The Art Of Desire Ch. 02

"Hello, Miss Kirsson," Meaghan called over with a bright smile and a wave of her hand. "Care to join me for a bite?" Samantha grinned in reply and strode over to the young woman. She trailed a hand through Meaghan's hair, then took a seat on the opposite bale of hay.

"I think I could manage to take some time off," the carpenter drawled as she went back to hugging herself lightly despite the relative warmth of the loft.

Meaghan made a soft sound and got to her feet while removing her light jacket. "Really, Sam, it's only April," the young woman chided as she draped the jacket across Samantha's wiry shoulders. By her tone of voice, however, Samantha did not need to see her to know she was only kidding.

With a grateful smile, Samantha grabbed Meaghan's hand as the other woman was about to return to her own seat. She pulled the smaller woman into her lap and wrapped her arms around that petite waist. "I guess I just need someone to take care of me sometimes," Sam whispered, nuzzling Meaghan's neck.

The smaller woman rested her head against Sam's for a moment. Her pensive expression went unseen by Samantha. "I do what I can," Meaghan finally murmured in reply as she wrapped an arm around Samantha's shoulders. "Now... how about some food?" She leaned forward and flipped open one side of the basket. There was a tall, silver thermos which Meaghan carefully lifted out, followed by a couple travel mugs. She opened the thermos and poured soup into either of the travel mugs, then gave one to Samantha as she claimed the other. "Cheers," Meaghan said quietly with a small smile, lifting the mug in something resembling a toast.

Samantha laughed softly and imitated the motion before taking a slow sip. Usually, vegetable stew wasn't quite her cup of tea, but this was both delicious and warming. "Exactly what I needed, Meaghan. Thank you." Her smile brought a quiver of light from the smaller woman's green eyes as Meaghan beamed in reply.

They sat there for a long moment, just sipping the soup and enjoying the company of the other woman, together and yet alone with their thoughts. Finally Samantha broke the silence as she set her mug to the side and glanced up at Meaghan.

"I've been thinking about you all day," she began softly, reaching up to trace the delicate line of Meaghan's collarbone, just barely visible through the woman's navy blouse. "I can't help it, really. I mean, last night..." She trailed off and grinned as a soft blush touched her tanned cheeks.

Meaghan set her empty mug on the ground and turned slightly in Samantha's lap to peer at the other woman closely. Her lips curved gently, and she pressed her warm hands against Samantha's cheeks. "Last night was amazing. And this morning. And right now..." Leaning down slightly, she brushed her lips against Samantha's while her fingers slid forward, gliding against the smooth brown hair still in its ponytail from that morning. "I couldn't believe it last night when I saw you standing there above me. I'd been dreaming about you all day long."

Sam's blush only deepened at this admission, and her arms tightened around Meaghan's waist. "I couldn't stay away," she whispered as her crooked smile returned. "I only meant to tease you a little to see if you'd respond." She laughed and kissed Meaghan's neck again. "I guess I got my wish."

Meaghan's eyes closed at the caress of Samantha's lips, and her arm tightened once more around the carpenter's firm shoulders. She gave out a quiet moan, then slid from Sam's lap and onto her knees until they were facing one another. Meaghan stared into those light brown eyes for only a moment before her fingers lifted towards the top button of Sam's flannel shirt.

Samantha gave a startled sound and reached up to stop Meaghan's hands. "I should get back to work," she said hurriedly, sitting up and forcing Meaghan's hands to rest on her hard thighs.

Meaghan arched a brow high and pressed her fingers into Sam's leg, her hands gliding towards the other's waist. "Now really, Sam, I'd think you didn't want this anymore," she said, her voice sounding just a little forced, along with her smile. "You're not going to make me find a new carpenter, are you?"

Samantha froze for a moment, then quickly got to her feet. The borrowed jacket fell from her shoulders as she shuffled out of Meaghan's reach. "Please... don't say that," Sam said, her voice tight. "Don't... it wasn't supposed to happen. I mean... I wanted it to, but..." She started to back towards the ladder, looking exquisite but frustrated. She gave Meaghan a pained look, then turned towards the ladder and scrambled down.

Meaghan was stunned, kneeling there in the scattered hay, staring at the place where Samantha had just disappeared. She winced at the sound of the side door closing below, then let out a long breath she hadn't known she was holding. Sinking forward, she rested her forehead on her arms, fingers clenching tightly into fists. She struggled with feelings of frustration and dismay until only a numb lump sat in her stomach. With a defeated sigh, she began gathering the things from lunch and eventually made her way back to the house, ignoring the concerned looks from the few members of the house staff.

* * *

Samantha's insides tightened into rocks of anxiety as she raced back up to the second floor. She all but threw herself into her work until there was nothing racing through her mind aside from her tasks, her hands fitting to the tools with practiced ease. The sky darkened and the crew brought out lamps while they continued to work.

Exhaustion began to seep into Samantha's muscles as she finally pulled herself away from the work to see what they had accomplished for the day. After just two days, the upstairs was almost ready for the real work to begin. She began to smile with satisfaction until she realized there was only one other crew member left upstairs, and he was gathering the last of the tools and moving the unneeded lamps out of the way. As he stepped into the front room, he gave Samantha a wary look.

"Hey Sam."

"Hi Ron. The others went home already?"

Ron frowned slightly and glanced at the nearest window. "Already? It's past seven." He finished winding a bright orange extension cord around his arm and left the loop on a makeshift workbench just inside the spacious room. "Hey... are you all right? You seemed a little spooked after lunch."

Panic gripped Samantha for a fleeting moment before she forced smile to her face and shook her head quickly. "Nah, just had something that didn't quite agree with me... I'm fine." She straightened and knuckled the small of her back for a moment. "D'ya need a ride into town? I think I'm going to pack it in for the night."

The two quietly finished cleaning up and turned off the last floor lamp before heading downstairs. Samantha's heart fluttered briefly as she prepared herself to confront Meaghan, but there was no sign of anyone in the house as they let themselves out through the front door and walked towards Samantha's truck. They both climbed in with companionable silence. Samantha started the old engine, waited for the idle to settle, then rumbled down the gravel path towards the county road.

* * *

Meaghan watched from the window in her study as Sam's truck disappeared into the night. She had already washed the dried tears from her cheeks, but it was still hard to fight the urge to add a few more. Things had really been going too quickly, she thought to herself, though the thought brought little comfort. She hadn't realized until it was too late that her words had hurt the other woman. The feelings she dealt with in the last two days had been absent so long, they were nearly foreign to her by now.

It wasn't that her life with Charles was that bad. She loved him, and she knew he loved her. Like any couple, they had their issues to work on. As she had discovered during the years before he came along, however, there was something about loving a woman that was so different, so unlike anything else, and it was a feeling she had given up with no small amount of regret when she met him.

And now, after the last five years with Charles, she felt those old tugs at her heart, and they were simply intoxicating. She found herself craving the feeling of Samantha's body against hers, so soft to touch, and yet so solid in her arms. Her laugh was delightful, and her eyes... Meaghan had never seen that shade of brown before in someone's eyes.

Mostly, Meaghan loved the way she felt so comfortable and so wanted. It just felt so right.

With a deep breath, Meaghan relaxed, her decision made. She ran to the front door and grabbed her heavy flannel jacket and the car keys from the desk drawer. With one last look at the silent house, she walked out into the night towards the carriage house, thinking distantly they would probably get frost overnight.

* * *

Ron and Samantha rode in silence, neither really interested in trying the radio. After a couple miles, Sam glanced at Ron quickly, then back to the dotted yellow line gliding past her left.

"So... how's Judy?" she asked, forcing a chipper note to her tone.

Ron couldn't help but reply with an almost giddy smile. "Oh, y'know. She's lookin' forward to being done with the pregnancy. She's so uncomfortable these days... and Mom's just about driving her crazy with all her helpful hints and demands."

Sam couldn't help but laugh softly, knowing all too well what the old woman was like. "She's always been like that. Knowing exactly what it is we're supposed to be doing and aren't. Especially what we're doing wrong. And heaven forbid she should keep her opinions to herself."

"Well, she didn't quite know what to say about you," Ron quickly replied, grinning over at Samantha. He let the silence drag on a moment or two before shrugging. "Not that it matters. You're cool with me, Sam. Mom will just have to deal. She'd always wanted a girly girl, and you just never fit the bill."

Samantha nodded after a moment, her hand resting idly on the gearshift as they began to approach the hill into town. She took a slow breath then smiled softly. "Sometimes I wondered if she was ever a little jealous of Dad. I mean... people always assumed you and Ted would follow in his footsteps. I think I kind of threw 'em for a loop."

"I hadn't thought of that," Ron said quietly, leaning against the arm rest so he could study Samantha a little more easily. "I suppose she was... but it's more than that, and you know it. She really didn't know what to do once you came out to her. Can't see how it should have surprised her, but... well. Mothers can be a little deluded about such things," Sam's brother continued, giving her a crooked grin identical to her own.

Samantha could only laugh in reply, and after a few seconds, the earlier silence crept in again.

Ron stared ahead into the night, unable to keep a worried look from his face for too long. "You know she's married, right?" he finally said quietly.

It was all Sam could do to keep her concentration on the road. The night hid her blush, but her grip tightened on the steering wheel until her knuckles stood out white. Ron had always been a little too good at figuring out her secrets. She tried to study him out of the corner of her eye, but he was still focused on the road ahead.

She could not really think of anything to say, but Ron seemed to pick up on that and glanced at her again. "Sam, I'm sorry. I mean... I know you think you're okay with it, but... Shit, girl, you got burnt so bad last time... I don't want to see you hurt again. Plus, this is a really good job... you know Jane and I need it."

Panic gave way to a flash of anger as Samantha gave her brother a frosty glare. "No need to lay on the guilt, Ron. I know what the situation is."

Ron just raised his hands in defense and sighed softly. "I'm sorry, Sam. It's just last time..." But he trailed off and just went back to watching the road.

Samantha did not exactly need to be reminded. The crew had gotten pretty screwed over last time. All because she didn't think when their client's wife invited her along for a ride, and then some. Not only had the wife only been interested in jerking Sam around for spite, but the husband was so upset he canceled their contract on the spot and spread some stories around besides. The job at Meaghan's was the first one they'd gotten since that incident, and they were all feeling the financial pinch.

It wasn't so much that Sam was careless about these things. She was just achingly lonely. In the small towns of America, coming out to the world wasn't the greatest idea sometimes. She had suddenly found herself isolated and the butt of local jokes. It had been a hard road, but she had come out of it a better and stronger person in the end. It didn't make the empty apartment and cold bed any easier to bear, however.

And sometimes... sometimes she managed to find some unique soul out there that appealed to her. It worked or it didn't. And in the end, she was still alone. Her brother's concern just seemed to sharpen that latest wound a little too acutely. She fell silent as her own thoughts consumed her.

They topped the long hill and drove slowly into a tiny town they called home. The streets were already quiet at this time of night. After a minute, Sam stopped in front of a little house with new aluminum siding. Ron got out of the truck and turned toward Samantha for a moment. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but instead he just shook his head slightly and gave his sister a sad little smile. "See ya tomorrow, sis." The door slammed shut, and he headed in to greet his wife.

Sam sat there for a moment to watch the front door close, then crawled along the street with the engine rumbling just above idle. It wasn't a bad little town. Everyone knew everybody else. Most were pretty friendly and accepting. Most.

A couple minutes took her to the other side of town. The truck came to a stop outside a tall house and shuddered as Sam killed the engine. She grabbed her jacket from the bench in back where Ron had tossed it, then she shut the door and started to walk up the path towards her own door but stopped short.

Meaghan was sitting on the bottom step, wrapped in her flannel jacket with her hands in her pockets. She slowly rose to her feet and gave Samantha an uncertain smile. "I didn't want things to end the way they did," she explained quietly, watching Sam's face for any sort of sign.

The other woman was still standing on the cement path between her truck and the front step. Her hesitation was plain on her face, but as she saw Meaghan's disappointment, Sam quickly walked toward the other woman, then stopped again just an arm's length away. "Meaghan... I'm sorry. I overreacted." She let her gaze fall, then looked to either side, though the other houses were already dark. She studied the other woman then and offered a soft smile. "Care to come in? The cat and I don't usually get visitors."

Meaghan could only nod as she fought back tears of relief. She stood aside as Samantha unlocked the door and led the way upstairs to her small one-bedroom apartment.

Samantha tossed her keys onto the small shelf next to the door, then flipped on the light. The apartment was clean in a sort of scattered way. The dishes were washed but left in the drying rack. The clothes were folded, but still in baskets. Overall, the place had a vibrant feeling that appealed to Meaghan much more than her own house, which sometimes felt more like a museum. It felt like someone lived here. Knowing who that someone was only made it that much more inviting.

Meaghan suddenly realized Sam was watching her. She started to smile, but the smile faltered at the odd look on Samantha's face. "Sam... I really am sorry about earlier. It was a stupid thing to say." She ended abruptly and frowned at the other woman who was still silent. Meaghan glanced around the main room of the apartment and spotted the old sofa in the corner. She quickly reached out and took Samantha's hand in hers, then led her to the sofa where she forced the other woman to take a seat. Meaghan just stood over her for a moment, frustration making her hands clench. She could not take the silence much longer, so she knelt with her knees to either side of Sam's legs, took the woman's head in her hands and kissed her deeply.

Surprise only forestalled Samantha for a moment before she returned the heated passion with a fervor that had been held at bay all afternoon. She gripped the front of Meaghan's jacket to hold her close and leaned into her, intensifying the kiss.

By the time Meaghan pulled back, both women were breathing hard. Samantha's eyes were half lidded as she gazed at Meaghan's lips, a delicious shade of red after last night's gentle bruising and the last few minutes of intense attention.

Meaghan sat back a little and let her hands fall to rest on Sam's shoulders. "About this afternoon," Meaghan began again in a quiet voice as her thumb traced one quivering jaw line. "I am sorry. So sorry. It's been so long, and... well, I'm not sure what happened." Despite the promise she made to herself to keep it at bay, her green eyes began to water. "I didn't mean to hurt you or make you run. It's just so awkward, and I was covering for that by teasing you. I'm sorry."

Samantha sat still and listened. Her head tilted in towards the soft caress, though her eyes never strayed from that emerald gaze. "I'm sorry I ran," she replied once Meaghan went quiet. "I didn't want to mess things up. You're so irresistible to me, but I didn't want a one-night-stand. And yet... you're not exactly available for more than that. Are you." It wasn't really a question.

A tear spilled over Meaghan's cheek, which she quickly wiped away and sighed. She slowly lowered herself to the sofa beside Samantha and rested her head against the other woman's shoulder. "I don't know," she finally answered, her voice nearly a whisper. "I don't want to lead you on... my husband and I have always said we had an open relationship, but I've never taken him up on it... and as far as I know, neither has he." She fell silent for a moment and laced her fingers through Samantha's, holding her hand gently. After a moment, the small woman raised her head to glance up. Her expression was so helpless and adorable, Samantha felt like crying herself for a brief moment.

Samantha was about to tell Meaghan it was okay, but the other woman interrupted. "Sam, I don't want this to be a one-night-stand either. You made me... you make me feel so wonderful, and so... so cherished... I don't want to lose that. And at the very least, I want to get to know you better rather than just remember one hot night with someone whose smile makes me want to melt."

It was no use trying to reply to that. Samantha turned toward Meaghan and wrapped her arms around the small woman's shoulders, holding her tightly. Then bending her head, she placed a gentle kiss on Meaghan's temple that caused Meaghan to turn towards her. Samantha smiled softly and traced Meaghan's rosy lips with the tip of her finger. "I think I like that idea," she whispered, pausing only a moment longer to watch the light shimmer in Meaghan's eyes before leaning forward to brush her lips against one wet cheek, then the other, finally pressing against those slightly plump, cherry lips while her arms tightened around Meaghan's shoulders once more.

One last tear trickled down Meaghan's cheek as she relaxed in Samantha's arms, her own arms curling tentatively around the other woman's firm waist. After a moment, her fingers pressed more firmly into Samantha's back, pulling the harder body against hers as the kiss quickly grew more passionate.

Samantha needed no encouragement as she eased Meaghan back onto the sofa cushions. Her lips traveled down to that soft neck while she moved to kneel between Meaghan 's legs. She unbuttoned the top of Meaghan's blouse enough to reveal the lacy fringe of a black, silk brassiere and let her fingertips graze along the delicate border, bringing a gentle shiver from the woman beneath her.