Page 63 of If Only You Hurt

I engulf her hands within mine, squeezing them so that her gaze meets mine again.

“You care because you are compassionate. Something I love about you. I see why you’d feel a part of you leaning toward that side, but you have to remember that you had the same devastation as him, and you didn’t go off and do such things to others. You may have had a hard time coping, but you never put someone in harm’s way. That’s what I need you to focus on. What he did could have impacted you and the baby.”

She’s nodding along while I speak to her, and I know she’s aware of all this, but a part of her really is feeling bad that his life mimicked hers in a huge way, and then his mental health deteriorated.

“No one is ever the same after trauma. We are forever altered. It can shift our lives in a way that is unexplainable, so that’s the part of me that hurts for him. I know that what he did was wrong. I just know that this whole thing will only make things harder for him, especially if he doesn’t get the help he needs. It will only worsen everything for him.”

“I think we’ve both had endless talks about how the mental health system here is subpar at best. I think with all that has deviated in the safety of places we once considered the best ones to go to in a crisis has really had lasting effects on all of us. And it keeps worsening. So, I will agree that he may not get the help he needs. I think what we need to do is make sure we stay on top of the investigation. We need to ensure that he doesn’t fall through the cracks, no matter what way this all goes.”

I know for me, I will not sit still until I know this man is no longer a threat to Laney or our family. I see this as a wake-up call that we need to be mindful of our surroundings, and Tad is an added factor that we must keep vigilant about.

We finish up our breakfast and decide to head back to bed. I don’t argue, as I barely slept. We have a few more hours before we are meeting at my sister’s house to have an early dinner with my niece and nephew. Ellie’s kids will be with us as she’s got plans tonight. It seems this casual fling is growing into something more, although Laney said Ellie is fighting it. It must run in the family, I think silently to myself.

As we are walking up the stairs, Laney says, “I got to see the baby after we left the police station.” She has the biggest smile on her face, and I realize that it’s moments like these I live for. Of course, I’m going to have to bug her about this because I missed out on seeing our baby.

“Oh really.” I tickle her around her ribs when we get to the top of the staircase, and she starts to squirm. “You kept that little factoid to yourself for quite some time. That’s pretty sneaky, Bean.”

Her laughter carries down the hall, and I pull her into my arms and kiss her. Once we get to her room, things turn fairly quickly from a simple kiss to something more urgent, my exhaustion from lack of sleep long forgotten.

She’s clawing at me, vibrating with need as we move closer to her bed. I melt into her touch, longing for her hands to touch me all over.

I finally pull myself out of this haze she has me in and realize we might not be in a position to do this yet. “Baby, can we do this? Did you get the all-clear?”

A small smile takes over her features. “It may have been something I asked about when I got that ultrasound yesterday. You should have seen Becca’s face twist at the thought. It was hilarious.”

I can’t help it, and my head goes back as a thunderous laugh comes out. It feels good to let go a bit and enjoy these little moments together.

“Well then, on that note, less talking about my sister and more of us getting these clothes off.”

We have been apart too long at this point, and we both need this right now. I start to bring her sleep pants down, and that’s when I realize she has nothing else underneath.

My gaze shoots up to hers, and I can’t help the appreciation when I say, “Looks like you came prepared.”

“I’m prepared, but I haven’t come yet.” This woman and her sass. Let’s see how my next move gets her going.

I fall to my knees and bring my lips to her center, and she immediately puts her hands in my hair and tugs hard. It only spurs me on to lick her sensitive center. She throws her head back on a moan, and I can tell she’s going to come apart quickly.

I break away, and she protests, trying to bring my face back toward her.

“Move back and lay on the bed. Get comfortable. I’m starving for you, Lane.”

She wastes no time moving her body toward the bed, and I pull her hips to the edge. I bring one of her legs over my shoulder, and my lips are back to her center, her folds ready for me to lavish them. I flick her clit, and she moans again, bringing her hands back to my hair. Feeling her lose herself with my touch does something to me, and I push forward, knowing that I can’t do anything further before feeling her come on my tongue.

I slowly bring a finger, then two, into her, pumping at a rhythm with my tongue flicking on her clit. She’s riding my face, and it’s the hottest thing I’ve seen. Fuck, I’ve missed her.

Her thighs start constricting my face, and she’s moaning and panting, yelling out that she’s coming while she moves her hands in my hair, trying to control the way my face moves against her pussy.

Her orgasm hits hard, and then she slows her movements while I lick her up. I’m so fucking hard for her now, and I feel my cock straining against my basketball shorts.

While she’s catching her breath, I stand up and pull my shorts down. My cock is at attention for her, and I can’t wait to feel her walls squeezing me.

I pull the shirt over my head and then begin to trail kisses up her body, pushing her sleep shirt over her head. The moment I expose her chest, I suck her left nipple into my mouth. She arches her back, and I’m happy to see the sensitivity to this spot hasn't diminished since I've been with her last. I’m kneading her opposite breast, loving the way she’s writhing underneath my touch.

“You’re so fucking perfect,” I say as I lift my gaze toward hers. She’s smiling at me, her eyes like slits, her cheeks pink from her arousal. “I need to be inside you, Laney. Are you sure it’s okay?” I can’t help but make sure we can go further. I don’t want to put my needs ahead of what’s best for her and the pregnancy.

“If you don’t fuck me right now, Grant, I am going to really lose it on you.” She tries to sound all-powerful with her tone, but it’s lost on me. It’s hard to take her seriously while I’m pinching her nipples and nipping at them, and she’s reacting to every one of my touches.

“Your wish is my command, love.” I suck on her nipple again, this time pulling my lips off and slowly blowing some air onto them, causing her to moan again. While distracted, I line my cock up and begin to slowly push myself into her. The moment my crown is lost inside her, I close my eyes and drop my forehead to her chest. She feels fucking fantastic.

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