by K. B. Draper
“You fell asleep. We’re at your house.” Daylen reluctantly removed her hand from Kanyon’s hair.
“Okay,” Kanyon said, but made no effort to move.
A warmth rose in Daylen and she forced herself to move before she melted into the seat. “Let’s take you inside.”
Kanyon groaned. “Can you just bring my bed out here?”
Daylen smiled, got out, and walked around to meet Kanyon as she got out of the passenger side.
“We didn’t get your car back,” Kanyon said, stating the obvious.
“I got my keys and a general location. I’ll help you get settled in, then catch a taxi back.”
Kanyon’s natural instincts were to reject any kind of help from anyone, ever. But a more basic desire wanted Daylen to stay, so she remained silent and let Daylen help her into the house. At Daylen’s request, Kanyon pointed out her downstairs bathroom and kitchen, then headed up to her bedroom and master bath, wanting to clean up then collapse on her bed, right after she made sure she hadn’t left any dirty underwear on the floor.
Kanyon had just finished washing her hands and was looking at her face in the mirror when she saw Daylen walk into the bathroom behind her. Daylen leaned against the doorframe, taking in Kanyon’s reflection. Their eyes found each other. “He did quite a number on you,” Daylen said, clearly bothered by what she saw.
“I’m thinking I look pretty tough,” Kanyon said lightly.
Daylen pushed off from the door and walked to Kanyon. She sat two bottles of water and a couple of Ziploc bags of ice on the counter next to the sink. “Hope you don’t mind, I dug through your kitchen drawers. I figured you might need a couple of ice packs.” She laid her hand on Kanyon’s arm and turned her around. “Looks like I was right. First aid kit?”
“I can¬–”
“I want to,” Daylen said softly, cutting off Kanyon’s protest.
Kanyon pointed to the built-in cabinets across the bathroom. Daylen collected the items she needed and placed everything next to the sink before hopping up to sit on the counter to meet Kanyon’s height. Kanyon looked down at the supplies then back up to Daylen with a raised eyebrow. “Come here,” Daylen ordered as she reached out, taking Kanyon’s hand and pulling her between her legs. Kanyon forced her eyes to stay on Daylen’s and away from the hem of the skirt riding higher on Daylen’s thighs.
Daylen was temporarily paralyzed by Kanyon’s gaze. She hadn’t realized how the closeness and intimacy of the simple positioning would affect her. God, I’ve never wanted someone so much. I can’t do this. Kanyon doesn’t want this.
Daylen swallowed hard when Kanyon ran her thumb gently over her swollen lip. “I’m not the only one with injuries.”
Correction, I want this way too much. We’re friends. Heck, I don’t even know if we’re that. Plus, Kanyon isn’t … or maybe she is ... She thought of Lexi and immediately felt anger rise in her. Crap, why was she even thinking of Kanyon like this? She had Peter. Fuck, Richard. She had Richard. Okay, she could have Richard if she wanted him. She’d tried to break things off two weeks ago, but he asked her to think about it before she completely cut him out of her life. Kanyon dropped her hand and Daylen could feel it resting against her thigh just as electricity shot through her body, again. She took a deep breath. Yeah, things aren’t looking too good for Richard right now. She took a steadying breath, pushed all other thoughts away, and tried to focus on rendering aid versus pulling Kanyon to her, taking her mouth, and kissing every cut and bruise she’d received trying to protect her. She picked up the washcloth and twisted it slightly so she could dampen it under the faucet. She turned back to Kanyon, avoiding eye contact this time, and began to clean the dried blood from her face, figuring those actions were more in line with the recommendations of the Red Cross instead of the kiss therapy her lips wanted to render.
Kanyon dropped her eyes to Daylen’s lips. She had never wanted to kiss someone so desperately. It was impossible to ignore the attraction she had for Daylen, especially when they were so close. She’d fought the desire for years, allowing it to only show on the set as attraction between Artemisia and Freya. But this was Daylen in front of her, caring for her, touching her so softly. She closed her eyes, trying to distance herself, trying to defuse the yearning pulsing through her.
Daylen let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She was thankful Kanyon was tired and had closed her eyes because she wasn’t sure her resolve would’ve held much longer under Kanyon’s gaze. She reached over and ran the washcloth under the warm water, watching as Kanyon’s blood ran down the drain. Her heart ached. She shook off the guilt and reached for a small butterfly Band-Aid, putting a dab of antibiotic gel on it before placing it on the cut over Kanyon’s eye. Again, she was glad Kanyon’s eyes were closed. She was too vulnerable and Kanyon’s steel blue eyes were too powerful, too alluring, and too tempting. She needed to focus on something else. Kanyon had a cut on her lower lip so she picked up the wet washcloth again, rinsed it, and focused her attention on Kanyon’s mouth. She sighed deeply. Bad plan, very bad plan. Of the long list of desirable and attractive things about Kanyon, her all too tempting mouth was only second to her eyes. She paused unknowingly while she stared at Kanyon’s mouth.
“Problem?” Kanyon asked, her eyes back open and searching Daylen’s face.
No, no problem. Problems would be more accurate. Your eyes are a problem, your mouth is a problem, and the fact that I want you desperately is quickly becoming a huge problem. “No,” was the only word Daylen was capable of uttering.
Kanyon watched as Daylen took the washcloth gently to her mouth. She was surprised to see the emotions playing across Daylen’s face. Unless she was completely wrong or projecting, she felt certain Daylen was fighting the same unexplained attraction. Kanyon’s heart stumbled and that familiar passion began to escalate in her core.
Daylen finally set aside the washcloth. “I still think you might need a stitch or two,” she reported, trying to avoid Kanyon’s assessing eyes.
“I’ll be fine.”
“We still need to check your ribs, see if any of them are broken.” God, why am I torturing myself? I can barely restrain myself as it is, there is no way I can … She pictured Kanyon’s bare stomach and her hands roaming ... No, this is definitely not a good idea.
Kanyon became amused as she watched realization then discomfort parade across Daylen’s face. Kanyon’s lips curled in a sly grin as she became more confident there just might be mutual attraction, mutual struggles, and mutual uneasiness with that attraction. At the moment, though, she wanted to forgo the unease and struggle to focus purely on the attraction. Call her masochistic or just really curious, but she wanted to see which of Daylen’s feelings, attraction or discomfort, would win out.
“Examine away, Doc,” Kanyon said not making any move to lift or unbutton her shirt.
There was something in Kanyon’s tone. Before Kanyon could mask it, Daylen saw the little flash of … She narrowed her gaze. Kanyon knows ... and is challenging me. So, does that mean Kanyon’s not opposed to … A thrill of excitement and possibility shot through her but she couldn’t shake the feeling something else was going on. Kanyon raised an eyebrow. Yep, definitely a challenge. Two can play at this game.
Daylen wrapped her calves around Kanyon and pulled her closer. She saw the blaze of surprise in Kanyon’s eyes before she was able to extinguish it. Daylen took the top button of Kanyon’s shirt in her fingers. Her confidence wavered momentarily at the memory of Dex doing the same to this very button only a few hours ago. She paused, glancing up to gauge if Kanyon was also associating her current actions with Dex’s earlier violation. Kanyon answered with an easy smile, lifting a hand to the button, and helping Daylen release it.
It took Daylen a slow second to get her hands working again, taking her time as she unbuttoned the rest of Kanyon’s shirt. Finished, she let out the breath she’d been holding before she looked back up to meet Kanyon’s unwavering gaze. It could have been her
exhaustion or the intoxicating effect of the woman standing in front of her, but she could’ve sworn she’d seen electricity illuminate in the dark blue of Kanyon’s eyes. It was probably just the overhead lights playing in her eyes. She broke their gaze before she wouldn’t be able to and refocused on the task at hand, Kanyon’s injuries.
She took in Kanyon’s exposed chest and stomach. Her eyes moved slowly over Kanyon’s simple black bra which was cupping her modest, but perfect breasts. She may not be causing electricity in Kanyon’s eyes, but Kanyon was definitely causing serious amperage in her body. Her gaze moved down to Kanyon’s lean, toned … she dropped her legs from around Kanyon’s waist. “Oh my God! Kanyon, your stomach!”
Kanyon knew she was in shape and there had been hundreds of photos showing off that fact, but Daylen’s reaction was a little over the top.
Daylen pushed Kanyon back to arms reach and leaned in to examine her more closely. Kanyon had a dark reddening bruise approximately six inches wide spanning the entire width of her stomach.
Kanyon looked down at Daylen and caught sight of the injury. She sighed. “Damn. Guess he landed a good one.”
Daylen reached out tentatively and lightly ran her fingertips over Kanyon’s discolored skin. An intense energy flowed through Kanyon at Daylen’s touch, causing her to flinch.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Daylen apologized, jerking her hand away quickly.
“No, it didn’t …” Daylen’s touch hadn’t hurt, it was the opposite actually. It was a momentary surge of relief, a second in which all the pain disappeared and the feeling was so surreal it had caught her off guard.
“Let’s get you in bed. Why don’t you change and I’ll clean up here.” Daylen hurriedly jumped off the counter and started gathering up the supplies and rinsing out the bloody washcloth.
Kanyon wanted to stop her, wanted to pull her back. She’d liked being close to Daylen, wanted her hands back on her. Daylen shuffled around nervously. There was uneasy air in the room now and the opportunity to recapture the moment had passed. She swallowed a groan of disappointment and left the bathroom to change.
As soon as Kanyon left Daylen dropped her head, placing both hands on the sink to try and steady herself. How had she let this happen? She’d dealt with the loss of Kanyon after the show ended. Well okay, mostly dealt with it. Kanyon routinely fell into her thoughts throughout the day, but she was moving on, letting go of the idea of a real- life, off screen romance between her and Kanyon. That had been easier when she didn’t have to actually see her, but then yesterday at the Comic-Con her resolve had shattered at first sight. Well, more compromised really. It would be okay to see her every once in a while and maintain a casual friendship. She should have known better, less than twenty-four hours together and her attraction and desire for Kanyon was at a boiling point. Literally. She felt like she was on fire, like someone flipped a switch electrifying every nerve ending in her body. She had to reel herself back in, ground herself and her feelings. This wouldn’t be good for Kanyon. She wouldn’t let Kanyon get hurt again because she got wrapped up in her crazy life. And if she was being honest, she couldn’t see her heart surviving being hurt by Kanyon. Take care of her, get her in bed, and then walk away, she ordered herself.
Daylen walked into the bedroom just as Kanyon was pulling a tank top over her head and down her bare torso. Daylen’s heart and libido raced. Take care of her, get her in bed, and … maybe walk away later.
Kanyon walked over to her bed and dropped exhaustedly into its fluffy folds. Daylen followed, sitting on the edge next to her.
“Rough night,” Daylen stated.
“Rough night,” Kanyon agreed adding the emotional roll coaster to the night’s roughness category.
Kanyon’s eyes were closed and Daylen took the opportunity to take in the cuts and bruises on her face and the deep reddish bruise partially exposed under her shirt. As her eyes roamed over Kanyon, she felt the tears start to form. They spilled as the evening’s scene began replaying; Kanyon getting punched, knocked to the ground, and kicked all while trying to save her. The tears thickened as she knew she had to say good-bye.
“Kanyon, I’m so sorry you were hurt because of me.”
Kanyon opened her eyes, already sensing the tears. “Hey.” She laid a hand on Daylen’s arm. “It’s not your fault.” When she didn’t get a reply, she pushed herself up. “There’s no need to …” She wiped a tear as it slipped from Daylen’s eye.
“You were hurt protecting me.”
“I was hurt ‘cause I’m kind of mouthy and those guys are assholes.” She wiped another tear. “Don’t do that please. I’m not good with this stuff. I … here.” She wrapped an arm around Daylen’s shoulders. “Come here.” Kanyon pulled Daylen to her. “This always worked for Artemisia and Freya.” She leaned back until they were both laying back on the bed.
Daylen smiled through her tears as she adjusted to curl up against Kanyon, laying her head on Kanyon’s chest just over her heart.
Kanyon began to slowly stroke Daylen’s hair with one hand and found Daylen’s hand with the other. She laid it across her battered and bruised stomach, not flinching this time at the sensations shooting through her.
Daylen found comfort in the slow rise and fall of Kanyon’s chest and rhythmic beat of her heart. They laid together, neither one speaking, lost in the feelings of how right it felt to be holding each other, relishing the comfort they found there.
Daylen’s thoughts drifted back to the night on the balcony and waking up the next day alone in her bed, thinking this could have been a much better ending to that story. They had never spoken about that night. She hadn’t seen Kanyon again for nearly a year, until she got the part of Freya on The Dark Savior series. She accepted the role unaware Kanyon had been cast as Queen Artemisia. The day casting was announced, she was excited and nervous to see her again. When they finally met on the set, Daylen planned to thank her at the first chance she had, but when they were introduced Kanyon hadn’t acted like she remembered Daylen so she let it go, figuring it was better to bring it up later when they had more of an opportunity to talk without so many people fluttering around. She tried several times over the next few weeks to catch Kanyon alone but every time, Kanyon would be with someone or get distracted by something, taking her off in the opposite direction. As more time passed, it felt increasingly awkward to just bring it up out of the blue. So, for the five years they worked together the “thank you” went unspoken. Knowing this was likely the last time she’d ever see Kanyon, she couldn’t let it go unsaid any longer.
“Kanyon, thank you for saving me tonight and ...” she paused briefly then continued in a softer voice laced with underlying guilt, “… for saving me so many years ago. I’m sorry for not saying anything before now. I wanted to …” frustrated she was making a mess of things, she rushed on “… but it was obvious that you didn’t remember me and then later I could never catch you alone. There just never seemed like a good time or a good way to bring this up … I’m … I’m ah, well I was the dumb blonde on the balcony that night with Trevor Smithson.” She fought back the tears. “I knew this whole time it was you that came to my rescue after he drugged me. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you wouldn’t have been there. So, I want to say thank you for that night and for this one.”
Kanyon lay silent. She’d always known it was Daylen. She remembered all too clearly seeing Daylen enter the party that night while she had been trying to keep up her shroud of politeness with a group of people who were drowning her with mindless dribble and praise. But then something inside her drew her attention to the entryway. When she looked up, she met Daylen’s eyes as a jolt of emotion shot through her. She’d had no explanation for her body’s reaction. Daylen was stunning of course, but she hadn’t ever had such a raw, overpowering reaction to anyone before, be it a woman or a man. She caught herself actively searching for Daylen, trying to catch glimpses of her throughout the night. It had been during one of her visual hunts
that she saw Trevor put something into a drink then take it out to the balcony where he handed it to Daylen. She also remembered the overwhelming protective urge that overtook her entire body. It coursed through her as if it was alive, ignited by an emotion that she refused to name. It happened again tonight when Daylen was in danger. Only this time she feared she knew the emotion that was driving the need to protect.
Her heart ached at Daylen’s words. She all too clearly remembered the day Daylen walked on The Dark Savior set and how her body reacted when they were introduced. Kanyon knew she had been the reason the opportunity to discuss the incident never came, because she hadn’t trusted herself to be alone with Daylen. She had thought about Daylen, day in and day out for months after the incident. She’d even driven by her apartment several times in hopes to catch a quick glimpse of her again. She stopped after she’d made an excuse to be in the area twice in the same day, knowing she was one drive-by away from having to be called by her first, middle, and last name, buying a blacked-out van, a good pair of Bushnells and having to register her address at the Police Department. But then Daylen walked right into her world. She’d hidden her mental, physical, and emotional reactions to seeing Daylen and pretended not to recognize her. She figured Daylen had been too drugged to remember what had happened, and plus what was she going to say to her? “Hey, I’m the one that kicked Trevor’s balls up his throat before he had a chance to take advantage of you. Oh and by the way, seeing you sends weird volts of electricity through my body as if I’m holding hands with an electric fence and standing in a puddle while chewing on a mouthful of tinfoil.”
“Kanyon?” Daylen asked softly.
Kanyon was uncomfortable with Daylen’s thank you. She didn’t need thanks, didn’t want it. It was just what she did. What I am supposed to do? She didn’t know what that meant, but that was the way it felt. She didn’t know how to respond or what to say so she took the easy route, Avoidance Boulevard, a road she was oh so familiar with. She just laid silent, pretending to have fallen asleep.
