Side Effects

by VK Powell

  “I’m going to slide my hand inside the robe just enough to touch your neck and shoulders. Probably a good idea to give the left one a miss though.”

  Jordan chuckled. “Yeah, it’s had a workout the past few days.”

  Neela feathered her fingers across the hollow at the base of Jordan’s neck and out across her collarbone. “Your skin is beautiful. If I’m lightly toasted, you’re definitely sun-bleached.” The temperature of Jordan’s body rose under her fingers, and Neela’s pulse responded. Every time Jordan had touched her before, she’d imagined what it would feel like to reciprocate. Reality was much better than the dream. Touching Jordan was like drenching her body in sensation, involving every sense—her pale beauty, her incredible scent, the silkiness of her skin, the soft deliciousness of her mouth, and the slight hitch in her breathing as Neela caressed her.

  “A nice thing about making love is there’s no rush. Enjoying the slow, steady burn of buildup can be the best part.” She looked at Jordan’s face. Her eyes were closed, and she held her bottom lip between her teeth. The delicate features of her face twisted into an anxious façade. “Relax. Concentrate on my hands as I touch your body. What do you feel, Jordan?”

  “Scared, but it tickles a little too, and then shivers run down my body.”

  “That’s great. Your skin is getting warmer and flushing light pink. So beautiful.” She inched lower, barely brushing the swell of Jordan’s breast. “May I?”

  “Uh-huh.” Jordan tensed, preparing to be touched. “I’m not sure I can, Neela.”

  “Please. Trust me. I won’t hurt you, and I’ll stop whenever you say.”

  “Okay.”

  Neela dipped her hand into the robe and barely swept her fingers over Jordan’s breast. The nipple puckered immediately against her palm and she almost moaned aloud. “God, Jordan, you’re so responsive.” She glanced up again. “Are you all right with this?”

  “So far. It’s nice, but when you touch my breast it’s like…lightning to my crotch.”

  “Perfect.” Moisture gathered between her legs as Jordan described her response. “I’m feeling the same thing and you haven’t even touched me.”

  “Really?” Jordan opened her eyes for the first time and met her gaze.

  “Yes, my darling. Making love is all about give and take. And the greatest gift is your trust, your willingness to share yourself with me. It’s an honor I’ll cherish forever. You have no idea how arousing trust and intimacy can be.”

  “I think I’m beginning to understand. Don’t stop touching me.”

  She closed her hand around Jordan’s breast and felt her abdomen clench when the blue of Jordan’s eyes darkened and she licked her lips. “Do you like that?”

  “Oh…yeah. Your hand is so soft and it fits me perfectly.”

  Neela didn’t want to upset Jordan by asking the question, though surely someone had touched her before. But she acted like physical intimacy without sex was completely new.

  “Neela, I’m starting to want…more. I’m getting really wet and hard.”

  Every word Jordan spoke punctuated Neela’s desire. It was like making love to someone for the first time. The novelty and innocence of Jordan’s responses bombarded her with so much longing she could barely remain focused. “Patience. We’re trying something new, remember?” Neela opened the robe wider and cupped both Jordan’s breasts, kneading the firm flesh and teasing her nipples. Jordan arched to meet her and released a long, contented groan. The tingle in Neela turned to a throb. “So nice.”

  “Would you…take your clothes off?” Jordan’s hesitation sounded like she was ashamed to ask for what she wanted.

  “Of course I will. Slowly or quickly?”

  “Fast. I already miss your touch.”

  “So, this touching business isn’t bad?”

  Jordan shook her head but didn’t take her eyes off Neela’s hands as she undressed. Neela finished unbuttoning her blouse and shucked it off with her bra, tossing them both on the floor. As she unzipped her jeans, Jordan reached for her hand. “Can I help?”

  “You can do anything you like.” Jordan rose and slid the zipper down slowly from the waistband, and with each audible click, Neela’s body grew hotter. “That is so sexy.”

  Jordan tugged her jeans off and reached for her bikinis, peeling them off in no rush. “I’ve never undressed anyone this slowly before. It’s kind of hot.”

  When Jordan stared at her body, Neela felt a rush of arousal. She tried to close her legs, suddenly embarrassed by how wet she’d become.

  “Don’t.” Jordan placed her hands on her knees and continued to stare. “You’re so beautiful. I’ve never seen a woman so excited, so close up. Is that all for me?”

  “Absolutely.” She grabbed the opening of Jordan’s robe, wanting desperately to strip it off her shoulders. Her hands trembled. “May I please remove this?”

  Jordan clutched the robe for a few seconds as a series of emotions played across her face. When she loosened her grip, she took the robe with her and flung it across the room. “Okay?”

  Neela couldn’t speak. Jordan’s body was more gorgeous than she’d imagined. Her ivory skin was like a protective covering of a delicate flower. Her rosy nipples and the dark dusting of hair between her legs were the only color on an otherwise flawless canvas, aside from the angry injury on her shoulder. The first time she’d seen Jordan she likened her to a chiseled alabaster goddess. The reality was breathtaking.

  “Is something wrong?” Jordan’s skin flushed, and she tugged a corner of the sheet to cover herself.

  Neela stopped her. “Everything is absolutely perfect. You’re perfect. I’ve never seen a body so blatantly sexual. Come here.” She held out her hand, and Jordan moved cautiously down beside her. “I’m not sure if I can go slowly anymore. I’m so turned on I can hardly breathe.”

  “Then don’t try. I need you, Neela.”

  “But…I thought you wanted…”

  “I want you.” Jordan rolled on top of her, and when they pressed together for the first time in full skin-to-skin contact, Neela fought back the initial spasms of orgasm. Jordan growled deep in her throat and shifted gently until their breasts and crotches locked intimately.

  “Jordan, you feel so good. I’ve dreamed of this moment.” She kissed Jordan’s neck and sought her mouth.

  As their kiss deepened, Jordan pumped and ground against her, her urgency rising. “Help me go slow, Neela.”

  Her pleading shocked Neela just enough to refocus on Jordan. She eased to the side, took Jordan’s hand, and slowly guided it to her sex. “Inside me, Jordan. Slowly. I want to feel every inch of you.”

  Jordan entered her gradually, drawing a steady moan from Neela that she couldn’t control. “Exquisite.” When their lips met again, Jordan hesitated. She traced Neela’s lips with her tongue and gently eased inside while stroking her at the same pace. Neela’s body rocked instinctively against Jordan as she took her with her tongue and her hands. She’d meant to be the patient one, the teacher, but Jordan’s touch unraveled her, and she surrendered as she’d always done with her.

  “Oh, Jordan. I feel so much. You shatter me.”

  “Do you like this…agonizing pace?” Jordan’s eyes were pools of conflicting emotions. The pain in her face was obvious as she tried to give Neela what she wanted while holding back her natural instinct to free her urges.

  “You’re doing great. I love the way you’re touching me, gently but with purpose. Don’t stop. Please.”

  Jordan bit her lip and closed her eyes, lines of concentration forming across her forehead. She moved her knee between Neela’s legs, using it to control her deliberate thrusts.

  “Yes, that’s it. Slowly. Take me slowly. Suck my breasts.” As she said the words, Neela knew she wouldn’t last much longer no matter what the pace. Jordan always bypassed her normal responses and went straight to her come button.

  Jordan lowered her head, and when her mouth closed over her breast, Neela felt t
he first pulses of orgasm spiraling up from her toes. “Yes, yes. So soft and sweet. I’m close, darling.”

  Jordan shielded her teeth with her lips and nibbled Neela’s breasts, then scraped her bare teeth over her nipple time after time until Neela begged. But Jordan seemed in a sexual feeding haze.

  “You taste so good, Neela.” Suddenly she pulled out and stared into Neela’s face. “Can I…” Her eyes glanced down.

  “Yes, please.”

  While gently massaging her breasts, Jordan kissed her way down Neela’s torso. She lightly licked the tip of Neela’s clit, then blew on it, licking and blowing until Neela felt she would explode. “Jordan. Please, make me come.”

  Jordan looked into her eyes and claimed her with her mouth, sucking and flicking until her climax ripped from her and detonated every nerve ending. She jerked and spasmed and continued to meet Jordan’s exquisite mouth until she could barely breathe. “Oh. My. God.”

  She was boneless for several seconds, waiting for her pulse to slow and her breathing to calm enough to speak. When she became aware of her surroundings again, Jordan was rocking against the bed, her hand thrusting hard between her legs. “Jordan. Stop.”

  “Hurts.” Her voice was small, her breathing erratic, and her cobalt eyes glazed with pain.

  “Come here, my darling.” She tried to pull Jordan up beside her, but she resisted.

  “Have to do this.” She coiled in on herself, clawing for satisfaction.

  “No, you don’t. I’m so sorry I got carried away. Let me help, like you helped me.”

  Jordan’s forehead creased and relaxed with each breath as she pushed through the hurt and uncertainty. “Not sure I can.”

  “Let’s try. Please. Do it for yourself…and for me.” She urged Jordan up beside her, and this time she didn’t resist. “Relax, and show me what to do.” She skimmed her hand down the flat plane of Jordan’s abdomen and stopped just above her pubic mound. “I want to touch you so badly, to help you feel what I just felt, to be connected when you do.”

  Jordan withdrew her hand, tentatively took Neela’s, and placed it over her sex. “Are you sure you want to do this? It could take a long time. I don’t come easily.”

  “Certain, and I don’t care if it takes hours. I’ll enjoy every minute. Tell me.”

  Burying her head in Neela’s shoulder, Jordan mumbled, “Just rub my clit?”

  Jordan sounded like she didn’t deserve to ask for what pleased her. She had to help her understand how natural her desires were. “I would love to touch you.” She dipped her fingers into the juices around Jordan’s opening and scissored her stiff clit between two fingers as Jordan had demonstrated. Jordan moaned and her legs tensed. “You feel so good, Jordan. You’re so wet and responsive. I love it.” Jordan’s muscles relaxed slightly. “Is this hard enough?”

  “A little more pressure.” She followed Jordan’s instructions and watched the emotions warring across her face—trepidation, fear, guilt, and eventually an inkling of pleasure. “Yeah, that’s good. I like that. Is it all right for you?”

  “I’m in heaven. Just let it go, darling. Enjoy the feelings. You’re safe with me.”

  Neela slid her leg across Jordan’s thigh, unable to see the passion in Jordan and remain unaffected. Her slick arousal coated Jordan’s leg and she groaned. “See what you’re doing to me? You’re so sexy and beautiful. You make me ache.”

  “Faster and harder.”

  Neela quickened her pace but felt Jordan begin to slip away—her body tensed, her eyes clenched shut, and she rocked harder against her hand as if chasing something lost. “Jordan, open your eyes.” No response. “Look at me, Jordan.” When Jordan’s eyes locked on hers, they were distant and unresponsive. “Jordan, it’s Neela. Stay with me. Feel me. I will never hurt you.”

  As Jordan refocused, her body relaxed and she breathed a long exhale. “I’m okay.” She cupped Neela’s hand, buried in her sex, and squeezed. “Your finger feels so good there. Work it faster. Help me come, Neela. I really want to with you.”

  Neela felt like she’d been bathed in hot coals. She shivered from a flood of emotion and rubbed her throbbing clit against Jordan’s thigh. She stroked Jordan’s flesh, matching the pace of her hips until she felt the first twinge of orgasm. “Can I go inside?”

  “No! Just rub.” Jordan’s gaze focused on Neela’s hand working between her legs. “Yeah. Good.” Neela stroked a quick-quick, slow-slow rhythm until Jordan’s legs stiffened and her heels dug into the mattress. “Hard—er.”

  Neela rode Jordan’s thigh, feeling her own orgasm only seconds away as she watched Jordan slowly unraveling beneath her touch. “I’m with you, Jordan. Come for me.”

  Jordan’s hands clutched the bedding on each side of her and, with a gasp that seemed to rise from her depths, finally emptied in her hand. “Oh, Neela. Don’t stop yet. Pull. There’s more.” She milked Jordan’s clit until she thought she couldn’t possibly come any longer, but she kept pulsing in her fingers, so beautifully free and responsive. Eventually they both collapsed on the bed, Jordan bringing an edge of the sheet with her.

  Neela tugged the cover out of her hands. “Don’t try to hide this body from me again, ever. You’re amazing, and I never want to stop looking at you and touching you.”

  “I never thought anyone would really enjoy having sex with me, not the way I am.”

  “Nothing is wrong with the way you want to be loved. Do you hear me, Jordan? I think you’re perfect. My God, that was awesome.”

  “But…I didn’t let you go inside or use your mouth.” Her skin flushed again and she picked at a wrinkle in the covers.

  Neela slid up beside her and wrapped her in a cocoon of arms and legs. “You will. Besides, we have to save some of the good stuff for later. If we did everything at once, you might get tired of me. Before long you’ll beg to be finger fucked and devoured like a delicious snack.”

  “Neela!”

  “What’s the matter, sport? I thought you liked it primal.” She smiled and kissed the corner of Jordan’s swollen lips.

  “Oh, you’re messing with me again, aren’t you?”

  “Maybe just a little.”

  Jordan hugged her, and Neela had never felt so completely and utterly connected to another person. Sure, they had some challenges, but she was more confident that at least they were both willing to face them now—in and out of the bedroom.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Jordan woke three hours later still wrapped in Neela’s arms. She eased out of her embrace, edging far enough away to take in every inch of her—the cute painted toenails, a tiny scar beside her left kneecap, her adorable outie belly button, dark-chocolate nipples atop milk-chocolate breasts, full kissable lips so evocative they should be outlawed, long silky hair, and slender, delicate fingers that had brought Jordan’s body back to life.

  When Neela had touched her the first time, she’d watched her, unable to connect the visual with what she was feeling. She had been unable to imagine anyone touching her so intimately without inflicting pain. She’d temporarily frozen. But this was Neela, and she would never judge or hurt her. The moisture she used to dread now aroused promise and excitement. She wasn’t naive enough to believe she’d been cured, if there was such a thing for what she’d experienced, but Molly’s therapy had given her hope, and last night Neela had given her a chance.

  Yet could she surrender everything, give herself completely to Neela? After all, fondling was basically just masturbation, in her opinion, whether she did it or allowed someone else to. Would she ever permit Neela to penetrate her and make love to her orally—that was the epitome of vulnerability. A shiver of anxiety swept through her.

  “Why are you staring at me?”

  “Because you’re just too gorgeous not to stare at. I’m trying to figure out how you bewitched me so completely. From the moment I met you, I knew I was in trouble.”

  “I cast a spell over you.” Neela’s eyes raked over her naked body before she reach
ed for Jordan’s leg but then paused, waiting for permission. She wasn’t taking anything for granted, and that made Jordan care for her even more.

  “It’s okay. I won’t run.”

  Neela wiggled closer, threw her leg over Jordan’s, and pulled her down beside her. “Good, because my legs are too weak to chase you this morning, aside from the fractured one, of course.” Her expression turned serious. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m better than all right. No one has ever brought me to orgasm, and it was so long and intense. Thank you for that, but mostly thanks for your patience. I never imagined finding someone who would understand what I’ve been through and try to help me deal with it. You’re amazing.”

  “Trust me. It was my pleasure.”

  “But you understand, this doesn’t mean—”

  “I know.” Neela kissed her so softly Jordan couldn’t believe her tenderness. “It’s only the beginning, but I’m in it for the long haul. Get used to it. So, what’s on—”

  A soft knock sounded at the bedroom door and Bina announced, “Coffee, tea, and quality time in ten minutes. I expect both of you to be presentable.”

  Jordan threw the blanket over her head. “Oh, my God! Your mother caught me in bed with her daughter. How will I ever face her? I’m totally freaking right now.”

  “Well, at least everybody knows everything, so life just got a lot simpler. Get dressed. This probably isn’t a good time to keep her waiting.”

  Was it really so simple, Jordan wondered as she crept down the hall to her bedroom for a quick shower? Were family dynamics really that straightforward? She had no personal experience, but at work, she’d seen mostly the opposite. As she dressed, she hoped that she’d know what to say to Bina. Jordan had to relay her respect for Neela and for the sanctity of their home in spite of the indiscreet situation. Though she’d treated Neela poorly in the beginning, she wasn’t and never could be simply another conquest.

  Neela met her in the hallway just before they entered the kitchen and threaded their fingers together. She tried to pull away, but Neela held fast. “Trust me.”