Chapter 8

Friday morning Tori came out of the bathroom to find Richie gone and Lauren’s raised voice coming through the monitor announcing that she was up and wanted out. Before she could do more than throw on a pair of sweats, the cries subsided. Curious, she crossed the hall to find Ava changing Lauren’s diaper.

“Morning girls. Thanks Bean.”

“Morning. No problem. I’ll take her downstairs.”

Tori’s swollen, painful breasts thanked her.

As they entered the kitchen Richie looked up from the griddle where he was frying French toast. “There’s my girls.”

The mere sight of her husband in jeans and a t-shirt that was tight enough to clearly define his pecs was enough to stir her libido at the best of times. Add in hormones and it was like a lightning bolt to her core. As she moved closer to greet him, his scent filled her nose and all her senses went on full alert. Damn! Here we go again. “Morning honey.”

“Morning angel.” He bent to kiss her and felt her hand slip under the hem of his shirt to rake her nails lightly across his lower back. Lifting his head slightly, he searched her eyes. “Hungry?”

They both knew he wasn’t talking about food. Tori grimaced. “Starving. Unfortunately it’s too...busy...around here for me to appease my hunger.”

“Trust me angel, I’ll find a way.” He assured her. “But in the mean time, start with this.” He flipped the toast off the grill onto a plate and handed it to her.

When she set it down on the table and forked a slice onto Stevie’s plate he frowned at it in confusion. “What’s the matter Peanut? You like French toast.”

“Uh huh. But Nana making eggs.”

“I was boiling eggs for you to decorate.” Joan explained as she handed Ava the rice cereal she’d made for Lauren.

“Oh. Okay.” As soon as his mother finished cutting it up and adding syrup, he dug in. “Dis rewy good Daddy.”

“Thanks Peanut.” Richie ruffled his hair as he took his seat beside his son. After preparing his own toast, he handed the syrup to Tori, a small smile curving his lips. He was surprised to see her wrinkle her nose and set it aside.

Instead, she rose and headed to cupboards and fridge, returning with ketchup and mustard. They all watched in various degrees of horror and disgust as she covered her toast with the condiments.

“Oh angel...that’s just.....” Richie shuddered and couldn’t put it into words.

“Gross!” Ava finished for him.

“Do you want some relish to go with that dear?” Joan asked, her lips twitching.

“Ew! That would be gross.” Tori shook her head. Her fork froze halfway to her mouth as she realized what she’d done. All she could do was hope that Ava chalked it up to some strange Canadian thing or residual cravings from when she carried Lauren. She really needed to get it together before Heather and Jack arrived for Easter dinner on Sunday if she was going to keep her condition under wraps for a few more weeks. “So, let’s go over the plan for today.”

The morning was taken up with egg decorating, followed by baths for everyone. It was a good thing that the dye washed off, since both Stevie and Lauren decided their family members needed some decorating too. Luckily, Ava liked red and purple streaks in her hair.

By the time the little ones were finally ready for their afternoon nap, Tori was ready for one too  and preferably not alone. She was restless and her nerves were jumpy –especially when she got close to her husband.  Joan gave her a considering glance as they climbed the stairs, Richie carrying Lauren, and Joan holding Stevie’s hand.

“Why don’t you lie down for awhile too Tori? I’m going to, but I’ll keep an ear out for these two.”

When she hesitated, Richie added his voice to his mother’s. “That sounds like a good idea angel. Ava’s busy watching TV and texting her friends and there’s nothing that needs to be done for a couple hours or so. You should rest.”

“Maybe I will. But let’s get these guys down first.”

Tori tucked Stevie in and Richie settled Lauren. When they met up in the hallway again, Richie took her hand and towed her into their bedroom, closing the door behind them. After a moment’s consideration he flicked the lock.

“What are you doing?” One elegant brow crooked.

His response was to frame her face with his hands and lower his mouth to hers, kissing her gently, thoroughly and with rising passion.

“Mmmmm....Rich....Richi...Richie!” She finally succeeded in breaking the kiss, but only for brief seconds. “Your....mother...and...mmmm...the kids...mmmmm.”

“Ava’s downstairs, the rest are all asleep. Relax angel. I told you I’d find a way.” He swept away any further protest along with her senses with an even deeper kiss.

While her mouth was occupied with his, his hands skimmed down the sides of her body until his fingertips could slip under the waistband of her sweatpants, easing them and her panties over her hips and allowing them to slip down to puddle around her ankles.

Gripping her hip with one hand, Richie cupped her between her legs with the other. Tori inhaled sharply, her gasp swallowed by their kiss, as a long finger slid along her humid flesh, found her entrance and penetrated as deep as it could go. That touch was all it took to bring her percolating passions to the boiling point...instantly. The addition of a second finger sent her over the edge, the fingers clenched in his hair the only thing keeping her upright.

And Richie didn’t let her senses calm down. A third finger joined the first two and slowly stroked her still pulsing channel. Tori kicked out of the material binding her ankles and spread her legs further, giving him more access. Breaking the kiss, she leaned her head on his shoulder and panted. “Jesus Richie.”

“Want me to stop?”

“Want me to do your vasectomy right here, right now...with my bare hands?”

He winced. “But then I wouldn’t be of much use to you for awhile.”

“True, but I bet you’d be more uncomfortable than I....would. Mmmm.” She shifted against his hand. “Dammit Richie, stop teasing!”

His low chuckle was like fuel for her fire. He was tempted to torture her a little more, but he reminded himself of her condition and what had brought this on in the first place. It was his job as her husband to help her as much as he could. “Yes dear.”

The heel of his hand ground against her clit while his fingers massaged. Tori threw her head back and closed her eyes. “Mmmm. Oh God! Mmmm. Richie!”

Richie bent to recapture her lips and swallow her scream as tremors once again racked her body. When she could open her eyes and look at him again he raised a brow. “Enough?”

Tori shook her head. “I want the real thing.”

“Kneel on the edge of the bed.” He nodded towards the bed behind her and released her. As she moved to comply he followed her, hands reaching for his belt.

Tori turned down the covers, climbed onto the bed and curled over her knees, finding the best position to minimize any painful jolting of her breasts. She let out a breath at the touch of his hands on her hips and the broad head of his erection nuzzling her core, relieved that he wasn’t going to make her wait. As he pushed forward, she pushed back, groaning at the feel of him stretching her.

Swivelling his hips, Richie began to thrust gently. “Is this what you want?”

“Mmmm. Yes.”

As seconds turned into minutes, Richie thought about his guitars, counting each one in his head and trying to remember the last time each of them had been restrung, moving on to chord progressions of a song he and Jon had been playing around with, and where he should hide the eggs on Sunday....anything to distract him from succumbing to the lure of her pulsing flesh clenching around him. Her cries of ecstasy were harder to ignore.

“Mmm...yes...Richie...yes!” Tori panted.

“More?” The word was forced out between gritted teeth.

“Mmmm..yes...but...harder, Richie please!”

Sweat made his hands slip on her hips, so he tightened his grip, pushing and pulling in sync with the movement of his hips to intensify each thrust. The increased sensation almost made him lose it ,but he was determined to hold on and make her lose it first.

Luckily, her needs were so strong, her body was more interested in orgasms than breathing, and it wasn’t long before she was once again squeezing his shaft and crying out her pleasure. This time he couldn’t hold back and let go, exploding inside her, his hands flying out to brace himself on the bed so that he didn’t collapse on her.

When he could move, he half lifted, half dragged her up to lie on the pillow. “You okay?”

“Mmmmm. I needed that sooo much. Thank you.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

Tori didn’t have the energy to frown, but she wondered how she was going to handle the urges when he was back on the road.