Keepers of the Cave (21 page)

He who
never escaped her lips. In a moment of clarity, Fiona saw past the reptilian hands that had touched her. She saw the hard, slimy skin, the lizard-like features, the long, cold tongue that had wrapped around her neck, holding her down as sharp claws tore at her skin,
mating
with her, impregnating her with...

Her world went black and she didn’t feel the hands that caught her before she crashed to the floor.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Paige busied herself with laundry, her gaze constantly going to her watch. Their second dancing trip in as many weeks was drawing near and her anxiety was growing with each tick of the clock. After the week they’d had, she was actually afraid of going dancing with CJ, scared of what would happen between them. It would be dark, the music slow, and CJ’s arms would pull her closer, their bodies touching in places they shouldn’t. Paige wouldn’t fight it, she knew. Would CJ kiss her? Would it be like the last time? Or would it be more?

Paige found herself staring into space, the shorts forgotten in her hand. Yes, CJ would kiss her. That thought brought a flutter to her stomach, and it was with dismay that she realized she
wanted
CJ to kiss her. Her attempts to come up with an excuse for them not to go were feeble and halfhearted, at best. That should have told her something right there. She sighed.

Yes. She wanted to go dancing with CJ. She wanted to be held by her. And yes, she wanted to be kissed. Oh, hell, she wanted it all. Kissing, touching...sex.

“Great,” she murmured. “You’ve gone to the dark side.”

“Who are you talking to?”

Paige jumped, embarrassed. “Just...thinking out loud.”

“You need some help?”

She shook her head. “My turn for laundry. Bathroom?”

“All done.”

She paused. “Maybe we shouldn’t go tonight,” she suggested.

CJ leaned against the wall. “Why?”

Paige didn’t look at her. “You know why, CJ.”

CJ let out a deep breath. “You want to make up some rules before we go?”

“So you can break them?” she asked with a smile.

CJ shook her head. “Tell me what you want, Paige. No dancing?”

“That would be hard to do, seeing as how we’re going to a dance,” she said.

“Okay. Then what? You want me to promise I won’t kiss you?”

Paige turned slowly, their eyes meeting. Yes, that’s what she wanted. She wanted CJ to promise she wouldn’t kiss her, wouldn’t tempt her, wouldn’t hold her close, and wouldn’t touch her. That was what she wanted.
Right?
But she remained silent, no words leaving her mouth. She couldn’t even bring herself to nod. Was the dance going to be an excuse? Was it giving them permission? Permission to touch, to kiss? Did CJ want to cross that line too? Or was this all still a game, still role-playing? Were they still just pretending?

When she didn’t answer, CJ shoved off the wall with a nod. “Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

“What does that mean?”

CJ grinned. “You know. I like you, you like me,” she said, motioning between them.

Paige panicked immediately. “We can’t do this.” She shook her head. “We can’t,” she said again.

“Of course we can. We’ve done it before.” CJ’s voice lowered. “I think we were quite good at it, in fact.”

CJ turned and left, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Paige heard the TV turn on and she went back to the laundry, methodically folding each item, her glance going to her watch, the minutes still ticking away.

***

There was electricity in the air. At least, it felt that way to Paige. The DJ was blasting music as the band set up. Even though they were an hour earlier than last week, the place was packed. She reached for CJ’s hand as bodies pressed in around them, everyone talking loudly, trying to be heard above the music. CJ followed Suzette and Becca, weaving through the crowd, pulling Paige along with her. Paige looked behind her, motioning for Valerie and Ella to follow as they had become separated. Suzette found them a table, although there were only six chairs, Jules and Sherry claiming the last two.

“Val and Ella will have to stand,” Jules said, the noise level only slightly lower than near the bar.

“Or steal someone’s,” Becca said with a laugh.

“Dare we brave the bar?” CJ asked.

“I’ll go with you,” Sherry volunteered.

“Beer for everyone?” CJ asked. She glanced at Paige. “Or something else?”

“Beer is fine,” she said with a nod.

CJ took the money that was offered her, then she and Sherry fought through the crowd again. Paige turned her attention back to the table, straining to hear what Suzette was saying.

“I’m still in shock over Fiona,” she said. “She’s never once mentioned a boyfriend.”

“I didn’t get the impression there was a boyfriend involved,” Paige said. “She didn’t really want to talk about it.”

“Maybe that’s why she was sick that week,” Becca suggested.

“Maybe so.”

“You know, as nice as she is, I don’t recall her ever having a one-on-one lunch with someone. She must really like you.”

For all of the closeness the teachers displayed in public, she’d found that it wasn’t always the case. They did the weekend cookouts, they did the group trip to the bar for dancing, and they sometimes shared shopping trips. But other than that, everyone pretty much stayed to herself during the week. Which wasn’t all that odd, she supposed. Given that it was such a small group, there was such a thing as too much togetherness.

They lapsed into silence and turned their attention to the throng of weaving bodies. As opposed to last week, this was a mostly older crowd tonight. She assumed it was because of the band.

“Here you go,” CJ said, sitting down beside her and sliding a beer along the table. “Nice and cold.”

“Thank you.”

Their thighs brushed and Paige felt a jolt of excitement at the touch. Whether it was an accident or not, she didn’t know, but she didn’t move, allowing the contact to continue.
Playing with fire.
Yes, she knew she was, but the tension between them had reached a breaking point. First at home, then in the car, then at dinner—innocent touches, prolonged glances, both she and CJ guilty. She knew exactly what she wanted from this night and that nearly terrified her. She was apprehensive of the first dance, yet the anticipation was killing her. When Valerie and Ella got up to dance, it seemed to stir CJ. She turned to her, leaning closer.

“Would I be breaking a rule if I asked you to dance with me?”

CJ’s breath tickled her ear and Paige turned, meeting her eyes, their mouths only inches apart. “How about...we don’t have any rules tonight.”

She couldn’t tell if CJ was startled by her suggestion or relieved. But as had been CJ’s course of action the last week, she hesitated.

“Are you sure? It could be...dangerous.”

Paige managed a short laugh. “Of course I’m not sure. We shouldn’t be doing this. We shouldn’t even be
thinking
about doing this.”

CJ nodded. “Then let’s just dance. We won’t think about it.”

Paige took CJ’s hand, letting herself be led to the dance floor. She didn’t have a clue as to what the song was, but she seemed to remember it from last week. It didn’t matter. It meant nothing to her. Right now, her sole focus was on CJ. Their eyes met for a brief second, then strong arms pulled her in close. She didn’t hesitate...or protest. One hand cradled in CJ’s, the other slipped over her shoulder. She buried her face against CJ’s neck, breathing in her unique scent, allowing herself a few moments to just absorb what was happening before she lifted her head again. Her feet moved automatically, following CJ’s lead, shuffling in a rhythm that came naturally to them. They didn’t speak, only sharing shy smiles occasionally.

They pulled apart as the song ended. Paige avoided her eyes as she turned to head back to the table. But CJ stopped her, grinning as another song started. Once again, Paige found herself in CJ’s arms.

“Love this song,” CJ murmured.

“Mmm,” was all she could manage as she lost herself in CJ’s arms. The line she was trying not to cross was vague at best, if it was even there at all. She allowed CJ to hold her close, allowed their bodies to meet, their breasts to touch. Her hand found its way into CJ’s hair and she swore she heard a soft moan in her ear. It was her undoing. She lifted her head slightly, resting her cheek against CJ’s, feeling her warmth, feeling her breath. But she was tired of pretending. She turned then, blindly seeking CJ’s mouth...finding it. She moaned into the kiss, dancing nearly forgotten as their feet slowed, barely moving at all. Her fingers tangled in CJ’s hair, her mouth opening as she shyly brushed the tip of her tongue against CJ’s.

The spark ignited—as she knew it would—and Paige could feel CJ’s hands moving boldly across her body, pulling her closer still. Their kiss deepened, Paige letting go completely of the tiny bit of resolve that still existed. She started the kiss, not CJ, and she was the one to finally bring it to an end. Embarrassed, she couldn’t meet CJ’s gaze. Instead, she closed her eyes, shielding herself against CJ’s neck. She could feel—hear—CJ’s thundering heartbeat, its beat matching her own.

CJ didn’t speak, didn’t question her actions. If she had, Paige would have had no answer. She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed when the song mercifully came to an end. She was flushed and breathless, yet she clung to CJ’s hand. Much like that long-ago night they’d met at the bar, she felt like she was in a daze, unable to focus on anything but CJ. CJ led her back to their corner table, politely holding her chair out for her. The table was far from the dance floor and the band, which would be starting soon, and it afforded them some privacy.

Where CJ’s hand rested on her thigh, she felt her skin burning. She covered that hand, letting her fingers entwine with CJ’s. She had a wicked thought of pulling that hand between her legs and begging for relief, and she barely resisted the urge to do just that.

Her breath caught as CJ leaned closer. Her voice was just loud enough to be heard, her mouth brushing against her ear. “If you kiss me like that again, all bets are off.”

Paige just stared at her, her gaze going from her lips to CJ’s eyes, then back to her lips again. She wondered where her resistance had fled to, the resistance she’d clung to all these weeks. She didn’t realize just how hard she’d been fighting her attraction to CJ. It was one thing to tell herself that she wasn’t attracted to her, that CJ wasn’t her type. It was quite another to realize she’d been lying to herself all along.

She finally gave a slight nod, acknowledging what CJ had said. But like a magnet, she felt herself being pulled to her. She could tell herself that they were still role-playing, that the kiss was for show only, but again, she’d be lying. She quit fighting it, meeting CJ’s mouth, keeping the kiss light, pulling away when she felt herself losing control. Her hand was shaking as she reached for her beer, now terribly warm, but she needed something to distract her. When she was able to look at CJ, she was pleased to note that CJ seemed to be as affected by their kisses as she was.

As before, they all took turns dancing with the others in their group. Despite Paige’s assertion that she didn’t even like to dance, she admitted it was quite enjoyable. She found Sherry to be a good dancer, but the one time she tried to lead when dancing with Suzette, they’d ended up laughing as their feet kept tangling together.

She and CJ had not danced again, but they weren’t avoiding each other like they had been the last time. Quite the opposite. They sat close together, their legs brushing, touching, eyes meeting quickly before pulling away. The tension was thick between them, dangerous. Perhaps that’s why they hadn’t danced again. They both seemed to realize how risky it could be.

She didn’t know much about country music and only recognized a handful of songs, but the band appeared to be very good. Judging by the others there, who would sing along with nearly every song, she’d have to say they were a hit. So she sat back, trying to relax as she listened to the music. She’d finally accepted the fact that she and CJ would not dance again; she wasn’t sure if she was thankful or not. Her earlier aroused state had tempered but not disappeared. CJ was sitting too close for that.

A new song started, eliciting claps from the crowd as the lights dimmed, and soon the dance floor was crowded with women. A popular love song, apparently. CJ glanced at her, eyebrows raised. Yes, she wanted to dance with her, but did she dare? Her desire won out and she nodded, taking CJ’s hand. Her heart pounding loudly, she moved into her arms as if it was something they’d done hundreds of times before. The dance, apparently, was just an excuse to be close, to touch, to breathe the same air. Paige gave up any pretense of dancing. So did CJ. The floor was too crowded for that anyway. The other couples just shuffled about slowly, lovers embracing, kissing.

With both arms around CJ’s neck, she couldn’t stop herself from threading her fingers into her hair. CJ’s hands seemed to be everywhere, soft caresses stirring her arousal even more. She was so close to losing complete control, to forgetting they were on an assignment, that she made a last effort to stop things from escalating further.

“CJ, we can’t do this,” she said, making a feeble protest. “Please don’t do this to me.”

CJ pulled back slightly, meeting her eyes. “Do what?”

“Don’t make me want you like this.”

CJ leaned closer, brushing her lips lightly. “Do you want me? It seems only fair,” she said. “This week has been torture for me. Sleeping next to you, wanting to touch you so badly it hurt.”

“
God
,” Paige murmured, her eyes slamming closed. CJ’s mouth was on hers again and there was nothing chaste about it. Paige opened to her willingly, moaning as CJ’s tongue slid against her own. Their bodies were so close, she doubted light could penetrate between them. So close, yet not nearly close enough. She was shocked to realize how shameless she felt, how much she wanted this, wanted CJ.

CJ was the one to pull away, her breath coming as fast as Paige’s was. Paige was actually embarrassed for the wanton way she’d kissed CJ. They were still in public, after all. But the couples around them were all lost in their own worlds, oblivious to them. That knowledge alone made her ache to continue, but she still tried to cling to the last of her sanity.