Shannon was framed in the oblong lens looking right at her.

Caroline didn’t know whether she was up to seeing Shannon.

She was exhausted and, considering her reawakening feelings toward her, she knew she needed to be at her sharpest whenever she was with her. She didn’t want to get caught up in the memory and say or do something she would regret later. Against her better judgment, she opened the door.

Caroline’s stomach jumped when Shannon’s face softened and she smiled. Her smile, with the slight dimple on her left cheek, had taken her breath away ten years ago and still had the same effect.

“I hope I’m not bothering you,” Shannon said tentatively.

“No, not at all.” Caroline closed the top of her nightgown when Shannon noticed the exposed flesh.

“I just wanted to…uh…compliment you on your ride today.”

Shannon shifted her weight from foot to foot the way she used to when she was nervous.

“Thanks. I’m glad you’re okay.” That was the best she could do and even that was difficult. She was still pissed that Shannon had risked

• 134 •


Descent

her life to race when she might not have been ready. She certainly wasn’t going to congratulate her for doing something stupid.

It looked like Shannon wanted to say more and Caroline deliberated on whether or not to give her an opening. Silence hung in the air like fog before Shannon finally spoke.

“May I come in?”

A combination of excitement and uncertainty coursed through Caroline’s body. What did she want? What else could she possibly have to say? A dozen other questions popped in her mind in the second it took her to make up her mind. Opening the door was just as much a signal for Shannon to come into the room as it was for her to step back into her life.

Shannon’s hair smelled like strawberries again when she walked by and Caroline’s hand shook as she closed the door. When she turned around Shannon was standing at the foot of the bed, looking at it as if it were going to swallow her. Caroline walked around her and opened the door to the minibar.

“Would you like something to drink?”

Shannon chuckled nervously. “I’d like a strong drink, but no thanks, I’m fine.”

Watching Shannon’s body language, Caroline knew she was anything but relaxed. She was wringing her hands, and her gaze shifted around the room before finally settling on Caroline. Shannon was making her nervous.

“Is there something on your mind?” Caroline wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer to her question.

“Can we be friends?” Shannon asked softly in a rush of air.

Caroline wasn’t sure if she heard her correctly. Could they be friends? Did she mean like hang out together, talk about their girlfriends, and go shopping?

“Are you fucking kidding?”

“I guess I am. You know me, the jokester?” This time her laugh was sarcastic and she stepped to the other side of the small room. “What ever would make me think you’d want to be civil with me? I must have hit my head harder than I thought I did when I fell. Maybe I should crash again. Maybe this time it’ll knock some sense into me.” The last sentence was directed more toward herself than Caroline.

• 135 •


JuliE CaNNoN

The image of Shannon lying crumpled on the ground flashed in her eyes and her stomach dropped from where it was lodged in her throat to just above her crotch. “Don’t say that, Shannon.”

“Why not? It’s obvious you don’t want anything to do with me.

You probably wish I’d hurt myself bad enough you could just coast to the winner’s circle.”

Shannon’s eyes flashed in anger sparking Caroline’s own answering furor. She marched the five steps to close the gap between them. “Don’t you dare put words in my mouth.” Caroline pointed her finger at Shannon. “You don’t know the first thing about me. You don’t know what I’m thinking. You have no idea what I want and you certainly can’t speak for me.” Caroline jabbed her finger into Shannon’s chest emphasizing each point as she made it. When she was finished she was practically toe-to-toe with her.

“I know more about you than you do about yourself. I know what makes you tick. I know what buttons to push and levers to turn to make you crazy, and don’t think I won’t use them to my advantage.”

Shannon’s breath was hot on her face. Her words felt like jagged shards of glass. The truth often hurt.

Shannon’s eyes burned, this time with something very different.

Something Caroline recognized immediately. Caroline forgot what she was going to say next. She was furious. Her heart was racing and her pulse beat in her brain. Before she knew what was happening, Shannon’s lips were on hers.

Shannon couldn’t control herself as she kissed Caroline. She was wound tight from pain, anger, and desire and she needed release.

Holding Caroline’s face between her hands, she devoured the mouth that could cause her such pain and unspeakable pleasure. Second after second, minute after minute, she kissed Caroline and Shannon had no idea when Caroline started kissing her back. She wanted more of her and the force of her kiss pushed Caroline against a small desk.

Shannon dropped her hands from Caroline’s face to the belt of her robe, their lips never parting. The bare skin had teased her long enough and she easily untied the sash and slid her hands inside. When her hands met Caroline’s soft skin again after so long, Shannon didn’t even try to mask her moan of pleasure. Needing to feel every inch of her, Shannon slowly moved her fingers over Caroline’s stomach, until finally cupping

• 136 •


Descent

her breasts. Caroline leaned into her. That one little acknowledgment of Caroline’s desire opened the floodgates of Shannon’s pent-up desire along with the unending need to have her. To give Caroline every ounce of pleasure she possibly could. She was consumed by her.

Shannon spun them around and dragged Caroline’s robe off leaving her naked in her arms. Her craving spiked as Caroline tugged and pulled on her clothes, and soon it was flesh against flesh, woman against woman on the big bed.

They fought for domination, until Shannon finally pinned Caroline’s arms above her head. The throbbing in her injured leg had been replaced by throbbing between her legs and when Caroline slid her thigh between hers, Shannon fought for control.

As tempted as she was to fall into the orgasm that was pounding at the door, Shannon focused her attention on Caroline. She released Caroline’s hands and trailed her mouth down Caroline’s neck, planting hard, wet kisses along the way. Caroline grabbed the back of her head urging Shannon closer. Back and forth Shannon moved, kissing, sucking, and nibbling on Caroline’s lips and exposed neck. It was a mating. The arch of Caroline’s neck symbolic of an animal fully surrendering to its mate.Shannon continued licking and sampling Caroline’s skin with her tongue while her hands explored her womanly form. She was soft and warm, with curves and valleys in just the right places. Caroline’s body was a wonderland years ago and she was going to rediscover every inch of it again.

Shannon felt Caroline’s nipple grow harder in her palm. Her breast was larger than before, filling her hand with its soft suppleness. When she rolled the nipple between her fingers, lightly tugging on the hard tip, Caroline moaned softly. Caroline pushed her head downward in the universal symbol of need and when Shannon’s mouth replaced her fingers, Caroline cried out in pleasure.

Shannon wanted to grind into the thigh moving between her legs to release the pressure that was building, waiting to explode. Instead, she shifted so that the temptation was not in direct contact with her hot flesh. She explored first one breast, then the other, taking her time to travel over every millimeter of soft, sensitive skin. As much as she was enjoying Caroline’s breasts she needed to kiss her again, taste her

• 137 •


JuliE CaNNoN

lips, feel her tongue. To verify she was real. That this was actually happening. That Caroline was in her arms, not a willing substitute or the dream that had teased her for the past ten years.

Caroline’s hands shook as they ran up and down her back. She clutched Shannon’s ass and arched into her. Shannon knew she was ready. Ready to be touched, caressed, loved. With agonizing slowness, Shannon kissed her way down Caroline’s tense, responsive body. Her hot kisses turned tender over the pale scar that ran down Caroline’s leg, the dent in her knee, the brush burn on her calf.

It wasn’t long before Shannon wanted, no needed, to taste Caroline again, smell her, see her beauty, but she also wanted to savor the anticipation. It felt like it was their first time together again. They were two very different women, who knew very little about each other.

Discovering each other in a way they never had before. A thrill ran through Shannon as she remembered the sensations, the feelings of the times they were together before this moment. The moment just before she arrived at the center of her universe.

Caroline unabashedly spread her legs giving Shannon free access to her both literally and figuratively. Shannon’s need increased more than she ever thought imaginable when her mouth touched Caroline’s warm, wet center.

If she died right now, Shannon thought, she would die with everything she had ever wanted. She explored every curve, peak, and valley, discovering every hidden treasure within. She flicked her tongue over Caroline’s clit. Caroline arched and grabbed the sheets in her fists and Shannon watched as she writhed in ecstasy. The vision was stunning. Caroline, lying naked with her. Her head thrown back, chest heaving with shallow breaths. Her entire body was moving. Every inch experiencing, receiving pleasure.