were silky on her nakedness as she slid in beside Stevens, and as she moved against his length, the heat of his body warmed her cool one. Stevens woke at her nearness, then woke further at her wandering hands and turned toward her.
His touch trailed liquid fire over and through her body, and in minutes they were joined in a moving, breath-held, quiet intimacy that felt like the solid rightness of a key sliding into a lock and opening a box of treasure. She’d never get tired of all there was to discover between them, from long, fragrant, noisy hours of extreme sensation to this soft, tender clenching in semidarkness, others asleep nearby.
Lei fell into a deep and dreamless sleep for the few hours given her, held close in his arms.
* * *
Stevens sat up and hit the Off button on the alarm. He was still in bed, since Kiet had slept later than usual. Lei had left early. The bed still smelled like her…and he wasn’t eager to leave the nest of warm sheets.
As if discerning this thought, Kiet rolled over and, using the bars of his crib, pulled himself upright. He was early at that—and many other milestones, they’d discovered. Spotting his father still in bed, he smacked the top of the bar with his hand.
“Da, da, da!” he stated.
“Daddy,” Stevens enunciated carefully, sitting up and realizing he was still naked. He reached over onto the floor for last night’s boxers, shed during that surprise visit from Lei. “Da-da-da-ddy.”
“Da-da!” Kiet yelled happily.
“Okay, close enough, little man.” Stevens picked up and changed the baby on his little changing table nearby, talking to him as he did so. Kiet grinned, kicking his legs. Kiet was such a joy. He thought of their lost child with a pang. It would have been challenging but fun to have two babies. Lei would have been seven months along by now if she hadn’t had the miscarriage.
Stevens thought of the Big Island case that had brought them so much heartbreak. An old enemy from Lei’s past had been behind a series of vicious attacks, and the stress of dealing with them had caused Lei’s traumatic miscarriage. That was his secret opinion, in spite of the doctor’s “these things happen” commentary, but he’d never say so because Lei blamed herself, questioning her ability to be a mother.
It was going to take time, and the love and relationship she had with Kiet, to heal her enough to be ready to try again.
He mentally shrugged off the sorrow, setting Kiet on the bed as he got into a cotton robe. He carried the child out into the kitchen. “Let’s go over and get your grandma up for some coffee.”
Wayne was already up and had the fragrant Kona brew going. So, a few minutes later, Stevens, clad in robe and rubber slippers with a mug of coffee in one hand and the baby on his hip in the other, made his way across the dewy morning grass to the tent.
“Mom?” He couldn’t see inside because the interior flaps were zipped shut. “Mom, I brought coffee.”
No answer. He frowned and set her mug down on the grass. Awkward with one hand, he drew up the zipper and poked his head in.
Alcohol fumes met his nose, along with a musky smell he associated with old people and closed spaces. “Mom?”
Kiet wriggled to get down. He loved to play in the tent, and now Stevens had to use both hands to keep a grip on the baby. Kiet grunted and writhed, eager to crawl around, and Stevens stepped back out. Making a decision, he backtracked rapidly across the yard and up the steps, setting Kiet in the playpen in the living room.
Wayne turned away from refilling his mug. “You’re back quick.”
“Mom’s been drinking. I need to leave Kiet here.”
“No problem.”
Stevens walked rapidly back to the tent. He peered inside again. “Mom?”
Still no answer. He unzipped the tent and entered. He squatted in the dim light beside the air mattress. He reached out a hand and shook her by the shoulder. “Mom.”
Her head flopped, but her mouth opened, and he
His touch trailed liquid fire over and through her body, and in minutes they were joined in a moving, breath-held, quiet intimacy that felt like the solid rightness of a key sliding into a lock and opening a box of treasure. She’d never get tired of all there was to discover between them, from long, fragrant, noisy hours of extreme sensation to this soft, tender clenching in semidarkness, others asleep nearby.
Lei fell into a deep and dreamless sleep for the few hours given her, held close in his arms.
* * *
Stevens sat up and hit the Off button on the alarm. He was still in bed, since Kiet had slept later than usual. Lei had left early. The bed still smelled like her…and he wasn’t eager to leave the nest of warm sheets.
As if discerning this thought, Kiet rolled over and, using the bars of his crib, pulled himself upright. He was early at that—and many other milestones, they’d discovered. Spotting his father still in bed, he smacked the top of the bar with his hand.
“Da, da, da!” he stated.
“Daddy,” Stevens enunciated carefully, sitting up and realizing he was still naked. He reached over onto the floor for last night’s boxers, shed during that surprise visit from Lei. “Da-da-da-ddy.”
“Da-da!” Kiet yelled happily.
“Okay, close enough, little man.” Stevens picked up and changed the baby on his little changing table nearby, talking to him as he did so. Kiet grinned, kicking his legs. Kiet was such a joy. He thought of their lost child with a pang. It would have been challenging but fun to have two babies. Lei would have been seven months along by now if she hadn’t had the miscarriage.
Stevens thought of the Big Island case that had brought them so much heartbreak. An old enemy from Lei’s past had been behind a series of vicious attacks, and the stress of dealing with them had caused Lei’s traumatic miscarriage. That was his secret opinion, in spite of the doctor’s “these things happen” commentary, but he’d never say so because Lei blamed herself, questioning her ability to be a mother.
It was going to take time, and the love and relationship she had with Kiet, to heal her enough to be ready to try again.
He mentally shrugged off the sorrow, setting Kiet on the bed as he got into a cotton robe. He carried the child out into the kitchen. “Let’s go over and get your grandma up for some coffee.”
Wayne was already up and had the fragrant Kona brew going. So, a few minutes later, Stevens, clad in robe and rubber slippers with a mug of coffee in one hand and the baby on his hip in the other, made his way across the dewy morning grass to the tent.
“Mom?” He couldn’t see inside because the interior flaps were zipped shut. “Mom, I brought coffee.”
No answer. He frowned and set her mug down on the grass. Awkward with one hand, he drew up the zipper and poked his head in.
Alcohol fumes met his nose, along with a musky smell he associated with old people and closed spaces. “Mom?”
Kiet wriggled to get down. He loved to play in the tent, and now Stevens had to use both hands to keep a grip on the baby. Kiet grunted and writhed, eager to crawl around, and Stevens stepped back out. Making a decision, he backtracked rapidly across the yard and up the steps, setting Kiet in the playpen in the living room.
Wayne turned away from refilling his mug. “You’re back quick.”
“Mom’s been drinking. I need to leave Kiet here.”
“No problem.”
Stevens walked rapidly back to the tent. He peered inside again. “Mom?”
Still no answer. He unzipped the tent and entered. He squatted in the dim light beside the air mattress. He reached out a hand and shook her by the shoulder. “Mom.”
Her head flopped, but her mouth opened, and he
Similar Books
Mystery Of The Sea Horse
Lee Falk
The Coal War
Upton Sinclair
Come To Me
LaVerne Thompson
Breaking Point
Lesley Choyce
Wolf Point
Edward Falco
Fallowblade
Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Seduce
Missy Johnson
