Accidental Love (55 page)

"Hey there." She bent down and picked up the happy cat. "How have you been? You been taking good care of Mommy?"

"She missed you, you know," Rose said, moving a couple of steps closer. "She kept crying for you and looking at the door." She looked down at the floor. "I kept crying too," she added quietly. Ronnie set Tabitha down and closed the remaining distance between them just as Rose's lip started to quiver. "It just felt like some kind of horrible nightmare that I couldn't wake up from." Ronnie's arms went around her just as the young woman collapsed into tears.

"Okay, Honey. I've got you." She held Rose tight, fearing if she let go she would disappear. "Do you want to go sit on the couch and talk?"

"Sure," the young woman sniffled. "If you want to."

"Whatever you want to do, Rose. If you'd rather sit at the table…"

"No, the couch would be nice." The motel room did not have a couch…well, not one that she had felt safe sitting on. Hands resting on each other's backs, the couple walked into the living room. Rose took her usual cushion at the end while Ronnie hesitated, then sat down at the opposite end instead of the middle. To her surprise, the young woman scooted over to occupy the empty cushion. Ronnie took it as a good sign and rested her hand on Rose's knee.

"I love you, Rose."

"I know." She took a deep breath and looked into the blue eyes that haunted her dreams. "And I love you too. I wouldn't have come back if I didn't."

"I'm sorry about lying to you. I wish there was some way I could make it up."

"Do something now?"

"Anything."

"Tell me what really happened."

"Rose, it's in the past. Why can't…" She was silenced by Rose's finger on her lips.

"Because I need to know what happened," she interrupted. "Please Ronnie. You owe me the truth."

The executive nodded and swallowed. "It happened so fast." She shook her head, the dark tresses waving with the movement. "It was just so quick." Looking into gentle green eyes, she continued. "I never saw you, Rose. I was driving, thinking that I had just wasted the evening with a jerk and all of the sudden there you were. I hit the brakes but with the snow on the ground…" Her eyes closed briefly at the memory of the total silence that preceded the horrifying thud.

"There was nothing else I could do." She looked away again, focusing on the grandfather clock.

"There was so much blood, Rose. I thought I killed you. When I realized I hadn't, I put you in my car and drove you to the hospital as fast as I could."

"Why did you stay around?" Ronnie felt a small but insistent hand on her chin, forcing her to meet Rose's gaze. "You did your job, you got me to the hospital. You could have left and no one would ever have known. Why didn't you leave?"

"I needed to make sure you were all right. When they didn't think you had insurance, they wanted to ship you off to Memorial. I wanted to make sure you got the best care and that was at Albany Med so I lied about the insurance."

"And you were stuck after that?"

"No. Maybe until I had you sign the papers," Ronnie admitted. "But not after that."

"Then why did you keep coming back?"

Ronnie gave the only answer she could, the honest one. "I wanted to see you. To get to know you better."

"You know what I remember about those first few days?" Rose looked toward the ceiling. "It's mostly fuzzy glimpses here and there, just snatches really. They must have been giving me some powerful drugs then."

"They were," Ronnie agreed.

"I remember looking up and seeing you." She smiled warmly and looked at her lover. "There you were, this wonderful woman telling me everything would be all right."

"You asked me if I was an angel," the dark-haired woman added, smiling to herself at the memory.

"You were to me, you know. You were my own personal guardian angel, looking out for me every step of the way. You were my knight in shining armor, my hero." She lifted Ronnie's arm and rested her head against the older woman's chest. "I didn't know why you took such an interest in me but I was grateful." Her voice grew sad. "Now I know."

"No." Ronnie rested her palm against Rose's cheek. "That first night I acted out of selfpreservation and fear but don't
ever
think that I pretended to care after that." Blue eyes searched green, begging them to understand. "I can't explain it but there was something about you, Rose Grayson. I couldn't stop thinking about you, and the only time I was happy was when I was with you. I think I fell in love with you from that first day you woke up in the hospital."

"What happened to the Porsche?"

"I had it fixed and then sold it. I couldn't bring myself to drive it again." She reached down and began stroking the golden hair cascading over Rose's shoulder.

"Ronnie?"

"Mm?"

"When you realized I was falling for you, why didn't you tell me then?"

Ronnie pulled the young woman closer, holding her secure in her arms. "By the time I realized you were falling for me, I had already fallen for you…hard." Taking a chance, she leaned down and placed a gentle kiss atop the golden head, pleased when she felt Rose lean into it. Turning her head so her cheek rested where her lips had just been, Ronnie continued. "I tried so hard to pretend it wasn't happening, but every day I fell in love more and more. I was scared that if I told you the truth you'd leave me. I couldn't lose you, Rose, I just couldn't." Her voice broke and she had to stop and take a deep breath. A gentle squeeze encouraged her. "When you left…when Maria called me…" Words failed the executive and she tightened her hold.

"I didn't know what to do, what to think," Rose said. "It hurt so much." Her fingers idly stroked her lover's long dark hair. "But as much as that hurt, it was worse not being with you."

"I love you, Rose." She cupped the young woman's chin and their eyes met. "I can't change what happened in the past but I can give you my word that I'll never lie to you again." Her thumb brushed against Rose's lower lip. "I know you can probably never forgive me for lying, but I love you and I know you love me."

"I do," the young woman said earnestly. "I've never loved anyone the way I do you."

"You don't know how much I wish that accident had never happened, that you never had to suffer through all that pain."

"But Ronnie…" She kissed the thumb resting against her lip. "If it never happened then we wouldn't have met. Sometimes things happen for a reason."

"Then can we move on from here?"

"I'd like that." She leaned her head against Ronnie's chest. "Honey?"

The black-haired woman smiled at the endearment and rewarded Rose with a quick kiss on the forehead. "Yeah?"

"Can we just stay like this forever?"

Ronnie smiled broadly and squeezed her lover against her. "Sure."

*****************

"You almost done in there, birthday girl?" Ronnie called from the other side of the door.

"Almost." She fastened the top and looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Honey, don't you think this bikini is a bit…revealing?"

"It's meant to be that way."

"You're a pervert, Veronica Cartwright, you know that?"

"Only with you, my dear." Tired of waiting, Ronnie opened the bathroom door and was treated to the sight of Rose standing there with only the barest of bikini tops on. "Very nice," she drawled.

"Nice for you maybe," the young woman countered, pulling the yellow bottoms on. Gold tufts of hair peeked out from the side. "Great." She pulled them off again and headed for the toiletries.

"Why don't you go on ahead, Honey. I have to take care of something first."

"Sure you don't want any help? I'd be happy to help you."

Picking up the razor, Rose smiled at her lover. "If you 'helped' me, we wouldn't get anywhere near the pool today." She turned away only to feel Ronnie's arms wrap around her.

"So? Would that be such a bad thing?"

"You are incorrigible." She turned to see dark eyebrows wiggling lecherously at her. "I'm certain this bikini is more of a present for you than for me."

"You know me so well."

"Uh uh uh." Rose reached down and intercepted the wandering hands. "None of that right now."

"But it's your birthday. Are you sure there isn't something else you'd like to do besides lounging around the pool?" Ronnie tried to resume the playful fondling but was stopped once again.

"At the moment, no," Rose said. "And you already did that this morning." She looked from her pubic hair to her shaver and back again. "I'm not sure if I need a razor or a weed whacker."

"Yeah? Try having black hair," Ronnie replied. "The slightest stubble shows." Her hand began running circles on Rose's abdomen, steadily heading south. "You sure you don't want help?" she queried while nuzzling the smaller woman's ear.

"Isn't this why we didn't get to go swimming yesterday?" She stepped out of Ronnie's embrace.

"You go take the iced tea out and I'll be down in a few minutes."

Once alone, Rose sat on the toilet and spread her legs to trim the wild patch of blonde curls. Her mind wandered over the events of the last year.
A year ago I was working at Money Slasher and
didn't have a dime to my name much less anything else. Now look at me…sitting in a mansion
getting ready to wear a bathing suit and hang out by the pool.
She shook her head in disbelief. Looking down at her bare legs, she found it almost hard to believe that only six months ago they were in casts.
I wasn't sure I'd be able to walk again.
As it was, it had been over a month since she left the cane behind and it was only when she pushed herself too hard that she felt any pain her legs or ankle. The thin scar on her cheek where the stitches once were had faded into a line so faint it was barely visible. Still Rose knew it was the one spot most kissed on her face, except for her lips, of course.
I wonder if she even realizes that she does that,
she mused. It was one of the little habits Ronnie had that she found so endearing.
My Ronnie…I love you so much.
Suddenly feeling lonely without her beloved, Rose quickly finished trimming her pubic hair and pulled on her bikini bottoms. A hasty run of the brush through her hair and she set off in search of Ronnie.

The late August sun beat on the white concrete, causing the barefoot executive to stick to the shady areas while bringing the pitcher of iced tea out to the table. The pool was a brilliant blue, crystal clear and ready for swimming. Setting the tray down, Ronnie walked to the diving board.

Rose arrived just in time to see her lover walk down the length of the diving board. The two piece black thong bikini Ronnie wore hid nothing, much to the young woman's enjoyment. Her own pale yellow outfit was a bit more reserved…but not by much. Instead of being a thong like Ronnie's, Rose's had a small strip that covered the crack of her rear and half of each cheek. The top, however, barely covered her nipples and she was certain that once again a smaller size was purchased to make her show more cleavage.
A present for me, hmm? I think it's more of a
present for her.

Lowering herself into the shallow end, Rose watched as Ronnie sprang off the board again and dived into the water with barely a splash. Soon Ronnie joined her and they splashed and played about for a while before retiring to the padded lounge chairs.

Ronnie used a napkin to wipe the sweat off the outside of the glass before handing the iced tea to her.

"Thanks, Hon," Rose said, draining half of the cool drink before setting the glass on the side table. "I can't believe how hot it is out here today."

"The humidity is up," Ronnie replied, wringing the excess water from her hair. "Five minutes and I guarantee you we'll be wanting to go back into the water." She wiped her brow. "I think I'm perspiring already." She took her glass and laid down on the lounge chair, grateful that the umbrella provided shade for them against the burning sun. She did not see Rose fish an ice cube out of the pitcher and gasped in surprise when it landed on her chest. "Whooo, that's cold!" she yelped.

"I thought you said you were hot?" the young woman grinned. The predatory look in her lover's eyes quickly apprised her that she had made a mistake. "Uh oh. Um…Ronnie Honey? You know I love you, right? You wouldn't think of seeking revenge, right?"

"Me?" The tall woman feigned innocence, her fingers digging cubes out of her glass. Rose found herself pinned to the lounge chair before she could move and several cubes were shoved between the yellow bikini top and her skin.

"Oooh, get them out of there. Oh that's cold." She pulled the top up, freeing the ice, which bounced harmlessly to the concrete ground.

"Well, that was worth the effort," Ronnie quirked, her mouth only inches away from the bared nipples made erect by the cubes. "Would you like me to help warm you up, birthday girl?"

"But we're outside." Rose looked around even though she knew no one was nearby.

"Well then I'd better make sure you're covered," Ronnie said.

Rose gasped as a hand covered her left breast and soft lips claimed the other. "Oh Ronnie…Um, wh-what do you think you're doing?"

"Mmm, loving you," came the muffled reply. Rose found herself pressed back against the cushion of the lounge chair and the feelings began to build up within her.

Why am I fighting this?
the young woman thought to herself. Reaching between their bodies, her fingers found what they were looking for. Soon Ronnie was breathing just as hard as she was and Rose was certain they were going to make love right there on the lounge chair when the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway caught her ear.

"Damn," Ronnie muttered as she moved off. "Someone's here." She grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around her waist while Rose fumbled with her top.

Susan's sons Timmy and John came running around the side of the house. "Aunt Ronnie, Aunt Rose!" the younger boy shouted. "Mommy said we could come over here and go swimming today, isn't that great?" Ricky had his arms full with the PlayStation and obviously was planning on taking over the television for a few hours if the number of games he'd brought with him were any indication. John jumped onto Rose's lap and wrapped his arms around her neck. "Aunt Rose, would you go swimming with me?"