by Melissa Seal
Lexie pulled into the driveway and saw that Chris’s truck was parked on the street. She remembered he had a key. She found him cooking dinner with soft music playing. He looked genuinely happy to see her. He stopped what he was doing in the kitchen, walked over to her, hugged and kissed her.
She kissed him back and filled him in, “Dani was hurt, and I have to stay with her tonight. I’m sorry, but we will have to reschedule our dinner.”
“It’s ok, I get it, I will clean up here and go back to my apartment. Maybe we can try dinner again tomorrow night.”
“That would be great.”
She kissed him again before packing her things for her overnight stay at Dani’s.
CHAPTER FIVE
On the way back, Lexie stopped at the cemetery, she walked to the top of a small hill and there he lay, right where he would always be. She felt closer to Jack than she did her own father. I always could talk to Jack in a way that I couldn’t with mom or dad. After the death of her twin sister when they were seventeen, Lexie’s parents attempted to put her in a bubble, and they worried about her constantly. She spent most of her time pretending she lived this amazing, safe, drama free, love filled life with a doting husband so they wouldn’t worry. Losing Serena nearly broke them all and Lexie couldn’t bear to think what would happen if they knew how her life really was.
She fixed the flowers on the grave, “Jack I have some crazy shit to tell you! I have been having these crazy, strange feelings when I get close to Dani or see her smile. What in the hell is wrong with me? Why am I attracted to her? I’m not a lesbian; I’m married for crying out loud, and I love men. I love Chris or at least I did at one time. We are working on our marriage, but honestly Jack, I’m not sure if I want to fix my marriage or if I’m trying so hard to make it work with him because I don’t want to face my feelings for Dani? My life is full of crazy right now, and I sure could use those big shoulders of yours to lean on, thanks for listening partner.”
She rushed back from the cemetery so she could fix dinner for Dani. She had this overwhelming desire to take care of the younger woman. When she finished cooking dinner, Lexie put the food on the table and went to get her partner for dinner. Dani was deep in thought when Lexie came in the bedroom. She had small tears falling down her face. The events of the day had finally caught up with her and Dani realized she was lucky to be alive. Lexie sat down beside her and carefully wiped them off. The ladies were so close and they both felt the desire but neither wanted to act first.
After a minute or two, Lexie announced, “Dinner is on the table, we should eat before it gets cold.”
They ate dinner in silence until Dani said something funny, and both women laughed.
After dinner, Dani praised, “The fajitas were amazing, but the company was even better. Thank you for volunteering to stay with me tonight, I really didn’t want to be alone.”
They retired to the couch after dinner to watch a movie when Lexie’s phone rang. It was Chris calling to tell her goodnight, but she decided not to answer. He called right back. She took the call in the other room while Dani waited patiently for her to come back.
Dani had a vast collection of movies, books, and CD’s. They chose to watch a comedy since they had had enough drama for one day. The movie was halfway over when Dani started nodding off, she asked Lexie if she would give her a hand getting changed into her pajamas. Lexie hesitated, then stood up and helped Dani to her feet. She followed the injured woman into her bedroom. Dani pointed to her pajama drawer and asked Lexie to grab a shirt for her. She liked to sleep in big t-shirts and nothing else.
Lexie reached in the drawer and pulled out the first t-shirt she saw and handed it to Dani.
They stood there in awkward silence until Dani pointed to her arm, “Would you mind helping me take this shirt off and put that one on please?”
Lexie flashed a sneaky smile, walked closer to Dani, and gently took the sling off her injured arm. She was careful not to move too fast, so she wouldn’t hurt her more as she slowly unbuttoned her shirt. Lexie’s hand brushed against Dani’s stomach as she continued to slowly unbutton. It seemed to take forever, and Dani was quickly losing her mind. Once the shirt was completely open, Lexie moved closer to Dani to remove it . Their faces were inches apart, and they could both feel the heat between them as Lexie reached up and removed the shirt entirely. She put the t-shirt over Dani’s head, and her heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to explode. She finished getting the shirt on Dani and somehow managed to get the sling back on right before Dani grabbed her and kissed her hard. Lexie kissed her back, and then they slowed down to a steady, passionate kiss that made Lexie’s toes curl and took her breath away. This woman and her damn kisses. They kissed for a long time. They both wanted more but were not sure they should take that next step. Lexie realized that Dani should not be exerting herself after the gunshot and the hit to the head, so she slowly backed away.
“Dani, you need to get some rest now, it’s been a long day.”
“I agree, and I think the pain pill is starting to kick in now anyway.” She went to bed and fell right to sleep.
Lexie, on the other hand, tossed and turned all night trying to figure out what was happening to her.
The next morning, Dani woke up to an empty apartment or, so she thought. Lexie had gotten up early and gone for a run. Afterwards, she stopped at a small coffee shop and got breakfast. She hoped to be back before the younger woman woke up. Dani was still lying in bed when Lexie came in with coffee and cinnamon rolls. They were warm and smelled scrumptious. She grinned at her partner and offered her a cup of coffee. Dani smiled back and took the cup. Lexie couldn’t help but beam as she looked at Dani, partner, you look so sweet and innocent sitting here with your arm in that sling. If she knew what Dani was thinking at that moment, she would not see her as innocent anymore. The two women sat and drank their coffee and ate their breakfast as if they had been this way for years. As much as she hated to, Lexie had to go to work and Dani had to stay home and rest a little more. She showered and got dressed for work.
On her way out, she asked, “Do you need anything before I leave?” then she kissed Dani on the forehead and left. Walking out to her car, she wondered, why did I kiss her on the forehead like that? for some reason it just felt natural. She did not have time to over think it because her phone rang, and she was summoned to a crime scene.
After Lexie left, Dani slept for about three hours. After she got up and moving around, she called Lexie to see how her day was going.
Lexie answered on the first ring, “Hi there, partner, is everything ok?”
“Everything is good. My mom just left, and I wanted to call to say hi and see how your day was going.”
“That’s sweet of you to think of me, I am glad you called. I was wondering how your day is going. We caught a new case but nothing very interesting. Are you resting like the doctor told you to?”
“I am resting as well as I can. Are you coming back after work today?’
Lexie felt awful when she answered, “I made plans to have dinner with Chris tonight, and I feel like I should go because I blew him off last night.”
Dani sounded hurt, and Lexie felt bad, but she knew they needed some time apart after what happened last night, and she had promised her husband she would spend the evening with him. Dani took a nap and Lexie went back to work. She was distracted the rest of the day and everyone around her noticed.
Captain Harris approached her desk, “Detective Fleming, where has your head been all afternoon?”
“Chris is in town and we are having dinner tonight. I am kind of worried about how tonight is going to go. I am sorry for not being as focused today as I needed to be.”
Lexie ended her workday and called Dani to see how she was feeling. When she didn’t answer, Lexie decided to drive over before she went home. Dani had given her a permanent pass to get through the gate to her condo, and she still had the house key from the night before. Lexie ran up t
he stairs and slowly opened the door scared of what she might find. She entered cautiously and found her partner sound asleep in bed in her oversized t-shirt. She bent down and kissed Dani on the head again. The younger woman stirred a little but didn’t wake up. Lexie left her a note and went home to have dinner with her husband. She thought, this is crazy, then beamed all the way home thinking about Dani.
Chris was waiting for her when she got home. He had cooked her favorite meal and had a bottle of her favorite wine chilling in the ice bucket. Dinner was fantastic, and Chris was great. He was back to the old Chris that she had fallen in love with. After dinner he wanted to make love, but Lexie was hesitant because she was confused about her feelings for Dani. She certainly could not tell her husband that. Chris was loving and sweet; he was trying hard to make up for all the mistakes he had made over the past few years. He held her close and whispered in her ear how much he loved her and how much he wanted her. He kissed her, and all she could think about was Dani kissing her. As Chris undressed her, she imagined Dani undressing her and when he began leaving a trail of kisses from her mouth down to her breast, she was imagining what it would be like to have Dani doing it. Finally, she snapped out of it and made love to her husband. The sex with Chris was always great, but now she had all these images of her, and Dani, and she had no idea what to do with them.
Chris spent the night with Lexie. He had to leave early to catch a flight back to Florida. He had some loose ends to tie up at work before moving back to Norfolk.
Chris kissed her goodbye, “Lexie I love you, I understand that you are not ready to say it back, and it is ok sweetheart, I can wait.”
Lexie and Dani had the next two days off. After Chris left, Lexie wanted to call Dani to see how she was doing and honestly, she missed her. Dani was thinking about Lexie and wondering how her dinner with Chris went when the phone rang.
“Hi there” greeted Dani “I was just thinking about you partner.”
Lexie was talking but all Dani could do was think, damn she sounds happy, dinner with Chris must have gone well last night. I am not going to ask her about it, I am just glad she is calling me now.
Instead of focusing on what may have happened with Chris, Dani asked “Would you like to come over for lunch? It is such a beautiful spring day, and I thought it would be nice to take a walk on the beach, it is only about a twenty-five minute drive from my place.”
Lexie accepted the invitation, they met at Dani’s and drove to Virginia Beach. The drive to the beach was a little awkward. They didn’t know what to say to each other and neither wanted to bring up their latest kiss. They stopped at Starbucks for coffee before parking a few blocks from the oceanfront. It had gotten even warmer since they left Norfolk, and the women took their shoes off, so they could walk in the water as they strolled down the beach. They were quiet.
At first, both women were lost in their own thoughts until Lexie probed, “Are you ready to come back to work on Monday?”
Dani wanted to say that she was ready to come back because she wanted to be around her, but she didn’t, “I am absolutely ready to come back, I am going stir crazy at home all day.”
After the ice was broken, the conversation flowed between the two women. They talked about everything from their childhoods to their dreams.
Dani talked about her sister and her niece, then she asked Lexie “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“I had a twin sister, but she was murdered when she was seventeen. She was on the way home one night when someone grabbed her. It was the worst time in my life and was the driving force behind me pursuing a career in law enforcement.”
“I’m sorry that happened Lexie, and I can’t imagine how hard it was to keep going after a tragedy like that, but it proves how strong you are.”
“It was hard, but my parents and I leaned on each other and by the grace of God, we got through it. I miss Serena, just like I miss Jack terribly. Time heals or at least that’s what I’ve heard but I think you just get better at dealing with the losses.”
They realized they had walked over five miles. They were famished, so they stopped at a quaint little restaurant on the ocean front. It was a small building that looked like a broken-down shack on the outside, but the inside was remarkable. The tables and chairs were all handmade using driftwood and imagination. The menu was simple, they served hamburgers with pineapples and seasoned fries, or pizza with pepperoni and pineapple chunks. Oddly enough, the name of the place was The Pineapple Shack. They could not decide what to order, so they shared a hamburger and pizza meal.
Dani set down her slice of pizza, “So, what made you and Chris decide to move to Virginia from the Big Apple?”
“Well, it wasn’t really my choice. I grew up in Brooklyn and love the big city. I moved to Manhattan when I started NYU. I dropped out after my sophomore year and joined the police academy; my first patrol job was there, and that’s where I made detective. Then, my wonderful husband was arrested for his part in a Ponzi scheme that affected a lot of hard-working people. He accepted a plea deal in exchange for testifying against his boss, but he was banned from the finance world. Our marriage suffered, so I thought if we moved somewhere new, we could start over.”
“Damn partner that’s rough. I’m sorry you had to leave Manhattan but can’t say I’m sorry you ended up in Norfolk.”
Dani pointed out that they still had to walk back the five miles to get to the
car but neither woman minded, and both were looking forward to the walk back. While walking back, Dani had been thinking about the kiss and how being around Lexie made her feel. She had to ask the question that had been haunting her since that second kiss.
She stopped walking, “Are you getting back with Chris?”
Lexie looked stunned at first. I don’t know how to answer the question. She was torn between the love she had for her husband and the feelings she was developing for her partner.
“It is not a cut and dry answer, Dani. I’m sorry, but I can’t answer that question right now. I need more time.”
Dani wanted an answer now. She stepped closer to Lexie, leaned in, and kissed her. Once again, Lexie felt weak in the knees and couldn’t catch her breathe. I swear I don’t understand the power in this woman’s kisses, I just know I love them and want more of those breathtaking kisses. Dani pulled away after a long sensual kiss that left Lexie off balance. She took Lexie by the hand and continued to walk back as the water splashed on their feet.
CHAPTER SIX
Chris called Lexie as the women pulled up to Dani’s condo, she ignored his call. They were discussing what to do for dinner, and both agreed they would never be able to top their lunch. Lexie dropped Dani off at her place, and she went home to shower and change. They planned to meet back at Dani’s for dinner in a few hours.
Chris called again after Lexie had gotten home, she answered, “Hi, my love. I am sorry I could not answer before when you called, I was working.”
The lie came so easily and that scared her, but she didn’t want him to know she was with Dani.
“I was just checking in to see how you were doing”
“I am doing good, just really busy today. I am working a big case, so I should go now and get back to work.”
She told him she would probably be busy that night and the next, but she would see him Monday night when she picked him up from the airport.
“I love you sweetheart, please be safe out there.”
After the phone call, she felt a twinge of guilt, but then she remembered the feeling she had when Dani kissed her. She pushed the guilt to the back of her mind and headed to Dani’s house for dinner. Dani already had dinner started when Lexie arrived, she offered Lexie a glass of wine which she gladly accepted.
The two women chatted easily while dinner was cooking. “So, Dani, I told you all about myself, it’s your turn now. What made you want to join the Army?”
“Education is the family business, Dad is a college professor, Mom is a school su
perintendent and my sister, a third-grade teacher. I never wanted to be in the education field, I wanted to be a cop, but my mom thought it was too dangerous, so I joined the Army. She didn’t think it was funny, but it was a good for me, I had great times, traveled the world, made lasting friendships, and pushed myself beyond anything I ever imagined. It wasn’t all good as you know, I had some horrible experiences too, but it all shaped the woman I am today.”
Dani suggested watching a movie. It was getting late, and Dani was sleepy and still recovering from her gunshot wound. But, neither of them wanted the wonderful day to end, so Lexie suggested another movie. Dani got up to put it in the DVD player. After settling in on the couch, Dani began to doze. Lexie reached for her and laid her head on her lap. Dani drifted off to sleep. Lexie sat with Dani’s head in her lap and ran her fingers through Dani’s hair while she slept peacefully. Lexie fell asleep a little while later, and neither woke until the next morning when Lexie’s phone started ringing. It was, of course, Chris. He had taken an earlier flight and would be at the Norfolk airport in three hours. He wanted to make sure Lexie could still pick him up. She wanted to be able to spend her last day off with Dani, but that was not going to happen.
Dani took a shower while Lexie was on the phone. Lexie came in as she was walking into her bedroom in only a towel. Lexie froze in her tracks not knowing what to say or do until Dani walked closer to her and let the towel fall. She stood in front of Lexie naked and vulnerable, what in the hell am I doing? Is this a good idea? Before she had time to think about it more, Lexie grabbed her and pulled her close. They kissed, and Lexie ran her hands all over Dani’s naked wet body. Dani took Lexie’s shirt off and before they knew it, they were both naked and ready for what was to come next. Simultaneously, their phones started ringing and the moment was over. They were called into work because they were needed on a case. The two women separated breathless and weak from wanting. They knew that whatever they were about to do would have to wait.
