The Riches of Mercy (48 page)

"You do?"

Natalie rolled off, sprawling onto her back. "I do."

Meredith snorted, but got to her knees. "Can I?" She tugged at the waistband of Natalie's pants.

"Yes."

Then Natalie was naked and Meredith reached for the fly of her own jeans.

"Let me."

"You're over there."

"Come closer."

Meredith knelt over Natalie, kissing her lightly, nipping and laughing despite Natalie's hand on the back of her head. Natalie shivered as Meredith's cotton shirt brushed against her nipples. But it wasn't exactly what she wanted. She reached for Meredith's jeans and undid the top button. Meredith's lips grazed her temple. Natalie pulled down the zipper and the lips stilled. Natalie worked her hand inside. Meredith would be wet, she would be warm--

"Natalie."

Meredith fell to her side, kicking off her jeans, taking her panties off. Then she reached for Natalie, kissing her. Gone was the teasing, replaced by the heat stoked in the early evening. Natalie pulled Meredith on top of her. Meredith moved up, so they were closer together, heat echoing heat, but it wasn't enough.

They were suspended in their desire, kissing, moving together, but no closer to the edge. A part of Natalie wanted to stay, to feel Meredith against her, where they were linked.

But a bigger part of her wanted to jump off the cliff. She urged Meredith's hips higher, just as Meredith's mouth moved from her lips to her cheek to her throat, preparing a descent.

"Nat--"

"I can't wait anymore."

"Whatever you want." Meredith pulled off her shirt. The words were mumbled, distracted, as Meredith kissed the side of her breast, but a surge went through Natalie. "Higher," she said, pulling at Meredith's hips.

"What?"

"Above me."

Without a word, Meredith moved up, kneeling above Natalie so her hips were over Natalie's head and her hands were steadied in the pillow. Natalie grabbed her and brought her to her mouth before Meredith changed her mind.

"God," Meredith said, nearly collapsing.

Natalie stroked, hungry for the taste, for more of it, for more of Meredith. Each pass of her tongue consumed her. She spent time thrusting her tongue into Meredith to see how far she could go. Walls squeezed at her, even as heat and pressure beckoned. But she was neglecting the rest of Meredith, and Meredith's frustrated cries reached her ears. She shifted, bringing Meredith into her mouth, not using her tongue, just breathing and sucking. Meredith bucked.

Natalie squeezed her ass.

Meredith bucked again, trying to grind down, finding only softness when she needed friction.

Natalie stroked a lightning path all the way along her, flicking into the curve of her ass before dipping once more into her, and then along folds, through neatly trimmed curls.

"Natalie," Meredith said, pleading.

At the first firm brush of Natalie's tongue, Meredith jerked up. Natalie held her hips until she settled again, shifting until the stroking was just where she needed it. She rolled her hips and they found a rhythm together, pushing Meredith steadily higher until she sat back, her hand pulling Natalie's hair, her feet digging into Natalie's arms.

She cried out. Natalie tasted the orgasm as Meredith shuddered over her. She wished she could see Meredith's face, and the flush of her skin.

Meredith gasped, kneeling on her hands and knees.

Natalie closed her eyes, smiling, until Meredith slid down and kissed her, cleaning her cheeks, tickling her chin.

"Whatever you want?" Meredith asked, and then kissed her ear.

"I can't get enough of you."

Meredith settled with her head on Natalie's chest. Her breathing was still harsh, but she was still, except for her hand moving up and down Natalie's side. Over her arm. Along her breast. Natalie savored the taste left. Though her senses were on fire and the light stroking of Meredith's hand almost painful, she was content to lie with Meredith wrapped around her and contemplate the rest of her life. She had no thoughts beyond their bed and the things they could do.

"You're burning," Meredith said.

"I want you."

"You want me to do what?" Meredith asked. She pressed a kiss between Natalie's breasts, over her heart.

Natalie shivered. "I want you to... anything."

"I can do anything." Meredith rolled into a crouch. She blew across Natalie's nipple.

"Anything's good."

"No requests?" Meredith hovered above her breast.

"Don't make me--"

Meredith gave a lick, and then met her gaze expectantly.

"--Move," Natalie said.

Meredith chuckled.

Natalie gathered her strength and arched upward. Meredith captured her nipple, sucking with firm but not painful pressure. A steady response after a teasing one was such a relief, so graciously arousing, that Natalie only cradled her head. For a while there was only the suckling, the intent exploration by Meredith to see what kinds of pressure and friction did what, to explore how hard her nipple could get before her groans became constant. She switched nipples. The second one already stiffened in anticipation, in kinship, and Natalie yelped at the first touch of Meredith's mouth.

Meredith kissed her way down Natalie's stomach, leaving Natalie's chest exposed again. "Merry," she called. The desire intensified in every moment. Being kissed became a form of torture.

Meredith reached her hip. She glanced up.

"Come kiss me."

"I was going to--"

"Here." Natalie touched her lips. She puckered.

Meredith made a show of sighing and crawling back up to kiss Natalie's mouth. "This can't possibly be--"

"I love your kisses."

"But--"

"Closer." Natalie rolled her head so Meredith's ear was near her lips. "Fuck me."

"Natalie Ivans."

"Hurry."

Meredith's fingers crept over Natalie's thigh. Natalie arched, wanting to offer all of herself to the touch, feeling flayed open. Meredith's fingers stilled.

"Stay with me, Nat."

"Oh, I'm here."

"Here." Meredith waited until Natalie's eyes met hers, with Meredith on her side, propped up on an elbow while her other hand pressed into Natalie's thigh. At Natalie's focused attention, Meredith kissed her and slipped her fingers in at the same time.

Natalie seized and deepened the kiss. She thrust her tongue into Meredith's mouth as Meredith's fingers penetrated her, not soothing the ache but increasing it, until Natalie felt like she was boiling. She sought a more comfortable niche rather than release and then it was there, Meredith sliding into her and the kisses raining down on her.

"This," she said.

"Yeah?"

"Just for a moment."

This was bliss. Natalie turned her head. The kisses became nuzzles against her neck. She wasn't still--She trembled with arousal, must have been flushed--She just existed.

Then she pulled Meredith closer. Meredith responded, swiping her thumb across Natalie, precisely. She just knew.

Fireworks. Swimming dark spots. Coming apart must have seemed like a guttural convulsion from Meredith's point of view but Natalie shattered into light. As the orgasm subsided Meredith's fingers, strong inside her, chafed, bringing her back to reality with the slight discomfort of pain, of the cold room, of smelling sex.

She chuckled.

"Hey, Nat."

Natalie reached down and guided Meredith's fingers from her, and then rolled over into her arms. She adjusted, Meredith, ever the nurse, helping her until her limbs were correctly arranged for minimal aggravation.

"Now we should shower," Meredith said, rubbing her back with damp fingers.

"Nope."

"Change the sheets?"

Natalie shook her head.

"Go again?"

"In a minute."

"Okay." Meredith kissed her temple.

"You're not going to call me lazy?"

"Natalie, what you just did--"

"What you just did to me."

"Mm. It was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. You can get away with so much if that's how you respond to me."

"Some of us saved ourselves. Didn't go willy nilly in prison."

"Thank you," Meredith said, close to her ear. "For saving yourself."

Natalie grinned, eyes closed, and kissed her collarbone.

"By the way," Meredith said, as Natalie drifted off.

"Mm?"

"We're changing churches."

# #

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Natalie settled into the empty house, glad to be back from Burgaw. She'd explained to Luis he'd have one more hearing, and he'd have to listen to the victims speak, and he would have to give an elocution. She offered to draft it for him--she'd brought down a brief paragraph--and he'd seemed to listen. No motivations, no feelings. Just facts. This is what happened, not what does it mean. Neither she nor Luis nor anyone knew what it meant, anyway. He'd fought her about the five years, but not hard. Just for show. A part of him wanted to go away, to escape this life.

Meredith was at the hospital for training, but soon she would start the night shift. The lowest on the orderly totem pole. She had as much prestige as a janitor, and though she didn't complain, it depressed Natalie. Meredith's reinstatement could come quickly, within a couple of months, or it might drag out six or more. She had to pay $25, which the hospital was covering, and get twenty hours of re-training, which was going to be more complicated.

The orderly position was open at the hospital. A nurse's position wasn't.

So much was uncertain. But Natalie had a new case. Another DUI, two counties away where they lacked an attorney. Weinstead recommended her over calling up an ambulance chaser from Wilmington or Goldsboro, since Hoyle was on a cruise.

Clarice was on Facebook, posting pictures of Patrick and the office staff at the Halloween party. Natalie shook her head, bringing the laptop into her lap. The heat eased the soreness in her leg and hip.

Just as she was typing up a comment to Patrick's pirate hat, her cell phone rang.

She opened it, remembering to say, "Natalie Ivans, Attorney-at-Law."

"Howdy, Ms. Ivans," came a friendly, if tense male voice. "My name is Fred Jerrad. Sheriff Duarte gave us your name."

"You need a lawyer, sir?"

"My boy. They brought him in tonight. Say he, uh."

"Yes, sir?" She'd pushed the laptop off her lap and was digging around for her briefcase.

"He attacked a girl. Now no one got hurt, but they're saying, I don't know."

"He at the jail now?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'll head over. Is this through the public defender's office?"

"No, ma'am. We do all right for ourselves. I don't understand."

"Understand what?"

"They're saying he attacked her, uh, sexually. Some high school student. He doesn't get close to many girls, it's not his way, but we would have-- We don't even know how he even met her."

Her heart sank. She clutched the phone.

"They even took her to the hospital. They came and found him this morning at the house and put those cuffs on him. The Arab said we could see him as soon as you got here."

She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She'd been intending to cook dinner for her family. Pot roast. She was going to help the boys with their homework, as kindergarden and cute as it was. She was going to make love to Meredith and read children's stories and write snarky comments on walls.

"I'll be there soon, all right, Mr. Jerrad?"

"Thank you. Please clear this mess up for us."

She closed the phone.

#

The church Meredith chose was the Eternal Light Assembly, which didn't even have "Church" in the name.

"It's the black church," Natalie said.

"Don't even."

"I only mean they may not want us here. I mean, it could be private. I know the Orthodox Church didn't want anyone just wandering in. I mean, not to worship. If they were hungry, sure."

Meredith folded her arms.

"We can try it," Natalie said, submitting, getting the children dressed in suits. She'd been tempted to complain that it wasn't her fault Meredith had been run out of every other Protestant church in town, even the Methodists, and the Catholic Church was perfectly fine.

"Everything's in Spanish," Meredith said.

"Works for me."

"I want to get something out of it."

"So learn Spanish."

"I want to take Communion. And I'm not converting. Or confessing. And no, we're not driving down to Wilmington for Jake's church. I don't care if Buddhist leaders are called Reverends, too."

"Talk about a girl who needs to find some Zen."

"One more quip and no ice cream for you."

Natalie sulked, but went where Meredith wanted her to go. She'd been guiltily relieved to see a diverse crowd. Some were in interracial couples. But no couples, that she could tell, were gay. Many of the churchgoers didn't seem to be from Tarpley proper, like the Jameisons, but from the outlying farms and even smaller towns. Natalie resisted clinging to Meredith's hand as they followed the crowd through the door.

Merritt pointed. "There’s Joseph, from school. Can I go say hi?"

"Yes, Merritt. Stay in sight."

Merritt nearly bolted off, and then reached back and poked Beau. "Coming?"

Beau followed.

"Aw," Natalie said.

"Maybe they have a day care."

"I can take care of our children."

"I mean, for the service."

"Oh."

Meredith smiled. Natalie took her hand.

#

They went back the next Sunday. Despite Angel's and Natalie's protestations the Catholic Church offered better offender support services.

"Because they're the Catholic Church. And this is just some guy and his wife who've been called to preach," Meredith said.

"Well, exactly," Natalie said.

"I'm not going anywhere I don't fit in. And my children don't fit in."

The service started after the first hymn and the pastor, George Waters, instead of walking to the pulpit, came between the pews.

"Brothers and sisters. We have a murderer in our midst." He gazed right at Meredith.

Natalie tensed.