Del could feel her body tiring and knew if she didn’t get up soon, she was going to fall asleep. She cuddled close to Raelin, desperately wanting to linger in this moment, but knowing that falling asleep mostly naked in the office would not be good. She pressed gentle kisses against Raelin’s lips before she pulled back to look at her.
“You know, I feel completely exhausted, but refreshed and rested at the same time. We probably should get back out to the others, we’ve been in here a while and now that I can hear Rori; I’d rather not give him an excuse to complain. Besides, I believe I promised you something about you, me a bed, and no cell phones. The sooner we get some work done, the sooner I can take you to bed and have my way with you,” she paused, just looking into the dark eyes of her lover. “I love you so much. I don’t think I can put it into words properly, but I do. I hope you know that.”
Holding her detectives face, Raelin gazed into her eyes and smiled. “Words are fleeting, actions last forever. I know that you love me, and I hope that you know that I love you.” Leaning forward, she kissed the berry colored lips lightly, and with reverence.
“You keep this up and we’re never going to leave this room,” whispered Del, running her fingers through the dark waves falling over Raelin’s shoulders. “Anything you want to do today?”
Grinning, Raelin answered, “We just did it, but we can do it again later if you want,” she wiggled her eyebrows before turning serious once more. “What exactly can I do to help you with this case?”
“I just need you, to be you. You’ve done more to help me then you’ll ever know. If it hadn’t been for you, we would have never gotten our fingers on the deed and map. Now, I want you to just relax, and let us handle things. I know you would never admit it, but I know you’re still sore, and I think you just need to take it easy from now on. Let us do the dirty work. Besides, I think Jasper is going to be able to convince Amelia to come out here. She’ll need the support you can give them.”
Sighing, Raelin decided that Del was right and opened her arms so that the blonde could finally stand up. Once the witch was on her feet, she watched with rapt interest as the smaller woman dressed. “I love watching you dress and undress just not sure which one I like more...I take that back, yes I do.”
Del tossed a saucy grin over her shoulder as she finished buttoning her shirt. “I think I’ve created a monster. I’ll have to start working out more just to keep up with you.”
“You mean that wasn’t a workout enough for you...I’m gonna have to try harder.” Walking up behind her, Raelin wrapped her arms about her waist, while kissing her neck. Humming, she whispered, “Thank you for coming into my life. I didn’t realize what was missing until you.”
“Well, you gotta be in shape in my line of work,” she tipped her head to the side to give Raelin more room to play. “And that goes double for me. I always considered myself a happy person, and I still do, it’s just, now I feel complete. Like I’ll be able to be so much better than I was; you make me want to be better. Does that make sense?”
Nibbling on the peaches and cream neck, Rae murmured, “Perfect...you might want to get out of here. I’m ready to take you all over again.”
Del laughed and turned to plant a firm kiss on Raelin’s lips before she headed for the door, her fingers firmly entwined with the witch’s. She entered the kitchen to find Jenny smirking mischievously and Rori, giving the feline equivalent of a scowl. “So, what’s the plan for today?” Del asked trying to hide her blush.
“Imagining what you two are doing behind closed doors is not high on the list, but seems that it is something I must learn to endure,” Rori dryly commented.
“Well, at least she waited until we were behind closed doors this time,” Del thought back, sipping innocently at the juice she’d poured.
Covering her face with her hands, Raelin headed into the living room to relax for a few moments. Del had been right; she was still sore and as much as their lovemaking was energizing, now she was beginning to feel the effects. Lying on the sofa, she sighed as she closed her eyes.
Del watched her go, realizing the Raelin probably wanted a moment or two to herself to relax. She turned to the woman still sitting at the table grinning. “What?”
Jenny held up her hands innocently. “Don’t look at me. I’m glad that you’re both happy.”
“Well thank you. I think I’m going to go work in the living room. Do you want anything? Anything you want to do today, provided we don’t need to leave the house to do it?”
“House arrest...how fun. No, do you think that Jasper will be able to talk my mom into coming over here?” Jenny started to look nervous.
“I think he will. Your mom was very worried about you. I think he’ll make sure she knows you’re here, without actually saying you are. He’s sneaky like that,” she squeezed the young woman’s shoulder trying to comfort her as best she could.
Standing up, the younger woman headed to her room. “I’m going to take a bath then. Do you think that the Agents will be coming back out here today?”
“Not until later. It will be a while before they can jump all the hoops the bank is going to put in front of them to get the records. That’s why I sent them to do it. Because you and Raelin still need rest, and quite frankly Sumners was pissing me off.”
The young brunette smiled. “I would have never guessed. I personally thought that Raelin was going to fireball him.”
“I’m not sure what to make of that. She seems pretty well composed, but I’ve seen her mad all right. I’ve even been on the receiving end. Not pretty. I’ll just be in the living room if you need anything. Raelin is probably resting on the couch so that’s where you can find us if you need to.”
Grinning, Jenny quipped, “I’ll knock before I come in.”
Del just grinned over her shoulder as she headed to the Jeep to retrieve her laptop. Grabbing it, she headed to the living room and started to get comfy.
Seeing Raelin lying with her eyes closed, she decided not to disturb her, and set her laptop on the coffee table. She took a seat on the floor in front of couch, leaning against it to work. She pulled the coffee table within reach and powered the laptop up intending to do some research on AJ. Hopefully, she’d find something of use.
Even though Raelin didn’t open her eyes; she knew that her detective was in the room with her. Her own body began the thrum when the blonde was close by. Reaching out her hand, it touched the blonde’s shoulder and her fingers started playing with golden hair.
Del didn’t look away from her screen, but she did lean into the touch. “Tired Darlin’?”
Sighing, Raelin admitted, “A little.”
“How about you get some rest then. I’ll be right here, trying to dig up some skeletons on AJ and Regina. It’s a long shot, but who knows,” she turned her head and kissed the fingers playing with her hair.
With her eyes closed, Raelin was actually reliving the recent session in the office. She couldn’t believe how lustful she was becoming. It shocked her, but she was loving every minute of it. Slowly she drifted off to sleep.
j
Del was getting frustrated; it had been several hours of digging and nothing. She was about to look again when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She’d set it to vibrate when she’d felt Raelin drop off to sleep, she didn’t recognize the number, so she flipped it open and answered quietly. “Delacroix.”
“Missy, this is Jasper...”
“Oh hey Jasper, what can I do ya for?” she asked, leaning her head back against Raelin’s thigh, rubbing at her tired eyes.
“I was wondering if you guys were up to having a guest or two. I’ve talked Amelia to letting Raelin do a reading.”
“Oh that’s great. Raelin’s sleeping right now. Lemme ask and see if she’s up for it. Just a sec okay?” She covered the phone and leaned up to nudge Raelin awake enough to answer. “Hey Rae, you all right with Jasper bringing Amelia up here?”
“That’s not the way that y
ou’re supposed to wake me, but yes,” the brunette mumbled.
“Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you completely. Go back to sleep you have a little while to get some extra rest,” she leaned up and offered a kiss.
Chuckling, Raelin pointed to the phone. “You might want to answer Jasper. I’m sure that he just got an earful of our loving.”
Pouting childishly, Del turned back to her phone call. “Yeah Jasper bring her over. Got an ETA for me? Sleeping Beauty here; might need some time to rejoin the land of the living.”
“She sound awake enough to me, but we’ll be there in thirty. Are you sure that she isn’t Snow White...? Seems to me that Dopey is right next to her,” his laughter could be heard through the phone.
“Watch it old man, I can take you,” she chuckled back.
“Really...I thought that you were now taken...see you in a bit.” And the phone went dead.
Del gave an indignant snort and tossed the now closed phone onto the coffee table. She leaned her head back again, her eyes closed. She hadn’t had much sleep that night and it was starting to catch up. “He says they’ll be here in thirty minutes or so. Get enough rest?”
Sitting up, Raelin let her legs fall on either side of her beloved’s body, and began to massage the blonde’s temples with the pads of her fingers. “I’m good to go, but I think that you need a recharge. I want you to keep your eyes closed for a bit.”
“Mmm, that feels so good. You are a saint,” she moaned.
Leaning close, the witch whispered into her lover’s ear, “What we did before I believe qualifies me as a sinner.”
“No, no, that makes you a Goddess,” she giggled, running one hand over Raelin’s calf under her pant leg.
“Behave Del...I’m concentrating on you right now...did you find out anything?” Rae’s voice drifted down to the blonde’s ears.
“I’ll behave, for now. Later? I make no promises. Please continue though, my head has never felt so good,” she let her head fall back so she could smile up at the woman above her.
Leaning down, the witch placed a gentle kiss on Del’s forehead, nose, and then her lips. “The rest of you feels pretty good to me.”
“Likewise. You think that they’ll wanna take Amelia and Jenny out of town?”
Still rubbing Del’s temples, Raelin was silent for a few minutes. “I don’t know. I would feel better knowing that Jenny is safe, but you know how the F.B.I. is. They wouldn’t know a good idea if it walked up to them and flashed them.”
“That’s why I’m a P.I. I get the job done on my own and save myself the bureaucratic bullshit. Look at this mess; it’s been how many years now?” She paused and then her face split into a wicked smile. “But you know what it means if they take Jenny somewhere?”
“Yeah...that you, me, and Rori have the house to ourselves. Ooo, be still my heart,” Raelin joked.
Del feigned hurt, “What, you don’t like the idea of being in a house with me, all alone, with no one to hear you scream?”
Getting up from the sofa, Raelin stepped over the blonde, turned around and sat astride her. Lifting her shirt, she removed it and tossed it aside. “I want to be with you more than I have ever wanted anything before. I want to have your hands touching me.”
“I take it back, you are so bad,” Del breathed at the sight of Rae’s bare chest and she leaned over to trail kisses from her collarbone to the gentle swell of her breasts.
Raelin shuddered at the first touch of Del’s lips and she had to grab at the blonde’s shoulders to stay vertical. “Ooo, Goddess...don’t stop.”
The blonde’s hands ran up Raelin’s sides, gently brushing the sides of her breasts before moving around to her flat stomach. She ran her thumb along the underside of each one, her lips trailing back up Raelin’s neck before meandering down her jaw and then finally connecting with the silky lips of her lover.
Wrapping her arms around the blonde’s neck, Raelin moaned as her body began to react to what Del was doing. She started to say something when they heard a car pull up to the house. Two pairs of eyes snapped to the clock over the fireplace. “That has to be the fastest thirty minutes in history.” Raelin quickly got up from Del’s lap and pulled on her shirt.
Del let out a hefty string of curses as she stood, reaching out to finger the hem of Raelin’s shirt. “To be continued later though right?”
Wrapping her arms once more around Del’s neck, Raelin kissed her until they both needed air and she answered with a single word, “Yes.”
Car doors slamming got the two women moving a bit faster and they had just made it into the kitchen where they heard a knock on the back door. “Hey...we’re here,” Jasper’s voice drifted in on a breeze.
“Yeah, yeah we’re coming. Hold you’re horse’s old man,” Del chuckled, swinging the door open to let them in. “Hello again Mrs. LeBlanc, good to see you well.”
“Hello Amelia...welcome to my home...why don’t you come into the living room? I think that you will be more comfortable in there.” Raelin walked forward to escort her friend’s mother. “I’m sure that we can help you.”
Del followed into the living room, choosing to stand while the three others sat. “Do you know why Jasper asked you to come out here Miss LeBlanc?”
The older lady looked around the house. Even though her daughter was friends with the witch, she herself had never been to Raelin’s home. “He said that you could help me find my Jenny. At this moment in time, I’m ready to try anything. I just need to know that she’s all right.”
“Amelia, what if I told you that Jenny is nearby and is well. Would you be able to keep it a secret and not let anyone else know?” Raelin knelt next to the woman.
“I’d do anything. I just want her safe, I feel so terrible. If I’d just been honest with her she wouldn’t have run off. If she’s here, please let me see her. I won’t tell a soul I promise.” Amelia felt the tears fall over her cheeks and didn’t even try to stop them.
Raelin nodded to Del. She felt that the blonde deserved to bring the woman her child.
Del left the room and headed to the utility room. She knocked on the door softly before she pushed the door open. Finding the young girl on the bed reading, she smiled softly. “Hey, your mom is here. She’s itching to see you. Think you’re up for it?”
The girl was off the bed as fast as her body allowed it and was through the utility room and the kitchen before Del had a chance to catch up. However when she got to the kitchen, she found the young woman hovering outside the living room doorway. “What if she’s still upset with me?”
“I promise you Jenny, she isn’t upset with you. She never was, she just wants you home safe and sound. She loves you, and doesn’t blame you for what happened; now stop stalling and go see your mom.” Del smiled and gave her a gentle shove into the room.
Amelia’s head snapped up at the movement, and was instantly out of her chair, holding her daughter and both of them were crying.
Del smiled at the sight before she ducked out of the room, wanting to give mother and daughter a few moments to catch up. In all honesty, seeing the reunion had reminded her that she was an outsider in this town and she felt as though she was intruding on a private moment. She headed out to the porch and took a seat on the chair she found there, smiling when Rori joined her. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, the gentle breeze lulling Del into a light doze.
Smiling as the blonde stole out of the room, Raelin went back into the office to look once more at the map. There had to be something that she was missing. After staring at it for a few minutes, she folded it back up and stored it in the secret compartment. As she closed the tiny door, she remembered. Her mother had told her that her father had built her the desk...did that mean that Arthur Kingsley Senior was her father?
Leaning back in her chair, the witch stared out over her garden, trying to figure out how she felt about the revelation. She couldn’t figure out how she felt...hurt, confused...anger bubbled to the surface when sh
e thought of how many time she had talked with the man, and he had never let on.
Shaking her head, she got up to find Del. Walking into the kitchen, she caught sight of her on the back porch, stretched out on a lounge chair, fast asleep with Rori sitting on a table next to her. She smiled at what she was beginning to think as her new family.
Del floated out of the mild doze she’d been enjoying, concern written on her face. She’d been enjoying the warm sun when she’d felt a pang in her chest, followed closely by anger before both faded. Looking in the window, she found Raelin looking at her and she could see the subtle signs that her lover was hurting. She caught the woman’s attention and patted her lap, indicating that Raelin should join her
Catching Del’s request, Raelin went out onto the porch, but instead of sitting in her lover’s lap, she sat in her favorite rocking chair. Taking a deep breath, she turned to her familiar and asked. “Did you know that Arthur Senior is my father?”
Del noticed Rori’s eyes widen and realized that Raelin was talking with him and purposely blocking her from hearing. Knowing Raelin would tell her whatever it was when she was ready, Del offered the woman a smile to let her know she understood and closed her eyes to continue dozing in the afternoon sun.
“No. I don’t know who your father is and what on this green earth would give you that idea?” Rori sputtered
“You’ve been with me since before Momma died, and I thought that maybe she would have told you. I just figured it out myself. I was putting away the map, and I remembered that Momma said that my father had made her that desk and since the maps hadn’t been touched in years, that led me to believe that he is my father.” Leaning her head back against the chair, the brunette sighed. “It just makes sense now. Whenever they would see each other in public, Momma would get all flustered and then go very quiet, he would disappear. He was ashamed of me...that’s the only thing I can think of.”
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