Kara Jenkins is an attorney whose life is going well apart from one thing, she doesn't have someone to share it with. Until one fateful day she meets Madison Roberts in the park. The two hit it off right away, and it feels like a case of love at first sight. Will their feelings for each other be enough to hold or will Kara's past keep them apart?

Prologue

This is the happiest day of my life. Adam Jenkins stood at the altar watching his bride to be walking down the aisle toward him, a smile that was so big it looked almost painful decorating her face. She looked radiant in her white gown, her golden blonde hair capped off by a white veil. He didn’t look half bad himself, standing there in his tux, his red goatee perfectly trimmed and his hair combed with the part perfectly straight. How did I get so lucky. Adam’s smile was as big as the one sported by his soon-to-be wife.

She joined him at the altar, the small gathering of family and close friends, only about 15 people, looking on as they held each others’ hands. The two stood eye to eye, her height aided by the heels she was wearing bringing them both up to an impressive six feet. They made for a very striking couple.

They had known each other since they met as members of the quiz bowl team at their high school in Ohio. They started dating in the fall and quickly fell in love. Adam had graduated from high school a year before Jessica, so he went off to college while she finished up high school. It had been hard for them that year, spending so little time together, but in the end, the struggles only made them closer. After Jessica graduated, Adam proposed, and now a year and a half later, on a cold and cloudy New Years Day, they were finally getting married. At the young ages of 20 and 19, they knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that they would be together for the rest of their lives.

Chapter 1

Nine Years Later

Great, another miserable day to suffer through, thought the tall redhead as she found herself being pulled into wakefulness. At least I don’t have to go to work. Kara sat up and stretched, relishing in the pleasure she still got feeling the way her breasts moved as her arms reached as high as they would go, working out the kinks in her back from another restless night spent tossing and turning. I’m so sick of being single. She had been alone, apart from a few brief flings, since her last relationship ended 3 years prior. Not for the first time, she idly wondered how her life would be if she had been a man, or if Jess had been bi or gay. But no, I just had to fall in love with a straight woman. She and Jessica had been best friends since high school and all through college and after. And Kara had always been in love with the beautiful blonde. But she knew that would never again lead to anything but heartbreak and misery for her. Besides, Jess was getting married in two months to Bill Evans.

She got out of bed and pulled on a cream-colored silk robe, loving the way the cool, smooth material glided across her skin. She went downstairs and pulled a Diet Coke out of the fridge, thankful for the caffeine it provided. She liked coffee, but not enough to go to the trouble of making it every morning. She preferred the sweetness and convenience of a cold can of pop from the fridge every morning.

As she went through her daily routine of showering, drying her hair, putting on just a small bit of makeup, and taking care of the other requirements of the human body, she thought about her life and the way it had been going. She wasn’t exactly miserable, the way she had been just a few years earlier, before she faced the truth of who she really was, but there was nothing in her life to bring her the happiness she truly craved. More importantly, there was no one to bring her that happiness. True, there had been other women besides Jess, but none of them had captured her heart and her soul the way that Jess had. Add to all of that her unique challenges in the dating world and she sometimes wondered if she were going to be alone forever. With a jolt, she realized that it had been 18 months since she had so much as kissed another woman, and while she had been on dates with others, she never felt that elusive spark that she had felt the first time she met Jess, all those years ago.

She first chose a matching deep green bra and panty set before slipping on a sleeveless green silk wrap blouse, tying it carefully around her waist and a light gray skirt that came down to just a few inches above her knees, exposing a couple feet of her wonderfully toned, muscular legs. She sat on the edge of her bed and thought about shoes, finally selecting a cute pair of black flats, since she planned on going downtown and spending the day out of the house, just having fun. That meant a lot of walking, and while she loved her heels, she saw no reason to wear them on this beautiful day, seventy degrees and mostly cloudy. It had been raining all week, but today was dry and the clouds were just starting to break up, though she would be sad to see them go, as the sun was never kind to her pale, freckled skin.

It was still early, only nine, so she went back downstairs scratching Seymour, her black and tan mutt, behind the ears before she fed him and gave him fresh water. While Seymour ate, she prepared herself a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast with jelly. Once her food was ready, she sat at the table and began to eat while checking her email like she did every morning. Her routine and stomach both satisfied, she got up and cleaned up her mess from breakfast, picked up her purse and a cardigan and headed out the door.

She finally found a place to park around 10:30 and got out and began to walk. Since she was near the park, she went there first, sitting on a bench in front of the fountain as she pulled her book out of her purse and started reading. She was lost in a romance novel, the two women had finally admitted their love for one another and were about to make love for the first time, when she felt someone standing near her. She looked up, slightly annoyed to be interrupted just when she was getting to the good part, and became even more annoyed when she saw a tall, decently good looking guy standing there with a grin that said he thought he was god’s gift to women plastered on his face.

“Hi, mind if I sit here?” the man asked while sitting without waiting for an answer. “My name’s Eric, by the way. And you are?”

“Well, Eric, for the record, I do mind if you sit here, but if you must know, my name is Kara.” She turned back to her book, deciding that if she ignored him, the asshole would move along.

“What’s a beautiful woman like you doing just sitting and reading by yourself?”

Great, an asshole who can’t take a hint. “Exactly what you just said, it’s a nice day, I felt like being outside, I felt like reading, and I didn’t feel like standing while I did it, hence I’m sitting and reading.”

“Well, that takes care of the sitting and reading portions of my question,” he continued, undeterred by Kara’s cold tone and closed of body language, “but does nothing to answer the by yourself bit. Is your boyfriend at work or something?”

“Or something,” she answered briefly, her eyes never looking up from the page in front of her, though the words she was reading, about two women sharing their bodies for the first time weren’t nearly as enjoyable to her with Eric refusing to leave her alone to enjoy her book.

“So what are you reading?”

She lifted the book so he could see the cover, still reading as she did so.

Eric waited a couple minutes for her to say something else, but she just continued reading, occasionally turning to a new page.

“It must be good. What’s it about?”

“Two women who meet and fall in love and live happily ever after.”

“Why would a pretty woman like you be reading something like that?”

“Because I like things like that.”

“What, lesbians?” He laughed at this, making Kara even more uncomfortable.

“Well, since I am one, yes.”

“Well, you just haven’t met the right man yet,” Eric slid closer on the bench as he said this, putting his arm around Kara, who visibly flinched away from the obnoxious man’s touch.

“There you are, sweetheart, I’ve been looking all over for you!” This exclamation was addressed to Kara by a gorgeous brunette wearing a pair of faded blue jeans, a black silk tank top and ankle boots that looked well worn. Kara instantly smiled at her, dropping her book in her purse, she stood and quickly moved to wrap the brunette in a hug.

“Thank you so much. You’re an absolute lifesaver. I’ve been trying to get rid of him for 10 minutes, but he just gave me the ‘haven’t met the right man yet’ line.” She whispered in the brunette’s ear as she felt her warm body pressed up against her.

“Ugh, sounds like I got here just in time then,” the brunette whispered back.

“Hey, Kara, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” Eric asked as his shit eating grin grew wider.

“I’m Madison, Kara’s girlfriend, and since we have lunch plans, we’ll be on our way.”

“Wait, you’re her girlfriend? Well which one of you is the man?”

“Neither of us. If we wanted a man, we wouldn’t be lesbians. C’mon sweetie, we’re going to be late,” Madison took Kara’s hand and led the redhead away from the bench and out of the park.

“I can’t thank you enough for rescuing me from that arrogant bastard. Men like that always give me the creeps.”

“No need to thank me,” Madison said, still holding onto Kara’s hand. “If you’d like to join me, I really was on my way to lunch.”

Kara’s face lit up in a brilliant smile, feeling genuinely happy for the first time in weeks, if not months. “I would absolutely love to join you, but only if you let me pay as thanks for saving me from that jerk.”

“I told you,” Madison began, with a slightly shy smile, “no thanks are needed.” She took a deep breath. “But if you want to make this a date I wouldn’t be opposed.” She blushed as she looked down, afraid of Kara rejecting her overture.

My god, not only is she drop dead gorgeous, she’s also cute as hell. “I would definitely like to make this a date. So, if we’re making this a date, I should properly introduce myself. My name is Kara Jenkins.”

“Madison Roberts.”

“So Madison, how did you know I’d need rescuing and that I’d go along with your plan?” Kara asked playfully as they walked toward the bistro Madison suggested. “I mean for all you knew, that asshole could have been my boyfriend.”

“Well, your body language was more than a bit closed off, which made me think you wanted him to leave you alone. As for knowing you’d go along with my plan, I saw your pendant and book. Straight women don’t tend to wear a labrys around their necks or read lesbian romance novels. That’s one of my favorites, by the way.”

“Well it’s about time that thing came in handy. I bought it a little while after I came out and my last relationship ended. I figured since I’m pretty femme, it’d be useful to have an indication that I like the ladies in case some cute girl wanted to talk to me but couldn’t figure out if I was gay or not.”

Madison smiled at the redhead’s openness, her nose crinkling up as she let out a lilting laugh that Kara felt in the pit of her stomach. They stood there, just looking at each other, smiling and feeling comfortable with the silence.

“So, on to the restaurant, then?” Madison prompted Kara, breaking the silence.

“Yes, absolutely.”

The two resumed walking, enjoying the comfortable temperature and the slight breeze that ruffled their hair, blowing it into their faces. Calm and peaceful in each other’s company, they walked along toward the small bistro that Madison had recommended.

“How long have you lived in Indianapolis?” Madison asked Kara.

“About 6 years now. You?”

“All my life. I did leave town to go to IU for college, though.”

“Bloomington’s a nice town, but I haven’t spent a lot of time there. Just went down for beer fest one year while I was in law school.”

“So you’re a lawyer then?”

“Yup. Have been for 3 years now.”

“How do you like it?”

“It’s okay. Not the most exciting job in the world, but I’m good at it and it pays the bills, so I can’t complain. What about you, what do you do?”

“I’m a professor of history at IUPUI.”

“That’s so awesome! I was a history major in college. What kind of history do you teach?”

“European, mostly. I usually teach from the end of the Middle Ages to the present. I usually have a focus on Continental Europe. Germany is my favorite region, though.”

“Okay, this is just getting eerie.” Kara was laughing her hand resting on Madison’s arm. “That was my favorite area of study.”

“You’re joking.”

“Not at all. Germany is fascinating in that time period. Europe’s battleground, the rise of Prussia, the decline of the influence of the Holy Roman Empire, all of it just enthralls me. My undergrad was a bit on the small side though, so my classes tended to have a more Anglo-centric focus, but I absolutely love the subject.”

“Well, then I may have to bore you with some of my lectures at a later date.”

“You most certainly wouldn’t bore me. You have such a beautiful voice I think I’d be enthralled even if you were a math professor,” Kara said, feeling a hot blush creeping up her cheeks as she said it.

“Well thank you. By the way, I think that blush is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” Madison’s face lit up with the brightest grin Kara had ever seen as her face grew even redder.

“Anyway, this is the place. Shall we?”

“After you,” Kara said, as she opened the door in front of which Madison had stopped. As Madison walked through the door, Kara took her time to evaluate the older woman. She looked to be in her early thirties, maybe thirty-two or thirty-three. She was tall, but not as tall as Kara’s 5’11”, probably 5’8” or 5’9”. Her glossy, dark brown hair came down to just past her shoulders and was slightly wavy and thick. Her hips were full and womanly, and her ass perfectly filled out her obviously well-worn jeans. Moving down, she took note of Madison’s shapely long legs. That ass is a work of art, Kara thought, as the full, round flesh again captured her attention. She felt the flush that already colored her cheeks move to turn her freckled chest a matching shade of crimson. This woman is incredible.

Kara followed Madison inside and they followed the hostess to their table. The young woman told them about the specials, assured them that their server would be right with them and then returned to the front of the restaurant. They sat across from each other, which allowed Kara to make a thorough assessment of the captivating woman’s face. The first thing she noticed were the thick dark eyelashes framing beautiful hazel eyes that sparkled in the sunlight streaming through the window. Her nose was straight and delicate and she had very fine features. Her lips were lush and full and simply captivating. Kara realized that she was staring at those lips and hadn’t heard a word that her companion had just said.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that, my mind kind of wandered off for a minute.”

“That’s okay. I was just saying that if you like seafood, their shrimp scampi and linguine is excellent.”

“Thanks, that sounds like a great choice.” Saves me from having to read the menu, which would require me to stop looking at you.

“So what kind of law do you practice, Kara?”

“Criminal. I work for the public defender’s office. It’s not the easiest job in the world, but I like what I do.” As she said this, she found her eyes falling to the slight curve of Madison’s breasts under her top. There was no visible cleavage, as the top was cut too high for that, but her breasts looked firm and perky, though on the small side. Mouthwatering.

“How are we doing today, ladies?” The waiter picked that moment to show up, startling Kara, who seemed incapable of seeing anything but the woman sitting across from her. “Can I start you off with something to drink?”

“I’ll have a Sun King witbier,” Kara said.

“That sounds good; I’ll have one as well.”

“Alright ladies, I’ll get that right out to you.”

The waiter walked away and Kara and Madison turned their attention back to one another.

“How long have you been teaching?”

“Well, counting while I was getting my advanced degrees, about 11 years. I’m 33, to save you from doing the math.” Madison laughed as she noticed the blush that covered Kara’s face yet again. God she’s so cute when she blushes. I’m gonna have to think of ways to keep making it happen.

“Was I that obvious?” Kara smiled. “Well, while we’re on the topic, I’m 29. I went to college for 5 years, majored in history and political science. Three years of law school here in Indy and here we are.”

“Here we are. And just for the record, you have the most adorable blush I’ve ever seen. Along with those freckles. So very, very cute.” That did it. That blush is so adorable.

The waiter returned with their beers and took their orders. They both went with the shrimp and linguine.

“Where did you go to school for undergrad?” Madison asked.

“I went to a small Christian college in the south. You’ve probably never heard of it.”

“A religious school, really?”

“Yeah, when I was young and in the closet, I thought that by going there the religious teaching would make me straight and a good Christian. It didn’t really have that effect in the end. After I had been there three, three and a half years, I started to question a lot of what they tried teaching me, and I ended up rejecting most of what they force fed us. Unfortunately at that point, so many of my credits were non-transferable that it didn’t make any sense to leave. I just kept my mouth shut and went to class and bided my time until graduation. Still, I didn’t end up really coming to terms with who I really was until I was well into law school.”

“Wow, I can’t even imagine what that must have been like. I came out freshman year. In Bloomington, it wasn’t that big of a deal, even though it felt like it was the most important thing to ever happen in the history of the world when I was going through it.”

“I know what you mean. I came out during my last year of law school. I felt like the world was going to end when I did, but nobody around me really seemed to care all that much. It was more of an ‘oh, good for you’ kind of reaction. Kind of anti-climactic.”

“So I noticed you ordered the Sun King. That’s a good choice.”

“Yeah, I’m a big beer lover. I even homebrew every now and then. Right now I think I’ve got about 8 cases of various kinds of beer at my place. Beer is basically my hobby and passion. Another thing my undergrad disapproves of, by the way,” she raised her glass to her lips and took a sip of the fruity, yeasty brew, smiling at Madison over the rim of her glass as she did so.

“Wow. I must say I’m impressed by a woman who knows her beer. And it certainly sounds like you know beer. Any favorite styles?”

“Well, that’s a tough question, because I like just about any style of beer, except American light lager. But if I had to pick one right now, I’d say kolsch. We’re on the cusp of summer, the weather is warm, and there’s nothing as good in warm weather as a crisp glass of kolsch. How about you?”

“Interesting choice. You really do know your beer. That’s a style most Americans don’t know much about. For me, I’ve got to go with a wheat beer. I know, I know, it’s a girly choice, but what can I say.”

They laughed and sat there looking at each other for a moment, both women liking what they saw in the other. Kara spoke first, blushing as she said, “Lucky for you, I like girls.”

“Very lucky. And very lucky I happened to be walking by that particular fountain earlier.”

“For more than one reason,” Kara agreed.

The waiter came back, and recognizing the chemistry that was flowing between the two women, sat down their plates and left after receiving assurances that they didn’t need anything else. Kara twirled a piece of shrimp and some pasta on her fork and swooned when the buttery, garlicky sauce exploded with flavor on her tongue. The shrimp was perfectly done and the pasta was just al dente.

“My god, you were right, this is divine,” she moaned, quickly taking another bite, deciding then and there that she’d try any food that Madison recommended to her.

Wow, if that’s what she sounds like when she gets some good food, I can’t wait to hear what noises she makes in the bedroom. With that thought, Madison’s face broke out in a positively wicked grin, thinking about the various things she wanted to do with the taller woman in a decidedly more casual setting.

“Somebody is thinking about something very interesting, unless I miss my guess,” Kara said, seeing Madison’s grin and knowing what it was, since she herself had had the same one as they entered the restaurant, thinking about how wonderful Madison’s ass would look free of her jeans.

This time it was Madison’s turn to blush. She knew she’d been caught, so she tried her best to cover. “I was just remembering something that happened to me a while back.” Ouch, that’s the best I could come up with? Nice cover, Madison.

“I see. I take it from your earlier grin combined with the fetching red color that’s taken over your face that I should just let it go.”

“Yes, please,” Madison giggled, causing Kara to join her. “So I think it’s a safe bet that you enjoy your shrimp?”

“God yes. Excellent recommendation. And the wit compliments it nicely.”

The two women returned to the easy conversation and get to know you stuff typical of a first date. The talked about favorite TV shows, discovering that they shared a fondness for the works of Joss Whedon, especially Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly. Madison expressed a love of horror and thriller movies, while Kara preferred mindless comedies and romances. Kara liked classic rock and some pop music; Madison’s tastes ran more toward classical and jazz.

The waiter came and went, taking empty plates from the table, replacing their empty beers with waters, while the pair continued to talk. Finally, Kara looked at her watch and realized they had been sitting at the table for four hours.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe how long we’ve been sitting here.” Kara signaled the waiter over and asked for the check.

“Wow, I completely lost track of time. You’re an excellent conversationalist. I can’t remember the last time I had such a pleasant afternoon. Do have anything you have to do right now?”

“Nope, I am blissfully free until Monday morning. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I’d kind of like to continue the date if you’re not opposed?” Madison blushed as she asked, surprised at how quickly the tall redhead had completely captivated her.

“I’d love to. What do you recommend we do?”

They decided that they would walk around, just talking, until either of them came up with a better idea or they settled on something to eat. They walked around finally going in to a pub to grab another beer. They sat facing the sidewalk, so they could people watch while they watched the crowd and sipped their ales.

“So Madison, do you make a habit of rescuing damsels in distress?” Kara jokingly asked.

“Only when they’re cute and trip my gaydar. And you are definitely cute.” Madison reached out and laid her hand on Kara’s forearm, feeling an almost electric surge flow through her body at the contact.

Kara felt the warmth rush through her body at the touch and marveled at the effect the older woman’s touch had on her. Despite feeling like her skin was on fire where Madison’s hand was resting, she shivered and felt the warmth make its way to her center. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so turned on from a simple touch.

Feeling a little uncomfortable, Kara tried to steer the conversation back to neutral ground, moving the arm Madison was touching to pick up her beer and take a big swallow. “Would you like to get something to eat?” She asked the older woman, seeing Madison’s eyes light up at the unintentional double entendre. “Don’t go there. I was thinking maybe we could walk over to Bazbeaux and split a pizza.”

“I have no idea what you’re inferring, madam, but a pizza sounds delicious.”

The women settled their bill and left the pub, heading down Massachusetts a few blocks, enjoying the weather and each other’s company. Summoning up her courage, Kara reached out with her left hand, and took Madison’s right in hers, twining their fingers together. “Is this okay?”

Madison gave her hand a gentle squeeze and said, “More than okay. I’m definitely not afraid of PDA. If others don’t like two women holding hands, that’s their problem.”

“I’m so glad to hear that. I love holding hands and being physically close. I mean, obviously I wouldn’t try this in Martinsville,” referring to the town to the southwest of Indianapolis with a reputation for bigotry, “but here on Mass Ave . . .”

“Exactly. Believe me, I’m a huge fan of physical contact myself. There’s nothing quite as nice as being close to another woman who feels about you the same way you feel about her. And I firmly believe in being myself. I won’t censor my behavior just to make others happier. If it’s a matter of safety, then sure, but as long as I feel safe, I have no problem holding a woman’s hand.”

By that point, the couple had reached Bazbeaux and since it was still early, only 6:30, they were led straight to a table. They decided to split a bottle of Saisson and a sausage pizza, both women happy to find that it was the other’s favorite topping. They set the menus to the side after making their decision and continued their flirtatious banter while waiting for their server to appear and take their order.

Kara’s hands were resting on the table and Madison reached across, taking them in hers. The women smiled shyly at each other, both feeling the intense connection between them.

“I’ve got to say, this is probably the greatest first date I’ve ever been on. You make quite the impression, Dr. Roberts.”

“As do you, counselor. This is definitely the best date I’ve ever had.”

The waitress came by then, a short blonde woman, no older than twenty-two, with spiky hair and several piercings. She smiled at the two women, noticing their hands still clasped across the table. She took their orders and left the women to themselves.

“So what do you like to do for fun?” Madison asked, as the waitress walked away.

“Well, you pretty much saw what I like to do this morning. I love to read, and as long as the weather is pleasant I really enjoy doing so outside in the fresh air. Unfortunately, that is often taken as a sign that I want the company of the opposite sex.”

“Well, I’m glad to find out you appreciate the company of the same sex. I very likely would have interrupted your reading myself if I had got to you before that guy had.”

“And that would have been a most welcome interruption. You can feel free to interrupt me whenever you like and I promise I won’t be annoyed.”

“Oh, you say that now. Just wait till you know me better. Then you’ll be chasing me away with a fly-swatter.”

The women laughed at this image, finding it easy to picture themselves spending many days together in the future. Once again, the women were amazed at how quickly they were becoming so incredibly close. Kara believed in love at first sight, having experienced it once before in her life, but because of the heartbreak she had gone through with Jess, she was wary of those feelings surfacing so soon with Madison.

The couple finished eating, managing to split a large between them, with no leftovers. They both laughed at the others healthy appetites.

“What can I say,” began Madison, “I love a good pizza.”

“I can tell. And as you can see, that’s something we both have in common. Want to split another beer?”

“Sure, that was a really good pick. The tartness paired with the cheese really well.”

Kara blushed at the compliment, happy to see that someone appreciated the same things that she did. To be complimented on her looks or even her intelligence wasn’t something that held much meaning to her. Finding a woman who actually liked that she knew a thing or two about beer, and was willing to compliment her on it was something that meant a lot to her.

The couple sat drinking and talking, watching the crowd move in and out of the restaurant, barely noticing the passage of time, simply enjoying being in each other’s presence. Finally, the spell was broken when Kara let out a loud yawn. “Excuse me. Don’t think that’s a reflection on the quality of the conversation, it’s just that it’s. . .” she looked down at her watch, startled to see that it was after 10 o’clock. “My god, have we really been here that long?”

Madison checked her own watch at that point, having a similar reaction. The waitress, noticing that the spell had been broken, brought over the check and informed the women that the restaurant would be closing soon. They fought over the bill in a playful manner.

“You got lunch, it’s only fair that I pay for dinner.”

“Yeah, but you were the last to pay for something; the beers at the pub, remember?”

“True, but that was barely anything. Let me get this.”

“How about this, you get the check and I’ll get the tip. Sound good?”

“Alright, that works for me.”

Given the amount of time they had taken up the table on a Saturday night, Kara felt the need to drop a tip that was almost equal to the bill. She stood and held out her hand to help Madison up from her chair. Neither woman relinquished her hold on the others hand as they started for the door and the street outside. They stood on the sidewalk, both trying to think of a way to prolong the evening, but neither coming up with anything that didn’t put them in dangerous territory so early on in their relationship. Kara proceeded to yawn again, pushing the women to say goodnight. They walked to Kara’s car, which luckily was parked a block and a half from Madison’s building.

Standing beside Kara’s car, Madison said, “Well, I guess this is goodnight. I don’t suppose I could ask you for a kiss?” Her eyes sparkled under the streetlamp as she smiled, unable to look away from the taller woman.

“If you hadn’t, I would have.”

They wrapped each other in a loose embrace, their breasts pushing together as their lips met for the first time. It started off as a chaste, innocent kiss, but it quickly built in passion. Kara’s lips slightly parted as her tongue sought leave to explore Madison’s incredibly soft lips. Madison opened in welcome and the two women were lost, standing on the street and exploring one another’s mouths. Kara felt that her heart was about to beat out of her chest as she tightened her hold on the gorgeous brunette. Their breaths were coming more quickly and Madison heard a throaty moan, uncertain which of them it came from.

Realizing that they were on very dangerous ground, Kara began to lighten her kisses and pull away from Madison. Madison, still lost in a sensual haze followed Kara, leaving the strength of the kisses unchanged. The sound of a honking car horn and several people shouting from a passing car was enough to finally pull her out of the passionate mist she had been lost in.

“Wow,” Kara was the first to mutter, as the couple held each other tightly, trying to recover their ability to think and breath after the amazing kiss they had just experienced.

“I’ll say. I had no idea where I was right then. That was the most amazing kiss I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

Kara tilted her head forward so that her forehead rested against Madison’s. “I couldn’t agree more. Words cannot begin to describe.”

“I think I had better go before we make a scene and I start tearing off your clothes in the middle of the street. Cause if we stand here much longer, I have no doubt that that’s exactly what will happen.”

She looked up into Kara’s eyes and at that moment she saw an emotion she didn’t expect: terror. Sheer, unadulterated terror filled Kara’s eyes, causing Madison to step back.

“Kara, are you okay? I was just joking, I have no desire to actually make love to you in the middle of the street. It was just a comment on how low my will-power is right now with you standing so close to me.”

Kara had stopped breathing, but she nodded her head and pasted on a smile, trying to banish the unhappy thoughts she had just experienced. “I know you were joking. I’m okay, just something that I’d really rather not talk about right now. It’s late and I should be headed home.”

She stepped free of Madison’s embrace and quickly got in her car and drove away, leaving Madison standing there completely thrown by what had just happened. One second, I’m experiencing the greatest kiss known to womankind and the next the woman I shared that kiss with is fleeing like a terrified rabbit being chased by dogs. What the fuck just happened? She shook her head, turned, and started the brief walk home.

Chapter 2

Oh my god, what just happened. Kara’s eyes were still wide and panicked as she drove back to her house just north of downtown. I can’t believe I just ran like that. I am such an idiot. She’s never going to want to see me again after what I just did.

Taking deep breaths in an effort to calm down, her heart going so fast she was afraid it might burst out of her chest, she finally arrived home, greeted by Seymour. The place was just as she left it, though Seymour needed more water. Not for the first time she was incredibly happy she’d had a doggy door put in on her back door. “Sorry I left you alone so long, baby. Come here so mommy can pet you,” she told the mutt as she knelt down to hug his neck, receiving several wet swipes of his tongue in the process.

As she played with Seymour, trying to make up for leaving him by himself all day, she thought back on what had happened that day. She smiled as she remembered the passionate kiss the two women had shared, her lips still tingling. She felt a stirring in her groin as she remembered the feel of Madison’s body pressed against hers. She had felt Madison’s hard nipples pressing through her top and into her breasts. The warmth in her center grew as she remembered the way Madison had held the back of her head and tangled her fingers in her hair as they melted together.

She sighed deeply, then began to cry. She knew, from long experience that she was going to have her heart broken, and soon. She had spent several hours with Madison and she already knew that she was well on her way to falling for the attractive brunette. She knew that Madison’s feelings for her were tracking right along with her own, either that or Madison was simply the most incredible kisser ever. That kiss had left her knees barely able to support her weight and had left her feeling so loved and cherished and cared for that she just knew that the woman who kissed her like that had to be feeling something for her.

Kara had been through this before. She would get to know a woman, be attracted to her, things moving along nicely, but as soon as she told the other women about her past, they ceased to see her for her. They would want to stop seeing her all together, or insist that they made better friends, or they would treat her as a novelty and see her only as an assemblage of her parts. While she had been okay with the latter at first, it hadn’t taken her long to realize that sex for its own sake left her feeling empty and hollow. Now, she wanted true companionship. A best friend that she shared everything in her life with. A woman to come home to at the end of every day, a woman to share her bed every night, a woman she could start a family with. A partner. A lover. A wife.

She cried, knowing that she would never have that partner and that Madison would never love her once she found out about her. She cried until she was all cried out, stood up from the kitchen floor, where she had collapsed in a heap and went to her room. She kicked off her shoes, stripped out of her clothes, and fell into bed.

She woke the next morning and looked at the clock on her nightstand, surprised to see it was eleven o’clock. I never sleep that late. I guess yesterday was more draining than I’d thought. She got out of bed and went through her normal morning routine. Even though she knew that pursuing Madison was the way of heartbreak, she couldn’t stop herself as she pulled out her phone to call her. She flipped through her contacts, but when she got to the M’s, no Madison. She realized that the two women had never exchanged contact info. Well, I know her first and last name, and I know where she works. It shouldn’t be too hard to track her down. Then, her face fell, the sadness hitting. Maybe this is a sign. I shouldn’t pursue her. She’s just going to end up hurting me, so maybe it’s better that we can’t get in touch with each other. She decided then that she was going to let sleeping dogs lie and cherish the kiss as one of the best she’d ever have. Now to make yesterday up to Seymour. He’ll love a long walk.

With that, she grabbed the leash and left to walk around the neighborhood.

***

Madison walked the rest of the way to her building, eyes locked on the pavement in front of her, still completely confused as to what had just happened. I spend all day with a bright, funny, attractive woman, have a searing kiss that leaves me completely dazed, and then she panics and runs away. What the hell? She ran over the last moments of the night again and again in her mind. It has to be my comment about stripping her naked. Has she been abused or something? Argh! Why can’t I stop thinking about this?

Madison arrived home and got into bed, tossing and turning, still unable to think of anything but the tall redhead. She thought back on the kiss they had shared and felt her nipples harden and moist heat gather between her legs. Her hands moved over her body, teasing herself as she thought about how she had felt with Kara’s arms clinging to her as they kissed. She thought about the way Kara’s long silky hair had tangled in her fingers as she had deepened the kiss. She remembered the feeling of Kara’s firm breasts pushing against her chest, the way Kara’s slim hips had ground against her. Her right hand dipped lower and brushed through her dark brown curls, gathering her wetness. She teased her slick folds, just enjoying the sensation, wishing that it was Kara’s hand touching her so intimately. She continued to think about Kara, her full lips, her large breasts, her muscular legs, her long fingers.

She slowly dragged her finger through the wet heat to her goal. The hard bud was standing out from the surrounding flesh, begging to be touched, aching. As her left hand squeezed her breast and played with her nipple, her right, soaked in her own viscous juices, began to move in tiny circles around her engorged clit. She felt the pleasure build and grow inside her, her hips thrusting wildly. All she thought of was how much better it would feel when Kara was the one giving her this pleasure. Finally, she brought herself to the crest and as she hurtled over the edge, her orgasm taking her with a ferocious intensity, she pictured those gray eyes staring into hers. That was the last thought she remembered before she drifted off to sleep, her hand still cupped between her thighs.

She woke the next morning with the sun streaming down on her, filtered through her window shade. She lay in bed, awake but unwilling to get up just yet. She looked over at the clock and saw it was only nine o’clock, so she decided to go for a run. As she ran, she thought about Kara and how wonderful it had felt to spend the day with someone, flirting and laughing and having fun. She thought about how amazing the many small touches the two women had shared had felt. She hadn’t opened up to another person in the two years since she had caught Michelle, her partner of five years in bed with another woman.

She had had no idea that her lover was cheating on her. Michelle was seemingly working the same hours she always had, their sex life was still good, and everything seemed the same. But it wasn’t. The short blonde woman had been having an affair for seven months by the time Madison caught her. The breakup was an ordeal. Michelle refused to simply take her things and go, so it became a protracted battle with Michelle harassing Madison at work and at home. At one point, it got so bad, that Madison had considered having a restraining order put on Michelle. One day about two months after the breakup, it all just stopped. Madison discovered through some mutual friends that Michelle had taken a job in North Carolina somewhere and she hadn’t heard from her since.

She had tried going on a few dates with other women, but none of them made her comfortable enough to let down her defenses and actually let them in. Somehow, though, Kara had bypassed her shell almost immediately. Something about Kara made her feel safe and protective of the taller woman. They had similar tastes, but enough dissimilarity to keep things interesting.

She finished her run and arrived home, proceeding to stretch in front of her building. She went inside and kicked off her running shoes just inside her door before heading back to her bathroom for a shower to wash the sweat off. She stood under the pouring warm water, the heat keeping her muscles from tightening up. She washed her body, the suds allowing her hands to glide smoothly over her breasts and her stomach, her ass and down her legs. She was happy with how her body looked and felt. She decided that she didn’t need to shave, so she rinsed, shut off the water and dried herself with a large, fluffy, teal towel. After slipping into a pair of shorts and a tank top, not bothering with a bra, she went to the kitchen to fix some breakfast.

She decided on a bowl of oatmeal with butter and maple syrup along with some bacon. Once her food was ready, she went into the living room and plopped down on her couch and pulled up her DVR to find something to watch. She settled on a cooking show she liked and watched an episode while she ate. When she finished eating and watching the show, she saw that it was ten thirty and she decided that she would call Kara and see if she wanted to do something. She walked over to phone and pulled up the contacts list to discover that, like an idiot, she had failed to get Kara’s number.

She sat with her head cradled in her hands. How could I have been so stupid! I meet the perfect girl and I didn’t get her number. But I do have her name and where she works. Time to go to the internet and see if the PD has a searchable directory. Feeling extremely pleased with herself, she turned on her computer and opened her web browser to find the Public Defender’s webpage. Seeing that there was no searchable directory, she wrote down the number for the office and closed the page. Guess I’ll have to try to find her the old-fashioned way. First thing tomorrow, I’ll call and see if I can find her.

The next morning, Madison decided to stay home, since the semester had ended two weeks ago and she’d already graded all her tests, there was little point in going in to her office. At nine thirty, she called the number on the Public Defender’s website and waited patiently for someone to answer.

“Thank you for calling the Marion County Public Defender’s Agency, how can I help you?”

“Hi, I’m trying to send a package to an attorney who works there, but unfortunately, I can’t seem to find her contact information. Is there any chance you could help me out?”

“What’s the attorney’s name?”

“Her name is Kara Jenkins.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I can’t just give out that information over the phone for safety reasons.”

“Of course, I understand. See, the thing is, she and I met Saturday and I was supposed to call her to have dinner sometime this week, but I lost her card and I’m feeling like a total idiot here. I don’t want her to think I flaked out on her or anything, so can you help me out? Please?”

Madison heard the other woman’s sigh and hoped it was a good sign. “Alright, let me just look that up for you.” The woman on the other end of the line gave Madison the information she needed, including Kara’s work phone number. Madison wrote the information down and read it back to the woman, to make sure it was correct. Having double checked the accuracy, Madison hung up the phone and smiled.
“On to phase two.”

Dressed in a khaki knee length skirt and a light blue short sleeved silk top, Madison walked in to her favorite florist’s, smiling as she heard the distinctive chimes that signaled the door had been opened. As she walked up to the counter, her old friend Beth came out of the back and came around to give her a hug. Beth stood about five foot five and exuded a vibrant energy that seemed to flow off her in waves. She had a ruddy complexion and was a bit on the heavy side.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you in here, girl. I hope no one died.” Beth joked.

“No, no deaths. I’m actually here for flowers for a woman I met,” Madison admitted, blushing at the look of shock that covered her friends face.

“Holy shit! You’re finally interested in someone? Took you long enough to get over that bitch.”

“I’ve been over Michelle for a long time, I just couldn’t let myself trust anyone to let them get close enough for a real relationship.”

“What’s different this time? Come on back and give me the scoop while I put something together.”

The two friends talked, Madison giving a full run down of what happened at the end of the night. As Madison went over what had happened, Beth was putting together a beautiful bouquet of lilies and roses to deliver to Kara.

“Wow. That’s quite the tale,” Beth said as she finished the bouquet. “I take it you really want to give it a chance with this girl. And you have no idea what caused the freak-out?”

“None. There we were having the hottest kiss I’ve ever had in my life and then she runs away. I can’t figure it out.”

“Well, it’s obvious she has some kind of issues that need to be dealt with. You’ve got to know that going in.”

“Yeah, but I can’t let her get away until I actually know what the issue is. It could be something that she’s blown way out of proportion in her head or something that some woman in her past gave her a ton of grief for, destroyed her self esteem. It could be something completely harmless.”

“True, but it may not be. I’m not trying to talk you out of anything, here Maddie, I just don’t want to see you get hurt. You’re my friend and I care about you.”

“Thanks, Beth. I appreciate you looking out for me, but I’ve got to see where this goes. Now go deliver those flowers to her and call me once she gets them.”

Madison drove downtown and found a place to park, walking to the city market. She wandered around for a little while before buying a cup of coffee and sitting down to drink and read the book she had in her purse. She found a table on the upper level and sat by the railing, watching the assortment of people moving through the building. After she had been waiting for about an hour, her phone rang.
Seeing it was Beth, she answered it. “Did she get them?”

“What, no hello?”

“Hello, Beth. Did she get them?”

“Hello to you, too Maddie. And yes, I delivered them to her personally. You should have seen her face light up like a Christmas tree. And your description of her didn’t do her justice. If I swung that way, I’d have to give you a run for your money. And the suit she had on. Damn.”

Madison laughed at her friend’s antics. “So is she still in the office? I’m at the city market and thought I just might drop by. It is lunch time.”

“I just got out of the building and she was still there when I left. Go for it, girl.”

“I think I will, Beth. Thanks for everything.”

“No problem, Maddie. Good luck.”

Madison ended the call and placed her book back in her purse. She stood and walked to the exit, dropping her cup in the trash as she went. She turned the corner and went around the block to the gold mirrored glass building that housed the Public Defender’s office. She went to the second floor and asked if she could get in to see Kara.

The woman at the desk gave her a smile. “Are you the one who sent the flowers?”

“That’d be me. I thought I’d try my luck and see if she’s free for lunch.”

“Alright, go on back.” The woman said, giving Madison directions to Kara’s office.

When she got to the office, she found Kara with her back to the door, looking at the bouquet she had placed next to the window. Madison stood in the doorway, taking in the sight of the tall redhead wearing a gray pantsuit with three-quarter length sleeves, her red hair seeming redder against the gray of the suit. She noted the way the jacket attractively stretched across Kara’s broad shoulders, tapering in slightly at her waist, while the flared pants seemed to make her legs go on for miles. She noticed the heels that Kara wore, making the five eleven woman stand well over six feet. She let out a deep sigh, feeling the warmth spread through her at the loveliness of the creature standing in front of her. Kara heard the sound and turned to see Madison had been staring at her ass.

“Like what you see?” Kara asked, the frightened girl of Saturday night replaced by a supremely confident attorney.

“Very much so. This view is quite nice, too,” Madison said, noticing the way the green and yellow print silk shell stretched across Kara’s full breasts.

“I’m glad you approve,” Kara said with a bit of a smirk. She looked over Madison, almost drooling over the sight of her slim toned calves. She always had been a leg woman. Walking over to Madison, she pulled her into a warm embrace and kissed her on the cheek, whispering in the older woman’s ear, “Thank you for the flowers, they’re lovely.”

“Did you read the note?”

“Yes, I did. I followed the directions and typed the information into my phone just before you got here. Speaking of which, what brings you here today?” Kara asked, while taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk, gesturing for Madison to sit in the free one.

“I didn’t have anything pressing I had to do today, so I thought I’d see if I could talk you into having lunch with me.”

Glancing at her watch, she saw it was eleven thirty and decided that it was as good a time as any to eat. “I’d love to,” she said, smiling at the older woman. “Let me close down here and grab my purse and we can go.”

Once they were on the street, they discussed where they wanted to go for lunch. They settled on a bar and grill type place just a couple blocks away. As they walked, Madison reached out and took Kara’s hand. Kara smiled and squeezed the smaller hand lightly.

Once at the restaurant, they asked to be seated on the patio, since it was a nice day out and they wanted to enjoy the weather as well as each other’s company. Their food came swiftly and the women shared bites of their meals. The conversation was light and fun and no mention was made of Kara’s freak-out Saturday night. The women had a brief fight over who would pay the bill, Madison snatching it away from the taller woman and giving her a look that clearly stated there would be no discussion.

As they were leaving, Madison asked “Is there any chance you’d be interested in getting dinner with me sometime this week?”

“Honestly, my plate is kind of full with work right now.” She saw the disappointed look start to come over Madison’s face and quickly backtracked, saying “But I see no reason why we couldn’t have dinner later in the week. Maybe Thursday night?”

The smile on Madison’s face was worth the extra long nights she would have to put in in order to be free for dinner Thursday. “Thursday sounds great! I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Once they got back to the building, Madison followed Kara up to her office. “Thanks for coming to lunch with me,” she told the redhead, closing the door to Kara’s office once they were both inside. “I had a great time.”

As she was talking, she stepped closer to Kara and placed her hands on the taller woman’s slender hips, pulling her closer. Kara placed her hands on Madison’s shoulders and grinned at the brunette, whispering “me, too” as their lips came together. The kiss started off slowly and gently, but within moments, both women were moaning and their breaths were ragged as they mixed their kisses with gentle nips and teases. Kara’s hands were wound in Madison’s dark, silky tresses while Madison’s hands had drifted around to firmly grasp Kara’s ass, pulling them together. Again, the women could easily feel each other’s hard nipples poking through the thin silk of their tops, making their arousal plain to each other.

Kara was lost in the sensations, loving the way Madison’s hands felt caressing her ass through her thin wool slacks. She moaned with pleasure and began to feel her arousal building. She felt the heat building in her panties and sighed as Madison’s kisses had moved to her neck. She felt Madison’s hips grinding against her own and the pressure she felt in her panties continued to build. Suddenly, she came to with a sudden awareness of where she was and what she was doing and most importantly, the disaster that could happen if she lost control.

In the passion that they had been experiencing, Madison had pushed Kara up against her desk and Kara now felt the rounded edge of the furniture pressing into the backs of her thighs. She pushed Madison away and held her at arm’s length while taking deep breaths to try to quell the fire growing in her belly.

“I had a great time at lunch today, Madison,” she began, gently stroking the other woman’s arm, “and I can’t wait for dinner Thursday. Also,” she said, grinning, “where the hell did you learn to kiss like that? I felt like I was gonna spontaneously combust.” She laughed and leaned in to place a chaste gentle kiss on Madison’s lips.

Madison chuckled and wrapped her in a hug holding her for a moment before stepping back to open the door and leave, waving goodbye to Kara as she turned and walked away.

Chapter 3

Madison spent the rest of the week doing research for a journal article she was working on and generally trying to keep busy so as to not think about Kara. This proved more difficult than expected. The two talked on the phone briefly every night. Kara had a big case going to trial the following week that she had been prepping for every night, not giving it up until eleven or later some nights. The two women talked about a wide range of subjects and they realized they were quickly falling for each other.

On Thursday morning, Madison got to her office to find that a bouquet of roses and a box of dark chocolate had been delivered to her. She opened the card that accompanied them, a little surprised to see it was hand-written.

I can’t wait to see you tonight. I know it’s still early, but I feel that there’s something special developing between us. I can’t wait to see where it leads.
-K

Unable to resist calling the tall woman, Madison pulled out her cell and called Kara’s office number.

“Kara Jenkins,” the smooth, contralto voice sent shivers down Madison’s spine.

“Hi, Kar, it’s me. I just wanted to say thank you for the flowers and chocolates. I love them.”

“You’re very welcome. What time would you like to meet up tonight?”

“That’s up to you. I’m not teaching any classes right now, so I can keep whatever hours I want. If you don’t mind wearing your work clothes out to dinner, I could meet you at your office and we could go from there.”

“That sounds great. Are you okay with coming by around 6:30?”

“Six thirty sounds great. I’m looking forward to it. Out of curiosity, what are you wearing? I don’t want to look underdressed.”

“You’d look gorgeous dressed in a burlap sack. But if you’re really concerned about that, I’m wearing a black pencil skirt, a sleeveless white silk blouse with ruffles down the front and a pair of purple pumps.”

“Mmmm,” Madison moaned softly, “You are by far the best dresser I’ve ever dated. And that outfit sounds divine. I can’t wait to see you.”

“Me, too, Maddie. I’ve got to go now, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay. See you soon.”

Madison hung up the phone looked at the roses, leaning over and inhaling deeply, loving their fragrant scent. She took a bite of the chocolate, savoring the smooth rich texture and slight bitterness of the dark chocolate. Got to love it when a woman pays attention, Madison thought, remembering during one of their phone conversations when she had mentioned that the only thing she liked in her chocolate was chocolate. Kara had adamantly agreed with her, going off on a humorous rant about how much she hated those boxes of chocolate that were actually full of nuts and creams and all sorts of other things, saying “It shouldn’t be that complicated to eat a box of candy. It’s candy for crying out loud. If you need a diagram to figure out what you’re eating, then it ceases to be a fun treat and is transformed into a potential minefield of coconuts, waiting to explode in your mouth any second.”

Madison laughed, remembering the rant, eager to see the tall redhead again.

***

Madison left the school early so she could change out of her khaki slacks and button down blouse into something nicer for her date that night. She looked through her closet, Kara’s description foremost in her mind. She tried on outfit after outfit, finally settling on a navy sheath dress in a shimmery satin. The fabric stretched over her body, highlighting the curve of her hips and the gentle swell of her breasts. She turned and checked to see how her ass looked in it, pleased with the way the stretchy material flattered her backside. She slipped on a pair of silver open toe heels and grabbed a silver clutch as she walked to the door. She stopped to check her makeup, deciding that all she needed was a little more lip gloss.

She managed to find a spot to park on the street, glad that it was after six and she didn’t have to feed the meter. She went up to Kara’s office and was able to go straight back. She found Kara sitting at her desk, reading over a case file with a pen held in her mouth and a highlighter in her hand. Madison knocked on the door, startling Kara. The redhead looked up and a smile quickly spread across her face, taking in the lovely vision that greeted her.

“Wow,” Kara said, still smiling widely. “You look incredible. Simply amazing.” She got up and made her way over to the older woman resting her hands on Madison’s hips, enjoying the feel of the smooth satin under her hands. Madison reached up and pulled Kara’s head down for a smoldering kiss, careful to keep it from going too far too fast as it had in the past.

“You don’t look so bad yourself, counselor. I’m glad to see those flowers are still going strong,” she said, noticing the bouquet still sitting in the window, the lilies more open than they had been the last time she had been in Kara’s office.

“Yes, they’re still hanging in there. Not to have a one-track mind or anything, but that dress looks perfect on you. It also makes me want to do very naughty things with you,” she said with a smirk.

“Is that so, Miss Pencil skirt? That thing is practically molded to your ass and thighs. Which look incredible, I might add.”

While they were flirting with each other, Kara was busy putting everything away so they could leave for dinner. Once her office was in order, she grabbed her briefcase and her purse and they left, Kara locking her office behind her. As they walked side by side, Kara surprised Madison by telling her that she had called earlier in the week and got the couple 7:30 reservations at an upscale steakhouse a few blocks away. They walked the three blocks to the restaurant chatting happily arm in arm, both women delighting at the feel of the soft smooth skin.

They were early, so they sat in the bar while waiting for their table. As they sat at the bar sipping their beers and exchanging light touches and flirtatious glances, a tall, thick-waisted man who appeared to be in his early forties with a badly receding hairline approached them.

“Excuse me, ladies, would it be alright if my friend and I join you this evening?” he asked, gesturing to his friend, a slightly smaller, older, and balder version of the man who was talking to them.

“Actually,” Kara said, covering the brunette’s hand with her own, her eyes looking large and innocent, “we’re here together.”

“So are we, we just thought it would be nice to spend some time with two lovely ladies such as yourselves.”

“Oh, well I don’t mean to be rude to you and your boyfriend, but we’d rather be alone tonight,” Kara said, her face looking sincere apart from the laughter in her eyes. Madison had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing at the look of shock on the man’s face.

“Wait, what?! B-boyfriend? He’s not my boyfriend! I just wanted to know if you two wanted to have a drink with us. We’re both straight!”

“Then why did you say you two were together? I noticed you’re both wearing rings, so I just assumed that you were gay, too, and just being friendly.” It was taking every bit of effort Kara had to keep from laughing at the confused and embarrassed look on the man’s face. “Otherwise, why would two men wearing wedding rings invite two much younger women to join them?”

“Wait, you’re gay?” the man asked, clearly not understanding what was going on.

“Yes we are. I thought you would have been able to figure that out based on the way I’ve been flirting with my date since we got here.”
Both women were enjoying the discomfort and confusion the man was clearly experiencing. He realized that the attractive redhead had called him out on his attempt to flirt with them, despite the fact that he was married. He decided that discretion was the better part of valor and turned and went back to join his friend, his face beet red from a combination of shame, confusion, and a little bit of anger.

They turned back to face the bar and Madison laughingly asked “Boyfriend?”

Kara began to laugh, “Hey, it got him to leave us alone, didn’t it?”

“Very true.” At that moment, the hostess called out for Jenkins, party of two, so the women grabbed their beers and followed her to their table. They sat across from each other and listened as the waiter told them about the specials before each decided on a steak, baked potato and salad, Madison ordering the rib eye while Kara opted for the porterhouse.

Once they had ordered and were alone, Kara said, “I still can’t believe those guys at the bar. There’s nothing in this world that I hate more than cheaters.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m not a fan either. The thought of doing that to another person just makes me physically ill. Especially since I know what’s it like from the other side.”

Seeing the pained look on Madison’s face, Kara reached across the table and took her hands, lightly rubbing her thumbs across the backs of the other woman’s hands. “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry that happened to you. Do you want to talk about it?”

The looking into Kara’s eyes, and seeing only compassion and affection there, Madison took a deep breath. “I don’t really want to talk about it, but I need to. I feel like we’re getting close, and I want to get my feelings on this out in the open sooner rather than later.

“Michelle and I met when I was finishing up my dissertation. We were introduced through mutual friends and hit it off right away. When I got the job here, she came with me and we moved in together. I thought things were great. We spent a lot of time together, she was home every night, our sex life was good. We were even talking about having kids. I was happy. Then one afternoon, I decided to come home early.”

Kara grimaced, knowing what was coming next.

“I found her in our bed with another woman. I had no idea she was doing this. Nothing had changed in the way she acted around me, we were still having sex a couple times a week, everything seemed great, but there she was. I was devastated. I had never imagined that she would have done something like that and I had no clue that she was doing it in the first place.”

Kara sat there, holding the older woman’s hands, feeling helpless as she saw the tears start to gather in her eyes. She quickly got up from her seat and went around to Madison, wrapping her in a warm hug and comforting her by stroking her hair and whispering soft shushing noises in her ear. She was oblivious to the curious eyes that stared at the two women, one of whom was obviously distraught.
After a couple of minutes, Madison loosened her grip on Kara and told her that she was okay.

“Are you sure?” Kara asked, pulling back and looking deep into Madison’s eyes, checking for any sign that she might still be upset.

“I’m sure, sweetie. I’m fine.”

Kara stood and returned to her seat, taking Madison’s hands again, feeling herself falling even deeper for the beautiful professor.

“I’m sorry about that. It’s been more than a year since I cried over what had happened. I don’t know what came over me. You probably think I’m crazy now,” she laughed, embarrassed by her reaction to telling Kara about her past.

“Not at all sweetheart. You were hurt deeply by someone you trusted and loved. It takes time to get over that, and sometimes, the wounds never really heal. There’s no shame in expressing your feelings. In fact, I’m glad that you trusted me enough to tell me about it.”

“I do trust you. Honestly, it surprises me that I trust you as much as I do. More than that, it scares me a little.”

“Scares you?”

“Yeah, if I trust you, then that means I’m giving you the power to hurt me. I don’t think I’ve trusted anyone since I caught Michelle in bed with that tramp. But somehow,” she smiled at Kara, “you got past all my defenses. We’ve only just met, but already I trust you so much that it scares the shit out of me.”

“I know exactly what you mean. I’m pretty scared myself.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything tonight, but since you brought it up, what is it that you’re scared of?”

Instead of her face reflecting the fear and panic that Madison expected, all she saw was sadness. It was the look of someone who was about to experience a terrible loss, but she knew it was inevitable, so she had to accept it. Madison was deeply affected by the sadness covering Kara’s face like a shroud and reached out to her, taking her hands.

“What is it baby? What has you so sad?”

“Madison, if I promise to tell you tomorrow, would that be okay? This isn’t something I like talking about in public. How about you come over for dinner; I’ll cook us something and I’ll tell you all about it then.”

“Alright. That sounds like a plan. What time do you want me to come over?”

“Anytime after six should work fine,” she answered with a sad smile.

“Baby, whatever it is, it’ll be okay. I promise.”

“Okay. Anyway, let’s go ahead and eat, this salad looks delicious.”

They continued with dinner, the conversation now feeling as if there was a thundercloud hanging over the couple. They stayed topical and far away from anything that could be remotely considered a sensitive subject, focusing mainly on the article that Madison was currently working on.

This time Kara was quicker than Madison and took the check. They stood and left the restaurant, Madison taking Kara’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze to silently assure the younger woman that everything was alright between them. When they got to Madison’s car, they kissed goodbye, the kiss this time was chaste and almost sororal. When Madison tried to deepen it, in an effort to show Kara that she still cared deeply for her, Kara stepped back and said goodbye, walking to the garage where her own car was parked, her heels clicking against the pavement as she turned the corner, gone from Madison’s sight.

What is so bad that she’s convinced I’m gonna go running as soon as I find out about it? Madison wondered as she drove home. I haven’t felt like this about anyone since Michelle. It’s been less than a week, but already I can see a future with her. Whatever it is that she’s afraid of can’t be that bad. Can it?

***

Kara woke in a cold sweat several times that night. After waking up for the fifth time that night around three in the morning, she decided she might as well just stay up. Seymour was concerned, watching her as she sat at her desk in her office to do the work she knew wouldn’t get done that night. His soulful brown eyes turned to focus on her as she switched on the desk lamp and worked until the sun came up.

She shut down her computer and headed for the shower, her face completely flat. She went through her normal morning routine, dressing in a pair of khakis and cotton button-down blouse. She went to work and went through her day, dreading the misery she was about to endure. Why did I let her in? I’ve fallen for her, and in a few hours, she’s going to tell me to go to hell. She might even hit me, though I doubt it. It’s not like I don’t have it coming.

Arriving home early, around four thirty, she changed into a tank top and a pair of cut-off shorts. She had made sure that Madison had her address earlier in the week, so she curled up on her couch, her eyes staring at a spot on the blank wall opposite her, not really seeing anything. Seymour, sensing that something was very wrong with his mistress, jumped up on the couch next to her and lay down with his large head resting in her lap. She idly stroked his fur, waiting for the knock on the door that would spell the end of the happiness she had enjoyed the last week.

Kara was startled by the loud knocking. So was Seymour, who immediately ran to the front door, barking up a storm. Kara held the large dog by his collar as she opened the door for Madison.

Madison knelt down and greeted Seymour warmly, scratching behind his floppy ears and giving him a loud kiss on the top his head, further endearing herself to Kara.

“God, he is so cute! What kind of dog is he?”

“My best guess is that he’s part beagle and part German shepherd. He’s got the shepherd coloring and size, but his legs are short for his size, kind of like if you blew a beagle up to almost seventy pounds.”

Madison stood up and turned to Kara. “He’s adorable, but he’s not half as cute as his mommy. I like the look. It’s the first time I’ve seen you looking so casual, it’s definitely something I could get used to.” Madison held out a bottle of a good quality wheat wine. “I didn’t know what you were planning on making, but I figure this will pair well with most anything. It’s even got enough hops to stand up well to something spicy.”

“Oh. Thank you. I haven’t actually started yet, I’ve just. . .” The tall woman looked completely lost, and Madison wrapped her arms around Kara, feeling the larger woman beginning to sob.

“Baby, what is it? Nothing is this bad. Whatever it is that has you in such a state, we’ll get through it, I promise.”

Madison was rubbing Kara’s back in circles, the taller woman clinging to her like her life would end if she let go. Madison steered them to the couch and sat, her arms still wrapped around the inconsolable woman.

“Baby, just tell me whatever it is. It can’t be so bad as to warrant all this. I know you’re not a felon, cause you’re a lawyer. Whatever it is, just tell me and we can deal with it together.”

Kara managed to pull herself together a little bit and pulled away from Madison. She was sitting on the edge of the couch and leaning forward. She couldn’t look at Madison as she spoke, terrified of what she’d see if she did.

Still looking at the floor, she took a deep breath and said, “I’m transsexual.”

Chapter 4

Madison didn’t say anything. She stared at Kara, who was shaking with fear and nervousness. They sat that way for several minutes, barely breathing.

“What do you mean, you’re transsexual?”

“I’m a male to female transsexual. I’m pre-op, so I still have the parts I was born with. I started transitioning to live as a woman almost four years ago. I’ve been taking female hormones and living as a woman all the time for a little over three years. I’ve had a breast augmentation, but everything else about me is a result of genetics and hormones. What else do you want to know?”

“I’m sorry, Kara, you’re gonna have to give me a minute to wrap my head around all this. This is the last thing I would have expected. To find out that the woman I’ve spent the last week falling for was born a man, and still has some very critical male parts, is a bit of a shock. Just, start at the beginning.”

Kara, being careful to give Madison space, did as she was asked and started at the beginning.

“I guess I always knew on some level that I wanted to be a woman. I can remember being a little boy, maybe 4 or 5, going to church in my little suit and tie, being incredibly jealous of the little girls in their pretty dresses. Until I hit puberty, I always got along better with girls than with other boys. Around the time I started puberty, I hated what was happening to my body. I was geeky and awkward and thought that was the reason I never fit in with any group. I tried to make friends with the guys, but I was too uninterested in the things they liked to make much headway. It always felt like they were speaking in some code I couldn’t understand. I tried to be friends with the girls, but I was coursing with hormones and was a teenager, so my bigger focus was on wanting to make out with the girls, more than wanting to be their friend.

“During this same time period, I would dress up in my mom’s clothes every chance I got, usually anytime I was left alone at the house. If my parents found out, which they did every couple of months, my dad would hit me and call me a faggot or a queer. He didn’t believe me that I liked women until I started going out with my high school sweetheart. Her name was Jessica and she’s still one of my closest friends. She and I dated all through high school and into college. I told her about my cross-dressing the spring of my sophomore year, her freshman year.

“She was weirded out by my confession, and didn’t know how to take it. She decided it wasn’t a deal breaker for her, and we married January first the following winter. We were together through the rest of college and she supported us while I went to law school.

“During my second year of law school, I finally started exploring my gender identity in earnest. I started coming out to my closest friends during the summer and then started seeing a therapist right after I started my third year. During the spring semester, I couldn’t take the pressure of living a double life anymore, so I filed to have my name legally changed, came out to everyone and started living as a woman full time.

“During that year, my marriage started to suffer. Jess was unhappy and was having a hard time being attracted to me. Our love life fell off to the point it was nonexistent. I was still in love with her, and just as attracted to her as the day I asked her out the first time in high school. But she was straight. And she now found herself married to a woman. We were still friends, but the romantic aspect of our relationship was dead. We were both 25 and we saw no reason to spend the rest of our lives in a sexless marriage.

“I was heartbroken, but I was free to be the woman I had always been in my heart. I got electrolysis to remove my facial hair and I got my implants a year ago. I’ve almost saved enough money to have genital surgery, but it’s tough to save that much. If you want to know anything specific, feel free to ask.”

Madison was still in shock from the news she had been given. “I — I can’t. I have to think.” She grabbed her purse, tears forming in her eyes, and ran out the door, leaving it ajar behind her, jumped in her car and drove away.

Kara stood in the open door, watching Madison’s car disappear as she turned the corner. She closed the door, laid down on the couch, her knees clutched to her chest and cried as she felt a pain in her chest that was as bad as any pain she had experienced, even her loss of Jess.

She realized that she must have fallen asleep when she noticed the clock saying it was after midnight. Her house was dark and she hadn’t eaten anything all day, her nervousness having destroyed her appetite. She got up and went around the house, making sure it was locked up. She stepped out on her front porch and looked around, wishing for any sign that Madison had come back. There wasn’t.

She went upstairs and collapsed on her bed, not bothering to strip or even to pull back the covers. She cried herself to sleep, mourning the loss of a woman she had grown to love.

***

Madison drove away from Kara’s house, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was upset by the fact that Kara hadn’t trusted her with this sooner. Moreover, if she had known sooner, she would never have let herself see Kara as more than a friend.

I’m a lesbian, for God’s sake. I like women! I like vaginas, not penises. She thought about Kara, and tried thinking of the tall redhead as a man. She thought of Kara’s face, trying to remember if she had felt anything masculine about it. All she was able to conjure up was the sensation of the soft, full lips pressed against her own and the soft smooth skin of Kara’s cheek and throat. When she had kissed Kara, she felt nothing that made her think it was a man in her arms and under her lips.

She thought about Kara’s body, and realized that while Kara had broad shoulders and slender hips, she still had a nice bit of curve at her waist. Combined with her muscular legs, the effect was one of athleticism, not masculinity. And Kara’s breasts. God, Kara’s breasts, if she hadn’t told me they were implants I never would have guessed, Madison thought, remembering how the supple orbs had felt in her hands during one of their steamy kisses.

Enough. Yes, I like her; yes, she’s a wonderful woman, with whom I could very easily fall in love, but can I get past this? God damn it, she mentally swore, striking the steering wheel with the heel on her hand, I meet my dream girl and she’s got a penis!

When Madison reached her home, she knew she was too keyed up to sleep, and she had to talk to someone about what she was going through. Talking things out had always helped her get through hard times in the past, so why would this be any different? As she ran down her list of people who she considered go to’s, she realized that she couldn’t talk about this with any of them. Kara was open about her sexuality, more than willing to hold hands with her as they walked down the streets of Indianapolis, but this was different. No matter what decision she came to, she knew that it was Kara’s decision and Kara’s decision alone as to who knew about her past. That left her with one choice as to whom she could talk to, her mother, Anna.

Madison and her mother had always had a good relationship that was only strengthened when Madison came out to her mom when she was a freshamn in college. Anna had been accepting and supportive of her daughter and had been there for her during all her ups and downs over the years. It was Anna’s shoulder that Madison had cried on after discovering Michelle’s betrayal.

Not long after her father’s death from a stroke ten years ago, Anna had moved to a retirement community outside of Tampa. Her husband’s life insurance and their careful investments over the years saw to it that she was living a comfortable life of leisure. Madison looked at the clock and saw that it was only seven thirty. If she drove all night, she could be at her mom’s place around noon. If she needed to stop somewhere for the night, she would, but she was so agitated by everything that had happened that she didn’t think sleep was likely for her tonight.

Madison didn’t make quite as good time as she had hoped and arrived at her mother’s closer to one than noon. The elder Roberts had been watching for her daughter’s arrival, Madison having called her once she was close. The elder Roberts walked out to the car to wrap her daughter in a warm hug.

Anna was a few inches shorter than her daughter, with light brown hair that was speckled with gray and bright green eyes. She looked over her daughter closely, worried about her after she had driven all night without saying why. It didn’t help that Madison had sounded so flat on the phone when she called the previous night to tell her she was on her way down. She knew something was wrong, but she was willing to let Madison take her time to tell her.

“It’s so good to see you, Mom. It’s been too long since I saw you.”

“I know. You should come down more often. Why do you think I bought a place with an extra room? God knows I don’t use it for anything but storage.”

“I know, Mom, I know. I’ve been busy with work lately and working on articles.” Seeing the look on her mother’s face, she hastily added, “but I know that’s no excuse. I’ll try to do better.”

“Thank you, sweetheart. That’s all I ask. Now grab your bag and let’s get in out of this heat.”

Anna put her arm around her daughter’s waist and walked next to her as they went inside. Anna instructed Madison to drop her bag off in the spare bedroom and join her in the living room.

When the women were finally settled in Anna’s living room, she looked at Madison and said, “So tell me what’s got you so bothered that you have to drive all the way down here in the middle of the night to talk to your mother about it. Is it a woman?”

Madison sighed, knowing that she needed to get this off her chest, but not knowing how her mother would react to the story she had to tell. “Her name is Kara,” Madison began, noticing the satisfied look on her mother’s face at having her guess proved accurate. “We met last week, when I saw her being hit on by some guy in front of that fountain between the federal courthouse and the memorial. It was really funny,” she explained, laughing softly, “I pretended to be her girlfriend so the guy would leave her alone. From there we had lunch together, then a few beers at a pub on Mass Ave and then dinner. We spent the whole day together and then when we walked back to her car to call it a night, we kissed and it was probably the best kiss of my life.” Madison felt no need to describe for her mom how much the kiss had affected her, though she shuddered slightly at the memory of how wonderful it had been.

“So what happened next? Obviously it’s not all good news or else you wouldn’t be here by yourself.”

“Well, we forgot to exchange contact information, but we did have each other’s full names and where we each worked, so I sent her flowers on Monday and had lunch with her. Again, it was a great date. We talked on the phone every night this week and we had dinner again on Thursday and I told her about Michelle.” Anna nodded, reaching out to rub Madison’s shoulder, knowing how much Michelle had hurt her daughter.

“Then yesterday, she had me over to her house. She had something that she wanted to tell me, but she didn’t want to do it in public. I got there, and she looked like hell. I mean, it seemed like she’d been in a terror about it all day.” Madison shook her head, remembering how Kara’s normally pale skin had seemed almost ghostly the previous evening.

“Well don’t keep me in suspense here, what did she have to tell you? I’m assuming that’s the reason you drove all night.”

Madison took another deep breath. “Yeah, it is. She’s transsexual. Pre-op. She told me her life story. She’s been married before, to her high school sweetheart, and they split up because the wife was straight and Kara’s a woman. I don’t know what to do with this, Mom.”

Anna wrapped her arms around her daughter, Madison sinking in to the embrace and clinging to her mother as she began to sob. “She’s so great in every way, Mom. We just click so well. I’ve never had that happen before, not even with Michelle. Kara just gets me, she‘s everything I’ve ever wanted in a partner, but I don’t know if I can do it. What do I do?”

Anna was stroking her daughter’s hair, giving her as much physical comfort as she could. She loved that they were close enough that Madison came to her with this, rather than one of her friends in Indianapolis. Still, she was just as thrown by this as Madison was. She had always been accepting and supportive of Madison’s orientation, but this was something new. “I can’t tell you what to do, sweetie. I won’t tell you what to do. This is a decision that you have to make for yourself. Let me ask you this, if she had always been a woman, if she and her high school sweetheart had married in Massachusetts or something and then split up, would that be a deal breaker?”

“No. Hell, if Michelle hadn’t cheated on me, I would have considered getting married, too.”

“Then that means the problem is in her pants, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. I hate to say it, but that’s the problem. I don’t know if I can have a physical relationship with someone who has a penis.”

“I can’t answer this for you baby. This has to be your decision. If you care for this girl, you’re gonna have to decide if that’s a deal-breaker.”

“I do care for her, Mom. And looking at her and kissing her, there’s nothing about her that would make anybody think she used to be a man. I mean, her shoulders are a bit broad, and her hips are a bit slim, and she’s tall, almost six foot, but she just looks athletic, not masculine. And she’s so pretty, with just the slightest hint of androgyny to her features, mostly her jaw.”

“Sounds like there’s definitely something there. Are you willing to take the risk of it not working out? I really don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Neither do I,” Madison chuckled, “but I just don’t know. I’m so torn. A part of me is saying that I should run away and never contact her again. Chalk it up as a few good dates and a couple of fantastic kisses and leave it at that. Another part of me is telling me to go for it. You know I’m not the ‘u-haul’ type, but before she told me this, I was already falling for her, hard.” Madison sighed deeply, and leaned against the back of the couch, her head falling back against the cushion. “Mom, I’m exhausted. Would it be alright if I took a nap for a little while?”

“Of course, sweetie, whatever you need. Get some rest and I’ll make us your favorite for dinner.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Madison said, her face lighting up in a child-like grin. “You always know just the thing to make me feel better. I love you,” she said while hugging Anna.

“I love you, too, baby. Now go get some rest and I’ll have it ready for you when you get up.”

Madison went to the guest room where she had placed her things and stripped out of her jeans and bra, leaving her t-shirt on. She slipped into the sheets, sighing with pleasure as she finally was in a fully horizontal position. Do I care about Kara enough to try and make this work? She sighed as she closed her eyes, the last thoughts as she drifted off were about blue-gray eyes and long red hair.

Madison awoke to the smell of frying chicken permeating the air. Her stomach began to growl at the prospect of being filled with her mom’s fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and salad. She stretched, trying to get all the kinks out from the almost seventeen hours of driving she had put in as well as a couple of new ones from sleeping on the slightly too firm mattress her mother had placed in the guest room. She slipped on her jeans and opened the bedroom door, greeted by the sound of the hissing and popping from the oil in her mother’s slick, black cast iron skillet that had been around longer than Madison herself.

She walked down the short hall toward the living room, her mother smiling at her over the half-wall that separated the kitchen and living room.

“It’s almost ready, sweetie. Go ahead and sit down at the table, it’ll just be a couple more minutes.”

“Do you need me to do anything, Mom?”

“No, I’ve got everything well in hand, you just sit down. Why don’t you tell me what else is going on in your life?”

Madison saw that her mother did indeed have everything taken care of, the table already set with a big bowl of salad set out next to an equally large bowl of mashed potatoes. She proceeded to tell her mother about the article she was writing and about the classes that she would be teaching in the fall. Before too long, Anna came to the table carrying a paper-towel covered plate that was loaded up with fried chicken.

“Mom, this looks great. You know how much I love your fried chicken.” Madison was grinning at the prospect of sinking her teeth into the crispy leg that she had decided had her name on it. She snatched it from the plate before Anna had even set it on the table.

“How many times have I told you to wait for everyone present to sit down before you start piling your plate with food?”

“I think every meal we’ve had together from the time I was four up to the present,” Madison answered, already scooping up potatoes and salad.

“That sounds about right. I sometimes wonder why I even bother.”

“Me, too,” Madison said with a grin.

Anna laughed, and trying to keep the conversation neutral, shared the latest community gossip with Madison. The two women ate dinner while sharing a mostly topical conversation, neither wanting to deal with unpleasant things when there was food to be enjoyed. As they talked, Madison would interject the occasional moan of happiness when she took a bite of chicken. Anna enjoyed seeing her daughter’s obvious appreciation of her cooking.

Once they finished, Madison having managed to polish off a large salad, a hefty serving of potatoes, and a leg and a thigh, they worked together to put away the leftovers and clean the kitchen. They made quick work of it and went into the living room to continue talking.

“So have you talked to any of your friends back in Indy about this thing with Kara?” Anna asked Madison after they had been talking for a while.

Madison shook her head vigorously. “No. I can’t. Given the way Kara transitioned, she did it in a way that makes me think she’s not exactly in the closet about her gender identity, but it’s not my place to tell anyone. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do. If I choose to pursue a relationship with her, then if she meets my friends and they already know she’s trans, I have no idea what her reaction would be. That in and of itself might be enough to make her not want to be with me for outing her.

“If she wants my friends to know she has to be the one to tell them. But I had to talk to someone, and I’m fairly confident that she’d forgive me for telling my mom. I don’t know that for certain, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.” Madison smiled, “I mean, if things don’t work out, you’ll never meet her, and if they do, then she could be your future daughter-in-law, and that’s one of those things that would kind of come up with family.”

“Very true. So how long do you think you’ll stay here?”

“I don’t know. Not long. I’ll probably head back Monday or Tuesday. I only packed enough for a couple of days, so I guess I’ll stay and think away from my usual distractions and hopefully have my mind made up by the time I have to go home.”

“That sounds like a good plan. Well, sweetie, it’s late and I’m going to head to bed. Holler at me if you need anything. Oh, and there’s an apple pie stashed in the oven and ice cream in the freezer.”

“Mom, you didn’t have to bake me a pie.”

“I know, sweetie, but when you called this morning to tell me you were coming, I figured you might like having your favorite dessert to go with your favorite dinner.”

“Thanks, Mom. I think I’ll have a slice and turn in.”

“Okay sweetie,” Anna said, getting up from the couch and placing a kiss on the top of Madison’s head, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, Mom.”

She watched her mother go down the hall and heard her door shut. Madison rose and walked to kitchen, smiling at the pastry as she pulled it from the cold oven. Her mouth was already beginning to water as she thought about the delicious pies her mom had made in the past. She put a slice in a bowl and scooped out some ice cream right next to it. She had always preferred eating pie when it had completely cooled, never really caring for pie warm from the oven. As she took her first bite, making sure to get some of the vanilla bean ice cream on the spoon with the pie, she closed her eyes and sighed. The only thing better than this, is kissing Kara. The thought had come to her unbidden, and caused her eyes to open wide in shock. I cannot believe I just thought that. I mean, yeah, she’s a great kisser, but . . . But what? She’s smart, she’s funny, she’s kind . . . well at least to people who aren’t men hitting on her. Madison smiled at the memory of Kara tormenting the men at the bar Thursday night. And she gets me hotter with just one kiss than any other woman I’ve been with. So I’ve never seen a penis in real life before, but would it really be all that bad if I did? Plus she said she’s been saving up for the surgery. So if we do get together and things work between us, I wouldn’t have to put up with the thing forever. . .

While these thoughts were running through Madison’s head, she finished her pie and ice cream and put her dishes in the dishwasher and went to bed, deciding that she would think about things more tomorrow.

Madison woke up early on Sunday, the smell of bacon pulling her into wakefulness. Slipping on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, she walked out to the kitchen to find her mom sipping coffee and reading the Sunday paper. A plate of bacon, another of scrambled eggs, and one more with several slices of toast were set in the middle of the table. Madison poured herself a cup of coffee and sat opposite her mother, filling the empty plate in front of her with food.

“How’d you sleep last night?” Anna asked her daughter.

“Like the dead. How about you?”

“I slept well. It’s good having you here. I definitely don’t miss Indianapolis winters, but I sure do miss seeing you more often, sweetie,” Anna said, getting up and placing a kiss on the top of Madison’s head as she placed her empty plate in the sink. She opened the refrigerator and poured herself a glass of orange juice and sat back down, smiling at the fact that Madison had snagged the comics section from her paper and was reading it, just as she had every Sunday morning of her childhood. That memory caused Anna to tear up, thinking about the little girl who had grown into the strong, self-sufficient woman sitting across from her.

Anna sat there, watching her daughter, lost in the memories, until she noticed that Madison had finished with the comics and was looking at her expectantly.

“Anything special you want to do today, sweetie?”

“Not especially, Mom. I’m still sorting out this whole thing with Kara, but I’d love to spend some time with you. I just don’t think I’m really up for a ton of activities. Is that alright with you?”

“Of course. I was thinking about going for a walk once I cleaned up the kitchen. Would you like to join me?”

“Yeah, that sounds great. I’ll help you clean up.”

Just like the previous night, the two women working together made short work of cleaning the kitchen. Madison went to the guest room and slipped on her running shoes and grabbed her sunglasses, meeting her mother by the door.

It was a beautiful mid-May morning. The two women walked together in silence for a long while before Madison finally spoke.

“I think I’m gonna go for it, Mom.” She said this with a very determined look that at the same time expressed her uncertainty as to whether it would work out in the end.

“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”

“Not in the slightest. I can’t explain it, but when I’m with her, I feel more complete than I’ve ever felt before. I’ve got to give it a chance if nothing else. There’s just something about her, and I’ve got to see where it goes.”

“Sounds like you made your decision, then.”

“Yup. It scares me senseless, but it’s what I’ve got to do. I’m sure it’s gonna be tough and there are gonna be some problems, but I just can’t walk away from her. In less than a week, she got in so deep that walking away just isn’t an option. I have no idea what’s going to happen, but if there’s any chance I can make this work, if we can make this work, then I feel like I have to take it. Does that make any sense?”

She looked at Anna, looking a little lost, but so earnest in her desire to give a relationship with Kara a chance that Anna’s heart was aching for the stress her daughter was experiencing. She stopped walking and pulled Madison into a tight hug, feeling Madison’s body relax as she did, and whispered in her ear, “It makes perfect sense, baby, perfect sense.”

They stood there for a short while, Madison soaking up the physical comfort her mother’s embrace offered her. Finally, she pulled away. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you, too. Now let’s go back to the house, there’s still leftover chicken and plenty of pie for you to eat.”

The two women smiled, Madison’s childlike grin making Anna’s heart swell with love for her daughter. They walked back to Anna’s house hand in hand, Madison telling her mother more about the woman who was rapidly stealing her heart.

Chapter 5

When Kara awoke Sunday morning, all she could feel was the pain of her broken heart. She had laid everything on the line with Madison and Madison had run. She had no idea if she would ever see the slender brunette again, and the thought of that happening saddened Kara more than she would have ever expected. She had tried so hard to not fall in love with Madison, but that task had proved far too difficult for her to accomplish.

As she went through her house, she saw that the day outside was bright and sunny. Her guess that it was also warm was confirmed when she opened the back door to step onto her porch and watch Seymour run around and felt the warm air touch her skin. Yet all she felt was cold. She had told Madison her life’s story, or at least a very abbreviated version of it, only to hear her say “I can’t” as she ran out the door.

She sighed deeply, feeling the gloom settle over her. What did you expect, you idiot? Did you really expect that she would stay with you? No woman will ever want you as long as you have that thing between your legs. She lay down on her side on the couch with her knees clutched to her chest and cried.

She must have fallen asleep, because when she came to to the sound of her phone ringing, she saw that it was after one. She looked at her phone’s display, surprised to see Madison’s name written across the screen.

“Madison?” she answered, tentatively.

“Kara, I’m so sorry I ran out like that. You have to admit that what you told me was a bit of a shock. But that’s no excuse for how I handled it. We have a lot of things we need to talk about. Are you free Tuesday night?”

“I’m free now. I’ll make time whenever you want to meet.”

“Well, now would be a bit of a problem. I’m in Florida, but I’m driving back tomorrow. I won’t get in until really late, so I think Tuesday would best.”

Florida, why is she in Florida? “Are you sure we can’t talk about this over the phone? I’m not entirely sure I can wait until Tuesday.”

“I’m sure we can’t talk about it on the phone. There are some things I need to say that I want to say to you in person. Just know that I’m not giving up just yet.”

“What do you mean?” Kara leaned forward, feeling her heart beat again for the first time since Thursday night when she had decided to tell Madison about her past.

“I mean that I want to see you Tuesday night. I can come to your place or you to mine or we could meet somewhere and talk. If you want to hear my suggestion, I’d recommend you come over to my place and I’ll cook for us.”

“Okay, yeah that sounds fine.” Kara’s voice still held a touch of panic that Madison picked up on. “What time do you want me to be there? I can probably be there around eight thirty if you want.”

“Eight thirty sounds fine, Kara. Don’t worry, everything will be alright. Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you Tuesday, okay?”

“Okay, see you then.”

Kara hung up the phone and just stared at it in her hand, slightly dazed by the sudden shift in her prospects. She needed to talk to someone to figure all this out. She ran through her list of normal go-to friends, discarding them all as unsuitable for this task. She needed a woman’s perspective, so she called her oldest friend and the one person who knew her better than anyone else, Jessica Andrews.

***

Lying on a couch in a spacious two bedroom apartment on the south side of Indianapolis, a tall blonde woman with thick curly hair and green eyes had her feet on her fiancée’s lap and he was idly stroking her smooth, toned legs as the couple watched TV. Hearing her phone ring, Jess reached behind her head and felt around for the noisy device, picking it up from the end table. She smiled to see that Kara was calling her.

“Hey, Kar, what’s up?” She sat up, noticing Bill look at her and then looking back at the TV.

“Jess,” Kara began, sounding upset and uncertain, “I really need to talk to someone and you’re the only one I can go to about this.”

“What’s the deal, Kar? Girl troubles?”

“Yeah, basically. I met this woman last week and we really hit it off. I ended up telling her about me Friday night and she took off. She called me today and said she’s in Florida but she’s coming back tomorrow. She wants me to come over to her place on Tuesday night so we can talk. I’m really in deep with this one. Any chance you’re free to come over and talk? I’ve got a bottle of lambic in the fridge with your name on it,” she added, sweetening the pot, knowing that her ex-wife and best friend couldn’t resist the call of the tart, fruity beer that tasted like candy.

“Alright, Kar. I’ll be there in about forty-five minutes.”

“Thanks Jess. You have no idea how much this means to me. I’ll see you soon.”

Jessica turned to her fiancée and noticed the scowl on his face. “Honey what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just thought we had plans today. Plans that didn’t involve your friend.”

“I’m sorry, hon, but Kara really needs me. She doesn’t have a ton of friends and she sounded like she’s been crying. And Kara almost never cries, so if she has been, then this girl has really thrown her for a loop. Hell, I haven’t seen her cry in three years.”

“What happened three years ago?”

“Kara’s partner broke her heart and left her,” she answered, while studiously tying her shoes, avoiding eye contact.

“Isn’t that around the same time you got divorced?”

“Yeah,” Jessica desperately wanted to find a way out of this conversation. It wasn’t that Bill was homophobic or anything, but he wasn’t the most enlightened person when it came to issues of gender or sexual orientation and she didn’t want to take the chance that he would react badly. Jess had never told him the entirety of her past with Kara, simply telling him that she had married her high school sweetheart, things hadn’t worked out between them and they had divorced. She had never even told Bill her husband’s last name. She explained that Kara was a friend of hers from high school and they had stayed close friends throughout college and beyond.

“I’ve got to say, this is starting to get old. I don’t see why you’re friends with her anyway. Are you sure she doesn’t want to sleep with you?”

“Yes, I’m sure. We’re just friends and she knows that I’m straight.” Besides, that’s a moot point since she's already slept with me many, many more times than you have. “Look, I need to go. I’ll call you when I’m on my way home and I’ll pick us up something to eat, sound good?”

“Fine, whatever. Go spend my day off with your friend.”

“Look, I wouldn’t do this unless she really needed me. We’ve always been there for each other, and that’s not going to stop just because I’m engaged.”

Bill just glared at her as she grabbed her purse and walked out of the apartment.

Something’s going on with those two, and I’m gonna find out what, Bill thought to himself once Jess was gone, already forming a plan of action.

***

“God, Kara, you look like shit,” Jess offered as she saw Kara’s bloodshot eyes with heavy dark circles under them.

“Thanks. I feel like it, too, to be honest. This girl really got under my skin, and fast.”

“I kind of thought so when you said you’d told her in less than a week.”

“Yeah, but it was our fourth date. We hit it off fast. The last time I felt this way about someone it was you.”

“Wow. So you’re really smitten, then,” Jessica wondered as she remembered back to the awkward teenage boy who had asked her out and after a week and a half of dating had confessed that he was in love with her. “Why don’t you tell me about her while I go grab that lambic you promised me.”

“Well, she’s a history professor and her specialty is Germany in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, you know right after the Peace of Westphalia and going up through the end of the Holy Roman Empire. She’s witty and funny and just gorgeous. She’s a few inches shorter than me, dark brown hair, hazel eyes, amazing legs, a great ass, small firm breasts, just stunning.”

Jessica poured the beer and smiled wistfully, reminiscing about the times when similar praises poured from Kara’s lips about her own beauty. Kara had never been shy with the compliments. “She sounds great, so tell me what happened to bring on your confession.”

“God, she must have thought I was insane. We met last Saturday at that fountain across New York from the federal courthouse,” Jessica nodded to show she knew the place Kara was talking about as she took a sip of beer. “I was sitting, reading, when some guy came up and started hitting on me. He even gave me the ‘haven’t met the right guy’ spiel when I told him I was gay. I was probably only a few seconds from telling him I had a dick to see if that would get rid of him when Madison walked up and acted like we were a couple. We walked away holding hands and she invited me to have lunch with her.

“Lunch turned into afternoon drinks, afternoon drinks turned into dinner, and after dinner she walked me back to my car and we kissed.” Seeing the sweet smile that Kara’s lips formed, Jessica couldn’t help but smile herself. “It was one of the best kisses I’ve ever had, no offense to present company.”

“None taken; go on.”

“We were so lost in the kiss that we didn’t break it up until a carful of idiots drove by, shouting like they’d never heard of lesbians before. She made a comment about calling it a night before stripping me right there or something and I panicked. I barely remember if I said good bye. I just jumped in my car and drove off. I didn’t even make sure she got home alright. God, I acted like such an idiot.

“Anyway, I went to call her the next day and apologize for acting like a loony, when I remembered that we never exchanged information. I decided to let it go and move on, just enjoy the memory of a super hot kiss and leave it at that. Monday morning, I get the most beautiful bouquet of roses and lilies delivered to my office and not 10 minutes later, Madison is knocking on my door, asking if she could take me to lunch. After lunch, she walks me back to my office and she closes the door and we have another make-out session. We’re going at it hot and heavy in no time and she starts groping me, which again causes me to panic, cause I don’t want her to grab my crotch. Let’s face it, I’m way too femme to pull off the excuse that I was packing.

“So I send her on her way and we have dinner Thursday night. I make some comment about having no tolerance for cheaters and she tells me about her ex, who cheated on her. Since it was confession time, I knew I needed to come clean about being trans so I asked her to come over Friday so I could tell her.

“I was a total mess. I started bawling the second she opened the door didn’t really stop until this afternoon. I tell her, she has a mini-freak-out and asks me to start at the top so I tell her the thumbnail version, she says ‘I can’t’ and runs out of here.

“I spend the rest of the weekend crying, until the phone rings around one. It’s her saying she wants to talk on Tuesday. She’s in Florida and is coming back tomorrow.”

Kara took a deep breath then and leaned back, taking a long swallow of the glass of beer Jessica had handed her. They sat in companionable silence for several minutes, Kara feeling completely drained and Jessica trying to absorb all the information she had just been given.

“Wow. Did she say anything specific, like if she was gonna keep seeing you or if it was over, she just wanted to do it in person?”

“I’m leaning toward being hopeful, but you know me, ever the optimist. She said she isn’t giving up, so I’m taking that as a sign that she wants us to keep seeing each other. The thing I can’t figure out is why she ran to Florida. I get running, I can understand that, but running that far on such short notice is what I don’t get. She said she drove, too, so I don’t know what to make of that.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. It sounds promising. She sounds like she’d be a good match for you. Just give her time, I guess. Any idea if she’s been with guys?”

“Not a clue. All I know is that her last relationship ended two years ago when she caught her partner with another woman.”

“Ouch. That’s got to suck.”

“Yeah. I’ve never understood how someone could do that.”

“Any idea what you’re gonna do if she wants nothing to do with Mr. Happy?”

“I’ll leave my panties on. The only reason I have anything to do with the damn thing is because it’s attached to me. Besides, you know I’ve always preferred to use my hands or my mouth,” Kara added with a smirk.

“Yeah, I thought I was so lucky to have a husband who wanted nothing more than to spend hours with his head between my legs. Of course it turns out you’re really woman. Damn the luck.”

“Yeah, well, it is what it is. I always damned the sorry luck that you weren’t bi.”

“Yeah, well. People are who they are and you can’t really change them. God knows the two of us tried hard enough.” Jessica reached across the couch and rested her hand on top of Kara’s, the two women comfortable with the silence, having spent thousands of hours in each other’s company, neither feeling the need to say anything, just content to spend time together. They finished the bottle of beer that Jessica had brought with her into the living room, just chatting like the old friends they were.

After they had been talking for a few hours, Jessica finally stood and said that it was time for her to head home. They walked to the door and hugged, each woman placing a kiss on the other’s cheek. Kara held the embrace, enjoying the scent of Jessica’s hair for a moment, before her conscious mind cut in and reminded her that that door was closed, permanently.

“Thanks again for coming over, I really do appreciate it.”

“It was no problem at all. I really mean that. You’re my oldest friend. We may not have slept with each other in years, but that doesn’t mean I care for you any less.”

“Thanks. I think you know that I feel the same. Well drive safe and I’ll call you Wednesday and let you know how things go with Madison.”

“I’m sure things will be fine. She’d be a fool to let you get away.” She saw the grin that started to cover Kara’s face that always preceded a smart-ass remark and quickly interjected, “That doesn’t mean I’m a fool, it just means I like men.”

“Sounds pretty foolish to me,” Kara said with a laugh.

“Yeah, whatever you say. Anyway, I’ll talk to you later.” With one last stoop to pet Seymour, whom the two women had adopted when they were still together, and a wave over her shoulder, she was out the door and on her way to her car.

Once she was on the road headed home, she pulled her phone out of her purse and called Bill.

“Hello,” the flat, serious voice answered, letting Jess know instantly that something was wrong, though she had no idea what it could be.

“Hi babe. I just left Kara’s. Want me to pick something up?”

“No. I already ate. Just come home, because we need to talk.”

“Talk about what?”

“I don’t want to do this on the phone. Just come home and we’ll discuss it when you get here.”

“Okay. Is there anything there for me to eat or should I just stop and get myself something?”

“Just do whatever you want. I’ll be here.”

The silence of the severed call shocked Jessica. She thought over how things had been going in her relationship, and thought that things had been good, except for Bill’s insistence that she spend less time with Kara. The two women had a habit of getting together two or three times a month for dinner and meeting most weekends for brunch or just a quick cup of coffee. Of course then there were the times that one or the other of them would call the other up to hang out, like a few weeks earlier when Kara had called her to see if she wanted to go out to celebrate a big win in court that morning. Kara had extended an invitation for Bill to join them, but he decided to go home after just a few minutes, claiming that he was too tired to stay out long.

What does he have against Kara? Can’t he see that she’s my best friend and I’m hers? He’s got to be blowing things out of proportion. We just need to sit down and have a calm, civilized discussion. Once we do that, I’m sure things will be better.

She pulled into their apartment complex and parked, happy that she found a spot right in front of the door to the building that housed her apartment. She took a deep breath, readying herself for whatever it was that Bill was going to argue with her about and went inside.

When she got inside, she was completely unprepared for what she saw. Bill was sitting at their dining room table with Jessica’s wedding album sitting in front of him. She could tell that he was angry, no, he was beyond angry at this point.

“Do you want to tell me what your real story is, or should I give you my theory first?” Jess just stood there, looking surprised and lost, unable to believe what was happening. Bill knew. “Here’s what I’ve been able to put together. The name in this album is Adam Jenkins. You said you married your high school sweetheart, but you never said anything about him being related to your best friend.” Jessica sank into a chair, unable to look her fiancée in the eye. “You also told me that Kara had been your best friend since high school, you went to college together. She’s a lawyer, and you told me your ex-husband was in law school when you split up.” Jessica’s mouth was opening and closing, but no words would come. “There’s not a single picture of your ‘best friend’ in this album. And her having the same last name as your ex is too big a coincidence to ignore. So, I think you need to tell me right now what your relationship with Kara is really about.”

“Bill, it’s not what you think. She really is my best friend. She’s also my ex. Kara is transsexual. She was never happy being a man, so while she was in law school she started doing the things she needed to do to live as the woman she is.”

Bill was seething with rage. “My god, Jess! How could you keep something like this from me! The woman who you confide in, who you turn to whenever you need advice, who you go running to whenever she calls is your ex-husband! Don’t you think you should have told me that?! I can’t believe you could do something so selfish!”

“It wasn’t my place to tell you about Kara. She’s my best friend and, yes, my ex-wife. She and I know things about each other that we’ll both take with us to the grave. Even though I couldn’t be attracted to her once she stopped trying to be a man, I still loved her.” This was the absolutely wrong thing to say and she knew that as soon as she said it, seeing Bill’s nostrils begin to flare. “I love her as a friend. Any romantic love I had for her went away a long time ago. We’re friends and only friends.”

“You know what, I don’t need this shit. Fuck you, and fuck her. If you can’t be honest with me, then there’s no fucking way I’m marrying you in two months.” He stood quickly, knocking over his chair as he did so, violently pushing away from the table. “Do whatever you fucking feel like, ‘cause I’m out of here.”

Jessica sat at the table, completely stunned by what had just happened. She was unable to move from where she was as she heard Bill in a bedroom, throwing things around. She assumed he was grabbing clothes to take with him wherever he was going. She summoned up all her courage and stood and walked to the source of the noise. Her guess was right and he was packing a suitcase.

“What the fuck do you want now?”

“Please don’t do this, Bill. I shouldn’t have lied to you, and I know that. I’m so sorry. Please, tell me what I can do to make things better.”

Bill ran a shaky hand through his short black hair. “I don’t know that there’s anything you can do. You were going to have your ex-husband as your fucking maid of honor at our wedding and you never even told me! Do you have any idea how fucked up that is? Jesus Christ, Jessica, what the fuck were you thinking?” He no longer looked like he was seething with rage, he looked like he was about to cry. “How do you not see how messed up this is? Do you still love him?”

“First off, Bill, say what you want to about me and what I’ve done to you, but don’t insult Kara. She’s as much a woman as I am. If she wasn’t, I’d still be with her. I’m straight. She’s a woman. That is the only reason that our marriage ended. I’m not attracted to women, even a woman I had been in love with my entire adult life.” Jessica’s eyes were bright and clear as she rose to her friend’s defense. “If I had been the slightest bit bisexual, she and I would still be married. Yes, I love her. I love her like a sister. I love her like my oldest, closest friend, which is exactly what she is. Hell, she’s completely over me now, she’s crazy about some new woman who’s got her tied in all sorts of knots.

“Most importantly, I’m in love with you. Only you. If I wasn’t crazy about you, I wouldn’t have said yes when you asked me to marry you. Please, don’t do something that you’ll regret later.” Her eyes were large and wet with unshed tears as she made this plea.

“You mean like trusting you? I was uncomfortable with you being best friends with a lesbian because I was afraid she was going to try and get you into bed with her. Come to find out, you’d already been sharing a bed with her for years before I came along. I just don’t know what to make of all this. I’ll be at a hotel. I’ll call you later to let you know where I’m staying.”

He picked up the suitcase and walked out the door, leaving a stunned Jessica in his wake. What the hell just happened?

Chapter 6

Kara’s week was off to a great start when her motion to have a crucial piece of evidence excluded from the trial was granted. This resulted in the prosecution dismissing the felony counts they were charging her client with and offering him a plea on a misdemeanor that would result in no jail time. Her client took the offer and suddenly her workload that week got a whole lot lighter.

Unfortunately, that left her with more time to stress about seeing Madison Tuesday night. She decided that she was too much in her head about the whole thing, so she called up a couple of her buddies from law school to see if they wanted to have a beer with her that night. Brian Hanlon and Scott Trimble had been two of her close friends since first year and both had stayed close friends through her transition.

Kara was comfortable with the male friends she had had when she was living as a man, though not with men who she came to know after. It was an odd balance of them seeing her as one of the guys, since they shared common interests in TV shows, books, video games, and beer, but because they had known her as a man, there was none of the sexual tension that seemed to result whenever she was around men who didn’t know her past. Whenever she stopped to analyze her views on this, she was a little uncomfortable with her observations. She wanted people to see her and treat her as a woman, yet she was only friends with men who still had a memory of her as a man to keep them from ever expressing a romantic interest in her.

She laughed, remembering some of the early moments that had happened after she came out. One instance in particular, she and a male friend were watching a TV show and they were discussing the attractiveness of one of the actresses.

“She’s definitely hot,” Kara had said, “and I absolutely love her dress.”

Her friend had looked at her like she had sprouted a second head. He just stared at her for a moment before saying, “Oh, yeah, you’re a chick.”

She hadn’t been out with the guys in a couple of weeks and was looking forward to it that night. They always had a great time, reminiscing about old times during law school and swapping stories from their respective practices. They always drank plenty of good beer and shared a ton of laughs. And they all commiserated over women, all of them single for several years now.

Kara arrived at the bar first and ordered a pitcher of Gumball Head, a hoppy wheat beer, for the trio. She poured her glass and took a big sip, relishing the refreshing taste of the brew. She was looking over the menu when Brian joined her. He, like Kara, had come straight from the office and was wearing a suit and tie. He leaned over and gave Kara a quick hug before stripping off his suit jacket and sitting down, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his collar.

“I still say that you transitioned just so you didn’t have to wear a suit and tie in the summer,” he said, looking over Kara, who was wearing a short-sleeved silk blouse with an open collar and a light gray skirt that hit her at the knee.

“You always say that whenever we see each other from May through October. I will remind you that high heels and bras are no walk in the park either.” The two shared a laugh as Brian poured his own glass full of beer, offering to top up Kara’s.

The two continued exchanging small talk for a couple of minutes when Scott showed up. He bent over to give Kara a quick hug, then slapped Brian on the shoulder. He, too, pulled off his suit coat and loosened his tie as he sat and looked over at how Kara was dressed.

“Brian already made the comment about me transitioning just to get out of wearing suits and ties. And I’ll tell you the same thing, I may be cooler, but bras and heels make for an even trade.”

“I was just gonna say you look nice and ask you to pour me a beer, but thanks for the info. So besides that enlightening speech, what have I missed?”

“Not much,” said Brian, “I just got here a few minutes ago, myself.”

“Well, I’ve got news,” began Kara. “I’m kind of seeing someone.”

“That’s awesome, Kar!” Brian exclaimed, the sentiment echoed by Scott.

“So, tell us about her.” Scott said, shooting a quick glance at Brian, he added “By the way, does she know . . . about . . . you know?”

“Alright, first off, yes, she does know. I don’t know how things are gonna go from here, but I told her Friday night and haven’t seen her since. She called me yesterday from Florida, and no, I don’t know why she was in Florida,” she added at her friends’ puzzled expressions, “and she’s coming back today and wants to talk to me tomorrow night.

“Otherwise, she’s a history professor, 33, so a few years older. She’s absolutely gorgeous. Dark brown hair, hazel eyes, great legs, and the most perfect ass I’ve ever seen. She’s also the best kisser I’ve ever known. It’s early, but I think I could be falling for her.” She took another drink of beer and sat looking at the table for a moment, not seeing the concerned glances that her friends were exchanging.

“Wow. Kar, that’s . . . wonderful.” Scott said. “I don’t want to put a damper on what you’re feeling here, but is there a chance that she might not feel the same way?”

“Yeah, there’s definitely a chance. Maybe she wants to meet tomorrow just so she can tell me off to my face. I don’t really know. But what she said made me think there’s a chance she wants to try.”

“Well, Kara, I hope this goes well for you,” Brian said. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt. You were a mess after things ended with Jess and I don’t want to ever see you go through that again.” Scott murmured his agreement while Kara finished her glass and, with the assent of her friends, emptied the last of the pitcher into her glass.

“I don’t want me to get hurt, either. But I feel like I’ve got to take a chance here. Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know what was up. Now, let’s focus on less serious topics so I’m not totally freaked all night.”

With that, the conversation downshifted into a discussion of videogames, TV shows, beer, work, and the other minutiae of life. The trio ate and drank another two pitchers over the course of the evening, finally calling it a night after four hours spent catching up. Kara got home and loved on Seymour, feeling happy and less apprehensive about her meeting with Madison the next evening. As she lay down in bed, she thought of hazel eyes and soft lips as sleep finally claimed her.

***

The next day went by smoothly and Kara found ways to keep herself busy. She had cleared her schedule for the trial, but there was always a backlog of cases that she had to deal with, so it wasn’t too difficult for her to find things to keep herself occupied until eight thirty. She left work a little before seven so she could go home and freshen up and change before she went to Madison’s. She decided on a casual look that still emphasized her strong points, selecting a white ribbed tank top with lace trim at the top and bottom to go along with a pair of jeans that were snug in all the right places, but were still comfortable. She threw on a gray cardigan and a pair of ankle boots with a two inch heel and left to meet Madison.

When she got to Madison’s, she hesitated in her car, seeing that she was early. Looking up at the apartment building, she felt the fear she had been fighting down begin to creep back up, filling her with a sense of profound dread. She took several deep breaths, repeating over and over in her head, she said she’s not giving up and that everything’s going to be alright. She said she’s not giving up and that everything’s going to be alright. . .

Kara was still repeating her mantra when she pressed the button next to 'Roberts' next to the door. Madison buzzed her up and was standing in front of the elevator when it opened on her floor. She was dressed very similarly to Kara, though she was barefoot with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. The two women just stood there in the fluorescent illumination of the hall light while the dusk deepened toward night outside.

As Madison led the redhead toward her open door, she said, “Come on in. I made some shrimp fra diavolo for us, so I hope you like spicy food.”

Kara smiled at this, “I absolutely love spicy food, so I can’t wait to try it. By the way, I brought that bottle of wheat wine with me. I didn’t know if you wanted us to have that or . . .” Kara was nervously shifting her weight from to foot, clearly uncomfortable.

Madison studied Kara’s face for a moment, then stepped up to the taller woman, wrapping her slender arms around Kara’s neck and pulling her down for a brief kiss. All she did was press their lips together; it was simple, sweet, and chaste. Madison felt Kara’s free arm wrap around her waist and felt Kara’s hand settle on the small of her back. The older woman broke the kiss and leaned her head against Kara’s chest with a soft sigh. Both women could feel the tension level drop and held tightly to each other.

“I’m so happy that you’re here. I missed you this weekend,” Madison said, without looking up, still loving the way she felt wrapped in the tall redhead’s embrace.

“I missed you too. So much.” Kara tightened her hold on the older woman as her voice began to break and the tears began to fall from her eyes. “I thought for sure that I’d lost you.”

Madison stood on her toes, planting soft kisses all over Kara’s face, whispering soothing shushing noises to the sobbing woman. With her arm around Kara’s waist, she led her to the couch and gently urged her to sit. Madison took a seat right next to her friend, not removing the arm from her waist, their thighs pressing together. Madison urged Kara closer towards her, the redhead clinging helplessly to Madison as she cried, the tears of relief wetting Madison’s shoulder.

“I’m not going anywhere, baby. I had to get away to think, true, but I thought and now I’m back. It’s early, but you’re just the kind of woman I’ve always wanted to share my life with,” Madison told Kara, whose tears had stopped, but she had no desire to give up the comfort of being held by Madison.

“I feel the same way,” Kara echoed, placing a soft kiss on Madison’s shoulder.

“We have some issues that we’re going to have to work through, Kara. I care for you and the way we click . . . I’ve never felt that before.” Kara’s face was covered with a pensive expression at hearing that, but Madison could only see the top of the taller woman’s head and continued on.

“Even when I was with Michelle, I never felt as connected to her as I do to you. I’ll admit that kind of scares me. It would be scary even if you had been born genetically female. Which is the other issue. I like taking things slow. I don’t want to sleep with a woman unless I know her well.”

“I know. I feel the same way. After my last time doing that I vowed I wouldn’t sleep with a woman I wasn’t in love with,” Kara replied.

Madison kissed the top of her head. “Then you know what I mean. Plus, I have to admit that I’m clueless when it comes to male anatomy, so that’s kind of got me freaking out a little. I mean, what kinds of things do you like? Do you like to use . . . you know?”

Kara sat up, leaving her arms wrapped around Madison and making no move to dislodge the older woman’s arms from her. “It depends. I feel most natural and most comfortable pleasuring someone using my mouth or my hands. It feels kind of . . . I don’t know . . . weird . . . I guess, using my penis. Like it’s not really a part of me. But it has a ton of nerve endings and it feels good to use it, physically, at least. Psychologically, it’s less straightforward. It’s been a while since I had to deal with this. In the past, I let the women I was with set the tone for what would happen below my belt, so if you want to take that approach, I’d be perfectly okay with that.”

Madison rubbed Kara’s side through the tank top. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I just want you to know how I’m feeling. If this is going to work between us, we have to be honest every step of the way. Anyway, the smell of that shrimp is killing me, so let’s go eat.” She stood and held out her hand for Kara, pulling her up. The two women walked into the dining room side by side and sat down at the small table.

“Okay. I’m still uncertain what the implications of dating a trans woman are. You know much better than I do how this is going to different from other lesbian relationships. Care to share any insight? I don’t want to get blindsided by something later on.”

“Well, for the most part it’s absolutely the same as with any other lesbian couple. There are a couple of things that are different and that are kind of biggies. First off, I can get married. Again, that’s not something that needs to be considered so early on, but it is there. The law here isn’t clear, but odds are good that if I married a woman before getting the surgery, it’s a valid marriage, even for federal purposes. As long as I have my penis, marriage laws treat me like a man.

“The other big thing, and again, not something that we need to worry about is I can have kids that are the biological children of both mothers.” Madison looked surprised to hear this.

“Wow. I never even considered that.” She looked at her plate thoughtfully for a moment. “Would I need to go on birth control or anything? I mean, I’ve been out since I was in high school. I’ve never given being involved in ‘natural’ procreation much thought.”

Kara reached over and covered Madison’s hand with her own. “It doesn’t work that way. I’ve been on hormones for several years and I’m fairly certain I’m sterile. But before I started taking hormones, I had some sperm frozen. My ex and I were still together at the time and we thought we could make it work, so we wanted to preserve our options for having kids later. Things didn’t work out,” she said with a sad smile, “but I still have the little swimmers on ice.”

Madison gave Kara’s hand a gentle squeeze and leaned over, placing a soft kiss on Kara’s cheek. “I’m sorry that things didn’t work out. But I’m glad you’re here now, with me.” This removed the sadness from Kara’s smile and the two women kissed again, savoring the feel of each other’s soft lips.

The two women finished dinner and cleared the table, Kara refusing to let Madison help, claiming that since Madison had cooked, the least she could do is clean up. After Madison had finished instructing Kara in where particular items went in the cabinets, the couple took their drinks and returned to the couch. Madison sat in the corner, leaning against the armrest and put one leg up on the couch, leaving one on the floor. She pulled Kara down to sit in front of her, wrapping her arms around the tall redhead’s waist, pulling her back against her body, sighing with pleasure at her closeness to the younger woman.

“There’s absolutely nothing better than cuddling on the couch after a great meal. Wouldn’t you agree?” Madison asked, leaning her head forward to place a kiss on Kara’s right cheek, just in front of the redhead’s ear.

“Mhm.” Kara moaned her agreement, shivering slightly from the combined sensations of Madison’s arms wrapped tightly around her, Madison’s breasts pressed into her back, and the kiss Madison had just planted in such a sensitive location. Turning slightly in Madison’s grasp, she looked at the brunette and whispered, “I couldn’t agree more,” placing a soft kiss full of desire on Madison’s supple lips.

Neither woman was in a hurry to break the kiss, and it grew in passion as lips parted to grant entrance to exploring tongues. Kara turned fully as Madison slid down the couch so that they were lying down. As Madison’s hands roamed the expanse of Kara’s back, loving the way the soft cotton was stretched across her skin, Kara’s kisses moved to Madison’s neck as her own hands slipped under the hem of Madison’s tank top, running over the silky smooth skin of Madison’s firm tummy.

“Kara. . .” Madison moaned, “God, do you have any idea what you do to me?”

“The same thing you do to me. You make me so hot I can’t believe it. No woman has ever made me feel like this.” She placed a few more kisses on Madison’s throat, moving back towards her lips. Their lips met again in an explosion of passion and desire. Madison’s hands slipped under Kara’s tank top and she moved them slowly over the younger woman’s skin, barely touching Kara with just her fingertips. Soon Kara’s back was completely covered in goose bumps and the redhead was shaking with desire and pleasure.

“We need to slow down,” Kara whispered as she nibbled on the delicate shell of Madison’s ear.

Madison removed her lips from Kara’s sensitive neck and moaned, “You’re absolutely right, baby. We need to slow down.”

The kisses, bites, licks, and touches continued for a few more minutes. Madison wrapped her denim clad legs around the woman on top of her, pulling their hips closer together. As she began to grind against Kara’s body she stopped moving completely as she felt a bulge pressing against her through the denim. Kara sensed her friend’s sudden discomfort and knew the source. The bulge straining against the crotch of her jeans was making her quite uncomfortable as well.

Kara sat up quickly, smoothing her hair back into place after it had been thoroughly mussed by the attractive brunette. Madison pulled herself free and sat beside Kara. She placed a hand on Kara’s thigh and leaned her head against the taller woman’s shoulder. Their breaths came in ragged gasps as they both tried to regain a semblance of composure.

“Wow.” Madison was the first to speak.

“You said it,” Kara turned and pressed her lips against the top of Madison’s head. “That was something else. By the way, I’m sorry about . . .”

“No,” Madison said quickly. “I’m sorry I reacted the way I did. I just wasn’t expecting to feel . . . that. By the way, I thought you said you were impotent because of the hormones.”

“Not exactly.” Kara fell back, slouching against the back of the couch, and placed her bare feet up on the coffee table. She glanced quickly at Madison, whose nod assured her it was okay to leave them there. “I said I’m sterile, not impotent. Basically, my testicles don’t work worth a damn, but my penis still works just the way it was intended. I know a lot of trans women lose the ability to get or keep an erection, but I haven’t had that side effect from the hormones. It doesn’t usually happen unless I’m really turned on though, and spontaneous erections have gone away completely.”

“Huh.” Madison leaned back against Kara, the taller woman’s arms wrapping around her as Madison rested her head against Kara’s chest, loving the way she felt in Kara’s arms, safe and warm. “Again, sorry for my reaction. Now that I know better what to expect, hopefully I won’t freak out again in the future.”

“Sweetheart, you have nothing to apologize for,” Kara tightened her arms around Madison. “Like I said, you get to set the agenda for how we deal with that particular piece of anatomy. If it makes you at all uncomfortable, then I just keep my panties on. Not a big deal as far as I’m concerned. Besides, it’s not like it’s gonna be here forever.”

Madison lifted her head and placed a kiss on Kara’s lips. “Thank you,” she said, returning her cheek to its resting place right above the redhead’s breasts. “You have no idea how much better that makes me feel.” Her hand was idly tracing small circles on Kara’s tummy, while Kara was running her fingers through Madison’s silky tresses, loving the way the hair felt as it slipped through her fingers.

“Do you find it weird that we’re so comfortable with each other, so soon? I mean, we haven’t even known each other for two weeks, yet here we are snuggling on your couch like we’ve been together for months.”

“You know, it is a little weird,” Madison answered, not moving from her comfortable position. “I can’t explain it. I’ve never felt this way about someone at all, let alone this quickly.”

“I have,” Kara said, her voice just above a whisper. Madison stilled her hand and sat up, looking into Kara’s eyes, silently encouraging her to continue. Kara took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh.

“I told you about my ex, Jessica. We met my senior year of high school. She was my first real girlfriend and we hit it off right away. We spent every afternoon together my senior year. Within a week and a half or so of our first date, I knew I was in love with her. It wasn’t much longer before I knew that she was the girl I wanted to marry and spend the rest of my life with. And we did marry. But you know how they say straight girls will break your heart?” Madison nodded. “She did. When I went full time, she decided she couldn’t make it work, she wasn’t attracted to me, etc., etc. We divorced and I’ve been single ever since.”

“Sounds like you cared about her a lot.”

“Oh, I did. She was my . . . everything, my raison d’áªtre. When we split up I was devastated, but I’ve made my peace with everything. She and I are still friends. I hope that doesn’t bother you.”

“It doesn’t bother me, exactly, but I’ve got to admit I find it a little weird that you’re still friends.”

“I can see that, and it is. But during the whole time we were together she was always my best friend. Before considering her my lover or my wife or anything else, she was always my best friend. I couldn’t stand to lose that relationship as well as losing her as my partner. Does that make any sense?”

“I guess. How often do you two see each other?”

“A few times a month, maybe once a week or so.”

“Hmm.” Madison pondered this new bit of information about the tall woman by her side as she relaxed back into Kara’s comforting embrace.

***

Kara awoke in a strange place, feeling the soft warm body next to her. She quickly did an assessment of where she was and what was going on, taking a few moments to come to full awareness. She was lying on her side, still dressed, with her right leg thrown over the hips of the body beside her. Her right hand, she realized, was cupping a soft, firm breast. Oh my God, I’m grabbing her breast! She jerked her hand away and sat up. Madison moved toward her, seeking to reestablish the connection they had shared while asleep. Kara smiled at the sight of the brunette trying to curl herself around Kara’s back as she sat on the edge of the couch.

She looked at her watch and was surprised to see that it was already seven. Glad I keep a change of clothes at the office. She reached out to brush Madison’s hair back from her face, planting a soft kiss on the sleeping woman’s forehead. God, she’s so beautiful. Kara felt her heart clench while she gazed at her . . . what? Is she my girlfriend? My friend? Are we just dating? She sighed heavily and got up, walking softly to the kitchen. She took a Diet Coke from the fridge, pleased to see that she and Madison had the same taste in pop. Seeing a pad of paper sitting on the counter, she took a pen and quickly wrote a note for Madison.

Dear Madison,

I’m sorry I had to run, but I’ve got to get to work. I hope you have a great day and I can’t wait to see you again. I just want you to know that I had the best night’s sleep I’ve had in years. Call me whenever you get a chance.

Xoxoxo

Kara

She walked back to the couch and placed the note on the coffee table before placing another kiss on Madison’s lips. Madison moaned softly and smiled in her sleep, but she didn’t wake. Kara left, locking the front door behind her as she went, greeting the day with a gleaming smile for the first time years.

Chapter 7

Madison woke when she heard the sound of the door closing. She sat up, surprised to see she had fallen asleep on the couch. “Kara?” She called out. “Baby, are you here?” She looked around, noticing the piece of paper Kara had left on the coffee table. She smiled as she read the note the taller woman had left for her. God, I can’t believe we slept together all night. I wish I knew where things were going though.

She stretched, trying to get out all the kinks of sleeping on the couch all night and went to her bedroom, stripping off her clothes and slipping between the crisp, cool sheets for a few more hours sleep.

She awoke and looked at the clock on the bedside table, surprised to see that it was after ten. The first thing she did was call her friend Beth.

“Flowers by Beth, how can I help you?”

“Hey Beth, it’s Maddie. I was wondering if you could put together a bouquet for me.”

“You know I can and I will. So, you’re ordering flowers twice in as many weeks. Looks like you’re finally coming out of your slump. Is this for the same girl?”

“Yeah.” Beth could hear her friend smile through the phone. “I think I’ll take them to her myself, though. Maybe see if she’s free for lunch.”

“Well, when you get here, I expect you to give me the full story on this girl. I’m old and married, so I have to live vicariously through you. It’s about time you had something to talk about.”

“We’ll see. I don’t want to jinx anything by giving away too much, too soon.”

“Alright, but don’t think I’m gonna let you off the hook about this though. I’m like a pit bull with a new chew toy. Grrrr.”

Madison laughed at her friend’s antics. “I’ll see you in a bit. Bye.”

“Alright, Maddie. See you soon.”

Madison threw her cell down on the bed and got up. She walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Once the temperature was right, she stepped under the stream of water and let the hot water finish relaxing the kink in her neck from sleeping on the couch all night. I can’t believe we slept together. It was so nice, though. Peaceful. I don’t think I’ve ever slept that well. And the making out . . . that was so amazing. Jesus, the things that woman does to me. . .

Her thoughts were headed in a very lascivious direction and she felt herself becoming warm, and not as a result of the hot water cascading over her sensitive flesh. She decided that this morning was a perfect opportunity to use her adjustable shower head to relieve the ache she felt gathering in her center. As she guided the stream of water to hit just where she needed it most, she thought about Kara. She remembered the way her soft pink lips had felt kissing and nibbling at her. She remembered the way Kara’s breasts strained against the thin material of her tank top and the way her nipples had felt pressed against her. She thought of Kara’s firm ass and muscular thighs, remembering the way the denim was stretched tightly across them.

Madison was fast approaching her peak when one more thought entered her mind, the firm flesh she had felt straining against the crotch of the redhead’s jeans the night before. As she remembered the way it felt pressing against her need, she exploded with pleasure radiating out from her core. She leaned forward heavily against the shower wall, gasping for air as she came back to earth. Deciding to not think about what had just happened, she finished showering and turned off the water.

Once she had dried off and blown her hair dry, she dressed in a casual, flowy, tan skirt that came to just below her knees, and white v-neck t-shirt. She slipped on a pair of brown leather sandals with a bit of a heel and left to go pick up the flowers for Kara.
She got to the shop to find Beth out front. Her friend looked up at the sound of the bell over the door and smiled at Madison as she stepped inside, shifting her sunglasses to the top of her head.

“Well don’t you look cute today. Hoping to impress a certain lawyer, perhaps?” Beth laughed as she went to the back to grab the flowers she had prepared for Madison to give to Kara.

“You know me all too well, Beth. Of course I’m trying to impress Kara, hence the flowers. The skirt is just an attempt to get her into my bed.”

Madison heard the laugh filter back through the room full of plants as she made her way toward the cash register, stopping to touch and smell any flowers that caught her eye along the way. She gushed over the bouquet that Beth had prepared for her, Calla lilies, Casablanca lilies and white roses were arranged together beautifully. Madison couldn’t resist leaning over and inhaling deeply of the beautiful aroma.

“So, what’s the latest with Kara? You haven’t kept me up on happenings since you got that first bouquet for her last week.”

“Things are going good, I think. We’ve got some stuff we’ve got to work out, but I think things will work out very well.” Knowing her friend wasn’t going to let her leave without getting something in the way of juicy details, but not willing to tell her about Kara’s past, she decided to tell Beth a little about the night before. “As a matter of fact, she came over to my place for dinner last night and we ended up sleeping together.”

She laughed at the shocked expression on Beth’s face. “Not like that, you perv. We made out a little after dinner and ended up talking. Next thing I knew, it was morning and I was on the couch, by myself, with a very nice note sitting on the coffee table.”

Beth smiled at Madison. “Sounds nice. You guys make any other plans yet?”

“Nope, she said to call her when I got the chance, so I’m gonna give these to her and see if I can’t get some kisses out of it. Beats the hell out of calling.” Madison picked up the vase full of flowers and threw some money down on the counter, knowing that if she waited around for a second, Beth would make her take it back. As she walked quickly to the door, she called back over her shoulder, “If anything juicy happens, I’ll be sure and call you.”

She drove carefully as she made her way downtown, being sure to keep one hand on the vase at all times to insure it didn’t fall over. She lucked out and was able to find a spot close to the building where Kara worked. She got out and fed the meter, putting in enough to cover the full two hour limit. As she leaned into the passenger side to grab the vase with the flowers, she heard a very welcome familiar voice say, “This is quite unexpected, but that is a fantastic view.”

Madison stood and turned, the flowers in her hands. “Well, I just thought I’d bring these by and surprise you. See if you wanted to have lunch with me.”

“God, Madison, these are beautiful,” she said, taking the flowers from her. “I love them, thank you so much.” Kara leaned in and gave Madison a soft, but heartfelt kiss. “Lunch sounds great. Let’s swing back by my office so I can drop these off first.”

“Sounds great,” Madison said, wrapping her arm through Kara’s.

Once inside Kara’s office, Madison stepped closer to the taller woman, thinking that she looked quite nice in her dark gray pantsuit and white button-down cotton blouse. She placed her hands on Kara’s broad shoulders and pulled her in so that their bodies were pressed together. “Someone left this morning without giving me a proper kiss,” Madison whispered with a smirk as she pressed her lips to Kara’s.

The two women stood there, touching all along their lengths, enjoying the feeling of closeness they were sharing. The kiss was sweet and gentle, the raw force and unbridled passion that had defined their first few kisses was entirely absent. Now, each woman just wanted to make the other feel cared for and cherished. As their lips parted, Kara sighed happily and rested her forehead against Madison’s.

Kara closed her eyes and whispered, “I know it’s early, and you don’t have to say anything back. I just want you to know that I’m falling for you.” She ran her hand through Madison’s hair. “Hard. And fast.”

Madison held Kara’s face gently between her hands as placed soft kisses around her mouth. “Fall, I’ll be right here to catch you. You want to know a secret? I’m falling for you, too. Now come on, sweetheart, let’s go get some lunch.”

Kara smiled at Madison, unable to resist the urge to kiss her deeply. “Okay. Let’s go.”

They had lunch at a tapas place across the street that had an excellent lunch buffet. As they sat together, both women had a difficult time refraining from touching each other. Both felt that an important obstacle in their relationship had been conquered and that they were back on track.

“So,” Madison began, “want to get together tonight? Have dinner or something?”

Kara’s smile lit up her face. “Absolutely. Want to go somewhere or should I cook you that meal I promised you last week?”

“How about I come to your place? Any time in particular you want me there?”

“Actually, would you mind doing me a favor? I had to run straight to the office this morning from your place so I haven’t had a chance to go home yet. Seymour is really well behaved, but he probably needs more food and water. Would you mind going to my place once we finish with lunch and take care of him for me?”

“Not a problem. He’s such a sweetie, I’m sure he missed you last night.”

“He probably did, but I was much happier spending the night next to you.” Kara smiled and blushed. “Last night really was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in years. I can’t wait to do it again.”

“I thought we were taking things slow. Are you changing the rules on me, counselor?” Madison asked with a grin.

“Not at all, Dr. Roberts. I told you my rule was that I need to be in love before I sleep with someone. I also told you that I’m falling for you. And just for the record, I do want to take things slow.”

“Good. And as far as only sleeping together goes, no more couches. My old bones can’t take too much of it.”

“Well, just so you know, I think your ‘old bones’ are incredibly sexy.” She pulled Madison’s hand to her lips and placed a soft kiss on her palm. Once Kara let go of Madison’s hand, Madison caressed Kara’s cheek before cupping the younger woman’s chin and pulling her close as she leaned across the table for a short kiss.

“So, got any big plans for the rest of the day?” Kara asked as they were leaving the restaurant.

“Well, it looks like I’m gonna go by your house and look in on your dog for you. After that, my day is wide open. What time do you want to get together for dinner?”

“Well, I’ll probably get home sometime after six, so really anytime after that would be great. Or really whenever you want to be there. I’m trying to take things slow here, but honestly, I would really love it if you were already there waiting for me.” Kara looked down, her face turning a bright red as she said this.

“Good. I want you to be honest about what you want. We’re both adults, capable of telling the other what we want and need. It’s a lot easier to be upfront and honest with each other than it is to try and read minds. I may have to run a few errands, but I’ll be there this evening, probably before you get home, but if not, I’ll call you and let you know. Sound good?”

“Sounds great,” Kara answered with a big smile splitting her face.

The two women rode the elevator to Kara’s floor in a contemplative silence, both eager to see where their blossoming relationship would take them. Once they got to Kara’s office, she went around behind her desk and pulled a key from her drawer, handing it to Madison.

“Here you go. It unlocks any of the outside doors, so if you prefer to park around back rather than on the street, you can open the back door with it.”

Madison took the key, placing it in her purse, before pulling Kara in close to her and placing a heartfelt, but chaste kiss on the taller woman’s lips. As she pulled away, she said softly, “Consider that a small taste of what I’m going to do to you tonight when you get home.”

Kara felt her legs become very weak and doubted that she would be able to stand much longer. She watched as Madison turned and walked out the door, her hips swaying hypnotically under her skirt, which flowed around her legs, alternately revealing and hiding the tops of her gracefully sculpted calves. Once she was gone, Kara sank into her chair and sighed. I’m falling in love with that woman.

***

Madison arrived at Kara’s house within a few minutes of leaving her office. She parked on a concrete pad next to the garage and went into the yard through a gate in the tall privacy fence. As soon as she closed the gate, she turned around to see sixty pounds of black and brown fur running at her. Seymour skidded to a stop right in front of her, bumping into her shins and knocking her slightly off balance.

“Hi, baby,” she said in an enthusiastic tone as she bent down to scratch the smiling mutt behind the ears. “Did you miss your mommy last night, Seymour? I bet you did. But guess what? Your mommy was with me. Yes she was. I think you and I are gonna be seeing a lot more of each other, too.” His jaw dropped open in a way that looked almost like a smile, and she couldn’t help but smile back at the lopsided way his tongue was hanging out of his mouth due to a missing lower left canine tooth.

She stood and started walking toward the back door, calling to Seymour, “Come on, baby. Let’s go inside so I can give you some food.” She opened the door and found Seymour’s food and water dishes set up in a corner of the kitchen, just like Kara had told her. She saw that his water dish, while not empty, barely had anything in it, so she took it to the sink and refilled it. She found the dog food and emptied a can into the other bowl and Seymour rapidly buried his face in the brown, smelly pile of dog food.

She didn’t have anything else to do that afternoon, and was at a loss for what she should do. She was naturally curious about the woman who was capturing her heart and had a perfect opportunity to snoop around in her home. Poking around in the kitchen, she was suitably impressed by the collection of gadgets and tools that she saw. A professional grade stand mixer, a stainless steel gas stove and oven, a huge fridge full of fresh ingredients as well as an ample supply of diet coke. She smiled at that as she took one out and opened it. Another shelf had a wide variety of beers, some of them unlabeled, except for letters written on the bottle caps with sharpie. That must be her homebrew.

She took a drink of the diet coke and started looking in the cabinets, to see what she could find there. She saw a lot of containers filled with various dry goods: three different kinds of flour, sugar, baking soda, a ton of small containers filled with herbs and spices, a couple bags of chips, a package of cookies, and several bottles of hot sauce of all different types. She grinned, thinking about how Kara’s love for spicy food rivaled her own.

She finished her exploration of Kara’s kitchen and moved into the living room, sitting down on the couch. Seymour jumped up next to her and she scratched him behind the ears as she took in the room for what was, in essence, the first time, since the last time she was there she was a little distracted by the emotional scene. The room was clean and free of clutter. The furniture was sleek and modern. Kara had a large flat-screen TV below which sat what looked to be a cable box, a sound system, an Xbox, and a Playstation. She looked at the tall, narrow shelving units next to the TV stand and saw an assortment of movies and video games. She recognized several of the movies, lesbian classics like Imagine Me and You, I Can’t Think Straight, Loving Annabelle, But I’m a Cheerleader, and Bound. She also saw that Kara had the entire run of Buffy in her collection as well as Firefly and Serenity. Then she looked over the games. Many of the titles she didn’t recognize, but she saw Halos 1-3 as well as a couple without numbers. There were a lot of games that looked like shooters. Oh, boy, I’m dating a video game nerd. Hopefully she’s not too hardcore about it.

She picked up the remote and switched on the TV and cable. To continue her poking around, she pressed the DVR button to see what shows Kara liked enough to record. There were the usual sitcoms and a couple of dramas listed. Madison breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t see any reality programs listed. She may be a gamer, but at least she doesn’t watch reality shows. Madison idly flipped through channels while petting Seymour. She looked at the clock and was surprised to see it was almost two. Three hours to kill. It’ll take me at least an hour round-trip to go home and come back here. I don’t really have anything I need to do today, so I might as well just hang out here until she gets done with work.

Failing to find anything on TV that was remotely interesting, she decided to put in a DVD to kill some time. With that decision made, she got up and grabbed the box of West Wing DVDs, pulling out a disc at random. She placed the disc in the Playstation and sat back to watch. By the time she was almost done with the fourth episode on the disc, she heard the back door open and watched as Seymour jumped down and ran to greet his mistress. She stood, and smoothed out her skirt and t-shirt before walking back to greet Kara.

“Hmmm, it’s really great having a gorgeous woman greeting me at the door when I get home from work,” Kara said as she set down her briefcase and wrapped her long arms around the woman in front of her. “I could get used to this,” she said, as she pressed her lips to Madison’s.

“You weren’t too bored waiting around for me, were you?”

“Not at all. I managed to figure out your entertainment system and watched some West Wing. Seymour and I had a good time.” Madison kissed Kara’s cheek before stepping back and saying. “Why don’t you go change and when you get back we’ll figure out what you’re gonna cook for me.”

“Sounds like a plan. Be back in a bit.” Kara pulled Madison close to her and kissed her again, teasing her with her lips and tongue. Both women lost track of time as the kiss continued. Neither woman sought to escalate it, content to enjoy the teasing, flirtatious kisses. Finally, Kara stepped back and with a smirk turned and went upstairs to change.

Madison returned to the couch and idly petted Seymour while waiting for Kara to return. When she heard the shower start running, she put in another disc so she’d have something to watch while she waited. After twenty minutes or so, Kara came back downstairs, her hair slightly damp, wearing a pair of faded jeans and a tank top. It was quite obvious to Madison that Kara wasn’t wearing a bra as her nipples were clearly outlined against the thin, white cotton. Madison’s mouth went dry and she was unable to pull her eyes away from Kara’s chest.

Kara noticed what Madison was staring at and reached out, cupping the brunette’s chin, lifting it until Madison was looking her in the eye. “I’m up here, sweetie,” Kara said with a laugh. “Have you given any thought to what you want to eat?”

A smirk took over Madison’s face, but was quickly replaced by a look of confusion. “I was about to make a bad joke about wanting to eat you, but that innuendo doesn’t exactly work for us, does it?”

“Well, I can still use that line. Doesn’t work as well for you, though. Come ‘ere,” she said, opening her arms. Madison snuggled against her, shivering as she felt Kara’s nipples against her through the thin layer of well worn cotton. “I know I don’t have the usual parts, but I want you to feel comfortable with me.”

“Then why didn’t you wear a bra? Parts of me are decidedly uncomfortable right now. Throbbingly uncomfortable in fact.”

Kara smiled and kissed Madison’s forehead. “All a part of my evil plan. But seriously, I’ve got a couple of strip steaks in the fridge, some potatoes for baking, stuff for a salad, and a good homebrew IPA that sounds pretty darn tasty.”

“That sounds really, really good. Anything I can do to help?” Madison asked as they walked into the kitchen and Kara took the steaks from the fridge and covered them with salt and pepper before setting them on the counter.

“So, it’s five forty-five right now, those steaks’ll need like an hour or so to come to room temperature, which means I shouldn’t start the potatoes for like a half hour. Can you think of something we could do to occupy ourselves for the next thirty minute?” Kara had placed her arms on Madison’s shoulders and pulled her in tight against her body as she said all this. Despite Madison’s best efforts, her gaze kept dropping to Kara’s chest. She wrapped her arms around Kara’s waist and laced her fingers together on the small of her back.

“I can think of something,” Madison said, staring at Kara’s lips.

The two women came together in a passionate kiss, their lips melting together, their bodies pressed tight. Madison’s back was pressed into the island by Kara’s body. She moaned into Kara’s mouth as she ran her fingers through Kara’s long red hair. Kara was lost in a haze of passion as she ran her hands over Madison’s yielding flesh. She ran her hands down the professor’s hips, down her tight, firm ass and onto her thighs. As she moved her kisses to Madison’s neck and shoulders, Madison’s fingers thoroughly tangled in the silky red strands, Kara bent down and with a firm grasp on the back of Madison’s thighs, lifted her to sit on the island.

“Hmmm, much better,” Madison moaned as Kara’s hands roamed over her legs, raising her skirt higher and higher. Their breaths were coming in ragged gasps as their passion escalated, spiraling higher and higher. Both women were completely lost in the moment, neither knowing where they were, riding high on a cloud of sensation, their bodies merging together into one. Madison felt Kara’s hands stroking her smooth thighs, the touch feeling like fire on her over-sensitized skin. As Kara’s hands slid higher, Madison opened her legs wider in a silent invitation.

Suddenly, Kara stopped moving. She slowly removed her hands from under Madison’s skirt, smoothing the gauzy fabric back in place before placing her hands on Madison’s waist. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she looked into hazel eyes. “Wow. Is it just me, or do we have crazy super intense chemistry together?”

“It’s not just you, baby,” Madison answered, resting her head on Kara’s shoulder, drawing deep breaths to try and cool down, her hands gripping Kara’s muscular shoulder blades. “Every time we kiss, it’s like this amazingly intense full body experience. You make me lose my mind. I was so ready for you just then.”

“I know, but I don’t think either of us is really ready for the next step. I know I’m not. I need to know that there’s a commitment first. But, God. You turn me on so much I have no idea where I am when we kiss. I’ve never been kissed like this. But we need to slow down. We have to slow down.”

They stayed where they were, just holding each other trying to calm down their overheated bodies. Once they were breathing normally, Kara kissed Madison’s cheek and stepped away. Madison started to hop down from the island, but Kara told her to stay put.

“I’m just gonna start the potatoes. Why don’t you tell me about your day.”

“Well, after we had lunch I came back here, gave Seymour some food and water and watched some West Wing.”

“Really? You seem to me like the curious type. Sure you didn’t snoop around?” Kara asked with a grin, seeing Madison blush.

“Fine you got me, I snooped a little, but just here in the kitchen and I looked at your DVR.”

“Any findings you want to share with me?”

“Well, I am surprised that my girlfriend is a video game nerd. You’ve got dozens of video games out there.”

Kara looked at her with a huge smile on her face. “Is that true?”

“Is what true?”

Kara looked down, her freckles disappearing under her bright red blush. “Am I really your girlfriend?”

Madison sat still for a moment, giving the question the thought it deserved. She could tell that Kara was getting nervous from her continued silence and realized that she’d known the answer for a while now. “Yes. That’s how I think of you, as my girlfriend.”

Kara’s face lit up in a thousand watt smile. She stepped up to Madison and soundly kissed her on the lips. She pulled away, still smiling. “I think of you as my girlfriend, too. Being with you makes me so happy.”

“Me, too.” Madison hopped down from the island and went to stand behind Kara, wrapping her arms around the taller woman’s waist and pressing her cheek against her girlfriend’s back. “My girlfriend,” she sighed.

Turning in Madison’s embrace, Kara kissed her forehead. “My girlfriend.” She pressed her lips against her forehead again, sighing as she smelled Madison’s hair.

“So, does it bother you that I’m a gamer?”

Madison looked up with a sparkle in her eyes. “At this point, not really. I don’t know your gaming habits though. Do you sit and play games non-stop for days on end, neglecting the people around you?”

“If it’s a good game and it’s the first time I’m playing it, I can get a little focused. But don’t worry, I never get so focused that a kiss won’t make me drop the controller in an instant.”

“Good answer. Well, Ms. Jenkins, in that case, I don’t think that we’ll have any problem with your video game playing habits. Cause I positively cannot get enough of kissing you.”

“I’m so glad to hear it,” Kara said as she dropped her head to kiss her girlfriend’s sweet pink lips.

Dinner was an exercise in patience and self-control for both women as they exchanged soft touches and flirtatious glances. They kept the conversation light while they ate, Madison praising Kara’s skill in cooking and brewing, loving the way Kara blushed every time she complimented her.

Madison insisted that she would clean up once they were finished eating. The task was made easy by the fact that Kara cleaned up after herself as she cooked, meaning that all there was for Madison to wash was a few plates and utensils. Once the kitchen was clean, Kara poured them each another bottle of homebrew, switching to a sour cherry ale.

Since it was such a nice night, they decided to go out on Kara’s back porch and enjoy the warm weather. They sat on Kara’s porch swing with Kara leaning against the cushioned armrest, Madison leaning back against her chest.

“So, Kara,” Madison began, “where do you see our relationship going?”

“I’m not in a rush or anything, so take everything I’m about to say with that in mind.” She took a deep breath and tightened her hold on Madison. “For now, I want to spend as much time with you as I can. I want to eventually know everything there is about you. I want you to learn everything there is to know about me. I want us to share our lives with each other. I know it’s early, that we haven’t known each other very long, but I think you’re the one.

“I don’t know why or how I think that, but I do.” Kara sighed deeply. Madison squeezed her arms gently to reassure the woman who was holding her. “I’m gonna go ahead and say this, in spite of everything telling me to wait. I think I’m in love with you. The only reason I’m not sure is because I’m second guessing myself. It’s only been a little more than a week. How can I fall in love so fast?”

“I don’t know, baby. But I do know this, I feel the same way. When you’re not with me, I feel like there’s a part of me missing. Whenever I see you or just hear your voice, I feel more alive than I can ever remember feeling. You’re smart, funny, kind, caring, a good cook, and an even better kisser.” Madison turned and kissed her. “I love you, Kara. I love you so much it scares me. I have for a while now. When I went to Florida, I knew I couldn’t walk away. All I wanted to do was be with you again.”

“I’ve been wondering, why did you go to Florida?”

“I needed to talk to someone about what you’d told me. I didn’t want to betray your confidence and out you to any of my close friends by talking about it with them, but I had to talk to someone. So I went to see my mom.” She turned to look Kara in her blue-gray eyes, “I hope that you can understand.”

“I do. And thank you for not outing me to your friends. Once I know someone, I’ll mention it if it comes up, but otherwise, I just leave it alone. But telling your mom is just fine. If things go well, I would have told her anyway. Just as long as she doesn’t preemptively hate me for causing you emotional turmoil.”

“No worries there. She refused to give me any advice beyond telling me to follow my heart.”

Kara tightened her hold on the brunette, feeling Madison shift to press her body more tightly against her. “I’m glad you did. And I’m so glad that your heart led you back to me.”

“Me, too.”

The couple stayed like that, reclined on Kara’s porch swing enjoying the cool evening air as it moved over their bodies. All they felt was the softness and warmth of each other as the swing swayed lazily in the breeze. Neither felt any need or desire to say anything, almost as though they were afraid to risk breaking whatever spell they found themselves under that was making them both feel so loved and wanted and comforted, glad that their searching seemed to be at an end, though their true journey was just beginning.

“It’s getting late,” Madison said, feeling chilled by the cooling air. “I should probably go home. Get some sleep.”

“Yeah, we should probably call it a night,” Kara agreed, though neither woman made any attempt to move. “You know, last night was probably the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had.”

“Mmmm. Me, too,” Madison sighed as she snuggled deeper into Kara’s warm embrace.

“I was thinking,” Kara said uncertainly, “maybe, if you wanted to, you could stay with me tonight?”

“I would love that baby. We’re just talking about sleep, right? Like you said earlier, we’re not really ready to go any further yet.”
“I know,” Kara said, kissing the top of Madison’s head. “I’m just talking about sleep. I’m not ready to let you go just yet. I want you in my arms all night long.”

“I want that, too,” Madison said, standing up and stretching. Kara couldn’t pull her eyes away from the toned tummy that was exposed as Madison lifted her arms above her head, pulling her shirt up. Madison caught the look on Kara’s face and smiled, knowing that the tall redhead desired her. “Come on, I’ve only seen the downstairs, so I need you to give me a tour.”

“Oh, right,” Kara replied, blushing. Taking Madison’s hand, she stood and led the older woman inside. She quickly locked up the house before leading her girlfriend upstairs. She was shaking with nervousness when they got to the top.

Madison, seeing this, wrapped her arms loosely around Kara’s waist. “Shhh, baby. Don’t worry. It’s just you and me. We’re not going to do anything we don’t both want to do. Everything’s gonna be alright.” She planted a soft kiss on the redhead’s lips. “I love you. Now, show me around before we go to bed, okay?”

Kara took a deep breath to steady herself. “Okay.”

The house had three bedrooms upstairs, the first one that Kara showed her was lined with bookcases, all of them overflowing with books covering all sorts of subjects. There were law books, science fiction novels, treatises on politics and philosophy, books on history and science, a huge assortment all mixed together with no obvious pattern to the way they were shelved. In one corner was an elliptical machine facing towards Kara’s desk, which was topped with a huge computer monitor connected to Kara’s laptop.

“As you probably can tell, this is my office/library.”

“I definitely guessed the library part. You have so many books here. If I had known this was up here, my poking around this afternoon would have been a lot more fun.”

Kara led Madison down toward the other end of the hall. She turned on the light in the room to their left. The room was painted a soothing blue-gray. Madison smiled as she thought the color reminded her of Kara’s eyes. The room was simply furnished with a dresser, a couple of nightstands with lamps on top of them and a full size bed with white linens.

“Guest room, I take it?”

“You got it, and through here,” Kara said as she turned out the light and they stepped across the hall, “is my room.”

She flipped a switch, illuminating the room, decorated in whites and grays and purples. The room was dominated by a large king size bed, looking neatly made, except for the top right corner, where the light gray sheet and the thin gray and mauve quilt were turned back. The door to a large closet was opened and Madison could see a large number of shoe boxes sitting on the floor, as well as seeing that the racks were full of hanging clothes.

“Well, this is where I sleep. Um . . . I guess we should get ready for bed. You probably want some pajamas, don’t you?” Kara’s shyness was back in full force. She stepped over to her dresser and opened the second drawer. She pulled out a pair of cotton boxers and stepped back, leaving the drawer open. “I’m gonna go in the bathroom and brush my teeth. You’re welcome to anything you want to wear.”

She stepped into the master bath and closed the door behind her. She leaned against the vanity and took several deep breaths. She brushed her teeth thoroughly before changing her jeans out for the boxers she had grabbed. She did a quick look in the mirror to ensure there was no visible bulge before running a brush through her hair a few times. After she had removed her contacts and replaced them with rectangular tortoiseshell glasses, she looked at herself in the mirror. We’re just going to sleep. That’s all. She’s in love with you. This last thought banished the nervousness and placed a wide smile across her face. She loves me. And I love her.

Taking one more deep breath, she opened the door to see Madison sitting on the edge of her bed, her skirt exchanged for a pair of boxers and her hard, dark nipples clearly visible through her white t-shirt. Madison’s skirt and bra were neatly draped over the armless lilac chair in the corner of the room.

“Um . . . there’s a new toothbrush sitting by the sink for you. If you need anything and can’t find it, just let me know and I’ll tell you where it is.”

Madison stood and stepped past Kara, running her hand over the taller woman’s stomach as she did. Kara used the opportunity to turn off the hall light before switching on her bedside lamp then turning off the overhead light. Kara went around to her side of the bed and slid under the covers. She lay on her side and turned to watch the door to the bathroom.

Madison opened the door from the bathroom and was struck by the sight she saw waiting for her. Kara was backlit by the soft glow of her bedside lamp, her red hair looking like a warm blanket draped over her shoulders and framing her face. The curve of breasts made Madison’s mouth go dry as she felt the moisture begin to gather between her legs. She stepped over to the bed, smiling at Kara as she pulled back the covers on the other side.

Madison got in the bed and both women instinctually slid to the middle to hold each other close. They lay on their sides, exchanging soft touches.

“You never told me you wore glasses,” Madison’s soft voice broke the comfortable silence.

“Yeah. I always have, since second grade, I think. I usually wear contacts, though.”

“Well, I think you look quite sexy in your glasses. You should wear them more often.” She placed a soft kiss on the tip of Kara’s nose.

“I do in winter. It’s just when it’s sunny out, I’d rather be able to wear sunglasses.” Kara rolled over and set her glasses on her nightstand. She rolled back next to Madison and placed her hand on the curve of the older woman’s hip. “I love you, Madison.”

Madison softly touched her cheek, brushing Kara’s hair out of her face. She stared into the blue-gray eyes. “I love you, too, Kara. What we have together is so incredible. I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. I feel so safe and warm when I’m with you. And happier than I can ever remember feeling.”

“I know just what you mean, baby. You make me feel beautiful and cherished and wanted. No one’s ever made me feel that way before.”

“Not even Jessica?”

Kara shook her head emphatically. “No. I loved her and I know she loved me, but she never wanted the real me. She wanted a man and I know she wanted the male persona I put on to hide my true nature, but as soon as I started being true to who I am, she didn’t want me anymore. You want me for the woman I am, not for who I pretended to be.”

“You are beautiful, Kara. You’re so beautiful that sometimes it takes my breath away to look at you. And I do want you, so much it hurts.”

Tears began to roll down Kara’s cheeks. She had never felt such a wonderful feeling of peace and acceptance. Finally, she knew she was loved for who she was. Madison kissed the tears from Kara’s cheeks and pulled the crying woman next to her tightly. Their bodies were pressed into each other, and both women could easily feel the heat from the other through the thin cotton.

Madison knew that she needed to pull back or else they wouldn’t be getting any sleep that night. She wanted their first time to be special and memorable, not stopped by the alarm clock. “Kara, sweetie, we need to get some sleep. How do you normally sleep?”

“I usually sleep on my side, which side doesn’t ever matter. You?”

“My back. Why don’t you come over here and snuggle up to me. I’ll be your pillow tonight. Sound like a plan?”

“It sounds heavenly,” Kara whispered as she laid her head on the brunette’s shoulder and slid her left leg over Madison’s hips. The last thing she heard as she drifted off was Madison’s soft voice, saying, “Sweet dreams, baby.”

Chapter 8

When Kara’s alarm went off at six the next morning, she instinctively rolled over and slapped the snooze. She rolled back to the center of the bed, unconsciously seeking out her lover’s warmth. When she felt the heat of Madison’s body through the thin cotton of her t-shirt, she jerked into sudden awareness. She remained still, enjoying the sensation of being so close to the woman she loved, her hand slipping under the brunette’s t-shirt and rubbing soft circles on her tummy.

Madison stirred and stretched under Kara’s touch. Kara loved the sensation of the older woman’s abs rippling under her touch through the thin cushion of fat. Madison rested her hand on Kara’s shoulder, brushing the red hair back from her neck.

Madison bent her head down and placed a soft kiss on the top of Kara’s head. “Good morning, beautiful. How’d you sleep?”

Kara leaned up and kissed Madison’s lips, brushing the brown hair away from her face. “Best night’s sleep I’ve had in years.” She laid her head on Madison’s shoulder again, loving the way Madison’s fingers felt as they ran through her hair. “When I’m with you, I just feel so safe and protected that I feel all the tension and stress and . . . everything that’s built up over the last few years just float away. You make me feel free for the first time in my life. Thank you.”

“You know you do the same thing for me? When I hold you I feel so complete. I love you, Kara, with all my heart.”

“I love you, too.”

The women shared a heartfelt kiss and as they did, they both felt the last bits of tension and fear and loneliness seep from their bodies. Just as the passion was beginning to escalate, the alarm went off again. Kara rolled over and turned it off, then sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Madison.

“I guess I should get ready for work. Do you need to leave now or can I fix you breakfast first?”

“I’d love breakfast, but I can make it if you like.”

“No, you go ahead and lay back down. I’m gonna take a shower and then I’ll cook something for us. How do you like your eggs?”

“Scrambled,” Madison replied with a grin.

“What are you grinning at?”

“Check your top,” Madison answered, her eyes firmly fixed on Kara’s chest, where her tank top had shifted so the nipple of her right breast was clearly exposed. Kara blushed redder than Madison thought possible as she quickly pulled the uncooperative garment back to where it should be.

“You know, it really is adorable how much you blush.”

“Well, I don’t usually go around flashing my boobs to people. I think that warrants a bit of embarrassment,” Kara replied, her tone light.

“Well, I would hope that that is just a preview of things to come. Am I right?”

“You’re very, very right.” Kara crawled across the large bed to Madison and kissed her cheek. “Now, I’m gonna go hop in the shower, then I’ll cook for you.”

Madison watched as Kara disappeared behind the door before she got up to go down the hall to guest bathroom. She returned to Kara’s bed and could still hear the water running from the bathroom. She burrowed back under the covers and sighed happily. Here I am, on vacation, lying in my girlfriend’s bed. My girlfriend. So what happens next? Madison felt the light happiness she had been enjoying evaporate, replaced by worry about the future, how she would deal with being more physical with Kara.

Kara came out of the bathroom a few minutes after the shower stopped running, wearing her robe, with her hair up, though her bangs were damp. She smiled at Madison as she gathered up her clothes and disappeared back behind the bathroom door.
She came out a few minutes later looking put together, wearing a charcoal gray skirt suit and white silk button down blouse. Madison was sitting on the edge of the bed, having dressed in her clothes from the previous day, her t-shirt wrinkled from having slept in it the previous night. She stepped up to Kara and ran her hands over the suit, loving the way the soft cloth felt under her fingers.

“I believe that someone promised me breakfast.”

Kara lightly placed her hands on Madison’s hips and pulled their bodies together, placing a tender, loving kiss on her lips. “I did, indeed.”

After Kara had prepared a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast, the two women sat at the table and discussed their plans for the day. Madison had to get some research done, and Kara knew it was going to be a late night at work, so the two decided to skip seeing each other that night, planning instead on spending the weekend together.

As they left to go about their days, Madison stopped suddenly and started looking around in her purse. “Before I forget, I should give you back your key.”

Kara took the offered key, knowing that it was still too early in their relationship to give Madison carte blanche to enter her home. “Thanks. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“I’ll be here around six. Do you want me to bring anything?”

“Just yourself. Would you like to stay the night again?” Kara began to flush and she looked down. “I mean, if you don’t want to that’s fine . . . I just kind of . . . I don’t know . . . I guess I just hoped . . .”

Madison hugged the taller woman tightly. “Sweetheart, I thought we agreed that we would both ask for what we wanted and we would be honest with one another. I would love to stay the entire weekend. I’ll bring some things with me when I come over tomorrow, okay?” She squeezed Kara before planting a kiss on her cheek, then another on her lips. “I love you. I’ll call you tonight.” With that, Madison turned and let herself out of the gate before getting into her car and driving off.

Kara stood there for a moment after she had heard Madison drive off before turning and leaving to go downtown for another day of work. As she worked, the smell of the flowers that filled her office caused her to think of Madison often, which brought a smile to her lips that lasted until she went to sleep that night.

***

“You can’t be serious!” Jessica shouted into her phone. “You’re seriously going to call off the wedding because of this?”

“Yes I’m calling off the wedding. How can I marry a woman I don’t trust? You’ve been lying to me for two years, Jessica! I don’t know how many times I had dinner with you and Kara! I sat across from her, went to baseball games with her, and all this time, you two were keeping this huge fucking secret! I should have known that my fiancée’s best friend was her ex-husband!”

“I explained why I didn’t tell you. You’ve never been around people like her and I know your parents’ views on the subject. They’re quite vocal about their opinions. I just didn’t want you to treat her . . .”

“The fact that she used to be a man, I don’t give two shits about that. This isn’t about me having a problem with her being a lesbian or transsexual or whatever. She’s a cool woman and we get along. I genuinely like her. I’m not my parents and I’m not a homophobe. This is about you lying to me for the entire time we’ve been together. I need to think about things before I can make any decisions, but one thing I know for sure is that I’m not going to marry you in July. As far as what happens next between us, I just don’t know.”

“Bill, please don’t do this,” Jess pleaded, the tears running down her cheeks. “I love you.”

“And I love you, too, Jess. But I don’t trust you. Maybe someday I will again, but not now. Look, I’ve said my piece, now I’ve got to go. I’m gonna visit some friends out of town, I’ll probably crash with them. Remember Kevin and James, out in Portland?”

“Yeah,” Jess answered, audibly sobbing through the phone.

“I’m gonna visit them for a while. I’m planning on staying a week. I’ll call when I get there and I’ll text you their number. My plane’s about to board. I’ll talk to you later.”

Jessica held the phone to ear, listening to the silence coming from the other end. She set her phone down and curled up, pulling her knees to her chest, crying uncontrollably. After she had cried until she had no tears left, she knew she had to talk to someone about what had happened. She picked up the phone and called the one person who she knew would be in her corner, Kara.

“Hey, Jess. What’s up?”

“Kara,” Jess began crying again once she heard the friendly voice.

“Jess, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I really need to see you. Are you free?”

“I will be around nine. That’s not too late, is it?”

“No, I just . . . things are bad, Kar, I really need you.”

“Okay, Jess. I’ll try to get out of here earlier and I’ll come straight to your place. I’ll see you soon.”

Kara stared at her phone, puzzled by Jess’s call. In the years since their divorce, Jess had always been the strong one. While Kara was lonely and depressed a lot of the time during their first year apart, Jess moved on with her life. Less than a year after their divorce, Jess had met Bill and the two quickly hit it off.

Kara had hung out with the couple on several occasions over the last two years and had always been of the opinion that since she couldn’t be with Jess, Bill was a good choice. She had always got along with him and he made a genuine effort to be her friend. Kara was still jealous of him for being with her first love, but she admitted that he was a good person and a good match for Jess.

Kara didn’t manage to finish early and in fact wrapped up a little late, not leaving work until nine thirty. She drove to Jess’s apartment, making a quick pit stop at McDonald’s to get some fast dinner. She pulled into Jess’s parking lot just before ten and walked up the stairs quickly. She knocked on the door and gasped at the sight that greeted her. Jess’s eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot, with puffy bags underneath them. Her thick, wavy hair was looking frazzled and her nose was red.

“Jess, my god, what happened to you?” Kara rushed into the apartment, dropping her food on the counter as she guided Jess to sit next to her on the couch. “Are you okay? Do you want me to get Bill? Where is Bill?”

“Bill’s gone. He found our wedding album and figured out you’re my ex-husband. He called off the wedding.” She buried her face in the crook of Kara’s shoulder, her body wracked by sobs. Kara wrapped her arms around the blonde, rubbing her back trying to soothe the crying woman.

After several minutes of holding her distraught friend, Kara asked, “Jess, what do you mean? Didn’t you tell him about us?”

“No. His family is a lot like yours was. Both his parents would get along fine with your dad, as a matter of fact. I just didn’t want to take the risk that he’d say something negative about you or about me. You’re my best friend, Kara, and even though we’re not together, I still love you, you know. I can’t stand to have people talk bad about you.”

“I know, Jess. You know I feel the same about you. What did he say when he found out? When did he find out?”

“He found out Sunday while I was over at your place. When I got back he walked out. He’s been staying at a hotel this week and he’s taking vacation to go to Portland for the next week or so. He told me today that he’s calling off the wedding because he can’t trust me.” She began crying again, the tears streaming down her face. “What do I do, Kar? How do I fix this?”

“I don’t know Jess. I really don’t know what to tell you. You love him, right?”

“Of course I do! I want to marry him!”

“But you don’t know why you weren’t honest to him?”

“You weren’t all that forthcoming about our past, either.”

“One, he wasn’t my fiancée. Two, I had no idea he didn’t know. Three, I don’t like talking about my history as a man. Four, I especially don’t like talking about my history with you.”

“You’re right. I should have told him.”

“You really should have Jess. He may be overreacting and he may come back around, but you really should have told him about us.” Kara looked out the window contemplatively. “I wondered why he seemed so cool about me being your maid of honor.”

Letting out a wry laugh, Jess agreed. “Yeah, that would seem weird for him to be okay with my ex-husband being my maid of honor.”

Kara laughed as well. “Just a little bit weird. Ours is definitely a bizarre friendship.”

The two women were sitting close to each other on the couch. Kara had kicked off her shoes and tucked her legs beneath her, her body turned towards Jess. Jess was stretched out, her head resting against Kara’s shoulder, soaking up the comfort of Kara’s arms around her, her right hand making slow circles between her shoulder blades.

Jessica let her mind wander, reminiscing about their shared past and all the evenings and lazy weekends the two had spent snuggled together on their cheap green couch in their first apartment. She smiled at the memory, comparing it to the way she felt now, relaxed alongside Kara. Her clothes are definitely softer, she thought, feeling the cool smooth silk beneath her cheek and her hand resting on Kara’s waist. It felt natural and comfortable sitting with Kara like this. She snuggled deeper into Kara’s arms, the sense memory feeling a little overwhelming.

“So what are you gonna do next?” Kara asked, her voice filled with concern.

“I don’t know. I guess I’ll leave the next move to him. See what he wants to do. I love him, I really do. I just — I just want things to be right.”

“I know what you mean. I really do. But you have to know that there’s a lot of work that you’re going to have to do to rebuild trust. I mean, I really do understand his point. I couldn’t marry a woman who hid something like that from me either. It’s a huge thing that you lied about. And I honestly don’t understand why you lied to him about that. In eight years together you never lied to me and I’m fairly sure you haven’t lied to me in the last three either.”

“I haven’t. You’re my best friend. I guess — I guess I just didn’t want to lose you. You’ve been a huge part of my life for so long, since we were kids, really, and I just couldn’t bear to lose you.”

“I know, Jess,” Kara said, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. “But there comes a point where we’re both gonna have to step back from each other to grow closer to new partners. You were doing that with Bill. He should be your best friend now.” Kara started to elaborate on that when a chirping sound emanated from her purse. “Hang on just a second.”

She stood up and walked to the counter where she had left her purse and quickly retrieved her phone, her face lighting up in a smile when she saw that it was Madison calling her. “Hey sweetheart, how was your day?” Her bright cheerful voice felt like a dagger to Jessica, and the soft, beautiful smile that graced her lips was like salt poured into the wound.

“Uh-huh. I’m over at Jess’s, she had a bit of a crisis and needed a shoulder to lean on.” There was a pause as Kara listened to what Madison had to say. “Yeah, my ex. I’m probably gonna head home in twenty minutes or so. Can I call you back then? Okay, talk to you then. I love you, too.” Kara placed her phone back in her purse and walked back to the couch. She sat back down, keeping a respectful but friendly distance from Jessica, who had managed to compose her features enough to hide the feelings of sorrow, confusion, and jealousy that were coursing through her.

“So I take it that things worked out with Madison, huh?”

The smile that lit up Kara’s face at the mere mention of her girlfriend’s name caused another surge of jealousy to pass through Jessica. “Yeah, things worked out quite well. I’m in love with her. And she loves me. It’s incredible. I mean, I was a wreck, so worried about not getting a chance with her, but now, we’re already planning on spending the weekend together.”

“So, how does she feel about your plumbing issues?”

Kara looked away and appeared to be deep in thought. “I’m not entirely sure. I told her that she gets to take the lead in this issue, so we’ll see how she wants to deal with it.”

“So does that mean you two . . . haven’t . . . you know?”

“No, we haven’t.” Jessica felt some of the tension leave her body, but stifled the sigh of relief that tried to escape. “We just exchanged 'I love you’s' yesterday. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

“Well, I hope everything works out for you.” She looked at the clock and saw that it was eleven thirty. She yawned loudly. “Excuse me. It’s late and I’m kind of exhausted. I should probably call it a night.”

“Are you gonna be okay?” Jess nodded. “Well, if you need me for anything, anything at all, I’m just a phone call away.”

“I know. Thanks for coming over, Kar. I really appreciate it. You know I love you, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” Wrapping her arms around the woman who once held her heart in the palm of her hand, she whispered, “And I love you, too Jess. Sleep well.”

“Thanks. Drive safe.”

Once the door was closed and locked behind Kara, Jessica slowly walked back to her bedroom. Once she was in bed, her black and gray striped tabby cat, Cat, jumped up next to her, demanding to be petted. His comfort was the last thing she needed at this time, as he was a firm reminder of her life with Kara.

Cat had adopted the newlywed couple when they lived in their first apartment while they were in college. They were bringing in groceries when he walked into their apartment and began rubbing his head against Jessica’s shin. Jessica and Adam added the small, scrawny stray to their family and he was with them until their divorce. When the couple split up, Seymour went with Kara while Cat stayed with Jess, whom he had always preferred.

Jess sighed as she thought about all that had happened that day. Her fiancée calls off their wedding, she finds comfort in the arms of the woman who used to be her husband, she discovers that she’s jealous of Madison. That last thought was particularly upsetting to the blonde. What is wrong with me? I ended it three years ago because I can’t love a woman. Now I’m jealous of her new girlfriend? What the hell is going on? She let these thoughts run around in her head for a while before finally deciding that she needed to stop thinking about it and go to sleep.

Chapter 9

Friday evening, Kara rushed home from work, eager to spend time with the woman she loved. When she pulled into her garage, she was thrilled to see Madison’s car pulling in behind her. She went over and opened the gate, stepping towards the older woman. Madison stepped out of her car and pulled out a small duffle bag from the back seat. Kara took the bag away from her and wrapped her free arm around the brunette’s waist.

“I’ve missed you,” she whispered as she pulled their bodies together and pressed her lips against Madison’s in a passionate kiss. Madison’s arms went around Kara’s neck, her fingers lacing through the long red hair. Kara dropped the bag she was holding and wrapped her arm around Madison’s waist. Their bodies were tight against each other. Kara’s heels gave her a significant height advantage, and Madison’s head was almost level with Kara’s breasts. As Kara’s hands slipped lower, taking hold of Madison’s ass, Madison slid her hands down over Kara’s shoulders toward her chest.

Madison moaned into Kara’s mouth as her hands slid over the silky fabric of Kara’s blouse and cupped the taller woman’s full breasts. Kara moaned and pressed her chest firmly against Madison’s hands, loving the way she squeezed them as she lifted them, feeling their weight in her hands. Kara’s head rolled back in pleasure as she reveled in the sensation of the brunette’s hands lightly tightening and loosening their grip on the soft orbs.

Madison pressed her lips against the soft smooth skin of Kara’s throat, feeling the redhead’s pulse racing under her lips. The way Kara’s throat vibrated when she moaned was intoxicating to Madison. She loved that she had the power to make the taller woman feel such pleasure.

“God, Madison, that feels so good. I love you so much, baby.” She pulled her hands off of Madison’s ass and slid them up the older woman’s back before tangling in the dark hair. She pressed Madison’s lips firmly against her neck.

Madison removed her hands from Kara’s breasts, sliding them down to rest on her firm tummy. Placing a possessive kiss on Kara’s lips, she pushed her back. She looked at Kara with eyes dark with desire. “Take me to bed, baby. I love you, and I want you. I want to touch you. Take me to bed.”

A look of desire mixed with a healthy dose of panic came over Kara’s face. “Are you sure sweetheart?” she asked, brushing Madison’s hair back into place.

“I’m very sure. Don’t you want to?”

“I want to. I really do. I’m just scared. So very, very scared.” Madison could see Kara’s body shaking with a mixture of arousal and complete terror.

“Shhh, baby, it’ll be alright. It’s just me. You know me. You know I love you. Let’s go inside, okay.”

Kara took a deep, shaky breath and nodded her head. Madison picked up her bag and took Kara’s hand, leading her to the door. Once they were inside, Seymour ran to them to sniff at them. Madison looked at Kara, standing in the middle of her kitchen. She looked completely lost and uncertain of where she should go next.

“Come on, baby, let’s go upstairs so I can put my bag in your room. If you want to slow down, then we can. If not, that’s fine, too. I want you to be comfortable. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want.”

Kara grinned at that, some of the tension leaving her. “I thought that was my line.”

“It is. And I want you. But I think you need to talk about some stuff before we go any further. Am I right?”

“Yeah, you’re right. Is it alright if we just set your bag down here and then sit on the couch to talk?”

“Of course, baby. Come on.” She took Kara by the hand and led her to the living room, pulling her down beside her on the couch. She wrapped her arms around the taller woman and began to rhythmically stroke her hair. “Now tell me what has you so worried?”

“I — I just — I’m so scared that you’ll see me and then want nothing more to do with me. It would hurt me so much to come so close to being with you and then to have you leave me.”

“Has that happened to you before? You lost someone when they saw you without your clothes?”

Kara was silent for a while, soaking up the comfort that Madison was offering her. “Yeah. She was a woman I briefly dated after Jess and I split up. We went out a few times and one night after hanging out here and drinking a few too many beers, she started giving me some signals that she wanted to go further. I acted on those signals and she freaked out on me. She left while I was asleep and I never heard from her again.”

“Well, it’s sounds to me like she was a fool. I love you, and I swear to you that no matter what happens, I’ll be here in the morning.” She cupped Kara’s chin and turned her head so that they were looking into each others’ eyes. “I swear it.” With that Madison leaned in and kissed Kara. This kiss was different from the ones they had shared earlier. Instead of conveying passion and desire, Madison poured into this kiss every bit of love and caring that she possessed. “I love you Kara. I don’t know how I know that so soon, but I do. I know it with an unshakeable confidence.”

“I love you, too, Madison. I love you so much it terrifies me. The last time I loved someone this much, I had my heart ripped out.”

“I don’t know what the future will bring baby,” Madison said, trying to soothe the troubled woman in her arms. “But I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I love you and that I want to be with you. As far as knowing how I’ll react to what you have in your panties, I guess we’ll find that out together. I’ve never seen one in the flesh, so I have no frame of reference here. I’m flying totally blind. But know this, no matter what happens, I will never intentionally hurt you.”

Madison held Kara’s face in her hands and looked deeply into her eyes. “I love you. And what happens between us will come from a place of love. That’s all that matters. The love we share.” She kissed Kara again, softly. “So. I think we may have temporarily lost the mood we had set out by the car. What say you and I have some dinner and relax and then figure out where to go from there.”

“Sounds like a plan. How about some spaghetti?”

“Sounds heavenly. Need any help?”

Kara stood, bending down to place a kiss on Madison’s forehead. “How about I start the water boiling and go change. Why don’t you find us something to watch. I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Okay, baby. Any requests?”

“Not really, just put on whatever you like.”

Kara went into the kitchen and filled a pot with water. Setting it on the stove, she added several heavy pinches of salt and turned the heat on. She went upstairs and looked through her closet for something to wear. She finally settled on a pair of cutoffs and a t-shirt. She quickly went down the stairs and into the living room. Giggling, she jumped onto the couch next to Madison, throwing her arms around her and pulling the brunette tight for a big kiss.

“I feel so happy. You make me so happy,” Kara said, her face split by an almost painful looking smile.

“And you do the same for me. Is this alright,” Madison asked, gesturing toward the TV where she had played a sitcom off of Kara’s DVR.

“Yeah, that’s great. I’m gonna start the sauce. Want something to drink?”

“Yeah, whatever you’re having.”

Kara leaned over and placed another kiss on Madison’s pink lips. “Okay, be right back.”

After starting the sauce, a simple concoction of crushed tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, a shot of vodka and some herbs and spices, she grabbed a couple of diet cokes and came back to the living room.

“Mmmmm, that smells delicious, sweetie,” Madison said, wrapping her arms around Kara’s waist.

“Thanks. It’s one of my simple go to recipes. I sometimes think I could live off of spaghetti alone.” Kara laughed, the sound settling over Madison like a warm blanket.

“I don’t believe you. Just based on the assortment of beers you have, I think you’re a fan of variety.”

“I am in some things. In others, all I want is one thing for the rest of my life.” She looked down, blushing, “That’s how I feel about you.”

Madison felt her heart clench in her throat, almost breaking at the sweet innocence in the younger woman’s expression. She held her face and kissed her, passionately and lovingly. Pulling back and looking into Kara’s eyes, she said, “I feel the same way.”

The two cuddled on the couch watching TV and exchanging soft touches and occasional kisses. Kara got up every few minutes to check on the progress of the food until she declared the food ready. She set the table with a block of parmesan and a rasp, as well as a loaf of bread she had covered with garlic butter and toasted under the broiler. The two women ate, talking about their days and about what they wanted to do over the weekend.

Once they were finished and the kitchen was cleaned, they went back to the couch. “So,” Madison began with a playful smirk, running the tips of her fingers over Kara’s arms, “What should we do now?”

Without waiting for an answer, her eyes dark with desire, Madison pushed Kara onto her back and laid on top of her, her lips pressing hard against Kara’s, conveying every bit of passion that the older woman felt. Kara responded to Madison’s aggression by lying back and letting her passion roll over her like a wave. Kara kissed every inch of Madison’s skin that she could reach, her hands sliding up under the brunette’s top, lightly gliding over the silky soft skin she found there.

Madison’s lips were never still, moving all over Kara’s face, first kissing her cheek then her lips, her eyes, nibbling on her sensitive ears, making the taller woman squirm with desire and need. Madison slid her hands beneath the hem of the redhead’s t-shirt, pushing it up as she continued to kiss, lick, and nibble every square inch of already exposed skin. She leaned back, Kara’s arms around her neck pulling her up off the couch. Madison grabbed the bottom of Kara’s shirt and peeled it off of her, the hazel eyes memorizing every bit of exposed flesh she saw. Once the shirt was tossed aside, Kara fell back onto the couch, her breasts heaving under the confines of her black lace bra, the dark fabric making her pale skin look even paler.

Kara lay there, unmoving except for the gasps of air causing her breasts to move up and down in a manner that Madison found intoxicating. “You are so beautiful,” the brunette whispered, unable to tear her eyes from the body lying beneath her. “I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment, for you.” She tore her eyes from the cream colored flesh and looked into the blue-gray eyes of her lover. “I love you, Kara, with all my heart. I want to make love to you. I need to hear you say you want that, too.”

Kara’s mouth went completely dry and she swallowed a few times to try to get the moisture back into it. She nodded, her eyes staring deep into those of her love. “I want that, too. Please make love to me, Madison,” she whispered, her face and chest flushing, not with embarrassment this time, but with arousal. “Make love to me,” she said again, louder and with more conviction. “I need you Madison, so much.”

Madison grabbed the hem of her own top and peeled it off quickly, still sitting up, straddling the taller woman. Kara’s eyes followed the line of exposed skin, absorbing every detail. Madison was wearing a white satin bra and as soon as her top was resting on the floor next to Kara’s, she reached behind her back and unclasped it, letting it fall from her shoulders. Kara’s eyes opened wide as Madison’s breasts came in to view. She was captivated by the lightly tanned flesh and the dark, pebbled areola surrounding Madison’s hard nipples. Her areola were small, about the size of nickel, and looked to Kara like the most appetizing thing in the world. Her mouth was watering as she pulled Madison down towards her, kissing all over the older woman’s breasts, leaving teasing nips and bites on the soft, yielding flesh, but being careful not to touch her nipples just yet.

“Please, baby,” Madison moaned above her, “please suck them.” Kara ignored her plea, continuing to tease her lover’s sensitive breasts. “I’m begging you Kar, please suck them. I need you to, baby.”

With that, Kara’s resolve was broken and she pulled the turgid flesh into her mouth, lightly holding it between her teeth as she ran her tongue all over the sensitive nub. Madison’s head rolled back in pleasure as she lost herself in the sensations. Her hands went to the back of Kara’s head to hold the younger woman pressed firmly against her. Kara’s right hand was affixed to Madison’s left breast, rhythmically squeezing the soft orb while sliding her thumb in circles over the sensitive peak.

Madison began to move her hips against the woman beneath her, surprised by the sensation of the firm bulge rubbing against her. In contrast to their make out earlier in the week, this time Madison simply continued to move against her lover. Every sense she had but one was telling her that the woman beneath her was decidedly female, the soft, smooth skin, the soft voice, the way her skin tasted and smelled was feminine and clean, everything about her screamed woman. One thing wasn’t going to change her mind about the whole.

Having made a decision, she reached behind the taller woman’s back and unclasped her bra, needing to feel the large breasts pressed against her own. She had to pull Kara off of her own breast, the redhead’s mouth making a popping sound as the nipple pulled free. Madison pressed her lips against Kara’s as she pulled the bra off the compliant woman’s shoulders. She lay down against Kara, loving the way Kara’s breasts felt pressed against hers by her weight. She slid her hands in between their bodies to grasp at the large orbs, filling her hands with them. She pulled back to look at Kara’s breasts, enchanted by the creamy skin, pale almost to the point of translucence. Her areolas were puffy and the size of a quarter, the color being just a shade pinker than the surrounding skin, almost blending to the point of invisibility. The nipples were small and firm, sticking straight out.

Madison lifted her gaze to Kara’s eyes. The blue-gray circles were glazed and dark with desire. Kara almost looked drunk with passion. Madison slid off Kara’s waist and stood, holding her hand out. Kara took it and stood, their chests pressed together. “Kara, I think we should go to bed.”

Kara pressed her lips together to moisten them and nodded her agreement. Madison took this as a sign that she was to run the show and led Kara upstairs to her bedroom. Once they were standing in front of Kara’s bed, Madison gently pushed Kara to sit on the bed, climbing up next to her. She wrapped Kara in her arms and began kissing her to bring the heat back up from the break they took climbing the stairs. Madison began to stroke Kara’s thigh, moving her hand higher up the soft smooth skin. She slid her hand under the hem of Kara’s cutoffs, feeling the edge of the soft lace panties that she assumed matched the bra laying on the living room floor.

Kara stiffened in Madison’s arms, sensing Madison’s destination. “Shh, it’s okay baby. I love you — all of you.” Madison pulled her hand out of Kara’s shorts and moved to undo the fly. Kara’s body was still stiff with fear, but Madison continued to remove the cutoffs, looking into Kara’s eyes as she did, her expression filled with love and caring. “Kara, sweetie, can you lift your hips for me?” She asked as she was trying to tug the shorts off the taller woman’s body. Kara was shaking with nervousness as she leaned back, her hands covering her breasts and her eyes closed as Madison grasped the waistband of the denim shorts and pulled them down the long legs.

The black lace did nothing to conceal the only unwomanly thing about Kara. The panties hugged her like a second skin, clearly outlining her flesh for Madison to see. Madison stood up and removed her own jeans and panties in one move. She looked back at Kara who was still lying there, barely breathing, her eyes screwed shut. She knew that she was at a crossroads and how she reacted tonight would affect their entire future together. Madison took a deep breath and made her decision. She took the black lace in her hands and tugged the material off Kara’s body. They were both completely nude now, and Madison got back on the bed and lay down next to Kara. She could see the tears rolling down the redhead’s cheeks and knew that her silence was only making things worse for the woman.

“So beautiful,” she whispered, reaching up to brush the tears from her lover’s cheek. “You are such an incredibly beautiful woman it takes my breath away. Open your eyes, baby. It’s okay, I love you and I’m not going anywhere.”

The blue-gray eyes slowly fluttered open and focused on the brunette. They reflected all the fear that Kara was feeling, making her look so tender and vulnerable, stirring Madison’s fierce need to protect the larger woman from anyone who would ever try to hurt her. Madison leaned in and kissed her cheeks, kissing away the tears before pulling back and looking at the taller woman’s body in its entirety.

Kara’s skin was heavily freckled on the parts that would normally be exposed to the sun, but her breasts, stomach, and upper thighs were a milky white. She let her gaze drift between Kara’s legs, captivated by the sight. Kara’s penis was as pale as the rest of her skin, with the skin of her scrotum appearing darker, with an even darker stripe down the middle. Kara was completely hairless except for a small patch of strawberry blonde hair above the shaft of her penis. Madison reached out tentatively and touched the soft, smooth skin. Kara sighed deeply at the first touch besides her own she had felt in years. Encouraged by this, Madison ran her fingers over the silky skin, feeling Kara’s heat. Madison was fascinated by the flesh under her fingers and wrapped her hands around it, feeling Kara twitch as she did so.

Kara’s flesh began to swell and harden in Madison’s grasp and Madison began to stroke her lover, feeling Kara become rock hard as she did. “Madison, kiss me, please” Kara whispered, looking at Madison with her eyes half-lidded. Madison couldn’t resist her lover’s plea and pressed her lips to Kara’s, her tongue easily gaining entrance to Kara’s mouth. Madison continued to run her hand slowly up and down the smooth skin of Kara’s shaft as her other hand slip up the skin of Kara’s tummy to cup her breast, squeezing the firm nub between her thumb and forefinger.

Kara’s breaths were coming in ragged gasps, the sensations overwhelming her. It had been almost three years since she had been touched by another woman and here she was being held and touched and kissed by the woman who owned her heart. Madison’s hand began to move faster as Kara’s hips began to thrust upwards, her lips desperate in their hunger for the older woman’s kisses. Madison moved her kisses to cover all of Kara’s face, her throat, to suck on her ears. Kara felt completely weak and helpless, unable to move under the onslaught of sensations coursing through her body.

Her breaths were coming faster and faster now, her body taking on a mind of its own. She moaned and panted. “Oh, god, Madison, please, don’t stop. Madison . . . I . . . I’m . . . god Madison, I’m coming!” Her body went rigid as she threw her head back. Her limbs went rigid and her hands, which had been running through Madison’s hair, tightened around handfuls of the dark silky tresses, pushing Madison’s head firmly against her breasts. She stayed still as the waves of pleasure rolled over her body, emanating from her core. Madison continued to stroke her flesh as the redhead came back down to earth. “Stop, stop, stop,” she whispered quickly, untangling her hand from Madison’s hair, she grabbed the brunette’s wrist, stilling her hand.

“Hmm, that was fun,” Madison said, planting kisses on Kara’s throat. She looked down at Kara’s softening member, surprised to see no evidence of ejaculate. “Hey,” she said to the woman snuggled against her side, burrowing her head into the crook of her shoulder, a satisfied, contented smile on her pink lips, “I thought there was supposed to be semen or something when you came?”

“Hmm? Oh, that,” Kara answered, planting a soft kiss against Madison’s neck. “Sometimes I don’t. I hardly ever do, no matter what, but even when I do it’s not very much. That’s why I say I’m sterile. I’ve never had my sperm level tested, just didn’t see the point since half the time I don’t even ejaculate at all.” Kara placed another kiss on her lover’s throat and began to trace circles with her fingertips on Madison’s firm tummy.

“That didn’t bother you, or anything, did it?” Kara asked, a slight hint of fear clouding her expression.

“Not at all, sweetheart. Everything about you screams woman, but that one thing, and that one thing isn’t as much a turn off as I feared.”

“So you’re still turned on, then?” Kara asked with a smirk, sliding her hand to trace the sensitive skin on the insides of Madison’s thighs.

“God,” Madison groaned, “I am so turned by you that I might spontaneously combust if you don’t do something about it soon.”

Kara slid her fingers higher, running her short, blunt nails lightly over the flushed and swollen skin. Madison was moaning beside her, her breaths coming in pants. As she teased the older woman with her fingers, her touch feather light, Madison began thrusting her hips upward to meet the questing fingers. Kara moved her touch into the slick folds, marveling at the feel of her lover’s flesh beneath her fingers.

As Kara coated her fingers in her lover’s juices, she moved them slowly up and down the length of Madison’s slit, taking her time and trying to make the sensations build up in Madison. Her lips sought out Madison’s skin wherever she could get to it. Kara’s fingers were itching to be inside her lover and she slowly slid one finger into Madison, smiling as she heard Madison sigh in pleasure. As she slid the finger in and out, making sure it was thoroughly lubricated, she moved her thumb to brush across Madison’s sensitive clit. Madison jerked as though she had been hit with a jolt of electricity. Kara kept her touch light, only placing the slightest pressure on Madison’s clit.

Madison was writhing around on the bed now, unable to stand Kara’s teasing touch for another second. Her hand flew down and grabbed Kara’s wrist, making her hand stop moving while she began grinding her hips against Kara’s fingers trying to increase the pressure against her clit. “More,” Madison gasped, and Kara complied, slipping another finger into her lover’s dripping pussy. Madison moaned with pleasure, the increased sensation bringing her closer to the edge. “Rub my clit harder, baby. Just a little harder, oh god, Kara, that’s it.” She threw her head back and cried out as the waves of pleasure rolled over her.

Kara immediately stilled her fingers, not moving them as Madison lay there panting, shivers of pleasure making her body convulse, her skin flushed and hot. Kara left her hand where it was, enjoying the feeling of her lover’s slick flesh spasming around her fingers. The two women lay there, neither moving for a long while. Once Madison regained control of her muscles, she slowly and gently pulled Kara’s hand from her center.

“God, baby, that was incredible.” Madison was totally enervated by what they had just shared and held out her arm, Kara snuggling against her side, her head pillowed on Madison’s shoulder. Madison placed a soft kiss on top of the younger woman’s head. Madison ran her fingers through Kara’s hair, both women relaxing in the afterglow.

Madison continued stroking Kara’s hair as she regrouped, loving the way the taller woman felt curled up against her, with her left arm and leg thrown across her body. Kara’s hand was holding Madison’s right breast, the hard nipple pressing against her palm. They laid there, unmoving, for a long while, Kara’s breaths coming slowly and evenly. Madison thought her lover had fallen asleep when she was surprised by the soft, low voice speaking softly.

“Before we go any farther, we need to discuss safer sex, don’t we.”

“Yeah, we should,” Madison answered, surprised by the direction Kara was leading them, though she knew it was something they needed to talk about before they did anything more than they had already shared. “After I found out Michelle was cheating on me, I got tested and retested six months later. Both sets of tests came back clean and I haven’t been with anyone in the meantime.”

“I’m clean, too. I had to get tested for the sperm bank. I hadn’t been with anyone for a several months before I got tested and I haven’t been with anybody since, so that takes care of that.” Kara felt Madison’s laugh more than she heard it, the vibrations rippling over her where she was pressed against the brunette.

“That does take care of that, doesn’t it,” Madison said. “What about birth control? Do we need to do anything if we decide to . . . you know?”

“I honestly don’t know. Like I said, I assume I’m sterile, but I don’t have any test results to back it up. What say we just don’t go there without some kind of protection?”

“Sounds like a plan to me. Do you have any?”

“Condoms?”

“Yeah.”

“I think I might, but if I do, I bought them more than 3 years ago and they might be expired. Like I said, I feel more natural using my hands and mouth, but if you want to try intercourse, I’m game. We should probably get new condoms first, though, just to be on the safe side.”

“You know, this is kind of surreal. I knew since puberty that I was a lesbian and now here I am with the woman of my dreams and we’re having a conversation about birth control. I always thought that unwanted pregnancy was never going to be a concern for me. I can remember being a teenager and finding out everything I could about lesbians and I knew I’d face discrimination and ostracism and a whole lot of other problems, but I knew I’d never have to worry about birth control.”

“Does that bother you?”

“Hmm. Not really, just something I never thought I’d have to deal with. I never had that fear of pregnancy every time I had sex in the past. Just wasn’t an issue, you know?”

“Yeah, I do,” Kara said, relaxing further against her lover. “I remember when I first started having sex, I was a teenager in high school and I lived in complete fear every month until Jess got her period. Didn’t keep us from having sex, though.”

They laid there, idly running their hands over silken skin, just trying to feel closer to one another. Madison moved her caresses from the pale skin of the redhead’s back over her freckled arms and around to cup her full breast. Kara moaned and rolled over, exposing more of her sensitive skin to Madison’s exploration.

Madison made full use of the opportunity she was presented with, dropping her head to kiss her lover’s pale breast, moving all over the lush orb before finally taking the flushed and hardened nipple between her teeth, giving it a gentle tug. Kara moaned and sank deeper into the mattress, loving the way the older woman played with her breasts. As Madison continued to nip and lick and kiss the soft, flushed skin, Kara rolled them over so that she was on top of Madison, her left leg between Madison’s.

Kara slid her hands down the sensitive, sweat slicked skin, cupping the small, firm breasts as she went. Madison moaned around the nipple in her mouth and began rocking her hips against Kara’s thigh. Kara could smell the scent of her lover’s arousal as she continued to move her right hand closer to its goal, her mind clouded with the wonderful sensations produced by Madison’s mouth on her breasts. As she slid her fingers through the damp curls, feeling the heat emanating from Madison’s core, she felt her mouth begin to water, knowing that she needed to taste her lover.

Kara pulled her chest away from Madison and began planting gentle, but passionate kisses on the older woman’s face and neck. She took Madison’s ear between her teeth and softly nibbled on it for a few seconds, feeling Madison shiver beneath her, before whispering, “I want to taste you.”

The brunette moaned and whispered, “God, yes. Please, Kara, I need your mouth on me.”

Kara began to slowly kiss her way down Madison’s body, kissing every inch of flesh she could as she moved inexorably toward her destination. The sweet, musky aroma coming from between the older woman’s legs grew stronger and stronger the closer she came to Madison’s center. She placed kisses all around the smooth skin before her, making Madison whimper with need as she carefully avoided moving toward the spot where Madison wanted her most. The skin was sticky with the residue from the couple’s first round of love-making and Kara was kissing and licking the soft skin to lap up all the wonderful flavors she found there.

With a groan signaling her immense need, Madison grabbed a handful of the red hair and gently shifted Kara’s attentions to the aching flesh. Kara’s tongue darted out, touching the soft, slick folds for the first time, as she sighed in pleasure, knowing that there was no where she would rather be. She began to slowly move her tongue through the hot flesh, not wanting to move too fast and bring Madison to her climax too soon. She moved her tongue up and down, drawing closer to the sensitive bundle of nerves that was her ultimate destination with each pass.

As soon as she reached her goal, Madison thrust up, trying to increase the pressure against her clit. Kara began to move her tongue in circles over the nub of flesh, alternating that with long strokes with the flat of her tongue. Madison was panting and gasping for breath, her head thrown back and her fingers tangled in her lover’s long hair.

“Inside,” she gasped, “I need you inside me.”

Kara quickly moved her hand to her lover’s opening and slowly rubbed against the wet flesh, not penetrating Madison yet, making sure her finger was completely coated with the brunette’s essence first. She slowly slipped her finger inside Madison and began to slowly move it in and out of her, curling her finger to rub against her.

“More,” Madison moaned, her eyes screwed shut with pleasure, one hand now squeezing her breast. Kara looked up to see her lover and was overcome by the beauty of the brunette’s head, thrown back in ecstasy. Kara did as she asked and slipped in another finger, rubbing and licking faster, not stopping until the brunette screamed out with her climax. Kara lightened her caresses, but kept going, feeling her lover approach the brink of pleasure again, she pushed her over the edge once more, and then again until Madison finally shot out a hand and pushed Kara’s face away.

Kara grinned up at the older woman, her face shimmering from Madison’s juices. She slowly withdrew her fingers and moved up to lay beside the professor, kissing her deeply, Madison moaning at the taste of herself on the redhead’s lips. “I love you,” Kara whispered, smiling as she laid her head back on Madison’s shoulder. Madison wrapped an arm around the younger woman and pulled her close. Kissing the top of the red hair, she whispered back, “I love you, too.”

Madison sighed contentedly. “God, Kar, that was simply amazing. I can’t remember the last time I came like that.”

Hearing the words of praise, Kara blushed and snuggled deeper into her lover’s warm embrace. “Well, I do aim to please.”

The two lay in silence, simply content to feel each other close and listen to each other breath, Madison running her fingers through Kara’s hair rhythmically. Noticing that Kara’s breaths had slowed and evened out, she assumed the taller woman had fallen asleep. Deciding that sounded like an amazing idea, Madison leaned over to the bedside table to turn off the lamp, taking care not to disturb the woman using her shoulder as a pillow. Pulling the covers over them, Madison ducked her head to place one last kiss on the soft, silky hair of her lover.

Closing her eyes, Madison whispered, “I love you, Kara, with all my heart. Sleep well sweetheart.” Kara didn’t say anything or awaken, but she sighed softly and wrapped herself tighter around the brunette who had stolen her heart.

Chapter 10

Madison woke to a gray morning with the sound of rain outside the window. As she came into consciousness, she remembered the night before, and all that had transpired between her and Kara. She smiled at the memory of her lover’s talented tongue and fingers. She looked down, seeing Kara still nestled tightly against her side and couldn’t resist placing a kiss on the top of the still sleeping head. Kara’s thigh was across her hips, the weight pressing down on her bladder, making what would otherwise merely be an uncomfortable situation almost unbearable.

Madison slowly slipped out of bed and went to the bathroom. Coming back into the bedroom, she saw that Kara was still sleeping and had now curled herself around the king size pillow that Madison’s head had rested on the previous night. Deciding that breakfast was in order, Madison picked Kara’s robe up off the back of the chair in the corner and slipped it on, tying it as she walked downstairs.

Looking through the contents of Kara’s fridge and pantry, she decided that bacon and pancakes sounded like a good breakfast. Once the food was ready, the smell of fried bacon filling the house, Madison looked around for a tray to carry the food up to the still sleeping woman. Not seeing what she was after, she improvised by grabbing a half sheet pan and carefully balanced the plates and glasses of milk and the small jug of syrup on the ersatz tray.

After one last look around to make sure she had everything, she noticed that Seymour needed food and water, so she filled the dog’s dishes, giving him a quick scratch behind the ears before taking up the tray and carrying it into Kara’s bedroom. She sat the tray on the nightstand and gently brushed the fine red hair out of the sleeping woman’s face.

“Come on, sweetie, wake up. I’ve got breakfast,” Madison said softly, rubbing Kara’s arm to try to rouse her.

“The Cylons have to kill the radscorpion first.” Kara softly muttered, her eyes still closed tight, her arms squeezing the pillow tighter to her chest.

Madison stepped back in surprise, a bemused smile on her lips. “The what have to kill the what?”

“Cylons have to kill the radscorpions. The whole plan is stupid.”

Madison laughed and reached out, shaking Kara’s arm now. “Sweetie, wake up. I’ve made breakfast for us. So unless you want me to eat your bacon, you need to wake up.”

Kara’s eyes finally blinked open and she looked around for a moment, seemingly confused. Finally her eyes settled upon Madison’s and the blue-gray eyes lit up, finally remembering what had happened. She smiled at the older woman before leaning over and placing a soft kiss on Madison’s cheek.

Lifting herself up to a sitting position, she said, “Something smells really good. What did you make me?”

“Pancakes and bacon. Still sound good?”

“Sounds like my favorite. Did you manage to find everything okay?”

“Yup, no problems.” Madison climbed on the bed beside Kara and the two women went about fixing up their pancakes, both going with the classic butter and maple syrup approach. “So, what would you like to do today?”

“You mean besides you?” Kara asked with a smirk.

“That’s exactly what I meant. But seriously, is there anything you need to do today? Want to go anywhere? Anything?”

“I am perfectly content to lie here in this bed all day next to you and simply listen to the rain. Or we could go downstairs and watch TV and cuddle. Mainly, I just want to stay as close to you as possible today. I don’t want to let you out of my sight.”

Madison set her plate down and leaned over, wrapping the taller woman in her arms and placing a soft kiss on her cheek. “I don’t much want to let you out of my sight, either.” She smiled at the now blushing redhead, finding the blush to be simply adorable. “I love you, you know,” she said before letting go of Kara and returning to her pancakes.

“I love you, too.”

After they were done eating, Kara gathered up the dishes and ran them back down to the kitchen, a smile on her face when she saw that Madison had already taken care of Seymour. She dropped the dishes in the sink and ran back to her bedroom, taking the stairs two at a time. She quickly climbed back under the covers and molded her body against Madison, sighing deeply as she inhaled the older woman’s scent. There was no place in the world she would rather be than where she was right now.

Madison kissed the top of Kara’s head and pulled her tighter to her body. “This feels so right. Your body pressed next to mine like this. I love you Kara.”

Kara sighed with pleasure as she closed her eyes, relishing the feel of her lover’s skin pressed against hers. Madison shivered as Kara’s breath blew across her nipple, causing the dark flesh to peak and harden. She ran her hand through the silky red strands, loving the way the fine hair slipped between her fingers. She began to trace abstract patterns on Kara’s pale freckled shoulders as she felt her libido begin to rise. The brunette’s breathing became quicker as she felt the skin on her stomach become covered with goosebumps, the downy fuzz standing on end as a reaction to the touch of her lover, Kara’s fingertips gliding over the lightly bronzed skin.

Madison moaned when she felt the younger woman place a soft kiss on her breast. Madison arched her back, trying to increase the contact between Kara’s lips and her breast. Kara kept her kisses light, teasingly touching the skin on the older woman’s breast, carefully avoiding the hard, pebbled nipple. Madison’s moans increased in volume as her skin became heated from the passion she felt for the woman beside her. Finally, she couldn’t take the teasing anymore and placed her hand on the back of Kara’s head, her fingers sliding through her lover’s hair and moved the unresisting head right where she needed it. She sighed loudly as Kara began sucking on the hard nipple, her tongue rolling over the hard nub, occasionally nipping at the flesh. She slid her hand across Madison’s chest to take the other breast in her hand, her long fingers gently squeezing the soft, supple skin, feeling her lover writhe beneath her touch.

“Kiss me, baby,” Madison whispered, hearing a slight popping sound as Kara pulled her mouth away from her sensitive breast.

Kara pressed her lips against Madison’s and suddenly found herself on her back, the older woman having rolled them over, her body straddling Kara’s waist. Madison ran her hands over Kara’s shoulders and down her long, freckled arms, entwining their fingers and placing their hands on either side of Kara’s head.

As Madison placed gentle kisses and teasing bites along Kara’s throat, feeling the tall body writhe beneath her, she asked, “Those condoms you mentioned last night? Where are they?”

Half-lost in a sensual haze from Madison’s attentions, it took Kara a moment to realize she needed to answer. “In the nightstand, top drawer. I don’t know if they’re still good, though.”

“Well, let’s just look and see if there’s an expiration date then.” She leaned over, still astride Kara’s waist and opened the night-stand drawer and immediately saw what she was looking for, a blue painted foil square. She grabbed it and sat up, carefully studying it to find the expiration date. “Bingo. Looks like the expiration date is December this year. I don’t want to push you to do something that you’re not comfortable with, but I’m curious to see what this is like. I’ve been on both the giving and receiving ends of strap-ons and I really like it, so I’m more than willing to give this a try. What are your thoughts?”

“Well, I’ve always made the comparison to beer.”

“Really? Beer?”

“Yeah. It’s like this: I’m a beer snob, I only order good quality beers when I’m out. If there isn’t anything good on tap, I’ll get a Diet Coke. But let’s say I’m at a party where they’ve got a keg of something atrocious, like a Bud Light or something. That’s the only booze they have there. Everybody’s drinking and having a good time and I want to join in the festivities. So I go over to the keg and get myself a plastic cup full of crappy beer. It gives me a buzz and after a couple, they don’t taste so bad. It’s not my first choice, or even my twentieth, but it still facilitates a good time. That’s how I view intercourse. It’s not what I want in an ideal world, but until I have the surgery, it still feels good. When done right it feels very good.” She wrapped her arms around Madison’s neck and pulled her down to plant a kiss on her lips. “So, are we about to have a party?”

Madison grabbed a nearby pillow and hit Kara in the face with it. “That was a terrible joke,” she said, planting a kiss on Kara’s pouting lips, “but we are definitely gonna party.” The time for talking was over as she redoubled her attentions and began to hungrily attack Kara’s neck and breasts, teasing the soft flesh and avoiding her hard nipples for the time being. She slid a hand south over Kara’s pale stomach and began to slowly rub the redhead’s inner thighs, savoring the feel of the incredibly soft smooth skin, careful not to touch Kara’s rapidly swelling member.

“You are so beautiful,” Madison whispered as she planted soft kisses on Kara’s jaw and ran her left hand over Kara’s breasts, loving the way her hard nipples brushed against the palms of her hands. She kept her touches and kisses light and teasing until Kara was gasping for breath and writhing beneath her with need. “Tell me what you want, sweetie,” she whispered in the taller woman’s ear, giving the lobe a tug with her teeth as she did.

“Take me, Madison. Make me yours,” she answered, her eyes dark with need and desire, her flesh hard and engorged. Madison grabbed the condom from the nightstand and tore open the foil, pulling out the circle of latex. She slid down Kara’s body, the redhead’s eyes never leaving her as she slowly rolled the condom over her lover’s long shaft.

“Are you ready for me, baby?” Madison asked as she leaned forward to capture Kara’s lips in a tender buss, full of love and desire. Kara meekly nodded and mixed in with the want in her eyes was a large dose of fear. “There’s nothing to be scared of sweetheart,” Madison whispered, stroking her pale freckled cheeks, flush with passion. “I love you, and I want you. I’ve never done this before, but if I don’t like it, I’m not gonna freak out and leave you. I’m here, so don’t be afraid.”

Kara took a deep breath and blew it out before nodding. “I love you Maddie. I’m ready for you.”

Madison wrapped her slender fingers around the base of Kara’s shaft to hold it steady as she slowly lowered herself onto the younger woman’s hard flesh. She slid lower inch by inch, her lover’s hands resting on her hips, until she was fully filled by her lover. She opened her eyes to look at Kara and saw that the pale woman’s eyes were tightly closed and her breaths were coming in ragged gasps.

“How do you feel, sweetheart?”

“Good. God, so good. I’d forgotten how good this feels.”

“Then open your eyes,” Madison whispered as she leaned forward to kiss her love, her hands cupping Kara’s flushed and firm breasts as she began to roll her hips sensuously , savoring the way Kara filled her.

Kara’s eyes fluttered open and she took in the vision of beauty hovering over her, Madison’s breasts swaying as she rode her, her hair falling down and covering their faces like a tent. She began to move her hips to meet Madison’s, the enhanced sensation making both of them moan louder as their passion grew.

Madison captured Kara’s lips with her own, lightly biting them as she continued to ride her lover’s throbbing shaft. The way she felt being filled by her lover was so unlike being filled by inanimate silicone, the heat of it almost burning her, the way the younger woman responded to her movements, enjoying the sensation they were sharing. It wasn’t better or worse, it was just different.

Without warning, she felt her body go rigid as her climax washed over her, her head thrown back and eyes screwed shut as colors burst across her vision. She felt Kara’s hands clutch her shoulders desperately, pulling their bodies together and heard the taller woman cry out as she was struck by her own peak of pleasure. Kara’s hips surged upward to push herself more fully into the brunette, her face buried in Madison’s shoulder, her breathing completely stopped.

After a short while, both of them slowly came back to reality from the other-worldly pleasure they had just experienced. Madison placed soft, gentle kisses all over Kara’s face and brushed her sweat-plastered red bangs away from her forehead. No words were spoken as Madison felt Kara slip from her, both of them spent. Madison rolled off the younger woman and stretched out on her back on the cool sheets.

“Be right back,” Kara whispered, placing a kiss on the exhausted woman’s cheek, slipping out of bed. Madison watched the sensual movements of her shapely ass and firm calves as she walked into the bathroom. A few moments later, she was back and Madison stretched out her arm to the side in an invitation.

Kara climbed in and laid her head on her lover’s shoulder, sighing as she felt the older woman’s arm wrap around her and pull her closer. Madison listened as Kara’s breathing slowed and deepened to where she thought the young red head was asleep. She placed a soft kiss on the top of her head and whispered, “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.” Madison shifted a bit, surprised that her lover not only heard her, but answered. “That was the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced. You were so beautiful when you came that it pushed me over so suddenly I didn’t know what was happening.”

“I hope you know I feel the same. I’m never letting you go,” Madison said, tightening her hold on the tall woman in her arms.

“Good, cause I don’t plan on ever going away.”

***

When Kara woke a couple of hours later, she realized the bed was empty. She listened for any hint of the woman who had captured her heart, but the house was silent. She pulled on her glasses, the world coming into sudden focus. She looked around, failing to see Madison’s bag or the clothes she had worn the previous day. “Madison? Sweetheart? Are you here?” Hearing no response, she wrapped her arms around her legs and pressed her face against her knees and began sobbing piteously. She couldn’t figure out why she was surprised, after all, this wasn’t the first time a woman had made love to her and disappeared. I thought she loved me. The tears flowed down her cheeks as her shoulders shook uncontrollably.

“Oh god, baby, what’s wrong? Did something happen? Are you okay?” Madison’s voice sounded panicked as Kara continued to cry. Madison wrapped her arms around the taller woman and held her tight against her body. “Sweetheart I’m here. Whatever it is, I’m here.”

Kara let out another sob, this time one of relief as she clung desperately to the brunette. “When I woke up, you weren’t here,” Kara whispered against the side of her lover’s neck. “I looked around for you and then called out, but you didn’t answer me. I thought you’d left. I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have jumped to that conclusion.”

“Shh, baby, it’s okay. It’s okay. Like I said before, I’m not going anywhere, but I can see it’s gonna take some time to make you really believe that. The rain stopped, so I was out in the yard playing with Seymour. You looked so peaceful I didn’t want to wake you up, so I went outside to run around for a little bit. I should have realized after what you told me that I shouldn’t have let you wake up alone.” She planted a kiss on the top of Kara’s head and felt the younger woman begin to relax in her arms.

Kara felt the fear and the sadness leave her body as she took in the scent of her lover and sank into her warm embrace. She’s not going to sneak out like Adrianna did. She’s not like that. She loves you. “I love you so much. Is it crazy that I feel so much for you so soon?”

“If it’s crazy, then I’m crazy, too, so don’t worry about it sweetheart. How about you get up and I’ll make us a late lunch.”

“Depends on what you’re fixing,” Kara joked, trying to regain her equilibrium. She jumped in the shower and washed before pulling on a robe and heading downstairs where the smell of lunch being prepared filled the air.

***

Jessica sat at her table, her laptop open in front of her as she looked over scenes from her life stored on the device. The pictures of her and Adam goofing off in their first apartment, playing with Cat all those years ago. Pictures of them together on their graduation day, standing side by side in their caps and gowns, their arms around each other. She remembered how she had felt back then, how safe and comforting it was to be beside Adam. She couldn’t think of a man who she had felt comfortable with before she met him. She got up and pulled out an old shoe box full of photos from high school and flipped through them, reminiscing over the past they shared.

She thought back to the first time Adam asked her out. It was a Thursday evening in late October, the chill of fall already in the air. They had an evening practice session for the quiz bowl team that night and she usually arrived a few minutes early. When she pulled up, she saw Adam had already arrived and was sitting in his Bronco. When she got out of her car and started walking to the school, the tall, gangly redhead climbed out and quickly caught up to her.

“Hey, Jessica, I was just wondering if you were free tomorrow night.” His face was flushed and she could tell he was nervous, and she felt sorry for him because she knew she had to work the next day.

“I’m sorry but I have to work tomorrow.”

“Well, how about Saturday?” he asked hopefully, and she could tell that he was deathly afraid that she wanted nothing to do with him.

“I’m so sorry, Adam, but I’ve got to work all weekend.”

“Oh, I understand. Is there some night that you’re free so I could maybe take you out to dinner or something?”

“How about Monday?”

She could see the tension leave his body as he suddenly realized that she had accepted his offer of a date. The smile that split his face warmed her heart and she knew then that she was going to have a good time on Monday.

As the days grew shorter, the two spent more and more time together. Within a few weeks they were madly in love and spending every free second with each other. She smiled as she remembered the snowy day in January when they spent the entire day in Adam’s living room on a makeshift bed in front of the fireplace, making love for the first time. After they had both calmed from their passion, she cried tears of joy and was surprised to see the young man crying along with her.

She sighed heavily. She never thought that she would spend her life with anyone other than Adam, but then Adam changed her name to Kara and started living her life as a woman. When Jessica thought back on their early days together, the thing that she liked most about Adam was that while he may have acted like a stereotypical blustering ass of a guy around others, with her he was sweet, kind, thoughtful, he remembered anniversaries and birthdays and went all out to make those days perfect for her. He listened when she needed to talk and was there for her, crying right beside her when her dog had to be put down.

Then everything changed. Adam began spending all of his time as Kara and the passion between them dwindled. Jessica was terrified of going out in public with her spouse, afraid that someone would see them together and think she was gay. Every time she pushed Kara away, she could see the hurt in her wife’s eyes, but her fear overrode her compassion and she finally had enough. Was I wrong? She wondered as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

***

The following Monday, Kara sat behind her desk, drafting a motion for a pre-trial conference in a drug possession case but found herself unable to focus, her thoughts drifting to the weekend she had spent with Madison. The two had spent the entire weekend in bed, taking brief breaks to eat and sleep, awakening only to feel an insatiable longing for each other’s bodies. She was amazed how easily the older woman adapted after the long string of disappointments she had suffered before finally giving up on dating altogether.

That morning, she had reluctantly pulled herself out of bed and away from the warm body beside her. Madison was so exhausted from their activities that she hardly stirred when Kara kissed her goodbye. She left a note on the bedside table telling the older woman to make herself at home while she was at work and to give her a call when she woke up.

She found her reminiscences interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone, which was resting on her desk. “Kara Jenkins,” she answered, snapping back to reality.

“This wouldn’t happen to be the same Kara Jenkins who rendered me unable to walk this past weekend would it?”

Laughing, she replied, “It would indeed. This wouldn’t happen to be a gorgeous, tall brunette hopefully lying in my bed, would it?”

“How’d you guess? So what are you up to?”

“Just trying to draft some motions I need to file this week. You want to do something tonight? I might be a little late coming home, since someone didn’t let me get any work done this weekend.”

“Yeah, let’s have dinner and spend the evening together. I can’t stand to let you go just yet. I need to run a few errands and go by my place to pick up a few things, so how about I pick us up something and come by your place around seven, seven thirty?”

“That could work, you sure you don’t want me to come over to your place? I really don’t mind.”

“Nah, my place doesn’t allow dogs and I think Seymour would be a little put out if he had to spend the night alone.”

Kara felt her heart melt a little more at that statement from the older woman. “You make me fall more in love with you every day. The fact that you care enough about Seymour’s comfort … you are simply incredible.”

Madison blushed slightly from the praise. “Yeah, well, he’s a good dog and I don’t want to deny him his mommy. Anyway, I think I should let you get back to work and get started on my stuff. I’ll see you this evening, sweetheart. I love you.”

“I love you, too, baby. See you later. Bye.”

“Goodbye.”

She had just resumed typing when her phone rang again. Without looking, she picked it up and said, “Hey gorgeous, you forget to tell me something?”

“Well, thank you for the compliment dear, but I think it’s you who’s been forgetting to tell me much of anything the last couple of weeks.”

“Mom! I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

“Well, that explains the first part, but what about not calling me the last couple weeks? As far as I knew, you fell off the face of the earth.”

“I’m sorry mom. I’ve been pretty busy with work and then I’ve also been seeing someone.”

“Really! What’s her name? What’s she look like? Have you told her about your history yet? Wh-”

“Hold on mom, one question at a time. Her name is Madison Roberts and she’s a history professor at IUPUI. She’s about 5’9”, hazel eyes, brunette, absolutely stunning. And yes, we’ve talked it out and everything is fine.”

“Well, when do I get to meet her? I haven’t seen you in nearly a month now. Is there any way you could bring her over for dinner?”

“I’d have to talk to her and figure out when she’s free. I’m actually kind of slammed at work right now. That part is definitely true.”

“I still don’t understand why you insist on defending criminals.”

“Mom, we’ve been over this. Everyone is entitled to a zealous defense. If my client did the crime and the prosecutor can prove it, then justice will be served. My job is to make sure the prosecutor follows the rules so I can protect the innocent people who have been charged with crimes.”

“Fine. We’ll just have to agree to disagree. Talk to your girlfriend and let me know when I can meet her.”

“Alright mom, I’ll talk to you later. Love you.”

“Love you, too, Kara. Have a good day.”

“You too, mom. Bye.”

On ending the call, she took several deep breaths. She wasn’t sure that she was ready to introduce Madison to her mom, but she knew it had to happen sooner or later.

***

When she got home that night around seven, Kara’s face broke out into a smile on seeing Madison’s car parked on the concrete pad next to her garage. She walked quickly through her backyard toward the house, her heels clicking on the concrete sidewalk she and Jess had had put in not long after they bought the house.

Opening the door, she was hit with a blast of sound, Madison was singing along with Robert Johnson, asking if someone wanted to go back to that sweet home Chicago. Her smile grew wider as she quietly closed the door and set down her briefcase and purse on the dryer before slipping out of her heels, leaving her barefoot and much quieter in order to sneak up on her lover.

She walked carefully, being sure to miss the one floorboard in the kitchen that always squeaked a little when stepped on and walked up behind the brunette, who was setting the table with Indian take-out. She quickly wrapped her arms around Madison and pressed her lips against the shorter woman’s temple, feeling the toned abs flinch in shock as her hands pulled Madison closer against her.

“Jesus, Kara,” Madison said, relaxing into the redhead’s embrace. “You scared the crap out of me.”

She spun around in the younger woman’s loose hold and placed her hands on her flushed cheeks and pressing her lips firmly against Kara’s. “I’ve missed you today,” she said, after finally pulling back from Kara. “How was your day? Get everything done you needed to?”

Madison continued to busy herself setting the table, spooning out rice onto the plate before covering it with plenty of spicy lamb tikka masala, one of Kara’s favorites. Kara shrugged out of her jacket and draped it over the back of her recliner in the next room before sitting down at the table.

“Everything went fine at work today. I was able to focus and dig in and get stuff done after our conversation. Well, after the conversation I had after that, actually.”

“What do you mean?”

“My mom called me just after we hung up, did the whole make me feel guilty for not calling her often enough thing and I told her I’d been swamped with work and that I’ve been seeing someone special. You can bet she latched on to that fact like a pit bull. She wants to meet you sometime soon for dinner or something.”

“Oh. Well, what are your thoughts on that? I mean, it’s your family, I’ll take my cues from you.”

“Well, I’m sure that I’m in this for the long haul. I mean, we haven’t made any formal commitments or anything yet, but I definitely feel like what we have is the real thing. With you, I feel so completely right that it sometimes blows me away. As far as meeting my mom, I’m ready for that step. I’m ready to introduce you to the people who are important in my life and tell them just how important to me you are.”

“Well, in that case, I’m free pretty much anytime you want to do it. Where does your mom live, anyway?”

“She’s on the north east side of Indy, near Fishers.”

“That’s a pretty nice area.”

“Yeah it’s not too bad. She got this place when she and my dad split up several years ago.”

Kara lifted the fork to her mouth at that point, loaded with rice, marinated meat, and sauce. Her eyes sliding closed, she moaned in pleasure as the flavors burst on her tongue. Not too long after the food entered her mouth though, her nose began to run and her eyes began to fill with tears as the capsaicin laden dish exploded like a thermonuclear warhead in her mouth, searing out any fluid hiding in her sinus cavities.

“Oh my god, Madison, this is so amazing. Did you get spicy as well?”

“No, I went with a milder variety tonight. I love heat, as you know, but theirs is too much for me. I’m actually kind of surprised you enjoy it so much. Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Yeah, but I figure within a couple minutes, I’ll release endorphins to counter it and I’ll start to feel a little buzzed. It’s an interesting sensation, but I really enjoy the flavors that come with turning up the heat like this.”

She took a sip of the glass of double IPA that Madison had set her place with before diving back into the meal, savoring every bite, while making small moans of appreciation. Eventually, she looked up to notice that Madison was staring at her intently.

“What is it? Is my face covered with snot and tears?”

“No, just thinking that listening to you eat a good meal is almost the same as listening to you when we make love. If anything I’m getting turned on listening to you eat.”

“As much as I want to make love with you anytime sweetheart, I don’t think you want my tongue anywhere near your clit after I’ve been eating something this spicy. I don’t even want to think about how much that could hurt you.”

A grimace marred Madison’s features as she thought of how badly the capsaicin now coating Kara’s tongue would hurt on her own anatomy.

“You may have a point.”

“I know. Trust me, my lips hurt from eating this. You don’t want me going down on you for a while, and I don’t know if I got any on my fingers, but I think I have, so let’s just wait a few hours, okay baby?”

Madison laughed. “Yeah, that sounds like the prudent course. I love you.”

“And I you.”

“You know, on our first date, I had the thought that if how you sounded when you ate was any indication, I would love hearing you in the bedroom. I was right.”

The flush on Kara’s face now had little to do with the searing pain and subsequent rush of endorphins produced by the food, but was now a result of her lover’s words and the look of desire that was directed toward her. She wiped her face with a napkin before tucking her hair behind her ears and taking another sip of her beer.

“So to shift gears, what would you like to do after we finish dinner?”

“I was thinking we could take Seymour for a walk around the block, then curl up on the couch and watch something for a bit.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Chapter 11

Late the next morning, back behind her desk after a morning in court, Kara picked up the phone and pressed the button to call her mom. On the walk with Seymour last night, they had decided to see if Lauren, Kara’s mother, was free for lunch on Saturday.

When she was directed to voicemail, she said, “Hey Mom, I talked to Madison and I think that Saturday would work best for getting together so you can meet her. Call me back when you get this so we can figure it out.”

That afternoon, after Kara had finished with her afternoon hearings, her cell rang as she was walking from the City County Building back to her office. Looking at the screen before answering, she saw it was her mom returning her earlier call.

“Hi, Mom. How are you?”

“I’m doing great sweetie, and Saturday sounds fine to me. What time do you think you two will head this way?”

“I was thinking eleven or so. And maybe I can take you out to lunch someplace around you.”

“That sounds good to me. Give me a call when you two are headed up here.”

“I’ll do that, Mom. I’m back at my office, so I’m gonna let you go. Have a good day, Mom. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Kara. Talk to you later.”

Walking down the hall to her office, Kara tapped out a text to Madison, “Hey, Mom’s in for lunch Saturday. Want to stay at my place Friday night?”

They had decided that in order to avoid moving too much faster than they already were, they would keep their physical distance until the weekend, hopefully allowing both of them to get the work done that they needed to accomplish so they could fully focus on each other over the weekend. As the week moved on, Kara found herself unable to fill her time effectively without Madison to spend it with.

Kara wasn’t the only one experiencing this problem; Madison found herself at a complete loss. She researched for her article and spent several hours writing, but she was constantly distracted by thoughts of the tall redhead she’d fallen in love with. Neither woman was able to completely maintain her distance, so they tended to spend the days exchanging the occasional text message and the evenings would find both of them on their couches, watching TV with their laptops open, chatting back and forth for several hours. Their days ended with long phone calls and heartfelt ‘I love you’s’ before falling asleep.

The week seemed to drag until Friday evening rolled around and Kara could finally slide behind the wheel of her car and drive home. She called Madison to let her know she was on her way and learned that Madison would be getting there sometime after she got home. She went inside and changed out of her skirt suit into a coral dress that complimented her pale skin. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard the back door open and Seymour’s tail banging against the dryer. She padded towards the backdoor and met Madison in the kitchen, wrapping her lover in her long arms.

“God, I’ve missed you this week,” she said, pressing her lips against the professor’s.

“I’ve missed you too, baby. So very much. It feels so right in your arms. But, I managed to get plenty done, if only to avoid thinking about how much I missed you.”

“Yeah, me too, but it still sucks not being with you. So anyway, what do you want for dinner? Cause I’m starving.”

Kara’s stomach chose that moment to let out a loud growl, punctuating her point. They decided on making some blackened trout with rice and green beans. Madison sat on the island, sipping a wheat beer while watching Kara work in front of the range, taking long breaks to step between the brunette’s legs and place kisses all over her lips and neck, building their anticipation for the love making they’d share later that night.

Once the food was ready, and they were sitting at the table with Seymour curled up under the table, his body laying across Kara’s feet, they continued talking about their respective weeks, sharing the funny things that had happened to them, the things that had annoyed them, and other things that were worth sharing in person, but had proved too complex to fully express on the phone or through instant message.

After the kitchen was clean, they attached Seymour’s leash and took him for a brief walk, allowing him to sniff at the various aromas that caught his attention while they stood by, hand in hand. Seymour got tired of being out after a couple of blocks and began to pull Kara towards home.

Once inside, they sat on the couch and turned on the TV to a Doctor Who rerun. Neither of them was sure who made the first move, but before long, they were wrapped in each other’s arms lips pressing together, hands exploring soft skin and curves.

Madison pushed Kara onto her back and kissed down over her lover’s neck and shoulders before pulling the straps of the redhead’s dress down off her arms, followed closely by the taller woman’s bra. With Kara’s pale breasts now completely bare, Madison began forcefully covering first one then the other with kisses, sucks, and light bites, making her squirm, moan, and gasp beneath her.

Madison sat up and grabbed the hem of Kara’s dress, pushing it up over her hips, Kara raising them to assist in her girlfriend’s efforts to disrobe her. Now clad in nothing but her panties, Kara’s breath was coming in gasps as Madison placed kisses on the flat stomach, her head moving steadily downward. When she reached the edge of the panties, she ran her hands up the smooth thighs toward the waistband of the lace panties. When Kara helplessly thrust her hips upward, Madison seized the opportunity to pull the panties down and off.

Without giving a second thought to what she was about to do, Madison placed her lips against the head of Kara’s penis and kissed it softly. Kara gasped and the sound was sweeter to Madison than anything she had ever heard. She continued placing soft kisses over the surprisingly soft and feminine skin, her tongue darting out to lick the sweet tasting skin. Shutting off her mind and just reveling in the sensations, she opened her mouth and took Kara inside.

Kara gasped, her hips thrusting involuntarily as her left hand gripped her breast and her right tangled itself in Madison’s hair. Her mind went completely blank as it felt like her entire body was feeling the sensations being caused by the brunette. She began to moan and gasp, her head tossing from side to side on the armrest of the couch. Her breath came faster and faster to the point where she felt like she was beginning to hyperventilate as the pleasure built throughout her body before it felt like it became a white hot ball of light centered where Madison was touching her that finally exploded and filled her with a heavenly pleasure.

Madison continued to move her lips over Kara’s hot flesh, feeling it spasm in her mouth. Once again, she was surprised by the lack of fluid, but what little Kara had produced was very neutral in flavor. Madison pulled her head back, letting Kara slide out of her mouth before moving up her lover’s body, placing soft gentle kisses on Kara’s stomach and breasts, finally taking Kara’s lips in a gentle kiss, conveying her love to the redhead.

Kara turned in Madison’s arms and pressed herself against the older woman, resting her head on Madison’s shoulder. Her breathing was still erratic and she felt light headed and tingly all over. Her eyes slid shut and she allowed herself to just enjoy the sensation of being completely sated, in her lover’s arms, with Madison lightly running her short, blunt nails over the skin of her back while placing occasional kisses against her forehead.

“You are such an incredibly beautiful woman,” Madison whispered. “And you are so stunning when you come.”

“I love you with all my heart,” Kara replied, her breathing finally beginning to even out. “Why are you still dressed?”

“You want to do something about that?”

In response, Kara got up and held out her hand for Madison to take, pulling the brunette to her feet before leading her upstairs, being sure to add a little extra sway to her hips for the benefit of her lover following behind her. Once they reached Kara’s bedroom, the redhead grabbed the hem of Madison’s t-shirt and swiftly pulled it over her head before fastening her lips to the older woman’s shoulder while reaching down to undo the button and zipper of her lover’s shorts, swiftly pushing them, and her panties, down. Moving her lips across Madison’s upper chest, she nipped at the tan skin covering a prominent clavicle, running her hands from the toned ass up the smooth skin of her lover’s back to the clasp of her bra.

With a quick motion, the bra was undone and quickly removed from Madison’s body. With a gentle shove, Kara pushed Madison down onto the bed. Her lips kissed all over the small breasts, gently nipping the skin between her teeth, eliciting soft gasps from the older woman. She continued to move her head down the long body toward the source of the heady smell filling her nostrils.

“Please, Kara, don’t tease. I need you now.”

Changing her plans to prolong the experience, she let her tongue dart out and dragged it in a long firm stroke up the length of Madison’s slit. She moaned at the wonderful sweet flavor coating her tongue and began to focus her efforts on Madison’s clit, while at the same time sliding two fingers inside, pushing them in and out, and making sure to drag them over the older woman’s g-spot on every out stroke.

Madison’s hands flew down and the long fingers buried themselves in the silky red hair, pushing the younger woman’s mouth more firmly against where it was so desperately needed. As she began to moan and cry out her lover’s name, Kara kept up her relentless efforts, never once letting up or changing her pace even as Madison began to pulse around her fingers and moisture flooded out.

“God, I need you inside me Kara. Please, please fuck me.”

Kara pulled her head away and withdrew her fingers from Madison’s welcoming warmth, making a show of sucking them clean and enjoying the look of lust that crossed the brunette’s features. She reached in the bedside table and after donning the condom, she lowered her hips between her lover’s legs. With one gentle push, she was in, both women gasping at the sensation of being so intimately and completely connected to each other. Their hips began to move together without conscious thought on either of their parts. Madison’s hands ran over her lover’s back, gripping her shoulders to pull her lover closer to her. Their lips pressed together in fiery kisses, both women moaning out each other’s names and declarations of love.

They both reached their peak at the same time, Madison’s legs wrapping around the taller woman’s hips to pull her in deeper even as Kara thrust herself forward in an effort to bury herself in her lover as she cried out in pleasure. For a few minutes, neither woman moved except to place soft kisses on each other’s cheeks and foreheads, whispering their love to each other.

After gathering her strength, Kara sat up and threw away the condom before she pulled back the covers and climbed in bed beside Madison, curling up with her head on the smooth skin of her lover’s shoulder, covered them both back up, and drifted off to sleep, completely sated.

***

The next morning, they sat in Kara’s car, driving north toward her mother’s home as Madison fidgeted with her phone, going through old text messages to see which ones should be deleted. Anything to take her mind off meeting Kara’s mom.

“Sweetheart, you need to calm down. My mom’s really nice and I’m sure she’ll love you.”

“That’s easy for you to say. When it’s your turn to meet my mom, I bet you’ll be singing a different tune.”

“You’re probably right, but I’m good at hiding when I’m nervous. It comes with being a trial lawyer. That reminds me, my mom may start in on me about my job. That’s just normal for us. She doesn’t see why everyone should get a good defense and she really doesn’t see why I’m the one providing it.”

“Not big on social justice, I take it?”

“Not really. She has faith in the system and little sympathy for those the system sweeps up in their crackdowns who are more victims of circumstance than anything else. I just don’t see how you can trust a system that has for profit prisons.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. So if she starts in on that, what do you want me to do?”

“I don’t really care. I can handle it if she does. It bores me more than anything else at this point. We’ll never agree and she knows I have good reasons for doing what I do, but she just won’t drop it. Other than that though, she’s great. She teaches at an inner city elementary school so it’s kind of weird that she can’t see where I’m coming from on this.”

“Okay. Well, if she does start in on you, I’ll let you handle it. Though just know I’ll be there holding your hand the entire time.”

The rest of the drive was short and uneventful, both women quietly listening to the music from Kara’s iPod as they pulled in to Lauren’s driveway in a small, neatly tended subdivision. The house was older and was in a cookie cutter neighborhood so common in the suburbs. Kara waited for Madison to come around the car and took her hand before walking the few feet to the front door. She knocked lightly before taking the door knob in her hand and letting them in.

"Hi, Mom. We’re here,” Kara called out to the seemingly empty house.

“Hey sweetie,” Lauren said, walking around the corner from the kitchen to the main room of the house. She stepped up to Kara and wrapped her in a hug. “It’s so great to see you. And who is this?”

“Mom, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Madison Roberts. Maddie, this is my mom, Lauren Jenkins.”

“It’s nice to meet you Ms. Jenkins,” Madison said holding out her hand for the shorter woman to shake.

Lauren waved the hand aside and wrapped Madison in a hug. Not as all encompassing a hug as the one she had given her daughter, but still enough to give Madison the sense that there was already a degree of approval.

“None of that Ms. Jenkins stuff. Call me Lauren. Come on girls, let’s sit down.”

She led the women over to the living room where she sat on the love seat which was perpendicular to the couch, both pieces of furniture facing the TV sat at an angle in the corner of the room. The love seat served to frame a sort of hallway leading to the hall at the back of the house off of which sat the three bedrooms and the guest bathroom. The couch had its back to the dining table, and the combination served to delineate a distinct feel of separate dining and living rooms, despite the open floor plan of the room.

Madison sat on the couch at the end closest to the wall and Kara took a seat directly beside her, wrapping her left arm over the other woman’s shoulders while using her right hand to hold Madison’s. Madison looked around the room and saw plenty of family photos, noticing that there were few of Kara, though there was one with two young boys, one with red hair and the other blonde and a baby girl. So that’s what she must have looked like as a kid.

“So Madison, do you mind me asking how you two met? Kara didn’t tell me much about you when we talked.”

“Well, it’s a funny story. I was going for a walk downtown. I live in an apartment on Meridian and thought I’d take a stroll along Mass Ave that morning. As I was passing by the fountain, I saw this stunning redhead with a very annoyed look on her face while some guy was obviously bothering her. I noticed she was reading a lesbian romance novel that I’d read, so I decided to pretend to be her girlfriend meeting her in order to get her out of the situation.”

Lauren burst out laughing. “What was the man’s reaction?”

“He actually seemed to think it improved his chances, but we high tailed it out of there and went to lunch, so it was kind of a moot point what he thought.”

“Yeah, I offered to buy her lunch as a thank you for rescuing me, but it ended up turning into a date and we spent the entire day together.”

The women were gazing intently into each other’s eyes, remembering how wonderful that first day had felt. Lauren looked on, filled with joy that her daughter, who had experienced so much pain over the last few years was finally happy.

“The funniest part was that we forgot to exchange numbers, so I ended up calling the Public Defender’s office to get her contact information and send her flowers. Fortunately it worked and we were able to go out again and things just went from there.”

“So, are you girls hungry? I always find that food is a perfect complement to getting to know someone.”

“I am, Mom,” Kara said as Madison added her own affirmative response to Lauren’s question. “What did you have in mind for lunch?”

“Well, I was thinking we could go out to this new Mexican place just down the road.”

“Sounds good to me,” Madison said, turning to see Kara’s nod.

“Well, let’s go then, shall we?” Lauren said as she stood up and headed to her bedroom to retrieve her purse. Madison and Kara stood and headed toward the front door. “Let me make sure I’ve got my keys. Okay. Are you driving, Kara?”

“Sure, that works.”

The trio got in the car and drove to the restaurant Lauren had suggested, while she continued to ask questions to get to know her daughter’s lover better. As they ate, the conversation continued to flow easily and Lauren had no difficulty seeing how much the professor meant to Kara.

Finally, she asked the question that Kara had warned Madison would most likely be coming. “Madison, does it bother you at all that Kara decided to take all those years of school and devote it to defending criminals?”

Kara shot her mom a caustic glare, “Mom, this is neither the time nor the place to get into this.”

“Don’t get all defensive Kara, I’m just curious about what she thinks.”

Kara was soothed by Madison’s hand rubbing in circles on her back as she spoke. “It’s okay, Kar, I don’t mind answering her questions. Lauren, it not only doesn’t bother me, but I’m very proud to have a girlfriend who cares so much about justice that she’s willing to make herself the target of attacks by people who aren’t familiar enough with the system we have to understand just how vital a part she plays in it. Without people like Kara, willing to risk the wrath of people who don’t know any better, the prosecutors and police would operate in such a way that thousands of innocent people would be sent to prison for crimes they didn’t commit. Particularly minorities and the poor.

“I’m a history professor, and before we had safeguards people like Kara give us, that was exactly what happened. So I don’t consider Kara’s role to be defending criminals so much as defending society from a potentially corrupt justice system. She acts as a check to the power of the prosecutor.”

“Well I’m glad you can stick up for my little girl like that. She needs someone in her life to act as her defender and it looks like she’s got one. It takes guts to tell me I don’t know any better when you’re actively trying to make a good impression. Well done. Looks you found a keeper, Kara.”

Looking at her girlfriend with a love-filled expression, Kara said, “Looks like I have, Mom. Looks like I have.”

***

The following Wednesday, Kara received a text from Madison, asking if she wanted to get together that night for dinner. After Kara replied in the affirmative they decided on Madison coming to Kara’s and bringing Chinese. Kara was somewhat surprised when she finally got through what she needed to do for the day and saw it was only six. She packed up her things and headed out to her car. As she was unlocking her car, her phone began to ring.

“Damn it,” she muttered, hurriedly tossing her briefcase into the passenger seat and digging in her purse for her phone. As she fished it out she was surprised to see Jessica’s name displayed.

“Hey, Jess, what’s up?”

“Kara, can we talk?”

“Sure, you know I’m always here if you need me. What do you want to talk about?”

“Actually, could we do this in person?”

“Yeah, I actually just left work, so I’m headed home. You mind coming over to my place?”

“That’s fine, I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”

Kara stared at the phone for a moment before starting the car, puzzled as to why Jessica was so cryptic on the phone. She headed home, and went inside, setting her briefcase down on the dining room table and sliding her feet out of her pumps, sighing with relief at finally having the shoes off her feet. She loved cute shoes in spite of the impracticality and lack of comfort, but by the end of the day, she always ended up cursing at the level of discomfort.

She stepped into the living room and was surprised to see Jessica sitting on her couch. “Hey, you. You got here fast.”

“Well, I was kind of already in the neighborhood when I called.” Jessica was slouched over, her shoulders slumped and she was staring at her hands which were pressed together between her knees. Kara thought that she had not seen her so depressed since the final months of their marriage.

Sitting down beside her, Kara began to rub Jessica’s back in soothing circles, trying to comfort the younger woman. “Is this because of everything with Bill? Do you need to talk about it?”

“In a way it is, but in another it’s not. I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened with Bill. Why I didn’t tell him about our past, why I tried to stay close to you and came to you with my problems and concerns before anyone else, why I’ve never been able to go a full week without talking to you. And I came to a realization. The reason that I didn’t try to cut you out of my life is that I wanted to have everything. Still have my first love but also a man I was attracted to. If I couldn’t have them in the same person then so be it, I’d make do with what I had. But I was wrong. I was so wrong. Kara, I still love you. You’re the one I want to be with, not Bill. I’m sorry I was such an idiot for so long, but you’re the one I love.”

Kara was stunned by this admission and even more stunned when Jessica leaned in and placed her lips on Kara’s. For a brief moment, Kara felt how wonderful this was, having the woman she had loved for so long kissing her and telling her that she loved her, but then she thought of Madison and how Madison accepted her for the woman she was and not the man she had wanted her to be. Just as she placed her hands on Jessica’s shoulders to push her away, she heard a gasp and looked over her shoulder to see Madison standing there.

“Madison, wait,” she cried out as the brunette started to turn and leave.

“Why? Why should I wait? How can you do this to me, Kara? I thought you loved me. I can’t believe this is happening to me again.” She fell to the floor, buried her face in her hands, and began to sob.

Leaving the couch and striding quickly to her lover’s side she tried to wrap her arms around her, only to be pushed away. Kneeling beside her, Kara tried to explain. “Madison, please believe me. This is not what it looks like. That’s Jessica, my ex-wife. She came over to talk to me but didn’t say what she wanted to talk about. Her fiancée just called off their wedding and I thought it was about that. What you saw was her kissing me. That was the first time we’ve kissed in more than three years, I swear. But you have to believe me, I don’t want her, I only want you.”

Kara heard Jessica sob behind her and turned to face her ex. “I’m sorry Jess, but you need to hear this, too. You broke my heart three years ago because you couldn’t be with a woman. Even a woman you had spent the better part of a decade with. I can’t trust you to stay with me through anything that might happen. I do trust Madison. She loves me for who I am, not who she wants me to be.

“Jess, I think we should take some time apart. I still want to be your friend, I really do, but you need to take some time and get over me. Find a man you can love with your whole heart and don’t use me to get your emotional fix while giving your body to someone you don’t love completely. You’ll be a lot happier if you do.”

“I understand,” Jessica said so softly that Kara had to strain to hear. “I’ll be going now. I promise I won’t bother you again.”

“Jess, I’m not saying we can never be friends, just take some time. Give yourself a few months without contacting me. You need to move on. I’ll always be your friend, but for now, it’s best if we don’t have any contact. Take care of yourself and I look forward to talking to you again, just not soon.” She looked at Madison, who nodded at her, understanding what the redhead was asking. Placing a gentle kiss on Madison’s lips, Kara stood and walked over to Jessica, wrapping her in a warm hug. “I’ll miss you, Jess. Call me when you’re ready to be friends… and just friends.”

Jessica wiped the tears from her eyes, nodded and tightened her arms around Kara, knowing this was the last time she would do so in a long time. Stepping back, she turned and walked out the door without a backwards glance.

Kara briskly rubbed her eyes, trying to remove the unshed tears she had been holding back during the emotionally intense moment. She took a deep breath and turned back to Madison. She took her by the hands and lifted her up and wrapped her arms around her. “I’m so sorry, baby. I had no idea she was going to do that. Please believe me when I say I would never intentionally do anything to hurt you. I love you so much. I never knew I could love someone as much as I love you.”

“You mean, you love me more than you loved her?”

“God yes. I did love Jess, but what I have with you is so much more real. I meant what I said. She loved who she thought I was. You love me. That means so much to me, to feel wanted and desired the way you make me feel. She never made me feel that way once in eight years. Even at our best, I never felt like I could be the real me and the second I started trying to be who I am, she started to pull away from me. She only wanted the façade, you want it all.”

“I do. More than anything. I love you, Kara.”

“And I you. We’ll be alright, sweetheart, I promise. Believe me, if I have anything to say about it, for the rest of my life my lips are only going to be touching yours. You have my word.”

At that, Kara pressed her lips against Madison’s, tasting the salt of the tears that were still rolling down the brunette’s cheeks. She tried to convey through the kiss all the love she felt for Madison and to express her devotion for the older woman. It was more than an expression of love, it was a promise of thousands of kisses yet to come.

Epilogue

One year later

Kara was sitting as still as she could in the room she had been given to use to get ready. As she sat there in a robe, Heather, one of Madison’s friends, was busily working with her hair, trying to get it looking sleek and stylish in a way that would complement her dress as well as the look Madison was going for in another room. In addition to the primping going on behind her, her sister-in-law, Rebecca, was carefully applying her makeup.

“There, all done. Take a look,” said Heather, finally having won a battle with Kara’s hair that Kara herself almost never fought, usually doing only one of three things, leaving it down, putting it in a ponytail or tying it back in a French braid.

“Oh my god. I look so amazing, thank you both so much for helping me get ready.”

She hugged them both before Heather left to take her seat and Rebecca stayed behind to help her into her dress. It was a white satin dress with a square cut neckline that gathered at the wide waist before falling gracefully to the floor. It was sleek and simple and a look that suited Kara perfectly.

“Kara, you look beautiful. I’m gonna go take my seat. Mike will be in soon. He’ll let you know when it’s time to walk down the aisle. Good luck.”

“Thanks. I’m so happy I could burst right now.”

“I remember the feeling. It’s how you should feel on your wedding day.” With one more hug, Rebecca left.

Not wanting to sit down and risk wrinkling her dress, Kara began to pace back and forth in the confines of the small room, continually glancing at the clock. Hearing a knock at the door, she turned towards it and told whoever it was to come in. She smiled as she saw Jessica standing there nervously, her belly just beginning to bulge out under her sleek blue dress. After several months of no contact, the two had got back in touch and resumed their friendship, this time with boundaries firmly in place.

Kara hugged her, placing her hands on her ex-wife’s stomach as she let go.

“Look at you. You’re starting to show. Pregnancy really suits you Jess.”

“Thanks. We found out this week that we’re having a boy. Bill couldn’t be more excited.”

“He’s gonna be a great dad.”

“He really is. How about you, are you ready for this?”

“Without a doubt. How are you doing?”

“I’m good. A little disappointed I didn’t get to be your maid of honor, but I’ll cope,” she joked.

“Well, if we had gone with attendants, there’s no one else I would have rather had standing at my side.” This was true, and the primary reason they had decided against attendants in the first place. Kara had no desire to make Madison share the spotlight with the other woman she had once loved.

“I know. I’m so happy for you Kar. If anyone deserves to be happy like this, it’s you.”

Kara wrapped Jessica in a brief hug, whispering a heartfelt “Thank you.”

“Well, I just wanted to stop by and say congratulations. I’m gonna go sit.”

Kara smiled at her and resumed her pacing once the door had been closed. After a few more minutes passed, there was a knock on the door and without waiting for a reply, her brother opened it and stepped inside, looking quite sharp in his uniform, his close cropped blonde hair almost invisible due to how light it was. He wrapped his big sister in a hug before holding out his arm for her take.

“Well, sis, I’m happy for you. I’ve got to say, Madison is absolutely perfect for you. You hit the jackpot with that one.”

“Thanks, Mike. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier than I am at this moment.”

They finally arrived at the door to the sanctuary and she saw Madison, standing there resplendent in her own white dress, with her hair styled in a simple twist with strands falling in soft curls to frame her face. As their eyes met and Kara began to walk down the aisle toward the woman she would spend the rest of her life with, she knew for certain that this was without any doubts or reservations, the happiest day of her life.

The End