He reached beneath the pillow for the condom that he slid under it earlier. The protection was donned in record time. He fit himself between her legs, poised to enter her. His eyes found hers, and the emotion that he read there made him smile as he began to enter her. There was a hint of discomfort that appeared in her expression, but it was gone before he could draw in his next breath. He held still and made sure that she was okay before moving again. She tensed instinctively, and he struggled to find some control as he felt the final shudders of her pleasure tightening around him. Then he began to move, agonizingly slow, within her, before gradually withdrawing, then filling her again, deeper still in a thrusting motion.
“Look at me, Kristina,” he whispered in a gravelly voice as he continued to thrust slowly into her and relished each and every time he did so.
He watched as she did what he asked, met her gaze mere seconds before he leaned closer and took her mouth. The stroke of his tongue with hers was as slow and deliberate as the joining of their bodies—pushing forward, retreating, and then pushing forward again. He could feel his erection expanding inside her with each time he entered her.
She traced his shoulder and gripped it on occasion. Never had he imagined that it would feel like this but he knew from experience that this was rare. Something that he’d never felt with Nicole. He knew that it wouldn’t be this way with anyone else but Kayla. He began to change his movements, and he could feel his pleasure beginning to build.
His body took over. It seemed to know what to do. His teeth clenched as she began matching his rhythm, arching beneath him as he drove into her. When he kissed her, she moaned, crossing her legs over his back taking him deeper. Seconds later, she threw her head back, and a cry of pleasure burst from deep within her throat. She pulled him over the edge with her, and he dropped his face onto her throat. His groan of pleasure vibrated in her ear as her body drained him of every drop of his essence. He rolled to the side to keep from crushing her. He kept them connected. He caressed her, up and down her back.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Yes, I am.”
He held her a few moments, both enjoying the residual ripples his release. “I wish that I could hold you all night.”
She looked up at him. “How long can you stay?”
He looked over at the clock. It was still early. He could at least stay for another three hours. He pulled away from her, withdrawing slowly. “I can stay until midnight. So how about we take a shower and take it from there?”
She nodded. “That sounds good.”
He rolled out of bed and headed for her bathroom. When he looked in the mirror, he had to smile because he almost didn’t recognize himself. He looked relaxed and satisfied. Tonight had been an interesting night. It had also been a wonderful one. He knew that it could only get better from here.
Chapter Eleven
“So you are okay?”
Kayla nodded at Keirra’s question. It was Monday night, and they were doing what they normally did on Monday—eat at Sam’s Café. As soon as she walked in the restaurant, her sisters had known something was different. They had decided to take turns at guessing what it was. Kristen had guessed right on the first try. They had already ordered their food, and Kayla was grateful that her sisters weren’t asking for details. She wouldn’t be surprised if they wanted to make her suffer.
“I am glad for you.”
She reached across the table and took Kristen’s hand in hers. “I am happy for you as well.”
Keirra inclined her head toward the engagement ring on her sister’s hand. “What is it like being engaged?”
Kristen’s smile widened. “Different, but fun.”
“Have you set a date yet?” Kayla asked after she swallowed the sip of soda she’d just taken.
Kristen shook her head. “No, we haven’t. I gave Randy a list of dates to see if there was one that he thought was good. We both have agreed that we don’t want to get married near any holidays or birthdays. We will come up with a date soon enough. But when we set a date, you two will be first to know because I’m going to count on both of you to help me with the wedding plans.
Nadia came back with their food, and all three of them thanked her gratefully. They all seemed to be hungry tonight.
Kayla looked over at Keirra. “How is Eric?”
Keirra released a pent-up breath. “Back at work, thankfully.”
Kayla laughed, and Keirra rolled her eyes. Kayla knew how happy her sister was that the doctor had given Eric the okay to go return to duty, and not a moment too soon. He’d started to become like a caged animal since he’d been shot the day after Thanksgiving. In the beginning, he’d been okay because he’d been sore and hadn’t been in any rush to get back. The last three weeks of his time off duty had been rough. Eric had felt like he was healed at this point and had started to become restless.
Kayla knew that her sister now regretted the plan that she’d come up with to keep him from becoming too restless. Sexual gratification had been one of those ways. Keirra hadn’t minded, at least not in the beginning. But for the last two weeks, all Kayla and Kristen had heard from Keirra was that she was hoping the doctor would give Eric the okay for the sake of her students. As it stood right now, the lack of sleep was affecting Keirra’s ability to stay focused during the day. Kristen spoke, interrupting her thoughts.
“Maybe those dark circles under your eyes will go away now.”
Keirra almost choked on the piece of steak that she eaten and gave Kristen the evil eye. “That is so not funny.”
Kayla laughed, and Keirra fought her own chuckle. Kayla knew Keirra loved Eric. He was a good guy, and she was glad that Keirra had chosen to stick with him in spite of the fears that she had stemming from their past. The fear of losing Eric in the line of duty like they’d lost her father was still there, but Keirra was dealing with it, and she knew that Eric was doing his best to at least meet her sister halfway. She had a gut feeling that they would be together a long time.
“So how do you want this thing with James to play out?”
She shrugged at Keirra’s question, but there was a slight smile on her face. “He is a good man, and I wouldn’t mind getting seriously involved with him. But I’m not looking to rush into putting a label on anything either. I just want it to happen naturally.”
She meant that. When she’d first laid eyes on James, it had been lust at first sight. Now that she’d met him and was in the process of getting to know him, it was more than that. Was it love? Not yet, but it had the potential.
“Earth to Kayla.”
Her head snapped up, and both of her sisters were looking at her expectantly. She knew that she’d missed something while off in her own thoughts again. It was something that she’d been doing a lot of lately. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear the question.”
“Kristen asked how your students have been behaving since the parent conference.”
One corner of her mouth tilted upward, and she reported that their behavior had improved a great deal. She could actually get through that class period without one of the girls taking snobby shots at the others.
Today had been interesting. The groups for the project had been put together, and each group had been given a list of wars in American History. The girls had chosen the War of 1812 to write about. She’d also assigned them weekly progress reports to turn in to her. The reports were designed to make sure that all did their part in the paper. If the students were honest, the reports should work out very well. She had let the students know anything that they put down on the report would be confidential. This was for grading purposes only. She herself had once been a student and knew that when it came to group work, each didn’t necessarily pull his or her load, but everyone wanted credit for the grade. So hopefully the way she was going about this would keep everyone honest.
“I’m glad everything is working out.”
Kristen exhaled softly. “So am I. Yesterday was the first time I have seen Dan s
ober in a while.”
Keirra elbowed her. “That isn’t nice.”
Kristen shrugged. “I know, but it is true. Although the kicker is that I swear I saw him with Brigette.”
Kayla choked on the bite of angel hair pasta that she’d just taken as Kristen continued.
“By the time I got around to get a second look, they were pulling off.”
Keirra laughed. “It couldn’t have been Brigette. Trish would have committed murder by now, and there would be a full-out war in Kayla’s classroom.”
She remained silent. It really could have been Brigette in the truck with Dan. Who knows what could have happened if someone besides Kristen had seen them. She would talk to Brigette to see what was going on. Maybe she could stop by Brigette’s house on the way home if they didn’t leave Sam’s too late.
“Get your mind off James.”
Kayla smiled at Keirra’s comment. If her sisters knew what she’d just been thinking about, they would probably flip. Instead, she just went along with Keirra’s assumption.
“How can I when the man is so fine? Besides, I didn’t tell you to keep your mind off Eric, did I?”
Keirra’s smile grinned. “No, you didn’t, but it wouldn’t have worked anyway.”
Kristen pushed her plate away. “I am stuffed.”
There was still half a piece of chicken left behind. Kayla snagged it before Keirra could even pick her fork up. She cut the piece in half and gave it to Keirra, who thanked her graciously. Kayla bit into her piece of the moist chicken and almost moaned in pleasure.
“I hope that I fall in love soon. You two seem to be losing weight, and judging from the dress that I wore this weekend, I am gaining it.”
Keirra laughed. “I don’t know about Kristen, but the amount of sex that Eric and I have is what is causing me to lose my weight.”
Kristen rolled her eyes. “Running after several children during the day and a three-year-old at night is keeping me skinny.”
Kayla looked at her sister. “Are you and Randy planning on having any children together?”
Kristen shrugged. “We have talked about it.”
Keirra pushed her plate away. “Sounds dangerous to me.”
She chuckled as she pushed her own plate away. “No worse than what she is already dealing with, considering the fact that she runs a day care center.”
Like clockwork, Nadia appeared at their table and removed their plates. Moments later, she returned with their checks. They each settled their bill and made their way toward the front door. Somehow, they had all managed to park side by side in the parking lot, so they didn’t have to escort each other to their cars. Kristen was the first to pull out of the parking lot, followed by Keirra, and she Kayla left last.
She drove home, but a block from her street, she took a left going toward the Holbrock residence. Fortunately Brigette had been able move out of the bad and rundown neighborhood that she’d lived in while she was in school. High school had been tough on Brigette. Pregnancy prior to graduating hadn’t made it any better. There had been several times when Kayla and her sisters had babysat Somer to give Brigette a break, or if Brigette had to go to work. Brigette’s mother had died giving birth to her, and Brigette’s father had been a cold and heartless man. Not to mention Brigette had spent the night at their house because her father had been drinking heavily, and she didn’t want him to harm her or the baby.
Times had been hard for Brigette, but after high school they seemed to get a little better, especially financially. She’d never said why that happened, but Kayla had a good idea now how it had. The Goodmans had money. It was also old money.
She turned into the yard of the modest house and smiled. It was a nice-looking home, and it was definitely Brigette. After parking behind Brigette’s car, she got out and headed up the walkway toward the house. Brigette answered the door after the first ring of the bell. Brigette’s eyes widened when she saw who stood there.
“Hi, Kayla. This is a surprise.”
“I hope that I’m not interrupting anything.”
Brigette shook her head no. “Please come in.”
She sighed. “As much as I would like to, what I want to talk to you about might be best said out here.”
Brigette’s eyes widened with concern before she stepped outside and closed the door. “Is there more conflict among the girls?”
“No, not at all. Things have been going really well.”
Kayla paused not, really sure how to approach the subject. After a second of deliberation, she decided to be straightforward. There really was no other way to be. “My sister thinks that she saw you with Dan this weekend.” She held up her hands before Brigette could respond. “If you were together, it is none of my business. I just came to warn you to be more careful, especially since there are a lot of people who don’t know about the past that the two of you have together.”
Brigette brought a shaky hand to her mouth. “I was with Dan, but it was totally innocent.”
Kayla put a reassuring hand on Brigette’s shoulder. “I am sure that it was, and I’m not here to judge you by any means. I never have, and I never will, but any gossiper could have made this a bad situation.”
Brigette nodded. “I started to tell Dan no when he asked me to ride with him and talk.” Brigette sighed heavily. “I thought that the tint on his truck would be concealing enough. I guess I was wrong.”
Kayla smiled at Brigette. “Kristen didn’t know for sure that it was you. She just thought that it was.”
Brigette shook her head. “Close enough.”
She paused, and then asked Brigette a difficult question. “Are you in love with him?”
Brigette’s eyes widened. “I’m not sure anymore.”
Kayla asked another difficult question. “Is he is love with you?”
Brigette laughed. “I doubt it. Does he care about me? Yes, just like I care about him, but he loves Somer. We are trying to figure out when would be a good time to come out with the fact that Dan is Somer’s father.”
Kayla was silent for a moment. She knew that when the truth did come out, it was going to rock Baxley. “Well, I know that you are a grown woman, and you know what you are doing. I just wanted to warn you to be careful.”
Brigette released a pent-up breath. “Thanks for the warning, Kayla. If I haven’t told you, you have always been a good friend.”
She leaned forward to hug Brigette. “So are you.”
Brigette shook her head. “I didn’t have a lot to offer you or your sisters, but all three of you befriended me.”
Kayla gave her an extra squeeze. “And it was our pleasure.”
Both women smiled at each other. Growing up had been an experience for the both of them. They had also learned a lot from each other. Brigette was one of the reasons that she and her sisters worked with children and teenagers. They felt that they had the power to make a difference, and so far, they had. She gave Brigette another hug.
“I don’t want to keep you long because it’s late.”
Brigette nodded. “Yes, it is, and we both have to get an early start tomorrow. I appreciate you coming by.”
“You are welcome.”
“Tell your sisters that I said hello.”
“I will do that.”
Both women said good night to each other, and Kayla walked toward her car. She got in and drove off as Brigette went back into the house. It was going to hit the fan when it came out that Somer was Dan’s daughter as well. Some of Baxley would be in an uproar for a while. She was certain that it was going to be messy. Whatever the outcome, she would stand by Brigette and Somer. Neither of them had received a lot of support from others over the years. She would make sure that would change. Turning onto her street, she sighed when she saw her home. It still felt strange to go home to an empty house. After having her sisters for roommates as long as she had, she wondered if she would ever get used to not having them there to greet her when she arrived home. When she pulled into the drivew
ay, she cut the engine and made her way into her house. She locked the door behind her and headed upstairs to get ready for bed.
While she was in the shower, she began to yawn. It had been a good day, yet one filled with adventure. She needed a full night of rest. It was only Monday night, and she’d had enough action happen today to last her for the rest of the week. After turning off the water, she stepped out of the shower and toweled off. Clad in her nightgown, she climbed into bed and tugged the covers up over herself. Closing her eyes, she thought of crawling into bed and snuggling up with James. Saturday night he’d been true to his word. At midnight, James had reluctantly pulled himself away from her and had gotten dressed. He’d placed a brief kiss on her lips then walked downstairs and letting himself out. She hadn’t gotten out of bed herself because he’d made her stay there. When she rolled over onto her side, she winced slightly at the ache between her thighs. She and James had made love one more time before he left. It had been even better than the first time. She caught herself wondering if the next time would be better. Something told her that it would be.
Chapter Twelve
Kayla turned to the chalkboard and erased the information that she’d discussed with her first class of tenth graders. The tardy bell rang just as she finished. She turned to face her class of eleventh graders. “Good morning, class. I hope that everyone had a great weekend.”
There were a few grumbles about it being a good weekend except that it had been too short. She felt like grumbling herself, considering that it had been a busy weekend, which had kept her from spending any time with James. Instead, the corners of her mouth tilted upward as she walked around to the front of her desk.
“Well, whether you had a good weekend or a bad one, I hope that everyone read the assignment.”
She shook her head as she received a few of the regular groans that she was used to hearing every Monday. “Who can tell me about the United States’ race to world power?”
By the time class ended, she was still grinning. One reason was because her students had been so entertaining. The other was that it was lunchtime. Even though she was not hungry, she enjoyed the break. It also gave her time to rest up for her class of twelfth graders. She only had one class of twelfth graders, but it was a large class, and they had already begun the countdown to graduation. The bell rang, signaling that her lunch was over and that class was getting ready to begin. When it was time, she started it just like she did all others, by greeting her students before getting into the topic of the class.
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