Author's note: For those of you joining us directly from Chapter 1, a very good time has been had by all, and Laura and Kevin are now snuggled up in bed together, kissing.
They melted together, and Laura hummed in bliss. This was her favorite kind of kissing, long and slow and lazy in the afterglow, all the intimacy with none of the urgency. And Kevin seemed to share her enthusiasm, which made it even better. They lay entangled like that for quite a while, happily trading control of the kiss back and forth until finally Laura shivered, her body having cooled enough for the room's chill to penetrate.
"How does a hot bath sound?" Kevin suggested, drawing back a little.
"Marvelous, especially if you're planning to get in with me to play lifeguard. Because I'm pretty sure I could swim laps in that tub." Kevin's recent renovations had included the installation of an antique claw-foot tub that had to be close to eight feet long, and Laura had gazed longingly at it for a few minutes earlier that morning before reluctantly opting for a quick shower before Tracy showed up with her clothes.
Kevin laughed. "Ah, the truth comes out-you only love me for my bath fixtures."
"Your kitchen appliances, actually," she answered, managing to keep a straight face.
He made a dramatically wounded sound and flopped onto his back, and she finally let herself crack up.
"Know what I really do love about you?" she asked when she stopped laughing. "One of the many things, I mean? The fact that you don't check your sense of humor at the bedroom door. I'd forgotten that sex is supposed to be fun."
"Well, reminding you has certainly been my pleasure," he answered, grinning. "You just about blew the top of my head off earlier."
"I enjoyed that as much as you did," she assured him.
His smile gentled. "You know something I love about you? One of the many things? How fearless you are. From coming over here last night in nothing but that coat to sticking around today when I opened my mouth and my heart fell out, once you make your mind up about something you just jump with both feet."
"Because I know you'll catch me."
"Always," he answered, looking her in the eye, and Laura recognized the simple declaration for what it was-a vow. Kevin was a man who measured his words very carefully, and she didn't doubt that he had said exactly what he meant.
"Always," she echoed, and felt as if some unseen thing clicked into place in the space between them.
They stared at each other for a long, suspended moment, and then Kevin nodded once-That's decided-and said briskly, "Would you prefer to fill the tub or raid the fridge?"
"Fill the tub," Laura said instantly. The bathroom had radiant heating under the tile, and she had no desire to go stand in front of an open refrigerator sans clothing.
Kevin chuckled, clearly onto her, but nodded. "Okay. I'll be back."
Laura watched him go-if he could enjoy her rear view, she could certainly return the favor-then took herself to the bathroom to fulfill her end of their bargain. It was probably good that she would have a couple of minutes to herself. This time yesterday she had been at Lulu's house, feeling like a guest who had begun to wear out her welcome and also feeling, if she was honest, lonely...and a little afraid that she might always be lonely. And now here she was with Kevin, who loved her and made her feel safe and wanted and cherished and the farthest thing in the world from lonely. The change was wonderful, obviously, but it had happened so quickly that she half-expected to wake up on Lulu's couch and find she'd dreamt the whole thing.
Except that she didn't think her subconscious mind could have concocted the idea of Tracy shoving her out the door in nothing but a fur coat. Or of Kevin answering his door in a Santa suit and nearly scaring the life out of her. Those two things, at least, must have really happened. Which meant the rest of it had really happened, too, and she was actually standing here in real life watching Kevin's Olympic-size bathtub fill with steaming water and listening to him rattle around in the kitchen.
And most amazingly, she wasn't over-analyzing any of it. Kevin's presence had a way of stilling the hamster wheel in her mind, as if he had reached out and put his hand on it and gently suggested that the hamster might like to take the day off. Certainly the past twenty-four hours had offered no shortage of things to freak out about-the good (Kevin loved her!), the bad (Lucy Coe probably wanted her dead), and the ugly (Valentin Cassadine was raising a child, God help them all)-but on the whole Laura felt surprisingly calm.
If all hell might break loose tomorrow, well, that was all the more reason to enjoy today. And today was looking pretty damn good, since she couldn't imagine any scenario that involved food, a hot bath, and a naked Kevin (not necessarily in that order) ending badly. Sure, tomorrow might be another story, but she knew something it didn't-whatever tomorrow brought, it wouldn't be finding her alone.