Echoes from the Mist

by Advocate

  KAYLA’S EYELIDS FLUTTERED open. Sunlight was streaming through the window, painting yellow-gold stripes across the comforter tucked neatly around her and Liv. It’s tomorrow already? Damn. I guess we were beat. She didn’t move a muscle though, instead deciding to let Liv dictate when they got going this morning. Kayla was rarely awake before the linguist, and she wasn’t about to waste this precious time when she could simply hold her and think.

  So much had happened in the past few weeks. She had gotten to know her sister better and their relationship now seemed like that of true siblings and not girls who just happen to live in the same household as children. With the discovery of the missing family history on Cobb Island, she’d been able to make some remarkable leaps forward with her own telepathic abilities. But as important as those things were, they couldn’t even touch what she’d found with Liv.

  Kayla Redding, child genius, introvert extraordinaire, lonely adolescent and lonelier still adult, had actually fallen in love. It baffled her logical mind even as it thrilled her heart and she was torn between jumping up and down like a little kid and weeping. It was wonderful and exhilarating and she’d never been so afraid in her entire life. I will not blow this, she swore to herself. I can’t. Yesterday was unacceptable. Well, at least part of it.

  Time, she decided, was what she needed most. Time to learn how to be part of a team and consider Liv’s feelings. And that, above everything else, was going to be the hardest thing. In her heart of hearts she wasn’t sure she had what it took to really be part of a couple. She’d spent many an hour wondering what exactly would be expected of her and what Liv needed her to be.

  Which was funny in a way.… Because despite the fact that she was the experienced telepath and Liv was only on the very edge of understanding her own abilities, the blonde woman had quite easily read Kayla from the very start. Liv had insisted that all she ever wanted from Kayla was for her to be herself. But that couldn’t be enough. Could it? The concept alone was so alluring Kayla had a hard time believing it could be true.

  Liv mumbled something in her sleep, pulling Kayla from her thoughts. You, Kayla smiled wryly, think too much for your own good. Don’t be stupid. Enjoy what you’ve got this very second.

  They weren’t due at the Keith House until later that afternoon. Glen had talked Mr. Keith into delaying his trip out of town in order to hold a lunchtime press conference. Never one to miss a publicity opportunity, Glen intended to announce Kayla’s presence and discuss the work she would be doing. Which is why Kayla intended to stay away until well after the media circus was over.

  Liv began to stir and blonde hair tickled Kayla’s face as she moved. Kayla exhaled slowly. Today would be a good day. She had a surprise that Liv, okay, that both of them, were going to love.

  "Mmm." Liv yawned but didn’t open her eyes. "I feel too good," she muttered. "It must be morning." She felt Kayla nod against her, then reach up and sweep the fair hair from the back of her neck so she could slowly kiss the sensitive skin there. "Oooo, I think, oooo, " Liv purred like a kitten being scratched, "I’d always like to wake up this way." Kayla’s nude, warm body spooned tightly against her back.

  Kayla skimmed her palm along Liv’s bare hip and with a slight pull, guided her onto her back. She sank onto Liv, feeling the slight chill of the skin that had been facing away from her before. A loving smile curled her lips and she brushed a tiny speck of sleep from the corner of Liv’s eyes. "Morning," she husked, her voice rough from lack of use.

  "Morning," Liv greeted happily. Her hands slid up Kayla’s sides and found their way into her hair. She threaded her fingers through the heavy locks and gently tugged, bringing Kayla’s head closer for a soft, heartfelt kiss good morning.

  "Morning." Kayla used the tip of her tongue to carefully trace Liv’s lower lip, listening excitedly for the low growl of desire she knew would follow.

  She wasn’t disappointed.

  Liv’s heart began to pound and she instinctively deepened the kiss, swirling her tongue around her partner’s. She could feel Kayla’s nipples grow hard against her own chest as their breathing became more ragged with every passing second. They parted briefly and Kayla looked down at Liv with hooded eyes. "You are so beautiful," she whispered fervently. "I love you."

  A warm wave of emotion and desire crashed over Liv. "I love you too." She surged up and crushed her lips against Kayla’s, allowing all the passion and devotion she felt in her heart to bubble to the surface as she kissed Kayla for all she was worth. A deep groan of approval tickled her ears.

  Unfortunately, so did the alarm clock.

  Kayla didn’t break the kiss. Instead, she began swatting at the box helplessly with one hand.

  Liv finally pulled away, laughing. "I don’t remember setting that." Her body was still thrumming with excitement and she didn’t want to let Kayla go, but the larger woman was on the verge of smashing the clock to bits. She wondered if she should care.

  Kayla finally managed to hit the right button and without blinking an eye, moved her lips to Liv’s tender throat where she began a series of slow, steady kisses down her body.

  "Ooo." Liv closed her eyes in pure pleasure. "That’s a very excellent idea." She was suddenly finding it very hard to concentrate on anything but the mouth that was nibbling its way between her breasts. But she did manage to ask, "Who… who set the…" Liv gasped and arched upward when Kayla’s tongue brushed against her nipple, circling it slowly before it was enveloped by a very hot mouth. "Yes…. God, that’s so good," she moaned.

  Kayla propped herself up on one elbow and stroked Liv’s thigh with her fingertips, smiling at the state her lover was in and how quickly it took to get her there. "Oof!" With a quick jerk of Kayla’s elbow, Liv sent her sprawling back on top of her.

  Both women burst out laughing.

  "Demanding little thing, aren’t you?" Kayla said as she nuzzled the underside of the breast she’d just been suckling.

  "You started it," Liv snorted. "And if you don’t finish it I’ll be forced to kill you and then you can haunt this bed."

  "Just the bed?"

  "Mmm hmm."

  Their mouths came together again in a smoldering kiss that lasted forever. Finally, hungry lips began to drift southward. Kayla spoke against heated flesh. "Mrs. Rae does it for me."

  Liv barely heard the words over the loud rushing of hot blood as it coursed through her veins. Her center was throbbing so painfully that she was sure that its pounding was audible. "Who? What are… you talking about? She turns you on?" Not another girlfriend!

  Kayla smiled. "The proprietress here." Her hand glided down Liv’s body and languidly traced its curves with loving detail. I could do this all day, she thought contentedly.

  Liv nodded as Kayla’s thoughts began to merge with hers. It felt vaguely like being submerged in a warm bath. Familiar and more peaceful the deeper you sank. "Yes," she breathed. All day.

  Kayla growled loudly at the positive response that rang out clearly in her head, the slickness between her legs a testament to just how good this was. But that didn’t keep her from eagerly tormenting Liv by continuing their disjointed conversation. "Mrs. Rae keeps me from sleeping through breakfast."

  Liv groaned in frustration. Her chest was heaving. Using well-developed stomach muscles, she sat up, forcing Kayla up with her. She cupped Kayla’s cheeks with slightly shaky hands and demanded eye contact. Swallowing hard at the sight of Kayla’s sky-blue eyes gone dark with desire, she said in a husky voice, "I love you with all my heart, Kayla. Don’t take this the wrong way, but if you don’t finish this right this second, I will!"

  Kayla’s eyes widened along with her smile.

  A pale eyebrow arched. "And don’t think you’re going to watch." Though the mere idea caused a flutter low in her belly.

  Kayla’s grin vanished so quickly that Liv nearly laughed. "Threats like that will get you everywhere, Liv." Softly but urgently, their lips met again, re-igniting the fire between them. Liv’s hands found
firm breasts and this time it was Kayla’s turn to moan. "I was just checking… if… um… Oh, God. If you were hungry, Liv." Her body shuddered and her eyes slammed shut when Liv rolled her nipples between her fingers and tugged gently. "Jesus… um…."

  "Yes?" Liv asked in a voice an octave below normal, drawing out the word. "What was that?" she teased, understanding completely how hard it was to carry on a conversation under these circumstances.

  Kayla gritted her teeth, determined not to let Liv win what had turned into a playful game of one-upmanship. "Mrs. Rae sets…. Harder is good, too…. Yes!" Her head tilted backwards. "She umm…."

  Liv laughed again, finding it much funnier to be on the giving rather than receiving end of such sweet torture. Kayla’s exposed throat was too tempting to ignore so she ducked her head and began to kiss and suck lightly on the delicate flesh.

  What was I saying? Trying to regain a modicum of control, Kayla pushed Liv back onto the bed, pinning her wrists with her hands. She began ravishing the older woman’s body with a single-minded intensity that might have frightened Liv had she not already been so turned on.

  Long moments passed and Liv’s hips began pushing upward of their own accord, begging. Kayla had regained some of her focus, feeling as though she’d entered into a zone of pure enjoyment where her only goal was to pleasure her partner. She let go of Liv’s wrists and small hands immediately found purchase in dark tresses, stroking gently, encouragingly. Kayla’s breathing had slowed as her focus narrowed to the scent, taste, and feel of her lover.

  Liv’s stomach growled and Kayla kissed the soft skin above it, frowning at the hollowness. "Are you hungry?" she whispered. Her lips circled Liv’s perfect navel and she dipped her tongue inside, causing the smaller woman’s stomach muscles to contract and release several times in quick succession.

  Liv’s skin was flushed and damp, every nerve ending responding wildly to the smallest touch or breath or…. "Hell, yes, I’m hungry!" She squirmed helplessly under her partner’s relentless mouth and hands, her body near the breaking point. Finally, when she was on the verge of pleading or screaming or both, she began pushing Kayla where she needed her most.

  "What a coincidence." A determined grin shaped Kayla’s mouth and she slid further down the bed and Liv’s lithe body. "So am I." She draped one of Liv’s legs over her shoulder and began to nibble the baby-soft, wet skin of her lover’s inner thigh, brushing the tip of her nose against the silky surface. Then she turned her head.

  Liv cried out. Her hands flew to the sheets and she gripped them in white-knuckled fists.

  They skipped breakfast that morning.

  * * *

  It was past 11:00 a.m. and Liv and Kayla were padding down the beach eating the thick ham, cheese, and cucumber sandwiches that Mrs. Rae had graciously offered them after they had missed breakfast. They were freshly scrubbed and showered, each wearing clean blue jeans and soft, lightweight, cable knit sweaters that Kayla had purchased at a gift shop in Gatwick Airport. Liv’s was a dark charcoal color that contrasted nicely with her fair hair and pink-tinted skin. Kayla’s was a classic ivory crew neck

  Liv finished her sandwich first. "Mmm." She wiped the crumbs from her lips with her fingers. Her eyes rolled back in their sockets as she relived each glorious bite. "That was sooo good."

  "I could tell." Kayla’s eyes twinkled. "You were almost moaning as loud as this morning."

  Liv chuckled in embarrassment. "When I like something, Kayla," she shrugged, "I’m not shy about showing it. I’m sorry if—"

  "Don’t even go there," Kayla warned semi-seriously. "I love that about you."

  Liv beamed at her partner and patted her stomach. "Good. Because at this moment I am supremely sated in every way."

  "Me too, sweetheart."

  The sun was shining brightly and gulls swooped playfully overhead, flying circles around the woman as they walked, and making frequent detours to the surf to look for fish. The bulk of the tourist season had ended a couple of weeks ago and it was just early enough in the day that Kayla and Liv had the beach nearly to themselves.

  Liv wrapped her arm around Kayla’s waist as they strolled along.

  "I have a surprise for you." Kayla wiggled her eyebrows.

  "Really? What?"

  "Well.…"

  Liv pinched her partner’s hip. "No torturing me this morning. I’m in too good a mood."

  Kayla jumped. "Yeow!"

  "Spill it," Liv laughed, lightly rubbing the flesh she’d just goosed. She doubted Kayla felt anything through that thick denim.

  "Would you have any interest in seeing the Cobb family ancestral home?" Kayla ate the last bite of her sandwich.

  Liv stopped walking. "You mean Faylinn’s family home from the history? Wow. That would be great," she said excitedly. "But, Kayla, that wouldn’t still be standing."

  "It would have to be over three hundred years old, I know. But look around you, Liv." Kayla gestured broadly towards the row of old but well-maintained homes that lined the beach. "It wouldn’t be so unusual here."

  She was, Liv admitted, right about that. The ‘new’ buildings in Edinburgh still managed to be one or two hundred years old. Something from the late seventeenth century wouldn’t be unheard of. "Can we look in the phone book or—"

  "Make an appointment to go over and see the place?" Kayla finished triumphantly. "A taxi should be waiting for us back at the Bed & Breakfast by the time we get there." She grasped Liv’s hand and swung her around in the opposite direction, reversing their course.

  * * *

  The Cobb family estate was about six miles outside Edinburgh proper. And, as in Faylinn’s day and age, it was still known for its small but well-respected horse breeding business.

  The taxi chugged over a small hill and down the winding dirt road that led to Cobb Manor. They were dropped off at the front gates. The cabby tipped his hat then held out his hand for payment. "Enjoy your day, ladies."

  "We will." Kayla took a moment to write down the driver’s cell phone number, promising to call him back when they were ready to leave.

  Liv had already ventured a few paces forward and was talking to a young man standing in a small wooden booth at the house’s gate. As Kayla approached he stepped out of the booth.

  He wore a loose-fitting, homespun shirt, ankle boots, and a pale-blue, red and green check tartan kilt. He was half a head taller than Kayla with full sensual lips that made him look almost feminine, despite his well-built frame. His hair was long and shaggy and tied back with a plain leather strap. In short, he looked like he had just crawled out of the seventeenth century. Only his digital wristwatch gave him away.

  Liv turned and grinned at Kayla when she stepped up behind her and peered over her head at the talkative young man.

  "You see," he intoned, fully immersed in his role, "the family name Cobb has no tartan of its own. Not every name does. But the Cobbs have a strong affiliation with the Lindsay clan, always have had. They, along with a few other families, used to share lands. And it’s the ancient Lindsay colors I’m wearin’ this lovely September day." He leaned towards Liv and spoke conspiratorially. "I don’t care for the modern Lindsay colors." The young man scrunched up his face in distaste. "Too dull." Then he straightened and squared his shoulders, smiling brightly at Kayla. "Hello."

  "Hi," she mumbled a little self-consciously. She hadn’t gotten used to Liv starting conversations with complete strangers.

  "This is so cool, Kayla! Did you know the house was a historical site where everyone is in costume? There’s a gift shop, and horseback riding and tours, and—"

  "Nope." Kayla smiled fondly at her excited friend, amazed she’d found out so much in what couldn’t have been more than thirty seconds. "I didn’t know that." She looked up at the enormous varicolored stone structure, complete with tudor-style chimneys and stepped gables. It sat about two hundred feet ahead of them and around the side to the left was walled courtyard. Kayla guessed it contained the Manor’s garden. Her eyes
flicked back to the sandy-haired man who appeared barely out of his teens. "But it looks worth the admission fee."

  Liv began digging in her pocket for some bills when the man gasped, "Are you tryin’ to get me killed?" He looked back to the manor with nervous eyes. "If Mother saw me takin’ money from family she’d blister my backside." He smiled wryly. "Despite the fact that she’d have to stand on a chair to do it."

  "Family? I’m not—"

  "One of you is Kayla Redding, right?" He looked back and forth between the women.

  Kayla’s brows drew together and she realized that they were indeed relatives, if only by marriage.

  The man continued blithely, "Mother said she and another woman would be stopping by around lunchtime." He privately hoped that the brunette was Kayla. Family, no matter how far removed, gave him the willies and was off limits romantically. The pretty blonde, however, had already sparked his interest and libido. Perhaps she’d be interested in seeing what I wear under my kilt? he speculated cheerfully.

  Liv jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "She’s Kayla Redding."

  "Splendid!" the young man boomed. "Brody Cobb, at your service." He flashed Liv another charming smile. "If you’ll follow me inside, my mither is waiting for you."

  Liv smothered a grin at Brody’s eagerness, a little surprised that anyone would bother to look twice at her when they could be gazing at her gorgeous lover instead.

  Seeing no other customers driving up the road, Brody quickly locked the door to his booth and pushed open the heavy gate. He extended his hand towards the house. "After you, ladies." Liv walked past him, but when Kayla drew even with him, he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. His hopeful gaze darted to Liv. He lowered his voice. "Is she…?"

  "Taken?" Kayla arched a menacing eyebrow and spoke in her most serious voice. "Why, yes. How nice of you to notice." Her tone made it very clear to whom the object of desire was attached.

  Brody blushed badly. Even the tips of his ears turned a bright crimson. "Uh.… I’m sorry. I uh…."