Two Holts: Steele Filling in the Blanks
When the Holt sisters said their good-byes after brunch, it was a long drawn-out process that took
nearly half an hour. It ended only when Donald rolled his eyes and began herding the children, his
wife and his mother-in-law into the car. Muttering something about his new brothers having a lot to
learn, he stepped into the car and drove away with alacrity.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, trying to separate Kate and Laura was like prying chocolate from
their hands. Remington and Murphy finally had to muddle through a poor version of Donald’s
expert demonstration to get the girls into their own cars.
Laura looked wan in the passenger seat of the Auburn as they drove home. She had her eyes closed
and her forehead was crinkled. In between shifting gears, Remington held her hand. He didn’t
think she was that upset over leaving her sister, but she was unusually quiet during the short drive
home.
“You’ll see them all in just a couple of weeks, love.” She smiled and squeezed his hand before
closing her eyes again.
Murphy and Kate weren’t wasting any time saying their vows. They had already been planning
their wedding while she was wrapping up her dig in Thailand. Kate had spent hours writing out long
lists of what she wanted and mailing them to her fiancé to figure out. Murphy had spent a good part
of the Sunday brunch moaning about having to pick out flowers and dinner menus according to her
instructions. The only thing she had refused to discuss with him was her wedding dress, which she
had brought back with her from overseas.
Laura have given him more details about her sister’s relationship with Murphy last night.
Apparently, proposing to Kate had been a mere formality after all the rare long distance phone calls,
frequent letters and occasional visits over the years, but Murphy had a hidden romantic streak that
wouldn’t allow him to skip it. He’d nearly had a heart attack when Laura didn’t get back from
Ireland until five days before Kate arrived in L.A. But Laura returned in time and had been a willing
co-conspirator--arranging for Fred to pick him up from the airport and letting him into her loft. It
had been Laura’s job to get her twin from the same airport an hour later and keep her lips zipped
during the trip so that Murphy could pop the question to Kate in the first moments after she walked
through the door.
Remington realized this morning that he had never formally asked for Laura’s hand in marriage.
They had worked out a hasty agreement to marry on the tuna boat, and she’d actually been the one
to suggest getting married in Ireland. He wondered if that bothered her.
At the loft, Laura dropped her purse on the side-table and headed straight for the bathroom. He
followed and watched her swallow two ibuprofen tablets. He thought that was odd. Sometimes
Laura could be as hard-headed as he about taking medicine, but she didn’t even hesitate this time.
He came up behind her and started massaging her neck. “Headache?”
“Um, no, actually.” She leaned into his hands. “Do you mind if I lie down for a while?”
“Of course not.” Laura? Taking a nap in the middle of the day? I didn’t keep her up THAT late
last night. Before he let her go, he turned her in his arms. “Laura? If you don’t have a headache,
then why are you taking medication?”
She sighed and looked at him. “It’s not a head thing, Remington; it’s a girl thing.” He arched a
brow at her and she chuckled weakly. “I have cramps. Really awful ones. I always do the first
day.”
“The first day of what?”
Laura rolled her eyes at him. “Are you really going to make me spell it out for you?”
Remington replayed the clues she left him: girl thing--cramps--first day--oh, bugger it, she’s got her
period. He bopped his own head comically. “Sorry, love. What can I do?”
He could see her adjusting her thinking. Very hesitantly, she ventured, “Would you rub my back?”
“Sure.”
Laura stretched out on the bed and Remington sat next to her. Not knowing what hurt, he started at
the base of her neck and worked his way down. When he reached the small of her back, he could
feel the tension concentrated there. After several long minutes of massaging the area, he felt it give
way.
“Laura?” There was no response. He brushed back her hair and saw that she had fallen asleep.
He couldn’t resist dropping a kiss on her head before covering her with a blanket.
For an hour, Remington quietly moved around the flat, putting away the clutter and marinating the
chicken he planned to cook for their dinner. Alone with his thoughts, he reflected on the changes of
the past week. Things had certainly been different with Laura living with him.
Hardly two months ago, they were bumping along and making slow-but-steady progress in their
relationship. He’d had it in the back of his mind that they would share a bed long before they
started cohabiting. He’d half expected that it would take another four years before they made it to
the point of actually sharing quarters. Now in the rush of just a few weeks, they were married and
living together at his place, albeit temporarily. They had spent a couple of nights at her loft this past
week, but mostly so she could begin the process of packing it up and cleaning it in preparation for
moving to their new penthouse next week.
Remington wasn’t certain how he felt about all of it yet. For the past two months, they had been
like whirling dervishes, flying all over the world and trying to resolve a dozen personal issues at
once. Now they were home and it was blessedly quiet. They had spent their first week in L.A.
reconciling themselves to the changes in their relationship. For the most part, Laura made a
wonderful roommate. He liked her company and always had. She was completely uninhibited in
bed--something that he’d suspected, but nevertheless was delighted to confirm--and he adored
falling asleep with her at night.
He was still surprised and flattered that Laura readily agreed to move with him to the penthouse on
the other end of the building. When he’d first seen the place two years ago, his only thought had
been for Laura. He easily envisioned them living in the spacious flat. Decorated in pure creams for
her and elegant blacks for him, it was a perfect blend of their styles. He couldn’t wait to see her
playing the piano in front of the wide bank of windows.
But it had all happened so fast.
Other than a few short years with Daniel, he had only shared the occasional hotel room with a
woman or perhaps crashed on a sofa at a friend’s house. In any case, the only “sharing” of the
bathroom might have involved the use of the shower or bathroom counter for a lusty assignation.
The flat had been the first real place he considered “home” and he rather enjoyed having his own
space and privacy. Now that he was keeping company with Laura on a full-time basis, he was
discovering things about her on a whole new level that made the definition of intimacy entirely
different--this latest situation being a classic case-in-point. Granted, they had been thrown together
in enough odd situations over the years that they had seen each other at their worst, but knowing
she could hear him pee through the bathroom door hadn’t fit into his past perception of
cohabitation. It completely decimated the image of cool confidence he tried hard to project.
Then again, Laura had grown up with sisters, had any number of college roommates and had
already lived with one man, so these things didn’t appear to bother her in the slightest. He frowned
as he thought of Wilson. What a bloody idiot! The bloke hadn’t a clue as to what a prize he’d lost.
He prepared a cup of tea and took it out on the terrace while he continued to think. With no small
amount of chagrin, he realized that he was on sexual hiatus for the next few days. That thought led
him to realize that he had no idea about this thing with Laura. If she ever complained at the office,
it wasn’t to him. He couldn’t remember a single time where she made any kind of declaration at all
about her personal issues. Obviously, she had her fair share of problems if she was incapacitated
like this every month, but in classic Laura Holt fashion, she had kept it to herself.
He realized now that she must have had her cycle at some point in Ireland, probably around the time
Daniel passed away, but she’d never let on. That notion led to another one--had it really only been
a month since that terrible day? Daniel, I’m certain you’d be laughing at me if you could see me
now. Bloody hell, you are laughing at me. I know it.
“Remington?” Laura peeked out the door.
He turned around and was glad to see a little color in her cheeks. “Hello, love. How are you
feeling?”
“I’m okay. Sorry about that. I forgot it was Sunday.”
“Sunday? What does that have to do with anything?”
Laura flushed, the color making her freckles stand out. “Just exactly how detailed of an explanation
do you want? I can make it simple and tell you that this happens every fourth Sunday.”
“How about just a few more clues than that? I rather confess I’m a bit in the dark about all this.”
Laura heaved a sigh and leaned against the rail next to him. “All right, the first day of my period is
usually a hard one. I always get cramps, sleep a lot and generally feel awful for most of the day. If
I remember to take ibuprofen in the morning, it helps a great deal, but if I forget--as I did today--it
can hurt quite a bit. I’ve been on the Pill for years so I can at least make sure the first day falls on a
Sunday where it won’t interfere with work or mess up the weekend.”
Ah, that answered one question I had. “That’s a good start. Now, what exactly am I supposed to
do on these days? Pamper you? Stay out of the way? Duck?” He mimed throwing his hands in
the air as if he were dodging a bullet.
She laughed. “Usually I curl up with a book and a heating pad while I hide out for the day, so your
guess is as good as mine.”
“Heating pad? What for?”
“When there isn’t someone as lovely as you available for a massage, a heating pad is the next best
thing. Kate and I used to rub each other’s backs. Like anything else, it helps for a while.”
“And how long does all this usually last?”
“Oh, the worst of it is over by the evening and I’m fine on Monday.” Now Laura blushed for real.
“Don’t worry, I’m only out of commission for three or four days and,” she drew her hand down his
shirt, “I’m sure I can assist you with any ‘problems’ you might have dealing with the ‘deprivation’
in the meantime.
He caught her fingers and kissed them. “Good Lord, Laura, do you really think I’d be that
inconsiderate?”
“No. But I might not be able to keep my hands off you for that length of time.” She grinned at him
and bit her lip. “I like you, Mr. Steele, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Well then, Mrs. Steele, I think we’ll manage just fine. Now,” he turned her around and pushed her
toward the terrace door, “do you think you can trade the book for a movie and I’ll rub your back
while we watch it?”
“Sounds perfect.” She stopped and captured his face for a sweet kiss.
During the movie, Laura discovered that Remington made an excellent heating pad as she curled up
with him on the sofa. And this one had a special built-in massage feature that just couldn’t be beat.
She felt better in record time.
Remington decided that perhaps this new level of intimacy was a good thing. He rather liked
discovering that there were parts of Laura she simply hadn’t shared, even with him, until now.
3 March 2009
When the Holt sisters said their good-byes after brunch, it was a long drawn-out process that took
nearly half an hour. It ended only when Donald rolled his eyes and began herding the children, his
wife and his mother-in-law into the car. Muttering something about his new brothers having a lot to
learn, he stepped into the car and drove away with alacrity.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, trying to separate Kate and Laura was like prying chocolate from
their hands. Remington and Murphy finally had to muddle through a poor version of Donald’s
expert demonstration to get the girls into their own cars.
Laura looked wan in the passenger seat of the Auburn as they drove home. She had her eyes closed
and her forehead was crinkled. In between shifting gears, Remington held her hand. He didn’t
think she was that upset over leaving her sister, but she was unusually quiet during the short drive
home.
“You’ll see them all in just a couple of weeks, love.” She smiled and squeezed his hand before
closing her eyes again.
Murphy and Kate weren’t wasting any time saying their vows. They had already been planning
their wedding while she was wrapping up her dig in Thailand. Kate had spent hours writing out long
lists of what she wanted and mailing them to her fiancé to figure out. Murphy had spent a good part
of the Sunday brunch moaning about having to pick out flowers and dinner menus according to her
instructions. The only thing she had refused to discuss with him was her wedding dress, which she
had brought back with her from overseas.
Laura have given him more details about her sister’s relationship with Murphy last night.
Apparently, proposing to Kate had been a mere formality after all the rare long distance phone calls,
frequent letters and occasional visits over the years, but Murphy had a hidden romantic streak that
wouldn’t allow him to skip it. He’d nearly had a heart attack when Laura didn’t get back from
Ireland until five days before Kate arrived in L.A. But Laura returned in time and had been a willing
co-conspirator--arranging for Fred to pick him up from the airport and letting him into her loft. It
had been Laura’s job to get her twin from the same airport an hour later and keep her lips zipped
during the trip so that Murphy could pop the question to Kate in the first moments after she walked
through the door.
Remington realized this morning that he had never formally asked for Laura’s hand in marriage.
They had worked out a hasty agreement to marry on the tuna boat, and she’d actually been the one
to suggest getting married in Ireland. He wondered if that bothered her.
At the loft, Laura dropped her purse on the side-table and headed straight for the bathroom. He
followed and watched her swallow two ibuprofen tablets. He thought that was odd. Sometimes
Laura could be as hard-headed as he about taking medicine, but she didn’t even hesitate this time.
He came up behind her and started massaging her neck. “Headache?”
“Um, no, actually.” She leaned into his hands. “Do you mind if I lie down for a while?”
“Of course not.” Laura? Taking a nap in the middle of the day? I didn’t keep her up THAT late
last night. Before he let her go, he turned her in his arms. “Laura? If you don’t have a headache,
then why are you taking medication?”
She sighed and looked at him. “It’s not a head thing, Remington; it’s a girl thing.” He arched a
brow at her and she chuckled weakly. “I have cramps. Really awful ones. I always do the first
day.”
“The first day of what?”
Laura rolled her eyes at him. “Are you really going to make me spell it out for you?”
Remington replayed the clues she left him: girl thing--cramps--first day--oh, bugger it, she’s got her
period. He bopped his own head comically. “Sorry, love. What can I do?”
He could see her adjusting her thinking. Very hesitantly, she ventured, “Would you rub my back?”
“Sure.”
Laura stretched out on the bed and Remington sat next to her. Not knowing what hurt, he started at
the base of her neck and worked his way down. When he reached the small of her back, he could
feel the tension concentrated there. After several long minutes of massaging the area, he felt it give
way.
“Laura?” There was no response. He brushed back her hair and saw that she had fallen asleep.
He couldn’t resist dropping a kiss on her head before covering her with a blanket.
For an hour, Remington quietly moved around the flat, putting away the clutter and marinating the
chicken he planned to cook for their dinner. Alone with his thoughts, he reflected on the changes of
the past week. Things had certainly been different with Laura living with him.
Hardly two months ago, they were bumping along and making slow-but-steady progress in their
relationship. He’d had it in the back of his mind that they would share a bed long before they
started cohabiting. He’d half expected that it would take another four years before they made it to
the point of actually sharing quarters. Now in the rush of just a few weeks, they were married and
living together at his place, albeit temporarily. They had spent a couple of nights at her loft this past
week, but mostly so she could begin the process of packing it up and cleaning it in preparation for
moving to their new penthouse next week.
Remington wasn’t certain how he felt about all of it yet. For the past two months, they had been
like whirling dervishes, flying all over the world and trying to resolve a dozen personal issues at
once. Now they were home and it was blessedly quiet. They had spent their first week in L.A.
reconciling themselves to the changes in their relationship. For the most part, Laura made a
wonderful roommate. He liked her company and always had. She was completely uninhibited in
bed--something that he’d suspected, but nevertheless was delighted to confirm--and he adored
falling asleep with her at night.
He was still surprised and flattered that Laura readily agreed to move with him to the penthouse on
the other end of the building. When he’d first seen the place two years ago, his only thought had
been for Laura. He easily envisioned them living in the spacious flat. Decorated in pure creams for
her and elegant blacks for him, it was a perfect blend of their styles. He couldn’t wait to see her
playing the piano in front of the wide bank of windows.
But it had all happened so fast.
Other than a few short years with Daniel, he had only shared the occasional hotel room with a
woman or perhaps crashed on a sofa at a friend’s house. In any case, the only “sharing” of the
bathroom might have involved the use of the shower or bathroom counter for a lusty assignation.
The flat had been the first real place he considered “home” and he rather enjoyed having his own
space and privacy. Now that he was keeping company with Laura on a full-time basis, he was
discovering things about her on a whole new level that made the definition of intimacy entirely
different--this latest situation being a classic case-in-point. Granted, they had been thrown together
in enough odd situations over the years that they had seen each other at their worst, but knowing
she could hear him pee through the bathroom door hadn’t fit into his past perception of
cohabitation. It completely decimated the image of cool confidence he tried hard to project.
Then again, Laura had grown up with sisters, had any number of college roommates and had
already lived with one man, so these things didn’t appear to bother her in the slightest. He frowned
as he thought of Wilson. What a bloody idiot! The bloke hadn’t a clue as to what a prize he’d lost.
He prepared a cup of tea and took it out on the terrace while he continued to think. With no small
amount of chagrin, he realized that he was on sexual hiatus for the next few days. That thought led
him to realize that he had no idea about this thing with Laura. If she ever complained at the office,
it wasn’t to him. He couldn’t remember a single time where she made any kind of declaration at all
about her personal issues. Obviously, she had her fair share of problems if she was incapacitated
like this every month, but in classic Laura Holt fashion, she had kept it to herself.
He realized now that she must have had her cycle at some point in Ireland, probably around the time
Daniel passed away, but she’d never let on. That notion led to another one--had it really only been
a month since that terrible day? Daniel, I’m certain you’d be laughing at me if you could see me
now. Bloody hell, you are laughing at me. I know it.
“Remington?” Laura peeked out the door.
He turned around and was glad to see a little color in her cheeks. “Hello, love. How are you
feeling?”
“I’m okay. Sorry about that. I forgot it was Sunday.”
“Sunday? What does that have to do with anything?”
Laura flushed, the color making her freckles stand out. “Just exactly how detailed of an explanation
do you want? I can make it simple and tell you that this happens every fourth Sunday.”
“How about just a few more clues than that? I rather confess I’m a bit in the dark about all this.”
Laura heaved a sigh and leaned against the rail next to him. “All right, the first day of my period is
usually a hard one. I always get cramps, sleep a lot and generally feel awful for most of the day. If
I remember to take ibuprofen in the morning, it helps a great deal, but if I forget--as I did today--it
can hurt quite a bit. I’ve been on the Pill for years so I can at least make sure the first day falls on a
Sunday where it won’t interfere with work or mess up the weekend.”
Ah, that answered one question I had. “That’s a good start. Now, what exactly am I supposed to
do on these days? Pamper you? Stay out of the way? Duck?” He mimed throwing his hands in
the air as if he were dodging a bullet.
She laughed. “Usually I curl up with a book and a heating pad while I hide out for the day, so your
guess is as good as mine.”
“Heating pad? What for?”
“When there isn’t someone as lovely as you available for a massage, a heating pad is the next best
thing. Kate and I used to rub each other’s backs. Like anything else, it helps for a while.”
“And how long does all this usually last?”
“Oh, the worst of it is over by the evening and I’m fine on Monday.” Now Laura blushed for real.
“Don’t worry, I’m only out of commission for three or four days and,” she drew her hand down his
shirt, “I’m sure I can assist you with any ‘problems’ you might have dealing with the ‘deprivation’
in the meantime.
He caught her fingers and kissed them. “Good Lord, Laura, do you really think I’d be that
inconsiderate?”
“No. But I might not be able to keep my hands off you for that length of time.” She grinned at him
and bit her lip. “I like you, Mr. Steele, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Well then, Mrs. Steele, I think we’ll manage just fine. Now,” he turned her around and pushed her
toward the terrace door, “do you think you can trade the book for a movie and I’ll rub your back
while we watch it?”
“Sounds perfect.” She stopped and captured his face for a sweet kiss.
During the movie, Laura discovered that Remington made an excellent heating pad as she curled up
with him on the sofa. And this one had a special built-in massage feature that just couldn’t be beat.
She felt better in record time.
Remington decided that perhaps this new level of intimacy was a good thing. He rather liked
discovering that there were parts of Laura she simply hadn’t shared, even with him, until now.
3 March 2009
Steele Holting On
Steele Holting On
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