by MJ Duncan
“Shit, that’s right,” Anna grumbled. “I forgot about that.”
“I would prefer to forget about it as well.”
“So go out with me tonight.” Anna brushed the sweetest of kisses over Bryn’s lips. “Please?”
It was entirely unfair how easily Anna could bend her to her will with just a kiss, but the idea of spending the evening with Anna was far more appealing than fretting over what the coming week held in store for her. Her heart fluttered at the hope shining in Anna’s eyes, and she sighed as she leaned their foreheads together. “It’s not fair how you can do that.”
“Do what?”
“Kiss me and make me agree to anything,” Bryn whispered.
“I will file that information away for future use,” Anna murmured, smiling as she captured Bryn’s lips in a lingering kiss. “So, tonight?”
Bryn nodded. “Yes. But first, I really do need to head home. And you, my dear, need to shower so you can join me there for brunch.”
“And maybe some more of this?” Anna asked as she kissed her again.
“We’ll see,” Bryn deadpanned. She laughed at the playfully horrified look Anna gave her. “Okay. Fine. Perhaps, if you play your cards right, there will be more of this.”
“Good.” Anna pushed herself to her feet and held a hand out to Bryn.
Their fingers slid easily together, and Bryn smiled at the way Anna’s thumb caressed the side of her index finger. It was silly how such a small sign of affection could affect her so acutely, but knowing that did not stop her heart from fluttering into her throat as she followed Anna to the door. She smiled shyly when Anna turned to look at her, blown away by the tenderness that was so clear in her gaze, and sighed as Anna pulled her into a light embrace.
“Thank you for coming over here,” Anna whispered.
Bryn wrapped her arms around Anna’s neck and held her close. “Thank you for understanding.”
“Always,” Anna promised. “See you in a bit?”
Bryn nodded as Anna leaned in to steal another kiss. “Absolutely.”
“Good.” Anna kissed her again softly before she pulled the door open. “Drive safe.”
“I shall be on the lookout for grasshoppers,” Bryn promised.
Anna rolled her eyes and laughed. “Tease me all you want about that, Nakamura—it got us to meet, didn’t it?”
“It did,” Bryn agreed. “However, I would have preferred it not been at the expense of my vineyard.”
“Yeah, well,” Anna drawled, “imagine how terrified that poor grasshopper must have been.”
Bryn chuckled. “You make a valid point.”
“I’ll see you soon. Good luck with Kendall.”
“Thank you.” Bryn glanced out at her car, already dreading the teasing she was sure she would receive. “I imagine she’s going to have quite a bit of fun giving me a hard time about this. Please hurry.”
Anna nodded. “I’ll do what I can.”
“Good.” Bryn stole one last kiss and sighed. “Soon?”
“As quick as I can,” Anna promised.
Bryn smiled at the way Anna stood in the doorway, watching her until she finally pulled away from the curb. For as long as the drive into town seemed to take the night before, she was surprised by how quickly she arrived at Spectrum, and she could not keep from smiling as she made her way up her driveway.
Even the promise of Kendall’s acerbic wit did little to dampen her mood as she slipped off her shoes in the mud room and made her way into the house. Kendall was in the great room, stretched out on the sofa facing the entryway with a cup of coffee in one hand and legal pad that was no doubt full of notes in the other. She looked relaxed and comfortable in a pair of yoga pants and an oversized sweater with her hair still damp from her shower, but Bryn knew her well enough to notice the circles under her eyes that meant she had not slept much, if at all the night before.
Kendall pointed a finger at Bryn and declared, “You missed your curfew, young lady.”
Bryn rolled her eyes and shook her head, doing her best impersonation of the rebellious teenager she had never been. “Am I grounded?”
Kendall set her legal pad on the coffee table and gave Bryn an all-too-knowing look. “Depends. How’s Anna?”
“How do you know that’s where I went?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Kendall asked incredulously. “I’ve known you for twenty-six years, and there’s only one person who’s ever made you smile like you are now. So, how’d it go?”
Bryn smiled, her pulse racing all over again as she remembered the exquisite feeling of Anna’s lips against her own. “It went well.”
Kendall grinned. “You totally did it, didn’t you?”
“We did not do it,” Bryn scoffed, shaking her head. “Honestly, Kendall. We just kissed.” She paused for a beat and then added, “A lot. And then we just kind of…fell asleep on her couch. Nothing especially scandalous, I assure you.”
“Good.” Kendall nodded. “I mean, not about nothing scandalous happening because scandalous happenings are awesome, but I’m glad you guys figured it out.”
“We did,” Bryn murmured. “Thank you for talking me down last night.”
“It was my pleasure.” Kendall leaned back into the couch and crossed her legs. “Are you okay with everything?”
“I am.” Bryn took a deep breath and shrugged. “I mean, it’s still strange to think that not even an hour ago I was kissing another woman, but I just…” She rolled her eyes. “I like the way she makes me feel. It’s stupid, I know—”
“It’s not,” Kendall interrupted.
Bryn blushed. “Okay. It is strange, though. I’m certainly not going to be telling my parents about her when I see them this week.” She shuddered. “I mean, could you imagine?”
Kendall cackled. “I can. And I want to be there when you eventually do tell them because your mother is going to flip her shit. Your dad’ll just be all stern and disapproving, but your mom might actually stroke out.”
“It’s wrong that you’re so excited about the possibility,” Bryn chuckled.
“Yeah, well—” Kendall shrugged, “—can you blame me?”
Bryn shook her head. There was no love lost between Kendall and her parents, who time and again declared that Kendall was “an entirely unsuitable acquaintance” for her. On the rare occasion that Kendall had joined her at a function, her parents had been positively awful to her. It always amazed Bryn that Kendall was willing to put up with their scathing disdain just so that she would not have to deal with them alone. “No. I honestly can’t. But, really, I don’t know if I’ll ever tell them, to be honest. I mean, let’s face it—I don’t have the best track record when it comes to relationships, so who’s to say that this will even last.”
“Bryn,” Kendall sighed. “Don’t sabotage this before it even gets started. You don’t need to do anything differently than you’ve been doing with her. Think of it as friendship with benefits—you hang out, you watch movies and discuss random, meaningless shit, but then you also get to kiss and touch and whatever.”
Bryn ran a hand through her hair and frowned. “And what about when I screw up and push her away?”
“Then you put on your big girl pants like you did last night, and you go apologize. It’s not rocket science, Bryn, it’s just communication.”
“Which I’m oh-so-good-at,” Bryn muttered.
“You’re getting better,” Kendall assured her with a small smile. “No matter what you think of yourself, my friend, you are not a lost cause. And I think Anna is really good for you. So just, let her be good for you.”
Bryn nodded. It was scary, daring to approach the future with such optimism, but for Anna, she was willing to try. “Okay.”
“Good girl. Now, go shower so we can make breakfast. Not that the whole walk-of-shame thing doesn’t look good on you, because, yeah, you rock it.” She winked. “But I am, unfortunately, going to have to hit the road sometime before noon so I can finish ironi
ng out all this trial shit.”
“Of course. I, um, invited Anna over for breakfast, too.”
Kendall nodded. “I’ll keep an ear out for the door, then.”
“Don’t scare her off,” Bryn tried to keep her tone light, but it came out sounding more like a plea.
“Seriously, Bryn, if you couldn’t manage to scare the poor girl off when you first met, I doubt there’s anything I could do to make her run.” Kendall waved a hand at Bryn’s bedroom. “But I promise to be on my best behavior. Now, hurry up so that you can save your girlfriend from me.”
“Yes, your highness,” Bryn replied with a small curtsey. She smiled at Kendall as she added, “Thank you.”
Kendall nodded. “You’re welcome.”
Twenty-Seven
In a way, it was as if the night before were repeating itself. Bryn walked out of her bedroom after showering to find Anna and Kendall in the great room together—though this time they were sitting on the couches drinking coffee instead of standing at the bar. It was almost frightening how happy just seeing Anna sitting there in a pair of faded jeans and an equally worn and faded hoodie made her feel, and, judging by the way Kendall was smirking at her, it showed.
An embarrassed blush burned her cheeks as she rolled her eyes at Kendall, and she shook her head as she turned her attention to Anna. “You made it up here fast.”
Anna nodded. “Yeah, well…”
The rest of Anna’s statement was written clearly in the soft smile that tugged at her lips and the gentle warmth in her eyes, and Bryn bit her lip as she looked at her feet. The part of her that was used to being disappointed wondered if all of this was happening too quickly, if her feelings for Anna were nothing more than an ill-advised reaction to finally being wanted by somebody for a change.
But, as she looked back at Anna, who was still watching her with what could only be described as unmistakable affection, the quieter those doubts became. While her feelings may very well be ill-advised, they were genuine. There was no other way to explain the way her stomach fluttered with butterflies and her lips practically tingled with the urge to kiss Anna again. It was as scary as it was wonderful, and Bryn smiled shyly, hoping that hers said as much as Anna’s seemed to manage.
“I’m glad,” Bryn murmured. She glanced self-consciously at Kendall, who looked poised to say something that would, no doubt, be incredibly embarrassing, and sighed. “Breakfast?”
“Yes, please,” Kendall groaned. “I’m starving!”
Anna chuckled and nodded. “Yeah. Whatcha planning on making? Do you need any help?”
“I was just planning on making blintz soufflé.” Bryn shrugged. “But you are more than welcome to crack some eggs.”
“I can do that,” Anna agreed as she got to her feet.
“I’m just going to sit here and do the work I couldn’t do this morning because I was down at the winery at the ass-crack of dawn keeping an eye on all the vendors who came by to pick up their stuff.” Kendall waved a hand in the air and folded her legs under her as she picked up her legal pad.
Bryn bit her lip and nodded. She had been so distracted by everything that was happening with her and Anna that she had honestly forgotten about the cleanup portion of the event. “Thank you for that.”
“It’s not a big deal.” Kendall winked. “You had more important things going on.”
“Still…” Bryn began to argue.
“Nope.” Kendall shook her head. “It’s fine. You can repay me in blintzes.” She looked at Anna. “This soufflé is amazing.”
“I can’t wait to try it,” Anna murmured.
Bryn smiled. “More coffee?” she asked Kendall.
“I’m good for now. But don’t worry—” Kendall waggled her eyebrows suggestively, “—I’ll make a lot of noise before I come in the kitchen to get more.”
Before Bryn could get properly embarrassed by what Kendall was suggesting, Anna wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her toward the kitchen. “Thanks. We appreciate it.”
Kendall’s laughter followed them out of the room, and Bryn groaned once she was sure they were out of her earshot. “I’m sorry.”
“For what? Holloway and Di would have been so much worse than that.”
“Still…” Bryn looked up at Anna through her lashes and sighed. She was being ridiculous. Anna, thankfully, seemed to understand, and Bryn relaxed into the strong arms that wrapped around her waist. “Thank you.”
“Eh, kiss me and we’ll call it even.”
Bryn smiled at the feeling of Anna nuzzling her cheek as she wrapped her arms around Anna’s neck. Any embarrassment she might have felt faded as a pleasant euphoria swept through her, leaving her feeling lightheaded and more than willing to abide Anna’s playful request.
The kiss started slow, just a simple clasping of lips that spoke to how new this was for them both. Bryn sighed as Anna’s arms tightened around her, pulling her in closer as Anna’s tongue stroked languidly over her lips, and she lifted herself up onto her toes as she opened her mouth to it. Her eyes rolled back in her head at the way Anna moaned the moment their tongues met, and she echoed the sound a few seconds later when Anna backed her up against the edge of the counter.
Their kisses became more heated as their hands roamed over each other’s bodies in time with each slow swipe of their tongues. It was perfect, deep and wet and lazy, and Bryn whimpered when Anna’s right leg slipped between her own.
“God, Bryn,” Anna murmured.
The pressure was heavenly, and Bryn’s head spun as her entire body responded to it. She could not remember a time when she felt so alive, like every cell in her body was thrumming with an urge to be closer, to feel more. She groaned and pulled Anna’s mouth back to her own. Their hips fell into a slow grind as they kissed, tongues stroking, hands caressing, their bodies finding that perfect ebb and flow that made her stomach flip. She drew a shaky breath when Anna nipped at her lower lip, pinching it lightly between dull teeth and giving it a gentle tug, and swallowed hard as she opened her eyes.
Anna’s eyes were dark, swirling with so much desire that Bryn’s mouth went dry as she stared into them. The pressure of Anna’s breasts against her own and the firm thigh between her legs made it hard to think, and she blinked in confusion as she tried to figure out why Anna had pulled away.
And then she heard it. Kendall coughing loudly in the other room and announcing in a near-shout that it was time for a refill.
“I’m sorry,” Anna apologized as she nuzzled Bryn’s cheek. “That got a lot more heated than I intended.”
“Yeah.” Bryn groaned and nodded. “God.”
“Tell me about it.” Anna pressed her lips to Bryn’s forehead.
Kendall made a show of not looking at them as she stomped through the kitchen to the coffee machine. “So…how’s breakfast coming?”
Bryn hid her face in the crook of Anna’s neck. “Oh my God.”
“That good, huh?” Kendall quipped as she turned toward them.
Anna chuckled and brushed a quick kiss over Bryn’s temple. “We’ll save this for later,” she murmured.
Bryn nodded. Later sounded like a genius idea. She did not know what she was more embarrassed about—Kendall’s teasing, or the fact that she had lost control like that. She took a deep breath as Anna stepped away, and arched a brow in silent challenge at Kendall.
Kendall laughed. “Sorry. I just couldn’t resist. You guys are too freakin’ cute.”
“I’m not cute,” Bryn muttered, shaking her head.
“You are,” Anna argued in a mock whisper as she gave Bryn’s hand a quick squeeze. “I, on the other hand, am both brilliant and adorable.” She winked and turned toward the fridge. “How many eggs do we need?”
Bryn ran her hands through her hair. “Four, I think. Let me get the recipe.” She pulled a three-ring binder from a cabinet under the island and flipped it open to the breakfast section. She ran her finger down the list of ingredients, and nodded. “Yeah. Four.�
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“Mixing bowl?” Anna asked as she set the carton of eggs onto the island.
Kendall pulled one out and handed it to her. “Here ya go.”
“I thought you had work to do?” Bryn arched a brow at Kendall as she pulled a container of sugar from the pantry.
“I do.” Kendall rolled her eyes. “But that was more of me politely giving you two time to say hello without an audience.” She smirked. “But now that you guys have gotten all that out of the way…”
Anna laughed and tipped her head in a Yeah, well, can you blame me? type of gesture, and Bryn sighed as she went to pull a carton of sour cream from the fridge. She took a deep breath as she yanked the door open, trying to calm her pulse that had begun to race for an entirely different reason than it had been moments before. She did not know how to do this. She did not know how to smile and act like the fact that these very new, still slightly scary feelings were something that were okay to joke about.
She forced a smile as she closed the fridge and turned back to Kendall and Anna, who were standing side by side at the island watching her. Anna looked concerned and Kendall looked apologetic, and she shook her head in answer to the questions she could see shining in both of their eyes.
She would be fine, she just needed time to get used to all of this.
Thankfully, they seemed to understand, because Kendall turned to the spice cabinet and made a show of searching for the vanilla that was sitting on the front of the second shelf as Anna came over to her and ran a gentle hand down her arm.
“Are you okay?” Anna whispered.
“Yeah.” Bryn nodded. Anna did not look convinced, so she added softly, “I’m just not used to…this.”
Bryn glanced at Kendall, who was discreetly watching them from the other side of the kitchen, and sighed. She was over-thinking things, as usual, and she hated that her insecurities had manifested to ruin what had been an otherwise pleasant morning.
“Bryn…” Anna murmured, stepping closer and blocking Kendall from view.
“I’m fine.” Bryn gave Anna’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Really.”
