Grabbing Ashley"s hips Tyler positioned the harness so that every stroked sent a charge through her own body and before she knew it an o.r.g.a.s.m started coursing through her. Tyler blushed as she caught Ashley watching her come. Wave after wave washed over Tyler, her o.r.g.a.s.ms making her body tighten. Suddenly, she found herself rolled over and on her back, Ashley still firmly ensconced on the d.i.c.k. Grabbing Ashley"s a.s.s and pulling her down with each thrust of her hips, she heard Ashley"s o.r.g.a.s.m before she felt it, a low growl slipping past Ashley"s lips. Rocking back and forth on her hips, Ashley"s body shook through the o.r.g.a.s.m. Tyler couldn"t resist kneading the soft pliant b.r.e.a.s.t.s in front of her as Ashley continued to shudder on her hips. Rolling Ashley over and resting her arms on either side of Ashley"s head, Tyler looked down into fathomless depths of green. A soft kiss, a gentle breath and Tyler felt Ashley wrap her arms around her.
Pulling her hips to one side she slipped free of Ashley"s warmth. She"d never loved someone that way and it felt amazing. An o.r.g.a.s.m without touching, she knew it could be done, but she didn"t think she was capable. Now she marveled at the thought. Lying on her side, she pulled Ashley close and tossed a cover over them. A soft chuckle drifted to her ears as she looked down at Ashley who tossed her head to the tenting of the cover.
"I probably should take it off, huh?" Tyler asked, slipping the harness down her legs and kicking it to the side. She didn"t want to move, to lose the contact with Ashley"s warm body. Red soft hair splayed across her chest as Ashley moved lower licking a nipple. Reaching up she wiped at the sheen of sweat that covered her forehead. Lesbian s.e.x in the past was not this strenuous, but add an enhancement and it changed the game, thought Tyler.
Tyler watched Ashley"s shallow breaths become long deep breaths, sleep having claimed her. Tyler ran her fingers through the soft hair and remembered they hadn"t even talked about what happened at the jail. Later, she thought. Later.
Chapter Thirty-nine.
The gavel echoed throughout the courtroom. Hours of silence finally ended as everyone in the room had listened intently to the prosecution"s case. Ashley rarely looked over at Leslie sitting at the defendant"s table. She"d seen Leslie walk in, dressed in a business suit looking more like her corporate self than the criminal she really was. She looked away when Leslie searched her out in the crowded gallery. The brief eye contact and a wink made Ashley want to gag. Clearly Leslie was still as c.o.c.ky as ever. Ashley felt Tyler squeeze her hand when Leslie winked in their direction.
"It"s okay," Tyler whispered.
Ashley patted Tyler"s leg and smiled up at her. She felt Kelly pat her leg and whisper something, but she missed it. Her support system was firmly entrenched around her. Her mother sat next to Kelly, Tyler sat next to her and an a.s.sortment of officers had come to lend their support throughout the opening of the trial. Today was especially grueling since both she and Tyler had testified. She had been warned ahead of time that her testimony would probably last several days for the prosecution and it was a good bet that the defense would probably be a long cross-examination, too.
Sitting on the stand Ashley did her best not to look at Leslie and focused on the D.A. Some of the questions had been preemptive to squash anything the defense might try to twist. But she was under no illusions, they would ask anyway so she prepared herself for the onslaught. At least she would get a break due to the long holiday weekend.
"You ready," Tyler asked, pulling Ashley to her feet.
"Yep. Take me out of here, Handsome." Ashley crinkled her nose and regretted the comment as soon as she said it.
"Handsome, huh?" Tyler pulled Ashley into a hug.
"Handsome. Way to go stud?" Mike slapped Tyler on the back as he walked by.
"Sorry," Ashley said visibly cringing then giggling.
"Cute."
Ashley enjoyed the banter with Tyler and she knew Tyler gave as good as she got. Sliding her arm through her mother"s as she walked up Ashley kissed her on the check.
"Had enough, Mom?"
"Oh, maybe. Why didn"t you tell me, Honey?"
Ashley shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "I didn"t want you involved, Mom. Besides, it didn"t last that long." Ashley was embarra.s.sed now that her mother finally knew the truth about Leslie. Would she have told her mother anyway? Probably not. Leslie would have used her mother against her.
"I"m just sorry you had to go through all of that alone, Honey." Ashley"s mom patted her hand and then hugged her waist.
"Well, I won"t have to go through anything like that ever again." Ashley grabbed Tyler"s hand and smiled at her.
"Well, you just better make sure she doesn"t," Mrs. Henderson said in Tyler"s direction.
"Mom!"
"What?"
Ashley heard Kelly laughing behind her and turned to face her partner. "And just what are you laughing about?"
"Looks like Tyler has her work cut out for her. Right, Handsome?"
"Excuse me, Ashley and Tyler. Can I talk to you for a second?"
Everyone stopped and turned at the sound of the district attorney"s voice echoing down the hallway.
"a.s.sistant DA Walker," Ashley said knowing something was wrong.
"Can I see you both in private?"
Ashley looked at Tyler and nodded, "We"ll catch up with you guys at the restaurant."
By the time everyone had looked at each other and shrugged, Ashley and Tyler were taken to a room off the corridor.
"What"s going on?" Ashley said, grabbing Tyler"s hand for support.
"They want to make a deal."
"What? They can"t do that, can they?" Tyler questioned the D.A.
"They can and they did. You guys were very sympathetic on the witness stand. They know they run a risk letting it go to the jury. Look, I just wanted to give you a head"s up. We"re weighing our options. With what happened in the jail, they took the insanity plea off the table. They"re trying to shave some time off their client"s sentence and plead her out."
Ashley felt sick to her stomach. Would the D.A. make a deal to close the case and move on or would they finish what they started? The strain of the last few days showed on Ashley"s face and she just wanted this over so she could move on with her life. One way or the other she needed some type of closure. Looking at Tyler she smiled weakly and shook her head.
"I can"t speak for Tyler, but do what you have to do."
"We just want to get on with our lives. It"s been weeks and..." Tyler looked down at Ashley and patted her hand. "Do what you have to do."
"I was hoping you were going to say that. Leslie is going down for a long, long time. Life won"t be long enough as far as I"m concerned. I"ll call you when I have something to report. If you don"t hear from me, I"ll see you in court next week."
With that the D.A. was gone and Ashley and Tyler were left alone. Ashley felt Tyler wrap her in a warm embrace and squeeze, holding her tight. Ashley wrapped her arms around the one thing that had kept her grounded all this time, Tyler.
"Hey, you okay?" Tyler lifted Ashley"s chin and smiled.
"Yeah. I think its setting in that all of this might finally be over. It feels like a bad nightmare and I"m finally waking up." Ashley felt Tyler stiffen. "Hey, hold on there. I didn"t mean you. You"re the only good thing that"s come out of all of this."
Ashley backed up and looked down at their intertwined hands, and then brought Tyler"s hand up and kissed it. While this chapter in her life was ending Tyler wasn"t part of that ending. She was part of Ashley"s new beginning and Ashley wasn"t about to let Tyler walk out of her life so easily. Ashley cupped Tyler"s face and kissed the pouting mouth.
"I love you, Ty." Ashley batted her eyes trying to stop the tears from forming. "I don"t know if you feel the same way, but I need you to know. Now that the trial might end and things are getting back to normal, you don"t have to stay. I mean-"
"I"m not going anywhere, Ash. I don"t know when it happened, but I fell for you a long time ago. Maybe it was the strong woman who rejected me in the bar or the vulnerable one who needed protecting after the shooting, I don"t know. But you"re an amazing woman and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I won"t promise I don"t come with some baggage, but it isn"t a whole suite of luggage."
Ashley looked down and sighed, then chuckled at Tyler"s joke and waited. She knew what she wanted to hear, but she had already heard what she needed to hear. Tyler wasn"t going anywhere and Ashley knew she wouldn"t force Tyler to say what she couldn"t. Ashley heard Tyler clear her throat and continue.
"I love you, Ashley Henderson. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and when you"re ready, really ready, I hope you"ll do me the honor of marrying me some day."
As much as Ashley tried, she couldn"t hold back the tears. She felt Tyler tilt her chin and kiss her, a slow seductive kiss that only Tyler could give. It set her skin on fire and made her body ache all over. Finally pulling back, Ashley"s smoldering gaze gave way to a broad smile.
"Why don"t we go home and finalize the deal, Handsome?"
"Oh, more bartering?"
"Oh no, we have a deal. I just need to tweak it a bit," Ashley said slapping Tyler"s a.s.s as they walked out.
Ashley felt herself pulled along the corridor. The only thing that would make this moment complete would be a setting sun, a naked body next to her, and the sound of waves. .h.i.tting the sand. She knew it sounded cliche, but wasn"t all romance at some point in time?
About the Author.
Award winning author Isabella, lives in California with her wife and three sons. In June 2011, Isabella"s first novel, Always Faithful, won a GCLS award in the Traditional Contemporary Romance category. She was also a finalist in the International Book Awards and an Honorable Mention in the 2010 Rainbow awards She is a member of Gold Crown Literary Society, Romance Writers of America. She has written several short stories, and is now working on her next novel, Executive Disclosure due out in February 2012.
Other t.i.tles Available at Sapphire Books.
Always Faithful - By Isabella ISBN - 978-09828608-0-9.
Major Nichol "Nic" Caldwell is the only survivor of her helicopter crash in Iraq. She is left alone to wonder why she and she alone. Survivor"s guilt has nothing on the young Major as she is forced to deal with the scars, both physical and mental, left from her ordeal overseas. Before the accident, she couldn"t think of doing anything else in her life.
Claire Monroe is your average military wife, with a loving husband and a little girl. She is used to the time apart from her husband. In fact, it was one of the reasons she married him. Then, one day, her life is turned upside down when she gets a visit from the Marine Corps.
Can these two women come to terms with the past and finally find happiness, or will their shared sense of honor keep them apart?
Scarlet Masquerade - By Jett Abbott ISBN - 978-0982860816.
What do you say to the woman you thought died over a century ago? Will time heal all wounds or does it just allow them to fester and grow? A.J. Locke has lived over two centuries and works like a demon, both figuratively and literally. As the owner of a successful pharmaceutical company that specializes in blood research, she has changed the way she can live her life. Wanting for nothing, she has smartly compartmentalized her life so that when she needs to, she can pick up and start all over again, which happens every twenty years or so.
Clarissa Graham is a university professor who has lived an obscure life teaching English literature. She has made it a point to stay off the radar and never become involved with anything that resembles her past life. She keeps her personal life separate from her professional one, and in doing so she is able to keep her secrets to herself. Suddenly, her life is turned upside down when someone tries to kill her. She finds herself in the middle of an a.s.sa.s.sination plot with no idea who wants her dead.
end.