Michael looked down at her hand, and he lifted it to his mouth, kissing her palm before he placed it back on his chest and looked up at her. “But I never stopped loving you. Not for one second.”
And then Lauren did something her heart had wanted her to do from the second she saw him standing in the vestibule of Learn and Grow holding his little girl.
She kissed him.
She felt his hand curl into a fist behind her back, gripping the towel, but his lips remained gentle as he lifted his chin and kissed her back.
The second their lips touched, every hair on her body stood on end. It felt like an electric current was running through her, from the crown of her head to the bottom of her feet, and she pressed her body against him, bringing her hands to the side of his face.
“I should have pushed,” she said. “I should have pursued you.” As she spoke, her lips ghosted over his. “But I thought that you didn’t want me,” she whispered. “And I was too hurt and too proud and too stupid.”
She brought her mouth back to his, and he made a small noise in the back of his throat as he kissed her again, this time with a hint of the urgency she could feel in the fist that was still clenching the towel tightly behind her back.
Lauren pulled back slightly. “So it was my fault too,” she said softly, and Michael shook his head, shifting his weight as he released his hand from the towel. He slid it up under her hair, gently winding it around his hand before he pulled lightly, forcing her to tilt her head back. When she felt the heat of his mouth on her throat, her eyes fluttered closed.
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” he whispered against her skin. “We’re right where we’re supposed to be now.”
And when Lauren brought her head back down, their mouths met in a searing kiss that confirmed what he had just reassured her of.
This was exactly where she belonged. Because the way he was holding her, the way his mouth felt on hers, made everything else she’d ever known of contentment feel like a sham.
She felt his fingertips curl under the hem of her shirt, and when he slowly slid it up her abdomen, she broke contact and lifted her arms, allowing him to peel the soaking garment from her body.
“Michael,” she breathed as she came back to him, and he exhaled heavily as his hands came to the sides of her waist.
“Should we…?” he asked, glancing down the hall.
“No,” she sighed, kissing him again. “Here. I don’t want to wait anymore.”
Michael wrapped one arm securely around her back and supported her head with the other before shifting his weight from the couch and lowering them onto the floor.
“That night with you,” he said, kissing across her collarbone. “Nothing compared to it. Nothing ever came close.”
“I know,” she breathed. And she did. Because they hadn’t done anything but kiss, and she could already feel it. The thing that was missing with every other man. The thing that made her heart come alive in her chest and her body thrum with emotion and her soul feel like it was home.
Michael kissed a slow path across her chest and down the line of her stomach, and by the time he was unfastening the button to her jeans, she could feel the rapid beat of her heart pulsing throughout every part of her body.
He slowly peeled away her sodden jeans before bringing his hands back to her body. He was touching her like she was porcelain, looking at her as if she were sacred, and she laid there, trembling beneath his hands while he reacquainted himself with her body.
When she couldn’t stand it any longer, she sat up and began removing his clothing. She tried to be as gentle as he had been, but her need for him had taken over entirely, and she found herself jerking the garments from his body in rushed, clumsy movements.
He grinned at her, helping her remove the last of his clothes before he lowered her back to the floor.
Lauren brought her hands to his waist, looking up at him. “This is real?” she asked.
It seemed like such a silly thing to say, but having everything she wanted fall into place, especially after so long, felt too good to be true. She wasn’t even sure what she was asking him: Were they really about to do this? Was he feeling what she was feeling? Was everything about to change?
He rested his weight on his elbows as he cradled her head in his hands. “Yes,” he whispered, as if in answer to all three.
She closed her eyes and tightened her hold on him.
“Open your eyes. Look at me,” he whispered.
She did as he asked, and in one slow, smooth movement, their bodies were connected.
“God,” he breathed, dropping his head to her shoulder, and she tightened her legs around his hips, urging him forward.
As soon as he began moving, Lauren was completely overcome. On the one hand, she had waited so long to be with him again, but at the same time, it seemed like they had never been apart, like there had never been anyone else but him.
She was instantly spellbound, completely lost. Everything else in her world fell away, and the only thing that existed or even remotely mattered was Michael, finally there with her, his hands traveling over her body and the brush of his lips everywhere he could reach.
She felt like she was being worshipped.
The last time they had been together, he had been so careful. This time, there was a confidence in his movements and determination behind his actions. He could read her so easily; he understood exactly what she needed and when, and he knew just how to prolong the intense sensations he was giving her, drawing out every feeling until it was almost unbearable. And when he knew she couldn’t take anymore, he doubled his efforts until he drove her over the edge, kissing her passionately and swallowing every moan she offered up to him.
There were no words for what Lauren felt in that moment. It was far beyond just physical pleasure, encompassing every square inch of her body until she felt like she might burst out laughing and crying simultaneously in its aftermath. But instead she focused all of her remaining energy on making him feel the way he had just made her feel.
It wasn’t long before she felt his body begin to tense, and when the slow, steady rasp of his breath grew rapid, she pulled him down to her, bringing her lips to his ear.
“I love you,” she whispered.
Then he was gone, pulling her against his body as he gave himself over to the release. Michael fell forward, his overworked muscles trembling with the effort of keeping his weight off of her until finally he rolled onto his back, pulling her against his side.
Lauren placed her hand on his stomach, her breath fast and heavy, and she could feel his heart racing against her cheek.
“Jesus Christ,” he finally said, and Lauren laughed softly as she closed her eyes.
“I know.”
“I thought I built it up in my head,” he said through labored breath. “What it felt like to be with you.”
She shook her head. “To think we could have been doing this for years.”
Michael groaned softly. “Don’t remind me what an idiot I am.”
Lauren smiled. “You’re not an idiot. I kind of like you.”
He burst out laughing. “You kind of like me?”
“Little bit.”
He laughed again, pulling her further into his side as he pressed his lips against the top of her head. After a minute, he said, “What made you approach me that day?”
“Hmm?” she asked as she lazily trailed her fingertips over his chest.
Michael shifted as he placed his hand behind his head and looked down at her. “In high school. I’ve always wondered about that. Why did you give me those notes?”
Lauren smiled as she realized what he was talking about. “Because you looked so sad the day before.”
“Sad? How do you figure?”
“Not when you were flinging desks across the room,” she clarified, and she felt his chest bounce with laughter beneath her. “I meant after that, when you were sitting in the parking lot.”
“Ahh, that’s right
,” Michael said slowly, nodding his head. “I forgot about the part where you stalked me.”
Lauren reached up and pinched the inside of his arm, and he yelped out a laugh as he ripped it out of her reach. She went up on her elbow, laying partially on his chest as she looked down at him. “You didn’t look so scary then. You looked like you needed a friend. So I wanted to do something nice for you.”
Michael reached up to touch her face just as she added, “I had no idea you would turn out to be such an asshole.”
He raised his eyebrows as she looked down at him fighting a smile, and then suddenly both of his hands were on her waist as he tickled her. She squealed loudly as she tried to push off of him, but he shifted his weight so he was on top of her, pinning her down and continuing the torturous movement of his fingers up and down her sides as she screeched with laughter and gasped for air.
When he saw the tears at the corners of her eyes, he finally stopped, rolling off of her as he pulled her back on top of him with a laugh.
Lauren pushed herself up on her hands as she attempted to catch her breath, and he smiled up at her, swiping the hair out of her face as he leaned up and kissed her.
When his mouth transitioned from tender to insistent, Lauren pulled back slightly.
“Okay, this isn’t helping me catch my breath,” she exhaled, and he chuckled softly, shifting their weight so she could rest her head on his chest. Michael slowly pulled his fingers through her hair, and Lauren sighed and closed her eyes.
“So,” Michael said as his fingers lulled Lauren closer and closer to sleep. “What happens now?”
“What do you mean?” Lauren murmured softly, and she felt his chest rise beneath her as he inhaled deeply.
“I mean, with us. What happens now?”
Lauren lifted her head, resting her chin on his chest as she looked at him.
She did her best to keep a straight face as she said, “Oh, come on. You’re not going to get all clingy on me, are you?” She bit the inside of her cheek as she watched the shock register on his face before she said, “I don’t know what you were looking for, but I just needed a little stress relief.”
He stared up at her for a second before the corners of his mouth twitched, and then he rolled them so he was on top of her again.
“Stress relief?” he asked as he settled his hips between her thighs. “That’s all this was?”
“‘Fraid so,” Lauren said, fighting every urge in her body to press up against him.
He smiled. “Well,” he said, lowering his head as he gently dragged his teeth over the skin beneath her ear, “I heard that going for a master’s degree can be pretty stressful.”
“It’s torture,” she breathed, her eyes fluttering closed.
She felt his lips curve into a smile against the skin of her throat. “Could be that you might need stress relief on a regular basis then,” he said as he kissed his way up the column of her neck.
Lauren dropped her head back. “I couldn’t agree more,” she said. “It’s a good thing batteries are on sale at Target this week.”
His head snapped up as he looked at her, and she burst out laughing as she hooked her hand behind his neck and pulled him down to her. “I love you,” she said against his lips.
She felt him smile before he kissed her softly, and with a gentle shift of his hips, he reconnected their bodies.
“I love you too,” he whispered. “Always have.”
And when his mouth found hers again, slow and reverent in the darkness, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind it was true.
Epilogue —
May 2015
“Hey, Mom. Happy Mother’s Day!”
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Lauren’s mom said. “I just got your card. Daddy and I are still laughing.”
Lauren smiled as she slid a little further beneath her comforter, shifting the phone to her other ear. “I cracked up in the middle of the store. In fact, I made such a scene that two people came over to pick the card from the shelf and read it themselves.”
Lauren’s mother laughed. “I’m putting it up on the fridge. Your brother will get a kick out of it later.”
“Hey, Laur?” Michael called from just outside the bedroom door. “You want coffee?”
“Is that my son-in-law?” her mother asked.
“No, it’s some random guy I picked up at the grocery store last night. He looked kind of cute, so I figured why not?”
“Very funny,” her mother drawled, and Lauren laughed.
“Well, who else would it be?”
“Put him on,” she said. “Daddy wants to get central air this summer, and he’s set on doing it himself. I’m hoping I can get Michael to talk him out of it.”
Lauren rolled her eyes. “Michael?” she called.
A second later, he popped his head into the bedroom. “Yeah?”
“My mom wants to talk to you so she can get you in the middle of an argument between her and my dad regarding central air installation.”
He laughed as he walked farther into the room and reached for the phone she outstretched to him. “Hey, Ma,” he said before he mouthed “Coffee?” to Lauren. She nodded and he smiled before saying, “I refuse to take sides before I hear all the facts.”
Lauren smiled, and he winked at her before he left the room with the phone tucked between his shoulder and his ear.
She closed her eyes and reached her arms over her head as she pointed her toes, stretching her body before letting it fall limp with a contented sigh. Her eyes were still closed when she heard a tiny knock on the door, and she cracked one eye and lifted her head to see Erin standing in the doorway.
“Hey,” Lauren said, pushing up on her elbows. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”
Erin smiled and walked into the room. “I’ve been up for a while. I just didn’t know if you were awake,” she said as she climbed up onto the bed. “I have something for you.”
“You do?” Lauren asked, sitting up, and Erin nodded, handing her a tiny folded square of pink tissue paper.
“How sweet of you,” she said, genuinely touched by the gesture. “What did I do to deserve this?”
Erin shrugged sheepishly, and Lauren leaned over and ran her hand over the top of Erin’s hair before unraveling the filmy paper. Neatly folded inside was a small crystal heart dangling from a thin black cord. Lauren held it up, and the pendant twirled from side to side, refracting little rainbows of light from the window.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful! I love it,” Lauren said, smiling at Erin before she held it up a little higher to admire it in the light. “In fact,” she said, sitting up straight, “I’m going to put it on right now.”
Erin watched with a smile as Lauren fastened it behind her neck. “How does it look?”
Erin reached into the neck of her T-shirt and pulled out the exact same necklace, holding it out for Lauren to see. “It’s perfect. Now we match.”
“Well, now I like it even more,” Lauren said with a smile.
Erin grinned, but then her smile faltered as she looked down. “I have something else too.”
“Two presents?” Lauren asked, surprised.
“Well, no. It’s just this,” Erin said, holding out a card in a lavender envelope. Lauren hadn’t even noticed her holding it when she walked in.
The look on Erin’s face had changed; the excitement from earlier had transformed into something that looked to Lauren almost like anxiety.
She couldn’t help but feel somewhat apprehensive in response as she slid her finger beneath the edge of the envelope and pulled out the card.
On the front was a large sun overlooking a meadow full of flowers, and inside the sun was written:
Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky,
Hundreds of shells on the shore together,
Hundreds of birds that go singing by,
Hundreds of lambs in the sunny weather,
Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
Hundreds
of bees in the purple clover,
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
Lauren opened the card and read the final line:
But only one mother the world-wide over.
She cupped her hand to her mouth as her eyes flooded with tears. Because underneath that, in her careful, rounded hand, Erin had written:
Can I call you Mom?
Lauren looked up to see Erin watching her carefully. And when she dropped the card and held out her arms, Erin flew into them, wrapping her little arms around Lauren’s body and squeezing.
“Of course you can,” Lauren squeaked out, planting a kiss on top of her head. “Of course you can, sweetheart.”
Erin laughed softly against her shoulder, and Lauren smiled as she closed her eyes, forcing the tears down her cheeks.
“Well, then, Happy Mother’s Day,” Erin whispered.
Lauren pressed her lips together as her chin trembled. “Thank you,” she finally managed before she kissed her head again.
“Erin,” Michael called from the kitchen. “Get in here and clean up this mess!”
“Okay!” she called before she pulled back and smiled up at Lauren. Then she hopped off the bed and ran from the room.
Lauren looked down at the card on the bed, and she lifted it, reading it one more time as a fresh round of tears spilled from her eyes.
“So I think I managed to get out of that unscathed—”
Lauren looked up as Michael entered the room with two cups of coffee, his words cutting off when he saw her face.
“What happened?” he asked.
Lauren held up the card, and Michael pulled his brow together as he placed the mugs down on the dresser and crawled onto the bed, lying on his side next to her as he took the card from her.
She watched his expression soften as he read it, and then he slowly lifted his eyes to hers.
Kiss Kiss Page 53