Gray Skies (WeHo Book 8)

by Sherryl Hancock

  Rayden caught the look of pure ecstasy on the girl’s face, and grinned, at least she appreciated cars; that was a point in her favor. As she pulled out of the parking lot, she looked over at the girl again.

  “So where can I take you?” Rayden asked, as she gunned the engine. “Anywhere you want…” Jazmine said suggestively.

  Rayden looked over at her sharply. “Uh…” she stammered, having no idea how to handle such a direct come on by someone she was fairly sure was as straight as the day was long.

  Jazmine looked over at Rayden, inanely pleased that she’d surprised the woman. She’d never been with a woman before, but she felt her body practically humming with desire and she always listened to her body.

  “Doesn’t the conquering hero always get the girl?” Jazmine asked then, her look both sly and flirty.

  “Not if the conquering hero is gay and the girl is straight,” Rayden replied, having regained her composure.

  “Who says I’m straight?” Jazmine asked.

  “The guy I had to put down for manhandling you pretty much said that,” Rayden said.

  Jazmine bit her lip, breathing heavier suddenly. The vision of Rayden punching Tony played through her head, and imagining what else Rayden could do with all that strength was likely to drive her crazy.

  “You’ve never heard of bi-sexuals?” Jazmine asked, seizing on the idea.

  Rayden looked over at her again, her eyes narrowed slightly. “Yeah, I’ve heard of them,” she said. “Don’t usually deal with them though.”

  “Why?” Jazmine asked.

  “Not my thing,” Rayden said simply.

  “What is your thing?” Jazmine asked her eyes heated.

  Rayden didn’t answer at first, trying to figure out what this girl was really looking for. Did she just want someone to save her, or was she really as hot for it as she was acting. As it happened, Rayden had just gotten back from a three-month stint in the South Pacific so it had been a while since she’d been with a woman. This girl was definitely hot, but the last thing Rayden needed was to have to deal with extra drama.

  “I prefer my sex drama free,” Rayden said simply.

  “I can understand that,” Jazmine said, nodding.

  “Can you?” Rayden asked, looking doubtful.

  They stopped at a red light at that point, and Jazmine shocked Rayden by unbuckling her seat belt and moving to straddle her lap, her slim body easily able to fit between Rayden and the steering wheel. She leaned to kiss Rayden’s lips without hesitation, putting her arms around Rayden’s neck, and pulling her closer as she pressed her body against Rayden’s. By the time the light turned green, Rayden was convinced that this girl wasn’t just hot, but more than ready to go. Jazmine moved back to her seat as Rayden gunned the engine.

  Fortunately, her apartment wasn’t far and she made it there in record time. She parked the car and strode around to the passenger side to open the door, putting her hand out to help Jazmine out of the car. Continuing to hold Jazmine’s hand, Rayden turned and led her to the elevators. After hitting the button for her floor, she turned to Jazmine, and backed her up against the side of the elevator, her dark eyes staring down into Jazmine’s, but not touching her.

  Jazmine could feel her body vibrating with excitement; this woman definitely had an animal magnetism that was impossible to ignore. She didn’t think she’d ever been so excited in her life. When the elevator stopped, Rayden led the way to her apartment. Rayden held the door open for Jazmine, who admired the nice apartment as she walked in. It had dark furniture, beige walls, and wasn’t overly decorated. Not girlie in the slightest.

  Inside, Rayden dropped her keys on an entry table, her eyes fixed on Jazmine. She was curious if the girl was going to back down now. It had happened before; she wouldn’t have been surprised in the least. She leaned back against the front door, her look assessing as Jazmine looked around the apartment, and then finally back at her.

  Jazmine turned to see Rayden watching her. Rayden leaned against the door, her left hand twisting the ring on her right middle finger, her look speculative. Rayden was a very hot-looking butch and Jazmine couldn’t help but admire her strong features and long ebony hair. Then there were the dark eyes, almost black with long thick black eyes lashes surrounding them, framed by black eyebrows. Jazmine’s look fell on Rayden’s lips, currently slightly pursed in consideration.

  Jazmine recognized that Rayden was waiting for her to make a move. ‘A gentleman never pushes’ was the thought that went through Jazmine’s mind. She walked straight over to Rayden, pressing against her, her eyes staring up into Rayden’s eyes and reached up to pull her head down to hers. When their lips met this time, Rayden was doing the kissing and Jazmine instantly felt the difference, she felt weak in the knees almost immediately. She wound her arms around Rayden’s neck out of sheer desperate desire. She was beyond excited when Rayden picked her up in her arms and carried her into the bedroom.

  Rayden laid her down on the bed, moving over her, kissing her lips, pressing her body close, but keeping her weight off of the girl. She could feel the girl trembling and clamped down on the desire to move as fast as she would with another lesbian. She knew this was the girl’s first time with a woman, no matter how brazen she’d tried to be. The last thing she intended to do was scare her. Instead, Rayden took the time to excite the girl to such a heated state, that it only took the slightest movement of her hand sliding up the girl’s inner thigh, and the lightest brush over already wet panties to have her coming.

  Jazmine thought she was going to go insane with the desire screaming through her body. Rayden’s lips, even though she hadn’t removed either of their clothes, seemed to burn her skin and make it tingle at the same time. The way she pressed her body to hers, suggestively, moving it against her, made her gasp and moan softly, her hands grasping at Rayden’s shoulders.

  Then Rayden shifted her body slightly to one side, and Jazmine understood why a moment later when she felt Rayden’s hand on her thigh. As it moved upward, Jazmine could feel her body going taut with expectation. When Rayden’s thumb brushed against her, even though the material of her underwear still covered her, she lost all control. She was screaming and holding onto Rayden, writhing as Rayden kissed her again. Rayden continued to kiss her, as her thumb moved aside the material and touched her again. Jazmine groaned and came again, feeling like her body was going to explode.

  In the end, Rayden eventually removed all of Jazmine’s clothes and brought her to multiple orgasms, so many that she couldn’t even count, or think to count anymore. Afterwards, she lay completely drained, breathing heavily as Rayden moved to lie on her back and pulled Jazmine onto her side, so she could wrap her arm around her shoulders. It was then that it occurred to Jazmine that Rayden still had all of her clothes on, with the exception of her boots, which she’d kicked off at one point.

  Levering herself up on her elbow, Jazmine looked down at Rayden.

  “Why am I completely naked and you’re not?” Jazmine asked.

  Rayden grinned. “Well, that’s because I removed your clothes.”

  “But none of your own…” Jazmine said.

  “I see your confusion,” Rayden said, her eyes alight with amusement. “Unlike a man, I don’t have to remove my clothes to make a woman come.”

  “Well, I can testify to that sister,” Jazmine said, grinning. “But how do I make you come?” she asked, her eyes widening on the last phrase.

  Rayden looked back at her. “That’s up to you,” she said simply.

  Jazmine bit her lower lip, heat burning in her eyes once again.

  “You’re not going to tell me,” Jazmine said.

  “Nope,” Rayden said, her dark eyes inscrutable.

  Jazmine narrowed her eyes. “Alright.”

  She moved to straddle Rayden’s waist, staring down at her as she slid her hands up under the tank top Rayden wore. Their eyes stayed connected as she moved fingertips over hard nipples. She watched as Rayden’s lips parted
and she knew she was on the right track. Reaching down she pulled the tank top up and off over Rayden’s head, leaning down to put her mouth where her hands had been. She was excited to feel Rayden’s hand slide into her hair.

  At one point, she pulled back and looked down at Rayden’s torso. The woman was undeniably toned, and then she saw the tattoo on her mid-torso; it was the SEAL Trident, the logo for the Navy SEALs. She looked back at Rayden, shocked.

  “You’re a Navy SEAL?” she asked, stunned. Women were rarely, if ever, taken into the SEALs, even Jazmine knew that.

  Rayden nodded. “I told you Navy,” she said simply.

  “You didn’t say SEAL,” Jazmine said.

  Rayden shrugged. “Same difference.”

  “Not really,” Jazmine said.

  “Weren’t you doing something?” Rayden asked, her look pointed.

  Jazmine narrowed her eyes, but then nodded, and moved to unbutton Rayden’s jeans. Once she had the woman naked, she took her time, touching, tasting, and teasing. It took a bit, but eventually she had Rayden pulling at her and telling her to “come here.” She held back, and could see that it was working to do just that. Rayden became more and more insistent, and Jazmine thoroughly enjoyed holding back, and making Rayden absolutely insane with desire. At one point, she looked Rayden dead in the eye and said simply, “Beg.”

  Rayden’s dark eyes narrowed at her, her breath came in ragged gasps and she slowly shook her head.

  Jazmine pressed her body closer, her body pressing in exactly the right places, and slid her hand up over Rayden’s breasts. Rayden gasped, and moved her body with Jazmine’s, but then Jazmine stopped, letting her body hover above Rayden’s. She knew that Rayden had the strength to take what she wanted, but she could also sense easily that Rayden wasn’t that type.

  In the end, Rayden did beg, and Jazmine very happily brought her to release, reaching her own again too, excited by Rayden’s cry of pure ecstasy. Afterwards she moved to lie on her back. Rayden surprised her completely by turning onto her stomach, putting her arm and leg across Jazmine possessively, and putting her face against the side of her head, her lips at Jazmine’s temple. Jazmine liked the feeling of this woman against her, and the idea that the woman wanted to possess her this way. They fell asleep lying that way.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Rayden asked, her look pointed.

  “Can we just not right now?” Jazmine asked, her tone tired.

  “Not if you’re gonna end up at my place we can’t,” Rayden said, suddenly sounding like the Rayden she’d known before.

  Jazmine stared back at her, and could see that Rayden was serious and she knew she really didn’t have a choice.

  “Those two guys at the bar were friends of my ex,” she said.

  Rayden nodded. “And the ex is…”

  “He’s a rapper,” Jazmine said.

  “He,” Rayden repeated with a snide look. “Still trying to play it straight, huh Jaz?”

  “Well, the lesbian I tried kind of ruined me for that lifestyle,” Jazmine snapped.

  Rayden’s lips twitched at that statement. Jazmine wondered if that meant Rayden actually felt bad about the way things had ended with them.

  “Too bad, you seemed like a natural,” Rayden said, her tone even.

  “Fuck you Rayden!” Jazmine snapped.

  “You did,” Rayden said simply.

  “Fucking… let me the fuck out of here,” she said, reaching for the door handle blindly as tears sprang to her eyes.

  Rayden saw her action and veered the car over to the side of the road.

  “Jaz!” she yelled, reaching across the car to grab Jazmine’s hand and keep her from opening the door. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry,” she said, her tone strong

  Her right arm was across Jazmine’s body to keep her in the car, her left hand holding Jazmine’s wrist. Jazmine started to cry then, bowing her head and sobbing as tears fell from her eyes. Then she was in Rayden’s arms, and Rayden was holding her as best she could across the console of her Viper.

  When Jazmine had calmed down, Rayden let her go, and pulled the Viper back onto the road. It was another five minutes before either of them spoke.

  “I’m sorry, Jaz,” Rayden said. “I was a stupid kid, and I didn’t know how to deal with ending things with you.”

  Jazmine nodded, reaching up to wipe her eyes delicately.

  Rayden looked over at the girl; she was still damned beautiful, actually more so now. Ten years had done her a lot of good.

  “So what do you want to do?” Rayden asked after another few minutes.

  Jazmine shrugged, shaking her head. “I don’t have any place to go right now,” she said. “I’m so embarrassed… I’m still such a fucking mess…”

  “Why did this guy send his friends after you?” Rayden asked, switching lanes and taking the onramp to another freeway.

  “Because he’s trying to intimidate me into not testifying against him,” Jazmine said.

  “Jesus, what are you testifying against him for?” Rayden asked.

  “Well, besides the fact that he put me in the hospital six months ago, I saw him shoot a guy.”

  Rayden held her hand up. “Wait, he hurt you?”

  Jazmine smiled sadly. “Always worried about the girl, huh?”

  “Yeah, it’s a weakness,” Rayden said, grinning. “What happened, Jaz?”

  “I was going to leave him, and he knew it, and he didn’t want me to…” she said, shaking her head as her voice trailed off.

  “Always trying to get away from some guy…” Rayden murmured.

  Jazmine looked over at her sharply, and Rayden immediately held her hand up.

  “Sorry,” she said, “but you certainly do get yourself into trouble with men…”

  Jazmine blew her breath out, nodding her head in agreement.

  They made the rest of the ride in silence. Jazmine had time to look Rayden over. She looked absolutely amazing, better than she had ten years before, dressed in all black in a collared shirt that look crisp and wrinkle free. At her throat she wore a thick linked gunmetal chain with a silver and black pendant that was a set of four interconnecting swirls. Jazmine didn’t know what the symbol meant, but was sure it was a Cherokee symbol; most of the jewelry was related to her tribe. Her black hair was back in a braid as it tended to be, even Jazmine had rarely seen Rayden’s hair down and they’d lived together for six months. She was so caught up in looking at Rayden, before Jazmine knew it they were pulling into a garage.

  “Is this your house?” she asked.

  “I hope so,” Rayden said, grinning.

  “Wait!” Jazmine exclaimed as Rayden turned off the car.

  “What?” Rayden asked.

  “Are you married?” Jazmine asked, having just noticed the black band on Rayden’s left ring finger. Rayden glanced at the black band, as if seeing it for the first time. In truth, she never thought about the fact that it was there anymore. It was part of her and it would never leave her finger.

  “No,” she said, her tone somber.

  “But…” Jazmine said, gesturing to the ring.

  “No,” Rayden repeated.

  Jazmine could see she wasn’t going to get any more of an answer. Rayden got out of the car, and walked around to open Jazmine’s door, putting out her hand to help the girl out, since the car was so low. Rayden led her into the house, and stopped to turn off the alarm. Jazmine looked around at the new-looking townhouse. They were just outside of West Hollywood in a nice area. Jazmine wondered how much this place had set Rayden back.

  “What exactly are you doing these days?” Jazmine asked, as Rayden walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

  Rayden looked at her as she took a beer out, holding it up to her in askance.

  “Sure,” Jazmine said, thinking it might settle the nerves that were suddenly very jumpy again.

  Rayden twisted open the bottle and handed it to Jazmine, who pulled out a barstool and sat dow
n. She watched as Rayden pulled out another beer for herself and took a long drink.

  “I’m about to start a new job,” Rayden said, moving to lean against the counter on the opposite side from where Jazmine sat.

  “Are you still in the SEALs?” Jazmine asked.

  “No, I haven’t been for four years now,” Rayden said.

  “So what were you doing before this then?” Jazmine asked.

  Rayden looked back at her for a long moment. “Protecting the President,” she said simply.

  “Of what?” Jazmine asked.

  Rayden grinned. “The United States,” she said.

  “Bullshit,” Jazmine said, laughing, but the she saw that Rayden was looking at her seriously. “You’re not kidding, are you?”

  “Sorry,” Rayden said, shrugging.

  “No lie?” Jazmine asked, her face reflecting her awe.

  “No lie, baby girl,” Rayden said, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

  Jazmine couldn’t control the shiver that went through her, it happened every time Rayden called her “baby girl.” It was what she’d called her years before, and it had always thrilled her. No one else had ever affected her the way that Rayden had, no woman or man.

  “So where is your new job?” Jazmine asked, trying to distract herself from the fact that she was in a house alone with her singular obsession.

  “At the Department of Justice actually,” Rayden said, straightening from the counter and moving to stand near where Jazmine sat, leaning with her hip against the counter.

  “You’re going to be a cop?” Jazmine asked.

  Rayden chuckled. “Well, actually, I’m going to be a Special Agent in Charge, but yeah, it’s a cop I suppose.”

  Jazmine looked at her for a long moment. “I guess that makes sense,” she said finally, “you’re always the hero somehow.”

  Rayden laughed at that one outright. “I don’t think I’d go that far.”

  “Why not?” Jazmine said. “You’re always rescuing me, and I’d bet all the money I have that you’ve saved lots of other women too.”

  Rayden looked back at her for a long moment as a look of sadness crossed her face. It was a look Jazmine didn’t understand at all, but one that made her ache to fix it.