Page 34 of Child In Jeopardy
“Yes, I’m a doctor, and Stephanie came to me after she’d done a home pregnancy test. I can’t get into the specifics of what we discussed since doctor-patient confidentiality continues even after death, but I will say that Stephanie was worried about how your parents would react.”
Lana and he both stayed quiet a moment, processing that. “But she wasn’t worried about Buck?”
Cassandra wasn’t so quick to answer. “I thought you might ask that, and I’ve been trying to figure out what to say. Judging from the stories on the news, Buck murdered her? Is that right?”
“Yes,” Lana confirmed.
Again, Cassandra took her time to respond. “I will say that whenever I met with Stephanie, she didn’t claim to be scared of any person in particular. She was just adamant that I not tell anyone she was pregnant.”
Slater considered that a moment. Since Cassandra had already warned Stephanie about Buck being dangerous, it seemed reasonable that Stephanie would have voiced any concerns she had about the father of her baby. Maybe, though, those concerns had surfaced later.
“I’m really sorry about Stephanie,” Cassandra added a moment later. “Could you please tell me what will happen to her child?”
“He’ll be taken care of,” Lana was quick to say. “I have an online appointment with a lawyer tomorrow and will be petitioning for custody.”
“Good, I’m glad,” Cassandra said. “I have to go, but if you have any questions you think I might be able to answer, feel free to call me.”
“I will,” Lana assured her, and ended the call.
They sat there in silence for several moments, and Slater decided to spell out what they’d just learned. “Buck probably didn’t sexually assault Stephanie.”
Lana made a sound of agreement. “And she likely went into hiding, initially anyway, because of our parents and not because of Buck. That doesn’t mean, though, that Buck didn’t threaten her afterward.”
Slater was fast to agree with that as well. “If Stephanie had trusted Buck, she wouldn’t have done the Acknowledgment of Paternity, naming me as the baby’s father.”
Lana’s gaze came to his and held. “You could challenge me for custody because of that. Stephanie obviously wanted you to raise her son.”
“Because she knew I’d protect Cameron from Buck. Or from your parents. Or from anyone else for that matter who might be a threat to him,” Slater reminded her. “And, no, I still have no intentions of challenging you for custody.”
Lana didn’t seem surprised by that, only reassured. Good. She had enough to deal with without worrying about Cameron’s future.
“Thank you,” she muttered, and she glanced at her laptop as if ready to go back to work.
But she didn’t.
She stood, went to him, leaned down and kissed him. Slater hadn’t seen it coming so he hadn’t had time to steel himself for the heat. It hit him full blast and dissolved the reins he had on this need for her. With no reins, he moved right into the kiss as well, letting her taste and the feel of her mouth take him to another time, another place. Where there was no investigation, no threat. Where anything was possible.
He started to stand so he could pull her to him, but Lana placed her palm on his chest, indicating he should remain seated. Instead, she was the one who initiated the body-to-body contact by moving onto his lap. Her breasts landed against his chest, and her hip pressed against the zipper of his jeans.
Slater immediately felt the heat skyrocket. So did the need. Then again, the need was always there when it came to Lana, but with her mouth on his, it drilled the point home.
Everything inside him pointed to her. To this edgy heat that she had created inside him. To all these intense feelings he hadfor her. And there were so many feelings. Too many to sort out, and even if he had wanted to do that right now, he couldn’t. No way could he think straight when she was kissing him like this.
She slid her hand around the back of his neck, bringing him even closer to her. Deepening the kiss. And giving the heat another jolt that it in no way needed. This wasn’t just a kiss. This wasn’t just foreplay. This was many steps beyond that, and it was those steps that could lead them straight to bed if they weren’t careful.
Slater’s body was all for them landing in bed, but his brain knew there would be consequences. Consequences that he did not want for Lana. When the timing was better, when it was right, he wanted only pleasure for her. Now, though, there would be guilt and doubt, and so many other things that he didn’t want her to feel.
Even after mapping out all the reasons why he should stop, Slater didn’t do that. He took more of the kiss. Took more of Lana. Until the need had turned into a fiery ache that was demanding to be sated.
“Just a little more,” she murmured when he started to ease back from her.
The more was, well, a lot, but Slater just sank right into the kiss and let her take what she needed. Somewhere along the way, he lost sight of why they should even stop, and he found himself taking hold of her and pulling her closer. And closer. Until he’d turned Lana so she was now straddling him.
This definitely wasn’t going to cool them down, but it gave him a good glimpse of what it would be like for them to have full-blown sex. It’d be amazing, that was for certain.
Amazing, with really bad timing.
He latched onto that thought again, but it wasn’t helping him fight this battle he was having with himself. Slater couldn’t figure out how to make himself stop. Thankfully, though, Lanaseemed to figure it out. He eased back, gulping in air, and she looked at him.