Radclyffe - Wild Shores

Austin regarded her intently, that dark probing gaze gliding over her face in a silent invitation Gem was finding harder and harder to resist. “What was it?”

“To acknowledge my attraction to you…my desire for you. I wanted to feel what you make me feel. I was a willing partner.”

“I should have stopped you,” Austin said, “but I couldn’t. I wanted you then. I want you now.”

The familiar heat erupted in Gem’s chest, flooded her throat, and rolled lower in a liquid rush of desire and need. “This is the wrong time, the wrong place—just about everything is wrong.”

“Maybe after this is all over—” Austin said instantly.

“Maybe,” Gem said, hesitating while every instinct urged her to abandon caution. She might have, if her feelings hadn’t been so intense, so much larger and more frightening than anything she’d experienced in her life.

Austin must have sensed her uncertainty and smiled wryly. “Not like we have any choice.” She hefted the shovel. “We seem destined to spend our time together in the middle of a storm.”

Gem laughed. No calm center when Austin was involved. Being near her was like standing on the shore in the heart of the hurricane, buffeted by lashing winds and driving rain while lightning flashed across the sky. The wild unbridled beauty filled her, and she had no desire to escape to where it was safe and warm and ultimately passionless. “I don’t mind a little weather.”

“I’m glad.”

“Me too,” Gem said, almost ready to dare the whirlwind again. “When—”

“Hey,” Emily called, jogging down the beach toward them.

Gem sent Austin a wry look and turned away. “Hi, Em. How’s it going?”

“I posted the evac roster as requested. Everybody knows where they need to be and what they need to do.”

“Thanks.”

“You ought to take a break while you can,” Emily said. “By my count, you’ve been out here six hours. Did you have any lunch?”

“I’m fine.”

“It’s going to be a long couple of weeks.” Emily propped her hands on her hips, her tone gentle but unyielding. “That means everyone has to take care of themselves, but especially you. Go. Get something hot to drink, some food.”

Gem knew she was right. She’d skipped lunch, and breakfast had been coffee and a bagel at the center at seven that morning. The early briefing with Austin seemed like it’d been days ago. “All right, I’ll take a lunch break.”

“Make it a long one. I know where to find you.” Emily glanced at Austin. “You should go with her. You’ve been out here as long as anyone.”

“I’m—”

“The FEMA guys have a food truck just over that rise.” She made shooing motions. “Go. Go. Both of you.”

Gem stowed her empty sandbag and shovel and gestured for Austin to join her. “She’s right. Come on.”

“If you’re sure—”

Gem laughed. “I can’t remember the last time I was sure of anything.”

“Then maybe I—”

“Come on,” Gem said, heading up the slope. “It’s only lunch.”

❖

The windows on Gem’s cabin were boarded up, making the interior dark and cave-like. Feeling awkward, Austin halted just inside the door while Gem lit lamps. She glimpsed the alcove and the bed, remembering lying naked there with Gem, a million years ago. Before everything had changed. She stuffed her hands into her pockets. “If I told you why I was coming in the car that day—”

Gem turned, resting her hips against the counter in the tiny kitchenette. “I get why you didn’t. At least, I’m assuming GOP doesn’t want any press around incidents like this unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“That’s pretty much right.”

“And who decides when it’s necessary?”

“There are laws that spell out at what point notification is required and other agencies get involved.”

“And that’s when you get to take the stage.”

Austin grimaced. “I’d rather not be onstage at all, but it’s part of my job, yes. The other part is to coordinate, like I’ve been doing here. And the company likes to have a direct line to what’s going on in the field. That’s me too.”

“Quite a lot of hats to wear. How do you find time to work on your comics?”

“Fortunately, emergencies at the level where I’m required aren’t all that frequent.” Austin rubbed her face with both hands. “Although lately, they seem to be. The more global drilling expands”—she shrugged—“the more ground we need to cover.”

“I think we’ve established your reasons for holding back why you were coming. We don’t need to go over that ground again.”

The remote chill in Gem’s tone made it pretty clear the issue wasn’t really over, at least not to Austin’s satisfaction. Apologies had been made, and accepted. She got that. But a chasm still yawned between them, wide and dark and echoing hollowly in the center of her chest. “If you’d known, would any of this”—she gestured toward the bed—“have happened?”

Gem turned, opened the boxed lunches they’d grabbed from the FEMA truck, carried them to the tiny table, and set them in front of the two chairs. She sat down and opened hers. “Probably not.”

Austin joined her and pulled out a sandwich she had no appetite for. Unwrapping it, she took a bite and chased it with lukewarm bottled water. “Then I’m not sorry I didn’t tell you, even though I wish we were at a different place right now. I’m not sorry about what we’ve shared.”

Gem studied her sandwich as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. She raised it as if to take a bite and then set it down with a sigh. “I don’t regret sleeping with you. I couldn’t, it was too damn enjoyable.”

Austin grinned. “You have a knack for understatement.”

A flicker of a smile grazed Gem’s lips. “All right, exceptionally enjoyable.”

“That’s closer.”

“But here’s the thing,” Gem said. “What happened between us was something almost completely out of my experience. The only time I’ve ever done anything so…atypical…it was a disaster. And this feels a lot like that.”

Austin clamped down on the pulse of temper. “I’m not your husband, who must have been insane to look at another woman when he had you, and I’m not the friend who betrayed you with him.” Austin caught Gem’s hand, slid their fingers together. “I’m the woman who’s been falling in love with you since I turned around and saw you in the airport.”

Gem’s breath caught. “Just like that?”

“Just exactly like that,” Austin said, tightening her grip on Gem’s hand when she tried to pull away. “I can’t speak for what’s right for you, but I can tell you nothing about this is typical for me either. But everything is right. It’s probably one of the truest things I’ve ever done.”

Color flushed Gem’s throat. “You do like taking risks, don’t you?”

“All my life, I’ve been pushed to take risks. It’s the currency my family values most. Most of the time, I think I did it just to prove to them I was worthy.” Austin angled her chair until the table was no longer separating them, resisting the urge to pull Gem closer. That was a space Gem would have to cross herself. “But being with you didn’t feel like a risk. Falling in love with you feels like the safest thing I’ve ever done.”

“I’m not an impetuous person,” Gem said slowly. “I…I need time to absorb what’s happened, to think about it, to know if it’s right or even if it’s anything I want to do again.”

Austin could give her time, but she wasn’t going to just sit by and do nothing. “I don’t mind taking my time with something I want.”

“You must admit,” Gem said, trying for lightness, “we haven’t exactly had a typical relationship. I’ve never gone to bed with anyone before at least having half a dozen dates. Actually, more like a couple dozen dates.”