Fidelity - SF6 (42 page)

Jamie blushed a little as she replied, "I guess from Ryan." She gazed up at her lover with deep affection as she added, "I don’t know how I’d be with a difficult baby. Caitlin’s such a dream that it’s easy to make her happy."

"Did you help raise younger siblings?" Catherine asked Ryan, remembering that there were a number of children in her family.

"No, I’m the baby in the whole clan in America."

"Ahh…I recall that you mentioned that," Catherine said.

By this time, Caitlin had eaten all of the solid food she was interested in, but she definitely wanted her bottle. Jamie put her on her lap and scooted over next to Ryan. When Ryan slid her arm around Jamie’s shoulders, Caitlin sprawled across both of them as she leaned back against Jamie’s breasts to drink her milk. Jamie leaned her head against Ryan’s chest and sighed contentedly. "I’m going to have to work hard to get some weight back on you, Sweetheart," she said as she tried to find a cushy spot. "You’re just skin and bones. I can’t believe you lost so much in one week!"

"I probably lost four or five pounds," she admitted sheepishly, guessing it was more like ten. "It was hard to adjust to the meal schedule. It seemed like we were practicing when I was hungry."

The baby started to kick her leg reflexively against Ryan’s thigh so she quickly moved her free hand down to cushion the blows. Catherine gazed at the scene with rapt fascination. Jamie looked so blissfully happy in the intimate setting that it was almost embarrassing to watch, but neither woman seemed self-conscious about her presence so she stayed right where she was.

About halfway through, the baby stopped for a break. She looked interested in moving around, so Catherine stood up and extended her hands as she requested, "Let me walk her around the house for a few minutes to burn off some energy."

Jamie handed her over and snuggled closer to Ryan. "Are you sure you don’t mind?"

"Of course not, Dear. I really enjoy holding the little angel. It’s been years since I’ve been around a baby." After she had her settled on the floor, they started to walk around the huge kitchen. Catherine delicately asked, "Will you two have any time alone this week?"

"Martin’s watching her tomorrow isn’t he, Honey?" Jamie asked.

"Ahh, no," Ryan said grimacing a little. "I got mixed up on his schedule. He’s off on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday this week, which doesn’t do us a bit of good. I’m afraid we’re on our own."

Jamie looked more than a little disappointed but she rallied quickly. "That’s okay, Honey. We’ll have a little time alone when she naps. Where will she sleep, anyway?"

"Uhh…with us?" Ryan answered, knowing that was not the answer Jamie expected.

"Oh," she blinked slowly, seeing her plans for romance evaporate before her eyes. "I guess I assumed she might stay in Rory’s room."

"No, we’d never hear her if she cried. It’s not fair to get Conor involved in this, so I think we need to keep her close."

"Oh…well, I guess that’s only fair," she said, wishing they had planned this out better.

Catherine shot a worried glance at the young women, seeing the disappointment in her daughter’s eyes. The baby quickly led her from the room, making a mad dash for the dining room with Catherine right on her heels.

"I’m sorry, Baby," Ryan murmured, her breath warm against the top of Jamie’s head. "I could ask Aunt Maeve to watch her if you want to just ditch the idea."

"No, no, that’s not what I want," Jamie admitted. "I’m looking forward to this, too. I just need a little time alone with you, Love. It’s been too long," she added needlessly, looking up into Ryan’s understanding eyes.

"It certainly has," the dark-haired woman replied, dipping her head as her eyes closed, taking in the sweet warmth of Jamie’s lips.

Caitlin was busy examining the intricately carved legs of the dining table, and only by scrambling under the table after her was Catherine able to stop her from examining the table leg with her small, but surprisingly sharp teeth. She lifted her into her arms and impulsively tossed her into the air, making her squeal with delight.
Well, that was unique
, she thought to herself.
I’m quite sure I never did that to Jamie…but Caitlin certainly seemed to enjoy it
. She was careful not to jar the baby too much, remembering that it was dangerous to be too rough with an infant. Just for fun, she did it again, nearly squealing with delight right along with Caitlin. Wanting to share her happiness with her cousin, Caitlin made a beeline for the kitchen as soon as Catherine put her back onto the floor. Catherine was right behind her, laughing helplessly, but she stopped short when she caught sight of the torrid make-out session going on.

Ryan had turned in her seat and had Jamie pressed back against the banquet. She wasn’t exactly straddling her, but she was close. Jamie’s hands were laced into her hair, holding her tight as they kissed and rubbed against each other passionately, small moans escaping from both women, who were oblivious to Catherine’s presence.

More empathetic than embarrassed, Catherine cleared her throat and smiled when Ryan sat up abruptly, banging into the table when she did so. The embarrassed young woman tried to straighten her hair, while Jamie just looked flustered.

"Jamie, where are your manners?" her mother chided. "This is Ryan’s second visit, and she still hasn’t had a proper tour of the house."

The younger woman blinked slowly, thinking that her mother was either very slow-witted or was trying to ignore their clearly inappropriate behavior.

"Go on, Dear," she continued. "Take her on a little tour while I walk the baby around the grounds. I don’t think Ryan has ever seen your room, has she?" she added innocently, meeting Ryan’s understanding gaze.

"It’s okay, Catherine," Ryan assured her, exceedingly grateful for her mother-in-law’s thoughtfulness. "We’ll survive."

"Is there anyone at home today, Ryan?" the older woman persisted.

"I doubt it. My father’s at work, and my brother’s helping our cousin lay a brick driveway."

"Niall?" Jamie asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Who else?" Ryan shrugged.

"Well, I’m here, and I’d love to spend some alone time with this little charmer. I’m quite sure I can keep her entertained for the rest of the evening."

Jamie’s eyes shot open, utterly stunned by the offer. "But, Mom," she began, but her mother confidently cut her off.

"It’s been a while, Jamie, but I do have
some
experience with infants. Elizabeth
did
get a day off, you know." From the look on her face, it was clear that this was important to Catherine, so Jamie gave her partner a quick glance, pleased when Ryan nodded agreeably.

Giving Catherine a bemused smirk, Ryan stood and extended her hand to Jamie. She pulled her to her feet, then walked over to Catherine. She bent down a little and impulsively gave her a kiss on the cheek as she said, "Thanks for being so understanding, Catherine. It really has been a long week."

Catherine patted her cheek and said, "Now get going, and don’t rush back. Caitlin and I can entertain ourselves quite well."

Ryan stopped at the kitchen phone to call her house and let Conor know she wouldn’t be home for a while. No sooner had she hung up than a pretty blonde was tugging at her arm.

"Let’s go, Baby," she begged.

Ryan smiled down at her and joked, "I really do want to see the rest of the house, where do you want to start the tour?"

"I’ll give you a tour," she growled as she grabbed Ryan’s hand and began to drag her through the house. "Dining room!" she said as though calling out a stop on BART. "Living room!" she barked, not allowing Ryan time to even turn her head. "Foyer! Staircase! Landing! Hallway!" She turned sharply and marched into her room, pulling Ryan around the corner with a firm yank. "Last stop," she said as Ryan looked around.

"Nice room," the dark-haired woman got out before she felt herself being slammed against the door with all 120 pounds of her ravenous lover pressed against her. Jamie began to frantically unbutton Ryan’s blouse while kissing her deeply. This was no small task, requiring both coordination and dexterity, but she performed admirably, tossing the shirt aside as her hands roamed all over the now bare torso. Ryan just submitted to her lover’s obvious need, waiting patiently for further instructions as Jamie continued to ravage her mouth.

Her bra was quickly added to the pile of discarded clothing. Jamie sucked in a deep breath as her hands glided over the soft mounds that had been kept from her for an entire week, her eyes closing as she hefted the warm flesh in her hands. As much as she wanted to continue kissing her lover, the tempting breasts called to her, and she was compelled to answer. She regretfully left Ryan’s warm mouth and focused on the delectable bare breasts, touching and rubbing them with a wild intensity. Her head dropped to suck each aching mound into her warm mouth, lavishing love on each one in turn.

Ryan’s knees were quickly losing their ability to hold her upright, but Jamie had her pinned to the door so firmly that it hardly mattered. She fumbled for Ryan’s belt and roughly unclasped it, unzipping her pants and pushing them down hastily. Ryan sank a little lower down the door but she managed to stay upright mostly due to the weight of Jamie’s torso, which was pressing against her so fiercely that she imagined the wood grain of the door must be imprinted on her back.

My God, she’s as bad as I was when I was seventeen
, Ryan laughed to herself, recalling the days when her awakening sexuality made her nearly frantic to touch her bed-partner. Though she sympathized with Jamie’s need, she didn’t agree with the plan of attack, and she felt compelled to voice her dissent.

"Can we slow down a little, Love?" she suggested, breaking Jamie’s concentration.

The smaller woman blinked up at her, not quite understanding her point. "Slow down?" she gaped. "I…I don’t think so."

"Sure we can," Ryan assured her, wrapping her arms around her in a comforting embrace. "Come on, Love, let’s just draw this out a little. Your mother doesn’t mind, and we don’t have anyplace to rush off to. Let’s make the most of our time here."

"I was making the most of it," Jamie argued, slipping a hand into Ryan’s briefs, causing her partner to gasp in a breath when determined fingers touched a warm, wet spot.

"Uh-uh-uh," Ryan chided, removing the hand. "I seem to remember a certain someone telling me that I didn’t have enough patience. Now it’s your turn, Sweetheart." Ryan stepped out of her slacks, leaving them pooled on the floor. "I’m standing here in my shorts, while you’re fully dressed. Let’s equalize that, shall we?"

"Oh, all right," Jamie agreed, playfully rolling her eyes as though she was doing Ryan a huge favor.

"This really might be the last time we can make love until Wednesday," Ryan murmured, as she moved slowly around Jamie’s body, placing delicate kisses on every bit of skin she could reach. "Let’s do it right."

"If we must," the smaller woman moaned, already feeling her control taxed to the limit.

"We must," Ryan breathed. "Trust me."

"I’m putty in your hands, Love. Do with me as you will."

Ryan slid her hands low on Jamie’s back, pulling her against her body. The smaller woman nestled against her, smiling up at her earnest face. "I want to show you just how much I missed you…how I thought of you every minute…how I missed your smell and your touch. I…I have so much to show you." Ryan’s voice cracked a little, the emotion in her heart spilling over. "God, I’ve missed you."

Tears sprang to Jamie’s eyes as she allowed herself to savor the experience of being held by her partner’s gentle hands. She blinked back the tears, thankful that her partner had the presence of mind to curtail her passionate gropings and allow them to satisfy the need that burned brighter than their sexual desire–the elemental need to love and be loved. Burrowing her face into Ryan’s bare chest she whispered, "I missed you more than I thought possible. If I had known how hard it would be…" she trailed off, leaving the wish unstated.

Ryan nodded, knowing that there would be times in the future that they would have to be apart, but hoping those times were very rare and very distant. Right now she wanted nothing more than to merge with her beloved–to share the same blood and sinew and flesh--to be so intimately connected that no force on heaven or earth could separate them.

Her hands drifted to Jamie’s blouse, and she began to unfasten the buttons, needing to feel her partner’s skin against her own. As she pushed the fabric from her lover’s shoulders, her head dropped to sample the tempting expanse of bare skin. She allowed her tongue to dart from her mouth to languidly swipe at the smooth, fresh smelling skin, inhaling the intoxicating scent. "You smell so absolutely delicious," she murmured, interspersing soft kisses with her tastes.

"Mother bought some new perfume for me," Jamie replied, not sure if her lover actually needed feedback to her observations. "Does it suit me?"

"Mmm-hmm," Ryan breathed, inhaling the sweet/spicy scent deep into her lungs. "It reminds me of one time on the AIDS Ride when we camped by a citrus grove. I could smell the orange and lemon blossoms all night long–it was so fantastic that I almost couldn’t sleep."

"That’s good to know," Jamie purred. "The last thing I want is for you to fall asleep."