Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
“And she’s dead now?” Luc asks for clarification.
“When I was seventeen she took a bad fall down our stairs and broke her hip,” I say after giving a cough to clear my throat. “She had to have surgery, then went to a rehab facility. She was never able to come back to work and eventually landed in a nursing home. My parents paid for it, so they weren’t completely coldhearted.”
“And that’s why you like to visit nursing homes,” he says.
“Bingo,” I say with a marginally larger smile. “I visited Hilda there every week. All of her family was back in England and she’d been working for the Fraziers for decades as a housekeeper and caretaker of the children. They’d all drifted apart and she only had me who cared enough to visit, so in some ways, Hilda and I were a lot alike. We only really had each other.”
Luc just stares at me, his eyes leaving mine briefly to roam over my face, but when they return to focus on me, he says, “I’ve never heard anything like that before. I consider myself to be fairly well traveled, and being a professional sports player, I’ve met hundreds and hundreds of people in my career. And I never, ever knew that parents could do that.”
“Oh come on, Luc,” I say teasingly, because I can tell he’s really bothered by this. “There are parents who abuse their kids, and others who neglect them. I’m not unusual.”
“No, what you describe is different,” he says, and I actually shiver from a wave of iciness that runs up my spine. “There are tons of kids who get abused, but at least they’re seen and acknowledged. And many are neglected, but often because of drugs or other addictions. But your parents had the means and ability to at least try to be parents on some level, even if it was just the bare minimum. It sounds like they never even saw you, probably while they were looking right at you. To be utterly abandoned by the people who are inherently supposed to care for you with unconditional love has got to be torture.”
I swallow hard, my nose starting to prickle as tears well. I don’t cry often, so I try to push it down. “Look…this is why I don’t like to talk about them. Yes, it’s horrible, but it’s defined who I am and I’ve accepted it.”
“And what is the definition of Stephanie Frazier?” he asks.
I can’t tell him that I’m pissed as hell at my parents and they’ve fucked up how I view the world and people. I can’t tell him because I don’t want to be pathetic, so I tell him something else that is also true, but covers up my deepest flaws.
“She’s funny, this you know.” My voice has gentled and I smile as I put my hands in his hair. “She’s independent, bold, and a risk taker. She likes sex a lot, but really, really likes it with you. She’s pretty much handled anything that life has handed her and she’s done that without help, so she’s figured out she’s got this baby thing in hand even if she’s still a little scared. And most of all, she’s wondering if enough time has passed for you to recharge your batteries and if you have another round left in that gorgeous body of yours.”
Luc was amused as I started telling him who I was, but by the time I talk about another round of sex, his eyes are simmering with hot need.
“You’re deflecting, aren’t you?” he grumbled as his lips hovered against my mouth.
Absolutely true. I’ve shared enough. More than I ever have.
“Not at all,” I purr just before I raise my head and run my lips over his. “I just want you again.”
That’s absolutely true too, so I’ve not lied to him. And that’s all I need to say to get Luc to kiss me hard as we commence round two.
Chapter 5
Lucas
So, I have to admit, this whole monogamous sex thing isn’t all that bad.
Okay, not truthful.
It’s fucking stupendous.
At least with Stephy it is.
I had two home games in a row. That meant I had access to Stephy for four solid nights, and every damn night I was with her. Van was gone on some overnight trip to his hometown that first night I brought her to my house, so I had no qualms about fucking her there, especially knowing we could be loud and raunchy.
This is apparently our preferred method of having sex. That’s not to say we can’t get into a deep, slow groove on occasion, but most times we can’t control the fervor between us. There’s something chemical maybe. I’ve never had it with another woman before, but the minute I see her, I want to throw her down on the floor and dominate the hell out of her. I want to crawl deep into her body, punish her with my cock, and have her beg for more.