"I won’t. I promise I won’t," Jamie’s small voice choked out. They stood in the shallow surf, hugging gently, and as the shock eased from her body Jamie realized how cold the water was on her legs. Breaking the embrace, she grasped Ryan’s hand and started to walk back towards the car.
About 20 yards down the shore the errant board was bobbing around in the surf. Ryan dashed out to retrieve it, and as she tucked it under her arm Jamie could see her body tension change.
Sensing what the change signaled, she called in amazement, "Are you going back out?"
Ryan was now within touching distance, but a stoic nod was her only reply. Jamie could feel her guts clench, but she tried to sound as normal as possible. "Do you have to, Baby? I’m getting a little chilled." She was, in fact, freezing now that her clothes were drenched from her unplanned dip, and the fear that still gripped her wasn’t helping one bit.
"Go on back to the car," Ryan said gently. "I just have to take care of one little thing. Go on," she urged as she pushed her firmly in the correct direction.
Jamie was having none of it. She looked up at Ryan and begged, "Please don’t get into a fight with the guy who cut you off, Honey. It’s not worth it."
Ryan smiled and placed a gentle kiss on her trembling lips. "I have no idea who did it, Babe. Even if I did, I wouldn’t fight him. Surfing is dangerous and you have to learn to take your lumps. Now will you go back to the car?"
"No. If you stay, I stay."
From the set of her jaw, Ryan could see that she would not be dissuaded. "Okay," she said, acknowledging that Jamie’s mind was made up. "I’ll be as quick as I can." She was dashing along the shore before Jamie had a chance to say one more word.
As she ran along, she reached up and tugged off her hood. Since she had not affixed her hair with a band, it tumbled out and fell against her back, bouncing gently as she ran. Just before she lay on the board to paddle out, Jamie watched her inexplicably yank the zipper of her suit down far enough to expose her white sports bra. What in the hell…
As soon as Ryan got back to the pack and readied herself into position, she adopted a radically different attitude than she had previously shown. This time she did not play nice with the other children. She paddled out to the edge of the group and jockeyed for position, sticking her chest out and tossing her hair back out of her eyes repeatedly. She seemed to be trying to make sure that everyone knew she was there. This demeanor was so markedly different from her previous attitude that Jamie had a hard time making sense of it. Ryan seemed roughly aggressive, like she was trying to not only attract attention—she was trying to annoy the members of the pack.
After about ten minutes of impatiently waiting, a monster of a wave began to build. Ryan got to her feet and aggressively cut to the front of the pack, catching the leading edge of the cresting water and dropping down to begin carving it like a pro. The other riders tried to get into position, but no one could match the show she was putting on. She was too far away for Jamie to see her face, but she didn’t actually need to. She was absolutely certain that her lover looked cool, calm, cocky and oblivious to every other person fighting for position. When Ryan was really "into" something, she often looked like she was waiting for a bus. But Jamie had learned that the cool exterior was a mask that was easily misunderstood. She was, in fact, concentrating so hard and enjoying the experience so much, that she was no longer connected to the rest of the world. She transported herself to another place, a place that Jamie would truly love to visit, but she doubted she would ever be privy to the secrets that would lead her there.
Watching her lover masterfully carve the wave actually sent chills down the smaller woman’s spine, and when Ryan had exhausted the wave and trotted over to her minutes later, she knew that she still wore a big dumb-looking grin. "Now we can go," Ryan said matter-of-factly.
"Were you getting hot out there?" Jamie teased her as they walked away, hand in hand.
"No," she replied with a furrowed brow. "Oh…you mean because I unzipped?"
"Yeah, wasn’t it cold?"
"Freezing!" Ryan laughed. "But I wanted to make sure every guy out there knew that a girl was dusting their sorry asses!"
Jamie stopped dead in her tracks. "You did that just to make a point!"
"Partly," Ryan revealed. "That guy really dissed me by cutting me off so rudely. And I was really irritated that nobody paddled out to see if I was okay."
"Couldn’t you have stood on the shore and just taken off your wet suit?" Jamie couldn’t imagine going out in the frigid water with that much exposed skin just to make a point to a bunch of strangers.
Ryan laughed at the wide-eyed look her partner was giving her. "Sure. That would have made my point. To tell the truth, I was pretty scared by the whole experience, though, and I refuse to let my last run of the day scare me. I really had to go back out just to build my confidence back up. Unzipping let me kill two birds with one stone."
"Did it work?" Jamie asked unnecessarily, seeing the twinkle in the sparking blue eyes.
"Like a charm. I feel…electric," she decided. "My whole body is tingling."
"Mine too," her smaller partner revealed. "But my feeling is localized." Her own version of the wiggling eyebrow had Ryan in hysterics, and they walked the rest of the way laughing aloud.
Ryan opened the doors to the truck and sat on the bumper to remove her wetsuit. Jamie stood in front of her with a big beach towel to give her some privacy from passing cars. She peeled her wetsuit off and wriggled out of her wet bathing suit. As soon as she was naked, Jamie got a gleam in her eye and pushed her down onto the floor. "Oh-oh," Ryan said with a chuckle as Jamie crawled on top of her, pulling the towel over them both.
The Suburban’s third seat had been folded down, providing a nice, flat surface about the size of a double bed for them to play in. It was still quite cool, and Ryan was pretty chilled from being in the water for so long. As she scooted up to pull her legs in the truck, Jamie closed the doors with a thud. She climbed astride her hips as Ryan gazed up at her serenely. "Why do I think you have more in mind than helping me dry off?" she asked with a smile.
Jamie just gave her a knowing smirk as she crawled over her to put the key in the ignition, cracking the windows and putting a beach towel in each one. Privacy curtains now firmly in place, then she rolled the windows back up, then opened the windows on the highway side a few inches for ventilation, and crawled back into the back. She sat cross-legged on the floor next to Ryan as she pulled out two self-inflating air mattresses that she had stashed in the back. She watched the smirk form on Ryan’s face as their little bed became even more comfortable. When the mattresses were fully inflated, she motioned for Ryan to climb on top, which she willingly did. It was obvious that this was Jamie’s game, so she just relaxed into the sensation and let her drive.
Jamie shucked her sweatshirt and then her sodden pants, and started to remove her swimsuit, but Ryan just shook her head with a little grin. The blonde smiled back and left it on, letting Ryan decide when it would come off. She climbed onto her favorite place, astride Ryan’s hips, and felt the cool body underneath her. She bent from the hips to kiss her, and within moments they were grinding against each other passionately. The scare of the surfing incident was fueling Jamie’s desire, and she willingly threw herself into the maelstrom of her emotions. She wanted to consume Ryan, to prove to herself that her lover was right here with her and that she was whole and safe.
Ryan sensed that this was more than just sex. She could feel that Jamie needed to be reassured, so she did her best to do so. Jamie spent a long time kissing Ryan , starting at her mouth, then slowly working her way down her body. She tasted like salt and the sea, but her natural scent came through, and the calming power of her aroma slowly brought Jamie some comfort. She looked down at her lover. The loving smile on her beautiful face broke some dam in Jamie’s reserve, and she began to shed the tears that she had been holding in. She fell onto Ryan’s chest, sobbing and gasping for breath. Ryan patted her
back and spoke to her in a low, calm voice. She reassured her that she was fine, that she knew how to protect herself. She pointed out that she was very strong and had very good instincts. She teased her a little bit by reminding her that even a lead pipe to the head hadn’t taken her out for long, so a little surfboard certainly wouldn’t.
Jamie looked up at her and gave her a small smile. "I just get so scared, Ryan. You mean so much to me, that I can’t bear the thought of losing you."
"I know, Sweetheart, I know," she soothed. "I promise I’ll try to take better care of myself. I know how much I scare you sometimes, and I’ll try to be more careful."
"I don’t want you to give up the excitement that you need, Ryan. I just want you to be as careful as you can."
"I know, Baby, and I do try to be careful. I need to keep in mind how much you need me to stay healthy."
Jamie slid off her hips and curled up next to her in a little ball. Ryan rolled their sweats up into a makeshift pillow and drew Jamie closer. She rocked her slightly and hummed a little lullaby to ease her into sleep, but she was too wired to join her partner. The near-constant hum of traffic and the calm, even breathing against her ear began to soothe her, but she chose to remain awake. The feel of Jamie in her arms was so satisfying that she often wished she didn’t need sleep at all, and could just hold her for hours at a time. Her musings grew less focused and, before she knew it, she had joined her partner in a well-deserved nap.
When they woke, Ryan was pleased to see that the sparkle had returned to her partner’s eyes. They spent a few minutes kissing while they awakened fully, and then Ryan ran over to the public shower to rinse off.
When she emerged, she was dressed in her running clothes, and Jamie gave her a startled look. "Ryan, you’ve been surfing since dawn! Don’t tell me you want to run now!"
Giving a sheepish shrug in return, Ryan tried to explain. "I got very agitated today, Honey. I thought the nap would calm me down, but I still feel antsy. A nice run will let me get my equilibrium back."
"Hard to believe we are of the same species," Jamie mumbled.
Ryan helped her partner carry their gear down to the shoreline, and Jamie sat down in her beach chair with a book. Bending to kiss her goodbye, Ryan lingered just a bit as she grinned through the kisses. "There is something so sexy about kissing your sweet, sweet mouth," she said with a seductive tone in her voice.
"Do you need to go back to the truck for a little love?" Jamie asked when she noticed her sparkling eyes.
"No, I’m just getting used to being aroused all of the time," she decided with a lopsided grin, as she gave her another little kiss and took off. Jamie watched her for as long as she could keep her in sight. Few things pleased her as much as watching her lover run. She mused that Ryan actually looked like running was her natural way of moving. She had a long, economical stride that just ate up ground as she moved along the asphalt path. Jamie had a demure little smile on her face, and she realized after a long while that she wasn’t going to read her book. She was so totally content to just sit and wait for Ryan, that she didn’t need the distraction of reading. My God, will it always be like this? She shook her head a little to try to clear it, but realized that the image of her partner rarely left her mind. How will I ever be able to concentrate on school? I can’t even read a book while she’s running!
The sun was finally starting to peek through the marine layer, but it was still too cool to remove her sweats. She leaned back in her chair and watched the still-weak rays fight to break through the clouds, and let her thoughts drift back to her lover. I still can’t believe that I was naïve enough to believe that I was in love with Jack. What a mistake it would have been to marry him! Our relationship was actually more like a business partnership than true love. Shivers chased down her spine at the thought of being married to him for the rest of her life. I would have never known what love could be, she thought with regret. Now that I know, I am determined to hold on as tight as I can to this feeling. It’s far too wonderful to ever let go. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift inexorably towards her partner. A very satisfied smile graced her face as she relaxed into the reverie. Now I just have to figure out a way to keep her alive, she mused, as she shook her head at the daunting prospect. It was a lot easier with Jack. With him I only had to worry that he’d get a fatal paper cut!
It was nearly an hour before Ryan returned. She was wet, but the day was so cool and breezy that the perspiration was drying fast. Jamie insisted that she put her sweats back on, which Ryan did after removing her wet shirt.
"Guess what I am?" she asked with a big smile, leaning over her partner like a predator.
"Either hungry or horny, I’d say," Jamie replied with a laugh. "Which oral craving do you need satisfied?"
"I’d like to start with eating, but I could easily be convinced to partake of the other later on," she said with a leer.
"I just bet you could," she replied as she patted her tummy. "Let’s feed the beast and then decide on the rest of the day."
There were still two muffins left from breakfast, and Ryan polished them off quickly. Now sated, she stretched for a minute and said, "I think I’m ready to shop."
Jamie was surprised by this suggestion, and she gazed at Ryan for a moment, trying to make sure her partner was serious. "You hate to shop, Honey."
"Uh-uh," Ryan insisted. "I love to shop—I just like to shop for the things that I really like. Ready to go?"
"Okay, you’re the boss," Jamie agreed.
"Don’t I wish," Ryan teased as she patted her on the butt.
They moved the car to a parking lot near the Santa Cruz boardwalk, but instead of heading back to the beach, Ryan led Jamie to the little shops that lined the streets of the town. Both women had slipped back into sweats and sandals and they strolled along the busy streets, hand in hand.
After surveying the neighborhood, Ryan finally informed Jamie of her objective. "I need new wheels for my skates," she said. "I wear them out pretty fast, and I’m sure the sand will chew up my current ones." Given the choice of three likely looking stores, Ryan chose the one that looked the grungiest. The salesclerks were dressed in big, black, baggy jeans and huge black Tshirts with logos of various bands on them. They were heavily tattooed and pierced, and Ryan thought they looked like they knew how to skate.
After chatting with one of the clerks for a moment, Ryan had her wheels, but a new toy caught her eye, and she had a hard time leaving the store.
"You look like a kid in a candy store," Jamie joked. "What'cha looking at?"
"It’s kind of cool," Ryan said with a crooked grin. She showed Jamie a shoe that had a steel-reinforced piece of plastic right at the arch. It sat horizontally in the thick-soled shoe, and looked like a piece of pipe cut in half.
"What in the world is the point of that?" Jamie asked.
"It’s hard to explain," Ryan said. "I’d have to demonstrate."
Their sales clerk heard the conversation and casually asked, "What size do you take?"
Ryan told him her size in both women’s and men’s, and he gave her a little smile as he went in the back of the store. He came back out with a pair in her size that had been returned due to a defect in the leather upper. "These have to go back to the company," he said as he looked her up and down. "You up to giving ‘em a try?"
Ryan knew a challenge when she heard one. She figured the kid didn’t think she would accept, but he didn’t know Ryan very well. She yanked them out of his hands and sat down to lace them up. They were a tiny bit snug, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her. "Where should I go?" she asked him.
"There’s a bank just down the street, and they don’t patrol it very well," he said casually, jerking his head in the proper direction.
Jamie had no idea what was going on. With a very confused look on her face, she looked from the clerk to Ryan, trying to figure out what they were talking about. Ryan turned to her and said, "Let’s go. I may need you to bail me out," she added wi
th a grin.
Jamie trotted along behind Ryan, who was purposefully striding down the street. Grabbing her arm roughly to stop her, the smaller woman demanded, "Where are we going? And what are you going to do that can get you arrested?"
"I was just kidding. I don’t think I’ll get arrested. I’m pretty fast when I have to be," she said with a chuckle.
"Did that answer my question?" Jamie persisted.
"Wait and see, Jamie. I’m going to show you how I whiled away the hours of my misspent youth."
When they came close to the bank, she could see Ryan gazing all around, sizing up the layout. The cool blue eyes glanced around carefully, trying to see if there were any guards present. As they went around the bank to a side entrance, her eyes lit up with delight. She turned to Jamie and said with a twinkle in her eye, "This could be kinda cool, or I could split my pants or my head open." When Jamie’s eye widened, she added, "My insurance card is in my wallet," as she took off running up the stairs.
The bank was a big, impressive structure, probably 75 or so years old. There were about 20 steps up to a wide, graceful entry. This side entrance had obviously been modified to make it handicapped accessible, since there was a new ramp that curved up next to the stairs, making the incline less steep. When Ryan got to the top, she focused her eyes on the ramp, and Jamie saw her rock back and forth a few times, planning her attack. Finally, a small smile came over her face, and her posture took on an air of confidence. She went to the far end of the entrance, turned, and started running--first in small steps, and then in a few long strides--and finally leapt into the air with her feet tucked up under her body.
Jamie nearly passed out from shock and fear. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her eyes were wide as she stared, open-mouthed, at the image of her lover, flying through the air.
When Ryan’s momentum carried her to the ramp, she lowered her feet and caught the handrail with the plastic inserts in her shoes. She sank down into a crouch, and rode the rail just like a surfboard, but when she hit the first curve, she lost her footing and started to fall. Jamie’s heart was in her throat as images of Ryan’s broken body flooded her head. The dark woman’s momentum was throwing her towards the concrete stairs, but just when it looked like she would crash, she pulled her feet back under herself and did a tight somersault in the air, landing neatly on both feet with a small stutter step to bleed off some of the force.
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