Page 7 of Unsaid Things

Chapter Four

Soft lips on her bare shoulder roused Abby, making her turn onto her back. Lance kissed a path from her shoulder up her neck to her mouth, his tongue tangling with hers in sweet, familiar strokes. His hand trailed down her hip, sliding under the t-shirt she wore, tracing inside the waistband of her panties. When his hand slipped lower, she reached down and stopped its progress, breaking the kiss.

“What’s wrong? You usually like it when I wake you up like this.” His face still hovered above her, and his breath fanned over her lips as he spoke. It had grown dark while she slept and the curtains were closed, so she couldn’t see him at all. Only feel him. Which would normally be delicious, but …

“Lance, we’re at your parents’ house.”

“So?” He nipped at her lower lip, wriggling his fingers where they still lay at the top of her mound, tantalizing her.

She let out a low groan, and he flexed his hips, grinding himself against her thigh before biting her earlobe, his breath coming out hot as he whispered in her ear. “Sweetheart, if you don’t want to fool around in my parents’ house, you shouldn’t make sounds like that.”

She turned her head and kissed him again, but tightened her grip on his wrist when his fingers tried to quest lower. It was his turn to groan. “Abby, you’re killing me.”

“I know. I just—what if they come knock at the door? What time is it? Your sister’s supposed to come over for dinner, and I feel weird having sex in here while everyone’s home. What if they hear us?”

He chuckled, low and wicked, but took his hand away, rolling to the side to grab his phone, the light making her blink against its glare in the dark room. “Fine. You’re right. It’s almost five. We should get up.” He gave her one quick, hard kiss. “But don’t think we’re going all week without sex just because we’re at my parents’ house. I don’t have any hangups about that. And their bedroom is far enough away that they shouldn’t hear us as long as you keep it down.”

Before she could say anything, Lance was up and off the bed, flicking on the switch, causing Abby to fling her arm over her eyes to shield them from the blinding overhead light.

“C’mon, Abs. Time to go meet my big sister and her boyfriend.” He turned away from her, and Abby smirked as she watched him tuck himself into his jeans. She knew he was deliberately not looking at her to give himself time to calm down.

Abby took her time picking out something to wear, wanting to look better than she had when she first met Lance’s family. She still hoped Lance’s dad would come around, but after the way things went down before their nap, that seemed almost impossible. The confrontation between Lance and his dad made her feel a lot more awkward about their visit. She’d been under the impression that his parents were okay with the fact that he’d moved back to Spokane to be with her. Apparently his mom was, but his dad wasn’t. At all. And he didn’t seem to like her either.

“Ready?”

Lance’s voice broke through her worried thoughts. “Yeah. But, um, do you think your dad’s going to be okay with me after …?” She waved a hand toward the door, trying to encompass everything.

He pulled her into his arms, his tone reassuring. “Try not to worry about him. He’s … well, I think he’s still mad at me for not moving back home in August like I was supposed to.”

She drew her brows together. “I thought your parents were okay with that, though. Wasn’t your mom the one who told you to come back to Spokane?”

Letting out a sigh, Lance nodded. “Yeah. But that was my mom. Dad didn’t seem happy about it even then, but I thought he’d come around. I guess not.” He shrugged. “I’m sorry for earlier. That wasn’t fair to you. I’m not going to let him treat you badly as some kind of twisted punishment to me. If he keeps it up, we will go stay at a hotel.”

“Lance, that’s not—“

“Yes, it is. It’s completely necessary. We’re here to visit my family because my mom and sisters want to meet you, and I want you to meet them. If he’s too busy acting like a jackass, that’s his problem. But I’m not going to let him be rude to you or make you uncomfortable. You’re my guest here, you’re my girlfriend, and he needs to know that I won’t tolerate that kind of behavior, not even from him.”

Abby recognized the implacable tone and the fire burning in Lance’s eyes. There was no arguing with him like this. And really, she appreciated that he would defend her, even from his own family. But she couldn’t help feeling responsible for Lance not moving back to Texas as planned and causing all the tension they were now experiencing. Lance had chosen her over his family, and cost himself the relationship with his father. But she’d never felt more loved and happy than she was with Lance, and as guilty as she felt about the conflict between him and his dad, she couldn’t bring herself to be sorry that they were together. She still swooned when she remembered the day Lance came back. Megan tricked her into thinking they were going to a party and took her to see Lance instead. She’d missed him so much while they were apart, and she almost couldn’t believe that he’d come back. For her.

“Hey. Don’t worry about my dad, okay? I’m sure that my mom’s already kicked his ass for the way he acted earlier. I doubt he’ll do anything else. Okay?”

She gave him a little smile. “Okay. Let’s go meet your other sister.”

Lance led the way out of his room and down the stairs, keeping her hand in his. They found Lance’s parents in the kitchen, working around each other to get dinner ready. Jon nodded at them, a platter of raw chicken in his hand, and opened a door to a patio off the breakfast area. Gabby sat at the breakfast bar, chattering away at another dark-haired woman and a Hispanic man standing at the end, drinks in hand. She guessed they must be Marissa and Peter.

Elizabeth turned and saw Abby and Lance in the room. “Lance! Abby! Did you get some rest? Feeling better?” She wiped her hands on a towel and came over and hugged them both, beaming at them. Keeping an arm around Abby’s shoulders, she turned her to face the breakfast bar. “Abby, I’d like you to meet Marissa, Lance’s older sister, and Peter, her boyfriend. Marissa and Peter, this is Abby, Lance’s girlfriend.”

Marissa slid off her stool, a taller, more mature version of Gabby with long, dark hair, manicured brows, and perfect makeup. She extended a hand, her fingers tipped with a French manicure, her eyes twinkling, looking Abby up and down. Everything about her screamed polish and sophistication, from her sleek, shiny hair down to her fashionable high-heeled ankle boots. “Nice to meet you, Abby. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Abby swallowed, feeling young and plain in comparison, and took Marissa’s hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”

Quirking an eyebrow, Marissa smiled, her red lips staying closed. “So you’re the one who managed to tame my little brother, hmm?”

“Um … apparently.”

“Marissa, be nice.” Lance’s voice came from behind Abby, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. She cast a look up at him.

Marissa’s tinkling laugh drew Abby’s attention back to her. “I’m teasing, Lance. Calm down. You don’t need to go all protective-caveman on me. I’m your sister. It’s my job to size up your girlfriends.”

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