by Dena Blake
The boy said, “I thought maybe you could help me.”
In the midst of Kyle’s embarrassment, each of the other girls had slipped in beside one of the other boys.
Emma shook her head, rolled her eyes, and turned to Dex. “Ugh.”
Dex chuckled. “Seems like the morals police aren’t needed here anymore.” She put her hand on the small of Emma’s back and motioned her to lead the way back to their lane. “Looks like they’re friends,” Dex said as she sat down next to Emma.
Emma shrugged. “Seems so now. I wasn’t sure earlier. The girls hadn’t even acknowledged them since we got here.” She watched them intently. The girls had moved to the lanes where the boys were, and they were all laughing and bowling together now.
“Playing hard to get, you think?”
“Seems that way.” Emma stared across the lanes at them as the girls leaned into the boys while they laughed and flirted. She glanced up at the scoreboard. “Is it my turn?”
“Mine.” Dex shook her head. “Too many fucking games in high school. Someday they’ll realize how useless it all was.”
Emma’s gaze moved to Dex. “Sounds like you may have a history with that.”
The ball return clanked as it spit up the missing ball. “Too much history,” Dex said and got up to bowl, avoiding the subject. Talking about it only made it all rush back, and that made her heart hurt.
* * *
Darkness was just beginning to take hold when Dex plugged in the lights. She ran to the curb, stood next to Emma, and grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together. She watched Emma’s face as she stared at the lights. It hadn’t been a difficult job. The house was medium-sized, not too large, as were the rest of the homes in the Forest Park neighborhood. It was a nice little suburb with somewhat of a city feel to it that included lots of small independent shops and restaurants. Plus it wasn’t too far from where Dex lived in Oak Park.
Emma hadn’t wanted to be the attraction of the block or create a competition with her neighbors who decorated every year. Turning the street into a traffic circus wasn’t one of her goals either. She’d simply wanted to join in the celebration and not be the only house on the street without Christmas lights. So Dex created a zigzag pattern on the holly bushes flanking each window, strung lights from the eves, and added a nice border to the front door—all in multicolored lights, which Emma had said she preferred. Another little something they had in common.
“They’re absolutely gorgeous.”
“Are you sure? I can set them up to run with music if you want.”
“No. They’re perfect just like this.” Emma turned and gave her a soft kiss. “I can see why your boss keeps you on. You do excellent work, Ms. Putnam.”
“I hold my own.” She smiled, savoring the reward she’d just received. Dex wasn’t used to not being asked to change something or do more.
“Well, you are now my official Christmas light hanger-upper. If there is such a thing.”
“Oh, there’s definitely a thing.” She smiled, enjoying Emma’s warmth.
“Come on. Let’s go inside and get something warm to drink.” Emma took her hand and pulled her along with her to the house. “I have hot chocolate.”
“Packaged or homemade?”
“Homemade, of course.” Emma shot her a wild-eyed stare.
“I’m in.” She stopped on the porch to show Emma the light timer hidden just behind the holly bush. “This is all set, so the lights will go on at dusk and off at sunrise automatically.” She turned the knob and opened the door for Emma.
“You’re awesome, Dex.” Emma stopped and stared into her eyes. “I really mean that.”
The rush that flooded Dex was like a one-hundred-mile-an-hour wind gust. She’d never expected to have these emotions ever again. Dex took Emma into her arms and kicked the door shut with her foot. She let her hands roam up under Emma’s jacket to the warm, soft skin of her waist.
“Oh my God.” Emma grabbed her arms, yanked them from her waist, and held them firmly. “You need to warm those hands up.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do.” Dex broke loose, took Emma into her arms again, and slid her hands up the back of Emma’s shirt and jacket.
“Ack! Before you touch me.” Emma squealed and tried to wrestle out of her arms.
“Don’t I get some kind of reward for putting up your lights?” She bounced her eyebrows at Emma playfully.
“Absolutely not.” Emma arched an eyebrow and blew out a breath. “I didn’t ask you to. You lost that bet.”
“What if I let you win?” She hadn’t, and she would’ve put up the lights, win or lose.
“You’d better not’ve.”
Dex laughed. “You’re sounding a little like that teenage girl at the bowling alley.”
“I am not.” Emma’s voice rose. “You didn’t let me win, did you?”
Dex shook her head. “No. You kicked my butt fair and square, champ.” She let her smile drop to her best sad-puppy-dog face. “But doesn’t the loser deserve some sort of consolation prize?” She glanced up at the sprig of mistletoe she’d hung from the entryway light above them earlier.
Emma snaked her arms around Dex’s neck and grinned. “Yes.” She sighed. “You definitely earned something.” She gave her a long, lingering kiss that made Dex wish she’d actually won the bet. The stakes would’ve been much higher and included definite heat after dinner.
“That and hot chocolate.” She gave her another quick kiss before bolting out of her arms and leading her into the kitchen.
Dex glanced around the room, which felt oddly familiar. She noticed the pink notepad with the faded rose border on the counter with something scribbled on it.
“I’ve been here before.”
Emma rolled her lips in but didn’t speak. She just leaned against the counter.
A memory flitted through Dex’s head, but she couldn’t quite place it. A sinking feeling hit her stomach. The morning after the wedding. She glanced back to Emma. “You took me home after the wedding?” Pieces of that morning flashed through her thoughts. The note she’d found on the counter, the hangover cure beside it, the advice about Grace. Dex’s cheeks warmed. “What a schmuck I am. I didn’t even recognize you.”
“You were in a bit of a state that night.”
“That’s being polite.” She shook her head. “I was a fucking mess.”
Emma laughed as she smiled and nodded. “A total mess.”
“Did we…”
Emma laughed abruptly. “Definitely not. I don’t think you could’ve even if I’d tried. Which I didn’t.” She stared at her hands. “I’m really not into that kind of thing. One-night stands, I mean. Especially with plastered women.”
Dex moved closer and kissed her. “How about this kind of thing we’re doing here?” She moved a stray strand of hair from Emma’s forehead before she took her face into her hands and searched her eyes. This news made things different somehow, and Dex wanted permission to move further. When she felt Emma’s hands on her waist, she took in a breath and went for it.
“Definitely this kind of thing.” Emma clasped Dex’s hand and led her to the bedroom.
She stopped in the doorway, remembering the muted beige and sage-green colors before she entered the room. It appeared different but the same, most likely due to her state of mind the last time she’d been there.
“Are you okay?” Emma’s soft, silvery eyes morphed to steel blue as she gazed at Dex, and the memory of her face that night became clear.
“I guess I need to get that Northwestern T-shirt back to you.”
Emma grinned. “I’m surprised you haven’t torched it by now.”
“The thought had crossed my mind.” She laughed and then took a deep breath. “Thank you,” she said as she tugged Emma into her arms and ran her thumb across her soft, full bottom lip. When she gazed into her eyes again, they had darkened to an almost cobalt blue. Dex took Emma’s face in her hands and kissed her softly at first and then more ur
gently when Emma slipped her tongue into Dex’s mouth, slowly touching and baiting as it deepened. It was the most perfectly arousing kiss, one that she could continue forever if her body hadn’t been commanding more.
Emma broke away and pressed her forehead to Dex’s. “I’d do it a thousand more times for a thank-you like that.” She turned and led her to the bed.
There would be no need for that—her drunken self-pitying days were over. Dex would willingly kiss her that way every day for the rest of her life. From that point on, neither of them uttered a word. Emma just made tiny sounds as Dex explored her body, slowly savoring it like this was their first time. In essence it was a new experience again, now that Dex knew the depths of how wonderful Emma truly was. A ragged moan escaped Emma’s lips as Dex pushed her fingers into her and stroked her thumb between her folds. Dex watched as her eyes fluttered closed and then open again. Such a beautiful sight. How could she have forgotten those eyes, those lips, that face? She stroked faster, and Emma grabbed hold of her shoulders, bringing her closer, kissing her until she tore her lips away and let out a cry as the orgasm ripped through her. It was the most wonderful sound in the world to Dex.
They stayed tangled in each other, kissing and caressing, enjoying the heat between them for what seemed like hours until a loud growl came from Emma’s stomach. A huge laugh erupted from her mouth immediately.
Dex widened her eyes and laughed. “Hungry?”
“Oh my God, yes. I’m starving.” She rolled into Dex. “Breakfast or dinner?”
“Pancakes?”
“Definitely pancakes, and eggs, and hash browns. I need some carbs. I haven’t had this much exercise in years.” Emma kissed her. “Maybe even toast.”
“Ooh. Do you have any of that ginger jam?” Dex remembered its zippy flavor.
Emma smiled. “You liked that, did ya?”
“It was the absolute best jam I’ve ever had.”
“Did it work for the hangover?” Emma seemed nervous all of a sudden, like she was embarrassed about the entire exchange, even though Dex should be the one worried.
“It did.” She smiled and kissed her again.
Emma touched Dex’s chin with her fingertips. “I wasn’t sure if it would.”
“Was I your guinea pig?”
“No.” She chuckled and shook her head. “It works for me, but I’ve never been quite that drunk.”
“I’ve never been quite that drunk before either.” Nor had she been since she’d decided to move on. Dex took in a deep breath to purge the night from her mind. She didn’t want to think about Grace. Not now, while she was lying next to this sweet, beautiful woman. Each time she was with Emma, it became clearer that they fit each other more perfectly than Dex had ever fit with anyone else.
She’d never experienced such feelings before. This felt genuine, emotional, and deep. She wanted to swim in Emma’s essence, stay there with her forever, drowning in the warmth surrounding her. All she’d ever known before was longing for something she couldn’t have. Now she had something real.
* * *
Emma lay in the dark staring at Dex. She appeared sweet and relaxed, like her dreams were filled with rainbows and unicorns. The expression of pure passion Emma had seen on her face earlier made the sight all the more beautiful. They’d made love again after their late-night breakfast, and Emma had satisfied Dex completely, at least it seemed so from the way her body trembled beneath her. She’d been worried how the night would go when Dex recognized her kitchen and realized she’d been there before. She couldn’t have been more embarrassed and had apologized more than enough times. The blush that covered her face had made her green eyes sparkle, the golden sunbursts in them becoming brighter.
Emma was thankful she hadn’t recalled any of it before last night. If Dex had remembered, she might not be in this very spot right now, lying in her arms, loving her. Loving her? She moved a swatch of hair from Dex’s face and took in a deep breath. These feelings were much deeper than she’d ever experienced before, even with Amy, whom Emma had once thought she’d be with forever. She wanted to stop time and stay right here, in this very moment, indefinitely. She could be the one.
Dex slid her hand across Emma’s stomach. “You’re awake.”
“Uh-huh,” she said and kissed her softly.
“You should sleep. You have work tomorrow.” Dex slid her hand lower.
“I should.” She tried to think of what she had going tomorrow, but her thoughts scattered as Dex’s fingers skimmed her center. Holiday client lunch.
“Fuck,” she said as she halted Dex’s fingers from going any farther.
“Not the response I was hoping for.” Dex twisted her face into a comical frown.
She laughed. “I need to make a cheesecake for work, and I have no idea how to do it.”
“You volunteered to make a cheesecake, and you’ve never done it before?”
“I was actually voluntold to make it.”
“Ah, last one to sign up, eh?”
She nodded, hoping Dex would be willing to help.
“Well, let’s see what we can do about that.” Dex seemed thoughtful for a moment. “Do you have cream cheese?”
“Yes.”
Dex flicked a nipple with her tongue. “Eggs?”
“Always.”
Dex took Emma’s other nipple into her mouth and sucked it slowly before letting it pop back out. “Sour cream?”
She moaned. “Uh-huh.”
Dex trailed her tongue across her stomach. “Vanilla?”
“Oh my God. Yes.”
She dipped her tongue into her belly button. “Sugar?”
“Yes…yes. I have everything you need.”
Dex hovered just above her center. “Graham crackers?”
“Fuck. I forgot those,” she said with a growl and pushed her fingers into Dex’s hair. “But I bought a special pan.”
“Good enough.” Dex slipped her tongue between Emma’s folds.
Emma jolted as the sensation rolled through her. Dex had barely touched her, and she was immediately ready to come. She concentrated hard to feel the wonderful warmth of Dex’s tongue as it stroked her, but when she slipped a finger inside and matched the rhythm of her tongue, the orgasm crashed through her and sent her spiraling into the warm, wonderful abyss. She’d never worshipped God so loudly before in her life. Dex seemed to know everything that pleased her and how to do it well.
She reached for Dex and coaxed her up next to her. “How do you do that?”
“What?”
“Take me there so quickly.”
Dex’s lip tugged up into a half smile. “You inspire me.”
“And I will forever remember the ingredients for cheesecake.” Emma chuckled.
“My special cheesecake.” Dex bounced her eyebrows. “Which we must make.” She reached for her phone and checked the time. “Now.”
Emma took the phone from her and tossed it to the bottom of the bed. “But it’s my turn.”
Dex pulled her eyebrows together. “There are no turns in this bed.” A smile came over her face before she kissed Emma softly and threw the covers back. “Cheesecake first. Then we discuss turns.” She found her T-shirt on the floor and pulled it over her head before she tossed Emma her robe, and then they raced into the kitchen.
“Do you have any Oreos?”
“Oreos don’t last long here.” She smiled sheepishly and then lifted her eyebrows. “Oh, but I do have fortune cookies. Will those work?”
“Absolutely.”
She opened the pantry door and took out a huge container full of them.
“I take it you like Chinese food.” Dex scanned the pantry and took the food processer and mixer from the bottom shelf.
“It’s easy and close.” She grinned. “When you come back for dinner this week, I’ll buy.”
“An offer I can’t refuse.” Dex unwrapped a couple of cookies and dropped them into the food processor before she tossed a handful of them in front of Emma. “Unwr
ap. I’ll help, but you’re baking, so you can own it at work.”
“You’re really taking a chance on me.”
Dex took in a deep breath and seemed to contemplate her next words. “Yes, I am.” She dropped the fortune cookies, put her arms around Emma’s waist, and kissed her in such a way that Emma lost all sense of time and place. When they parted, Dex smiled and handed her another handful of fortune cookies.
So many thoughts flew through Emma’s mind at that point that she had a hard time focusing on baking. She was ready to forget the cheesecake and take Dex right back to bed. She didn’t want to go to work in the morning. She didn’t want to leave the house ever again.
Once the cheesecake was in the oven, Emma couldn’t keep her hands off Dex. She’d somehow gotten covered with cheesecake batter, but the expression in Dex’s eyes when she’d let her robe drop to the floor made it perfectly clear she was up for another round. They’d made love on the couch this time, and Emma had taken her turn. She couldn’t get enough of the woman who seemed to anticipate her every need. She wouldn’t sleep tonight, not with Dex in her arms. Her taste and her scent lingered on Emma’s lips, and she knew she’d never grow tired of this woman. She’d just dozed off when the oven timer startled her awake.
“I’ll get it.” Dex rolled from her side and off the couch, and Emma followed her.
Dex took the cheesecake from the oven and set it on a trivet.
Emma stood in awe at the delicacy in front of her. “This is so beautiful. I’m not sure I want to take it to work.”
Dex reached into the oven and took out another cheesecake half the size of the first. “The reason I made this one.”
Emma hadn’t seen her slip that one into the oven. “I could kiss you right now.”
“I’ll accept that reward.” Dex took her into her arms, and Emma kissed her deeply.
“Let’s go back upstairs.”
Dex smiled. “First, we taste.”
Emma pulled open a drawer, plucked out a spoon, and handed it to Dex. She scooped out a tiny spoonful of cheesecake, slid it into Emma’s mouth, and kissed her again. The sweet taste of cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla lingered between them. It was by far the most erotic kiss Emma had ever experienced. She took the spoon from Dex’s hand, dropped it onto the counter, and pulled her back upstairs.