by Radclyffe
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I knew how much you loved living in New York City.” Bri shrugged. “I knew how excited you were about going to Europe. I was afraid if I told you that I really wanted to come home, you would think...”
“What?” Caroline pressed closer. “You thought I would think what?”
“I wanted to fit in with your life. I didn’t want you to think I was too...ordinary.”
Caroline rested her forehead against Bri’s chest. With a laugh, or what might have been a sob, she said, “Oh, baby, you are so not ordinary.”
“I think I’m going to be assigned to the force here permanently.” There, she’d said it. Tory said to tell her everything.
“So you’ll be living here...for good?” Caroline grew very still. What does that mean for us?
“Maybe.” Bri’s words came out a whisper, and she was unable to ask the question that she so desperately needed answered. Will you live here with me?
“Have you been seeing anyone since you’ve been here?” Caroline spoke quietly, so quietly that her words were nearly carried away on the night wind.
“No. Not once,” Bri replied vehemently. Then, steeling herself, she forced herself to ask, “You?”
When Caroline didn’t answer, Bri feared her legs might desert her. She had to lock her knees together to stay standing, but as it was, she was trembling. Desperately, she whispered, “Babe?”
“One night...one night a few weeks after I saw you in the bar with that...girl...” Caroline pressed her cheek to Bri’s chest and closed her eyes. Unconsciously, they held more tightly to one another. “I...can’t.”
Just thinking about that night with Allie, knowing that Caroline knew, made Bri feel sick. Still, she managed to speak through a throat tight with dread. “Go ahead. It’s okay.”
“I was at a party with some of my friends from school...and some other people I didn’t know,” Caroline went on, her voice pitched low. “There was a woman there who was...hitting on me. I’d had some wine, but I wasn’t drunk. That’s not what this was about. I think...I think I wanted to find out if I could be...without you.”
“Oh babe,” Bri moaned, burying her face in Caroline’s hair. This must be what dying feels like. Please, please, please don’t let me lose her.
“It got late, and we were alone, and...she started kissing me. I let her. I didn’t kiss her back, but I don’t think she even noticed.” Caroline’s voice faltered for a second, and then she continued more firmly. “After a few minutes, she...touched me. I asked her to stop, and she did.”
Bri’s breath rasped harshly in and out of her chest. She hurt everywhere inside. Tightening her hold on the woman in her arms, she said hoarsely, “I love you, Carre. I won’t ever hurt you again. I promise.”
“I’ve missed you so much, Bri,” Caroline said softly.
“I love you, babe. Do you believe me?”
“I’ve always believed you.”
“Is it enough?” Bri was holding her breath. She wasn’t even certain her heart was still beating.
Caroline turned her face and pressed her lips to the spot where she could feel Bri’s heart pounding. “I always thought it would be...before. I’m not sure now. But we’ll find out.”
*
Tory was asleep on the couch when Reese walked in. The sound of the door and Jed’s boisterous welcome woke her, and she turned with some difficulty onto her side to watch her lover approach.
Smiling, Reese leaned down and kissed her softly on the mouth. “Hi, love. How are you doing?”
“Other than feeling like a narcotized whale, I’m doing just fine.”
“You don’t look like a whale,” Reese commented as she lifted Tory’s feet, sat down, and settled her lover’s legs onto her lap. She began to massage Tory’s feet, which elicited of groan of pleasure. “You look verdant.”
“Verdant?” Tory raised an eyebrow.
“Lush, ripe, filled with life...”
“Are you trying to seduce me?”
“Do I have to try?”
“No.” Tory nudged her heel between Reese’s thighs, eliciting a groan from her. “But I don’t mind if you want to give it a shot.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be losing interest or something?” Reese was only half joking. Somehow, she had assumed that being pregnant would mean Tory would become less interested in sex, especially now that she was clearly physically uncomfortable much of the time. As it was, Tory became more enticing to her every day, and she had to work at tempering her frequent desire. She didn’t want Tory to feel pressured.
“To tell you the truth,” Tory said somewhat irritably, “I feel like sex a lot, but more and more of the time, some part of my body or another isn’t up to it.”
Reese leaned sideways until she was reclining next to Tory, taking care to support herself on one arm so that she didn’t put her weight on her lover’s body. “Whatever you want, whenever you want. You’re the boss.”
“I don’t want you to be deprived,” Tory said softly, suddenly serious.
“What?” Reese shook her head, smoothing her palm down Tory’s arm and then sliding her fingers beneath the loose blouse she wore. “There isn’t anything in the world I want except you, just like this.”
As she spoke, Reese ran her fingers over the swell of Tory’s belly, and then brushed lightly over the curve of one full breast. “You get more beautiful every day. And when I feel the baby move, it’s just about the most thrilling thing I’ve ever experienced.” Reese continued to draw her fingers tenderly over Tory’s abdomen, then bent her head and placed a gentle kiss on Tory’s mouth.
Tory closed her eyes and sighed. “This is heaven. But once in a while, Sheriff, I miss the wild sex.”
Reese laughed out loud. “I need to shower. Then what do you say we get in bed and see what happens?”
“See? I knew you were trying to seduce me.”
When Reese emerged from the shower a half-hour later, Tory was propped up in bed, naked, the covers just barely covering her breasts. She was apparently asleep.
Quietly, Reese crossed to the bed and reached for the bedside light.
“Just turn it down low, but leave it on,” Tory murmured. “I want to see your face.”
“Okay.” Reese slid carefully beneath the sheets.
Tory turned on her left side, the position Wendy had recommended as the best one to enhance blood flow through her uterus. “You know what I love about sex with you?”
“What?” Reese’s eyes were fixed on her lover’s. Tory’s expression was both whimsical and tender.
“You don’t hold anything back.”
“’Cause I love you with everything I am,” Reese whispered, gently resting her palm on the arch of Tory’s hip. “You own me.”
“Mmm. I love that about you, too.” Tory nestled her cheek in the bend of her own arm and ran her other hand over Reese’s abdomen. “I also happen to love your body.”
“That’s good.” Reese drew a slightly shaky breath as Tory’s fingers traced light circles on her skin. “Because I love it when you touch me.”
“I want to watch you come,” Tory said steadily, running her fingertip between Reese’s breasts, then fleetingly over her nipples. She gave a murmur of satisfaction as they hardened to her touch.
“Aren’t you tired?” Reese was having trouble keeping her breathing steady or her legs still. There was something in Tory’s expression—her eyes were so intense, searching inside of her—that every nerve in her body tingled.
“I said I wanted to watch.” Tory’s voice was low, husky, and her eyes were wide with desire. As she spoke, she moved her hand to Reese’s. Slowly, deliberately, her gaze holding her lover captive, she drew Reese’s fingers down the center of Reese’s body and between her thighs. “Okay?”
Reese’s lips parted with a soft groan as Tory pressed down on Reese’s hand, urging her fingers against the base of her own clitoris. Throat tight, Reese murmured, “I said anything y
ou wanted.”
“I want.”
Tory eased her hold on Reese’s hand, keeping her fingers lightly in contact so that she could feel Reese move. In her mind, she saw the strong, sure fingers as they slid over warm, engorged tissues. She felt the faint lift of Reese’s hips as Reese’s eyes darkened to purple. Her own heart beat faster as she watched the tension grow in Reese’s face. Beneath her palm, Reese’s hand circled gently.
“Are you hard?”
“Christ, yes.” Reese found it almost impossible to talk because it was even harder to get a full breath. It wasn’t as much the pleasure spiraling from beneath her fingers, but the look of hunger in Tory’s eyes that was making her so heavy and hard. She’d give Tory anything, knowing it would never be enough to show her how much her love meant.
“Slow down,” Tory said softly.
“I don’t...think I...can,” Reese said through gritted teeth. The muscles in her stomach danced in anticipation as her attention narrowed down to one pounding point. She was swollen, stiff, preparing to explode. “Oh fuck, Tor. It feels so good.”
“Make it last,” Tory urged, wanting desperately to touch her, but knowing if she did, Reese would come immediately. She enjoyed watching the pleasure ripple through Reese’s body too much to end it too quickly. “You’re so beautiful right now.”
“I want...to come,” Reese gasped desperately, her vision dimming. “Can I?”
“Hold on as long as you can.” Tory shifted her fingers lower, gliding over Reese’s fingertips as Reese fondled herself. “Tell me when you’re coming.”
“Soon...oh, yeah, soon.”
“Wait...wait, baby.”
“Tory,” Reese said sharply. Her eyes opened wide, then the pupils flickered rapidly as her limbs grew rigid. “I’m gonna come.”
“Yes, sweetheart,” Tory murmured as she slid into her in one single motion. “You are.”
Reese choked out a cry as she flung her head back, forcing the orgasm on with each frantic stroke of her hand. When the convulsive contractions were almost over, Tory withdrew nearly completely and then entered again, setting off another round of spasms.
“Jesus,” Reese gasped, pressing her forehead to Tory’s shoulder.
“Keep going,” Tory ordered urgently. “Keep going until you come again.”
Reese begged, “Stay inside,” as she teased herself hard again.
“I’m here,” Tory soothed. “I’m here.”
Reese was so sensitive, it only took a few tugs and her entire body began to tremble. “Oh...it’s coming.” It hit her fast, and she moaned, folding in on herself as the force of it pounded through her.
Dimly, Reese heard Tory’s voice close to her ear. “Again?”
“I can’t, I can’t.” Sweat streaked her face as she pressed her cheek to Tory’s breast. She still cupped herself with her palm, but Tory had withdrawn. “God, I’m wasted.”
“You’re gorgeous,” Tory said thickly, running her fingers through Reese’s damp hair. “Thank you.”
Reese managed to move enough to tilt her head back and look into Tory’s face. “You don’t need to thank me for anything. There is nothing in me you can’t have.”
“I adore you.” Tory pressed her lips to Reese’s forehead, then drew her lover’s head back to her breast. “Now go to sleep, sweetheart.”
With a sigh, Reese slid her arm over Tory’s hips and closed her eyes, doing as her lover bid.
*
After the beach, Bri and Caroline went to Spiritus for pizza, then just walked through town together, stopping in shops with no particular destination in mind. Something they had done hundreds of times before, something so familiar and yet so new. They were together, but the easy confidence that had always existed between them was missing.
When Bri looked at the woman who had been her lover and a critical part of her life, it was as if she were seeing her for the first time. Caroline seemed separate from Bri and her reality in a way that she never had been before. The chance to be with Caroline this way, just strolling and talking, felt so much more precious to Bri now, because she was also acutely aware of the distance that shadowed their relationship.
A little after midnight, Bri walked Caroline to the door of what she now thought of as her father’s house, not hers.
“Can I see you tomorrow night?” Bri stopped at the top of the stairs and leaned a shoulder against the railing post. Five more feet, and Caroline would be inside and gone. She desperately did not want her to go.
“I’m supposed to meet with Gianelli tomorrow to find out what he needs me to do at the gallery. I don’t know how late I’ll need to work.”
“That’s okay. You can call me, or I can stop by.”
Caroline stepped closer until she was nearly between Bri’s legs. Curling her fingers around the outer edge of Bri’s left hand, she circled her thumb over the top and traced the middle finger down to the wide silver band that she had placed on Bri’s hand when they were sixteen. “I’d like that.”
“Carre,” Bri whispered just before she kissed her. The kiss was nearly as tentative and tender as the first time she had dared to put her mouth on Caroline’s skin. Their thighs brushed lightly, and they joined fingers, clasping hands as their lips met.
Bri had no idea how long the kiss lasted. She had no awareness of anything except the way Caroline smelled, and the incredible softness of the inside of her mouth, and the warmth that flowed from Caroline into her very core. This time, every time. It was so right.
Slowly, Caroline pressed closer until the front of her body pressed snugly against Bri’s, her hips sheltered between Bri’s thighs, her pelvis rocking softly in time with her slowly thrusting tongue. She whimpered quietly and Bri moaned.
Abruptly, Bri broke off the kiss and pulled her head back. “Babe,” she whispered urgently.
“What?” Caroline was breathless, too.
“I have to stop.”
“We’re just kissing,” Caroline teased gently.
Bri shook her head. “You feel too good. I’ve missed you so much. If we keep it up, I’m gonna come in my jeans.”
Caroline laughed quietly, hooking her fingertips just inside the waistband of Bri’s pants. “I’ve always loved it when you do that. It’s so hot.”
“Yeah, right.” Bri managed a self-conscious shrug. “But I want to save it.”
“For what?” Caroline tilted her head and studied Bri’s handsome face, dark now with tension and desire.
“I want the first time to be special,” Bri whispered, resting her forehead gently on Caroline’s.
“The first time?”
“The first time we’re together again.”
With a small cry, Caroline wrapped her arms around Bri’s waist and pressed her cheek to Bri’s shoulder. “I love you.”
It was true what they said, Bri thought as she locked her fingers together at the base of Caroline’s spine and held her as close as she could. Some words were the sweetest sound you could ever hear.
They were still wrapped up in one another when the front door opened and Nelson stuck his head out.
“Maybe you two should get a room,” he suggested mildly.
Caroline turned in the circle of Bri’s arms, her hands finding Bri’s again and clasping them against her stomach. “We were just saying good night.”
Bri rested her chin on the top of Caroline’s head.
“Careful on that motorcycle, Bri,” Nelson said.
“Yes, sir,” Bri called as the front door closed. “Jesus. Do you think he was watching us?”
“No. Nelson wouldn’t do that. He probably heard the motorcycle and got curious after a while about what we were doing.” Carefully, Caroline stepped away and turned around to face Bri. “Besides, we were just kissing.”
“Well, yeah, but he’s my father. Jesus.”
“Baby, he knows we sleep together. We slept together in the house almost all one summer.”
“Well, he never saw us,” Bri said pointedl
y.
Caroline laughed. “You are so fucking cute.”
“What happened to hot?” Bri demanded almost petulantly, but she couldn’t help grinning.
“Hmm. That, too.” Caroline ran her fingers lightly along the edge of Bri’s jaw. “I should go in. Be good, okay?”
“You mean I can’t go home and take care of myself?”
“I’d rather you waited for me,” Caroline replied, her voice soft and low.
“Does it count against me if I come in my sleep?”
Caroline seemed to give this some thought, her smile widening. “Depends on who you’re dreaming about.”
“Babe,” Bri whispered, completely serious, “I only dream of you.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Just before one p.m. the following Friday, Reese stopped by the clinic to pick Tory up after her half-day shift was over. The waiting room was unusually quiet, with only a mother and two small children waiting. Randy was nowhere in sight, so Reese walked around the reception desk and through the door that led to the examining rooms and Tory’s office. As she passed an open room on her right, she automatically glanced in and saw Dan Riley bending over a woman lying on the examining table. Reese stopped abruptly, her pulse suddenly spiking.
The woman was Tory.
“Tor?” Reese inquired sharply as she stepped inside.
“Sweetheart?” Tory lifted her head, clearly surprised. “What are you doing here?”
“What’s the matter? Are you all right?” Reese walked around the far side of the table and grasped Tory’s right hand. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” Tory said quickly. “Dan was just checking my pressure.”
“Lying down in here?” Reese asked suspiciously. She raised her eyes to Dan’s, but his gray ones revealed nothing.
Tory sighed. “I had a bit of a headache, and Dan insisted that I lie down.”
“Headache.” Reese said the word very calmly as she studied Tory’s face. Inside, the roaring in her head was making it hard for her to think. Headache, visual disturbances, protein in…“Did you call Wendy?”
“It’s not necessary.” Tory shook her head and sat up on the side of the table. “My pressure hasn’t changed. It’s just an ordinary headache. It happens.” She spoke very slowly and kept her eyes fixed on Reese’s. “Sweetheart, everything is fine.”
