Kat's Nine Lives

by Laina Villeneuve

  The hug came from a different Kat, one seemingly unafraid of contact. Wendy tried and failed to ignore the press of Kat’s breasts on hers. She wrapped her arms around Kat and took a long, deep breath.

  Kat’s hands swept across her shoulders and down her back, pressing at her hips before she released Wendy. “I’m so glad you’re here! It took almost a year, but my stacks are finally gone! What do you think?” She gestured toward the small living room.

  Like Wendy’s house, Kat’s had one space for her living room and dining room. In addition, since she had only one bedroom, Kat housed a small writing desk off to the side of her small dining table as well. Unlike Wendy’s house, Kat had covered nearly every surface with pictures. One wall chronicled Travis from infant to teen. Wendy stepped closer to study the images admiring both the snapshots and school portraits.

  “I love this one.” Wendy pointed to a toddler Travis blowing a dandelion puff.

  “For months, I’ve been sorting through pictures deciding which ones to put into albums and which ones to hang.”

  On top of a wooden cabinet, she’d collected family pictures. “This is Ava?” Wendy picked up a stained-glass frame. She recognized the garden swing. Kat and her sister leaned against each other with matching smiles, though Ava held a red flower between her teeth.

  “Yes,” Kat said.

  “Everything looks so great! And once you have this up, you’re officially all moved in?” She pointed to the huge mirror leaning against the couch.

  “Yep. I’ve already got the hooks in, but it’s too awkward to get into place by myself.”

  “It looks super heavy. Are these hooks going to hold?” Wendy tugged on the hook closest to the cabinet.

  “Trust me. I’ve been to the hardware store a dozen times with pictures of my wall and the mirror. I learned all about drywall and toggle bolts and finding studs to make sure the bolts aren’t going to pull right out.”

  “In other words, you did all the hard work and I’m here for the glory.”

  They stood on either side and hoisted the frame constructed from what looked like a weathered window. Half the space held a mirror, the other half three horizontal boards with the words Live. Love. Laugh. printed on them. They guided the eyebolts onto the hooks and took a tentative step back.

  “It looks good!” Kat beamed. “What do you think?”

  “The mirror makes the room look bigger, and the words suit you perfectly.”

  “I thought so, too.” Their eyes met in the mirror, and Kat stepped closer, wrapping her arm around Wendy’s waist. “How does that look?” she asked as they looked at themselves in the mirror.

  Wendy tipped her head, so that her temple rested against Kat’s. “Really, really nice.”

  * * *

  Kat wished that the image in the mirror was a picture she could frame. She also wanted very badly to turn her lips to Wendy’s. If she did, they might never get to dinner, and she wasn’t sure how long she could leave it in the oven. Reluctantly, she stepped away from Wendy. “I promised to feed you, and I hear that chefs are picky about their food.”

  “Can I do something to help?”

  “No. It’ll just take a second. Sit. I’m in charge of the kitchen tonight.”

  “Sounds good. I’ve been on my feet all day.”

  Kat brought a beer and a hard cider to the table. “I hope I remembered the kind you like.”

  Wendy accepted the Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat. “This is great.”

  Kat left her with the bottle opener and pulled dinner from the oven. She plated it quickly and took it to the table.

  “That was fast,” Wendy said when Kat was settled in across from her. They clinked bottles and sipped their drinks.

  Kat waited for Wendy to take the first bite of the baked burrito, hoping she’d chosen well. Wendy nodded. “I love the chayote in this!”

  Kat wasn’t sure what Wendy was talking about. “Chayote?”

  “The Mexican squash?”

  “Oh, the green stuff. The guy at the grocery store suggested it. He said I’d hardly notice it steamed. And he said to put in fresh corn. What do you think?”

  “It’s delicious, and plated nicely with the rice and beans.”

  “I kind of cheated on the Spanish rice. I stirred salsa in after I steamed it.”

  “It’s like a grown-up version of your original burrito. I’m impressed at how you’ve branched out this year.”

  “So much of that is thanks to you. You’ve been so amazing, and I was so worried that you would get tired of waiting around and not knowing whether I was ever going to figure myself out. When we danced at Bruce and Penny’s wedding, I didn’t want to let go.”

  She extended her hand across the table, and Wendy took it. “I didn’t want you to.”

  Kat scooted her chair closer, so she could lean over and kiss Wendy. Her body stirred. “I’m crazy for you, you know.”

  Wendy threaded her fingers through Kat’s hair. “That’s good because I’ve been thinking about that kiss and where I would have liked for it to have gone for a long time.”

  They kissed again, and Kat could feel exactly what she meant. By the time she pulled away, she was out of breath. “Just so we’re clear, I invited you over to talk about being your girlfriend, but I’m not sleeping with you tonight. I don’t want you to get the impression that I’m easy.”

  Wendy laughed again. “Oh, I know very well that you’re not easy.”

  Kat’s face flushed and she took a bite of her burrito to hide her embarrassment. Wendy touched her chin lightly, and she looked up.

  “And still, I couldn’t help but fall for you.”

  “You,” she said because it’s all she could say. So many feelings swirled around inside her, all of them wonderful and new. “Finish your dinner. I want some of that cake, and I have a surprise for you.”

  After dessert, Kat called up a playlist of love songs she had been assembling. She settled down into Wendy’s arms to “Hold Me Now.”

  “We Close Our Eyes.”

  “Take My Breath Away.”

  “Why Can’t This Be Love?”

  They slowly kissed their way through the eighties.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “I think we kissed our way to the end of your playlist,” Wendy whispered as the last song ended and the only sounds were those they were making together.

  “I underestimated…” Kat tried to find words to finish her sentence, but Wendy had moved from her lips to her neck which made thinking difficult.

  Feeling on the other hand…

  She had never felt such a burning desire to be closer to someone. She surprised herself when her hands began to wander, tracing the edge of Wendy’s breast. Wendy shuddered at her touch, at such a small touch, and Kat felt her own nipples tighten. Wendy’s hand ducked under the hem of Kat’s shirt and curled around her hip, and she wanted to feel that warmth everywhere.

  “You underestimated…?” Wendy’s whispered low and breathy behind Kat’s ear.

  “Your repertoire of kisses.”

  Wendy’s thumb traced along the hem of Kat’s jeans. “Oh, I haven’t even pulled out the good ones yet.”

  Kat sucked in her breath and pulled her legs up on Wendy’s lap, so that both of her hands could explore. Wendy leaned into her touch, tipping Kat so they were stretched sideways on the couch. “I think I underestimated how hard it was going to be to keep my hands to myself.”

  “You think?” Wendy kept her arms extended, and Kat swept her hands up Wendy’s belly and around her back and pulled her close enough to kiss again. “Everything about you is so soft.”

  “Is that what you like best, soft?” Wendy asked placing featherlight kisses along Kat’s collarbone.

  “I don’t know what I like,” Kat said.

  Wendy gently nipped along Kat’s neck, and Kat’s breath caught. “You like?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about hickeys?” Wendy asked as she lowered Kat’s V-neck, her tongue li
ghtly tracing along the line of Kat’s black lace bra.

  “You wouldn’t do a hickey!”

  “No?” Wendy’s mouth was hot against Kat’s skin as she began to suck harder.

  Kat wove her hands into Wendy’s hair and pulled her closer to let her know how much she was enjoying the pressure of her mouth. She throbbed against her jeans and moved her leg to put Wendy between hers. She had to have Wendy’s mouth back on her own. There was so much to tell her, and the only way she knew how was to wrap both arms around Wendy, shutting out the entire world until it was only their two mouths.

  Wendy broke away, her breath ragged. “You are making it really hard to go home.”

  “Who said anything about you leaving?” As Wendy pulled away, Kat raised her body to keep their contact. Then her mouth was on Wendy’s neck, and she was using her teeth more roughly than Wendy had used hers.

  Wendy angled her head to the side, and Kat pushed the curls aside to broaden the canvas for her kisses. “You said you didn’t want me to think you were easy.”

  “About that…” Kat said. “I underestimated how much kissing you would make me want you.”

  “We could do something about that.”

  “You want to?”

  “Oh, I have wanted you for a very, very long time.”

  Kat heard the desire in Wendy’s words and remembered how much she had wanted Wendy after their first kiss. Why had it scared her so much? Why had she again insisted on throwing down a boundary by telling Wendy that they wouldn’t be sleeping together? What was she scared of? She sat up, took Wendy’s hand and led her the few steps to her bedroom.

  * * *

  Wendy had imagined taking Kat to bed more times than she could count, but in none of those scenarios was it Kat leading the way. She had imagined Kat being shy about her body. Her clothes would be coaxed off slowly and seductively. But Kat had her shirt off already and was unhooking her bra.

  “Your hands, my skin.” Kat grasped Wendy’s shirt and hiked it up over Wendy’s head. “Please,” she added as she made quick work of Wendy’s bra.

  With one hand, she was pulling back the covers of her bed, but her eyes remained on Wendy’s body. Everything inside Wendy tightened like a wound rubber band as she waited to see what Kat wanted.

  Kat’s hands returned to Wendy’s hips which she guided to the turned-down bed. Wendy sat and swept her own hands up Kat’s belly until her hands cupped her perfect breasts. She swept her thumbs over Kat’s pale pink nipples before pulling Kat to her mouth. Kat tipped her head back as her tongue worked each nipple into a harder peak. She leaned back and let Kat unbutton her jeans and shuck them down her hips. She stripped off her jeans and the two quickly became a tangle of limbs on the cool sheets.

  Legs intertwined, Wendy shuddered at the press of Kat’s center against her own.

  “Oh, that feels so good,” Kat said grinding against her. Her hair fell forward tickling against Wendy’s breasts. If she didn’t stop, Wendy was going to finish, and she hadn’t had a chance to touch Kat at all.

  She scooched down so she could take Kat’s breast back in her mouth.

  “No fair,” Kat said breathily.

  Wendy took advantage of her distraction and tipped Kat onto her back. “I have a whole set of kisses to show you, remember? You’ve got to be patient.”

  Kat grabbed her ass and pulled Wendy back against her, her legs spread wide enough to feel how wet she was. Helpless, Wendy rocked against Kat even though it brought her closer to climaxing. For a moment, their bodies were in perfect sync, and she thought they might both tip over the edge together, but something changed. Kat’s hands? Her breath? Wendy tried to regain the power to think.

  “What is it?” Wendy said out loud.

  “Come back,” Kat said. “Don’t stop.”

  Wendy swept her hair back from her head. Kat’s eyes were locked shut. “Hey.” She leaned forward and kissed Kat. Her lips had lost the suppleness that they had had on the couch and when they’d first come to her bedroom.

  Kat attempted to roll Wendy over. “You were so close. Tell me what to do.”

  Wendy stilled her hand and stayed on her side, so she and Kat were face to face. “Where did you go?”

  “I’m right here.” Kat kissed her again, her eyes shut again.

  “Kat. Slow down. I want you to enjoy this. Can you look at me?”

  Kat opened her eyes and Wendy saw what she had felt, that Kat was scared.

  “We don’t have to do this,” Wendy said.

  “I want to.”

  “That’s not what your body is saying.”

  Kat wouldn’t look at her.

  “What changed? When we came in here, you seemed like you were enjoying what I was doing.”

  “I was. I am.” Kat ran her hand along Wendy’s naked torso. “I want to touch you.”

  Wendy stilled her hand. “Should I not have flipped you onto your back? I’m trying to understand.”

  * * *

  Kat blew out a frustrated breath. If she’d been with Jack, they would have been done by now. He would have been satisfied and dropped off to sleep, leaving Kat to sort through her feelings. Feelings that Wendy wanted to pull out and explore right now. Wendy was asking to understand something that Kat had never been able to figure out herself, but it didn’t look like anything else was going to happen until she talked.

  What had Wendy asked? She wanted to know what had changed when they came into the bedroom. Putting her thoughts into words made her feel even more naked. She reached down and pulled the blanket halfway up her body.

  “Out there, I was only feeling. In here, I start thinking, and when I think too much, then I don’t feel anymore.”

  “What are you thinking about?” Wendy didn’t sound angry with her. She pulled the blanket up to her hip as well and stroked Kat’s arm softly.

  “Things I shouldn’t be. Things I can’t change.”

  Wendy’s hand stopped. “Oh.”

  “Not sexy, I know. I should have warned you, but I was feeling so much that I thought maybe it would be different with you. Maybe my brain wouldn’t think about how much can be lost when you listen to desire.”

  “You think that if your dad hadn’t had a boyfriend, you wouldn’t have lost Ava?”

  “I know it sounds ridiculous.”

  “You can’t protect those you love by denying your desires.” Wendy’s words were soft, and she ran her fingers through Kat’s hair.

  “I know that up here.” Kat pointed to her head. “But somehow, the message doesn’t travel.”

  “So you go into it thinking maybe this is the time your brain will stay quiet, and you don’t want to think too hard because once you ask if your brain is going to say something, it says ‘Now that you mention it…’ and you’re stuck.”

  “Exactly.” Kat whooshed out a relieved sigh.

  “Tonight your strategy was to race to stay ahead of your brain?”

  “Everything felt so good.” Kat said sadly.

  “What did you like best?”

  Kat couldn’t stop the smile that crept to her lips. “It was so sexy when you were using your teeth. Like you were reminding me to stay in my body.”

  Wendy pulled Kat’s hand up to her mouth. Kat felt the warm lips touch her palm. Then her tongue traced each of the lines on her palm. Her teeth followed, a gentle nip on her wrist, her palm, the tip of each finger. Each nip stoked the fire that Kat thought her thinker had chased away. Wendy wrapped her lips around Kat’s index finger.

  Kat sucked in a breath. “You are so sexy.”

  “You are,” Wendy whispered. “When your body was on mine, I could feel how wet you were. I so wanted to be inside you.”

  Wendy’s words entered her, and Kat’s body responded.

  “I am in no hurry.” Wendy kissed Kat’s inner arm, alternating between tongue and teeth. “As long as this feels good, that’s what matters.”

  “I love your mouth on me, but you don’t have to…”

&n
bsp; “Stop thinking. Keep feeling. How about if I kiss you here?” She kissed Kat just above the hip.

  “Yes.”

  “And here?” She kissed the base of Kat’s breast.

  “Yes,” Kat whispered.

  “It’s okay to let yourself feel.”

  Palms spread wide, Wendy’s warm hands were everywhere at once, calling all of Kat’s nerve endings to attention. Her blood pounded between her legs. “Will you touch me?” Kat whispered.

  Wendy propped herself up next to Kat. She kissed her ear and pulled on the lobe with her teeth. “Touch you here?” She gently pinched Kat’s nipple.

  “Lower.”

  Wendy’s hand brushed from her hip down to her knee. She dragged her nails gently up Kat’s inner thigh. “Here?”

  Kat gasped when Wendy’s hand nestled between her legs. “There.”

  “More?”

  Wendy’s kisses made Kat shiver, and her hand felt so good. She felt her body start to tighten and worried that… Before the thought took form, Wendy slipped inside her. All thought ended, and she only felt Wendy’s stroking.

  “Wendy!” Kat called.

  “I’m here.”

  “That feels…”

  “Okay?”

  “So good. That feels…Don’t stop!”

  Wendy’s voice, warm in her ear, urged her to stay in her body, and she didn’t know her body could feel the way it did under Wendy’s caress. Kat clung to Wendy as she coaxed her to the edge where she usually froze. Kat hovered, and Wendy held her tight. Slowly, surely, she drew her closer and closer until an orgasm ripped through her body pulling sounds from her that she had never made before. She felt herself fracture into a million pieces as waves kept crashing through her. As they ebbed away, she came back to herself.

  She opened her eyes, and Wendy was there. She stroked Kat’s face. “Oh, Wendy…” She had so much to say and no words to express herself. She turned back to kisses, and now Wendy was hers. When she languidly rolled Wendy to her back and began her own exploration, Wendy lay still and let Kat take her time. She tasted Wendy’s breasts, rolling her tongue across the surface. They tasted different than Wendy’s skin, but still no words shaped in her head.