Like Mother, Like Daughter-but in a Good Way Born in My Heart/Becoming My Mother/The Long Distance Mother

Inthe dark bedroom, a Michigan March wind howling outside, Ann suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She didn't scream--although she sure wanted to. She needed sex right now like she needed a triple yeast infection. Her work day had been endless. Normally she loved working with troubled kids--the meaner the better--but this particular group of adjudicated urban monsters had brought both weapons and nonstop attitude to the table all afternoon. She was beyond wiped out. She was so tired herJay's quiet hand on her shoulder was typical of her husband. He'd always had that doctor's careful touch. Testing, not demanding. Diagnosing her mood, not pushing. Right then, even his infernal consideration grated against her nerves. She knew what he wanted, and damn it, she just plain didn't. There was a time she'd jumped Jay three times a week, and he'd jumped her the other four. Hormones had run sizzling-hot between them for years. They'd never seemed to tire of each other. But then, the obvious thing happened. They grew up. Both of them had busy lives, extraordinarily demanding jobs that stole intensive energy and time, and just possibly, age had become a factor in their sex lives, too!not that Ann admitted to approaching menopause. She fully realized that menopause was a fact of life, but honest-to-Harry, she just had no time to deal with a bunch of crappy pre-menopausal symptoms. Not now. Maybe she could get around to scheduling it in when she was past fifty, but right now she was only forty-two. Old enough to feel cranky when Jay wanted sex and she didn't. Slowly, though, that quiet hand on her shoulder turned into two quiet hands. Jay didn't exactlypushher into the mattress, but he definitely nudged. It was a smooth, tricky gambler's move designed to make her not notice she was suddenly lying prone on her stomach, right where he wanted her. Silent and sure, those big strong hands of his started kneading all the tense muscles in her neck. Then in her shoulders. Then down her spine. She slept nude, always had--so did he--so it wasn't as if there were any barriers between his hands and her skin. And suddenly that exasperatedOh Noin her head seemed to re-translate into a meltdownOh Yes. Backrubs turned her into putty, always had, probably always would. A cranky mood suddenly turned velvet. Screaming stress suddenly turned silky. Someone released a greedy moan in the darkness--and it didn't seem to be Jay. "You've been way overtired," he murmured. That was like saying the sky was blue. And maybe her hours were long, but Jay had patients calling him 24-7, yet he never complained. Guilt itched her conscience, because they were both over-busy--yet she never seemed to think of initiating a backrub for him first. Right then, though!she stopped thinking altogether. In the dark, she didn't have crow's-feet or a thickening middle. She didn't have a job that consumed her a little too much. She didn't have stress or anxiety. In the dark!she was just a woman. Turning rapidly into a puddle of a woman. Those hands of his could make any woman melt. Long, strong fingers combed into her hair, massaging her scalp, creating shivers and lusty sighs. There went her pride. Who needed it? She heard her hungry moan for more, heard Jay chuckle. All right, so she was pitifully weak!but it wasn't as if she had to hide her character flaws from Jay. He knewcouldn't resist. Or didn't want to resist. She turned, blindly reaching for him, her lips parted to invite his to a private party. A very private party. The phone rang. Alarm instantly bucked through her. She immediately recognized the ring--it wasn't Jay's cell or hers, but distinctly the private house landline. And few would call the house phone this late except for a family emergency--or their daughter. For her, the intimGreene, Jennifer is the author of 'Like Mother, Like Daughter-but in a Good Way Born in My Heart/Becoming My Mother/The Long Distance Mother', published 2007 under ISBN 9780373881345 and ISBN 0373881347.