by Jae
With a firm grasp on her corduroy-covered hips, Susanne pulled her back and turned her around. Her lips found Anja’s, gentle at first, then, when Anja wrapped her arms around her and drew her closer, nipping and teasing with more heat.
Anja’s legs went to jelly, and she sank back onto the couch. Susanne tasted like tomatoes and wine, and Anja instantly felt drunk on her.
When Susanne’s mouth left hers, Anja let out a groan of protest, which turned into a low moan as Susanne kissed her throat and slid one hand between them to trace the bare skin just above the neckline of her top.
Oh God.
Almost drowsy with pleasure, Anja couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. Not that she needed to see. Her other senses took over as she tugged the shirt from the back of Susanne’s slacks and slipped her hands beneath to caress the warm, soft skin.
In return, Susanne slid her hand down and gently palmed one breast through the fabric of Anja’s top.
Anja pulled back with a gasp. Dazed, she realized that she was no longer sitting on the couch. She had slid down on the sofa, and Susanne lay half on top of her, her body warm and pleasantly heavy against her own. Anja’s skirt had slid up, and one of Susanne’s thighs had slipped between Anja’s legs, making her head spin. All she wanted was to pull her closer or, even better yet, take her to bed, but something held her back. “Susanne…”
“God, the way you say my name…” Susanne trailed her thumb along Anja’s lips.
A shiver went through Anja, and she nearly forgot what she had wanted to say. “Susanne.”
Susanne paused and studied her, her gray eyes questioning. “Are we moving too fast for you?”
“No. Yes.” Her body and her mind gave her conflicting signals. Her heart thumped wildly, as much from arousal as from apprehension of how Susanne would react to what she would say next. “I want you, but…” Her cheeks heating, she looked away. “I’m on the last day of my period, so…”
“Ah.”
“Sorry. I know that’s not romantic or sexy or—”
Susanne framed her face with both hands, leaned down, and kissed her softly. “It’s okay,” she whispered against Anja’s lips. “We’re not in a hurry.”
Aren’t we? Susanne would be gone in six weeks. Shouldn’t she be eager to make good use of the time they had, period be damned?
Before she could decide, Susanne navigated them around so they were both lying on their sides, facing each other, and opened her arms. “I believe I promised you cuddles.”
Anja sank into her arms with a sigh. “Thank you. For dinner and, you know, understanding.”
Susanne kissed her forehead. “No need to thank me. Just because it’s Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean we need to have sex. We get to make up our own rules as we go along. And to tell you the truth, the first time we make love, I could do without this blister on my hand too.”
Had she just said make love? Anja stared at her, but Susanne’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t mean it like that. It’s just a figure of speech. Belatedly, Anja’s brain processed what Susanne had just said. “Wait. Did you just say…you’ve got a blister?” She examined one hand, then the other. The skin in the middle of one palm was reddened, and a small blister had formed. She caressed the fingers of the affected hand. “How did that happen?”
“It’s from the screwdriver when I assembled the chairs and the table.”
Anja shook her head. “What kind of lesbian are you? Aren’t you supposed to own power tools like a rechargeable screwdriver?”
“I have one—in my apartment in Berlin, so I borrowed an old-fashioned one from one of my neighbors.”
Anja ignored the reminder that Susanne’s home wasn’t here in Freiburg and instead pressed a kiss to the base of her thumb. “So we’re both out of order, in a manner of speaking.”
“Just my hand, not my mouth,” Susanne answered.
A flush swept through Anja from head to toe as erotic images of what Susanne’s mouth could do danced through her mind.
“What?” Susanne tickled her lightly. “I was talking about another kiss.”
“Sure.”
“No, really.” As if to prove it, Susanne slid down on the couch a little and kissed her, and Anja forgot about the conversation and about everything else.
“If I don’t leave now, I’m going to fall asleep like this,” Anja murmured, sounding already half asleep. Her head was tucked beneath Susanne’s chin and her cheek pressed to her chest. Her warm breath teased Susanne’s skin where the front of her top dipped low.
Susanne opened one eye. She’d been pretty close to drifting off too. After her libido had finally settled down, she was content to just hold Anja. “What would be wrong with that?”
“This couch isn’t meant for two.”
“Then come to bed with me,” Susanne said.
Anja lifted her head off her chest to look at her.
Susanne chuckled. “To sleep.”
The eager glow in Anja’s eyes was just too cute. “I’d love that. The thought of traveling all the way across town and crawling into my cold and lonely bed isn’t very appealing right now.”
Driving her home and then returning to her empty—well, now slightly less empty—apartment didn’t sound great to Susanne either. “So then stay.”
“If you’re really okay with it…”
“Why wouldn’t I be? It’s been a long day with all the rushing around to get everything ready in time for our date, so I’ll probably fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. You don’t have to worry about me not being able to keep my hands to myself.”
“Who said I was worried?” Anja’s tone was low and husky. “At least not about you.”
Susanne grinned. It was good to know that Anja was affected by their physical closeness too. Not that her reaction to their kisses had left much doubt about it. She kissed her softly. “I’ve got faith in you.”
Susanne gave her a T-shirt to sleep in and a spare toothbrush, and they took turns in the bathroom. She settled into bed with her back against the headboard and pulled the duvet up to her hips while she waited for Anja. Her hands curled around the blanket. God, why was she so nervous? Nothing would happen tonight.
But if she was honest with herself, she knew that wasn’t true. Even if they didn’t have sex, something significant was about to happen. Susanne was used to having her own space, and sharing it with someone had never come easy for her, maybe because it left her with a strange feeling of vulnerability. The first time a new girlfriend had slept over had always been a natural progression of sex, never this very conscious decision of inviting her to stay because she didn’t want their time together to end.
The door opened, and Anja stepped into the bedroom.
The T-shirt Susanne had given her was a perfect fit on her own taller body, but on Anja’s short, slim frame, it appeared more like a mini-dress, almost reaching her knees.
A grin curled up the corners of Susanne’s mouth. God. I think that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. There was also something very intimate about seeing Anja wear her clothes.
Anja tugged on the hem of the shirt with a self-conscious smile. She crossed the room, and Susanne lifted up the covers for her to climb in.
The mattress dipped, and Susanne suddenly became aware of the fact that her bed was just a queen, which forced them to lie pretty close to each other.
Anja’s arm brushed hers as they both settled down on their backs.
A tingle ran through Susanne’s body, which was obviously expecting an activity other than sleeping to follow. Settle down, she firmly told her libido.
Anja turned on her side, slid her arm beneath her pillow, and regarded Susanne intently.
“What?” Susanne asked.
“I like this.” Anja waved the hand that wasn’t beneath her pillow back and forth. “Sleeping with you. In the same bed, I mean.”
“What can I say? I’m good in bed, even if all I’m doing is breathing.” Then Susanne sober
ed, knowing that Anja’s confession deserved more than a joking answer. God, for a relationship that was supposed to be the let’s-take-it-easy-and-see-where-this-is-going type, this was getting pretty intense, intimacy-wise. “I really like it too. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it’s nice. Really nice.”
Anja nodded. “Although…”
Tension seeped into Susanne’s muscles. “Although?”
“I’d like it even better if we could…” Anja fell silent and nibbled her lip.
Ah. Susanne’s tension was replaced by a warm feeling spreading through her like sunshine on a Sunday morning. She slid to the middle of the bed and pulled Anja into her arms. “This?”
Anja exhaled. “Yes.” She placed her head on Susanne’s upper chest and wrapped one arm around her hips above the covers. “Is this okay?”
Susanne took her arm, pulled it beneath the duvet, and put it back where it had been. She wrapped her own arm around Anja and spread her fingers across her back, holding Anja safely against her. “Now it’s okay.”
After a minute or two, her libido got the message that nothing would be happening tonight and finally settled down.
Mmm. This is nice. She deeply inhaled Anja’s fresh scent.
“Good night,” Anja said. “Sweet dreams.”
Susanne trailed her fingers through Anja’s hair, evoking a sound that resembled a purr. “You too.”
She could tell the exact moment Anja fell asleep. Her body relaxed more fully against her own, her even breathing warmed the cotton at the swell of Susanne’s right breast, and her arm seemed to become heavier, holding Susanne in place. Normally, she couldn’t fall asleep on her back, but now she felt a pleasant exhaustion settle over her. It didn’t take very long for her to follow Anja into the realm of dreams.
Chapter 17
If this was a dream, Anja didn’t want to wake up. She lay cuddled up to Susanne from behind, spooning her. Despite her being considerably shorter, their bodies fit against each other amazingly well. Anja’s cheek rested against Susanne’s back, and she snuggled her face deeper into the soft cotton. Her arm was wrapped around Susanne, who clutched it even in her sleep, pressing Anja’s hand against the warm spot at the top of her breasts.
Anja held very still so she wouldn’t wake her. She wanted to enjoy this as long as she could. It had been too long since she had woken up next to someone—and not just any someone. Someone she cared for.
After a while, Susanne stirred and stretched against her. The brush of her body along Anja’s front made her bite back a moan.
Susanne rolled over and smiled as their gazes connected. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
“Are you always such a bed hog?” Susanne asked, still smiling.
Anja groaned. “Oh no. What did I do?”
“I had to get up to use the bathroom once, and when I got back, you were on my side of the bed.”
Only now did Anja realize that she wasn’t where she had fallen asleep. Apparently, Susanne had solved the problem by crawling in on the other side. She covered her face with her hand. “Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. It’s cute as hell.” Susanne gently pulled Anja’s hand away and caressed the length of her back, making Anja arch against her like a big cat.
She slid closer to feel more of Susanne’s warm body pressed against her own, but when Susanne leaned forward to kiss her, Anja placed a hand on her chest and stopped her.
Susanne paused and gave her a questioning look.
“Sorry, I…” Anja hid her face against Susanne’s shoulder, then peeked up. “God, first I can’t have sex, and now I refuse to even kiss you. Please don’t think I don’t want you. I do. I really, really do, but…”
“Hey, it’s okay if you’re not the morning-sex type. Or the morning-kisses type.”
“Oh, I’m all for morning sex and for morning kisses,” Anja said, not bothering to hide her enthusiasm, “after I’ve used the bathroom and had time to brush my teeth.”
Susanne laughed. “You might be the most down-to-earth woman I’ve ever dated. You know what you want and what you don’t want. I like that.”
Anja had a feeling she was grinning like a fool. She loved Susanne for taking everything in stride without making her feel bad about it. It proved that even though they hadn’t made any commitment to each other beyond the six weeks, this wasn’t just a physical fling for Susanne either.
“So,” Anja slid her arm beneath the covers to return the soft caresses to Susanne’s back, “I take it you’re a morning-sex person?”
“Most of the time, I’m the rushing-off-to-work type, but I have a feeling with the right woman, I could be an any-time-of-the-day-sex person.”
Am I the right woman? Anja hoped they would get a chance to find out sometime soon. For now, she would settle for a kiss or two. Determined, she tossed the covers back and swung her legs out of bed.
“Hey, where are you going? We’ve still got,” Susanne glanced at the alarm clock, “fifteen minutes before we have to get up.”
“To the bathroom.” Anja gave her a meaningful look. “To brush my teeth.”
“Ooh! Wait, I’m coming with you.”
They chased each other to the bathroom, and Anja was amazed at Susanne’s unexpectedly playful side. Since they spent most of their time together working, that part of her didn’t often make an appearance, and she had a feeling she was one of the lucky few who ever got to see it.
Side by side, they brushed their teeth, sharing the sink.
Finally, Susanne showed off her shiny white teeth in a broad grin. “So now that we both have fresh, minty breath, how about—?”
Anja didn’t wait for her to finish the sentence. She pressed her against the sink and kissed her.
The alarm clock going off in the bedroom finally tore them apart.
Susanne groaned and broke the kiss. “We’d better get dressed. We have to open the store on time.”
“Yes, and we should check on Nobby on the way to work.” Anja kissed her one last time before she slipped out of the bathroom so Susanne could take a quick shower. Sometimes, being a responsible adult sucked.
“You did it, didn’t you?” was the first thing out of Miri’s mouth as she entered Anja’s apartment for their Friday Netflix night. She took Anja by both shoulders and studied her from head to toe, then let out a little squeal that made Gino woof. “You slept with her!”
“Jesus, Miri, keep your voice down!” Anja peeked past her to the staircase, which was thankfully empty. She grabbed Miri’s arm, dragged her farther into the apartment, and closed the door.
Miri unleashed the dog and then immediately went back to scrutinizing Anja. “You slept with her.”
“No. I mean, yes, but not—”
“Oh, don’t bother denying it. I can tell. You’ve got this glow about you.”
Anja glanced at the mirror in the hallway. She was blushing, but otherwise, she didn’t look any different. “Nonsense. I’m not glowing.”
“Yes, you are. You’re sporting the infamous after-sex glow.”
More warmth flooded Anja’s face. “That’s not even a thing.”
“Oh yes, it is. Trust me. I should know.” Miri smirked. She pulled her to the sofa bed and pressed her down on it before getting comfortable next to her. “So how was it? Come on, details! I need details!”
“You want all the graphic details? Are you sure you’re ready to hear them?”
That gave Miri pause. “Um, well, there are some things no one needs to know about their best friend, but otherwise…hell yes, I’m ready!”
“All right. Here are the details of my very exciting first night with Susanne.”
Miri slid closer as if not wanting to miss a thing.
Anja struggled to keep a straight face. “She prepared a very romantic dinner and basically courted me all night, and then we had a little make-out session on the couch that got pretty heated, so she asked me to go to bed with her.”
“An
d? Come on!” Miri waved her hand. “Get to the interesting part!”
“We got into bed, and she took me into her arms. God, her body felt so good against mine.” Anja’s eyes fluttered shut, and for a moment, she could almost pretend to be back in Susanne’s arms. “She caressed my back and trailed her fingers through my hair and then…”
“And then?”
Anja opened her eyes. “We fell asleep.”
“You did not!” Miri slapped Anja’s thigh. “Come on. Tell me what happened in between the back caresses and the falling asleep.”
“Nothing, I swear.” Anja held up three fingers. “We didn’t make love; we just slept together. In a nonsexual way.”
“But…but…why? Why wouldn’t you sleep with her—really sleep with her? When I caught you kissing in the store, you both looked ready to tear each other’s clothes off.”
“I…” Anja tugged on a tiny hole at the knee of her jeans. “I wanted to, but I had my period, so I stopped her before it could go too far.”
“Ah. Got it.” Miri wrapped one arm around her and squeezed. “That sucks.” She paused as if considering what she’d just said, then grinned. “Or doesn’t suck, in this case.”
Anja groaned at the bad pun.
Miri turned on the sofa, curled one leg under her, and studied Anja intently. “There’s something else, isn’t there?”
Her friend knew her too well. Anja avoided her gaze. “I think it would have happened if it wasn’t for my period, but I can’t help thinking maybe taking it slow is for the best.”
“Is it?” Miri asked. “I thought the whole point of dating her was to see if there could be something worth pursuing after she leaves. Why wouldn’t sex be part of testing it out?”
Anja cringed at the reminder that Susanne would only be staying a handful of more weeks. She lowered her gaze to the hole in her jeans again. “Because I don’t think it would be just sex.”
Miri pulled her around by the shoulder so Anja would look at her. “What do you mean?”
Anja peeked up at her. “I think if I made love to her and she to me, it would shove me over the edge.”