His Brother's Wife (29 page)

He lifted his hand again,
moved a tendril of her hair away from her right breast and ran a
finger over her nipple. Grace closed her eyes the second he touched
her.

That one small gesture
turned into a hundred more. The heat of his hand seared her flesh.
Branding her skin with each gentle touch of his fingers. Rafe
leaned toward her and kissed her neck soon after, the soft, gentle
slide of his lips against her skin causing those goose bumps to
increase. He peppered kisses along her jaw, before reaching her
lips, his tongue invading her mouth and stealing what sense she had
left.

He wrapped her in his
arms, her breasts squeezed tight against his chest, and she'd never
felt anything so wonderful. He was warm, well muscled and just
sitting on the bed, naked and in his arms was the closest to
lovemaking she'd ever been. If it got better than this, she knew
she'd die from the pleasure of it.

The blankets were pushed
away, Rafe's hold on her tightening before he lifted her, pulling
her to him to straddle his lap. The moment she felt him there,
warm, hard, and thick between her legs, Grace moaned and shifted
her hips, rubbing herself against him until she dragged a strangled
gasp from his throat.

His hands were everywhere,
digging into the flesh on her bottom, his lips and tongue skating
across her chin, neck and throat before lowering to her chest. She
was panting for breath by the time he sucked her left nipple into
his mouth.

Grace leaned back, giving
him full access to her breasts and prayed the night never ended.
She wound her fingers into his hair, held him to her and watched
him through hooded eyes.

"I want you, Grace." His
voice was soft, muffled, and so full of need she almost felt his
pain.

She arched her back, held
onto him as he suckled her and said, "You have me."

He flipped her to her back
the instant the words were out of her mouth, his lips smashing
against her own, his tongue teasing and dipping into her mouth as
his body fitted tightly to her.

Grace spread her knees,
giving him more room, and lifted her hips when the pressure between
her legs grew more intense. He rubbed himself against her and she
whimpered when the sensation's started to overwhelm her. She
needed…. something.

"Rafe, please.
I…"

The plea turned into a
gasp as he entered her in a single hard push, a sharp pain tearing
through her body while her world collapsed into the tiny space they
occupied. Nothing else existed beyond that small sphere.

Once he was inside her, he
stilled for long minutes, just content to kiss her, touch her, and
the burning sensation eased then vanished, replaced by a need she
couldn't explain.

She lifted her hips and he
looked down at her, then started to move. The gentle thrust drew a
small moan from her throat and Grace knew she'd been born to love
this man. She'd spent her life looking for an adventure, for
something to fill the void she'd always felt, and looking up at
Rafe's face while his body moved over her, she knew this is what
she'd been seeking, not some grand adventure, but him, a mate
created just for her.

She raised her hands,
wrapped her arms around his back and moved her hips when the
pressure between her legs began to build again. She wasn't sure
what to do but moving made the whole act more pleasurable. From the
sounds Rafe made, he liked it too.

Having expectations of
what this act entailed paled in comparison to what was really
involved. Grace hadn't imagined the act of love making to be so
intense. It wasn't only the physical pleasure of it that stunned
her. It was the emotional closeness she couldn't quite comprehend.
The look on Rafe's face as he stared down at her, the feel of his
hands caressing her flesh, his lips skimming her face, it was all a
bit overwhelming.

Those feelings seemed to
draw and collect inside her stomach, a small knot forming until she
was squirming, trying to get closer. She whispered Rafe's name,
held him tighter against her and cried out when she thought her
body would burst if she had to endure another second of the
torment.

Rafe's hold on her
tightened as he buried his face against her neck. He mumbled
something to her, the pace of his thrusts increasing and Grace had
only seconds to realize something was happening to her body before
she felt it. The heat and dizzying euphoria flooded her veins,
caused her skin to tingle and waves of pleasure rode her limbs
until she was shaking from the effects, a raw cry spilling from her
throat as Rafe's hips moved harder, faster, that urgent need she'd
felt obviously taking hold of him as well.

When it was over, her body
tingling and lax, Grace lay under Rafe and felt as if she were
floating. She blinked and swallowed to moisten her throat. "Is it
always like that?"

Rafe propped his weight on
his elbows and kissed her softly on the lips. "No. Sometimes it's
better."

A jolt went through
Grace's body at his words. How could it possibly be better? She
laughed and buried her face against his throat. "I don't believe a
word of that, Rafe Samuels. There's no way it could possibly be
better."

Something in his eyes said
he was pleased with her reaction. He pulled from her body with a
hiss and slid to the bed beside of her, wrapping her back into his
arms. "Give me time to recover and I'll prove it to
you."

Grace's heart skipped a
beat. "How long will that take?"

Rafe laughing at her was
his only answer.

Chapter
Twenty-Seven

For the second time in as
many days, Grace woke up naked in Rafe's bed. This time, she was
alone.

She stretched and
regretted it a moment later. Her body hurt in places she hadn't
realized could hurt but she smiled when she remembered
why.

Rafe had showed her such
sweet pleasure, she'd never wanted it to end. They fell asleep
exhausted, their skin slick, bodies so alive, Grace knew why people
sought out companionship on a daily basis.

It was too wonderful not
to experience every day.

She sat up, pulling the
blankets to her chest and glanced over the side of the bed. Her
clothes weren't there.

A look around the room
proved pointless. For once, the floor was bare of clothing. Sitting
up, she pulled the top blanket from the bed and wrapped it around
her body as she stood. Making sure she was covered, she ventured to
the door and opened it. A single lamp burned in the kitchen and to
her surprise, Rafe stood by the stove.

She smiled and walked into
the room. "What did you do with my clothes?"

When he turned to face
her, Grace's face burned hot. He was dressed in trousers and a blue
chambray shirt but he hadn't bothered buttoning it. Gorgeous didn't
even begin to describe him. Her heart started racing just looking
at him.

Seeing him naked in bed
was different than seeing him in the kitchen half dressed. The
light alone made it different. She knew she was blushing by the way
he smiled at her.

He crossed the room, took
her face in both hands, and gave her one of those soul-stealing
kisses she loved so much. When he let her go, she could do nothing
but stare at him.

"Your dress was wet and
muddy, so I threw it in with the other dirty things." He threaded
his fingers through her hair, straightening the strands. "Are you
hungry? I'm making breakfast."

Looking toward the table,
Grace saw their plates, glasses filled with fresh milk, and eggs
fried with onions and bacon. Nothing more than that, but it looked
like a feast to her. In the month she'd been here, it was the first
time anyone bothered to cook for her.

She smiled. "I'm
starved."

He didn't give her time to
suggest dressing, just swooped her up in his arms and crossed the
room, pulled her chair out with one foot and deposited her in it
before taking his own seat. Grace sat there, wondering how she was
supposed to eat and hold the blanket in place.

A glance at Rafe's face
and she could tell he was wondering the same thing. The amusement
shining in his eyes said it all. That small wanton part of herself
smiled back as she dropped the blanket, Rafe's eyes widening when
she did, before she tucked the material under her arms, covering
her body again.

Her shoulders were bare
but at least her breasts weren't exposed. Not that it really
mattered. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen them, touched them, but
eating while ones breasts were in the open just seemed
odd.

Rafe laughed but never
said a word. They ate in silence, the only sound in the room coming
from the ticking of the clock and the scrape of silverware on
plates.

The air felt different
this morning. The usual tension that hovered in the house, gone.
Grace wasn't sure what caused it. Was it because Jesse wasn't
there? Or did it have everything to do with the newfound
relationship she shared with Rafe?

Whatever it was, Grace
liked the feeling. It was freeing and gave her hope for a future
here. Knowing she'd not have to leave eased her mind to the point
of rapture. She hadn't been looking forward to the move anyway.
Now, with Rafe finally making love to her, she was sure a marriage
proposal from him was only days away.

When they'd finished
eating, Rafe took everything to the sink. "Go get dressed. I can
wash these up."

Grace did as he said,
leaving him in the kitchen alone. When she entered her room, she
leaned back against the door, a dreamy sigh escaping her throat.
Who was this man she was seeing? And what happened to the other
Rafe? The one who was prickly and pig-headed?

She hoped to never find
out the answers.

Dropping the blanket,
Grace washed, regretting not bringing up a pitcher of warm water
for her bath, then dressed in one of the simple calico dresses
she'd purchased. After brushing her hair and braiding it, she left
it to dangle down her back.

As she started across the
room, she saw Rafe out her bedroom window, walking across the yard
toward the barn, the end of a rope in one hand. It was still
snowing but the tiny flakes fell softly today. The hectic,
wind-blown downpour from the blizzard the day before was
gone.

She watched him tie the
end of the rope to the post by the water trough, then head inside
the barn. He had chores to do, after all. Just because the weather
was foul didn't mean their daily routine stopped and with Jesse
gone, Rafe would again be left doing it all.

Grace pursed her lips. Her
knowledge of ranch work was minimal but she was nothing if not
curious. Besides, she'd always been a fast learner. Anything Jesse
was expected to do, she could do, too. She was sure of
it.

* * * *

What was he
doing?

Rafe stabbed at the bale
of straw, his thoughts a violent clamor inside his head. Every time
he rationalized his feelings for Grace, the doubt he'd lived with
for so many years would rear its head and curse him for a
fool.

He knew before he kissed
her that making love to her was the wrong thing to do but damn his
soul, he couldn't resist. He'd been dreaming of having her since
first laying eyes on her. Having her in his bed, naked, and looking
so beautiful…

What was he supposed to
do? Tell her to leave? Leave himself?

He stopped tossing the
straw and laid his forehead to the top of the pitchfork, blowing
out a frustrated breath. "You are such an idiot."

Images of her flashed in
his mind's eye. Images of the way her skin looked slicked with
small beads of perspiration as he loved her. Visions of her golden
hair spilling over her breasts, over his pillow, the way she clung
to him as he filled her, pressing himself inside of her as far as
her body would allow.

The way her eyes shined up
at him as if there wasn't another person in her world.

He'd tried telling himself
that Grace was different but that little voice in the back of his
mind refused to believe it. All women were the same. They wanted
things he'd never be able to give them and just like the rest,
Grace would eventually figure that out.