Page 96 of Seren

CHAPTER 42

Seren

I left my phone in my room and swapped rooms with one of my teammates for the night because I wanted to ease Grace’s fears about Martine bugging my phone and room. Even though her concerns sounded far-fetched, my father had been working on espionage technology before he died. And while Martine mentioned a potential deal with the military, I didn’t realize he’d actually finished my father’s work. No wonder why he didn’t want to relinquish control to an eighteen-year-old who owned more of the company than he did. He was set to make billions when this technology went public. No way he’d want me to reap the benefits. He wanted one hundred percent of the company—by any means necessary.

Grace immediately lay down on my teammate’s spare bed since his roommate had yet to move in. I covered her with a blanket I’d brought from my room and lay down beside her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her back to my chest. She instantly relaxed like she had outside. But, my God, she was skin and bones. She’d been suffering. I knew the second I saw her standing at my door that she wasn’t okay. I knew everything that went down in the driveway that night had been a sham. She wouldn’t have traveled all the way to Alabama if it hadn’t been. Nor would she look like a shell of herself.

I seriously couldn’t wrap my head around all she’d been holding in. Martine would pay for it.Allof it.

And, as much as I wanted to make up for lost time and get lost in Grace for the rest of the night, we’d both been through hell. I tightened my arms around her, careful not to hurt her.

We lay in silence for a long time.

“Do you think I should go home?” I asked her.

Her body went rigid.

“I think I need to be there.”

She turned in my arms so we were eye to eye, but fear had overtaken her features. “There’s so much at risk, Seren.Somuch. He sees and hears everything.”

I tightened my arms around her, needing to calm her fears. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what she was going through now that she could finally tell me everything. The motherfucker had scared the shit out of her. He would pay forallhis sins. “We’re in this together, Grace. We’ll figure it out together.”

“Your mom didn’t do it,” she said, reminding me of what I’d already figured out.

I’d been such an asshole toward my mother. So cold. So dismissive. So…unfair. I’d fix thatafterI saved her from Martine. “I know.”

“She’ll forgive you,” she said.

“I know that too. Willyouforgive me?”

A small smile tipped her lips.

I leaned down and captured her lips, kissing her slowly. It was almost two in the morning now, and I knew so much had happened, but I also knew I’d never sleep until I was sure she forgave me.

Grace pulled at the hem of my shirt telling me I wasn’t the only one who, despite everything that had happened, still craved more.

“You sure?” I asked.

“Yes,” she assured me.

Waves of relief washed over me as I sat up, seized the back of my T-shirt, and peeled it off. I stared at her in amazement. I couldn’t believe I had her back. “Are you gonna let me love you?”

Tears glazed her eyes as she nodded.

“Thank fuck. Because I never stopped loving you, Grace.” I covered her with my body and captured her lips. I hadn’t forgotten how her lips just fit with mine. How they did whatever I wanted them to do. I tore my lips from hers and pulled her shirt off, revealing her black bra. Her ribs were protruding, and the sight broke my fucking heart. I tossed her shirt and leaned down, peppering kisses down her chest, between her breasts, and over her ribs. I brushed my lips gently over them as if that could somehow erase the last month and the pain she’d been through. Her fingers tunneled into the back of my hair telling me she wanted me there. But that wasn’t my final destination. I inched down, kissing a path across her stomach while I unbuttoned her shorts. She lifted her ass and I slipped them down her legs leaving her in a thong. I leaned back down and pressed kisses over the material as Grace sucked in a sharp breath. “I’ve missed you,” I said between kisses. “The way you feel…the way you taste…the way your body fits with mine.”

Grace’s breath became labored, and I loved knowing my words could do that to her—especially after I’d been so sure over the last month that she didn’t give two fucks about me.

I moved lower, kissing a path between her thighs. I spread her legs and found a comfortable spot to continue. She gripped my shoulders, holding on tightly. I was fairly certain no one had done this to her before, and I loved that she was letting me. I pulled the strip of her thong to the side and ran the tip of my tongue along her seam.

Grace

My grip on Seren’s shoulders couldn’t get any tighter. My embarrassment of having him down there quickly dissipated as the tremors began. His tongue licked a delicious path from front to back, repeating the motion until I could barely stay still for him. My thong was in his way so he pulled it down my legs and then his mouth was back. This time, he sucked on my clit. I gasped. His tongue moved, circling it, moving over it, then sucking on it again. Waves of tremors washed over me. I didn’t think it could get any better. Then Seren plunged two fingers inside me as he continued assaulting my clit with his tongue. I closed my eyes tightly and dropped my head back against the pillow. “Seren,” I pleaded, though I had no idea what I was pleading for.

“Right here, Grace,” he said while continuing to lick circles around my clit.

“So…good,” I breathed.

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