A Matter of Honesty (17 page)

became heavy. It seemed he needed to rest for a while as well. He wasn‘t sure what

condition Lauryn would wake up in but either way he wanted to be well rested. As

much as she had taken care of him and Hannah, the least he could do was return the

favor.

A few hours later Steve stirred as he felt Lauryn move. She climbed out of bed,

her destination the bathroom. The water came on a few minutes later. When it didn‘t

go off after a few moments he realized she was taking a shower. A short time later she

stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a robe, looking freshly scrubbed and relaxed.

Hannah was still asleep so he spoke in a low tone to Lauryn.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Lots and thank you.”

She came back and got back into bed with him. He pulled her close to him. “Is

it always like this for you?”

Lauryn shook her head. “No, just every once in a while. Normally I can get up

and walk around to get rid of them, but I couldn‘t do that this time. Thank you for

being here. I know I scared poor Hannah to death.”

They both jumped in surprise as Hannah spoke. “But I‘m not scared anymore,

because you‘re okay.”

Lauryn held out her arms and Hannah clambered into them. He watched

Lauryn hold Hannah close, inhaling deeply. Lauryn finally pulled back with a bright

smile. “You did the right thing by calling your daddy.”

Hannah pulled back and looked at her, budding hope in her expression. “I did?”

“Yes, you did.”

“I‘m glad.”

She handed Hannah over to Steve. “Well, I need to get dressed and get some

lunch going. I know that Hannah is starving.”

“Are you sure you‘re up for that? I can cook something.”

Lauryn nodded. “Yes, I‘m sure. I need to get up and move around.”

“Okay. I will see you downstairs in a few.”

He held out his hand to Hannah, who looked at him with sad eyes. He could

tell she was still a little upset from earlier. Her words confirmed it. “I want to stay

with Lauryn.”

Steve looked over at Lauryn. “Is that okay?”

One corner of Lauryn‘s mouth curved upward in an adorable smile. “Yes, that‘s

fine.”

As Steve left the room, closing the door behind him, his hand trembled. He

realized that somewhere along the way, Lauryn had slipped behind the barrier he had

put up to guard his heart. It hadn‘t been in his plans, but he was falling in love with

her.

Steve looked at Lauryn as she gasped out loud at the letter she was reading. He

studied the expression of pure shock on her face, trying to decipher why it was there.

When she didn‘t speak, he was by her side in concern. “What is it?”

She looked at him in shock. “They found me.”

“Who found you?”

“My family.”

Lauryn pressed the letter in his hand, and then slid out of bed to pace the

bedroom. He read the envelope, seeing that it had been forwarded a few times. So

many times, he couldn‘t tell what the original address had been. He unfolded the

letter. It was from a maternal aunt who had found out Lauryn‘s father had passed

away. They were looking for her, wanted to meet her. Catch up on the lost time if she

was willing to give them any of her time.

It seemed her family gathered for dinner every Sunday. Lauryn was receiving an

official invite for any Sunday that she was able to attend. Lauryn‘s aunt had left a

number for her to contact her. From what he could tell, Lauryn‘s family was looking

forward to hearing from her. He looked at Lauryn then opened his arms. She rushed

into them and he held her tight against him.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded, slowly. “Yes, just shocked.”

“But this is a good thing. This is what you‘ve been waiting for.”

She exhaled softly. “I know.”

“Are you going to call them? Tomorrow‘s Sunday.”

She pulled back to look at him. “Do you think I should? It‘s a little late.”

He chuckled. It was only nine-thirty and it was a Saturday night. “Somehow, I

don‘t think they would mind if you called and it really was late. They just seem to

want to hear from you.”

She bit her lower lip, a clear sign to him that she was nervous. “Do you think I

should?”

He brushed a wild strand of hair out of her face. “That is ultimately your

decision, but it is something I know you have been wanting.”

She nodded. He had lost track of how many times she‘d said she‘d always

wanted to meet her family. If for nothing else, just to see where she had come from, to

know and understand her background and family history.

“You‘re right.”

She took a deep breath. “I need your support on this one.”

He took her hand and squeezed it. “And you have it.”

She reached for the cordless phone and then moved closer to him. Steve gave

her hand a further reassuring squeeze and she took a deep breath. He could hear when

the phone began to ring, willing to admit his nerves were elevated as well. A female

voice answered and Lauryn froze, but he nudged her. She cleared her throat and her

hand tightened around Steve‘s before she spoke. Even when she did, his heart went

out to her. Her voice shook.

“Yes, can I speak to Audrey?”

Steve listened to one side of the conversation, hearing bits and pieces of what

Lauryn‘s aunt said. One thing was clear. She was surprised to hear from Lauryn and

she wanted to see her as soon as possible. He smiled when Lauryn accepted the

invitation to dinner tomorrow. Steve had known Lauryn‘s family would want to see

her. He felt bad that it had taken this long. She didn‘t deserve anything so rotten.

He nodded when Lauryn informed her aunt that she would be bringing him

and Hannah along. There was no way he would leave Lauryn to face them by herself.

He had some uncertainty about taking Hannah, but she might provide the perfect

excuse to escape if needed. Lauryn finally said good-bye and hung up the phone.

“I did it.”

He placed a kiss on her forehead. “Yes, you did.”

“They‘re having dinner tomorrow evening and would love to have us.”

“Are you nervous?”

Lauryn laughed. “A little, but I expect I‘ll be a wreck tomorrow.”

He brought her hand up to his mouth. “No, you won‘t. Hannah and I will be

there for you.”

“Thank you. You are truly a wonderful man.”

“And you are an amazing woman.”

“Thank you.” She released a deep breath. “I think I‘m going to make something

for tomorrow.”

“Like what?”

“I don‘t know yet, but a side dish. Something versatile to go with anything,

since I don‘t know what we‘ll be having.”

She leaned back into his embrace, picking the letter up and clutching it to her

chest. He smiled at the sight. He could tell by her expression that she was already

working herself up.

“I have a feeling that if I don‘t distract you, you won‘t be able to sleep.”

Lauryn shivered at the wicked gleam in Steve‘s eyes. “What do you have

planned?”

“It will be so much better if I show you. Let me just go check on Hannah and

make sure she‘s settled for the night.”

Lauryn nodded. The trip to Hannah‘s room didn‘t take him long. He looked in

on Hannah, tucking in the loose covers around her sleeping figure. Once he‘d made it

back to his room he closed the door. Lauryn sat on the bed watching him, her

expression unreadable. At least she‘d put the letter away. He stepped near the bed

slowly. How had he gotten so lucky? A flash of fear traveled through him. When

Lauryn sat on the bed looking at him with all the trust in the world, trust he didn‘t

completely deserve, it ate at him. Now was the time he really needed to come clean

and tell Lauryn his secret, but he couldn‘t do it. She needed to know now because it

was really going to hurt her when she found out later.

He had to tell her the whole truth and soon. His relationship with her was

going places he‘d never thought it would. He didn‘t want to lose it. He would tell her

the complete truth soon, but not right now. He didn‘t want to give her anything else

to worry over. Instead he would focus on distracting her by showing her how he felt,

one caress at a time.

“You are so beautiful.”

Lauryn didn‘t bother to contain the pleasure she received from his words. She

loved to hear Steve compliment her. He told her she was attractive all the time, and

more importantly, she believed him. She knew it was heartfelt. He smiled wickedly

before joining her on the bed. She helped him disrobe, but he brushed her hands aside

when she tried helping him undress her.

Once they were both unclothed he laid her down gently before joining her.

Lauryn twined her arms around his neck, drawing him to her so she could touch her

mouth to his. Cupping each of her breasts with the palms of his hands he began to

caress them. She moaned softly into his mouth. His touch was so gentle and warm.

But it wasn‘t all that she wanted.

“I want you inside me,” she whispered. She slid her hands down his back, over

his muscular rear end. She loved the feel of his skin under her hands. It did something

to her just to be able to be with him like this. To share herself on a level she hadn‘t

done with any other man.

Moaning, she arched into Steve as he ran his fingers over her breasts, and then

lower across her stomach. He splayed a hand over the hair that framed the part of her

he hungered for. When he thrust a finger inside her, she closed her eyes on a sigh and

ecstasy surged through her. He stroked her center, preparing her to receive him in a

way only he could. When he pulled away, she automatically went to reach for him

until she saw him reaching for protection. Her eyes didn‘t leave his as he rolled the

latex on.

She closed her eyes when he leaned low over her, flicking his tongue over her

nipples. He slid his hands underneath her hips, urging her to wrap her legs around his

waist. A sigh slipped from her lips when he slid inside her. She threw her head back in

a guttural sigh of pleasure when he began to move with deep, sure stokes.

“Open your eyes, Lauryn. I want to see your pleasure. I want to look into your

eyes as you come for me.”

She obeyed his request, unable to deny him anything he asked. He smiled then

leaned down to kiss her while thrusting deeply inside her. Catching her cry of delight

in his mouth, he continued to kiss her deeply while pushing her toward the edge

again. He broke off the kiss, breathing heavily, trailing kisses down her throat until he

reached her breasts. Her mind shut down completely and her body took over. A gasp

escaped her as he shifted slightly and came directly in contact with the spot where

she needed him most.

She lifted her head and bit his shoulder as she went over the edge. He followed

close behind, groaning his pleasure into the pillow as he came, her body contracting

tightly around his. She lost track of how long she and Steve lay sealed together before

he was able to summon the strength to move. If it were up to her they would have had

to wait a lot longer.

It took everything she had just to roll over while he made a quick trip to the

bathroom. She willingly let him draw her into his embrace when he returned to the

bed. Whenever he touched her, whenever he was near, everything seemed so right.

For once, she had a man in her life that she felt secure with. A man she could

completely trust. While it was a foreign concept to her, she had grown used to the

wonderful feeling. She didn‘t plan on letting him go anytime soon and hoped he felt

the same.

Lauryn shifted underneath the covers, trying to turn her head away from the

sunlight starting to peek through the windows. She wanted to sleep for a few more

minutes before she got up and started moving around. After last night it was hard to

muster up the energy. She felt good and sated. Still, there was a lot to do to get ready

for the upcoming week and not a lot of time to do it. Never in her wildest dreams had

she ever thought she would be making plans to meet extended family. Now that she

was, she didn‘t really know what to think, what to expect. Not that it really mattered.

With Steve by her side she was prepared to face anything.

She relaxed and rolled onto her side to study Steve. A man shouldn‘t be allowed

to look so delectable in the morning. She smiled, wondering if he would be up for a

repeat performance. Her eyes widened at the thought. He was corrupting her, but in

such a delicious way.

She let her eyes drift over him. The sunlight shone through the window on him

at an angle that made her insides flutter. He was a very attractive man. She shifted in

bed and the ache she felt in certain muscles quickly reminded her that he was also a

skillful lover.

She lost track of how long she lay there and watched his boyish expression

while he slept. But he finally stirred and his eyes opened slowly. When she came into

view he smiled and reached for her. She went into his embrace without protest.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

“Good morning.”

He brushed his lips against hers before pulling back to look into her eyes. “How

long have you been awake?”