Laura's lips curved into a peaceful smile. “Yeah, I have come a long way, haven't I?"
Will pulled the magazine from his back pocket and held it up. “I'm sorry about this. I had no idea these pictures had been taken. I suspected this one,” he pointed to the picture of them hugging on the escalator. “I remember seeing a camera flashing, but the others—” he shook his head. “I guess my disguise doesn't work so well."
He'd never cared about pictures in magazines. He lived in the public eye and expected them. But the exploitation of his and Laura's relationship ... it was too personal.
"It's okay. I was upset at first, but I'm fine now. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew this would eventually happen."
Will blew out a long breath. “Thanks for taking it so good.” He tossed the magazine into the garbage. “I was proud of you today, the way you handled your aunt."
"Thanks. At first I didn't think she was real, but when I realized she was, I felt like a little girl again, scared and unsure. But then an overwhelming flow of confidence filled my mind, and I recognized that I'm a grown woman, that she can't hurt me anymore. For the first time in my life I felt superior to her.” She looked at him through wonder-filled eyes. “I'm taller than she is. I never realized that until today. I got satisfaction out of looking down my nose at her. Isn't that weird?"
Will smiled, his heart swelling with warmth and admiration. “No, it's not weird at all."
She sighed contentedly as her gaze drifted to the window. “Jane said I'd pay. I wonder what that means? She told me once that she'd kill me if I ever tried to run. I used to be so scared of that, consumed by it. But what can she do to me now?"
Kill her? Laura had never shared that with him before now.
He felt his teeth clamping together and told himself to stay calm. Pushing up out of the desk chair, Will crawled across the bed and stretched out on his back. He pulled Laura down beside him. “Idle threats. Don't worry about it."
She burrowed her cheek into his shoulder. “I'm not."
He lifted a handful of her hair, brought it to his face, and inhaled the freshly washed scent. Toying with the strands, Will stared at the ceiling, hoping to the heavens it really was an idle threat.
* * * *
"Ed, can I have a minute with you?” Will asked, approaching him backstage the next day.
"Sure.” He wiped his hands on a rag and tucked it in his back pocket. “What's up?"
"I'm sorry to bring this up, but do you remember telling me about your sister that day on the plane?"
Ed's expression flattened. He gave a brusque nod.
Clearly an uncomfortable subject, but Will forged ahead. “I saw you looking at a blue rabbit's foot. Can you tell me about it."
"Why?"
"Well, it looked very distinct and I was curious about it. I think I've seen it somewhere before."
Ed huffed an unamused chuckle. “I don't think so."
"What do you mean?"
"Because there's only two in the whole world, and my little sister had the other."
Will's pulse jumped to triple time. “You're right. I guess I made a mistake. Sorry.” He wanted to ask why only two existed in the world, but knew he'd be pressing his luck.
Ed pulled the rag from his back pocket and went back to cleaning the generator, obviously ready to drop the discussion.
Knowing he was being pushy and rude, but not sure how to tactfully progress, Will asked, “Can I see it?"
Ed rolled an irritated glare toward him. “I don't have it on me."
"Can you tell me what it looks like?"
"Why?” Ed snapped.
"Because I'm curious."
Ed threw the rag down and got right in Will's face. “It's blue and has a silver clasp, and there's little stick figures engraved around the top of it. Does that satisfy your morbid curiosity?"
"Yes, thank you,” Will muttered humbly.
Ed pushed him out of the way and charged off. Will wanted to explain the questioning. It was best to keep things to himself, though, until he could prove his hunch.
* * * *
Ed had told Will that twenty years ago his family couldn't pay for a proper investigation into his sister's abduction and suspected murder. One thing Will possessed was plenty of money and the means to pay for a proper investigation.
An hour after his unpleasant query of Ed, Will dialed a private investigator recommended by a friend in the entertainment industry. A long time had transpired since Ed's little sister, Sandra, turned up missing. Will wasn't even sure a case that old could be investigated.
Armed with the bits and pieces of knowledge he'd accumulated, Will shared with the investigator everything he knew: five-year-old Sandra missing one day from her mom's garden, a description of the blue rabbit's foot, Laura's back ground including her name change from Franks to Genny, Aunt Jane's information and physical description, and Ed's comment that he'd seen Jane somewhere before.
After Will ended his conversation with the private investigator, he sat for a long time in his hotel room, mulling over everything, convinced a connection existed between Ed and Laura. Will hoped his suspicions came true. Because if they did, this was exactly what Laura needed to complete herself.
* * * *
As Laura lit the vanilla scented candles in her hotel room, she remembered Jane's sudden and disturbing reappearance a few days ago. Her last words had been delivered in an idle threat. That's what Will had said, and Laura agreed. Aunt Jane was out of her life for good.
Will would be knocking on her door any minute now. Laura thought she'd be nervous about tonight, and she was, a little. But jitters from excitement, not fear, danced in her stomach. She'd worried about her lack of experience. Will would take things where they needed to go once she got them started. She'd wanted to wait until Valentine's Day to surprise him. But that still stretched weeks away, and now that she'd made the decision, she didn't want to wait.
Retrieving the grocery sack from the end table, Laura arranged the strawberries in a bowl, placed an assortment of chocolates on a plate, and positioned the wine and glasses next to them.
After almost twenty-six years of feeling alone in the world, wondering what she'd done to deserve her childhood, and experiencing bad luck around every corner, Laura finally felt her life swinging upward.
She'd landed the job of her dreams, and even though Jay had messed with things, that issue had resolved itself. With the help of Dr. Masters, Laura had worked through her upbringing and dealt with the painful memories. She would always wonder about her real mother and father, but knew not to dwell on such melancholy thoughts.
Masters had taught her to live in the present, plan for the future, and place the past where it belonged. Yet Laura had known she'd have to deal with her aunt in order to obtain inner peace, and that had happened a few days ago, finally putting closure on that part of her life.
Wandering into the bathroom, Laura checked her face in the mirror. She'd bought mascara and lip-gloss for the occasion. Would Will notice? Lifting her arm to her nose, she inhaled the peach scented lotion that she'd applied after her bubble bath. She'd never smelled so feminine and wonderful.
Will...
He'd turned her life around. With his never-ending patience, friendship, and witty humor, he brought an enticement to her existence that she never realized she needed. Her perpetual sense of loneliness had dissipated the moment she met him. After tonight, Laura would feel complete, emotionally and physically, like a normal woman.
A knock sounded on her door. Laura's stomach swooped to her feet. She took one last quick glance in the bathroom mirror, flicked out the light, hurried into the bedroom, swept her gaze around the room, assuring perfection, then inhaled a slow, fortifying breath.
She opened the door. Flickering candles caught Will's attention first, then the scent of vanilla wafted into the hall. Laura appeared from around the backside of the door dressed in a knee-length, white silk robe. She stood with one hand on the knob
and one hand hidden behind her back. She'd left her hair loose and brushed it smooth and shiny. Her lips glistened like she'd just licked them.
She peered over his shoulder. “You better come in before someone wanders by and sees all this."
Will did as she requested. She closed the door behind him. He turned and continued to stare, more than aware of his erratic pulse.
Laura pulled a flower from behind her back and presented it to him. “It's a Bird of Paradise. The florist said it's a masculine flower."
He took the flower and held it poised in the air, too stunned to do much of anything else. Seconds later, Will remembered he should smell it and lifted it to his nose.
She indicated the room with a leisurely sweep of her hand. “Are you surprised?"
Will ran unsteady fingers through his hair. “Yep, you could say that."
Laura walked over and poured them each a glass of wine. He followed her movement with his eyes, in awe of her relaxed confidence. He searched his mind for something to say and came up blank, like an awkward teenager on his first date.
She brought a glass to him. “To tonight,” she toasted and clinked hers against his. They both took a sip, eyeing each other over the rims.
He swallowed the chardonnay and wandered over to the bank of windows overlooking the Chicago night skyline. Will took another sip of wine and refocused his vision on Laura's reflection behind him. She still stood in the same spot, holding her glass and watching his back. No wonder she'd turned him down when he'd asked her to spend their day off sightseeing. She'd been getting ready for tonight.
Will had fantasized about this night hundreds of times since they first met. He wanted everything to be perfect for her. He'd never expected her to initiate their lovemaking, and his heart melted into a warm puddle as he thought of her emotional journey to this pivotal point. Never in his life had he respected a woman more than Laura.
He turned to face her. “Candles, my flower, strawberries, wine. You've been busy."
Laura nodded in response and put her glass down on the end table. She reached for the belt of her robe and untied it. The silk slid down her body to her feet. “Make love to me, Will."
Seventeen
* * * *
Rendered speechless and motionless, Will's throat convulsed in a nervous swallow.
Stunning.
Beautiful.
Lovely.
Goddess.
She'd chosen a peach colored, silk negligee that rode high on her thighs. Thin straps clung to her shoulders. The front dipped provocatively between her breasts.
"Touch me,” she invited in a shaky voice, “before I lose my nerve."
Will quickly put his glass down and crossed the room. He reached for her hand and linked their fingers. “You look incredible,” he whispered and placed a kiss to her bare shoulder. Wrapping his arms around her, he buried his face in her hair and inhaled her intoxicating scent. After a few deep breaths, he pulled away. “Laura, I need to say what's in my heart before we go any further."
Her lips curved into a sweet smile.
He lifted her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles, gathering his thoughts, and when he felt ready, he lowered her fingers and lifted his eyes to hers. “Every since the first day I met you, I knew something was different. You had this barrier that intrigued me. I wanted to break through it and know you, really know you."
Will touched his fingers to her chest. “I wanted to know your heart,” he glided his thumb across her forehead, “and your mind. The stronger our friendship became, the deeper I fell in love with you."
She glanced down to his chest. He put a finger under her chin and lifted until she looked him in the eyes again. “I love you, Laura. I've never said that to any other woman. You're the first."
He gazed at her with all the tenderness in his heart. “Sometimes I feel I can't go another minute until I see you, or hear you, or touch you. I never thought I'd get such joy out of a simple thing like your smile. You bring out every emotion in me. Happiness, sadness, anger, frustration. No other person has ever done that."
He took both her hands in his. “I admire and honor you. I watched you struggle to overcome your horrible past with such strength and bravery. You humble me. Inside and out, you're the most enchanting person I've ever known."
Will pressed a kiss to each eye. “The way you're looking at me right now makes my heart race."
He released her hands and skimmed his fingertips up her arms, over her shoulders, and down her back where the negligee's straps criss-crossed low. “Your skin amazes me. It makes me think of peaches and cream."
Laura's lips parted. Her chest began to rise and fall with heavy, slow breaths.
Will ran both hands up into her hair and then out, watching the candlelight flicker behind the cascading strands. “I've had so many fantasies about your hair falling like a curtain around me when we make love."
She blushed and looked away.
"That right there.” He cradled her warm face in his hands and waited for her eyes to meet his. “The way your face goes flush makes me lustful.” He stroked his thumbs across her cheeks. “Thank you for sharing your heart with me, for giving me tonight. I'll treasure it always."
"Will, I-I-lo-lo—"
He silenced her with his lips. “Don't feel pressured to tell me you love me. Tell me when you're ready, when you feel it in every particle of your being."
Laura closed her eyes and absorbed everything he'd said. Perfect, eloquent words. Everything she'd ever hoped to hear him say.
He moved away from her, and she opened her eyes to see him taking off his shirt, then he tossed it on the bed and came back to stand in front of her.
Hesitantly, she lifted her fingers and stroked them across his chest, mesmerized by the fine, black hairs moving under her touch. She lowered her hands to his abdomen and traced the ridges of his muscles. They twitched under her caress.
"You're so different from me,” she marveled.
Will grabbed her hands to still them. “Are you absolutely sure about this? It's going to kill me to turn back, but if you have the least bit of doubt, I will."
And he would. Laura knew he would. “I'm sure.” She smiled. “I'm absolutely sure. This night, you, me, making love, I need it. I want it. I'm ready for it."
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deep and long, circling her tongue. While he held her in his embrace, he slid the straps of her negligee over her shoulders, down her arms, and across her hips to float to her feet.
Will released her and stepped back. His eyes traveled down the length of her body and back up again. “I knew you'd be extraordinary, but I had no idea how perfect you'd been created."
Lifting his hand, he traced the shape of her breast with his index finger, then rubbed his thumb back and forth across her nipple.
Laura caught her breath at the tingle that slowly spread across her chest and down through her stomach. She stared at his face, unable to look away. He seemed hypnotized by her breasts as he made love to them with his eyes and fingers. The longer he touched them, the more sensitized they became. He lowered his mouth to the left one and a wave of desire crashed over her body. Her head fell back in utter surrender.
He moved his lips up her chest and nibbled a path from her shoulder to her ear. “I can feel your pulse hammering in your neck,” he murmured and circled around to the back of her. Reaching from behind, he brushed his hands over her sides, around her stomach, and pressed her against him.
She looked down at his hands resting on her lower abdomen and watched as he inched his fingers lower and caressed her more intimately. Laura inhaled a sharp breath and hunched forward. The throbbing sensation that she'd felt increased with his strokes.
"You feel so good.” He nipped her shoulder, and sliding his finger away, came back to stand in front of her.
"Take your pants off,” she commanded quietly.
"No. You do it,” he challenged with a devilish gleam in his eyes.
&nb
sp; Laura reached down and unsnapped his khaki pants, lowered the zipper. She looped her thumbs in the waistband and pushed them down his hips. Daffy Duck boxers stared back at her. “Cute."
Will kicked his shoes off. “I thought you'd like them."
She knelt down and pulled his pants and socks the rest of the way off. Then she reached for his boxers and paused, staring at the protruding portion, losing some of the bold sensuality that had driven her previous movements.
"I'd never hurt you,” he said softly.
Laura looked up at him. “I know. I want to see you, all of you. I just lost my nerve for a second, though."
"It's okay.” He held out his hand. “Come back up."
She slipped her hand into his, and when she was on her feet again, he wrapped his arms around her and cupped her hips. Lifting her a few inches off the ground, he carried her to the bed and threw back the covers. “Red satin sheets? You thought of everything, didn't you?"
She nodded, pleased with his surprised tone, and nuzzled her cheek against his. “I like it when your face hasn't been shaved."
"You do?” Will laid her on the bed. “Well, I'll have to remember that.” He rubbed his whiskered chin across her stomach and up between her breasts, then stretched out on top of her and nestled his mouth into the curve of her neck.
Laura closed her eyes and moaned a sigh.
"I don't know why you made that sound, but I like it."
"It feels good."
"What does?"
"Our naked bodies together."
"I'm not naked yet."
"Well, what are you waiting for?"
Will chuckled and rolled off of her. “That's all you had to say.” He removed his boxers and stretched back out on top of her.
Curious, Laura ventured, “Can I see?"
He buried his face in her hair, took a deep breath, then moved to his back. She propped herself up on her elbow and stared down at his erection. “Is it okay for me to touch you?"
Will stroked his hand lovingly over her hair and nodded.
She reached out and barely touched the tip, then trailed her fingers over the lines and contours, amazed at his texture and feel. Lightly, she grasped it in her hand, unsure of the amount of pressure.
Laura's Secrets Page 18
