by Jet MacLeod
“I thought you had died.”
“But, I didn’t,” Del argued.
“Hear me out, okay. Ivan took me. He held me against my will because of some misguided revenge against you for something that you didn’t do. Cole killed Yulia. But, Rudakov used that against him and you. He used your assignment to me to get to you. He knew that you would come after me and that was all he needed. He could take you out and hide me away with no one being the wiser. What he didn’t count on was the friends that you have and the skills that you actually possess. That was his mistake, not mine. I may not know all of what you can do, but I can guess,” Angie told her.
“You don’t need to know,” Del stated.
“I know that. I know that you care a great deal about this country. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have done your job. I know that you are an accomplished horseback rider, and I am sure that has helped on certain missions. I know that you can cook, like a chef, and I know why because you told me. I know that you won’t stand by while an innocent person is in trouble, regardless of the threat that it may cause against you, because you saved that boy back in Tennessee.”
“He didn’t need to drown,” Del interjected.
“No, he didn’t. But, you weren’t responsible for saving him either. You just did it as soon as you saw the problem. You’re always on guard, but you don’t show it. You can be incredibly deadly when needed and sensitively tender, too. One look at me in that room at the warehouse… Del, it was looking at two different people. I could see the bloodlust in your eyes and I wasn’t scared because I knew it wasn’t aimed at me. But when your eyes met mine…” Angie started, knowing that she was pushing the right buttons to get Del to open up.
“I saw the fear there, Angie. I promised you that I would care for you. I promised that I would come for you if you were ever taken while under my protection. But, it was the fear I saw in your eyes that drove me to madness that day. I could hear it in your voice as I assaulted thought the corridor. I imagined it in my head as I fought my way down to you. All I could think about was getting you out. I didn’t care who died in the process. It was just a means to an end. You were the only thing that was important. I am not important. You are.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Del. You are important. Why do you think that you were the one chosen to protect me? It’s because you’re the best and the Alphabets, as you call them, all know that. They knew what they were doing when they sent you to me,” Angie explained.
“I don’t think that they planned on us getting together,” Del stated.
“No, probably not, but that is an added bonus for us. I am your last job. I am your retirement package. I am your way out. That doesn’t bother me and do you know why?”
“No, why?” Del asked, obligingly.
“Because it means that you are still mine after the case is over,” Angie told her.
“How do you figure?”
“Well, you won’t have a job. We might have a house somewhere, but you won’t have any obligation to the government anymore. You will be free of their leash and you will be able to do anything and everything that you want to do. I will be free as well. I won’t have to hide in the shadows. I can be whoever I want to be. I will be able to use one my aliases or become myself again. But, I can tell you this. I don’t want to be Angela March, ADA, political machine.”
“Then what do you want?” Del asked her.
“I want to be able to come home to you. I don’t care about the City anymore, Del. That isn’t my home. It hasn’t been for years. For the few days that I was there, before you got to me, I felt lost and alone. I thought that I belonged there, but I don’t. I did once, but not now. The City has moved on and it doesn’t need me anymore. Someone else has stepped up to the plate and they are going to do things that will help. I can’t. It isn’t that I don’t want to. It is that I can’t. I am no longer the person that pushed so hard to get a member of an international drug cartel convicted. I still have that drive and that want, but I can’t do it at the expense of the people I care about,” Angie told her.
“What do you mean?”
“My mother died while I was gone. She died believing that I was dead. She thought that she had buried her baby girl and there was nothing that I could do to elevate that pain for her. She was alone while she battled cancer, Del. She didn’t have anyone, especially me. I wasn’t there for her. I won’t do that again. I am not going to let someone I love suffer because of something I did. I can’t. Being with you has taught me a lot about myself and a lot about the world. I don’t feel so sheltered with you. I feel like I can be the person that I want to be and there is no judgement from you about it. You make me feel safe,” Angie told her.
“You are safe.”
“I know that. I know that I am safe with you. You are safe with me as well, Del. I am not going to let anyone hurt you. I am not going to hurt you. There are no ulterior motives on either of our parts. We can be together if we both want it. But, I understand. I get it. You need time, time to think and rationalize whatever it is that you need to, but I don’t want you to think that for one minute I am going to let you do that alone. I am not going to leave you when this over, Del. I don’t want to. I want to be with you,” Angie explained.
“You say that now…”
“I’ll say it then, too, Del,” Angie said, rolling over in her arms.
“You don’t know that,” Del stated, digging her head harder into Angie’s neck.
“I know that I love you and that is all that matters,” Angie told as she flipped over to face her. “For now, there is only you and me, Del, and the wilderness. Just let everything go.”
“I don’t want to,” Del replied.
“Why not?” Angie questioned looking deeply into her eyes.
“Because then I wouldn’t have you…”
Angie smiled. She couldn’t help herself. Del knew what to say and when to say it, even if she was emotionally stunted.
They stared into each other’s eyes for what seemed like hours, but it was only minutes. The dark chocolate of Del’s searched the never ending blue sea of Angie’s. Del lost herself in the unusually dark sapphire eyes, but she knew that the color was just a trick of the glowing firelight. She knew however that the real fire was in Angie’s eyes tonight and not the fire circle outside the tent.
Angie leaned into her, burying her head in Del’s arms. Del rolled onto her back in order to hold her better and so they would be comfortable. As soon as they were set, Angie draped her arm over Del’s stomach. She caught herself moments later playing with hem of her shirt. When she heard Del purring at her ministrations, she pushed the shirt up and found skin.
Her fingers itched for more. She could feel the coolness of Del’s skin, but also the warmth of her body underneath it. Angie burrowed further into her. She felt like she couldn’t get close enough. She wasn’t cold, but she felt so much better when she was enveloped in Del’s warmth. She only smiled when she felt Del tighten her grip around her.
Not to be out done, Del moved her hand up Angie’s side. She inched up her shirt just enough to get her hand underneath it. She didn’t move it, just held Angie beside her and enjoyed the feeling.
Angie turned her head a little more into Del’s neck. She ghosted her lips across her flesh and felt Del’s moan on her lips. She smiled as she continued her kisses there. It wasn’t meant to sexual, but sensual. She just wanted Del to understand how she felt.
Del tightened her arms, again, pulling Angie more on top of her. Feeling her weight there made Del smile. She was used to dominating and being on top, but with Angie, it didn’t matter. She felt freer to allow Angie to do what she wanted. At the moment she didn’t know what Angie wanted and that didn’t bother her. She was content just to be with her. There was so much that was said and unsaid early that she was still trying to process that just lying there with Angie was enough. They loved each other and sometimes they just needed to feel each other.
Angie mov
ed with Del’s movements. She worked her way around her throat and up the other side to her earlobe. Del gasped as she felt Angie lightly bite down on it. When Angie pulled back to look down at her, she saw Del’s huge smile awaiting her. She smiled back.
“Angie, what are you doing?”
“Nothing,” she replied as she lay back down on top of Del, burying her head in the crook of neck again.
But before Del could say anything else, she had resumed her butterfly like kisses to her throat. Del just moaned in response. Her libido awakening. She ran her hands up Angie’s side and then back down to her ass. She teased the bottom of the shirt until her finger tips hit skin. Once they felt the delicious creaminess of her skin, they wanted more and they were under the shirt before Del realized what she was doing. Her fingertips were digging into Angie’s pliant flesh, kneading her, as she continued her torturous kisses.
Angie realized that she was only going to get what she wanted if she took it tonight. Del wasn’t going to be aggressive with her. She was too busy thinking, but Angie had the perfect cure for that. She wasn’t going to let Del dig herself into a hole that she couldn’t see her way out of. She was going to brand her flesh with her body until that was all that Del could think about.
Angie placed one hand beside each shoulder and pushed herself up. She looked down into Del’s eyes and saw the raw emotion that she was trying to convey mirrored. She leaned forward just enough to kiss her on the mouth. They both whimpered at the touch.
Soft and pliant were the only thoughts that Angie had as she continued to kiss Del. She didn’t push or deepen the kiss, content to just kiss her silly if need be. She just wanted Del to feel for once and not think that there were ulterior motives behind them. She felt Del’s fingers on her back and she knew that she wanted more. But, she still wasn’t going to push. She didn’t care if Del bruised her with her hands. The bruises wouldn’t be from anger so they wouldn’t matter.
When Del deepened her massage, Angie finally deepened the kiss. She made it a little harder and a little more aggressive, but still not fully taking what she wanted from her. Del must have sensed what Angie was about because she parted her lips in invitation and slightly sucked on her bottom lip. Angie understood and took advantage of the situation. She pressed her lips harder against Del’s, almost bruising her. The kiss became a clash of teeth and lips. Then suddenly, Del thrust her tongue into Angie’s mouth to taste her. Angie bit down on it lightly and held it.
They both opened their eyes, not remembering they’d closed them, and stared deeply into the other’s. Angie wasn’t sure what Del was thinking at that moment and she frankly didn’t care. She needed her. She needed to feel her. She needed to love her.
Angie released her tongue and kissed her fully again. She reached up to hold Del’s face. She needed the corporal feel of her as she continued to stake her claim in Del’s heart. She needed to touch her. She wanted to lose herself in the feeling that Del gave her.
Angie looked down into her eyes as her hands found the bottom of Del’s shirt. She held her gaze as she pushed the shirt upwards, letting her fingers scrape against her taught abdomen. Del sucked in a breath at her touch. Angie questioned her with her eyes and Del answered her unspoken question by placing her hands on her hips pulling Angie a little more forwards. Angie fell over and kissed her again with the movement. Her hands continued to snake upwards until they found Del’s lace covered bosom. It was then her turn to suck in a breath.
“Angie…” Del almost hissed out in a pleasurable gasp as Angie started to massage her breasts.
She just smiled as she kissed her, not once breaking contact. She felt herself melting into Del and she was bound and determined to let it happen. She continued to touch her and knead her breasts. Del moaned at the sensation. Finally unable to take it anymore, Angie tore the shirt from Del’s body. She wanted to see her. She needed to see her. Del sat up just enough to allow her to get the shirt off. As soon as she was rid of it, Angie pushed her back down.
Del could see the want in her eyes. It was unmistakable. She wondered if her own eyes mirrored the emotion, but she didn’t have that much time to wonder about it as Angie bent back over and started kissing her neck. Her hands wandered all over Del’s exposed skin. Needing to ground herself in something, Del reached down from Angie’s hips to cup her ass holding her firmly against her own body. She could feel the slight rocking of Angie’s hips against her jeans and it only fueled the fire that growing below.
Del bucked up slightly into her. She heard a small growl come from Angie’s lips as she bit down on Del’s ear again. She squeezed Angie’s ass as she continued to kiss her throat and behind her ears. Del lost herself in the kisses, still not believing that the woman above her wanted her completely and without any sort of reservation.
“Stop thinking,” Angie whispered in her ear as one hand meandered under the lace covering her breast and taking a firm hold of it.
Del let out a pent up breath and grabbed her ass harder. Angie responded by nipping at the base of her neck, right where it connected to her shoulder. Del gasped again and let out a small moan. Liking what she was doing to her, Angie rolled her palm over the nipple beneath it and continued to nip at Del’s shoulder. As she neared the bra strap there, her other hand moved up to move it out of her way. Her lips never broke contact with her skin.
Del could hear her mumbling something against her skin, but she couldn’t make out the words. She didn’t know if was because she could only her blood pumping in her ears or because of Angie’s seemingly intent mouth was eating the words just as fast as she was saying them. She didn’t really care. She didn’t need the clarification. She knew what Angie was trying to say to her and she thanked her for it. No one else had ever bothered to make sure that she was happy and fulfilled. No one had ever looked at her the way that Angie had.
She looked up into Angie’s brilliant sapphire eyes. Angie stopped kissing her to look back down into her deep chocolate colored eyes. They said so much with their eyes in that moment. They had gotten so close in the last few weeks that they could read each other. Del knew that she had never been that open with anyone before. She had been so closed off for years and for good reason. She was still worried about what would happen when they got back to New York, but that was still months away.
“Stop thinking, Del.”
“I am not.”
“Yes, you are. I can feel it. I can see it your eyes.”
Del knew she was right. She couldn’t help herself. She needed to do something in order to make her mind stop wandering. She could only think of one thing. She grabbed Angie’s ass and pulled her as tight to her body as she could. She felt her meld to her every curve. As soon as she was satisfied with her closeness, Del flipped them over by shifting her weight. She just smiled as Angie let out a small whimper when she felt her back on the tent floor.
She stared down into her blue eyes as her body flushed against Angie’s. There was something about feeling the blonde beneath her that pushed her further. Softly she ran her hands up and down her arms, feeling and relishing in the feel of the goosebumps that she left in her wake. She bent over and kissed her softly. Suddenly there was no rush. There was want and desire but it wasn’t demanding.
Her hands made their way down to Angie’s hips and then began working their way back up. Only instead of coming back up her arms, she was coming up her sides, moving Angie’s shirt out of her way with each brush of her fingers against her skin. She memorized each indention of her ribs as she slowly worked the shirt up and off the auburn-haired woman. Her hands rested lightly on her shoulders for a brief moment. She was grounding herself in the love that she saw on Angie’s face. She couldn’t help herself as she arched up like a cat when Angie ran her hand down her back. It was like Del could feel her cherishing her even with all her scars.
Looking up into her deep mahogany eyes, Angie caressed her back with abandon. She didn’t care about the scars. She never did. She touched Del’s back wi
th reverence as she pulled her back down and into her. She felt the moan that had been building insider her. There was a shared look before Del buried her head in the crook of Angie’s neck, just sniffing her.
“You’re absolutely beautiful,” Angie told her as she turned to kiss Del’s neck.
Del moaned into her skin, unable to stop herself. She felt so open and raw at the moment, and for once she was enjoying it. There was something about the way Angie’s fingers glided over her skin, like she was trying to absorb the pain that she scars gave her. It was such an intimate caress that Del would forget to breathe for a few moments because she didn’t want it to be a dream. Knowing that Del had never felt worshiped before, that is exactly what Angie set out to do. She didn’t care that Del was on top. She was going to let her know exactly how she made her feel and she wanted to make sure that Del felt every ounce of love that she could give her.
Del moved just a little, but she felt Angie’s arms around her tighten. She wasn’t moving far, but just to the side. She wanted to look down into Angie’s eyes. She needed that connection. She needed to know what she was doing was what Angie wanted.
Her hand ghosted over Angie’s sternum and down to the button on her jeans. Leaning on left arm, she flicked open the button with her right. She didn’t once break contact with Angie’s eyes. With the button undone, she moved to the zipper. Once it was done, she moved back up to Angie’s chest. Her stare was almost too intense for Angie. They barely blinked as Del’s hand found a nipple through the lace of her bra.
Her fingers were warm and Angie could feel every burning touch upon her highly sensitive skin. She deftly removed Del’s bra, needing more contact with her. Del wanted the same thing. She pulled Angie up just enough to remove the bra and she tossed it across the tent. With a quick look out the window to the fire, Del’s eyes checked the dying light before reflecting the burning desire and need in Angie’s deep cobalt eyes.
She couldn’t stop herself when she told Angie, “I love you.” Her body was screaming to say it. She watched as the other woman smiled at her admission and then sought out her mouth.