All Said and Undone (11 page)

Just then, April came out from the set, heels clicking, taking her Bluetooth from her ear. “Grace! Jack was just here.”

“See, I told you,” Shelby smacking her gum.

“I heard…why?” Grace said.

April took a glance at the bags of sandwiches on the table. “Did you get me my tuna with brussels sprouts, extra mayo, and pickle? They always put
extra
brussels sprouts and
no
mayo—”

Grace firmly took April’s arm and whipped her away from the food. “April. Focus.”

April giggled, squeezing Grace’s hand. “Got it. Well, he came to see you.”

Shelby caught up to walk with them. “But security wouldn’t let him through because you weren’t here. But April told them she knew him! So he came to the studio and we showed him around.”

“Gabrielle came out,” April added, talking about the show’s youngest, blonde actress. “She almost broke an ankle trying to meet him. When I told her Jack was your husband, I swear I saw a shade of green envy I didn’t even know existed in the human face!”

Shelby laughed. “We set him up to watch some of the filming—”

“And they were doing the scene where the repairman grabs Mrs. Gardner for a kiss….” April interjected.

“That’s when Jack told the director it would look better if the repair man grabbed her like
this
instead,” Shelby finished.

April squealed as they walked on. “And the director actually let Jack show him what he meant! So your husband goes over to Mrs. Gardner, stops, grabs her waist, and yanks her against his chest like some kind of knight in shining armor!”

Grace listened, her mouth agape, as her friends sighed in awe.

Shelby nodded emphatically. “And Mrs. Gardner wanted to replace the repairman actor with Jack—”

“Gabrielle looked she was about to faint on the spot,” said April.

“And the director totally took Jack’s advice!”

They came to a stop near the show’s hair and makeup area. Grace gave a disbelieving laugh. “I’m sorry I missed it.”

“I wish you could’ve been here before he left. He looked pretty disappointed he missed
you
,” Shelby said. She sighed dramatically. “You are
so
lucky, Grace.” She giggled and turned back to the set when she heard her name called.

April affixed her Bluetooth back on her ear. “Seriously. Something’s going on you haven’t told me about. You have to explain when we’re in San Francisco.” She started walking backward, heading back to her seat on set. “Details, details!” she called before turning with a smile.

Grace laughed softly with a nod, still reeling from the story about Jack showing up on set and giving the director advice on how a man handles a woman. She’d almost forgotten about her four-day trip to San Francisco next week for an off-location shoot. She groaned internally, wishing she could back out. With a sigh, she turned toward her counter to pick up some of her tools and get back to work. She smiled when she noticed the message in the corner of her mirror, amusingly written in red lipstick in that utterly familiar, masculine handwriting:

Jack was here
.

***

Because they were behind schedule, Grace had to log in extra hours, working late. She was tempted to call Jack but didn’t want to say what she had to over the phone.

What he’d said last night, what he’d done today, meant a lot to her: he wanted to be a
part
of her world, not just married to it, as she had told him a few days ago. He was starting to understand what she really meant.

When she saw his car parked in the driveway, she smiled.

After she walked in, she heard his voice and saw him standing outside on the patio, talking on his cell phone. His back was to her, one hand in his pocket, nodding and giving clipped, one-word answers. She stopped at the patio door, watching him, raking her eyes from his broad back to his tapered waist in his crisp, button-up shirt and dark slacks. She didn’t know how she’d been able to bear it this long.

Her heart raced with nervousness as she came to a decision she felt was right.

She wanted to be close to him again. Wholly. Completely. She yearned to surrender herself in Jack’s arms, and fly.

If they made love, her rules would be null and void; there would be no turning back. Not only because it would feel
too good
to go back, but because it wouldn’t be fair. Things would have to be different from this moment forward and she couldn’t allow their physical relationship to become their only bond, as it was before they separated. Back then, there was no talking, no arguing, just cold silence until their loneliness for each other begged to be noticed in the bedroom.

It felt different now. They
were
talking; they were both making an effort.

But she was tired of talking now.

She wanted him.

She was done denying him her body, done denying them both something that was absolutely organic between them.

He gave a hearty laugh at whatever the person on the other line had said, and it made Grace smile to hear it. Just then, he turned around and noticed her standing there, and he smiled softly. He took a step toward her, but then seemed to remember her no-touch rule and gave a short wave of greeting. “Look, Tom, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you on Monday.” He hung up.

Her stomach fluttered with fire-winged butterflies as he grinned at her. Would that feeling ever go away when he did that? “Welcome home.”

“Thanks. It felt like a long trip even though I was only gone one night.”

She couldn’t agree more. “The girls told me about your visit to the studio today.”

“Yeah….” He tucked his cell phone in a back pocket. “It was quite the experience.”

“So I heard. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

“That’s what I get for being spontaneous.”

“Well, you certainly made an impression on everyone.”

He leaned back on the railing and crossed his arms with a small shrug. “I wasn’t looking for any attention, I swear. I just couldn’t help myself when I saw that actor handle the actress like a clumsy teenager.”

Her laugh was soft. Suddenly unsure how she was going to go about this, she clasped her hands behind her, feeling like a teenager herself, waiting to be kissed. Jack had no idea. “I…I was hoping you could show me…how you did it.”

His brow lifted. “Oh…all right.” He took a hesitant step toward her with his arms out. “Come here.” She met him halfway.

His eyes smoldered, his expression turned serious. He slipped his right arm tight around her waist, his leg sliding between her knees, causing her to lean back with her hands gripping his forearms for balance. The late evening air swooshed around them. Her hair blew in her face, but Grace didn’t make a move to brush it away, spellbound by the passionate heat in her husband’s eyes. He was going to kiss her. He was searching her gaze and she silently tried to tell him yes.
Yes. I want you to
.

He moved in, his face inches from hers. So close. Her lips wanted to twitch from the invisible electricity humming between them. His eyes hooded, his head cocked slightly…she closed her eyes….

Suddenly, he brought her up and released her with a quick, triumphant smile. “Like that.” With a turn, he went back inside.

Grace was so breathless she almost stumbled, had to grip the railing to regain balance. Would she have to say it out loud? Was he not getting her signals? She followed him down the hall. “Jack.”

He kept walking, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah?”

As her heart hammered, she bit her lip.
Be direct
. “I don’t want you to sleep in the guest room tonight.”

He stopped, turned. “Say again?”

Inhaling deep, she breathed, “I want you in our room.”

Bafflement etched his face. His reaction was not what she’d expected. He took a step forward.

“You’ll let me stay? I can hold you tonight?”

She took a few steps toward him. “Jack…you can do more than that.”

His gaze bored into hers, searching, as if worried she was toying with him, like she’d suddenly change her mind.

She wouldn’t. Yet he still wasn’t moving.

Taking matters into her own hands, she placed her palms on his chest. His heart was pounding. He felt taut and restrained beneath her touch, like a tight rubber band ready to snap. The shadow of a beard on his face gave him a rugged appearance, making her feminine senses even more acute. “Make love to me.”

He snatched her wandering hands. Jaw flexing, voice hoarse, he asked, “Are you sure, Grace? Are you? I don’t think I can start and stop again.”

She nodded with certainty. “I want you.”

He cupped her face; she could feel him trembling. “Then
you
kiss
me
first.”

Grace obliged, grazing his mouth with hers, tempting him to take over. But he didn’t. This had to be all her. Tenderly, she pressed a kiss to his lips, pulled back a little, and kissed him again. “Jack, please….”

He needed no more confirmation, it seemed, as he crushed his mouth to hers. His hands grasped the back of her head while he hungrily devoured her lips. She whimpered under the passionate assault, trying to soften the kiss, wanting to savor it. He shifted his mouth, demanding she open hers.

Grace relented and their tongues touched in a starved dance. Desire, lust, and feverish emotions crashed over one another in one swift moment as her body ignited with the taste of her husband, so raw and familiar.

Jack moaned, moving down her face to under her jaw, the stubble scraping along her cheek a rough contrast to the soft, desperate kisses he pressed on her skin. She ran her palm over the front of his pants, feeling his cock, large and engorged.

He hissed at her touch, then groaned, sweeping her up in his arms. “Not here. In our bed,” he choked out.

Grace said nothing as he marched to their bedroom, kicking the door wide open.

He set her on her feet and ripped her blouse open, buttons popping. She tore at the front of his shirt, anxious to feel skin on skin, to see and touch the expanse of his chest, his rippled stomach, to feel every inch of him against every inch of her. He yanked his arms out of the sleeves, letting the shirt fall to the floor, pulling her back into his embrace. Grace’s eyes closed at the elation of simply feeling her femininity against his masculinity, as he hungrily kissed her again.

He found the zipper at the back of her skirt and it fell in a heap around her feet.

Jack tore his lips away, breathing hard. He fumbled with the front clasp of her bra, releasing it, exposing her breasts. He flung the bra away as they fell on top of the bed, hands rushing to reacquaint themselves, his mouth tasting and licking her skin. With a moan, he rubbed his cock between the wet folds of her sex. Putting an arm under her shoulders, he slid his mouth down to capture the peak of her breast. Grace cried out. He sucked insensitively, scraping his roughened chin over the nub before moving down to run his tongue over her ribs. Leaving a wet trail, he moaned back up to her nipple. She arched, writhing beneath him.

He did the same to her other nipple until both breasts had been worshipped equally, her nipples stiff and wet from his mouth’s unyielding ravishment. His calloused palms moved to the sides of her breasts as his lips moved down with purpose, kissing her belly, reaching the soft curls of her pussy. He slowly licked her center once, then again. Her cries were caught on a breath as his hot tongue flicked every nerve of her throbbing clit, the verge of an orgasm inside her crying for release. He planted slow, sucking kisses on her inner thighs. Returning, he used the tip of his tongue to circle the bud until Grace’s body was fairly screaming.

“No,” Jack said as he came up. “I want to look at you when you come.” He dove in to kiss her and stole the last of the breath Grace had. The tip of his cock lightly rubbed her entrance, thrilling every fantastic nerve.

Yes, this must be what going mad felt like.

She had wanted to take their time, draw their lovemaking out, but her husband made it impossible. Damn taking it slow. She wanted it now. Fast. Blindly. She wanted to reach that high and be one with her husband inside her, ride the rush, get lost in it.

She lifted her hips, rubbing her wetness over the length of him, causing Jack to open his mouth on hers with heavy breaths. He shook with need.

“I know what you want me to do,” he said huskily, kissing her chin, her lips.

Grace moaned, grasping her hands in his hair. “Jack, don’t make me wait.”

His chuckle was low against her mouth. “Yes.” He lifted her against his body and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She rested her head on the cool pillow, allowing her husband to revere her body inch by inch. He trailed openmouthed kisses down her stomach, her thighs, her shins, then methodically retraced his steps until she was about to beg shamelessly for him.

He touched his nose to hers, and she opened her legs wider, the tip of his cock teasing her again. Grace ran her hands up his muscle-hardened arms, cupping his face, drawing him in for a kiss, tracing her tongue over his.

He slowly began to enter her. As he breathed hard, she felt him tremble.

Pushing in a little more, he squeezed his eyes shut. “Oh…damn, baby….”

She smiled hazily, raising her hips more, feeling the cords of his neck tighten beneath her fingers.

“Grace,” he whispered before driving into her completely, taking her by surprise, filling her tightness with his cock, his ass taut under her calves. He moaned in relief.

Grace cried out at the quick ache; it had been so long since he’d been inside her. He caught her gasp with his mouth.

Breathless, beginning to rock her hips, she encouraged him to move with her. “Jack, it feels so good.” She groaned as his lips slid to her throat. “I’d almost forgotten how good.”

He groaned against her, starting to pump his hips, moving inside her slowly, watching her. “I’m going to make sure you never forget.”

She brought her head up with a whimper, grasping his face, kissing him with all her all her love, all her devotion. They moved together, meeting each other in crazed passion, exchanging eager, wet kisses, sweat slicking their bodies.