Traffic Stop (17 page)

While Tobi’s teeth nibbled at her neck and ear, Ryan’s arms encircled her, pulling her closer. The heat racing through Ryan’s body burned even into her toes and fingertips.
Fuck! I don’t know
how much more of this I can take.
Ryan bent her knees slightly, cupped her hands under Tobi’s hips and lifted. Tobi immediately wrapped her legs around Ryan’s waist.

“You are driving me crazy,” Ryan whispered as she walked forward and deposited Tobi on the kitchen table. She stood between Tobi’s legs and continued to kiss her with such fervor that it left them both gasping for air.

Tobi tangled her fingers in Ryan’s shirt, pulled her down, and licked the outer edge of her ear. “I can’t seem to get enough of you.”

As they started to fall back, Ryan dropped her hands onto the table beside Tobi’s thighs, bringing her precariously closer to Tobi’s full, inviting lips.

Tobi placed her hands around Ryan’s hips, letting her thumbs rest intimately next to the spot that she knew could send Ryan over the edge.

Tobi traced Ryan’s lips with her tongue and purred. “You taste so good, honey.”

“I need you, baby,” Ryan whimpered.

Tobi smiled and pulled Ryan closer. “And I need you, so very much.

Ryan groaned in raw desperation. She yearned to take Tobi right where she stood. Ryan felt the intensity of the moment rising as Tobi’s hands worked their way up under her shirt. Her hands roamed across Ryan’s stomach and sides before coming to rest on her breasts. Tobi’s palms raked across Ryan’s hard nipples. Ryan gasped and pulled back slightly.

“Tobi…”

“Uh-huh,” she said without stopping.

“Tobi…please, honey…we have to stop.”

“I don’t want to stop.”

“I know, sweetheart, but we need to for right now. You just got out of the hospital.”

“I don’t give a damn; I feel fine.”

“You do right now, but you may not be saying that later.”

Sighing, she let her head drop back to look into Ryan’s eyes.

“You,” she said pointing at Ryan’s chest, “are driving me insane.”

“I’m-”

Interrupting, she said, “Yes…driving me insane.”

Ryan had no idea what to say. As she stood there with her mouth open, Tobi reached up and gently closed it.

“Ryan, I want you so bad.”

Ryan leaned her forehead against Tobi’s and responded with a simple kiss to her lips. She drifted back a little and looked earnestly into Tobi’s eyes. “I want you, too, honey, more than you know.”

Tobi raised an eyebrow. “Well then…”

“I just don’t want to hurt you. You just got out of the hospital with a head injury and…well, that really scared me,” Ryan admitted, quietly.

Tobi’s eyes welled with tears. “I’m so sorry I put you through that, Ryan.”

“Hey,” Ryan started, using her thumb to wipe away a tear.

“You didn’t put me through anything. This wasn’t your fault.”

Tobi nodded in agreement. “I know. It’s just that…” Tobi took a deep breath and then continued. “I guess we have some things to talk about, huh?”

“Yes, I guess we do,” Ryan responded with a smiled.

Tobi thought about what she said and finally asked, “Okay, which do you want to do first?”

obi watched the glazed over, lust-filled look enter Ryan’s eyes and knew that she was ready for their T relationship to go further. Ryan actually appeared to be struggling over her choices. Tobi ran her nails up and down the length of Ryan’s arm, teasing her, tempting her, begging her.

Something inside Ryan snapped and she grabbed Tobi’s hand, yanking her forward, against her chest. Ryan captured her lips and slipped her tongue between Tobi’s teeth. She moaned into Tobi’s mouth as their tongues tangled, each demanding more from the other.

Tobi knew that if she didn’t stop this soon their first time was going to be on top of the kitchen table; not that it would be such a bad thing, but she wanted the talking out of the way. Once they started making love, she didn’t plan on stopping.
But God is the
waiting going to kill me!

“Ryan,” Tobi said against her mouth.

“What?”

“You’re going to think I’ve lost my mind, but we should stop.”

Ryan snapped her head back to glare at her, and Tobi couldn’t help but laugh. Ryan narrowed her eyes even more. Tobi knew she shouldn’t laugh, but some of Ryan’s expressions were downright adorable.

“You’re not serious, are you?”

“I am, but let me explain,” Tobi said, holding up a hand before Ryan could interject. “I want to talk first because once we start making love, I don’t want to talk. Understand?”

Ryan nodded instead of speaking for fear her vulnerability would show in her voice.
Vulnerability? Hell yes! Her every move
and every moan makes me vulnerable to her. I’d give her anything
she wanted right this minute!
She leaned her forehead against Tobi’s chest, valiantly trying to slow her breathing.

Tobi grabbed fists full of Ryan’s dark silky hair and placed a kiss on the crown of her head.
You are so damn sexy, and I can’t
wait to get my hands
all
over your body.
Tobi’s stomach tightened at the mere thought of being naked with Ryan.

Ryan straightened and held out her hands for Tobi. She pulled her to the edge of the table until her feet touched the floor, and they left the kitchen hand in hand.

As they sat on the couch, Ryan took a deep breath and stared at Tobi before chuckling and shaking her head.

“What?”

“You want to talk about who is driving whom insane here?”

Tobi laughed with her but could only shrug. “What can I say?

I love to share.”

“Okay, so let’s talk. We already discussed the tunnel and the fact that neither of us saw anything.”

“Right, but I think we can assume it was our guy.”

“Exactly. I talked to Lauren about the pregnant woman yesterday, as well.” Ryan relayed the information Lauren had given her and waited for it to sink in before continuing. “So, I looked up his address and drove out to talk to him. He said his wife had been having an affair, and he knew nothing about it.

Apparently, one of her friends told him, so he didn’t feel the need to continue contacting the hospital about the baby.”

“Do you think that whomever she was having the affair with has something to do with what is going on?”

“That certainly crossed my mind. Nothing else makes sense, Tobi. The only problem is, we don’t know who this man is. Mr.

Hyde said his wife’s friend didn’t know who he was either.”

“Do you think she’s telling the truth, or is she just trying to hide it?”

“I thought about that, and I really don’t see why she would hide it. At this point, she has no motive for keeping it to herself.”

“What do we do now?”

“Well, I’m going to do a little more digging where Mrs. Hyde is concerned and see what I can come up with. I’m also going to get her home and cell phone records; maybe there will be something in those that can help.”

Tobi rubbed her left temple with her fingertips, suddenly aware of the headache that had returned in full force. The throbbing made her stomach queasy, and the lights appeared to be too bright. She placed a hand over her stomach and closed her eyes. Flinching at the touch to her shoulder, Tobi glanced at Ryan a little too fast, causing her head to spin. She groaned quietly and leaned her head back against the couch and shut her eyes.

“Headache?”

“Yeah,” Tobi whispered.

“I’ll go get your pain meds; be right back, sweetheart.”

Tobi let her thoughts drift in hope of distracting herself from her rebelling body. She could hear sounds from the kitchen and felt a sense of peace wash over her. It was so nice having someone to care for her and be there when she needed it. Smiling, Tobi turned her head away from the light and took some deep breaths to calm her roiling stomach.

“What are you smiling about?”

Without opening her eyes, Tobi replied, “You.”

“Me? Why me?”

“It’s just really nice having you here, Ryan. I think back to before I met you, and I just can’t imagine not having you in my life now.”

“The feeling is mutual, sweetheart. Now, sit up and take these.”

Tobi took the glass of water and pills from Ryan’s hand and swallowed them down. She took a few more sips before setting the glass on the coffee table.

“Stand up for just a second.”

Without bothering to ask what Ryan had in mind, Tobi did as she was told. Ryan sat with her back to the arm of the couch, splaying her legs, and patted the space between them. Tobi snuggled in and leaned back against her chest. Once comfortable, Ryan spread a throw blanket over the both of them. With her left arm around Tobi’s waist, Ryan raised her right hand to caress the hair back and away from Tobi’s face. She ran her fingers through Tobi’s hair and let her nails lightly scratch her skull. Tobi’s eyes grew heavy as she slipped into a deep sleep. Ryan pressed her lips lightly to her head, murmuring words of comfort over and over.

Long after Tobi had fallen asleep, Ryan was still holding and caressing her. She hoped this rest would give Tobi a chance to heal. Physically, she would be fine in a few days, but mentally, Ryan wasn’t sure how much more Tobi could take. She was going to strongly suggest Tobi spend some time with her mother in the following days when Ryan had to work. At least then she would feel more comfortable leaving her.

Ryan nuzzled her hair and reflected back to the scene in the kitchen when they had first arrived home. She was taken off guard by the intensity of their kisses. Even more surprising, she was ready to go further. The velvety touch of Tobi’s lips had awakened an ache that Ryan thought had long since been buried. She hadn’t been sure that she would ever be ready to let herself feel again after Stacey had left. It had hurt too much to give so much of herself only to have it thrown back in her face.

With Tobi, the giving and obvious love were different in so many ways. She went out of her way to let Ryan know what she meant to her, and that she knew Ryan’s job was important to her.

Even with things in such disarray, she took the time to make sure Ryan was okay. The transition from being alone to constantly being with someone should have been more difficult, but with Tobi it wasn’t. Ryan should have been frightened, but she wasn’t.

Hell, she should have been a lot of things that she wasn’t.

Wherever this took them, she was more than willing to let it play out to the end. The kisses and touches had ignited a fire within her, and each subsequent touch was like throwing more fuel on the flames.

As she felt Tobi stir and sigh against her, Ryan propped the side of her head against the back of the couch. She wrapped her arms protectively around Tobi and closed her eyes.

After what seemed like only a few minutes, Ryan felt warm soft lips against her chin. Her eyes opened and collided with blue orbs that appeared to be free of pain. She studied Tobi’s features and saw the flicker of desire in her eyes. The sensuous curl of her lips as she smiled informed Ryan that this was “later.” She leaned forward and placed a tender kiss upon Tobi’s uplifted face. Tobi shifted to her knees and deepened the kiss until Ryan was forced to recline against the arm of the couch, pulling Tobi on top of her.

Ryan sucked gently on Tobi’s lower lip, releasing it to lay a row of butterfly kisses along her cheek and down her neck. She continued to nibble lightly as Tobi groaned and tilted her head back in submission. Ryan bit and licked her way back up Tobi’s neck and took an earlobe between her lips.

“No more talking?” Ryan whispered in her ear.

“No more talking,” Tobi responded, her voice hoarse with desire.

As Tobi’s lips captured Ryan’s once again, she gave in to the pleasure Tobi bestowed upon her. Ryan felt Tobi’s body move against her, making her heart pound inside her chest. With one hand on her neck and the other moving into her hair, Ryan pulled Tobi into her and deepened the kiss. Ryan gradually became aware of hands pulling her shirt free of her pants. She reached down to help, but her hands were pushed away.

She gazed into Tobi’s eyes and could see a sparkle of raw anticipation. Her breathing came in shallow gasps as Tobi’s fingers nimbly unbuttoned her shirt, placing a kiss on each new section of skin as it was revealed.

Tobi blew a hot kiss over cotton-covered nipples and moaned at the whimper emitted by Ryan.

A torrent of heat coursed through Ryan when Tobi moved her hips against her. Tobi’s lips ravaged her mouth and her hands roamed freely down her abdomen, finally coming to rest on the button of Ryan’s pants. Tobi released the button and raked her fingernails down Ryan’s thigh and back up before slowly lowering the zipper.
Oh, my God, she’s killing me!
Ryan closed her eyes and surrendered to the passion consuming her.

Tobi slid her hand inside the last barrier separating them and rubbed her palm across Ryan’s hip, placing soft sensuous kisses on her mouth. Ryan groaned as Tobi moved her hand down through the thatch of curly hair. She slowly entered Ryan’s slick folds, moving her fingers up and down each side of her clit.

Ryan couldn’t stop her hips from responding and knew it would not be long when Tobi moved her fingers over the hardened bundle of nerves.

“Tobi, honey…Oh, God…”

“That’s it, baby; let it go.”

Ryan pumped her hips against Tobi a few more times before crying out her release. She sagged back against the couch, only to be brought to the edge again by Tobi’s hand. Tobi’s hand drifted lower as she pushed two fingers inside Ryan all the while moving her thumb over her clit.

“Jesus Christ,” Ryan cried out.

Tobi grinned and kissed her way down Ryan’s chest and nuzzled her bra aside to capture a hard nipple in her mouth. She sucked the nipple and moved her fingers inside Ryan, eliciting a gasp of pleasure.

Ryan curled the fingers of one hand in Tobi’s hair and clutched the couch cushion with the other, moving her body in sync with Tobi’s.

“Oh, my God, please.”

“That’s it, Ryan,” Tobi encouraged, stroking Ryan’s nipple with her tongue.