Shadows of Yesterday
Page 24
“Tell me again how you put her in that high chair,” Leigh now said to Amelia.
“Adjust the tray, if possible, close to her chest. Then tie her in with a tea towel or whatever is available. Most high chairs have a strap that’ll go between her legs so she won’t slide out the bottom.”
“Sounds to me like it would be easier to teach her to sit alone,” Chad said with maddening logic.
Leigh and Amelia both cast him disparaging looks. He and Stewart only laughed. Chad treated his parents with respect and kindness, running and fetching for both of them. But they also knew how to tease. They must have had many happy times while he was growing up, Leigh thought. That they were proud of him went without saying.
“Uh-oh,” Leigh said when Sarah’s back began to arch and she started crying. “I think her good mood just ran out.”
“Why don’t you take her upstairs for her nap,” Amelia said, standing up to show Leigh the way.
“I’ll go, too,” Chad said eagerly.
“You stay where you are,” Amelia snapped. “Your daddy wanted you to watch the football game with him.” Meekly Chad dropped back onto the sofa.
Leigh took the squalling baby from Stewart and followed Amelia up the stairs. “This was Chad’s room,” Amelia said, stepping from the long hallway into a large bedroom. “As you can see, I’ve never changed it.” The room was crowded with sports pictures, trophies, banners, and pennants. A pair of snow skis and a tennis racket were standing in one corner. A football helmet was hanging by a hook on the paneled wall.
“If you’ll help me, we’ll have the bed against the wall and put pillows on the outside edge so that little precious won’t roll off.” Leigh smiled. Amelia planned ahead.
They moved the bed and laid Sarah down, but she wasn’t ready to fall asleep. Her tiny feet in the new satin shoes plowed into the mattress and her head rutted against it in a true temper tantrum. Her face was beet red.
“She’s in a strange place,” Amelia said sympathetically. “When Chad was a baby, he’d hardly sleep anywhere except his own bed.”
“Maybe if I lie down with her for a while, she’ll go to sleep,” Leigh said, slipping out of her shoes.
“Do that. I’ll leave you two alone. She’ll wear herself out in no time.”
Leigh stretched out beside the baby and patted her back until she wound down and her crying became ragged sobs that diminished into hiccups that eventually became regular breathing. Leigh spread the quilt at the foot of the bed over them both. She studied a picture of Chad in a fierce football pose until her own eyes closed in sleep.
* * *
When she awoke, it was to something delicious happening to her ear. She moved her head slightly, but it bumped into another one leaning over her. “Wake up and kiss me, woman,” the deep voice demanded. Warm, moist lips hovered above hers, moving elusively until her lips parted to greet an ardent mouth. It was too much of an effort to open her eyes, but she did lift her arms from beneath the warmth of the quilt to caress the back of Chad’s strong, masculine neck.
“God, you taste good,” he murmured into her ear, and began doing what he had done before to awaken her. She opened her eyes far enough to see that Sarah was sleeping soundly against the wall. Chad was kneeling beside the bed. His arm lay heavy around her waist and, with the merest pressure, turned her to face him. His mouth closed over hers once again. The kiss deepened, his tongue a marauding, rapacious plunderer that conquered with finesse.
“Chad,” she breathed languidly when his mouth was diverted to the hollow of her throat. His breath was hot against her already sleep-warmed skin. “You shouldn’t be in here doing this.”
“Scoot over.”
“Your parents—”
“Are both asleep in their chairs in front of the television. It’s a very dull game. Scoot over.”
Blindly she obeyed him, moving over far enough for him to lie down beside her. He eased the quilt over himself and pushed against her gently until she lay on her back looking up at him as he leaned over her.
“We can’t—”
“You’re beautiful,” he said thickly. “Your eyes are so blue.”
“Yours are bluer.”
“No.”
“Yes,” she averred. Pushing conscience and common sense aside, she smoothed her finger over his dark brows. Unintentionally seductive, the exploring finger eventually found its way down his nose to his lips to outline them in tentative invitation. Chad groaned away his restraint and fell on her mouth again, ever hungry for the taste of her.
His hand smoothed down the front of her blouse, released the buttons with no measurable objection from her, and slipped inside. Her skin was alive to his touch as the bra fell free with a deft flick of his wrist. He raised his head and, moving aside the rustling cloth, looked at her. “Leigh,” he sighed reverently.
His fingers played over the dusky pink nipples that competed for his attention. They pouted prettily as he delighted in the look, the color, the texture of them. He was sensitive to just the right amount of pressure to apply as he gently rolled them between his thumb and index finger. Leigh couldn’t help either the involuntary arching of her back or the wanton moan that issued from her throat. His eyes melted into her a moment before he lowered his head.
He kissed her nipple with a plucking motion of his lips that plunged her into a maelstrom of desire. With each tiny tug, her womb contracted against an emptiness that she hadn’t known was there. Desperately she wanted it filled.
“Chad,” she cried softly, pressing against him.
“I know, my love, I know. I’m burning for you.”
His hand covered her breast with a gesture almost protective as his mouth traced down the furrow between her ribs. He worked the fastening of her slacks, unzipped them, and exposed her navel to his nimble tongue, kissing it evocatively.
“You feel so good,” he whispered against her abdomen as he sampled it with delightful nibbles. He encountered the lacy elastic band of her bikini panties. “Leigh, I want you so much.” His intense desire was evident in the tightness of his voice. The proof of his need lay like a steel rod against her thigh.
It came to her like a bolt of lightning out of a black-velvet night what was happening and she tensed against it. “No, Chad,” she cried and clamped her hand over his where it lay at the top of her thighs. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. Not here. Not like this. Not”
“Adjust the tray, if possible, close to her chest. Then tie her in with a tea towel or whatever is available. Most high chairs have a strap that’ll go between her legs so she won’t slide out the bottom.”
“Sounds to me like it would be easier to teach her to sit alone,” Chad said with maddening logic.
Leigh and Amelia both cast him disparaging looks. He and Stewart only laughed. Chad treated his parents with respect and kindness, running and fetching for both of them. But they also knew how to tease. They must have had many happy times while he was growing up, Leigh thought. That they were proud of him went without saying.
“Uh-oh,” Leigh said when Sarah’s back began to arch and she started crying. “I think her good mood just ran out.”
“Why don’t you take her upstairs for her nap,” Amelia said, standing up to show Leigh the way.
“I’ll go, too,” Chad said eagerly.
“You stay where you are,” Amelia snapped. “Your daddy wanted you to watch the football game with him.” Meekly Chad dropped back onto the sofa.
Leigh took the squalling baby from Stewart and followed Amelia up the stairs. “This was Chad’s room,” Amelia said, stepping from the long hallway into a large bedroom. “As you can see, I’ve never changed it.” The room was crowded with sports pictures, trophies, banners, and pennants. A pair of snow skis and a tennis racket were standing in one corner. A football helmet was hanging by a hook on the paneled wall.
“If you’ll help me, we’ll have the bed against the wall and put pillows on the outside edge so that little precious won’t roll off.” Leigh smiled. Amelia planned ahead.
They moved the bed and laid Sarah down, but she wasn’t ready to fall asleep. Her tiny feet in the new satin shoes plowed into the mattress and her head rutted against it in a true temper tantrum. Her face was beet red.
“She’s in a strange place,” Amelia said sympathetically. “When Chad was a baby, he’d hardly sleep anywhere except his own bed.”
“Maybe if I lie down with her for a while, she’ll go to sleep,” Leigh said, slipping out of her shoes.
“Do that. I’ll leave you two alone. She’ll wear herself out in no time.”
Leigh stretched out beside the baby and patted her back until she wound down and her crying became ragged sobs that diminished into hiccups that eventually became regular breathing. Leigh spread the quilt at the foot of the bed over them both. She studied a picture of Chad in a fierce football pose until her own eyes closed in sleep.
* * *
When she awoke, it was to something delicious happening to her ear. She moved her head slightly, but it bumped into another one leaning over her. “Wake up and kiss me, woman,” the deep voice demanded. Warm, moist lips hovered above hers, moving elusively until her lips parted to greet an ardent mouth. It was too much of an effort to open her eyes, but she did lift her arms from beneath the warmth of the quilt to caress the back of Chad’s strong, masculine neck.
“God, you taste good,” he murmured into her ear, and began doing what he had done before to awaken her. She opened her eyes far enough to see that Sarah was sleeping soundly against the wall. Chad was kneeling beside the bed. His arm lay heavy around her waist and, with the merest pressure, turned her to face him. His mouth closed over hers once again. The kiss deepened, his tongue a marauding, rapacious plunderer that conquered with finesse.
“Chad,” she breathed languidly when his mouth was diverted to the hollow of her throat. His breath was hot against her already sleep-warmed skin. “You shouldn’t be in here doing this.”
“Scoot over.”
“Your parents—”
“Are both asleep in their chairs in front of the television. It’s a very dull game. Scoot over.”
Blindly she obeyed him, moving over far enough for him to lie down beside her. He eased the quilt over himself and pushed against her gently until she lay on her back looking up at him as he leaned over her.
“We can’t—”
“You’re beautiful,” he said thickly. “Your eyes are so blue.”
“Yours are bluer.”
“No.”
“Yes,” she averred. Pushing conscience and common sense aside, she smoothed her finger over his dark brows. Unintentionally seductive, the exploring finger eventually found its way down his nose to his lips to outline them in tentative invitation. Chad groaned away his restraint and fell on her mouth again, ever hungry for the taste of her.
His hand smoothed down the front of her blouse, released the buttons with no measurable objection from her, and slipped inside. Her skin was alive to his touch as the bra fell free with a deft flick of his wrist. He raised his head and, moving aside the rustling cloth, looked at her. “Leigh,” he sighed reverently.
His fingers played over the dusky pink nipples that competed for his attention. They pouted prettily as he delighted in the look, the color, the texture of them. He was sensitive to just the right amount of pressure to apply as he gently rolled them between his thumb and index finger. Leigh couldn’t help either the involuntary arching of her back or the wanton moan that issued from her throat. His eyes melted into her a moment before he lowered his head.
He kissed her nipple with a plucking motion of his lips that plunged her into a maelstrom of desire. With each tiny tug, her womb contracted against an emptiness that she hadn’t known was there. Desperately she wanted it filled.
“Chad,” she cried softly, pressing against him.
“I know, my love, I know. I’m burning for you.”
His hand covered her breast with a gesture almost protective as his mouth traced down the furrow between her ribs. He worked the fastening of her slacks, unzipped them, and exposed her navel to his nimble tongue, kissing it evocatively.
“You feel so good,” he whispered against her abdomen as he sampled it with delightful nibbles. He encountered the lacy elastic band of her bikini panties. “Leigh, I want you so much.” His intense desire was evident in the tightness of his voice. The proof of his need lay like a steel rod against her thigh.
It came to her like a bolt of lightning out of a black-velvet night what was happening and she tensed against it. “No, Chad,” she cried and clamped her hand over his where it lay at the top of her thighs. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. Not here. Not like this. Not”
