Dating A Silver Fox (Never Too Late) (22 page)

“How did you manage your restraint, Morrie?” Regina asked, swinging her gaze.

“Well, I tell you, Dr. Logan, with the way Lydia kisses it was damn hard—if you catch my drift,” Morrie announced boldly, then burst out laughing. Moments later he was wincing when Lydia smacked his arm in retaliation. “Sorry, Lydia—I couldn’t resist the joke. The opening was there and I just went for comedic relief. You’re not the only one nervous here.”

“I don’t care if you are nervous. You said no teasing and yet here you are, breaking your promise already,” Lydia accused.

Morrie sighed, reached over, and moved Lydia’s hand to his knee, flattening it out and pressing it down with one of his while he leaned back in the chair. “Lydia’s right. I tease too much sometimes. Truth is, I restrained myself because I wanted her to kiss me and not be afraid. I never want her to be afraid. I just want her to want me back. That’s why we’re here.”

Regina sighed. Yep—good man. Lydia was a damn lucky woman.

“Most couples that pass through my office aren’t nearly as in tune with each other as the two of you seem to be. If you keep working through future things with the same results, Lydia’s trust may grow and her anxiety should resolve itself. However, given Morrie’s willingness to practice some restrain of his needs, there might be a faster path—if you’re both open to it.”

“What faster path?” Morrie asked, leaning forward when Lydia slid her hand from under his.

Regina rose and went to her bookshelf, drew out two copies of the same book. She brought one to each of them.

“
Slow sex
,” Morrie read. “Sounds good. Where do I sign up?”

“The author of that book postulates the theory that when a woman becomes orgasmic—meaning capable of many kinds of pleasure, not just climax—that everyone in her life benefits,” Regina said. “I saw a TED talk presentation she gave that gives an excellent introduction of the idea. She is very convincing, and her theories make a lot of sense. I’ve already given several of her books away to clients.”

“So you’re saying there’s a technique that will help Lydia learn how to let herself be—I mean, something that will keep her from getting sick?” Morrie asked.

“
Orgasmic meditation
,” Lydia read. “I tried meditating in yoga class. I wasn’t good at it.”

“It’s not like standard meditation, more like shifting your focus to a specific part of your body for a short amount of time. The worst for you would be the initial acute embarrassment at the level of body exposure to your partner that it requires,” Regina stated.

They had both pulled out their reading glasses to examine the book more closely. Lydia’s glasses were the same color as the blouse she wore. Morrie was still using the ones that glittered, which caused Regina to shake her head. Some things were just hard to let go of no matter what happened in your healing journey.

She let both of them flip through the pages for a few moments before noting their session time was almost over.

“Why don’t you take the books home—both of you—and read them? Next Tuesday you two can let me know if you want to try this. If you do, I’ll help you find a training session to attend. They have eight-day and three-day ones, and a facility on each coast. You could fly up, get the training, and have a mini-vacation all in one. There’s also a one-day workshop that’s sort of a crash course. Support for that afterward would be online, but that might work too. You’d have to be very open to the idea of doing this for it to work.”

Lydia closed the book and linked her hands on top of it. “Regina. . .I don’t want to sound ungrateful or like a prude, but is there anything else we can try? Something other than this technique.”

“Maybe. Different things work for different women. For example, we could consider that your body just needs training to learn to respond. Are you willing to buy a vibrator and teach yourself how to masturbate to climax?” Regina asked, keeping her mouth from twitching at Lydia’s appalled look. “With vibrators, women become responsible for their own pleasure and have control of it. Many women choose to explore that option first. It doesn’t rely on a willing partner.”

At Regina’s words, Lydia felt the heat rising in her face, the very idea of what she was suggesting making her blush, especially sitting beside a man that had already professed to being a willing partner. “I think I’ll look at the book this weekend before I make up my mind.”

Regina smiled. “The orgasmic meditation technique requires a partner, and an open-minded one who wants you to have the benefit it brings. You’re very lucky that you seem to already have one of those in Morrie, Lydia.”

“Would you have suggested the meditation technique if Morrie wasn’t in my life?” Lydia asked.

“Maybe. If you did not have your relationship, it might have been even more challenging to put yourself out there on one of the online boards to look for an OM partner. Somehow I think that might be too much risk for you at this time,” Regina said.

“You mean if I wasn’t going to use Morrie you would have asked me to let some strange man touch me—
down there
?” Lydia’s gaze went to the Morrie and the gleam in his eye. “Don’t give me that look. No man is stranger than you are, but I don’t know how I can possibly let you help me like the drawings in this book show.”

“When I said I’d do anything to help you, I meant
I would do anything
,” Morrie said firmly. “That hasn’t changed. But let’s read the books first. As much as I trust Dr. Logan, we need to evaluate what we’re getting into before we say yes.”

Lydia nodded and pressed her lips together.

“Spoken like a true businessman,” Regina declared. “I will also suggest that you two keep practicing other things in the meantime, such as kissing and maybe some mild petting. Leave clothes on. They provide a boundary. You need to get more comfortable with each other.”

“What are you suggesting now?” Lydia asked, the question practically a croak. “What do you mean by ‘mild petting’? Is that like kissing practice?”

“I’ll explain it all later when I show you,” Morrie said firmly, rising and offering Lydia a hand up, smiling and squeezing when she took it.

“You wish I’d let you,” Lydia replied, using her remaining free hand to fold her glasses up again and tuck them into her purse.

He turned to Regina. “Don’t read too much into her bad attitude. Sure, I haven’t had balls this blue since I was sixteen, but my heart tells me Lydia is worth the wait.”

Regina laughed at Morrie’s outrageous declaration. “I take it this means you’re not depressed anymore.”

Morrie grinned. “Haven’t been depressed for a long time. Last time I checked the total, I was up to fifteen,” he said.

Regina raised an eyebrow. “And that number is?”

“The number of women I dated in the last two years before I found Lydia. I don’t have to worry about making any more mistakes though because Lydia is the one.”

“The one?” Regina repeated it like a question, even knowing full well what Morrie meant. She just hoped he’d spill the truth so Lydia could hear it, even if the discussion was turning Morrie’s love interest green enough to hurl again any second.

“Lydia is the one I was looking for all the time I was dating,” Morrie said with a smile.

Regina visibly watched the nervous woman’s composure dissolve, not over the blue balls comment she decided, but over hearing Morrison Fox thought she was the “one” for him. Strange. Very strange.

“Excuse me,” Lydia said, hurrying from the room as she headed to the bathroom down the hall.

“Maybe I better go check on her,” Regina said.

Morrie put his hands in his pockets. “I’m falling in love with her, Dr. Logan.”

“Great—you want to go check on her then?” Regina asked with a grin.

“Actually, I would,” Morrie said seriously, gathering up Lydia’s copy of the book that had been left behind in the chair during the mad dash. “See you next week.”

“Morrie, I’m going home tonight and tell my husband he’s no longer the nicest guy in the world as of today. Ben has to officially give up the title now that I’ve seen you with Lydia,” Regina said.

Morrie laughed. “Think you can get her to see me that way?”

Regina shook her head. “I think you’re going to manage that on your own. You’re breaking through emotional walls Lydia McCarthy has spent a lifetime building. The bathroom time might be well spent in her case. It may be her way of letting go—in a literal way.”

Morrie sighed. “I don’t get it. Why would loving someone be so nerve wracking?”

“If I knew the answer to that one, I’d be a mega-millionaire,” Regina said, ushering him out into the hall.

Chapter 17

Lydia shook her head for the millionth time. She stood arms crossed staring down at the man sitting on her living room floor in the middle of several pillows he’d robbed from various rooms in her house. He had officially lost his mind if he thought he was going to talk her into a wrestling match on the floor.

Morrie patted the largest pillow. “Stop being stubborn and come down here. I want to practice the position. I’m not asking you to lose your pants yet. . .not that those yoga clothes hide much from the imagination.”

Lydia looked down at her exercise clothes in surprise. “You think these clothes are revealing?”

“Yes. They reveal what a great job you’ve done maintaining your body. Now plant that perfectly toned ass of yours down here on the floor with me so we can do this,” Morrie demanded, ending on a laugh because the look on Lydia’s pink face was priceless as she shook her head again.

“Giving up already?” he chided, getting a lifted chin for his efforts. “Better start planning a future shopping trip for a mechanical boyfriend. I could help with that too, but I’d rather try this.”

Her glare brought a smile to his face, and he was glad to know she wasn’t going to catch him in the bluff. The last thing he wanted was to be ousted by something with batteries.

“You can kiss my toned ass because I’m not doing either one,” Lydia said firmly, walking around the pillows while keeping her distance.

“Bring your toned ass down here and I’ll be happy to kiss it—or anything else you want me to kiss,” Morrie said, laughing again.

“Your insistence about this is making a mechanical boyfriend seem preferable to a real one,” Lydia said, pacing several feet away.

“Baby, I’m practically begging you to let me be a real boyfriend, but I recognize that’s a hard decision for you. This meditation is about trust. I’m not going to do anything you don’t want or that will make you uncomfortable. Now come on down here and let’s get you arranged in our nest,”

“No, Morrie. I’m not ready,” Lydia said.

“Honey, you’re never going to be ready and you know it. Just push past the fear and do it anyway,” Morrie advised, patting the pillow again. “You’re safe with me.”

“No. And stop trying to talk me into it,” Lydia said.

“Lydia, come down here. It’s for your own good,” Morrie told her firmly. “If you don’t, I’m going to tell Regina.”

“Tell her. I don’t care,” Lydia yelled, storming off to the kitchen before Morrie could offer any more arguments.

As she passed through the foyer the doorbell rang. Peeking through the peephole, she saw Lauren, Jim, and JD on the step.
Oh hell, what a day
, she thought, reluctantly answering the door.

“Ganma!” JD sang out.

Instead of the frustration the man in her living room caused with his every utterance, the one launching himself at her now never failed to bring Lydia the sweetest happiness, a fact for which she remained profoundly grateful. Once in her arms JD covered her face with wet toddler kisses and had her giggling as she ordered him to stop.

Lydia backed up with the exuberant JD in her arms to let Lauren and Jim inside, but ended up following their shocked gazes to the barefooted man with his shirt hanging out of his pants watching her with a wide knowing grin.

“I’m going to have to get your grandson to show me how he makes you giggle with his kisses,” Morrie said to her, his gaze never wavering.

Lydia rolled her eyes and turned to Lauren and Jim. “Come on in. Don’t mind Morrie. We were having a reading date this morning.”

Her slight prevarication about the reason for his presence reminded her of the living room and its condition, not to mention the two bookmarked books with their interesting covers.

Lydia bit her lip, not too proud to put genuine pleading into her gaze because it beat the alternative of being found out. She didn’t want JD running across their books and showing them to his mother or father. The very thought made her shudder.

“Morrie? Why don’t you tidy up and put the books away for now? JD likes books a little too well,” Lydia said lightly.

“Oh—right! I’m on it,” Morrie said, sending Lydia a wink to show her how completely he understood.

Lydia ignored his wink and cleared her throat, redirecting everyone’s attention away from Morrie’s exit. “So—what brings you all by this morning?”

Lauren stared after the man who had walked through her mother’s house as if he knew exactly where he was going. It wasn’t that it bothered her—well not exactly. It was just so—well, strange. Jim’s hand lightly stroking her spine brought her attention back to her mother’s impatient gaze.