Countdown

by Julie Cannon

  “What do you want, Kenner?” Andrea was obviously exasperated at her being here.

  Kenner thought for a moment before answering. Why was she here? Was it the challenge she’d made for herself to crack Andrea’s cool exterior? Was it the way she lost complete control when Andrea had kissed her? The small act of surrender when Andrea pulled her closer? Because she wanted to know every dip, hollow, curve, and bend of her body? Because for the last seven weeks she couldn’t get Andrea off her mind, and that never happened with a woman? Or was it because Andrea made her feel things that scared her and thrilled her at the same time. Kenner heard the wheels turning, felt the shift of a decision and a rush of calmness flow through her as she started to speak.

  “I want to learn your favorite color, see you in your favorite pair of jeans and what you wear when you wash the car. What’s your favorite cake to have on your birthday? Hell, when is your birthday? I want to know if you wear funny PJs to bed and laugh in the rain. I want to know how much you love your mother and hate broccoli. I want to learn what’s up here,” Kenner said, tapping her left temple. “And I want to learn what’s in here.” She laid her hand over Andrea’s heart, which was racing. “I want to know what turns you on. To discover what makes you quiver with desire, and I want my name to be the only one you cry out because of it. I want to learn everything about you.”

  Andrea couldn’t move. She couldn’t process the words Kenner had just said. They were totally unexpected. She’d expected more smart-aleck comments and sarcasm, not this. Not…oh my God…what was she saying?

  “You light up my life like nobody else has. You fill places in my heart I didn’t even know I had. I want to feel your heart beat against me. I can tell by the way you kiss me, Andrea, that we have something between us.”

  “What?” That was all Andrea was able to say, and that itself was difficult. What was Kenner talking about? Was she talking about her? Other than the one fling, they’d been at each other’s throats the entire time Kenner was on her team. How could she be thinking like this? “You can’t be serious?” Andrea asked, moving away from Kenner. With Kenner that close and her eyes that dark, Andrea couldn’t think straight. Hell, she could barely think at all.

  “I know, Andrea. I’m scared shitless too.”

  “That’s not it. We barely know each other.”

  “I know enough,” Kenner said, seeming as calm as Andrea was nervous.

  “You…we…” Andrea stammered, not sure what she was trying to say. “We practically killed each other…before.” Kenner’s smile sent another shock wave through her.

  “There’s a fine line between love and hate.”

  Now she was completely stunned. Love? Hate? What in the fuck was happening? One minute she was barely making conversation with Kenner, and the next she had her tongue down her throat followed by her telling Kenner never to do it again. Apparently Kenner hadn’t listened because she was standing in her hotel room looking at her with those eyes. The ones that made her stomach flutter, her blood burn, and her heart stutter.

  This turn of events had shifted so fast her head was spinning. First, she hadn’t wanted Kenner in her control room, and then she’d kept looking for her. She’d poked and prodded and antagonized her, hoping she’d leave, but she’d pulled Kenner closer when Kenner took her in her office. She’d told her to go and thought only of her after she did. She’d come to this party hoping to avoid Kenner, yet secretly wanting to see her again. She reached for the chair behind her and sat down.

  “You live on the other side of the country.” Andrea said the first thing that came into her mind.

  “It’s only three states and a two-hour plane ride.”

  “We’re too different.”

  “They say opposites attract.” Kenner countered her easily.

  “I stay between the lines. You don’t even have any lines,” she said anxiously.

  “I’ll stay wherever you are.” Kenner’s eyes were steady on hers.

  “I need calm, routine, predictability. You’re flash, give-and-go…spontaneous.” Andrea knew she was grasping.

  “I can’t promise routine, but I can promise you I’ll be there for you every second of every day.”

  Andrea’s mouth fell open and then closed several times, her arguments empty. Kenner was still standing where she’d stopped when she came into her room. She radiated confidence

  “I’m ten years older than you.” Even to Andrea, that one sounded pathetic.

  “It’s not like I’m fifteen and you’re twenty-five.”

  “You look fifteen,” Andrea said, and her stomach flip-flopped when Kenner’s face grew serious and she slowly started toward her.

  “I’m a grown woman, Andrea. I’ve made my own decisions for years. I’m brilliant and remember every word of every conversation I’ve ever heard. I remember how you said yes when we were together. I remember how your body spoke to me when you were in my arms. I remember how I felt when you kissed me.”

  Kenner stopped in front of her, and Andrea had to tip her head back to look at her. Kenner’s eyes blazed.

  “I know what I want, Andrea. And it’s you.”

  The intensity in Kenner’s eyes, the firm set of her jaw, the sheer magnetism of her standing mere inches away made Andrea freeze.

  Kenner took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “I’m going to count down from three, and when I get to one,” Kenner said, repeating the warning she’d given Andrea an hour ago.

  “You’re going to kiss me,” Andrea said.

  Kenner’s face split into a wide grin, her eyes sparkled, and she nodded. “I’m going to kiss you.”

  Kenner’s simple statement took Andrea’s breath away. Her body vibrated, her heart thumping so loud Kenner had to hear it. She dropped her eyes to Kenner’s mouth as she counted down.

  “Three…”

  Kenner’s voice was soft and her head dropped closer, their breath mingling. Andrea quivered with anticipation, heated from Kenner’s confident words and actions. This was what she wanted. What had filled her dreams for weeks. What had filled her heart. She wanted Kenner’s lips on hers, on her breasts, on that hot, throbbing point between her legs. She wanted Kenner to take her, wanted to give herself completely to Kenner. No regrets, no holding back. This is what she wanted—Kenner’s insatiable desire for her. She needed Kenner to touch her in a way no one else had and that no one else ever could, that no one else ever would. Andrea reached for Kenner before she had a chance to say the next number.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  T-minus 00:00:00:00

  The instant their lips met, Andrea gave up. She gave up fighting what she didn’t understand. Gave up holding back emotions she’d never experienced before. Gave up her carefully choreographed life. She gave up everything to simply feel.

  Kenner’s lips were soft, her moans enticing. Her shoulders were strong, the fabric of her suit jacket rich and smooth. Her breathing was getting faster, her heart pounding. She smelled wonderful, a mixture of cinnamon and fresh air, and Andrea breathed her in like this was her last breath.

  Her hands trembled as she slid the suit jacket off Kenner’s shoulders and down her arms. It fell to the floor with a soft whoosh, and as soon as Kenner’s arms were free she wrapped them around Andrea’s waist. Kenner’s mouth continued to plunder hers, and Andrea was beginning to feel light-headed. But she needed more—much, much more. Desperate to feel her, Andrea tugged on the buttons of Kenner’s shirt. She whimpered, frustrated that they weren’t opening as fast as she needed them to be.

  “Hey,” Kenner said, covering her hands with hers. “It’s okay, slow down. We’ve got all night.”

  Kenner kissed her softly this time, and when she pulled her head back, she was smiling that quirky smile that always made Andrea’s stomach flip-flop. “Unless there’s someplace else you’d rather be?”

  “As a matter of fact, there is,” Andrea replied, bolder than she’d ever been. Taking Kenner’s hand, she crossed the room and stoppe
d beside the king-sized bed. She pulled down the duvet, exposing the crisp, white sheets underneath. Andrea closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gathering her courage. When she opened them and turned around, Kenner was waiting for her to make the next move. Andrea thought her intentions were pretty clear, but when Kenner hesitated she suddenly doubted herself.

  “At the risk of losing my butch card and embarrassing myself, I have to admit I’m more than a little nervous,” Kenner said.

  “Nervous?” Andrea was instantly relieved. “lf anyone should be nervous it should be me.”

  “Well, I’ve never made love to someone I’m crazy about before. Talk about performance anxiety.”

  There it was again, that smile, and instead of engaging in another debate with Kenner, Andrea simply said, “You make me crazy. But I’m crazy about you too.” She reached for Kenner again.

  Kenner’s entire body trembled in anticipation of Andrea’s touch. Her skin burned where Andrea touched it as she unbuttoned her shirt. Kenner wanted to copy her movements, eager to feel Andrea’s skin on hers, but she let Andrea set the pace. This time neither of them would have any regrets. They wouldn’t have any doubts about what was happening between them.

  When Andrea pulled her camisole over her head, cool air hit Kenner’s nipples, already hard with yearning to feel Andrea’s skin on hers. This was right, more right than anything she’d ever thought could be.

  Kenner kept her eyes glued to Andrea’s hands as the back of her fingers caressed her stomach, then slid open her belt buckle and opened the top button. Her pulse pounded in her ears when Andrea started to pull her zipper down, and Kenner had to clench her fists to keep from speeding up the process. What felt like days later, Andrea’s hand completed its agonizingly slow descent and stopped right where Kenner really, really needed it to be. She couldn’t hold back a moan when Andrea pressed her fingers there.

  “You’re killing me.” Kenner groaned, clenching her teeth together for control. When Andrea lifted her head, the look in her eyes took Kenner’s breath away. It showed pure, raw hunger, and Kenner almost came right there.

  Andrea didn’t take her eyes off hers as she slowly slid Kenner’s pants down off her hips. Her stomach tightened at the sound of her belt buckle hitting the floor. What that sound symbolized was unmistakable. Andrea took a small step backward, her eyes roaming over Kenner’s naked body. Everywhere she looked, Kenner felt the heat of her gaze, and by the time Andrea spoke, she could barely stand.

  “You are incredible.”

  “You have far too many clothes on,” Kenner somehow managed to choke out, her voice sounding nothing like it normally did.

  Andrea’s smile was mischievous. “You’re the master problem solver,” she said, clearly fighting a smile, her innuendo containing a challenge. “Fix it.” She knew Kenner never walked away from a challenge.

  THE END

  About the Author

  Julie Cannon divides her time by being a corporate suit, a partner, mom, sister, friend, and writer. Julie and Laura, her wife, have lived in at least a half a dozen states, traveled around the world, and have an unending supply of dedicated friends. And of course the most important people in their lives are their three kids.

  With the release of Countdown in October 2015, Julie will have thirteen books published by Bold Strokes Books. Her first novel, Come and Get Me, was a finalist for the Golden Crown Literary Society’s Best Lesbian Romance and Debut Author Awards. In 2012, her ninth novel, Rescue Me, was a finalist as Best Lesbian Romance from the prestigious Lambda Literary Society, and I Remember won the Golden Crown Literary Society’s Best Lesbian Romance in 2014. Julie has also published five short stories in Bold Strokes Anthologies. www.JulieCannon.com

  Books Available from Bold Strokes Books

  Break Point by Yolanda Wallace. In a world readying for war, can love find a way? (978-1-62639-5-688)

  Countdown by Julie Cannon. Can two strong-willed, powerful women overcome their differences to save the lives of seven others and begin a life they never imagined together? (978-1-62639-4-711)

  Heart of the Liliko‘i by Dena Hankins. Secrets, sabotage, and grisly human remains stall construction on an ancient Hawaiian burial ground, but the sexual connection between Kerala and Ravi keeps building toward a volcanic explosion. (978-1-62639-5-565)

  Keep Hold by Michelle Grubb. Claire knew some things should be left alone and some rules should never be broken, but the most forbidden, well, they are the most tempting. (978-1-62639-5-022)

  The Courage to Try by C.A. Popovich. Finding love is worth getting past the fear of trying. (978-1-62639-5-282)

  The Time Before Now by Missouri Vaun. Vivian flees a disastrous affair, embarking on an epic, transformative journey to escape her past, until destiny introduces her to Ida, who helps her rediscover trust, love and hope. (978-1-62639-4-469)

  Twisted Whispers by Sheri Lewis Wohl. Betrayal, lies, and secrets—whispers of a friend lost to darkness. Can a reluctant psychic set things right or will an evil soul destroy those she loves? (978-1-62639-4-391)

  Deadly Medicine by Jaime Maddox. Dr. Ward Thrasher’s life is in turmoil. Her partner Jess has left her, and her job puts her in the path of a murderous physician who has Jess in his sights. (978-1-62639-4-247)

  New Beginnings by KC Richardson. Can the connection and attraction between Jordan Roberts and Kirsten Murphy be enough for Jordan to trust Kirsten with her heart? (978-1-62639-4-506)

  Officer Down by Erin Dutton. Can two women who’ve made careers out of being there for others in crisis find the strength to need each other? (978-1-62639-4-230)

  Reasonable Doubt by Carsen Taite. Just when Sarah and Ellery think they’ve left dangerous careers behind, a new case sets them—and their hearts—on a collision course. (978-1-62639-4-421)

  Tarnished Gold by Ann Aptaker. Cantor Gold must outsmart the Law, outrun New York’s dockside gangsters, outplay a shady art dealer, his lover, and a beautiful curator, and stay out of a killer’s gun sights. (978-1-62639-4-261)

  The Renegade by Amy Dunne. Post-apocalyptic survivors Alex and Evelyn secretly find love while held captive by a deranged cult, but when their relationship is discovered, they must fight for their freedom—or die trying. (978-1-62639-4-278)

  Thrall by Barbara Ann Wright. Four women in a warrior society must work together to lift an insidious curse while caught between their own desires, the will of their peoples, and an ancient evil. (978-1-62639-4-377)

  White Horse in Winter by Franci McMahon. Love between two women collides with the inner poison of a closeted horse trainer in the green hills of Vermont. (978-1-62639-4-292)

  The Chameleon by Andrea Bramhall. Two old friends must work through a web of lies and deceit to find themselves again, but in the search they discover far more than they ever went looking for. (978-1-62639-363-9)

  Side Effects by VK Powell. Detective Jordan Bishop and Dr. Neela Sahjani must decide if it’s easier to trust someone with your heart or your life as they face threatening protestors, corrupt politicians, and their increasing attraction. (978-1-62639-364-6)

  Autumn Spring by Shelley Thrasher. Can Bree and Linda, two women in the autumn of their lives, put their hearts first and find the love they’ve never dared seize? (978-1-62639-365-3)

  Warm November by Kathleen Knowles. What do you do if the one woman you want is the only one you can’t have? (978-1-62639-366-0)

  In Every Cloud by Tina Michele. When she finally leaves her shattered life behind, is Bree strong enough to salvage the remaining pieces of her heart and find the place where it truly fits? (978-1-62639-413-1)

  Rise of the Gorgon by Tanai Walker. When independent Internet journalist Elle Pharell goes to Kuwait to investigate a veteran’s mysterious suicide, she hires Cassandra Hunt, an interpreter with a covert agenda. (978-1-62639-367-7)

  Crossed by Meredith Doench. Agent Luce Hansen returns home to catch a killer and risks everything to revisit the unsolved murder of her first girlfriend and confront the demons
of her youth. (978-1-62639-361-5)

  Making a Comeback by Julie Blair. Music and love take center stage when jazz pianist Liz Randall tries to make a comeback with the help of her reclusive, blind neighbor, Jac Winters. (978-1-62639-357-8)

  Soul Unique by Gun Brooke. Self-proclaimed cynic Greer Landon falls for Hayden Rowe’s paintings and the young woman shortly after, but will Hayden, who lives with Asperger syndrome, trust her and reciprocate her feelings? (978-1-62639-358-5)

  The Price of Honor by Radclyffe. Honor and duty are not always black and white—and when self-styled patriots take up arms against the government, the price of honor may be a life. (978-1-62639-359-2)

  Mounting Evidence by Karis Walsh. Lieutenant Abigail Hargrove and her mounted police unit need to solve a murder and protect wetland biologist Kira Lovell during the Washington State Fair. (978-1-62639-343-1)

  Threads of the Heart by Jeannie Levig. Maggie and Addison Rae-McInnis share a love and a life, but are the threads that bind them together strong enough to withstand Addison’s restlessness and the seductive Victoria Fontaine? (978-1-62639-410-0)

  Sheltered Love by MJ Williamz. Boone Fairway and Grey Dawson—two women touched by abuse—overcome their pasts to find happiness in each other. (978-1-62639-362-2)

  Asher’s Out by Elizabeth Wheeler. Asher Price’s candid photographs capture the truth, but when his success requires exposing an enemy, Asher discovers his only shot at happiness involves revealing secrets of his own. (978-1-62639-411-7)