„S,

This book is dedicated to the only woman I ever loved. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be your real-life hero, but hopefully, through my story, you will see everything I wanted to be for you and more.

J”

„Sierra had calmed a part of her soul, and she’d never be the same, no matter what happened”

„Details would require explaining about Sierra’s lips. God, could her lips have been any more sensuous? Then there was Sierra’s scent—red wine with a hint of vanilla and cherry blossoms.

“Don’t you get it? She’s special. Always has been, always will be. She has no idea about my past. What do you think is going to happen when I tell her about the accident? About rehab. About everything.”

Jaime used to be an introvert surf lover in high-school, she was always suspected a lesbian and always because she was by Sierra’s side, whom she adored since then, yet after one kiss Jaime couldn’t hold it to herself anymore changed their friendship and they were separated because of Sierra’s fear running away and Jaime’s impatience to really wait for her.

Jaime Rivers

“Darlene was not only her best friend but the only person who truly knew of her daily struggle. Darlene had found her in a pool of her own vomit the night she overdosed on pain meds, and since then Jaime had to constantly reassure her. Darlene had coaxed her into rehab and was the one person in her life she could trust not to betray her confidences.” 

„Beautiful. A word Jaime hadn’t used in a long time. She even refused to use it when she wrote. How could she, when it could only be applied to the one thing in her life that had ever meant anything to her?

Until she destroyed it.”

 

„Oh, there was, a woman she’d never forget. How could she forget the way Sierra Connor used to look? Long auburn hair, deep-blue eyes, and lips the color of tree-ripened cherries. The way Sierra laughed and, damn, the way Sierra used to look at her. One glance and she’d melted like butter on a hot stove. She’d forget how to breathe before she’d forget about Sierra. But she wouldn’t be caught dead on a boat.”

 

„“I hope you realize you suck at evasion. And what would be so wrong if you ran into her? Maybe you could talk things out.”

Yeah, right. And say what? Sorry I kissed you. Sorry I lusted after you for four years and didn’t say anything. Sorry I ruined our friendship by only thinking about my own feelings? “No.”

 

Jaime shut her eyes. She didn’t deserve forgiveness, but the thought of Sierra forgetting her altogether made her stomach churn. She should have told Sierra how she felt, explained that she was a lesbian and she was falling for her, hard. But no. She made Sierra think their relationship was based solely on friendship. And at first, it was. “She’ll never forgive me. Not that I blame her. Besides, I heard she’s married and living in another state.”

Sierra Connor

„Closing her eyes, she tried to swallow the burning lump in her throat. Her chest constricted. She was seconds from losing it. Who was this mystery woman making Jaime’s reservations? A friend? A lover? Jaime’s solitary nature made her wonder if this woman was the reason Jaime decided to go on the cruise in the first place. She knew Jaime wouldn’t be caught dead on that boat unless she was being coaxed into it. Suddenly, the pain erupted into hot, flowing tears.

Jaime had spent time doing two things in high school. She liked to surf and she hung out with Sierra. She couldn’t forget the countless times she’d tagged along with Jaime as she made frequent trips to a popular West-Coast beach. Visions of Jaime in her board shorts and bikini top, riding the famous Pacifica waves half an hour from San Mateo, still made her shiver. She’d stifled many screams when Jaime maneuvered too close to the rocks or when another more inexperienced surfer had cut her off and knocked her from her board. Jaime had never been a vocal person. In fact, shy and reclusive were better adjectives. But the surfing world was Jaime’s universe and she’d been the Supreme Being. She’d ruled those waves and had no problem voicing her opinion regarding another surfer’s stupidity.

Jaime had been a natural on her board—her toned athletic body controlling her motions as if she were part of the sea. A good four inches taller than Sierra’s five foot six, Jaime seemed to stand before her now, the water dripping down her tanned body, those intense emerald-green eyes focused on her every move. Sierra never questioned why she always wanted to be with Jaime. Spending time with her was as natural as breathing. They’d been inseparable for four years and all that didn’t change until the day of their graduation.

“Ten years, Jaime. Why now?” she murmured.”

Their looks couldn’t be more different, Jaime was athletic, tall, short haired and blonde, while Sierra was smaller, feminine and had auburn long hair.

„The form-fitting black cocktail dress flowed around her curves, and with each sway of her hips she exuded a confidence she didn’t actually feel, although she knew she looked great. She’d replaced her glasses with contacts about five years ago and recently styled her auburn hair to fall in soft waves around her face. She wore it longer than she had in high school, the dark locks a nice contrast to her blue eyes, or so she hoped. If she wanted to lie to herself, she could say that she did it because she wanted to impress her classmates or that she wanted to feel good about herself. But deep down she knew that she was dressed to kill only because she wanted Jaime to see what she’d missed if they happened to run into one another.”

So, there they were, two broken hearts.

First meet after 10 years

„“Sierra?” Jaime blinked as if to restart her brain. No way. How could this gorgeous creature before her, looking incredibly sexy in a black cocktail dress that fit her like a second skin, be Sierra? Her wavy auburn hair was a bit longer but the color exactly as she remembered. And those eyes, those intense, perfect sapphires simply dazzling against the night sky.

Still uncertain, she slowly filled her lungs with the salty air. The ocean always calmed her, and even though she hadn’t been near the sea in a while, the familiar sounds and smells still intoxicated and soothed her. She’d been staring out into the vast emptiness questioning her existence when she caught the hint of a familiar scent. Spice with a hint of spring flowers. Kenzo. Sierra.

“I can’t believe this,” she said. “Is it really you?”

“Yeah, it is.”

Without thinking about the consequences of the last time she’d touched Sierra, she opened her arms wide as Sierra flung herself into them and let out a small cry. Holding on tight, she hugged Sierra with the passion of years lost, afraid to let go—afraid that if she did, Sierra would somehow disappear again.

A tidal wave of emotions slammed into her, knocking the breath from her chest. Joy. Sadness. Longing. Fear. Each emotion pounded into her until she began 

A tidal wave of emotions slammed into her, knocking the breath from her chest. Joy. Sadness. Longing. Fear. Each emotion pounded into her until she began to drown from the overpowering sensations. When the realization hit that they would all eventually lead to heartbreak, she finally broke free and gasped for air, severing their fragile connection.

“What’s wrong?” Sierra asked, placing her palm on her face. “You’re pale.”

“No…nothing. Shocked, I guess.” Oh, God don’t touch me right now. I can barely stand as it is

She tried not to stare. Sierra’s black strapless dress was a perfect fit. Dipping at the neckline, it offered an enticing look at her generous cleavage. Sierra was nothing like the skinny teenager she remembered. Sure, she’d been attractive back then. But now, she was drop-dead gorgeous.

Realizing she’d been staring at Sierra’s breasts, she let her eyes travel upward until they focused on Sierra’s. Those eyes were exactly as she remembered—razor sharp and laser blue. When Sierra narrowed those eyes, instinct warned her to take a step back.

“Well, aren’t you going to answer my question?”

They haven’t spoken to each other, until this new opportunity.

Jaime is a famous lesbian author, writing the series „The Quest” with Flynn as major character, and she is invited by her friend and high-school colleague, Darlene, to their tenth year high-school aniversary which will be a cruise along Jamaican Isles, yet what Jaime doesn’t know is that Sierra works for the travel agency that organizes the cruise. They are both missing their friendship, and while Jaime has know about her own sexuality since the age of fourteen, Sierra was a rebel, she denied it, she has even got married to prove herself wrong and has undone her feelings and went through a terrible lifetime with Eric, her ex husband whom she never loved, yet now she knows she would have wanted to know what Jaime’s high-school kiss could have ment. She tried to date a couple of other women, yet they hadn’t managed to make her feel the drill that Jaime did. Jaime is still an introvert because she has been through a lot too and her accident almost killed her and got her into painkiller addiction, while that made her body dependent, it made her soul express through writing.

Second meet

„“Jaime?”

There it was again—that velvety smooth voice with the power to melt icebergs, which still had the same effect on her even after all these years. That same voice had thrown her into a tailspin merely twelve hours ago. With her eyes still closed she took a few calming breaths and hoped that when she opened them she wouldn’t witness the same look of anger and resentment on Sierra’s face from the night before.

Sierra’s familiar floral scent carried on the ocean breeze, prompting her to open her eyes. Slowly she acknowledged Sierra with a slow scan up the shapely legs that disappeared under a short blue sarong. By the time her eyes locked on Sierra’s, Sierra was shaking her head.”

I enjoyed how L.T. Marie managed to indulge their first meeting and how easily they reunited in their friendship and their passion.

One man hatred was indeed a point of turn, their colleague Bo, had always  something against Jaime and seeing her and Sierra together shook his manhood.”

 

Their kisses and touches are of adults now, and they are breathtaking and their lovemaking is beautifully and passionately depicted as like in painting of two body and souls becoming one. They share kisses,  lips, tongues, skins, souls and hearts.

Sierra’s attraction

„“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun. Just think, your life will be in my hands.”

She shuddered. Jaime’s hands, long-fingered and full of strength. She couldn’t think about them in any capacity, not without her palms sweating and her heart racing out of control like a runaway train. Why did she suddenly forget how to breathe?

“Sierra, you okay?”

“Fine, yeah, sorry. Where were we?” Because I was thinking of your hands and how if they touched me—Stop! “Oh yeah, I remember. You want me to crawl into that mini-torpedo thingy over there, and I was thinking about all the possible horrific things that could go wrong.””

 

Jaime has the courage to tell Sierra about the shark attack she had to bear and that left a big scar upon her body and a greater one in her soul, yet doesn’t tell her about her former pill addiction. And when she does, the spell is broken, that’s the real turning point, when Sierra’s fear overwhelms her and hesitates, but Jaime leaves first making it way easier as she realizes she can’t ask nor beg Sierra to take on a relationship with her after her marriage with an abusive alcohol addict that was Eric.

Dance

„“Uh…dancing? You do mean fast songs, right? Because after watching you dance with Roy Fields at prom, I can’t possibly watch you dance slowly with a guy again.” I can’t believe I just said that!

“Fast, slow, whatever,” Sierra said, sounding pleased as she playfully tugged on Jaime’s hand. “I love this song. Come on.”

The bar was packed as dozens of bodies crammed onto the small, circular dance floor. Jaime became immediately aware of a few men scoping out Sierra, recognizing the hungry looks of the dateless few. She held back a scowl, fighting the urge to bare her teeth like a dog protecting its prized bone. Her insides ran cold and a surge of jealousy shot through her. She wanted to assert her right to Sierra, to pull Sierra into her arms and let everyone in that room know that she was off limits. But she didn’t have that right. Sierra belonged to no one, especially her. The thought left her feeling helpless. Her anxiety flared. The cramped room closed in around her. But when Sierra turned and looked at her, giving her one of those megawatt smiles, everyone else in the room disappeared until there was only Sierra.

“Come on, I don’t bite,” Sierra whispered.

Suddenly, a slow, familiar melody began to play and couples moved into each other’s arms. She stood motionless, wanting nothing more than to pull Sierra close but fearing her reaction.

Glancing into Sierra’s eyes, she inhaled sharply. Sierra’s shy smile made her heart hammer. With any other woman, she would have thought the look in Sierra’s eyes was desire. She knew better, but damn she was so beautiful, so sexy. Should she take the chance and make the first move, or should she wait to 

see if Sierra approached her first? Not wanting to waste any more precious moments, she cautiously opened her outstretched hand. Every nerve in her body hummed with tension. Seconds felt like an eternity. She held her breath in anticipation as Sierra stepped closer. But instead of taking her hand, Sierra threw her arms around her neck.

She wanted to cry as Sierra hugged her close. She buried her head in Sierra’s shoulder, moving them around the dance floor as if they were one body. Her worry abated and she didn’t care about the dozens of eyes that watched them. For the first time in her life, it didn’t matter that she was on display. Sierra did that to her—made her do and want things she’d never considered before. It had been that way since they’d first met but had never felt quite so good. Her only hope was that the dance could go on forever, but as she tightened her hold around Sierra’s waist, someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind.

The worst part is when Jaime gets beaten by Bo, their former  classmate, who proved this way his manhood. A terrible deed. He gets arrested, yet Jaime is badly injured and the one by her side is Darlene, while, Sierra left without knowing.

Second kiss

 „“Excuse me?”

“There is no excuse for you.” She closed the distance between them, grabbing Jaime by the lapels. “Now tell me why you left?”

Jaime started to speak but stopped, staring at her mouth. Sierra licked her lips like a lioness on the hunt.

“God damn it, say something.”

“You were…dancing. Having fun. I didn’t want to get in the way.”

“You’re so clueless sometimes,” she whispered in Jaime’s ear, nipping her earlobe. “Don’t you see? I didn’t want him.”

“Then what do you want?” Jaime shivered when she traced a line across her jaw.

“I wanted you to dance with me. Only you.”

Jaime groaned. That one finger tracing her collarbone was melting away the last vestiges of her restraint. She couldn’t think. All she could do was feel. “Oh, God.” She groaned again. “You gotta stop. You have no idea what you’re doing.”

“Really.” Sierra leaned closer, resting the front of her body against hers. “I take it back. You’re not clueless, just blind.”

The soft meeting of lips was nothing like the first kiss they’d shared all those years ago. The possessive way Sierra’s lips met Jaime’s was very different from the shy, tentative kiss they shared in high school. Sierra darted her tongue slowly in and out between her lips as if daring Jaime to chase her. She moaned and accepted the challenge, deepening the kiss as she pulled Sierra against her, their bodies melding together.

When lack of oxygen forced them apart, she placed her hands on Sierra’s shoulders, putting a little distance between them so she could think. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and she was dizzy, probably because all the blood had rushed between her legs. “I didn’t know.”

“Well, you were always a little slow.” Sierra teased her, pulling her closer again. “Now stop talking and do that again.”

They managed another brief kiss before the elevators signaled that they had reached the top. Neither one moved. Neither one wanted to.

“Now what?” she said breathlessly. “We could—”

“Yes.”

She smiled. “You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

“I don’t care,” Sierra said, dragging her out of the elevator by the hand before the doors closed. “As long as it involves only you and me, my answer is yes.””

They stay apart a few months, while Jaime writes a sad ending for Flynn and the audience of readers is not satisfied with her novel. Sierra reads it and an unexpected meeting with Darlene that really makes her feel bad and she realizes that Jaime hurts and that she can’t live without Jaime. So she walks over at Jaime’s home and they meet, kiss and make up and out and live happily ever after-forever.

Sierra’s sweet reaction

„Jaime stared at Sierra, cautiously gauging her reaction. She knew the horror all too well that Sierra was witnessing. She had to look at herself in the mirror daily. She’d memorized every inch of scar tissue from where her six-pack abs once were. Now, sections of mangled tissue and thick red teeth marks outlined where the shark had bitten into her flesh. Jagged scars ran in no apparent pattern over the left side of her abdomen and disappeared behind her back. Her breasts were still round and firm, thankfully left untouched. The other side of her body was perfect. The drastic difference between the two sides created a macabre fun-house effect.

Over time she’d learned to live with what she couldn’t change, but what was scaring her now was that for the first time since she and Sierra had been reunited, she couldn’t read anything in Sierra’s expression. The questioning, guarded look was almost as if she’d disconnected herself from the horror she was witnessing. She’d figured Sierra probably wouldn’t take the news well, but she hadn’t expected silence. The longer Sierra stayed silent, the more the burning lump in her throat intensified.

Sierra’s eyes misted and Jaime’s insides plummeted. She wanted to cower in a corner, hide from Sierra and try to banish the look of torment on Sierra’s face. She’d learned to live with rejection her whole life—her mom’s leaving, her father’s constant travels, her difficulty developing lasting friendships. But from Sierra it just plain hurt. She started to pull her shirt back over her head but was stopped short when Sierra grabbed the shirt. “Sierra, it’s okay. You don’t have to—”

“Shush,” Sierra said tenderly, moving to a kneeling position in front of her. Sierra ran her hand over the uneven tissue as she remained motionless, scarcely breathing. Goose bumps formed on her skin and Sierra raised her head to meet her gaze. “Does it hurt?” Sierra asked, kissing each section of uneven tissue.

“Sometimes.” Her voice grew deeper. “But not when you do that.”

“Then I need to do it more often.” Sierra framed her waist with her hands and rubbed her cheek along the rough scars.

“I can’t believe you still want to touch me like this after finding out.” She moaned, running her fingers through Sierra’s hair as her tongue traced the length of another scar.

“Why, because of a few scars?” Sierra linked her fingers through hers. “Do you really think I’m that shallow?”

Lovemaking

„Jaime removed the thong altogether, throwing it somewhere behind her. She stood, picking Sierra up by her hips so she could hook her legs around Jaime’s middle.

“What are you doing?”

“You’ll see,” Jaime said, as she yanked the blanket off the bed with one hand while holding her up with the other.

Jaime padded the large windowsill behind them, placing her comfortably inside. She reclined against some pillows, leaving her legs open and her body exposed. Jaime knelt reverently before her, framing her sex with her fingers.

“This is very creative of you,” she said as Jaime trailed a few kisses inside her thighs and a moan escaped her lips.

“You know us authors. Always striving to be different.” Jaime lowered her mouth, taking Sierra’s quivering flesh between her lips. She slowly took her time to trace each ridge and tender fold, as if savoring the taste of a fine wine. Sierra’s hips surged against her face, the pace increasing with Sierra’s cry.

“Do it, Jaime. Please…make me come!”

Guiding Sierra to her, Jaime took her with abandon, pushing her tongue farther into slick warm flesh. She cried out Jaime’s name. Her body throbbing 

against Jaime’s tongue, her life force pulsed wildly with the urgency to explode. But it still wasn’t enough. Sucking Sierra’s heat, Jaime drove two fingers deep inside her, nearly lifting her out of the window.

“More, baby. Make me yours.”

She wrapped her legs around Jaime’s neck and gripped the window frame until her fingers turned white. She tried to match Jaime with every thrust of her hips but it wasn’t enough. She wanted to be closer to her and longed for the connection she’d never experienced with another person. Moving to wrap her arms around Jaime’s neck instead, she kissed Jaime and thrust into her hand, feeling the powerful orgasm beginning to swirl within.

“Damn, you’re beautiful,” Jaime said, breaking the kiss. “Look at me, baby. See my hunger for you when you come.”

She locked eyes with Jaime and tried to speak, but the words left her in a rush. Her limbs went taut, her mind awash with bright light as the blinding orgasm crashed through her, wave upon wave of pure pleasure coursing through her body. As she trembled in Jaime’s arms, she felt herself being placed on the bed. Jaime moved down her body, placing soft kisses first along her breasts, then down her abdomen. When soft lips encircled her clitoris, another wave crashed into her with bruising intensity.

“You can’t expect me to lie here and watch?” Jaime asked, incredulous.

“Yes I can. But more important,” Sierra nipped one of her nipples then the other, “I want you to feel.”

It had been so long since she had allowed another woman to touch her she thought she might explode into a million pieces. She’d never wanted anyone to wield this kind of power over her—never wanted to be exposed in any way, even if there was the slightest possibility that she could end up getting hurt. Her father had taught her that emotions made people weak. She’d written a character that never allowed emotions to get in the way of her missions, no matter the cost to her sanity. But with Sierra’s every touch and soft brush of lips, she was beginning to believe that not only did love make a person stronger, it made them feel invincible.

“Does this hurt?” Sierra asked as she traced the jagged tissue on her left side.

“No. I told you, when you touch me, I feel no pain.”

Sierra reached between their bodies, taking Jaime’s exposed clitoris between her fingers. “What do you feel now?”

She crushed the bedsheets in her hands, ripping them from their corners. She didn’t know how much more of the teasing she could handle, and when Sierra pinched harder and tugged, she nearly rocketed off the bed. “Oh, God. Hurts so good. I need…”

“Me.” Sierra pushed deep into her with one fluid motion and her body greedily engulfed her hand like rose petals closing during a heavy rain. She cried out, quickly flipping Sierra over to hover above her. She placed one leg between Sierra’s, creating enough room to slip into her depths. As soon as the connection was made between their bodies, she tensed above Sierra and bore down hard onto her hand.

The contractions spread like wildfire between them, quickly engulfing them in a sensual heat. Within seconds they had immersed themselves completely, the inferno slowly dwindling to smoldering ashes, barely leaving them enough oxygen to speak.

“What…did you…do?” Sierra asked when she finally caught her breath.

“Me?” She gasped. “Jesus, baby. You wrecked me.”

Sierra grinned against her sweaty neck, licking toward her ear. “You’re a top. I like it.”

“I’m so glad. But damn, I don’t think I can walk.”

“I’m sure you could, if I’d let you up.”

“Let me?”

“Yes.”

She kissed Sierra unhurriedly until the smoldering embers ignited once again. When she pulled back, the heat was evident in Sierra’s smoky blue gaze. “And how do you plan to stop me?”