Face the Music (41 page)

A m
oan escaped from low in my throat, and I was lost in the pleasure.  I
cupped
a
hand around his head, trying to pull
myself closer
to him
.
  My right leg wrapped around his left, and I lifted my hips up to his. 
We shuffled
awkwardly
towards the bed, an entangled mess of limbs and
desire and longing
.

H
e
knelt over me.  The
mattress
sunk
under our combined weight
.
 
His lips brushed
across my wrist, up my forearm, and to the bend in my elbow.  He planted little kisses up my arm, nuzzled my shoulder, and drug the tip of his nose slowly across my
clavicle
, pausing at the hollow beneath my neck.  “I want to know every inch of you,” he said before repeating
the routine down my other arm.

My body was alive with sensation.  I tugged on his
pants, wanting them
gone
,
but
he
crawled off of me and stood
up
.  My breaths came in
pants
, and I just looked at him, confused.
  He grinned at me, and, ever so slowly,
wal
ked over to his dresser.  He pulled
a
shiny
foil square
out of
his top drawer.

“Oh,” I gasped.  Thank goodness he was still thinking clearly.  I sure as hell wasn’t
.

He stepped out of his pants and
took his time coming back to the bed.  He watched me intently, as a predator would bef
ore striking its prey. 
A
nd then,
a
ll at once
, he was
next to me, and then
inside me,
filling me,
satisfying needs I’
d forgotten I even had.

Chapter 21

I invited Chris, Lauren, and h
er husband Antonio
over for dinner.  After t
he chicken noodle soup
disaster,
I still felt the need to pr
ove to Chris that I could cook.

I had just put the pan of chicken enchiladas, one my specialties, into the oven when Lauren knocked

“Hi, guys!” I said, pulling the door open.  I stared at Lauren’s belly.  It
got
bigger every time I saw her.  “
Wow!  You’re huge!”  I laughed.  “
How are you feeling?”

“Like I swallowed a whale,” she groaned.  “Where’s Chris?”

“He had a late rehearsal.  He should be here soon, though,” I said, glancing at the clock.

Antonio settled in front of the TV and turned on a basketball game.  Lauren gave him an irritated look.  “Make yourself at home, why don’t you?”

“What?” he said.  “There’s a game on tonight.  I want to check the score.”

She grumbled a few choice words and went to the kitchen.  “So
,
tell me,” she asked once she got settled into a chair by the table, “how are things?  And by things, I mean you and Chris.”

I stood at the counter, ch
opping up a head of lettuce.  “Things are g
reat.”  I didn’t try to hide the smile.

“Oh
,
come on.  I
know
you’re dying to talk about him.  L
et’s hear it.”
  She fixed me with an inquisitive stare.

I scooped the lettuce into a bowl an
d put it in the fridge before dropping
down into
the
chair next to her.  “He is, without a doubt, the greatest thing that has ever happ
ened to me,
”
I said.

“So
,
you’re finally over all that ‘I don’t have anything to offer him’ nonsense?”

“Yeah, I
am
.”

“Have you slept with him yet?”

“Lauren!  Geez!
”  I shouldn’t have been surprised by
her
straightforwardness
.  This was Lauren, after all. 

“What?  It’s a valid question.”

A
stupid, involuntary grin
pulled at
my lips.  She’d k
now if I tried to lie.  “Okay, okay.  I
f you must know, yes.”

She cocked her head and looked at me.  “Was it good?  Because judging from that body of his, I’d bet he could…”

“Whoa!” I laughed, holding my hands up to stop her.  “Ye
s, yes, okay?  It was amazing.”  I looked at her seriously.  “
He makes me feel so safe.  I never had that with Paul, you know?  He made me happy, or at least I thought he did at the time, but what he and I had was nothing compared to what I’ve got with Chris.”

Satisfied, Lauren leaned back in her chair.  “I’ll admit, I’m jealous.  Antonio and I used to have that spark.  Over the years
,
the passion just sort of faded.
  Of course
,
this doesn’t help much in the intimacy department.
”
  She ran a hand over her belly.

There was a knock at my door.  I went to answer it
,
but turned back to Lauren first.  “You know, it’s weird.  We’re so comfortable with each other, but my heart still does flip-flops when I see him.”

“Puppy love,” she said with a
dreamy smile
.  “Give it time.”

I gave her a sideways glance, wondering if I should even ask what was going on with her, but as soon as I saw Chris it was forgotten. 

“Hey!”  He handed me a bottle of wine.

“Hey, yourself,” I said, standing up on my tiptoes for a kiss.  He planted one on me.

Lauren groaned.  “Come on, you two.  Can’t you at least wait until after dinner?  You’re gonna make me lose my appetite.”
  She pretended like she was sticking a finger down her throat.

Chris laughed and wrapped a finger through my belt loop, pulling me against his chest.

Lauren grinned.  “Come and meet my husband.”

Lauren introduced the guys, and we all settled around the coffee table for a game of Yahtzee.  Antonio had just thrown a full house when Lauren closed her eyes and inhaled.  A spicy aroma drifted through the apartment.  “Mmmm, smells good.”

Chris smirked.  “Careful.  Smells can be deceiving, especially when Allie’s cooking.”

“Hey!”
  I gave his shoulder a playful shove.

“Allison is an amazing cook,” Lauren said.  “I’ve never tasted something she’s made that I haven’t absolutely loved.”

“I don’t know,” he teased.

“I promise it won’t be a problem tonight,” I said.  “I could make enchiladas in my sleep.  I should probably go check on them, though.  Wouldn’t want the cheese to burn.”

Lauren struggled to get to her feet; Antonio had to help her up.  “This is getting so old,” she groaned as she hobbled to the kitchen.  She looked like a weeble-wobble, but I wasn’t so sure she wouldn’t fall down. 

The cheese was bubbly and starting to brown.  “Okay,” I called to the guys, pulling the pan from the oven.  “Let’s eat.”

The four of us crowded around my table.  I watched Chris carefully as he took his first bite.  He chewed slowly, a blank expression masking his face, and I worried that he didn’t like it.  “Well?  What do you think?”

He wiped his mouth with a napkin, took great care in folding it across his knee, and then looked at me.  “I think I’m in love.  This has to be the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.  Well, almost,” he added with a wink.  Lauren kicked my shin under the table.

Once everything was eaten, the guys went back out to the living room while Lauren helped me clean up.  She leaned against the sink
,
but gripped the edge so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.

“Are you alright?”
I asked, concerned.

She squeezed her eyes shut and nodded.  “Just a contraction.  It’ll pass.”  She stood like that for several seconds
,
and then relaxed.  “See, no big deal.”

I wasn’t so sure.  “How long have you been having them?”

“They started this morning
,
but have been irregular.”

“You don’t think you should go in and get checked?”

“And miss this?” she said with a tight lipped grin.  “No way.”  She leaned against the counter again and groaned.  “Oh man, here comes another one.”

“Should I get Antonio?”

She shook her head and took a few deep breaths.  “Not yet.”  She then grabbed her belly and doubled over. 

I wasn’t about to let her give birth in my kitchen.  I jogged to the living room.  “I think Lauren’s in labor.”

Both guys looked up from the TV.  Antonio turned white. 

I couldn’t help but laugh. 
I wasn’t sure who looked worse, him or Lauren. 

“Are you sure?” Antonio asked, getting up from the couch.  “She isn’t due for another week.  We’re not ready.”  He paced circles in front of the TV.  “We
didn’t bring her overnight bag. 
I don’t
even
have a car seat yet.”

Lauren appeared.  She was slouched over and holding one hand under her belly.  “I told you weeks ago we needed to get one.  And what did you say?
”  She lowered her voice to mock her husband’s,
“
‘Don’t rush me; we’ve got tons of time.’  When will you learn to listen to me?”  She flashed her husband a
teasing
smile before doubling over in pain.  “Oooow!!”

The four of us piled into Lauren’s Grand Prix.  Chris drove.  Antonio and Lauren rode in the back, working to keep each other calm.

“How about we drop you two off, and then Chris and I will swing by your place to get your bag?” I suggested as we pulled into the emergency room drive.  Chris stopped against the curb, and Antonio ran in for a wheelchair.

“That would be great,” Lauren said.  “I think it’s on the floor in my closet.  I can’t believe this is happening!”

I gave her a hug.  “You’re going to be great.  Now
,
go have that baby.  I’ll be back soon.”

I climbed back in
to
the car.  “Well, that
wasn’t
exactly what I had in mind for tonight,” I told Chris.  “
But,
I’m so excited!  I hope everything goes
okay for her
.”