"No way, Baby," she laughed. "I’m keeping every one of those!"
Ryan leaned over and placed a kiss on the springy curls. "I swear that you have the most perfect little triangle that I’ve ever seen," she marveled. "You could wear a thong and not have one little curl stick out."
"Just another example of my perfection," she gloated.
When Ryan was finished ogling her, Jamie pulled her to her feet and washed the masque off her face, using a soft cloth to help the process. When the masque was completely removed, she squirted a generous amount of fragrant shampoo onto her hands and guided Ryan under the rainfall showerhead. When her hair was properly wet, she jumped onto the seat and worked the shampoo into the ebony locks, giving her a thorough scalp massage in the bargain. Ryan let her head rest heavily against her partner, enjoying the unfamiliar sensation. When the temporarily taller woman was satisfied with her efforts, she again used the handheld fixture to rinse every bit of soap residue out of her partner’s hair. After she ran her hands through the tresses several times to remove excess water, she applied some conditioner and sat Ryan back down to let it work.
Jamie started to scrub off her own masque, but Ryan divined her intentions and insisted on returning the favor. Next, she washed and rinsed Jamie’s short tresses, applying some firm pressure to various spots on her head and neck to relieve any lingering stress. An application of conditioner for Jamie preceded the thorough rinsing of Ryan’s head. By the time all of the product was out of her thick hair, it was Jamie’s turn, and moments later both heads were clean and conditioned.
Each woman lathered up a soft cloth and washed every square inch of her partner, spending extra time on some of the most prized real estate. Jamie was forced to snatch the cloth away when Ryan started to stray into forbidden territory, and gave her partner a playful slap on the hand.
They dried each other with fluffy beige bath sheets, and then Jamie used a smaller bath towel to remove the bulk of the water from Ryan’s hair. Sitting the tall woman on a small stool, she carefully combed her hair to remove any tangles, pulled out a blow dryer and blew the dark hair dry, combing it straight back off her forehead. Ryan once again echoed her lover’s actions, quickly blowing Jamie’s hair dry.
They returned to their own room where they each playfully brushed the other’s teeth. This task was not particularly easy, but it was fun to try, and when finished, they kissed a few times to test for cleanliness.
Walking back into the bedroom together, Ryan checked her watch. "It’s just a little after nine, Hon. We’ve got an hour to kill."
Jamie tilted her head and considered their options for a moment. "We could go downstairs and see if Conor’s up," she suggested. "We didn’t get a chance to spend much time with him yesterday."
"I’ve been spending time with Conor for 24 years, Honey," Ryan said with a frown. "I’m not really interested in that proposition."
To Ryan’s amazement, Jamie seemed unable to think of any pastime that could occupy them for an hour or so. She blinked up at Ryan and asked, "Do you have anything you’d like to do, Honey?"
"Gosh, Jamie," she said slowly, trying to hide a grin. "It’s the last day of our honeymoon…we’ve got over an hour to kill…we’re sparkling clean…my legs are all smooth—just waiting to be touched…or licked." She shook her dark head slowly and muttered, "Nope. I can’t think of a thing."
"Oops!" Jamie was truly embarrassed to be so oblivious, but when she considered the proposal, she realized why it had not occurred to her. "I don’t really want to need another shower, Honey. I’d really like to be close, but could we maybe just lie together for a while?"
"Of course we could." Ryan smiled as she gathered her in a hug. "It’s the closeness that I really need, too, Honey. Let’s spend the last hour of our honeymoon in each other’s arms."
Obviously not as well rested as they had thought, they both fell asleep within minutes of climbing back into bed.
A small noise woke Ryan and, staring at her watch in amazement, she nudged her partner and asked, "Jamie, do you know what time it is?"
"No," she mumbled. "Can’t we talk about this later?"
"No, Honey," Ryan insisted. "It’s 10:15."
"WHAT! How can that be?" Jamie shouted as she leapt from the bed and ran to her closet.
"That’s more like it," Ryan decided, getting to her feet and trying to stay out of the way.
Only by rushing faster than she ever had, was Jamie ready by herself imposed deadline. But even in her great haste she looked adorable to Ryan’s appreciative eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless cotton batik dress in shades of yellow, gold, and orange. The dress was quite short and showed off her smooth, tanned legs, which were somewhat needlessly covered by sheer pantyhose. Simple gold earrings, a matching necklace, several gold bangles on one wrist and her slim gold watch on the other were the perfect accessories. She had on just a touch of makeup that accentuated the golden highlights of her tanned skin, and a little splash of perfume that made Ryan’s mouth water. The dark woman was absolutely mesmerized, staring at Jamie the whole time she was getting dressed.
When Jamie was ready, she turned to make a comment to her partner and was struck by the lovesick expression on Ryan’s lovely face. Her heart clenched in her chest, and she felt the first stirrings of desire flare. Echoing the longing she saw in the deep blue eyes, she murmured, "God, I don’t want this to end."
Ryan closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, wrapping her beloved in an emotion-filled embrace. "I don’t either, Sweetheart, I don’t either." They hugged so fiercely that Jamie was afraid she would have to change clothes to avoid being a wrinkled mess, but she didn’t mind a bit. Being held in Ryan’s arms was worth any sacrifice, she decided.
"You could go with me," a small voice floated up to Ryan’s ears.
Pausing a second to make sure she gave the correct impression, Ryan demurred. "This is something you need to do alone, Honey. I really think I’d be in the way."
Jamie started to disagree, but Ryan silenced her with a gentle kiss. "If you’re worried about going alone, or you need to talk about it some more, I’ll drive you and hang out in Palo Alto while you go to the ceremony, but I really think you need to go to the graduation alone to be able to let go of some of this, Honey."
"I have let go of him, Ryan! Really, I have!" The look on her face was a combination of embarrassment and fear as she tried to convince both Ryan and herself of the truth of her statement.
Ryan’s hands lifted and gently grasped Jamie’s face. She tilted her head just enough to be able to gaze directly into her eyes. Her voice was soft, but firm as she said, "I know you have, Love. But this chapter of your shared lives is still open. You would not have wanted to go if it wasn’t, Baby. I think this is something that you need to do, and I support you totally, Jamie. I really want you to go." Ryan’s face reflected her sincere wishes, even though she surprised herself a little when she expressed them.
"You’re right," Jamie muttered, nuzzling her face against Ryan’s chest. "I just don’t want to go."
The mere fact that Jamie was so reticent to leave made Ryan feel immeasurably better. "I know, Honey, I know." They stood and held each other gently until Jamie absolutely had to leave. With a small kiss on the top of her head, Ryan said, "I love you more than words can say, Jamie. You make me happier than I ever thought was possible."
"I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy, Ryan." And she reached up to kiss her. As she backed away, she brought her hands up and slipped the other blue diamond into Ryan’s right earlobe. "I need to wear a matched set today. So you keep mine safe for me until we’re together again," she said as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed her ear.
They walked down the stairs hand in hand. As they entered the kitchen, Conor was sitting at the counter, fully dressed, with an anxious look on his face. "Thank God you finally came down!" he cried. "There was no way I was going to disturb the honeymooners!"
They both laughed at his predicament, with Jamie placing her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. "Sorry we got such a late start, Conor. But you’ve got plenty of time to get to the course."
He smiled up at her, all of his anxiety now gone. "I hope you have fun today too, Jamie. I just wish you could go with us."
"I do too, Conor. I don’t know how I’m going to survive without this one for a whole afternoon," she said as she gave Ryan a firm hug.
Ryan leaned down to kiss her tenderly, grasping her hand and leading her outside. Conor followed along behind them and tried not to watch as his sister said her goodbyes. Jamie got into her car, and Ryan sat down on her haunches to be able to reach her through the low door. She kissed her several times, each kiss getting a little more fervent. She finally lifted her head and smiled at Jamie. "I think we’d better stop, or Conor’s gonna get a show."
"Now you have fun today, Tiger, and don’t forget to drive those other cars. Why don’t you take one to the course?"
"Could I?" she asked with her eyes wide.
"Oh course, Baby, Daddy wants you to drive them. It’s okay if Conor wants to drive, too. Daddy really likes people to enjoy his little toys. Oh, I forgot to tell you that I already signed for your golf today. I also paid for Chip’s time since it’s going to be a playing lesson, and I left a nice tip for him so you don’t have to worry about that. I opened a tab for you at the restaurant, too. Have lunch there and just sign my name. I’ve just gotten some weight back on you, so you eat up."
"You’re much too good to me, you know," Ryan insisted. "You’re really going to spoil me."
"I can’t think of anyone I’d rather spoil," Jamie said as she puckered up for another kiss. After several more tender kisses, she started to pull away, but stopped about 20 feet down the drive. Ryan trotted over as Jamie leaned her head out. "I need one more," she pleaded.
Ryan stuck her head in the window and gave her a doozy. Jamie had to fight to focus after the searing kiss. "Whew!" she breathed. "Hold that thought until I get home tonight, Tiger."
"If Conor wasn’t here I’d like one more little taste of you," she murmured in reply.
"You read my mind, Baby," Jamie agreed wistfully.
Ryan leaned in and gave her a final kiss, then reluctantly stood and waved goodbye.
Conor was standing on the landing by the back door, hands on his hips. Ryan just lifted her shoulders in a shrug as she gave him a guilty smirk. "I’ve got it baaaad, Conor."
"It’s the worst case I’ve ever seen," he agreed as his wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
They had less than ten minutes to get to the club, so rather than drive one of the muscle cars, Ryan decided to just go in Conor’s truck, since his clubs were already loaded. They flew into the parking lot and had to run to get to the clubhouse on time. Chip was waiting for them and after quick introductions; they headed out to the first tee.
Conor was like a kid in a candy store, "ooohing" and "aaahing" at all of the sights. He and Ryan rode together, and she pointed out all of the interesting trivia that she had learned on her earlier round. Conor was really on his game and made quite a respectable showing. Ryan also played significantly better, and both Chip and Conor were generous in their praise of her improving game.
Conor had to brag about her a bit to Chip, informing him about what a natural athlete his little sister was. He had Chip in stitches by the time he finished regaling him with stories of a young Ryan beating her older brothers in nearly every game they played.
When they stopped at the snack bar after the ninth hole, Ryan grabbed $20 worth of food and Gatorade, with even Conor expressing astonishment at her purchases. "Jamie made me promise to eat a lot today," she protested.
Conor laughed at her as she gulped down the large bottle of Gatorade. "You wouldn’t be so hungry if you came downstairs and had breakfast like normal people," he joked.
"I am sorry for worrying you this morning," she said sincerely. "It really would have been okay to come up and check on us."
"Well," he admitted, "I heard you playing in the bathroom at eight, so I just assumed you were up. But when you didn’t come down by ten, I did tiptoe upstairs and I didn’t hear a sound. So I made just enough noise to wake you up. I do respect your privacy, but I was not going to miss playing this course!"
As they drove to the tenth tee, Ryan leaned over and gave Conor a kiss on the cheek. "What was that for?" he asked.
"I just missed you these past two weeks. I was really disappointed that I didn’t get to see you before we left to come down here."
He gave her a big smile as he patted her on the leg. "I missed you too, Ryan. Da and I were talking about it the other day. It just doesn’t feel right at home when you’re not there."
Chip was waiting for them when they pulled up, so Ryan was unable to pursue the conversation. But she decided that she needed to revisit the topic at lunch.
The rest of the round flew by, with the threesome getting along quite well. Ryan loved seeing her brother enjoy himself so much, and she thought that one of Conor’s most endearing traits was that he was unafraid to show his true feelings. He wasn’t the type of man who felt he had to play it cool. He let his boyish enthusiasm show through in nearly everything he did. Ryan studied him as he stood on the tee to hit his shot. When she really thought about it, she realized that he had changed very little since they were children. He was still full of energy and always ready to play a practical joke or engage in some form of competition. She was pleased to see that being an adult hadn’t hardened him, like so many people his age.