“Lizbeth Jackson, you’re going to make me fall in love with you and then break my heart.”
Lizbeth raised her head and then supported her chin in her hands, in the middle of Gray’s chest. “You know that’s a two way street, don’t you? You could just as easily break mine.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Gray said, running her fingertips along Lizbeth’s back.
Lizbeth squirmed, but held her ground. “And you think I would?”
“You have a whole life waiting for you off this island. A life I am not a part of.”
Lizbeth slid her body up, so that their mouths were almost touching. She whispered against Gray’s lips, “You could be.”
She kissed Gray to keep her from talking anymore. Every time Lizbeth let Gray think, she started stressing about where this was all going to go. Lizbeth didn’t want to think. She wanted to fall in love, with all the bells and whistles, and no thought to what happens next. Damn the consequences!
She released Gray from an impassioned kiss long enough to whisper, breathlessly, “Fall in love with me, Gray.”
Lizbeth’s kiss swallowed Gray’s whispered, “I am.”
The boats would have to wait.
#
There were a few branches and limbs on the ground, but Howard Street had faired pretty well during the storm. After hunting down all of their clothing, Lizbeth accompanied Gray to check her boats. They were right where she left them. The tour boat was tied down in her back yard and had not even lost its cover. Down in the harbor, the fishing skiff still had all its lines intact.
They walked down to the Community Store, where locals were once again gathered on the porch. This time they were swapping damage reports and mid-storm stories. For the first time Lizbeth felt it. From the moment the porch dwellers turned to them and shouted, “Gray,” Lizbeth felt different. It wasn’t that anybody looked at her strangely, although she did think the cute young blonde in the corner gave her a knowing smile. My God, had Gray slept with every woman on this island? Now that Lizbeth had seen the full force of Gray’s power over women, she thought it was a distinct possibility.
Lizbeth was experiencing being a lesbian, or having at least slept with one, in the public eye for the first time. Gray seemed relaxed, almost subdued. Lizbeth watched her as she laughed and joked with her friends. Gray was comfortable in her skin. She set an example for Lizbeth and Lizbeth took the lesson to heart. Gray didn’t pretend to be any more or less than she was. People genuinely liked her and didn’t seem particularly to care that she was a lesbian. By God, she was their lesbian and they loved her.
Lizbeth had only slightly jumped when Gray placed her hand in Lizbeth’s back and escorted her down the steps of the store. It was a sweet gesture. Gray was letting everyone know that this one had taken. Knowing glances and smiles told Lizbeth it was good news to the natives. Lizbeth belonged to Gray and that was good enough for them. Lizbeth didn’t have to worry about homophobia just yet.
Lizbeth started laughing on the way home. Gray asked her, “What’s so funny?”
“Well, I came down here to study the language, but I was so preoccupied back there, I didn’t even listen. I’ve totally put my paper out of my head.”
“What were you thinking about?” Gray winked.
“I just knew they could tell what we’d been doing. I’m sure the cute little blonde did,” Lizbeth said, one eyebrow up, looking for confirmation.
Gray, a little bashful, said, “Jaye, yeah, I think she did.”
Lizbeth feigned shock. “Wow, Gray. She’s young.”
Gray smirked. “She’s not as young as she looks and definitely not as innocent.”
“Well, she’s off limits to you now,” Lizbeth said.
“Staking your claim there, are you?” Gray asked, beginning to grin broadly.
“Considering your past, I’d be stupid not to set some rules for you, so there will be no misunderstandings,” Lizbeth said, not meaning to sound serious, but she was. She would not be cheated on, never again. Gray needed to know that. She tried to lighten her pronouncement with, “I never have shared my toys well with others.”
Gray grabbed Lizbeth’s hand and turned her so they were facing each other. Gray was serious. Her grin was gone. “I don’t cheat. I never have. I’m not like that. If I tell you I’m with you, then I’m with you, nobody else.”
Lizbeth matched Gray in somberness. “It’s a deal breaker. So, are you with me?”
“Jesus, Lizbeth, I thought you’d know that by now,” Gray answered.
“Gray, I left things unsaid in my last relationship. I won’t make the same mistake twice.” Gray winced. Lizbeth’s remark had a ring of truth for Gray, too. She added, “I need to hear you say it.”
“Lizbeth, I am not going to be seeing anyone else. Is that what you want to hear?”
Lizbeth smiled. “Yes, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
Gray grinned at her. “If you’ll move it along, so we can get done with lunch at Fanny’s, we can get back to seeing more of each other.”
With those prospects at hand, Lizbeth tore away from Gray and ran toward Fanny’s porch, Gray hot on her heels, laughing.
#
The power was back on by the time they got home. Gray and Lizbeth opened the storm shutters on Fanny’s cottage and got soaked in the process by a short rain shower. Lizbeth had not put on a bra, which was blatantly obvious when they came inside. Gray, unable to stop looking even after she got them towels to dry off, finally asked Lizbeth if she wanted to go up to her room with her, to find something dry to wear. Fanny stifled a laugh just as they left the kitchen.
Lizbeth followed Gray up the stairs and into her room. Paintings of boats and the seashore covered the walls. A picture of Gray and her grandfather mending nets stood on the nightstand. On the dresser was a picture of her mother and father and Gray as a baby, the first corners of that grin just starting to show. Other frames held pictures of Gray and her dog, Coker. There was a tiny frame at the back, leaning on the mirror, almost obscured by the others. It was a small photo of Gray laughing, with her arms around a smiling Dana. They looked so happy. A pang Lizbeth knew was jealousy trickled across her chest. It was silly, yet, it was there.
Gray, however, was not looking around the room. She had retrieved two dry tee shirts from the dresser and was in the process of moving in on Lizbeth, with a glint in her eye. She quickly did away with Lizbeth’s thoughts of jealousy by grabbing the bottom of Lizbeth’s wet shirt and stripping it over her head in one swift move. Her mouth was headed for one of Lizbeth’s breasts when Lizbeth snatched the dry shirt from her hands and jumped back, covering herself.
“Oh no,” Lizbeth said, holding her hand out to stop Gray from getting any closer. “You’re not doing that to me in here, not with Fanny downstairs.”
Gray laughed, pulling off her own wet sweatshirt. “Then cover yourself, woman. I can’t be held responsible for my actions if you don’t.”
Lizbeth, suddenly forgetting Fanny was downstairs, stared at the toned, wet skin in front of her. Her eyes slowly trailed down Gray’s chest to the V formed by Gray’s sculpted ab muscles, disappearing into the top of her pants. Lizbeth thought Gray had absolutely no idea how gorgeous she was. Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man had its mate in the body before Lizbeth. She wanted to touch it. She’d have to remember to get Gray in the shower, so she could see those wet glistening muscles up close and personal, but for now, she waved her hand at Gray.
“Gray O’Neal, cover that up, before you get us both in trouble.”
Gray grinned, as if challenged. “Oh yeah,” she said and started toward Lizbeth. She had Lizbeth on the run and she was enjoying it.
Lizbeth backed around the room, keeping Gray at arm’s length. She whispered so Fanny couldn’t hear her, “Gray, stop… She’ll hear us.”
“Only if you make noise,” Gray teased, continuing to circle her prey.
Lizbeth tripped on one of Gray’s boots, sticking out from under the bed. She fell backwa
rds on the mattress and the hunter pounced. Gray kissed her lustfully and then stood up, leaving Lizbeth breathless on the bed. She put on her dry shirt and laughed at Lizbeth.
“Come on, I have to feed you before you lose your strength.” Gray winked and added, “You’re gonna need it.”
Lizbeth bolted off the bed. “Now who’s being a tease?” She slipped the dry shirt on over her head and let it drop. It swallowed her.
“That’s good,” Gray said. “It covers up the details and there was entirely too much detail in that wet one.”
Lizbeth looked down at the tee shirts and picked them up. “Well, now that I’m officially unattractive, let’s go eat.”
Gray stopped Lizbeth at the door. She put her arms around Lizbeth’s waist and said, “Darlin’, you’d be attractive in a tow sack.” She kissed Lizbeth one more time on the forehead and opened the door.
Gray hung their wet shirts in the bathroom and followed Lizbeth to the kitchen. Fanny had fried up some bacon for BLT’s. The vine-ripened tomatoes were so sweet they tasted like candy. Lizbeth was starving again. Gray was using up every calorie Lizbeth could take in. She ate a whole sandwich and then split a second one with Gray. This did not go unnoticed by Fanny.
“I see you two worked up quite an appetite… opening those storm windows.” Fanny let the pause hang there long enough to catch Lizbeth and Gray’s attention. Then she chuckled to herself at their reaction. “Go on, y’all ain’t foolin’ nobody. Y’all are buzzing round here like bees after honey.”
Gray’s mouth hung open as she stared at her grandmother in amazement. Lizbeth froze, watching the exchange.
Fanny slapped her hands on the table, saying, “Bout damn time, too. Thank you, Lizbeth. I thought ol’ Gray there’d crawled up and died inside. It’s nice to see that ain’t so.”
Gray’s half of the sandwich was poised in her hand, just inches from her still gaping mouth. The pieces started falling out of the bread, but Gray just sat there.
“What?” Fanny said, looking at Gray. “I have watched you mope around for near on five years. I think I’ve earned the right to speak my mind.”
Gray came back to life. She dropped the sandwich on the plate, saying, “Well, I guess you have.”
“Spoke my mind or earned the right to?” Fanny asked.
Gray’s smile crept into the corners of her lips. She answered, “Both.”
Lizbeth breathed a sigh of relief loud enough to turn both of the other women’s heads toward her. She had not known what Gray’s reaction was going to be. She looked from one O’Neal woman to the other, not sure what to say.
Finally Lizbeth said, “Lord, young’uns, ain’t I been mommicked this day.”
The tension broke in the little room and sent all three women into peals of laughter.
#
When lunch was finished and everything put away, Gray and Lizbeth walked to get her car and spent the rest of the afternoon across the street. The sun was shining again. They worked together pulling the plywood from the windows on the bottom floor. By the time that was done, it had started to rain again, ending plans for any more work outside.
Gray was a worker; Lizbeth had to give her that. Lizbeth was four years younger and had a difficult time keeping up with her. Gray was also strong as an ox. Lizbeth trailed behind Gray with the tools, while the larger woman grabbed the last piece of plywood they had removed and carried it to the shed out back. Lizbeth watched the muscles in Gray’s arms and shoulders as she walked behind, admiring once again how toned she was. Lizbeth thought about her own body and the fact she hadn’t done her work out routine in the mornings as she usually did. A grin captured her face when she thought, “I’ve been working out, just not by myself.”
Lizbeth put the bucket of tools down, coming up behind Gray as she lifted the heavy piece of plywood and stored it on the drying shelf above her head. Lizbeth slid her arms around Gray’s waist, running her hands across her stomach. She placed her head on Gray’s back, hugging her tightly.
“Umm, you feel so good,” she purred.
Gray put her hands over Lizbeth’s, leaning back into her. “I have created a monster.”
“Yes,” Lizbeth said, into Gray’s back, “and the monster is hungry.”
Gray turned, still in Lizbeth’s arms, and looked down at her. “Do you need me to fix you something to eat?”
Lizbeth’s eyes narrowed. She placed her hand on the back of Gray’s neck and pulled her toward her when she said, “Not that kind of hungry.”
Gray reached out with one hand and shut the shed door, closing them inside. The old shed hadn’t seen anything like that in years, or maybe ever. Lizbeth emerged from the shed a few minutes later, her hair tussled and looking a bit dazed, followed by a grinning Gray. As Lizbeth made her way through the rain to the back door, Gray skipped by, popping her on the butt.
“Go on in. I’ve got to go home and get something. I’ll be right back.”
Gray turned and ran toward her house. Lizbeth made no comment. She continued into the house, still vibrating from their last encounter. Gray had left her speechless. James and Lizbeth had a great sex life, or at least she thought they had, until now. Sex with Gray was so much more intense. Lizbeth hadn’t known what she had been missing, but she was now on a mission to make up lost time. That was if she could stop trembling from the incident in the shed a minute ago.
Gray was gone a few minutes. It gave Lizbeth time to think while she made a fresh pot of coffee. She would need the caffeine if this kept up. Was it just because Gray was a woman that this all felt so different? Was it because her skin was soft and smooth to the touch, or was it the fullness of her lips? Was it their uncontrollable physical attraction to one another, or was it deeper than that? Lizbeth knew what falling in love felt like and she was falling madly in love with Gray.
It couldn’t just be the sex. Lizbeth felt a deep connection with Gray. She had the “I’ve known you before” feeling about her, as if in another life they had crossed paths. It frightened Lizbeth a bit, because the emotions were very strong. Strong enough to take her down, if this didn’t work out. Lizbeth was feeling some of the same things she had begged Gray to ignore. Lizbeth’s “throw caution to the wind” statement might come back to haunt her.
The sound of Gray entering the front door drove those thoughts from Lizbeth’s mind. She looked up the hallway, where she saw the Gray coming towards her with an overnight bag thrown over one shoulder and a laptop case over the other.
“I need to contact my customers for tomorrow and tell them we’re up and running for the rest of Labor Day weekend,” Gray said, as she sat the laptop down on the kitchen table. She said nothing about the overnight bag, dropping it to the floor, and kicking it over by the wall.
Lizbeth, her eyebrows raised, asked, “And what’s in that bag?”
The corners of Gray’s mouth crept into a grin. “I told Fanny I wasn’t coming back tonight and I have an early day tomorrow, so I just brought a few things for in the morning.” She paused and winked at Lizbeth. “I was assuming you wanted me to stay.”
“You assumed correctly,” Lizbeth said, smiling up at Gray.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Gray said, reaching down and unzipping the bag on the floor. She pulled out a two-quart plastic container that still had frost on the top. “Fanny sent along supper. It’s clam chowder, homemade.”
“I have to quit letting the O’Neal women feed me. I’ll have to cook for you sometime,” Lizbeth said, while taking the container and putting it in the refrigerator.
Gray chuckled, taking a seat at the table. “I can’t speak for Fanny, but I have ulterior motives.”
“I think the spells have passed. I mean I still have to eat, but the fainting was all stress related. The anxiety I was experiencing caused my blood sugar to run lower than usual. It’s happened before. It goes away when the stress releases.”
Gray cocked her head to one side. “What were you stressing about?”
Lizbeth
popped Gray playfully on the shoulder. “You know damn well what.”
Gray pulled Lizbeth down on her lap. Lizbeth wrapped her arms around Gray’s neck. Gray enjoyed teasing Lizbeth, so she continued her cross-examination.
“Now, Lizbeth, you know I did not do a thing to start this whole affair. It was you.”
“I know. That’s why I was stressed. I couldn’t believe I was attracted to you, a woman. It really freaked me out that I couldn’t control what I was feeling.”
“I knew,” Gray said slyly.
“When did you know?”
“The first time I met you. You were checking me out.”
“I was not… Well, what do you mean by that?” Lizbeth wasn’t sure. She may very well have been checking Gray out. In fact, she was certain that she had, but she didn’t think anyone noticed.
“The first time I shook your hand this look came over your face. Then when I joked we could sleep together, because Fanny said we weren’t kin, your face turned about fifty shades of red.” Gray was having fun with this. “I could tell you were at least thinking about it.”
Lizbeth, not to be outdone, said, “Seems to me you were watching me pretty closely.”
Gray’s grin grew. “I was. It’s not every day that I come home and find someone like you on my front porch.”
Now Lizbeth teased Gray. “No, you just have them drop you off there at night.”
“Not anymore,” Gray said, pulling Lizbeth to her for a kiss.
Lizbeth melted into the kiss and felt something inside shift. Lizbeth knew in that instant that she loved this woman and she wanted to spend the rest of her life in her arms. This was it, the thing a heart looks for, and the thing Lizbeth had longed for. It came in the form of a woman and for that she could not be faulted. Somehow, this woman was what Lizbeth needed and wanted in her life. If she let this chance pass, because it was a woman… she just didn’t care anymore. It was done.
When the kiss ended, Gray held tightly to Lizbeth, holding her in a hug. Lizbeth lay her head down on Gray’s shoulder, turned her mouth to Gray’s ear, and whispered, “I just keep falling harder for you.”
Waking Up Gray Page 15