Miles Apart

by A. L. Brooks

  Alex dancing set every nerve tingling in Justine’s skin as she fantasised about Alex’s body moving beneath hers. The sway of her hips alone made Justine’s breath catch multiple times. She forced herself to look away and tried, in vain, to tamp down her arousal.

  Alex turned and reached out a hand tentatively to Justine, which she took without thinking, enfolding Alex’s palm in her own. Alex’s expression was one Justine couldn’t read. Nervous? Excited? Possibly both. And something else entirely, the nuances of which were lost on Justine right now. The warmth of Alex’s hand in her own was completely distracting her, and when Alex tugged on her hand to move them further into the crowd, Justine happily followed.

  As soon as they reached the space Alex had clearly set her sights on, she extricated her hand from Justine’s and moved to the music, her gaze averted from Justine’s for a minute or two. It was as if she needed to immerse herself into her own space before she could acknowledge Justine’s presence in it. Justine respected that and began her own movements, picking up the fast rhythm and revelling in the freedom she always felt when she was in the middle of a dance floor.

  Chapter 9

  Alex tried to focus purely on the music and the adrenalin rush that dancing was giving her. It was extraordinarily tricky with the gorgeous distraction of Justine so close by and the quite different kind of rush her proximity gave Alex. She was still reeling from her relatively easy acceptance of Justine’s request not to say goodnight too early.

  She felt as if she were two people.

  Sensible Alex admonished her for potentially leading Justine on—although Alex still thought she was flattering herself with that notion—and for not telling her about Terri, for putting herself in a situation that may turn out to be awkward to get out of, to say the least.

  Excited Alex was glorying in how fantastic she felt right in this moment. Dancing again, completely free of inhibitions or cares. Having fun. Something she had most definitely forgotten how to do for quite some time now.

  She laughed as she swung her arms above her head and banished Sensible Alex to a faraway place in a corner of her mind.

  Justine danced up to her and bent her head to Alex’s ear.

  “Would you like something other than water to drink?” Justine asked, her lips so close to Alex’s ear she was practically kissing it. Alex shivered.

  “No, I’ll stick to water, please,” Alex said, placing her own mouth close to Justine’s ear and unable to keep herself from breathing in the subtle hint of Justine’s perfume as it wafted close to her nose. She was acting in ways she simply didn’t recognise in herself.

  Justine raised her head to meet Alex’s gaze. “No problem.” She smiled, then she was gone.

  Alex turned around and launched herself into the next track, something by The Black-Eyed Peas, if she wasn’t mistaken. Hands landing on her waist from behind startled Alex for a moment, but then she smiled. Justine had returned quickly and decided to get playful. She didn’t mind, even though Sensible Alex tried to have her say. She allowed the contact for a few moments, indulging herself despite her circumstances, and inched round slowly to face her.

  Whoa.

  Not Justine.

  The woman in front of her now was much taller, with cropped, bleached-blonde hair. She was just as stunning to look at as Justine, but Alex realised immediately that this woman did nothing for her. Whatever it was Justine had, this woman couldn’t get close to it.

  Easing herself back out of the woman’s hold, Alex smiled and shook her head. The stranger smiled forlornly but then shrugged and walked away. Breathing an inward sigh of relief, Alex turned away—and locked gazes with Justine on the edge of the dance floor.

  She had a look on her face that stopped Alex in her tracks. She recognised it instantly, as if it had been shouted across the space between them, and her heart thumped in response. The look was pure desire, mixed with jealousy, mixed with a…possessiveness that almost rocked Alex back on her heels. It was potent, and arousing, and stirred something more than physical in Alex that she immediately shied away from as fast as she could. She didn’t know what the hell had changed between them, but she couldn’t pull her gaze away from the heat in Justine’s blue eyes.

  Sensible Alex was trying to be heard above the clamour of Alex’s body but getting nowhere.

  Justine walked slowly towards her, and Alex swore the air literally sizzled between them.

  “You okay?” The edge to Justine’s tone hinted at her displeasure at what she’d just witnessed, but Alex knew it wasn’t aimed at her. The blonde should consider herself lucky she’d stepped far away from Justine’s firing line. Alex was amused; she’d never had anyone get so riled up on her behalf.

  “Perfectly fine,” she said, grinning. “She was a pussycat.”

  Justine guffawed, her shoulders shaking. “I’d like to see you call her that to her face.”

  Alex grinned again and was thankful the mood had lightened. The intensity had been unnerving, and she needed some breathing space.

  The DJ switched to Madonna and the place erupted. Alex laughed and threw herself back into her dancing, surrounding herself with hot bodies in the steamy atmosphere. There she could ignore the other kind of heat that threatened to engulf her, but her respite didn’t last long. Every time she turned around, Justine was there. Not invading her space but just…there. Watching Justine move, her hips grinding out each beat with a sizzling sensuality, robbed Alex of breath. Her gaze, which locked with Alex’s frequently, made Alex shiver with its intensity. Justine was now focused only on Alex, her gaze unwavering, her eyes telling Alex loud and clear that the heat of the moment they’d shared earlier had not diminished, not as far as Justine was concerned. This level of attention was something Alex had never experienced before, and it left her breathless; it was like being drip-fed an erotic drug.

  Like an addict, she could feel her resistance to whatever the hell this was, crumbling.

  Just tell her about Terri. Tell her and put a stop to this.

  But she didn’t.

  After months of questioning her attractiveness, despite how much Terri tried to convince her otherwise, here was someone gorgeous validating that element of her again. And Justine was being very open about it now, her gaze making it abundantly clear that she wanted Alex with an untarnished desirability that felt too good to ignore. She didn’t know how they’d got here, and a sudden fear of being deep into something she didn’t understand made her turn away. She sucked in lungfuls of hot air and tried to calm her racing heart.

  After a couple of minutes, she felt back in control and turned around to face Justine, whose half-smile was quizzical.

  “It’s hot!” Alex said, fanning herself, feeling a little guilty at the not-quite-truth she used to explain her change of mood.

  Justine nodded, and a lazy and definitely flirtatious smile crossed her lips.

  They danced on, and Alex began to think she’d imagined it all—Justine had suddenly seemed to back off and was now simply dancing alongside Alex, only occasionally looking her way. Alex almost laughed at the disappointment she felt at no longer being under such intense observation.

  Just as she thought she’d fully relaxed and shrugged off that intense phase from earlier, the music dropped in tempo to a seductively slow R&B track.

  Justine turned to Alex and her expression had shifted again. Alex wondered if Justine had any idea how clearly she communicated with just her face and eyes. Right now, a sultry hunger played out across her features, and Alex had absolutely nothing in her to resist when Justine stepped into her space and placed her arms lightly around Alex’s waist.

  Oh God, what was she doing?

  “Can we?” Justine asked, her mouth close to Alex’s ear once more.

  No.

  This was way too dangerous. Dancing up close like
this, touching…

  She shouldn’t be doing this. She should just stop and—

  Alex shuddered, and melted, and gave in to everything wrong about this moment that felt so bloody right. “Yes, but if I step on your feet, be nice.”

  Justine’s smile was soft, and her face full of longing, and Alex was captivated by her beauty.

  Justine started moving, eyes closed, her hands roaming slowly in small circles on the sides of Alex’s body. Alex watched her, saw her face relax and the hint of a smile cross her mouth. Justine’s hands were nowhere near any erogenous zones, but even so, the heat from her fingers seared through Alex’s top and left goose bumps in its wake. Her own eyes shut at the sensation, and she became super-aware of every tingle. When she felt Justine move behind her, and place her hands on her hips, Alex shocked herself by moving without hesitation. She pushed back against Justine, who bent her knees slightly, bringing Alex’s ass into contact with Justine’s groin. With their thighs touching front to back, their rhythm matching in perfect synchrony, they ground their hips slowly from one side to the other.

  Justine clutched tighter at Alex’s hips and worked the deliciously slow beat with her. Alex pressed into her even further, tipping her head back so it rested on Justine’s shoulder, bringing Justine’s mouth into the vicinity of her neck. Justine’s breath was hot on her collarbone; the shiver it sent down her body nearly made her lose her footing. Then Justine’s lips lightly touched her neck, and the thrill of it sent bolts of desire shooting through her from head to toe. That small voice of alarm clamouring to be heard was far too easily pushed away. She was consumed with this moment, the intensity of it making her heart pound. So when Justine’s mouth pressed more firmly against her skin, and Justine’s hands tugged harder at her hips, Alex didn’t stop her.

  Justine pulled Alex round in front of her, and her desire was blatant, exposed on her face like bright sunshine. Alex knew her own face reflected exactly what Justine was feeling. That feeling was flowing through her now like warm honey; sensuous, dangerous, and deliriously exhilarating.

  When Justine dipped her head and gazed at Alex as their mouths drew nearer to each other, Alex reached out, oblivious to anything except the two of them and this electrically charged moment. She wound her hands into Justine’s soft hair. In the next moment their lips met and Alex couldn’t stop the moan that came from somewhere deep in her chest, or the flood of desire that crashed over her body at just that simple touch.

  Justine pulled Alex against her and crushed her mouth with her own. Alex’s mouth was already opening, her tongue already reaching for Justine’s. They devoured each other, pressed close as if they were one body. Alex’s hands tightened further in Justine’s hair, and Justine’s hips moved subtly against Alex.

  The power of the kiss seemed to stun them both; they pulled apart suddenly, breathing heavily, staring at each other.

  Alex knew this was the moment.

  Now, panting in Justine’s arms, she had a choice.

  Step back from something she knew she wanted more than anything she’d wanted in a long, long time and in doing so, save her conscience.

  Or go with it, let herself be swept up in whatever this turned out to be, just so she could feel like this again, feel truly desired.

  Justine looked at her quizzically and made as if to speak, but Alex shook her head, smiling, her decision made from somewhere deep inside, somewhere she didn’t know she possessed. Hunger and need outweighed everything she thought she knew about herself.

  She reached up to place her lips on Justine’s, tasting them properly this time, letting the tip of her tongue explore the shape of them. Justine shuddered in her arms. She pulled Alex even closer, thrusting her tongue into Alex’s mouth, pressing their breasts, hips, and thighs together.

  Alex was drowning in sensation.

  This passion, this need, had never played a part in her relationship with Terri. Something like it had formed the basis of what she’d had with Jade, but it had been soiled with Jade’s need to control and hurt. But this, with Justine, was something else again. Alex ached with a desire she never thought she’d feel, and it was scary and exhilarating all at once. She returned Justine’s kisses with a fervour she couldn’t temper, loving the feel of Justine’s hot, wet mouth on her own, running her fingers through Justine’s curly hair again, amazed at how the texture of it made her hands tingle.

  How long they stayed there neither of them could have said, but when eventually Justine lifted her head and pressed her lips close to Alex’s ear, Alex knew what Justine was going to say, and knew what her answer would be.

  “Come home with me,” Justine whispered hoarsely, her voice thick with desire. “I want you so much.”

  Alex didn’t hesitate, didn’t stop for even one moment to consider her next move. She simply nodded and let Justine take her hand and lead her to the coat check.

  They retrieved their warm outdoor clothing and handbags, but for Alex this activity passed by in a blur that later she wouldn’t remember. Nor would she remember much of their silent walk to Justine’s apartment. Only a block and a half from the club, it was accessed via a steep staircase on the outside of the building. The evening was cold, with a clear sky. For a moment, standing on the top step, waiting for Justine to unlock the front door, the cold nearly seeped into Alex’s brain enough to wake her from the haze of out-of-control desire that had descended on her back in the club.

  Nearly, but not quite.

  Finally the door swung open in front of Justine and she pulled Alex into the warm apartment. Pushing the door shut, she pressed Alex up against it, her hands firm as they removed Alex’s coat, scarf, and gloves, her mouth embarking on a delicious quest over Alex’s neck and jaw. The wet open-mouthed kisses made Alex shiver and squirm, and Justine’s hands cupping Alex’s breasts had her aching in ways that left her breathless.

  Justine stepped back for a minute to rip her own outerwear off and she was back before Alex could begin to gather herself. Justine’s mouth plundered Alex’s, her tongue delving deep and instantly drawing a flood of wetness from between Alex’s legs. When was the last time anyone had kissed her like this? Like she was water and they had been drought-stricken for days? Justine consumed her, enflamed her like wildfire.

  She burned even brighter as Justine’s hands flicked open the button on her jeans and yanked down the zipper. Moments later her jeans and underwear were down around her knees, and Justine’s hot hand stroked through her swollen pussy in ways that made her dizzy. Alex wrapped her arms around Justine’s shoulders and clung on, panting into Justine’s mouth, then emitting a wrenching groan as Justine pushed two fingers slowly inside her.

  Justine being inside her was possibly the most exquisite experience she’d ever had. It was perfect. And yet…

  “Oh, God, you feel incredible,” Justine whispered against Alex’s lips. She flicked her thumb over Alex’s clit as her fingers plunged even deeper, and Alex’s brain, which for a moment had begun to awaken, switched off. She gave herself fully to the incredible sensations Justine was creating in her body. “I want to hear you come,” Justine said, her voice strained. “Please. Come for me.”

  Shockingly, unbelievably, it was all Alex needed. She’d never come so fast or so hard. Her hips arched upwards as her spine curved, her head thumping back against the door as a wholly unrecognisable guttural sound leaked from her throat.

  Justine held her up, her mouth covering Alex’s, swallowing her moans while gradually her fingers slowed their movement inside Alex.

  “Oh, my God,” Justine murmured, lifting her head a little to be able to meet Alex’s eyes. “You…that…”

  Alex nodded, dumbly, a searing ache in her chest.

  She couldn’t hide from it anymore. Something was stirring, somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind. Something that was bringing discomfort, and dread,
and pain.

  Justine smiled and reached for Alex’s hand, bringing it to the button fly on her jeans. “Hurry,” she whispered, still smiling. “I can’t wait for you to touch me.”

  Alex’s hand froze, and her heart started pounding in fear.

  There was a darkness, coming at Alex from all angles, threatening to engulf her, to strip away that unfettered and unburdened freedom the last two hours had bestowed.

  What had she done?

  Oh God, what the hell had she just done?

  “What?” Justine asked in a whisper, raising a hand to stroke Alex’s cheek. Alex pulled away from her touch and moved sideways—awkwardly with her jeans around her knees—out of Justine’s embrace. “What’s wrong?”

  Alex shifted again, shuffling her feet until there was enough distance between them that she could reach down for her underwear and jeans and pull them up. She was numb, yet at the same time she was close to imploding. She couldn’t meet Justine’s eyes as she fastened her clothing back together.

  “I…I have to go.” She stooped to pick up her coat, and wrapped her scarf haphazardly around her neck. “I’m sorry. I…”

  “What do you mean? Why are you leaving? I thought—” Justine’s eyes were wide. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you? Was it too rough? I just got carried away, I think.”

  Alex held up a hand. She just wanted—needed—to leave. Every defence was crumbling and the tears were only moments away. Her throat was too tight to talk.

  She reached for the door handle and yanked open the door.

  “Alex, wait! Please!” Justine called as Alex trotted swiftly down the steps.

  Alex didn’t respond, didn’t even turn round. There was nothing she could say.

  She walked up the dark street with no idea where she was heading but hoping in the one corner of her mind that was still functioning that she’d be able to flag down a cab.