dad said, his voice stiff. I rubbed my temples. How could I have possibly thought this would go well?
Calm him down? I was on the verge of storming out on his behalf. I was proud of Mace for remaining so calm.
“Maybe you should stop trying to make him uncomfortable?” I suggested sweetly to Dad.
“Maybe it’s best if I leave,” Mace interrupted. He dragged his chair back and stood up, his eyes clouded with anger. He turned to me. “Call me when you’re done, yeah?”
Shaking my head, I watched him storm out of the restaurant. I turned back to Dad. I was so angry I was trembling. I stood up and threw my napkin on the table.
“Would it have killed you to be civil?” I said acidly, reaching for my handbag.
“Come on, Leeta. What the hell are you doing with that fool? You can do better. You had better.” And there it was: he was never going to get over me breaking up with Ben.
“You don’t get it, Dad. Ben didn’t make me happy. Mace does. You might not like the package, but if you gave him a chance . . .”
I laughed as Dad scowled at me. Why am I even bothering?
“All you’re doing here is pushing me away,” I warned as I backed away from the table.
Stalking out through the restaurant lobby, I scanned the room for Mace. I spotted him outside, walking to his bike. I raced after him.
“Mace!”
He turned around and waited for me to catch up. “I’m sorry, Leets. But I couldn’t sit there and be judged like that.” He ran his hand through his dark, curly hair, his blue eyes sad.
“I’m sorry. My dad can be an asshole.” I ran my fingers over his ripped chest, with one thing on my mind: making him realize just how important he was to me. “Take me home?”
“Sure,” he sighed. He handed me the spare helmet. “Jump on.”
#
There was nothing quite like soaring through the streets on the back of a bike with your arms curled tightly around a hot, sculpted body. I leaned my face against the back of his jacket, holding him as close to myself as I possibly could without mounting him.
It took me a moment to realize we were headed to his house, not mine. Smiling, I held on a little tighter to my man. He pulled into his driveway and steered the bike into his garage.
We walked inside through the internal door in the garage. His house was a far cry from my inner-city apartment. Situated in one of the poorer suburbs in Melbourne, his street was one I’d feel nervous about walking down alone at night. Well, nowadays I’d feel nervous walking anywhere alone at night, but around here . . . it gave me the creeps. With Mace with me, though, I felt safe. One of the benefits of dating within a crime family was that nobody was game enough to touch you. Everyone knew who he was, and by association, everyone knew I was his girl.
“He’s right, you know.” He put his arms around my shoulders and smiled down at me. “You could do so much better than me, Leets.”
How had he known that Dad had told me that?
“Mace, quit doing that. You are an amazing guy. I’m not dating my father, thank God. I’m a big girl. Believe it or not, I’m old enough to decide who I date.”
“You sure your dad knows that?” He smirked. I punched him lightly on the arm. I hated that he felt like he wasn’t good enough for me. We couldn’t be any more different, but together we were perfect.
Every day, my feelings for him grew stronger and deeper. There were so many layers to this man, and every one I peeled back revealed another reason for me to love him.
There were things he hadn’t told me—tonight at dinner was a perfect example—and I knew there was more, secrets from his past locked up inside his soul, but I could only trust that when it felt right for him, he’d let me in completely, with no boundaries.
“Shut up and kiss me, you idiot.” I pulled him toward me, my mouth closing over his as my arms wrapped around his waist. His fingers struggled to free my shirt from the constraints of my skirt until they roamed over my bare back.
I pushed him away and narrowed my eyes.
“You think I’m sexy?” I asked, tilting my head. My dark hair tumbled over my shoulder as I unbuttoned my shirt. He smirked and leaned back against the kitchen counter, his hands behind his back, just watching me.
With all the buttons undone, my shirt fell open, giving him glimpses of my smooth, creamy skin and the soft-pink lace bra that was doing a wonderful job holding my girls up.
I bit my lip and reached behind me, unzipping my skirt. Very slowly, with my thumbs hooked on either side, I lowered it. His eyes fell to my matching pink thong as the skirt disappeared down my long legs. I kicked it aside and walked over to him, swaying my hips. The heels I was wearing gave me an extra few centimetres in height, which brought me almost to eye level with him.
“So?” I repeated coyly, twirling a strand of hair around my finger. I wanted to burst out laughing. This sexy little minx act was so not me, but from the obvious bulge in the front of his pants, he didn’t seem to agree.
“Come here.” He leaned forward, his fingers getting lost in my long dark hair. “You’re fucking beautiful,” he growled, kissing me roughly.
He pushed me down until I was kneeling on the floor. I smiled up at him, my fingers reaching to unbuckle his belt. He stared down at me with hungry eyes, his fingers still lost in my hair.
“Fuck, sexy,” he mumbled as I freed his hardness. I didn’t answer. Instead, I took his long, stiff shaft in my hands and began to move them up and down as he groaned softly. He shifted as I gripped the base of his cock. I flipped my hair over my shoulder so he could see me take the tip of him into my mouth. He loved watching me. And I loved to be watched.
My lips closed around his girth and began to glide along his shaft as my tongue massaged and tasted his cock. I loved the feeling of control this gave me. There was no more powerful feeling in the world than giving your man head.
Gawd, I’ll probably set back women’s rights a few thousand years just thinking that.
My tongue rolled over his cock as he grabbed a handful of my hair and guided my mouth along his length. As much as I enjoyed control, I loved it when he dominated me. Nothing compared to his grabbing me by my ponytail and forcing his stiff cock down my throat, demanding that I suck.
He grunted as my tongue rolled along his length. My eyes remained on his, loving the feeling of him watching me as I sucked. I flicked the tip, tasting his precum as his arousal increased.
“Such a tease,” he muttered, his grip on my ponytail tightening to the point where it hurt. His body tensed—he was close, I could feel it. I moved back and forth faster, my tongue caressing his cock as his elation began to heighten. “Stand up,” he demanded. I got to my feet.
He slipped my thong down over my hips and hoisted me onto the counter. I wrapped my legs around him, wet and ready as his erection pressed at the entrance of my pussy.
“Oohh,” I gasped as he thrust hard inside of me. I lay back on the counter as he climbed on top of me, propping my leg over his shoulder. A whimper escaped from me as he pounded into me. So close… I arched my back as elation filled my body. My muscles tensing, I reached down and slipped a finger against my spot, gasping as his shaft impaled me.
“God, yes!” I gasped. I closed my eyes, reeling in the delirium that was coursing through my body. His movements slowed until he eventually pulled out of me. He took my hands and sat me up, my body falling limp against him.