Exposure by Kelly Moran Page A

multitude of positions. All but one. He never thought
he'd crave the missionary position so damn much. The only time she
panicked anymore was when he was on top of her.
    "You won't let me make love to you on top.
Have you noticed that?" Against the wall, her riding him, him from
behind…didn't matter. She was fine. As long as they were
vertical.
    She frowned, confusion marring her face.
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
    Satisfied he'd put the notion in her head,
he set his wine down and crawled on all fours over to her. She'd
analyze what he said and dissect it until she figured out a
solution. He just needed to set her on the path.
    But now? He needed to sink inside her and
forget the things she'd told him. If he let the vision of a younger
version of Raven cement in his head, he'd need eight solid hours in
the gym with a punching bag.
    She grinned when he took her glass away.
"What are you doing?"
    Kneeling between her legs, he ran his hands
up her calves. "Wondering what you have on under that robe."
    The fire reflected in her eyes, lit with
humor. "Why don't you find out?"
    Clamping his mouth on her throat, he
growled. "With pleasure."

Chapter Eight
     
    A week later, with
an Elements exhibit starting in twenty minutes, Raven turned away
from the door in her office and sat on the edge of her desk,
listening to her mother blubber about a recent breakup. She cradled
the phone in one hand and plucked dead blooms from her potted plant
with the other.
    When there was a pause, Raven said, "I
thought you were seeing someone named Daniel."
    Her mom sniffed. "Oh no. Daniel was weeks
ago. I thought things with Richard were going so well."
    They always did, until a few weeks passed
and Willow Crowne fell head over heels. Surprise, surprise, it
ended shortly after that. Raven had had this conversation so many
times, but it still pained her that her mom was hurting. "I'm
sorry."
    "Me, too." She blew her nose. Loudly.
"Enough about me. How are you? Are you seeing anyone? Why are you
calling me on a Friday night?"
    Her mother liked Noah, but the two of them
were a temporary thing, so no sense in telling her because it would
only get her hopes up. They agreed to a month, and only one more
week was left of their time. Her stomach churned. She ignored it.
"Just checking in. I have a showing starting in a few minutes. But,
since we're on the phone, I need to ask you something."
    Weariness weighed on her shoulders. Between
Noah exhausting her after work and a sudden rash of new nightmares,
sleep was not a commodity. Ever since he'd brought up her
childhood, she started remembering little tidbits. Google searches
only brought up things she knew.
    "Anything, honey."
    Raven rubbed her forehead. "Where was I
found after the Lambs of Christ raid? I keep having strange flashes
and can't piece it together."
    Her mother was silent, which should've
warned her something ugly was coming. Her mother made talk show
hosts look like mutes. "Honey, I…" She sighed. "When the shooting
started, you and some of the other kids were locked inside one of
the bunkers. Some of the leaders were there hiding out, along with
your parents, planning an escape. The ATF kicked down the door and
shots were fired from Lambs leaders. The authorities responded.
You…"
    Her fingernails dug into her palms. "What,
Mom?"
    She sniffed. "Your father pushed you to the
ground and told you to crawl under the bed. He died right next to
you. The agents didn't know you were there until a little while
later. You hadn't moved. They thought you were dead, but it was
just shock."
    Just shock. As in her limbs freezing and
inability to breathe. Her first panic attack had come before she'd
moved to Alaska.
    Making excuses, she hung up and stared out
the window, trembling from hairline to toenails. All these years
she'd thought she was a freak. Turned out, she was traumatized. The
claustrophobia, the panic during sex while horizontal, made sense.
Noah was right. She could handle any position but