by Aurora Rey
“And a pinch of crushed red pepper,” Joss added.
“And?”
“And a pinch of sugar and a splash of red wine vinegar.”
“Vinegar! That’s what it is! I can’t believe you were holding out on me.”
Joss scowled. “I wasn’t holding out. I just don’t think about it.”
“Likely story,” Olivia said, finishing her second piece of bread. Because she was contemplating a third, she said, “Now, please, I beg you—take this away from me.”
They cleared the table and Joss insisted on loading the dishwasher. After, they decided to go for a walk with Ethel. With only the tiniest sliver of moon, the sky was a dark canvas dotted with a million stars. Olivia linked arms with Joss so she wouldn’t trip while she gaped at the sky. “I still can’t get over how beautiful it is.”
“It’s my favorite part of living out in the country.”
Olivia brought her gaze down and looked at Joss. “Ditto.”
They meandered down the driveway and along one of the many corn fields that came right up to the road.
Ethel, who’d been loping along quietly, was suddenly on full alert. She whined softly and pulled at the leash, nose to the ground.
“Uh-oh,” Joss said. She abruptly stopped walking.
“Uh-oh, what?”
“Only two things get Ethel really excited. The first is steak on the grill.”
“And the second?”
At that moment, a bushy black-and-white ball of fur emerged from between the rows of corn. Joss yanked harder on the leash, but Ethel lunged forward. She let out a frantic bark and the skunk, terrified at having his evening stroll interrupted, crouched low.
The next thing Olivia knew, her nostrils burned with the most horribly intense skunk smell she’d ever encountered. She was vaguely aware of Joss swearing as the skunk hurried—as much as skunks can hurry—across the road and back out of sight.
Ethel, traumatized by the incident, was low to the ground and whimpering. Joss began to intersperse her swearing with semi-panicked posturing about what they should do. Olivia, unable to contain herself, began to laugh. She laughed so hard that she bent over and had to gasp for breath. When she was able to regain some of her composure, she straightened herself and wiped the tears from her eyes.
“So the second is skunks?”
Joss stopped swearing and looked at her. The question broke the tension and Joss also started to laugh. It started out as a single guffaw, then grew into a full belly laugh. Hearing it set Olivia off again, and the next thing she knew, they were both sitting on the ground on the side of the road.
Ethel, finding the humans on the ground reassuring, crept over and licked Joss’s chin. Joss patted her head, then cringed when she realized she was merely spreading the stink around.
“I swear to you, in the eight years I’ve had Ethel, she’s never been skunked. Ever. It’s the smell in the air that gets her all riled up.”
“Well, now I feel special.”
Joss rolled her eyes. “Seriously, though. What are we going to do?”
Olivia shrugged. “Google it?”
“Thanks, professor.”
They hustled back toward the house. Olivia went inside for her phone while Joss kept Ethel out. She emerged a moment later. “Do you have hydrogen peroxide and baking soda?”
“Yep.”
“Okay. Since you know where everything is, I’ll hold her while you go mix it up.” She handed Joss her phone. “This is the recipe the Humane Society recommends.”
Joss accepted the phone and looked at the screen. “Sounds far less disgusting than tomato juice.”
Olivia took the leash. “Holler when you’re ready and we’ll come inside.”
Joss looked at Olivia, a little surprised by how quick she was to jump in. “You don’t have to help. I know this isn’t the date night you signed up for.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not an expert or anything, but I’m sure four hands are better than two.”
She was right. “Thanks. I’ll be just a minute.”
Joss went inside and grabbed baking soda and dish soap from the kitchen. She snagged a bucket from the hall closet on her way to the bathroom. She only had about half the peroxide suggested, so she mixed things up the best she could. She opened the bathroom window, both for ventilation and to let Olivia know she was ready.
Once they got Ethel in the tub, Olivia dived right in. They knelt side by side, massaging the lather in then rinsing it off. They followed with Ethel’s usual dog shampoo and another rinse. Ethel only shook once, but it was enough to soak both of them pretty well. After being toweled off, Ethel happily trotted out of the bathroom.
“Do you think she’s okay?” Olivia asked.
“Yes, and she’ll probably be asleep in about ninety seconds.”
“Oh, good. Does that mean we get to take showers now?”
“Yes, and you can go first.”
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve said all day.”
“Take your time. I’ll grab towels and leave them here.” Joss gestured to the ledge of the sink.
Joss went to the linen closet, then waited until she heard water running before opening the door to set down towels. She went downstairs to grab Olivia’s bag. After a moment of hesitation, she carried it to the guest room. She wanted Olivia to be comfortable and have her own space. She also didn’t want the fact that Olivia was staying over to imply that they were going to sleep together again.
When Olivia emerged a few minutes later, wrapped in a towel and with wet hair trailing down her shoulders, Joss stopped breathing for a moment. It was part desire, but part something else. She couldn’t quite name it, but it felt like a casual sort of intimacy; it made her heart swell uncomfortably in her chest.
“I put your things in the bedroom down on the left. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be just a couple of minutes.”
Olivia, whose skin was flushed pink from the hot water, smiled at her. “Thanks.”
Joss showered, then put on the T-shirt and boxers she’d brought into the bathroom with her. When she emerged, she found Olivia standing in the hallway looking at one of the paintings on the wall. She wore a dark purple slip, the kind of thing that hovered on the line between sleepwear and lingerie. Her feet were bare and her hair still damp. The combination was insanely sexy.
“Feel better?”
Olivia turned to her. “So much better. You?”
“Same. Thank you again for the help, and for being such a good sport. It’s not exactly how I expected the evening to go.”
Olivia smiled. “All part of the adventure.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I hope that doesn’t mean other adventures are off the table.”
Joss chuckled. “I didn’t want to presume anything, especially after, you know.”
Olivia slid her hands under the back of Joss’s shirt and started trailing her fingers up and down Joss’s back. “But it’s the other adventures I’m really interested in.”
“Well, I don’t want to disappoint.”
Olivia smiled. “I imagine you rarely do.”
Olivia continued the gentle scratching. She leaned forward, pressing her breasts into Joss’s chest. Through the thin fabric, Joss could feel her nipples. Joss ran her hands up Olivia’s sides, then around to take Olivia’s breasts into her hands. “Was there something specific you had in mind?”
There was a gleam in Olivia’s eye that Joss found beyond erotic. She leaned forward, bringing her lips so close to Joss’s ear that Joss could feel the warmth of her breath. What she whispered made Joss’s entire body react, turning her arousal into a visceral desire.
Olivia leaned back and looked at Joss with searching eyes. Joss smiled slowly. “Come to my room in ninety seconds.”
Olivia nodded, but didn’t speak. Joss left her standing in the hall and went to her bedroom. When Olivia joined her, she was sitting on the bed, ready. She made to get up, but Olivia lifted
her hand. “Don’t move.”
Joss swallowed and stayed where she was. Olivia walked toward her. She flicked her gaze down as she took the cock in her hand, then looked up and locked eyes with Joss. The gentle pressure of Olivia stroking her was already driving her crazy.
Olivia bent down and kissed her, then nudged her back onto the bed. Joss allowed herself to be guided, wanting Olivia to call the shots, at least for now. Olivia knelt beside her, kissing her chest and continuing the rhythmic stroking that was pushing Joss dangerously close to the edge. Joss closed her eyes and allowed the sensations to pulse through her.
When Olivia stopped, Joss opened her eyes, unsure of how much time had passed. Olivia was staring at her intently and smiling. “I need to have you inside me now.”
“Yes. Tell me what you need, what you want.”
“Like I said before, don’t move.” Olivia shifted so that she was straddling Joss’s hips. Joss took a deep breath and tried to rein in the arousal that was threatening to strip away any semblance of control. She felt Olivia position the cock and the next thing she knew, she was completely surrounded by Olivia’s heat. She groaned, realizing how long it had been since she’d been with a woman like this.
“Is this okay?” Olivia’s body was still and she was, again, searching Joss’s eyes.
“You feel…amazing.”
“I was just thinking the same thing.”
Olivia started to move, slow undulations that Joss felt from the place their bodies were joined to the tips of her fingers and toes. She placed her hands on Olivia’s hips, not so much to guide them, but to feel the movement. She watched Olivia’s face, her eyes closed and her hair a tumble of flame-colored curls. Joss didn’t think she’d ever seen anything so beautiful.
Olivia’s thrusts became more urgent and she leaned forward, placing a hand on either side of Joss’s head. Joss pulled her into a kiss and began thrusting back, lifting her hips to match the press of Olivia against her. The friction of their movement combined with the slide of Olivia’s damp breasts against hers. Joss felt the pressure start to build and she had to fight furiously to hold herself back.
When Olivia’s body began to tremble, Joss let go. Her limbs went rigid and the orgasm felt like an explosion. The heat poured out of her and flashes of light clouded her vision. She pulled herself together, only to find Olivia still on top of her, her hair curtaining both their faces. Olivia was still, save an occasional tremor.
“You okay?”
Olivia’s eyes opened and she blinked a few times, as though trying to bring Joss into focus. “I am so fucking good.”
Joss laughed. It was exactly how she felt, too. She loved that she’d reduced the English professor to such an unsophisticated declaration. Olivia kissed her and rolled over, flopping onto the bed next to her. Joss rolled onto her side, admiring the lines of Olivia’s body and the sheen of sweat on her skin. “You really do look like a pinup girl.”
Olivia raised a brow. “A pinup girl?”
Joss hadn’t meant to say so out loud. “Sorry. I meant it in a good way. I swear.”
“Don’t apologize. That’s a lovely compliment.” Olivia lifted one of her knees and made a pose. “I like it.”
Joss laughed. “I thought that the first time I saw you, or maybe the second. You were wearing this vintage-looking dress and your hair was all pinned up. You made my mouth water.”
Olivia smiled again, but the compliment seemed to make her shy all of a sudden. “Thanks.”
Joss traced the line of Olivia’s jaw with her finger. She felt something inside her shift. More than attraction, more even than how much she’d started to like Olivia, Joss felt the stirrings of something much bigger. She had no idea what she was going to do about it.
Chapter Sixteen
The next morning, Joss let Olivia shower first again. As tempted as she was to climb in next to her, Joss figured doing so would make them both late to work. Olivia got dressed in what Joss had come to think of as her professor clothes and headed off to campus. Joss put on work clothes and headed over to Olivia’s to work on the bathroom.
That evening, Olivia picked up Indian and they sat at the kitchen island with a bottle of wine and a half dozen takeout containers between them. They put on a football game, but spent most of the evening on the couch talking. When it was time for bed, Olivia hovered for the briefest moment at the top of the stairs. Joss tilted her head toward her bedroom; it was all the invitation Olivia needed.
The following day, Olivia had a work thing that kept her on campus until after six. Joss waited up for her downstairs, thinking Olivia might want to make use of the guest room after such a long day, but she was quickly proven wrong. After the third night, Joss was torn. On one hand, she wasn’t in any hurry for Olivia to stop spending the night. Instead of feeling like too much time together, Joss craved more. It left her a little unsettled just how easily they’d slipped into a routine. She liked having Olivia around, and not just in the bedroom. On the other hand, she didn’t dally with work. She liked finishing projects ahead of schedule and she was especially anxious to see Olivia’s reaction to the completed bathroom.
The latter sentiment won out. With the tile grouted and the bathroom floors set, she spent the day putting in the new bathroom fixtures and reconnecting the plumbing. She’d had to hustle to be sure she would finish before Olivia left work, but she made it. She’d been thrilled to text Olivia and tell her to go home after class. Olivia’s giddy reply convinced her she’d made the right decision.
Olivia was barely in the door before Joss pulled her up the stairs. Olivia’s first response was to squeal. She gave Joss a kiss, then a squeeze, then another kiss. When Olivia finally let go, she stood in the doorway, making appreciative noises and a few comments about showering together. Since it was the first part of the job completely finished, Joss felt good knowing that Olivia was happy with the work. But when they headed downstairs, Olivia seemed fidgety.
“Is something wrong?”
“Not at all. I need to talk to you about something, though.”
Joss froze. She had a moment of panic that Olivia actually hated the bathroom. And since, in her mind, it was damn near perfect, Olivia hating it would not sit well. “What is it?”
“I need your help.”
Joss looked at her. “Okay. With what?”
“I adopted a goat and I need to have a place to put him and I don’t think the barn is up to snuff and I need you to help me build something for him.”
“Wait, wait, hold on. Back up. You bought a goat?” If Joss had made a list of a hundred things Olivia could have come up with in that moment, a goat would not have been on it.
“Adopted.”
“Tomato, tom-ah-to. You’re telling me you are now, or will be, in possession of a goat. Yes?” It wasn’t like Joss didn’t understand what she said. And, technically, Olivia’s decisions about what to do at her house were none of Joss’s business, but Joss couldn’t not press for an explanation.
“He needed a home. He’s been at a petting zoo his whole life and it went out of business.”
Joss shook her head. She wasn’t bothered by the decision so much as dumbfounded. “You realize you aren’t set up to care for livestock.”
Olivia offered a winning smile. “No, but I have space. The way I see it, I can’t put in a garden until spring, and constructing a chicken coop is even more of an undertaking. This is the least farmy farm thing I could do, which makes it the perfect place to start.”
Even if the argument was absurd, Olivia sold it pretty well. Joss shook her head.
“I also have the services of a very accomplished carpenter.”
The compliment was a nice touch, but beside the point. “That carpenter has her hands full at the moment, if you hadn’t noticed.”
“I was hoping I might get you to take on a small side project, with the explicit understanding it will push back the schedule on the house.”
Joss couldn’t decide if the idea was
endearing or utterly ridiculous. Olivia seemed to have that effect on her. It also irked her, at least a little, that she’d barely put the finishing touches on the bathroom before Olivia was jumping on to a new—and completely random—project. “So let me get this straight. You, who are living in a total construction zone, would like me to stop working on your house so that I can build a shelter, or pen, or whatever, for a goat.”
“When you say it like that, it sounds unreasonable.” Olivia’s hands went to her hips.
“I don’t think it has anything to do with my phrasing.”
“Please?”
“Are you…Are you batting your eyelashes at me?”
“Am I?” Olivia seemed genuinely surprised.
“Oh, my God. You are and you don’t even know it. It’s like it’s in your DNA or something.”
“Does that mean you won’t do it?”
It was hard to tell if Olivia was acting or truly crestfallen. The idea of that should bother Joss, but for some reason, it didn’t. That meant that either Olivia had some kind of secret charm or Joss was more far gone than she’d realized. Maybe it meant both. Joss shook her head, but smiled. “Not at all. I do my best not to turn down projects. Let me finish cleaning these tools and I’ll meet you outside.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Olivia kissed her on the cheek and headed toward the back door.
Joss watched her leave, the skirt of her dress swaying slightly with each step. She was struck by the realization that she’d do just about anything to put that gleeful look in Olivia’s eyes.
Outside, Olivia was standing by the barn with her head cocked to one side. As Joss approached she turned and smiled. “So, I’ve been thinking…”
Joss knew what that meant. It meant that Olivia had taken whatever plan she’d started with and turned it into something more complicated. In truth, the ideas usually made the final result better without derailing any work that had been done already. Joss didn’t know if that was due to effort on Olivia’s part or sheer luck. “Tell me what you have in mind.”
Olivia launched into her idea for building a fenced-in area against the side wall of the barn. Using the side door that had been boarded up, the pen would lead into an indoor area that would provide protection and warmth. “If you look in the barn, a lot of the structure is still there. Whoever did the initial garage conversion left the rest of the space untouched.”