Holly shrugged and turned her blinker on, pulling the parking lot of a little fishing store on the side of the road. Lance looked at her out of the corner of his eyes.
"What are you doing?"
"Going back home," she said simply.
"Why are you doing that?"
"You said you didn�t want to upset anybody, right? Well, the only way to do that is to not be there."
"Huh?"
"It doesn�t matter what you or I or anyone else does, someone is always going to be upset about something. So, to be safe, we just won�t go."
"Holly," Lance laughed, placing a hand on hers. "We�re not going back home. We�re going to your family�s get-together. It�s not that big of a deal."
"You�re just saying that. They�re not your family," she whined.
"Just drive," he instructed.
Holly muttered something under her breath and pulled back onto the highway, heading toward her parents� house. She reached down to turn up the radio.
"Tired of my company already?" He teased.
"Oh, yes," she flirted back. "In fact, I�m so tired and annoyed with you, I�m gonna leave you there to fend for yourself."
Lance grinned and shook his head. He laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes against the glare of the sun. Despite his dark sunglasses and ball cap, the sun still shone through. After a few minutes, the hum of the road and the warm sun lulled him into a light sleep. Not long into the nap, he heard a slightly off-key voice singing. Slowly, he opened his eyes, trying his best not to make a face at the sound. Taking a quick peek to his left, he saw Holly singing along with the radio, bobbing her head to the music. As the song wore on, he singing became more off-key. Lance bit his lip, grinning at her hearty effort of singing.
"Holly," he said softly.
She kept singing.
"Holly," he repeated a little louder this time.
She still didn�t hear him.
"Holly!" he called, his voice sharp.
"What?!" She yelped.
"Get off the stage for a second, Miss Country Queen," he snickered.
"You don�t need to laugh at me," she scolded. "You�re a professional."
"I�m not laughing at you," he defended himself. "I was just going to suggest�"
"What? Suggest what?"
"Nothing," he resigned. "You�re just in an argumentative mood, aren�t you?"
"Probably. Oh, all right, I am. I just don�t want to go to this damn thing and now I�m taking it out on you. I�m sorry."
"Everything�s going to be all right, Holly. I�ll be there and I won�t let anything happen."
"What are you going to do�start kicking my family�s ass or something?"
"If needed."
"Won�t work," she informed him. "I did that when we were younger and well, my cousins are still pains in the ass and total bitches."
"Holly!" It was his turn to scold now. "I�ve never heard you use such language before. At least, not all at one time."
"You don�t know them. They all think there�s something wrong with me."
"There�s nothing wrong with you."
She snorted in response. "No? Let�s see�I�m not married, I live out on my own, have a good job. The closest I ever got to getting married, it was my fault that it never worked out."
"Holly," he said calmly, "we�ve been through that. You know it wasn�t your fault."
"I know that and you know that. Hell, everyone knows that, but in my family, you gotta look for someone to blame and this time, it�s me."
He laid a hand on her jean-clad leg and rubbed her thigh gently. He could feel the tension emanating from her.
"I know it�s not you," he told her. "And that�s all that matters."
Holly smiled in response, turning her attention back to the road. They rode in silence for a few moments before Lance began to sing with the radio. Holly giggled and joined in, listening as he instructed her to listen for certain tones and nuances in the voices coming from the radio and how to find the right pitch to harmonize with them. They were having such a good time singing with each other and being silly, they arrived at Holly�s parents in no time. She parked in their driveway and got out of the truck, hugging a big red dog, jumping up and down with the beautiful Irish Setter. Soon, having had her fill of Holly, the dog turned her attention on Lance, barking first then sniffing his pants leg.
"She doesn�t bite," Holly said upon seeing his apprehensive look at the dog. "Totally harmless. Her name�s Pearl."
"Pearl?"
The dog barked twice and sat down in front of him, holding up a big paw for him to shake. He laughed, shaking hands with her.
"What is it with you and your animals shaking hands?" He asked, walking around the back of the truck, Pearl following close behind.
"Just a talent, I reckon. And look at her, she�s totally enamored with you," Holly nodded to the look of adoration the dog was giving Lance.
"What about you?" He flirted, nudging Holly as he stood beside her.
"I don�t know about totally enamored," she began, only to giggle at the crestfallen look on his face. "Extremely taken is more like it for the moment."
Lance wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him, tickling her side a bit.
"I guess I�ll take that. We�ll just have to work on enamored later," he winked mischievously. "But for now�"
He leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek. She playfully pushed him away.
"Not now," she whispered loudly. "My family thinks I�m this virginal person�"
"I could fix that if we ever got two seconds alone with each other," he reasoned.
"Lance!"
"I�m just sayin��"
She laughed and took his hand, leading him down the well worn path to her grandmother�s. She felt the reassuring squeeze he gave her hand, smiling as she held her head up and faced everyone.
"Holly!" Her dad called out. "About time you showed up. I was beginning to think we were going to have to start without you. Good to see you again, Lance."
"Good seeing you again, Mr. Beckett," Lance called, waving towards her father as he was forced to turn her hand loose as she was assaulted by a young girl.
"HOLLY!" The girl squealed, wrapping herself in a death grip around Holly. "Where have you been? You know it�s not a cookout with out you!"
"CONNIE!" Holly squealed back, hugging the child tightly to her. "I know it�s not a cookout without me. I got here as soon as I could. I can�t believe you missed me that much."
Lance watched as the girl gazed up at Holly with idolization in her big eyes. This girl had to be a cousin�they favored so much it was eerie. Holly smiled down at Connie and finally disentangled herself from her.
"Connie, this is my friend Lance," Holly made her introductions. "Lance, this is my cousin Connie."
Connie stepped back, her hair a couple of shades lighter than Holly�s, but in the same flouncy ponytail. She eyed Lance, giving him the once over. Closing one eye, she studied him for a moment. Oh, hell, he thought, here it comes.
"I guess he�ll do, Holly. He�s a lot cuter than that other guy," Connie announced.
"How would you know, squirt? You�re not really old enough to remember him," Holly told her.
"I�ve seen pictures. He was a real rat-face. Lance isn�t. If he�s your friend, can he be my friend, too?"
"I don�t see why not," Holly responded, grinning mischievously.
"Cool!" Her cousin noted as she wrapped Lance in a bear hug.
"Oof!" He said, trying to keep his balance. "Are all your relatives going to greet me like this?"
"I hope not," she told him, tugging Connie away. "If they do, just yell for Pearl. She only likes the Conster."
As Holly was being led away by Connie, Lance overheard the young girl say, "He smells good, too, Holly. Can we keep him?"
He looked down at his shoes, adjusting his hat, grinning self-consciously. Looking up, he noticed Holly�s dad waving him over under a shade tree and made his way there. He took a bottle of beer from one of Holly�s uncles as her dad made introductions. Lance tried to keep names and faces straight and tried his best to remember what Holly had told him before they left her house. As far as he could tell, he was among the �good� family at the moment.
Nearly an hour and three beers later, the food was served. Lance finally found Holly again and followed her around the table where the spread was arranged. He listened carefully as she whispered which would be the best choice to eat and to at least get something from every dish. After filling his plate, he followed her to a pick-up truck and sat down on the tail-gate beside her.
"I see you still are in one piece," Holly mumbled, picking at her hamburger bun.
"Why wouldn�t I be?" Lance inquired, draping an arm over her shoulder. "They�re all really nice."
"That�s because they�re not your family," she muttered, viciously biting into a pickle.
"You�re right," Lance chuckled low in her ear, pulling her closer to him as he planted a kiss on her temple. "But you�re my girl. And that�s what counts."
Holly grinned in spite of her mood. She giggled as he played with her ponytail as he pulled away and stole a chip from her plate, popping it into his mouth and smirking. Maybe this day won�t be so bad at all, she though, looking at him.
As dessert was brought out and everyone had had their fill of thirds and some fourths of some food, Lance was working on his�he couldn�t remember how many beers he had drunk. Not quite drunk, but feeling mighty good. He returned to the tailgate and was promptly joined by one of Holly�s cousins.
"Hi," she drawled, the same slow speech and smile similar to Holly.
He noted there was enough family resemblance to guarantee there would never be any mistaking a relative around here. But this one, there was something different about her. She didn�t have the warmness about her that Holly did. In fact, there was something about her that literally made him shiver. She eyed him lasciviously, quickly licking her lips.
"I�m Pet," she said, laying a hand on his leg.
"Hi," he answered, scooting slightly away from her. "I�m Lance."
"So I�ve heard," she said, her voice leaving no confusion as to her intentions. "You know, we all know who you are."
"Good," he answered, taking a drink. "I know who you are, too. You�re Holly�s cousin. You remember her? My�girlfriend."
Lance was taken back by his own admission. He hadn�t even said that to Holly and here he was confessing something to this�this�person. There was no mistaking the flicker of jealousy and anger that flashed across her face. Lance remembered Holly saying this one was about two years younger than she. But up close, she looked a good five years older than Holly. He looked over to where she was playing with the younger children, laughing at the antics of one of the babies. Her smile was brighter than the sun that shone down on them that afternoon. One of the little ones fell and started screaming. He couldn�t help but feel a tug on his heart strings as Holly immediately scooped the kid up and began soothing and comforting him, rubbing the baby on the back. Smiling tenderly at the scene before him, he ignored Pet, making her mad. Pet stood up quickly, rushing after Holly, yelling at her to give her the baby. He watched as Holly�s face fell as she handed over the baby she had just calmed. He could see the hurt pass over her dewy face as she turned away and self-consciously adjusted her ponytail. He motioned with his head slightly for her to come back to him. As she sat down, he wrapped his arm around her waist, hugging her. She smiled sadly and laid her head on his shoulder.
Five seconds later, the mood was gone as Connie came running up to them and grabbed Holly�s hand, dragging her towards a badminton net. Holly laughed, protesting an inability to play. Within in minutes, teams were divided up on both sides of the net and a volleyball was produced, along with a high-jumping Pearl, barking happily at the commotion. Connie yelled for Lance to join, insisting he had to play on Holly�s team to give her a chance to win. Holly stuck her tongue out at her cousin, making them both laugh. Lance could see how much she enjoyed children and interacting with him. He couldn�t help but wonder how many of the boys she worked with had a crush on her. And if they had a crush on her, then there were some who definitely would think about her while they were�
"LANCE!"
He looked up just in time to see the ball coming right at him and gracefully sidestepped it.
"You were supposed to have hit it," Connie called from the other side of the net, laughing hard.
"Why me?" He called back. "Holly was closer."
"Holly can�t hit anything, that�s why I wanted you on her team," Connie told him.
"Um, excuse me? I�m not invisible," Holly informed them both, pointing to herself. "I can hear and see you."
"Why didn�t you tell me she couldn�t�Oh, hey, Holly. Didn�t see you there," Lance teased as she glared at him.
Holly shook a finger menacingly at him, unable to keep a straight face. She turned around and tried to get back in the game. But by now, both Connie and Lance were laughing too hard to play seriously. The next time the ball came whizzing towards him, he grabbed Holly around her waist and spun her around, loosing his balance in the process and bringing her down on the ground with him. Holly laughed, landing on top of him with an �oof.� Looking up at her, Lance wanted nothing more than to kiss her. And he would have, if he hadn�t seen the withering look her mom shot her. Holly obviously saw it too as she quickly rolled off him and stood up, dusting off her shorts, grinning sheepishly. They resumed the game, with Connie�s team eventually trouncing Holly and her players.
Later, as Holly was helping put things away in her grandmother�s house, Lance stood leaning against a tree. One of Holly�s uncles came over to him, propping beside him. He was a good head taller than Lance and looked down at him.
"Holly�s a special girl," he told Lance.
"Yes, sir. I know that."
"Good. I know Mark won�t ever tell you this, so I feel it�s up to me. You ever do anything to hurt her, we�ll break your neck. Do you understand?"
Lance looked up at him, wondering for fleeting moment if he was joking. But the man had removed his sunglasses and was staring him right in the eye. Lance nodded slowly, wordlessly, afraid of saying anything wrong and risking life and limb at that instant. He actually breathed a sigh of relief as Holly emerged from the house and headed his way.
"I�m ready to go," she told him, reaching down to pat the dog again. "How about you?"
"Yes," he answered, almost too quickly, catching the look that passed between Holly and her uncle.
"I told you," she whispered to Lance, smirking and taking his hand in hers. "But you wouldn�t listen to me. We need to say our goodbyes now to make sure we leave on good terms."
"I think you�re right," he agreed, obediently following behind her.
~*~
The ride home was far more relaxed than the one to her family�s had been. They laughed and teased, singing along with the radio. Holly settled into her driving, smiling as she drove the familiar route. Lance caught sight of her from the corner of his eye and smiled, reaching a hand over to run it gently down the side of her face. She blinked and returned the smile, never taking her eyes off the road. He let his hand trail down her neck and softly across her arm, finally taking her hand in his, interlacing his fingers with hers. He rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand, making small circles and dotting the center of them.
After parking her truck in the garage, they walked around to the front door, his hand at the small of her back. Holly unlocked the door to her house, a blast of cool air hitting her in the face. She laughed, jumping over the cat as he came running at her.
"Grab Harold," she called over her shoulder as Lance came in behind her. "He does not need to get out."
Lance reached down, grabbing the feline, letting it hang over his arm as he walked into the living room.
"The little fucker ain�t getting out," he called after her, his words slightly slurred from all the beers he had imbibed.
Holly�s melodious laughter rang through the house.
"You are drunk," she laughed, sticking her head around the door frame.
"Am not," he stated, grinning at her.
"Are too," she returned the grin. "I�m going to get a shower. I got hot out there today and I don�t like going to bed sweaty. I�ll be out in a few. You gonna stay for a while?"
"Suurrre," he agreed, nodding slightly.
She grinned, shaking her head.
"Holly?" He called after her.
"Yeah?"
"Can I join you in the shower?" He asked, turning puppy dog eyes on her.
"What do you think?" She smirked, walking on.
Holly went into the bathroom and turned the water on, letting it warm to the temperature she wanted. She stripped off her clothes and tucked her hair in the ponytail. Humming softly, she stepped inside the shower, letting the hot water massage her body. She closed her eyes and turned her face to the water.
Lance stood quietly in the doorway, watching the steam rise from behind the curtain. The thick steam hung in a blanket over the room. He heard her singing softly and grinned. Silently, he peeled off his shirt and shorts, leaving them in a pile on the floor, next to hers. Wordlessly, like a dream in the misty room, he pulled back the curtain and joined her in the shower.
Holly had her back to him, her head tilted, letting the water cascade over her face. She sensed him behind her, her heart beating slightly faster. Slowly, she turned to face him, her gaze fastened on his. The slow, sexy grin on his face taunted her as he stepped towards her, his hands reaching around her waist, pulling her to him. His lips met hers with a crushing force, eliciting a hungry moan from them both. His hands glided across the lower part of her back, aided by the spray of water flowing down her back. He let his hands dip lower, cupping her ass and drawing her closer still.
Holly�s eyes fluttered open just for a second as she felt his arousal pressing against her. This was the last thing she had expected�this evening or ever. But she wanted it�she wanted him�so bad. Pulling away, breathless, she looked into his eyes, searching for some kind of sign. He smiled his sexy half-smile at her again, gently squeezing her ass once more. Silently communicating his wishes, he pushed back the curtain and stepped out, grabbing the towel, inviting her to join him. Only by gut instinct, did she think to reach behind her to turn the water off before she stepped out of the shower.
Lance draped the towel around her shoulders, licking the water droplets off her neck and collar bone, one of his hands resting on her hip while the other one massaged one of her breasts. His tongue made a trail across her chest and to her other breast where he promptly teased and taunted her nipple, slightly blowing on it, bringing it to diamond hardness before latching on to it and gently flicking it with his tongue.
Holly moaned at the feel of his mouth on her skin�so warm, so inviting. His gentle kisses and touches were setting her on fire. Without a word spoken between the two, Lance picked her up and carried her to her bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them with his foot and dropping her on the bed. In no time, he was laying on top of her, his body pressed to hers, his mouth trailing down her neck, shoulders, and stomach while his hands roamed up her thighs to the juncture between her legs, his fingers sliding effortlessly into her silken folds.
Holly�s breath caught in her throat as his hands explored the most intimate parts of her, caressing and teasing. Slowly, he slid further down between her legs, kissing first her right thigh, then her left. She closed her eyes and ran the palms of her hands along the sheets as he gently blew on the soft, downy hair of her nether region before gently spreading her delicate lips. She twitched slightly as he tentatively explored her with his tongue, licking slowly and gently, tasting her. Lance groaned softly as he rubbed a hand down her leg, massaging her soft skin and relaxing her tense muscles. He continued his ministrations with his other hand, caressing her insides, easing his fingers in and out as he lapped at her juices.
Holly gasped as Lance began languorously licking her clit, putting a good amount of pressure on just the right spot. She instinctively tightened her inner walls around his fingers, extracting another lustful sound from him. He was quite talented and good at what he was doing, causing her to grow more aroused with the workings of his mouth. And while she thought she might have felt the beginnings of something, she couldn�t let him continue.
"Lance," she whispered, her voice hoarse and thick with desire.
He kept on with his task, not hearing her call his name.
"Lance," she said a little louder, propping up on her elbows and daring to look down at him.
He felt her looking at him and looked up at her, his eyes clouded with lust.
"Please," she whispered. "Stop."
Lance raised an eyebrow in dismay and removed his mouth.
"What?"
"Please stop," she repeated. "You�re wasting your time. It�s not going to happen."
"Holly," he murmured, kissing her stomach. "You haven�t given me enough time."
"There isn�t anything you can do," she softly told him, motioning for him to lie beside her. "It�s not you."
"Holly," he said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him, her smooth skin touching his. "It�s not you, either. The timing isn�t right�and when it is�"
He leaned his head down and placed a kiss on her lips, tender at first, then opening her mouth with his tongue and invading her senses. She could taste herself on his mouth and for once, she didn�t recoil at even the thought of that. Lance was so different than Jeff. Lance actually cared for her and her feelings and wanted her to�
"Hold me," she whispered, suddenly on the verge of tears. "Just hold me close."
"Anything for you," he said, low in her ear, kissing the top of her head and smoothing back her hair. "Forever, if you�ll let me."
"I�m not asking for forever," she said, her face buried against his chest. "Just for tonight."
"Forever," he mouthed, laying his cheek on her head.