Doublecrossed (34 page)

Callie pulled away and gazed into Regan’s eyes for a minute. “What do we do now?”

“I guess it’s time to fish or cut bait.” She grinned brightly. “I’m ready to fish.”

“Are you sure you can trust me?” Callie sounded so hopeful it made Regan’s heart ache.

“Yeah.” She faced her and smiled. “I can.”

“Are you positive?” Callie pulled back, her eyes scanning Regan’s face quickly.

“Completely. You know me. I never take a big step unless I’m sure.”

“That’s true. If you’re sure of that, then I know I can trust you.”

“You can. I promise I’ll never question your relationship with her again. Actually, let’s never mention her name again. She’s in the past. The distant past.”

But Callie’s head shook. “No. I don’t want to have anything off limits. If something comes up, I want you to be able to talk to me about it.” She reached over and grasped the tip of Regan’s nose between her fingers. “It’s gonna take some time to get used to the way you process things. You’re a handful.”

“We could just promise never to have problems.” She knew her grin was so wide it probably made her look crazy, but she couldn’t help it. It was hard to be serious for long with Callie. She made every problem seem like it was very temporary.

“How about this? Maybe you could try to talk about things as they come up. Then you don’t have to walk around in a fog.”

Regan took the hand away and kissed the back of it. “I’ll try.” Gazing at the lovely hand, she tentatively kissed it a few more times, heartened by the way Callie kept it right by her mouth. “Will you try to do something for me?”

“Of course.”

She looked up and let their eyes meet. “Will you try to fall in love with me again?”

Callie’s eyes closed as a beautiful smile bloomed on her face. “I’ve never stopped loving you. Not for a minute.” The expression that Regan had seen many times but had never been able to define appeared. “Do you really think it would take me this long to find a lover if I was serious about it?”

“No.” She moved another inch closer. “You could do it in five minutes. Maybe even four.”

“I think five is right. No need to brag.” She smiled and warmth filled Regan’s entire body. The rush made every cell sing with pleasure.

“So, if I love you and you love me…”

“We should do something to commemorate this discovery. Any ideas?”

“Come here,” Regan said softly. She raised her arm and Callie scooted the last inch to rest against her.

“Best place on earth.” Callie sighed, shifting her shoulders and increasing the contact. “I haven’t been here often, but each time makes me feel like all’s right with the world.”

“I feel best when I’m with you, and even better when we’re touching. You ground me.”

Callie turned her head and looked into Regan’s eyes. “I can see my future.”

“With me.”

“Yes. Definitely with you.”

Regan gently stroked her cheek. “Don’t be nervous.”

“Why do you think I’m nervous?”

“You’re shivering.” She ran a hand down her arm with goose bumps following.

Callie looked down at her arm. “I guess I am. I feel like we’re about to take a very big step.”

“Yeah. Very big.” Regan put her hand on the back of Callie’s head and brought it to her chest. She stroked her hair for a few seconds. “I feel like I’m right on the cusp of taking one of the biggest steps of my life, and I want to make sure I do everything right.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Oh, I think I do.” Regan moved back enough to let Callie see her grin. “I’ve got a lot more on the line than you do. I’ll never get another chance for a woman as good as you.”

“That’s true. But that’s the great thing about being in love. You’re not alone. We’re making this choice together and we’ll always have each other for support.”

“Isn’t that fantastic?” The mere thought made Regan’s head spin.

“Completely. There’s nothing better than being loved.”

“I love you,” Regan declared, sure and confident. “I love you, Callie, and I’m going to love you for as long as I live.”

“Then kiss me. A whole lot.”

Regan caressed the back of Callie’s neck until she saw her beautiful eyes blink slowly. Leaning in, she pressed their lips together tenderly. It had been nine months since it had happened, but she’d thought of their first kiss thousands of times. As soon as their lips touched that first frantic kiss was gone from her memory. Her body flooded with sensation. The soft firmness of Callie’s lips, the sweet scent of her hair, a hint of peppermint from her mouth, even the down in the pillow she lay on suffused her senses. She stilled and let her body speak to her. Consciously opening herself to whatever came, she let Callie into her soul.

“This is wonderful,” Callie murmured when they broke apart for a moment.

“So, so nice. Just like my dreams.”

“Just like mine.” She nuzzled her face into Regan’s shoulder. “When I was taking my nap I had a dream about you.” She batted her eyes. “It made me happy.”

Regan gently stroked her cheek, amazed by its softness. “Tell me about it.”

“I don’t remember the whole thing. But we were in bed together and I knew we were going to make love.” Tears sprang to her eyes and she blinked them away. “I dream about you all of the time, and I usually wake up sad when I realize it was just a dream.” A brilliant smile slowly formed on her lips. “I never have to have that feeling again.” She pulled Regan close and hugged her tightly. “I’ll always have you.”

Breaking apart for a moment, Callie looked into Regan’s eyes, her gaze a little unfocused. “Are we going to make love?”

“Definitely.”

Callie’s head spun when Regan grasped her firmly and placed a dozen hot kisses on her lips. “Wow!” Callie lay on her back, with Regan sprawled atop her. “You’re really good at that.” She grasped Regan’s chin between her fingers. “Have you been practicing on the girls in Scituate?”

“Nope.” She shook her head, her dark hair slipping over a shoulder. “Pent up demand.” She took a few nibbles along Callie’s neck, stopping only when her squirming blocked access. “You know,” she said deliberately, “I was full of it when I said sex wasn’t very important to me. It is.”

“Good news for me. How’d you figure that out?”

“It wasn’t hard.” She looked a little embarrassed when she held her hand out and shook it. “I think I’ve got a repetitive motion injury from thinking about you.”

Callie took her hand and inspected it carefully. “You can give it a nice long rest.” Kissing it gently she placed it over her heart. “So, you’ve been fantasizing about us?”

“Not us. You. I think about any part of you and I’m gone.” Her downcast eyes and slight flush made her more adorable than ever. She was so eminently teasable.

“When did this start? After you talked to Delaney?”

“God, no. It was probably a month or so after we got back from the Bahamas.” A guilty-looking grin stole across her face.

Callie playfully slapped at her. “That long?”

“Yeah. I felt guilty about it for a long time, since I was still really heartbroken, but I got over it.” She shook her hand again. “Obviously.”

“Why’d you feel guilty?”

“It seemed wrong somehow to start thinking about another woman when I wasn’t over Angela.”

“Oh, Regan.” Callie lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. “You’re so precious.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Yeah. Of course it is. I just think it’s precious that you’re so monogamous that you think it’s wrong to fantasize about other women after you’ve broken up. That’s intense!”

“I’m really, really monogamous, but I know that’s not the norm.”

“I will never, ever complain about you being too monogamous. That’s one of your most endearing qualities.”

“Monogamy is the only way for me. But I let that get out of hand with Angela. Once we were together I honestly thought I had to just live with our shitty sex life. That was dumb. Really dumb. Thinking that way got my heart broken.”

“What would you do differently?”

“I should have paid attention to the way we related sexually. It wasn’t great even before we moved in together.” She slapped herself in the forehead with the flat of her hand. “So dumb. I kept telling myself that she had ninety percent of what I wanted in a partner.”

“That last ten percent is pretty important.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. That last ten percent made Angela cheat.”

“No, I don’t think so. She cheated because she was afraid to be honest. She knew she wanted someone she could top in and out of bed, but she’s obviously attracted to assertive women. She never would have been interested in Marina if that wasn’t so.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. But she’s the last person I want to talk about today.” She smiled impishly. “No, as usual, Marina’s the last. But Angela’s second to last.”

“It’s a deal. No more of either of those knuckleheads.”

“I only brought it up because I want you to know I’ll never let something like that happen again.” She took Callie’s hand and stared deep into her eyes. “I’ll do anything I can to make sure you’re sexually satisfied. Sex is too important to be an afterthought.”

“It is. But the other things are too important to ignore. Trust and honesty are requirements, not options. I learned that from my eighteen months with she who will not be named.”

“Sounds like we both learned something important. It sucks to learn things, doesn’t it?” She laughed and rolled onto her back. “I’d much rather read things like that in a book.”

“Me too.” Callie put her hand on Regan’s shirt and tugged on it. “Books can’t replace some experiences though.” She pulled the shirt up a few inches and tickled along the edge of Regan’s panties. “Some things have to be experienced in the flesh.”

Regan turned her head and looked into Callie’s eyes for a few seconds. Then she shifted onto her side and took over. With the first possessive kiss, Callie knew she’d found a home. Regan kissed like she knew exactly what she wanted, and that she knew exactly how to get it. Her body hovered over Callie for a moment, then she settled her full weight onto her, making her feel wonderfully trapped. Their breasts compressed against each other, softness upon softness. Then Regan’s knee slid between her thighs and settled boldly against her. It was divine.

After a few long minutes of intensifying kisses, Callie looked deep into Regan’s eyes. The love she saw there filled her with emotion. She’d been waiting for this woman all of her life.

As they gazed at each other longingly, Regan rolled off and decisively said, “I’m going to undress you.”

Callie blinked at her while a thrill raced down her spine as she waited for instructions.

“Let me take off your shirt.” She grasped the hem, then smoothly pulled it off. Callie looked down at herself as Regan did. Suddenly, she felt a little shy, being so intimately revealed. But Regan looked positively joyous and that made the little bout of shyness disappear. “I’ll never get tired of looking at you,” Regan whispered. She gently kissed one hard nipple. “You’re more beautiful than I’d dreamt.” She placed her hands on the swell of Callie’s hips, letting her hands rest there for a moment. Her thumbs chafed the waistband of her pajamas, then she slid them down, smiling. The desire burning in Regan’s eyes made Callie’s heart beat hard in her chest. Regan needed her, wanted her, lusted for her, and nothing had ever made her happier.

Regan hugged her, squeezing almost to the point of pain. “I love you with all my heart.” She slid her hands around Callie’s back and let them roam all over her skin. “You’re so warm and soft.” She sniffed delicately along her neck. “And you smell fantastic. So clean and fresh. It used to drive me crazy when we stayed at each other’s houses. I wanted to put my face on every sweet smelling spot. You’re such a beautiful woman,” she whispered. Her hands started at Callie’s shoulders and slipped down her body, making a small turn at her hips before coming to rest on her ass. “I can’t believe how lucky I am. You’re almost too beautiful to touch.” Those beautiful blue eyes twinkled when she grinned rakishly. “Almost.”

Callie grabbed and held her tightly, nuzzling her face into Regan’s shoulder. Once again, Regan’s decisiveness made her feel a little shy. It was like there was a finite amount of confidence they shared and the more Regan showed, the less she felt.

“Let me see you,” Regan whispered. “Come on. Let me see how beautiful you are.”

That was it. Regan sensed the key to her sexual desire. Having a woman she lusted for tell her exactly what to do. Callie slowly pulled the covers away, revealing her nakedness. Her arm started to rise to cover her breasts, but Regan grasped her hand and held it. Then she dipped her head and kissed a warm path up her breastbone, ending at her lips.

Regan’s body shifted onto Callie’s again, possessing her delightfully. Callie took in a deep breath at the glorious feeling of having Regan’s luscious body atop her. It was heady in a way that almost made her weak. Her desire was at such a fever pitch she couldn’t stop her hands from roaming, touching Regan’s back and her muscular ass. “You’re amazing,” she murmured.