Brides of the Kindred(127)

“Oh, Baird…” She sank down on the couch beside him and put her head in her hands. He was seated on one side of it, sitting up as straight as a ramrod and staring at nothing. His hands were at his sides and his broad chest was barely moving, as though he was hardly even breathing. He’s not really here with me. It’s just his body—a shell, like Sylvan said.

Liv was physically and emotionally exhausted. She’d been working nonstop for what felt like days, trying not to dwell on what Baird must be going through. When he’d come back to her it seemed like some kind of miracle and her hopes had been sky-high. Now she felt them plummeting to the ground. It was too cruel. To get him back again only to find she’d lost him for good.

“Oh, Baird…” Overwhelmed Liv lay down and put her head in his lap. “If only you could hear me,” she whispered, pillowing her cheek on his muscular thigh. “If only I could tell you how I feel—how wrong I’ve been and how much I want you. But you can’t…you can’t.”

Giving in to her misery, Liv let the tears come, rubbing her cheek against his leg as the sobs shook her. I’ve been such a fool. I waited until it was too late to realize I love you. Too late…too late… Then, to her surprise, something hot and hard nudged her.

“What—?” Sitting up, she wiped her eyes and looked down. A lump was growing in the crotch of the black uniform pants Baird still wore. Was that an automatic reaction to her accidental stimulation? Or could it be that somewhere down inside the real Baird, the one who had wanted her so badly, was still there?

Experimentally, Liv reached out and stroked the ridge of flesh. It got even harder and longer and Baird’s hands, which had been lying open at his sides, suddenly clenched into fists. At the same time, he took in a deep breath—almost a gasp—and then let out a soft sound like a groan of pain or pleasure.

Liv’s heart jumped in her chest and she swiped hastily at her eyes, rubbing away the tears. That had to be more than just an involuntary reaction! Maybe if I… She stroked him again, this time leaning close to look in his eyes as she did. “Do you like that, Baird?” she murmured throatily as she caressed his rigid shaft. “You like it when I touch you? I wish you’d come back to me—tell me what you like, what you want me to do and what you want to do to me.”

She thought she saw a flicker of heat in his eyes but still he didn’t speak. His hands remained clenched at his sides and his breathing was still heavy, though, so she decided she must be on the right track. Have to step things up a notch. Standing up, she put herself directly in Baird’s line of sight.

“Can you see me?” Reaching up she pulled the clip out of her hair and let it swirl around her shoulders. “Can you see how much I want you?” Was there another flicker in his eyes? And were they just a little more golden than brass? Have to go further—have to do more. Liv was well aware that to an outsider what she was about to do might seem bizarre, but there was no one there but herself and Baird. And since everything else had failed, she was determined to keep on trying the one thing that seemed to work. Feeling a strange mixture of hope and erotic need, she began a slow, sensual strip tease.

Of course the jeans and med smock she was wearing weren’t exactly super sexy but she took them off as slowly as she could, humming softly in the back of her throat for accompaniment as she worked her hips and pushed the tight jeans down her legs. Were his eyes tracking her movements? Was he watching her? Liv couldn’t be sure but she thought he was. She was down to her bra and panties now, a matching pair in navy blue lace that made her skin look creamy and soft. The bra hooked in the front, offering easy access. Now if only Baird would lift his hands and unhook it himself.

“Come on, Baird, is this what you want?” Please, please come back to me! Liv shimmied enticingly in front of him but though his eyes seemed to follow her movements, his hands remained curled into fists at his sides. Frustrated, she straddled his hips, getting closer. She was just going to have to help him out a little. Unhooking her bra, she peeled it open, revealing her bare breasts to him. “Watch me,” she murmured, twisting her nipples enticingly, stroking the ripe tips of her breasts as she looked into his eyes. Sparks of pain and pleasure shot though her body as she began to really get into it. “Watch me touch myself for you. See how much I want you?”

His eyes actually seemed to be tracking now and she could feel the ridge of his cock getting even harder. More, just need a little bit more to get through to him. Somehow she knew it was true.