Authors: Pamela Yaye
“Please call if you need anything further.” The bellman sent a polite nod and smile in Tielle's direction. He sent another look toward Grae. “Enjoy your stay, sir.”
“Grae,” Tielle said once the bellman left.
There was no opportunity for further discussion. Grae hoisted her high against his solid chest.
“I've been meaning to thank you for choosing the dresses you've been wearing.” His fingers skimmed the tie of the wrap dress she wore with low-cut black leather boots. “So easy to get you out of,” he murmured while bathing her earlobe with his tongue.
Tielle allowed herself to melt, knowing she was on her way to becoming a complete puddle in a matter of seconds. Grae manipulated the ultrasensitive fleshly lobe of her ear with several dry tugs from his beautifully sculpted mouth. Again, he brought his tongue into the act, infrequently soothing the shell of her ear before delving inside and then exploring the satiny outer patch of skin surrounding it.
Her hands rested, half curved, at his shoulders and shook faintly. Tielle clenched them into fists when she felt him untying her dress.
“Grae...” Her tone urged caution, but she knew it would do no good. Determination defined his gorgeous honey-toned face as he focused on every part of her he bared to his brilliant eyes.
One flick of his fingers released the barrette she'd used to secure her thick hair into a more manageable ponytail. Tielle pounded once against the wall of granite that was his chest.
“We can't,” she said.
Grae laid her down and removed her bra with an experienced touch.
“We'll ruin the table,” she worried when his fingers skimmed her panties.
During their previous visit to Brunch and Memories, the couple had only indulged in a bit of light foreplay. They'd remained fully clothed until the need for a more private venue sent them upstairs. Now, Grae had tugged Tielle's panties so that the garment barely clung to her lush upper thighs. Cradling her bare bottom, he positioned her to his satisfaction.
“Graeâ”
“Shh... Don't worry about it. I bought the table.”
“How'd you plan this?” Her lovely dark face was a picture of awe and anticipation.
Grae surveyed her steadily, possession blatant in his fantastic stare. “While you handled your business, I've handled some of my own.”
“Youâ” A moaning cry took the place of her question. His mouth skimmed her toned belly, the tip of his tongue outlining her navel.
Grae curved his palms about her thighs, drawing her down to the edge of the sturdy pine table.
Any concerns about the structure became irrelevant for Tielle. Her only interest was on the pleasure blooming throughout her body. Decadence accompanied pleasure, and she indulged in its drugging capabilities. Grae soon had her practically naked and splayed out like a seductive offering upon the table. He'd insinuated his rigid frame between her legs and proceeded to take his pleasure most enthusiastically.
Her responding cries were throaty, echoing when he touched her again. Tielle felt his breath feather over her skin when he shushed her. The action only succeeded in riddling her with a wave of shudders, and her exposed sex puckered more persistently for the kiss it anticipated.
Grae's first intention was to torture Tielle with the faint brushes his mouth cascaded across the bare patch of skin above her femininity. Next, his nose trailed a naughty outline around her clit, the tip nudging insistently about the stimulated bundle of nerves when she arched into his touch.
She tried to open herself more to himâdifficult with the undergarments still holding her thighs captive in addition to his hands secured about her fleshy limbs. Were it not for his overtly possessive hold, Tielle would've jackknifed right off the table. Grae replaced his nose with the tip of his talented tongue and retraced a sensual circle about the part of her anatomy he tended to.
Tielle writhed about in frustration, wanting very much to be free of her pantiesâthe only scrap of clothing still adorning her body. The silky whiskers of a close-cut beard consistently raked the powder-soft flesh of her inner thighs. The sensation it roused encouraged Tielle's hands to begin a seductive trek toward her upper body.
She smoothed her palms up her torso and about the twin circumferences of her breasts, along the elegant line of her neck, and then she burrowed them in her thick, captivating mane. All the while she arched, squirmed and trembled beneath Grae's attention.
For a moment, he left her bereft of his touch. Then, caging her body under his, he pleasured her with his thumb rotating against the bundle of sensitivity above her intimate folds. Satisfaction offered a different kind of heat as he delighted in watching her caress the dark cocoa expanse of her curvy body. A smile narrowed his gaze when he saw her mouth form an
O.
She'd be flooding his hand with her moisture soon, he predicted.
He slowed the rotation against the tight bud of nerves set to usher in climax. Tielle caught his wrist, preventing any plans he had for escape. Grae lowered himself nearer to her, tormenting her with a slow, wet suck to her nipples.
“Trust me,” he urged, patting her hip.
She whimpered, the sound tapering into a startled grunt when she felt her panties being jerked free of her body. Graedon closed the delicate garment into a thick fist and pushed it into a back jean pocket. His mouth blazed a trail down her torso, teeth barely grazing her skin as he journeyed to the part of her he throbbed for.
Grae spread her to his satisfaction, but didn't claim her right away. Instead, he glided his way around what she insistently arched toward him. Tielle bumped her fists against the velvety green surface of the pool table. She was close to out of her mind with want. Her toes flexed and then attempted to grasp at his denims where her feet bumped his powerful thighs. Blindly, she reached for him, hoping to press his head to her preferred spot.
Grae didn't make her wait long, and they both filled the room with appreciative groans when his tongue filled her. Tielle bent into an elegant bow, taking more of his driving tongue.
Grae wanted to devour her, the moisture and fragrance of her core driving him insane with hunger and the need to dominate. Her hips bucked more the deeper he invaded, until he stilled her with one hand pressuring her stomach.
The soft gesture encouraged her to follow his direction. “Mmm-mmm.”
Impatient to bathe more of her core, his hands flexed on her thighs. He took her hips off the table, bringing her higher while allowing him to stand at almost his full height.
Tielle was happily at the mercy of the giant who held her, loved her and took her over a cliff of splendid desire. The feverish bucking of her hips resumed until he tightened his hold to command her to still.
He didn't shush her when she screamed at the vivid sucking he gave her silken folds, though he did grin at the whimper she gave when he brought an end to the act. Before she could add words to show her disappointment, he took her with his tongue, vigorously plundering her at length.
In a show of stunning finesse, Grae supported her with one hand while the other freed his belt and jean fastening. The denim cascaded downward toward his stylishly rugged hiking boots while he kept Tielle positioned and doffed the dark corduroy shirt he wore.
She paid no attention to his disrobing. Her mind only registered the sensation of his shadowed jaw scraping the delicate flesh of her thighs near his shoulders while her calves dangled across them. She was so driven by arousal and the intense sensation of abandon wafting through her that she took little notice of him setting their protection in place.
His sex penetrating hers was as unexpected as it was spectacular. Grae had settled her back down to the gargantuan table. His wide body kept her thighs spread to his approval, allowing him to fold his hands over the polished siding of the table and steady his stance before her.
Tielle wanted to keep her eyes open to indulge in the sight of his phenomenal chest. Unfortunately, it was impossible to keep her eyes open against the strong, repeated drives of his lean hips deepening the path for his thick erection. The perfect sensations stirred when they became too drugging, heavily weighing on her lids as she welcomed him.
Every clench of her inner muscles forced a guttural grunt up his throat, enticing him to let go and spew his need. Grae wasn't ready for the moment to end. He had imagined this particular fantasy for too long. His imagination had nothing on the reality of her pliant and willing in his hands. His legs promised a swift withdrawal of strength then. Tielle's high-pitched breaths, her lovely face, her body and the magnificent dark cloud of her hair completed the stunning picture of the fantasy he never daydreamed of becoming reality.
Chapter 12
T
he forecasted snow made another appearance. A light dusting at first, and then the snowfall became heavier as the morning churned on. Graedon and Tielle didn't mind in the least. Their pool table romp had been a lengthy, sexually charged event.
Tielle was sure she'd been left with a new collection of bruises and burns. None of which Grae could take credit for. All were courtesy of the table's lovely, velvety fabric. The material had been unforgiving against her bottom. Tielle figured it was a show of disapproval for how shamefully it had been used.
They made their way from the billiard room in the wee hours of the following morning. Dawn found them embraced in a spooning hold and snuggled beneath flowing bed coverings as they watched the snowfall from the suite's picture window.
“How'd you know we'd come here?” Tielle asked.
“I didn't.”
She smiled, sex content, drowsy and secure in the potency of his embrace. “You'd have been out of a pretty penny with your pool table purchase if you hadn't.”
“Well...” He burrowed in closer to her. “I had planned to revert to old habits and...press the issue until you agreed to make the inn one of our stops.”
Tielle laughed. Grae joined in, but the desire didn't hold long for him.
“I lied when I told you I was sorry for overreacting when I thought you'd slept with someone else,” he said.
“I see.”
“I don't think you do,” Grae countered. “When it comes to you, I'm possessive, overbearing and chauvinistic as hell. I could probably work on the overbearing and chauvinistic parts, but I don't see myself doing anything about the possessive part. I don't see myself
wanting
to do anything about the possessive part.”
“I know that, Grae.”
He frowned. “You do?”
“What you're saying is nothing new.” Her eyes followed the journey of a snowflake sliding down the window. “You've always been this way. Didn't take me long to realize that shortly after I met you.”
Grae turned Tielle to her back, needing to look into the baby-doll allure of her face. “And you married me anyway?”
“Yes.”
“Why, dammit?”
Tielle gave him a look that nearly screamed
idiot.
“I married you because I love you, and all the rest makes you who you are.”
He continued to frown. “Even all that alpha male crap?”
She laughed. “Sometimes it's
especially
all that alpha male crap, and pleaseâ” she cringed “âdon't make me explain all that.”
Grae nodded. “I want you back, Tel. I know we have a lot of trust to rebuild. It's gonna take time, and it's time I want to spend here.”
Smiling anew, Tielle surveyed their cozy surroundings from the bed they'd been snuggled in for hours. “Sounds spectacular, but the people we work for would never allow it.”
“My people won't have a choice.” His features tensed. “I plan on resigning my position after this nightmare with Faro is over.”
Incredulous, she pushed up to brace her weight on her elbows. “Grae, why would you do that?”
It was Grae's turn to observe his ex as if she'd lost her mind. “Have you forgotten how much of myself I've given to that place?”
“But you wanted to please your dad...”
“Right.” He grimaced. “And doing that drew a line between me and my brother. Now it's just the two of us and he hates me for it.” He saw the strange look she gave him and studied her with heightened curiosity. “What?”
“You just... You always talk about Faro hating you instead of you hating each other.” Tielle watched him roll a massive shoulder in a lazy semblance of a shrug.
“I don't hate him,” Grae uttered simply. “He's my brother. I wanted to kill him for coming between us, but I know he wasn't to blame, and like I said, he's my brother.”
Tielle sat up fully, trailed her fingers across his whiskered jaw. “And you wonder why I married you.”
Grae tugged her into a lazy kiss while seating her in his lap and squeezing her bottom through the sheet. He broke the kiss to speak the words into her shoulder. “You know we have to go back.”
She nodded. “I knew that before we left, but Des wanted me to get you out of there.”
“Ah...” Grae smiled and gave a playful frown. “So all this was pity sex?”
She linked her arms about his neck and toyed in the dark curls covering his head. “Do you feel offended?” she asked.
“Quite,” he lied.
She smiled, grinding on his lap. “I can tell. Do you think we can spare some time before heading back to our responsibilities?”
“Hmm...” Grae rested back into the pillows, the move providing Tielle with a nudge from the head of his erection. A knowing smile brought a curve to the heavenly sculpting of his mouth when he noticed her lashes flutter. He was sensitive enough to pick up the slight change in her breathing.
“We should definitely take our time.” He jerked her into another kiss. Turning the tables with ease, he put her on her back in the center of the magnificent bed they'd thoroughly used.
* * *
“Why aren't you still gone?!”
“Shh!” Tielle made a slicing gesture across her neck and went to close the bedroom door behind Laura. “We don't want the whole house to know we're here yet.”
“âWe'?” Laura glanced around the third floor of the suite. “Grae?”
“In the cabana house for now.” Tielle smiled at Laura's bewildered expression. “He thought it'd be better if he kept a low profile till tonight.”
“Why?”
“We both have a bad feeling about what's in store.” Tielle twisted a tank top between her hands. “There's been a lot of negativity during an event that was meant to be positive, you know?”
“So what's the plan?”
“Not sure there is one. We only want to be here in case Faro...”
“And how do you feel about that?” Laura softened her voice. “You fought so hard to convince Grae to give Faro a fair shake.”
Tielle tossed the tank top back into the bag she'd been unpacking. “I'm trying not to even think about it, Laura. Maybe we're just overreacting anyway and Faro's next...surprise...will be to treat the family to a cruise around the world.”
“And if it's not?”
Groaning, Tielle pushed her fingers through her hair. “Then this will be another in a long series of crazy stunts I once tried to convince my husband were all part of his own resistance to giving his brother a chance.”
“Honey, please don't take on blame for another thing gone wrong.” Laura pulled Tielle with her to the sofa in the room's living area.
Tielle smirked. “Doing no such thing. I just have a crazy knack for making it sound that way.” She winked, and moments later joined Laura in a round of much-needed laughter.
* * *
Snowfall had been a steady and beautiful companion throughout the day. It had tapered off just after nightfall, leaving its vibrant white presence resting thickly upon the grounds, trees and brush. There had been no set plans for family gatherings since Faro's eagerly supported suggestion that the group take a break from “togetherness” to enjoy all the relaxing aids Tielle's establishment had to offer.
The suggestion did everyone more good than harm, thankfully. Tielle was even starting to put her hope in a peaceful end to the week and the beginning of repairing the damage between her and Grae. The scheduled break time for relaxation clearly didn't appear to relate to dining.
The family continued to converge upon the elegant room designated for the scrumptious meals created by the Turner cook staff. Tielle's perceptions regarding the strength of the family mood seemed solid, especially when she risked dropping in for breakfast. There, she received more than the usual amount of morning greetings. She'd even been invited to dine with a group of Grae's aunts, women not known for their overwhelming warmth.
Tielle had accepted the offer to join the women at their table and told them she'd return after a quick check-in with that morning's serving staff. The group had set up shop in the prep room just down a corridor secluded from the main dining area. She was halfway to the door when it opened and Grae stepped out.
“Going stir-crazy out in the cabana house, huh?” she asked.
Grae snared her waist and set her neatly between himself and the wall. “Going stir-crazy without you,” he said while nibbling her earlobe.
“Grae...” Her eyes were already rolling back in her head. “Honey, we can't do this here.” She bit her lip on the moan stirred by his tongue adding dampness to her lobe.
“Iâit's not time for your family to know weâ” A groan enveloped the rest of what she had to say when his thumb sought the nipple already beaded against her shirt. He was working the nub beneath lazy circles from his thumb.
“Graeâ” Her next attempt to encourage restraint was silenced by his mouth crushing hers. Lithely, his tongue engaged hers in delicious play. Her moaning adopted a less tormented tone in favor of a more delighted one.
Desree's voice interrupted them a moment later. Tielle gasped, breaking the kiss like a teenager caught doing something frowned upon. She was left no other choice than to remain between her ex and the wall.
“Hey, Des.” Grae suffered no bouts of disgrace when he greeted his aunt warmly. He kept a devilish stare fixed on Tielle then turned a more guileless, adorable one toward Desree.
“Why are you back so soon?” the woman asked Tielle.
“Calm down, Des,” Grae urged. “I know you asked Tel to get me out of here, but you knew I'd have to come back, especially if I thought Faro was up to something.” He looked to Tielle, and his gaze raked her body twice over. “No matter how nice the enticement was to stay.”
Tielle thought it best to focus on Desree and not Grae. Unfortunately, Des's gaze did even less to put her at ease. “What's going on?” Tielle asked, moving closer to the woman.
“I wished you two had listened.” Hands clasped, Des gave them a shake and observed the young couple with a disappointed glare. “You could use time away more than staying here to be irritated by whatever's about to happen.”
Grae moved closer to his aunt. “What do you mean, Aunt Des?”
“Could I have everybody's attention, please?”
Des began to wring her clasped hands and turned toward Faro's voice blanketing the dining room.
Grae, Tielle and Desree moved into the room to find Faro near the front. Flanking him were two men, not Cleggs, and until then not present at the retreat.
Faro noticed his brother, and the glee claiming his face took on a new sheen. “There he is now! Come in, Grae. Get comfortable.”
Grae, Tielle and Des remained where they were.
“What's going on, Faro?” Oscar Clegg asked.
“Can't it wait?” another asked. “I sure don't want my breakfast ruined.”
“I apologize for the timing, folks.” Faro's grin negated the sincerity of the apology. “I think it's best to get this handled early in the day. I've got the feeling there will be a lot to say afterward. Best not to have those conversations lingering on into the dead of night.”
“Get all of
what
handled?” Paul Clegg asked.
Faro took a theatrical breath. “I hoped this wouldn't have to happen. That folks would do the right thingâ”
“Faro, don't do this.” Desree moved to give the plea.
“Do what, Aunt Des? Go after my birthright?”
“Aw, man, what the hell are you talkin' about?” Gerald Clegg groaned.
“All of you know I deserve more than what I've been given! I busted my ass for Dad all my life, and in the end what'd it get me? Baby brother being positioned as
my
boss?”
A collective groan filled the room. Many had heard Faro's complaint before and often.
“Are you ever gonna let this go?” Asia asked her cousin. “Uncle Ken obviously had his reasons for leaving Grae in charge.”
“And thank God he did,” Barry Clegg called out. “Our pockets haven't hurt a day since Grae took the chair.”
“How fortunate,” Faro sneered. “Still doesn't make it right. Grae's successes shouldn't mean that I have to be denied what should've been mine in the first place.”
“Don't matter now anyway,” someone said. “Ken's dead and his will says that he wanted Grae to take his place.”
“My father's will said a lot of things, and it just so happens I hold the deed to the land where Clegg Marketing Park stands.”
“So?”
Faro smiled at the question. “Kenneth Clegg's will clearly states that any family member in possession of this deed could claim the position as CEO if the deed holder feels the company's current leadership is unworthy.”
The family members began to shift ever more restlessly in their seats as though they were coming to realize what Faro was threatening.
“This is goin' too far, Faro,” someone said.
“Yeah, man, it's time to end these issues with Grae. He's your baby brother.”
A few in the room looked to Grae. Clearly, they expected him to challenge Faro. Grae remained silent, his cool, bronze gaze betraying nothing.
“I'm well within my right to see this through.” Faro smirked. “In time, you guys will see that.”
“Why'd you bring us up here for this, Faro?” Barry asked. “Do you really think any of us would support you carrying out such a disgrace?”
“You should think about that word, Uncle Barry.
Disgrace.
I think there're many disgraces that've been carried out over the years.”
“Faro, that's enough!” Desree spat. “Think before you do this.”
“Why, Des? My father didn't think before he put aâ” Faro bowed his head then and sighed. “Dad didn't think once before he put someone with no experience, no clue of how the game is played, in charge of the business when he was gone. Grae played around in school while I worked my ass off in class and internships to graduate with honors. I have damn well earned my chance to sit at the helm, and the strength of my grades is least among the reasons why.