Distant Shores, Silent Thunder Read online

  “I feel good,” Bri muttered. “I’d feel a whole lot better if I could turn over and get my hands on you.”

  Caroline laughed. “I know. Which is why you’re not going to.” She nudged her leg between Bri’s, settling her pelvis on Bri’s hip. “I got here first.”

  Bri made a sound between a growl and a groan. “Come on, baby. Don’t torture me.”

  “Sorry, too late.” Caroline leaned down and set her teeth into the fleshy triangle between Bri’s neck and shoulder. She nuzzled her breasts against Bri’s back, moving slowly from side to side as her nipples hardened, drawing the sensitive tips across the firm planes of her lover’s body. “Oh, I love the way that feels. My nipples are connected directly to my—”

  “Let me suck them.” Bri’s hands were fisted in the pillow, her voice urgent, but she did not try to turn although she easily could have. “I can make you come that way.”

  “I know,” Caroline whispered, sliding her hand between their bodies and into the cleft between Bri’s thighs. “But you have somewhere important to be this morning, remember?” She pressed gently with her thumb as she fanned her fingers over the tender folds.

  “Not for hours.” Bri moaned softly and lifted her hips, urging Caroline deeper.

  Caroline curled around her lover, resting her cheek in the hollow above Bri’s hips as she slowly entered her, taking what was hers with gentle reverence. “I love you.”

  Bri closed her eyes as Caroline claimed her, allowing the certainty of those words to ease her fears and fill her heart. This was the woman who loved her. This was her safe harbor.

  *

  Above the steady drum of the water against the shower walls, Pia heard her name. Smiling, she slid the glass door open and peered through the steam into the bathroom. KT stood on one leg, kicking off her trousers. She was already shirtless, and the sight of her bare breasts and stomach made Pia’s thighs tighten with instant arousal. “You made it.”

  “Said I would,” KT replied, grinning. “Want some company?”

  “If it’s yours.”

  “Better be.” KT stepped into the shower and wrapped her arms around Pia’s waist, drew her close, and kissed her for a long moment as water cascaded over their heads and shoulders. When she finally relinquished Pia’s mouth, she tilted her forehead to Pia’s and kissed the tip of her nose. “Miss me?”

  “Nope. How was the drive?”

  KT laughed. “Fine.”

  “Long night?” Pia reached around KT for the shampoo and squeezed a ribbon onto the top of KT’s head. As she worked her fingers through the short, thick hair, she leaned her thighs and pelvis against KT’s.

  “I got some sleep.”

  “How’s your hand?”

  “A little better than useless, but still not worth much.”

  “It will come. You’re not overusing it, are you?”

  Eyes closed, KT leaned into Pia’s hands, which had moved to her back and were slowly massaging her tight muscles. “Don’t see how I can. I can hold a few instruments for a minute or two, but I can’t really operate with it. Still, I can triage and handle most emergencies.”

  “Good. Rinse.” Pia waited until KT was suds free, then leaned back against the shower wall and pulled KT with her, dropping her hands to KT’s hips and guiding KT’s thigh between her legs. “Because if you’re going to spend four nights a week in Boston, I don’t want you to be wasting your time.”

  KT braced her elbows against the wall on either side of Pia’s shoulders and rhythmically thrust her leg between Pia’s. Pia moaned and KT smiled. “You did too miss me.”

  “Maybe.” Pia tilted her head back, her eyes hazy and her smile soft. “You?”

  “Every minute,” KT growled as she lowered her mouth to Pia’s. She kissed her hard this time, her tongue insistent as she drew her thigh in and out between Pia’s. She found Pia’s breast, closing her fingers around it as she thumbed the nipple. She felt Pia’s fingers dig into her buttocks, urging her to pump harder, and she knew that Pia was ready. When she moved her left hand down, eager to satisfy her, Pia caught her wrist.

  “No,” Pia gasped. “You can’t.”

  “Damn it,” KT muttered, angling her body to fit her right hand between Pia’s legs. “I need both hands to touch you. I need all of you.”

  On a laugh that was nearly a sob, Pia guided KT inside her. “Touching me or not, you have all of me.”

  “I love you,” KT whispered, reveling in the heat of Pia’s body. She thrust more gently than she had intended, her hunger sharp but her pleasure tempered by awe. She was where she wanted to be, needed to be, and she was desperate for this moment never to end. “Tell me. God, Pia, tell me.”

  Pia drew one leg up, circling KT’s hips, taking her even deeper inside. She knew what her lover asked, and she never tired of answering. It was no hardship to bestow what she wanted so very much to give. She would come for her in a minute, holding nothing back. But before that, she would give her what they both needed. “I love you. Always.”

  *

  “It’s quiet here without her, isn’t it,” Reese said, softly running her hand up and down Tory’s arm.

  “Almost too quiet.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I wonder how long it will be before she can stay overnight with her grandmothers and we won’t miss her.” Tory drew one leg over Reese’s and curled into the side of her body, murmuring contentedly as she nuzzled Reese’s neck. The windows were open, and the breeze carried winter on its wings.

  “Not ever, I don’t think.” Reese kissed Tory’s forehead, her fingers drifting lazily along the curve of her lover’s breast. “But it is nice that it’s just the two of us now and then.”

  “Especially today.” Tory raised up on an elbow, kissed the tip of Reese’s chin, and smiled. “Nervous?”

  Reese laughed and pulled Tory on top of her. She bent one leg at the knee so that Tory could settle between her thighs. “No. Excited. You?”

  “Mmm. Excited and happy.” Tory smoothed her cheek over Reese’s breast, absently brushing the nipple with her lips. “It’s funny,” she mused, unmindful of the quickening of Reese’s breath. “We’ve been together for years now and have a child, but I still feel like a bride.”

  “It’s special, standing up in front of our friends and family to pledge our love.”

  “Are you okay that KT will be coming with Pia?”

  “Of course. I like her.”

  “Funny, me too.” Tory made absent circles on Reese’s stomach with her fingertips, aware now of the tension humming in Reese’s body. “And I love that Bri is going to stand up with you. The two of you will look so handsome.”

  Laughing, Reese threaded her fingers into Tory’s hair, unconsciously guiding Tory’s mouth back to her nipple. “Everyone knows how much I love you, but I want to say it out loud for all the world to hear.” Her voice was husky, deep with emotion and desire. “I want everyone to know that I belong to you.”

  “And I to you,” Tory murmured even as her focus shifted from the upcoming ceremony to the woman in her arms. Always, always there was Reese, and only Reese. Reese kept nothing from her, not her tenderness or her fears or her devotion.

  No matter where they were, no matter what convention said of them or what circumstance befell them, the only thing that truly mattered was what bound them, heart and soul—the love they had forged. Reese was her answer and her hope, her home and her destiny, her partner and her passion. Reese was her heart, as she knew she was Reese’s. She would say that aloud to all who would listen—today, tomorrow, and every day to come. They would live with their love as their shield and their banner, for all the days of their lives. This was their truth.

  About the Author

  Radclyffe is a member of the Golden Crown Literary Society, Pink Ink, the Romance Writers of America, and a two-time recipient of the Alice B. award for lesbian fiction. She has written numerous best-selling lesbian romances (Safe Harbor and its sequel Beyond the Breakwater, In
nocent Hearts, Love’s Melody Lost, Love’s Tender Warriors, Tomorrow’s Promise, Passion’s Bright Fury, Love’s Masquerade, shadowland, and Fated Love), two romance/ intrigue series: the Honor series (Above All, Honor, Honor Bound, Love & Honor, and Honor Guards) and the Justice series (Shield of Justice, the prequel A Matter of Trust, In Pursuit of Justice, and Justice in the Shadows), as well as an erotica collection: Change of Pace – Erotic Interludes.

  She lives with her partner, Lee, in Philadelphia, PA where she both writes and practices surgery full-time. She is also the president of Bold Strokes Books, a lesbian publishing company.

  Her upcoming works include: Justice Served (June 2005); Stolen Moments: Erotic Interludes 2, ed. with Stacia Seaman (September 2005), and Honor Reclaimed (December 2005)

  Look for information about these works at www.radfic.com and www.boldstrokesbooks.com.

  Other Books Available From Bold Strokes Books

  Distant Shores, Silent Thunder by Radclyffe. Ex-lovers, would-be lovers, and old rivals find their paths unwillingly entwined when Doctors KT O’Bannon and Tory King— and the women who love them—are forced to examine the boundaries of love, friendship, and the ties that transcend time. (1-933110-08-2)

  Hunter’s Pursuit by Kim Baldwin. A raging blizzard, a remote mountain hideaway, and more than one killer-for-hire set a scene for disaster—or desire—when reluctant assassin Katarzyna Demetrious rescues a stranger and unwittingly exposes her heart. (1-933110-09-0)

  The Walls of Westernfort by Jane Fletcher. All Temple Guard Natasha Ionadis wants is to serve the Goddess, and she volunteers eagerly for a dangerous mission to infi ltrate a band of rebels. But once away from the temple, the issues are no longer so simple, especially in light of her attraction to one of the rebels. Is it too late to work out what she really wants from life? (1-933110-24-4)

  Change Of Pace: Erotic Interludes by Radclyffe. Twenty-five hot-wired encounters guaranteed to spark more than just your imagination. Erotica as you’ve always dreamed of it. (1-933110-07-4)

  Fated Love by Radclyffe. Amidst the chaos and drama of a busy emergency room, two women must contend not only with the fragile nature of life, but also with the mysteries of the heart and the irresistible forces of fate. (1-933110-05-8)

  Justice in the Shadows by Radclyffe. In a shadow world of secrets, lies, and hidden agendas, Detective Sergeant Rebecca Frye and her lover, Dr. Catherine Rawlings, join forces once again in the elusive search for justice. (1-933110-03-1)

  shadowland by Radclyffe. In a world on the far edge of desire, two women are drawn together by power, passion, and dark pleasures. An erotic romance. (1-933110-11-2)

  Love’s Masquerade by Radclyffe. Plunged into the often indistinguishable realms of fiction, fantasy, and hidden desires, Auden Frost discovers a shifting landscape that will force her to question everything she has believed to be true about her self and the nature of love. (1-933110-14-7)

  Beyond the Breakwater by Radclyffe. One Provincetown summer three women learn the true meaning of love, friend ship, and family. Second in the Provincetown Tales. (1-933110-06-6)

  Tomorrow’s Promise by Radclyffe. One timeless summer, two very different women discover the power of passion to heal and the promise of hope that only love can bestow. (1-933110-12-0)

  Love’s Tender Warriors by Radclyffe. Two women who have accepted loneliness as a way of life learn that love is worth fi ghting for and a battle they cannot afford to lose. ( 1-933110-02-3)

  Love’s Melody Lost by Radclyffe. A secretive artist with a haunted past and a young woman escaping a life that proved to be a lie find their destinies entwined. (1-933110-00-7)

  Safe Harbor by Radclyffe. A mysterious newcomer, a reclusive doctor, and a troubled gay teenager learn about love, friendship, and trust during one tumultuous summer in Provincetown. First in the Provincetown Tales. (1-933110-13-9)

  Above All, Honor by Radclyffe. The first in the Honor series introduces single-minded Secret Service Agent Cameron Roberts and the woman she is sworn to protect—Blair Powell, the daughter of the president of the United States. First in the Honor series. (1-933110-04-X)

  Love & Honor by Radclyffe. The president’s daughter and her security chief are faced with difficult choices as they battle a tangled web of Washington intrigue for...love and honor. Third in the Honor series. (1-933110-10-4)

  Honor Guards by Radclyffe. In a journey that begins on the streets of Paris’s Left Bank and culminates in a wild flight for their lives, the president’s daughter and those who are sworn to protect her wage a desperate struggle for survival. Fourth in the Honor series. (1-933110-01-5)