Breathless Page 19

  “The explosions.” It was Mary she had seen on television. One of the firefighters fighting to stay alive was her lover. Her head went dizzy and her ears began to ring.

  Something gripped her arm and she saw Coop’s face. His mouth was moving but all she could hear was the ringing. Her arm was forced down and her body followed until she was sitting on the ground. She shook her head and the sound of the commotion all around her slowly returned.

  “They’re getting her down, Beth.”

  *

  The roof had turned hot under Mary’s knees and rolled insolently around her.

  A clunking noise at the edge of the roof was followed by the sight of the ladder dropping against the building close by. Mary crawled toward it and a few seconds later, Tomas appeared.

  “The windows below were spewing fire,” he said, “so they’ve got the hoses on them. Be prepared to get wet on your way down.”

  She tucked the puppy inside her jacket and climbed over the top rung.

  *

  A voice came over the radios of all the Engine 5 men. “Walston’s on her way down.”

  The men erupted in cheers and Beth blew out her breath.

  “Didja hear what he said?” Coop asked.

  “He said,” Beth clasped her shaking hands together, “that my life is on its way back to me.”

  *

  Mary found the captain and quickly debriefed him on anything that might help them fight the fire. She also asked him if the owner was present and he pointed her to a man standing with a few others by engine ten.

  She gently extracted the puppy from her jacket. With her hand under it, she could tell that it was a little girl. A lucky little girl. She walked up to the owner and presented her to him.

  “We got the puppy out. She was all the way up on the roof.”

  “Must have gotten in sometime today or yesterday. The mom’s a stray that stays in the warehouse yard next door.”

  “This isn’t your puppy?”

  “No, but I imagine it’s yours now.”

  The puppy looked up to Mary and opened her mouth, yawning until her tongue curled.

  *

  Beth jumped up when she saw Mary walking between the fire engines.

  “Mary!”

  Mary smiled and Beth’s legs wobbled in relief.

  “I love you, Beth.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Mary threw an arm around her. When Beth hugged her, Mary said, “Ooh, be careful babe. I want a big hug soon, but we have to be gentle right now.”

  Mary pulled away and showed her the puppy.

  “Oh my gosh, is she okay? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. And she was on the roof. She’s a stray.”

  “You rescued her.”

  Mary smiled and kissed her. “I know this was hard on you.”

  “I was scared to death.”

  “Loving a firefighter can be a burden.”

  “Yes.” Beth looked into the eyes that would be looking back at her forever. “But it’s a beautiful burden.” She reached over to pet the pup. “What are we going to name her?”

  “You’d like to keep her, too?”

  “Seeing what you two went through, I believe she just has to come home with us. She’s our Christmas present.”

  “It’s only Christmas Eve.”

  “Eve.” Beth grinned. “Let’s call her Eve.”

  The puppy, seeming satisfied with the situation, laid her head against Mary’s jacket and closed her eyes.

  They kissed again, Beth thankful for Mary’s safe return. She knew there would be more days like this. She would just have to love the heck out of her every moment she could.

  “I want to start celebrating. Soon.”

  Mary handed her the puppy. “Will you take her home while we finish up here?”

  “Don’t be long. I’ve got a great dinner planned.”

  Mary smiled her perfect smile. “We’ve got a great life planned.”

  Carsen Taite works by day (and sometimes by night) as a criminal defense attorney in Dallas, Texas. Though her day job is often stranger than fiction, she can’t seem to get enough, and spends much of her free time plotting stories. She is the author of three novels: truelesbianlove.com, It Should Be a Crime (Lambda Literary Award finalist), and Do Not Disturb. She is currently working on her fourth novel, Nothing but the Truth (January 2011), which, like It Should Be a Crime, is a romance with a heavy dose of legal drama, drawing heavily on Carsen’s experience in the courtroom. The characters in this story first appeared in It Should Be a Crime.

  Love Is the Key

  Carsen Taite

  “Stay.” Morgan slid her hand down Parker’s naked, muscled thigh. She loved waking up next to her. She’d spent the past ten minutes admiring every inch of Parker’s body as she slept, from her tousled black hair to her long, sleek legs. Now she wanted a glimpse of Parker’s piercing blue eyes.

  Parker groaned in response to the touch. “It’s Monday morning, right? Study. I have to study.” Parker rolled over and pinned her to the bed. “Baby, I want to stay, but I can’t study in a hotel room, especially not with your naked self distracting me.”

  Morgan pretend-wrestled against her lover’s restraining hold. “Seems like it wasn’t that long ago I was the early riser and you would do anything necessary to keep me in bed.” She assumed an uncharacteristic pout. “Stay now. Study later.” She nipped at Parker’s chest. “You deserve a break.”

  Parker brushed her hard nipples against Morgan’s soft, wet lips. Thoughts of the looming bar exam faded fast against her arousal. She surrendered to the ecstasy of Morgan’s touch and the want in her emerald green eyes. She wanted to get a head start on the arduous work ahead, but she gladly devoted herself to Morgan’s pleasure first. The intensity of Morgan’s orgasm signaled just how much her lover had needed the release.

  Until a month ago, their encounters had been restrained by their respective roles: Parker as law student and Morgan as her professor. Even after Parker dropped out of Morgan’s class, their crazy schedules had restricted their ability to fully explore each other’s minds and bodies. Since her graduation from law school on Saturday, she and Morgan had spent every moment in this bed, with only short bouts of sleep and room service to break up the marathon of celebratory love-making.

  “Wow.” As the tremors ebbed, Morgan could manage only the one word.

  Parker leaned down, kissed the corners of Morgan’s barely open eyes, and brushed aside her auburn waves of hair. “Wow, yourself. I can’t believe you can still come so fiercely after we’ve made love nonstop all weekend.”

  Morgan curled onto her side and pulled Parker into the nook of her embrace. “Speak slower. My brain’s numb from sex.” She slid her hand down Parker’s hip and traced her pelvis. “I’m willing to bet I can reduce you to one-word sentences.”

  “Hold that thought.” Parker eased herself out of Morgan’s arms. “Study first. Sex later.”

  “Killjoy.”

  “I know, I know.” Parker didn’t want to leave, but now that a new week had arrived, she knew she had to put in some hours of study toward the bar exam or she wouldn’t relax enough to enjoy another lovemaking session. “As much as I want to stay here with you, I need to get a jump on that stuff.” She pointed across the room at a stack of bar review books.

  “All right, I’ll let you go. I have plenty to do anyway.”

  “Lots of new business, huh?”

  “Actually, this week’s usually pretty slow on the business front.” At Parker’s puzzled look, Morgan added, “Christmas is in three days.”

  Parker paused from pulling on her clothes. “Oh, yeah. I guess it is.” For the past several years, Parker had tended bar at a friend’s club on Christmas Eve, slept in Christmas morning, and was back at the bar that evening to pour cocktails for all the family day escapees. She had no family of her own and she’d never had a relationship coincide with this holiday. Until now.

  Morgan observed the g
lazed-over look in Parker’s eyes. She knew enough about Parker’s past to conclude Parker hadn’t given holidays a second thought for a long time. Now that they were together, she wanted to change that. “Let’s get a tree.”

  Parker looked around the room and laughed. “A tree? Um, I’m thinking a hotel room is not a good place for a tree. There’s a big one in the lobby,” she offered as a compromise.

  “Not the same. Do Kelsey and Erin have a tree?” Morgan referred to Parker’s roommates at the large house they shared in East Dallas.

  “Nope, but it’s a perfect place for one. Kelsey’s never home and Erin’s moving in with her boyfriend after the first of the year. She’s too busy packing to worry with holiday decorations. Irene has one up at the bar.”

  “Again, not the same.”

  “I think you need a house to have a tree.”

  “No such festivities for room renters and hotel dwellers?”

  “You got it.”

  “Are you still up for spending the holiday with my folks?” Because Parker seemed to have forgotten the holiday altogether, Morgan wasn’t sure Parker remembered they had planned to drive down to Morgan’s parents’ home in Wimberly on Christmas Eve.

  “Day after tomorrow?” Parker’s tone was semi-hysterical. “Sure, although I have to admit I’m a little nervous about meeting them. Didn’t you say your father is a judge?”

  “Used to be a judge. He’s just a retired country dweller now. You’ll love their place. It’s just a few miles from town, but it’s set in the middle of about fifty beautiful wooded acres.” Morgan pondered a moment before she spoke her next words. “I don’t suppose this would be a good time to talk about us becoming homeowners.”

  Parker shook her head. “Not with the bar exam around the corner and your new law practice. Besides, Kelsey’s already stressed about Erin moving out. She can’t afford the upkeep on the house on her own. If I told her I was moving out, too, I think she might lose it.” Parker saw Morgan’s disappointment. Hell, she was disappointed herself. She’d love to wake up in a place they could call their own, where they could sneak to the kitchen in the middle of the night, naked, without worrying about roommate sightings. Where they could sleep until noon without the sound of other hotel guests going about their day. As much as she wanted to own a home with Morgan, now was definitely not the right time.

  Morgan smiled. “I understand. I won’t bug you about it. Oh, and it’s our new law practice. When I advertise that we have a former police detective on the team, we’re going to rake in the clients.”

  “Gotta pass the bar for that to happen.” Parker leaned in and kissed Morgan.

  Morgan held her close. “I have an idea. Can you pull yourself away from your studies long enough to have a private, pre-holiday dinner with me? We can exchange gifts, just us, the night before we leave.” She could feel Parker’s rising panic, and acknowledged it with a tight hug, holding her until she felt the anxiety fade. When a much calmer Parker pulled away, she offered a final squeeze. “Go. Study. I’ll make all the plans.”

  “Okay, babe. That’s sounds great. Now I have to grab a shower and head to the library.”

  Morgan grinned as she watched Parker walk away. Parker’s singular focus on her studies would make her holiday planning much easier than she could have hoped.

  *

  After six hours huddled in a cubicle, Parker decided studying on her own sucked. Throughout law school, she had been part of a study group populated by the best and brightest students. The result of their combined efforts was a Gestalt certainty they would all score excellent grades on their exams. Because she had chosen to graduate early, she was preparing for the bar exam on her own. She missed the synergy of the group. Why are you so worried? It’s not like you need a job. It was true, her career path was already set. She and Morgan were going to practice law together, but she didn’t want Morgan to cut her any slack because they were lovers.

  As much as she wanted to pack in more study time, the words were fuzzy on the page. She packed up her books and trotted out to her car. A few minutes later she pulled into the long driveway of the house she shared with her best friend, Dr. Kelsey James. She was surprised to see Kelsey’s car parked in the drive.

  She wound her way through the stacks of boxes in the foyer, and found Kelsey in the kitchen. “Hey, Dr. James, I thought you worked twenty-four / seven.”

  Kelsey dropped the mug in her hand and yelped. “Dammit, Parker, don’t sneak up on people. I thought you were holed up in a hotel room, making mad, passionate love to a certain professor.”

  “She’s not a professor anymore.” Parker scooped the miraculously unbroken mug off the floor. “You’re pretty jumpy. Guess you’re used to having the place to yourself?”

  “Hell, I haven’t been here enough to enjoy anything. I just stopped by to change. What are you doing here?”

  “I live here, remember?”

  “In rent only. I kind of figured you and Morgan had taken up permanent residence at the hotel.”

  “No, the hotel’s only temporary. Now that the office is up and running, she wants to resume her house search and include me, but I told her this wasn’t a good time.”

  “Hopefully not on my account. You know I’ll figure out a way to manage if you want to move in with her.”

  Parker grinned. “I don’t see how. Judging by all the boxes, I’m guessing Erin’s taking all your worldly goods. My meager belongings may be all that stands between you and civilization.”

  Kelsey shrugged. “I guess she had more stuff than I realized. But back to Morgan. Don’t you want to live with her?”

  “Sure I do, but not in a tall building with daily maid service. Seriously, James, I can’t really focus on anything except the bar exam right now. I didn’t even realize Christmas is this week.”

  “Oh, so now you have to add shopping to your list.”

  “Yep. We’re supposed to exchange gifts tomorrow night. What do you buy the woman who has everything? She wants a tree. Don’t think I’m going to find one that will fulfill her expectations and still be appropriate for a hotel room.”

  “Hardly.” Kelsey glanced at her watch, her expression anxious. “Well, you better get a move on if you’re going to get any shopping done. Come on, I’ll help you.” She grabbed Parker’s arm and steered her toward the door. “Go start the car, I’ll be right out.”

  “Hang on a sec. I thought you were between shifts. I just stopped by to pick up some clothes. I didn’t plan on a shopping trip.”

  “I’ve got a little time, and you need the help. We’ll run over to Northpark. When’s the last time you bought a gift for a woman you’re madly in love with?” Parker gave her a blank look, and Kelsey shook her head. “Go on, I’ll be right there. You can pick up clothes when we get back.” Without waiting for an answer, Kelsey picked up a pen and started scribbling a note.

  The last thing Parker wanted to do was take an impromptu trip to a mall crowded with frantic shoppers, but she did need a present and the thought of selecting one on her own was daunting. She shook her head and went outside to get the heat going in her car. Mere moments later, Kelsey slid into the passenger seat and rapped her hand on the dash. “Let’s go.”

  Parker took her at her word and roared the big engine in her ’68 Mustang fastback to life. As she turned onto the main street, she noticed a large Lexus SUV turning onto Kelsey’s street. She did a double take, but the SUV wasn’t the same color as Morgan’s Lexus. Before she could focus on the occupants, Kelsey punched her on the shoulder. “Come on, quit dawdling. I thought you called this a muscle car for a reason. Let’s get to the mall.”

  Parker tore her attention away from the passing SUV. “The mall it is.”

  *

  “Well, that was rotten timing. I guess I should have figured she’d be around. I mean technically, she still lives over here.” Morgan slid down in her seat even though she knew Parker’s Mustang was well out of sight.

  “I doubt she saw
you. It’s not like we’re in your car.” Aimee Howard dug through the console between the seats as she steered her Lexus into a broad driveway next to a beautiful three-story house. “You should introduce us.”

  “Yes, definitely. I’m thinking of opening lines now. ‘Parker, I want you to meet the woman I dated briefly when I was trying to forget about you. Remember that time you saw us together and became insanely jealous?’” Morgan shuddered. “I think I’ll pass.” She pointed at the house in front of them. “Can we just go in?”

  Aimee dangled a key before her eyes. “You bet. Come on.”

  *

  Morgan paced the hotel room. She was sure it grew smaller with each lap. It was nine p.m. Maybe Parker had decided to return to the library after she finished whatever she’d been doing with Kelsey. Or maybe she saw you riding around town with another woman and she doesn’t plan on coming back. She shrugged away the thought. Parker might have been insecure about their future a couple of months ago, but they’d survived a lot since then, including a near-death experience. They were a committed couple now, and nothing could tear that apart. Not even pre-holiday, pre–bar exam stress. Still, after spending the previous forty-eight hours naked, tangled in each other’s embrace, Morgan couldn’t help but feel a sharp sense of separation since she had last held Parker close.

  She glanced at the clock again. The law library had closed ten minutes ago. Morgan reached for the phone and dialed Parker’s cell. As her call went to voice mail, she heard the familiar sound of a key card being pushed and pulled out of the door slot. She strode to the door and swung it open. Parker’s smile was the first thing she saw.

  “Hey you, I was starting to worry.” Morgan drew Parker into her arms.

  Parker landed a quick peck on Morgan’s cheek, then edged away from Morgan’s embrace. “Sorry. I lost track of time. Have you eaten? I’m starving, but I need a shower first. If you’ve already had dinner, I can order something.” She kept up a steady stream of rambling as she made her way to the bathroom. She knew she sounded manic, but she needed to get out of the room before Morgan noticed the huge bulge under her jacket.