by Radclyffe
Thinking about it over and over is not going to change what happened. Only seeing her again, trying again, will help. And that seemed unlikely to happen. She had not seen Dane since that night, despite her hope that Dane would appear at Leathers.
Kyle sighed, lit her second cigarette of the day, and was reminded of her lost lighter. It still aggravated her to be parted from it. Relaxing in the heat of the late afternoon, she lost track of time until the sudden sight of a familiar figure approaching the ring brought her upright in surprise. An announcement was made, but she lost the words in the wind. Dane’s figure, however, was unmistakable.
She wore black jeans and a short-sleeved, open-collared white shirt. Close to her side was a very handsome, heavily muscled dog. Kyle watched, her attention divided between the beautiful animal and Dane’s equally beautiful face, as Dane put the animal through some preliminary maneuvers. The crowd murmured with appreciation at the dog’s split-second responses to Dane’s commands. Even from a distance, it was clear that Dane controlled him purely by hand signals.
The dog remained in place, tensely alert, as Dane walked slowly away. Kyle observed a man enter the far side of the ring and rapidly approach Dane from behind, his raised arm wielding a short club, poised as if to strike. Kyle’s heart sped up as alarm coursed threw her. At a signal from Dane, the dog instantly attacked. Kyle drew a sharp breath as the dog raced toward the man, only to exhale quickly as the powerful animal drew up short between the stranger and Dane. He held the man at bay with threatening growls and short rushes toward him, but he never touched him. At Dane’s command, the dog slowly herded the intruder toward the judges’ table, whereupon Dane called him back to her side.
The sound of applause drifted to Kyle as Dane then walked to the side of the ring and returned with a heavy protective garment covering her left arm. At yet another signal from his master, the dog launched himself ferociously at her, all semblance of restraint gone. Kyle shuddered as Dane’s slender body rocked from the shock of contact. The dog clamped heavy jaws around her arm as he brought his considerable weight to bear, pulling savagely against her. Their struggle seemed endless as woman and dog joined in a contest of strength and will. Then, as quickly as it had begun, it was over. Dane raised her right arm, and the dog immediately released to sit with his eyes fixed on Dane’s face. She praised him with a vigorous pat on his solid shoulder as she led him from the ring.
Without considering the wisdom of her actions, Kyle stood and hurried down the hill toward the ring. She walked up to Dane just as she was finishing a conversation with one of the judges.
“That was very impressive,” Kyle said softly as the judge turned back to the ring.
Dane’s brows rose in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“Just happened to be in the neighborhood?”
“Uh-huh.” Dane smiled, but her eyes were cool blue slate. “Way out here?”
Kyle shrugged. “Actually, Caroline mentioned the show last week after one of our group meetings.”
Dane grimaced. “Still going to those, huh?”
“When I can.”
“Learning anything?” Dane asked, starting to walk away. Kyle followed.
“Some. You’d be surprised at the things that women think about—and do, for that matter.”
“Would I?” Dane stopped to look at Kyle. “There’s not much I haven’t seen.”
“Oh, I’m sure of that.” Kyle was not intimidated by Dane’s curtness. “I only meant to suggest that a lot of women who might never act on their feelings about power nevertheless do think about it. And recognize some of those same elements in their own lives.”
“Great,” Dane replied, reaching for a cigarette. “I’m so happy that more women appreciate my lifestyle.” As she lit her cigarette, she was startled by Kyle’s quick grasp on her wrist.
“That’s my lighter.” Kyle’s voice was sharp, more with surprise than anger.
“I know.” Dane stared at the black and gold lighter in her hand, then nonchalantly dropped it into Kyle’s palm. “You left it upstairs at Encounters when we were there.”
“Why did you keep it?”
“I don’t know—a souvenir? My bedpost is already full.” Because it’s yours and it’s all I have.
Kyle jerked as if struck, quickly searching Dane’s face with dark, angry eyes and finding only the blank wall she’d come to expect. “You son of a bitch.” She turned her back and started away.
Dane looked after her for a split second, then called out before she had a chance to think. “Kyle, wait!”
When Kyle turned back, Dane saw that her face was pale. Fuck, Jorgensen, what is wrong with you? It’s not her fault.
“Look, I’m sorry.” Dane wanted to explain that it had soothed her just to reach in her pocket and find that small memory of Kyle there. She just couldn’t bring herself to say the words.
Kyle sighed and walked back. “Why do I feel like you’re always trying to push me away? Do I have to humiliate myself by telling you I want to see you?”
Dane continued staring straight ahead, acutely aware of Kyle’s body so close to her own. “I thought you’d have other things to occupy your time by now.”
“Do you think I spend all of my time looking for a bed partner?” Kyle asked quietly, determined, this time, to get through to this woman.
“When you aren’t busy fighting off the offers.” Dane laughed.
Kyle laughed, too. “I do go out—mostly just to see if what I’ve been thinking about feels real to me when I’m actually living it. But I don’t need to sleep with someone to find that out.”
“Jesus.” Dane sighed as she put Troy into his crate in the van. “You think way too much, Kyle.”
“Sometimes. Are you done here today?”
“Just waiting for Caroline and Anne to come back.”
“Tell them you’re leaving with me. Come to my place.” Kyle surprised herself with her own words, but she knew she wanted more from Dane than occasional sex. “I’ll make dinner.”
“Today?” Dane’s voice rose in surprise.
“Right now.”
Dane laughed and shook her head. “Why do you think I’d want to do that?”
“I don’t.” Kyle held her gaze. “I just know I want you to.”
Unable to read anything in Kyle’s deep gray eyes except honesty, Dane wavered. There were so many reasons to say no. One of the biggest was how badly she wanted to take Kyle’s hand and just go.
“Say yes, Dane.” The words came softly, with an undercurrent of tender welcome. “Say yes.”
Answering the need that burned brighter than any fear, Dane nodded.
“Yes.”
*
Dane relaxed behind Kyle on the large motorcycle as they roared down the highway. The wind felt good in her face, as did the softness of Kyle’s leather jacket under her hands. She wasn’t thinking about anything, didn’t have to think, and it was a surprising change. Even more astonishing than that, she was content to let Kyle lead the way.
They turned up a gravel-covered side road into the woods. As they rounded a turn, a house unexpectedly appeared, tucked unobtrusively into the hillside. There was a second smaller building behind the main house, with a neatly stacked pile of firewood under the sloping side roof. Kyle pulled her bike under the shelter of the overhanging eaves.
“This is home,” she said simply.
“It’s beautiful.” Dane climbed off and took a deep breath of pine-scented air, then turned completely around. She didn’t see another house. She grinned. “Nice.”
Kyle smiled shyly, enjoying Dane’s obvious pleasure. “Thanks.”
“Have you lived here long?” Dane asked as Kyle lifted one denim-clad leg over the bike and stood. Although she was truly interested in the answer, a close-up look at Kyle after two weeks of dreaming about her hit hard in the pit of her stomach, and she found herself unable to concentrate on anything but the image of the woman before her. Beneath the jacket was a ri
bbed T-shirt that hugged every inch of her chest and abdomen, tucked into button-fly jeans that were frayed in some very interesting places. Dane swallowed hard imagining what might have worn the fabric so thin it was almost transparent just to the right of Kyle’s fly. Through the rapid buzzing in her ears she heard Kyle speaking. “What? Sorry.”
“Three years,” Kyle repeated, following the drift of Dane’s hungry gaze. Smiling inwardly, she felt herself twitch in response. Her voice was thick as she finished. “But I didn’t finish it until just this year. I moved from room to room as I built.”
Dane regarded her with genuine admiration as well as barely contained desire. “It’s great.”
“Can you build a fire?” Kyle unlocked the side door and led the way inside. “It gets cold up here as soon as the sun goes down.”
“I can manage.”
“Good. There’s wood by the fireplace. Start it up while I get us a drink.” Kyle pointed in the direction of the living room. “You hungry?”
More than I realized. Dane shook her head. “I can wait.”
Kyle grinned. “I’ll be right back.”
Dane surveyed a spacious living room that seemed much larger than it really was, primarily due to a large wall of glass that looked out onto the surrounding woods. The sitting area, down several steps and centered on a large natural stone fireplace, contained two oversized leather chairs and a low table of finely crafted wood. She got the fire going easily and settled into one of the large, comfortable chairs. She was amazed at how relaxed she felt, and how unconcerned she was at being there. She tried to remember the last time she had been in another woman’s space, other than Caroline and Anne’s, and couldn’t.
Kyle came in quietly and handed Dane a glass. “Brandy okay?”
Dane nodded silently and took the heavy glass filled with dark, swirling liquid.
“As soon as I unwind a little, I’ll fix us some food.” Kyle settled in front of Dane on a large cushion on the floor, her back resting lightly against Dane’s knee, and stretched her legs toward the warmth of the fire. “Hope you like simple cooking.”
“Sounds great. And there’s no rush.” Dane looked down at Kyle’s face in profile. The dancing flames created a chiaroscuro of the bold planes of her face, softly framed by her tousled hair. “I like the fire.”
“Yeah.” Kyle nodded and leaned a little more firmly against Dane’s leg. “I’m glad you came.”
“Are you?” Dane murmured, mesmerized by the flickering red glow of the fire and the warmth of Kyle’s back against her leg.
“Uh-huh.” Kyle reached up and curled an arm softly over Dane’s thigh. The brandy was relaxing her, and she didn’t want to lose contact with Dane’s presence. She replenished their glasses from a bottle by her side as they sat in companionable silence.
Dane shifted her legs a little, and Kyle pushed closer, her head coming to rest gently against Dane’s inner thigh. Without thinking, Dane reached down and curled her fingers into Kyle’s thick hair. Running the soft strands through her fingers, she leaned her head back against the worn leather and closed her eyes. She drifted in the soothing heat from the fire and the warmth of Kyle’s body against her, peaceful and pleasantly, if distantly, aroused. When startled by a soft caress on her neck, she opened her eyes to discover Kyle kneeling upright between her legs, looking down at her with an expression both tender and intense.
“Did I wake you?” Kyle stroked the sharp edge of Dane’s jaw, then let her fingers trail down her neck again.
Dane smiled slightly, not moving. “Wasn’t sleeping. Just drifting.”
“Good.” Kyle smiled gently. “Close your eyes again.”
Enjoying Kyle’s gentle command, Dane did as requested. Kyle’s hands tenderly traced her face and throat, stirring her blood to race wherever they touched. When Kyle leaned forward, the heat from her body scorched through the denim covering Dane’s thighs.
Pulse pounding, Dane barely stopped herself from reaching out to draw Kyle closer. So exquisite was the slow rise of her desire that she didn’t want to hurry. But when Kyle tugged her shirt free and gently opened the buttons over her breasts, Dane couldn’t prevent herself from sliding her hands along Kyle’s hips to pull her near. She wanted, needed, more of her. She opened her eyes to see Kyle’s gaze upon her, cloudy now with desire that equaled her own.
“Uh-uh.” Lowering her head, Kyle nipped at Dane’s lower lip then drew quickly back. “Keep your eyes closed.”
Dane’s lids flickered with a surge of arousal that beat hard through her belly, and she knew that her need must show clearly in her face. Not caring that Kyle could see how much she wanted her, she did as she was bidden and closed her eyes, relinquishing control. She wouldn’t have done it for anyone else. There was no one she trusted that much.
Gently, Kyle pushed the shirt down Dane’s shoulders, tethering her arms in the tightly stretched sleeves. She pressed her mouth to Dane’s ear. “Don’t move.”
Dane knew she could free herself easily if she tried, but the effect of being restrained by Kyle was not unwelcome. She wanted to be hers.
“Ohh.” Dane moaned as Kyle brought soft lips to an exposed breast, and as Kyle’s tongue ignited the sensitive skin of her nipple, Dane’s head grew light. She arched her back and tried to push more of herself against the warm mouth. Even as lips and teeth worked her nipples, Dane felt a hand pull open the buttons on her jeans. She lay unprotesting, holding her breath, as Kyle slipped an arm under her to push down her clothing. The warmth of the fire caressed Dane’s bare thighs as Kyle once again lay gently down upon her.
The denim of Kyle’s jeans was rough against Dane’s skin, and as Kyle insinuated herself more firmly between Dane’s legs, Dane gasped at the contact of the material against her swollen flesh. She couldn’t prevent herself from thrusting her hips, seeking even more contact. A cry escaped her tight throat, and Kyle quickly pulled away, breaking the exquisitely tormenting pressure.
“What is it?” Kyle gasped.
“Oh God, Kyle, don’t stop.” She needed Kyle’s touch; more, she needed Kyle to release her. When she started to lift her head, Kyle held her back with one hand firmly in the hair at the base of her neck. “Please. Help me. Touch me.”
“Wait, Dane—wait,” Kyle whispered as she carefully slipped her free hand between Dane’s legs.
Dane cried out again, strangling on her own desire, as Kyle’s fingers, feather light, stroked her, drawing Dane’s passion forth in a flood upon her hand.
“I can’t. Oh, please, I can’t.” Dane moaned, hips writhing, urgently seeking to bring Kyle inside. Her breath caught in her throat as Kyle finally entered her in one full, deep thrust. With the weight of Kyle’s body bearing down upon her, she sought Kyle’s kiss hungrily. When Kyle filled her mouth as deeply as she filled her body, Dane cleaved to her, mind and body exploding.
Kyle waited until Dane’s breathing quieted and her body ceased to quiver before gently slipping free, drawing forth another soft moan. Exhausted, content, Kyle rested her head on Dane’s chest.
Dane pulled her arms free of the shirt sleeves and held Kyle tightly, keeping her warm, keeping her safe. They lay together wordlessly until long after the fire had burned to flickering embers.
“Fire’s almost out,” Dane whispered into Kyle’s hair.
“Yours or mine?” Kyle murmured against Dane’s skin.
“Ours.” Dane laughed and pushed herself up on her elbows. “Needs more wood.”
Kyle looked around and got up with a sigh. “I’ll get it.”
Dane watched as Kyle bent to throw more logs on the fire, wanting her close again. When Kyle returned and settled into her arms, she asked, “So where did you learn to do that?”
“What, make love?” Kyle smiled at the memory. “God, that was good.”
“It was.” Dane shook her head. “But I meant take control so easily. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you just topped me.”
“Mmm. Didn’t I?”
&n
bsp; “Top me?” Dane kissed her. She took her time, exploring the surface of Kyle’s lips, the velvet smooth inner edges, the hot welcome of her mouth. As she teased with her tongue, she caressed Kyle’s breasts through the thin fabric of the T-shirt, one thigh edged between Kyle’s. When Kyle moaned, Dane slowly pulled away. She was panting softly, and Kyle’s eyes were glazed. “Hmm, I guess maybe you did. You learn that at one of those meetings of yours?”
“Uh-uh. Some things I come by naturally.”
Dane laughed and fit her body more closely to Kyle’s. They kissed again, not hungrily now, but with the afterglow of pleasure shared. Eventually they slept, safe in one another’s arms. And as they did, the fire burned brightly.
Chapter Fifteen
“Uh.”
“Mmm.”
“Hey,” Kyle murmured, shifting in the cramped quarters until she could see Dane’s face. Smiling, she brushed her knuckles lightly along the edge of Dane’s jaw and was rewarded with a kiss skimmed over them in passing. “How you doing?”
Dane blinked and grinned lazily. “I just spent the night half-naked in a chair the size of a generous picnic basket.” With the hottest woman I’ve ever met.
“Bad, huh?” Kyle had had the presence of mind to pick up a nearly threadbare couch blanket on her way back from feeding the fire, so at least they hadn’t frozen.
“No.” Dane stretched out on Kyle, her legs insinuated between Kyle’s. She braced herself on her arms and rocked her hips, enjoying the rise of color to Kyle’s neck. “It was good.” She dipped her head, caught Kyle’s bottom lip in her teeth, and tugged gently before releasing it and licking the small bite. “Very good.”
