“How are you going to explain all the food to them?” Jamie asks.

I point a finger at Jack. “Have you noticed how much he’s been eating lately? Just say it’s for Jack.”

“Blame me,” Jack says between bites and it makes everyone laugh.

“Okay, now get back to work and remember to not let it slip to Christopher and Maddie,” Adam says.

Everyone goes their way. I kiss Jack on the cheek and go to the office. I want to place the order for the building materials Adam and Jack are going to need to build the new guest house.

I walk over to the desk and look through the papers for the one Adam gave me earlier, when the door closes. I glance over my shoulder and watch as Jack walks toward me.

“I’m just about to place the order for the building materials. I’ll let you know when it’s all ready for you and Adam to go get.”

Jack comes to stand behind me and he places his hands on my hips. He presses his chest to my back. “Have I told you that I love you?”

A smile spreads over my face. They are his favorite words. He tells me at least once a day.

I pretend to think on it. “Hmm … I’m not sure.” He spins me around so I’m facing him. I can’t stop the laughter from bubbling up my throat. “Maybe you should remind me,” I tease him.

His hands drop to the button of my shorts and he makes quick work of getting them off, along with my undies. He lifts me to sit on the table and then with one sweep of his arm, he shoves all the papers to the floor. I rest back on my elbows and watch as he frees his already hard cock from his jeans. He fishes a condom from his pocket and I grin. He must’ve gotten it from our room before coming here.

I watch with lust filled eyes as he rolls it over his cock and then he grabs hold of my hips and pulls me right to the edge of the table. He takes hold of his cock and rubs it between my folds.

He presses the tip of his cock into my wet opening and I fall back with a thud. With one hard thrust he pushes into me and it makes me arch my body from the desk.

Jack grips my hips hard and starts to thrust into me, hard and fast. The surge builds so fast in me that my body tenses until it feels like I might split in two.

His breaths are hard as he towers over me, but his eyes are soft. I love how he only sees me when he fucks me.

He doesn’t slow down and my body starts to slide up the desk. There’s nothing for me to hold onto.

Jack’s fingers dig harder into my hips as he keeps me in place. The sound of skin slapping is loud and erotic.

His movements grow jerky and I feel him come. He slows his thrusts to deep, bliss filled strokes. He brings one hand between us and he presses down on my bundle of nerves, and that’s all it takes for me to explode.

He keeps thrusting slowly in and out, making my bones turn to jelly.

In such a short space of time Jack has gotten to know me intimately, and he’s become a master at knowing what makes me melt.

~*~

Chapter Twenty Three

Jack~

I’ve been keeping so busy that there are times I forget to eat, but luckily River, Miss Ella or Sophia always remember to feed me.

Adam helps where he can but there are times he’s needed elsewhere, but I don’t let it slow me down. I really enjoy working with my hands, building things, creating something beautiful – it brings a calmness to my soul  that I’ve never felt before.

I love it here on the plantation. It’s really become home to me. Adam and I have become friends, my first friend – someone I can trust with my darkest secrets and life.

River has finally accepted me as a man. It feels good to look in her eyes and to see all that she feels for me shining bright and warm.

Miss Ella … she’s become the mother I’ve lost. She spoils me rotten, and hell, I’m not going to stop her. The other day I tore a hole in my shirt, it hooked on one of the slabs of wood. Miss Ella took the shirt from me right there in the kitchen and she said she would fix it. Sure enough, the next day it was hanging in the closet, all patched up.

I’ve started greeting the other girls and men. I’m still not too comfortable around them and you won’t catch me alone in a room with one of them. That’s going to take some time still. I only trust River, Adam, Miss Ella and Sophia. They’ve become my family. I’ll work hard at forming some kind of friendships with the others, but I’m not forcing myself to do anything I’m not comfortable doing. I’ve reached a point in my life where I come first. For the longest time I didn’t matter, but now I do matter, to myself and to River.

The guest house is only halfway built by the time the wedding comes. It’s going to take a while still to finish it, and then there’s the inside to complete. I’m happy knowing there’s still a lot of work waiting for me.

The morning of the wedding I wake up alone. I shower and quickly get dressed. On my way out I grab a fresh muffin. Sophia baked them. Miss Ella taught her well.

Just as I take a bite, Sophia comes in. She smiles when she sees that I’m eating one of her muffins. She waits for me to swallow the bite I just took, and then asks, “Do you like them?”

“I do, but the banana flavored ones are my favorite.”

She beams at my compliment. “I’ll make more of those then.”

I nod and walk to the door but before I leave I turn back and say, “That first week we got here you said we’d be happy here, do you remember that?”

“Yes,” she nods and picks up a muffin, picking at it.

“Did you find the happiness you were talking about then?”

She smiles and her eyes start to shine with unshed tears. “I found more than just happiness,” she whispers.

I smile at her, knowing exactly what she means. We both found ourselves here.

~*~

Everything is ready by the chapel. I’ve scattered roses, making a pretty trail for Christopher and Maddie to follow.

Adam is marrying them. I don’t understand how it all works, the technical side. Adam says it only matters what we believe in. There doesn’t need to be any paperwork as long as they love each other.

It’s not like any of us would ever want to leave here.

My eyes go over everyone. Even Doc is here. Miss Ella keeps saying she didn’t invite him and that he should leave. They’re funny.

I’m standing to the side, not too close to everybody, when River comes running up to us. “They’re fighting!” She sounds panicked and it makes me rush to her side.

“Christopher and Maddie?” Adam asks.

“Yes,” River says between gulping in air. “I told them to come down to the chapel, that we were all having lunch here and then just like that Maddie started yelling at Christopher and he was yelling back at her,” River pinches the bridge of her nose and I know she does that when she’s frustrated. “I don’t know what to do! It’s all ruined!”

Suddenly we hear the yelling River was just talking about.

“You looked at her!” Maddie yells angrily.

“You’re not my wife, Woman! I can look around still. Ever heard of looking at the menu but eating at home?” Christopher yells back.

They come into view and everyone freezes. I’m not sure what we’re going to do now.

Suddenly Maddie and Christopher yell, “Gotcha!” and they start to laugh until they’re bending over and holding their stomachs.

“Fuckers!” Adam shouts, but he’s smiling.

River takes hold of my hand and she starts to laugh as well. “They knew all along,” she explains to me. “The fight was all an act to get us confused so they could surprise us.”

Christopher and Maddie joins the group and I’m surprised when Maddie says, “We couldn’t resist catchin’ y’all.” She hardly ever talks, especially if the other women are around.

“Humpf!” Miss Elle snorts through her nose. “Playing games when you should be getting married! The food is going to spoil! Get married already so I can feed you all.”