Chapter 3 28 страница

Placing one more warm kiss right between her shoulder blades, Kylie was asleep just moments after her partner nodded off.

„G

The next afternoon, Kylie was at the sink peeling some potatoes when Blair snuck into the house quietly. The dogs ran to the door to greet her, but they didn’t make much noise, so Kylie was unaware of her partner creeping up behind her. Not wanting to startle her, especially when she had a potato peeler in her hands, Blair said quietly, “Don’t move, you big, gorgeous hunk of woman.”

Kylie stilled immediately, waiting for Blair to make a move. “Should I be afraid?” she asked, her voice growing deeper and taking on a sexy timbre.

“Depends.” Blair came up behind her and formed her body against Kylie’s. “Are you afraid of a very horny woman who's been dreaming of bedding you all day long?”

“No,” Kylie said, chuckling softly. “That’s never been a fear of mine.”

“Just stand there and let me explore a little.” Blair’s hands started to move over Kylie, and soon the doctor was pressing her butt against her partner. Determined fingers started to unbutton Kylie’s shirt, and as soon as the third button was undone, short fingernails raked over her hardening nipples, making the doctor squirm.

Kylie grasped the counter, needing some assistance to keep herself from turning to rip Blair’s clothes off her. Now one small hand held her belt, and the other started to lower the zipper on her chinos, then slipped inside. Blair’s free hand tugged the shirt from the pants, allowing unfettered access to the sexy bikinis. “Damn, you wear nice underwear for a lesbian,” Blair said.

“You were expecting what, Jockey shorts?”

“No,” Blair chided her, playfully slapping her butt. “I guess I believed the stereotypes, though. I thought you’d wear some sensible white briefs. Nothing too fancy.”

“Au contraire, ma petite chou. The sexier the better. I love the feeling of silk and satin caressing my body. You’ll never find me in sensible briefs.”

“I love sexy undies,” Blair murmured, biting Kylie sharply on her sensitive neck and making her yelp. “And I particularly like them on you. Your body is a total turn on.” Blair’s fingers roamed from Kylie’s navel down to the apex of her thighs, stopping to caress and tease at various points of interest.

The dark head lolled back and rested on Blair’s shoulder, and Kylie’s breathing became ragged and labored. Tilting her head just enough to be heard, she whispered in a surprisingly fragile voice, “Do I really turn you on?”

Blair’s hands stilled, then she wrapped both arms around the larger woman’s body, holding on tight. “That’s kind of a silly question, baby. Why would I dream about you all day, then rush into the house and start touching you before I even had my shoes off, if you didn't turn me on?” She took another few nibbles of Kylie’s neck, swiping her tongue along the path she’d just kissed. “I thought about how you taste and how deliciously soft and smooth you are.” Holding even tighter, she rubbed against her lover’s backside. “You make me wet, Kylie. Hot and wet.”

Unable to restrain herself another moment, Kylie turned and wrapped her partner in her arms. “Sorry. I'm feeling a little insecure today.”

Blair pulled back so that she could look into her eyes. “Why? Have I done something …?”

“No,” Kylie said, shaking her head. “I let myself worry about your making love to me two nights in a row and not letting me reciprocate. I let my imagination run wild and thought maybe you were having a hard time getting turned on enough to have sex.”

Pulling back even more, Blair searched Kylie’s eyes questioningly. “Sweetheart, we were having sex — and we were having it because I wanted to. I’m the one who made the overture both nights. Why would I do that if I didn't want you?”

“Uhm … could we talk about this a little? I think we need to get a few things sorted out.”

“Aren’t we talking now?” Blair asked.

“Sure. But I want to eat soon. You know you get indigestion if we don’t eat pretty early. You go change your clothes, and I’ll finish preparing dinner. Then we can chat while it cooks.” She turned Blair into the direction of her room and patted her butt. “Go on now.”

“Back in a minute,” she said. “C’mon, pups, you know you love to see me naked.”

„G

When Blair returned, Kylie was sitting outside, the warm, late afternoon sun on her face. She looked up when Blair came out and twitched her head to indicate the chair next to hers.

Blair sat down, holding Kylie’s hand once she got settled. “Okay, let’s have our first sensitive chat.”

“We’ve had plenty of sensitive chats, and you know it,” Kylie said.

“Yeah, but this is a sensitive lover's chat,” Blair reminded her. “That’s always a delicate situation.”

“This is no big deal, Blair. I just want to understand how you’re feeling about things and tell you a couple of things about myself.”

“Okay, shoot. What do you want to know?”

“Well,” Kylie said, clearing her throat as she realized she actually was a little nervous, “I guess I want to know what happened. It seemed like you were turned on and then lost it. I’m worried that I made you lose it.”

“Bad supposition,” Blair said. “Yes, I was turned on; that’s why I wanted to make love. But I never ‘lost it’ as you put it. I was satisfied after loving you, so I stopped.”

“But … what?” Kylie asked, befuddled. “How does that happen?”

“I had a really good sandwich for lunch today,” Blair said, in what the doctor might have termed a dazzling non sequitur. “A little brie, some baby lettuces, tomato — heirloom, I think — and a touch of Dijon mustard. Really tasty. I only ate half of it though. Wanna know why?” she asked, her eyes twinkling.

“Sure,” Kylie said. She’d remained patient throughout her lover’s seeming tangent, knowing the point would be made clear.

“’Cause that’s all I wanted. I could have eaten the rest and ‘finished,’ but that would have been too much — and the whole experience would have been ruined by my forcing myself to eat it all. I’m like that about sex, too, Kylie. I like a little sex quite often, and a lot of sex every couple of days.”

“And making love to me is …?”

“A little sex,” Blair said, smiling broadly. “I love the seduction and the build-up best of all. And it’s so much fun to watch you get turned on. It’s really fascinating for me to be honest. I mean, I never stopped to consider how easy it is to tell when a woman’s aroused. I thought it was only patently obvious with men.”

“No, we telegraph pretty well, too,” Kylie admitted. “So … you really like that, huh?”

“Yeah,” Blair said, grinning sexily. “It’s very hot — makes me tingle in a good place. A favorite place, really.”

“Okay,” Kylie said, nodding. “I think I understand that. That’s not how I’m put together, but I can accept variations in an organism.”

"So last night, I felt like turning you on. I was awake, and you looked all delicious, and I thought it would be fun to taste you for a while. It was, by the way. After I watched you get all hot and excited, I felt satisfied. I don't know why, but I was happy and content. I just wanted to be kissed and cuddled."

"Okay. I believe you. That will never happen to me, but I know we're not wired the same way. So what happened on Sunday? Was that different?"

"Yeah, it was. I woke up in the middle of the night, and you were wide awake. I knew I could make you sleepy with just a little touching, so I offered. It worked, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but you don't need to do that."

"I know I don't need to, sweetheart. I want to. When you have a backache, I want to rub it. When you have a bad day, I want to make you a nice dinner. When you're having trouble relaxing, I want to help you relax. That's one way to show how much I love you."

"I love you, too, and I want to make sure you don't feel obligated to do any of that stuff."

"Kylie, when I make the first move, you can rest assured that I’m doing it because I want to. I’m not the kind of woman who’d touch you because I thought it was my job. That’s not my style.”

“I was a little worried that you thought I expected sex every night,” Kylie admitted. “I mean, I’ve told you I liked to have sex a lot, and I thought you might just be trying to please me.”

“Well, I do want to please you, but I also expect you to ask for what you need. We’re both big girls.”

“I can do that,” Kylie said. “Although I’ll probably hold back a little while you’re pregnant. I really am hyper-sensitive to not making too many demands on you while your body is going through so many changes.”

“Kylie, really, I don’t need you to do that. I want to know when you want to have sex, and that includes after the baby comes. I’m not gonna want to be touched for months, but that doesn’t mean you have to go without.”

“I’m not going to expect you to service me when you’ve got a tiny infant suckling on you every couple of hours! I can take care of myself. I’ve had lots of practice.”

Getting up from her chair, Blair sat down on Kylie’s lap. “Not squishing you, am I?”

“Nope. Feels nice,” Kylie said, nuzzling her face into the side of Blair’s neck.

“Look at me,” the smaller woman said.

Kylie did, gazing at her partner for a few moments.

“Now, listen to me. I hope we’re gonna be together for a long while; don't you?”

“Yes,” Kylie said decisively.

“It’s important to me to ensure that we’re both sexually satisfied — all during our lives together. Sometimes I won’t feel like being sexual, sometimes you won’t. But I want you to tell me when you have the urge. I can’t guarantee that I’ll always be able to summon the strength to take care of you, but I promise I’ll always try. It’s important that we take care of each other — in every way.”

“I’ll try, Blair,” Kylie said. “I’ve never been in a relationship where I asked for everything I needed sexually, but I promise I’ll give it a go.”

“I want you to do what you need, Kylie. If you want to please yourself — by all means, go right ahead. But if you want a little help from your bedmate, make sure to give me a nudge.”

“I’ll promise if you’ll promise,” Kylie said.

“Okay, it’s a deal. I should warn you, though, that lately, my needs have been making themselves known in the middle of the night.”

“Bring it on,” Kylie said. “I can handle you any hour of the night or day.”

„G

Later that night, Blair lay on her back, panting softly as she tried to catch her breath. “My God, woman, where did you learn to use your tongue like that?”

“Years of practice,” Kylie said, snuggling up to her. “I’m gonna have to start wearing a football helmet to bed if you continue to enjoy my talents, though. I swear you’re gonna snatch me bald-headed.”

“Such a complainer. I never knew what a delicate little flower you were.”

Kylie leaned over her, capturing her lips in a heated kiss. “I’m a hothouse flower. Emphasis on the hot.” She bent to kiss her again, lingering for a long while and gently exploring Blair’s mouth with her tongue.

As she pulled away, Blair looked at her for a moment, then smacked her lips together while she made a face. “Uhm … embarrassing question time, Doc. Do you like the way I taste?”

“Oh, yeah,” Kylie said enthusiastically, “most definitely. Why?”

“’Cause I’m not so crazy about it,” she said. “I noticed it the other night, but I thought it might have been my imagination. But that’s not it. I taste really different than I used to, and if it’s unpleasant, I want you to tell me.”

“Honey, there’s nothing unpleasant about you. Your vagina undergoes a shift in its pH balance when you’re pregnant. It’s probably a little more acidic than it used to be. That’s what you’ve noticed.”

Blair rolled her eyes. “It’s more than a little acidic, babe. I used to taste kinda sweet. But now …” She looked down at herself. “God knows what’s going on down there. I’ve got stuff gushing out of me non-stop!”

“It’s perfectly normal to have some discharge. It’s nothing to be worried about.”

“I’m not worried,” Blair said. “I’m disgusted!” She started to chuckle, then leaned against her partner and said, “They don’t tell you all of these nasty little secrets before you get pregnant. It’s a conspiracy, I tell you!”

“I could tell you exactly what makes up that discharge if you’re interested,” Kylie said. “It’s nothing particularly gross.”

“No, thanks,” Blair decided. “I like my non-medical diagnosis of grossness. And I want you to promise that if it starts to offend you, you can touch me with your hands or the vibrator. I swear that when I get back to normal, you’ll be suitably impressed with how sweet and clean I taste.”

“Well, I think you’re perfectly delightful now. No need to change.”

“You win a free orgasm for making the pregnant woman feel better,” Blair said. “When would you like to claim your prize?”

Kylie rolled onto her back and spread her legs invitingly. “Oh, any time in the next twenty or thirty seconds would be fine with me.”

„G

On Friday night, the couple decided to celebrate the end of the workweek with dinner out. They chose a romantic northern Italian spot in Brentwood, and Kylie indulged in a half-bottle of wine. When the server came over to take their dessert orders, Kylie asked for an espresso for herself and some steamed milk with a spoonful of honey in it for Blair.

As the server departed, the blonde gave her a fond glance and asked, “What’s next? A martini for you and a Shirley Temple for me?”

“Not a bad idea.” Kylie nodded. “I’ll have to remember that next time I order wine.”

Giving her a long, thoughtful look, Blair commented, “You seem very relaxed tonight. Are you feeling particularly happy?”

Reaching across the table, Kylie covered Blair’s hand with her own. “I haven’t had a bad day since you told me that you loved me.”

A delighted grin settled onto Blair’s face, and she finally nodded in agreement. “You have been even happier than normal. It’s so nice to know that it’s because of me.”

“It is,” Kylie said.

Blair ran her thumb across the back of Kylie’s hand, looking contemplative. “During our friendship, there’ve been times when I thought you were as interested in the baby as you were in me,” she said. “It’s a relief to realize that’s not true.”

“Not by a long shot,” Kylie insisted. “I swear, I wouldn’t feel any different about you if you weren’t pregnant, Blair. You’re the woman I love. The relationship we’ll each have with the baby is an entirely separate thing. One doesn’t depend on the other.”

Looking at Kylie with love in her eyes, Blair asked, “Have you thought about what you want the baby to call you?”

The server returned with their drinks, and as he left, Kylie said, “No, I guess I haven't. Any suggestions?”

“Well, we could let him decide. I’ve read that most kids take the name you try to force on them and do what they want, anyway. It’ll be a little harder for us since we need two variations of Mom.”

“Huh?” Kylie asked, looking blank. “What … what do you mean?”

Now Blair looked puzzled. “Don’t you want him to call you mom or mommy or mama? I assumed —”

“Blair, that’s your title!” Kylie’s eyes were as wide as the saucer that her espresso cup rested upon. “You’re his mommy!”

“Well, who the hell are you?” Blair asked loudly, causing a few heads to turn in their direction.

Kylie blinked at her, then cocked her head in thought. “I’m his … I’m his …" She looked at her with wide eyes and said, "We've always referred to me as Aunt Kylie. I haven't had time to think about this, Blair. I assumed you’d be the mommy, David would be the daddy and I’d be …” She shrugged her shoulders, looking perplexed. "Kylie?"

“Is that what you want?” Blair asked quietly, looking more than a little disappointed. "Do you just want to be my lover? Is that how you want Mackenzie to think of you?"

“No, no … I … I want to do whatever you think is best, Blair. I need you to take the lead here.”

The server passed their table, making eye contact; Blair looked up at him and asked, “Do you have any biscotti?”

“Yes. We have a hazelnut and an almond dipped in chocolate.”

“One of each, please,” she instructed, raising an eyebrow in Kylie’s direction, warning her not to even think of making a comment. She sipped at her steamed milk, waiting for the server to deliver her cookies. When he returned, she dipped the hazelnut into the milk, smiling in satisfaction when she took a bite. “I’ve only gained seventeen pounds, and I don’t want to hear a word out of you.”

“You’re doing great,” Kylie said, “but you’ll start to gain weight faster now. I know it’s a pain, but every unnecessary pound will make you more miserable as you go along.”

“I realize that, sweetheart, but I couldn’t have wine with dinner, I couldn’t have espresso and I can’t have my favorite aperitif. I’ve got to have some extravagances, or I’ll go nuts.”

“I know,” Kylie said sympathetically. “I don’t mean to supervise you. I know you hate that.”

“I do,” Blair said, “but I love you. Sometimes ya gotta take the bad with the good.” She held the biscotto up to her partner and instructed, “Bite.” While Kylie chewed, Blair said, “We're having a failure to communicate here. I was under the impression that we were going to raise this baby together. Remember that?”

“Of course I do!”

“Well, why do you act surprised when I suggest he'll call you mom? Isn’t it obvious that he would?”

Kylie shook her head, looking thoroughly perplexed. “The way we've set this up is a little amorphous, Blair. It's clear that you're the mom, but we've just started to talk about my co-parenting with you. I didn't realize that you'd want Mackenzie to call me mom. I'm thrilled, but I'm also a little surprised.”

Blair cocked her head and stared at her partner for a few moments. “I think of Mackenzie as ours, Kylie —both yours and mine — equally.” Looking even more confused, she asked, “Don’t you feel that way? Don’t you want that?” She dropped her gaze, and her lower lip began to quiver as she whimpered, “Please, God, don’t tell me you feel like David did.”

“No!” Kylie said with alarm. “I swear that’s not it!”

“Kylie, I’m divorcing him because he said he’d feel like a step-parent. I’m not going to raise this baby with you if you can’t love him as your own!”

“Oh, Blair,” the doctor said, “I’m stunned. Of course I want that — I didn’t realize that’s what you wanted.”

“How could you not realize that?” Blair asked, her voice still shaking. “Haven’t you been listening?”

“Of course I have. But the situations aren’t the same, honey. For the first four months of your pregnancy, I was just your friend, and David was clearly the father. Things got a little nebulous when you moved into my house, and even more so when you decided to divorce, but it was still you and David. I haven't had very much time to adjust to my role here. Give me a chance.”

“Are you sure this is what you want, Kylie? Do you want to be a parent to the baby?”

“Yes! With every bit of my heart, I do,” she vowed, gripping Blair’s hand tightly. “I didn’t realize that you wanted me to share him so completely. I assumed you’d want to be the one calling the shots.”

Blair let out the breath she’d been holding and felt her good mood start to return. “Are you sure that you’re the lesbian?” she asked, wrinkling her nose. “I thought you people were into merger.”

“You have a lot of stereotypes about my people,” Kylie said, the tension broken. “Where in the hell did you get them?”

“I dunno. TV?”

“Well, that explains it.” Kylie reached out and captured her nose between two fingers, giving it a tug. “I suppose, Ms. Spencer, that I’ll accept any name that our baby chooses for me. I like all of the choices.”

“I call dibs on mommy,” Blair said.

“You picked that because the baby books say that’s the easiest name for most babies to handle,” Kylie said.

“There has to be some benefit in doing my homework,” Blair said, playfully sticking out her tongue.

“You did a cool thing by deciding to name him Mackenzie,” Kylie mused. “Now he’ll have both our last names. That'll help people connect the dots that he’s my son, too.”

“Well, he won’t really have my last name,” Blair reminded her. “But there’s no way I’m going back to Schneidhorst. Few women have ever been so elated to abandon their maiden names!”

Kylie laughed along with her partner, then tilted her head and said, "I haven't asked many questions about your divorce because you haven't seemed to want or need to talk about it. But now … I'm a little more invested in what happens."

Blair reached across the table and took the doctor's hand. "You're very involved now." She reached into her purse and took out her Palm Pilot. "Let's see," she said, scrolling through her files, "I filed a few days after you got back from Vermont —"

"You did?" Kylie was staring at her partner. "I didn't know that!"

Blair looked at her for a second, her brow furrowed. "I told you I was divorcing him. Why would I wait?"

Kylie shook her head rapidly. "I guess I thought you'd think about it for a while."

"Nope. I'm not the type. When I make up my mind — I act."

"I guess that's why I'm here," Kylie acknowledged, scratching her head with a half-grin on her face. "I tend to wait until there's no option. Heck, if I'd been the one who was married, I'd still be waiting for David to have that epiphany."

"Acknowledge your failures, accept responsibility for what you've done, then move on," Blair said, her chin determinedly sticking out. "The sooner you let go, the sooner you can move on to something that works for you."

"That's my girl," Kylie said, smiling. "Your moving on has been the best thing that could’ve happened to me."

"Same goes for me," Blair said. She looked at her Palm again and said, "David defaulted, so my petition was granted. But because I'm pregnant, we have to wait until the baby's born to determine child support and custody. So, in essence, I'm divorced. I'm only waiting for the final order."

"Wow, that seems like it was awfully easy," Kylie said. "I thought he'd put up more of a fuss."

"No. We had a prenuptial agreement, and we didn't have any jointly owned assets. A divorce doesn't have to be devastating if you plan ahead."

Kylie looked at her partner while Blair put her Palm Pilot away. "Do you want to … do something like a prenuptial agreement for us?"

Blair shook her head. "No. I talked to my attorney, and he said it wasn't necessary since we won't be legally married. We'll keep our assets separate, and everything will be clean."

Kylie stirred her espresso, staring into the dark liquid for a few moments. "I'm surprised you got around to doing that. It's only been a week."

Blair reached out and touched her lover's hand. "I think ahead, Kylie. Don't over-think this. I was talking to him about my divorce, and while I had him on the phone, I asked about you and me."

The doctor held up a hand. "It's all right. I was only wondering."

Looking at Kylie until she looked back, Blair said, "I didn't plan on divorcing David when I signed a prenup, and I don't plan on leaving you, either. But if something does happen, and this doesn't work out — I wanted to know where I stand. Being prepared isn't a sin, is it?"

"No, no, of course not," Kylie said. "I know it's important to you to have answers to these kinds of questions. No big deal."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Kylie said, smiling. "I'm positive." I’m positive I don’t want you to know how insecure this makes me feel. But I know this is how you are, and I have to learn to accept it.

„G

When they arrived home, they both put on their pajamas and went into the den to play with the dogs and watch the early news. Blair was wearing a pair of Kylie’s flannel boxers and one of her T-shirts, and Kylie had on a nearly identical outfit. “It must be a woman thing,” the doctor mused. “I’ve never had a lover who didn’t wind up wearing my boxers and T-shirts to sleep in.”

“It’s definitely a woman thing,” Blair said, snuggling up to Kylie. “Your shorts are just big enough to fit comfortably over my stomach, and your shirts smell like you as long as I can grab one before you toss it in the laundry. Nice combo.” They were sprawled across the sectional sofa in a new, more intimate configuration, with Kylie stretched out and Blair with her back resting against her partner. This position allowed Kylie to wrap an arm around Blair’s belly, letting her feel close to the baby as well. “Mackenzie is really kicking up a storm,” the smaller woman said, patting Kylie’s hand.

“I love feeling him,” the doctor said. “It feels like we're really communicating.”

“To me he's communicating that he’s so big, he has to kick against my skin.” She was quiet for a moment, then said, “Sometimes it feels so strange, Kylie. It’s hard to get my brain to believe that there’s another person inside my body. I … I can’t explain the way it makes me feel.”

“I don’t think anyone can really understand it unless she’s experienced it,” Kylie said. “Just like I don’t think I’ll ever be able to feel exactly like you do about Mackenzie. I mean, I’ll love him with all my heart, but you have a hormonal connection that’s uniquely maternal. Our species has survived because of that maternal bond. I truly think it’s the most powerful force of love there is.”

“I feel it,” she murmured. “It’s so powerful it takes my breath away. There’s a little person, weighing less than two pounds, inside of me, and even though I’ve never met him, I’d give my life for him — without question.”

Kylie tightened her hold and nuzzled her face into her partner’s neck. “I know you would,” she whispered. “I can feel how intimately bonded you are. It’s very moving for me.”

“I’m so glad I have you,” Blair said, her voice catching the tiniest bit. “It was so wonderful to be your friend, but to have this closeness is absolutely divine.” Hugging her lover’s arm tightly to herself, she added, “I'd just about convinced myself that I’d be alone for years — if not forever. It’s not easy for single moms to find dates, and it would have been a lot harder for me since I’m so picky. You’re a very unexpected, very welcome gift, Doctor Mackenzie, and I’m damned glad that I have you.”

Дата добавления: 2015-09-04