Disclosures - SF4 (10 page)

The early evening sun provided a warm cloak as Ryan relaxed in a spring chair, rocking the baby slightly as she ate. Jamie went back in once more to grab some tidbits to tide the big baby over, and when she returned, a mildly struggling Caitlin was being held firmly by her big cousin. Ryan was smiling at her and quietly singing a song which eventually got her attention. She stopped her struggles and lay quietly in Ryan's embrace, looking up at her with a look of pure adoration. "That's just how I feel when you hold me," Jamie said quietly from over her lover's shoulder.

Ryan beamed up at her and blushed a tiny bit at the compliment. "Are you having as nice a day as I am?" she asked as Jamie sat down next to her.

"I don't think I've had a bad day since I realized I was in love with you." Her blissful smile was testimony to the sincerity of her words, and she leaned over to kiss the still-pink cheek before she sat down. "I’d say that this has been a particularly lovely day, Sweetie."

"They really do love you, Jamie," Ryan said as she nodded her head toward her gathered family. "You believe that, don't you?"

"Knowing your family, they'd try to make me feel welcome even if they didn't
like
me," she said with a grin. "But I really do feel their love, Sweetheart. They all make me feel like I've known them for years. It's so hard to believe that it's only been seven or eight months since I met them."

"You understand how hard it's going to be for me to leave here, don't you?" Ryan’s eyes filled with tears as she considered their move to Berkeley.

Jamie immediately got up and squatted on the ground next to her partner. "Ryan, if there is any part of you that doesn't want to live in my house, I want you to tell me. If you want to stay here, I'll call my father and tell him to sell it."

Ryan smiled down at her lover, and ran a hand through her tousled hair. "No, no. I really do think it's best for us to have some time alone. I just don't think I realized how much it's going to affect me until today. I hope you can be patient with me while I adjust to the change," she said.

"Sweetheart, I want you to promise me that if you get homesick, you will let me know," she said as she placed her hand on Ryan's knee. "I've actually been thinking about when we might like to buy a house over here," she said casually, surprising Ryan completely. "As much as I love my house, I would much prefer to live in a place that you and I pick out together. I really don't see any reason that we won't make the Noe Valley our home." She looked down at Caitlin's half-closed eyes, as she gently touched her head. "There's no way I want to miss seeing this little one grow up."

Ryan's eyes filled with tears again as she choked out, "I’d really like that, Babe." She rested her dark head against Jamie’s and revealed the real reason behind her emotional display. "I'm just so used to seeing Caitlin two or three times a week, it's really going to be hard to just see her on the weekends. I can't express how much she means to me, Jamie. I know she's just my cousin, but I feel a bond with her that's…" She shook her head, unable to come up with words to express her love for the child.

"She feels it with you too, Ryan." Jamie’s earnest face and tone of voice showed just how much she understood Ryan’s pain. "The look on her face when she first sees you is one of pure joy. She looks like I feel when I see you after we've been apart for a few hours. I know it’s hard, Honey, but please don't let this bother you today. If it doesn't work out, we'll come back. That's a promise."

"Thanks for understanding, Jamie," she said softly, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "I can't tell you how important it is to me that you really understand my feelings for my family."

"I've only known them a few months, and I'm not sure I can stand to be away from them either, Honey," she said with a smile. "Let's go inside and soak up some O'Flaherty magic, okay?"

Ryan gave her another appreciative smile and stood up with her now sleeping bundle. Jamie wrapped her arm around the lithe waist, and they walked into the party together.

They didn't return home until nearly eleven. They had planned on spending some of the evening packing up for Berkeley, but they were both too tired to do so.

Ryan flopped down on the bed and let out a groan of pure exhaustion. "One good thing about being in Berkeley during the week," she moaned. "I might be able to get a little rest. As much as I love my family, they sure do take a lot of energy out of ya."

Jamie knew her partner was mostly teasing, but she had to admit that the sentiment was accurate. The O’Flahertys were closer than any family she had ever encountered, but that closeness came with a price--the almost total loss of privacy. They had nearly no boundaries—and it was unthinkable to say "no" to a request that you were able to fulfill.

The cousins were currently helping Niall renovate a small house that he had purchased in the Sunset District, and nearly every male member of the family had devoted at least one full day of each week for the last three months towards the renovation. Ryan had already been making noises about joining in, and as Jamie considered the eleven other single men in the family, she hoped that the rest would not decide to buy homes for many, many years.
The only chance I have of having time alone with Ryan is if we’re in Berkeley. We’ve got to make the most of our time alone this year, ‘cause when we move back here our privacy will be shot!
She laughed to herself as she thought of the fact that the O’Flahertys did not lock their doors during the day, and that no one knocked before entering.
That’s one area where I’m putting my foot down! I’ll not have the cousins walking in on what I hope will be near-constant lovemaking!

Joining her partner on the bed, Jamie began a light scratching of her belly. "Do you honestly think that I’m gonna go easier on you than your family does?" She continued to tease Ryan’s skin as the dark woman rolled onto her side to provide new territory.

"I hadn’t considered that," Ryan mused sleepily. "Maybe I should get my own apartment so I can get a few hours' rest."

"I’d track you down, Tiger. You’re mine now, and I’m gonna exploit every one of your luscious natural resources."

"How do you know all of my resources are natural?" Ryan teased, rolling onto her back once again. She hefted one of her breasts and gave it a squeeze. "These might be augmented, you know."

"God, I hope not," Jamie murmured as she pulled the purple T-shirt from Ryan’s shorts. "’Cause I’m gonna give ‘em such a workout, there’s a good chance an implant would burst!" She dove in with gusto, catching Ryan by surprise. But after a few moments, she relaxed and let her partner fulfill her wishes.

Running her hand through Jamie’s fine blonde hair, Ryan bit back a gasp as the voracious touch grew fiercer. "Honey, honey," she soothed. "I don’t think they’re guaranteed against puncture."

An embarrassed smile covered Jamie’s flushed face as she looked up and met her partner’s loving gaze. "Sorry. I got carried away."

"Hey…nothing to be sorry for, Love. I was just teasing you. I like it when you threaten to consume me bodily." A sexy smile combined with impishly twinkling blue eyes as Ryan suggested, "Let’s put ‘em to the torture test."

"We’ll start our own twisted version of Consumer Reports," the blonde giggled as she bent to her pleasurable task.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!!
She cursed herself for showing her hand too early and taking out only one of the toughs.

Two of the men…boys really, she thought with disgust, grabbed her by her wrists and applied pressure to her elbows from behind. The pain was excruciating, but she couldn’t fight back, since they could easily dislocate her elbows. Kelly lay at her feet, moaning continuously—a keening, low tone that set Ryan’s teeth on edge. As the stocky young man approached her he gave her a sickeningly evil smile, saying conversationally, "You’re gonna regret the day you were born, bitch." Then he hit her—a dull thud to the ribs with a heavy length of lead pipe. Every molecule of air flew from her lungs—leaving her unable to even cry out.

As he unleashed another brutal blow, her mind turned to her teacher, the gentle but lethal soul who had often warned, "Never reveal your abilities if you cannot completely disable your attacker."
I screwed up, big time
, she thought as the pipe whistled through the air, aimed for her head.
If I live through this, I swear I will never make that mistake again.

Am I in a strait jacket? This must be the hospital…oh shit! I can’t move my arms!!!
She struggled roughly, thrashing about frantically as she tried to assess her injuries.

"Honey…Ryan, wake up…Come on, Honey…It’s okay."

Warm, comforting arms enveloped her, and she sucked in a deep breath of relief.
At least Jamie’s here
. Her heart calmed its racing beat as she considered how that was possible. With a start, she sat up as her head flew from side to side, amazed to find that she was in her own bed. "Jamie?" Her scratchy voice was higher than normal, reflecting the fear that she had been gripped with just seconds before.

"I’m right here, Love," her partner soothed, brushing her hair from her damp forehead.

Ryan glanced down to find her purple, long-sleeved T-shirt wrapped around her elbows like a tourniquet. Her sports bra was shoved up over her breasts, restricting her ability to take a deep breath. Looking down her body, she saw that her underwear and khaki shorts both clung to one ankle, socks and shoes still laced up tight. "What in the holy hell?" She roughly kicked her clothing from her foot and yanked her shirt and bra off, rubbing her arms to restore feeling to them. "Jesus Christ, Jamie, we’ve gotta stop doing this!"

Finally meeting her partner’s eyes, she saw the flicker of hurt that her sharp words had caused. She fell back onto the bed and draped her arm across her eyes, trying to sort out her tumultuous feelings.

A soft hand trailed down her ribs, stroking her belly softly while she composed herself. "I’m sorry, Baby," Ryan finally said. "I didn’t mean to snap at you. I just…I was having a nightmare, and being trapped by my clothes made me think…" She shook her head roughly, not wanting to go into the dream. Her voice softened, and she removed her arm so that she could look into her partner’s eyes. "I’m sorry."

"It’s okay, Ryan, don’t worry about it. You were half asleep, Baby."

Trusting green eyes calmly gazed at her, and Ryan suddenly felt even worse. She had been quite awake, and she knew that she was just venting her fear at her partner. "That’s no excuse, Jamie. I really do apologize."

"You wanna talk about it?" Jamie’s tone was soft and somewhat tentative, but her eyes held Ryan’s firmly.

"No. I really don’t." Long, bare legs slid off the bed, and as Ryan stood she glanced down at her feet and shot her partner a half-smile. "Since I’ve already got my shoes on, I might as well go do my run."

"Want me to go with?" Jamie could tell that her grumpy partner needed some space to regain her normal attitude, but she didn’t want to abandon her if she needed some companionship.

"Nah. I know you don’t like to run, and I feel like going on a long one today. Why don’t you just stay in bed, Babe?"

"No thanks." Jamie slid out of the messy pile of sheets and came to stand by her partner. "You’re even taller with your shoes on," she teased, placing a small kiss on her breast.

"Hey…that’s how this whole thing began, Sport." Ryan’s tone was lighter now, and Jamie accepted the teasing in the jocular manner that it was intended.

Another gentle kiss followed the first, as Jamie’s arms slid around her partner’s waist. She rested her cheek against Ryan’s chest, letting her strong, steady heartbeat calm her completely. "You can’t blame me for being unable to resist your luscious body," she mumbled softly.

"Same goes for me, Love," Ryan agreed, placing a soft kiss on the crown of Jamie’s tousled hair. Released from the embrace, Ryan got back into her sports bra and T-shirt and found a pair of nylon running shorts to complete the outfit. "I’ll be back in about an hour."

"Can I use your computer to check my mail?" Jamie asked.

"Sure. You’re a Mac person too, aren’t you?"

"Yep." Sitting down at the desk, Jamie asked, "Any special requests for dinner this week, Honey? I also want to make a shopping list."

"I’ve never had a bad meal from you, Love. Anything you want is fine with me."

"Hey," Jamie called when Ryan was halfway up the stairs. "Let’s invite your father and brothers over for a barbecue this week."

Ryan flashed a luminous grin at her partner, amazed at how just a few moments with her partner could make a bad mood vanish. "Great idea, Love. Da’s off on Wednesday."

Jamie smiled back and blew a kiss as Ryan took off again, a little bounce now in her step.
She’s soooo easy,
Jamie thought with a smirk.

By the time Ryan reached the top of the stairs, she could hear Duffy begin to whine from the other side of the stairwell door. As she cracked the door open, his shiny black nose peeked through snuffling to get a whiff of her scent. Laughing gently, she opened the door fully, and was greeted by his joyous face and always energetic tongue. She pushed at him weakly, giggling uncontrollably when he reached her ears.

Jamie’s amused voice carried up the stairwell. "You sure have done a fine job of training that dog, Ryan."