Kiss Me Every Day

by Dena Blake

  * * *

  They managed to load both dogs into the back of the Jeep before the rain started coming down. The timing sucked, but considering the drought they’d been experiencing, she wouldn’t complain. Carly wasn’t nearly as wet as Wynn. Once they pulled out of the lot and onto the road home, Wynn was silent. She seemed to be somewhere else in her head.

  “Are you okay? You’re quiet all of a sudden.”

  “I need to tell you that there’s a little more to this story than just adopting Buttercup.” Wynn glanced from the road to Carly. “I need your counseling services.”

  “Okay.” The word dragged across her lips like molasses spilling out of the jar. She hadn’t meant for her disappointment to show so clearly, but if Wynn was going to ask her for professional advice, any kind of future relationship with her would be off-limits.

  “Not for me. For my neighbor, Jack. He’s a work colleague who wants a dog, but his wife had a bad experience when she was younger and hasn’t gotten over it.”

  “Oh.” Relief washed through her, and her voice rose as she smiled. “You want me to help your neighbor’s wife?”

  “Yeah. I saved his job today, and he promised to adopt Buttercup if he can convince his wife that she’s harmless.”

  “You saved his job?” This woman was a saint.

  “Well, we really all saved each other’s. I had a plan, my boss, Evelyn, had a plan, and Jack had a plan. None of them were acceptable to leadership on their own. So I got them together, and we created a compromise.” Wynn hesitated. “Honestly, I was originally going to cut staff and promote myself for the COO position.”

  “That sounds pretty cutthroat.” Maybe not so much of a saint after all.

  “I know. That’s why I didn’t do it.” She pressed her lips together tightly. “Evelyn isn’t very flexible and wouldn’t listen, so at first I thought it was the only way. But I gave the discussion another shot, and she surprised me today by actually cooperating. We changed the whole plan. Evelyn’s position is solid, and no one else got fired.”

  “What about you?”

  “I still have the same job I had before, but that’s okay. The company will do well, and I’ll have more opportunities in the future.”

  “Opportunities that don’t depend on hurting others?” Back to being a saint.

  She nodded. “I don’t want to be that person.” She pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. “The one that steps on other people to get ahead.”

  “Look at you.” Carly smiled. “You saved hundreds of jobs today and don’t even realize what an awesome thing that is.”

  Wynn shrugged. “I was just doing my job. Only better than I was doing it before.”

  “Even so. What you did today was wonderful.” Carly kissed her on the cheek, then crinkled her nose as she caught a whiff of the wet-dog scent filling the Jeep.

  Wynn pulled the collar of her shirt to her nose and sniffed. “Is it me that smells so bad?”

  Carly let out a laugh. “I think Buttercup needs a bath. She kind of smells like the shelter.”

  Wynn got out of the Jeep, opened the back, and let the dogs out. They immediately ran to see Mrs. P, who was still outside tending to her flower garden. “Shit. They’re going to trample her marigolds.” Wynn rushed after them, trying to round them up as Mrs. P shooed them away.

  Carly put her hands on her hips and let out a loud whistle that pierced even her own ears. The dogs stopped immediately, as did Wynn and Mrs. P, and looked at her. “Come on, girls,” she shouted, and both dogs came running like they knew who was boss.

  Wynn’s eyes widened. “Wow. That sound came out of you?”

  “It comes in handy when you’re from a big family and want to say something. My brothers and sisters can get pretty loud and rowdy sometimes.” She took Wynn’s hand, and warmth spread through her. “Come on. I’ll help you get these girls cleaned up.” Being with Wynn was fun, magical even. Nothing had ever felt this right in Carly’s life before.

  Bathing Shadow was the easy part, but they’d managed to get themselves completely soaked along with Buttercup. Apparently she thought bath time was playtime and seemed to love the water. Every time they soaped her up, she shook it all off and did the same when they rinsed her. Once they had the dogs semi-dry, Wynn let them out into the backyard to finish drying in the sun, which was now shining. The burst of rain hadn’t lasted long, as usual.

  Wynn glanced at her. “To the groomers next time.”

  Carly burst out laughing. “Definitely.” She swiped her hands down her coral, V-neck shirt. It was completely soaked. When she glanced up at Wynn, she was watching her with vivid blue eyes, and a sizzling tingle coursed through her and settled gloriously in her belly.

  “You probably want to take a shower.” Wynn seemed to fumble the words, which Carly thought was ridiculously cute. “I’m sure I have something you can wear.”

  “What? You don’t like my new scent? It’s called Chanel eau de Buttercup,” she said in her best French accent, which didn’t even solicit a laugh.

  Wynn moved down the hallway. “You can use my bathroom. There’s no toilet, and the lights in there don’t work, but the window gives a lot of light, and the shower’s fine. Kind of in the middle of a renovation.” Wynn seemed nervous and eager to get away from her. “I’ll clean this up and shower in here.”

  “I don’t mind helping.”

  Wynn swallowed hard. “You’ve already helped me so much.” She took a couple of towels from the hall closet as she led her through the master bedroom to the bathroom. She set the towels on the counter. “I’ll get you some clothes.” She took a T-shirt and shorts from her dresser and handed them to Carly, then stood in the doorway looking absolutely gorgeous. “Take your time.” She remained in the doorway for another moment before backing out of the room and closing the door.

  God, she was captivating. Wynn had just the right amount of confidence and vulnerability. She had Carly completely turned on without even trying. What was she going to do about this?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Panic swept over Wynn as she crossed the hall to the guest room, went into the bathroom, and turned on the water. She’d never imagined having Carly in her house this close. She’d completely erased all thoughts of her last year after she became involved with Jordan. She closed the door and gripped the counter. The woman she saw in the mirror was second-guessing everything she’d done for the past year—everything that made her who she was—but she didn’t care. In this moment, she was happy. Her life was changing, turning out so much differently than it had before—than she’d planned.

  The smell of wet dog filled her nose as she peeled off her T-shirt and shorts, but right now it didn’t bother her at all. She’d just had the most fun ever with Carly, and they’d been completely covered with water while washing the pups. Wynn could only imagine how much happiness she would discover while living a life with Carly.

  The hot water felt exceptional spraying across her shoulders. With the whole distraction of Carly, she hadn’t realized how cold she’d been. She turned around, closed her eyes, and let it wash across her face. A jolt shot through her as Carly’s beautiful smile filled her head. The battle started in her head. She’s married to Jordan. No, she’s not. It’s last year. She hasn’t even started dating Jordan yet. Carly won’t even have any interest in Jordan until the party tonight. Maybe they shouldn’t go. Could she keep Carly occupied here, erase any interaction she’d had with Jordan? Make her forget about helping Suzanna? Could she, herself, forget about helping Suzanna? She ducked her head under the water again. This whole weird situation was confusing her.

  She didn’t realize until after she got out of the shower that she’d forgotten to take some clean clothes for herself. She tapped lightly on the bedroom door. “Carly.” No answer. She was probably still in the shower. She opened the door a crack. “Carly. Are you finished showering?” Still no answer. The coast was clear. She’d sneak in, grab some clothes from the dresser, and
slip out. She’d just made it to the dresser when the bathroom door opened and Carly appeared draped in only a towel. It was absolute déjà vu from the night this crazy dream had begun, only she wasn’t at her parents’ house just out of the pool from playing with the kids. They were completely alone.

  She froze, then Carly froze. Their eyes locked, and Wynn found herself staring into deep green eyes filled with so much more than surprise.

  “Sorry. I forgot to get clothes.”

  “No need to be sorry. This is your house…your bedroom.” Carly tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth.

  Suddenly the room seemed very intimate. “Right. My bedroom.” Her gaze never left Carly’s as she fumbled to open the top drawer. She veered it slightly, and when she locked it on Carly’s again, her expression had changed. She stood frozen—she had to let Carly make the first move—Wynn needed to know she wasn’t the only one feeling the connection.

  Carly’s eye’s flitted from Wynn’s lips to her eyes. “Stop.” Carly came closer. “You’re beyond beautiful, and you don’t even realize it.” She pushed her fingers through Wynn’s short, wet hair. “Kiss me before I lose my nerve.”

  And she did. Softly, sweetly, with the newness of a first kiss but the familiarity of old lovers. Sweet and tentative and then all in—it was glorious. She immersed herself in Carly’s aura, tried to hold onto time and space as she kissed her with everything she had—with a passion that exploded inside that surprised even her. This sensation was a thousand times better than any high she’d ever received from a takeover at work. Carly brought out hidden feelings locked deep inside, never released until now.

  Cool air whooshed as their towels dropped to the floor, the coolness quickly replaced by Carly’s warm, soft skin. As a red-hot bolt of electricity zapped her whole midsection and shot straight between her legs, it became clear that Carly had always been the one who held the key to her heart and so much more. Wynn was completely aroused, and she hadn’t even begun to explore Carly’s body—the best part. How this woman had such power over her was a complete mystery, but she’d had it since the day they met.

  Carly’s soft breasts pressed against her own as Carly nipped at her neck, the spot where it met her shoulder, and Wynn almost lost it right then. She’d been waiting for this moment for so long. She let out a moan, and Carly returned her mouth to hers. Tongues and hands battled for control as friction built between them, and they tumbled onto the bed. Carly sucked a nipple into her mouth, sending another bolt of red-hot arousal through Wynn. Carly left her nipple, quickly replacing her mouth with her fingers. Wynn squirmed beneath her as she trailed a wet, hot path to her stomach with her tongue. She watched as Carly skimmed her lips across the dark patch covering her center and then settled between her legs, pushing them farther apart.

  Carly glanced up, made eye contact, and her arousal spiked. Wynn’s response was staggering. She was almost embarrassed at how wet she was, but Carly didn’t seem to mind. She slipped a finger inside, drew it up through her folds, circled, and took it back down and inside again. Each whimper that came out of Wynn’s mouth seemed to delight her more as she continued the rhythm. Suddenly Carly was buried between her legs, her tongue sending her skyrocketing into orgasm. She’d wanted to slow it down, savor it, but Carly made that impossible. Suddenly she found herself being taken on a thousand-mile journey to ecstasy, one she wanted to experience a thousand times more and never wanted to return from.

  Carly gently kissed the nerve endings she’d just set on fire and then laid her head on her thigh. Every pulse point in her was still thrumming as Carly traced her finger between her folds, and she quaked involuntarily.

  “Stop. Please.” She could hardly get the words out as her belly bounced, spikes of pleasure shocking her like a low-voltage zapper.

  “But I kinda like watching you.”

  “You’re going to kill me.”

  Carly chuckled and took one last swipe with her tongue before she crawled up Wynn and hovered above her. She tugged her lips into a half-smile. “Well, that was an unexpected pleasure.”

  “An absolute pleasure.” She dragged her fingers lightly along Carly’s sides. “I’m really glad I forgot to grab some clothes.”

  “If I didn’t know better, I might have thought you planned it.”

  She smiled. “Not that much of a forward thinker.”

  “Well, to be honest, I’m not usually this forward. I can’t tell you the last time I’ve slept with a woman I barely know.” Carly’s cheeks reddened. “Let alone made the first move.”

  Usually the one in control, Wynn had forced herself to let Carly take the reins, and she’d done so without question. “Why don’t we remedy that?”

  “Umm, I think we just did.”

  “I want to know everything about you.” Even though she wanted to touch every part of Carly, she wanted more than sex from her. She wanted to soak up every bit of knowledge she could in case this moment disappeared tomorrow.

  “Now?” Carly kissed her softly and then smiled.

  Carly was so seductive yet so sweet. Wynn couldn’t help but get caught up in the tingle Carly produced in her. “Maybe more of this first.” She pressed her lips to Carly’s and immersed herself in everything Carly brought out in her. Wynn would change a thousand more things in her life to spend the rest of it with her. How had she let this opportunity escape her the last time? She wasn’t about to let it happen again, even if this all turned out to be a crazy dream. Jordan flitted through her head, and she felt guilty. She quickly pushed the thoughts away. Jordan was a survivor and really didn’t even love Carly, did she? No. Not the way she should.

  * * *

  Carly must have dozed mid-sentence. Wynn had held her, listening to every word Carly said about herself and also answered each question she’d posed in return. Even after Carly had told Wynn so many things about herself, she’d wanted more. With everything Carly had learned about Wynn over the past few hours, she’d found her to be intelligent, compassionate, loyal, and loving. That last facet had come into play more than once this afternoon. Wynn possessed all the qualities she’d hoped for in a significant other. She honestly thought she could spend the rest of her life with Wynn, if everything Wynn had told her proved to be true.

  They’d already made love multiple times, Wynn taking her to heights of pleasure she was unaware she could achieve. She didn’t want to leave the warmth of the woman who could expand her in that way. She felt safe and content curled up close to Wynn, surrounded by her strong arms. Wynn’s eyes were closed, and she seemed completely relaxed now. She watched her sleep, soft breaths coming from her chest as it rose and fell. She traced a finger around Wynn’s nipple and saw it come alive.

  Wynn’s lips pulled into a smile. “You’re insatiable.”

  “Seems you are too.” Carly couldn’t get enough of the pleasure in Wynn’s face, the sound of her tiny whimpers, and the growl from her throat when she climaxed. Pleasing Wynn had turned out to be more exciting than her own orgasm, which was off the charts every time.

  “I should go home and change.” Carly crawled across Wynn to check the time on her phone. “Oh my gosh. It’s already six. I’ll never make it there on time.”

  Wynn wrapped her arms around her, settled Carly on top of her, the complete length of their bodies against one another. “Text Suzanna. She’ll be okay with us being late.” Wynn watched her as she started to type in the words with only her thumb. “Jordan will be pissed, but she’ll get over it.”

  Going to be late tonight. Sorry. I got hung up helping Wynn.

  That’s good news. Stay there…help her more. We’ll be fine here. She punctuated the end with a heart-eyed smiley face.

  You sure?

  I’m sure. Have fun. This time Suzanna punctuated the end with a fire emoji.

  Carly smiled and held the phone up to show Wynn the text exchange.

  “I’ll have to remember to thank her tomorrow.” Wynn took the phone from Carly’s hand and set it on the ni
ghtstand. Then her eyes darkened as she moved closer and kissed Carly softly, barely touching her lips with her own, a sweet taste of what was to come. Kissing was one of Carly’s favorite activities, but kissing Wynn transported her into an erotic haze she didn’t want to escape, a sensual rhythm that made her body fire in every sense. Their kisses were a simple, but sweet, a preamble of what they were about to share…again.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Wynn woke up alone at the same time and in the same space she had for the past five days. The promises Carly had made last night were gone, and Carly would never remember them. She rolled out of bed, let Shadow outside, then made the coffee. Once it had finished dripping, she leaned against the counter feeling sorry for herself. Felt the warm tears on her cheeks. It was real. Feelings that deep didn’t come in dreams. She didn’t know how many more times she could stand reliving this day. She should grab the exposed wires in the bathroom and shock herself back to reality.

  Was she just going to let everything go? Could she go on with a life without Carly? Fuck no, she couldn’t. Coffee spilled from her cup, burning her hand as she launched herself across the room. She shoved everything from the kitchen table to the floor and took multiple sticky notepads of different colors from her laptop bag. She was going to figure out what went wrong in the only way she knew how, by charting each event that happened throughout the day. She began writing furiously and organizing notes on the table.

  She came up with three areas to look at. Work, home, and the fund-raiser. Now she had to define them further. “Okay. Work includes Evelyn and Jack.” She wrote each one on a sticky note and placed it below the title. “Home is Jack again, plus Buttercup, Maria, and yesterday, Carly.” She positioned the notes accordingly. “Fund-raiser includes Suzanna, Jordan, and Carly.” Warmth rushed through her as she thought about the night they’d spent together instead of going to the event. “We must need to be at the fund-raiser.”