Kris took her time standing up. Her bikini top offered no protection for her nipples against the chill in the air. She looked over to find Jenna had the same reaction after leaving the warm water.
Jenna offered Kris one of the towels and wrapped the other one around herself. She turned and released the lever to allow the water to drain. “I guess we should change into PJs and get ready for bed.”
***
Kris took her clothes into the bathroom to get dressed. The shower looked tempting. Right now, she could use a cold shower to calm her hormones down before facing Jenna again.
Kris came out of the bathroom and made her way to the bed wearing a bright white V-neck T-shirt and tight-fitting dark blue sleep shorts. “I would’ve packed something sexier if I had known I’d be sharing my bed tonight.”
She appreciated Jenna’s gray soft cotton shirt with matching gray shorts. It looked like something that would be comfortable to do yoga in except for the fact the bottoms were way too short for any yoga pose. Her shirt rode up and down over her abs as she brushed through her hair.
Jenna laughed and crawled into the bed beside Kris. “Yeah, me too.”
Moments before, the bed had seemed huge, as if it took up most of the room, but now lying beside Jenna it seemed like it was almost impossible to lie in without touching elbows. The fact that the mattress dipped in the middle didn’t help the situation either.
Kris turned onto her side facing Jenna, who stared up at the ceiling. How am I supposed to get any sleep tonight? Kris thought she felt heat building up between them, or was it just her? Her heart pounded so hard and fast, she could feel it in her ears.
Jenna rolled onto her side facing Kris. “What are your plans for tomorrow?”
Jenna’s question startled Kris back to reality. “I’m not sure. Maybe walk around downtown a little bit, maybe try and catch up with some old friends. If they let you out early, give me a call. We can meet up and I can show you around.”
“I’d like that.” Jenna threw her top arm out from underneath the sheet and reached up to turn off the light over the bed.
Kris watched Jenna’s shirt ride up as she arched her back and stretched to reach the light switch. The shirt came within an inch of exposing her breasts and was still rising as the light shut off. She remained on her side facing Jenna.
Jenna positioned herself on her back again. She was hot, but it wasn’t because of the thermostat. It had everything to do with the woman in bed beside her. She could feel Kris staring at her. One move is all it would take to diffuse the awkwardness between them. The heat was unbearable. She threw her hands up above her head onto the pillow.
Kris’s eyes adjusted to the darkness and she felt like Jenna was teasing her now, tempting her with her open arms. “It is pretty hot in here isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s pretty steamy. By the way, I should tell you that I’m an awful sleep companion.”
“Oh, really?”
Jenna rolled over onto her side to face Kris again. “Yes, I’ve been told that I sprawl out over the whole bed sometimes. You might find me invading your space.”
Kris laughed. “A beautiful woman in my bed invading my space? That doesn’t sound like a problem to me.”
Jenna inched closer to Kris. “That sounded like an open invitation to take as much room as I want. Seriously, if I don’t leave you enough space, just give me a nudge.”
Kris's heart thumped inside her chest, but she played along. “Like I said, I won’t complain. Go to sleep and we’ll see what happens.”
Jenna rolled over onto her back and shut her eyes. It was hard to relax, but she needed to get some sleep. “Goodnight, Kris.”
It wasn’t how Kris wanted the night to end, but she felt like she was getting closer to Jenna. She’d have to find out Jenna’s intentions soon or be prepared to accept her as just a friend. “Goodnight, Jenna.”
Chapter Fourteen
Jenna awakened in time to turn off the alarm clock before it went off. She yawned and stretched her arms. Kris was still sleeping. Kris looked so beautiful and peaceful like an angel.
Jenna could picture herself waking up every morning beside her. As soon as the conference was over and she had moved into her new house, she was going to finally tell her how she felt about her. She had never had feelings like this for anyone else before.
Today was going to be a long day of boring meetings for Jenna. She hoped the conference would wrap up early so she could explore downtown with Kris.
After a quick shower, she took one last look at her sleeping beauty before slipping out and closing the door behind her. She hoped they didn't cover anything too important at the conference because she left her heart and mind back in the hotel room.
Kris awakened when Jenna turned the shower on, but she fell back to sleep. She was eager to get back to her naughty dreams about Jenna. The sound of the door closing when Jenna left awakened her again. She sat up and looked at the empty pillow beside her. The smell of Jenna’s perfume lingered in the air.
Kris had a whole day in Boston to herself before Jenna came back for dinner. She picked up Jenna’s pillow and hugged it against her chest. Realizing how ridiculous she must look, she put it back down and headed for the shower.
After her shower, she called a couple of old friends to meet up with, but most of them were too busy to get together on such short notice. Just when she was about to give up, Susie agreed to meet her at their favorite breakfast diner downtown.
***
Kris and Susie were college sweethearts. In fact, Kris considered Susie her first and only love. They had met the last year of college and were inseparable. After graduation, Susie went to Yale to attend law school. It was only a couple of hours away, but both were busy and their schedules didn’t match. They never stopped loving each other, but the phone calls became too painful and became less and less.
After the first semester, Susie called Kris to tell her she was seeing someone else. Susie didn’t want to hurt her, but she wanted Kris to move on with her life and find someone who could make her happy again, but the news devastated Kris. She searched for someone to replace Susie for years, but couldn’t find anyone like her. She still had a soft spot for Susie in her heart.
Kris was sitting at their booth from the past reminiscing about old times when Susie walked up to the table. She had been in such deep thought, she hadn’t noticed Susie walk in the door. She stood up and gave Susie a big hug. It felt so good to have her arms wrapped around her again. No one Kris had dated since Susie made her feel the same way Susie did. Their embrace lasted longer than a friendly hug should.
They sat down at the booth across from each other. Susie took both of Kris's hands and held them tight. Kris couldn’t wipe the huge schoolgirl smile off her lips. She had waited years to match the feeling she felt right now with someone else.
Susie squeezed Kris's hands. “Wow, you look great, Kris. Why did I ever let you go?”
Kris's smile faded a little. “I think it had something to do with school and...oh, yes, I believe you said you had moved on and I needed to also.” Just repeating the words made her heart sink.
“I was young and foolish. I’ve grown up a lot since then. I tried looking you up when I moved back to town, but I couldn’t track you down.”
Kris could feel Susie once again pulling at her heartstrings. She didn’t know Susie had tried to find her, but she couldn’t help but feel Susie could’ve found her if she had tried harder.
“I moved out of Boston about a year or so after you left. I’m a realtor now. What have you been up to?”
“Well, work is great. I made partner at my firm. As far as my love life, I never found anyone I loved as much as you.”
Kris laughed. “I suppose I should be flattered.”
“I live downtown in a sweet little condo that I’d love to take you back to.”
“You were always direct and to the point. That was one of the things I liked about you.”
“A
s I recall, that wasn’t the only thing you liked. Are you seeing anyone right now?”
Kris wasn’t sure how to answer that. She was single, but not by choice. “Well, I have my eye on someone. I’m just waiting to see how it plays out.” Kris remembered Jenna and the way she felt when she was around her. If there was another person who could make her feel the way Susie did, it was Jenna. “What about you? Are you still single?”
The waitress interrupted their conversation to take their order. They ordered their usual breakfast. Kris and Susie had eaten breakfast there every Sunday morning when they were dating, and they always ordered the same thing. The diner still had a 1950’s theme with a black and white checkered floor, red booths, and barstools with chrome accents. Kris and Susie had changed a lot over the years, but the diner was still the same.
Susie frowned. “I was actually married to a guy for a little over two years. He was handsome and was a great guy, but I realized I need a woman in my life. It just wasn’t the same with a guy and never could be.”
Kris was shocked. She knew Susie had dated guys before, but that was before they met. For some reason, that changed her perspective of her. Maybe she needed to hear that. Maybe that would be what she needed to finally leave the past in the past and move on, Susie had.
Kris took a long sip of her coffee. “I had no idea. I guess I’m a little surprised. Sorry it didn’t work out for you.”
Susie waved her hand in the air. “I learned from my mistake, and I’ve moved on. Now, I just have to find someone like you, which has been impossible. Anyway, tell me about this person who has piqued your interest.”
Kris looked down at her coffee trying to hide her smile. Her face always lit up when she thought about Jenna. “Her name is Jenna. She’s a surgeon who recently moved to town. She’s amazing, beautiful, smart, sexy —”
Susie cut her off. “So, what’s the problem then?”
“She’s living with me now, but she’ll be moving into her own house soon.” Kris realized how ridiculous she sounded. “The problem is that I don’t know if she likes women or not.”
Susie laughed. “I can see how that would be a problem.”
“We flirt a lot, all the time, but that’s pretty much as far as it goes.” She paused to read Susie’s reaction. “She’s the only other person who has ever made me feel the way I felt when I was with you.”
“So, what’s holding you back from making a move?”
“I really like this woman. If she has no feelings for me, I don’t want to screw up what we do have by making a fool out of myself.” Kris pulled up her favorite picture of Jenna on her phone and handed it to Susie.
Susie looked down at the picture and whistled. “Damn, Kris, I’d be willing to make a fool out of myself if I thought I had any chance at all spending even one night with her. What’s wrong with you? I’ve never known you not to go full force after what you want.”
Deep down Kris knew she was right. There were plenty of men and women who wouldn’t skip a beat pursuing Jenna. “I just can’t figure her out, and I don’t want to push too hard too fast and risk losing her completely.”
“Take it from me, sweetie, you were the best thing that ever happened to me. I was a fool to let you go. You have to decide whether you want the chance of being with someone who will love you and make you happy for the rest of your life, or do you want to play it safe and have someone who will be your best friend forever but will never love you back the way you love them?”
Kris's phone rang. “Saved by the bell.” She looked down to see it was Jenna. “Hi, Jenna, how’s it going?”
Susie ate while Kris continued her phone call.
“No problem. I’m catching up with a friend. I’ll see you this evening for dinner. Get back to your boring conference. I’m pretty confident I can make your night more interesting, although it’ll be hard to top hot tub confessions.”
Kris and Susie spent the rest of the morning and afternoon window shopping around town. Around three o’clock they went their separate ways, but not before Susie invited herself to spend some time with Kris and her new mystery woman. They made plans to meet up for dinner and see where the night would lead them.
***
Kris rushed back to the hotel to freshen up before Jenna got back. Would tonight be too soon to finally make my move? It would be nice to finally get it out in the open and know where she stood once and for all. But what if she rejects me? She didn’t want to ruin what they had and make the ride back home awkward. Then, there was also Susie. Seeing her again for the first time in years sparked something inside her that she thought had disappeared forever.
She jumped in the shower, hoping it would help clear her mind. Instead, she spent half the time thinking about what she had with Susie and what it would be like to rekindle their relationship. Susie looked good, real good. The other half was spent thinking about how exciting it would be to start a new relationship with Jenna.
Besides, she still didn’t know how she felt about hearing Susie had married a guy. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life worrying about Susie leaving her for a man. She couldn’t compete with that. What if the guy she married wasn’t the right one? What if Susie’s Mr. Right was still out there somewhere waiting for his path to cross with hers?
Even if she did give Susie another chance, how would that work? With her making partner at her law firm, she’d never leave Boston. Kris didn’t want to move back to Boston. She was happy living in her small town and coming back to the big city every now and then, but she didn’t want to live there again.
The shower ended with her just as confused as she was before the shower. She dried off and wrapped the towel around her. She dashed out of the bathroom to grab her outfit before Jenna returned.
***
The conference was boring and the day dragged by slow, leaving Jenna feeling like she hadn’t gained any useful knowledge. She was thankful to have the opportunity to spend some time in Boston, and she was looking forward to dinner with Kris. The speaker canceled the last meeting of the conference so she got out an hour early.
She had planned on Kris still being out with her friend from college, so she rushed back to the hotel to wind down a little before dinner. Kris was in the shower, so she sat down on the couch to rest her eyes, but she fell asleep. She awakened to find Kris wrapped in a towel with her back towards her going through a suitcase on the dresser. Watching her, she wished she could skip dinner and go straight to dessert. She wished she was the one clinging to Kris's dripping wet body instead of the hotel towel.
“Nice outfit,” Jenna said.
Kris gasped and jumped. She turned around holding a pair of black lace panties in one hand with her other hand clenching the towel above her cleavage.
“I didn’t know you were here,” Kris said after catching her breath.
“I’m sorry. They let us out early and you were in the shower. I guess I must’ve fallen asleep.” Jenna yawned and rubbed her eyes. “I thought I’d let you know before you dropped your towel.” She tried not to stare at Kris's cleavage above the top of the towel.
“Thanks, but you scared me. I’m surprised that didn’t cause me to drop my towel.”
Kris finished gathering up the rest of her clothes, some of which had fallen to the floor when she jumped. “I hope you don’t mind, but my friend Susie is joining us for dinner.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized how awkward dinner was going to be sitting across from an ex-lover and a potential future one at the same time.
Jenna was a little disappointed that they wouldn’t be alone their last night in Boston together, but she wanted to learn more about Kris from her friend. “That’s fine with me. I’d love to hear about your crazy college days.”
“Well, we weren’t just friends in college….”
“Oh. Um, oh, okay. You two used to date?” Jenna’s voice crackled a little. She had never met any of Kris's ex-girlfriends and wasn’t sure if she was ready to meet the girl Kris ha
d wild college sex with.
“We dated for a year before we graduated and she went to law school at Yale.”
“Hmmm, we were probably there around the same time. So, you only broke up because she moved away? Do you have any unresolved feelings?” Jenna held up her hand. “Don’t answer that. It’s none of my business.”
“It’s okay. I know it sounds insane. I’m not sure why I called her this morning. She was the last person I called, and she just happened to be the only one available. We caught up on our lives a little over breakfast and lunch. It was nice.” Kris paused. She was afraid she had said too much. “Susie invited herself to dinner, and I didn’t know what to say.”
Jenna stood up and walked towards her suitcase. “Really, Kris, it’s fine. You don’t have to explain anything to me. Why don’t the two of you go to dinner and catch up some more? I can order in and go over my notes from today.” Jenna shuddered at the thought of going to dinner with Kris and her ex-lover from college. It seemed obvious to her that Kris still had feelings for Susie.
Kris wasn’t sure how she felt right now. She didn’t want to hurt Jenna, but she expected her to be a little upset or angry or something. Maybe she didn’t have any feelings for her. Maybe she should reconsider seeing if there was anything to salvage between her and Susie.
“No, you have to come to dinner. I’ve been looking forward to it all day. Susie and I have already caught up on the past. I’ll not take no for an answer,” she said before returning to the bathroom to get dressed.
If she had stayed a second longer, she would have seen the tears building up in Jenna’s eyes. Jenna wasn’t sure whether she was feeling sadness, anger, jealousy, or all those emotions at one time. Dinner would be hard to get through without imagining Susie and Kris together sharing the one thing she so desperately wanted for herself.
Jenna's Awakening (Dr. Jenna Harper Series Book 1) Page 9
