“I had to finish up with a few clients to schedule interior construction over the next couple of days,” he explained as he nuzzled against the side of her neck and bit down lightly, smiling at the responding soft moan that left her. “I knew tomorrow would be a bust because of the weather. I don’t want my guys taking a chance with their safety by traveling tomorrow. I had to adjust the schedules so the next few days accommodated today’s storm.”
“You’re such a good guy, Jake,” Claire whispered against his ear, kissing the sensitive spot just below his earlobe. “You’re a caring boss. I’m sure your men appreciate your thoughtfulness so they can stay home safe with their families during the storm.”
She felt the happiness that spread through Jake at her words, but she also felt that he was uncomfortable with the compliment. She hugged him tightly, proud of her mate’s kindness and caring. She smiled to herself at his humble dismissal of her words.
“You’re a good man, Mate,” she whispered against his neck. “I’m so glad that you’re mine.”
Jake smiled as he turned his head and kissed Claire’s temple. “I’m glad that I’m yours, too, angel,” he told her gently.
The sound of laughter coming from the other side of the swinging kitchen door that led to the dining room and the living room drew Jake’s attention. He heard the deep voices of his brothers and their friends. He also heard the sweet sounds of the babies’ laughter and knew that his family was enjoying the company of Mary Grace and Gia. He could also hear his nephew Robbie talking to Madison’s daughter Cooper.
“We have a full house tonight,” Jake said gently, smiling as he thought about the many people who made up their family. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get home sooner to help shield you. The roads were pretty treacherous.”
“I’m fine,” Claire told him, completely calm and at ease in his arms. “Your baby is shielding me.”
Jake looked down at her in surprise. “Really?”
Claire nodded. “You’ve given me a baby to carry who takes care of me, just like his daddy does,” she told him, kissing his throat and humming against it. “Thank you, Mate.”
Jake led her over to the kitchen table. He pulled out one of the chairs and sat down then tugged on her hips to have her stand between his spread legs. He lifted the soft, maroon sweater she was wearing to reveal her naked belly, leaning forward and kissing it tenderly.
“Hello, baby,” he said softly against her warm skin. “You’re doing a good job protecting Mommy. I’m very proud of you.”
Claire got choked up at the exchange between father and child. She could feel their baby’s soul merging with Jake’s and was overwhelmed with the miracle taking place at that moment.
“I can feel our baby’s soul touching yours, Jake,” she whispered.
“You can?” Jake looked up at her, his blue eyes sparkling with happiness.
Claire nodded.
“Is that normal, Claire?” Jake asked, surprised by the connection.
“I don’t know if it’s normal for everyone else, but I think it’s normal for us,” Claire said quietly. “I’ve been connected to you from the moment I touched you when you were in the hospital after your accident. It makes sense that your ability to connect with me and shield me would also allow you to connect and shield our baby.”
“I like that.”
“What?”
“Connecting with our baby.”
“I like that, too. He should know how much his daddy loves him,” Claire said gently as she threaded her fingers through the silkiness of his hair at his temples.
“That’s the second time you’ve referred to our baby as he, Claire,” Jake said softly, smiling at her. “Do you know something that I don’t know, angel?”
Claire laughed softly, pulling Jake’s head against her chest and cuddling him gently. “No, Jake. I don’t know anything more than you know,” she told him honestly. “I just keep picturing a little boy with your beautiful blue eyes and black hair sitting on your lap and looking up at you with all the love and adoration a little boy could have for his father.”
Jake hugged Claire’s waist and pulled her closer. Her words filled him with complete happiness and contentment. Claire was the focus of his life. It was because of her that he had the peace, the love, and the happiness that he had. What she had just described to him was exactly what he dreamed and hoped for in his life. He wanted a family to love. He already loved her and the baby she was carrying. He was looking forward to having a life filled with children in the home that they had built.
“I think it would be nice to have a little girl, too,” Jake said after a moment. He looked up at Claire and smiled. “What do you think, Claire?”
“Are you asking me to have another baby when we haven’t even had this one, Jake?” she asked in surprise. Her brown eyes were wide with wonder at the way things had changed so dramatically. She said a silent prayer of thanks to the Great Spirit that she had this wonderful life with this wonderful man.
“Claire,” Jake began softly. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“I never thought I was worthy of having a family.”
“Jake, you need to stop talking like that,” Claire said, preventing him from continuing.
“I have stopped,” Jake told her gently. “I’m just telling you what I thought for many years. That’s all changed now—because of you.” He hesitated a moment as he searched the beauty of her face, finding himself falling into the kindness of her eyes. “I don’t know whether I’m worthy of this life now, Claire. I just know that I’m going to hold on to it with all my strength because I want this life. I want this happiness. I want this love. With you.” He stood slowly and kissed her throat, humming against it. “With our baby.” He licked at her collarbone and rested his head on her shoulder. “With all the children we’ll have together.” He hugged her tenderly, loving the way her body settled against his so perfectly. “What do you think, angel?”
“I think being with you and making a family with you is exactly what I want, Jake,” Claire whispered.
The swinging door of the kitchen swung inward and their friend Madison Allen entered holding her daughter Cooper’s hand. Madison hesitated when she saw the loving embrace she was interrupting, making Claire laugh softly.
“Sorry,” Madison said quietly, a bright blush brightening her cheeks.
“Don’t be sorry, Madison,” Claire told her. “You’d better get used to seeing a lot of hugging and kissing in this family.”
Madison nodded, agreeing with Claire’s assessment of the McKade family and their friends. They were the most loving group of people she had ever met. It was refreshing to see them being so honest with their love. She thought about the man who held her heart and sighed. She loved him deeply. Marc Blackstone was one of the kindest men she had ever known. He was so good to her, and it was obvious that he adored Cooper.
“Do you need any help?” Marc asked as he came into the kitchen and stood behind Madison.
“The food is ready,” Claire told them.
She stepped out of Jake’s arms and turned to reach for the pan she had placed on the stove. She speared the roast with the long fork she had placed on the counter beside the stove and transferred the succulent meat onto the serving platter there. Taking the gravy boat that was beside the platter, she was careful to use the potholders to lift the hot pan and pour the juices of the roast into the large ceramic gravy boat. Turning to face Madison and Marc, she offered the gravy boat to Madison then reached for the large platter and handed it to Marc.
“What about me, Aunt Claire?” Cooper asked softly.
Claire looked down at the adorable little girl. She had the same pretty blue eyes that Madison had. Her hair was a shade of brown that was dark and held natural caramel highlights. It was pulled up into a ponytail at the crown of her head. She really was just a miniaturized version of Madison, right down to the adorable dimple in her right cheek.
“I have a bask
et of rolls that needs to be taken out to the table, Cooper,” Claire told her, kneeling down in front of the girl and kissing her cheek lightly. “Thank you for helping me, honey. I really appreciate it.”
Cooper smiled shyly. Claire just wanted to hug her forever. She was goodness and light all rolled into one adorable little girl that the family already knew was destined to be mated to Robbie.
Jake walked over to the table and lifted the basket of rolls that Claire had already covered with a cloth to contain the warmth. He walked over to Cooper, kneeling down beside her and smiling as the little girl held out her hands to accept the basket.
“Here you go, little Coop,” he teased her. “Now, don’t you go and eat all of these rolls. Save some for the rest of the family.”
“Uncle Jake, I won’t eat them all,” Cooper promised. “Robbie likes them, too.”
Jake laughed softly, leaning forward to kiss Cooper’s forehead lightly. “I’m looking forward to playing my guitar after dinner and hearing you and Robbie sing along with me,” he told her quietly. “Will you sing for me later, little Coop?”
Cooper blushed prettily. “Okay,” she whispered.
Turning, she carefully made her way across the kitchen, pausing at the door and biting her lower lip as she tried to figure out how she was going to open the door without dropping the basket. She had tried pushing it open with her hip once before and had dropped the food that Claire had given her to take out to the table when the door had swung back too quickly and had knocked her over.
“Here you go, little one,” Marc said as he placed the platter with the roast on the kitchen table so he could push open the door for her and hold it open.
She looked up at him and smiled, relief and happiness making her blue eyes twinkle. She loved Marc so much. He was a good daddy to her. She loved when he picked her up and held her. He was also good at playing cards and reading books with her. She loved sitting on his lap while he read to her. She liked the way his long hair felt in her hands as she slid her fingers through it as it draped over her shoulder when she cuddled against him to listen to him read the storybooks he shared with her every night before she went to bed.
“Thank you,” she said softly, tipping her head up and waiting for the kiss that Marc always gave her so tenderly.
Marc cleared his throat self-consciously, ignoring the other people in the kitchen and those who could see him in the doorway from their place in the dining room as he held the door open for his little princess. He wasn’t an overly demonstrative man—at least he never had been before he had met Madison and Cooper. He loved them both beyond words.
Bending at the waist, he kissed Cooper’s cheek lightly, his long black hair shielding them both in a curtain of privacy. He laughed softly as Cooper leaned into him and rubbed her cheek against his before turning her head into the length of his hair and giggling softly.
“I like your hair,” she whispered, placing a sweet kiss on his cheek before turning and walking through the black curtain of his hair and laughing softly at the feel of its softness brushing across her face.
“I know you do, nidonni,” he said quietly, straightening and watching as Cooper walked into the dining room and handed the basket of rolls to Deuce so he could place them on the table.
Marc turned to face Jake, Claire, and Madison, unable to hold back his smile of happiness. Reaching out, he took hold of the platter that held the roast and turned to leave the kitchen, shouldering open the door before he disappeared from the kitchen.
“I think you’ve got him off-balance,” Claire told Madison, laughing softly.
“Yeah. I guess so,” Madison agreed. “It’s only fair, since that’s how he’s got me, too.”
“Is everything okay, Madison?” Claire asked worriedly. She wasn’t overwhelmed by Madison’s emotions, but she could feel them. Madison was happy, and she was in love, but she was worried.
Madison nodded, but Claire knew that something was wrong. She reached out and tugged on the end of Madison’s hair that had the exact same coloring as Cooper’s except for the highlights. She couldn’t help but smile when she thought about how Madison’s hair had grown and was nearly to her waist, exactly like Marc’s. It was said that true mates often looked like one another. It certainly applied to Marc and Madison.
She looked at Jake and wondered if she somehow looked like him. She didn’t think that she did. She smiled as she thought about his children looking like their father. She was definitely a fan of that idea. She wanted their babies to have his features. She wanted them to have his caring and his kindness, too.
Jake walked over to Claire and touched her cheek with the back of his knuckles. “I can see that you’re thinking about something very hard, angel. Want to tell me what it is?” he asked quietly.
Claire took his hand in hers, bringing it to her mouth to kiss his knuckles lightly then turned so that she faced the sink. She pulled Jake along with her movement so that his hand pressed against her belly. She looked at him and smiled, telling him with her eyes how much she loved him.
He leaned into her and kissed her neck lightly. “Love you, angel,” he whispered. “Love our little angel, too.”
His final words were spoken against her ear and were so soft she had to strain to hear them, but they were heard and the beauty of them burrowed into her heart. When he wrapped his left arm around her and slipped his hand beneath her sweater and into her jeans to cover her belly and caress it tenderly, she couldn’t help but sigh at the rightness of it. His touch was gentle, and his emotions were shared with her without hesitation. She loved that he no longer felt like he had to shield her from his emotions or his needs.
“I’ll take the bowl of mashed potatoes and the plate of broccoli out to the table,” Madison’s voice interrupted Claire’s thoughts.
“Thanks, Madison.”
Claire turned in Jake’s arms and kissed him gently, laughing against his lips as he intensified the kiss, growling against her lips as his need for her overshadowed his understanding that this was not the time or the place to take this any further. She wasn’t going to be the one to point that out, though. She didn’t want Jake to stop. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her.
“I want you,” Jake finally spoke as he pulled away from her lips.
Claire could only smile. She could feel his heart beating quickly against her own chest. She could feel the hardness of his shaft as he pressed tightly against her. It was blatantly obvious that he desired her. She was just as much in need.
“Jake, if you could feel what I feel, you would know how much I ache to be with you, too,” Claire said gently. “Men are at a disadvantage.”
“What do you mean, angel?”
“A woman can tell if man wants her because he’s hard.”
Jake laughed at her words. “That’s true,” he admitted.
“A man can only tell that a woman wants him if he touches her and feels that she’s wet for him,” she explained. “It’s not something that’s so obvious.”
Jake’s smile left his face, and was replaced by pure desire. “Are you wet for me, Claire?” he whispered, looking directly into the softness of her brown eyes.
“Soaking wet.”
Jake groaned as he rested his forehead against hers. He took several calming breaths and closed his eyes in order to take firm hold of his control over his needs.
“Sweet hell,” he whispered.
Claire turned and walked toward her old bedroom, never releasing her hold on Jake’s hand. She tugged him along with her, not that he put up any resistance whatsoever. She closed the door behind them and locked it.
Walking over to the foot of her bed, she unfastened her jeans and pushed them down her legs. She kicked them off her feet, taking her sneakers with them. Bending over the footboard, she held on tightly and spread her legs.
“Let’s go, cowboy,” she said saucily, looking over her shoulder at her man and smiling at the expression of lust that crossed his face.
&n
bsp; Jake was stunned. To see Claire standing there, naked from the waist down with her legs spread and waiting for him made the instant need to bury himself inside of her so intense, he was nearly dizzy. He saw the dew of her desire dripping down the inside of her thighs and knew that she truly was ready for him. She wanted him with the same intensity that he wanted her.
He unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his jeans, and unzipped them in a matter of seconds. Pushing his pants and boxer briefs to his thighs, he didn’t waste time taking them off. His cock sprang free, pointing at his woman, dripping with pre-cum, and throbbing with need.
“Jake, please,” Claire’s soft voice called to him, pulling him out of his haze of desire.
“I’m here, angel,” he said gruffly, taking hold of his cock and lining it up with her dripping pussy. “Are you ready for me?”
“Yes,” she said urgently.
He pressed the flared cap of his cock against her slick, pink lips, pushing slowly inside of her. Her soft sounds of pleasure made him relax. Even though he wanted to love her fast and hard, his desires were tempered by the fact that his baby was growing within her, and he needed to be cautious. There was so much he didn’t know about pregnant women—his pregnant woman. He was determined not to cause injury to her during her pregnancy. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he caused her or their baby harm.
He pressed inside of her slowly, pleasure filling him as he buried himself inside of his loving mate. The heat that welcomed him pulled a growl from him as his hips kissed her ass. Looking down, he saw the sweet rosette that he wanted to possess. He licked at his right thumb and touched the puckered skin with the slicked pad, loving the sweet gasp that escaped her at the connection. He circled the tiny opening, rubbing his thumb around it over and over again, applying just enough pressure to make his presence known.
“Jake,” Claire moaned, tipping her hips to seat him deeper and pushing against his hand. She had always wanted to explore this with him. She hoped he was finally realizing that she wanted to learn so many things with him—only with him.
Jake's Angel [Cowboy Mates, Psychic Connections 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 26
