by C. Fonseca
She knew Andi was close by, but she heard the distant cry of a seagull and felt momentarily alone. Her arms ached, and she shivered as the cold salt water rippled over her. Now or never.
Caitlin recalled Andi’s instructions and picked a reference point on the shore. She rotated the board, pointed it to the beach, and let the power of the wave push her forward. As directed, she kept her body straight and as far back on the board as possible. She began to paddle. As a wave came up behind her, she went faster. Then, using a technique they’d practiced, she went from kneeling to standing in one swift movement.
Caitlin couldn’t believe she was actually upright. Knees bent and arms loose, she was able to balance and ride the wave for at least twenty seconds before she was tossed into the ocean. The leash tugged sharply on her ankle. Ouch. Crikey, that was a new experience.
Caitlin surfaced and shielded her head with her arms in case the surfboard came back at her. She pulled herself back on again, rested for a moment, and then reached down to untangle the leash that had wound itself around her calf.
Andi moved over to her and placed one hand on the edge of Caitlin’s board. “That was truly amazing,” she said. “You did great.”
Caitlin beamed. She couldn’t contain her pleasure. “Hardly, but I suppose being a downhill skier helps.”
“No doubt about it, you have good quad strength.” Andi smiled mischievously. “You’re a natural and the best looking kook I’ve ever seen.”
“Mind you, it’s been a good eight months since I was last on skis, and my muscles are a little out of shape.” Caitlin frowned. “Kook?”
“It just means a beginner.” Andi pointed to the shoreline. “This is probably a good time for us to finish, before we both end up with noodle arms.”
Caitlin paddled after her. “Remind me to buy a dictionary of surf terms. Are you pulling my leg?”
“Don’t know what you mean,” Andi said with a cheeky grin.
Lying down, they rode the next wave in together and coasted slowly to the shore.
As they walked along the sand towards their gear, Andi tapped Caitlin on the shoulder. “Oh, by the way, I don’t know why you think your quadriceps need work. From here they look pretty good.”
Caitlin lowered her board onto the sand and shook her hair free. She looked across at Andi, and admired the way her wetsuit moulded to her frame. “Ah, I’m rather enjoying the view from here,” she said.
“Yeah?” Andi smirked.
Caitlin’s shoulder and arm muscles were strained from constant paddling. No wonder Andi’s upper body was so well defined. Surfing was a lot more physically taxing than she’d realised.
Andi swiftly removed her wetsuit and wrapped herself in a towel. “It’s easier if you take your suit off now while it’s wet.”
Caitlin reached for the back of her suit and struggled with the cord attached to her zip.
“Here, let me help. It’s horrible getting your hair caught.” Andi drew it down and turned Caitlin around. She grabbed the neoprene material at Caitlin’s shoulders and peeled it halfway down her torso, imprisoning her arms to her side. “Got you.” She grinned.
“Hey, that’s not fair; I’m trapped.” Caitlin sighed as Andi tightened her arms around her waist and gave her a teasing kiss at the corner of her mouth.
“That’s the idea.”
Her arms still held captive, Caitlin leaned down to capture Andi’s mouth with her own. Andi’s lips were soft—yielding. “You’re salty,” Caitlin murmured, as she drew a path with her tongue along Andi’s neck.
“Hmm.” Andi moaned. “I could get used to this.”
Caitlin struggled and tried to free her arms, with no luck. Andi laughed and held on tight. Caitlin placed one leg between Andi’s feet, hooked her ankle around Andi’s, and toppled them both onto the sand. “Free at last,” she cried, and brought her lips back to Andi, who giggled and squirmed beneath her. “And now, I’ve got you.”
* * *
Andi tossed the wetsuits over the railing as they entered her studio through the back door. Surfing together this afternoon had left her surprisingly invigorated.
On the short drive back from the beach, they hadn’t said much, as though afraid of breaking their fragile connection.
Andi threw the entire bag of wet clothes into the laundry sink. “Can I get you anything? A cold drink, something to eat, something hot?”
“What did you have in mind?” Caitlin asked.
Andi encircled Caitlin’s waist and guided her into the kitchen, through the studio, and into the bedroom.
“I have a few suggestions,” she said.
Caitlin’s body, pressed against Andi’s, pulsed with life, and the energy between them sizzled.
It was late afternoon, and Andi’s northwest-facing bedroom had retained the warmth of the sun. She half closed the narrow cedar blinds to ensure their privacy.
Andi caressed Caitlin’s shoulders and slowly lowered the thin straps of her midnight-blue swimsuit down her arms. She eased the fabric to Caitlin’s hips and kissed the curve of Caitlin’s neck, moving slowly until her lips rested in the hollow between her breasts.
Andi murmured softly against Caitlin’s skin, “I love you here… So incredibly soft.” She rolled her tongue over Caitlin’s nipple, and Caitlin gasped.
“You taste of the sea. You’re strong, so hot… God, you’re so sexy.” Andi nuzzled her, teasing her flesh with featherlike pressure, as she effortlessly pushed the swimsuit to the floor. Caitlin stepped to the side and brought her hands to the nape of Andi’s neck to twirl the short strands of hair through her fingers, then pulled her in for a lingering kiss.
Caitlin lifted Andi’s cropped white top over her head and tugged impatiently at her swimshorts. “Off,” she pleaded.
Andi quickly discarded her shorts, and their naked bodies came together, still warm from the sun. Andi was light-headed, on edge, as her body came in contact with Caitlin’s flushed skin. She yearned for more.
Without words and with mutual understanding, they moved smoothly onto the bed and into each other’s arms.
CHAPTER 21
Dappled light across her body
Flawless and golden
Marbled by the trickling rays that dance across her skin
Enticing me, tempting me out of my comfort zone
Seductively captivating in her innocence.
This body, her body
Arranges itself against me, like it is home
Embraces me, welcomes me
I am gladly received into her everyday.
Cherished
There is nothing ordinary about her
Or about my own emerging in her presence
Intoxicating and dynamic
She is my bridge.
Caitlin carefully placed her iPhone back onto the nightstand. Andi had fallen asleep in her arms, and Caitlin had slipped in and out of wakefulness for the past hour. The words to the poem drifted into her consciousness, and she quickly typed them into her phone. In the cold light of day, she may question the sentimentality of her words. But now, with Andi in her arms, she was a soppy mess.
Caitlin thought about how Andi used art to convey her feelings. Her newest painting, Firestorm Sunset, was powerful, passionate, and revealing. Poetry was Caitlin’s form of expression—her private reflective mechanism for personal grounding.
She settled back against the pillow and placed her arm once again around Andi.
Their afternoon of lovemaking had triggered a raft of emotions.
She enjoyed sex with Andi, very much, but that term, sex, wasn’t adequate anymore. Caitlin had been involved with women who used the words having sex and making love interchangeably, blurring the lines. Sexual desire, for her, was the need for physical contact with another woman’s body and for the pleasure that contact created. It was purely sensory and, for many years, it hadn’t involved anything deeper. She hadn’t let it. She’d chosen not to become entangled in her sexual partners’ lives. With E
rica, it was uncomplicated. Even though they shared professional interests—and there was the sex, of course—she’d never expected to be invited to Erica’s parents’ home for Sunday lunch.
There was no doubt that, from the first time she and Andi had met, she was strongly drawn to her—spontaneous desire.
She watched Andi asleep in her arms and listened to her steady breathing. As her dark eyelashes fluttered, Caitlin saw an unshielded innocence that made her feel strongly protective. In a short time, Andi had managed to bring out emotions that had long been dormant in Caitlin.
On Sunday, Caitlin had been frustrated and angry when she couldn’t make contact with Andi. After a sleepless night, she’d met Kim at work early and explained that she needed to take care of some unfinished business. She’d driven to Hakea, not really sure of how she was going to approach Andi, but she’d had no option.
At first, Andi had been cautious and withdrawn. Not that Caitlin had given her much of a choice, storming into her home. After they’d both calmed down, they’d dealt with the Erica situation. Then she’d glimpsed Andi’s new painting, and the intense feelings that she’d expressed on the canvas had stunned Caitlin. The artwork was exquisite.
Caitlin drew her lips across Andi’s satiny smooth shoulder. Her feelings were changing, the smallest details each time they were together, clearly remembered. “You seem to be on my mind…a lot,” she whispered. She closed her eyes. “I don’t know where this is going, but I want to be on the journey.”
“Are you going somewhere?” Andi asked, as her eyes flickered open. She snuggled in and pulled Caitlin tightly against her.
“Hello.” Caitlin pressed her face into warm skin. “No, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good.” Andi grinned, sleepily. “Have you been awake long? You must have been tired. Your drive from Melbourne this morning, your first surfing lesson.” Her smile broadened. “Our workout.”
“Not long, I slept for a while. No, I’m not tired.” Caitlin tugged the sheet from Andi’s body, straddled her hips and tickled her ribs. “The question is, did you get enough of a workout?”
“Okay, okay, I give up,” Andi pleaded. Her stomach growled loudly. “Oops! We seem to have completely forgotten about lunch.”
Caitlin dragged her hair across Andi’s honey-soft breasts. “Poor baby, didn’t you get enough to eat?”
“Stop, you are evil,” said Andi as her stomach rumbled again. “I really am starving.”
“I guess I could buy you dinner if you let me stay the night?” Caitlin had planned to stay. She hoped Andi was receptive to the idea. By the look on Andi’s face, she was. “But I do have to be back in Melbourne by early afternoon. I have a meeting at three o’clock, and Kim covered for me today.”
Andi looked towards the ceiling. “Thank you, Kim.”
Andi attempted to get up, and Caitlin held her down gently. “Why don’t you stay here so I can kiss you again?”
In answer, Andi lifted her head to meet her lips.
“Hmm,” Andi murmured, and surrendered to Caitlin’s searching mouth.
* * *
Andi’s meal of whole wheat mushroom pasta with spinach, goat cheese, and pine nuts satisfied her hunger. She pushed away her plate and looked at Caitlin. The café was quiet, just a few locals sitting at the bar. Ambient music played soothingly in the background, serenading them as they sat at an isolated table near the flickering wood fire.
“You devoured your meal in no time. Feel better?” Caitlin asked. When Andi nodded, she added, “This is cosy.”
The reflection of the firelight danced in Caitlin’s eyes as she sipped her wine.
“What are you thinking about?” Andi asked.
“This wine brings back memories of home. The pink petals of spring blossoms falling softly onto green grass. The smoke and perfume of cherrywood fires on chilly evenings.”
“Sounds wonderful.” Andi held her gaze.
Caitlin smiled wistfully. “Springtime in Cork, when the gardens and trees around the university are filled with blossoms—this wine with its fruity undertones brings it all back.”
“Are you homesick? I suppose spring here is a lot different from Cork.”
“Different, but still very beautiful. Isabella’s garden at Kew is full of flowers now. But yes, there are things about home I do miss. Cork has many cherry trees, and when they bloom, the perfume fills the air. As a child, I loved playing in the petals.” Caitlin placed her glass on the table and looked directly at Andi. “Okay, enough reminiscing for now.”
“I do have a question,” Andi said and squinted. “I was wondering, have you ever been in a long-term relationship?”
“I have. Rachel and I met at university, and we were together for six years. It ended five years ago, while we were both doing our PhDs. Unfortunately, our studies got in the way.”
“Five years? That’s a long time ago.”
“Time has gone quickly. Work, study, travel, etcetera, etcetera.”
“So what happened to you and Rachel? I mean, why did it end?”
Caitlin shrugged her shoulders. “We drifted apart. I think that, if our love for each other had been strong enough, it would have survived the external pressures.”
Andi filled her water glass and took a couple of large gulps. “What was she like?”
“Driven,” Caitlin said. “Rachel was determined to be the best in her field. She was obsessed, and she achieved her dream. Rachel is now a top criminal barrister.”
Caitlin reached for her glass. “After our relationship ended, my work took me to Italy, Paris, New York, and now Melbourne. I was never really in one place long enough to form any lasting attachments.”
“So what does this mean?” Andi spread her arms wide. “Don’t get me wrong, but it’s important for me to clarify things in my mind.” She gathered strength as she spoke. “Is this a short affair, something to fill in the time while you’re in Australia?”
Caitlin looked down into her empty glass. “No, I mean…” She looked up, her gaze intense. “I guess I’m asking you to be patient with me. I do know I want to be with you, now.”
Their legs touched under the small table and Andi reached across and squeezed Caitlin’s knee.
“Can you manage that?” Caitlin asked.
Andi took her time to answer; she weighed up the alternatives carefully. Casting caution aside, she said, “Yes, I want to be with you, Caitlin. I don’t know where you’ll be in seven months, but—”
“Andi.”
“No, please, I don’t expect you to say anything else.” Or make promises you can’t keep, she thought. “I have an exhibition to work towards, and you have an enormous task ahead of you, setting up the gallery and all that goes with it.” Andi smiled and maintained steady eye contact. “If I think of the alternative, this is what I want. To spend more time with you, however long we may have. So yes, I can.”
Andi empathised with Caitlin’s situation. She was thousands of miles from home. Her job, her friends, and her family were in Ireland.
“Andi, if we spend more time together… I mean if we’re dating—God, do people even date these days? I mean that if neither of us is involved with anyone else, are you interested in the possibility of being,” Caitlin raised her eyebrows, “exclusive?”
Andi coughed. “Exclusive?”
Caitlin tilted her head quizzically. “Yes, that’s what I mean.” She growled. “I know I will be inexplicably…” Caitlin swallowed. “I am tongue-tied.” She took a deep breath, clasped her hands tightly together, and placed them on the table. “If I think of you touching anyone the way you touch me, kissing someone the way you kiss me, making love with anyone else… Jealous. I would be indescribably jealous.”
Andi reached across the table and gently unclasped Caitlin’s fingers. She met her gaze and smiled. “Exclusive? With you? I think I can handle that.”
Wow. Andi knew she’d managed to hold it together. This was a big step, and it felt wonderful, but was she lea
ving herself wide open for hurt?
* * *
Caitlin could hear a phone ringing, but she was lying face down in her pillow and hoped the ringing would stop soon. Really soon. The pillow smelled of Andi, and she didn’t want to move. She groaned. What if it was Isabella? She couldn’t take a chance that something was wrong. Still lying face down, she reached for her mobile.
As she moved, her foot knocked into Koda, and small, sharp teeth latched onto her bare ankle. “Koda! I didn’t mean to kick you, but could you let go of my foot, please? Pretty please?” She touched the screen and pulled the iPhone to her ear.
“Morning. This is Caitlin.”
“Oh? I am sorry. I must have the wrong number. I’m looking for Andréa.”
Oh, oh! Caitlin was now awake. Fully awake. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, then looked at the phone. She was holding Andi’s phone. “Ahm, I am so sorry. This is Andi’s, err, Andréa’s phone.”
“Then good morning to you. This is Lina Rey. May I speak to Andréa, please?” the woman said. She had a slight accent.
Lina Rey? This could be Andi’s mother. Nice one, Caitlin. “I’m sorry, Andréa can’t come to the phone. Can I have her call you back?” Caitlin asked. She pushed herself back against the headboard, and Koda settled between her feet.
“Caitlin?” Lina asked.
“Hello, that would be me.”
“I know that name. My son, Luca, has mentioned a Caitlin,” she said. “This is Andréa’s mother.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Rey. Andi won’t be too long.”
“Please, call me Lina. Caitlin, I know you have a house in Hakea. Luca told me how magnificent it is.”
“Thank you, Lina. The house, Kinsale, belongs to my grandaunt Isabella, and I am fortunate to be able to use it.” Caitlin pulled the sheet up to her chin. She was way too naked to be on the phone with Andi’s mother.
“I understand. You are very lucky. Hakea is a beautiful place.” Lina paused. “It’s just after nine o’clock, still quite early. Have you and Andréa been out running this morning?”
