A Divine Life (The Divine Trilogy)

by Hargrave, R. E.

  A vivid image of her nude and riding next to him in the car blinded him, and he smiled. “As much as I’d like to keep you naked all the time, I do have something for you over here by the door.” Hand in hand, they walked over to where he had a lightweight, cotton Capri pant and tank top set waiting. Jayden observed while she pulled the clothes on.

  “What?” Erin asked when she noticed his attentive stare.

  “Nothing,” he smirked. “You are just too beautiful and wonderful not to look at. Are the clothes okay?”

  “They’re perfect, thank you. The material is super soft and feels good against my, um, tender spots.”

  “Come on, my beautiful Erin. Micah has the car out front. Let’s go home and take care of you.”

  Jayden grasped her hand, their fingers intertwined, and he took her home.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  The ride back to the villa was quiet. Erin ended up curling against Jayden’s side and falling asleep, and he was content to look at her while she emitted adorable snoring noises. How had he gotten so lucky to have this angel love him back?

  When they arrived at the house, Jayden attempted to be gentle in waking her, but she was out cold. Poor thing. The day had been exhausting for her.

  “Micah,” Jayden whispered, “can you get the car door, and then run ahead and open the house for me? I’m going to carry her in.”

  “Sure thing, Sir,” he replied before hopping out and running around the car.

  Jayden noted that Micah seemed to have an extra spring in his step, and he gathered his time with Shawn had gone well.

  “Thanks.” The Dom nodded at Micah when he walked through the front door. “Have a good evening, Micah; I’ll see you next week. Don’t forget, I’m taking off until Thursday morning, which means you’re off, too. I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to use the days.”

  “You, too, Sir. Oh, and Sir, thank you. You know, for introducing me to Mr. Carpenter?” Micah grinned, which prompted Jayden to chuckle under his breath.

  “My pleasure, Micah. I’m glad it seems to be working out for you. Good night!”

  Not that he wanted to be rude to Micah, but Jayden had precious cargo in his arms that was beginning to get heavy. He pulled the door closed and turned the lock with his outstretched fingers before carrying Erin up the stairs to his bedroom.

  In the process of laying her down so as not to disturb her, Jayden realized that it was the first time he’d had her in his bedroom just because. Any time Catherine had been at the villa, it had been as his submissive, therefore she stayed in the room at the end of the hallway, and scening was done downstairs in the playroom. This felt right. Seeing Erin snuggle into his pillow and murmur, “Love you, Jayden,” solidified it for him. She belonged in his bed, in his home, and most definitely, in his heart.

  Retrieving the chenille throw from the foot of the bed, Jayden tucked her in, kissing her forehead while answering with a hushed murmur, “Love you, too, Erin.” He could swear the corners of her mouth twitched into a smile, which made his heart flutter in his chest.

  There was a bounce in Jayden’s step while he ducked into the closet to change into a pair of relaxed jeans and then made his way to the kitchen where the take-out menus were stored. Locating his favorite Greek restaurant, he called in an order. After getting his total and delivery time, he hung up and went to his office.

  Though he was now on vacation, the workaholic in him decided to use the extra time to boot up his computer and see if there was anything he could address. One thing handled now would be one less thing to be done when he returned. There was just one email message from Samantha, letting Jayden know that she and Ryan had locked up and to: “Get off your email because you’re off until Thursday.” Samantha had closed the email with assurances that she could hold down the fort until he returned. She also thanked him for the introduction to Ryan, which forced a fresh smile—Jayden didn’t deserve the women in his life.

  With nothing work-related to distract him further, Jayden was at a loss for what to do. He started pacing his office and soon found himself standing in front of his favorite accessory in the room: a hand-drawn calligraphy copy of The Submissive’s Prayer mounted in an elaborate frame. The poem was kept in Jayden’s office to serve as a reminder that, while he might be the Master, the submissive was always in control and her submission was a precious gift not to be abused. Though he knew the words by heart, Jayden read them aloud:

  Allow me the strength to answer questions I can’t fathom.

  Allow me the spirit to know His needs.

  Allow me the kindness to choke back retorts.

  Allow me the serenity to serve Him in peace.

  Allow me the love to show Him myself.

  Allow me the tenderness to comfort Him.

  Allow me the light to show us the way.

  Allow me the wisdom to be an asset to Him.

  Let me be able to show Him each day my love of my service to Him.

  Let me open myself up to completely belong to Him.

  Let my eyes show Him the same respect, rather I sit at His side, or kneel at His feet.

  Let me accept my punishment with the grace.

  Let me learn to please Him, beyond myself.

  Grant me the power to give myself to Him completely.

  Grant me the strength to please us both.

  Permit me to love myself in loving Him.

  Allow me the peace of serving Him.

  For it is my greatest wish, my highest power to make His life complete, as He makes mine.

  ~author unknown~

  After closing his eyes to reflect on the meaning for a few minutes, Jayden then reached out and pressed on the right edge of the frame. A catch released, and he watched the frame swing forward. After typing in the code to the hidden safe, the door slid back. Sitting at the front of the safe was a long, narrow box tucked inside a bag from Dallas’ finest jeweler. With care, he picked it up, took out the box, and lifted the lid, reassuring himself of its contents. Soon. Very soon.

  Hearing the sound of footsteps above, which indicated that Erin was now awake, Jayden stashed the box back in its place, closed up the safe, and returned the frame to its spot against the wall. He rushed out of the office to check on her and caught up with her just as she was coming out of his bathroom, stretching her arms above her head and yawning. Cheeky bastard that Jayden was, he couldn’t help but notice her gorgeous tits stretching against the thin cotton. His cock jerked at the sight. Down, boy. Not tonight. We’re going to let Erin recover.

  “Hello, sweet girl. Nice nap?” he asked with a smile, and she jumped. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “That’s okay, and aye, this girl did. Thank you, Master.”

  “Erin, in here I’m just Jayden. Actually, for the rest of the weekend I’d like us to be just Jayden and Erin, if you don’t mind?”

  “M’kay,” she mumbled, and yawned again.

  Jayden was unable to resist closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around her. She winced when her breasts pressed into his chest. “Tender, are we?” So much had happened, was still happening, that Jayden was finding it hard to remember that she now had some new attributes that would need some TLC for a while.

  Catherine nodded her head. “Aye, but in a good way. I don’t think there’s a part of my body I’m not aware of right now.” She giggled, and he loosened his arms around her. When he lowered his mouth to hers, the minty flavor he was met with told him she’d brushed her teeth while in his bathroom.

  “Erin, just curious; what did you brush with?”

  She lowered her eyes and bit her lower lip. Fuck, the things that sight did to his cock. Easy, big boy, I already told you no.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I borrowed your toothbrush.” She batted her eyelashes at him.

  Yeah, can’t deny this girl anything. Besides, what was sharing a toothbrush when they’d shared so many other oral treats?

  “Erin, sweet girl, you’re we
lcome to anything, and I mean anything, I have,” Jayden professed and pressed his lips to hers again.

  The woman melted into him and her lips parted, allowing his tongue to sweep into her mouth. They shared soft kisses for several minutes while their tongues glided over each other, and then they pulled back to nibble on each other’s lips. She sucked his top lip while he gathered her bottom one. Jayden’s hands were moving up and down her back, going lower with each pass until he was caressing her firm ass. Realizing this was heading somewhere he’d very much like to go but shouldn’t, he gave her ass a squeeze and stepped back from her. Jayden felt cold at once.

  “While I’d like to continue, I’ve ordered dinner, and it should be here in about,” he checked his watch, “thirty minutes. Let me draw you a bath so you can wash up before we eat.”

  Jayden waited for her answer while he absorbed every detail: flushed and breathing heavy; hard, pierced nipples straining at her top; and dampness appearing at her crotch. Shit, he loved the way she responded; she was absolute perfection.

  With an adorable pout that thrust out her kiss-swollen bottom lip, she conceded. “Okay, a bath does sound nice, A rúnsearc.”

  Wanting to take care of every little thing that Erin needed, Jayden took her hand in his and led her back into the bathroom. He closed the plug in the tub and turned on the hot water. As soon as it had warmed, he turned on the cold water to balance it out, and added some vanilla bubble bath. While the tub filled, Jayden returned his attention to Erin. Gripping the bottom of her top, he asked her to lift her arms before sliding the garment over her head, letting his fingertips tease her skin. Her breasts exposed, he bent over and placed a gentle kiss on each of her nipples. “Do you like them?”

  “Oh, Jayden, they’re beautiful. Sir Landon and Paige did such an amazing job. I didn’t even feel it happen!”

  Jayden’s eyebrow quirked at the reminder of what had happened between those three, but her giggle squelched the jealousy that threatened to rear its ugly head. Moving forward, he helped her out of her pants, and then knelt in front of her to place a kiss on the orchids on her left side while inspecting Shawn’s work. It was flawless, as usual, apart from the redness and puffiness of her skin, which was to be expected. “And how about this? Do you like it?” Jayden asked while he stroked his fingertips over the ink.

  Erin gasped and grabbed his hand, ignoring his question. “Oh, God—Jayden, your finger!” She was looking at his index finger, which was a bit puffy and starting to turn purple where she’d bitten it. “Oh, A rúnsearc, I’m so sorry, I—I swear I didn’t know it was you yet, and I was scared.”

  “Shh, sweet girl. It’s okay; no harm done. I guess I played my part a little too well,” he chuckled, “what with the new cologne and the gloves. You really had no idea?” It was a real surprise to him that he’d pulled it off.

  “No, I guess it was the cologne. Hey, I smelled it during the tattoo; were you in there with us?”

  Now it was Jayden’s turn to be sheepish. “Yeah, I just couldn’t stay away from you any longer, so I had Micah bring me over early. Erin, I do have a small confession about that . . .” He trailed off, afraid of her reaction.

  She scrunched her nose in confusion but didn’t say anything, so he continued while helping her into the tub.

  “I was in there, in the corner, and, well—”

  The hot water made her suck in a breath while she lowered her body into it. “Oh, for crying out loud, Jayden; just spit it out!” she laughed.

  He blew out a big breath and went on, “I kind of had my dick out and was stroking it while I watched Shawn work on you.” She started to say something but he cut her off. “And when he took that break, and you napped, we went across the hall, and, oh bloody hell! Micah was in the room, too. Shawn is taking him on as a sub and had him kneeling naked and caged in the other corner, and we, the three of us, went across the hall—”

  Her eyes were widening as he spilled his guts.

  “Yeah, Shawn went into Dom mode and commanded Micah to suck me off while he fucked him.” Jayden had been looking at his hands while he talked, afraid to look up at her.

  She was silent.

  Oh, fuck. Why couldn’t I have just kept my dick in my pants?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Jayden held his breath, but began to let it out in slow increments when Erin’s tiny hand threaded into his hair. Her nails scratched at his scalp, and it felt so good.

  “Jayden?” Her voice was soft. “Look at me, please,” she requested.

  With caution and uncertainty, he raised his eyes up to her, nervous about what he’d see looking back at him. Her eyes were gentle, and she her lips curved upward in a small smile.

  “There you are,” she cooed. “Jayden, what are you ashamed of, A rúnsearc? I helped Micah suck you off just this morning. I know you play with him. Even if Shawn had touched you as well, isn’t that your prerogative? I entered this relationship with you knowing it wasn’t just me in your bed, so to speak.” Erin kissed his forehead in what he assumed was a gesture of acceptance.

  Erin was too good to be real; but she was real. Yet again, she had managed to catch him off guard with her ability to reason and see beyond the bare facts.

  “Oh, Erin, thank you!” A dry, relieved sob escaped him. “It’s just that—well, I have another confession.”

  “Go on, then. If we’re going to make this work, we can’t stop communicating now. Whether you are Jayden or Master shouldn’t have an impact on our honesty with one another.”

  He sucked in a breath and let it out, his lips rippling with the motion. She was right; truth and honesty had to be their cornerstones. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the last couple of weeks, and I’ve decided that you are the only one I want in my bed, the one I need.”

  Her bright smile encouraged him.

  “I’ve made other arrangements for Samantha. I mean, she’s still going to be my secretary, but that’s it now. And as I’ve just explained, Micah will still be my personal assistant and driver, but his needs are going to be met by Shawn.”

  “So what’s the problem then?” Erin asked, furrowing her forehead.

  “I just feel weak for giving in so soon after cutting my ties with them, like I let you down, and can’t be good enough for you.”

  “Jayden Matthew Masterson,” she barked at him, “don’t you ever say you aren’t good enough for me! You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

  Nothing more needed to be said; Jayden rushed at his jewel and covered her mouth with his own. There was a vague awareness that his clothes were becoming saturated while he climbed into the tub with her. She was pawing at his shirt, trying to push it up his abs, so Jayden jerked back long enough to rip it over his head and throw it onto the bathroom floor before he was burying his tongue in her mouth once again. Her nipples were like diamonds where they pushed against his chest, and he swallowed her moans with eagerness.

  “Please, Jayden, take me! I need to feel you inside me.” She bit her lower lip in an enticing move calculated to seduce.

  His lips had been running over her neck when her words snapped him to attention. “Erin, love, you’ve got to be sore. I―I don’t want to say no, but I’m afraid of hurting you. You need some recovery time, sweet girl.” He tried to kiss away her pout.

  Her eyes were fiery, and he could tell her mind was whirling, trying to find a way to get what she wanted. As soon as she smiled, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to say no.

  “Jayden, you’re right.” She shrugged.

  What? That’s all she’s got?

  “But you do realize that the place where I want to feel you hasn’t been touched today? Not much, anyway. Please, Jayden. You can go slow if you want.”

  The batting eyelashes would get him every time. “Erin,” he whined.

  There was a glimpse of a smug smile on her beautiful face before she tucked her nose in behind his ear to kiss that soft spot—the one that felt sinful.

&
nbsp; Jayden groaned when her hot breath whispered over his ear, “I can feel that you want me, too.” Damn capricious cock had its own agenda, no matter what his more sensible head wanted to enforce.

  Well, he had told Erin she was welcome to anything in his home. Jayden bolted upright, the abrupt movement sending water cascading down his body to splash all over her. Erin squealed and tried to cover her face while she bubbled with laughter, but all the man noticed was the way her breasts were pushed together by her arms. The sight spurred him to work faster at releasing the button and zipper on his jeans.

  She continued to laugh while Jayden fought to peel the wet denim from his body and avoid falling on top of her—not an easy feat. Trying to balance in a bathtub and wrestle wet denim was not something he would recommend. After what seemed an eternity, during which Jayden almost fell twice, he got the last inch of material worked off his foot and couldn’t resist a proud “Ta-Da!” while he stood before her with his cock standing firm and upright only inches from her face.

  Erin giggled again and clapped. “Bravo! Bravo, A rúnsearc!”

  All coherent thought left Jayden when she closed the distance and slid her hot, little mouth over his wet dick.

  “Fuck, Erin!” he hissed out in surprise.

  She ran her hands up the backs of his thighs until she was grasping his ass, which she proceeded to push against, forcing him to go deeper into her mouth. Jayden’s hands went to her head, where he let his fingers get wrapped up in her hair. Erin moaned around the organ, while he held her head and started fucking her mouth in a sweet cadence.

  “Oh, God, Erin. My sweet, naughty, little Erin, the things you . . . ungh . . . do to me. Shit! Cailin maith.” The slow tempo had been abandoned for a needy, fast pump into her mouth. It was amazing how her throat was able to relax and open, and with each thrust, he slipped in deeper. Before Jayden knew it, her nose was brushing against his trimmed pubic hairs, and he could feel her throat muscles contracting as she literally swallowed his cock.