Unfortunately, she couldn’t run a towel across her mind. The image of one very naked woman opening the door in front of her was permanently imprinted behind her eyelids in a startling photo flash moment. Every time she blinked or closed her eyes, she found dark eyes staring back at her, amused and questioning, but lacking a single ounce of inhibition. Never in her life had she seen such perfect skin. No farmer’s tan there, no. Just one sleek expanse of tawny skin from head to toe, except at her breasts. They were fuller than she expected, with dusky areolas and even darker nipples that puckered and hardened with just a glance. That was all it took, a single glance and Maria managed to take her breath away.
She had to force herself to look away or risk giving in to her impulses. Once was enough for today, wasn’t it? Today she had acted unusually bold, kissing Maria like that. Caught up in her surprise, in the intense response she had to the kiss, she had only been partially aware of the softness beneath her and now she wished she had let her hands wander farther. Maybe if she had, Maria wouldn’t have stopped her, maybe things would have gotten out of hand. And in hand, she smirked, letting her imagination take over where things had stopped.
She shook her head at the folly of her thoughts. What would have happened then? The storm would have come and probably caught them unaware. By that point it could have been dangerous trying to navigate the creek. She should be thankful they were here, warm and dry and out of the rain. She plucked at the shirt clinging to her in disgust. Well, almost dry.
Stacie poured a cup of fresh coffee and wandered to the back porch to gaze out at the mess. It was still pouring and the back yard was a giant weed strewn puddle surrounded by an old cement block wall.
“That is a lot of water.”
“Looks like it doesn’t it? Don’t worry. It will dry up as soon as the rain stops,” Stacie said. These sudden summer storms could dump a lot of water in a very short time, but she knew from experience that as soon as the rain stopped, the ground would quickly absorb the water. California soil was perpetually thirsty, especially in the summertime.
Stacie turned to find Maria standing just behind and beside her in her borrowed robe. The black robe looked flat and dull next to the shine in her hair, which was still sleek and damp from the shower. Brushed straight back from her forehead to fall behind her in a thick cascade of liquid onyx, it fell almost to her waist now that it was freed from her usual braid. The severe style only accentuated her natural beauty, bringing out the angle of her cheekbones, the proud nose and strong jawline that reminded Stacie of some wildly graceful creature she’d only seen in the mythology books she loved to read as a child.
“You have beautiful hair,” Stacie blurted, then stuttered on. “I mean. I’ve never seen it down like that. I didn’t realize how long it was.”
“I should braid it, but it will be wet for hours if I don’t blow dry it first,” she said, tucking an errant strand behind her ear, then tried to smooth it down with a shy, apologetic smile. It was already starting to dry into a mass of loose waves. “It will be an unruly mess very soon if I do nothing.”
“I don’t have a blow dryer,” Stacie said, feeling like she should apologize. Another small curl of hair escaped and without thinking about it, she reached out and tucked it back where it belonged. Maria inhaled sharply when she brushed her fingertips along the curve of her ear, then boldly continuing that subtle tracing along her jawline.
“I noticed,” Maria smirked at her. “It suits you. You should leave it down,” Stacie said, then blushed and stumbled back a step when she realized how that must have sounded. Her face blazed red hot, and she tried to hide it by rubbing her face. “Ah, since you have to let it dry naturally.”
Maria mercifully returned her attention to the storm outside, freeing Stacie from the humor dancing in her eyes.
“You have a very nice home.”
Stacie almost snorted her coffee. She barely considered it a home. More of an office where she had a place to sleep. “It serves its purpose. The place is old, probably early 1900’s when it was originally built. It used to be an old feed store, back when Dee’s family sold grain and dry goods. When I moved in there wasn’t even a real kitchen. Dee scrounged around and set everything up for me. I turned the garage into a clinic and if I get any really sick animals here I set up a couple of temporary corrals out there.” She gestured past the sliding glass door.
“That explains quite a bit,” Maria said, stepping closer to the glass. Her breath left a thin gloss of steam that grew and disappeared with each breath. She touched the glass, leaving a foggy imprint of her hand behind. “This isn’t original.”
“No. I added this. There was a huge bay door here for taking deliveries from the back. I would have liked French doors, but these were cheaper. The view isn’t great, but it opened up the place so the light could get in.”
Maria nodded, then cocked
