Paradox Read online

  As usual, Jen’s green 4Runner was parked in the driveway next to the steps of their townhouse. Terri started up the steps, stopping to enjoy the sound of Snickers announcing her arrival. Since she didn’t want to drag into the house looking like a depressed mess, she squared her shoulders and opened the first door. Her mood lightened as she heard feet pounding down the interior stairway and a voice call out, “Jeez, Snickers. Give it a rest. It’s just Terri.”

  Between Jen’s voice and Snickers’ greeting, Terri thought she just might make it through the evening after all. She accepted a warm welcome home hug and kiss from Jen. Jen’s smile was hopeful, but faded quickly as she stepped back to survey Terri’s face. “Bad day, baby?”

  Terri nodded. “Not the best, that’s for sure.”

  Jen’s brows knitted and her mouth quirked into a crooked pout. “Can I assume that the visit to the therapist didn’t go as planned?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Oh, shit. Are you still on restriction?”

  “Yes, I’m still officially a loose cannon with questionable judgment for at least two more weeks. I don’t know what to say to these people to convince them that I can work.”

  Jen pulled her close, offering another hug and a quick kiss. “Baby, we’ll figure this out. Why don’t you head upstairs to change? Maybe a quick shower will make you feel better, and I’ll get us a glass of wine. Sound good?”

  “Actually, that sounds perfect.” Terri leaned in, giving Jen a quick kiss in return. “Thanks, sweetie.”

  Terri entered the bedroom, headed straight to her dresser, and performed the nightly ritual of securing her basically unused weapon in the top drawer. Her hands moved automatically, but she couldn’t stop wondering if she would ever look at her weapon the same way again. Terri stripped out of her work clothes quickly and took a moment to stare at her reflection in the mirror. She noted that she did look tired, but decided it would probably be cured by ten minutes of hot water followed by a chilled glass of wine. That did sound better than hanging around, feeling sorry for herself. Maybe dinner out would be a nice addition to the evening, too. Terri allowed that thought to drift off as she turned the handles for the shower. Letting the hot spray of the water work out the kinks in her neck, she began to relax. A light tapping on the door brought her back to awareness as Jen gently pushed the door open.

  “Baby, I left your wine on the nightstand. I have to run upstairs to shut down a program I was working on for school. I’ll be back down in five minutes, okay?”

  “That’s fine, sweetie. Take your time.” Terri heard the door click shut as she relaxed back into the hot water. “Why can’t it all be this easy? It used to be.”

  After taking a moment to soap up and rinse, she twisted the handles to shut off the water and grabbed a towel to dry off. Terri felt a little of the day’s disappointment drain away. She slipped into her white terrycloth bathrobe, headed for the nightstand, and grabbed her glass of wine. She got as far as sitting down on the side of the bed, when Jen returned, asking, “Better, now?”

  “Probably as good as it’s going to get for tonight anyway.”

  A flirty smile appeared on Jen’s face as she leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest. “I bet I can make you forget about your lousy day.”

  “And just how are you going to do that? Erase my memory?”

  “Aw, baby, I don’t think so. That’s just cheesy crap that they do on TV. I have a much more effective solution in mind.” Jen came closer, stopping between Terri’s knees, pulled at the front of the bathrobe with both hands, and knelt to plant little kisses up and down Terri’s neck.

  Terri relaxed into the attention being lavished on her neck, allowing her head to roll to the side, granting better access to Jen’s ministrations. “Mmmm, that is a better idea.”

  Jen answered, voice muffled by terrycloth and Terri’s neck. “I thought you might like it.”

  “You thought I might like it? I think you knew that I might like it.” She pulled Jen up from her knees, urging her to lie on top, pinning Terri to the bed. “I think you knew that I would definitely like it.” Terri kissed Jen soundly from below, and trailed her hands down Jen’s back before gently placing hands on denim-clad hips, pulling her closer. “But I definitely would like it more”—Terri tugged on the pockets of the jeans for emphasis—“if these were gone.”

  Jen rolled over and jumped up, eager to comply. “I can do that.” She used the toe of one shoe to remove the other by heel as she undid the buttons of her jeans. Jen removed the remaining shoe and shimmied out of her pants. Before she could jump back on the bed, Terri stopped her with a gentle foot to the abdomen.

  “While you’re up, why don’t you take care of that pesky T-shirt, too?” Terri bit her lip, watching intently as Jen peeled off her T-shirt. Terri moved her foot enough to allow the shirt to come off, and then put her foot back, stopping Jen. “Just get naked, all right?” Jen again eagerly complied, removing her socks, bra, and underpants. She jumped back on the bed, following Terri on all fours as Terri scooted higher on the bed.

  Terri relaxed as Jen once again pinned her to the bed, pulling her bathrobe open, allowing naked bodies to touch. “See, I was right. That is better.”

  Jen purred her agreement, returning with little kisses and bites to Terri’s neck and collarbones. While Jen’s attentions were delightful, Terri found that she couldn’t concentrate, as her thoughts seemed determined to drift back to her conversation with the therapist. The thought of two more weeks in limbo warred with the pleasure she felt as Jen’s attentive mouth explored, seeking out and finding first one nipple, then the other, and Terri’s own hands found their way to Jen’s cute little butt. Using her hands and legs to apply not-so-gentle pressure, Terri urged Jen forward, attempting to telegraph her need for friction. Jen obliged, grinding herself into Terri’s ever-dampening pussy. “That’s it.” Terri arched into the contact. “That’s right.” Her words degraded into a simple moan, as she used the pleasurable feeling to push aside the remnants of her own self-doubt.

  As nice as the rocking and grinding were, Terri needed more. Jen dropped her head to nibble on Terri’s neck. Terri’s hot breath in her ear voiced a request.

  “Touch me, Jen... please.”

  Jen shifted to straddle Terri’s right leg, grinding her own wet pussy into Terri’s muscular thigh, drawing a long moan from both women, as Jen’s hand found its way to soft brunette curls, dampened with desire. Terri again attempted to reach for the contact, arching her hips in encouragement, rewarded with the feeling of gentle fingers urging her open, begging for entrance. The fingers began to stroke, long, loving strokes through the ample wetness.

  “Want more, baby?”

  The question, not to mention the presence of Jen’s fingers, stoked Terri’s fire even further, as she struggled to answer between ragged breaths. “Yes...please...I want you inside.”

  “Do you want me to fuck you?”

  “Oh, God, yes. Fuck me slow. Take your time.” The fingers finally slid home, two of them, Terri arching as much as she could against the fingers and Jen who straddled her leg. As good as this felt, it still wasn’t enough. She struggled to voice her request, as the fingers began a slow in and out motion. “More... please...I need more of you.”

  She seemed aware that it was not the time for teasing, so Jen complied, adding a third finger with her next inward plunge. Terri moaned her appreciation loudly and dug her short fingernails into Jen’s back, encouraging her actions, as Jen asked another question. “Is that better?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  As the outside world finally began to slip away, Terri focused on the feeling of the fingers in her pussy and the hot voice in her ear asking another question. “Harder?”

  “Please.”

  As the tempo and intensity increased, Terri’s ability to speak decreased, reduced to a series of groans and other unintelligible sounds.

  “Is that good, baby? Is that what you
like?”

  Terri responded the only way she had left. Moaning loudly, she arched into the sensation, moving in perfect synch with Jen’s fingers. She felt the first tickle in her lower back, increasing her own movement to match, alerting Jen to the impending climax.

  “Are you going to come for me, baby? Tell me about it. Tell the neighborhood.”

  Jen’s words finally allowed the dam to break, as Terri announced, as requested, to anyone within earshot, with a sound that could only be described as a cross between a scream and a growl. As she relaxed from the intense orgasm, a second dam broke. Her body wracked by broken sobs, Terri wept as the intense negativity of the day was finally released. She pulled Jen into a needy hug, desperate for the release, as well as the closeness of someone she loved so much. Jen held her, allowing the emotions to run their course, before she reclaimed her fingers and stroked away the tears streaming down Terri’s face.

  “Terri, baby, what’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

  Terri looked deeply into Jen’s beautiful green eyes, attempting to piece together her shattered emotions.

  “Sorry, sweetie, just a bad day.” She pulled Jen close for another bone-crunching hug. “I’m so worried all the time that I can’t do this. I can’t be what you need. I can’t be what anyone needs.”

  Jen pulled back to reestablish eye contact. “I need you. Just you.”

  “Do you, Jen? Do you really? I’m not exactly what you fell in love with right now.”

  “Terri, of course I need you. I wish I knew what to say to really make you believe that.” Jen slid over so Terri could roll onto her side and arrange herself more comfortably on the bed. “We’ve talked about this before. I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life, and that’s all because of you. Please believe me.”

  “I know. It’s just, well, you know...” Terri searched for understanding in Jen’s face. “It’s just hard for me. Everything is so different, and I’m so happy that you’re here, but it’s just strange.”

  “Baby, it’s different for both of us, but it’s so worth it. I know I came charging in here with my crazy dog and enough computer hardware to make your beautiful studio look like Mission Control in Houston, but I want you. I want to be as close to you as possible. I was really starting to hate Sunday evenings, because it meant that I had to leave. Now I don’t, and right here is the only place in the world that I really want to be. That means I need you.” Terri started to interrupt, but Jen stopped her with a finger to her lips. “I need you...not to protect me, but just to be with me.”

  As much as Terri hated the need to be reassured once again, Jen’s words always managed to bring her back from the dark place. She finally allowed a small smile, making special note of how cute Jen was at the moment, lying on her tummy, leaning forward on her elbows, as one foot played mindlessly with the other. Terri scooted a little closer, placing a protective hand on Jen’s back, rewarded with the soft feel of skin as Jen lowered her head and snuggled into the touch. “You really need me?”

  Jen squirmed, answering with a soft “um-hum,” as the hand on her back slid lower to become the hand on her butt. Knowing exactly what Jen needed, Terri shifted enough to remove the robe that had somehow remained magically attached to her arms through Jen’s earlier attentions, tossing it to the end of the bed, returning her hand to Jen’s beautiful backside. They both snuggled closer together as Terri tossed her leg across, effectively pinning Jen to the bed.

  “So, what is it that you need?”

  Answering with a soft moan, Jen attempted to telegraph her specific need, pressing the full length of her slight frame against Terri’s more solid one. Terri’s hand wandered up and down the freckled back as she attempted to coax the words out.

  “That’s a pretty vague answer, Dr. Rosenberg. I need more than that to work with.”

  She smiled a little as the body that was now pinned to the bed beneath her wordlessly begged for attention and Jen attempted to formulate an answer. “I need you to touch me.”

  “But I am touching you.” Terri rolled to straddle Jen’s leg, as she moved pillows aside, shooting an evil glance over her shoulder on the way. The evil glance softened to a look of delight as Terri moved her leg to apply just enough pressure to move Jen’s legs a little farther apart. The resulting warmth against her own pussy distracted Terri for a moment, but she quickly returned to exploring Jen’s soft skin.

  “I mean, there’s lots of ways that I can touch you.” Terri reclaimed her hand, moving it up to push the auburn hair from Jen’s neck. “I can do this...” She deposited a couple of well-placed kisses to her neck, and moved up to nibble on the closest earlobe. The resultant moan urged her on, as she continued to whisper between kisses and nibbles. “I know you like this.” Terri pushed her breasts deliberately into Jen’s back. “I know you like this, too. You like it when you can feel how hard my nipples are, pressed against you like this.”

  Jen seemed to be struggling to keep up her end of the conversation. “Oh God, Terri. You know I do.” She squirmed a little more as the hand returned to her backside, this time stroking down the backs of her legs, drifting closer to the abundant wetness and heat that was now pouring out of her.

  Terri knew that there was just so much teasing that Jen would take. “So, sweetie, tell me. Do you need me?”

  Another moan, louder this time, one that sounded like arousal mixed with frustration. “Yes, Terri, I need you. I need you now.”

  “What do you need? Tell me.” Terri teased, stroking closer and closer to the source of the heat. Jen struggled to answer between ragged breaths.

  “Oh, shit. Terri. I need your fingers. I need to feel you slide into me.”

  Time to end the teasing. Terri slid her fingers closer to the heat, feeling the dampness as she explored Jen’s opening, getting up on her knees to allow room for movement, but staying close enough to maintain the intimacy of the conversation. She slipped two fingers in easily as Jen groaned and arched back, forcing the fingers in as far as they would go. “Is that what you need, Jen?”

  “Mmmm, yeah. That’s it.” Jen rocked back against the fingers as they were pulled out and pushed back in, slightly harder than the first time. “Do that again.”

  Terri complied, establishing a slow rhythm that she knew Jen would like. Jen responded, grinding back against each thrust, grabbing the top of the comforter with her fists so she could use her arms for leverage.

  “Do you need more?”

  “Yes... please... more...”

  Strong muscles pulled her fingers deeper with each stroke, and Terri could feel her own wetness bathing the back of Jen’s thigh as each thrust forced Jen’s leg firmly into her center. Terri added a third finger, and Jen moaned her appreciation loudly.

  “Can you feel me on your leg? Can you feel how wet you make me?” Terri asked.

  Jen’s language skills were quickly disappearing, replaced by a collection of grunts and groans that Terri could only assume were answers to her questions. She tried another one, this one guaranteed to drive Jen completely wild. “Do you want me to touch myself while I fuck you?”

  “Yes...” Jen forced an answer out through her clenched jaws, rocking back harder against the fingers in her pussy. “Oh God, yes.”

  Before she moved to comply, Terri asked one more question. “Can you do that for me too? Touch yourself... help me make you come?”

  Jen didn’t answer the question, as she moved to do as requested, sliding one hand under her body, seeking out her own swollen clit as Terri rocked back on her heels and moved her hand to do the same. The need for any further words tumbled away as Terri watched her hands, one in Jen’s hot pussy, the other playing with her own. She could tell from the increased flow of wetness and Jen’s more urgent movement, that she was close to release, and Terri knew that she was right there with her. She met each backward thrust of Jen’s hips with a counterthrust of her own, pushing Jen and herself nearer to release. “Are you going to come, sweetie? Come all over my hand whil
e I come on your leg?”

  Terri’s words and actions threw Jen over the edge, loudly crying out her release as a fresh gush of wetness coated Terri’s hand, and pulled her fingers in just a little more. Those sensations, combined with the action of her hand on her own clit, brought Terri to climax right behind Jen. She collapsed onto the bed, covering half of Jen with her own sweaty body. As their breathing slowed to a more normal speed and Terri reclaimed her fingers, the body beneath her began to shake with laughter. “What’s so funny?”

  “Sorry, baby. Just me being silly. I’m completely, stupidly happy, I’m madly in love, and I’m so totally well-fucked right now that life is just bliss. Hence the laughter. Tell me you feel better, baby.”

  “Yes, I do. Thank you.”

  “Ahhh, pfft. My pleasure...really.” Jen was interrupted by a low growl in the pit of her stomach.

  “Hungry, sweetie?”

  “Evidently.” Jen rolled over on her back and rubbed her tummy. “I could make us dinner.”

  Terri sat up to grab her cell phone from the pocket of her slacks, still draped across the foot of the bed, albeit not as neatly as when she had put them there. She tossed the phone to Jen. “Or, you could call Thai Chef. They’re on speed dial.”

  “Ooh, good plan, Agent McKinnon.” Jen made the call, ordering their usual. She snapped the phone closed. “They’ll be here in forty-five minutes. What do you want to do until then?”

  A leer and waggle of the eyebrows offered Terri’s suggestion of the best way to kill three-quarters of an hour. Jen returned both leer and eyebrow waggle and tossed the phone back toward the foot of the bed.