Chapter twenty seven
The next morning found Kevin standing outside Lenny's house at just gone eight, a time he hadn't seen for months...if not years. Sam opened the door to him and stared at him silently before stepping back and letting him in the house.
"Coffee?" he asked the bigger man, setting about making it anyway.
"Thanks," Kevin said, sinking into a kitchen chair and yawning.
Sam looked at him and pursed his lips. "You're up a little early aren't you?"
"I wanted to see Lenny, I thought she'd be up by now," he said, leaning back in his chair so he could look along the hallway, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. He hadn't wanted to bring her home last night, and his stupid body had made sure he thought about her until the early hours of the morning.
"No, she's still in bed. Obviously she needed the rest," Sam said, handing Kevin a mug of coffee and sitting opposite him. "So what's going on between you two?"
Kevin sipped the hot brew and looked at Sam silently for a few seconds. "I like her."
"Well, duh, I worked that out all on my own," Sam said, chuckling and relaxing. "The question is, how much?"
"A lot. I feel...I'm not sure," he said, shrugging and then gave a small smile. "I do know that the thought of going back on the road is killing me, does that help?"
"Yeah, it does," the other man said, looking up and smiling as Rachel walked in with the baby in her arms.
"Good morning," she said, smiling tiredly at Kevin.
"Bad night?" he asked, sitting up and peeking at Danae's little face. She sure was cute.
"Yeah, she kept me awake for most of it," Rachel said, sitting down next to him and looking pointedly at the coffee her husband was drinking. When Sam went to get her a cup, Kevin put his own down.
"Want me to hold her?" he asked, suddenly really wanting to have the tiny life in his arms. Rachel happily handed her over and Kevin looked down at the baby's small face, fascinated by the way the unfocused dark blue eyes stared up at him. He could virtually hold her in one hand, he thought, smiling softly down at her. A picture of Lenny pregnant with his child flashed through his mind and he took a sharp breath as his stomach flipped over at the feelings coursing through him. He wanted that, he realised. For the first time in his life he really wanted ties with someone, and that someone was Lenny.
Sam and Rachel's chatter flowed over him as he rocked the baby absently, his mind on the young girl who was laying asleep up the stairs. Sure, he had been married before, but he hadn't had his heart in the union and that fact had been obvious from the get go. With Lenny....God, the way he felt actually scared him. He looked up vacantly when Sam called his name. "Sorry?"
"Nothing important," Sam said, shaking his head and grinning at the bigger man's confused expression. "Where were you? You seemed lost for a second there."
"I was just thinking," Kevin mumbled, looking at the baby again and then back at Sam. "Do you need Lenny around today? Has she got a lot of work to do or anything?"
Sam shook his head. "No, most of the paperwork is okay, although there are a lot of records that need updating. I guess they can wait. Why?"
"I wanted to spend the day with her, if she wants to," he said, freezing as he thought of that possibility. Would she want to spend time with him? Obviously she had enjoyed what had happened between them yesterday, but had he been too forceful? Did she really want to just be with him? His face gave him away and Sam chuckled.
"I swear you're just as bad as her," he said, and Kevin's head jerked up to stare at him, frowning.
"What do you mean?"
"Last night I found her standing in the hallway looking totally empty headed, a big smile on her face. She didn't hear me when I spoke to her and, when she did finally reply, what she said made no sense at all," Sam said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "I think my baby sister's in love with someone."
Kevin couldn't help the wide grin that broke out on his face. "She is? You really think so?"
"Yeah, I do," he said, looking at the clock on the wall. "Maybe you should go and wake her up, hmm?"
"You don't mind? Are you sure?"
"Stop with all the questions! Just do it, man," he said, taking the baby as Kevin stood up. "If you can continue to make Lenny as happy as she was last night, then you have my blessing."
Kevin felt like a teenager and he smiled at Sam, slapping his shoulder. "Thanks man," he said before he walked out of the kitchen as fast as he could and made his way up the stairs, wondering why the thought of seeing her again was making his heart beat faster and his stomach tie in knots. This was ridiculous, he thought. He was forty four years old, far too ancient to be feeling quite this way, but damned if he was going to question it too much. Seconds later he was standing outside her door and he wiped his palms on his jeans, wondering whether to knock or not. The thought of surprising her made him simply open the door, and he poked his head around it to find her sprawled under the covers on her bed, still fast asleep. Perfect, he thought, entering the room and closing the door quietly behind him.
He made his way slowly over to the bed and kicked his shoes off, his shirt and jeans quickly following until he was standing in his boxers. Pulling back the sheets carefully he eased into bed behind her and covered them both up again, wrapping his big arms around her sleeping form and tugging her gently back into his embrace so he could spoon around her. Lenny murmured softly and shifted, but she didn't wake up and Kevin smiled, his fingers going on a slow exploration to find out what she was wearing. It felt like a T-shirt but it was fairly long, and it was black with something printed on the front by the feel of it. And obviously she was wearing nothing underneath it except for the brief little panties he could feel. He had to force himself not to pull them away from the tempting treasure underneath, because he knew they couldn't get up to much, not with Sam or Rachel walking around the house. Again he wished he had somewhere to take her and the thought of maybe buying a place near Mark popped up in his head again. It was something to seriously consider, he thought, especially if it meant he could lock Lenny away and keep her for himself. He leaned his head down and nuzzled the nape of her neck, brushing her hair aside and scraping his beard against her soft skin, making her back arch in response.
Lenny's eyes slowly fluttered open as she pulled herself out of the pleasant dream she had been having and she gasped as she felt the big arms surrounding her and the huge body curved around hers. "Kevin?" she asked huskily, turning her head to try and see him.
"Who else?" he murmured, leaning up and looking at her, his hands turning her around so she was facing him. "I hope you're not used to waking up with men in your bed!"
Lenny giggled at the outraged expression he wore. "No. But I think I could get used to it."
His eyebrows arched. "Oh you do, do you? Well you better not be thinking of any man except me," he told her, his eyes wrinkling at the corners as he grinned.
"I'm not," she said, leaning forward to rest her head on his chest as he rolled onto his back. Her eyes flicked up to his. "Why are you here?"
"I couldn't stay away," he admitted, chuckling and squeezing her tighter. "Do you mind?"
She shook her head hurriedly and smiled at him, lifting herself up and leaning her arms on his stomach. "Why are you naked?"
"I'm not totally naked."
She ran her hands lightly down his abdomen and encountered the band of his boxers. "Oh."
"What's up baby?" he murmured, his hand lifting to wrap around the back of her neck and caress her. "You want me to be totally naked?"
"Yes."
"I just bet you do. See, now you know how good I am you can't get enough of me. I guess I'm going to be condemned to a life of sexual slavery," he said, sighing and shaking his head.
"Hey, it's your fault!" Lenny protested, unable to stop smiling. "If you hadn't touched me in the first place..."
"If you hadn't been so damn sexy none of this would have happened," he interrupted her. "It's not my fault that your body was made to be loved, now is it?"
"You think I'm sexy?" she asked, grinning happily.
"Every inch of you," he confirmed, rasing his eyebrows and giving her his sexiest look. "You want to fool around?"
She considered his words and rested her chin on her palm, staring at him. "Nah, I wouldn't want to wear you out or anything."
"Wear me out?" he asked, staring at her in amazement. "What do you mean, wear me out? Are you saying I'm old?"
"Not old....exactly," she said, grinning impishly and trying to look innocent at the same time.
"You're insulting me about my age?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Would I do that?"
"Ya know something, I think you would. And I think I might have to make you pay for that," he said, his eyes widening theatrically as he grabbed her waist and pulled her over him. Lenny squealed and tried to squirm away from him, only managing to make his body go rock hard in the process.
"You might want to keep still, sweetiepie," Kevin murmured, pushing her down on him so she could feel what she had done. "Or this little punishment is going to be different to the way I'd been thinking."
"Punishment?" she asked, keeping still and staring at him.
"Oh yeah, you insulted me, you deserve to be punished," he agreed, nodding.
"Yeah? And what are you going to do? Beat me to death with your wrinkles?" she asked him, trying not to laugh at the shock that made his eyes widen at her words.
"You're really asking for it, you know that?" he asked her, giving her an evil grin.
"Asking for what?" she said, relaxing on top of him and trying for a seductive look. When she saw him swallow she knew it was working.
He tried to stop himself, but he couldn't resist sliding his hands up her thighs and pulling them open over his hips so he could press his aching flesh up against her softness. The slight wince she gave made him freeze and he frowned at her. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just....er...I'm a bit...sore," she said, flushing as she said it.
He eased her slowly off him and stared at her with concern. "I hurt you?"
"No! No you didn't....well, not at the time, I guess," she said, shrugging.
"Oh, Christ, I hurt you," he said, his voice hushed as he pulled her against him, cradling her gently.
Lenny lifted her hand and brushed his cheek, smiling. "You didn't mean to, and it's just as much my fault," she said softly.
"How do work that one out? I was the one sticking something inside you that was obviously far too big," he said, looking incredibly guilty.
Lenny couldn't help laughing at his wording. "It is big," she agreed, going even redder at the way he looked at her.
"Will you be serious? This isn't a joke, I hurt you," he grumbled.
"No you didn't," she said, chewing her lip. "I think it's probably natural anyway. I mean....I hadn't done it before and we did do it...er...quite a lot."
"God, and I did it again in the truck last night....that must have hurt you," he said, still looking guilty.
"It didn't hurt!"
"Are you sure?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. "I didn't hurt you anywhere else did I?"
Before she could reply he ripped the covers back and started examining her body, pulling her T-shirt up and running his hands over her skin. When he found slight bruises on her hips he frowned, brushing his fingertips over them. "I did these too, didn't I?" he asked, looking up at her red face.
She bit her lip. "Well, yes...but you didn't do it on purpose and they don't hurt," she said quickly. "Kevin, it wouldn't have mattered if you'd broken my bones last night, I wouldn't have felt it, I was enjoying what you were doing too much."
"You were?" he asked, a small smile tilting the corners of his lips. "I really didn't hurt you?"
"No."
"But it hurts now?" he asked, frowning.
"It's...I'm a bit sore, that's all. I'm sure it'll all be fine in a day or so."
"I'll be leaving in five days," he said abruptly, looking at her with something indefinable in his eyes.
She hadn't thought about him leaving and it hit her in the chest, tightening it up and hurting. "Five days?"
"Yeah," he said, his face serious for a second until he pulled her T-shirt back down and got a good look at it, pleased to find it was one of the nWo black and white logos he had felt on the front of it. "I'm going to miss you," he told her, moving back beside her and drawing her into his arms.
"I'll miss you, too," she whispered, hundreds of questions floating around in her head that she didn't dare ask him. Was this just a fling? Would he come back again? If he did, would it be just to visit Sam or would it be to see her? Because she didn't want to hear the answer if it was bad, she kept quiet. Whatever it was he wanted, even if it was just brief, then she would have to accept it.
"How about we spend most of the day together?" he asked, his voice rumbling through her.
"I'd like that, but I have work to do and..."
"Sam said it would be okay," he said.
"Oh....then, yes, I'd like that," she said again, smiling.
"Good. We can explore Mark's ranch a bit more, maybe have a picnic, go for a swim...stuff like that. I have to go and see Page just after lunch at his gym, but I'll only be gone a couple of hours or so, and then maybe we can have dinner?"
"Okay," she said, snuggling happily against him. At least he wanted to spend some time with her and it wasn't just sex, she thought, and he had said he would miss her, that was something. She would take this a day at a time, and see where it went. It was all she could do for now.
