by Dena Blake
* * *
Carly enjoyed pushing her body to the limit in more ways than one. She’d done just that tonight and felt extraordinary with Wynn. Every touch, every kiss made her react. That had never happened this perfectly with any other woman. When couples told her about their connections and mind-blowing sex, she’d always wondered what they meant. Now she knew. She’d had good sex—even great sex—but what she’d just experienced with Wynn was on a level all its own. She couldn’t comprehend the electricity coursing through her when Wynn’s fingers grazed her skin, nor how she read each reaction and took her higher, to a level she’d never thought possible. A level she craved. She’d tumbled into orgasm more than once, quickly and thoroughly without any effort or concentration. All outside thoughts of work and the world around her had completely dissipated when Wynn kissed her. The whole evening had been spectacular, but the intimacy between them now was the pièce de résistance. The woman she’d dreamed of was right here in her arms. All she had to do was love her.
She grazed Wynn’s nipple with her palm before she let her hand travel down her side, across her hip, and then slipped it in between her legs, feeling the warmth that awaited. The wetness she felt only intensified her arousal. She slid her fingers inside Wynn, then out again, with a circular rhythm that took them around up through her folds and back inside. Wynn grabbed Carly’s ass and pulled her closer, trapping her hand between them, creating more friction. Silent moans exchanged mouths as Wynn reacted, and Carly tugged on her lip with her teeth as she cried out.
She’d just settled in on Wynn’s shoulder when she felt the warm heat on her forehead. “Are you crying?”
“I’m sorry. You just…and I’m afraid—”
“I know. Stop worrying. I’m not going anywhere.” She held Wynn tighter. “I’ll never let you go.” She kissed her gently. “I promise.”
“I just want to hold you through the night, wake up to the sunrise with you in my arms, and do it all over again. Every day for the rest of my life.” Wynn wiped the tears from her cheeks. “What if this day starts over again?”
“You’re going to fix it for us. Tell me everything again—kiss me every day until we get it right.”
“We?”
“Yes, we. You can’t quit. What we have here is too perfect. It has to be meant to be.” A wave of helplessness took her, and she couldn’t stop her own tears.
Her heart hurt thinking that if everything Wynn had told her was true, she wouldn’t remember a thing about what they’d shared. How could she feel so deeply for someone she hardly knew? She ached to hold her in her arms, make love to her again, and share her innermost secrets. Yet she literally knew nothing about this woman except what she’d told her today. Wynn filled her with joy without even knowing how. There had been no preamble to what she’d experienced tonight. No five-date warning. She was completely in love with Wynn and couldn’t explain why. There had to be a chance for them.
Chapter Twenty-three
Wynn opened her eyes and found herself in the same space and time as she had the past seven days. Her life as she saw it in the future was over. She’d fallen for a dream that would never come true. She wasn’t going to get through this day, at least not the way she wanted to—with the outcome she hoped for. Chances of a happy ending with Carly were dwindling. Not knowing whether she would ever see a future with Carly, or anyone else for that matter, frightened her. How many more times could the day repeat? Would they all be frozen in time for eternity? Would she be able to accept that fate? Could she? She shook her head. No. Then she remembered what Carly had said to her last night as she was drifting off to sleep: Kiss me every day until we get it right. So, she would do just that, live the day over again until she got it right.
She rolled out of bed, went through her usual morning routine, and loved on Shadow for a bit before she sent Carly a text.
Good morning, beautiful. She kept it short and sweet today.
Carly’s usual response appeared. I think this was meant for someone else.
Nope. You’re gorgeous, Carly. Always have been.
I don’t know what to say. Thank you? The text ended with a smiley face.
Say you’ll have breakfast with me. I have things to tell you, plans to make with you. Her stomach rumbled as she waited for a response. Please? She’d never begged for a woman’s attention, but she would do anything for Carly’s, until the end of time if necessary.
Okay popped up on the screen, and her stomach settled.
I’ll pick you up at your office at 9:00.
I can meet you somewhere. The bakery near my office?
I’ll come to your office first. We’ll walk over from there.
Okay. I’ll see you then.
Now to look at the past few days to figure out what was making her life repeat, what was wrong, and make plans to do it differently again. She had to be missing something.
After she’d placed all the sticky notes in their appropriate headings on the kitchen table, she picked up Shadow, nuzzled her close, and studied all the events that had occurred throughout each repetition. The table looked like a horrible abstract piece of art. She’d thought Jordan was the last piece of the puzzle, but evidently not. Maybe Carly could help her figure it out, or maybe not.
She held Shadow in front of her and looked into her small, black eyes. “Maybe I’m not supposed to tell Carly any of it. Just let her fall in love all on her own.” She kissed Shadow’s nose. “Do you think that could happen?” Shadow pawed at her face. “You think so? You have a lot of faith in destiny. Much more than I do.”
She’d never just let things happen. She’d always controlled everything around her. Otherwise she would’ve never gotten to where she was today at Sexton Technologies, which was still up in the air, depending on how her day went. On the other hand, she might be happily married to Carly by now if she’d just let go of that stupid goal. Wynn took a deep breath. She had to have faith in destiny—to embrace the fact that whatever would or wouldn’t be wasn’t her choice.
* * *
For some reason, Carly had thought about Wynn more than once during the past few days. She wasn’t sure why, but she’d been excited when she received the text from her this morning and still was. She’d bypassed her usual conservative slacks and jacket for a skirt and blouse.
The door opened, jolting her out of her thoughts.
Stephanie led Wynn through the door. “She said you knew she was coming?”
“Yes. Thanks, Steph.” She’d had Stephanie clear her schedule this morning, but had gotten distracted thinking about Wynn, wondering what she needed to discuss.
As soon as Stephanie was gone and the door closed, Wynn seemed nervous. “I’m sorry to bother you this morning, but I need to resolve something.” She paced for a moment before she crossed the office quickly toward her.
Carly was surprised when Wynn took her into her arms and kissed her. She relaxed into Wynn, kissed her back, and immersed herself in the tingle coursing through her body as it settled deep in her belly. When the kiss ended and Wynn put some distance between them, she felt like a heated blanket had been snatched away.
Wynn jerked her lip up to one side. “Well, now that we’ve done that.”
Still in a daze, Carly swallowed hard and tried to regain her composure. No one had ever kissed her so thoroughly, and she wanted Wynn to do it again. “I don’t think I’m done yet.” She hooked her hand behind Wynn’s neck and guided her back. When their lips touched again, all her nerve endings exploded. She’d been waiting for something like this all her life and wasn’t about to let it end so quickly.
She trailed her lips across Wynn’s jaw. Wynn leaned her head back, giving her a clear path to the beautiful neck she wanted to taste. She could feel Wynn’s pulse throb against her lips as she made her way to the sweet spot that joined with her shoulder. Knowing Wynn was aroused made her want Wynn even more.
She put her hand on Wynn’s chest and felt the same rhythm pounding in her chest. �
�You’re nervous.”
Wynn nodded. “You do that to me.”
She captured Wynn’s mouth and kissed her thoroughly again. When the kiss broke this time, they were both breathing hard.
“You are so beautiful.” Wynn shook her head. “I never thought you’d kiss me like that.”
She wanted to do a whole lot more than kiss Wynn right now. She turned, walked to the door, and locked it. As she caught Wynn’s gaze, she could hardly contain herself as she strolled across the office to her and returned her mouth to her neck.
“You don’t sleep with women you haven’t dated at least five times,” Wynn choked out with a gasp.
She had no idea how Wynn knew that, but she didn’t care. “I know.” She licked a path to the open area of her button-down shirt. “We’ve been through at least ten or more events together. I’m counting those.” She unbuttoned the first button and moved to the next.
Wynn moaned. “I’m not going to argue with that logic.”
Somehow they made it to the couch, and she pushed Wynn onto it, then sat on her lap, straddling her. Wynn slid her hands slowly up her sides underneath her shirt. A tremor filled her as she grazed the side of her breasts. Jesus. She was about to explode. Buttons seemed to unfasten themselves, and her shirt was pushed to her arms. The clasp of her bra released, leaving it loose on her shoulders. She hadn’t realized Wynn had even touched the clasp. The moan that escaped her as Wynn slipped her hands up her sides and brushed her thumbs across her nipples was loud and erotic. She’d always been super-sensitive and never held back. She grabbed Wynn’s hair and held on as pleasure sizzled through her. She slid closer on Wynn’s lap, attempting more friction against her waist.
Wynn stopped her, swallowed hard, and took a deep breath. “We need to stop.”
“What? Why?” She’d just gotten half-naked on Wynn’s lap, and now she didn’t want her?
Wynn began buttoning Carly’s blouse. “I don’t—”
“You don’t want me?” She pushed Wynn’s hands away. “Well, this is embarrassing.” She tried to move from her lap. “Talk about mixed messages.”
Wynn grabbed her hips and stopped her. “Of course I want you. There is nothing in this world I want more than to make love with you. I just don’t want our first time to be rushed, here on the couch in your office.” Wynn took her face in her hands and kissed her.
The world disappeared again, and Carly wanted nothing more at this moment than this woman. She broke the kiss and growled. “Let’s get out of here.” Then she stood, straightened her clothes, and kissed Wynn again before heading behind her desk to grab her bag from the drawer. “My place is close.”
Someone knocked on the door, and Wynn glanced her way, she assumed to make sure she was settled enough to see whomever it was. She nodded, and Wynn opened the door.
Stephanie stepped into the office and assessed them both. Carly didn’t make a habit of locking her office door, ever.
“The Baxters are here.”
She’d thought all her morning appointments had been rescheduled. She raised her eyebrows, and Stephanie seemed to notice her confusion.
“I wasn’t able to reach them, and they didn’t receive my message.”
“I…” She glanced at Wynn.
“It’s okay. We can talk later.”
“Give me a minute, Steph.”
“Sure.” Stephanie backed out of the room, still assessing them as she closed the door behind her.
Wynn walked to her where she stood behind her desk and brushed a strand of hair from her face, letting her thumb graze Carly’s cheek as she tucked it behind her ear. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” What the hell had just happened to her? Magical things were sparking between them. “You touched me and something happened.” She glanced around the room, trying to make sense of the mix between excitement and calm coursing through her. “I feel we’ve experienced something together, but I don’t know why.” Wynn touched her arm, let her hand slide down to Carly’s. Heat radiated through it, and she almost couldn’t speak. “I can’t explain any of this—not the kiss, not the familiarity, not the…burning desire to make love to you. I just don’t know how it’s possible.” She was on fire and couldn’t explain that either. She wiped the moisture from her forehead. “I’m thoroughly confused. And completely turned on.”
Wynn smiled. “That makes two of us.” She kissed her softly, and electricity zapped through Carly.
“I’m not going to be able to concentrate on my patients with you lingering in my mind.”
“I’m sorry about that, but then again, I’m not.” Wynn grinned. “Can I escort you to the fund-raiser tonight?”
“Absolutely. In fact, I’d be pretty upset if you didn’t.”
“Okay, then.” Wynn backed away and went to the door. “I’ll pick you up at six.”
“You need my address.” She picked up a pen and began to write, then dropped it to the desk. “You know it already, don’t you?”
“I do.” Wynn smiled broadly. “I’ll see you tonight.”
As soon as Wynn left, Stephanie came through the door. “What was that about?”
“You have no idea.”
“I think I do.” Stephanie came across the office and began unbuttoning and rebuttoning her blouse. “You missed one.” She pulled the hem to straighten it. “Did you have sex?”
She shook her head. “But we were close.” She plucked a hair tie from her desk drawer, then pulled her hair into a ponytail and fastened it.
“I interrupted you.” Stephanie flattened her lips.
“No. She stopped it.” Thinking about it now, she realized it was a good thing she had.
Stephanie’s brows flew up.
“It’s fine. She was sweet.” She flopped into her chair. “She wants it to be special.”
“So why haven’t I seen her before?”
“I’ve known her for a while, but this is very new.” She smiled, wondering why she hadn’t pursued Wynn before. “I think it surprised us both.”
“I can see that.” She went to the door. “Sorry I interrupted. I’ll give you a couple more minutes to cool off.”
“Thanks.” She stared at the couch. What had she been thinking? She hadn’t been thinking at all. The passion—the desire had taken her so quickly, she’d wanted to touch every part of Wynn at that moment. She would’ve had her if Wynn hadn’t stopped them, and she would’ve regretted it. How was she going to handle the event tonight? Would the attraction be front and center? Would she be able to ignore it? Get it together.
A soft knock sounded on the door before Stephanie led the Baxters into the office. She stood, cleared Wynn from her thoughts, and crossed the room to greet them. She had work to do.
Chapter Twenty-four
Wynn tried to settle herself as she walked along the sidewalk to where she had parked her Jeep on the street. She hadn’t expected Carly to respond the way she had. It was clear they were meant to be, but how to make that happen was still foggy. As soon as she got to her Jeep and slid into the seat, she called Suzanna.
“Can I come by and see you in a little while?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“I need your advice. My life is a mess.”
“Seriously? Your life is never messy. It’s always perfectly planned and in order.”
That was true, she’d always been that way before, but that was before Carly entered the picture. “I did something super spontaneous this morning.”
“What? Got a latte instead of a mocha?”
“I kissed Carly.”
“Hold, please.” She heard the muffled sounds of the kids in the background, then she said something to James, and complete silence after that. “Sorry. I can’t have any distractions for this conversation. James is taking the kids to the park. How long ’til you get here?”
“Ten minutes, max.”
“Hurry.”
When she arrived, Suzanna was sitting on the porch waiting with two cups of cof
fee on the table beside her.
“I’m surprised you got them out of here that fast.”
Suzanna handed her one of the cups. “James is pissed. He wanted to hear this firsthand.”
“What the hell? Since when is my love life front-page news?” She took a sip of the coffee and burned her tongue. “Jesus. This is hot.”
“It’s news since you don’t have one. Haven’t for years.” Suzanna blew out a breath. “I had such high hopes for you. That you’d get married and have kids someday. Lots of them for my kids to play with, but you’re just like Jordan. Always at work. Driven by success.”
“Yeah, well, I’m rethinking that situation.”
“With Carly?”
She nodded. “Yes.” She wanted all of that with Carly.
Suzanna slapped her hands together and rubbed them back and forth. “I’ve been waiting so long for you to wake up and see her.” She picked up her coffee cup and held it in the air. “If it wasn’t ten a.m. I’d open a bottle of champagne.”
She clinked her cup against Suzanna’s. “Why didn’t you give me a push sooner?”
“I’ve been doing that for months. Do you really think I need your help at my events?”
“Oh. I thought you just liked hanging out with me.”
“A bit dense, are we?” Suzanna laughed. “I do love you, sis, but I see you every Sunday at Mom and Dad’s house.” She sipped her coffee. “The kids love playing with you, by the way.”
“Well, yeah. I still hold cool-aunt status.”
Suzanna scrunched her nose. “Probably always will.” She set her cup on the table and relaxed into her chair. “Tell me what happened with Carly. Don’t you dare leave anything out. I want all the details.”
Suzanna sat staring at her intently as she explained how she’d had dinner with Carly, how Carly had expressed her unhappiness with her marriage to Jordan, and how they’d kissed on the pier. When she’d woken up the next morning she’d somehow been transported in time to a year ago, the first time she’d kissed Carly on the pier. Then she described how the day had repeated every day this week, and she’d gotten up every morning hoping time had moved forward and things were different. But they weren’t.