Give Me a Reason (41 page)

“I don’t mean to.”

“Then open the bloody box!”

Letting out an exaggerated sigh, Toni accepted defeat and
began pulling away the ribbon and bow. Slowly removing the gold paper, she
lifted the cover and pushed aside the tissue paper. Toni’s eyes flashed to
Laura and then back to the contents of the box, her eyebrows drawing together
as she shook her head. “I...I don’t understand.”

“Look underneath.”

For a second, Toni just stared at the stack of estate agent
brochures before finally lifting them out. Moving aside a layer of tissue paper
underneath, when she saw a rolled-up piece of paper held closed by a diamond
ring, her mouth dropped open.

Reaching over, Laura pulled out the scroll, and removing the
ring, she handed Toni the paper. “Read this.”

“But—”

“Read it, Toni. Please.”

Waiting while Toni opened the scroll, when Laura saw her
begin to scan the words, she filled in the blanks. “It’s an agreement I signed
earlier this week with an estate agent.”

“But…but why? You love this house.”

“It’s just a house, Toni, but I don’t want a house. I want a
home...and I want you.” Opening her hand to display the emerald-cut diamond in
a band of gold, Laura said, “And I want you ‘til death do us part.” When Laura
saw Toni’s eyes fill with tears, she cupped the woman’s chin and looked her in
the eye. “I love you, Toni, and I don’t ever want you to doubt that. With
everything you’ve been through, I know that words may not be enough for you, so
I hope this is. Marry me, Toni. Marry me and give me a reason to smile...for
the rest of my life.”

Blinking back her tears, Toni said, “Are you sure this is
what you want? It could take years of therapy, Laura, and even then, there
aren’t any guarantees—”

“I don’t need guarantees, Toni. I need
you
…for better or for worse.”

“It could be more worse than better.”

“Sweetheart, there’s nothing you can say that’s going to
change my mind. Now stop trying to give me an out…and give me an answer.”

Looking into Laura’s eyes, Toni grinned. “You’re quite the
pushy one, aren’t you?”

“You have no idea.”

“So, if I know what’s good for me, I’d best say yes.”

“Is that your answer?”

Pausing for a moment, Toni smiled wide. “Yes, I think it is.”

If Toni thought about changing her mind, she had about a
nanosecond to do it, because as soon as she said yes, Laura slipped the ring on
her finger. Gazing at the diamond, Toni said with a leer, “Does this mean I get
to unwrap something else now?”

“You’re incorrigible.”

“No...I’m just in love.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Normally a woman who enjoyed sleeping until noon if she got
the chance, when the sun streamed through the blinds the next morning, Laura
awoke with a smile on her face and more energy than she knew what to do with.
Although tempted to take up where they had left off the night before, when she
saw Toni sleeping peacefully, Laura silently chastised herself for her thoughts
and crept from the room. Trying her best to keep her mind off the woman in her
bed, she padded downstairs and proceeded to straighten the lounge, tidy up the
kitchen and make a pot of coffee before the urge to return to Toni became too
strong. Carefully carrying two mugs up the stairs, Laura quietly snuck back
into the bedroom, placed the coffee on the nightstand, and dropping her robe on
the floor, slipped back under the sheets.

Rolling to her side, she propped herself up on one elbow and
admired the view. Her first thought was to run her fingers through Toni’s
tousled hair, but deciding to let the woman sleep for a little while longer,
Laura instead allowed her eyes to wander. When they came to rest upon two
hardened buds under the ivory cotton percale, she held back a grin as she
gently moved the sheet aside.

Again, Laura was amazed how the sight of Toni’s body ignited
her desire in an instant, for when her eyes settled on the erect, pale pink
crests, Laura’s center awakened with a flutter. Swallowing the moisture
building in her mouth, she leaned over and gently ran her tongue over the
tightly beaded tip, and then watched as the already alert point seemed to grow
harder before her eyes. After a quick glance to make sure Toni was still
asleep, Laura grew bolder. Tasting again, she casually ran her tongue around
the darkened center until she heard Toni’s breathing change.

Without opening her eyes, Toni murmured, “What do you think
you’re doing?”

“Just saying hello.”

“If I’m not mistaken, you said
hello
last night.”

“Yes, I did, but this is a new day,” Laura said, flicking her
tongue across the pointed tip.

Sighing at the sensation, Toni stretched her legs and opened
her eyes. Gazing at the woman smiling back at her, she said, “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Laura said, running her hand across Toni’s
belly. “Should I let you go back to sleep?”

“What time is it?”

“Almost eight.”

“Oh, I should get up.”

“What’s the rush?” Laura asked, covering Toni’s right breast
with her hand.

Enjoying Laura’s tender tweaking of her nipple, Toni closed
her eyes. “I’d...I’d like to go out today and buy my fiancée a ring.”

Laura beamed. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“I guess we should go early then, huh? Try to beat the rush,”
Laura said as her hand began to travel under the sheets.

“It makes the most sense given my...my...
oh
...fear of crowds,” Toni said, shifting slightly
as Laura brushed her fingers through the mound of curly hair between her legs.

“So you’re saying we don’t have time for this,” Laura said,
flicking her tongue across Toni’s nipple again.

Arching her chest toward Laura’s awaiting mouth, Toni said,
“No, I’m just saying...we’ll have to...we’ll have to make it fast.”

Fast was definitely an option Laura was willing to take.
Quickly capturing Toni’s nipple in her mouth, she sucked hard against the erect
bud as she slipped her hand between Toni’s legs. Amazed at the wetness she
found, Laura snaked her fingers through the delicate softness until she reached
her target. Easily dipping a finger inside, as Laura began to rub, Toni began
to squirm.

The night before they had celebrated their engagement with
tender foreplay that lasted long into the night before climax had been reached,
but Laura wasn’t the only one who had awoken with a need, so when she increased
the tempo, Toni was more than receptive to the pace.

Within only a few minutes, Toni began to feel the distant thrum
of her orgasm building within her, and hungry for release, she urged Laura to
the mattress. Straddling her thigh, Toni forced Laura’s hand between her legs,
and as soon as Laura’s fingers returned to her warm, wet center, Toni began to
rock.

Thrusting her hips, Toni took Laura inside of her again and
again, impaling herself in abandon until a rumbling, groan rose in her throat.
She stilled for a second, waiting for completion and when it happened, it took
her breath away. Collapsing on top of Laura, Toni rode out the spasms of her
orgasm until, gasping for air and shining with sweat, she rolled to her side.
Relishing the feel of the cool sheets against her heated skin, ever so slowly,
her breathing returned to normal.

Laura waited as Toni returned to earth, and when her eyes
opened, Laura asked, “Are you okay?” 

“I will be in a minute,” Toni said in a low, sexy voice as
she slid off the bed.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m not the one who’s going anywhere,” Toni said as she
pushed away the sheets. Curling her finger at Laura, she beckoned her closer.
“Come here.”

Toni’s command packed a sensual wallop that settled soundly
between Laura’s legs. In an instant, Laura was on her knees, her breathing
turning shallow as she crawled to the edge of the bed. With her eyes locked on
Toni’s, Laura took her hand, standing only for a moment before finding herself
being lowered to the sheets again.

Placing a pillow under Laura’s bottom, Toni leered at her.
“It’s time for breakfast, darling and I’m very...
very
hungry.”

Kneeling on the floor, Toni gazed at what was in front of
her. Feminine petals drenched with excitement awaited her, and wasting no time
in sampling the banquet, Toni spread them with her thumbs and ran her tongue
along a furrow. Delighting in the essence of Laura’s desire, Toni had no
intention of taking the option of fast, and minutes passed by as she tasted,
licked and probed until Laura raised her hips and pleaded, “Oh, Toni...please.
Oh please...please do it now.”

Toni purred at the plea. Easing a finger into Laura’s slick
center, she began to drive Laura insane. Toni was a quick study when it came to
what would make Laura explode, and after only a few more minutes of tormenting
her with long, steady strokes, Toni parted Laura’s folds and began tickling her
entrance with her tongue.

Air rushed from Laura’s lungs. “Oh...oh...oh...” she gasped,
placing her feet on Toni’s shoulders. “Oh...oh...
yessss
.”

Encouraged by the passionate response, Toni continued to
tease with her tongue, all the while using her thumb to draw lazy figure eights
over Laura’s clit. Increasing the pressure with each circle of the swollen bud,
Toni was unforgiving. She licked and teased while Laura moaned and bucked,
raising her sex toward Toni’s mouth with urgency until finally, Laura couldn’t
hold out any longer.

Grabbing hold of the sheets, Laura raised her hips again.
“Now, Toni! Oh...God...now!”

Hearing the desperation in Laura’s voice, Toni gave her what
she knew she wanted. Exposing Laura’s quivering center, Toni pushed her tongue inside.

Unmercifully claiming its victim, the orgasm took Laura’s
breath away, and as her body pulsed, pushing desire from her center, Toni
tasted every drop. Gently licking away the ambrosial nectar, Toni waited until
she felt Laura relax before she slowly climbed onto the bed, and brushing
soaked strands of auburn from Laura’s forehead, she placed her lips on Laura’s.

Their feminine flavors mixed, and savoring the blend, it took
everything Toni had to pull away. If it had been just another Saturday, spending
the rest of the morning in bed with the woman lying naked across the sheets
wouldn’t have been a problem, but ever since Laura had slipped the ring on her
finger, all Toni wanted to do was to return the sentiment. Jumping out of bed,
she announced, “It’s time to get your lovely arse in gear, Miss MacLeod. We
have things to do.”

“Give me one good reason why I should,” Laura mumbled,
opening one eye.

“Because I want to buy the woman I love an engagement ring,
but without her help, I can’t. That is unless you want me to ask Krista to run
out and pick one up?”

Scrambling to her feet, Laura kissed Toni on the cheek. “Not
on your life.”

“Then you’d best get a move on. You know how I get in crowded
stores.”

“Give me five minutes.”

Watching Laura sashay to the bathroom in all her nakedness,
Toni smiled. “I’ll give you ten.”

***

Although they had several more gifts to purchase before their
Christmas lists were completed, when Toni requested that the first stop be the
jewelry store where Laura had purchased her ring, Laura happily agreed.
Believing that she would accompany Toni into the store to choose the ring,
Laura was shocked when Toni ordered her to stay in the car. With a confidence
Laura had only ever seen behind the walls of her home, Toni exited the car and
marched into the shop.

It was your typical jewelry store, filled with cases
displaying gems from around the world. Behind the counters stood the sale staff
wearing painted on smiles, assisting hunched-over customers who were pressing
their fingers against the glass as they swooned over the selections.

Avoiding eye contact with customers and salespeople alike,
Toni slowly walked around the shop until she found the cases displaying what
she sought. Glancing at the ring she now proudly wore on her left hand, she
took a deep breath and stepped closer to view the collection of diamond
solitaires on velvet fingers.

“I’m glad to see you said yes.”

Toni tensed. Slowly raising her eyes, she found herself
looking at a woman in her early sixties who was standing on the other side of
the counter. “I’m...I’m sorry?”

Pointing to Toni’s engagement ring, the gray-haired woman
said, “A few days ago I sold that to a young woman who said she wanted to
propose to her girlfriend, and I’m assuming that’s you.”

Toni blushed, and with a nod, she whispered, “Yes. Yes, it
is.”

Perplexed by Toni’s nervousness, the woman asked, “I’m sorry,
but is everything all right? Is there something wrong with the ring?”

“What? Oh, no. No, it’s fine,” Toni said, shaking her head.
“I’m...I’m not...I’m just not very comfortable around crowds. That’s all.”

Glancing past Toni to the people rapidly filling the shop,
the woman leaned closer. “Well, I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse as the
day goes on. It is the season for gifts of gold and silver.”

“Yeah...yeah, I suppose,” Toni said, going rigid when another
customer leaned over to look into the case.

Smelling of gardenias and covered in glitz and finery, the
woman didn’t seem to care that she was invading Toni’s space.

Taking a step back, it was all Toni could do to find her
voice. “I-I-I think I need to leave.”

Annoyed by the pompous matriarch’s intrusion, the saleswoman
said loudly, “Without getting your lovely girlfriend a ring?”

The dowager’s head snapped up. Glaring down her narrow nose at
Toni, she then turned her condescending look to the saleswoman. Curling her
lip, she grunted in disgust and stomped away.

“Well, it seems we have the case to ourselves again,” the
saleswoman said, smiling brightly. “Isn’t that convenient?”

With just a hint of a grin, Toni lifted her eyes. “You...you
didn’t have to do that.”

“Give me one reason why that old biddy needs to peruse
engagement rings,” she said, using a cloth to wipe the woman’s fingerprints
from the glass. “Besides, it’s about time we’re allowed to marry those we love.
Wouldn’t you agree?”

***

An hour later, Toni emerged from the shop, shaky and pale,
but with her purchase in hand. Sliding into the passenger seat, she closed her
eyes and concentrated on slowing down her breathing.

“You okay?” Laura asked.

“Yeah. I just need a minute.”

After a few moments of staring at the small white bag
clutched in Toni’s hand, Laura said, “So, I’m assuming you found something.”

“Yes, I did,” Toni said, opening her eyes.

“Can I see it?”

Amused by Laura’s eagerness, Toni said, “No, you may not.”

Inquisitive to the point of being comical, Laura tried her
best to convince Toni to hand over the ring, but stating that the setting was
neither romantic nor appropriate, Toni stuffed the package in her pocket and informed
Laura she would have to wait. Slightly annoyed by Toni’s decision, at first
Laura tried to rush through the rest of the day’s shopping spree, but as the
afternoon progressed, stores got busier and Toni’s anxieties flared. More than
once, Toni had to return to the car to gather her wits, and in the ladies’ room
of an overcrowded toy store, Laura spent the better part of a half hour
patiently talking Toni back from a panic attack. Although Laura’s curiosity was
still very much alive and well, she slowed their pace to a crawl, and Toni’s
nerves calmed.

After stopping by their favorite Chinese restaurant for
take-away, they arrived home with the boot of Laura’s car filled with packages
and a paper bag overflowing with cartons of Eastern cuisine. Suggesting Laura
start a fire so they could enjoy their meal in front of the hearth, Toni
disappeared into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later carrying two
glasses of wine.

Noticing Laura staring into the flames, Toni flicked off the
table lamp, and when Laura turned in her direction, she walked over, placed the
glasses on the table and knelt on one knee. Gazing at the woman she loved, Toni
opened her hand to reveal the ring she had bought that morning, and in a
whisper she asked, “I know this is just a formality, but will you do me the
honor of becoming my wife?”

“In a heartbeat,” Laura said in a breath. Holding out her
hand, Laura’s eyes overflowed as Toni slipped the diamond ring on her finger.