by Jade Winters
Erin eased Cara back onto the quilt, her lips moving from Cara’s mouth to her jawline, down her neck and lower, covering her nipple with wet heat as she took the ultra-sensitive peak into her mouth, suckling gently as Cara moaned with pleasure. Erin’s fingers slipped down Cara’s abdomen toward the thin waistband of Cara’s briefs. She traced slow circles over the top of the briefs, moving her hand down further to cup the tender mound between Cara’s legs. Cara gasped as her hips involuntarily pushed forward, pressing herself against Erin’s hand. The heat emanated from Erin as Cara ground against her palm.
Cara buried her hands in Erin’s hair, pulling unconsciously as she pressed Erin’s head closer while she stroked her, causing a tremor of longing to shudder through her.
Lifting her head from Cara’s breast, Erin kissed her all the way down her flat, tanned stomach.
‘Take them off,’ Erin ordered breathlessly.
Without hesitation Cara complied, pulling her briefs down easily as she lifted her hips. Once her knickers had been peeled away to reveal the smooth curves of her sex, Erin pushed Cara’s legs open wide, gazing at the tantalising, tender flesh of her glistening labia. Lowering her head between Cara’s legs Erin flicked out her tongue, striking the engorged bud of her clit, causing Cara to throw her head back and gasp at the sensation.
Erin eased the tips of two fingers gently inside, moving them slowly in and out. Cara let out a loud exhalation indicating her approval.
‘Harder,’ she panted, and Erin plunged her fingers in as deep as they would go, slamming them further with every loud gasp Cara made.
Cara’s knees trembled as she pushed back against every thrust of Erin’s hand.
‘Oh God,’ Cara moaned, placing her hands flat on the sand, rocking her hips back into Erin’s hand.
‘I love you, Cara,’ Erin whispered.
Her words and tone sent Cara into orbit, her orgasm slamming through her in waves. Erin’s hand was drenched in her juices as Cara pulsed against her fingers again and again, her thighs rigid and trembling as she cried out her release.
‘You are amazing,’ Cara said, gently caressing Erin’s jaw with the tip of her finger as she lay next to her.
The sudden sound of a motor boat roaring past caused both women to jump. Erin quickly grabbed a blanket and covered Cara’s nakedness. They both laughed as they watched the boat disappear into the distance.
‘Oh my God, I hope whoever that was didn’t see us,’ Erin said.
‘I don’t care.’ Cara pulled Erin down and snaked her hand between Erin’s legs. ‘Now, where were we?’
Chapter Thirty-One
Cara hurried to the front door upon hearing the loud rapping. When she finally opened it, she was dismayed to see Maddie on the doorstep with her hands on her hips.
‘Alright, Cara, what the hell is going on? I’ve been working on your project all day. Where have you been?’
Cara stifled a grin behind a cough. ‘I’m really sorry. I had to run an errand for my mum and things sort of went on longer than expected.’ She kept her eyes on Maddie’s. Part of it was true – she only left out her glorious early morning tryst.
‘Well you could have, you know, picked up the phone and let me know. Honestly, anyone would think you didn’t have a party taking place in a couple of days.’ She raised her eyebrows and tapped her foot for emphasis.
Unable to help herself, Cara burst out laughing. ‘Maddie.’ She sighed melodramatically. ‘The place is practically ready thanks to your amazing organisational skills. I’m just in the middle of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Wanna come and join me? I have the Karma Sutra one.’
Maddie raised her eyebrows. ‘You’ve had sex, haven’t you?’
She was about to confess but quickly remembered her promise to Erin. ‘No but I do have a confession to make.’
‘Go on.’ Maddie encouraged her with a smile as she followed Cara into the kitchen.
‘My mum would go crazy if she knew I had brought something so unhealthy into her house. Especially as I’m eating it out of her best china.’
Maddie eyed the bowl on the table. ‘If that’s the case I’ll definitely join you.’
‘I thought you might.’ Cara handed her a spoon.
‘So…have you heard from Erin lately?’ Maddie asked, busily spooning the perfect mixture of vanilla and caramel ice cream.
‘Nope, not a peep.’
‘It’s a small town; I thought it would be near enough impossible not to bump into each other.’
‘I haven’t been looking out for her, if I’m honest’
‘So you haven’t invited her to the opening then?’
It hadn’t crossed Cara’s mind not to ask her – even if she was only dating Erin secretly. ‘Not yet but I will. We are still friends after all.’
‘But you want more though, don’t you? With Erin I mean?’
Cara shook her head, dabbing at her mouth with a paper napkin. ‘I mean this in the nicest possible way, but what I want and don’t want in my life has nothing to do with you any more.’
Maddie held up her hands defensively. ‘Okay, okay, no need to bite my head off. It was just a question.’
‘Nothing is just “a question” with you, Maddie.’ Cara pushed her chair away from the table. ‘And you’re right – I should be at the shop going over the final touches for the opening.’
‘Mmmm.’ Maddie nodded, swallowing a cold lump of her dessert. ‘My gut is telling me it’s going to be one hell of a party.’
‘I hope so,’ Cara mumbled. ‘Listen, if you’d rather go back to your place and chill out, I can manage on my own.’
‘No way. I’m enjoying your company. It feels just like old times, don’t you think?’
Cara sighed and narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to figure out how she was going to make Maddie see sense and realise there were not ever going to be any old times again. She was as bad as Matt in that respect. As far as Cara was concerned she was only interested in a future with Erin and Erin alone.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Erin’s ebullient mood instantly soured when she read the large letters scrawled on a piece of white paper.
I SAW YOU!!!!!
Her hands trembled as she scrunched the paper into a tight ball. Dread filled her. Was Maddie on the boat that passed them this morning? Was she stalking their every move? Erin headed to the kitchen, withdrew a bottle of wine from the fridge and poured herself a large glass. If the truth was revealed it would be the end of the line for her and her brother. She was now regretting Cara’s advice to tell him when they had the chance. Surely it was going to be worse for him to hear it from a complete stranger. Her hand hovered over the mobile phone in her pocket. Perhaps it was time to call Cara and tell her about Maddie’s threats. Maybe she would be able to talk some sense into her. Visions of them making love earlier gate-crashed her mind. Her heart ached at the thought of never being able to love Cara like that again. Once Matt found out she would have to choose between the two of them and she was duty bound by blood to choose Matt.
Erin withdrew her phone from her pocket and punched in Matt’s number. She doubted Maddie would have told him yet otherwise he would have been round to see her in a shot. Besides the note had only said ‘I saw you’ – it hadn’t said they were going to spill the beans…yet.
Matt picked up the phone after one ring. ‘Hey, what’s up?’
‘Oh, nothing. Just checking in to see how things are.’
‘So, so.’
She could hear resignation in his voice.
‘Are you busy, Erin?’
‘What, right now?’
Matt sighed heavily down the phone. ‘Yes, right now.’
‘No, what have you got in mind?’
‘Do you fancy grabbing a pizza in town? I need to talk.’
‘Um, sure, just give me an hour to have a shower and get changed.’
Matt was on his third beer by the time Erin arrived at the pizzeria. He stood up and pecked her cheek before s
he sat down. She ordered a salad and a large wine. This would be her third glass as well, she noted, as she took a sip and looked at her dejected brother.
‘Sorry to be blunt, but you look like shit,’ she said to Matt, as he peeled the label off his beer bottle. His once-healthy aura was nowhere to be seen. He was unshaved, tired looking and his t-shirt wrinkled.
He looked up and didn’t even attempt to smile. ‘Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you watch your life go down the drain and there’s nothing you can do about it.’
‘Matt, there’s no point in moping around feeling sorry for yourself.’
‘What else am I supposed to do when I feel trapped?’ He leant forward in his seat and his voice drifted into a hushed whisper. ‘She said she was on the pill. I never had any reason to doubt her.’
‘Yes,’ she whispered back with force, ‘but you still should have been extra careful regardless.’
Matt shrugged and sat back in his chair. ‘I know she did this deliberately.’
‘That’s a bit drastic, Matt. What’s Claudia got to gain if you walk away? She doesn’t strike me as the type who would get pregnant just to keep you. I know she loves you but is she really that desperate?’
Matt winced like she’d pricked him with a pin. ‘Yes she is. She knows I’ll have no chance with Cara now if she finds out Claudia’s pregnant. And she knows I won’t walk away from the baby. She’s stitched me right up.’
The waiter came back and laid her drink in front of her. ‘So Claudia is definitely keeping the baby?’
He nodded glumly and took another swig of beer.
‘Then I suggest you stop thinking about how hard done by you are and start planning for the future.’
‘What future? There isn’t one. Cara doesn’t seem to want to give me the time of day any more.’
‘Be fair, Matt. She’s busy trying to get her business started. It’s not easy. It’s time consuming.’ Erin paused for a few seconds as the waitress placed their food before them. She thanked her then continued, ‘I’m sure she doesn’t mean to be so distant. I think Cara still sees you as a good friend.’ She took a mouthful of salad.
Matt pushed his plate away. ‘Friend? That’s just it. I want more than friendship, Erin. I want to marry her. I want to have kids with her, not Claudia.’
Erin almost choked on her food. ‘Whoa, slow down Matt – do you even know if that’s the kind of life she wants?’
‘Oh come on, that’s what all women want isn’t it.’
‘I can’t believe you even think that way. Perhaps you should have spoken to me before you started generalising what women want and I could have filled you in on a few home truths.’
Matt smiled sheepishly. ‘Hey, I’m sorry if I upset you. Maybe I should have said it’s what the women I meet seem to want.’
Erin took a sip of wine. ‘People change, Matt. Cara’s not the same woman you knew all those years ago.’
‘Speak of the devil,’ Matt said, perking up suddenly. He waved his hand in the air. Seconds later, Cara was standing beside their table with Maddie.
‘Evening, ladies,’ Matt said.
‘Evening,’ Cara and Maddie said in unison.
Erin glanced up and gave them a brief smile before reaching for her glass again.
‘Would you like to join us?’ Matt asked, pulling out a chair.
Erin kicked him under the table. He snapped his head towards hers and mouthed ‘Ouch’.
‘Thanks, Matt, but we wouldn’t want to bore you both with business talk,’ Cara said quickly. ‘We’ve only come in for a quick bite, before heading back to the shop.’
Matt’s shoulders slumped. ‘Maybe another time.’
Cara smiled at him. ‘Definitely. Oh by the way, I’m having a launch party on Saturday, I hope I’ll be seeing you both there. The business is going to need as much support as possible.’
Matt gazed up at her like an obedient puppy. ‘Wouldn’t miss it.’
‘Good. Have a great afternoon,’ Cara said, before leading the way to their table. Erin watched as they walked away. When she noted Maddie heading towards the toilet, Erin stood and dropped her napkin on the table.
‘Won’t be a minute, I have to use the ladies.’
Matt nodded his head before looking around for the waitress. Erin strode into the toilets, her heart pounding against her chest. Maddie was adjusting her hair in the mirror when Erin burst in.
‘I thought you were the face-to face-type. I didn’t take you for the sort of person who would post threatening notes through my door like a coward,’ Erin said with a scowl.
Maddie eyed Erin in the mirror’s reflection with raised brows. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about, sweetie. As far as I know you’ve kept your part of the bargain. Why would I need to do anything else?’
‘So you didn’t put those notes through my door?’
‘Nope.’
Reality slammed through Erin’s chest like a sledge hammer. ‘Then if you didn’t, who did?’
Chapter Thirty-Three
It was late evening when Cara pulled her mother’s car up next to Erin’s in the empty car park. It had been a pleasant surprise to get Erin’s text message to meet her urgently. It was nice to know Erin missed her with the same intensity as herself. Cara climbed out of the car and slid onto the seat in Erin’s.
‘This is all a bit cloak and dagger isn’t it. I could have just come to your place?’ Cara said, leaning over to kiss her. She sensed Erin’s body stiffen and backed off.
‘I didn’t ask you to meet me for a secret rendezvous. We have a problem.’
Cara grinned. ‘Yes I know. It’s been like seven hours since we last saw each other.’
Erin glowered at her then turned away. ‘I’m not joking, Cara. This is serious.’
‘Oh. What is it?’
‘This.’ Erin dug her hand into her pocket, grabbed two notes and tried to give them to her. When Cara looked down without taking them Erin dropped them into her lap.
‘You’ll want to look at those,’ Erin directed, her voice wavering. She switched on the overhead light. ‘Someone posted them through my door. And I received one text message in a similar vein. At first I thought it was a prankster, someone confusing me with someone else, but when I received another one today after our boat trip it seemed really suspicious. I’m certain someone knows about us and the threat to tell Matt is real.’
Cara scanned the messages and took a few seconds to search for a plausible explanation. ‘This is crap, Erin. Nobody knows about us. We’ve been careful. It’s not as if they’ve mentioned Matt by name. If they had that would have been another matter. And it doesn’t say what the truth is. If this is directed at you personally, it could be that someone’s pissed off with the bank. Maybe they want you to be a whistle blower.’
‘Cara, I’m telling you someone out there knows.’ Her voice broke slightly. ‘The first one arrived after we got home from Edinburgh.’
Cara stirred uneasily in her seat. ‘Oh come on, Erin, now you’re just being paranoid. Did you tell anyone you were going there with me?’
Erin looked as if she was weighing the question up in her mind before she shook her head.
‘Did you tell anyone where we were going, apart from Cathy and Mrs Potter obviously?’
Again Erin shook her head
‘So are you saying someone is stalking you? Because that’s the only way this mystery person would know your whereabouts.’
Pensively, Erin looked out into the darkness. ‘I’m not paranoid, Cara, I don’t care what you say. Someone knows.’
‘If you really believe this threat there’s only one thing to do.’
‘What’s that?’
Cara knew her suggestion was not going to go down well, but she had to at least put it on the table. ‘Tell Matt.’
‘Are you crazy? Have you lost your mind?’
Cara shook her head. She chose her words carefully. ‘Listen, if somebody does know, we can’t let a psycho
tic stranger with some sort of ulterior motive make it sound worse than it really is.’
The muscles in Erin’s jaw flexed and a vein throbbed at her temple as she turned away from Cara again. ‘Do you think your mum’s responsible?’
Cara’s eyes widened. ‘My mum?’
‘Yes, your mum. You know, the woman that hates me and would love nothing more than the truth to come out.’
‘Hang on a minute, Erin. I know you’re upset but let’s not start going crazy, throwing accusations all over the place.’
‘If not her then who?’ Erin eyed Cara suspiciously. ‘You wouldn’t do something this sick would you?’
‘Pardon?’
‘I don’t know, maybe this is your way of forcing my hand to make me tell Matt the truth.’
Cara’s mouth dropped open in disbelief and horror. ‘Is that how little you think of me, Erin? Jesus Christ, I’m living a lie to protect you and you have the fucking cheek to ask me if I’m blackmailing you! Un-fucking believable.’
‘Well what the hell am I supposed to believe?’ her voice rose in anger. ‘There hasn’t been one whiff of trouble since you’ve been gone. Nothing has ever been said about us before. Then suddenly you arrive back in town and I’m getting threatening letters. What would you think?’
Cara’s voice was weary. ‘I’d think of a way to get to the bottom of things. What I wouldn’t do is try to lay the blame at your door.’
Cara turned, grabbed the handle and opened the door before jumping out and getting into her mother’s car. She gunned the engine and sped from the car park. Tears blurred her vision as she navigated her way along the dark lanes. Cara thought that Erin trusted her, she was wrong. Maybe her destiny was to be single. She raked her fingers through her hair. Relationships just never seemed to work out for her. Maddie had started shagging her flatmate. Matt was a great guy, but didn’t exactly rock her world. And then there was Erin. Beautiful, feminine, amazing Erin, who loved her but refused to be with her because of some ridiculous code of honour.
Tonight’s little display had settled it, she was done with women – done with Erin. From now on she’d work hard at her new business and lead a loveless celibate life. Great!