“Is that why you just sprung this on me this morning? So, I wouldn’t have time to think about it?”
“Maybe.”
“Ugh,” Madison said as she took a bottle of beer out of the huge bucket of ice on the bar, using one of the bottle openers left on the bar to open it. She took a long drink as her eyes scanned the room. She didn’t see Kacey, not yet anyway. She had no doubt she’d be here eventually, and she didn’t know what she’d say to her.
“I just think maybe you two should talk,” Ashley said, opening a bottle for herself.
Madison shook her head. “I don’t meddle in your personal life.”
“That’s because I don’t really have one...”
“I never did, even when you were seeing someone.”
“This is a ridiculous situation,” Ashley said, bringing her bottle to her lips.
“Ridiculous? What do you mean? Are you saying that it’s my fault that I’m not with Kacey?”
“What? No. I’m just saying that it’s worth meddling in. It’s complicated, and maybe if you two talked... You’d reconsider.”
“Reconsider that she lied to me?” Madison asked. “That I could have lost my job over her? I don’t think so.”
Madison took another drink. If she kept up with this pace, she’d be drunk in two hours. She had to calm down and control herself. She should probably just go before she ran into Kacey.
“I’m staying for a social-able drink, and then I’m going,” Madison huffed, turning on her heel. She needed to step outside and get some fresh air, but just as she spun around something collided with her arm, and she almost dropped her bottle of beer.
“Sorry!” Kacey said, her mouth hanging open as their eyes met. “Madison...”
Madison took a deep breath. Somehow, she didn’t spill her drink or Kacey’s. “Hi... Ashley invited me,” she said in a rush, meeting Kacey’s piercing blue eyes. Her blond hair was down today in loose waves that flowed across her shoulders.
“I think your mother’s calling me,” Ashley said to Kacey, leaving before either of them could say anything.
“Ash-,” Madison started, but she was already halfway across the room. “Do you get the feeling we’ve been set up?”
Kacey nodded. “Ashley said something the other day that had me wondering if she’d do something like this... Do you want to talk? I mean... We don’t have to, but we’re both here.”
“Sure,” Madison with a weak smile. She wasn’t what she’d say, but they probably should talk.
“Is it okay if we go somewhere more private? I know almost everyone in the room, and I don’t want them listening to any of this.”
“Okay,” Madison said, following her away from the bar and through the door that Kacey had almost knocked her out with a few weeks ago.
Kacey took her car keys out of her pocket and found the tiny silver one that unlocked the door they were standing in front of. “This is my mother’s office,” she said as she opened the door.
Madison ran a hand through her hair. She didn’t know what she wanted but being alone with Kacey made her nervous.
“So...,” Madison started, once they were inside, and Kacey had closed the door behind them. “How have you been?” she asked, groaning internally as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She leaned against the edge of the desk, not knowing if she should sit or stand.
“Not great, to be perfectly honest,” Kacey said with a sigh. “I can’t stop thinking about the way I handled things. I should have told you the truth from the start.”
Madison nodded. Another apology wasn’t really going to change things, but she hated the way that Kacey made her feel. Despite everything that had happened, she was still drawn to Kacey. She still thought about kissing those lips. Madison wanted to tell her that it was okay, that she could forgive her.
“I saw you last weekend,” Madison said, instead.
The door opened behind them, and Madison felt sick when she saw that beautiful brunette from that night appear in the doorway. Were they dating?
“Oh sorry. I was looking for Sherri,” the woman said to Kacey.
“I should go,” Madison said, but Kacey grabbed her arm as she was about to brush past her.
“Sherri’s on the deck with my mom,” Kacey said with a smile. “Or at least she was ten minutes ago.”
“Okay,” the woman said, returning her smile. “Thanks. Sorry for interrupting.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Kacey said, her fingers still wrapped around her arm. “What were you saying?” Kacey asked, dropping her hand.
“I... I can’t remember,” Madison said, feeling the heat rise to her face.
“Okay,” Kacey said, a puzzled look on her face. “I just wanted to apologize again. I realize how serious it could have been for you if anything else had happened, or if we were seen by someone from college. I’m really sorry, Madison.”
She nodded. “Okay,” she said, swallowing the lump in her throat. She wanted to ask Kacey if that was her girlfriend, but she bit her lip instead. “I appreciate you saying that. I know things moved pretty fast... It was easy to get caught up in all that. I forgive you,” she said in just above a whisper.
“Thank you,” Kacey replied, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “I guess we should get back out there. Ashley will probably be looking for us.”
Kacey fingers slipped away from hers, but Madison found them again, loosely holding her hand. “Is she your girlfriend?” Madison asked in a voice just above a whisper.
Kacey’s sea blue eyes met hers. “Brooke? No. She’s a friend of a friend... Oh. You saw us last weekend?”
Madison dropped her hand, feeling like an idiot. She shouldn’t have said anything. “Yes.”
“I was doing my best to get over you,” Kacey said with a sad smile. “And it failed miserably. I had fun with Brooke, but... I saw you too that night,” she said, meeting Madison’s eyes. “And I hate to admit it, but... I was jealous. I left a minutes later. I didn’t want to see you leave with her,” Kacey said, darting her eyes away, and Madison could swear she saw tears welling up in her stunning blue eyes.
“I didn’t leave with her,” Madison said, reaching for her hand again. “I don’t even know what I was doing with her, but I had a similar goal that night: to start moving on... I just never thought it would be so hard. I mean, we barely know each other really, but I still can’t forget about those few nights we had together.”
For the first time in weeks, Madison stopped overthinking things. She gently cupped Kacey’s cheek as she took a step forward, searching Kacey’s eyes for any hints that Madison shouldn’t be doing this, but Kacey was the one to close her eyes first, leaning in to capture her lips in a searing kiss that caught Madison completely off guard.
Madison let Kacey back her up against the closed door, her hands on Madison’s waist, slipping underneath her top to graze the skin just above the waistline of her khaki shorts and sending a chill through Madison’s body.
Madison parted her lips against Kacey’s, her other hand lost in Kacey’s blond hair as she deepened the kiss, seeking out Kacey’s tongue. Madison moaned softly when Kacey’s tongue glided across her own, and she wished they weren’t at The Beach House.
Kacey broke the kiss, both of them breathless. Madison watched Kacey take a step back, but Madison reached for her hand, sensing her uneasiness. She kissed her softly on the lips, wanting Kacey to know that this was serious for her. This wasn’t about lust. Madison’s lips tenderly brushed across hers, and when she broke the kiss, Kacey’s demeanor had already switched from unsure to confident. Madison could see it in her eyes.
“Are you free tonight?” Madison asked, her thumb caressing the back of Kacey’s hand.
“No... But I’ll figure something out,” Kacey said, her voice husky. “I want to see you later.”
“I’m going to go,” Madison said, using all of her willpower not to pull her into another kiss. “I don’t want to distract you from today, but I’ll be home
tonight, whenever you want to come over... If you can. It’s-”
Kacey smiled at her as she leaned in for another kiss, cutting her off. Her hand was on Madison’s cheek, while her tongue ran along Madison’s teeth, before meeting hers in a breathtaking kiss.
“I’ll be there,” Kacey said, her lips moving into a smile as she pulled away. “And you don’t have to go.”
“I do. I can’t even think when I’m around you...”
Kacey laughed softly. “I know exactly what you mean. I’ll see you later, though. Okay?”
Madison nodded as she reached for the door handle, kissing her one last time before they both left. She needed to find Ashley and tell her that she was going.
“See you tonight,” Kacey said when they were back in the busy restaurant, and she started talking to a group of people by the bar.
Madison found Ashley outside on the deck, and judging by the smirk on her face, she knew exactly what had happened.
“So,” Ashley started. “Did you talk?”
“Yes.”
“And...”
“And I forgave her.”
“With your tongue?” Ashley asked with a wink, and Madison just narrowed her eyes in response. “What? You’re an open book. You have that glow.”
“I’m going to go. I can’t be around her without... She should enjoy her day with her family,” Madison said, stumbling over her words.
“Uh huh. I’ll call you... You’re welcome,” Ashley called after her as Madison went back inside, heading straight for the door.
Madison stole one last look, meeting Kacey’s eyes as she pulled open the door and left, wondering how it was possible for someone to have this much of an effect on her.
Chapter 27
“So, that’s Madison?” Sherri asked, opening another bottle of beer.
Kacey gave Madison a smile as she left, and Kacey turned to face Sherri. “Yes.”
“I can see what all the fuss is about...”
“Are you sure you’re not bi?” Kacey asked her, laughing softly.
“Positive, but I am surrounded by some pretty hot lesbians, and if Brooke, you, or Madison aren’t doing it for me... I must be straight. So why was she here? Did you invite her?”
“No. Ashley did.”
“And they’re...?”
“Just friends,” Kacey said, glancing over at the deck area where Brooke and Ashley were chatting. “They could end up being more than friends though... Have they met before?”
“No. I don’t think so,” Sherri said, craning her neck to get a look.
“I hope Brooke wasn’t upset... About last weekend.”
“Definitely not. She’s just not taking life too seriously right now.”
“Do you want to go out and join them?” Kacey asked, finishing her beer and reaching for an ice cold one.
“Sure.”
Kacey stopped to chat to a few people on her way out to the deck. Sherri had gone out ahead of her and was already laughing at something Ashley had just said.
“Hey,” Kacey said as she got closer, her flip flops lightly slapping against her feet. “Hi, Brooke.”
“Hi,” Brooke said with a smile.
“I’m sorry about last weekend. I-”
“You don’t need to apologize... Ashley just filled me in, and I got a glimpse of Madison myself when she was out here a few minutes ago. I’d be reluctant to forget about her too.”
Kacey’s eyes darted between Ashley and Brooke. What exactly had she said? Hopefully not too much or anything that could get Madison into trouble.
“Well, we uh... We had a slight misunderstanding before,” Kacey said with a shrug. “And this is the first time we’ve had a chance to talk in a long time so... It was good to clear the air.”
Thankfully, Kacey’s mother appeared at just the right time to offer them another burger, fresh off the barbecue, and that ended their awkward conversation. Surely, Ashley didn’t say anything significant to Brooke.
Even though Kacey always looked forward to today, she couldn’t wait to leave, but she knew she’d have to be one of the last ones out. She’d help her mom and Trent clean up and get this place back in order, so they could open again tomorrow.
The thought of kissing Madison again, of actually having a real chance with her, was what kept her going and kept her from quizzing Ashley on what she had or hadn’t said.
Chapter 28
Madison put down the book she was reading and left it in her lap. After she’d done a bit of house work and put a bottle of white wine in the refrigerator to chill, she’d stretched out on the couch with a book that she’d been itching to read since it came out two months ago. This was the first time since then that she’d had the mental capacity to read it. When she picked up the same book three weeks ago, she couldn’t focus, but after seeing Kacey today, and realizing that maybe she’d been too quick to dismiss anything happening between them, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
She’d been trying so hard to do the right thing which she thought meant staying away from Kacey but being around her today made her realize how crazy that was. Even though only a few months had gone by since she’d first met Kacey, the situation was completely different.
Kacey had officially graduated, and there was no reason for Madison to worry about what anyone else thought about her and who she decided to date. She was slowly coming around to the idea that being with someone that was fourteen years younger than her wasn’t all that unusual.
I’m going to be forty next week...
Then there would be fifteen years between them.
As much as Ashley had pissed her off lately, she had done her a huge favor by inviting her to The Beach House today. Who knows how long it would have taken for her to see Kacey again? Especially when she’d been trying so hard to avoid her.
Ashley was also the one who kept telling her that their age difference didn’t matter, and Madison was finally starting to believe her.
The doorbell rang, taking Madison away from her thoughts. She found the pink sticky note that she was using for a bookmark and slipped it between the pages before closing the book and leaving it on the coffee table as she stood up.
She was starting to think that maybe Kacey wasn’t going to show up tonight. She hadn’t heard from her, and it was almost ten o’clock, but when she opened the door, Kacey was there with a bottle of wine in hand.
“Hey,” Kacey said with a smile. “I’m so sorry it took me this long to get over here. I knew I’d be helping out with the cleanup, but I never thought it would take so long... Here you go,” she said, handing her the bottle.
“It’s okay. I’m just happy to see you,” Madison said, stepping back so Kacey could get past her. “And thanks. I’ll put this in the fridge,” she said, turning the bottle in her hands to read the label. “I have a bottle chilling. Will you have a glass?”
“Yes, please.”
“I’ll bring them into the living room. Make yourself at home,” Madison said before she went into the kitchen and poured them each a glass from the chilled bottle of Pinot Grigio. She hadn’t had a drink since she got back from The Beach House. She wanted to have a clear head when Kacey arrived. She didn’t know what kind of night they were going to have, but she knew that she wanted to be able to remember it.
She carried the glasses into the living room, where Kacey had her feet tucked under her, her arm draped across the back of the couch. She was still wearing the jean shorts and white tank top that she’d had on earlier.
“Here you go,” Madison said, handing her the glass and sitting down beside her, remembering how conscious she’d been the last time Kacey had been here. She’d made sure she put enough space between them that night, but Madison didn’t care about how close they were sitting together tonight.
“Thanks,” Kacey said, her fingers briefly touching hers as she took the glass from her.
Madison put some background music on from her phone, choosing one of her acous
tic playlists, while she got comfortable beside Kacey, angling her body towards hers.
“It feels like the last time I was here was... years ago,” Kacey said, bringing her glass to her lips. “Not months, weeks really. It was less than two months ago.”
“I know. I was just thinking about that night... And how fast it changed.”
“How do you feel about starting over?” Kacey asked softly.
“I’d like that... Too bad we can’t have another first kiss.”
“I don’t want to forget that night on the beach,” Kacey said with a smile.
“I don’t either... I just mean, that feeling, when you’ve been wondering what it would be like to kiss someone for the first time...”
Chapter 29
“I don’t want to forget that night on the beach,” Kacey said, remembering the way Madison had kissed her, something she never could have imagined happening.
“I don’t either... I just mean, that feeling, when you’ve been wondering what it would like to kiss someone for the first time...”
Kacey left her wine glass on the coffee table and scooted a little closer to Madison on the couch. “Do you remember how it happened?”
Madison took a drink before she licked her lips and left the glass down. “I’m pretty sure I started it...”
“You did. You almost caught me by surprise,” Kacey said with a smile. Madison had been telling her that she felt guilty, and then her lips were on Kacey’s a second later.
“I don’t think I can recreate that, but I do want to kiss you the way I did that night,” Madison said, her voice low as she leaned in, cupping her cheek the same way she did that night, her thumb brushing across her cheek as she parted her lips against Kacey’s.
The kiss was slow and tender, and Kacey sighed as Madison’s tongue languidly slid across hers. She ran her hand through Madison’s dark hair, her fingers splayed as she deepened the kiss, wanting Madison even more as their lips parted again and again, and Kacey couldn’t ever remember being so turned on by just a kiss.
“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” Kacey whispered between kisses as she climbed on top of Madison, straddling her waist while Madison’s hand roamed underneath her tank top, her fingers lightly raking across her back sending a chill down her spine.
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