Chapter 4
Chelsea groaned in frustration as she heard the knock at her door. Her shoulder was killing her and all she wanted to do was lay perfectly still on the couch for at least the rest of the night. A quick glance at the clock and she could see that it was nearly ten. Maybe it was Mrs. Ryan from down the hall. She liked to bring Chelsea homemade treats, occasionally, and tell her how much she appreciated having a police officer in the building.
When the knock sounded again, she forced herself up from the couch. After unlocking the door, she snatched it open in annoyance, but stopped short when she saw Raven standing on the other side.
"Hi," the designer said softly, slightly out of breath. Chelsea stood there still dressed in her work clothes. Her hair fell around her shoulders messily, her blouse was un-tucked and a few buttons were undone, revealing the top of a lacey bra underneath, and she was barefoot. Raven thought she looked beautiful.
"Hi," the detective returned just as softly. All of her anger left her as she stared at the designer. Chelsea honestly hadn't been sure if she would ever see her again. "Come in," she said quickly, realizing that she had just been staring.
"I'm sorry to bother you so late. I guess I could have just called," Raven said nervously. She could see that the detective was fine, but she couldn't tell Chelsea that she had rushed all the way over just to see if she was okay. It would raise, too, many questions that she just wasn't ready to answer. She would have to think of another excuse.
"It's alright," Chelsea said.
"I know my timing is really bad, but I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about the other day," Raven said. It wasn't the real reason she was there, but it was true enough. "I overreacted and that was unfair to you."
"No," Chelsea said softly as she moved closer, taking Raven's hands in hers. "You don't have to apologize. I didn't mean to offend you…it's just…I've never felt this way about anyone before, especially not this quickly, and I just needed to know if you felt the same," she finished, feeling vulnerable after admitting how strong her feelings for the designer were.
Raven's heart melted as she listened to Chelsea. "I do feel the same. I'm sorry," she said again as she leaned in to kiss Chelsea softly.
Chelsea welcomed the kiss and returned it with hunger as she held Raven tightly.
"I missed you," Raven said against Chelsea's lips.
"I missed you, too," the detective breathed, becoming lost in the long, deep kisses.
"Are we crazy?" Raven asked softly after a few moments.
"…maybe a little," Chelsea laughed.
Raven joined her and brought her hands up to cup Chelsea's shoulder blades. She pulled away in concern when the redhead moaned in pain instead of pleasure. "What's wrong?" she asked, worry clear in her eyes.
Chelsea pulled away slightly and her brow furrowed. "It's my shoulder," she said as she slowly made her way to the couch.
"What happened?" Raven asked, helping her along.
Chelsea took a deep breath as she sat down slowly. "Just the hazards of the job," she said sarcastically. "A suspect nailed me in the back with a board."
"Did you go to the hospital?" she asked, gently rubbing the detective's leg in comfort.
"No. I think I'll be okay, I just need to take it easy."
"You should at least put something on it," Raven said.
Chelsea chuckled. "I was going to just as soon as I worked up the energy. But first, I figured I'd lay here on the couch for a couple of days."
Raven finally noticed the blanket that was crumpled at the end of the couch and a half-eaten container of food on the coffee table and realized that the detective was probably serious. "Let me help you," she offered softly.
Chelsea looked at the beautiful designer tenderly and allowed herself to be led into the bathroom.
"Do you at least have any ointment?" Raven asked as she rifled through the medicine cabinet.
"Check the drawer," Chelsea said as she began unbuttoning her shirt.
Raven turned around once the small tube was located and her breath caught at the beautiful sight before her. Chelsea's head was bent down as she undid the last of her buttons and her shirt parted to reveal smooth skin and the black, lacey bra beneath. She began shrugging the shirt from her shoulders and Raven snapped herself out of it when she saw the redhead wince in pain.
"Let me get it," she said as she moved behind Chelsea. She slowly pulled the shirt down and off and looked on in empathy as more of Chelsea's skin was exposed. "Sweetheart, this bruise is awful," she said softly as she looked at the discolored skin on her right shoulder blade. It stood out in stark contrast to the rest of the pale skin.
The term of endearment did not go unnoticed by Chelsea and she closed her eyes as Raven softly caressed her arms. She felt the strap of her bra slip down and she moaned as Raven began massaging the salve in.
"Feel any better?" Raven asked.
"A lot, actually," Chelsea said, but she was sure it was Raven's touch just as much as the ointment. She opened her eyes when she felt a soft kiss against her uninjured shoulder, her gaze connecting with Raven's in the mirror.
A few minutes later, Raven stood in Chelsea's bedroom as the redhead searched through her drawers for something comfortable to sleep in. While Chelsea went to the bathroom to change, she looked around at the space and found it to be inviting. There were a few decorative pictures hanging on the wall and two nightstands on either side of the large bed. A flat screen television was mounted on the wall across from the bed.
"Do you want something to eat or drink?" Chelsea offered as she returned to the room.
"Actually, I should probably get going," Raven said reluctantly.
Chelsea closed the distance between them and kissed Raven who gladly welcomed the contact. "Don't go," she whispered before kissing her again, deeper this time.
"Are you sure?" Raven asked.
"Yes…I mean…I don't think I can do much with this shoulder other than lie on my back, but…"
"That might not be such a bad thing," Raven interrupted with an impish smile.
Chelsea grinned against Raven's lips as they continued to exchange kisses. "We don't have to do anything," she said softly, although her body was saying otherwise. "Besides, I think the overwhelming scent of menthol might kill the mood," she joked, smiling when Raven laughed. "I just want to be near you."
"Okay," Raven agreed easily, wanting to be with Chelsea just as much, even if all they did was hold each other.
Chelsea quickly found Raven something to sleep in and gave her a spare toothbrush to use. After making sure the door was locked and turning off the lights, she lay in bed waiting for the designer to return and was immediately turned on when she appeared in the oversized SFPD t-shirt. It stopped at mid-thigh and exposed the smooth skin of her legs.
"This is fun," Raven grinned as she quickly hopped onto the bed climbed under the blankets. "It's like we're in grade school having a sleep over." They wasted no time as they gravitated toward one another, trading long, deep kisses.
"I never did that in grade school," Chelsea panted, resulting in a giggle from Raven.
They laid there simply enjoying each other's touch before Chelsea spoke up again. "Tell me about Jordan," she said gently, not wanting a repeat of before. She watched as Raven closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"What do you want to know?" she asked. She didn't really want to talk about it, but she also wanted to be honest with Chelsea.
"How did you two meet?" the redhead asked.
"Well, I met her before at different fashion shows," Raven began, "but we didn't start dating until I moved to L.A. I was bright-eyed and stupid and I didn't realize just how ruthless that world could be. Jordan was amazing, at first. I had heard a few things about her, but I chose not to believe them because she so wonderful to me. We were pretty hot and heavy for a while."
Chelsea continued to listen.
"Then one day after we had both gotten back from extended trips, she seemed…cold," Raven said. "I was excited to see her, but she started treating me like I was nothing more than a stranger. She started accusing me of things that weren't true…"
Chelsea could see where the story was going, but remained quiet.
"Needless to say I found out that she had cheated on me…with a man. It was a photographer," Raven finished.
"I'm sorry," Chelsea said as she stroked Raven's hair.
"Yeah, well…like I said, I was stupid and in love and I really thought she was the one. If I had just listened, it would have saved me a lot of heartache," the designer said. Even her parents had gotten bad vibes from Jordan. "Chels?" Raven asked. "This was all over the magazines. You mean to tell me you never heard about any of it?"
The redhead smirked. "Nope. I was probably still working homicide at that time and was only home long enough to sleep and shower. There are times when I have no life outside of work. Maybe you should get out while you can," she joked.
Raven leaned in to kiss her lightly on the lips. "No way."
