Marked for Love

by Hannah West

  “Oh, I’m sure I will.” She didn’t blush. She refused to blush at work. It had been years since she had done something that was blush-worthy, and she didn’t like to think about the time she had tripped while chasing a subject. Or that she had landed in a giant mud puddle.

  He patted her shoulder - paternal, caring - and then walked off, apparently going back to his own work. She watched him go, not chuckling outwardly but inwardly instead. It reminded her of the first time she had met him, when he had introduced himself to her and then wandered off halfway through the conversation. He never seemed very fond of good-byes. Instead he just - left.

  She glanced at the clock. Four more hours of work. She could do it.

  Noelle sat on her couch, glancing at the clock on the wall every few moments. Sara would be here any time - dinner, and then - more. Maybe. If she wanted to. Did she want to? Her body said yes, her mind said who knew. It was - a big thing, wasn’t it? Or maybe it wasn’t. Sara wasn’t her soulmate, after all.

  Part of her couldn’t help but wonder how that made things different. Would sex with Sara be less than it would have been with Lydia?

  Groaning, she hung her head in her hands. Why was she comparing? What good would that do? It was like comparing one murder to another. They were all individual, they were all different. There was no point in comparing Sara and Lydia. Although she had never known Lydia, she knew Sara well enough to know that she was on a level of her own. Maybe that would be a good thing.

  They had fooled around some, but Noelle had a feeling the night would be different.

  Her phone buzzed. Here.

  Her stomach fluttering with nerves, Noelle picked up her overnight bag and headed out the door. Sara’s car was idling not far from her door.

  Noelle opened the car door just as the trunk popped open.

  “Put the bag in the trunk,” Sara said, as the trunk popped open. Noelle did, and then got in the car. “Hello, darling,” Sara said with a smile. “Long day?”

  Noelle made a face. Meetings and more meetings, on top of paperwork and phone calls. It wasn’t one of the more glamorous days of detective work that she’d done. “Could have been worse,” she answered instead. Sara leaned in for a kiss, and Noelle gave it to her. She liked it, having Sara’s lips against her.

  “Good.” Sara smiled, reaching over and patting Noelle’s thigh. Noelle didn’t flinch, but it was a near thing. Why was she so jumpy? She smiled an apology at Sara, feeling guilty for her reaction. It wasn’t Sara’s fault. She took a deep breath, and then let it out. When she turned to look at Sara, Sara was looking at her. “You okay?”

  Noelle inhaled, exhaled again. “Yeah. Sorry.”

  Sara patted her thigh again, and Noelle relaxed this time. “Where do you want to get dinner? Any place in particular?”

  Noelle knew takeaway and bars, but not fancy restaurants. Going out to dinner outside of work hadn’t exactly been a common event. “Surprise me.”

  Sara raised her eyebrows, putting the car in gear. “Tall order.”

  Noelle laughed. “Not as tall as you would think.” She smiled, relaxing. It would be a nice evening, something she could relax and enjoy.

  Sara idled for a moment, and then drove forward. “Fancy food, or quick, let’s-get-home food?”

  Noelle glanced around. “Let’s-get-home food.” She had dressed neatly, but not necessarily neatly enough to want to eat fancy. Besides, the last thing she wanted was for a colleague to see her out with Sara. They probably wouldn’t assume anything, but after that court case - and with Clark around - it was just safer to be in Sara’s apartment. Besides, it meant less traveling, and - who knew what else it meant. Whatever was going to happen, Noelle was both excited and nervous.

  Sara chuckled. “Sounds good to me.”

  She took them to a take-out place, and they got food, and took it back to Sara’s place. Noelle couldn’t help but glance around, as if looking for someone.

  “You okay?” Sara asked.

  Noelle finished her scan, turned back to Sara with a smile. “Habit,” she said.

  Sara nodded slightly, understanding, and then locked her car. She scanned the darkness as well. “You never know,” she said, her voice oddly quiet.

  Noelle glanced at her. Did Sara know something? Or was she just taking a lesson from Noelle’s playbook?

  “People can be here one day and gone the next,” Sara said softly. “Cherish the time we have, and all.” She turned to look at Noelle, her gaze sad and wistful.

  Noelle thought of the food that she held, of the photo in her purse, the addresses hidden. “Do you miss him, your soulmate?”

  Sara’s expression shifted - she seemed sad, but not distraught. Was that because she had gotten over him? Or because of something else? “Sometimes.” She walked around the car, wrapped a hand around Noelle’s waist, and held her close. “Let’s go inside.”

  Noelle nodded and followed.

  They ate dinner in front of the TV, watching the evening news for background noise that they didn’t really care about. There was conversation, but it was quiet conversation, about work and their lives. Noelle learned that Sara was an only child, just like her. But Sara was an orphan and Noelle was not. Sara became a doctor because her cousin had died from cancer. Originally she had wanted to be a peds oncologist, but chose intensive care instead because it suited her personality better.

  Eventually food was done and they walked the dishes in to the kitchen. “Want to just put them in the dishwasher?” Noelle asked, her voice quiet. There was a thrum in her stomach, her blood starting to sizzle. She knew what was coming, what would happen. Or at least she thought she did. The books said one thing, after all, but she had read detective books in the past and those at the very least were rather rubbish representations of how life actually went.

  “I’ll just wash them really quickly.” Sara took the dishes from Noelle, turning on the water to start filling the sink.

  “Here, let me help.” Noelle nudged her over, grabbing a towel and laying it out. She grabbed a second so she could dry. “You wash, I’ll rinse and dry.”

  Sara nudged her back gently, not forcing but teasing. They stood side to side, sides pressed against each other. It was a comfortable, intimate position. A quiet sort of intimacy that made Noelle feel warm inside. “Sounds good.”

  Sara dumped the dishes into the soapy water, lathering them up with a small hand towel. Noelle couldn’t help but watch her deft fingers, the way she handled the dishes. Her mind kept going into the gutter, wondering exactly what she could do with her fingers, where they would go, what was going to happen. Surely she was overthinking things.

  “Here you go,” Sara said, handing her the first bowl. She winked. “Good luck keeping up with me.”

  Noelle rinsed the bowl, a few sure motions, and then dried it as fast as she could, trying to keep up with the next dish that Sara handed her. “Slow down.”

  Sara grinned in a way that made Noelle’s toes curl. There was a purpose in that grin, a wickedness that made heat pool in her belly. “You won’t be saying that later.” She quirked her eyebrows, teasing, and went back to her dishes.

  It wasn’t very long before they were done - almost not long enough, in Noelle’s opinion. She felt warm, almost too warm, thinking about what was going to happen. She wanted it, she really did.

  Noelle laid the last dish on the counter, her hand still on the bowl. Her hands were trembling a bit - nerves. She wasn’t shy, she wasn’t embarrassed - why was she shaking? It was ridiculous.

  She felt Sara wrap an arm around her waist. Sara’s arm was still warm from the hot water, although she had dried it off. “Are you okay?” Sara murmured, her body pressed against Noelle’s back.

  Noelle let go of the dish, straightening up, and shifting in Sara’s glance. Sara let go enough for her to turn around. “Yeah.” She tried a shaky smile.

  Sara slipped her arms around her, held her close, their bodies pressed against each other’s. Her emer
ald eyes were warm, the pupils more dilated than normal - arousal and not fear. Noelle had seen dilated eyes before, but most of the time, it was -

  Sara kissed her and she stopped thinking.

  Her lips were soft, her body warm. Noelle felt like she was melting into her. She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around Sara’s shoulders, holding her close as they kissed. Noelle parted her lips, as Sara parted hers. She still wasn’t used to kissing with tongue, but she followed Sara’s guide, her movements gentle and languid. They were in no hurry.

  Sara pulled a hand back, sliding it underneath the hem of Noelle’s shirt, questioning.

  Noelle shivered, breaking the kiss long enough to pull off her shirt. That just left her in her bra - black, plain, not lace - but she didn’t care. She liked having Sara right against her, body warm as they pressed against each other. This time it was Sara’s turn to step back, slowly, carefully pull her shirt over her head. The movement wasn’t as fluid as Noelle’s - her ribs.

  “You okay?” Noelle asked, her voice husky.

  Sara raised her eyebrows, tossing her shirt aside. “Fine.” She laughed, then leaned in, kissing Noelle again. She rolled her hips against Noelle’s, and the pressure and rush of warmth made Noelle hiss in surprise. She hadn’t anticipated that.

  Sara nibbled on Noelle’s bottom lip, then kissed her, her hand sneaking up to cup Noelle’s breast through her bra, squeeze lightly. Noelle shuddered, arching her back into the contact, her head tilting back slightly. It broke the kiss, and she let out a chuckle. Oops. Sara didn’t seem to mind, kissing her jawline and then down to her neck, sucking on a patch of skin.

  Noelle inhaled sharply, squirming. Her lower back was pressed into the counter - she would definitely have a mark, but that was the last thing she cared about.

  “Good?” Sara asked, kissing the base of Noelle’s neck.

  “Um. Yeah.” Noelle squirmed, feeling too warm for the clothes she was wearing. She slid her hands up Sara’s sides, to just under her breast bone, thumbs under the swell of her breasts. How did it work, touching someone else’s breasts? Books weren’t very good when it came to actually doing things.

  “You’re thinking too much.” Sara kissed her lightly and then pulled back, still staying close.

  “Comes with the territory,” Noelle said, apologetic. She glanced from Sara’s eyes to her chest, the way the bra cupped her breasts. Was it okay to stare? She looked back at Sara, who was watching, eyebrows raised.

  “I know, aren’t they fabulous?” She quirked her eyebrows upwards, teasing. “Like I said. I’m offering. You can look.”

  Noelle giggled, relaxing finally. She leaned forward and kissed Sara, again and again, lips moving against each other’s. One hand stayed, cupping Sara’s breast, and the other moved to hold her hip, hand gentle. “My turn,” she murmured between kisses.

  “Oh?” Sara said, cocking her head to the side, just far enough back that Noelle had to lean into kiss her.

  “Mhm.” Noelle grinned. She kissed her way down to Sara’s neck, feeling the beat of Sara’s carotid underneath her tongue. It was different than she expected, having never kissed someone’s neck before. But she liked how Sara’s skin tasted.

  They were limited by standing up, Noelle mused. Not that she minded. Too much. She slowly, cautiously slid a thumb across Sara’s nipple, nearly jumping when Sara inhaled sharply.

  “Right,” Sara said, her voice pitched a bit too high. “Bed.”

  Noelle blinked. Oh right. That was where they were supposed to go.

  She followed Sara, letting her lead the way.

  She didn’t even remember how, but she ended up on her back, in her underwear, with Sara on top of her. Sara really had recovered well from her car accident, Noelle mused. She shivered as Sara’s hands ghosted over her breasts, down her middle, resting on her hips, even as they kissed. She didn’t know what she was doing, didn’t know what was going to happen, but she didn’t even care.

  She felt dizzy, intoxicated. High on endorphins.

  “Take it off,” Sara murmured, her voice husky,

  Noelle stared at her blankly.

  Sara chuckled, then gently rolled Noelle to the side, undoing her bra with one hand.

  “Oh. That.” Noelle blushed, but she didn’t move to cover herself, even as Sara gently tugged her bra off and tossed it to the side. Sara sat up for a moment, undoing her own bra and tossing it aside. Then Sara was back on top of her.

  Noelle squirmed underneath her, not used to Sara’s nipples brushing against hers, or the way that Sara’s finger slipped under the waistband of her underwear. Sara’s mouth was hot against hers, kisses slow and languid. They were in no hurry. They had all the time in the world.

  “Yes?” Sara murmured, making quick eye contact with Noelle. Her fingers dipped underneath the hem of Noelle’s underwear, making it clear what she was asking.

  Noelle swallowed, breaking the kiss momentarily. She met Sara’s green eyes, saw the heat in them, the warmth, the love. “Yes,” she whispered, and then she caught Sara in another kiss.

  Sara lingered, then pulled back. Noelle let out a soft whine, lifting up to follow but stopping when Sara shook her head. “Lay back.”

  Noelle pursed her lips but did so. Her head was carefully moved onto a pillow and Sara had moved to kissing her neck. The slickness and warmth of her tongue made Noelle shiver and her toes curl. It was almost impossible to lay still, not that she wanted to.

  She also made noise. Soft whimpers, quiet moans. It was an unfamiliar sensation but one Noelle couldn’t imagine going the rest of her life without. Then Sara started kissing down, lingering, soft kisses that left a trail of fire down her skin. She drew one nipple into her mouth, then the other, leaving them cool to the air.

  Noelle’s toes felt like they would be permanently curled, each kiss building the anticipation inside her. “Fuck.”

  “Almost,” Sara drawled, kissing her breast bone.

  Noelle’s hips hitched as Sara started kissing down towards her belly button. One knee came up, although whether it was to encourage or stop Sara Noelle wasn’t certain.

  “This okay?” Sara lifted her head, her lips red and slick.

  “Yeah.” Noelle forced herself to relax.

  Sara kissed a hip bone. “Let me know if you want to stop.”

  Noelle’s breath hitched in anticipation. Sara slid her fingers underneath the waistband and then started pulling her underwear off, down her legs, but doing it slowly, teasingly. The air felt cool against Noelle’s body, and she couldn’t help a full-body shiver. She had an idea of what was coming next, but it was on the long list of things she had only read about but never experienced.

  Then Sara was kissing her hip bones, then further down. When her tongue flicked across her clit, Noelle kicked out, the sharp jerk of pleasure surprising her.

  “Fuck, sorry.” Noelle’s breath had kicked into overdrive, pleasure already starting to lap at the edges of her mind.

  Sara chuckled. “I don’t mind. Just try not to kick me in the face.”

  Noelle opened her mouth to retort and then closed it, gritting her teeth to try not to cry out as Sara did it again, and again, and again. Her body was wracked with tremors, like mini earthquakes, but at the same time she tried to chase Sara’s mouth, not wanting to give it up.

  “You’re fucking good at that,” Noelle managed, breathless.

  “You swear a lot in bed.” Sara flicked her tongue around Noelle’s clit, then slid her tongue inside. Noelle didn’t moan but it was a close thing. It was more pleasure than anything else, but the amount was intense.

  Sure, she had masturbated. But this was on a whole different level.

  It built up faster than she had expected, the pleasure. Her stomach was wracked in knots, her toes curled, her hands in fists so she didn’t grab Sara’s head and leave it where she wanted, fucking Noelle with her tongue.

  Then everything crested and she couldn’t help the high-pitched moan or the way her back
arched, briefly up on her elbows as the aftershocks continued. Sara didn’t help, still flicking her tongue, a finger now teasing and sneaking just inside.

  “Fucking,” Noelle said, ragged. “Fucking hell.”

  “You have no idea,” Sara said, looking satisfied with herself, before she buried her face back in Noelle once more.

  Noelle came twice more before Sara let her relax, her whole body quaking and boneless. “What. Was that.”

  Sara wiped her face with the back of her hand, amused. “Sex.”

  “Better than in books,” Noelle said.

  “I would assume so.” Sara gave her a quizzical look and Noelle glanced away, uncertainty rising in her chest.

  “I want to do that to you.” Noelle looked at Sara out of the corner of her eyes. Then she winced. “But I’m not sure I can move.”

  Sara smirked. “Wrung out?”

  Noelle made a noise of assent. “Your fault,” she added.

  “Next time,” Sara said, a purr in her voice. Noelle’s cheeks flushed, probably matching the rest of her. The way she said it would haunt Noelle in the best way.

  “But –”

  “Watch.” Sara scooted back, laying down and putting her feet on the bed, exposing herself to Noelle. Noelle gave her a quizzical look, not sure what she was supposed to do.

  “Watch,” Sara said again, her smile mysterious. Then she started touching herself. Slow circles around her clit, then a finger dipping inside. Noelle’s mouth went dry and she just stared.

  “I like it fast,” Sara murmured, letting out a hiss as she pinched her clit. “Penentration doesn’t do much, but I don’t mind it.” She had two fingers in herself now, so wet she was dripping. “Some people like it.”

  Noelle had gotten off before, but she had never watched someone else touch themselves, not even in porn. She was so turned on she couldn’t think straight. “Sara –”

  “Watch,” Sara said lazily. “This time is for you.”

  Noelle scowled but it quickly dissipated when Sara moaned, her hips twitching as she canted forward. “Fuck that feels good.”