by Avery Gale
“Princess, look at me.” When she didn’t look up at him, he shifted from lying alongside her so that he was lying over her cradled between her legs. Holding himself up enough that she had no choice but to look at him, he said, “And? Finish it, Victoria. There will be no secrets between us. I won’t allow it.” His tone had taken on more of what she was quickly coming to recognize as his Dom tone, and it was a voice she’d found her body responded to almost before her mind had a chance to process the words. Trace hadn’t planned to top her tonight, but he could see Tori was struggling. She was trying to back away emotionally, but he was going to rope her and bring her right back to his heart using the role she seemed to respond to without even thinking.
When she looked up into his face, he hoped she would see her own strength of spirit reflected in his eyes. He waited patiently for her to answer. “I was just thinking that I was so completely flattened by the connection I felt during the orgasm I had a few minutes ago and…well, I…I almost cried because it was so deep and I knew if I did, well, what a turnoff would that be?” He smiled at her because she had spit it all out so fast, and now he could see that she was almost like a balloon that someone had poked a small hole in, she looked like she was slowly deflating.
“Oh, my love, I felt that same depth and had to pull myself back from that very same edge. And rest assured, sweetheart, I’ll never be turned off by your tears. I will celebrate the tears of joy, mourn the tears of sadness, and I’ll treasure the ones that I know are just meant to tell me I’ve touched your soul.”
His lips brushed over hers in a sweet press of warmth, and he added, “The tears that let me know I’ve rocked your world are the sweetest ones of all, and I’ll be honored when you trust me enough to let me see those. And if you have had a bad day and just feel like crying to vent all that frustration, I’ll hold you and kiss the tears away. I want it all, princess, every little piece of you is important to me.” Moving so the head of his cock was right at the entrance to her heat, he watched her eyes fill with tears and smiled when she let them roll down her temples. Leaning to each side, he kissed the tear tracks and then whispered sweet words of love into her ear as he slid deep into her tight pussy. He told her how amazing her cunt felt as it pulled him deeper with each stroke. Trace had always loved being a Dominant when it came to sex, but right at this moment he wasn’t sure there was anything better than just making sweet love to the woman in his arms.
Tori found herself completely lost in the magic of the moment as she felt her body race to the edge of release. But she couldn’t seem to grasp it. “Oh please…it’s so close, but I can’t…it’s so very close…why can’t I get it?”
Tori didn’t realize she had spoken the words aloud until Trace answered her. “Oh, princess, you are so fucking perfect for me. You can’t get there with straight vanilla sex, can you? Fuck me but you are the most amazing woman on the planet and you are mine. All mine! Let me show you the way, princess.” Pulling from her depths, Trace quickly flipped her over and pulled her ass high in the air before plunging in again. He set a pounding pace and just as he reached around her and pinched her swollen clit he whispered in her ear. “Come for me, princess.”
The words had no sooner left his lips than she felt herself shatter beneath him, and she was gratified to know she had taken him right along with her. She felt Trace’s cum shooting against her cervix, and she remembered the evening he’d explained a Dom’s primal sense of satisfaction knowing he’d planted his seed deep within the woman he loved. Someday soon she hoped they would begin the family they’d talked about that night as they’d watched the dying embers fade in the fireplace. Tori would always treasure the time they had spent as friends while becoming lovers, those hours had provided a foundation of trust they had both needed, and she was sure that foundation would help their marriage hold up to the daily strain relationships endured just as a part of living together.
Finding a woman who was strong enough to submit was a blessing beyond any Trace had ever even been brave enough to pray for. And having Tori wrapped in his arms was just about the best feeling in the world. “Princess, you are a gift straight from heaven. I have no clue what I could have ever done that would put me in such good graces with the Universe above, but I am oh so happy with the outcome. You belong to me and no one hurts what’s mine.”
Tori gasped when Trace flexed his semierect cock inside her for emphasis. Brushing his fingertips in slow circles over her temples, he told her, “I’m going to keep myself inside you as we go to sleep because I want you to know in the most basic way that you belong to me sweetheart.” Pulling her to her side with his cock still buried deep inside her, he felt her shudder as his possessive words of ownership sunk in, and he felt as if a radiant joy had settled deep in his heart as she settled against him in acceptance. He knew the instant she let sleep take her, and when he knew she was deeply asleep, he let sweet slumber claim him as well. Just before nodding off, Trace remembered that Jamie Creed was keeping watch in the house and had likely heard them both cry out their release, and his inner caveman was filled with pride.
* * * *
Jamie Creed had been walking through the Bartell ranch house when he’d heard the unmistakable sound of flesh slapping flesh just before he’d heard Trace speaking softly and then Tori’s scream. Smiling to himself, he silently cheered his friend on. He couldn’t think of anyone who deserved happiness more than Trace Bartell, and even though there was just a small piece of him that wished he could find a woman who would fit him as perfectly, he also knew that karma was going to be a bitch for him.
There wasn’t any way to paint it that didn’t look bleak. His years as a sniper had put a lot of black marks on his soul. Would there ever be a woman who could deal with the darkness he’d seen and done? Would he recognize her if she showed up on his doorstep? Somehow he doubted it, but he also remembered the words Rissa had spoken to him last New Year’s Eve before the whole party had gone FUBAR. She’d slipped up beside him and squeezed his hand and said, “She’s out there. You’ll see, and when she walks in to your life, you’ll feel your whole world shift on its axis.” When he’d looked down at the beautiful pint-sized, green-eyed pixie, he’d been humbled by the sincerity painting her sweet face. Then she’d stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek and whispered, “Happy New Year, Jamie” and then walked back in to her husband’s arms. Bryant Davis had looked up and smiled at him with a knowing look then hugged her tightly to his chest, and Jamie had felt like she’d handed him a gift box filled with hope for a future he had barely allowed himself to even dream about.
Chapter 14
Four Months Later
“Oh my God, they are so amazing. And it was nice of you to have three so we could each hold one at the same time.” Rissa was sitting in the wooden rocker in the baby suite with little Christopher Lamont resting comfortably on her own growing baby bump.
Kat Lamont handed baby Daniel to his Aunt Jenna who quickly snuggled him against her neck and started pacing the room. Jenna laughed and said, “Sure, give me the one that always has to be on the move to be happy.” Kat smiled at her best friend and sister-in-law, because she knew Jenna’s words were pure jest.
“Well, I’m no dummy, and I’m exhausted, but don’t tell my husbands or I’ll never get to leave this damned house.” Kat sighed and started to close her eyes until she heard a sound behind her.
“Language, Katarina, and I will have you know Zach and I are already all too aware of how exhausted you are. Falling fast asleep during dinner was a pretty big clue, love.” Alex moved around her to take his sweet daughter, Mary Catherine from her mama’s tired arms. Looking at the baby’s pink cheeks and softly curling strawberry blonde hair, he nuzzled her neck and started talking to her as if she were full grown rather than six weeks old. “You are going to be a daddy’s girl, aren’t you, sweetheart? You are going to be the cooperative one, too, I can already tell.” As he moved to stand near one of the large windows, he looked up at th
e others in the room and noted they were all staring at him as if he’d grown another head. “What?” he said, irritated that they obviously thought his sweet words were out of character. Damn, don’t they know that my heart melts every time I pick up any of my children? But even he had to admit, Mary Kate, as she was already being called, had stolen his heart and soul the minute she had burst forth in to the world. She’d been the first and had been screaming at the top of her lungs until the nurse had handed the screeching bundle to him, and miraculously she had gone instantly silent and just looked directly into his eyes. And as if deeming him worthy in less than a heartbeat, she had settled down and gone instantly to sleep. It had continued to be like that each time she was upset. Her beautiful mama could be at her wits’ end and all either he or Zach had to do was pick up their daughter and she was immediately content. Both of the boys seemed to favor a woman’s touch. Smart boys, our sons!
Just as Alex was about to set her back in her cradle, Zach walked in followed by Trace and Tori. “I’ll take her highness,” Zach said as he scooped her up before she’d even made contact with the mattress. “Hey, baby girl, you weren’t going to be happy just lying there were you? No, you’d rather have one of your devoted daddies holding you, wouldn’t you, princess?”
Tori made her way to Kat and sat next to her exhausted and frazzled-looking friend. Reaching out to take Kat’s small hand, Tori asked, “How are you doing? Anything I can do to help you?” And then looking around the room she smiled. “Although it looks like you have a lot of baby holders on hand already. So maybe something a bit more practical, like smuggled-in chocolates and ice cream?” With those words, she lifted a sack with a wicked grin.
The Lamonts’ home had actually been Trace and Tori’s second stop after returning from the honeymoon. Tori had insisted they make a quick detour to the local market so she could pick up a couple of her friend’s favorite treats. She’d seen new mothers reeling before and had a feeling Kat would be feeling the strain of caring for three infants despite all the help surrounding her.
“Oh my God, you are an angel. Give me a hand up and we’ll escape to the kitchen, I really need a little space, and I’d really like to talk to an adult for a while.” As Tori helped Kat up, they quickly made their way down the stairs, leaving the others to watch out for the triplets for a while.
As they sat at the counter enjoying their treats, Tori smiled and said, “So tell me how you are really doing. You look like you are strung mighty tight for someone who is obviously exhausted. It’s okay, I’m a lawyer and secrets are my specialty, so spill it.”
Tori had noted the new mother was dancing on the edge of her sanity the minute they’d walked in the room, and she’d been grateful for the excuse to get her alone so they could chat. Kat had been a wonderful sounding board and had helped Tori understand that being a victim of a crime was a blip on the radar compared to the longer process of healing. Kat, Jenna, and Rissa had all stressed that seeing herself as a victim was far too limiting, better she view herself as a survivor.
The tears that rolled down Kat’s cheeks startled Tori into moving to embrace her friend in a warm hug. She didn’t ask for explanations, she just held her as Kat cried silently on her shoulder. Several minutes later Kat drew back and hiccupped before smiling up at Tori’s concerned face. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I can’t let it out with anyone else because they freak out. Do you know that Alex called a psychiatrist the first time I cried after they triplets were born? I kid you not…I was mortified! I tried to explain that it’s the hormones, but he and Zach are just so…well, they’re so…Hell, I don’t even have any words to explain it.”
Tori’s hearty laugh caused Kat to look up in surprise, but then suddenly she looked as if she’d really thought about what she’d said, and she started to giggle. Before either of them knew it, they are nearly falling off their seats they were laughing so hard. When they finally seemed to get themselves under control, Kat looked up her with appreciation in her eyes and said, “Oh, Tori, I can’t tell you how good that felt. I haven’t been able to get all that out, and it was about to eat me up. You’re the best…ice cream, chocolates, a good cry, and laughter. Damn…it just doesn’t get any better than that.”
“Oh I’m so goooood! I didn’t have to say a single word. Just laughed at your speech problem and all’s well. Dang, I think I missed my calling.” Smiling brightly at her friend, she exaggerated her grunt of pain when Kat smacked her on the arm. Tori made a mental note to check on her new friend regularly and watch her closely for symptoms of postpartum depression. After working with a young mother who had abandoned her young son after suffering from an acute case of postpartum fueled by the very real hormone imbalance Kat had just mentioned, Tori had learned that it actually affected more new mothers than not but was still widely misunderstood and even more often unrecognized.
They spent the next few minutes catching up, with Tori telling Kat all about the honeymoon trip she and Trace had just returned from. Tori told her that if it had been up to her, they’d still be sunning themselves on the beaches of Aruba, but Trace had needed to get back because calving season was rapidly approaching.
Kat had complained that she hadn’t had sex in months and if her husbands didn’t take care of that soon, she was going to start interviewing surrogates. Tori had laughed, but thought her friend’s humorous words were likely at least partially based in truth. Tori asked about Jenna’s return to school and Rissa’s pregnancy. She had been fascinated when Kat explained that several members of The Club’s security detail had just returned from a Black Ops mission. They’d had great fun imagining all the details of that, each one trying to be more outrageous in their imagined details than the other until they were nearly hysterical once again. When they finally recovered somewhat, they looked up to see Alex, Zach, and Trace all standing just inside the room looking at them as if they’d lost their minds. When she and Kat looked from the men’s confused faces back to each other, they fell right in to another fit of giggles.
Zach chuckled and then spoke just loud enough for his brother and lifelong friend to hear. “Damn, I love seeing her laugh again. It’s been too long, and I was really starting to worry about her.” Turning to Trace he continued, “Thanks for bringing Tori over. It looks like she’s made progress where the rest of us have failed.” Trace thought his heart was going to burst with pride at his friend’s appreciation of his new bride.
“She is amazing. I can’t begin to tell you how much I love and appreciate her. It’s like she was made just for me, you know? I don’t even really know how else to describe it. But I can damn sure tell you it humbles me that she agreed to become my wife.” Trace might have been talking to his friends, but his gaze never left his beautiful bride. Damn, but I love the sound of that word…Wife! I still can’t believe she is really my wife. Walking over so he was standing alongside Tori, Trace leaned forward and kissed her forehead and said, “Well, now that you have likely set Kat up for a sugar-induced coma, we’d better be heading back to the ranch. I’d like to get back in time to check the heifers before turning in, and it looks like the skies are getting ready open up.” Just then a brilliant flash of lightning lit up the room and was followed almost immediately by a deafening crack of thunder. Alex and Zach shouted their good-byes over their shoulders as they bolted up the stairs just as the cries of three frightened babies filled the air.
Trace watched as Tori gave Kat a long hug and then made her promise to cut herself some slack and to call if she needed anything, even if it was just to talk. They watched as Kat made her way up the elegant staircase that looked like it had been taken right out of one of the mansions in Gone with the Wind. Trace thought about how quickly Tori and Kat had bonded as friends and how pleased he was that she seemed to feel right at home in Climax after such a short time. After everything Tori had shared with him, he understood how she had always longed to feel like she belonged. His friends had been wonderful and he was grateful to them for making her fe
el so welcome.
Trace had noted the wistful look on Tori’s face. He hoped that he’d be able to fulfill every wish and dream he’d seen move through her eyes as she’d watched her friend heading back to her family. “Come on, sweetheart, we’d better get headed out before the weather turns too bad.” Trace grabbed her hand and they made a mad dash for his truck and were just pulling on to the highway when the rain started pounding down.
* * * *
Gary George sat across the highway hidden by the trees and watched as Tori and Trace Bartell turned and headed back in the direction of his ranch. He’d been supremely pissed off when he’d discovered she’d married the rancher and was gone on her honeymoon after he’d driven all the way to Colorado last week. He’d be paying them a visit real soon, but not tonight. No, the rain would make the back way into their place impassable in a very short time. He wanted to get in, get her, and get out as quickly as possible. He’d taken a leave of absence when he’d “injured his back” and wasn’t supposed to report back to work for another couple of weeks, so he had plenty of time left to wait out the rain and muddy roads.
* * * *
Jamie Creed crouched in a small camo shelter and watched as the man who had terrorized Tori Bartell pulled out from his little hidey hole and headed down the mountain in the rental car the agents in Houston had told them to watch for. Gary George was apparently a real piece of work, and after reading the report the agents had sent the team, everyone on the ShadowDance security team was on high alert. Jamie had been in the Crow’s Nest when the call had come in several days ago, so he’d had time to get several observation points set up before the man had even made it to town. The new security systems at The Club, Trace’s, and the cabin were all fully functional, and he was confident no one was going to be moving anywhere near any of those without alerting the entire security team. He quickly sent out a text to each member of the team detailing his observations so everyone would take every precaution. Creed was glad it was finally starting to look like things were getting close to resolution. You’re going down, fucker. You’re not killing anyone on my watch. You think you’re invincible? Bring it, asshat.