“Nothing...Is everything all right?” Rae reached out and took Delaney’s hand.
“Yeah fine, it was my father wondering if I wanted to have supper. Told him I was away for work and he’d have to wait. He’s used to it, seems like the only time he manages to get a hold of me is when I’m away. How you guys making out?”
Rae ran her thumb over Del’s knuckles. “We’re good. You ready for breakfast?”
“I am so ready for breakfast. I’m starved, though I can’t imagine why,” she gave Raelin a sly smile, reaching up to brush some stray hair out of her face.
“I think that I heard the reason why around three this morning,” Jenny teased the blonde, wondering how she would take it.
Del’s head whipped around to look at Jenny, but she smiled when she saw the teasing look in her eyes. “Yes, well what can I say, she’s a good student,” she replied, knowing Rae would understand her meaning.
Blushing, Rae coughed and stuttered out, “Let’s just say that I was inspired and leave it at that. Will you be okay by yourself for a while?”
“Yeah, go have breakfast with your Detective. I’m getting tired anyways. I really hate this whole, sleeping for most of the day thing,” she answered, smiling indulgently. She really was happy for her friend. Rae deserved a little slice of good, after all the bad.
Rae turned and headed towards the kitchen with Del following close behind. As they were about to pass the washer, Rae whirled around and pinned Del against the machine, unbuttoning the shirt that she was wearing so that she could place her hands against the blonde’s breasts. “I just have to touch you.”
Del couldn’t help the whimper that escaped her lips as Raelin touched her. “You’re bad,” she whispered kissing the taller woman lightly. “You keep this up and Jenny is going to hear way more than she bargained for” even as she spoke, she was running her own hands across Raelin’s slim waist, the tips of her fingers, inching under the denim.
Rori squeezed out of Jenny’s slightly opened door and mewed. Rae turned her head, and glared at him before she bent her knees slightly and picked Del up to place her on top of the washer. “You gotta be quiet all right?”
Del could only nod as she came alive under Raelin’s hands. She wrapped her legs around Rae’s waist, drawing her as close as she could, her hands tangling in dark silky hair. “I’ll try.”
Kissing the blonde seemed like a good way to keep the blonde quiet as one hand played with a breast while the other hand slipped inside of the sweatpants she was wearing to find the warmth that she was craving. Sliding inside, she quickly brought the blonde to the edge, knowing that Jenny might call out. Rae knew that she was acting brazen, and that this was totally out of character for her, but she had never been in love before and the knowledge that she had the ability to give someone pleasure in turn brought her a pleasure that she couldn’t describe.
Moving her mouth away so that they could breathe, she whispered, “I want to watch your eyes as you cum so you must keep quiet. Okay?” She pulled her head back farther and almost came herself at the sight of Del panting in her embrace.
Del gasped for breath, straining her hips in an attempt to get more contact. She was so close, and her senses had narrowed to the sensation of Rae moving inside her. She locked her deep green gaze with Raelin’s, trying to keep her eyes open as Rae pushed her closer and closer to her release.
Curling her fingers and rubbing her thumb over Del’s clit, Rae felt something that was as close to an electrical jolt as the blonde came; her hips keeping in time with Rae’s thrusts. The brunette watched as Del’s normally pale green eyes turned as dark as the mint in her garden.
It took everything Del had not to scream her lovers name as she came crashing over the edge, her entire body locking as every nerve in her body fired at once. Eventually her body relaxed and she slumped forward into Rae, a boneless heap, gasping for breath and unable to do more than mutter a few broken syllables.
Slowing her thrusts, Rae pulled out and was about to wipe her hand on her jeans, when she brought it up and licked it clean, moaning at the taste. Turning her head, she whispered in Del’s ear, “I love the way that you taste.”
Del felt her thighs clench at the words and had to fight the urge to turn them around and take Raelin on the spot, but the brunette deserved better than a one off against a dryer. “You don’t play fair; this is twice now you’ve let me take without giving back,” she panted against Raelin’s shoulder, her breathing still not quite evened out.
Placing tiny kisses over the blonde’s face, Rae murmured. “I didn’t know that we were keeping score. I am loving you the best way I know how, and you’re loving me back by allowing me.”
“Not keeping score, just wanting you to feel as good as I do right now,” the blonde sighed, enjoying the feeling of someone doting on her. It had been so long since she had anyone to care for, and this was so much more intense than anything she had felt before.
“I do feel as good as you Del...I’ve never known this type of joy before, and I want...I want it to last for as long as it can,” smiling, Rae took a small step back, and started buttoning up Del’s shirt.
Del let Raelin’s fingers work the buttons on her shirt while she stretched the stiff muscles in her legs, her toes curling. “For what it’s worth, nothing I’ve ever felt before compares to this. So, in a way it’s new to me too, and I want it to last just as long as you do.”
Ducking her head, Raelin smiled. “So how about some breakfast, I can reheat everything?”
“Sounds divine. It seems like I’ve worked up an appetite.” Del made to slide off the washer, now that she was sure her knees would actually hold her.
A Chapter 11 a
Going into the kitchen, the brunette tossed the now cold eggs away and scrambled some fresh ones, as she warmed up the bacon. Dishing out the food, she placed a plate in front of Del. “Here you go,” sitting down across from her, she took a bite of her eggs. “Did Jenny tell you anything that could help you find out who’s behind this?”
“Thanks, this smell so good.” Del took a few bites, savoring the taste before answering the witch’s question. “She told me everything, but the names of the men who did it. I asked her if she would know them If I showed her pictures and she told me she could do better than that and draw it out. I think we’ll be able to put them away with Jenny as a witness. The only problem is if we move too soon, we won’t have the evidence we need on the Kingsleys.”
Chewing thoughtfully, Rae took a moment before she asked. “Could you have their bank to perform an audit on their finances? I mean, they have to have money coming in from something. They have been paying their taxes, so what is their source? Arthur Senior is the one that had the money, so I don’t know how Regina and Junior are getting by. He manages the family furniture store in town and she doesn’t work.”
Finishing her eggs and moving to her ham, Del flashed a smile at Rae. “You’re a genius. Sadly, I don’t have the authority to get a bank audit on my clients. Luckily, I know someone who does. All we will need to figure out is why the townies are helping. It just doesn’t make sense why an entire town would let themselves be mixed up in smuggling humans.”
Leaning back in her chair, Rae looked up at the ceiling in thought. “Why does anyone do something that they don’t want to do? One is that they are in it for the money and they don’t care about the consequences. Two could be that someone has something over them and they are made to. Or three ...I don’t know the third.”
“The third option is that they are sick bastards and lucky I’m not prone to fits of violence,” Del growled, taking her frustration out on an unsuspecting piece of ham. “I should have figured this out by now; the evidence has been so glaringly obvious that it’s frightening. Either they want me to catch them or they are idiots.”
“Darlin’, you’ve made more headway in three days than...other people that you haven’t told me about. On the other hand, I don’t think that these guys are idiots. I
think that they just think that they are above the law.” As soon as she said that, Rae’s eyes went wide. “You don’t think...”
“I’m fairly certain the Chief is in on whatever is going on. A few years ago when the first bunch of girls went missing, the local cops were called in. Somehow, all of the searches were called off soon after they started. I guess the reasoning was that nothing had been found. In addition, Brito’s been re-elected several times, with the support of the Kingsleys. Your Chief’s personality also shows that he’s arrogant, meaning he thinks he’s invincible. I’d like to show him otherwise, but he doesn’t play fair. He was serious when he told me I wouldn’t see the inside of a courtroom if I were arrested. He’d probably have me silenced because I’ve seen too much,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest, an obvious sign of her growing frustration with the whole situation.
Rae got up from the table, went around, and pulled Del’s chair back a bit so that she could sit in the blonde’s lap. “I won’t let anything happen to you Delaney. I’ll use every bit of power I can find to keep you safe.” She brought up a hand to caress the Detective’s face.
“As much as I appreciate that, it’s not me I’m worried about. It’s all of the girls, who are sitting waiting for someone to save them that I worry about. The longer it takes me to figure this all out the longer they have to go through what Jenny did. It’s something small I’m missing. I can feel it. I always get these feelings, and they never lead me astray, but I just feel so helpless. I can’t do anything until I find that last tiny piece. I’m just so tired of all of this.” Del finally let her frustration, anger, and exhaustion take over, and she wrapped her arms around Rae, burying her face in the woman’s neck. She felt safe enough with this woman to let this exposed side of her out, knowing if she fell apart, Rae would only build her back up, stronger than before.
Running her hands up Del’s back, Rae concentrated on projecting a calm lake with a duck swimming lazy circles. “It’s okay. Everything will come to you when it is supposed to. If you force it, it just makes it harder on you.”
After a few deep breaths, Del was finally able to pull away, somewhat calmer, but now more determined than ever. “Thank you for that, I’m sorry I got all emotional on you. I think I’m going to run into town and meet up with my contact. I want you to stay here. After what happened last night, I don’t want you in town. You are safer here with your wards, and I would imagine the tainted energy of the lines in town drain you faster than using the lines out here would.”
Running her fingers underneath the blonde’s chin, Rae leaned down to place a gentle kiss on berry colored lips. “And how exactly do you know this?” She smiled with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“I’m not sure actually. When I first got to town, as soon as I stepped foot onto the pavement, it was like a current ran up my body. It felt heavy and dark, but it settled down into this like mild hum almost, in the back of my head. I don’t notice it unless I try. The feeling out here, is light and airy, like how I felt the first time, you touched me. Is that just because the lines here are so old and well established? Can’t everyone feel them that way, anyways? It’s kind of hard to miss,” the blonde replied, frowning slightly as she tried to work it out in her head.
Smiling, the witch shook her head. “No, only sensitive people can feel the lines, and you are very in tuned to their harmonics, just as you are in tune with me. You and I balance each other perfectly.”
“Is that how I can always tell when you’ve used them? I don’t understand; I’m not a witch.” Del’s brow furrowed, as she thought. Being a P.I., she really was used to having logical explanations for everything, especially regarding herself. “I thought everyone felt the same thing I did.”
“Yes, that’s the reason. You say that you feel things. How do you feel them? Do you see images? Is it a gut feeling?” Rae was curious, as she never had talked about someone else’s feelings other than her own family, so that didn’t count.
“I don’t see things, I just...I don’t know how to explain it,” she shook her head, frustrated at her inability to explain how she felt. “It’s like, a little voice in my head, telling me something isn’t right, like I have a conscience on my shoulder. Sometimes it’s like a gut feeling and I just know. Know where someone is hiding or at the very least where to start looking. I always thought it was normal. Maybe that’s all it is. Maybe I really do just have great instincts; it doesn’t mean I’m a witch, Raelin.” The blonde wasn’t entirely sure what to make of this conversation. She was more than a little confused and wasn’t sure if she liked the idea of being magically inclined.
Taking a deep breath, Rae tried to explain. “I didn’t say that you are a witch. Some people are called Empathes. They notice emotions, vibes...whatever you want to call it, but they listen to it and then they act on it. Just like musicians can feel when they hear a chord of music whether or not it works in the song; you see things like a puzzle, and you’re trying to find the pieces that fit. We fit you and me. We’re not forcing it. We came together naturally. Does that make more sense?”
“Your explanation makes sense, and I agree with you about us. I don’t know if I want to be an Empath or whatever. I didn’t ask for this. How did this even happen?” she asked, resting her forehead against Raelin’s chin.
“When did you start having these feelings?” Raelin asked quietly.
“You sound like a shrink,” Del snapped, not really angry at Rae, but then yet again, things were slipping out of her control. She let out a sigh, her arms pulling Raelin tighter, drawing strength from the taller woman’s presence. Breathing in the scent of her witch, she thought back, trying to remember. “I think I was ten maybe. I can’t remember well, I just know it was after the accident.”
“You said that your grandmother knew about the ley lines. Maybe she was a sensitive like you and she passed her gift onto you when she passed over. She knew that she wouldn’t be around to protect you as you grew up, so she helped you the only way that she knew how.” The brunette smiled.
“This is a lot to take in all at once and I’m not sure just what to make of it. I need to get into town; the longer I sit around, the longer the townies have to kidnap more girls,” she whispered, trying to get the thoughts running through her head to slow down so she could make sense of them.
Placing her hands on either side of Del’s face, Rae pressed her forehead against the blonde’s, staring into her eyes. “I love you Delaney Delacroix whether or not you’re an Empath, a P.I., or a chicken farmer. Now get your very lovely ass out of my kitchen and over to wherever you need to go, so you can come back home to me.”
Del grinned up at Raelin, the heaviness of the previous conversation falling away in light of Rae’s playful tone. “Thank you, for everything. It means a lot to me that you care so much. Now hop up, so I can get my lovely ass out of your kitchen already,” she tilted her head up, teasing Rae’s full lips, not quite kissing her.
Leaning back, Rae arched an eyebrow. “You’re gonna tease me now?”
“Well, have to give you a reason to miss me don’t I? Besides, we start something like that up and I’ll never get to town before noon and I still need to put some real pants on,” she joked, her fingers following the bumps and dips of Raelin’s spine.
“I miss you already.” Rae got up from her lap and held out her hand. “Go get dressed and I’ll clean up here.”
Del took the other woman’s hand, allowing herself to be pulled out of the chair and to her feet. “I’ll just be a quick sec and then I’ll come down to say good bye. You sure you don’t want a hand? I always end up leaving you a mess to clean.”
“Go, when you get home, I’ll let you clean out the garage.” Rae laughed as she pushed the blonde towards the stairs.
j
After watching Del drive away, Rae stood out on the back porch and thought about how much her life had changed in one day. Someone had declared their love for her, her magic was accepted, and if the moans
, scratches, and swearing meant anything at all; she was one hell of a lover. She was about to turn to go in the she felt a bat against her leg. Looking down she saw a glaring cat.
“Mind explaining what part of ‘be careful’ don’t you understand?” he asked evenly.
“What part of I’m in love don’t YOU understand?” Rae shot back.
“I know you love her Raelin; I can feel that clear as day. I just want you to be smart about this. You haven't known her that long and you barely know a thing about her. I just think you should slow down maybe and think things through a little.”
Picking up the cat, she held him at eye level. “Have you ever known me to do anything without thinking things through? Haven’t I always done exactly what was expected of me? Now I’m doing something for myself because Del makes me feel good, and she hasn’t even touched me yet. I’m still the same woman I was a week ago, I just have someone to love. That’s all,” she put the cat down in a rocking chair and turned away.
“I just don’t want to see you hurt. What happens when all this is over and she goes back to her home? What then? I’ll be the one who has to pick up the pieces and try to put you back together. I don’t want that for you,” he mewled at her, his concern evident. “I’m just trying to spare you the hurt.”
Hanging her head, Rae knew that Rori just wanted what was best for her. Turning back, she knelt in front of the chair and scratched her familiar behind his ears. “I can’t spend my life not doing something because I might get hurt. It’s not good for me as a person or a witch. I have to know the pain before I can appreciate the pleasure. That’s why I haven’t let her touch me. I need to learn to give love before I receive it.”
“You haven’t let her touch you? You mean that you...I have a hard time believing she hasn’t touched you. She seems pretty hands on to me. By the way, please give advance warning before you do it in a public area,” he sighed.
Insight Page 16
