Stripped - By Brenda Rothert Page 0,75

woman said, eliciting laughter from the other students.

“Casey, I think you’re ready for it,” Abby said to a young brunette. “Everyone else, let’s do our basic moves again, to music this time.”

She pressed a button on her remote and a sultry song started. Abby laughed with Casey as she helped her skim down the pole upside down.

“That was awkward,” Casey said as she stood back up.

“For your first time, it was good. I fell off so many times before I stayed on like that,” Abby said.

The pounding of a hammer could be heard during the soft moments in the song, and Abby smiled, knowing the contractor’s crew was building the walls to her new kitchen. Their warehouse loft would be complete in two more months, and she couldn’t wait to move in.

In the meantime, she and the girls had moved in with Chris. His second bedroom was tiny, but they had managed to fit bunk beds into it. Audrey and Sara would both have large rooms in the new apartment. They were excited about living in the same building as the studio.

She had started teaching her sisters to dance, and it brought Abby more joy than she had expected. Audrey loved it, and they were planning to send her to a fine arts camp in the summer so she could learn from advanced instructors.

Though she had thought her pole dancing days were behind her, Abby loved teaching it to her students. They often drank wine, talked and laughed while they worked, and it was always a good time. Helping women reach their inner divas was rewarding.

Abby heard cat calls from some of the women, and she figured one of the hot construction workers was walking by again.

“I’ll dance on his pole anytime,” a middle-aged woman said with a grin.

Abby glanced over and smiled, too.

“Hey, that’s my job,” she said. “He’s my husband.”

Chris was leaning in the doorway, watching her. She smiled as she remembered their first dance as a married couple in this very room two months ago. He had gone all out, having it transformed into a sophisticated, elegant venue that rivaled the fanciest reception halls in the city. The sprawling room had been filled with thousands of calla lilies, white lights and tall topiaries.

A lock of blond hair hung down his forehead, and Abby was eager to brush it back. His worn jeans and t-shirt reminded her that it was Saturday, his day off, and they would be taking the girls bowling when she finished her class.

He had switched to day shift at the hospital, and Abby still reveled in going to bed with him every night and waking up with him every morning. Even after two months, it still felt like a dream sometimes. The Greek God she had admired at a bachelor party was now her husband. The realization never failed to make her smile.

“Okay, guys, stay if you’d like, but I’ve got to go,” Abby said, looking at the clock and realizing class had ended five minutes ago. “Good work today.”

“Hi,” Chris said, giving her a peck as she walked over.

“You can do better than that,” she chided with a grin. “My students think you’re hot, so show them that you are.”

His brows went up with amusement as he reached for her. Abby inhaled sharply with surprise as he picked her up and pressed her into the brick wall. His eyes met hers for a second before he covered her mouth with his own, kissing her deeply. She wound her fingers into the waves of his hair. His mouth wandered from her mouth down her jaw to her neck.

“I’m sweaty,” she said self-consciously.

“You taste good,” he murmured. She gave a low moan, aroused by the feel of his hard body against hers.

“I want a turn!” one of the women from the class yelled. Abby laughed, and Chris kissed her again. It was a slow, lingering kiss that made her sorry when he pulled away.

“The girls are waiting in the front office to go bowling,” he said. “Justin’s meeting us there, so we’d better get going.”

“Okay,” Abby sighed. “Can we continue this later?”

“Of course. Nothing I like better than satisfying my wife. Maybe we should toss your pills, because getting my wife pregnant would be off the charts hot.”

“Already?”

“Not if you aren’t ready yet. But I am whenever you are.”

“Ready to get me pregnant or ready to have a baby?”

“Both. But I know you said you wanted to wait, and I respect that. And the girls may need more time to adjust to having me around and moving before we think about it.”

“They’ll love having a baby around. I’ll be ready soon. Let’s get the apartment finished and get moved first.”

Chris leaned his forehead against hers.

“I love you, Mrs. Reneau,” he said softly. “And I still love watching you pole dance, too.”

“You’re lucky I got over your initial rejection of me.”

“I never rejected you,” Chris said, laughing. “I’m glad it worked out the way it did, though. I wouldn’t have wanted us to start out that way. Your body’s not the best part of you, Abby. Not even close.”

Abby was gratified as she looked up at him and knew he was right. Hearing Chris say he loved her never got old. Her life was better than she had ever dreamed it would be. But she knew that it wasn’t Chris’ love that had freed her from her old life – it was finally learning to love herself. For the first time, she knew she was setting a good example for her sisters.

She smiled as she saw Audrey and Sara waiting anxiously by the door in her front office. Her students poured out the exit door and Abby switched off the lights. When she caught up with Chris, she reached for his hand, and as he grinned down at her, she wondered if the floaty, cloud-nine feeling would ever pass. She doubted it.