“You’ve come to the right place,” Avery said, walking over to the top of the staircase, sucking in a breath when she caught sight of Casey in a salmon-colored linen shirt. Avery had never guessed how fantastic she would look in that color, but it was perfect for her.
Casey acted like she was looking down at a delivery ticket. “Says here I’m supposed to deliver a fun-filled, yet emotion-packed twenty-four hours of lovemaking.” She peered up the stairs with a sly grin. “Will I get overtime for this?”
“Come up here and get to work,” Avery said, surprised to hear her voice already sounding smoky.
Casey walked in to close and lock both parts of the Dutch door. Then she took the stairs two at a time to stand in front of Avery. “Now I’m frozen,” she said, looking surprised. “All of a sudden, this feels like a very big deal.”
“Come on now. You’re taking this too seriously.” Avery approached her to rest her hands on Casey’s hips as her head tilted down. “Where’s my confident brewmaster, huh? I still remember how you sauntered up to our table at the Pub that first night we reconnected. You looked like you owned the place.”
“That’s my comfort zone. This…is a new one for me. “ She gazed into Avery’s eyes for a few moments. “I’ve grown to love women I’ve had sex with, but I’ve never had sex with a woman I already love. It feels…” Her forehead wrinkled slightly. “Like something we have to get right—like right now.”
“Not true at all,” Avery promised. “You’re just nervous because making love means a lot to you. You’re building this first time up in your mind a little too much.”
Her eyes opened wide, then blinked slowly. “It doesn’t mean a lot to you?”
“Of course it does. With you it means everything.” She let out a sigh, and pulled Casey even closer. “We’re going to get to show each other more of ourselves. That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” she said, nodding. “I like that.”
“I do too. I haven’t wanted to have casual sex ever since I had the baby.” She laughed a little. “Not that I’ve had people knocking down my door to get at me, of course. But even if there had been a line stretching out to the street I wouldn’t have wanted to. Now that I have Lisbet, I only want to do things that will make us a stronger family. And being your partner is definitely going to do that.”
“I always said you need at least four people to raise a baby,” she said, showing a lopsided grin.
“The two of us can handle it. I just want to make sure you understand I’m not choosing you mostly as a co-parent, Casey. You’re the main event.” She placed a tender kiss to her mouth. “I’m so lucky to be with someone I admire so much.”
“Do you really admire me?” she asked, looking adorably shy.
“Oh, yeah,” Avery said as she let her hands play along the muscles in her back. “I really do. There’s so much about you that I admire. I’ve actually got a long list that I’m going to tell you all about whenever you’re feeling down.”
She smiled sweetly, nodding a little. “I haven’t had someone to prop me up in a long time. I’m really looking forward to that.”
“I am too. For now, let’s just agree that you’ve got a pure soul, and if Lisbet can turn out anything like you, I’ll be thrilled.”
“Thanks.” She looked mischievous when she said, “You’re not so bad yourself, if we edit out your troubled teen years when you didn’t look out for the underdog.”
“I’m so glad you let yourself get to know me. I realize Lisbet was some great bait, but you still had to risk a little to get close.” She slid a hand behind her head and urged her forward until their lips were just an inch apart. “I’m so thankful for that.”
“I love you,” Casey whispered. As their lips met, her normal personality began to emerge, and Avery could feel her begin to loosen up, with the muscles in her back getting pliable. She sighed when their lips parted for a moment. “I’ve been dreaming about doing this for months, and now we’re here. Doing it,” she said, letting out a short laugh.
“We’ve got some ways to go until we’re actually doing it,” Avery said, seeing that Casey was up for some teasing. “But we’re getting there.”
“We’re definitely getting there.” She entered the bedroom and put her arms around Avery, holding her in an embrace that soothed her soul. With her soft breasts and that delicious curve to her hips there was no mistaking it was a woman’s body that held her tight, but those firm muscles added something—something fantastic.
Avery let out a soft moan, then Casey’s embrace tightened even more, possessively enveloping her. Now that they were so close, she kept her eyes closed and breathed her in. Some of the aromas that Avery had assumed were from work were just her. A delicate herbal scent clung to her skin, making Avery’s mouth water. There was something else, too, something that reminded her of spring, or maybe just the scent of the earth. It was real, and true, and natural. Just like Casey. No artifice. No posturing. She was the epitome of what you see is what you get, and Avery was so powerfully drawn to her it kept knocking her feet out from under her.
“Are you super tired?” Casey asked, chuckling softly. “Or do I make your knees weak?”
“Knees weak,” Avery replied lazily. “We’d better find someplace to lie down, or you’re going to have to carry me.”
“I can lift a fifty pound sack of grain and carry it up a ladder, but I learned today that you weigh a little more than that.” Casey leaned over and whispered into Avery’s ear. “You’re a lot sexier than a bag of grain, just in case you were wondering.”
“I know there’s a compliment in there…”
Casey put her hand on Avery’s chin and lifted it so their gazes were locked together. “If I start listing every part of you that I’m attracted to, we’ll still be right here at dawn.” She moved in for a long, slow kiss, which once again made Avery think that her knees might not hold her up. Then Casey pulled back to say, “The quick version is that you’re the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen, and everything inside here…” She patted over Avery’s heart. “Is more attractive than all of the other parts put together.” With a silly grin, she ran her hands over Avery’s body, touching from her shoulders to her thighs and back up again. “But I think,” she added, with her grin growing stronger. “I might have to double-check.”
When Avery wrapped her arms around Casey’s neck, she slowly backed up until she was perched on the edge of the desk. “I didn’t want you to get a stiff neck from kissing me,” she said, her easy smile slightly dichotomous to the sexy edge her voice had taken on.
“We could go to bed,” Avery said, appreciating how much more intense Casey’s eyes were from this angle.
“We haven’t earned it yet,” she said, not explaining herself more fully before she put her hands low on Avery’s back and pulled her in close. “Show me how you feel,” she murmured, having grasped Avery in a very firm hold.
Avery took in a deep breath, welcoming Casey’s clean, herbal scent into her body before threading her fingers through her hair. Then she poured her heart into the kisses she was sure she’d never have enough of. Casey responded just like she’d dreamed she would, opening herself up without reservation, completely in the moment.
She simply couldn’t get enough of the feel of her sturdy body, the silkiness of her mouth, or the tenderness of her touch. The hands that roamed over her body were as gentle as any Avery had ever experienced, but they were focused and determined as well.
Her own hands were just as active as her mouth. As the kisses grew hotter, her questing touch centered on Casey’s back, probing the muscles that felt so firm, yet were covered by silky soft skin.
Avery’s determined fingers sought out the hem of her shorts, then slid up and down her leg, barely resisting the powerful urge to travel all the way up. But playing at this bit by bit was kind of a charge, and creeping along at a snail’s pace was making the whole experience hotter.
Casey seemed to have an insatia
ble appetite for kissing, and Avery happily let her take the lead. There was something so incredibly alluring about a woman who knew where she wanted to go, and could keep them right on track. But Avery couldn’t go along without attending to her own agenda. She kept pulling away from the increasingly hot kisses to bury her face into the crook of Casey’s neck to breathe in lustily. “God, I love the way you smell,” she murmured, feeling slightly drunk from the sensation.
“We’re getting so close to earning that bed,” Casey whispered, with her words having lost their crispness, too.
Avery rested her forehead against Casey’s, taking a second to catch her breath. Then she dove back in again, slipping her hands under her breasts to feel their weight, marveling that they felt like they’d been made expressly for her enjoyment.
She’d never been partial to any particular size of breast, but she was very, very fond of shape. The ones that always caught her attention were those exactly like Casey’s—round and full. She hadn’t intentionally started to purr, but she was certain the satisfied sound she heard was coming from her own chest.
Casey gripped her hands and pressed them into herself, sucking in a shuddering breath as she pressed firmly. “My nipples are so hard they ache,” she murmured. “I can’t wait until you kiss them—”
Before she could finish the sentence, Avery stood tall to get some leverage, wrapped her arms around Casey’s waist, and pulled her along as she backed up to the bed. “I don’t care if I’ve earned the right to be here or not,” she said, laughing as she sank onto the mattress. “I can’t stand up any longer, and you’re coming with me.”
Casey stood in front of her, gazing down with a sexy smile. The emotion of the moment hit Avery hard, and she pulled Casey close, grasping her thighs as she held her tightly. “I love getting to know your body,” she said softly as she rested her head on her belly. “It feels as good as it looks, by the way. I still pull up that image of you in your swimsuit when I need help getting to sleep.”
“You do? Really?”
“Uh-huh. Better than porn, which really isn’t my thing.”
“Mine either. My imagination lets me see exactly what I want… Which is you, if I haven’t made that clear.”
Their eyes met for another tender moment. While Avery couldn’t know exactly what was in Casey’s heart, the expression on her face revealed everything she needed to know. No one could summon up a look that conveyed so much love if she didn’t feel it deep in her heart.
Closing her eyes, Avery unzipped Casey’s shorts and let them drop to the floor. Then she leaned forward to kiss her belly, relishing the warmth as well as the flawless skin that her skimpy purple bikinis revealed. Her hands reached around to cup Casey’s very firm ass as she let out a sigh. “If this is what climbing up and down ladders with sacks of grain does for a body…”
“I only carry grain on the climb up,” she said, laughing a little. “The sack’s empty when I come back down.”
“Come back down here,” Avery said. She lay back, waiting for Casey to lie on top of her. But she took a little detour, winding up next to her.
“I’m trying to be careful until I know how gentle I have to be,” she said, as her hand hovered over Avery’s breast. “The last time we talked about it, you said these beauties were off limits.”
“No more. I wouldn’t go wild, but they’re only slightly more tender than they ever were.” She took Casey’s hand and settled it gently upon her breast. “One warning. Don’t suck on them if you don’t want a surprise.”
“Um, that’s not one of my turn-ons. I think I prefer breasts that are just ornamental.” She moved her hand to the side, jiggling the flesh as her smile grew. “They feel fantastic,” she murmured softly. “If I can forget they’re functional, they’re a huge turn-on.”
“They won’t need to function for much longer. Lisbet’s losing interest, so it won’t be long until my breasts can be all for you.”
“They’re cranking me up just fine right now, so there’s no need to rush.” She ran her hand down Avery’s side as she kissed her again, keeping up the pressure until they were facing each other, tongues gently teasing. “Even though I’m crazy for breasts, every part of you is sexy.”
Once again, Avery felt the brakes begin to take hold, and her annoyance with herself flared. Being fixated on the changes her body had gone through was so stupid, but she couldn’t help herself. “Um, I’m not sure what I was doing agreeing to have our first time be in the light of day, but I guess you’d eventually see everything. Just believe me when I tell you this body’s peak was only two years ago. I might be able to get close to that—”
“Shh,” Casey said, pulling back to look at her soberly. “I know you’re joking a little, but I’m not interested in you because of a flat belly or a rock-hard butt. I’m not here because of your body at all, Avery. I love you, and I’ll continue to love you when you’re thirty or forty or fifty years older.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, hating to hear the neediness in her own voice.
“Positive. We all fall apart physically, so it’s a damn good idea to love the whole person.” She pulled back further and gave her a cute smile. “I know you’re attracted to more than hard bodies, because I’m certain you would have made a play for Faith if she’d been a lesbian.”
“She’s very cute,” Avery agreed, feeling some of her unease lessen. “Her age wouldn’t have been a barrier, but her husband would have been. I don’t shop when I can’t buy.”
“Well, if she ever gets single, and you convince me to have an open-relationship, and believe me, you’d need all of your salesmanship skills for that, Faith can be your third.”
“Not yours?”
“One’s plenty for me,” she said, smiling again. “I’m confident you’ll keep me busy.”
“God, I hope so,” Avery murmured. “I want to be enough for you. I promise I’ll work hard to keep the spark alive.”
“You don’t need to work hard,” Casey said, stroking her gentle hand across Avery’s features. “Just be yourself, and let me get inside. Simple. Really simple.”
“Kiss me again,” Avery sighed. “When you kiss me, I believe every word.”
“Then I’ll just have to keep kissing you until you’re a true believer,” she said, with that slow, sexy smile covering her mouth again. Casey placed a few delicate kisses to her lips, then tilted her head slightly to trail gentle bites across her throat, winding up at her ear, Avery’s most sensitive spot. She let out a gurgle as Casey’s talented tongue artfully painted the skin all around it, nibbling on the flesh, but never getting too aggressive. Perfection.
Avery was just about to touch Casey again when determined hands started to unbutton her blouse. Then her jeans were open, with the cool spring air tickling her skin. Casey’s hand teased her flesh as her tongue mirrored the touch across her neck and ears, making Avery float on a cloud of sensation, without a single worry about the health of her libido. She was back.
With a surge of energy, she shifted her body to lie upon Casey, loving the way their bodies compressed against one another. “I love you,” she murmured. “I’m so happy you’re mine.”
“I’m all yours,” Casey said, grinning sexily. “And I’m going to show you how much I want you the minute I wrestle your clothes off.”
“I can help,” Avery said, starting to roll off so she could sit up. But Casey gently pulled her back down and began to tug her shorts off her body. “I love to undress a sexy woman, so you can just forget how to do this for yourself. I’ll take over.”
“I’ve already forgotten how to work a zipper. You’ll be my official dresser.”
“Mmm,” Casey murmured when she slipped Avery’s undies off with just a little help as Avery lifted her hips. “I can’t guess what you looked like two years ago, but if you don’t think this body’s awesome, your standards are messed up.” She flipped her onto her back, then dipped her head and kissed all across Avery’s belly, making her giggle. “C
ome on,” Casey teased. “Admit your standards are messed up.”
“Stop!” she begged, gripping her shoulders to push her away.
But Casey was relentless, and she came back for more, this time with soft, slow kisses. The instinct to push her away dissolved in an instant, and Avery just closed her eyes to let her meander, consciously letting go of her niggling insecurities about her body. If Casey found her sexy, it was crazy to try to convince her she was wrong.
That soft, silky mouth kept searching, covering every part of Avery’s belly, then her thighs. Gentle hands bracketed her breasts, with Casey squeezing them slightly as she growled.
Then she put her hands on the bed and easily pushed herself up until she hovered over Avery’s chest. “I’m going to wait to dive in until I don’t have to share these, but I can’t resist a little exploration.”
“All yours. They don’t feel like they’re part of my sexual response right now, but they used to be a big factor. I’m confident we can reprogram them.”
“Well, I was into them long before Lisbet was, so…”
“You were? Really? Back then?”
“Uh-huh. I thought about you a lot after we met that night at the brewery, wishing things had been different.”
“They are now,” Avery said, stroking her head gently. “Things are fantastic.”
“And getting better by the minute.” With a playful grin, she rested on her forearms and nuzzled against Avery’s breasts, limiting herself to the flesh not covered by the bra. She moved around delicately, pressing her lips into the cleavage, then audibly sniffing her. Her appetite seemed limitless, and Avery simply watched her enjoy herself, occasionally stroking her hair.
Even though Casey was clearly trying to control herself, she started to get a little rambunctious, nuzzling until she was panting softly. Then she pushed herself up to rest on her fists, elbows locked, her gaze unfocused. “I’m not as disciplined as I thought I was. My brakes almost gave way.”
Friday Night Flights Page 46
