The Dawn of Autumn

Family Matters

Chapter 8:

Family Matters

Emily spent the entire car ride home watching Alison. The blonde was focused on the road. Emily could tell that she didn't drive very often. Alison wasn't a very careful or particular person, but behind the wheel of a car she looked like a grandma who was trying to ease on down the road.

Alison finally reached a point of relief when she stopped at a red light. She looked over at Emily, who was holding back laughter.

"I hope you know I'm doing this for you," Alison said. "Safety is important. We need to get one of those baby on board stickers."

"I'd prefer to hold off on that. We need to pump the brakes in making this known around town. I mean, the father doesn't even know." Emily pointed out.

"You think he's going to see an itty bitty bumper sticker all the way from Texas?" Alison asked.

"Let's just slow down. No baby is here yet. And I kind of want to keep it on the down-low. I don't want the whole town to know. I'd prefer what we talked about to just be between us. I don't need the entire town getting all up in my business."

"I'd like to get up in your business." Alison turned towards her and bit her lip and grinned.

"Okay. Fine. I'll grant you special permission to get as far up in my business as you want." She reached over and laid her hand against Alison's knee. Their eyes met. Emily slowly started to move her hand up towards her thigh.

"You're distracting the driver." Alison licked her lips.

"Sorry. You want me to stop?" Emily squeezed her thigh.

"No." Alison shook her head as she leaned over the console, puffing her lips out.

Emily leaned into the kiss, her hand still on Alison's inner thigh. She reached up with her other hand and caressed her cheek.

They didn't notice when the light turned green until the car behind them honked at them. Alison gracefully flipped the driver the finger before pulling forward, then stopping suddenly just to piss them off.

"So much for safety." Emily glanced back when she heard the car behind them laying on the horn. A few seconds later the driver swerved to the right and sped past them, slowing down to give Alison the bird before gunning the engine.

"There are a lot of nuts out there." Alison turned her blinker on and veered the car to the left.

"You do realize that you're one of them, right?" Emily chuckled.

"But I'm hot. I'm a hot nut."

Emily cocked an eyebrow at her, waiting to see if she realized how wrong it sounded. Alison looked totally oblivious.

"What?" Alison asked.

"Do me a favor. Don't ever call yourself a 'hot nut' again." Emily had a bemused look on her face.

"Mind out of the gutter, Fields." Alison rolled her eyes. "There are a lot of crazy people out there." She corrected herself. "And yes, I know I'm one of them."

"Yeah, but you're the good kind of crazy." Emily traced her fingers along Alison's arm.

Alison felt her touch in her soul. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She swallowed a burning feeling in her throat. She still didn't quite understand how a simple touch could make her entire body feel like it was on fire.

"I'd hate to see the bad kind of crazy then." Alison peered over at her.

Emily glanced out the window. She tried not to think about her stalker in the shadows. She had no idea they'd been watched out at the ravine. But she knew that the 'bad' crazy was out there. Isaac's sister was proof of that. She didn't realize she was stroking her knuckles until Alison said something.