Daughter on His Doorstep

by Teresa Southwick

  The light was on in the hall when they walked through the double doors and entered the room. It had only a bed, rather a box spring and mattress without a frame, and the rest of the space was shrouded in shadows. Shelby couldn’t care less. At this moment Luke was all she wanted or needed.

  They were standing beside the bed. He was barefoot and she kicked off her low-heeled pumps. She smiled up at him as she slid her hands beneath his T-shirt and settled them on his chest. The dusting of hair tickled her palms and she realized there was more now than he’d had then. At her touch he sucked in a breath and quickly dragged the material over his head, tossing it somewhere. His dark gaze burned into hers as he slowly unbuttoned her blouse.

  One by one he released the closures and his hands shook slightly as more and more of her bare skin was revealed. When the sides hung open, he pushed the silky material off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.

  Luke hooked a finger beneath her bra strap and moved it down, toying with the top of her breast. It was her turn to gasp with pleasure as anticipation pooled in her belly and tightened lower, between her legs.

  He bent and kissed her, then moved to her neck before lightly licking a spot just behind her ear. Tingles danced over her arms and the sensation stole the breath from her lungs. Dimly she was aware that he’d unhooked her bra and brushed it away to fall between them.

  Cupping her breasts in his hands, he rubbed the tips with his thumbs. A tiny moan caught in her throat as she felt dazed with pleasure, her world narrowed to nothing but his touch. An aching need strained inside her, demanding to be released.

  “Luke—” There was desperation in her voice as she said his name.

  “I know,” he whispered before easily lifting her into his arms.

  He settled her in the center of the mattress and quickly removed his jeans and boxers. Then he knelt beside her and unbuttoned her slacks before sliding them along with her panties over her hips and down her legs. Stretching out beside her, he traced a finger from the base of her throat down over her abdomen to the juncture of her thighs and the bundle of feminine nerve endings there.

  When he touched it, the pleasure was so intense that she nearly came off the bed. She reached for him as heated licks of fiery sensation teased her everywhere. She remembered this, the way he knew just how to touch her, just where she was most sensitive. But that worked both ways.

  She rolled to her side facing him and rested her palm on his chest, then brushed her finger over the contour of muscle. She kissed his neck then licked the spot and gently blew on it, smiling when he shuddered and groaned deep in his throat. Barely touching his skin, she drew her index finger over his abdomen and traced a circle until he moaned with barely restrained desire.

  “I can’t take much more.” His voice was harsh with need.

  “Then don’t.” She could hardly get the words out but their gazes locked as understanding passed between them.

  Luke got up off the bed. “Be right back.”

  A light went on nearby and she heard the sound of a drawer opening. Then it was dark again and he was beside her. He opened the square packet in his hand and put on the condom. Then she was back in his arms as he kissed her, taking what she offered and silently demanding that she give him even more. And she was eager to share with him everything she had.

  She rolled onto her back and he covered her body with his own, settling between her legs. Taking his weight on his forearms he slowly entered her and she lifted her hips to take him inside. Slowly she rocked against him, arching her back, asking for more, clinging to him.

  Heat consumed her and too soon tremors started, pressure built, until she couldn’t hold back her release. Pleasure tore through her and seemed never ending. She wrapped her arms around him and he held her close until her world came back together.

  She smiled up at him and moved her hips again, noting the tension tightening his face as he pushed into her once more. One thrust, then another and he groaned before gripping her hips, holding her to him. He buried his face in her neck as his tremors slowly subsided.

  Shelby didn’t know how long they stayed like that without moving. Making love with Luke was the same, but new. She held very still, not wanting to break the spell. Unfortunately they couldn’t stay like this forever and he got up.

  The light in the bathroom came on again then went off a few moments later and he came back to bed. He pulled her against his side and she curled up in his arms. That was definitely new. A place to be together was a luxury they didn’t have back then.

  It was heaven and her eyes drifted closed. Her body was satisfied and her mind was tired. Before the thought of consequences even occurred to her, she fell asleep. She was snuggled in Luke’s arms without a care in the world.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Luke woke up with a smile on his face because there was a woman in his bed. A curvy, sexy brunette with golden highlights in the hair that partially hid her face from him. The sun wasn’t up yet but it wasn’t pitch-black either. For just a few minutes he wanted only to look at Shelby and savor this unexpectedly different start to his day. Not being alone didn’t suck. And it was peaceful—no undercurrents of emotion or tension. Nothing more than an agreeable calm and the satisfaction of fantastic sex. Just him and her like it used to be before he broke things off with her and ruined what they had. It had been the beginning of the end for them.

  Now here they were because in a weak moment he’d kissed her. In another weak moment he brought her upstairs to his bed. What did it say about him that he would sleep with the woman who’d betrayed him? She said it herself. What she did was unforgivable. And then she cried and that feeling of wanting to fix everything for her came roaring back. The line was blurring.

  Thanks to Shelby, Emma didn’t hesitate to come to him for dad stuff. Like the flashlight. And pleading for his approval of an unsanctioned mall trip. It was so completely normal for a kid to try and break through the parental united front. And that was his new normal because Shelby was doing everything she could to make things right.

  And now she was in his bed. Where did they go from here?

  He reached out and gently brushed her long hair aside to reveal her face. The flawless skin, full lips and impossibly long lashes that fanned her cheeks. She looked young and innocent although not as young as when they were together. She was all woman now. Her curves were curvier, her breasts fuller than before. Probably pregnancy and childbirth were responsible. He would have loved to watch her body changing as she grew bigger with his child. But that was then. Now he recognized that she was the mother of his little girl and damn good at it.

  And he wanted her again, if possible even more than last night when she’d asked why he’d kissed her.

  The truth was Luke hadn’t been able to stop himself then any more than he could now. He leaned over and lightly touched his lips to hers. She moaned softly, an inherently sexy sound. Then she stirred and drowsily rolled toward him, pressing her body to his. Half-asleep she was telling him she wanted him, too.

  He threaded his fingers through her hair and smiled when she opened her eyes. “Hi.”

  “You’re here—” Her voice was raspy and she cleared her throat, then smiled dreamily.

  “No, you’re here. You dozed off.”

  “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “I dozed off, too.” He took her hand in his and linked their fingers. “How did you sleep?”

  “Pretty good,” she admitted. “As power naps go, it was in the top ten.”

  When she stretched, Luke thought he just might swallow his tongue. The movement was so unconsciously seductive he thought he might have a heart attack. Then her words sank in. “It was more than a nap. We’ve been asleep for hours.”

  “It’s morning?” She sat up and looked around. “What time is it?”

  “Don’t worry. It’s still early.” He gently tugged
her back down on top of him, her bare breasts nestling on his chest. “We have time—”

  “You, sir, are going to hell for tempting me. I need to get dressed and do the walk of shame.” She was forcing a teasing note into her voice as she pushed away and pulled the sheet along to cover herself.

  He raised up on his elbow. The gray light of early morning was enough for him to see her expression and he realized she wasn’t rocking the same glow he was.

  “What’s wrong, Shel?”

  “Nothing.” The single word was too adamant, too forced, too everything.

  “Tell me the truth.” When her eyes narrowed on him he liked her expression even less and wished he’d phrased the words differently.

  “Are you implying that I’m not being honest?”

  “No. At least not the way you mean it. What aren’t you telling me?” He winced at his choice of words when her frown deepened.

  “I thought we put behind us the fact that I didn’t tell you I was having your baby.”

  “That’s not what I meant. You’re deliberately misunderstanding. Picking a fight. Why?”

  “This isn’t a fight. I simply stated a fact. You don’t trust me.”

  And you never will. That’s not what she said but it was the subtext. He would address that at another time. Let’s try this a different way, he thought. “Are you ashamed of sleeping with me?”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because you called it the walk of shame,” he reminded her.

  “That’s just an expression.”

  “Yeah. I’m familiar.” He sat up and the sheet pooled in his lap. He could think of a lot of things he would rather do in his bed than have this conversation but here they were. “It means you’ve spent the night at a lover’s place and have to walk home and face people who know you and will disapprove.”

  “Come on, Luke—”

  “No. Obviously we’re talking about your mother.”

  “Okay. It’s true that she doesn’t approve of you.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know. Subtlety isn’t her strong suit. She’s made her feelings about me very clear. But you’re a grown woman.” And he’d been thinking about that when he woke her with a kiss. This situation wasn’t going at all as he’d hoped it would. “You don’t need her permission anymore. To see me or to do anything else for that matter.”

  “It’s a courtesy. House rules if you will.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

  They’d talked about this earlier but she didn’t really address the question of why she still lived with her mother. When she said there was a part of her waiting for him to come back all the blood drained from his head and rushed to that part of his body south of his belt. He hadn’t realized how much he wanted to hear that until she said the words. But now he needed an answer. It was important and he couldn’t even put into words why that was.

  On second thought it was obvious. It mattered to him that the woman who had wanted him out of her life still influenced Shelby’s decisions.

  “Why do you still live with your mother?”

  “I thought we settled that before—” She glanced at the small space of mattress between them. She was talking about the before-sex conversation.

  “You didn’t really answer the question then.” He dragged his hand through his hair. “I think you stay because you feel guilty for disobeying an order to keep away from me. Then we had sex and made a baby. She gave you an ultimatum and you came very close to defying her on that, too.”

  “She was there for me. And for Emma.”

  “And you think you owe her.”

  “Yes.” There was a world of emotion in the single word. She was breathing hard, but not from arousal. “I don’t know what we’d have done without her. I was seventeen, Luke.”

  “I get it,” he said. “But parents are supposed to support their children without conditions. We made a mistake and had a baby. She gave you a lot—a place to live, the chance to get an education and help with Emma. That’s all great but it doesn’t mean you have to pay her back with your life.”

  “That’s not what I’m doing,” she protested.

  He blew out a breath and willed himself to calm down, to make sense here. “Tell me she hasn’t been calling the shots your whole life.”

  “You’re wrong about that.”

  “With all due respect, I disagree. You should be able to tell her you spent the night with me and not feel embarrassed or judged.”

  “She doesn’t do that,” Shelby defended.

  Luke knew the difference between an outright falsehood and denial. Her loyalty to family was admirable and Pam had made it possible for Shelby to go to school and raise a baby at the same time but that shouldn’t come with a pledge of duty for life.

  “When does it end, Shelby? When do you get to make your own decisions?”

  “I already do that.” Her eyes were troubled before she looked away. “And my decision is that it’s way past time for me to go home.”

  “Even now she’s pulling your strings.”

  “That’s not true. I owe her the courtesy of not worrying her,” she said quietly. “And I need to be there when Emma wakes up.”

  Luke knew she was right about that but still felt a little as if she was playing that card unfairly. Looking for any excuse to put him in her rearview mirror.

  “Okay,” he finally said.

  She stared at him for several moments while holding tightly to the sheet that covered her nakedness. “Would you mind giving me some privacy?”

  So the walk of shame was starting already. This woman who had given herself to him with such abandon a few short hours ago was gone. In her place was the beautiful mother of his little girl who felt she had to live her life by someone else’s rules. And he couldn’t reach her.

  “Okay. You got it.” He threw back the sheet and rolled out of bed, then walked into the bathroom without shutting the door.

  Luke took care of business then got in the shower. Part of him hoped she would say screw it and join him. She didn’t. When he walked back into the bedroom, she was gone.

  He had some responsibility for his part in failing her before, but this wasn’t the first time she’d made a choice to exclude him because of her mother. He didn’t feel any better about it now than he had then.

  Staring at the bed where he woke up with her beside him he laughed. It was a bitter, angry sound because this day had started out better than any one he could remember. Sure didn’t take long for it to go to hell.

  * * *

  Shelby hurried downstairs and out Luke’s kitchen sliding glass door, back the way she’d come. She had to get out of there before she said something she would be sorry for while her emotions were all over the map. So back she went through that loose board in the fence. Was that only a few hours ago? It felt like a lifetime. They laughed, talked, made love and she’d been so relaxed and happy she’d fallen deeply asleep in his arms. Then she woke and felt a little panic about explaining where she’d been. One minute she was in his arms, the next things went horribly wrong. He accused her of—She didn’t even know what. Being controlled by her mother? That wasn’t true.

  It also didn’t mean she was going to make a lot of noise while sneaking, correction, returning to her house. She went through the fence and let herself back into the house through the kitchen sliding door. It wasn’t locked which meant—nothing, actually. Only that her mother hadn’t discovered it was open and locked her out.

  She took off her shoes and went inside then turned to slowly and silently close the door. Suddenly the overhead kitchen lights came on. That startled and blinded her.

  “Shelby Lynn, what’s going on?”

  It was never good when your mother used both of your names. And she did the same to Emma when her daughter was in hot water. A bad situation just got exp
onentially worse.

  Heart hammering, she turned and blew out a breath. “Dear God, Mom, you scared the crap out of me.”

  Pam was standing just inside the doorway in her pajamas and robe. “I could say the same thing to you. Where have you been? It’s the middle of the night.”

  “Closer to dawn.” At least that’s what the digital clock on the microwave said. She would much rather discuss the time than where she’d been and what she’d done. So this was what the walk of shame felt like. The expression on her mother’s face was definitely disapproving. “What are you doing up, Mom?”

  “Menopause.”

  “I don’t understand. Are you having a hot flash?” The woman might be hot but something told her it wasn’t going to pass in a flash.

  “That’s what you hear about. And the mood swings. But insomnia is also a symptom.”

  “That’s right. I remember you saying something about that. I’m so sorry you can’t sleep. Maybe there are some things you can do to help—”

  “That’s why I was awake. I was restless and came downstairs. Then I saw someone in the backyard and realized it was you.”

  “So, you didn’t check my room,” Shelby said.

  “Like when you were a teenager? Maybe I need to start.”

  “I’m not a kid anymore.” She’d just had a version of this conversation with Luke. It didn’t go well with him. That didn’t bode well with what was going to happen now. “I’m a grown woman.”

  “You’re also a mother. What if Emma woke up and needed you?”

  “I knew you would take care of her.” Shelby winced when the words came out of her mouth. That was cavalier and thoughtless.

  “Don’t you think that’s taking advantage of me? Especially when I had no idea where you’d gone, who you were with.”