by Harper Bliss
“Are you being the man?” Quinn asked, an inevitable grin on her lips.
“I’m leading,” Maya said. “Those two things might have meant the same thing once but not anymore. I’ve taught plenty of same-sex couples.”
“Lead away,” Quinn said. “I don’t mind one bit.”
Maya raised their hands and put her other hand on Quinn’s hip. “Put your left hand on my shoulder.” As she watched Quinn do so, she realized how expertly Quinn had played her. Was this what she had wanted all along? “Beginners keep their distance,” Maya said in her stern teacher voice. Despite the small gap between their bodies, Quinn’s hand on her shoulder felt hot against Maya’s skin.
“Good thing I’m a natural,” Quinn said in a surprisingly husky tone.
“Listen to the music.” Maya ignored her quip. An interlude of dancing would snap her right out it—and would show Quinn who was in charge, even if it was only for a few minutes of this entire evening. Maya counted them down again.
It took them a few beats to slip into the same rhythm, but again Maya was surprised how swiftly Quinn got the hang of it. Maybe she really was a natural. Maya could hardly credit her own teaching skills as she’d barely done anything. She’d just danced for Quinn. And now she was dancing with Quinn and it was exhilarating to move to the music with someone else. To do it together. To hear the same beat and move their feet at the same time, as though their bodies were one. Oops. Inadvertently, Maya’s hips had inched closer toward Quinn’s, and her body heat radiated onto Maya’s.
Oh, what the hell. Maya broke the very rule she’d just set of keeping their distance and touched her hips against Quinn’s. It was simply much more pleasant to dance like this. The push and pull of someone else’s hips as they brushed against hers was one of the ingredients that made the salsa so irresistible.
Maya had danced with plenty of women, having few qualms about touching them in this way, but with Quinn, like so many other things, it was different. It was more intense and subject to all sorts of innuendo. Even though Maya was leading the dance—and Quinn was doing a more than admirable job following her lead—and she should be feeling in charge, she didn’t.
It wasn’t just Quinn’s hips pushing against hers when she moved toward her. Quinn’s fingers dug gently into the flesh of her shoulder. Her other hand curled delicately around Maya’s. Most of all, it was how Quinn, unlike most beginners, didn’t feel any need to look down at her feet. Instead, she gazed deep into Maya’s eyes and she found it impossible to look away.
“This is not your first salsa, is it?” she asked.
“It’s my first one with you,” Quinn replied. She grinned again, but softer this time. “You are such a gorgeous woman, Maya, but when you dance, you are absolutely exquisite.”
Heat flushed Maya’s cheeks. She should just say a simple thank you. After all, she had heard something along those lines a million times before. But when Quinn said it like that, it meant something entirely different. It wasn’t just a compliment. It was a come-on. Maya’s throat had gone so dry, she barely managed to scrape the word “Thanks” from it.
“You’re very welcome.” Quinn slowed their pace until their salsa turned into more of a slow dance. Their hips were still firmly pressed together.
Maya’s body throbbed to the beat of the music, a beat they were no longer following. The next song came on and Maya was so entranced by Quinn’s gaze, by the feel of her naked belly pushing against her, that she didn’t even recognize it. This was the moment Maya needed to pull herself together and draw a clear line in the sand. If she let Quinn cross the next boundary, she had no idea where it would end. But how could she do that when she was enjoying this so much? Their feet had stopped moving in the salsa pattern. Their hips were swaying, not an inch of space between them.
Quinn drew a line with her fingers from Maya’s shoulder, from where her hand had been earlier, over her clavicle, to her neck. Her thumb swept over Maya’s jaw. Oh god, what was she doing? She brought her thumb to Maya’s chin, hooked a finger underneath, and pulled Maya toward her.
“Quinn,” Maya whispered, but her protest was so feeble, Maya didn’t think Quinn had even heard her. And if she had, Maya saying her name like that might have easily been mistaken for encouragement.
Maya’s pulse soared beneath her skin. Her heart slammed against her rib cage. She knew she shouldn’t be doing this—she shouldn’t allow Quinn to bridge the small gap between their lips—but that awareness wasn’t nearly enough to stop herself. Still, she was the older one, so she should also be the wiser one. But who was she kidding? Maya had let this happen. She’d somehow fooled herself into thinking she would be able to stop it when it came down to it—if it ever did—but that was like being invited onto the dance floor by the most gorgeous dance partner only to be denied the actual dance.
Quinn’s hand had descended to Maya’s neck where it lay gently against her skin. Quinn looked at her, her face expressing nothing but desire to kiss Maya. Her lips were slightly parted. Her beautiful blue eyes narrowed. It looked as though she was waiting for something. As if she was leaving it up to Maya whether they would kiss or not—whether this would end right there and then or not.
Maya flicked her tongue over her lips before she leaned in, met Quinn’s mouth with hers, and gave herself the gift of a reckless adventure.
Chapter 6
Quinn rested her palm against Maya’s neck. She tried to exercise as much as control as she could muster and not let her other hand disappear into Maya’s hair. She’d brazenly taken over Maya’s lead earlier—in her very own arena, no less—but now she wanted Maya to feel as though she was in charge of what came next. Quinn wanted Maya—she’d wanted her from the very first dip in her pool—but that didn’t mean she was hers for the taking. Quinn also knew that the step from dancing with to kissing another woman was a much bigger leap for Maya than it was for her. But Maya was kissing her. The first touch of their lips had been tentative, but Maya’s doubts hadn’t persisted for very long if the ferocity of her kiss was anything to go by.
Quinn had done all the preparatory work and left the road wide open for Maya to take that final step. And she had. As a result, Quinn’s heart was doing a mad dance in her chest. Because she had meant what she’d said earlier. Maya was such a gorgeous woman and the way she moved would make any mere mortal swoon with desire.
Darkness was coming in slowly but it was still hot outside. It was one of those sultry nights that only occurred in the middle of summer and that always felt different outside of the city. The air had a lighter quality here. The openness of the spaces around her somehow left more room for possibility. Or maybe Maya’s beauty had more opportunity to shine in dreary old Milbury. But no, Maya would be equally exquisite in the city— she could easily eclipse the most breathtaking places in the world.
Quinn leaned into Maya more and now she let her hand meander through Maya’s velvety mane of hair. There was a tenderness to Maya that Quinn seemed to crave. A gentleness that was perhaps hard to come by in the city. A quality that Rachel certainly didn’t possess, with her leather jackets, pointy boots, and black sense of humor. Maya was the opposite of Rachel in many ways; although Quinn couldn’t really know for sure, she sensed it. Maya wore her loving and caring heart on her sleeve, and Quinn needed someone like Maya now to offset Rachel’s aloofness and sharp corners. Even Rachel’s angular haircut was harsh. Kissing Maya would go a long way in helping Quinn get over Rachel. And who knew… maybe the stars, which you could actually see here if you stayed up late enough for the sky to go fully dark, had more in store for them tonight.
Maya’s hands seemed stuck to Quinn’s sides, as though she was afraid to make good use of them. Perhaps it was a touch intimidating for Maya to be holding a much younger woman in a scant bikini. Quinn decided to lead by example—the way Maya had done earlier when showing her how to salsa. She let her hand drift down from Maya’s neck to just above the curve of her breast. Quinn stopped herself from flic
king her thumb across Maya’s nipple. Even though their kiss was deepening still, and Maya’s hands were moving upward a fraction, Quinn was on very thin ice here. That the spell they were momentarily under could easily be broken—as easily as Maya suddenly coming to her senses.
Maya was the first to pull back from their kiss. Mouth slightly agape, she gazed at Quinn. In Maya’s eyes, Quinn didn’t see any intention to cut this short any time soon, but you never knew.
“Quinn.” Maya gave a slight shake of the head. “I—” she started to say, then paused.
Hard as it was to not pull Maya close again, Quinn gave her the time she needed. She gave her the opportunity to come to her again if she still wanted to. Quinn wasn’t here to convince Maya that kissing her again was a good idea. But she was definitely here for her if Maya decided that was exactly what she wanted to do with the rest of her evening, perhaps even night.
“We shouldn’t—” Maya said, but instead of widening the distance between them, she looked down at Quinn’s breasts, then even farther down. She brought her hand to just above the waistband of Quinn’s shorts. “You have no idea how much I want to know what that tattoo says.” She ran a fingertip over Quinn’s sensitive skin, making every hair on her body rise up in anticipation.
“It’s easy enough to find out,” Quinn said, getting slightly ahead of herself, which she blamed fully on the dangerous position of Maya’s finger.
She watched how Maya swallowed slowly. Even though they’d stopped kissing, the atmosphere between them had intensified.
“I’m not sure I should find out.” Maya contradicted what she’d just said by hooking a fingertip underneath Quinn’s shorts.
Quinn took a sharp inhale of breath. She didn’t know what to say to that, so she didn’t say anything.
Apparently, Maya had lost the need for speaking as well. She peered down at her finger. She pulled Quinn’s shorts down a fraction to reveal the tattoo that ran low across the width of her belly.
The chuckle that followed surprised Quinn, although she’d had all sorts of reactions to her tattoo.
“It’s too small. I need my reading glasses.” Maya’s finger stayed in the same position, holding Quinn’s shorts slightly down.
Quinn’s arousal skyrocketed. “Maya… ” It was Quinn’s turn to only have a breathless whisper left for a voice. “Please.” Although a good distance remained between the tip of Maya’s finger and the throbbing center of Quinn’s body, it didn’t make any difference. Quinn’s desire was about to pass the point of no return. But she had to wait. Maya wanting to see her tattoo could be curiosity of a different kind.
Maya seemed to realize the effect the position of her finger was having on Quinn. “Maybe…” she said. “I’ll find out later.” She tugged Quinn closer, using the same finger, and kissed her again.
Although Maya withdrew her finger, Quinn was already anticipating what that finger could do to her. She was imagining what it would be like to see Maya naked in front of her. How heavenly it would feel to please her.
Maya had brought her hands to Quinn’s cheeks, cupping them gently. She kept pulling Quinn in for kiss after kiss. Her tongue was impossibly soft against Quinn’s, her lips pillowy and addictive.
When Quinn started kissing a path down her neck, Maya whispered in her ear, “Maybe we should go inside.”
Quin nodded and happily let Maya drag her into the house. She followed her up the stairs, every cell in her body pulsing with hot anticipation. Although, of course, Maya could still change her mind. But Quinn decided she would make it impossible for Maya to do that.
Maya had confessed earlier that she’d only gone on a few unmemorable dates of late. This might not be a date but, no matter what it was, Quinn was determined to make sure that Maya never forgot about it.
Chapter 7
Maya stood outside her bedroom. It wasn’t hesitation keeping her from opening the door. It was the frisson running down her spine, the delicious tension deep in her belly, the blatant desire she felt for this woman that stopped her in her tracks.
At least she wasn’t the cliché of the middle-aged woman / empty-nester who started an affair with the pool boy after her son left home. She didn’t know if an affair with the neighbor’s daughter was better or worse. But it no longer mattered. Maya had stopped seeing Quinn as Bill and Brooke’s daughter the instant their hips had touched earlier. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have led Quinn to her bedroom. They wouldn’t be standing here right now.
Maya ushered them in. She might have shared the dance floor with other women, but she’d never shared her bed with one. Still, it wasn’t her lack of experience that frightened her. It was the complete newness of it. The uncharted territory she was about to enter. She would worry about why she had let Quinn seduce her later. First, she was going to enjoy this.
Quinn came for her as soon as they’d set foot in the bedroom. As though Maya had given her the final okay—and she had. She slung her arms around Maya’s neck and pulled her close.
Quinn’s rock-hard nipples pressed against Maya through the sheer fabric of her dress. Quinn ran her hands through Maya’s hair and moaned softly into her mouth.
Kissing another woman was even more intoxicating than the cocktail said woman had prepared for Maya earlier. There was no scratch of five o’clock shadow. Quinn’s kisses, though hungry and not restrained in the least, felt so much gentler than anyone else Maya had ever kissed. Quinn’s lips were eager and soft and to be kissed over and over again. Her tongue was exploratory more than invasive. Her touch was delicate and intentional. It was all so overwhelming and utterly arousing. And maybe that surprised Maya the most.
Kissing Quinn was electric; a jolt of heat running through her, a blast that ran from her core to each tiny extremity. It was easy enough for Maya to tell herself it was her curiosity about being with a woman that was driving her lust. She had to gloss over Quinn being her much younger neighbor if she was going to go through with this.
Earlier, in the garden, Maya had been bashful. She hadn’t known what to do with her hands. But now, in the privacy of her bedroom, she let her hands roam across Quinn’s back, to the clasp of her bikini top with its two tiny pieces of fabric that revealed more than they concealed. When Maya was Quinn’s age, she had worn exactly the same. A body honed and chiseled by hours and hours of dancing deserved to be on display as much as possible. Maya had never been modest about how she looked because she had always known very well where those looks had come from. They were a direct product of her hard work. These days, however, gravity was doing its depressing business of pulling parts of her body downward. She noticed it every time she held up her arms to show her students how to carry their frame during the waltz. A small portion of the skin on her upper arms had started to slump. Maybe that was another reason why someone as young as Quinn was in her bedroom tonight. The vitality of her youth sparked something in Maya.
Maya unclasped Quinn’s top, then brushed its straps off Quinn’s shoulders. She broke away from their kiss because she wanted to witness the moment when Quinn’s breasts were fully bared. Maya had been taunted by her near-naked breasts for two days now. She was the one who guided Quinn’s bikini top through its final descent toward the floor. Her gaze was glued to Quinn’s chest. Quinn’s nipples were surrounded by a triangle of lighter skin and Maya had never guessed she would find tan lines so arousing.
As though drawn by an invisible force, Maya cupped Quinn’s breasts. Her thumb swept lightly over her nipples. She was so overcome by the sight of Quinn’s naked upper half that she barely noticed her own shortness of breath. The fire in her belly ramped up to a higher flame. A fire that drove her to inch closer to Quinn, lower her head and wrap her lips around one of Quinn’s nipples. Quinn threw her head back, and brought her hands back to Maya’s hair. She emitted a low groan that only revved up the fire in Maya’s belly.
Maya no longer had any idea what was happening to her. She was not herself, that much was clear—it was also the
only thing that was clear. That and how much she wanted Quinn. She let one hand drift down again, her finger finding Quinn’s mysterious tattoo, and drawing a line along it.
Quinn’s hands descended to Maya’s shoulders, her fingertips digging into Maya’s flesh, as she slowly walked them toward the bed.
Maya flicked her tongue one last time along Quinn’s nipple before letting go and pulling her own dress over her head. Maya took off her own bra before Quinn had the chance to do so. And then she was taken aback by a moment of timidity. Of course her breasts didn’t look like Quinn’s. That was, perhaps, a disadvantage of going to bed with another woman—comparing. But Maya knew better than to compare herself to a woman twenty years her junior. It was an exercise in futility that would only take away from her enjoyment. And Quinn had come on to her—had called her beautiful and exquisite and gorgeous. If Quinn liked older women so much, she must be well acquainted with the increased effects of gravity on their bodies.
Quinn put her hand on the arm that was covering Maya’s breasts. She ran two fingers over Maya’s skin. “I want to see you,” she said. “All of you.”
Just hearing those simple words was enough for Maya. She let her arm fall away and subjected herself to Quinn’s soft gaze, her lips drawn into a small smile of delight, at least that’s what Maya made of it.
“You’re so beautiful,” Quinn said, again, and laid her hands on Maya’s breasts. She cupped them gently while she kissed Maya again, her lips and tongue reassuring Maya that every word she had just said could be nothing but the truth.
They fell onto the bed and then Maya experienced the delight of feeling Quinn’s body draped all over hers. Quinn’s knee between her legs. Quinn’s naked breasts against her own. Quinn’s lips traveling from her mouth to her neck, and then deliciously making their way to her breasts.
When Quinn closed her lips around Maya’s nipple, a zap of electricity sparked between her legs. Everything about Quinn was so surprisingly soft. Maya had expected Quinn’s young muscles to have a certain hardness to them when Quinn lay on top of her like this, but they didn’t. It was all exquisite softness and enticing tenderness. Quinn sucked Maya’s nipple deep into her mouth—and there was nothing soft about that action.