by Renee Roman
“Great.” She glanced at the clock on the stove. “How does seven sound?” That would give her about thirty minutes or so for herself. Hudson looked like she could use some company and she wasn’t about to turn her back on her. The bath could wait for another night.
“Would you mind making it seven thirty? I have to finish putting stuff away in the garage, and you definitely want me showered before we eat. I stink.” She pulled a bandana from her pocket and wiped her face.
“See you then.” Maybe there’s time for a bath after all.
* * *
Hudson took a long pull of the ice-cold beer and set it down next to her empty plate. “Thanks.” They’d been sitting in companionable silence for a little while, giving her time to gather her thoughts.
Ari lifted her head from the back of the chair and opened one eye. “For what?”
She searched Ari’s face for any indication she regretted the invite. “The dinner invitation.” She met Ari’s gaze. All she saw was kindness reflected back at her. “I want to apologize for earlier.”
“You’re welcome, and there’s nothing to apologize for.” Ari rubbed a thumb across the back of her hand sending a delightful shiver along her nerves. “I enjoy your company.” It seemed Ari had no intention of letting go. “Even if you weren’t in a funk, I would have asked you to join me.”
She remained silent. Lately, it seemed as though she was taking advantage of Ari’s compassionate nature and she didn’t want the trend to become a habit.
“So are you done?” Ari broke the uncomfortable lull in the conversation.
Hudson’s head leaned to one side. She had no idea what Ari was talking about.
Ari waved her hand in the air. “Interior designer. Bookkeeper. Gardener.” A smile wrinkled the corners of her eyes. “The only way I can afford to pay you is with food.”
She couldn’t hold back the laughter. Ari made her laugh. A lot.
“That’s a wonderful sound.” Ari pressed a hand to the side of her face. “And a beautiful smile. You should do both more often.”
She’d never been good at taking compliments. Ari made her feel like she was special. That she was deserving of all good things, along with realizing she deserved another chance to find the kind of love her parents had.
Ari leaned closer. Her breath caressed Hudson’s cheek. “You. Are. Beautiful.”
Before she knew what was happening Ari’s lips covered hers. Ari’s mouth was tender, pressing softly, moving slowly over hers. She traced Ari’s bottom lip with the tip of her tongue. Ari gasped, giving her entrance. Their tongues explored each other’s mouth. She memorized the taste of her. The warmth. The heat between them. Ari wound her fingers into the hair at her neck, sending a bolt of electricity that traveled all the way to her toes. This time she didn’t question what was happening because she wanted to feel every bit of Ari’s passion. She’d lived too long without feeling anything.
The old saying was true. Time stood still and the street noises faded away. The only thing she was certain of was the pounding of her heart and her building desire. Her body craved the touch of another. She not only wanted it. She needed it. Now if she could only convince her head.
Ari pulled back and gazed with such intensity Hudson felt as though she could see into her soul.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you like that since the first one.” Ari slowly drew her thumbs along Hudson’s jawline.
She took a shuddery breath. “I’ve been fighting the same urge.”
“I’m glad you feel it, too.” Ari stood and took her hand, leading her inside. Once they were next to her bed, Ari faced her. “I don’t want to talk anymore.”
The breath stilled in Hudson’s chest as second thoughts crept in.
Ari’s finger touched her lips. “Just feel.”
Those two simple words made her body pulse with excitement. Ari kicked off her shoes and turned down the bedding.
This is it. I’m scared and I want to touch her so much. Her mind raced in a million directions.
“Just feel.”
Ari’s hands slid up and down Hudson’s sides before lifting the edge of her shirt, exposing her stomach. Her muscles twitched in anticipation as Ari lowered her head and placed light kisses along the ridges of her abdomen. Her knees trembled. If Ari didn’t stop, it wouldn’t be long before she crumbled to the floor. Ari glanced up, her eyes burning like hot coals, and backed her against the bed until she was sitting. Hudson wanted to say something. Anything. But she could barely breathe, let alone form coherent words. Her hands, thankfully, knew what they wanted to do, and she pulled Ari closer.
Hudson nuzzled her mouth against the tender flesh rising above Ari’s blouse. She would go crazy if she couldn’t touch the hard peaks pressing against the fabric, the stiff points rubbing against her face.
“Lift,” Hudson whispered.
A blue lace bra held Ari’s breasts captive, but not for long.
Hudson unsnapped the clasp, releasing them. Cupping the perfect shapes in her hands, she brought them to her mouth, sucking on a nipple and running her tongue around it, making it even harder.
Ari’s head fell back. “Feels so good,” she moaned and snaked her fingers through Hudson’s hair, pulling her closer.
If this was any indication of what was to come, she would not be able to draw out their lovemaking. Hudson’s tongue and teeth nipped and flicked while she massaged handfuls of flesh. A quick turn and Ari was on the bed. Hudson straddled her hips without making contact. She reached between them and pulled Ari’s zipper down, one set of teeth at a time.
Damn. “Hudson?” Ari panted.
Hudson’s heavy-lidded eyes darkened to the color of obsidian. Desire wasn’t the only thing swirling in their depths. Hunger rose to the surface and the power of her gaze excited Ari like nothing in her life ever had. Hudson answered her by focusing on Ari’s other nipple. It tightened to the point of pleasurable pain. A pain she wasn’t accustomed to. Her former liaisons were efficient couplings with no need to prolong the act. Tonight. Here. With Hudson, she wanted to feed the animalistic craving. Every surge of lust and longing. It wasn’t enough to seek and give physical pleasure alone. Hudson returned to her other breast, pulling the flesh deep into her mouth. If Hudson didn’t touch her where she needed soon, she’d damn well do it herself.
“What do you want?” Hudson asked between licks.
“Touch me before I explode.”
After kissing her way to Ari’s quivering stomach, Hudson made quick work of getting her shorts off and tossed them across the room.
“Like this?” Hudson kissed the inside of her thigh at the junction of her pelvic bone. Hard enough not to tickle, but not nearly enough to satisfy her quivering clitoris. The throbbing in her breasts was nothing compared to the constant pounding between her thighs. A gush of her essence soaked her panties.
Ari hissed. “More,” she begged. She tried to make contact with any part of Hudson’s body. She no longer cared where. Arm. Leg. Hand. Mouth. Anything and everything, as long as she got some pressure on her swollen center. Hudson kneeled and pulled off her shirt, her pointed nipples poking through the fabric of her tank top. Hudson surprised her when she paused and ran her thumbs over the tight knots before peeling away the final barrier. Hudson’s breasts were high and beautifully shaped, with dark brown areolas and mouthwatering nipples. She leaned over and lavished kisses across Ari’s panty line before capturing her mouth again.
Ari pressed her lips together against Hudson’s seeking tongue, wanting to deny Hudson entrance for making her wait. It wasn’t long before she gave in, reveling in the feel of her mouth. Hudson broke away and her breath heated Ari’s flesh as she trailed down her body, pulling the material off as she went. Her chest heaved in response and her breath froze when Hudson’s fiery glance traveled over her flushed body like the kiss of a campfire. The intensity in the look did more to excite her than any touch so far. It traveled to her very core. Hudson settled between her legs and wrapped her arms aroun
d them. Her fingertips gently slid along Ari’s folds. She was so close to where Ari needed her, she whimpered.
She grabbed a handful of Hudson’s hair and pulled hard enough to get her attention. “If you don’t touch me soon, I’m going to do it myself,” she said. She moved her other hand over her sex. She’d never been more serious in her life. Hudson caught it and moved it to the bed.
“I’d like to watch you do that sometime—but not now.” Hudson blew a warm breath over Ari’s hot folds before pressing her mouth against the soaked center. She licked the swollen flesh and Ari fell back on the bed. The scope of her universe shrunk to the hardened point of pleasure, now in Hudson’s mouth, as she stroked the throbbing knot with the tip of her tongue. Ari’s stomach muscles tightened and her legs fell open, giving Hudson more access. Hudson’s finger slid inside.
“Mmm, you’re so wet.”
Hudson moved in and out in time with the strokes of her tongue before adding another finger, filling her more. Ari’s hips picked up the rhythm in counterpoint, driving her deeper each time she buried her fingers inside. She pressed her lips to a quivering thigh.
“You’re so beautiful, Ari. Come for me.”
“Oh, God, yes. Please,” Ari whimpered.
“Tell me what you need.” Hudson’s desire to please Ari became paramount, and she ignored her own throbbing sex.
Ari writhed in the sheets. “Your tongue. More of your tongue,” she gasped.
Hudson deepened her strokes and licked and sucked with more pressure until she felt the inner walls tighten.
“Now, baby, now.”
Hudson pulled her fingers out and pressed her tongue inside, her thumb making tight circles over Ari’s extended clitoris. Ari arched off the bed and froze in space, before wracking spasms overtook her. Hudson licked every inch of her slick center, coaxing more and more from her. Each contraction of Ari’s sex coated her chin in the silken moisture of her pleasure.
“Oh…baby. Yes.”
Moans of satisfaction came out in staccato as Ari gasped. When her body began to settle, Ari pushed on the top of Hudson’s head and tried to move away.
“Stop, please. No more,” Ari begged her. “I…I can’t.”
Hudson cupped Ari’s sex with gentle pressure to help calm her flesh. She moved up the bed and pulled Ari’s limp body against her naked chest. Ari sighed and snuggled closer.
“That was incredible,” Ari whispered as her gaze locked with Hudson’s.
“Yes, it was.” She kissed Ari’s forehead, then closed her eyes and drew her hands over Ari’s back, enjoying how good she felt in her arms. The last time I felt this content I was…Her eyes popped open. No. She didn’t want to go there. Not now. Not when there was a glimmer of hope she might have found a woman who could make her feel again.
“What’s wrong?” Ari asked.
This wasn’t the time to have second thoughts. She would only end up hurting Ari for letting her mind wander to thoughts of another time and place. “What do you mean?” Ari’s hand came to rest between her breasts and she drew in a sharp breath.
“Your whole body went stiff.” Ari got on her elbow and searched her face.
Hudson was about to deny anything was wrong but stopped. Hiding her emotional ghosts from Ari was not the way to treat the person you just made love to.
“I was thinking how good it felt to hold you.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” Ari asked.
She traced Ari’s chin. “It’s a very good thing.”
Ari took her wrist and held it. “But?”
She let out a sigh. “It made me think about the last time I’d felt content and that was a bad thing.” Disappointment weighed heavy in her heart. The revelation would most likely drive Ari away and she had no one to blame but herself. Why she couldn’t let the errant thoughts of Pam fade away, she had no idea. Still, she needed to be honest with Ari if they had any chance of a future. Thinking they might actually have a future had been a constant during the last few weeks.
“I told you no thinking.” Ari tugged at the leg of her shorts. “Why do you have these on?”
“I got caught up in the moment and never took them off.”
Ari straddled her thighs. “I can fix that,” she said and ran her fingers inside the waistband, moving the tips of her nails over skin and bones. Her muscles contracted under Ari’s touch before Ari popped the button, slid the zipper down, and peeled the two sides open.
“Lift.” Ari maneuvered the shorts down her thighs, scratching lightly down her legs and making gooseflesh. She snaked her hands inside the loose legs of her black boxers, coming dangerously close to Hudson’s turgid folds before gathering the material and pulling downward. A small corner of her tattoo was revealed, and Ari sucked in a breath.
“You have ink,” Ari said in a surprised tone.
She touched the area. “Yes. It was a present to me.”
Ari leaned closer.
“What is it?”
Hudson rose to her elbows. “The Chinese symbol for strength. It was something I desperately needed.” She thought back to the darkness of the days following the breakup. She’d never felt so alone. Even after the fiasco in high school, she’d managed to lift her head and move on. Of course, her parents had been there to lend her encouragement and give pep talks about the pitfalls of young love and the ignorance of her first crush. She remembered their words while walking to school every day of her senior year. And they were right. There had been only a few of her classmates around to witness the scene, and no one teased her. If anything, she’d gained some respect, which gave her the confidence to be who she’d always been on the inside. Since her liking girls was no longer a secret she hid from everyone, she could be who she was on the outside, too.
“It suits you.” Ari pressed her lips to the mark before revealing her neatly trimmed triangle of dark hair and ran her fingers through the soft curls. She tipped her pelvis to meet the touch. She was wet from making love to Ari and her body hummed with need. Blood rushed beneath her skin and the heat brought sweat to the surface. She watched Ari smooth her hands over her thighs. Their eyes met and Ari climbed along her body. Their slippery centers made contact, and she couldn’t suppress the moan when Ari’s wetness covered her.
“Your body is amazing,” Ari said, leaning in to capture her mouth.
She pulled Ari down on top of her, holding on to her ass, and creating some much-needed pressure against her throbbing, swollen clitoris. She opened her mouth to Ari’s insistent tongue and enjoyed the sweet taste.
“What do you want?” Ari’s fingertip traced the ridge of her collarbone.
“I want to come for you.” Being able to tell Ari what she needed felt good.
“Oh, yes. I want to make you come hard, baby.”
She spread her thighs and Ari settled between them; her thumbs caressed her swollen folds. Hudson looked along her body and saw that her center glistened with evidence of excitement. Ari gathered the slick fluid on the tip of her finger and spread it over the outer folds before circling the hardening knot at her center. “Ari…” she gasped.
The scent of Hudson’s sex rose to greet Ari and she inhaled deeply. The ruby red folds of her sex made Ari’s mouth water.
Hudson wound her fingers through Ari’s long strands of hair and gently tugged her head closer to the heat source.
“Oh, God…”
She coated her fingers and slid two inside, making Hudson rise off the bed. She stroked in and out driving deeper each time she entered her hot opening. Ari curled her tongue and cupped the underside of Hudson’s rock-hard clit. She alternated licking and sucking, pressing her fingers all the way inside. Hudson’s hips rose and fell in time with her strokes, and she could feel her approaching orgasm. Hudson’s pants filled the brief lapses between gasps.
“Come for me, baby.” She sucked harder, then flicked her tongue back and forth over the knot of nerves. Hudson’s body went rigid. She slid deeper inside, turning her hand. The moan
that rose from Hudson’s throat was followed by the walls of her sex locking Ari inside.
Liquid heat coursed through every fiber of Hudson’s being. It had been a long time since she’d felt this connected to a woman. She’d gotten good at being a detached participant in the act of physical release. If she thought about the implications of what she felt, she’d ruin the moment for both of them, so she pushed it away. Ari had told her to just feel. And now Ari’s skillful tongue was playing over the most sensitive parts of her body until she was twitching like a live wire. God, I need to come soon. The impending orgasm became so intense she couldn’t think. She embraced the sensations and let go of all thought. Waves of pleasure built in every cell.
Ari kept her at the edge of the precipice until she begged for release.
“Please,” she whimpered.
She stiffened and the walls of her sex pulled Ari’s fingers deeper inside as she neared orgasm. Ari closed her lips around her straining clit and gently sucked, coaxing her to let go. She arched against Ari’s mouth, a long, low moan escaping as the walls of her vagina pulsed, sending shock waves down her legs. Ari licked the juices from her until she collapsed back on the bed in a heap. Her breathing began to return to normal. Ari kissed the inside of her thigh and slowly pulled out to gently massage her still throbbing mound.
Hudson sighed in satisfaction. “You’re amazing.” She pulled Ari up alongside her body, and Ari dragged the sheet over them, snuggling into the crook of her arm, and traced the ridges of her collarbone.
“I’m glad you think so.” Ari placed a light kiss above her breast and met her gaze.
She knew, even with all her insecurities about the future, Ari wanted more than just sex. It would be up to her to show Ari she could let go of the ghosts of past loves.
Chapter Fifteen
“It’s peaceful out here,” Hudson said.
“It is.”
She should have stayed upstairs. Ari most likely did not want her company after the way she’d left Ari’s bed and surely didn’t want to hear the reason for her abrupt departure. A lump formed in her throat. Maybe she should just make another excuse and disappear.