Accidental Love (34 page)

"So I've heard. Never seen it myself." Rose continued to trace the mark with her fingertip, unaware of the effect her touch was having on Ronnie's senses. "It's um…not in a good position, even with mirrors."

"Hmm, it's very pretty. It’s just a little thing, no bigger than my fingertip. It's just below your shoulder blade." Her eyes studied the landscape of her friend's back, noting every freckle and beauty mark. Where her eyes went, her hands followed, splaying out and running up and down.

"You have a strong back, Ronnie."

In fact, everything about you is strong
, she silently mused.
Strong shoulders, strong arms, even
your jawline is strong
. She leaned over and spied the large hand resting on the Ronnie's thigh.
And your hands…strong and gentle. When you hold me at night I feel so safe. When my legs hurt
so much I don't think I can stand it you come along and make it feel better just by putting your
arms around me.
She never realized her hand had moved and was now gently stroking up and down a well-defined bicep.

"Um…I think that's good, Rose."

"Hmm? Oh." Rose pulled her hands back and watched Ronnie put her T-shirt back on.

"Okay, your turn. Scoot forward."

Long, dexterous fingers moved through her hair, against her scalp, massaging while braiding. Rose didn't know when her eyes closed or when Ronnie started humming. She gave up trying to figure out what she was feeling and lost herself in it. She pressed back against her friend's fingers, sighing audibly when Ronnie took the hint and began pressing her thumbs against the base of the skull. "Ooh, that's nice," she murmured, a lazy smile coming to her face.

"Talk about needing a massage," the executive replied. "That's it, relax against me." Rose did as the rich voice told her, letting her upper body rest upon Ronnie's. The Dartmouth nightshirt was big on her, the larger neck allowing hands to reach her shoulders without hindrance. She sighed again as the strong fingers forced her muscles to relax. She sank deeper against the larger frame behind her. Her shoulders were completely limp but Rose discovered another part of her was far from that state. She didn't need to look down to realize that her nipples were tightening up. As Ronnie's hands moved beneath the nightshirt, the cloth rubbed against the pink puckered skin. Eyes closed, Rose imagined those strong hands moving down. Her eyes flew open with the realization of what she was feeling…arousal.

"Hey…um…why don't we turn on the television? I'm sure there's something on we can watch." She reached for the remote, hoping her voice didn't sound as nervous to Ronnie as it did to her own ears.

Broken out of her own musings by the sudden move, the dark-haired woman could only mumble an approval. The noise of the television filled the air. It took a moment for her to realize that Rose wasn't going to lean back against her anymore. Disappointed that the massage was over, Ronnie returned to the earlier task of braiding the blonde hair. Five minutes before she had been content, cozy, and comfortable. Now her body felt cool without the warmth of the smaller woman against her. She let out a silent sigh and resigned herself to be content with just touching the soft tresses.

Rose was also feeling the loss of their body contact. It took effort on her part not to lean into Ronnie's fingers and start the massage over again.
Why am I feeling like this? What's gotten into
me? It's just Ronnie.
She tried to imagine how it would feel if someone else was touching her but an accidental brushing of a hand against her collarbone blew that thought away.
Oh, what I
wouldn't give for a nice backrub from you right now.
She began to lean into Ronnie's touch again and had to stop herself.
This is crazy. It's just that no one has ever touched me like this before,
that's all.
She repeated the words over and over in her head until the braiding was done. When Ronnie moved out from behind her and she settled back against the pillows, Rose felt anything but relaxed. Her body was wide awake and burning with a fire that she hadn't felt in years. In fact, the room seemed quite warm to her at the moment. Her only hope was that sleep would come quickly. "I'm tired," she said over a fake yawn.

"Really?" Ronnie looked at the clock. "It's still early."

"Yeah, I don't know, I think your neckrub is putting me to sleep. You can stay up if you want to, the TV won't bother me." She closed her eyes and nuzzled deeper into her pillow.

"I'm not tired yet but I don't want to keep you up. I'll go downstairs and work out for a while. I'm sure that'll tire me out."

"Oh, you don't have to leave," Rose protested, although an idea was forming in her mind.

"No, it's no problem, really. I could use a workout," she reassured, climbing out of bed and shutting off the television. "I'll be back in about a half-hour, forty-five minutes or so."

"Okay."
Perfect.

*************************

Rose waited until she heard the music wafting through the floorboards before bending her right knee and drawing her legs apart. Self-pleasuring was not something she did often but her fingers had no trouble slipping between her slick lips and locating her excited nerves. "Ah…" Her fingers felt cool surrounded by the liquid warmth and the sensation was heightened when she drew the length of her finger across her clit. She filled her mind with erotic images while her passion grew. Her left hand pushed its way under the nightshirt and latched on to…

…her nipple became hard under the rhythmic pumping. Lying on the thick blue workout mat, Ronnie let her free hand travel into her sweatpants to cup her mound through her panties.

"Ohh…" Long fingers pushed the cotton against her wet curls, then further until the crotch was saturated. Shifting for leverage, she caused some slack to form in the panties and she used it to her full advantage, curling her fingers under the elastic edge and between her nether lips. Eyes closed, her fingers became Rose's fingers. Imagining the blonde woman touching her so intimately caused Ronnie's hips to buck against the mat and her breath to quicken. It was a fantasy she hadn't allowed herself to entertain until now and she was surprised by its power. It was too much to deny anymore. She was in love with Rose Grayson; nothing could change that. Reality could never be but here, now, on a mat in her private gym, the fantasy could live. Here there was no accident, no broken bones, no shattered lives. Here was just her and Rose, loving each other. Ronnie's fingers moved through the black curls and pink lips with old familiarity but the touches were somehow different, more intense. She was more than ready when two long fingers found her entrance and slid…

…inside to her first knuckle. Rose brought her other hand down and rubbed herself furiously. The full-length cast was the only thing keeping her hips even remotely on the bed. Her thigh muscles tensed and she felt a twinge of pain in her left leg but it paled in comparison to the pleasure her fingers were bringing. Pumping in, back, then in deeper still, her fantasy lover brought her to the edge. Rose pushed as far as she could but there was more…more that she couldn't quite reach. That special place was so close and yet so far away. Teeth gritted, face contorted, she strained to reach orgasm. Pumping so deep that it hurt the webbing between her fingers while her left hand never ceased in its frantic efforts. Rose felt herself teetering on the brink but was unable to fall over the edge. Then her fantasy lover spoke to her. "Yes, that's it, Rose. Let it go, that's right." Ronnie's low tones rumbled through her, setting off electric charges that moved from her breasts to her clit where the final explosion came with shattering force.

"Oh…"

"…Rose!" Ronnie cried out as the pulsing waves crashed through her. Sure, deliberate movements drew out the pleasure, allowing her a few more seconds with her imaginary lover before falling limply back to the mat. Eyes closed, she lay there for several minutes, unwilling to let the fantasy go too soon. Eventually her breathing slowed and reality returned. With it came profound sadness. No matter what she did, it would never take away the truth about the accident. Nothing would take away Rose's pain. Ronnie sat up and wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging herself into a ball.
For so long I haven't wanted anyone and now there's you.
She looked at the ceiling, then slowly buried her head against her knees.
What am I going to do? I need you
in my life, Rose. I can't imagine what it was like before you came and I dread the thought of you
ever leaving.
At that moment there was nothing Ronnie wanted to do more than to cuddle up against the smaller woman. She took a deep breath and sat up, knowing that the longer she stayed downstairs the longer it would be before she could rest against Rose's warm…

….washcloth between her legs, removing any trace her activities. Her task finished, she set it back in the small basin on the night stand. Rose settled back under the covers and waited for Ronnie to return. In the darkness, she thought about what had happened. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought about having sex with another woman. Now, her body still tingling from the intense orgasm, Rose tried to sort out her conflicting feelings. She cared very deeply for Ronnie, but that way? Still, all it took was her thinking of the executive speaking low and sexy to her and Rose began to warm up again. She tried to think of two women having sex. Nothing. There was no interest at all. The visions in her mind were just sex, bodies and limbs mingling together for physical pleasure. She thought about Ronnie again. Long, never ending legs led to a graceful swelling at the hip then narrowed to a slim waist. Breasts that seemed neither too large nor too small for her tall frame. A slender neck led to a square jaw and high cheekbones, all accented by full lips and expressive blue eyes. But the mental review couldn't stay on the physical. The rich voice played in her ear while the sweet scent lingering on the nearby pillow filled her nostrils. Rose suddenly became aware of her own hand moving against her breast. The sudden silence as the stereo was shut off jolted the young woman out of her new fantasy. Her hands went straight to her sides and she waited as the basement door closed and the one to her room opened.

"You awake?" Ronnie whispered as she entered the darkened room. She waited a few seconds before repeating her question. Satisfied that Rose was sleeping, she carefully slipped into bed. Their bodies were barely touching. She tried one more time. "Rose?" She waited several seconds before settling down and wiggling in close. Her face buried in golden hair, her arm resting across the small waist, Ronnie gave a contented sigh and drifted off.

Long after Ronnie's breathing gave way to soft snores, Rose lay awake, her fingertips idly twirling across the back of the hand resting on her stomach.
It's too bad that Chris hurt you so
much, using your love against you, threatening to tell everyone about…
Her eyes popped open as the question took shape.
Why would it be so terrible for you to be involved with a fellow student?

It's not like you were sleeping with a professor or anything. Unless…
her eyes grew wide.

Unless Chris is a Christine.

part 9

"Good morning, Maria." Rose wheeled her way into the kitchen, following the scent of fresh baked cinnamon rolls.

"And a good morning to you too, Rose. Would you like some coffee?"

"I'd love a cup, thank you."

"I'll bring it over to the table." The housekeeper reached into the cupboard and removed a mug without looking at it. By the time she realized which one she had grabbed, she'd already added the cream and sugar. "Well, I guess Ronnie will have to use another mug."

"You gave me her favorite again, didn't you?" Rose asked with a smile. It was another one of Ronnie's little quirks. Her morning coffee was always served in a black mug with the words "The Boss" across it.

"I'm afraid I did. I'll dump it out and give you another one."

"No, don't bother. Ronnie can live without her Boss mug for one day." It actually amused Rose that with the dozens of mugs that filled the cupboard, her friend was so attached to that particular one.

"Now you know she likes her coffee in that cup," Maria admonished.

"It's good for her to change her routine from time to time," came the playful reply as she took the mug from the older woman.

"And what are you two up to?" Ronnie asked as she entered the room. She picked the newspaper up and glanced at the headline before she noticed. "Stealing my favorite mug?" She crossed behind the young woman and sat down in the chair next to her.

"Don't worry, I know who is really the boss around here," Rose replied as she took a sip.

"Sometimes I wonder," Ronnie joked back. "Think you'll try to send me an email today?"

"Yeah, you wrote down what to do, didn't you?"

"It's next to the computer." She looked up to see Maria coming over with her coffee. She looked at the mug quizzically. "Where'd this one come from?" It was a Far Side cartoon mug with two deer on it. One had a bright red bulls-eye on its chest. The caption underneath said 'Hell of a birthmark, Hal.' Ronnie chuckled and drank from it.

"See, change is good," Rose said over the lip of her mug. Maria brought their breakfast over along with a carafe of coffee.

"If you ladies will excuse me, I'm going to get started on the laundry."

"Okay, thanks Maria."

"Yeah, thanks."

Now alone, both women began to eat their breakfast. Ronnie had the fork in one hand and the newspaper in the other. Although she scanned the business section, the paper also had the added benefit of allowing her to peek over and study Rose unnoticed. The broken legs were hidden under the round table. With the soft blonde hair tucked behind her ears, Ronnie had an unobstructed view of the soft curve of Rose's cheek, the slight upturn at the end of her nose, the rust colored eyebrows that rested above far too green eyes. Suddenly those eyes turned and caught her. Ruffling the pages and looking down at the paper, Ronnie hoped that the blush she felt wasn't too visible. "Um…I'm thinking about easing some of the workload off of Laura. I have some letters that need to be updated. It's not that hard to do but it is time consuming. You said you learned how to use the mail merge, didn't you?" Her eyes never left the newsprint, although she had no idea what the words on the paper were.