Grace POV“Great,” I let out as the doorbell rings. My mother’s eyes locked on me while I took a deep breath walking to the door. I open it fast and Dash is standing there. His hair is messy, his eyes darken, and the circles under his eyes make me realize he hasn’t slept. I look at him as I open my mouth and he shakes his head before stepping inside. His hands are inside his pants pockets, his jacket is open and his black shirt is not tucked into his pants like last night. He looks messy as hell and when his eyes meet mine as soon as I close the door; I see the anger in them. “Who’s that?” My mother’s voice booms from the kitchen while Dash looks at me and then at the door and my eyes move between the door and him. Anxiety piling up, making me feel extremely uncomfortable staring at the man that took my virginity. The man I made me feel like a woman for the first time. I don’t know if I blame everything that happened yesterday or his persistence. The way he made me feel. “You’re no
Dash POVWhen I came to see Grace, I wasn’t expecting to find her mother here. First, I thought she was here to support Grace after what I did to her. I know I was a dickhead by taking her virginity and then treating her like she is nothing, but I was dying inside. She treated her virginity like it was nothing, and if I knew… Oh fuck if I knew… What killed me the most wasn’t that she was a virgin. It was that she didn’t tell me.If she had told me, I would have taken it, but I would have done it in a bed, inside four walls, taking my time to pleasure her before I made her feel the pain she felt. As soon as I fucked her, I regretted it. My insides twisted and I couldn’t even look at her. I have never felt shame after having sex before. It was a first for me. The tears rolling down her face broke something inside of me, something I didn’t know I had. My heart.Having a sh
Grace POV“Don’t touch me, Grace,” Dash says, and the way he says it makes me pull my hand away from him. Everything in me screaming to run away, to stop this, but my stupid heart is telling me to stay, to apologize. I don’t know what to do or what to say and when I try to speak, he cuts me off asking me why I didn’t tell him. Tell him?I tilt my head slightly as I stare into his beautiful ocean-blue eyes. I can see the hurt in them. He is not hiding from me. He differs from every other guy I have met before. He doesn’t hide behind a mask.“Why didn’t you tell me you were a virgin? If only you had told me,” Dash says and everything in me dies. My brain shuts down and my heart skips a beat. Would it have made a difference?“Things would’ve been different, right?” I let out and his eyes meet mine once more and he nods. That&rsq
Grace POVNow I understand why he said my first time should’ve been different. Everything was different from how he took me in the car. He was careful, and he took his time making me feel good. God, the way he ate my pussy. I can’t help but smile, remembering his eyes staring into mine while he licked my pussy.He treated me like I was breakable, but every touch was perfect. Dash was the most amazing lover the three times we had sex. I roll on the bed and watch as he sleeps. His hand resting on his naked stomach. His chest moving with his breathing and the soft snore. The man looks as good asleep as he looks awake. I never knew it was possible to ache in some places I am aching right now.Dash bent me in so many positions, I felt like I was a contortionist in a circus, but when he placed me on top of him and told me to ride him was the best thing in the world. His eyes never left mine while his hands kept m
Dash POV“I’ll call you when I am done,” I tell Turner before I exit the car. I am having a meeting with Connor Astor about the new club that we will be opening next week. The guest list is so exclusive that there are pages online speculating about who will be attending the event. The amount of free press we are getting is surreal. We’re doing things in secrecy, the invitation is sent, but the location is not disclosed. No one knows where the club is going to be, everything is being done in the dark and I am loving every second of it. The guests are sent an NDA that they sign before they even get the dress code. The opening will be themed and once a month we will have an even more exclusive party than the normal nights with different themes. The opening theme is Saints and Sinners, where only three colors are allowed. White, black and red. I honestly can’t wait for that party. Walking up the steps to the Astor building, I am stopped by a familiar voice calling my name. “Good Mornin
Grace POVGoing back to school seems weird after the last few days I had. The robbery at the rescue center, Dash and my parents. I look around, trying to find my friends as I enter the coffee shop, but they are not there. I walk to the counter, greeting the young girl serving another client. I look at the specials board considering drinking something different. I have been through so much these last few days that I think I could try something new.“Hey Grace, didn’t see you there,” Jason says as he approaches me from behind the counter. “You’re the first one today,” he says, offering a genuine smile.“Hey Jason, I guess I am a little early today,” I let out, focusing on the board again. Jason looks over his shoulder to see what I am staring at and then he smiles.“Trying something new?” He asks and I nod, offering him a smile. Jason is the own
Grace POVI spent the entire day yesterday dodging Dash’s calls and attempts to contact me. I know I probably shouldn’t, but I just couldn’t talk to him. I was feeling hurt, and I didn’t want him to know I saw the photo. I messaged him saying Amber needed me and I would be with her all day. I know he didn’t believe me because he kept trying to call me and I wouldn’t answer.Whatever happened between him and that woman has nothing to do with me, but if he wants people to believe we are really engaged, maybe he shouldn’t be photographed with other women. I bet the press is having a field day with this and they are dragging my name through the mud.My parents tried calling me, and I didn’t answer. If I didn’t want to talk to Dash, I really didn’t want to talk to them. How would I explain him being with another woman? The way the photo was taken looked like
Dash POV“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Grace’s voice is louder than normal, questioning me as soon as I put her on the floor. Her eyes are wild, her hands on her hips as she stares at me as if I am the fucking enemy. I knew Tara was going to be a fucking problem for me, but I didn’t think she was going to interfere with Grace. “I’m kissing you,” I let out as I pull her to me and kiss her. Her hands quickly move from her hips to my chest as she fights me off. Grace pushes me away and because I am not a total jackass, I stop kissing her and groan in frustration. “No, you’re not kissing me,” she tells me and I take one step towards her and she shakes her head, raising her hand and stopping me as it slams against my chest. “Don’t you dare touch me,” she says. I stop where I am standing. My heart beats fast against my chest as I watch her eyes scan me. “I am not a merchandise Dash, I am someone that has a mind of her own, and I sure as hell don’t need a man to treat me like
Jagger POVEntering the elevator, I press my key card to the reader and the doors close immediately. I hate sharing the elevator with people, so I like to come early, before everyone is supposed to start. Today is a bad day for me. It’s been ten years today since my life changed and made me the man I am today. The elevator doors open and Janet looks at me with a wide smile. I look at her, shaking my head slightly as I walk to her desk and she offers me a cup of black coffee. “Good morning boss,” she says and I raise an eyebrow, looking at her and her shoulders slump as she looks at me. “What? Can’t I try to make your day a little better? Today is your dark day after all,” she says and I nod slightly, offering her a small smile. I don’t smile a lot lately, I don’t have a lot of reasons to smile, anyway. “Every day is a dark day,” I correct Janet, and she crosses her arms in front of her chest giving me her sassy attitude and I nod “Thank you for the coffee,” I tell her and her entire
Dash POVStanding at the altar waiting for Grace to walk up to me is making me more nervous than I have ever been in my life. Waiting for her to walk to me in her wedding dress, ready to make me her husband, is the weirdest feeling ever. The past year I have spent showing Grace how much I love her and how important she is to me. The Bridal March starts playing and I look at my brother, who is standing next to me while I adjust my jacket. Fiddling with my hands seems to be helping with the anxiety of seeing Grace.Everyone stands up and then I see Grace walking towards me next to her mother. The veil is covering her face, but I can see her smile underneath. Once they stand in front of me, Marie kisses me on the cheek before offering me her daughter’s hand. I hold Grace’s hand, bringing it to my lips before I remove the veil from her face and her eyes shine with happiness, but it soon disappears when her eyes move from me to my brother standing behind me. “What happened to Jagger?” Gr
Dash POVOne year laterOpening my eyes as I feel the sweat dripping down my face and my heart beating fast makes me sit up straight immediately. I look around the room, remembering I am in Jagger’s house. Today is my wedding day and Grace came up with the whole shit. I am not allowed to see her before the wedding kind of crap.I tried to explain to her that superstition made no sense, not when we lived together and shared a life already, but she made me promise I would respect what she wanted. What can I say? The girl says jump and I ask how high. I am entirely in her hands and she can do whatever the fuck she wants with me that I will allow her to. Pulling up a pair of shorts that I left on the chair, I walk out of the room towards the living room to find my brother with an ice pack against his lip. I raise a single eyebrow as I step closer to him and chuckle as his bruised face appears behind the ice. “Holly shit, Grace is going to fucking kill you, and those bruises won’t be any
Dash POVI open my eyes and immediately regret doing so. My mouth is dry and my vision is blurred. I move my hands up and down my face, trying to wake up, but the headache makes me flinch. I groan in frustration and when I move; I feel something next to me in bed. No, no… Fear strikes and I stand still, not wanting to look at how much I fucked up last night. Getting drunk is one thing, but hooking up and ending up fucking a random girl is an entirely different kind of fuck up. A fuck up, I will not forgive myself. Gathering the courage to look after taking several breaths, I move slightly to see Grace sleeping next to me. I look up and then look at my side again, sitting up on the bed in one movement. Not believing my eyes, I smile, but at the same time freak out a little. How the fuck did I end up in bed with Grace?I look around the room, not recognizing it, and then look down at my body to find a pair of green boxer shorts I have never seen in my life. What the fuck? Looking arou
Grace POV“Grace, dinner is ready, sweetheart,” Mom says as she opens my bedroom door. I nod my head slightly without lifting my head from the pillow. “I’m not hungry,” I whisper back as I feel a single tear roll down my face. I have been crying on and off since I left Dash’s house. Everything he has told me, plus everything else that happened, has taken a toll on me. It’s like my brain has gone into overdrive and shut down. Refusing to cope with what is happening.Mom takes a deep breath as she sits on the edge of the bed, resting her hand on my legs. I look at her and I can see the concern plastered all over her face. “I am worried about you,” Mom says, and that is the last thing I want. She doesn’t deserve to be feeling this. She has gone through so much, I hate putting another thing on her back. Mom looks like she has aged years in the last few days. The betrayal, the divorce, my dad’s death, and my kidnapping have taken a huge chunk of her life away. “Sorry Mom,” I say, sitting
Dash POV“What do you mean, you do things that would make my skin curl? What do you mean by that?” Grace asks and I close my eyes for a few seconds and when I open them, her eyes widen as if she is finally understanding everything. “I am innocent Grace, and I will make sure no one comes back to hurt you,” I say, and she stands up so fast it makes my head spin. “Careful, you can’t do that,” I say, but she ignores me as she paces around the living room. “Are you telling me you are like Parisi?” Grace asks and I stand walking to her. I place my hands on her neck and her eyes meet mine as I caress her skin lightly with my thumb as I shake my head. “I am nothing like that fucker, I don’t traffic women, I don’t rape women, I don’t force them to do things they don’t want, and I sure as hell don’t hurt innocent women,” I add and Grace’s eyes widen again as her hands fly to touch mine. Her hands gripping mine but she doesn’t push away. “I am not like him, but I am not innocent,” I say and s
Grace POV“I can walk by myself,” I let out with a giggle as Dash lifts me from the car. His arms holding me bridal style as he carries me to the elevator. His eyes meet mine and he plants a small kiss on my lips as we wait inside the elevator. The doors open, taking us into our apartment and when we are inside, I look around trying to find my furry friend, but disappointment takes over as I can’t see him anywhere. “Where’s Crow?” I ask Dash and he smiles as he puts me on the couch. His eyes follow my every move as I adjust to my position. “So? Where is he?” I ask and Dash sits next to me, smiling. “Jagger has him, because I was spending so much time in the hospital with you he offered to stay with him, shocking I know,” Dash says and I widen my eyes, nodding. “I never thought I would see the day the big bad wolf would become a teddy bear and decide to offer his help with a dog,” I say as I laugh, and Dash smiles. “Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat,” he says and I sh
Dash POVI walk straight into the room where all the instruments are kept. Things here are different from the safe house. The cells are like rooms and we can’t keep the stuff inside because otherwise they could use it against us or against themselves. Gathering my favorites, I smile as I grab the baseball bat, the knife, and the nail remover. I shove them into my pocket as I rest the baseball bat against my shoulder and I walk into Amber’s room. Her eyes meet mine and she immediately moves against the wall. “Please, don’t do this Dash, I can give you more information,” Amber says and I can’t help but laugh at her poor attempt at getting out of this. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know,” Amber says, and I shake my head as I grab my phone from my pocket. I log into the security camera feed and show the bitch she is not alone anymore. Amber gasps, covering her mouth with her hand as she sees her pile of shit boyfriend or whatever Parisi is in the other room. He is tied to the wal
Jagger POVWatching my brother almost go through everything I went through has become my worst nightmare. The way he was barely breathing while we tried to find Grace was killing me. I don’t wish that pain on anyone, especially not on my twin brother. He is everything to me. He is the only person I can rely on. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Ghost asks and I nod as he wraps my wrists and hands. Ghost has become a good friend in the last few months. “You can still leave,” he adds, and I shake my head. “Are you trying to get into my head?” I ask, looking directly into his dark eyes. and he shakes his head, cocking his head to the side slightly. When I am done, I walk out of the changing rooms straight into the cage where I am about to have my first underground fight. Ghost introduced me to this world and I come here every time I want to distract myself. There’s something therapeutic for me watching people bleed. “Remember what I told you,” Ghost says and I nod. This is an under