Connected Hearts - Four Lesbian Romance Stories

by Joan Arling

  “The best,” Drew said. “Moonstone Beach is my favorite place on earth. Well, apart from—” She stumbled over an uneven board and nearly fell.

  Annie caught her at the last moment. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry. I should have paid more attention to where I was leading you.”

  “Don’t worry,” Drew said. “As long as I land in your arms, I really don’t mind.” With her eyes still closed, she felt around, wrapped her arms around Annie, and pecked her on the lips, as always careful not to go too far in public.

  Annie loved Drew for being so considerate, but now it made seducing Drew even harder. Determined to break through Drew’s chivalrous behavior, Annie leaned down and kissed her.

  Drew wrapped both arms around her and pulled her closer.

  For a moment, Annie’s nervousness faded away and she forgot about everything but Drew’s lips against hers. Then she became aware of a dozen people watching them from the patio of the restaurant. She blushed and gently disengaged herself from Drew. “Um, you can open your eyes now.”

  Drew opened her eyes. “Ah, Moonstone Beach. I had a feeling that’s where we were going.” She smiled at Annie. “And by the way, you look beautiful.”

  Annie slid her damp palms down the burgundy dress. It was Drew’s favorite. “Thanks. You look wonderful too.”

  As always, Drew looked entirely comfortable in her own skin, even dressed up in dark gray slacks and a baby-blue blouse. The two top buttons were open, revealing Drew’s tanned skin. She carried a light jacket over her arm.

  Annie wished she felt half as comfortable. The elegant dress and the semi-high heels were a far cry from her usual conservative business suits, and Annie always felt as if she were a girl playing grownup by dressing in her mother’s clothes. Worse, she had taken Jake’s advice—not about the mini-skirt and the stilettos, but she was wearing a thong beneath the dress. How did other women stand this? Constantly feeling that strip of fabric between her buttocks was driving her crazy.

  Most tables were occupied, mostly by couples and young families.

  The hostess seated them at the edge of the patio, with a direct view of the beach.

  Annie had planned this since Christmas and had made sure to reserve the restaurant’s best table. Everything had to be perfect today.

  The waiter stepped up to their table, introduced himself, and asked, “May I start you off with something to drink?”

  “I arranged to bring our own wine,” Annie said.

  Drew gazed at her. “You did?”

  Annie nodded. She had paid the corkage fee and shipped the bottle ahead of time. “One of your Cabernets.”

  “Ah, yes. My boss mentioned it,” the waiter said. “I’ll get your wine and give you a minute to look at the menu.” He walked away.

  Drew reached across the table and took Annie’s hand.

  With her free hand, Annie tugged at the back of her dress. Christ, who invented this goddamned thong?

  “You know, that’s one of the things I love about you,” Drew said, gazing into Annie’s eyes. “To the people who don’t know you very well, you appear to be this down-to-earth numbers cruncher, but deep inside, you’re really a closet romantic. Thank you for going to all this trouble.” She turned Annie’s hand and kissed her palm.

  Annie stopped tugging. “You’re definitely worth it.”

  They opened their menus.

  “Oh, look.” Drew pointed at the page with the appetizers. “They even have your favorite, sweet potato fries. Do you want to share them?”

  Annie’s stomach felt like one big knot of nerves. She didn’t have much of an appetite, but she nodded anyway.

  They ordered, and within ten minutes the waiter returned with the fries and two Caesar salads.

  Annie picked up her fork and pierced a fry. Her hands trembled, though, and the fry dropped onto the patio. “Oh. I’m sorry. I’m such a klutz.”

  “Yeah, but you’re my klutz.” Drew’s dimples made an appearance as she smiled. “And look. It’s not going to waste.”

  A seagull swept down and gobbled up the fry.

  Annie picked at her salad and squirmed on her chair, barely resisting the constant urge to tug at the thong.

  Drew covered Annie’s hand with her own. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine.” Annie quickly put a forkful of salad into her mouth.

  One dark eyebrow lifted. “Want to try that again?”

  As a New Year’s resolution, Annie had promised herself and Drew that she would try to work on her tendency to pretend everything was okay and she could solve all her problems on her own. So far, she had done well when it came to relying on Drew for emotional support, but now she couldn’t tell her what was going on. At least not everything. “I’m all right. It’s just ... I put on this new pair of panties, and now they’re driving me crazy.” She rubbed at her annoying blush with both hands. Let’s face it ... a suave seductress I’m not.

  Drew’s dark eyes glittered. “Want me to help you take them off later?”

  Yes, Annie wanted to say, but her lips refused to form the word. If she told Drew what she wanted her to do later, she’d surely sound stupid, like a third-rate actress in a cheap porn movie. Helplessly, she peered at Drew.

  “I’m sorry,” Drew said and looked away. “Now I made you uncomfortable.”

  “No, no, you didn’t. Really.” Now it was Annie’s turn to reach across the table and take Drew’s hand. She caressed the calluses on Drew’s palm and fingers.

  When Drew looked up, their gazes met and held. “You’d tell me if I did anything to make you uncomfortable, right?”

  Pressing her lips together, Annie nodded. God, I’m really making a mess of things. Now she’ll be even more careful not to pressure me in any way. At the rate they were going, they’d finally have sex at their tenth anniversary. “Believe me, nothing you do could make me uncomfortable. It’s—”

  The waiter interrupted her as he returned with their plates. He placed the grilled salmon they had ordered in front of Drew and the garden pasta primavera in front of Annie.

  “Oh, that looks good,” Drew said.

  Annie inhaled the scent of fresh herbs. It smelled delicious. On any other night, she would have dug in as if she were starving. “Want to try a little?”

  When Drew nodded, Annie pierced a bit of the pasta on her fork and dipped it in the mushroom-and-cream sauce before she held the fork out to Drew.

  Drew leaned forward and, looking straight into Annie’s eyes, closed her lips around the fork.

  Annie swallowed as she watched Drew lick her lips. An image of those lips wandering down her neck, kissing circles around her breasts, then closing around her nipple flashed through her mind. The temperature on the patio seemed to jump up by a few degrees.

  “Delicious,” Drew said.

  Her voice, low and intimate, made Annie shiver.

  Drew sent her a concerned gaze. “You’re not cold, are you?”

  “Oh, no.” Quite the opposite. Her whole body felt as if she were running a fever. Annie’s throat was parched, but she forced herself to sip her wine slowly. She wanted to remember every second of this night, not experience it in a half-drunken haze.

  The sun wandered toward the horizon as they finished their dinner.

  Drew stood and switched seats so she could sit next to Annie while they watched the sunset.

  For a few minutes, Annie forgot about her nervousness as the sky changed colors—from a baby-blue that matched Drew’s blouse to yellow, orange, and red, and then, finally, as the sun sank lower, to a purplish blue. The ocean mirrored each of the colors, looking as if it consisted of liquid bronze and gold. Clouds drifted across the sky, illuminated by the setting sun.

  The soft light flickered across Drew’s face. She looked so calm and happy that Annie fell in love with her all over again.

  Sipping her wine, Drew wrapped one arm around Annie’s shoulders.

  Finally, something’s going right. Even Annie with her nervousness coul
dn’t ruin this majestic sunset. She leaned against Drew and redirected her gaze to the beach.

  Time seemed to pass in slow motion as the sun sank lower and then disappeared below the horizon. The sky was still lit up in shades of orange, red, and purple. Then darkness started to fall until just a glimmer of light remained at the horizon.

  Lamps went on in every corner of the patio.

  Now that the sun had set, temperatures dropped. Annie shivered in her thin dress.

  Drew wrapped her other arm around her too. “Do you want my jacket?”

  Before Annie could answer, the hostess stepped onto the patio and stopped at each table to offer a blanket.

  Drew wrapped the blanket around both their shoulders and covered their laps with the rest of the soft fabric.

  Annie snuggled close beneath the blanket. Weeks ago, she would have hesitated to show her love so openly in public, but she had learned to ignore the occasional stare they got.

  She inhaled the heady scent of Drew’s perfume. Drew’s closeness, her arm pressing against the side of Annie’s breast, made every cell in Annie’s body vibrate, part nervousness, part desire.

  Not saying a word, they watched the waves lap at the rocks jutting into the ocean. Gray shapes littered the beach farther down, but in the almost darkness, Annie wasn’t sure if they were sea elephants or just driftwood.

  “Look. I think those are elephant seals,” Drew said as if guessing Annie’s thoughts. She freed one hand from the blanket and pointed in the direction of the gray shapes.

  Annie squinted. “How can you tell?” Like Drew, she kept her voice at a whisper so she wouldn’t disturb the peace of the moment.

  “Educated guess,” Drew said. “Just a few miles from here is an elephant seal rookery, and mating peaks around Valentine’s Day.”

  A flush warmed Annie’s skin. I bet they don’t have any trouble seducing their mate.

  The waiter slowly approached their table. “Can I bring you anything else?”

  Drew looked at Annie. “Want to share a piece of cheesecake?”

  Normally, Annie loved cheesecake, but today, the food seemed to get stuck in her dry throat and sit like lead in her stomach. She shook her head. “No, thanks, not for me.”

  “Just the bill, please,” Drew said to the waiter. After he walked away, she turned back to Annie. “Are you really okay? You hardly ate anything.”

  “I’m fine. Just a bit tired.” What else was she supposed to say? I’m close to a heart attack because I want to make love to you and have no idea how, but otherwise I’m fine?

  Drew cradled Annie’s head with both hands and kissed her forehead, her lips light as a feather against Annie’s skin. “Let me drive and you can nap on the way home.”

  Here we go. Annie took a deep breath. This was phase two of operation seduction. She clutched her wineglass in her trembling hands. “Um ... we’re not driving home today.”

  “We’re not?”

  “No,” Annie said. “That’s the second part of my surprise. I booked a room at an inn not far from here.”

  Drew moved back a few inches to stare at her. “Oh, wow, Annie, that’s wonderful.” She paused. “But ... I have a wine tasting tomorrow morning, and I didn’t bring a toothbrush or pajamas.”

  Hopefully, you won’t need pajamas tonight. “I packed a bag for you, and I got Martin to cover the wine tasting.”

  “Wow,” Drew said again. “You really thought this through, hmm?” She caressed Annie’s cheek. “I don’t think anyone ever went to so much trouble to make Valentine’s Day special for me. Thank you.”

  “So booking a room was all right?” Unlike Annie, Drew was the laid-back type who went with the flow, but Annie still hadn’t been completely sure Drew would like the unexpected change of plans.

  Drew’s thumb brushed over the corner of Annie’s mouth. “Of course it’s all right. With work, the vineyard, and your family and friends getting used to your new relationship, it’s been a busy year so far. It will be nice to spend the night away from everything. Just the two of us, relaxing.”

  Relaxing wasn’t what Annie had in mind. Did Drew really not even think of more than just sharing the bed, as they sometimes had when Annie stayed over? Had she gotten so used to just cuddling that her body didn’t ache with need anymore? Doesn’t she want me? She searched Drew’s eyes but couldn’t read anything but tenderness.

  Annie paid the bill while Drew folded the blanket.

  Hand in hand, they strolled along the boardwalk. The murmur of the waves as they lapped at the beach accompanied them north. Annie’s heartbeat seemed to drown out the sounds of their footsteps on the wooden planks. She’d forgotten about the irritating thong while watching the sunset, but now the thin strip of material between her butt cheeks bit into her with every step. In the darkness, she tried to inconspicuously tug the thong into a more comfortable position.

  Drew turned her head and chuckled. “Christ, what kind of annoying panties are you wearing?”

  Annie snatched her hand away and swallowed. Jake’s words echoed through her mind. If you show up in sexy underwear, Drew will know what’s up. Well, maybe it was time to reveal her intentions. At least then this nerve-racking waiting and guessing would be over. She touched the moonstone pendant around her neck for good luck, took a deep breath, and said, “It’s a—”

  A raindrop splattered on her nose. Another one hit her glasses.

  Annie threw a disbelieving glare up at the sky. It hadn’t rained in weeks, and now of all times ...

  The clouds above them burst open. Rain drenched them.

  “Run!” Annie shouted.

  Drew struggled out of her jacket and held it up over their heads to shelter them both. “Where to?”

  “Follow me!” Running on the unfamiliar semi-high heels was a murderous undertaking. Annie struggled not to slip and fall on the wet wood.

  Thankfully, the inn was just a few steps away, right across the street from the beach.

  The woman behind the front desk took one look at their sodden clothes and quickly checked them in.

  Annie’s hands trembled as she fumbled with the key card to unlock the door to their room.

  Drew reached around her. Her hands, as steady as always, took over the task. “Take a hot shower,” she said. “That’ll warm you right up.”

  Annie wasn’t sure that would stop the trembling.

  They rushed into the room, both still breathing hard from their sprint across the boardwalk.

  Water dripped from Drew’s hair and made the curls stick to her forehead. She kicked off her shoes and crossed the room with quick steps. Seconds later, she returned with two towels from the bathroom. “Come here.”

  When Annie stepped up to her, Drew hung one towel over Annie’s shoulders. She lifted the rain-smeared glasses off Annie’s nose, folded them, and set them on one of the nightstands before she returned to Annie. Gently, she rubbed Annie’s head with the second towel, ignoring her own predicament. “Jesus. You’re wet to the skin. Get out of those clothes. Turn around. I’ll help you with that zipper.”

  Annie’s heart hammered in her throat as she turned around. The touch of Drew’s hands against her back made her suck in a breath.

  Drew’s hands slid down to Annie’s hips. She peeked around Annie’s shoulders as if to make sure Annie was okay. When Annie nodded, she slid down the zipper. Her fingertips grazed Annie’s damp skin.

  Shivering, Annie clutched the dress to her chest. Come on. You’ve got nothing to hide from Drew. She wanted Drew to see her even if it was a bit terrifying to expose herself so fully while Drew was still dressed. She let go of the dress and held her breath. Would Drew like her body? Or would she think Annie was too skinny and her breasts too small?

  “Go take a show—” Drew’s breath brushed across Annie’s shoulder blades as she exhaled sharply. “Um, Annie? Are you ...?” She cleared her throat. “Are you wearing a thong?”

  Annie swallowed and nodded, her back still to Drew. She wan
ted to say something or take Drew’s hand and drag her to the bed, but her muscles felt as frozen as a block of ice in the Arctic.

  “Ah, yes. Avoids the dreaded panty lines if you’re wearing a dress, right?” Drew’s voice sounded husky.

  “I ... I didn’t put it on for practical reasons,” Annie said. She hardly recognized her own voice.

  For a few moments, the sound of Drew’s breathing stopped behind her. Only the murmur of the ocean and the pattering of the rain drifted in from outside.

  “Um, you didn’t?”

  Annie shook her head. “I wore it for you.”

  The towel Drew had been holding dropped to the floor. “You ... you mean ...?”

  Annie nodded and hung her head. “Now it seems like a stupid idea, but I wanted this to be a romantic evening, followed by, well ...” She gave herself a mental shove. Be an adult and say it. “The best sex we ever had.” She stared at the towel on the floor. “But I keep ruining everything. I’m just not good at any of this.”

  “Annie, please, turn around,” Drew whispered, her voice hoarse.

  Gusts of wind drove the rain against the window. Annie shivered and hesitated. Slowly, she turned around, very aware that she was just wearing her thong, her shoes, and the moonstone necklace. She covered her breasts with her hands.

  Drew stepped closer, keeping her gaze on Annie’s face. “No negative assumptions about yourself, remember? You didn’t ruin anything.” She reached up and cradled Annie’s cheek in her palm. “Anything can be romantic if you’re with the right person, even getting caught in a downpour with a nervous woman who keeps tugging at her underwear.”

  Annie’s cheek heated against Drew’s palm, but she had to smile.

  “I had a wonderful time,” Drew said. “But we won’t have sex tonight.”

  “Oh.” Had she managed once and for all to turn Drew off? With her hands still covering her breasts, she peeked at Drew. “We won’t?”

  “No,” Drew said. Gently, she pulled Annie’s hands away from her body and kissed first one palm, then the other. Her gaze, intense and heated, slid down Annie’s body. “We’ll be making love.”