by Gerri Hill
“Like maybe…we could just go to your place for the day.” Lindsey seemed shocked by how brazen she was being and she smiled. “I didn’t sleep at all last night,” she murmured.
“So you don’t want to take baby steps with this?”
Hannah again held her eyes. “I don’t know if I’m ready to make love with you. I don’t know if I’m ready for that. But…I need…I want more than what we have.” She looked over to where Jack and Aaron were in the water, making sure they couldn’t hear. “Last night told me that I want more than what we have. It told me you do too.”
“Yes.”
Hannah relaxed. “Good. And I’m not opposed to also going to the pond.” She wiggled her eyebrows teasingly.
Chapter Forty-Seven
“I had a good weekend, Mom.”
“Did you? Good.”
“It was fun having Aaron out,” he said. “I wish I could have taken him to the pond though.”
“You know the rule about the pond.”
“I know. It’s a secret.”
“Lindsey’s grandfather wanted it that way and Lindsey wants it that way. We have to respect that.”
“Yeah, but we don’t go out there much anymore.”
She smiled. “Well, probably because that’s where Lindsey and I go during the week while you’re at school. Besides, you like swinging off the rope down at the river, don’t you?”
“Yeah. But I like the pond too. It’s like a big swimming pool.” He turned to her. “Are y’all going there today?”
She nearly blushed at his innocent question. “I don’t know.” And it was the truth. Their plan was to go back to Lindsey’s house. Whether they made it out to the pond or not was to be determined. Because that depended on what they actually did at Lindsey’s house.
Oh, it was suddenly very hot in the car, and she looked down the road, hoping the school bus wouldn’t be late today.
“Isn’t it about time for the triple-cheese casserole?”
She laughed. “Is that all you think about? Food?”
“Lindsey likes it too.”
“I know. But it’s not on the menu tonight. Baked chicken.”
He turned up his nose. “There’s no cheese involved with baked chicken.”
“I’m making the creamy rice with it.”
“Oh. Okay. I like that.” He opened the door when the school bus came into view. “See you later, Mom.”
“Have a good day.”
She waited until the bus pulled away before she turned the car around. He was such a damn cute kid. And a damn good kid. How did she get so lucky?
As she drove past Margie’s house, she realized she wasn’t lucky after all. Margie was waving her down. She groaned, then lowered the passenger side window.
“Good morning,” she said with forced cheerfulness.
Margie stuck her head in the window. “I couldn’t help but notice you had company out on Saturday. Wasn’t that the Burketts?”
“Yes. Aaron Burkett is in Jack’s class. He came out for the day.”
“How nice for Jack. That’s good. What did you do all day? It was very late when they came back to pick him up.”
“We were out at the river most of the day, then had burgers.”
“The river? Over on the McDermott’s land?”
“Yes, Margie. With Lindsey.”
She shook her head disapprovingly. “I don’t understand your relationship with that woman.”
She shrugged. “We’re friends, Margie. Why is that hard to understand?”
“I heard from Tom Merkel that she’s from Dallas.”
“She is.”
“And she moved out here by herself. Wonder why?”
“She felt close to her family here. This is where she wanted to be.”
Margie shook her head. “It just seems strange, her living out here by herself.”
“I’m sure people think that about me and Jack, living back here in the woods like we do. Lindsey’s been a godsend for us.”
“It’s not like you live alone, Hannah. Dennis and I are right here. Of course, it’s not like you come by to visit, though.”
“Margie, Jack walks to your house after school. I see you every day.” God, it was times like this that she wished she’d never moved out here in the first place. But then, she would never have met Lindsey. The thought of Lindsey not being in her life…well, she couldn’t imagine it. “I need to go,” she said. “Busy day planned.”
She didn’t offer an explanation to that statement as she pulled away. Oh, Margie was never going to change. She didn’t know why she was still bothered by their encounters. Maybe because there was some truth to what she said. They didn’t visit like they should. Jack hadn’t gotten to know them like he should. They’d been out here all summer and they were still like strangers. It just wasn’t something she could force though. Margie was not warm and fuzzy. She wasn’t someone you wanted to be around. It had always been that way. She didn’t know why she thought it would change if they moved out here.
Oh, well. She pushed thoughts of Margie from her mind. She had a date with Lindsey to get to.
* * *
Lindsey could tell as soon as she saw Hannah that she was nervous. Her smile was a little hesitant and she wouldn’t meet her gaze. Lindsey was actually thankful that Hannah was feeling a little anxious. It helped relax her somewhat as she had nearly had a panic attack that morning herself.
“So…it’s like summertime hot today, isn’t it?”
Hannah nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.”
“So…I was thinking maybe we should just go to the pond. Enjoy the cool water and…and relax.”
“Yeah. Good idea,” Hannah said quickly. Then she laughed. “I’m nervous. I guess you can tell.”
Lindsey smiled. “I can tell, yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No. Let’s don’t force things, Hannah. If we go to the house, we’ll force things. Let’s just…go to the pond and have a day. A play day, as Jack would say.”
Hannah visibly relaxed. “Okay. A play day.” She reached over and touched Lindsey’s thigh lightly. “Thank you.”
Lindsey was aware of the hand on her leg…the hand that didn’t move, the hand that felt warm and soft against her skin. She kept her eyes focused on the trail ahead of them instead of picturing that hand sliding between her thighs. She nearly shivered at the thought.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Hannah had expected their play day to include skinny-dipping, but Lindsey gave no indication that’s what she had in mind. Instead, she dove into the pond, as was her ritual, then swam under the waterfall before coming back to shore.
“It’s cold,” Lindsey said. “Colder than the river.”
“Are you saying summer is nearly over?”
“Yeah, well, September is nearly over. I guess it’s time.”
Hannah walked to the edge of the pier, mentally bracing herself for the cold plunge. As she’d learned long ago, it was best to jump in quickly and get it over with. Still, the cold water was a shock to her on such a hot day. She followed Lindsey’s lead, going to the waterfall and holding on to the rocks as the cold stream of water hit her head. The volume had decreased steadily over the summer, but Lindsey had said she’d never seen it stop completely, not even during the worst of droughts.
She swam over to where Lindsey stood with their floats. The hot sun felt good on her skin and she relaxed. She’d worked herself into a bundle of nerves by the time it got to eleven, the time that Lindsey picked her up at the creek. It had been her suggestion that they go to Lindsey’s house, her suggestion that they needed to be alone. At the time, it had sounded like a good idea. In fact, at the time, she’d been ready to go right then. Her body was certainly ready. Her mind, however, was lagging behind.
What if it’s all wrong? What if it’s awkward? What if she freaked out and…and ran away from Lindsey or something?
Or what if it’s perfect and wonderful? What if it’s the best th
ing she’s ever felt? Then what? What does that say about her life? About her marriage? She knew that was the real problem. She was more afraid that it would be fabulous than not. If it felt wrong, if it was awkward, she could handle that. But what if it wasn’t?
Their time at the pond, however, wasn’t awkward in the least. Lindsey made sure of that. They chatted like always. Lindsey told her stories from her childhood. They floated and swam, they jumped off the pier with the dogs, and they dove underwater for rocks. They played. And they flirted. And they touched. And when Lindsey stood on the pier, about to dive in again, Hannah stopped her.
“Take your top off.”
If Lindsey seemed startled by the request, she didn’t show it. An arch of one eyebrow and a quick smile were her only reactions.
“As you wish.”
The offending top was tossed carelessly to the pier and Lindsey stood there, meeting her eyes for a moment before turning her attention to the water. Yes, she really did have perfect breasts, Hannah thought. Small but not too small. Round, firm. Nipples that were…God. She found herself blatantly staring, but she couldn’t pull her eyes away. Then Lindsey dove into the water, taking those perfect breasts with her.
“Oh, God,” she murmured, shaking herself.
Lindsey surfaced not far from her, a smile on her face. “Now I can’t be the only one topless. That’s against the rules.”
Oh, God.
Well, she was the one who started this. She walked out onto the pier like Lindsey had done. She didn’t have to look at her to know that Lindsey was watching. She removed her top slowly, letting it fall. She took a step to the edge, then paused, chancing a glance at Lindsey. Their eyes locked together and Hannah nearly stumbled. Lindsey’s eyes were transparent and filled with desire. Hannah took a deep breath, then dove into the water. She scarcely noticed the cold. Her body was on fire.
When she came up, she found Lindsey standing in water barely to her waist. There was never a doubt that she would go to her. They stood there, several feet apart, watching each other. Lindsey finally took a step closer, her gaze lowering to Hannah’s breasts, her rigid nipples. She had a slight smile on her face.
“The water…it’s very cold.”
Hannah smiled too. “I assure you, cold has nothing to do with it. I feel like the water is boiling around me.”
Lindsey took another step closer, finally pulling her eyes back to Hannah’s face. Hannah was certain she’d never felt more sensuous than she did at that moment, standing in the water, topless, face-to-face with a beautiful young woman who was also topless…a beautiful young woman with desire in her eyes.
“I think about you,” Hannah said quietly. Lindsey tilted her head questioningly. “I…I’m not going to lie. I think about…about making love with you.”
Lindsey didn’t say anything; she just continued to stare at her.
“Do you…do you think about…making love with…with me?”
Lindsey’s smile nearly melted her heart. “Every damn day.”
There wasn’t really anything else to say, was there? Hannah took a step closer, moving until they were nearly touching. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she wondered if Lindsey could see it, hear it. She was surprised that she was the one who reached out first, pulling Lindsey to her.
When their mouths met, she thought she’d be prepared. She’d thought about kissing Lindsey often enough. But she was woefully unprepared for her heart to leap into her throat, unprepared for the rush of blood to her face, her ears, drowning out all sound. She wasn’t ready for the soft lips that claimed hers with barely controlled passion. She wasn’t expecting desire to course through her veins like it did. She wasn’t expecting her knees to wobble when she felt Lindsey’s tongue brush her lip. And she certainly wasn’t expecting to be aroused—not this aroused—from a kiss.
When Lindsey pulled her closer, when their breasts touched…their nipples brushing, she felt faint, light-headed. And when she opened her mouth, letting Lindsey inside, the loud moan that she heard surely wasn’t from her. Was it?
But yes, there—in waist-deep water—they stood, their bodies pressed together, their mouths still fused, mingling moans drifting around them as they kissed…and kissed…and kissed. She thought crazily that if Lindsey let her go, she might very well drown. She held on tightly, not caring that they were so close their breasts were smashed together. When Lindsey’s hands moved to her hips, when she cupped her and pulled her body impossibly closer, she felt the world spin around her.
Then Lindsey slowed, her lips moving lightly now, easing away even as Hannah tried to prolong it.
They stood there, their foreheads touching, their breath coming quick in short gasps, hands resting at each other’s waist. It was several seconds before a cognizant thought materialized, several seconds more before she could form words…a sentence.
“If I’d have known kissing you would be like that, I’d have insisted we do it months ago.”
Lindsey smiled. “Months ago you would have slapped my face.”
Hannah lifted her head, looking into Lindsey’s eyes, eyes still shimmering in desire. “Let’s go to your place,” she whispered. When Lindsey would have spoken, Hannah held a finger against her lips. “No. Don’t say anything. Let’s go to your place. Now.”
* * *
Hannah stood by the bed, watching her. Lindsey hadn’t expected Hannah to be so sure of herself, so in control. But she was. Lindsey had been the one fumbling, getting tangled in her shorts as she took them off.
“Are you nervous or in a hurry?”
“Both.”
Hannah smiled at her. “Do you know how incredibly sexy I find you?”
“Sexy, huh?”
“Yes. And I’m aroused and I don’t have a clue as to what to do.”
Lindsey stood still. “Do what you want to do. Touch where you want to touch.” She took a step closer, her eyes never leaving Hannah’s. Her hand lightly touched Hannah’s waist, then slid higher. “Like this,” she murmured. She brought her other hand up, cupping Hannah’s breasts, feeling the weight of them. When her thumbs brushed both nipples, Hannah gasped but didn’t move away. “Like this.” Then her hands slid around behind Hannah, moving over her skin, down her back, past her hips. “Like this.”
She could see Hannah’s pulse in her neck, could hear the change in her breathing. She watched as Hannah’s eyes darkened. Yes, Hannah was aroused. She wasn’t frightened. She was aroused.
So Lindsey leaned closer, finding her mouth, her light kiss deepening when Hannah’s mouth opened. She felt Hannah’s arms slip around her shoulders so she pulled her closer, their bodies touching, head to toe, no barriers between them.
She shifted, moving them to the bed. They lay on their sides, facing each other. Lindsey smiled reassuringly at Hannah when Hannah’s hand touched her waist, rubbing slowly back and forth, before finally moving to her breast.
“God…so soft,” Hannah whispered. Her fingers grazed her nipple. “So hard.”
Lindsey’s breath caught as those fingers moved to her other breast.
“Incredible.” Hannah’s eyes moved to Lindsey’s. “So soft,” she said again.
Lindsey touched Hannah’s hip, her thigh, moving slowly. Hannah’s hand, too, moved along the curve of Lindsey’s hip. They touched and caressed, getting familiar with each other, getting comfortable touching each other like this. Hannah was the one to move closer, her lips finding Lindsey’s. A quiet moan, a brush of her tongue, a hand on her breast. Lindsey rolled them over, resting her weight on top of Hannah as they kissed. She nudged Hannah’s thighs apart, and as she settled there, she could feel Hannah’s wetness against her skin.
She left Hannah’s mouth, moving lower, finding her nipple with her tongue, swirling across the peak as Hannah’s fingers threaded through her hair. Her mouth closed over the nipple, and Hannah arched into her, holding her close.
“God…Lindsey,” Hannah breathed. “Feels so good.”
Lind
sey felt Hannah’s hips moving against her, felt her own arousal flood her. When she left Hannah’s breast and returned to her mouth, their kiss changed. There was an urgency now, their lips moving faster, harder, their tongues meeting almost frantically. Hannah’s hands were on her back, rubbing up and down, pulling her closer with each stroke. Her thighs parted even more, her hips arching into Lindsey.
Lindsey pulled away, her breath coming in quick gasps between her lips. She moved to Hannah’s ear, kissing her there, letting her tongue wet it.
“The first time,” she whispered. “The first time, I want to make love to you with my mouth.”
Hannah groaned. “Oh…God.”
“Can I? Please?” She felt Hannah tremble beneath her.
“Yes…yes. Anything,” Hannah moaned.
Lindsey kissed her again, then pulled back, meeting her eyes. She saw no fear there, no hesitation. No uncertainty. Hannah’s eyes were dark, cloudy with desire.
“Yes,” Hannah said again.
It was Lindsey who trembled now as she moved lower, her lips taking their time, teasing Hannah’s nipples. Hannah’s fingers were again running through her hair, holding her tight against her breast. She sucked a nipple into her mouth and Hannah moaned, her hips once again rocking against her.
She moved lower, her tongue, her lips nibbling against her skin, across her smooth belly, to the valley of her hip. She heard Hannah whimper, could feel her trembling as she got close. She kissed her inner thigh, the scent of her arousal making her want to devour her, but she moved slowly, surely, her lips kissing skin lightly, her hands gently spreading Hannah’s legs. Hannah’s hips arched, as if trying to find Lindsey’s mouth.
“Please…yes,” Hannah breathed.
Lindsey cupped her hips and pulled her close, her mouth immediately covering Hannah’s clit. She sucked it into her mouth, holding on to Hannah as she jerked violently against her.
“Sweet…Jesus.”
Sweet Jesus indeed, Lindsey thought as the taste of Hannah nearly made her delirious. Her tongue swiped up and down, teasing her clit at each pass, then plunged deep inside her. Hannah’s thighs squeezed tight against her face, her hips rolling as she tried to take her tongue deeper. Lindsey pulled out of her, going to her clit again.