by Geonn Cannon
“Ariadne.”
Ari smiled. That was what she’d missed, almost more than freedom and fresh air and good food. Dale had one hand on the back of Ari’s neck and the other on her breast, her body rising and falling as she slowly moved against Ari’s fingers and thumb. The time apart had done nothing to diminish Ari’s skill; her hand moved with the same sure strokes as always. Ari bowed her head to kiss the freckles between Dale’s breasts.
“Tell me when you’re about to come,” Ari said against Dale’s breastbone.
“I want to come.”
Ari said, “I want to make it last...”
“It’s okay,” Dale whispered, bending down to kiss the top of Ari’s head. “We’ve waited long enough, puppy. Let it happen. We’ve got all the time in the world.” She pushed Ari’s hair back and arched forward, pressing her hips down. “Make me come.”
It was hard to argue with a request like that. Ari moved her free hand to Dale’s ass, squeezed, and thrust with her other hand. Dale sat up straighter and whispered, “Yes, yes,” and gave a pronounced finishing shudder that ended with a choked cry. Her hands slid across Ari’s body until they rested on her shoulders, then moved up into her hair. She brought Ari’s face to hers and kissed her hard, passionately, before forcing her backward until she was lying down.
Ari smiled when she felt moisture on her cheeks. “I can’t believe I’m crying,” she said. “I don’t think I cried after our first time.”
“This is better than our first time,” Dale said quietly. She kissed Ari’s tears. “This is reunion sex. You don’t get reunion sex that often.”
“Knock on wood,” Ari said.
Dale smiled. “Given our luck, that’s pretty smart.” She repositioned herself and began kissing her way down Ari’s body. She closed her lips around Ari’s nipples, used her tongue to draw shapes on her stomach, and then eased her legs apart so that her feet were resting on the slick-smooth bottom of the tent. Ari put one hand behind her head and teased Dale’s hair with the other hand.
“What are you doing down there?”
“Taking my time.” Dale wet her lips and lowered her head.
Ari’s eyes rolled back and her face slumped into a drunken smile.
They had all the time in the world.
Epilogue
Dale woke up when it was still dark outside. She was alone in the sleeping bag, but the fact she was in a tent in the woods was enough reassurance that she hadn’t dreamt the day before. She was still naked so she took the time to put on her underwear and a T-shirt before she left the tent. Ari was sitting on a folded shirt near the edge of the rock platform, legs crossed in front of her, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. Even in the pre-dawn light, Dale could see she was naked.
“I said there aren’t many other people around. There still might be a few.” She sat down next to Ari. “You want everyone to see your tits?”
“They’ve all seen tits before. And if they haven’t, I’m doing them a favor.” She gestured at the wilderness. “You’re welcome, phantom forest virgins!”
Dale put her head down on Ari’s shoulder. “I like your short hair. But it’s not permanent, right?”
“God, no.”
“Good. I mean, it’s your body...”
Ari said, “You can be the short-hair one in the relationship.”
“Good.”
Dale looked out across the stream. In the few seconds since she’d come outside, the sun had already risen high enough to color the clouds at the far horizon. She could see the shapes of the forest and hear various animals moving through the underbrush on the other shore. Hopefully the campsite would keep them from crossing over.
“What are you thinking about?”
Ari sighed. “Lots of things. How hard it’s going back to normal will be. I can’t imagine going in to the office on Monday and just investigating a case.”
“So take a week. Or two weeks.”
“Mom has already done so much for us. I don’t want to take advantage of her charity.”
Dale said, “It’s not charity. She’s your mother. She’s happy to do it.”
“I know. But the point stands.”
“Fair enough. I’m thinking about Cecily Parrish and GG&M. I hope they’re really gone and they stay gone, but I’m scared. What if they decide now they have nothing to lose and come after us again? What if this time they don’t pull their punches?”
Ari said, “Then we’ll be ready for them.”
“We barely survived this time, Ariadne.”
“I know.” She kissed the top of Dale’s head. “But I don’t want to live in fear. So I’m going to keep an eye out, and be as ready as I can be, and live my life.”
Dale said, “I think I can do that.”
“Mm.” She put her arm around Dale. “I was also thinking that the last time I went out camping in the wilderness was with Mom, after you helped cure me of the pain. I came back to Seattle to testify in court, and that was when we crossed paths with Cecily Parrish in the first place. Being out here again after getting her out of our lives feels like closing the door on her. Bookends.”
“I hope so,” Dale said.
Ari took a deep breath. “You call my mother ‘Mom’.”
“I do. Is that okay? If it’s weird...”
“No. No, I like it. I like it a lot.”
There was even more light now.
“You don’t have to do anything, puppy,” Dale said. “We can close up Bitches and get normal jobs. We can move to Portland. The agency is just a thing we do, it’s not us. Seattle isn’t us. The wolf isn’t us. No matter what happens or what gets taken away from us, or what we have to sacrifice to protect each other, as long as this--” She wiggled her finger to indicate the two of them. “--remains intact, then that’s all that matters. And you don’t have to decide right now. Spend the weekend not thinking, not worrying, and just being here with me. And when we get back to the real world, whatever you decide, I’ll be right there with you. No matter what.”
“I want this. You. The life we’ve built together. Everything Cecily tried to take away from us. That’s what I want.”
“Then that’s what I want, too. After this weekend.”
“After this weekend,” Ari confirmed. She hooked her finger under Dale’s chin and bent down to kiss her. “My partner.”
Dale smiled. “My mate. My pack. Welcome home, puppy.”
Ari looked out over the forest. Dale put her head down on Ari’s shoulder again. Birds were chirping, and she could hear the wind pushing through the higher branches of the trees. It would have been ideal if Ari stood up, stretched her arms over her head, and effortlessly became the wolf so she could go for a run through the trees. Dale’s heart broke a little to think it wasn’t possible. But in a few months, the drug would be out of her system. The wolf would be back. And now that they knew about this place, they could easily plan another weekend away. Maybe in the summer, when it would be warmer. There was no need to figure it out immediately.
For now, Dale was determined to simply enjoy the moment and appreciate having the woman she loved by her side. They had plenty of time later to think about later.
About the Author
Geonn Cannon lives in Oklahoma. He is the author of several novels, including the Riley Parra series which is currently being produced as a webseries for Tello Films, and an official Stargate SG-1 tie-in novel. Information about his other novels and an archive of free stories can be found online at geonncannon.com.
More from Geonn Cannon
"Riley Parra is a strong, badass heroine for those that like their coffee and their cop fiction bitter." - P Industry
No Man's Land isn't the kind of place you go after dark, even if you have a badge. But Detective Riley Parra was born there, and she refuses to surrender it to the drug dealers, killers and criminals who have made it there home. The case of a body stuffed into a drainage pipe leads her to discover that there is far more at stake than she ever im
agined.
-- Riley Parra, Season One.
“A good novel to while away a few hours in front of the fire.” - Kitty Kat Reviews
Three years ago, Sofia Kennedy reported the tragic death of her girlfriend live-on air. Still in the closet even with her closest friends, she was forced to suffer her loss in silence. In the years since she's become isolated and sticks strictly to a routine that prevents her from encountering painful memories of the woman she lost.
Marion Vogt runs a small but well-respected catering service that feeds the elite of Seattle. When Sofia's consumer reporting segment does a story on Marion's company, the two women immediately butt heads. An unintended insult results in a scathing report that nearly shuts down the business. Marion's attempt to defend herself results in a deepening of their conflict until both women are ready to destroy one another.
They quickly find out Seattle can be a very small town when trying to avoid someone. As much as they want to avoid each other, fate keeps forcing Sofia and Marion to cross paths. Before long they realize they'll have to decide if they're going to hold on to bad feelings or risk forgiveness to discover just what they have to offer each other.
-- Breaking Anchor