Taken aback, Toni cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

Laura's smile wavered just a bit, and then reaching over, she gently ran the tip of her finger over the scar. "I want to see the others."

Toni stared blankly back at Laura, unable to speak. She knew Laura had already seen some of the marks, but they were only halftones of the whole. Her back was the canvas. A masterpiece of horrors and pain, it displayed her agony in wide, deep brushstrokes of disfigured skin and corded flesh. Toni's heart began to race, but then she remembered the evening when she had ripped the T-shirt from her body. "You've already seen them," she said quietly. "That night in the lounge."

"I didn't look."

"Why not?"

"I didn't have a reason to."

"You do now?"

"Yes," Laura said in a breath, gazing into Toni's eyes. "Most definitely."

Toni wished it was dusk. Glimpses obscured by the shadows of evening would be easier, but the room was bright and there were no shadows in which to hide. Holding her breath, Toni rolled to her stomach and revealed her burden of truth.

Laura raised herself to her knees, her eyes filling with tears at the sight of the slashes. Some were thin and some were not, and some were faint while others were raised and brutal. There was no rhyme...there was no reason. They ran from side to side and from shoulder to hip. Several had cross-hatches, signs of sutures used to close gashes too deep and as Laura's tears fell to the sheets, she reached out and traced her fingers along a group of three that appeared almost identical. Running from Toni's right shoulder to her left hip, they were spaced apart like lines on a road. The outer two scars were thin and faded, but the center one was anything but. For a moment Laura assumed they had been made at different times, but then she saw another group a few inches long on Toni's left shoulder blade with the same pattern, and then another even shorter in length high on Toni's hip.

"It was the worst beating I ever got," Toni said in a ragged breath, feeling Laura's fingers on the scars. "It put me in the infirmary for over two weeks. He used a belt, but...but the buckle...he had done something to the buckle."

Tears flowed freely as Laura thought about the atrocities inflicted on the woman she loved. Violence wasn't in her nature, but in Laura's heart, anger raged. An outrage, a disgust, a contempt for those so cowardly and so, so cruel, and for a moment, for a sliver of time that came and went in the beat of her heart, Laura understood why those battered sometimes...sometimes took the lives of those who brought about their pain.

Leaning forward, Laura began kissing each and every scar, and as she wept and kissed, sobbed and caressed, Toni lay beneath her, her own cries quieted by a pillow.

"What's going on?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Are you high?"

Wide-eyed, Toni stared back at Abby. "Excuse me?"

"I asked if you were high."

"I don't do drugs. Remember?"

Leaning back into the sofa, Abby looked at the coffee and biscuits set out on the coffee table. "Then explain all of this."

Toni hadn't meant to be so transparent, and now she was worried. She had spent the weekend within a hairsbreadth of Laura, but not once had they discussed Toni's sessions with Abby. It was one thing to divulge her truths, but Toni wasn't sure she had the right to divulge Laura's as well.

Thinking quickly, Toni attempted to hide her good spirits behind an exaggerated scowl. "You know, I really don't get you. A few weeks ago, you were on my tits about not having any coffee or snacks, and now that I do, you're accusing me of taking drugs. There's simply no pleasing you, is there?"

"Nice try, Miss Vaughn, but I can see through your diversionary tactics, and they aren't going to work. You've been practically dancing around this house since I got here, and in all our sessions, I've never seen you smiling like you are right now. Now come on, out with it."

"Can't I just be in a good mood? I mean, don't I have the right to be happy, too?"

"Of course you do, and it does my heart good to see you like this, but as your doctor, I need to know what brought about this change."

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

Amused, Abby shook her head. "Not on your life."

With a huff, Toni leaned back into the cushions and scratched her head, somehow hoping that the delay in answering would convince Abby to change the subject. Unfortunately, when she glanced at Abby and saw the psychologist still smiling in her direction, Toni gave in. "I slept with Laura."

Carefully, Abby processed the information. As Laura's friend, she couldn't be more thrilled to hear the news that the woman's relationship with Toni had moved to the next level, but as Toni's doctor, and knowing all the issues the woman had with physical contact and rage, she was more than a bit concerned. Gathering her thoughts, she took a sip of coffee and picked up her pen. "Should I assume by your mood that...that things went well?"

Blushing, Toni's smile slowly made an appearance. "Yeah...yeah, they did."

"What about your fear of becoming enraged when you're touched? Did that happen?"

"No, not really."

"Not really?"

"Well, I mean, I was scared at first, or maybe nervous is a better word, but then things started to change."

"Things?"

"It was...it was like Thornbridge never happened. One minute, all I could think about were my fears, and the next...it was like I became someone else."

"Who?"

"Me."

It took all Abby had to keep her grin to a minimum, and jotting down a note, she said, "You mean you became the person you used to be before Thornbridge. The one you said was dead."

"Yeah," Toni answered, glancing in Abby's direction. "Is this the part where you tell me I told you so?"

"No, not my style," Abby said, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Besides, this isn't about who's right or who's wrong. It's about you learning how to put the past behind you and move toward the future."

"Speaking of the future, I told Laura that I'd go with her to Scotland over Christmas break."

"And now you're second-guessing yourself, aren't you?"

Constantly impressed with the woman's perceptiveness, Toni let out a long breath. "Yes, I am. I really want to go, but there'll be a lot of people around, and I don't want to ruin Laura's holiday by freaking out or something."

"You haven't had a panic attack in weeks, have you?"

"No. I've tried to stay focused when I get rattled, like you told me to, but there's no guarantee that will work away from here."

"Away from your comfort zone, you mean?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then expand it."

"Huh?"

"Expand your comfort zone."

"And how the hell am I supposed to do that? I don't know her family. How can I feel comfortable around people I don't know, or places I've never been?"

"Make them familiar. Talk to Laura and ask her to tell you about her family."

"What do you mean?"

"Ask her to tell you about who they are. Their names, their occupations, have her describe the way they look, the way they dress...their homes, their children. Anything you can think of."

"And what's that going to do?"

"It will make them familiar, or at the very least, it will help calm your nerves. We both know you're at your worst when you're around strangers or places you've never been, but in this house and at work, and even in the cafe where you always have your coffee, you do all right. Correct?"

"Most of the time."

"Then talk to Laura and have her tell you everything she can about her family. I'm not saying you'll be one hundred percent comfortable around them, but it should take enough of the edge off that you can enjoy your holiday."

"You think so?"

"There's only one way to find out, but with Laura by your side, what could possibly go wrong?"

Hearing the front door open, Toni waited until Laura shouted her "It's me" announcement before exiting the kitchen, and as Laura hung up her winter coat, Toni quietly admired the view. Her first thought was to walk over and pull Laura into her arms, but an unexplained awkwardness swept over her. So instead, she just stood in the doorway and waited for Laura to speak.

"Hiya," Laura said.

"Hi, yourself."

"Is Abby gone?"

"Yes, she left a while ago."

Slightly puzzled by Toni's cool demeanor, Laura asked, "Good session?"

"Yeah."

"Something smells good."

"Casserole...chicken and rice."

Making no attempt to hide the fact she was leering at Toni's body, currently wrapped in tight jeans and an even tighter long-sleeved jersey, Laura asked, "Do I have time to change?"

"Yes."

"Toni?"

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me."

Toni's face lit up, and by the time she took three quick strides to get to Laura, her awkwardness had disappeared. Pulling the curvaceous woman into her arms, Toni placed a gentle kiss on Laura's lips. Within seconds, gentle, just like Toni's awkwardness...also disappeared.

They hadn't touched since that morning, and their passion flamed instantly. Feathery kisses slowly turned into explorations, and as tongues met, hands found their way under clothing. Several minutes passed as they stood in the entry, and by the time they finally came up for air, neither had dinner on their mind.

"How long before dinner is ready?" Laura asked, glancing toward the kitchen.

With her eyes darkened by lust, Toni grabbed hold of Laura's hand and pulled her toward the stairs. "Long enough."

Chapter Thirty-Four.

"Thanks for seeing me."

"No problem. I always have time for you," Abby said, motioning for Laura to sit down. "But aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"I need to talk to you about Toni, so I left early."

Frowning, Abby sat back down at her desk. "Laura, you know I can't talk to you about-"

"No. No, it's not about your sessions. Toni tells me about them. It's...it's..." Stopping, Laura frowned. "I think I'm doing something wrong."

"In what way?"

"Sex," Laura said quietly, staring back at her friend.

Raising her eyebrows, Abby paused and leaned back in her chair. "Laura, I'm not that type of therapist."

"I know you aren't, but you're my best friend, and I don't know who else to talk to about this."

It only took a moment for the psychologist to disappear and Abby Parker, the best friend, to take her place. "Aren't you enjoying it?"

"Yes!" Laura said a little too quickly and a little too loud, her declaration causing Abby to rock back in her chair. Embarrassed by her own exuberance, Laura refused to acknowledge the heat now crossing her cheeks. "I'm enjoying it a lot. I just don't think Toni is."

"Why?"

"Because she hasn't touched me since Monday."

"What happened Monday?"