Happily Ever After

by Jae

  “Are you really okay with this?” Drew asked.

  Rain drummed against the window, the storm outside as intense as the one raging inside of Annie. She nodded.

  Drew leaned down and caressed Annie’s lower abdomen with her lips, taking her time. Her chin brushed Annie’s curls. When she looked up, her eyes were hazy. Her nostrils flared. “Mmm, you smell so good.”

  Annie flushed. Did Drew really think so? The passion in Drew’s eyes didn’t leave any doubts. She really thinks I’m desirable.

  Drew crawled farther down the bed. Resting her hands against the outside of Annie’s thighs, she kissed the hollow where Annie’s belly met her thighs.

  Annie shuddered. Her stomach tightened, and goose bumps formed all over her body. Her whole body felt as if electricity were running through it.

  The kisses wandered lower. Drew slid her hands down and nudged Annie’s legs farther apart. Her damp hair tickled Annie’s thighs. Warm breath whispered against her skin as Drew pressed a kiss to the inside of Annie’s thigh.

  Annie sucked in a shaky breath and clutched at Drew’s shoulders, unsure whether she should pull her back up or press her down.

  Before she could decide, Drew spread her open and flicked her tongue over Annie’s clit.

  Oh, God. Annie’s body arched up. Heat rushed through her. She caught her lower lip between her teeth and tried to control her erratic breathing.

  Drew reached up and entwined her fingers with Annie’s, grounding her. With her other hand, she gripped Annie’s hip and gently held her in place. She circled Annie’s clit with her tongue, then closed her lips over Annie and suckled.

  Annie’s mouth fell open. Her body took on a life of its own. Her hips surged upward. She wound her fingers into Drew’s short hair and watched Drew move between her legs until her eyes fell closed. Oh, yes. A long groan escaped Annie. Drew’s answering moan vibrated through Annie. Her fingers flexed in Drew’s hair.

  Drew moved with her, sucking, thrusting, flicking. Her hands reached under Annie to cup her ass and pull her closer.

  More, more, more. The world spun around Annie. Her heartbeat hammered in her ears, echoing the pounding between her legs. She panted through a dry mouth.

  A slight tremor started in her legs. She dug her heels into the mattress. Her hips rose off the bed. “Drew!” Frantically, she let go of Drew’s hair and grabbed fistfuls of sheet to anchor herself. Her thighs clenched around Drew’s head. A deep pounding started in her belly, then pulsed outward. Her body arched, stiffened, and collapsed back against the bed.

  Time and sound ceased to exist, and she was only hazily aware of Drew crawling up her body. Finally, when her muscles started to work again, she reached up with one hand and covered her eyes. Oh my God.

  “Look at me,” Drew whispered against her neck. She pulled Annie’s hand down and kissed her eyelids, then her cheek.

  Annie blinked her eyes open and stared up into Drew’s flushed face. “Drew…” Her voice sounded hoarse. Had she been screaming?

  “I love you,” Drew said. She caressed every inch of Annie’s face.

  Weakly, Annie lifted her arms and clutched Drew to her. “God, Drew. I love you too.” More than words can say. Annie hoped she would be able to show Drew.

  Drew cuddled closer and wrapped one arm and one leg around Annie’s overheated body. Her head on Annie’s shoulder, she gazed up at her. “I hope this was everything your research promised.” One corner of her mouth curled up into a smile.

  Annie’s brain still didn’t work properly, so she barely remembered the books she’d read or the movies she’d watched. She knew, though, that the cold facts of her research couldn’t compare to what she’d shared with Drew. How could she find words to describe what she was feeling? The sensations and emotions were still too overwhelming, and she couldn’t process them all.

  “Annie?” Drew asked when Annie remained silent. “It was okay, right?”

  “It was…” Annie paused to catch her breath and find the right words. “Intense and wonderful.”

  “Yes, it was,” Drew said, her voice lowered as if she were in church and didn’t want to interrupt worship. “But you still look a little…worried. What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” She trailed her finger over the spot between Annie’s eyebrows as if smoothing out a worry line.

  Annie gnawed on her lip. “I don’t know how to say this.”

  Drew tenderly stroked her cheek. “Just say it. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it together, okay?”

  No longer able to hold eye contact, Annie glanced at Drew’s muscular leg that was still wrapped around her. “In all the books I read, even the inexperienced partner is always able to make her lover…you know. But I’m not sure I… I don’t know how to…”

  Drew’s smile brought out her dimples. “Is that what has you so worried? God, Annie, believe me, you won’t have any problems either. I’m so turned on right now that you could finish me off with two strokes.”

  “Really?” Hearing what effect she was having on Drew was beyond exciting, but Annie didn’t want it to be over that fast. “I don’t want that.”

  Drew’s smile faltered. “You don’t?”

  “No. I want to do to you what you did to me.” Annie flushed at the memory. “I mean, not exactly that, but I…I want to kiss you and caress you all over.”

  A moan rumbled up Drew’s chest. She rolled onto her back and took Annie with her. “Well, for the sake of research, I guess I’ll sacrifice myself.”

  Annie smiled despite her nervousness. Pushing herself up on one arm, she lay next to Drew and let her gaze slide over her body. Where should she begin? She took in the athletic arms and legs. Drew’s strong hands rested palm-down on the bed, fingers spread as if she needed to brace herself. The elegant arch of Drew’s collarbones caught her attention, and she lifted her free hand to trace it with her index finger.

  Goose bumps formed beneath her fingertips.

  Annie followed their path to one shoulder, then down to Drew’s upper chest. She tilted her head and marveled at the contrast of her tanned arms and legs to the lighter tones of her chest and belly. Her gaze flickered down to Drew’s breasts, then back up to her face.

  The hungry look on Drew’s face sent a surge of arousal through her. Drawn in by Drew’s eyes, she bent to kiss her.

  Drew surged against her but still kept her hands on the bed.

  Breathing heavily, Annie finally broke the kiss. She pressed her lips to Drew’s chiseled jaw and kissed down her neck. A rapid pulse thudded beneath her lips. She tasted the saltiness of Drew’s skin, nearly feeling dizzy with the sight, sound, smell, and taste of her. After exploring every dip of her shoulders and upper chest with her lips, she moved back so she could see more of her. Again, Drew’s breasts, lighter than the rest of her body, caught her attention. She ran her fingertips up and down Drew’s sides, enjoying the smoothness of her skin. On each pass, her fingers ventured a little closer to the tempting breasts until she grazed their outer curve but stopped just shy of touching them.

  Drew groaned.

  Annie stroked the silky skin beneath Drew’s breasts and let her palms slide over the curve of her belly. “So soft,” she whispered. She trailed one fingertip up Drew’s breastbone, then back down, stroking just a little to the left and right. Finally, she reached out to touch Drew’s left breast. Just an inch from it, she hesitated and looked at Drew.

  “Yes,” Drew whispered. “Please.”

  Annie cradled the breast in her palm, gently testing its weight. She trailed her thumb over the inner curve and finally brushed across the nipple. It hardened beneath her touch. Her gaze flickered back to Drew’s face.

  Drew’s eyes were closed, but now they fluttered open. “Feels so good.”

  Encouraged by Drew’s words, Annie leaned down and, with her hand still covering Drew’s breast, kissed her upper chest.

  A frantic heartbeat thudded beneath her lips.

  Annie kissed along the slope o
f Drew’s breast, then toward the center. After one last glance at Drew’s flushed face, she carefully touched one nipple with the tip of her tongue.

  Drew sucked in a breath. One of her hands came up and cupped the back of Annie’s neck, not urging her on or guiding her, just establishing contact.

  How amazing the contrast of the hardened nipple and the silky skin surrounding it felt. Annie explored Drew’s breasts with her hands and lips and tongue until Drew started to writhe beneath her.

  Drew groaned deep in her throat. “Christ, you’re killing me.” Heat radiated off her skin.

  Was she doing anything wrong? Annie looked up. “Show me what to do, please.”

  Wordlessly, Drew entwined her fingers with Annie’s and guided her hand down her belly. When their hands reached Drew’s lower abdomen, she let go and pressed Annie’s hand to her skin.

  Annie swallowed. Experimentally, she combed her fingers through the curls at the base of Drew’s belly. The curly hairs tickled her palm.

  Drew’s body beneath hers went still as if Drew was holding her breath. Her pulse beat rapidly in her neck.

  Answering the wild beat, Annie’s heart hammered out a frantic rhythm. She pulled her hand back and stroked the outside of Drew’s thighs instead, not yet ready to touch her more intimately.

  The muscles beneath her hands quivered.

  She trailed her fingers over the soft skin on the inside of Drew’s thigh. A light sheen of perspiration covered Drew’s skin, making each touch feel like the sliding of satin over satin. Slowly, Annie moved her hand higher.

  Drew parted her legs even farther and pressed against Annie’s palm.

  Annie’s fingers slid through warm wetness. She gasped. Oh, wow. A deep pulsing started between her own thighs, amazing her. How could she be aroused again so soon? She brushed one fingertip against Drew’s clit. A breathless moan from Drew sent shivers of excitement down Annie’s spine. “Is this okay?”

  “More than…okay.” Drew arched against Annie. Her eyes were half-closed, but she kept watching Annie from beneath lowered lids.

  Annie started to explore with a bit more confidence, eager to find out what kind of touch would make Drew moan again. She moved her fingers in circular motions, then dipped lower. Biting her lip, she paused. Should she…? “Drew? Do you want me to…?”

  “Oh, God, yes!”

  Watching Drew’s expression, Annie slipped one finger inside. Their moans mingled in the otherwise quiet room. “Oh. This is so…incredible.” She held very, very still, but Drew’s hips surged up and rocked against her hand. Heat rushed through her, and for a moment, she felt dizzy, drunk on the power of being able to arouse a woman as wonderful as Drew. She began a gentle stroking.

  “More.” Drew gasped.

  More stroking? Annie moved her finger a little faster.

  Drew’s eyelids fluttered open as if it took her a lot of effort. “Another… Oh, Christ!” Her eyes slammed shut again. “Another finger. Please.”

  Oh. Careful not to hurt Drew, Annie slid another finger into Drew’s warmth.

  “Yes!” Drew’s hips rose off the bed. Her breath came in ragged pants, and her moans were nearly constant now.

  Thrilled by the look of complete abandon on Drew’s face, Annie moved her fingers faster.

  Drew’s legs started to tremble. Incoherent sounds and gasps fell from her lips. She dug her fingers into Annie’s back. The muscles in her neck stood out in stark relief as she rolled her head from side to side. Her mouth fell open; her breathing stopped.

  So beautiful.

  A shudder ran through Drew’s body. Annie felt strong muscles contract around her fingers, pulling them deeper. Pleasure shot through Annie’s clit.

  Then Drew covered her hand with her own, stopping Annie from moving.

  With her hand still between Drew’s thighs, Annie laid her head against Drew’s chest and listened to the rapid pounding of her heart. She felt residual tremors rippling through Drew. When the strong heartbeat beneath her ear slowed to a more normal pace, Annie gently withdrew her fingers, making Drew gasp.

  “You okay?” Annie asked. She lifted her hand to touch Drew’s face, then paused when she realized her fingers were wet. Blushing, she wiped them on a tissue from the nightstand.

  As their bodies cooled down, Drew shivered, so Annie reached down and pulled the crumpled sheet over them.

  Drew pulled Annie’s hand up and pressed a tender kiss to the inside of her wrist. “See,” she rasped, “you didn’t have any problems at all.”

  Annie snuggled closer so that her head rested in the crook of Drew’s neck. “I don’t know what I expected. I thought it would be all about having the right technique, but it was… It was just amazing.”

  Drew trailed her fingertips up and down Annie’s spine, making her shiver. “It was wonderful, and if we’re lucky, it’ll even get better once we’re more familiar with each other’s body.”

  “Better?” How could anything be better than this?

  “Yes.” Drew laughed at her incredulous expression. “You just wait and see.”

  Annie nuzzled deeper into the embrace. With Drew at her side, she was looking forward to doing just that.

  ###

  If you enjoyed this short story, you might want to check out Jae’s novel Something in the Wine, in which Annie and Drew met and fell in love.

  Change of Pace

  “Of all the times to hold a motion hearing, she had to choose today!” Kade closed her office door with more vigor than necessary and strode to her desk. She put down her briefcase and sank into her chair to slip out of her high-heeled pumps for a moment.

  A knock on the door made her jump and hit her knee on the edge of the desk. “Yes?”

  The door opened, revealing a familiar dark-haired detective.

  “Del!” Kade rubbed her knee and looked at her with raised eyebrows. “What are you doing here?”

  “I had to drop off a file for Stacy Ford and thought I’d pay my favorite DDA a visit.” Del grinned at her.

  Kade found that smile irresistible, but even that wasn’t enough to improve her mood by much. “I’ve had enough surprises for today, thank you very much,” she grumbled.

  Del walked over and bent to kiss her.

  Heat shot through Kade, partly a physical reaction to their intimate contact, partly nervousness about this display of affection in her office. After allowing herself to enjoy the kiss for a moment, she pressed her hand against Del’s shoulder, gently pushing her back. “Not here. Not now.” She squeezed Del’s shoulder before settling back down behind her desk.

  Del sat across from her without comment. She always respected Kade’s boundaries. “So what’s going on? Your day not going well?”

  “It was—until Judge Linehan decided to have a last-minute motion hearing this afternoon,” Kade said.

  Del canted her head. “Why’s that a problem? You usually love motion hearings.”

  Even after dating her for two months, Kade was still surprised by how well Del had gotten to know her. “I do. But I had a call from my mother this morning. She decided to visit a week earlier than planned. I promised to pick her up at the airport this afternoon, but now I’ll be stuck in a hearing.”

  “Then let another deputy DA handle it,” Del said.

  “Beth Lawrence could probably take over, but she doesn’t have a lot of experience.” Kade sighed.

  Del gave her an affectionate smile. “Control freak.” She managed to make it sound like an endearment, so Kade let her get away with it. “If you want to handle the motion hearing yourself, call your mother and tell her to take a cab,” Del said. “By the time she makes it downtown, the hearing will be over, and you can take her to dinner.”

  Kade put on an expression of exaggerated shock. “Sophie Thayer Matheson doesn’t do cabs.”

  “What about a car service? I’ve heard they have very nice limos. Maybe that’d be more her style?”

  Kade would have gladly paid for the car service,
but her mother wouldn’t like that either. “It’s not about the car. My mother told me in no uncertain terms that she doesn’t want to deal with a stranger picking her up.”

  “What about your brother?” Del asked. “Can’t he pick her up?”

  That had been Kade’s first thought. “No. He has back-to-back surgeries all day.”

  “Hmm.” Del rubbed her chin. “Do you want me to pick her up?”

  Kade stared at her. “You want to pick up my mother from the airport?”

  “Sure.” Del smiled bravely. “We met when we stayed in Ashland, so I’m not a stranger.”

  A chuckle escaped Kade. “You more than met. You got your butt handed to you in a tennis match. And our visit didn’t end so well when she caught us kissing. Are you really sure you want to volunteer to be alone with my mother for up to forty-five minutes, in a small, closed space, during rush hour, with no way of escaping?”

  “It won’t be so bad. I’ll pick her up and take her to dinner.”

  “Really?” Kade was caught between relief and guilt.

  “Really,” Del said. “Call me on my cell when you get out of the hearing, and I promise to keep your mother entertained until then.”

  Kade wrote down the details of her mother’s flight. She picked up the note but hesitated to hand it over. “You’re sure you don’t mind?”

  “You know I like doing little favors for my girlfriend.” Del plucked the note out of her fingers.

  “Oh, you really enjoy calling me that, don’t you?” Kade wagged her finger at Del, but she actually didn’t mind—and she was sure Del knew it.

  Del grinned unrepentantly. “Yep. I sure do. So, should I drop off your mother’s baggage at your apartment, or where is she staying?”

  “No, she’s staying at a hotel, thank God!” Kade had been relieved when her mother told her that she had already made reservations.

  Del glanced at her watch. “Sorry. If I want to leave early to pick up my future mother-in-law, I have to go now and get started on my to-do list.”