Intentions - SF9 (4 page)

The young women went from the pool to the spa and back again at least 20 times. The baby stayed in the pool with one of them, since they agreed that the 104-degree water would be too much for her delicate system, but Caitlin didn't mind a bit. Four babysitters was just about right for her tastes, and she enjoyed the newer members of the gang so much that she hardly even begged for Ryan to hold her.

At around ten Martin decided that it was time to depart, since Caitlin was starting to tire. She cried a little when she was taken from the warm pool, but she was so thoroughly exhausted that her tantrum faded out very quickly. Martin had her wrapped up in an enormous towel as he bent to kiss his daughter goodnight. "We'll see you tomorrow, Sweetheart," he promised. "And we'll have a much bigger contingent to root you on."

"Now Martin, remind everyone that we'll have another little dinner here tomorrow night," Catherine instructed.

"Catherine," he protested, "we can't keep imposing like this."

"Imposing?" she asked slowly. "I thought I was part of the family," she said with a note of hurt.

He looked totally abashed as he quickly amended his statement. "I don't know who was speaking before, Catherine. Of course we'll all be here," he said firmly as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

The pool denizens dreaded getting out since the ambient temperature had dropped to around 60, and the house looked uncomfortably far away. After Catherine had seen her other guests to the door, she came back out and offered, "Shall I warm the sauna for you, so you can dry off?"

At Ryan and Jordan's bright-eyed looks, she laughed, "I think that's a yes."

Several minutes later, the foursome made a mad dash for the generously sized sauna in the pool house. Ryan got there first and started to strip off her suit, but Jordan gave her a pleading look and shook her head discreetly. Ryan was a little puzzled, but she didn't want to make her teammate uncomfortable, so she left her suit on and the others did the same. The hot sauna felt so unbelievably delicious on her now chilled skin that a shiver of pleasure ran up her spine as she collapsed on the teak bench. She decided that it didn't really matter if she was dressed or not-this felt great.

The sauna had been custom built, and the benches that covered all four walls did not stint on space, allowing even the tall women to stretch out completely. Jamie suggested, "Why don't I turn down the heat a little and bring some cushions in so we can stay longer?"

"You're a genius," Jordan sighed. "It must be my Scandinavian heritage, but I absolutely adore saunas. I could stay in here all night."

"Be right back," Jamie promised, as she lowered the temp to 105 and carried in an armful of cushions. Another trip to the table Marta had set up yielded a large plastic pitcher filled with fresh lemonade and glasses for everyone.

They all sat up to drink some of the tart beverage, and as the temperature dropped Jamie brought her cushion over to snuggle next to Ryan. "Not too hot to be close, is it?"

"Never," Ryan smiled, "I love to be hot, to tell you the truth."

"Makes sense," Jamie whispered into her ear. "You always make me that way."

"Behave," Ryan whispered back, giving her partner a playful little slap.

"So, Mia," Jordan asked, "does your family live around here?"

"Yeah. Actually, you could walk to my house from here, if you didn't mind getting hassled by the Hillsborough police," she added, chuckling a little.

"Is it against the law to exercise?" Ryan asked lazily, thinking it odd, but not altogether unbelievable, that the town would prohibit such conduct.

"No, but there are no sidewalks or streetlights, and anyone walking around after dark is immediate cause for suspicion. My mother likes to take our dog out for a walk at night, just to make the police nervous," Mia laughed.

"Mia's mom's a bit of a free spirit," Jamie informed the others.

"That's putting it kindly," Mia reminded her. "She's a hell-raiser."

"Were you adopted?" Ryan asked dryly.

"Funny, Shevun, or whatever your real name is."

"It's
Siobhan
," Ryan said, pronouncing the name properly, with just a hint of her Irish accent coming to the fore, as it always did when she used a Gaelic name. "I think it's a lovely name-quite suited to me, as a matter of fact. It means 'gift from God'."

"You are that," Jamie beamed at her, getting temporarily lost in the deep blue eyes that blinked slowly at her.

Ryan didn't hear or care if their friends had any further comments about her name. She grasped Jamie's chin with two fingers and held her steady while she zeroed in for a tender, slow kiss. The world actually faded away for a few moments as her body focused only on the delightful sensations that suffused her senses: Jamie's soft warmth, the faint scent of her citrusy perfume, the incredible softness of her lips, and her warm, lemon-scented breath.

A jolt of desire shot through Ryan's groin as Jamie's tongue slid into her mouth, and she heard a small moan escape her lips as she welcomed her lover in. Months of experience with her fiery partner told Ryan that Jamie was feeling amorous, and she knew that they could rapidly cause a scene. Not wanting to embarrass themselves or their guests, she pulled back a little and rubbed a calming hand down Jamie's back. "Soon," she whispered into her partner's flushed ear, drawing a small groan of protest.

There was not a sound coming from Jordan or Mia, and Ryan pulled away to spare a quick glance. Jordan was lying down, her eyes closed, seemingly oblivious. Mia, however, was shooting Ryan a lethal glance, and she mouthed, "Stop that!" Properly chastised, Ryan nodded, giving her a "can't help myself" shrug.

Mia sat up and gave Jordan an appraising look, then asked, "Hey, Jordan, do you like flowers?"

"Flowers?" she asked slowly. "Yeah, I guess I do. Why?"

"Jamie's mom has a really cool formal garden back behind the pool. Are you dry enough to go for a little walk before I have to leave?"

Immediately getting to her feet, Jordan smiled and said, "I love flowers. Let's go."

Feeling frisky, and not caring if her friends knew it, Jamie asked, "Um…will you be coming back in?"

"Probably not," Mia said. "I think I'll put my clothes back on. Why?"

"I'd like some quiet time with Ryan, and I uh…wanted to know how um…quiet we could get."

Ryan gave her a startled look, but she certainly didn't mind, so she didn't protest.

Jordan smiled at the pair and said, "I'm going to get dressed, too. It's a little chilly out to be in even a dry suit. You two can be as quiet as you want."

Mia really would have preferred to have her friend remain in the bikini, but she realized she couldn't have everything, so she contented herself with being alone with her.

"Thanks, guys," Jamie said, puckering up for a kiss. Mia dutifully gave them each one, ruffling Jamie's hair as she did so.

"We'll close the outside doors," Mia informed her. "Let the games begin!"

"See you two tomorrow," Jordan said. "If you go for a run, come and get me, Boomer, okay?"

"Will do," Ryan sighed. "Looks doubtful at the moment, but I won't forget you."

"Will I be able to find my room?" Jordan asked right before she left.

"Yes, I'm sure your light will be on and the bed will be turned down. When you get to the top of the stairs, turn right and go to the first open door. Do you need pajamas?"

"Hardly," Jordan chuckled. "I'm a natural kinda girl."

Mia watched her walk out, hoping that she would get to see her au natural very, very soon.

As the pair left, Ryan snaked her arm around her partner and pulled her down for a warm hug. "You're getting quite bold with your wishes, my pet. What happened to the shy woman I knew just a few months ago?"

"I'm still shy about some things," Jamie mused, "but I feel really comfortable around Mia, and I know you feel comfortable around Jordan, so I just decided to be myself."

"I like your self," Ryan cooed, nibbling on a slightly salty earlobe. "I've missed your self."

Jamie looked up at her, realizing with shock that they hadn't made love since Ryan returned from her trip to Oregon five days ago. "God, Ryan, what with your illness, and all of the things that have been going on, we've really been missing out on our close time."

"I know," Ryan said. "But that's how long-term relationships are. When you haven't been intimate in a while, it makes being together special."

Jamie rolled onto her side and studied her partner seriously. "When you were single you didn't have to put up with some of this stuff, did you?"

"If, by 'this stuff', you mean the emotional roller-coaster we've been on with your father, of course not. I didn't care enough about anyone to get involved with their families. Ally was the closest I felt to any person that I slept with, and I don't have any idea what her parents do for a living. It's just not the same, Jamie."

"But do you ever miss that, Ryan? Do you ever miss just being able to find someone and have a good time, without worrying about them emotionally?" She looked very tentative as she asked this question, and Ryan was puzzled by it.

She trailed her fingers down Jamie's face, chasing a single drop of perspiration that trickled down her cheek. "What's up, Babe? That question doesn't sound like it's coming from your most secure place."

Jamie looked up at her and asked earnestly, "Just tell me. Do you ever miss that? Do you ever wish you could meet someone hot and take her to bed?"

"Jamie," Ryan said softly, "the last woman I bedded like that was before Tracy. That's been almost a year. I was tired of the game before I even had a thought that I could be with you. I didn't stop whoring around just because I knew that you wanted me to. I stopped because it wasn't pleasurable for me any more."

"I don't like it when you talk about it as whoring around," Jamie said, a sad look on her face.

"That's what it feels like to me now," Ryan said. "It didn't feel like it then, because I thought that's what sex felt like. But now that I've known what making love is, the way I used to act seems like a very poor, very cheap imitation of the real thing." She wrapped her arms tightly around her partner and murmured, "It hurts me to think that you could even question this, Love. I know I express how much our intimacy means to me. Why have you forgotten that?"

Jamie sighed and nestled her head against Ryan's shoulder. "I haven't forgotten, Ryan. I…I'm just a little confused tonight."

"Why? What has you confused?"

"I guess it's from this afternoon with my mom. We spent a lot of time talking, Ryan, and she told me some things that I didn't know before. I guess what upset me the most was when she told me that the first time Daddy slept with someone else, she was completely devastated. She had no idea. She thought they were deeply in love. She thought he was happy and satisfied with her." Peering up at Ryan with a frightened, worried look, Jamie said, "It scares me that she didn't have any idea. I guess I was under the impression that they had just drifted apart-not that he went out and found someone while they were seemingly happy."

Ryan nodded. "Okay, Love. I can see that would make you feel very sorry for your mom, but I don't get why it makes you worry about me." The blue eyes were wary, and Jamie could see a glint of hurt in them.

"I'm sorry, Ryan. I told you, I'm just confused." Jamie let her hand drop onto Ryan's stomach and rubbed her gently. "I can't understand how you could do that to someone that you loved." She shook her head. "It's more understandable to me if there are major problems in the marriage, you know? But just screwing someone else because you can shocks me to the core."

"I agree that it's a terrible betrayal," Ryan said slowly. "I also don't understand why you doubt me because of it."

"I don't doubt you," Jamie said, but she realized that she wasn't being entirely honest. She sighed heavily and said, "There are just a lot of similarities between our situation and my parents'. They got married when they were around our ages, Daddy had been with a lot of women, and he hadn't really been in the market for marriage." She looked up at Ryan and said tentatively, "Neither were you. You've told me many times that you were not interested in settling down until you were through with grad school. I just worry that you'll feel trapped-like he did."

Ryan sat up, consciously separating herself from Jamie. She looked like she was about to speak several times before finally taking a breath and doing so. "I'm doing my best not to take offense at what you're saying, but it's really a struggle." Her hands were tensed into fists, and she looked like she was poised for a fight. "I don't mean to be cruel, Jamie, but it insults me greatly to be compared to your father. He and I might have a similar history, but I'm not overly controlling, I'm not manipulative, I'd never hurt an innocent person just to get my way, I'd never try to ruin someone's reputation just because they were in my way, and I'd never hurt my spouse just to make myself appear better by comparison. I'm not like he is, Jamie, and I can, and I will, keep my promises to you." She stood to leave, but Jamie grabbed her firmly by the seat of her swimsuit and refused to let go.

"Please don't leave, Ryan, please."