by K L Hughes
“Fuck, you feel so good.” Leigh groaned her pleasure as she slipped in and out of Beth’s throbbing core, curling her fingers upward on the down-stroke, letting the tips rub hotly and sharply against the ribbed patch of flesh hidden there. Both women panted audibly as the heat between them grew into a burning flame and devoured the oxygen in the room, pushing them both closer to climax. Beth lifted her knees for better leverage, and Leigh took the invitation of her thigh, slipping one leg over and settling her molten, soaking opening against the blonde’s soft flesh, never losing pace inside her lover. She slid her core up and down Beth’s leg, coating her thigh heavily, as she took the woman’s ear into her mouth, biting and sucking, and throatily whispering, “Feel that? I’m so wet for you.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Leigh slammed her fingers forward into the blonde with force and precision, allowing her palm to slap into and cup the entirety of her lover’s sex, nudging and pushing against her clitoris, sending Beth spiraling madly over the edge.
Beth screamed into the air, lights popping dizzily behind her eyes, as her back forcibly arched her body up and into the brunette, who kept her pace inside her lover, milking every ounce of pleasure, helping her to ride out her orgasm while she simultaneously pumped herself against her lover’s thigh, furiously aching for the same shattering release, and as Beth cried out to signify the second wave of her orgasm, Leigh toppled over the edge with her. They both cried out their pleasure, clutching onto one another, nails digging into pale, sweaty flesh as they rode out every last glorious ripple and wave before Beth finally collapsed back onto the mattress, breathing heavily.
Leigh slowly pulled her fingers from inside her lover’s still pulsing folds, and Beth moaned the loss of the contact. She’d never felt anything more sensual, more incredible, more sexy than having Leigh Hale moving inside her. The sensations had been so overwhelming that when she climaxed, Beth actually feared she might black out. It had almost been too much. Leigh lifted herself up into a sitting position, still straddling the blonde’s thigh. She and Beth locked eyes, a million emotions arcing across the empty space between their gazes. Beth sighed heavily as her cloudy eyes locked onto Leigh’s, nearly black with desire.
“Jesus, that was incredible,” Beth managed to rasp out, meaning every word as she realized just how spent she was. With just one orgasm, Leigh had managed to melt her body into a quivering puddle. Leigh smirked at her, never breaking eye contact as she slowly lifted the two fingers that had just been buried to the hilt in Beth’s wetness, up to her lips, slipping them into her mouth and sucking away the taste of her blonde lover, moaning as she reveled in the salty moisture soaking into her tongue. Beth’s body instantly caught fire again at the sight, despite the fact that she’d only just felt exhausted and on the edge of sleep. Leigh shook her head from side to side, letting out a small, seductive laugh.
“That was a warm-up,” she husked. “Ready to go again?”
Chapter 12
Beth stretched languorously, groaning as her muscles protested the movement. Her brow furrowed as confusion set in. Why the hell was she so sore? She ran a smooth hand down her soft, flat stomach, down to her thighs, where she slowly massaged the muscles that ached from strain. Whoa! She suddenly realized that she was touching her bare thighs, which meant that she was naked. Her eyes shot open with the realization, and a high-vaulted concrete ceiling and silver ductwork came into focus. Suddenly, the previous night’s events came flooding back with an intensity that sent gripping chills down her spine and over her skin, the images in her mind heating her flesh to boiling point and coaxing an instant rush of moisture between her deliciously sore legs. She turned her head slightly to the left, suddenly aware of the warmth radiating beside her, and her heart fluttered wildly in her chest as her eyes fell on the one person she’d dreamt of waking up next to for years.
God, she was beautiful. Beth had always seen Leigh as beautiful, even when she was a teen and was awkwardly in-between physical stages. She hadn’t grown into her height yet, had too much hair for her petite, little frame, and had no interest in or sense of fashion, but she’d also had such a natural beauty about her. And when she smiled… Her smile could melt the most frigid of hearts in an instant. She’d always been a unique mix of self-confidence and shyness. While she was incredibly mature for her age and extremely intellectual and outspoken, she was also endlessly sweet and humble. She was the most intriguing, most original, most absolutely precious person that Beth had ever known, and even now, though she hadn’t seen or spoken to Leigh in over a decade, she knew in her heart that that same precious girl still defined part of the extraordinary woman beside her.
Beth rolled onto her side and stared at the sensual curves and flawless ivory skin of her lover. She finally was able to take in the words inked into Leigh’s sides. It read like poetry and knowing the brunette, it probably was—more than likely some of her own original work. On her back, she bore even more ink—great, long, incredibly stunning black-and-white wings that spanned the space from her shoulders to the top of her ass. More script was planted between them, dancing among tribal markings and other colorful designs. The ink suited her well.
She reached up a hand to sweep aside a stray strand of chocolate hair, exposing the peaceful, heartwarming expression on the younger woman’s face. Beth reveled in the moment. Her chest clenched tightly as she fought back tears. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this happy, and she never wanted the moment to end, but just then, Leigh’s eyelashes fluttered as the brunette groaned and stretched. Beth braced herself for the younger woman’s reaction, terrified that Leigh would wake up, realize what had happened, see the blonde beside her, and claim that they’d made a mistake and tell her to go. Nothing would break Beth’s heart more than hearing Leigh call her a mistake, so she sent up a silent prayer and held her breath, waiting for those beautiful, blue eyes to finally settle on her and realization to seep in.
Leigh shifted ever so slightly as she stretched, and her brow furrowed above her closed eyes. No doubt she was realizing how sore she felt just as Beth had when she’d awoken only moments earlier. She watched as the brunette’s eyelids finally parted, allowing the soft morning light streaming through the windows to illuminate the cloudy, sapphire eyes Beth so deeply adored and that always set her heart to racing. This was it. Leigh glanced down at her bare chest exposed above the blanket settled at her waist and then, ever so slowly, over to the woman sharing her bed.
Leigh’s mind was frantic, her thoughts sporadically bouncing around at warp speed as her gaze settled on her previous night’s lover. The panicked expression on the blonde’s face made her heart ache in her chest. She knew that Beth was terrified and she knew why. She didn’t blame her. If the situation were in reverse, Leigh would be terrified, herself, of being rejected, of being deemed nothing more than a momentary error in judgment. She knew the feeling, really. It was the same way she’d felt that day in the park all those years ago, when she’d stood in the crunching, crumbling Autumn leaves, watching Beth walk away from her, terrified that she’d never see the woman again, that it was really the end. And it had turned out that she’d been afraid for good reason. It had been the end. At least, it had been the end until now. Or had this simply been a goodbye disguised as a hello?
“Hi,” Beth whispered, a slight tremble evident in her voice.
Leigh tiptoed around the edge of surrender. The warning bells in the back of her mind rang loudly. The logical side of her, which tended to be the more dominant side in every aspect of her life except when it came to the tantalizing woman beside her, told her to run; told her to bury herself in her fear and end it with this woman before anything even began. It told her that she had good reason to be afraid. But then, the more uninhibited side of her, the poetic side of her, the passionate side, told her something entirely different. It told her to live in the moment; told her to hold onto the beauty of this rare and precious reunion for as long as possible. Leigh had never been more conflicted.
She wanted to protect herself, but she didn’t want to hurt Beth. She wanted to regret what she’d done, but at the same time, she wanted to do it again. And again. And again.
“Hi,” Leigh whispered back, a small smile painting her features even more beautiful than before. Beth’s heart pumped wildly against her ribcage, the tingling, fluttering sensation in her stomach telling her that maybe this could all be alright. Maybe they could put the past behind them and move forward. Hopefully.
Leigh decided to live in the moment. She knew at some point her fear would get the better of her, but for right now, right this moment, she just wanted to let herself pretend that this was how her life had originally been meant to be. She let herself pretend that the past had never happened, and that this beautiful woman had always been there, had always been there loving her. She gave herself up to the ecstasy of the fantasy—the emotions, the leftover sensations of the incredible sex they’d had the night before—everything. She let herself be happy in the moment, despite the fact that she knew the walls would come crashing around her with the emotional devastation of a tidal wave once reality sank in again, once the memories flooded her brain, once the fear took hold. But for now, she was going to be uninhibited, and she was going to let herself be free.
“Are you…Do you regret…What I’m trying to say is—” Beth fumbled for the right way to ask the question that was burning inside her, twisting her insides into a hysterical, quivering mess. She had to know what the brunette was thinking. Did she regret spending the night with her? Was she going to throw Beth out? Did she still love her? Could she ever love her again? There were so many questions that Beth had no idea where to even start, and she didn’t want to bombard Leigh with an inquisition before the woman even had time to rub the sleep from her stunning, blue eyes. But before she could actually form a complete sentence, Leigh placed a soft, ivory finger against the older woman’s lips, effectively quieting her.
“Let’s not go there just yet, okay?” the brunette whispered as she removed her finger from Beth’s lips to slide a warm palm around to cup the blonde’s cheek, using her thumb to softly stroke the flesh there as they looked into each other’s eyes. Beth wanted to protest Leigh’s avoidance of the question, but the look in the younger woman’s eyes was pleading, and Beth knew she would never again be able to deny her love anything she asked of her, not when the pained curl of her features forced Beth back in time to the day she’d walked away from that same expression. She’d never once stopped regretting that day. So she nodded her acceptance of Leigh’s request and hoped that it meant that things wouldn’t be awkward between them this morning. She wanted nothing more than to simply bask in the afterglow of the previous night with the love of her life.
“I always wondered what you would look like first thing in the morning,” Leigh said softly as her hand gently caressed the curves and angles of her lover’s face. The confession warmed Beth down to her very soul, and a slow smile crept across the brunette’s lips as they stared into one another.
“Well, I’m sure it’s not very flattering,” Beth said, laughing as the simple smile on Leigh’s face heated the happiness inside her until it was practically bubbling and boiling over.
Leigh echoed the blonde’s laughter, before leaning forward and brushing her lips lightly across Beth’s. “No, it is. You’re beautiful. You’ve always been beautiful.”
Beth couldn’t help the blush that crept up her cheeks. Plenty of people had called her beautiful before, but no one had ever made her believe it till now. Then again, with that sensual, sexy voice and those soulful, azure eyes, and that perfect body lying wonderfully naked in front of her, Leigh could make her believe anything. Beth wanted to be simple in her response. She had a tendency to be self-deprecating, which she knew could verge on annoying, so she wanted to avoid her usual, “Oh, no, I’m not, but thank you,” and just thank the brunette for the only compliment that had ever managed to dig beneath the surface. Instead, though, she decided to return the feeling, as best she could manage without going overboard.
“So are you,” Beth said, her tone light yet serious. “You’ve changed so much. I mean, you’ve always been beautiful, but now, you’re…just stunning.” She meant it, every word. She was rewarded with one of the most radiant smiles she’d ever seen, and the effect of it was instantaneous and electric. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest like the excited tail of a puppy that had finally nailed a new trick and been rewarded with treats and cuddling. She felt like a kid again, and her brain quickly began creating a mental list of all the ways she could earn another smile like the one she’d just been given.
Leigh laughed softly, the sound only intensifying the effect of the still-radiant smile, making Beth’s chest clench, her heart threatening to explode from her body. “Well, getting out of horribly oppressive, tiny towns will do that for you,” the brunette said teasingly, as she leaned forward to lightly kiss the blonde again, this time on her forehead, before slipping away from her and out from under the covers. Beth’s body lamented the loss of Leigh’s warmth, shivering, and she ached for the woman to return to the bed, but instead, the brunette, in all her provocatively wonderful and naked glory, turned from her and headed over to the kitchen area.
As Leigh practically tiptoed across the room, undoubtedly in response to the icy surface of the concrete floor, Beth admired the younger woman’s physique. She was in prime physical condition, every inch from her lithe, long legs to the creamy swell of her rounded ass, to her deliciously defined abdomen and perky breasts, was perfectly toned as if instead of eating actual food each day, the brunette simply had a healthy dose of yogalates for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was both incredible and intimidating. Beth, though in excellent shape and not without her own beauty, felt lacking in comparison. She knew, though, that Leigh would never see it that way. The younger woman had always been so genuine, so humble, and she doubted even her newfound wealth and celebrity could change that.
Leigh reached into the refrigerator, pulled out a glass bottle of organic milk, and was pouring a healthy amount of the smooth, pale liquid into two small glasses when the loud sound of sliding metal followed by an echoing click sounded through the studio. The sound startled Beth, and her eyes quickly darted to the large, sliding door and back to the brunette. Leigh didn’t even seem to notice the fact that someone was definitely about to come through the door, or if she had noticed, she didn’t seem to care, despite the fact that she was standing stark naked in plain sight.
Then again, thought Beth, if I looked like that, I wouldn’t worry about people seeing me naked either.
“Oh my god, traffic was a bitch this morning,” said a tall, dark-haired man as he slid aside the large, metal door, and stepped into the studio. Beth instantly recognized him as the guy she’d seen at the coffee shop with Leigh, the same one who’d berated the blonde in front of that same coffee shop only two days ago. It was obvious that the man really cared about her lover, and she was thankful that Leigh had someone as fiercely protective of her as he seemed to be, but it didn’t keep Beth from ducking her head in an attempt to avoid being seen laying in the brunette’s bed. Not to mention the fact that though Leigh seemed to be perfectly comfortable in her nudity, Beth was not.
“What? Did you take a cab?” Leigh replied to the complaint as if the unannounced arrival of the man was entirely routine, and perhaps it was. Beth was completely out of her element here, and had no idea how to judge, let alone react to, the situation. She watched as the brunette stepped around the small kitchen table, her naked body on full display, which didn’t seem to faze the man at all, and leaned up to plant a soft kiss on his lips, her smooth, ivory hand gently landing on the guy’s chest in a clear show of comfortable affection. Beth’s brain kicked into overdrive of its own volition, jealousy rippling throughout her body like a forest fire, taking over with fierce intensity. She couldn’t help it. It was chemical; though she had a feeling that she shouldn’t be worried about the intimate scene in front of
her, she couldn’t stop the burning anger in her belly.
“Had to. I came from the office. Brad called me in before dawn to do some last-minute damage control. I don’t even want to get into that. Anyway, you know I can’t handle the subway in the mornings, though after that cab ride, I’m thinking that a little underground motion sickness would’ve been worth it just to have avoided sitting on my ass, getting honked at, for an hour.”
J sat a cup of coffee on the table before turning to kiss his best friend in greeting. He was so used to seeing the woman’s body that he barely even took notice when she happened to be naked, and she had never been shy about it. Besides, it’s not like he had any interest in her nudity. As beautiful as she was, she was also unfortunately for J, a woman. It had been a long morning already, and he was thankful for the comfortable feeling of “home” that he always felt with his best friend. He knew she hadn’t had plans for the day; so hopefully, they could let loose and get in some shopping and maybe a show.
Leigh spent most mornings with J. They worked out together and ran in the park; so, when she heard the latch of the door slide through and her best friend entering, she hadn’t thought anything of it. She’d momentarily fallen into routine and had completely forgotten about the fact that the naked form of her past love and current lover happened to be lying across the room, still sex-worn in her bed.
“Considering the way the cabbies here drive, how you manage to get motion sickness on the subway and not in a cab, is completely beyond me.”
“Well, join the club, baby,” J said laughing as he handed Leigh the coffee he’d brought for her. “If I understood half the reasons why strange things happen to me…” He didn’t finish the sentence, his voice trailing off, capturing Leigh’s attention. That was when she glanced over to see him frozen where he stood, staring incredulously across the studio, toward her bed.