Chapter Eighty-Five

Setting her grocery sacks on the counter, she listened for just a minute.  It was blessedly quiet.  Quieter than it had been all week.  She had forgotten just how much noise a teenager could make.  Especially a teenaged girl with two friends hanging out with her.  Not that it bothered her, but it was nice to have the quiet for a change.  It wouldn’t last long, but she would savor it while she had it.

She put away the few things she had bought to make dinner and poured herself a glass of lemonade.  She glanced out the window and spotted Ava sunning herself by the pool.  She had her headphones on, that explained the quiet.  Stephanie leaned against the counter. 

It had been a good week so far.  Richie had been tied up for a few days with appointments and meetings that couldn’t be done by phone or email.  The dentist and eye doctor had been on his calendar for today.  She smiled and finished her lemonade, they always said they were normal guys.  This week showed that to her in spades.  Doctor, dentist, mechanic, bank, the little things that she had never imagined him doing, he was doing.  He even took the garbage out two nights ago. 

With a last glance out the window and a little laugh, she pushed herself away from the counter and headed for the stairs.  She was going to put on her swimsuit and join Ava.  It was a beautiful day and lazing on a lounge chair by the pool sounded like the perfect way to spend the afternoon.

She was just tying the straps of her bikini top when she felt an extra set of hands on hers, long fingers tangling with hers.  She looked up and smiled, meeting Richie’s warm brown gaze in the mirror.  “Hi there.  When did you get back?”

He smiled back, “just a few minutes ago.”  After spying Ava outside with her headphones on, he went in search of his woman, intent on taking advantage of a few minutes alone.  His eyes took a trip down to her toes and back up to her face.  “Nice suit.”

The modest two piece had a blue tropical print bottom and a black halter style top, the straps of which had the same tropical print as the bottom.  “Thanks.  I wasn’t sure about it when I saw it online,” she looked at herself in the mirror, “but I like it.”

He nodded and stilled her hands when she tried to finish tying the top.  “What are you doing?”

Their eyes met again.  “I was going to join Ava by the pool.  You gonna put your trunks on and come out?”

Keeping his eyes on hers, he untangled his fingers from hers, lowering her hands to her sides, letting the ties of her suit dangle down, brushing against her thighs.  Then he lowered his head and trailed his lips across the ball of her shoulder.  “She doesn’t know I’m home yet,” his teeth scraped across her skin, “she doesn’t know we’re up here.” 

Her eyes slid shut and she tilted her head, letting his lips continue their journey up her neck.  Oh God.  They hadn’t had sex since he’d gotten back.  She hadn’t felt comfortable being intimate with him with Ava in the house.  Which was ridiculous considering the size of the house and the amount of hallway between his room and hers.  She had the distinct feeling that that was about to change. 

He gripped the ties of her top and gave a gentle tug.  The bikini top slid down, the seam chafing across her already straining nipples.  The sensation shot straight through her and gathered low in her belly.  He slid his free hand around and settled it low on her stomach, his fingertips dipping into the bottom of her suit, pressing against her lightly, his thumb brushing lightly back and forth just under her belly button.

She dropped her head back against his shoulder, the onslaught of sensation almost too much.  She shuddered as he dragged the seam of her suit against her taut nipples again and his fingers slid lower, past the slight pooch of her lower belly, his long middle finger scraping lightly along her delicate skin and into the slight bit of hair.

“Rich…” she wasn’t even sure what she was trying to say.

He pushed her hair out of the way and sucked at the delicate skin below her ear.  “I need you, sweetheart.”  He hadn’t protested, much, when she told him she wouldn’t have sex with him with Ava in the house.  She’d sleep with him in the most basic sense of the word, but that was as far as she would go.  He figured it was only a few days then they’d have a whole month together to get as freaky as they wanted to.  He could handle a few days abstinence.  So, he hadn’t pushed her, he wasn’t going to force himself on her, but now, he was starting to go a little stir crazy.  And really, what was a man supposed to do when a beautiful woman, who slept in next to nothing, crawled into his bed and curled right up next to him?  Just how much self-restraint was he supposed to have?  Especially after the eyeful he got of her coming out of the shower this morning.  He wasn’t Superman for fuck’s sake.

Taking her hand, he drew it between them, settling it on his rapidly rising cock.  “I’ve been half hard for you since this morning.”  He hissed out a breath when she tightened her grip and stroked him up and down.  “You are making me crazy.”

Keeping her grip on him, she looked at him over her shoulder, the fire in his eyes had her wanting to do anything for him.  “What are you waiting for?”

His eyebrows rose in surprise, he thought for sure he’d get shot down.  “You sure?”

She nodded and stroked him once more, “let’s go, darlin’.”

With a wicked grin he turned her away from the mirror and placed her hands on the end of the bed.  A quick tug had her bikini bottoms around her ankles, “spread your legs, sweetheart.”

She did as she was told and looked behind her in time to watch him pull off his shirt and dig in the night table drawer for a condom.  “Hurry.”

Moving behind her, he grasped her hips, “I’m right here, Sweetheart.”  He flexed his hips and buried himself inside her.  Closing his eyes he swore against the sheer pleasure of being with her this way.  She was so responsive to him and it always amazed him how right it felt with her.  Right in a way it had never felt with anyone else. 

They moved together in a furious rhythm, pushing and pulling, giving and taking.  He slipped his hand between them, finding that throbbing knot of nerves and teasing it mercilessly.  He wanted her with him all the way to the finish.  His release caught him unaware, her name a harsh cry from his lips as he pumped into her.  Distantly he felt her shudder around him, heard his name fall from her lips as she collapsed under him. 

Curled behind her on the bed he stroked her arm, her hip, anywhere he could reach.  “You okay?”  His breathing was still harsh around the edges.

She nodded her head, “oh yeah.”

His fingers danced along her arm again, “where’s your splint?”

She lazily opened her eyes “over there” she nodded toward the chair where her clothes were.  “I didn’t want a weird tan line from it.”

Gently, he rolled her onto her back.  Slumberous, witchy eyes looked up at him.  He kissed her lightly and started to rise.  “Just be careful with that wrist.  You don’t want to re-injure it.” 

He had just closed the door to the en suite when a knock came on the bedroom door.  “Steph, are you in there?”

She jumped up, pulled her bikini bottoms back up to where they belong and hastily rearranged her top.  “Come on in Ava.”

The girl looked miserable when she poked her head in the door.

“Are you all right, sweetie?” 

Ava’s blonde hair shrouded her face as she shook her head and one arm rested low on her belly.  “No, not really.”

Stephanie crossed the room and took a good look at the girl.  “Have you taken anything?”

Again with a head shake, “I don’t have anything.  It’s early and I wasn’t prepared.”

Richie picked that point to come out of the bathroom.  He took one look at his daughter and his brow furrowed in worry.  “What’s the matter, baby girl?”

Ava looked at Stephanie and Stephanie looked at Richie, “uh, girl stuff, Rich.” 

He grimaced.  “Sorry I asked.”  He still lived in the land of denial where his daughter would always be five, wearing frilly pink dresses and pigtails in her hair.  He glanced warily at Stephanie, “can you help her?”  Heather normally handled this kind of stuff, not him.

She nodded and wrapped her arm around Ava’s shoulder, “why don’t you go down to your room.  I’ve got something that will help and I’ll be right along.

“Okay” she replied.  “And thanks.”

Stephanie gave her a sympathetic smile.  “Anytime, sweetie.”

She crossed the room and rummaged in her suitcase and toiletry bag, coming up with a hot water bottle and a bottle of Midol.  She turned to Richie, “do you have a heating pad?”  Just in case Ava didn’t want the hot water bottle, she still had something to fall back on.

Richie went into the bathroom and dug in a cabinet, handing her the heating pad.  Before she could turn to leave he grasped her wrist.  “Thanks, Sweetheart.”

She pressed a kiss to his cheek, “it’s the least I could do after the way she helped me out a few weeks ago.”  Grabbing her wrap off the bed as she headed to the door, she paused and looked back at Richie, “see you downstairs in a few.”

Watching her leave, Richie started thinking that it was time to nudge this relationship along to something a bit more permanent.

Chapter Eighty-Four

“You ready?” Richie had invited her to come spend the week with him at his house before they left for Europe.  Now, here he stood in the doorway, not so patiently waiting, watching her pack.

Stephanie closed her suitcase. “I think so.” It hadn’t been easy to pack to be at his house for a week and then in Europe for a month, but she had managed it.  She zipped her suitcase and when she tried to lift it from the bed, he crossed the room and stopped her.

“Let me get that.” She still had the splint on her arm and he didn’t want her to hurt herself further.  He muscled her out of the way and lifted the suitcase, setting it on the floor next to her laptop case and her oversized tote bag/carry-on.

She attached the laptop case to the suitcase, hitched the carry-on over her shoulder and took one last look around her room. “I think that’s everything.”

He extended the handle on her suitcase and started out of the room. “I expected a few more pieces of luggage to tell you the truth.” Neither Heather nor Denise had ever learned the meaning of the words “travel light” so he was genuinely surprised to see that Stephanie managed to get everything into one suitcase.  One large suitcase.

“Yeah, well, there was this little voice in my head making snide comments as I was trying to decide what to bring.”

At the top of the staircase, Richie lowered the handle and picked up the two bags, “oh yea, whose?”

She cocked her head and looked at him, “”Mark’s.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. She hadn’t mentioned his name in a while.  “Really?”

“Whenever we would go away” she explained as they walked down the stairs, “he would tease me about the amount of clothes I would pack and he always had something to say about the number of pairs of shoes I would take and end up not wearing.”

Richie set her bags down by the door at the bottom of the stairs. “Brave man trying to tell a woman how many shoes to bring on a trip.” Never, not in all the years he was married, had he ever tried to tell Heather how to pack when they went away. He liked his head where it was, thank you very much.

Stephanie smiled and shook her head in resignation. “Yeah, well, he was usually right.” She looked at her bags and then at Richie, “I took it easy on the shoes this time.”  She set her tote bag next to her suitcase, “besides, you have a laundry service, right?”  At his nod she continued, “so I didn’t need to pack enough for every single day. Makes it easier, and, I fully expect to do some shopping too.” She had no idea what tour travel would be like, but there had to be some free time built in to their schedules, right?

She poked her head into her office.  Everything was in order.  With Richie following her, she wandered down the hall and into the kitchen giving everything one last check. She turned and found herself caged in, the counter at her back, Richie at her front.  She ran her hands up his chest and rested her arms on his shoulders. “Well hello there.”  Her voice had gone soft and a little uncertain.

He shifted his hands from the counter on either side of her to her hips and he caught her pretty mouth in a sweet kiss. “Everything all right?” She didn’t seem to be quite herself at the moment.

Turning her head slightly she blew out a sigh. “Are you sure you want me to stay at your place for the week?”  As much sense as it made, she still felt like she was intruding on his space and his time with Ava.

“Of course” he pushed at the curls that had fallen over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”

“But I know how precious your time with Ava is. Are you sure I’m not intruding?”

A knuckle under her chin had her looking up into sincere brown eyes. “She was the one who asked me if you were going to stay with me now that I was home.”  He kissed her lightly. “Don’t worry so much, Sweetheart.”

She leaned into him, deepening the kiss. “Can’t help it, I’m a worrier by nature.”

The doorbell rang and Richie pulled his mouth from hers. “You expecting someone?”

Stephanie moved past him, “yeah, I am.” It was probably Darcy. She was going to take care of things while Stephanie was away and had promised to come by to get the key. “Hey Darcy” she said as she pulled the door open.

“Hey yourself girlie.” She stepped in and looked at her friend. “Look at you, you’d never know you were in a bar fight a couple weeks ago.” Darcy pulled her friend in for a hug. “I’m really glad you’re okay” she added quietly.

Stephanie stepped back and held Darcy’s hands, “thank you for everything you did and are doing for me Darcy.” Holding on to one hand, she pulled Darcy down the short hallway. “Come on, there’s someone here you need to meet.”

Before Darcy could respond, she found herself face to face with Richie. She stood there star struck and unable to form a coherent thought.

Richie looked her up and down and winked at Stephanie over her friend’s shoulder. “Well, well, this must be Snow White,” he looked over at his girl, “right?”

Stephanie smiled and made the introductions. “Rich, this is Darcy.”

He reached for a delicate hand that was glued to the girl’s side. He brought it to his lips, kissing the pale skin lightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you darlin’.”

He let her hand go and she took a breath, finally engaging her brain and her mouth. She turned to her friend, “oh my God, you could warn a girl!”

She turned back to Richie, smoothing her hair and widening her smile. “The pleasure is most definitely mine.”

Instead of letting her go, he tugged on the hand he still held, drawing Darcy into a friendly embrace. “Thank you for watching out for my girl.” When she looked up at him he smiled at the shock in her eyes before dropping a chaste kiss to her cheek. “And thank you for not leaving her alone.”

Not knowing what else to do, Darcy wrapped her arms around the man’s waist and hugged him back. “I’m just glad she’s okay.”

Darcy stepped back and turned to Stephanie, “now, what do you need me to do while you’re away and the hot tub works, right?”

~

Unlocking the door, Richie ushered Stephanie in ahead of him. She set her bag down and looked around. “Is she here?”

“Who?” he asked as he parked her suitcase inside the door.

“Ava the Hun” Stephanie smirked.

Richie snickered and laughed. “Was she really that bad? And no, she’s not here. We’re picking her up for lunch tomorrow and she’ll be with us until we leave on Sunday.”

Moving through the house, she headed toward the kitchen.  “No,” she sighed quietly, “she wasn’t that bad.”  She opened a cupboard and pulled out a drinking glass, moving to the refrigerator for water.  “She was actually very sweet and it was nice to have someone there, at least for those first few really awful days.”

Stephanie took her glass and sat on a stool at the breakfast bar.   She thought about those first couple of days, when she couldn’t really take care of herself.  She had needed help getting to the bathroom, washing herself, eating.  Her shoulders slumped and the enormity of all that had happened finally settled on her.  She dropped her eyes from his as they filled and there, in his sun drenched kitchen the tears she had been trying not to shed for the last few weeks finally came. 

Richie hurried across the room to her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.  “Shh, Sweetheart, it’s okay.”  He stroked her back as she shuddered against him.  “It’s okay” he repeated.  Gently he lifted her from her perch and carried her to the den, settling on the couch.  He continued to hold her, whispering soothing words while she shed her tears. 

“I’m sorry” she managed to get out around the sobs.  “I didn’t mean” she tried to continue but everything was all jumbled and nearly incoherent.  “I can’t…”  She couldn’t seem to stem the flow of tears.

Richie stroked a hand down her hair “get it all out Sweetheart, then you can talk.”  Her tears were killing him, but she obviously needed to shed them, to purge herself of the emotions she had been storing up inside.

After an eon of sobbing and an ocean of tears she finally started to quiet.  The tears ebbed and the words started to make sense.  She sniffed against his shirt, “sorry about that.”

He kissed her head and reached across the end table, hooking the box of tissues with his long fingers.  He offered it to her, “here.”  He waited while she blew her nose and mopped her face. 

“Feel better?”

She inhaled a deep, shuddering breath and wrapped her arm around her still sore ribs.  “Actually, I do.”

“Is that the first time you cried since this happened?”

She nodded against his shoulder.  “I kept telling myself I was fine.  Obviously I’m a liar.”

He kissed her head, “a person can only handle so much, Sweetheart.  I’d have to say you finally hit your limit.” 

She sighed, she hated that she totally broke down and cried all over him.  “I guess.”

He caught her chin with his thumb and finger, drawing her eyes to his, “there’s no shame in crying over what happened, Sweetheart.  You don’t have anything to prove to me.”

“I know” she said quietly.  “I just don’t usually cry like that.  I really thought I was okay.”

Gently, he pushed her head back down against his shoulder, “well now we know you’re not superwoman. Damn shame too, I had a costume all picked out for you and everything.” 

She hiccupped out a laugh and gave him a half-hearted smack on the arm.  “Stoppit, you did not.”

 He chuckled, “I guess you’ll never know now.”

 She pressed a smiling kiss to the spot under his jaw, near his ear.  “Thank you.”

 When she didn’t say anything more, when the shadows grew long against the walls he looked down at her.  She had fallen asleep on his shoulder, her lashes long dark fans against her cheek.  “Lean on me a little Sweetheart” he pressed a whisper of a kiss against her forehead.  “You don’t have to handle everything alone anymore.”

Chapter Eighty-Three

Richie wanted to get out and walk.  He’d get there faster pushing the car at this rate.  From the backseat of the non-descript dark sedan he looked through the windshield at the long, unbroken line of cars on the freeway.  LA traffic at its finest.  With a muffled curse he let his head drop back against the seat and closed his eyes.  He’d been traveling for nearly twelve hours and with the finish line almost in sight, he was stopped practically dead in his tracks.   Could nothing go his way today?

First, Jon tacked on an extra encore.  Then, he was delayed leaving Dublin.  Then he got held over in New York.  And now, this traffic jam was just the curdled cream on top of the rotten sundae of a day. 

He had hoped taking the I-5 would be quicker.  Clearly he was more sleep deprived than he realized if he thought this was the faster, less-congested route.  Maybe he should have gone home first instead of going straight to Stephanie’s.  The 405 is usually a lot quicker heading toward Calabasas than Burbank.  He sighed.  It was too late to change his mind now.  He’d just have to make the best of it and hope that the traffic jam - whatever was causing it - cleared up so that they could be on their way.

Two long fingers reached into his shirt pocket and came out with his phone.  He turned it over and over in his palm, debating calling her.  He hadn’t talked to her since before last night’s show.  He wanted to keep his homecoming a surprise for her.  She wasn’t expecting him until tomorrow, at the earliest.  Just as he slid his fingertip across the screen, the car lurched forward, moving in line with the rest of the traffic.  Keeping a tight grip on the phone he chanced a glance out the front window.  Things were starting to move along at a pace slightly faster than stop.  It was better than nothing.

He slipped the phone back in his pocket.  He could wait a little longer and then he would see her, face to face, hold her in his arms and see for himself that she really was all right.

The traffic just needed to keep moving.

~

Stepping out on her front porch, Stephanie watered her pots and boxes of flowers.  She was surprised that the blooms hadn’t faded yet.  It had been so warm she had been watering constantly it seemed.  But they were holding their own.  Sprinkling the last of the pots, she took the little can back into the house and set it next to the sink, trading it for her Kindle and a tall glass of lemonade. 

Heading back out front, she sat down on the top step and leaned up against the post.  She flexed the fingers of her right hand.  The doctor had swapped her ace bandage for a sturdier plastic splint/cast that was driving her nuts.  She hadn’t sprained her wrist like they had first thought.  Oh no, according to the x-rays taken the other day, she had a hairline fracture in her wrist.  Lovely.  She got to wear this stupid thing for the next four weeks.

Yay.

She frowned and took a sip of her lemonade.  Her ribs had gotten a second set of pictures taken as well.  Nothing broken in there, but the bruising had been severe enough to keep her tender far longer than she liked.  Her midsection was still mottled a lovely green, yellow and purple.  But, she’d be able to travel with Richie next week.  The doctor had warned her it might be painful with the pressure changes, but he didn’t see any reason she should change her plans.  She would take her Tylenol with her, just in case.

Draining her glass she set it aside and woke her Kindle up.  She briefly checked her email and was surprised to find nothing new since that morning.  Closing that she opened up the book she was reading.  She was re-reading one of her favorites, but she really should check Amazon for something new before she went away.  She was totally engrossed in the tale of the blood brothers and their battle between good and evil, that she didn’t hear the car pull up.

Richie watched her for just a minute and took his first easy breath since that heart-stopping phone call nearly two weeks ago.  She looked like a fairy queen sitting there surrounded by her flowers with the sun pouring over her.  His fingers flexed with the need to touch, to tangle in the hair that fell over her shoulder in a wild riot of curls.  He stepped from the car, she didn’t move.  He retrieved his bags and guitar from the trunk and still she didn’t look up.  The slamming of the trunk finally caught her attention.  She looked up and surprise lit her eyes and a welcoming sunbeam of a smile wreathed her face. 

Digging in his pocket, he shoved a few bills into the driver’s hand and hastily sent the man on his way.  Maneuvering the suitcase, messenger bag and guitar he stopped at the base of the steps.  “Sweetheart, you are blessed sight for sore, tired eyes.”

She looked him up and down.  He looked good, a little wrinkled and travel weary, but damn good.  “I could say the same darlin’.”  She came down two steps so she was eye to eye with him.  “Wasn’t I supposed to pick you up tomorrow?”

He set his guitar case and carry on down and wrapped his arms around her, gently.  “I left right after the show last night.  Surprise.” 

She raised her arms, settled them around his shoulders.  It felt so good to be here again.  “I’m glad.”  She met his mouth with hers, a soft stroke of her lips over his.  “Missed you.”

He took the invitation and kissed her fully.  “Missed you too, Sweetheart.”  His hands traveled up and down her sides, his thumbs caressing the generous under-curve of her breasts.  “You have no idea how much.”

She pulled her mouth from his, stroking his jaw with her thumbs.  “I think I can guess.”  She smiled and took his hands, “come inside.”

Looking down at their joined hands, he tightened his grip on her fingers at the sight of the splint she now wore.  “Not just yet.”  He indicated to the stop step where she had been sitting just moments before.  “Sit here with me a minute.”

Her questioning gaze found his concerned one.  A hint of relief resided in those warm, toffee colored orbs along with his worry and fear for her.  Keeping her hand in his and her eyes on his, she sat back down on the steps. 

He crowded in next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and picking up her wrist.  “I thought it was only sprained.”

She leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder.  He wanted to talk about it, so they would talk.  “I did too.  The hairline fracture didn’t show up until after the swelling went down.”

He brought her hand to his mouth, kissing the still slightly discolored knuckles lightly.  “I hate that I couldn’t be here for you when you needed me.”

Tugging her fingers from his, she slid them along his jaw, tilting his chin down so she could see his face.  “Don’t, Rich.  Don’t do this.  You were where you needed to be doing your job.  I had Darcy and you sicced Heather and Ava on me.  You did everything you could.  And I appreciate it, even if your daughter is a little mini-Hitler.”  That got her a hint of a smile.  “I’m okay” she pressed her lips to the indent in his chin.  “Really.”

Turning his head, he nuzzled into her hair, drawing in her scent.  Everything inside him relaxed, the tension melted away and he felt more at ease just having her close to him.  Seeing for himself that she really was doing all right.  His lips grazed her temple, resting there lightly. 

Stephanie let him have his moment of reassurance before shifting next to him.  Taking his hand once again, she stood, “let’s go inside.”

~

He fund her in her room, standing in a pool of sunlight.  Moving up behind her, he slid his fingertips up her arms, resting his hands on her shoulders.  His thumbs moved in light circles over her skin.  She was so soft.  He pushed her hair to the side, nosing in to dot kisses along her neck.  He nipped lightly at a delicate collarbone.  “Sweetheart” his voice was a harsh, hungry whisper in her ear.  “It’s been a while.”  He grazed her lobe with his teeth.  “No guarantees how long this will last.”

She turned her head, found his lips with hers.  Fast, slow, she didn’t care.  She just wanted to hold him, have him wrap himself around her, to be with him, to have him in her, on her and all around her.  Her fingers found the hem of his shirt and tugged it up and over his head.  She pressed her face to his chest, “don’t care.”  She drew a flat, coppery nipple into her mouth, earning a hiss of approval. 

Her cotton shorts landed in a quiet heap on the floor and he picked her up, his palms cradling her bottom as he moved toward the bed.  Laying her across the wide bed he gazed down on her, tracing the lacy edge of her cotton panties.  “I love that you always match.”  The gray of her underwear matched the gray of her cami tank top.  The sexy, slightly evil smile she gave him was nearly his undoing.

“I know.  Why do you think I do it?”

He crawled up over her, “minx.”  He nipped her chin when she tipped her head back in a laugh.  His hand skimmed down her sides, a finger hooking in the lace and dragged it down her hip.  Moving back, he slid the lacy cotton down the length of her legs.  He made the return trip up her leg with his mouth.  He especially liked the soft, tender spot behind her knee.  He drew lazy circles there with his tongue, her quiet whimper music to his ears. 

What was it about the sounds a woman made when aroused?  For him, they were a direct arrow to his dick.  He was glad he still had his pants on.  Every whimper, moan and sigh had him harder and made him want to touch her that much more.  He skimmed higher, turning to the inside of her thighs. Her hitched breath urged him closer.  He lightly licked at her center, her tangy sweetness drew him in for a full kiss, tracing and tasting the soft petals of her sex.  When she started to tremble under him, he backed off.

She raised her head, eyes blurry with arousal.  “Rich?”

“Shh” he slid his hand between them and opened his pants, his dick strangled behind the constrictive denim.  “Not yet, not yet.”  He moved, nosing his way under the hem of her cami, nudging it up, wanting nothing but skin between them.  He was brought up short by the colorful bruising that covered her midriff. 

Stephanie lifted her head again, watching him look at her tie-dyed torso.  “Rich?”

He didn’t look at her.  He pushed at the cotton that was still in his way and dropped his mouth to her skin.  He kissed every bruise, every colorful mark, as if he could love away the ugly marks.  “I’m so sorry darlin’” he murmured as his lips slid across her skin, wishing he could take it all away. 

Her eyes stung and she combed her fingers into his hair, slid them down to cup his face, lifting it to hers.  “It’s okay.”  Twin tears rolled down her cheeks at the tenderness he was showing her. She stroked his cheeks with her thumbs, “I’m okay” she whispered.

Her tears ripped at him.  He dropped more kisses to her damaged skin before turning his head and kissing each of her palms.  She was all right, he knew she was all right, it was just hard to see the evidence that she hadn’t been at one point.  He slid up over her, nudging his way inside her, filling her gently as he threaded his fingers through hers. 

They moved together on her bed as the afternoon waned and shadows grew longer.  The breeze that billowed the curtains stole their cries and groans as they found their way to blissful oblivion.