Queen of Hearts

by A. C. Grey

  Finally, unable to breathe or string together any coherent thoughts, Tess pulled away and rolled off of Zoey. The brunette gave her a confused look. Tess shot her a magic smile that practically lit up the entire room. She reached over and placed a gentle, chaste kiss on Zoey’s pouty lips. “You’re so cute when you’re confused, Zoey. Don’t look so sad.” She rubbed a gentle hand across Zoey’s cheek.

  “Why did you stop . . . again? I’m not good at this, am I?”

  Tess rolled her eyes. “Zoey, we really need to work on your confidence. You are definitely . . . good . . . at . . . this.” Tess interrupted each word with a quick kiss. “You are awesome at this. In fact, a little too awesome. I stopped because if I hadn’t, I would have had my way with you right here on this couch.”

  “And what’s wrong with that?” Zoey grumbled, attempting to pull Tess back in for another embrace.

  “Uh . . . uh . . . no. We’re not doing this. And stop looking at me like I just took away your favorite toy.” Tess pulled back, struggling to maintain her resolve, which was becoming increasingly difficult.

  “But you did.”

  Tess laughed heartily. “Maybe I did. However, we are not going to rush this, Zoey. As much as I am dying inside right now, I know it’s the right thing to do. You’re new at this, so we shouldn’t rush. But it’s not just for you. It’s for me as well. I tend to rush things too much. I tend to just jump into bed without developing a deeper connection first. And I don’t like that about myself sometimes. What I’m feeling for you, Zoey, I can already tell is special, something that needs to be cherished. I don’t want to ruin it by hurrying things. So no, as much as it kills me to say this, I think I should walk you to your car, give you an incredible kiss goodnight that we’ll be both thinking about all night, and then send you on your way.”

  “Finnnneee.” Zoey pouted as she rose from the couch and began to gather her things. As much as her raging hormones screamed in protest, she knew Tess was right. They could both use a little time to take a breath.

  They headed out the door, fingers loosely laced together. They walked in silence to Zoey’s car, where Zoey turned to gaze at Tess, a smirk playing across her lips.

  “I’m registering my official protest. You, Tess McLeod, are a tease. And at some point in the future, I will make you pay for that.” Zoey grinned as she pulled Tess’s body flush against hers before pressing her against the cool metal of the car, recapturing her lips in a kiss whose intensity threatened to break the last thread of resolve that Tess was clinging to. Zoey reached around and grabbed Tess’s hips, pulling them into her own as she gyrated against the redhead, her tongue mimicking the motion in Tess’s mouth.

  A low groan escaped from Tess’s throat as she ran her hands through Zoey’s dark locks. Finally, out of breath and hot beyond belief, Tess pushed her away. “Good night, Zoey. I’ll call you in the morning.” Before the last shreds of her resolve crumbled, she turned on her heel and headed back inside the house.

  If Zoey wasn’t mistaken (and she wasn’t), the damn woman was swaying her hips in an accentuated and sultry fashion, just to get another rise out of her. Zoey let out a frustrated sigh and got into her car, intent on heading back to her hotel for an extremely cold shower. If she wasn’t careful, Tess was going to be the death of her.

  After Tess returned inside, she collapsed on the couch and let out a frustrated sigh of her own. It had taken every ounce of strength left inside of her to put a stop to their evening’s activities. Even though her mind, even her heart told her it was the right thing to do, her entire body ached in protest. She could not remember ever being this affected by another woman. Not even close. And she’d been with plenty. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on steadying her breathing, concentrating on putting out the fire inside her. Somehow, she felt that if she were to continue seeing Zoey, and there was no question that she was, she was going to need the entire Las Vegas Fire Department to put out the constant state of inferno she was living in.

  * * * * *

  Neither woman slept well that night. Partly because they both spent a good portion of time reliving their embraces, reminiscing, remembering each and every touch, taste, feel. They’d only spent one night together and yet both felt empty and alone without the other beside them in bed. It was thought the other had always been there – a comforting security blanket that had suddenly been ripped away.

  The next morning, Zoey dragged herself out of bed to go meet Max for coffee. She was not in any mood to do so, but he had been incessantly hounding her all morning to the point where she had finally given in. The lack of sleep and the loneliness she felt after just a few hours apart from Tess finally wore her down. Throwing on the first set of wrinkled clothes she could grab and running some fingers through her hair, she trudged out the door.

  As she made her way into the coffee shop, Max, who was already seated at a table, rose to greet her. “Geez, Cameron. You look like shit.”

  “Gee, thanks Max. What a sweet thing to say.” Zoey rolled her eyes as she made her way over to order some much needed caffeine.

  After she joined him at the table, he paused for a moment to study her. “Seriously, Zoey. You look like you haven’t slept in days. And you have been completely missing in action for nearly two days. We used to talk all the time. What happened?”

  Zoey smiled. “Tess happened.”

  Max raised an eyebrow in question. “If this is how you look after spending time with Red, I’m not sure she’s good for you.”

  Zoey shook her head. “No. She’s fine. She’s . . .” Zoey grinned like a idiot. “She’s amazing. She’s perfect.”

  “You sound like you’ve got a crush, Cameron.”

  Zoey blushed and looked down into her coffee cup. “You could say that.” She cleared her throat, debating how much to reveal. “We . . . uh . . . we kissed last night.”

  “And?”

  “And it was mind-blowing!” Zoey gushed. “I’ve never, ever felt like this before, Max. It scares me. But it’s so good. It feels so right.”

  “Then why do you look like hell?”

  “Because she wouldn’t let me stay over. And apparently, I’m now incapable of sleeping without her.”

  Max chuckled and raised his hand, gesturing for Zoey to give him a high five. “Way to go, Cameron! When I told you to play nice with her, I didn’t mean that nice. If I can’t get a piece of that hot body, at least you are. Tell me. How is she in the sack? I’ve heard she’s quite an animal.”

  Zoey snorted in derision. “Cool your jets, Grayson. We haven’t slept together. Well, we slept in the same bed together, but we haven’t . . . you know. Done it. And if and when that happens, I will not be giving you the details. The last thing I want to be doing is starring in your debauched fantasies.”

  Max held up his hands defensively. “Hey, hey. A man’s gotta ask. Fair enough. So things are looking good?”

  Zoey nodded. “I think so. She wants to take things slow, which is driving me insane, but she’s probably right. I am new at all this after all.”

  Max pursed his lips in thought. “It’s definitely a good sign. I’ve known Tess for a while and she’s usually the type that sees something she likes and just goes for it, if you know what I mean. The fact that she’s holding back probably means that she’s serious about you. Either that, or you need to shower more.”

  “Hey!” Zoey protested, slapping his arm. “Not nice Max. Here I am, spilling my guts to you and you insult my personal hygiene.”

  Max gestured towards her disheveled look. “I rest my case.”

  Zoey narrowed her eyes as she formulated a snarky response. However, at that moment, her phone began to ring. Looking down at the caller ID, she immediately broke out into a wide grin.

  Zoey answered. “Hey! Missed you too . . . sure . . . that sounds great! I can do that . . . does that mean you’ll be wearing one too? . . . I can’t wait. See you in about an hour. Bye.”

  “Tess?” Max asked as she hung up
the phone.

  Zoey nodded. “How did you know?”

  “Oh, only the fact that you smiled big enough to light up all of the lights on the Vegas strip. Not difficult to figure out. Also, you were practically making goo-goo eyes at her through the phone. Kind of pathetic.”

  “I am not pathetic.” Zoey slapped him playfully again. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a date with someone much hotter and much more interesting than you.”

  “Hey! I resent that!” Max called after her, smiling. Even though he teased her, he was happy for her. She deserved some happiness.

  * * * * *

  After heading back to her hotel room to grab a few things, Zoey headed back over to Tess’s house. Tess greeted her at the door wearing nothing but a very small and very revealing bright blue bikini.

  Zoey struggled to retain focus. She was, however, unable to resist sweeping her eyes over the redhead’s toned and gorgeous body. Her gaze, as if having a will of its own, came to rest on Tess’s breasts, which were threatening to escape from her skimpy top.

  Tess offered Zoey a slight smirk as she caught the direction of the brunette’s gaze. Unable to resist, she pulled Zoey forward into her arms. “Hey,” she whispered before capturing Zoey’s lips in a gentle, yet sensuous kiss. Pulling back, she ran a soft hand along Zoey’s cheek. I thought that since our first World Series of Poker event is tomorrow, we could spend the day today relaxing by my pool.”

  Zoey who was still stunned into speechlessness, simply nodded and allowed Tess to lead her, hands intertwined, into the house.

  Tess grinned at Zoey’s silence. “Why don’t you head into the bathroom and change and I’ll grab us some drinks. Meet me out back by the pool.”

  “You have a pool?” Zoey finally responded.

  “Uh, yeah.” Tess laughed. “You’re just getting that now, Zoey? That’s why I asked you to bring a swimsuit.”

  “Maybe I’m just uh . . . just a little excited to see you.”

  “Me too, Zoey. Me too.” Tess smiled again as she made her way to the kitchen.

  Just as Tess set their drinks beside the lounge chairs on the pool deck, Zoey emerged from inside. It was Tess’s turned to be stunned. Her mouth, unable to process commands from her brain, dropped open in abject awe. Zoey was dressed in a bright red bikini that left very little to the imagination. Tess silently wondered if it were even worth it to be wearing it at all. She could see every luscious curve of the woman’s gorgeous body. Tess knew, in that moment, that without a doubt this day was going to test her willpower beyond belief. How in the hell was she supposed to take things slow with Zoey dressed like that?

  It was going to be a long, long day. Somehow, neither woman really thought the pool would do anything to cool them off.

  Chapter Nine

  As Zoey moved towards Tess, she laughed, noticing the stupefied expression on the redhead’s face and the unmistakable direction her gaze had taken – just south of where it should be – on her face. “See something you like?”

  “Uh, yeah!” Tess admitted, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “You, Zoey Cameron, are hot . . . like. . .” Tess swallowed hard. “Like really, really hot.”

  “Well, that’s good. It would be rather awkward if I was the only one checking out a hot girl in a bikini right now.” Zoey smiled, enjoying their light flirtatious banter.

  Tess patted the lounge chair. “Come over here and help me put on some sunblock. I’m so pale that I’ll be beet-red in no time if I don’t put some on.”

  Zoey’s heart started thudding in her chest at the thought of running her hands over every inch of Tess’s gorgeous body. “Uh . . . sure.”

  She joined Tess, who had rolled over onto her stomach on one of the chairs, so as to give Zoey access to her back. Zoey picked up the bottle of lotion and struggled to steady her breathing, which was becoming difficult just at the thought of the task ahead.

  She started with what she perceived to be the easy part, taking a small amount of lotion and rubbing it into the backs of Tess’s toned calves. The sensation of skin-on-skin, with the added lubrication of the lotion, was not something she had been prepared for. As she rubbed her hands slowly, methodically over every inch of Tess’s legs, slowly working higher, Zoey became more and more undone. It didn’t help that Tess’s suit left little to the imagination, requiring Zoey to work lotion almost up to the point where her fine, fine rear met her legs.

  Tess closed her eyes, savoring the sensation of Zoey’s hands on her skin. This had not been a good idea, not at all. Apparently, she was a glutton for torture. She had sworn to herself that she would behave, that she’d pace things slowly. “Slow” was quickly becoming her least favorite word in the English language. Despite her efforts to control herself, she couldn’t help but continue to put herself into situations where her resolve was tested. She’d known she’d be playing with fire by inviting Zoey over to hang out in a bikini. She should have done something like taken her skiing, where they had to be covered from head to toe in clothing. But no. She had no sense, so she’d invited Zoey over to flaunt her gorgeous curves all day. And on top of that, she’d asked the woman to rub her all over with those sensual, strong hands. She was an idiot, but she loved it. And oh God, Zoey’s hands were getting very near where she wanted them, just below the edge of her suit.

  Zoey took another ragged breath, straddled Tess, retrieved some more lotion, and began working it into Tess’s back and shoulders. The feel of her taut muscles and her sun-warmed skin was like nothing else. Her hands were all tingly as she kneaded the lotion into Tess’s back, running up her sides, just slightly grazing the sides of her breasts. Zoey tried ignore the fact that her center, which was completely on edge, was firmly planted onto Tess’s behind. Unable to resist teasing herself a little, she shifted occasionally, providing just a tiny bit of friction.

  Tess tried to focus on anything but the gorgeous woman sitting atop her, massaging her, straddling her, not-so-subtly gyrating against her. She struggled, trying to conjure up as many unsexy images as she could. Jabba the Hut. Fail. Janet Reno. Fail. Margaret Thatcher. Fail. Carrot Top. Fail. Her pervy science teacher from high school. Fail. Zoey’s hands cut through all of her imagery and she had no defense. Giving in, she just relaxed and enjoyed the sensation, letting out a quiet, breathy moan of pleasure.

  It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Zoey couldn’t take it anymore and leaned down to place series of wet kisses along Tess’s neck and shoulders, her warm breath teasing Tess, the subtle, sweet suggestion of what they could have, if she’d just give in.

  Needing to break the tension for just a moment at least, Tess flipped over. However, staring up into those beautiful brown eyes, which were darkened with unfettered lust, did nothing to break that tension. Unable to resist torturing herself more, Tess smiled and reached for the lotion bottle. Sitting up, with Zoey still astride her, she grabbed some lotion before handing it to Zoey. She began rubbing lotion all over Zoey’s chest and arms, paying perhaps too much attention to the area directly above her bikini top, fingers teasing and grazing the cloth border, dipping below the material for milliseconds before returning to appropriate areas.

  Zoey breath was coming in uneven spurts as she followed Tess’s lead, using the lotion as an excuse to touch just about every inch of Tess’s exposed skin. Running a hand across Tess’s flat, smooth stomach, it took all of her willpower not to move in a more southerly direction. She teased along the line of Tess’s bikini bottom, the redhead’s eyes making perfectly clear where she’d rather have those hands.

  Tess sat up slightly and reached around to rub sunblock into as much of Zoey’s back as she could reach – effectively hugging Zoey tight against her in the process. Zoey’s hands stopped, unable to focus on anything but the feel of Tess’s breasts crushed against hers, the feel of her hands roaming across her shoulders. Neither woman really cared at that point whether or not Zoey’s back received all of the lotion coverage needed to protect her
from the sun. Their game had long ago progressed beyond any pretenses of sunburn prevention. What both needed at that moment, was protection from a whole other kind of burn.

  Knowing that they were fast approaching the point of no return, Tess pulled back and pushed Zoey away. Pacing, in order to clear her head, she took a deep breath. “Okay, that was, uh . . . great. Didn’t want to get a sunburn. Thanks.”

  Zoey sighed in disappointment as Tess’s hands left her skin. “You know, it’s not fair, right?”

  Tess looked at her, confused. “What’s not fair?”

  “I finally admit to myself, I finally admit out loud, that I want to be with a woman, and then you go and say I can’t have her. You’re very mean.” Zoey put on a fake pout, signaling that she was joking – or least half-joking.