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Tori realized Guy wasn’t really joking so she shifted and pulled up his shirt to take a look at his side. When she saw the red smudge where she had poked him with her elbow, she frowned. She had bruised him. Very gently, Tori traced the area with one fingertip. She leaned forward, intended to kiss him but Guy intercepted her.

“Please, Tor. Not while I’m talking to Todd,” he begged and then laughed. “You guessed it. Todd says wait until we hang up for that. Yeah, she’s a little more relaxed. Listen to this one. Lita told you about everything, right? Well, Tori’s still in denial about our future so she decided that Lita probably liked what she saw and that I should try to hook up with her sometime.” Guy laughed again. “Todd says you should knock it off. He’s sure Lita’s wife, Wendy, would have major problems with that one but might not mind meeting you.”

“Oh my God,” Tori gasped.

“She’s so cute when she blushes.” Guy hugged her and let her bury her face against his shoulder while he listened to Todd. “Right. Keep in touch.”

“They didn’t find them,” Tori stated when he put down the phone.

“No, but they’re still looking. They won’t stop, Tori.”

“He said the same thing this morning.”

“Want to tell me more of what you talked about? I know I shouldn’t ask and won’t do it again if you say no now but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.”

“All right, Guy.” She turned so she was facing him. “It seems Todd, like Diana and Barry, doesn’t think I’m capable of looking beyond your caveman behavior and seeing the real you. He felt it necessary to give me advice on our nonexistent relationship and tried to convince me that I should listen to what you say while I ignore your brutish personality.”

“Christ, I’m sorry.”

Tori stopped him from reaching for her. “Why? He only said the same things as everyone else, including you. What I don’t understand, though, is why, if I’m such a hopeless idiot, they all want you to be stuck with me? Why aren’t they pushing some nice, secure girl who knows what she wants at you instead of a nut job like me?”

“Simple. We all know I’m so in love with you there is no other woman in the world who could take your place in my heart. We see you in ways that you can’t yet. Or won’t. And it’s obvious that I am the only man who can help you accept how incredible you truly are and they know I won’t give up until you do and even then, I’ll stick close in case you need to be reminded.”

“Hmm. Maybe you’re all full of bullshit and even more clueless than I am.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Oh, ha, ha. Was Todd joking about Lita?”

“Preferring women? No. He wouldn’t mess with you like that. Why? You thinking about hooking up with them?”

“Guy! No! Jeez.”

“What, Tori? It’s okay for her to be interested in me but you have a problem when it’s you? Or are you embarrassed because she watched you change when we got there?” Tori groaned. “Hey, you’re the one who pointed out that she’s still a woman even though she’s a professional. Your body is too hot to ignore. Why wouldn’t she admire the view when it’s an attractive one? Or is the fact that she’s a woman what you object to?”

“No. It doesn’t matter what gender someone is to appreciate how they look. I don’t care who she sleeps with and no, Lita is not the first lesbian I met. I’m from Beverly Hills, remember? There’s not much I didn’t see growing up and I do mean see in the most literal sense since the parties my parents gave usually ended as the anything goes type of events.”

Guy’s face showed all his conflicting emotions as he sputtered for a response.

“Don’t bother. My parents were generally in the middle of things so they’d forget about me and not notice when I escaped.”

“Christ.” Guy ran his hand over his face. “Here I thought you blush so much because you’re shy.”

“I am shy. I knew what was going on and saw way more than a kid should have but I never ever participated. That’s what you’re thinking. I know it is.”

“Whoa. Hold on. It crossed my mind but I rejected it just as fast.”

“Oh. Okay. Don’t get me wrong. Personally, I’m not interested and don’t think there’s much chance I ever will be but if that’s what a group of consenting adults all want, that’s fine for them. Go for it and have a blast. But kids, well, kids should get to be kids and not be exposed to that sort of thing until they’re old enough to understand what’s going on and what other choices they could make for themselves. I’m not saying they should be kept in bubbles and be totally ignorant but they also shouldn’t have to watch their father initiate an orgy by asking who wants their mother to use her mouth on them first.”

“I wish I knew what to say,” Guy commented softly.

“Don’t say anything, Guy. I didn’t tell you this to get you to say something to me. I don’t really know why I told you at all. I probably shouldn’t have.”

“I’m glad you did. I want to know you, Tori. I may need a minute to calm down like I just did but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to listen to anything you choose to tell me.”

“But you were disgusted.”

“By your situation, not by you. I agree with what you said about kids and I’ll never understand parents who don’t treat them as all kids deserve but it’s your parents I have the problem with, not you. Christ, Tor, I can’t begin to imagine what your childhood was like for you.”

“I didn’t have one. I don’t think anyone I grew up with did. I went to private schools and my family was pretty much the same as everybody else’s. I was the only oddball. The rest of the kids I knew never thought to question the way they lived. Even my friends made fun of me for being a weirdo if I brought up how unreal it all seemed too often. Do I wish it had been different? Of course I do. Do I feel sorry for myself or want you to because it wasn’t? Absolutely not. I can’t change it but I’m not part of it anymore so it really doesn’t matter.”

“You have no idea how utterly amazing you are,” Guy stated, caressing her cheek.

“That’s our cue to change the subject.” Guy nodded. “But just so you know, I haven’t told anyone else about all that.”

“I won’t either. Thank you for trusting me.” He brushed her lips.

“Yeah, well.” She shrugged. “Consider it an apology for hitting you in the same spot. I didn’t even consider that I could hurt you.”

“I’m fine, trust me. You won’t even see it by morning, I promise.”

Tori still felt bad but let it drop anyway. She was getting numb again and knew arguing would make it worse. “So Lita told Todd everything?”

“She had to. Although I suspect she went above and beyond the simple report her job requires when she told Todd about how often you got past my defenses. You can bet he’ll make sure my sisters all know too. Thank God I stayed on my feet. I’d never live it down if you’d knocked me on my ass.”

Tori chuckled. “Hey, Guy? Thanks for keeping me from thinking about them.”

“Thanks for letting me.”

“Thank Todd, not me. That was the other thing he talked about this morning. He guessed I might be too self-absorbed to realize that you needed to distract me as much as I needed to be distracted so he asked me to consider your suggestions instead of just rejecting them.”

“Then I’m even more pleased you let me teach you a little kickboxing. Lita’s description of you scoring some good hits will give all of them a few minutes of stress relief.”

“Oh, come on. You don’t have to keep saying that. I know I only hit you and kicked you because you let me.”

Guy shook his head. “No, I didn’t. I admit I was being sloppy when we first started and it would have been more difficult for you if you’d had to defend yourself but I swear that was all you, tiger. I wasn’t just talking when I told Todd you had good instincts. Too bad you didn’t think of it in high school. If you’d had some decent training you really could have been the state champ.”

“Maybe you could get me ready so I can enter one of those tournaments I’ve seen advertised. If I did well enough to be interviewed I could say I owe it all to my family and give the name of the salon.”

“Okay.” Guy laughed with her. “Could we wait until tomorrow for the next round? I’m still feeling a little beat up today and I don’t want you to overdo it and strain something.”

“I was kidding.”

“Me too.” He grinned. “So what should we do since we’re not going back to the gym?”

“Oh no. You’re looking at me like you do when you’re about to make me eat something and I know I’ll throw up if I try to so please don’t.”

“You’ll let me know when you’re ready?”

“Yes,” she promised as she unsuccessfully tried to hide a shiver.

Guy reached for her hands. “Damn, your skin is like ice. Why didn’t you say something?”

“I didn’t notice,” she admitted. “I think I’m a little out of it.”

“Tori.”

“I’m okay, Guy.” When Tori met his eyes, she was overwhelmed by the tenderness she found. “Will you let me do something?”

“Should I be afraid to ask?”

“No.” She reached for the bottom of his shirt and eased it up. “You wouldn’t let me kiss your boo-boo when you were on the phone. Can I now?” Tori gently covered the purplish bruise and looked back up at him.

“Please do.” Guy held his shirt out of the way.

She slowly leaned forward and barely touched him with her lips. “Maybe you should take that off and stretch out,” she suggested shyly. When Guy tugged off his shirt, she slid to the floor next to the sofa. “You might be more comfortable with another pillow,” she decided as she snagged one off the nearest chair. “Better?” Tori asked after fluffing it under his head.

“Somewhat. Be much better if you were up here with me.”

“Gee, that’s what I was thinking too.” Tori spent the next few minutes covering his slightly bruised skin with soft kisses and caresses. “You are so warm.” She ran her hand across his chest and held it over his heart. “I’m tired but I don’t want to sleep. I know I’ll see them die if I do and I don’t think I could stand watching as it happens now that I know they’re real. It’ll be almost as horrible tonight but it won’t be the same. Am I being too selfish? I mean, what if they talk about where they are and they die because I’m too scared to let myself sleep now?”

“They never mentioned it before. I seriously doubt they will this time.”

“You sure?”

“No, but I’m not going to let you find out now that you have me thinking about it. It’s not up to you anymore. I’m taking it out of your hands and whatever the outcome, it’s my responsibility now.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I know but I am. I let you kiss my boo-boo and make it all better so now you have to let me do something.”

“What?”

“We already agreed that you should be on the sofa with me. You said I felt warm and I think you still feel cold. What I want is you to take off your shirt just like I did for you and stretch out on top of me so we have lots of skin-to-skin contact. I want you to tuck your hands underneath me and let me pull this cover over us. I want to wrap my arms around you and hold you against my chest while we spend the next few hours talking about whatever comes to mind. Can we do that?”

Tori answered by removing her sweatshirt. She climbed between his legs and let Guy position her body because she was afraid she’d press against his semi-hard cock and cause him pain. After he had their lower bodies comfortable, Tori shifted her head so she could listen to his heart.

“This is so nice,” Tori sighed.

“Better than nice,” Guy agreed. “Now don’t go to sleep on me or I’ll be forced to tickle you.”

“But I’m not ticklish.”

“Ah. Okay then, don’t go to sleep or I’ll uncover your back and lick as much of it as I can reach so you get real cold, real fast.”

“That’s just plain mean.”

“I know and I’d hate to be so mean to you but you’ll be the one who caused it so you’ll be the mean one, not me.”

“Then you better start talking so neither one of us has to be mean.”

“Maybe we should make the first topic lady’s choice so I don’t start out boring you to sleep.”

“Hmm.” Tori paused to push her hands farther beneath him. She stalled by taking a deep breath. “Okay, the first thing I want to say is that I’m sorry for falling asleep last night.”

“Huh? Maybe I’m being stupid but I don’t understand why you’re apologizing.”

“Because, um, well, because I fell asleep right away. Without, um, I mean, you were…”

Guy chuckled. “Oh, I get it. You think you should apologize because you fell asleep without taking care of my hard-on.”

“You don’t have to laugh at me.”

“I’m not. Listen to me. Last night ended exactly as it should have. The way you trusted me was so special. As special as the way you made me come. Anything more might have taken away from that. If you haven’t noticed, I’m perpetually hard around you. I’m getting used to it because unless you’re willing to take care of that for me, oh, say every nine minutes, twenty-four hours a day, there’s not a whole hell of a lot I can do about it.”

“Guy. I was being serious.”

“So am I. Tori, I won’t deny how much I want you. We haven’t really started yet. So far we’ve just been teasing each other. No, let me finish. Don’t think I didn’t love every second we’ve been together because you already know how much I did. But there are many more possibilities for us to explore. And I’m sure we’ll keep coming up with new ones so we’ll never run out of ways to find pleasure with each other. There are going to be times when one of us gets more attention than the other and there’s not a damn thing wrong with that because it’ll balance out.”

“But I felt so selfish when I woke up this morning. That’s why I was afraid to face you.”

“Wait. You thought I’d be mad?” Tori nodded mutely. “Christ, no, tiger. How could I ever be mad at the gorgeous babe who let me spend all that time licking her tasty pussy? How could I be mad at you when you look so beautiful and feel so good when you come around my tongue? How could I be mad when you made me feel so special by giving yourself to me like that?”

“Guy,” Tori sounded lost.

“Sh, don’t get upset. I know you don’t understand but I promise you will if you stick with me.”

“I’m scared.”