Chapter Two

The Goddess had a name: Jane.

Up close she was even more spectacular. Her skin was flawless. Tanned. Her olive complexion was quite possibly a Mediterranean heritage. Those eyes were still intense, but in a different way. When she looked at Maura, she was interested. She rested her head in her palm, her elbow on the bar as she listened. She looked at ease, one leg crossed over the other, causing her dress to ride up a muscular thigh that had drawn Maura's eyes several times already.

Maura had done this before, sat at a bar while somebody else listened to her. Their eyes would slowly cloud over and she would know that the potential for anything more was gone. It had been difficult; over the years she had cultivated her personality to work better with social interactions, but there were times when her brain ran away with her mouth and she couldn't stop herself from divulging a minefield of information she had stored there. Just like now as facts slipped out, filling the air with words most people didn't understand. Jane was grinning.

"I'm sorry, I tend to go on when…"

"I make you nervous?" Jane asked, lifting a bottle of Sam Adams to her lips. The condensation of the bottle rolled slowly down the label, and Maura watched a drop roll onto her fingers. How she envied that small droplet.

"A little, yes," she confessed, picking up her own glass to hide behind the sip.

Jane placed the bottle down on the bar, her eyes never leaving Maura's face. She reached out a hand and touched her fingertips against Maura's silk clad arm, leaving a pathway of super sensitive bumps in its wake. "I'm sorry, it isn't my intention—"

"I thought you were leaving?" The snarled question came from behind Jane, interrupting the moment they were sharing. She sighed at the recognition. Soldier Boy.

Jane turned slowly on her stool and looked at him. "No, I said I was leaving you."

"Oh, that's right." He held a glass in his hand. He took a long swig from it before continuing. "I'm not good enough for you anymore."

"Go home, Casey. Nobody here is interested in your little pity party for one." She turned back to Maura. "As I was saying..."

"Jane, don't turn away from me." His accent interested Maura, familiar and yet, not. An accent of many places all rolled together, the words slipping from one to another so easily that it was difficult to pinpoint accurately where he was from. Jane rolled her eyes, turning so fast that Maura worried about whiplash. He stepped back. "Jane, come on, we can work-"

"Casey, I am going to say this once more and for the last time. I went out with you to keep my Ma happy and I might have let it go on a little longer, but I'd rather be honest with you."

"Oh, right, yeah…I got it. It's not me, it's you."

"No, it's you. It's definitely you. I'm a dyke, remember calling me that just twenty minutes ago? Huh?" She looked across at Maura and mouthed a silent sorry before turning her attention back to him, "Now, if you don't mind, Maura and I are leaving."

"We are?" Maura said, stunned at the confrontation taking place right in front of her now. It was different when she couldn't hear, when they were across the room and she could make up her own conclusions as to what they were arguing about.

"Yeah, I'd much rather be having sex with you right now than listening to this fool and his damaged ego." Jane grinned. "I mean, I'm assuming since you've been mentally undressing me since I walked through the door, that you'd like see me naked?"

Maura considered that for a moment. Had she been that obvious? She supposed she had. Did she want to see this woman naked? Yes, she supposed she did. So, the logical answer would be: "Yes, yes I would very much like to see you naked." She returned the smile, drained her glass, and picked up the small clutch that held her housekeys and money. "Shall we go?"

Jane stood to leave, her own drink now long forgotten. Casey made one last attempt to get her attention, lunging forwards to grab at her, but Maura was faster. Something about him had put her on edge and she had anticipated his move. Placing herself between him and Jane, she threw out a flat palm and connected with his upper lip and nose. The speed of her movement caused his head to yank backwards. Blood spurted from his mouth as a tooth pierced the inside of his upper lip.

"So, shall we go?" she said once more as she turned, her hand held out, to face a wide-eyed brunette with the biggest grin on her face.

"Yeah, let's go." Jane took the hand on offer. "That was so badass, Maura."

"You think I am badass?"

"Hell yeah!"

AN: Will try and update soon... but in the middle of editing my book so things take time at the moment! Big thanks to Michelle!