Under a falling star, p.28
Under a Falling Star, page 28
“Looks good to me. That’s decided, then.” Dee wandered over to the recliners.
Austen joined her and lightly bumped her with one hip. “You are not just saying that to get out of here quickly, are you?”
“No. You probably have better taste when it comes to stuff like this anyway.” She flopped down into a recliner and reached for its remote control. The recliner started to vibrate. Her eyes lit up, and she appeared interested for the first time. “Oooh, it gives massages. We’re definitely getting this.”
Austen looked at the price tag and the brownish olive-green color and cringed. Not only was the recliner ugly, but it was also horribly overpriced. They could get three much nicer ones for that price. She shook herself like a dog with fleas. “Over my dead body.”
For a few moments, everything was silent in the store, just the recliner continued humming.
From her reclining position, Dee stared up at her with a wrinkle on her forehead. “Um…”
“Sorry, that was out of line. It’s your house and your recliner, so you get to choose whatever you want.” Austen ducked her head and quickly walked away. She couldn’t believe she’d said that.
The massage function of the recliner was shut off, and footsteps hurried after her. “Austen, wait!”
Austen turned back around, ready to face the music.
“I don’t like to be told what I can or cannot do,” Dee said, her expression stern.
Austen swallowed. “I know. And that wasn’t my intention.”
Dee lifted up one hand to stop her. “But I do value your opinion, even if it differs from mine.”
“I know. But that doesn’t give me the right to act like I can veto your decisions. We don’t live together, so you should be the one to pick the furniture.”
Dee searched her face for so long that Austen started to fidget. “Would you want to?”
“Pick your furniture?”
“Live together.”
Austen sighed. Truth be told, she would have liked nothing better than to go to sleep cuddled up to Dee every night and to wake up next to her every morning. But that was just wishful thinking. “It’s a moot point. Even if we were both ready for such a big step in our relationship, we can’t. If I let HR know that my address has changed and I now live in the same house you do, it would raise a big, red flag at work.”
Dee slumped into the nearest armchair, put her elbows on her thighs, and massaged her neck with both hands. “Yeah, you’re right, of course.”
Had she wanted them to move in together? Austen walked over and knelt in front of the armchair. She slung one arm around Dee’s leg and pressed their foreheads together. Before she could gather the courage to ask if Dee wanted them to live together, Dee stood and pulled Austen up with her.
“Let’s look for another recliner with a massage function and then…” She pulled Austen against her side and whispered into her ear, “…we’ll go home and break in the furniture.”
The tone of her voice made Austen tingle all over. For a moment, she thought about telling Dee that they weren’t buying a bed and even if they were, the new furniture wouldn’t be delivered until next week, but then she just followed her. When Dee looked at her like that, protesting was the last thing on her mind.
* * *
Austen was unusually quiet on the ride home. She kept her hand on Dee’s thigh but stared out the window.
Dee kept sneaking peeks at her and finally took one hand off the steering wheel to rub Austen’s fingers. “You okay?”
Austen nodded.
At the next red light, Dee turned her head to study her.
Austen met her gaze and smiled, but she still appeared to be deep in thought.
A heavy weight settled on Dee’s shoulders. She couldn’t do this to Austen for much longer. Austen was honest to a fault; keeping their relationship secret was taking its toll on her. Especially after living through canceled dinners, nights alone, and solo vacations when she’d been with Brenda, Austen wanted to live her relationship out in the open—and Dee wanted the same thing.
In the past, the thought of moving in with someone would have made her feel as if she were stuck in a straitjacket, unable to move, to breathe, to achieve any of her goals. Now, though, the thought of sharing her house and her life with Austen didn’t make her panic at all. It felt right. Like something that would help her achieve her goals and happiness instead of holding her back.
But, unfortunately, there was just one way to secure their future together. Well, two ways. One of them had to give up her job.
Chapter 29
Dawn peeked over at Austen’s easel and started to laugh. “You are such a lesbian! The instructor hires a male nude model for us to sketch—and you’re painting a forest!”
Frowning, Austen eyed the canvas in front of her. “It’s not a forest. It’s his chest hair.”
Dawn giggled. “Whatever you say.”
The instructor sent them a glance, making them duck behind their easels like schoolgirls who had been caught talking in class.
“Are you okay?” Dawn whispered once the instructor had redirected her attention somewhere else. “You don’t seem really into art today.”
Austen sighed and lowered her brush. Dawn was right. “Tomorrow is the eighth of December.”
“And that’s significant…why?”
“It’s the day Dee and I met last year.”
“One year. Wow. Time sure flies, doesn’t it?”
Austen nodded and dipped her brush into more of the black paint.
“So why do you look like just thinking about your anniversary is giving you constipation?” Dawn reached over and touched Austen’s forearm. “Things not going too well between the two of you?”
“That’s just it,” Austen said, keeping her voice low so the other people in their art class couldn’t overhear. “Things are wonderful whenever we’re together—which is almost never right now. Except for a few hours of furniture shopping, I’ve barely seen her since that licensing snafu started, and that was six weeks ago. We can’t even share a few moments together at work, because no one can know about us.”
“I see.” Dawn rubbed her chin, leaving a pink paint spot behind. “It’s the same with Aiden whenever she gets obsessed with a case.”
“How do you make it work?” Austen asked. Her friends seemed so happy together that she’d never considered that they might have some of the same problems she and Dee had.
“I try to be supportive and mostly just let her do whatever she needs to do, but if it gets to be too much, I kidnap her for a weekend in some remote location, away from case files and crime-scene photos.”
Getting away for a weekend, to a location where they could be themselves and didn’t need to hide their relationship…that sounded like heaven. “I’m not sure Dee could get away right now. She—”
The instructor took up position between their easels. “How is it going, ladies?”
“Um, good,” they said in unison.
Their instructor craned her neck around one easel to glance at Austen’s painting.
“It’s his chest hair,” Austen said.
“Oh, I love it. What a fresh outlook!” She patted Austen’s arm. “Please continue.”
When she walked away, Austen stuck her tongue out at Dawn. “See? She loves my fresh outlook.” Maybe that was really all she needed—a fresh outlook. A weekend away would provide that. She would ask Dee as soon as they had a moment alone.
* * *
Dee watched her uncle pace back and forth in his office. “We got them to drop the noncompliance fines because we were able to show that we didn’t overdeploy on purpose.”
That stopped his pacing. “Oh, good.” He turned toward her, accidentally swiping a framed picture off his desk.
Dee leaned forward, out of her chair, and caught it before it could crash to the floor. She held it in her hands for a moment. It was the photo she had taken of her aunt and uncle at their cabin on Sandy River two years ago. “How is Aunt Margo?”
“She’s fine. Busy with her book club.” He took the photo from her and placed it back on his desk.
At least he could have a picture of his significant other in his office, displayed for all to see. Dee couldn’t. Not that a picture could replace the real thing. She had practically worked nonstop for the last six weeks, so she and Austen hadn’t gotten to spend much time with each other. She had worked late every evening, sometimes even sleeping on the couch in her office. Austen hadn’t made her feel guilty about it, but Dee found that she missed it. Missed her. They hadn’t even gotten to spend any time together on the one-year anniversary of meeting each other.
“What about the rest of the costs?” her uncle asked, interrupting her thoughts. “Could we negotiate a discounted price, or are they still planning to charge us the full price for the licenses?”
“We’re still negotiating. We might be able to prove that we didn’t use most of the installations, since the software creates a log file when it’s used. Hopefully, most of our laptops don’t have the log file. We can use that for negotiation leverage. I think we can at least get them to agree on last year’s list price, not the higher one from this year.”
Her uncle sighed and dropped onto his office chair. “What a mess.”
Tell me about it. She’d been the one who had to deal with lawyers for weeks, and she was heartily sick of it.
“All right,” he finally said. “Keep me posted.”
Dee nodded and stood. Back to work. At the door, a spontaneous thought made her turn back around. “Uncle Wade?”
He looked up from some paperwork on his desk. “Yes?”
“Are you using the cabin this weekend?”
“No. Why?”
Dee resisted the impulse to shuffle her feet. “Well, I was thinking that if no one else is using it, I’d like to get away for a day or two.”
He shrugged. “Why not? It’s not like these lawyers will make a decision anytime soon.” He went back to his paperwork, dismissing her.
* * *
Austen wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. Would Dee just blow off her suggestion to go away for the weekend? Maybe even tell her she didn’t understand the demands of her job? Well, you’ll never find out if you don’t ask.
She took a deep breath and dialed Dee’s cell phone number.
Dee picked up almost immediately. “Hi there.”
Her voice still caused butterflies to take flight in Austen’s stomach, even after half a year together. “Hi. Are you still at work?”
“Yes. Same old, same old.”
“Want me to call back later?” Austen asked.
“No. I was just about to call you anyway.”
Dee sounded more cheerful than she had in weeks. Maybe this was indeed a good time to talk to her about going away for the weekend.
“Listen, I was thinking…” they both said at the same time.
Austen laughed. “Go ahead.” Her suggestion could wait.
“I was thinking that we both could use some time away from work and everything else,” Dee said. “I asked my uncle, and he said we could use the cabin this weekend. I mean, of course he said I could use it, since he doesn’t know about us. We could drive up tomorrow after work and stay until Sunday. So? What do you think?”
Austen sat on her couch with the phone in her hand, mouth agape.
“You don’t like that idea, do you?” Dee asked when Austen remained silent.
“Oh, no. No, I love it. I’d love to go to the cabin with you.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Austen stretched out on the couch and smiled. “In fact, I was just about to ask you if you’d like to get away with me for the weekend.”
“It seems great minds think alike,” Dee said, the grin obvious in her voice.
Austen hummed her agreement. “Do I need to pack anything special?”
“No.” She lowered her voice to an intimate whisper. “There’s a Jacuzzi on the back deck, but don’t you dare pack a bathing suit.”
Austen’s skin started to tingle at the thought of being in the Jacuzzi with Dee, warm water swirling around their naked bodies. “I won’t,” she said, her voice husky.
Both were silent for a few moments.
“Dee? I’m looking forward to tomorrow. We really need this.”
“I know,” Dee said, all playfulness gone from her tone. “I’m sorry if I neglected—”
“No. Don’t apologize. Your job is important to you; I knew that from the start.”
“Yeah, but so are you.”
Austen hadn’t realized how much she needed to hear that until Dee said it. She exhaled slowly. “I’ll see you tomorrow after work, then.”
“I’ll pick you up at six. I love you.”
Hearing it from Dee still made her breath catch. “I love you too.”
They hung up, and Austen lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling, for a few moments more. Then she jumped up and went to the bedroom to pack, doing a little happy dance on the way.
* * *
Darkness had fallen by the time they made it out of the office and to the cabin. Gravel crunched under Austen’s feet and the roaring of the river behind the cabin greeted her as she got out of the car. She breathed in the scent of fir and pine. A few light snowflakes fell, adding to the enchanted feeling.
Dee led her up the few steps to the porch, unlocked the front door, and held it open for her.
With just her and Dee there, the cabin felt much more welcoming than the last time Austen had entered it. She set her small bag down in the hall and twirled playfully. “I can’t believe it. Almost two whole days. No work. No hiding our relationship.”
Dee watched her with a grin. “No laptop,” she added.
Austen stopped twirling and stared at her. “You left your laptop at home?”
“Yes. I also turned off my cell phone before we left. I want this weekend to be just for us.”
They came together in the middle of the hall for a deep kiss. When they finally separated, Dee took her hand and pulled her down the hall. “Come on. You can unpack later.”
Someone had lit a fire in the wood-burning fireplace, but Dee didn’t give her a chance to stop and admire it or ask who had lit it. She pulled her through the living room and slid open the glass door leading to the back deck that ran the entire length of the house.
Dee let go of Austen’s hand, crossed the deck, and removed the cover of the Jacuzzi.
Steam rose into the cool night air. Candles flickered in a large circle around the tub, and a bottle of wine and a bowl of chocolate-covered strawberries were chilling within easy reach.
Austen stared at the candles and the strawberries, and it took a few moments before she could speak. “Wow. Are you trying to seduce me?”
“Is it working?”
“Oh, yes, it is. How did you manage to do this?” She gestured at the Jacuzzi, the candles, and the food.
Dee grinned. “I have my ways.” She dipped a foot into the water to test it. “Perfect.”
Yes. Everything was indeed perfect. Who knew her girlfriend was such a romantic?
Dee stripped off her slacks and her blouse without an ounce of self-consciousness. Not that she had any reason to feel self-conscious. For someone who sat behind a desk all day, she had a fantastic body.
Austen watched transfixed as Dee unhooked her bra and slid her panties down her long legs. Her skin gleamed in the candlelight, making Austen want to run her hands over every inch of it.
Naked, Dee stepped closer until Austen could feel her body heat. “Now you.” She hooked two fingers under the bottom of Austen’s sweatshirt and pulled upward.
Austen raised her arms, allowing her to slip the garment off. Her bra followed with an expert flick of Dee’s fingers. The cool air formed goose bumps on Austen’s skin and made her nipples harden—or maybe it was the way Dee looked at her. The muscles of her lower abdomen tightened as Dee unbuttoned her pants and slowly slid the zipper down.
Dee knelt and pushed the pants down Austen’s legs, taking the panties with her as she went. From her kneeling position, she looked up at Austen, who now stood completely naked. Her breath fanned over Austen’s belly.
Slowly, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the spot right below Austen’s navel before standing and holding out one hand. “Come on,” she said, her voice husky. “Let’s get in.”
The water frothed invitingly.
Holding on to Dee’s hand, Austen made her way down the two steps that were nearly invisible beneath the bubbling water. With a hum of appreciation, she lowered herself onto the tiled bench.
Dee sank into the churning water next to her until it engulfed her up to her chest, interrupting Austen’s admiration of her body.
Their sides pressed together as they lounged in the Jacuzzi, letting the pulsing jet streams massage their backs. Tendrils of steam rose off their shoulders like a curtain separating them from the rest of the world.
“Here.” Dee handed her a glass of wine and took one for herself. “To an uninterrupted weekend, just for the two of us.”
“To our weekend.”
They clinked glasses and sipped wine while the warm water swirled around them.
A droplet of water splashed onto Austen’s face.
Dee reached out and tenderly wiped it away. She bent her head, keeping her eyes open until their lips connected.
Austen moaned into the kiss. Dee tasted of wine and passion. Not interrupting their kiss, she slid around until she straddled Dee on the bench.
Their bodies pressed together, the warm water making each touch feel like silk sliding over silk.
Dee kissed a hot trail down Austen’s neck, chasing drops of water with her lips while her hands slid down her back until she clasped her ass.
