Bending, Ryan placed a gentle kiss on Jamie’s lips. “Good advice. I’ll give it a try.” She rubbed her nose against her partner’s. “Thanks.”
“Any time, slugger. Any time at all.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Ryan was in her room going over her French homework when she heard the front door close quietly. “Jamie?”
“Guess again,” Jordan called up.
“Cool! Come up here and save me from going nuts.”
Long legs and a quick stride had Jordan standing by the desk in seconds. She ruffled Ryan’s hair and sat on the bed. Kicking off her shoes she twisted around and lay on her stomach. “What’s going on?”
Ryan turned in her chair. “I don’t understand why I have to be able to read a foreign language to be able to study math or science in grad school. Who’s the idiot who came up with this stupid idea?”
“Shoulda taken a language when you were in high school, Boom. That’s what the smart kids did.”
“Funny. You went to a French school. You and Jodie Foster.”
“She was there waaaay before me,” Jordan said, smirking. “You want help with your homework?”
“No. I just have to study. No shortcuts.”
“French didn’t seem hard when I was 14. It just ...” She waved her hand. “Came to me. I barely noticed I was learning a language.”
Ryan took a large rubber band from the desk and hit her friend squarely in the ass. “Good shot!” Jordan declared. “You must have been doing that when the other kids were taking language class.”
“You’re quite a smart-ass today. Feelin’ good?”
“Yep. But I’d like to stay longer.”
“I’d like to hold you both hostage. But somebody from the team would probably track you down.”
“Wouldn’t be too hard. I had to tell them where I was going, how long I was staying, what flight I’d be on going back. Worse than parents.”
“But you don’t mind going back, do you?”
Jordan smiled, and Ryan noted once again that her friend’s smile changed her face more than anyone she knew. When smiling Jordan looked open and playful and younger than her age. The change from her often cool, aloof, overly-mature image continued to catch Ryan by surprise despite their close friendship.
“I’m ready to get back to work. It doesn’t take long to get out of a groove.”
“Are you happy?” Ryan asked, gazing at her intently.
“Yep.” Nodding decisively, Jordan said, “I’ve got everything I’ve ever wanted. And I think Mia and I have figured out how to make things easier for her. She’s agreed to come here whenever I have to go on a long trip. I think that’ll work better for both of us.”
“Both of you guys are welcome here. Any time. You don’t even have to tell us you’re coming. Just come in and make yourselves at home.”
Jordan’s smile lit up her entire face. “That means a lot to me, Boom. I couldn’t do that with either of my parents, so ...” She shrugged and looked a little shy. “It means a lot.”
Ryan rolled her desk chair across the floor. When she reached the bed she patted Jordan firmly on the back, then propped her bare feet up on the bed. “You’re part of our family. That’s permanent.”
Nodding, Jordan said, “I know you don’t say things like that unless you mean ’em.”
Ryan met her eyes, but didn’t comment. She knew she didn’t have to with Jordan.
“How’s your ... head?” Jordan asked. “I mean your—”
“Emotional stability?” Ryan asked, crossing her eyes and sticking out her tongue.
“Yeah,” Jordan said, laughing. “You seem back to your old self.”
“I guess I am most of the time,” Ryan admitted. “Things are a lot better.”
“Everything okay with you and Jamie?”
It sounded like a tossed-off comment, but Ryan took it more seriously than that. Her tone turned a little sharp. “Yeah. Why? Did Mia say something?”
Jordan visibly recoiled. “No! Damn, why would Mia say anything? Is everything all right?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Ryan muttered. “I just ... we’ve just been having a little trouble. Nothing too big, but I thought Jamie might have said something to Mia.”
“If she did, Mia didn’t say anything to me. What’s going on?”
Ryan crossed her arms over her chest, debating with herself about what to say. “Uhm ... let me ask you a question.”
“Oh-oh. I hate these kinds of questions.”
Nudging her not-so-gently with her foot, Ryan said, “You don’t know what I’m gonna ask.”
“No, but if I answer one way I’m on your side and if I answer the other way I’m on Jamie’s side.”
“No sides,” Ryan said. “Honest. I just wanted to know if you and Mia ever talk about your pasts.”
Jordan half-closed one eye and tilted her head. “Our pasts?”
“Yeah. Things you did before you got together.”
“Like sex? Relationships?”
“Yeah.”
“No.” Jordan didn’t elaborate, giving Ryan a blank look.
“No? Just no?”
“Yep. Just no. I don’t really have a past and if Mia wants to tell me something, she will. I never ask. Never have. Never will.”
“’Cause you’re ... worried about what she might say?” Ryan asked tentatively.
“Not really. I don’t much care about what Mia did before we were together. I mean, I’m interested in anything she shares with me, but I don’t hunt for info. Not my style.”
Ryan’s head dropped back and she threaded her fingers through her hair, freeing it of tangles. “I wish it wasn’t Jamie’s style.”
“Mmm ... Jamie’s not like me. She’s much more ... what would you call it ...?”
“Depends on the day,” Ryan said, chuckling evilly. “Usually she just wants to understand me better and she does that by trying to know about everything that shaped me. All of the experiences that made me who I am.”
“You can’t know people,” Jordan said rather flippantly. “You know what they show you. That’s what matters to me. If you used to be a self-involved jerk who didn’t care about her friends, that wouldn’t make you any less of a friend to me. Knowing that would only make me look for signs of jerkiness.”
“Exactly!” Ryan said, slapping the bed with her open palm. “Jamie knows about some things I did that she thinks are wrong. She claims she doesn’t judge me, but I know she does! It’s in the back of her mind and she brings it up every time she gets a little insecure.”
“You didn’t kill a prior lover in her sleep, did ya?”
“No, nothing that dramatic. But you heard I was a player before we’d ever met. Jamie knows too much, and I’m pissed with myself for telling her a lot of things. I should have just told her that her past was hers and mine was mine.”
“I don’t know how I knew to keep my nose out of Mia’s past, but I knew,” Jordan said. “I can’t imagine anything I’d learn that would make our lives better.”
“Wish I would’ve asked you for some advice before I started flapping my trap.”
Jordan rolled onto her side and looked at her friend for a few moments. “You’re just an open person, Boom. Jamie wants to know stuff and you like to be honest.” She giggled, her nose wrinkling up. “Bad combo.”
Part Thirteen
That evening, Ryan pulled the BMW into the driveway and cast an appraising glance at Jamie, who’d barely spoken on the trip back from the airport. The silence unbroken, they went into the house, where Ryan headed for the refrigerator, her stomach rumbling.
She munched on a piece of cold pizza as she walked into the living room. Jamie was going through the mail, throwing items into the categories that she used to organize the hefty volume. Ryan picked up a catalogue from a lingerie store. “Mmm ... nice,” she said. “What pile is this?”
“That’s the ‘things Ryan might want to look at’ pile.”
“Really? You’re the lingerie q
ueen. Why isn’t it in your pile?”
“It doesn’t fit in mine. There’s the bills to pay pile, the things one of us ordered or will definitely want to see pile and the ‘perhaps’ pile for each of us. The things I think you might want to see go into your perhaps pile.”
“Again,” Ryan said, rolling up the catalogue and looking through it like a telescope, “why isn’t it in your perhaps pile?”
Jamie gave her a puzzled look. “That lingerie is trashy. I don’t wear things that make me look cheap.”
With a half-grin, Ryan said, “But you think I like to look at women in trashy lingerie?” Jamie didn’t answer. She just raised an eyebrow and nodded when Ryan put the catalogue in her own “definite” pile. “You don’t have to look so smug,” Ryan said.
“I’m not being smug. I just know you.”
“Wanna bite?” Ryan asked, putting the pitifully small piece of pizza in front of her.
“No, thanks.” She glanced at the assorted stacks of mail. “Okay, I’m done with this; I guess I’ll go upstairs and read.”
Her voice held so little enthusiasm that Ryan put her hand on her shoulder and turned her around. “What’s wrong, sweetums?”
Laughing soundlessly, Jamie said, “Sweetums is just a little down. My team’s playing in the PAC-10 championships, and I really was looking forward to that. I think we could have done pretty well.”
Ryan lifted Jamie’s arm and kissed her hand, which had finally begun to look normal. “Of course you could have. If you were playing, you probably would have won the whole thing.”
“I’m not saying that, but I wanted to play.”
“Anything else?”
“Yeah. I miss Mia ... and Jordan.”
“Me too. But I think Mia might be coming home more often.” When Jamie gave her a quizzical look, she added, “Jordan said you convinced Mia that it’s better for their relationship if Mia’s happy, and that coming home when Jordan’s gone makes her happy.”
Jamie smiled up at her. “That makes me feel a little better.”
“And even though you want to play, you’d be all alone up in Eugene.” She took Jamie by the hand and led her to the sofa. Ryan sat down and pulled Jamie onto her lap, where she settled in comfortably. “It’s no fun to be all alone, is it?”
“No. It’s not,” she said wistfully.
“Isn’t it more fun to be together?”
“Yes. You know it is.” She rested her head on Ryan’s shoulder, feeling a little better. Patting Ryan’s belly, she said, “Okay, you’ve cheered me up. I can get to work now.”
Ryan locked her arms around Jamie’s waist. “Do you have to?”
“Uhm ...” Tentatively smiling, Jamie asked, “Why?”
“I was just thinking of some things we could do, things we couldn’t do if you were in Eugene.”
“Ooo ... were you now?” Relaxing against her lover, Jamie asked, “What kinda things were you thinking of?”
Ryan looked down, letting her gaze run up and down Jamie’s body. “I don’t know.” She trailed her hand over Jamie’s torso, letting it settle on her breast. “I like some of these curvy parts.” Cupping Jamie’s flesh, she weighed it in her hand. “I’m sure I could think of something fun to do with this.”
“You do have a good track record.” Jamie looked down and saw Ryan’s hand encircling her breast. A twitch in her vulva made her think that letting a little schoolwork slide wasn’t a bad idea.
“If you really wanted to,” Ryan murmured, “you could find some parts on me that you like to play with. No obligation, of course.”
“Know what I’d like?”
“No.” Ryan nuzzled against Jamie’s neck until she could feel the goosebumps start, then she pressed her lips against her ear and hummed, “Tell me.”
“I’ll do better than that, I’ll show you.” Draping her good arm around Ryan’s neck, she pulled her close and kissed her gently. Pulling away just an inch or two, she stared at the full, pink lips and whispered, “I just want to kiss you. There’s nothing better than kissing you.”
“Mmm ... great idea.” Ryan lifted her knees enough to cause Jamie to press against her more firmly, then she kissed her back — slowly and gently and lovingly.
Minutes passed with only the soft sounds of their breathing and the sweet press of lips merging and separating breaking the silence of the house. “So nice,” Jamie breathed. “No rush. No goals.”
“None,” Ryan said, sighing. She dropped a gentle kiss on Jamie’s forehead and said, “One goal. To show you how much I love you.”
“Mission accomplished.”
Jamie pulled back and smiled at her, and Ryan took her in, noting the gentle tilt of her head, eyelids slightly closed, lips pink and moist. “You’re such a beautiful woman.” She ran her hand over Jamie’s face, then traced her lips with her thumb. “Too pretty for words.”
“I never feel prettier than I do when you look at me just like you are now. It ... makes my heart race.”
Ryan’s hand moved to her lover’s chest, covering her heart. “Mmm ... it is a little fast. Let’s slow it down.” She tightened her hold and snuggled Jamie into her body, rubbing their faces together until Jamie began to giggle.
“Tickles.”
Purring almost imperceptibly, Ryan shifted and started to kiss her again, keeping up a slow, aimless exploration of her mouth. They traded back and forth and back and forth ... one leading, the other following ... for a very long time.
Jamie was astonished that Ryan didn’t try to press for more, but she was grateful to her partner for having heard what she needed and backed off from what had clearly begun as an invitation to have sex. She, however, had amended her wish list and now wanted to move along. Knowing that a little signal went a long way, she took Ryan’s hand and placed it on her breast, pressing the strong hand into her flesh.
Amazingly, Ryan didn’t take the bait. She kept kissing Jamie leisurely, seemingly perfectly content to go no further.
Not to be dissuaded, Jamie covered Ryan’s hand and firmly pressed it into her flesh, urging her to take the hint. She could feel Ryan start to smile, and knew her lover had been playing with her.
“Have an itch?” Ryan asked.
“Yes,” she whispered, keeping her lips so close to Ryan’s that she spoke into her mouth. “Help me scratch it, will you?”
Ryan cupped her breast and gave it a gentle squeeze, making Jamie press her thighs together in response. She made a gurgling sound and pressed against Ryan’s hand, asking for more.
Holding the breast in her hand, Ryan moved it around in a circle, all the while probing Jamie’s mouth with her tongue.
“Harder,” Jamie murmured.
“Still itchy?”
Pale blue eyes blinked slowly and Jamie wrapped an arm around her neck and said, “Don’t play with me, O’Flaherty.”
“Play? I’m not playing. You said you wanted to kiss. If you want something else ...”
Tilting her head, Jamie looked into her eyes. “You want specifics?”
“Yeah. I’m not catching on.”
Ryan was the picture of innocence, and Jamie imagined how remarkably easy it must have been for her to get away with murder when she was young. “Okay. Here’s what I’d like. I’d like for you to take off your shirt — that’s a nice one, by the way — then your bra, then your shoes, then your socks, then your slacks. You look good in these khakis, too.” She reached down and traced along Ryan’s thigh. “And your underwear.”
“You want me to do all that?” Ryan’s eyebrows lifted.
“Uh-huh. Then I want you to take every stitch of clothing off me. Let me know when you’re finished and I’ll give you the rest of your instructions.”
Grinning lasciviously, Ryan followed her instructions to the letter. A few minutes later, they were standing, facing each other, stark naked. Jamie took her hand and led her into the library, then pushed her until Ryan sat on the leather sofa. “Now I’m going to have you. Any complaints?�
�
“None.” Ryan smiled up at her, and held out her arms. “Anything you want is exactly what I want.”
“This splint is a little problem, so I might have to direct you a bit. Is that cool?”
“The coolest. Top me.”
“I’d be happy to, if you hadn’t engineered this entire evening,” Jamie said, tweaking Ryan’s nose. “I thought the top was supposed to be in charge.”
“Nah. The bottom’s always in charge; the top just thinks she is.”
After surveying her very receptive lover and the sofa, Jamie sat down and said, “Will you lie on top of me with those stupendous breasts very near my mouth?”
In a flash, Ryan scooted down to the end of the sofa, giving Jamie plenty of room to lie down. As soon as she was comfortable, Ryan rested her weight on her arms and offered her breasts to Jamie, who immediately filled her mouth with the luxuriantly soft skin. Her appetite for Ryan was voracious, and she suckled and nipped and mouthed her breasts for so long that Ryan’s nipples were swollen and nearly mauve when she paused for breath. “Good God,” Jamie breathed. “I can’t get enough of you.”
Ryan’s face was flushed, and her skin was dewy and pink. “Could you,” she panted, “please lift your leg? I’ve gotta ...” Her eyes closed when Jamie immediately responded, and Ryan pressed hard against her thigh. With her tender breast being firmly suckled, Ryan started to pump her hips, moving up and down Jamie’s thigh—her moisture coating the skin lavishly. Her eyes were tightly closed, and Jamie could see her lips moving—but not a sound came out.
The harder Jamie sucked, the faster and harder Ryan pumped. Light-headed with lust, Jamie grasped her ass with her hand and pulled Ryan’s entire breast into her mouth, then started to close her teeth. With a whoosh of air, Ryan grabbed her lover’s shoulders and thrust hard, moaning loudly until she eventually began to slow her pace and her power until she was barely moving her hips, just a slight tilting of her vulva pressing against Jamie’s; her body wet and hot and slippery and very heavy.
Jamie ran her hand through Ryan’s hair, whispering to her while she recovered. It took longer than usual, but Ryan finally lifted her head. “You almost killed me,” she said, her speech slightly slurred.
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