by Morgan Fox
Shifting positions in her chair, she turned back to him. “Can you imagine what that was like? Do you have any idea how difficult an emotional relationship is for a hooker?”
“Damn it, Gracie. Stop calling yourself that.” He rose to his full height, turning away from her. He ran a stiff hand through his golden hair. “I can’t stand it when you talk about yourself like that.”
“Why should I? I’m only speaking the truth.”
He turned back to her and knelt at her side. “No, you’re not, and I’m tired of you not even bothering to try.” Placing his hand over top of hers, he confessed, “I want a life with you, Gracie. I want to explore the feelings I have for you, feelings that have always been there.”
She bit her bottom lip as her eyes filled with tears. “Are you out of your mind? I don’t believe in love, and I don’t deserve what you’re offering.”
“You don’t deserve my love?” he scoffed. “Why the hell would you think that?”
“I’m a whore, James. I’ve been fucking strange men since I was fourteen. Why would you want someone who’s been used by hundreds of men?”
He cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him. “That doesn’t matter to me.”
“Well, it should,” she spat.
Why was he making this so hard on her? There was no way she could make him understand that her heart was simply dead inside. She didn’t know how to let him or anyone else in.
He kissed her forehead gently, pulling away as he told her, “That was your past. I want to be your future.”
Just as she was about to argue that James deserved better than her, Stone entered the room. His dark eyes drifted over her, and she suddenly knew exactly what she had to do. Pushing away from James, she stood and moved toward the door.
“Stone, I need a ride,” she quickly walked past him.
“Gracie, wait!” James called after her, but she ignored him. She needed an exit, and Stone was giving her one.
* * * *
As James returned home, he heard a loud disruption coming from the back of the house. Curious, he rounded the corner into the living room. Eyes wide, he swallowed the pure anger that quickly rose up from his gut.
Gracie clung to Stone, her legs placed at either side of Stone’s waist as she rode him. Her head kicked back, his hands massaging her breasts. Soft, fluttering pants of pleasure on her lips.
James’s chest tightened. Fire burned hot in his gut. “What are you doing?” he asked coldly.
Freezing, Gracie stared up at him. Her naked body lowered closer to Stone’s. “What does it look like?”
Her tone was confrontational, and instantly he knew she was trying to force his hand. The muscles in his jaw flexed. “It looks like you’re fucking Stone to piss me off, but you should know that fucking him will not drive me away. It won’t change what I told you earlier.”
Stone propped up on his elbows. “Wait a minute,” he gasped, as she rolled off of him, his cock still hard. He quickly pulled the blanket up over his waist and glanced at Gracie. “What did you two discuss before I arrived at the station?” His gaze bounced from Gracie to James and back again. “Are you using me to make him jealous?”
Her eyes widened. “What are you talking about? We’re just having sex,” she told him, tugging the blanket up under her arms.
Stone scoffed. “No, I was having sex. You were using me to piss James off.” He sat up and rubbed his hand over his head, gliding over the stubble. “Damn it, Gracie, what the hell are you doing?”
“Look.” She glanced at James. “Stone brought me home, and we decided to have sex. That’s it, nothing more.”
Stone scowled. “Is that what you think? You think this was nothing but sex for me?”
Gracie stared at him, looking confused. “Of course,” she shrugged. “You and I have a physical relationship.”
Stone huffed out a breath, his expression tight and angry. “Well, then, you might be a little shocked to learn that I’ve got feelings for you and I have since I met you. Why would you think that the time we’ve spent together was just sex?” He folded his arms over his chest. “You can’t see how much I want you for more than just sex?”
Gracie’s face paled. “Hold on a second. What are you saying?”
“What does it sound like I’m saying?” Stone asked sharply. “I’m crazy about you, but apparently that was all just a one-sided deal.”
Gracie jumped to her feet, the blanket falling to the floor. She turned so that her back was facing them. “What is wrong with you two? Don’t you know that I’m not worth your time? I’m used! I don’t have anything to offer you that others haven’t already stolen from me. I’m nothing!”
“Now that’s just bullshit!” James snapped, causing her to face him. “I’m really sick and tired of you talking about yourself as if you are still that sad little girl. Do you know how rare it is for a woman to escape the horrors of a past like you have? What you have to offer, Gracie, is strength and courage. Your love for your family shows me that you have the ability to love and that you put others before yourself. What’s not to love about you? I see so many things to love. The list is endless.”
* * * *
Gracie hung her head. She wanted more than anything to forget the last eleven years, but she couldn’t. No matter how far away she tried to get, her past was always with her.
She wet her lips. “Whenever I was with someone, I forced my thoughts elsewhere. I’d picture the perfect place to be, and then I’d somehow go there mentally. Over the years, I’d gotten pretty good at it.” A chill ran down her spine at the memory of her childhood sacrifices, and then she dug deep for the strength that had carried her to this point. “My body served a purpose.” She glanced up to meet their heavy gazes. “Until you and Stone, that is.” Her heart beat heavy in her chest. “When I was with someone, I never saw them. I saw right through them. As if they didn’t really exist. I escaped into the deep trenches of my mind, and the time spent with them was permanently deleted.” So I thought.
James stepped alongside her and cupped her face in his strong hands. The intense, heartfelt desires she saw sent shivers down her spine. “I want you to see me, Gracie. I need you to let me into your heart. I want you to trust me.”
Stone cleared his throat. “Not that I’m complaining about your sincerity, James, but I believe I just told her I had feelings for her, and I sure as hell didn’t say it to embarrass myself.” Coming up on the other side of her, he brushed the back of his knuckles down her damp cheek. “I want you, too, Gracie.” Stone eyed James. “I think we both want what’s best for you.”
She sighed heavily as her chest tightened with the tension of her insecurities. Her bottom lip quivered. “Then you should let me go.”
“Not gonna happen,” Stone replied, huskily.
“I don’t know how to do what you’re asking of me,” she said, tears staining her cheeks.
Stone pulled her against him. His arms came around her in a fierce embrace, and the warmth of his touch set fire to her soul. “Let us show you,” he whispered.
She sobbed harder. “I can’t,” she said through clenched teeth, pushing him aside, squirming her way out of his arms. Grabbing the blanket, she ran for the door, fleeing the house and hiding deep within the thickening trees around the property. She didn’t know where she was going. She simply had to get away. She didn’t turn around until she thought she was alone.
Stopping to catch her breath, she found herself being whirled around and pinned up against the tree beside her.
Stone hauled her up by her shoulders. “Will you stop running away from me every time I get even a little bit closer to you?”
Stone wasn’t even breathing hard as he pressed his naked body firmly against her. He held her wrists above her head with one hand, while his other arm came around her waist.
She gasped. “How did you catch me?”
Scowling, Stone blurted, “Really? That’s what you have to say after running away
again?” His mouth claimed hers. “How about you want me, too, and you need me.”
James stepped up alongside him. “Us, you want and need us.”
She swallowed hard as mental doors she’d long ago nailed shut threatened to reopen. “Why? Why do you want me?” she questioned, her bottom lip quivering.
Stone held her face in his hands. “You’re an amazing woman, Gracie. If you stopped to think for just a second, you’d see just how easy it is to want you. You didn’t even hesitate to offer your friendship to me.”
“And you didn’t let fear stop you from approaching me,” James added.
“You had a dream, and you pursued it, even when the odds were against you,” Stone reminded her.
James took a step toward her with a fierce look that made her stomach lurch. Freezing in place, he stared at her, eyes dark and impenetrable. “You’re a fighter, Gracie, and so full of compassion and love. You just have to see what we see.”
“Stop fighting us,” Stone growled softly into her ear, his warm breath on her skin. “I know you weren’t using me, Gracie. There is no way a woman touches a man the way you touched me and doesn’t feel something.” He gently kissed her cheek, his lips brushing over her skin as he spoke. “Tell me you love me, Gracie. Show me what I mean to you.”
* * * *
James wanted to hold her, wrap her in his arms, and never let her go. He wished he could wipe away all the memories of her past, but he couldn’t. He didn’t think he’d ever understand how she’d become such an amazing woman with all that she endured in her young life.
“Gracie?” James called out quietly. “How is it that you turned out the way you did? I’m afraid I’m a little stunned by the way you are, since from my experience, people who”—he paused, searching for the right words to say—“lived a life as difficult as you…didn’t turn out so great.” He glanced away and then back again. “I’m not necessarily talking about drugs, either. I’m referring to the fact that you are so warm and caring. Knowing what you went through…I’m not so sure if it was me I could—”
Stone released his hold on her, easing back enough so all three stood close. Stone was as naked as the day he was born, while James was still fully clothed. Either way, it didn’t matter. Staring at Gracie’s perfect body covered by a thin blanket had his soul warming deliciously. Strangely, being close to another naked man didn’t bother him like he thought it would. Gracie was truly all he could see.
“You could if you knew there was a way out and you stayed focused on that and that alone.” She smiled shyly, her eyes growing heavy with the burdens of her past, but still holding their warm glow. “I made adjustments in my life. I figured out who I wanted to be, and I never swayed from that person. No matter how many times I did something I wasn’t proud of, I never forgot what was in my heart.” Her eyes watered. “My mother was addicted to drugs and alcohol and had been for as long as I could remember. Neither she nor my father ever showed me or my brothers an ounce of love or compassion. I’d watched others, my friends from school and their families, and I knew my situation wasn’t normal. Most families smiled and hugged and laughed together. I wanted that for me and my brothers, so I became their mother. I loved them and showed them compassion.” Her voice trembled. “I just wasn’t strong enough to keep them from following in my parents’ footsteps.”
“Gracie?” James’s heart broke for her.
“It’s all right, guys.” She smiled, reaching out to caress the sides of his and Stone’s face. They both pressed their hands over hers. “I made it out of that crazy world. I’m much happier here with you.” She gazed from one to the other. “I can’t even begin to tell you how much you both mean to me.”
* * * *
Stone’s heart hammered in his chest like a freight train. His mind was awash with so many thoughts, so many emotions. “So you weren’t just fucking me?” he questioned directly, his eyes searching her face for a shred of truth.
“Stone!” James hollered, obviously appalled by his forwardness.
“What?” he demanded. His gaze shot back to Gracie. “I have to know.”
She smiled shyly, her eyes soft and warm as she stared at him. “No,” she admitted. “I wasn’t using you. I tried to, but every time we touched…I couldn’t help…my heart wouldn’t—” She paused with a heavy sigh. “I fell in love with you, Stone.”
As if the gates of heaven had opened up and shined a light on him, Stone wanted to rejoice. For most of his life, he’d been a solo act, fighting his own battles and wars, standing on his own two feet with nothing or no one to help support him when he fell. Now, he had Gracie.
Stone grinned. “So you admit that you love me?”
Gracie nodded. With a crooked grin, she confessed, “Yes, I suppose in some strange way, I’ve been in love with you since the first night we—”
“All right,” James cut in, throwing his hands in the air, palms facing them as if to hold them back. “You don’t have to share details. I get it. You pick him.” He quickly turned as if to walk back to his house, his shoulders slumped forward.
For a split second, Stone was pleased that James was retreating, but he also knew that it had to be short-lived. He’d seen a number of times the way Gracie fondly gazed at James. The way her eyes brightened when he approached. Stone would be a fool to think she only did that for him. Clay’s words echoed in his head, Let her tell you what she needs, then if you think you can handle her answer…deal with it.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Gracie asked breathlessly. “I don’t remember asking you to leave.”
James rounded slowly, his eyes narrowed into thin slits.
Stone’s fist clenched tightly as he watched them playfully. He didn’t want to think about a world where he would lose out on something again because of his bad attitude. He’d already lost so much from his childhood. Calming himself, he eased back and studied the chemistry blazing between her and James.
She closed the distance between them, slipping her hand into Stone’s, pulling him forward just a little. Locking onto James, she told him, “I think you should know that I’ve had a major crush on you since the day I met you. You had come over to play with Adam. I thought you were cute.”
The corner of James’s mouth tugged up into a crooked grin. “You did?”
She nodded. “I never stopped thinking about you, James. I always wondered what it would be like to be with a nice boy. I’ve dreamed of you so many times.”
“You have?” He sounded so unsure of himself, so astonished that a beautiful woman would find him attractive.
She nodded, placing the palm of her hand on his chest. “Yes, James. I have.”
The long, drawn-out moment that passed dragged on for what felt like an hour. The two of them had history, and that left Stone at a severe disadvantage. Even though Gracie admitted she was in love with him, he still had no idea where he stood. Was he the third wheel? Would she choose a long history over wild, uninhibited, fireworks-on-the-Fourth-of-July passion?
Shit! He was so fucking screwed.
Licking his dry lips, Stone rasped, “What does this mean, Gracie?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, but I do know that I want you both. I realize that it’s not right, at least not traditional, but if you’re willing—”
James thrust his hands to his hips, glaring at her. “You spoke with Delilah, didn’t you?”
Stone’s heart raced. He knew it shouldn’t turn him on, but the idea of a three-way was stimulating and wicked as sin. What the hell was wrong with him? Clay had planted images in his head with the knowledge that he shared Delilah with Hunter, and if Clay could do it, then that left hope for him, too. “What are you saying? You want both of us?”
She inclined her head to meet Stone’s gaze and slowly nodded. “I do. I always have.”
He bit his lip, making sure he wasn’t dreaming. “You want me and James to be with you at the same time?” His cock hardened, and it wasn’t the draft that caused it.<
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“I do,” she acknowledged softly.
Concern burned in James’s eyes as he said, “This could change everything between us, Gracie.”
She swallowed hard. “I know.”
“Do you want to risk it?” he asked, caressing the side of her face.
Stone was about to punch James right in the dick for being a complete idiot and an emotionally challenged jackass. Was he purposefully trying to sabotage their chance to have amazing sex with Gracie?
“Are you serious?” Stone barked at James. “This woman is crazy about us, and you’re having second thoughts? Seriously?”
“I just don’t want to ruin our relationship.”
“What relationship? From what I gathered, you were friends as children, your life moved on, and so did hers. Now you have a chance to rekindle and explore feelings you once had. What the heck are you waiting for?”
James’s brow shot up. “You want me to make love to Gracie.”
“Hell no,” he snapped. “I want her to only want me, but clearly that’s not what she wants. She’s already told us she wants us both, now are you man enough to drop your drawers, or do you need the lights out and a blanket over you first?”
James glared at him, but he didn’t care. One thing he could never be accused of was being overly sensitive. There was a time and place for emotions like that, and now was not one of them.
“You really are a dick,” James muttered.
“Yes, but at least—” Stone’s thoughts were interrupted the second Gracie dropped the blanket to the ground and stood naked in the glow of the twilight sky. The curves of her body were accented deliciously, and his cock jumped in response. “Holy shit,” he muttered under his breath, knowing right then and there she wanted them, and he was about to have her.
