Disclosures - SF4 (5 page)

It was all that Ryan could do to concentrate on the question her lover posed. Her head pushed against Jamie’s hands, willing the touch to continue. "Huh?" she finally murmured, lost in the sensation.

Jamie loved the little seduction games they played, and she decided to continue this one for a while. There was something so arousing about watching Ryan’s normal control collapse bit by bit that she doubted she would ever tire of the game. "I asked," she whispered, as her fingers joined behind Ryan’s head and started to scratch her scalp, "what kind of welcome you had planned for me."

Ryan looked like all she wanted to do was lift her rear leg and scratch behind her ear just as Duffy was wont to do when Jamie hit a particularly good spot. It was obviously hard for her to form a coherent thought, but this was when the game became particularly pleasurable for Jamie. Watching her lover struggle to speak turned her on in a way she would never have imagined. There was something unspeakably delicious about watching the normally glib woman fight to string together a two-word sentence, all because of her touch. "Welcome?" she asked, haltingly. "Huh?"

Lowering her hands, Jamie used her short nails to lightly scratch every exposed bit of skin that she could reach, starting at Ryan’s sensitive neck. When she was only halfway down her exposed arms, the dark woman was shivering noticeably, her eyes tightly closed, relishing every touch. ‘Don’t you want to give me a special welcome?" Jamie persisted, leaning in close to lick and suckle on Ryan’s thrumming pulse point.

"Aaahhhhh," Ryan gasped, presenting her neck to her tormentor, the question never heard, much less answered.

Jamie backed off just enough to allow her victim to form a rational thought. As she pulled away, Ryan stayed just where she was—kneeling on the floor, swaying slightly as she waited for more of her lover’s touch. Her eyes were closed, head tilted just a bit, lips moist and slightly parted. Jamie knew that she was near the breaking point, and she was determined to push until her lover snapped and claimed what she so badly needed.

She slid off the bed and knelt behind her partner, her right knee between Ryan’s so she could get close. Lifting the dark hair she started to lick and suck at the smooth, sensitive skin of the taller woman’s neck. Ryan’s whole body twitched with need, her shivering driving Jamie absolutely wild. The game lasted just a few more seconds until Ryan let out a sound that was as much groan as growl before claiming her need and her tormentor, in tandem.

"Is this the x-rated section?" Jamie asked idly, sometime later that night. Her finger slid down the spines of the books that rested just a few inches from her face.

Ryan rolled over with a grunt, stretching muscles stiff from the position they had been in, as well as the unforgiving floor. "Oh, no…" she muttered, "that’s where I put the textbooks I want to sell back. I thought they’d be out of the way there." A small chuckle left her lips as she added, "I thought we’d be on the bed—not under it."

"Hey, you’re the one who dropped to her knees," Jamie teased gently. "You started it, Buffy."

Ryan’s laugh bubbled up from deep in her chest. "Yeah, that’s a laugh. I’m your pawn and you can do anything you want with me—and you know it." She punctuated the last part of the sentence with a gentle jab into Jamie’s exposed ribs.

A slightly embarrassed laugh acknowledged the truth of the statement. "It’s…it’s just so much fun," she said rather helplessly. "I’ve never played like that, and I really like it."

Ryan rolled over again, wrapping her arms around her lover. "I like it too, Baby. I couldn’t be happier that we play and tease each other like this. I hope we always have this much fun playing with each other."

Jamie nuzzled her head into her partner’s sweet-smelling neck. "I am so grateful that sex has been this much fun," she mused. "I was afraid it would be all serious and…I don’t know…too emotional, maybe."

"Ohh…" Ryan nodded, understanding her partner’s worry perfectly. "You thought every time might be like merging souls or something."

Jamie giggled at that description, but she had to admit that had been her fear. "It’s funny," she murmured. "Every time is a little like that…but for just a few seconds, or a minute. Like tonight," she rolled onto her side and braced her head on her hand to be able to see Ryan’s eyes. "You were poised over my body, and you held yourself there for a second…I could see all of your muscles straining, and your eyes were like sapphires as the lamplight hit them. When our eyes met, I felt like you held my soul in your hands…like I was yours completely. Do you know what I mean?"

Ryan bent her head to kiss the lips that were so perfectly able to express the feelings of her own heart. "I do, Jamie. I felt the same way…It was a very moving moment." She wrapped her partner in a soft embrace, murmuring, "I think we can only process a moment or two like that at a time. It would be too much otherwise."

"Yes! That’s it exactly! I was afraid it would be like that for hours at a time. I’m so glad that it’s mostly fun and play with a little bit of emotion."

"Me too," Ryan agreed, placing a kiss on her cheek. "It’s been just perfect." She rolled into a sitting position and shook her hair into place. "God, it’s been a long day," she moaned as she slowly got to her feet. She extended a hand to her partner, then sat on the bed and grabbed their gift basket, taking a careful look inside.

It was nearly eleven o'clock and Ryan was famished. She had eaten everything she could find in the refrigerator when she and Conor had returned home from Pebble Beach, but had not had a proper dinner, so she started pulling things out of their basket, looking for something to eat right then. "Aunt Maeve must have had a hand in this," Ryan decided.

"Why do you say that?" Jamie asked.

"This stuff is too classy for Da or the boys to have picked out. If it was up to them, they'd bring us a couple of Italian combos as a present," she laughed.

"Well, I don't really care who thought of it. I think it's about the sweetest thing I've ever seen in my life. I swear, Ryan, if you ever dump me I'm making a play for one of the boys. Yours is the nicest family I've ever had the privilege to know."

"We were just being on good behavior until we had you hooked," she teased. "Now you'll see our true nature." As she lifted the champagne from the basket she shook her head slightly. "It's warm. We'll have to have this when we get to our second home," she said with a twinkle in her eye.

"We do have a lot of places to celebrate, don't we?" Jamie asked with a little laugh. "I guess we'll have to christen our bed sober."

Ryan hopped out of bed and dashed upstairs. "Not necessarily," she said over her shoulder. She returned with two rocks glasses filled with ice and a bottle of amber liquor. "Irish whiskey," she said as she wiggled both eyebrows and presented the half-filled bottle of Connemara whiskey, brought back from Ireland on Ryan’s last trip.

"You want to get me drunk, don't you?" Jamie teased, batting her eyes innocently. "Are you trying to lower my resistance so you can have your way with me?"

"I think I've done pretty well in the last week without any outside help," Ryan said smugly.

"Oh, you do, do you?" Jamie scoffed, narrowing her eyes to stare at her lover.

"Yep," she said. "I think I've got you hooked on me. You've got the jones now."

"So resistance is futile?"

"Completely," Ryan stated in a confident drawl.

"Okay." Jamie flung herself down on the comforter, drawing her forearm over her eyes while softly begging, "Be gentle."

Ryan smiled at her theatrics and leaned over to kiss her tenderly. "I'll always be gentle with you," she whispered fervently.

Jamie looked up at her and brushed her cheek with her hand. "I know you will." There was a slight quiver to her voice as the events of the day threatened to catch up with her. "You've only shown me kindness, and gentleness and love."

"That's the least that you deserve. You are precious to me, Jamie. I treasure you." She leaned down to kiss her softly for several minutes. As their kisses grew in intensity, their bodies began to slide against one another. With her last shred of rational thought, Ryan sat up and removed the basket from the bed. Grabbing the two glasses, she handed one to her partner, then removed the top from the bottle. She poured a small amount into each glass and lifted her glass while she gazed into Jamie's eyes. "To the keeper of my heart and the guardian of my soul. To my anam cara."

They each took a sip of the smooth amber liquid and smiled. Jamie lifted her glass and touched Ryan's. "To my one love." They sipped again, and then Ryan gathered the glasses and placed them on the table.

Jamie lay on her back, gazing up at her partner with a slightly quizzical look. "Anam cara," she murmured, rolling the words around on her tongue.

"It's Gaelic for soul friend," Ryan said softly. She lifted her hand and brushed the hair from Jamie’s eyes and placed a kiss on her forehead. "It's a concept that isn’t commonly spoken of here, I guess because it’s a Celtic mindset that doesn’t really fit into Western tradition." She struggled a bit as she tried to explain the amorphous concept to her partner. "I guess the best way to describe it is to say it’s the one person to whom you are most bonded, but your relationship is not just temporal. You’re joined in an eternal way with your soul friend. There are no boundaries of time or space between you and your anam cara." Wrapping her lover in her arms she whispered, "That's exactly how I feel about you, Jamie." She dipped her head and captured the warm lips that smiled up at her. The taste of the liquor was still on those tender lips as Ryan ran her tongue all around the delicate mouth. They kissed for endless moments, sometimes tenderly, sometimes fiercely, but always coming back to slow, gentle, loving touches.

Ryan's gentle touch mirrored her kisses. She softly ran her hands all over her lover's body, loving her with the tenderness that their bond demanded, while slowly, but inexorably drawing her towards fulfillment. When Jamie's breath caught, Ryan increased the pace of her touch until the smaller woman was shaking with desire. As she felt her glide near the edge of release, Ryan shifted her weight so that they were face to face. Jamie struggled to stay with her, and as they gazed deeply into each other’s eyes, Ryan whispered her most tender feelings of love and eternal devotion. A blissful smile graced Jamie's beautiful face as she shuddered a few times, unable to hold her eyes open any longer. Her soft cries were captured by Ryan’s warm mouth, and they clung to each other as the waves of sensation and emotion washed over them both. Several moments passed as their intertwined bodies twitched slowly and then relaxed completely.

Ryan wasn’t sure how much time had passed when the sound of the front door closing woke her. A quick glance at the clock showed that it was 12:30, but she had no idea when they had fallen asleep. She pulled Jamie close to her body and drew the sheet over them both. Jamie stirred briefly, and tried to voice a complaint about not reciprocating, but Ryan silenced her almost comical mumblings with a gentle kiss. She reached out and turned off the light, then began to hum the tune of an old lullaby as she lightly stroked her lover's bare back. Within seconds, Jamie's breathing had settled into a familiar rhythm. Ryan lay awake for a few minutes, saying her nightly prayers. She bent her head occasionally to lightly kiss the smooth skin on Jamie's forehead and cheeks. "Go gcoinne Dia thú," she whispered as she closed her eyes, reciting the simple prayer that her mother had said to tuck her into bed at night.
May God keep you.

"God, I love waking up in your arms," Jamie murmured as she stirred from her very restful sleep. "I had no idea that it could feel so wonderful to sleep so close to someone."

The smaller woman was lying on her side, with Ryan’s dark head resting against her back. She could tell by the breathing pattern that her partner was awake, and the blinking eyelashes that tickled her skin confirmed her guess. "Mmmm," the deep voice vibrated against her skin, sending tingles down her spine. "I’ve never felt so peaceful. I could stay here all day."

Just then Duffy came bounding into the room, landing on the bed with glee, and began to lick every bit of unprotected skin he could get his tongue on. "Boy, do you ever take after your mommy!" Jamie cried as she fought in vain to defend herself.

"I can’t believe we forgot to close the door!" Ryan was howling as the determined dog dove for her neck, licking her so furiously that she was nearly faint with laughter.

Jamie took advantage of her vulnerability and yanked back the sheet so that Duffy could have his choice of real estate. The frantic dog was content to remain feasting upon Ryan’s neck and ears, but Jamie had to point out one oddity. Ryan had wrestled the big dog into a headlock, and he calmed down immediately when she began to scratch his belly.

"Ryan," Jamie said, a teasing note in her voice.

"Yes, Love?"

"Do you know that your nipples get hard when Duffy licks your neck?" Jamie’s face was the epitome of innocence.

Ryan blushed three shades of pink as she admitted the truth. "Works every time," she laughed, a little self-consciously.

"And I thought I was special," Jamie huffed in mock outrage.

"Nope." Ryan laced her hands behind her head and said, "Women, dogs, makes no difference. A warm tongue in my ear and I’m yours."

The pillow that slammed into her face didn’t catch her by surprise, since her reflexes were extraordinary, but the velocity did give her pause. "Nice one," she said admiringly, squeezing Jamie’s bicep. "We’re gonna make an O’Flaherty out of you yet!"

"The requirements for that are what?" she laughed. "Having an ability to hurt one another physically?"

Ryan considered that thought for a moment. "Hmmm…it’s not a requirement, but it sure doesn’t hurt your chances."

"Living here with you ruffians is gonna be a real learning experience for me," Jamie said with just a hint of worry in her voice.

"You’ll fit right in," Ryan assured her. "We’re not such a bad bunch when you get to know us." She wrestled Duffy aside and wrapped her partner in a firm embrace. "You’re not worried, are you, Babe?"

Jamie shook her head briskly. "It’s not worry…but I feel a little odd going upstairs when I’m sure they know what we were doing last night."

"Ewww!" Ryan winced when the truth of that statement hit her. "I see your point. You’re the first outsider to have an orgasm in this house since…ever!"

Jamie drew a pillow over her face and mumbled, "Now I feel better."

"Hey…it’ll be fine, Babe. Remember, I’m in this with you, Honey. They only know you as a woman, but Da still thinks of me as his baby, and the boys aren’t used to seeing me be affectionate with women, either. This is gonna be an adjustment for all of us, but it will be fine. I promise you, Babe." Ryan’s quiet confidence was deeply reassuring, and Jamie felt herself begin to loosen up.

"I guess it will be as weird for you, won’t it?" She tried to suppress it, but a giggle started to work its way out of her and before long she was laughing out loud. "I just have this image of Conor and Brendan and Rory and Da sitting at the kitchen table trying to ignore the moans and groans coming from the sweet little baby girl’s bedroom." Jamie was fairly gasping for breath as this scene played out in front of her.

Ryan found it funny too, but since it was at her expense, slightly less so than Jamie did. "I guess we’d better get upstairs and see if your fantasy has become a reality," she said in an ominous tone.

That stopped Jamie short, and she looked over at her partner with wide eyes.

"Not so funny now, is it, Sport?"

The blonde head shook slowly as the covers were drawn over her head. "I’m staying! You go up and let me know when everybody’s left for the day."

"Hey, don’t you want to go to Gay Pride?" Ryan was up and picking up her clothes as she asked this question.

The sheet was tossed aside as Jamie caught her partner’s gaze. "Go, as in ‘sit on the sidelines and watch’ or go, as in ‘jump on that Harley and be on the front page of the Chronicle’ kinda go?"

"Ooooh." Ryan sat on the edge of the bed, maintaining eye contact. "Does that worry you, Honey?"

Jamie took a minute to assess her feelings. She had to admit they were conflicted, so she decided to share them with her partner. "I would love to go, Baby. It was so much fun to do that last night, and today will be even bigger. But I’m worried about being with the motorcycle group. I know we probably won’t be on the news, but I’m still worried about it."

"I can understand that," Ryan said. "They always make sure they have a few photos of the women on bikes, and to be honest, they try to find the toughest looking ones and the cutest ones. And you, my sweet, are definitely the cutest one in the whole city, so you might well be caught on film."

"Thanks," Jamie said, both for the compliment and for understanding her fears.

"Running into Melissa freaked you out, didn’t it, Honey?" Ryan’s tone was gentle, and Jamie felt enormously pleased that her partner understood that this process was difficult for her.

"Yeah, I guess it did. It was just weird having somebody from my high school see me like that." Her lips were pursed as she tried to explain the issue, but her attention was diverted when she recalled a major detail. "Hey, you never said how
you
know her."

Ryan laughed, glad that she had an innocent explanation for a change. "She went to USF with me, Honey. She was a cheerleader and used to cheer at the basketball games."

"Ooohhh! That’s so funny, Ryan. Did you know she was gay?"

"Nope. We didn’t really talk much, I just knew her name because we were in a class together. In hindsight, I’m glad I didn’t know she was gay." She wiped her brow in mock relief. "She’s awfully cute, ya know!"

Jamie gave her a playful slug in the gut, as usual causing no pain at all.

"Did
you
know she was gay?" Ryan asked, quite certain that Jamie had never mentioned knowing any lesbians from her social circle.

Jamie really wanted to tell Ryan about Mia’s sexual encounters with the homecoming queen/cheerleader. But she admired Ryan’s policy about not revealing everything she knew, and she had decided to try to emulate it. Besides, even though Mia hadn’t asked her not to tell, she thought it likely that she would not want Jamie to talk about her dalliances, even with Ryan. "Umm…I didn’t know a thing in high school. She and Mia were good buddies because their boyfriends were pals, but I didn’t know her well. I did hear some rumors about her having a fling with another girl, but I certainly didn’t know she was a card-carrying lesbian."

"Yeah, it looked like old Andi was punching her card regularly," Ryan joked.

"It was nice to see that she’s found someone," Jamie agreed. "But it did freak me out to have even a lesbian see me there. I really don’t want to be in the newspaper, Ryan." She looked up at her partner, trying to think of alternatives. "I do want to go, though. Would it bother you to just watch?"

"Hard to say," Ryan mused. "I’ve never just watched the parade." She pondered the question for a moment and decided, "I think it would be hard for me to sit for that long, to tell you the truth. We’d have to be there by nine or so to get a good spot, and the parade will last until at least one."

"Hmmm," Jamie didn’t want to disappoint her partner, but she really felt nervous about the motorcycle group. "I wouldn’t mind being in the parade if we were with a less visible group," she mused.

Ryan’s eyes lit up at this suggestion. "Really? No problem, Babe. Pick the group you feel comfortable with and we’ll do it!"

"What?" Jamie was shaking her head in surprise. "How do we do that?"

"I was invited to join at least ten different groups this year. You decide which one you want, and we’ll do it!"

Jamie continued to shake her head as she regarded her industrious partner. "You always have a back-up plan, don‘cha, Baby?"

Jamie was in the middle of picking up her scattered clothing from the night before when she asked, "Honey? How did you know what size to buy me? These clothes fit perfectly."

"Thank you," Ryan beamed. "That’s one of my many skills." She was waggling an eyebrow as Jamie tossed one of the heavy boots at her.

"Come on, tell me how you do that."

"Okay," Ryan acquiesced. "I went to the store and found a helpful sales clerk. I showed her what size you were, and we found pants to fit."

"You ‘showed’ her what size I am?" Green eyes twinkled with mirth as Jamie tried to guess how that particular verb was appropriate.

"Yep."

Ryan looked completely pleased with herself, and Jamie had to know the details. "Go on…"

Standing next to her partner, Ryan closed her eyes. She took her hands and held them at about waist level on Jamie, and moved them apart until she was satisfied. "Okay, grab those pants, zip them up, and hold them up to my hands."

Furrowing her brow in question, Jamie did so. To her amazement, the pants, when tugged into shape, extended just to each of Ryan’s hands. Even with her eyes closed, Ryan knew she had done it again, and her twitching brow indicated her pride.

"That is truly remarkable," Jamie marveled.

"I can do it with your bra, too, but that would be more embarrassing than even I could tolerate!"

The first hints of breakfast were starting to waft down the stairs, and Ryan grinned widely when she noticed them. "Oooh, Da’s home," she said with considerable glee. "Even better—he’s making breakfast," she added with a pair of bouncing eyebrows. "Let's get some breakfast and get going."

"Aren't we going to shower first?" Jamie asked, since that was their habit.

"I told you we were on our good behavior before," she teased. "You're in for a rude awakening."

Ryan rummaged through her drawers to find some cotton knit pajama bottoms and a matching long sleeved knit shirt. "Do you have any pajamas?" she asked her partner.

"No, I didn't think I'd need any in Pebble Beach…and I was right," she reminded her. "I'll just grab my sweats." Ryan was waiting to go, but Jamie hated to be rushed so she urged her to go ahead. "You run on up, Baby. I want to make a phone call first, okay?"

"Okay, but you’d better hurry. I’m particularly hungry, and I think Conor is up, too. Food disappears fast when we’re together."

"I’ve noticed," Jamie observed dryly, giving her partner a pat on the butt as a sendoff.

Ryan dashed up the stairs, pleased to find Martin, Brendan and Conor enjoying a big breakfast. "Brendan!" she said with pleasure as she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I had no idea you were here. When did you come over?"

"Just a few minutes ago," he said. "I thought I could snag a decent breakfast before church."

"When are you going?" she asked as she moved about the table, kissing Conor and her father.

He looked at his watch and replied, "I could make 8 o'clock. But I think I'll stay and chat with you both and then go to 9:30."

"Cool. We have to get going soon, but we can spare a little time to chat."

"And just where would you two be off to so early? I assume you’re not going to give thanks to God?" Martin asked, a teasing grin belying his gruffness.

"I give thanks to God every morning," Ryan replied honestly. "But my God makes house calls." She was already leaning over her father to kiss his cheek, and was unprepared for the sharp swat to her butt. "Yow!" she cried, rubbing the stinging flesh as she shot an outraged look his way.

"I’ll have no such sacrilegious talk in my house on the Lord’s day," he scowled, and Ryan realized that he was only partially kidding. "You’re not too old for me to take you over my knee, Siobhán."

Ryan gave him another kiss and took her place at the table. "No, but it’s a little late to start now, Da," she reminded him. "If you were going to beat us, you should have started when we were easier to control."

He laughed at her guileless expression and commented, "Luckily, I have an ally in keeping you in line now. Where is my daughter-in-law, anyway?"

"Yeah, we wanted to harass you both at the same time," Conor chortled, drawing a blush from his sister.

"Give her a break, Conor," Brendan chided, unable to hide a grin.

"It’s not every day we get a new victim," Conor said logically. "It’s pretty sweet, really. We get to torture Ryan about sex, and we get Jamie thrown in to boot!"

Just then a pale blonde head poked into the dining room and popped back out just as quickly. Ryan spotted the movement and called out in a soothing tone, "Come on in, Honey, I’ll thump ‘em if they give you too hard a time."

"Hey!" Brendan cried. "I’m on your side, Sis!" He looked over to see Jamie once again peek into the room. "There’s my favorite sister-in-law," he beamed. "Come over here and give me a hug."