Midas Touch (22 page)

hair.”You’re so beautiful,” Cory breathed as she continued to brush Sandra’s hair away from her face.

Peace embraced Sandra like a lover’s arms. She looked into Cory’s eyes and felt an enormous surge of love and courage. “I want to make you happy,” Sandra said.

“Then make love to me,” Cory said as her hands tugged at Sandra’s shirt.

Their clothes scattered across the truck in their haste. Sandra pulled Cory beneath her and covered her face and throat with kisses. Her blood pounded with a lust as ancient as time when Cory ground her pelvis against Sandra’s leg.

Sandra captured a straining nipple and sucked it into her mouth. Her head was caught between Cory’s hands and urged downward. Sandra slid farther down the seat, her legs bent in order to reach her goal. She grabbed Cory’s hips as they rose to meet her mouth. The delicious musky scent of desire fueled Sandra’s actions.

Sandra was convinced nothing could be more powerful than the sense of smell. How could anything be more provocative?

And then her tongue dipped into Cory’s wetness. Silky flesh surrounded her tongue as a delicate saltiness teased her taste buds. Cory was the tide, Sandra the moon. She pulled Cory deep into her mouth before releasing her hold to send Cory crashing back.Driven by Cory’s cries of pleasure, Sandra feasted on Cory’s desire like a woman dying of starvation. The truck rocked wildly with their lovemaking. Needing to feel more of her, Sandra slipped two fingers into Cory’s wetness while her tongue continued its banquet of rapture.

Sandra felt Cory stiffen in anticipation and she narrowed her concentration to the delicate point against the tip of her tongue.

She held her breath as Cory’s body was racked by a tremor that escalated into a wild thrashing. Sandra fought to hang on. Sandra’s ears filled with Cory’s cries of release, while her shoulders became prisoners of Cory’s long legs.

Unable and unwilling to give up the pleasure she was experiencing, Sandra continued to stroke Cory with her tongue until a second orgasm engulfed her. She tried to protest as Cory pulled her up into her arms.

“I want you now,” Cory said, her voice shaky and thick with desire. “Sit up,” she insisted as she knelt on the floor. She spread Sandra’s legs. “Brace them on the dash,” she said, pushing Sandra’s legs up. “I want access to everything,” she insisted, lowering her head between Sandra’s legs and gently nipping the insides of her thighs. Her hands slipped beneath Sandra’s hips and pulled her to the edge of the seat.

Cory’s tongue slipped between Sandra’s cheeks and gently rotated. The sensation was overwhelming. Sandra bit down on her lip to keep from crying out. Not even Dee had shown her this. Cory’s left thumb began a light feather stroke over Sandra’s swollen desire as the fingers of her right hand and began a gentle rhythm in and out of Sandra. Cory’s tongue and thumb created an inferno within Sandra like none she had ever known.

Sandra thrashed as her body melted into Cory’s mouth and hands. She begged for release, but Cory kept her hanging at the edge. After what seemed an eternity, Sandra felt herself slipping into a state of total awareness. The feel of Cory’s hands and tongue intensified until she could no longer distinguish which was what.

“Please.”

She heard her voice from a distance. The pressure of Cory’s touch shifted slightly, and Sandra’s world exploded. Never had Sandra felt such an urgent need. Her hands locked onto the back of the seat as she screamed out Cory’s name. She felt the cool glass of the windshield against the bottom of her feet. She gave in to the sensations and let her body be consumed by Cory’s fire.

Sandra heard Cory’s voice far away from the warm fuzzy place where she now floated. She tried to speak, but it was too much effort. Cory’s voice took on an edge of panic. Sandra fought her way back to see why. She forced her eyes open and found Cory dressed and leaning over her.

“Thank God,” Cory breathed loudly. “Are you all right?”

“I think I’ve been screwed to death,” Sandra managed to moan.

“Don’t make fun. I’ve been trying to rouse you for five minutes. I was about to start yelling for Nelda and JJ. What the hell happened?”

Sandra could see the concern on her face and pulled her into her arms. “I love you,” she declared, holding Cory close.

“I love you too,” Cory said, pulling back and gazing into Sandra’s eyes. “Are you all right?”

“I’ve never been better.” Sandra smiled foolishly, reveling in

Cory’s declaration of love.

Cory kissed her softly. “You’d better get dressed. It’s almost time for Nelda and JJ to return.”

“Already! They said three hours.”

“Which is only a few minutes from now,” Cory informed her.Sandra sat up, still feeling shaky.

“Let me help you.” With Cory’s help Sandra managed to get dressed.

“We’d better open the doors,” Cory said and giggled. “Nelda has a nose like a bloodhound. She’ll know exactly what we’ve been up to.”

Sandra was sitting on the running board with Cory leaning against the truck when Nelda and JJ returned. “They won’t have a single fish,” Cory
whispered to Sandra.

“How did you do?” Cory called to them.

“No luck,” Nelda answered, much too cheerfully for someone who had spent three fruitless hours fishing. “How about you two?”

“Nothing but a few nibbles,” Cory answered, smiling suggestively down at Sandra.

“Really?” JJ asked, surprised. Nelda cleared her throat and JJ

added lamely, “Guess this was just a bad night for fishing. Maybe it will be better next time, Sandra.”

Cory and Sandra exchanged amused looks before climbing into the back seat.

The four women rode in companionable silence. They were already on the main highway leading to the ranch before they met a car. The oncoming car’s headlights illuminated the truck’s windshield.

JJ leaned forward. “Nelda, what’s this on the windshield?”

“What’s it look like?” Nelda asked.

JJ
peered at the image. “It looks like a footprint!” Sandra felt her face flame, remembering the feel of the cool windshield against the bottom of her feet.

“How did a footprint get on the windshield?” JJ asked, puzzled.

Nelda chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” JJ
insisted, staring at her.

“I guess it was a fine night for fishing after all, sweetheart.”

“What do you mean it was … oh.” She stopped and threw a glance over her shoulder at Cory who was intently studying the darkness outside her window.

“Mighty fine night indeed,” Sandra agreed and squeezed Cory’s hand as they all burst out laughing.

Sandra woke to the feel of Cory’s soft breasts pressed against her back. “Are you planning on sleeping all day, sleepyhead?”

Cory asked, nuzzling Sandra’s neck.

“Considering the fact that I got no sleep last night, the thought does sound appealing.” She turned onto her back. “But who needs sleep?” She pulled Cory on top of her and gazed into her eyes. “There are so many things I want to do with you,” she said, caressing Cory’s back.

“Can we start with what you’re doing right now?”

“Only if you promise to describe in great detail exactly what it is I’m doing.”

Cory leaned forward, her husky voice tickling Sandra’s ear.

“You’re making me very wet and very horny.” Her tongue teased Sandra’s ear.

“I can do something about that.” Pulling Cory’s legs to either side of her body, Sandra wiggled down until her head was between Cory’s legs
.
Resting her head on a pillow she drove her tongue into Cory’s wetness. She suppressed a groan of excitement when Cory braced her arms against the wall and began to rhythmically rub her desire against Sandra’s face. Sandra lost track of everything but the feel of Cory.

The smell of fresh coffee and bacon finally lured them from the bedroom. The large country kitchen held a warm comfortable atmosphere Sandra had longed for in her own home, but never managed to achieve. As they chatted, she began to realize it was not the house providing the warmth, but rather the love and

friendship within the house. Their conversation gradually turned to JJ’s jewelry.

“Do you work out of the house?” Sandra asked.

“I have a small shop set up in the back. I’ll give you the nickel tour later, if you’d like to see it.”

“That would be great”

They finished breakfast and cleaned the kitchen together.

“We still have time for another horseback ride if you’d like,”

Nelda offered. Everyone agreed.

“Why don’t we go out the back way and show Sandra the shop. We can go to the barn from there,” JJ offered.

Nelda led the way down the long hallway. Cory and Sandra brought up the rear, sneaking a quick kiss.

Nelda gave Sandra a run-down on the house’s history. “The house was built in the early forties by a retired banker. There were rumors he was a gangster from Chicago and he moved out here to live his last few years in peace. Of course, people being the suspicious, greedy souls they are, thought he had hidden tons of loot out here somewhere. After he died, a lot of damage was done to the house by people trying to find his hidden money.”

Sandra saw a flash of disappointment cross Cory’s face and knew she was thinking of the house she thought she had lost.

Sandra felt a warm glow in knowing she would be able to give it to her.

Nelda opened the door to JJ’s workshop.

“This is it,” JJ said with pride in her voice.

Sandra was greeted by a variety of pleasant smells she could not identify. A quick glance showed her a room full of color and plants. She looked with approval at the bay window that allowed light to pour in.

“My eyes aren’t what they used to be,” JJ admitted, seeing Sandra observing the window. “We had the window put in a few years ago.”

“It’s a fantastic room,” Sandra marveled, looking around. “No wonder you’re able to create such beautiful jewelry. I could …”

She stopped short. The blood rushed from her head so quickly

she staggered. Cory and Nelda helped her into a wooden chair JJ had pulled from her desk. A thousand thoughts ran through Sandra’s mind as memories from childhood rushed to overtake her. Could it really be?

“Sandra?” Cory said as she hovered beside her.

Sandra pushed her gently to the side and stood. She removed the faded photo of herself and Mr. Peepers from her wallet and compared the photo to the bear on the shelf. “Mr. Peepers,” she croaked. “It’s Mr. Peepers.” She pointed to the battered old bear with a plaid vest and an odd shaped hat that sat over one ear.

A strangled cry came from behind her, and Nelda grabbed JJ

as JJ’s knees buckled.

“What the hell’s going on?” Nelda’s scared voice demanded.

“Mr. Peepers.” Sandra could not stop repeating the bear’s name. Time stood still for her as she rose and made her way to the tattered old bear.

“My God,” Nelda gasped when Sandra picked up the bear and clutched it to her heart.

Realization began to penetrate Sandra’s shock of seeing the bear sitting on the shelf. She turned and stared into the deep blue eyes that were so much like her own.

“How did you get my bear?” she managed to ask as JJ slowly pulled away from Nelda.

“It can’t be,” JJ whispered, walking as though her feet were weighed down with stones. She took the photo from Sandra’s hand and looked at it. “After all those years of looking and hoping.

You’re my Sandra. My baby girl.”

“Mother.” Sandra’s body moved to the woman she had been led to believe abandoned her. She could no longer find the hate she had carried around inside for most of her life. They met in the center of the room facing each other.

Sandra was pale and clinging to the odd-looking bear, while JJ trembled with tears trailing down her cheeks. Nelda and Cory

stood to the side, frozen by the mammoth wave of emotions tearing about the room.

For an eternity the mother and daughter stood staring at each

other until a strangled, broken sob tore from Sandra’s throat.

“My baby, my baby,” JJ chanted, pulling a weeping Sandra into her arms.

Nelda touched Cory’s arm and they silently left the room, leaving Sandra and JJ to begin repairing the damage caused by thirty-four years of needless separation.

Sandra clutched JJ’s hand and listened as JJ told about how they had moved to San Antonio when Sandra was two. JJ met Nelda at the restaurant and fell in love with her. JJ patted the ragged old bear Sandra continued to clutch.

My intuition about the diner was correct,
Sandra thought as JJ

continued.

“You saw this bear in a department store and wouldn’t let go of him. I named him after Nelda’s diner.” She wiped her tears and took a deep breath. “I had been sneaking around seeing Nelda for several months. Sometimes I’d take you with me, and sometimes I’d leave you with the next door neighbor. She and I took turns baby-sitting each other’s kids. Your father got suspicious and followed me. He caught Nelda and me together,” JJ said, shaking her head as if trying to dislodge the memory. “He was so angry.

He wouldn’t listen to anything I tried to say,” she continued. “He filed for a divorce and told the judge I was a lesbian. I lost custody of you. I wasn’t allowed to go near you.”

JJ went on to explain how she had tried to keep track of them, but her limited funds at the time combined with Sandra and her father’s constant moving eventually caused JJ to lose them.

“On your eighteenth birthday, Nelda and I hired a private investigator. He searched for four years before he finally gave up.

It’s like you simply dropped off the face of the earth.” She wiped tears from Sandra’s cheek. “But I never completely gave up. To this day, every time I go somewhere the first thing I do is check the phone book for Sandra Garrison.”

“Garrison?” Sandra asked, stunned. “My name’s Tate.”

JJ stared at her horrified before bursting into a fresh batch of tears. “The bastard,” she wept. “The low-down dirty bastard! I never dreamed he would change his name. If I had only thought,