Unchained Memories

by Dena Blake

“They’ll bounce back. They didn’t get eliminated.” Jillian hated that she’d been wrong but was totally turned on by Amelia’s confidence.

  “Only because it was a non-elimination round. They still came in last because they don’t work well together.”

  “So you think if they collaborate more, they have a shot at winning?”

  “Not a chance. They’re definitely going to lose, and I’ll be glad when they do. They annoy the hell out of me.”

  “Oh, I see. It’s all about you, not the race.” Jillian bumped her shoulder.

  “Always.” Amelia winked as Jillian got up to carry the empty popcorn bowl into the kitchen.

  “You want another soda?”

  “No. I should probably head home.” Amelia got up and stretched. Jillian couldn’t help noticing the bare skin of her stomach as her shirt pulled up.

  “But it’s still storming.” The words whooshed out of Jillian’s mouth softly as she walked to the window and peered out. The rain was still coming down in a steady rhythm.

  “I think all the severe stuff has passed.” Amelia turned, looked at Jillian, and seemed to notice her agitation. “I can stay a little while longer.” She sat back down on the couch and fiddled with the laptop. “Do you want to watch something else? A movie maybe? There’s a new superhero film on Netflix.”

  Jillian curled her lip up at that. “How about a drama?”

  Amelia rolled her eyes. “How about you stab me with a fork?”

  Jillian laughed loudly. “Why don’t we meet in the middle with a comedy?”

  “I can do that.” Amelia flipped through the selections until they found one they both agreed on and settled back on the couch with the computer on Amelia’s lap and her feet on the coffee table. Jillian pulled the chenille throw off the chair and settled back next to her, tossing it across their legs.

  When Amelia opened her eyes, the power was out, and the only light in the room was the glow from the laptop teetering on her thigh. She didn’t know how it had happened, but she’d somehow slid to her left, and JJ was snuggled up close next to her. She was sleeping soundly, with her head tucked up under Amelia’s chin, and Amelia’s arm was wrapped around her as though it were the most natural thing in the world. She used her free hand to move the laptop to the couch and then took in a deep breath. The scent of cucumber and melon filled her nose.

  Amelia knew she should go, but freeing herself out from under JJ would undoubtedly wake her, and Amelia was honestly enjoying her current position. Lying here on the couch, warm and toasty, under the blanket with a soft, beautiful woman pressed up against her was nice—really nice. Amelia hadn’t felt this comfortable around anyone in a long time. Besides, the power was out, and the rain was still coming down steadily outside. It was probably a bad idea, but she twisted a blond lock of JJ’s hair around her finger and decided to stay put.

  * * *

  The next time Amelia woke, it was light outside. She was cold and alone on the couch, which hit her hard. It would’ve been nice if JJ had woken her. Her heart hammered. Maybe JJ hadn’t liked waking up in her arms. She squeezed her eyes closed, let the sun warm her face, and took in a deep breath to calm herself. The scent of coffee wafted into her nose, and she cracked open her eyes to see JJ sitting on the coffee table in front of her holding two steaming cups.

  “I thought this would get you moving.” JJ handed her one and then raised the other to her lips. “You’re a heavy sleeper.”

  Not usually. She sat up and raked her hand through her hair. “What time is it?”

  “A little after nine. The boys will be back soon.”

  She studied JJ’s face. How can a woman look so beautiful all the time? She felt a familiar tingle in her belly, and it unnerved her. “I should go.” She set the cup on the table, then stood and looked around for the laptop.

  “I put it away.” JJ dipped her head toward the office. “At least have some coffee.” She picked up the cup and held it out to her. “Black, right?”

  Sensing the plea in JJ’s voice, Amelia nodded as she sank back in to the couch and took the cup from her. She sipped the coffee slowly, enjoying the deep, rich flavor. She made the mistake of making eye contact, and they sat quietly, peering over their cups at one another for a few minutes. Amelia didn’t fight the tingle this time. She let it wash over her, warming every inch of her body. It was spectacular.

  “Do you want some breakfast?” JJ asked.

  “No, but thanks.” Amelia shook off the wondrous feeling and took one last gulp of coffee before she got up and headed toward the door. “I should get home. I have some work to finish up before Monday.” That was a lie, but she needed to get out of there. These new feelings were a lot to manage.

  JJ touched Amelia’s hand, and she spun back around. “Thank you for staying with me last night. I really hate storms.”

  “It was my pleasure.” Amelia gave her a soft smile. She wasn’t lying. She hadn’t enjoyed the company of another woman like that in a very long time. “Maybe we can do it again sometime.” She pulled her lips into a soft smile. “Without the storm.” The words were out of her mouth before she knew it, but there it was. She’d put it out there.

  “I’d like that.” JJ held Amelia’s hand for a bit longer, then let it drop and followed her to the door. “Amelia?” JJ’s voice was almost a whisper. Amelia turned around and found herself on the receiving end of a wonderfully soft kiss. She stumbled backward out the door, wishing she didn’t have to go. But she had to go.

  Little streams of the night’s rain raced through the empty streets to their edges. Tree limbs littered the yard. This town would have to do a lot of cleanup today. Mother Nature had been angry last night, very angry. Was it due to the fact she was making out with her brother’s new love interest? Maybe. She took in a deep breath and let the sun warm her face. She could finally see the light, the promise of a new day. The lock to her heart was slowly opening.

  Amelia glanced back at the house to see JJ watching her from the doorway, and her body heated. She slid into her car, fired the engine, and turned the air-conditioning on high. I’m for sure going to hell now. She flipped down the visor, assessed herself in the mirror, and swiped her finger over the black smudges left below her eyes from her eyeliner and mascara. “Well, aren’t you a sight this morning?” She flipped the visor back into its place. “That’s enough to scare any woman away.” A smile crept across her face as she drove away. It didn’t scare JJ. She finally had a reason to look forward to tomorrow.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Jillian pressed her head to the door after she closed it. What the hell am I doing? She peeked out the window beside the door and watched Amelia walk to her car. She smiled as the morning flashed through her mind. She had felt so warm and cozy when she’d stirred. The slow and steady heartbeat under her ear had soothed her, and she hadn’t wanted to open her eyes. She’d been alarmed to find her hand splayed across Amelia’s belly under her shirt, her fingers tucked just inside the waistband of Amelia’s jeans. Her leg had been draped randomly across Amelia’s, holding it with the possessiveness of a familiar lover.

  She hadn’t wanted to budge, and removing herself from the position had been tricky. Thankfully, Amelia was a deep sleeper. She sipped her coffee and smiled. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so soundly, without a nightmare. She crossed the room into the kitchen and plucked a dust cloth from the laundry room before heading back to the living room to flip on the stereo.

  She felt the phone buzz in her pocket, pulled it out, and saw it was Marcus. She hit the green button at the bottom of the screen and pressed it to her ear. “Hi there, handsome.”

  “You know just the right way to answer the phone, don’t you?”

  “What? I’m just stating the truth.”

  “Alas, if I were only single,” he said with a sigh.

  “Too late again.” She returned the sigh. “Plus, I don’t have a penis.”

  “That’s definitely a problem.” He chuc
kled. “How are things going out there?”

  “So far, so good, but I miss you terribly.” She hit a button on the stereo, and music blared even louder through the speakers.

  “It doesn’t sound like it. Are you having a party?”

  “No. Just getting ready to do a little cleaning.”

  “Well, that’s totally out of character. Where’s Jillian? Put her on the phone, please.”

  Jillian laughed. “I’m trying to blend in, remember?” She fiddled with the knobs, trying to figure out how to turn it down.

  “Have you told Blake who you are yet?”

  “No, not yet. We had some weather last night.”

  “I saw that. The news kept calling it a gustnado.”

  “It’s not as bad as it sounds. Just a lot of wind and rattling windows.” She paused. “There’s been a complication.”

  “What kind of complication?”

  “Amelia was here with me last night during the storm, and she stayed over.”

  “Did you two—”

  “No, but I kissed her.”

  “That is a complication.” She heard him blow out a long breath. “How was it?”

  “Spectacular.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, remembering how wonderful it felt.

  “Sounds like it was more than a gustnado that shook your shingles last night.”

  “It wasn’t the first time.”

  “Then I’m guessing it was good for her, also.”

  “I think so.” She smiled at Amelia’s nervousness this morning. It was so fresh and innocent, something she hadn’t seen in Amelia before.

  “Do you plan to pursue anything with her?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve been pretending to date Blake to make his wife jealous, which complicates the situation even further.”

  “His wife?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “Oh. Well…could you use a little on-site support? Maybe I should come that way.”

  “Oh, my God, Marcus.” Her voice rose with excitement. “Would you? That would be so awesome.”

  “Just let me cancel my appointments, and I’ll be on the next flight out.”

  “Marcus, you’re the best.”

  “I know. I’ll call you with the details in a little while.”

  She dropped the phone to the table and danced around the room. Marcus would be able to help her sort out this whole thing.

  * * *

  Kelly sat in her rental car across the street. She was still soaked to the bone from last night’s rain. She seethed as the sight of Jillian and Amelia lying on the couch together, sleeping. Amelia had been touching Jillian in ways only Kelly was allowed, and Jillian had let her. Amelia had to go, and Jillian would be punished for that error in judgment. She’d waited patiently for Amelia to leave the house, and her anger had spiked when she’d seen Jillian kiss Amelia again.

  She got out of the car, ran across the street, and slipped in between the holly bushes, just as she had the night before, to look through the living-room window. Jillian was dancing around the living room and it looked like she was dusting, which was so unlike her. She reached in her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. It must have been someone she knew because she was smiling as she talked. Kelly couldn’t make out what she was saying, and she hated that.

  Jillian went to the stereo and fiddled with the knobs. Music blared through the speakers, and Jillian jumped before she found the off button. After a few minutes, she dropped her phone to the table, turned the music back on, and danced into the kitchen. She was gone for a few minutes, and then she danced in from another room with a spray can of some kind in her hand. Kelly enjoyed watching her move around the living room, dusting as she danced. She got caught up in memories of their nights together. Jillian shouldn’t be this happy, not without her. She should be missing her as much as Kelly missed her.

  * * *

  Amelia found herself standing just outside Julie’s door, the usual place she went when she needed help figuring things out in her life. She let herself in, put on a pot of coffee, and poured herself a cup before going out back to sit on the deck. It was still pretty early, but Amelia knew the scent of the freshly brewed coffee would bring Julie out of her sleep soon. Within fifteen minutes, Julie was pushing through the back door and settling into the wicker chair next to her.

  They sat quietly together, enjoying the sounds of the morning. Various birds were singing their morning songs, tweeting, chirping, and, in particular, the regular pair of doves cooing to each other.

  “You’re here early. What’s up, sunshine?” Julie asked, breaking the serenity. She assessed her appearance. “Weren’t you wearing those clothes yesterday?”

  Amelia nodded. “I stayed at the house last night.”

  “I wondered if you would. Did you all have fun watching the lightning?”

  “Sort of. It was just me and JJ.” She shifted her gaze sideways to catch Julie’s reaction.

  “Fuck me.” Julie bolted forward in her chair. “You slept with her.”

  “No. I didn’t.” She shook her head. “But I did wake up with her sprawled out across me during the night.”

  “Oh, my God.” Julie chuckled. “Now I need details.”

  Julie listened intently while Amelia told her how the night had gone. How comfortable she’d felt with JJ and how cold she’d felt when she’d woken up alone this morning.

  “You asked her out?”

  Amelia nodded. “I was trying to get out of there, and the words just came out.”

  Julie let out a huge belly laugh. “Why don’t you just tell her you’re in love with her?”

  “I’m not in love with her.”

  “Well, you’re definitely in something with her.”

  “Love is a big word. You know how hard that is for me to say. I’ve been in relationships where we said ‘I love you’ all the time, and it didn’t mean anything.”

  “Yes, I know, but that doesn’t mean you should take it out of your vocabulary.”

  “I can’t get that close, Jules.”

  “Seems to me you already have.”

  Amelia’s gaze snapped back to Julie’s. “I’ve only known her a few months.”

  “Are you sure?” Julie seemed to stumble over her words. “I mean, is there a time frame on love? Have you created a new rule?”

  She shook her head and gave her a soft smile. “There should at least be a green light signaling it’s okay to proceed so I don’t get broadsided.”

  “If you need that, I’ll give it to you.” Julie waved her hands in front of her. “Green light flashing, right here. Green means go, and if it’s already changed to yellow, that means go faster.”

  “Shut up.” Amelia popped up out of her chair. “I need more coffee.”

  “I bet JJ makes spectacular coffee.” Julie shouted after her.

  Amelia turned around and peeked back out the door. “As a matter of fact, she does.” She does a lot of things spectacularly.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Amelia waited in front of the restaurant for JJ to arrive. Before she’d set up the date with JJ, she’d decided it would be safer to meet at the restaurant rather than to pick her up and be faced with the choice of where to take her at the end of the evening. What she saw when JJ came around the corner was nothing short of breathtaking. The sleek black slip dress, the slightly curled hair, the confident strut. JJ was sexy as hell. Fuck! Why didn’t I tell her it was casual? Not that Amelia was dressed casually herself. It had taken her close to three hours at the department store the night before to pick out the tropical-patterned maxidress she was wearing, and she hated going to the mall.

  “You look beautiful,” JJ said and kissed her on the cheek.

  “As do you,” Amelia said with more difficulty than she expected. “Shall we?” She pulled open the door for JJ.

  The hostess led them to a table in the middle of the restaurant, and JJ turned to her. “Can we have something a little more private?”

/>   “Sure.” The hostess glanced at Amelia for approval. Amelia nodded, and she led them to a quaint little table toward the back of the restaurant.

  “This is a nice place. The hostess seems to know you. Do you come here often?”

  “I wouldn’t say often, but it is one of my favorite places in town.”

  Amelia glanced up from the menu to catch JJ watching her. She gazed back at the menu and shifted in her seat. Where the hell are you, Blake? After she thought about the situation between JJ and her brother, she’d had serious reservations about having dinner alone with JJ and had invited Blake to come along. The bell chimed as the door opened, and she was relieved to see the hostess leading Blake to their table.

  “Oh, look, Blake’s here.” Amelia threw up a hand and waved him over. “Do you mind if he joins us?

  “Uh, I guess not.” JJ seemed a little annoyed but scooted her chair around the small round table closer to Amelia.

  “Hey,” Blake said as he slipped into the chair across from her.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” JJ said.

  “It’s my favorite place. When Amelia suggested it, how could I resist?”

  JJ cocked her head and smiled slightly at Amelia. “No. I’m sure you couldn’t.”

  Awkward. Tiny jolts of electricity coursed through Amelia. Now JJ was fully aware she had invited him. No easy way to backpedal out of this one. She picked up her menu, only glancing up from it long enough to give JJ a soft smile before she diverted her gaze to Blake. “Do you want to pick out a bottle of wine?”

  “Sure. How about a nice pinot noir? It always goes well with Italian.”

  “That sounds good. I love a good pinot.” JJ looked back at the menu. “So, what’s good at your favorite place, Blake?”

  “I’m partial to the chicken-and-spinach manicotti.”

  “Lots of cheese in that. I think I’ll stick with the vegetable pasta marinara.” JJ looked over at Amelia and caught her watching her. “Something catching your attention tonight, Amelia?” She lifted her eyebrows.