by Gina Leuci
His voice was low and seductive. “Your skin is so soft, Grace.”
His wasn’t. His fingers were calloused, and the roughness felt good as they trailed downward where they sought entrance under my wet panties.
“Ahh,” I arched upward. I already knew the magic his fingers would have on me. I wanted more. I reached down to take his fullness in my palm, eliciting a groan from him. We were both primed. As his fingers pushed inward, I had to release him to grab at the bedsheets below me. I couldn’t make my body do what I wanted. No, it belonged to him. We’d waited, longer than either had wanted.
I was panting, needing more. “Caleb, please.”
“I know.” He pushed away from me, stood, pulling my panties down my legs. I saw him grab for a packet before he was kneeling back on the bed.
He kissed my palm and then my ring finger where there was a gold band before intertwining his fingers in mine.
That one gesture was worth more than any words. In a single kiss, Caleb had acknowledged our marriage, and my heart filled in a way I didn’t know was possible.
“Look at me,” he whispered. I couldn’t look away even if I’d wanted to. His blue eyes spoke to me as he slowly pushed inside. “Keep your eyes open, Grace,” he pleaded. I did.
I watched him as he set a slow steady rhythm. In. Out. I saw the slight lift of his lips when my body began to quiver. I noticed when his breath became shallow as his pace quickened. But I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer when my body exploded into a thousand pieces. Then I heard his own echoing cry as my body pulsed around him, bringing him to his own release.
“Oh, Grace.” Caleb’s lips brushed across my cheeks as he pushed my damp hair from my face. This was a new beginning. We may have been married for a few weeks, but tonight we’d become a couple.
Chapter Sixteen
Before I had my eyes open, I felt Caleb’s hand tracing a random pattern on my shoulder. The light touch was all I needed to remember what we’d done the night before, and my body instantly reacted.
I let out a low moan as I opened my eyes. He leaned on his side, looking down at me and when he saw I was awake, he immediately leaned in to take what breath I had left away.
When I could, I stretched, allowing my body to press against his. “Good morning.”
“How good?” he asked with a grin, and I knew I had the upper hand as to where we went from here. I ran a fingernail down his chest, down to his stomach and stopped short of the intended mark I felt pulsing against my leg.
“How good? Hmmm?” I moved my nail back up to where I’d started before trailing down again as Caleb watched with heavy-lidded eyes. “Depends on your stamina.”
“Sweetheart, did you just offer up a challenge, because I never back down.” He used his knee to nudge my legs apart and shifted so I could feel his fullness between my legs. “The question is whether you can keep up with me?”
“Game on.” I leaned forward and sucked on his nipple and had an instant reaction. The bed became our playground as we nipped and tugged, rolled and laughed, until the laughter turned to moans as Caleb ripped open another foil packet, and we had a repeat of the night before.
“Your kisses scramble my brain,” I admitted as I collapsed on him, my legs still on either side of his hips.
“And you don’t think you have a similar effect on me?” His fingers went up and down my spine. He was still fully sheathed inside me and I was loathe to break the connection, but he eventually lifted my hips and rolled me to the edge of the bed. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a little sustenance.”
He disposed of the condom in the trash can beside the nightstand and then strolled naked around the room, picking up the empty packets.
“You’re such a neat freak.” I grinned. “What would you do if I insisted you didn’t make the bed today?”
He looked down at the covers. The comforter was already on the floor, and the sheet tilted at an angle across the bed where I held it against my body. He shook his head.
“Aw, come on, you can do it. Must drive you crazy that I rarely make the bed. Why bother, I’m crawling back into it later.”
“Uh, uh. Too many years in the military,” he admitted. “I find it fascinating how you’re meticulous in the kitchen, but not so much anywhere else.”
I giggled. “Blame my parents. Their kitchen is their domain. It must be spotless. The rest of the house was out of sight, out of mind, most of the time.”
He shook his head in wonder before changing the subject. “Why don’t you shower first, and I’ll make you breakfast.”
He stood there, Full Monty, and all he could talk about was food. Not me. All I could think about was that we had a half-full box of condoms in the nightstand, and another full box available. I pushed the sheet away and strutted to him. I ran my hand down his chest then downward and slid my palm around him, feeling him pulse beneath my fingers. “Shower with me and we can cook together.”
In a quick move, he pulled me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. “Doesn’t hurt to save water.” He grabbed another packet off the nightstand before carrying me to the bathroom.
We did manage to eat. Caleb went to his parents for part of the day, as he’d promised the kids he’d take them to the lake. I opted out. There was no way I could watch that sculpted male body in nothing more than swim trunks and not want to sneak off into the woods. With three kids in tow, I was better off staying behind to focus on a meal to serve after church the next day.
He did have supper at the apartment, though. Just the two of us. No parents. No children. Somehow we finished the meal, but we spent the rest of the night making up for the honeymoon where we’d done everything and anything but give in to temptation.
Caleb was already showered on Sunday when he kissed me awake. “Wake up. I want to go by my mom’s to help get the kids ready for church.”
I stretched and yawned. We hadn’t slept much in the past two nights, and my body was slow to move. Besides, morning had never been my best time.
I rolled to my side to watch as he moved to the mirror to put on a tie. “You miss being with them, don’t you?”
He didn’t hesitate. “Very much, but my mom is a saint. She’s been a lifesaver since I’ve been back, taking on the bulk of raising them.”
“You’re a good man, Caleb Wellington.”
With a few steps, he was back at the side of the bed and leaning down to capture my lips in a brief kiss. “Don’t be getting all serious on me. Let’s go have a good day. Come on, sleepy-head, time to get moving.”
I headed to the shower, knowing the bed would be made and the apartment spotless before we left.
At church, I tried to ignore Pastor Rick and his sermon of doom and gloom and instead focused on the man beside me as well as his family. Elena sat all prim and proper between her father and grandmother, trying to be the perfect child. Justin sat between me and his father, pulling constantly at the collar of his Sunday best shirt. Shawna, typical three-year old, couldn’t sit still and spent the hour crawling along the pew and wanting to be held by any adult who would take her.
Caleb was the epitome of patience with each one of them. He gave Elena’s hand a squeeze and earned a smile from his princess. He unbuttoned the top button for Justin, then loosened his tie so he could also release a button, winking at his son at their unity. As for his youngest, he held and snuggled with her, bouncing her in his arms as though she weighed nothing more than a feather.
He caught me looking at him, and the smile he sent my way was full of content and happiness and my heart filled. I looked at the gold band on my finger. I was in the midst of a situation which was in a continuous, out of control spin. I’d been forced to marry Caleb, but I was the lucky one. He was kind, generous, and had found a way for us to give in to what we wanted without compromising on our goal.
I felt a slight pang of misgivings at the thought. For the past couple days, I hadn’t given the end goal a moment’s thought. Home. Vermont. My f
amily. I’d been so wrapped up in Caleb and being with him, I’d completely forgotten why we’d waited so long.
Shawna reached out for me, and I took the child into my arms. “Can we go to the park, Grace?” her question overly loud in the reverent room.
“Shh.” I gathered her close to whisper in her ear. “Let’s get through breakfast first, then we’ll see.”
“I love you, Grace.” The child had not mastered the art of whispering yet, and her outburst had people staring. But when she wrapped her chubby arms around my neck and squeezed, I squeezed back. I’d spent a lot of time with these kids the past weeks, and they’d wormed their way into my heart.
Crap. What was happening to me? I was losing my grasp on reality.
We were halfway through eating when I spotted Jake moving across the room heading toward one of the food tables. I stood and put my hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “I want to say hi to Jake. I’ll be right back.”
I came up behind Jake and wrapped my arms around his stomach, but before I could say anything, he whipped around shoving me away.
“What the…?” I teetered, but he grabbed my arms and pulled me into an embrace.
“I’m sorry, Grace. I didn’t realize it was you. I thought it was her.”
“You look horrible.” I reached up to his face with both hands and rubbed at the dark circles under his eyes and the stubble on his un-shaven face. “I’ve never seen you like this.”
He closed his eyes and put his forehead down to mine. “We need to get out of here. Soon. I’m going to crack under the pressure.”
“Jake, I’m sorry. I should have checked on you before this. I didn’t realize how bad things have gotten for you.” I placed a gentle hand on his cheek. “You should have come to me.”
I heard the screech a second before my hair was pulled and I was yanked away from my friend’s arms. “Get away from my man, you bitch!”
I reacted instinctively. I twisted, trying to get Hope to release my hair and in doing so, I took a wild swing, which caught her in the eye.
I heard a yell from a nearby table and a melee ensued. “Cat fight.”
In seconds, people from the closest tables were standing to watch, but heaven forbid if they were to get involved. Jake stepped between us, but the blonde diva was hysterical. “Damn it, Hope, let go of her,”
“Sure, take her side. I’m your wife, and this whore is trying to take you from me,” she shrieked.
She raised her arm, fist swinging in my direction, but Jake was quick to push her back far enough to be ineffective. It was all I needed to push me over the edge. She’d made this my fight, and there was no way I was going to let this go. I took two steps toward her when a steel bar went around my waist and lifted me off the ground.
“Let me down, Caleb,” I yelled. “She started it.”
He did put me down, but not before moving me back toward a wall. “Don’t move.” It was an order I knew he expected me to obey. Except now Leland had moved forward to defend his sister, and Jake was his target.
“When are you going to start treating my sister better?” he huffed before shoving at his new brother-in-law. “You’re married now, you ass. You can’t be kissing other women.”
Jake was pissed and ready to fight. “Like hell I’m married. I don’t give a damn what anyone in this town says. Hope was nothing more than a summer fling. I only came to this God-forsaken, one-horse town because of Grace. She’s the one I love.”
“Oh, dear God,” I whispered as Hope began to wail. Jake loved me? Before I could truly process the unexpected confession, Leland’s fist made contact and Jake went down. Caleb grabbed Leland by the shirtfront and pushed him back.
It was like having a replay of the day at the barn. While I had run away from the madness that day, I wasn’t about to back down today. When Caleb released Leland long enough to turn to check on the downed man, I went after Hope.
To get to her, I had to zag around the police chief to the right, which distracted him enough for Jake to move to his left. Jake got back to twin one while I never made it to twin two.
Once again, I was off my feet, swinging at air as I was forcibly moved. “For the love of God, Grace, can you for once do as you’re told so I can stop this thing before it goes any further?”
“But…”
Caleb stopped my argument by capturing my mouth with his. “Stay.” It was all he said when he released me and I stood in silence, as he left me and went to separate the fight. Brent had moved through the rows of tables, pushing through the crowd to lend a hand while the rest of the room watched and stood off to the side.
Except for Roger. Daddy’O was spitting mad and turned his hate onto Caleb. “You need to get that girl of yours under control. You need to remind her who she is married to. I saw her. She started it by kissing my daughter’s husband.”
Of course Roger would blame me. “I did not kiss him.” I argued, ready to jump back into the fray. Caleb turned to give me a warning look.
Jake, still being held back by one of Caleb’s hands, opened his mouth to retort but was on the receiving end of one of his ‘don’t go there’ looks as well. My friend took the hint.
In his police chief voice, he turned back to Roger. “There was a lot of physical altercations here. I can take everyone to jail and let them cool off, or we send them all home to figure out their relationships.”
Roger turned a nasty glare toward Jake, and I knew where he wanted to send him.
Caleb continued to talk. “But everyone will serve the same fate. If I send one to jail, they all go.”
Hope continued to wail. “Daddy! Please.”
Roger’s lip curled back, but he wasn’t going to send either one of his children in for lock up. “Fine. They can go. But everyone needs to go to their respective homes. These kids need to resolve this situation.”
“A situation you forced on them,” Caleb reminded him. “It’s a huge adjustment; you shouldn't expect miracles overnight.”
“Don’t push me,” the older man hissed.
Caleb didn’t heed the warning. “I’m stating the facts. Your intentions for your children was decided on long before you brought in college students.” I stood only a step away as Caleb laid into Roger, but the crowded room was silent as they all watched and listened. “You can’t be surprised when not everyone complies with your absurd plan.”
Roger did not appreciate being taken to task in front of the town. “You listen here, you had a part in this plan, as well. The entire town agreed with me, and we all carried it out. Everything is done now,and we aren’t going back on it.”
Jake tried to move, but Caleb’s fist was still gripping him by the shirtfront like a steel bar, but he managed to point a finger at his father-in-law. “I don’t care what you say, when I don’t go home in August, my father will look for me.”
My parents would look for me as well, but Dr. Collings had the means and contacts to find us even if we were in a completely different state from what we’d told them. My stomach twisted in a knot, and I couldn’t take time to figure it out.
Hope clung to her father’s arm. “Daddy?”
Roger threw a look of pure hate toward the defiant Jake before patting his daughter on the arm. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll take care of it. Let the kids go home. Straight home, all of you. Jake.” He pointed a finger at him. “Actions have consequences. Despite your denial, you are married to my daughter. It’s time the two of you figured out what that means.”
“I’d rather go to jail,” he spat, then turned to Caleb. “Can I go to jail?”
Roger turned a beady eye on me. “And you, girl, keep your hands to yourself and off other women’s husbands, or I’ll see to it…”
I pressed my lips together and took a determined step forward, but Caleb reached out his free arm to block my path and gave a pointed look down at Roger’s raised finger.“I’ve told you before not to threaten my wife.”
The older man folded his hand into a fist, more so, I be
lieve to keep any digits from Caleb’s grasp. “You need to get your house in order. Another man just declared his love for your wife.”
There was a cold edge of irony as he responded. “Tell me something I don’t know. It’s been obvious from day one, but I know where she is at the end of the day.”
I gulped looking back and forth between Jake, who stared at me with abject longing, and Caleb who wasn’t fazed by the confession and wasn’t worried at all, but perhaps a bit more possessive. Only a few moments ago, I was ready to fight, now I was rooted to my spot, unable to take it all in.
Jake, the friend I had known forever, loved me. I was sleeping with Caleb, a man I’d been forced to marry. And I didn’t know what I felt for either one.
Roger turned back to his children. “Leland, go home. Hope, take Jake and try to make up.” He looked back at Caleb. “She,” he nodded to me, “was part of this as well. She goes home, too, or she goes to jail.”
Rita rushed to fill plates for us to take home, and I walked beside Caleb, holding the paper plate and mulling the events. Jake loved me? Did I love him?
Of course I did, but as a friend. Right? I mean, look at all the girlfriends he’d had over the years. He was a player. Not one to settle down. Then again, I know the other side of him, the caring, compassionate side he reserves for his siblings and closest friends. Had I missed the signs? If he had followed me here, then everything that happened was inadvertently my fault. I worried my lip until I tasted blood.
What about Caleb? I sneaked a peek at the man as we climbed the stairs to our apartment. I know I had feelings for him. But what? I was madly attracted to him. The sex was a-maze-ing. Thinking of it sent butterflies skittering off in my belly.
I liked Caleb. Truly liked him. I respected him as a man, as a father to his children, as a son to his mother. He was always fair and honest. While I’d hated him at times when I first arrived, I had grown to admire him, especially over the past couple weeks. But did it matter in the end? Jake and I were leaving Wellington as soon as we could make an escape plan, and Caleb would be staying behind. My heart hurt thinking about it. I couldn’t afford to allow my feelings to be any more than friends with benefits. Really good benefits.