My Forever Hero

by Karen Legasy

  “There are too many empty spaces in this house.” Abigail turned to leave. “How about a glass of wine now?”

  They spent the next while discussing Hannah. Abigail refused to believe Hannah could be linked to anything criminal and resisted agreeing to any kind of full-scale investigation into her personal emails. In the end, they agreed to introduce Hannah to Marlee and tell her the truth about how they met on the water.

  “I know you have an early morning ahead so I won’t keep you up any longer.” Marlee put her empty glass in the dishwasher. “I’ve really enjoyed this and am looking forward to seeing Josh again tomorrow.”

  “So am I.” Abigail sighed. “The poor boy was so distraught with my being questioned by the police. He’s really worried about me. I’m glad Keith is taking good care of him.”

  “Thanks for the tour, the wine and the friendly company.” Marlee squeezed Abigail’s arm. “I hope you have a good sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Good night.” Abigail stayed still. “Help yourself to anything you need. There are extra towels in the bathroom and let me know if you want anything else.”

  Marlee headed up to her room, wondering how she’d ever be able to sleep with her heart pounding the way it was. Of course she wanted something else. Abigail. The house was gigantic and she’d be so far down the hall that nothing would ever happen.

  Marlee stripped down and put on a baggy T-shirt before crawling between the soft cotton sheets that caressed her bare legs with their freshness. She turned out the light and listened for Abigail’s footsteps mounting the stairs and going into her room. She heard Abigail’s door close and then the house was silent, with the exception of the ticking of a clock on her bedroom wall.

  An hour later, Marlee still lay awake, her eyes adjusted to the darkened room and scanning the ceiling. Her head pounded from a burning desire so strong she debated dipping into the pool to cool off, but she was a guest in Abigail’s house and needed to behave.

  A soft tap at her door startled Marlee, her heart starting to race. “Ab…Tay?”

  The door eased open, revealing a robed figure silhouetted against the soft light from the hall. “Are you awake?” Abigail’s voice was low, almost a whisper.

  “Yes.” Marlee propped herself up on a wobbly elbow. “You can turn on the light if you like.”

  “I don’t want to turn on the light…I…I want to sleep with you.”

  Marlee’s breath caught, afraid she was dreaming. “Do you know what that would mean?”

  “Yes.” Abigail’s breathing was heavy in the dark. She edged forward.

  “I need you to be sure.” Marlee suddenly felt protective of Abigail and wanted to be certain that this would be the right thing for her at this time. “Tell me what you want.”

  “Please touch me.” Abigail’s robe dropped to the floor, her nakedness shadowed by the darkened room as she stood by the bed.

  “You’re beautiful.” Marlee’s elbow rested on a pillow, her head trembling and her voice low. “I want to make love with you so much right now, but I need to know that you’re ready.”

  “If you touch me you’ll feel just how ready I am.”

  That’s all it took for Marlee to slip out from under the sheets and slide her T-shirt over her head. She nudged her naked body up against Abigail’s and they joined together, heavy breathing in tune with hungry kisses as they toppled onto the bed.

  “Oh my God, I can’t believe how good this feels.” Abigail convulsed, her breathing uneven.

  “This is nothing yet.” Marlee was on top, planting kisses all over the most beautiful breasts she’d ever tasted. She moved a hand downward, exploring until her fingers slipped between Abigail’s legs.

  “I think I’m going to explode.” Abigail’s hips arched upward and she screamed out her orgasm in one long burst.

  “Can you touch me now? Please?” Marlee could hardly contain her arousal and was afraid she’d crest on her own.

  Abigail’s uncertain fingers found that perfect spot just in time as Marlee roared in pleasure then cried in relief.

  “I’m sorry.” Marlee looked for a tissue and blew her nose. “You’re the one who’s supposed to cry because it’s your first time. Isn’t that how it works?”

  “It doesn’t matter how it works, but I’m going to buy you a toaster tomorrow.” Abigail smiled. “Let’s do that again.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  An early morning swim followed by a shared shower marked a new beginning in their relationship. Abigail dropped Marlee back at her place as she made her way to get Josh. The dark-tinted windows of the car kept their five-minute necking session private as they struggled to break away from each other before they had to go their respective ways.

  Marlee couldn’t stop smiling as she popped over to Tyler’s. She kept pinching herself, sure it was all a dream and she’d wake up soon.

  “I can’t believe you got lucky with her.” Tyler blurted out the words as soon as he saw her.

  “How would you know?” Marlee strolled in and flopped on his couch, trying to hide her smile.

  He began to peel an orange. “Excuse me, but you’re glowing all over. Do tell what happened.”

  “She wants me to meet Hannah today.” Marlee wasn’t going to admit anything. She could hardly believe they’d finally made love and wanted to savor the memories on her own.

  “So she’s going to involve Hannah?”

  “No, not yet.” Marlee’s voice shook with excitement. “I’ll be introduced as an unfortunate surfer who needed a ride back to shore. We’ll stick to the truth on how we met, especially since Abigail’s son will be there to verify the facts.”

  “Tell her what you want, but she’s going to know you’re sleeping with Abigail.” Tyler bit into a slice of orange and the juice scented the air.

  “It’s no secret I’m attracted to Abigail. What lesbian wouldn’t be?”

  “I’d be willing to bet she’s beaming this morning too.” Tyler rubbed his sticky fingers together. “The two of you in the same room will light up like an animated neon sign flashing the words just had sex.”

  “You’re crazy.” Marlee got off the couch and headed to the door. “You can do a visual assessment when Abigail gets here. She’s picking me up later this morning so I can spend some time with Josh and meet Hannah.”

  “Let me know when she’s here and I’ll get the two of you to stand in front of a mirror so you can see for yourself.”

  * * *

  Marlee’s legs wobbled as she prepared herself a light snack of cream cheese on quinoa crackers, and fresh strawberries. She’d have to warn Abigail about Tyler’s intuitiveness and swear she didn’t kiss and tell. When the tap at her door finally came, she wedged it open just enough to pull Abigail into her arms then slammed it shut.

  Abigail pushed her up against the wall and began to devour her lips with hungry kisses. Marlee couldn’t believe the passion she’d unleashed in this woman and held her own as they staggered to the couch, clawing off clothes and gasping for air.

  “We only have a few minutes,” Abigail mumbled into Marlee’s lips.

  “That’s all we need for a quickie.” Marlee’s experienced fingers found Abigail’s G-spot and stroked it, bringing on a seismic orgasm followed by little aftershocks of breath-catching tremors.

  “Oh my God, that was amazing.” Abigail reached down to touch Marlee. “We need to get going, but first help me find the right spot for you.”

  “This is wonderful. You’re beautiful.” Marlee kept her fingers intertwined with Abigail’s to speed up her own release of an orgasmic shockwave that ended with the sound of a message coming into her computer.

  “It’s Tyler.” Marlee stretched her neck to look at the screen. “He wants to know if it’s safe to pop over.”

  “No, tell him we’re just about to leave.” Abigail clambered off the couch and rushed into the bathroom.

  Marlee popped into the washroom after Abigail was finished then sat topless
in front of her computer as she typed a response to Tyler. “I have to tell you he’s on to us.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Abigail reached for her ponytail and took out the elastic, letting blond tresses flow over her shoulders. “I’ll have to fix this before we go.”

  “No, please leave your hair out.” Marlee reached for the soft locks. “It looks good on you this way and it’s so sexy.”

  “Maybe later.” Abigail put the elastic back in and pulled her hair through the rear of her white ball cap. “Speaking of sexy, your body is more beautiful than I ever imagined.” She rubbed her nose against Marlee’s cheek.

  “So you’ve been imagining me naked then, eh?” Marlee smiled. “I knew it.”

  “Have you told Tyler about us?” Abigail turned serious.

  “No, of course not.” Marlee finished getting dressed. “He knows I’m attracted to you, but that’s all I’ve admitted. There was no sense trying to hide it.”

  “So if you didn’t tell him about last night, how could he know?”

  “He knew as soon as he saw me this morning. It’s something we’ll have to watch out for around Hannah. I wouldn’t want her to realize we’re sleeping together.”

  “You’re right.” Abigail began to fidget with her ponytail at the back of her hat. “She’d never forgive me.”

  Marlee was taken aback. “What does that mean? This has nothing to do with her.”

  “I know.” Abigail sighed. “I should tell you that we slept together once. It was mostly at her prompting, but I was curious and went along with it.”

  “Why didn’t you say something before?” Marlee’s heart dropped.

  “I didn’t think it was relevant.” Abigail put her arms around Marlee. “It was only one time shortly after I’d left Keith and I really didn’t enjoy it. Afterward, I thought I was just someone who happened to be born without much of a sex drive. Keith wasn’t able to pleasure me in the way a sexual partner should, even though I did love him when we got married. I endured sex for a few years to have a child, but I couldn’t take it anymore after Josh was born. With Hannah, I was curious to see if having sex with a woman would somehow turn me on. It didn’t and that’s why this with you has taken me by surprise. This crisis at my company has made it one of the worst times of my life, but then I met you and all of a sudden I feel so happy and alive. Kind of ironic, isn’t it?”

  Marlee didn’t know what to say. She kissed Abigail. “This is a conversation we need to pick up later. I think we should tell Tyler about us and get him to meet Hannah today too. He can give us a sign if we start ogling each other.”

  “Whatever you think.”

  A light knock at the door announced Tyler’s arrival. Marlee winked as he entered. His eyes rolled when he noticed Abigail fixing her hair in the mirror.

  He leaned into Marlee and whispered. “You need to practice safer sex.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Marlee spoke loud enough for Abigail to hear.

  “I noticed one of our neighbours eyeing Abigail’s car in the parking lot. It’s only a matter of time before you get caught.”

  “We can’t have that.” Abigail stepped forward. “It’s time we move operations to my place. Tyler, can you pack a few things and come with us?”

  “Sure. I just have to grab my computer.” Tyler stepped toward the door.

  “I mean for the two of you to move into my house for now,” Abigail said. “God knows it’s big enough and we can have a dedicated war room for this. Would that be okay?”

  “Are you kidding?” Tyler beamed. “I’ll be right back.”

  “And don’t forget to bring your bathing suit,” Marlee said then turned to Abigail. “Why don’t you head out now and I’ll wait for Tyler. It’s best if you’re gone before someone else starts studying your car.”

  “Okay.” Abigail wrapped her arms around Marlee. “It’ll give me a chance to tell Josh and Hannah about the two of you. I’ll say that Tyler’s a friend of yours who needs a job and is going to help out with some maintenance around the grounds. I hope he doesn’t mind playing along with it.”

  “I’m sure he won’t and it’ll be fun.” Marlee gave her a kiss and then opened the door. “You should get going now. We’ll see you soon.”

  “One more thing.” Abigail spoke in a low voice. “You’ll be staying in my room. It’ll free up yours for Tyler and he’ll be at the other end of the hall.”

  “I can hardly wait.” Marlee watched Abigail trot to her car then disappear behind the darkened windows. A whole new world had just opened up for the two of them.

  It didn’t take long for Tyler to return to her door, rolling airline suitcase in tow, keys at the ready. “We can take my car. I imagine you’ll soon be driving one of Abigail’s luxury fleet instead of that tin can rental of yours.”

  “She has a big garage, but I didn’t notice a fleet of luxury cars.” Marlee grabbed her backpack and locked the door as they left. “From what I can tell, she only has her car and an SUV so there’s lots of space to keep your Beemer indoors.”

  Tyler raised the trunk of his car. “You can put your bag in the boot with mine. What did you think of her place?”

  “It’s amazing.” Marlee smiled. “She has this beautiful great room that looks out over her pool and the most incredible view of the ocean. I never imagined myself being in that kind of luxury.”

  Tyler started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. “How are you ever going to leave and go back to Canada? I guess with all of her money, you could always become a kept woman.”

  “I don’t want to think about any of that right now.” Marlee played with her seat belt. “The most important thing is to help her catch the fucker who’s screwing up her life.”

  “Well said.” Tyler laughed. “You want to catch the fucker while you fuck her.”

  “I’m not fucking her,” Marlee said. “We’re fooling around, having sex, or even making love. But I’ll never fuck her. Got it?”

  “Sure, sorry. Now why don’t you tell me exactly where in Darling Point her house is?”

  When they arrived at the entrance gate, a car was ahead of them and putting in a code to access the property. The vehicle was the perfect match to Abigail’s Golf except it was metallic blue instead of white. Marlee figured it was Hannah as a blond woman worked the security pad.

  The gates separated only long enough to let her drive through, shutting out Marlee and Tyler.

  “Bitch.” Marlee scrambled to find the code, but the gates automatically reopened.

  “Take a deep breath.” Tyler drove them in. Hannah was out of the car already, embracing Abigail on the front steps. “You don’t want to look like a jealous lesbian on top of a horny one.”

  Marlee nudged him as they came to a stop in front of the garage, apprehension bubbling in her veins as she braced to meet Hannah.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Abigail raised a hand to signal she needed a few more minutes on her own with Hannah. The two women stood head to head, close enough to kiss, as they engaged in an intimate conversation in front of Abigail’s house. Marlee gawked from the open car window, wishing she could hear what was being said and squirming when Hannah put a hand on Abigail’s arm.

  “You’re staring,” Tyler said.

  “Look at how she’s touching her. I wonder what they’re saying.”

  “I’m sure Abigail’s telling her how great you are in bed.”

  “Would you stop?” Marlee swatted his arm then got out of the car.

  “Hey.” Josh strolled from the garage, hands in the pockets of his grey cargo shorts.

  “Josh. Hi.” Marlee reached out and pulled him into a hug. “It’s great to see you again. How are you doing?”

  “I’m good.”

  “I’d like you to meet my friend Tyler.” Marlee led Josh to the other side of the car.

  “Hey.” Josh shook Tyler’s hand. “Mum said you’re going to help out with stuff around here.”

  “That�
�s the plan,” Tyler said.

  “Tyler lives in my building,” Marlee said. “Our place just got flooded out and your mom’s been kind enough to let us stay here for a bit.”

  “How’d you get flooded when it’s hardly been raining?” Josh asked.

  “There was a faulty sprinkler system in our complex,” Marlee said. “It somehow got set off and there was water all over.”

  “Mum said Tyler likes gardening and is going to help out with the grounds.”

  “Sort of.” Marlee wished they had better planned their cover story. She only hoped Tyler would follow her lead.

  “Yeah,” Tyler said. “I’ll find the weeds and Marlee will help with tending your mother’s garden. We make a good team.”

  “Hey, you two,” Abigail said. “I’d like you to meet Hannah.”

  “Hello, Marlee.” Hannah smiled and held out her hand.

  “It’s nice to meet you.” Marlee’s fingers felt squeezed as their palms barely met.

  Hannah lingered beside Abigail, the similarity of the two women all but gone up close. Hannah’s nose was bigger with flared nostrils, and her eyes were a dark brown that didn’t match her blond hair.

  “I’m shocked Tay didn’t tell me about you before this,” Hannah said. “She’s always so modest, but I can’t believe she rescued you from that shark. It must have been so scary.” Hannah shook, exaggerating. “I’m trembling just thinking about it.”

  “I’m glad Josh and Abigail were out on the boat that day,” Marlee said. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here.”

  “I spotted her with my drone,” Josh said. “You should have seen the teeth on that shark. It almost ate Mum too.”

  “Let’s not blow it out of proportion,” Abigail said. “Why don’t we get your stuff inside? Tyler, you can move your car into the garage and we’ll bring the bags in from there.”

  “Sure.” Tyler turned to get back in the car.