“Me too.” Emily squealed as Nat rolled them over, then dissolved into giggles when Nat pinned her hands over her head. “Mistress.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Six months later
“I can’t believe Colleen is bringing home a boyfriend. Already.” Emily glanced at the front door, resisting the urge to call Colleen’s cell phone to see how close she and her friend were. She’d told them that dinner was at six o’clock, and it was almost five after. “She practically just got on campus and already there’s a guy.”
Nat sampled a bite of the chicken satay she’d pulled off the stove, then blew on a second forkful before offering it to Emily. She chewed, smiling at the familiar flavors. It was Colleen’s favorite, so Nat made it every time she came home from school to visit. “Delicious. You spoil her.”
“She’s a good kid.”
Abandoning her watch over the front door, Emily stepped into the kitchen and stood behind Nat, wrapping her arms around her waist. She rested her cheek on Nat’s strong back, closing her eyes and sighing. “You’re right. She is. So tell me to stop worrying about her and this boy.”
“Stop worrying about her and this boy.” Nat set down the wooden spoon in her hand and turned within Emily’s embrace, hugging her back. “He sounds like a good kid, anyway. She said he’s also a writer, but an artist, too. Apparently he publishes a graphic-novel series online—something about zombies. Anyway, he sounds more like a geek than a frat boy, and if you ask me, that’s a good thing.”
“You’re right, it is.” She fell silent for a minute, then wrinkled her nose. “Zombies? Really?”
Nat shrugged, giving her a sheepish grin. “Zombies are cool. I kind of want to read his stuff.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Great. Now I really am the boring, lame one in the family. Is that it?”
Nat’s eyes lit up at her characterization of their situation as family. Emily knew they would. The best part was that she meant it. Somehow, in less than a year, Nat had become an indisputable part of their unconventional family unit. Even Colleen genuinely liked her.
Kissing the corner of Emily’s mouth, Nat murmured, “You’re not boring.” She dropped her hand to the waistband of Emily’s jeans, then carefully slipped inside to barely graze the edge of the tender area that still ached from the sting of her favorite paddle the night before. “Quite the opposite.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I know so.” Nat pulled away at the sound of Colleen’s key in the front door. “I’ll be happy to remind you how not lame and boring you are as soon as they leave.”
“I’ll take you up on that,” Emily said as she stepped out of the kitchen, grinning at the wink Nat shot her on the way out. She walked to the front door just in time to greet Colleen and the boy whose hand she was holding. He was slim, Asian, and wearing dark, thick-framed glasses—not at all Colleen’s type, as far as she knew, yet Colleen was absolutely glowing as Emily got her first look at them.
“Em!” Colleen released her boyfriend’s hand and gave Emily an excited hug. “I want you to meet Kenji. He lives down the hall from me in the dorm…and we have a creative-writing class together. Ken, this is my sister Emily.”
Emily tried to keep an open mind as she shook Kenji’s hand. He seemed well-mannered enough, but she had yet to meet anyone she thought was good enough for her sister.
He gave her a warm smile. “It’s really nice to meet you. Colleen talks about you all the time.”
Colleen poked Kenji in the side. “Shut up.” The adoring grin he directed at Colleen looked very genuine and eased some of Emily’s apprehension. A hand landed on the small of Emily’s back at the same time Colleen glanced over and lit up. “And this is Emily’s girlfriend, Nat. She’s the one who’s about to blow your mind with her chicken satay. Nat, this is Kenji.”
“At least she’s not building your expectations to unreasonable levels.” Nat shook Kenji’s hand, chuckling. “It’s good to meet you, Kenji.”
“You can call me Ken.” He fiddled with his glasses, looking very unlike the jocks and frat boys Colleen had dated in high school. Thank God. “Thanks for inviting me to dinner.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Emily said. “Colleen has been talking a lot about you, too. It’s good to finally have a chance to get to know you.”
Nat wrapped her arm around Emily’s middle. “On that note, if everyone wants to take a seat, dinner is ready. I just need to serve it.”
“I’ll help you.” Colleen stepped between Emily and Kenji, touching Nat’s arm. When Nat released Emily to walk to the kitchen, Colleen stopped her with another tentative touch. Then she gave her a quick hug. “It’s really good to see you, Nat.”
Nat met Emily’s eyes over Colleen’s shoulder, clearly as surprised by the spontaneous show of affection as Emily was. Though Colleen and Nat had gotten along well since their second meeting, this was a new level of comfort. “Thanks, Col.” Nat hugged her back. “Same here.”
Stupidly happy, Emily watched them walk to the kitchen arm in arm. Colleen’s acceptance of Nat—and the surprisingly fast friendship that had formed between them—had been unexpected. It was also the reason that six months with Nat somehow felt more like six years. All the worrying she’d done in the beginning of their relationship seemed silly now. Being with Nat felt so easy, and so right. Even when they disagreed, they managed to do so in a way that strengthened Emily’s faith in their bond.
Emily turned back to Kenji, softening at his nervous expression. “How about we sit down?”
Kenji nodded. “Lead the way.”
As Emily sat across the dining room table from Kenji, Colleen and Nat’s raucous laughter poured out of the kitchen. Emily smiled on instinct, catching Kenji’s gaze as he did the same. He cleared his throat, then exhaled in a rush.
“I hope this isn’t too forward, but I wanted to tell you how much I admire you. Colleen told me all about her childhood, your parents…” Kenji was clearly flustered by her sustained eye contact. He stared down at the tabletop. “Anyway, she’s a really great girl, and it’s obvious that you had a lot to do with how she’s turned out.”
“Well, thank you.” Emily’s face heated, as it always did when someone expressed admiration for what never felt like a choice. “I did my best.”
“You did awesome. Colleen is really special.” Clearing his throat again, Kenji managed to meet her gaze. “My parents are physicians, and my brother and I had the most over-scheduled, privileged childhood you can imagine. Meeting Colleen has really opened my eyes. She makes me a better person.” He winced. “I know we haven’t been together long, and I’m probably crazy for even telling you all this—”
“No, I get it.” Inexplicably, Emily’s resistance to the idea of Colleen having a steady boyfriend melted away. She recognized the light in Kenji’s eyes when he spoke about Colleen. “I fell in love with Nat almost immediately. It took me a little while to admit it, but when you meet the right person, sometimes you just know.”
Kenji beamed at her. “Totally.” He shrugged, seeming to relax. “Actually, your situation—raising a sibling—has inspired an idea for a new graphic novel I want to write. Colleen has agreed to collaborate with me on the story. I think it’ll be amazing.”
So Colleen had managed to find someone to create with her. Emily’s affection for the boy bubbled over. “Well, I’d love to read it.”
Kenji’s expression turned sheepish. “I hope you like zombies.”
Emily stifled a laugh. Of course there had to be zombies. “I’ll try almost anything once.”
*
By the time Colleen and Kenji left a little more than three hours later, Emily’s throat and belly ached from all their laughing over dinner. Colleen and Nat had been in rare form, trading stories and amusing barbs, while Kenji interjected every so often with surprisingly funny comments. He was a charming guy, and she could honestly say that she was cautiously optimistic about his suitability for Colleen.
A
s though echoing her thoughts, Nat turned to her as soon as they shut the front door behind Colleen and Kenji. “I like him.”
“He’s okay,” Emily said, then gave Nat a helpless shrug. “He seems like a nice kid.”
“It sounds like he comes from a good family.” Nat took her hand, leading her to the couch. She sat and pulled Emily onto her lap, slipping a hand beneath her shirt to stroke her bare side. “I get the feeling he treats her very well.”
“He’d better. Or else I’ll send you after him.”
“Damn straight,” Nat muttered.
Emily nuzzled Nat’s neck, exhaling as her entire body relaxed. “You and Colleen were adorable tonight.”
“It was fun hanging out with her. Now that she doesn’t think I’m a sister-beating asshole, we actually seem to get along pretty well.” Nat’s hands roamed her body, smoothing over her stomach before settling on her back. “I think she knows how much I love her big sister.”
“I love you, too.” Emily looped her arms around Nat’s shoulders and rested her head against her chest. Closing her eyes, she focused on the steady thrum of Nat’s heartbeat. “She knows. She can see how happy I am.”
“I’m happy, too.” Nat’s hands moved around to cover her breasts. “Ecstatic, actually.”
“Me, too.” Emily’s breath hitched as Nat’s thumbs rubbed over her nipples. Still sore from the clamps she’d worn last night, the rough contact made them sting. “Can I do anything to make you even happier?”
“You could let me take you to bed.” Sharp teeth nipped at her earlobe. “And then you could just let me take you.”
Emily drew back and batted her eyelashes. “Seems to me that if you wanted to take me, you shouldn’t be asking my permission.” Excited for the play she was about to initiate, she whispered, “Unicorn, right?”
Nat’s expression hardened even as her eyes glittered. “Come on then, bad girl.” Moving quickly, she stood and hefted Emily over her shoulder like she weighed nothing. Then she brought her palm down onto Emily’s bottom with a thunderous slap. “I’ve got plans for you.”
Emily bit her lip against the delicious pain Nat delivered to her already aching body, then broke into a grin. She couldn’t wait.
THE END
About the Author
Meghan O’Brien grew up near Detroit, Michigan, and now resides in beautiful Sonoma County, California. She and her partner Angie share their lives with an amazing son, two dogs, three cats, and assorted fish, reptiles, and even a tarantula. Somewhere in all this chaos, she finds time to indulge in her favorite things: video games, science-fiction television, and (of course) writing. By day, she works as a web and database developer.
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