by Clare Lydon
Eden looked up. Two teenage girls walked in, climbing onto the trampolines to their right. They could have been her all those years ago. They were babies. Only, she bet they had parents who would wonder where they were if they didn’t come home.
And then, it was all too much. As her panic rose, Eden fought to gain control of her emotions, but she was fighting a losing battle. Right there in the middle of the trampoline park, with the screech of children in her ears, tears began to leak from her eyes. Closely followed by screeching alarm.
No. No. No.
This couldn’t happen now.
Eden put her head down to try to disguise what was happening, but she had no control over this. Soon, her body was shaking with the force of the sobs.
She heard movement, then there was an arm around her, fingers squeezing her shoulders. “I’ve got you.” Heidi’s voice was like honey, soothing her woes. Also, her lips were dangerously close to Eden’s earlobe, making her body come alive even though she was crying. How arousal and hurt could be alive in the same moment was a mystery to her, but they were.
However, mixed in with all her crazy emotions was also embarrassment. She’d come here to impress Heidi with her child-friendly trampolining ways, and ended up blubbing on her shoulder. She wasn’t about to run a master class anytime soon on how to seduce a woman.
Eden pulled back, missing the heat of Heidi’s embrace as soon as it left her body.
“I’m sorry, this wasn’t in my plans.” Eden shook her head, blowing her nose on a tissue Heidi had just given her.
“Don’t be silly. I think if something that big had happened in my life, I might be a little shaky around a trampoline, too.”
Eden gave her a sad smile. “And yet, some of my happiest memories of my mum involve trampolines, too.” She paused. “That’s a weird sentence, isn’t it? I’m sorry for sobbing on your birthday. Should I go before I ruin it completely?”
Heidi shook her head, holding out her hand. “I don’t invite many people on my kid’s playdates. Turns out, you’re not many people. Plus, your sobbing has made me forget all about being pissed off at you about India Contelli. If that was the plan, it worked.”
Eden blew her nose again, giving Heidi a tired smile. “I hope the present might have done that, too.”
“And the kiss.” Heidi squeezed her hand.
“It really was just a work drink, not something I thought the papers would pick up. But that’s what happens when you go out with a minor celebrity.”
“A lesbian celebrity, no less. If you wanted to make me insecure, it worked.”
“That was the last thing I wanted. In a shoot-out between you and her, you win. Every time.”
Heidi stared at Eden. “I hoped you’d think that.” Her brown eyes swallowed Eden whole. Heidi brought Eden’s hand to her mouth and kissed it.
That simple action shocked Eden out of her funk, and brought her back from her childhood to the here and now. To the present day. To beautiful Heidi, being so kind to her when she dumped all her baggage into her lap with no warning. Yes, Heidi came with baggage, but hers was currently jumping on a trampoline. Eden’s baggage was far more hidden, and likely to spring out of nowhere at any moment.
Eden gave her a pained smile. “We’ve got history, me and you. We’ve snogged at a festival, we’ve had a terrible date, and we’ve lived through Poo-gate. When you think about it, we’ve already gone through far more than most couples manage in their first few years. I’m not going to trade that in for a TV star, am I?” She paused. “Especially with my stunning display of tears to add to the impressive roster this morning.”
She was babbling. She was aware of that. Just like she’d done at the festival. But that was probably because Heidi was still holding her hand, having kissed it. Their skin was still touching and she longed for more of it. So much more of it.
Heidi glanced over at Maya, but she was happily playing with the other kids. She turned her attention back to Eden, shielding her eyes. “It’s bright in here, isn’t it?”
“Maybe the harsh lighting made me feel like I had to spill my emotions. Like being interrogated.”
Heidi was silent for a few moments. “So did your mum come back?”
Eden chewed her bottom lip, nodding. “She did eventually. But then she left again. In the end, my gran cared for me. She took me in, because we lost the flat when Mum didn’t pay the rent.” Eden sighed. “It was all a very long time ago. I don’t think about it much, because there’s not much point. It was a pattern for Mum. She’d come back, get some money off my gran, promise me things, and then disappear. She was an actor, and she got work wherever. But I think more than anything, she just wanted to be free. But I was the casualty in her dreams. I was never in them in the first place.”
Heidi’s face was stricken. “What an awful thing for you to know. Do you still see her? Is she still alive?”
Eden nodded. “She is, but not really. I mean, she sometimes pops up in my life, but rarely. She’s my Facebook friend.”
“Which says everything that needs to be said about Facebook.” Heidi frowned. “What about your gran? Is she still alive?”
Eden wiped her eye before she spoke. “She died seven years ago. She was a good age, but it was still hard. Now she’s gone, I’m family-less. My uncle was my other anchor, but he died, too.”
Heidi’s mouth moved back and forth. “You’ve had a shit time, but things are going to get better. Starting with this place. We’re going to come back when it’s adults-only and do some trampolining, make some new memories to sit alongside the old ones. Plus, you can show me your moves.” She raised a single eyebrow. “You do have the moves, right?”
Eden allowed herself a smile, feeling the lightness trying to break through. “I used to do a whole routine. I haven’t done it for 25 years though, so I might be a little rusty.”
“Like riding a bike.” Heidi blinked. “You and me, sometime soon?”
Eden nodded. “I’d like that a lot. Let’s make a date tomorrow night when I cook you dinner.”
“I haven’t had a woman cook me dinner in a very long time. I’m looking forward to that already.”
The lust pooled in Eden’s belly began to simmer. Heidi had that effect on her. They locked eyes, and for a moment, the bright lights overhead dimmed. It was just the two of them, sitting in their rocky relationship, both willing it to move to the next level. Eden was amazed they were still here, determined to outsmart all the obstacles they’d faced.
Heidi was leaning forward now, till her lips were inches from Eden’s. Her tongue moistened her bottom lip before she spoke. “You know, I’ve kissed women in some odd places before, but never in a trampoline park.” Her smiled inched up her face. “You make me do strange things, Eden Price.”
Chapter 27
Heidi took a deep breath and knocked on Eden’s red front door. This was it, wasn’t it? The night to move things forward. They’d been dancing around each other for so long, making too many false starts. But now, she was at Eden’s for dinner, and the ending of this evening didn’t seem in doubt.
Maya was staying with her parents. If all went well, Heidi wouldn’t be home tonight. She hadn’t been naked with anybody since she was three months pregnant. That was a long time out of the game, and now she had stretch marks to add to the mix. How would Eden react to those?
She wasn’t going to think about that just yet. First, she had food to eat. Hopefully followed by Eden for dessert. Goddammit, she wanted to fuck her. That was the thought running through her mind when Eden opened the door moments later. She tried to block out the thought of pressing Eden up against the hallway wall and kissing her hot lips, but Eden wasn’t making it easy. In her fitted mustard trousers and baby blue short-sleeved shirt, she was presenting as the ideal candidate for Heidi’s plans. Plus, her hair was like an art installation on her head.
Eden ran her gaze up and down Heidi, before it settled on her face. Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she leaned f
orward, taking Heidi’s hand in hers, before planting a kiss on her lips. A brief kiss, but it helped to put a capital letter on this moment of doorstep reconnection. Eden pulled her inside, a hesitancy in her steps, a darkness in her normally crystal blue eyes.
Chemistry swirled between them, brushing over Heidi’s skin and darting through her body, sharp and direct. It drew her in, drew her to Eden. The source of their attraction was more than physical, but that was all Heidi could see. She breathed in the aroma of garlic, onions and tomato from the kitchen. But she wasn’t hungry anymore. The only thing she was hungry for was Eden. She’d waited long enough.
Heidi was about to tell Eden that when she felt something brush against her calf. She glanced down to see a tiny black-and-white kitten scampering down the hall. Eden smiled, pulling Heidi into the lounge, before scooping up her pet.
Alarm slithered through Heidi, because she knew how this went.
This was not in the script for tonight.
“Let me introduce you to Dusty, named for her penchant for being an impromptu hoover on our laminate floors.” Eden waggled one of Dusty’s paw in Heidi’s direction. “Dusty, meet Heidi.”
In response, Heidi braced herself, then began sneezing. Once, twice, three times. “Sorry.” She tried to compose herself. “You didn’t mention you had a kitten.”
“I only picked her up last week. She’s ten weeks old.” Eden narrowed her eyes. “Are you not a cat fan? Because they can revoke your lesbian membership if you’re not.”
Heidi winced, before sneezing again. “I’m allergic, as you can probably tell. We had a cat when I was growing up, but my body isn’t used to them anymore. So while I like them, my body has other ideas.” She glanced around, her eyes glazing over with tears. “Do you have a tissue?”
Eden frowned, putting Dusty on the floor and grabbing a handful of tissues. “This is going to be an issue, isn’t it?” She put her hands on Heidi’s waist as she dabbed her eyes. “And you’re going to smear your carefully done makeup now, too.”
“Did you see it when I walked in? Because I spent a lot of time on it.” Heidi was glad she could smell the delicious aromas circling the flat, because she couldn’t see anything. Her eyes were just a river of cat-induced tears.
“I did. And it looked gorgeous.” Eden paused. “Okay, this is the universe throwing us another curve ball. I had grand plans for tonight. I was going to amaze you with my culinary skills, then wow you in the bedroom. But we can’t do that if you’re a streaming mess.” She cleared her throat. “And now I really shouldn’t touch you because I’ve been holding Dusty.” She took her hands away from Heidi.
Heidi missed the contact as soon as it was gone. “It’s fine. If you have allergy pills, I could take them and hope it sorts itself out.” It would still take a while for her body to acclimatise, and even then, it might not work. The lust inside her was now stamping its feet. She exhaled, putting her hands on her hips.
Eden raised an eyebrow. “I have an idea. What if we get an Uber and go to your place? Did you say Maya was with your parents?”
Heidi nodded, blinking away her tears. “Don’t you need to stay here with Dusty?”
Eden frowned again. “Let me text Lib. She should be home soon. If she’s coming back, I’ll call a cab?” Eden was staring into her eyes, concentration creasing her face.
Heidi hesitated. Had she changed the bedsheets recently? Had she left anything incriminating lying around? She had no idea. “If we want to salvage this evening, I’d say getting a cab to mine might be the only option available.” Heidi screwed up her face as tears still fell. “So long as you ignore the stuff covering the floor, including toys and clothes.”
Eden chuckled. “So long as the clothes on the floor include the ones you’re wearing at some point tonight, I don’t much care what else is there.”
That sentence was all Heidi needed to hear. “In that case, pack up the damn food and let’s go.”
Chapter 28
Heidi didn’t say much when they pulled up. She was still blowing her nose and recomposing herself.
Eden got the bag of food, but her stomach was already turning cartwheels. Would she be able to stomach much food tonight? Maybe she wouldn’t need to. She’d wanted to rip Heidi’s clothes off ever since she’d opened her front door over an hour ago.
When she stepped into Heidi’s flat, Eden immediately felt at home. It was on the ground floor of an old Victorian terrace, with ceiling height in its favour, as well as period features. But its greatest asset tonight was that it had Heidi in it. Just Eden, Heidi and nobody else. No kids, no animals, just them. It felt like she should tiptoe round this moment, in case anything else went wrong.
Eden followed Heidi into the main room with her kitchen at one end, her lounge at the other. She gave it an approving nod. “Nice place.” She dumped the Tupperware containers on the kitchen counter before walking to the sofa, where Heidi was picking up magazines and plumping cushions.
Eden took her hand in hers. “You don’t have to tidy up. I know you weren’t expecting company. I’m not here to judge your cushions.”
Heidi smiled. “Reflex reaction. Blame my mother. It’s her influence.”
“She doesn’t sound like such a bad influence.” Eden’s gaze settled on a photo framed on the waist-height bookcase to her right. “Is that your family?” She recognised Heidi, Maya and Sarah in it.
Heidi picked it up, nodding. “This is all of us. Mum gets it done every year in February. This is this year’s edition.” She wiped her cheek. “My eyes are red because of an allergic reaction to cats that day, too.” She winced. “Talking of which, I need to go and redo my makeup. I must look a bloody state.”
Eden gave her a slow smile. “You look gorgeous, but if you’d feel better, go and do it. I’ll get the food going again. Just show me where your pans are.” She stepped forward, cupping Heidi’s face with her hands, kissing first her cheeks, then her lips.
When that happened again, Eden immediately felt calmed. This hadn’t been the ideal start to the evening, but it was going to be plain sailing from here on in. With her lips on Heidi’s, anything seemed possible. She hoped Heidi felt it, too. When she pulled back and saw how wide her pupils were, she was pretty sure she had.
“Give me five minutes, okay?”
Eden nodded and walked back to the kitchen. She was cooking homemade meatballs and spaghetti with garlic bread; it wasn’t fancy, but it was a crowd-pleaser. She had a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to accompany it, which she opened now to breathe. She figured they could both use a glass of wine to settle their nerves.
When Heidi appeared a few minutes later, Eden had the kettle on and the meatballs heating, the garlic bread poised to go in the oven. When she glanced up, she was relieved to see Heidi’s face free of tears, almost back to date-ready Heidi.
“Feeling better?”
Heidi nodded. “Much better. Plus, I have a gorgeous woman in my kitchen cooking me dinner. That hasn’t happened in a long time.”
Eden studied her as she walked over, stopping when she reached the bench at the end of the kitchen counter. “Have you dated since you had Maya?”
Heidi shook her head. “You’re the first. I’ve been focusing on being a parent.” She got some wine glasses from the cupboard above the cooker. “That, and growing my business. They’re both full-time jobs.” She poured a glass of red for each of them and handed one to Eden. “What about you? Have you dated much?”
Eden gulped. Should she come clean? She answered before she had time to think about it. “Not at all since my gran died. I don’t date. I hope you realise the effect you’ve had on me. I’m doing things I never thought I’d do.”
Heidi stilled, staring at Eden. Her rich hazel eyes were scorched with want. “I’d love to have even more of an effect, if you’ll let me.”
Eden nodded, lust stripping off and racing through her body. Oh god, she wanted Heidi to fuck her now, up against this cooker. She had to calm down. It’d b
een far too long since she’d had sex with someone else, hadn’t it?
Heidi held her gaze with her dangerous stare and Eden could have drowned in it. She forgot the bubbling pan of sauce and meatballs beside her. The low hum of the oven. Forgot everything except Heidi. Still she looked at her until Eden’s heart kicked in her chest.
The stillness was both sweet and torturous.
Heidi broke first, licking her lips. “Should we turn the stove off and eat dinner later?” She squeezed Eden’s hand. “I don’t think I can wait to taste you any longer.”
“That’s the best idea you’ve had all night.” Eden did as instructed. When she turned, Heidi was staring at her, hesitancy on her face.
“What is it?”
She twisted her foot. “I just want to warn you. I’ve had a baby. My body reflects that.”
Eden gave a strangled laugh. “I want everything your body has to offer.” She pressed her lips back to Heidi’s. “Now, which way to your bedroom?”
Heidi picked up the chocolate spread in one hand, beckoning Eden with the other.
It was just like the scene Eden had imagined in her office when she was planning the campaign. She knew she was wet. Her insides clenched as she followed Heidi, a grin covering her face.
“I plan on keeping that smile on your face for a very long time tonight.”
When they got to the bedroom door, Heidi backed her up against the doorframe. She brought her head to within inches of Eden’s lips, enough to turn Eden’s internal frenzy up another notch. If Heidi wanted her to be out of control, she was going about it the right way. Eden couldn’t remember feeling this way, this loose, in a very long time.
Heidi stroked her cheek. “Have I told you you’re beautiful?”
Eden quivered. “No.” Her fingers gripped Heidi’s belt. Her gaze was too intense, too personal. She squirmed under it, had to break it. “Are you going to kiss me?”