Beauty from Pain (Beauty, #1)(46)

We’re finishing dinner and I haven’t been able to look at Laurelyn one second without remembering her on that pole. I’ve been in a lot of strip clubs, but I’ve never seen anything like what she did. No stripper on a pole ever made me feel that way.

Putting that aside, there’s much more to her than being sexy, and I can’t wait to peel back all the layers to see what’s underneath. If she’ll let me. I worry she might not when I remember how she was about me learning her real name.

I’m glad I found her. And grateful she is willing to give us a chance.

She lifts her eye from her plate and beams. “What?”

I struggle, wondering if I should say anything. She might think I’m being too much like a chickie babe if she knows what I’m thinking, so I keep it simple. “Thank you for saying yes.”

“To what?”

“To us.”

She smiles and reaches across the table to touch my hand. “Thank you for choosing me. And for running into me at the club. And for moving Ben’s wine so you could steal a dance with me.”

“The dance that was cut short.” By none other than lover boy Ben. He is good at ruining things for me, but he won’t ruin this now. I get up from the table and offer Laurelyn my hand. “I would very much like to finish our dance.”

I take her in my arms and pull her close as we begin to move back and forth.

“Do you remember the song that was playing?”

I’m not musical like she is, but I could never forget the song. “It was ‘Someone Like You’ by Van Morrison.”

She smiles. “You remember.”

We sway to the silence for a while and then Laurelyn takes her head from my chest and asks me to kiss her. So I do. And that’s the end of our dance. For now.

–––––

We’re lying in bed. Laurelyn is so beautiful, I can’t resist.

“What are you doing, Lachlan?”

She knows exactly what I’m doing because she did the same thing to me earlier in the day. Except maybe I was wearing more clothes. “I’m getting pictures of you so I can see your beautiful face every time you call me.”

“I’m not so sure you’re taking pictures of my face. It needs to be something presentable if it’s going to pop up when I call.”

“Baby, you’re very presentable right now. Besides, I’ll need some visuals to get me by while I’m out of town next week.”

She holds her hands in front of her face. “No way. I’m naked in your bed with sexed-up hair. That’s not presentable by anyone’s standards.”

I grab both of her wrists in one of my hands and hold them hostage over her head. “It is very presentable by my standards and happens to be perfect for me to look at while I’m away from you.” I drop down and kiss her mouth. “Relax, baby. No one’s going to see these little beauties except me, so smile.”

I put the phone on the bed so I have a free hand to tug on the sheet. “We need to drop this down so I can see a little more.”

“Lachlan!” She smiles as she pretends to be shocked by what I’m doing.

I’m still holding her wrists as I kiss her neck and whisper into her ear. “Come on, Laurelyn. Please, let me.”

“What happened to you staying in Wagga Wagga for three months?”

“I’m responsible for other vineyards and I can’t neglect them. I’ll still be here most of the time, until the middle of March.”

I can sense her considering it, so I nuzzle my nose down her neck and plant a kiss to convince her. “Please, baby.”

She sighs deeply. “How long will you be gone?”

“I won’t have you for at least three days. It’s going to be torture.”

She rolls her eyes. “You can take a few, but nothing completely nude.”

I reach for my phone, but she stops me with her hand. “I at least get to brush my hair first.”

“You’re the boss.”

She gets up and walks naked to the bathroom. “Yeah, I’m not so sure about that.”

I’m tempted to snap a shot of her beautiful behind, but I know she’ll kill me if I do. I remind myself of what she said. Nothing completely nude.

She comes out of the bathroom a few minutes later with freshly brushed hair, now cascading down her back. She’s wearing thigh-highs with lace toppers. Hey, hey … is this what she means by nothing completely nude?

She climbs onto the bed and is on her knees. “How do you want me?”

Hearing that come from her is like a fantasy come true. I hold up my phone to take a picture and she puts her hand over it. “I mean it. No nudies.”

“Okay. Lie down first.”

She falls to her back, pulls the sheet under her arms to cover her naked breasts, and waits for directions. “Scoop your hair up and let it spill across the pillow.” She does and it falls in all the right places. My eyes roam her smooth, creamy skin against my black sheets and she’s so beautiful, it’s almost painful.

I take a lot of shots of her like that … more than she intended, I’m sure. When I’m finished with her in that pose, she sits up. “What’s next?”

She’s sitting with her knees pulled up, ankles crossed. I reach for the sheet and begin to pull it away. “You can’t see anything. I promise.”