A Matter of Honesty (16 page)

the most intimate way a man could. Even while part of her mind was telling her to

resist him—to reach out and jerk his head up—the only thing she could do was reach

out and grab his head to hold it in place.

But it didn‘t look as though he planned to go anywhere anytime soon. He was

assaulting her with thorough, leisurely strokes of his tongue, relentless in his actions.

And she was brazenly enjoying it. A shiver raced through her body as his tongue

probed deeper, becoming more insistent, ravenous.

She let out a passionate moan from deep within her throat. Her hands holding

his head tightened as if to draw him closer and he continued, as if her taste was

something he couldn‘t live without. Her body exploded, seemingly into a thousand

pieces, and she let out a low, deep moan as fulfillment seared through her. She

realized his hold on her was just as firm as her hold on him. He had an unyielding grip

on her thighs, not intending to let her go anyplace until he‘d gotten his fill, and that

thought sent her over the edge again.

Never in her life had anything like this happened to her before. Never had she

thought she would be here, like this, with a man as potent as Steve. She finally felt her

body floating back to Earth when he lifted his mouth from her.

He raised his head to stare down at her while licking his lips in the process, and

the gesture was so erotic she reached out and pulled his mouth to hers. She tasted

herself on his lips, his tongue, leaving her in no doubt of how intense his intimate kiss

had been.

She glanced down to watch his hand stroke her nipples as he spoke, using the

same skilled fingers he‘d used to stroke between her legs. His fingers were moist as he

spread her wetness over the hardened peaks of both breasts. She couldn‘t prevent the

quiver that traveled up her spine.

What was he doing to her?

“Steve…”

“Just close your eyes and relax. Let me pleasure you. I want to take care of you.”

She did as he asked and the moment her eyelids fused shut she felt his tongue

flicker out and capture a bud, flickering over it, tasting her before closing in and

taking it fully into his mouth. Need, the kind she only knew with him, consumed her

insides as she felt his mouth on her breasts, tasting and teasing her in a way that was

simply his. He devoured one and then the other, almost depleting her of her wits, her

reason and her self-discipline. And when his mouth found the smooth skin of her

stomach and begin placing kisses all around it, she became lost within a vortex of

sensations that had her giving in to pleasure of the most erotic kind.

His warm breath fluttered across her belly as he placed a kiss there. His

nonverbal commands were making her surrender to emotions she was trying to

control and didn‘t want to feel. They were also causing another deep hunger to grow

inside her. Then she felt the warmth of his breath move lower and she held still,

knowing what he was about to do.

Again.

She should have grown accustomed to him kissing and caressing her there, but

she wasn‘t. It couldn‘t be helped. He had a skill with his tongue that she just couldn‘t

control, deny or resist. Not much time had passed. After what they‘d shared she

wasn‘t sure she could withstand another onslaught of pleasure. She didn‘t know if she

could take her body exploding into a million pieces again.

She opened her eyes to tell him but all she saw was his head down between her

legs, and she could only close her eyes the moment his tongue flicked over her

sensitive flesh. Automatically her body, still sensitive from the last release, came up

off the bed. He grabbed her hips, holding her to his mouth as he consumed her with a

sense of hunger that left her panting for breath. She closed her eyes as sensations tore

into her body once again.

She reached out for him, holding his head in place, inviting him to go deeper,

and he did, as his sinfully skilled and seductive tongue continued nonstop, increasing

the pace, redefining the urgency. Her senses were being driven wild and her fingers

threaded through his hair as he continued to barrage long, deep, drugging kisses into

her.

She whimpered as a powerful throb overtook her. And then she felt it, some

part of her that his tongue touched that sent her over the edge, fragmenting her into

several pieces and making her bite her bottom lip to keep from shrieking at the top of

her lungs. Slowly, deliberately, he continued to bestow his intimate kiss on her and

she felt waves of heated pleasures float all through her, continuing to squirm beneath

his mouth.

He held her as she regained her breath. Coming up over her he reached for

protection. After he donned it he moved between her thighs and slowly pushed inside

her. He paused, leaving himself only a fraction inside of her. He lowered his mouth to

her breast. As he gently sucked her nipples Lauryn flung her head to the side and cried

out. He covered her mouth, muting the sound before it had a full chance to escape. He

stilled, teasing her with gentle kisses until her body opened to him.

His kisses changed, becoming heated as he pulled her close. His hips began to

move, delivering powerful thrusts that left her breathless and feeling as if she had lost

all control. She moaned and stretched up to kiss him, reveling in the way her body

accepted his. Loving the way his body felt within hers. Lauryn wrapped her legs

around his waist, drawing him deeper inside her, his bold strokes giving her great

pleasure.

It produced sensations in her, leaving her yearning for something more.

Suddenly the wonderful sensation took her way again. She gasped as the ultimate

bliss swept through her, loving the way Steve quivered and shook against her. She

arched her hips instinctively, drawing him deeper within her. His hold on her

tightened as he lowered his head, shouting his pleasure into the crook of his neck as

he came. She lost track of how long they lay there until he finally moved away from

her.

She missed his warmth instantly. Rolling over onto her side, she drew in a

shaky breath and closed her eyes. Her eyes remained shut when he came back to bed.

She couldn‘t muster up the energy to open them, even when he snuggled up next to

her.

“Are you awake, Lauryn?”

She made a noncommittal sound, still unable to form a complete sentence.

“I wasn‘t too rough with you, was I?”

She shook her head, willing her mouth to cooperate with her brain. “No, you

weren‘t. It felt wonderful.”

He pulled her closer to him. She yawned and Steve laughed. “Sleepy?”

“Exhausted.”

Steve pulled the blanket up over them and turned the lamp off. He brushed his

lips against her temple. “Sleep,” he murmured. It was a command she had no problem

following. Steve had ravished her.

Steve‘s heart plunged to his stomach when he answered his cell phone and

heard Hannah‘s frightened voice on the other end. “What is it, sweetheart?”

“Lauryn is lying in bed crying and she won‘t get up.”

“Is she hurt?”

“I don‘t know, Daddy.”

“Is she talking?”

“Yes,” Hannah whispered. “She just won‘t move. She hurts, Daddy.”

“Do you need to call ?”

He had taught his daughter the importance of knowing the number a long time

ago, but he‘d never thought she would have to use it.

“No, Daddy. She said she just needs a nap. But she‘s crying, Daddy.”

He heard his daughter‘s voice break as she sobbed. “Okay sweetie, put Lauryn

on the phone for me.”

Steve took a few deeps breaths in an attempt to calm himself. He had to remain

calm. Lauryn‘s voice finally came over the line.

“I‘m sorry, Steve,” she rasped, her voice full of pain.

“What‘s wrong, Lauryn? Do I need to call an ambulance?”

“N-no, Steve. I just need to rest but I do need you to come home. I thought if I

lay down for a while I would be okay. I just didn‘t know I would worry Hannah this

much.”

Steve closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. “Don‘t be sorry, Lauryn.

I‘ll be there soon. Let me speak to Hannah again.” He waited while the phone was

transferred back to his daughter‘s hands.

“Yes, Daddy?”

His chest tightened at the tremble in his daughter‘s voice. “Don‘t worry. I‘m on

my way home. I need you to be brave for a few more minutes. Go sit with Lauryn and

hold her hand. Take care of her until I get there.”

He heard Hannah sniffle. “Okay, Daddy. Just hurry.”

“I will, baby. I will.”

Steve hung up the phone and went to find Dillon. Dillon looked up in concern

as Steve burst into the office. “I have to get home. Hannah just called, upset.

Something‘s wrong with Lauryn. I need to home.”

His friend looked at him with concern. “Is it serious?”

“Serious enough to scare Hannah into calling me. I spoke to Lauryn and she

doesn‘t sound good but she says she doesn‘t need an ambulance.”

“Call me and let me know what‘s going on as soon as you get home.”

“I will.”

Steve fought to drive within the speed limit as he raced home. The fear he‘d

heard in his little girl‘s voice worried him. Whatever was wrong had to be painful if

Lauryn couldn‘t make it to the phone to call him herself. He pulled up into the front

yard and was at the door before the engine completely shut off. Hannah met him. He

could tell she‘d been crying. He stooped down, drawing her into his arms, and rubbed

the back of her head.

“It‘s okay, sweetheart. I‘m here. What I need you to do for daddy is to go to

your playroom, pick your favorite doll and dress it up nice and pretty for Lauryn. You

know she likes your pretty dolls. It will help her to feel better.”

Hannah gave a jerky nod. “Okay.”

He walked Hannah to the playroom, hoping the task he had given her would

keep her busy long enough for him to find out what was wrong with Lauryn. Once

Hannah was occupied, he took the stairs two at a time. His heart almost stopped as

he walked into Lauryn‘s room. Even though they were intimate Lauryn insisted on

sleeping in separate rooms. Even though Hannah was accepting of the relationship

between him and Lauryn, Lauryn wanted to keep their relationship respectful in front

of his daughter.

Lauryn was lying in a fetal position. Her back was to him but he could hear her

low sobs. He walked over to the bed, walking around until he could see her face. He

knelt beside the bed, reaching out to touch her face. The pain he saw in her eyes

gripped his heart.

“What‘s wrong, Lauryn?”

She tried to speak but the words came out on a groan and unintelligible. She

licked her lips and tried again. “Cramps…bad cramps.”

She winced and closed her eyes. He was confused. “Cramps?”

Lauryn nodded. “Yes. They started this morning.”

His puzzlement grew. “Started?”

“That time of the month,” she rasped.

Steve was speechless as what she said dawned on him. His heartbeat returned

to normal when he realized this wasn‘t a medical emergency that required a trip to

the hospital. “What can I do?”

“Pain medicine,” she whispered.

Steve rushed down the stairs to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. He ran

back up the stairs to his room hunting down a few over-the-counter pain pills. When

he returned to her room Lauryn still hadn‘t moved. He gently helped her sit up so that

she could take the pills before easing her back down.

“Is there anything else I can do?”

“Hold me.”

Steve quickly stripped off his shoes and climbed into the bed, careful not to jar

her. She eased closer to him. He held her as tight as he could without hurting her. Just

then Hannah peeked around the corner.

“Is it okay to come in?”

Steve nodded and Hannah came over to him. Lauryn stirred next to him and

smiled at Hannah. “Hi, sweetheart.”

“Hi, Lauryn.”

She held up a doll. “I dressed Sara up for you.”

Lauryn reached out and took the doll. “She looks beautiful.”

“Do you feel better now?”

“Yes, I do.”

Hannah seemed to have run out of questions but Steve could tell his daughter

was still a little worried. Finally she spoke. “Can I get up there with you?”

Steve looked down at Lauryn who nodded. “Yes, you can, but only if you‘re very

careful.”

Hannah nodded her agreement very solemnly before climbing up onto the bed

as carefully as she could. Reaching across Steve, she wrapped her frail arms around

Lauryn‘s neck. Steve could tell the pain pills were starting to work on Lauryn. Her

eyelids were drooping, her breathing becoming deeper. Moments later she was asleep.

He looked down and saw Hannah starting to drift off as well. Steve lay there for a

moment recalling how helpless he‘d felt when he‘d seen Lauryn lying in bed looking

so fragile.

He never wanted to feel that way again. Reaching over to the nightstand he

picked up the phone and called the store. Dillon wasn‘t available so he left a message

with Wayne passing on the update of Lauryn, and that he would call later. He hung

up the phone, yawning. The stress of the situation had taken his energy. His eyelids