Chapter 43

The next morning, Lance woke to the warmth of Brook’s lips on his, the feel of her nude body pressed against him. Still sleepy, he responded as any healthy male would. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. This time, she didn’t retreat. Together they sank into the heat and urgency of their coupling. Their hands and mouths eagerly sought out the peaks and valleys of their yearning bodies. Passion rose to a fever; ripe, succulent, heady. The moment before penetration, Brook hesitated. They paused on the precipice of surrender and Lance thought for a second she would retreat. But she didn’t. She only sighed before lowering herself onto him.

The sensation made him reel and he grasped her hips to hold her steady, savoring the feel of her flesh enclosing him. Brook gasped as he filled her, the pleasure traveling through her in waves. The clean spicy scent of his skin, the heat of his body, and the sensuous feel of his hands drove her senses past the threshold of her fears and doubts. They made love without haste, lingering over every touch, prolonging each sensuous move.

Afterward, Brook waited for her breathing to calm, lying against Lance’s heaving chest, and wondered how she was able to enjoy this remarkable experience in light of all she had been through. Then it came to her as an insight. The act of tenderness she and Lance had just culminated was not the same thing as the forced attacks she had endured at the hands of Jase and his gang. It would be like trying to compare a panicked escape from a prison camp to a peaceful stroll on the beach. They weren’t even in the same category. You might use the same muscles and limbs, but other than that, there was no common ground. Relief flooded her at the realization that her ordeal did not need to define the rest of her life. It didn’t need to determine who she was or what she chose to do. Not if she didn’t want it to. Elation swelled within her, buoying her spirit. She was practical enough to know there would be setbacks, times when the horror of those days would infect the present, but she would deal with them when they came. For now, she would take the joy she was allowed in this moment. She ran her hand over Lance’s broad chest, touching him with wonder, as if to make sure he was real.

Lance entertained no such notions as he rested beneath her. The brutality she had endured never crossed his mind in the afterglow of their intimacy. He didn’t want it to ever end, and he almost spoke his thoughts. Stay with me. Stay with me always. With an effort, he bit back his words, knowing they would only divide her heart. Even the idea of her eventual departure filled him with sadness, but he pushed it away. This wasn't the time, not in this tender moment.

I’ll just take one day at a time, appreciate each precious hour I’m given with her, he told himself. He knew all too well how quickly happiness can be stolen away and replaced by sorrow. In the blink of an eye, my friend, in the blink of an eye. There are never any guarantees in this life. He closed his eyes and stroked her hair. My sweet Brooklyn.

Later, in the privacy of the bathroom, Brook stared in the mirror, as if studying her reflection could give her the answers she sought. Confusion threatened to pull her apart. How could she be with Lance when she was married? What about Clark?

Crying softly, she went back and forth between guilt and desire, until she finally made a decision. There was absolutely nothing she could do about Clark at this time. She wasn’t sure what her feelings for him were anymore. But her feelings for Lance were abundantly clear and Lance was here.

For the present time, she’d live her life in the here and now. Brook dried her eyes, straightened her hair, and exited the room with a slightly lighter heart.