Eyes Like Those

by Melissa Brayden

  “Upstairs,” she breathed. “Now.”

  “Lead the way.” Isabel nodded against her mouth. “I’m yours.”

  She couldn’t tell you what Taylor’s bedroom looked like, as all she could see, hear, or touch was Taylor herself. Taylor made quick work of Isabel’s dress, leaving her body on display. A potent shiver hit in response to her gaze as it moved across Isabel’s skin. She didn’t have the matching lingerie and probably never would, but the look on Taylor’s face told her that she didn’t care. “Iz,” she breathed, kissing her shoulder. “God, Isabel, come here. I’ve been dreaming of you.” Her hands moved down Isabel’s back as they kissed, then lower to her ass and dipped inside the back of her bikinis, cupping her tightly. She lay down on the bed and pulled Isabel with her, never breaking contact.

  Isabel slid between Taylor’s legs and rocked her hips, slowly, purposefully, and watched as Taylor’s face changed. She reached up and palmed Isabel’s breasts through her bra, prompting Isabel to toss her head back, surrendering to the pleasure that ensued. She pushed herself up and straddled Taylor, ready to grant her more access. She slid one bra strap off her shoulder, then the other, before unclasping and discarding the bra onto the floor.

  “Look at you,” Taylor murmured. “God. Just look at you.” Taylor’s lips parted and she licked the bottom one. She tried to sit up, but Isabel placed a hand on her shoulder, holding her right where she was. She lowered a breast to just above Taylor’s mouth and braced herself on her forearms above. Taylor greedily pulled the nipple in and sucked. She sucked hard. Isabel’s eyes slammed shut and she swore quietly. Taylor lavished the same attention on her other breast as Isabel dropped her hips and pushed against her.

  “I’m going to hell for this,” Taylor breathed, slipping a thigh between Isabel’s. “Totally worth it.”

  Isabel smiled and slid down to capture that mouth she couldn’t get enough of. “We can go together.”

  With Taylor’s tongue caressing hers, she was so distracted she didn’t even notice she’d been flipped easily onto her back until she stared up into green depths. “I love your eyes,” she whispered.

  “My eyes?” Taylor asked, with a quiet laugh. “That’s what you’re focusing on?”

  “Mmm-hmm. They undo me every time.”

  Taylor smiled and slipped her hand down the front of Isabel’s bikinis. The long-awaited touch pulled a quick gasp from Isabel, who turned her head against the pillow, bucking her hips. She’d never responded to anyone this quickly. The sensation startled her. Taylor’s fingers fluttered and grazed her lightly. Isabel had never been more aroused in her life, almost to the point of pain. The quick touches continued, sending her into a tailspin. She was coming undone beneath the featherlight attention. One graze, then another. She almost came right then, but Taylor pulled her hand away, moving to a new spot.

  “You’re unreal,” Taylor breathed and watched Isabel’s face for approval as she explored, stroked, and played. Isabel needed release badly and thrashed her hips in desperate search of it. Finally, she reached down and attempted to free herself from the constraints of her underwear. Anything to help this along. She was dying, absolutely drowning in a sea of overpowering want, and something had to change.

  “You want these off?” Taylor asked, breathless. “Good. Me too.” She slid down the bed in that matching lingerie and with her teeth pulled down one side of Isabel’s bikinis and then the other.

  Was this actually happening?

  Isabel moaned, knowing acutely that she would relive that moment for years to come. Taylor bent her head and began to take Isabel places she’d only imagined. With just a touch of Taylor’s tongue, she nearly levitated off the bed altogether.

  “Don’t you go anywhere just yet,” Taylor breathed against her. She gripped Isabel’s hips and angled her so that she was completely vulnerable to all the things Taylor wanted to do to her, which was more than fine with her. Isabel shivered as she waited, the anticipation just another form of welcome torture. A second swipe of her tongue. Oh, dear God. But not yet quite where Isabel needed her. A third swipe. A fourth.

  “You’re a tease,” Isabel managed. “You’re teasing me.”

  Taylor lifted her beautiful face. “Isn’t it fun?”

  Another swipe that sent shock waves on a tour through her every inch. Taylor’s hair tickled her stomach, only amplifying the barrage of sensations. Her hands found their new home, nestled snugly in Taylor’s hair, and how wonderful that felt. Taylor devoted her attention to everywhere but where she’d be most effective, finding a rhythm all her own that Isabel had no choice but to match, making it clear whose show this was. Taylor built her up and then brought her back down in a mind-blowing performance that left Isabel intoxicated, if not maddened. Finally, Taylor entered her with a firm push of her fingers, and that was all it took. Isabel clenched down around her, the feel of Taylor inside her almost more than she could stand. Taylor filled her, twisting and searching, and good heavens, there it was. Taylor had found it and sent Isabel tumbling, capped off with a direct stroke of her tongue.

  Isabel said Taylor’s name as she came, turning her body against the sheets beneath her, as points of light danced behind her eyes in blissful display. Her body accepted wave after wave of glorious pleasure. She lost track of time, space, and reason.

  The next thing she was aware of, Taylor moved up the bed and gathered her in, holding her close. She kissed Isabel’s temple and ran a hand softly across the expanse of her back as Isabel recovered from the mind-numbing orgasm that had topped all others. She felt limp and limbless, like a really happy rag doll lying next to the gorgeous and smart woman who’d just taken her expertly. Yes, that’s right. She’d been taken. She raised her gaze and met Taylor’s eyes. She didn’t have words just yet, but Taylor seemed to know what they would have been. She dipped her head and kissed Isabel tenderly.

  “Do you excel at everything?” Isabel finally asked.

  That pulled a laugh. “No. I think you’ve just proven you’re funnier than I am.”

  “But you have matching underwear. Really pretty ones.” She traced the underside of the bra Taylor unfortunately still wore. Not for long.

  Taylor nodded. “I might have a vast collection.”

  “Dear God.” Isabel covered her eyes as her body came to life in one big tingle. “How are you able to turn me on again so quickly?” But she couldn’t wipe the grin off her face. Taylor caressed her breast softly, circling Isabel’s nipple with her index finger, not helping the cause.

  Taylor blinked in innocence. “I can take care of that. Pretty quickly, too.”

  “Oh no, you won’t,” Isabel said, easing herself on top. She slid her hips between Taylor’s legs and closed her eyes. Even through the fancy lingerie she could feel how wet Taylor was, and it did things to her. Lustful things that motivated her exponentially to explore.

  Taylor’s eyes went wide and her lips parted as Isabel slid against her firmly. Once. Twice. “I figured you’d need some recovery time first.”

  “No way.” Isabel shook her head as she looked down at Taylor, circling her hips, pressing them to Taylor’s center, pulling quick little sounds from Taylor. This was heaven. “I’ve waited long enough. Wouldn’t you say?” She winked and dove in, pulling down the cups of Taylor’s bra, staring in awe at the perfectly round, full breasts that were revealed to her. Taylor’s blessings seemed never ending. Isabel swirled a nipple with her tongue, and she palmed the other breast with determination.

  “You don’t mess around,” Taylor breathed, bucking beneath her. Taylor, she was learning, was a talker, and Isabel liked it. It projected confidence, her favorite trait of Taylor’s. She pushed the bra over Taylor’s head and made quick work of the lace underwear. She could still hear music playing faintly from the living room. How far away that earlier party now seemed. As she lowered herself and their bodies came together, skin on skin, it felt like she and Taylor were the only ones on Earth. Taylor’s eyes went hazy as she watched
Isabel above her, rocking softly and then harder against her. That wonderful friction hit and Isabel knew she was on her way again, too. The pressure rose steadily and she wondered if she’d beat Taylor there.

  “Oh, wow. Iz,” Taylor groaned. “More of that, please. Yes, that. Good good good.” Her eyes slammed shut and she sucked in a sharp breath, her hips bucking as Isabel struggled to hold her still. She loved the feel of Isabel’s hands on her, of her hands on Isabel. “I’m not going to be able to—oh, God.”

  Isabel rocked her hips from above, increasing the friction. Taylor growled, grabbed her ass, and pulled her in, searching desperately for the purchase Isabel withheld. Isabel let her hand take over, shifting her hips to the side. She began to circle Taylor intimately, paying careful attention to Taylor’s signals. As her cries turned wordless, Isabel plunged two fingers deep, causing Taylor to arch her back. Her hips moved wildly, urgently. Isabel memorized the moment, the sensation unlike anything she had ever known. She plunged again and again and again until Taylor thrust wildly in a frenzy against her hand, uncontrollable and gorgeous. Finally, Taylor arched her back, her body rigid as she cried out long and hard. Her eyes burned into Isabel’s, and the power of their connection stunned her. This was what she’d needed, what she’d craved. That unmistakable link, something she’d been chasing for months. She didn’t know Taylor that well, except that she did. And she wanted more. Lots more.

  Isabel stretched out next to Taylor, unable to focus on anything but the sight of her. Naked, sated, and beautiful. Taylor reached out for Isabel, who obliged, wrapping Taylor up in her arms tightly, their limbs intertwining as if designed to fit that way. Isabel ran her fingers through the softness of Taylor’s hair as they lay there quietly for several long minutes.

  “You said my name,” Taylor said quietly in the dark. “Just before you came.”

  Isabel reflected languidly on that earth-shattering moment. She didn’t remember too many of the details, which was understandable. Her mind and body had been happily occupied in other ways. She lifted her head and looked down at Taylor. “Did I?”

  “You did.” A long pause. “I really, really liked it. I can still hear you.”

  Isabel wrapped her arms tighter around Taylor and smiled. “Good.”

  And then Taylor did something remarkable. She kissed Isabel’s chin softly, and then her nose, and each eyelid, followed by her mouth. There was no lingering question of whether Isabel would stay. It was simply understood in the way they looked at each other. There was no prying them apart. Not a chance.

  As she drifted off to sleep with Taylor in her arms, Isabel knew unequivocally that after an experience like this one, she would never be the same again. Nothing would.

  And that was just fine with her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Taylor’s eyes flew open at the sound of very loud music. No, not just loud, blaring. Sunday morning had come with a roar, which was fitting after the fireworks of Saturday night. She sat up straight in bed and blinked, gathering her faculties. The music stopped. Then started again.

  “Sorry!” she heard a voice call. Isabel. Sexy Isabel who she wanted back in bed with her. Now. She smiled. “Just trying to turn off the sound system down here, and I’m bad at it!”

  Taylor laughed, blinked against the burst of sunshine streaming in, and brought her hand to her still-swollen lips. In fact, everything felt swollen in the most welcome way. She remembered waking sometime before dawn, turning and finding Isabel Chase right there in her bed, naked and tucked snugly beneath the covers. Her dark hair was splayed out across the pillow behind her, a fist tucked under her chin, and the most peaceful look on her face as she dozed.

  Taylor needed to see that face.

  She quickly brushed her teeth, found her white fluffy robe, and descended the stairs into her living room. She found Isabel staring at the sound system tower in the corner with three remotes in her hand. She wore a pair of shorts and an old USC T-shirt—in other words, Taylor’s clothes. She could easily get used to that image.

  Isabel held up all three remotes, her brow furrowed. “I’m great with a laptop, I swear. Not so much these things.” Music that seemed to be in French filled the room.

  Taylor smiled. “So, you’ve broken my sound system.”

  She nodded sadly. “I’m afraid you’re relegated to learning French now.”

  “That, or fix it all with one little click of a button.” Taylor took the remotes from Isabel and reset the system with one touch.

  Isabel shook her head. “You know how to do all the things.”

  Taylor turned back to her. “In fairness, I have some experience to draw from.” A pause as they stared at each other. The newness of what had happened between them manifested in a jolt of nervous energy shooting through Taylor. She steadied herself. She didn’t regret their night of passion. If anything, she relished every memory. She felt alive this morning, happy, and wouldn’t trade this wonderful drug for anything. Taylor was an astute person, and maybe if she went into this thing with her eyes wide open this time, she could avoid some of the relationship pitfalls of the past. Honestly, why hadn’t she decided on that course of action from the beginning? What had she been so afraid of?

  Isabel glanced down and grabbed a handful of her shirt. “I stole from you.”

  “I caught that.” She reached for Isabel’s hand and pulled her close. “I like you in my clothes. You’re welcome to them anytime you like.”

  “Good. They smell like you, lavender and success all mixed together.” Isabel’s smile faltered momentarily. “We’re okay, right? You’re okay? I mean, you didn’t say you’re not, but I thought I should check in. I am, by the way.”

  Taylor nodded, enjoying the Isabel neurosis that crept in. “I’m definitely okay.” Very slowly, she leaned down and hovered just shy of Isabel’s mouth, and her heart clenched happily when Isabel closed the gap for her. There was something so easy about their dynamic, so comfortable.

  “Well, that felt more than okay. In that case, good morning,” Isabel murmured, sliding her one hand inside the robe and circling Taylor’s breast.

  “It is that.” She moaned, wanting to march them right back to bed, yet remembering her manners. “Let me make you peanut butter pancakes. You’re my guest.” She stalked with purpose to the kitchen with Isabel hot on her heels.

  “I didn’t know there was food service, too.”

  “For you, definitely. But enjoy this. It’s all I can make. I’m awful in the kitchen. Took me years to perfect this one dish, and I gave up there.”

  “Then I’m honored. But are you sure? If you have things to do, work or plans, I can get outta here.” There was that little hint of nervous energy again. She was learning that Isabel projected a lot of confidence she didn’t always feel. She wanted to assuage that any way she could.

  Taylor picked up a spatula and pointed it at Isabel. “Don’t you dare. Who will tell everyone how great my pancakes are?”

  “No one would. I’m forced to stay.”

  “Good.” Taylor dropped her tone to sincerity. “Besides, I’m very happy that you’re here.”

  “Even despite our circumstances?” Isabel traced a pattern on the countertop. “We kind of threw all of our best laid plans out the window last night.”

  Taylor nodded, ruminating on the topic. “Yeah, well, maybe making plans isn’t the best way to go.”

  “No plans, it is.” Isabel slid onto one of the tall chairs that lined the counter. “For the record, I would never want to screw up anything for you at work. I wouldn’t do that.”

  “I know you wouldn’t.” She paused. “I don’t think either of us know what this is, but for whatever reason, I’m feeling less afraid of it today.”

  “Me too.”

  Taylor went back to cooking six thick and fluffy pancakes, enjoying Isabel’s company from nearby.

  “If you lost the robe as you worked, I honestly wouldn’t complain. Not a peep,” Isabel said, blinking back at Taylor, her
cheek resting on her hand.

  Taylor turned around and raised an eyebrow.

  Isabel held up both hands in defense. “I’m incredibly honest.”

  “I can’t distract my customers, even if they’re really cute.” Taylor set down three of the pancakes drizzled with peanut butter sauce on a plate in front of Isabel.

  “Yeah, well, I think it’s a surefire way to get them to come back,” Isabel said dryly, pulling a laugh from Taylor.

  “I see your point. Plans today?”

  “I was supposed to meet my friends at Pajamas this morning, but I had a better offer. Peanut butter pancakes and you in a robe trumps gossip and lattes.”

  “I’m so happy you think so.” Taylor took a seat next to Isabel at the counter and turned inward. “The friends being the neighbors I met?”

  Isabel nodded. “Right. Hadley, Gia, Autumn.”

  “Do you guys do this a lot?”

  “Lately. We’ve developed what I would call a breakfast club at the coffee shop each morning. Like Lesbian Steel Magnolias, but with coffee.”

  “That could be your mission statement.”

  Isabel nodded. “Right?”

  “I like that you already have a group of friends.”

  “Forgive me for prefacing,” Isabel set down her fork, “but I think it’s important you realize that this friends thing is not normal. For me, I mean. I’m not a social butterfly. In fact, I’ve been known to be an awkward loner, not necessarily by choice.”

  “Okay,” Taylor said gently. “I don’t know about awkward, though.”

  “Yes, you do. I spilled coffee on you day one.”