Give Me a Reason (37 page)

A sound, guttural and deep, began to rise from within Toni,
and unable to wait any longer, Laura parted Toni’s swollen lower lips and
pushed her tongue inside.

It was instant. Blood-rushing and not to be denied, it forced
the air from Toni’s lungs and the want from her body. Her moans grew loud as
waves of splendor washed over her, and as she rode each one to its shuddering
conclusion, Laura remained beneath her, tenderly lapping at the release.

A few minutes passed before, on shaky knees, Toni lowered
herself to Laura’s chest. Slowly opening her eyes, she gazed at the woman
beneath her. “You’re amazing,” Toni whispered as she pushed strands of hair
from Laura’s forehead. “You are utterly...utterly amazing.”

At the very least, Toni thought her compliment warranted a
smile, but when she saw the look on Laura’s face, Toni was the one who smiled.
Slowly sliding off Laura’s chest, Toni placed her leg between Laura’s. “What do
you want me to do?”

“I don’t know,” Laura said in an embarrassed squeak. “I can’t
believe…I can’t believe this is going to happen again.”

Stroking Laura’s cheek, Toni whispered, “Fast or slow,
darling? Tell me what you need, because I don’t want to hurt you.”

Laura’s jaw dropped open, and taking a few quick breaths, she
said, “Taste me, Toni. Taste me and take me to heaven.”

***

Walking back into the lounge, Toni couldn’t help but snigger
at the naked woman sprawled on the couch. Coming to a stop in front of the
sofa, she refilled their wine glasses. “Aren’t you cold?”

“After what you just did to me? I don’t think I’ll cool off
until spring,” Laura mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes. Enjoying the sight
of Toni dressed in only a T-shirt and knickers, Laura moved toward the back of
the sofa. Patting the cushions, she said, “Sit. There’s room.”

Taking a sip of her wine, Toni handed Laura the other glass
as she sat down. Amused by Laura’s obvious exhaustion, Toni said, “I believe
this comes under the heading of ‘be careful what you ask for.’”

“You’re telling me,” Laura said, chuckling under her breath.

“You doing okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m better than fine.”

“Better?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“So, are we going to have any more issues about this being a
dream or worrying about what tomorrow will bring?”

“I can’t promise
we
won’t,
but I’ll do my best to try not to go down that road again.”

“That’s all I want.”

“Really?” Toni said, her gaze slowly traveling over Laura’s
nakedness.

A tiny ripple of need announced itself between Laura’s legs
and shaking her head at the woman’s overt perusal, she sat up. “Come on. Let’s
go to bed.”

“Your place or mine?”

Toni’s voice had turned husky, and the tone caused Laura’s
ripple to change into a throb. Wearing nothing but her smile, Laura got to her
feet. “Yours. It’s closer.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

“I can’t believe you brought me breakfast in bed,” Laura
said, looking at the tray in front of her.

“I just thought it was appropriate, sort of like a
celebration.”

“A celebration?”

“Well, it is tomorrow and we’re still here.”

Smiling, Laura shifted over and Toni climbed under the
sheets, pulling the tray close, so they could both nibble at the sausage and
toast.

“So, any plans for today?” Laura asked, slathering a piece of
bread with jam.

“Not really. Have you?”

“I thought I’d help you move.”

“What?”

“From your room to mine,” Laura said before taking a bite of
toast.

“Oh.”

“Is that okay? I mean, I just thought that since
we’re…we’re—”

“Shagging like rabbits?”

Little bits of toast spewed from Laura’s mouth. Washing what
was left down with some tea, she wiped the remaining crumbs off the sheets as
she playfully glared at Toni. “I was trying to be a bit more delicate.”

“This coming from a woman who only a few hours ago asked for
me to '
fuck her hard
.'”

Laura’s face blossomed like the reddest of roses as she
stared back at the woman casually munching on her breakfast. “So, does that
mean you’ll move into my room?”

Thinking for a moment, Toni said, “Yes, but new places are hard
for me, so if I creep back down here in the middle of the night, please don’t
take offense. Okay?”

“That’s a deal.”

***

“Is that it?” Laura asked as she passed Toni on the stairs as
she carried up another armful of clothes.

“This is the last bit from my wardrobe, and I think I have
one more drawer to empty in the dresser.”

“Do you mind if I get it?”

“Rummage through my knickers freely, Miss MacLeod,” Toni
chirped as she strode up the stairs.

Laughing, Laura went back to Toni’s room, and after opening four
other drawers in the dresser, she found the one still filled with bras and
knickers. Somewhat surprised to see only a few, and that all were either white
or beige, Laura gathered them up and closed the drawer.

“I see you found them,” Toni said, walking into the room.

“Yeah, quite a limited selection,” Laura said, looking at the
cotton and spandex in her hands.

“I never thought anyone else would see them,” Toni said with
a shrug.

Laura would have replied, but her thought process was
interrupted by a loud grumble coming from Toni’s stomach. Studying the woman
for a moment, she asked, “Are you hungry?”

“Maybe a bit, but I know you wanted to get this done.”

Giving Toni the evil eye, Laura pushed the lingerie into her
hands. “You put these away and I’ll make us some lunch, and don’t even
think
of saying no.”

For a split-second, Toni’s smile disappeared, only to return
just as quickly when Laura leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek before
sauntering out the door. Looking around at the empty room, Toni picked up the
two books on the nightstand, shut off the light and headed back upstairs.

Walking into the bedroom, she stopped at the tall chest of
drawers just inside the door, opened the top drawer and deposited her meager
selection of undergarments inside. Slowly sliding the drawer closed, she turned
and faced the room which had now become hers.

Like most of the other rooms in Laura’s house, the master
bedroom wasn’t overly large, but it wasn’t tiny either. With enough space to
hold a complete bedroom suite, along with a small makeup table tucked into one
corner of the room, it was comfortable, but not crowded.

Bright white woodwork accented walls the color of soft sage,
and while the wood flooring was dark, most was hidden under a large ivory shag
rug that ran just short of wall-to-wall. Two windows flanked the bed, and both
were framed with drapes one shade darker than the walls. Ivory-tasseled
tiebacks held open the curtains, revealing white venetian blinds that were
cracked open just enough to allow the early afternoon sun to wash over the
room.

The furniture all appeared to be oak, but the heavy grains
had been softened by a stain in the color of buttermilk, and the duvet covering
the bed pulled all the colors in the room together. On an ivory background,
flowers of sage, gold and yellow weaved their way across the quilted spread,
and while the pattern may have been considered busy by some, it had been calmed
by a wide swath of tan fabric outlined in olive framing its edge. The bedside
lamps were small and unobtrusive, and the minimal artwork on the walls
consisted of only a few framed watercolors of flowers and trees. The room was
feminine, but definitely not frilly.

Going to the bureau, Toni placed a few of her T-shirts inside
and then perused the things covering its surface. A mirrored tray held a few
bottles of perfume, a brush and the remains of a few price tags hastily removed
from newly purchased clothing. Still zipped into tiny plastic bags, a
collection of buttons was piled high in a shallow glass dish on one side, while
on the other sat a small jewelry box, its lid opened to display a disarray of
earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Smiling at the disorder, Toni walked to the
makeup table and laughed out loud at the assortment of beauty products scattered
about. Tempted to rearrange, or at least try to make some sort of order out of
the pencils, bottles, tubes and eye shadow palettes that littered the small
table, her thoughts were interrupted when Laura returned to the room.

“Sorry, it’s a bit messy,” Laura said from the doorway.

Turning around, Toni said, “That’s okay, but I can’t promise
I won’t try to tidy it up.”

“I’ll be forever in your debt if you do.” Looking around the
room, Laura asked, “You find places for everything?”

“Yeah, I don’t really have that much.”

“What about that?” Laura asked, pointing to a small box on
the bed.

“Oh, that stuff goes in the loo,” Toni said, picking it up.
“Um...okay to put it in the cabinet?”

“Of course, and there’s lots of room on the shelf in the
shower if you need it.”

Walking into the bathroom, Toni’s thoughts returned to a day
when a spider caused Laura to shriek. Amused by the memory, Toni gathered her
paltry collection of toiletries in her hand and opened the cabinet above the
sink just as Laura walked through the door. Tilting her head to the side, Toni
smirked at the woman standing to her left.

Curious as to why she deserved such a look, Laura took
another step, and when she saw the baby blue vibrator on the bottom shelf of
the cabinet, she began to blush.

Tickled that Laura’s face was rapidly turning into a beet,
Toni picked up the toy and dialed the base, and when it didn’t respond, she
said, “It appears you need new batteries.”

Her cheeks now flaming like a forest fire and her center
quickly following suit, Laura reached up, and as she pulled Toni’s mouth to
hers, she whispered, “Not anymore.”

***

It was a day when two became one. A day when the sun shined
brightly, but neither craved its warmth. Lunch came and went, and the afternoon
was spent between sheets of Egyptian cotton until bodies grew tired, and eyes
grew heavy. Awakening to find that the sun was slipping from the sky, they
joked about the late hour as they pulled on clothes and padded down the stairs.
Weekend chores of shopping and cleaning had been forgotten, and with the pantry
nearly empty and a refrigerator echoing the same, Chinese take-away would
become their dinner. Over containers filled with chicken, duck and prawns, they
sat at the kitchen table feeding each other morsels of food, and with bellies
full, they retired to the lounge to sip their Chardonnay in front of a small
fire blazing in the hearth. Taking up their usual corners on the sofa, they
picked up their books, stretched out across the cushions and pretended to read.

With only the occasional crackle coming from the fireplace as
wood turned to ash, it was quiet in the house. Pages were turned slowly, but no
words were being read, and lost in their thoughts it wasn’t until moisture
opened a fissure in a log producing a loud pop that Toni was brought back to
reality. Seeing that Laura seemed to be staring off into space, Toni nudged her
with her foot, and when Laura looked up, Toni asked, “Where were you just now?”

Placing her book in her lap, Laura said, “I was thinking
about the night when you broke up that fight at Calloway.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because it goes against everything I know about you. I mean,
you don’t like strangers or crowds, and I’m fairly certain violence is pretty
low on your list, too, so to do what you did goes against the grain, doesn’t
it?”

“Yeah, except you forgot one thing—instinct.”

“What do you mean?”

With a sigh, Toni tossed her book aside. “There was nothing I
could do when a screw went into a cell to inflict their punishment, but when it
came to cons beating up cons, especially when it was just for kicks, I could
never just stand by and watch it happen. When I heard those women fighting, I
did what I did at Thornbridge…” Toni stopped, remembering all the bruises she
had received trying to save another, and with a snort, she added, “...with
basically the same results.”

“Oh.”

“And you’ve got to remember those women are my students, and
I feel at ease around them.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m one of them, or at least I was. I’ve been where
they were, where they are. Lost and confused, and just trying to make it to the
next day. I wouldn’t consider most of them my friends, but in a way, they’re my
peers. They don’t scare me like Bryan or Jack…or Martin.”

“Martin! The doorman?”

“Does that surprise you?”

“Yes!”

“Why?”

“Toni, for God’s sake, Martin is like a hundred-years-old!
He’s bent and frail, and dozes in that chair of his more than he’s awake. How
can you be afraid of him?”

Thinking for a moment, Toni asked, “Have you ever bought a
book simply because you liked its cover, and then when you started reading it,
you discovered it wasn’t what you were expecting?”

Thrown off by the question, Laura thought for a minute before
answering. “I guess. And now I suppose you’re going to tell me that I shouldn’t
judge a book by its cover. Yes?”

“Exactly, and just like books, you shouldn’t judge people by
the way they look.”

“I don’t!”

“You believe Martin to be harmless because he’s old.”

“Oh, that’s different.”

“No, it’s not. Granted, you’re not judging because of color
or disability, but you
are
judging.”

“Fine,” Laura said, holding her hands up in defeat. “But
what’s your point?”

“Laura, a lot of the screws in Thornbridge
looked
normal, and some were older, thin and frail
as you call it. You wouldn’t think that they’d harm a fly, but their belts were
just as fierce and their blows were just as accurate. I’m not saying Martin is
a bad man. I’m just saying he hasn’t given me a reason to believe he isn’t.”

Accepting Toni’s point with a nod, Laura leaned back into the
pillows. “So, how about you?”

“Huh?”

“I wasn’t the only one with my head in the clouds a moment
ago. What were you thinking about?”

Smiling, Toni said, “Actually, I was thinking about you.”

“Good thoughts, I hope.”

“More like curious ones.”

“Curious? About what?”

“I’m not sure I can put it into words without
sounding…without sounding rude.”

Intrigued, Laura said, “Try.”

Toni reached for her Chardonnay, and after drinking the last
mouthful, she placed the glass on the table and then ran her fingers through
her hair. Turning to Laura, she said, “I was just wondering how someone...what
I mean is...Laura, until you met me, you were straight. Right? I mean...I mean
you were never with a woman before—”

“You know I wasn’t,” Laura said. “Does that bother you? Am I
doing something wrong?”

“No! No, that’s my point. You aren’t doing
anything
wrong. Christ, you’re doing everything
right, more than right...but...but I was...I was just...oh, bloody hell!” Toni
yelled, frustrated at her own stumbling.

Laura smiled. Months before, if Toni had shown the least bit
of aggravation because of something Laura had done, she would have tried to
calm Toni’s nerves and apologize, but tonight, Laura didn’t have anything to
apologize for…and they both knew it. Amused by Toni’s sputtering, Laura decided
to save the woman from herself. “Is this because I give good head?”

It’s one of the most natural reflexes, and a thousand times a
day a person does it without even thinking, but occasionally a body can forget
the most natural. Choking on saliva that had slipped down the wrong tube, Toni
coughed and sputtered for almost a minute before her breathing cleared. Giving
Laura an evil eye as the woman continued to titter at the other end of the
sofa, Toni couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes.”

“I’m thinking that was meant to be a compliment?”

“You know it was,” Toni said, settling back on the sofa. “But
honestly, Laura, you just never seemed to have any issues with…with being with
me.”

“You mean about making love?”

“Yes.”

“And the fact that I…that
we’re
good together bothers you?”

“No, of course not. It’s not that it bothers me. It’s
just...it’s just that—”

“Spit it out, Vaughn. You’re wasting moonlight here.”

Narrowing her eyes, Toni said, “Would it be rude to ask what
book you read on the subject?”

“I didn’t read any book,” Laura said as she sat up and swung
her legs off the sofa.

“Then a video perhaps?”

“No, I didn’t watch a video, either. Toni, you forget that I
had a long time to come to terms with what I feel for you, and once I realized
I had fallen in love with you, the other stuff…well, I guess you can say it
just came naturally.”