Going on Red

by Lyn Gardner

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Devon walked into the kitchen, setting her cup of takeaway coffee down as she looked around. Noticing that the coffee maker on the counter was off, she said, “Looks like I won the bet. No coffee means she’s still asleep.”

  “I can’t believe she’s not ready,” Gina said, coming into the room. “When I talked to her yesterday, she said she’d be up bright and early.”

  “Kate doesn’t do bright and early.”

  “She did in school.”

  “Was she happy about it?”

  “No.”

  Devon snickered as she wrapped her arms around Gina’s waist. “Well, you should have remembered that before making a bet, honey.”

  “You weren’t actually serious about that, were you?”

  Devon held Gina at arm’s length. “You bet your cute arse, I was. You, woman, owe me breakfast in bed. So, should I tell you what I want right now, or wait until tomorrow morning?”

  “Why do I think I’m going to need to make a shopping list?” Gina said, laugh lines appearing on her face.

  “You don’t,” Devon said, her eyes twinkling. “All I want is bacon and eggs, some coffee and juice, and…oh…a bit of jam.”

  “You forgot the toast.”

  “No, I didn’t,” Devon said as a devilish leer spread its way across her face.

  It took only a second for Gina to understand Devon’s inference. “Oh, so after slaving all morning over a hot stove to fix you breakfast, you think I’m going to allow you to slather me with jam?”

  Devon pulled Gina close and kissed her without holding anything back. Her tongue slipped inside Gina’s warm mouth, and it wasn’t long before both allowed the kiss to intensify. Almost a minute passed before they came up for air, and when they did, Devon grinned. “And don’t forget, strawberry is my favorite.”

  All week, Gina had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Saturday. Since college, Kate and Gina made a point of spending one Saturday every few months shopping for clothes. They’d meet in the morning, have some coffee, and then hit the streets. Going from one shop to the next, they’d spend the day trying on outfits and testing perfumes. They would model dresses neither could afford, prance around stores wearing pumps and high heels costing more than they earned in a week, and tee-hee like schoolgirls as they sat at counters having makeup applied by saleswomen. They never came home weighed down with packages, and many times they’d go home with nothing more to show for the day other than the smiles on their faces and the memories they’d made. As Gina looked into Devon’s eyes and saw smoldering passion staring back at her, Gina’s center fluttered. Shopping was going to be fun, but Sunday breakfast was going to redefine the word.

  ***

  Brodie had been awake for a while, quietly lying next to Kate and breathing in the scent of her perfume and the aroma of sex still heavy in the air. They had climbed the stairs in the wee hours of the morning, and falling into bed, they made love again. It was still rushed and hungry for, after months of pent-up passion and erotic dreams, slow had yet to be found. Brodie felt Kate stir, and she smiled at her body’s reaction. The throb was immediate, and slickness formed before she took her next breath.

  Kate pressed closer, possessively placing one leg over Brodie’s as her eyes fluttered open. “Hiya,” she cooed, feeling Brodie casually began to rub her back.

  “Good morning,” Brodie said, her voice raspy from sleep.

  Kate took a long, slow breath and tipping her head, she placed a light kiss on Brodie’s lips. It was meant to say hello, just a feathery brush of lips against lips to start the day, but when Brodie returned the kiss with her tongue, stopping wasn’t an option. Lips tasted, hands groped, and within a few minutes, Kate was pushing aside the sheets and straddling Brodie’s lap.

  In less than twenty-four hours, Kate had become someone she didn’t even recognize. Having always preferred darkness in the bedroom, she now craved only light. With the morning sun streaming through the blinds, she sat atop Brodie’s thighs, marveling at the beauty of the woman below her. There was no self-consciousness as her eyes raked over Brodie’s naked form. There was no need to be covert, hiding her admiration behind heavy-lidded eyes, and there was no attempt to cover her own nudity. Kate didn’t have to look down to know her nipples were hard. She didn’t have to look down to know her breasts were rising and falling in time with her breathing, because Brodie was doing all the looking for her. Her stare was bold and hungry, and when Kate saw Brodie lick her lips, her core fluttered.

  Kate shifted slightly as Brodie sat up, and when her hands covered Kate’s breasts, Kate wrapped her legs around Brodie’s middle. She tucked her head into the crook of Brodie’s neck and exhaled, “I love you,” before drawing her tongue around Brodie’s ear.

  Brodie buried her head between Kate’s breasts, kissing one and then the other while she rolled the hardened tips of Kate’s nipples between her fingers. Kate breathed a sensual groan of pleasure in Brodie’s ear, and the sound of it sent a ripple of pleasure through Brodie’s body. She turned her attention to the pale pink centers, and circling her tongue around the delectable pebbled rosiness, she captured an erect tip in her mouth.

  Kate threaded her fingers through Brodie’s hair, silently urging her on. The night before had been fast and frantic, but this morning Kate wanted slow. She wanted to experience everything, see everything…taste everything.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Brodie saw a shadow in the doorway, but before she could react, Gina walked into the room.

  “All right, Sleeping Beauty. Daylight’s wasting, and we have shopping to—”

  Gina’s words died in her throat. She couldn’t see Kate’s partner, but between Kate’s position and her naked back, it was obvious what Gina had just interrupted. Her eyes bulged, and with her cheeks flaming, Gina spun toward the door. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry.”

  Kate dove under the sheets, and Brodie rushed to grab just enough of the duvet to cover herself. “Get out of here, Gina.”

  Recognizing the voice instantly, Gina whipped back around. “Brodie?”

  “Gina, please. Just give us a minute, will you?”

  “Oh…um…right,” Gina said, stumbling to the door. “Sorry.”

  Brodie waited until Gina closed the door to lift the sheet, and seeing Kate hiding under the linen with cheeks the color of crimson, Brodie laughed. “You can come out now.”

  “I cannot believe that just happened,” Kate said, burying her face in a pillow.

  “That’ll teach you to give your flat keys to a friend,” Brodie said, kissing Kate on the back of the head. “And what’s this about going shopping?”

  Kate flopped onto her back. “Devon, Gina, and I had an outing planned for today, but I’ll go down and tell them I can’t make it.”

  “No, don’t do that.”

  “Oh…” Kate said, propping herself up on her elbows. “I thought we’d be spending the day together. I mean…I just thought…”

  “Darling, trust me, I would like nothing more than to spend the entire weekend making love to you, but I have to meet a client later this morning, and it’s an appointment I can’t cancel.”

  Kate pouted as she sat up. “But it’s the weekend.”

  “I agree, but when I made the appointment, I didn’t know I’d be waking up in your bed this morning.”

  “Yeah, I guess you didn’t,” Kate said as she fell back onto the pillow.

  Kate’s adorable pout could have easily changed Brodie’s mind about almost anything, except the appointment was regarding something she’d been working on for months. “Look,” she said, pushing a few strands of hair off Kate’s face. “Why don’t you go shopping, and once I’m done, I’ll ring you up and meet you wherever you are. How’s that?”

  “Is that the best you can do?” Kate said with a long face.

  Brodie chuckled as she climbed on top of Kate. “No, it’s definitely not the best I can do,” she said, casually running her fingers over Kate’s bre
asts. “But we both have things to do. So, you go do your thing, and I’ll go do mine, and afterward, I promise to make it up to you…in as many ways as you’d like.”

  Kate’s gulp was audible. The intensity swirling in Brodie’s eyes was unmistakable. She knew in an instant that Brodie had every intention of keeping her promise. Kate cleared her throat. “So, what now?”

  “Well, I’m going to get dressed, and you, my darling, get to go down and face the inquisition.”

  ***

  Devon looked up for a second as Gina came back into the kitchen. “Is Kate awake?” she said, returning to buttering her toast.

  “Most definitely.”

  “She almost ready to go?”

  “If I hadn’t walked in, I’m thinking—yes.”

  Devon wrinkled her brow, and stopping what she was doing, she turned around to see almost every tooth Gina owned shining in the woman’s grin. “Okay, Gina, what’s going on?”

  “She wasn’t alone.”

  “Huh?”

  “She wasn’t alone.”

  “Who?”

  “Kate.”

  “What do you mean, she wasn’t alone?”

  Gina planted her hands on her hips. “What do you think I mean?”

  It took a few seconds for Gina’s words to sink in, and Devon’s eyes flew open. “Really?”

  “Yep.”

  “Wait,” Devon said, shaking her head. “She went out with Brodie last night.”

  Gina adored Devon. She loved every inch of the woman, inside and out, so instead of continuing the verbal tennis match, she cocked her head to the side and waited. It didn’t take long.

  “Oh, shit,” Devon said, her eyes bugging out even further. “Are you saying she was with Brodie?”

  “Yep.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “No, Devon, come to think of it, maybe Kate was sleeping with another woman,” Gina said, rolling her eyes. “Of course, I’m bloody sure.”

  “Sure about what?” Kate said as she ambled into the kitchen and began setting up the coffee maker.

  Gina glanced at Devon, and when Gina’s only reply was a slow, subtle shake of her head, Devon looked over at Kate. “Um…I was just asking Gina if she was sure…well, if she was sure—”

  “Sorry to break this up, but I really have to get going, or I’ll be late,” Brodie said, coming into the kitchen.

  Brodie paid no attention to the two women who were standing in the middle of the room with their jaws touching the floor. Her focus was solely on Kate, and striding over, Brodie kissed her full on the mouth, leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind who had been in Kate’s bed.

  “I’ll call you later,” Brodie said softly.

  “I’m counting on it.”

  “Are you going to be okay with them?” Brodie said, dipping her head in the direction of Devon and Gina.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  Brodie grinned and placed a light kiss on Kate’s forehead before turning to face Devon and Gina. Giving them a wink, she walked out of the room without saying another word.

  ***

  After successfully managing to avoid their questions in the kitchen, Kate grabbed a quick shower to wash away the aroma of the night’s activities. A short time later, the three women piled into Gina’s sedan and began their excursion.

  While clothes shopping, especially in the stores Kate and Gina wanted to visit, held little interest for Devon, she found herself enjoying the morning. Admiring their taste in feminine frocks, Devon sat back and watched as they’d emerge from behind draped doorways, checking themselves in mirrors and twirling around as they asked for her opinion. At one point, Devon found herself smiling, wondering how two women, so different, could have become such good friends.

  Gina leaned toward flamboyance, gravitating in the direction of tighter dresses with plunging necklines and jersey fabrics that fit her body like a second skin. Kate preferred power suits and loose-fitting dresses with muted patterns and modest necklines, drawing enough attention for a second glance, but not enough for an over-the-top gawk. The only two dresses Kate owned that didn’t fit the pattern had both been purchased by Gina as gifts, and even though Devon had seen her sister wear the black jersey once, as far as she knew, the red satin had never come out of Kate’s wardrobe. But sitting in the corner of yet another dressing area, waiting for them to emerge from behind yet more curtains, Devon was having a hard time trying to keep her amusement contained. It seemed Kate’s taste in clothing was changing.

  At their first stop, Kate had walked from the dressing room wearing a dark brown dress, and while the color was sedate, the style was not. Made of a polyester/spandex material, the frock hugged her form in all the right places, and Devon immediately noticed that the length of the skirt was shorter than anything in Kate’s closet. The scoop of the cowl neck was still reserved, but the short-capped sleeves and the show of leg made the dress more than just a little provocative.

  Much to Devon’s dismay, Kate didn’t buy the dress, even though Devon had watched Kate hesitate no less than three times before finally returning it to the rack. So, they strolled from that shop to the next and then to the next, and in each, Kate began her browsing at the fixtures filled with business suits and ended it, modeling dresses meant for drinks, dinner, and maybe more.

  Devon and Gina had agreed to wait until Kate brought up the subject of Brodie before peppering her with questions. However, if curiosity indeed killed the cat, Gina and Devon would have needed a defibrillator by the third store. Now, standing in the fourth, as Gina watched Kate gaze at yet another come-hither frock, Gina decided she either needed to say something or internally combust. “You’d look marvelous in this,” she said, fingering the scarlet fabric in Kate’s hand.

  “I have a red dress.”

  “There’s nothing to say you can’t have two.”

  “No, I suppose not,” Kate said, considering the dress. “But it’s a bit showy, don’t you think?”

  “As long as you’re showing it to Brodie, I doubt there will be a problem.”

  Kate’s mistake was to shoot Gina a quick look. As soon as she did and saw Gina’s disarming smile, Kate’s cheeks began to burn, and she hastily returned the dress to the rack.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” Gina said, stepping in front of Kate. Grabbing the provocative dress and a few more, she turned around and pushed the clothes into Kate’s hands. “Try these on and stop pretending you aren’t shopping for her.”

  The heat on Kate’s cheeks traveled to her ears, and she huffed out a breath. “Fine, maybe I am, but I don’t even know what she likes, Gina.”

  “She likes you. This is all just pretty wrapping,” Gina said as she held up another dress and then placed it in Kate’s hand. “But I think between the two of us, we should be able to find something to make Brodie believe it’s Christmas.”

  ***

  “So, you ready to talk about it?”

  “Talk about what?” Kate asked as she perused the menu.

  Gina filled her lungs with air, and reaching across the table, she yanked the laminated sheet out of Kate’s hand. “Oh, I don’t know. How about the fact you slept with Brodie?”

  “There’s nothing to talk about.”

  “How can you say that?”

  “Gina, what would you like me to say?” Kate said, snatching back the menu.

  The restraint Gina had shown all day was gone in an instant. Annoyed, she didn’t think twice about shouting, “Well, it’s not often a woman gets to lose her virginity twice! How about we talk about that?”

  The noise level in the pub dropped dramatically as Gina’s voice carried across the room, and if Kate could have crawled under the table, she would have already been there.

  “Keep your bloody voice down,” Kate said in a rushed whisper.

  “What?” Gina shrugged. “What did I say?”

  “That Kate lost her virginity again,” Devon said, placing three mugs of ale on the table. “And the blokes at the bar seem re
ally interested in finding out how.”

  “Did I say it that loud?” Gina said, looking back and forth between the two women.

  “Yes,” Kate and Devon replied in unison.

  Gina slid further into the booth so Devon could sit down. “Sorry. I guess I’m just a bit frustrated as to why you don’t want to talk about it. I mean, from what I saw this morning, you two obviously hit it off—yes?”

  “Yes, we did,” Kate said quietly as she picked up a drink and took a sip.

  Devon and Gina exchanged confused glances before Gina took the lead. “What’s wrong, Kate?” she said, leaning slightly over the table. “Wasn’t it what you expected?”

  Kate sighed. “It was amazing. She was…” Kate stopped, allowing the memories of the night to flood her brain and warm her blood. “Brodie was wonderful,” she said in a breath.

  “But?” Gina said, arching an eyebrow.

  Kate took another sip of her beer. “I’m just not sure I’m ready for all of this.”

  “I thought you were in love with her.”

  “I am,” Kate said, locking eyes with Gina. “I’m not talking about…about being with Brodie. I’m talking about…I’m talking about…”

  “Being out?” Devon said.

  “Yes,” Kate said, her shoulders drooping. “Seeing you two today, holding hands and being together, I realized that even if I didn’t know you, if I saw you on the street, I’d know you were partners.”

  “And you don’t want people to know that you’re involved with a woman?” Gina said.

  “It’s not that, not really,” Kate said, staring off into space. “When Brodie and I go for walks after dinner, we always hold hands, and I’ve never felt uncomfortable, but today I couldn’t help but notice how many people stared at you and Devon...and then I started thinking about my job and the men I work with—”

  “Kate,” Gina said, reaching across the table to take her hand. “You need to take a breath and relax. I’m sure Brodie won’t have a problem with you two taking things slowly when it comes to the out and proud department. The important thing is that you want to be with her.”