When she woke Georgie was still holding her and had pulled part of the duvet up to keep her warm. Judging by the gentle caresses along the length of her side, she knew Georgie was awake. Opening her eyes she was rewarded with a smile and something more. Tyler could see it but in her stupor was slow to understand. “What is it baby? I know you’re trying to tell me something.”
Georgie’s hands stilled and as she had done so many times before, she closed her eyes for a brief moment to frame her reply. “You are so beautiful.”
Caught off guard by her sincerity, Tyler wrapped her arms around her shoulders, squeezing tight. “Oh Georgie, baby. I can’t begin to tell you how you make me feel. How I want to touch you so bad!” She accentuated her statement with a crushing kiss before lifting her head back just far enough to see those eyes. The pain was clearer than any statement could be. Suddenly she understood. “Oh my God! That bitch!”
Georgie’s eyebrow raised barely a millimeter.
It was all the invitation Tyler needed. Instead of explaining, she left the conversation for another time, focusing instead on the woman in her arms. She’d been so aroused by the time she made it to Georgie’s room it was no wonder she’d come within seconds of falling into her arms. The second time, well technically the second, then the third and fourth, were just greedy. Although she wasn’t about to apologize for that. Pushing Georgie onto her back, she held a firm hand to the center of her chest. “I’m not surprised to learn Margaret was a pillow princess. Just tell me one thing? Is that the way you want it now?”
Georgie’s breathing was shallow and her face flushed. She shook her head.
Proffering a playfully wicked smile, Tyler trailed a single finger down Georgie’s abdomen, before hooking it on the upper band of the lacy shorts. “Well then, the first thing we need to do is get rid of these.” More than eager, Georgie pulled them off for her. “You’re enjoying this aren’t you?”
Georgie tapped her lips and stilling her hands, asked innocently, “Start?”
“Umm, good idea.” Leaning in, Tyler savored the moment and the way it felt each time their lips met. Georgie’s mouth was hungry and exploring but with an appetite that perfectly matched her own. The only thing she liked better than having Georgie’s mouth on hers was having that marvelous mouth everywhere else. Moving down her neck, she took her time wanting to worship her every curve.
Georgie was so different from most of the women she had been with. In her suits and even the tux, she cut an athletic figure but here, stripped of her official façade, the woman was a study in the divine female form. Feminine curves softened hard lines of taut muscle while a startling warmth radiated from her sensuous skin. Cupping her full breast, she stroked her thumb back and forth across Georgie’s nipple. It was amusing to realize that she, not Georgie, was the one groaning at the sensation. God! If she wasn’t careful she’d come again and just from touching her! Lowering her mouth, taking in the hardened nipple, she couldn’t help but moan again. Under her, every inch of Georgie was alive. Even the simplest caress was enough to invoke pleasure and Tyler didn’t want to stop. Still, she wouldn’t risk doing anything without asking. And with Georgie, asking was the easiest thing. She lifted her head just high enough to see Georgie’s face and waited for those expressive eyes to open. When they did she was rewarded with that smile that made her melt. The one she knew was just for her. “Baby,” she practically moaned the word. “Baby, I want to be inside you.” And there it was again. That smile, that look that said anything, everything.
Holding Tyler’s face in her hands, she seemed to be interpreting her expression, hearing her meaning. She nodded before forcing the words out, “Please…yes.”
Tyler took her time, teasing more sensation with every new caress. Trailing her hand along Georgie’s side, she circled her hip before running down the length of her leg. Sliding it slowly around her knee, she traced her nails up the inside of her thigh. She began slowly, with just one finger. When Georgie stilled, she looked to find so much longing on her face and in her eyes.
“More,” she begged.
Her breathing was so shallow Tyler worried she would pass out before her orgasm. “Baby. Breathe, please baby breathe!”
Even as she complied, the energy of her arousal radiated from her.
Withdrawing her finger, Tyler took her time gliding up and down, enjoying every detail. Georgie arched hard into her when her fingers found and circled her clit. Half expecting to feel nails in her back, Tyler braced for the response, only realizing when it didn’t come how much Georgie was holding back. “Oh no you don’t. Don’t you dare hold back on me!” Her expressive eyes betrayed her fear. “Baby, I promise you, I can handle anything you throw at me. Please, don’t hold back.”
There was still an uneasy look in those deep green eyes but there was something else too. Trust. As Georgie’s trepidation dissolved so did her hesitation. Tyler plunged two fingers deep inside, curling them back again and again. The response was immediate and she all but had to brace herself. She placed a hand in the center of Georgie’s chest, pushing her down, to keep her on her back and on the bed.
Georgie clamped onto the headboard while her hips pulsed hard with every thrust from Tyler’s hand. Her breathing was rapid and erratic as she tossed her head from side to side.
“Easy baby, that’s it,” Tyler encouraged her, pushing harder to curl her fingers. This time as Georgie’s hips came up to meet her thrusts, she was able to slide her thumb in beside her clit. The action almost catapulted Georgie from the bed. Georgie’s arms sliced down like blades, pounding the bed. Each hand dug deep into the sheets, clamping on before pulling hard. She ground herself up and into Tyler with more strength than seemed possible.
“That’s it baby. Oh God that’s it!” As she said it, she couldn’t hold back her own crushing orgasm in time with Georgie’s. The sensation was excruciatingly beautiful. Interwoven sensations flooded every inch of her. So this is what it felt like when two women could orgasm together. With her eyes closed she could feel herself drifting. Not wanting to lose a single conscious moment, she opened her eyes to watch the woman in her arms. She was still fighting to catch her breath as another aftershock took them both.
She had no idea it could be like this. Though she had thought about it, even tried to imagine what it might be like…“Georgie?” she asked, just above a whisper. “Baby, I need to talk. There are so many things rolling around in my head that I need to get out. I know it’s probably just my pheromones causing me to blabber, and I don’t want to be a pain…” She could feel Georgie still and knew by the sight of her closed eyes that she was seeing the words she wanted to say.
Finally, soft unfocused eyes opened and she tried to explain, “Always talk…don’t ask. I…love to hear. Feels…” As explanation, she laid Tyler’s hand on her chest. “Always good. You…always.”
“How is it you can say so much in so few words?” When Georgie shook her head with doubt in her eyes, Tyler didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. “It doesn’t matter if no one else gets you, baby. I do. I don’t know why that is, but…well, you just make it so easy.” For a moment she wondered if she had said too much or worse, assumed too much. Feeling Georgie’s eyes on her, she knew it was better to ask than to wonder. “We…I…”
Georgie pulled her in closer, as close as they could be and still look each other in the eye.
The sensation of being wrapped in each other’s arms, legs intertwined, was all the strength she needed. “I feel things for you. I feel…” She closed her eyes for a moment. Maybe if she used Georgie’s technique she could find the words she wanted to share. A single night of lovemaking did not make a relationship but if this night was any indication…“This is a thing, right? You and me? I’m not just making it up in my mind, am I? It’s just that…”
Georgie laid a hand gently on her cheek, then stilled. “Yes.”
Feeling breathless, and at a loss for words, Tyler tunneled in closer, hanging on tight. Georg
ie’s responsive embrace was strong and unyielding, erasing all her concerns. Finally beginning to relax, she loosened her grip, laying her head on Georgie’s shoulder as she let her feelings play out across her face. It didn’t matter if Georgie saw how happy she was.
This is a thing! This really was. She smiled. Close in her arms, she was happier than she remembered being in a very long time. There was still so much to learn, to know, to understand. Still, even though she hadn’t known Georgie for that long, she was sure she understood her. Maybe not completely but better than most. Certainly better than her ex ever did. Even here, now, intertwined in Georgie’s arms and legs, the thought of that woman could sour her mood. How Georgie ever put up with…Before she could finish the thought, she realized Georgie had picked up on her change of mood.
“Baby, I will never treat you the way she did. I know you know that. I just wanted you to hear the words. Some things just need to be said!”
Georgie stretched to reach for the duvet, pulling it back over the two of them. Now properly settled in, her fingers trailed featherlight over Tyler, checking to be sure she was comfortable and tucked in tight.
Finally closing her eyes, Tyler felt herself drifting off. On the verge of sleep, Georgie’s soft caresses stilled. Knowing it was important and never wanting to miss a single word she could share, she lifted her head off Georgie’s shoulder to look at her. She saw both her unassuming expression and something more.
Right from the start, it had been like this. Georgie held things in. She had too but not with her. Not anymore. Tyler had made that clear from day one. It had taken a few tries for them to get it right but now she knew for certain that Georgie trusted her. And she knew something else. Lowering her head again, she snuggled in tight. “I’m here, baby.”
She heard Georgie’s breathing catch, and then she said simply, “Don’t let go.”
Chapter Twelve
Tyler woke in Georgie’s arms. She could almost call the moment sublime if it weren’t for that incessant noise. That’s when she actually heard it. Not the first two or three times but on the fourth or fifth repetition. Panicking at the sound of Darth Vader’s March, she was instantly embarrassed to have Georgie learn she had set it for Marnie’s ringtone. She also had no idea where it was coming from and was temporarily confused when Georgie reached to the bedside table and retrieved her own phone.
“Go!” she growled.
Tyler knew “Go” was her standard greeting for family and friends. Well not really. It was mostly just for her and Marnie. Everyone else always opted for the easier route of a text message. That’s when it hit her. She and Georgie used the same ring tone to warn when a call was from the big boss. Suddenly the thought that Marnie was on the phone while she was here, in bed like this, almost made her hide under the covers.
“No,” Georgie repeated.
She wasn’t sure what that was about but knew there was some sort of argument going on. Worried that maybe they had overslept and missed the afternoon reception, she sat up to check the bedside clock. It was just after ten a.m. They still had plenty of time so that couldn’t be Marnie’s issue.
“No!” Georgie said, sitting up beside Tyler.
Leaning back against the headboard, Tyler adjusted the heavy duvet against the cool morning air. She could hear Marnie’s voice and half expected Maggie to appear with leash in mouth. Where is Maggie? Before she could ask, Georgie’s eyes were on her. Without a word she simply handed the phone over then sat back, arms crossed and visibly frustrated. Not sure how she would explain why she was with Georgie when the phone call had woken her up, her voice was on the timid side when she said, “Good morning, it’s Tyler.”
“Get her up and dressed right now. Goddammit! I don’t have time for this!”
“I beg your pardon?”
She could hear Marnie huffing and puffing and could imagine her corresponding pen clicking or finger tapping. Finally, she said, “Tyler, I don’t even know where to start with you. Right now, let’s just put this aside, whatever this is. We—”
“I’m sorry Marnie, I can’t do that. I need to explain and you need to hear me. Georgie has done nothing wrong. She hasn’t broken any rules or protocols or policies. I came to her. I initiated this. And I promise you, you will have the appropriate paperwork before the end of the day, because ‘whatever this is,’ I have no intention of letting anyone set it aside.”
There was a long silence on the phone. So long, Tyler checked the screen in case she had lost the connection. When the reply came it was nothing like she expected.
It was a good hearty laugh. When Marnie settled down enough to talk, she admitted, “Ah, Lori warned me! She said you’re the best thing that could ever happen to Georgie and that you’d kick ass. I wasn’t sure if you had it in yah, girl. Good for you!”
A little confused and feeling sheepish for her brash response, she ventured, “I take it the reason you called this morning has nothing to do with me being here?”
“Oh, it has something to do with you being there, just not the part you were thinking. Here’s the thing,” she started to explain, then thought better of it. “Put me on speakerphone. If I have to regurgitate all this crap, I only want to do it once.”
“Go ahead. We’re listening,” Tyler assured her.
They could hear Marnie take a deep breath. “We have a problem. I think you both know Lou was a little out of control last night. I thought it was just the booze talking, then I got a call from Lori. She was out walking the dogs bright and early and guess who she spots out at the boatyard? Lou and Bonnie, and that idiot Frank Hann!” When neither Tyler nor Georgie commented, she sang, “‘Frank Hann, the real estate man!’ Please tell me you at least recognize the man’s stupid jingle?”
Georgie nodded to Tyler, who explained, “Sorry Marnie. I guess we had to hear the tune to put it together. Why was he out there? If I recall correctly, Lou has already been told the company doesn’t actually own the boatyard, at least not the land or the buildings.”
“Well that’s something we’re all going to have to talk about because of several other factors Lori and I have just put together. When will you two be ready?”
“How soon will you be here?” When Marnie didn’t immediately answer, Tyler pushed for more information. “Is there a problem?”
“I don’t think we should meet at the office or upstairs.”
Marnie was silent for so long that Tyler asked, “Marnie what’s going on?”
“We need to talk. I need all the cousins, but we can’t meet there. I have a sneaking suspicion Lou has spies everywhere. The same goes for Lori’s house and the boatyard. I would ask you to come out here but he’ll recognize Georgie’s truck and if Lori’s here too, he’ll know something’s up. I can’t put Henry through that. Not yet. Not until we have a plan in place. That means we need to sit down now.”
“I might have a place, if you’re not offended to meet in my parents’ kitchen?”
“Offended?” Marnie scoffed, “Good God girl! The way Georgie tells it, visiting with your family is better than hitting a five-star resort! Go ahead, make your call. I’ll be here.”
Tyler turned her attention to Georgie. Once the debate between the sisters had ebbed, Georgie had curled up around her. Needing both hands to make the call, Tyler apologized, “Sorry baby,” before pulling both arms loose and dialing her father’s cell. She explained the situation.
“And you’re thinking here will work. Of course. You don’t have to ask but since you did, how soon can we expect you and the ladies? Have I got time to throw on some lunch?”
“Dad, you don’t have to go to any fuss.”
“No fuss,” he promised. “Ask Georgie if she likes chili?”
Before she realized what she was doing, Tyler lowered the phone and did exactly that. It was only on seeing Georgie’s amused grin that she realized what she’d just done. “Uhm…”
“You are so busted!” her dad said, highly amused. “This is so great! I can’t
wait to tell your mother. See you when you get here.” And with that he was gone.
“Oh my God!” she squealed, then thought of something else. “He did that on purpose! Oh my God! Did everyone figure it out before we did?”
Georgie was laughing as she rolled Tyler on her back. Retrieving the phone, she started texting the details to Marnie, including Tyler’s address when she pointed to her bare wrist, asking for a time.
“I can be ready in a half hour and it won’t take us more than fifteen minutes to make the drive today. That just leaves whatever amount of time you need for Maggie. Wait, where is Maggie?”
Coloring slightly, Georgie admitted the dog had gone home with Lori.
“Oh my God! Even you thought we were a foregone conclusion!” She yanked the pillow out from under Georgie’s head and thumped it on top of her. Georgie just laughed as she thumped it down again, “You! Do you know how long I waited?” she demanded with a huge grin etched across her face. “Oh baby you are in so much trouble!”
Georgie waved the phone and the text message up for her to see.
Still poised with the pillow over her head, she read the message again. Georgie had added the time needed before they could meet. “Ninety minutes? Tell you what—make it two hours. You have an extra thirty minutes to make up to me!”
* * *
“Leslie said she’s voting with me. That little bastard had someone in there last week to appraise the value of the restaurant!” Lori exclaimed.
Georgie banged her teacup down a little too forcefully, while Marnie demanded more information. As it turned out, Lou Phipps had been a busy boy. He’d had appraisers out looking at every piece of the family holdings. As explanation, he had told both Lori and Leslie it was a requirement for the new insurance company. It was easy to see no one believed him but Georgie also knew it to be impossible. For the three years preceding her last deployment, she had been sitting where Marnie was now. As chief operating officer, she not only managed the day-to-day tasks, she had written most of the policies and quality standards in use. It was how she knew Lou was lying. Before any change of suppliers could be made, quotes were required from at least three companies, and required signoffs from several departments but especially from the COO. That COO was now Marnie, and Georgie looked to her for what she knew.
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