Next Time (11 page)

Shelly laughed. “Not even close. Take my hand. Slinky, not now—stay! Heel!”

A huge splash followed by cursing propelled Ryann through the door. The first thing she noticed was Slinky walking around the deck with his back arched. Shelly slicked back her wet hair from her face and pulled the house phone from her robe. Payton was standing in waist-deep water, her breasts were visible beneath the wet shirt, and that’s where Ryann’s gaze fell and stayed.

Chapter 14

Payton awoke the next morning in her own bed, wrapped in someone else’s robe. Shadowy recollections of the previous night gradually came into focus. She remembered Ryann and Drago walking her through her front door. Ryann had pulled her boots off and tucked her into bed, and before she switched off the bedside lamp, she kissed Payton just above her left eyebrow. Payton ran her fingertips over the spot, seeing Ryann’s smile as she pulled away.

Her legs and hips ached as she climbed out of bed and stood slowly, but the pain wasn’t as intense as the night before. What hurt most was her wounded pride. She wondered what Ryann and Shelly must’ve thought of her as she crept to the bathroom.

After she brushed what felt like socks off her teeth and tongue, she ambled slowly into the kitchen and made coffee. On her table lay her phone, and there was a notification that she’d missed a call from Ryann, and a voice mail awaited her. She expected to hear, “Hey, thanks for last night, let’s do it again a few years from now.”

Ryann sounded sleepy, her voice smooth and soft. “I hope this doesn’t wake you up. I was going to write you a note, but Drago was waiting. If you wake up in the morning and worry that you ruined the night, please stop. My wild nights on the town ended a long time ago, and I probably would’ve been yawning by eleven. I had a great time, and despite what you may think, it was due to your company. I hope you slept well and you feel much better today. Call me whenever you like. Good night.”

Payton saved the voice mail and spoke to her phone. “You even sound sexy when you’re sleepy.”

The coffeemaker chirped, indicating that it had brewed her cup. Payton grabbed the mug and headed for the living room deep in thought as memories from the previous night swept through her mind. She recalled being so stunned when Shelly fell into the hot tub that she didn’t realize that half of her body was exposed. When Payton noticed that Ryann had returned to the room, she sank down into the water again. Ryann’s face flushed when she looked away, but Payton had seen something in her eyes.

Payton wasn’t naïve; she knew desire when she saw it. She thought she’d caught a glimpse of it in the casino, but Ryann had been more guarded then. She stared into space, cup halfway to her mouth, imagining what it would be like to kiss Ryann, to undress her, to find every spot that made her moan and writhe.

“Shit,” Payton breathed out as coffee dripped onto her lap and the loaned robe, underneath which she was naked. She’d removed her own wet underwear, of that she was certain. They were probably still stuffed in the pocket of her jeans. Payton at least had the presence of mind not to ride home with a wet butt. But she wondered what else Ryann saw when she’d helped her take her boots off.

*******

Eight miles away, Ryann lay in her bed staring at the ceiling, her heart pounding in her chest, phone clutched in her hand, a dilemma on her mind. She’d awoken and replayed every sight from the night before. Arousal had chased away the sluggishness of sleep. She’d composed a speech in her mind and wondered if she had the courage to voice it.

We’re both adults. I’m pretty certain we want the same thing. Let’s not think. Let’s just do, and deal with all the afterthoughts later. Come over, don’t bother getting dressed.

It sounded great in her head, but as she rehearsed it aloud, she could hear how unsure she sounded. If it had been anyone but Payton, she might’ve gone through with the call, but then, if it had been anyone else, she probably wouldn’t have been interested. So she called the only person she could.

“Please tell me you didn’t sleep with her,” Shelly said when she answered.

“I didn’t.”

“But you want to, that was so obvious last night, even before you stared at her boobs like they were made of gold. It was like you were in a trance. Scared me for a second, I was afraid I was gonna witness something a sister shouldn’t see.”

Ryann closed her eyes and laid a hand on her forehead. “I am so…I don’t know what to call it.”

“Confused and horny probably sum it up. Normally, my advice would be to get out there and burn up some of that sexual energy that’s been pent up, but Payton isn’t a transitional person. Unfortunately, for this occasion, she’s all wrong. I think she’s a nice woman, and she really likes you.”

“She’s very sweet. Is it too early for me to be feeling…having feelings for her?”

“My knee-jerk answer would be to say yes, but my gut is unsure. You admitted that you’d already lost what you felt for Leigh, and from what you said, that didn’t happen overnight. But you still felt something for her, or the revelation of her infidelity wouldn’t have hit you so hard. You’re not gonna like my final answer, but here it is. You’re going to need some time before you can discern what you’re feeling. You may be reaching out to Payton for stability. She’s nothing like Leigh, and that may be the only real draw.”

Ryann swallowed hard. “Right.”

“You’re in a precarious position, sis, and I really wasn’t joking last night when I told her not to sleep with you. She might just turn out to be Ms. Right, and you might muck that up by moving too quickly.”

“I’m glad I called you because I was really considering calling her,” Ryann admitted with a sigh.

“You woke up horny, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“That amazes me! That is the
last
thing on my mind when my eyes open. I want to brush my teeth, have a cup of coffee. Both of which never happen anymore because Anya has other ideas. Hell, I can’t even eat until I’ve been awake for a couple of hours. Let me tell you what I tell Evan, go pee.”

“That really doesn’t have the same effect on women as it does men.”

“Go shower, and if that doesn’t help, dust off your vibrator. If you don’t have one, get one. If that still doesn’t help, poot out a few kids because nothing ruins the libido like they do.”

“I’ll…just get a vibrator.”

“Good girl. Can I interest you in a ferret? I’m still a little peeved at him for last night. I guess he thought he was about to get another bath and freaked out. That’s what caused me to misstep and fall into the hot tub. You may want to tell Payton that because she apologized like a hundred times. I don’t know if she remembered me telling her it wasn’t her fault.”

“I’ll tell her when I talk to her again, which might be a week or two,” Ryann replied and thought, unless she calls me sooner.

“Sorry, honey.”

“Yeah,” Ryann said with a sigh. “Me too.”

*******

“You’re an idiot.” Jana held up a hand. “I say it with love, but it is a fact.”

“I know, I should’ve just come out and told her that my legs felt like twisted iron.”

“No, not for that, for going out with her in the first place. I’m sure she does need understanding friends, but you can’t be one of them right now, you like her too much. You should’ve waited like six months to get in touch with her. I really did make you a pie chart, you should look at it.”

Payton knew exactly what Jana meant and regretted telling her about everything she sensed and felt the night before. “In the time it takes me to get through your pie, she could be with someone else. I’m not taking that chance.”

“What is that?” Jana pointed to the foil-covered plate sitting in the middle of her kitchen table.

“They’re chocolate chip and cauliflower cookies. Grace’s latest baking experiment.”

Jana pulled the plate closer and peeked under the foil. “So what’re you gonna do?”

“Be her friend. We’ve always shot from the hip with each other. If things start to get out of hand, we’ll talk about it.”

“You didn’t shoot from the hip or the thighs last night. If you two are so open, you shouldn’t have had any problem telling her that you’d injured yourself.” Jana took a cookie from the plate and contemplated it closely.

“That was the first time she and I had done something together when it was just us. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity or have her feeling sorry for me. Bite the cookie.”

Jana sniffed at it. “Have you tried one?”

“Hell no.”

Jana raised it to her lips, and her eyes flashed wide. “I can’t believe I forgot to tell you this, but Melanie is moving in with me next weekend. We need your help, by the way. We’re gonna rent a moving van, so we won’t have to make a million trips back and forth.”

“Congratulations,” Payton said with a smile. “I’ll be happy to help.” She was thoughtful for a moment. “Is Leigh still living next door?”

Jana nodded. “Melanie doesn’t see much of her.” She bit into the cookie with her eyes closed. “Soft…not so bad.” But her facial expression changed after she chewed a little bit and swallowed. “Odd aftertaste. I still think you should date other people, even though you’re hanging out with Ryann.”

“Jana, how many dates have I gone on lately? I took the profile down, I told you that.”

“And I told you that was a big mistake. Had you used it and talked to some of those women, you might not be so wrapped up in Ryann now.”

Payton made a face when Jana bit into the cookie again. “Are you really going to eat that?”

“I finish what I start. Besides, all I had for breakfast was a protein shake, Melanie made it with kale. Eating healthy sucks.”

“Work out with me.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Drago, the cabbie, suggested I take some…cave mango classes. He said it gets you into shape while you learn self-defense. I think I might try it.”

Jana smiled. “You mean Krav Maga?”

“Yeah, that. You know anything about it?”

Jana grinned. “Yep, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.”

After Jana’s visit, Payton washed Shelly’s robe, and thankfully, the coffee stains came out. It was the perfect excuse to call Ryann, and she took advantage, but her attempt went to voice mail.

“Um, hey, I got your message. Thanks for making me feel better and for taking care of me last night. I washed Shelly’s robe, I can run it out to you whenever you want.” Payton cleared her throat. “Drago told me that his cousin teaches Krav Mango, and I was thinking about trying it out. It’s supposed to be good exercise. Want to join me? Give me a call whenever, and we’ll talk about it. Bye.”

Chapter 15

“Jason, look at me.” Ryann waited until the boy standing in front of her desk slowly met her gaze. “There’s no reason you should be failing this class. You have to open your book, and you must read what’s inside of it. You also need to go over your study guides. Just from looking at your test scores, I know you’re not doing that. I like you, but I’m not just going to give you a passing grade. Do you want to remain on the basketball team?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said as he looked away again.

Ryann stared at Jason. Fresh from practice, his blond hair was wet, and he smelled like a dog, but he was a good kid. She knew he struggled with math, and that was probably where he was putting in all his effort, aside from basketball practice.

“To do that, you have to make the grades. You’re a great athlete, but that’s only going to get you so far. I’m going to give you one shot to pull up your score. When you come to class on Friday, you need to submit a report on the Louisiana Purchase. Don’t make the mistake of copying it out of your textbook, I want fifteen hundred of your own words, explaining the significance.” Ryann stood and gathered her things. “I have to submit your scores to the office that afternoon. If you’re still failing, you’ll be kicked off the team. I’d hate to see that happen to you, but that’s your choice.”

“Yes, ma’am, I’ll have it done.”

“Let’s get out of here, it’s been a long day,” Ryann said as she switched off her lights.

Jason walked beside her as they made their way through the halls toward the parking lot. “Please don’t be mad when I say this, Ms. Seely, but history is so boring. I try to read it, but I fall asleep.”

“I understand,” Ryann said with a slight smile. “Here’s the deal, though. Even after school, you’re going to have to read and retain things that aren’t very interesting. In life, we have to do things we don’t enjoy. I despise reading any kind of technical forms, all of those words become just one big jumble of…bleh. When I bought my car, though, I read all the fine print before I signed my name to anything.”

“What’s knowing about the Louisiana Purchase gonna do for me when I buy a car?”

“Not much,” Ryann said with a laugh. “You’ll know how to read and retain what you’ve learned. You’ll apply that to everything you do in life.”

A gust of cold wind hit Ryann when Jason opened the outer doors for her. In the distance, she could see her car in the lot, and parked next to it was Leigh’s. Her heart started to pound, but not in excitement over seeing her again. The anticipation of the drama that would probably ensue spiked her adrenaline.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ms. Seely,” Jason said as he headed to the bike racks.

“Be careful,” Ryann said distractedly.

She took her time on the walk toward her car to prepare herself for the confrontation. She also wanted Jason to be on his way in case tempers flared. Ryann was already ticked off that Leigh had ignored her warning and had shown up at her job.

Leigh got out of her car when Ryann drew close and held up her hands in surrender. “I don’t have your number, and I don’t know where you live. This is the only place I can get in touch with you.” She popped her trunk and pulled out a box. “I found this in one of the closets. They’re your family photos and I think a few of your high school yearbooks.”

“You know where Shelly lives,” Ryann said, keeping her distance.

Leigh looked at her like she was crazy. “I’m not going over there, your sister is insane. I found the dirty socks she stuffed into my pillowcase. It doesn’t take a detective to figure out who did that.”

Ryann opened her own trunk, then moved back a couple of steps. Leigh stared at her for a second and relocated the box into her car. “Are we done?” Ryann asked when Leigh closed the lid.

“Are you dating Payton?”

Ryann folded her arms. “That’s none of your business anymore.”

“You were more than buddies with her when we were together. How long have you been seeing her?”

Ryann wanted to fight, she truly wanted to just get into Leigh’s face and scream until she went hoarse. The school parking lot wasn’t the place, though, and she knew she’d be giving in to Leigh’s game. She inhaled deeply and tried to keep her tone as neutral as she could. “I never cheated on you, even though we were together for eight years, and you weren’t faithful for one of them.”

“I thought you knew,” Leigh said as casually as if she’d been talking about the weather. “You just…stopped asking questions. You didn’t seem to care.”

Rage swept through Ryann like a wildfire, her entire body shook with it. “I didn’t have a clue, you knew that,” she spat out. “If that lie makes you feel better or helps you cope, then by all means, hold on to it. I’m leaving now. Get out of the way.”

Leigh narrowed her eyes. “Are you afraid to come near me for some reason, or are you afraid that Payton might see us standing too close?”

“I don’t even want to brush against you.” Ryann walked around the front of her car and opened the door, but what Leigh said next brought her to a stop.

“I can easily find Payton.”

“Was that a threat?”

“Did I say anything that sounded violent?” Leigh asked with a shrug.

“I put up with your jealous bullshit for way too long. You’re the one who’s insane if you think I will now.” Ryann smiled. “You think my sister’s crazy? She’s not the one that’ll go
Silent of the Lambs
on your ass.”

“It’s
Silence
.”

“Whatever, meat suit,” Ryann said before she got into her car and slammed the door.

*******

Payton had worked in her studio until around three, but since she’d skipped chores during the weekend, she decided to clean house. She was knee deep in piles of laundry on her living room floor that she’d sorted when her phone rang. Her heart did a little dance when she saw the name on the ID.

“Hey, Ryann, what’s up?”

“I’m about a block from your house. I need to talk to you.”

“Okay, see you in a minute.”

Payton stared at her phone when Ryann hung up without saying anything else. Then she looked down at what she was wearing. Laundry day was crappy clothing day. She had on a pair of orange sweatpants that were so short they looked like capri pants and a red and black flannel shirt that should’ve been placed in the trash a long time ago. She had a tube sock tied around her head to keep her hair out of her eyes. Her first inclination was to change as fast as she could, but Ryann’s tone sounded ominous. She felt there was no reason to dress for what she suspected would be a “kiss off” conversation.

Perhaps, all the interest was hers alone, and she’d read too much into Ryann’s gazes. She didn’t have much time to dwell on that notion when she heard a car door slam. Payton steeled herself for what was to come and opened the front door.

Ryann looked her over from head to toe. “That outfit…does it help you concentrate or something?”

“Laundry and cleaning day since I was infirmed over the weekend. Come in, and try not to judge me by what you see.”

Ryann turned and pointed at the bunny birdbath in the middle of Payton’s front yard. “That was a surprise. You don’t really seem like the type.”

“I’m not, that’s my neighbor’s doing. There’s a gnome, too. I’ve tried to kill it a few times, but the damn thing is indestructible.”

Ryann stepped inside when Payton moved out of the way. She didn’t look around and met Payton’s wary gaze. “Leigh was waiting in the parking lot when I walked out of school today.”

“Did you pepper spray her and now you need a place to hide?”

Ryann gritted her teeth and shook her head. “I forgot all about the damn spray.”

“Would you like to come into the kitchen and have a seat? I’ll get you something to drink.” Payton didn’t wait for a response. She listened to the click of Ryann’s heeled boots on her wooden floors and closed her eyes. She loved a woman in heels. “Glass of wine?”

“Yes.” Ryann didn’t sit at the table; instead, she leaned against the counter and watched as Payton poured two glasses of merlot. “She came under the pretense of giving me some of my things back, but it quickly became obvious that her intent was to question me about you. I didn’t answer any of her questions, but just as I got into my car, she said she could find you easily. Either she’s been following me again, or Melanie told her we’ve been doing things together. I find it hard to believe that Melanie would do that.”

Payton met Ryann’s gaze as she handed her a glass. “I assume that was Leigh’s way of saying she wants to kick my ass. Is she talking smack, or is she really the type?”

“She blustered a lot when she was throwing one of her jealous fits, but when faced with whomever she had an issue, she never said a word, and she certainly never hit anyone. She never touched me in that way, either, but obviously, I never really knew her.”

Payton watched the way Ryann’s hand shook as she lifted the glass to her lips. “I’m not afraid of her. Are you?”

Ryann swallowed and set the glass down. “I don’t want her coming over here and causing you any problems. I’m sure the last thing you want going on in your front yard is dyke drama. Now that I think of it, it was really stupid for me to come straight here, she could’ve followed. I’m sorry.”

“Do you need a hug?” Payton asked with a smile. Ryann chuckled as Payton walked around the kitchen cabinet and held open her arms. “Come on in.”

Ryann wrapped her arms around Payton’s waist and set her chin on her shoulder. “I made that stupid
Silent of the Lambs
threat again, and she corrected me. That made me furious.”

Payton snorted with laughter as she wrapped her arms snugly around her. “Did you ever see the movie?”

“No, I don’t like serial killer flicks. Shelly told me about it.”

“I didn’t think so. The killer didn’t make meat suits, he took their skin. So when you want to sound really vicious, you say something like… ‘I’ll skin you and wear one of your ass cheeks like a beanie.’”

“That’s really gross,” Ryann said as she continued to hold on. “But I suppose ‘I’ll snap you like a broomstick’ doesn’t have the same effect. I could’ve, though, she pissed me off that bad. She stood there with accusation in her eyes and asked if we’d had an affair. Her! The one who fessed up to four affairs, but I’m sure the number was much higher. I’m getting pissed all over again.”

Tex bought me an ax one time when someone called my work drivel. A storm brought a tree down in my backyard, and he told me to go out there and just hack the hell out of it. I have an entire cord of chopped wood, and I don’t even have a fireplace. If you’d like to come over sometime and work out some aggression, I have some logs to split.”

“Do you have clothes I could borrow that don’t look like what you’re wearing?”

Payton pulled back and looked at Ryann. “Do you seriously want to chop a log?”

“Yeah,” Ryann said without a smile. “This was a shitty day. One student puked in my trash can, I slammed the door on the belt of my coat and dragged it all the way to school, and you know the rest.”

“What size shoe do you wear?”

“An eight.”

Payton smiled. “I’m an eight and a half, you’ll fit fine.”

*******

Ryann looked adorable in a pair of Payton’s old baggy jeans, a sweatshirt, and boots. She’d swiped a ball cap off the rack by the door and stuck it on her head backward. Payton handed her a pair of gloves, then the ax. She set a log on top of the stump.

“Now what you want to do is hit—” Payton jumped when the thwack of the ax hitting the wood echoed off the wooden fence in her backyard, and she stared at Ryann in surprise.

Ryann smirked and adjusted the gloves. “I get the impression that you think I’m a sissy. I like clothes and makeup, but underneath, I’m pretty tough. Don’t tell my sister that, though. She tries to get me to do things her husband conveniently forgets and she doesn’t want to bother with.” Ryann planted a hand on her hip. “I grew up in the country. I can drive a tractor, back up a trailer into just about anything, and I know how to split wood.”

Payton put another log on the stump and watched Ryann swing the ax with no hesitation. She’d never been so turned on in her life. “What else can you do?”

“I like machinery,” Ryann said as she set her next log. “I can operate a dozer, backhoe, and—you okay? Your face is all flushed.”

Payton didn’t answer. Ryann was like a female version of Superman. Her disguise was a sexy femme, but underneath, she was strong with a love of heavy equipment. Payton had never been so turned on in her life.

“Hey,” Ryann said and snapped her fingers. “Payton?”

“I’m sorry.” Payton blinked rapidly. “I…my mind wandered there for a second. I was just thinking it might get interesting this weekend when I help Jana move Melanie out of her house,” she blurted out, then regretted the admission when Ryann’s expression turned dark.

Ryann slammed the ax into the log with a growl. “I’m going with you.”

“I don’t think that’d be a good idea. She’s just making assumptions right now, but if she sees us together, it might drive her right into Crazyville.” Payton watched as the muscles along Ryann’s jaw twitched. “I’m not one to fight. I see no reason to get physical unless I or someone I care about is in imminent danger. If she sees me and decides to start something, I’ll just go inside Melanie’s house and call the police if I have to.” She grabbed another log and set it on the stump. “You look like you need this.”