She snuggled against Ariel, feeling the full press of breasts and the soft breathing tickling her ear. Ariel nuzzled her neck and moaned. Kiernan froze when Ariel moved her hand in comforting circles on her stomach. She sucked in her breath, and a current of arousal infused her body. She was about to turn into that enticing embrace when Ariel let out a snore. Kiernan realized her bedmate wasn’t conscious of her actions. If Kiernan rolled over and kissed her, she would get a response, but it wouldn’t be right to take advantage of Ariel when her defenses were weakened by sleep.
Instead, she put her hand over Ariel’s to stop the seductive movement against her stomach. She willed her body to relax, gave a contented sigh, and fell into a deep and peaceful sleep, something she hadn’t done in a long time.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“EIGHT BALL IN the corner pocket,” Ariel said with satisfaction as she bent to take the shot that would clinch her first win against Kiernan since they’d started playing pool together. She gently hit the cue ball and tipped the black ball into the pocket.
She stood, raising her cue stick triumphantly in the air. “Yes! The new champion!”
“Ha! Just a fluke. I was off my game tonight. Tomorrow night will be a different story.”
Ariel placed her cue stick back in the rack. “Face it O’Shay, I outplayed you tonight, and I’ll do it tomorrow night, too.”
Placing her cue stick in the rack beside Ariel’s, Kiernan said sourly, “Famous last words.”
“You’ll see.” Ariel headed out the door of the recreation room, Kiernan behind her.
When they came to the stairway, a strong tug on the back of Ariel’s sweatshirt stopped her forward movement.
“Last one up is a rotten egg!” Kiernan sprinted past and up the stairs.
Ariel recovered, speedily taking the stairs two at a time, and almost pulling even with Kiernan who beat her by half a stride.
A winded Kiernan leaned over to catch her breath.
Ariel wasn’t as winded as Kiernan and protested, “No fair. You had a head start.”
Kiernan straightened and said, “Of course I did. It’s called a handicap. Your legs are longer than mine, so I get a step before you do to even the odds of winning.”
“More like six steps,” Ariel said, as they headed down the hall toward their suites. She stopped in front of her door and said, “Good night. I’ll see you tomorrow when you get home.”
“Sweet dreams.”
“You, too.”
Ariel watched Kiernan head toward her suite before opening the door to her own and entering. She showered, slipped on a dark red velour robe, and went to her sitting room to find she had received no voice messages on the telecom, but the mailbox light blinked, indicating e-mail. She opened the mailbox and skimmed over the list of messages. When she saw a message from Georgia Tech’s Aerospace department, she held her breath for an instant. With nervous anticipation she opened the correspondence. She would read it instead of having the computer do it for her. She scanned the contents and said a triumphant, “Yes!”
Rising from her chair, she hurried over to the door of Kiernan’s suite, rapped sharply against the wood, and waited impatiently. She wondered if Kiernan was asleep. She barely got the thought out when the door opened.
“Ariel—”
“I’m a Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech!” Ariel couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice.
Kiernan blinked as if confused. Then she grinned and said, “And a hell of an engineer.”
“Yes, yes!” Ariel bounced on her toes a couple of times.
“I knew they would accept you. Was there any doubt?”
“You never know. They might have met their maximum enrollment in the program.” Ariel then noticed Kiernan wore a blue terrycloth robe, and the end of her hair was damp. “I’m sorry. I didn’t interrupt your bath—or anything?”
“Not at all. I just finished my shower when I heard you knock. Come on in.”
“It’s late and I better let you get your sleep.”
“Nonsense. After news like that, we have to celebrate. And I know how to do it.” Kiernan gave her a leer.
Ariel froze. “Er—how?”
“Ice cream.”
“Huh?” She was a bit disappointed Kiernan wasn’t suggesting her first thought.
“Yes, ice cream. I happen to know there’s a freezer full because today was grocery shopping day, and I requested it added to the list. So, come on, let’s go.” Kiernan motioned with her head toward the front door of her suite.
“Shouldn’t we get dressed first?”
“Why? No one will be up and about in the main part of the house this time of night.”
“All right, then, lead the way.”
She followed Kiernan into the dimly lit hallway and down the stairs to the kitchen. The night-lights were on throughout the house to prevent mishaps. When they entered the kitchen, Kiernan ordered the computer to turn the light above the table to medium. “Why don’t you get the bowls and spoons, and I’ll get the ice cream,” Kiernan said. She headed toward the stainless steel refrigerator and opened the freezer side.
Ariel retrieved the bowls, dipper, and spoons, set them on the kitchen table, and then took a seat.
Kiernan called over her shoulder, “Vanilla, chocolate almond, butter pecan, orange sherbet, or lime sherbet?”
“Butter pecan.”
At the table Kiernan removed the lid. “I’m having it too.” She scooped a chunk into one of the bowls. “Say when.”
Three scoops later, Ariel said, “When.”
Kiernan slid the bowl over and scooped out some for herself, then took the chair across from Ariel.
Ariel placed a spoon full of the rich cream in her mouth, letting it melt and slide down her throat. “Mmm. This is good.”
“Valley Shire uses all natural ingredients. That’s why their ice cream is the best.” Kiernan dipped her spoon in for more. As she was bringing the spoon up to her mouth, the dollop of ice cream slipped off and fell into her robe opening right below her neck. “Arghh!” She hastily put her hand up in an attempt to stop the ice cream from slipping down her front, but missed. Her robe opened and exposed her breasts.
Ariel stopped the spoon’s path to her mouth. Kiernan closed her robe, stood, and hurried over to the counter to grab a towelette. Keeping her back to Ariel, she wet the towelette to clean herself, grumbling as she did so.
Ariel had managed to catch an eyeful of creamy breasts with stiffened nipples, the latter, no doubt, caused by the cold ice cream. A vivid flash of memory flooded her mind of the feel of those enticing peaks between her teeth as she flicked her tongue across them. She licked her lips. Her mouthed watered and there was a mild twinge of her vagina. She crossed her legs in an involuntary response, and shifted in her seat, hoping to stymie the surges in her nether region.
Despite the circumstances of that night, Ariel remained conflicted. A certain amount of embarrassment filled her when she recalled her motivations and her actions during their encounter. On the other hand, she took a guilty pleasure in remembering aspects of their sexual interaction. Kiernan now figured prominently in her more erotic dreams, as well as in her waking fantasies. She’d lost the mortification she had first experienced when pleasuring herself, and now she imagined it was Kiernan’s fingers bringing her to orgasm.
She attributed this to a shift in her feelings for Kiernan. She liked her—a lot. The shift from hate to liking made her more aware of Kiernan’s physical attributes. Of course, she tried to be discreet when checking her out. For instance, when they played pool, she was sometimes on the same side of the table as Kiernan and couldn’t help but notice her nice posterior when she leaned over to make a shot. She was sure Kiernan caught her a few times, if she could judge by Kiernan’s slight smile. One like she received when caught ogling Kiernan’s legs on the way to the spaceport for Ariel’s tour of Celeste.
It wasn’t only Kiernan’s physical appeal that attracted her. The more ti
me Ariel spent around her, the more she discovered appealing things about Kiernan’s personality. She wasn’t only a flat surface of dark and shadow as Ariel had previously thought. She was multi-faceted and reflected both color and light, as well as shadow.
Ariel discovered Kiernan had a generous heart when she informed her she was adding her name as co-donor to her charity contribution list. Ariel had asked what charities these were, expecting only a handful. Kiernan provided her with a printout of over one hundred charities she supported, stunning Ariel. The dollar amount given to each charity stunned her even more.
Kiernan had a great sense of humor and Ariel liked the banter they traded. Ariel sensed Kiernan honestly cared about her plans for attending school and working for Stellardyne. They had yet to sit down and have a serious discussion concerning raising a child. Would Kiernan listen to wiser heads on child rearing: Ariel’s mother for instance? She thought that was a good possibility considering Kiernan’s history of directing Stellardyne to make it the most profitable business in the solar system. Kiernan didn’t learn her business acumen overnight and probably listened to and took advice from those who were successful in running their own companies.
The Kiernan whom Ariel was getting to know didn’t mesh with the Kiernan who had hurt her mother, leaving Ariel confused. She battled back and forth over that. Maybe Mysha was right. Maybe someone else set her mother up, perhaps due to jealousy. No, it was too much of a coincidence that Kiernan wanted to marry her on the heels of Ariel’s refusal. She was convinced her mother was framed, and further, her mother believed Kiernan had done it to force Ariel into accepting the proposal. Had she not gone to Kiernan and made the deal to marry her, Kiernan surely would have approached her.
Kiernan’s reputation was ruthless when it came to obtaining what she wanted in a business deal. As much as she liked her, Ariel wasn’t ready to trust her. But it was becoming harder for her to hide her attraction. She dare not act on the attraction and succumb to a sexual relationship, knowing herself well enough to recognize that might lead to an emotional involvement where she was likely to end up seriously hurt.
Kiernan slipped back into her chair. “I guess I need to tie a napkin around my neck.”
“Or a bib,” Ariel said teasingly.
“You know, come to think of it, I think we have a few lobster bibs around somewhere. Grandmother passed them out on those occasions she served lobster to the important clients she entertained.”
“Those plastic ones with the pictures of the lobsters on them, like they have at some of the seafood restaurants?”
“Certainly not. I’ve seen those tacky things, and I would die of embarrassment if I had to wear one. You never know whether the paparazzi are lurking around to take your picture. It would be my luck to wear one and end up plastered all over the media.”
“Oh, no, you can’t have that happen. Why, it would ruin your image, and Stellardyne would go out of business,” Ariel said while trying to keep a serious face.
“How astute of you.” Kiernan paused. “You know, I’ll have to arrange a time for you to come to work with me, so I can give you the grand tour of Stellardyne.”
“I’d like that.” Ariel wondered why Kiernan hadn’t invited her earlier. She would love to see the engineering end and the top-secret test lab located on the Stellardyne property.
“I think around Christmas would be a good time. Meetings slack off, and I’ll have time to show you around.”
“Do I get the VIP treatment?”
“No. You get the VSIP treatment.”
“VSIP?”
“Very special important person. In fact, you’ll be the first VSIP I’ll ever have the privilege of escorting around Stellardyne. As an extra bonus, you also get to have lunch with the president.”
“Will we have lobster for lunch?”
“If you wish. And you can wear a bib with a lobster pictured on it.”
Ariel managed to keep a straight face and say, “Wow, I can’t wait.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
ARIEL PIVOTED IN different directions in front of the floor-length mirror in her dressing room, checking her appearance. The cherry-red dress softly molded to the shape of her body and fit her perfectly. The bodice was asymmetrical, leaving her left shoulder bare. The length was bias-cut, a tad above her right knee, and continued diagonally to mid-calf of her left leg. A pair of matching stiletto heels and matching evening bag completed the elegant ensemble. The jacket she chose was glacier white and designed from man-made and very expensive nature-fur material that was hard to tell from real fur in either texture or feel.
To complement the asymmetrical design of the dress, she had her hair swept back to one side, and held with a gold-tone clip. She wondered whether she should wear jewelry. She wasn’t much on wearing jewelry, except for a pair of gold ear studs, and owned only a few pieces. None would go with the dress, nor were they quality pieces.
She heard a knock coming from her sitting room and hurried out. Before she reached the main door, the knock sounded again, and she realized it came from the door to Kiernan’s suite. She opened the door to find Kiernan standing there, smiling.
Kiernan gave her an appreciative once over. “Oh, my. You look fantastic.” This was one of the dresses Kiernan had specially made for Ariel before the wedding, and it was obvious by her expression she was pleased how it went with her hair and complexion.
Ariel gave Kiernan an equally appreciative once over. “So do you. Black looks very good on you. It shows your hair and coloring to advantage.”
“Thank you.” Kiernan beamed at the praise. She wore a black silk crepe dress, heavily beaded with a variety of tiny jet beads tapering off at the skirt. The slim skirt hung to a couple of inches below the knees. Tiny jet beads adorned the edging of the hem. The sleeveless fitted bodice showed off her trim figure.
Kiernan held an oblong black velvet box in her right hand. “May I come in?”
“Yes, of course.” Ariel stepped aside and Kiernan entered.
“I have something for you—a gift to celebrate your acceptance into Georgia Tech. I think it will go well with your dress.”
She held out the box and Ariel accepted and opened it. She drew in her breath when she saw the thin rope of sparkling diamonds and the matching solitaire ear studs. “I—oh, Kiernan, it’s beautiful.” She impulsively hugged her and whispered in her ear, “Thank you,” before moving out of the embrace.
Kiernan’s pleasure reached to her eyes, turning them bright emerald. “You’re very welcome. Here, let me put the necklace on for you.” Taking the box from Ariel’s hand, she walked over to the mirror hung over the console table.
Ariel followed and Kiernan said, “Turn facing the mirror.”
Ariel gave a slight shiver when Kiernan’s hand brushed her bare shoulder. She lifted her hair and shivered again as Kiernan’s warm fingers placed the necklace around her neck and touched the nape. The heat radiating from Kiernan’s body, so close to hers, caused her heartbeat to quicken.
Kiernan moved back and Ariel fingered the necklace, admiring the beauty of its sixteen sparkling diamonds. Each was at least a carat and set in gold in one single strand. She caught Kiernan’s reflection in the mirror and their eyes met. Ariel saw a melting, softness in the depths of Kiernan’s eyes, and held her gaze, saying, “You’re right—it goes perfectly with the dress.”
“It does. Don’t forget to put the ear studs in. I’ll help you, if you wish.”
“Thanks.”
Kiernan sidled up close, almost against her, and removed the gold stud in her left ear. Ariel watched in the mirror, again feeling the heat of Kiernan’s closeness. The brush of Kiernan’s arm against her shoulder sent a delicious shiver down her spine. Kiernan carefully inserted the diamond stud into the earlobe and fastened it into place. “Turn toward me and I’ll put the other one in.”
Kiernan removed the gold stud. “This one isn’t as easy to get in as the other. Hold very still.” Kiernan’s breasts brush
ed against Ariel’s right arm. She inhaled deeply, holding her breath for a moment, and closed her eyes as she felt her arousal grow. Whether Kiernan noticed her intake of breath, she gave no indication. She successfully inserted the diamond earring, edged back, and said, “There. All done.”
Ariel swiveled toward the mirror, admiring the ear studs. She took the moment to try to get control of her libido. “They’re beautiful. I might not take them off after the fundraiser.”
“Leave them in. Though I must say, I don’t know how well they would go with your black motorcycle jacket and Harley. Might ruin your image as a tough biker babe.”
“Biker babe?” She gave Kiernan a stare. “As I recall, that’s your role. After all, you were the babe on the back.”
Kiernan gave her a hard look, but Ariel knew she was trying to smother a smile. “I might have been on the back, but I’d hardly call myself a babe. Ready to go?” “Let me get my coat—babe.”
THE ORDERED CHAOS outside the limo’s window held Ariel’s riveted stare. A roped off area, complete with a red carpet, led up to the Norwood Country Club located on the northeast side of Marietta, Georgia. The media surged around the carpeted walkway behind the rope. Everyone jostled for the perfect spot to take videos and pictures, and each reporter was intent on getting interviews or reactions from the arriving dignitaries and celebrities. A line of uniformed security guards on the inside of the cordoned area worked to keep the throng out.
Kiernan slipped out of her seat by Ariel, and took the one across from her. “I’ll go out first and wait for you to exit. Remember what I told you. Keep by me, and don’t acknowledge they’re there. Keep on smiling, even if you hear some outrageous questions thrown your way. Ignore them.”
Ariel nodded her understanding as a valet in a black coat and tie opened the limo door. The valet offered her hand to Kiernan, and she gracefully exited the limo to stand a few feet away and wait for Ariel.
The sea of voices and shouts reached a crescendo as soon as the media realized it was Kiernan O’Shay. Ariel took the hand of the valet and exited the limo to stand beside Kiernan. She heard the voices rise to garbled shouts as questions were thrown her way.
Linda S. North - The Dreamer, Her Angel and the Stars Page 24