by Harper Bliss
“It’s hard to picture you in a war zone.” Naomi’s eyes widened and she added, “Not because of your arm. It’s just hard to see anyone doing something like that. The bravery involved. I’m in awe of your determination to showcase the atrocities so many want to ignore because it’s painful to see. I think you’re giving Jane too much credit saying she’s seen ten percent of the tragedies she wanted to portray with the doll. She absolutely refused to volunteer at the hospital with me and didn’t even once step inside to say hello to the kids.”
Eileen boosted an eyebrow. “Really? Part of me is surprised given your passion and part of me isn’t.” And that meant Julia was right, Jane wouldn’t be a suitable candidate to teach a photography class for kids. Back to the drawing board on that issue. “What inspired you to volunteer in the first place?”
Naomi’s gaze fell to her plate and she traced the tines of her fork in her broccoli. “It’s always been a passion of mine. Wanting to help. It’s why I studied social work in college even when everyone kept telling me I’d never have more than two pennies to rub together.” She raised her chin. “I’ve managed to survive, though.” Her eyes shone with pride as her gaze skimmed the quirkiness of her cramped one-bedroom apartment. “I love to scour consignment shops for just the right pieces to add to my eclectic collection.”
“Going back to the nautical theme, it’s funny, really.” Eileen pointed at the octopus and then jerked her thumb over her shoulder to the items on the mantel. “My sister set up my apartment before I arrived and she purchased sheets with tiny paisley whales on them—”
Naomi burst into laughter. “Did she do that on purpose?”
Eileen laughed along, nodding her head. “At first, I was like what the fuck was she thinking.”
“And now?” Naomi leaned forward in her seat, her voice was soft and sweet.
“I’m kind of fond of them. They’re cute.” Eileen shrugged.
Naomi propped her chin on folded hands. “There’s hope for you yet.”
Eileen mulled this over. “Isn’t that what all of us want? Or cling to? A glimmer of more, because there’s so much in reality that’s soul-crushing. But then when you least expect it… something happens to make you believe in… oh, I don’t know. I’m talking nonsense, now.” Eileen laughed nervously.
Naomi reached across the table and threaded her fingers through Eileen’s. “It’s not nonsense at all.”
Chapter Twelve
Naomi looked down at their intertwined fingers. No matter the profound direction their conversation had taken, Naomi knew that the time for more talking had passed. She swept her thumb over Eileen’s palm and glanced up again, straight into her luminous eyes.
Eileen didn’t smile, but there was something else going on in her gaze. Naomi hadn’t come face to face with desire like this in a very long time. The longing in Eileen’s eyes was so fierce and acute, Naomi rose from her chair, making sure her fingers remained curled in between Eileen’s, and stood next to her.
She lifted their joined hands, turned over Eileen’s, and planted a kiss on her wrist. This spurred Eileen on to get up.
“You’re a truly remarkable twenty-something,” Eileen said. “And I can’t seem to stop myself from doing…” She inched closer, her face so near, their lips almost touched. “This.”
Up close, Eileen’s lips were tantalizingly sexy. Naomi held her breath as she anticipated the moment she’d been waiting for—probably since Eileen had fled her apartment the last time she was there.
Naomi had tried to push away the memory of the kiss they’d shared then, but the image of Eileen leaning in, of the desire in her glance, kept popping up in Naomi’s mind at the most inopportune times. But now, here they stood. This time, there was not a hint of hesitation in the expression on Eileen’s face.
Eileen bridged the last tiny gap between them and kissed Naomi softly on the lips. Naomi tightened her grip on Eileen’s hand, pulling her as near as she could.
Eileen made a soft groaning sound in the back of her throat as she kissed Naomi over and over again, pressing her body against hers.
In response, Naomi widened her lips and let in Eileen’s tongue, starting a slow, sensuous dance when their tongues met. With her free hand, Naomi cupped the back of Eileen’s head, twirling her fingers through her curly hair, which she wore loose tonight.
Naomi wanted to march Eileen straight into the bedroom as soon as they broke from this delicious kiss, but her instincts told her to let Eileen take the lead. Not that she suspected Eileen had much experience making love with one arm barely functioning—in fact, it was a miracle she was even kissing Naomi.
But something happened—a change in the air— when they were together. Eileen allowed her defenses to go down and Naomi responded to that by moving past her ever-present urge to help, to be of assistance, to try to make people feel better and, in turn, to allow herself to indulge in the emotions this woman had ignited in her from the very first time they’d met.
They broke from the kiss but Eileen didn’t retract her head very far. Instead, she kissed Naomi on the cheek, then trailed a path down to her neck. The kisses there, on that sensitive patch of skin, unleashed a fire within Naomi, and she feared she might soon start tugging Eileen into her bedroom regardless of wanting to be understanding of her situation.
She wanted her with a force so big, like a ferocious heat bubbling beneath her skin, it was almost a welcome break when Eileen pulled herself away from Naomi’s neck and gazed at her for an instant.
Naomi took the opportunity to catch her breath and take a small step in the direction of her bedroom. Eileen followed, then stopped.
“I don’t want to kill the mood by bringing up logistics, but this is the reality when you bring an older woman into your home.” She shot Naomi a sly grin.
“That’s the price I have to pay.” Naomi tilted her head, a smile on her lips.
“I’ll try to make it worth your while.” Eileen stepped closer. “But I may need a little help.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” If anything, the conversation they were having was increasing the intimate vibe between them. For Naomi, Eileen admitting she needed help was much more intimate than her pretending nothing was wrong—and trying to shrug out of her clothes on her own.
“Let me start with this.” Naomi kissed Eileen on the cheek, then found her lips again. God, those intoxicating lips. She could not get enough of them—either to press her own against, or when they curved up into a warm smile the way Naomi knew they could. She wanted to see that smile on Eileen’s face again as soon as possible, and she’d do everything she could tonight to make it reappear.
“That’s extremely helpful,” Eileen said, when their lips broke apart.
“I got distracted by the hot cougar in my apartment,” Naomi said.
Even though Eileen gave a small shake of the head, she had a twinkle in her eye.
“Shall I help you take that off?” She tugged gently at the hem of Eileen’s top.
“Sure.” Eileen lifted her right arm away from her body a fraction.
Naomi noticed the grimace on her face. “Does it hurt?” she asked, as she started hoisting Eileen’s top over her head.
“Not really, it’s just annoying,” Eileen said. “But don’t worry.” That twinkle in her eye reappeared again. “I can do many things with my left hand these days.”
Naomi chuckled nervously. She stole a quick glance at Eileen’s left hand. The hand she’d grabbed hold of at the table earlier.
“I want you… so much,” Naomi said. “But if you feel uncomfortable or in pain at any point, will you let me know?”
“I will,” Eileen said in a much more serious tone than Naomi was expecting. Maybe Eileen sensed that this was very important to her. It made Naomi want her even more. Because she’d already learned that Eileen could be stubborn and uncommunicative about her stroke, but she said the right things when it really mattered.
After Naomi helped Eileen get her
top off completely, she stood in front of her again and brought her hands to Eileen’s sides, touching her warm skin. She wondered how Eileen managed on her own—it must be all that willpower she saw brimming in her eyes all the time.
“I’m afraid I can’t really lend you a hand,” Eileen said. “Looks like you’ll have to undress for me all on your own.”
“You sure know how to woo a girl,” Naomi joked.
“Is this not how it’s done anymore?” She leaned against the side of the table. “You’ll have to inform me about the millennial way of doing this. Or better yet. Show me.”
“Come here.” Naomi grabbed Eileen by the hand and led her to the couch. “Why don’t you sit and let me show you what I’ve got.”
Eileen sat on the edge of the couch, glancing up at Naomi. She didn’t appear to have a comeback to that.
Naomi wasn’t planning on stripping in a sexy fashion. It wasn’t her style at all. She just wanted to get some clothes off as quickly as possible so she could feel Eileen’s naked skin against hers. She swiftly pulled her blouse over her head and threw it behind her.
She locked her gaze on Eileen’s, stepped closer to the couch, and straddled her. She pushed Eileen’s back against the couch and leaned into her again. She cupped Eileen’s chin in her palms and kissed her delicious lips over and over again—until she felt Eileen’s hand fumble with the clasp of her bra.
“Damn it,” Eileen said. “I was hoping I could still do this with one hand, but my left hand isn’t dexterous enough yet.” She had a half-smile on her face.
“Hold on.” Instead of helping Eileen get her bra off, Naomi brought her hands to Eileen’s shoulders and guided down the straps of her bra. Then she slipped her hands behind Eileen’s back and unhooked her bra.
“That’s hardly fair,” Eileen said. “Now you’re just taking advantage of the situation.”
“I think I might do so for a good while longer.” Only then did Naomi dispose of her own bra.
She found Eileen’s glance again and saw something else burning in it now.
Lust.
With her lips slightly parted, Eileen brought the back of her hand to Naomi’s belly and caressed it. She slowly dragged it up to her chest, where she cupped Naomi’s generous breast.
Naomi was entranced by the combination of Eileen’s glance and her hand, now squeezing gently, on her breast. She’d never in her life encountered a look like that in someone’s eyes. It was more than lust. It showed glimpses of the life Eileen had lived and the health scare she’d been through and how, at this moment, she could put all that behind her. With Naomi looking at her like that. With her hands cradling Naomi’s breast.
Naomi brought one of her own hands to Eileen’s chest. She had to glance away from Eileen’s eyes because she wanted to see her hand envelop Eileen’s breast. Then, with her own lust having flickered to new heights, and not wanting to wait any longer, Naomi flicked the button of her jeans open, sat up a little straighter and wriggled them off her hips and pushed them down as low as they could go.
Overcome by a desire that could only be quenched in one particular way, she cupped her right hand over Eileen’s left one, and pushed it downward, inside her panties.
They had the rest of the night for whatever may come after, but this was what Naomi wanted now.
Judging from the look in Eileen’s eyes, bright green and brimming with the same fire Naomi felt burning inside of her, she wasn’t acting too quickly at all.
Naomi’s clit pulsed as Eileen’s fingers drew closer. She leaned over because she wanted her lips on Eileen’s when those fingers met her clit.
When she let her tongue slip inside Eileen’s mouth, Eileen’s fingers eased down, past her clit, and briefly dipped inside the wetness that had gathered between Naomi’s legs.
Naomi pinched Eileen’s nipple between her fingers and pressed her lips harder against Eileen’s, her entire body anticipating the touch of Eileen’s fingertip on her clit. Then it happened. The first touch was so gentle, so light, Naomi barely registered it. The second was more brazen, more slippery, more insistent, until the subsequent circles Eileen drew with her fingertip turned into a blur of pleasure and heat inside Naomi’s panties.
When the heat grew so fierce inside her, she withdrew her lips from Eileen’s, because Naomi wanted to look her in the eye when the orgasm overtook her; before she closed her own eyes in ecstasy, she wanted to see the look in Eileen’s eyes first.
Eileen’s face was a study in concentration—a more distilled version of the expression she usually wore. Eileen Makenna was nothing if not utterly determined—and, quite clearly, as Naomi had expected, not someone to let a half-paralyzed arm stand in the way of giving Naomi the ultimate pleasure.
“I—I’m…” Naomi groaned, and then she had to close her eyes, because a wave of pleasure crashed over her. But even with her eyes closed, all she saw was Eileen’s face. Her luscious lips. Her brilliant meadow-green gaze. And how she had, so willingly now, given herself to Naomi.
Chapter Thirteen
Eileen woke when a streak of sunlight splashed across her face. Sunlight? The bells usually clanged well before sunup. Had she slept through them? For the first time since her arrival?
Opening and closing her eyes she attempted to jostle the sleepiness from her brain.
She reached for her water glass on the nightstand, but it wasn’t there. Neither was her old-fashioned silver alarm clock. The one that ticked quietly, keeping her company when she couldn’t sleep.
Rolling onto her back, massaging the confusion from her eyes, the memory of the night before suddenly seeped into her brain.
As if on cue, Naomi’s arm wrapped around her stomach.
Eileen released a contented sigh, nestling into the warmth of the blankets and Naomi. How long had it been since she’d woken up with a woman? Actually, best not to think about that. Live in the now. With Naomi, who was deliciously naked, snuggled up close to Eileen. Squinting with one eye, Eileen determined Naomi was still asleep. She held her with her left arm, trying to let her mind go blank, to enjoy the sensation of their flesh pressed against the other.
It was odd to think how much she missed being touched by another human. Since she hadn’t been with anyone for… years, perhaps she’d either forgotten the wonderful sensation of human touch or had blocked it out of her mind entirely. Knowing her, it was probably the latter. It had always been so easy in the past for Eileen to block out the negative and press forward with the positive.
And for years, the positive had been her career.
She sucked in a deep breath, a surge of unease washing over her.
“Good morning,” mumbled a sleepy Naomi.
Eileen relished hearing the smile in Naomi’s voice. “Morning.”
“How’d you sleep?” Naomi tightened her grip on Eileen, making it clear she wasn’t in a rush to get out of bed.
“Surprisingly well. Didn’t even hear the bells.” Eileen yawned into her own shoulder.
Naomi propped her chin on a bent elbow, keeping her free arm on Eileen’s stomach. “What bells?”
“The church bells.” Eileen’s eyes widened. “You’ve never noticed the church bells at six every morning?”
Naomi’s face scrunched. “Sometimes I hear them later in the day, but I’m so used to it, I probably don’t really register their intrusions as much as you.” She traced her finger along Eileen’s skin. “Is that one of the reasons you’ve been grumpy since your return? Not getting enough sleep?” Naomi tickled Eileen’s side.
Eileen laughed. “You’re acting like we’ve known each other forever.”
“After last night, it kinda seems that way. Are you implying that being grumpy is your perpetual state?” Her eyes shimmered with mischievousness.
“How would I know? Grumpy people aren’t great at introspection.” Eileen pressed Naomi’s button nose.
“So, you do admit you’re a grumpster?”
“Doesn’t that come with age?”
>
“You aren’t that old.” Naomi blew some wisps of hair off her forehead.
“True, but I am looking forward to reaching the age when I can let out obnoxious tirades and have people think I’m a cute old lady.”
“Wow. That’s an interesting ambition to strive for. You know, most people will think you’re the bitchy old lady to avoid at all costs.”
“Even better!”
Naomi gently slapped Eileen right above the belly button. “I happen to know you don’t shun all human contact.”
“Is that right? On what grounds do you know this?”
“I’m a fan of hands-on knowledge.” Naomi pinched Eileen’s left nipple.
“You young people today always—”
Naomi took Eileen’s nipple into her mouth, biting down briefly. “Oh, sorry. You were about to bash young people. Please proceed.” She waved Eileen on.
“Uh, what? My mind went blank. You can proceed.” Eileen eyed her nipple with a hopeful expression.
“You old people today.” Naomi sucked the nipple back into her mouth causing Eileen’s breath to hitch.
“I prefer it when you call me a hot cougar instead of… well, an old person.”
Naomi climbed on top of Eileen. “Is that so? What else do you prefer?”
“You proved last night you innately understand my preferences.”
“Oh, no. That’s not how this works. You’re a grown woman, you can use your words to tell me what you like.” Naomi arched one brow, waiting.
“You know, back in my day, there was a lot less talking involved.”
“You mean when you knocked a woman over the head with your club and dragged her back to your cave.”
“Please, I’m not that old.”
