by Amber Jacobs
“Hi.”
“Hello.”
The girl settled herself somewhat awkwardly on the branch, then studied Leandra curiously. “I’m Casey, Ashley’s niece.”
Leandra smiled a quiet smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Casey.”
“Yeah.”
Leandra was a little amused at the young girl’s posture and attitude. Years spent among unpredictable and often savage jungle cats had given her a lot of experience reading expression and body language, and right now she had the distinct impression that Casey was sizing her up against a very critical scale. Well, she thought. Can’t avoid this forever, I suppose.
From what Leandra could see in the shifting moonlight, Casey looked to be right at the rebellious part of her adolescence. She was about Ashley’s size, and slender as a reed, but she held herself with an almost aggressive confidence that Leandra recognized from her lover. The left side of her face was framed by light blonde hair, while the right was shadowed by bright green locks. Several metal loops sparkled along the rim of each ear, and a single elegant ring hooked through her left nostril. Dark eye shadow made her emerald eyes seem almost disconcertingly bright, and she wore torn denim jeans and a black T-shirt sporting a picture of what Leandra guessed was some rock band. Looking at Casey, Leandra flashed on an image of what Ashley might have looked like at seventeen.
Casey performed her own assessment, running shrewd eyes up and down Leandra’s curled-up form. When she was finished, she regarded her with a flicker of reluctant interest. “Ash said you were going to be living with her.”
Leandra nodded. “That’s right.”
“So you’re her girlfriend now?”
“I suppose I am,” Leandra said. I’ve never been anyone’s “girlfriend” before. “Is that a problem?”
Casey shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. Ash never told me she liked chicks, but I’m not surprised.” She paused. “I doubt there’s anything she could do that’d surprise me anymore.”
“I bet.”
“Do you love her?”
Leandra was momentarily taken aback by the bluntness of the question, but she appreciated the sharp challenge in the teenager’s eyes. “I love her more than I can put into words,” she said, not breaking eye contact. “I’d rather die than live without her in my life.”
Casey held Leandra’s gaze a long moment, reading her sincerity. Then she nodded, apparently satisfied. “Most of the guys she dated before avoided that question. They hemmed and hawed and talked about devotion and companionship, but they couldn’t actually say the words.”
“You don’t need to worry about that, Casey. I could say them a thousand times a day, and I’d mean them every bit as much as I do right now.”
“Good.” Casey was silent for a long while, then she gestured to Leandra’s hair. “I like your braids. Must take ages to do.”
“A while, yeah. It’s a lot easier when I don’t have to do it by myself.” Leandra fingered one of the neat cords hanging over her shoulder; Ashley had insisted on giving her hair a thorough brushing, after which she diligently retied the dozens of thin braids. “I like the nose ring. Kind of goes with the bright-green hair.”
“Thanks.” Casey smiled fully, and her resemblance to Ashley was suddenly a lot stronger. “My mom about had a fit when I got it done. I want to get my tongue pierced too, but she said not until I’m eighteen.” There was a pause. “Ash said you used to live in the jungle with the tigers. Is that true?”
Leandra inclined her head slightly. “For four years.”
“What was it like?”
“Lonely. But I learned a lot from them.”
“Really? Like what?”
Casey’s expression now held definite curiosity and interest. Leandra felt herself warming to her lover’s niece, and she relaxed her posture slightly. “Like how to move without making noise, for one thing. How to track by scent. I could smell you coming when you were still on the ground.”
“Yeah?” Casey’s eyes widened a little.
“Yeah.” Leandra hesitated, knowing this girl was an important part of her lover’s life, and now, by extension, her own. “I could teach you, if you wanted to learn.”
“That sounds pretty cool. When?”
“Anytime you like.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Okay. I’m going shopping with Ashley in the morning, but if you’d like, we could go walking after that and I’ll show you some stuff.”
“Cool.” Casey grinned brilliantly, her eyes lighting up her entire face. “You know…” She shifted closer to Leandra. “Ash never had great taste in guys. Most of her boyfriends were jerks. They didn’t like it when she tried to stand up for herself, or when she had to travel all the time.” She paused, studying Leandra in the moonlight. “It’s nice to know she has better taste in girls.”
Leandra raised a brow in amusement, her lips quirking into a half-grin. “Thank you.”
“Welcome.” Casey looked around at the dark forest. “Were you hiding out here because of me?”
This time Leandra couldn’t help herself, and she laughed at the young girl’s brashness. “Sort of,” she admitted. “You haven’t seen your aunt in a long time, and from listening to her talk about you, I know how close the two of you are. I didn’t want to get in the way of you catching up.”
Casey gave Leandra an approving, friendly look. “Most of Ash’s boyfriends hated having me around all the time. You don’t have to wait out here if you don’t want to.”
“It’s okay. I like the nighttime, and it’s interesting just listening to the different animals.”
“Yeah, well, you can do that some other night.” Casey repositioned herself on the bough, preparing to climb down the massive tree. She fixed Leandra with a stern gaze. “Come on. You and Ash can tell me all about how you two got together.”
Leandra considered, then nodded. “Fine.” Rising from her seat, the former jungle-woman glanced at the ground below for a second, and then sprang into the air. With the agility of a trapeze artist, she grabbed for a lower branch, then another, moving down the limbs of the oak with fluid speed until she landed soundlessly on the ground.
Casey watched wide-eyed, then scampered down the usual way. When she reached the base of the tree, she stared at Leandra in awe. “Wow! You’re like a circus person. How’d you do that?”
Leandra shrugged modestly. “Four years in the jungle. You learn a lot of things.”
Casey stared a moment longer, then grabbed Leandra by the hand and started dragging her toward the house. “You and me are going to get along just fine, Tiger Tarzan,” she said confidently.
Leandra grinned and followed her lover’s niece inside.
After the stress of the last two days—Leandra leaving behind her jungle home, traveling halfway around the world, and then enduring a rather late night with Ashley and Casey—Ashley was unsurprised when the midday sun found Leandra still deep in restorative sleep. It had been close to midnight by the time Ashley had tugged her taller partner upstairs to bed, and they had both been so drawn with fatigue that they hadn’t even bothered getting undressed, but had simply fallen into bed and pulled the covers over their weary bodies before drifting off almost immediately.
Now, with her eyes still closed and the last misty tendrils of a pleasant dream still tempting her back to sleep, Ashley relished the feel of the warm, powerful body pressed against her. One of her arms was curled possessively around Leandra’s waist, and at some point during the night, she had thrown a leg over her lover’s hip. Twisting around slightly, careful not to wake her bedmate, Ashley glanced at the alarm clock that rested on the bedside table and groaned.
We’ve slept half the day away. Studying Leandra’s face at close range, Ashley noticed the beginnings of dark circles under her eyes.
I guess she needed the rest. We both did.
Ashley knew she could only let her partner sleep a little longer; there was a lot to do today. Not only did she need to go clothes shopping, but she needed to call in at the magazine so she could begin processing film. Her boss would probably want to rant at her a little, but she wasn’t too worried about that. Joseph Harding was a shrewd man, and he knew talent well enough to recognize how important Ashley was to his business. In the last few years, her pictures had managed to increase sales by a significant margin, so he wouldn’t complain too much about her late return. Still, she was going to have a lot of work to do in the next few weeks. She needed to select which shots to use and which to discard, coordinate with Grady to find the best scenic spreads to complement her pictures, and set up arrangements for her next assignment.
It was going to be a busy time, especially with the changes in her personal life.
Fortunately, Leandra woke not too much later, blinking sleepily and giving her waist a long, affectionate squeeze. “Morning.”
“Good morning.” Ashley twisted to look up at the fuzzy eyes and tangled hair of her lover. “Did you sleep well?”
Leandra stretched, a purr rumbled in her chest. “Wonderfully,” she rasped throatily.
“The bed didn’t feel too strange, did it? I mean, you’re used to sleeping on the ground.”
“Are you kidding? This is the softest thing I’ve slept on in four years.” Leandra gave her a soft, loving smile. “I adapt quickly, especially when I have such great incentive.” She glanced down at Ashley’s fully clothed body, held tight against her own. Ashley lifted herself up and laid a kiss on Leandra’s lips, earning a muffled chuckle. “That’s not really the best way to motivate me to get up, if that’s what you were hoping.”
The two snuggled for a few more minutes, exchanging light caresses that hinted at something deeper, before Ashley reluctantly reminded herself that they couldn’t spend all day lazing around…tempting as the thought was. After she got them moving, they enjoyed a light breakfast of toast and coffee while discussing their plans for the day. Fortunately, Casey stopped by for a visit and invited herself along for the ride, so Ashley took advantage of her presence to speed things up a bit.
They decided that Ashley would drive them all into town, where she would leave Casey and Leandra to go shopping while she checked in at work. Casey agreed readily, constantly flicking glances at Leandra. She’s hooked, Ashley thought, amused. I’m finally involved with someone she can relate to, someone interesting and exciting. Casey liked things that were different and unpredictable, which was one of the traits that had cemented her bond with Ashley. Leandra had lived a shady life as a poacher and smuggler, then spent four years living with giant jungle cats. She was about as different and unpredictable as a person could be. Small wonder that Casey was fascinated by her.
The town of Silver Falls was about a quarter hour’s drive from Ashley’s house. Quiet, serene, and untroubled, the town was supported year-round by tourists who came to visit the beautiful forests that bordered the mountains to the north. Driving along the winding road that led into town, Ashley glanced at her partner, sitting next to her in the passenger seat, trying to gauge her mood. Leandra’s face was tense and her eyes fixed straight ahead. Her breathing was somewhat hurried.
Reaching out a hand, Ashley patted her on the thigh. “You okay?”
Leandra nodded shortly. “Fine.”
“Will you be all right with Casey? I can come with you if you want me to.”
“No, I can manage. I wasn’t really much of a big shopper before I went to India, but how bad can it really be?”
“The shops should be pretty quiet,” Casey put in, perhaps sensing Leandra’s nerves. “Most people around here prefer to go camping or stuff on the weekends. We’ll be okay, Leandra, trust me.”
Leandra nodded again, looking out the car window at the neatly spaced shops and houses that lined the streets.
Ashley pulled over near one of the department stores and let Leandra and Casey out of the car. Winding down the window, she handed her lover a plastic card. “That’s my savings account,” she explained. “Casey knows the pass code, so just use it to buy whatever you like.” Leandra opened her mouth to protest, but Ashley insisted. “I want you to at least have clothes that fit you properly, Leandra. You can pay me back later if you want to, but don’t argue with me now.”
Leandra pocketed the card. “Fine.”
“We’ll meet back here in an hour, okay? And Casey?” Ashley eyed her niece sternly. Casey had been caught shoplifting a few times this last year, and had more recently developed quite an acid tongue that she liked to exercise against shop assistants. “You behave yourself. I don’t want you making things harder for Leandra than they already are.”
Casey rolled her eyes and shifted her feet. “I won’t smart-mouth anyone,” she promised sullenly. “And I’ll make sure we stay out of trouble.” Glancing aside, she shot Leandra a crooked grin.
Ashley saw the look, and frowned. She glared at Leandra. “And you play nice with the people, too. No growling, no snarling, and no destroying the merchandise.”
Leandra smiled. “I’ll try to restrain myself.”
Ashley looked from one set of eyes to the other, and satisfied they were going to behave themselves, blew a quick kiss to Leandra and pulled away from the curb. One hour, she thought as she glanced in the rearview mirror. How much trouble could they possibly find in an hour?
The moment Ashley pulled away from the curb, Casey took Leandra’s hand in her own and began pulling her toward the automatic doors leading into the department store. “Come on. Let’s go spend some of Ash’s money.”
Following somewhat more hesitantly after her enthusiastic guide, Leandra flinched as they entered the store and were caught under the glare of the bright fluorescent lighting. She looked around, taking stock of her environment in a single glance as she had trained herself to do during her exile. Only a few groups of people wandered the aisles, their voices mixing with the sound of classical music played through invisible speakers. The air was filled overwhelmingly with conflicting smells—disinfectant, perfume, and the subtle scent of pressed and cleaned fabric. Leandra felt exposed in the artificial light and had to restrain the urge to flee. The survival instincts she’d honed in the jungle had instilled in her a natural inclination to stay hidden in the background. As she followed Casey to the displays of women’s clothing, her eyes darted around with penetrating intensity and she concentrated on blending in with the other shoppers.
Her guide, however, did not seem to have any such concerns. Casey strode purposefully down the aisles, chin lifted, wearing a slightly amused smirk. The other shoppers didn’t even glance at Leandra, but a few of them stared at the young teenager from the corners of their eyes. Casey’s bright-green hair, aggressively assertive demeanor, and leather-and-denim clothing made her stand out in the neatly ordered store, and she seemed to enjoy the attention.
“So, what do you want to look at?” she asked, as they reached their destination. “I don’t see you as the dress-wearing sort. Am I right?”
Leandra’s gaze swept the immediate area. “Let’s stick with jeans and T-shirts for now, okay?”
“Sure thing.” Casey led them to racks of variously arranged cotton shirts and began to pick through them. “Any preference for color?”
“No, I don’t think so.” Leandra eyed the clothing curiously.
“Been a long time since you had a choice, huh?”
“Yeah, it has.”
“You’ll probably want to check out the shoe department, too.” Casey glanced meaningfully at Leandra’s bare feet. “You step on some broken glass or something, and you’ll be hobbling for a while.”
“I doubt it.” Leandra lifted one foot and showed the girl her callused soles. “My feet are pretty tough. I can walk over sharp rocks and thorns, and they don’t hurt me. It’s more comfortable like this.
”
Casey shrugged. “All right, they’re your feet.”
Sorting through the racks, Casey helped her select three T-shirts, two pairs of jeans, and a pair of sweatpants. Leandra didn’t bother trying the clothes on; she simply held them against her body to determine their fit, confident she’d be able to live with any minor faults. As they wandered through the women’s fashion section, she noticed a store security officer discreetly tailing them.
“Looks like they’ve decided we’re the suspicious types,” she noted to her companion.
Casey glanced over at the neatly dressed man and rolled her eyes. “That’s what you get when you’re a teenager. Every shop I go to these days, they always look at me like I’m about to club them with a sack of pennies or something.” She stared at the detective for several moments, waiting for him to realize he’d been spotted, then turned away and deliberately ignored his presence. “Come on.”
Leandra smiled as her younger companion led them into the lingerie section. Glancing behind, she noticed the in-store detective had decided not to pursue them any farther. Looking around at the various lacy undergarments, Leandra’s interest in shopping rose a few notches, and she slowed her strides accordingly.
Casey stopped when she realized she was alone. “Need something here, too?”
“I guess so.” Leandra reached out to run her fingers along the satin cloth of a fringed teddy, and a slight smile twitched the corners of her lips upwards. “It might be nice to have something special to wear…something Ashley might like.”
“You mean something she might like to see you in?”
“Yeah.” Leandra glanced back at the girl curiously; Casey was watching her with a difficult to read expression. “Is there something wrong with wanting to look good for the woman I love?”
“Of course not.” Casey hesitated. “It’s just a little weird to be talking about Ash like that, that’s all.”
“Because she’s your aunt, or because I’m a woman?”
“Ash is a lot more than just my aunt,” Casey explained. “She’s my best friend. I mean, I don’t really think of her as ‘Auntie Ashley,’ you know? She’s just…my friend. It’s weird talking about her like this because…” Casey sucked on her lower lip. “Ash doesn’t really do much in this particular field, if you know what I mean. She never has. I always just figured she put most of her passion into her work rather than, you know, into the bedroom.”
