Trace & Tori [The ShadowDance Club 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) (16 page)

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 feel 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.

Trace felt his phone vibrate in his pocket just as they had pulled on to the highway after leaving Shadowdance Mountain, but had decided to wait until later to check the message. After he and Tori had checked the heifers, they’d returned home and he’d carried her over the threshold again despite her protests that the third time was really over the top. And now as he was moving quickly to the bedroom he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever tire of the warm feeling carrying his wife brought to his heart. They’d arrived home so late last night they had both fallen into bed and been asleep within seconds, and then the ranch hands had called with questions shortly after dawn so he could hardly wait to get Tori naked and under him.

He was going to fuck her until they were both satisfied, and he’d warned her that was going to take most of the night. He couldn’t help but smile as he remembered how her cheeks had flushed as he’d told her all the ways he planned to make her come. The fact that she’d endured so much and retained that level of innocence was about the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. As he rounded the corner of their bedroom, his heart nearly burst with gratitude for his friends Dylan and Mia Marshall. The room was awash in the soft glow of candlelight, and the sounds of soft piano music wafted from the ceiling speakers. Dylan had called him earlier and told him they’d be using the key Trace had left with them for the house because Mia wanted to “create a mood” for them. For a couple of former DEA agents, they were a romantic pair.

Several weeks earlier Trace had asked Mia to spend some time with Tori, teaching her some basic self-defense moves and giving her small-weapons training. Trace had loved seeing how quickly the two women had become friends. Tori seemed to have a magical way of drawing people to her. He hadn’t mentioned the news he’d received this evening about the lunatic who had terrorized her because he hadn’t wanted to frighten her, but the news that Gary George had taken a leave of absence and left Houston had everyone on their toes, and he needed to bring her up to speed soon.

Trace set Tori on her feet and cupped her heart-shaped face between his palms and kissed her, brushing his lips lightly over hers, savoring the sweet taste of her was his new favorite pastime. “Oh my sweet wife. God, I don’t even know how to tell you how much I love you and how blessed I feel to have found you.” Trace pulled her into his arms and hugged her close, burying his face in her hair and just inhaled the citrus and sage scent that seemed to be her signature fragrance. “You smell like a warm summer day. I could so easily lose myself in every little detail that is you.” He pulled back and turned her toward the bathroom. “Take a few minutes and get yourself ready, but I want you back in this room within ten minutes - naked and laying on your back in the center of that bed.” Trace was letting just enough of his Dom persona shine through that he knew it would kick up her apprehension which, he had discovered, was a direct trigger for arousal. He knew that she responded well to direct instruction and clearly stated expectations. They had agreed to work her slowly into a Ds relationship and that she had promised she would let him know as soon as she felt she had reached her maximum level of comfort. Trace had explained that one of the hallmarks of a Ds partnership was that the Dom always pushed the sub to expand their boundaries but he would never cross the line of what she could tolerate. Tori had chosen “uncle” as her safe word, and they’d both laughed at the word’s double meaning, the fact that her inheritance from an uncle had brought her to Colorado and of course the word’s usual slang meaning of surrender.

Trace watched the flush as it worked its way up her slender neck and painted her delicate ivory skin a nice scarlet red.
I wonder if her ass will turn that same shade when she gets her first erotic spanking? I can hardly wait until I can bend her over a spanking bench and use a flogger on her. Her skin will turn every shade of pink before it goes fire engine red, and then as I slide my cock deep in to her dripping cunt, I’ll feel the heat from her ass cheeks with each stroke.
“Go now, Victoria, the clock is ticking.” He had to suppress his chuckle as she hurried from the room.

Trace’s earlier thoughts about her stalker had reminded him about the message on his phone. Moving quickly to the guest bathroom across the hall, he checked the message and wasn’t surprised to hear Creed’s voice mail explaining that he’d seen George in the area. He was however surprised to hear the man had been bold enough to position himself so close to ShadowDance Mountain. Creed had assured him all the security upgrades were fully functional and that they’d have perimeter patrols in addition to all the electronic enhancements protecting them. Trace knew Jamie Creed well enough to hear the amusement in his voice.
Oh yeah, Alex’s guys are definitely planning to play with the mouse a little before they eat it.