Marked for Love

by Hannah West

  Noelle blushed. “No.” She could be the professional, after all. After handling a naked corpse, certainly seeing her girlfriend mostly nude wouldn’t be anything to blush about.

  “You’re turning red.” Sara smiled.

  “Like a tomato,” Noelle agreed. “Right. Shirt first?”

  “Why not.” Sara rucked up the shirt as much as she could, wincing when it came time to lift her arms very far. “Fucking ribs.”

  Noelle took Sara’s shirt in her hands, easing it so that Sara could remove one arm at a time, further down than she would have on her own. “Easy does it,” she said, carefully lifting it over Sara’s head. Sara was still wearing a bra.

  “That should go, too.” Sara looked at Noelle, her eyes twinkling. “Wanna take it off?”

  Noelle coughed, standing and taking the shirt to the hamper on the other side of the room. “I think you might be able to manage that.”

  “Oh, it’s awfully hard.” Sara demonstrated how difficult it was, trying to reach the back of her underwire and failing.

  “You’re a troll,” Noelle informed her, sitting next to her and gingerly undoing the clasps of Sara’s bra. “But we’re getting a shirt on you. No dazzling me with your boobs.”

  Sara eased the straps down her arms, taking the bra off and tossing it to the floor. She sat there, shirtless, demonstrating no discomfort. It didn’t seem to faze her that Noelle was sitting right next to her. “They’re pretty dazzling boobs.”

  Noelle focused on Sara’s shoulders, on the creamy, pale skin. She absolutely, under no circumstances, would look at her - soft, pillowy breasts. Not that Noelle had any experience with boobs, beyond her own - she really didn’t - but Sara’s looked nice. Her nipples had hardened in the cool air of the room, and Noelle just kind of wanted to reach out and -

  “Enjoying the show?” Sara asked dryly.

  “Shirt,” Noelle said, standing and snapping herself out of it. “Let’s get you a shirt.” She scrambled to pick up the one she had selected, bringing it back to Sara and handing it to her. There had been some fondling but it was the first time Sara was actually shirtless and braless in front of her.

  Sara looked at her with raised eyebrows. “I can’t lift my arms over my shoulders, how exactly do you think I’m going to get this on?”

  “You’re so mean.” Noelle shook her head, her words light, teasing. Still, she took a deep breath before she picked up the shirt and offered Sara the first sleeve. She moved slowly, Sara’s lack of pain her first priority. “Can you button it?”

  “I should be able to.” Sara gingerly buttoned her shirt. Noelle tried to ignore the way that Sara’s fingertips skimmed her stomach, then the skin of her breasts.

  “You’re a tease,” Noelle informed her, clasping her hands behind her to keep them from doing anything - forward.

  “Only sometimes.” Sara smiled a devilish smile, finishing the last button without looking at it. Her hands were shaking from the effort, and she seemed paler than she had been when they got home. Noelle glanced at the clock.

  “You’ll be taking your meds when I tell you to.” Noelle raised her eyebrows, daring Sara to challenge her.

  “We’ll see.” Sara wiggled, wincing and distracting Noelle. “Pants.” Standing with a hiss, she slowly eased the pants off of her hips and helped them drop to the floor.

  Noelle picked them up, tossing them with the rest of Sara’s dirty clothes. “Here, step in.”

  Obediently Sara stepped into the pyjamas, letting Noelle pull them up over her feet. She looked down at Noelle, innocent. “I can’t bend down and lift them up.”

  “You’re enjoying this,” Noelle said dryly.

  “As much as I can, in my condition,” Sara agreed.

  Carefully Noelle pulled the pants up to rest on Sara’s hips. Her thumbs caressed Sara’s hipbones, and for a moment, Noelle wanted to kiss her stomach. But she didn’t. Standing, she surveyed Sara with a semi-professional eye. “I think you’re finally ready for bed.”

  Sara yawned, slowly sitting back down. “Probably.” She yawned again, her eyes closing. Opening one eye, she looked at Noelle. “You don’t have pajamas.”

  That was a thought that had crossed Noelle’s mind, once or twice. “No, I don’t.” And she couldn’t leave, either. She had to wake Sara up every so often to make sure she was okay.

  “Wear some of my stuff.” Sara waved a hand at the dresser. “Might be a bit big on you, since I’m taller, but it should fit.”

  Noelle rummaged around in Sara’s drawer, listening to Sara slowly ease herself onto the bed. “Do you have any more pillows in case you need to be propped up?”

  “Probably somewhere.” A shrug drew a quiet hiss of pain. “Bad idea.”

  “The shrug or the pillows?” Noelle looked up, a pair of pajamas in her hand that she thought would fit.

  Sara chuckled. “Everything.” She made a frustrated noise. “Stupid comforter is hard to get under.”

  Setting aside the clothes, Noelle helped her pull the comforter up so she could sneak under. “Do you make your bed every morning?”

  “Habit.” Sara made a noncommittal noise, apparently not risking another shrug. “You can change in the bathroom if you’re that concerned about privacy.”

  Noelle raised her eyebrows but didn’t comment. Instead she turned her back, tugging off her shirt and bra before she pulled on Sara’s. It was a little bit roomy around the middle and chest, tiny bit tight in the shoulders, but it would do for the night. She tugged off her pants, wishing she had at least worn vaguely sexy underwear, before she pulled on Sara’s. She had to roll the waist band several times.

  “This is when it’s funny that I’m a few inches taller.”

  Noelle eyed her. “It’s not funny.”

  “Oh, yes it is.” Sara patted the side of the bed. “Sleepy time.”

  “The painkillers make you loopy.” Noelle shook her head, amused. “I’m going to go clean up, put my purse on the table. Then I’ll be back for bed.”

  “I’ll be waiting.” Sara eyed her, then carefully arranged herself on the bed. “And still awake.”

  “I bet you will.” Noelle chuckled to herself, leaving Sara’s bedroom and heading towards where she had dropped her purse off. She could hear the noise of the cars passing by the road outside, hear the downstairs neighbor listening to music. They were peaceful noises, background noises. Ambient noise. Picking up her purse, she dropped it onto the table. There was mail there.

  Glancing at the bedroom, she poked through the mail, surprised to see a hand addressed envelope. That was a rarity nowadays. She frowned at the handwriting. It looked familiar. Still, it wasn’t right to go through Sara’s mail. She straightened the pile and left it there. Then she looked at the kitchen. It was much neater than Noelle’s.

  Shaking her head in amusement - Sara was a bit of a neat freak - Noelle went back to the bedroom, crawling into bed next to Sara. “Hello,” Sara said, peering at her.

  Noelle looked at her, amused. “Hello.” She lifted up the comforter, helping Sara get positioned underneath it. “Time for bed.”

  “No cuddling tonight.” Sara looked put-out, and Noelle felt an absurd bit of warmth in her chest that Sara sounded unhappy about it. She liked Noelle, liked being closer to her.

  “When you’re better,” Noelle promised. “Now get some sleep.”

  Chapter Nine

  The night passed faster than Noelle had expected, which was a side effect of having to wake up every few hours to make sure Sara was okay. By the time light showed at the barest edges of the blackout curtains, Noelle felt like she had been in bed forever. She yawned. “Morning.”

  Sara peeked her head out from underneath the covers. “Hi.”

  “Be right back. Need to get your meds.” Noelle struggled out from underneath the comforters, glaring at the wall when the cool air hit her skin. She had been warm. Now she wasn’t.

  Heading to the kitchen, she got Sara a glass of water and the medicine she had
left on the counter. At least Sara had willingly taken the meds Noelle had given her in the middle of the night. When she was sleepier, she was more compliant. This time, Noelle was prepared for the inevitable argument.

  “No.” Sara scowled.

  “Yes.” Noelle extended her hand with the meds.

  “Pain meds make me loopy.”

  “That they do.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “You’re going to hurt otherwise.” Noelle carefully sat next to Sara on the bed, trying to not let her teeth chatter. Sara apparently kept the AC on colder than Noelle had anticipated. “Just for a few more days, then you can switch to an over the counter painkiller.”

  Sara sighed, then took the pills and tossed them into her mouth. Hands shaking, she took the water from Noelle, taking a few sips before handing it back. “I want to sleep some more.”

  “The meds must be wearing off if you’re talking in complete sentences.”

  Sara glared at her. “Rude.”

  Noelle reached out and stroked her hair, smiling when she didn’t get a protest. “I’m sorry.”

  Sara hmphed but didn’t tell her to go away. “Are you getting back under the covers?”

  Grateful for the invite, Noelle ducked back under the comforter. It was still warm. “I’ll get up and make breakfast in a bit. Do you want anything in particular?”

  “Eggs and toast.”

  Noelle chuckled. “I can do that.” She turned on her side to face Sara, smiling when Sara tilted her head to look at her. “How’s your head?”

  “Fine.” Sara carefully rotated her neck - as much as one could, while laying on a bed. “Bit of a headache.”

  “I’m guessing that’s what happens when you’re in a car accident.” Noelle reached out and laid her hand on Sara’s, underneath the covers. “Sore?”

  “All over.” Sara grimaced. “The pain meds are helping.”

  “Good.” Although they did make Sara loopy, Noelle didn’t mind as long as they eased her pain.

  “You don’t have to stay,” Sara said after a moment. “I can take care of myself.”

  Noelle shrugged, as best she could laying down. “I don’t mind being here.” She glanced away for a moment. “I still regret what I said, and I want to make up for it.”

  Sara was quiet for a few moments. “It’s hard, when you’re not used to it,” she said.

  Noelle glanced at her. “What is?”

  Sara waved the hand that Noelle wasn’t holding. “Dating someone who’s not your soulmate. It’s hard dating a soulmate too, don’t get me wrong, but at least you don’t have all of society against you.” Sara looked disgusted.

  “Not all of society,” Noelle said, thinking of Riley.

  Sara snorted. “Name more than five people who wouldn’t tut in disapproval if you mentioned that I wasn’t your soulmate.”

  “Riley, my parents, one of our crime scene managers.” Noelle paused, trying to think of more names. “Do you count?”

  Sara rolled her eyes. “No, I don’t count. You’re dating me, remember? Or did you forget?” She squeezed Noelle’s hand gently.

  “Not an easy thing to forget.” Noelle smiled at her. “Do dead people count?”

  Sara chuckled. “I think you got the point.”

  Noelle’s face was more grim than she would have liked. “Yeah.”

  “It’ll be okay.” Sara smiled at her, eyes unusually soft.

  Noelle looked at her, studying her face for a few moments. “I hope so.” She leaned down and gingerly kissed Sara on the lips. “You stay here, I’ll go make breakfast. Then I’ll come help you get out to the kitchen.”

  Sara looked mock ferocious. “I am not an invalid.”

  Noelle raised her eyebrows. “Whatever you say.” She kissed Sara one more time, then got out of bed and headed out to the kitchen. Grabbing her phone on the way out, she sat it on the counter of the kitchen so she could hear it in case work contacted her. The jury was still meeting, and even though she wasn’t at court waiting, she wanted to hear if the verdict came in. She shivered, the cold getting to her, but she knew she would warm up once she was in the kitchen.

  It took her a few moments to locate the ingredients for what she wanted to make. It was an unfamiliar kitchen, but set up not too dissimilarly from her own. Toast went into Sara’s toaster, and eggs she started cracking into a small bowl so she could whip them with some milk before she cooked them.

  Her phone rang, startling her and causing her to nearly let go of the fork she was using. She lifted it out of the bowl, her heart thumping. It was Riley. That meant verdict. “Hello?”

  “Are you sitting down?” Riley asked. Noelle couldn’t tell anything from his voice. Was it good, was it bad?

  “No. Making Sara breakfast.” Noelle sat the eggs aside, heading into Sara’s living room and sitting on the couch. “I’m sitting now, though.”

  “Verdict’s in,” Riley said.

  Noelle let a few impatient moments pass. “And?” He was being purposefully dramatic.

  “Guilty,” Riley said triumphantly.

  Noelle closed her eyes, making a fist and pumping it in the air. The relief washed over her like a tsunami. “Yes.”

  “You did it.” Riley sounded fond, and Noelle smiled.

  “We did,” Noelle clarified. “I didn’t do it on my own.”

  Riley conceded the point. “Will you be in later?”

  “Probably not.” Noelle grimaced. She wanted to, wanted to talk to her colleagues and debrief the case. But Sara was more important. “Sara got in a car accident yesterday, so I’m taking the day off to stay with her.”

  “I’ll let the others know.” Riley was quiet for a moment. “Take care of you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks. See you tomorrow.” Noelle hung up her phone, putting it down on her lap and staring at the wall for a moment. Guilty. They had got the verdict they wanted. Her smile wide, she stood and went back to making breakfast. Maybe Sara would help her celebrate.

  Noelle got out of her car, locking it and hefting her purse over her shoulder. She glanced around, as she always did. While the black and white police cars parked close to the department, their personal cars were a little bit further away. Still, she could walk into the department with her head held high - she hadn’t ruined their case.

  “Are you Noelle?” A middle-height, sandy blonde-haired man came out from the car in front of her.

  Noelle’s hand went to her gun. “Maybe. Who are you?”

  “Are you dating Sara McClaire?” He seemed unconcerned with her gun. His eyes were oddly calm, and his face had no expression. It was strange. Noelle shifted slightly, preparing herself in case she needed to use force. She didn’t like to use her gun, or her martial arts training, but she would if she had to.

  “Who are you, and what do you want?” Noelle tucked her keys into her pocket. She wanted her hands free.

  “My name is Clark. Clark Debrov.” He smiled, and it wasn’t a nice smile. It was malicious and sinister. Noelle didn’t like it, didn’t like him. “I’m her soulmate.”

  Noelle’s blood ran cold. What? No. He was dead, Sara had said he died in a car crash eight years ago. “I don’t believe you.”

  He extended his arm, showed her his wrist. It did look like Sara’s mark. “Ask her, if you don’t believe me. Tell her she needs to reply to my letters. I’ve been feeling ignored.” With that smile on his face, he nodded coolly and walked away.

  Noelle stood there for longer than she had anticipated, staring blankly at the space in front of her. She felt like the rug had been ripped out from underneath her. No. Forcibly, she turned her attention away from what had happened. He was lying. For some reason. Maybe he was after something of Sara’s, or - maybe - something. He had to be lying. Noelle turned her attention back to work, and started walking.

  At the very least, she could search his name and find out if he was who he claimed to be.

  Noelle stared at the results, tapping a penc
il against her desk. Clark Debrov, thirty one, former trash collector. Not high aspirations. The picture matched the man that had confronted her in the parking lot, but he wasn’t Sara’s soulmate. His soulmate was a woman named Alicia McDonald.

  A few clicks pulled up her profile, and Noelle frowned. There wasn’t a picture. That was - odd. Everyone had a picture. It was mandatory or something. She wasn’t aware of the exact intricacies of the law, but it was just a fact. She skimmed Alicia’s profile.

  Deceased.

  The words flashed across the screen, and Noelle leaned back in her chair. None of this made any sense.

  “Doing anything interesting?” Riley asked, scaring Noelle so badly she nearly fell out of her chair.

  As casually as she could she navigated back to the search page of the database. “Not really,” she admitted.

  Riley chuckled. “It’s okay. We all get distracted every now and then.” He glanced at the files on her desk. “Did you get a chance to review them?”

  Noelle nodded. That was the first thing she had done. “The case meetings aren’t for another hour, though, right?”

  Riley inclined his head. “Do you have any questions about the cases?”

  Noelle frowned. “Not particularly. Both cases are straightforward. I did have a few questions about the witness statements, but I think Drake said those would be addressed at the meeting, so.”

  Riley nodded. “I think that’s the first thing we’ll go over.” He stifled a yawn. “I’m not used to these night shifts.”

  Noelle chuckled. “We’ve been working them for four years. How are you not used to them?”

  Riley looked at her, his expression dramatic. “I’m a poor old country boy, used to getting up early in the morning -”

  “Well now you just sleep in the morning.”

  Riley snorted. “Not the same thing, and you know it.”

  Noelle smiled. “Anything else you have for me?”

  “We’re meeting with the Atresia witness tomorrow, so go over your notes for that.” Riley looked at her. “Anything you have for me?”