by Jae
When the door clicked open, Crash grasped her elbow and led her inside the hotel room.
Jill had just enough time to notice that the maid had been in before Crash guided her past the bed and toward the bathroom. Jill dug in her heels. “What are you doing?”
“You’re shaking like a leaf. You need to warm up, and the fastest way to do that is to take a hot shower.”
“I will,” Jill said. “But you don’t need to stay and supervise.” The thought of Crash watching her undress sent goose bumps of a different kind down her body.
Crash gave her a crooked smile. “Well, I would go back to my room, but there’s a problem with that. I pulled the door closed without taking my key card with me. Would you mind giving me asylum in your humble abode?”
She and Crash sleeping in the same room, with only one bed and Crash wearing a bathrobe, with probably just her underwear beneath? Jill wildly shook her head. No, no, no, no. She had admirable restraint, but she was not a saint.
“But I could help you get out of those wet clothes,” Crash offered, managing to look completely innocent.
“Oh, I just bet you could.” Jill gave her a light swat to the shoulder. “No, thanks. I suggest you go down to the reception desk and request a replacement key card for your room.”
“Dressed like this?” Crash looked down at her state of dress…or rather undress. The V of her bathrobe had slid apart a little, giving Jill a glimpse of the thin, white tank top beneath. If she wasn’t mistaken, Crash wasn’t wearing a bra.
Jill had to swallow before she could get her mouth to work. “Then call down and have them bring up a new card. Feel free to use the phone.” She escaped into the bathroom, closed the door behind her, and leaned against the wall. Her hands were still shaking, but she wasn’t sure if it was from the cold. Truth be told, she didn’t feel all that cold anymore. Even as tired and miserable as she was, the sight of Crash’s bathrobe-clad body heated her from the inside out.
Crash’s voice filtered through the door. For a moment, Jill thought she was talking to her, but then she realized Crash was probably on the phone, calling the reception desk to have a key card brought up.
She turned on the water in the shower and hesitated for several seconds, debating whether to set the temperature to hot or cold. Her libido could use the cool-off, but her body craved heat. Finally, she decided on water that was warm but not hot enough to cause her symptoms to flare. After struggling with the tiny buttons on her dress, she stepped beneath the spray. Amazing how heavenly the water flowing over her body felt after she’d been miserable in the fake rain all day.
She took her time, washing all remnants of the sticky milk from her hair, and tried not to think of the woman on the other side of the door while she ran her hands over her body to clean it.
Surely Crash was gone anyway. If she wasn’t mistaken, there’d been a knock on the door several minutes ago—probably someone from the hotel had brought up a replacement key card.
When she stepped out of the shower and dried off, she realized that she’d forgotten to take clean, dry clothes into the bathroom with her. Crash did something to her brain that made clothing seem optional.
She eyed the wet costume lying in a puddle on the bathroom floor. No way was she getting back into that thing. Barefoot, with just a towel wrapped around herself, she stepped closer to the door and pressed her ear against it.
Nothing. Everything was quiet on the other side.
Crash had probably gone back to her own room by now.
She opened the bathroom door an inch and peered out.
The part of the room where she’d left Crash standing was empty.
Instead of relief, the emotion that swept through Jill felt closer to regret. Come on. It’s better this way, you know that. But it was getting harder and harder to make herself believe it. Sighing, she opened the door more fully and stepped through.
Two steps into the room, she stopped abruptly.
Crash hadn’t left. She was sitting in the armchair in the corner. The tan skin of her legs, bare up to mid-thigh where the robe had slid up, gleamed in the soft light of the bedside lamp.
Both of them froze.
“Jesus.” Crash breathed out the word, her voice filled with surprise and awe. Her gaze slid over Jill’s nearly naked body, making every inch of it tingle in a decidedly non-MS kind of way, before she respectfully looked away and studied the pattern of the carpet as if it were a fascinating piece of art.
“Sorry. I thought you’d left,” Jill mumbled and clutched the towel against her chest.
“No, I wanted to make sure you’re okay before I go. You don’t need to apologize,” Crash said, still politely looking at the floor. Almost beneath her breath, she added, “Hell, no. No apology needed at all.”
The admiration in Crash’s husky voice sent heat through her body, but she pretended not to have heard. She dashed across the room to her suitcase, where all of her clothes were because she hadn’t yet had time to unpack. Getting the lock to open proved to be difficult since her fingers were trembling again. This time, the shaking definitely had nothing to do with being cold and everything to do with the heated expression in Crash’s eyes when she looked at her.
“You’re still trembling.” Worry was obvious in Crash’s voice. The armchair creaked as she stood and stepped up behind Jill.
No, no, no, don’t come any closer! The resolution to send Crash away warred with the need to have her near and feel her against her own body. Sudden anger gripped her. Damn Crash for putting her into this situation. Before meeting her, she’d always known that staying away from women was the right thing to do. But now… Why couldn’t Crash leave and lounge around in just a bathrobe in her own damn room?
“Are you still cold?” Crash asked.
Jill abandoned her fruitless attempts of opening the suitcase and whirled around. “No, damn you, I’m not cold at all!” She had turned so fast that she lost her balance.
Crash caught her around the waist.
The touch of her hands was barely perceptible through the thick cotton of the towel, but it still sent a shiver through Jill.
Once Jill had found her balance, Crash slowly let go but stayed close as if to make sure Jill was really okay. “Careful,” Crash whispered. Her blue eyes looked nearly silver in the low light of the lamp. They were so close that the damp warmth of her breath brushed across Jill’s lips.
She let out a groan. “We’re not doing this again.” She licked her suddenly dry lips.
Crash’s eyes tracked the movement with an expression that seemed almost hungry. “Why not?”
The look in her eyes made Jill long to pull her even closer and capture her mouth with hers. Making good use of her last two still-functioning brain cells, she answered, “Because I’m not in the market for a relationship. I told you that before.”
“Who said I am?” Crash gave back. “I’ve barely gotten over having my heart trampled on by my last girlfriend, and I’m not eager for a repeat.”
Jill stared at her. “Are you saying…? Are you talking about a one-night stand?”
Crash shrugged. “If that’s all you’re offering, I can live with it.” She pulled Jill closer, bridging the remaining space between them until their bodies pressed against each other. “I want to kiss you.”
God, Jill wanted that too, but she wasn’t sure it was a good idea. “Crash, I…”
But Crash didn’t wait for whatever Jill would have said. Her lips covered Jill’s.
The kiss instantly deepened, melting Jill’s resolve. She wove her fingers through Crash’s hair and kissed her back.
Then Crash moved away a bit, creating half an inch of space between their lips.
A shiver ran through Jill at the sudden loss of contact.
“Kiss you all over,” Crash added, her faint Texas accent becoming more prominent in h
er husky voice. She lowered her head and kissed the spot between Jill’s collarbones, right above the edge of the towel.
Groaning, Jill tilted her head back to give her more access. If this simple touch of Crash’s lips to her skin made her body react like that, she might not survive if she let Crash continue.
Crash nibbled and kissed up the side of Jill’s neck, creating goose bumps along her way.
“Stop!” Jill pressed one hand against Crash’s terrycloth-clad shoulder to push her away, but somehow her hand lingered.
Crash froze, her lips still pressed to Jill’s skin. Slowly, she lifted her head with a look on her face as if Jill had slapped her.
“I mean…wait,” Jill said quickly. “If we’re going to do this, we need to establish some ground rules first.”
“Rules?” Crash repeated. One of the corners of her mouth twitched as if it couldn’t decide whether to lift into an amused grin or turn down into an expression of dismay.
Those full, tempting lips… Jill tore her gaze away so she could think. “Rules,” she said again. “This will be just a one-time thing. Once we’re back in LA, we’ll go back to being just friends and never mention it again. No declarations of love. No commitment. No promises of a happily-ever-after. No expectations beyond this one night. No flowers, no dates, no endearments. Just something physical. Some safe fun, nothing else.” She looked Crash in the eyes. “Can you do that?”
Crash nodded.
“Say it. I need to hear it.”
“No declarations of love. No commitment. No happily-ever-afters,” Crash repeated. “Just sex.” Her lips quirked into a devilish grin. “Hot, steamy, mind-blowing sex.”
A wave of desire shot through Jill. The wild, passionate look in Crash’s eyes jolted something inside of her, but still she held back. She needed to be sure, even if it might ruin the spontaneity of the moment, so she opened her mouth to tick off more rules.
“You talk too much.” Crash tightened her grip on Jill’s waist, pulled her closer, and interrupted her words with a demanding kiss.
Moaning, Jill sank against her. Liquid heat seemed to pump through her veins and settled low in her belly. For a moment, she was afraid that she’d become overheated and her symptoms would flare in the middle of things. Then Crash’s tongue slid against hers and she stopped worrying. Stopped thinking. She tangled her fingers in Crash’s hair and angled her head to deepen the kiss.
With each stroke of their tongues against each other, with each touch of Crash’s hands along her bare upper back and shoulders, the heat inside her flared higher until Jill wrenched her mouth away.
Crash stared at her, her pupils so large that only thin rings of blue remained of her irises. “What is it?” she rasped, her voice rough with passion. “Oh, please, tell me you didn’t just invent another rule that forbids kissing.”
The near panic in her eyes made Jill chuckle. “No, don’t worry. This isn’t Pretty Woman. Kissing is okay. Very okay. I just wanted to move this to the bed.”
“Oh yeah. Good idea.” Crash walked her backward, not letting go of her for even a second, and eased her down on the bed before following her, covering her body with her own.
Crash immediately kissed her again—a slow, thorough kiss that nearly drove Jill crazy. Only when Crash dipped her head and her mouth grazed the skin above her sternum did Jill notice that Crash had somehow managed to remove her towel without her being aware of it.
For a second, being completely naked while Crash still wore her bathrobe made her feel too vulnerable, as if not just her body but her soul had been laid bare to Crash’s gaze.
Nonsense, she firmly told herself. This is just a night of fun between consenting adults. Crash wanted to explore her body, not find out her deepest fears and secrets.
From the hungry look in Crash’s eyes, Jill had expected the sex to be fast and wild, but Crash didn’t seem to be in any hurry.
She leaned up on one elbow and studied Jill’s body with such intense focus that Jill began to squirm beneath her.
Was she Crash’s type, or did Crash usually prefer women who were taller or smaller or had—? She interrupted her thoughts with a mental shake of her head. It didn’t matter. This was a one-time hook-up, not a match for life. Still, she couldn’t help wondering if Crash liked her body. While Jill still worked out several times a week, she had to be more careful not to exhaust herself too much or risk a temporary flare-up of her symptoms, so she wasn’t as athletic-looking anymore as she had been two years ago.
Crash either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Nothing but admiration and passion gleamed in her eyes as she studied Jill’s body.
Her worries eased, Jill just lay back and let Crash look at her.
Finally, Crash trailed kisses down Jill’s chest but never ventured closer to her nipples, which were begging for attention. She flicked out her tongue as if trying to taste the freckles on Jill’s chest. Her body moved slowly against Jill’s, creating deliberate friction. Leisurely, as if she had all the time in the world, her fingertips followed the path of her mouth down Jill’s body.
Jill’s belly tightened in anticipation of where Crash’s hand might end up, but instead, Crash drew lazy circles around one breast. Jill groaned. These maddeningly unhurried touches were driving her crazy. She pushed against Crash’s shoulders and rolled them over until she was the one lying on top.
Their legs tangled, and one of Crash’s thighs slid between hers, pressing against her.
Jill gasped and eased away. It had been too long since she’d been with a woman. If she wasn’t careful, this would be over too soon. This could be the very last time she ever had sex with someone, so she was resolved to make the most out of it. For now, she would focus on Crash instead of the pleasure pulsing through her own body.
She toyed with the sash of Crash’s robe, but instead of untying it, she just slid her hand into the opening of the robe. She lightly cupped one breast through the thin tank top. It wasn’t too small or too large. Perfect. Just perfect. She moved her thumb back and forth over one nipple, which instantly hardened.
Crash bit her lip but didn’t make a sound.
Jill grinned. She loved nothing better than a bit of a challenge. Keeping her gaze on Crash’s face to watch her reactions, she pushed the robe from her shoulders and arms and helped Crash struggle out of the tank top without taking the time to open the sash. Immediately drawn back to Crash’s body, she grazed her teeth down her torso.
Crash’s chest heaved beneath her, and she clutched Jill’s ass with both hands, pressing her closer, but still made no sound.
Grinning against Crash’s skin, Jill moved farther down. She nipped at the soft underside of one breast, then circled it with her tongue before closing her mouth over Crash’s nipple and sucking gently.
A long, throaty moan escaped Crash, making Jill smile in triumph. “That’s good,” Crash said, her voice hoarse. “More than…Jesus!”
Jill swirled her tongue around the hardened tip. After she had thoroughly loved the breast, she moved back a little.
“One more rule,” Crash said, sounding breathless. “No stopping.”
“I’m not stopping.” The bathrobe, which was still tied at Crash’s waist, needed to go. She wanted to see and touch all of Crash. Jill undid the knot and parted the robe slowly, like unwrapping a present. “Sit up for a moment,” she said. When Crash did, she pulled the robe free and then hooked her fingers into the waistband of Crash’s boxer shorts. She slid them down and dropped Crash’s clothes next to her towel on the floor. Lying on her side next to Crash, she looked down at her.
Crash’s body was a work of art. Her tanned skin had a golden glow in the low light of the lamp on the bedside table. Her face, more handsome than beautiful, was flushed with pleasure. Jill took in her lean muscles and taut stomach. So stunning. Her mouth went dry. Despite her earlier promise not to stop, she hesita
ted. Did she really have the right to get involved with her, even for just a one-night stand? Crash was so full of life and vitality with the body of a goddess, while she…
Crash interrupted her thoughts when she linked both of her hands in the small of Jill’s back and pulled her down against her body. “Another rule,” she whispered against Jill’s lips. “No thinking.”
When Crash kissed her again, Jill had no problem following that newest rule. For now, the MS and her unpredictable future didn’t matter, only the here and now. She started exploring every inch of Crash’s body with her hands and mouth. While her fingers traced the sides of her breasts, she touched her tongue to the spot where Crash’s pulse pounded in her neck.
Her own heart hammered as if in response, beating a wild rhythm against her ribs. She hummed when she tasted the slightly salty skin.
A deep groan vibrated through Crash’s chest.
Jill nibbled her way down the line of Crash’s throat then slid lower to toy with her nipple.
Crash’s strong thighs parted so she could press her body more fully against Jill’s.
The hot wetness against her belly made Jill groan. God, she wanted to taste her so badly, but it seemed too intimate for what they were doing. So she circled Crash’s nipple with her tongue instead before drawing it fully into her mouth. It hardened against her tongue as she sucked gently.
“Again!” Crash groaned, her voice raw with need. “Do that again.”
Jill switched to the other breast and repeated her sensuous actions.
Crash cradled the back of Jill’s head with both hands and pressed her closer to her breast. Her hips thrust against Jill, seeking friction. She tried to roll them over and take the lead, but Jill stopped her by pressing a hand against her chest, fingers splayed wide.
“No. Let me.” She knew Crash was stronger and could reverse their positions easily if she really wanted, but apparently, Crash was willing to give her control. Being able to guide her pleasure was a powerful turn-on.
