by Yvonne Heidt
Sunny had the strange sensation of déjà vu, but it slipped from her mind quickly as her skin buzzed where Jordan touched her. From her current position on the sidewalk, she let her gaze travel from the tips of her black boots up the long legs to slender hips encased in faded blue denim. Jordan’s torso was hidden under a well-worn leather jacket, but her shoulders looked broad and suggestively sexy. Raven hair parted on the side and feathered back to taper behind her ears.
“Did you twist your ankle? Here, let me look.”
“I’m sorry. What did you say?” Sunny still felt a little disorientated. “Oh, my ankle.” The second she said it, pain blossomed under Jordan’s tentative touch on her leg.
Another couple approached from the street. “Are you okay here?”
Sunny observed Jordan move protectively in front of her. “I’m fine. Just a little clumsy in these shoes.”
“Are you sure?” The man stared suspiciously at Jordan standing over her.
Sunny sensed his genuine concern and she smiled to reassure him. “Really, Officer Lawson here is just going to help me to my car.”
“Okay then.” He nodded once before leaving.
“Jordan.”
Sunny winced and took off her shoes, knowing how awful her ankle was going to feel tomorrow. She should have listened to Isis when she tried to bat the shoe away when she was getting ready earlier. If only her cats could really talk. “Excuse me?”
“Jordan. My name is Jordan.” She took Sunny’s shoes, then helped her to stand.
Sunny was a little dizzy, but she’d only had one glass of champagne, not enough to even make her tipsy. Jordan smelled of the ocean and sex. It was a heady combination.
She leaned against Jordan and sighed softly; every curve, every limb fit perfectly against her. She caught Jordan’s gaze and locked eyes with her, hearing an almost audible click in her mind before her blood warmed, spreading heat through her body. She was finding it difficult to comprehend anything but her pure physical reaction.
She tried to concentrate instead on limping into the elevator, aware of moisture on her thighs. She’d had fantasies of sex in an elevator with a gorgeous stranger before, though a sprained ankle and skinned knees had never figured into them.
Jordan carefully propped her up on the ancient wall. “Floor?”
“Three,” Sunny said then swallowed as the elevator jerked before ascending. Her ankle was rapidly showing visible signs of swelling. Her knees and the palms of her hands burned with the impact they’d taken with the fall, and embarrassment began to set in.
“I’m sorry,” Jordan said while they hobbled to Sunny’s car, “that this time you thought I was the robber.”
Sunny laughed. “That was quite the scene, wasn’t it?”
Jordan looked amused. “It was.”
“I’m right here.” Sunny opened her clutch and dropped her keys. “Damn it.”
“I’ll get them.” Jordan bent over to retrieve them, then fisted them. “I’ll drive you home.”
“Really, it’s not necessary.”
“It’s your right foot, and it doesn’t look good.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“All right then,” Jordan said, holding the keys at arm’s length, “if you can put any weight on that foot, I’ll give them back to you.”
Sunny made the effort and was mortified at the small whimper that escaped her throat. “But where’s your car?” she finally asked.
“I was out walking. My ride is at home. I saw you and wanted to say hi, which was why I was trying to catch up to you. How far do you live?”
“Not far. Down on Washington, by the water.”
Jordan helped her to the passenger side and settled her in before pulling out of the garage and heading in the right direction. “Do you want to go the hospital and get your foot x-rayed?”
“No, not just yet. I can wiggle my toes and move it. Ouch. Well, kind of.” Sunny could see as well as feel Jordan’s concern, and she was touched. “It’s an old dance injury,” she explained. “It goes out every once in a while, but I just can’t resist the pretty high heels.” Sunny let out a small sigh. “Though this particular pair is toast now.”
“I never could understand the attraction that so many women have to shoes,” Jordan said.
“Ah, but can you at least appreciate how they make our legs look?” Sunny raised an eyebrow.
Jordan snickered. “That I can. That I can.” She leaned forward and whistled. “Nice house.”
Well, that was a quick conversation switch, Sunny thought. “I know, right? Thank you. I grew up in this house.”
“Lots of stairs,” Jordan said and went around to the passenger side to help her out. Sunny wanted to tell her she’d be fine, she didn’t need any help, but she couldn’t seem to find her words. “I don’t…”
“Help,” Jordan said. “I can help.”
It was cute, Sunny thought. Neither of them seemed to be capable of full sentences. Her own nerves were wound tight. Cute, hell, she didn’t know what needed more attention, her ankle or her obvious lust for Jordan. She took a moment to thank the Universe that she had leather seats because she knew how moist her panties were. Pain shot through her leg when she stood, which made her focus on her injury.
They reached the bottom of the stairs and headed to the entry. Sunny reached for the railing, but Jordan was ahead of her. “Hold on,” she said, hooking an arm behind Sunny’s knees and lifting her up before carrying her to the door.
Jordan groaned, and Sunny worried she might be too heavy. “Jordan, put me down.” Her thighs burned where Jordan’s hand was making contact. Three inches higher and she would feel how wet she was for her. Her clit throbbed as hard as her ankle. And damn if the chivalry routine didn’t just make her hotter.
“It’s easier if I just carry you. Then you’re not putting weight on it.”
They managed to get through the door without any mishaps. Jordan tilted Sunny sideways to carry her over the threshold without a problem.
Jordan let Sunny slide down her body to stand and shut the door behind her. Think, Jordan. She couldn’t think straight or keep two thoughts together.
Where was her cop training, her first aid knowledge? Hell, where was her voice? Panic started to rumble through her. The last time she’d been attracted to a woman and followed through, the results had been disastrous. She didn’t care to open that door again anytime soon. Jordan forced more cold logic to argue with her body’s reaction to Sunny. It was safer that way, no matter how much she suddenly burned for her.
Sunny took off her coat and limped into the parlor to sit and put her foot up.
Jordan felt weird, like the air she was breathing was different or something. Almost like the really good buzz you got after two drinks but lost by the time you hit three or four. Pretty trinkets sparkled on shelves and tables, as did a multitude of different candles. There were crystals in every color, on pedestals, in baskets, and on every surface, but somehow nothing looked cluttered or messy. Jordan had always kept a Spartan place since she moved into her own apartment at the age of eighteen when the foster system cut her loose onto the streets. She considered herself the antithesis to her mother and their early domestic life.
God. Don’t go there now. She looked back to Sunny, who was looking at her with an odd half smile on her face. What? Had she done something stupid or amusing, or worse, been talking out loud? “Ice!” blurted Jordan. “You need ice.” And I need a cold shower.
Sunny pointed to the rear of the house. “Kitchen is back there. But I can—”
“No, no. I’ll get you some.” She fled down the hall and flipped the light on when she reached the room. She didn’t think real people lived like this, with immaculate counters with vases and doodads and appliances that could whistle “Dixie” for you. There was a wonderful citrusy smell too.
The stainless steel freezer yielded the best compress ever made—a bag of frozen peas. Jordan used them herself after altercations with viole
nt offenders. No mess. She turned to head back to Sunny, but something darted in front of her, tripping her, and she landed on the kitchen floor flat on her ass.
“What the hell was that?” Something growled to her left. Jordan slowly turned her head and saw a white cat hunched over and hissing at her. There was a yowl on her other side. Great, twins. Cats hated her, but that was okay. She pretty much hated them too. Jordan narrowed her eyes and hissed back.
“What are you doing?” Sunny appeared noiselessly in the doorway.
Jordan felt like an idiot, sitting on the floor and getting caught snarling at her cats. Could this be any more awkward? She didn’t think so. She climbed to her feet clumsily and pointed. “The cat tripped me.”
Sunny looked at the larger feline. “Isis, Ash.” The cats turned large blue eyes toward her. “Jordan is our guest.”
The felines blinked slowly, turned in unison, and left the room. Okay, that was a little creepy. “You’re supposed to be elevating that ankle.”
“You sounded like you needed help.” Sunny smiled. “Vicious attack cats and all.”
Jordan felt her face flush. “Yeah, well.” She kept herself from rubbing her aching tailbone. The frozen bag of vegetables hung limp in her hand. “Let’s get you get back into a chair.”
Before Sunny got halfway down the hall, the front door opened and a woman came rushing in. “What happened?” She bustled Sunny to a chair and glared at Jordan. “Did you do this?”
The intensity of her stare unnerved her a little and she felt pinned. “No. Well, not intentionally.”
“Mom, it’s not her fault. I tripped in my high heels, that’s all. This is Jordan. Jordan, this is my mother, Aura.”
“Sorry, Jordan. I’m a little protective of my daughter. Please tell me you weren’t going to use that?” Aura pointed at the bag of peas hanging limply from Jordan’s hand.
Jordan resisted the urge to hide it behind her back. “Um, yes?” She had also planned on getting her hands on Sunny’s sexy legs. Her mother showing up was a cold bucket of water on that plan.
Aura took Sunny into the living room, her body language shouting at Jordan that she wasn’t needed any longer.
Jordan handed Sunny the bag and pushed her hands into her front pockets. “Well, I guess I’ll be going now.”
“Let me call you a cab,” Sunny said. “It’s the least I can do after you drove me home.”
Jordan shook her head. “I know where I am. I can walk.” She left quickly.
That was close. Every nerve ending in her body was on edge. Had she really been thinking about taking Sunny upstairs? Granted, she was stunning and sexy, but she seemed to be so different, she might as well have been on another planet.
Jordan let the night air clear her head.
*
Sunny stood in the eye of the storm. Ribbons of emotional energy swirled around her in a vortex of emotions until she bent under the weight of them, suffocating in a kaleidoscope of feelings that didn’t belong to her.
A hand appeared through the wall of wind to help her up, and she stood face-to-face with Jordan. A smile lit her face an instant before the gale swept her up and tore her from Sunny’s grasp. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.
Sunny became aware of a tapping on her cheek, and she opened her eyes to find Isis two inches from her face, her paw resting against Sunny’s cheek. She thought she saw Jordan’s face reflected in the cat’s eyes, but she blinked and the image faded. Sunny was filled with a yearning so deep and intense, it was painful. She centered herself and controlled her breathing. When she felt steady, she asked her question. What did this dream mean? She let her consciousness fly in an attempt to find Jordan’s energy.
Nothing. She couldn’t see or feel her anywhere. Sunny brought herself back and felt a moment of panic. That had never happened before. Not since her mother taught her how to astral project when she was twelve. She didn’t have many opportunities to second-guess herself. Was Jordan’s absence in that realm a good or a bad thing? Not being able to see Jordan left Sunny feeling blind. She tried to quiet her doubts, remembering that what you sent out into the world with your vibrations came back to you. What you went looking for with your thoughts was important because it was always what you found. She curled her fingers around her amulet and pulled white light around herself in a circle of protection. Ash padded across the top of the comforter to curl on her other side. What was it about that woman that drew her so? Other than the intense physical attraction, she felt their lives had intersected for a reason, but the darkness surrounding Jordan made her dreams uneasy.
Chapter Seven
The early afternoon sun streamed in the front windows, warming Sunny as she stood in front of them, wishing she had time to play outside. The Pacific Northwest had so few of these days. She loved the beautiful area, but all the lush greenery came at a price and that was rain, rain, and more rain.
As if her thoughts were heard, a cloud moved in front of the sun, and Sunny smiled wistfully. Maybe it was time to plan a trip south again, someplace warm with white sandy beaches, blue surf, and red fancy drinks that wore umbrellas. She closed her eyes to imagine herself there, dipping her pink-painted toenails into the water and feeling the sand shift beneath her feet. Hot naked skin covered her, and Jordan’s white musk cologne wrapped around her.
Startled, Sunny opened her eyes and felt her stomach sink a little. Where had that come from? She was so disappointed that Jordan hadn’t asked to see her again. She knew she hadn’t imagined the attraction between them. Hers had been real enough, but maybe she’d projected her own feelings on Jordan. Isn’t that a mortifying thought? Maybe Jordan had just been trying to help, as any good officer would.
No, Sunny had been able to perceive Jordan’s concern when she helped her. But maybe it was just concern, and not the drenching attraction she thought it was.
Then she remembered her failed attempt to find Jordan’s energy and finding not even a trace. Why was it when it came to something that Sunny wanted for herself, she ran up against that block that kept her from seeing? It seemed almost unfair.
Her father had once told her it was because in order for Sunny to grow, she had to experience all of life, all the good, bad, and ugly. If she were able to predict her own future, she would have the ability to cherry-pick her experiences and rob herself of events that were necessary to her spiritual and mental growth. She couldn’t predict events for those that were close to her either, for the exact same reason. Oh, she could get inklings and flashes of intuition if she tried, but everyone had free will in their lives and had, in one form or another, chosen events in their lives for their own journeys.
It was a major conflict for Sunny when clients came to see her. What to tell them, what to hold back for their own good. She walked a very fine line in those situations, which was why she preferred not to do predictions. It was much easier and less stressful for her to deliver messages from loved ones who had crossed over. As a medium, she was just the middleman, so to speak, for someone else and not the source.
Sunny turned toward the phone a full two seconds before it rang. She gave herself a mental shake. It was time to get back to work.
*
Jordan eased Sunny to her back on the large bed. Her long hair fanned behind her and her smile was full of delicious promises as she unfastened the tiny buttons on the bodice of her white dress and pulled the fabric open to expose her pale breasts. Jordan’s mouth watered before she bent to flick her tongue across a pink nipple before nuzzling it with her lips.
“We have to follow up on this missing person.”
Jordan snapped back to the present, disoriented. “What?” Holy shit, she was on shift. What was she doing? Her mind never wandered like that at work.
Vince narrowed his eyes. “Have you heard anything I’ve said in the last five minutes?”
No, but she wasn’t going to admit it. “Missing person. Follow-up.”
“Okay, we’ll try this again
. Mother called last night and filed a report, her daughter hadn’t come home after school.”
God, how many of those calls had she been on in the last ten years? Too many. Gina Brayden’s face came to mind. She hated these cases even as she was drawn to them with the need to help. “Runaway? Boyfriend? Drugs?”
Vince parked the cruiser in the driveway. “Her parents say none of the above, that she’s a good girl.”
They always were, thought Jordan. Even the ones that were thrown away. She got out of the car, hitched her belt, and looked at a pleasant split-level house. Flowers bloomed along the tidy walkway. The manicured lawn and clean front porch told visitors it was a welcoming house and well cared for. But Jordan knew how deceiving outside appearances could be. Sometimes the best houses held the dirtiest secrets. She’d seen it before. She motioned for Vince to take the lead when the worried mother with red and swollen eyes appeared in the doorway.
She didn’t feel good about this, not one little bit. Jordan steeled herself for the interview with the missing girl’s tearful parents.
As she drove by the 7-Eleven on her way home, Jordan searched the faces in the shadows instinctually for the missing girl, even though she knew deep down this particular girl wasn’t a runaway. There would be no easy resolution to this case. She had a hunch that this one was going to end badly.
She tried not to attach stories to the kids she did see, the ones hanging out on the street at a time normal parents would want them tucked safely in bed. To get personally involved only caused pain, and usually a great deal of it. Jordan lost more runaways than she saved. How many times had she pulled kids off the street and returned them to their parents, only to see them back on the streets two days later? For some of these teens, the streets were safer than their homes. It certainly had been for Jordan when she was growing up.
