Beyond the Consequences: Book 5 of the Consequences Series (Volume 5) (11 page)

“Not yet,” Nichol responded. “Momma and I have somefing for you.” She led Tony to a waiting chair. “Sit down here.”

Yes, thought Claire. Demanding just like her daddy, too.

“You do?” Tony asked as he sat. “What does your momma have for me?”

Claire’s insides tightened as she brushed his cheek with a fleeting kiss and whispered, “Later.”

Placing a paper crown on his thick salt and pepper mane, Nichol clapped her hands and shouted, “Open your eyes! Happy Valentine’s Day, Daddy!”

Tony laughed as he pulled Nichol to his lap and kissed the top of her head. “Is this all for me?”

Her little pigtails swung back and forth as she nodded. “It’s ‘cause we love you! We made cupcakes too!”

“We did,” Claire added as she grinned at Tony’s paper crown. “However, I think we should eat dinner before cupcakes.”

“No, Momma.” Nichol pouted and looked pleadingly from Claire to Tony. “It’s a special day.” Her little fingers fumbled with the neckline of her top. “See, I even got to wear my great-grandma’s necklace. That means it’s
very
special. So we can eat cupcakes before dinner.”

Tony shrugged and smiled at Claire. “My dear, your negotiating skills have been passed on to the next generation. I don’t know how we could possibly argue with that reasoning.”

Claire sighed. “All right, you two, but we have a wonderful dinner waiting, so after the cupcakes…”

“We’ll eat dinner,” Nichol and Tony said in unison.

AFTER DINNER AND
a bedtime story, Tony and Claire tucked Nichol into bed and closed her door. Melting against her husband’s side, Claire enjoyed his strong embrace as she let out an exaggerated breath.

“Are you tired of celebrating, my dear?”

“I think I am. You have no idea how long it took to cut out all of those hearts.”

Leading her toward their suite, Tony opened the door to a candlelit surprise. Their private table was set with white linen, a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses, and covered dishes.

“Tony? What did you do?”

“Well, I may have been tipped off about the paper and confection celebration.”

Claire raised a brow. “Who told you? It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“Shannon may have said something—but don’t be upset with her. When I told her that I wanted her to watch Nichol tonight while I took you out to celebrate, she explained the secret plan. She didn’t want me to ruin Nichol’s surprise.”

Claire turned slowly, noticing the rose petals strewn across their turned-down sheets. “What is all of this?” she asked as she motioned toward the table. “We already ate.”

With a devilish grin, he lifted one lid to reveal strawberries.

“Hmmm,” she replied. “I think I could be persuaded—”

Before she could finish he lifted the second lid revealing chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Her eyes opened wide. “Tony?”

He gracefully moved toward her, his eyes darkening with each step, twisting her insides to a painful pitch. As Tony held her close, pressing her breasts against his strong chest, and seized her lips, tired was no longer part of Claire’s thinking. Moments later, his skilled fingers began to unbutton her blouse.

Less of a protest than a question, Claire repeated, “Tony?”

His warm breath tickled her exposed shoulder as he whispered, “We don’t want to get chocolate sauce or whipped cream on this beautiful blouse.” Cocking a brow, he added, “Or your slacks, or any colorful lace you have underneath.”

Holding his shoulders for support as her slacks joined her blouse in the puddle of silk on the floor, she replied, “We don’t?”

“No, because, my dear, it’s time for our own confection celebration, and if you think our kitchen was messy…” He grinned as his dark eyes sparkled in the candlelight. “…you haven’t seen anything yet.”

“Hmmm,” she managed, words forming with some difficulty as Tony’s lips followed a path from her ear to her shoulder. Before speech was totally out of reach, she asked, “W-What about you?”

“What about me?”

Her fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. “I wouldn’t want chocolate on this nice shirt either.”

When she undid the last button, he seized her hand. “My dear, you and Nichol planned your surprise. This is
my
Valentine’s surprise for
you
. Do you trust me?”

Claire nodded, allowing Tony to back her toward the bed, buckling her knees. Wearing only her pink lace bra and panties, Tony’s dark admiring gaze scanned her from head to toe. Each second filled her with both vulnerability and anticipation. Finally, she answered, “I trust you.”

A lust-filled grin radiated from ear to ear as he heatedly said, “Good. I have something I’d like you to wear. Remember… you said you trust me.”

Claire’s eyes widened, her breaths becoming shallow as she sucked her lower lip. “W-What do you want—”

Before she could finish, Tony opened the drawer of her bedside stand and removed her satin sleep mask. Claire’s cheeks rose approvingly as she reached for the mask.

“No,” he said, as he lifted her dark hair and kissed her neck. “Let me.” Tenderly, he placed the mask over her emerald eyes and secured the elastic band behind her head. “Can you see?”

“No.” She giggled.

Her amusement soon morphed to unbridled desire as his sensual caresses traced an invisible line from her cheek to her breasts, teasing the round globes from their lace enclosure. Each time she began to speak, his finger gently touched her lips. When his mouth retraced the path, Claire fell back upon their soft comforter, giving him access to her newly exposed breasts and enjoying the sensation of his warm breath on her sensitive skin.

Soft moans came from somewhere deep in Claire’s throat as he moved slowly—painfully slowly—down her stomach, touching, caressing, and igniting the flames of her desire. Just before reaching the trim of her panties, Tony stopped. Gasping, Claire reached for him—finding only air in the darkness.

Before she could sit, she heard her husband. “God, you’re so beautiful.”

Blood flushed her cheeks as she listened to his sultry tone. Suddenly, she felt his presence on the bed behind her. Within moments, his strong embrace tenderly pulled her back, situating her in front of him. When she leaned back against his bare chest, Claire smiled, her green eyes gleaming under the mask. From what she could tell, they were now dressed—or more accurately, undressed—to match.

“Open your mouth,” his deep baritone voice dripped with seduction.

Obediently, she did as he said. Her compliance was rewarded with the rich taste of warm chocolate. Immediately, Claire opened her mouth wider allowing him to place the strawberry upon her tongue. Quickly, she closed her lips, purposely licking the chocolate from his fingers. His chest vibrated with his resonating growl as she sucked each finger clean. All the while, her insides quivered at the sound. Sweet strawberry juice mingled with the decadent chocolate as Claire swallowed.

“Again,” he commanded.

This time, cool whipped cream covered the berry and her lips. As she swallowed, Tony captured her chin, turning her toward him and tasted the cream from her lips. The loss of sight had her senses on high alert, making each move unexpected and erotic. Next, Tony gathered her hair and secured it on top of her head with a clip. Before Claire could decipher his intent, the alternating sensation of warm chocolate and cool whipped cream dribbled over her chest. She gasped as he laid her back, moved in front of her, and began to savor the contrasting culinary delights.

“Oh, Tony,” Claire panted, as the alternating sensations found new and creative locations.

It wasn’t until Claire’s breathing became erratic and they were both a sticky mess that Tony removed the mask and they came together as one. No longer blinded, Claire’s emerald eyes stared deep into the only chocolate she would ever crave. They moved as one until both of their worlds shattered in blissful ecstasy.

As they later stepped into the warm spray of the multiple showerheads, Tony kissed his wife and said, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Mrs. Rawlings.”

With a smile glistening with sparks of emerald, Claire replied, “Mr. Rawlings, not so fast—now it’s my turn.” Her husband’s devilish grin was all the encouragement she needed.

When they finally settled into their bed for the night, Tony pulled Claire close and whispered, “To many more celebrations with Nichol…” He pulled her tighter against his side. “…and more with just the two of us.”

“To many more…” Claire’s words slipped away as the beat of Tony’s heart lulled her to sleep.

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

—Winston Churchill

DR. CARLY BROWN
leaned back in her chair and studied Claire Rawlings. “What makes you think you’re ready for that?”

Claire sat taller. She’d been adjusting well to the decrease in medications. Coming off of them was the next logical step. “Don’t you think that I am?”

“You seem to be avoiding my question. What makes you think you’re ready to stop taking your medications?”

“Well, first, I don’t think I need them anymore. I haven’t had any problems since I was here at Everwood or issues since the dosage has been decreased. I’m going to all of my sessions, both with you and the family counseling that Tony and I go to each week.” She shrugged and a smile graced her lips. “Things are good—better than good. I want to do it on my own, not with the medicine.”

Dr. Brown nodded. “There’s nothing wrong with needing medication. Millions of people—”

“Yes, millions of people take anti-psychotic medications. The thing is I understand now what happened to me. I know that my mind couldn’t handle the reality that I’d lost my family forever, so I went away. But I didn’t lose them. I didn’t lose Nichol or Tony. I have them and I’m happy, really happy.”

“We’re doing tests, monitoring the levels. We’ve made a significant reduction. These are not medications that you can just stop. It’s a process.”

Claire nodded. “Can we cut the dosage again?”

“It appears you’re in a hurry. Is that true?”

Claire fidgeted with the cuff of her blouse’s sleeve. “No, I’m not.”

“All right, you’re not. Tell me what’s been going on. What have you been doing?”

“So much!” Her emerald eyes glistened. “I’ve learned one thing, well, I’ve learned a lot of things, but one thing is that every day is a gift. Nichol’s a gift. We missed so much time with her. I was afraid that it would never seem like we were truly a family, but it does.” She looked away from Dr. Brown’s knowing gaze. “I see the way Emily and John look at her sometimes. I know I shouldn’t feel jealous, but I do. They shared a part of her life that Tony and I’ll never have.”

“How does that make you feel to say you’re jealous?”

“Like I’m a terrible person. They helped Nichol and us. I should be grateful, not jealous, and now they’re having another baby.”

“When is your sister’s baby due?” Dr. Brown asked.

“In another month. We went shopping for clothes the other day.”

“And Emily is having a…?”

“A girl,” Claire confirmed. “They’re having a little girl, and they’re naming her after our grandmother Elizabeth.”

“How do you feel about Emily and John having a girl?”

“I’m happy. They’re excited and I’m excited for them. I can’t help but think that in some way she’s replacing Nichol. I don’t mean that in a bad way. But for over two years they had two children. Soon they will again.”

“Is Nichol replaceable?”

Claire’s eyes widened. “No! That’s not what I mean.” She stood and walked about the office, trying to collect her thoughts. “They were a family of four and now they will be again.”

“And that makes you feel..?”

Claire spun toward the doctor. “Happy for them, and maybe a little sad for me.”

“Help me understand.”

A tear teetered on Claire’s lid. “They’re getting their family back, the one they had with Nichol. Tony and I will never get that time back.” She dejectedly sat and let out a sigh. “That’s why I think we should cut my medications—not just cut but stop them.”

“Help me out. How does your sister’s baby relate to your medicines?” Dr. Brown leaned forward. “Before we continue to decrease and maybe even eliminate some of your medications—”