Slow Ride (Riding with Honor) (22 page)

Every stroke seemed to slide the length of him against her aching nub until a wave of
intense pleasure broke free.  She cried out and paused as her body broke apart in wave after wave of bliss. 

His hands returned to her waist forcing her back to a faster rhythm that
drove her on as though the pleasure would never stop. 

I
ntense warmth suddenly unraveled from the center of her outwards causing her skin to flush and sweat to break out as the waves of pleasure traveled up her stomach to her breasts and down her legs to her feet all at once.  A guttural noise escaped from him as he shoved upwards one final time.

“
Mmm woman, you feel so good,” he gasped against her neck as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him to her.

Face to face she clutched him to her for several moments before finally easing off of him
then the bed and making her way to the bathroom. 

After freshening up she made her way out to the dining room and finding her clothes she gathered them up and headed back to her room.  She changed into something more casual and then lounged back on the bed waiting for Tommy to finish up in the bathroom.

She heard the door to the bathroom open and her eyes followed the sound to her bedroom door where he stood leaning against the doorframe.  He was so comfortable with his nakedness and seemed to enjoy her perusal of his body.

“If I didn’t have a million things to finish at the shop and to help Bobby with wedding stuff
, I’d take you again,” he said.

Glancing down at him
, she found that he meant every word.  Laughing she sat up.

“I didn’t think guys could…so quickly
,” she said, indicating his erection with her eyes.

“Normally we can’t but I have spent the last few days thinking of nothing else…
and I think he wants to make up for lost time,” he said with a sexy grin. “He’ll have to wait until later though.  Pack some things up and Chuck and I will swing by in the truck and take them home later.”

Dana nodded at him as he moved into the room and began to dress.  Once again he was humming and she could only smile shyly at him as he approached the bed and
, bending down, kissed her gently.

“I have to go…we are going to have to talk to Gretchen later about all this…maybe after we go see Melody.  I love you
,” he said between kisses.

As he started out of the room she said
, “Wait, you didn’t eat anything.  I can make you a sandwich or something to take with you.”

“I’m not hungry, I ate earlier
,” he winked at her and she could not hold back the smile as she heard him make his way to the front door.  “Might want to take a nap too…you’ll need one,” he said loudly from the front door.

Dana spent the next couple of hours packing some clothes and shoes as she wondered how to tell her parents.  Not to mention she still had eight months left on her lease. 

It was all happening so fast her head was spinning. 
“I don’t want to spend another day or night away from you.”
Dana attempted to clear her thoughts and focus on the task at hand.

“When they see something they want they really go after it with everything they have
.”
She heard Lilly’s words over and over as she packed up her personal items from the bathroom. 

Bobby and Lilly were getting married after only having been together an equally short
amount of time.  At least she and Tommy weren’t taking that big of a step just yet.

Pausing in her attempts to separate those belongings she would need immediately from those that could wait
, she sat on the edge of her bed.  Was that what she wanted…to marry Tommy?

“Well you and Tommy may not know it yet but I do…that’s where this is headed.”
 

She loved him…and now that she was certain he loved her too…was Chuck right?

“Hey, future Mrs. McMurray!  Where are you at?” Chuck hollered.

Dana started awake. 
Oh God she had fallen asleep!
  Sitting up and smoothing her hair, she looked at the alarm and was relieved that she’d only slept for an hour. 

“I’m back here
, Chuck,” she called as she stood and quickly righted her clothing.

“
I need the keys to your car.  I’ve got to move something from the truck to your car to make more room,” he said upon entering her bedroom. “Oh and then Tommy wanted you to meet him at the hospital to visit Melody.  I can lock up here when I’m done and then I’ll run by and pick up Gretchen from Lilly.”

“Ok…” Dana replied confused
. “I thought Tommy was coming here with you…”

“He was but I volunteered…kind of my way of apologizing for the other day when I barged in on ya’ll
,” he said not looking her in the eye. 
Was he actually embarrassed?
  “I didn’t see anything by the way…”

Dana handed him her keys and he took off back
out the doorway and down the hall.  He returned a few minutes later and handed her the keys.  She showed him the things she had packed that he could load in the truck and then gathered up her purse.

“Here’s the key to the apartment to lock up…”
she started.  It was perfect!  Chuck needed a better place to live and it would prevent her from breaking the lease.  When he went to take the keys from her grasp she pulled her hand away stopping him.  “Tommy told you that I’m… that we’re moving in together?”

“Yea, he was all smiles about it at the shop…Lucky Bastard!” Chuck said with a smile.

“Would you be interested in living here?  My lease still has eight months left on it and I don’t want to break it if I don’t have to.”

“You would let me live here?”
he asked in shock.

“Yea, of course
,” she replied.

After a few moments the shocked look disappeared and was replaced with confusion
, “Why?”

“Well…why not?  You’re one of Tommy’s best friends, Gretchen adores you and you saved Lilly’s life
,” she said in equal confusion, “Not to mention you’ve been nothing but nice to me…”

He stared at her for several moments and then turning away he said
, “I couldn’t afford the place but I appreciate the offer.”

“I have to pay the rent regardless of whether I live here or not
, so even if you only paid a part of the rent, it would save me money,” she said.

Turning back to her
, he looked at her in disbelief “You would really do that for me?”

The look of unworthiness she saw on his face told her all that she needed to know.  She’d felt that way about Tommy’s affections and understood it.  For all his attempts to sound tough and hardened, it was nothing more than an attempt to mask those feelings.

“On one condition…I want you to paint Melody’s room,” she said.

He laughed and then looked up as though fighting back emotions
.  Then he looked at her again and said, “Done.”

They stared at each other for a few
moments until she said, “Do you want some help loading the truck?”

“No, you go on.  Tommy boy will be waiting for you
,” he said and then leaned in and kissed her cheek and took the apartment key from her hand.

She couldn’t help getting choked up on her drive to the hospital.  It felt like she’d known this group of people forever.  Though she didn’t know Bobby or Dickie that well, Lilly, Tommy and Chuck had really grown on her in the little time she’d known them. 

For the first time in her life she had names to give people if they asked about her friends.

As she headed back to the nursery area that Melody had recently been moved to from the NICU she noticed a few of the nurses gathered around the door. 

A few of them wore street clothes rather than their usual scrubs.  They moved aside from the door to let her pass and simply smiled at her.

Opening the door
, her eyes were drawn to a large bouquet of flowers and a couple of helium balloons that had ‘Congratulations’ and ‘It’s a Girl!’ written on them and were tied to Melody’s bassinet. 

Her eyes found Tommy’s face.  He was smiling at her from where he sat in the rocking chair holding Melody.

“What’s all this?” she asked him as she approached.

“I’m glad you’re both finally here
,” Doctor McGinis stated as he entered the nursery. “I’m betting you’re both wondering what this is all about.”

Dana stopped next to where Tommy sat and turned to face the
doctor.

“Miss Melody is weighing in at
four pounds, three ounces and has gone the entire week without dropping weight.  She is eating regularly, sleeping and breathing normally and her temperature is good,” He said. “We have a follow up appointment set with the pediatrician and from what I understand you’re both CPR certified, so as long as you have a suitable car seat… Melody can go home today.”

“Do you mean that
, Doc?” Tommy asked in disbelief.

Dana could not speak through her tears.  Joan, one of the nurses who had been so helpful during that first week when things had been touch and go
, moved a wheel chair over near Dana.  She was dressed in regular clothes but gestured for Dana to sit in it.

“Have a seat
, Mommy.  I always wheel my mommies and babies out to the car,” she said to her with tears in her eyes.

She sat down in the wheelchair and another nurse handed her a few tissues.  After wiping her eyes and collecting herself Joan said
, “Ok, Dad, why don’t you hand Miss Melody over to Mom and see about signing the discharge paperwork”.

She had noticed several nurses taking pictures of Tommy holding Melody.  When he handed Melody to her they then
moved and began taking pictures of her as well.  After a few minutes signing papers and talking quietly with another nurse, Tommy joined them.

“Stand behind mom’s chair so we can get a picture of all of you for the NICU
,” Joan said. “And don’t worry. I have your email address and will send you copies of them.”

Melody hummed as
Dana leaned down and kissed her forehead.  It moved her like nothing else that the hospital staff had done this for them.  Tommy gathered up the flowers, balloons and a diaper bag full of diapers, wipes, bottles and other baby items that the nurses had chipped in for.  Then he got Dana’s car keys and headed out to the parking garage after the car. 

Joan wheeled her and Melody down to the NICU area so those nurses could say goodbye as well and then they headed down to the first floor.

“It warms my soul that things worked out the way they did for you and Melody’s daddy.  This little one has been through hell and survived.  Having a loving daddy
and
mommy to come home to is just what she deserves,” Joan said as she pushed the wheelchair.

“Thank you
,” she choked out.

“We didn’t know the whole story behind everything until just this week.  He told us all of it and how much he loves you.  If Melody isn’t proof of miracles…
you add in the rest of it and it’s undeniably the work of
something
powerful,” she smiled as they neared the car. “We were hoping to keep her here until the final custody hearing but… it’s time… she’s ready.”

Tommy had pulled her car near the curb and was assembling a car seat from a box he’d
pulled out of her trunk.  Something powerful indeed… Chuck had unknowingly moved it to her car to make room in Tommy’s truck.  This was right…
all of it
… she had prayed for a chance to be a mommy and received so much more than she’d asked for.

Joan took the baby from Dana and showed them both how to properly fasten her into the car seat and then gave them both a hug before turning away with a smile.

“You know the number if you need us.  Let us know how she’s doing from time to time,” she said as she wheeled the chair back through the doorway into the hospital.

“Here
, you ride in the back with her and I’ll drive,” Tommy said, holding the back door open.

“What about your bike?”
she asked.

“Funny thing is… when they called and said Doctor
McGinis wanted to talk to me, I just had Chuck drop me off here and then take the truck on to your place,” he said with a smile.

The drive to Tommy’s house was quiet except for the occasional humming from Melody.  From time to time she would catch Tommy’s eye as he looked in the rearview mirror at her and she could only smile back at him. 

As they pulled in the driveway she noted the truck was already backed in and Lilly’s car was parked in front of it.  Bobby’s motorcycle was parked in the front yard and Dickie’s tow truck was parked along the street behind a silver Cadillac.

He pulled her car up next to the truck and then got out and opened her door.  She gave him a questioning look but he only shrugged
. “I called Chuck on my way to the parking garage to get the car, but that was not even an hour ago.”