13. EXPANDING THE HEART
13
EXPANDING THE HEART
PENNY
“ Penny….my Penny Lane …”
She was running again, out in the darkness and the cold. Brendan’s figure was outlined ahead of her in the freshening dawn, then he abruptly turned to walk briskly toward the West.
Penny couldn’t reach him fast enough. He turned and the last thing she saw before he vanished into smoke was his wistful, rueful grin that was so essentially Brendan.
Unlike the aftermath of most dreams of Brendan, Penny woke up smiling. She couldn’t help it. She was bruised and aching, but it was a good hurt, a good deep-down body ache from being well and thoroughly loved. Staring with satisfaction at the man sprawled next to her on the bed, Penny stretched again and sniffed her arm. For some reason she smelled like she’d been dipped in a vat of rose oil.
Bits and pieces of last night rushed in and out of her memory stream; Simon’s shout to commence the feast, the galleries of wicked delights. Jack’s savage lust trampling all over her last barriers and utterly breaking them down. Her own scream of surrender echoing in the woods.
A hazy memory of him saying he loved her teased her mind. Had he really said that? Now she didn’t think so. It was probably something she’d dreamed up, like she’d believed Brendan had been leading her into the forest.
What stood out the most, aside from the way she’d felt giving herself to Jack? It was how he’d taken care of her, how gently he’d soaped and pampered her afterward. The look of adoration in his half-closed eyes as he watched her fall asleep.
Wait…a bath? Her hair! Penny’s hands flew up to feel what state her tresses were in.
“Fuck!”
She got out of bed and rushed to the mirror over the vanity. No . Clearly, he’d wet it and left it uncombed and matted. Just lovely. But her scarf was tied around her hair line and the rest had been gathered in a hair tie. And she was in her tank top and sweats. No panties but okay, forgivable. She had no memory of putting the clothes on herself. He must have done that, too.
There was a slow cracking sound, like the one she’d once heard on the bow of a ship watching glaciers fall to pieces in Alaska. A huge sound, of ice melting and rushing and tumbling into the sea, too overcome by warmth to survive. It was her heart, or maybe the iced enclosure that surrounded it. Overcome by something as simple as a silk scarf and a hair tie in the middle of the night when she was too tired to manage it herself.
That’s when she knew it for sure. Penny loved Jack Valentine.
She was in love.
Dammit .
Penny resigned herself to the fact that she did love Jack, loved him like that . After a week. She must have lost her damned mind.
She got back in bed after a much-needed visit to the bathroom, where she peed, fluffed out her hair as best she could, and brushed her teeth. Then she got back in bed beside him to enjoy the feeling of being in love before she could start second-guessing it, which would surely begin any second.
Now it was her turn to take in his gorgeousness. Her eyes ran over his uncombed light-brown hair, not long enough to truly be messy but unruly. For the first time, she saw stubble, and she looked closer with fascination. It was light with a fair helping of silver gilt on the jaw. Penny wondered what it would look like if he let his beard grow in. Probably fucking hotter than July. She wanted to kiss that silver scruff and would gladly suffer a skin burn if he rubbed it all over her.
“Stop staring at me.” Jack’s morning voice was even huskier than his normal low pitch. It sent a fresh downpour of wetness between her legs.
“Don’t tell me what to do, husband .” She was teasing when she said it. Maybe. The word had felt good in her mouth. It felt right calling him that. Scarily right.
“Mm, I like hearing you say that,” he murmured sleepily. He reached over and dragged her on top of him. “Morning.”
Penny leaned down for a kiss, and he obliged, reaching up to slide his fingers in her hair and hold her in place as his lips moved over hers. His tongue prodded her bottom lip, licking it before sliding in deeper for a thorough taste.
“I like waking up next to you,” he said in between increasingly sweeter, hotter kisses. “I like it a lot.”
He slapped her ass, then soothed and squeezed the sting he’d caused. Penny squirmed at the sensation, the way she squirmed again when he gripped her hips and made her slide up and down his hardening cock through his boxer briefs. Then he pushed them off till all he wore was the ink on his beautiful golden body. He pulled off her clothes, too, and she was naked in seconds.
In the full morning light, she was suddenly shy to be exposed, even though he’d obviously seen everything when he’d undressed and bathed her. Jack’s eyes were darkened as he caressed her skin from her face to her breasts and her round hips.
“You’re gorgeous, angel,” he said. His eyes weren’t teasing. They were almost worshipful as they ran over her, then went back to her face. With gentle fingertips, he massaged a spot on her shoulder. It was a small bruise, already purpling. “Sorry if things got rough out there. It’s not something I normally do.”
In turn, her fingers rubbed at the faint indentations on his shoulder. “I’ve never done anything like that either. ‘ Mi Vida Loca ,’” she said ruefully, tracing the motto on his upper chest. “My crazy life. It was a little crazy, for sure, but I’m not sorry. I liked it. I lo — I loved it.”
Impulsive Penelope, her mother always lamented. She almost went and told the man she loved him . Loved him like that .
All thoughts of what was rational or impulsive fled when Jack pulled her back on top of him. What she couldn’t keep to herself was a short, breathy moan as their bodies pressed together, full contact. Glorious. He was so hard everywhere she was soft. She melted on his heat, kissed him, and he exhaled when her legs parted to cradle his cock between her thighs. She dragged her clit along the ridged underside of his erection, smooth satin over steel, and moaned again, deeper, at how fucking good it felt.
“Use me,” he urged her as her hips moved faster, and she wet him with her juices. It made the glide all that much easier. Jack toyed with her nipples while she did, electrifying her as pleasure zipped through her body. “Yes, angel, use me. Make yourself come.”
And she did. When the friction became unbearably good, she came suddenly, exploding with a sunburst so strong it made her shut her eyes. “ Jack !” she called in a high-pitched cry. Her hips kept rocking but slowed down as the waves ebbed.
She opened her eyes to see Jack grinning at her. He caressed her cheek tenderly.
“Enjoy yourself?” he asked, as if it wasn’t obvious.
Penny twisted her lips at him. “What do you think?”
“I think you did. ‘Jack!’” he mimicked her, and she slapped his arm while he chuckled.
“You’re so wrong,” Penny exclaimed. “You shouldn’t make fun of me for having a moment.”
Pretending to scowl, she nevertheless loved being pressed against him when he laughed. The vibrations of that laughter rumbled through her, all the way to her bones. She’d never felt so fucking good in her life.
Where had this man come from?
“Jack!” he said again, still cheesing. That fucking sexy ass grin almost undid her. “Oh, Jack!”
“Okay, just for that… Let’s see how quiet you are when it’s your turn.”
At her challenge, Jack’s eyes glittered. He watched her move lower, pushing the covers down to expose him fully.
“Right,” he scoffed. “Didn’t you call me monosyllabic last night? I can go zero -syllabic, trust me.”
There was no point arguing further. Time to make him pay.
Kissing and nibbling on his throat, then his bronzed nipples, Penny traced his abs with her tongue. She grinned as Jack’s breathing grew progressively unsteady. Muscles twitched in his arms, his legs, and his chest as if his entire body was dedicated to holding in any sign of pleasure.
That changed when she took his dick in her hand and stroked it, admiring the shape and the heft of it. Jack’s hips rose involuntarily, then he lay flat again, his face darkening with the strain of holding back. The tip glistened, and a bead of cum rolled down the side. She couldn’t wait to finally take her first taste of him, but she teased with a simple kiss to the head. He murmured in his throat.
“Go ahead and moan. You know you want to,” she taunted.
“I’m not going to make a sound no matter what you do to me,” Jack insisted, his grin replaced with a glaze of lust when she reached out with her tongue and swirled it around the head. “ Fuck …”
Then he watched her lick up and down his cock like the tastiest lollipop she’d ever had, putting one hand behind his head to make sure he could see it all. He murmured when she lapped at the vein that ran along the underside. Gasped when she took a longer taste of the salty slit at the tip. He smelled like her arousal and his own masculine scent, and she moaned, her pussy growing wet again at the combination and his flavor.
“You’re fucking good,” he breathed. “Really fucking go — Ah .” His compliment broke in half when she took the deep dive to the base, swallowing him fully in her mouth.
With a fist, he covered his own mouth. She laughed as well as she could with his dick brushing the back of her throat anyway. Penny let her lips go slack, still circling the base with her fingers to maintain her control. Then she sucked, bobbing her head, Jack’s fingers tangling in her hair and sinking to her scalp, seeking his own control.
Then she pulled off, letting him pop out of her mouth. He propped himself up on his elbows, face creased in near agony. His eyes shuttered when she ran her flattened tongue up the length and licked around the head.
“Got somethin’ to say?” she asked.
Jack didn’t speak. But his forehead dripped sweat, and his cock was bobbing. He sucked in a hissing breath when she swirled it again. Then stopped. It didn’t seem possible that his face and his chest could get any redder, but he was proving her wrong. The torture wasn’t over. She swirled and stopped again, then after delivering a soft, wicked laugh, repeated the move. The silent plea in his eyes almost made her feel sorry for him.
By the time she was alternating between licking the head and sucking on him, Jack’s hips were lifting off the mattress. His chest heaved, thighs trembled, breath hitched. He was lost in ecstasy, his head turning from side to side until suddenly he yelled, inarticulate, while hot jets of cum shot into her mouth. Penny loved every second of his release, how his muscles still trembled all over. Loved the ability she possessed to make this powerful man lose control.
Jack was still panting and jerking with little aftershocks when she climbed back up and grinned at him.
“So…you were talking shit about people not being quiet?” Penny taunted. Then she mimicked his orgasmic shout. “Ah! AH !”
“Stop,” he murmured crossly, cutting his eyes at her. But he drew her back up into his arms. “Fuck, angel, you make me so fucking weak. How could I help meself?” They got lost in kissing for a while. Burrowing against his solid chest, she enjoyed the sensation of his salt and pepper bristling against her fingertips. Jack sighed. “Yeah, I need a shave.”
“I love it. Zaddy for days,” she said, stroking it.
“I have no idea what that is, but I’ll take it as a compliment.” He groaned, squeezing her breast. “As much as I want to spend the rest of the day doing this, we should get dressed and get out of here. This place is feckin’ weird.”
They got cleaned up and dragged themselves downstairs to see if there would be any breakfast served. The dining hall had been set with a buffet offering a variety of breakfast meats, three styles of egg, fried potatoes, Belgian waffles, assorted pastries, and fresh fruit.
Jack and Penny took their meals and coffee to the table where Serena was having her breakfast of fruit and oatmeal. Some of the guests seemed pretty lively, considering the long night of debauchery, while others hid behind huge shades and could barely lift their coffee cups to their lips.
“Are we gonna see y’all again at the winter festivities?” Serena asked.
Before Penny could inquire about that, Jack raised his eyebrows and quickly answered, “You won’t.”
A voice rang out at the entrance of the dining hall. “Good morning, revelers.”
Clarissa swept into the room wearing an emerald floor-length morning gown, the kind Penny used to see actresses wear in her grandmother’s TV soap operas. The effect was very dramatic, like everything else the woman did. She hardly looked at them as she bent to kiss Serena on the lips.
Speaking in Serena’s ear, she purred, “You were fantastic last night, darling. Can’t wait to see you in Palm Springs next weekend.” Clarissa gave her a more thorough kiss and grinned when Serena blushed. She straightened up and said to the rest of the breakfast crowd, “All my darlings look exhausted. Drink up that o.j.”
When they were packed, their bags stowed in Jack’s car out front and their phones returned, Penny took her last long look at the scene, the castle, the grounds, the departing guests. It had been an experience to remember.
This was where her heart had finally opened to Jack, to anyone. That wasn’t a small thing. Giving herself to him, acknowledging these soft, new feelings for him was world-changing. This would always be sacred ground for that reason alone.
Jack looked around, too, then at her, taking her hand and intertwining their fingers. She knew he was thinking the same, and when he looked at her, the seriousness in his eyes confirmed it. His lips quirked into a grin, and he inclined his head toward the car.
Before they could get far, Clarissa called out from the doorway and approached them with a wide, false grin.
“Simon is still indisposed this morning. He sends his apologies that he couldn’t see you out. Penelope, would you give Jack and me a moment?”
Jack's eyes on Clarissa were sharp as knives. “Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of my wife.”
The dark-haired woman nodded and waved at another departing set of guests, then drew them both slightly to the side out of earshot. With her back to the others, the painted-on grin melted and disappeared.
“Since you won’t speak with me privately, here it is. Simon was less than happy with how things turned out last night. We always want to feel as though our guests are having a good time and that didn’t appear to be the case. So, to that end…we are willing to extend another invitation for you to join us over the winter holidays. See if we can give a little quid for your quo .”
“What’s the quid and what’s the quo ?” Jack asked, brows drawing together.
Clarissa paused as if reluctant to use her words. “Talking about money is so…well, it’s tacky, but here it is. I know you don’t care for our set, Jack. I know you make the rounds at all the parties despite that because your charity and your gym require a constant infusion of cash. Simon and I want to do whatever we can to help. I mean, we love children. Who doesn’t?”
She shrugged and grinned broadly, but Penny could read “fuck them kids” all over that smile.
Jack huffed a brisk sigh. “We really need to get on the road, so if that’s all you had to say —”
“Simon will provide your foundation with a very generous donation. All that’s needed from you is… your time.” Her emerald eyes were wide. As if she was attempting to mesmerize them, the same way she had last night.
This bitch …
“Okay, this is where I have to say a few words,” Penny interjected as Jack's face turned brick red. “There is no judgment from me on how you and your husband conduct your marriage. But you have to respect the fact that not everybody feels the same. Last night was…interesting. A night of firsts in a lot of ways. I appreciate that, I really do.” She paused to look at Jack again. “But now you’re about to cross the line into disrespectful. My husband is not coming back here to entertain you. Period. And it's bad form for you to keep asking when he’s already said no.”
Clarissa’s tinkling laugh, as though they were having a carefree conversation, was a touch too high. “Jack wouldn’t be coming alone. We want both of you to come. None of us really had the chance to get to know each other better. I want the four of us to be friends. Otherwise, should my husband be disappointed again, none of us will be happy. Believe me,” she said with a distant expression in her eyes, “he’s not an easy man to live with when he’s disappointed. He’s instructed me to make it very clear that the donations…your personal assets, your endorsement contracts…all of it disappears overnight if we don’t get our time with you. His words to me were, if this doesn’t happen, he will see to it that your accounts end up as dry as my pussy.”
Now there was a fault line in the seductive priestess mask that Clarissa had been wearing all night. The confidence, the sultry ease, was wearing thin, showing what had been hidden beneath. She was a sad bird in a diamond cage. And despite her growing disgust for both the FitzGeralds, Penny couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her. But only a little.
“I don’t like threats,” Jack said, his voice tight like his body.
“Neither do I,” Penny chimed in. “Clarissa, you do realize that what you just did constitutes criminal behavior, don’t you? I mean, I’m just the daughter of a judge and not a lawyer myself, but that’s what it sounded like to me.”
The other woman shrugged with a sardonic grin. “You really think the great Simon FitzGerald is concerned with the law?”
Penny sighed. “No, I guess he wouldn’t be. Pimps usually aren’t, and that’s what he is. A pimp. Guess what that makes you?” Well, that wiped the smirk off the other woman’s face. “Listen. If Jack’s foundation loses even a cent of the donations already promised to him or there’s an unexplained hit to his endorsements, his assets, or anything else that he has earned, your husband is not going to like what comes next. I am warning you to leave us out of your games. I am not playing with you.”
“ You are being very dramatic,” Clarissa drawled as if bored, but her green eyes were sharp, and there was a nervous twitch in her left cheek.
“ You have not begun to see what dramatic looks like. Please believe me when I say that if I see you or your pimp aaanywhere near my husband again — if either of you call him or contact him with any more of your nonsense — neither one of you are gonna like what comes next.” Then Penny smiled at her sweetly and adjusted her purse on her arm. “Okay, that’s all I had to say. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”
Jack gave Clarissa the peace sign and followed Penny to the car.
“He always gets what he wants, darlings. One way or another. Trust me, I know,” Clarissa called, leaning against the ancient wood with crossed arms.
“Ooh. I hate people who always have to have the last word,” Penny grumbled to Jack with balled-up fists.
“Penny!” It was Serena again, coming over to kiss and hug Penny right as the valet was holding her door open. “It was so good to meet you, girl. When are we gonna get together again?”
Penny hugged her back. “One of these days, maybe? Have a safe trip back home.”
“What about you? Are you comin’ back to the States anytime soon? I’d love to have you and your husband come see me in L.A. Don’t worry, it’s not for that . I’m not hard-headed like our hostess. She was never taught the word ‘no,’ but she’s not all terrible.” Serena rolled her eyes in Clarissa’s direction, but her smile at the woman was soft.
“She’s willing to do the bidding of her terrible husband. I don’t know what that says about her, but it ain’t good,” Penny remarked.
Serena’s laugh was airy, like the wave of her hand. “Anyway, please come see me. Like I was saying, don’t worry about me trying to get anybody’s clothes off. After y’all ran out last night, I figured you don’t get down like that. It’ll just be a fun time. Or you can fly out on your own, and we’ll have a girls’ weekend,” Serena said with sincerity.
Penny glanced at Jack, who shoved his hands in his pockets. He also seemed to be waiting for her answer about her plans.
She said, “I’ll let you know.”