"That was so beautiful. You smell so fucking good. I want to taste you before I take you, baby."
Jack's voice brought her back to Earth. His panting breaths blew over her damp flesh a moment before his tongue searched out to join her fingers. She jerked and froze for a moment, totally caught up in the feel of his hot tongue making circuits from her clit to her entrance and back.
"Mmmm . . . So good," he said against her flesh. Grace moved her hand and Jack sucked her clit into his mouth.
"Oh fuck. I'm so sensitive," she panted.
Jack didn't tease. He zeroed in and vigorously massaged her clit with his tongue. Grace gripped the edge of the desk. She was going to come again. She couldn't hold back the loud moans he was pulling from her. Just when she thought she couldn't take anymore Jack thrust his thick fingers into her pussy and pressed down, rubbing that perfect spot inside with just enough pressure. She bit her fist and nearly sobbed through the intense climax.
Grace was a puddle on the desk when Jack stood from the chair and positioned himself behind her. His legs bracketed hers. Jack had her hips in a tight hold and he curved his body over her possessively. His cock was poised at her entrance.
"I'm on the edge, Grace," he rumbled against her ear. "This is going to be hard and fast. The sight of you touching yourself like that drove me insane. The smell of you . . . fuck, the taste of you is making me crazy. I can't hold back, baby."
He had her pinned to the desk when he pushed inside, filling her in one long stroke. Jack held her steady and he let go. She moaned at the fullness. With every inward thrust and outward stroke his cock was dragged along overly sensitive nerves. Jack was chasing his own release and reawakening her desire. He leaned back and brought both hands up to cup her breasts and gently pinched her nipples. Grace couldn't breathe. She was going to explode and this time she might never come back down. The change of position and twisting of Jack's hips hit a spot that made her shout his name. He pounded at that perfect spot and Grace was gone. She came. It was so intense she may have passed out for a moment. Jack continued thrusting behind her until his booming cry of release joined hers as it echoed through the building. He lifted her away from the desk and cradled her against his chest in the chair. She breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of Jack's spicy aftershave and essence of sex in the air. Screw her sterling reputation. At the moment nothing mattered except Jack.
****
Grace spent three glorious days in Jack's bed. When they weren't making love they talked and snuggled and she began to feel like she really knew him again. They showered together, cooked together, and spent time looking over Jack's plans for the house. She didn't think the house needed work, but Jack was looking for a fresh start and Grace could understand that need. She was searching for the same thing. They talked about their families, work, and they even briefly discussed having children. Jack didn't push that subject. He was probably afraid to scare her away. She hadn't even agreed to marry him yet.
She was learning about Jack Landry, entrepreneur. Grace had been mentally stuck in the past with Jack Landry, player extraordinary. A real life and the happy ending she wanted with Jack was looking more and more like a reality.
It was time to get back to New York now. She made her decision to take the partnership at Artifex after a long discussion about her concerns over them working so closely. While they would be running the company as a team with Rachel they wouldn't really see each other in the office unless a meeting was planned. Otherwise Grace's duties as CFO didn't involve Jack's duties on the creative end. He was frequently out of the office. Rachel was the one who'd become the in-house anchor of the company. Jack went out to meet with clients and drum up new commercial business. As long as they were both able to leave their personal life outside of the boardroom there wouldn't be a problem.
It was now time to put their plan into motion. She would go back and begin separating herself from her life in New York. There was a lot to do. They decided a month would be long enough for her get the majority of it done. Any loose ends could be handled from Seattle.
Jack held her hand and toyed with her ring the entire drive to the airport. He was quiet. That morning he'd admitted he was afraid she'd get home and change her mind. Or Luke would somehow talk her out of this drastic and sudden life change. She thought it was sweet that he was so anxious for her to return. She was sure Luke was going to have a lot to say on the subject. But she couldn't live her life for Luke. He'd be upset at first but he was her best friend. He would settle down once he knew she was happy and ready for the next phase of her life.
Grace's flight was called and she stood. Jack kissed her sweetly once and took her hand. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her ring.
"Hurry home to me, Grace. I love you."
"I love you, too. I'll be back before you know it. Then you'll be stuck with me," she joked and placed a kiss on his chin.
"I can't wait." He hugged her tight one last time.
Grace boarded the plane and settled in for the long flight. She smiled to herself thinking of Jack's parting words. Hurry home. Her home was now with Jack. Where she'd longed to be for far too long. She was close to making it a reality. The only sticking point was Luke, her best friend. She didn't want to lose him in the deal. Things would work out though. Luke loved her and she loved him. Nothing would ever change that.
NINE
Grace fidgeted in her seat and checked the time again. She was early for once. Usually Luke had to wait for her when they had their weekly dinner night together. He would order for both of them and they'd share whatever he ordered. They'd been doing this for so long that he knew what she liked from any restaurant in Manhattan. She'd been back in New York for a week but she'd been putting off talking to Luke about her move to Seattle. Why, she wasn't sure. That's the lie she kept telling herself. She knew exactly why. Jack's comment about Luke's feelings for her had Grace reviewing their entire relationship.
When Grace thought about all of the times Luke had been there when she needed him it made her wince. He was her best friend and her biggest supporter. He'd held her while she sobbed over losing Jack and he'd encouraged her every step of the way through her career. Luke was her steady, her solid, and she loved him. But she'd been so busy avoiding getting hurt again that she'd never stopped to examine their relationship. It was terribly one-sided. He never talked about his girlfriends. He'd mention having a date but never tell her how it went afterward. He focused on her when they were together. Selfishly, Grace had enjoyed being the center of his attention. She felt like a horrible friend.
When Grace accepted the internship in New York City, Luke had been so proud of her. It had come as a shock to Grace when Luke followed her to New York. Luke wasn't meant to be a city dweller but he believed this was the best place for him to start up his business. He came from a family of farmers. He'd been raised in the fields and had run wild in the country until he went away to college. Living in the city was nearly suffocating for Luke at first. But he'd adjusted to the closeness and pace of things as his business took off. He was a busy man who made a living as a consultant whose clients hired him to overhaul their businesses in order to make them more profitable. He was a marketing whiz with a business degree and a love of numbers. He took failing businesses and turned them around. He took successful businesses and made them grow. The man was a genius and she envied his passion for the job.
Luke entered the restaurant and a smile blossomed over his face as soon as he saw her waiting for him. He cut a dashing figure in his suit and it was as clear now as it had been when they were in school that Luke took pride in his appearance. More than one pair of feminine eyes followed his progress across the room. Grace rose from her chair to greet him. Luke hugged her warmly and kissed her on the cheek as he always did.
"Welcome home, Grace. Thank goodness you're back. My Friday nights have been miserable without you." He waited for her to resume her seat before settling in the chair next to her. "I'm starving! Did you order?"
His grin was infectious. Grace always felt wonderful when she was with Luke. He was the only thing she was going to miss about New York and she was dreading telling him about her decision to move.
After the waitress took their order and left the table Luke took her hand as he always did and demanded to know about her trip to Seattle. Grace was careful to give him her right hand. The elegant engagement ring resting on the fourth finger of her left hand suddenly weighed a ton. He hadn't noticed it yet so she tucked her hand under the table. She could tell he was anxious by the way his whole body shook slightly due to the motion of his foot under the table. It was a nervous habit of his to shake his right foot like that. It was just like Luke to focus entirely on her. Delaying the inevitable, Grace turned the tables for once and insisted he tell her how business was while she was away. Luke's smile dropped but he obliged her. They talked about his latest client and his plan of attack to turn the struggling business around. When he finished they sat there staring at each other.