“Are you sure?” Molly said. “Would you be okay with that?” She turned to me.
“It would be better than that terrible apartment, no offense. But that place is awful.” It really was.
“Really?” Molly said, squeezing my hand.
“Of course.”
“Oh, goody,” Mom said, clapping her hands. “Now I’ll get to see Daisy Grace because she’ll come over to see you.” I rolled my eyes. I saw my mom at least twice a week, if not more. And if I didn’t see her enough (or enough by her standards), she would just come to the café.
Once again, my mom was getting exactly what she wanted. I guess I was too.
“Oh, this is going to be such fun. Both my girls!” Mom hugged us both again, hard enough to almost crack one of my ribs.
“What have I gotten myself into?” I said when she let me go.
“A whole lot of trouble,” Molly said, kissing my nose.
Seven
Molly and I went back to her place, grabbed a bunch of her things—which left her apartment even more empty—and went back to my apartment.
“I can’t believe my mother has found yet another way to guilt me into coming over all the time. She’s an evil genius.” I flopped onto the couch and Molly sat next to me, drawing her feet up under herself.
“You have to admit, it’s kind of perfect. Cheap rent and I don’t have to live in a cinderblock nightmare anymore.” True. It really was an idea situation.
“Hey, I told you I loved you,” I said, suddenly remembering.
“Yeah, you did.” Molly grinned. “That was fast.” Was it, really?
“I mean, I’m pretty sure that I’ve been in love with you and I just told myself that was what best friends did when we were kids. I’m pretty sure that friends don’t want to kiss their friends all the time.” Molly nodded.
“True. I used to check out your boobs a lot. I told myself I was just measuring them against mine. It’s funny the little lies we tell ourselves to fit in.” It was. I was still unpacking all the things I’d done to try and seem heterosexual for all those years. Made me feel like shit when I thought about it.
“So we’re doing this. All in?” I asked. Molly leaned in. I was captured by her eyes and her smile and just how gorgeous she was. How was it possible to be that pretty?
“All in,” she said and then she kissed me. This time, she was the one to push things further by licking my bottom lip and then when I admitted her to my mouth, she climbed into my lap.
“I want you so much,” she said, pulling back and raking my hair out of my face.
“I want you too,” I said, squeezing her ass.
“Mmmm,” she said, grinding her hips against me. “What happened to waiting?”
“Fuck that,” I said and she laughed.
“Fair enough.” My mouth went back to hers and this time I wasn’t going to hesitate. Like I had flipped a switch. Love on.
I got my fingers under the straps of her dress and pushed them down her shoulders. She hiked up the dress, pulling it over her head and tossed it and it landed on the TV. Molly sat up so I could remove my shirt.
“I’ve seen you without a shirt on so many times, but it still takes my breath away,” she said, brushing her fingers along my collarbone and pushing my bra straps down my shoulders so she could kiss them. Need roared in my skull and I shifted so that she was on her back on the couch and I was above her again.
“You gonna top me?” she said, smiling and biting her lip.
“Maybe a little. We can switch.” I looked down at her in just her underwear, asking her with my eyes if it was okay. She nodded.
“If you want to stop, just tell me,” I said. Her fingers tangled in my hair as I kissed my way down her stomach and paused at the band of her underwear. I kissed the little bow on them and she moaned.
“What do you want?” I said, resting my chin on her stomach.
“I want you.”
“You want me where?” Her response was to thrust her hips upward. Okay, message received.
“Fuck, you’re so beautiful, Molly,” I said, brushing my fingers over her underwear. She made a little noise and pushed against me, so I stroked her again.
“More,” she said, her eyes shuttered closed, one hand still in my hair. I hadn’t even touched her with my mouth yet, but this was turning me on so much I could barely stand it.
I moved my hand a little lower and pushed her panties aside so I could really see her. Fuck. Fucking hell. She was beautiful and wet and I just wanted to put my mouth on her.
But first, I wanted to tease her a little more. I stroked her with one finger and she gasped. I did that for so long that she made a frustrated sound, so I slowly dipped one finger inside and her hand clenched so hard on my hair, I was sure she’d pulled out a few strands. They’d grow back.
I flicked my tongue out once and her hips jacked off the couch, reaching for me again.
“Patience,” I said, looking up at her. She was so stunning like this, her skin all flushed and her eyes glowing.
“Fuck that,” she said and yanked at my hair a little. Whatever she wanted. I’d do whatever she wanted.
So I did. I licked her and sucked on her clit and fucked her with my fingers until she was a complete mess, moaning my name and coming hard.
Twice.
I lifted my face and smiled at her as she came down from her second orgasm.
“Fuck. I wish we’d been doing that when we were younger.” I wiped my face and crawled up her body so I could kiss her.
“But I probably wouldn’t have been as good. I’ve had years of tongue practice.”
She gave me a smile and a tired laugh.
“I love you so much,” she said.
“I love you. And I loved that. I plan on devoting a lot of time to getting you off, just so you know.” Molly kissed me.
“Now it’s your turn.” She flipped so she was on top of me. Her hands went immediately to my pants and she yanked them off with so much enthusiasm I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Molly just gave me a wicked smile that promised I wouldn’t be laughing shortly.
*^*^*
Somehow we made it back to my bed and lay curled up together, still catching up on the years we’d missed. I heard more about her ex, which should have bothered me more than it did. Mostly what bothered me was that her ex had gotten to have those years with her and I hadn’t.
“Did you ever think it could be like this?” I asked her in the wee hours of the morning. I had to work the next day, but I’d drink a Red Bull and deal.
“Honestly, no. I hoped though. I thought about you so many times. I thought about that kiss over and over. And then I told myself that I was making more out of it than it was. Brains are fun that way.” I nodded. I knew exactly what she meant.
“So, does this mean you’re my girlfriend?” she asked with the cutest little grin.
I sighed and rolled my eyes.
“I guess.” She smacked me on the arm.
“Don’t act so excited about it,” she said. I kissed her.
“Yes, I will be your girlfriend, Molly Madison. I would like nothing more.” I waited to be terrified again, but nope. All I could feel was happiness.
“Good, because I don’t plan on letting you go again. I plan on attaching myself to you. You’re not gonna shake me, Daisy Grace.” She kissed my shoulder and then lightly bit it.
“Like a sexy barnacle,” I said. “The sexiest barnacle.” She scrunched her face up and I did the same until we started kissing again and then all bets were off and sleep just wasn’t going to happen.
We could sleep some other time.
*^*^*
“You look like shit,” Anna said the next day when I stumbled into work.
“Thanks, I feel awesome.” My voice was raw from talking with Molly all night, and I was a little sore from all our other activities too. I knew I probably looked like death warmed up, but it didn’t matter. It was totally worth it and I
planned on doing the same thing the next night and every night for the foreseeable future. Except on those nights when I stayed at Mom’s. Molly had a few weeks left in her month-to-month lease, so as soon as she could, she’d be taking up residence in the guest room there.
“Please tell me it’s because you got laid and you weren’t up all night watching baking shows,” she said as she set fresh flowers on the tables. I just gave her a mischievous grin that made her run over to me, grab my arm, forced me to sit down, and tell her everything. For someone who wasn’t really into romance for herself, Anna sure loved to hear about it when other people were involved.
“I knew it,” she said when I told her what had happened with Molly. “I totally called it. I win.” I just rolled my eyes at her.
“One of these days, someone is going to nab your heart and then we’re all going to laugh.” She snorted.
“Yeah, like that’s going to happen. I like my freedom. I like being able to do what I want. I love love, but it’s just not for me. C’est la vie,” she said, getting to her feet and doing a little twirl.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” I said. I had pretty much thought the same thing less than a week ago. And now here I was with an official girlfriend. Life could change in the blink of an eye. You just had to be ready to grab on and go with it.
My phone buzzed and I wondered who was texting me this early. I looked down to find a picture of Molly making a pouty face. Her message said that she missed me.
“Ugh, you’re disgusting and I love it,” Anna said from over my shoulder.
“Just you wait,” I said. “Just you wait.” I got up and went back to the bakery. I had bread to bake and muffins to make and a girlfriend to dream about while I did all of that.
What had I been so scared of?
Epilogue
Six months later, I couldn’t believe how much everything had changed. I was at my mother’s, wearing the ugliest Christmas sweater I’d ever seen, and I was peering under the tree and trying to figure out what was in all of the wrapped boxes. There was one thing in particular I was hoping to get.
“What do you think you’re doing?” a voice said behind me. I paused in the act of shaking a box and set it down slowly.
“Nothing,” I said, turning around and finding my girlfriend with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed.
“You’re trying to figure out what’s in them and it’s not going to work. You have to wait until tomorrow. That’s how this whole thing works.” She gave me her hand and pulled me to my feet. Mom was belting out carols in the kitchen and Molly twirled me around the living room.
“I know what you’re looking for in those boxes and you’re only going to get it if you’re very, very nice.” I spun us toward the arch where my mom had hung some mistletoe. Just for us.
“And what if I’m very, very naughty?” I asked, pulling her closer.
“Then I’ll love you anyway,” she said before kissing me.
Molly Madison. My best friend. My love. My everything.
She was totally going to be my wife.
The ring was waiting in her stocking. Waiting for tomorrow. She had no idea and I couldn’t wait to see her face when she figured it out. And I couldn’t wait to hear her say that she would be mine forever.
“Best love forever,” she said.
“Best love forever,” I agreed and we went to the kitchen where mom handed us glasses of spiked egg nog.
“To love,” she said.
“To love,” Molly and echoed.
“And to grandchildren,” Mom added.
“One step at a time, Mom,” I said. She sighed.
“I can dream.”
Acknowledgements:
Firstly, I have to thank EVERYONE who was so supportive of my book Style. I honestly had NO idea that a YA f/f romance would do that well. Seriously, that book is keeping a roof over my head. Y’all have asked for MORE f/f, so I figured, why not? So you’re the reason this book happened. I’d also like to thank my editor, Laura, for doing this at lightning speed. You’re the best. I’d also like to thank my wonderful girlfriend for being so encouraging and making me laugh when I didn’t know it was possible. Thanks also go to Brandi, who is a tireless supporter of me and my work. You’re the BEST. Thank you so much for your support. Lastly, thanks go out to my online queer community who has been the best support system for this garbage fire of a year. Let’s hope for a better 2017?
About the author:
Chelsea M. Cameron is a New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.
Other books by Chelsea M. Cameron:
Nocturnal (The Noctalis Chronicles, Book One)
Nightmare (The Noctalis Chronicles, Book Two)
Neither (The Noctalis Chronicles, Book Three)
Neverend (The Noctalis Chronicles, Book Four)
Whisper (The Whisper Trilogy, Book One)
Deeper We Fall (Fall and Rise, Book One)
Faster We Burn (Fall and Rise, Book Two)
Together We Heal
My Favorite Mistake (Available from Harlequin)
My Sweetest Escape (Available from Harlequin)
Our Favorite Days (My Favorite Mistake, Book Three)
Sweet Surrendering
Surrendering to Us
Dark Surrendering
For Real (Rules of Love, Book One)
For Now (Rules of Love, Book Two)
Deep Surrendering
UnWritten
Behind Your Back
Back to Back
Bend Me, Break Me
Style
Brooks (Benson Brothers, Book One)
Find Chelsea online:
chelseamcameron.com
Twitter: @chel_c_cam
Facebook: Chelsea M. Cameron (Official Author Page)
Sign up for her Patreon!
Second Kiss is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, business establishments or locales is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2016 Chelsea M. Cameron
Editing by Laura Helseth with Read Head Editing
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