A Torey Hope Novel Series: The Complete 4-Book Box Set

by A. D. Ellis

  “Like what you see, Angel?” Jeremiah’s gruff voice pulled her from her musings.

  “Mmmm, I very much like what I see. But, I think I’d like it a little better if I could see a certain angel tattoo.” Audrey sat up and stripped her sweater over her head and immediately unclasped her bra. His breath caught as she spilled out in front of him.

  “Damn, Sweets, I never get tired of seeing you like this. You are so fucking perfect.” He made short work of his jeans and boxers and moved towards her.

  “J, I’m a mother of three, two of whom I birthed. I have stretch marks, a permanent belly, and baggy, saggy boobs. I am not even close to perfect.” Audrey, not ashamed of her body, knew he loved her the way she was, but felt she needed to correct his word usage.

  “Stop. Don’t ever complain about your fucking perfect body. I’m serious. You are the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen, and I plan on loving every inch of you from your stretch marks to your belly to your fantastic tits. Now, lie down; we’re done talking.”

  His proud length bobbed right in front of her face so before obeying his command, she licked her lips, grabbed him, and sucked him deep into her mouth.

  She felt the hiss of his breath straight to her core. Knowing she could still make her husband react in this way was a potent feeling. A few more swirls of her tongue and he jerked himself away from her. “Not like that tonight, baby. We don’t have time for round 2, and if you keep doing that, I won’t even make it to round 1.”

  He pushed her down on the bed and stripped her pants and thong down her beautiful legs. “The next time my parents have the three hoodlums, we will go as many rounds as you want. But, for tonight, we’re on a tight schedule. Mmmm, speaking of tight….” He moaned a bit as his fingers slid into her. “Baby, how can you still feel so damn good after having kids? It baffles my mind, but I’m not complaining.” Audrey’s only answer was to writhe against his hand and buck her hips.

  He trailed his mouth down her torso, dipping into her belly button. Moving slowly but with purpose he made his way to her center. “Angel, I could stay here all night.”

  “No, J, we have to hurry. If we don’t get back soon everyone is going to know what we’ve been doing.” Audrey’s voice was beginning to sound desperate; with the state she was in, she wasn’t above begging for him.

  “Angel, I plan on you shining with such an after-sex glow that every single adult in there will know exactly what we’ve been doing.” Jeremiah smiled and waggled his eyebrows at his wife’s blush.

  He braced himself over her on his elbows; he loved the perfect fit of how his hips settled just right between her legs. Without wasting a single second more, he slid into her; both of them moaning with the feeling of completion this always brought them.

  After a moment, Jeremiah pulled out and chuckled at her moan of protest. “Just a second, Sweets, I just want to move us to a different position.” Rolling her to her side so that she was almost on her stomach, he lifted her top leg and swiftly entered her from behind. This angle was different, but oh-so-good for both of them.

  “Ah, J, I’m not going to last long.” Audrey panted as he thrust into her. He reached around and found the spot he was seeking; her moans turned to whimpers and soon he felt her body clinching around him. Moments later, on one final thrust, he groaned and emptied himself into her.

  Lying on top of her, both of them began laughing. Jeremiah spoke into her neck, “That was record timing, Angel. Now, clean up quick, and let’s see if we can beat Nate and Libby back.” Jeremiah jumped up and rushed to the bathroom to run warm water so they could both clean up.

  Within 5 minutes, they were running out the backdoor and through Jack and Judy’s backdoor. They were laughing hysterically; not even noticing the raised eyebrows and smirks of the other adults, Jeremiah pumped his fist, “Yes, we beat them!”

  “Beat who? If you’re talking about us, you should give us at least a 5 minute lead since we had to drive to where we were going!” Nate’s voice sounded from the front door as he and Libby made their way into the house. Libby’s eyes were shining and her cheeks were glowing; Audrey assumed her face looked the same.

  “Well, now, since everyone has had a moment to recoup, let’s get baths done. I think Judy has a story for us later.” Cindy said this with a smile and a wink at the younger couples.

  **********

  Bath time at Jack and Judy’s was interesting. They had a gigantic Jacuzzi style bathtub; all of the kids could fit in it at one time. This worked fine when Beckett and the girls were a bit younger; now, though, Beckett took a shower in the other bathroom and the girls took a bath after the little boys. Megan and Abby loved to turn on the jets and play for a while.

  Decker, Sawyer, Zach, and Kendrick could only tolerate the jets for a short amount of time; they were a little scared of the force of the water coming from spouts all around them. The little boys thought the best part of the big tub was how deep it was; they all had goggles they got to wear in the big tub. Much giggling and looking at butts underwater was done when the four of them were in the tub.

  Once all of the kids were clean, dry, and dressed, they crowded onto couches in the living room to watch a movie; since they had all napped that day, there was a very good chance of them making it through the entire film.

  Coffee and water for hot tea were started; the adults filled the kitchen. The kitchen table could hold eight people; instead of getting the other table back out, the other four found alternate places to sit. Libby sat on the counter top and Nate leaned back between her legs; Audrey adopted the same perch on a different counter and welcomed Jeremiah to lean into her body by wrapping her arms around his shoulders. The kitchen was cozy, warm, and filled with the scent of a freshly baked cake. The adults settled in for good conversation.

  “So, Cindy, what’s this about a story?” John leaned down to kiss his wife as he handed her a coffee mug.

  “Well, Judy was telling a story today about Jeremiah and Jack; we thought maybe she could share their love story since we got to hear Robert’s story a while back.” Cindy nodded at Judy in encouragement.

  “Uh, Mom, I’m all for reminiscing and I know you and Dad love each other, but could we please keep it G rated. For the love of all that is good, please don’t make me listen to sex stories involving you two.” Jeremiah shuddered but smiled good-naturedly at his mother.

  “What? We all had to see you and Audrey and Nate and Libby come in here glowing after your little 45 minute romp; I think a little steamy romance story about your dad and I would serve you right.” Judy laughed at her son’s expression. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep it clean.” The whole group laughed at Jeremiah’s visible relief.

  Chapter 6

  Judy and Jack sat next to each other; his eyes twinkled as she prepared to tell their story. The love between them was evident; but the caring, the friendship, the years of working hard at a marriage were just as clear to the observers, if not more so.

  “Well”, Judy began slowly with a bit of a reminiscent smile, “my mother was quite the character. She had gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd when she was younger and fell in love with the bad boy of the group. She was rebelling against her preacher father and trying to get a response from her passive mother. Not only did she fall in with the wrong crowd, she found herself pregnant and alone; the bad boy fled with his cronies as soon as she confronted him about the baby. My mother grew up quickly that day, but she knew she wanted the baby. Sometimes I wonder if she wanted the baby because she already loved it or if she just wanted to rub her rebellion in her father’s face. Her parents, too proud to let themselves look anything less than acceptable in the public’s eye, had to decide on which of their two options was less offensive. They could disown my mother for getting herself in trouble; but how would that look to her father’s congregation? Or, they could face the embarrassment that my mother had brought upon them and allow her to stay at home until she was eighteen; at that point, they could quietly send her out on
her own while claiming the girl had just chosen her independence. They decided to let my mother stay in their home and raise the baby until she was eighteen. My mother always regretted staying; she said she should have set off on her own to see where she ended up. But, hindsight is 20/20 and, by her own admission, she didn’t really have it that bad at home.”

  Judy paused to take a drink of her coffee. “I was born when my mother was sixteen. She turned seventeen when I was six-months-old. We lived with my grandparents until she turned eighteen and then we left. My grandmother watched me during the day while my mother worked as a waitress; she saved every penny so we’d have something to set out with. I know the one thing she always wished was that she had been able to finish school. I had a good life; my mother provided me with all that she could and she taught me important lessons that she had learned the hard way. She was protective, involved, and she ran a tight ship. My mother was spunky; she never let her history or mistakes control her. I guess that’s where I get it from; I always hoped to teach my children the same lessons that she taught me.”

  Audrey served cake while everyone continued listening to Judy’s story; Jeremiah and Nate, little boys in big boy bodies, each grabbed huge tumblers of milk to drink with their cake. Jeremiah seemed as intrigued by this story as everyone else was; perhaps parents should remember that even their grown-up children love to hear stories from the past.

  “Anyway, my mother was not thrilled when I started showing interest in boys. However, she didn’t want to hold the reins too tight because she feared I’d rebel the same way she did. So, she attempted to let the leads out a bit at a time.” Judy paused to take a bite of cake; Jack took over the story for a bit.

  “I had moved to town at the beginning of summer. I had always been sort of a loner; not because I didn’t like people, but we moved a lot while I was a small child and I never had friends for long. I didn’t fit with any of the groups around school or town. I didn’t have a bad reputation or a good reputation; no one really knew me well enough to form an opinion of me. I saw Judy at school on my first day there. It took me a good three months to speak to her and another month to get her to pay much attention to me; I finally broke through her wariness and got to see her smiles and hear her laugh. Once she let down her guard and realized I was a good guy, I asked to take her on a date. She sighed heavily and stated, ‘I don’t think my mother will allow that.’ I was persistent and kept asking her out until she finally agreed. She told me, ‘You know what?! I’m seventeen-years-old! If I want to go on a date with a boy I adore I should be able to! I will just tell my mother I’m going; I won’t ask her.’” Jack chuckled and rubbed Judy’s leg as an indication that she could continue the story.

  “My mother didn’t really say much when I told her I was going on a date. I was slightly concerned at her lack of response. The day of the date, Jack pulled up in his car; it was all shiny, I could tell he’d washed and waxed it. My mother walked with me to meet him as he got out of the car. I was so excited to get in that car and go on my first date; he looked so handsome and I was starting to wonder if tonight would be my first kiss. I was interested and feeling left out because most of my friends had already been kissed. Well, I was in for a surprise that day and it had nothing to do with kissing. My mother walked right up in front of him and told him, ‘I don’t like your shirt; it clashes with your eyes. A boy should always dress to impress his date, and I’m not impressed. Perhaps you should try again another day.’” Judy laughed and shook her head as if her mother’s reaction still shocked her.

  “I was mortified as any seventeen-year-old girl would be, but Jack just smiled and told me we’d try again another day. About a week later he told me to be ready around 6 pm on Friday. I was more than wary when he pulled into the drive that evening. My mother marched to the yard and met him about halfway. She appraised his shirt; ‘The shirt choice is much better, but no respectable boy shows up for a date with a beautiful girl without shining his shoes. Try again.’ By this time I had given up on dating; I was irritated with my mom, but I also understood where she was coming from. I knew she didn’t want me getting mixed up and in trouble like she had; I just wished she could have understood that Jack wasn’t like that. Anyway, Jack just chuckled and told her he’d be back another day. At school he told me he thought the third time would be the charm; I sure hoped so. Another week passed and I started to wonder if maybe he had given up on dating me since my mother was being such a pain. While I was contemplating my bleak, dateless future at my locker, a whisper sounded in my ear. ‘Alright, pretty girl, be ready at 6 pm today. I’m coming to get you. We will play your mom’s game and eventually I’ll wear her down.’ I wasn’t so sure, I feared she’d turn him down one-too-many times and he’d move on to someone whose mother wasn’t so spunky and protective.”

  The entire kitchen was waiting to see if Judy and Jack got their date; obviously they knew a date happened at some point but how long did her mother make them work for it?

  “Before Jack even got out of his car on the third attempt, my mother met him and told him something. He laughed good-naturedly and drove off with a wave. I retired to my room and spent the evening crying; I would never get to date, or have my first kiss, or get married, or have children. Yes, I was an overdramatic teenager. Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful. While I was doing my chores, my mother casually said, ‘Sure would be nice to go to the fair outside of town. Maybe with a special boy who dresses nice and shines his shoes?’ I snorted as I replied, ‘Yes, Mother, that would be nice. Too bad you’ve probably driven off the only boy I know who matches that description.’ I tried not to be disrespectful but it was getting harder and harder. My mother just smiled and told me to go change into my pretty yellow sundress. I wasn’t in the mood to question or argue, so I just did as I was told. Soon I heard tires on the gravel drive and ran to find my gorgeous, persistent Jack climbing from his car with a nice shirt, shined shoes, and two bunches of flowers. I watched as he bowed to my mother and handed her one bunch of flowers. My eyes could hardly believe what I was seeing as I witnessed her throw her head back in laughter and then reach up to hug Jack and whisper something in his ear. I slowly made my way to the driveway, fearing that she had sent him away for the fourth and final time; I found him on the front steps as I walked out of the house. ‘Good morning, pretty girl, would you like to go to the fair with me today?’ He asked this as he handed me the second bunch of flowers. My eyes turned askance towards my mother and I smiled broadly when she nodded her permission.” Judy laid her hand on Jack’s leg and her head on his shoulder.

  “We spent the day at the fair; I’d never had such a good time. Jack had become my best friend over the several months he spent wearing my mother down. Cotton candy, winning prizes, riding the ferris wheel, sharing our first kiss behind the concert stage; it was the best day of my life and I wouldn’t have wanted to spend it with anyone else. Later, I asked my mother why she finally relented. She told me, ‘Any boy who would put up with my craziness with such a good-natured attitude AND show up with flowers for ME when I only suggested that flowers for his date would be a good idea is a boy I know will become a good man and a good husband someday.’ She told me some time later what she had whispered to Jack the day of the fair.” Judy turned towards her husband; he smiled and took her hand in both of his as he spoke.

  “She told me, ‘One day, you’ll marry that girl of mine. I expect you to love her and protect her just as I always have. You may not be able to give her the world, but at least give her all of you.’ I’ve never forgotten her words; there have been times we’ve gone without things we wanted, but we’ve always had what we needed in each other.” Leaning over he kissed Judy’s cheek.

  “Sadly, my mother never got to see her prediction come to fruition; she was diagnosed with late-stage terminal stomach cancer about two years after Jack and I started dating. She died within three months.”

  “I had promised my mother that one of two things would happen.
I would either wait until I was married to have sex with Jack or I would have her put me on birth control along with making him wear a condom every single time. She was so afraid of me getting pregnant at a young age like she did. She told me once that I was the best thing that ever happened to her but she didn’t want me to have to grow up as fast as she had to. Her past had scared me so much that I decided I’d wait until marriage. I knew that Jack and I would be together forever and I knew that he’d never done more than the kissing and heavy making out we’d done together. He knew my mom’s story and he knew my own fears so he had no problem waiting.” Jack cleared his throat beside her. “Ok, well, maybe he had slight problems with it but those problems were easily remedied in dark cars and his own steamy shower.” Judy and Jack laughed at Jeremiah’s groan.

  “Seriously, guys? This was going just fine until right this second!” Jeremiah shook his head in mock disgust as Audrey nuzzled his neck and whispered, “Just think of the stories we have to someday tell our own kids.” Jeremiah chuckled and rolled his eyes, whispering back, “Yeah, but those stories are HOT; these stories are about my PARENTS.” Audrey just laughed and kissed him. They turned their attention back to Judy’s story.

  “My mother, as sick as she was, still had that spunk the day she died. A little dopey from the pain medication the doctor had given her, she patted my hand and said, ‘Well, I never thought I’d say this but I sort of wish you’d went and gotten yourself knocked up so I could have seen my grandson; I know he’s going to be a knockout just like his parents.’ How she knew we’d someday have a son, I don’t know. She just chuckled a raspy laugh and told me, ‘Since you never asked me to put you on birth control, I’m assuming my stories scared you enough to wait until you are married. On your wedding day, know that I’m there with you. On your wedding night, don’t worry, I won’t be there then, just know that what you saved to share with Jack is beautiful and special and just for the two of you.’ I’ve remembered those words many times over the years. I wish my mom could still be here, she would have loved this family.” Judy’s voice was melancholy and it was clear she was done with their story at least for the time being. All of those gathered in the kitchen were somber, appreciating the beauty and sadness of the Jordan’s beginnings.