Page 34 of Blake

“I know that but what the hell am I supposed to do? She’s my mother and she doesn’t mean to hurt me!”

Blake sat down beside her and took her hand. “Gracie, how do you not see her for what she is? She belittles you, criticises you, and treats you with contempt.” He saw her wince and tempered his tone. “You are worth ten of her.” Blake stroked her hair back from her cheek looking deeply into her eyes.

Her mouth opened and he knew she was going to argue so he did the only thing he could he showed her how special she was. His mouth came down on hers in a drugging kiss that was at once gentle and powerful. He wondered how he had managed to think he had lived without the taste of her. She opened for him immediately, her body leaning into his as she lit up in his arms.

His hand moved to cup her neck as he kissed his way down her neck, nibbling on her pulse points as he pushed the material of her top from her shoulders exposing the pearly perfection of her skin to his eyes and lips. Reaching the curve of her breast he pulled the lacey fabric down and sucked her pink nipple into his mouth. His voice was husky as he broke away and looked at her heavy-lidded eyes. “Perfection.”

Her mouth tilted into the smile that made him crazy and he knew he was falling for this woman—hard. She had the power to destroy him and he didn’t care. He saw something in her, something special, something beautiful, and he wanted it all for himself.

Grace Paxton was strong and gentle, kind and sweet with an air of vulnerability that spoke to him. For the second time in his life he was in love, except this time he had a chance at something—a chance to make something profoundly beautiful and he wouldn’t give it up.

Pushing her back on the bed he took his time stripping her of her armour, kissing every place he touched until she was whimpering beneath him with need. He wanted her to see what he saw, what the world saw when they looked at her.

When she was completely naked before him on the bed, he stood to gaze at her. His cock was hard as rock begging for relief. Every part of him wanted to bury himself in her perfect pussy that was made just for him. But he wanted to take his time, to show her what a prize she was. Show her she wasn’t second best to a mother that didn’t value her, or a boyfriend that didn’t realise how fucking lucky he was that she would even look at him.

Stripping his clothes he went to his knees in front of her, his eyes travelling over her flushed skin. Bending, he ignored the pain in his knee and tunnelled his hands underneath her, grasping both her ass cheeks in his palms and squeezing gently. Lowering his head he nipped at the soft skin of her thighs before licking his way upwards from the bottom of her slit until he found her clit.

Her head went back, her chest leaving the bed, her magnificent hair making her look ethereal and otherworldly. “Blake, oh God, don’t stop.”

Her hand on his head stopped him from moving as she chased her climax while he worshipped her. He didn’t answer but kept up his assault on her senses until he felt the first flutter of her climax. Using his tongue he fucked her until she was writhing and screaming his name as she came apart.

Her hand left his head and he looked up at her with a devilish smile. “Fucking beautiful. You have no idea how amazing you are, but you will. We won’t be leaving this bed until you understand what you mean to me and what a gift you are to those around you.”

She smiled as she reached for him and he covered her body with his being careful not to put any weight on her ribs. He looked down at her lips swollen from his kiss, her body flushed from her orgasm and he wanted to spend every day like this with her. “You are special.”

“So are you,” she replied her eyes soft as she caressed the stubble on his jaw.

He kissed her then and proceeded to spend the next few hours making her see how unique and amazing she was.

Hours later as he lay in bed with Pax asleep on his chest, he looked at the ceiling trying to resist the temptation to go back and wring her mother’s scrawny neck. He knew she was the reason for Grace’s lack of self-worth. The reason she saw herself as somehow less than those around her. Her father wasn’t the one who had done the damage, it was Henrietta. Which begged the question, what else had she done?

He had been doing this job a while and his instincts had kept him alive more than once. Now his were telling him that her father had been genuine when he had reacted to her appearance. The way he was with Pax wasn’t an act, he really loved his child. Henrietta, on the other hand, only seemed to love herself.

Was Pax wrong about her dad or was he not seeing something? He needed to ask Pax what her father had said to her in his study. She had clearly been upset when she’d come out, but he hadn’t wanted to push her. But time was of the essence and he needed to be back in the UK before Jack went away.

It would be easier if he could tell her what was happening with Eidolon, but he would never betray Jack in that way and as far as he knew, it wasn’t related to Pax’s situation in any way. At least, he didn’t think it was. His mind went back to the attack at her house and how the person had known to target his injured leg. That hadn’t been a coincidence and he didn’t like it touching Pax. He now had multiple threats and he wasn’t sure exactly where any of them were coming from.

They needed a better plan. Part of that would involve looking into Henrietta Paxton further, as well as her father. Both were guilty of something—they just needed to figure what and how it affected Pax if at all.

His phone buzzed beside him with a text and lifting up he snagged it with his free hand and saw it was from Waggs.

Meet us in the bar at 9. We have a lead.

Blake shot back a reply and dropped his phone.

It was time to get serious and eliminate the threat once and for all. Then he would see if he and Pax were leading where he hoped they were. His mother would be giddy if he took Pax home to meet her. The thought made him smile as he turned and kissed her shoulder intent on waking her up in the nicest possible way.

Chapter Fifteen

Blake chewed on a piece of the medium rare fillet steak before glancing at Pax who was picking at her salmon. “Tell us about Benny’s family.”

The team were seated around the table eating a late dinner and discussing the case. Initially he had wanted to do this in private, but she hadn’t wanted to explain it twice which he understood so they had met Reid, Waggs, and Decker in their suite for dinner. Luckily for them the suite they were in also had its own dining area where they could eat so they had the privacy and security he preferred.

Waggs and Reid were happily tucking into rare cuts of fillet steak, while Decker ate quinoa and spinach meatballs with gluten-free pasta. Decker very much followed that his body was a temple and would only eat organic, healthy food. Blake had tried the whole ‘healthy eating’ thing and while some of what Decker ate was good, most of it tasted like cardboard to him. What was life without a greasy burger or doughnut now and then?

Pax lifted her eyes to his, and he saw sadness flicker through them before she banked it. She had woken up to his mouth on her and after making love to her in the shower she had seemed almost back to her usual self. She was still processing her visit to her parents and he knew she would talk about it when she was ready, but they needed the information from her to help solve the case.

He hadn’t wanted to push her and in normal circumstances, he wouldn’t, but time was of the essence and he’d been left with the feeling after leaving her parents that more was at play here than they knew and he didn’t like it.