Selma clicked her tongue in disapproval as she took her own seat. “You should take better care of yourself.” She intended to say more but forgot what exactly that more was when Piper’s leg slowly pressed into hers.
That had been happening more often—not only their bodies subconsciously finding some way to touch, but also having her thoughts derailed because Piper was near. Maybe it was because they couldn’t see each other altogether frequently, or maybe it was just what being with Piper was like.
Either way, Selma was enjoying it. She’d dated when she was younger and could remember the addictive feeling of a new relationship… but this felt different, too.
“I’ll try my best.” Piper’s voice was low, making Selma’s leg tingle where it was in contact with hers.
They took their time eating lunch, exchanging small talk while savoring their proximity.
Within half an hour, Selma had slipped upstairs to change into a pair of less-used jeans and a loose red shirt that draped her figure in a flattering way. She was tempted to don some shoes with a slight heel but decided on some safe ballet flats.
Plus, well, she’d noticed that Piper was even more tactile when she didn’t wear heels. Selma couldn’t be sure what it was about the height difference, but Piper’s hand tended to find its way to her arm, back, or shoulder far more often.
Selma couldn’t say she didn’t like that, or the way Piper’s hands would—Selma shook herself. There was no use working herself up before they’d even left for their date.
“I’m ready when you are,” she announced as she descended the stairs. Just like their first date, Piper was already waiting at the bottom.
A smile formed on Piper’s face, slow and sincere. “I’m ready,” she said in a soft voice that made something in Selma’s chest ache.
Selma gently cleared her throat and held out her hand. “Then let’s go.”
*****
“I’ve got to tell Laura about that place,” Selma said as they walked out onto the sidewalk. The sun was low in the sky and the orange hues did something wonderful to her skin—at least that’s what Piper told herself as she struggled to look away.
She blinked when Selma gave her an expectant look. “Oh. Hm?”
Selma laughed, her nose scrunching up adorably. “I said I have to tell my sister about that place. She said no one does fish and chips right here.”
Piper smiled, but then bit her lip. “Actually, that makes me think of something I’ve been meaning to ask you about.”
“Oh?” Selma inquired with both eyebrows raised.
The look made Piper squirm a little. She and Selma talked a lot, had learned a lot about each other over the past month of dating. Was asking too personal? She wasn’t sure. Her curiosity won out. “So what’s the story there, with Laura? You were clearly raised here in the States, but Laura…“
Selma’s expression darkened. Piper immediately felt bad. She raised her hands. “Oh man, that’s too personal. You don’t have to answer.”
“No, it’s,” Selma looked up, a frown marring her features. She studied Piper for several moments. “I just don’t talk about it often. I think I’d like to tell you.”
Unsure if it was the right thing to do, Piper reached a tentative hand toward Selma’s.
As soon as their hands brushed, Selma’s expression softened. She interlaced their fingers together. A sad smile graced her face. “Yes, I’d like to tell you.”
They walked in silence for a short while. The city was a relaxed sort of busy at this time of day, the masses not needing to rush to and from work.
Selma eventually led them over to a vacant wooden bench. She perched on the edge, back straight and her hand still holding Piper’s.
Piper sat so her leg pressed against Selma’s, sensing the other woman’s potential need for comfort.
“I’ve never told you why I don’t particularly get along with my mother,” Selma began. “You might wonder why I bring that up, but the two situations lead back to the same thing.” Her lips tightened as she paused. “When I was fourteen my abuela got sick. Really sick. She waited too long to go to the doctor and there was nothing the doctors could do. My mother reluctantly allowed me to spend more time with her.”
When Selma paused again, Piper squeezed her hand. Selma offered her a grateful smile.
“Only weeks before she finally died, my abuelita let something slip. Before my mother met my father, she’d had a relationship with another man. A student from the UK, only here for a short time while he worked on his degree. They had a child. Only, I never knew that. Neither did my dad. Apparently after meeting my rich, well-connected father, Mother had Laura shipped off to live with her father back in the UK.” Selma snapped her fingers. “No hesitation. She didn’t think my father would be interested in a single mother who’d had a child out of wedlock.”
“Oh, man,” was all Piper could think to say. Selma looked angry and ready to cry. She scooted closer and took a relieved breath when Selma’s head slumped onto her shoulder.
“When I confronted Mother about it all, she acted like it was no big deal. Then when Abuela died I let it go for a while. But only a while. When I told my dad and he left my mom, she was ready to ship me off to boarding school.”
Piper pressed a kiss to Selma’s head in apology for her next question. “Your dad didn’t try and stop that?”
Selma shook her head. “No, he was devastated by Mother’s lie. He was on his way to Europe for a week to clear his head when Mother decided to ship me off. And then Karen happened to stop by for some charity thing.”
“She took you in, just like that?” Piper asked in a thick voice.
“Yes.” Selma pulled back to look Piper in the eye, a sad smile on her face. “And she helped me find Laura, to establish a relationship with the sister I never knew I had.”
Piper’s breath caught. She squeezed her eyes shut and leaned forward so her forehead was resting against Selma’s. Maybe she could understand, a little, why Selma had stuck around the Berings all this time.
“So what happened with your dad? Why didn’t he take you the second he got back?” Piper finally asked. She gently pulled back so she could see Selma’s face again.
Selma blew out a breath and rolled her eyes. “He never made it back. Daddy was never a very strong-willed person. Apparently during his retreat he found his ‘true calling’ and gave up his wealth and familial ties to become a Buddhist monk.” She sighed. “I have nothing against Buddhism, mind you, I just… could have really used a dad, then.”
Piper wondered if her eyes were as wide as they felt. She blinked and shook her head, not understanding the whims of some people. She pursed her lips. “I, uh… yeah. I can’t believe he’d just leave you like that.”
“As you’re aware, we can’t choose our parents,” Selma said dryly. She shook her head, her short hair swaying with the movement. “So that’s the very complicated answer to your simple question.” Her eyes searched Piper’s. “Have I scared you off yet with my family and emotional offloading?”
Piper chuckled. “I mean, my family situation is pretty complicated too. And,” she shrugged, “I want to get to know you better, Selma. That’s the whole point of dating.”
Selma’s eyes narrowed. “You know, you’re almost too good to be true, Piper.”
“Well, you’ve only seen me during at my best.” When Selma only quirked a brow in obvious disbelief, Piper continued. “It takes me a while to lose my temper these days, but when I do it isn’t pretty. I haven’t been in a relationship in a while because I can get pretty jealous and I’ve been trying to work on that. I’m kind of a slob, but I’ve been trying to work on that too.” She paused and forced a serious look on her face. “You wouldn’t like me when I’m hangry.”
Listing so many of her faults at once made Piper nervous, but her quip had its desired effect. Selma snorted, and then laughed.
The tension in Piper’s shoulders eased. “Yuck it up.”
“I wi
ll,” Selma said haughtily. “But I think we should go back to my house for a bit. I’m ready to be lazy on my couch for a while.”
Piper nodded and stood, stretching as she did. They’d been sitting longer than she’d realized.
Selma did the same, and then they ambled off in the direction of Piper’s car. “Piper,” she asked after a few minutes, “have you ever gotten jealous over me?”
Not expecting the question, Piper nearly tripped over her own feet. “Uh.” She forced a cough. “Do I have to answer that?”
“Well now you do,” Selma confirmed with raised eyebrows.
Piper hunched her shoulders and looked away. “When you brought Laura to my house, I was jealous before I knew who she was,” she muttered.
“We weren’t even dating then,” Selma mused.
Piper hunched her shoulders more. “I know. I told you I’m working on it.”
A warm hand landed on her arm, stopping her in her footsteps.
Selma gave her a serious look. “I appreciate that you’re trying. Let me reassure you by saying that when I make a commitment, I stick to it. I won’t look at another person twice while we’re in a relationship, Piper.”
The look made Piper feel warm and safe. She took Selma’s hand without looking. “I feel the same.”
“Good,” Selma in a low voice made Piper feel something entirely different.
“Let’s find my car,” Piper heard herself say as if from very far away. She was having a difficult time looking away from Selma’s full, red lips.
Selma’s mouth stretched into a knowing smile.
Piper turned on her heel and led the way to the car, Selma’s hand firmly still clasped in her own.
*****
Though Selma hadn’t planned it—and she was sure Piper hadn’t either—there was a sense of anticipation lingering in the cab of the Camry as they drew ever closer to Selma’s home.
They hadn’t so much as kissed once they’d reached the old sedan; Selma felt that was more for their own sanity than anything else. They’d wandered far and the drive back would take at least twenty minutes, give or take a few traffic lights and possible congestion on the road.
Piper glanced her way at another red light, green eyes traveling slowly over her figure.
Selma’s body tingled everywhere Piper looked. It felt like every breath she pushed out was a countdown for the instant they reached her house.
No, Selma thought, they didn’t need to kiss.
Yet.
She licked her lips and let her hand settle lightly over Piper’s on the gearshift. Piper gave her a startled glance but didn’t protest.
At first she didn’t move much. Then her index finger started to trace a soft pattern against the back of Piper’s. She hummed to herself and let the rest of her fingers begin trailing smoothly over Piper’s knuckles. She liked Piper’s hands; the long tapered fingers were stronger than they seemed, with the barest of calluses at their base and soft, supple skin elsewhere.
She satisfied herself with the back of Piper’s hand for the time being, delicately massaging one moment and gently scratching with her short nails the next.
So distracted was she by her efforts, she didn’t notice when Piper’s breaths started coming slightly faster and heavier, or when the car finally stopped for good.
“We’re here.” Piper’s voice was rough and low, and it made Selma finally look up.
Piper’s eyes were dilated, the green darkened with unmistakable arousal as they stared at Selma’s mouth.
Selma barely had the chance to double check that they were properly parked before Piper was leaning over to hungrily bring their lips together.
The first kiss was long and deep, Selma rewarding Piper’s patience by sucking a plump lower lip into her mouth and grazing it rhythmically with her teeth. Piper moaned and Selma released the lip, panting softly.
“Why are we still here?” she murmured.
With a grunt of agreement Piper suddenly pulled back, fumbling with the door handle and then shoving the door open.
Selma had to bite the inside of her cheek, following behind more sedately to admire the flex of Piper’s legs and ass as she hurried ahead. She suppressed a laugh when Piper reached the door to the townhouse, only to turn and stride back past Selma with a muttered “forgot to lock it.”
It gave Selma plenty of time to reach the door and unlock it, though she’d scarcely pushed it open when Piper was suddenly back.
“That was mean,” Piper whispered just before she closed the door behind them. The sound of the locks clicking into place seemed loud in the silence.
Goosebumps prickled along Selma’s skin as long arms wrapped around her waist from behind, thumbs tucking just slightly into the waistband of her jeans. She could feel Piper’s breath on her neck like a caress.
“It’s not my fault you didn’t lock your car, Piper.” Selma sucked in a breath when she was gently pulled backwards. Piper’s front was pressed into her back, her breasts pillowed enticingly against Selma’s shoulders.
“I disagree.”
Selma might have argued if Piper’s hands hadn’t moved to her hips and her mouth hadn’t begun pressing open-mouthed kisses to her neck.
“Oh,” was all Selma said as Piper’s fingers began to playfully tease their way under her shirt and Piper found that sensitive spot where Selma’s neck met her shoulder, softly sucking it into her mouth.
Selma blindly reached back to reach for some part of Piper, finding denim-covered hips with relief and gripping them tightly, if awkwardly.
Piper’s hand began to trail up over the soft curve of her stomach and higher, stopping just shy of her bra and swiping slowly out toward her sides.
She parted her lips when Piper suddenly bit softly, and tilted her head back to rest against Piper’s shoulder. Her hands shifted restlessly until they were grasping at the front of Piper’s jeans.
“Piper,” she nearly moaned out as wet kisses began a path up the side of her neck. Her fingers dug into denim as she tugged Piper closer and swayed her hips backward at the same time, prompting Piper to suck in a surprised breath.
Piper retaliated by dragging her nails down Selma’s sides.
Selma arched at the contact, her mouth opening and closing uselessly. She rolled her hips back again, one hand reaching back to grab Piper’s ass and pull the other woman in for harder contact.
“Enough,” Piper muttered just before she pulled far enough away to guide Selma around so they were fully facing one another.
Their mouths met again, their kisses wet and sloppy as they stumbled toward the living room—Selma’s bedroom on the second floor seemed too far away.
They made it as far as the carpet before they stumbled, and Piper must have taken it as a sign as they eased down to the plush surface.
Selma wasn’t sure who began pulling at what, but seconds later her shirt was gone, and then so was Piper’s. It felt like Piper’s hot, hungry mouth was everywhere, her hands seeking out the soft sensitive places that made her gasp.
And then her jeans were being unbuttoned, with fiery jade eyes staring up at her in an unspoken question.
Selma bit her lip and nodded once, pushing up with her feet so her jeans could be tugged down and off.
Piper’s eyes were impossibly darker as they took in Selma’s delicate lace panties, completely soaked through with arousal.
It was as if Selma could see any thoughts of further teasing fly from Piper’s mind. Piper pressed a single feverish kiss to the fabric before tugging it away.
And then Selma could only hang on, one hand digging into the carpet as the other found its way to the back of Piper’s head.
“Oh,” Selma moaned out again and her eyes fluttered shut as Piper’s tongue dipped between the folds of her labia. It was soft and light one moment and then hard and insistent the next. Her hips bucked as Piper’s lips passed softly over her clit, a teasing promise that made Selma shiver.
Tension began to rise in her ab
domen, the tautness feeling almost unbearable with Piper’s hot and ravenous mouth insistently winding her tighter, higher. It had been too long since she’d been with someone, too long since the last…
“Piper,” she gasped out in warning.
Piper’s head abruptly pulled away. Selma looked down with wide eyes, only to take a shuddering breath as Piper brought a hand deliberately up and sucked two fingers into her mouth, eyes intent on Selma’s as she dipped her glistening fingers softly, lightly into Selma’s arousal.
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