by Avery Gale
Rocking his hips forward just enough to penetrate her slightly, Micah was grateful for the release she’d just experienced because it was providing the lubrication he needed to glide smoothly between her swollen tissues. Keeping his eyes on hers, he watched her intently—waiting for that one moment when he knew she’d crossed the line and he’d need to be prepared for her sudden movement. Deciding that distraction was his best alternative, he asked, “How long has it been for you, baby?”
She closed her eyes and just for a second he wasn’t sure if she was ashamed of her answer or if she was just trying to bring the question into focus so she could answer. “Five years.” He went completely still, he was barely breathing. Blinking several times, he tried to decide if he’d actually heard her correctly. Five years? Is she fucking serious? Were the men in Austin blind? Micah knew she was twenty-six and that was a long time considering her age and the glimpses he’d seen of the passionate woman lurking just below the surface. “My twenty-first birthday to be exact.” She took a deep breath and he could see her mentally sliding right out of the mood he and Jax had worked so hard to set.
“Well, let’s see what we can do about replacing that memory with something better, shall we? My cock is pressing against a warm, wet, welcoming entrance and I can feel the heat surrounding me and I’m not even inside yet.” As he began rocking his hips back and forth, he slid into her in small increments, gaining depth with each stroke. He felt the sweat beading on his brow and the effort it was taking to hold back from plunging deep was testing him in ways he hadn’t explored in a very long time.
Micah listened to each little moan and sigh Gracie made and relished the satisfaction it gave him knowing he was giving her pleasure. Her body had returned to the pliable state it had been in before she’d mentioned her twenty-first birthday, and he was enjoying every inch of her softening channel as he pressed steadily inside. Feeling her tight muscles stretch to accommodate his cock was sweet indeed.
“Relax, baby…let me in. Those rippling muscles are already driving my control right over the edge. You’re so hot and wet…and when you squeeze me as I’m pulling out it feels like you are caressing me with wet, silk covered desire. It rocks me to my very soul.” Micah was sure he’d never spoken any words that he’d meant more than those he’d just uttered, and he just let his heart fill itself with her.
Everything with Gracie was different…he hadn’t had sex without a condom since he was a teenager and the feeling of connection from the skin to skin contact was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. I’ll never be able to fuck another woman again. This one holds everything that I am in the palm of her hands.
When Micah slid his arms under Gracie’s knees and lifted, her pelvis tilted just enough to change the angle of his thrusts and send the corona of his penis over her G-spot on each stroke. The rigid ring around the head was the perfect stimulus and he could sense her arousal ratchet up exponentially. Watching Gracie lose all focus as she surrendered the last of her inhibitions was the most erotic thing Micah had ever seen. Her torso was flushed a gorgeous deep rose, her eyes half-lidded and unfocused, and she seemed to almost glow from the inside out.
He’d never really held any fondness for straight vanilla sex before…it had just never flipped any switches for him. But this was off the chart perfect and just as her internal muscles clamped down on him like a vice, he shouted her name and let the fire that had been boiling in his testicles rocket out of his cock drenching Gracie’s clenched channel in blasts meant to claim her as his own. Hearing her scream his name had only added to his satisfaction and for long seconds he wasn’t even sure he’d be able to draw in a breath.
When his brain finally kicked in and ordered his lungs to pull in the oxygen it was craving, Micah lifted off her and smiled. Several gasping breaths later, he finally managed to rasp out, “There are simply no words to describe that, baby. Anything I’d say wouldn’t do justice to how incredible you are.” Seeing her eyes fill with tears, he knew she’d felt the same melding. He leaned back down and pressed his lips to her tear streaked cheeks and savored the salty flavor. “Jax and I will always be nearby to kiss away your tears, sweetheart. Whether they are tears of joy or sadness—we’ll be right beside you.”
Turning her toward Jax, Micah moved back and watched in wonder as the most amazing woman he’d ever met melted against his best friend. She’s perfect and she is ours. If anyone hurts her, I’ll move heaven and hell to take them apart.
Chapter Eleven
Jax had visited sex clubs all over the world and hadn’t thought he’d ever see anything that would top some of the eroticism he’d witnessed. He’d always been in awe of other nations whose sexual freedoms and openness far exceeded those in the United State. Even many of the stricter religious states where they’d fought were remarkably open minded about what was acceptable behind closed doors. But watching his best friend make love to Gracie had blown away everything he’d ever believed was “hot” and he knew those images would be etched in his memory for the rest of his life. Seeing Micah and Gracie’s expressions as their souls linked together was as close to magic as Jax had ever witnessed.
Micah was one of the most astute sexual Dominants Jax had ever known. His ability to “read” a sub was almost legendary. He could catch even the most subtle shifts in body language and interpret the meaning with unerring accuracy, but Jax had never known Micah to connect on an emotional level with any woman. So seeing him make that connection with Gracie had been amazing. Jax waited as Micah spoke softly to Gracie while she waded through the emotional aftermath of what had obviously been an earth-shattering release.
When Micah turned her slowly into Jax’s arms, it felt like he’d finally “come home”. The rightness of the moment was only eclipsed by the surge of blood into his already engorged cock that left him almost light-headed. Feeling her naked perfection pressed against him, her pillowy breasts against his chest with his cock trapped between them caused him to groan in pleasure. Sighing at the loss of her warmth, he pulled back so he could look into her eyes. “Cariña, do you need something to drink? A snack? A break? It won’t be the end of the world if you are too tired to continue tonight.” Stroking his fingers lightly down the side of her face, he watched as she seemed to consider his words.
“I’d like to get a drink and maybe a small snack. I suppose you noticed I didn’t eat much dinner. But then I would like to continue because I might not get another chance and…well, I don’t want to always regret the missed opportunity.” Jax had to bite the inside of his mouth to keep from telling her there was no way in fucking hell she was leaving them. It was too early in their relationship for either he or Micah to issue orders or make those demands. They would just have to convince her that staying at Prairie Winds was the best and safest option.
Jax knew too well that his size alone was often intimidating and if he was reading her right, she’d already been a bit skittish about him fitting inside her. It was easy to see how vulnerable and emotionally raw she was feeling, so letting her get her bearings was in everyone’s best interest. He just nodded his head in understanding as he helped her to her feet. Looking over her head, he saw Micah’s scowl and Jax could only hope his friend would give her a minute to settle before saying anything to send up her defenses. Considering what they’d learned about her past, it was obvious she’d been forced to learn quickly how to shut herself off from people as a matter of safety, and all those years of conditioning weren’t going to be undone overnight.
Jax had purposely not mentioned her comment about leaving while they’d eaten a light snack and enjoyed a bit of wine. Once the wine had worked its magic, Jax could see the tension draining from Gracie’s body language. Leaning back in his chair watching her as she picked up the last piece of cheese, he thought back on how mortified he and the others had been by the lack of food in her small apartment. She’d left a pay stub out laying on her dresser and he’d been stunned when he’d seen how little she’d been living on.
Hell, it was a fucking miracle she hadn’t been homeless. And seeing how little she’d been earning had certainly explained her lack of food. No one had been surprised to see how easily she’d tired when she’d first moved to Prairie Winds. Jax smiled to himself remembering how happy their entire team had been when Gracie had started to blossom in good health after moving to Prairie Winds. Sometimes the “mother hen instincts” of all those Special Forces soldiers amazed and amused him.
It was time to tackle the subject of her leaving and Jax was pleased that Micah seemed willing to let him handle it. “You know what I’ve noticed, Gracie?” She looked up at him and her blinking stare and deer in the headlights look told him she’d gone on point immediately so he didn’t leave her wondering. “It seems like you’ve gotten healthier since you’ve been living at Prairie Winds. You seem to have more energy and your color is better. Why do you suppose that is?”
A part of Jax’s training in the Special Forces had focused on interrogation techniques and he intended to use those skills shamelessly now. He wanted to help Gracie see what he and Micah already knew—that she was far safer here with them even if Raphael Baldamino knew her location. There were very few places on earth he’d consider safer for her and she damned well wouldn’t have access to any of those, so she was going to stay right where she was. Micah had already set things in motion to provide Gracie’s mother and brother with protection until they knew what they were up against. The most logical way for Baldamino to bring Gracie to heel would be to use her family’s safety as leverage, and no one was going to allow that to happen.
Gracie had been chewing her bottom lip and was obviously trying to figure out his angle. In Jax’s view, if she was trying to figure out the “correct way” to answer his question, they hadn’t built enough trust yet. He took her hand in his and drew lazy circles in her palm with his thumb. “Cariña, stop overthinking the question.” Her gaze returned to him quickly and the lights reflected in her dark eyes.
Gracie was a very bright woman and Jax couldn’t help but compare her with Kent and Kyle West’s mother and wife. Lilly and Tobi West were both intelligent and spirited. He’d heard their husbands mention on more than one occasion how “getting them out of their own heads” was often the biggest challenge during scenes. At the time, Jax hadn’t fully understood what his friends and their dads meant, but it was abundantly clear now.
Gracie’s agitated voice broke through his thoughts, “Well fiddle farts. You’re not going to let this go, are you?” He didn’t even bother to respond, and he noticed Micah had just crossed his arms over his chest, waiting. After a dramatic sigh that nearly caused him to roll his eyes at her theatrics, she finally continued, “I agree that Prairie Winds has been great for me. I’m eating better and sleeping a lot better because it’s quiet.” And safe, even though she hadn’t said it out loud, the unspoken admission still sounded loud and clear in Jax’s mind. He wasn’t going to let her off the hook because he knew there was more to it than that, and it was obvious that she knew it as well. She took another deep breath and seemed to have become terribly interested in the wood frame around the window she was standing next to.
*****
Gracie wanted to reach over and smack Jax upside the head, but she was fairly sure that wouldn’t work out well for her. Even though she had only read about Doms and subs in the hundreds of books on Tobi’s e-reader, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see where that would lead.
Anytime she or her younger brother, Alex, were being “buttheads” their mom would pop them just enough to “rattle their brains back into gear”. Holy horsefeathers I’m turning into my mom. Gracie wasn’t a fool, she knew exactly where Jax was leading her with his questions, and in all honesty, there probably wasn’t a whole lot she could do to avoid the inevitable conclusion. But damn-it-all-to-hell she wasn’t going to make it easy on him if she could avoid it.
Looking over her shoulder seeking out Micah had proven useless when she saw he had adopted a similar “stop avoiding the question” expression similar to Jax’s. Jax had stepped back from her and now both men were standing with their bare feet shoulder width apart in nothing but faded Levi’s. The top buttons were open and the starkly different hues of the delicious trail pointing south was enough to make a girl’s mouth water. Neither had bothered to put on a shirt and the sight of their bare, muscular chests was a distraction of Biblical proportions. Jax’s pectoral muscles reminded her of large pillows with nipples and she suddenly realized she was staring at his chest grinning like a fool. When her eyes finally returned his, he was smiling at her indulgently.
“Like what you see, Cariña?” His voice had lost some of its earlier edge, his tone was now more lusty than demanding. Oh boy, do I ever! Let’s can the chit-chat and get back to the fun stuff.
“Well, yeah. You both know you’re hot. And you know perfectly well what effect you have on women. Don’t play that lame card with me, Jax.” Gracie didn’t even realize she’d put her hands on her hips until she saw his eyes flick down to her chest. They’d given her a thin cotton button down shirt to wear but hadn’t let her button it. When she’d moved her hands to her hips she’d inadvertently moved the shirt open enough to bare her ample cleavage and bare sex. Watching his nostrils flare and his eyes dilate sent a bolt of electric need straight to her pussy and she felt it flood with cream. I swear it is as if my body belongs to them instead of me when they are near. The realization that accompanied that thought was so startling she actually gasped.
In an instant Micah was standing shoulder to shoulder with Jax in front of her and their looks were ones of concern rather than desire. Way to spoil the mood, Rose. Oh no…no…oh, God. Realizing that she’d actually thought of herself as Rose was so frightening that she swayed on her feet. The single most important thing she’d learned after escaping Raphael was that even thinking of herself in terms of her former identity was dangerous. Before she could even blink Micah had scooped her up into his arms and moved to the living room sofa, settling her on his lap.
Jax sat close and pulled her hands into his own. “Tell us what went through your mind, Cariña, and don’t you dare lie.” When she looked down and hesitated, he put his finger under her chin and brought her attention back to his face. “And Grace, we will know if you lie. You also need to remember, lying by omission or editing your response will be punished just as if you’d told us that grass is purple.”
Sighing, she explained exactly how unsettling she found their power over her and how devastating it was that she’d actually thought of herself as Rose Rivera. She was immensely relieved at how understanding they’d been. And even though they’d glossed over her comments about how they affected her, she hadn’t missed the gleam of satisfaction in their eyes. And they had both agreed that seeing herself as Rose was a dangerous mind-set to embrace, at least for the time being. Jax had brushed her hair over her shoulder in a tender move that hinted at an even deeper intimacy and she loved how settling she found it was to have them touching her. Jax’s voice was low and full of concern, but she knew his confidence in the words was bone deep, “Cariña, let us help you. This is what we do.”
Micah moved her face to his and spoke softly, “We’re already providing your mother and brother with protection because it’s reasonable to assume they will be Baldamino’s first line of attack to bring you in.”
Gracie felt as if ice water had suddenly replaced her blood. God in heaven how had she deluded herself to believe if she just disappeared her family would be safe? And now that she’d heard Micah’s assessment out loud, it all seemed crystal clear and the flash of fear that raced up her spine felt as if she’d been electrocuted. Why didn’t I take that seriously? How could I have been so naïve? Raphael would never leave mama and Alex alone. They won’t ever be safe because my love for them makes them the perfect leverage. She hadn’t even realized she was beginning to panic until she’d felt Jax’s hands tighten around her own and heard his stern, “Grace. Stop. Now.”
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nbsp; He let go of her hands and placed his on her cheeks, and leaned forward until they were practically nose to nose. “Breathe with me.” Her mind was whirling at the thought of being forced to return to Costa Rica with Raphael. All she could see was the room she’d been held in for so long and it was whirling around her like a tornado. She gulped in great gasping breaths feeling as if she’d suddenly been thrust on to a spinning ride that was slowly tipping to the side. Before she fell all the way into the abyss of the stark terror flashing all around her, a sharp pinch to her nipples brought her focus back to Jax’s hardened expression. “That’s better. Stay with us, Gracie. We need for you to understand the dangers, but not be paralyzed by them. Now breathe with me.” After a few minutes of slow, measured breaths Gracie felt as if the ride had slowed down enough she could jump off the damned thing and at least get her feet back under her.
It took several attempts before she could finally manage to push words past her lips. “I-I understand. But I hadn’t considered how much danger mama and Alex would be in. Alex won’t hear them coming…and mama will die trying to protect him.” She blinked back the tears that threatened to spill over as she tried to gather her thoughts. Everything about this was just so screwed up that she didn’t even know where to begin. And it all began because she’d been walking along the beach one afternoon enjoying the cool breeze gliding over the crystalline water of the Pacific as it moved in gentle, lapping waves on to the shore.
