Divine Grace (18 page)

* * * *

Jack could feel tension building in her body again. He felt her shaking and glanced up at Adam and Ethan in concern. Their lips were on her forehead and cheek, soothing her. Great sobbing cries broke loose from her in heaving waves. He lifted carefully from his position between her legs, gently closing them, and placed a soothing hand on her silky abdomen,
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feeling the depth of her sobs as they broke from her. It wracked him with pain to see her cry so hard, and he began to wonder if he’d injured her in some way. The sobs came from somewhere very deep within her and showed no sign of letting up.

Ethan made eye contact with Jack in the soft candlelight of the room and smiled knowingly at him. He lifted a hand and gestured silently for Jack to come up and lay beside her as he carefully moved away from her and went around to Adam’s side of the bed and sat down, stroking her leg. As Jack lay down with her, she reached for him, and Ethan gently pushed her hip so she could turn to face him and be cuddled in his arms, her sobs softened somewhat but continued. Jack stroked Grace’s curving hip, down her thigh, and comforted her. She melted into his embrace, and he allowed her to cry as long as she needed without being interrupted or shushed. His only regret was that it had taken him two years to come to this moment.

After a few minutes, her sobs decreased and finally subsided. All the tension in her body abandoned her and left her limp and calm in his arms.

He tilted her chin up to study her face and see for himself that she was all right. She made silent eye contact with him and her face showed nothing but relaxed serenity. Her eyelids were drooping sleepily.

“Tell me you’re okay,” Jack whispered.

“I didn’t know that it was possible to feel
that
level of ecstasy until it hit me. I had no idea, and I feel completely undone by it. I love you, all of you, so deeply it
hurts
. I guess everything I’ve been holding inside all these years broke loose with it.” Her breath hitched a little. Her eyes slid closed briefly before she struggled to open them again, trying to stay awake.

“Gracie, you need to sleep, sweetheart. Would you like us to stay while you fall asleep?” Ethan continued to stroke her hip.

“Mmm, please stay and keep me warm. Extra keys on the shelf by the front door. For y’all to keep,” she murmured, her eyes sliding closed.

Ethan, Adam, and Jack arranged themselves around her, cocooning her with their warm bodies, stroking whatever part of her was within reach. Jack thought she’d drifted off when she whispered with a hitching breath, “I’ll love y’all forever.” Wherever they were situated around her, they kissed whatever part of her was easiest to reach.

“I love you, too, darlin’.” Jack whispered.

“Baby, I love you, too.” Adam snuggled closer to her back.

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“Love you, too, Gracie.” Ethan nuzzled the inner curve of her hip with his lips.

They stayed that way for a while to make sure she’d fallen deeply asleep. Ethan rose first. He gently slid the top sheet and comforter out from under her calves and covered her. Jack and Adam slowly climbed from the bed and tucked the comforter around her so she wouldn’t be cold. Ethan blew out the candles, gradually darkening the room. Pale moonlight filtered through the blinds on her windows, and they stopped to gaze down on her one last time, the moonlight glinting platinum against the earrings that were still in her ears.

“Do you think we should remove the jewelry?” Adam asked.

“Let’s take off the earrings and bracelet,” Ethan said, “so they don’t come off in the bed, but leave the necklace where it is. We’d have to disturb her too much to find the clasp, and I have a feeling she’d like to wake up in it, just this once. She’ll remember how it got there.”

They nodded, smiling in agreement.

Jack found a notepad and left a note for her by the coffee pot where he knew she would find it. Ethan found three house keys lined up on the shelf near the front door. She’d had one made for each of them. Jack locked the front door behind them.

As Adam drove home, Jack studied the clock in the dash. Four fifteen.

Time flew fast with Grace. He hoped she’d sleep in that morning. He doubted he’d sleep at all. The deep, aching pain was heavy in his testicles, and he knew he’d replay the events of the evening over and over in his mind if he lay down. The sound of her orgasmic screams echoed in his mind.

“I think I know why she cried,” Adam murmured from the driver’s seat.

“Why?” Ethan asked in a muffled tone from the back. Jack
knew
Ethan knew the reason. He seemed to be able to read Grace’s thoughts sometimes.

“You touched her soul tonight, Jack,” Adam replied.

“
We
touched her soul tonight—all of us—in a different way,” Jack said.

She would want them to know that they all had.

“I think we’ve only scratched the surface with Grace. She is incredible.”

Adam’s voice sounded like it hurt to speak.

Jack never did sleep that night. Thoughts of her kept him awake, wishing with all his heart she were curled up, warm and cuddly, cradled in his arms. It somehow seemed wrong to leave her home alone. He could still
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feel the smooth satin of her skin against his fingertips and the silky texture of her hair as he ran his fingers through it. The worst torture, though, was the clear, sharp memory of the lush, wet, silky feel of her pussy under his mouth. The memory of her trusting welcome as she opened that hidden part of her body to his touch had him aching for the feel of her hands on his body, her delicate fingers wrapped around his shaft. He’d masturbated in the shower, but the relief was short-lived, like he knew it would be. He felt like a horny teenager, unable to control his body’s responses.

The irony of wishing she were in his bed, and not having her, in light of the fact that Patricia lived on their ranch, was not lost on him.

* * * *

Looking at caller ID, she answered Charity’s call, wondering what she would ask her first.

“Are you hung over?” Charity was obnoxious, but Grace sure did love her sister.

“Good mornin’ to you, too, sister.”

“Did you get laid?”

“I hope the kids are not within earshot of this conversation.”

“No, they’re at Grandma’s house. Justin surprised me last night with a kid-less house, a candlelight dinner, and then a moonlit ride on his Harley. I got laid. Did you?”

“Not very subtle, are you?” Grace said, grinning at her sister’s audacity.

“Did. You. Get. Any. Dammit?” Charity laughed.

“No,” she responded simply. She decided to make Charity work for it.

“Were you a good girl?” She sounded disgusted.

“I never said that.”

“See any cocks? Have a new frame of reference? Shall I call Guinness?”

“No, but I had three amazing orgasms, two of them screaming orgasms, and one of them in a semi-public place.”

There was dead silence on the other end for a few seconds, then a dark chuckle. “You are coming over for supper tonight. You cannot say no, and I’ll even buy a bottle of that sangria you like. I need details, you naughty girl!”

“I have to work from two to five today, and I hoped to see my men.”

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“
Your
men, huh? Absence makes the heart grow fonder, remember?

They’ll miss you and be so happy to see you the next time. You should thank me. Justin is cooking, and the kids will be at Kathleen’s until tomorrow. We can talk to our hearts’ content, and you can tell me all about your evening.”

“All right.” She giggled. The truth was she really wanted to tell Charity all about it. She needed to confide in her sister. She knew her men wouldn’t mind. “I’ll be over after work, around six o’clock, but I can’t stay late, okay? I have to work in the morning.” She hung up The low rumble of thunder in the distance made her smile. She laid her phone aside and stretched luxuriously, savoring the sound of the rain. She turned over to get comfortable and snuggled down to listen to the rain for a few minutes. When she turned, she felt the gold rings of her necklace shift and slide over her bare chest.

Her hand reached out to lie across the gold rings. Her body blushed at all the incredibly erotic images that came to mind. She thought of their mouths and hands and how all of them had taken their sweet time bringing her to orgasm.

She cried after Jack had given her that intense climax. The tears seemed to wash over her and erase all the hurt and mistakes she made. Her attitude was different now toward the last seven years. That experience brought her to the place she was in now, loved by three wonderful men.

She sat up and stretched her arms overhead. Her skin still felt warm and tender from being cocooned in the comforter. Her men must have tucked her in last night so she wouldn’t wake up missing their warmth. She ran her hands over her arms and down her sides. Her skin still felt silky from the massage oils they used at Madeleine’s. She slid her fingertips over her derriere, around her hips, and down her thighs. She felt different, changed.

Well loved. Thinking back over the previous night, she doubted there was a single inch of her skin they hadn’t explored. That thought sent ecstatic shivers down her spine, and her heart ached a little to be with them again.

Her clit throbbed in happy agreement. She removed the necklace and padded naked to the bathroom. She’d never been one to prance about in the buff, even when she was alone. But she felt so good, and, truth be told, so sexy, she wanted to leave all the drapes and blinds closed and walk around naked all day.

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She went into the kitchen to start her coffee pot. Her heart thrilled like a lovesick teenager’s when she found Jack’s note.

Darlin’,

I hope you slept well. Wish I could be there with you so we could wake
up together. You were beautiful last night. You’ve made us your slaves,
eager to do your bidding. We’ll call you later to see how you are.

Love, Jack

She smiled, reading his note twice. She closed her eyes, remembering the sound of his voice, the feel of his lips all over her body. The throbbing in her nether regions increased, and she shook her head and smiled. The effect that man,
those
men, had on her body. They didn’t even have to be in the vicinity to turn her on.

After her shower, she dressed for work, casual on Sundays, in a nice pair of jeans, her sandals, and a dressy knit top that she felt pretty in. She finished drying her hair and pinned it up loosely with a hair clip, leaving a few tendrils around her neck and at her temples. She hardly ever fussed with her hair, but took the time this morning.

She looked at herself and felt beautiful. Sexy. Then it dawned on her.

She no longer felt like hiding those things about herself. It was okay to show who she really was on the inside. She found her features to be only average in appearance, but the way she felt on the inside showed in her eyes and her glowing cheeks. It was a powerful feeling.

While she looked in her kitchen cabinet trying to figure out what to have for an early lunch, her phone rang again. She looked at caller ID, and her insides quivered in delight.

“Hello, darlin’.” That sexy, deep Texan twang had her wet in a split second.

“Hi, Jack. How are you?”

He chuckled. “Needy. Did you sleep well?”

“I did. Like a baby, then I woke up to the rain this morning.”

“How do you feel this morning? Worn out?” he asked.

“No, I feel wonderful.” She drew out the last word, and she smiled when she heard him groan on the other end.

“What do you have planned today?”

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“I’m scheduled to work the two to five shift at Stigall’s, then I’m going to Charity’s for supper.”

“She dyin’ for details?” he asked with a chuckle.

“You know her well,” she replied, laughing.

“It’s only eleven o’clock. Since we can’t have supper with you, would you like to have lunch with us before you go in?”

“I’d love that. I was just wondering what to fix myself to eat.”

“We’ll pick you up in twenty minutes. Does that leave you enough time?”

“Yes, I’m ready for work now.”

“See you in twenty minutes. I love you, darlin’.”

“I love you, too, Jack.”

She tidied up and went out on the porch to water her plants and wait for her men to arrive. She had just put the hose away when Owen’s truck pulled up to the curb and he honked at her.

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That set her teeth on edge. He did it to summon her to the vehicle like he had done a hundred times before. Only she was no longer at his beck and call.

He looked pissed off she didn’t come when he honked. Dave sat in the passenger seat with the good sense to look embarrassed. Owen climbed out of the truck, slammed the door, and walked up to the porch. He looked like he hadn’t bathed in a while, and his clothes appeared to have been slept in.

The front door stood open behind her, so she knew she could retreat in time if she needed to.

“Why are you here?”

“I’m here for my stuff.”

Grace sighed and looked over at Dave. He shrugged, holding up his hands helplessly. This could to get ugly. She glanced at her watch. They’d pull up any second.

“Owen, I bagged up all your stuff, and we put it in the bed of your truck.

Do you not remember anything?” Seven years of her life, spent with this moron.

“The fuck you did. When I got in my truck this morning there was nothing in it.”

“Who bailed you out?”

“Nobody you know. Don’t change the subject. Where are my fucking video games and my clothes? Where’s my computer?”

“I put all of that in your truck bed, along with you, on Tuesday afternoon.” She pulled open the screen door. “It was there when Dave left with you shortly thereafter.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? You threw me out for no good reason, and I know you’ve got my shit in your house. I swear, if you don’t give me my stuff, I’m going to beat the crap out of you!” His eyes blazed as

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he yelled at her, and she wondered briefly if he was on something, not that it was her problem any longer.

Just then Jack’s black SUV pulled to a halt behind Owen’s truck. Dave slithered down in the seat, looking like he wished he’d stayed home in his parent’s basement. Because Owen was yelling so loudly, he was ignorant of their arrival.

Trying to keep her voice down, she reiterated, “I don’t have any of your things, and you don’t live here anymore. I hoped you would move on, but if you keep harassing me, I’ll file a restraining order. Is that what you want?”

She backed over the threshold as he moved toward the porch steps threateningly.

“Snotty bitch, I oughta give you a pop for talking to me like—”

“I wouldn’t recommend that, not if you want to go on living.” Adam growled from directly behind him. His hand clamped down on Owen’s shoulder and impeded him from climbing the steps.

What condition must Owen’s faculties be in that he was unaware of them as they had moved up to stand behind him? Was he high or just plain stupid? His demeanor changed as he realized the three big muscular men had overheard what he just said. They all stared down at him, death gleaming in their eyes.

Ethan looked down at him like a king cobra, ready to strike. “You heard the lady. Your property was placed in the bed of your truck and was still there when it was towed by the police Tuesday night.”

Owen squinted and rubbed his forehead. “Wait a minute. I recognize you, all of you.” He had the nerve to sound outraged.

“I’m surprised,” Ethan said, “considering how drunk you were, that you can remember any of it.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Owen acted as though the property he stood on was his. Grace felt like decking him herself.

“We were going to ask you the same question, but the answer is obvious. You’re here to harass and embarrass Grace, which we don’t like.”

Adam tightened his grip on Owen’s shoulder, turning him around. Disgust at Owen’s unwashed state was evident in his eyes.

Jack and Ethan closed in around him, their arms across their chests.

“Boy, we need to educate you about some facts of life,” Jack murmured menacingly. If asked, Grace would have admitted to being incredibly turned
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on by the sight of them defending her like this. The dampness in her panties would testify to this fact and so would her throbbing clit.

“I don’t have to—” was as far as he got. He had turned away to go to his truck before Jack grabbed him by his shirt front and planted his ass easily where it had been seconds before.

“Yeah, you do.” Jack shook him by his shirt front. “You struck Grace twice before we stopped you. Touch her again, and you’ll live to regret it.

She threw your sorry ass out. Your stuff was probably stolen from your truck while it was in the impound lot this week. Go to the Goodwill store, get some cheap clothes, and take a fucking
shower
. You reek. Maybe Dave there will take you in,” Jack said, gesturing to the unfortunate passenger in Owen’s truck and giving him a perfunctory wave. “Hey, Dave! Yeah, I
see
you.”

“How’m I suppose—”

Jack shook his head. “Not our concern, son. Listen to me. Grace is being watched over and protected. Get your shit together and leave her alone.

That’s your only option.”

The three of them escorted Owen bodily to his truck. He turned to look her in the eye, and she saw the anger burning there. She knew Owen better than they did. She hadn’t heard the last of him. They closed his door and backed away from the truck as he sped off.

They walked up the driveway to her with concern in their eyes. She reached out to all of them at once and sighed as they enveloped her in their warmth.

Adam wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. “Are you all right, Grace? He didn’t touch you before we got here, did he?’

“No, he didn’t. You know what you just did?” At their uncertain expressions, she smiled up at them and continued. “That is every woman’s fantasy, knowing that someone will ride in and save the day like that. To know she will be protected and defended that way. How did I get so lucky to have three knights in shining armor coming to my rescue? You have no idea how hot you looked, manhandling that jerk back to his truck, telling him all that.” She kissed each of them, not caring if neighbors peeked from their windows.

“So, you’re all right?” Ethan asked, relief showing in the smile he gave her.

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“Yes, he’d only been here a couple of minutes. He never got any closer to me than he was when you pulled up. He’s very angry now.”

“Maybe he’ll leave you alone now,” Adam said.

Grace wasn’t so sure about that.