“For tonight.” Shawn fought the urge to wrap Faith in her arms. “Go take a shower, and then we can go to bed.”
Shawn’s eyes widened in disbelief when Faith flashed her a cocky smirk. “No way,” she said. “I can’t believe you.”
“What?” Faith asked innocently.
“You can barely stand, and we haven’t seen one another in years. Not to mention we didn’t part on very good terms. And you think you’re going to get lucky?”
“Who, me?” Faith protested with mock indignation.
“Yes, you.” Shawn wasn’t pleased by the overly cocky smirk plastered on Faith’s lips. “Go take a shower, and I suggest you make it a cold one.”
Faith stumbled off towards the bathroom. She left the door wide open as she shed clothing and stepped into the shower.
“She’s incorrigible,” Shawn muttered under her breath while resisting the urge to peek into the bathroom. “And still sexy as all hell,” she added with a heavy sigh and a tiny whimper.
Shawn’s nerves were on edge, to say the least. Finally, she pried herself away from the foggy view of her former lover’s naked form peeking out from behind the flimsy shower curtain. She crawled up onto the bed and reminded herself that she was dating someone. She frowned when she realized that her current lover’s name had momentarily slipped from her mind.
“Deb,” she muttered in an effort to remind herself that Faith was in the past. It didn’t help when the leggy brunette emerged from the bathroom, clad only in a skimpy towel. “Get dressed,” Shawn demanded, her body shaking.
“I don’t like to wear anything to bed,” Faith said with an inviting smile. She added more fuel to the fire by raking her fingers through her long, dark tresses. “You know that,” she added with a sultry purr.
“I’m not playing this game with you.” Shawn quickly averted her gaze. “Now get dressed, and for once, try to act like an adult.”
“I’m all for acting like an adult,” Faith replied in a husky tone. She snickered playfully as she planted her body down next to Shawn’s. Shawn’s skin erupted in a rash of goose bumps. She could literally feel the heat flowing from Faith’s body.
“Besides, what does it matter? You’re the one with the girlfriend,” Faith said in a breathy tone, her lips lingering dangerously close to Shawn’s ear.
Shawn’s eyes drifted shut. Her body quivered with a surge of desire. She bit down on her bottom lip and shivered from the feel of Faith’s warm breath teasing her neck. She snapped her eyes open in a panic.
“What’s her name?” Faith taunted Shawn. Her lips brushed lightly across Shawn’s sensitive earlobe.
Shawn jerked away in an effort to distance herself from Faith and her inviting advances. “Deb,” Shawn said, glaring at Faith. “Her name’s Deb, and she’s very important to me. Now, put something on and behave.”
“Fine,” Faith answered in a dejected tone. She stood and tore the towel from her body and threw it on the floor. Shawn’s eyes darkened with desire. She couldn’t help it; she watched the naked woman bend over and start to rummage through her bag. Shawn’s eyes remained fixated on Faith’s attributes until Faith stood up and turned back to face her. “Having trouble breathing, Sparky?”
“I’m having a really bad day,” Shawn grumbled, her eyes still riveted on Faith. Faith chuckled snidely again and then pulled on a well-worn T-shirt that was emblazoned with an image of the robot from Lost in Space, with the words “Danger, Will Robinson,” sprawled across the front.
“Understatement of the year. Underwear for you, pervert,” Shawn muttered.
Faith rolled her eyes before slipping on a pair of boxer shorts and climbing into the opposite side of the bed. “Spoilsport.” She pulled the bed covers up.
“Hold on,” Shawn said suddenly. “Isn’t that my shirt?”
Faith rolled over. “Good night.”
“Jerk,” Shawn muttered before she climbed under the blankets. She was once again careful not to touch Faith, which led her to hang off the edge of the full-sized mattress.
“I’m in hell,” she muttered, unable to keep her gaze from drifting over to Faith, who had fallen fast asleep. Shawn studied her profile. Faith always looked deceptively at peace when she slept. Shawn fought against the tears that had begun to fill her eyes. “I missed you,” she whispered, before rolling onto her side and away from Faith.
Chapter 17
Stewart, Massachusetts
1912
Anna was still sitting in the same spot, staring at a point on the wall, when chirping birds announced the new day. She had failed to find sleep or comfort. She had been unable or unwilling to move from the place she was sitting in when the mix of firelight and alcohol clouded her mind and she crossed a line that she never knew existed.
She finally turned her head to gaze out her window. The morning sky looked gray and cold, much like her heart. The fire had died out hours ago. Now it was a cold morning, and she was forced to face the day, and Catherine. She felt numb as she rose from her chair. Her body was stiff from sitting up all night long. She shook off the stiffness and began her morning cleansing.
She dressed in a simple gray dress and wrapped her hair up in a bun, as was her usual manner. She performed her routine out of habit. Finally, she descended the staircase. She felt a sense of loneliness when she entered the empty kitchen. She pumped water into the sink and filled the teakettle.
The hair on the back of her neck prickled with anticipation. Without looking, she knew that Catherine had entered the room. She was filled with a sense of fear, and thought it was for the best to continue her chores. She lit the stove and settled the teakettle down to boil. Anna never turned to face Catherine as she went about her morning duties. Neither of them spoke nor acknowledged the other while they prepared a simple fare of tea and biscuits.
Anna sat silently at the dining room table, stirring her tea and staring blankly at the lace tablecloth. She never looked at Catherine, and she sensed that Catherine never lifted her gaze in her direction, either. They cleared away the cold tea and untouched biscuits and went about their daily routine as the servants arrived for the day.
The day proceeded sluggishly, each woman avoiding the other, never daring a glance. When dusk arrived, the servants departed, and neither woman attempted to prepare anything for supper. The moon was rising, and Catherine was nowhere to be seen. Anna stood in the kitchen, feeling the emptiness that filled the grand manor. She could hear Catherine’s footsteps in the foyer. Anna felt like a coward when she slipped up to her bedchamber, using the servants’ passage that only she knew existed.
A hidden door by the pantry opened onto a narrow stairwell. The winding staircase led up to the second and third floors. One of the hidden exits was located in Anna’s bedroom. The staircase also led to hidden panels in the hallway of the second floor near Richard’s room, and the linen closet. Another panel was nestled in the corner of the small room Catherine now occupied.
Anna had been thrilled when she first discovered the passageway that had obviously been designed so the servants could pass from their quarters to the kitchen or the Lady’s bedchamber without using the main stairway. Since the captain had never intended for outsiders to live in the house, Anna doubted that he knew of its existence. She used the hidden passageway on more than one occasion to avoid him.
Now she was using it to avoid her husband’s sister and the strange stirrings that Catherine had unwittingly planted in Anna’s fragile heart. She washed, dressed in a nightgown, and sat once again in her chair. Her embroidery lay untouched in her lap as she spent a second evening staring at the walls of her bedchamber.
The following morning was colder and damper. In the early hours, a nasty rainstorm cracked open the dark skies. The day proved to be a repeat of the day before. Anna grew despondent when dusk grew closer and the servants departed. It was Saturday, and they would not be returning until Monday. The heavy rain looked as if it would make the carriage ride into town for Sunday services im
possible. She was trapped in the manor alone with Catherine until Monday morning. And now, thanks to the weather, she would be unable to escape into town or to her beloved garden.
She pressed the panel next to the pantry and slipped once again up the hidden stairwell to her bedchambers. It was far too early to retire, yet she was exhausted. She was standing by her bed, pondering her fate, when her skin prickled with a sense of excitement and the room filled with the delicate scent of lilac.
“Good evening, Sister,” Anna muttered in a weary tone, without turning to face the woman.
She felt Catherine approaching her until she was standing directly behind her. Anna’s body trembled, silently yearning for Catherine to close the distance between them.
“In retrospect, perhaps I should have offered you rum?” Catherine said in a halfhearted tone.
“I don’t understand,” Anna muttered, pretending to study the pattern of the comforter that was covering her bed.
“Well, rum is a lot more fun.”
“What other secrets do you have tucked away in your room, dear Sister?” A small smile finally creased Anna’s lips.
“You wish to know my secrets?” Catherine’s voice cracked as she whispered her question, and Anna felt Catherine’s hands hovering just above her shoulders.
“I’m just discovering my own,” Anna confessed tearfully.
“If I had any sense of decency, I would leave Whispering Pines,” Catherine said in a hushed tone, her breath caressing the nape of Anna’s neck. “Leave you and this place, and run from the pain I’ve inflicted upon you.”
“I’d die without you,” Anna exclaimed, finally spinning around to face her fears and desires.
“Don’t,” Catherine said. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“No, I don’t know what I’m saying.” The constant pounding of her heart reminded Anna that she knew nothing at all. “I have no understanding of anything, anymore.”
“Leave it at that,” Catherine said tenderly, her eyes filling with tears. “It would be for the best.”
“No!” Anna protested. “I would perish without you! I shan’t let you leave me. I’m sorry for this. I don’t know what I was doing, and I promise it shan’t happen again.”
“Dear Sister, you fail to understand,” Catherine said in a sorrowful tone as her eyes drifted shut and she shook her head. “I wanted it to happen. I want it to happen again. Yet you’re a good woman who is married to my brother. I shall not make your burden heavier than it already is. I’ll go.”
“No.” Anna pleaded with Catherine to understand what she couldn’t put into words. Anna clenched her hands tightly, unable to release the tension, even after her hands became numb.
They stood there, the only sounds in the room those of the rain beating against the windowpanes and their labored breathing. Anna used the stilted silence to drink in every curve of Catherine’s inviting body. She released a timid squeak when Catherine’s eyes drifted open.
“It’s quite chilly this evening,” Catherine muttered absently, as if nothing had transpired between them. “Shall I light a fire?”
Anna felt helpless as she watched Catherine move away to tend to the kindling and spark a fire in the fireplace. She trembled, missing the warmth of Catherine standing close to her.
Catherine looked over her shoulder and cast a small smile at the confused Anna, who was still standing in the same spot, her eyes never wavering from Catherine’s body. Catherine stood slowly, and brushed the soot from her hands just as the fire began to burn brightly. Anna felt warmth spreading through her, and she knew in her heart it was not from the flames of the fire.
Anna’s breathing hitched when their gazes met. Catherine slowly moved across the room until she was standing before Anna. Catherine’s nearness clouded her mind with lurid thoughts. She took a small step back until her legs brushed against the large canopy bed. The room was filled with nervous tension as Catherine took a small step closer.
Anna could hear her heart beating wildly, the sound filling her head as her palms began to sweat. She reached up and cupped Catherine’s face. Catherine captured Anna’s hand with her own shaking one.
“Sister?” Catherine whispered.
“Don’t call me that,” Anna choked out, her heart beating rapidly as each word passed her lips. “What I feel for you is anything but sisterly,” she confessed in a breathy tone. She pulled Catherine’s face closer to her own.
Catherine’s breath burned as it caressed Anna’s face. Anna’s stomach clenched, and her eyes drifted shut. She guided Catherine closer to her until their lips met in a soft, inviting kiss. Anna’s heart swelled as she allowed her lips to linger against Catherine’s. Anna had never really been kissed until that moment, and she was certain that she was about to melt into Catherine’s embrace.
She clutched Catherine tighter. Their lips moved softly against each other. Anna gave in to the feel of Catherine’s mouth exploring her own. She parted her lips when Catherine’s tongue traced her bottom lip. Anna’s lower body was humming, her nipples inexplicably hardening. She released a deep moan when Catherine lowered her onto the bed.
Anna gave herself over to Catherine’s touch. The kiss deepened, and Anna returned it with fervor. Catherine’s hands roamed Anna’s body and began to remove Anna’s burdensome clothing. Anna tingled from the sensation of Catherine caressing her. Her body pulsated with desire as Catherine lovingly began to kiss her neck.
Anna was surprised when her body arched in response to Catherine’s mouth upon her neck. She filled her small hands with the material of Catherine’s dress.
“Please,” she gasped, “I need more.” She cried out as Catherine’s tongue worshipped the swell of her exposed breasts. Anna couldn’t quell the violent tremor that overtook her body.
“Do you want me to stop?” Catherine whispered tenderly against her skin.
“No,” Anna moaned as she undid the ribbon that was holding Catherine’s beautiful hair in place. She needed to feel the silken tresses on her skin. Anna ran her fingers through Catherine’s long, blonde hair. She could feel the fire inside her growing as Catherine’s hair tickled her naked skin. Never before had she exposed her body in such a manner, and yet she felt complete freedom as she lay before Catherine. Her only regret was not being able to see the treasures that surely lay beneath her clothing.
“I need to see you,” Anna said.
Catherine lifted her body and stood before her. She slowly removed her clothing as Anna watched her every movement with a lustful gaze. Anna swallowed hard as the last of Catherine’s clothing fell to the floor. Her eyes drank in every inch of Catherine’s body.
Catherine lowered herself into Anna’s arms. Anna moaned deeply as her body melted into Catherine’s. She ran her hands over Catherine’s long body as Catherine began to kiss her way down Anna’s neck. With each kiss, Anna burned with a needy desire. She cried out as Catherine’s tongue circled her nipple.
Anna’s body arched when Catherine captured her nipple in her mouth. As Catherine teased her breast, Anna’s leg slipped between Catherine’s legs. Anna’s heart was beating rapidly as she felt her lover’s desire on her skin. Her hands drifted down Catherine’s body until she was clasping her hips, gently guiding their bodies to grind against welcoming thighs.
Anna was amazed at how her body simply took control and how truly wonderful it felt to touch and be touched by Catherine. Her need raged through her as Catherine worshipped her breasts with her mouth and rocked gently against her body.
Catherine kissed her way down Anna’s body, her warm breath caressing the inside of her thighs. Anna trembled. She had no concept of what Catherine’s intentions were, but she was willing to give anything to her. She whimpered when Catherine parted her.
Anna cried out when Catherine’s tongue dipped inside of her passion. Her body arched. She pressed herself against Catherine’s mouth. She was mesmerized as she looked down her naked body and watched Catherine feasting upon her. Anna’
s world spun out of control as Catherine’s fingers teased her nub and her tongue slipped in and out of her.
Catherine’s hands held her steady as Anna thrust urgently against her. She cried out and clutched at the bedding. Her heart exploded with love. She fell into an abyss and collapsed against her lover.
Anna was unable to focus; she felt complete for the first time in her life. Her thirst had been quenched, and yet the fire was still blazing inside of her. Anna pulled her lover up in her arms and wrapped her body around her. Anna had no idea of what she should be doing; she simply allowed her body and heart to guide her as she pulled Catherine in for a lingering kiss. Her body ignited as she tasted herself on Catherine’s warm lips. Their hands caressed and pleasured one another until they collapsed in a loving embrace.
Anna felt at peace as she rested her head on Catherine’s chest. She ran her hands along Catherine’s body, listening to Catherine’s heart beating in a steady rhythm.
“I thought the first time I held my son in my arms I finally found a reason to be happy,” Anna murmured against Catherine’s skin as her lover caressed her back. “Yet tonight you have shown me another form of bliss.”
Anna felt a wave of panic when Catherine remained silent. She jerked her head up and found herself locked in Catherine’s smoky gaze. “I love you, Anna,” Catherine choked out in a fearful tone.
“And I love you, Catherine,” Anna responded, needing to calm Catherine’s fears. Catherine’s smile made Anna’s heart leap. Anna snuggled up against Catherine, and they held one another as they drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 18
Adams County, Pennsylvania
2005
“I can’t believe this!” Shawn shouted as Faith stared back at her. “You said you had an errand to run. How did a simple errand turn into ‘I’m leaving the country for an indefinite period of time’?”
“It’s just a job, Shawn,” Faith said. “I need to be doing something besides following you around.”
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