by Kim Baldwin
The corners of Bryson’s mouth twitched upward in a smile. “Maybe a little.” The look of relief that crossed her face was unmistakable, and Karla wondered what Bryson wasn’t saying. What did she think she was referring to?
“Looks like we both need to just relax and heal. You know, you can stretch out here with me. You’d be more comfortable, I’m sure.” She patted the pillow beside her invitingly. Maybe she couldn’t snuggle up to Bryson the way she wanted to, but having the object of her fascination within reach would sure distract her. “We can read, play a game, whatever you like.” Bryson’s expression was unreadable, but the fierce reddening of her face and cheeks was obvious. She’d struck a nerve. Her heart began to beat wildly. Was Bryson thinking, hoping for, the same thing she was? Maybe she wasn’t misreading her interest at all.
“I’m okay,” Bryson finally replied, and got to her feet to fetch them more coffee. “But thanks. You just stretch out and be comfy. Can I get you something to read? What type of book do you like?”
What a perfect opening, she thought. “As a matter of fact, I had a good look at your library the last time I was here and noticed we like a lot of the same authors.”
“Oh?” Bryson set down their mugs and walked over to her bookshelves.
“That’s what I was referring to that day when I said we had a lot in common.”
“I remember. Lars came in just then. I kept meaning to ask you about that. Yeah, I’m a pretty voracious reader. So, what’ll it be? Mystery? Sci-fi?”
Karla couldn’t keep from smiling, but she was nervous, too, about how Bryson would react. “Anything on one of those eight shelves to your far right is fine. Though I’ve already read most of Radclyffe’s books, and Ann Bannon’s.”
Bryson froze. The quick succession of emotions that crossed her face in that unguarded moment was almost comical. Surprise and disbelief, then pleased realization hit home. “Oh?” It came out as a squeak, confirming Karla’s suspicions.
“That surprise you?”
“Uh, yeah, have to admit it does. I had no idea.” Bryson started to jam her hands in her pockets and seemed chagrined to discover her sweatpants didn’t have any. Instead, she folded her arms over her chest in a transparent effort to appear unaffected.
Karla laughed. This awkward and shy Bryson, with her wayward hair and disheveled sweats, was adorable. “I kind of gathered that, from your reaction.”
“Reaction?” Bryson repeated, as a new flush of scarlet rose to her cheeks.
“Come over here, will you?”
Bryson looked uncertain, as though she’d just been asked to walk through a room full of snakes. But she shook off her inertia and slowly crossed to stand beside the futon bed, biting her lip.
“Can I ask you something?”
“What do you want to know?” Her voice was soft and husky, like she knew exactly what was coming next.
“Are you…interested in me? And don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m asking.”
Bryson stared deeply into her eyes for a long moment before she answered, as though wanting to know if Karla would welcome a yes.
“And if I am?”
Excitement fluttered low in Karla’s abdomen. “If you are, then I suspect we’ll get a lot closer in the next few days.”
Bryson’s face lit up with a huge smile and she visibly relaxed. She stepped closer and placed her hand against Karla’s cheek, then slowly bent to kiss her. It wasn’t a real kiss, not the long, lingering heat she’d been imagining their first kiss might be. Bryson’s lips touched hers firmly but briefly, a kiss that said oh, yeah, I’m most definitely interested. A tease of things to come.
Then she withdrew a step, but her face lost none of the joy and longing that had flared when Karla confirmed their mutual attraction. “I better break out the ibuprofen and a good hot breakfast, then,” Bryson said playfully. “And hope for some fast healing. Because neither of us is in any shape right now to…” She let her gaze travel the length of Karla’s body, outlined beneath the comforter, with open admiration. “Let’s just say I don’t want to be too hampered by frostbitten feet, aching backs, and growling stomachs.”
They grinned at each other for several more seconds before Bryson retreated to the kitchen to cook breakfast, humming to herself.
The prospect of living out some of her recent daydreams about Bryson was thrilling, but daunting. It had been more than four years since she’d slept with anyone besides Abby, and until this moment being intimate with Bryson had been abstract. A twitch of doubt threatened to deflate her euphoria. Bryson had apparently been with a lot of women. She didn’t want to disappoint her.
But as quickly as the thoughts arose, she pushed them aside. Seize the moment and enjoy it while you can, she told herself. No more looking into the future, and no more living in the past.
Chapter Nineteen
Bryson wanted to give Karla the most romantic day of her life, one she would look back on often with longing and joy. When she was seeing a woman, she usually took flowers on a first date and planned a nice evening. And she especially wanted to favorably impress Karla.
Amazing how a few words made her walk on air. Her body hadn’t ached this badly since she’d wrenched it building her cabin. It hurt just to straighten completely. But she felt absolutely fabulous, knowing Karla was as interested as she was in them.
She’d gone a little overboard with breakfast, using her most precious stores with abandon and cooking enough for three or four people. Fresh scrambled eggs accompanied reindeer sausage, homemade sourdough toast, and blueberry preserves. An elderly client who flew often from her Fairbanks retirement center to Bettles to visit her grandchildren had given her the bread and jam.
“Not ideal conditions for a first date,” Bryson said as she carried the plates to the futon. “I’d like to take you to a nice restaurant, maybe go dancing.”
Karla smiled and patted the space next to her on the bed. “Aside from our disabilities, I can’t imagine a more perfect way to spend some time with you. No distractions. No interruptions. Beautiful setting.”
Bryson sat beside her on the bed, her back cushioned with pillows. “I’m so glad you’re here. How are the feet?”
“Ibuprofen and giddy delight make for a potent pain-killing combination.”
“Giddy delight?” The description warmed her from within, because it was exactly the way she felt, too.
“I’ve had so much on my mind it took me a while to realize what was going on,” Karla said. “How attracted I am to you, and how much I want to get to know you better.”
“I have to admit I didn’t get the best first impression of you, not that I was so charming myself,” Bryson admitted with a smile, and they both laughed at the memory. “But once I got to know you, that changed pretty fast. And boy, especially these last few days since our walk up the mountain, I’ve been thinking about you a lot. But I don’t think I’d have ever volunteered that info.”
“Why not?”
“I didn’t suspect you’re gay. And you were dealing with so much else in your life.” She didn’t mention the other reason. Karla was a woman she could fall head-over-heels for and have a hard time forgetting. But as much as she feared a broken heart, she dreaded more that they might never know where their feelings might take them.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about you since our hike, too. Bryson, you’ve been more help to me with everything than I could ever begin to tell you. Getting away and meeting you and Maggie have been exactly what I needed to sort things out.” Karla finished her toast and set her plate aside with a contented sigh. “Great breakfast. You know, I could get used to being spoiled like this.”
“You deserve to be, especially after all you’ve done for Maggie and Lars.” Bryson carried their plates to the kitchen and returned with a carafe of coffee.
Karla frowned. “I hope I’m ambulatory before Maggie’s released. She’ll need a few weeks to heal completely from the C-section.”
“Well, if
you’re still not fully recovered by the time she brings the baby home, I’ll just have to move in, too, and take care of both of you, since Lars is worthless in the kitchen.”
“Hmm. That offer is almost enough to make me not want to get back on my feet.” Karla lay gingerly down on her side facing Bryson, propped up on one elbow.
Bryson moved just as slowly in mirroring her actions. As she shifted her weight, a muscle spasm in her back made her wince.
“Quite a pair, the two of us.” Karla laughed. “Gimpy and Gimpier.”
She laughed, too. “I know, right? Right now I’m completely incapable of doing just about everything I’ve imagined doing with you. The spirit is sooo willing, as they say, but the flesh has definitely seen better days.”
“Oh?” Karla’s tone turned flirty. “I want to hear all about these things you’ve imagined. Let me know what I’m in for.”
“Much rather play that by ear.” She trailed her fingers over Karla’s shoulder and down her arm. “Although I can tell you that stripping off your clothes—very slowly—and exploring every inch of your body is definitely at the top of my list.”
“Mmm, I like the sound of that.”
“And you’ll notice I said just about everything is impossible.” She inched closer until their bodies were nearly touching, slipped her fingertips into Karla’s palm, and Karla’s fingers closed around them. “If I don’t kiss you right now,” Bryson said, “I won’t be able to think straight.”
“Thinking is the last thing I want you to do.” Karla moistened her lips in invitation.
They met halfway in a soft brush of lips, a glancing, tentative joining. Then again, they pressed their mouths against each other just as sweetly. Karla was as patient as Bryson, and apparently equally determined to make every moment of this kiss last.
The tip of Karla’s tongue emerged to stroke Bryson’s lower lip, then she playfully nipped the same spot. The slow seduction was stoking a fire of arousal within her, and each pass of Karla’s tongue fanned the flames higher.
She returned the provocative caresses, skimming her tongue along the curve of Karla’s mouth and sucking lightly, until Karla’s lips parted wider to welcome her into a deep-tongue kiss. They stroked hotly, wetly, and desire poured through her, sending her higher still, until the need for more became almost unbearable.
“Jesus, Bryson,” Karla rasped when they pulled away from each other a few inches to catch their breath. Her lips were rosy red and slightly swollen. “I…I can’t begin to describe how you make me feel when you kiss me like that.”
“Definitely mutual.” The open, unbridled yearning in Karla’s eyes captivated Bryson. She’d seen it before in women, certainly, but it had never touched her this way. “But dangerous right now, since we can’t carry this further. I’m kind of wound up, if you know what I mean.”
Karla squeezed her hand. “You’d barely have to touch me right now and I’d come.”
The words resonated through her body and settled like a hot fist in the pit of her stomach. “Oh, God, don’t say that. That’s definitely not helping.”
“No?” Karla teased. “How about if I tell you where I’d most like to put my tongue?”
“Cruel. That’s just plain cruel.” Bryson sat up abruptly, grimacing at another spasm in her back, and put her fingers in her ears. “La la la la. I can’t hear you. La la la.”
Karla sat up, too, and grabbed for the nearer hand to pull it away. She was laughing. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop. Not doing me any good either, to have those pictures in my head.”
“Maybe we’d better, um, better…” That haze of lust was still radiating from Karla’s eyes, and she was drawn to it like a moth to light. “Will you stop looking at me like that? It turns my brain to mush.”
“Can’t help it,” Karla replied, all innocence.
“In that case, I’ll have to be the strong one.” Bryson forced herself painfully off the bed and stood beside it. “Maybe we should turn this back into a couch for a while?”
“Spoilsport.” Karla poked out her lower lip in a pretend pout.
No matter how much Bryson’s body was hurting, it was still impossibly difficult not to ravage Karla when she looked so damn irresistible. “I should take a look at your feet. Put some more wood on the fire. See about the skiff.” Something, anything to get her mind off how turned on she was. She’d take a cold shower, if she had one.
Karla frowned. “The first two I can agree with. But surely you don’t mean to go back out there, as sore as you are, to look for the boat. It’s a long way, Bryson. I’d hiked a while before you found me.”
Bryson glanced toward the front window. The sun was up, and for the moment, anyway, it wasn’t snowing. “Grant you, I’m not looking forward to it, either. But freeze-up is a tenuous time. The water level can rise a lot from ice jams, and all kinds of debris comes floating downriver. Even if the skiff was grounded and you anchored it, it might come loose. It’d be a big loss for Lars and Maggie.”
“It wouldn’t start,” Karla reminded her.
“I’m pretty mechanically inclined and Lars has tools on board. I can probably get it running again.”
Karla didn’t look happy. “You sound determined. I can’t talk you out of it?”
Bryson sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Karla’s cheek. “I’ll be fine. I’ll take it slow and easy, and won’t overexert myself. I promise.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“Two or three hours, at least. I should probably go while the weather holds.” She threw a trio of thick logs into the woodstove. “Think we can wait until I get back to look at your feet?”
“Yes, they’ll be fine. But I’d like to get rid of some of this coffee before you go.”
“Oh, right.” As Bryson returned to the bed, Karla put her arms out in anticipation. She had a glint of mischief in her eyes. “No funny stuff, now,” Bryson warned as she bent to pick her up.
Karla’s arms circled her neck again, and this time she twined her fingers playfully in the hair at the back of her neck. Halfway to the screen, she traced her tongue wetly along Bryson’s ear before whispering, “I want you so much.”
Bryson went weak in the knees. “I won’t be held responsible for dropping you if you keep that up.” She struggled the rest of the way and set Karla down, suppressing a moan as another shooting pain ripped up her spine.
Karla sensed her stiffening and grew serious. “You really shouldn’t go out again, Bryson.”
“Have to. And stop worrying, I’ll be home before you know it. I’m gonna throw on some warm clothes. Be right back.” She took a couple more ibuprofen and returned the futon to a couch before she headed into the loft to layer up for her trek. To her pack of survival gear she added neoprene wetsuit pants, neoprene socks, and a spare pair of boots, since the crossing to the boat was evidently a deep one.
“All set?” she called from outside the screen.
“Come and get me,” Karla replied breathily, in her most provocative tone.
Bryson rounded the barrier and shook her finger at Karla. “Cruel. That is definitely the word for you. Do you plan to taunt me the entire time you’re here?”
Karla grinned. “That’s the plan. Can I help it if I like to make you squirm?”
Steeling herself, Bryson picked up Karla without further comment and headed back to the futon, trying hard not to succumb to the caresses along the back of her neck. She didn’t look at Karla until she got in position to set her down. “Play with fire, and you’ll get burned,” she warned, before kissing Karla again. She tortured them both, putting everything into the kiss, all the pent-up desire that had been building for days.
The frustrated arousal on Karla’s face when she left was priceless.
Chapter Twenty
Bandit dive-bombed Bryson as soon as she emerged from the cabin, and because she didn’t offer him breakfast, the raven accompanied her down the trail to the water, squawking as he darted from spruce to spruce just ahea
d of her.
“Yeah, yeah. Such a rough life. Look at you. If I feed you any more you won’t be able to fly.”
As though he understood, Bandit buzzed her with a flutter of wings and a loud croak, then vanished into the woods, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
She stopped when she reached the river. The water level was up several inches, and the freeze-up along the bank had advanced another foot since the night before, not surprising since the temperature was in the teens now. Her Super Cub would soon be grounded until everything froze solid; she hoped the lake stayed open until Maggie was discharged so she could get them home in Skeeter’s floatplane. On the other hand, she wouldn’t mind if they were delayed and Karla was forced to stay longer with her, though their inevitable parting would be all the more difficult.
The snow must have tapered off just after they’d arrived at her cabin, because Bryson could still make out the slight indentation of her snowmobile track from the night before. As she followed it upstream along the bank, she considered the impossible. What if Karla didn’t leave? She’d lived a solitary existence for so long it was difficult to imagine things any other way, unless she pictured Karla sharing her bed and her life. Then it was remarkably easy. She could see them in the morning, Karla snuggled deep in the covers after they’d made love, refusing to emerge until she’d made coffee and stoked up the woodstove. The two of them curled up on the couch together reading, stealing kisses between chapters. Hiking into the backcountry in the spring, when all the baby animals were out exploring with their mothers. Sitting on the porch, sipping wine and watching the sun paint the mountains gold-orange as it dipped toward the horizon. All the things she most enjoyed would be twice as special shared with Karla.
It was folly. Sure, Karla seemed to like it here. She’d raved about their hike up Mathews Dome, and she clearly appreciated the wilderness. But Karla had a well-established life elsewhere. A job, an apartment, and probably lots of friends. And she’d grown up with the modern amenities all outsiders had and were always reluctant to give up.
