Sweet Carolina Girls Part 23

"Yes, really. I know how much this time alone means to you. It means a lot to me, too. I met every one of Shelby's needs for the last six years." Lauren went on, "She has to learn to deal with this without me being there every minute. She'll get used to it. It's tough love."

Harper balled up her paper cup wine gla.s.s and tossed it into the fire. She pulled Lauren to her, taking Lauren's wine cup, which met the same fate, wine and all. Silently Harper's lips found Lauren's. She ran her fingers through Lauren's hair and down the neck of her jacket. Lauren slid her arms out of the jacket and threw it aside. Harper's jacket was the next piece of clothing to go. Soon Harper hands were inside Lauren's s.h.i.+rt where her fingers danced across Lauren's smooth soft skin.

That's what Harper liked about women. They were soft and warm and they seemed to melt into you. But no woman had ever melted into Harper like Lauren. Their kisses were long and deep, their lips coming together again and again, tangling their tongues and sparking little moans of pleasure from both women. Lauren helped Harper pull her sweats.h.i.+rt and tee s.h.i.+rt up over her head, until her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were exposed, then she quit helping and took one of Harper's nipples in her mouth.

Once free of her s.h.i.+rts, Harper wanted Lauren naked and she proceeded on the mission by removing her s.h.i.+rt then unb.u.t.toning and unzipping Lauren's jeans. Harper put her hands inside the back of Lauren's jeans and pulled down. Lauren got the message and wriggled out of her jeans, while Harper disposed of hers. Now they were both completely naked. Harper placed the slender Lauren on top of her body.

Lauren moved up and down Harper's body, her tongue and lips moving slowly over Harper's skin. Harper spread her legs so that Lauren could move between them. Lauren began to move her pelvis against Harper, which made Harper's pelvis grind against Lauren's. Harper moved with her until they were both ready to explode. Harper got up on her knees and moved Lauren onto her lap. She ran one hand between Lauren's legs. Harper's other hand in the small of Lauren's back was holding her up.

Lauren rose on her knees, in her own rhythm against Harper's hand. Harper ran her mouth over Lauren's body, until Lauren grabbed her on both sides of her head, leaning down to kiss her breathlessly craving Harper's mouth on hers. Lauren came violently and loudly as she jerked forward then threw her head back, letting Harper hold her from the small of her back. When she caught her breath she rose back up and then leaned down and kissed Harper long and hard.

"Oh G.o.d, you are going to cause me to have a heart attack," Lauren said breathlessly. "That was the best o.r.g.a.s.m ever, no question. Are you sure you've only been with one woman?"

Harper pulled her to her so her head was on Lauren's chest. She said, in between kisses to Lauren's breast, "I watched a lot of The L Word."

"You learned how to do that by watching The L Word? Maybe I should have paid better attention to the s.e.x scenes," Lauren said, pulling away from Harper and pus.h.i.+ng Harper down on her back.

"Jackie and I did the generic lesbian mutual masturbation during our relations.h.i.+p, I do you then you do me kind of thing. The L Word was my real coming out party," Harper added, while Lauren began to kiss her skin again.

They both stopped talking as Lauren slowly licked and kissed her way to the wet spot between Harper's legs. Harper was so hot for Lauren she arched her back off the blanket and moaned the moment Lauren's tongue touched her. Lauren made circles with her tongue that drove Harper crazy. She grabbed the gra.s.s above her head for leverage and rocked with Lauren's head between her legs. She didn't have to rock long, because she came in waves that crashed into the walls of her v.a.g.i.n.a over and over until finally receding into occasional muscle spasms of pleasure.

Lauren crawled back up on top of Harper and they lay quietly in the warmth of the afterglow, with the blanket pulled up over them. Their fingers were the only thing moving as they entwined over and over. Harper wanted the world to stop right here, this was her heaven.

"I could stay like this forever," Harper said, after a few minutes pa.s.sed.

"Me too," came the reply.

Jasper decided it was time for some attention so he licked them both in the face. Lauren fell to the side of Harper and into the shelter of her shoulder, laughing. Jasper had obviously gone to the house to get his baseball and laid it on the blanket beside Harper. She pulled Lauren close to her with one hand and threw the wet baseball with the other. Jasper dashed after the ball and they were safe again.

They redressed, tied the horses to nearby trees and secured the campsite for the night. There was no wind to speak of except for a light breeze, but Lauren knocked the fire down to coals anyway, before climbing in the tent. Harper zipped the two sleeping bags together to make one big bag. Undressing again, they dove into the bag and into each other's arms. Jasper entered the tent sometime later, but Harper barely noticed. She and Lauren made love until they exhausted each other. Lauren curled into Harper's chest and fell soundly to sleep.

At that moment, Harper was as happy as she could ever remember in her entire life.

Chapter Twenty-Five.

They awoke at dawn to a slow steady rain. Harper quickly loaded the horses in the trailer, while Lauren closed up the campsite. Harper helped with the tent and, with the Hummer repacked, the two lovers and Jasper rode to the house. All three were soaking wet by the time they opened the garage door. They entered through the utility room and dropped off their wet clothes. Once inside, they realized how cold they were, so they went upstairs to take a hot shower.

They actually showered and dressed this time with no hanky-panky in between. Lauren wanted to get the horses back to be rubbed down and brushed. She wasn't sure how long they had been standing in the cold rain and Jimmy, being older, needed to be rubbed down well, after a ride. Jasper was left at home this time. The trip to the stables did not take long and they were back at home in no time.

Harper decided she wanted to upload the accident site pictures to Molly's office. She also wanted to start putting numbers into her accident reenactment program, which could take pictures and measurements and turn them into 3D moving images. It was expensive software a highway patrol investigator had given her, on the sly, when she took his cla.s.s. He had investigated the death of Harper's parents and always kept up with her, so when she wanted to take a cla.s.s in reenactment he was the logical choice.

Lauren sat beside her at the dining room table where she spread out copies of all the pictures and measurements and started loading them into the program. The hard copy pictures were for reference only as she loaded the digitized pictures straight into the 3D rendering program. The measurements made it possible to use math in order to grasp what happened and how the car behaved, because of it. It took the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon for Harper to load all the requested information and let the program do its thing.

Lauren hopped up and down, bringing drinks and food to Harper while she worked. Harper explained what she was doing and why the program was asking this question or that. Lauren was fascinated by the whole process and generally hovered over Harper the whole time she was at the computer. Harper finally gave her the job of taping the smaller pictures into a larger montage of the accident site on the wall across from the table. Harper hadn't hung any artwork except for the painting of Jasper in the other room and a few things she brought with her, so the big wall was perfect for their crime scene photos. The dining room was beginning to look like the conference room on Criminal Minds, the TV show.

Lauren had a copy of the original police report that Alicia had given her yesterday morning. Harper used some of the information to draw a map of the accident, on a large tablet she found in the garage. She saved some things from her undergrad days that just came in handy at times.

"You know you're right. See the acceleration and the sudden jerk to the right then back to the left, either Shelby saw something in the road and overreacted or something happened inside that car we don't know about," Harper said, looking at the diagram.

Harper suffered from just enough attention deficit disorder to be great when focused, but easily distracted. Lauren stood staring at the montage, in front of her. Harper looked at Lauren from behind, silhouetted there against the accident site pictures on the wall. The way she c.o.c.ked her head to one side when she was thinking, the way her hair had just enough wave for the highlights to blend like liquid, the curve of her waist, all of it was a major distraction.

Harper put down the ruler she was holding and walked around to the side of the table Lauren was on. She took her in her arms and said rapidly, pleading her case, "Why don't you just move in with me. You're practically living here now. Go get your clothes and essentials and leave the rest at the studio. I'll make room for anything you want to bring. You can work at the studio and if you want to work late, we'll stay over there. Just bring your U-haul lezzie and let's do the normal lesbian thing. Actually I think we've known each other longer than most lesbi...."

"Shut up and kiss me, you had me at move in with me." Lauren smiled up at Harper and then accepted a sweet kiss to seal the deal.

Harper said, when she let Lauren go, "I guess this means I have to find a place to put the boat."

"My Harper," Lauren said, in her best southern drawl, "but you do say such romantic things."

About three o'clock, Harper was ready to show the rendering of the accident to Lauren. They were both shocked by the violence of the crash. The car was still accelerating when the brakes were applied, indicating either a malfunction in the accelerator line or Shelby had a foot on the accelerator and one on the brake, at the same time. It would be important to the investigation that both possibilities were checked out.

Right after the braking began, the steering wheel was jerked sharply to the right and then immediately it was jerked back the other way with enough force to cause the car to capsize and then flip twice more, after hitting the guardrail. Shelby was driving a sports car. They just don't flip without tremendous side force. Harper looked for signs of another car, but there were none.

Harper sent all the information they had gathered to Molly and then remembered the I-Phone. She located it in the glove compartment of the Hummer. When she came back in with it she plugged it in to her I-Phone charger, waited a few seconds then hit the power b.u.t.ton. The phone did not respond. She and Lauren tried to find the closest Apple store to Kerrville. It was the Apple store at Northpoint on the Parkway in Durham. Their hours were noon to seven on Sunday, so they took a drive over to the store.

Lauren dropped Harper off at the Apple store, while she drove over to her studio to load up a few things, mainly the clothes she liked to wear. Harper told her to wait and they would go together, but she insisted on going ahead and said, "Just call me when you're through."

The kid behind the counter in the Apple store said, "What'cha do, run over it with a car?" when Harper handed him the phone.

"Kinda," Harper replied.

The kid looked at the screen, "Does it power up?"

Harper said no. She told him she just wanted the videos and images off the phone, if possible. Harper seemed to remember that Leah was holding a phone just like this one at Abby's house. She even thought she was taking a video of the fight they were having. She wasn't really paying all that much attention to Leah at the time. Harper wanted to see what was on the phone. She didn't want to lose any information in a data transfer and she wasn't sure how damaged the phone was.

The kid told her it would be at least two weeks before the phone would be back, because he had to send it somewhere else. Harper was afraid to let the phone go for that long. Plus the company would probably just recommend throwing this one away. There had to be a faster way to get the files off the phone.

She asked about other options. The clerk looked around, in a conspiratorial way, then when he was sure no one was listening, he said that his buddy could probably get the files off the phone and have them back to her tomorrow for $150.00. Harper agreed to the price. Harper wrote all the kid's personal information down, just in case he was pulling a fast one, but the kid a.s.sured her it was a legit deal.

With that accomplished Harper called Lauren, who was still getting things together to put in her car. Harper told her to take her time and she would just walk around the mall until Lauren called saying she was coming to pick her up. Some of the boutique stores were not open on Sunday, but she found a Bath store and bought some bath salts, shower gels, natural sea sponges, air freshener and candles for the house. She could spend all day in the store. She loved all the different smells.

Harper then wandered around until she found herself standing in front of Little's Jewelers looking at their selection of anniversary rings. She liked the cla.s.sic two-carat diamond anniversary style ring with the princess cut diamonds, set in Platinum. The discounted price was $1800.00 and they had multiple sizes.

She truly had lost her mind. Harper never spent money like this spontaneously, but here she was about to buy a diamond ring for a woman she had known less than two months. She didn't even know what size ring Lauren wore so she guessed. She bought two matching rings, one in her own size. Harper didn't know when she would give the ring to Lauren. She guessed she would know when the time was right.

Harper wanted to put a ring on Lauren's left hand so people, men and women alike, would know that she was taken. It wasn't a possession thing. It was a pride thing. That's my girl, is what she wanted to say. Harper finished up the sale and had the clerk's a.s.surance that if the ring did not fit, she could have it sized anytime for free.

She stuffed the jewelry bag inside the Bath store bag, so Lauren couldn't see where she had been. Lauren called a few minutes later to say she was on her way. Harper made her way to the arranged meeting spot in front of the Apple Store, glad that it had stopped raining.

Lauren pulled up to where Harper was standing and got out of the driver's seat so Harper could drive. Harper opened the back door and stuck the bag she was holding behind her seat. She looked over the backseat to see Lauren had loaded the rear of the Hummer. She could see a very s.e.xy negligee hanging over an even s.e.xier camisole. She reached over the seat and held it up so Lauren could see it.

"You've been holding out on me," she said with a wicked grin.

"If you noticed Miss Harper you haven't given me a chance to dress up for you. It's dressed and undressed, no in between with you," Lauren said, amused at Harper's reaction to the lingerie.

"Well honey, if you have any more of this stuff, I'll give you time to put it on," Harper laughed, putting the garment down.

Harper got behind the wheel and started out of the parking lot. She explained about the phone and was almost to the street when Lauren said, "What did you buy at Bath store?"

It happened in slow motion for Harper. Lauren reached inside bag and pulled out the jewelry store bag, before Harper could stop her. She turned her head to look at Harper. Harper could feel her face flush. What could she say? Lauren pulled the identical boxes out of the bag and stared at them.

"I guess I wasn't supposed to see these," Lauren finally said.

Harper pulled the Hummer into a parking place. She took the boxes from Lauren's hands. "I did something really crazy. There was this mega sale and I couldn't resist."

"Well what's in the boxes?" Lauren said excitedly.

"This isn't the way I pictured this happening, not in a mall parking lot on a Sunday afternoon." Harper said, sounding dejected.

Lauren was like a kid at Christmas, "I have to know what it is. Don't make me wait. The suspense will kill me."

Harper opened the boxes, "They're matching anniversary rings, and I know we haven't had an anniversary, but I don't like the big single diamond engagement rings."

"Harper, is that some backhanded way of asking me to marry you?"

"I guess it is, I wanted it to be special, you know, romantic," Harper wished it had been over a romantic dinner or starlit deck.

"Yes, I'll marry you and that was the best marriage proposal I've ever received," Lauren smiled.

"Oh, have you had many?" Harper asked.

"Enough to know you are the sweetest person alive and I love you. You're the only one I ever said yes to," Lauren answered.

"Not even Shelby?"

"No, not even Shelby, she never asked, because she said it wasn't legal anyway. We wore commitment rings, but that's all."

Harper leaned over the console and touched Lauren's face with her hand. She kissed her sweetly then took the ring out of the box and placed it on her left ring finger. Miracle of miracles it fit. Harper took her ring out and let Lauren slide it on her finger.

Harper had tears in her eyes, which was highly unusual. She looked deeply into Lauren's eyes and said, "When this mess is over with Shelby, you and I are going to go to whatever state or country you choose, where I can marry you in front of our friends and families. I love you Lauren and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

By now, Lauren had tears streaming down her face. She looked at Harper so tenderly, Harper felt her heart flop over and she had to catch her breath. Lauren at last said, "I will spend every day of the rest of my life loving you, I promise. I am so lucky you found me. I can't imagine now, what my life would have been like, if I had never known you."

They kissed and held each other for a long few minutes, when Lauren whispered in Harper's ear, "Take me home and I'll model all my s.e.xy lingerie for you."

Harper put the H3 in gear and made it from Durham to her house in record time. They were coming through the utility room door laughing over the piles of clothes they had stretched across their arms when Lauren's phone rang. She dropped her armload on the table by the bar and answered the phone. Harper could only hear Lauren's side of the conversation, but she got the gist of what was going on.

"h.e.l.lo, Chita... Yeah well, she's been saying that for two days... No, put her on the phone..." Lauren rolled her eyes so Harper could see. "Hi Shel... I understand. Why don't you ask the nurse for more painkillers, if you are in that much pain? ... Yes, she will listen to you. You are the patient... No, I'm not coming tonight. I'll be there in the morning... No. There is nothing I could do that Chita cannot also do, so either talk to the nurse yourself and start becoming more responsible for your own care or lie there and suffer. It's your choice."

There was a longer pause and then Lauren continued, "Hey Chita, go talk to the nurse for her. Tell her she's in pain and she can't sleep....Yeah, I know you don't mind talking to the nurses....I don't care if she's crying. She has to stop depending on me so much....Yeah, tough love. Hey speaking of love, Harper just gave me what looks and feels like a two-carat band of diamonds and asked me to marry her....Yeah, love at first sight, that's right....Okay, thanks. Have a good night...I will."

Lauren looked at Harper, smiling, "Well, I told the first person, so you can't take it back."

Harper's answer was probably not what Lauren was expecting, "You don't think Chita will tell Shelby do you?"

Lauren realized the possibility of that happening was very likely, she took a breath then said, "Well, she'll probably see the ring tomorrow and ask about it anyway."

"I hadn't thought about what you'd say to her. I don't want to hurt her anymore than we have already," Harper said, finally dropping the armload of clothes on the back of the couch.

"Well, I'm not taking it off and keeping it a secret from Shelby. If she asks, I'll say that my girlfriend gave it to me, when she asked me to marry her and I said yes."

Harper grinned, "You do know she knows that I'm your girlfriend and we've only been dating like five weeks."

Lauren slipped her hands around Harper's waist, while Harper leaned on the back of the couch, "You do know that I don't care," Lauren said.

"You won't be cruel will you?" Harper asked, with genuine concern for Shelby's welfare.

"Honey, cruel would be letting her think that if she gets well, I'll take her back. This way she has to get well, because she wants to, not because of me. Who knows, maybe she'll use her anger at us as a catalyst to make a full recovery."

Harper wasn't buying it, "Or she'll sink into depression and complicate her situation."

Lauren smiled up at her, "Don't worry, they have drugs for that. They can make her happy even if she doesn't want to be." Lauren started laughing.

"Okay, okay, I'll let you handle it. That's what you want, isn't it?" Harper said. She couldn't help laughing at Lauren. Her laughter was contagious.

"Yes, that's what I want. You let me worry about Shelby and you worry about keeping me happy. Like right now I am starving," Lauren complained rubbing her stomach.

Harper gathered her armload of clothes from the back of the couch, starting for the stairs and saying over her shoulder, "I'll take these up then come back down and fix us some crab cakes. I have some in the freezer from my last trip to Cape Hatteras, just before I met you as a matter of fact."

"Oh I love Hatteras, my family has a cottage in Nags Head," Lauren said, following her with her own armload.

"Now why does that not surprise me," Harper said, sarcastically. "And all this money comes from tobacco. My granddad was in the wrong end of that business."

Lauren explained, "Now, not all of our money is tobacco money. My branch of the Zachary family made its original fortune from tobacco, but sold out to relatives and went into the money end of the tobacco market, the banking end. My father's family is aricher than two feet up a mule's a.s.s,' as my mother has been heard to say, when she's had too much brandy."

They reached the bed and threw the clothes down on top of it.

Lauren pecked Harper on the cheek, "Go, and make food. I'll put all this up and finish getting the things out of the car."

Harper ran down the stairs two at a time. She went into the utility room and retrieved the crab cakes from the freezer. She threw the sealed freezer bag into the sink with some cold water and turned the oven on preheat to 375 degrees, which she would later switch to broil. She always had the cook in Frisco, not completely cook the cakes she took home with her. They would finish thawing and cooking at the same time.

Harper decided to cut sweet potatoes into French fries, she used low olive oil so the damage wouldn't be too bad. Harper didn't eat a lot of fried food. She added a salad on the side to complete the meal. While Harper chopped and cooked, Lauren made several trips out to the garage and back, stopping for a kiss each time. Harper always thought couples who acted like this were so sugary sweet that it was sickening. Now she couldn't help herself.

Lauren completed her unpacking and putting away just when Harper finished dinner. Jasper, who had followed Lauren all over the house, lay down on the rug near the table, when Lauren sat down. Harper brought their plates to the table and a bottle of white wine. She poured the wine and made a toast.

"To Sooners and Tar Heels, may they be happy forever." Harper leaned over to kiss the beaming Lauren and then they clinked their cla.s.ses and took a sip. Harper added quickly after swallowing, "That wasn't too corny was it?"

Lauren stifled a giggle, "Oh no, it was perfect." Taking her first bit of the crab cake, she added, "Umm, that's good."

"I know, isn't it? These are the best crab cakes I have found."