Michelle stopped stirring the tea and set the pitcher aside. She smiled ruefully. “Nothing romantic I imagine. He’ll probably finish painting the baby’s room and we’ll probably go pick out the crib.”
“Sounds exciting,” Gracie said dryly. “What about you, Ellie? If I know Jake, he’s planned something terrific.”
A blush worked its way over the pretty brunette’s face. “I don’t know exactly,” Ellie said. “He told me not to make plans.”
Michelle grinned. “Jake does plan the most wonderful surprises.”
Gracie nodded. “Lucky bitch. What I wouldn’t give for a man to look at me the way Jake looks at you, Ellie.” Even as she said it, the memory of the way Luke had stared at her on their date sent a slow burn straight up her spine.
Ellie laughed and blushed again. “I’m not complaining. I’m so lucky to have him.”
Michelle reached over and patted her arm. “No, honey, he’s lucky to have you.”
“No doubt,” Gracie agreed. “Who else would put up with all that testosterone?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Gracie. You have to admit all that bottled he-man stuff is awfully sexy,” Michelle said cheekily.
“I swear those pregnancy hormones are raging. You must keep Jeremy awfully busy,” Gracie said dryly.
Michelle blushed. She actually blushed. Gracie crowed in delight. “Busted!”
The three women dissolved into laughter.
“What about you, Gracie? Got any plans with Luke?” Michelle asked pointedly.
Gracie felt her cheeks heat, but damn it, she was not going to betray herself like the other two women. “Yeah, we’re spending the weekend together.”
Michelle raised one eyebrow. “The weekend as in you’ll have a couple of dates or the weekend as in spending every minute together?”
“The latter,” Gracie replied.
“Wow, you guys move fast. Going anywhere special?”
“I don’t know exactly. He’s planning it. I just know it involves sex.”
Michelle pinned her with a questioning stare. “You nervous?”
“Of course I am. This isn’t just any guy. I don’t want to screw things up.”
“You’ll do fine,” Michelle soothed.
“Luke’s a great guy,” Ellie interjected.
“What are you girls doing in here?” Luke asked as he walked into the kitchen.
“Gossiping, of course,” Michelle said lightly.
Luke dropped a kiss on Michelle’s cheek. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
Michelle smiled at him. “I’m doing good. Baby’s growing like a weed.”
He turned to Ellie and gave her a quick hug. “What about you? Jake treating you good?”
Ellie’s smile lit up her entire face.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Luke said.
Then he turned his attention to Gracie.
Gracie felt an odd shiver as Luke reached to pull her into his arms. He kissed her lightly on the lips before pulling away.
“The fight’s starting. I wondered if y’all needed help with the snacks,” he said.
The girls put it into high gear. Gracie shoved a tray at Luke while Michelle collected the tea pitcher and the bags of chips. Ellie grabbed the glasses of ice and followed everyone else into the living room.
It was a familiar scene. One that brought Gracie comfort. All of them gathered at Jeremy and Michelle’s to watch a UFC fight.
“Hey, Gracie, come sit,” Wes called. He patted the spot beside him on the couch.
Luke sat down on the floor in front of her and leaned back between her legs so his back rested against the couch. Ellie sat nestled in Jake’s arms, and Gracie felt a pang of longing at the couple’s obvious devotion.
They spent the evening laughing and having a good time. Luke didn’t go out of his way to latch onto her in front of the others, a fact she was grateful for.
She didn’t want to flaunt her budding relationship with Luke. She still felt awkward about it and didn’t want to extend that discomfort to the rest of the group. And to everyone else’s credit, they’d acted completely normal.
The fight had been over a few minutes when the doorbell rang. Jeremy got up and disappeared from the living room to answer it. A few seconds later, he reappeared.
“Gracie, Keith is at the door for you.”
Gracie stiffened. Why now of all times? Did he never think to call or at least go by
her
house if he had something he wanted to say? Why he was fond of making a scene in front of her friends, she’d never know.
“Has he been drinking?” Gracie asked as she got up.
Jake’s eyebrows shot up, and his face darkened.
Jeremy shook his head. “I don’t think so, and he’d be a damn fool to show up here if he had.” He winked at her. “I gave him my best cop stare and told him he better not start any shit.”
Gracie grinned. “Thanks, Jeremy.”
Luke put a hand on her shoulder as she got up from the couch. “I’m going out with you.”
She hesitated for a moment then nodded. As they left the living room, Luke slid an arm around her waist and squeezed reassuringly.
When she opened the front door, Keith, who was standing on the porch with his back to her, turned around. His lips curled in distaste and his eyes glinted with a little fear as he spotted Luke.
“What do you want?” Gracie asked.
“I’d hoped we could talk alone,” Keith said, looking pointedly at Luke.
Luke pulled her closer up against him, his hand resting possessively on her hip. “Whatever you have to say to Gracie can be said in front of me. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”
“So you’re with him now?” Keith demanded.
“It would appear I am,” Gracie said calmly.
“Damn it, Gracie. You don’t even give a guy a chance,” Keith complained. “You can’t expect to spring shit on me like you did. I know I reacted badly, but what did you expect?”
Gracie raised her eyebrows. “Expect? I don’t guess I expected anything from you at all, Keith. I’ve said all I intend to say on the matter. We’re finished, and I’d really appreciate it if you’d quit coming over to my friends’ house.”
“So would I,” Luke drawled.
Keith ran his hand through his hair and swore again. “All right, Gracie. If that’s what you want. Your loss.”
He turned and stomped off the front porch toward his truck. He peeled out of the driveway and left in a cloud of dust.
“Dumbass,” Gracie muttered.
“What did you ever see in him?” Luke asked as they walked back into the house.
“Don’t rub it in.”
Luke laughed. “Okay, I’ll shut up now.”
“Good idea.”
“Everything okay, Gracie?” Jeremy asked as she and Luke entered the living room.
“Yeah, he’s gone,” she said.
“Maybe you and I should pay Keith a little visit in the official capacity,” Wes said to Jeremy. “We could tell him to leave Gracie the hell alone.”
“Is he bothering her?” Jake asked with a scowl. “Do I need to go beat his scrawny ass?”
“I can take care of myself just fine, Jake,” Gracie said. “But thanks. You guys are the best.”
“Who wants a beer?” Michelle interrupted.
Gracie looked gratefully at her, and Michelle winked back.
“Who wants to watch the fight again?” Jeremy asked as he picked up the remote.
She’d been out before. They’d gotten together for fishing trips and stayed weekends at the cabin, but she’d never gone with the idea of having sex with Luke.
The week leading up to the weekend had been terrific. She and Luke had spent every day together. The sexual tension between them had grown into an enormous entity, but more than that, their relationship had developed beyond their casual friendship.
And now they were adding sex to the equation. It seemed so important to him that she trust him. She did. She’d always trusted him, and it felt right for them to be together. Somehow she
knew
Luke would satisfy all her needs and desires.
“You’re quiet,” Luke said beside her. “Having second thoughts?”
“No, not at all.”
She slid her eyes sideways to look at him. The heat in his gaze peeled a few layers of her skin off. No, she had many thoughts, but she wasn’t regretting her decision to see where the weekend would take them.
He reached over and curled his hand over hers. “I’m glad. I’m really looking forward to this. To us.”
She smiled. “Me too.”
Thirty minutes later, they pulled up to the cabin overlooking Sam Rayburn Lake, and Luke cut the engine. He turned sideways in his seat and looked intently at her.
“I’ve planned a lot for us this weekend. If you ever feel uncomfortable with the direction we’re going or I’m doing something that you don’t want, just say so. I’ll stop. Otherwise, I expect you to do exactly as I tell you.”
A full body shiver worked its way over Gracie’s skin. She nodded, her mouth too dry for her to speak.
He leaned in and kissed her, his lips working hot over hers. When he pulled away, his eyes were half-lidded, and desire burned brightly, making his eyes a darker blue.
“I want you to go inside to the bedroom. Remove your clothes and lie down on the bed. Wait for me. I’ll be in with our bags.”
She swallowed and nodded again.
He handed her the keys, singling out the one to the cabin.
“Just leave them on the coffee table in the living room and head to the bedroom. Our weekend starts now.”
She got out of the truck and headed for the door. She inserted the key into the lock and went inside. Luke had evidently been here in preparation for their weekend. The cabin was warm, and she could hear the hum of the heater. A fire had been laid in the fireplace, just waiting to be lit.
She set the keys down on the coffee table and headed for the bedroom. Once there, she ran her hands up and down the sides of her jeans, trying to work up the courage to do as he’d told her.
Her body tingled from head to toe. Her pussy hummed, warm vibrations swirling between her legs. The anticipation was nearly sending her over the edge.
Knowing she was only stalling, she undid her jeans and peeled them down her legs. She pulled her sweater over her head and tossed it aside. She hesitated for a slight moment before removing her underwear and bra.
Feeling vulnerable standing in the middle of the room—naked—she moved to the bed and crawled onto the warm comforter. She turned over onto her back and waited for Luke.
She heard him moments later and looked over to see him standing in the door.
“You look magnificent.”
She smiled and watched as he moved closer to the bed. He sat down on the edge and reached his hand out to smooth over the skin of her belly.
His fingers worked their way up until he fiddled with her nipple rings. Fine little goose bumps broke out over her flesh as he tweaked and plucked at her nipples.
“Are you ready for this, Gracie?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Get up,” he directed.
She climbed off the bed and stood beside him. He circled an arm around her waist and pulled her down to his lap. At first she didn’t understand how he was positioning her, but he turned her so she lay across his lap, belly down. Oh God. She knew what this was about.
His hand glided over her back and to the curve of her ass. Then without warning, his palm smacked down, sending a current of fire through her body.
He petted her and soothed the area before slapping the other cheek with his open hand.
She twisted restlessly against him, needing something, not quite sure what. The blows stung, but directly on the heels of the impact came such delicious pleasure. She was at a loss as to how to describe it, how to react to the erotic spanking. He was giving her exactly what she’d said she fantasized about.
Three, four more times his hand met with the plump flesh of her behind. She moaned softly and squirmed even more.
Then as suddenly as he’d pulled her down, he stood up, picking her up with him.
“Stand right here and don’t move,” he said as he positioned her by the bed.
In a few seconds he returned with a piece of rope. She trembled as he pulled her hands behind her back and began coiling the rope around her wrists. When he finished, he pushed her gently toward the bed.
“Lay face down on the bed, feet on the floor.”
She bent over the bed, placing her cheek against the mattress, and planted her feet on the floor. Her ass was vulnerable and exposed in this position, and it made her even wetter.
She heard him walk away then return. Smooth wood made contact with her ass with a crack that made her jump. She closed her eyes and tensed, waiting for the next blow.
Another followed close behind and then another. Her ass was on fire, the tingling nearly painful in its intensity. She needed release, needed to come, but she was helpless to his demands.
“I want to fuck you so bad, right here, right now,” Luke said behind her. “Your ass is so red, so sensitive.”
She moaned again as the paddle came down across her butt. “Please,” she whispered.
She heard the sound of a zipper and knew he had undone his jeans. Then she heard the crinkle of a wrapper and before she could process anything further, his hands gripped her thighs, spreading her, and in one motion he plunged into her pussy.
She cried out at the almost unbearable fullness. He hadn’t taken off his jeans, merely unzipped them enough to get his cock free. She could feel the scratch of denim against the tender skin of her ass. She wasn’t going to last long.
He began pumping in and out of her, and she was trapped beneath him, unable to move, only able to accommodate his thrusts. She strained against her bonds, needing to be free but delighting in the sensation of being bound, subject to his mercy.
Her orgasm built and spread, preparing to explode. With each thrust, the pressure in her belly grew until she bucked against him, desperate for release.
He wrapped his big hands around her waist and pulled her back to meet each thrust. He leaned into her, pressing her further into the bed, his weight pushing his cock even deeper.
“Luke!” she cried out.
Just as she felt him pick up his pace, her orgasm burst upon her with the speed of an explosion. She tried to scream but no sound came out. She had a mouthful of the bedspread, her teeth dug in with the agony of her release.
Every muscle in her body tensed painfully as Luke rocked her body against the bed. He strained against her, holding himself deep as his hips spasmed.
“God, Gracie,” he gasped out as he shuddered again.
She went limp underneath him, and he collapsed against her back, his ragged breathing close to her ear. He felt good, his big body covering hers, his cock still wedged deep into her pussy. When he finally moved, she made a sound of protest.
He stepped away for a moment then returned and began untying her hands. When she was free, he climbed onto the bed and pulled her up into his arms.
She cuddled into his chest and rubbed her cheek against his shirt.
“No fair, you’re still dressed.”
He laughed. “I won’t be for long. That was incredible, Gracie. Thank God I brought so many condoms. I think we’re going to need every last one of them.”
He wrapped his arms tighter around her and held her close as they rested.
“It was perfect,” she whispered. And it had been. It was as if he’d reached into her mind and plucked out every exacting detail of what she wanted from a man.
He bent to kiss her. “I’m glad. But we’re only getting started.”