Title: Now or Never
Author: Inspector Boxer
Pairing: Lindsay/Cindy
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A little wine gives Lindsay a little courage…
Author’s Note: This is the sequel to Liquid Courage.
Word Count: 2,154
Disclaimer: WMC is the property of James Patterson.
No copyright infringement intended.
Archiving: Only with permission from the author.
Now or Never
by Inspector Boxer
“You know…”
“Out.”
“I just…”
“Out.”
“You could…”
“Out! Lindsay, for the love of God, it’s four in the morning, and I have court at ten. Get out of the car.” Jill turned in the driver’s seat and fixed her best friend with a glare that could melt steel.
Lindsay scowled, not liking being on the receiving end of the laser vision at all. “I just don’t know…”
“Liquid courage wearing off already?” Jill interrupted as she reached over and unlocked Lindsay’s seatbelt. At the moment, she felt like a babysitter. Lindsay was acting like a five year old afraid to go into kindergarten for the first time. “I swear you would have polished off the whole bottle if I hadn’t snatched it away from you,” she continued as Lindsay gave her a look at how motherly she was being. “This is not the sort of thing you want to say drunk.”
“This is not the sort of thing I want to say sober.” Lindsay sighed and put her head back. “What am I doing here?”
“You’re going to go in there and talk to Cindy.”
“It’s four in the morning.”
“I promise you she won’t mind.” Jill took Lindsay’s hand. “Linz, it’s now or never.”
“Would I seem like a complete and total chicken shit if I chose the latter?” Lindsay asked weakly, only marginally joking.
It was the wrong thing to say. Jill gave her an exasperated look before shoving her door open. Lindsay groaned and started banging her head on the headrest, realizing with dawning dread that Jill wasn’t letting her out of this. Her own door was violently jerked open and her arm grabbed before Jill bodily hauled her out of the car with surprising strength.
Lindsay almost tripped over the curb and only managed to right herself by the time her door was closed and Jill was back on her side of the car. “Wait. You aren’t staying?” She heard the panic in her voice and winced.
“Night, Linz.” With a devilish smile, Jill climbed in, shut the door, and roared off.
Lindsay stood there on the sidewalk, mulling over the events that had landed her in this fix. “What in the hell, Boxer?” she muttered to herself. She scuffed a booted toe then turned, looking up at the façade of Cindy’s apartment building. It was only five stories tall, but it looked as imposing as a serial killer with a machete. She put her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket, her right hand caressing the cell phone she found there. It was tempting to call a cab. She could just tell Jill that Cindy didn’t wake up when she’d knocked.
And Jill would kick her ass for being such a shitty liar.
“I have faced down murderers, gangs and drug dealers. I can do this.” She nodded to herself. “This should be easy.” Lindsay took a shaky breath. “So if it’s so easy why do you want to hurl in the bushes?”
Lindsay realized that if she continued to stand there talking to herself someone was going to call the cops on her. And how embarrassing would that be? Reluctantly, she started toward the building.
By the time she reached the first landing, her resolve started to harden. She could do this. Jill claimed Cindy had feelings for her. Cindy had obviously admitted as much to their mutual friend. So why was the thought of telling the reporter how she felt making her heart pound?
When Lindsay stepped onto the third floor an edge of eagerness laced her nerves. She’d never really imagined Cindy could feel this way about her. Knowing that she did… what could be… It caused a sweet ache of longing in her chest. Suddenly Lindsay wanted to see those warm brown eyes. That adorable little nose. Those full lips. If she played her cards right in the next few minutes, she might even find out if those lips were as soft as they looked.
She finally came to a door she knew well. Taking one last moment to steel her courage, Lindsay took a deep breath…
And knocked.
****
Cindy peered through her peephole and hesitated. A quick look at the clock revealed the surprising time. For Lindsay to be there something bad had to have happened. With a flash of panic, Cindy worked the locks then flung the door open. “What happened? Is it Jill? Claire?”
Startled, Lindsay could only stare at her. Everything she’d decided to say on her way up the steps went plunging over the railing and splattered on the asphalt below. Cindy was in an open robe, her small frame clad in only a baseball jersey underneath. It wasn’t Victoria’s Secret, but on the reporter it was damn sexy. The redhead’s concerns finally penetrated the sudden haze of lust that had overcome her. “Huh? No. No they’re fine. Sorry.”
Cindy paused, confused, relieved and utterly oblivious to Lindsay’s open appreciation of her legs. “Oh. Then… why…” She gave the taller woman a curious look.
“Why what?” Lindsay stuffed her hands in her back pockets as she stood in the hall. “Oh! Why am I here?” She clenched her teeth and shook her head at herself. So much for her resolve. She was acting like an idiot. “I… can I come in?”
Realizing her manners, Cindy immediately stepped back, letting Lindsay enter. She closed her eyes when she got a whiff of Lindsay’s perfume as she passed. She often wondered what it would be like to smell it on Lindsay’s skin as she nuzzled the crook of her neck. Thoughts like that could get her into trouble, however, so she reluctantly stuffed them down and put on a politely interested expression.
Lindsay turned in the hallway and looked at her. Cindy was just so damn adorable dressed like that. Her brown eyes noted the fuzzy blue socks on Cindy’s feet and she grinned in reaction. “Nice socks.”
“They’re comfortable,” Cindy said defensively.
“I… I’m sure they are.” Lindsay nodded then rubbed her face with both hands. This was not going well. She wasn’t coming off suave and sophisticated. In fact, she decided, Cindy was probably wondering is she was high. “Look. I’m sorry I woke you. It’s just… what happened tonight…”
Cindy took a deep breath. “You came over here at 4:00 in the morning because you found out I had feelings for someone?”
Lindsay winced and worried a thumbnail with her teeth. “Not exactly.”
“Then what, exactly?” The reporter asked feeling both alarmed and curious.
“I… went to Jill’s at 2:30 in the morning because I found out you had feelings for someone.”
“That’s as clear as mud,” Cindy pointed out. She studied Lindsay closely for the first time and noticed the nerves she hadn’t seen when she’d answered the door. Her heart kicked in reaction then started pumping at a jittery tempo.
“We… Jill and I… we talked. And… uh… she drove me over here.” Lindsay leaned against the wall. She was close to hyperventilating she was so nervous.
“You talked.” Cindy’s voice was quiet. She closed her eyes, feeling mortified and betrayed. “She told you.”
“Kinda…” Lindsay’s police training kicked in as Cindy started to rush past her. She blocked her, grabbing one arm to keep her from fleeing. “Wait.”
“Just… spare me, okay? Spare me the speeches about how my feelings aren’t real. That… it’s just hero worship. Spare me the look of pity because you can’t feel the same way. Just… go, Lindsay. You don’t have to say anything.” Cindy ripped her arm away.
“Cindy.”
“Just… go.” Cindy looked up at her and there were tears in her eyes.
Lindsay felt gut-punched at that look. “It’s not… That’s not why I came.”
“Then why? You want to pet me on the head and tell me it’s a crush? That I’ll get over it? Fine. Say it and then go.”
“I can’t say that. That’s not why I came,” Lindsay repeated, wishing that she could find the words to defuse this sudden tension, wishing that she could say something… do something… to make those tears in Cindy’s eyes go away.
“Then why did you?” Cindy pleaded. “Why couldn’t you just ignore the truth like you always do?”
Lindsay closed her eyes. “I don’t want to ignore it,” she whispered. “I can’t ignore it anymore than I’ve ever been able to ignore you.”
Cindy went still, wondering is she was supposed to take that sentence the way she desperately wanted to.
Lindsay took a slow, uneven breath then abruptly gave a half-hearted laugh. “I am totally screwing this up.”
Cindy remained motionless. Hope flared hard in her chest, and she struggled to contain it. It couldn’t really happen could it? Her… with Lindsay? “Linz…”
A sudden thought occurred to the detective. Lindsay held up one finger. “Hang on.” She went to the door, opening it before stepping out into the hall and pulling it shut behind her.
“Wh…?” Cindy blinked at Lindsay’s abrupt departure. She spun and started forward, ready to chase her tall friend down if need be. A knock at the door drew her up short just as she reached the knob. Realizing what Lindsay was up to, a small smile eased onto her features. “Who is it?”
“It’s Lindsay,” the inspector’s voice came with over the top cheeriness from the hall.
Cindy smiled and bit her lip, charmed in spite of everything by Lindsay’s antics. She opened the door a crack. “Hi,” her voice was soft.
Lindsay smiled, one of her slow, sexy grins that always made Cindy go weak in the knees. “Can I come in?”
Cindy stepped back and let her pass again. “Have you been drinking?” she drawled.
“Not nearly enough,” Lindsay confessed as Cindy shut the door.
They stared at each other. Lindsay’s smile faded but there was a look of such tenderness on her face that Cindy could barely stand it. Lindsay was looking at her like she looked at babies and puppies. Like she used to look at Tom.
Cindy sucked down a sharp breath as she connected the dots.
“Can we start this over?” Lindsay pleaded. “I’ll see if I can get my tongue working this time.”
Cindy nodded dumbly.
“Actually, you know what? I’m not very good at talking.” Lindsay stepped forward and pressed Cindy up against the door. She heard the redhead’s soft gasp, felt the stir of air against her own lips just as she captured Cindy’s mouth.
Cindy reacted instantly, her lips parting to allow Lindsay entrance. Her hands fisted on the lapels of Lindsay’s jacket, holding her close as she savored the touch and taste of her.
Lindsay groaned as Cindy’s tongue tangled with hers. The redhead’s mouth was softer than she ever imagined, and she explored it eagerly. Her hands roamed of their own will, touching Cindy’s bare thighs and easing upward.
They slowly parted. Both were breathing hard and shaking with excitement and desire for more.
“It looks like you got you tongue working just fine,” Cindy said breathlessly as she pressed her lips against the curve of Lindsay’s neck.
Lindsay laughed and held her closer. “Glad I managed to do something right tonight.”
Cindy eased back and looked up at Lindsay’s features. “You really want this? Me?”
The painful vulnerability in Cindy’s eyes took Lindsay’s heart in a vice-like grip and squeezed. “You want me to tell you or show you?”
Cindy felt heat settle low in her belly. “We have work tomorrow…” she answered hoarsely.
Lindsay whipped out her phone and autodialed a number. She reached up and traced Cindy’s cheek with her fingertips before letting her touch wander to the soft lips she’d sampled. “Tom?” she said into her boss’ voicemail. “I won’t be in today. I seem to have been bitten by some sort of bug.” Her voice had altered to sound convincingly ill. “I’ll see you Monday. Tell Jacobi for me.” She snapped the phone shut and looked at Cindy with an arched eyebrow and an expectant look on her face. She offered her the phone. “Your turn.”
Cindy took the phone only to set it down on an accent table. “I have a few hours before I have to call.” She stepped forward and let her hands slide up Lindsay’s sides. She felt Lindsay’s answering touch easing under her jersey and making her breath hitch. “And I don’t want to wait.”
Lindsay smiled, her eyes hooded. “Please,” she drawled. “Don’t let me keep you.”
****
“Come on, Lindsay. Don’t screw this up.”
Outside, sitting in her car, Jill watched the light in Cindy’s window. It was staying on way too damn long.
Then it suddenly winked out. Jill waited for five minutes. When Lindsay didn’t emerge, she grinned in triumph.
“You go, girls,” she said with a grin as she cranked the car and drove away into the early hours of morning.