Later, watching Laurie rehearse her speech for that night's awards show,
Rick had to remind
himself that his priority was to protect her, and get her home to Arizona.
Every time he saw
her, he was ready to chuck it all and make a home with her, help her raise
her niece and nephew,
and start all over again. "Damn it, why can't I face facts. I enjoy my
work, I don't want to
leave San Diego, and I wouldn't be any good at taking care of a couple of
teeny-boppers".
All his internal arguing stopped when he and A.J. laid out their plans for the dinner and program at a nearby hotel. Steve had already gotten a copy of the presentations and table layout for them, and he had arranged to be seated in the back of the room so he would have a better line of sight. A.J. was drafted to sit at the head table with Laurie, and Rick was in charge of the walk area directly in back of the curtained backdrop, which would allow easy access in case she had to make a quick exit. Once the presentation of the Non-Fiction Writer of the Year was made, Laurie was going to make a short speech, and then present the Fiction Writer of the Year Award. Once that was handled, A.J. was to escort her to the press area, then directly out the banquet hall exit to a waiting car.
Steve came out in his tux to hear the last of these plans, and immediately reminded the brothers that they needed to let hotel security know about the exit plan. "No problem, A.J. will talk to them when we get there.", Rick assured him, wrestling with his tie. "Now this is almost worth being stalked", came Laurie's voice from behind. Glittering in a black and silver dress, she walked over to Rick, and carefully straightened his tie. "I knew you were worth waiting for," she teased, stepping back to gaze at him in his dark suit. "Yeah, didn't know he cleaned up that well", A.J. chimed in, picking a piece of lint off Rick's shoulder. "Ok, you clowns, if you're done playing fashion police, we need to take Cinderella here to the ball", Rick growled, unable to resist looking at Laurie. Like something out of a movie, he thought, putting her coat over her shoulders.
Arriving at their destination, A.J. left Laurie with Rick and Steve while he contacted the hotel's Security personnel. Clearing the exit plans with them was easy, especially as they had worked with private security before. The BookSeller Association president was included in the discussion how Laurie was to enter and exit, and fortunately was amenable to having her take press pictures before the dinner was to start.
Rick marveled at how easy everything went from when dinner was served until the Awards presentations began. The walkway was kept clear, fans were seated in a separate section of the room, and best of all, no one had attempted to enter their secured area without being vetted against a list of attendees.
When Laurie was announced as the winner of the Non-Fiction award, Rick was surprised at the loud ovation she was given. Peering between the curtains, he saw her knees shaking as she stood in front of the microphone, saying thank you repeatedly and finally quieting the crowd. Rick closed the curtains as she began to speak, and walked the length of the hallway to look down both corridors. Seeing no one, he went back to stand behind the curtains, listening to her acknowledgment of her publishers and those who had influenced her. "Finally,", she added, "I want to especially thank the three men in my life who have taught me so much about honor and value and courage. To my friend Col. Steve Austin, who encouraged me to find the truth about my family, and my long-time brothers-in-arms, A.J. and Rick Simon, who taught me how to survive not only my past, but also my present. Thank you for believing in me, then and now." As spontaneous applause broke out, Rick heard a noise behind him, and half-turned, only have pain explode in his head. He found himself on the floor, dazed; hearing voices only feet from him. He was being dragged, then he was dropped back on the cold flooring. Laurie's voice sounded above him,
"Rick! No! What did you do to him!"?
"Quiet, Ms. Scott, make no noise or we'll have to finish him" another voice, menacing in tone. "Come with us and we will not hurt him or his brother". Rick tried to open his eyes, but stayed silent when he heard A. J.s' "Rick", muffled. Laurie's voice again, this time controlled. "I'll go with you only if you leave them alone". "All right, Ms. Scott, we will leave him", a kick in his side indicated who the him was. "But this gentleman goes with us just to make sure of no trouble. We will release him when we know we've not been followed. Come along now." The voices died off.
Rick rolled over and tried to sit-up, groaning at the pounding in his head. He heard footsteps running toward him and came to his knees, focusing on the figure stopping in front of him. "Rick, where are they, where's Laurie!" Steve took his arm and raised him up. "Two men, one must have come from behind and hit me, they left me behind but they took A.J. to make sure Laurie went with them!" Rick wiped blood from his eyes and started down the corridor, only to have Steve pull his arm and turn him around. "This way, Rick, can you make it?" Rick stared back at him, "Yeah, nobody takes my family from me." Both men took off at a run, with Steve stopping to grab a security guard and alert him To the kidnapping.
Once outside, Rick followed the big man to the car waiting at the door, only to find two other men waiting there. Steve halted in front of them. "Rick, this is a friend of mine, Oscar Goldman, Laurie and I worked with him in the past, and this is Dr. Wells. Rick shook their hands and got a stern look from both of them. Steve put his hand on Rick's shoulder and said "This is the guy who saved Laurie before, Willowby's men took his brother A.J. as a hostage with Laurie". Goldman spoke first.
"We have an idea where they might be headed, Simon, that woman who was Laurie's agent broke down just a few minutes ago and said Willowby is holed up in an old Mansion outside of the city." Rick turned to the big man. "Ok, let's go. Steve, do you, uh, hear anything". He nodded and motioned for Rick to climb in the passenger side as the other men climbed into their car. Goldman called out that they would follow them as Steve peeled out of the hotel parking lot and onto the busy though fare.
On the way Steve started repeating what Laurie was telling him. "She's pretty dazed, but she says they're going over a bridge, now turning into the Heights, now left onto a long drive." Rick didn't interrupt, as the big man was going 90 and still trying to follow the directions Cheryl had given Goldman and what Laurie was thinking. Finally, they reached the bridge and following her description, turned left and then left again down a dark driveway.
A gate loomed in front of them and Steve just stepped on the gas and blew thru it, scattering metal and debris. Coming to a halt in back of a Rolls, Steve and Rick jumped out, Rick flashing his gun in the face of two men standing by the car. With Goldman and Dr. Wells screeching to a stop behind them, both suits dropped their weapons. Rick grabbed one of them and snarled, "Ok, where's the girl, and where's my brother?". Before the man could answer, a thumping was heard from the nearby car's trunk. "Open it now" and a key was produced from his pocket. Springing it open, Rick found his brother with his wrists and ankles bound with tape. "They took Laurie inside, we got to hurry", A.J. gasped, as his brother tore the tape off and helped him to stand. Quickly introducing the other men, Rick handed A. J. his gun and then herded Willowby's men into the trunk.
Quietly Goldman took out a walkie/talkie and called in for back up, Arranging for the front gate to be blocked by other operatives and the local police. Taking up positions by the front door, Rick took out a pick and unlocked the door. When it opened, a security bell went off, which Steve quickly silenced by ripping off the wall.
A.J. shot a look of amazement at Rick, who shrugged and then went in , followed by Steve and his brother. Finding themselves In an darkened entryway, the men crept noiselessly into a hallway, at the end of which was a brightly lit room. Steve whispered, "She's in there, I told her to distract him by starting one of her stories". The brothers nodded, and moving forward, each hid behind an ornate vase. They could see a short figure on what looked like a throne, with stairs leading down to a fireplace. In front of the fire pit, Laurie sat, surrounded by pillows which hemmed her in, her wrists chained. Rick saw her lean forward, as if drawing attention to her tale, and glancing at Steve, got the signal to move. Both brothers moved at once, vaulting a sofa and sliding down a flight of stairs to where the girl was. The short man on the throne sprang up, only to be confronted by Rick flashing his gun. "No, you can't have her, she's mine", Willowby shouted. "Guards, stop them!" The sound of running feet could be heard, as A. J. went to Laurie's side and lifted her out of the piles of pillows. Suddenly Willowby pressed a button and a trap door opened in back of Rick. Laurie screamed "Look out", and immediately another one opened in front of her and A. J and one in back of them, trapping them on a shrinking island of floor.
Steve vaulted the opening spaces and grabbing both Laurie and A.J, jumped back over the widening space and over the sofa. Rick took advantage of the distraction to jump the firepit and grab Willowby by the shirt. "You're out of business, little man", he yelled, jerking him out of his throne and dragging him around the trap door and towards the door. Wriggling out of his grasp, Willowby punched him and grabbing Laurie by the chains on her wrist, started dragging her back towards the fire pit. As she jerked back and tried to get away, he missed a step and plunged into one of the open traps. Laurie fell to the floor and was being pulled into the gaping hole when Rick threw himself forward and caught her, pulling her back far enough where he could shoot off her chains. The impact of this released Willowby's grasp and sent him screaming into nothingness.
Rick pulled her away from the rapidly closing trap door and carried her to the doorway where Steve and A.J. joined Him. Explosions sounded below their feet, and Oscar yelled for them to run. "The building's going to explode".
Rick ran out of the building carrying Laurie and headed straight for the cars in the driveway. Taking cover with the others, they watched the mansion blowup, turning the night orange and yellow. Catching his breath, Rick looked down at the dazed girl in his arms. "Laurie, are you alright, do you hurt anywhere?" Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. "I think so, just can't stop shaking inside. If you guys hadn't gotten here, he was planning on taking off thru an underground tunnel and .". She stopped, swallowing hard. He shook his head, unclasping the cuffs from her wrists. "He wasn't going anywhere with you , we're never going to let anything like that happen". "We?" "Yes, we", interrupted Goldman, leaning over and embracing Laurie. "Oscar, Rudy!" where did you come from?" She said, trying to hug both men at once. "We couldn't let these gentlemen have all the glory, hon, could we, Rudy?" The doctor shook his head and had her sit down so he could examine her bad wrist. After seeing that the swelling was down, he stood up and said, noticing she was missing her shoes. "All right, Cinderella, time to get you home". Rick lifted her up, and carefully placed her in Steve's car. Laurie looked up at him and smiled as he brushed the hair out of her eyes, then slid next to her. "We, huh?" "Yes, we", he growled, and ignoring the others, kissed her. When he stopped, Laurie put her arms around him and kissed him.
Only the clearing of several throats brought Rick to his senses, and looking up, he saw Steve and A.J. grinning down at them, with Dr. Wells and Goldman pretending not to notice. Blushing, Rick was about to get out and go around to the passenger side when A. J. beat him to it, saying "My turn to ride shotgun." Laughing, the older brother shut the door, only to have Goldman lean inside and tell him "You and I have a lot to talk about, Simon, if you're going to go around kissing your client." "Uh, yes sir", Rick said, and turning to Steve, "Are you sure you used to work for him?" "Just part time." He deadpanned, starting the car,"but don't worry, he grows on you". "Just what I was afraid of", Rick grimaced, and turning to Laurie, asked "Do I have to get his permission every time I want to kiss you?" "Just when he's in town", she teased. Laughing, Steve pulled away and headed back to New York.
On the way back to the hotel, Laurie told Rick what happened when she and A.J. were taken away. "They were hurrying us down a staircase when I tripped over those darn heels, so they let A.J. help me down. when we reached the garage, they pulled me away from him, and stuffed him in the trunk. I started to yell for help, but those two goons put a cloth with chloroform over my face and forced me into a car. Somehow I managed to hold my breath, so I didn't pass out and could reach Steve. Once we got to the mansion, they carried me inside and chained me up. Willowby had already started boasting about his getaway when Steve said you were outside, so when I started telling him how if he listened to my story he would know how wrong he was to hold me, all he was interested in was if anyone else had ever heard my tale."
She looked over at Rick, "Do you think he survived the fall or the explosions, I mean, can I stop looking over my shoulder now?".
Steve broke in "There's no way Willowby could have made it out of there alive, hon, Oscar thinks he had a cache of illegal weapons and once those blew, no way he escaped." "Just in case", Rick added, "I want Laurie to go home with us to San Diego until we hear the all clear. If necessary, we could have the kids fly out to join her".
Laurie's eyes were wet when she glanced at him. "I would love for Aunt Ceci to meet Robert and Robin, I've told them so many stories about her. And I miss them so much. It would be a great vacation for them before they start school".
By the time they were back in their hotel rooms, they were all exhausted, so Steve arranged to come meet them for breakfast the next morning. Rick helped Laurie to her suite, wincing at the discomfort she still had with her wrist and noticing the fresh bruises on her arms. He tried to reach Cecilia, but her line was busy, so he figured he try in the morning.
Once he was ready for bed, A.J. helped put mercurochrome on the cut above his forehead and got him some aspirin. He said good night to his brother and was about to turn in; when he decided to check on Laurie, he was surprised to see her still sitting up. He sat next to her on the bed, and put his arms around her. "I'm not going to take any chances that there will be a next time, Sweetheart, I love you." Laurie gasped then threw her arms around him, "I love you, too, Rick, I always have and I always will. I didn't think I would ever get the nerve to tell you how I felt, but I don't want to be without you."
He knew he would like to make love to her, but something told him it wouldn't be right when both of them were so tired. She smiled when he told her this. "I know, darling, I would love to spend the night with you, but let's start this right." He grinned at her and taking her in his arms once more, kissed her good night. "It's a good thing we have chaperones in the next room, otherwise."."I can wait, Rick. See you at breakfast", she yawned as he turned out her light and left the room.
All his internal arguing stopped when he and A.J. laid out their plans for the dinner and program at a nearby hotel. Steve had already gotten a copy of the presentations and table layout for them, and he had arranged to be seated in the back of the room so he would have a better line of sight. A.J. was drafted to sit at the head table with Laurie, and Rick was in charge of the walk area directly in back of the curtained backdrop, which would allow easy access in case she had to make a quick exit. Once the presentation of the Non-Fiction Writer of the Year was made, Laurie was going to make a short speech, and then present the Fiction Writer of the Year Award. Once that was handled, A.J. was to escort her to the press area, then directly out the banquet hall exit to a waiting car.
Steve came out in his tux to hear the last of these plans, and immediately reminded the brothers that they needed to let hotel security know about the exit plan. "No problem, A.J. will talk to them when we get there.", Rick assured him, wrestling with his tie. "Now this is almost worth being stalked", came Laurie's voice from behind. Glittering in a black and silver dress, she walked over to Rick, and carefully straightened his tie. "I knew you were worth waiting for," she teased, stepping back to gaze at him in his dark suit. "Yeah, didn't know he cleaned up that well", A.J. chimed in, picking a piece of lint off Rick's shoulder. "Ok, you clowns, if you're done playing fashion police, we need to take Cinderella here to the ball", Rick growled, unable to resist looking at Laurie. Like something out of a movie, he thought, putting her coat over her shoulders.
Arriving at their destination, A.J. left Laurie with Rick and Steve while he contacted the hotel's Security personnel. Clearing the exit plans with them was easy, especially as they had worked with private security before. The BookSeller Association president was included in the discussion how Laurie was to enter and exit, and fortunately was amenable to having her take press pictures before the dinner was to start.
Rick marveled at how easy everything went from when dinner was served until the Awards presentations began. The walkway was kept clear, fans were seated in a separate section of the room, and best of all, no one had attempted to enter their secured area without being vetted against a list of attendees.
When Laurie was announced as the winner of the Non-Fiction award, Rick was surprised at the loud ovation she was given. Peering between the curtains, he saw her knees shaking as she stood in front of the microphone, saying thank you repeatedly and finally quieting the crowd. Rick closed the curtains as she began to speak, and walked the length of the hallway to look down both corridors. Seeing no one, he went back to stand behind the curtains, listening to her acknowledgment of her publishers and those who had influenced her. "Finally,", she added, "I want to especially thank the three men in my life who have taught me so much about honor and value and courage. To my friend Col. Steve Austin, who encouraged me to find the truth about my family, and my long-time brothers-in-arms, A.J. and Rick Simon, who taught me how to survive not only my past, but also my present. Thank you for believing in me, then and now." As spontaneous applause broke out, Rick heard a noise behind him, and half-turned, only have pain explode in his head. He found himself on the floor, dazed; hearing voices only feet from him. He was being dragged, then he was dropped back on the cold flooring. Laurie's voice sounded above him,
"Rick! No! What did you do to him!"?
"Quiet, Ms. Scott, make no noise or we'll have to finish him" another voice, menacing in tone. "Come with us and we will not hurt him or his brother". Rick tried to open his eyes, but stayed silent when he heard A. J.s' "Rick", muffled. Laurie's voice again, this time controlled. "I'll go with you only if you leave them alone". "All right, Ms. Scott, we will leave him", a kick in his side indicated who the him was. "But this gentleman goes with us just to make sure of no trouble. We will release him when we know we've not been followed. Come along now." The voices died off.
Rick rolled over and tried to sit-up, groaning at the pounding in his head. He heard footsteps running toward him and came to his knees, focusing on the figure stopping in front of him. "Rick, where are they, where's Laurie!" Steve took his arm and raised him up. "Two men, one must have come from behind and hit me, they left me behind but they took A.J. to make sure Laurie went with them!" Rick wiped blood from his eyes and started down the corridor, only to have Steve pull his arm and turn him around. "This way, Rick, can you make it?" Rick stared back at him, "Yeah, nobody takes my family from me." Both men took off at a run, with Steve stopping to grab a security guard and alert him To the kidnapping.
Once outside, Rick followed the big man to the car waiting at the door, only to find two other men waiting there. Steve halted in front of them. "Rick, this is a friend of mine, Oscar Goldman, Laurie and I worked with him in the past, and this is Dr. Wells. Rick shook their hands and got a stern look from both of them. Steve put his hand on Rick's shoulder and said "This is the guy who saved Laurie before, Willowby's men took his brother A.J. as a hostage with Laurie". Goldman spoke first.
"We have an idea where they might be headed, Simon, that woman who was Laurie's agent broke down just a few minutes ago and said Willowby is holed up in an old Mansion outside of the city." Rick turned to the big man. "Ok, let's go. Steve, do you, uh, hear anything". He nodded and motioned for Rick to climb in the passenger side as the other men climbed into their car. Goldman called out that they would follow them as Steve peeled out of the hotel parking lot and onto the busy though fare.
On the way Steve started repeating what Laurie was telling him. "She's pretty dazed, but she says they're going over a bridge, now turning into the Heights, now left onto a long drive." Rick didn't interrupt, as the big man was going 90 and still trying to follow the directions Cheryl had given Goldman and what Laurie was thinking. Finally, they reached the bridge and following her description, turned left and then left again down a dark driveway.
A gate loomed in front of them and Steve just stepped on the gas and blew thru it, scattering metal and debris. Coming to a halt in back of a Rolls, Steve and Rick jumped out, Rick flashing his gun in the face of two men standing by the car. With Goldman and Dr. Wells screeching to a stop behind them, both suits dropped their weapons. Rick grabbed one of them and snarled, "Ok, where's the girl, and where's my brother?". Before the man could answer, a thumping was heard from the nearby car's trunk. "Open it now" and a key was produced from his pocket. Springing it open, Rick found his brother with his wrists and ankles bound with tape. "They took Laurie inside, we got to hurry", A.J. gasped, as his brother tore the tape off and helped him to stand. Quickly introducing the other men, Rick handed A. J. his gun and then herded Willowby's men into the trunk.
Quietly Goldman took out a walkie/talkie and called in for back up, Arranging for the front gate to be blocked by other operatives and the local police. Taking up positions by the front door, Rick took out a pick and unlocked the door. When it opened, a security bell went off, which Steve quickly silenced by ripping off the wall.
A.J. shot a look of amazement at Rick, who shrugged and then went in , followed by Steve and his brother. Finding themselves In an darkened entryway, the men crept noiselessly into a hallway, at the end of which was a brightly lit room. Steve whispered, "She's in there, I told her to distract him by starting one of her stories". The brothers nodded, and moving forward, each hid behind an ornate vase. They could see a short figure on what looked like a throne, with stairs leading down to a fireplace. In front of the fire pit, Laurie sat, surrounded by pillows which hemmed her in, her wrists chained. Rick saw her lean forward, as if drawing attention to her tale, and glancing at Steve, got the signal to move. Both brothers moved at once, vaulting a sofa and sliding down a flight of stairs to where the girl was. The short man on the throne sprang up, only to be confronted by Rick flashing his gun. "No, you can't have her, she's mine", Willowby shouted. "Guards, stop them!" The sound of running feet could be heard, as A. J. went to Laurie's side and lifted her out of the piles of pillows. Suddenly Willowby pressed a button and a trap door opened in back of Rick. Laurie screamed "Look out", and immediately another one opened in front of her and A. J and one in back of them, trapping them on a shrinking island of floor.
Steve vaulted the opening spaces and grabbing both Laurie and A.J, jumped back over the widening space and over the sofa. Rick took advantage of the distraction to jump the firepit and grab Willowby by the shirt. "You're out of business, little man", he yelled, jerking him out of his throne and dragging him around the trap door and towards the door. Wriggling out of his grasp, Willowby punched him and grabbing Laurie by the chains on her wrist, started dragging her back towards the fire pit. As she jerked back and tried to get away, he missed a step and plunged into one of the open traps. Laurie fell to the floor and was being pulled into the gaping hole when Rick threw himself forward and caught her, pulling her back far enough where he could shoot off her chains. The impact of this released Willowby's grasp and sent him screaming into nothingness.
Rick pulled her away from the rapidly closing trap door and carried her to the doorway where Steve and A.J. joined Him. Explosions sounded below their feet, and Oscar yelled for them to run. "The building's going to explode".
Rick ran out of the building carrying Laurie and headed straight for the cars in the driveway. Taking cover with the others, they watched the mansion blowup, turning the night orange and yellow. Catching his breath, Rick looked down at the dazed girl in his arms. "Laurie, are you alright, do you hurt anywhere?" Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. "I think so, just can't stop shaking inside. If you guys hadn't gotten here, he was planning on taking off thru an underground tunnel and .". She stopped, swallowing hard. He shook his head, unclasping the cuffs from her wrists. "He wasn't going anywhere with you , we're never going to let anything like that happen". "We?" "Yes, we", interrupted Goldman, leaning over and embracing Laurie. "Oscar, Rudy!" where did you come from?" She said, trying to hug both men at once. "We couldn't let these gentlemen have all the glory, hon, could we, Rudy?" The doctor shook his head and had her sit down so he could examine her bad wrist. After seeing that the swelling was down, he stood up and said, noticing she was missing her shoes. "All right, Cinderella, time to get you home". Rick lifted her up, and carefully placed her in Steve's car. Laurie looked up at him and smiled as he brushed the hair out of her eyes, then slid next to her. "We, huh?" "Yes, we", he growled, and ignoring the others, kissed her. When he stopped, Laurie put her arms around him and kissed him.
Only the clearing of several throats brought Rick to his senses, and looking up, he saw Steve and A.J. grinning down at them, with Dr. Wells and Goldman pretending not to notice. Blushing, Rick was about to get out and go around to the passenger side when A. J. beat him to it, saying "My turn to ride shotgun." Laughing, the older brother shut the door, only to have Goldman lean inside and tell him "You and I have a lot to talk about, Simon, if you're going to go around kissing your client." "Uh, yes sir", Rick said, and turning to Steve, "Are you sure you used to work for him?" "Just part time." He deadpanned, starting the car,"but don't worry, he grows on you". "Just what I was afraid of", Rick grimaced, and turning to Laurie, asked "Do I have to get his permission every time I want to kiss you?" "Just when he's in town", she teased. Laughing, Steve pulled away and headed back to New York.
On the way back to the hotel, Laurie told Rick what happened when she and A.J. were taken away. "They were hurrying us down a staircase when I tripped over those darn heels, so they let A.J. help me down. when we reached the garage, they pulled me away from him, and stuffed him in the trunk. I started to yell for help, but those two goons put a cloth with chloroform over my face and forced me into a car. Somehow I managed to hold my breath, so I didn't pass out and could reach Steve. Once we got to the mansion, they carried me inside and chained me up. Willowby had already started boasting about his getaway when Steve said you were outside, so when I started telling him how if he listened to my story he would know how wrong he was to hold me, all he was interested in was if anyone else had ever heard my tale."
She looked over at Rick, "Do you think he survived the fall or the explosions, I mean, can I stop looking over my shoulder now?".
Steve broke in "There's no way Willowby could have made it out of there alive, hon, Oscar thinks he had a cache of illegal weapons and once those blew, no way he escaped." "Just in case", Rick added, "I want Laurie to go home with us to San Diego until we hear the all clear. If necessary, we could have the kids fly out to join her".
Laurie's eyes were wet when she glanced at him. "I would love for Aunt Ceci to meet Robert and Robin, I've told them so many stories about her. And I miss them so much. It would be a great vacation for them before they start school".
By the time they were back in their hotel rooms, they were all exhausted, so Steve arranged to come meet them for breakfast the next morning. Rick helped Laurie to her suite, wincing at the discomfort she still had with her wrist and noticing the fresh bruises on her arms. He tried to reach Cecilia, but her line was busy, so he figured he try in the morning.
Once he was ready for bed, A.J. helped put mercurochrome on the cut above his forehead and got him some aspirin. He said good night to his brother and was about to turn in; when he decided to check on Laurie, he was surprised to see her still sitting up. He sat next to her on the bed, and put his arms around her. "I'm not going to take any chances that there will be a next time, Sweetheart, I love you." Laurie gasped then threw her arms around him, "I love you, too, Rick, I always have and I always will. I didn't think I would ever get the nerve to tell you how I felt, but I don't want to be without you."
He knew he would like to make love to her, but something told him it wouldn't be right when both of them were so tired. She smiled when he told her this. "I know, darling, I would love to spend the night with you, but let's start this right." He grinned at her and taking her in his arms once more, kissed her good night. "It's a good thing we have chaperones in the next room, otherwise."."I can wait, Rick. See you at breakfast", she yawned as he turned out her light and left the room.