“I don’t think we’re finished with this conversation yet. I kind of like having you at a disadvantage,” Payton said as she plucked a piece of chicken from one of the containers with her hand and fed it to Ryann. She inhaled sharply when Ryann grabbed her wrist and sucked the residue from her fingers.
“Where’re you going?” Ryann asked when Payton moved away from her.
“Not far.” Payton moved behind the sofa, leaned down, and whispered against Ryann’s ear. “Tell me what you want.”
Ryann exhaled shakily. “To find every sensitive spot you have.” Ryann bit her bottom lip. “To taste you.”
Payton crept around the front of the couch, moved the coffee table, and knelt in front of her. She smiled when Ryann again flinched at her touch. “You knew where I was that time, I made too much noise.” Payton pushed Ryann’s legs open and ran her hands up the inside of her thighs.
Ryann grabbed Payton by the front of the shirt with one hand and traced her lips with the other before pulling Payton’s mouth to hers. Payton’s hands slid beneath her legs, and Ryann felt herself being lifted up. She broke the kiss and exclaimed, “Are you crazy? I’m not that light.”
“No, you’re not,” Payton said with a breathless laugh.
Ryann ripped the bandanna from her eyes and blinked rapidly to rid herself of the blurriness. “Don’t throw your back out, I have a lot of plans for it.”
In the bedroom, Payton lowered Ryann to the bed and lay on top of her. “I like being able to see your eyes.”
“I’m ready to finish our chat now that I can see yours, too.” Ryann slipped her hands beneath Payton’s pants and ran her hands over her backside. “When my face is between your legs, do you want to be on your knees or on your back?” She turned her face away when Payton tried to kiss her. “Look me in the eye and answer that.”
“On my back,” Payton said and ground into her.
Ryann gripped the silky skin beneath her hands and stared into Payton’s eyes. “I want to be inside of you when you come.”
Payton devoured Ryann’s mouth as their hips began to move at a fevered pace. Ryann’s hands were all over her, pushing at her pants and pulling at her shirt. She broke the kiss long enough to allow Ryann to pull it over her head. Ryann gripped her sides and pushed up until Payton’s breasts were above her face.
“Thank you so much for not wearing a bra,” Ryann whispered as her tongue flicked over one nipple. Her hand slipped down the front of Payton’s pants, and Payton groaned as Ryann wasted no time filling her.
Payton gripped the blanket on her bed, wanting so much just to give into the pleasurable things Ryann was doing to her body. A minute or two longer, she’d be lost. Her back arched involuntarily as Ryann grazed her clit. She grabbed Ryann’s hand and pulled away, despite the protests.
Payton was a lot rougher than she wanted to be as she moved off of Ryann and yanked her sweatpants over her hips. She nearly ripped her shirt as she pulled it off and took a deep breath as her gaze raked over Ryann’s body. Seconds ticked by as images flashed through her mind. Ryann in the bar that first night, her smile at the barbecue, even her stunned expression when Payton had accidently hit her in class.
Ryann, who lay propped on her elbows, gazed at Payton. “Hey,” she said softly. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re here,” Payton said in awe.
“Right where I want to be.” Ryann took Payton’s hand and pulled her close again. “You went into what looked like a trance the minute I was naked. It made me a little self-conscious.”
Payton ran a finger down Ryann’s chest. “You’re the most exquisite thing I’ve ever seen. I’m so glad we left the lamp on,” she said and followed the path of her finger with her lips.
Ryann inhaled a shuddering breath as Payton’s mouth closed over one of her nipples, and her hand trailed lower. The muscles in her stomach quivered beneath the light touch, and she bit her lip when Payton’s fingers slipped into her wetness. She gripped Payton’s hair with one hand and the sheets with the other as Payton kissed her way down her stomach. She had no control over the noises she made when Payton settled between her legs, using her fingers and her tongue to drive her slowly insane.
Payton would’ve loved to have taken Ryann slowly, but she wanted release just as badly as Ryann did. She wanted to feel and hear her come. Every moan and sigh, every move of her hips sent a jolt of electricity coursing through her, and when she felt Ryann come around her fingers, she nearly followed her.
Ryann’s thighs trembled when she tried to move her legs. Payton was still deep inside of her as she kissed her way back up to her breasts. “You’re not going to let me catch my breath, are you?”
Payton breathed out over her skin as she said, “I don’t want to.”
“Come a little higher then.”
Payton laughed. “I can’t concentrate if you touch me.”
Ryann’s eyes slipped closed when Payton added another finger and slowly started to fuck her. “Please come a little closer,” she panted out as she gently pinched Payton’s nipple. Payton straddled a leg. Ryann hissed between clenched teeth as she ran her fingers through Payton’s wetness. “Lay down, Payton, let me—” Ryann moaned when Payton added another finger.
“You’re already messing me up.”
“I want to make you come, and I want to see your face when you do.” Ryann’s eyes were heavy lidded as she gazed up at her. “Stay right where you are.”
Payton’s movements became less controlled as Ryann concentrated on her clit. Her breathing became more erratic, the muscles in her stomach and thighs tensed. Ryann wanted more.
Payton wasn’t really sure what had happened until her back hit the bed and Ryann’s hand was in the center of her chest holding her down. The things Ryann was doing to her made it impossible to protest.
“Don’t close your eyes,” Ryann said shakily.
Payton gripped the sheets, and her shoulders rose off the bed, despite Ryann’s hold. Her head lolled back as her breath caught in her throat. The waves seemed endless as she released a ragged groan.
*******
Payton awoke with a jolt, unused to hearing the shower running in her bathroom. She blinked at the clock and felt sorry for Ryann, who didn’t have the luxury of sleeping in. Memories of what they’d done flashed through her mind. She could almost feel the softness of Ryann’s hair splayed across her thighs, the touch of Ryann’s tongue bringing her to another orgasm.
Every muscle in her body complained as she rolled over and stretched. “She did make me scream her name.” Payton chuckled at the statement and the utter bliss she felt. She got up and put on her robe, then switched on the lamp. Her bed looked like a disaster area. They’d slept wrapped in a blanket, the sheets were no longer on the mattress.
“Coffee, very strong coffee is what she’s gonna need.”
Payton frowned as she padded through the living room. Sometime during the night, they’d taken a break and attacked the Chinese food. Empty containers littered the coffee table. What was left didn’t smell so great.
She went on into the kitchen and had just started the coffee to brew when Ryann joined her dressed in a pair of jeans and a polo shirt with the school’s logo on the breast pocket. “Thank God for sports day,” Ryann said hoarsely. “At least I can dress comfortably. You tried to kill me last night.”
“Me? Did you drink a six-pack of energy drinks before you came over here? Your stamina, woman, where does it come from?”
Ryann smiled tiredly. “I wish I had some right now.” She walked over to Payton, wrapped her arms around her neck, and sagged against her. “I’m so jealous of you because you can go back to bed.”
“I won’t. If you have to suffer, I will, too. Otherwise, I’ll try to seduce you again tonight.” Payton kissed Ryann’s damp hair pulled back in a ponytail. “I still might. This is a stupid question, but are we going to class tonight?”
“Yep…that was stupid.”
Payton inhaled the scent
of Ryann’s shampoo and closed her eyes. “Will I see you tonight?”
“Baby…incidentally, that was my first term of endearment directed toward you. We spent the weekend together, of course, I want to see you.”
Payton tried not to act relieved and give away the fact that she was worried. “We could stay at your place if you’d like.”
“That sounds great. Right now, I need you to shove me out the door and lock it behind me in case I try to get back in.”
Payton laughed and kissed the top of her head again. “Let me give you some coffee first, my cuddle bunny snookums.”
Ryann pressed a finger to Payton’s lips. “No.”
Payton kissed it. “Okay, I’ll stick to baby and sweetie.”
Chapter 23
By the grins on their faces, Olivia knew that Ryann and Payton had left out a lot of details on the first time they made love. She smiled at them and said, “So this is where you two began all of your tomorrows together.”
“Well…kind of, but it was a long time before we were intimate again. I was run over in Payton’s front yard. Then she met my mother and other sisters, and that did not go well at all,” Ryann said with a laugh.
Olivia picked up her pen. “What do you mean you were run over, and by whom?”
“Leigh,” the couple said in unison.
“That was a real turning point in our relationship,” Payton said with a smile.
*******
******
***
“Aw, man, are you sick?” Jana asked when Payton opened her front door. She sniffed at the air. “It stinks in there. Do you have a stomach virus? You know how susceptible I am to that kind of thing.”
“I left some food out last night. I’m not sick.” Payton looked at the bag in Jana’s hand. “What’s in there? Please don’t say it’s Chinese.”
“It’s gumbo.” Jana stepped inside, staring at Payton’s face intently. “You look sick.”
Payton left the door open to air out the house. “I worked really hard on something special last night, and I didn’t get much sleep. I would’ve at least showered if I’d known you were going to treat me to lunch. Are you and Melanie all settled in?”
“Yeah, all my stuff is in the garage now.” Jana followed Payton into the kitchen. “I’ve got no sense of decorating style. Plus, it’s my house, and I’m sure it makes it feel more like our place to her with it stuffed full of her things.”
Payton set two bowls and two glasses on the counter. “You feel a little displaced, don’t you?”
“Erased.” Jana set the bag down and stared at it. “First, it was food—she changed my diet—then it was the house. We’re going shopping this weekend to update my wardrobe. I’m afraid to ask what’s next.”
“You need to talk to her. This is already blossoming into a problem.”
Jana watched as Payton poured the gumbo into the bowls. “I really did need to start eating better, and as far as the house goes, I want her to feel comfortable there. It’s just a lot of change that I need to learn how to deal with.”
“Do you have any soda?” Jana asked as she walked over to the fridge and looked inside. “Oh, Mountain Dew, sweet nectar. You want one?”
Payton felt dehydrated from the night before. “No, I’ll stick with water.”
They took the food and drinks over to the table and were about to sit down when Jana remembered the bread. She went back to the counter and pulled it out of the bag. It was then she noticed two wineglasses in the sink. “So…what did you work on last night for so long?”
“You’re my best friend, so I should be able to tell you anything without judgment, right?”
“Yes.” Jana tossed the packet of bread onto the table and sat down. “You slept with Ryann, didn’t you?”
“After I left your house, I spent the rest of the weekend with her.”
“Are you trying to get yourself killed? Did you miss the contemptuous look in Leigh’s eyes? Do we have to beat the beleaguered horse, which is the fact that Ryann just got out of a long-term relationship?”
Payton picked up her spoon and pointed it at Jana. “All of that sounded like judgment.”
“No, it’s common sense, something you used to have before you met Ryann.”
“How long ago did that happen? When did I meet her?” Payton didn’t wait for an answer. “The same night you met Melanie in person, which was over a year ago. You’re right, I haven’t been the same since. Call me irrational or stupid, but I loved her the night we met. I loved her laugh, the way she looked, the way I felt with her. Every minute we spend together, I fall for her.”
Jana stared at her for a moment. “You know, love at first sight doesn’t compute for me.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Jana pursed her lips and looked at the ceiling. “They broke up in October, so it’s been not quite three months. I’m not sure what the proper time limit is for moving on. If you go with the formula that she needs a month for every year to recover, she should be healed by June.”
“This isn’t something your mathematical mind can figure. Numbers don’t make any sense when it comes to the heart. Please just…hear me.”
“Okay.” Jana picked up her spoon and took a bite of her lunch. “You’re more of a ‘get it out in the open’ type of person than I am. Does Ryann know how you feel?”
Payton stirred her gumbo and sighed. “She knows I’m crazy about her, just not to what extent.”
“Does she say how she feels about you?”
Payton set her spoon aside without eating and folded her hands in her lap. “She’s crazy about me, too. She feels the connection. Don’t try to put that answer on a pie chart or analyze it. Numbers and logic don’t apply here. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Jana sighed. “I wish love and romance were mathematical, numbers don’t lie. They don’t move your things into the garage, either.”
“Tell her how you’re feeling today. Do it before this turns into resentment. Don’t you feel that you can tell her anything?”
Jana smiled wryly. “That we can tell our partners anything is a misconception. It’s all about timing. If I tell her that this move has me shaken, she’ll begin to worry that I’m having second thoughts.”
“Then preface the conversation with that. Assure her that you’re happy, but you’re a little…freaked out by all the change. You can work just about anything out if you’re willing to talk.”
Jana lowered her spoon slowly to her bowl. “She wants to have a couple’s colon cleanse at a clinic. She has a coupon. Payton, she’s up in my shit now…literally.”
*******
“You look like shit! Ryann, I can’t let you in here if you’re sick. Whatever you have will blow through my house like a hurricane.”
“I’m not sick.” Ryann smiled. “My transformer blew, and I’m exhausted.”
Shelly looked confused as she opened her door wider, then it struck her. “You had sex! Payton made sparks!”
“Payton set off a nuclear bomb,” Ryann said with a smile as she stepped inside. “She’s coming over tonight, and I need to feed her, but I’m too tired to cook. I need to raid your freezer.”
“I made that huge roast yesterday. Lucky for you, we have plenty of leftovers.” Shelly grabbed Ryann by the shirt and dragged her into the kitchen. “You want coffee?”
“No thanks, I’ve been drinking it all day.”
She shoved Ryann down into one of the kitchen chairs and took a seat beside her. “So it was good sex?”
“No.” Ryann shook her head and smiled. “It was fantastic—mind-blowing. I think we only slept for two hours. She’s affectionate, sensual, and passionate, every ingredient that makes sex powerful.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I am so…swept away. I feel like I’m floating. This weekend was magic. I felt free and at the same time already joined at her hip if that makes any sense.”
Shelly propped her chin in her hand and smiled. “You have feelings for her.”
&
nbsp; “Let me save us some time here. I’m going to say yes, then you’ll counter with it’s just lust, give the whole thing some time. To which I will reply that I have no plans to move in with her this week. I’m not fragile or stupid, don’t treat me like it.”
“I forget how bitchy you are when you’re tired. Baby, I’m not interested in giving advice or lectures, I want lurid details. Was it hot and sweaty sex?”
Ryann sliced a hand through the air. “We straight up tore her bed to pieces. I was dehydrated this morning. I know I left her knees weak.”
“Ooh, momma!” Shelly said with a devilish grin that quickly faded. “Speaking of Mom, she, Joan, and Paula are coming in next weekend. She called me today and told me to pass the news along to you. This would be a good time to stock up on some Prozac, and if you have anything stronger, you should share it with me.”
“Bummer,” Ryann said and folded her arms. “I wanted more time with Payton before she met the trinity of judgment. Mom told me the other day that the reason she behaved the way she did was because she didn’t like or trust Leigh. She doesn’t get along with Evan, either, but that doesn’t stop her from calling you all the time.”
“It’s the lesbian thing, plain and simple, which is why I’m pissed that I’m not one. Evan and I talked about it last night, he’s considering dressing in drag for family visits if it means Mom and the girls won’t want to stay with us anymore. Baby, sometimes, it’s good to be a gay black sheep.”
“Yeah,” Ryann agreed with a sigh. “Aside from great sex, that’s definitely one of the big benefits.”
“I’m sorry,” Shelly said sincerely. “I can only hope that one day she’ll change. Maybe she’ll wake up open-minded and accepting, and somehow that’ll filter down to her clones Paula and Joan. There’s one small positive, though—me. I love you unconditionally.”
Ryann smiled. “I love you, too.”
Shelly shuddered and scowled. “Mushy takes so much energy,” she said and grinned. “So Payton rocked your world.”
Ryann nodded as she stared off into space. “Do you ever just have a knowing about some things? You just know that it’s right, it’s where you’re meant to be.”
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