Turn Darkly (6 page)

“It’s the guest house. Trent lives in the main house.” Lily walked across the courtyard, through a large white stucco arch into the house. “Do you want something to drink?”

Regan followed the other woman, amazed at how beautiful the home was. Traditional Southwest décor ran throughout the two bedroom house, the floor was terracotta tile, and the ceilings were lined with exposed cedar beams.

Lily opened a large stainless steel refrigerator that sat along the far wall of the kitchen. The room opened into the larger living area, and its counters were rose granite accented with light ash cabinets.

“I have water, beer, wine -” She looked back at a stunned Regan. “What is it?”

Regan didn’t want to offend Lily, but this house was the last thing she expected, given the woman’s unassuming appearance. “I wasn’t -”

Lily closed the refrigerator. “My parents owned most of the land around Howell, and most of Howell for that matter. When they died, Trent sold a good chunk of the land, but we kept the houses.” The dark haired woman frowned. “Is this a problem?”

Regan shook her head. “Not at all. It’s not what I imagined, so my brain is catching up.” Seeing the perplexed look on Lily’s face, Regan continued. “I love the house.”

Lily smiled. “Thank you. Drink?”

“Water, please.” Regan turned and walked into the living room. Sitting on the light brown leather sofa, she hoped the easiness Lily and she had shared throughout the day wasn’t gone.

Lily handed Regan a bottle of water, and sat on the sofa next to her. “You grew up in Austin?”

Nodding, Regan took a quick sip of her water. “I did. My parents had a house near Lake Travis.”

“Had?” Lily’s brow arched. “Have they moved?”

Regan hesitated, but thought now was as good a time as any to broach the subject of her parents’ death. “Both my parents were killed in a car accident about four years ago.”

Lily reached across the sofa and took Regan’s hand. Surprised by the sudden display of affection, Regan’s eyes filled with tears.

“What happened?” The concerned woman slid closer to Regan.

The moment suddenly felt very intimate, and left Regan feeling vulnerable. She shifted nervously. “They were driving back to Austin, and a truck hit them. They died instantly.” An errant tear streamed down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away.

Without a word, Lily closed the space between them, and pulled Regan into a tight embrace. Placing her hand on the back of the woman’s neck, she wrapped her arm around Regan’s shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Regan.”

Regan had been comforted countless times over her parents, but she couldn’t recall ever feeling so viscerally affected as she was by the nearness of Lily and the soothing sound of her voice near Regan’s ear.

Before she could think better of it, Regan turned her head, the warmth of her lips meeting the heat of Lily’s skin. A quiet moan escaped the woman as Regan gently kissed along the length of her neck.

Standing, Lily pulled Regan to her feet, and taking her hand, led her through the house and into the master bedroom. Like the rest of the house, the ceiling of the room was lined with exposed cedar beams. A queen size wooden frame bed sat against the far wall, with a rose color quilt draped over it.

Lily shut the door. With the late afternoon light filtering through the large curtained casement windows that lined the eastern side of the house, the room was cloaked in hues of orange and yellow.

Regan turned, and was immediately pulled into Lily’s embrace. Pinning Regan against the wall, Lily’s mouth hungrily devoured the woman’s neck and shoulders. Catching her breath, Regan pushed Lily back by the shoulders, then stood panting, only a few feet separating them.

Regan took deep breaths, the scent of sage and citrus assaulting her senses. She felt a tightening in her abdomen as a flush of heat and desire surged through her. Lily quickly pulled her shorts and shirt off. Regan followed suit, and the two women embraced again.

Regan gasped as the full length of Lily’s body came into contact with hers. Their mouths met in a series of desperate and hungry kisses as they nipped and bit at one another. Regan was surprised at how desperately her body wanted
and
needed the nearness of the woman pressed to her.

Lily lowered Regan to the floor and straddled her. Grabbing Regan’s hand, she pushed it against her groin. Regan moaned and thrust two fingers into Lily, who leaned over Regan licking her breasts. The woman’s warm, wet mouth slowly and deliberately sucked and pulled at the taut flesh.

Lily tightened around Regan’s fingers, and Regan breathed deep, her own desire growing as she spurred the woman on top of her towards the edge. Lily rocked her hips in unison with Regan’s thrusts, her movements growing more forceful as her climax neared.

Lily hissed as the orgasm vibrated through her. She pushed down harder against Regan’s hand, prolonging the spasms. Lily collapsed forward, with her hands on either side of Regan’s head, and her breath coming in short bursts as a thin layer of sweat glistened along her body.

Sitting up, Lily crouched over Regan’s knees as she ran her hands eagerly down the woman’s body. Regan shifted, and spread her legs so Lily could kneel between them. Lowering her head, Lily ran her tongue in small circles around Regan’s clit before entering her with one and then two fingers.

Lily thrust her fingers in unison with her tongue. Regan cried out, Lily’s climax moments ago hastening her own. Spreading her legs to afford Lily more access, Regan lifted her hips up as she grabbed the back of Lily’s head, pushing her further into her as a second orgasm tore through her.

Short electrical pulses shot through Regan. Her fingers tangled in Lily’s short locks, as she gently pulled the woman up. Finding her mouth, Regan kissed her deeply as they shifted, and Lily stretched out alongside Regan.

Both women were breathing heavily as they lay on the floor. After several minutes, Lily, resting her head on her hand, looked down at Regan, and running her tongue over her lower lip, looked up at the bed. “Should we give the bed a go?”

Regan grinned, her mind still in a post-coital haze. “Absolutely.”

Regan bounded up the steps to her apartment. Her afternoon with Lily had left her feeling alive, excited, and hopeful.

“Regan.” Trent’s deep baritone voice startled the woman as she flipped the lights on in the small room.

“Trent? What the hell?!” Regan instinctively took a step back. Trent was on the edge of her bed with his legs crossed.

“Sorry about the intrusion -”

“It’s called breaking and entering.” Regan managed to sound more confident than she felt. Coming home to find a man in her room, specifically one she didn’t like, was not how she had imagined her otherwise perfect day ending.

“I own the building, so technically -” The man stood up. “Well, it doesn’t matter.” He bent over and casually straightened the quilt on Regan’s bed.

“What can I do for you, Trent?” Regan stayed close to the open door.

Turning to face the woman, the tall man smiled warmly. “It occurred to me that you’ve been in town nearly a month, and short of a few offhanded exchanges, we’ve never really talked.”

Regan’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t know what he was getting at, but his forced friendliness was making her uncomfortable. “Why don’t we have a coffee tomorrow morning, and - get to know each other.” She wanted desperately to get him out of her room.

Tisking, the man walked toward Regan. “I’ve offended you.”

“You startled me.” Regan asserted.

Shaking his head, Trent stepped into Regan’s personal space, the scent of licorice and whiskey wafting over her. “And what has my sister done to you?”

A rush of blood to Regan’s face caused the room to suddenly feel hot, and nearly stifling. “Ask her.” She had no interest in getting into the middle of a family feud, no matter how much she liked Lily.

The casual smile on Trent’s face vanished, and his light blue eyes went flat. “I’m asking you.”

Regan stepped to the side, gesturing toward the open door. “I think you should leave.” Her heart thudded in her ears, and she felt the muscles in her back and legs tighten, ready to run if the man refused to leave.

After several excruciating seconds, Trent’s shoulders relaxed, and he clapped his hands together. “It was nice visiting with you, and I look forward to having that coffee.”

He walked passed Regan, intentionally brushing his shoulder against hers. Then he was gone, and Regan barely managed to lock the door and make it to her bed before her legs gave out.
Jesus. He’s a psycho.

She wasn’t sure what to do. Clearly the man had access to the room, a thought that made her stomach sour with dread. She needed to tell Lily. Based on their conversations it was clear she was aware of her brother’s issues, even if she didn’t realize their extent.

Sitting up, Regan looked at her watch. It was nearly sundown. Lily would still be at her house, and hopefully Trent wouldn’t be. Worst case, if he was, the two siblings could hash it out, and hopefully leave Regan out of it.

Pacing back and forth, Regan chewed nervously on her right thumb nail. She had to think about how to broach the subject with Lily. Though the day she had spent with Lily had been wonderful, she still really didn’t know much about the beautiful woman – let alone her family dynamic with her brother.  Regan wasn’t sure if Lily would even be able to do anything.

Realizing her keys were still in her hand, Regan laid them down on the bed, and then quickly changed into a pair of gray shorts and a navy blue tank top. Running a brush through her hair, she grabbed her keys and headed downstairs. The futility of locking her room door irritated her further.

The sun had set by the time she reached the Sexton ranch, and she flipped the van’s headlights on as the vehicle rattled over the metal cattle guard at the gate.

A half mile later, Regan carefully scanned the areas around Lily’s house and the main one. The only vehicle she saw was Lily’s blue truck. Pulling alongside of it, Regan parked the van and pulled the emergency break.

Taking a deep breath, she got out of the van and walked up the stone walkway to the house. Her palms were sweating and she felt sick to her stomach. She liked Lily a lot, and didn’t want this to come between them, even if there was only going to be a them for the next month.

“Regan?” Lily asked hesitantly as she opened her front door. Reaching her hand out, Lily slowly pulled Regan into the house, shutting the door behind them. “What is it?” She gently stroked the brunette’s hair.

In spite of the reason for the visit, Regan couldn’t help but smile at Lily. The memory of their morning and afternoon together brought a surge of warmth and tenderness to her face.

“It’s a little hard to explain.” Regan looked past Lily, concerned Trent might be there. Seeing the house was empty, she looked at the concerned woman. “Can we sit?”

Lily nodded, and the two women walked into the living room, and sat next to each other on the leather sofa.

After several moments of silence, Lily cupped Regan’s cheek with her warm hand. “What’s going on?”

Unable to resist, Regan turned her lips to the beautiful woman’s palm before speaking. “I went back to my room today, and your brother was there. Actually
in
my room.”

Lily’s brow arched as she sat back on the sofa. “What did he say?”

The dark haired woman’s tone seemed almost resigned, and Regan was caught off guard by how casually she was behaving. “Well, for starters he wanted to know what was going on between you and me.”

Lily frowned. “What did you tell him?”

Driving over, Regan had imagined a half dozen ways the conversation might go. Lily’s matter-of-fact reaction had not been one of them. “I told him he should ask you.” Regan leaned away from Lily. “Look, I don’t want to be in the middle of anything with you two. I just don’t want him coming and going in my space whenever he feels like it.”

Lily nodded. “I’ll talk to him.”

Her mouth moved independent of her brain, and Regan heard the words being spoken before she could stop herself. “That’s it? You aren’t even a little - I don’t know, weirded-out that your brother was in my room?”

Lily stood, and turned her back to Regan as she spoke. “I’m sorry he scared you.”

Regan realized her frustration stemmed from her wanting Lily to be outraged on her behalf. She hadn’t known it until that moment, but regardless of how unrealistic it was, she needed Lily to care enough for her to standup to her brother. Feeling the disappointment that stemmed from Lily’s near apathy, Regan wanted to leave before she made a fool out of herself.

Standing, Regan managed to keep her tone even. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” Taking a step toward the door, she sighed. “I have to head back.”

Lily turned, and for a second Regan thought she saw a hint of worry cross her pale blue eyes, but as quickly as it was there, it vanished. “I’ll walk you to the door.”

The two women stood in the open doorway. Lily leaned in and quickly kissed Regan on the lips before stepping back. “Will you be in for breakfast tomorrow?”

Regan shrugged, the energy from earlier gone. “Probably. The dining options are limited.”