Playing in Shadow Read online

  “No, you reside too much in the light for me to take you into darkness.” Bryce slipped her tongue inside Scarlet’s sex, teasing her until Scarlet started to spasm again. Only then did Bryce take her clitoris between her teeth and suck hard.

  The scream that erupted from Scarlet as she came once more was proof enough of how alive she was in Bryce’s hands. She couldn’t stop shaking. She whispered Bryce’s name and Bryce moved up to cuddle close. Scarlet clutched her to her.

  “I’m right here.” Bryce smoothed her hand down Scarlet’s damp back.

  “Promise?” Scarlet knew she sounded needy, but she didn’t care. Bryce meant so much to her and she wanted her close.

  “I promise. You can close your eyes and rest a while. I’m right here.”

  “Your turn next,” Scarlet said, wishing she could force her muscles to cooperate and move. She’d never been fucked into exhaustion before. It was just one new thing after another making love with Bryce.

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  Scarlet felt Bryce undoing the buckles at her hips, shucking the harness off. Next was the soft sound of a zipper being drawn down, and Scarlet’s boots were carefully peeled off one at a time.

  “I think you speared my ass cheek with those lethal heels.”

  Scarlet cracked open one eye. Bryce didn’t look upset.

  “It’s okay. I think I liked it.” Her shy smile made Scarlet smirk in response. “Sleep, my angel. I’ll be right here watching over you tonight.”

  Scarlet buried her face in the curve of Bryce’s neck and breathed in her scent. It soothed her, the warmth and strength of Bryce’s arms around her. It felt like home.

  *

  Bryce jerked herself awake just before the first scream escaped her. Her chest hitched as her breath came rushing out in harsh, ragged pants. Bryce quickly realized where she was and who she was with. She looked down at Scarlet snuggled tight against her chest. Scarlet’s eyelashes were fluttering, as Bryce’s jerk back to wakefulness had disturbed her sleep too.

  “You okay?” Scarlet lifted her head to capture Bryce’s eyes.

  “Same old, same old,” Bryce grunted, scrubbing at her face.

  Scarlet’s own hand slid down to rest on Bryce’s abs. The soothing patterns she traced there calmed Bryce’s erratic breathing down. She shifted restlessly every time Scarlet gently scored her with her nails before returning to the belly rub that was anything but innocent.

  “I fell asleep on you.” Scarlet pressed soft kisses on Bryce’s shoulder then nuzzled her face into Bryce’s breast. Her breath was hot over Bryce’s hard nipple.

  “I wore you out. I was basking in the smugness of that fact when I apparently fell asleep.” Her muscles tensed as Scarlet’s fingers trailed across her abdomen and slipped down further.

  “It’s my turn now.” Scarlet began to lick lazy circles around Bryce’s nipple.

  Bryce’s whole body twitched as she tried to keep still under Scarlet’s maddening touches. She was being driven crazy with every pass of her hot, wet tongue.

  “Are you a screamer, Bryce?” Scarlet asked, gently nipping at Bryce’s skin before laving her tongue over each stinging bite.

  “Not that I’ve ever been aware of.” Bryce was surprised by how much her voice shook when she answered.

  “Let’s see if I can rectify that.” Scarlet smirked up at her from her place on Bryce’s chest. “I can think of nothing sweeter than the sound of my name torn from your lips in a cry of pleasure.”

  Bryce grinned. “You’re awfully eloquent in the early hours of the morning for someone who hasn’t had much sleep.” She writhed under Scarlet’s caress. Her hands seemed to be able to touch her everywhere all at once. It was equally distracting and intensely arousing. Bryce gripped at Scarlet’s arms to keep herself grounded. Under Scarlet’s restless fingers, Bryce felt like she was vibrating out of her skin. She was coming undone with every brush of Scarlet’s warm touch. The feeling frightened her. Her hands tightened a fraction more as the all too familiar emotion of worthlessness washed over her. Obviously sensing the change in her, Scarlet lifted her head to look at her.

  “Make me forget,” Bryce said, burrowing her face into Scarlet’s neck so she wouldn’t read all that was written on Bryce’s face. She screwed her eyes up tight against the tears she could feel threatening to escape.

  Scarlet hugged her close. “I’ll make you forget everything but me. You’ll feel only my hands, my lips, my love.”

  Bryce pulled her head out from its hiding place to make sure she’d heard right. Scarlet’s smile was beautiful to behold and all directed at her.

  “Yes, love. I could easily fall in love with you, Bryce. I’ve known that from the very first moment I met you.” Her accompanying kiss was passion filled, pushing Bryce back onto the bed.

  Bryce let Scarlet take her. She loved the confidence Scarlet exuded, found it sexy and exciting. Gerri had been controlling; everything they did together was planned and scheduled. Scarlet was unpredictable, a little wild and untamed. Bryce was pulled toward her like the proverbial moth drawn to the flame haired fire that Scarlet burned with. For all that she felt she didn’t deserve happiness, Scarlet brought that to her.

  Scarlet drew back from their kiss but didn’t pull away. Her hair fell like a curtain around them, hiding them from the outside world in a drapery of softest silk. She began delivering a series of soft pecks to Bryce’s smiling mouth, drawing out the time between each kiss. Bryce growled deep in her throat at her and pulled her down for something less teasing before easing back and capturing Scarlet’s attention.

  No more hiding. The shadows can’t take away every little sliver of light and hope I need to exist.

  “I could easily fall for you too,” she said, thrilled to witness the joy that suffused Scarlet’s face before she was bowled over by the enthusiasm that fueled their next kiss. Finally, when allowed to draw breath, Bryce laughed with joy. It was a genuine, long forgotten sound that Bryce almost didn’t recognize coming from herself.

  Scarlet’s eyes shone with unashamed adoration. “Oh, hello, my love. There you are finally. There’s a piece of my Bryce that’s been absent for so long,” she crooned, scattering kisses over Bryce’s eyelids, down her nose, lingering tenderly on her scar. “I’ve got you. You’re safe now,” Scarlet whispered repeatedly as she trailed a way down Bryce’s body to settle between her thighs.

  Just like Scarlet had promised, Bryce forgot everything at the touch of her lips and her tongue. Scarlet spread Bryce’s labia apart, her thumbs slicking through the sticky arousal pooled there. She spread the abundant wetness up around Bryce’s clit, firmly rubbing over the engorged head. Bryce bucked under every sweet touch. Scarlet’s tongue finally entered her, and Bryce grabbed at her head, holding her there.

  “Oh God, Scarlet,” she whined, her back bowing and lifting her off the bed.

  Scarlet drew back for just a second before taking Bryce back in her mouth. “Forget everything but me.”

  Pleasure blasted through Bryce’s every fiber. She felt no pain, no ache from healing scars. She felt only Scarlet. The flashing lights Bryce saw behind her closed eyelids were welcomed, and the only sound she could hear were Scarlet’s murmurs of satisfaction as she took Bryce closer to orgasm. Bryce’s hips were held by Scarlet’s surprisingly strong hands, keeping her in place for Scarlet’s ravaging mouth. Firm lips sucked in Bryce’s clit at a maddening tempo that forced Bryce to clutch at the sheets, desperate for an anchor.

  Bryce’s surprised shout at climax filled the silence. She was shaken by the violent aftershocks clenching her stomach muscles and pulsing through her sex. For a long moment, Bryce couldn’t remember anything. Instead she just felt.

  Scarlet slid up Bryce’s body and kissed her. Bryce could taste herself on Scarlet’s face.

  “Neither of us are getting any more sleep tonight, handsome,” Scarlet warned her as she began deliberately rubbing herself against Bryce’s wetness.

  Bryce could fee
l her arousal sparking back to life with a vengeance with every pass of Scarlet’s hard clit brushing against her own. Mindlessly, she lifted her hips to help Scarlet hit the right spot. Bryce grasped Scarlet’s breasts in her hands and squeezed gently, loving the feel of full nipples pressing against her palms. She grinned as Scarlet’s thrusts grew more erratic when Bryce trapped the hardened nipples between her fingers and squeezed again.

  “I’ve heard sleep is overrated,” Bryce said. The dreams wouldn’t bother her anymore tonight. Scarlet was going to do her damnedest to chase them all away.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The weekend afforded Bryce the chance to witness just how talented Scarlet was in her art. Scarlet had been lounging lazily in Bryce’s arms, her back snug against Bryce’s chest as they were sprawled on the sofa. Bryce had been enjoying their closeness, relaxing after a lovemaking session that had been slow and sensuous. Basking in the warmth of their post-coital cuddling, Bryce had been intrigued when Scarlet whipped out her phone and had taken a candid shot of them both. Bryce had let out a disgruntled “Hey!” when Scarlet shifted from her spot and rushed to gather some paper and pencils. Quickly returning to Bryce’s arms, Scarlet settled in and began putting pencil to paper, drawing the picture of them from her phone.

  From her vantage point over Scarlet’s shoulder, Bryce watched in fascination as pencil lines soon morphed into their very recognizable faces.

  “You’re very good at that,” Bryce said. She was spellbound as time ticked by and Scarlet added color to the page and their features sprang to life. She noted Scarlet didn’t shy away from making sure her scar was exactly how it looked. It was a part of her now. Bryce knew she had to accept that. Seeing it added to her face so matter-of-fact on the paper didn’t upset Bryce as much as she’d have expected. She was more amazed by how thoroughly Scarlet was documenting the freckles scattered across her cheeks.

  Barely daring to breathe and break the spell, Bryce watched Scarlet switch colors, and her flame-colored hair leapt to life on the page. Hours passed in companionable silence while Scarlet worked and Bryce watched on in awe.

  “Fuck me, you’re astounding.” The pride she felt in Scarlet’s art suffused her, and she readily accepted the kiss that Scarlet turned around and gifted her with.

  “Look at how gorgeous we are together,” Scarlet said finally, adding the finishing touches to her picture.

  To Bryce it looked exactly like the photograph on the phone. Scarlet had brought them to life just using pencil strokes. What Bryce noticed most of all in both versions of the candid shot was that they looked happy together. When Scarlet held the picture aloft, Bryce couldn’t stop herself from hugging her close.

  “Have I mentioned how much I adore you?” she asked.

  “A few times, but I’m not going to get tired of it so don’t ever stop.” Scarlet put the picture aside carefully. “I’ll frame that later.” She twisted in Bryce’s arms. “Promise me you won’t be disappointed when I choose my art over my dad’s business?”

  Bryce shook her head. “I’d be more annoyed if you chose house painting over the fantastic things you can do with your photos or paints. You have the most amazing talent, Scarlet. Don’t let anyone take you off the path to explore that.”

  “My last girlfriend told me to quit the doodling and get a proper job,” Scarlet admitted with a grimace.

  “My last girlfriend told everyone I ran my own business because the fact I worked for your father wasn’t good enough for her reputation.”

  “I still want to slap that bitch,” Scarlet growled.

  “Maybe one day,” Bryce said with a wink.

  Scarlet burrowed her head into Bryce’s neck. “Can I share something with you?”

  “You can tell me anything, everything, darling.”

  Scarlet got up again and Bryce huffed at her loss. Scarlet laughed at her disgruntled face. She pulled a large album out of a drawer.

  “This is my portfolio. One day I want to have my own show. Some of these I’d like up on display.” She nudged Bryce’s knees and Bryce sat up. Scarlet opened the album, and Bryce got to see Scarlet’s photographic work. Landscapes, animals, portraits—Scarlet had a mixture of everything. When Bryce came to the photos of people she recognized, she began to smile. She saw the raw beauty of the intimate, naked shot taken of Trent and a very pregnant Juliet. It showed off their impending parenthood exquisitely.

  “Oh my God, that is breathtaking,” Bryce said, touched by just how much was revealed in the picture. Not in their nakedness but in their expressions Scarlet had captured. “You can’t miss how much they love each other.”

  “They’re what I aspire to,” Scarlet said.

  “Including children?” She’d never considered that possibility in her future.

  “Maybe, one day, if it’s something we both want.”

  Bryce stared at Scarlet. “Wow. Something tells me this weekend has become more than just a passionate romp between the sheets.”

  “And are you okay with that?”

  “It’s giving me a lot to consider. Something tells me life with you isn’t going to be boring.”

  “I’ll do my best to keep you entertained.” Scarlet nudged her with a shoulder playfully.

  “And I’ll do my best not to let the shadows overwhelm me.” Bryce smiled as Scarlet pressed a warm kiss to her forehead.

  “I couldn’t ask for more.”

  “Show me the rest of your photos and I’ll show you more later.”

  Scarlet made as if to close the album, but Bryce, laughing, took it off her, and continued turning the pages. She came across a picture of herself. Its inclusion surprised her. Bryce studied herself.

  “I look haunted.”

  Scarlet rested her chin on Bryce’s shoulder. “Yes, you do, lover. But look at today.” She put her drawing beside the black-and-white photo. “Look how far you’ve come.”

  “I still have a long way to go,” Bryce said.

  “I’ll be right beside you,” Scarlet promised.

  Bryce rested her head against Scarlet’s. “I’ll do my damnedest to be worthy of your belief in me.”

  “You won’t always have the burden of grief, Bryce. You’ve got so much happiness to look forward to in your life. I intend to play a large role in that.”

  Bryce settled into Scarlet’s side. “You already do.”

  For a moment, the shadows lifted off her heart and the crippling pressure shifted from her soul. She closed her eyes, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Bryce faced the future with a little less fear weighing her down.

  *

  With the last stroke of paint applied on a very happy Yoshi, Scarlet put down her brush and took a satisfied step back. She did one last check over the whole mural to make sure everything was as it should be. She’d been painting every evening for the past week, and it was now completed.

  “Finished.” She slipped out of the room in search of where Trent and Juliet were camped out. She followed the noise of heavy gunfire and Juliet’s exuberance.

  “Blow it up! Blow it up!”

  Scarlet stepped into Trent’s gaming room and hung back. The TV screen dominated the room, and on it she watched Trent piloting a very large robot armed with massive guns.

  Juliet let out a triumphant “Yes!” as an enemy machine was blown to pieces in a raging fireball. She then spotted Scarlet. “Everything okay?” she mouthed.

  Scarlet mouthed back “I’m done,” and Juliet’s face lit up.

  “Trent, last mission, sweetheart.”

  Trent nodded and continued playing. The fight didn’t last much longer, and Trent’s pilot was soon racing for his evacuation ship, his body cloaked so he couldn’t be detected by the enemy camped out to pick off the remaining fighters. As her scores for that round came up on screen, Trent gave a satisfied grunt and then with the press of a button, she exited the game. She laid her controller down and shifted in her seat, looking behind her at Scarlet.

  “Is it fi
nished?” she asked.

  At Scarlet’s nod, Trent was on her feet and helping Juliet up off the sofa.

  “What are you playing?” Scarlet asked, looking at the TV screen that displayed a futuristic looking soldier standing ready for action.

  “Titanfall,” Trent replied, “It’s kind of like a Call of Duty with added robots.”

  “Do you always have a cheering squad when playing it?” Scarlet nodded toward Juliet.

  “Not usually, but I think Juliet likes the Titans the best.”

  Juliet followed them out. “It’s addictive viewing, and I’m just grateful not to be asleep. All I seem to do lately is sleep.”

  “Babies are body draining experiences, or so I’m told,” Scarlet said as she ushered them into the nursery and stood back to watch their reactions. Trent didn’t disappoint.

  “Oh my God. It’s freakin’ awesome!” She left Juliet’s side to go check out the colorful display. She walked around the whole room following the pattern of gamboling Yoshis so she didn’t miss a thing. “It’s fantastic, absolutely fucking fantastic, and yes, I owe a dollar for that, but it’s worth it. I love it, every single piece of it.” She reached out but pulled her hand back. “I’ll wait until the paint dries before I start touching. Christ, they look so real.”

  Juliet was just as excited. She oohed and ahhed over the adorable little characters. “It’s perfect. Scarlet, you are amazing.” She gave her a hug and Scarlet delighted in the press of a very hard baby bump against her.

  “Wow, you put off some serious heat with that thing.”

  “She’s one hot mama period,” Trent said. She captured Scarlet’s face between her hands and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. “This is just so beautiful. Thank you.”

  Scarlet knew she was blushing under Trent’s hold. “You are both very welcome. Now you just need to finish baking that baby so we can all meet him or her.”