Overheard (Unspoken #2)(3)

Not sure there’s a man out there who could satisfy her huh. Luke’s mind whirled with all he’d overheard. So she wanted a threesome. It was obvious Luke had spent far too much time looking at Gracie as a best buddy and a hunting/fishing partner. It certainly wasn’t every day he found a woman who wanted all the things that had gotten him tossed out of so many women’s beds.

Ménage. She wanted a ménage. He couldn’t wait to talk to Wes. He had a feeling his buddy would be very interested in what their good pal Gracie wanted out of her sex life.

Man enough? She didn’t realize it yet, but she’d thrown down the challenge. And damn if he wasn’t going to be the man to answer it.

Chapter Two

Gracie dug into her food, sighing with pleasure as the tender meat hit her tongue.“Good?” Jeremy asked.

“Run away with me,” Gracie declared. “What does Chelle have that I don’t? We can live on your barbeque and be beach bums.”

Jeremy grinned and started to reply.

Gracie held up a hand. “No, don’t answer that. I’m not up for a list of the ways I don’t measure up.”

Wes and Jeremy looked curiously at her while Luke made it a point to stare down at his plate. Gracie cringed. Instead of coming out jokingly as she’d intended, it sounded sad and resigned.

She glanced over at Michelle and made an “oops” face the others couldn’t see. Then she focused back on her food, cutting another bite of the brisket.

Her breakup with Keith bothered her more than she liked. Not only had the sex been a disaster, but his reaction to the surprise she’d planned still made her cringe in embarrassment. He’d made her feel like a freak. Not what a woman wanted to feel like when she was trying to be wild and sexy.

Weren’t men supposed to like that sort of thing? Didn’t they all complain because women weren’t adventurous enough in bed? Ha! She’d yet to find a man who liked sex with the frequency and imagination she did.

Maybe she was a freak.

She cleared her throat and looked over at Luke. “How’s Ellie doing? I haven’t seen her much since the wedding. Jake seems awfully protective of her.”

“He has a reason to be,” Luke said with a grimace. “But she’s doing good. They seem happy.”

“Isn’t she going to counseling?” Michelle interjected.

Luke nodded. “Yeah, that whole thing with Ray really f**ked her up.”

“Stupid son of a bitch,” Wes muttered. “I don’t trust that little breakdown he had on public television. Seems too calculating to me.”

Jeremy raised his brow. “You think he’ll try something?”

“Not unless he has a death wish,” Luke said. “Jake will kill him if he comes near Ellie again.”

“And I won’t exactly be knocking myself out to stop him,” Wes said.

Gracie shook her head. “Ellie’s a sweet girl. I hate that she’s been through so much. But Jake’s good for her.”

“He’d be good for me, too,” Michelle broke in, a devilish glint to her eye.

“Hey,” Jeremy protested as he reached over to tweak Michelle’s arm.

Gracie laughed. God, she loved these guys. She could never stay down in the dumps for long around them. “If Chelle doesn’t want you, Jeremy, you’re welcome at my house.”

“Are you propositioning my husband?” Michelle demanded.

Jeremy rubbed a hand over his chin. “I kind of like being fought over.”

“Cat fights are sexy,” Wes said with a snicker.

Gracie rolled her eyes. “Like any girl has a chance with Jeremy. He’s so gaga over Michelle, it’s nauseating.”

“Just like I like him,” Michelle said with a smug grin.

Michelle stood and began clearing the table. Gracie got up to help and started collecting the plates. As Michelle began running water in the sink, she looked out the kitchen window and tensed.

“Uh oh, Gracie.”

Gracie didn’t like the sound of that uh oh.

Jeremy evidently didn’t either. He went to stand behind his wife so he could look out.

Michelle turned around to Gracie. “Keith just pulled up.”

“Oh great,” Gracie muttered as she plunked down the plates she was holding.

“Trouble, Gracie?” Wes asked in a concerned voice.

She flashed him a reassuring smile. “Nothing I can’t handle.” She walked toward the door, determined to meet Keith outside rather than take the inevitable confrontation inside. “Y’all excuse me for a second. This shouldn’t take long.”

Luke followed her with his gaze until she left the house with a bang. Wes looked over at him questioningly, but Luke played dumb. He didn’t want to let on that he’d overheard Gracie’s conversation with Michelle.

“What’s going on with those two?” Jeremy asked Michelle as they continued to stare out the window.

“She broke up with him this morning,” Michelle murmured.

Wes got up from the table, carrying the plates Gracie had left. He walked to the sink and set them down before peering out the window himself. Luke was dying to do the same, but he made himself sit and appear only mildly interested.

“Can’t say it surprises me,” Wes said with a shrug as he returned to sit at the table. “She needs a man she can’t run over so easily.”