Rayden was headed for her barracks on the base in Iraq, when she happened upon an interesting scene. A man was talking to a woman, which ordinarily wouldn’t be interesting to her. The problem was the way the man was standing, his arm up over the woman’s head, in a somewhat threatening manner. The woman he was talking to seemed to be doing her best to stand up to him, but at around five four and maybe 120 pounds, she wasn’t having much luck. He looked like he was far from put off. Rayden slowed her pace, stopping a few feet away, trying to keep from interfering unless she had to do so, but listening intently to the conversation.
“You know you want to…” the man was saying. “You don’t have to pretend that you don’t.”
“I’m not pretending,” she was telling him. “I just not interested, I’m sorry.”
“Come on honey…” he said, moving closer to her.
She backed up, and he grabbed her arm to stop her.
“I said I’m not interested,” the woman said sharply.
“And I think you are,” he said, pushing her up against the wall forcefully.
“Okay, enough,” Rayden said, stepping up behind the man.
“What the hell?” the man asked, turning around.
His eyes widened when he saw the size of the woman he was now addressing.
Rayden was an imposing woman; one hundred percent Cherokee Indian with the strong build of a Navy SEAL. She had the ability to intimidate most people, even men.
“Yeah, you need to listen when a woman says she’s not interested,” Rayden told him evenly.
“You need to butt out of conversations that don’t involve you, bitch,” he said, trying bravado to stave Rayden off.
“One last warning,” Rayden said flatly, but her eyes sparked with malice. “Leave the lady alone and walk away.”
“Make me,” he said, his eyes challenging.
One hand whipped out and grabbed him by the throat, turning and slamming him into the nearest wall, lifting him a half a foot off the ground in the process.
He struggled against her hold, and she tightened it until he calmed down.
“If I ever see you manhandle a woman like that again,” she growled, “I’ll break your fucking neck, do you hear me?”
When he didn’t answer, she banged his head against the wall.
“I said, do you hear me…” Rayden queried.
“Yeah, yeah, fuck!” the guy snapped.
With that Rayden let him go, and he dropped to the ground with a thud. She turned on her heel and casually walked away.
Two hours later Rayden was lying in her bunk, with one well-muscled arm over her eyes.
“Excuse me?” said a tentative female voice.
Rayden lifted her arm, her dark eyes falling on the girl from earlier. She was cute, petite with honey-blond hair and slate-blue eyes. She was wearing Air Force BDUs, her name patch read Comstock, and she had the wings patch signifying that she was a pilot. That actually surprised Rayden; she hadn’t expected that at all. Though now, taking a second look over her, she seemed to ooze the confidence of a pilot.
“Yeah?” Rayden asked, her tone even.
“You didn’t let me thank you,” the woman said, her smile warm.
Rayden grinned, and put her arm back over her eyes. “Wasn’t looking for a thank you,” she said simply.
“Okay, but…” the woman said, her voice trailing off as she stepped closer to Rayden’s bunk.
Rayden felt a soft hand on the underside of her upper arm. She lowered her arm, an indulgent grin curling her lips as looked at the woman.
“I’m Grayson Comstock,” she said, smiling down at Rayden.
“You also don’t give up easily,” Rayden said.
“Not usually, no,” Grayson said, shaking her head and smiling.
Rayden chuckled. “Rayden Black Wolf.” Grayson’s eyes widened.
“Which tribe?”
“Tsalagi,” Rayden said, grinning.
Grayson turned her head slightly, detecting that she was being given a hard time.
“Which translates to…?” Grayson began, her look pointed as her voice trailed off.
Rayden smiled, showing very white and perfectly straight teeth.
“Cherokee,” Rayden said.
“Ah,” Grayson said, nodding. “So how can I thank you?”
“You can’t,” Rayden said.
“I’ll bet you I can,” Grayson said, smiling, her eyes sparkling mischievously.
Rayden smiled in spite of herself. “It’s not necessary.”
“Well, see, that’s the thing…” Grayson said, running her finger over Rayden’s bicep. “I wasn’t interested in him, but I’m definitely interested in you… So while thanking you may not be necessary, going out with you is.”
“Who says I’m gay?” Rayden asked.
“Your eyes say you’re gay,” Grayson said.
“Do they now?” Rayden asked as she sat up putting her feet on the floor, and turned to face Grayson.
Grayson moved to stand between Rayden’s knees, putting her hands on Rayden’s shoulders, staring into her eyes directly.
Rayden widened her eyes at the bold move.
“Just go out with me,” Grayson said, her tone cajoling.
“And if I don’t?” Rayden asked.
“I’ll bug you till you do,” Grayson said, smiling.
“There can’t be that few gay women here…” Rayden said, her tone trailing off.
“There’s plenty,” Grayson said, “but right now I’m interested in you.”
“Why?” Rayden asked, her look direct.
“Because of what you did for me,” Grayson answered.
“What do you think that proves?”
“That you’re chivalrous,” Grayson said.
“Maybe it just proves that I like to beat the crap out of men,” Rayden said.
“No,” Grayson said, her tone sure. “You are a gallant, courageous warrior, and I want to go out with you and you’re just going to have to say yes.”
“I am, huh?” Rayden asked, grinning now.
“Yes, you are,” Grayson said, her slate-blue eyes staring into hers.
Rayden sighed, grinning again. “Okay, you win.”
“Finally!” Grayson said, laughing.
“Are you always this persistent?”
“When I want something, yes, I am.”
“Does anyone ever say no to you?”
“Sometimes,” Grayson said.
“Do they get worn down like me?”
Grayson smiled. “Only when I really, really want something.”
“And you think you really, really want me?”
“Yes, yes I do,” Grayson said.
It was a hell of an auspicious beginning.
“Ray?” Jazmine queried when Rayden had been quiet for a long couple of minutes. She seemed lost in her own thoughts, and they didn’t look like happy thoughts.
“Hmmm?’ Rayden murmured, coming out of her reverie.
“You look beat,” Jazmine said, seeing how tired Rayden’s eyes looked suddenly.
Rayden looked at her watch, a black and gunmetal Movado. “That’s because it’s like four in the morning in D.C. right now.”
“When did you get here?” Jazmine asked.
“Day before yesterday,” Rayden answered, stifling a yawn.
“Guess this little adventure wasn’t on your agenda, huh?” Jazmine said, her tone self-effacing.
“No, but it’s okay,” Rayden said, smiling warmly. “Come on, I’ll show you where the guest bedroom is.” She drained the rest of her beer and set the bottle on the counter.
Jazmine followed Rayden upstairs, pointing to the right. “That’s the second bedroom.”
“Okay,” Jazmine said, nodding.
“It has its own bathroom, so feel free to shower or whatever if you want, there’s towels and stuff in there.”
“Wow, you’re awfully organized,” Jazmine said, grinning.
“Don’t be too impres
sed, you can pay people to do this stuff,” Rayden said, winking at her. “And I did, ’cause I didn’t have time to do it myself.”
“Aw,” Jazmine said, grinning and nodding.
“See you in the morning,” Rayden said, leaning over to kiss her temple.
Jazmine reached up to hug Rayden, feeling really sentimental suddenly.
Rayden held Jazmine in her arms for a few moments with her eyes closed, remembering what it was like years and years before… before everything went to hell. She gritted her teeth managing to keep it together.
Jazmine went into the second bedroom and Rayden walked into the master bedroom, closing the door softly behind her. She walked over to her dresser, taking off her watch, and the chain around her neck. Once again, her eyes fell on the black band on her finger.
“Damnit, Gray…” she muttered, balling her left hand into a fist, feeling fresh pain pump through her, making her heart ache.
She turned on the Bose and hooked up her iPhone, selecting Gray’s playlist, knowing exactly the artist to play. Gray loved Adele and played her constantly. As she walked into the master bathroom she took off her clothes, hung up her long jacket, and put her boots back, the rest went into the laundry basket. She turned on the shower and got in, hearing Adele sing about the River Lea.
A half an hour later she lay in bed, Adele still singing. One song ended, and the next song began, and Rayden let the sounds of drums and keyboards roll through her. The song was called “I Miss You” and the words broke her heart over and over as they played on.
When the song ended, Rayden had tears down the side of her head. Fortunately, she was also asleep from pure emotional exhaustion.
In the other room, Jazmine could hear Adele playing and was shocked. Rayden had always been into rock music, for her to listen to Adele was absolutely out of character for her. Apparently, some things had indeed changed in ten years.
It was four in the morning when Jazmine heard her phone buzz. She ignored it the first few times, not that she was really sleeping anyway, but when the phone seemed to buzz constantly, she reached over to pick it up. The text messages were from her ex-boyfriend and it was obvious his boys had gotten back to him about what had happened at The Club. There were all kinds of comments about dykes, and how he was going to “fuck them up.” She could tell he was getting more and more angry.
Once again, she had no idea what she’d ever seen in him. Not that she’d been in love or anything, but Jeremy “JJ King” had seemed like a really nice guy, to start with anyway. She was now beginning to wonder if she could tell the difference. There was something she hadn’t told anyone, including Rayden, and that was that she’d recently aborted the child she’d become pregnant with who had been fathered by Jeremy. She just hoped that didn’t become public knowledge. As she read the messages though, she realized that he had indeed found out and that it had been on TMZ that evening.
The messages took a very deadly turn and he was threatening to kill her and, “that bitch she left the club with in the copperhead Viper.” That had Jazmine up and out of bed and walking into Rayden’s room. She stopped, seeing Rayden lying on the bed, one arm up over her eyes. She was wearing a black job bra and black boy short underwear and nothing else, and Jazmine had to calm her libido before she could think straight again. Walking over to the side of the bed, she could see that Rayden had added a few tattoos over the years. They looked very sexy against her dark skin. Jazmine shook her head, trying to make herself focus.
“Ray?” she queried softly.
“Mmm?” Rayden murmured tiredly as she lifted her arm off her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Jazmine held out her phone to Rayden. She reached over and picked up the remote for the Bose, and turned the music off. She then took the phone, blinking a couple of times to try to focus on the lit screen. Jazmine could see her dark eyes scanning the writing.
“Jaz, you don’t think they’ll really come here do you?” Rayden asked, her tone far from worried.
Jazmine shrugged, looking afraid. Rayden looked back at the girl and sighed. Shifting to the center of the bed, she patted the bed next to her.
“Come here,” she said, holding her arm out to Jazmine.
Jazmine didn’t need to be asked twice; she immediately laid down and put her head against the hollow of Rayden’s shoulder. She was wearing the silk tank top she’d been wearing at The Club and underwear, so she was equally scantily clad as Rayden was.
“I see you’ve gotten more ink since I saw your body last,” Jazmine commented.
Rayden grinned. “Some.”
Jazmine levered herself up on her elbow looking back down at Rayden. “So what’s this one?” she asked touching Rayden’s right shoulder. It was the same symbol she’d seen on Rayden’s necklace earlier.
“It’s the Tsalagi symbol for strength.”
“Okay,” Jazmine said, nodding, “that’s definitely you… What about this one?” she asked, touching the other shoulder. This symbol had a black sun-like outer circle with a star inside of it.
“It’s the symbol for transformation,” Rayden said.
Jazmine’s eyes fell on the tattoo that was partially covered by the jog bra. Rayden saw her eyes and winced slightly, knowing what she was going to ask.
“What’s ‘Gray’?” she asked. “And…” She pulled the jog bra down slightly. “What is that symbol?”
Rayden looked back at Jazmine for a long moment, feeling that familiar pain slide through her again. She blew her breath out, closing her eyes in a slow blink. She knew she needed to just say it, she needed to get used to telling people.
“Gray is short for Grayson,” Rayden said, her tone tremulous. “Grayson was my wife.”
Jazmine stared back at Rayden, stunned. Rayden had gotten married? Rayden who was terrified of commitment? Who fought every single convention known to man that even hinted at a commitment? What the hell?
“So you are married,” Jazmine said, nodding.
“I’m widowed,” Rayden said, her voice breaking on the last syllable. “She was a pilot for the Air Force. Her plane went down in the Indian Ocean.”
Jazmine blinked a couple of times, unable to believe what she was hearing. Rayden had been married, and her wife had died? What kind of God did that to people? It was obvious from the devastated look in Rayden’s eyes that she’d loved her wife very much. Tears came to Jazmine’s eyes as she thought about how horrible that really was.
“Rayden…” she breathed, shaking her head slowly.
“Please don’t,” Rayden said, gritting her teeth as she closed her eyes. “I really can’t handle anyone’s sympathy anymore.”
“How long…” Jazmine began to ask, but stopped as she saw Rayden grimace.
Instead, she lay down, putting her head against Rayden’s chest, wanting to lend her strength, but at the same time wanting to cry. Rayden had finally committed to someone and that someone had died. What was the likelihood of her ever committing to anyone again? Right about nil, was Jazmine’s assessment. It broke her heart.
Chapter 2
At twenty-four, Dakota Blair was self-assured enough to walk through a crowd of women and have at least half of them interested immediately. It wasn’t that she was outrageously attractive; she was good looking in the soft butch, sexy bed hair, slim hipped, hippy meets biker kind of way. Dakota had an air about her that promised hot sex and no strings. It was a combination that made women want to catch her and keep her. The rumor was that Cassandra Billings, an ultra-rich lesbian from the art world, had done both, not that it was evident in the way Dakota moved through the crowd at The Club.
She made her way over to the girls, greeting Natalia and Raine, and nodding to the others that she really didn’t know. In truth she didn’t really know any of them, but Natalia and Jazmine were working with Cassandra to build a dance studio. Dakota was essentially the person doing the work in the studio, acting as a contractor more or less. One of the few solid things she’d done in her life was
getting a contractor’s license.
Dakota made her way to the bar, asking the bartender for a Jack and coke with a wink. The bartender gave her the drink with a smile.
“Thanks doll,” Dakota said, smiling in return.
As she walked outside, she pulled out her cigarettes and lighter, and sat down at one of the tables, checking out the women. She wore faded jeans and a black leather vest with nothing underneath, motorcycle boots, and a long leather tong necklace with a feather that lay between the slight curve of her breasts. Her blue eyes, lined with black liner, scanned the crowd, picking out the ones that would be quick, easy lays. She had her eye on a brunette when she heard a familiar voice.
“Dak?” Cody asked, her tone stunned.
Dakota turned her head, already smiling as she did. Jumping up from the chair she sat in, Dakota grabbed Cody in a hug.
“Holy hell, Cody!” Dakota said, hugging the other woman and laughing.
When they parted, Cody looked Dakota up and down. “Where the hell did you disappear to?”
Dakota grinned. “Well, got a pick-up, wife wanted a threesome… Guess I was better than he was. He left, I stayed.”
“And you’re still with her?” Cody asked her tone hopeful.
“Cody, it’s been what… nine years. When have I ever fucked the same woman for that long? I’ve changed women so many times since then, I’ve lost count.”
Cody shook her head. “Still the same, Dak.”
Dakota’s eyes fell on the blond standing next to Cody who looked back at Cody quizzically.
“Dakota, this is McKenna,” Cody said, smiling. “She’s my fiancée so don’t get any ideas.”
Dakota smiled her eyes sparkling mischievously. She extended her hand to McKenna.
“Hi…” she said, her voice husky.
McKenna took her hand, her look saying really?
“Hi,” she responded, her tone even.
Dakota laughed. “I like you.”
“I’ve known Dakota since I was thirteen,” Cody said to McKenna.
“Oh…” McKenna said, her eyes trailing back over to Dakota.
Gray Skies (WeHo Book 8) Page 3