Jax can’t come back to your apartment,” I say as Gray leans back, watching me curiously. “I “Why not?” “Because my brothers are all fucked up right now. Scott’s been beaten up twice in the space of two weeks, and Flynn owes you half a million dollars. You should go home. We can talk tomorrow.” “What did I just say?” “That you’re not going anywhere.” “Damn straight.” “Are you just here because you need to get laid? Because there are cheaper—” “Shut up, Jax. Were you even listening to me?” I swallow, unsure how to feel about what he just confessed to me. It’s all such a shock, I don’t even know what to say. His hands move up my back, and I wonder if he’s going to peel the towel from around me. Instead, I watch him rise to his feet, frowning as he reaches out a hand to me. Over the next few minutes, he helps me to find some clothes, drying my back and joking that he has to turn away so he doesn’t see me naked. It’s nice. Peaceful, and completely fucking terrifying. I don’t know what to make of what he told me. Part of me is elated, euphoria spreading through every cell in my body. The other part doesn’t trust it at all. I don’t understand how he can truly care about me after the start we had, after everything he has had to sacrifice, and after the artificial way we came together in the first place. The future feels murky and filled with obstacles, not least his relationship with Flynn. I can’t imagine my brother rolling over for him. Flynn Jenson doesn’t live under anybody else’s rules. “You’re thinking too much,” Gray says tenderly, as he towels my hair dry. “Are you going to take over the club?” I ask, and the silence that follows makes my gut twist. “I’ll be a silent partner,” he says, squeezing the last drops from it. “But I’m an investor now. I have to be.” “And if Flynn wants to buy you out?” “Then he can. But I’m guessing it’ll take him a while.” I roll my eyes. “You’re an arrogant son of a bitch.” “Hmm. True. But I also know this city,” his fingers press lightly on my shoulders, turning me around as his steely gaze meets mine. “The club will be a success. I’ll make sure of it. That district is hard to manage, the rents are skyrocketing, and without significant support, it would have failed.” “You don’t know that.” “Maybe not. Maybe you would have had a miracle, and JJ’s would have become the best club in New York City. But I doubt it.” He smirks. “With my backing, it’ll do well. That’s all any of you should care about.” “JJ’s?” “Has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it. Jones and Jensons.” “Jensons would be first.” He licks his lips, smiling down at me. “Sure.” His hand runs through my hair, pulling it over my shoulder. “Plus,
there’s another reason the investment is a good thing for me.” “Don’t tell me, you plan to open three more businesses in that district?” “Not quite, it’s closer to home.” “What?” “Well, I have to ke ep Flynn happy now that I’m dating his baby sister.” “Dating?” I ask, my heart thumping as his arms come around me again. “Hmm, I would say so.” “That’s kind of presumptuous, don’t you think?” “Maybe a little bit,” he smirks. “And thinking about it, I should probably make sure all your brothers like me, right? Maybe I should order a bunch of pizzas tonight.” “I think you’ve spent enough money on my family for one day.” “It doesn’t matter,” he says quietly. “Nothing matters exc ept convincing you to let me stay.” Two hours later, I’m sitting on the floor of my living room, propped up against Gray with my brothers all around us. Seb and Ben have inexpertly patched each other up and are sitting, eating the final slice of pizza from the box. Gray couldn’t believe that he needed to order eight pizzas for six of us, and then watched in amazement as Ben devoured a whole one for himself in under ten minutes. He hasn’t left my side since we came downstairs. Flynn is still frosty at the edge of the room, but Ben and Seb, in that easy way of theirs, seem to have acc epted Gray as one of their own. Even Scott, still wary of him, thanked him for the pizza. “I’m gonna go to bed,” Ben says after a jaw-cracking yawn as he shifts next to Seb. “You look like shit, bro, you should sle ep, too,” he says, patting Seb’s knee, who shoves him off, forgetting his injuries and swearing, clutching at his arm. “You’re sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?” Flynn asks. “I’m fine, Mom,” Seb mutters, rising as Ben pushes him out of his chair and they troop upstairs. Scott remains where he is, slumped in his seat, his eyes roaming around the room before coming to rest on me. “I was looking online earlier,” he begins slowly. “There’s a GA meeting tomorrow. I’m gonna go.” I glance at Flynn, but he continues to chew his pizza, looking spaced out and exhausted. There isn’t much any of us can say to Scott; the journey ahead is a long one; we’ve all walked it with him before. “I’m gonna pay you back, somehow,” Scott says earnestly. “I’m so sorry about what you had to do, Jax.” He looks at Gray, his eyes hard and cold as he takes him in. Gray’s body is stiff against mine as Scott rises from his seat. “You'd better take care of her. I don’t care who you are or how much money you have. You ever hurt my sister, and I’ll fucking kill you.” “Noted,” Gray r eplies. “Without you fucking up, I never would have met her, so I guess I have you to thank for that.”
Scott bends down beside me, giving me a one-armed hug before limping up to bed, as Flynn clears away the pizza boxes and looks down at us on the floor. “I have a meeting with some of the other investors tomorrow,” he says stiffly to Gray. “You coming to that?” “Absolutely,” Gray r eplies, and Flynn clenches his jaw. “Where is it?” “At Jensons,” Flynn mutters as he walks stiffly into the kitchen, and Gray pulls me gently back against him, his mouth beside my ear. “You know, if we were at my apartment, it’d be a lot less far to travel in the morning,” he murmurs. “Your brothers are all going to bed. You don’t need to be here to watch them sle ep. Come back with me. I want to wake up with you for once.” I stare at the far wall, my fingers coming up to touch the windchime around my neck. There’s another one hanging from the ceiling in front of the window to my left, and I watch as it catches the light, sending spangling patterns over the ceiling. I don’t have the energy to argue anymore. “Alright,” I whisper, and Gray is rising before I’ve even got the word fully out of my mouth. I head upstairs and pack a bag with clothes for tomorrow and some toiletries. I sneak back downstairs and silently watch Gray for a moment. He’s tidying up after my brothers. He goes to shake hands with Flynn who gives him a reluctant look before offering his hand. I feel a warmth in my chest before I clear my throat a little to announce my presence. Flynn gives me a protective look and a little nod as he walks past me to the stairs. Gray takes me out to his Audi. “I still don’t get why you don’t have a driver,” I say as I get in beside him, smiling as his hand moves immediately to my knee. “Because I like to do it myself.” I shake my head and give a little laugh. What a fucking day. Never in a million years did I think I’d be sitting here with him right now after everything that happened today. “Do you really have bags of money in the trunk?” I ask incredulously. “Yeah.” “You’re lucky someone didn’t hotwire it.” “It’s pretty hard to break into,” he says, inputting a code into a little keypad beside the steering wheel and then making a little humming noise. “But you have a good point. I’ll bring it all inside when we get back.” “How much is there?” I ask curiously. Gray doesn’t speak, just glancing at me with that familiar heat in his eyes that makes my whole body ache for him. “A lot. I wasn’t taking any chances.” He starts the car and we cruise away from my house, the turmoil of the last few hours settling heavily on my shoulders in the dark and warmth of the car. My eyes flutter open in what feels like minutes, but I check the clock, and it’s been half an hour since we left my place. Gray is watching me, a soft smile on his face. “Let’s get you inside.” By the time we st ep out of the elevator, I’m dead on my feet. Gray carries a large duffel in one hand, which he pulled from the trunk, and takes it into a walk-in closet where I hear the
be ep of a safe. I wait a few minutes for him before wandering into the living room to look at the fish. I take a de ep breath and feel my whole body relax while I watch them slowly swim around. Gray enters behind me, taking my hand gently in his and leading me into the kitchen, where he d eposits me on a barstool and goes about making us both a hot chocolate. He’s quiet and contemplative as he moves in front of me, and my stomach is in knots as I wonder if he’s expecting me to tell him that I love him, too. In all honesty, I don’t know how I feel about him, not yet. I’ve never been in love before. I don’t know what it’s supposed to feel like. All I know is every time he looks at me, my knees turn to jelly. I laugh as he reaches into the refrigerator and pulls out whipped cream, squirting a generous amount onto the top of each mug. “You want marshmallows?” “No,” I say, smiling up at him. “I think that’s enough sugar for one night.” We carry them into the living room, and he sits beside me on the couch as we watch the fish. “You okay?” he asks quietly. I turn to him as a crease forms between his brows. “I don’t know what you expect from me,” I say slowly. “What is this that we’re doing?” “Dating.” “But you said you loved me.” “I do.” “And I didn’t say it back.” “That’s okay.” “How?” I ask incredulously. “How is that okay?” “Because I wasn’t expecting to feel the way I feel, and we started this all wrong. We both need some time to adjust, and that’s okay.” His eyes look insanely blue in the light of the fish tank. I finish my hot chocolate, not sure how to act until he puts an arm around my shoulders and sighs in a de eply contented way that makes my stomach flip. “You know what I think we should do?” I say decisively, putting down my empty mug. “What?” he says, sounding worried. “Take a shower.” I stand up, dropping my clothes behind me as I strip and head to the bathroom. I’m alone while I turn it on and check the temperature, and I’ve gotten inside by the time he joins me. He has taken his shirt off and leans in the doorway, watching me with a fond little smile. “I fucking love your hair, have I ever told you that?” “I kind of figured it out for myself,” I say, laughing, and shaking it out behind me as I stand under the spray. “I honestly think I might date you just for this shower.” “If that’s what it takes.” He strips off his pants and briefs, never taking his eyes off me as he st eps into the shower and beneath the spray. His hands come around my body as he stands with his chest against my back. Instinctively, my hand moves down behind me to his cock, but his hips move away as he blows out a breath.
“What?” I ask anxiously. “You’ve had a pretty shitty day. One of the shittiest, you don’t need to—” I turn around, my anger flaring as I shove him against the wall of the shower. He hisses at the cold tiles as I put my hand around his cock and squeeze. “Jesus, Jax.” “Are we no longer fucking now that we’re dating?” “What? I just wanted to give you some time to—” “I’m talking,” I say, squeezing even harder. “Fuuuuck, would you, uh, would you stop that?” he pleads as I stroke his cock all the way to the tip. “The Gray Jones I know wants sex all the time. I would like him back, please, even if he isn’t paying me anymore, he can still fuck me like he is.” He moans, his head falling back against the tiles as he rocks his hips against my hands. I’m just getting into the rhythm of it when an in voluntary yelp leaves my mouth as he flips us around and pins my hands above my head. “You know, I think you’re right,” he says thoughtfully, pushing his hips against mine. “I’m gonna miss throwing money all over you,” he licks up my neck, making me shudder. “I liked rubbing it over your clit, too. You were such a little slut for it.” “Oh my god, Gray.” I collapse back against the shower wall as he lifts me up, parting my legs and st epping in between them. “Are you asking me to fuck you?” he says, his fingers moving over my ass as I try to balance against the wall. “Yes.” “How badly do you want it?” he asks, circling his tongue around my nipple before sucking it into his mouth. My hand plunges into his hair as he uses his tongue in the most excruciating way. “I need it,” I whisper as he drops me down, his cock rubbing against the entrance to my body. “How bad?” He st eps back a little, his hand running down over my stomach as his other hand supports my ass against the shower wall. His fingers push into me, gently at first and then sliding further, scissoring as I groan above him. He chuckles low in the back of his throat. “Oh, you are ready for it. Have I left you waiting too long?” “You’re an asshole.” I suck in a breath as he pulls out his fingers and r eplaces them with his cock. There’s been hardly any pr ep, and it’s tight as he pushes in, inch by inch. “I’m gonna fuck you in every room in this house, Jacqueline, until you’re screaming for it. Begging me to fill you up with my cum.” “Christ.” “And when we’re done, I’m gonna do it all over again,” he says, snapping his cock into me in the final sharp movement that has me moaning against him. “Which one is better?” he asks. I open my eyes, looking down at him with a frown. “W—what?” “The shower or my dick?” he asks, his eyes twinkling. I laugh as he lowers us down, kneeling in an awkward move onto the floor, lying me down in a warm pool of water. He starts to thrust in earnest, his tongue finding mine as he fucks my mouth as hard as my body. I pull back, crying out as he increases the rhythm. Neither of us is going to last long, and I claw my nails down his back as he thrusts into me.
“You didn’t answer my question,” he says as his cock moves inside me brutally hard and so so good. “The... the shower,” I manage as he grins, covering my mouth with his before pulling back. “We shall see,” he says, pushing two fingers into my mouth, choking me as I come, hard, screaming against them, my tongue sucking at them desperately. “Once I’ve had you in every room, I’ll ask again.” His hips piston into me a few more times before he goes still above me, filling me up and lowering down on my body as the rain from the shower pours over us. “Bring it on,” I say, wondering if I’m dreaming. If I am, I definitely don’t want to wake up.
Epilogue One year later... The phone rings just after five, and I pick up without needing to check the caller ID. “Hey, Fran.” “Are you sure these numbers are right? These are the figures for the quarterly r eports, not the annual profits.” “Are you doubting me?” “Completely.” “Well, one, that’s rude, and two, I’ve inflated the figures so Gray will ke ep sle eping with me.” “You’re so gross,” she says, and I can hear her fingers speeding over the keys. “The figures are right, Fran. Stop bothering me.” “Check them again.” “No. That’s what you’re for, and I’ve already been through them three times with Scott. He’s done a good job, even though he’s totally incompetent.” Scott, who is sitting at the desk opposite, throws a pencil at me. “Alright, but if they’re wrong, I’m going to tell Gray to fire you.” “As if,” I say sweetly and hang up as she starts to say something else. “Don’t piss Fran off, she’s basically running this place single- handedly,” Scott says, sitting back in his chair, pulling a Rubik's cube from his drawer, and beginning to play with it. “That’s you, actually,” I say warmly. “You know you’re the reason this place is such a success.” “I didn’t have much of a choice... I’m gonna be proving myself to Flynn for the rest of my life.” I glance up at my brother and see the familiar little twist of discomfort on his mouth as he flips the cube in his fingers, solving it effortlessly. “You know he loves you—" “Scott!” Flynn’s voice ricochets off the walls of the office from down the hall, and Scott groans. “Oh my god, this is your fault,” he says irritably, putting the cube back in the drawer and going to find out what Flynn wants. “I have enough to do!” he shouts good-naturedly as he passes Gray in the doorway, who walks inside, looking back after Scott curiously. I narrow my eyes at him, continuing to work on my spreadsheet as he closes and locks the door behind him. “Evening, my lady,” he says, his voice thick. “What do you want? I’m busy.” “That’s no way to greet your boyfriend, Jax. I haven’t seen you for days.” “I saw you yesterday.” “Exactly.” He saunters over to my desk, a look in his eye I know well. “Have I told you I love your purple hair?” he asks, pulling on the braid over my shoulder, his finger sliding over the skin on the back of my neck, and making me frown up at him as I try to deal with a formula that isn’t behaving itself. “Stop distracting me. And you love my hair, whatever color it is.” “Hmm, that’s true.” He scooches onto the edge of my desk, placing his hands over mine while I’m still trying to type. “You’re not helping.” He runs a finger down my neck again, making me shiver. “I’m not trying to.”
“Go and sit over there until I’m done,” I say, shoving at him. “You’re not allowed to distract me when I’m trying to work out the variances. I’ve told you this before.” He pouts, going to sit at Scott’s desk and pretending to sulk as I continue working on the formula. “Oh, forgot to tell you, my mom wants us both at lunch on Sunday,” he says. “Well, actually, I think she’d be fine with just you showing up and, of course, my sisters feel the same way.” I glance up for a brief second and give him a little smirk. I love the fact that I completely flipped Donna’s opinion of me. It took a while, but she finally came around. And she’s not so bad after all. And I adore his sisters, especially Carrie. I refocus on the task at hand and spend a few minutes double- checking the figures against the accounts on my i Pad and don’t look up again at him until I’m done. When I do, I freeze in place. He’s sitting in Scott’s chair, fully naked, trying to solve the Rubik’s cube. “You don’t play fair,” I say, my voice coming out a little choked. “Learned from the best,” he says, rolling the chair out from beneath the desk and stroking his hardening cock as I glance at the door. “My brothers are right down the hall.” “They’re not actually. I gave Flynn some money to go and get dinner. I wanted some alone time with my woman.” I rise from my chair, enjoying the way his eyes run down my body as I approach him. “Your what?” I ask, straddling him and trapping his hand around his cock. “My woman,” he says, raising his hips up to meet mine. “Fuck, you’re so fucking hot,” he growls, tugging my hips against his. “Don’t you have to go and walk the new venue tonight? You’ve already screwed up the profits for Q4 with that purchase; you might as well visit the damned thing.” “I’ve seen it.” “You saw pictures, that isn’t the same thing.” “Flynn saw it, he likes it, and we’re partners. I trust him.” “But still—” “Why are you talking shop when you should be getting naked?” he grumbles, and I stand up, putting on a bit of a show as I strip for him. Once I’m fully naked, I sit back down on top of him as his hands run over my back. “Hmm, I never get tired of this view,” he says, his eyes bright and glossy in the light from Scott’s desk. “Will you come with me? To the venue, I mean? I want you to see it.” “Tonight?” “Yes, do you have somewhere else you need to be?” “Well, I might be busy.” His fingers tighten against my body. “Is that right?” he asks, as he slides them lower, pushing them between my legs as I crush my mouth over his. “Yeah,” I say, rocking against his dick. “And, just so you know, I’m gonna tell Scott that you got butt-naked in his office chair.” “That’s a good point,” he says, rising as I give a little squeal of delight, his hands supporting my ass as he carries me to the couch on the other side of the room. “I’m going to fuck you now. You’re always more agreeable after I get my dick inside you.”
I groan, arching against him, as he does just that, slowly pushing into me. “What the hell? That was like three seconds of for eplay.” “I know, but I’ve been thinking about this all day. Maybe if you’re a good girl, I’ll let you ride me later.” The venue Flynn and Gray have found is perfect for what we want. A small, intimate bar linked to the new club, which can be a destination for people on their way to a night out. It’s long, narrow, and eclectic, and exactly the kind of place I’ve dreamed of owning someday. Scott has been the floor manager of JJ’s for nearly six months, attending regular recovery meetings and mostly doing better. I still worry about the implications of everything he has been through, but he seems to be in a good place right now, and that’s what matters. Gray takes my hand and leads me through the building. “It’s kind of narrow, don’t you think?” I ask. “Wait until you see upstairs,” he says, looking back at me as we walk along a hallway that reminds me of the rear service hallways in Jensons. “This is cre epy as hell,” I say as we continue on. Gray doesn’t reach for a light switch the whole way, and it’s very dark by the time we reach a set of stairs leading up to a single doorway at the top. “Are you planning to lock me away in here for your own amusement?” I ask dryly, and he chuckles. “Now there’s an idea.” We reach the top of the stairs, and I st ep into a beautiful room painted in dark green, with pale gray furniture inside. There’s a white desk at one end, and when Gray closes the door, the sound of the traffic on the street outside is drowned out completely. “Wow, this place is awesome,” I say. “I thought you might like it as your new office,” he says casually, in a tone I’ve come to know well. Gray only ever sounds like that when something means a great deal to him. “Here?” I ask, looking back at him. “It’s quieter than the club, and I know your migraines have been bothering you.” “I’m getting old,” I say as he scoffs loudly. “Shut up, you’re not even twenty-six yet. Wait until you’re ancient like me.” “True, you’re a regular dinosaur,” I say, walking over to the desk. “It’s so quiet here, I love it.” “I had it soundproofed when I found the space. I thought it would be perfect for you.” I glance back at him, smiling, as he stands behind me, his hand in his pockets, his stance strangely stiff. “You okay?” I say curiously. “Of course,” he says, but there’s a strange look in his eyes I can’t read. I stop at the desk, looking down at it with interest. The surface is empty, exc ept for a tiny white box set at its center. I stare at it, my fingers shaking as I reach forward and pick it up. It’s completely silent in the room as I slowly pry open the lid to find a beautiful ring inside, three diamonds in a row sparkling in the low light.
I turn to find Gray on one knee behind me, smiling up at me with such a look of love and excitement I can hardly breathe. “Jacqueline Marie Jenson,” he says, his voice shaking slightly. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love you more than I can possibly express in words, and I want you with me for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?” He stands, coming to a stop in front of me as I stare up at him in astonishment, my heart pounding like a drum. “I bought this ring three weeks after we started officially dating, and I’ve wanted to ask you a thousand times since then. But I thought I would seem less crazy if I waited a bit. And it’s a year to the day since we first met, and I can’t wait any longer.” My hand shakes as I look down at the ring, Gray’s long fingers coming up to pluck it from the box and hold it out to me. I look up at him, this incredible and impossible man who has made my life so much better in every conceivable way. Not just mine, but my brothers’ lives, too. “I love you,” I say as a bright smile breaks across his face. “I know,” he says reverently. “Of course I’ll marry you.” He grins down at me, eyes shining with mischief. “I know that, too.” A laugh bubbles out of my chest as his answer both surprises and delights me. So fucking cocky... And I wouldn’t want him any other way. Do you want to read the next book in the Sterling House series? Of course you do! Preorder At His Beck & Call HERE.