by Camryn Eyde
“Poor dear.”
Aimee grinned. “I know. My life sucks.”
“Can I suggest a pain killer?”
Frowning, Aimee said, “I don’t think pills will fix my ribs.”
“Oh, honey,” Justine said in a deep voice. “I wasn’t talking about your ribs.” Running her hand down Aimee’s naked length, she teased at the curls of her sex. “I was thinking of something like a pleasure pill.”
Aimee gasped as Justine disappeared beneath the sheets. Oh, God. This is how people should wake up in the morning. Thoughts vanishing as Justine touched her, she let the pleasure override the ache in her chest. Groaning and panting, she frowned at a noise intruding on their love-making before Justine pushed her off the brink of sanity.
“Oh, God!”
***
A steady thumping pulled Aimee from her bed and from the repayment of Justine’s wake up call. Throwing on a robe, she washed her face and yanked the door open.
“What!” she barked at Sally.
“Umm…you two finished?”
Aimee’s face dropped. “What?”
“I, uh…” Sally cleared her throat. “Tell Justine her mother and son are here.”
“Justine isn’t here.”
“Yes, Aimee, she is. Please pass on the message.”
Aimee frowned. “How do you know?”
Sally looked everywhere but at her sister. “Because…ah…I came by earlier.”
Aimee’s eyes widened and she blushed. “Oh…I see.”
“Well, thankfully, I didn’t, but I certainly heard enough.”
“God, Sal, just don’t,” Aimee covered her eyes with her hand. “We’ll be down soon.”
“Okay. Good. Right. I’m going to go.”
“Please do.” Aimee shut the door and leant her forehead against it. Walking back to her bed, Justine lay there breathing deeply.
“What is it?”
“Your mum and son are here.”
Justine frowned. “Okay. Make this quick then.”
“What? You still want me to… Jesus. Sally was up here before and heard us.”
“Aimee, I don’t give a shit who’s doing what. You’re not leaving me like this.”
“But I—”
“Fine.” Justine closed her eyes and ran her own hand down her body, instantly rendering Aimee’s mouth dry.
Watching for a brief moment, Aimee shook her head at her own stupidity. Throwing off her robe, she knelt down and worked around Justine’s probing fingers to help her climb that peak. And, hell, how she climbed it.
***
“You’ve, ah, got a little something…” Aimee pointed out to Justine as they hurried across the yards.
“What? Where? Shit. Fix it.”
Aimee smiled as she tucked Justine’s collar over the accidental mark she left on her neck. “You know, for someone that was just begging me to finish her off before literally taking the task in her own hands, you're awfully nervous.”
“They’re two different things. Wanting you to make love to me in the privacy of the bedroom, and facing my family with the woman I lo—” Justine stopped walking and threw her hand over her mouth.
The accidental confession stunned them both.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Aimee asked, stepping back to the woman who had halted two steps sooner than herself.
“It’s too soon.”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
Aimee cleared her throat. “Or maybe not.”
“Really?”
Aimee lifted her shoulders to her ears and felt giddy and completely exposed. Love had to be what she felt for this woman, and it wasn’t until Justine nearly said the words that she let herself admit that. “I—umm…” she started quietly, before reaching out to pull Justine to her by the back of the neck.
“Mum!”
The women sprung apart.
“Aaron.” Justine smiled and embraced her son who had run across the yard. “Aaron, I’d like you to meet someone. This is Aimee,” she said, letting go of her son and swinging him around. “Aimee, this is my son, Aaron.”
“Hi,” Aaron said, thrusting out his hand.
“Hi,” Aimee greeted, taking the young man’s hand in hers. His grip was firm and he shook with vigour. Wearing glasses like his mother, and wondering if it was a hereditary thing, Aimee looked him over. As tall as Justine, which wasn’t saying much, the boy was lanky with rapid growth and sported a hair colour in complete contrast to the brunette woman at his side. His eyes were the same amber shade and the freckles Justine usually covered up were visible on her son. “I hear you want to be a cowboy?” Aimee asked, making Aaron look at his mother in mortification.
“Mum,” the boy whined.
Justine shrugged. “Mum,” she greeted the greying woman who had followed Aaron. “This is Aimee,” she said, introducing them. “Aimee, my mother, Dawn.”
The women smiled at each other and inclined their heads politely. Aimee got the distinct impression she was being sized up. Especially when she saw Sally knowingly smile from the porch.
Justine cleared her throat. “Mother?”
“Yes, dear?”
Justine shook her head slightly and widened her eyes with warning.
Dawn clucked her tongue. “A pleasure to meet you, Aimee. I’m going to have a cup of tea. Why don’t you three ride the horsies or something?” she said, dismissing them with a wave of her hand.
“Horsies?” Aimee mouthed to Justine.
Justine shook her head begging her not to ask, and snagged Aaron’s hand. “Honey, I’ve got to go over the footage from yesterday and plan the filming schedule tonight. Would you mind hanging with Grandma for a couple of hours? I won’t be long, I promise.”
Aaron groaned in typical teenage fashion.
“I promise I won’t be—”
“Wanna ride?” Aimee asked the boy.
“Yes!”
“Aimee…”
Aimee held up a hand to Justine. “How about I take you up to the shearing sheds and introduce you to my nephew. He’s about your age and I bet, far more fun than sitting around here with your grandma.”
“Can I, Mum?” Aaron turned his excited eyes on his mother, who looked doubtful.
“I…uh…it’s a big property,” she said, giving Aimee a poignant look.
“And I’ll be with him the whole time.”
“Really?”
Aimee nodded.
Justine sighed and looked back to Aaron. “You must do everything Aimee tells you to do.”
“Yes, Mum,” he whined.
“I’m not kidding, Aaron. It’s important.”
“Geez, Mum. I get it. Behave and do what I’m told. Now, where are the stables? Is that them?” The boy ran off before either woman could confirm.
“Energetic.”
“Too energetic.”
“He’ll get on with Robbie well.”
Justine heaved out a breath. “You’ll look after him?”
Aimee smiled, turning to face the woman and take her hands. “You know I will.”
Scanning the area for observers, Justine spotted Sally smirking at them from the verandah. “I know. You look after me so well.” With a wink that left Aimee wishing they were somewhere private and preferably naked, she watched the woman go, not noticing her sister sidle up beside her.
“Ah, such sweet, innocent love.”
Aimee jumped with a curse word slipping unbidden from her mouth.
“Language.”
“Bugger off.”
“So…is it?”
“Is it what?” Aimee snapped at her sister and stalked off towards the stables.
“Love.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Aimee said over her shoulder.
“I’m going to find out, you know. One way or another.”
“Whatever,” she yelled back before ducking inside the sanctuary of the stables.
“Are you my
mum’s girlfriend?”
Or so she thought. Gaping at Aaron and feeling herself blush from head to toe, she ignored him and walked over to River. “You can ride him. Do you know how to saddle a horse?”
“Of course,” he said with a voice that screamed ‘duh.’
“Definitely your mother’s child,” she muttered and left him to it. Saddling Kite, she kept a wary eye on Aaron’s ability with a horse and found herself pleasantly surprised. “You ride?”
“Only every weekend.”
“Do you compete like your mum did?”
“Yeah. I’m reigning show jump champion for my region and division.”
“Huh,” Aimee said. The boy wasn’t the most modest person she’d met, but then again, he was a teenager. Robbie boasted about anything he won for a solid three months, thought Aimee.
“Did you know mum won silver in the games?”
Aimee’s eyebrows rose. “No, I didn’t. Silver, huh?”
“Yeah. So awesome.”
They mounted their horses and headed for the cottage.
Aimee nibbled at her lower lip, wondering how she was going to approach Joey to relieve Robbie early. Robbie acted as an apprentice during the shear, and spent the entire day fleece skirting, fetching water, helping change shearing blades, and putting antiseptic on nicks the sheep may have suffered. In short, he was an invaluable part of the process. Talking to Joey wasn’t high on her list of things to do, either.
Watching Aaron for a while, Aimee frowned.
“Ease up on the reins a little. Let your knees guide the horse.”
Aaron frowned. “I know how to ride.”
“I agree, but see how River is tossing his head? The bit is a little tight.”
Aaron pouted and looked to what Aimee was talking about. “I’m controlling the horses head. That’s Jeremy’s number one rule. Control the head, control the jump.”
Aimee bounced her head in understanding. The boy knew how to ride jumps and tight circles in an arena, but out here…she shook her head slightly. “Do you ever get to just ride, or is it only when competing?”
“Just jumping. I keep asking mum to take us on some trails, but there’s never time. Life’s busy, you know?” Aaron shrugged and averted his eyes to stare out at the horizon.
Aimee felt her heart break a little for him. “Well, when you get a chance to ride out here, you can be more relaxed. The horse can take the lead a little more and enjoy just being out walking, or trotting or whatever. There’s no corners, no rails, just open space. Do you see what I mean?”
“But how do you make them go straight?”
Aimee inclined her head to her reins. “I trust Kite to know where she’s going. These are station horses, they know this land inside and out. Besides, I can still direct her, but she doesn’t need to be constricted by the reins to do that.”
Aaron looked at her style and compared it with his. He let some slack out on the reins and River immediately settled. Letting him get used to the new way of riding for a while, and coming out of a rough patch of country, Aimee said, “So…” Aimee smiled. “Wanna race?”
Aaron’s eyes lit up and with a click of their tongues and a flick of their reins, they took off over the gentle swell of hills.
***
“So…Aimee’s rather charming,” Dawn said to Sally as she accepted the cup of coffee that was on offer.
“She can be when she puts her mind to it.”
“Something’s going on between her and Justine, isn’t there? Something big?”
Sally could have launched across the bench and kissed Dawn. “You think so, too,” she said emphatically. “Wait. Is Justine…” Sally checked for eavesdroppers while she tried to find a diplomatic way to ask Justine’s mother if she was a lesbian. “Umm…Justine has a son.”
“Yes, she does.”
“And the dad?”
Dawn’s lips tipped up at the corners. “The dad is not a significant part of their life. Justine isn’t seeing anyone, male or female, and hasn’t done so since Aaron was born.” Dawn looked at the kitchen door before leaning closer to Sally. “There was a rumour a while back about her and a woman at the stables when she used to compete.”
“Compete?”
Dawn sat up straight and proud. “My daughter is an Olympic athlete. A silver medallist, actually. She competed in the Sydney Olympics for Australia.”
“What discipline?”
“Eventing.”
Sally was impressed. Dressage, show jumping and cross country were tough enough disciplines on their own, let alone combining them into one event.
Time went by in a rush as Sally and Dawn discussed the ins and outs of international equestrian events, the trials of travelling with horses, and had just begun on the topic of raising daughters when Justine and Amber joined them.
“She was hopeless,” Sally said with a laugh as Justine swung the kitchen door closed. Answering Justine’s questioning look, she said, “Aimee. She tried to be different one night and wore a dress to the local dance. She ended up punching someone in the face for asking to buy her a drink, and was arrested in the name of public safety when a group of men wolf-whistled her.” Sally chuckled to herself.
“She was arrested?” Justine said, looking shocked.
“Sort of. The sergeant escorted her out and suggested she go home before she decked everyone.”
Justine shook her head, and in the silence that followed, Amber said, “Umm…want a hand?”
Sally looked at her with surprise. “You want to help prepare dinner?”
“Justine said it’d be good if we helped out. I can’t cook worth a damn, but I’m willing to try. Is that okay?”
“Of course, it is.” Sally walked over to Amber and took her by the shoulders to direct her to the chicken she had just taken from the fridge. “I need that stuffed.”
“Excuse me?”
“Cut up some lemons, garlic and thyme, and shove them into the chicken.”
“I…okay.”
Sally watched over Amber for a moment before giving Dawn a wink and gestured to Justine. Dawn grinned in response. “Where was I?” she said to Dawn. “Oh! Aimee.” Sally chuckled again. “She’s always known her own mind, that one.”
“Has she ever been interested in men?” Dawn asked, earning a surprised look from her daughter as Justine turned on the kettle.
“Mum, that’s not—”
“Never.” Sally caught Dawn’s eye and winked. “Aimee’s always been a lady’s lady. Joey used to have an issue with it, but wisely chose to get on with his life.”
“Oh?” Justine said.
Sally looked at Amber while Justine frowned at the kettle.
“So, she’s had girlfriends before?” Justine asked, busying herself with preparing coffee. “Anyone else want one?”
“No thanks, dear. And no. Aimee’s always been a love ‘em and leave ‘em kinda girl. She’s good at it, too.”
Justine choked down her first sip of coffee. “Sorry? Good at it?”
“Well, yeah. She’s a beautiful woman,” Sally said, wondering if Justine realised she was nodding. “And she knows it. She’s charming, good-looking, and knows exactly how to sweet talk any conquest she takes a fancy to.”
“Sorry, conquest?”
“A regular Casanova,” Sally said, before giving Amber a quick tip on how to cut the lemon. “See girl, like girl, bed girl.” Sally smiled to herself when she heard Justine’s cup hit the granite bench top with a clatter.
“I see.”
“My sister had an affair with a girl once,” Amber said. “It didn’t take.”
Everyone considered that information for a moment. Sally, however, found the perfect opening. “Well, if your sister is, sorry for sounding crude, is as well-endowed as you, then Aimee would definitely have tried it on.”
“She’s not,” Amber said, looking confused. Amber narrowed her eyes. “She likes large breasts?”
Sally shrugged. “Everyone has a type.” Notic
ing Justine look down at her chest, Sally continued. “She did give you a smile and a wink when you arrived.”
Amber’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, my gosh, she did.”
“She did what?” Justine said.
Sally raised her hands. “Don’t worry, I told her she’s not allowed to hit on the contestants. She was told they were out of bounds.”
“And so they bloody should be,” Justine said. “Don’t tell me she makes a habit of hitting on any eligible woman that comes out here?”
Sally shrugged.
“What is she? A Neanderthal?”
Aimee chose that moment to enter the kitchen. Everyone was staring at her. “Uh…hi?” Getting an odd glare from Justine, Aimee said, “Aaron is fine. He’s up at the shearing sheds with Robbie and Joey learning the ropes. I promise he’s in safe hands.” Justine narrowed her eyes but didn’t say anything. Looking around the kitchen, Aimee stared for a moment when she noticed Amber in the kitchen wrist deep inside a raw chicken.
“See something you like?” Justine said, snapping her out of her stare.
“I’m sorry?”
Justine gestured to Amber, prompting Aimee to give her the once-over in case she had missed something beyond finding the woman with a chicken on her hand. The red in Justine’s face when she looked back at her was intriguing. Aimee cocked her head. “Maybe,” she said. Walking across the kitchen, she purposely bumped Amber, apologising with a hand to the small of her back. Smirking at Justine’s explosive expression and congratulating herself for accurately reading Justine’s mood, she snagged a drink from the fridge and went back to Amber. Jealousy was an interesting colour on Justine.
“What are you making?”
Amber stood up straight and blinked. Looking around briefly, she pointed at herself. “Me?”
Was this woman intellectually challenged? “Ah…yes?”
“Oh. Umm…” Amber looked at the chicken she had just stuffed. “Roast chicken with—Sally, what is this again?” she asked Sally, who had been quietly chuckling in the corner. Something that put Aimee on high alert.
“Huh? Oh…thyme and lemon stuffing.”
Amber smiled at Aimee. “Roast chicken with thyme and lemon stuffing.”
“My favourite,” Aimee said with a smile that flustered Amber. Curious about the reaction, coupled with Justine’s constant glare, Aimee glanced around the kitchen to find Sally smiling to herself and Dawn pursing her lips in an effort not to smile. Shrugging it off, she sipped at her drink. “So, where are your competitors?”