by J. M. Dabney
Andrea wrapped her fingers around the base of the seven-inch strap-on. A steely arm snaked around her and tugged her forward. “Ride it.”
Her gaze locked on Andrea’s, she canted her hips. The fullness took her by surprise. It’d been a long time since she’d had anyone and anything inside her. She eased down with a shuddered breath. Without closing her eyes, she brought her mouth down on Andrea’s, kissing her slow and easy and lowering herself until her clit met cool leather. She raised her hands, wrapped her fingers over the back of the couch using her thighs to lift and thrust, rolling and grinding. Her breath shuddered out when she took the dildo completely.
Andrea moaned, even whimpered, as Eva rubbed their bodies together. “Fuck, baby, that rubs the clit just right” Andrea hissed through clenched teeth. Her lover grasped her nape, holding tight, and slipped her fingers between them. “Ride it fast and hard. The harder you grind, the more it rubs my clit.”
Eva memorized the passion on the flushed face—lips parted, panting—and did what she’d been asked. Riding the woman hard and fast, she bounced, circled her hips in wide, slow arcs, making Andrea shudder. She reveled in the fullness, the lightning-fast strokes of fingertips over her clit, and the sudden heat of Andrea’s mouth wrapped around her nipple.
She threw her head back, her long hair teasing the indent at the small of her back. Her thighs trembled. Andrea whispered naughty things between sharp bites to her nipples. The end barreled toward her, the evidence in the contraction of her muscles and her once fluid movements turning jerky. Wrapping her arms around her woman, she held her tight to her breasts and slammed down, impaling herself one last time.
A sharp cry, a heavy release of fluid between her thighs, and her pussy gripped the toy tight. Grinding upward, Andrea shuddered, shouting her name and holding her so tight, she could barely catch her breath. Andrea’s hand dipped beneath the base of the strap-on, rubbing her own clit until her pleasure eased. Andrea buried her face between Eva’s breasts. Together, they collapsed back on the couch, Eva’s pussy pulsing steadily, both their bodies drenched in sweat and lungs fighting for air, their hearts beating erratically.
Words rushed forward, but froze on the tip of her tongue. She couldn’t say it. She wanted to, but she couldn’t. She swallowed the lump in her throat and relaxed fully against Andrea, savoring the stroke of slender fingers and the gentle brush of soft lips.
Chapter Twelve
Shit. Andrea dragged herself from bed, dropped a kiss to Eva’s lower back, and chuckled to herself as she slid on the pajama bottoms she’d grabbed off the dresser. One weekend with Eva had turned her loft into a disaster area—clothes thrown everywhere, hanging from lampshades, and even a bra on the ceiling fan. How it’d gotten there, she had no clue. By Saturday night, they had stopped getting dressed. She could definitely get used to a naked Eva lounging around her place.
First, she had to make her girl happy and wake her up with coffee, so she headed downstairs. Her woman’s pleasant personality didn’t exist in the morning without a pot of caffeine in her. It took a few minutes to get the pot brewed.
A knock sounded at the door, and she sighed. Fuck. She grabbed the T-shirt draped over one of the kitchen chairs, pulled it over her head, and opened the door without checking the peephole—and instantly regretted it. Natalia stood on the porch, one slim hip cocked to the side and a come-and-get-it grin on her lips. The fashionable black trench coat encased her skinny frame, and Andrea had an idea as to what was—or more like wasn’t—under the coat.
“Natalia, what are you doing here?” She decided to take the conversation to the hallway so they didn’t wake Eva, but her ex-girlfriend brushed past her. Rolling her eyes skyward, she counted to ten and back slowly. She didn’t need this bullshit, especially not with Eva upstairs.
“I came straight from the airport and wanted to give my sexy woman a proper hello.” The coat slipped off Natalia’s thin shoulders, exposing her nudity. At one time, the slender frame might have enticed her for a quick tumble but the woman she loved slept peacefully in her bed. Eva and her perfect curves, the woman she could see spending her life with and having a family.
“Put the coat back on and head your ass home. I made myself very clear the last time we spoke.”
“I gave you time to realize your mistake, Andrea.” Natalia’s voice grew louder, and she gritted her teeth. “You should agree that frumpy little thing is completely inappropriate!”
“Keep your damn voice down,” she ordered.
“Oh, is it here?”
Whatever she had found attractive about this woman must have been a lie, a façade. This was the real Natalia. She reached to pull the coat back together, but before she could get her hands on the fabric, the woman pressed herself to Andrea. Rubbing and clinging, Natalia’s soft lips on hers no longer elicited the desire they once did. Jerking her mouth from her ex’s, she grabbed Natalia’s upper arms and tried to push her away.
“I knew you wanted me. You slummed. Now, it’s just the two of us. Go get rid of your chunky fling, I’ll let you bend me over the couch like you like, let you do all those kinky things that get you off.”
“Natalia!” The admonishment was cut off by another unwanted kiss and a long, slender leg curled around her. The woman humped her like a bitch in heat. “Stop! I won’t have you acting like this with—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Eva said from the foot of the stairs. “I’m about to get out of your way.”
Andrea jerked her head so quickly, Natalia’s mouth landed on her throat. Her devastated lover refused to meet her gaze. Shit, not good. “Wait! Damn it, Natalia, back the fuck off.” Trying to peel the woman off seemed to take forever and, by the time she ran out of the apartment, the elevator doors were already sliding shut. “Damn it!” Andrea pounded her fist against the doors when they closed in her face and took off running toward the stairs, out of breath before she got four flights down. She dashed through the doors and hit the down button on the elevator.
The car stopped, and the doors slid open. Green eyes shone bright with tears.
“Baby, it’s not what it looked like, I swear.” She darted into the elevator. “She wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“It didn’t seem like you were saying no.” The pain in her baby’s voice killed her, and when she reached for Eva, she flinched away. “I don’t want excuses. I want to go home, and I know I’m probably acting like an emotional idiot, but I’m not used to being picked first. Natalia’s a successful model. I’m just a frumpy soccer mom.”
“That’s bullshit. I’ve wanted you from the first moment I saw you approaching me with Artie. I lov—”
“No! I don’t want to hear it. I’m going home, and I’ll be taking a week’s personal leave. If that isn’t acceptable, you can fire me.”
“Baby, let’s go back upstairs. I’ll kick Natalia out, and we can talk about this. Don’t let her fuck this up. We’ve waited too long. Please.”
Eva shook her head, and her heart sank. The woman she loved ran out of the elevator and rushed to the front door.
“Can I take you home at least?” she called after her. No answer came, and she stood helpless as the door shut. She scrubbed her palms over her face. Helplessness at not being able to get her lover to stay broke her heart. She didn’t have the greatest reputation, but she’d changed since she’d met Eva, wanted different things.
On the heels of the pain of possibly losing Eva, rage seared through her. Slamming the heel of her hand to the button for her floor, she knew Natalia awaited her. If the woman had any sense, she’d be far away from her place. Clenching her jaw and fists, she took deep breaths, attempting to calm herself.
The elevator doors slid open. A smug Natalia stood there with her coat barely closed. “Finally got a fucking clue, huh?”
Exiting the car, she stormed past Natalia.
“You can’t possibly want her.”
She reached her door and spun, Natalia almost bumping into her.
Natalia’s bowed. A frown pulled the woman’s lips tight in what appeared to be something close to remorse, but she’d already fooled her once.
“Andrea, it wouldn’t have lasted. She’s got kids, she’s domestic, and that’s not you.”
“You might’ve been right, at one time, but I want all those domestic things with Eva. I can even see adding a few more kids. Moreover, you and your childish little stunt probably fucked it up for me. I’m going to have to do a lot of groveling. I’m not losing her because of you. Now, button your fucking coat up and get the fuck out of my building. I’d better not see you around, especially not near Eva. Do we understand each other?”
Natalia jerked the expensive coat together and buttoned it with quick, angry movements. “I still say you’ll be fucking sorry you did this!”
“Not a damn chance!” she yelled at the retreating woman and moved over the threshold, slamming the door. The messy apartment had made her smile. Now, it made her shoulders slump. She stomped over to the couch, dropping down onto it and resting her head in her hands.
Eva’s clothes still littered the room, and her scent would cling to her sheets. Everything had been going so great—Eva in her life, a partner and girlfriend in her bed. The woman loved her, she didn’t doubt that, except now she had to prove herself all over again. Eva had always been the sweet one, the calming factor in their group of friends, a shoulder when she needed one, and the most self-conscious.
For this battle, she’d need reinforcements. Artemis and Amy would probably kick her ass then help, but it didn’t matter the cost. She didn’t care as long as they helped her get Eva to forgive her. Plans, she needed a plan to get her woman back. She would court her all romantic like. She would prove she didn’t want or need anyone else. She just needed to figure out how to do that.
She surged to her feet, went to grab a cup of coffee, and then headed for the shower. Time to get the ass chewing of a lifetime out of the way.
Chapter Thirteen
Fingers tightened almost to the point of pain around her coffee mug. Artie paced across shiny hardwood floors. She knew something was building; her sister was combustible on a good day. Eva released her mug and brushed an invisible crumb from the tabletop. Mentally, she started counting backward from five and wasn’t disappointed when the outburst came. “You’re an idiot!”
Eva did a double take at her sister who glowered down at her with fists planted on hips. She shifted uncomfortably on the chair, Eva’s cheery kitchen suddenly stifling. Opening her mouth, closing it, and then opening it again, she was at a loss for anything to say.
“You didn’t see it!” The words burst forth with an indignant squeak.
“She has worshipped the ground you’ve walked on for years, and some surgically enhanced, mutant Barbie comes along and you throw your hands in the air, saying ‘I quit.’” Artie flailed her hands above her head to highlight her point. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Tell me, because right now I would love to know.”
“I’m not like you or Amy or, hell, even Marley. I’m the boring one, the cool mom all the kids like, the one who bakes cupcakes for bake sales. I spent a good portion of my life married. I know about being a homemaker and a mom.”
“That’s bullshit. You’re the responsible one. You keep our asses out of trouble most of the time, and there’s not a fucking thing wrong with liking the things you do. Mark left, and you stepped up. You got a job, one you do well at, and you have two great kids, confident kids. Just because you’re no supermodel doesn’t mean anything. Mom and Dad would kick your ass. You wait until I call them. They will hop a plane just to come home to do it.”
“Leave Mom and Dad alone. They’re at a nude beach for two months. They’re in heaven right now.”
“See, I don’t get you, Eva. The parental units never once instilled an ounce of shame in us. What happened to the confident woman I looked up to when my ass exploded and my tits failed to inflate?”
The conversation was serious, but the visual in her head produced from Artie’s description made her cackle.
“Eva, it’s not funny.”
“You’re”—she cleared her throat, forcing the smile from her face—“perfect. There’s nothing wrong with you.”
“I didn’t say there was anything wrong with me!”
“Sorry.” Her voice, marked with mirth, seemed to infuriate Artie more.
“No, you’re not. You’re still laughing, and I can hear it.” Artie stomped her foot and glared.
She needed to deflect the oncoming rant. “We were talking about me, remember?”
“Right, right, you’re an idiot!”
“You already said that. Natalia…? She’s perfect, and I have lumps and extra padding. Don’t forget the stretch marks.”
“Shut up! You’re not twenty anymore. You birthed babies…two rather large babies. I witnessed it. I’m still traumatized they fit through the exit.”
She covered a grin with her hand at the exaggerated shudder. “There were drugs, lots of drugs.” She fell back into the couch cushions and sighed. “I’m mad and hurt. She almost told me she loved me, and I pretty much told her it didn’t matter.”
Her sister’s eyes widened comically, her mouth fell open, and she staggered backward. “Andrea Slade, serial dater, Queen of the Hook up, tried to tell you she loved you and you didn’t fall at her feet in adoration? Come on, Eva. Half the women who’ve dated or slept with her would’ve killed to hear it.”
“You said it. She’s the Queen of the Hook up. Why would she want more with me?”
“Because you’re real, loving. We all know what her past is like, with her parents. She’s never once had anything stable…except us, her friends. We became her family. She looked at you and saw what she secretly wanted. The woman couldn’t take her gaze off you when we would go to Sappho. Fuck, Eva, she never left your side. We’d all watch the two of you in that corner booth of yours, all nestled up. Everyone saw what was happening except you two. Are you going to fuck this up because a psycho ex couldn’t get it through her head the relationship had ended?”
At her sister’s words, shame overtook Eva. “I need to think, Artie. It’s not as though we ever talked about the future or what would happen if we made our relationship permanent. There’s Bradley and Jenny to consider.”
“Um, your kids adore her. They would do a fucking happy dance if they thought they were getting a new stepmom, especially if it’s their Aunt Andy.”
“They’ve even told me, but it always seemed in joking. What if they get hurt when she leaves?”
“That’s your problem, Eva. You already have her leaving in your head.” Artie’s voice escalated to yelling. “Those kids of yours weren’t joking. They never batted an eye when you told them you were going on a date with Marley. You have the most open-minded kids on the planet. Give this thing between you and Andrea a chance. I’m warning you, don’t fuck it up over a bag of bones.”
“I told you I needed to think.” The excuse sounded lame, even if she needed to work it all out in her head Eva knew what she wanted. Getting it was the problem. How could she compare to the physically perfect…. She’d compared herself to others for so many years it had become second nature. It had to stop, but she didn’t know how.
“Fine, think yourself to death, but if you let her go because you’re more worried about her reputation and your supposedly lumpy ass, you’re an idiot.” With one last dirty glare, Artie stomped to the door. Her sister did her best impression of a two-year-old in the middle of a tantrum, including, oh yes, the door slam.
The windows rattled, and she slouched in her chair. When had she become one of those women? She relived the scene from two days ago, and her cheeks burned. She’d jumped to a conclusion and left without letting Andrea explain. The memory of the way Natalia had spo
ken and touched Andrea—jealousy had burned in her stomach, and hurt had caused her eyes to sting with unshed tears.
She’d turned away from the way they’d looked together. Similar height, beautiful—they suited one another. Escape had been the only thing she could think about. God, how could she have been so stupid? The truth had shone in her woman’s gaze. She’d tried to get Eva to come back to the apartment, but she hadn’t wanted to hear it.
They’d been friends so long, even before she’d thought anything romantic could happen. Andrea had become her comfort, someone who went out of her way to make her laugh or compliment her. The woman always made her feel beautiful, and she had to admit there hadn’t been a chance for anyone else. From the moment they’d met, loving the other woman hadn’t been a choice. No, she wouldn’t call it love at first sight, but she’d known somewhere in her gut Andrea was the one.
There were still things she needed to think about, issues she hadn’t realized she even needed to get over. She would take her week of vacation, think, talk to her babies, and then she’d go to Andrea. That’s if the woman still wanted her. She had made a mess of the situation and an even bigger fool of herself. A childish tantrum from a grown woman was not the most attractive spectacle, but she’d never wanted anything more than she wanted a life with Andrea and her children.
Chapter Fourteen
Andrea held her glass loosely between her fingers and her supposed friend glared at her. Maybe picking Amy to be her partner in the Win Eva Back mission hadn’t been such a great idea. She sipped her whiskey, waiting for the woman to stop scowling and speak, but she couldn’t take it anymore. Setting her glass down a little too hard on the bar, she rolled her eyes. “Are you just going to stare or actually be helpful?”
Amy’s dark-blonde brow shot upward. “You should’ve tossed the fat-deficient bitch out on her bare ass instead of letting her in.”