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Kayla’s head fell back to give Brian better access to the column of her throat as his mouth began to travel in that direction. His hands glided down her back and up again; seemingly in a frenzy to try and touch all of her at once. She felt him pressing against her, hard and full. His body was giving her proof that he wanted her just as badly as she wanted him.

This time, Brian had made sure that they wouldn’t be interrupted. Baylee would be at school for another three hours, Nick had gone out with Howie, and a locked door separated the two of them from the rest of the house. This time, there would be no unwelcome surprises.

Brian had begun with the sole purpose of taking his time. He wanted to find and memorize all of Kayla’s spots that were the most responsive, the most sensitive to his mouth and his hands. Brian had hoped that becoming familiar with her body would make him more confident, more relaxed. Needless to say, he had quickly abandoned the idea of taking his time. As soon as Kayla’s clothes had hit the floor, Brian had been dying to hear the soft gasps that he knew would come when he buried himself deep inside her.

He pushed her back on the bed and forced himself to enter her slowly. Brian felt Kayla’s thigh muscles tighten, and she began to writhe beneath him. She reached out to pull him closer, and she moaned loudly when he denied her request. He started to withdraw himself from her and drove into her again, quicker and with more purpose. Kayla moaned again and bit into her lower lip. Brian’s confidence grew as he realized that he was in control and that Kayla was responding to his movements. He held fast as he climaxed, Kayla shuddering beneath him as he finally fell to the bed, shifting so that Kayla lay directly on his torso and his arm rested on her back.

“I know it sounds horrible, but I’m really glad that Kevin developed that head cold.” Kayla leaned down and placed a delicate kiss on Brian’s lips.

Brian grinned, his heart still beating faster than normal. “It doesn’t sound horrible to me.”

Kayla returned the smile and stared into Brian’s eyes. Something had shifted between them in the last couple of days. Gone were the feelings of uncertainty and resistance; sincerity and affection having taken their place.

“I should check in with Peggy.” Kayla reluctantly shifted her position on Brian’s chest and reached for her phone that she had dropped on the nightstand. “She’s probably wondering what happened to me. I was supposed to call her after my visit with the Boags.”

Brian frowned at the mention of the older woman’s name. Things had been so much easier when Peggy had been away from the office recovering from surgery. Now that she was back, he constantly felt as though he and Kayla were sneaking around.

Kayla’s phone began to ring in her hands and she waved it in the air knowingly. “Speak of the devil.” She swiped her finger across the screen to answer the call and brought the phone to her ear. “Hi, Peggy. I was just about to call you.”

Brian felt Kayla stiffen in his arms and his heart rate intensified as a look of pure panic crossed her face. Kayla pushed herself away from him and sat straight up, clutching the sheets to her chest.

“You really don’t have to do that. I can just drop it off sometime tomorrow.” Kayla was doing a poor job of hiding her alarm. “I know that it’s still hard for you to drive.”

“What is it?” Brian hissed. He followed Kayla’s lead and sat up. “What is she saying?”

Kayla waved her hand in the air to shush him. “I guess it makes sense if you’re in the area.” Kayla launched herself off of the bed, stumbling as her food caught in the bottom of the sheet. She managed to recover before she hit the carpet and grabbed for her clothes. “Sounds good.” Her voice continued to give away the fact that she was panicking. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“What is it?” Brian repeated. He watched as Kayla hurled her phone onto the bed and continued to dress herself at blinding speed. Based on her frantic behaviour, Brian was pretty sure that he should also be putting his clothes on, but he couldn’t bring himself to move.

“Peggy is on her way here!” Kayla sounded as though she was on the verge of tears. “I forgot your copy of the surprise inspection report on my desk. Peggy picked it up on her way out of the office and she is on her way here to bring it to you.”

Brian’s body was moving even before his brain could fully process what Kayla was saying. He tugged on his jeans and jammed his sweater over his head. Even though they were both dressed, Brian knew that they looked satisfyingly dishevelled. It would be obvious to anyone, even to Peggy.

“What are we going to do?” Kayla brushed frantically at a stray tear that was running down her cheek. “She’s less than two blocks away. I don’t have time to leave.”

“You have time.” Brian knew that the words were untrue the moment that they left his mouth, but he didn’t know what else to say. He could feel the bile rising in his throat as the two of them thundered down the stairs; if Peggy caught the two of them together Kevin’s premonition would come true and he would lose both Kayla and Baylee.

“Brian, I don’t have time!” Kayla continued to protest. “Even if I do manage to make it to my car, she’ll see me driving away.”

“We’ll make something up.” Brian answered vaguely. He reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped dead when he heard movement near the front door. Had Peggy just let herself in? The impractical thought consumed his panic-stricken mind as Kayla slammed into the back of him.

“Whoa! Where’s the fire?” Howie retracted his own laugh as he took in the frantic look on both Brian and Kayla’s faces. “Seriously, what’s wrong?”

“Howie?” Brian struggled to figure out why he and Nick were both standing in the foyer. “I thought you guys went out.”

“Nick forgot his wallet.” Howie rolled his eyes and made a quoting motion with his fingers. “I think it was all part of his plan to make sure that I paid for lunch.”

“Peggy is on her way here!” Kayla blurted out. “I can’t believe that I forgot that stupid file!”

Howie’s eyes widened as the severity of the situation hit him. “Shit.” He reached for Kayla’s arm and yanked her towards the front door. “You have to get the fuck out of here!”

“There isn’t time.” Nick hastily shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it at Brian. “She’s here. I just heard a car pull up.”

“Oh God.” Kayla began to visibly shake. “She’s seen my car.” She turned and stared helplessly at Brian. “She’s seen my car!”

“For fuck’s sake!” Nick yelled. “Everyone knows that she’s seen your car!” He kicked off his shoes and threw a pair of Brian’s own sneakers in his general direction.

“Nick, what the fuck are you doing?” Brian scrambled to retrieve his shoes. He was still clutching Nick’s jacket and staring at his friend in distraught confusion.

“I’m saving your ass, provided that you put your shoes on.” Nick informed him. “Howie stop standing there like an idiot and get Nacho.”

Howie blinked at Nick as if he had lost his mind. “You want me to get the dog?”

“Yes, Howie.” Nick gritted his teeth. “I want you to get the dog.”

“Okayyyyyy” Howie continued to look sceptical as he hurried into the living room to retrieve Nacho.

“You two have to promise not to get mad at me for what I’m about to do.” Nick looked quickly back and forth between Brian and Kayla. “Especially you.” He looked pointedly at Brian and began roughly rubbing his hands through his hair as he waited for a response.

“What are you going to do?” Brian’s eyes narrowed. He had finished putting on his shoes and was struggling to do up Nick’s jacket that was roughly two sizes too big.

“You’re not going to like it.” Nick admitted. “But it’s our only shot.”

“She’s getting out of her car.” Howie announced as he rushed back into the foyer, holding a less-than-impressed looking Nacho under his arm.

Nick grabbed Nacho’s leash off of the bench in the foyer and thrust it at Howie’s chest. “You and Brian are going to pretend as though you’re just coming back from taking Nacho for a walk. You’re going to go out the back door, hop the fence, and come out from around the other side of the neighbour’s house. It will make it look as though you’ve come from the other end of the street. All you have to do is meet Peggy on the porch and let her in. Kayla and I will take care of everything else.”

“Jesus.” Howie hissed as he began pushing Brian towards the back of the house. “The things I do for you guys.”

“Nick has officially lost his fucking mind.” Brian concluded as he allowed Howie to push him out the back door and across the backyard. “Are we really going to hop the fence?”

“I guess.” Howie shrugged. He still had no idea what Nick was planning and Nacho was beginning to squirm. “We can’t go out your gate, because it opens onto the same side of the house as the front porch. Peggy will see us leaving the backyard.”

Brian felt helpless. He looked at the fence, and then at Howie and then back at the fence. “Fine.” He conceded. “Hand Nacho to me when I get to the top.”

“This is beyond ridiculous.” Howie muttered as he stepped out of the way to give Brian a running start.

Brian silently agreed with Howie’s statement as he started running towards the perfectly flat and smooth, seven foot high, wooden fence that separated his backyard from his neighbour’s yard. Gathering speed and running out of yard space, Brian launched himself at the fence. His feet slipped and thudded against the wooden boards as he hauled himself to the top, his fingers crawling frantically at the cold wood. He swung one leg over onto his neighbour’s side in order to straddle the top of the fence and motioned hurriedly for Howie to hand him the dog.

“I better be able to get up.” Howie worried as he passed Nacho to Brian. The pissed-off pug squirmed and growled in protest as Brian hooked his hands under his pudgy stomach. “I haven’t climbed a fence since I was in elementary school.”

“Hurry up.” Brian ignored Howie’s concerns. From his perch atop the fence, he had a clear view of the side of his driveway. He could see Peggy’s massive backside retreating away from her car and slowly beginning the walk towards the front door.

Still wondering what Nick was planning inside the house, Brian returned his attention to Howie who had now taken his position about halfway across the width of the backyard. His friend appeared to say a silent prayer as he took off and began sprinting across the partially-frozen grass. When he was less than a foot away from the fence, Howie leapt with all of his might; both of his hands stretched out as far as they could go. Brian cringed as Howie’s body connected roughly with the wood, but he breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he realized that Howie had gathered enough momentum to haul himself to the top.

Howie attempted to follow Brian’s example and straddle the top of the fence, but his movements were too vigorous and he ended up propelling himself clear over to the other side. “Ahhh!”

Brian winced as Howie toppled over the fence and landed in an ungraceful heap in his neighbour’s backyard. Thankfully, he landed in a large pile of snow that had been spared from the recent thaw by the shade of the fence.

“Are you alright?” Brian tried to keep his voice as quiet as possible. “Why the hell did you go straight over like that?”

“It wasn’t my intention.” Howie grumbled as he staggered to his feet. He appeared to be a bit dazed as he brushed the majority of the snow off of his jeans and glared up at Brian. “Hand me the fucking dog.”

Brian complied with Howie’s request and lowered Nacho into his waiting arms. Nacho growled and nipped at the sleeve of Howie’s jacket. Brian didn’t know much about pugs, but he was pretty sure that Nacho was going to require an intense round of doggie therapy after this ordeal was over. Making sure that Howie was out of the way; Brian swung his other leg over the fence and jumped to the ground. He landed unsteadily on his feet and Howie’s arm immediately shot out to catch him.

“We’re too old for this shit.”

“No kidding.” Brian muttered as the two of them hurried across his neighbour’s backyard in search of the gate. He was immensely thankful that all of the windows in his neighbour’s house were dark. Brian had never even met the people who lived immediately beside him and he was pretty sure that he would have some serious explaining to do if he and Howie were to be caught creeping through their backyard with an angry, obese pug. “Whatever Nick is planning to do better work.”

“Let’s try to make this look natural.” Howie whispered as they successfully made it out of the backyard. He quietly closed the gate and lowered Nacho to the ground.

Nacho stared up at the two of them in displeasure. His beady little eyes signified that he had no intention of moving. He dug his paws into the ground and let out a low growl as Howie attempted to pull him down the walkway towards the sidewalk.

“Nacho!” Brian hissed. He was beginning to sweat despite the frigid temperature. “If you walk, I’ll give you a treat; one of those big ole pig’s ears that you like.”

“We don’t have time for this.” Howie looked beyond frustrated as he once again looped his arm around Nacho’s hefty mid-section. He hoisted the protesting animal into the air and began hustling towards Brian’s house. “We’ll just put him on the ground when we reach your driveway.”

“Fine.” Brian agreed; his eyes firmly trained on his own house. Peggy was nowhere in sight and Brian silently wondered if she was still attempting to waddle her way onto the front porch. Kayla had mentioned that the older woman was moving exceptionally slowly, as she was still undergoing intense physiotherapy.

“Whose car is that?” Howie nodded in the direction of a black Audi that was parked on the street in front of Brian’s house.

“I thought it was your rental car.” Brian whispered. The two them reached the edge of his driveway and he shot Howie a confused glance. “It doesn’t belong to anyone that I know.”

“That’s mine.” Howie pointed at a silver Infinity that was parked across the street. “I have no idea who ...” He stopped short as an all-too familiar voice rang out from around the corner of the garage.

“Ms. Peach, let me help you up those steps.”

Brian and Howie looked at each other in desperation. Howie practically flung Nacho to the ground and the two of them began speed walking up the driveway; Howie dragging a growling Nacho across the pavement.

“AJ?” Brian forced himself to sound normal. “What are you doing here?”

AJ turned to stare at Brian and Howie. His right arm was firmly locked around Peggy’s waist and the rotund woman was leaning heavily on him as he led her up the two steps to Brian’s front door. “I’m helping Ms. Peach up the stairs.”

“I can see that.” Brian seethed. “I mean what are you doing here in general?”

“I came to visit.” AJ deadpanned. He let go of Peggy’s waist as soon as he was sure that she was safely on the porch. “What are you two doing?” AJ’s face registered his surprise as he took in the fact that Brian was wearing Nick’s jacket and that Howie’s pants were still somewhat covered in snow.

“We were just taking Nacho for a walk.” Howie replied as nonchalantly as possible. “It’s nice to see you again, Ms. Peach.”

“It’s nice to see you again too, Mr. Dorough.” Peggy answered with forced politeness. Her eyes were quickly flipping back and forth between the three of them; it was clear that she knew something was going on. “Mr. Littrell, I’m here to give you a copy of our most recent inspection report.”

“Great.” Brian hustled forward and accepted the folder that Peggy handed him. “Thanks.” He forced a smile onto his face and attempted to control his rapid breathing. Maybe she would turn around and leave without coming inside.

“There’s just one more thing that I need to ask you, Mr. Littrell.” Peggy’s eyes were hard and cool. “Why is Kayla’s car in your driveway?”

“Kayla’s car?” Brian made a big show of turning his head to look at the driveway. “Is that her car? I don’t think that I’ve ever actually seen her car.”

Peggy raised her eyebrows. “Mr. Littrell, we both know that you’re lying through your teeth right now.”

Brian swallowed hard. AJ and Howie had both fallen ghostly quiet. Even Nacho had stopped growling and snuffing at the ground, his wrinkled face cocked to the side as he stared at Peggy.

“Mr. Littrell, I am now officially conducting a surprise inspection of your home. You have no choice but to open that door and let me look around.” Peggy straightened her back in authority. “Do you want to prepare me for what I’m going to find, or do you want me to be surprised?”

“I honestly have no idea what you’re going to find.” Brian uttered his first true statement since coming face-to-face with Peggy. “Howie and I were just out walking the dog ...”

“Open the door, please.” Peggy’s words were biting. “Or I will open it myself.”

Brian’s fake smile was wavering as he stepped past AJ and curled his fingers around the icy coolness of the door knob. He could practically feel the tension radiating off of his bearded friend as their shoulders touched. Brian was in trouble and everyone, including Peggy, knew it.