Ember Flowers (8 page)

A flicker of
hazelnut eyes over Jo’s unblemished skin. “I can see the
resemblance.”

Another image.
“This one is recent, this is her playing with the neighbour’s
puppy.” A toddler depicted with the dachshund puppy squeezed
between her chubby arms. Then the last one. Jo stretched out on a
cabana chair in a bikini with her daughter sitting on her lap,
matching sunscreen stripes across their cheeks. The photographer
was out of the shot.

Jean’s
momentary blush. “Oh. Hot that day huh?”

The policewoman
had thought nothing of it, until seeing her friend’s rosy
cheek.

“Hungry?”

“Starving.”

The gardener
stood, opening a lined bag and arranging an assortment of sausages
and spiced chicken on the tarnished wire frame over the fire. She
wiped off her hands and sat back beside the taller woman on the
log, shifting the embers with a long stick. The blonde didn’t seem
to mind the company, but tucked her arms into herself slightly to
make room.

A grin, her
eyes flickered over little diamond stud in Jo’s ear, her polished
nails. “I know you’re not vegetarian?”

A cautious
smile and a shake of her head. “Smells great.”

The Officer
wore a subtle scent of blossoms and musk. Jean decided it suited,
uniquely her.

That warm
smile, the occasional fleeting glance at Jean’s lips. Jo didn’t
seem uncomfortable. The older woman tried to read the signals,
unsure.

With a fork and
a pocketknife she pulled a piece of chicken off the heated wire.
Cooked nigh to perfection after a few minutes over the crackling
flame. She pulled the cut apart with her fingers, a little
stickiness stuck to the tips. She blew on the hot digits, cooling
the meat, it stung a little. Satisfied, she held the morsel out to
the blonde’s mouth.

Sitting so
close she saw her shiver. A fleck of uncertainty in her friend’s
eyes. The older woman said nothing, just watching the soft
lips.

A pink tongue,
neat white teeth, a pleased smile.

“Good?” The
word was thick in her throat. She couldn’t take her eyes off those
lips. Joanne nodded, and Jean found herself drowning in silver
grey.

Jean sucked the
remnants of spice off her own fingertip. Her tongue darting out
over her bottom lip.

A short huff of
air and the blonde stood. The hurried words came out as she strode
away, when she was almost inside the tent. “I’ll..I’ll be back in a
minute Jean, gotta check my phone.” The rustle of fabric and the
buzz of a zip closing. An unspoken barricade.

Hazelnut eyes
drifted to the ground, she threw a twig into the fire, sighing.
Thinking she’d screwed up.

Jean was sure
she’d ruined things. It hadn’t been her intention to take her
friend out here and seduce her, she had just wanted to spend time
with her. To take her away from the stress of her every day
existence. The trouble was, Jo was beautiful, but she was attracted
to more than that. Sudden melancholy, worried that their dynamic
would have changed with her more overt action, she slunk back to
her sleeping bag. Sighing softly to herself.

By the time Jo
came back out of her tent, Jean was laying on her back, arms laced
under her head. The food was cooling beside the fire.

Crunches of
footsteps over the dry leaves, the gardener arched to see the
origin of the sound. Surprisingly, Jo was heading in her direction,
a determined look on her face. Blonde hair swishing with her steps.
The tall form bent down and stretched out beside her on the bag.
Jean was confused, it didn’t help that she could hardly
breathe.

The blonde
woman sighed, her brows were drawn together in thought.

“Jo..?”

“Yes?”

“I didn’t mean
to upset you, I’m sorry.”

The tall woman
didn’t answer, instead she pointed up at the night sky. “So.
Stargazing. Do you know any of these?” Pointing to the overhead
constellations.

It took a
second to get her brain working. “Constellations..Yes.” She pointed
over to two bright stars unobscured by trees. “That’s Gemini, the
twins.”

Grey eyes
followed her arm.

“That’s Canis
Major, part of Orion. See the dog?” She pointed over to an array of
stars partly hidden by a silhouette of branches. A nod crinkled the
fabric beside her head.

Then south of
their position. “Over there..that’s..mmf!” Her next words were
muffled against soft pink lips. Pinned partly under the taller
woman’s body.

Jean’s eyes
closed after a surprised gasp. Her hand strayed to cup an angular
cheek, a few locks of honey silk caught between her fingers.

They then moved
carefully lower, stroking a chin, sliding further to a toned
shoulder. Longer digits slipped behind Jean’s neck and pulled her
closer. Kisses traded back and forth, the blonde may have expected
it to be forceful, insistent. There was passion, no doubt, but not
the harshness she was expecting. Jo could feel Jean’s pulse race
along her neck. Murmurs and a teasing tug of her bottom lip, a
brush of their tongues. Strong arms pulled her closer, gliding
across Jo’s back.

When they did
finally pull away Jo felt dazed. Her entire body heightened to
almost painful with only a kiss. Jean was gazing up at her with an
astonished look.

“I..wasn’t
expecting that.”

Grey eyes
flickered over her face. “Tell me about it. I’ve never kissed
another woman before.”

A hand reached
up to tuck her hair behind her ear. “..And how was it?”

Brief eye
contact. Her lips lowered to Jean’s again, with a softer, less
urgent exchange. Brushing of sensitive flesh, with a touch of an
exploratory tongue. Her larger hand rested on Jean’s ribs.

After a moment
Jo met her eyes and murmured. “Good.”

Jean felt
wonderfully light headed. Necking with a gorgeous blonde out in the
wilderness. Her tongue teased Jo’s bottom lip before it was allowed
entry into the Officer’s mouth. It met with a tentative press of
fingertips into Jean’s collar. They had somehow ended up side by
side, with the older woman’s arm around her.

“Jean..wait..stop. Let me catch my breath.” Mumbled against her
lips.

A husky
chuckle. “Mm. Don’t take too long.” A gentle hand stroked her
cheek.

The tanned arm
slid around to gather her closer, she rested her head on Jean’s
flexed shoulder, the woman’s palm stroking her back. There was a
comfortable mood between them, new, unfamiliar, but comfortable.
Her heart raced in her chest.

“Can I stay
here?” It was bizarre, she usually hated cuddling.

Dark brows shot
up toward her now messy bed hair.

Pale cheeks
tinted pink towards a fair temple. The older woman made her feel
like an unsure teenager again. “Oh, not like that, I mean
sleeping.”

The statement
was met with an amused grin.

Narrowed eyes.
“Damn it, you know what I mean?”

Jean chuckled
softly. “Yes, I know what you mean, and yes, you can sleep here -
on the ground with the rocks and the mosquitos and me.”

Her captured
breath released. Jo resisted the urge to nuzzle into her, she
didn’t even know what this was. They shifted slightly, a burr as
the sleeping bag zipped up around them.

***

The cop awoke
first. The creeping sun having triggered the timer on her body
clock. A moment of heightened self awareness, aware of the arm
looped around her waist. The warm body pressed against her back.
Soft breaths feathering against her neck.

The horses
nickered somewhere nearby. Early morning just before dawn, no
painting of gold, the air was still cool.

The hand
resting on her stomach stroked her belly through her t-shirt. A
yawn as the older woman woke behind her.

“Morning Jo..”
A cautious greeting. A weary stretch of denim covered legs. They
had slept fully clothed, an unusual occurrence for either of them
but neither had wanted to move.

“Good..morning
Jean.”

A barely felt
kiss pressed against the blonde’s neck. “Everything OK?”

“Y-Yes.”

Jean propped
her head on her knuckles. Her calloused hand rubbed the blonde’s
shoulder gently. “Sleep OK?”

“I think so.
Neck is sore. Must have slept funny?..”

A little grin.
“Actually, you used me as a pillow for most of the night.”

The blonde was
horrified, she sat up and rubbed her face, groaning. The sleeping
bag bunched as she moved.

***

The rest of the
hour they spent organising themselves, a kettle on the fire for hot
water, Jo got changed in her tent. Emerging in a fresh t-shirt and
long cargo shorts.

Jean was
pouring them tea when Jo joined her on the log. They hardly spoke.
Both deep in thought.

The ride back
was equally quiet, not tense, just thoughtful. Neither knew where
this would lead, only that it had been a very pleasant, revealing
evening. Jean held the reins when Jo mounted up. They both left the
clearing a little confused.

The house was
as they left it, Jean dismounted first, with a chivalrous exchange
she offered to take Jo’s hand as she got back to the ground. The
blonde responded with a twitch of her brow.

“So old
fashioned Jean..”

“Are you
complaining?”

A little over a
half hour later, the policewoman stood by the car door, looking at
her with an apprehensive smile. The horses brushed and let loose to
wander the paddock.

“Thanks Jean,
for the ride, for everything.”

A few steps
crunched in the gravel of the drive. Jean stood beside her. A hand
raised to her cheek, the blonde didn’t move away. Dextrous fingers
slipped the sunglasses off the fair angular face.

Nothing was
said, the back of her fingertips stroked Jo’s cheek gently. “Drive
carefully home, OK?”

“I will.”

A smile, the
sunglasses were given back to her. The blonde slid into the
driver’s seat and pressed the button for the window. Jean leant on
the open sill with her forearms.

“Jo?”

The blonde head
was looking over her shoulder checking the drive was clear. She
looked back to see warm eyes looking at her.

“You know where
I am, you, your little girl. You know you’re always welcome here
right?”

She smiled and
nodded. “I’ll speak to you soon Jean.”

“OK.”

Jean bit her
lip. At the risk of seeming too keen, the brunette leant through
the car door and gave her a soft peck on the lips. Jo smiled in
surprise, and brought the glasses back down over grey eyes.

“Speak soon.”
Tanned knuckles rapped on the roof and the blonde was driving
away.

A shake of her
head and a smile as she made her way back into the house.

Chapter
13

Jo had been in
and out of deep thought since their camping trip together. Even a
few days later it still played on her mind. Their shared attraction
had shaken her foundations. Before Jean’s arms were around her, she
could rationalise her feelings by saying they were friends. She
knew she wanted more. If she wasn’t so petrified of all these new
feelings, the confident, outgoing part of her might have taken
things further. If Jean had been a man she would have woken naked.
Not fully clothed, and wondering what the hell was going
on.

She was
attracted to Jean, her dreams were certainly telling her so. They
would start with some slide of skin on skin, and would always end
the same way. A nightmare as everyone looked at her with judgement
and disgust.

Home again,
she’d tidied up from what she came home to the other day. Jo felt a
bit like she was standing at a cross road, not sure which direction
would bring the crash. A chirpy little voice beside her brought her
back to the present. Annabelle was running her toy matchbox truck
over the lip of their outdoor table. A hand ruffled her daughter’s
hair, blue eyes looked over at her indignantly. She smiled at the
cute pout. She had her today, at least her daughter’s needs were
simple, she enjoyed being her mother.

“Joanne? Are
you home hon?”

A high feminine
voice and a knock on wood floated through the house. Her daughter
smiled. Their neighbour Kerry, to her toddler, ‘the one with the
puppy’ was at the door. A short round woman always full of
laughter.

Jo got up, her
daughter was already barrelling ahead of her, a little patter of
feet over the tiled floor. Slow strides as she got up to
answer.

“Just a minute
Kerry.”

The tall blonde
stood at the door, sure enough, her neighbour, their puppy and
Kerry’s three year old son were on the other side.

“Taking Ben to
the park Jo, would you and cutie like to come along?”

A smile from
the Officer, her daughter was already looking up at her with a
nodding grin.

“Sure, let me
get my stuff.” She needed some fresh air.

***

Lots of green
grass for the kids to roll around on, tall trees with thickly
weaving boughs, a play gym nearby. They sat on their usual wooden
bench. The scrawled graffiti always annoyed her. Minor crime.
Juveniles who got away with a slap on the wrist.

Jo threw the
squeaky toy to the dog as the kids vied for its attention. Kerry
smiled at her. They’d been neighbours for almost three years. Her
neighbour knew about her stressful job, knew pieces about her
difficult home life. At least - what Jo would allow to be known. No
doubt her friend could hear the shouting though.

Kerry had
become somewhat of a confidante. Her jolly disposition and youthful
cheekiness had made her guard drop before she knew it. Dinner at
Jo’s. Their children played together, the Sergeant liked Kerry’s
husband too. He was often away working the mines, home on and off.
She and Kerry kept each other company, even if it was a hello or a
quick chat at the fence.