LaClaire Nights: An After Hours Novel Read online

  “Fine.” He clears his throat. My stomach turns at the sound. “I need your help, Grace.” I almost scoff at the idea he thinks I can help him after everything he did. When I don’t respond, he continues. “There’s this girl from work, who’s been giving me some kind of . . . trouble.”

  Not long after we signed the divorce papers, Dustin lost his job. Last I heard he was working as a waiter while he searches for another. “The girl claims I’m harassing her.”

  I lift an eyebrow. “Harassing her?” Funny he doesn’t find it tasteless to talk to me about other women.

  “Fine,” he adds, his voice lower. “She says I’m . . . stalking her or something.” He puffs out a laugh. “Crazy, right? She’s only seventeen. I think she has some kind of crush on me.”

  “Why do you feel the need to tell me all this? I’m not your wife. Did you forget that little fact?”

  “Well, we’re no longer married, but I thought we’re still friends. We were before we got together. Look, I’m in deep shit right now.”

  “I don’t know how you expect me to help you with that.” My tone is hard and unrelenting. “And I don’t think we can be friends, Dustin.”

  “Help me out for old time’s sake. We were happy once, weren’t we?” I hear him swallow hard. “The stupid girl has the nerve to take me to court. I need money to pay for my defense. A loan. I’ll pay you back as soon as I get back on my feet.”

  I don’t want to believe that Dustin did it, but I’ve learned some unpleasant things about him since we got divorced. As much as there’s been gossip about me not being able to save my marriage, I’ve heard a lot about him sleeping around. From the way he treated me on my wedding night, like some kind of failed sex toy, it makes me wonder if he could be capable of stalking the young girl to feed his sex addiction. The whole thing makes me feel sick to my stomach.

  “Babe, if you don’t help me out, I could go to prison.” His voice is soaked in desperation now.

  “Dustin, hear me out. I won’t do it.” I keep any kind of emotion from my voice. “If you’ve hurt this girl in any way, maybe you deserve to go to prison. I’m sorry, you have to get yourself out of your own mess.”

  “You believe I did this?” His tone freezes. “You know me, Grace. I wouldn’t do such a thing.”

  “Wrong,” I snap. “I don’t know you, not really.”

  “You’re turning your back on me when I need you most? I’m your husband.”

  “My husband?” My temper pushes up in my chest and bursts from my mouth. “You seem to be forgetting the divorce. What that means is I don’t owe you anything.”

  “I see.” The chill in his voice transforms to disgust. “Now that you have your fancy job, you think you’re better than the rest of us, is that it?”

  “I don’t claim to be better than anyone. But you’re right, something changed. I changed. I accept myself now for who I am. If I stayed with you I would have ended up bitter and miserable.” I draw in a ragged breath. “You would have made a terrible husband and a crappy lover. For your information, you suck in bed.”

  “You bitch,” he growls. “What do you know about sex? My dick is the only one that has ever fucked you.”

  It’s the first time Dustin has used such strong language with me, but I don’t mind at all. It’s too satisfying to have hit a nerve. Now he knows how it feels to be humiliated, to be made to believe you’re worthless.

  “Call me a bitch all you want. But you know what, Dustin, I do know about sex. I know because I found a great lover.” I never meant to bring Bryant into the mix, but I couldn’t help myself. My anger is spilling over. I’m on a roll, unable to stop rubbing it in.

  “I’ve found someone who gives me mind-blowing sex, something you were incapable of doing. Now I know that I wasn’t the problem that night, you were. The few pathetic minutes you spent pumping away on top of me did nothing for me.” My unleashed fury burns the back of my throat. “So, you did me a favor that night you humiliated me. Now I have someone I enjoy doing things to that you can’t even start to imagine. Go on, sleep with anyone you want, or stalk young girls and end up in prison. I don’t care. I’m happy now and you can’t take that away from me.” I glance at my finger. “If you need money so desperately ask my mother for the engagement ring you bought me. It’s in a drawer in my room. You can sell it to get back the fifty bucks you spent on it.”

  “It did not cost—”

  “Don’t waste your breath. I saw it in the display window of Kiera’s Jewels.”

  “Well, seeing how things turned out, I’m glad I didn’t spend more on the ring. You’re not worth shit.”

  “Yes, I am. Just not to you.” His words don’t even leave a dent on my heart.

  “Wonderful. Now do me a favor and stay out of my life.” I hang up the phone, fuming but also triumphant.

  I drop my head into my hands, forcing air into my lungs to replace the amount I lost during my conversation with Dustin. I’m still reeling from his news. It’s disgusting when grown men chase after young girls, and if he’s guilty of the crime he’s being accused of, I’m not going to bail him out.

  My phone rings again ten minutes later. I snatch it from the bed and pick up without looking at the caller ID.

  “Have I not made myself clear?” I bark. “Seriously, why don’t you piss off?”

  “How dare you talk to your mother that way? Haven’t I taught you not to use such language?”

  “I didn’t know it was you.” I pinch the bridge of my nose.

  “That’s still no excuse. It’s not right to talk to anyone that way.” My mother’s voice is a squeak when she’s angry.

  “Mom, I’m not a child anymore.”

  “Then stop acting like one.” She speaks to me as though I’m still five. “Listen, I spoke to Dustin. He’s troubled after the conversation you two just had.”

  “Why are you still talking to Dustin? He’s no longer your son-in-law.” I suck in a frustrated breath “He never will be again.”

  “He’ll always be my son-in-law. I meant for my daughter to marry only once.” The line plunges into momentary silence. “Let me tell you something. When your father left, I refused to give him a divorce. I didn’t care what he did. The vows I made before God meant something to me.”

  “That was your decision, Mom. This is mine. Dustin is no longer a part of my life. If you want him to remain a part of yours, go ahead. Don’t involve me.”

  “Have you lost your heart some place? Your husband needs you right now.”

  “So, he told you he’s in trouble? Did he tell you what kind?” I walk out onto the balcony. “In case he didn’t, he’s in the kind of trouble that involves a seventeen-year-old girl he’s been stalking. Sorry to disappoint you but Dustin is not interested in getting back together. He called me because he wants to drag me into his problems.” If he’s going around talking to my mother about me, it’s time she knows the truth about him.

  “How could you say such a thing, Grace Anderson?” Her tone is stiff with disapproval. “Of course the poor man told me what that girl is saying. He also told me he’s innocent. Desperate girls say all kinds of things. Now, instead of accusing him of things he didn’t do, why don’t you be a good wife and stand by his side?”

  “That’s not going to happen.” My voice is deflated now. “I owe him nothing. We’re no longer married.”

  “And that’s why you go off gallivanting around the world and sleeping with random men?” The venom in her words penetrates my ear. “You do realize you are living in sin?” She inhales sharply. “I taught you better than to act like a . . . like a whore.”

  My blood drains from my face. Did my own mother just call me a whore?

  “Who’s the bad guy here?” I ask. “Dustin is allowed to run after young girls, to defile them. And I’m a whore for having a boyfriend?”

  “So he was right? Did you leave your husband for someone else? Is he the real reason you broke up your marriage? How long has this been going
on, Grace?”

  “Stop, Mom. Stop saying more things you’ll regret.” Our relationship is on the verge of falling off a cliff.

  “If you continue this kind of lifestyle, you’ll end up in hell. That lover of yours will use you and then toss you away like an old shoe.”

  Unable to bear hearing anymore of her preaching, I hang up on her as well.

  Tears clouding my eyes, I press a button to go to my message folder. My hands are shaking as I type a text message to Bryant. He’s in his suite waiting for me.

  I had come to my room only to freshen up and return to him. But I can’t anymore. Not now.

  Hey, I’m sorry, I won’t be coming back tonight. I have a headache. I’ll see you tomorrow. Grace

  15

  Bryant

  I dunk my head under a basin filled with tepid water, and keep it there until my lungs burn from the lack of oxygen. Only then do I emerge and grab a towel. Instead of using it to dry myself off, I twist it into a rope between my hands and fling it aside, then charge from the bathroom, water still dripping down my face.

  I escape to the balcony and clutch on to the metal railings with both hands. Something’s changed about Grace. On the outside, everything’s the same. We kissed and had sex in the shower, the chemistry still burning hot. But emotionally, Grace wasn’t there. After the sex, I tried to draw her out of her shell but failed.

  I’m pissed at myself for worrying about her, for spending too much time thinking about her. We are slowly nearing Cabo and my heart twists at the thought of leaving her alone to deal with whatever she’s going through. She’s not my responsibility, dammit, and I did not sign up to watch out for her. Yet, my damn heart is betraying me.

  Two choices flash before me, to suck it up and hope she’s okay, or to invite her to spend time with me and my family in Cabo.

  The second option is bound to complicate things and open doors I never intended on unlocking. What message would I be sending her if I introduced her to my family? Also, once she meets Lance, am I prepared for the questions she might ask? How would she react to the answers?

  The doorbell rings before I decide what to do. I return inside to open the door, expecting room service. It’s Grace, breathtaking in a blue dress and a barely-there smile. It’s been one hour since I saw that smile.

  “Must be my lucky day.”

  She steps in and closes the door. “I’m not here for sex, if that’s what you think.”

  “That’s not what I thought at all.” I run a hand down my face to erase the remaining water drops the breeze failed to dry away.

  Her eyes widen. “I’m sorry. Did I disturb you? Were you in the shower?”

  “No, no. And you never disturb me.” I gesture for her to sit and she does.

  She crosses her legs and watches me for a long time, and speaks the moment the silence ventures into uncomfortable territory.

  “I came to apologize.” Her gaze falls to her lap, where she’s fidgeting with the hem of her dress. “It wasn’t right for me to leave the way I did . . . immediately after we, you know.”

  I used to appreciate it when a woman left immediately after sex, doing my dirty work for me. But I have to admit that when Grace left an hour ago, the moment it was over, something twisted inside my gut.

  “And I’m sorry I’ve been a bit distant lately. I’ve been a little preoccupied, that’s all.” A smile sweetens her lips. “You should know it has nothing to do with you. No one has ever made me feel as good as you make me feel.”

  I drop into Mary Jane and clasp my hands to prevent them from reaching for her again and holding her to me. This woman is tearing my heart wide open with every word she says and it’s fucking with my mind. “Don’t worry about it.” I point a finger to my face. “Do I look offended in any way?”

  She releases a breath. “That’s good. I promise I’ll try to enjoy myself in Cabo. I look forward to seeing it with you.”

  I lean back in my chair and shut off the thinking part of my brain, then I say the words I might end up regretting. “I won’t be able to give you a tour of Cabo.”

  “Oh.” My heart shrinks to a tight fist when a shadow of disappointment crosses her features. “Okay, that’s fine. No problem. I’ll hang out with Lynn and Jillian. We’ll book a tour or something.”

  “I won’t be giving you a tour because we have a family home in Cabo and I’ll be meeting my brothers there. It’s not often we’re together so we’re throwing a small party.” I grip the armrest of Mary Jane way too tight as alarm bells get louder inside my head, warning me against what I’m about to do. “I want you to come.” As soon as the words leave my lips, it hits me that I mean them.

  Seeing my brothers, Lance in particular, is hard for me. It reminds me of how life used to be before our parents died, before Lance became paralyzed. Grace might be able to keep me distracted.

  “Are you sure?” The smooth skin on her forehead creases. “I’ll be meeting your family.”

  I blow out a silent breath. “That’s right. They’ll all be there.”

  “Your parents as well?”

  “No. They won’t be there.” I shift in my seat. “They’re dead. Their private plane crashed six years ago.” Even after all these years, I can still recall my parents’ cell phone numbers, my mind refusing to let go. The pain of losing them has become dormant inside my chest, but sometimes, the deep, jagged wounds are ripped open.

  “I’m so sorry to hear about your parents.” Grace twists a lock of hair on an index finger.

  “It’s okay.” I raise my shoulders and let them drop again. “Sometimes in life, things happen that we can’t control. Anyway, only my brothers will be in Cabo: Caleb, Neal, Derrick, and Lance.”

  “Wow,” she breathes, looking a little nervous. “That’s one big family. And you’re positive—I mean, that’s a lot of people to introduce me to.”

  I know what she means. The more people she gets to meet from my life, the more serious this thing we’ve got going seems.

  “Say you’ll come.”

  She chews the corner of her lip for a moment, then a smile brightens her face. “Of course, of course I’ll come. I’m honored that you want me to be a part of your family celebration.”

  I sigh with both relief and terror. “Look, before you meet everyone, there’s something you should know about my brother Lance.” I run a hand through my hair and hold her gaze. “My twin brother actually—”

  “Oh my God, you’re a twin? That’s so exciting.”

  “Sometimes it is.” I take a breath. “About Lance. . . Well, he had an accident a couple of years ago. Now he’s in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down.”

  “Oh no.” Her eyes widen. “What happened? Is he all right?” She puffs out a breath.

  “He’s strong.” I lie because if there’s something Lance isn’t at the moment, it’s strong, at least not as strong as he once was. His paralysis has damaged a part of him that will never be the same again even if he walks again. “He has nurses to help him out with things he can’t do himself. But he’s pretty independent most of the time. He’s gone through a couple of surgeries that didn’t go so well, but there’s another experimental surgery he volunteered for in a couple of weeks. That’s the reason why we’re having a party. We want to cheer him up.”

  “That’s great of you guys. It must be hard for him to come to terms with the whole thing.”

  “It is. But we’re hoping that this next surgery will be a life changer.” I push past the negative energy. “I’m glad you’ll come.”

  “It will be much more fun than walking the streets of Cabo.”

  Still refusing to think too much, I go to sit next to her and plant a kiss on her jaw, fueled by the intense need to be close to her.

  This is dangerous—dangerous for her and dangerous for me. Now that I’ve stepped over this line, how will I ever be able to let go?

  Before I can move away again, she gathers me into her arms and holds me, her hands buried in my hair,
her soft lips pressed to my cheek. The sound of her breathing calms me in a way I’ve never experienced before. In her arms, I feel loved, safe. This woman is poison, the good kind. My head is still filled with the scent of her perfume, when she rises from the couch and gets to her knees. Giving me one of her cheeky grins, she unbuckles my belt. On cue, my dick rises to action.

  As her lips make contact with my cock, my head falls back, desire gripping me.

  “You are so bad for me,” I croak. “A bad, bad yoga girl.”

  She pauses kissing me up and down my length and looks up at me with a smile. “And you like it, admit it.” Her hand is around the base of my shaft and she’s pressing gently with each word, teasing me, sending my heart slamming against my chest.

  “Wrong. I love it.” Unable to control myself, and needing her to taste me, I curl my hand around the back of her head and pull her down on me. I almost scream out with frustration as I watch my dick disappearing into her mouth, her breath warming my skin.

  As her tongue works my dick, the desire flowing through my veins is like hot lava. In only a few weeks, she has mastered the art of driving me wild, bringing me to the point where I would say anything to her, even forbidden words that will get me into trouble.

  “Damn. Oh, Grace, Grace—” My body buckles. “You. Are. Fucking incredible,” I yell as I explode into her mouth over and over again. When I’m done, my body goes limp, as though every ounce of strength has been sucked out of me.

  “I know.” Smiling, Grace wipes her lips with a tissue she pulls from a box on the coffee table. Her eyes are warm and kind as they meet mine. I’m drowning inside them and don’t know how to come up for air. There’s no denying it now. I’m falling in love with her. How could I not have known that sleeping with her would be the end of my sanity?

  “There’s something else.” The stupid smirk refuses to leave my face as she zips up my pants and buckles my belt before climbing back on the couch next to me, her head on my chest. She feels like she belongs here in my arms and it’s almost physically painful to think of her leaving them.