by Radclyffe
“Where are the ones in the water?” someone asked, nerves making his voice high and thin.
“They’ll get them, they’ll get them,” Gem muttered.
“Look,” Claudia said, pointing as everyone leaned forward, closing the circle around the TV, unconsciously bonding. “There’s one. They have one!”
The coastguardsman’s red jacket and PFD were easy to follow as he emerged from the water towing another person beside him. They rose, swinging in the air toward the belly of the helicopter, to where a long narrow toboggan-like basket hung from one of the skids. The coastguardsman guided the victim into it. The camera panned back down to the water, and another figure emerged with a second survivor in tow.
“How many? How many are there?” Gem said.
“I think there were three in the helicopter,” someone said.
Two safe then, and two more. The rescue officers dropped down again.
“They’re so small,” Gem said. How could they find anyone in all that vast ocean. Helplessly, heart pounding painfully, she waited for word from the two most important people in her life while Norma drove toward land.
❖
“Hold on.” A dark form plummeted into the water next to Austin. A man said, “Give him to me.”
Her, Austin thought blearily. She held on, afraid if she let go Linda Kane would be washed away. Linda had gone silent again, the only sign of life a weak flicker of a limb when a wave lifted them into the air before dropping them.
“I’ve got her, trust me,” the man beside her shouted.
“Other ones,” Austin gasped, her voice so weak she feared he couldn’t hear over the screaming wind. “Two more.”
“Already aboard.” A strap slid around her chest and cinched beneath her arms. Momentarily confused, she struggled, clutching Linda tighter.
“Austin, Austin, it’s okay!” Another voice. A woman.
Gem’s face appeared, wavering in her unsteady vision. “Gem?”
“It’s Alexis Martin. You’re okay. We’ve got you both.”
Not Gem. “Where’s Gem?” A spurt of panic. “Is she here?” Austin thrashed against the strap on her chest. A hand gripped her shoulder.
“She’s ashore,” Alexis said. “She’s okay. Relax. Let us get you up.”
The man pulled Linda away, and Alexis tugged Austin closer, rapidly clipping another strap between her legs.
“You’re going to be fine. Hold on to me,” Alexis said, attaching a cable to Austin’s harness. “We’re going up. I’m right here.”
Too exhausted to do anything else, Austin closed her eyes. Gem’s face appeared, smiling, welcoming, warm. “Gem…call…her.”
“Not long now,” Alexis shouted, unable to hear Austin’s faint mumbling.
Austin’s feet broke free of the water and her body swung and spun in midair. The harness dug into her chest, a comforting, securing presence. Beside her, Alexis rose in tandem, one hand gripping Austin’s safety harness. With every foot that grew between her and the ocean’s surface, her head cleared. Still cold, she could at least feel her fingers and toes again. Her face, frozen in the icy blow, was stiff and wooden, and words came slowly.
“Alive?”
“Got them all,” Alexis yelled. “All three. You saved the woman.”
“Lucky.”
A basket dropped from the belly of the helicopter. The roar of the rotors replaced the wind, just as loud, but providing a barrier against the freezing air currents below. Austin flexed her arms and legs, working to heat up her core. Now that she was clear of the water, her strength started to return. She could think again.
“We’re going to get you strapped in here for transport,” Alexis said as they pulled even with the sled.
“No. I’m okay, I’m good,” Austin said. “Just cold. Let me ride inside.”
“You sure?”
“Hell, yeah. Get me in there.”
“Okay, hold on,” Alexis said, and said something into her headset.
In another minute, they’d been winched aboard, the cabin doors slid closed, and the helicopter angled off away from the smoldering oil. Alexis knelt, opened a med kit, and pulled out a thermal blanket. She wrapped it around Austin’s shoulders, and Austin pulled it tight, shivering violently.
“You sure you don’t want to lie down?” Alexis asked.
“Just need heat.”
Alexis cracked a pack of instant hot against her thigh and held it out. “Drink this.”
“Thanks.” Austin swallowed the instant brew, the best damn coffee she’d ever tasted. She finished it off while Alexis checked her over, taking her pulse, recording her blood pressure, checking her temperature.
“Your core temp’s 95. You ought to feel like crap.”
“I do.” Austin laughed shakily. “Reminds me a lot of Alaska. Hate the cold. Got any more coffee?”
“You must be cold if you want more of that.” Alexis grinned, snapped another pack open, and held it out. “You’ll live, looks like.”
“Thanks—for down there.”
“No problem.”
“I need to reach Gem.”
“Don’t worry. She’s great at her job.”
“Not about that.” She had to text her, let her know she was okay. Gem would have heard, would wonder, would worry. All hell was about to break loose, and she needed to get to Gem before the storm cut her off. She just needed her.
Alexis studied her intently and must have seen it all in her eyes. “That way, is it?”
“Very much that way.”
“Stick close to me when we land.”
The helicopter began its descent and Austin peered through the sheets of rain streaming across the small window behind her. A Coast Guard vessel pitched on the rough seas just below them. “I need to get to shore before Norma hits.”
Alexis’s grin was feral. “Norma’s here, babe. This show’s already started.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
“I’ll wait,” Alexis said, turning in to the nearly empty parking lot adjacent to the Gulls Inn.
“You don’t have to,” Austin said. “You’ve done plenty already. I appreciate you pulling strings to get me here.”
Alexis drummed her fingers lightly on the wheel and grinned. “It helps, you being the big-shot oil rep and all that. The brass were happy to accommodate, especially seeing as how you’ve been all over the TV after that crazy-ass stunt out there when that helicopter nose-dived.”
“Yeah,” Austin said wearily. “I’m feeling like a pretty big deal right now.”
“You’re going to be the golden girl as far as network news is concerned after saving their star.”
Austin snorted. “For twenty-four hours, maybe.”
“Probably.” Alexis laughed. “But hey, take what you can get.”
“Let me see if Claudia is still here,” Austin said. “She’ll probably know where Gem is.”
“You know they’ll have evacuated the sanctuary by now.”
“I know, but I’ll find her.” Wherever she was, she’d find her.
“Don’t doubt it,” Alexis said. “But I can at least drive you around until you do.”
“You must have better things to do.”
“I’m officially detailed to your first-response team, remember, and I’m technically off duty for the next eight hours anyhow. Plus, I want to find my shore team, get an update on the storm preparedness, and brief them on what’s going on out there at 86.”
“That’s what we all want to know,” Austin said darkly, “but there’s no telling until Norma gets done with us and we can get back out there.”
At one p.m. the sky was dark as midnight. Five-foot waves crashed on the shore, their foamy aftermath climbing ever closer to the underpilings of the buildings closest to the beach. Debris had begun to swirl through the empty streets, scattered and tossed by the rising winds. And still, the full force of the hurricane had yet to make landfall.
“By tomorrow morning,” Alexis said, “she’ll ha
ve blown over us, and we can all get down to the business of tidying things up.”
“As soon as we can get back out to the rig, we’ll brief on the status of the leak and the projected interval to shut it down.”
“Go see about Claudia, and if you can stay awake,” Alexis said, “we’ll go find Gem.”
Too short on energy to argue and figuring it wouldn’t do her any good anyhow, Austin relented. “Okay. Give me five.”
“I’ll text my sister again. Maybe I’ll hit a pocket of reception.”
“Thanks.” Austin had been texting Gem since the search-and-rescue team had rendezvoused with the Coast Guard vessel. She hadn’t really expected to get through to her from out at sea, and she hadn’t, nor at the airport, nor during the car ride back into town. She’d find her, though. One way or the other.
Hoping Claudia was still around so she wouldn’t have to hunt down the manager for a key, she knocked on the door to her room. Fatigue sat so heavily on her shoulders, she leaned against the doorjamb just to keep upright. Not much longer. When she found Gem, she could rest.
The door swung open. Austin blinked. “Gem?”
Gem smiled softly, grabbed Austin’s hand, and tugged her inside. “Stand right there for a minute.”
“You’re here?” Austin asked, just the slightest bit fuzzy. The door closed behind her and the sound of Norma’s arrival faded.
“Shh.” Gem gently ran her hands through Austin’s hair, over the sides of her face, along the curve of her neck, and down her shoulders. She pressed the tips of her fingers to Austin’s lips, stroked her palms down her chest, over her abdomen, and settled onto her hips. “You’re all in one piece. You’re safe.”
“You’re really here.” Austin gripped Gem’s shoulders and yanked her close, taking her mouth like a drowning man taking air. She groaned, warm again for the first time in forever. She cupped the back of Gem’s head, held her in place, and drank her down, her exhaustion burning away on the crest of desire.
Gem threaded her arms around Austin’s neck, molded herself to Austin’s frame, banishing the smallest space between them. She opened for her, welcomed her in. When Austin drew way, breathing heavily, Gem murmured, “That was you, wasn’t it. Out there in the water.”
“Yeah,” Austin whispered, cupping Gem’s face, kissing her again. “God, I need you.”
“Don’t ever scare me like that again,” Gem whispered, kissing her back just as urgently. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t, I promise.” Austin cradled Gem’s hips, kept her tight against her. “I’m fine, I swear. Alexis too.” Austin jerked. “Fuck. Alexis is waiting outside.”
“No, she isn’t. I texted her back just a few seconds ago. Told her I was here. We’re alone for the next twelve hours or so, except for Norma.”
“To hell with Norma,” Austin said, walking Gem backward toward the bed.
“You can barely stand up. You need to get some sleep.”
“You’re not leaving,” Austin said quickly, desperation spreading through her. “Please, I—”
“Hey, no. No! I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here.”
Austin leaned her forehead against Gem’s and closed her eyes. “All I could think about was getting back here to you.”
“I’ve been dying, waiting for you to come back.” Gem caressed her. “You need to get a shower, get warmed up, and get into bed.”
“I showered on the ship.” Austin tightened her grip, heat scouring through her. “And I’m already plenty warm. Come to bed with me.”
Gem laughed shakily. “Oh, I intend to.”
“All I want is you.”
“God, yes,” Gem gasped, folding down onto the bed and pulling Austin on top of her. “Are you sure? I can wait—”
“Can you?” Austin kissed her throat, opened the top buttons on her shirt, and kissed lower. “Because I can’t.”
Moaning as her skin electrified, Gem wrapped her legs around Austin’s, pressing her center to Austin’s pelvis. “No, no, I can’t. I’ve never wanted like I want this.” She arched, the tension tightening in her pelvis. “Like I want you.” She framed Austin’s face, searched for the safety of her dark gaze. “I love you. I don’t know why I didn’t tell you before.”
Austin pushed up on both hands, fighting through the mist of desire to focus on Gem’s eyes. They were clear, certain, strong, and sure. She came alive inside, a sensation she finally recognized as completeness. “I love you.” She laughed. “I love you. It feels so good.”
“It does, doesn’t it. Like the sweetest, most exciting, most amazing thing ever.” Gem tugged Austin’s shirt free from her pants, unbuttoned the waistband, and slid down the zipper. She pushed the clothes off Austin’s hips. “It feels wonderful. You feel wonderful. And I want to feel you all over me, right now.”
Austin pushed off the bed and shed her clothes with lightning speed as Gem removed her shirt and jeans. Austin stilled, taking her in as Gem stretched naked, the faint glow of the bedside lamp sending flickering fingers of gold across her skin. “You’re so damn beautiful. I could look at you forever.”
“You can look at me as often as you like, but right now, I want you on top of me.” Gem held out a hand. “I need you to make me yours.”
“You are mine.” Austin covered her, sliding one leg between hers, framing her shoulders with an elbow on either side, kissing her as she fit their bodies together. She might’ve gone on kissing her for hours, lost in the taste of her, floating on a sea of exquisite sensation, if Gem hadn’t caught her hand and guided it down her body and between her legs.
“I need you,” Gem whispered against her ear. “I want you inside me. Everywhere. Please.”
Kissing the fragile spot on Gem’s throat where her pulse beat madly, Austin cupped her, caressed her, and when she arched and cried out, slipped inside her.
Gem clutched Austin’s shoulders, her head twisting to one side, her breath a ragged gasp. “Can’t wait.” Pushing down, tightening as Austin stroked deeper, over and over, she rode the whirlwind to the crest. “You make me want to come so much.”
Austin lost herself in Gem’s pleasure, swept beyond sight and sound to a place only they could go. “Anything. Always. I love you.”
“I’m yours,” Gem groaned. “Oh. Now. Now. You’re making me come.”
Austin watched the ecstasy break across Gem’s face, felt time stop. Nothing would ever be the same. Outside the boarded-up windows, Norma raged. But here, here in Gem’s arms was home. Unassailable, indestructible, hers.
❖
Gem drifted, listening to the keening of the storm and Austin’s soft, rhythmic breathing. She stroked her hair, her back, the curve of her ass. The urge to protect her, keep her safe, filled her with tender fierceness.
Something—a branch, a broken board—bounced off the plywood covering the balcony doors with a loud crack.
Austin twitched, and her body tensed.
“You’re okay,” Gem murmured, kissing the side of her jaw. “You’re okay.”
“Damn,” Austin said. “I fell asleep, didn’t I.”
“You did,” Gem said with infinite satisfaction. “Inside me, in fact.”
Austin groaned. “I’m sorry.”
Gem laughed. “Oh, I’m not at all. That was maybe the sexiest thing I’ve ever felt.”
“I’m pretty sure I can top it.”
“Really?” Gem stretched, every muscle loose and warm, and a heavy ache in her depths to be filled again. “If you can, I might not survive.”
Austin leaned up on an elbow and grinned. “I bet you can.”
“Well, we’ll see, won’t we.” Gem couldn’t quite get used to seeing Austin this way, so completely hers. She basked in the intensity of Austin’s gaze, absorbing her attention like rain on parched soil. “I love the way you look at me. Like I’m everything.”
Austin kissed her. “That’s because you are. I love you.”
“I love you too. When I look at
you, I feel as if I always have.”
“You know this is the beginning, right?” Austin said. “Of us, together. When the storm is over, when the sanctuary is safe, when our work here is done, we’ll go on—you and I.”
“Us,” Gem said, for once in her life not caring about the details. Only knowing what was true. “I want you, now and always.”
“I’m yours, now and always.”
“We’ve got a few more hours,” Gem said, shifting until Austin rolled onto her back. “And I have something I want to say.”
“I’m listening.”
Gem smiled. “You always are.” She straddled Austin’s hips and cupped her breasts. Brushing her thumbs lightly over Austin’s nipples, she said, “This time, though, hear me inside.”
“I’m not going to last long.”
“Try.” Gem squeezed slowly, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction as Austin jerked. “I know you can do anything you want to do.”
Groaning, Austin gripped the sheets in both hands, desire slashing through her. Gem’s mouth was molten, her hands flame. By the time Gem kissed her way slowly down the center of her stomach, her breath was gone and her heart a wild thing trying to beat its way out of her chest. When Gem settled between her thighs and took her into her mouth, lightning seared her senses. When she came in Gem’s mouth, she soared, an eagle on the wind.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Gem woke wrapped in the curve of Austin’s body, Austin’s arm around her middle and a knee tossed protectively over one of her legs. They’d lost power when Norma’d slammed ashore, and she lay on her side staring into the dark, relishing the sensation of simply being held. A kiss, warm and soft and wordlessly possessive, pressed to the back of her neck. She smiled and made a purring sound in her throat. She found Austin’s hand and linked their fingers together.
“The wind has dropped,” she said.
