Page 483 of Lodestar

“I’m wearing panties, plus my skirt is long and black and lined.”

“I don’t want to ruin the dress. I haven’t even seen you in it. Plus, it’ll be my pants that are ruined, not your skirts.”

“Not ruined. Maybe it’ll make it better.”

I laughed. “Depends on what your idea of fashion is, I guess.”

“You could set a trend.” Her nose nuzzled into mine. “Do you care if people know what we’ve been doing?”

“Not really.”

“Then, what’s the problem?”

“No problem,” I said with a sigh as she snagged my white handkerchief from my top pocket and quickly shimmied me outof her then pressed the folded fabric between her legs, tucking her panties back into place.

“There, no stains,” she crowed as she zipped me up.

When she didn’t shuffle off my lap, I settled my hands tighter around her waist and asked, “How do you feel?”

“Like I had an orgasm.”

“You know what I mean,” I chided softly, tracing soft kisses along the sinews of her throat.

“You don’t normally ask.”

“You don’t normally jump on mebeforeyou hit the scene of the crime.”

“Fair,” she mumbled, arching her throat to the side to give me better access.

“It always surprises me how you were mistreated in public.”

“Because I didn’t act out? Didn’t rebel to liberate myself?”

“Partially that, but partially the fact that no one helped you.”

“I didn’t have a label on my forehead that said ‘sex slave,’” she countered. “And it wasn’t like that.”

“What was it like?” I questioned gently.

“Do we have to talk about this?”

“I think it’d be good for you. Good for me too. Katina is starting to see a shrink, but we never bothered to find ourselves one. Maybe we can be that for each other.” Oddly nervous, I hitched a shoulder. “Just an idea.”

“You won’t like what you hear.”

“Do you think you’ll enjoy hearing why I disliked having my hair pulled before you?”

She tensed. “No.”

“We both have parts of our pasts that will be painful to share, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk about themifwe need to talk about them.”

“I’m sorry I keep stroking your hair.”

I clucked my tongue. “I didn’t say that to make you self-conscious. I meant it when I saidbeforeyou.”

“Why am I different? And don’t say because I’m your penguin.”

“Because you’re my person, Star. The one I’ll always let in when I lock everyone else out.”

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