On Tuesday afternoon, Ryan consciously tried to fit her usual softball demeanor onto her prickly psyche. She left the locker room and took a path to the field that led her near Coach Roberts. Trotting by him, she said, "You've gotta stop calling me at home. Jamie's the jealous type." She smiled to herself when she heard him chuckle, relieved that she wouldn't have to explain the previous day's meltdown. That's one nice thing about guys. They love to ignore emotional issues. I wonder if it'd be easier to be straight?

As soon as practice was over, she drove to San Francisco and met up with a bunch of her cousins at a local bar to participate in a well-known trivia contest. The boys had been going to The Bitter End for years, and they always played as a team. Ryan had only been there a few times, but Conor wasn't available, and they wanted to make sure they had someone good with numbers so Ryan was the obvious choice.

She was still in a strange mood, but none of the boys noticed, none of them being particularly sensitive to mood swings. Rory showed up just as the game began, and he was given a roaring welcome, since he was their music ringer. The first category was television shows from the seventies, and they all groaned in unison.

"We've got to get one of our fathers to come," Kieran said. "We're getting killed because we don't know jack before 1980."

"It's the first category," Colm said. "Don't get your panties in a wad."

"He's not wearing panties," Niall said. "He gave up cross-dressing for Lent."

Ryan signaled for another beer, keeping up with the boys. They started to click, answering question after question. "Damn, we've gotta have Jamie come some time," Ryan said. "She knows everything about books."

"Where is she tonight?" Declan asked. "How'd you get the handcuffs off?"

Ryan gave him a sickly smile. "She's playing golf in So Cal. She'll be back tomorrow night."

"Wow, it must be love if you don't have a date later," Dec said, grinning evilly.

"I won't dignify that with an answer," Ryan said. "And, just for the record, saying that Austin had the biggest port in Texas was dumber than dumb. Stop guessing if you don't know the answer."

"Touchy," he said, taunting her. "Somebody gets cranky when she doesn't get any for a couple of days."

When she flashed him a lethal glare, he slapped her hard on the shoulder. "Lighten up, pup. I'll buy you another. Murphy's?"

"Yeah. Murphy's," she said, trying to smile.

* * * * * * * * * * *

At 11:30, Ryan's cell phone rang, and she got up from the table and threaded her way through the tightly-packed chairs, stepping on many toes and kicking the odd shin on her way out. She stood in the vestibule of the bar and clicked the answer button. "H'lo?"

"Where are you?" Jamie asked. "I called you at home two hours ago and asked you to call me back. That's two nights in a row you haven't been at home when I expected you to be."

"I'm in the city with my cousins," Ryan said, deftly answering only the first point. The noise was nearly deafening, so she dashed outside, the cool evening hitting her damp cotton shirt and making her shiver.

"At a carnival?" Jamie asked. "It sounds like Times Square."

"We're playing trivia at The Bitter End," Ryan said. "We won two-hundred and fifty bucks. I got the winning answer."

She sounded a little slow, and Jamie asked, "What was that?"

"How many fifty pound cannon balls would it take to fill a two ton container. No … wait. How many two ton … No, that's not it. Uhm … it was something about cannon balls," she said. "Or bowling balls."

"I see," Jamie said. "Did you drive over there, honey?"

"Sure. Inner Richmond's too far to walk."

"Who's with you?"

"The usual suspects."

"Can I speak with Conor? I want him to do me a favor."

"Huh-uh. Conor didn't come."

Great! Now who do I ask for?

"Rory's here," Ryan volunteered. "Can he do your favor?"

My God, she's as high as a kite. I could never get away with this if she were sober. "Yeah. Either he can do it or ask Conor for me."

"'Kay. I'll get him." She went back into the bar and shouted, "Rory!" He looked up and walked over to her, putting his arm around her shoulders to get close enough to hear her. "Jamie wants a favor!"

He gave her a puzzled look and took the phone, stepping outside with his sister. "Hi, Jamie. What can I do for you?"

"If you're as sober as you sound, you can drive your sister home. How much did she have to drink?"

"Sure, I'll be glad to do that," he said, smiling at Ryan's sloppy grin.

"If she doesn't fight it, I'd rather she slept at your house tonight. Think you can manage that?"

"No problem," he said. "Wanna talk to Ryan again?"

"Sure. Put her on and don't let her drink anymore! She has school in the morning."

"Easier said than done," he said, "but I'll try."

Ryan accepted the phone and winked at her brother when he went back inside. "I miss you," she said.

"I miss you, too, sweetheart. Now, pack up and go home. You have class in the morning, you know."

"Oh, fuck," Ryan said. "I gotta go. Love you."

"I love you, too," Jamie said. She lay down on her bed, her stomach doing a little flip when she thought of the possibility of her lover driving home. No, she won't do that, she thought. Rory won't let her, and if he can't handle her, the boys can throw her in the back of one of their trucks. She sighed heavily. It sure is nice to have a bunch of strong men in the family-even though they're the same ones who lead her into temptation.

* * * * * *

Ryan went back into the bar and signaled to Rory. "Gotta go," she said.

He jumped up and said, "Give me a ride."

She was too slow to realize that he'd driven his own car, so she kissed all of her cousins goodbye and left with her brother. They passed his car on the way to hers, and when she failed to notice it he knew he couldn't let her drive even the short distance to the Noe Valley. They were a few feet from the BMW when he said, "Mind if I drive?"

"I'm fine," she said, an edge to her voice.

"Fine for what?" he asked. "I just wanna drive a nice car for a change. Mine's about to fall apart." He knew Ryan was extremely susceptible to guilt, and he hated to use it, but he wasn't taking any chances with her safety.

She fished the keys from her pocket and tossed them to him. "You can drive it whenever you want, you know. Why don't you keep it for a while? I'd be happy to trade."

Damn, a little guilt goes a long way, he thought. "No, once in a while's plenty. It's a nice treat."

They got in and he adjusted the mirrors. "Big day at school tomorrow?"

"Nah. Just have my French class at 8:00. Then I'm meeting with my advisor about my project."

"When's that?"

"What? My meeting?"

"Yeah."

"Mmm … 11:00 or 11:30. I havta check."

"Why don't you blow your French class off and stay overnight? I miss having breakfast with you."

She gave him a sidelong glance, obviously suspicious. "You think I'm wobbly?"

He could see the sharp look in her eye, and knew he'd better tell the truth. "We've both had more than we should. I wouldn't feel safe going all the way to Berkeley." He was lying, but he didn't think she'd kept track of his drinking. He'd only had one beer, and he knew she'd had at least five.

"I'll stay over," she said. "But I'd better get up for my class. It's hard enough when I go. Skipping will only make it worse."

"Okay. I just thought you could use a little more sleep."

"I could," she agreed. "I could use a lotta things."

"Like what?"

She laughed, but her laughter was tinged with bitterness. "A thirty hour day would help. Having Jamie home more. Being away less. Seeing you guys on the weekends. Seeing Caitlin more. Having Duffy at my house."

He gave her a quick look, surprised at how swiftly she'd come up with her list. "Can you do anything about any of those wishes?"

"Nope. If I could, I would." She lowered her seat and stared out her window.

"You don't seem like yourself, Ryan. I'm worried about you."

"Mmm. Yeah. I'm worried about me, too."

She said this so matter-of-factly that he was sure it was the alcohol talking. But he decided to make use of a rare situation. "Tell me what you're worried about."

She yawned noisily. "Oh, the usual shit. I'm worried about not finishing my project and not graduating. I'm worried about my relationship. It's really fucking it up to be away from each other so much."

"What about upstairs?" he asked, tapping his own head. "How are you feeling up there?"

"Shitty. Totally shitty."

He waited, but she wasn't more forthcoming. "Doing anything about it?"

"Yes, Rory," she sighed. "I'm in a crappy, useless therapy group. We get together every Tuesday morning and whine about how frightened we are." She gave him a wholly insincere smile. "It's a delight."

"Why are you going if it's not helping?"

"'Cause Jamie told me to."

"Ryan, Jamie wouldn't tell you to go to something that wasn't helping. Have you talked to her about it? Does she know you don't like going?"

"Mama's dead," she snapped. "Aunt Maeve took her place. Not you."

Her words stung, but he knew she didn't mean to sound so sharp. He started to apologize for butting in, but she beat him to it.

She scratched his arm, letting her hand rest there for a moment. "Sorry I'm being such a bitch."

"You're not being a bitch," he said. "You're just down."

"Well, I'm sick of being down. Sick and tired of it."

"It's the carjacking, huh?"

"Yes. It's the fucking carjacking." She sighed heavily.

"Does it still bother you that you had to shoot that guy?"

She laughed. The sound so bitter and spiteful that it caught him up short. "I'd love to bring him back-so I could shoot him again. I think about emptying the weapon into him. I start off low and work my way up until I put the last slug right between his eyes."

He didn't say another word. Ryan had a smug, satisfied look on her face and Rory let her engage in her fantasy. But he felt significantly worse about her than he had at the start of the evening.

* * * * * *

The next afternoon, Ryan was in her room reading when she heard the metallic click of a key being slid into the lock. Like a cat running for the kitchen when it hears the can-opener, she flew down the stairs, her arms open when the door was pushed. Jamie's sunny smile was the first thing she saw, and Ryan didn't even realize that she was crying as she threw her arms around her lover. "God, I missed you," she whispered into Jamie's ear, puzzled by the salty drops of moisture on the blonde strands.

Jamie dropped her shoulder bag, struggling a little in Ryan's clutch. "I missed you, too." She reached up and brushed her cheek, and felt something wet. Pulling back, she looked into Ryan's eyes and saw fresh tears. "Oh, baby, was it horrible for you to be alone?"

Ryan released Jamie and dropped her head. Her body seemed to collapse into itself; her shoulders dropped, and her arms folded across her chest as if she were hugging herself.

Jamie had only seen her partner like that a few times, and it broke her heart anew each time it happened. Ryan had to be wounded in a very vulnerable place to cry the way she was now, and Jamie knew how hard it was for the brave woman to show such complete vulnerability.

The blonde kicked the door shut and gently guided her partner to the sofa, deciding to sit on Ryan's lap. Normally she would have cuddled her, but she guessed that Ryan might feel more in control if Jamie took the more passive role.

Ryan tucked her arms around her partner and nestled her face so hard against Jamie's neck that the smaller woman thought she might bruise. But she pressed back, doing everything in her power to reassure her lover that she was with her-physically and emotionally. They stayed just like that for a long while.

Ryan wasn't crying any more, and her breathing was normal, but she seemed incapable of moving. After a long time, Jamie tilted her head just enough to be able to kiss her lover's cheek, and then Ryan shifted to reach Jamie's mouth. They kissed gently and slowly, both content to just connect.

At one point, the thought occurred to Jamie that she'd never considered being able to kiss such a lovely woman for such a long time and not want to go further. But Ryan didn't give any indication that she was feeling sexual, and since Jamie's sexual response was usually keyed into Ryan's, she didn't press her. Instead of the beginning of lovemaking, this was more like a long, long welcome home kiss that neither wanted to end.

When it finally did, Ryan pulled back just enough to stare at her partner's lips for a full minute. A slow, sure smile blossomed, and she said, "Missed you."

* * * * * *

Jamie had just finished calling for Thai food when the phone rang. "Hello?"

"You have three guesses," Catherine said. "I did something very, very impetuous on Monday, and you get to try to figure out what it was."

"Hold on a sec, Mom, this is Ryan's favorite game." Holding the phone so that her mother could hear Ryan, Jamie said. "Mom did something very, very impetuous. She wants us to guess what it was."

"Hmm … went skydiving?"

"No, that's a little bold for me," Catherine said. "This isn't entirely out of character."

Jamie shook her head and relayed the message to her lover. "You bought something big," Jamie guessed.

"You're right-but not nearly specific enough," Catherine said.

Ryan's eyes grew wide, and she asked in a loud voice, "You didn't buy us a house, did you?" The brunette could hear the amused laugh coming through the receiver, and her heart started to slow its rapid beat.

"Tell Ryan she's half-right," Catherine said. "I bought a house, but I bought it for myself."

"You bought a new house-for yourself?" Jamie gasped. "Since when … why would you … how long have you been … huh?"

Ryan lifted the phone from her partner's hand and said, "That's a very big surprise, Catherine. Where are the new digs?"

"Pacific Heights. Not far from your old school as a matter of fact. Right at the crest of Divisadero."

"Ooh … I bet someone has a view of the bay from her windows."

"A fantastic view," Catherine acknowledged. "Now, I don't want to keep you two. I know Jamie just got home."

"Don't be silly," Ryan said. "I'll always share her with you, Catherine. I just have custody."

"As you should. Now, tell Jamie not to worry. I'm not giving up on Hillsborough. This will be my city house. Really, I should have had one years ago since I'm in the city so often. We'll still have our big O'Flaherty gatherings down at the old house."

"I don't know if Jamie would be worried about that, but I was," Ryan said, chuckling softly. "I love that pool, ya know."

"I do," Catherine said. "You and Caitlin both have the same addiction."

"You have my sincere best wishes for your new home, Catherine. And you'll never want to go back to Hillsborough. But the best part of your news is that we'll be so close to you on weekends. That's beyond great."

"I think so, too."

"I'm sure you're gonna love it, and I'm really happy for you. Here's Jamie, okay?"

"Bye, Ryan."

Jamie accepted the phone from Ryan and heard her mother say, "I honestly was trying to look for a home for you two, but something about this house just spoke my name, and I had to have it."

"It's not the type of place we'd like?"

"No, it's in the wrong neighborhood, and it's very … uhm … not stuffy, but very elegant and refined. It looks like a home for a middle-aged person, not a pair of young women who plan on having children."

"Gotcha," Jamie said, nodding. "Well, I have confidence that you'll help us find the right place, Mom. But if I hear of your buying yet another house, I'm taking you off the job."

* * * * * *

After the pair had finished dinner, Ryan put her hand on her lover's shoulder. "I can't study tonight. How about you?"

Shrugging, Jamie said, "I guess I could, but I'm not going to. What do you wanna do instead?" She was on the verge of suggesting they go straight to bed, but Ryan was still not putting out any sexual vibes, and she didn't want to push her.

Giving Jamie a lovesick smile, the brunette said, "I'd be happy to have you sit on my lap all night. I don't care what we do as long as I'm touching you."

Jamie linked her hands behind Ryan's neck, having to reach to accomplish the move. "Mean that?"

"Yeah. Of course. Why?"

"I'd love a massage. We were on some tiny puddle-jumping plane, and I didn't get much time to cool down after my morning match. I feel like I'm all knots."

Ryan lifted her chin and gazed into the distance, moving her hands to a variety of points on her lover's back. "Mmm … you do feel stiff. Let's get out the big guns."

Jamie cocked her head in question.

"I brought my massage table over here, and we've never used it. How dumb is that?"

"How dumb am I not to know you brought it?"

"Conor brought it over not long after I moved in. He said we had more room than they do, which is true. I put it in the garage."

"Go get it," Jamie said, slapping her on the butt. "And drink some caffeine. I want an all-night massage, Buffy."

* * * * * *

Ryan set up the table in the parlor, mostly because she didn't want to haul the heavy table up the stairs.

Jamie had stripped to her underwear and walked down the stairs carrying an old sheet and a large bottle of vanilla-scented massage lotion. She wiggled the bottle in her hand. "I don't want you to stop until this is all gone," she teased.

"A modesty sheet?" Ryan asked, one eyebrow raised.

Jamie stood next to her and kissed her. "A don't-stick-to-the-vinyl sheet. I'm the opposite of modest when I'm with you. I'm … bumptious."

Ryan drew a fingertip across her lover's ass. "You have a very nice bum."

"Look it up later," Jamie said as she spread the sheet on the table and slid onto it, sitting upright.

"Underwear?" Ryan asked. "I thought you were bumptious."

"I am." She reached behind herself, unhooked her bra and tossed it aside. Then she lay flat on the table and lifted her hips while she shimmied out of her panties.

Ryan leaned over a little to watch, and when the panties were off, Jamie placed them neatly upon her lover's head. Ryan smiled and adjusted them until she was satisfied with her little mint green cap. "How do I look?"

"Like a woman wearing a hat with very large ear holes," Jamie said with a giggle.

Ryan whisked it off and tossed the garment near where the bra had landed. "Every once it a while, I'm glad Mia's gone," she said. "Not very often, but this is one of those times."

Jamie nodded, laughing. "She had impeccable timing. No matter where she was or what she was supposed to be doing, she would have marched in here as soon as you got me covered in oil."

"I think she would have waited for this," Ryan said, tearing off her T-shirt and pajama bottoms. "She had a sixth sense for when I was naked. I can't count the times she caught me in the shower or changing clothes."

"I think she just liked to see you naked," Jamie said. "Not that I blame her." She rolled onto her side and openly ogled her lover. "You are one gorgeous hunk of flesh, O'Flaherty."

Ryan slapped her on the hip, just a little harder than she had to. "You'd better not flirt with all of your massage therapists."

"Just you," Jamie said. She rolled onto her stomach and let her arms dangle. "Do whatever you want, baby. I'm all yours."

Ryan assessed her for a moment, thinking about Jamie's general complaint about her back muscles. "I think I'll start out with a pretty gentle Swedish massage, then get serious."

"Serious?" The blonde head lifted.

Patting her butt, Ryan said, "Relax. I won't hurt you any more than I have to."

Jamie dropped her head, muttering, "Very reassuring. You should really consider medicine as a field."

Ryan knew her partner was talking, but she was concentrating, making up her action plan. She knew Jamie would repeat herself if she were saying anything important, and if not, it was nice background noise.

She warmed the lotion in her hands and started near the shoulder blades, making smooth, strong, long swipes with her palms across her lover's back, getting her used to her touch.

The blonde hummed with pleasure, loving Ryan's touch in any circumstance, but particularly when she was concentrating on rubbing her whole body. After a while, Ryan started to knead the pliant flesh, working from head to toe with a very light pressure. Jamie felt she was floating on a cushion of air, barely able to feel the table under her.

Ryan's touch grew more concentrated, and she made brisk chopping gestures up and down her lover's body, energizing her while simultaneously relaxing her. Finally, Ryan started to stretch Jamie, beginning with her ankles and slowly progressing to her knees, hips, hands, elbows and shoulders.

"Ungh," the blonde grunted. "More."

"Plenty more, you little piggy." Now that she was sure Jamie was limber, she began to work a little deeper, this time using her fingers and thumbs. Some of the points she probed caused Jamie to groan a little, but Ryan urged her to breathe through the pain and try to relax.

After a long time, Ryan was fairly satisfied, but there was a knot at the base of her lover's right buttock for which she needed more leverage. Without warning, she knelt on the table and stood, surprising Jamie who let out a yelp. "You're gonna break the table!"

Laughing, Ryan said, "This table can take 800 pounds of working weight. I could jump up and down, and it'd be fine."

"What are you doing up there?"

"I need a little leverage," Ryan said. She squatted down, then put her knee right above the knot and began to press while she rotated her leg in a quick, circular motion.

The pressure was quite intense, but Jamie wasn't able to complain. She could feel the muscle loosen, and realized that it, not her back, was the cause of her earlier pain. She groaned in pleasure as the pain washed through her and disappeared. When Ryan lifted her knee, Jamie moaned, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Hopping back onto the floor, Ryan started to rub her hands all along her partner's body, keeping the circulation going. "My pleasure. Want some more?"

"Duh … I think I do, but won't I be sore?"

"Probably-especially in your glutes. You had some real tightness built up there. We've gotta work on those muscles more often."

"Must be from shifting my hips in my swing. Maybe I'm not warming up enough."

"Or stretching when you're finished. Did you stretch today?"

"No." Jamie hid her eyes from Ryan's gaze. "As soon as I finished my match I had to run into the locker room and put on a dry shirt. We almost missed our flight."

Ryan patted her on the butt. "I know how it is when your team's waiting, but try to stretch whenever you can, okay?"

"Deal." Jamie raised her head and batted her eyes at her partner. "Now why don't you give me a nice, gentle, fall asleep massage? I know you're good at those."

"Already warming up the lotion," Ryan said, rubbing her hands together. She started at her partner's feet, slathering the lotion around her toes and insteps.

The earlier work seemed to have energized her, and Jamie started chattering away, telling Ryan about each of her matches. The brunette was trying to pay attention, but one golf match sounded very much like the next to her. She was sure that reaching the green with a driver from a bunker two hundred yards away was a wonderful thing, but she guessed hearing about it interested her as much as hearing about solving a quadratic equation impressed Jamie. She figured her job was to take her cues and make the appropriate sound of approval or dismay as Jamie talked.

Even though her lover's words weren't spellbinding, Ryan noted that when her partner laughed her ass wiggled in the most adorable fashion, something she'd never noticed before. As Jamie explained a particular shot, she twitched her torso, and her cheeks grew as firm as a pair of melons. What a fantastic view, the brunette thought, feeling a definite tingle in her clit. Why haven't I put her on her belly more often? It's like having a whole new girlfriend.

Ryan started working up one tanned leg, feeling the solid muscle in her lover's calf. Going up the leg, she started imagining ways she could straddle it, dreaming up all sorts of shapes that Euclid had never considered.

There was something very appealing about watching her lover and fantasizing about her when she was completely oblivious. Even though she knew she could always talk Jamie into being sexual, it was fun to start to be sexual without her. Ryan wasn't sure why that was, but there was some part of her that felt a little guilty about it. That didn't stop her though, and she realized that part of the allure was that Jamie wasn't self-conscious since she didn't know she was being gawked at. Even though the younger woman had come a long, long way, she was still a little skittish about Ryan's open appraisal of her body. When she didn't know she was being looked at, she behaved completely naturally, letting Ryan focus on nothing but her body.

Ryan realized that she usually focused on her lover's eyes and the connection that always built when they made eye contact during lovemaking. Ryan loved that feeling more than she could say, but not having it let her stare at Jamie's ass-her very favorite spot. She'd seen asses of every shape, size and color, but there wasn't a doubt that Jamie had the ne plus ultra of asses. Firm, but with enough give to make a lovely pillow, smooth as an infant's, shapely-with a little dent on the outside of each cheek further defining it. There were a few faint freckles on the uppermost edge of her bottom, right where a low-cut bikini would leave the tender skin exposed to the sun. There was still the vaguest remainder of summer's tan line, and Ryan had to stop herself from sliding her tongue all the way across it.

Jamie rambled on, with Ryan guessing she was still on Monday's match. The brunette was barely acknowledging her partner's commentary now, just mumbling an "uh-huh" here and there. She was so lost in her thoughts that she was sure Jamie would notice, but she was managing to pull it off. She took her partner's left leg and stretched it at the knee, then pulled her thigh off the table, revealing one of Ryan's favorite places on earth. Her mouth began to water like a hungry tigress', and she pulled the thigh further away from the other, making her view all the more alluring.

Not noticing anything out of the ordinary, Jamie continued to talk when Ryan put her leg on the far edge of the table. The brunette switched to the right leg, once again starting at the foot and moving her way slowly upwards. By the time she got to Jamie's upper thigh, she was ready to eat her partner alive. Ryan's clit was throbbing, and a rush of warmth spread through her groin. She snuck a look at the lotion, quickly reading the label before she coated her fingers with it. Then, she placed Jamie's right thigh on the outside edge of the table, opened her lips with one hand while two fingers simultaneously slid inside. Ryan purred with satisfaction when her fingers found their depth, but Jamie squealed, her cunt closing on Ryan's fingers, making the brunette wince. "Relax, baby," she soothed. "Just a little surprise."

"Mmm …" With a heavy sigh, Jamie's hips began to sway, and she opened up, letting Ryan slowly turn her hand, touching every surface. "Good surprise. Very good surprise."

"You sure? Should I have asked first?"

"Huh-uh. Surprise me anytime you want. It's yours," the blonde said, her voice low and sexy. "Anytime you want it."

The way her hips moved made Ryan's knees weak, and in a matter of seconds, she was sure she would fall. Her head was swimming with desire, and she found herself slipping out of her partner and climbing onto the table, covering her with her body.

She supported as much of her own weight as she could, but Jamie wanted more. "Harder," she demanded. "Let me feel all of you."

Ryan's hands slid up her slick body and found her lover's hands stretched out over her head. She grasped them and rode her, pressing her mound into Jamie's ass while they moved together on the table.

"Bite me," the blonde begged, lifting her head to expose her neck.

Ryan complied, taking a mouthful of tender flesh between her gleaming teeth. She mouthed her, sucking on the skin while pressing into Jamie as hard as she could. She nearly saw stars and wasn't aware that she was biting down until her partner moaned.

"God damn, that feels good!"

Immediately, Ryan released the skin, nuzzling and kissing the welt she'd made.

But Jamie wasn't looking for an apology. "Do it again," she begged. "Come on, baby. Do it again."

Ryan had partially come to her senses, and she continued to mouth and suck on bits of flesh across Jamie's neck and back. But she kept her teeth covered, unwilling to give in to her partner's temporary desires. Still, even those tender bites were driving Ryan's need, and she slid down until she was straddling Jamie's slick thigh. She moved the leg, trying to wedge it between her legs when Jamie let her muscles go loose, allowing Ryan to do whatever she needed.

The brunette supported her torso in a semblance of a pushup, then settled against the curve of her lover's ass, letting the plump flesh press against her. Her hand slid down, and she opened herself, hissing out a sigh when her overheated clit touched Jamie's slippery cheek. She lay still for a moment, trying to control herself, but her cunt was throbbing painfully, and she couldn't wait another second. She started to snap her hips, rubbing against Jamie's ass with every ounce of her strength. Their skin slapped together, squishing with every thrust. Ryan shook her head and let it fall back, sucking in as much air as she could while she tried to hold out for just a few moments.

Jamie reached behind herself and slapped her lover hard on the ass. "Come on, baby. Come for me!"

Groaning loudly, Ryan grabbed her partner around the waist and thrust hard, once … twice … three times, and then she came noisily, calling out a string of partially formed words before she collapsed upon Jamie, making the table squeak as it bounced on the wooden floor.

"I wanna hold you," Jamie mumbled from underneath her fleshy blanket.

"Unh," was all her partner managed.

The blonde lay still for another few seconds, then realized that she was going to have to secure her own air supply. Using all of her strength, she propped herself up a few inches, taking Ryan with her. Her new position wasn't terribly comfortable, but she could breathe.

Ryan forced herself into a state of semi-rational thought and slithered off the table, holding on to the edge for dear life while she got her sea legs.

Jamie rolled over, sat up and then scooted down the table, wrapping her arms around her unsteady lover. "My God, what got into you tonight?"

"I have no idea," Ryan mumbled thickly.

Jamie started to giggle, quickly shaking with laughter. "Make sure it gets into you again, okay? I don't know what the hell we were doing, but it sure was fun!"

Ryan gave her a half smile, looking very much like she did when she'd had too much to drink. She took the sheet from the table and briskly dried her body, then folded it and covered the sofa with it. Wearing her sexiest smile, she lay down and curled a finger at her lover.

"Me? You want me?" Jamie asked, playfully looking around the room.

"You're the only one in the world."

Jamie walked over to her. "Where do you want me? I'm game for anything."

Making a quick decision, Ryan patted her lap. "Lie against me."

"Like this?" Jamie sat down and used Ryan's torso as a backrest. She had her knees raised, and Ryan slid her legs down, making a nice little nest for her.

"Perfect. Now I can touch all of the parts I didn't get to play with before."

"Always thinking," Jamie said. "You're a planner."

Jamie's ear was right beside Ryan's lips, and the brunette spoke softly as she started to touch her. "Have I told you lately how perfectly spectacular your breasts are?" She filled both hands with the silky-smooth flesh and moved her hands up and down a few times before giving them a good squeeze.

"Huh-uh. You're way behind on your compliment quota."

"I should be spanked," Ryan purred.

"I gave you a pretty good swat earlier," Jamie reminded her. "Was that okay?"

Ryan laughed wryly. "Made me come like a rocket. That's always a good thing." She started to flick her fingernails against her lover's nipples, making them as hard as pebbles in moments. "Was it really okay that I snuck up on you?"

"Huh?"

"Before," Ryan said. "When I put my fingers into you."

Jamie didn't answer right away. She knew that Ryan wasn't saying something, and she wanted to make sure she knew the real question before she answered it. "How did I act?" she asked, fishing.

Laughing again, Ryan said, "You seemed to get into the mood pretty quickly. I just wasn't sure how you'd feel about my fantasizing about you and getting hot when you didn't know I was doing it."

"Ooh … is that why you were so sizzling hot? I was wondering …"

"Well, you do make me hot in seconds, so that's not odd, but I had a real good head start this time." Ryan was lightly scratching Jamie's breasts, covering them in slowly growing circles, then going back to the nipples to plump them up again.

It was hard to concentrate, but Jamie did, hearing something in Ryan's voice. She sounded like a kid who was fairly sure she was in trouble, but wanted to make sure before she apologized. God, she gets so hot when she thinks she's done something wrong, Jamie thought, laughing inside. She's such a good little Catholic girl with a naughty streak a mile wide. I don't want her to think I was put off by her, but I don't want her to think it wasn't just a little wrong, either. That'd take the fun out of it for her. "Keep doing that," she said, pushing back against Ryan so she could pinch her nipples a little harder. "You're such a little devil."

"Is that good?" Ryan whispered, begging for approval.

"When you're good, you're very, very good," Jamie said. "But when you're bad, you're better." She grasped Ryan's hand and slipped it between her legs. Then she spread herself open and guided her lover's fingers inside, a little growl of pleasure accompanying the motion. She spread her legs as far apart as she could and slumped down a little to give Ryan better access. "Show me your bad self," she whispered, smiling when she felt Ryan's nipples harden against her back. She's soooo easy.

* * * * * *

Part 13

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