Better Late Than Never (10 page)

Kristen wiped her mouth and leaned back in her chair. She was stuffed and everything had been delicious. “You are a much better cook than I remember.”

Randy smiled. “Thank you. I had to learn a lot over the past few years. Wade is my toughest critic.”

She shook her head and smiled at the mention of Wade. He was an adorable kid, and she had grown fond of him. She told Randy that it would be okay for Wade to join them for dinner, but Randy had insisted his parents watch Wade. When she knocked on Randy’s door and entered his house earlier, she knew it had been a good idea for Wade not to be there. She might not be experienced, but she knew seduction when she saw it. Candles were lit all over the entire house. She had followed him through his living room and into the kitchen where the set up had been the same.

He held out her chair while she sat and poured her a glass of wine before walking over to the oven and removing two plates he had warming in the oven. Randy set one in front of her and the other across from her. Once he had taken his seat, he toasted to a great evening to come and they began to eat. They made small talk during the meal. She noticed he still had the ability to make her laugh a lot. He told her about his brother and two sisters she hadn’t seen in years. Randy was the oldest, Emily followed him, Cody followed her, and Blair was the baby of the family. From what he said, the Stroud family seemed to be doing okay.

So was she after the wonderful meal Randy fed her. He stood and began to clean up. She stood to help him, and he protested but she wanted to help. It would give her something to do with her hands. This was the first time she had seen Randy outside of his uniform since she came face-to-face with him at the day care. The man was so sexy he made her eyes hurt. There was also his air-dried hair that looked like the wind had touched it a few times today. Combined with his facial hair, he had a tousled Matthew McConaughey look, and it made it very difficult for her to keep her hands to herself. Randy rinsed the last of the dishes, and she dried it and set it in the dish rack.

He turned to face her. “Let’s go into the living room.”

She nodded, and he led the way. He turned on the television, and they both went around the living room blowing out the candles. When the last one was blown out, they met at the couch. He picked up the remote.

“Any special request?”

She shook her head and laughed when he changed the channel and a popular cartoon came on the screen. “You still have your obsession with cartoons I see.”

 
“Wade is starting to obsess with me. It also helps that I have him around because I can get away with blaming it on him most of the time.”

She shook her head and settled in next to him laughing at a few of the scenes. Randy put his arms around her and pulled her close.

“You seem to have a good memory,” he whispered in her ear.

“I always did when it came to you.”

She grinned and watched the screen but didn’t pay attention to what was on it. Her mind was on the man she was sitting next to. Randy had done well for himself, and she wondered if he knew. It was obvious Lila’s actions affected his self-esteem. The man next to her had lost some of the confidence he had had when they were younger. She could see the hesitance in his eyes on
occasion,
hear it in his voice when he spoke. It worried her because she knew it could affect their relationship. She shifted closer to him whispering his name. When he looked down at her, she gave him a small smile. He studied her, and she saw a look of concern fall upon his face.

“Is something wrong?”

“Yes and no. I guess I just have a lot on my mind.”

He turned off the television. “Do you want to talk about it?”

She studied him for a momentarily before responding. “I’m afraid you will hurt me again.”
 

He gave her a puzzled look. “Why would you think I’d want to hurt you?”

She shook her head. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me on purpose, but it is obvious that you are still affected by what Lila did to you.”

She reached out and touched his face. “Your eyes are different. When you speak to me it’s different than it used to be. I hear a hesitance that didn’t used to be there.”

He nodded. “I am different, and so are you, Kristen. You are more confident, more outspoken. They are changes that I like because they add to who you are.” He sighed. “I’m not sure what you want me to say.”

Kristen closed her eyes. “I want you to tell me that you are over what Lila did to you.”

He remained silent, and her heart lurched with pain. She thought she would be prepared for this, but she wasn’t.

“Look at me, Kristen.”

At the pleading note in his voice, she opened her eyes. The sadness she saw in them hurt her.

“I’m not sure I can get over what Lila did to me.” The corner of his mouth tilted up. “It would be like me asking you to get over me breaking up with you.”

She gave him a heated look. “It’s not the same.”

He nodded. “It is the same, but I would never ask you that because I’m not sure that anyone can get over the pain of getting hurt. I think that one learns to live with the pain, and hopefully, they forgive the person who inflicted it at some point.”

She remained silent. He had a good point, and she hated it. She wasn’t over the pain that she and her family had been caused by the man that shot and killed her father, but in time the pain became less, and she had forgiven the shooter.

Randy brought her hand up to his lips and placed a kiss on it. “So I would love to tell you that I am over Lila but not for the reasons you think. I no longer have feelings for Lila, but Wade does. He still has a hurt that I can’t fix. Every time I have to explain to Wade why Lila left, it is like reopening the wound.”

Kristen paused. She never thought about it in that way. She should have because she shared a similar experience herself. After he father had been shot in the line of duty, she constantly questioned why it had to be her dad and not someone else’s. It had been the same when her mother passed away. She had an advantage over Wade. At her age she had been able to understand a lot more. She looked at the man in front her and felt admiration for him.

“Wade is lucky to have you.”

Randy shook his head. “I am fortunate to have Wade.”

He grinned at her. “I’m also lucky that you are giving me a chance to prove to you that I do care for you and want you back in my life.”

She leaned closer to him. “By me giving you a chance, do you think we can make it this time around?”

He smiled before bringing his hand up to cup her face. “If we work together, I don’t see why we can’t.”

She watched Randy lean toward her. When his lips touched hers, she sighed. He pulled her closer, and she ended up on his lap. She brought her arms up and encircled his neck. She hardly noticed when he broke off the kiss to take off her shirt.

He pulled back and studied her. “Are you sure about this because I don’t want you to have any regrets?”

She sighed with contentedness. This was a moment that she used to dream about. She didn’t want to back out now. “Yes.”

Randy leaned closer to her. “Wrap your arms around my neck.”

She did what he asked, and he wrapped his arms around her. He stood with her and headed for the stairs. She had no idea how he saw where he was going but then again it was his house. Encircling her legs around his narrow waist she laid her head on his shoulder and held on. He went up the stairs and entered the first room on the right. She unwrapped her arms from around his neck when he released her to stand on her own two feet. He undid the button and unzipped the zipper of her skirt. It slid over her hips and to the floor with a whisper. She brought her hands up to his waist and found his belt buckle. Their eyes met while she undid the belt and tugged his shirt out of his khaki pants. She lifted his shirt, and before it hit the ground, she’d settled her hands on his chest. The contact was brief because he began to strip the both of them.

Within seconds, he had them both of them
undressed
he his breath came out on a pained gasp. “You are more beautiful than I remember.”

Kristen blushed. The light coming into the room was coming from the bathroom. She could see his body very well, and the man looked like he had been sculpted from marble. The uniform he wore was very deceptive. His head lowered, and when he found one of her nipples, all ability to think escaped her. She gasped and found herself clutching his hair in her hands. He went to lift his head and her grip tightened until she realized he was only switching to the other. Her legs weakened, and Randy picked her up. He placed her on the bed, and her eyes widened at the sight of his erection.

“You aren’t going to fit.”

He chuckled while he reached for protection, and she clapped her hand over her mouth. She wanted to die of embarrassment.

“Did I just say that?”

He smiled. “Yes, you did, but don’t worry. We are made to fit together.”

Her response was forgotten when his hand found the inside of her thighs. She arched into him, moaning when his fingers moved. Within seconds, he had her soaring over the edge. By the time she began to recover, he had donned protection and was sliding into her. His hips thrust forward with need, and she winced again. He bumped up against the barrier, proof she had waited for him. She took a deep breath and tried to relax.

He rested his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, and he sighed. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

She smiled and brought her hand up to cup his cheek. “You won’t.”

He stared at her, and she felt brief panic. She didn’t want him to change his mind. “I’m sure about this, Randy.”

She sighed in relief when he covered her mouth with his in a gentle kiss while he reached down and captured her hips between his hands. She leaned into his kiss, and he thrust deep into her breaking through the barrier of virginity.

Kristen stiffened beneath him, and he captured her cry of pain. She pulled her mouth away from his, but he held her close. He whispered soothing words to her, and she began relax. He brushed her hair out of the way, and his face came into view. His concerned expression touched her, and she relaxed more.

“Are you okay?”

She took a deep, slow, and shaky breath. “I think so.”

“Am I still hurting you?”

She shook her head. He wasn’t hurting her like he had earlier. The pain was subsiding and being replaced with something else. Looking up, she glanced at his face. She saw true concern. Taking a deep breath, Kristen realized the pain was almost non-existent. She exhaled softly. “I’m okay.”

He pulled back and then slid back inside of her. Her breath caught in her throat at the pleasure that now replaced the sensation of pain. With a few more thrusts she brought her hands up and grabbed his shoulders.

“Better?”

She nodded, not having the ability to speak. Her stomach and thighs tightened giving him the first signs of her impending orgasm. He slid his hand down in between them, and when his fingers found her heated core, she let her head fall back, and she cried out.

“Come for me,” he whispered, and she did.

Her body tightened around him pulled him into his own unexpected orgasm. Several deep breaths later, he withdrew from her and, pulling her with him, rolled onto his side. He placed a kiss against her forehead, and she sighed.

“Thank you.”

He looked down at her. “For?”

She smiled. “Making this a wonderful experience.”

His arms tightened around her.
Kristen snuggled closer.