The silence stretched between them, and Jessie cleared her throat, trying to think of something to say. “Your Grace is welcome to stay the night. It will be very late by the time we arrive.” Belatedly, Jessie recalled the unconscious man in the back seat. “And of course your driver will be welcome to stay as long as necessary for him to recover.” She cursed inwardly, knowing she’d have to ask Liam to give up his bed. She didn’t have the extra rooms in the house open, and even if she did, there was no furniture in them to speak of. She’d give up her own bed, but she knew Gabriel and Liam would never accept.
“Thank you, Your Ladyship.” Gabriel was intent on the road ahead of him. “Once Paul here is back on his feet, I’ll have someone come and pick him up, and at the same time drop off my things.”
Jessie blanched. “Your...things?”
Gabriel glanced at her for a moment, and Jessie was startled to see that he was amused. “Those men told you they’d be back. You didn’t honestly think I’d leave you on your own, did you?”
Jessie stared at him. “I have Liam with me. I’m sure, Gabriel, that it won’t be necessary.” Even as she said the words, she thought about the threat the masked men had made against her, realizing she hadn’t considered that they could attack her in her home. The thought made her shiver, and she kind of hoped Gabriel would insist on staying with her. She realized she needn’t have worried and rolled her eyes as his innate arrogance took over.
“We don’t even know who they are,” Gabriel asserted. “If I thought you and Liam would consent to staying at Hartley House, I’d be driving you back there right now. But I know how headstrong you are”—Jessie snorted, and Gabriel looked at her disapprovingly—“and I know you’d never leave your home. So this is the next most reasonable option.”
Jessie sighed. “And if these men never come back?”
Gabriel didn’t look at her when he answered. “Then I suppose I’ll be a permanent houseguest. I’ll stay as long as it takes.”
As they drove on and the lights of the manor came into view, Jessie stole a glance at Gabriel. She could have sworn he was smiling.
Chapter 11
Jessie winced as she braided her hair, the tugs on her locks harder than necessary. She scowled at her reflection and kept going, annoyed at herself for noticing. Once finished with the braid, however, she sighed and conceded defeat. The French braid she’d constructed was so tight it was already making her forehead throb, and her eyes were pulled into slits, giving her the appearance of having had a truly unfortunate face lift. She undid the braid and ran her fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp that still felt like it was on fire. Rather than rebraiding, Jessie grabbed a jaw clip and clipped her hair into a careless knot high up on her head before whirling away from the mirror and grabbing her riding boots. She flounced onto her bed and tucked a foot into the first boot, zipping it up before giving the other boot the same treatment. Once she was ready to go, Jessie sighed.
It had been just over two weeks since the night of, as Jessie liked to think of it, The Incident, and Jessie was feeling seriously uncomfortable. She was also seriously annoyed, and she flopped backward on her bed, throwing an arm over her eyes and groaning as she thought of the various sources of her annoyance.
First, she didn’t like living in fear. She’d spend so much of her life feeling like a prisoner of her family, and now that she was on her own she wasn’t used to this horrible nervousness that seemed to affect her all the time. She’d tried her best to dismiss the threat the masked men had uttered before they’d run off, but a small part of her couldn’t let it go. She was always on alert now, and it was exhausting! She was feeling reckless enough to almost wish that the men would try something, just so that the situation would be taken care of. Almost, but not quite, because she was still uncertain as to exactly what they were trying to accomplish. That thought made her even more nervous.
Second, and most significantly, Jessie was really fucking tired of Gabriel. The duke had been true to his word and had moved in with her and Liam, arranging to have his necessaries brought over when his driver, Paul, had been well enough recovered to be transported back to Hartley House after a doctor had determined that there was no concussion.
Since Paul had left, Gabriel had installed himself as lord and master of Jessie’s manor, and it was really beginning to get on her nerves. He decided when they ate and insisted that they eat together—himself, her, and Liam.
Jessie grimaced as she remembered the extent of his insistence. She’d been sulky about having him around twenty-four-seven, and she’d ignored his request that they dine together. She’d taken her toast and tea back to her bedroom and had been grumbling to herself when a hard knock had sounded on her door. She’d not deigned to answer, and she’d been shocked when the door had been thrown open and Gabriel had stalked into her bedroom, not saying a word as he gathered the tray containing her tea and toast. He’d simply glowered at her before leaving the room, sending the message loud and clear that if she wanted to eat she’d be eating in their company. Since then she’d eaten with them, and that was part and parcel of problem number three.
Jessie liked having Gabriel around. If she was really honest with herself, she liked having him around a lot, and not just for her own sake. She loved watching the camaraderie between him and Liam, and she found herself becoming more and more comfortable with the situation. She hated that she was starting to like it. She couldn’t believe she liked having someone as domineering and bossy as Gabriel around, but it made her feel better to have someone around whom she could talk to about important decisions. What really surprised her is that, despite Gabriel’s need to be in charge of the whole damn world, he was always gentle with her when he suggested what he thought she should do. She found herself seeking his advice more and more, knowing that he wouldn’t lead her astray.
Jessie was uneasy about how much she was coming to rely on him. She had fought for such a long time to be mistress of her own future without having her mother and brother take away her control, and now here she was, willingly relinquishing her hard-won agency over her own life to a man who was more controlling than her mother and brother all rolled into one bossy package.
Gabriel’s role in Jessie’s discomfort extended beyond his need to be in charge. Jessie was incredibly conscious that he’d been doing an awful lot to make her life more comfortable, and she was embarrassed that she was accepting what she saw as charity. When Gabriel had come to stay with her and Liam, he’d quietly taken stock of their living situation, and Jessie had begun noticing changes. He never said anything, just went ahead and did it without asking permission. Liam had new cookware now, a high-end line that was absolutely something Jessie couldn’t afford for him but would have loved to have given. Both their horses had been outfitted with new tack, and all the bedding had been replaced with duvets and sheets so luxurious Jessie sometimes wished she could spend the whole day lounging. Every time she tried to thank Gabriel, he’d lay a finger across her lips and tell her he wasn’t doing it for her, that he was doing it for himself.
Jessie sighed and hauled herself up from her dangerously comfortable bed. She was grateful for everything Gabriel had done, except for one small thing. She set her shoulders as she began the walk from her bedroom downstairs, hoping she wouldn’t encounter Liam or Gabriel on her way, and prepared for a battle if she did.
The one thing that she really did resent was that her alone time seemed to have vanished. She hadn’t been for a ride on Aphrodite in weeks by herself, and her level of sexual frustration was just about killing her. She’d been dying to go to her pond and try out the fantasy of being double fucked by Gabriel and Liam, but both men had put a very heavy collective foot down when she’d tried to go for a ride last week. They’d both said that it wasn’t safe for her to ride alone while those men were still at large, and no amount of arguing, shrieking, or tears had changed their minds. Liam had happily saddled all three horses and they’d gone riding together a few ti
mes, but Jessie gritted her teeth when they came back because she was still oversexed with no relief in sight. She was far too timid to pleasure herself in the house since she knew she was loud when she came, and she wasn’t about to try and stop the moans and sighs that added to her overall experience.
Jessie tiptoed to the door leading to the stable, looking around furtively. She figured if she managed to get Aphrodite saddled and happened to ride away without anyone noticing, she could always say later that she’d looked for one of the men but couldn’t find them, so she figured she’d just take a little ride and come back straightaway. They’d know where she’d gone anyway, and as long as she got in one good session with her vibrator, it would be worth the hell she’d pay afterward.
Not believing her excellent luck, Jessie pussyfooted her way across the yard, wincing when she stepped on a twig that snapped under her foot. She thought wryly that she’d give anything for her friend Remy’s innate stealth, but realized she didn’t need it when neither Liam nor Gabriel appeared. Good, I hope they’re busy talking about cars or something.
She ghosted into the stable, breathing a massive sigh of relief when the door closed behind her without a sound. She’d made it, and now she just needed to saddle Aphrodite and be on her way before she was missed.
With that goal just within reach, Jessie walked over to the room containing the new tack and was just about to go in when a sound from inside the room caught her attention. She froze, paralyzed for a moment by the idea that the men who’d attacked her had gotten into the stable. The door was slightly open and Jessie tiptoed forward to peek inside, ready to scream bloody murder if those bastards were in there.
Nothing prepared her for what she saw.
Gabriel and Liam stood inside the room, and Jessie caught her breath as her eyes took in the scene she’d unwittingly glimpsed. Both men stood in profile to her, giving her an unimpeded view of what was happening and causing her mouth to fall open in surprise.
Liam’s head was thrown back, his mouth open in pleasure. He was naked. It took Jessie’s befuddled mind a moment to process that thought when she realized that Gabriel was also naked, his jaw clenched and his mouth open in a snarl as his eyes glittered at Liam.
Jessie’s eyes travelled from their faces to their bodies, and she felt her pussy clench as she saw what they were doing. Both men held onto one another, Liam with a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder and Gabriel with a hand on Liam’s hip, while their other hands were cupped around their cocks. The two thick cocks making Jessie’s mouth water were held together by those big hands, and Jessie watched as their hips pumped in counterpoint, the thrust and withdraw dragging their dicks down one another’s lengths as each hand stroked and squeezed both cocks together. Jessie watched, dumbfounded, as Gabriel released their cocks to lick the palm of his hand, returning it to the stroke and squeeze. Liam groaned, the lubrication of Gabriel’s saliva obviously amping up the friction of the rub. He lifted his own hand to his mouth and followed suit, adding it back to the mix and making Gabriel inhale sharply through his teeth.
The erotic clicking sound of the lubed dicks rubbing against one another went straight to Jessie’s pussy, sending a riot of sparkly, tingly shivers down her spine. Her eyes were hungry as she watched. The purplish, angry-looking cocks glided against one another in the most primitive of dances, and Jessie drew her eyes back up as Gabriel tangled his free hand in Liam’s hair, drawing the blond man’s face closer to his own. Jessie noted that even next to Liam’s massive frame, Gabriel still stood taller. Liam’s eyes snapped open and Jessie was surprised at the level of trust shining there. Gabriel snarled something to Liam, something Jessie couldn’t hear, and Liam smiled up at Gabriel before his tongue came out to trace the curve of Gabriel’s lower lip. Gabriel groaned, and Jessie was treated to a full-scale duel as Gabriel’s own tongue snaked out to tangle against Liam’s, while all the time their hands continued the rough caresses on their cocks.
Watching how their muscled asses rippled and clenched, Jessie knew they wouldn’t last much longer. She knew she should leave, but a perverse need came over her to watch as both men climaxed. Luckily, she didn’t have long to wait.
Liam was the first to go. Jessie watched as his eyes opened wide, his gaze locking with Gabriel’s. He pistoned his cock against Gabriel’s straining erection, clamping his hand down on both dicks and squeezing as his breathing became labored, and then Jessie was treated to his long, raw groan as his seed spurted out the end of his cock to coat his own hand and Gabriel’s as well as Gabriel’s dick. Liam panted, his free hand curling around Gabriel’s shoulder to steady himself as he came down.
Gabriel stopped his stroking, murmuring something to Liam. Liam’s smile was decadent, and Jessie watched as he fell to his knees in front of Gabriel, taking the big man’s cock in his hands and pumping it a couple of times. Jessie watched enviously as Liam peeked up at Gabriel, his tongue darting out of his mouth into the blind eye of Gabriel’s cock to gather the pre-cum that had gathered there. Gabriel groaned deep in his throat, fisting a hand into Liam’s hair and thrusting his hips forward so that his cockhead bumped against Liam’s lips.
Hardly daring to breathe and unable to focus on anything beyond the roaring in her ears, Jessie came slamming back to reality as she watched Liam’s mouth open around the broad dick straining toward him. Initially caught up in her own lust at watching the scene unfold before her like her own private porn, Jessie felt a cold knot form in the pit of her stomach as she tuned into the truth of the situation. They were gay, and very clearly involved.
Jessie berated herself for not having seen it sooner. The close friendship between the men, the way Liam always deferred to Gabriel—it all began making sense. Jessie felt utterly ridiculous. She remembered the way Liam had always rebuffed her advances and felt foolish. She thought back to Gabriel rubbing her feet, all the kind gestures of the past weeks, and realized that little of it had been meant for her. Sure, he’d been friendly and had looked out for her, but he’d obviously jumped at the chance to stay with her because it would allow him to be close to Liam. She felt even more foolish as she realized that Liam’s loyalty to her had probably kept him from being with Gabriel. No doubt Gabriel would scoop Liam up and add him to his own household if only Jessie wasn’t part of the picture.
Jessie felt something wet on her cheek, and when she wiped it away she realized she was crying. She felt so incredibly betrayed by both of them, and she was painfully embarrassed at her own ignorance. In that instant, she began to realize just how much she’d begun to care for both men, and her heart squeezed as she realized that after this she’d definitely have to let Liam go. No way could she continue to live like this, knowing that she was preventing them from being together and with the painful reminder that the two men she really genuinely liked, even though Gabriel still pissed her off, were hot for one another, and that she didn’t stand a chance with either one.
With that thought spurring her into action, Jessie spun around and ran from the stable, uncaring if the men heard her. Frankly, she figured they’d be happy that she knew about them, so now they could have sex in the house rather than in the stable. She ran blindly to her bedroom, locking the door behind her before giving vent to her tears. She cried for a few minutes before pulling herself together. She’d never been one to waste much time crying over things she couldn’t change.
Mopping her face and blowing her nose, Jessie looked at the clock. The time difference made it reasonable to phone, and she really needed to talk to a girlfriend. That thought in mind, Jessie picked up her phone and dialed the familiar number, almost holding her breath she was hoping so hard that she’d get an answer. As she heard the familiar voice on the other end of the line, Jessie blew out an explosive breath. Thank goodness Remy was home, because Jessie couldn’t imagine anyone else she’d rather talk to. She settled in to tell her best friend exactly what had happened.
Chapter 12
Liam had no idea that he could fall so quickly
from the heights of heaven to the deepest pit of hell. His gut clenched as he glimpsed the light grey of Jessie’s riding coat, the fabric rustling and snapping from her hasty departure. He almost called out to her, but remembered the situation he was in at the last moment, glancing down at his nakedness and the proximity of Gabriel’s cock to his lips. He curled inward in shame. The hedonistic joy of a moment before had vanished, and in its place was a desolate sense of emptiness so vast it threatened to stop his breathing.
Gabriel was just now noticing that the ministrations to his dick had stopped, and he growled down at Liam as he tightened his hands in Liam’s hair.
“Did I tell you to stop, sub?”
Liam recoiled, his joy in Gabriel’s commands replaced with utter mortification. He didn’t think about Gabriel at all in that instant, so concerned was he about making things right with Jessie. His stomach churned, and he assumed she’d run away because she was so horrified, so disgusted with them that she’d been unable to stand the sight of their pleasure any longer. She’d fire him now. And he knew, his heart heavy, that this time he’d have to go.
“Get your hands off me.” Liam spat the words, hating Gabriel as much as he hated himself in that instant.
Gabriel, clearly shocked, released his hold on Liam’s hair. “Liam? What’s wrong?”
“She saw us.” Liam drew a painful breath. “She was watching at the door, I don’t know how long, and she ran away.” He regained his feet, rushing to put on his clothes in his anxiousness to get to Jessie.
Gabriel’s eyebrow quirked and Liam wanted briefly to punch him in the face. The bastard smiled as he leisurely donned his own clothes, his still-hard cock apparently not bothering him. “Aah. You know, I’m not terribly surprised there’s a little voyeur in there. That woman is the sweetest pervert I’ve ever met.”
Jessie's Jewels [Submissive Sirens 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 7
