Betting on Grace

by Nicole Edwards

  “Show me the shower, Grant,” Lane demanded, his rich brown eyes boring into Grant.

  “Sonuvabitch,” Grant complained half-heartedly, taking a single step forward but not getting anywhere.

  The next thing he knew, Lane had wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close, their mouths meeting with a vigorous hunger that no amount of anger could dispel.

  “Damn, you taste good,” Lane mumbled against his lips. “My favorite combination … Grant and beer.”

  Grant didn’t get a word in edgewise because Lane fused their mouths together once again and proceeded to back Grant toward the bathroom. The next thing he knew, they were both naked, standing beneath the lukewarm spray in his small shower.

  “You know what I need?” Lane asked, his lips trailing down Grant’s neck, effectively eliminating all thought from Grant’s mind.

  Grant had to hold back a yelp when Lane ventured farther and then nipped his collarbone.

  “I asked you a question,” Lane declared firmly.

  “What?” Grant asked, sliding his arms around Lane and gripping his ass, pulling Lane against him as their cocks rubbed together. Fucking shit, that felt good.

  “Are you asking me to repeat the question? Or asking me what I need?” Lane asked.

  Grant laughed. He couldn’t help it. “Does it matter?”

  “Maybe.”

  “What do you need?” Grant tried to keep his tone serious but failed thanks to the triple shot of desire that had been injected into his bloodstream. The only thing he could think about at that point was the sexy, naked cowboy in his arms.

  Lane’s lips and tongue traveled back up Grant’s neck, making their way to his ear. Lane nipped his earlobe at the same time he said, “I need to feel your mouth on my cock.”

  Grant groaned. “Yeah?” he asked breathlessly as Lane wrapped his big, callused hand around Grant’s dick.

  Ahh, hell. Grant was pretty sure those were stars he saw behind his closed eyelids.

  “Yeah. I want you on your knees with my dick in your mouth. I want to watch,” Lane continued, nipping Grant’s earlobe again, “my dick fucking your face.”

  At the moment, Grant wanted the same damn thing.

  As though Lane just realized that Grant needed a little coaxing, Lane took a step back, placing one hand on Grant’s shoulder and encouraging him to go to his knees. Which he did. Much to his cock’s dismay, though, because as he lowered himself to the porcelain floor beneath them, Lane released the firm grip he’d had on Grant’s dick, leaving him aching for his touch once again.

  “Oh, fuck yeah,” Lane moaned as he slipped his fingers into Grant’s wet hair, pulling roughly, enough that Grant felt the tingle down his spine.

  As the water sluiced over Lane’s ripped body, Grant allowed the porcelain to bite into his knees as he positioned himself in front of Lane. He kept his gaze trained on Lane’s chiseled face, their eyes locking together while Lane guided his cock into Grant’s mouth.

  “Damn, that looks nice,” Lane growled softly. “I love watching my dick slide past your lips.”

  Grant groaned around Lane’s cock, swiping his tongue over and around Lane’s thick shaft, teasing the underside briefly, enjoying the fuck out of Lane’s heated response and the salty taste of Lane’s skin.

  “Aww, hell, Grant,” Lane muttered, his eyes rolling back in his head.

  Grant cupped Lane’s balls with his hand, kneading firmly as Lane rocked into him. When Lane’s eyes were once again on him, he used his teeth to gently scrape along the length of him.

  “I dream about this,” Lane admitted, his voice little more than a throaty whisper. “I dream about fucking your mouth, watching you take me all the way.”

  Grant’s eyes widened briefly, but he expanded his mouth, taking Lane deeper. Lane was a big man in every sense of the word. He was well beyond a mouthful, but Grant gave it his all. He loved watching the pure ecstasy on Lane’s face. It got him every time.

  “Just like that,” Lane hissed, his fingers tightening in Grant’s hair once again. The pleasure-pain sparked down Grant’s spine, making his balls throb with excitement.

  Grant relished hearing the deep cadence of Lane’s voice as he continued to mumble incoherently, urging Grant to continue.

  “Damn, baby, that’s good.”

  Grant nearly fell over, planting his palms on Lane’s thick thighs to keep himself up.

  Baby?

  Had Lane really called him that? The single word did incredible things to Grant’s insides, his heart racing out of control. He’d never expected a term of endearment to mean so damn much to him, but seeing the reverence on Lane’s face only solidified the meaning behind it.

  Grant pulled back, gripping Lane’s cock in his fist as he stared up at him. “Say it again.”

  It was Lane’s turn to look bewildered, but then a sexy smirk tilted the corners of his lips. “You like when I call you that?”

  Grant groaned in response, sucking Lane’s dick back into his mouth, applying firm suction as he began to bob his head faster, stroking Lane at the same time.

  “Fuck, that’s good, baby. So damn good. That’s it, take my dick all the way. Wrap your lips around me and suck. Suck me hard, Grant. Fuck yes.”

  Without hesitation, Grant put all of his efforts into making Lane explode. He would’ve succeeded, too, if Lane hadn’t yanked his hair, pulling him back enough to keep him from sending Lane over the edge.

  “Not yet,” Lane said hoarsely. “Come here.”

  Grant got to his feet with Lane’s help, finding himself banded in Lane’s strong arms, their mouths melded together, their tongues dueling for control, as they both clawed at one another in an attempt to get closer.

  Once again, Lane used his grip on Grant’s hair to bring things to a halt, the two of them staring into one another’s eyes as they fought for breath.

  “I want to come in your ass,” Lane whispered. “I want to be buried so deep inside of you that you forget your own name.”

  It was Grant’s turn to say, “Fuck yes.”

  ■□■□■□■□

  Lane had come over with every intention of calling Grant to the carpet, coercing him to talk about what his problems were, but then this happened.

  And now he couldn’t even remember what he wanted to talk about.

  The only thing that mattered was sliding his dick into Grant’s hot ass, making love to him until their eyes crossed and nothing else in the entire world mattered.

  Thanks to one of their previous rendezvous in Grant’s shower, there was a tube of lubricant tucked between the bottles of shampoo and body wash, along with a strip of condoms that were sitting in the narrow window near the top of the ceiling. Not that Lane had expected those few condoms still to be there a little over a month later, but time hadn’t been kind to them in recent weeks.

  But right now, time was all they had.

  “Put the condom on me,” Lane instructed as he reached for one and then handed the foil packet to Grant.

  Grant’s mouth opened slightly but then closed, a smile forming where the confused expression had been moments before.

  Yeah, Lane knew that Grant liked to be dominated from time to time. Actually, more often than not, although he was quick to give his own demands, as well. Lane didn’t give a fuck either way, but he damn sure enjoyed that disoriented expression on Grant’s incredibly handsome face. And from the moment he’d stepped through Grant’s front door, Lane had known that leaving anything up to Grant tonight would’ve gotten him nowhere fast. At least this way, Grant didn’t have time to think about anything other than the two of them and the sweet impending release they would both find soon.

  Lane knew that Grant purposely tortured him as he sheathed him with a condom, stroking him relentlessly, causing Lane to pant for breath, desperate to bury himself in the scorching recesses of Grant’s incredible body. But he was holding off because he knew the moment he slid home, he’d be a goner.

  “Don’t f
orget the lube,” Lane breathed roughly. He was having a hard time focusing with Grant jerking him off slowly … ever so fucking slowly.

  And just as he had with the condom, Grant teased him beyond reason as he coated Lane’s cock with lube, preparing him to take him. When Lane couldn’t endure any more, he gripped Grant’s thick wrist firmly, stilling his movements.

  “Come here,” Lane demanded, pulling Grant flush against him, their chests colliding as the water washed over them. Steam billowed around them, and Lane wasn’t so sure it was solely from the water or if the mere touch of their bodies caused the influx of heat to intensify.

  Finding Grant’s mouth once more, Lane explored, keeping it leisurely as long as he could, desperate to rein in his control so that this didn’t end before he was ready. While his tongue slipped into Grant’s mouth, he glided his hands over Grant’s smooth, warm skin, content just to touch him, hold him.

  God, he loved this man.

  Not that he dared mention that again because he knew Grant was still holding himself back, for whatever reason.

  Not Lane. Lane knew that life was too short to hold out for something that he recognized was unavoidable. He would do anything for Grant and Gracie. Anything. Including giving his life for them. That’s how he knew it was love.

  So instead of saying so, he ensured that Grant felt the meaning behind the unspoken words in every movement, every touch, every kiss. He longed to pleasure this man until neither of them knew which way was up. Or what day of the week it was, for that matter.

  “Oh, God, Grant,” Lane said against his mouth. “I need to be inside you.”

  “Yes,” Grant agreed with a groan. “God, yes.”

  Drawing back, Lane ran his hands over Grant’s body again, down his sleek, muscled pecs, over the dips and valleys of his washboard abs, then between his legs, stroking him gently with one hand while he placed the other on Grant’s hip, urging him to turn around.

  Lane didn’t release Grant’s cock as he pressed his chest against Grant’s back, kissing his neck, sucking on his skin. He wanted to mark this man, to let the world know exactly who he belonged to. But he didn’t dare. That would only invite trouble, and as it was, they had enough of that with all of the watchful eyes around the ranch.

  But right here, right now, in the small confines of Grant’s shower, they were the only two people in the world. The only two people who mattered, and Lane was going to make love to this man.

  He continued to stroke Grant’s steel-hard length while he inserted two fingers into Grant’s tight ass, prepping him. Knowing his restraint was slipping, Lane didn’t play for long before he removed his fingers and brushed the head of his cock against Grant’s puckered hole.

  “I’m going to fuck you hard, baby. I’m going to take you right here, but I don’t want you to come until I tell you to. Understand?”

  Grant nodded, his hand coming around to latch on to Lane’s thigh. Lane would never get tired of Grant touching him, always touching him. It was the greatest feeling in the entire world.

  “Baby,” Lane said on a breathless moan as he pushed deep, his cock sliding into Grant’s ass. “Oh, fuck, Grant. So damn tight.”

  Lane leaned over Grant, forcing him forward. “Put your hands on the wall and don’t move.”

  Lane released Grant’s cock from his fist, needing both hands to grip Grant’s hips. He couldn’t take much more, and he wanted to bury his dick as far as possible, hear Grant beg him to send him over.

  “Does it feel good?” Lane asked as he withdrew slowly before thrusting his hips forward and going deeper than before.

  “So good,” Grant groaned, rocking back against Lane. “Don’t stop.”

  “I don’t plan to,” Lane said. Although they both knew it for the lie that it was. The scalding-hot depths of Grant’s body pulled him, making him dizzy from the overwhelming pleasure. Lane tried to keep his pace slow, but that didn’t last long.

  Before he knew it, he was slamming into Grant, pulling Grant’s hips back toward him with each forward thrust.

  “Tell me,” Lane insisted. “Tell me how good it is, baby.”

  Grant’s ass clenched around Lane’s cock, making sparks shoot off behind his closed eyelids. So fucking good.

  “I never want it to end,” Grant called out, his voice barely discernable over the sound of the water rushing down over them. “I want you to fuck me forever. Oh, God, Lane. Fuck me harder.”

  Lane did just that. He pounded into Grant over and over, his hands slipping and sliding over Grant’s wet skin as he grappled to keep him within his grip.

  “Harder, Lane. Fuck me harder!”

  “Are you ready to come for me?” Lane asked as he pistoned his hips faster, burying his dick all the way into Grant as he kneaded Grant’s ass cheeks with his thumbs, gripping his hips hard.

  “Fuck yes,” Grant groaned, his deep voice harsh with need. “Let me come, Lane.”

  Lane continued with his punishing thrusts, slamming into Grant until they were both moaning, their bodies tense from the release that was within reach. When the pleasure ignited every nerve ending in Lane’s body, he knew he couldn’t hold on any longer.

  “Come for me, Grant. Stroke your dick and come for me.”

  One of Grant’s hands disappeared from the wall, and Lane could feel the vibration as Grant stroked himself fast, incredibly fast.

  “Fuck, Lane. Oh, fuck. I’m gonna come.”

  “That’s it, baby. Come for me. And when you do, I’m gonna come in your ass.”

  Lane wasn’t sure whether the words were what sent Grant over the edge or just the sheer ecstasy of it all, but Grant’s body went rigid, his hand stilling as he groaned, the gruff sound echoing through the small bathroom.

  “Ahh, fuck yeah,” Lane said, digging his fingers into Grant’s hips as the pleasure blinded him. “I’m coming, baby.”

  And while Lane was filling Grant’s ass, Grant reached around and gripped Lane’s thigh painfully hard, intensifying his orgasm tenfold.

  It was so fucking good Lane was surprised that he didn’t pass out.

  Chapter Five

  Tuesday morning

  Grace stepped out of the dining room and onto the porch in time to see a little girl clinging firmly to the hand of her father, both of them chatting away as they made their way up the steps. Upon seeing Grace, the little girl offered a cheeky grin, looking both timid and excited.

  “Good morning,” Grace greeted softly, admiring the little girl with her dark, curly pigtails and her wide smile.

  It was still incredibly early, just after seven, but the ranch was already buzzing with activity. Breakfast began at five for the early risers and the wranglers and generally lasted until ten to ensure everyone was accounted for. From the looks of it, her two guests had already had breakfast. Or at least coffee, if the white foam cup in the man’s hand was any sign.

  From where Grace stood, she could hear the goats announcing their good mornings from the barn, the horses neighing in the stable one hundred or so yards away, the clank of dishes from the dining room behind her, and the chatter of people as they made their way to and from the main house.

  She smiled, inhaling deeply. Living here, being a part of such an incredible place… It was a dream come true. A way of life she’d been born into, one that she could never imagine any other way. Grace loved this place, every little nuance, every incredible detail. And each morning when she awoke, she sent up a huge thank you for all that her family had been blessed with. Things hadn’t always been that way, though. There had been a painful part of her life when she’d cursed God for taking her mother away from her. But as time had drifted forward, Grace had, too. Until eventually, now, she could be grateful for all she did have while still missing her mother. The grief had never gone away, but it had lessened somewhat over time.

  Refusing to start the day off on a sour note, Grace shook off the errant thoughts. “How are you today?” she asked, directing her question at the little girl now
hugging her father’s arm while bouncing on the balls of her feet, shooting glances over her shoulder toward the main barn.

  Grace followed her gaze, seeing that the barn had already been readied for the morning, two of its oversized doors open to greet the early-morning sun.

  “Good,” the little girl chirped, clearly enthused.

  Grace looked up at the man to see that his dark brown eyes were shining brightly as he stared down at his daughter.

  “What’s your name?” Grace asked the little girl. She couldn’t have been more than five or six, and she looked adorable in her overalls and her little pink boots, her dark hair, streaked with natural auburn highlights, pulled up into pigtails, long ringlets hanging down past her shoulders.

  “Madison. Everyone calls me Maddie,” she replied, her light brown eyes sparkling in the sunlight. The color was surprising, not a standard shade of brown, more like gold.

  “Well, my name’s Grace, but everyone calls me Gracie,” she told her.

  “Are you a real cowgirl?” Maddie asked, looking up at Grace as though she were responsible for all of the exciting stuff at the ranch.

  “I guess you could say that. What do you think a real cowgirl is?”

  “One who wears boots and has a horse,” Maddie said excitedly.

  Grace laughed as she eyeballed her feet, hefting one booted foot up a little, then the other before lifting her gaze back up to meet the little girl’s. “Well, I’ve definitely got boots.” Leaning down close to the little girl’s ear, Grace lowered her voice to a mock whisper and said, “And I’ve also got my own horse.”

  Maddie, bless her cute little heart, squealed with excitement.

  Turning her attention to the little girl’s father, holding her hand out for him to shake, Grace said, “And you must be Mr. Ruhl.”

  The man gripped Grace’s hand gently but firmly. “Technically, Mr. Ruhl would be my father. You can call me Ben.”

  “Nice to meet you, Ben.” Grace smiled at the handsome man, studying his face momentarily.

  Although he looked content to be there, based on the sidelong glances he would give Maddie, Grace sensed that something was bothering him. As she spared him a full head-to-toe glance, purely to check out his clothes, she came to the conclusion that his outfit wasn’t likely the culprit.