by Jaime Maddox
“Yeah. So do you want to come to Christmas dinner?”
Brit looked up from her peeling, surprised, hoping her trepidation didn’t show, but before she could answer, Alex continued. “Because I know my family’s going to love you, and before you leave tomorrow night, my mom’s going to invite you for Christmas.”
“Oh,” Brit said, but she didn’t have to think about it for long. There was nothing she’d like more than to spend Christmas Day with Alex. And since she knew Alex wouldn’t be welcome at the Dodges’, the Daltons’ was the only alternative. “Then I guess I’ll be coming to Christmas dinner.”
“How will you handle it with your family?”
Brit hadn’t told Alex about her plan for the next day. She knew Alex wouldn’t approve of the deception, and she found it ironic that while she’d questioned Alex’s integrity, now she was the one with the big moral void. Yet she didn’t know what else to do. She’d only been invited a few days earlier—she certainly couldn’t just spring the girlfriend on her family as the excuse for missing pie baking and then leaving dinner early. The migraine was a much easier solution.
“I don’t know. But I’ll figure out something. Don’t worry. I’ll be there.” They smiled at each other across the table.
“What did you tell them about tomorrow?” Alex asked.
Brit’s heart stopped. At least it felt as if it did. And although she’d been telling a ton of lies lately, she couldn’t lie to Alex. “They don’t know yet.”
Alex tried to hide the disappointment that sprang up inside her. She supposed this was inevitable, and she knew she had no right to any such feelings because Brit had been totally honest with her about her family from the very beginning.
“Look, Brit, if this is a problem, let’s just forget it. Dinner isn’t that important.”
“It is important, Alex. I want to be with you. It’s just new, that’s all. I have to figure out what to say to them.” Brit seemed to understand her feelings, because she smiled sweetly at Alex. “We’re going to work this out, Alex. Together. I wish I could say I know what to do and how to do it, but I’d be lying.”
The reassuring words relieved Alex. “You’re sure?”
“I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life.”
Smiling, Alex sliced off a piece of apple and popped it into her mouth. “Okay. Now what do we do with all of these apples?”
Brit showed her how to slice them, then added sugar and cinnamon to flavor them, and when she was happy with the taste, she set the bowl aside and filled another with all the ingredients for the pumpkin pie. Through it all, Alex was an attentive student, playfully kissing Brit’s nose and feeding her apples and dough, but mostly serious about the task at hand.
When the dough was rolled into a perfect size to fit the pie plate, Brit folded it and carefully placed it into the pan. Alex poured in filling, and then Brit carried the pie plate to the oven and gently placed it on the rack. After wiping her hands on a towel she set the timer. While the pumpkin baked, they rolled the other crust, poured in the apples, and placed the top crust over the heaping pile.
“That’s it?” Alex asked, disappointed. She’d been having fun.
“Well, we have some extra dough, and some extra apples, so why don’t we make a few tarts? I’ll let you roll the dough this time.”
“I don’t think I’m ready for this,” Alex said, teasing her, and pulled her into another hug. She’d meant it to be playful but wasn’t surprised when Brit’s mouth found her neck, and then her mouth. She opened slightly to receive Brit’s tongue, and she caressed it with her own, gently sucking, the heat between them hotter than the oven baking their Thanksgiving pies. They both pulled away breathless, and Alex backed up far enough to look into Brit’s eyes. Hers were twinkling as she spoke.
“Do you want to make tarts or make out?” Alex asked as she buried her mouth in Brit’s silky hair.
Alex could feel Brit trembling in her arms as she whispered, “That depends. Do you want to have an apple tart later or not?”
Alex turned her head so she could see Brit’s face and ran her fingers through Brit’s hair as she looked into her eyes. “Can’t I just have the damn pie? After all, I made it.”
Brit shook her head and frowned. “You can have as much as you want—tomorrow at your parents’ house.”
Alex looked down at Brit and kissed the tip of her nose again. It had taken a full minute to regain focus, but she had it now. “You drive a hard bargain.”
Then Brit reached up and tenderly stroked Alex’s face. “We have the entire evening, Alex. What’s the rush?”
Alex smiled at the irony of Brit’s words. There was certainly no rushing going on in their relationship. It was, in fact, maddeningly slow going. But it was okay. This was all new to Alex, too, and she wasn’t going to push too hard. At least she was trying not to.
Brit stepped away, happy for an excuse. She’d nearly collapsed in Alex’s arms, and she needed to regain control. Apple tarts were a good diversion. Brit instructed Alex on the proper rolling technique, and soon, they had pieces of dough of a suitable size for the proposed tarts. Alex filled and folded, pinching the edges as directed, then went to work on a second tart.
“You’re a quick study, Alex.” Brit beamed as she watched Alex, happier than she ever could have imagined feeling. Everything ordinary was so much better with Alex around, and something as routine as baking a pie was suddenly fresh and new and fun.
Alex met her eyes, and offered a piece of apple to Brit. She sucked it in, along with Alex’s fingers. Suddenly, her resolve melted as she was overcome with desire, and she moaned as Alex withdrew the sugary thumb from her mouth and ran it across Brit’s bottom lip. Brit opened her eyes to meet Alex’s and, seeing the heat and the hunger there, had to close them again. She couldn’t see but sensed Alex’s lips as they met hers, and she felt herself pulling Alex closer, pushing herself into Alex, wanting, needing more. Their tongues tangled and rolled across and around each other, their lips turning first one way and then another as they sought a perfect fit. Alex’s knee parted Brit’s legs, and she found herself sliding against Alex’s thigh, her desire mounting to unprecedented heights.
Biting her lip, Alex pulled away and rested her forehead against Brit’s. They were silent, except for the ragged breaths they both sucked into their air-starved lungs. Brit held her tightly, trying to regain control.
“What do you want, Britain?” Alex finally whispered.
“What?” Brit asked, confused.
“You asked me that question a month ago, when we first kissed. You asked me what I want. Now I’m asking you. What’s the plan? I mean, do I buy you a ring and plan the country-club wedding because we’re never going to have sex before marriage? Or do you have a certain timeframe in mind? Three months? Six months? Valentine’s Day? I’ve never done this before so I’m not sure how it works. But I really need to know what you’re thinking, because it’s getting so difficult to pull away from you.” Alex sighed and was finally silent.
Brit pulled back and looked at Alex. Her blond hair was messed up and dusted with flour from Brit’s hands. Her brown lashes rested on her flushed cheeks, and her lips were swollen from the kisses she’d given them.
What did she want? This! A beautiful woman who made her laugh and think and wasn’t afraid to get a little flour in her hair. What was she waiting for? Love? She had it. It was time to stop making excuses and start living. To begin loving the incredible woman who’d won her heart. She stroked Alex’s lip with her thumb, copying the caress that had ignited the inferno that now threatened to consume them. Alex’s eyes opened, and Brit could see all the love in them. Love for her. “You, Alex. I want you.” Brit sucked in her breath and spoke again before she lost her courage. “Will you make love with me?”
Alex’s jaw dropped and she pulled her head back. “Now?” she asked, and Brit thought she sounded a little frightened.
Brit leaned around Alex and looked at the timer on the stove. Thirty-eigh
t minutes until the pumpkin was done. “No, in thirty-nine minutes.”
Alex reached to the counter, and her hand found a wineglass. Her head was spinning and her knees were threatening collapse at any moment. She hadn’t intended to confront Brit on this day; she’d simply imploded. All the kissing over the past month, the cuddling, the caressing—they’d apparently taken their toll. And no matter how many times she used her vibrator to quiet the demands Brit helped raise, she never seemed satisfied. An orgasm or two just wasn’t enough. It was frightening, really, to measure the effect Brit had on her.
Somewhere in the back of her mind a voice told her to stop, that this was too impulsive a decision on Brit’s part. Paying it no attention, she slid the glass across the counter. She wasn’t even sure if it was hers or Brit’s, but she put it to her lips and took a big gulp. “Let’s get these dishes done.”
*
What seemed like days later, Alex followed Brit to her bedroom.
“Can we light some candles?” Brit asked.
“Yes, of course.”
Brit pulled a book of matches from a drawer and a candle from the dresser and handed them to Alex, then vanished into the bathroom, returning a moment later with three more candles cradled in her arms.
It was late afternoon, and the November daylight was quickly fading as one by one the candles began flickering and casting dancing shadows on the ceiling.
“How about music, Alex?” Brit asked. “At the Halloween party I heard that Norah Jones is perfect for setting a romantic mood.”
“What?” Alex was perplexed not just by the question but by the calm and routine of the last hour. What were they doing here? Alex had washed dishes while Brit threw together a salad. Sitting beside each other, they ate and sipped wine as if they were planning practice instead of making love. This would be Brit’s first time, ever, and she was behaving as if she were following a recipe. First you light the candles, then you put on the music, next remove your clothing, then place a hand on a hip. It was ridiculous.
Alex sat on the bed, facing away from the iPod where Brit was searching for the correct playlist. She was oblivious to Alex’s confusion, so Alex just sat there, letting Brit do what she needed to do, until she turned around a minute later.
“Alex, are you okay?”
Alex felt Brit’s hand on her shoulder and turned to her. “Sit by me,” she said as she patted the bed next to her. Brit did as she was told, but Alex noticed the apprehension on her face.
“Brit, this isn’t a recipe. You can’t just light candles and put on music and announce that you’re going to have sex in thirty-nine minutes.”
“Don’t you want to, Alex?”
Alex sighed in frustration. How could she explain her hesitancy? She squeezed Brit’s fingers as she looked into the eyes that matched her own. “I do, Brit. But this is your first time, and I want it to be amazing.”
Brit crawled up on the bed and collapsed on the pillows, her blond hair fanning out around her, her eyes sparkling, a seductive smile on her face. She summoned Alex with her pointer finger. “So come over here and amaze me.”
Alex pounced on her, not with a passionate intent but a friendly one. She began tickling Brit, teasingly pleading with her. “This is too much pressure! Stop pressuring me. I have performance anxiety.”
Brit laughed into Alex’s mouth as they kissed. “I’m betting your performance will be award winning.”
Alex smothered the rest of Brit’s words with a kiss, deeper this time. She rested her weight on her arms, as she settled on top of Brit, with their legs straddling and their chests meeting perfectly, breasts mashing against each other through the barriers of cloth separating them. Alex didn’t stop the dance her hips did this time. Instead she followed the rhythm they set as they pushed sensually against Brit’s leg. And as she pushed her tongue deep into Brit’s mouth, she felt Brit’s own hips rising to grind against her and Brit’s hands pulling her pelvis down into her as her head came up off the pillow to take Alex farther into her mouth. The questions vanished from her mind, and all she wanted was to make love to Brit.
Alex followed Brit’s lead, sliding her tongue back and forth across Brit’s, sucked Brit’s into her own mouth, and surrendered when Brit forced her way into Alex’s mouth. Their hips continued the dance that brought clits crashing against thighs in absolute wonder.
Alex pulled back enough to look into the bright pools of Brit’s eyes, now hooded with passion. “Brit? Are you sure?”
Brit took Alex’s hand and guided it into her sweatpants, into her underwear, and down into the hot, wet pool of her sex. They moaned together at the touch, and Brit removed her hand, leaving Alex’s to explore, then pulled Alex’s mouth to hers once again. “I’m so sure, Alex.”
Alex pulled back from the kiss and slowed down, sucking gently on Brit’s bottom lip while she gently squeezed Brit’s clit with her thumb and middle finger, sliding in the abundance of wet. Then, as Brit’s legs thrust higher, silently begging for more, Alex slipped that finger inside and watched Brit’s face contort with pleasure.
It was so good, so hot, everything Alex thought it would be, and it hadn’t really started yet. She was nervous, and she knew Brit was, too. Suddenly afraid that Brit would orgasm and lose her bravado, Alex pulled back her hand and smiled. “I think we’re overdressed for this occasion,” she said as she slipped the T-shirt over her head.
In the split second her vision was blocked by the shirt, Brit had managed to sit up and was shedding her clothes in record time. First the sweatshirt, then the bra, and then the pants and underwear.
They finished at the same moment but didn’t bother to pause and study each other’s naked beauty. Instead, they pulled each other close, and this time Alex didn’t need the guidance of Brit’s hand to find the place she wanted to go. They kissed again softly as Alex entered her, slowly sliding her middle finger along the front wall of Brit’s center. Brit’s legs were climbing Alex, wrapping around her as her hips thrust, but Alex refused to increase the pace or the pressure of her fingers on all the places that seemed to thrill Brit.
“I want to taste you. Would that be okay?” Alex asked as they looked at each other with longing.
Brit’s jaw dropped open and she nodded. Alex moved quickly down the bed, never withdrawing her finger but now adding her mouth beside the thumb that had been teasing Brit’s clit. She paused and listened with joy at Brit’s gasps of pleasure and words of encouragement as her tongue softly lapped at Brit’s clit.
“Oh, yes, Alex…Oh, God…Oh, wow.”
Using the inside of her lower lip, Alex began caressing her, up one side of her clit and down the other, and then in little circles all around it, as her finger grew more brazen inside. Brit’s hips had grown still in anticipation of Alex’s mouth, but now they began to move again, and Alex felt Brit’s hands in her hair, at first softly running her fingers through the curls, then grasping, and then finally holding tight to Alex’s head, assuring she wouldn’t abandon the task she’d set out to complete.
Alex moved her head and her lips and her tongue and her fingers, swirling and licking and stroking until she felt Brit arching beneath her and heard the indecipherable moans and sighs that told her Brit was about to orgasm. Inspired, she licked more frantically at Brit’s clit until finally, with a last thrust of her hips toward the mouth that claimed her, she let out a groan that rattled the windows. The hips and the hands that had been so active grew still, and Brit collapsed in a heap on the bed.
Resting her head on Brit’s thigh, Alex took a few moments to settle down. Her heart threatened to break through her chest wall, and her lungs were on fire. She was dizzy, and all she could taste and smell was the salty sweetness of Brit. The throbbing in her clit was fierce, and she thought that for a moment, just as Brit was starting to come, that she might, too, from the mere brush of her clit against Brit’s comforter. She hadn’t, though, and she tried to focus on Brit’s pleasure as a distraction from her own need.
Opening her eyes, she studied the neatly trimmed bush of blond hair, a few shades darker than on her head. Her sex was puffy and shiny and inviting, and Alex gently kissed it, barely touching the lips that guarded her entrance. Was Brit a woman of multiple orgasms, or was she a one-and-done kind of girl? Alex wondered if Brit even knew the answer herself.
Shifting her head slightly, but still resting on Brit’s thigh, Alex began exploring Brit’s sex yet again. She glided her fingers smoothly through the wet folds and sucked gently. Tracing her finger up and down Brit’s center, from top to bottom, she began tentatively pushing her finger in, then pulling out before beginning the route again, on each pass venturing in a little deeper. Before her first knuckle was buried, Brit was moaning again, asking for more.
“Please, Alex. It’s so wonderful. Don’t stop.”
Yet again Alex shifted and found herself on her knees, squarely between Brit’s legs, her head bent in worship. She began to fuck her more deeply while sucking feverishly on Brit’s hard clit. It grew beneath her mouth from a soft nub of nerves to a hard bundle that demanded her attention, and Alex gave it all she had, until she sensed and heard and felt Brit’s second orgasm.
This time she withdrew and slid up to the head of the bed, then pulled Brit into her arms. Tears glossed Brit’s eyes as they looked at her, and a smile picked up the corners of her mouth. “There are no words to describe that.”
In response, Alex pulled her closer. “Shhh. You don’t have to say anything.”
“Okay, then I won’t tax my brain. It seems to have short-circuited.”
“I’m glad.”
Brit closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She’d known the wonder of orgasm since figuring out how to pleasure herself as a teenager, but comparing those orgasms to the pair Alex had given her was like watching fireworks on television instead of in person. They weren’t in the same category.
They held each other quietly on top of the blankets, listening to the music and feeling each other’s heat. Brit tried to take in every sensation to preserve forever this amazing moment. A faint smell of apple pie mingled with the berry-scented candles burning in the bedroom. And with Alex’s face so close to hers, Brit detected another smell, a musky, heady aroma she knew was her own. The music was soft and sultry. The candles threw off dancing waves of light. The hot, firm body beside her warmed her. Her own body was totally relaxed, totally satisfied, totally alive. At that moment, their world was a perfect place. It was amazing, just as she’d requested.