“Let’s do it again.”
They wrestled all over the bed, each one trying to gain the advantage over the other. Kathryn knew Ron didn’t exert his full strength, and she loved him all the more for it. It enabled her to feel as if she were an equal participant, not just someone who was to receive all the pleasure. But it wasn’t long before she was too breathless to continue. Maybe she ought to start working out.
“Stop!” she said. “I’m dying.”
“Don’t you dare, not when you’ve got me stirred up like this.”
“And how is that?”
“Like I’m about to jump out of my skin. I want you so much I want to take all of you at once. I want to absorb you, make you part of me.”
“That sounds like something out of science fiction. I prefer old-fashioned sex.”
“Can do,” he said, producing that wicked grin she found so hard to resist. “But I think we’ve still got way too many clothes on for that.”
She helped him off with his pants then he helped her out of her skirt. Unexpectedly, she felt a little self-conscious. Maybe it was nervousness. Or maybe cold feet. She wondered if Ron felt he was about to make love to her or if he was just having sex. The distinction made all the difference in the world. She’d never gone to bed with a man so soon after she met him. But then no man had ever made such an awesome effect on her. She’d always controlled her relationships.
She wasn’t in control now. She didn’t think Ron was, either.
Ron let his fingertips trail down her side. He moved up and across her abdomen before it started to tickle. Laughing would be the wrong thing to do just now even though she almost couldn’t help it. She’d have to warn him about that in the future.
In the future. So she’d already made up her mind that there would be a future for them. She hoped he felt the same way. She was falling more in love with him every moment. Before long she’d be in too deeply to pull back.
But she didn’t mean to think about this now. This was the moment to let go, to throw off all fetters, to forget all restraints, to ignore warnings from the nagging little voice in the back of her head that had been picking on her for at least ten years.
Ron was planting kisses on her abdomen, teasing her belly button with this tongue, at the same time trailing his fingers down the top of one thigh and up the other one. Neither of her lovers had ever kissed her belly button. She found it wonderfully erotic. She ran her fingers through Ron’s hair and groaned softly as he increased his assault on her senses. It ratchetted up another notch when he removed her panties.
“You, too,” she managed to say.
She didn’t know if he did as she asked. His attentions to her body didn’t wane and her interest in anything but what he was doing to her went from marginal to nonexistent. He was turning her into a self-absorbed being. She tried to fight back by thinking of ways to give him pleasure, to think of allowing herself to take pleasure in enjoying his body, but his finger had moved inside her and found the spot that drove everything else from her thought.
Her self-absorption became total.
Kathryn’s body began to tremble from head to toe. Exquisitely pleasurable sensations rocketed through her body, turning every nerve ending into a pinprick of bright sensation. She felt as if she were burning up even though chills raced down her spine. Ron’s hand continued to increase the tension until she thought she would explode. Her breath came faster and more shallow leaving her feeling giddy and about to faint. She dug her fingers into Ron’s hair, mindless of whether she was scratching his scalp or snatching him bald.
Then when she thought she would have to say something to stop him from torturing her any longer, the tension broke and flowed from her like water from a tipped vessel.
But she didn’t have a chance to come down from the giddy heights. The moment Ron withdrew his finger, he moved above her—it took no more than a moment for him to slip on a condom—and she felt him enter her, stretching and filling her until she felt she couldn’t possibly contain him. Her body, exhausted and limp from her climax, tensed against his entry, but his slow movement within her quickly replaced the tension of fear with the tension of ecstasy.
Ron pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply while he filled her, making her feel as though they were joined both in body and spirit. She threw her arms around him and pulled him close as her body responded to him, thrust for thrust. It wasn’t long before all she could think of was her body’s need to be closer to Ron, to pull him inside her until he could become part of her, until he could reach the need that seemed buried deep inside, a need no one had been able to reach before.
“Hurry!” She didn’t know why she said that. The word just came out on its own. Yet her body seemed to understand. It picked up the tempo, forcing Ron to move faster to match her. She could hear herself breathe, occasionally moan softly, but that only served to make her more determined to reach that undefined goal her body strained toward.
But as the tension increased, her muscles lost their elasticity, and she felt as if she had to struggle against the tightening bands that threatened to lock her body into immobility. Ron’s movements had become slightly erratic and he was breathing harder. Then just as she felt her muscles clamp down and lock her body into place, Ron stiffened and paused. Then simultaneously their tensions broke, and blessed, sweet release washed over them.
Chapter Twelve
Ron watched Kathryn as she slept. She looked so beautiful, so peaceful. He didn’t know if he loved her. He hadn’t been looking for love when he met her. Nor when he asked her for that first date. Not even when he asked her to go with him to Geneva. But he had found something that was mighty close.
Despite being miles apart in so many ways, Cynthia’s situation had created a little island where they could meet that had nothing to do with the worlds they lived in. His one attempt to show her his world had had startling results. He still wasn’t sure what had made him decide to walk out on the negotiations. He was satisfied he’d made the right decision, but would he have done it if Kathryn hadn’t been with him, if he hadn’t been anxious to spend the day with her? And if he wouldn’t have done it without her, what did that mean?
As he watched her sleep and marveled at the feeling of calm that filled him, he realized that for the first time since Erin died he was thinking of sharing his life with a woman. He hadn’t intended to remarry. For one thing, he didn’t have time to look for the right woman. For another, any future wife would have to love Cynthia as much as he did. He was certain Kathryn could. She was halfway there already.
Then there was the matter of his career. Until Cynthia got pregnant, he hadn’t considered cutting back, much less thought of doing something else. His work was the one thing that had never failed to give him that unqualified feeling of fulfillment.
But now it had.
He realized there were many things that were more important to him. He had begun to wonder if his own happiness didn’t require him to make a change. The need to succeed, to be accepted, to be recognized by others, had driven him so relentlessly there hadn’t been a question of doing anything else. Until a few weeks ago the need had been to find more ways to achieve even more spectacular successes.
While he was learning other things were more important to him, he also learned he didn’t need the recognition of other people to know he was a success, to feel successful. And once he felt successful, the need to be successful began to ease. So many things had changed in these last few weeks, he hardly knew where to begin sorting out his feelings.
But he knew Kathryn was central to the changes. He also knew he couldn’t imagine never seeing her again. He hadn’t expected what he felt for her, but now he couldn’t imagine going back to his life the way it used to be. In retrospect it seemed empty. He couldn’t imagine how he could have felt it was full and satisfying. Maybe one of the reasons he’d worked so hard was to keep from facing the truth, from admitting he wasn’t happy.
But he was happy
now. He wanted to figure out how the courses of their far separated lives might be brought closer together. He still wanted to find out why Kathryn was unhappy, what she was hiding from, refusing to face. He was certain that would be important to his future happiness.
For the first time she could remember, Kathryn was reluctant to go home. She didn’t want the plane to land, to have to walk out of the airport and back into her life in Charlotte. She was afraid that once she did that, the magic of the time she’d shared with Ron would slip away.
It wasn’t that she had lost her interest in the girls. She was as determined as ever to help them. It wasn’t that she’d lost her interest in the shelter. She couldn’t imagine not being there when the next young girl found herself pregnant with nowhere to go. But it was no longer enough. She’d been telling herself for the last few years it didn’t matter all that much that she couldn’t seem to find a man she could love. She didn’t need a husband to feel complete and happy. She had her work which was very important, and she had her girls. That was enough.
And it had been until Ron Egan came barging into her life. Nothing had been the same since. In the beginning she’d felt safe because she couldn’t compromise with his interest in his career. But now that he was starting to consider change, she kept telling herself there had to be a way to compromise, that she could find it if she looked hard enough.
Now she was too impatient to wait. She knew what she wanted, and she wanted it now. She didn’t, however, know if she could live with the price she would have to pay.
Ron had always looked forward to seeing Cynthia, but this time was special. For the first time in years, he felt he was really coming home. They had made a lot of progress that weekend in the mountains. Whatever they needed to figure out, they would be able to do it now.
“I bet you’re anxious to get back,” Ron said to Kathryn as the limousine pulled into the driveway. “Have you ever been away from your girls this long?”
“Only once.”
She had been so quiet ever since the plane landed he was worried she was upset. She had assured him she wasn’t, but something was wrong. He didn’t need to be halfway in love with her to figure that out.
“I’m sure they’re fine,” she said. “Ruby can take just as good care of them as I can.”
“It’s not the same. I’m sure they’re all anxious for you to come back.”
The car came to a stop. He opened the door and got out. He’d half expected the girls to come rushing out the door to meet her, but it was late and the house seemed unnaturally quiet. In fact, the entire neighborhood was quiet. The chauffeur got the luggage while Ron walked with Kathryn up to the house.
“It feels hot and muggy,” she said.
The smell of wet, moist earth invaded his nostrils. “It must have rained,” he said, opening the door and they stepped inside.
A young man across the room sprang to his feet. It was a boy Ron had never seen before, a tall, well-built kid, probably handsome if he hadn’t looked so startled. Ron didn’t understand why the boy should look practically frightened. He was here after hours, but he was in the living room keeping a reasonable distance from the girl sitting across from him. Ron was surprised when the girl turned and he recognized his daughter.
“I thought you were supposed to be in bed,” he said.
“I am,” she said, “but I had to talk to Arthur.”
“I don’t think I’ve met you before,” Kathryn said. She moved toward the boy whose gaze didn’t leave Ron. “I’m Kathryn Roper. I run this shelter.”
Arthur took Kathryn’s outstretched hand. His handshake was perfunctory. He didn’t take his gaze off Ron. “I’m Arthur Peabody.”
“What brings you here, Arthur?” she asked.
“I wanted to see Cynthia.”
“I’m always pleased to have her friends visit, but I don’t allow it after hours. And I don’t allow them to sit alone with the girls.”
“Mrs. Collias is chaperoning Kerry and Lisette,” Cynthia said. “She said I could see Arthur as long as we stayed in this room.”
“What’s Kerry doing here? He knows it’s too late for visiting.”
“He says he’s talked his father into letting him get married and go into the business with him after his graduates this summer. He and Lisette are trying to come up with wedding plans.”
“I’d think her mother would want to do that.”
“Lisette says it’s her wedding, and she wants everything to be the way she wants it. She figures she’ll have a better chance if she has everything worked out before she tells her mother.”
“Leave home for just one day, and the whole place goes to pot,” Ron said, teasing.
“It’s not that bad, but I don’t like rules being broken without a good reason. Maybe Lisette has a reason—I’ll talk with her in a few minutes—but you have no business being here,” Kathryn said turning to Arthur. “You’ll have to leave.”
“I can’t,” he said, apparently more calm than moments ago.
“Of course you can,” Ron said. He wasn’t going to allow this kid to defy Kathryn.
“No, he can’t, Daddy,” Cynthia said.
“Why not?” Ron asked.
“Because he’s the father of my baby.”
Ron didn’t know what came over him. Thirty years of rigid self-control went out the window. The most uncontrollable anger he’d experienced in his whole life grabbed hold of him. And every bit of it was directed at the boy across from his daughter.
“I’m going to kill you for what you did to my daughter,” he bellowed.
“Ron Egan,” Kathryn said, stepping between the two men, “get a grip on yourself. Have you gone crazy?”
“No. I just want to get my hands on the—”
“Well you won’t do it in my house.”
“I don’t care where I do it,” Ron said, picking her up and setting her aside as though she didn’t weigh anything.
Cynthia tried to get between the two men.
Ron grabbed hold of Arthur. The boy didn’t try to get away. He just stood there, waiting for whatever was going to happen. “I know things have changed,” Ron said to the boy, menace in his voice, “but you still don’t get a girl pregnant then disappear, especially when she’s only sixteen.”
“I didn’t mean to get her pregnant, sir.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of condoms?”
“Daddy—”
“You stay out of this, Cynthia. This is between me and Arthur.”
“No, it’s not. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m the one who’s pregnant. It’s between me and Arthur.”
Ron had to give the boy credit. He didn’t look scared, but he did look upset.
“What’s going on in here?” Lisette asked. “It sounded like a fight.”
Lisette and Kerry had entered the parlor, followed by Mrs. Collias.
“If he’s a friend of yours, tell him goodbye,” Ron said.
Lisette giggled. Kerry smiled like it was a joke, and Ron felt some of the rage flow out of him. He didn’t feel any less angry that this boy had taken advantage of his daughter, but he realized he couldn’t beat him to a pulp. He didn’t know what he could do, but he had to do something. The kid couldn’t do something like this and get away scot-free.
“That’s enough, “Kathryn said. “I won’t have my living room be turned into a brawling ring.”
“There’s no such thing as a brawling ring,” Kerry said.
“Daddy’s not going to brawl or anything else,” Cynthia said. “He’s going to take his hands off Arthur. Miss Roper is going to take Lisette and Kerry somewhere else, and the three of us are going to sit down and talk like sensible human beings.”
Ron didn’t see anything sensible about the situation, but he was proud of Cynthia for standing up to him.
“Come on,” Kathryn said to Kerry, Lisette and Mrs. Collias. “Let’s leave them alone.”
Ron didn’t like being left alone with his daughter and this boy.<
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“Before you start yelling at Arthur,” Cynthia said, “I have something to say.”
“It won’t do you any good to defend him.”
“I’m not because I seduced him, not the other way around.”
“I don’t know why you would say something like that,” Ron said, “but it’s not going to protect him.”
“I’m not saying it to protect him. I’m saying it because it’s true.”
Ron couldn’t believe her. She’d hardly dated. She wouldn’t know how. Ron told himself to take it easy. He’d get to the bottom of this shortly. Then he’d see what he could do to make this kid wish he’d never been born.
“Maybe we’d better sit down,” Ron said. “I don’t think the blood is reaching your head.”
“I wish you’d stop acting like I’m helpless and innocent,” Cynthia said.
Ron wanted better communication with his daughter, but he hadn’t bargained on this. “You’re telling me you dragged this boy into the bushes against his will and had your way with him?”
Cynthia smiled suddenly, and he felt better. If she could smile, there had to be some other explanation.
Ron turned abruptly to Arthur who flinched visibly. “My daughter says she seduced you. Is that true?”
The boy’s tongue seemed to stick to the roof of his mouth. Of course it wasn’t true. Not even a feckless teenage mass of rampant hormones could tell a lie like that.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to,” Arthur said, “but I didn’t have any protection.”
“But you had sex anyway?”
“It’s easy to get a boy to have sex, even if he’s trying to hold back,” Cynthia said. “All you have to do is—”
“I can guess,” Ron said before Cynthia could shatter what was left of his image of his innocent daughter.
“It wasn’t all her fault,” Arthur said. “I was willing enough when she said it wasn’t her time, that she wouldn’t get pregnant.”
“You told him you wouldn’t get pregnant?” Ron said, stupefied, to his daughter.
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