Page 81 of One Night in Glasgow
“That bitch,” she whispered, her voice shaking slightly.
“She’s more than that,” Sienna interjected, leaning forward. “She’s sloppy. And she’s desperate. That makes her predictable. You now have all the power, Beth. The question is, what are you going to do with it?”
Sienna’s directness was startling, but I saw Beth straighten up, her own resolve hardening. “I’m not sure yet,” Beth said, her voice stronger now. “But I’m not going to be their victim. Not anymore.”
Sienna nodded, a look of respect in her emerald eyes. “Good.”
The rest of dinner was a masterclass in the McCrae-Gracen family dynamic. Fury and I fell into our old rhythm, a mix of brotherly insults and genuine affection. Sienna and Beth were two sides of the same coin: fiercely independent, intelligent women who had learned to navigate a world that often tried to underestimate them. I watched Beth hold her own, her wit sharp, her humor dry, and I felt an intense pride.
As we left the restaurant, Fury pulled me aside while Sienna and Beth walked ahead, their voices a low, conspiratorial murmur in the cool night air.
“She’s a fighter,” Fury said, clapping me on the shoulder. “I totally get why you did it.” He fixed me with a serious look. “Just don’t fuck it up, Sean. She’s been through enough. She deserves a guy who will have her back, no matter what.”
“I know,” I said, my gaze finding Beth as she laughed at something Sienna had said. “That’s the plan.”
I caught up to them just as they paused under a streetlight. Sienna had linked her arm through Beth’s, and they were laughing, heads close together like old friends sharing a secret.
"So, when Fury finally told me he was bringing you to dinner," Sienna was saying, her emerald eyes sparkling with warmth, "I admit I was skeptical. Any woman who could get Sean to throw his entire life into chaos had to be either a saint or a spectacular kind of trouble."
Beth smiled, a genuine, unguarded expression that made my chest ache. "I'm still not sure which one I am," she admitted.
"Oh, I am," Sienna said, giving Beth's arm a gentle squeeze. "You're one of us." Her expression turned sincere, her voicedropping slightly. "Welcome to the family, Beth. It's loud and it's complicated, but we have each other's backs. Always."
I watched as Beth’s eyes welled up with a film of tears, but this time, they weren't tears of pain or frustration. They were tears of relief. The look on her face was one of someone who had been wandering in the cold and had finally been invited inside to the fire.
I came to her side and took her free hand, lacing my fingers through hers. She looked at me, her eyes shining, and squeezed my hand tightly.
Fury joined us, sliding his arm around Sienna's waist. And for a moment, the four of us just stood there on the SoHo street, a small, unshakable fortress against the rest of the world.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
BETH
I woketo the unfamiliar feeling of complete and utter safety—and the very familiar pressure of a rock-hard erection pressed against my ass. The morning light filtered through the sheer curtains of Sean’s hotel room, painting the space in soft shades of gray and gold. I was cocooned in his arms, his steady breathing a warm puff against the back of my neck, his body a solid, protective wall behind me. For once, the screaming in my head was silent. There was just this. The quiet intimacy, the scent of him on the pillows, the gentle rise and fall of his chest against my back. And the insistent throb of his cock nestled in the cleft of my ass, making my core clench with remembered pleasure.
I shifted slightly, turning in his arms to face him, my nipples hardening as they brushed against his chest. He murmured in his sleep, his brow furrowing for a moment before smoothing out again. I traced the sharp line of his jaw with my fingertip, marveling at him. This man, this incredible,stubborn, and ridiculously handsome man, had bulldozed his way into my chaotic life and refused to leave. He had fought for me, even when I was fighting against him. A dangerous, unfamiliar warmth spread through my chest, a feeling so potent it almost felt like hope.
His eyes fluttered open, a deep, mossy green still hazy with sleep but quickly darkening as he registered our naked bodies pressed together. A slow, predatory smile spread across his face when he saw me. “Morning,” he rasped, his voice thick and low.
“Morning,” I whispered back, already wet from the heat in his gaze.
He leaned in, his lips finding mine in a kiss that started gentle but quickly turned hungry, his tongue sliding into my mouth to claim me. His hand slid down my back to cup my ass, squeezing possessively as he pulled me tighter against him, his cock hard and hot against my stomach.
“I could get used to waking up like this,” he murmured against my mouth, rolling his hips to drag his length against my skin. “All ready for my morning boner.” He chuckled.
“Don’t get too comfortable, McCrae,” I teased, though my heart was doing a ridiculous flutter-kick against my ribs and my pussy was already aching for him. “I’m not a morning person.”
“Liar,” he chuckled, his hand sliding from my ass around to my front, fingers dipping between my thighs to find me slick and swollen. “Your body tells a different story. Soaked already, and I’ve barely touched you.”
He slid one thick finger inside me, making me gasp against his mouth. “Fuck, Beth. Still so tight even after taking my cock all night.”
His touch ignited a familiar heat deep in my belly. Butinstead of the urgent, consuming fire of last night, this was something different—slower, deeper, like honey warming in sunlight.
“Close your eyes,” he whispered, his voice taking on a quality I hadn’t heard before—reverent, almost worshipful, even as his finger continued to stroke inside me.
“Sean—”
“Trust me,” he said, pressing a feather-light kiss to my eyelids. “Just feel.”
