Unexpected Sparks

by Gina Dartt

  “Where on earth are you getting all this?”

  “The card,” Nikki said, rising up on her elbow and staring seriously at her lover. “The one that started all this.”

  “Rushton said the weekend at the Keltic Lodge didn’t mean anything to either of them.”

  “So?” Nikki made a face. “She didn’t even admit it happened until she was pinned down. I just can’t help but remember that Sam signed it with all his love.”

  Kate snorted. “That doesn’t indicate anything significant.”

  “Maybe not, or maybe it means everything.”

  Kate stared at her and then shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s pretty flimsy. Margaret might have loved her husband enough to do anything to keep him, but she’s always been such a cold fish that it just doesn’t fit.”

  “Really?” Nikki regarded her speculatively. “How well do you know Margaret?”

  “Not that well,” Kate said, horrified by the implication in Nikki’s voice. “Certainly not well enough to grill her about her marriage.”

  Nikki sighed. “Too bad. We’ll have to tackle it another way.”

  Kate crossed her arms over her chest. “We don’t have to tackle it at all. Or have you forgotten what almost happened to you today?”

  “We’re already in this, Kate. If someone’s going to take a run at me, I’d rather be doing something about it than stay out of it and be a target anyway.”

  Kate wanted to refute Nikki’s logic but couldn’t. She thought she should be able to see a way around her argument, but perhaps it was too late in the evening, or perhaps it was too difficult to disagree with Nikki when she was lying there all soft and mussed from their lovemaking, with golden hair and the brilliant eyes that regarded her with the innocent sensuality of a goddess. “Damn,” she said, frustrated. It was beginning to occur to her that she could refuse Nikki very little.

  Nikki, unsure what had prompted the curse, smiled slightly anyway. She reached out, coaxing Kate down beside her. “Let’s sleep on it. Things always look better in the morning.”

  “I doubt that,” Kate said, but she allowed her lover to embrace her, freeing a hand briefly to switch off the light again. Ensconced in comfortable darkness once more, Kate settled into Nikki’s arms, surrendering to the sheer pleasure of silky skin and a strong heart beating against hers.

  “I know you were scared today,” Nikki told her fondly, tucking her under her chin. “I was, too, but sometimes you just have to do what has to be done, no matter the risk.”

  “I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you,” Kate said, but it was hard to muster much debate when she was being held in an embrace so intoxicating.

  “So we stop this before anything does. We find out who killed Sam and discover enough evidence so that Rick can arrest them.”

  “Piece of cake,” Kate said sarcastically, not at all reassured by Nikki’s quiet laugh or gentle kiss. But despite her disquiet, she was able to fall asleep in her arms, not stirring the entire night.

  Waking up was a joy, surrounded by the familiar confines of her bedroom, her lover molded warmly around her. She lay there, basking in the blissful reality of their new life together. She knew Nikki was right about their needing time to know each other better, to be more assured of their relationship, but if she dared, she’d ask her to move in that day, just so she could be sure that she would be able to wake the next morning in the exact same manner.

  Nikki woke with a simple intake of breath, snuggling closer. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning, love. Sleep well?”

  “Oh, yes.” Nikki kissed her neck. “You?”

  “Like a baby.”

  “I’ve always wondered about that saying. Babies don’t sleep well. They wake up every two hours or so.”

  Kate chuckled. “Good point. Okay, then, I slept like a log.”

  “Inaccurate, but more descriptive than the baby analogy.”

  “Ugh, are you always so precise first thing in the morning?”

  “I’m a morning person. You’re not?”

  “Until I get my first cup of coffee,” Kate said, “I’m unbearable.”

  “Hmm, maybe.” Nikki slipped her hands longingly over Kate’s body, pressing her back against the mattress. “But you’re certainly not untouchable.”

  “Obviously not.”

  Nikki moved over her lightly, stroking Kate’s hips and thighs as she whispered hotly in her ear. “Now you know why I’m a morning person.”

  “Does this ever end?” Kate murmured between the sweet kisses that seemed to make every molecule in her body hum with sensation.

  “What?” Nikki asked, slipping between her legs where her fingertips did the most amazing things to Kate.

  “This incredible desire,” Kate whispered. “This need to be with you.”

  “If we’re lucky, never.”

  “But it can’t possibly be this intense forever,” Kate said, gasping as she felt Nikki’s fingers press against her tenderly, then into her with firm assurance.

  “You could be right,” Nikki agreed, flexing intimately within her, “so let’s enjoy it while it lasts.”

  “Oh,” Kate said, and that was approximately all the coherent conversation she was capable of for the next little while. Later, they showered together and somehow managed to wash between the caresses and kisses that took up far more time than had they showered separately. “Did you bring the stuff you needed?” Kate asked as she toweled her hair dry in the bedroom.

  Nikki finished pulling her shirt on over her head. “In my backpack. A few changes of underwear and other things.”

  Kate opened a drawer in her dresser, scooping out the few clothes she had in it and shoving them in another drawer. “Is this enough room?”

  “Plenty.” Nikki pulled out some panties from her bag, a few pairs of socks, a pair of sweat pants, and a couple of T-shirts, placing them neatly in the drawer. “Those are mine,” she said in a warning tone. “Don’t wear them to bed.”

  Kate laughed and hugged her from behind. “Stay over enough nights and I won’t have to.”

  Nikki turned in the embrace, sobering as she looked down at her. “You really don’t mind my leaving some stuff here? I don’t want to impose.”

  “You’re not. I want you to feel comfortable here.”

  Nikki kissed her lightly. “I want you to feel comfortable at my place, too. Is there anything you want me to take back when I leave?”

  “Good idea,” she said. “I’ll give you some things.” Kate found some of her lesser-worn casual clothes, some underwear, and a spare pair of jeans. Nikki packed them into her bag before they went to prepare breakfast.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Nikki said as they sliced some grapefruit. In the background, the radio, tuned to the local station, played country music interrupted occasionally by the incessantly cheerful morning DJ.

  “Of course,” Kate said, removing some bagels from the toaster oven.

  “Did you...enjoy sex with men?”

  “Whew,” Kate said, a little breathless. “That’s not a breakfast question, love. That’s a question asked after several glasses of wine over dinner.”

  “Do you want me to take it back?”

  “No, it’s okay,” Kate said, sucking her thumb lightly where she had singed it on the hot bagels, then carrying the plate over to the breakfast bar. “I, uh, guess I did.” She thought about it. “David, my husband, is the only one I’ve ever been with,” she admitted after a minute. “He really worked at making love, and I mean that in a good way. We started out so awkwardly, as most young people do, but he honestly tried to please me, and as time went by it got to a point where I...ah, found it reasonably...acceptable. I even managed to...well, climax a time or two.” She laughed. “I’m sure Ellen was just thrilled by the time she got him, however.” She shot Nikki a look. “Can you tell me why you asked?”

  Nikki flushed faintly and said in a small voice, “I guess...I wanted to know it isn’t just th
e sex between us.”

  Kate tried to decide if that comment should insult her. “So how was the sex between you and Anne?”

  Nikki started, then flushed even harder. “It was a really bad question, wasn’t it? I’m sorry.”

  “I can’t change the past, Nikki,” Kate said quietly. “I can’t predict the future. I can only be who I am right now.”

  Nikki stared at her, then nodded. “Anne and I were...it was good,” she said finally, obviously trying to be as candid as she could in exchange for Kate’s honesty. Kate wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know the answer to her question, but she wanted to make the point that this was information that had to be volunteered, not finagled.

  “As good as I could imagine...the first few times. But the longer we were together, the less she seemed to want it...want me, and it didn’t take long before I realized she was losing interest, even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself. I became more and more frantic to be with her, but that only pushed her away sooner.” She took a deep breath, her expression an aching mix of pain and humiliation as she remembered Anne’s rejection. “It wasn’t ever like it is between us, Kate. I’m not just saying that to make you or me feel better. After we make love, I feel like I could spend the rest of my existence just holding you, even if we never made love again.”

  Kate reached over, cupping her cheek in her palm. “I feel the same. I love making love with you, but I also love just being with you. With David, sex was always an effort, always a goal to be reached, and when we did, we actually thought we had accomplished something. With you, it’s just what we’re supposed to be doing at that particular moment, and it’s absolutely incredible.” She wished she could explain the unexplainable, but she saw the look in Nikki’s eyes and knew that, somehow, she had managed.

  “I’m sorry, Kate,” Nikki said, hugging her around the neck. “I’m afraid my insecurities pop up at the worst times.”

  “Well, that’s why they’re insecurities. At least you know they are. It’s when you refuse to recognize them that they can really trip you up.”

  “I suppose.” Nikki kissed her. “Thanks for putting up with me.”

  “I love you. I’ll always put up with you.”

  They kissed again, longer this time, and only after they finally parted for breath did they manage to pay attention to the morning news. Edwards House had burned to the ground sometime the previous night.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “Well, if there was any evidence hidden up there, it’s gone now,” Kim said, studying a French fry warily before finally popping it into her mouth.

  “I can’t believe it just burned down.” Nikki was monumentally annoyed because she’d wanted one more chance to search the place. Now that option was gone forever, and the missed opportunity rankled.

  “At least they didn’t drag a body out of these ashes,” Addy said, putting a cheeseburger platter in front of Nikki, who flashed a look of gratitude and proceeded to dig in. “I suppose the first question should be, was it arson?”

  “How could it not be?” Kim interjected. “What are the odds of Katherine Rushton’s house burning down right now with everything else that’s been going on in town? I bet she was insured up to her neck.”

  “She’d have to be crazy to burn it down now,” Addy said. “Everyone would assume she did it deliberately.”

  “Exactly,” said Nikki. “What if she’s being framed?”

  The other two women stared at her and Kim asked, “Is that your newest theory, Nik?”

  “It’s a possibility. Otherwise, Katherine Rushton is as stupid as they come, and she just doesn’t seem like it. Obnoxious, rude, and stuck-up, but not stupid.”

  “Criminals aren’t necessarily the brightest bulbs in the garden,” Addy pointed out. “If they were, they wouldn’t get caught.”

  “Addy’s right,” said Kim. “People do things without thinking of the consequences, then are completely surprised when things go wrong.”

  “People do stupid things with and about money all the time, but this is arson we’re talking about, and murder,” said Nikki. “She’d have to know that she’d be the prime suspect in anything like this.”

  “She hasn’t been arrested yet,” Addy reminded them. “Maybe she thinks she’s invincible.” Looking at them significantly, she left to wait on some other customers.

  Nikki chewed a mouthful of cheeseburger slowly. “The worst part is that Kate and I never had the chance to check Edwards House out a second time. Now, we never will.”

  “You could sift through the ashes.”

  “Even if we found the remains of a gun, there wouldn’t be much left.”

  “So what are you up to the rest of the afternoon?” Kim was obviously bored with the mystery of Sam’s murder.

  Nikki tried to ignore the flutters in her stomach. “I have an appointment at the police station. We’re writing the exam for police dispatcher this afternoon. If I do well, I’ll be hired.”

  “Is that what you really want to do? You never struck me as the law enforcement type, even though you do tend to stick your nose in places it doesn’t belong.”

  “Funny,” Nikki said. “It’s fascinating work. The more I research it, the more interesting it sounds.”

  “If you say so. Does it pay well?”

  “It starts at $12.50 an hour. The shift is three twelve-hour days from six p.m. to six a.m., Tuesday to Thursday night. That gives me a lot of time off.”

  “You might find the late nights too much.”

  Nikki shrugged. “Maybe, but it would be exciting, which appeals to me.”

  “Like you don’t have enough excitement in your life now.” Kim snorted. “Or are you bored with Kate already?”

  “Not a chance.” Nikki thought about how crucial a part of her life Kate had become in such a short time. “She’s so incredible, Kim. I can talk to her, and she always knows what I mean, even when it’s not what I’m saying.”

  “Oh, boy,” Kim said, thumping her forehead with her palm. “I have only myself to blame. I’m the one who brought her up.”

  Nikki ignored her, lost in the thoughts of her new love. “We talked about all the things worrying us about the relationship. She doesn’t hide anything from me, Kim. She says exactly what she’s thinking and explains it in a way that I understand. She doesn’t try to play with my head.”

  “She sounds perfect.”

  “She is.” Nikki, who had responded dreamily, slowly realized Kim was being facetious and fixed her with a dark look. “You’re not funny.”

  Kim laughed. “You’re so cute when you’re like this.”

  “Like what?”

  “All soft and gooey, with big blue eyes and the look that says, ‘I’m gone.’”

  “I’m not laughing. Do you see me laughing here?”

  Kim finally subsided. “So, are you going to see her later?”

  “She’s working tonight. Normally, someone comes in evenings and Saturdays, but the kid’s going to some high school dance. I promised I’d call her around suppertime and let her know how the exam went. We’re having dinner at her place tomorrow night.” Nikki sighed, keenly aware that she hadn’t had a chance to see her the previous night either, since Kate was occupied with her monthly book club meeting while Nikki had been home doing laundry. To know she wouldn’t be able to spend any quality time with Kate until Saturday evening was like a nagging injury, an ache in her midsection she couldn’t quite pinpoint but that left her uncomfortable.

  “She asked you to move in with her yet?”

  Nikki hesitated, and Kim laughed again.

  “She did, didn’t she? God, straight chicks are worse than lesbians when it comes to that. The joke should be, what do straight chicks who want to be lesbians take on the second date?”

  “She didn’t ask me to live with her,” Nikki said. “But we did discuss it a little for the future. We both want to wait until we’re sure about our relationship.”

  “You know there’s
a pool.”

  “What?”

  “On when you two will move in together.”

  Nikki stared at her, not especially pleased. “What’s the consensus?”

  “No later than March 20th.”

  “What’s March 20th?”

  “The first day of spring. Everyone thinks you’ll be in her place by spring, except for Audrey, of course. She says that you two have to go camping first. She believes you won’t move in together unless you know for sure that Kate can and will spend the night in the woods with you.”

  Nikki was disgusted. “Don’t you people have anything better to do?”

  “Are you kidding? This is the most entertaining winter we’ve ever spent. Between you and the straight chick—”

  “Her name is Kate.”

  “And Sam’s murder,” Kim didn’t miss a beat, “there’s something going on every day. Who says February is the most boring month of the year?” Kim tilted her head. “Speaking of which, what are you doing for Valentine’s Day? You actually have an excuse to celebrate it this year.”

  Nikki felt uneasy. “I don’t know. I’d like to get Kate something special, but I don’t know what yet.”

  “It doesn’t really matter, you know. This first year, you could give her weeds you yanked out of a ditch, and she’d call them wildflowers and find it romantic. It’s only after you’ve been together for a while that you actually have to work at it.”

  “Meaning you’re out of ideas for Lynn.”

  Kim sighed. “She’s so hard to buy for. If she wants something, she just goes ahead and gets it without even telling me she wanted it. If she can’t afford it, then I can’t either, and if I did buy it, she’d only get mad because I spent so much.”

  “Life’s a bitch, isn’t it?” Nikki said in a tone devoid of sympathy, enjoying the chance to tease her friend for a change instead of being the target.

  “Don’t gloat.” Kim raised a warning finger. “Your time’s coming. You have only this initial grace period. Next year, you’ll be in the same boat as the rest of us.”

  “You’re just upset because you aren’t romantic enough to think of something for Lynn. Whereas I have the imagination required to come up with something really spectacular for Kate.”