Loving Lauren (21 page)

“Hmm, okay.” She turned and snuggled into her soft comforter as he walked out her door wrapped in nothing but her white cotton robe.

Chapter Twelve

Chase stood at the stove cooking eggs, Dingo at his feet, as he watched the sun rise in the large window. He was starting to feel more frustrated at Lauren, especially after looking around her bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen. He wanted to shake her for not doing some basic minor fixes to the place over the years. At the top of his list was a new water heater, then a new refrigerator and stove. He wanted to kick the old thing he was trying to cook on now. Half the burner didn't work and when it did, if he didn't watch it closely, it burned the eggs. Even her toaster needed to be replaced.

He didn't want to march in here and start complaining about how she'd been living, but there were some things that just couldn't be avoided. The stove was a fire hazard. He cringed to think of what the water heater or the furnace was like.

When he carried the eggs and toast up to her, he paused just inside her door. Her skin was back to its normal soft creamy color. The welts were all but gone as he looked over the rest of her. Setting the plate down, he crawled into the bed behind her and decided to shut down for a while.

When he woke a few hours later, he looked up into Haley's smiling face as she sat on the end of the bed looking between him and Lauren.

“Hey.” He reached up and rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms over his head. Lauren shifted next to him and snuggled into his chest as Haley's smile got bigger.

“Hey, yourself,” she said loud enough that Lauren jolted upward. He watched in humor as Lauren groaned and closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the headboard.

“Does anyone in this house know how to knock?” Lauren groaned and tried to cover herself with the blanket.

“I knocked,” Haley said as she scooted closer to her sister. “So, you and Chase, huh?”

Chase chuckled at Lauren's response. She pulled the blankets back and looked at her sister. “Go away now and I may let you live.”

“Fine, fine. We'll talk later,” she said as she started walking towards the door.

“Fine,” Lauren said and lay back.

“Oh, I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Chase.” Haley smiled and shut the door behind her as Chase laughed.

He leaned down and pulled Lauren closer to him. The soft feel of her, the scent of her shampoo, sent little waves of awareness throughout his entire system.

“Hmm, this feels nice.” She snuggled her back against him and he was very aware that under the blankets she was completely naked. “I'm sorry about my nosy sisters.”

He chuckled. “I'll forgive them, especially since Haley made sure to lock the door when she left.”

Lauren chuckled and then moaned as he started running his lips over the soft skin just under her ears. “You taste so wonderful.” He listened to her breath catch. Then she completely shocked him by turning over and pulling the blankets off of them both. He quite literally lost every thought in his head as he looked at her soft perfect skin.

She couldn't help it, she wanted more of him, and she wasn't opposed to taking what she wanted. Pulling herself up, she straddled his narrow hips and was happily surprised when she felt his hardness press against the insides of her thighs. His eyes went directly to her breast and she ran her hands over her skin as she watched his eyes heat with desire. Then she leaned down and ran her hands slowly over his chest, making sure to spend time on each of his flat nipples. His eyes watched hers and she could feel his muscles bunch under her exploration. She scooted further down on his hips as she ran her fingers lower over his abdomen, finally wrapping her hand around his erection. He groaned and closed his eyes as she began to explore the length and girth of him.

It impressed her that he could be so hard while his skin was feather soft. She leaned down and kissed his hips as she continued to let her fingers explore him. His hands went to her hair, holding her, pushing her away, she didn't know. The salty taste of him sent shivers down her spine until finally she leaned over and took his length into her mouth. Enjoying the sounds he made and the way his hips jolted when she stroked her mouth up and down him, she decided this form of pleasure could easily entertain them both.

“Enough,” he groaned and put his hands under her arms, hauling her up until she was straddling his hips again. “You'll pay for that.” He smiled, then leaned up and took her nipple into his mouth. His hands ran over every inch of her, spreading goose bumps on her exposed skin.

She didn't realize she had started moving her hips, grinding him, until his hands started helping her move over him, his fingers biting into her soft skin slightly. The more he pushed her, the more she wanted to move faster.

“Lauren, give me a second.” He sat up a little and reached for his jeans. She watched as he pulled a condom from his pocket.

She felt a wave of excitement run through her as she reached out and took the small package from him. Her eyes were glued to his as she opened it and took the condom in her fingertips. She stared at it for a second, and then slowly slid it onto him.

His fingers flexed on her hips like she'd shocked him. “Did I hurt you?”

He smiled and shook his head. “No, but you're driving me crazy.”

She smiled a little. “I like knowing I can do that to you. That I do this to you.” She took him into her hand and moved up and down slowly as his eyes closed and his head rested back on the bed.

Then she got onto her knees and hovered just above him, pausing as she adjusted their positions. Slowly she started moving down onto him as his fingers dug into her soft hips. When she was fully impaled, she started moving. The pleasure was building and with it, her speed grew. Leaning down, she started placing kisses along his collarbone as his hands ran through her hair softly.

With each stroke, her heart beat harder in her chest and her breath hitched and, slowly, everything else faded from her mind except the feeling of him deep inside her. His groans of delight matched her own. Sweat made their skin glisten in the light streaming in from her laced curtains. Finally, he leaned up and took her mouth with his and muffled her screams of delight as his body tensed with his own release.

It took a while for Lauren to start feeling her body again. When she finally did, she realized she was spread out on top of Chase and that she needed another shower.

“What do you say to a cold shower and some lunch?” She leaned up and looked into his face. For some reason, she was totally refreshed and feeling very energetic.

He smiled up at her. “I made you breakfast.” He nodded to the plate on her nightstand. Then he frowned. “You need a new stove.”

She got up and took a bite of the cold toast. “I know. It's on my list.” She took the toast into the bathroom with her and started running the water. She didn't know why she bothered, but she turned the hot water knob as well, just in case her sisters had left anything in the water tank.

Chase walked in and leaned against the door jam. “This whole place could use a makeover.”

She didn't want to spoil her good mood, so instead of responding, she walked into the shower and gasped at the coldness. Even though it was probably already in the nineties outside, that didn't mean she wanted a freezing cold shower first thing in the morning. Lathering up her hair, she watched as Chase opened the shower doors and stepped in.

“At least the shower is bigger than the tub.” He took a handful of shampoo and started helping her wash her hair.

“Yes, I've always liked this shower.” She looked at the large glass enclosure. Its two large glass walls made it feel really open. The tile had been new a few years before her father had passed away and still shined.

“Overall, the place has good bones. I'm not saying it needs a total remake, just a few things here and there. That stove is a death trap. You know, I was in Tyler a few days back. I noticed an appliance store just as...”

“No.” She turned and glared at him. “We are not having this discussion.” She tried to quickly rinse her hair, but he pulled her into his arms.

“Listen, it's natural that I want to make sure you and your sisters are safe. I'm not butting in. Besides, it's your money.”

She would have jerked out of his arms, but the floor was very slippery and she didn't want to land on her butt. “No.” She looked up at him and blinked the water from her eyes. “It's not. The money is yours.” She would have crossed her arms over her chest, but didn't think it would give the same feeling as it did when she was fully clothed.

He kissed her on the forehead and chuckled. “Okay, at least we agree on that, then. So, you agree that the money you've put in our joint account is mine to do with what I want.”

“Yes,” she sighed with relief, “completely yours.”

“Good.” He started running his hands up and down her wet skin and she forgot all about their small argument.

After their shower and a sandwich lunch on the front porch, they saddled the horses and rode out to help the ranch hands with branding the new stock of cattle that had been brought in from the hills. It was getting closer to auction time and Jimmy and the hands were busy separating which animals would go to auction and which ones would be staying on. It was a hot and messy job filled with hours out in the sun, and by the time they rode back to the barn, both of them were covered in dust and were in desperate need of another shower.

Lauren and Dingo walked into the kitchen together. She sat on the chair, resting her head on the cool table as Dingo lay down on her bed by the back door. Haley was moving around in the kitchen, cooking dinner. Every muscle on Lauren’s body was sore, she smelled like cow, and probably looked like she felt.

Chase walked in the back door a few minutes later, smiling. “Smells good in here.” He walked over and placed a light kiss on Haley's cheek. Haley swatted his hand away from the bowl of fruit she'd been mixing for fruit salad. “If you go wash up, you're welcome to have some. I've made enough.”

“Wish I could, but I've got to head into town,” he said as he leaned against the counter.

Lauren felt her heart drop a little. She had expected him to stick around, and had hoped that she wasn't showing her disappointment on her face. She didn't know what to expect, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized she didn't know what he expected. Did he think he was going to move into the main house? Into her bedroom? Did she want him to?