“You’re smaller. You sit here. I’ll sit behind you.”
Catherine nodded, her voice apparently having fled like any sane person should have, and did as she was told. She sat and straightened her legs so her boots were tucked under that front curve of the sled. The stuffed dog went between her feet so she’d be sure not to lose him, and she was embarrassed to feel her muscles start to tremble with a combination of cold and fear.
Until Emily sat down behind her.
Suddenly, it was as if the temperature had inexplicably risen. Emily’s jean-clad legs came up alongside of Catherine’s. Her arms wrapped around Catherine’s torso and tugged until Emily’s front was snugly up against Catherine’s back. She tried not to dwell on the fact that Emily’s center was pressed firmly against the small of her back. And then Emily’s voice in her ear sent a different kind of tremor through her body.
“You okay?” she whispered, lips close—too close—to Catherine’s ear.
All Catherine could do was nod and grip the sled.
“Hang on, ladies,” the guy manning the run said, then gave them a shove, and the next thing Catherine knew, she was falling.
Falling hard.
And fast! The sled went even faster than she’d expected, but instead of feeling terrified, she was suddenly exhilarated. Emily was a sure and solid presence behind her. The air whipped her face as the white of the run whizzed by and Catherine actually remembered to look to her right and admire the huge expanse of Lake Ontario, spread out before her and glittering with sunshine. She was shocked to hear a delighted whoop burst up from her own chest and she pushed one arm straight up into the air as if she were on a roller coaster. Their toboggan shot like a bullet along the steep and icy run, down to the bottom, where it was spit out of the track and continued to whiz along the shore of the lake for quite a span. A ride that probably only took about thirty seconds seemed to imprint itself onto Catherine’s brain forever. She knew the moment their sled skidded to a stop that she’d never forget this moment.
“That was awesome!” Emily’s grin was wide, her face was flushed with excitement as she stood up and held out a hand to help Catherine to her feet.
Tucking the stuffed dog under her arm, Catherine nodded her agreement even as she glanced at her watch.
“It’s not time to go yet, is it?” Emily’s tone held an adorably childlike quality that made Catherine smile.
“Not quite yet. Know what it is time for, though?”
Emily’s eyes widened. “Fried dough?”
“Fried dough.”
The carnival had grown crowded, but Catherine didn’t mind. Somehow, being close to Emily was all that mattered in the moment. They followed their noses to the fried dough trailer and stood in a line that was longer than either of them had expected. Luckily, it moved quickly and within fifteen minutes, they each had a paper plate that held a slab of golden fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar.
“Is there a trick to eating this without making a mess?” Emily asked, turning her plate, obviously looking for the best place to grab.
“Nope. Not possible.” Catherine kept the stuffed dog tucked under her arm so she could use both hands. One held the plate, her thumb keeping the dough in place while the other hand ripped a hunk from the main slab, steam wafting up into the air. Catherine stuffed it into her mouth and when she looked up, Emily’s eyes had gone a little dark. “What?”
Emily cleared her throat. “Nothing. Nothing. You just…have a little…” She reached out with one finger and swiped at the corner of Catherine’s mouth. “Sugar.”
“Thanks,” Catherine said, her mouth full and her heart skipping a beat.
Emily mimicked Catherine’s movements and took a bite. “Oh, my God,” she said, mouth full. “Oh, my God, that’s good.”
“Right?”
“Oh, my God.” Emily put another hunk in her mouth and Catherine watched her until she realized she was staring.
“Have you never had fried dough before?” Catherine asked, amazed and saddened at such a thought.
“Not like this,” Emily said, using her tongue to get some sugar from her upper lip.
Refocusing her gaze to anything else but Emily’s beautiful face, she noticed the snow sculptures in the distance. “Let’s wander that way.”
Emily followed her eyes, then nodded. “Okay.”
Movement was good, Catherine decided. It helped her focus on other things beside the fact that she was ridiculously attracted to Emily and how bad that was in regard to their jobs. Not even just their jobs. Their lives. Their families. They were so completely different. It would never work anyway, so it shouldn’t matter that Catherine was imagining Emily’s body under all her winter garb.
“Don’t you think?”
Catherine blinked rapidly, pulling herself back to the present. “I’m sorry?”
Emily studied her with a knowing expression on her face, and Catherine couldn’t decide if that irritated her or turned her on more. “I said I think these people are such amazing artists, not to mention the science they have to factor in.”
“Oh, absolutely,” Catherine agreed—probably too vehemently—and did her best to concentrate on the works of art before her. The most impressive had to be the wild horses. She and Emily walked slowly around the sculpture, being careful to stay behind the ropes, and chewed their dough in silence as they took in the beauty of what seemed to be three enormous equines bursting out of the snow with great strength and speed. The details of their manes—individual hairs visible—was astounding. The hard lines of muscle and sinew were so smooth and perfect, Catherine wanted to reach out, run her hands across it, expected she’d be able to feel the heat and strength under the ice and snow. They strolled to observe from all angles, and the silence between Catherine and Emily was a testament to how breathtaking the work was. Four people were still working on it, some with trowels and sculpting tools, others with spray bottles of water. It was fascinating to watch.
“Have you ever seen sand sculptures?” Emily whispered.
Catherine shook her head, whispering back, “No, but I imagine it takes a similar combination of artistry and science.”
“It does, though I think sand is harder to keep from falling apart.” Emily looked at her and a wide smile split her face. “Why are we whispering?” she whispered.
“I have no idea,” Catherine whispered back, grinning. “It feels like we should.”
“I know. How come?”
Catherine shrugged. “No clue.”
Their gazes held as they quietly giggled together and Catherine felt it again, that combination of fear, excitement, dread, and arousal that Emily seemed to cultivate within her. Then, in unspoken agreement, they continued to wander.
“You know what I would love to do with you?” Emily asked.
“Tell me.”
“Slow dance.” Emily met her gaze. “I’d really love to slow dance with you.”
“Oh, I don’t dance,” Catherine said quickly, the image of being wrapped up in the warmth of Emily’s arms, their bodies touching from hips up to shoulders, their mouths scant millimeters apart. The sheer intimacy was too much to think about.
“You don’t even slow dance?” Emily’s eyes were wide with disbelief.
Catherine shook her head and pointed to the next sculpture, hoping to effectively change the subject. It worked, as Emily followed her and they quietly discussed the next work of art they came upon.
The next half hour went by way too quickly for Catherine’s liking, but it was probably better that she get home. She was having much too good a time, which would not help her keep her distance from Emily. As it was, she found herself walking much closer to her than she would anybody else she’d been at the carnival with. She could see Jessica’s face in her mind, unimpressed and etched with disapproval, but she did her best to shake it away. She looked at Emily, who frowned.
“It’s time, huh?”
“I’m afraid so. Can’t be late for my shif
t.”
Emily nodded, took Catherine’s empty plate and stacked it with her own, then found a trash can to discard them. “Okay. Your chariot awaits.” As they walked toward the parking lot—rather slowly, Catherine noted with warmth—Emily asked, “How come you work a second job? If you don’t mind my asking.”
Catherine lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “I’ve always had at least two jobs,” she said. “In high school, all through college, after I graduated. I’ve had the job at Joplin’s longer than I’ve been at Junebug.”
“Really? How come you didn’t quit when you were hired full-time?”
“We didn’t have a lot when I was growing up. My mom worked her ass off to keep us fed and clothed, but we never had brand-name stuff. Always sale items, generic things. Her work ethic was all I knew, so…I guess I mimicked it. As I got older, I found I like having the extra money.” She looked at Emily and one corner of her mouth quirked up. “Shoe fetish, remember?”
“Ah,” Emily said with a laugh. “It all makes sense now. Do you have a favorite brand of shoes?”
Catherine gazed up into the clear sky, contemplating the question. “Not really, though I do have a fondness for boots.” She gazed down at her feet. “I could use a few more pairs.”
Emily laughed again and Catherine decided right then that she loved the sound of it, an odd combination of husky and feminine, slightly exotic, very contagious.
They reached the car, and Emily opened the door for Catherine, then got inside and started the engine.
“Listen, I wanted to ask you something,” Emily said once they were out of the busy lot and onto the road home.
“Okay.”
“Are you busy next weekend? It’ll be the Saturday after Christmas and I assume most of the holiday chaos will have died down a bit…”
Catherine nodded. “What did you have in mind?”
Emily took a deep breath and Catherine got the impression she was hesitant to continue. Nervous maybe. She wet her lips and finally said, “I’d like to take you to my family’s cabin for the weekend. It’s about an hour and a half from here, and we’d have it to ourselves. It’s gorgeous and cozy and we could hike or we could ski or snowshoe. We could hang out by the fire…” She let her voice trail off, eyes glued to the road as if afraid to look at Catherine.
We could hang out by the fire… Catherine let Emily’s words replay in her head even as she studied her, her profile, the gentle slope of her nose, the delicate whorls in her ear as she tucked her hair behind it, her long, feminine fingers. We so would not be hanging out by the fire. Or if we were, we’d be naked. You know this. I know this. I’m not stupid. This is a bad idea. Your mother thinks so. Jessica thinks so. Even you and I think so. A weekend away together in an isolated cabin in the woods? That is a terrible idea. Of course I will not go with you…
“That sounds great. I’d love to go.”
Emily’s head whipped around and her expression was one of excited disbelief. “You would?”
“I would.”
Braking for a red light, Emily took in a slow, deep breath and nodded subtly. “Okay. That’s great.” She turned her sparkling brown eyes to Catherine. “I’ll pick you up Saturday morning. Around nine?”
“Make it ten. I’ll need to drop Mo off at my mother’s.”
“Ten it is.”
“And I will pick you up so we’re not driving this expensive deathtrap of yours in a blizzard.”
Emily grinned and nodded again. “Fair enough, Ms. Bossypants. I’ll text you my address.”
Catherine smiled as she looked out the window and wondered what she’d just gotten herself into. Why couldn’t she resist Emily? Especially when every thought in her head was a reason why she should? It was like her brain and her mouth had no connection whatsoever. Her brain was logic. Her mouth was impulse. Maybe Geronimo actually was rubbing off on her, creating in her a propensity to leap before she looked, which was something so against her nature that a part of her worried there was something wrong. Could a brain tumor be doing this? Messing with her impulse control? It was silly, she knew, but she had no other explanation except for…
She turned to look at Emily and was yet again struck by the beauty sitting in the driver’s seat. Emily Breckenridge was stunning. Gorgeous. Ridiculously so. Catherine had never been so physically affected by a woman before. Ever.
She wasn’t quite sure what to do with that.
“You’re staring at me.” Emily’s voice pulled Catherine out of her own head.
“I am. Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Emily glanced at her with a sexy smile that made Catherine glad she was seated, as she was reasonably sure her legs had turned to jelly.
After what seemed like an eternity, but wasn’t even close, Emily pulled the car into Catherine’s driveway and shifted into Park. Catherine’s heart rate kicked up a notch and she had the sudden urge to get out of the car immediately. Which she tried to do, only to find her door locked. She looked back at Emily, who was giving her a rakish grin.
“I have to let you out,” she said, her voice low. “Automatic locks.”
“Oh.”
And then Emily was leaning toward her, and it was like she was a magnet and Catherine was made of metal; she leaned in, too. She couldn’t help herself. Their lips met softly at first, tentatively, as if they needed a moment to reacquaint themselves with one another. Catherine felt Emily’s hand on her knee, the warmth, the weight of it only serving to make her lean in closer, to push her mouth more firmly against Emily’s. They kissed slowly, deliciously, but then Emily’s other hand slid around Catherine’s neck and tightened its grip. With her hair in a ponytail, there was nothing between Emily’s fingers and Catherine’s skin and the contact was exquisite. Emily pulled Catherine in tighter and Catherine didn’t resist. Instead, she pushed her tongue into Emily’s mouth, pulling a moan from deep in her throat that sent wet heat directly to Catherine’s center.
They kissed a bit longer, Catherine allowing herself another minute or so of ridiculous pleasure before gently pulling back, breathless.
Emily looked as though all words had left her. She simply shook her head slowly, back and forth, back and forth. Her face was flushed pink, her lips were glossy and a little swollen, and her eyes had gone dark. Catherine had never seen a sexier sight.
“I had a great time today,” she said quietly.
“Yeah? Good. Me, too.” Her eyes never leaving Catherine’s, she reached behind her and the door locks popped. “I’m really looking forward to next weekend.”
“So am I.” Catherine smiled at her and pulled the door handle. As she turned to get out, she felt Emily’s hand on her arm.
“Wait.”
Catherine turned back to her and was unsurprised by one more kiss. This one was gentle, soft, just a brushing of lips on lips, which somehow made it almost more erotic than the make-out session they’d just had. Catherine swallowed hard, whispered, “Bye,” and managed to haul herself out of the car. Emily waited until, on shaky legs, Catherine made it to her front door and slid her key home. She waved at the car, then went inside. She shut the door behind her and very nearly fell against it, weak-kneed and completely turned on.
Geronimo came running to her, jumping at her legs and wagging his tail, but Catherine couldn’t even move. She brought her fingers to her lips and simply stood there, absently wondering if her legs would ever work again.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THE NEXT ENORMOUS BOUQUET of flowers arrived at the shelter late on Monday afternoon, and this time, Catherine wasn’t at all surprised. A smile stayed plastered on her face as she carried them down the hall and set them on her desk. In fact, she’d almost expected them, and they were no less gorgeous than the past arrangements, all full of huge blooms and bright colors. Her office had never looked so cheerful before, nor had it ever smelled so sweet. Plucking the card from its little plastic fork, she read.
There’s nobody I’d rather shoot down an ice slide at a thous
and miles per hour with than you. Thanks for indulging me. Can’t wait for next weekend.
Emily
Before she could get all dreamy and/or worried about the impending cabin-in-the-woods weekend, her phone rang and saved her. She set the card on the desk next to the flowers and went around to the other side to answer. Dropping into her chair, she listened to the donor and answered his questions, even as she recognized her new heels were killing her feet. Knowing she couldn’t just take them off or she’d never get them back on again, she bent forward in her seat to rub the back of her heel while she absently mhmm’d and uh-huh’d the man on the phone. Saying good-bye, finally, she sat up to place the handset back in the cradle and was surprised to see Jessica standing in front of her desk.
In her hand was the card from Emily.
Catherine swallowed, but said nothing, wanting to see how Jessica was going to play this. She rolled her lips in, bit down on them, and waited.
“I was wondering where the flowers had been coming from. You’re the talk of the shelter, you know.” Jessica said, holding up the card.
Catherine said nothing.
“Anna suspected something was going on.”
Catherine cleared her throat, but forced herself to keep quiet about what Anna could do with her big mouth and her gossip.
“She said that Emily left your office the other day and when Anna came in to see you, you looked ‘flushed and satisfied.’” She made air quotes around the last three words and tinted them with sarcasm. Jessica glanced at the flowers. Her expression wasn’t angry, which surprised Catherine, but she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what was going on inside her friend’s head. “What’s next weekend?”
Catherine swallowed. “Um…Emily invited me to her family’s cabin.”
“I see.” Jessica seemed to search for words. Catherine had known her for a long time, but she was still hard to read. Uncertain whether she was angry, confused, fine, or some combination of all of those emotions, Catherine chose—again—to wait her out. It took several long beats before Jessica spoke again. “Didn’t we talk about this?” Her tone was surprisingly calm.
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