by A. L. Brooks
After the meal, they had coffee in the living room before Felicity, Tamsyn, and Maggie—and Gizmo—left, sharing a cab home.
Once Carmen had closed the front door, she returned to the room and found Ash slouched comfortably on the sofa, a dazed look on her face.
“You okay?” Carmen asked.
Ash looked up at her. “I am. I’m in a very happy place right now.”
“You look like it. Can I join you?”
Ash held one arm out to the side, and Carmen immediately sat next to her. When Ash wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in even closer, she sighed contentedly. “Ah, yes. Perfect.”
She got a kiss on the top of her head for that.
“They’re lovely,” Ash said. “And I’m so happy I’m going to be at their wedding.”
“I know! I’m so glad you were able to rearrange those three clients.”
“I guess I’m lucky they like me so much.”
“And why wouldn’t they? You do amazing work. And I would imagine they know you wouldn’t change their appointments lightly.”
“Yeah, that’s true. I’ve never done it to any of them before, so I guess the trust was there that it was something pretty important.”
“I’ve read all the reviews of your studio on Google.”
“You have?” Ash looked down at her, surprise clear on her face.
“Yes, of course! And I think trust is definitely at play. So many glowing testimonials from regular customers who are obviously coming back time after time. That’s all down to you and the kind of person you are.”
Ash twisted and tugged Carmen round to face her a little more. There was heat in her eyes, and Carmen’s body responded instantly. When Ash kissed her, her lips moving so sweetly against hers, her arousal soared. And when Ash ran her fingers into Carmen’s hair to tilt her head back, Carmen moaned.
She moved without thinking, without wondering where this would lead to and whether she was nervous about getting there or not. Slowly, carefully, so that she didn’t snag her dress, she maintained their kiss but eased herself onto Ash’s lap until she straddled her thighs.
Ash whimpered, a sound that pierced Carmen.
She wants me . It hadn’t been in much doubt, not really, but Ash had held back, seemingly content with just the kisses they’d shared up until now. To hear her so obviously affected by Carmen’s attempt to ramp things up boosted her confidence tenfold.
Ash ran her hands down from Carmen’s hair to her shoulders and then to her hips. She deepened the kiss, her tongue pushing into Carmen’s mouth, her hands firm on Carmen as she pulled.
Carmen surged against her, her blood singing with the desire to get close, then closer still. Their breasts pressed together, and Carmen gasped. The soft, pliant flesh moulding to hers was more arousing than she would ever have imagined. She slid her arms around Ash’s back and increased the contact; the additional pressure against her nipples sent wonderful sensations straight to her clit.
Ash slid her hands lower and cupped Carmen’s behind, and it was as if someone had turned on a furnace somewhere in the room.
Finally, Ash broke their kiss. “God, Carmen.” Her breathing was laboured, her eyes glassy. “You’re… Fuck.” She groaned, then claimed Carmen’s mouth once more and caressed Carmen’s ass in slow, gentle circles.
Carmen moved her hips, seeking a firmer contact.
Ash obliged, grasping at her through the material of her dress, kneading her.
Carmen moaned once more, desperate for Ash to take this further, knowing she was more than ready for that now. She silently willed Ash to move under the dress but realised she’d have to ask. Ash wouldn’t presume anything. Not just yet.
She lifted her head and gazed down at Ash. “I want you to—”
The doorbell rang.
They both jumped.
“Wait.” Carmen held on to Ash a little more tightly. “They must have the wrong house. They’ll go away in a min—”
The doorbell rang again. “Sorry, it’s us,” Tamsyn called, presumably through the letterbox. “I forgot my jacket.”
“Shit.” Carmen pressed her forehead to Ash’s and groaned. “I suppose I’d better answer it.”
Ash chuckled. “Yeah, something tells me she won’t leave until you do.”
Carmen eased off Ash’s lap, straightened her dress, and walked to the hallway. She took a deep breath before she opened the door.
Tamsyn stood on her doorstep, grinning sheepishly.
“Tam, I am seriously going to kill you.” Carmen glared at her.
“What? What did I—?” Tamsyn’s gaze swept over Carmen. “Ohhhh. Sorry.” Her smirk was evil.
“Never mind.” Carmen rolled her eyes. “Did you say you’d left your jacket behind?”
“Yes, I think I left it just here in the hallway cupboard.”
Carmen motioned her into the house. At the end of her path, the taxi waited on the side of the road, Maggie leaning from the window. Carmen threw her a wave and received a beaming smile in response.
“Got it!” Tamsyn trotted past her to the open door. “Sorry again for interrupting. Please, carry on.” She winked. “See you next week!”
Carmen tutted and shut the door behind her without a word.
Tamsyn’s laughter carried through the wood between them.
When Carmen returned to the living room, Ash was tapping furiously on her phone. She shot Carmen a rueful look. “Sorry, it’s Sophie. Having a little crisis over her next date with Keisha.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I kind of think I ought to call her, rather than texting, but…”
Carmen sat beside her. “It’s fine. I understand.” She pulled Ash into her arms. “I’m sorry for the interruption.”
“Hey, not your fault. I’m sorry too. I feel a little torn between priorities right now.”
Carmen kissed her but didn’t linger, not wanting to restoke the fire when there would be no outlet for its flames. “It’s fine. And don’t worry; we are going to get back to what we were doing sometime very soon.” She threw Ash her sultriest smile and revelled in the heat that smouldered in Ash’s eyes.
“You’ll get no argument from me for that.” Ash kissed Carmen rather thoroughly. Then she pulled away and sighed. “Okay, I’m going to go, and I’ll talk to my niece on the way to the Tube station.”
“Want me to call you a cab?”
Ash stood. “No, it’s fine. You know I like to walk.”
“I do.” Carmen kissed her once more. “Call me when you’re home maybe?”
Ash’s face lit up. “You’re on.”
Carmen showed her to the door, and they kissed again before Ash stepped out into the night.
“Thanks for a fantastic evening.” Ash gazed down at her. “It was… You were wonderful.”
“So were you.” Carmen placed yet one more kiss on her lips. Ugh, it is so hard to say goodbye! She watched as Ash walked down the path, noting the way her jeans clung to her legs and backside, remembering how it felt to hold that body in her arms. Her temperature rocketed once more. Jesus, how am I supposed to get to sleep now?
Chapter 39
Carmen should have been tired and resentful of the early start, but she was neither. And she couldn’t seem to stop smiling. It had been a spectacularly good couple of weeks. Well, apart from not being able to see Ash much, of course. However now, after a full week apart due to clashing work commitments, Ash was beside her, driving them the last few miles to their hotel for the weekend of Tamsyn and Maggie’s wedding.
“Are you going to stop grinning at all today?” Ash looked across at her as they waited at a traffic light.
“No, I don’t think so.” Carmen leaned across and kissed her cheek. “Sorry, you’ll just have to get used to it.”
“I can do that. It’s brilliant. And I don’t know what’s better—the fact that you’ve cleared the last of the old clients from your books or that you’ve got a chance to sign Stefan Ward.”
“I know! He tho
roughly deserved that BAFTA last year, but I never imagined I’d be able to sign him. Then I hear on the grapevine that he’s not happy with his agent, and I wasn’t going to let that opportunity slide.”
“Do you think he will sign with you?”
“I’m very confident.”
“Life is pretty good for you right now, isn’t it?”
Carmen stroked Ash’s hand where it rested on the steering wheel. “It really is.” She looked at the GPS. “Is that accurate, ten minutes until we get there?”
“Should be.”
“Good. I’m rather desperate for the bathroom.”
Ash laughed. “Want me to speed up?”
“No, don’t get us arrested. I’ll be fine.”
They did indeed arrive ten minutes later and checked in quickly. They had separate rooms, as agreed, but a tingle of excitement ran through Carmen as she wondered if they’d actually use both later. Where they’d left things after the dinner party had held her on a lovely knife-edge of arousal all week. She knew it wouldn’t take much to tip the balance.
“Want to meet for a quick drink before we have to leave?” Ash asked as they walked up the single flight of stairs to their rooms.
“Sounds good. Maybe around one? Tamsyn said the minibus that’s collecting all the guests from here will arrive at one thirty.”
“Perfect. Go make yourself beautiful.” Ash winked.
“Are you saying I’m not already?” Carmen tried to give Ash an evil glare and failed miserably when her mouth twitched with mirth.
“Okay, let me rephrase: go make yourself even more beautiful.”
“Sweet talker.”
The weather forecast was good for the whole day, and Carmen knew the marquees would be warm inside, so she draped only a thin silk shawl over her shoulders. She made sure she had plenty of tissues in her handbag, plus her mascara. Her emotions were riding so high she was bound to be a blubbering mess when Tamsyn and Maggie finally said, “I do.”
Ash waited for her in the bar, and Carmen barely resisted the urge to throw herself at her when she saw how she looked. The black dress trousers hugged Ash’s hips and waist; the pale pink shirt highlighted her full breasts, with the buttons undone enough to show just a smidge of cleavage. It drew Carmen’s gaze and made her breath hitch in her throat.
Ash smiled at her and opened her arms. “Will I do? You were kind of checking me out, so…”
Carmen leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “Definitely,” she murmured, keeping her hands firmly grasped on her handbag to avoid any unnecessary spectacle. “You’re gorgeous.”
Ash’s cheeks pinked just a little. “Thanks. You, as ever, look stunning. Wow.”
It was a new dress, bought especially for this wedding, and even Carmen could admit it suited her well. The one-shoulder style was not something she’d tried before, but the sales assistant had convinced her, and she didn’t regret buying it. The material, soft and delicate, in a beautiful shade of teal, swished around her thighs as she moved, making her feel like a catwalk model. She saw Ash’s gaze fall to the strappy heels she wore, higher than her usual style by far.
When Ash looked back at her, her eyes smouldered.
Carmen swallowed. “Like the shoes?”
Ash merely nodded.
They sat in the lounge bar of the hotel and talked quietly over a gin and tonic. Other wedding guests arrived over the next thirty minutes, and greetings were shared. Some people Carmen knew, some not.
“Carmen!” Tony, who did PR for Tamsyn, strode across the room towards her.
“Hi, Tony.” They swapped air kisses.
“You remember Vanessa?” Tony gestured to the woman beside him, a statuesque blonde, who was at least twenty years younger than him.
“Of course.” Carmen shook her hand. “Lovely to see you again.” And shocked actually, given that Tony usually goes through girlfriends at a vast rate of knots . And now it was time for the return introduction. She was nervous, but determined. After all, if she couldn’t be seen with a female partner at a same-sex wedding, where could she? “And this is my partner, Ash.” It was the first time she’d said those words out loud to anyone, and a combination of excitement and trepidation shot through her veins.
Ash squeezed her hand, and Carmen glanced at her. A warm, supportive smile curled Ash’s lips.
Carmen gripped Ash’s hand a little more tightly and looked back at Tony. How would he react?
His expression went from shock to beaming smile in less than two seconds, and her shoulders eased out of their tensed position.
“Nice to meet you.” Tony and Ash shook hands. “This is new, yes?” he asked Carmen.
“Yes, it is.”
Tony leaned in. “Good for you.” He kissed her cheek, then wandered off with Vanessa in tow.
“You okay?” Ash asked.
Carmen laid a hand on her own chest, aware of how hard her heart was beating, and took a couple of breaths. “Absolutely.”
The luxury minibus transported them all to the cottage, where they stepped into a wedding fantasy land. The garden, perhaps half an acre in size, held two large marquees. One marquee was apparently set up for the ceremony, with rows of chairs facing a small dais visible through the open doorway. The other contained tables set up for dining, with a large bar area at one end. Off to the side, the catering staff were hard at work in two large but well-appointed caravans. All through the garden, wooden boardwalks led to and from the marquees to the temporary toilets and elsewhere, preventing the guests and staff from sinking into the lawn.
A waiter appeared with a tray of champagne, and Carmen and Ash each took a glass.
“This is amazing!” Ash shook her head. “But it’s also pretty simple. No gold frills anywhere.”
“Yes, that would absolutely not be their style. This is just them.”
By the time an usher announced that everyone should take their seats, Carmen was on the edge of tears. The setting, the knowledge of what Tamsyn had gone through to get to this point, plus the fact that Carmen herself walked into the marquee with a woman on her own arm, all of it conspired to have her reaching for a tissue the moment she sat down.
“Still okay?” Ash looked concerned.
“Very emotional. But I’m fine. Honestly.”
Ash kissed her, then sat back. She pressed her hand against Carmen’s thigh, letting her know she was there if she needed her.
Carmen’s tears fell as soon as she saw Tamsyn and Maggie walk down the aisle. Gizmo was on a lead between them, his head held high, a cream bow tie around his neck. Both women looked stunning in matching cream suits that had clearly been tailored for each of them. They carried a single orange rose each but handed those off to Maggie’s nieces once they reached the front. The two young girls looked up at their auntie in awe, clutching the flowers in their small hands. Gizmo was placed in the care of Maggie’s sister.
Tamsyn and Maggie stepped forward to stand before the official, a grey-haired woman in a flowing, deep blue smock dress, who smiled warmly at them.
Carmen’s heart thumped wildly. She and Ash had front-row seats on Tamsyn’s side of the aisle; Tamsyn’s father was too ill to attend, and she had no siblings, so her side of the tent was filled with friends and colleagues from the industry. Maggie’s side was filled with family and close friends, and a hush descended on everyone as the official raised her head to speak.
“Honoured guests, welcome.” She smiled. “We’re here today to witness and celebrate the marriage of Tamsyn and Maggie.”
Oh shit, more bloody tears . Carmen thought she’d just about got them under control but no such luck. Another tissue was pressed into her hand from her right, and she turned to give Ash a grateful smile.
The official’s melodious voice recited the few paragraphs that outlined, in lovely terms, the obligations Tamsyn and Maggie were committing to. The two women held hands tightly throughout, gazing into each other’s eyes. Carmen was quite sure they had no awareness of
any other person in the marquee.
The official inclined her head towards Tamsyn. “Do you, Tamsyn, take Maggie to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
Tamsyn nodded slowly. “I do.” Her voice rang out loud and clear.
The official turned to Maggie. “And do you, Maggie, take Tamsyn to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“I do.” Maggie’s voice wobbled, but her smile was huge.
“Then I now declare you married.” The official beamed at them. “You may kiss the bride.”
Tamsyn’s smile lit up the room. She wrapped her arms around a tearful Maggie and kissed her, softly and slowly.
Ash also dabbed a tissue to her eyes, which made Carmen feel infinitely better, as she was a complete mess.
Everyone applauded and stood; some guests stepped forward to hug and kiss the brides. Tamsyn gently pushed past all of them and strode to the first row, where Carmen and Ash sat.
“You,” Tamsyn said, her voice choked. “You helped make this come true. Thank you so much.” She pulled Carmen into a hug and held her tightly.
“You are very welcome, my friend.” Carmen looked at Tamsyn through watery eyes. “You deserve it.”
Tamsyn ran her fingertips underneath her eyes. “Don’t make me cry! This mascara’s supposed to be waterproof, but I’m not so sure.”
Carmen laughed and watched as Ash gave Tamsyn a quick hug of congratulations, her eyes wide as she probably realised just who she held in her arms.
Maggie walked over, also holding out her arms to Carmen. “Thank you. For everything.”
“My pleasure.”
“And now,” Tamsyn said loudly, using all that acting training to project her voice to the far end of the marquee, “it’s time to party!”
Chapter 40
Carmen stumbled off the dance floor and collapsed into her chair. “Oh, my poor feet!” She rubbed at her heels and sighed. She’d known it was a mistake the first time she stepped onto the dance floor, but dancing with Ash, to hold her close as they moved to the music, had been her paramount thought.
Ash chuckled. “I did try to warn you about those heels.”
“I know, I know.” She kissed Ash. “What time is it?”