Life in High Def

by Kimberly Cooper Griffin

  “Do you want to get a room?” she asked, hearing how that sounded but not caring. She took Drew’s hand, ready to find the registration desk. Drew nodded her head but didn’t move. Reilly took a step back, pulling Drew with her. But Drew didn’t follow. Reilly’s heart swelled at how beautiful Drew was in the wind and the moonlight.

  “Come with me,” she whispered, tugging Drew’s hand.

  When Drew shook her head, Reilly felt like she would shatter. She didn’t know how she had gotten it wrong. A knot formed in her throat.

  “Um… I… god, I’m sorry. I just got carried away.” Reilly stammered, and she contemplated Drew’s fingers, which were still clasped in her hand. She let go, but Drew held on. Instead, Drew pulled Reilly back to her and kissed her again. None of the heat had left them, and Reilly returned the kiss like a drowning woman gasping for air.

  When they parted again, Drew brushed Reilly’s hair back and ran her thumbs along the line of Reilly’s high cheekbones. Reilly felt those beautiful eyes study her face. She closed her own eyes, wishing that she knew what Drew wanted.

  “We have houses nearby and a driver to take us.”

  Reilly opened her eyes and smiled with relief. Drew tilted her head toward the front of the hotel.

  “Are you ready to leave?”

  Reilly nodded, and this time when she took Drew’s hand to go, Drew followed.

  Walk Me to the Door

  THE CAR ROLLED TO A STOP at the curb in front of Drew’s house, and Reilly was about to tell Alison to take the rest of the night off when Drew beat her to the punch.

  “Walk me to me door, Reilly,” said Drew, sliding across the backseat toward the door.

  The side of her that had been pressed against Drew on the short ride home felt cold when Drew moved away, and Reilly wondered what Drew meant. Maybe she didn’t want to be obvious about what was about to happen. So full of expectation and desire, Reilly took no note of the walk to the porch. With every step, she fought the urge to stop Drew for more kisses.

  When they arrived at the door, Drew pulled Reilly to her.

  “I love the way you feel. I could do this all night,” whispered Drew into Reilly’s neck.

  Reilly wanted nothing less, and she arched into the circle of Drew’s arms as Drew caressed her bare shoulders and trailed her fingers over her back. The touch made her insides expand and contract, almost as though Drew was already inside of her, filling her, claiming her. Then they kissed. The heat that they had held in check during the drive home rushed back like a tidal wave. In the semi-privacy of the surrounding vegetation and the low lighting provided by the porch lamp, their kiss was unbridled, and as her mouth responded to the warm sensation of the tip of Drew’s tongue teasing her lips open, Reilly’s hands found the opening in the back of Drew’s tunic. The tips of her fingers pulsed as they wandered over the smooth warmth that met them. Reilly pressed further into Drew as her body burned with a fever that felt like fire in contrast to the cool night air. Goosebumps rose on her bare skin.

  Reilly slid her lips across Drew’s sculpted jaw and she tasted a path down the column of her throat. The faint scent of vanilla and sage mixed with the smell of Drew’s warm skin made her dizzy. “Drew, I want you so much,” whispered Reilly against the pulse at Drew’s throat.

  “I want you, too. So much,” said Drew into Reilly’s mouth as she lifted Reilly’s chin and they kissed again. Reilly melted even further into the moment, desire wrapping her tightly, and she almost missed the breathless words that were whispered against her lips. “But… but I think we should wait.”

  Reilly’s hands were slipping under the waistband of Drew’s pants when the words broke through the fog of passion clouding Reilly’s mind.

  She leaned her head back, but kept the lower parts of their bodies pressed together. She wasn’t ready to let any distance come between them.

  “Did you just say—?”

  “I’m sorry. I know what I said at the hotel… but… I wonder if we should wait.”

  Reilly slipped her fingertips out from under the edge of Drew’s waistband, feeling as if ice water had been poured over her. Her insides were still flaming with desire. It was all she could do not to beg Drew to let her stay, to try to sway her back to the need that she was sure they both still felt.

  “I’m certain that’s not what I want. But if that’s what you need,” said Reilly. She ran her hands along the arms that were around her and caught Drew’s fingers in her own. She had to stop the hands that continued to wander across her shoulders, causing her skin to tingle. She hoped that Drew couldn’t hear the frustration in her voice. She stepped back, and though she held Drew’s hands, the separation of their bodies felt like a loss.

  “I don’t want it, either. But I think I need it,” said Drew, stepping forward to caress Reilly’s face. “I want to see you tomorrow. Are you free?”

  Drew kissed her and Reilly wanted to melt. When Drew pulled away again she thought that she would scream.

  “I’ll be at the studio until 7:00 tomorrow night, but I’m free after that,” said Reilly. She wished that she didn’t have to work the next day. When Drew moved toward her again, she stopped her by taking another step back. “I won’t be able to stop if you kiss me again.”

  Drew paused, but her eyes roamed over Reilly like a caress.

  “I’ll make dinner.”

  “That sounds great,” said Reilly, breathless, backing down the steps. She wanted more, but she wasn’t sure she would survive Drew’s pulling away again. The mere sight of Drew leaning against the porch post, glowing with desire, her lips swollen, made her head swim with need.

  “Okay then, it’s a date. You, me, and my world famous lasagna.”

  I Love This Time of Night

  REILLY STOOD ON DREW’S FRONT porch the next evening, dressed in a soft cotton blouse, well-worn jeans, and flip-flops. She rang the doorbell for the third time and shifted a bottle of her favorite cabernet from one hand to the other, wondering if it had been a mistake to send Alison home. In her impatience to see Drew again, she was an hour early, so the unanswered bell didn’t worry her too much, just frustrated her. She had rushed through the first of her two Saturday afternoon meetings and, to the director’s frustration, with a vague complaint of not feeling well, she had rescheduled the second meeting for Monday. Finally free, she’d rushed home, got ready and had come over without a thought to the time.

  Reilly hadn’t slept well at all the night before, and she hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything throughout the day. Her thoughts were filled with Drew’s lips against hers and Drew’s skin under her fingertips. She had replayed every moment from the night before in an endless loop in her mind, and a delicious tingle ran through Reilly every time she remembered Drew throwing her head back on the hotel balcony. With that first real kiss, Reilly forgot about not being good enough for Drew. Nothing outside of holding her, kissing her, touching and tasting her made it into Reilly’s consciousness. A shiver raced over her with the thoughts that preoccupied her mind, and she wondered how she was going to behave herself when Drew answered the door. If Drew wanted to take things slow, she’d honor her wishes. It would be hard, though.

  She rang the bell one more time and then checked her messages again. Drew still hadn’t responded to the text Reilly had sent when she left her house. Lights were on in the studio, and Reilly wondered if Drew was back there. Part of her itched to go find out, but she didn’t want to snoop, so she stood on the porch with her bottle of wine and a bad sense of timing.

  She walked to the edge of the porch, placed the bottle of wine on the rail, and leaned against the corner post that Drew had been resting against last night when Reilly left. Reilly sighed at the memory of the beautiful woman, loose strands of her black hair blowing gently in the breeze, the soft light of the porch lamp casting a gentle glow around her. Her belly rolled at the thought of Drew’s full red lips lifting in a smile with promises of dinner, hinting at more, as her eyes painted Reilly wi
th the heat of their gaze. Reilly’s eyes wandered over the fairytale yard. The soft sound of water from the small stream in the rock waterfall near the porch drew her eyes, and she followed its path as it flowed beside the walkway to the yoga studio, where it turned and wound its way down to the small koi pond. Dusk was falling, and the solar path lights hadn’t yet switched on. The shadows amid the drooping peppertree branches appeared alive with the magic of early evening. Reilly closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the spicy fragrance in the damp night air.

  Listening to the water, she let her mind wander to the night before. The sensations were still so fresh on her skin. She could almost feel Drew’s body in her arms.

  “I love this time of night.”

  It was only a whisper, and Reilly might have thought that she had imagined it, if not for the gentle touch of a hand on her lower back. She turned, and words of greeting paused on her lips, unsaid.

  Drew stood before her in nothing but a towel. Without a word, Reilly’s eyes traveled every inch of Drew, from her damp black hair and beautiful eyes to her long legs and bare toes. Reilly soaked up every detail before her eyes returned to the silver gray ones in front of her. Even in the low light, Reilly saw them gleaming, dark with desire.

  “You can’t look at me like that,” whispered Drew, taking a step toward Reilly. An inch of expectation and vibrating need separated them.

  “Like what?” asked Reilly, focused on the lips that she had been thinking about since the night before.

  “Like you’re going to make love to me. Right now. On my porch.”

  In Reilly’s mind she had already bridged the gap of desire and was inside of Drew. She watched a drop of water make its way down Drew’s collarbone, and her lips felt the heat as if she were already tracing its path with her tongue.

  “Is that what you want?” she asked, short of breath.

  “It’s what I need.”

  “Then kiss me,” said Reilly. She reached out and pulled Drew toward her by the hips.

  “You’re dangerous.” Drew smiled as she slid her arms around Reilly’s neck.

  “You have no idea,” murmured Reilly as she leaned forward.

  When their lips met, Reilly lost all sense of where they were. When their bodies met, her ability to think at all fled. Her hands found the opening in the towel and they smoothed across the silky sway of Drew’s waist. The towel came undone and fell to Drew’s feet. Reilly caught her breath and wrapped her arms around Drew, relishing the soft compliance of the body that she sheltered with her own. The kiss was slow and deep, taking up where the last one had ended the night before. Reilly’s fingers swept across the expanse of Drew’s strong back, charting the topography of toned muscles under Drew’s soft warm skin. Drew arched into her with a moan, causing a cascade of tremors to slide down Reilly’s spine.

  Without breaking the kiss, Drew backed toward the house, pulling Reilly with her. Reilly’s world was nothing but the woman in her arms, the kisses that they shared, and the frantic beating of their hearts. As soon as the door shut and they were inside, Drew pushed her against the wall, and pressed into her, making quick work of the buttons on her blouse. Warm hands wandered over Reilly’s stomach and back, and her shirt dropped to the floor. Reilly wore no bra, and when Drew touched her breasts, she gasped into Drew’s mouth. Their heaving bellies moved over each other in a soft dance that left them both breathless.

  Reilly continued to kiss Drew as she ran her palms along Drew’s sides, pausing as she brushed along the sides of Drew’s full round breasts. Reilly moaned and cupped the pliant flesh. Drew’s breasts were warm and firm in her hands, her nipples hard and small, straining under Reilly’s fingers. Reilly wanted to put her mouth on them, but she was lost in the kiss that inflamed an agony of desire in her.

  Drew’s thigh pushed between Reilly’s legs, causing her to groan at the pressure that drove her mounting need. Reilly slid her hand to Drew’s lower back, settling in the soft arch, and pulled Drew more tightly to her. She threw her head back as the seam in her jeans rubbed against her clit. Her hips worked in an urgent gyration as she lowered her head to take one of Drew’s nipples between her lips. The velvet surface of the tight flesh was warm and soft, and Reilly swirled her tongue around the tip before sucking it into her mouth.

  “Yes,” sighed Drew, arching into her, almost setting Reilly off with the thigh moving between her legs. “You’re going to make me come if you don’t stop that,” whispered Drew, voicing Reilly’s own thoughts in a raspy voice as she eased Reilly’s head away from her breast.

  The pressure from the thigh between Reilly’s legs eased and Reilly tried to catch her breath. She had been a fraction of a second from release. It had happened so fast. She wanted to make her first discovery of Drew’s body last. She wanted to lie Drew down, learn her landscape, and then fill her up. She wanted to fall into her and never come up. Her hands wandered over Drew’s bare back and she ran her tongue along Drew’s collarbone.

  “You feel, taste, sound… so good… so good…” Reilly could hear the desire in the low tones of her own voice.

  “You do too, but I want to feel all of you, taste all of you,” said Drew lifting Reilly’s head to kiss her. The words made the backs of Reilly’s knees tingle.

  Reilly felt a tug at her waist, and without breaking their kiss, Drew stepped back just enough to unbutton Reilly’s jeans and push them, and the damp silk panties Reilly wore beneath them, down and over her hips. Loose-fitting, they slid with ease down to Reilly’s ankles and she stepped out of them, kicking the garments aside. Reilly then switched positions with Drew, holding her against the wall. She held Drew’s arms to her sides, and kissed her slowly, breathing her breath, tasting her mouth, feeling the tremble of Drew’s body beneath her. She molded herself to Drew’s curves, pinning her to the wall in a way that told Drew that there was no turning back. The heat between them surged, and Drew spread her legs, straddling Reilly’s thigh, the fragrance of their need mingling. Reilly let go of Drew’s arms, rested her hands on Drew’s hips and pulled her close, spreading Drew’s wet desire across her thigh.

  “Touch me, Reilly. I need you,” moaned Drew into Reilly’s mouth, as she rocked.

  Reilly skimmed her palm across Drew’s hip, swaying with Drew, caught up in the dance of their bodies, and just as her hand slipped between them, she had one last thought about how she should slow down for their first time. But Drew’s kiss and the hand around her wrist guiding her told Reilly that slow was not an option.

  “Please,” breathed Drew into her mouth, and the plea drove away all remaining thoughts of slow beginnings.

  The tips of Reilly’s fingers pressed into hot, wet silk and found the firm knot of flesh that pulsed under her touch. She drew slow circles around it, grazing it every so often as she fell into the rhythm of Drew’s desire.

  “God, yes,” whispered Drew, clinging to Reilly. They moved together in a slow, rocking rhythm. “I need you inside,” groaned Drew. Her hips became insistent.

  Reilly’s center contracted at the whispered cry, and she plunged into Drew’s hot slickness, lost to the increased tempo of Drew’s passion. Drew set the pace, and Reilly moved with her, applying pressure as she felt Drew nearing release. It wasn’t long before Drew cried out and her mouth stilled against Reilly’s, as she ground down on Reilly’s hand, driving Reilly deeper. Reilly felt a strong contraction grip her fingers. Drew’s motions stilled as she shuddered, and a warm gush filled Reilly’s palm. Drew’s legs buckled, but Reilly held her up, still deep inside, and she marveled at the strong pulses that grew fainter and further apart, until they were just small waves, tickling her fingertips. Reilly held onto Drew until her breathing became less ragged, soothing her with soft kisses, reveling in the sensuous heat that wrapped around her hand.

  Drew’s trembling calmed, and she buried her face in Reilly’s neck. Reilly felt Drew’s chest heave as Drew took a deep breath. She eased from the warm depths of Drew’s body and wrapped her arms around h
er, holding her close. As they relaxed, Drew’s feet slid along the floor, and her back moved down the wall until they both came to a rest, sitting on the hardwood floor.

  Reilly was in Drew’s lap with her legs wrapped around Drew’s waist. The smell of their sex filled the air, making Reilly light-headed with a new surge of desire. Her core clenched and she moved against Drew, trying to get closer. Drew lifted her head and gazed into Reilly’s eyes. Reilly felt herself fall into the beautiful silver current that swirled within them. They kissed again, and Reilly felt warm caresses traveling along her back and down her legs in a languorous exploration that sent electric shocks out along each of her limbs. Reilly’s stomach rolled as Drew’s hand slid down and teased at the sensitive warmth between her legs. She gasped as Drew ran her fingertips around her clit and then slid into her.

  The pressure that filled her was immediate and exquisite. It expanded to fill every inch of her, pulling the edges of her skin tight with expectation. Her hips rocked against the fingers that touched her deep inside, and the urgency built until she was writhing, on the very precipice of release. Never before had she let herself go so easily, so freely. She threw her head back and Drew held her as she arched into the mounting need that pulsed inside, expanding with each smooth thrust. Then Drew’s mouth was on her breast, her warm tongue circling her nipple. Soft lips wrapped around the taut peak and sucked. The sensation was all it took to send Reilly over the edge. A loud keen rushed from her and she shuddered uncontrollably. Cascading light and heat spread from her, igniting her, shattering her, spreading her, releasing her, as wave after wave of incandescence spilled from her. She collapsed against Drew, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath and the last of her orgasm shook through her, leaving her incapacitated and spent. Reilly’s body continued to move slowly, almost of its own accord. She was only aware that she was doing it because of the unbelievable feeling it continued to spread through her, but it was not a conscious motion. Slowly, the fury within her subsided, and when Drew eased her fingers out, Reilly wrapped her arms around her, burying her face in Drew’s neck, trying to retain the closeness of their bodies. She felt like crying and laughing at the same time, though the wordless murmurs of the woman beneath her calmed the unexpected chaos of emotion that tucked itself back into her chest, under her ribs, safe against her heart.