AUTHOR: Caeliste
TITLE: Only Wet Because of the Rain
RATING: NC17 (sort of)
SPOILERS: I wish.
ARCHIVE: Probably, but please ask first.
FEEDBACK: Would be wonderful.
DISCLAIMER: “ER”, the characters and situations depicted are the property of Warner Bros. Television, Amblin Entertainment, Constant C Productions, NBC, etc. They are borrowed without permission, but without the intent of infringement. This story is in no way affiliated with Maura Tierney or Laura Innes. Blah blah blah, yakkity smakkity.
NOTES: Major thanks to my rockin' beta, Mosca. Thank her for the good stuff, blame me for the bad stuff. This story contains hints of bdsm and will contain much more as time goes by. If you don't like that sort of thing, stay away. This is the second part of a series, starting with "And It's Not the Weather".

I didn't know what to do except stare. I couldn't hide the way my eyes travelled over her body -- the curve of her hips in leather pants, the drop of sweat that trickled down one pale, lush breast.

"You must be thirsty," she said, one eyebrow arching in amusement.

"What?" I felt like I was swimming in molasses.

"You keep licking your lips."

My fingers darted up over my mouth. I'd always wondered what drew Dr. Legaspi to this stubborn, pushy little woman. Now, with my pulse throbbing in my hands, I understood everything.

"Do you want something to drink?" she asked. Her eyes wandered over my body.

"What?"

She chuckled. "Do you speak English, Lockhart?"

"Wh -" I started, then closed my mouth, took a deep breath. "Please don't call me that." I looked around, relieved to see no one had heard. "Not here."

She nodded, not bothering to ask. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jen sauntering toward us, a cruel grin on her face. I put an arm around Kerry's shoulders and leaned close to her ear.

"Can we get out of here?"

She smirked. "How easy do you think I am?"

I decided not to answer that. "Do you see the blond woman closing in on us?"

"The one with the horns?"

I nodded. "She's nothing but trouble."

"For you or for me?"

I shrugged. "Both, probably."

"Lead the way."

Half an hour later we emerged into my apartment, soaked to the skin from an unexpected burst of cold Chicago rain. I dumped my coat at the door and motioned for Kerry to do the same.

We both stood there, our clothes and hair dripping on the floor, staring at each other. I swallowed hard. "I'm just gonna go turn on the oven," I said, edging away from her toward the kitchen. "The heat in this place sucks."

She nodded and I made my escape. I twisted the knob on the oven up to 400 degrees and stood over the open door, waiting for the heat to hit my face. Kerry Weaver -- my boss, the chief of the ER -- was waiting for me in my living room wearing nothing but a few pieces of carefully placed latex and vinyl.

"Yeah, but what the hell am I supposed to do with her?" I muttered, staring at the orange glow of the filaments.

Kerry's hand touched my shoulder. "I thought that was obvious."

I turned around to face her, mouth hanging open like an idiot. "I...I..." I suddenly felt like that poor bartender I'd tortured earlier. It was like being stuck on the head of a pin and left to squirm.

She shook her head, smiling. "Talk to me. You do know how, right?"

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Oh."

"You didn't think I was going to have sex with you, did you?"

"Uh, of course not." I fought a blush that threatened to creep up my neck. I lost. "I'll make some tea."

"Can I borrow some sweats or something? I can't wait to get out of these ridiculous clothes."

"Sure." I put the kettle to boil on the stove and took two heavy mugs from a cupboard. "In the bedroom, third drawer down." She left to change and I stood there, thinking about Kerry stark naked in my bedroom, just three short feet from my bed. I shivered and pressed my hips against the counter.

She came back quickly, looking tiny and cuddly in my old dark blue sweatsuit. "Better?" I asked.

"Much. Your turn. I'll finish with the tea."

I didn't argue. I walked into my bedroom, smiling softly at the sight of Kerry's wet fetish gear hung neatly on the closet door. She'd placed a towel underneath to catch the drips.

I shrugged off my own leather and left it in a pile on the floor. I stood naked in the darkness, wondering what would happen if Kerry opened the door right then. I turned to the mirror over my dresser and examined my body. Not bad. I stretched my arms over my head and sucked in my stomach. Even better.

I trailed my fingers over my damp, cool skin. They left a path of heat in their wake that brought out goosebumps.

"Abby?" Kerry called down the hallway. "Did you get lost in there or what?"

"Sorry! Just a sec!" I stepped into a pair of faded Levi's and a sweatshirt.

I emerged into the living room to find Kerry curled up on my couch, a mug of tea cradled in her lap. She patted the cushion next to her. I sat down gingerly, keeping several inches between us. She reached out and took a strand of my hair in her fingers.

"Your hair's still wet."

I shrugged. "It dries fast."

She twirled my hair around her fingers, a small smile on her face.

I scooted a few inches away from her. "Look, Kerry...I like you, but..."

She quirked an eyebrow. "But you're not gay, right?"

I sighed. "It's more complicated than that. For me, women have always been a separate thing."

"Okay."

"When I'm with a woman -- and there haven't been many -- it's always about kink."

"Uh huh." Kerry leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I've never had sex with a woman, really." I rubbed my hands over my eyes. "Is this making any sense at all?"

She looked at me. Her lips seemed very small. "Perfect sense. You want to have a relationship with a woman, but you're too afraid, so you use sadomasochism as an excuse. Then you pick a man, any man, to assure yourself that everything is really perfectly normal." She laughed, but it was short, almost a bark. "Until you get bored."

I dragged my hand through my hair. "You spent way too much time with Dr. Legaspi," I muttered.

"Maybe. So you're not...?"

"Not really. And I take it you're not really into leather."

She shook her head. "I just felt really out of my element."

I nodded. "That's cool. I just don't want us to feel weird about anything."

"Of course not."

We stared at each other for a moment and I'm not sure who moved first, but it must have been me, because I was on top of her.

Our mouths were open and mashed together in that clumsy desperate way that you kiss when you're in high school. I was holding her wrists over her head and grinding my body against hers and everything was so hot. And then suddenly her palms were on my chest pushing me away from that delicious heat.

"What's the matter?" I asked. My whole body was shaking.

"I'm sorry, Abby," Kerry said, getting to her feet. "I just can't."

I stood up beside her. "You can't just leave."

"I...I'm just not ready for this." She touched my cheek. "I'm sorry. I'll return your clothes tomorrow, okay?" She took her coat and hurried out the door. I stood at the doorway and watched her disappear down the stairs.