Visiting Hours

by Tagan Shepard

  Alison looked back at the mirror and took a deep breath. She tried one more curl and finally found the right look. Casually seductive. She smiled at herself and realized with a jolt that she looked slightly crazy. She tried a softer smile. Better. She lowered her eyelashes. Good. Stepping back from the sink, she smoothed the sweater over her stomach. She tugged at the waistband of her skirt. The elastic slipped a little lower on her hips. With one more deep breath, she turned and left the kitchen.

  Jess leaned against the back of the couch, her eyes fixed on the bottle in her hands. She held her shoulders high and her legs stretched out in front of her. The pose was familiar. Nearly identical to the one she struck while waiting outside of Hibbs to ask Alison out on their first date. Alison had found her compelling to the point of irresistible that day, and she could not deny that Jess’s power to captivate her had grown dramatically since. Her clothes hugged her curves in all the right places and exposed just enough skin. She looked like a Calvin Klein ad. Perfectly, elegantly at ease. Alison needed more than anything else to touch her and be touched by her. She needed it more than air.

  Her knees were wobbly as she crossed the room and leaned against the wall directly opposite Jess, right next to the wide entryway to the bedroom at the back of her apartment. Beyond the door was her neatly made king-size bed. Alison forced herself not to look into the room. She slid her hands behind her, pressing her palms into the cool surface of the wall, her knuckles digging into the small of her back.

  Jess looked up questioningly. “Glasses?”

  She had completely forgotten to grab wineglasses. “I…um…They’re all dirty.”

  “That’s okay. We can pretend we’re in college and drink out of juice glasses.”

  Alison smiled back, making sure the loose curl swung in front of her eye exactly the way it was supposed to.

  “How about a corkscrew?”

  Her nerves were so frayed, she didn’t think she could move, much less walk. The idea of adding more alcohol to the mix was out of the question. She hesitated, biting her bottom lip. “I’m…not sure if I have one.”

  It was such a ridiculous thing to say, but she couldn’t take it back now. Jess waited a long, agonizing moment before pushing herself up from the sofa and setting the bottle on the side table with an unnecessary amount of care. Her every movement was lithe, like a dancer. Alison didn’t dare look away. Jess turned and the look in her eyes brought a flood of desire washing through Alison. Her gaze was alight. Crackling with intensity. She closed the gap between them agonizingly slowly. Alison held every muscle in her body perfectly still. The room was so quiet she could hear the rustle of her eyelashes when she blinked.

  Jess slid close to her and stopped just before their bodies touched. She reached out with one hand and placed it, palm flat, against the wall by Alison’s ear, then raised her other hand to Alison’s waist. She looked down at her fingertips as they settled on Alison’s hipbone with a touch light as a bird’s wing.

  She lifted her eyes until they captured Alison’s. “Is this okay?”

  Their faces were inches apart. Alison could feel the heat pouring off Jess’s body and the breath of the words on her lips. Her voice failed her once again. All she could do was nod.

  At that small show of permission Jess leaned in with her whole body, pressing Alison against the wall and capturing her mouth in a kiss so fierce it made her teeth ache. Alison’s lips parted and Jess did not hesitate. She claimed Alison’s mouth even as she pulled their bodies together. Alison’s mind reeled and her body ached for more. More of her touch. More of her kisses. More of the solid weight of her body pressing her against the wall. More of everything that was Jess.

  Cupping Jess’s face in her hands, her back arched off the wall, bringing their hips together in a burst of desire. Jess groaned, pulling up Alison’s leg, hooking her knee around her waist. She slid her hand under Alison’s sweater. As her hands moved higher, she left a trail of sparks behind. Alison threaded her fingers through the strands of Jess’s hair, pulling her face closer. Jess’s fingertips reached the edge of her bra and teased along the lace-covered underwire. Alison could feel the corners of her mouth twitch up even as she deepened the kiss.

  Her hand continued moving, cupping Alison’s breast and thumbing the stiff peak of her nipple through the lace. Alison broke off their kiss and gasped at the touch. Jess moved with deceptive speed. She gripped the sweater with both hands, pulling it off over Alison’s head. She leaned back in as the fabric drifted to the floor behind them, admiring the smooth skin she had uncovered. Her hand moved back to Alison’s breast, palming it.

  She teased, “Black lace? Were you planning on seducing me today, Dr. Reynolds?”

  Alison wrapped her arms around Jess’s neck. She traced the pad of her thumb across the dip at the base of Jess’s skull. Jess shivered under her touch. “Maybe. That isn’t a problem, is it, Dr. Baker?”

  Jess’s smile melted and she looked so hard into Alison’s eyes that she felt as though her skin had been peeled away and she was wearing nothing but her soul.

  “I’ve wanted you since the minute I laid eyes on you.”

  The breath was knocked from Alison’s lungs and the whole world fell away, brick by brick, leaving just the two of them. Alison spread her legs, wrapping them around Jess’s waist as she was pulled up into those powerful arms. She captured Jess’s mouth, hurrying to take back what she wanted.

  Jess broke the kiss only long enough to pant, “Bed?”

  Jess carried Alison through the open doorway, her lips never once leaving Alison’s. Jess’s knees met the mattress a little too hard, and she only just managed not to tumble onto the bed. She lowered Alison down onto the comforter, and she pulled Jess’s body down on top of her own.

  Alison’s fingers soon had Jess’s shirt open. To her intense disappointment, there was a tank top under it. She growled, her fingers raking at the layer of cotton keeping their skin separate. Jess pushed herself to her knees with a chuckle and pulled the open shirt off her shoulders.

  For the first time Alison was able to see the extent of the tattoos on Jess’s arm. Bright swirls of color covered every inch of skin from her collarbone to her elbow in a dozen different shades of reds, greens and blues. The grace of the art was only marred by the strap of her black tank top, an issue quickly remedied when Jess grabbed a fistful of fabric and pulled it over her head.

  All thought of art appreciation vanished from Alison’s head. While Jess’s breasts weren’t overly small, she needed no bra and Alison was treated to a view of her naked torso. Her legs clenched reflexively, gripping Jess even tighter. Her eyes traveled down the plane of her stomach. It was flat if not defined, and Alison squirmed at the thought of the softness and swell of her own abdomen. There was another tattoo starting over one hipbone and disappearing behind the wide leather belt that held up her jeans.

  While she had been studying Jess’s form, Jess had been doing the same. Her hands began to caress the skin of Alison’s stomach, and the sparks of desire that had lit before multiplied beyond measure. She gripped Jess’s arms, trying to pull her back down but Jess pulled Alison up off the bed and unhooked her bra.

  If she spent every future waking moment kissing this woman it would not be enough. The taste of her lips was mesmerizing. Like barely sweetened heavy cream. The feel of her lips. The soft brush of their tongues together. All of it together was paradise. A slice of heaven in a world that had been ordinary for far too long.

  Jess moved her mouth to kiss down Alison’s jaw and to her neck. Alison was finally able to pull Jess down on top of her, and their skin met in a thousand tiny jolts of electricity. She slid her arms around Jess’s back as she extended the trail of kisses down Alison’s collarbone to her shoulder.

  The muscles of Jess’s back were corded with tension. Alison raked her nails over them, feeling them ripple and contract. Jess’s hips bucked forward seemingly of their own accord, and she raked her nails again, this time earning a gro
an. The cold metal of Jess’s belt buckle pressed against Alison’s bare stomach, and she ground her hips up against the denim-clad pelvis above her. If only she weren’t still wearing her skirt so she could feel the coarse fabric against her naked skin.

  Jess’s lips found her breast. The heat of her mouth wrapped around Alison’s nipple forced a whimper from her. As she teased with her tongue, Jess worked the rest of Alison’s clothes off. It wasn’t until she felt the chill of evening air that Alison realized she was naked. She wanted Jess’s weight to settle on top of her, to hold her down and ground her in the moment, but Jess was moving again. Her mouth trailed down Alison’s body, lips brushing lightly over her skin. Ribs, stomach, hips.

  She closed her eyes, trying to prepare herself for what she knew was coming next, but it was a futile effort. The feel of Jess’s breath on the sensitive skin between her legs was intense, the feel of her mouth was enough to make her crumble.

  Jess had barely begun when Alison’s body started to shake. Her hands clawed at the comforter, twisting huge handfuls of goose down-filled fabric between white knuckles. She tried to hold on as long as she could, tried to prolong the time she could enjoy the exquisite touch of Jess’s tongue where she ached for it to stay, but she was powerless. All she could do was close her eyes, bury her fingers in Jess’s hair and hope that it would be enough to keep her anchored to the world around her when everything else flew apart.

  Her body climbed to impossible heights and the crash of her pleasure came moments later. She shouted with her release and clung to Jess, trying desperately to hold her hips still while wave after wave of ecstasy rippled through her. All the anticipation that had built shattered and shimmered in the night air like the glittering glass of a car accident. A few tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as her body finally stilled. Realizing that she was gripping Jess’s scalp with bruising force, she released her hold. She gasped for air, but could not find breath to speak.

  Reversing the trail of kisses she had left before, Jess made her way back up Alison’s body and settled in above her. Alison’s body responded on its own even as she was still recovering. Her legs wrapped themselves around Jess’s waist, pulling her close and finally reveling in the feel of denim against her overheated skin.

  Holding Jess this close, Alison could feel the tension in her shoulders. There was a tautness to the kisses she pressed to Alison’s neck. A rigidity of hard fought self-control. Alison reveled in the almost superhuman mastery Jess exerted over her own desire. She reveled even more in the chance to break it.

  Slipping open her belt with their bodies united was a struggle, but an enjoyable one. They kissed hungrily while she worked, and, once she dealt with Jess’s belt, the button and zipper quickly followed. In the space of a heartbeat, Alison plunged her hand into the space she created. Jess groaned and her hips fell into a quick rhythm to match Alison’s touch. They rocked together, the speed and desperation of their movements increasing and soon she was forced to cede control to Jess, allowing her to set the pace. A few hurried breaths later, Jess shook herself apart. With a howl that sounded almost as much pain as pleasure, her muscles locked in the circle of Alison’s arms.

  She allowed Jess to almost catch her breath before starting to move her hand again. With another low moan, Jess’s hips sluggishly moved to match her. This time Alison was slower, intent on prolonging their encounter. Jess, it seemed, wholly approved. Without interrupting the movement of their joined bodies, Jess moved a hand to Alison’s thigh. The touch was gentle but insistent, and Alison obliged, opening herself wide.

  Jess’s touch was a powerful distraction, and for several long moments, her own movements wavered. Finding an equilibrium between her partner’s pleasure and her own took some time, but soon enough they moved together, found themselves synched, and their bodies responded as much to their closeness as to their touch. They moaned together, sweat pooling in each spot where their bodies met. Alison ran a shaking hand through the dampening hair at the base of Jess’s skull.

  Jess buried her face in the pillow and screamed, her whole body quaking. The intensity of her release was enough to send Alison over the edge, and they held each other tight as they crested together. Their screams mingled and mixed, harmonizing in the same way their bodies had. Neither of them moved as their breathing slowed and returned to normal.

  Alison’s eyelids felt like they were made of lead when she registered Jess shift above her. She clutched at the shoulders she still held instinctively. “Don’t go.”

  Alison’s neck muffled Jess’s voice as she shifted to lay next to her. She pulled Alison close, tucking her back close against her own chest and replying sleepily, “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Alison blinked heavily as she snuggled closer against Jess. She pulled her tattooed arm tight around her waist. When she blinked again, her eyes did not reopen.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Alison awoke to the unfamiliar sensation of warm weight pressed against her back. It took several long moments of blinking away sleep before the memories came flooding back. A smile spread across her face. The feel of her nakedness under the stiff cotton sheets was almost as pleasant as the arm wrapped around her side. Jess’s hand curled into a loose fist against her chest. She smiled and drifted back to sleep.

  When she woke the second time, the windows glowed with pale, early morning sunlight. She lay on her back. Sometime in the night she had kicked the covers off and the chill of the air made her shiver. A hand splayed across her abdomen clenched briefly at the movement. Jess lay on her stomach, her face turned out from the pillow just enough so she could breathe. Her hand was low on Alison’s stomach. Low enough to set off a series of pleasant reactions in Alison’s body. She grinned as she looked at the woman beside her.

  It was rare that Alison shared her bed with anyone. She’d found that the older she got, the less interest she had in sex with strangers. She hadn’t always felt this way. She had, as Beth put it, kissed a lot of frogs in her youth. Those days were long gone. Now she actually had to like a person before she slept with them, so she rarely brought people home, and never this early in a relationship. She watched Jess sleep and marveled at how quickly she had fallen this time. But there was no doubt now. She was lost.

  Jess’s bangs, which normally stuck straight up in well-defined spikes, had been mussed about while she slept. Whatever hair product she used was completely gone. Alison couldn’t help herself. She reached out to touch. The hair was soft and silky as she ran her fingers through it. Jess twitched and then blinked, her eyes peeling apart with difficulty. She struggled to focus first on Alison’s face, and then trailed down the length of her body with obvious appreciation. “Like what you see?” Alison asked in a teasing tone.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact.” Her voice was thick and gravelly with sleep, and the sound had an even more profound effect on Alison than the hand on her abdomen. “I very much do.”

  She reached out and drew Jess over to her and into a kiss. Her eyes flitted back to the rumpled hair and she said, “So do I.”

  Jess tried to look up at her own hair and groaned. “It’s terrible, isn’t it?”

  “No! It looks great.”

  “Liar. I can feel how bad it looks.”

  “It’s a little…fluffy.”

  Jess rolled her eyes and buried her face into her pillow with a grunt.

  “Aw, don’t be like that! It’s cute!”

  The response was barely audible through the pillow. “You’re making it worse.”

  “You look like a baby duck!”

  Jess groaned again and rolled onto her back, throwing her hands over her face in a vain attempt to hide both her blush and the offending hair. The movement had the effect of exposing the majority of her body to Alison’s greedy eyes. She must have discarded her jeans sometime in the night. Alison was able to look at her entire body for the first time. When Jess lifted her hands to her face, the muscles of her arms and abdomen rippled enticingly and the ta
ttoo that dipped below her hipbone came into plain sight.

  Alison’s mind went blank. Before she had time to think, she straddled Jess’s hips. Jess dropped her hands from her face, and the blush moved from her cheeks to her neck and chest. She slid her hands up and down Alison’s thighs and gripped lightly at her waist. Alison canted her hips forward, increasing the pressure where their bodies met and earning an appreciative sigh from Jess.

  She found she couldn’t keep her eyes on Jess’s face. It made her stomach flip and her eyes water. It was like staring at the sun. She traced the outline of the tattoo on Jess’s bony hip with her fingertips and delighted in the way the skin jumped at the ticklish touch. The piece was a snake made up of blocks of different shades of green and teal pieced together to make a whole. Like a mosaic or a stained glass window. The tail brushed the extreme edge of her thigh, the body looping up high on her right side and circling above the point of her hipbone. The snake then swooped down again to just above the patch of hair at her pelvis before traveling back up and ending in a simplistic rendering of a face just below her belly button. Its two bulbous eyes were a vivid green the exact shade of Jess’s.

  “It’s beautiful,” Alison said, hypnotized by the curving lines and the shocking eyes. “What is it?”

  Jess tucked her hands behind her head on the pillow, fully aware of how the movement accentuated her small, firm breasts and the muscles of her arms.

  “A snake.”

  Alison gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes and shifted her weight off Jess’s lap. Jess’s hands were back on her hips in a flash, holding her in place. Alison hadn’t the slightest intention of giving up her spot, but it pleased her to know that Jess wanted her to stay.

  “Okay! Okay! You win. It’s a Celtic serpent.” Alison settled back into place and Jess left her hands on her hips as she continued, “I saw it on a trip to Dublin right after I got into med school. It symbolizes fertility and immortality. I got it done a couple of years later, when I decided to focus on obstetrics.”