by BJ Wane
Because he was to the point of desperation, ignoring Jon and Luc’s snickers, he had agreed to accompany Damien and Abby and take Grace out tonight. Payback’s a bitch, he had warned the brothers, reminding them that it was inevitable that their time was coming.
Jacob stood when the small circle of girls dispersed and Grace returned her book to the shelves, willing his cock to behave as he watched her walk towards him. Vampires did not wine and dine women, he had told Abby. Yet here he was, ready to do exactly that if it would bring him closer to making Grace his. Thankfully, he had fed before coming here, temporarily relieving at least one hunger for the time being.
Grace didn’t need to see Jacob to know he had arrived to pick her up. Her body simply infused with pleasure, the side of her neck warming, her nipples tightening as her pussy swelled with damp arousal. She found concentrating on the simple children’s story difficult, but she couldn’t blame her lack of concentration on a sleepless night like she had all day long when she found her mind wandering toward Jacob, the memory of him sitting on the bed with her, his cock in hand as she exploded in ecstasy under his intent gaze. The look of disappointment on his face followed so quickly by one of angry resentment made her wonder how long she had before his patience wore out with her and she found herself a victim again. Even with that possibility looming, she was more afraid to return home and the possibility of facing more deranged creatures alone than she was of anything Jacob might do.
Gathering her purse, she spotted him standing near the front entrance and her heart did a slow roll in her chest. Dressed in his usual black leather pants and snug black tee shirt, the man oozed sex and literally made her mouth water. He wasn’t her type, she reminded herself for about the millionth time, not that it seemed to matter. Just like the heart, her body wanted what it wanted, and there was no denying her body wanted him. If only she could get her mind on board, they both wouldn’t be suffering as they were.
“Hi. I didn’t think you’d be the one to escort me home today.” She looked up at him questioningly, wondering where they stood after last night.
“Abby thought you might be wanting a touch of normal, like dinner out and a show with her and Damien. I don’t trust anyone else with your safety away from the manor, so if you want to go, you’re stuck with me as your escort.” Jacob let her decide if she wanted to spend the evening with him or by herself back at the manor.
She couldn’t read anything by his closed expression, couldn’t tell what he wanted her answer to be, but just the idea of doing something so…human, had her almost giddy with delight. “I’d love to go out with all of you. But, what will you do? I mean, you don’t eat food, do you?” she asked curiously as he held the door for her.
Jacob took her elbow, answering with a wry grin, “We can, in small amounts. We don’t need food to survive, and too much will just come right back up again. I crave blood, and beignets, but, other than that I don’t hunger for anything else.” Except you, he wanted to say, but refused to put any pressure on her tonight.
Jacob surprised her by leading her to a causeway grey Range Rover and lifting her onto the plush, leather passenger seat. “I didn’t know you had this,” she said as she took in the high end electronics on the dash that looked completely foreign to her. Her six year old Fiat had heat and air and a radio that she rarely used. She turned a cheeky grin up to him, adding, “Boys and their toys, that never changes no matter how old you are.”
Jacob returned her smile, her joke about his age giving him hope she was adjusting. “I prefer the Harley, but Abby insisted I pick you up in style instead of like a heathen, I believe is how she put it.” Closing the door, he came around to the driver’s side, his eyes and ears looking and listening for any signs of rogues.
“I think Damien isn’t the only one Abby has wrapped around her little finger,” Grace teased him as he started the SUV and pulled away from the curb.
Jacob didn’t bother denying it since it was true. “We’re suckers when it comes to our mates,” he told her honestly. “Once you quit judging all of us by Mason’s actions, you’ll see that. We’re meeting them at Bayona’s. That okay with you?” he asked, quickly changing the subject.
Happy to switch gears, Grace nodded her head. “I’ve never been there, but always wanted to go.” Located in a two hundred year old historic Creole cottage in the Vieu Carre, better known as the ‘Quarter’, the restaurant has been distinguished as one of the top dining places in the U.S., yet she had never been there. That was a reminder of how pathetically dull her life was, at least before her abduction.
“Another new experience for you then. Is there a reason you haven’t been there before? You said you were born and raised in New Orleans, I figured you would’ve tried about everything by now.”
The French Quarter covered over one hundred blocks and was not only New Orleans’ oldest neighborhood, but the cultural hub of the city. Besides its obvious architectural and historical distinction, the Quarter offered a plethora of different experiences, but drew crowds Grace wasn’t comfortable being in the midst of and offered a nightlife she had never been drawn to. She would rather spend an afternoon touring a historic home, the French Marketplace or the famed Musee Conti Wax Museum and the evening curled up at home with a good book.
With a self-deprecating smile, she murmured, “I think, in your day, I would be called a spinster. Today I’m labeled a homebody. And no, no reason other than I don’t go out much, especially at night.”
“Trust me, if you were alive ‘in my day’, you would’ve been married and saddled with several kids before you turned twenty-five.” Eyeing her sidewise, he drawled, “Make that twenty.”
With just a look he had her body humming with lust. She had been trying to ignore the obvious bulge between his legs, but that was impossible. She remembered the look of him engorged, the size of his cock making her tremble with both excitement and trepidation. The memory of the pain of Mason’s body invading hers was still close enough to the surface to override everything else, and she was beginning to fear she’ll never be able to overcome it.
They were seated outside on the tropical, flagstone patio surrounded by plants and the faint echo of jazz coming from down the street. Grace was grateful for the company of the other couple and soon shoved aside her insecurities to enjoy the evening they had planned for her and Abby. It became difficult not to envy the close relationship between Abby and Damien, the way they couldn’t keep from touching each other, the secret, sly looks and grins as well as the sexual heat in their eyes they couldn’t hide, a heat so intense it made her squirm in her seat. Between the vibes the other couple was giving off and her own body’s arousal to Jacob’s nearness, by the time dinner was over and they were headed to the theater, Grace was regretting this outing. The physical need for Jacob had been festering like an untreated infection since the day he had stepped into Mason’s home and rescued her, escalating and growing hotter and more painful each day. If only she could get her mind to accept the man’s assurances as easily as she had accepted the existence of vampires.
By the time Jacob was pulling through the gates of Damien’s plantation, Grace was eager to escape his company, deathly afraid she was going to give in to her body’s demands before she was ready. Her irritation with Abby didn’t help. Really, couldn’t the other woman have waited until after the movie to give Damien a blow job instead of in the front seat of their car beforehand? As if it wasn’t mortifying enough to catch Abby with her head buried in Damien’s lap when her and Jacob went to see what was keeping them from joining them inside the theater, her head bobbing up and down in obvious pleasure of having him in her mouth, but did Damien have to compound her discomfort by reaching under Abby’s short skirt halfway through the movie and fingering her right then and there, laughing when Abby had to bury her face in his chest to muffle her cries of release?
But what really had Grace worked up was her response to the exhibitionism, her wish that she could be that daring, that fre
e to indulge herself with everything Jacob had been wanting and Abby was brave enough to not only go after, but embrace. She was close to taking that final step, but needed a little time away from Jacob to make sure she wasn’t jumping into a decision because of the sexually charged last few hours. She couldn’t afford to make any mistakes no matter how demanding her body was becoming.
“I need to talk to you a minute,” Damien told Jacob when the four of them entered the manor. “If you two will excuse us, we’ll join you on the veranda shortly.”
“Is there something we need to know, Damien?” Abby asked, recognizing the worried, protective look on his face. They had grown closer the past few days, Damien finally accepting her as his mate even if he hadn’t blood bonded with her yet. She refused to let him keep her in the dark about something that concerned both of them.
“Not yet. I’ll tell you what you need to know when I know. Jacob.” Damien turned and strode down the hall to his office, not giving Abby a chance to argue. Even though he intended to go ahead and fill Jacob in on his encounter with Isabelle instead of waiting for the twins to return later tonight, the main reason he drew Jacob away was because of the strained look on his face. Damien wasn’t sure ‘date night’ had been a good idea considering how close Jacob was to either moving on or pushing too hard, too fast forward with Grace. Either action could seal the fate of his relationship with her.
“Are you okay?” he asked his friend as soon as he closed the door to his office.
“I would be better if you and Abby had kept a lid on it until we returned home,” Jacob retorted dryly, not really put out because of their actions. His foul mood had more to do with the way Grace had slowly gone from enjoying the evening, relaxed and smiling to becoming more and more reserved and quiet. He understood that she might have been embarrassed by Damien and Abby’s behavior, she hadn’t been around mated couples enough to know about the constant need to touch that they rarely ignored no matter where they were or who was around. It was a lifestyle they all accepted, even embraced, and thought little of until a newcomer joins them and gets an unsuspecting eyeful.
“Sorry, but she’s impossible to say no to.” Damien wasn’t really sorry. He had enjoyed Abby’s mouth on his dick, needed the release he had had time to get before they met Jacob and Grace at the theater. Getting her off in the darkened theater had been fun payback and he had enjoyed the feel of her coming on his fingers and then licking them afterward as much as he had enjoyed coming in her mouth earlier. “Grace was embarrassed but also aroused. She needs to know the full ramifications of getting involved with you.”
“I agree,” Jacob replied with a weary sigh, “but I don’t think your exhibitionism moved her any closer towards accepting me completely.” And Jacob didn’t know how much longer he was going to be able to hold out. He wanted her more with each rising, with each breath he took, but he had also grown to care a great deal about her and wouldn’t act rashly and add to the trauma she was already dealing with. He hoped. “What else is on your mind? I assume it has something to do with your disappearance last night.”
“It has everything to do with my disappearance. Isabelle is alive, stronger and more powerful than ever.”
“I’m sorry if we embarrassed you tonight. Sometimes these urges simply won’t be put on the back burner.”
Grace looked over at Abby and didn’t see any remorse on her face, but she did understand about demanding urges. “I admit I was surprised. I thought you kept the exhibitionism to the house and whoever might be in residence.”
Abby laughed, tucking her feet under her on the patio chair, her grin mischievous. “I thought so too. I mean, a few weeks ago I could never have imagined myself being so bold, but there’s something about this mate business that makes all feelings and emotions more intense than I think they would be with anyone else. Plus, you gotta admit, those guys are hot.”
“I’m a bit green and definitely a coward compared to you, but I’m not blind.” Grace had found herself attracted to Jacob from the moment she saw him, an attraction that didn’t have anything to do with the way her neck had warmed with an erotic pulse for the first time.
“So, it’s your ordeal with Mason that’s still holding you back?”
“Yes. My body says go for it. Scratch that, my body is screaming go for it, but every time I get close, I remember the pain, and I just can’t do it. Jacob’s even bigger,” she said with a blush, “than Mason. Add his size to the burn when they come and I turn cold, the memory of him on top of me, his fangs descending towards my neck, paralyzes me with fear. I suffered through him forcing himself on me with visions of me being turned into a deranged, bloodsucking monster, which scared me more than the thought of never getting free.”
“Yeah, I can see why that would scare the bejeebers out of anyone, but Grace, surely by now you know that Jacob wouldn’t do that. Not only would he not blood bond with you without your permission, but he wouldn’t hurt you any other way. Trust me, Damien has a huge cock, must be a vampire thing, and it fits just fine without any pain, and I had my reservations too.”
Grace wished she did know that for sure, wished she was a braver person, a more daring woman who knew what she wanted and didn’t hesitate to take chances by going after it. But she wasn’t Abby, and no matter how much she wanted to or how hard she tried, she couldn’t push past the thick wall of painful memories or change fast enough from being a shy wallflower. “That’s just it. I’m not completely convinced he wouldn’t hurt me. I’m sorry. I know he’s your friend…”
“He’s more than a friend,” Abby interrupted her as Jacob and Damien came out, the look on Jacob’s face making her angry at Grace on his behalf. “He’s family, and you do him a grave disservice with your implication.” Abby walked up to Jacob and kissed his cheek. “Maybe,” she said loud enough for Grace to hear, “you should show Grace how pleasurable pain can be.”
“That’s not a bad idea. Let’s demonstrate for her first.” Damien’s first inclination was to come to Jacob’s defense. If the woman only knew how many women and children her mate had saved from abuse over the decades, she wouldn’t have a problem believing he’d never hurt her. But Abby’s suggestion was much better than attempting to reassure Grace yet again. “We’ll use the excuse you were very naughty to go down on me in a public parking lot.”
Abby stuttered on a laugh as Damien took her hand and led her to a wicker chair across from where Grace was sitting dumbstruck. “You were all for it, as I recall.”
“Tsk, tsk, now you’re arguing with me. You’re just racking ‘em up, aren’t you, ma belle?”
Grace was rousing from her shock just as Damien pulled Abby over his lap and flipped up her skirt. But before she could get up and run inside, Jacob swooped her up and settled her on his lap, his arm clamping like a vice around her waist, keeping her pinned. “I don’t want to be a party to this,” she snapped out desperately. Fact was she was remembering her reaction when she had seen Abby and Damien fucking in the parlor after first arriving here, remembered how hot she got when he slapped Abby’s ass and Abby’s response to that erotic stimulation.
“Tough. You’re going to watch and hopefully learn something that I apparently have failed to get across to you any other way,” Jacob stated implacably. “Relax, Damien isn’t going to hurt her, at least, not much.” Let her wonder, he thought as Damien pulled Abby’s panties down, baring her soft, round buttocks. Wonder, and then he’ll show her the difference between him and Mason.
Grace cringed when Damien slapped Abby’s bared ass once, leaving behind a vivid red splotch on her white buttock. Despite the nighttime darkness, the well-lit back yard left nothing to the imagination. Abby gasped, but then lifted her ass, as if begging for more. How she could want more was beyond Grace, but when Damien smacked her other buttock, leaving both cheeks bright red, Abby moaned and squirmed on his lap as if seeking a climax instead of freedom from her embarrassing predicament. Then Damien ran his hand over her buttocks, squeezing
the reddened flesh before cupping her between her legs. Abby’s response was to shove back against his hand with another long groan followed swiftly by a startled gasp when he brought his hand down sharply in the middle of both cheeks, the snap of flesh on flesh sounding loud in the otherwise quiet night.
“Does she look like she’s suffering from undo pain?” Jacob asked her when Grace finally relaxed against him, accepting she wasn’t going anywhere just yet. Her nipples were beaded against her thin top and he would bet her pussy was swollen with arousal just as he would bet her mind was struggling with the truth. Another slap pealed out, followed by another moan. Abby’s eyes were tightly closed, but her body’s gyrations spoke volumes, if only Grace was willing to listen.
“It has to hurt,” Grace replied as she watched Damien turn Abby’s ass from pink to red, alternating his slaps with light caresses over the abused skin.
“Of course, it does, but the pleasure from erotic pain far outdoes any discomfort.” Jacob reached up with his free hand and cupped Grace’s left breast through her blouse, having no trouble feeling the pinpoint of her nipple against his palm. “You’re aroused just watching, imagine your reaction if you were a participant.”
Grace couldn’t imagine it, couldn’t fathom getting pleasure from pain, but she was oddly grateful for the way Jacob kept her arms pinned to her sides with his tight hold, glad that he was preventing her from jumping up and running away. “I don’t know. I don’t think…”
“Don’t think, Grace, just feel.”
Before she realized his intent, Jacob had her flipped face down over his lap, pulling her skirt up and baring her ass just as Abby cried out in climax, her pleasure evident in the way she writhed on Damien’s lap as his fingers plundered her pussy over and over. The feel of warm, humid air wafting over her bare skin accompanied by the hard brace of Jacob’s hand between her shoulder blades, pinning her in place, made her focus on her own predicament. She stiffened in shock as she felt her arousal spike even higher at her exposure to the other couple as well as Jacob.
