When Love Finds a Home (21 page)

"No," Anna
whispered. "One of the kids might come down." She stood up and took
Rona's hand. "Come with me. I don't want to have to worry about anything
except pleasing you."

Rona moaned softly.
"Let's go."

They rushed to Anna's room.
With the door closed, Rona pulled Anna into her arms. After several deep
kisses, she stepped back and eased Anna's sweater off. As she began kissing her
again, she let her hand drift up Anna's side until her fingers encountered the
satiny material of her bra. Without removing it, she held Anna's ample breast
in her hand and let her thumb caress the lacy barrier until she felt the
swollen nipple. She released the bra clasp as she kissed her way down Anna's
chest and with slow deliberation pulled the nipple into her mouth.

Her own need grew as Anna
began to make soft sounds of pleasure and pulled her toward the bed. Rona eased
her onto the bed and straddled her thighs. She kissed her deeply as she
unbuttoned Anna's jeans and took her time in lowering the zipper. With slow
deliberation, she ran her tongue around each nipple. As the small buds grew
firm, she sucked them into her mouth, causing Anna to arch her back and gasp.

"Yes," Anna
whispered as Rona trailed her hand steadily downward until the jeans made it
difficult for her hand to move. She sat up, eased the jeans off and dropped
them onto a trunk at the foot of the bed. Never taking her gaze off the
beautiful woman before her, she stretched out beside her and trailed her
fingers along the inside of Anna's bare thighs. When Anna began to squirm, she
kissed her and worked her hand into the top of the panties. She slid her
fingers into the creamy wetness and began to leisurely stroke the heated flesh.
When Anna's hips began to match the rhythm of her fingers, Rona's kisses
deepened. When her own desire became so intense she found it difficult to
concentrate, she finally relented and offered the release that was so
desperately being sought. Anna's body arched sharply and seemed to hang in
space for a moment before she released a long shuddering gasp. Rona held her
until the tiny aftershocks of pleasure faded.

"I knew you would be
fantastic," Anna said, her voice still husky with desire.

"That was just a quickie
to take the edge off."

"It felt like the top of
my head was about to come off."

Rona kissed her cheek.
"You'd better be careful. I have a long night planned for you."

"Talk, talk, talk. Is
that all you can do?"

"Perhaps we should
see." Rona eased her hand from between Anna's legs and sat up. In one
smooth move, she stood up and turned Anna sideways across the bed. She knelt by
the bed and helped Anna scrunch forward until her hips were on the edge of
the mattress. With her hands, she pushed the long legs
open, then used her thumbs to spread the swollen lips. She used the tip of her
tongue and her warm breath to tease until Anna was begging for relief. Instead
of offering the release Anna wanted, she ran two fingers through the wetness
before slipping them slowly inside and then easing out. With each insertion,
she went a little deeper until her fingers were fully engulfed.

"More," Anna gasped.

Rona added a third finger and
began the acclimation process all over. As Anna's arousal escalated, so did her
need. Rona squeezed her fingers into a tightly pointed cluster and began a slow
rhythmic action. She felt the first faint trembling and reminded herself not to
hurry. The trembling intensified. She increased the tempo of her penetrating
movements.

"Faster," Anna
pleaded as she pushed herself deeper still onto Rona's hand.

Suddenly the bed began to
creak furiously as Anna cried out her pleasure. Rona waited until the cries
were melting into whimpers before she removed her hand and buried her face
between the trembling legs.

"I... I can't," Anna
breathed.

Rona ignored her and continued
her feasting. It wasn't long before Anna's body began to rock once more. Her
hands clamped around Rona's head pulling her ever closer until she came in an
explosive orgasm.

Rona felt Anna slowly release
her death-grip on the comforter. Half of her body was dangling over the edge of
the bed.

"I don't have the
strength to scoot back or to pull you up from the floor," Anna mumbled.
"You're going to have to make it back up here on your own. My muscles have
been replaced by dishrags."

Rona smiled as she stretched
out beside her. "You would probably be more comfortable if you were to get
back on the bed."

"Yes. I'm sure I would,
but I told you I can't move."

"I know. Come on, my
little dishrag. I'll help you." Together they managed to work their way to
the center of the bed. "You're cold. Let me get you under the
covers."

Anna sat up slowly and helped
pull the comforter and sheet back. After they were in bed, she reached over and
switched on a bedside lamp. "This is really embarrassing," she said.
"You're still in your clothes."

"I can help with that
also." Rona got out of bed and peeled off her clothes before hopping into bed
naked. "Now do you feel better?" She pulled Anna into her arms and
kissed her. "I can't seem to get enough of you." She rested her hand
on Anna's stomach. It had been too long since she'd touched a woman. She took
her time exploring every curve and indentation. The small indentation behind
Anna's ear became particularly fascinating. She noticed how Anna would make a
delicious little shiver each time her kisses worked their way to that area.
After several sweet minutes, she pulled Anna on top of her and buried her face
between her breasts. Their weight caressed her face as she took first one and
then the other into her mouth. She squirmed with pleasure as the nipples
enlarged and hardened beneath her tongue. Anna's breath quickened as Rona
slipped her hand between their bodies and began gently raking her fingertips
through Anna's thick pubic hair.

"I want to touch
you," Anna whispered.

Before Rona could protest,
Anna slid a knee between Rona's legs and pushed them apart. As her mouth
claimed Rona's lips, her fingers began a subtle movement below that gradually
increased in pressure. Rona felt the first tiny spark of release and held her
breath until her body began to tremble. Just when she thought she couldn't
tolerate another moment, Anna gave her the release she so desperately needed.
The bed creaked loudly, but she couldn't stop the mad thrashing that Anna's
hand was causing.

Slowly her body began to
relax.

Anna stretched out alongside
her. "That was nice."

"It was a pretty good
start."

"It's been a while since
I've been with anyone," Anna admitted. "I was a little nervous."

"Me too."

Anna sat up and leaned on her
elbow. "You were nervous?"

"Yeah. I was afraid you
were going to wake up the neighborhood with all that shrieking."

Anna gently swatted her
shoulder. "You weren't exactly quiet as a mouse. Tammy and the neighbors
must have thought we had a revival going on over here."

"A revival?" Rona
asked, confused.

Anna fell back on the bed and
began to thrash wildly. "Oh, God. Oh, God," she moaned in exaggerated
ecstasy.

"I didn't do that!"

Anna began to laugh.

"You are so going to get
it," Rona said as she pounced on Anna and began to tickle her.

"No," Anna squealed.
"I can't stand being tickled."

"Take it back," Rona
said, her fingers poised for a new round.

"Yes. Yes. Yes. I take it
back."

She looked so sexy with her
dark hair mussed and her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You're so
beautiful," Rona whispered as she leaned down to kiss her. The kiss became
more intense and they made love again.

Afterward, as they cuddled
beneath the blanket talking, Rona told her about Gina's offer.

"How do you feel about
giving lessons?" Anna asked.

"I've never tried it, but
I told her I'd like to give it a shot. I can still remember my first few
lessons, so I think I can help the kids. I'm going over tomorrow night, after
work. We've agreed to try the lessons for a month. After that, if Gina and
Julian are satisfied with how things are progressing, and the kids are enjoying
the lessons, then we'll work out a plan."

"I'm embarrassed to admit
how hot I got today watching you play," Anna said. "I've never seen
anyone so ... so ..." She struggled for the word. "I can't explain
it. You were so intense and the music seemed to be pouring out of you. It was
as if you were making love to the piano." She stopped suddenly and looked
away. "You must think I'm some kind of nut."

Rona smiled and hugged her
closer. "You're in bed with me, so you obviously are," she said.

Anna wrapped an arm around her
waist. "You know, if you like giving lessons, you could probably find
other students. There are several kids in the surrounding neighborhoods."

"Whoa," Rona
cautioned. "Let's wait and see if I survive my first day."

"Sorry. I can get carried
away. If someone asks me for a piece of gum, I try to give them the entire
pack."

She smiled. "Anna, you're
a good person."

"I'm a pushover."

"It sounds like there's a
story behind that."

Anna grimaced. "You don't
want to hear that story."

"I want to know
everything about you."

Anna took a deep breath and
slowly released it. "Her name was Patricia Braden—Patti. We met at a
fund-raiser hosted by the local gay and lesbian political caucus. Patti
introduced herself to me while we were standing in the buffet line. I was
flattered that this strikingly beautiful woman with the long chestnut hair
seemed to be seeking me out from the hundreds of other women in the crowd. As
the night progressed, I found out that she had recently moved to San Antonio
from New York. She was an artist who, according to her, had become tired of the
unending madhouse of the city that never slept. She originally came to San
Antonio to attend die gala opening of a friend's gallery and fell in love with
die city's relaxed, easy pace. She invited me to meet her at the McNay Art
Museum die following day."

Rona suspected she was about
to discover the story behind the box marked
bitch.

"I had never visited the
McNay and Patti was like a gigantic fountain of knowledge. She told me die
history the museum. She talked about O'Keeffe, Van Gogh, Cezanne and
Gauguin." Anna looked away before continuing. "For the next two
weeks, every free moment of my time was consumed with Patti. When she mentioned
she might have to return to New York because her prospects of finding work in
San Antonio's limited art world were almost nonexistent, I panicked. Like a
complete fool, I begged her to move in with me so she could dedicate her time
to her own paintings." She glanced at Rona. "Pretty stupid,
huh?"

"No, you loved her and
trusted her. What happened?"

"I went beyond stupid and
added her name to my personal credit card and bank account. A few days later, I
came home from work and she was gone and so was my bank account. The only thing
she left behind was a six-thousand-dollar credit-card bill."

When she had finished, Rona
kissed her forehead. "I promise I won't ever use you." As she made
the promise, she realized she meant every word.

"Tell me something about
yourself," Anna prompted.

Rona took a deep breath. She
hadn't talked about Mary to anyone. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything eventually,
but for now whatever you feel like talking about."

She started her story with the
band. Gradually she spoke of Mary, the cancer and the funeral. When she cried,
Anna kissed away the tears.

"Do you mind if I ask how
you ended up on the streets?" she asked after Rona composed herself.

"I couldn't work when
Mary was so ill. Afterward, I didn't care if I lived or not. By the time, I started
to care again it was too late. I was already on the street."

"Don't you have family?
What about Mary's family?"

"I have two very
religious parents, a brother and sister. Do they consider me family? No."
She took a deep breath. "When the band fell apart, I called my parents
asking for help. Neither one of them would even talk to me. Mary grew up in
Florida. Her mother was a crack addict and died soon after she was born. Mary
grew up in foster homes."

"What about friends?
Couldn't someone have helped you?"

"We didn't really have
friends outside the band. There were a few groupies, but when the band's
bookings disappeared, so did they."

Anna held her close and kissed
the top of her head. "Those days are over now. Let's talk about happier
times." They whispered like schoolgirls until, sometime in the early hours
of morning, they finally fell asleep.

Chapter Twenty-three

Rona opened her eyes slowly
and smiled. Anna was sleeping on her side with her back pressed up against her.
It had been a long time since she had spent the night with anyone. She had
almost forgotten how nice it felt to wake up with a warm body next to her. She
rolled over onto her back. Anna turned over and wrapped her arms around her.