Force of Nature

by Kim Baldwin

  Gable came up behind her and wrapped her arms loosely around her waist. “I just have to touch you,” she said softly, resting her chin on Erin’s shoulder so they were cheek to cheek.

  Erin shut off the tap and leaned back into Gable, caressing the arms holding her. “You won’t see me complaining.” She sighed contentedly and they remained like that for a long moment.

  Gable inhaled deeply and recognized the clean and slightly floral aroma she had come to associate with Erin—her shampoo, she realized now, nuzzling her way along Erin’s neck, then lowering her lips to worship the softness of Erin’s cheek.

  “Mmm, that’s nice,” Erin hummed, arching her neck to invite more of the same.

  “I want this to be perfect for you,” Gable said, before nipping lightly on Erin’s earlobe with her teeth. Her lips moved unhurriedly along the underside of Erin’s jaw and along the silky expanse of neck, planting brief kisses along a winding, invisible path. Her arms drew Erin closer, until their bodies were pressed tightly together. She was certain Erin could feel how hard and fast her heart was beating in her chest.

  Erin made a whimpering sound that reverberated through Gable. “What you’re doing is an excellent start.” She took a deep breath and let it out. “Except I’m finding it hard to stand upright.”

  “Perhaps we should lie down, then,” Gable suggested in a seductive whisper.

  “Oh, Gable.” Erin turned to face her and their mouths met hungrily, shyness and nervousness melting away under the fierce heat of their attraction.

  Gable’s tongue explored the warmth of Erin’s mouth while her hands sought naked flesh. Her fingers stole beneath the bottom edge of Erin’s T-shirt and found the soft skin of her lower back. As her hands began exploring, dipping into the waistband of Erin’s jeans to tease and arouse, Erin’s hands grew bolder too, entwining in Gable’s hair at the back of her neck and pulling their mouths tighter together, deepening the kiss.

  The sudden blare of an emergency radio drowned out the pounding of her heart, and acted like a shock of cold water on her overheated body. Their lips broke apart, but she and Erin remained knit tightly together.

  “Oh God, not now!” Erin grumbled, slumping against her chest. She was breathing hard, and so was Gable.

  “Damn!” Gable agreed, as she struggled to regain her equilibrium.

  “McCoy from dispatch. Respond, tree on power line. 48 Gilmore Street.

  “A tree?” Gable moaned, throwing her head back in anguish. “They’re pulling me away from you for a tree?” She gave a great sob as she reached for the radio on her belt, and Erin chuckled and hugged her in commiseration.

  “I should go too,” Erin said, grappling for her own radio. “Why hasn’t mine gone off?”

  “They won’t call you. Not if they think you’re sick. Not for something like this.”

  “Crap,” Erin muttered.

  They headed to Gable’s Jeep.

  “Look, I’ll call you from my cell if we really need you,” Gable said, reaching for the door handle.

  Erin stopped her with one hand on her arm, and leaned up to plant one brief but passion-filled kiss on her startled lips. “Be careful. I’ll be waiting.”

  Gable whimpered. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She got in the Jeep and sped to the callout address.

  *

  She was first on the scene. The address she was given belonged to a small summer cottage nestled in the woods about a mile and a half from Erin’s house. As the Jeep bounced up the rutted two-track driveway, she spotted a woman close to her own age standing propped against a shovel, staring up at the power lines that ran to her home. A hundred feet or so from the cottage, a huge tree had fallen on the dual lines, pushing the still-live wires into the branches of a row of pine trees.

  The lines were throwing off sparks wherever they rested against a branch. And beneath the wires was a thick layer of flammable forest duff—pine needles and crispy dead leaves and tinder-dry underbrush.

  The woman heard the approaching vehicle and her face registered relief that help had arrived. Gable braked and exited the Jeep, grabbing her portable fire extinguisher from the back.

  “Hi there,” she greeted the homeowner. “I’m Gable McCoy. Help is on the way. When did this happen?”

  “I'm not sure. It got real windy and my power blinked a couple of times. I thought it was just the wind, but then I looked out my window and saw this. I called the power company, but I was afraid there might be a fire. My hose doesn’t reach this far.”

  “You did the right thing.” Gable could hear the wail of an approaching siren. “That’ll be the pumper,” she told the woman. “We’ll hang out with you until the power company gets here.

  “Great.”

  Carl was driving the truck. He positioned it as near as he dared and jumped down off the high seat.

  “Hey there,” he greeted Gable.

  “Hi, Carl.”

  He took a look at the situation and keyed his radio. “Dispatch from Buckman. On the scene with McCoy. Additional units responding—we can handle this.”

  “Dispatch clear,” answered the dispatcher.

  “Power crew should be here soon,” he told Gable. “We get to babysit. Why don’t we pull a handline off the truck in case we need it?”

  “You got it.”

  Once they had it positioned, they leaned against the fire truck to wait.

  “I’m going inside for a few minutes,” the homeowner said. “I’ll see if the power company can tell me when they can get here.”

  “So how’s it going, Gable?” Carl asked when they were alone. “Last time I saw you, at the ladder drills, you didn’t look too happy. Neither did Erin.”

  Gable felt her cheeks color. She couldn’t suppress a grin. “You’re awful damn observant, you know,” she griped.

  “That’s why I’m a good 911 director. I have an eye for detail.” He appraised her with a smile on his face. “Speaking of which, I’d have to say you’re blushing, which I take to be a good thing?”

  “I will only say that I’d rather be somewhere else at the moment,” Gable admitted.

  Carl laughed. “Good for you.” He patted her on the shoulder. “You’re a right egg, Gable McCoy. It’s nice to see you happy.”

  The distinctive ring of Gable’s cell phone pealed from the Jeep, and Gable hurried to answer it. She heard Carl’s laughter as she grabbed for the door handle.

  “Hello?” She got inside the Jeep and shut the door for privacy.

  “What’s happening?” Erin asked.

  “Not much. Carl and I are waiting for the power company to get here. Then I can leave.”

  “Do you have any idea how incredibly turned on I am?”

  Gable groaned. “Oh, that’s great. Just great. Get me all lathered up again when we can’t do anything about it.”

  “I think I’ll wait for you in bed.”

  “Stop it!”

  “With some nice lingerie on.”

  “Erin, please! You’re killing me!”

  “Or maybe nothing at all.”

  “You’re a cruel woman. I’m going to hang up.”

  “Oh, all right,” Erin said. “I just wanted to leave you with an image that I hope will get you to hurry back.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that,” Gable said. “You just worry about getting any sleep tonight.”

  *

  A half hour later Gable dialed Erin’s number again. “At the risk of your taunting me with more provocative images, I’m calling to tell you they still aren’t here yet.”

  “Argh! I have never seen time crawl like it’s doing right now. It seems like you’ve been gone for hours.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “If I have to wait much longer, I won’t be responsible for my actions when I see you,” Erin said.

  “Promises, promises.”

  *

  It took the power company another excruciatingly long, maddeningly frustrating half hour to get a cherry-
picker truck to the scene, turn off power, and cut the tree off the line. Once the line was dead, Carl turned to Gable. “Get out of here. Go have some fun.”

  “You sure?”

  “Go!”

  Gable didn’t need a second invitation. She ran to the Jeep and punched in Erin’s number on her cell phone as she headed back down the two-track to the main road.

  “I’ll be there in two minutes,” she said as soon as Erin answered.

  She heard a long sigh that was almost a whisper. The sound sent her body into sensory overload.

  “I can’t wait,” Erin said.

  *

  Exactly two minutes later they were kissing hard in the doorway, hugging each other fiercely. It took no time at all for both of them to be right back where they had been before they were so rudely interrupted.

  Erin’s tongue pushed into Gable’s mouth. Demanding. Insistent.

  Gable’s pulse tripled and the heat building between her legs spread through her body, coursing through her veins and dancing along the surface of her skin. Desire drove her, and became all she knew.

  Erin broke the kiss. “Bed,” she said, gazing up at Gable with half-lidded eyes, her lips red and slightly swollen. “Now.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Erin led her by the hand to the bedroom, which had been thoughtfully prepared for the occasion. She paused just inside the doorway and Gable took in the surroundings. Candles lit the room, casting a soft flickering light on the curved, polished wood of the new sleigh bed, covers pulled back to expose the soft Egyptian cotton sheets that Gable had helped pick out.

  Without letting go of her hand, Erin took two steps to her left and hit the play button on her stereo. Soft instrumental jazz. “You Go to My Head.”

  “This is lovely,” Gable murmured, pulling Erin into her arms again and dipping her head for another kiss.

  Lost in a haze of desire, she didn’t immediately register that Erin was undressing her. Before she knew it, her shirt was unbuttoned, and Erin was pushing it off her shoulders and down her arms. She broke the kiss to pull the shirt off and gazed longingly at Gable’s breasts, barely concealed by a thin white tank top that set off the deep tan of her skin. They were not overly large, but were nicely shaped and well proportioned to her lean and muscular body.

  Erin placed the fingertips of her right hand on the flat plane of Gable’s stomach, and even through the sheer fabric Gable could feel the heat of her touch. Her stomach muscles twitched under the caresses, and when Erin’s fingers dipped inside her jeans and pulled her shirt free, her breath caught in her throat.

  Erin pushed the tank top up halfway, both hands splayed across Gable’s abdomen for maximum contact with her naked flesh. She paused when her fingertips reached the curve of Gable’s breast, and leaning forward, began planting soft kisses on Gable’s neck as her hands drifted upward.

  Gable closed her eyes and sighed, relishing the feel of the small hands cupping her breasts, of Erin’s delicate fingers as they played lightly over her nipples, which were already hard and sensitive. She wanted more, much more, but she forced herself to let Erin set the pace.

  This is new to her. For God’s sake, don’t scare her off! It took every ounce of restraint she had not to rip Erin’s clothes off and take her in a rush of frenzied desire. For though she had been with women before, it had never been like this. She had never felt so totally and thoroughly aroused, so out of control, so desperate to touch and be touched.

  Erin seemed to sense her controlled impatience, or perhaps she was feeling an equal measure of need and want. She pulled off Gable’s tank top and dipped her head to take her right nipple in her mouth, sucking, nipping lightly with her teeth, as her hands found the clasp and zipper of Gable’s jeans and undid them.

  Groaning, Gable threaded her fingers through Erin’s hair, pulling her closer, encouraging a deeper touch. Erin’s mouth sucked her harder, and Gable groaned again, then her jeans and underwear were being pushed down over her hips.

  Erin’s mouth left her as she stepped out of her clothes, putting one hand on Erin’s shoulder for balance. She stood naked in the soft light of the candles.

  Erin’s gaze appraised her with wonder, and obvious approval. “You have a beautiful body, Gable,” she said in a hushed voice, as her eyes lingered on the soft brown triangle of hair at the apex of Gable’s thighs.

  “I’m awful glad you think so,” Gable reached for Erin’s T-shirt. Her restraint was slipping. She had to touch her. And right now. She pulled the thin cotton garment over Erin’s head, exposing the full round breasts that had taunted her in her dreams. “Beautiful,” she whispered, her voice unrecognizable.

  Erin trembled as Gable undid her jeans and slid them off, along with her cream silk panties. The downy fine hair beneath was a shade lighter than the hair on her head. Gable took her hand and led her to the bed, and they climbed under the covers and faced each other, lying on their sides.

  “Tell me what to do,” Erin whispered, caressing Gable’s cheek with the back of her fingers.

  “Erin, everywhere you touch me feels wonderful,” Gable replied, leaning in to cover Erin’s mouth with hers.

  As they kissed, slowly and sensually, Gable slipped her arm around Erin and pulled their bodies together, hot flesh meeting hot flesh, breast to breast, belly to belly. She insinuated one of her long legs between Erin’s, and Erin released a soft, sweet whimper into their enjoined mouths when Gable’s thigh pressed hard against her.

  The wetness of Erin’s desire bathed her skin, and it drove her wild. She slipped a hand down Erin’s back to cup her ass, and rolled, pulling Erin on top of her.

  Now Erin’s leg was providing the same delicious friction to her heated core, and the kiss deepened as their desire grew, their bodies rocking against each other. Erin moaned again and dug her fingernails lightly into Gable’s shoulder. The roar of her blood in her ears drowned out everything else as their rocking grew more furious and unrestrained, and she worried she would come too soon, even before Erin touched her.

  Erin broke the kiss, panting for air. “God, Gable. Oh, God. I can’t…Oh! Oh!” She closed her eyes and arched her back and her body grew rigid as an immense orgasm tore through her.

  Gable held her close, her own body trembling and on the brink, until Erin relaxed against her, hear head resting on Gable’s chest.

  “I didn’t mean…I wanted to wait…” Erin stuttered as she fought to regain her breath. “But I couldn’t…it was too…too much…too intense.”

  “I know. It’s all right…it’s wonderful,” Gable answered, her voice gentle but strained. Her whole body thrummed with arousal, and when she caught the heady scent of Erin’s climax it drove her higher, pushed her beyond words.

  She rolled them over until she was on top of Erin, resting her weight on her elbows.

  Erin opened her legs and wrapped them around her, shuddering when Gable settled against her. “Oh, Gable,” she moaned, arching her back and rolling her hips for more contact.

  A throaty growl escaped Gable’s lips as she began a slow descent down Erin’s body, kissing her way to the soft valley between those exquisite breasts, then claiming one nipple roughly, sucking on it, nipping at it with her teeth. The same treatment to the other, then back again.

  Erin’s moans rang in her ears, urging her on, so she shifted her weight and brought her fingertips slowly up the inside of Erin’s thigh, as her mouth continued to pleasure Erin’s breasts.

  Touching Erin intimately for the first time, her hand sliding into the soaked silky folds, intensified her own sweet ache. Her body was on fire. She struggled to contain her orgasm.

  “Gable! Oh! That feels incredible.” Erin writhed beneath her, fingernails raking lightly across her back, as Gable teased and stroked her with increasing pressure. “Please! Oh, please, Gable. I want to come—I need to come.”

  The plea drove Gable down Erin’s body to claim her wet warmth with her mouth. She massaged Erin’s swollen clit with rapid st
rokes of her tongue and pushed two long, slender fingers against her opening. So wet for me, her mind crooned, as Erin opened and took her inside, muscles tightening around her fingers in spasms as she roared to climax.

  “Gable! Oh God! Oh my God!” Erin screamed.

  Gable gentled her strokes but did not stop, drawing another orgasm from her even before the last had subsided.

  “Stop!” Erin panted. “I can’t…Enough!” She was trembling with aftershocks as Gable reluctantly withdrew and kissed a slow, tender path back up her body.

  “I’ve never…never like that,” Erin gasped, clutching at Gable, holding her fiercely.

  “It’s never been like this for me either, Erin,” Gable echoed, savoring the sweet taste of Erin’s desire where it lingered on her tongue. She kissed the delicate hollow at the base of Erin’s neck. Never had she felt so much while pleasuring someone else. Never had her blood boiled as it did now.

  “Oh, I hope that’s true.” Erin's chest rose and fell with a deep breath. “And now…” She abruptly shifted her weight, rolling out from underneath Gable. “It’s your turn, I believe.” She pushed Gable playfully down onto her back and Gable did not resist.

  On her side, head propped up on one hand, she gazed down at Gable. “Tell me what I can do to please you. Tell me what you want.” She skimmed her fingertips over Gable’s breasts in lazy figure eights that teased the rigid nipples on every pass.

  Gable’s body temperature shot up, and her heartbeat went into overdrive. “Everything you do pleases me,” she said hoarsely. “I’m so close now it won’t take much to make me come.”

  “Well, I don’t want to rush you,” Erin drawled. “But I can tell you need some attention.” Her fingertips closed in on one nipple, pinching it hard, while her mouth descended on the other for equal treatment.

  Gable’s hips arched off the bed as a powerful rush of ecstasy tore through her, obliterating all thought. “I can’t wait…can’t…please, Erin…” Her body was screaming for release, and her stomach clenched in anticipation.