Maddie looked anything but concerned, her pupils wide and dark as she arched into Natalie’s touch.
For a moment, Natalie considered pulling away and slowing things down—but then she caught sight of the delicate lace of Maddie’s bra. She growled a moment before bending her knees to sweep her hands up the smooth skin of Maddie’s legs, bringing the hem of the asymmetrical skirt up as she guided Maddie backward.
Maddie’s back landed against the wall with a soft thud, her hands pulling Natalie along until their bodies were pressed tightly together. Natalie was drunk on the feeling of the smooth flexing thighs under her fingertips. The heat at the apex of Maddie’s thighs was tempting, but she held herself back. Instead she kissed the underside of Maddie’s jaw, her fingers teasing along the outside edge of Maddie’s lace panties.
They were exposed out on the porch, but Natalie didn’t care. She couldn’t, not when Maddie’s hips jerked forward and Maddie moaned a demanding plea of Natalie.
The last of Natalie’s willpower vanished. Lace was pushed aside without a thought, and the ecstasy Natalie felt when she met the quivering, slick heat of Maddie for the first time nearly made her knees buckle.
She leaned in to nip softly at Maddie’s lips, initiating a deep kiss as her fingers slipped through the folds of Maddie’s vulva. She groaned. Maddie’s arousal had already completely coated her fingers.
She pulled back, her lungs burning with a need for oxygen. “We need to take this inside,” she said between sucking in long pulls of air.
Maddie’s eyes were unfocused, a flush of arousal visible from her cheeks and on down her neck. Maddie seemed unable to speak, her tongue darting out to sweep at the last remnants of Natalie’s kisses. She jerked her head down in a single sharp nod.
Natalie leaned in to kiss her once more, this time slow and tender. She skimmed her hand down Maddie’s arm until their fingers were tangled together. They shared a look before she turned and led the way back into the house.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Natalie began to grow nervous as they slowly ascended the stairs. Outside, it had been an easy to decision to make. She wanted Maddie, and it was clear that Maddie wanted her. Her free hand was cool, the lingering proof of Maddie’s want still dampening her fingers.
Despite her nerves, she didn’t hesitate once they reached the second floor. She’d stowed her things in the guest room, and that’s where she led Maddie.
The door opened on silent hinges, and Natalie only just remembered to flick on the lights. Butterflies fluttered vigorously in the pit of her stomach. She’d wanted to be with Maddie for so long—though she’d had no problem agreeing to go slow.
As they stood silently looking at each other, hands entwined and nervous smiles on their faces, she had to ask. “Are you sure about this, Maddie?”
Maddie’s dark eyes softened, her smile easing into something more relaxed. “Am I sure I want this? Yes. Am I sure this is a good idea? I don’t know.”
Natalie had to swallow hard. “We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready.”
“I’m ready,” Maddie began confidently. She let out a breath, looking away for a moment before connecting her gaze with Natalie’s again. “I just—you do realize I’m over ten years older than you—I had a child. My body probably looks very different from what you’re used to, honey.”
“Is that what you’re worried about?” Natalie had to suppress a laugh; it wasn’t that she thought Maddie’s concern was funny, but that she was relieved at the cause of Maddie’s hesitancy.
“Yes. I’m happy with my body, but,” Maddie’s words ended abruptly. She expelled a heavy breath of air through her nose. “I can’t help but worry that you won’t be.”
There was no way Natalie could contain her reaction, so she didn’t try. She stepped closer to Maddie, sliding her arms securely around Maddie’s waist. This close to Maddie, every line and blemish on her face was visible, and she was certain that her own were also in perfect focus.
“Maddie, you have to understand that even though I am wildly attracted to you, it’s so much more than that. I know that reality is different from the airbrushed, photoshopped stuff we see in magazines. No matter what your body looks like, I know that when we do take this step it will be special just because it’s you. It’s okay if you decide to wait. I can wait. I care about you, kind of an insane amount. You mean too much to me to rush this.” The silence that immediately ensued made her pause, though she shoved away her discomfort at exposing so much of herself.
Maddie shifted in her embrace, smooth arms rising to curl around her neck. The silence lingered, but it had become warm and comfortable in Maddie’s acceptance.
Only weeks before, this moment had been impossible for Maddie. She’d known her own feelings, but lingering guilt had soured her against giving in to her desire.
It was time she put herself first again. Adam would just need some time to get used to the idea, and Brittney—well she was an adult, and Maddie needed to live her life.
As she tilted her head to brush her lips across Natalie’s, Adam and Brittney became distant memories. There was only one person in the world right then besides herself, and she was tired of denying something they both wanted. Part of her thought that she might even need Natalie.
She shifted closer to Natalie, following the gentle encouragement from the lightly callused hands resting on her hips. Breath escaped her when Natalie’s firm thigh slid between hers.
Her hands tightened around the back of Natalie’s neck. She swayed as she slid them up to massage and softly tug at Natalie’s dark hair, frowning for a moment before pulling the rubber band from its normal tail. Once Natalie’s soft locks were freed, she hummed with pleasure.
Natalie leaned forward to nip her lower lip, then beginning a series of kisses that made her feel lightheaded.
Maddie moaned and opened her mouth, catching Natalie’s tongue between her lips and softly sucking. Natalie’s hips bucked forward abruptly, making her moan again when Natalie’s muscled thigh made solid contact with her core.
They rocked together, both drunk with lust and needing to be closer than humanly possible.
Heady desire crackled through Maddie’s veins like live electricity, moving her hips in a rhythm she’d almost forgotten. Her eyes closed as they continued to kiss and touch, but they opened in surprise when she felt a surge of feeling course down through her abdomen.
“Oh!” she gasped as her body arched, the orgasm stealing through her body and robbing her of her senses. She trembled and tried to remember how to breathe. Her knees shook ominously, and she knew falling was a real danger.
“Maddie,” Natalie breathed out as the hold around her waist tightened in support.
Maddie bit her lip as the world steadied around her. She knew that her skirt was likely ruined, but as she looked up into Natalie’s desire-filled eyes, she found she didn’t care.
She leaned up to kiss Natalie tenderly, stepping back after a moment and putting a few feet of space between them. Natalie frowned.
Lightly chuckling, Maddie swiftly pulled the loose shirt over her head. As the light fabric drifted to the ground, she kicked her flats off.
Natalie’s eyes were riveted to her movements, and as firm hands helped gravity relieve her of her skirt, the brief satisfaction of her orgasm faded. She wanted more—much more than passing relief. Their mutual need was so great that she forgot her earlier worries.
The moment she sat on the bed, Natalie was with her once more. Sun-darkened skin rapidly began revealing itself to her feverish gaze as Natalie hastily stripped down to a navy bra and matching boyshorts.
She licked her lips as Natalie’s heat drew closer, and then the ecstasy of their skin pressed together made instinct and long-denied need take over.
They moved together, bumping in their haste to settle comfortably on the mattress. In a few heartbeats, Natalie was above her, hands and mouth enthusiastically venturing to discover all the places that made her s
igh and gasp.
“Yes,” she said with a moan as she arched up into the insistent sucking on her neck and the damp cotton that ground erratically into her abdomen. She was mad with arousal, the gentle scent that wafted up to her nose making her mouth water and her hands clutch at the shifting muscles of Natalie’s back.
The feelings built up like they had before, but this time she was ready. She arched up sharply to bite at Natalie’s collarbone, one hand moving past navy cotton and sliding down and into moist heat.
Short hairs tickled at her fingers, and she smiled at Natalie’s sharp inhale. She slipped through Natalie’s folds easily, her nostrils flaring and her eyelids drooping as her hand became coated in Natalie’s essence.
Though it had been decades since she’d been with another woman, desire and remembered instinct guided her movements. At that moment, she desired the feeling of Natalie clenching tightly around her fingers more than anything else in the world.
She teasingly dipped her fingers in and out of Natalie, not surprised when Natalie impatiently pushed down to fill herself up. She groaned as the heat of Natalie encompassed her fingers. They both stilled for a moment, their eyes meeting when they realized how far they’d come.
Natalie leaned down to offer tender kisses, her hips rolling slowly and gently with Maddie’s movements.
No words were spoken, but as they continued watching each other and exchanging kisses, much was said.
Natalie’s crest was a slow build, and when she finally tumbled over into the oblivion of orgasm, one thought remained in her otherwise incoherent mind.
She might love Maddie.
Her climax lasted a little longer than normal, her revelation lending their coupling a new power.
Maddie curled around her and spoke softly into her ear. She couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, Maddie might love her too. No sooner had she caught her breath than she was tugging Maddie’s panties off and trailing kisses down the sensitive skin of Maddie’s torso.
Invigorated, she couldn’t stop until Maddie had at least come against her tongue.
“Natalie!” came the gasp some moments later.
*****
The week passed in a haze of desire, and despite Natalie’s initial resolution to do more work around the house and make headway on a few projects for school, she was able to do none of those things.
In her defense, Maddie kept wearing clothes.
Clothes, she argued, that seemed to be tailored just to emphasize how beautiful and irresistible Maddie truly was.
Maddie laughed softly into the skin of her neck. “I suppose I could stop wearing clothes altogether.”
“That’s a good idea,” Natalie retorted solemnly. “Only when we’re alone though.”
“Hmm,” Maddie offered noncommittally. She raised an eyebrow at Natalie. “Why not all the time?”
Natalie frowned. “I’m not really good at sharing.”
Maddie’s other brow rose to join the first. “Sharing? Am I a possession now?”
“No!” Natalie hurriedly responded. “I just, I thought that maybe monogamy would be a thing?” She looked down and tried to keep her voice even. Once, when she was much younger, she’d tried an open relationship to keep her first girlfriend happy. It hadn’t worked out.
Tiva’s words about getting involved with Maddie suddenly seemed so much scarier. Maddie was technically still married. What if—
“Stop that,” Maddie chided as she tugged Natalie forward by the collar of her shirt. “I was just teasing you, honey. I’m yours.”
Natalie sighed and leaned their foreheads together, feeling instantly relieved. Her insecurities had risen to the surface over the last week. As much as she loved being with Maddie, she still had so many questions about their future.
“I can’t promise you that we’ll be together forever,” Maddie said in a near whisper.
The words made Natalie freeze, fear making her chest tingle. She swallowed and let Maddie continue.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t. I wish I could, but as I’ve recently discovered, forever doesn’t exist in the way we might want.” Maddie leaned back to look Natalie in the eye, one hand rising to cup Natalie’s cheek. “I intended to be with Adam for the rest of my life. It was his decision to end us, not mine.”
The tingling dropped down to Natalie’s stomach, fear making her queasy.
“I’m not saying this to hurt you. I’m saying this to tell you that although I can’t promise you forever, when I do decide to commit I don’t take that decision lightly.” Maddie’s face was kind, her eyes sharp as she carefully watched to see if Natalie understood her words. “We’re still very fresh and new, but I’m willing to see how far we can take this if you are.”
“Of course,” Natalie replied as she leaned down to accept a hug from Maddie. It hadn’t been exactly what she wanted to hear, but she’d take it.
Maddie pulled back with a smile to return to her food preparations. “Now let me finish cooking. We missed dinner last night because you couldn’t behave, and I’m famished.”
A snort escaped Natalie, her equilibrium returning with the lighter mood. She stared at Maddie’s back incredulously. “I couldn’t behave? You were only wearing lingerie and a robe! You planned that!”
The white of Maddie’s teeth was hidden from Natalie’s gaze, the shorter woman biting her lower lip in an attempt to contain her pleased grin. She inaudibly cleared her throat and kept her face turned away. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Natalie considered proving Maddie wrong, but her stomach rumbled. It had been neglected too long. “I’m only letting this go because I’m hungry,” she announced as she sat down at the table.
The low, breathy laughter that greeted her declaration made her smile. She was content watching Maddie move around the kitchen, still in an exuberant bubble from their extensive time together.
She leaned back in her chair, a happy sigh passing her lips at the fluid grace Maddie displayed in every movement.
Though she’d enjoyed every moment with Maddie, spring break wouldn’t last forever. The thought sobered her, and she knew it was time to end the unspoken agreement she and Maddie had been maintaining for the entire week. “Brittney and Adam should be returning from their camping trip in a couple of hours.”
Maddie visibly stiffened, her motions losing their grace for a few moments. “I know,” she said brusquely.
“Maddie, we have to talk about it sooner or later. I know that your feelings run deeper than mine when it comes to Adam and Brittney, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t also feel something.” Natalie swallowed. “I felt horrible having to face them both at my birthday party knowing, well, you know.”
She and Maddie had discussed the surprise appearance briefly on the night of her birthday, though Maddie had been quick to change the subject.
“I don’t want to talk about this right now,” Maddie replied as she continued watching the contents of the pan.
Mildly frustrated, Natalie mentally counted to ten. “You can’t put it off forever,” she cautioned when she felt calm enough to speak.
“I know.” Maddie’s words were clipped. She abruptly turned off the stove burner, slapping down her spatula and turning to face Natalie.
“Natalie, I don’t know what you want. There’s nothing we can do right now; it’s still far too soon to tell them.” She leaned back against the stove and crossed her arms snugly over her chest. Part of her wanted to never tell them, but she knew that wouldn’t be fair to Natalie.
Natalie pursed her lips, her jaw tightening in the effort it took to control her own temper. “I know. I don’t want to hurt them either, you know? It’s just that seeing them and knowing that they will be hurt tears me up inside. I want to talk to you about it because one of the reasons I feel the way I do about you is because you’ve always been so easy to talk to.”
Her chest heaved as she finished speaking, her voice having elevated to just shy of yelling.
Maddie was quiet. Natalie let out a defeated breath. She hadn’t meant to lose her temper. “I feel like I can’t talk to anyone else about us, and if I can’t even talk to you, what am I supposed to do?”
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry.” Maddie looked worn, her arms dropping from their defensive pose. She looked away from Natalie. “I want to be there for you, but you need to accept that this is still a little too sensitive for me to discuss right now.”
She looked back at Natalie, hesitantly walking forward until her hand was resting on Natalie’s shoulder. “You said Tiva figured it out, right? Maybe you can talk to her about it a little until I feel a little more… balanced. I care about you so much honey, but things are still too raw for me when it comes to Adam and Brittney.”
The tight feeling in Natalie’s chest eased. She’d been feeling stressed and guilty since the night of her birthday. It had been worse because she felt—out of a respect for Maddie’s privacy—that she couldn’t talk about their relationship to anyone.
It had been a long time since she’d had no one to talk to, and the effort it took not to had become a gargantuan undertaking. Having Maddie’s permission to speak with Tiva helped. She looked up at Maddie.
“Thanks. I know it’s hard for you, too. The divorce hasn’t finished processing, and things are complicated enough with Brittney.” Natalie glanced down. “I’m sorry I lost my temper.”
“Me too.” Maddie cupped Natalie’s cheek. “Let’s enjoy the rest of our time together, okay?”
Natalie nodded. “Okay.”
“Great. I was thinking we could rent a movie or two, cuddle on the couch?”
Natalie didn’t bother fighting her smile. “That sounds amazing.”
*****
Life after spring break was both anxious and dull. Anxious because Natalie both hadn’t worked enough during spring break and was also trying to avoid being around the guys for too long. That she hadn’t gotten a jump on her school work didn’t help, either.
“You coming to The Exchange tonight?” Tiva asked as she pulled a fresh shirt on, uncaring that Natalie was in the room.
Meeting Mrs Garret Page 29