by Laura Conway
Payton surged forward, her hand on Jackie’s cheek as she pressed her lips against Jackie’s. It took her a second to recover from the shock, but when she did, Jackie kissed her back, her hands on the silky fabric of Payton’s dress just above her hips.
There was an urgency to the kiss, a hint of aggression, and maybe, Payton had a similar debate in her head before starting this, because she was kissing Jackie like this was her only shot at this.
Jackie sighed into the kiss, deepening it. She parted her lips, finding Payton’s tongue, causing her to moan softly, sending a hum of desire through Jackie’s body.
Payton’s hand was on her neck now, her arm resting on Jackie’s shoulder as Payton’s fingers played with the hair at the nape of Jackie’s neck, and the kiss slowed, the shock of it wearing off as they both gave in to their desire.
Payton’s lips were warm against hers. And soft. So incredibly soft. Jackie wanted to forget about the rest of the reception. She wanted Payton. She wanted to pull that zipper back down, to let her hands roam across her back…
Payton broke the kiss, and just as quickly as it had started it was over. “I’m sorry,” Payton breathed. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Don’t apologize.” Jackie dropped her hands.
“I can’t even blame the alcohol. I’m completely sober.”
“Payton, it’s fine. If you hadn’t done it, I would have,” Jackie admitted as she caught her breath.
“Really?”
“Yes. I knew I shouldn’t, but I was still going to.”
“Why shouldn’t you have?” Payton asked.
“Because, I’m your neighbor. Your father’s friend. You’re leaving. I’m at least ten years older than you...”
“That’s quite the list, but the only thing that I think could matter is the thing about me leaving. I don’t know what I’m doing. The rest is irrelevant.”
“So, I’m ten years older than you?” Jackie asked with a smile tugging at her lips.
“I don’t know. I’m twenty-five.”
“I’m thirty-seven.”
“Still not a big deal.”
“Hmmm. I beg to differ.”
“Past experience?”
Jackie sighed. “Yes, and I know I shouldn’t let it bother me, but it does.”
“Alright,” Payton said, her hand finding Jackie’s. “Why don’t we go back downstairs before we miss the rest of this wedding and talk about it tomorrow. I’m not going anywhere any time soon.”
“Okay.” Jackie gave Payton’s hand a squeeze and let her lead the way back into the hotel room. Jackie pulled the sliding door closed behind her, not caring that her eyes were drifting lower as Payton walked in front of her. She looked amazing in that dress, the way it hugged her hips...
“Angela?”
Payton stood in the doorway, and Jackie nearly collided into her.
“Hey,” Angela said. “I was just coming up to check on you. You did great, by the way. You were everywhere, and you kept going,” she chuckled. “I hope there weren’t too many embarrassing shots of me on the dance floor,” she joked. Her eyes met Jackie’s, who couldn’t stay hidden behind Payton forever. “Jackie?”
“Hi.” Why did she feel like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar?
Payton cleared her throat. “Jackie was just helping me with my dress. The zipper,” she said, pointing over her shoulder. “But we’re heading back down now.”
Angela looked like she was trying to hide a smile. “Alright. I’ll see you both down there. I need to get out of these heels and into some flats.”
“See you down there,” Jackie said as she let Payton’s door close behind her, and Angela kept going down the hall to her room.
“She totally thinks we’re sleeping together.” Payton pressed the button for the lift. “Not that it matters.”
Jackie caught her reflection in the mirror on the side wall of the lift. Her cheeks were flushed, but her makeup and hair were still okay.
They took the elevator down to the lobby in silence with Payton on the opposite side of the lift. Jackie knew she didn’t trust herself, and Payton must have felt the same, staying as far away from Jackie as possible. She just hoped this didn’t make things awkward between them, that they would actually talk about this tomorrow.
Jackie’s lips still tingled, and she lightly pressed her fingers against them as Payton stepped out ahead of her. That was the first time in more than a year that she’d actually felt something, that she wanted someone.
Why did it have to be Payton?
She was lovely, but she wasn’t staying, and Jackie definitely wasn’t interested in a long-distance relationship. Never again. There was also their age difference. Payton had practically scoffed at Jackie’s concern, but twelve years was significant.
Alvaro waved Jackie over as she crossed the lobby, her heels clicking against the tiled floor. “There you are,” he said with a grin. He was well on his way to being smashed. “So... You and Payton?”
“What about me and Payton?”
“You two have been eyeing each other up all night. Did you finally make a move?”
“What?”
“When Payton was between shots... She was always looking for you. Oliver was the one who noticed and after that,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I couldn’t unsee it.”
“Okay. Okay. Someone’s exaggerating.” Jackie’s hands were on her waist. “Nothing’s going on between us. We’re friends. Neighbors. That’s it.”
“Alright.” Alvaro’s hands were up in mock surrender. “But you know what,” he said, pointing his finger at her, his Spanish accent getting stronger the more he drank.
“What?”
“It’s time for shots. To the bar!”
Jackie had to laugh. Alvaro was so serious when he was working at the restaurant, but he was letting loose tonight, and why not? He’d just married the love of his life.
Chapter 13
Payton fell back onto her bed the next evening. Her shoulders and back ached, probably from the stress of photographing a wedding and being on her feet all day, but it was all worth it. The photos were safely on her laptop and backed up. Not only that, they were fucking amazing.
She’d spent the last few hours going through them, editing some of them, and she couldn’t remember the last time she was this happy, this proud of herself. She’d practically danced around the living room when she realized that she’d done it. She hadn’t let Oliver and Alvaro down.
On top of that, she was still riding the high of kissing Jackie, although that wasn’t as straight-forward. Payton knew she had to talk to her today. With Angela in the car with them for the trip back, they couldn’t talk about it.
She should ask Jackie over tonight. Angela was spending a few days in Seville before flying back to London from there.
Part of her couldn’t wait to have that conversation, to pick up where they left off, because the way Jackie had kissed her back, her soft lips against hers, her tongue sliding across her own... Wow. But Payton knew that Jackie had her reservations, and why wouldn’t she after what happened with her ex?
So, Payton was trying to prepare herself for rejection. There was every chance that Jackie would say that it wasn’t going to happen again, that there was no point pursuing something when Payton was leaving, and she got that. She did, but whatever was going on between them was intense. Payton didn’t even know how it happened. She’d been drawn to her from the start, but in the last few days... Maybe it was seeing her in that suit.
Payton didn’t know when it had happened, but it was definitely happening. She still couldn’t believe that she’d kissed Jackie last night. And that Jackie had kissed her back. That had to count for something, right? She stared up at the white ceiling. She didn’t know what to think.
* * *
Payton poured herself a glass of wine. She hadn’t woken up with a hangover today, because she’d only had three drinks at the wedding, and right now
, she needed a drink. Jackie would be here any minute.
Payton had sent her a text about an hour ago, asking her if she wanted to come over. She could have crossed the hall and knocked on her door, but she didn’t want to ambush Jackie. This seemed like the safer option.
She’d gotten changed three times. She’d swapped her comfy cotton shorts that she’d worn while she was going through the photos for a pair of jeans. They were fine, but the white tank top she’d started with was gone. That was too casual. Then she put on a navy top, but after wearing it for a half hour, she decided it was too dressy, that it would look like she was trying too hard.
Now, she was wearing a black tank top that was somewhere in between. Not overly casual, but she still thought she looked good in it. A light knock on the door meant that it would have to do. She left her wine glass on the coffee table and padded over to the door.
“Hey,” she said with a smile as she pulled the door open.
Jackie ran a hand through her hair as she came in. “Hi.”
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“Water would be great.”
“Still suffering?” Payton asked as she went into the kitchen to take a bottle out of the fridge and handed it to her.
“Thanks. Yeah. It’s tiredness more than anything else. I was up at six this morning, and I think I went to bed around three, so...”
“I can never sleep in when I’ve been drinking.” Payton topped up her glass. “Do you want to go outside?”
“Sure.”
Payton pulled open the sliding door and took a seat. Jackie stood at the balcony wall for a second. It was a quiet night with just the sound of the waves rolling in to the shore in the distance.
“Oh,” Jackie said as she turned. “Before I forget.” She took a piece of paper out of her back pocket and handed it to Payton. “Oliver and Alvaro left for Portugal this morning, but they wanted me to give you that. For the wedding.”
Payton unfolded the paper, somehow surprised that it was a check. She’d agreed to do it without even thinking about compensation. “Wow. That is generous.”
“It’s what they were going to pay their original photographer.”
“It’s too much. I’m just an amateur.”
“Have you looked at the photos?” Jackie asked, pulling out the chair beside her.
“Yeah. They’re good. I’m happy with them. Really happy, if I’m honest. I know a lot of it is just relief. That I have actual photos to give them, but they are pretty good.”
“You’re a woman of many talents,” Jackie said with a warm smile. “Another career choice?”
“Yeah,” Payton said with a laugh. “It was a lot of fun, and I actually love the editing process just as much as taking the photos, maybe even more, and I haven’t even gotten into that really. I just touched up a handful of photos this afternoon. I’ll tackle the rest tomorrow... So, where did they go on their honeymoon?”
“Some seaside town in the Algarve. I can’t remember the name of it. They rented a villa for a week.” Jackie took a drink of water. “So, could you see yourself doing this? Being a wedding photographer?”
“Yeah. I really think I could. I’d love to do anything with photography, really, but yesterday was great. I’d love to do that every weekend. A friend of mine from college is actually a wedding planner, or so Facebook tells me. I haven’t talked to her in a few years, but I might reach out to her. Get some tips and maybe meet other people in the industry.”
“She’s based in New York?”
Payton nodded. “Yes.” She took a drink. “It’s hard to believe it’s snowing there right now. First real storm of the season. I think they’re getting almost a foot in the city.”
“Is Christmas in New York really as magical as they make it out to be in the movies?”
Payton smiled, thinking back to when her father brought her down to Rockefeller Center to ice skate every year when she was a kid. “Yes. It was when I was younger, but there really is nothing like walking through the streets of New York in the snow, especially at Christmastime, with the lights and the store fronts. It’s lovely, romantic, something out of a fairy tale, really.”
“Someday, I’ll go,” Jackie said, her lips sliding into a smile.
“You’ve never been?”
“No. Not yet. The only traveling I’ve done has been in England and Spain.” Jackie crossed one jean clad leg over the other. “New York is very high up on my to do list... So, you’re probably going to settle there?”
Payton sighed. “I don’t know. I can do wedding photography anywhere, but maybe I’ll get started there.”
Jackie simply nodded.
“That’s what I wanted to say,” Payton started. “Tonight, I mean. I wanted to talk to you about what happened at the wedding, and maybe apologize if I need to. I hadn’t planned on kissing you.”
“You don’t need to apologize.”
“Okay, well, I guess, I just want to say that... I like you, Jackie. A lot, and I know that we don’t really know each other, but I feel like there’s something here,” she said motioning between them. “But I also have no idea what I’m doing right now. I could be back in New York next month or I could decide to move here, permanently. I just don’t know yet.”
“Look, Payton, I get that. I don’t want to try and pin you down to making some sort of a decision if you’re not ready to.”
“The question is really... What do you want?” Payton asked, turning to face her fully. “I know that I’m attracted to you, that I like being around you... That kiss last night? It was pretty intense. But I’d completely understand if you didn’t want to start anything. If all of this uncertainty makes this impossible, and maybe... Maybe I’ve totally misread this, and it was just a kiss. A once off.”
“I’m attracted to you, too,” Jackie said with a smile. “I thought it might have been obvious, but I’ll just put that out there. And historically,” she said with a sigh, “The idea of starting something casual would have been out of the question. But now...” Jackie slid her hands over her jeans as she smiled. “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem that crazy. I’ve always played by the rules. Maybe it’s time I do something, I don’t know, spontaneous.”
“Like what?” Payton asked, her heartbeat steadily increasing as she processed Jackie’s words. She knew what Jackie had meant though. She licked her lips as Jackie’s eyes flickered down to them.
Payton met her halfway, her hand on Jackie’s neck as their lips met. She blindly put her wine glass on the table, and Jackie reached for her now empty hand, guiding her onto her lap as she searched out her lips, deepening the kiss.
Payton straddled Jackie’s thighs, smiling into the kiss as she draped one arm over her shoulder, the other sliding into her silky-smooth hair. A low moan escaped her lips when Jackie’s tongue met hers.
Payton hadn’t allowed herself to even think about this happening. She’d been preparing herself for a firm ‘no’ from Jackie, but she wasn’t going to question it. Not right now, anyway. This was new territory for her, too. She’d never been interested in one night stands, but that wasn’t exactly what was going here.
Payton genuinely cared about Jackie. She just didn’t know what her life was going to look like a month or two from now. If she’d met Jackie in New York, she wouldn’t have hesitated to get involved with her. This was a unique situation though.
Payton broke the kiss, and Jackie looked up at her, tilting her head back slightly, her hands on Payton’s waist.
“You okay?” Jackie whispered.
“Yeah.” Payton tousled her hair, leaning back to give them some space, although she was still sitting in Jackie’s lap. “I wish I could give you a more concrete answer, about what I’m doing...”
“We’ll worry about it when the time comes. Let’s just focus on right now.” Jackie’s eyes met hers, and Payton could see her own desire reflected in them.
“So, you’re okay with this? With not knowing?”
�
��Yes.” Jackie placed a few light kisses along Payton’s collarbone, trailing them up her neck.
Payton cupped her cheek, bringing their lips back together. She didn’t hold back this time, their tongues meeting again, dueling with one another, and Payton let herself get lost in the moment. Lost in the feeling of Jackie’s hands slipping underneath her top, her nails lightly raking across her back as they continued to kiss.
Payton could already feel the dampness pooling between her legs. She didn’t think she’d ever been turned on so quickly, so easily, but the way Jackie kissed her... Payton didn’t think she could last much longer out here. She needed to get Jackie out of those clothes and into her bed. She needed to touch her, to taste her.
Jackie’s hands dropped to her ass, sending a pulse of desire through her, and Payton resisted the urge to rock her hips. She’d come in seconds if she did that, and that’s not how she wanted their first time to be.
Payton pushed herself off her, earning her a questioning look from Jackie, but Payton was quick to reassure her. “We should move this inside,” Payton said as she stood up, holding her hand out for Jackie who just nodded.
Payton led her by the hand back inside.
* * *
Jackie closed Payton’s bedroom door behind her. This could be a huge mistake, but she couldn’t think about that right now. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her lips still tingling, but she didn’t have much time to replay what had just happened out on the balcony, because Payton was backing her up against the door, her thigh slipping in between Jackie’s legs as she leaned in to find her lips.
Jackie moaned in to the kiss, a warmth spreading across her body as Payton pressed against her. She couldn’t get enough of Payton, her hand on her hip, the other on her ass, bringing them even closer together as their lips met again and again. Payton’s hands were all over her, moving underneath her shirt, setting Jackie’s skin on fire.
Payton’s jean clad thigh grazed Jackie’s center, sending a jolt of desire through her. She couldn’t stay standing much longer. She was coming undone at an alarming pace.