by Nell Stark
“I need you to suck me.”
Vesper’s pupils swelled, nearly drowning out the green. Smoothly, she ducked her head and closed her mouth around the hard ball of Nova’s nipple. The moist heat and soft pressure conspired to wring a low moan from Nova’s throat. The swirl of Vesper’s tongue made sparks of pleasure dance between Nova’s breasts and the juncture of her thighs, and when Vesper used her teeth, Nova’s hips jerked off the mattress.
Vesper backed off and settled on her heels. Her hair was a river of red flowing down over her shoulders. “So responsive,” she said, toying with the elastic of Nova’s boxers. “What else do you need?”
The haze of arousal receded just enough for Nova to glimpse her chance at turning the tables. “I need to see you naked.” But when Vesper began to reach behind her back, Nova sat up. “Let me.”
Vesper’s hands fell to her sides. Nova could see the pulse fluttering in her neck. Was it a sign of excitement, or nerves? Maybe she was more comfortable being in charge, especially after the way Biz had treated her. But then Nova flashed back to their first kiss, and the way Vesper had yielded beneath her touch, and her confidence returned.
Mimicking Vesper’s kneeling position, Nova reached out and ran one finger beneath her bra strap. At the same, agonizingly slow pace Vesper had used, she slipped the strap down the milky white skin of her shoulder. When she pressed a kiss to the soft place between her arm and torso, Vesper shivered.
Only after repeating her actions on Vesper’s other shoulder did Nova lean forward enough to work at the clasp of her bra. She gave an internal sigh of relief when the hook detached, leaving her able to slide the swatch of fabric down Vesper’s arms. Vesper’s breasts were slightly larger than her own, but her nipples were small and pink instead of the deep red Nova was used to seeing in the mirror.
“You’re so beautiful,” she whispered, praying that Vesper would hear the authenticity behind her words. Cupping one hand behind her neck, Nova moved forward just enough for the tips of their breasts to meet. The erotic slide of firmness against softness made her breath catch. “And you feel amazing.”
She bent her head to suck at the tendon between Vesper’s neck and shoulder. Vesper tasted like summer rain, and Nova scraped her teeth against the taut skin, dying for more. She threaded one hand through Vesper’s hair and clutched at her hip with the other.
“Kiss me,” Vesper demanded.
“I am.” Nova licked down into the hollow below her collarbone.
“My mouth. Kiss my mouth.”
Instead, Nova pulled her head away and pushed firmly, toppling Vesper onto the mattress. In the next instant, she was covering Vesper’s body with her own. She stared deep into Vesper’s eyes, searching for any sign of anxiety, and found none. When Vesper arched her back to brush their pelvises together, Nova shifted to slide one thigh firmly between her legs.
“What makes you think you can order me around?” Reaching between their bodies, she pinched Vesper’s nipple gently, and then, when she moaned, more firmly. “Hmm?”
“Please,” Vesper gasped.
“That’s better.” Hearing her beg set Nova’s nerves aflame. She bent her head and crushed their mouths together, channeling every ounce of misplaced possessiveness into her kiss. This might only be a fling, but for tonight, Vesper was hers.
As their tongues tangled together, Nova stroked one hand along Vesper’s side, loving the goose bumps that rose beneath her palm. When her fingertips encountered fabric, she dipped beneath the waistline of Vesper’s underwear to draw lazy circles against the soft skin of her lower abdomen. Vesper moaned into her mouth, hips rocking steadily, and clutched hard at Nova’s shoulder blades. She dug in her nails, and the sweet sting of pain made Nova shudder. In all the times she had fantasized about Vesper during the past several weeks, she had never dared to imagine anything like this. The real Vesper was sensuality incarnate, light years removed from the cool professional façade she displayed to the world.
Wanting to imprint herself on Vesper’s body and mind, Nova kissed her as thoroughly as she knew how. Sweat beaded up between them as their bellies slid together, and Vesper’s movements grew more frantic. Nova knew what she wanted, but for the first time in her life, she didn’t want the same. Not right away, at least. She wanted to tease—to fan the flames of Vesper’s need for her touch until it eclipsed every other emotion.
One of Vesper’s hands moved to her hair and tugged, breaking the seal of their lips. Her eyes were dark and wild, her lips swollen. “Touch me,” she gasped.
Nova shook her head as much as Vesper’s grip would allow. “Not yet.”
“Damn it!” With a groan half-frustrated, half-needy, Vesper let go and fell back onto the pillow. Nova didn’t have to be good at reading people to tell that she was only putting up a token resistance.
“You’re not really upset.” Nova ducked her head and flicked Vesper’s left nipple with her tongue. “This is what you want. Me, making you feel whatever I want you to, whenever I want you to.”
Vesper didn’t reply. Her head was thrown back and her eyes were closed and her lips were parted. The shadow of a pulse was visible between her ribs. She was exquisite, and Nova’s restraint faltered. It would be so easy to slip her fingers between Vesper’s legs—to twitch aside that thin band of fabric and feel her heat and wetness. But no. No. If there was a next time, she might abandon patience. In case there wasn’t, she wanted this to be perfect.
Nova kissed slow spirals around both of Vesper’s breasts before traveling down the center of her body. She darted her tongue into Vesper’s navel and tugged at the skin below with her teeth. Vesper’s eyes were closed, but her head shifted restlessly on the pillow. Caught up in the throes of sensation, she was so lovely.
Nova’s craving finally spilled its bounds. In one smooth motion, she rid Vesper of her underwear and moved both hands to her inner thighs, spreading her open. Vesper’s sex glistened in the lamplight, inviting her touch. Nova answered the call, bracing one hand on the bed and stroking through the patch of hair framing her folds.
“Gorgeous,” she whispered, dipping lower, seeking and finding the hard focal point of her desire.
“Oh—”
When every muscle in Vesper’s legs tensed, Nova knew she couldn’t linger. “Close already, hmm?” She bent to kiss Vesper’s left breast. “Not yet, ba—” At the last moment, Nova choked back the term of endearment. “Be patient,” she said instead.
Mentally shaking off the lapse, she focused on tracing Vesper’s opening with one gentle finger. The hot, slick skin beckoned her inside, but she resisted, keeping her touch feather-light. She drew aimless patterns, brushing against Vesper’s clit and then moving away, tongue batting at her nipple all the while. Vesper’s thighs trembled and her hands scrabbled at the sheets. Her unrestrained passion was so beautiful.
“Look at me,” Nova murmured. When she did, Nova pressed more firmly. Vesper cried out and closed her eyes again, head moving fitfully against the pillow. Nova gentled her touch and followed the curves of Vesper’s inner lips. “I mean it. Watch me touch you.”
Her body shivered, and Nova felt a new rush of wetness against her fingertips. It was all she could do not to slip inside, but she needed to see into Vesper’s soul as she did. With one finger poised to enter, she stroked softly with her thumb.
“Vesper. Please.” The plea finally accomplished what her coaxing hadn’t. Vesper’s eyes fluttered open, glassy with desire. Nova waited until they focused on her. “Tell me what you want.”
“Take me. Just take me.”
The soft, broken whisper made her heart thump painfully. “Yes,” she said, bending down to kiss Vesper’s mouth as she finally slipped inside her body. When smooth muscles clenched around her fingertip, Nova grew still. Breathing heavily, she rested her forehead against Vesper’s shoulder. “God, you feel good.”
“More,” Vesper gasped. She gripped Nova’s wrist in an effort to pull her deeper. When Nova obliged with
a gentle push, another spasm gripped her finger, and she felt an answering rush of wetness from her own body.
“You’re so tight,” she murmured. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t. You won’t.” Vesper’s nails dug into the skin below her palm. “Please.”
Nova saw the need on her face and abandoned her plan to take things slow. In a single, fluid movement, she moved down the bed to wedge her shoulders between Vesper’s thighs. The sight of her, wet and swollen and wanting, made Nova feel a little dizzy. When she breathed in, the musky scent of Vesper’s arousal went straight to her head. She had to taste her. Now.
At the first delicate touch of her tongue, Vesper cried out. Thrilling to the sound, Nova used her spare hand to spread Vesper open before licking her again. Vesper’s thighs trembled, and her fingers found their way into Nova’s hair to tug her closer.
Nova’s heart hammered wildly. Following Vesper’s cue, she hollowed her lips and sucked even as she pushed deeper inside. Vesper’s body opened to her like a flower opens to the sun, and Nova lost herself in the wet heat of her welcome. She slid inside as deeply as she could, then crooked her finger and fluttered her tongue.
Vesper’s scream cut off as sharply as it had begun. Her body stilled for an instant before the climax shook her like a ship in a tempest. Glorying in the rhythmic contractions of her release, Nova shifted her hand to Vesper’s abdomen, holding her in place as the invisible storm raged. She kept up the soft circles of her tongue as Vesper pulsed beneath her, every breath a shuddering gasp.
Lost in Vesper’s pleasure, Nova didn’t stop even when her muscles grew slack. Instead, she coaxed a series of tiny aftershocks from Vesper’s body with light kisses. Only when Vesper feebly tugged at her hair did Nova finally raise her head. Flushed and breathless, blinking dazedly, Vesper looked uncharacteristically vulnerable.
An unexpected surge of protectiveness propelled Nova to cover Vesper’s body with her own, framing her head with both hands. “I don’t have the words to tell you how beautiful you are.”
Vesper reached up to touch her face with a trembling hand, but said nothing. When she ran one thumb across Nova’s mouth, Nova kissed the soft pad, then took it between her teeth and bit down gently. Vesper shivered but remained silent. What did her reticence mean? Was she still catching her breath?
Nova was about to ask if anything was wrong, when Vesper’s free hand ghosted down along her flank to pause at her hip. The light, questing touch set her every nerve aflame, and her vision blurred. When Vesper turned her wrist and slid beneath Nova’s boxers, she jerked and raised her hips reflexively.
“Oh my God.” Nova’s abdominal muscles clenched painfully. “What are you—”
Vesper pulled her head down, locking their lips and plunging her tongue into Nova’s mouth. Nova groaned, battling for control of the kiss, but Vesper held her in place. When her fingers slipped down to brush against the aching focal point between Nova’s legs, a surge of heat arced up Nova’s spine to explode in her brain. Her sharp cry was caught by Vesper’s lips.
Nova quaked helplessly as Vesper explored the contours of her most sensitive skin, stroking and circling. When two fingers dipped into her opening, only to retreat, she jerked her head free to suck in a deep, shuddering breath. “Oh, please—”
And then, in one smooth glide, Vesper filled her. Nova’s breath caught in her chest as her eyes slammed shut and her arms buckled. Vesper’s hand cradled the back of her neck, her soft strokes playing counterpoint to her short thrusts deep within Nova’s body. When her fingers curled up to rub against a particularly sensitive spot, Nova felt herself go molten. The heel of Vesper’s palm rocked against her, sending wave after wave of pleasure to pool in her belly. Ecstasy bore down on her like a shooting star, bright and hot and unavoidable. With her last ounce of strength, Nova raised her head to look into Vesper’s shining green eyes. They were a beacon, pulling her over the edge.
“Come.”
Vesper whispered the command, and Nova had no choice but to obey. With a groan, she clamped down around Vesper’s fingers, retaining just enough self-awareness to collapse onto her elbows as her arms finally gave way. Even with her hand crushed between them, Vesper continued to stroke firmly inside her, and Nova cried out in surprise as her body convulsed again.
Consciousness receded, lapping at the edges of her mind like the tide. Her limbs felt heavy and unresponsive, as though the climax had overloaded her synapses. Had she ever been so affected by a lover’s touch?
Lover. Was that the right word for this? With her cheek pillowed on Vesper’s chest, Nova was dimly aware of the racing heartbeat beneath her ear. If only she could decipher its Morse code, what would it tell her? Vesper claimed to want only a temporary relationship. A fling. But was that her heart speaking? Or the walls she had built around it?
As the heat of their passion dwindled to hot coals, Nova finally faced the truth. The effortlessness of her intimacy with Vesper only reinforced what she already knew. For the first time in her life, she wanted more than a casual relationship. She wanted to try for something real.
The epiphany roused her from her lethargy, and with an effort, she lifted her head. As her gaze met Vesper’s, she tightened inside. Only then did she realize that Vesper had yet to withdraw. Fleetingly, Nova wished she never would. Vesper’s eyes were flecked with gray and swirling with some indecipherable emotion. She leaned forward to kiss Nova’s temple.
“I’m going to come out, now. Okay?”
Nova wanted to beg her to stay. Instead, she nodded and tried to relax as Vesper slowly withdrew her fingers. Was this the first and last time? Would they share a bed again, or would Vesper think better of it? The empty space inside her ached at the thought. She rolled onto her side and buried her face in Vesper’s shoulder, lest her face give her away.
“You’re amazing,” she said, the words muffled by Vesper’s warm skin.
For a long moment, Vesper lay quiet and unmoving before she reached down to pull Nova’s arm over her waist. “You, too.”
Nova splayed her fingers along Vesper’s rib cage, holding her close. The gesture was possessive, but fatigue made her bold. “Don’t you want to sleep in your own bed?”
Vesper shifted enough to turn off the lamp, then settled back into Nova’s embrace. “Not tonight,” was all she said. “Not tonight.”
As she drifted off, enveloped by the scent and feel of Vesper, Nova hoped she wouldn’t feel differently in the morning.
Chapter Fifteen
Vesper woke to the aroma of bacon and eggs. She sat up in bed, blinking in the sunlight filtering through her blinds, mouth watering. Turning her head, she glanced at the clock…only to realize it wasn’t there. This was the living room, and she was in the sofa bed.
Because she and Nova had slept together.
The memories returned in a rush, reigniting her desire. The power she’d felt as she caressed Nova into incoherence; the tender ferocity of Nova’s hands claiming her body; the current of passion that had flowed between them, equal parts give and take. Vesper shivered, pulling the blanket more tightly around her as she recalled the possessiveness of Nova’s intimate touches. She hadn’t been with many women, but none of them had ever invested so much care into her pleasure.
In the kitchen, pots clanked together over the murmur of the faucet. None of Vesper’s previous flings had ever made her breakfast, either—not that she had given anyone else the opportunity. Nova was the first woman who had ever spent the night in her apartment. Vesper felt a flicker of unease at the realization, but it disappeared at the sound of Nova whistling cheerfully. Feeling her lips curve, Vesper closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the warm cocoon of the sheets for another few minutes.
The first event of the World Series didn’t begin until the late afternoon, so they had time to take things slowly this morning. Vesper felt a touch of chagrin that she had kept Nova up late on the night before the tournament. Then again, she hadn’t been compla
ining. Far from it. If Vesper concentrated hard enough, she could hear the echoes of Nova’s moans and pleas. The memory made her warm, and she threw off the blankets, uncurling her body in a long stretch. The twinge in her abdominal muscles was a welcome ache. Had anyone ever teased her so expertly? Nova called herself impatient by nature, but she certainly hadn’t been last night.
Ultimately, the promise of seeing Nova cooking in her kitchen drove Vesper out of the bed. For a moment, she considered walking through the doorway naked, but something in her quailed at the thought despite all they had shared only hours ago. Instead, she darted into her bedroom and dressed in a UNLV T-shirt and a pair of yoga pants, pulled her hair into a loose ponytail, and finally opened the door.
Nova was standing at the sink, washing dishes. She didn’t seem to have heard anything over the running water, so Vesper went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she emerged, Nova was bending over, inspecting something in the oven. She was wearing the same Stanford shorts Vesper had slept in only a few weeks ago, and Vesper paused at the threshold of the kitchen to admire how they showed off her lean, muscular curves.
“Hi,” she said softly. “That smells amazing.”
Nova turned around, holding Vesper’s cast-iron skillet in her gloved right hand. It was practically bubbling over with a golden-brown egg mixture, and she quickly set it on the stovetop.
“Good morning.” Nova’s gaze never left hers as she peeled off the cooking glove. “How’d you sleep?”
“Well. You?” Vesper’s rational brain was telling her to play it cool, but the rest of her wanted to touch Nova again. She compromised by reaching out to hook her index finger beneath the waistband of Nova’s shorts, maintaining contact but also distance. “How long have you been up?”
“A while. My internal alarm clock is set to early.”
