Out Of This World (18 page)
That did it. The tears did their little escape artist thing and fell freely down my cheeks. “Oh, Sydney…”
“Oh, Mabs, what’s wrong? It’s too soon, isn’t it? I’m so sorry. I’m such an idiot. You don’t feel the same way. Friends then. We can be friends. Please, I can’t lose you as a friend. I swear it’s enough. I promise I won’t do anything to make you uncomfortable again…”
I placed my index finger over her mouth to stop her rambling. “I’m not uncomfortable. I’m just overcome with emotion that anyone would do something so special for me. God, Sydney, how could you not know that I’ve been madly in love with you since the fifth grade?” I blurted this out. What a time for my censorship to fail me.
She blinked once and then expelled the air she’d been holding. “And how could you not know that I’ve been madly in love with you since puberty when I realized I liked girls? By then you’d turned into this beautiful young woman. If you remember, I was a late bloomer. I always knew when you were in the same room as me. My eyes would follow your every movement, until you would look up, and then I’d quickly glance away. I was always afraid you would catch me and tell me to stop mooning over you because it was never gonna happen. I don’t think Hollie would have been as much of a bitch if she hadn’t realized my feelings for you.”
“You really mean that?”
“I’ve never meant anything more in my entire life. I love you, Mabs, always have and always will.” Sydney crushed her lips to mine and showed me just how serious she was. This time I could feel the emotion behind the kiss. This wasn’t just a physical joining of our body parts to elicit a sexual response, it was something far deeper. I melted into her arms.
I was still basking in the glory of the kiss and didn’t quite register Sydney carefully setting aside all the wonderful picnic items she’d pulled from her magic bag. After clearing the mat, she laid me down onto the comfortable foam and continued her attack on my lips. She was gently sucking and biting my bottom lip as her tongue snagged mine in the ancient dance of love. One or both of us groaned and the feelings washed over me like a ten-foot tidal wave. I was feeling way too good to panic yet, that would come later.
Her kisses traversed down to my neck and I discovered how much I enjoyed the exploration of this erogenous zone. “Oh my God, that feels heavenly,” I managed to cry out.
What I was feeling was a hundred times more powerful than my first kiss with Celeste. I wanted to feel Sydney, all of her, on top of me and inside me. I didn’t know how to tell her this.
“I want to make love to you, Mabs, but if we’re rushing this then please tell me to stop, because pretty soon we are going to reach the point of no return.”
“Don’t stop,” was all that I managed to get out.
Sydney snaked her hand under my T-shirt and brushed gently against the sides of my bra. The sensation went directly to the lower half of my body and I swear my brain told my vagina to start making lubricant because a flush of wetness landed inside my panties. Goodness knows, I’d read about this particular reaction hundreds of times, but to actually feel it was indescribable.
Sydney lifted off of me and asked, “Can I take your top off?”
I immediately felt the loss of our connection and I wanted so badly to feel it again, but this time I wanted to feel flesh on flesh. I nodded and blushed as I boldly declared, “Only if you take yours off, too.”
Her years as a Paramedic/Firefighter must have paid off, because she had her shirt and running bra off in a matter of seconds. I guess they have to change in a hurry when the call comes to respond to an emergency. Yet she took her time removing mine and I felt every part of her fingers as they caressed my skin when she removed my clothing.
I was really glad she was taking the lead, because despite my book knowledge there was nothing like direct practice to really become competent in a new skill. I was sure that Sydney had a whole lot of direct practice to ensure competence, because so far, she was playing my body like a rare violin.
Sydney lay back down on top of me and our naked breasts made contact with one another for the first time. It was electric and I felt like a river was now flowing between my legs. Her knee gently spread my legs and she began slowly rocking against me. I was quickly coming unglued and started panting.
“I can feel your wetness through our shorts. I don’t want to rush you, but if I can’t touch you or taste you in the next few minutes, I think I might die from anticipation. Can I please remove the rest of your clothes?” she pleaded.
“Yes, please,” I begged.
Once again, she removed her shorts in record time and I noted she wasn’t wearing underwear. She stroked my breasts as her hand traveled to my stomach and then the top button of my cargo shorts. Her fingers deftly undid the button and slowly pushed down the zipper.
I felt vulnerable with the shorts splayed open, almost like the filleted fish we had for dinner the previous night. When she caressed my panties, all thoughts of anything but her hands touching my body promptly flew from my brain.
My breath hitched.
“Is this still okay?”
“Oh, yes,” I answered.
She slid my panties down and tossed them to the side. It would have been comical to look upon our nakedness with the exception of hiking boots and socks had I not been feeling everything so intensely. Maybe one day I would laugh about this, but for right now, I just wanted her to touch me.
She didn’t disappoint me and was gliding her thumb through my wetness while she wasted no time entering me with her middle finger.
“Oh, God, yessss,” I hissed, and I bucked to meet her hand.
As she simultaneously stroked my clit and pushed and in out with just one finger, I climbed rapidly to what I was sure would be a monumental crescendo. I was almost there when she abruptly stopped. I groaned in protest.
“Shhhh. I have to taste you and then I can die a happy woman,” she whispered into my ear.
Her words brought goosebumps to my entire body. “Okay,” I squeaked out.
She kissed and licked her way down my body. Her gentle hands parted my thighs as her tongue found its desired destination. She started to lick and suck gently on the hood and every time the tip of her tongue found my clit, it sent shockwaves through my body. When her thumb gently played with my opening before finding its way inside, beginning a slow tortuous rhythm, I was done for. My climax exploded all over her face and hand.
“Yesss, Sydney, Sydney, Sydney,” I chanted. She was a Goddess and I was paying homage to her.
“I guess if you’re not even going to call out Syd in the throes of passion, I better just accept that you’ll never call me Syd again. I can live with that.”
I lay there spent and exhausted by both the physical and emotional gift she’d given me. I opened one eye and looked at her exquisite body stretched out before me. I felt like she was an offering to me. Immediately recharged by the vision before me I stroked her breast and rolled one of her nipples between my fingers before clamping my mouth on top and sucking.
“Oh, God, don’t stop,” she moaned.
I gave myself a little pep talk. I can do this. How hard can it be? I’ll just try to follow the instructions in my erotica books. Well they weren’t exactly instructions, but close enough.
Sydney must have sensed my hesitation. “Mabs, you don’t have to do this. I’m good.”
That sweet declaration was all I needed to bolster my resolve that I could indeed do this.
“Yes you are good,” I teased. “Oh Sydney, don’t you realize how desperately I want to do this. You know I’ve never, uh, you know…”
“Just touch me. Everything feels good. There aren’t any right or wrong ways, you know.”
“I know. I just want to make you feel as good as you made me feel,” I confessed.
Sydney grabbed my hand and placed it on her soft curls. “Feel how hot and wet I am. You did that. I can take more than one finger.”
I began stroking her clit and her hips lifted off the mat to greet my fingers.
After less than a minute, she cried out, “Please go inside.”
I tentatively entered her with two fingers and she reared up in an attempt to have me go deeper.
“More please,” she begged.
I slipped in a third finger and pumped a little faster. She was panting now and I could feel her walls begin to close in around my fingers.
“Oh, God, Mabs, I’m coming. Don’t stop, please don’t stop.”
Not on my life would I stop. Greg could have a gun to my head right now and I wouldn’t stop what I was doing. I watched Sydney as she climaxed and it was the most glorious sight I’d ever seen. I wanted to spend an eternity making love with Sydney O’Donnell.
After she relaxed and the last quiver ended, I kissed her. “I love you.”
“And I love you. I’m not just saying that because you just gave me the best orgasm of my entire puny existence.” She looked at me with such love in her eyes that I knew she was telling me the truth.
I snuggled into her arms as she wrapped me in her protective cocoon. I felt safe and secure there. Everything felt right and I knew this as all the puzzle pieces of my life shifted into place. I was meant to be in her arms. Celeste knew this when she told me that Sydney was my energy mate. I wanted her to find that again with someone. I wanted her to feel what I felt.
I will now. Thank you, Bella. I can now take this feeling back to my home planet.
The words resonated in my head, but instead of feeling violated, I was relieved that Celeste could experience what I was feeling through our connection. I now understood that we did have a connection, but it wasn’t the same as my connection with Sydney.
I wondered if was wrong for me to keep this from Sydney. I didn’t think she would want to share this with Celeste, but you weren’t supposed to keep things from the person you loved. I had to figure out a way to tell her this without her feeling violated or angry. I couldn’t imagine her getting mad, but this little revelation might hurt her.
She stirred and looked at me. I suppose she felt my unease with how to explain what just happened. “Please tell me you don’t regret this. It will break my heart if you do.”
“No, no, nothing like that, but I do have something I have to tell you and I’m not sure you’re going to like it,” I hedged.
“Mabs, you can tell me anything.”
“Well, uh, what would you think about Celeste experiencing what just happened?” I asked tentatively.
“Oh, that. I thought I felt her energy or whatever it is. I can’t really explain this, but I didn’t mind really. I know that you have a connection with her. She calls it an energy connection, but somehow she’s managed to make it agreeable. I don’t feel like it’s an intrusion or anything. I think she just wanted to experience love. Love is a beautiful thing. If that is how she needed to experience love to understand the concept so she can bring it back to her planet, I’m okay with it. It doesn’t take anything away from my feelings or our connection. It’s not like she was some kind of piggish male voyeur, looking to get his rocks off.”
“Have I told you lately how much I love you?” I tightened my hold on her.
“Yep, but you can tell me again. I don’t mind.”
I gave her a peck on the lips and stretched as I sat up. I looked down at our hiking boots attached to our naked bodies and burst out laughing.
“What?” she asked.
I pointed to our boots.
She joined me and her body rocked with laughter. “I don’t suppose this is a story we want to tell our kids about.”
My eyes got wide. “You want kids?”
“Well sure. Don’t you?”
“Uh, yeah, I guess,” I stammered.
She frowned. “But not with me?”
“Oh, no, no, no. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather have kids with, but you really think that’s our future?”
“No doubt in my mind. I’d have asked you to marry me at thirteen, but it wasn’t legal back then.”
“Um, can we date a little first? This is all a bit new for me. I’d prefer several more steamy months of sex before we settle into lesbian domesticity. Also shove me off a cliff if we ever experience lesbian bed death.”
“Deal.” She stuck out her hand and we shook. She looked up at the sky. “We should probably eat some of my carefully prepared picnic and head back before Celeste starts to worry.” I helped her put the food back on the mat.
“Thanks, Sydney. If this was our first date, I must say it was definitely memorable.”
Sydney intertwined her fingers with mine as we walked through the woods. She would periodically stop to pick a wildflower and hand it to me. I had quite a collection. She would prattle on about each plant sharing her knowledge of the local fauna. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I already knew about most of the plants. As a librarian, I read everything I could get my hands on and this included all the nature field guides for the Pacific Northwest.
It was late afternoon as we came close to the campsite. I could still smell smoke from the fire so I knew we were close. I was glad that even though Celeste had stayed back to read, she’d been with me the whole time through whatever energy connection we had. I was just about to call out to her when someone clamped a hand over my mouth and I felt the cold steel against my temple. When I turned around, I locked eyes with a very pissed off Greg. At least that’s the impression I distinctly got from his energy signature. I was picking up Celeste’s lingo as much as she was assimilating ours.
Sydney’s arm flailed as another man grabbed her from behind. He wasn’t quick enough to stop her from yelling out, “Celeste, run…”
“That was incredibly stupid of you, and if you don’t want to see your little girlfriend in a world of hurt, you’ll get Celeste to come with us peaceably. If you help us, I promise you we won’t kill you. No one would believe you if you tried to talk about this anyway, so our orders have changed and we’re allowed to spare your lives. It’s a win-win situation. You help us, we help you.”
I should have told Sydney and Celeste about my uneasiness earlier, but I honestly thought we had more time. I’d underestimated Hurricane Hollie. I knew she would contact Greg the minute she got to the cabin and found it empty. If there was blood on the guest room bed sheets, that would have fueled her sense of panic. I was just guessing here, but I’d bet my house that’s how they found us so quickly.
As they were leading us at gunpoint to the campsite, I heard the words in my head. Celeste was talking to me, Do not worry, Bella, they will not catch me unawares again. I felt your anxiety long before Sydney warned me. Just follow their instructions and I will take care of the rest.
As we entered the clearing, Celeste gently placed Gizmo on the ground and stood to face her attackers. She raised her face to the sun and spread her arms out. This time, the glow from her body was not a soft purple light, but an angry magenta, and as she directed the light in their direction, the guns glowed red hot in their hands before dropping in the grass and seeping into the ground after turning into a liquid. The men grabbed their heads and screamed in agony.
A third man rushed out from behind the massive tree with a Taser in his hands. I opened my mouth to warn Celeste, but it was too late just as Celeste whirled around and directed a burst of energy in his direction the Taser jolted her. The two energy blasts each hit their target, and as the Taser went flying, following the same fate as the guns, Celeste twitched like a grotesque form of modern dance. The magenta light started to fade to the soft purple light I was more accustomed to, but not before the third man held his head and grimaced. All three men were now on their knees.
Celeste collapsed to the ground and I ran to her side cradling her head in my arms. Her eyes rolled back and her state of unconsciousness alarmed me. I tried to check for a pulse, but I didn’t even know if aliens had a heart to pump blood to their life giving organs. She remained motionless in my arms.
All three men seemed to be in a trance-like state and they sat placidly on the ground.
“What the hell just happened?” Sydney called out.
“I don’t know. I don’t know. Celeste isn’t moving and I can’t feel her pulse. I don’t know how to help her.” I started crying.
“She’s always gotten better after a few hours in the sun. Maybe if we just lay her out on a blanket in the sun, it will help.”
“I don’t think that’s enough this time. Oh God, this is all my fault. I knew they would come looking for us,” I blubbered.
Sydney came over and kneeled on the other side, picking up Celeste’s hand and holding it while she caressed my cheek. “No, hon, it’s not your fault. You have to trust that Celeste knew what she was doing. I don’t think she could live with herself if something happened to you because of her.”
Gizmo who had been crouched on the ground slithered over and jumped on top of Celeste while I cradled her in my arms. I was just about to gently remove my cat, when she started licking her face. I was openly weeping and Sydney was crying right along with me, when Celeste opened her eyes.
“What is the big hairy deal, you crybabies?” Celeste asked with a smirk on her face. “I am particularly fond of that figure of speech.”
I smacked her arm. “Jesus, don’t ever scare me like that again.”
Celeste sat up, and although she was still a little wobbly and her skin tone lacked that healthy glow, she was upright and talking.
“Damn, Celeste, I thought you were a goner for sure. What happened?” Sydney asked.
“As I explained before, everything has an energy signature that can be read and focused, even emotions like love and sadness. I did not realize this until I met you, sweet Bella. We are a dispassionate race and that will be our ultimate downfall unless I am able to bring back all I have learned. Your emotions, along with the emotions of Gizmo, flooded my system with life-giving energy. I absorbed the love from both of you and your furry friend, enough to continue my survival until I am able to properly recharge,” Celeste explained.
“I don’t think you’re as dispassionate as you think. Don’t forget, I’ve heard you talk about your energy mate. You may not have realized what it was, but it sure sounded like love to me with a side order of passion.”
“Perhaps you are correct. My reaction to the demise of my energy mate was similar to this emotion you call anger. At the very least, the guardians were not pleased and considered it a rebellion. They gave me the choice of space exploration or temporary placement at a re-education center. I am sorry I did not confess the whole story earlier. I let you believe I followed in the footsteps of my caretaker rather than a forced option. The truth is that I refused to seek out another energy mate. It was an unacceptable reaction. On my world, they categorize those who do not seek out energy mates as mutants and outcasts. I was not a fully functioning member of society. It is unfortunate that I had to travel hundreds of light years away to open myself to another energy mate and, just my luck, your signature is more suitable with another. I will miss you, Bella.”
We were still somehow connected and I could feel her anguish. It felt like my heart was breaking right along with hers. I don’t know what Sydney was feeling, but she placed a protective hand on my back and started rubbing.
“You’re going to leave us, aren’t you?” I swiped away my tears.
“I cannot survive on your planet long term with only one sun and no energy mate. I would not last one of your Earth’s years.” She looked up at me and the tears in her eyes fell freely down her face.
“What about if we can find you an energy mate? I don’t want you to leave. I just found you. We still have so much to learn from each other. You made me feel beautiful. I know I can’t be your energy mate, but I can be your friend. Remember when I told you there were many different kinds of love. I love you, Celeste. Please stay.”
“Oh, Bella, I will never forget what you taught me. I understand love now. I love you, too, but I don’t think my love is the same as yours. Love hurts, but it is also the most wondrous feeling. I understand the saying,
it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all
. I am twice blessed and twice cursed, but as your people would say,
three times is a charm
. I will search for love on my own planet and I will teach others.” Celeste picked up two rocks and closed her hand as her purple light transformed them into two perfect diamonds. She opened her hand and offered them to us. “Use these for your ritual of love and remember me fondly when you recite your vows.”
“I know I will never forget you. Thank you, Celeste.” I took the offered diamonds. “We will cherish these gifts. I don’t know if the Kindle will work on your planet, but it seems like you really are enjoying our slang. I’ll load a bunch of other books about love on the reader for you.”
“I would like that,” she graciously responded.
Giving her my Kindle seemed like such a lame thing to do. I wanted to give her something more personal to remember us by, but I couldn’t think fast enough to know what that might be. Nothing I owned was valuable or sentimental. Then I got an idea that might seem entirely outrageous and ridiculous to some, but ended up being the perfect gift in the end.
“Celeste, you asked me to go back with you, right?” I asked.
Her eyes brightened. “Oh yes, I did.”
“Does that mean you could take Gizmo with you?”
Celeste smiled. “Yes, of course I could, but she is your special companion. Wouldn’t you miss her?”
“More than you know. She’s been my everything since I adopted her, but now I have Sydney and I won’t feel so alone anymore. Gizmo is very friendly and usually gets along with almost everyone. I can tell she’s really bonded with you—more than any other. She’s fixed so she can’t have any kittens or anything, but I think she can teach you about another kind of love.” I picked up Gizmo and placed her in Celeste’s arms.
Celeste brought Gizmo to her chest, hugging and kissing her. “Oh, Bella. I will take such good care of Gizmo and I will give her the energy needed to have baby kittens. This gift will not only be for me, but for my planet. I will treasure her always.”
“Do you think that maybe you will be able to come back someday and visit?” Sydney asked. “Um, I don’t really know how long it takes to travel from Sisterna to Earth,” she added.
“I cannot promise anything, but it is not outside of the realm of possibility,” Celeste answered.
“When will you have to leave?” I asked.
“I will need to fully recharge before attempting to make the journey back home. One more day under the sunshine should be sufficient.”
Sydney glanced over to the three men who remained nearly catatonic. “What about the three stooges there?” She pointed at our attackers.
Celeste frowned. “I am sorry. I let my anger control my reaction to them. I do not know if the memory removal will be permanent or temporary. However, I would guess the current state they are in may last for several weeks.”
“Hmmm. How ironic that Greg may end up in the very place he claimed to want to take you back to. Karmic justice is a bitch. Sydney, do you have any ideas about how we can get someone to take them to a hospital or something until they recover?” I asked.
“I suppose we could make an anonymous call about three strange guys roaming around in the mountains and provide the authorities with the general location after we pack up in a day or two. Will we at least be able to feed them until we’re ready for the forest service to
find
them?”
“I believe they will be able to follow rudimentary commands,” Celeste answered.
“I’m not giving up my sleeping bag, so I hope they like sleeping under the stars on whatever extra blanket or pad we have to offer. Too bad they’re catatonic. I’d pay money to see the bear come back and scare the shit out of them.” I giggled.
“You’re evil, but I like it,” Sydney stated.
I smacked my hands together. “Well now that we have everything settled, I do believe it’s time to pull out the meat for dinner. I have a confession to make.”
Sydney raised her eyebrow.
“I’m so glad tomorrow will be our last day camping because I don’t think I can make it two whole weeks without you know…uh…taking care of my biological needs. I refuse to dig some hole in the ground and squat like a heathen over it while I do my business. It was touch and go this morning, but I managed to avoid the necessary evil after my coffee. I was trying to come up with some reason to take the Jeep and head to the nearest town.”
It’s amazing how our brain signals can convince our bodies of just about anything. My locked up tight sphincter muscles were obeying me. Nothing was coming out that I didn’t want to release until I was good and ready. I giggled to myself because only a nerd would talk about their sphincter muscles, but no matter how much of a doofus I was, Sydney still loved me.
“You’re kidding, right?” Sydney asked.
“Nope, I’m really not, so for future reference, two days is my limit,” I said.