Every desire she had ever had to be more than a friend with Deuce had come true with a vengeance. She could never have hoped for what she had experienced with him already. When he touched her, she did feel calm. She did feel at peace. And she did feel desire. He was the key to her happiness. She just hoped that she was the key to his.
Placing her overnight bag on the counter, she unzipped it and pulled out her shampoo, conditioner, and scented body wash. Reaching for two large bath towels from the cabinet below the sink, she placed the navy softness on the counter and turned to slide back the glass shower door to the biggest shower she had ever seen in her life. It made sense that it would be. Deuce was a big man. He would need everything in his house built to be able to accommodate him.
Reaching forward, she turned on the taps and adjusted the water temperature. When it was just warm enough but not too hot, she turned and unhooked her garter belt. She smiled as she thought about how her lingerie had turned Deuce on. She was glad. It was really nice that they had similar likes.
Reaching down, she took hold of the stocking top and pushed it down her leg, hesitating as her hand came back wet. Running her hand up the inside of her leg she saw what was causing the wetness.
Deuce’s seed was running down the inside of her legs. She reached between her legs and touched herself, inserting her fingers into her channel and feeling how he had filled her. Pulling her fingers free she looked at the wetness there, rubbing her finger and thumb together to feel the warmth of the fluid that Deuce’s body had released inside of her. His seed.
She stepped into the shower and closed the sliding door, sat down on the floor of the shower, and leaned against the wall. The warm water cascaded over her body, wetting her remaining stocking and saturating her hair. She pulled the stocking from her body and threw it against the back wall of the shower. Anger filled her.
How could she have been so stupid? She knew she wasn’t alone in the mistake. Deuce had been equally caught up in the act. They were certainly old enough to know better. They had talked about being safe from diseases, but they hadn’t talked about the possibility of pregnancy before they made love.
She was immediately filled with worry. It wasn’t worry that she may be pregnant. If she were to be honest with herself, she would have to admit that she wanted a life and a family with Deuce. To think that his baby was beginning its life inside of her right now filled her with secret happiness. But she wouldn’t make Deuce commit to a life with her just because of a pregnancy. She wanted him to want her—not be forced to be with her because of a baby.
Standing slowly, she began the comforting ritual of washing and conditioning her hair. Taking the face cloth from the ledge, she wet it thoroughly then poured the lavender scented bodywash onto it. Scrubbing her body, she was careful to clean her swollen folds.
She thought about the way Deuce had made love to her. He was gentle and commanding and sensual as hell. She wanted to spend the rest of her life showing him passion and tenderness. She hoped he wanted to do the same.
Running her hand down her body, over her breasts to settle upon her stomach, she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on her body, as if the baby would make itself known if it was already there. She thought about having a baby that would look like Deuce and felt an immediate sense of rightness.
She knew she shouldn’t hope for something that should have been a mutual decision between herself and Deuce, but she couldn’t lie to herself. Despite the fact that she was afraid of her child inheriting her psychic ability and feeling the pain of isolation by not being able to touch others, the same way she had felt growing up, she had to admit one very important truth to herself. She wanted to have Deuce’s baby.
Chapter 6
“More, Unca Deuce,” Robbie demanded, giggling as he hit the top of the dining room table with his little hand.
Gracie laughed as she reached out to save the cup of milk in front of her nephew from being launched off the table due to Robbie’s enthusiasm. She looked at Deuce and smiled, loving how natural he was with the little boy. Robbie loved his Uncle Deuce. And Deuce adored his nephew. All of the McKade brothers adored their nephew. It was nice to see such honest love for a child from these amazing men.
“Did you finish all your macaroni, buddy?” Deuce asked him seriously.
“Ate all my ’ronies,” Robbie told him quickly, lifting up his bowl to show him.
“I can see that you did,” Deuce acknowledged him, his voice holding equal parts pride and amazement. “I guess you can have some more then.”
He handed the serving spoon to Gracie and smiled. “Here you go, Aunt Gracie,” he told her seriously. “Robbie has earned another spoonful of ’ronies.”
Gracie laughed and took the serving spoon from Deuce, hesitating when he placed his hand over hers briefly before releasing it. She looked at him in confusion, her eyebrows raised with question.
Deuce looked back at her and smiled. “Rule number one, Gracie Lee,” he told her calmly.
Gracie blushed at his words but shook her head in amusement as she reached out and held his hand briefly. “Controlling man,” she muttered as she turned to help Robbie with his bowl of macaroni. “Uncle Deuce is funny, isn’t he, Robbie?”
Robbie looked up at her and smiled, his face smeared with tomato sauce as he shoveled another spoonful of macaroni into his mouth. Gracie leaned forward and kissed his forehead quickly.
“Love you, baby boy,” she told him happily, running her fingers through the soft curls of his black hair and gazing into the beauty of his deep blue eyes. All the McKade brothers shared the same coloring, and it was stunning. They all were beautiful men—inside and out.
Robbie reached up and patted her face happily, his mouth too full of food to speak. His love for her was obvious, and she couldn’t be happier to be the recipient of the honest love of a child.
“What’s rule number one?” Lainey Markham asked as she sat between Spence McKade, the second oldest McKade brother, and his best friend Tim Hughes.
Gracie blushed but said nothing. Now how was she going to explain herself out of this one? Instead she concentrated on helping Robbie.
“Rule number one is that we touch, and we touch often,” Deuce explained, reaching out to touch Gracie’s hand again.
Gracie turned toward him, surprised that he admitted what he had. To her utter astonishment, Deuce stood up and walked closer to her, picking up his linen napkin and taking her chin within his hand while he carefully wiped her cheek where Robbie had touched her.
“Had a little sauce on your cheek, Gracie,” he told her, turning as casual as can be and taking his seat once again.
“I’m a fan of that rule,” Spence spoke up, his blue eyes sparkling with humor. “What do you think, Lainey?”
Lainey looked at her twin sister Becca in stunned silence. Lainey’s blue eyes were wide in amazement and Becca’s unique brown eyes with flecks of blue stared back at her, her mouth open in shock.
“I think it’s a good rule,” Tim spoke up, reaching out and placing his hand on Lainey’s forearm.
“It doesn’t count unless it’s skin on skin, Tim,” Deuce told him as he pointed to where Tim’s hand rested on Lainey’s long-sleeved shirt.
“Even better,” Tim added quickly, his brown eyes sparkling with mischief. He took Lainey’s hand in his and brought it to his mouth to kiss it tenderly.
“Oh, yeah,” Spence chimed in, taking Lainey’s other hand and kissing it lightly before bringing it to his chest.
John Blackstone turned to his wife Jamie and pulled her into his arms, kissing her softly and touching her cheek gently. “I like your rule, Deuce,” he told his best friend without taking his eyes off his mate.
Luke McKade, the fourth McKade son, grabbed his wife Melanie and pulled her toward him, wrapping his arms around her to gently caress her pregnant belly before kissing her cheek lightly. “Do you have any other rules, big brother?” he asked, laughing.
Gracie looked a
t Deuce in a panic, afraid that he might tell them what she felt was private between them. Without realizing that she immediately sought his comfort, she reached out to him and touched him, wrapping her hand around his strong fingers to hold on tightly.
“I have lots of rules,” Deuce answered slyly. “But they belong to me and Gracie. You’ll have to make up your own rules with your own women.”
The immediate burst of laughter from the men filled the room. The emotions were running rampant, and Claire’s ability to sense the emotions of others was overwhelming her. She began to shake, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to handle much more. She was about to get up and escape to the quiet of the kitchen when she felt Jake McKade’s arms around her. The youngest McKade brother was always able to ease the sometimes overwhelming effects of her psychic ability. His cheek was warm against hers as he held her tightly, and she calmed immediately. Every time he touched her it always grounded her and shielded her from the emotions that threatened to drown her.
“Thank you, Jake,” she whispered against his neck as he held her so tenderly.
“I’ve got you, Claire,” he told her quietly. “Let it go.”
She nodded and allowed him to help her channel the feelings and release them from her body until she was only experiencing her own and Jake’s emotions. She took calming breaths and leaned into the warmth of his body.
Becca sat back in her chair as sadness filled her. She didn’t dare look at the man she loved beyond reason. The third McKade brother had owned her heart from the time she had been a child, but Rafe McKade had never viewed her as anything but a friend. It pissed her off, but more than that, it hurt her deeply. She knew that Rafe would never look at her in a romantic way, but to have it pushed in her face right now as she watched all the obviously happy couples, or in the case of her sister—a trio—was too much.
When she felt Rafe move closer to her, she moved away, sure that she couldn’t stand it if he accidentally brushed against her. To her annoyance and ultimate frustration, instead of moving away from her, he moved closer. When his hand reached out and took hers, she looked up at him in confusion. When he kissed her forehead tenderly, something inside of her broke.
The last thing she wanted was a brotherly kiss from the man that she loved. She didn’t want him to kiss her forehead. She wanted to throw him to the ground and rip the clothes from his body. Her eyes filled with raw pain as she pulled away from him, but she was halted in her movement when Rafe reached up and captured her face between his large hands and drew her attention. He was looking at her with such intensity, she could barely breathe.
“I’m sorry, Becca,” he whispered softly leaning in to kiss her cheek tenderly before he pulled away and looked at her, his blue eyes sparkling as he smiled at her. Becca could only stare at him in confusion.
“After dessert I’ll need help upstairs,” Deuce told them as a silence settled over his brothers, friends, and their mates. “There will be furniture delivered tomorrow, and the bedrooms next to mine need to be emptied so we can set up rooms for Robbie and the baby.”
Melanie reached out and squeezed Luke’s hand tightly. It was all becoming very real. Her vision would be played out very soon. She knew everything would be all right, but her heart hurt from the fact that she would miss out on the first few days of her baby daughter’s life. Luke’s arms encircled her, and he held her tightly, allowing her to lean against him and give in to her sadness.
“John, Spence, and Tim, I’ll need your help tomorrow when the furniture is delivered,” Deuce told them.
The men nodded, each knowing Deuce wouldn’t ask unless he needed them. Every one of them would do anything for the man who had basically raised all of them after their parents had died within a close time of each other when Deuce had been a senior in college. He had been able to graduate but had come home to take over the ranch and the raising of his brothers. He had never made any of them feel like he regretted any moment of taking over the care of the family or the family ranch, and their love and loyalty to him and to each other, including John and Tim, were strong and deep.
Claire stood up on shaky legs, grateful when Jake stood up beside her to steady her. “I’ve got chocolate cake for desert,” she told them softly, turning to leave the table. “I’m good, Jake. You don’t have to help me anymore.”
Jake looked at her silently for a second, searching her beautiful, brown eyes for the truth of her statement. He relaxed when he saw that she was indeed all right. He nodded and stepped back to allow her to pass him. Instead of sitting back down in his seat, he followed her into the kitchen, only a slight limp evident in his walk. The injury he had sustained in the truck accident the previous year still affected him. If it hadn’t been for Claire, he probably wouldn’t be alive. It was her caring and encouragement that had made him fight to survive.
Deuce rose to his feet and placed his napkin on the table, following both of them out of the dining room. Walking into the kitchen, he saw his brother taking his place next to Claire as she stood before the counter taking out small cake plates from the cabinet in front of her. Deuce smiled as he saw how Jake had his hand at the back of her neck, gently massaging the muscles below her hairline.
“I need to ask a favor of you two,” Deuce told them quietly. He smiled as they both turned to him and nodded their agreement without even being told what he wanted.
“Whatever you need, Deuce,” Jake answered immediately, drawing Claire closer to him with an arm around her shoulder as he felt her starting to tremble again.
“I’ve ordered some furniture that Gracie doesn’t know about,” he told them quietly. “I want to keep it a surprise for her for a while, but I need you two to help me set up everything in the room that used to be Spence’s room.”
“Okay,” Claire agreed. “We’ll keep it a secret.”
“There will be some bedding that’s going to be delivered. If you wouldn’t mind, Claire, I need everything to be laundered and then set up on the beds. You’ll need Jake’s help to get everything put together. I don’t want you to be injured attaching the canopies to the beds. Jake, make sure you’re with her to assure her safety.”
“I will,” Jake promised, looking at Claire seriously. “You hear that, Claire?”
Claire huffed and pushed at his body, walking out of his embrace. “I hear, Jake. Don’t get all dominant on me, mister.”
Jake smiled at her, his expression soft as he took in her delectable curves. He turned to look at his oldest brother and winked, knowing he had been caught.
“Don’t worry, Deuce,” he assured him. “Claire and I will take care of it. We’ll set up the bedroom without Gracie knowing about it.”
“Thanks.”
The way Deuce relaxed made Jake realize just how important this room was going to be to his brother. He was curious to see why.
Deuce nodded and turned, picking up the platter with the chocolate cake and heading out of the kitchen. “Bring the plates, Claire. I don’t think I’ll be able to keep the men’s mitts off this cake for very long.”
Claire laughed and reached for the cake plates, following Deuce out of the kitchen. “I think the women will be just as anxious to have a taste. You have seen them around chocolate before, haven’t you?”
* * * *
The women watched silently as the men walked up the stairs to help Deuce move furniture. Gracie reached out and wiped Robbie’s chocolate covered face before lifting him into her arms. She was about to pick up the dirty dish in front of her when she saw all the women looking at her.
“What?” she asked, stepping back as she saw the way they were watching her.
“Okay, give, Gracie,” Melanie spoke up first, standing and leaning forward to rest her palms on the table to face her sister.
“What do you mean?”
“What the hell happened during dinner?” Lainey spoke up, her blue eyes flashing with determination as she lifted her hands to rub at her face before looking at Gracie.
“It’s obvious that Deuce has staked his claim on you,” Jamie offered, smiling at Gracie. “Congratulations, honey.”
“He hasn’t claimed me,” Gracie told them softly. “We’re just exploring the possibility of a relationship. There is no claiming going on.”
The women looked at each other with concern. They could sense the sadness in Gracie, and each one immediately felt the need to comfort her.
“Gracie, it’s obvious that Deuce cares about you,” Becca told her softly. “I watched him watching you all night.”
“His emotions were strong,” Claire added. “I could feel that he held you close to his heart.”
Gracie smiled sadly, looking at Claire briefly before turning to look at each of the women who truly were her family. “I’ve always loved him. All of you know that.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Melanie asked her, coming around the table to stand beside her sister.
Gracie shrugged, unable to voice her worries. Melanie reached out and touched her hand, making her crumble at the kindness.
“I just don’t want him to feel obligated to be with me,” she told them softly.
“Why would he feel that way, honey?” Melanie asked, caressing her shoulder lightly.
“Because.”
“Because why?” Melanie encouraged her.
“Because we weren’t exactly safe.”
“What?” Melanie’s forehead furrowed in confusion.
“Oh, my goodness,” Becca barely whispered. “I need to sit down.” She plopped back into her seat and stared up at Gracie in awe.
“What, Becca?” Lainey asked her twin.
“She thinks she might be pregnant.” Becca looked at Gracie, her gaze soft and comforting. “Right, Gracie?”
Gracie shrugged. “It’s a possibility,” she answered finally.
Lainey’s butt hit her own chair. “That’s fantastic!” she said finally. “I’m so happy for you, Gracie.”
Touching Deuce [Cowboy Mates, Psychic Connections 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 7