“Then why did you keep coming back?”
Ronnie gave the only answer she could, the honest one. “I wanted to see you. To get to know you better.”
“You know what I remember about those first few days?” Rose looked toward the ceiling. “It’s mostly fuzzy glimpses here and there, just snatches really. They must have been giving me some powerful drugs then.”
“They were,” Ronnie agreed.
“I remember looking up and seeing you.” She smiled warmly and looked at her lover. “There you were, this wonderful woman telling me everything would be all right.”
“You asked me if I was an angel,” the dark-haired woman added, smiling to herself at the memory.
“You were to me, you know. You were my own personal guardian angel, looking out for me every step of the way. You were my knight in shining armor, my hero.” She lifted Ronnie’s arm and rested her head against the older woman’s chest. “I didn’t know why you took such an interest in me but I was grateful.” Her voice grew sad. “Now I know.”
“No.” Ronnie rested her palm against Rose’s cheek. “That first night I acted out of selfpreservation and fear but don’tthink that I pretended to care after that.” Blue eyes searched green, begging them to understand. “I can’t explain it but there was something about you, Rose Grayson. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and the only time I was happy was when I was with you. I think I fell in love with you from that first day you woke up in the hospital.”
“What happened to the Porsche?”
“I had it fixed and then sold it. I couldn’t bring myself to drive it again.” She reached down and began stroking the golden hair cascading over Rose’s shoulder.
“Ronnie?”
“Mm?”
“When you realized I was falling for you, why didn’t you tell me then?”
Ronnie pulled the young woman closer, holding her secure in her arms. “By the time I realized you were falling for me, I had already fallen for you…hard.” Taking a chance, she leaned down and placed a gentle kiss atop the golden head, pleased when she felt Rose lean into it. Turning her head so her cheek rested where her lips had just been, Ronnie continued. “I tried so hard to pretend it wasn’t happening, but every day I fell in love more and more. I was scared that if I told you the truth you’d leave me. I couldn’t lose you, Rose, I just couldn’t.” Her voice broke and she had to stop and take a deep breath. A gentle squeeze encouraged her. “When you left…when Maria called me…” Words failed the executive and she tightened her hold.
“I didn’t know what to do, what to think,” Rose said. “It hurt so much.” Her fingers idly stroked her lover’s long dark hair. “But as much as that hurt, it was worse not being with you.”
“I love you, Rose.” She cupped the young woman’s chin and their eyes met. “I can’t change what happened in the past but I can give you my word that I’ll never lie to you again.” Her thumb brushed against Rose’s lower lip. “I know you can probably never forgive me for lying, but I love you and I know you love me.”
“I do,” the young woman said earnestly. “I’ve never loved anyone the way I do you.”
“You don’t know how much I wish that accident had never happened, that you never had to suffer through all that pain.”
“But Ronnie…” She kissed the thumb resting against her lip. “If it never happened then we wouldn’t have met. Sometimes things happen for a reason.”
“Then can we move on from here?”
“I’d like that.” She leaned her head against Ronnie’s chest. “Honey?”
The black-haired woman smiled at the endearment and rewarded Rose with a quick kiss on the forehead. “Yeah?”
“Can we just stay like this forever?”
Ronnie smiled broadly and squeezed her lover against her. “Sure.”
“You almost done in there, birthday girl?” Ronnie called from the other side of the door.
“Almost.” She fastened the top and looked at her reflection in the mirror. “Honey, don’t you think this bikini is a bit…revealing?”
“It’s meant to be that way.”
“You’re a pervert, Veronica Cartwright, you know that?”
“Only with you, my dear.” Tired of waiting, Ronnie opened the bathroom door and was treated to the sight of Rose standing there with only the barest of bikini tops on. “Very nice,” she drawled.
“Nice for you maybe,” the young woman countered, pulling the yellow bottoms on. Gold tufts of hair peeked out from the side. “Great.” She pulled them off again and headed for the toiletries.
“Why don’t you go on ahead, Honey. I have to take care of something first.”
“Sure you don’t want any help? I’d be happy to help you.”
Picking up the razor, Rose smiled at her lover. “If you ‘helped’ me, we wouldn’t get anywhere near the pool today.” She turned away only to feel Ronnie’s arms wrap around her.
“So? Would that be such a bad thing?”
“You are incorrigible.” She turned to see dark eyebrows wiggling lecherously at her. “I’m certain this bikini is more of a present for you than for me.”
“You know me so well.”
“Uh uh uh.” Rose reached down and intercepted the wandering hands. “None of that right now.”
“But it’s your birthday. Are you sure there isn’t something else you’d like to do besides lounging around the pool?” Ronnie tried to resume the playful fondling but was stopped once again.
“At the moment, no,” Rose said. “And you already did that this morning.” She looked from her pubic hair to her shaver and back again. “I’m not sure if I need a razor or a weed whacker.”
“Yeah? Try having black hair,” Ronnie replied. “The slightest stubble shows.” Her hand began running circles on Rose’s abdomen, steadily heading south. “You sure you don’t want help?” she queried while nuzzling the smaller woman’s ear.
“Isn’t this why we didn’t get to go swimming yesterday?” She stepped out of Ronnie’s embrace.
“You go take the iced tea out and I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
Once alone, Rose sat on the toilet and spread her legs to trim the wild patch of blonde curls. Her mind wandered over the events of the last year.She shook her head in disbelief. Looking down at her bare legs, she found it almost hard to believe that only six months ago they were in casts.As it was, it had been over a month since she left the cane behind and it was only when she pushed herself too hard that she felt any pain her legs or ankle. The thin scar on her cheek where the stitches once were had faded into a line so faint it was barely visible. Still Rose knew it was the one spot most kissed on her face, except for her lips, of course.she mused. It was one of the little habits Ronnie had that she found so endearing.Suddenly feeling lonely without her beloved, Rose quickly finished trimming her pubic hair and pulled on her bikini bottoms. A hasty run of the brush through her hair and she set off in search of Ronnie.