It Should Be a Crime (10 page)

She watched the easy exchange between Parker and the young androgynous barback with mounting jealousy as she noted the comfortably casual way Parker touched the other woman. Morgan forced herself to look deep into her vodka tonic, willing away the exchange taking place nearby. She felt rather than saw a body slide into the leather booth beside her. Morgan took her eyes off the floating ice cubes long enough to turn and tell the unwanted presence she longed to be alone. Surprise stopped the words before they left her lips.

“Why, Professor, twice in one day! We should be more careful. People might begin to talk.”

Morgan bit back a sharp retort when she noticed the teasing gleam in her eyes. Distracted as she was by the heat of Parker’s presence, she knew enough to know she was being baited and she was determined to keep the upper hand. Matching Parker’s tone, she replied, “Should I obtain a restraining order?”

“You may need one.” Parker grabbed Morgan’s hand and pulled her from the booth. Morgan amazed herself by following without resistance.

Moments later, they were standing in the alley. Morgan didn’t notice the smells or trash this time. All her senses were focused on Parker’s commanding presence. She felt a rush of heat as her thundering heart pushed blood fast and furious through her veins. She offered no protest as Parker pulled her into strong arms and kissed her with roaring passion. In this moment they were not teacher and student. They were once again strangers meeting in a strange place. The memory of the night they shared as strangers warmed her to this embrace. She kissed Parker with abandon, crushing her lips, melding her body against Parker’s welcoming frame, willing away all the barriers between them.

Her will wasn’t strong enough. She pulled away even as Parker moved closer, groaning soft words against her neck. Hearing her voice brought back the reality of their relationship. They weren’t strangers meeting for the first time. They were well known to each other in positions that rendered their current embrace taboo. Morgan was torn between temptation and convention. Convention won the first round.

“I have to go.” Morgan’s breathing was labored.

Parker stepped closer. “No, Morgan. You don’t.”

“Yes. I do.”

Parker placed a hand on either shoulder and gave Morgan a gentle shake. “You don’t get it, do you? We’re both adults. There’s nothing wrong with the attraction between us. I make it a rule not to fool around with anyone at school, and if I’d met you there first, we never would have had the night we had. But it didn’t work out that way, and I don’t see any logic in pretending things are anything other than what they are.”

“And what, pray tell, are they?”

Parker’s lips delivered a complete and wordless response. Morgan ceded her last grasp at maintaining their formal roles and answered with equal passion. The deep kiss left her breathless and wanting. When Parker inclined her head in the direction of the path they had taken the night they first met, Morgan could only nod and follow.

*

The house was exactly as she remembered it. Morgan followed Parker up the stairs again, fighting away a persistent thought.
Leave now before things get really complicated.
As if sensing her consternation, Parker turned and gathered her into a tight embrace. She kissed Morgan and her tongue teased away all doubt.

“Who was the blonde?” Parker asked.

Morgan, hazy with lust, murmured back a question. “Huh? Blonde?”

Parker smiled. “Never mind.”

When they reached the room, Parker wasted no time trying to get Morgan undressed while ignoring Morgan’s attempts to do the same to her. Parker was intent on being in charge this time, knowing that outside this room, in the halls of the law school, Morgan would always be the one in control.

“My turn this time.”

“Your turn?” Morgan raised her eyebrow and flashed a questioning smile.

“I believe last time we were here, I let you run the show.” Parker began to unbutton Morgan’s shirt. “Now it’s my turn.”

Morgan answered by placing her hand over Parker’s and pulling it to her mouth. She eased Parker’s index finger into her mouth and stroked it with her tongue. Parker tried to continue unfastening Morgan’s shirt with her free hand, but Morgan’s warm, wet tongue drew her deeper, caressing the sensitive web of skin between her fingers. For a moment Parker forgot what she was doing, where she was. Ironically, it was Morgan’s voice that drew her back into the moment.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Parker opened her eyes. Her hand was back by her side and the only evidence of Morgan’s mesmerizing kisses was the cool moisture on her still slick finger.

Morgan met her glance. “Yes. I think you should run the show.” She finished what Parker started, undid the last button of her shirt and slid it from her shoulders. “You’re in charge.”

Parker knew she wasn’t, but she played the role as if it were hers. She didn’t bother with the niceties of candlelight this time but relied instead on the thin shafts of streetlight through the slits of the window blinds and the trace of her own touch to view Morgan’s beautiful body. Parker watched Morgan shift from one foot to the other as she stood nude at the foot of the bed while Parker, still dressed, slowly observed her every feature. She wondered if Morgan’s uneasiness had as much to do with the balance of power as it did with her exposed flesh. As if in answer, Morgan reached for Parker’s shirt, tugging it out of her jeans. “Take your clothes off.”

“I suppose you’re going to say you want to feel my skin against yours?” Parker breathed the words into Morgan’s ear. Morgan responded by twisting her hand in the cloth of Parker’s shirt and sliding her palm against the exposed skin. Parker’s breath caught at the sudden charge of the impact. Morgan’s touch was as electrifying as she remembered and she almost ceded her control. Almost.

“Well, I happen to agree.” Parker gathered Morgan’s hands into her own and leaned closer. “Here, let me show you.” She grazed the soft skin of Morgan’s neck with her lips and tongue, licking a path to her luscious earlobe where she lingered, coaxing Morgan into submission. It didn’t take long. As Morgan wilted against her, Parker held her in a strong embrace before gently easing her onto the bed. Lying on her back, arms above her head, Morgan was at once vulnerable and stunning. The vulnerability threw Parker off balance for a moment, but she quickly recovered her composure. She wanted to savor this experience and she wasn’t going to let the reservations Morgan had expressed earlier get in the way of the undeniable attraction she felt.

Parker pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor. She grasped Morgan’s wrists and held them tight while she lowered her body just enough to let her breasts rub against the hard arousal of Morgan’s nipples. Parker sucked in her breath as Morgan bucked against her, but she kept the rest of her skin just out of reach though she ached to meet Morgan’s insistent pursuit. Parker slid down and rested a denim-covered thigh between Morgan’s legs. She felt the heat of Morgan’s yearning sear through the cloth and groaned at the sensation.

“Touch me,” Morgan begged. Her eyes were dark pools of liquid, seemingly unfocused as if her sight was turned inward, observing only the sensations of her own arousal. She struggled, her body straining to connect with Parker’s. Every ounce of her appeared to be humming with desire, and Parker suddenly cared less about maintaining control than about granting Morgan’s request. She dipped her head and flicked her tongue against a hard nipple, teasing it to its finest point before she sucked the swollen breast into her mouth. Parker released her grip on Morgan’s hands to play with Morgan’s other breast, squeezing and tugging as Morgan raked her nails down the muscles on her back. Parker groaned. The mix of pain and pleasure bordered on extreme, but still she craved more.

“I want to taste you.”

“Please,” Morgan pleaded, so unlike the woman who had commanded their first night together. “I’m so close, I may come the second you touch me.”

“No, you won’t,” Parker promised. She drew her fingers along Morgan’s glistening sex, gently opening the soft folds of flesh. Sliding down, she lowered her head and breathed in the musky aroma of Morgan’s desire. Parker blew a warm breath across Morgan’s clit before drawing her into the moisture of her ready mouth. Parker reveled in the slippery heat against her tongue and the twitch of Morgan’s legs elicited with each increase in pressure. She caressed Morgan with long, steady strokes, taking her to the edge and holding her there without release. When she could feel Morgan edge toward climax, she slid two fingers inside her and drew herself up along the length of Morgan’s body, tasting her way back to Morgan’s full, gorgeous breasts. Morgan’s erect nipples welcomed her touch and Parker licked them hard while her fingers replaced the stroke of her tongue below. As she lavished Morgan’s breasts, she straddled her thigh and rubbed her own wet sex down the length of Morgan’s leg. Lost in the feel of the woman beneath her, she was pleasantly startled by the strong thrust of fingers between her legs. She looked up to see Morgan’s hazy smile and leaned in to kiss her full, ripe lips. As they kissed, she felt Morgan’s hands on her breasts, coaxing her nipples into stiff knots, then rubbing them hard against the satin palm of her hand. Parker found herself on top but not in charge. As Morgan’s lips and hands explored her mouth, her breasts, and her aching center, her fervor grew and Parker gave up all pretense of command. She met Morgan’s thrusts with equal fervor and, lips locked in heated frenzy, they came together in a roar.

*

Nestled in the crook of Parker’s arm, Morgan pushed the thoughts crowding her head to regions far from the present time and place. Morgan took advantage of the last shades of dusk peering through the blinds to appreciate Parker’s athletic form. She shivered at the memory of their night of passion. Unlike the first night, bits and pieces of experience and knowledge added depth to their encounter. Morgan now knew Parker was intelligent as well as sexy, confident as well as cocky. She wondered how Parker felt now that she knew the woman who lay beside her had power that exceeded her ability to make her partner come.

*

Parker watched the rise and fall of Morgan’s sleeping form and, not wanting to wake her, resisted the urge to curl her body around her. She remained content instead to breathe in Morgan’s scent. She was amused at her inability to look away. She’d spent years loving women but never letting herself get attached. Parker Casey’s definition of love was appreciation. She appreciated beautiful women, smart women, sexy women. She knew how to convey her interest with the most subtle signals and prided herself on her ability to please without promise. Parker maintained a friendly, if passing, acquaintance with many of her sexual partners, though most of her amorous encounters were one-night stands.

Lying here in bed beside Morgan, she found herself thinking ahead. Time was too short for all the things she wanted to do, all the things she wanted to say. Morgan had taken her to the edge and Parker had been so enraptured she would have gladly plunged into the abyss if Morgan had led her there. She had never allowed herself to experience such total loss of control and she wondered why she didn’t begrudge her powerlessness once Morgan touched her. Shaking her head, she decided to break the parade of thoughts marching her toward unfamiliar territory and wrapped her arms around Morgan’s sleeping form. Within moments, Morgan stirred and Parker kissed her gently awake.

“Good morning.”

“Morning.” Morgan stretched her arms and rolled away from her. “What time is it?” Sitting up, she looked distractedly around the room.

“Don’t worry. Unless you have a six a.m. class, you’re not late for anything.” Parker grabbed Morgan around the waist and pulled her back into the covers.

Morgan squirmed out of her grasp. “Seriously, Parker. I need to get home.”

Parker pinned her down. “Seriously. Do you have a six a.m. class?”

“No.”

“Then get dressed and have breakfast with me.” She phrased the request as a gentle command. “Did you drive to the bar?”

Parker watched the “oh shit” expression cross her face and reached out to grab her hand. “No worries. Let’s have breakfast and I’ll take you to your car. You’ll still have time to get to wherever you need to be today. I promise.”

Pulling her hand away, Morgan remarked, “You get up earlier than most law students I know.”

Parker grinned. “Are you in the habit of noticing the sleeping patterns of law students?” The frozen look on Morgan’s face was a clear sign she had said the wrong thing, and she scrambled to recover. “Besides, I haven’t always been a student.”

“Is that so?”

“That is definitely so,” Parker replied. A moment of silence passed during which Parker was at once hurt and relieved Morgan didn’t press her for more detail. She took the absence of follow-up questions to mean Morgan wasn’t interested in anything more than a physical relationship. The realization stung, but she pushed past it. Grabbing Morgan’s hand, she pulled her from the bed. “Come on, I need coffee.”

Moments later, Parker ushered Morgan into the kitchen. They were greeted by the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the sleepy Kelsey James greedily sipping from a large mug. Parker felt Morgan stiffen. She spoke to lighten the mood.

“Good morning, Doctor. You look like you could use a good night’s sleep instead of the monster cup of java you’re working on.”

“You’re so observant, Parker. I could actually use about two full days of sleep, but I’m only here to change and this is my quick salvation.” Kelsey raised her eyebrows in question and nodded toward Morgan.