“Give your mother a break tonight, baby. Let her get some rest,” Gracie whispered against the newborn’s temple.
Melanie smiled and reached up to gently touch Gracie’s hair. “You’d better get some rest, too, Gracie. You’ll be taking care of Robbie and Mary Grace after tonight.”
Both Deuce and Gracie were filled with pride and happiness at the mention of their little niece’s name. Their eyes became suspiciously moist as they looked down at the beautiful little girl who had been named for Gracie and for Deuce’s mother.
Deuce reached out and touched his brother’s shoulder, too choked up to speak. Luke understood. He covered Deuce’s hand with his own and squeezed it lightly.
“Jamie and John have Robbie at their house for tonight,” Luke explained. “We weren’t sure how long we would need you here, so they took him for the night. Go on and get some rest. All hell will be breaking loose when we come home in a few days.”
“Remember what I told you I needed you to do for me, Gracie,” Melanie reminded her sister, her voice firm but holding an almost desperate tone.
“I won’t forget, Mel,” Gracie promised, “but I don’t think I’ll have to do anything. You’re doing just fine, and you’ll be able to take care of Mary Grace yourself.”
Melanie just looked up at her sister and smiled sadly. She knew that all of them believed that everything would be all right and that her vision had been wrong. But she knew better.
Chapter 14
As they drove away from the hospital in Deuce’s truck, Gracie was filled with such happiness she truly thought she would burst. Being present when Melanie gave birth to Mary Grace was the most amazing experience she had ever had. She had been there for Robbie’s birth, too, but the fact that Deuce had delivered Mary Grace had made the miracle even more amazing for her.
He had been calm as always. She had been with him through the birthing of so many animals on the McKade Ranch, and she knew he was capable of helping Melanie, but the actual act had touched something deep inside of her. This man, this amazingly wonderful man, had helped bring their niece into the world.
She stole a quick glance at him as he drove, noting his large hands as they comfortably gripped the steering wheel. Those wonderful, gentle hands that touched her with such love had been sure and strong as he had delivered their niece.
There was a slight flutter in her chest as she thought about their own baby that might be born someday. Would Deuce be as sure and confident as he helped her give birth? The question was ridiculous. She knew that he would be.
“You’re thinking awfully hard, baby,” he told her softly, stealing a quick glance at her as he drove them toward the ranch.
Gracie smiled as she turned her head to face him. “They’re all good thoughts,” she told him, laughing lightly.
“That’s good.” He turned and smiled at her then focused again on the road ahead of them.
“Deuce,” she whispered, suddenly becoming very serious.
“What, baby?”
“Rule number one.”
Deuce immediately reached out with his right hand and took her hand in his. The sense of calm and peace that instantly filled him made his heart and respiration slow.
“Are you okay, Gracie?”
Gracie nodded. “I am now.”
Deuce pulled her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it lightly before resting it against his chest. “Are you worried about something?”
Gracie shook her head, pulling her hand free so she could scoot closer and wrap her arm around his waist. Leaning into the warmth of his body, she rested her head against his arm, turning slightly so she could kiss his shoulder. “I’m so proud of you.”
Deuce looked at her, startled, before returning his attention to the road ahead. “You’re proud of me?
“You helped Melanie give birth,” she told him softly. “You were so calm and reassuring. I know she was scared, and you made her give you all her worries so she could concentrate on having her baby.”
“You helped, too, Gracie.”
“No I didn’t.”
“Baby, you did. When you touched her, she was able to focus and calm down,” he told her quietly. “I told you, your touch is a gift that all of us are lucky to experience. If you could only know how your touch affects me.”
“I know it makes you horny.”
Deuce’s responding chuckle made her smile.
“Yes, it certainly does that,” he agreed.
He turned to her and smiled that seductive smile that made her knees turn to jelly. The darkness of the night made his face shadowed in the darkened interior of the truck, but the passing lights of oncoming cars allowed her to see the twinkle in his beautiful, blue eyes as he looked at her briefly.
“I’m glad,” she told him finally.
“Your touch gives me such peace, Gracie,” he told her finally. “I know the rest of the family feels the same when you touch them. It’s like a cloud of calm comes over us and filters through our souls.”
“Really?”
Deuce nodded. “I think it’s even more intense when the two of us touch, though. Ever since you were a kid, I felt something that was difficult for me to put into words. You always made me feel like someone understood that I was stressed or was on overload because of all my chores. I still had the responsibility, but I was able to focus and be calm so I could do what I had to do without caving under the pressure.”
“You always worked too hard, Deuce,” Gracie whispered, reaching up to place her hand over his heart. “I wish I could have helped you, but I wasn’t strong enough to work the ranch like you did.”
He covered her hand with his and pressed it against his chest. “But you did help me, honey,” he insisted. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I wasn’t so overloaded when you were around. Whenever you held my hand I was able to center myself and take things easier. It’s the same for me now, baby.”
He reached down and placed his hand on her thigh, petting her gently. She smiled as she strained against her seat belt to get even closer to him.
“I think your touch has an almost added power of relief for me because we’re mates.” He squeezed her leg gently. “It’s always been that way. We should have realized a long time ago that we belonged together.”
“Do you think so, Deuce?” she whispered.
“Absolutely, honey. There isn’t a doubt in my mind,” he assured her.
Gracie didn’t say another word. What Deuce said with such conviction was slowly sinking in. Despite the fact that she was afraid to hope that what Deuce had told her was the truth, she knew in her heart that he was right. They always had been connected in some way, but she had never realized that her touch had affected him so differently than when she had touched any of the other McKade brothers.
She wondered if her touch affected other men with different degrees of intensity as well. If it did, the way she viewed her ability would take on a whole different perspective. She had a lot to think about.
* * * *
Deuce sat in the double-wide recliner in front of the fireplace. He watched as Gracie went into the kitchen, returning with two bottles of water. She walked over to him, handed him one of the bottles, and waited while he broke the seal and upended the bottle to take a long drink of the cool liquid. Capping it, he placed it on the floor beside the chair and reached out his arms to beckon her toward him.
“You want me to sit with you?” she asked, smiling.
“No, I want you to sit on my lap.”
Gracie backed up slightly. She was not a tiny person. At five feet eight inches tall, her body was strong with muscle and generous with curves. She didn’t think Deuce minded her figure, but she wasn’t about to put all of her weight in his lap and possibly hurt him.
Deuce looked at her in confusion. He could see that she had pulled away and didn’t really understand why. Reaching out, he took her water bottle from her and carefully placed it beside his on the floor next to the recliner. He
took her hands in his and pulled her toward him, turning her body and guiding her hips until she was settled safely on his lap. She tried to remove herself immediately. He gripped her hip tightly and denied her the move.
“Stay still,” he commanded deeply, smiling when she obeyed him at once. “You’re exactly where I want you.”
“Deuce, I don’t want to hurt you,” she told him softly, trying to ease her body off of him.
He pulled her tighter against his body, loving the way she fit within the cradle of his lap. “Don’t be ridiculous, Gracie,” he warned her. “You’re barely the weight of a child.”
Gracie snorted and looked up at him as he settled her against his shoulder and pulled her legs across his lap to settle her comfortably. “I’m one freakishly big child, Deuce.”
“Baby, you’re perfect,” he told her softly, leaning forward to kiss her lips lightly. “You fit me.”
Gracie had no comeback to that. He was right. She did fit him. And he fit her.
She rested her head against his chest and snugly tucked herself beneath his chin. She closed her eyes and gave herself up to his hold, sighing contentedly as he tenderly petted her hip and thigh.
“Nice,” she whispered.
“Very nice,” he agreed, smiling as she rested her hand on his forearm.
They sat together in silence for a while. Deuce could feel the tension releasing from Gracie’s body. When she was fully relaxed against him, he moved his hand to settle it beneath her shirt so that it rested against her abdomen and he was able to brush the pad of his thumb in an arch across her skin. The warmth of their new life reached out to him at once. His heart stuttered a bit as he realized that he already had a connection with their baby. He couldn’t be happier.
“Gracie, our baby is inside of you,” he told her, his voice soft.
Gracie snuggled against him and breathed deeply within the crook of his neck. She was sound asleep.
“Gracie. Did you hear me?” he asked her, his voice more firm. “Our baby is growing inside of you. I can feel the warmth of his life.”
Gracie’s hand covered his and pressed it closer against her body. He smiled as he realized that she heard him with her subconscious mind but her conscious mind still had to be told.
“That’s okay, baby,” he whispered. “You rest. We can talk about this when you’re more awake.”
Gracie burrowed into his arms, turning to lean into his neck and kiss it lightly. She held onto his forearm with a gentle possession, rubbing the pad of her thumb across his muscles, soothing him with her touch even as she slept.
“I love you,” she whispered.
Deuce smiled. His Gracie was a treasure. Even in her sleep she showed him what she felt for him. He was a very lucky man indeed.
“I love you, Mate,” he whispered, smiling as he heard the contented sigh that left her lips.
* * * *
Deuce carried Gracie up the stairs to their bedroom, careful not to wake her. It had been a big day for them, and she was tired. He smiled at the thought that they had made their baby this afternoon and had helped their niece be born this evening. It was certainly a day for babies.
He walked over to their bed and gently laid her down, kissing her forehead lightly before pulling back to look down at her. There was a soft smile on her face, and he wondered if she was thinking about him.
Reaching down, he pulled her sneakers from her feet, placing them neatly in front of her bureau. Turning back to her, he slowly unbuttoned her jeans, lowered the zipper, and took her waistband in his hands to tug carefully to pull the pants down her long legs.
She sighed contentedly as he removed her socks and dropped them and her jeans onto the chair beside the bed. Looking down at her, his heart pounded at the sexiness of his mate. His cock filled instantly as she moved sensuously, unaware that her movements were affecting his libido big time. He wanted to make love to her and gently ease her into the hidden needs that he had. He hoped she would be open to them. She had proven herself to be a very sensuous lover. He wanted to introduce her to the lifestyle that was so much a part of his life.
He’d had partners over the years who had accepted his BDSM kinks, but they had never really meshed with what he really needed. He liked the control and the submission aspects of the lifestyle. He didn’t want to cause pain. He was all about raising the awareness of a woman’s senses. He craved to guide that one special woman to know her body and give him the gift of her orgasms. He hoped Gracie would be open to experiencing that side of him.
He sat on bed beside Gracie’s hip, tracing the line of her white lace panties at her waist. He smiled as his mate moaned at his touch and pushed into his hand for more. Leaning forward, he covered her beautiful lips with his, licking at them softly as he kissed her. She smiled against his mouth and leaned into his kiss, wrapping her arms around his back and pulling him toward her as she gave herself up to him.
“I’m sorry I woke you,” he whispered, leaning back and smiling down at her.
“I’m sorry I fell asleep,” she whispered back. “I guess you have a calming influence on me. When you’re holding me, I feel like I can finally relax.”
Deuce looked down at her with such seriousness, touching her face gently. This was exactly what he needed. She didn’t realize how much it meant to him that she naturally gave herself up to his care. She had just shown him exactly what she wanted and needed. She craved giving herself up to his dominance just as he craved accepting her submission.
“Gracie, would you be willing to trust me to show you some things that might be very new to you?”
“Like what?”
She continued to caress his thigh as she looked up at him with such openness. He knew she would at least give him a chance. He smiled down at her and took her hand in his, bringing it up to his mouth to kiss her open palm lightly.
“I’d like to restrain you to our bed,” he told her finally, looking at her for any expression of horror or panic.
Gracie laughed lightly. “Sounds kinky.”
Deuce couldn’t prevent the smile that covered his face. He saw no fear or revulsion in his mate’s expression. The relief that reaction gave him was great. Something inside of him relaxed as he realized that he would not have to hide what he wanted with her.
“I would also like to use a flogger on you.”
Gracie stiffened immediately. “I can’t.”
“Why, honey?”
“Deuce, you know my father used to hit me with his belt when I was growing up. I still have a scar on my back from his buckle. I can’t lie here while you hit me.”
“I would never hurt you, baby,” he told her softly.
Getting up, he walked toward his bureau and opened the bottom drawer. He took out three items and went back to her, sitting down beside her hip and setting the three floggers on her belly. He picked up the smallest one with the pink and black diamond braided handle and offered it to her.
“This flogger is made of rabbit fur,” he told her softly. “Feel how soft it is.”
Gracie hesitantly reached up to touch the soft, black fur. The twelve tails were all the same, each one about four inches in length and made of the same incredibly soft fur.
“It feels nice,” she admitted cautiously.
“It does,” he agreed. “There is no pain at all when it’s used. It’s meant only to heighten your senses. It won’t even make a sound as it connects with your body.”
He picked up the second flogger and offered it to her. She accepted the purple and black braided handle with a little more openness. He smiled at her bravery.
He knew this was difficult for her. Her father had been a cruel, sadistic bastard. Deuce knew that he had intimidated and had beaten his daughters as a show of power. He had to contain the growl of anger that threatened to erupt from him as he thought about the cruelty of that man. Her father was a man who was not a man. He was a bully—plain and simple. Deuce would never forgive him for hurting his Gracie.
; “This flogger is made of deer hide. It’s very soft and supple. It’s a very sensual leather, and it will make a popping sound as it connects with your body, but there will be very little sting. It’s designed to be used on your beautiful breasts and your sweet pussy. It’s used strictly for heightening your feelings and arousal—never pain.”
Gracie ran her fingers down the length of the thirty or so tails, finding that they were also very soft to her touch. “When you use this on me, would you be thinking that I need to be hit for punishment? Won’t it be degrading to me that you’re directing it at the feminine parts of my body?”
“Very good question, baby,” he told her honestly, very proud of his mate for asking for clarification. “That’s not at all what I think about your feminine parts.”
His sexy smile made her blush. “What do you think about my feminine parts?” she barely whispered.
“I think you have the most beautiful breasts,” he told her honestly. “I love kissing them, touching them, and suckling at your sweet nipples. Besides being sexy and gorgeous, they will feed our babies.” He reached up and touched her breast through her shirt, caressing it gently. “I never did ask you about that, honey. Did you want to nurse our babies?”
“Yes, I do,” she told him softly. She smiled as relief crossed his face. “Were you afraid that I wouldn’t want to?”
“No,” he answered immediately. “I just didn’t want you to think I was telling you what to do. Everything about our lives together will always be your choice, Gracie. I will never force you to do something you don’t want to do.”
“Then we’re good,” she told him quickly. “I want to nurse our babies, James.”
He smiled and nodded slowly. “I want that, too, honey.”
Slowly bringing his hand down her body, he gently covered her mound, rubbing it lightly with his thumb. Her body arched toward his touch and made his already hard cock throb painfully within his jeans.
“I think about your sweet pussy all the time. I think about how warm and welcoming this feminine part of you is and how amazing I feel when I’m deep inside of you. Using this flogger on you will be for your pleasure only, honey. Before I use it on you I’ll make sure to heighten your need for me and be sure you’ll be wet and ready for me. When your swollen clit peeks through your folds, it will be so sensitive. When the deer tails connect with that sweet button, you’ll soar. I want you to have pleasure beyond your wildest imagination.”
Touching Deuce [Cowboy Mates, Psychic Connections 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 18
