by G. Benson
Desire clouded her thoughts as Lane’s hands ran down her back, fingers trailing on the skin where Anna’s shirt had ridden up. Nails bit into her skin, and Anna groaned, hips rolling, her hand dropping from Lane’s hair and running down from ribs to hip, fingers grasping at the bunched up material of Lane’s dress. The soft skin of Lane’s thigh was hot against Anna’s skin, as insistent fingers pulled the edges of her dress up further.
As Anna’s lips trailed over Lane’s jaw and down her neck, her tongue met against skin. Lane’s head fell back against the arm of the couch, her thigh pressing into Anna in a way that was driving her mad.
“Anna.” Her voice was low, husky, like it had been in the bathroom earlier. Lane’s nails slid from the skin of Anna’s back to bite into her jeans, her other hand raising goose bumps on the back of Anna’s neck as it stroked the sensitive skin. Rhythm built in their hips, and Anna’s lips touched Lane’s collarbone. “Anna?”
“Mm?” The combination of wine and Lane was making her head foggy.
“Bed?”
Finally, Anna paused. “Is that a good idea?” She didn’t remove her hand, and her lips pressed against the unbelievably soft skin again.
“Right now?” Lane’s fingertips dug into her shoulder as Anna’s lips pressed back against her neck. “Yes. Yes, it’s definitely a good idea.”
After a soft kiss, Anna nodded. “Okay.” She stood up, holding a hand out to Lane.
With her cheeks flushed, Lane really was stunning.
She took Anna’s hand, and Anna tugged her up, turning to lead before pausing. Sheepishly, Anna smiled at Lane’s raised eyebrow. “I was going to be all smooth and lead you to the bedroom, but I don’t know where it is.”
Lane wrapped her arms around Anna, stepping them backwards, kissing her neck. “Well, this is the living room.” They stumbled back, Lane leading their joined steps. “This is the hallway.”
Anna gave a loud giggle between kisses as they half tripped, nearly falling through a doorway.
“And this,” Lane pushed Anna’s hair off her face, eyes impossibly soft, “is the bedroom.”
Anna didn’t take her eyes off Lane. “It’s nice.”
“I like it.”
Anna kissed Lane again, pushing backwards until the back of Lane’s knees hit the bed.
As she sank down and sat on the edge, she pulled Anna down with her. Anna’s legs slid to either side of Lane’s hips and Lane’s hands dropped instantly to rest on Anna’s waist. Her tongue traced Anna’s lips before it slid into her mouth and Lane’s fingertips gripped her waist.
“Before,” Anna said between kisses, “you said ‘right now’, it seemed like a good idea.” Her foggy brain was telling her something.
“Yeah?”
“Maybe that’s the wine and the making out talking?”
Lane chuckled softly. “Maybe.”
“Something tells me we should stop, or we won’t stop.”
“Something tells me I wouldn’t hate that idea.”
Anna pushed a curl of hair behind Lane’s ear, skin soft under her fingertips. “I think hating it would be far from my feelings on the matter.”
Smiling, Lane leant forward, kissing Anna’s neck. “But we should stop, anyway?” Her lips trailed down, slow and teasing.
Anna’s eyes fluttered closed and her head tilted up to allow Lane more access. “You’ve made me feel…amazing. But I-I’m worried. I’m all, um, fragile. I may end up in tears. And that wouldn’t exactly be hot.”
Lane straightened up. “You’re always hot.” She raised her hands up, cupping Anna’s cheeks. “But I understand.”
“I don’t want to sleep with you because I’m sad and burying feelings.” Anna’s eyes widened. “Not that that would be the only reason. It’s just, that’s kind of my MO, and—”
“Anna. I get it. It’s okay. You still look on the verge of tears—I understand.” Lane pulled her down and kissed her, softly. “Really.”
“Thank you.”
“What for?”
“You’ve been awesome, tonight.”
“You don’t need to thank me.”
“Still.” Anna’s voice was soft. “Thank you.”
“Okay, you’re welcome. Now,” Lane dropped her hands to the tops of Anna’s thighs, then flopped backwards on the bed, looking up at her, “What are we going to do? I’m not sending you home when you’re fragile. We’re being good, even after making it to the bed. Which, in my eyes, deserves a medal. I may be understanding, but I’m still human.” Anna laughed again, linking her hands with Lane’s. “You can stay here. We’ll both behave.”
Anna hesitated.
“You don’t have to stay, of course. I just—I’m guessing the kids aren’t at your place?”
Anna shook her head. “They’re with my parents, tonight. I’m picking them up at nine.”
Lane made a face. “That’s early for a day off. Okay, so your place is empty? I just thought you might prefer to stay here. But it’s totally okay if you don’t want to.”
Caught between one delicious option and her own fear, Anna hovered . If she was honest with herself, she didn’t want to go home, but she wasn’t so sure she should stay, either. “Maybe we could watch a movie?”
“Sounds great.”
Anna pulled Lane to her feet, and Lane grinned at her when they were eye to eye. “If we’re going to watch movies, we need comfy clothes.”
“What?”
“Comfy clothes.” Lane turned and went to her dresser, rummaging around the drawers. A pair of track pants and a hoodie emerged. Lane threw them to Anna, who caught them. “You put those on in the living room, and I’ll change out of this inappropriate dress.”
Anna pouted and clutched the clothes to her chest. “I like the inappropriate dress.”
“Too bad. I want movie-watching clothes.”
Sighing, Anna turned and went back to the living room. As she changed, slipping the too-long pants on and rolling them up once, she peered around the living room. The furniture really was spectacular, the coffee table clearly hand carved. Lane’s dad obviously knew what he was doing.
Anna sat on the couch, admittedly much comfier. Lane appeared and twirled in her grey track pants and simple red shirt.
“Still hot?”
Chuckling, Anna nodded. “Still hot.”
Triumphant, Lane walked over to the TV. “Now, what to watch?”
“All I’ve watched the last few weeks are kids’ movies. Have you got anything incredibly dramatic, or scary—something completely inappropriate for children?”
Lane peered at the DVD rack next to her television. She scanned the titles. “Okay, we have a couple of choices.” She bent over and Anna perved more than she paid attention. “Shawshank Redemption, the Scream movies, There’s Something About Mary, oh! I have True Blood?” Lane turned around, DVDs in hand, and caught Anna out with a pervy look still on her face.
Lane raised her eyebrows. “I thought we were behaving?”
“I can look. I’ve spent the last week at the hospital doing it, it’s a habit. It’s not my fault—stop being hot.”
“You weren’t subtle at work, either.”
Anna shrugged unapologetically.
“Any of those DVDs sound okay?”
Anna really hadn’t been paying attention. “Um…maybe?”
Lane rolled her eyes. “Have you watched True Blood?”
Anna shook her head.
“Well, it’s definitely in the category of not appropriate for kids. You’re not—wait...” She went red, looking amused at herself. “Never mind.”
Anna eyed Lane as she went about loading the DVD and then walked over to the couch. “Not what?”
Lane looked ready to laugh. “Nothing.”
Under Anna’s questioning look, Lane caved. “I was
about to ask if blood makes you squeamish. Then I remembered you’re an anaesthetist who’s constantly in surgeries.”
Anna cracked up.
“Yeah, yeah. That’s why I stopped asking. Watch the DVD, you.”
Still snickering, Anna lay down, tugging at Lane’s hand, pulling her behind her. Lane’s arm slipped around Anna’s middle, and she propped her head up so she could see past. As the opening scene aired, she leant forward, pressing her lips to Anna’s shoulder.
Wriggling around, Anna stared up at Lane until she glanced down curiously. “What?”
Turning completely, Anna asked, “We can still make out, right?”
Warm breath washed over Anna’s lips as Lane dipped her head.
“Definitely.”
CHAPTER TEN
Anna woke up and almost fell off the couch. Groaning, she rolled over so that Lane’s front was pressed to hers and their legs tangled together. Lane had gotten them a pillow at some point before they’d fallen asleep, and Anna couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this comfortable, especially after sleeping on a couch. She tilted her head and pressed her lips softly to Lane’s neck.
Lane’s arms tightened around Anna’s waist and she sighed softly. Much calmer than she would have expected after the uncharacteristic outburst, Anna pressed closer.
“Morning.” Lane’s voice was thick with sleep.
Anna smiled against her neck. “Morning.”
“We slept on the couch.” Half-asleep, Lane was adorable. She sounded confused. Anna could feel her head shifting slightly as she looked around like she didn’t know where she was.
“We did. It was surprisingly comfy.”
“You’re comfy.”
Anna chuckled, kissing Lane’s neck again.
Lane’s head dropped back to the pillow, relaxing as she sighed. “And you feel good.”
“Shit!” Anna sat straight up and stared down at Lane. “Shit! What’s the time?”
Disgruntled at the loss of warmth, her hair a mess around her head, Lane lifted her arm from where it had fallen to Anna’s thigh. Her wrist hovered over her face and she squinted at it. “Um...”
Smirking and rolling her eyes, Anna grabbed Lane’s wrist and turned it gently to look at her watch. Lane dropped her head happily back to the pillow and flopped her other arm theatrically over her eyes to block out the light.
“Good, it’s only six thirty,” Anna said with a sigh of relief.
“Six thirty!” Lane lifted her arm slightly to glare at Anna. “That’s way too early. It’s a day off.”
“You really aren’t a morning person, are you?”
Lane hid her eyes back again behind her arm. “What gave me away?”
With a snort, Anna tried to stand up, but Lane grabbed her wrist and yanked her back down. Anna wriggled backwards so Lane was pressed tighter against her back.
“Gee, I don’t know. I have no idea how you cope with shift work.”
She felt Lane shrug behind her, her face buried in Anna’s hair. “The promise of money and coffee, so much coffee.”
“Coffee sounds amazing right now.”
“Oh, thank God. You like coffee. I dated someone who didn’t, years and years ago.”
“What kind of person doesn’t like coffee?”
“Abnormal ones. How do they function?”
“Probably quite well, without an addiction that leads to a blinding headache by eleven if you don’t get your fix.”
Lane attempted a sleepy chuckle, the hand around Anna’s middle sliding under her shirt to splay over her stomach. “Yours doesn’t kick in until eleven? Lucky.”
“Yours?”
“Ten minutes after I wake up.”
“Oh, dear God. I have about six minutes to get caffeine into you.” Anna made as if to get up again and chuckled when Lane’s arm held her firmly in place. “Coffee, Lane.”
“Yeah, but you’re comfy.” It was almost a whine.
“Did you not hear me? Caffeine.”
The arm loosened. “Fine.”
Anna tugged her shirt back into place as Lane rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in the pillow.
Anna raised her eyebrows. “I’d love to be all chivalrous, but much like last night, where I tried to take you to the bedroom, I don’t know where anything is.”
Lane nodded into her bedding.
“You’re staring at me, aren’t you?”
“Mhm.”
Her voice light, despite the attempt to be grumpy, Lane rolled back onto her side. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
“I’ve been told that before.” With a wink, Anna walked to the kitchen.
“And you have a cute ass.” Lane sat up on the edge of the couch.
“I’ve caught you staring at it enough at work.”
“Good to hear I was about as subtle as you.”
“What was that?”
“Coffee’s in the cabinet under the toaster!”
They moved around each other in the kitchen, not quite fluidly, but strangely comfortable for the short time they had known each other. Lane giggled sleepily as Anna pressed her against the kitchen bench, kissing her slowly as the kettle boiled.
Coffee in hand, Anna sat on the same bench taking small sips, while Lane stood between her legs. Anna’s free hand clung to Lane’s shirt, maintaining a grip while they drank, contented silence surrounding them. Anna could drown in this feeling.
Lane rested her coffee on the bench next to Anna, leaning forward to press her face against Anna’s neck. Warm lips kissed her skin and Anna sighed.
“Do you really have to be there by nine?”
Lane’s breath against her neck sent a shudder down Anna’s spine. “Yeah. I promised the kids. We’re going to the zoo today.”
“I could come?”
Anna froze slightly, saved from answering as Lane continued, “Crap, never mind—I promised a friend I’d help him move today.”
Trying to hide her reaction, Anna took a sip of coffee. “I may need to be at my place by about eight thirty? To get to my mum’s by nine.”
Lane pressed her lips against Anna’s neck, tracing an agonisingly slow line to her collarbone. The caffeine was obviously hitting her system. “That means having to leave here pretty soon, yeah?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
With Lane’s hands kneading her thighs as her lips moved slowly to the other side of Anna’s neck, Anna didn’t want to go anywhere. “What if I dropped you at your mum’s at nine, instead?”
“Uh—” Her head fell back slightly as Lane’s tongue pressed to her skin. “I need my car, with the car seat, to get them.”
“Damn.” Lane’s voice was a whisper against Anna’s ear. “Shall we shower and stuff here, then I can drop you at your place?”
The image of a naked Lane in the shower made Anna grin widely.
“Shower separately, pervert. We’re on a time restriction. And we’re being good. Or something.”
Anna shrugged unashamed. “You’re the one who put the idea in my head.”
“Well, it’s a pretty nice image.”
They showered—separately. Lane made them both a second coffee in travel mugs while waiting for Anna to finish, both their heads slightly sore from the wine the previous evening. They were putting on their jackets at the door, Anna pulling her arm through her sleeve and taking the proffered cup, when she paused to watch Lane.
Lane raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“You’re awesome.”
“I am?”
Her fingers tucked a loose curl behind Lane’s ear. “You are. Thank you.”
“No more thank yous. Or sorrys. Those be the rules.”
Lane pulled the door open, Anna running a hand down Lane’s arm to link with her fingers and tug her with her as she
walked out. “Rules?”
“Oh, I’m bossy.”
“That could be fun.”
Lane smirked, pressing the button for the elevator, and they made their way to the garage and into Lane’s car.
They drove in silence, sipping their coffees, Anna working to quell her rushing thoughts until the car pulled up smoothly in front of the house.
Lane looked across at her. “I had a really nice time last night.”
“With all the tears and—”
“Hey. We banned that.”
“Look, you are bossy.”
“Yep.”
Suddenly a little shy, Anna flicked her nail against the lid of her takeaway cup. “I had a really nice night, too. Thanks for, you know, listening.”
“It was my pleasure.” Lane smiled. “And you’re hot even with the tears.”
Anna chuckled. “Shut up.”
When Lane leant in to kiss her, Anna met her halfway. Their lips touched, Lane pressing into the kiss. Anna rested her palm over Lane’s heart, soothed by the steady beat.
As they parted, Lane leant her forehead against Anna’s. “I know everything’s really complicated for you right now. But I’d really like to see you, however I can.”
“I’d like that too.” Anna threw Lane one last smile and slid out of the car.
She turned at the front door to wave at Lane before she went inside. The door closed behind her, and she leant back, looking around the empty house. It was eerily quiet. A slow, deep breath left her body.
She had meant what she’d said, that she would like to see Lane too. Anna really had no idea where the tears had come from, the talking about Jake and Sally—the entire thing, really. It was as if once she’d started, she couldn’t stop. Yet, while she felt scrubbed raw after it all, her shoulders felt less tense than they had in weeks. The lump in her throat that had been her constant companion had eased.