After a restless night of tossing and turning, Casey woke up still buzzing from the events of the night before. She quickly dressed and went out looking for coffee and to have a moment to herself. She needed to put Kathryn in the back of her mind today regardless of how her body was reacting to her. When she returned with drinks for all of them, they were dressed and ready to go. She’d remembered that Kathryn only drank baby coffee—two creams and four sugars. Kathryn was quiet as they drove over to the ball fields. Maybe she’d had a restless night too.
Their first game went well, but the competition was getting tougher as the day went on. They barely won their second game and they were behind by two runs in the last inning of their third game. Kathryn hit a single just over the shortstop’s head and ran to first base to get the bases loaded. Casey was up to bat, they had two outs, and she needed to hit at least a triple to drive in three runs to win the game. She walked slowly to the batter’s box, taking several deep breaths on the way. As she approached, the noise from the field was notably quiet except for one voice—Kathryn’s. “Come on, Casey, bring us home. You can do it. Nail that ball!”
The other team was no longer fooled by Casey’s slacker batter trick. They’d seen her hit and were deep in the outfield waiting for her. Casey watched the pitcher’s hand as she released the ball. It flew in a graceful arc, and Casey could tell it would be high and inside, right where she wanted it. She held her breath waiting for it to arrive at the exact spot in the air, then she uncoiled with all the force in her body and smashed the ball down the third base line. She dropped the bat and took off running for first base. The other three runners also tore off toward home. As Casey ran to second base, she looked up in time to see Kathryn rounding third toward home and the left fielder was just now getting to her ball. If the girl didn’t have a spectacular throwing arm she might just make it home herself. As she approached third, she heard Kathryn yelling, “Run, Casey, run! You can make it!”
She didn’t even look where the ball was, she just trusted Kathryn’s voice as she poured on all the speed she had. The catcher was blocking the plate as she ran for home. Casey could slide and risk tearing up her skin or she could plow into her and knock her out of the way. She decided to take this big mamoo out, lowered her shoulder, and aimed right for her. Just then, the ball sailed past her head into the catcher’s glove in front of her. The catcher slipped on the dirt reaching for her, then Casey hurdled right over the top of the catcher and landed on home plate. Her whole team rushed up to her, shouting and throwing their arms around her.
“A game-winning grand slam. Not bad, Casey. I knew you could do it,” Kathryn said. Casey was beaming.
*****
They decided to try a different place for dinner and drinks after their winning day. Casey wanted to go back to the Museum Club for more slow dancing with Kathryn, but maybe this place would have dancing too. The place they ended up had decent food but only a tiny dance floor and a woman was playing guitar as the entertainment. Kathryn intentionally sat next to her and she kept touching Casey’s hand or her arm. She noticed every tiny gesture and felt herself becoming increasingly warm at this closeness. Her face was hot and flushed, and she felt like everyone could see right through her. I need to get out of here for a minute or I’m going to burst. “I’ll be right back,” she told Kathryn.
Stepping outside the bar into the cool night air, Casey tried to collect herself. She walked around the block trying to decide what to do. She knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to kiss Kathryn. Every time she looked at Kathryn’s full mouth, she felt butterflies in her stomach. She was dying to feel those luscious lips with her own. She wanted to kiss them for a very long time. She stopped walking. She sensed Kathryn standing behind her. Casey turned to look at her. “Are you okay, Casey? I was starting to worry about you.”
“You were?”
“Yes, I was. Is anything the matter? Please tell me.” Kathryn took Casey’s hands in hers and looked deep into her eyes.
Casey’s pulse pounded in her ears. Her eyes locked on to Kathryn’s. She loosened her hands from Kathryn’s and moved them to gently hold her face. She leaned in to kiss those irresistible lips. Kathryn looked a little surprised but didn’t move to stop her. Their lips touched lightly at first, then again, then more fervently. Her lips feel like warm velvet. I have to have more.
Casey pulled Kathryn’s body close to hers and pressed her mouth more firmly to Kathryn’s. She heard a little moan emerge from Kathryn’s throat as she deepened their kiss. Kathryn’s arms slid around Casey’s back, and she pressed her breasts into Casey’s belly. Casey’s heart was soaring as she devoured Kathryn’s lips. She wanted to kiss her for forever. Kathryn started to pull away. Her lips looked a little swollen and she was breathing hard. “Casey, we have to stop.”
“Why? I want you so much right now.” Casey was confused. Kathryn had kissed her back with the same fervor and now she’d abruptly ended it.
“This can’t happen because you’re a student and I’m an IP. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have led you on. I have to go.” With that finality, Kathryn turned and left Casey standing there dumbfounded.
*****
Kathryn got into the other SUV for the ride back to the motel. She couldn’t face Casey right now. Oh, my God. What have I done? She was a complete jumble of emotions. It was so amazing to kiss Casey like that. She tasted Casey on her lips and craved more. But this was disaster looming, and she couldn’t even explain it to her.
She remembered the incident when she was a flight commander and one of her IPs, a married man with a baby at home, got into a relationship with a female student pilot. She’d just gotten him promoted to be a squadron check pilot, and the woman student had moved on to the T-38 squadron when the scandal broke. He was fired from check section, shipped off to another training base, and given official disciplinary action in his permanent records.
They couldn’t kick the woman student pilot out of training because she had passed all her check rides, but they made her life a living hell and gave her the worst assignment in the class when she graduated. Her flying career was effectively over before it had even started.
Kathryn caught the wrath of the wing commander when he had her standing in a brace position before his desk screaming at her because she hadn’t known anything about it at the time. Thankfully, he was gone now or she’d never have been promoted to chief of flight safety. No, she could never endanger Casey or her future flying career with a forbidden romantic liaison. She cared about her too much to risk it. Not to mention the fact that they’d both be dishonorably discharged, never fly again, and have both their lives ruined by the Air Force for being gay.
When they got back to the motel, Kathryn avoided contact with Casey and immediately went to bed. Her mind was spinning as she remembered the taste of Casey on her lips and the feel of Casey’s strong body pressed into hers. Why had she let Casey kiss her? She’d never felt any kind of attraction to any woman student pilot before. What was it about Casey that she couldn’t resist? It was those eyes. Those piercing blue eyes from the first time she’d seen them. Eyes filled with intelligence, intensity, and a hunger to learn to fly that Kathryn had never seen before.
There was something else about her, and now Kathryn knew what it was. Casey always carried herself with confidence and poise in the flight room, but she was also friendly and outgoing with the women on the softball team. The quality that Kathryn had discovered tonight was Casey’s passion—her passion for life, for flying, and for love. It was as if Kathryn had touched a live electrical wire when her lips touched Casey’s and now she wanted more, but it could never happen. Kathryn drifted off into fitful sleep mourning a loss that could never be.
*****
The next morning they were all sore and sluggish from the previous two days of nonstop softball and partying. They barely won their first game, then lost in the semifinals of the tournament. Casey’s hitting was off and Kathryn missed an easy out. They were subdued on the drive back to Phoenix. Casey rode in the Mormon Assault Vehicle while Kathryn and Barb rode in her SUV. Kathryn wanted to talk to Barb about what had happened with Casey, but she couldn’t bring it up with other people in the car. Maybe she could talk to Barb when they got home. Barb was her closest friend and they had been through a lot together, including Marie’s death. Kathryn worried that Barb would give her hell for letting it go as far as it had with Casey. What a giant mess.