Page 92 of Perfect Distraction
Chapter Seventeen
Andrew wound his right arm around her waist, pulling her body flush against his, soft against hard. He kissed her softly, a slight caress, and she felt the power restrained deep inside him. He was holding back.
Lauren wanted none of it.
“Andrew,” she whispered against his lips, curling her hands around his shoulders. She arched into him and nipped at his bottom lip. Asking him to let go.
He groaned, moving one arm around her shoulders and hooking the other beneath her knees. He swung her up and carried her to his bedroom, never breaking contact from her mouth. He laid her down on top of the comforter and crawled over her, caging her in between his hands and knees. He slanted his mouth over hers, kissing her deeply, running one hand down the length of her body. Her arms wound around his torso, her nails lightly trailing the bare skin of his back.
“I want to make love to you so badly it hurts,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “But I’m so fucking tired, and I’m a little drunk, and I’m not going there until I know I can give you the best I’ve got.” He wove their fingers together and pressed them into the mattress, on either side of her head. “But I am going to kiss the hell out of you.”
She lifted her head to brush his ear with her soft lips. “Never stop,” she said, her voice breaking.
He made a sound deep in the back of his throat before taking her mouth in a rough kiss. A few minutes passed, the sounds of their heavy breathing echoing against the walls. She pulled her hands away from his fingers and ran them all over his back and shoulders.
“Do you have any idea what I feel for you?” he asked.
She nodded. “I feel it.”
He lifted his hips, shooting her a strange look. “I can’t help it.”
Lauren laughed, curling her fingers through the belt loops of his jeans. She pulled him back down to her, loving that she affected him like that. It made her feel powerful, and wanted. “I meant I can feel the emotion behind it. That you care for me.”
He relaxed against her, still keeping his weight on his arms, his expression softening. “Can’t help that, either.”
She pushed against his chest, rolling them to the side and switching positions. He kept his arms around her when he landed on his back, and she stretched out beside him, her body half on top of his. His skin was warm and smooth, and he smelled so good she wanted to wrap herself up in it. Her hair fell down across his chest, and with a shaking hand he gathered it behind her head.
With one hand she stroked his face and could hardly believe he looked at her with such affection. “But you, you idiot man, apparently don’t know what I feel for you.”
He opened his mouth, but she put her lips on his. She kissed him for several minutes and moved her lips to his ear. “I love you.”
Andrew froze for a second, then jerked up on his elbows, the movement startling her. She pulled back, and he searched her face.
She smiled and nodded, understanding the question in his eyes. “I really do.”
He dropped onto his back and took her face gently between his hands, punctuating each sentence with a kiss. “I love you, Lauren. I love you. So damn much. You’re mine, and I’m never letting you go.”
On Saturday morning, Lauren and Andrew spent several hours at Children’s. At first, she was worried he might not want to go, with the recent scan results and news about needing more chemo.
“Are you sure?” she’d asked. “I can go on my own this time. Give you a day to relax and recharge.”
“I had my little pity party. I’m done,” he said. “Nothing makes me believe I can keep doing this more than those kids. If they can handle it, so can I.”
An hour into their visit, they were seated around a round table with several kids, playing a farm animal variation of Go Fish. After the first two rounds, Andrew had persuaded Jasmine to join in. He’d flipped his chair around backward and leaned his chest against the backrest, his long legs bracketing either side and his hands holding his set of cards on the table, looking just as focused as if it were a professional game of poker. He’d changed things up and worn a Royals baseball cap today, which he’d also turned backward after the first game, declaring things were “getting competitive.”
Lauren watched as he leaned to his left, where Jasmine sat, eying her cards.
“Psst,” he whispered loudly. “Got any horses in there?”
She frowned. “It’s not your turn.”
“I’m just planning my next move. Help a guy out.”
Jasmine narrowed her eyes and pulled her cards to her chest. “Go away, cheater.”
Andrew sat back with wide eyes, feigning shock. “I thought we were friends.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “When I beat you, I’ll take that hat.”
