Don't Cry for Me

by Rachel Lacey

  “Believe it or not, I enjoy my job, which is good because I work long hours.” At Josie’s skeptical look, she shrugged. “I also enjoy art. I like to wander through museums and galleries, and I buy way too much for the amount of wall space I have.”

  “Interesting,” Josie said with a smile. “See, I just learned something new about you. And now I want to wander through a museum with you, because I know nothing about art, and my walls—as you’ve probably noticed—are pretty bare.”

  “Not true,” Eve told her. “You’ve got kitten and cat pictures everywhere.”

  “Well, okay, I suppose I do.” Josie laughed. “But maybe I could use some art too.”

  “Maybe.” Eve took another sip of her wine. “Your turn. Tell me what you do for fun when you’re not working.”

  Josie sighed, looking wistful. “Honestly? I just really like to go out with my friends. I like to go out for drinks somewhere I don’t work. I like to go dancing. And I like caring for orphaned kittens. I don’t know why. It’s my calling, I guess.”

  “Even if it means endless middle-of-the-night feedings?” Eve didn’t mind doing it for the theater kittens. They were temporary. Already, they were growing, able to go longer between feedings. But the idea of taking in new kittens, an endless cycle of needy, helpless creatures? That sounded overwhelming and exhausting.

  “Yes.” Josie shrugged. “I can’t explain it.”

  “How did you get started?”

  “I used to volunteer at the shelter, and someone brought in a litter of orphaned kittens just a few weeks old. And I found out they were going to be euthanized, these tiny, innocent babies, because no one had the time or ability to care for them. It broke my heart. I took them home, and I raised them until they were old enough to be adopted. And then I did it again. Eventually, I realized there was a gap in the system, and these babies were falling through it. So I formed my own rescue to save them.”

  “That’s pretty inspiring, I have to say,” Eve told her. “Not many people would do what you did.”

  “And I can’t blame them. It’s a lot. If you work a full-time job, it’s almost impossible to care for them properly, as you found out.”

  Eve nodded as she remembered the box of kittens behind her desk.

  “I had a network of volunteers I worked with, and we were saving so many kittens. My YouTube channel was really taking off. It was all working out the way I’d imagined. And then my dad died.” Her expression clouded. “And my priorities shifted.”

  “I understand what that’s like.” Eve related to Josie’s words to the very bottom of her soul.

  “I guess you do,” Josie said. “When you lose someone you love, it changes everything.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  “I don’t believe in that ‘everything happens for a reason’ bullshit, because my dad shouldn’t have had to die like that, and neither should your wife, but I do believe everything that happens in our lives molds us and shapes us into the people we become.”

  “That’s true,” Eve said. “And it changes us. I could never go back to being the person I was before.”

  “You don’t think you’ll settle down again?”

  “No.” She lowered her shoulders and softened the curve of her back, trying not to appear as tense as she felt.

  “I’ve never really thought about settling down,” Josie said, deflecting the conversation away from Eve, although she wasn’t sure whether she’d done it on purpose. “Lately, I’m lucky to find someone I even want to have a second date with.” She caught Eve’s gaze. “But I already know I’d like a second date with you.”

  Josie watched an invisible lens slide over Eve’s eyes, hiding her behind its protective shield. She hadn’t really meant to blurt out her intentions like that, but the opening had been too good to pass up. “I know you’re not looking for a relationship. Neither am I. We’re both up to our ears in work. You of all people know how ridiculous my schedule is.”

  Eve reached for her wine, the hint of a smile ghosting her lips.

  “So maybe we try something casual, dinner on my night off, maybe occasionally you find your way into my bed after work…” She winked, trying to lighten the mood.

  “Maybe,” Eve said quietly.

  “I’ll take maybe,” she told her with a grin. “And I have a few ideas for later that might help persuade you.”

  “Is that so?” Eve’s eyes met hers, heat simmering in their chocolate depths.

  “Oh yeah. I mean, a whole night together? The kittens are a bit of a mood dampener, but if you want to know the truth…” She leaned forward, lowering her voice. “You look pretty hot in my T-shirt with a kitten in your lap.”

  “Not sure I can agree with that last part,” Eve said, but her tone had softened, a playfulness there that made Josie’s grin widen.

  “Well, I’d probably find you sexy in just about anything, so there’s that.”

  Eve laughed, and the conversation slipped back into comfortable territory as they ate. After their entrees, they shared a crème brûlée as they finished up their bottle of wine. Josie was comfortably buzzed as she led the way outside, pausing to push Eve against the side of the building and kiss her, tasting wine and caramelized sugar on her tongue, the promise of endless pleasure in her fingertips as they brushed over Josie’s thighs before gripping her waist.

  Someone whistled, followed by several men shouting lewd suggestions. Josie lifted her head just in time to see Eve flip them off, eyes glinting in the darkness.

  “Hot,” Josie whispered in her ear.

  “Let’s get out of here.” Eve untangled herself, leading the way briskly toward the subway entrance at the end of the block before the situation could escalate. The men in question were still shouting and making rude gestures, but Josie refused to give them even a moment of her time. Nothing was going to spoil tonight for her.

  She followed Eve down the steps into the subway, where they both swiped their MetroCards and headed for the platform.

  “Sorry,” Eve said. “I would have called an Uber for us, but I didn’t think we should hang around that crowd.”

  “Agreed.”

  Eve gave her a small smile, but it was one of those genuine smiles that made Josie feel like she’d won the lottery or just saved a whole shelter’s worth of kittens. As they waited on the platform, Eve stood close beside her, so close their arms brushed together and the scent of Eve’s perfume drifted over her.

  They boarded the A train, sitting side by side as it whisked them toward Josie’s apartment. Someday, she wanted to see where Eve lived, but with the kittens needing to be fed in a little over an hour, there was no question whose bed they’d wind up in tonight.

  They were mostly quiet as they rode, quiet as they climbed the steps to the street, quiet as Josie unlocked the back door to her building, letting them in. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, though, more of a calm before the storm, because she felt the energy between them building with each step toward her apartment door.

  As soon as they’d stepped inside, Eve had her pinned against the wall, bodies pressed together, mouths meeting hungrily. “How much time do we have?” she asked, tipping her head toward the playpen in the living room.

  “About an hour.”

  “Perfect.” Eve spun them, stepping Josie backward into her bedroom, lips on Josie’s as her fingers worked open the button on her pants, and whoa. Josie’s head was spinning, heat building beneath Eve’s fingers as she pushed down her fly, brushing against the front of Josie’s underwear.

  Eve pushed her down on the bed, rocking their hips together as she slipped a hand beneath Josie’s top, sliding up to pop the clasp on her bra. She was a woman on a mission, hands everywhere as they rid Josie of her clothes, touching and teasing as she worked.

  Josie tried to even the playing field, eager to get her hands on Eve’s dress, to run her fingers over it and beneath it and, even more importantly, get her out of it. But Eve had other ideas, ignoring Josie’s attempt
s to undress her.

  “Eve…” she murmured against her lips as Eve palmed her breasts, fingers skimming over her sensitive skin. Her back arched involuntarily, pressing her more firmly into Eve’s touch.

  Eve hummed her approval as she dipped her head, replacing her fingers with her tongue, swirling and flicking Josie’s nipple until it had tightened before repeating the process on her other breast as her fingers trailed down Josie’s belly to dip between her legs. She gasped as Eve’s fingers slipped through her folds.

  Josie closed her eyes, surrendering to her touch. This time, the night was young. They had all the time in the world to touch and explore each other, and apparently, Eve had already embraced this concept. Her fingers kept stroking as her teeth skimmed against the delicate underside of Josie’s breast, making her shiver with pleasure, hips arching into her touch.

  Eve placed a series of openmouthed kisses over Josie’s belly, and oh God, it felt so good. Every nerve in her body was on high alert as Eve’s fingers ignited a fire deep inside her, growing hotter with each stroke. And then, Eve was moving, dress slithering seductively over Josie’s skin as she crawled down to position herself between Josie’s thighs.

  “Oh,” Josie gasped as Eve placed a scorching kiss at the crease of her inner thigh.

  She looked up, eyes smoldering into Josie’s. “Yes?”

  “Yes,” she whispered. Need pulsed through her, centered in her aching clit, and yes, yes, yes, she wanted to feel the heat of Eve’s mouth there.

  Eve dipped her head, tongue skimming over Josie’s thigh, licking and kissing, tantalizingly close to where she needed her. And while part of her wanted to scream in frustration, to thread her fingers through Eve’s dark hair and guide her, she found herself gasping as Eve kissed her way down the tender flesh of Josie’s inner thigh.

  It was intimate, so incredibly intimate, and surprisingly erotic. Had anyone ever kissed her there before? If they had, it hadn’t been memorable, but the hot press of Eve’s mouth was sure as hell memorable. She could note it in her calendar, inner-thigh kisses from Eve, but she wouldn’t need to. This moment was forever etched into her brain.

  Eve’s tongue swirled over her skin, followed by the brush of her teeth, and Josie thought it could last forever and never be enough. It was one of the most exquisite things she’d ever felt. And then Eve was kissing her way back up Josie’s thigh, and she could hardly breathe. She gasped, her whole body tensing in anticipation.

  Eve paused, her eyes meeting Josie’s. With one hand, she swept her hair over her shoulders, the other resting against Josie’s thigh. Still staring into Josie’s eyes, she lowered her head and gave one long, slow lick that had Josie arching off the bed, eyes slamming shut, a breathy moan escaping her lips.

  Eve’s tongue circled her clit, swirling until Josie had forgotten all about the inner-thigh kisses, their date, the kittens in the other room. Hell, she wasn’t sure she even remembered how to speak. She sure as hell couldn’t form coherent words. Instead, she moaned and gasped, hips moving against Eve’s mouth. Eve’s lips closed over her clit, and she sucked hard. Josie cried out, hands clenched in the sheet beneath her.

  Yes, yes, yes. Please don’t stop.

  Josie kept her eyes shut, just absorbing the sensations, the heat and the thrill of Eve’s mouth. She moved away from Josie’s clit, licking and kissing, exploring every inch of her while Josie lay there, legs shaking, panting for breath, her skin coated in a fine sheen of sweat as Eve brought her closer and closer to her release.

  She pressed a finger against Josie’s entrance, stroking her, testing her before slipping inside, pumping in and out as her tongue flicked against Josie’s clit, and oh God. Her body seemed to vibrate with the power of the orgasm building inside her, thighs shaking, pulse pounding in her ears.

  That was all she could hear, that and the wet sound of Eve’s mouth against her skin. She kept stroking, kept licking, kept sucking as the pressure inside Josie built until she thought she might explode. And then she was coming, release pulsing out from her core, rolling through her in a scorching wave that left her limp and breathless in its wake.

  Finally, she opened her eyes, looking down to see Eve with her head resting against Josie’s thigh, hair spilling over Josie’s skin in a dark wave, watching quietly with a satisfied smile on her face.

  Josie reached down for her, realizing in a rush that Eve was still fully clothed. She traced a finger along the bodice of her dress, meeting her gaze. “My turn.”

  Eve’s breath hitched as she bit her lip. “Please.”

  21

  Eve drifted awake, recognizing the floral scent of Josie’s shampoo and the soft cotton of her sheets before she’d opened her eyes. She rolled to her back, blinking up at the wood-beamed ceiling overhead. Muted sunlight filled the room, and a quick glance at the clock told her it was just past six. Her internal clock had woken her ahead of her alarm.

  She looked over at Josie, still peacefully asleep, lavender hair spread across the pillow like a halo. She’d certainly taken Eve to celestial places last night. Despite getting in bed before ten, they’d still been up late, exploring their seemingly insatiable chemistry. Case in point, Eve’s body ached in some interesting places as she sat up to turn off the alarm on her phone.

  Her foot bumped something solid and warm, and she looked down to see Nigel the cat curled up on the end of the bed. Should she wake Josie or leave her a note? Eve had to be at the office this morning, but Josie should enjoy the chance to sleep in since she’d be bartending until two tonight. This was the third time in four days Eve had woken in Josie’s bed, a habit she was already finding hard to break. Last night, Josie had suggested a casual relationship, no strings sex until the spark between them burned out.

  Staring at her now in the soft morning light, Eve could think of no rebuttal. The idea of walking out now, of not kissing her, sleeping beside her, or experiencing the delicious pleasure of her body ever again felt unbearable. As Josie had pointed out, neither of them had the time or interest for something serious right now. Just sex.

  It’s already more than sex.

  But maybe that was okay. She could like Josie, as long as they never went near that other “l” word. And with their opposite work schedules, there was little chance of ever sharing more than a few scattered nights together. Eve leaned over to check Josie’s phone. The alarm for the kittens’ next feeding was set for twenty minutes from now. She dismissed it. The least she could do was feed them before she left. And if Josie hadn’t woken by the time she’d finished, she would leave a note and let her sleep, because this wasn’t their last night together.

  Decision made, she slipped out of bed and opened the middle drawer of Josie’s dresser, familiar by now with where she kept her stash of T-shirts. She grabbed a plain black one, pulled it over her head, and went into the bathroom to freshen up. Then she walked to the kitchen to turn on the coffeepot and start warming up kitten formula.

  Fifteen minutes later, she was just finishing up as Josie walked into the room, still blinking the sleep from her eyes. Eve set Blanche in the playpen and stood to give Josie a kiss, managing to aggravate her back in the process. She winced. “Good morning.”

  “Morning,” Josie said, her voice scratchy, arms slipping around Eve’s waist.

  “I have to go to work.” Eve rested her forehead against Josie’s. “You should go back to sleep.”

  “I will,” Josie murmured. “But I wanted to see you before you left.”

  “You’ve seen me.” She gave her another kiss, lingering long enough to leave them both breathless, blood pumping, desire tingling low in her belly.

  “How soon do you have to be at work?” Josie asked, fingers wandering below the hem of Eve’s T-shirt, finding the evidence of her desire.

  She exhaled against Josie’s lips, resolve crumbling beneath her talented fingers. “I can be a few minutes late,” she whispered.

  Josie pushed her onto the couch, and Eve couldn’t help the hiss th
at escaped her lips as her sore back collided with Josie’s upholstery.

  “Sorry,” Josie murmured, hovering over her. “Your back?”

  Eve nodded. She reached up, intending to pull Josie against her, but the movement sent a spasm of pain up her spine, and she dropped her hand with a grimace.

  “Shit.” Josie sounded concerned now. “Did I hurt you?”

  She shook her head. “I tweaked it just now. It’ll be okay in a minute.”

  “Can I do anything?” Josie’s fingers traced gently over Eve’s sides.

  She shivered with pleasure. “No.”

  “How does ibuprofen and a back rub sound?” Josie asked, her fingers stroking slow circles over Eve’s ribs.

  She exhaled, imagining those fingers working their magic over her sore muscles, and… “Yes,” she breathed. “Please.”

  “Can you sit up?” Josie asked.

  Eve pushed her elbows into the cushion beneath her, raising herself partway before Josie’s hands slid around her, lifting her smoothly into a sitting position. She went into the kitchen, returning with two pills and a glass of water. Eve swallowed them and followed Josie into the bedroom. She pulled Eve in for a gentle kiss as she helped her out of her T-shirt, hands rubbing gently up and down her back. And fuck, that already felt amazing. Eve carefully arranged herself facedown on the bed.

  She heard Josie squirting lotion onto her hands, and she released a slow, deep breath in anticipation. Then Josie’s hands were on her, warm and slick, sliding over Eve’s shoulders, and it felt so good. She closed her eyes, feeling herself flinch as Josie’s fingers pressed into her sore spots.

  “Sorry,” Josie whispered.

  “No,” she breathed. “Keep going.”

  “You’re so tense… Jesus, Eve.”

  She wanted to cry as Josie’s thumbs pressed into a knot between her shoulder blades, but it was a good kind of pain, the kind that promised relief on the other side, the kind that reminded her how long it had been since she’d gone for a session with her chiropractor or even a massage. And this was so much more intimate…so comfortable, despite the pain. She kept breathing, inhaling the rose-petal scent of Josie’s lotion as her fingers worked out all of Eve’s kinks.