What Matters Most

by Beers, Georgia

  “Right there, yes.”

  Kelsey smiled as she realized just how very much she liked Theresa so close to her. Her body, her face, her mouth. Everything was mere inches from Kelsey and she wished she could keep it that way. And now, she wanted nothing more than to touch Theresa’s body, to feel her wetness, to make her feel as good as she’d made Kelsey feel. She grasped Theresa’s hand, slowly pulled Theresa’s fingers from her body—and almost whimpered with sadness at the loss.

  “My turn,” she said quietly and arched an eyebrow in expectation.

  Theresa turned her hand so she caught Kelsey’s. “Tell you what. Let’s get out of the pool before we turn into prunes, have a little wine, dry off, and then we’ll go inside and...” One corner of her mouth pulled up in a sexy half-grin.

  “And...I get to touch you this time?”

  Theresa nodded, then pushed herself away from the wall of the pool. Kelsey watched her swim and when she was able to touch the bottom, she pulled her suit the rest of the way off, tossed it up onto the concrete, and climbed the steps to get out. Completely naked. Kelsey’s breath caught in her throat as she got the full view. From the back.

  “I might not survive this night,” Kelsey muttered to herself as she watched Theresa exit the pool, find a towel, and wrap it around herself. She turned to look at Kelsey and crooked a finger at her.

  “Your turn,” she said.

  Kelsey felt a surge of arousal and knew she could easily be ratcheted up again. And probably would be. She unfastened the clasp holding her top around her rib cage, then tossed the top up onto the concrete as Theresa had done. Then she swam to the shallow end as it occurred to her that this was the first time she’d ever skinny dipped. Trying to ignore the feel of Theresa’s eyes on her (impossible), Kelsey climbed out of the pool, found the other towel, and wrapped herself in it, relieved to be covered again, but wishing Theresa wasn’t.

  Theresa stepped close, wine glasses in hand, and Kelsey took in her scent. Chlorine, sex, and her usual nutmeg/cinnamon/honey blend that was so incredibly appealing. Kelsey took one glass. “That was...” She shook her head, at a loss for words, and sipped.

  “I completely agree,” Theresa said, smiling and not stepping back, for which Kelsey was grateful. She reached out her hand, stroked it along Theresa’s bare arm. Yup. Creamy smooth. Theresa caught that hand and tugged Kelsey to the two lounge chairs parked side by side. “Come over here with me.”

  They each took a chair and stretched out, wine glasses in hand. It was peaceful and surprisingly quiet.

  “I can’t believe how many stars you can see tonight,” Theresa commented softly.

  Kelsey looked up as well, saw a canvas of a thousand little pinpricks of light in the midnight blue sky. “It’s beautiful.”

  They were silent for a long moment before Theresa said, “I need you to know something, Kelsey.”

  Kelsey wasn’t sure if she should be wary or nervous or calm. Theresa’s tone was gentle, but with an edge of seriousness. “Okay. Tell me.” Kelsey braced herself.

  Theresa swallowed audibly, then took a sip of her wine, swallowed again. “This is...this is new for me. It’s not something I do on a regular basis.”

  Kelsey pressed her lips together for a moment before turning to look at Theresa and asking, “This, meaning...laying out back at night and stargazing?”

  The small grin made Kelsey feel a touch lighter. “No,” Theresa said. “This, meaning...” She cleared her throat. “Having sex with somebody after, like, a date and a half. It’s not normal behavior for me.” She turned her gaze to Kelsey, her expression a mix of worry and shame.

  Kelsey felt her own smile grow. “Well, thank God.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means, thank God it’s not normal behavior for you, because it’s not normal behavior for me either.”

  “Thank God,” Theresa said. A beat of silence passed, then they both burst out laughing.

  “I was so worried what you might think of me.”

  “Which is silly, because why would I think poorly of you when I’m doing the same thing?”

  “I didn’t say it was logical,” Kelsey said, still chuckling.

  Their laughter died down. “I need you to know that...this feels different to me.” Theresa sat up suddenly, raised one hand, palm out, in a placating gesture. “I’m not trying to freak you out or get too heavy or deep. It’s just that...” She shrugged as if she’d run out of thought. “I wanted you to know.”

  Something in Theresa’s voice, in her eyes, warmed Kelsey from the inside. “It feels different to me, too,” she said quietly.

  “Yeah?”

  With a nod, Kelsey said, “If it didn’t, I never would’ve agreed to meet with you because...Hannah.” She grimaced.

  “Yeah, I had the same concern. And came to the same conclusion: that it was worth it to see where this went.” Theresa held out her hand. Kelsey took it, and they gazed up at the stars, fingers entwined until they’d each finished their wine.

  “You know where I think this should go?” Kelsey asked.

  “Up to my bedroom?”

  “Exactly.”

  ***

  Theresa’s bedroom seemed to be another place where she’d spent time and energy on the décor. The walls were a slate blue, deep and rich, but not too dark. Two dressers stood on opposite walls, one with a mirror, a makeup tray, and two framed photos Kelsey couldn’t make out in the dim light. The comforter on the king-size bed was ivory with what looked like fifty pillows perched against the headboard, all in varying shades and patterns of blue. The bed itself was a four-poster, large and elegant and exactly what Kelsey would’ve chosen for Theresa.

  “I like pillows,” Theresa said when she saw where Kelsey was looking.

  “I noticed.”

  Theresa came up behind her then, wrapped her arms around her from the back, and hugged her tightly. Her face near Kelsey’s ear, she said, “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  Her voice, her proximity, her body heat. All of it combined to make Kelsey literally weak in the knees, and she reached out to balance herself with a hand on one of the bed’s posts. As expected, her arousal cranked up several notches, and Kelsey turned in Theresa’s arms. They were almost exactly the same height, their noses almost touching. Kelsey grasped Theresa’s towel with both hands, right at the top where one end tucked into the rest, and tugged it open. She held a corner in each hand, kept Theresa close with it as she let her eyes slowly rove over this spectacularly beautiful body before her. She hadn’t had a good view in the pool, the water distorting what she could see, but now...she was struck speechless, so she simply continued to look. Bronzed skin (Kelsey was startled by how tan Theresa actually was, given that she’d initially thought her almost pale) that called to Kelsey to touch it, stroke it, kiss it. Small, but lovely breasts that made Kelsey’s mouth water just from looking at them. Nicely rounded hips and legs that seemed to go on forever.

  “You’re going to give me a complex if you keep staring like that,” Theresa said in amusement.

  “Shut up. You’re gorgeous and you know it.” And with that, Kelsey dropped the towel to the floor, leaving Theresa standing naked before her. She grasped her face in her hands and kissed her. Not gently. There would be no gentle lead-up this time. Kelsey was too turned on. She had to have Theresa and she had to have her now.

  A quick spin had Theresa’s back to the bed and Kelsey only needed to take a couple of steps toward her to push her onto it. Theresa scooted backward until her head was near the pillows as Kelsey dropped her own towel and crawled after her.

  The pool had been awesome, but it didn’t compare even a little bit to actually being naked and on top of Theresa. Every nerve ending in Kelsey’s body was on high alert, sizzling and hot. She shoved pillows out of her way as she made room for their bodies and brought her mouth down on Theresa’s, pressed her tongue in immediately and was met with a moan and the feeling of Theresa’s fingers digging into her ba
ck.

  It had never been like this for Kelsey. Never in her life. There’d never been this urgency. This desire. This need to touch another person so badly she was afraid she’d go insane if she didn’t. It scared her—the intensity, the unfamiliarity—and at the same time, it felt so completely perfect.

  The clichéd sound of it was not lost on Kelsey, but they really did fit flawlessly together. There was no awkwardness. Not a stitch of uncertainty. They moved together, in syncopated rhythm, stroking and squeezing and pushing and rocking. Kelsey made her way down Theresa’s torso using her tongue and her lips, kissing every millimeter of skin she possibly could. Theresa alternated between ragged breathing and contented sighs, and Kelsey paid close attention to what move of hers caused each sound. When she passed Theresa’s belly button, she raised herself up on her knees, wanting to get the full view before she continued on her journey. Theresa had one hand over her eyes, the other gripping the corner of a pillow tightly, and her chest was heaving.

  “Theresa,” Kelsey said softly as she placed a hand on each of Theresa’s knees and slowly pushed her legs apart. When Theresa removed her hand and looked at Kelsey’s face, Kelsey said simply, “You’re beautiful.” Theresa gave her a warm smile and Kelsey bent down to her center.

  Kelsey’s plan was to take her time, to work Theresa up slowly before sending her over the edge. As she made herself comfortable and used her thumbs to spread around Theresa’s wetness—God, she was so wet—Kelsey realized keeping to her plan was going to be hard. Because the view from her spot looking up Theresa’s naked and flushed body to her beautiful face, did nothing to keep her in check. And the musky scent of her was a bigger turn-on than Kelsey even expected. She touched her tongue to Theresa’s hot, swollen flesh, and the tang, the salty sweetness of her was more that Kelsey could take. She dove in more firmly, stroking and tasting and loving the feel of Theresa writhing in pleasure that Kelsey was causing. The sounds she made were enough to push Kelsey shockingly close to her own orgasm. Soft moans, occasional whimpers, quiet whispers of, “Kelsey...oh, Kelsey...” were almost her undoing. But Kelsey forced herself to concentrate and reached up to fondle a nipple, which caused a gasp. Kelsey smiled against Theresa’s flesh and the second she slid her fingers inside, Theresa’s moans got louder. Kelsey felt Theresa’s hand in her hair as she whispered, “Oh, God, yes. Right there.” And then her hips lifted off the bed as she let out a long, strangled whimper.

  Kelsey watched from her position, keeping her mouth pressed tightly to Theresa’s center, not wanting to break contact, but wanting to watch the orgasm tear through her. Her back arched, the muscles in her neck stood out, everything was tensed, and it was beautiful...so, so beautiful. The most sensually erotic thing Kelsey had ever witnessed, right there, right beneath her, under her hands and her mouth. Kelsey stayed where she was for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a minute or two, until Theresa’s body began to relax, until her back came down in contact with the bed, until her fingers in Kelsey’s hair gave a gentle tug, instructing her it was okay to let go.

  Kelsey gently took her mouth away, but placed a tender kiss on the spot before leaving it altogether. As she slid her fingers out, Theresa’s leg twitched and she chuckled. Kelsey rubbed a hand up and down Theresa’s thigh, loving the warm softness of it.

  “Come up here,” Theresa commanded, and Kelsey pushed herself up on all fours. She placed a kiss on Theresa’s stomach, then stretched out next to her. Theresa immediately turned on her side, tucked her head under Kelsey’s chin, threw a leg over Kelsey’s, and draped her arm across Kelsey’s stomach.

  Nothing had ever felt more perfect in Kelsey’s entire life, and she felt her eyes well up a bit, hoped Theresa didn’t see.

  “That was...you’re amazing. I mean, that was...God.”

  “You know, I almost made fun of your lame descriptors, but the fact that you’re kind of speechless is a pretty awesome compliment, so I’m going to take that.”

  “Please do,” Theresa said, cuddling closer. “You deserve it.”

  Kelsey could feel herself blush, and she squeezed Theresa to her, wanted her closer than possible. “Wasn’t hard,” she said and placed a kiss on Theresa’s forehead. There was a lot she wanted to say then, a lot she almost did say. But the fact that they still barely knew each other stuck in her head and kept her from mentioning anything that might send Theresa screaming into the street. Instead, she simply held Theresa tightly and snuggled in closer to her body.

  They lay like that for long moments and Kelsey was just starting to doze when Theresa asked softly, “Do you want some water?”

  Kelsey nodded, kept her eyes closed as she felt Theresa leave the bed, and she let out a quiet groan, disappointed at the loss. She heard soft footsteps as Theresa padded out of the room, and she took the opportunity to shift her position and get under the covers. A thought occurred to her then: would Theresa want her to go home now? Kelsey had no idea. Maybe she would, right? They’d only been together this once. Despite what they’d talked about earlier, they weren’t exclusive. They didn’t really owe each other anything. Maybe Theresa didn’t sleep well with somebody else in her bed. Maybe she didn’t enjoy sleepovers in general. Maybe they were too personal, too involved.

  Pressing a hand firmly to her forehead did nothing to stop the whirlwind of these thoughts, and Theresa came back in at just that moment. A water glass was in each hand as she approached Kelsey’s side of the bed in all her naked glory.

  “You should never wear clothes,” Kelsey said as Theresa set a glass down on the nightstand.

  “I’d be cold for much of the year.” Theresa went around to her side of the bed. “Oh, good. You got under the covers. I was starting to get chilly.”

  “It’s August.” Kelsey lifted the covers so Theresa could slide in.

  “See? If I’m chilly in August with no clothes, how would I survive, say, December?”

  “Good point.” Kelsey held an arm out and Theresa settled right back into her spot on Kelsey’s shoulder. “So...” Kelsey swallowed.

  Theresa’s head shifted on Kelsey’s shoulder and Kelsey could feel her gaze. “So...?”

  “Is it okay if I stay?” Kelsey’s voice sounded small, and she hated that.

  “Absolutely,” Theresa replied, as if that was the silliest question she’d heard in weeks. Then her tone went more serious. “I mean, I’d like you to. But if you’re uncomfortable and would rather leave, I get it.”

  “I am so far from uncomfortable right now.”

  “Oh, good. Me, too. You should stay.”

  “I think I’ll stay.”

  Theresa lifted herself up on an elbow so she could look down on Kelsey’s face. She bent forward and pressed her lips to Kelsey’s in what Kelsey assumed was meant to be a simple and chaste kiss goodnight. But the feel of those soft lips, the taste of that mouth, they were more than Kelsey could bear and she shoved sleep aside with a surprisingly easy swipe.

  And they were off again.

  Sleep wasn’t allowed back in the room until well after two in the morning.

  CHAPTER TEN

  THE BEEPING IN KELSEY’S head was unfamiliar, and she tried to analyze what it was without opening her eyes. She was way too comfortable. Snuggled into great softness, something very warm and smooth pressed all along the back of her body.

  Which was naked.

  That got her attention and she opened her eyes just as the warmth behind her shifted slightly and then groaned.

  Theresa.

  It all came flooding back and Kelsey’s smile seemed to spread across her face all on its own. Theresa moved and the beeping stopped. Then she returned right back to the exact spot she’d been in, spooned up behind Kelsey. Her arm wrapped around Kelsey’s torso as Theresa whispered in her ear, “We’ve got ten more minutes and then I have to get up.” She pressed a kiss to Kelsey’s temple, then settled back down against her back.

  Yeah, I could get used to waking up like this every morning.
r />   The thought tiptoed through Kelsey’s head as she drifted off once again.

  Ninety minutes later, they were both up, showered and dressed. Kelsey wore her clothes from the night before, but knew she had time to go home and change before opening the shop at ten. Theresa, on the other hand, had to go right into work. Kelsey had mentioned just going home and showering there, but Theresa had pouted—actually pouted!—and said she wasn’t ready for Kelsey to leave yet.

  Yeah, this was going to be a problem if their relationship continued, because Kelsey was reasonably sure she’d give Theresa anything she wanted in the face of that pout.

  Kelsey waited in the kitchen for the coffee to finish brewing and grinned when she heard the click of heels coming down the hardwood stairs. Theresa entered the room and Kelsey did her best to school her features so she wasn’t staring, slack-jawed, like a teenager at a strip club for the first time. Which was really hard, as Theresa’s beige dress pants, black sleeveless top, and black heels made her look fierce, entrepreneurial, and just sexy enough to warrant a second glance if you passed her in an office hallway.

  She set down her briefcase and a pile that consisted of a few files and a blue binder logo’d with what looked like a house outlining a heart on the spine. “Hey,” she said to Kelsey as she reached for the cabinet door near Kelsey’s head. A slight lean and she was able to press her lips to Kelsey’s. “Sleep well?” She pulled two travel mugs down and set them on the counter.

  “Like a baby. You?”

  “I slept great. I was worried you wouldn’t be used to sleeping with an albatross hanging all over you.” She gave a sheepish grin as she pulled the coffee pot off its pedestal and filled each travel mug.

  “I actually enjoyed that very much. Who knew?”

  Theresa’s smile seemed very satisfied. “How do you take your coffee? I mean, if it’s not a Frappuccino.”

  “Lots of cream and lots of sugar. I like it not to taste like coffee at all.”