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actually I don t want her to think that about any relationship.
 I know, Laurel added quickly.  It s important to me too that Lilly see a relationship
should build toward intimacy, not start with it.
 I guess that makes us old-fashioned, huh?
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 Maybe. But I ve attended a lot of youth conferences and more often than not I hear
kids Lilly s age say they wish they could postpone the pressures and complexities of
sex until they understood more about basic relationship skills.
 I hope you re right, Claudia said, brushing her lips against Laurel s ear lobe.
 Because leaving you alone in this room will be extremely difficult for me to do.
Claudia s warm, moist breath caressed more than just Laurel s flesh. It entered her
and filled her with longing. Unconsciously, as if to a slow waltz, she moved her head
away from Claudia s lips, giving Claudia access to the tender and responsive areas of
her neck and shoulder. Claudia s kisses were light and electric and Laurel groaned
with exquisite yearning.
With a weak effort and unconvincing effort, Laurel push Claudia away.  Please don t
stop, she whispered maybe out loud, maybe not.  My god your touch feels good.
Claudia opened her eyes as if from a trance.  You re right. If we don t stop now, we
never will.
 Once we start, promise me we ll never stop. Laurel s voice was light, joking, but the
request came from the depths of her soul.
An hour later, Laurel was wearing one of Claudia's old oxford shirts and was
stretched out on the bed in the small but comfortable guest room. The room was
dark, and although it was cool from the air conditioning, she tossed the covers to one
side.
Just the thought of how Claudia had looked when she had said good night to her was
enough to bring a sweat to Laurel s brow. Claudia s filmy, white PJs was seductively
unbuttoned to the middle of her chest and slightly lopsided to reveal one smooth,
well muscled shoulder. The bottoms were low slung on her waist, revealing her navel
when she absent-mindedly put one hand in her pocket. When Claudia had kissed her
for the last time that night, Laurel couldn't help but feel the woman s arousal as
Claudia s large hands held Laurel firmly against her taut breasts. Inside, Laurel felt
an ache that bordered on torture and for a moment, like a moth to a flame, Claudia s
blatant desire became a source of power Laurel felt compelled to join.
This time it was to Claudia s credit that they pulled away from their embrace before
it was too late. When Claudia walked down the hall to her own bedroom, Laurel's
gaze followed her, fixed on the muscles in her buttocks, rippling beneath the thin
white cloth. Laurel wondered what it would be like to have a night with her without
the fear of giving her too much.
A quiet knock on the guest bedroom door shook her from her reverie and brought her
to her feet. "Who is it?" she said in panic, thinking she couldn't take seeing Claudia
in the flesh one more time that night.
"It's me," Lilly said in a low voice. "Can I come in?"
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Laurel switched on the light and said, "Of course." She sat back down on the bed and
patted the area next to her where she wanted Lilly to sit.
"Are you too tired to talk?" Lilly asked tentatively.
"Not at all. What's on your mind?" Laurel was in fact relieved to get away from her
own thoughts.
"I was just thinking about you and Mom. I've wanted the two of you to get together
so much that it hurt. But now that you are, there's a part of me that's still afraid to
be too happy about it. I mean, what if something happens like it did in England?
What if I never get to see you again?"
Laurel smoothed the girl's short black hair away from her face. "Lilly, no matter
what happens between your mother and me, it won't stop me from loving you. I'll
always want you to be a part of my life, just like if we were sisters.
 When you go off to college, I'll expect you to call, and when and if you get married or
involved and have children, I'll expect you to bring the brood for lots of visits."
A single tear fell from Lilly's large eyes. "Do you really mean that?"
"Absolutely," Laurel said, scooping the girl up in a warm embrace.  It s a promise.
"But, I'm still scared something's going to go wrong. I don't think I could stand to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]