What Matters Most

by Beers, Georgia

  Meet me there at seven. It’s very near my house, so maybe we’ll go back there afterward for a nightcap, yeah? Bring your bathing suit.

  Kelsey’s eyebrows raised up into her hairline at the same time her thighs clenched all on their own and she realized exactly how much power this woman had over her. So much, so soon. It was frightening and exhilarating at the same time.

  “Bring my bathing suit, huh? Well, that’s ballsy, assuming I’d just automatically wear a bathing suit in front of you. Which, of course, I would.” She glanced at the security monitor then, just to make sure Jeanine wasn’t near enough to hear her.

  I’ll be there, she texted back. Can’t say I’ve ever had a nightcap in my bathing suit, but I’m willing to try anything once.

  Theresa’s text came back almost immediately. I am jotting more notes.

  Kelsey laughed. See you tonight. Hope you actually show up.

  Theresa ended with, Haha. Can’t wait.

  ***

  Rinaldi’s wasn’t quite into the city. Rather, just on the outskirts, which was a relief, because Chicago traffic was an absolute nightmare of epic proportions. Driving didn’t intimidate Kelsey. In fact, she enjoyed it. But just one Chicago rush hour traffic jam was all she needed to know she would avoid driving anywhere near the city at that time of day if at all possible for the rest of her life.

  It was 7:08 when she approached the hostess desk and gave her Theresa’s name. Being tardy was not something she enjoyed or did often, but there’d been a sudden surge of business at the shop and she didn’t feel right leaving Jeremy all by himself. So she’d helped him ring out, leaving nearly twenty minutes later than she’d intended.

  The hostess was a very pretty, very tall woman with sleekly straight dark hair and no curves to speak of in her black dress. She told Kelsey her party was already here and to follow her please, which Kelsey obeyed.

  Down an aisle, around a corner, down another aisle in the deceptively large restaurant, and Kelsey’s gaze finally landed on Theresa, sitting at a small corner table and scrolling on her phone. Kelsey took the short blip of time that Theresa wasn’t looking to study her, to take her in.

  She must have either gone home to change or had decided against wearing a suit today, which disappointed Kelsey momentarily, as she found the business suit unbelievably sexy. Instead, Theresa wore black slacks and a shimmering silver top with short sleeves. As Kelsey looked at her, Theresa lifted a hand and absently tucked some blond hair behind one ear, revealing a diamond earring that caught the candlelight from the table and tossed it toward Kelsey. The top had a scooped neck, leaving the skin of Theresa’s throat bare and much of her collarbone visible. Kelsey had a sudden flash of herself kissing along that stretch to the center, running her tongue down to—

  “Hey, you made it.”

  Kelsey’s dirty train of thought was derailed by Theresa’s cheerful greeting, and she had to make a conscious effort not to literally shake her head free of the fantasy. “It’s funny that you sound so surprised, since I should be the one surprised that you made it.” She grinned to make sure Theresa knew she was teasing.

  “I will never live that down,” Theresa said as she stood and gave Kelsey an unexpected kiss on the cheek.

  “I told you. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

  They took their seats, the hostess handed them menus, and told them their server would be right with them. Then she was gone, and Kelsey was alone with Theresa. And just like at Hannah’s house, she suddenly felt calm, relaxed, and aroused all at once. She couldn’t remember ever feeling that particular combination around anybody else, not even Janice. It was comforting, and more than a little bit unnerving.

  Theresa hadn’t opened her menu. She simply placed her elbows on the table, propped her chin in her hands, and said, “So. Hi.”

  The smile on Kelsey’s face widened on its own at those intense blue eyes focused on her. “Hi.”

  “How was work?”

  And the smile dimmed a few watts. Putting her own menu down and mirroring Theresa’s position, Kelsey said, “You know what? I had a terrible day at work and I don’t want to talk about it. So how about we talk about anything else? Is that okay?”

  “Of course it is.” Theresa reached across and touched Kelsey’s arm. “I’m sorry you had a bad day, though.”

  “For what it’s worth, it just got a whole lot better.”

  The gentle coloring of Theresa’s cheeks made Kelsey’s entire day, right there.

  “Good evening, ladies. I’m Mark and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink?”

  Theresa raised her eyebrows as she looked in Kelsey’s direction. “Wine?”

  “Yes, absolutely. You choose.”

  “Red?”

  At Kelsey’s nod, Theresa conversed with Mark about various brands. Kelsey didn’t really listen because she was too busy watching Theresa’s mouth move, watching the sparkle of the glossed lips and the occasional peeks of white teeth. Thick, dark lashes framed her blue eyes, just enough eyeliner to accentuate them. When she handed Mark the wine list, Kelsey’s gaze fell to her hands, long fingers, neatly filed nails, delicate wrists covered by creamy skin...

  “Kelsey?”

  Kelsey blinked rapidly several times as if coming out of a trance. Theresa was looking at her, amusement clear on her face. Mark was gone. “I’m sorry?”

  “I asked you if Pinot Noir was okay with you, but you seemed a bit preoccupied with...something.” She arched one eyebrow knowingly.

  It was Kelsey’s turn to blush and she did so ferociously, feeling the heat rise up her neck and not stop until it reached her hairline.

  Theresa simply picked up her water glass and took a sip, her eyes never leaving Kelsey’s.

  Already? Already she’s got me like this?

  Kelsey mentally shook her head in wonder. She’d been alone with Theresa exactly once, not counting right now. Aside from that, she’d spent a total of what? Fifteen minutes with her? Twenty? And already, Theresa affected her so deeply on such a...primal level. It was almost embarrassing.

  Mark returned with the wine, thank God. He chatted with Theresa as he used his wine key, opened the bottle, and poured her a small amount to taste. Kelsey watched her sip, watched her blink slowly as she looked at Kelsey over the rim of the glass. Then she nodded to Mark, who poured two glasses, recited the specials, and gave them more time.

  Theresa held up her glass and said, “To new cities, new friends, and new possibilities.”

  Kelsey smiled tenderly and touched her glass to Theresa’s. They sipped and Kelsey let the wine roll around her tongue, coat her mouth before she swallowed it. “Oh, that’s delicious.”

  “Yeah? I was hoping you’d like it.”

  The beginning of dinner went on like this, each of them catching the other’s gaze, each gaze heated and almost smoldering. They managed to steer clear of work talk, which wasn’t hard for Kelsey, as she was happy listening to Theresa talk about almost anything. Mark stopped by to occasionally top off their wine glasses, but they barely noticed, so absorbed were they in each other.

  “Tell me about you and Hannah,” Kelsey said finally, as she really wanted to know the details. She scooped a forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth, chewed, then said, “I get the impression you’re not fans of one another.” She left out the part about Ree telling her exactly that.

  “I did tell you. At the barbecue.”

  “No, you gave me the short version. Give me the long one.”

  Theresa took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Hannah and I...” She let her voice trail off and her mouth pulled to one side as she obviously looked for the right place to start. “My parents split up when I was eight. It was ugly. Yelling and screaming. Lots of tears from my mom. Constant arguments. My mom and I moved to the other side of the city, which doesn’t sound that far, but was. And my dad used his freedom to act like he was twenty again. Drinking a lot, sleeping around, living the
typical bachelor life. He had a one-bedroom apartment, which was always part of his excuse for not having me overnight. I may have been young, but even an eight-year-old knows when she’s not wanted. I’m sure I cramped his bachelor lifestyle.”

  “You poor thing. That’s horrible,” Kelsey said, then took a sip of her wine. She couldn’t imagine not wanting to spend time with your kid, and she wanted to scoop little eight-year-old Theresa up and hug her tight. She and her dad had their issues and their differences, but he would never have treated her like that. Ever.

  “It was rough. It made me sad and angry at the same time. I started to lash out any time he called—which was by no means on a regular basis—because I was so hurt that he didn’t want me. You know?” Theresa’s eyes shimmered in the candlelight, and Kelsey again wanted to hold her, wrap her up in her arms, and tell her nothing would ever hurt her again.

  “That makes perfect sense.”

  “That lasted the first year and a half of the split.” Theresa ate a bite of chicken, gazed off into the restaurant as she chewed. “After that, he seemed to calm down, make more of an effort. Of course, by that time, I sort of hated him. At least the kind of hate that an eleven-year-old can have. Pained and misguided.”

  Kelsey nodded, fascinated by the story.

  “Then he met Liz, and she reined him in the rest of the way. They bought a house, and when I was fourteen, they had Hannah.”

  Kelsey waited, sensing there was more, but that Theresa was building up to it.

  “I know this is still teenage-me talking, but it felt a lot like my dad gave up on me at that point because he had this new daughter, and he would get it right this time.” She sighed, stared off into space with her empty fork in her hand. When her gaze returned, it bored into Kelsey. “I tried, Kels. I really did. I wanted so badly to be part of that family. But he did everything with Hannah that he’d never done with me. Went to every parent-teacher meeting, every dance recital, every basketball game and softball game. He even chaperoned three of her field trips. I mean, actually took the day off from work to do that. He never did any of that stuff with me. He made exactly one of my volleyball games, and he had to leave early because Hannah had something going on.”

  “Wow.” Kelsey’s heart ached for teenage Theresa.

  “So I started to insulate myself.” Theresa shrugged, went back to her dinner. “I began to step back. From him. From Liz. And especially from Hannah. She got all the parts of my dad that I’d missed out on, and I really hated her for that for a long time.” She looked up from her plate and made a face that said she knew how misguided that was. “It wasn’t her fault. I know that now. But as a kid? All I knew was that she was much more important to my father than I was.”

  Kelsey’s salmon was gone and she was almost done with her potatoes. “Then what happened?”

  Theresa shrugged again. “I put myself through college, even though he offered to pay for it. I wanted nothing from him. I worked my ass off for four long years, got my degree, was hired by the same company I did my internship with, and I moved to New Jersey.”

  “So you didn’t have to see Hannah get what was yours, up close and personal.”

  “Exactly,” Theresa said, pointing her fork at Kelsey. “And I stayed away for a really long time. And I was—I am—very good at what I do. I’m very successful.”

  “I’m sure you are. And now you’re back.”

  Theresa nodded. “I am.”

  “And that feels…?”

  Theresa’s shoulders dropped and she looked like she was honestly contemplating her answer. “Good. Weird. Confusing. Right.”

  “So many feelings.” Kelsey grinned.

  “I’ve got a lot of ’em.” Theresa chuckled.

  “You’re so complex,” Kelsey said, and finished her wine.

  Theresa made a show of squinting at her. “Is that sarcasm?”

  “A little bit. But mostly the truth. I like that about you.” Kelsey nodded as she held Theresa’s gaze. “I like a lot of things about you.”

  “Yeah?” Theresa said in response, but her voice was quiet. Husky.

  “Ladies? Dessert?” Mark’s voice might as well have been an air horn the way it cut through the delicate deliciousness of the sexual tension.

  Theresa’s eyes never let go of Kelsey’s as she said, “No, I think we’re good. Just the check, please.”

  “You got it.” And Mark was off.

  “I figured we’d have dessert at my place,” Theresa informed Kelsey softly and with an underlying familiarity that had Kelsey’s thighs clenching, her stomach tightening, and caused her to swallow audibly.

  “Perfect.”

  Theresa paid the bill after snatching it out of Mark’s hand before Kelsey had a chance to. “You get the next one,” she said as a solution, and of course, the first thing Kelsey felt was joy at the idea of another dinner with her.

  They didn’t speak again until they were in the parking lot and Theresa asked where Kelsey was parked. They walked to her car, and before Kelsey had time to even form a coherent sentence about following Theresa to her place, she felt Theresa’s hands on her shoulders turning her and pushing her back against the car while Theresa moved in close. So very close.

  They stood that way for a long moment, bodies touching from knees to breasts, Theresa’s warmth pressed against Kelsey’s, her eyes searching Kelsey’s for...something. Reciprocation? Permission? Kelsey had no idea. All she did know was that Theresa’s mouth was way too close to not kiss her. So she did.

  Were there fireworks going off nearby?

  The question flashed absently through Kelsey’s mind before all thought became laser-focused on Theresa’s kiss. Heated but tentative. Tender but demanding. It was all those things, and Kelsey was reasonably sure she could stand there for an hour or two just making out with Theresa. She tasted like wine and beauty and desire. Her hands were holding Kelsey’s face, both gently and possessively.

  Air became a necessity for both of them, so Kelsey finally broke the kiss, but kept her forehead pressed to Theresa’s. Ragged breathing was the only sound for several beats before Kelsey murmured, “Yikes.”

  “I have wanted to do that since I first caught you looking at me that day in Starbucks.”

  Theresa’s voice was a whisper, her eyes were closed, and she swallowed audibly. When she opened her eyes again, they were dark. Heavy with arousal and need and want. She let out a small sound—a combined groan and whimper—and kissed Kelsey again. And this kiss was different. Primal. Raw. She pushed her tongue possessively into Kelsey’s mouth and Kelsey let her, reveled in the feeling of Theresa wanting her as badly as she wanted Theresa. Kelsey pushed back, used her own tongue as a weapon as the delicious battle for control waged on in the darkened parking lot of Rinaldo’s Italian Ristorante.

  Another whimpered groan sounded and Kelsey was suddenly cold before she could even open her eyes. When she did, Theresa was still there, but both arms were straightened, her hands braced against the car on either side of Kelsey’s shoulders, literally keeping her arms’ length from Kelsey.

  “We have to stop,” Theresa whispered, chest heaving. “Or I will undress you right here in this parking lot.”

  “Presumptuous,” Kelsey teased quietly, not recognizing the huskiness of her own voice.

  “Oh, you’d let me,” Theresa assured her with a nod and a quick raising and lowering of her eyebrows.

  “I know.”

  Their gazes held then for a long, sensual moment. Finally, Theresa whispered, “Follow me home? I’m five minutes from here.”

  “Thank God. I might spontaneously combust if it’s any longer.”

  Theresa gave one more groan and jogged off to her car. Kelsey was thankful she hadn’t kissed her again because she wasn’t sure they’d be able to stop. God, what the hell was it? What was this power? This raw, animal sexuality that Theresa exuded? Kelsey had never wanted somebody so badly in her life and she didn’t even stop to think about that. She was going to h
ave sex with Theresa. Tonight. After one date.

  “Who am I?” she asked the empty darkness of the car, as both slight shame and giddiness rolled through her at once. She didn’t do this. She didn’t have random sex with just anybody who came along.

  But Theresa wasn’t just anybody. She’d known that from the second she’d laid eyes on her, felt it roll through her like a wave of heated desire. That very first time, Kelsey had known something about her was different.

  She’d felt it.

  She just hadn’t understood what it was.

  Despite the humidity of the evening, rolling down her window helped cool down her fired up bloodstream, and the rest of the ride allowed her to regain her equilibrium, steady her breathing, calm her racing heart. Theresa wasn’t kidding about her place being five minutes away, and in no time, she was pulling into the driveway of a rather nice house. White siding, lush, well-kept lawn, pink Impatiens along both sides of the walk leading from the driveway to the front door.

  “This is beautiful,” Kelsey said as her eyes scanned the whole picture.

  “Thanks,” Theresa said, coming around her car and holding out a hand. “Come on.”

  Kelsey shouldered her bag and took Theresa’s hand, the soft warmth of it making her feel oddly comforted and safe—two things that caught her by surprise. Theresa led her to the door, slid her key into the lock, and opened her house to Kelsey.

  “Welcome to my humble abode,” she said, waving an arm like a model on The Price is Right.

  The first thing Kelsey noticed, of course, was the smell. It was lovely, and she inhaled quietly, taking it in. Cinnamon. Honey. Fresh-cut grass. And Theresa. Its aroma was all those things, and Kelsey felt instantly welcome. The living room was more modern than any other style, with a black leather couch and matching chair, sleek glass coffee table, and subtle flat-screen TV. The large area rug was a thick pile in a neutral color, and it encompassed the seating area but left the rest of the room to the hardwood.

  “Wine?” Theresa asked, and her voice startled Kelsey for a moment.