Payback

by Charlotte Mills

  “I saw the knife, I tried to shout, but the traffic was too loud; I didn’t know what else to do.”

  She held Kate firmly, but there was still a tremble in her body. The guilt at her actions frustrated her yet again. Every time she tried to distance herself from Kate, something happened to make her rethink her priorities. It was time to stop fighting it. She wanted to feel the same passion Kate had for her last night. She needed to let her in. Considering Kate’s current track record in Warner, she couldn’t put it off any longer. She needed this; it was time to make changes in her life.

  “I’m sorry,” Kate mumbled. She pulled back slightly, leaving Helen’s arms slowly.

  “It’s okay, you’ve got nothing to be sorry about. You saved me. He could’ve—” She stopped, not wanting to finish her sentence. Tears stung the back of her eyes as she looked up at Kate’s injury.

  “Killed you,” Kate finished. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

  Helen nodded. “Does it hurt?” She raised her eyes to Kate’s forehead.

  “A little.”

  “We’ve charged Wilson with assault, amongst other things, so…” She didn’t want to dwell on the details. She stepped closer, looking up to meet Kate’s eyes. She saw fear, fear for what she was about to do. Spotting the butterfly stitch poking out of the side of Kate’s dressing, she reached up, gently brushing her hair aside to get a better look at the injury.

  She locked eyes with Kate again. “I’m so sorry you got hurt.”

  “It’s nothing.”

  Trailing her hand down the side of Kate’s face, the soft skin was warm under her touch. They were both still for a moment. Before Kate could say anything else, she leant forward and pressed their lips together.

  It was such a relief when Kate reached out and pulled their bodies together. Wrapping her arms around Kate, she slowly parted her lips, inviting Kate inside. The kiss was languid as their tongues met, and a fire seemed to spark in Kate as Helen felt herself being pushed back against the worktop. Kate was all around her, overloading every sensation she had. The heat from Kate’s mouth made her light-headed as she pushed away any lingering doubts she had, her muscles relaxing into Kate’s warm, firm body pressing against her. There were no thoughts of consequences, only want and need, as the intense heat flooded her body, the scent of coconut lingering as she circled Kate in her arms, relishing the bubbling fervour. With a single, audible breath, Kate rested her forehead against hers. Helen didn’t want to stop. She moved her lips to the side of Kate’s face, trailing kisses down her neck, savouring the scent of her freshly showered skin.

  “Can you stay?” Kate whispered after she broke the embrace.

  She had no intention of letting this slip away from her now. Her body was aching to be touched, to feel Kate’s skin against her own. She took Kate’s hand and brought it to her lips kissing the palm before nodding her head.

  Kate kept hold of Helen’s fingers all the way upstairs to her bedroom. When they passed the bathroom, Helen stopped in her tracks, forcing Kate to do the same.

  “Could I take a quick shower? Someone was a little too free and easy with their blood earlier today, and I haven’t had time to change.” A smile appeared on Kate’s face.

  “Sure. Let me get you a fresh towel.”

  Stepping to one side, she pulled at the flaps of a cardboard box next to the wall of the bathroom and pulled out a large floral towel and handed it to Helen, who frowned at the gaudy offering. “God! You really haven’t unpacked at all, have you?”

  “I’ve been a little…busy.”

  Helen removed her coat and handed it to Kate before she made her way into the bathroom.

  As she removed her clothes, she could hear Kate moving about. The sound of crockery being piled up and drawers being slammed shut made her chuckle. She couldn’t afford to think too much about what was happening here. For a change, she needed to let go, enjoy the moment for what it was, regardless of the consequences.

  One shower later, wrapped in a towel and feeling refreshed, Helen moved towards the noise in the next room. She stood for a moment, watching Kate plumping up pillows and straightening the bed sheet.

  “Would you like a hand with that?”

  Kate spun around to face her. “Nope. All done.”

  Helen moved from the doorway to within Kate’s reach. “Thank God. I’ve never quite mastered the hospital corner.” She stood there transfixed.

  Her bare feet dug into the rug surrounding Kate’s bed. She’d thought about this moment so many times in the last few days, and now she wasn’t quite sure where to start. Her inner temperature rose, and yet, goosebumps broke out on her bare arms as she moved closer, her hands reaching for Kate’s waist.

  Helen wanted to regain the closeness they’d had downstairs, feel the warmth of Kate’s body as her arms circled a firm waistline. Their eyes locked, and she had an overwhelming need to be honest with her.

  “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the other night.”

  A hint of a grin appeared on Kate’s face, almost forcing Helen’s eyes to roll back in her head. When would she learn to temper her comments in front of this woman?

  Helen’s hands gripped lower as she steered Kate backwards towards the bed. No more talking. Approaching the bed, Helen felt warm fingers on her cheek before pushing damp hair from her shoulder.

  They locked gazes. “I didn’t mean what I said in the café.”

  “I know.” Helen’s eyes focused on the parted lips in front of her.

  “Ouch!” Kate flinched at Helen’s roaming hand.

  “What? More injuries?”

  She pulled up Kate’s T-shirt, exposing her left side. A dark yellow bruise sat just above Kate’s left hip bone.

  “Is that from today too?” Helen asked, confused; it looked older. She turned Kate’s body around to face the window to get a better look.

  “No. Last week. Courtesy of Fireman Sam.”

  Kate pulled up her T-shirt more.

  “Shit!” Helen ran a finger around the outline of the bruise. She looked up, meeting Kate’s gaze. “He caused the collapse, didn’t he?”

  Kate nodded. “He found me filming and rushed towards me, carrying a big metal rod thing. He caught it on the ceiling as he came at me.”

  “He hit you with it?” Graham Brown quickly went to the top of her shit list.

  Kate shook her head. “He tripped and fell against me with it in his hands.”

  “Arsehole. You’ve been here less than a month, and I’ve already nearly broken you.”

  “It’s fine. It only hurts if you poke it.”

  With a last look at the bruise, Helen let her hand move up Kate’s torso. It reached the swell of her exposed breast, and Helen took her time, exploring the soft skin with her thumb, circling the hardened nipple. She held Kate’s gaze, enjoying her reaction. Kate’s lips parted slightly. She moved her hand between Kate’s breasts. Slowly, it moved up to her neck, removing Kate’s T-shirt in the process as Kate lifted her arms up to assist in the removal. She did flinch a little as she raised her right arm.

  Helen let her hand roam over Kate’s body. She basked in the softness beneath her fingers, circling the darkening bruise on Kate’s shoulder. The thought it provoked made a tinge of guilt stir in the pit of her stomach.

  When Helen stepped closer, Kate pulled at the tucked-in end of the towel. She it slip to the floor. Helen grasped for Kate’s hips, pulling them together. She felt her body react immediately as she slipped her thigh between Kate’s and pressed her body firmly into hers. She couldn’t wait any longer. She fumbled with the waistband of Kate’s trousers. They slipped easily over her hips, but Kate’s strong hands were already pushing her back onto the bed.

  So Helen lay back as Kate stepped out of her joggers. Helen quirked an eyebrow as Kate climbed on the bed straddling her hips. She’d had no u
nderwear on.

  But she had no time to dwell on that. Helen felt her vulnerabilities rise to the surface as Kate ran her hands up her torso and she hovered over Helen, resting her weight on one arm. With her free hand, Kate traced the length of Helen’s body, cupping a breast on the way up to her face.

  Kate’s gaze found hers. “I love your eyebrows.”

  “You do?” Helen replied, unable to stop one of them from rising at Kate’s words.

  “I do. They’re so expressive.” Using her thumb, Kate traced the curving shape as she settled her body on top of Helen’s.

  “I love your arse,” Helen said as her hands roamed lower, skimming over glutes before cupping both her cheeks, pressing Kate’s body firmly against her again.

  “I know.” Kate grinned down at Helen, her hand caressing the side of her face.

  Helen felt the flush of embarrassment on her exposed skin. “How?” She couldn’t believe she had been caught ogling.

  “I’ve seen you looking. Why do you think I stopped wearing my long coat? I’ve risked getting pneumonia just to keep your eyes occupied.”

  Helen blinked a couple of times, recalling the short jacket Kate had been wearing lately despite the cooler weather. “Seriously?”

  Kate nodded as she adjusted her legs, pressing her thigh tight against Helen’s hot core, sending a heatwave through her body as she felt her arousal paint Kate’s thigh. She wanted to explore every inch of Kate’s body before leaving this room.

  At the connection, Helen groaned, raising her head to bring their lips together in a crush even as Kate continued to grind against her. She raised her hips in time with Kate’s actions.

  She was so enjoying the contact. She felt a loss as Kate pulled away, then caught the look in her eye; she could tell Kate had other plans. Payback for handcuffing her to her car, no doubt. But she was powerless to resist anymore.

  Kate moved down her body, sucking a nipple into her mouth as fingers traced the line of her stomach, moving lower. Her thighs were pushed apart. Helen obliged, watching Kate settle between her legs, her anticipation growing as the scent of her own arousal filled the room. The warmth of Kate’s tongue on her delicate lips was almost enough to send her over the edge. It forced her to grip the sheet below her as she struggled to hold on, her head falling back against the bed.

  Kate was relentless in her progress, surrounding her clit, making Helen reach out blindly for her, tangling her hands in Kate’s long hair. Every stroke lit the blue touch paper stoking the fire inside her. She rocked her hips, encouraging Kate to take more.

  Helen clenched her hands tighter. Her orgasm was firmly claiming her, pushing her hips forward a final time as she came against Kate’s lips. Yet she was one gasping for air, and she collapsed back on the bed.

  Balancing on her knees, Kate wiped the juices from her chin. The grin of accomplishment on her face hadn’t escaped Helen’s notice. Still panting, she watched Kate edge forward, her hands skimming up the sides of Helen’s thighs towards her breasts.

  Her composure returned. Helen reached for Kate’s hands, pulling them towards her, forcing Kate on top of her. The aroma of arousal had woken up a primal need to have this woman completely. Throwing a hand around Kate’s neck, she quickly brought their lips together, their tongues battling for authority as she tasted her own arousal on Kate’s lips. In an effort to gain control, she turned the tables, flipping them over. A wide grin plastered on her lips as she moved forward, covering Kate’s body with her own, enjoying the feel of Kate’s body moving below hers. Their thighs seemed to part naturally as their bodies entwined.

  Kate wrapped her legs around Helen’s hips, pressing their bodies together.

  After guiding their lips back towards each other, Helen then pushed her tongue deep into Kate’s willing mouth. A push of Kate’s thighs back towards the bed exposed her fully. Helen slipped a confident hand between them and caressed Kate’s mound, groaning at the rush of wetness on Kate’s parted lips. She pushed a finger deep inside and felt the tight walls surrounding it. Helen relished the shocked look on Kate’s face. She removed it briefly, then added another, slowly both in to the hilt. Kate’s hips thrust to meet her movements.

  Helen pressed her hot centre against Kate’s right hip bone, grinding against her in time with the thrust of her own fingers. She knew it wouldn’t take long; she was so close to orgasm just being inside Kate. She pulled away from Kate’s wanton lips.

  “You feel so good. You’re going to make me come again.”

  Kate growled in response as her fingers continued to thrust. Only moments later, her body gave in. Her entire frame shivered as she pressed against Kate’s hip, a throb emanating from her core as she came.

  Finally at long last, Helen got her breath back. “I want to taste you,” she whispered against Kate’s lips. Rolling them both over, she spotted the slightly confused look on Kate’s face as she hovered above, no doubt at the brisk change of position.

  “I think you like being on top, so…” Helen raised her eyebrows, encouraging Kate to climb up her body. “You need to…” She nodded her head upwards.

  Springing into action, Kate got to her knees, allowing Helen to adjust her position while she moved higher up, stretching an arm out to grip the flimsy headboard at the top of the bed, settling her knees just above Helen’s shoulders.

  She gripped Kate’s thighs, pulling them further apart as she flattened her tongue to run it along Kate’s entire slit. There was no time to go slow; she wanted to give Kate exactly what she needed. Her tongue firmly circled the hardened clit before sucking it fully into her mouth.

  Kate began rocking her hips, pushing herself against Helen’s mouth. Releasing Kate’s clit allowed Helen to inch lower, pushing her tongue between moist folds. Helen stiffened her tongue, pushing it deep inside as Kate continued to rock her hips, encouraging Helen to go deeper. She hummed at the flutter of muscles around Kate’s entrance as she pushed inside her hot centre.

  “Oh God,” Kate said between ragged pants. Her hips bucked, forcing Helen to hold her firmly as she rode out her orgasm. She lapped at the flood of juices then, reluctant to let Kate escape her clutches. She was far from finished with this woman.

  Panting, Kate removed herself. She lay back, slumped against the headboard, her hand reached for Helen’s, caressing a breast as she caught her breath.

  It revived her. Helen rolled over, climbing on top of Kate’s torso. Slipping between her spread thighs, she used her fingers to separate wet lips, exposing the jewel beneath. She then zoned in on Kate’s clit once more, teasing it with her tongue. The raspy stutter that emanated deep in Kate’s chest encouraged her even further. She had never been with another woman that made her want to fuck as much as Kate did. She climbed up the bed and stretched her body out over Kate’s, grinding her hot centre against Kate’s hardened clit.

  With the effect this woman had on her, Helen didn’t plan on sleeping anytime soon.

  Chapter 12

  There was movement around her, and she stretched out in search of Helen’s body. She felt the ache in her muscles from last night’s activities, but that wasn’t about to stop her. As her eyes focused in the shadowy room, she saw Helen kneeling on the side of the bed, fully dressed. She swallowed back her disappointment, but the warm smile on Helen’s face went some way to ease the sting.

  Helen tenderly ran the back of her knuckles down the side of her face. “Morning. I made you some tea.” Helen nodded towards the side table.

  At the gentleness in Helen’s voice, she reached out and stroked her hand along Helen’s thigh. “Thanks. Why don’t you come back to bed for a bit?”

  Helen sighed. “I can’t. I have to go home and change before work.” She moved closer, kissing her softly on the lips. “I had a really great time last night.” She stayed within kissing distance.

  “Me too,” she croaked out.

 
Depositing another kiss on her lips, Helen reluctantly dragged herself off the bed. As she moved around the room towards the door, she turned back to Kate. “Don’t be late. I need my wingman.”

  Chuckling at Helen’s words, she watched her leave, then turned over. She needed five more minutes to think about this new development. So this could be considered another corner turned in their relationship. How many more corners might there be?

  When she arrived at the station, she found Helen had been called to a departmental meeting. She couldn’t remember Helen saying anything about it before she’d left her place earlier.

  She took the initiative and got to work on her incident report for yesterday before trying to make up for the time they had lost thanks to Paul Wilson. The list acquired from Sandy’s secretary, plus a couple of hours research, and she’d located the three women she had mentioned in her interview. Unfortunately, the first of Sandy’s women, Karen Hill, had died a month after Sandy had disappeared. A second had also died, two years ago, of breast cancer. The third was living with her wife in Devon. After a quick telephone conversation, she decided to cross her off the list, although three hundred grand would have gone some way towards buying a decent house down there.

  Frustrated, she worked the list again, looking deeper into the death of Karen Hill. The woman had not only been married at the time but had also committed suicide by stepping in front of a train. The secretary had said Sandy liked married women. After making a request for the original file, she began searching for Hill’s next of kin. Scanning the text on the screen, she read under her breath, “Survived by her husband of three years, Martin Hill, aged thirty-two.” Making note of his name, she moved on.

  The second woman, Frances Moody, had also been married at her time of employment at the factory, but was widowed some years later, leaving two sons, Lawrence and Julian—both had been in their twenties. She wrote down their names for a more extensive search. There was only so much she could do without a time of death. She checked her inbox in case Dr Nicholls had sent his report through. Nothing.