LanieAndrew texted me at a quarter to midnight, asking me to meet him at his place at two. I considered texting him back and saying no. I had an early morning tomorrow for a teacher meeting that was mandatory, and my head wasn’t in a good place right now. I was still mad at him, and part of me thought it might be a good idea to let the anger fade to a dull ache before I talked to him, rather than try to sort through it when the fire was still burning and there was a chance of me losing my cool.But I found myself pulling up his driveway in the middle of the morning anyway. I was in love.I parked my car and got out, shrugging into a cardigan as I walked to his front door. I knocked and waited. No one answered. I sighed and pulled my phone out and called him. No answer. So I called again.Still no answer.A little pit of anxiety formed in my stomach. Had something happened? It wasn’t like him to just not answer like this, especially if he knew I was coming over. His car was in the dri
AndrewShe looked like she was about to start crying again. Damn it all to Hell. Why was I so incapable of just being gentle? I wasn’t mad, not really, but the look on her pretty face had me convinced that she believed I was.Lanie looked away from me and dabbed at her eyes. She sniffed softly and continued to stare at my kitchen floor. When I moved toward her, she stiffened and turned sideways in her chair, showing the right side of her body.“Baby,” I said, as softly as I could manage. “I’m not mad.”“I feel like an idiot. I was just trying to get to you.”“I know. And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to all come out like that. I woke up startled and let my emotions get the better of me. But it’s behind us now.”She dabbed at her eyes again and still refused to look at me, so I crouched down beside her and grabbed her knees. I turned her in her chair to face me and stared into her glassy eyes. “Forgive me for yelling, okay, baby?”Her eyes darted back and forth between mine as she co
AndrewI pulled away and lifted Lanie’s shirt over her head. Then I unclipped her bra, which clasped at the front between her breasts. It fell open, and her perfect, perky tits sprang free. Her nipples were taut, and I closed my hands over her breasts, massaging them gently as I began moving inside her.Lanie sighed softly as I thrust slowly in and out of her tight wetness. Her body hugged me, drew me in, and threatened to consume me. If she could, I would have let her. That was how good it felt when we were making love, like we’d been put on this earth to do only this.I was reaching my climax, and Lanie was breathing in that quick telltale way that I knew she was close, too. I nibbled her neck and her earlobe and held her to me as I fucked her harder. I knew what she liked, and I knew how to push her over the edge. Her moans grew louder, more intense. Her eyes were heavy and hooded and then rolled back in her head as she was swallowed up by the intense pleasure. Watching her made me
LanieTwo Weeks LaterIt wasn’t that I had been intentionally avoiding Andrew over the last two weeks. I just hadn’t intentionally reached out to him, and he hadn’t reached out to me, either. We’d spoken briefly over the phone once every few days to check in and update each other about our days. I always asked about Raven, and he always said the same thing, “She’ll be home soon.” But still, I asked.Time crawled by at a snail’s pace, and I developed a compulsive twitch and was continuously reaching for my phone to see if I had any missed calls or text messages from Andrew. I wasn’t sure what I was hoping for. Maybe all I wanted was something sweet. Something that reminded me why I fell in love with him in the first place and assured me that no matter how tough things got, we could work through them together.But the distance between us just kept getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger, and the more time that passed, the harder it felt to take the step to just call him. Why did I put th
LanieThe pep rally got underway, and it was impossible to maintain a conversation over the noise. Mr. Winters took a seat a few chairs down from me after he had all the kids engaged and excited, and by the time the event was in full swing, my mind was spinning a mile a minute.All I could think about was Andrew. The ring on my finger felt like it weighed five hundred pounds, and every cell in body screamed for resolution. I couldn’t take all of the tension and not knowing. The unknown had always been the worst for me, and our lack of communication and his willingness to leave me in the dark was getting to me.Not being able to take it anymore, I stood up and left the gym. I walked down the long hall and took a right, where I pressed my back to the lockers and slid down the length of them to sit on the floor.What was I doing?Was I about to make the biggest mistake of my life and marry a man who was not only seventeen years older than me, but also completely willing to neglect me for
AndrewNone of the vehicles I owned would accommodate the cast on Raven’s leg or provide the lumbar support she needed for the ride home, so I booked a spacious van with drop-down side steps for her. She raised a skeptical eyebrow at it when it pulled up in front of the exit, and she tried to peer around at me where I stood behind her wheelchair.“Really, Dad? A minivan? Have you lost all your mojo since I’ve been in the hospital?”I rolled my eyes and helped her to her feet. “I was hoping you’d lose some of your attitude along with your movability.”“My attitude is genetic.”“Touché.”She hobbled along beside me to the van. Had this gone down a few months ago when things with her were still rocky, I was sure she never would have leaned on me for support. In fact, I’d bet money that she would have crawled on her belly military style if she had to.The driver came around and pulled open the sliding door. It locked into place, and I half lifted, half slid Raven into the seat in the back
AndrewWhen Lanie arrived just before five, she let herself in the front door. She and Raven embraced, both of them giggling shyly and poking light fun at each other. Then she came to me and wrapped one arm around my waist. She rested her cheek on my chest for the briefest moment and looked up at me. I bent to give her a kiss. It was a brief one, but it was sweet nonetheless, and I could taste the lingering flavor of her cherry chapstick on my lips when she bustled into the kitchen, carrying the bags she refused to give me when I tried to take them from her.Raven hobbled after her, and I came in last.Lanie set everything out on the counter.“What are we making?” Raven asked, leaning up on the counter so she didn’t have to put weight on her bad leg.“Tacos.” Lanie grinned.Raven clapped her hands together and looked up at me. “We haven’t had tacos in ages!”“Because they’re a little—” I paused, catching the way Lanie looked over at me. “A little meal.”Lanie arched her eyebrow, but a
LanieAndrew poured us each a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. The glasses were long-stemmed and frosted, and possibly the most decadent stemware I’d ever held. I sipped gratefully and let the earthy flavor tingle on my tongue before swallowing tiny mouthfuls.He set his glass down on the kitchen counter and began collecting all the dishes and scraping the food off of them. As he loaded the dishwasher, I brought in the remaining dishes out on the dining room table.“So,” I said in an effort to cut the silence between us. “How has work been? Busy?”Andrew nodded. “Very. It’s been difficult to have a chance to even get a breath. I’m working on a deal that could potentially pay all my employees for the year.” He licked a bit of sour cream off his thumb after accidentally sticking it in the container while snapping the lid on. “Which would be nice, to say the least. Every other deal for the rest of the year would basically be straight profit.”“Who’s the client? Have you told me about them be