Vengeful Secret (The Burkes Mafia #3)

23. Sutton

23

SUTTON

It’s been a few days since the attack, and I can’t say that I’m over it, that I don’t still wake up sweating and with an unheard scream in my throat, but it’s better.

Gray makes it better. The gun range, everything he says, everything he does. How he holds me at night, helps me put Ciara to bed. I can’t help but feel like this is what it would have been like if I had told him all those years ago.

If I hadn’t run.

The guilt feels heavy in my chest when I see him with Ciara.

He’s humming and brushing her hair as I watch from the doorway, biting my lip.

“Maybe I shouldn’t go to the dinner party. Maybe I’ll stay here with you two.”

Gray looks up at me with a frown. “Lara will be devastated, Sutton. Besides, you’re with us every night. You deserve some time to cut loose.”

Do I?

But I don’t say it. I know Gray will just tell me I’m being ridiculous.

I suppose this is giving him time alone with Ciara, though, and he deserves that, too.

I’m dressed in a pair of high-waisted pants with a crop top which I’d usually feel insecure about, but it’s only the girls. Paige, Bree, Lara, and a few of their friends.

I’ve also invited Sarah and Rose. Marisa is unable to attend because she’s out of town at her sister’s wedding.

I am excited to see my friends. It seems like years ago we were all out at the bar and I saw Gray for the first time in five years, but it’s really only been weeks.

Everything just seems so different now than it was then. I’m not alone anymore.

I kiss Ciara’s cheek and then plant a little kiss on the corner of Gray’s mouth. He makes a displeased sound in the back of his throat and grabs the back of my head, kissing me deeply and making me a little dizzy.

I pull away, and Ciara giggles.

“Mushy stuff.”

But she’s smiling, and I know she’s happy as a clam that Gray is her father. She loves her new family, and I feel like a jerk for keeping them apart for so long.

But guilt isn’t what I should be focusing on right now. I should be concentrating on being with my friends, forgetting all my troubles.

So, I give the two loves of my life a little wave and head downstairs, where people are starting to trail into the house.

There’re a few women I don’t recognize, and Paige begins to introduce me.

My head is spinning at all the names—Sophie, Raquel, a couple of others.

I feel a bit overwhelmed, so I’m over the moon when Rose and Sarah walk in the door, looking around like they’re in a spaceship instead of a mansion.

“This place is insane ,” Rose says in awe as Sarah hugs me tightly.

“You never told me your boyfriend was a bazillionaire,” Sarah whispers in my ear, and I chuckle.

I don’t tell her he’s not my boyfriend. That word almost seems too immature for what we are, anyway. We’re certainly more than friends, but we haven’t talked about where our relationship is going.

“Sarah, Rose, this is Paige and Lara,” I say, pointing to the Burke girls and hoping they’ll do the rest of the introductions because I’ve already forgotten names.

I sit there, quiet, as I take in the scene around me.

Everyone’s smiling, giggling, holding flutes of champagne or glasses of wine. Even Bree and Paige are drinking cider out of wine glasses.

Lara looks over at me, noticing that I’m not mingling. She frowns slightly and walks over to me, looping her arm through mine.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just a little overwhelmed.”

She nods. “I understand. I have a hard time in crowds, too. I’ll stick close to you.”

I smile at her gratefully. “Thank you.”

The group finally trails into the dining room, and Marisol has put out quite the spread—chicken wings, vegetable plate with dip, spareribs, a variety of fruits, so much food I can’t even process it.

“This looks incredible,” I mumble, my stomach rumbling.

I haven’t been eating as much as I should.

“You look skinny,” Paige pipes up. “Eat up!”

“She’s not eating for two like you are,” Lara chuckles.

Paige pouts. “I’ve still got a few months, and I’m growing a whole human, I’ll eat what I want.”

Lara raises her hands defensively. “Fair enough.”

I’m a bit worried that Paige will stay in a bad mood, she’s been kind of up and down with the pregnancy, but she seems to shake it off.

“When are you having another baby?” Paige asks, and Rose looks up from her spareribs and stares at me with wide eyes.

I choke on my champagne. “Not anytime soon,” I say quickly. “Ciara is enough for me.”

“She’s a little spitfire.” Lara chuckles.

“I’m just saying, if you and Gray get busy now, all our babies will grow up together,” Paige insists, and I snort out another laugh.

“I think they’ll just have to be a little further apart in age.”

Paige shrugs and goes back to her fruit, moaning at the taste of strawberries with whipped cream.

Rose sits next to me, and Sarah across from me. Lara, just like she said, sticks next to me on the other side.

It’s really nice to be surrounded by friends.

Gray was right. This is what I needed.

Sarah looks up, smiling, probably a little tipsy from her three glasses of champagne. “I’m so happy to be invited. Thank you.”

“Of course,” Lara says, smiling. “Friends of Sutton’s are friends of ours.”

“How long have the three of you been friends?” Paige asks, and I laugh.

“Since middle school,” I take a bite of spareribs.

They’re delicious, as usual. Marisol is the world’s best cook, I’m convinced.

“Sutton was a shy little thing,” Rose says. “And of course, me and Sarah wanted to corrupt her.”

Sarah giggles. “Sutton did some of the corrupting herself. Remember that time those cheerleaders embarrassed you and Sutton put fish in their lockers?”

“It stunk for weeks before they figured it out,” Rose says, laughing.

I flush, but I’m smiling. “I protect my friends.”

“Something else you and Gray have in common,” Paige says.

I grab another plate of spareribs, planning to eat my fill.

The dinner goes by in what seems like a flash, with everyone talking and laughing and having a great time.

By the time Rose and Sarah get ready to leave, I’m a little tipsy from champagne as I hug them goodbye, and I have tears in my eyes.

“Don’t be a stranger,” Rose pleads. “I thought they rushed you away and kidnapped you or something.”

I chuckle and look behind me to see if Lara and Paige and their friends are anywhere to be found. They’ve all trailed out onto the terrace and are leaving one by one.

I grab Rose’s hands and give a wink to Sarah. “How about I do some more corrupting?”

Sarah snorts. “I don’t think we can be any more corrupted.”

“Let’s go skinny dipping,” I whisper, and pull them inside, taking them to the back door of the house that leads out to the pool.

“That’s the best idea you’ve ever had,” Sarah breathes, and starts to remove her clothes as soon as she catches sight of the pool.

I follow, getting down to my underwear and doing a cannonball into the pool.

Rose slips in the shallow end, sitting on one of the steps and laughing at us. She’s kept on her tank top.

I swim toward Sarah, pretending to be a shark, and she squeals and giggles.

It’s like we're teenagers again, out at the creek near Rose’s house.

I feel free and young and unencumbered, and it’s a wonderful feeling.

We spend hours out at the pool, and no one bothers us. It’s probably near midnight or even later when the floodlights come on and someone steps out of the house.

Rose and Sarah cower, but I’m just sitting on the edge of the pool, and I smile up at Gray as he crosses his arms.

“What are you ladies up to?”

“You going to ground us, Daddy?” I tease in a sing-song voice, and Gray freezes before barking out a laugh.

“That’s her man?” Rose hisses at Sarah, and I look back at them.

Sarah nods, and Rose whistles low in her throat.

I giggle. I’m proud of how handsome and strong Gray is.

He steps closer to me, smirking down at me.

“Nice swimsuit,” he drawls, and I grin up at him.

“Thought you’d like it.”

“I think it's time for bed.”

“Yes, Daddy,” Rose jokes, and I cackle, feeling better than I have in weeks.

Gray holds out his hand, and I take it. He pulls me up and close to his chest, uncaring that his silk shirt is getting wet.

“Oh,” I murmur, leaning up to kiss him, and he kisses me passionately as if no one else is there.

My friends giggle.

“You can swim as long as you like, ladies,” Gray murmurs, still looking down into my eyes. “There’re fresh towels and robes in the bathroom just inside. I’m taking my girl to bed.”

Rose and Sarah whoop and holler as I laugh, and Gray leads me inside, putting a robe around my shoulders.

I hurry upstairs with Gray right on my heels and just as the bedroom door shuts, his hands are on my ass, pulling me to him, letting me feel his erection.

“You’re not mad at me for skinny dipping?” I ask against his mouth when I’m able to take a breath.

Gray chuckles. “No. Makes me hot to see you having fun.”

“I had so much fun,” I breathe. “More fun than I have in years.”

“That’s what I wanted for you. That’s why I wanted you to go to this dinner party.”

“You were right,” I say, and then put my hand down his pants.

Gray shudders, gripping on to my ass even harder.

I wrap my fingers around his thick cock, pumping slowly, and he looks down at me with hooded green eyes.

I drop to my knees, feeling heat pool between my legs as I free him from his sweats and boxers. I’ve always loved the curve of him, how heavy he feels in my hand, on my tongue.

I draw him into my mouth slowly, focusing on the head, and he puts a hand on the back of my head hesitantly.

I look up at him with my mouth full, relaxing my throat, and he groans low in his chest and starts to thrust.

I gag and choke, tears streaming down my face, but when he slows, I scratch along his thighs to encourage him.

Finally, just as he begins to pulse on my tongue, he jerks my head up, popping me off him.

I pout at him, and he chuckles.

“Always so eager, aren’t you, a ghrá ?”

“Only with you,” I murmur, and he pulls me up, shoving off my robe, putting his hands on my breasts, rubbing against my pebbled nipples.

It makes heat spear through me, and I climb onto the bed.

He hooks his fingers through the sides of my panties, ripping them off, and they tear on one side. The sound of the ripping fabric makes my head spin with pleasure.

Gray growls. “I was going to devour you, but you got me so close I might come on the sheets like a teenager if I do.”

I giggle. “Sorry.”

Gray hums and slides his hand down between my legs, cupping my sex and slipping his thumb back and forth across my clit.

He plunges two fingers inside me, pumping in and out quickly, and I arch my back.

I’m getting so close so fast, probably because pleasuring him pleasures me.

I gasp out his name, and he pulls his hand away from me so quickly I nearly choke on my own moan.

“Uh-uh,” he scolds. “You don’t get to come until I do, a ghrá .”

I spread my legs further, grabbing at his ass, and Gray chuckles.

“Fuck me,” I whisper. “Come on, Gray.”

“Eager,” His voice is harsh, his eyes full of love as he slides into me.

“Always for you,” I manage, my voice sounding thin as my eyes roll into the back of my head.

Gray pumps in and out of me with barely any rhythm, clearly chasing his orgasm as he pants, losing his breath as he gets close.

God, I love this . I love him.

I want to say it, scream it from the rooftops, but I know we’re not there yet, and I don’t want to ruin this wonderful moment.

Instead, I just curse and moan his name, coming around him, clenching as hard as I can because I know he loves the feeling.

Gray’s thrusts stutter as I come around him, and he spills inside of me with a long groan and a deep kiss, pushing his tongue between my lips.

I moan back, sucking on his tongue.

“Jesus Christ,” Gray says, and I chuckle against his mouth.

“That may have been the best sex we ever had,” I muse, and Gray shakes his head.

“Not quite. The best was that night we spent in that hotel in the city.” He pauses. “You know what, I think you were drinking champagne then, too.”

I laugh out loud. “Champagne makes me better at sex?”

“Or makes you want it more.” He chuckles. “Either way, I’m not complaining.”

He pulls out of me, and I whine a bit until he pulls me into his arms.

“How was Ciara tonight? Did she ask for me at bedtime?”

He shakes his head. “She was just happy with her Da.”

I smile. “She loves you so much already.”

“I love her, too. I can’t tell you how much.”

“I know,” I say softly. “It’s like my heart just walks around outside my body.”

His eyes widen as he looks down at me. “That’s exactly what it’s like. It feels like something’s missing when she’s not around. I miss her even when she’s at school.”

I snuggle up closer to him. “Thank you, Gray.”

He tilts his head. “Thank you? For what?”

“Everything,” I say fiercely. “For helping us, protecting us. For saving me the other night. For loving Ciara so much and forgiving me for keeping her from you.”

“You don’t need to thank me for that. It’s like breathing, loving…” He trails off. “Loving her.”

Loving me ? Was that what he was going to say?

I swallow hard, but I don’t ask for clarification. It’s enough. This is enough.

Isn’t it?