Paper Love

by Jae

  Susanne grunted. “My shoulders aren’t the part of me that needs attention.”

  “No?” Anja smiled down at her. “How about this part?” She dipped her head, and the wet heat of her mouth closed over Susanne’s breast.

  Lightning-swift desire shot through Susanne. She sucked in a breath, already feeling a tightening deep inside of her. She arched into Anja. “We might beat those…mmm…fifteen…oh God…seconds.”

  “Yeah?” Anja’s pupils flared wide.

  Susanne’s throat was too dry and her brain too fuzzy to form words, so she nodded shakily.

  “That’s okay.” Anja slid up and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I’ll just start all over again.” She set a slow, deliberate rhythm with her fingers, keeping her strokes light.

  Susanne’s pulse thudded through her entire body, and she drew in a ragged breath as Anja kept exploring.

  “Susanne…” Anja breathed her name as she moved with her, the expression of intense focus on her face assuring her she wouldn’t stop for anything in the world. Their gazes locked.

  This was so intimate. Almost too intimate. But Susanne couldn’t close her eyes. Didn’t want to close her eyes. She gripped Anja’s back with both hands to ground herself.

  Each stroke drove her deeper into the swirl of sensation. Already the first little tremors shook her body. No. Not yet. Please not yet. She wanted this night to last forever. But when Anja circled her fingers faster, with a little more pressure, there was no holding back. Pleasure coiled into a tight ball, then spread outward. She choked out mumbled words that probably made no sense at all. Or maybe she shouted Anja’s name.

  She must have blacked out for a couple of seconds because the next thing she was aware of was Anja cradling her in her arms, their bodies slick with sweat. Even though Susanne was the taller one, it felt incredibly good to let herself be held.

  As her heartbeat and her breathing slowly settled and her limbs started working again, she lifted her hand and traced the faint laugh lines around Anja’s mouth, which was smiling at her. “God, that was amazing. You were amazing…and a bit surprising. It was a good surprise,” she added quickly. “A very good surprise.”

  Truth be told, she didn’t know what had surprised her more: Anja taking control or her handing it over so willingly. But then again, maybe it shouldn’t have surprised her. At work, they had taken turns too. Sometimes she’d been in control, teaching Anja how to handle social media, and sometimes Anja had taken over and introduced her to the world of stationery.

  Anja kissed her fingertips. “You take my breath away. You’re so beautiful. I loved being the one to, you know, make you come.”

  Susanne chuckled, charmed by the crimson color that crept into Anja’s cheeks. It was hard to believe that the woman who had driven her crazy with desire only a minute ago now blushed at her honest admission. Somehow it fit Anja, though. “I loved it too, in case you couldn’t tell.”

  “Oh, I could tell. Those little sounds you made gave you away. Especially that gasp you made when I did this…” Anja slid her hand down Susanne’s body and swirled one finger around her swollen clit.

  Susanne’s heartbeat tripped, and renewed pleasure surged through her, but she drew Anja’s hand away. “Oh no. Now it’s my turn.” Vibrating with the need to feel her, Susanne kissed her.

  Anja surged against her and returned the heated kiss.

  When Susanne swiped her thumb over Anja’s nipple, Anja tore her mouth away to gasp for air, her breath hot on Susanne’s lips.

  “So responsive. I love that.” Susanne replaced her thumb with her mouth while she slid her hand down Anja’s body. Goose bumps rose in the wake of her touch, and she lingered to rub them away but only succeeded in creating more of them. The muscles of Anja’s belly tightened as she responded to each small caress. Susanne traced the curve of her hip, then down the outside of her leg before caressing the soft skin of her inner thigh.

  When Susanne trailed her fingers upward, Anja went taut with anticipation beneath her and spread her legs farther.

  Susanne glanced up and made eye contact.

  Anja lay completely open to her, her cheeks flushed and her lips parted.

  Susanne couldn’t wait any longer—and she didn’t need to since Anja’s eyes telegraphed the same need.

  They both groaned as her fingers dipped into Anja’s wetness.

  Susanne stroked her, matching her pace to her tongue’s motion on Anja’s breast.

  Anja rocked against her. “Oh. That,” she gasped out, her voice strangled. “Do that again.”

  “This?” Susanne flicked her tongue across her nipple. “Or this?” She stroked her clit more purposefully.

  Anja let out a shaky moan. “Yes. Either. Both. God.”

  Susanne lifted her head from Anja’s breast and stared at her. Anja looked so beautiful writhing beneath her, and Susanne felt drunk on the power to make her so desperate but also eager to give her everything she needed.

  Tiny moans and gasps rained down on her. God, what those noises did to her. She reveled in the sound and the sight of Anja coming undone in her arms.

  When Anja’s legs started to shake, Susanne made eye contact as she gently slid two fingers inside.

  A throaty sound escaped Anja, somewhere between a sigh and a cry. She arched up against her and rocked her hips faster. “Susanne.” She clamped her teeth onto her bottom lip as if trying to hold herself back, to make it last.

  Oh no. Susanne didn’t want her to hold back. She wanted to see her face and the look in her eyes when she came. “Let go.” She curled her fingers, searching for that perfect spot that would send her spiraling.

  With a shout, Anja surged up against her. She stiffened and tightened around Susanne’s fingers. She clutched at Susanne’s shoulders, her hair, trying to anchor herself.

  Breathless, Susanne slowed but kept moving, prolonging her pleasure until Anja fell back onto the bed. She followed her down. The sensation of their sweat-glistening skin against each other made her head spin. She drew Anja into her arms and kissed her damp forehead, her flushed cheeks, her mouth.

  As life returned to Anja’s limp body, she brought her arms up, wrapped them around Susanne, and kissed her back. When she opened her eyes, the dazed pleasure in them made Susanne want to make love to her all over again.

  But that could wait. For the moment, she was sated, and all she wanted was to hold her close. She trailed her hand up and down her back in a long, tender caress and luxuriated in the feel of Anja’s naked body against her own.

  Normally, she would have rolled over, needing a bit of space to fall asleep, but with Anja, she didn’t want to move away. Ever.

  Careful. That’s just post-coital thinking. Pondering life-changing things like that in the afterglow of great sex was dangerous, so Susanne decided to shut off her brain for the rest of the night—and she knew one surefire way of doing that.

  On the next swipe down Anja’s back, she slid her hand a little lower until she could palm her ass. “So,” she whispered into Anja’s ear, loving the shudder that went through her, “want to see if you can beat my fifteen seconds?” She seductively rasped her fingernails down the curve of her ass and over her thighs.

  “If you keep using your nails like that, I won’t have a problem beating your record.” Anja moaned. “God, who knew the back of my thighs were such an erogenous zone?”

  Susanne held on to her and rolled them both over. “Let’s see what other erogenous zones you might have,” she murmured against her skin and then started to trail a string of kisses down her belly.

  “Wow! I suddenly feel like a queen.” Franziska looked around the large room where the restaurant served brunch.

  Everything gleamed and sparkled: the crystal chandeliers, the torch-shaped lamps on the very white walls, the large mirrors, the cutlery on the white tablecloths, and the polished hardwood floor. Ornaments that looked like lilies in a medieval coat of arms decorated the high ceiling.

  Anja felt l
ike a queen too—not so much because of their location, although it did remind her a little of the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, but more because of the way Susanne looked at her.

  Susanne had spent most of the night making her feel as if she was the most desirable woman on earth, and she had tried to do the same for Susanne. They hadn’t let go of each other’s hand on the short walk up to the Greiffenegg Schlössle, which was located partway up the Schlossberg. The food from the buffet smelled heavenly, and Anja was starving, but what she really wanted was to drag Susanne back to bed.

  The glimmer of heat in Susanne’s eyes told her she thought the same.

  “Come on,” Susanne whispered into her ear. “Let’s pretend to be social for a while. My sister will need to hit the road in an hour or two anyway, and then…”

  She didn’t finish the sentence, but Anja’s imagination did it for her. Shivers raced through her body. Her skin hungered for Susanne’s touch. God, what was going on with her? She’d never been this way before. It was probably because she was very aware that Susanne would be leaving next month, so she wanted to experience as much as she could with her in whatever time they had.

  She forced herself to let go of Susanne’s hand so she could get some food from the buffet.

  They stayed close together, piling food onto each other’s plates and laughing about the way Miri headed straight for the chocolate mousse.

  When they sat at their table, which offered a great view over the Old Town, Miri and Franzi were already there.

  “Oh wow.” Miri eyed their plates and giggled. “Looks like the two of you worked up quite an appetite.”

  Heat rushed to Anja’s face. She lowered her gaze to her plate, which was piled high with cheese, fruit, jams, a roll, and a croissant, and to the bowl of muesli next to it.

  “Anything you want to tell your favorite sister?” Franziska grinned and nudged Susanne, who pretended to be busy arranging two rolls, a huge plate of scrambled eggs, and a piece of apple pie on the table.

  Slowly, Susanne looked up. “Actually, yes. I do have an announcement to make.”

  Anja tensed, even though she didn’t quite know why. Miri was her best friend, and she talked freely about her own love life. It wasn’t as if she was ashamed of having slept with Susanne, but it didn’t feel right to talk or joke about it—as if it would diminish their magical night.

  “So let’s hear it,” Franziska said when Susanne paused.

  “I…” Susanne flicked her gaze to Anja and gave her a reassuring smile. “…need coffee.”

  Franziska stared at her sister. “That’s it? That’s your announcement?”

  “Yes.” Susanne nodded gravely. “Oh, and…”

  “Yes?” Franziska prompted.

  “Anja needs some too.”

  “Forget it, Franzi.” Miri put her hand on Franziska’s. “If your sister is anything like Anja, we won’t get any juicy details out of either one of them. Not that we need to. Their faces say it all.”

  “It’s not like I want any juicy details.” Franziska shook herself at the thought. “She’s my sister after all. I just want to know if she…if you…” She glanced at Susanne. “…are happy.”

  Without looking away from her sister, Susanne found Anja’s hand beneath the table and entwined their fingers. The almost businesslike poker face she had put on wavered, and an ecstatic smile shone through for a moment. “I’m having a great brunch on a gorgeous Sunday morning with my womb mate and her…” She hesitated and flicked her gaze at Miri.

  “Girlfriend,” Miri quietly provided.

  “Wow,” Anja mouthed at her and beamed. So Miri and Franzi were really trying for something serious, not just a bit of fun on the weekend.

  Susanne nodded with a smile. “With my sister and her girlfriend…and with the most beautiful stationery geek I know. How could I not be happy?”

  Anja’s cheeks heated again, but this time it was more from pleasure than embarrassment. They weren’t quite at the level of commitment that Miri and Franziska had reached, but for now, feeling Susanne’s honest admiration was enough. She tightened her grip on Susanne’s hand.

  Their gazes met and held, and the hall of mirrors around them retreated.

  “Anything you want to add, Anja?” Miri asked.

  “Yes.” Anja didn’t look away from Susanne, speaking mostly to her. “I’m also pretty happy…and I need coffee too.”

  They all burst out laughing.

  Chapter 19

  Anja had never been one to hate Mondays, but when Susanne’s alarm clock went off on Monday morning, she groaned and buried her face against Susanne’s shoulder.

  Susanne reached out from beneath the duvet to shut off the alarm but made no move to get out of bed either. She slipped her arm back beneath the covers and rubbed both hands along Anja’s back in ways that made her even more reluctant to get up. “Still tired?”

  “Yes. Guess making love for half of the night, two nights in a row, will do that to you.”

  Susanne’s eyes twinkled. “Are you complaining?”

  “No. God, no.” But being tired wasn’t the only reason she was reluctant to get up. Except for the brunch with Franziska and Miri, they hadn’t left Susanne’s apartment all weekend. As soon as they went to work, the real world would intrude, and she’d have to face the fact that not all weekends for the rest of her life would be spent like this. Just because they’d had sex—amazing sex—didn’t mean Susanne would stay.

  “Want me to offer some incentive for getting up?” Susanne asked.

  Anja gave her a hopeful look. “Are you offering to make coffee?”

  “I could. Or we could grab one on the way to work and use our time to shower together.” Susanne’s voice dropped to a seductive murmur.

  “Shower sex is overrated,” Anja answered, but admittedly, the thought of Susanne’s soapy hands gliding all over her body sent a tingle through her.

  Susanne looked stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. She rolled out from beneath Anja, leaned over her, and framed her face with her hands. “You’re pretty unique. I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman like you.”

  Anja stared up into her eyes. “Is that a good thing?”

  “It is.” Susanne trailed her thumbs across Anja’s cheekbones, and she had to struggle to keep her eyes open.

  “Even if it means no shower sex?”

  “Even then.” Susanne nodded. “But I might go on a mission to change your mind about that. You know I love a challenge.” She placed a soft kiss on the corner of Anja’s mouth, then threw off the covers and climbed out of bed, pulling Anja up with her and to the bathroom.

  Maybe this Monday morning wasn’t so bad after all.

  They made it to Paper Love fifteen minutes before opening time. Susanne pulled Anja to a stop by their entwined hands and kissed her one last time before she’d have to be a professional. But at least she’d get to sneak long looks at her in between selling notebooks and preparing things for the website launch.

  “I’ll put the card carousels outside if you go get us two coffees,” Susanne said when they finally broke apart, both breathless.

  “Sure.” Anja let go of her hand with obvious reluctance and turned toward the little coffee store.

  “Make mine a tall one, please,” Susanne called after her. She watched her gracefully step over the Bächle before turning back toward Paper Love.

  Only then did she notice that the lights in the store were already on. Something moved inside.

  Alarm flared through her, but then she made out her uncle’s bearded face.

  He was behind the counter, staring at her through the glass.

  Oh shit. Had he seen them kiss? The deep furrow between his bushy brows said yes. For a moment, Susanne considered waiting for Anja, who was so much better at dealing with him. But that wouldn’t be fair, not to Anja and not to her uncle. She’d put off talking to him—really talking to him—for much too long already.

  Her throat tightened as she
reached for the brass handle and pulled the door open.

  The jingling bell sounded like a harbinger of doom.

  “Good morning. What are you doing here?” Maybe going on the offense would help. “Shouldn’t you be resting at home?”

  Uncle Norbert scrunched up his nose like a little boy. “I’ve done nothing but rest for a week. I’m sick of it, and the doctor said I can go back to work if I feel up to it. At least when I’m at work, I’ll be distracted from the pain.” He walked around the counter, still moving a bit stiffly, but much better than he had last week. “Speaking of distraction, is that what you’re doing with Anja?”

  Susanne stiffened and had to fight down a wave of defensiveness.

  “Looking for a nice little distraction while you’re here? Because if that’s what you’re after, I suggest you look for it elsewhere.” His normally gentle blue eyes drilled into her like laser beams. “Anja is a person who feels things deeply, even if she doesn’t always show it. If you—”

  “Stop it!” The words finally burst out of Susanne. “Why the hell would you assume I’m just playing with her? Why aren’t you out there”—she waved toward the coffee shop, where Anja waited for their coffees to go—“warning Anja not to hurt me? I’m your niece after all, not Anja.”

  “You never behaved like it,” he murmured, his voice so low that Susanne almost didn’t catch it.

  Susanne swallowed. Her rush of anger faded away. She’d hoped to avoid this conversation, but that was probably the same bullshit strategy that had estranged her from her uncle in the first place. She gathered her courage and stepped up to him. “Listen. I know I shouldn’t have stayed away for so long, but—”

  “Then why did you?”

  Susanne flinched. Straight to the jugular. Apparently, her uncle wasn’t always a dreamer who avoided conflict—and she would have known that if she hadn’t cut him out of her life. “I…I don’t know.”