Page 51 of The Doctor's Surprise Family

“I wasn’t her kid.”

“Did you call her Mom?”

Ihadcalled her that. I’d thought she’d adopt me. I’d told all the kids at school she soon would. I closed my eyes to shut out the past. Next thing I knew, I felt Claire’s arms around me, hugging me so tight I couldn’t breathe.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Not— not your fault.”

“Leaving you was. Not hearing you out.” She stepped back, eyes glistening. “I loved you, you know.”

“I loved you too.”

“Sometimes I think, I think I still…” She leaned up and kissed me. I felt the earth tilt. I’d been needing this, craving this, more than I knew, her warmth. Her closeness. Her skin against mine.

“Let’s go,” she said. “Your place is close, right?”

We didn’t even go back to pick up our cars. We half-ran the couple of blocks to my place, and stumbled inside already entangled. Claire had her hands up under my shirt. I had mine in her hair, soft as I remembered, and her lips were as sweet, her kisses as sultry.

She clung to me as we shuffled back down the hall. The bite of her nails made me groan, wanting more.

“I missed you,” I whispered.

“Me, too. Missed this.” Claire arched up against me and nipped at my lip. The light shock of pain made my spine tingle. I picked her up easily and tossed her on the bed, and she laughed and reared up and pulled me down with her. I wanted more than anything to take my time. To make this, here, now, last the rest of my life. But Claire tugged at my shirt.

“Too many buttons.”

“Just rip it off.”

I was joking, but Claire jerked hard on my collar. It bit in a moment, then the buttons popped off. Claire’s eyes widened like she couldn’t quite believe she did that, and we both laughed. I leaned down and kissed her. She worked the rest of my buttons one at a time, and pushed my shirt back so it slid down my arms.

“New scar,” she said, and touched my chest.

“War wound.” I winked. “Pumpkin carving disaster.”

She traced the curved scar where the knife had gone in. “Mean pumpkin,” she said. “Hope you made a pie out of it.”

“Pumpkin pie, huh? Makes me think of Thanksgiving.”

Claire’s smile was half-sad. “I always think of you then.” She ran her hands up my back and through my mussed hair, and held my head steady to look in my eyes. For a long time, she studied me like she was afraid she’d forget me. Then she kissed my forehead, my eyelids, my lips. She caressed my bare back and over my hips. I wanted to beg her never to stop, but I couldn’t find the breath for it, so I kissed her instead.

Being with her felt new and familiar at once. She still moaned just the same when my lips brushed her neck, but now when I moved down, she pulled me back up.

“No, no, right there. Mm, yeah, that’s good.”

She was more demanding, more loud than before. More unrestrained in pursuit of her pleasure. I loved it, and I told her so.

“Tell me what to do.”

“Undress me,” she said. “Slow. Make it last.”

She had a green dress on, buttoned down the front. I did as she ordered, unbuttoned her slow. Peeled the light fabric off her an inch at a time. I kissed where she told me to, nibbled and licked. Sucked her pink nipples through the lace of her bra. When she raised up her hips I pulled down her panties, and trailed heated kisses up her inner thigh. She stopped talking then, and clenched her fists in the covers. Bit her lip hard and threw her head back. I teased her, running my tongue up and down, circling it deftly around her clit.

“Quit teasing,” she moaned.

I grinned and kept going. She groped for my hair. I pinned her hands by her sides and teased till she begged, then teased her some more, till she trembled all over. I teased till her breath came fast and she busted out cursing, and only then did I go where she wanted. I hummed as her hips bucked and her body went tight. Her heels drummed on the mattress, and she gasped out my name.

“Get up here,” she said, when she’d caught her breath back. She pulled me up to her and pushed down my pants. My cock sprang free, and she reached down to stroke it.

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