Autumn's Light

by Aurora Rey

  “You’ve got the rings?”

  A look of panic flashed on Will’s face as she patted herself down. Her shoulders slumped and her face relaxed. “I have the rings.”

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to freak you out. You’re painfully responsible. You’ve got this.”

  Will nodded. “I’ve got this.”

  Emerson and Liam arrived, looking just as adorable as Will. Graham took up her station at the side gate to direct guests and hand out the programs Darcy had designed. It didn’t take long for guests to start arriving. Graham smiled and greeted. After holding the gate for a group of six, she looked up and found herself eye-to-eye with Mat.

  “Hello, handsome.” And handsome she was. Mat wore an outfit similar to the one she had on when they went out with Dom and Renata, but Graham was still caught off guard by just how good she looked.

  “Hello yourself, gorgeous. You look stunning.”

  The wedding wasn’t formal by any means, but Graham had gone with one of her favorite dresses for the occasion. It was more elegant than what she’d worn out with Mat thus far. “Thank you.”

  “Can I hang here with you or should I go in?”

  “I’d love it if you kept me company.” Mat moved off to her side and they stood together, greeting the remaining guests. At five of, they made their way down the garden path and took a pair of seats near the back.

  The ceremony was brief, but touching. Liam had written his own vows for Emerson, and she had prepared words for him. They promised to be a family—first, last, always. In spite of herself, Graham shed a few tears. Something about that much love, that much hope, concentrated in a single moment in time took her breath away.

  After the kiss and a proclamation of spouses for life, a cheer went up from the small crowd. On cue, Tisha emerged from the house with a tray full of champagne flutes. Graham grabbed Mat’s hand and whispered, “Want to give me a hand?”

  “Sure.”

  Graham led them into the kitchen where more champagne waited. They brought it out, circulating until everyone had a glass. While Will and Darcy’s friend, Lia, gave toasts, she and Mat carried a couple dozen chairs into the house, positioning them around the temporary tables. She then helped direct guests inside, past a selection of cheese, crackers, and canapés artfully arranged on the kitchen island.

  “I’m playing bartender now,” Graham told Mat.

  “I can definitely help you there.”

  They stood side by side in the sitting room, pouring wine and opening bottles of beer. It felt like no time at all before Nora announced the buffet was open. Guests made their way through and found their seats. When everyone was seated, Graham and Mat got food and snagged their own seats, arranged in a way that kept them closest to the bar.

  They were seated next to Alex and Lia, who’d left their daughter, Maeve, at home, and a couple Graham didn’t know. It didn’t surprise her, necessarily, but Mat seemed to have no trouble chatting them up—asking questions and making jokes. She actually seemed more comfortable doing it than Graham. She filed the detail away, under “one more reason to fall for Mat.” It was turning out to be a pretty big file.

  When the meal ended, Emerson and Darcy cut their cake, a simple but exquisite creation of ivory colored frosting and leaves made out of sugar. “Did you make that?” Mat asked Alex.

  Alex smiled. “I did.”

  Mat nodded. “So, it will taste as good as it looks.”

  Graham had never had anything that fancy from The Flour Pot, but she’d devoured more than her share of cookies and muffins and pastries. “Agreed.”

  There was no dancing, but people lingered over their cake and cups of coffee or glasses of wine. Despite being told she didn’t have to, Mat helped Graham clear plates. She looked so freaking at ease doing it, Graham wondered if she’d waited tables at some point in her life. The next thing she knew, Mat and Will were at the kitchen sink, sleeves rolled up and laughing like they’d been friends for years. To Graham’s mind, the whole thing was completely, utterly perfect.

  When everything was cleaned and put away, Tisha bid them good night, leaving Mat, Will, and Graham alone in the kitchen. Will slapped a hand on Mat’s shoulder. “We can’t thank you enough for your help tonight. I know my sister and Darcy would agree you went above and beyond anything we could have asked for.”

  Mat shrugged. Now that it was done, she realized how caught up in it she’d been. “No worries. It reminded me of how we do things in my family. Not weddings, mind you, those are a full production. But to celebrate other things, it’s like this. Everyone pitches in.”

  “You’ve got a big family, don’t you?” Will’s voice held something that resembled awe.

  Mat shook her head. “You don’t know the half of it.”

  “Well, we were glad to have you be a part of ours.” Nora nodded matter-of-factly, as though she sensed too much praise would make Mat uncomfortable, which, of course, it did. Which was to say nothing about her comment on Mat being part of the family.

  “You ready to get out of here?” Graham asked.

  “I am if you are.”

  Will went to collect their jackets and Nora smiled at Mat in a way she couldn’t quite decipher. “Mat, will you let us make you dinner as a thank you? One night next week, perhaps?”

  For some reason, that wasn’t at all what Mat was expecting. “You really don’t have to—”

  “We’d love to,” Nora said before Mat could finish. “Wouldn’t we, Will?”

  Will, who’d just returned, nodded. “Absolutely. I have no idea what I’m agreeing with, but I agree wholeheartedly.”

  Mat chuckled. Nora seemed to have Will wrapped around her finger, not that Will looked like she minded in the least. “That would be nice. Thank you.” She might not be gung ho about a cozy family dinner—or was it a couple’s dinner?—but she’d been raised better than to turn down such invitations.

  “Wonderful. Graham, I’ll call you tomorrow to find a date that works for everyone.”

  They said their good-byes and Mat and Graham headed out. The night sky was overcast and the temperature had dropped considerably. Fall was most definitely upon them.

  Graham shivered despite her jacket, prompting Mat to offer hers. Graham waved her off. “No, no. I’m fine. I’m hoping you might warm me up in a bit.”

  Mat smiled at the suggestive tone. For some reason, it struck her as strange that Graham never seemed to get enough of her. Not bad, just strange. “Does this mean you’re coming home with me?”

  Graham let out a nervous laugh. “I suppose I should wait to be invited.”

  Mat grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Quite the opposite. I didn’t want to presume you wanted to stay over. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”

  Graham smiled. “Never too exhausted to go home with you.”

  “I also shouldn’t assume we’re always going to stay at my place.” As she said that, Mat realized she’d never even seen Graham’s apartment. “We can totally trade off if you want.”

  Graham shrugged. “Your place is nicer, and you don’t have a roommate.”

  “I’m sure your place is perfectly nice. You have a point about the roommate, though.”

  “I mean, we should sometime. At the moment, though, I’d like nothing more than to go back to your place, take off all our clothes, and tumble into bed.”

  Mat felt the familiar stirring, the one she’d expected to wane by now. “In that case, we should walk faster.”

  When they got to Mat’s place, Graham’s mouth immediately found hers. Despite the fatigue, Mat’s body responded to the way Graham tugged at her clothes and seemed hungry to touch her everywhere. She guided them to the bedroom, discarding articles of clothing as they went. Graham’s shoes. Mat’s shirt. Graham’s dress. Mat’s pants.

  Although the need to get to bed had been frantic, the pace once they got there slowed. Mat chalked it up to the wedding. Even she wasn’t immune to the sweetness, the romance, of two people so completely in love. Sh
e might not be in the market for one of her own, but she wanted to be tender with Graham, to show her that she mattered.

  Graham responded in kind. There was no teasing, no attempt to drive one another higher, harder. They made love, to the extent Mat was willing to use that phrase. Graham came, whispering Mat’s name instead of screaming it.

  Graham fell asleep almost immediately. Mat expected to lie awake, her brain ignoring the tiredness of her body. Her pulse slowed though, coming down from the orgasm and slipping right into that lulled state just this side of sleep. It was new, this calm contentment. She felt something similar out on the water, on a clear day with the sun glinting off the ocean and a cool salt breeze in her face. To have it with a woman, though, was different. As Mat drifted off, she considered why such a feeling, one that should make her anxious, didn’t.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “It’s not a huge deal. I promise.” It was just over a week after the wedding and Graham lay sprawled half on top of her, chin resting on her hand.

  Mat eyed Graham. That was easy for her to say. As far as Mat was concerned, having dinner with Graham’s aunt and best friend—who were a couple no less—felt like meeting the parents and a double date rolled into one. Everything about it triggered her fight-or-flight response. And since she wasn’t a fighter, she had a strong compulsion to run. “I just don’t feel prepared.”

  “There’s nothing to prepare. It’s the first night since spring she doesn’t have anyone at the inn. If anything, it’s a celebration of being laid back.”

  Mat thought about the wedding, the one and only time she’d been to Failte. With its perfect gardens and pristine white paint, it felt anything but laid back. Even if she’d gotten a glimpse, and the chance to help out, behind the scenes. But she’d agreed and backing out now wasn’t an option. “What can I bring?”

  “Yourself.” Graham gave her a reassuring look. “Really. I’ll swing by your place at six and we can walk over together.”

  Mat took a deep breath. She didn’t want to disappoint Graham. Nor did she want to seem like a coward. On top of that, Graham had handled the party with her family like a champ, especially given the circumstances. She could do this. “Okay. Fine.”

  “You’re the best.” Graham rolled the rest of the way onto Mat’s chest and kissed her.

  “Yeah.”

  Graham looked at her through lowered lashes. “How about I show you how great I think you are?”

  Mat glanced at the clock. Five thirty. She’d be late, but whatever. Dom could wait. As far as she was concerned, he still owed her. “And how are you going to do that?”

  In lieu of an explanation, Graham wiggled down the bed, planting kisses all over Mat’s torso. She situated herself between Mat’s thighs and, without anything else in the way of foreplay, pressed her tongue into Mat.

  “Fuck.” The arousal was instant, her body going from sleepy to electrified in the span of about two seconds. Mat could feel Graham smile. Then she went to work, starting with long, unhurried strokes. Mat could feel her clit getting bigger and harder. Graham flicked it gently with her tongue, coaxing it. Mat put her hands in Graham’s hair, still unused to how immediate her response to Graham was. “God, that feels good.”

  Graham shifted slightly and Mat let go of her hair. She felt Graham’s fingers tracing on either side of her opening, spreading around the wetness. She tightened in anticipation.

  Graham eased one and then a second finger into her. Mat clamped down, intensifying the sensations in her clit. In addition to ramping up the pleasure, it gave Mat the feeling of being grounded, anchored in the moment.

  Graham slid in and out, keeping her pace easy and smooth. It wasn’t a fucking so much as a complement to the movement of Graham’s mouth. Mat rolled her hips gently, letting Graham set both the intensity and the pace. It felt so different than being with other women—better, but something else. Easier, maybe.

  As if sensing her brain at work, Graham sped up. Her fingers pushed into Mat with more force, the strokes of her tongue gave way to sucking. The added urgency cleared away any remaining desire or ability to think. Mat opened her eyes and raised her head, reveling in how gorgeous Graham looked going down on her.

  The visual pushed her over the edge. Mat let her head fall back and she rode the orgasm. Instead of a flash, she imagined it like a sound wave, rippling out from her center until every ounce of her vibrated with pleasure.

  When it finally ebbed, she felt spent and raw, like exposed wires. She touched a hand to Graham’s head, not sure she could take any more stimulation. Graham eased away, propped herself on her elbows. “You are so fucking sexy.”

  Mat chuckled at the assertion. “No, that’s my line.”

  “Yeah, what are you going to do about it?”

  The playful challenge did wonders for her recovery. “Come here.”

  Graham crawled up the bed and started to settle next to her. Before she could, Mat moved down. “Oh, no. Keep going.”

  Understanding dawned in Graham’s blue eyes, making them darken several shades. “Are you—”

  Before she could finish the question, Mat gently nipped at her thigh. “Please come and put that gorgeous pussy of yours on my face.”

  Graham seemed to hesitate for a second, but she obliged. She placed a knee on either side of Mat’s head and Mat wrapped an arm around each of her thighs. Mat breathed in deeply, certain she could get drunk on the scent of Graham’s arousal. She applied gentle pressure with her hands, encouraging Graham to ease herself down. But again, Graham hesitated.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I…”

  As she trailed off, Mat had a pang of worry that she’d misread Graham’s interest. She loosened her grip and angled her head, looking up at Graham’s face. “Hey, no pressure. I don’t want you to do anything you’re not totally into.”

  Graham bit her lip in a way that made Mat more turned on rather than less. “It’s not that. I just, I haven’t done this before.”

  Oh.

  “I feel a little self-conscious is all.”

  That, she could work with. “It’s okay. It can be a little weird at first, but it feels amazing. Or, it should. We can stop anytime if you don’t like it.”

  Graham covered her face with her hand, then moved it away. She looked down at Mat. She was blushing. “I’m afraid I might suffocate you.”

  “I promise you won’t.” Mat exerted a decent amount of pressure onto Graham’s thighs. “See, I can communicate and move you if I need to.”

  Graham nodded. “Right. Okay.”

  “Okay, you want to?”

  Another nod.

  Excellent. Mat inched down until she was exactly where she wanted to be. “Just relax and enjoy. This is all about you.”

  Graham took a deep breath, trying to will away her nerves. She was being sexually adventurous, after all. And trying new things was part of that. “Right.”

  She let Mat guide her, heard her sigh. It occurred to her that she would love to have Mat like this, which further reduced her uncertainty. And then Mat slid her tongue into Graham’s wetness and she stopped thinking about anything but how good that felt.

  She closed her eyes. It did feel good. Like, really, really, good. And unlike anything else she’d ever done with a woman in bed. Or out of bed.

  After a couple of long, gentle strokes, Mat started making lazy circles with her tongue. Graham, who’d been so hesitant to move, couldn’t seem to stop herself. She rocked slowly, moving her hips in time with Mat’s mouth.

  She heard Mat groan, felt the vibration of it against her clit. Graham let out a moan of her own. Mat tightened her grip slightly. Graham opened her eyes and looked down. With the soft light of early morning coming through the windows, she could appreciate how sexy Mat looked between her legs. Somehow, Graham managed to feel powerful and yet also completely at Mat’s mercy. It was a total turn-on.

  And then there was Mat’s mouth. She’d started sucking Graham’s clit
, bringing Graham excruciatingly close to release. But then she shifted. Graham whimpered. Barely a second later, Mat’s tongue plunged into her.

  “Oh, God.” Soft, but forceful. Like being consumed and replenished at the same time. It was perfection. “Oh, Mat. Yes. Please, yes.”

  Mat was relentless. She drove Graham higher and higher. Graham lost track of her plan to keep her movements controlled, to make sure she didn’t smother Mat. She lost everything but the sensations coursing through her, the tangle of nerves at her core that threatened to short circuit her whole system.

  When the muscles in her legs began to quiver, she reached forward, grabbed hold of the headboard in an attempt to steady herself. It was fruitless. The orgasm ripped through her. Her whole body quaked. She called out Mat’s name.

  When it ended, Graham was left weak and stiff. Spent. She gingerly eased herself to the side of Mat, then flopped back, putting herself head-to-toe with Mat. Her breathing remained choppy and her heart continued to thud against her ribs. “Okay, then.”

  Mat gave her knee a gentle squeeze. “I’m taking it you were down with that.”

  “Understatement of the century.” Graham rolled to her side, draped her arm over Mat’s legs. “I’m hoping you’ll let me try being on the other side.”

  Mat sat up. “Definitely, just not now. I’m already late.”

  Graham picked up her head to look at the clock. “That’s too bad.”

  “Next time. I promise.”

  “Fine.” Graham pouted, but she laughed at the end.

  Mat climbed out of bed and started to pull on work clothes. “I promise I’ll think about it all day.”

  Graham followed, donning her outfit from the night before. She’d taken to bringing a bag, but didn’t always bother with a change of clothes, especially on a workday. Mat left so much earlier, Graham had more than enough time to go get ready in the comfort of her own place. “Maybe not while we’re having dinner at my aunt’s.”

  Mat winced. She’d forgotten that’s what started this whole conversation. “Agreed.”

  Graham crossed the room and kissed her. “I’ll see you at six.”