“Come on,” I gently urge. “It’s not that bad. And I promise your hair will still look good wet.”
She makes a face at me. “It’s not that,” she says. “You know that.”
“Then what is it?” I dunk my head under the water, holding my breath for a few seconds, before I pop back up. “See? Easy. And we’re still in the shallow end.”
But Laurie merely shakes her head, her eyes unfocused, staring at a point just over my shoulder. Then, I notice that she’s trembling ever so slightly before a sob rips from her throat. She claps her hand over her mouth, big blue eyes welling up with tears. “I’m so sorry,” she croaks, and starts to clamber out of the pool.
“Hey, hey,” I say, following before grabbing her hand. The beautiful blonde begins crying in earnest, and I pull her toward me until she’s shuddering in my arms. I stroke her hair and shush her for a few minutes, kissing the top of her head tenderly, and then she pulls away, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
“I’m sorry,” she sniffs. “I’m really embarrassed.”
“Don’t be embarrassed,” I say. “I’ve done a lot more embarrassing things in a pool than cry, believe me.” That makes her smile a little, and I return it with a grin of my own, despite being truly baffled. Is swimming really that terrifying to her?
Crossing her arms over her chest, Laurie lowers her gaze and turns partially away from me. “My mom died in a boating accident,” she murmurs. “About a year ago. It was horrible. I wasn’t there, but of course I heard all about it. Everyone kept calling it a ‘shocking tragedy.’”
Shit. I should have known there was something deeper to these swim lessons than just being intimidated by the deep end. I reach for her hand, and she lets me take it, but her grip is loose, as if she doesn’t have the energy to hold tighter.
“I’m sorry,” I growl, and mean it. “That’s fucking awful. I’m so sorry that that happened to you. I knew your mom passed away, but didn’t know how tragic the circumstances were.”
“It’s okay because I didn’t tell you,” she says, wearily passing a hand over those lovely features. “I seem to keep a lot of secrets from you.”
“You have every right to your secrets,” I assure her. “Everyone does.”
But Laurie merely shakes her head, not meeting my eyes.
“But I …,” she begins. Then, she faces me again, and tears glitter in her eyes anew. “I don’t want to keep anything from you anymore, Tate.”
I can’t help but let out a low chuckle. “I don’t hear that very often. But if you insist.” I tuck a strand of silvery hair behind her ear, then let my hand linger on the side of her face, and she nuzzles into my cupped palm, as if for comfort. My thumb wipes away the last remnant of a tear on her cheek as I take a deep breath and gaze into her blue eyes. “Besides, I don’t want to keep things from you either, sweetheart. I want to be fully there for you, and fully present.” I take another deep breath, preparing myself to say something I haven’t uttered for a long time. “I want you to know that I’ll always take care of you. You’ll never live on the street again.”
Laurie’s lips part and her eyes widen. “Really?” she whispers.
I nod. “Yeah. Yes. Absolutely. You’re incredible, sweetheart,” I growl, my heart in my throat. “I’m lucky to have met you, and even luckier that you agreed to be part of my life. I’m not always the most affectionate guy around, but I want you to know how important you are to me. I want you to feel like you can rely on me, and this is my vow.”
Laurie shakes her head slowly, looking a bit confused.
“But I thought you said this wasn’t going to develop into anything beyond a mutually beneficial arrangement. You know, I’d have a place to stay, and in return, you’d have someone to warm your bed.”
I shake my head ruefully.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought at first too, but I guess things change. Trust me, no one is more surprised about this development than I am, sweetheart.”
Her laughter tinkles in the air, and that beautiful smile makes me feel like I’m being warmed by the sun. In that moment, deep in my heart, I know I’ve done the right thing. Unable to resist any longer, I lean forward and kiss Laurie, and her lips immediately part beneath mine, admitting me to her sweetness. Laurie twines her arms around my neck as I run my fingers through her silky hair. Her mouth still tastes a little like wine, and I want more.
When I begin to massage her breast with my hand, she moans a little into my mouth. She has the most exquisite tits and their large size always gets me going. With a hungry smile, I slide the fabric of her bikini top aside and lower my mouth to one of her pale pink nipples. They’re stiff already, and her moans only encourage me to suck harder, my other hand slipping down to her waist.