Amor and More

by Radclyffe

  *

  Helena, wrapped in an angel-fleece blanket, sat on the floor with her back against a love seat. She wanted to be as close to the fireplace as possible and clearly so did Noelle, as she hadn’t left Helena’s side since they finally arrived at Carolyn and Annelie’s. Across from them, Piper, Annelie’s little sister, sat watching them intently.

  “You look more pink now,” the little girl said. “That’s good, right, Annelie?”

  “It sure is, honey.” Annelie, a blond, statuesque woman, sank down next to them on one of the large floor cushions. She handed Helena another hot chocolate and gazed up at her wife, Carolyn, who brought one for Noelle. “You scared us half to death when it got so late and we couldn’t reach you. Piper overheard us talking and wouldn’t go to bed until she was sure you’d arrived safely.”

  “And then Mr. Hugh came and he carried Aunt Helena. That was almost scary.” Piper chewed on her bottom lip. “It was scary. I thought she was dead. Just like—just like…”

  “Oh, baby girl.” Noelle opened her blanket and let Piper snuggle in between them. “Were you thinking of your mama?”

  “Yes. She was still like that. I couldn’t wake her.”

  “I’m so sorry, Piper. But Helena is doing much better, and we’ll both be fine. Thanks to Hugh. We’re going to have to go visit him before we go back and thank him again.”

  “Can I come?” Piper looked up at Helena now.

  “Of course.” Helena smiled and sipped her hot chocolate. “Mmm. Who knew hot chocolate could be this good? I haven’t had this since I was in my teens. I wonder why.”

  “Maybe you forgot how good it is?” Piper frowned. “Sometimes grown-ups seem like they’ve never been kids.”

  “You realize this child is smarter than all of us?” Helena chuckled. “Piper, you’re absolutely right.”

  They all sat on the floor in silence for a while. Helena combed her fingers through Noelle’s long hair, feeling the heat radiate off the woman she loved, but she could also feel her shivers. They’d nearly lost everything out there in the snow. The idea of spending her days without Noelle was a physical, overpowering pain. If she lost her, if somehow Noelle was ripped from her life, she would never recover. Helena thought of how she had spent her days before Noelle. Alone, claiming she was so self-sufficient, she didn’t need anyone. The truth was the loneliness had choked her, and she still couldn’t believe how she’d been able to fool herself for so long.

  *

  Noelle slipped into bed, humming with pleasure when she felt how well the electric blanket had heated it. The sheets, silky and soft, engulfed her. Helena came out of the en suite bathroom and hurried into bed.

  “Oh, this is wonderful.” She snuggled close to Noelle and pressed her lips to her cheek. “And you’re here.”

  “We’re here.” Noelle embraced her and pulled her closer. “And I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. When I couldn’t find you in the snow…” She shuddered.

  “But you did. You saved my life and then Hugh saved us both.”

  “Yes.” Noelle sobbed against her neck. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s all right.” Helena rocked Noelle gently. “Have a good cry, darling. It was very stressful and now that we’re going to be okay, all that tension has to go somewhere. Tears are good in this case.”

  Noelle pulled Helena on top of her. “I need to feel you really close. Your heart against mine. Your warmth. Your heat.” She ran her hands up and down Helena’s body.

  Her palms were certainly hot enough, scorching Helena’s skin and warming her through her satin pajamas. “I’m here. Yours. All yours.”

  “Helena.” Noelle cupped her bottom.

  Rolling her hips gently into Noelle’s, Helena groaned. “I need you. I always want you.”

  “Helena, you’re so beautiful. You’re hurting my eyes, you’re so beautiful.”

  “No, no. You’re the beautiful one. Inside and out. And God, I need to be inside you.” Helena shifted impatiently. She made sure the duvet covered them and then unbuttoned Noelle’s pajama shirt. The sight of her beautiful breasts made her moan. She wanted to go slowly, but as soon as she had one of Helena’s plump nipples in her mouth, the frenzy was back. She shoved Noelle’s pajama pants down as far as she could reach, baring the curly black hair framing Noelle’s sex. Cupping her, Helena felt how wet she was already. “May I?”

  “I need to feel you inside me. I need to feel you. Warm. Alive. Here.” Noelle shivered, and for the first time all evening, not from cold. She kicked off her pants and parted her legs. “Take me.”

  That was it. That was all Helena needed to hear.

  “With you. Always with you.” Helena swirled her middle and ring fingers in the copious wetness and then pushed inside. She filled her, amazed at how tightly Noelle gripped her fingers.

  “Helena!” Arching, Noelle cupped her bottom again. “Yes, yes. Like that. Oh, yes.”

  Helena pressed her thumb to Noelle’s clitoris, circling it in unison with the thrusts. Noelle babbled softly, the way she did when she was so deep into the pleasure, she became completely incoherent. Nearly bursting with happiness, Helena stroked faster until Noelle went rigid, arched higher, and cried out. Ready for her lover’s pleasure, Helena kissed her firmly, catching her screams in her mouth.

  Noelle whimpered, slid her tongue over Helena’s, and then rolled them over, ending up on top. Her hips still pumped in lustful waves, seeking contact, but her hands were busy elsewhere. She pushed at Helena’s pajamas, baring her stomach and breasts first. Then she simply slipped a hand into her pajama pants, cupped her, and parted her folds. Noelle filled Helena just as Helena still filled her.

  “Kiss me,” Noelle whispered.

  “Gladly.” Helena brushed her lips across Noelle’s over and over until Noelle finally delved inside Helena’s mouth. Then their tongues echoed the thrusting of their fingers.

  Helena knew now she was finally warm again. Striving for the perfect moment of bliss, the fact that they were here together, creating heat, meant everything. Noelle knew just where to add pressure and how to stimulate her, opening her as she twisted her hand back and forth.

  “Coming.” Helena drew a trembling breath. “I’m coming for you, darling. Coming…”

  “Me too. Again. Baby, oh, my baby.” Noelle whimpered, convulsing again and again.

  Helena sucked hard at Noelle’s neck as her orgasm tore through her, the fire racing to every part of her. Forgetting she ought to be quiet, she screamed Noelle’s name.

  “I have you,” Noelle said, gasping. “I have you. I have you.”

  “Don’t let go.”

  “I won’t.”

  Slowly, Helena came down from the heights of pleasure. The warm cocoon under the duvet was so safe and warm. She snuggled close to Noelle. “I love you, Noelle. I love you so much.”

  “And I love you. I adore you, Helena. I don’t want to lose you. Ever. I couldn’t bear it.”

  “Then marry me?” The words, completely heartfelt and infused with all the love Helena felt for this beautiful creature in her arms, came out so naturally.

  “Marry…Marry you?” Noelle’s mouth described a perfect “O” for a few moments. Then she pulled Helena into a heart-melting hug. “Yes. Oh, of course, yes. Yes, yes, yes.”

  “I’m sorry I don’t have a ring,” Helena whispered, her heart thundering. “Yet. That’s my number-one priority when we get back to civilization.” She hugged Noelle. “Just when I thought I was the happiest I’ve ever been, you go and make me even happier.”

  “You should talk. You take my breath away on a daily basis and now…I don’t think anything can ever top this. Possibly with the exception of knowing we’re meant to be together, always.”

  “Yes,” Helena murmured, inhaling the soft scent of her lover as she closed her eyes. “Always.”

  Radclyffe has published over forty romance and romantic intrigue novels, dozens of short stories, and has edited numerous romance and erot
ica anthologies. She is a three-time Lambda Literary Award winner and an RWA Prism, Lories, Aspen Gold, and Bean Pot winner.

  This story features characters from When Dreams Tremble and Homestead.

  Bad Girls and Sweet Kisses

  Radclyffe

  “I thought you were going out on the lake with Mike,” Tess said to Leslie as she watched her pull on a pair of hip-hugger jeans and thick-soled black boots. “I think you’re going to be too warm out on the water in that.”

  “I told Mike I’d catch up with him later,” Leslie said, leaning toward the mirror hung on the wall over the small vanity opposite her bed. The window was open, and the warm June afternoon breeze, carrying the scent of pine needles and lake water, ruffled her shoulder-length, sun-kissed blond hair. She caught it back in a careless ponytail that made her sculpted cheekbones look even more model worthy and met Tess’s gaze in the mirror. Her aqua blue eyes sparkled. “Dev promised me a ride around the lake on her motorcycle this afternoon.”

  “She’s the one who brought you home last week when you were late working on the school paper, isn’t she?” Tess remembered the dark-haired girl in the leather jacket on the big motorcycle. She’d only seen her for a few minutes, and when Leslie had asked the girl to stay and meet Tess, she’d shaken her head, muttered something that Tess hadn’t been able to hear, and roared away.

  “Yes, she’s the one.”

  “Did she work on the paper too?”

  “Dev? No, if Dev had her way, she wouldn’t even show up at school.” Leslie laughed and rummaged around on the vanity. After opening a tube of lipstick, she swiped her full lips with the light pink gloss and smiled as if enjoying a private joke. “Dev is kind of a bad girl. Hopefully she’ll stick around long enough to graduate.”

  “I can’t believe it’s over sometimes.” Tess doubted her experience in the small rural high school compared to Leslie’s, but the ending represented the same thing—the first step toward the future and a life of her own.

  “I am just so glad that’s all over.” Leslie swung around and grabbed the big leather bag she carried everywhere. “I don’t know why we have to go a week longer than all the other schools around here. You’re so lucky you got out early.”

  “I’m just glad I had this job waiting and could move up here right away,” Tess said, the feeling of freedom something she hadn’t known she’d wanted until she’d arrived at Lake George to work for the summer at Lakeview, the resort Leslie’s family owned. She loved the farm and got along all right with her distant, somewhat sullen stepfather, and she’d never really thought about being anywhere else. But now that she was here, living in her own apartment—even if she was sharing it with another girl working there for the summer too—she’d come to savor the sense of being on her own, making her own decisions, and experiencing the excitement of meeting new people in a matter of days. Leslie Harris was practically an instant friend—they’d connected the moment they’d met, even though Leslie was the daughter of the resort owner and not a chambermaid like Tess. Leslie was warm and funny and open and welcoming, and Tess already looked forward to all the time they would spend together before Leslie went off to college and she went home to go to the community college and work the farm.

  “Well,” Tess said, squeezing out of the way as Leslie hurried past her toward the stairs, “sounds like a blast.”

  Leslie sent her a blazing smile over her shoulder. She didn’t act this excited when she was going out on a date with Mike. “It’s going to be great. I’ve really been looking forward to it.”

  Tess heard the sound of the motorcycle roaring down the drive and followed Leslie out on the wide wooden porch. As Leslie hurried across the grass, Dev slowed the bike, putting a leg down on either side to steady it while Leslie climbed on behind her. Dev handed her a helmet she’d detached from a clip on the back, and Leslie slipped it on, wrapped her arms around Dev’s waist, and leaned her cheek against Dev’s shoulder. Tess got a funny feeling in her stomach watching them, and for a second, loneliness crept in. She’d recognized the low ache in her midsection, having felt it most of her life. She had no siblings, had always been too busy for friends, and had quickly learned her hopes and dreams were something only she could understand.

  “Bye, Tess!” Leslie waved, her expression joyous.

  “See you!” Tess waved back and shook away the melancholy, enjoying Leslie’s pleasure secondhand.

  Climbing back to the porch, Tess leaned on the railing and looked down the sloping green lawn to the lake where speedboats made graceful curves on the surface as they navigated around the islands that dotted the broad expanse of water. She hadn’t had a chance to spend much time on the water, but she loved the way it looked and sounded and smelled. She loved everything about the lake, its constantly changing colors, the dense evergreens that grew right down to the waterline, the still-wild nature of the undeveloped forest preserves all around it.

  Other than the few guests, early arrivals to the season, she had the lodge to herself. As soon as she and the other girls had finished cleaning the cabins and lodge rooms for the day, the girls had left to meet their boyfriends in town. With Leslie gone and her work finished, Tess didn’t have anything to look forward to for the rest of the night except her own company, which she was used to, after all.

  She’d picked up a book in town the other day and was looking forward to reading it. The cover had caught her eye—two young women leaning close, as if they were sharing a secret, or about to kiss. The blurb on the back intrigued her—something about the way it was phrased made her think the women had a romantic relationship. The idea was exciting, and had been for a while. She just hadn’t been ready to think about it too hard. Now it seemed she thought about other girls all the time.

  Ready to see if she was right about the book, she headed down the steps to the basement door of her apartment. She stopped at the door when the sound of the motorcycle returning caught her attention, wondering what Leslie had forgotten. A low-slung motorcycle slashed into sight, its rider bringing it to a sharp halt at the end of the footpath, kicking up gravel and bits of grass. The rider was about Dev’s size, but not as lean, and dressed in the same black jeans and boots. Dev had worn a black leather jacket, but this person wore only a black T-shirt.

  This person, Tess realized as she slowly walked down the path, was a girl.

  When the girl pulled off the motorcycle helmet and shook back thick dark brown hair that fell to her collar, Tess stumbled a step in surprise. The girl, who couldn’t be much older than her, smiled at her as if they were good friends and not strangers, and she was—well, she was gorgeous…the unruly hair made her look a little wild, and her chestnut eyes glinted with bits of gold in the sun, like a big cat’s, and her face was all angles and soaring lines and…oh God, Tess realized, she was staring!

  Blushing, Tess halted a few feet away. “I’m sorry, are you looking for Leslie?”

  “No—Dev.”

  “Oh, she just left. They were going for a ride somewhere around the lake.”

  The rider rested her hand on her thigh, her fingers fanning along the inside of her leg. She leaned forward casually with her opposite elbow on the handlebar of her motorcycle, regarding Tess as if she was an object of infinite fascination.

  “Who are you?” the girl asked softly, making the question sound like an invitation.

  “I’m Tess. I work here.”

  “Doing what?”

  “I clean.” Tess felt her chin lift of its own volition. That ought to finish whatever curiosity this girl had. You didn’t ride a motorcycle unless you had the money to buy it and keep it running, something she would never have—at least not for a very long time.

  “Are you done for the day?”

  Tess frowned. “What? Why?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t want to take you away from your job.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  The girl twisted around on the bike and unclipped a black helmet
with a narrow leather strap and held it out to Tess. “You need to put this on if we’re going for a ride.”

  Tess stared at the helmet as if it might bite and automatically put her hands behind her back. The other girl laughed and Tess pressed her lips together. “I’m not going riding.”

  “Come on, it’s safe enough.”

  “The helmet probably is, but I’m not sure you are,” Tess said smartly. What was it Leslie had said about Dev—that she was a bad girl? Now she understood—this cocky, way-too-sure-of-herself girl was one too. A bad girl who was already more interesting than anyone Tess had ever met.

  The girl grinned, shafts of sunlight dancing in her eyes. “Oh, I’m definitely not safe. I’m Clay, by the way.” She held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Tess.”

  Exasperated, annoyed that she would look foolish if she didn’t shake her hand, Tess returned the handshake. Clay’s hand was bigger than hers, her fingers thicker, warm and smooth and strong. Before Tess could resist, Clay tugged her a little closer to the bike. “Don’t forget to put your helmet on, Tess.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  A dark brow winged upward. “Why not?”

  “I don’t know you.”

  “Well, this would be a good way to start.”

  Tess couldn’t turn away, caught in the dazzling light from Clay’s eyes, and Clay’s gaze skimmed over her face and down her body in a way that no one’s ever had before. She felt exposed, and oddly, inexplicably, excited.

  “Come on, Tess. I promise I’ll return you safe and sound.”

  All her life, she’d been reasonable and cautious and careful. She’d grown up on a farm where the weather was fickle, and only meticulous planning and the vagaries of luck allowed for success. She’d been taught to be frugal with money, painstaking with her judgment, and close with her private thoughts. She wasn’t adventurous, she didn’t take risks, she didn’t long for excitement. Until she looked into those dark eyes and saw a world she’d never dared to imagine.