by Anna Cove
Grinning, Dylan leaned down and kissed her on the lips, and when she pulled away, she looked at her so intensely, so seriously, that Laura started sweating under her gaze. Or perhaps the sweat was just from the exertion of the hike.
Laura groaned and stood, stretching her back. "Shall we go?"
Dylan practically leapt off the rock. "Why don't we swap packs? I could use some time with Aaron."
Laura eyed Dylan. She knew exactly what the other woman was doing. But the hike was steep, and Laura didn't see an end to it anytime soon. Aaron's ten pounds of weight were starting to feel like thirty. She shrugged and unclasped the pack. Then she helped Dylan buckle it around her waist.
If that wasn't enough to make her feel cared for, Dylan leaned down and kissed the top of Aaron's head. Then she intertwined her fingers with Laura's and started back up the mountain.
Butterflies took flight in Laura's stomach and lungs. This had been her dream. This, right here, and it was coming true. She was never this lucky. Tears pricked her eyes, and a lump lodged in her throat. She looked away, trying to pull herself together.
"Have you noticed that this road goes straight up?" Dylan asked after a few minutes of silence.
Laura had managed to quell whatever emotion had overtaken her and was able to focus on what Dylan had said to her. Still, she could only manage a couple words. "That's strange."
"It's because it was an actual road at one point. This is why I wanted to bring you up here. Because the road leads to what's up ahead, just up there."
A few steps later, Laura could see what Dylan was referring to. Beyond the leaves of the trees and the saplings, a looming facade rose out of the ground. Its windows were empty, its doors were gone, but Laura could feel herself getting excited. Despite how sapped her legs felt from the nearly straight-up hike, she found new energy and jogged up to its front door, spreading her arms out wide. "It's a ruin."
"It was a hotel in the early nineteen hundreds. I thought you might like it, but I wasn't sure since you've probably traveled before."
"No, I've never had time to travel. I've been working so hard for so many years. I just never got to it. I always wanted to see the pyramids and Machu Picchu and the Great Wall of China. Can't you just feel the history seeping from this?" Laura could. The food, the atmosphere. The grand parties that no doubt took place. When was the last time she'd paused long enough to seek out something like this? Something that fed her soul?
Dylan was looking smug, and it was a good look on her. So easygoing. So different from the wound-up tension at their first meeting. Closer to what Laura had seen at the regatta. Laura reached out a hand, and Dylan took it. "Exercise looks good on you."
"I don't know whether that's a compliment or not."
"It is. Take it. Come on in here." Laura pulled her through the door of the facade. Her brain worked furiously to recreate what once was. "You can see the fireplace there. This must have been the lobby or the dining room. Ugh, I wish I could go back and see what it was like back then. The dancing, the music, the warmth..."
Dylan took her hand away from Laura, and Laura's attention shifted to the absence.
Dylan removed her sunglasses, and her eyes, lighter today than ever and sparkling in the sun, held Laura's gaze as she attempted a bow while holding Aaron to her so he wouldn't fall out. "Milady. Will you do me the honor of this dance?"
Laura lifted a pretend skirt in a curtsy. "It would be my greatest pleasure."
Dylan held her arms out in a rigid frame and Laura set her hands in them. Aaron was between them, asleep and nuzzled against Dylan. Then Dylan started dancing. Laura stumbled. "Agh, I can't—"
"Just let go and let me lead."
Laura stopped trying to guess where Dylan would go next and let her body follow. They swooped around in front of the fireplace, in and out of the dappled shade from the trees, their feet rustling the degrading leaves as they danced. A joy radiated from Laura's center. The only thing keeping her from dragging Dylan down into the leaves and tearing off her clothes was Aaron.
Laura stumbled as she lost her concentration but regained her footing in the next moment thanks to Dylan's steady lead.
"Where did you learn to dance like this?" she asked.
"Katie and I took lessons before our wedding, or I should say, Katie made us take lessons before our wedding. She was a pain in my ass like that, always making me do things I didn't want to. Now I'm happy she did."
It was the first time Laura had heard her talk about Katie like this. It felt like a milestone, though maybe Laura was just making it up. Wishful thinking.
"You're amazing, Dylan Wilson," she said again. "I mean it. I've never met anyone like you."
Dylan stopped where two of the crumbling walls met in a corner. She let go of Laura's arms and placed her hands on the concrete on either side of Laura's head. Then she leaned forward and kissed her in a way that Laura couldn't mistake, even with the rest of her body on the other side of the sleeping Aaron. Only their lips were touching, but Dylan expertly added and removed pressure, took Laura's bottom lip between hers, freed it, nudged her tongue inside and coaxed Laura's out.
It was the sexiest thing Laura had done in a long time, and she moaned.
Dylan pulled away and her breath was as ragged as Laura's. "You drive me crazy when you moan like that. I'm done taking it slow. I want you."
Laura's heart sprouted wings that began to flutter. "How about tonight? At my house? Aaron will go to sleep at seven and we can have dinner and..."
Dylan was shaking her head. "I don't want dinner. Just you. I can't wait any longer. I want to taste you. I want to see you."
Laura swallowed as a river practically gushed into her panties. She imagined herself in another life, in another time, wrapping her legs around Dylan and doing the deed right there in that semi-secluded spot, where someone discovering them would be half the pleasure.
But these were different times, more complicated times, so Laura had to shut down that adventurous part of her, hold off the need clawing at her insides, so she could act responsibly. For Aaron.
"There you are." Both heads whipped around to see Sky standing in the doorway to the old hotel, hands on hips. "Where have you two been? I've already reached the peak and come back."
I wish I had already been to the peak and back, thought Laura, but kept that thought to herself.
"We'll be right there," she said instead.
Boring. But she could make it more interesting.
Before Dylan took away her little protective circle, Laura nipped at her earlobe. "Tonight's the night, Dylan. Get ready. I'm going to blow you away."
Then she ducked under Dylan's arm. It would be a long hike down the mountain, but at least now she wasn't the only one who would suffer.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
DYLAN DIDN'T FEEL NERVOUS until she was in Laura's bedroom, waiting for her to finish putting Aaron down. Then the nerves came because she wasn't nervous. This was a big deal. What if it committed her to something she couldn't easily extract herself from? What if sex change their relationship? Was Dylan ready? Should she be doing this?
Yes, was the resounding answer from inside, and she was slowly learning to listen to that voice again. Her need for Laura was becoming an impossible distraction. Plus, she knew Laura. She really liked her. She trusted her and found her very attractive. They were both single. There was no reason to withhold any longer. It was just sex.
Sex for the first time after Katie.
Dylan stood at the window staring out at the tree line. "All right Katie, now's the time. If you don't approve—strike us down or something."
But there were only a few puffy clouds in the sky and none that threatened lightning.
"You're going to have to be more direct. I'm sure after three years you have the connections up there to give me a heart attack or something."
In Dylan's mind, she heard Katie laugh. A laugh that she hadn't heard in three years but one that was so rich and unique that
Dylan would never forget it.
Something had shifted since she'd met Laura. Before, she had been so overcome by grief she was unable to appreciate the joy Katie had brought to her life. Now, she could see it, remember it, and appreciate their relationship for what it was. Was it Laura who had opened her to that? Not really, but it was the fact that she was falling for someone again, experiencing feelings similar to the ones she experienced with Katie, that made her remember the good times.
There hadn't been an arrow pointing to Laura yet, or one defining moment that told Dylan she was the one, but it didn't matter any more. Their attraction had grown to the point where it could no longer be ignored.
This felt like a momentous shift, one she wanted to shout from the rooftops, or at least whisper to Skylar, who had been trying to get her out of her slump for years. Later. She would tell her later.
Dylan sat on the edge of the bed, facing the door, and waited. Five minutes later Laura came into the room, smiled at her, and shut the door quietly behind her.
"That should do it." She tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear. It flowed over her shoulder like a golden waterfall. "Hopefully."
Dylan couldn't speak for all the need that surged through her in that moment. She held out her hand.
Laura's eyes darkened to a mossy green as she approached the bed.
"I haven't done this in a long time," Dylan said, finding some words at last. "So, you'll have to excuse me if I'm clumsy or awkward."
"No need. I haven't either. With a man or a woman. And my body—it's—well, you know, I just had a baby and it's a little strange. Even to me."
Dylan placed her fingers on Laura's lips. "You're beautiful."
She couldn't bear hearing her put herself down. Laura's self-confidence was one of her sexiest characteristics. Once Dylan dropped her fingers from her lips, Laura looked at her with her wide eyes and her freckles. Her long hair fell in waves, like a creek bed shifting this way and that.
Dylan stood and weaved her hands through Laura's hair, resting her fingers on the back of her head. She drew her toward her for a kiss that was soft and thorough. Laura's hands trailed around her back, landing on the small of her spine, delicate and soft. Dylan kissed her deeper, thrusting her tongue into her mouth. She hungered for Laura more than she remembered hungering for anyone.
She sat on the bed and tried to drag Laura down with her, but Laura stood firm. Her pupils were dilated, lips parted, her hair mussed from Dylan's hands.
"I want you to be sure," she said.
"I'm sure." Dylan tugged her hand while leaning back, drawing Laura down on top of her.
Now Laura's hair surrounded them both, and Dylan grew drunk on the fresh apple blossom scent of those strands. They were in their own cocoon, surrounded by all that luscious hair, protecting them from everything on the outside. From Katie, from Aaron, from Sky. It was just them. Alone. Finally.
Dylan reached her hands up Laura's T-shirt to find a heavy bra. She hesitated, pulling back. "Is it okay to touch you here?"
Laura reached behind her and unclasped the bra. When she pulled it out through her shirt, it had an obscene number of clips. She dropped it on the ground. Without saying anything, she guided Dylan's hands to her breasts.
Then she leaned down and kissed Dylan.
Her breasts were warm, one fuller than the other. Dylan wasn't sure what would feel good, so she let her fingers trail in a circle around the outer edges of Laura's breasts, under her breasts, over the tops, focusing on dragging her tongue along her lips in the same way.
Laura started to whimper, thrusting her hips into Dylan. "That feels amazing. It's so—oh God, I might come right now. They're so sensitive."
"Not so fast." Dylan cradled Laura's back and rolled her onto the bed, laying her out flat. She lowered her body over Laura's, their legs overlapping. Laura, Dylan, Laura, Dylan. Then she started her slow process. She lifted Laura's shirt and traced the faint lines on her stomach. She leaned down and kissed them. "Every inch of you is beautiful," she said.
Laura's full bottom lip trembled before she bit the right side with her top teeth.
Sweet woman. I will make you see your beauty.
Dylan coaxed Laura's T-shirt the rest of the way over Laura's arms. She was starting to remember now, like driving a car or riding a bike, her instincts taking over. She kissed around the edges of Laura's breasts in the places she'd trailed her fingers until Laura was moaning and writhing.
"Don't stop, please."
Dylan paused, feeling a smile come over her face. She made eye contact with Laura and held her gaze. Then she pushed one hand down Laura's yoga pants and settled her palm over her undies. She could feel the dampness—a dampness that was for her. Because of her.
She moved Laura's panties aside and ran her fingers along her folds. Laura arched and panted, continuing to bite the corner of her lower lip. Dylan tugged Laura's pants down over her hips and her strong legs. She shoved Laura's panties aside, found Laura swollen and ready for her, and pushed a finger inside. Laura's need oozed into her hand. Dylan continued to hold Laura's gaze, watching for any twitch of the mouth or widening of the eye to indicate what she liked, adding another finger, and letting her thumb gently encircle her clit.
Laura's eyes fluttered closed, her breathing becoming labored. Dylan felt like she was playing a perfectly tuned instrument. Laura's voice rose in pitch as she moaned. Her body began to tremble. She was losing hold on her control. Just watching made the tension in Dylan rise. She moved her fingers faster, thrusting with conviction between Laura's legs. Moments later Laura's whole face seemed to squeeze shut as she arched, let out a stifled cry, and spasmed around Dylan's fingers.
Dylan slowed, moving against Laura's spasms, and realized that her mouth was open as she had watched the pure beauty that was Laura come all over her hand. She leaned down to kiss her on that swollen pulsing place, to make her do it all over again, but before she could get in more than a lick, Laura scrambled out from under her, and with the eyes of a feline, tackled her onto the bed.
"Now, it's your turn," she said, her eyes glowing with lust, the amber more apparent than ever. She held both of Dylan's hands above her head, pinning them to the mattress.
Laura worked the button of Dylan's jean shorts and popped it open, shoving her hand inside. She wasn't gentle or supple any longer, she was a female lion with her prey. When her fingers met Dylan's center, she bit the corner of her lip and growled. "You're so fucking wet."
"And you're so fucking hot." Straining against Laura's surprising strong grip on her wrists, she reached up to nip at Laura's bottom lip.
Laura growled again and let the weight of her body down on Dylan. She kissed her jaw line over her chin, down her neck. She sat up, straddling her, and in the next instant started tugging Dylan's shirt over her head.
Her hunger for Dylan was evident in the flash of her eyes. Dylan had never seen such raw hunger, and soon, she found herself unable to watch any longer. She let the lids of her eyes drop closed.
Laura's hot lips settled over her nipples, nipping and licking them until they stood at attention, until they shot laser beams of need to her center. At the same time, Laura's fingers found her folds.
Dylan was aware of every little touch, her mind following what her eyes didn't. As Laura descended, moving her licks, her kisses down the center of her chest, Dylan practically shook with anticipation. Laura let go of Dylan's hands, then peeled Dylan's shorts down off her legs.
She felt a whoosh of cool air on her pussy, and then warmth closed over her. In seconds, she lost that hold on her mind and she just felt. Her body became a sensual machine, completely devoid of the analysis that had dominated it for so long.
At the ministrations of Laura's tongue, lapping on her clit, Dylan felt herself moving on her fingers, silently asking for more. Faster. Laura split her fingers and pushed a knuckle along Dylan's perineum, and she couldn't hold on any longer.
She came hard and fast and lon
g, and it shattered her into a million pieces.
But Laura wasn't done there. Just when Dylan thought she couldn't take any more, Laura licked her again, and she came instantly, this time even harder and without preamble.
The white exploding blindness was a total sensory overload.
When she rejoined the living again, Laura kissed her. "I told you I'd blow you away."
"I never doubted you," Dylan said, her voice husky. Had she screamed? She couldn't remember. Her throat felt raw as if she had.
Laura fell onto Dylan's outstretched arm and together they let their breathing return to a normal, relaxed speed. Laura turned to her, nestling into her body, and Dylan wrapped her arm around her tightly.
She searched for feelings of guilt, but if they were ever there, they had vanished without a trace. "I'm so glad we did that."
"Me too." Laura smiled, her skin dewy, her freckles making her look like the picture of innocence, though Dylan now knew better. The evidence of the feline had faded, and now Dylan felt like she had a kitten rather than a lion in her arms. She kissed her forehead, letting her lips linger.
When she finished, Laura kissed her on the lips, softly. She perched up on her elbows, her spine arching slightly, the curve of her lower back sexy as hell. "Can we do that again?"
Dylan's hand wrapped around to the swell of her ass. "A million times, I hope. Just give me a few minutes to put myself back together."
Dylan hadn't felt so at peace in a long time. There was no pressure to do anything except be here with Laura. She didn't have to be saving anyone or mourning anyone. It was safe in this room.
"I love your tattoos." Laura's finger trailed along the arrow of Dylan's collarbone. "What do they mean?"
"Half of them I got when I was a teenager and I thought they just looked cool. The arrow. And the molar as well on my bicep."
"I was wondering about that one."
"Yeah, totally ridiculous seventeen-year-old me thought it was unique and looked cool. My mother freaked out."
