When he pulled up in front of the house, Tripp, Shep, and Brendan were already there. Jax got out and grabbed the bag of goodies Grace had baked the night before and made his way over to the guys, who were all nursing cups of coffee.
“Breakfast,” Jax said, holding up the bag.
“You stop by the café this morning?” Brendan asked as he helped himself to a cranberry-orange scone.
“No, Grace made them last night.”
“How does it feel to eat like a King?” Brendan asked.
“Probably not as good as it feels to be sleeping with one.” Shep smirked.
“Hey, that’s my sister,” Brendan said. “I might’ve accepted the fact that she’s with Jax, but I have absolutely no desire to hear about it. I’ve already seen it, and my eyes still haven’t recovered.”
“Oh, give me a break. You caught Grace and me in her apartment. Behind closed doors,” Jax said.
“And you can’t really talk,” Shep said. “Remember that time Jax caught Paige dry-humping you in your truck?”
“Vividly.” Brendan grinned.
“Wow, I’ve missed so much,” Tripp said with raised eyebrows.
“It’s a harrowing life we live here in Mirabelle,” Shep said. “Glad you’ve joined us though,” he said, clapping Tripp on the back before he grabbed the bag of scones and helped himself to two.
When the rest of the guys showed up, they all got to work. As the hours passed, Jax was amazed, and incredibly grateful, at the amount of work they were getting done. He’d been a little concerned about finishing everything that he needed to before the delivery, but not anymore at the rate they were going.
Just after one, Grace’s Bug came rumbling up the packed dirt driveway. Jax had asked her to bring them lunch, and since she had this thing about feeding him, she’d jumped at the chance. Plus she said she wanted to see the work that he’d done on the house. She hadn’t seen it since they’d gutted it out. Yeah, they’d made more than a couple of changes since then.
“Hey,” he said, abandoning Tripp and Baxter at the saw and walking up to her.
“You got a whole crew here today,” she said, putting her hands on his hips and stretching up to kiss him.
“Yeah, we’re getting a lot done. Want to see it before we eat?”
“Yes, please,” she said eagerly.
“Well, then come on.” He held his hand out for hers. She grabbed it and they twined their fingers together as they walked up the driveway.
The house was on ten-foot pylons, so there was a wooden staircase that led up to the porch, which wrapped around the right side of the house and to the back. One of the first things Jax replaced had been the rotting steps and porch.
“This looks good and safe,” Grace said as they made their way up to the house.
“What? You don’t have that overwhelming feeling that you’re going to fall to your death anymore?”
“Nope. What color are you going to paint the house?” she asked as they walked through the open front door.
“I haven’t decided yet. I was actually going to ask for your help on that. Well, help on all of the paint actually.”
“Really?” she asked, her eyebrows stretching up to her hairline.
“Don’t look so shocked. I’d like a second opinion, and I value yours more than anybody else’s.”
“Yeah?” She beamed.
“Yeah,” he said, leading her down the hallway.
The kitchen was directly to the left where the hallway ended. At the moment it was just an empty space with pipes sticking out of the walls where the sink and dishwasher were going to go. It opened up to the living room at the back of the house. Two bay windows framed the French glass doors that opened to the back deck. Whiskey River was a good fifty yards away, and the land that led up to it was scattered with mossy oak trees.
Their shoes shuffled across the dusty unfinished floor as they walked across the room.
“Wow,” Grace said as she looked out the windows. “The view is amazing.”
“I thought I heard your voice,” Brendan said, coming out of the master bedroom that was to the right of the living room. It too was on the back of the house, so it had the same incredible view.
“I brought lunch,” she said as Brendan went over to the toolbox and grabbed some more nails.
“Awesome,” Bennett said, coming out of the room, too. “I’m starving.”
“Help yourselves. It’s all in the front seat of my car.”
“We will. We’re just going to finish up this room really quick. We only have a couple more panels to put up,” Bennett said, grabbing a sweating bottle of water off the ground and downing half of it.
Jax continued his tour, showing Grace the two spare bedrooms and bathroom that made up the left side of the house. Shep and Preston were in one of the bedrooms, the nail gun firing as they put up a piece of the wall.
“Hey.” Preston said when he saw her.
“Getting a good look at your man’s new place?” Shep asked.
“Yeah, it’s really coming along. What are you going to work on next?” she asked, looking at Jax.
“The bathrooms.”
“Do they work at all?”
“No,” Jax said, shaking his head.
“What do you do when you have to go to the bathroom? You guys don’t hold it all day.”
“Guys don’t have the same plumbing issues as you do.” Preston grinned.
“What, you guys just pick a spot and whip it out to pee?” Grace asked, wrinkling her nose.
“I really don’t understand why this shocks and disgusts you. You grew up with us, Gracie, not a lot has changed,” Shep said.
“I never saw you guys peeing in the bushes.”
“Really?” Shep asked, surprised. “’Cause we did it all the time.”
“Well, you must have waited until I wasn’t around. Ugh, you boys are so gross.” She shuddered.
“Come on,” Preston said, putting down the nail gun. “Let’s go eat. We can scratch our chests and belch while we do it.”
“You’re annoying.” Grace rolled her eyes.
“But that’s not a man trait,” Shep said. “That’s just Preston.”
“Really?” Preston asked as they left the room. “I’m the annoying one?”
Jax picked back up on his tour, showing Grace where the dining room and den were going, and then he pulled her into the master bedroom. It had a walk-in closet, and when the bathroom was finished it would have a stand-up shower and a Jacuzzi tub.
“Jax, it all looks amazing,” she said, beaming at him. “You’ve done a lot with this place.”
“Yeah?” he said, feeling more than a little bit proud.
“Yeah,” she said, stepping into him.
“I’m all hot and sweaty.”
“I don’t care,” she said, and pushed her body against his as she stretched up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Besides I’m used to you being hot and sweaty, otherwise the sex would be very boring.”
As her mouth closed in on his there was a loud thump from the closet, and a second later a very agitated Brendan emerged. “Bennett and I are still in here. How hard is it to check a room?”
Grace bit her lip, most likely holding back a laugh.
“Oh, geez. I’m never going to get used to this,” Brendan said as he stormed out of the room.
“Sorry ’bout that.” Bennett smiled over at them as he followed Brendan out.
Grace laughed and turned back to Jax. “Now, where were we?”
“Right about here,” he said as he leaned down and kissed her.
Her hands started to roam all over his chest and he couldn’t stop himself from groaning into her mouth.
“Do you enjoy torturing me?” he asked.
“You’re really sexy when you’re hot and sweaty. You think we could go have a quickie in the closet?” she said, motioning her head in the direction of the closet that Brendan and Bennett had been working on.
�
�As much fun as that would be, if Brendan happened upon us he’d really lose his mind. And there are too many other men wandering around. I don’t really want any of them to see you naked.”
“You wouldn’t have to worry about Preston.”
“I’m beginning to think I wouldn’t have to worry about Baxter, either.”
“So you picked up on that?” Grace asked.
“Yeah. Preston had mentioned something to me that night I talked to him at the bar, the night your car wouldn’t start.”
“Awe,” she said, getting a dreamy look in her eyes. “That was a good night.”
“It sure was. But he said that he’d had a date. And I’ve seen him and Baxter out a couple of times.”
“You think the other guys know?”
“I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “We haven’t talked about it.”
“You think they’d care?” she asked, worrying her bottom lip.
“Not even a little,” Jax said, reaching up and pulling her lip out of her teeth with his thumb. “I’ve worked with Baxter for years. He’s a really great guy, and though my feelings toward Preston have only recently changed—”
“Recently because you found out that he has no desire of getting into my pants,” Grace clarified.
“Yes.” Jax nodded. “But he was a good guy before that. I just have this jealous streak when it comes to you.”
“No kidding?” Grace asked with mock exaggeration. “Well, if I’m not going to get sex in the closet, I’m going to have to ask for a couple more kisses before we go down and eat.”
“I think I can handle that,” he said, bringing his mouth back to hers.
When they emerged a couple of minutes later, all the guys were crowded around the back of Jax’s truck. They were chowing down on sandwiches and potato chips, laughing loudly about something.
“I know I said it before, but you guys have done an amazing job with this place.”
“She’s right.” Preston nodded. “I saw this place when it got condemned. It was trashed; it’s going to be incredible when it’s finished.”
“It’s mostly been Jax and Bennett,” Brendan said, popping a chip in his mouth.
“With the planning, yeah,” Jax said. “The labor has been a significant portion of you and Shep, too.”
“When do you think it will be finished?” Grace asked.
“I’d say June, July at the latest,” Bennett told her.
“Here’s hoping,” Jax said, taking a step back toward the cooler. “I’m going to get a drink. What do you want, baby?” he asked as he turned around.
All of a sudden everyone went silent. Jax halted and turned back. Brendan, Shep, and Preston were staring at him open-mouthed, Bennett looked just slightly surprised with his eyebrows raised, and Baxter and Tripp had grins on their mouths.
“What?” Jax asked.
“Really? You just called Grace baby and you need to ask us what?” Shep asked.
“She’s my girlfriend.”
“Yes, Jax, but the reason we’re confused is because it’s a term of endearment,” Brendan said. “From you.”
“Grace, I don’t know what you’ve done to that man over there,” Shep said pointing to Jax. “But keep it up.”
“Oh, I plan on it,” Grace said, giving Jax a look that left him in no doubts as to what exactly she wanted to keep up.
* * *
Sunday was the first day that Jax and Grace had off together, and he was going to spend every single minute with her. He woke up with her sprawled across his chest. The ends of her hair tickled his jaw as he looked down at her. Her face was turned up to him, her cupid’s bow mouth slightly opened. A piece of her hair fluttered in front of her mouth as she breathed steadily.
He watched her sleep and marveled at how beautiful she was. How had he gone this long before making her his?
He’d made love to her twice the night before, but it did nothing to lessen his need for her. If anything the need was just intensifying.
He reached up and pushed the strand of hair away from her mouth. The light touch made her burrow farther into him. Her leg rode up between his, the bottom of her foot running up his calf, her knee rubbing up against the inside of his leg.
Yeah, he was going to wake her up in five...
Four…
Three…
“Morning,” she said, running her hand across his chest as she slowly opened her eyes and smiled up at him sleepily.
Thank God.
He rolled her beneath him and she inhaled sharply as his mouth latched on to one of her nipples.
“What is it with my breasts that fascinates you so much?” she asked as she made room for him between her thighs.
“You just answered your own question,” he said, looking up at her. “One, they’re breasts. Two, and more importantly, they’re your breasts.”
“Yes, but mine are so small and insignificant.”
“Nothing about you is insignificant. You’re beautiful.”
“Right.” She rolled her eyes.
“Is that sarcasm I detect?”
“Um, yes.”
Jax moved before she even had a chance to react. He had her hands pinnedabove her head, and his legs, were now on the outside of hers, locking her legs down. She gasped, startled, and her eyes opened wide as he looked down at her.
“So here’s the thing,” he said, adjusting his hands so only one held hers down. “You, Grace King, are beautiful. From here,” he said, reaching up and tracing her hairline, “to the tips of your toes, and everything in between. Now your breasts are in the between. So they are therefore part of the beautiful.” He ran his fingers across one of her nipples and she took another unsteady breath. Her legs squirmed between his, aligning things perfectly. “Are you trying to torture me?” he asked, resting his forehead against hers.
“You’re the one making me do it,” she said, moving her hips some more as he continued to touch her breasts.
“Then let’s see you really move,” he whispered in her ear before he moved his hand to her side and started tickling her.
“Oh, my God, Jax, nooooooo,” she cried out, laughing.
She was helpless beneath him, her hands and arms still pinned down but her body writhing against his.
“I give up. You win. You win,” she panted.
“I like the sound of that,” he said, letting go of her hands.
But the second her hands were free they were on his sides and she was tickling him.
So apparently Jax was insanely ticklish and not just on the bottom of his feet. Grace might be a whole lot smaller than him, but she had quick hands and nimble fingers that found every single spot that drove him crazy. He could have stopped her if he’d really tried but the sound of her laughing did funny things to him, and he wanted to hear her make that sound for as long as possible. For the rest of his life.
He wasn’t sure how long they wrestled around the bed, or when Grace managed to get on higher ground straddling him, or at what moment everything changed from playful to passionate.
She reached down and stroked him.
“Ahh, Grace,” Jax groaned as his head fell back into the pillow. Her grip around him tightened and he couldn’t stop himself from pumping his hips up. He knew he wasn’t going to last long, so he reached down and stilled her hand. “I really don’t want to come that way.”
“No?” she asked.
“No,” he said, shaking his head.
She let go of him and lifted slightly as she reached over to the nightstand and pulled out a condom. She opened the little package and he groaned when her hands were on him again, rolling the latex down.
A second later she was lowering herself down onto him, and Jax was thrusting up inside of her. He grabbed her hips to help steady her, and she proceeded to ride him. Hard.
It still amazed Jax that Grace’s small body could take him, could take all of him. He’d never gotten this much pleasure out of sex. It had never been like this before. So out
-of-his-mind indescribable. And it appeared that Grace got a good amount of satisfaction out of their joining as well.
It was a couple of minutes of pure joy before Grace’s head fell back between her shoulders and her hips picked up their pace. She cried out as her body throbbed around him, and Jax just let himself go.
Grace collapsed onto him, their sweaty skin sticking together. Jax wrapped his arms around Grace, holding her to him and never wanting to let her go.
* * *
Grace watched as Jax looped his jeans with a belt. He looked good in jeans and an emerald-green T-shirt. No, that was an understatement. He looked incredible. Edible. The top of his shirt was tight across his shoulders and chest, a chest that she happily had her mouth all over that morning.
After their wrestling match in bed, they’d taken a shower together. There hadn’t been any wrestling in the steady stream of hot water, though Grace might have gotten pinned up against the wall at one point. When they surfaced sometime later, Grace stole one of Jax’s T-shirts and pulled on her shorts from the day before.
“Are you going commando?” he asked, sounding pained.
“Just until we go to my apartment so I can change,” she said as she buttoned the top button. When she looked up, Jax was staring at her hands as she pulled up the zipper.
“Oh.” He nodded, not taking his eyes off her zipper, or more accurately her crotch.
“You sound disappointed by that fact.”
“Well,” he said, looking up at her and grinning. “I mean, it’s kind of hot, the idea of you not wearing anything all day.”
“Really?” she asked, laughing. “Well, I’m not going to spend the day out and about sans panties. Besides, I thought you really liked taking them off me.”
“I do,” he said, grabbing her and pulling her into him.
“You know you can’t have it both ways.”
“Yes, I know. But both options are pretty fantastic,” he said as he ran his hands up her thighs to her waist. “So either way I’m happy.”
Undeniable (A Country Roads Novel) Page 16
