Trust (42 page)

Her lips were soft beneath mine as I sucked them into my mouth one at a time. She held on to my shoulders, and a low hum reverberated from my chest.

Dipping my tongue inside her mouth, I languidly explored, taking my time . . . savoring.

A throat clearing pulled us apart.

I looked up to find Richard hovering right outside the door. “Your aunt wanted me to let you know she’s putting dinner on the table.”

He looked embarrassed at catching us kissing.

Smiling, I glanced down at Brianna. She was slightly flushed from our mini make-out session, but otherwise she was fine. I took hold of her hand, and we all headed downstairs to see what kind of spread Diane had put together this year.

When we ambled into the formal dining room, even I was somewhat stunned. Diane had outdone herself this year. The table was decorated with all manner of miniature pumpkins, squash, and colored leaves. There were only four place settings, confirming Jimmy and Samantha wouldn’t be joining us today, but barring that, one would think Diane was hosting a high-society dinner party.

“It looks lovely, my dear.” Richard kissed Diane’s cheek before taking his seat at the head of the table.

“Thank you.”

I pulled out Brianna’s chair and then took my own beside her.

Dinner was fairly uneventful. Richard was on his best behavior. Not once did he try to question my relationship with Brianna. It was progress.

Afterward, we all retired downstairs to Richard and Diane’s theater room. Neither were huge football fans, but Thanksgiving was the one day they both made an exception. I settled into one of the plush recliners and pulled Brianna down into my lap as Richard turned on all the equipment. A few minutes later, the big screen along the front wall came to life.

As we continued to watch the game, I started paying more attention to Brianna’s reactions. Diane, Richard, and I would occasionally react or make a comment when one of the teams scored or if there was a big play—something we understood—but Brianna was reacting to more than that. She would tense up or shift her weight after plays that meant absolutely nothing to me.

When a commercial came on toward the beginning of the second game, I tilted her head so that she was looking at me. “You like football?”

She nodded. “John liked football. It was the only time he’d talk to me.”

I brushed her hair back from her face and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. “Something I didn’t know about you.”

The game came back on, and I turned her back around so we could watch the game together. I had to admit it was a more enjoyable experience than it had ever been in the past. There was no doubt in my mind that was because of Brianna. She made everything better, and I derived pleasure from watching her become caught up in what was happening on the screen.

Once the second game was over, we all went back upstairs for some pie. Again, Diane had outdone herself. There was pumpkin, apple, cherry, and pecan. Brianna and I took a seat at the kitchen island as Richard and Diane brought the pies over.

My aunt loved to cook, and she was good at it. Not as good as Brianna, but good enough that my mouth was watering as I scooped up a mouthful of apple pie and ice cream.

It had been several hours since dinner, which was the only reason any of us had room for dessert. Brianna sat next to me with a piece of the pumpkin pie. She was eating and smiling. It was nice to see.

Diane and Richard sat across from us whittling away at their pieces of pie as well. We chatted about Christmas and New Year’s—they’d been invited to a party by one of Richard’s doctor friends on New Year’s Eve. This was the first time in a while that we felt like a family. Richard and I weren’t fighting—he appeared to have finally accepted my relationship with Brianna—and Samantha wasn’t here to add unneeded, and unwanted, tension to the situation. It was pretty close to perfect.

“Brianna? I was wondering if you’d like to go shopping with me tomorrow.”

Shocked, Brianna looked at my aunt before turning to look at me. “Um. I don’t know.”

I laced my fingers with hers and brought her hand to rest in my lap. “It’s completely up to you, Brianna. Do you want to go?”

She looked torn. “Will there be a lot of people?”

“Probably. Although that will depend greatly on where you and Diane go.”

Uncertainty took over Brianna’s features.

Diane stood and began clearing the plates. “I’m not a big fan of crowds myself, so I tend to avoid them whenever possible. I would, however, like to hit a few of the specialty shops. You never know what they’re going to have on sale the day after Thanksgiving.”

It was evident by the emotions flittering across Brianna’s face that there was a war of indecision waging inside her. I stood, and encouraged Brianna to follow, as I addressed Diane. “What time were you planning to leave tomorrow?”

“Nine, maybe. I haven’t decided yet.”

I nodded. “I think Brianna needs some time to think about it. She’ll let you know in the morning.”

Diane looked somewhat concerned. “All right.” It was then she noticed that we’d both gotten up from our seats. “Are you heading upstairs, then?”

After giving Brianna’s hand a quick squeeze, I released her and walked over to give my aunt a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for dinner. It was delicious.”

She smiled and patted my cheek. “You’re always welcome, Stephan.”

With a single nod to Richard, I rejoined Brianna. “We’ll see you in the morning. Good night.”

“Good night.”

Brianna

Stephan didn’t say anything as we trudged up the stairs to his bedroom, but I didn’t mind. It had been a good day. Even Richard was nice to Stephan. He was smiling and seemed happy.

Diane’s asking me to go with her tomorrow caught me off guard. Stephan had said I could go if I wanted to, but what if there were a lot of people and I panicked? Logic told me I would be safe with Diane, but there was always that little voice in my head that told me danger was right around the corner.

When we reached Stephan’s bedroom, he shut and locked the door behind us. I wondered if that was to keep anyone from waking us up in the morning, or if he had plans for us tonight that he didn’t want interrupted. Maybe both. I could only hope.

The first thing Stephan did was turn up the thermostat. It was a little cool in the room, although not what I would consider cold. Then again, the temperature was supposed to drop tonight. I could already see what looked like snow falling outside the window.

Once that was done, he took me by the hand and led me over to the padded window seat. He sat down and then guided me to sit between his legs. I leaned back against him and soaked up his warmth as he held me.

“I know you’d like to go with my aunt tomorrow. Tell me what your fears are?” His hot breath caressed my ear as he spoke.

“People. What if someone touches me and I freak out?”

I felt Stephan nod behind me. “That’s a very real fear, and I don’t see it going away any time soon. But the only way you’re going to get over your fear is to slowly push through it.”

“So you think I should go?”

“I think you need to look inside yourself and weigh the pros and cons of going. If the press were not watching my moves so closely lately, I would go with you. As it is, I think if you do decide to go, you’d be better off without me there. There is always a chance someone would recognize me, which is the last thing you need when out among strangers.”

We sat there looking out at the snow fall for a long time. He hadn’t turned on the light when we entered the room, so the only illumination was from the moon. The longer I sat there staring out at the night, the more confused I became.

He started to massage my shoulders. It wasn’t until then that I realized how stiff I’d become. “Talk to me, sweetheart.”

“Tell me what to do.”

“I won’t do that. This is something you have to decide for yourself.”

“But I don’t know.”

“What does your gut tell you? Which is stronger—your fear or your desire to go?”

I thought about that for a minute. It was a tough call. One minute, my fear was the more prevalent emotion. The next, my desire to spend time with Diane, to get to know the woman who meant so much to the man I loved, was pushing to the surface.

Stephan slid his hand along the inside of my thigh, startling me. “Shh. Relax. Lean back against me and stop thinking for a little while. I’ve got you.”

Nodding, I did as he asked and leaned back against his chest. He shifted slightly and positioned my head so that it was resting on his shoulder.

Without words, he unbuttoned the sweater I was wearing over my dress. He signaled for me to lift up slightly, and then he slowly pushed the garment off my shoulders and down my arms.

After dropping my sweater on the floor nearby, I lowered my head back to his shoulder, and he reached between us. Without preamble, he unzipped my dress. He slid the straps down my arms and kept going until the dress was pooled around my waist.

Brushing my hair out of the way, he began peppering kisses along my neck. I tilted my head to the side to give him better access. His lips sent shots of electricity through my body every time they connected with my skin, which was often.

I was so distracted by his mouth that I barely noticed when he unclasped my bra and discarded it until the cool air of the room hit my nipples. Almost immediately, though, he reached up and began playing with them. He massaged my breasts and pulled on my nipples, all the while continuing to kiss my neck. The area between my legs was tingling, and I lifted my hips, silently begging for more.

“Greedy tonight, are we?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Stephan smiled against my neck, and he gave my nipples an extra hard pinch. I squeaked. “Shh. You have to be a good girl tonight and be very quiet. We wouldn’t want to be overheard by Richard and Diane, would we?”

I shook my head. That was the last thing I wanted. Richard was nice to Stephan today. I didn’t want to ruin that. “I’ll be good.”

“Mmm. I know you will, my pet.”

Before I knew what was happening, Stephan stood, taking me with him.

Without saying anything, he divested me of the rest of my clothes and removed all but his boxers. “Lean over and put your hands on the cushion.”

I complied, feeling the uncertainty bubbling to the surface. Was he going to take me from behind tonight? He’d only done that once before. Would he do it again? Here? Now?

“Spread your legs,” he ordered from much farther away than he’d been moments before.

I spread my legs.

“Wider.”

Following his instruction, I opened wider, feeling extremely exposed.

He knelt down behind me and ran his fingers up the inside of my thigh. I shivered.

His hand remained where it was, but then I felt pressure against my entrance. “Relax. It’s just my other hand, Brianna. You’re fine.”

I took a deep breath and willed myself to relax. This was Stephan. He’d take care of me. I was okay. I’d be okay.

“Good girl.”

Mere seconds after the compliment left his mouth, two of his fingers pushed inside me. He’d had his fingers inside me many times before, but for some reason this felt different. Maybe it was because of my position, and his. My legs were spread, and my behind was thrust high into the air.

Stephan removed his hand on my thigh. “Look outside, Brianna. Watch the snow falling and remember to keep quiet. I’d use a gag on you, but you’re not ready, so I’ll have to trust that you’ll be able to control yourself. Can you do that, pet?”

All the time he spoke, he continued to thrust his fingers. It was becoming hard to concentrate. “Yes, Sir.”

He reached up to caress one of my breasts until my nipple was hard and aching. Soon I wasn’t thinking about what position I was in or where we were. All I could concentrate on were his hands and what they were doing to my body.

He removed his fingers from inside me. I felt empty but not for long. Seconds later, his penis was filling the space his fingers had been. As he pressed forward, I felt stretched . . . full . . . as I always did when he took me. It was even more so in this position.

When he was all the way inside, he used his now free hand and wrapped it around my hair. Although the position made me nervous given this was only our second time, knowing what was coming sent a surge of heat where we were joined.

“Brace yourself, Brianna. This is going to be hard, and fast. Are you ready?”

I braced my hands against the cushion as best I could. “Yes.”

Stephan did not exaggerate when he said he was going to take me hard and fast. He used both my breast and hair as leverage as he both slammed into me with his hips and brought me back to meet each and every one of his thrusts at the same time. I opened my mouth in what was, thankfully, a silent scream. My entire body was screaming. I could feel him from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

It was . . .

It was . . .

His hand left my breast and flattened against my clit. His motions were erratic, but it didn’t matter. I was on the edge, ready to fall off.