Surreal (Divine Trilogy #3) (9 page)

By the time he let sleep take him, he’d come up with a plan, as long as Landon was game to help.

Jayden woke up alone, cold, and stiff—and not in
that
way. Though morning wood had returned around the same time Erin had become part of his life, he was usually safe from the problem if she weren’t right next to him.

Since they’d fallen asleep on top of the covers, the bed didn’t need more than a quick straightening, and he was soon hurrying through a shower. Opting to pull on a pair of heavy black sweats and an old hoodie from his alma mater, Rice University, he appraised himself in the mirror. Jillian would have to deal with him showing up casual, and he was going to insist Erin do the same. The next two weeks were going to be stress-free and all about comfort, if he had anything to say about it.

Arriving in the kitchen, he spotted the girls out on the back patio. Though they each held a coffee cup, there was no evidence breakfast had been prepared. Jayden poured himself a cup of rich, brown coffee, and seeing it was the last in the pot, flipped the machine off. The kettle on the stove top surprised him—he hadn’t known he even owned one. On the counter near the tea pot sat a container of some over-priced gourmet cocoa mix—another thing he hadn’t realized they had on hand. On a whim, he decided to add a scoop to his coffee.

Enjoying his first taste, he pondered the pair outside. They appeared deep in conversation, and with Natalie’s condition, Jayden knew food was in order. Dried and canned goods were all they had left in the house, since they’d made sure to clean out the perishables before leaving on their trip. Scribbling a quick note, he left it leaning against the coffee pot in case Erin came back inside before his return.

While he drove to the nearest bakery, Jayden’s mind ran about a mile a minute. When they’d invited Natalie back to the house, it had been his intention to let her stay at the Villa in their absence. Micah could do a grocery run to make sure she had supplies, and she’d have him nearby if she needed anything. Yet he couldn’t get the image of the two girls on the patio out of his head.

Erin and Natty had hit it off rather well. Was it right to leave the girl there alone after her ordeal, and over the holidays no less?
Not really.

Once he parked the car in the bakery lot, he called his sister. “Hey, Ronnie, do you mind if we bring a friend?”

After giving his sister the basics of Natalie’s situation, Ronnie demanded the girl come along. Considering they only had one spare room, Jayden made arrangements for him and Erin to stay at a hotel so Natty could use the room at the house. Both Ronnie and Jayden agreed she needed to be around loving, supportive people. He didn’t mind the new plans—he and Erin would be able to make good use of the privacy a hotel room granted.

Feeling confident the girls would be pleased with his arrangements, he strolled into the bakery. His nose was assaulted by butter, sugar, and other sweet smells, and Jayden’s appetite roared to life. He stepped up to the counter to order.

“Morning, sir. What can I getcha today?”

“Good morning.” He flashed her a smile. “I’m on vacation and think some splurging is in order.” Fifteen minutes later, he returned to the car with two dozen assorted sinful delights in his possession. Before starting the car, he helped himself to an apple fritter—his favorite.

An hour after that, the trio was well on their way to Corpus Christi. Erin and Natalie were sharing the back seat, where a box of donuts sat between them. Their happy chatter was soothing background noise while he drove.

“Oh my god, I’m so full.” Erin flopped back on the bed, her knees bent over the edge, and toed off her heels. She and Jayden had just gotten back to their hotel after a ‘date night’ with Ronnie and Steph. Natty had stayed with the babies.

“You will be,” he promised, nudging her legs open with his knee.

She felt the heat of his body between her thighs, and then the mattress compressed at either side of her head. He was leaning over her; so close she could taste the sweet musk of his scent on her tongue. Erin puckered her lips and lifted her head, looking to be kissed.

Her lover granted her a brief reprieve, pressing his mouth to hers hard and fast, but then he straightened up and backed away.

Erin groaned and propped herself up on her elbows so she could see him. She exhaled, blowing away the loose wisps of red hair near her face. Her mouth went dry under his heated stare while he untucked his shirt from his slacks and began unbuttoning it.

The look he was giving her clearly stated: “I’m going to fuck you, and you will enjoy every second of it.” However, Jayden went on talking like he wasn’t contemplating doing naughty, dirty, wonderful things to her while he stared her down. “Ronnie mentioned having some concern about Natalie.”

All the man was doing was disrobing in front of her, but her sense of propriety was evaporating in favor of greedy lust. His continuing conversational tone flummoxed her, but she played along.

“Something does seem off, but I’ve chalked it up to everything that happened before we came down here. And we can’t forget that she’s in a house full of people she’s never met, so it could be a case of shyness.”

“Maybe. I can’t let go of the fact that I never should’ve taken her through the club doors. Natalie doesn’t belong in our world. She’s too sweet and innocent.”

He worked the shirt off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Her eyes zeroed in on the flexing of his pectorals. A lecherous grin pulled at his lips, and he unhooked the button on his trousers.

“However, you, my jewel, are anything but innocent in this dress, though I’m sure you taste quite sweet.”

Erin’s chest tightened at the sight of him dropping to his knees. He scooted up to the end of the bed and her legs were forced further apart. Her already short skirt inched higher.

“You can’t blame yourself, Jayden. You didn’t know this would happen.”

“Open your legs, Catherine.” The roughness in his voice did things to her, muddied her thinking, and got her heart racing.

“Um, I take it we’re done talking about Natalie?” she whispered.

He braced his hands on her knees and pushed. “Open.”

The skirt material dug into her thighs when it bunched and rolled up to her hips, exposing her center. She wore a poor excuse for panties. The tiny scrap of lace barely hid her—until he hooked a finger in the crotch and twisted the material. With a sharp yank that jerked her whole body, the flimsy fabric gave way, making any further resistance futile.

She bucked when his adept tongue was buried in her pussy. “Mm, thank you, Master.”

The occupant of the room next door could be heard moving about. Knowing their upcoming activities might be overheard sent a spike of excitement through Catherine and a pleading noise escaped her throat.

Master chuckled against her pussy lips seconds before she felt cooler—all over. The zipper which ran the length of the front of her dress was being opened, the metal teeth retracting to expose her fair skin. At the bottom, he freed the zipper from the track, then threw back the sides of her dress.

“Damn, woman. You’re fucking exquisite.” He delivered the words while touching her pussy with lazy back and forth strokes.

Spread like she was made his attentions feel more possessive, and her core throbbed because of it. Catherine thrilled at being His slut. A pleased smile took over her face while she absorbed his compliment.

“There’s my jewel. You have such a beautiful smile.” He slipped two fingers into her, curling them forward to tease the spongy flesh inside of her. It took mere moments for pressure to start building, taking over her lower abdomen and making her writhe against his hand, seeking release. “I’d do anything to get you to share it with me.”

She tried to smile at the sweetness in the sentiment, but he pressed a hand to her belly and began thrusting those fingers in and out of her with the perfect roughness, which soon had her begging: “Please, Master, may this girl come?”

He ignored her plea, but slowed down his movements. The change in speed let her compose herself—for a few moments, at least.

“Master, please—”

He cut her off with what she thought was a rather random inquiry. “Why do you wear those pearls, Catherine?”

Giving the question consideration distracted the submissive from her need to orgasm. She rode the edge of it, of course, but her mind was busy seeking the answer. Touching the smooth stones around her neck, it came to her: “Because serving you is divine, Master.”

One last thing escaped him before he could no longer speak, his mouth returning his mouth to her pussy. “You may come when ready, pet.”

Ready turned out to be the third lap of his tongue, and all worries over Natalie evaporated for the duration of the night while the couple lost themselves in the steamy, passionate meeting of flesh.

*~*~*

The day of Christmas Eve dawned, and Woody O’Chancey arrived first thing that morning. He’d be staying for a couple of days before he had to get back to the ranch. While the rest of the group would remain in Corpus Christi through New Year’s Eve, Jayden was glad Erin would at least get Christmas with him—it had been too long since they’d celebrated the holiday together.

About mid-morning, Jayden got up to stretch his legs from the couch where he was watching the game with Woody and his dad. He noticed Natalie shuffling down the hall, her shoulders hunched forward. The rest of the ladies were in the kitchen, baking, cooking, and laughing way more than was probably safe for the men in the house. Curious, he followed her to her room to check on her.

She tried to blame her hormones when he asked her if everything was okay.

“I’ll buy that to a point, Natalie, but you haven’t been yourself since we got here. Is there anything Erin or I can do?”

“You’re a kind man, Mr. Masterson, but my burden is not yours to bear.”

“I’m touched you think so, Natalie. But I’m also a man of means, and you are far from being a burden to me, little one. Erin and I just want to help. A new baby should be about happiness, right?” His voice lowered with his thoughts drifting to Erin. “Not everyone can have one, though. They’re a true gift.”

Natalie burst into tears, and Jayden reached for her but then shrank back, tucking his hands into his pockets. She wasn’t his submissive or family, and he had no place touching her. He just didn’t know what else to do for the girl while she continued to break down in front of him.
Fuck it
, he thought. Jayden gathered her up in a hug, and she latched onto him, soon soaking the front of his shirt with her tears.

“Hey, Natty, Jillian’s about to teach us her secret fudge recipe—” Erin pulled up short when she poked her head around the door and saw them.

He glanced down at the top of Natalie’s head, then over to his love with a look that he hoped conveyed “Help me.”

“Oh. Hi, Jayden. Everything alright?” She stepped into the room and pushed the door closed behind her to maintain some privacy.

Natalie sniffled against him, then pulled away, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “Oh, jeez. I’m sorry, Erin. This must look awful, but it was nothing, I promise.”

Erin laughed. “No worries, lass. I hug him every chance I get, too. He smells awful good.”

A small smile snuck onto Natalie’s face.

“What’s up, guys? Why do we have tears at Christmas?” she asked, and Jayden shrugged, still unsure what had set Natalie off.

She fed Erin the same line about hormones that she’d given him. Seeing a hint of longing flash in Erin’s eyes in response, he let it drop for the moment. Jayden had every intention of revisiting the issue with Natalie at a later time. And now, it seemed he also needed to get Erin to share how she felt about the girl’s pregnancy, or more specifically, how she
really
felt about having kids with him.
Damn
.

Plastering a smile on her face, Natalie hooked arms with his girl. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to make fudge. Mine comes out grainy every time.”

With a laugh, Erin blew him a kiss then let Natty lead her from the room. He watched them go, lingering behind for a few minutes.

*~*~*

Christmas morning turned out to be an exercise in controlled chaos in the small house. Pushing nine months, Benny and Joon were crawling everywhere and beginning to pull up and walk with the aid of furniture. In other words, they were mobile, and into everything. It was hilarious to watch, yet Erin noticed Natalie stayed withdrawn, observing from a quiet corner while the rest of the family laughed and stuck bows on Joon’s head. Drooling, Benny would grab the shiny decorations and stick them on his own wispy locks with a cheesy grin and a gurgling noise.

When Erin tried to catch Jayden’s eye, she couldn’t. It seemed his attention was on Natalie, too. Thinking the girl might be fighting a bout of morning sickness, Erin slipped away to the kitchen to prepare a cup of ginger tea. Her effort was rewarded with a thank you and Natalie re-engaging with the group. The morning went on, and while the kids ripped through their packages with glee, the adults took turns passing gifts to each other.

Erin got teary-eyed when she unwrapped the small gift from her da. It was her
maimeo’s
handwritten recipe book—he’d kept it and taken care of it. Erin had given up ever seeing the collection again when she’d run from California, so to have that treasured piece of her grandma returned meant more than she could put into words. Instead of trying to vocalize her gratitude, Erin crawled into his lap for a hug while they shared a silent moment in Caroline’s memory.

From Jayden’s parents, she got a ‘paid’ receipt from Tailored by Tanner. They’d bought the custom gown for her. Likewise, they gave Jayden a similar receipt for the florist, showing that all of the orchids and roses for the ceremony had been taken care of. Grateful for their generosity, both objected that Malcolm and Jillian had done too much, but Malcolm spoke up, telling Jayden he needed to save his pennies to take his woman somewhere classy for the honeymoon. Which, of course, led to the discussion of destinations.

“Have you been to Ireland, Mr. Masterson?” Natalie posed the simple question, and it was like a light bulb went on.

Erin’s breath caught, an involuntary smile creeping onto her face at the very idea of going back. Over two decades had elapsed since she’d last walked on Irish soil. She’d been ten, and her da had taken her to Bunratty in County Clare for Caroline’s funeral.

“Could we?” The two words were whispered low but were filled with hope.

“Anything for you, sweet girl. If that’s what you’d like, then that’s where we’ll go.”

“Aye, I think I’d like that very much.” Her mind began spinning, a building enthusiasm threatening to burst the more she dwelled on seeing the emerald landscape again.

Benny chose that moment to plaster a metallic green bow on Erin’s nose. The room dissolved into laughter, and the next set of packages were plunked down in front of the twins. After all the boxes and envelopes had been pillaged, they gorged themselves on dinner. Being a ranch family, the traditional ham and turkey were overlooked in favor of a slow-smoked brisket with all the trimmings.

In front of the family, Jayden gave Erin a voucher for a year’s worth of couple’s massages at Silver Spurs. However, back at the hotel that night once they were alone, he had one more surprise. Her Master presented Catherine with a certificate issuing her a registered submissive number and a silver anklet, from which a charm engraved with the digits hung. He’d taken the time to have his ownership of her recorded in the public Lifestyle annals, which left her speechless for the second time that day.

It was the wee hours of the morning before she finished showing her appreciation for the official declaration.