Too Close to Touch

by Georgia Beers

  Kylie’s toned legs were showing signs of a summer tan, and something about the fact that she was barefoot made her seem even sexier. The T-shirt was worn and it clung to her body lovingly with no undergarment to hinder it. Rebellious strands of hair had been tucked haphazardly behind her ears and as Kylie stood at the stove monitoring the progress of the eggs, Gretchen had the almost irresistible urge to hug her from behind. Instead, she gritted her teeth and cleared her throat as she entered the kitchen so as not to startle her.

  “Smells terrific,” she commented.

  Kylie smiled at her and Gretchen didn’t miss the way Kylie’s eyes quickly slid over her body before she redirected them back to the frying pan. “Nothing says ‘comfort food’ like eggs and a glass of milk.” She gestured with her chin at the small table in the corner of the kitchen.

  “Sit.”

  “I didn’t realize how hungry I actually am until I smelled food.” Gretchen pulled out a chair, noting with a gentle smile that Kylie had set it for the two of them and that it seemed perfectly natural. She propped her chin in her hand and watched the artist at work. “Do you cook often?”

  “Not really,” Kylie said as she expertly flipped the omelet in the pan. “I like to cook, but it doesn’t make much sense to go to the trouble for just one person. I eat a lot of cereal,” she said with a wink.

  Gretchen grinned. “Me, too.”

  Kylie slid the omelet onto a plate and cut it in half, the melted cheese spilling out as she did so. She transferred one half to a second plate and delivered both plates to the table. Gretchen’s gaze never left her as Kylie settled herself down in her own chair and picked up her fork. When she looked up, their eyes met and held.

  “Okay?” Kylie asked.

  “Okay,” Gretchen nodded.

  They ate in comfortable silence. When they finished, Kylie stood and cleared their plates.

  “No,” Gretchen protested. “You cooked. I clean. It’s only fair.”

  “Gretchen.” Kylie’s voice was gentle, but with a firmness to it that stopped Gretchen in mid-rise and caused her butt to drop back into her chair. With a tenderness that Gretchen hadn’t heard in what felt like ages, Kylie said, “Let me take care of you. All right?” Gretchen swallowed the lump in her throat that threatened more tears and nodded.

  “Thank you,” Kylie said, and began loading the dishes into the dishwasher. Once the counter was wiped down and she was drying her hands on a dishtowel, she turned back to Gretchen. “What else do you need? Coffee?”

  Gretchen looked up at the clock. It was seven in the evening and still light out. “Do you think…?” she began, then looked down at her hands, clasped on the table in front of her. “This is going to probably sound a little weird.”

  Kylie smiled that gentle smile of hers and stepped close to Gretchen, leaning a hip against the table. “Hit me.”

  “I want to curl up on my bed and watch TV with you. Is that silly?”

  “It’s not silly at all. As a matter of fact, I think it sounds perfect.” Kylie tossed the towel onto the table and held out her hand. “Let’s go.”

  Gretchen was annoyed once again to feel her eyes welling with tears as she placed her hand in Kylie’s and allowed herself to be led up the stairs to her own bedroom.

  It was a warm evening and Kylie opened the windows wide as Gretchen used the bathroom, letting in the balmy summer breeze. She pulled the bedspread down and folded it neatly along the foot of the bed, loving the softness of the creamy ivory sheets underneath. She found the TV’s remote on the dresser and held it in her fist as she crawled along the bed, impressed with the firmness of the mattress. She propped up an ample supply of pillows and arranged herself against the white wooden spindles of the headboard.

  She was flicking through the notable selection of cable channels when Gretchen came out of the bathroom. Her hair was free of the clip, her cheeks were pink from scrubbing, and she smelled like soap. She looked utterly exhausted.

  “Come here.” Kylie opened her arms.

  Again, Gretchen didn’t even hesitate. She crawled along the bed and burrowed into Kylie’s embrace, pushing her face into Kylie’s neck, curling up against Kylie’s side, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief as she felt Kylie’s arm wrap around her and tighten, pulling her closer.

  “Comfy?” Kylie asked, placing a sweet kiss on top of Gretchen’s head.

  Gretchen could only nod, afraid if she tried to speak, the unfamiliar combination of emotions within her—grief, regret and loss mixed with intense desire, safety, and love—would cause the dam to break and she’d become a blubbering mess. Worse, she was afraid if she started to cry again, she wouldn’t be able to stop this time, possibly ever. Instead, she swallowed hard, draped her arm over Kylie’s stomach and reveled in the alien sensation of being protected.

  “Let me know if you see something you want me to stop on.” Kylie was channel surfing like a pro. “I have a bad habit of just constantly flipping through and I don’t stop long. Just say something, okay?” Gretchen nodded again, finding herself more engrossed in watching Kylie’s hand on the remote than what was actually on the screen…the delicate blue latticework of veins in her wrist, the feminine shape of her fingers, the evenly filed fingernails. She watched as Kylie’s thumb pushed the channel button at regular intervals. It was almost hypnotic, and it wasn’t long before Gretchen’s eyes drifted closed.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  When Gretchen’s eyes popped open, it was dark and she had no idea of the time. Vague remnants of a dream clung to the outer edges of her mind, but she couldn’t grasp any solid memory of it.

  Live life.

  It was spoken in her father’s voice, which was odd enough to begin with since she rarely dreamed of him. The rest was foggy. Those two words were the only bit of the dream she was sure of.

  Live life.

  She blinked, allowing her eyes to focus in the dark. The windows were still open, the sounds of crickets chirping and far-off, late-night traffic floating in on the gentle night breeze. Bluish shafts of moonlight streamed in through the open curtains and soon she remembered where she was. And why. Before the grief could crash down on her, she heard the words once more.

  Live life.

  Meaning what? She inhaled gradually, taking in a large lungful of fresh air, loving the familiar smell of her childhood home, the familiar comfort of being in her old room. Unfamiliar, of course, was the feel of the warm body next to her. She turned her head slowly until she was gazing at the beautiful and relaxed form.

  Kylie was on her side facing Gretchen, her knees bent slightly.

  The sheet covered her up to her waist and her blond hair was tousled on the pillow. She had one arm curled up, her fingers resting in a loose fist against her forehead. Her breathing was deep and even, her full pink lips parted slightly. Gretchen had to fight the urge to reach out and stroke them with a fingertip.

  The sudden rush of desire that flooded her body took her completely by surprise, so much so that she immediately sat up in the bed hoping to calm her ragged breathing and racing heart. She felt sweat bead on her upper lip and she swiped at it with the back of her hand, blinking in confusion. What the hell is wrong with me?

  Her sudden movements startled Kylie awake and she, too, sat up.

  “Gretchen?” Her voice was a concerned whisper. “Are you okay?” Gretchen turned to look at her in the moonlit darkness. Kylie thought Gretchen’s eyes seemed nearly as black as night. She waited for Gretchen to answer, wondering if she was still asleep and having a bad dream. She reached out and lightly touched Gretchen’s hand.

  “Sweetheart? What is it?”

  “I…” Gretchen began, but couldn’t seem to form any other words.

  Her eyes bored into Kylie’s, then traveled the length of her body, causing Kylie to shift under her gaze. She reached out, touching her fingertips to Kylie’s cheek, her breath catching at the softness, the warmth. “I…”

  “What, Gretchen? Do you need something
?” Kylie’s voice was laced with worry. “Talk to me.”

  Live life.

  Reaching out with a suddenly determined expression on her face, Gretchen curled her fingers around the hem of Kylie’s T-shirt and pulled it up and over Kylie’s head. The move was so unexpected, Kylie simply went along with it before she could think clearly, lifting her arms to help. Then she could only blink in response and watch as Gretchen tossed the shirt to the floor.

  “I need you.” Gretchen’s voice was a commanding hiss tinted with a note of pleading.

  Her eyes raked over Kylie’s naked torso so intensely, Kylie was sure she could feel it just as tangibly as a touch and she shivered.

  “I need you,” she said again, and watched as Kylie’s breasts rose and fell with the quickened pace of her breathing.

  Kylie tried to swallow her surprise, along with her rapidly growing arousal, as she sat topless in front of Gretchen, feeling practically devoured by her eyes alone. “Gretchen…”

  Gretchen grasped Kylie’s chin in her hand. The steeliness in her eyes eased and when she spoke this time, it was no more than a whimper. “Kylie. I need you.”

  “Are you sur—” Kylie was unable to complete the sentence before Gretchen’s mouth covered hers.

  Gretchen’s grip on her chin tightened, then her hand slid around to the back of Kylie’s head as she pushed forward, holding Kylie’s mouth to hers, the kiss moving from gentle and tentative to demanding in a matter of mere seconds.

  Live life.

  The words sounded in Gretchen’s head and she surged harder into Kylie, pushing her onto her back and groaning at the feel of the warm bare skin beneath her. God. So soft. She forced herself to slow down, wanting to savor every single second. Kylie’s belly quivered as Gretchen ran her palm over it. Then Kylie’s fingers dug into Gretchen’s mass of dark curls, pulling her closer as she deepened the kiss, her tongue pushing, delving for more. Gretchen grasped at Kylie’s hip, feeling the hindrance of the shorts and pulling at them.

  “Off,” she muttered, yanking at the fabric.

  Obediently, Kylie lifted her hips off the bed and allowed Gretchen to pull her shorts and panties free. They joined her T-shirt in a heap on the floor.

  Gretchen balanced herself on her forearm above Kylie and stared, allowing her eyes to travel down the length of the naked body beneath her. The beauty of this woman made a lump form in her throat and tears to spring into her eyes. She swept her gaze back up until crystal blue eyes intercepted her own, studying her intently, darkened with desire but still tinted with worry.

  Gretchen smiled at her to alleviate any concern. “You are so beautiful,” she said reverently, with disbelief, and ran her hand slowly up Kylie’s thigh, her hip, her side, and gently cupped one breast.

  She stroked the softness of it with the tips of her fingers, measured the surprising heft of it in her palm, and ran her thumb over the nipple, watching it tighten under her touch, feeling Kylie’s breath hitch just a little. She repeated the move and felt Kylie squirm beneath her. The third time, she watched Kylie’s face and a surge of wetness dampened her panties as she witnessed Kylie bite down on her bottom lip and her eyes drift closed. Gretchen dipped her head and ran the flat of her tongue over the same now-hardened nipple.

  “Oh, my God,” Kylie rasped as her body arched.

  Loving the reaction, Gretchen licked the other nipple just as slowly and gently as the first. Kylie groaned and the fingers she’d tangled in Gretchen’s hair closed into a fist. For Gretchen, the almost-pain of her grip only ratcheted the excitement upward.

  Shifting her position, Gretchen settled herself fully upon Kylie, nestling her hips between Kylie’s legs, her weight mostly on her own forearms. The warm, silky wetness that slid along her abdomen between her short tank and the top of her pants was not lost on her as she looked down into Kylie’s flushed face.

  This is life. This woman is life.

  She kissed Kylie’s mouth thoroughly and seductively, then moved lower and set to work bathing Kylie’s breasts unhurriedly with her tongue. First one, then the other, then back, she worshipped the velvety skin, the pebbled areola, and the hardened nipples, taking her time as if she had forever and a day.

  Kylie squirmed, arched, and groaned below her, squeezing her eyes shut and groping blindly for the headboard until she located one wooden spindle and wrapped her fingers around it. She’d never been so aroused in her life, and Gretchen had barely touched anywhere below her belly.

  Gretchen sucked one nipple into her mouth, flicking it with her tongue and then raking her teeth across it, coaxing a whimper from Kylie. She knew immediately that she could spend the entire night doing just what she was doing, but there was so much more to touch, to feel, to taste. She ran her tongue off Kylie’s breast and along her side, following up the arm that was extended over Kylie’s head to the elbow, leaving a hot, wet trail. The stretch made her pelvis push into Kylie’s center.

  Kylie gasped. “Oh, God. You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” Gretchen didn’t answer. Rather, she brought her mouth crashing down onto Kylie’s and at that moment, she was the only important thing in the world, this woman beneath her. Even as Gretchen sank into the kiss, even as she let her hands drift and roam and explore the gloriousness of the body she ravaged, she knew in the back of her mind that something was different. Something big. She’d had a lot of sex in her day…a lot of sex. And with the exception of Diana so long ago, that’s all it ever was: sex. Release. Satisfaction. But this was different.

  Kylie was different.

  Gretchen focused every iota of concentration and energy she possessed on Kylie. At that moment, her sole purpose in life was to make Kylie feel beautiful, wanted, and loved.

  Kylie pulled at Gretchen’s tank top, but Gretchen caught her wrist, muttering, “Later,” through their kisses. Her fingers moved lower and sank into the wet warmth that awaited her between Kylie’s legs. Kylie inhaled sharply, hissing Gretchen’s name and inclining her hips, silently asking for more.

  Gretchen focused on keeping her movements slow and even, but she knew Kylie didn’t have long. Let’s just get this first one out of the way, she thought, her anticipation almost too much to bear. She kissed Kylie again as she slipped her fingers inside, stroking firmly, rhythmically, her thumb moving against the swollen flesh beneath it.

  In a matter of seconds, Kylie wrenched her mouth from Gretchen’s and threw her head back into the pillow, a long, low groan issuing from deep in her throat. Gretchen watched in awe as she kept the movements of her hand steady, stunned by Kylie’s beauty and how it made her feel.

  She slowed her rhythm in time with Kylie’s breathing until Kylie clasped her wrist and stopped her altogether. Gretchen gently withdrew her fingers. Kylie’s inner walls were still twitching periodically.

  “My God,” Kylie whispered, her hand over her eyes.

  Gretchen smiled widely, her main realization that she wanted more. She wanted to give more. She wanted to take more. She was far from finished with this woman. She never wanted to be finished with this woman. Lowering her head, she tenderly licked at Kylie’s nipple until it tightened obediently and Kylie whimpered.

  “Gretchen…wait…oh, my God.” Kylie was astonished to feel yet another rush of wetness between her thighs as Gretchen gently bit down on her oversensitive breast. She’d barely had time to catch her breath and Gretchen was cranking up the heat again. Very successfully.

  Gretchen couldn’t get enough. She wanted to taste every single inch of skin that covered Kylie’s body, from the top of her head to the tip of her toes and everything in between. The salty sweetness of her was intoxicating and Gretchen felt like a drunk in a liquor store as she licked, nipped, and savored. The combination of Kylie writhing beneath her, grasping at her, and moaning made Gretchen feel like she might spontaneously combust from her own fiery arousal. Her cotton pants were soaked through, the crotch stuck to her, but she didn’t want to leave Kylie’s body even long enough to shed her own clot
hing.

  She tasted her way down Kylie’s torso, taking a split second here and there to glance up at the object of her worship. Kylie was completely at her mercy, one hand over her head and seemingly fused to the wooden spindle of the headboard, the other tangled in Gretchen’s hair. Her head was thrown back into the pillow, exposing her long, elegant throat, and just for a moment, Gretchen contemplated going back upward specifically to lick that sexy column of flesh. She continued her path down, though, her desire to know what Kylie truly tasted like winning out. She settled herself between Kylie’s legs, and with a hand on each thigh, she pushed them farther apart.

  “Spread your legs for me, Kylie.” The tone of the command was so low, she barely recognized her own voice.

  Kylie did as she was told, quickly opening herself as far as she could, her rapid breathing giving away her impatience. Gretchen closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, the musky scent of Kylie’s arousal causing her mouth to water. She slipped her hands under Kylie’s backside and around to her hips where Kylie let go of Gretchen’s hair and instead, grasped her wrist and held tightly. Gretchen rubbed her cheek against the baby-smooth skin of the inside of Kylie’s thigh, reveling in the joy such a simple sensation could bring her. She repeated the same movement on the other thigh, going back and forth until she could wait no longer. She stroked her tongue along the satiny wet skin between Kylie’s legs, the taste of her making Gretchen moan in tandem with Kylie’s cry.

  Kylie shifted, trying to push herself more firmly into Gretchen’s mouth, but Gretchen held fast with her hands on Kylie’s hips, determined to set the pace. She had no intention of teasing Kylie yet, but she didn’t want to rush either. She took her time, exploring every fold, every hidden crevice and each different spot that caused Kylie to twitch, melt, or groan. She made mental notes, cataloging what reaction each touch inspired, what Kylie seemed to like most, when the contact was too firm and when it was not firm enough. Such research could become her life’s work and Gretchen would die a happy woman. She knew that with all her heart and she suddenly felt it welling up from within her…a phrase so foreign and unfamiliar it nearly choked her with its accuracy.