Spectrum

by MJ Duncan

  “Yeah. I always say I’m going to do this more often, but then I never do.”

  “Why not?”

  Bryn shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I guess it’s one of those things that just kind of gets pushed to the back burner so life can happen. And, you know, sleep…”

  Anna chuckled. “Yes. Sleep is a good thing. Not that I’ve gotten much of it lately…”

  “Right.” Bryn rolled her eyes. “If I remember correctly, you were the one who insisted on ‘one more time’ last night, not I.”

  “I plead the fifth,” Anna quipped with a grin. “Are you complaining?”

  “Absolutely not,” Bryn assured her as they turned off the main road and onto a path that would lead them down to the road. She could see a small crowd gathering in the distance, and she glanced over at Anna as she pointed at it. “Looks like everyone’s getting ready.”

  “That’s a lot of people. I’m surprised you don’t use machines or something to harvest. Wouldn’t it be cheaper than paying so many laborers?”

  “After the initial cost for machinery, yes. And a lot of wineries do harvest that way.” Bryn shrugged. “But I think it affects the quality of wine. And since Spectrum is small enough that we can afford to harvest by hand, I don’t see a reason to change our methods.”

  Anna nodded. “That makes sense.”

  They covered the remaining distance in a couple of minutes, and Bryn looped Morgana’s reins around a branch to the left of the group. The entire section would be harvested that day, but for now it was out of the way, and once she was done she took Anna’s reins and tied Figment off to a branch near Morgana. She jammed her hands into the pockets of her jeans once she was done, and arched a brow at Anna. “Ready?”

  Anna gave her a half-bow. “When you are.”

  Gerald smiled warmly at them as they approached, and Bryn laughed as he waved a hand at the vines surrounding them. “We are ready!”

  “Excellent.” Bryn nodded and then glanced back at Anna. “Anna, this is Gerald Altier. He’s the vineyard manager for Spectrum as well as my head winemaker. Gerald, this is Anna Fitzpatrick.”

  “It is a pleasure to meet you,” Gerald enthused, a hint of the French accent he had lost in the four decades since having arrived in America creeping into his tone with his excitement. He pulled a pair of shears from his back pocket, and surveyed the grapes around them. “Shall we begin?”

  Bryn nodded as she took the shears from him. “Absolutely.”

  Her stomach fluttered with excitement as she looked at the vine in front of her. She had missed this the year before when she had been stuck in Boston when it was time to begin taking the grapes, and she took a moment to savor the stillness and the rich scent of damp soil that filled the air around her. Though she was not particularly religious, she still offered up a quick prayer for a bountiful harvest as she reached out to cradle an especially large cluster of grapes in her right hand. The flesh of the fruit was cool and damp with morning dew, and she smiled as she placed the edges of the shears against the stem.

  “Let the season begin,” Bryn announced as she cut through the stem that tethered the grapes to the vine. She laughed as she handed Gerald the grapes, giddy with the hopes and expectations of a year’s worth of work, and sighed as she looked at Anna. Her heart swelled with affection at the proud look in Anna’s eyes, and she was struck by how right it felt to share this moment with her.

  Taking the first cluster of grapes was her tradition, but this year there was a way to make the tradition even better.

  She held the shears out to Anna, who looked at them with an adorable expression of surprise, and asked, “You want a turn?”

  “Yeah,” Anna whispered, tipping her head in a small nod as she held out her hand. “I would be honored.”

  Bryn folded her arms over her chest and watched Anna solemnly approached the vine. An affectionate smile tugged at her lips as she watched Anna place the shears against the stem three different times before squeezing the handle, and she nodded when Anna looked at her, holding the grapes in her hand with a wide smile on her face. “Well done, Ms. Fitzpatrick.”

  “Thanks,” Anna said as she handed Gerald’s the grapes.

  Gerald whistled sharply and the crowd around them moved as one, filtering into the vineyard with baskets and shears, eager to begin the day.

  “Let me know how the day goes?” Bryn asked Gerald.

  He nodded. “Of course. It’ll be good. I know it.”

  A pleasant lightness bloomed in Bryn’s chest as she glanced at Anna, and she nodded slowly as she agreed softly, “Me too.”

  Thirty-Six

  “Thank you.”

  Bryn turned to look at Anna as she set her riding boots on a mat beside the door to the garage. Anna was leaning against the doorframe to the hallway, her head tilted to the side to rest against the jamb. Her right foot was propped on top of her left, her thumbs hooked in the front pockets of her jeans, and the smile curling her lips was so soft and tender that it made Bryn’s heart skip a beat. It had been a good morning, they had taken a leisurely ride around the property after leaving Gerald and the workers to the harvest, but she was sure that it did not warrant the way Anna was looking at her now.

  Bryn gave Anna a quizzical look. “For what?”

  Anna shrugged, her smile somehow softening even more as she murmured, “I dunno. Everything?” She sighed and pushed herself upright, her expression thoughtful as she crossed the long, narrow room to where Bryn was standing. Her touch was light as it ghosted over Bryn’s cheek, long fingers tucking Bryn’s hair behind her ear as a gentle thumb brushed over her skin, and her eyes were filled with so much emotion that they stole the breath from Bryn’s lungs. “I know how important all of this is to you, and I’m just really glad that you let me come along and be a part of it.”

  Bryn covered Anna’s hand on her cheek with her own, letting that touch fill the silence as she tried to organize her thoughts. Spectrum had been her whole life for ten long years, receiving every ounce of her care and attention, and her heart stuttered as she remembered how right it had felt to watch Anna take part in her private tradition.

  “There’s nobody else I would have rather shared this morning with,” Bryn said, her breath catching at the unfettered joy that flashed in Anna’s expression, and she smiled as she lifted herself up onto her toes to kiss her softly. “I never expected that I might find somebody to share all of this with,” she whispered as she nuzzled Anna’s cheek. “But I am so very grateful that I have.”

  A soft, trembling sigh was her only answer, but it said everything that needed to be said as Anna’s lips covered her own. The hand on Bryn’s jaw slid back to tangle in her hair as Anna’s other arm wrapped around her waist, holding her tight. Bryn fisted her hands in the soft fabric of Anna’s sweatshirt as she poured herself into the kiss, trying to convey without words everything that she felt. Anna seemed to be doing the same thing, because there was an intensity to her kisses that made Bryn’s head spin. Bryn clung to Anna even tighter as they came together again and again, every crush of lips so fierce and tender that her heart felt like it might burst from the emotion that was building inside her.

  How long they stood there, kissing each other like their lives depended on it, she did not know, but eventually they began inching their way down the hall toward her bedroom. Their progress was slow and occasionally unsteady as they made their way across the length of the house, neither one of them willing to relax her hold on the other as they continued to trade deep, lingering kisses. Ultimately they managed to make it into her bedroom, and Bryn drew a shaky breath as Anna’s hands began tugging her shirt from her jeans.

  “Anna.”

  Anna groaned and pressed their lips together again as she tugged the zipper on Bryn’s fleece down to her breastbone. “Need you,” she murmured as she ripped Bryn’s shirt and fleece up over her head and tossed them aside. Her gaze was smoldering as she looked down at Bryn’s chest, and she licked her lips
as she rubbed her hands over soft skin and satin.

  Bryn would have usually worn a sports bra to ride, but she was glad that she had opted for something more flattering as Anna’s fingers found the clasp tucked between her breasts and popped it open.

  “Mmm, yes,” Bryn sighed as Anna ducked down to take her right nipple into her mouth. She cradled Anna to her, and her head fell back in pleasure at the way Anna licked at sucked at her breast. Anna’s hands slid over her body, the light caresses spreading fire through Bryn’s veins everywhere they touched.

  It was insane that after spending the entire day before touching and tasting and exploring each other’s bodies that she should feel such an overwhelming desire for more, but more was all Bryn could think about. She needed Anna’s hands on her. Needed to feel the soft brush of lips and the warm tickle of breath against her skin. Every hard suck and teasing flick of Anna’s tongue against her nipples made her hips buck, and when Anna dropped to a knee in front of her, knowing fingers pinching and rolling her nipples in time with the wet kisses being trailed down her stomach, Bryn had to lean back against the side of the bed to keep her balance.

  Bryn watched through half-lidded eyes as a quick tongue flicked over her belly button, and she moaned at the feeling of her jeans being unbuttoned. Anna’s eyes flicked up to hers as she began slowly pulling the zipper down, and Bryn’s mouth fell open in a silent gasp as electricity seemed to spark between them. She swore she could actually feel every quiet click of the zipper releasing, and her pulse began to race as her jeans became looser and looser around her hips until Anna was able to pull them off.

  She felt a little silly as she allowed Anna to remove her socks as well, but that feeling lasted only as long as it took for Anna to throw them aside. It was impossible to be anything but aroused as she watched Anna rock back up into a kneeling position, her gaze locked on the red satin stretched across Bryn’s hips.

  “Gorgeous,” Anna whispered, stroking her hands along the backs of Bryn’s thighs and over her ass. She sighed as she leaned in closer, tracing the line of skin and satin that cut across Bryn’s lower stomach with her tongue.

  Bryn groaned and twisted her hands in the sheets behind her as Anna’s mouth dropped lower, and her hips rolled forward as hot breath and a wicked tongue teased her through her panties. “Please,” she whimpered, lifting her hips from the edge of the bed as Anna’s fingers dipped beneath the waistband of her panties.

  Anna’s mouth was back on her before her underwear had even hit the floor, and Bryn gasped as her knees threatened to buckle. The sight of Anna kneeling before her, eyes closed and with the most serene expressing on her face as she buried her face between Bryn’s legs was almost enough to make Bryn come all by itself.

  “God,” Bryn grunted as Anna’s hands wrapped around her ass, pulling her hips forward. Anna’s mouth coved her completely, and her stomach flipped at the way Anna’s tongue traced the length of her before circling her clit.

  She hung onto the bed for dear life as she shifted her stance, opening herself wider to give Anna more room, hypnotized by the way Anna’s head moved between her legs. Down, hot breath crashing against sensitive skin, just far enough for Anna’s mouth to cover her, and then up, slowly up higher, the flat of Anna’s tongue laving through her until soft lips wrapped around her clit, sucking lightly as a nimble tongue teased the swollen bud.

  The hands on her ass squeezed and released with each circuit, holding tight at the beginning of each stroke and relaxing into a gentle massage at the end. Bryn’s hips moved in time with Anna’s hands, rolling forward, begging, searching for the heat of Anna’s mouth and then rocking back in an attempt to guide it where she needed it the most. Every touch was gentle, tender, reverent, and Bryn moaned as she reached down with her left hand to hold Anna’s head in place.

  She needed her closer.

  Anna moaned even louder as she obliged.

  “Oh God,” Bryn whimpered, biting her lip as she rolled her hips forward even harder, trying to put as much of herself into Anna’s mouth as possible, desperate to feel the warm, firm press of Anna’s tongue against her clit.

  She was so close. Her blood was pounding in her ears, loud enough to drown out the increasingly desperate sounds that were falling from her lips. She wanted to keep her eyes open, but they snapped shut at the feeling of Anna’s tongue pushing deep inside her, and she could not find the energy to force them back open.

  Close. She was so close.

  “Don’t stop,” Bryn pleaded, pressing against the back of Anna’s head.

  Her grip on Anna’s hair tightened as her body curled forward, seeking that touch, that lick, that suck that would send her flying. It was a long, slow, hard lick over her clit that made stars flash behind her eyes, and her hips bucked out of rhythm as orgasm swept over her. The hands on her ass held her in place as Anna coaxed her through the length of her release with light kisses and even softer licks, and Bryn groaned when she was finally able to open her eyes again. Her legs felt like jelly and her heart was still beating wildly in her throat as she smiled down at Anna, who was still nuzzled between her legs, looking more than content to stay where she was.

  “Hi,” Anna murmured, rubbing her cheek against Bryn’s inner thigh.

  Bryn laughed and shook her head. “Come here.”

  The feeling of Anna’s clothes rubbing against her sensitized, naked body was thrilling, and she pulled her closer, moaning at the taste of herself on Anna’s lips. She worked at Anna’s jeans as they kissed, and smiled victoriously when she was able to shove them to the floor.

  “Hey, those were my pants,” Anna whined playfully.

  “You’re not going to need them for a while. Or these,” Bryn added as she grabbed the hem of both Anna’s sweatshirt and T-shirt and lifted them up over her head. Anna’s bra was next to hit the floor, and she smiled as she drank in the sight of Anna’s nipples that were already swollen and begging for her touch.

  “I like the sound of that,” Anna murmured as she rubbed her hands over Bryn’s torso.

  “My turn.” Bryn chuckled and pushed Anna’s underwear down her hips until gravity took over and carried them to the floor. She spun them around and gave Anna a light shove back onto the bed. She smiled at the way Anna played along, putting up no resistance as she flopped back onto the mattress and then scooted back into the middle of the bed. “You’re so beautiful,” she whispered huskily as she climbed onto the bed.

  Anna let out a shaky breath and pulled Bryn down on top of her. “Touch me.”

  Bryn groaned. “God, yes,” she whispered as she captured Anna’s lips in a deep, searing kiss.

  Thirty-Seven

  The sound of the alarm on Anna’s phone going off before dawn Monday morning was perhaps the least welcome sound Bryn had ever heard. The melody was actually not at all unpleasant, but what it signaled was.

  “Christ. Already?” Anna grumbled as she reached for her phone.

  Bryn hummed as she listened to Anna fumble with turning off the alarm. She rubbed her leg over Anna’s as she snuggled closer, not wanting to lose the silky warmth of the naked body beside her. The weekend had passed far too quickly, and although she had her own responsibilities to tend to, she was not ready to let Anna go—no matter how temporary the separation might be. “Be sick,” she suggested, only half-jokingly.

  “I wish,” Anna murmured, rolling them over and pinning Bryn to the mattress. She sighed, her lips curling in a resigned smile as she kissed Bryn softly. “I would much rather stay here with you.”

  Though she knew their time was running out, Bryn framed Anna’s face in her hands as she guided their lips together for another kiss. It started slow, but as Anna shifted on top of her and their legs intertwined, thighs rubbing over sensitive skin that tingled with the memory of hours of pleasure, it quickly became something more.

  Bryn opened her mouth to ask if this was a wise idea—no matter how much she wanted to keep Anna in bed with her for as long as possible, real l
ife was waiting for them beyond her bedroom door—but her attempt was thwarted by an agile tongue plunging into her mouth.

  She moaned as Anna rocked against her, smearing a thin stripe of arousal over her thigh, and her hands drifted to Anna’s breasts, cupping them firmly as she stroked her thumbs over stiffening nipples in time with each slow roll of Anna’s hips. She smiled at the way Anna groaned when she gave her nipples a firm pinch, and then gasped when Anna’s hips bucked harder against her.

  “You’re causing trouble,” Anna murmured as she took Bryn’s right hand from her breast and pinned it to the pillows above Bryn’s head.

  “Me?” Bryn challenged as Anna placed her left hand above her head as well. Bryn slipped her left hand under her right, letting herself be held with only the lightest of touches, loving the way Anna’s body felt stretched over her own.

  “You.”

  “Yes, because I am clearly the one in charge here.” Bryn met Anna’s next thrust with one of her own, holding their hips together in a delicious slow grind that made them both moan.

  “Trouble,” Anna muttered.

  Bryn laughed, and the sound was quickly silenced by Anna’s mouth covering her own. The kiss was tender, unhurried despite the fact that they most certainly did not have time to linger like this, and Bryn sighed when Anna’s lips began trailing over her cheek. She turned her head to the side, giving herself over completely to Anna’s touch.

  “One more time,” Anna whispered, nipping at Bryn’s earlobe. “I need to have you one more time.”

  Bryn tightened her grasp on Anna’s hand that was holding hers above her head. She needed it too. “Please.”

  “Just one more,” Anna breathed, sounding as if she were making a deal with herself. Her free hand dropped to Bryn’s right breast, squeezing gently with her whole hand before nimble fingers plucked at the already pebbled nipple.