“Yes, yes, it would be better, I suppose.” He sighed heavily.
“I’ll get a cab and meet you at the hotel.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Grace,” he said. “We can all ride in the same car. Just don’t let them photograph us together.”
I rolled my eyes, but decided to let him have this one. We stood up and made our way to the front of the restaurant. Rebecca went out first, with me following, but when I saw the flashes, I froze a little. She smiled gamely, took my arm, and guided me to the car. I tried to hide my face without looking like I was trying to—who knows if I actually pulled it off. Jack followed a moment later, grinning for the cameras.
We all piled into a black Suburban with tinted windows and sped away toward the Plaza. Jack and I held hands in the backseat, talking quietly. We dropped Rebecca off first, and then once we got to near the Plaza, I insisted they drop me off in front of Bergdorf’s so I could walk the last block or so.
“Now you’re just being silly, Grace,” Jack pouted as I bundled up for the short walk.
“No, I’m being realistic. Your movie comes out in less than two weeks, and the last thing you need now is to have me show up, making your fans think you’re unavailable. We can discuss this again in a few months once things have mellowed a bit. No more discussion tonight.”
This brief encounter with what he went through on a daily basis had confirmed what I already knew about how I’d be treated if the press found out he was dating someone—especially someone older.
He pulled me to him for one last kiss. “Room 1492. And, Grace?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t wait too long,” he whispered, kissing me slowly.
I kissed him back, then slipped from the car. The cool air did nothing to cool me down as I walked around the block, dodging the still-thick traffic on the sidewalks. After circling once, I figured enough time had gone by, and I began to make my way back toward the park and the Plaza.
***
When I got to his room, I found the door slightly ajar. When I entered I saw that my Brit had been busy. There were candles lit throughout the room, and he was waiting. He still wore his black pants, but the sweater had come off, revealing a long-sleeved white T-shirt, untucked and slightly slouchy.
“Hey,” I said, setting my bag down.
“Hey yourself,” he answered, taking a sip of his wine. He had a bottle of red open on the sideboard, and he’d poured a glass for me.
I crossed to him, picking up my wine. He didn’t move, but his eyes followed me. I raised the glass to my lips, sipping slowly. I felt the warmth slip down the back of my throat and rolled the taste around on my tongue. A slow smile crept across my face.
He ran his hand through his hair and grinned sexily at me.
I began to unbutton my coat, and he said, “Slower.”
My eyes widened, and then I understood.
“Slower, huh?” I asked in a low voice.
He nodded.
I set my glass down, biting back a smile, and let my hands return to the buttons on my long coat. I slipped each one of them open, slowly and methodically. I watched as he watched me, his eyes following my movements. Once the coat was unbuttoned, I gently removed it from my shoulders, allowing the leather to slide down my arms, before laying it on a chair. His eyes traveled the length of my body and back again, the green noticeably darker once they returned to mine.
I smiled, enjoying his reaction. I grabbed one end of my scarf and tugged. As it untangled, the ends trailed down my skin, the fringe catching a little on the low neck of my dress. Once again, he followed my movements with his eyes only, before bringing his gaze back to mine. His breath was coming faster, although, to his credit, he was containing his excitement better than I was.
I was breathing rather heavily, and I could feel my cheeks flushing. But I was nowhere near finished. I bent over slowly, allowing the v-neck of my dress to fall open, giving him a little peek. I removed one boot, then the other, unzipping at an almost unbearably slow pace. He took another sip of his wine, then set the glass down. He hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and leaned back against the dresser.
The eyes were dark, dark green now.
I untied the bow holding my dress together, but kept the wool closed, covering myself as long as we could stand it. It turned out to be not that much longer, as he finally pushed himself off the dresser and came to me. Without words, his hands went to my hips, causing the fabric to fall slightly, revealing what I had on underneath.
“Mmm, Gracie. That’s my bad girl,” he whispered as his now almost-black eyes took in the deep-red lace bra and panties I was wearing especially for him.
“You like?” I teased, letting my dress puddle on the floor at my feet.
“Very much,” he breathed, his fingers now tracing a path from my collarbone to my navel.
My breath caught and my back arched to keep contact with his touch. My hands quickly came up behind him and pulled his shirt off, tossing it over my shoulder with a playful throw.
“I like it very much too,” I purred, running my hands over his chest and down to his navel, circling it with my fingertips. He twitched at the feeling, and I looked at his lips. His teeth were biting down just slightly on his lower lip, and I knew I needed to kiss him, now.
But before I had a chance, he sank to his knees in front of me. His hands moved to the small of my back, pulling my body closer to his. My hands tucked into his silky curls, and I ran my fingers through them and made them stand straight up. I pressed his face into my tummy, hearing him sigh as his lips made contact with my skin.
His fingers slipped under the band of my panties and began to slowly drag them down my body, revealing me to him once again. He gazed at me once I was bare before him, then looked up at me, his eyes shining.
“Brilliant,” he said, running one hand from my bottom to my knee, easily hooking my leg over his shoulder.
My hand caressed his face as my body tensed in anticipation of his touch. He nuzzled at me, and my hands gripped him for balance. His lips found the space where my leg joined my hip, and he kissed me.
“Fucking brilliant,” he whispered, letting his tongue trace where my panties had been.
I moaned at the feel of him, at the sweet fluttering of his tongue and lips as he swept me open. His soft lips met me, and as he probed me with his tongue, I could feel the want and need I had for him, that was always there, begin to build.
He stood quickly and lifted me from the ground, removing my bra as he carried me to the bed.
The sight of Jack Hamilton, shirtless and about to make me see God, was something I’d never tire of seeing, and I panted at the thought of what was about to happen.
He laid me down and stood over me, his hands sweeping over my body. My shoulders, my breasts, my tummy, my hips, my thighs, and finally his fingers found me, nudging my legs open, revealing me to him.
“You’re so beautiful, Gracie,” he murmured and bent his head to me. His tongue found me instantly, and as he stroked me, I cried out at the perfection that was him.
No one would ever know my body as well as he did, and no one would ever make me feel the way he could.
His hands held me down on the bed as my body thrashed. His mouth and lips and tongue brought wave after wave, crashing against me, making me moan, groan, sigh, cry, and finally scream his name.
“Oh, God, mmm, Jack, Jack, Jack!” I screamed, feeling as though my insides were bursting. He hovered over my body, the intense pleasure beginning to ebb as he took me down slowly, his tongue now gently sweeping over me, lips kissing, teeth nibbling, as he made his way to my inner thigh.
“Hmm, this appears to be fading. Can’t have that.” He chuckled and bit down, making his Hamilton Brand stronger.
The combination of the crazy orgasms he’d just given me and the exquisite pain of his teeth brought me out of my dream state and back into reality.
A reality where Jack was still wearing pants.