Once and Again - By Lauren Dane Page 0,39
occasional flower, he liked the way her skin felt, liked the weight of her body next to him.
“Not really. I…knew the tattoo artist and had admired his work. I had a picture of this wrought-iron work I really liked with these curves. It stayed with me, so I took it in for him to look at. Later I added the flowers because I wanted a little bit of color.”
“Sexy. And knew in the biblical sense?”
She laughed and turned to him, presenting him with a bounty of new things to visually feast on. “I don’t know that I’d say that. Yes, I dated him a while. But we never…we didn’t have…” She laughed again. “We never fucked. We messed around a little, and this is quite detailed and I’m sure you don’t actually care. But anyway. I knew him and admired his talent and he did a great job. No great meaning, I just thought it was pretty.”
He frowned. “I do care. I shouldn’t. Of course you had a life after we split up and all. But I guess I don’t like that another man got to be in your bed.”
One of her brows rose. “You were engaged to be married. Really, Nathan, Stephanie Prater?” She rolled her eyes and snorted. “I’ve seen her in town several times now, of course. She did stop to tell me what an awesome lay you were.”
Mortification rose. “Tate tried to warn me she was all wrong for me.”
“I suppose all that blonde hair and the breasts blinded you to her true nature. Really, Nathan, she’s a vile, vile creature.”
He knew.
“I know. I’m sorry she said that.” He paused. “What did you say back?”
“I told her I knew because I’d been all up in it for two years before she ever came along and I hoped I’d rendered some good training for the boring lay she must have been.” Lily smiled brightly, and he laughed and laughed some more, holding her to him.
“I’ve missed you.”
She took a deep breath and tried to move away but he shook his head. “Oh no you don’t. No more pushing me away. I know you want me, Lily. I know you like being with me. You can lie to yourself if you want, but you can’t lie to me.”
“You mesmerized me once and again with your cock. It’s like you’re carrying four rolls of quarters down the front of your jeans. How can I resist?”
He shook his head. “Baby, you and your sweet nothings will turn a man’s head. Anyway, it’s more than my apparently massive cock. Four? You like me. You like being Nathan and Lily again.”
“Look, Nathan, you’re still Chris’s teacher. In case it’s escaped your notice we live in a small town where even what kinds of birds eat at which feeders in which yard are a topic for gossip. Chris has had enough to deal with after what happened with our father. People are still talking about it. I can’t do this and make it even worse for him.”
“Thank God he’s got you.” Nathan wasn’t all that impressed with Pamela and her parenting. He understood she’d been devastated when her husband up and left, though it was common knowledge he’d been catting around for years. But that was no excuse to just stop being a mother to a teenager. He was convinced that without Lily’s intervention things would have gotten far worse for Chris.
“I keep hoping my mother will get her act together.”
“That why you decided to stay?”
She made a face, and he knew he was poking her out of her comfort zone. She didn’t like to speak ill of her family, he got it and he respected that. She’d already shared negatives about her mother and sister as well. But it was different when it was him. He wanted her to remember, to trust him like she used to.
“He’s had enough people fail him. Whatever the reason for it. I had a good mom growing up. Scattered maybe, but she was there after school. Drove me to this and that. And even then my dad was pretty good. Chris is my family. He needs me and that’s that. So this thing”—she waved a hand between them—“isn’t possible right now.”
He canted his hips, brushing his cock against her. “Oh it is. I’ve got great recovery where you’re concerned. And it is happening. It happened twice if I recall correctly. And it will happen again. You know it.”
She got up and moved to the windows, the