The Gate to Everything (Once Upon a Dare Book 1) (22 page)

He touched her slowly. “Tell me if this is all right. I know they say to wait six weeks, but I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Jordan, it’s been fourteen weeks,” she said, arching into his touch, “but you’re sweet to be concerned.”

“I would never want to give you another moment of pain after everything you went through with Ella.”

There it was again, the sensitivity and vulnerability she hadn’t seen in Jordan since he was a young boy, the emotions being a father was bringing to the surface.

“I’ll be fine,” she told him to assure him, “but I’ll let you know if there’s anything to be concerned about.”

Mostly she was still worried about her breasts. They were downright unpredictable.

He nudged her legs open wider with his shoulders, and Grace nearly moaned in anticipation. He looked up and smiled—he knew what this did to her. He kissed her inner thighs, turning playful.

“Jordan.”

“All right,” he said in a teasing voice, “let’s give you what you really want.”

Grace jolted when he slid his tongue into her. Short strokes later, her hips were jerking against his mouth, and she shattered. Jordan continued to caress her, taking her even higher.

With her eyes closed, she could only focus on the pressure of his mouth and the glorious pleasure coursing through her body. She finally tugged on his hair to get his attention.
 

“I want you inside me,” she whispered, aching for him. “Now.”

His eyes were slits when he raised his head. His pulse beat visibly in his neck.
 

Awash in sensation, she slid her bare leg along his spine, which she knew drove him wild.
 

He uncoiled like a spring so he could finish undressing. When he stretched out naked against her, she kissed him deeply and ran her hand down his chest. He caught her before she could touch him.
 

“Not yet, Gracie,” he said hoarsely. “I won’t be able to stop.”

“Who says you have to?” she asked, in the thrall of her own empowerment and desire. It was a heady mix for a woman who rarely thought beyond the baby’s next feeding and her role at the restaurant.
 

She stroked him, watching his face. She knew exactly where to touch him to make his head fall forward. They’d gotten good at knowing how to pleasure each other.

“That’s enough,” he ground out.

He grabbed a condom and handed it to her. She delighted in slowly putting it on him.
 

“You’re killing me, Gracie.”
 

His teeth clenched, and Grace smiled. Oh, yes, she’d missed driving him wild like this.

Jordan must have caught her look because he slid his hand between her legs and caressed her.
 

“Oh, God,” she said, her head pressing into the pillows. “Just like that.”

Her eyes closed again, and she felt Jordan ease between her legs and slowly enter her.

He took his time, and for a moment she wondered if he was still worried about hurting her. But when he was finally buried deep inside her, all she could do was arch her back to bring him in a little deeper.
 

At his groan, she opened her eyes. He was watching her, his lips slightly parted.

They were filled with desire, yes, but there was so much love there.

*
 
*
 
*

Seeing Grace under him, feeling her skin, being inside her again, filled Jordan with a sense of awe. She was back with him. They were together again. And he was going to savor every moment.

He started a slow rhythm, and she responded by moaning and locking her legs around him. He caught her hands in his, wanting the connection.
 

Desire raged and swept them into a more frantic pace. Thrusting into her with longer, harder strokes, he watched her head thrash back and forth. She was moaning brokenly now, and Jordan felt his own body flush with sweat. He put a strong forearm under Grace’s hips, changing the angle, and she flew over the edge, her body pulling him over with her.

He lowered himself to Grace, resting on his elbows so as not to crush her. She’d always liked his weight on her, especially after they made love. He worried he weighed too much, but she would wrap herself around him as if she didn’t want to let him go—just like she was doing tonight.
 

He pressed his forehead to her shoulder and concentrated on taking deep breaths, filling his lungs with her scent, muskier now from their joining. Even though he was in tip-top shape, his heartbeat was pounding in his ears. Jordan couldn’t remember a time when their lovemaking had been this powerful. Their first time had been fraught with nerves, but good, really good. This, though? They’d reached a whole new level. He kissed the top of her head. The shorter curls still looked different than her old hair, and part of him missed weaving his hands into her hair when he kissed her.

He felt something wet on his chest and then heard her utter a sharp gasp. That made him smile, and he pushed off her and handed over his T-shirt for her to clean up. When she left his shirt over her breasts, Jordan decided not to tug it away. She was a little flustered now, beyond the flush of orgasm.

“No big deal,” he said, stooping to kiss her neck. He put his hand over the T-shirt covering her breasts and caressed them in the hopes of helping her past her embarrassment.

To his relief, she snuggled close instead of pulling away. He pulled her onto his chest after dispensing with the condom. After a moment, he raised himself up to look down at her. Her lips were swollen, her face flushed. The green eyes gazing at him were calm and filled with a joy he hadn’t seen for a long while. His heart squeezed painfully in response.
 

“Grace,” he said simply.

She leaned in to kiss him, and he let her. Slowly. Deeply. That kiss forged a new bond between them, one even stronger than their lovemaking. When she pressed away, she fitted herself against his side again, stroking his chest.
 

His body grew heavy, poised for sleep, but he could feel the tension return to her muscles. He could hear the wheels starting to turn in her head and wished he had a fork to grind them to a halt.

“It’ll be okay, Grace. We’ll figure it out. Together.”

She fell asleep in his arms a short time later while he caressed her, and only then did he allow his eyes to close.

He awakened to Ella fussing on the monitor, and it took him a moment to remember where he was. Then he smiled at the sensation of Grace’s slim, warm body pressed next to his. He looked over at her. She was snoring softly, something she never did, and had plastered herself all over him in her sleep.

Carefully withdrawing her arms, he rolled out of bed, hoping she wouldn’t wake. Good Lord, it was seven o’clock. Ella had given them both a treat by sleeping a little later than normal. Perhaps it was the extra feeding Grace had given her after coming home. He shut off the monitor in the bedroom and walked naked down the hall because he could. Because last night had changed things.
 

Ella lay on her back, squirming like a helpless little bug, whimpering.

“Hey, sweet pea,” he said, and she thrust her hands up in the air and gave a demanding cry. “Did you miss me? I missed you.”

Jordan picked her up, and she immediately started rooting around against his chest.

“You just had to be hungry,” he said with a sigh. “Do we go for a bottle or your mama?”

He didn’t want to wake Grace—God knew she needed the rest—but he carried Ella back to bed because he didn’t want to keep their family apart for another moment.
 

The low lamplight made her look even more at peace. Grace was lying on her side, so he pulled his shirt away from her and arranged Ella close to her body. He guided her little mouth to Grace’s breast, and Ella rooted around until she clamped on the nipple. Grace lifted a hand to cuddle Ella closer, but her eyes remained shut as the baby drank noisily.

Grace seemed to fall back asleep, and Jordan stayed where he was, one hand on Ella’s back to support her while she nursed. There was beauty here, and he savored every minute as he watched the two most important women in his life.

When Ella started to fuss after letting go of Grace’s nipple, Grace shook herself and half-sat up. “You’re fine, baby. Let’s switch sides.”

And then her eyes opened all the way, and she blinked at Jordan.

“Oh,”
she said in a sleep-roughened voice. “Hello.”

He couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “Forget I was here?”

“I was…out. God, what time is it?”

When she turned to look at the clock, Jordan could tell she was fighting some morning discomfort.
 

“A little after seven.” He ran his hand over Ella’s head. “I love watching you nurse her.”

She curled back into the covers and guided their daughter to the other side. “That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have to pump every day and wear pads in your bra.”

He saw her point, but it didn’t change how he felt. “I know it’s not perfect, but it’s beautiful, Grace. It’s like being a dad. There are the dirty diapers and the spitting up. And then she falls asleep on my chest, and it nearly stops my heart.”

“You’ve surprised me these last few months,” she told him.

“I’ve surprised myself,” he answered honestly.

She leaned forward and lightly kissed him on the lips.

He felt there was a message in that kiss, but couldn’t decipher it. “What was that for?”

“I never thanked you for giving her to me,” she said, and then she smiled.

They lay there as a family, enjoying each other. When she finished nursing, Jordan encouraged Ella to roll over. Grace reminded him that she’d only spit up. He smiled as Ella looked back and forth between him and Grace. It was like she was wondering what had changed.

When Ella fell back asleep, he took her back to her crib. His heart grew in his chest as he stood in the doorway to Grace’s bedroom. She hadn’t made a move to the shower. She lay there curled up on her side, waiting for him.
 

When she held out a hand, he let her pull him onto the bed.
 

Chapter 19
      

When Grace awoke again, she couldn’t ignore the warm male body curled up behind her. If his light snoring was any indication, Jordan was still sleeping. She could hardly blame him. Between the lack of sleep, emotions, and love play, she was exhausted, but she had to face the full consequences of her actions.

She’d slept with Jordan. Twice.

Her resistance had been waning ever since she’d told him about Ella, if she were being honest. But was she really ready to try again with him or was last night…just last night? She could not admit to herself that she’d gone to bed with him without fully thinking things through. That made her feel like crap. She knew better—for him and for herself. Plus there was Ella to consider.

She opened her eyes finally, hearing Ella grunt and coo on the monitor. When she eased out from under Jordan’s arm, he mumbled and then grabbed a pillow to his chest. Turning off the monitor, she closed the bedroom door and went to get Ella. Her daughter was lying on her back, doing her best impression of singing for a three-month-old. When she saw Grace, she kicked her feet excitedly and gave a toothless grin.

“Hey, baby girl,” she sing-songed. “You look happy. Thanks for going back to bed earlier and sleeping better last night.”

She picked her up and hugged her tight. Oh, the love. Every morning, she was in awe of this precious little being. The knowledge that Jordan felt the same way had enhanced her feelings for him.
 

She’d fallen in love with the hard-working man who had big dreams. Now, she’d fallen in love with the family man and wasn’t so sure she could stay away. Being in this house together made her feel like they really could be a family. Jordan showed every sign of wanting that. Could she trust it?

After giving Ella a quick bath and dressing her, she took her downstairs to feed her. The morning sunlight was especially lovely in the family room at this time of day, and since it was her day off, she planned on taking it slow.

She was nursing Ella when Jordan came down. His hair was wet from the shower, and he’d changed into one of the spare outfits he kept in the guest room.

Ella stopped nursing and turned her head on the yellow nursing pillow, cooing.

“Hey, princess,” he called out, crossing the room to join them. “Are you having breakfast?”

After a moment of tension, Grace relaxed. She wouldn’t try to cover up—not after what they’d shared last night.
 

“Hey,” he said to her, stroking Ella’s head when she resumed nursing. “Sorry I slept through her second wake up. You should have poked me or something.”

“You were snoring,” she said, feeling a little shaky.

“Charming,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Ah…would it be weird if I kiss you good morning? I…kinda want to.”

She straightened against the sofa cushions, surprised he would be so direct. Ella stopped nursing and turned her head to stare at him, giving him an eyeful of nipple. Grace felt another twinge of embarrassment. She cupped Ella’s head and guided her back to nurse.