Best Lesbian Romance of the Year

by Radclyffe

  Blaze was nervous as she sat behind her steering wheel with Emmy in her passenger seat. They had known each other a total of seven days, but not in the biblical sense, of course. Not yet. Maybe not ever, but Blaze hoped Emmy liked her as much as she liked Emmy because Blaze felt like she was just about to bust wide open, and if it wasn’t mutual…well, then…but it sure looked mutual and Dance had told her to follow her bliss, whatever that meant, and that it was okay to love anybody you wanted to.

  “Are you going to give it to me or what?” Emmy snapped with an edge of lust and laughter in her voice.

  “Just hold your horses, little lady,” Blaze shot back. “I got it right here in this folder.” She reached behind her seat for the folder that held the finished portrait.

  “Finally,” Emmy said.

  Blaze had taken time to shade it in, add color and get those eyes that she had come to adore just right. She opened the folder, proud of her work.

  Emmy scooted over to Blaze on the front seat and stared into her own face. She instantly teared up, which she wasn’t expecting. The girl in the portrait looked so poetically pained. The eyes—hurt, smart, surprised at the depth of brokenheartedness. The long windblown hair, the smooth chin, all of it spoke of something Emmy could not name right now. She felt Blaze’s arm around her shoulder. She felt her own head sink into Blaze’s chest. She felt Blaze kiss the top of her head. Emmy wanted to hold this position as long as possible, hoping no one could see them in the deserted lot after work. She listened to Blaze’s pumping heart and smiled. She felt her own heart, too, and the rising of a powerful desire. Dance had told Emmy that love was in reach and that she shouldn’t be afraid to reach out again. She lifted her face and met Blaze’s lips. The kiss was delicate and desperate. Emmy wanted to say I love you already, but she knew better than that. Wait. The perfect moment would come.

  “Oh god,” Blaze said. “What you’ve done to me!”

  “I’m going to keep doing it,” Emmy said, touching places all over Blaze’s beautiful strong body. “Right here and here and here and here.”

  LIKE A BREATH OF OCEAN BLUE

  Elizabeth Black

  There was something magical about the ocean in the height of summer. Warm air crackled around me, as if the sky knew this day was going to be special. I stood by the store’s back door, drinking a cup of coffee and watching the gulls bob up and down on the ocean’s waves.

  I minded the T-shirt store Monday through Friday from nine to five. Today, being Friday, was a special day. My heart thundered in my chest. She’ll arrive any minute. This was the first time I had interest in a woman more than merely daydreaming about her. I fingered the necklace in my pocket. Am I being too forward giving it to her? What if she doesn’t like women? I’d longed for a woman’s touch for many years but never found an opportunity until I met Malena.

  Malena—her name was an elixir on my lips. Ma-le-na. An orgasm in my mouth. Like a breath of ocean blue, she caught me in the pull of her riptide. Malena, whose hair fell down her back like dark rain during a midnight storm. Her sun-kissed skin glowed the color of the coffee and cream I sipped every morning. I admired her body from afar: a swell of broad hips that kissed her waist the way I wanted to, shoulders broad enough for me to rest my head upon, breasts so full I could get lost in all that delicious cleavage.

  How I longed for Malena, but I was too chicken-hearted to make a move.

  She was a virago on the waves of the churning ocean. Try as I might, I couldn’t keep up with her. No one could. After all, how do you hold the wind in your hands? She slipped through—teasing, tormenting—and a lighthearted laugh burst from her supple lips each time she saw the agony she put me in.

  She made a deal with the owner of the shop to live upstairs while she tended to the store on weekends and the summer holidays no one else wanted to work. She slept to the sound of waves crashing on the beach. I envied her. I wished I lived in a home that backed up to the ocean. I didn’t know what other deals she made to have gained such wonderful sleeping arrangements. All I knew was that I wanted her to myself.

  Each weekend when she stormed into my life, I swore I would make a move on her. I flirted and blushed at her every word. I often had her favorite coffee waiting for her when she came in—black coffee with Kahlúa. Sometimes I plied her with a cherry cheese danish. She loved cherries. Each time she smiled at me with gratitude I melted inside. She seemed to enjoy my attention, but could I be sure she wouldn’t balk if I took a step further? I feared she’d recoil from me in disgust.

  But what if she didn’t?

  She kept me company in the store on Fridays and Mondays, and she occasionally even helped me fold T-shirts the tourists had tossed into a heap on the floor. The longer we kept each other company, the more I wanted her.

  This day, I was determined to make her my own, if only I would stop chickening out! I wore my most flattering miniskirt and my favorite white cotton blouse. I dabbed ocean-scented oil along my throat, behind my ears, between my breasts, and I smoothed it through my hair. I had to look and smell my best for when I gave Malena her big surprise. My July Fourth gift to her burned a hole in my pocket. I would give it to her when the moment was right. It was an offering to a goddess in the hope she would approve and cast upon me the affection I so desperately wanted.

  When she burst through the front door it was like a zephyr had entered, disrupting even the air around her. At the sound of her laugh, my body tingled as if her honeyed voice dripped down my skin. I wanted to lick her off, slowly.

  “Katie, my Kate! Help! I’m going to drop everything!” She approached me, arms burdened with grocery store bags. I grabbed a few in one hand, carrying my coffee in the other, and followed her up the stairs. The scent of seaweed and ocean air surrounded her as if she burst from the sea itself. Her bum swayed as she climbed the stairs. It took all my willpower to keep from reaching out and squeezing one ample cheek.

  The upstairs was a study in shades of cream and sea foam that offset Malena’s tan. We raced to the open kitchen and dropped bags on the marble counter. She tossed food into the refrigerator pell-mell, which was her style. Malena was not a neat woman. Her life, like her spirit, was chaos. Without wasting a moment, she rummaged through the last bag until she found a bottle of Kahlúa and a quart of heavy cream. This wasn’t heavy cream from the grocery store. It was thick and mouth-watering heavy cream from a local dairy. Malena did not skimp on the second deadly sin.

  “A treat for us!” Her smile brightened the already white-bright room. “Kahlúa for your coffee and a Kahlúa and cream on ice for me.”

  “Isn’t it a little early for alcohol?”

  She touched my cheek, leaving a flame of desire on my skin in her wake. “Of course it is. That’s why I pour it in your coffee. The perfect breakfast pick-me-up.” Without waiting for an invitation, she grabbed my coffee, removed the plastic lid and poured in a healthy stream of Kahlúa.

  I could make a move on her now if I wished. Embrace her after she handed me my coffee. No, I can’t do this. It’s better she never knows how I feel about her.

  “I can’t stay. I have to get back downstairs.”

  “Nonsense. The shop doesn’t open up for another hour. How long does it take you to set up? Ten, fifteen minutes? No rush. You’ve locked the front door, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then stop worrying about it. Drink.”

  She handed my cup to me, and I sipped. The smoothness of Kahlúa mellowed the bitterness of my coffee. Malena was right—a little alcohol in the morning was a lovely pick-me-up. It also calmed me down. Why not enjoy basking in her presence for an hour even if I didn’t so much as brush my hand against her cheek?

  “How does it taste? Better?” she asked.

  “Much.”

  Without warning, she ran her finger along the corner of my mouth. I shivered at her unexpected touch. My heart soared. Was she flirting with me? I hoped so!

  “Some coffee got away from you. Can’t have yo
u dribbling down your chin.” She smiled. “At least, not about coffee.” Before I could ask what she meant, she continued. “I’m glad I caught you before the shop opened for the day. Do you have plans for this weekend?”

  What could she possibly want with me? The fact that she had shown interest in my schedule enticed me. Did she want to spend time with me? My dream come true!

  “No, I don’t have any plans. I was going to go to the bonfire on the beach for July Fourth but nothing special. Why?” I was so anxious for her answer my heart nearly ceased to beat.

  “I’m having a party, and I want to invite you.”

  Once again, she touched my cheek, but this time her touch lingered like the caress I wished it were. “I’ve seen you here every Friday and Monday for the past two months and we’ve danced around each other. Why is that?”

  She cocked her head and smiled at me, making me feel warm and gooey inside. Before I could answer, she raced past me heading for the French doors leading to the balcony overlooking the ocean. When she threw open the doors, the sound of waves crashing on the rocks below soared into the room, making my head spin with delight. Sun shone through Malena’s linen miniskirt. She wore no underwear. Her ass teased me, shaped like a firm peach. My gaze traveled from her well-formed, cinnamontoned calves up the back of her legs until I eyed the shadow of where those legs met. I wanted her. The scent of the ocean lingered around Malena and floated toward me. Here was my chance.

  “Ah, that’s better. I love the sound and smell of the surf when I stay here,” she said. “I even keep the doors open during thunderstorms. There’s something exciting about the crackle of static electricity in the air, isn’t there?”

  There doesn’t need to be a thunderstorm for this room to crackle with static electricity as long as you’re standing in it. “I love storms, and I’d love to come to your party. Is it here?” I croaked, voice hoarse with excitement.

  “Yes. It’s tomorrow night after I close shop.”

  I walked toward her, not wanting her to be so far away from me for even an instant. We moved to the deck. Hot sun beat down upon my shoulders, but it couldn’t rival the heat coming from Malena’s body. She made me feel alive. Without needing an invitation, she placed one hand on my shoulder. My entire body tingled at her touch. In such close proximity, she felt free to stare at me, her emerald gaze seeking out my soul. Her smile warmed the air around us.

  “I’ve been watching you, Katie, my Kate, and I want to ask you something.”

  “What?”

  “Would you like to spend the evening with me, just the two of us, alone?”

  My body shook with anticipation of the meaning of her innocent words. Maybe she only wanted my company. A girl’s night together, drinking Kahlúa and cream, listening to the splashing surf and basking in the summertime glow of the sun beating down upon the beach.

  I hoped she wanted more.

  “Yes, I would love to spend the evening with you.” I swallowed hard and asked a leading question I hoped would spur her interest. “Do you have something special in mind?”

  “I do. And I think you’d enjoy it. After all, I’ve seen the way you’ve watched me since we first laid eyes on each other. When I catch you unawares, you blush—just as you are now!”

  She ran a finger down my cheek, bringing prickly heat to the surface. I probably glowed as red as a burn by now.

  “Your shyness is so sweet. I love it,” she said. “I’ve taken notice of your lovely gifts of coffee and danish, and I know they’re more than courtesies of a work colleague. I may not have said a word, but I’m not naïve.”

  When she spoke, her voice was so soft I barely heard her, but her words revealed my deepest, most intimate fantasies. Her fingers weaved through my hair, pulling my head toward hers. Her eyes, aflame, gazed into mine, and I felt as if she touched my very soul.

  “I know you’ve wanted to do this for a very long time. So have I. The difference between us is I take what I want.”

  Her lips brushed mine, cool in the warm summer heat. I closed my eyes and lost myself in her kiss. The scent of ocean surf mingled with her crisp perfume. Lips parted, and tongues danced a salsa around each other. I had never before kissed a woman. Her lips were feather soft, like pillows pressing against my lips. So unlike a man’s. Her delicate cheek brushed against my chin, so smooth. For once a face brushed my own that was not covered with stubble.

  This was where I belonged, in Malena’s arms, wrapped in her sumptuous curves.

  “You don’t have to be downstairs for another fifty minutes,” she whispered against my throat. The warm breath on my skin made me break out in goose bumps. “I can help you pass the time. It will fly by quickly.”

  “Too quickly,” I said as I stroked her back. She felt smaller than she looked; a tiny thing ready to burst out of her own skin. At long last, I felt the weight of Malena’s supple body in my arms. Her full breasts pressed against my chest. Her arms wrapped around me like trembling vines around a solid oak. Despite her casual attitude, she was as nervous about our tryst as I was. How many times had she miscalculated the interest of a woman she desired? At least this time, her hunch was correct.

  The sound of the churning waves kept time with the urgent beating of my heart. With fumbling fingers, I unbuttoned my blouse and let it drape across my shoulders, hiding my breasts. What if she didn’t like how they were shaped? They were pendulous, inferior compared to her full and high magnificence. I dreaded the possibility she would not like my body and would reject my attention.

  Malena stared at my breasts, her expression wide open and full of desire. I relaxed, as I had nothing to fear after all.

  “You aren’t wearing a bra,” she said.

  “Bras make me feel uncomfortable in hot, sticky weather.” The truth was, I stopped wearing one because I had dreamed of a moment like this.

  “Let me show you hot and sticky.” She slid the blouse down my arms until she held it in one hand. I stood before her, bare-breasted, waiting for one of us to make a move. Her free hand lingered on my wrist, stroking it in such a way I was sure she could feel my racing pulse.

  “You’re lovely. Such soft skin…” Her lips brushed against the tender skin above my left breast with a butterfly kiss so delicate she took my breath away.

  “Katie, my Kate, you’re beautiful. I should have told you that a long time ago.” Warm lips pressed my skin and her tongue snaked out, lapping at my flushed chest. My knees shook so much I could barely stand. Finally. She stroked me the way I had dreamed for the past two months, and I didn’t even need to make a move.

  Her hands alighted on my hips, gently kneading the tension out of my muscles. Every one of my nerve endings burned with longing. Her mere touch sent shocks of hot electric lust across the entire surface of my body. When she brushed her lips to my nipple I took in a deep breath and held it for what seemed like eternity. My heart trip-hammered in my throat. I gripped her thick hair in my hands as her tongue worked my nipple until it stood erect. She wrapped her lips around my bud, pulling gently as a thrill of excitement ran from my breasts, down my belly, to slam deep in my pussy. I stroked her back and inhaled the salty ocean scent trapped in her lustrous hair.

  When I pulled at the hem of her tank top, she raised her head and gazed with lust and affection into my eyes. Without saying a word, she slipped her tank top over her head and tossed it onto the deck. Her breasts stood tall and firm before me, bronzed and glistening with droplets of sweat. She had no tan lines. The image of Malena sunbathing topless on the deck ignited my lust. I pressed my hands against those massive breasts, squeezing hard until she mewled with delight. I lifted them in my hands, feeling their heaviness. I had often fondled my own breasts, but feeling Malena’s made her more real in my eyes.

  I pinched her nipples until they were so hard they could cut glass. I sucked on her nipples; the taste of salt and coconut oil on her creamy skin exploded in my mouth. Her skin felt like brushed silk. I smoothed my hands along her breasts an
d down her tight belly. Her belly rippled as my fingers brushed against her skin, and she giggled in my ear. Ticklish, my dear? I wanted to bring forth the same aroused sensations in Malena that she brought forth in me, but I wasn’t sure how. I’d never before made love to a woman.

  As if sensing my naïveté, she backed me up, slowly, hands stroking my hips until the backs of my calves felt the hardness of a wooden chaise lounge.

  I sat, stretching my legs out in front of me. Malena knelt between them and pushed my legs apart. Her fingers drifted along my inner thighs, drawing figure eights along my skin until she reached beneath my skirt. I lay back upon the chair, arching my spine as her fingers touched the satin of my panties. How I longed for her fingers to reach beneath the fabric and caress my heat. Instead, she caught my panties in her hands and tugged at them. I lifted, and she pulled my panties down my legs until they landed on the deck. Bare-bottomed, I felt exposed but eager before my tanned goddess.

  She slipped off my sandals and took my feet into her hands. Using her thumbs, she pressed hard into my arches. My feet curled at her touch, reflecting the way my body curled into itself on the chair. I was a fractal before her, curl upon curl upon devilish curl. Eyes closed, I pinched my nipples until they stood on end. I gave my body and will over to her, coiling with erotic delight as her mouth found my toes. Her warm tongue sucked on one toe at a time, dipping in between each that drove me into an erotic frenzy so intense I wanted to throw her on the deck and take her.

  Malena had other plans.

  She kissed my ankles and brushed up my calves, leaving a soft trail of moisture in her wake. My blood flowed like the rising and setting tides, heartbeat thundering throughout. Only Malena could pull such exquisite joy from me. Oh, my darling goddess. Her lips against my thighs tickled. I had no idea I was ticklish there. My nerve endings were raw and frayed in Malena’s grasp. My skin screamed with delight at her mere touch. As she approached my heat, it took all my willpower not to push her face to me.