“Oh, Royal, it’s beautiful here.” She felt Royal’s arm slide around her waist.
“Just like you,” whispered Royal.
Lovey turned to see that while her attention had been captured by the view, all of Royal’s attention was focused on her. She leaned into Royal until their lips met. After a moment, Lovey pulled away. She realized they were in the wide open and that anyone could walk up at any time and find them kissing.
“Don’t worry. No one is going to see us here.” Royal spoke with the tone of sincere concern in her voice, as if reading Lovey’s mind.
Lovey smiled and kissed Royal lightly on the lips before turning to breathe in the view again. She hugged herself and inhaled deeply. A few small puffs of white clouds drifted overhead, and row after row of blue-ridged mountains extended as far as she could see. Behind her, she heard Royal rustling through the bag she’d brought with them.
Royal settled onto the rock and pulled food and two colas in glass bottles out of her pack. She hadn’t brought a blanket this time, but she did have a couple of cloth napkins. She’d made them sandwiches and brought one serving of Mrs. Watkins’s peach pie in a glass container. She’d eaten two pieces of pie and stolen one more for their picnic before her grandfather even got to sample it.
She watched Lovey take in the view for a few more moments before sitting down beside her on the rock. Lovey smiled as she saw what Royal had prepared for them.
“This is really fun, Royal. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Royal offered one of the sandwiches to Lovey and then took a bite from hers. They sat quietly eating and absorbing the bounty of nature all around them.
After lingering long enough to let their lunch settle, they started to walk back down to where they’d left the car. It was nearly six in the evening and the shadows were lengthening all around them. The sun having dropped low in the sky darkened the ridgeline above them as if cutting the world in half. Dark and light.
Royal loved this time of day. Twilight. The magical space between day and night.
As they entered a thick grove of trees, Royal reached for Lovey’s hand and pulled her to a stop.
“Sometimes when I’m in the woods at this time of day, I feel at any moment I might stumble upon something miraculous. Something I have long looked for without knowing that I was searching for it.” Royal pulled Lovey close. “Or someone I didn’t know I was searching for,” she added in a whisper. They were pressed together, every part of their bodies touching in the deepening shadows of the heavy canopy above them, the thick, tall trees like a cathedral surrounding them.
Lovey felt Royal’s hands slowly move down her ribs to her hips. Royal applied gentle pressure pulling them closer, but Lovey felt herself resist. She was struggling to understand her attraction to Royal. She felt an intense physical tug that she was at a loss to explain, having never been with a woman before in this way. Why now? Why Royal?
She relinquished and sank into Royal as they began to kiss. They moved against each other. One of Royal’s hands dropped lower still and pulled Lovey more tightly against her.
The pounding of her own heart filled her ears, and she knew she couldn’t stand this exquisite torture any longer. Their lips separated and Lovey whispered against Royal’s cheek. “Where can we go to be alone together?”
“I have a place.” Royal kissed Lovey for a few minutes longer before breaking away and pulling Lovey toward the car.
They drove back toward the town square. Main Street weaved around a central courthouse and then Royal took the second right and parked near a tailor’s shop, a two-story brick building that seemed to have a separate side entrance. Once they were inside the side door, they climbed stairs to a second floor with a long hallway. Doors every so often on either side lined the hall. They had hardly talked on the drive, and Lovey was a bundle of nerves because of her own suggestion to be alone with Royal.
They stopped in front of a door midway down the long hall, and Royal produced a key that allowed them entrance. She held the door for Lovey.
“What is this place?” Lovey asked. She stepped inside and quickly took in the simple fixtures of the room. A washbasin along one wall, a small table set with a typewriter and nearly covered with loose-leaf papers, a bed, a nightstand, a lamp, and an upholstered chair featuring some worn nondescript pattern. She turned around as she heard the door close quietly behind them.
“Remember when I said I had a place I go sometimes? This is the place.” Royal dropped the knapsack on the floor and her keys on the table. “The second story is all rooms for rent, and I keep this place for when I need time away. Or time alone.”
Lovey walked over to the table, curious about the typewriter and papers. She read the text on one of the pages.
Peering inside one of the relic’s former windows
She tried to imagine what things it must have known, what life it carried.
She looked up to study Royal’s face before she slid the paper aside and read the words scribbled on the page underneath.
Of a life lived in the spaces between
A hollow of shadows
Like the space in my chest that aches with yearning
For a place of belonging.
“Who wrote these?”
“I wrote them. They aren’t finished yet.” Royal crossed her arms and shifted her stance. She seemed self-conscious.
“You write poetry?”
“Yes.”
“And you drive fast cars?”
“Yes.”
“Royal Duval, the daredevil poet.” Lovey held the papers in her hands as she turned to face Royal, who laughed softly.
“Yes, I suppose that’s as good a description as any.”
Lovey felt Royal watching her as she read more of what she’d discovered. This added a new dimension to who Royal was, and Lovey now realized she was in terrible danger of falling for her. If she hadn’t already suspected it based on the chemical reaction that seemed to take place every time they touched, then finding out Royal wrote poetry would have certainly tipped the scales even further.
“Royal, these are really good. You’ve got real talent.” She looked up from what she was reading to see a sheepish look on Royal’s face. “Have these been published?”
“I’ve never submitted anything.” Royal’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“You’ll drive a hundred miles an hour down a winding road at night, but you won’t submit your poems for publication?” Lovey set the papers back on the table surface but allowed her fingertips to keep light contact with them.
“The words, they mean something to me. They’re too personal.”
Lovey reached for Royal, entwining the fingers of one hand with hers and then brushing her cheek tenderly with the other. “Thank you for sharing them with me,” she whispered.
Chapter Eleven
Royal released Lovey’s hand and slid the straps of her suspenders slowly off her shoulders. The straps drooped to hang next to her thighs as she pulled her shirttail loose from her trousers, then unhurriedly began to unbutton her white shirt before tossing it across a nearby chair. Lovey watched the entire tantalizing display with rapt attention, her throat suddenly dry.
She had not spoken in the last few minutes, but Lovey felt Royal communicating volumes with the steamy look of desire that darkened her blue eyes. Lovey exhaled softly as Royal moved toward her. She took a step back, bumping up against the table’s edge.
Royal was still wearing the thin, tank style undershirt that she’d had on beneath her long-sleeved shirt. The tight-fitting garment hugged the contours of her small, firm breasts and flat torso.
Royal didn’t touch Lovey. Instead she stood very close. They were so close that Lovey could feel the heat coming off Royal’s skin.
“You smell really good.” Royal whispered the words with her eyes closed.
“Are you trying to seduce me, Royal Duval?”
“Maybe. Or should we call this an exploration?”
>
If this were an exploration then Lovey wasn’t certain she could survive an actual seduction. Her heart was thumping in her chest. She knew her cheeks must be flushed from the increased blood flow, and she was feeling other things. Things in places she’d never felt them before. Her eyes were closed but flew open when she felt Royal’s touch.
Royal’s gaze was focused on the fingertip that she was using to lightly trace Lovey’s jawline, down the outside curve of her neck and then across her collarbone. She repeated the route on the other side, but this time she was looking directly into Lovey’s eyes as she followed the same path with her fingers. The room was warm, despite air circulating from an open window. Lovey could see the slightest sheen of perspiration along the crest of Royal’s shoulders.
Royal moved her fingertips up and slowly swept them over Lovey’s lips.
Hesitation. For a moment, time seemed suspended.
Royal lightly placed her lips on Lovey’s. As she deepened the kiss between them Lovey felt the weight of Royal press against her. Royal kept her palms pressed against the small of Lovey’s back.
Lovey was unsure what to do with her hands. Tentatively, she placed them at Royal’s waist, and then as the kiss continued to intensify, she fisted the light fabric of Royal’s undershirt, pulling it free from her trousers so that she could feel the smooth skin underneath. She felt Royal inhale sharply against her mouth.
What now? Lovey had no idea. She was completely under Royal’s spell at this point, barely keeping her feet on the floor. It was as if the room had dropped away and the two of them were floating above a dark, inviting abyss.
She felt Royal pull her into the center of the room. Her bones had softened to the point she wasn’t sure she could keep standing, let alone walk. Royal released her mouth and moved behind her. Lovey opened her eyes just as Royal tossed the undershirt to the chair where her other shirt lay. Lovey realized that Royal was now wearing only the trousers, and her heart rate spiked despite the fact that she couldn’t actually see Royal in this state of partial undress. She was about to turn around when she felt Royal step close behind her and begin to unzip her dress. As Royal pushed the fabric apart to reveal the slip underneath, she kissed the back of Lovey’s neck and then her shoulders, sending chills down Lovey’s arms. Once the dress had been pushed off her shoulders and down to her waist, the slip was next. Royal kissed her shoulders as she slipped the narrow satin strap off to the side and swept it down her arms. Lovey pulled her arms free from the top of her dress and the slip that was gathered at her hips. She reached behind, over her shoulder, she placed her hand at the back of Royal’s head, pulling her lips against her neck again. She felt Royal’s firm nipples against the bare skin of her back and shuddered.
The place between her legs throbbed as she felt Royal’s arms encircle her waist and Royal’s strong hands move up her stomach to cover her small aching breasts. Lovey collapsed against Royal as she felt her tease and massage each breast through her bra, causing the need deep in her center to increase.
“I’m not sure how much more of this exploration I can stand,” said Lovey.
She felt sure she could feel Royal’s lips curve into a smile against her bare shoulder. “Me either.”
Lovey reached behind her to unclasp the bra and then tossed it onto the chair with Royal’s shirt. Royal’s mouth was hot against her neck. She covered Royal’s hands with hers as they covered her breasts.
Temptation. Lovey had heard her father speak of it from the pulpit numerous times and never fully understood it until now. The vices that seemed to tempt others beyond their ability to resist things like cards or whiskey had never held any sway over her, so she’d wrongly assumed that temptation was a problem for others. No one warned her that temptation would smell this incredibly good, feel so exquisitely satisfying, or burn as hotly across her tender flesh as this did.
As Royal caressed her with the lightest of touches, Lovey visualized herself in the Garden, naked before God. She was standing under the tree of knowledge, looking up into its laden branches, and she knew with certainty the only fruit she wanted to taste was Royal. She wanted to feel the sweetness of it on her tongue, feel the weight of it in her hand. As Royal traced the outside edge of her arm with tender fingertips, Lovey was struck full in the chest by the knowledge that the one forbidden thing was the one thing she desired most.
Royal moved in front of her. Lovey placed her hands lightly on Royal’s chest. She was as hot and flushed as Lovey felt. Her hair was somewhat tousled from Lovey’s grasping at it when she’d been standing behind her. Lovey kept her hand lightly on Royal’s shoulder for balance as Royal knelt in front of her. She unbuckled Lovey’s shoes and set them aside, then pushed the dress and slip slowly over her hips, allowing it to pool around Lovey’s ankles so that she could step out of it. Royal stood and pulled Lovey into her arms, kissing her tenderly as she caressed her back with her hands.
Wearing only her panties, Lovey became overwhelmed with tactile sensations. Her bare breasts against Royal’s, her naked thighs brushed against the rough fabric of Royal’s trousers.
Royal moved them toward the iron frame bed without breaking the kiss. Lovey slid into a seated position on the edge of the bed once she felt it hit the back of her knees. Royal took a step back to remove her boots and pants. She wore boys’ loose-style shorts under her pants. And somehow, Lovey thought, Royal made the simple boxy undergarment look incredibly sexy.
Royal moved close to Lovey, standing between her legs as she sat on the edge of the bed. They stayed that way for an extended moment as if Royal were giving her space to either stop what they were doing or make the next move.
Unsure of what to do or say, Lovey let her intuition and desire guide her. She pulled Royal’s firm stomach toward her mouth and began kissing her there. Emboldened, she slipped her fingers under the waistband of the shorts and pushed them slowly over Royal’s slim hips. Now she was at a loss as to what to do next. She looked up at Royal with questions in her eyes.
Royal smiled at her, then bent to capture Lovey’s mouth. She eased her back farther onto the bed and settled down next to her. She pulled a light sheet up over them so that Lovey wouldn’t feel so exposed. As she lay beside Lovey, propped up on her elbow, Royal again traced the contours of her neck and shoulders, smiling and every now and then placing soft kisses on Lovey’s lips.
“Is this okay?” Royal worried she’d taken things too far.
“Yes.”
“Can we get rid of these?” She slipped her fingers under the waistband of Lovey’s panties. Lovey nodded her assent.
Once the last bit of clothing that separated them was gone, Royal rolled on top of Lovey, pushing one thigh between her legs. She began kissing Lovey softly on the cheek, on her forehead, on her mouth.
“You feel incredible,” Royal said. She slid down and took Lovey’s tender breast in her mouth.
“So do you.” Lovey whispered the words against Royal’s ear.
Royal’s senses were on fire. She had some vague notion that she should hold back a little with Lovey. She’d been down this road with straight women before, and things always ended with heartache for her, but this felt different somehow, and so she ignored her fears. She was, after all, catastrophically optimistic.
Lovey was so beautiful. Her skin like pliant porcelain, perfect, smooth, responsive. Royal moved her hand down and across the slight curve of Lovey’s stomach to the place between her legs. She watched Lovey’s face intently for some signal that she should stop, but Lovey only pulled her down into a fierce kiss, raising her hips to meet Royal’s rhythmic caress.
Lovey thought she might pass out from the sheer pleasure of Royal’s touch. Her strong fingers stroked and circled, building pressure deep in her core until she felt Royal push inside. She gasped at the sensation, her mouth open against Royal’s neck.
Royal kissed her forehead and moved down the length of her body, feathering kisses along the way, all the while slowly thrusting in and
out. Lovey felt the climax building with force. She reached over her head to grasp the wrought iron spokes of the headboard in both hands as she felt Royal’s mouth in addition to her fingers between her legs. Royal slipped her shoulder under Lovey’s thigh and began stroking Lovey with her tongue as she continued teasing thrusts with her fingers.
Lovey was coming undone. She rocked against Royal’s mouth and let go of the headboard with one hand so that she could fist Royal’s hair.
“Oh, God, Royal, don’t stop. Don’t stop. Oh…” She cried out as she writhed underneath Royal, the orgasm ripping through her body like a lightning strike. She pulled Royal up and desperately kissed her, holding her tightly against her shuddering body.
Had she ever had an orgasm before? Now she wasn’t sure. She’d definitely never felt anything as intense as this. Royal’s hair was damp as she moved it away from her forehead and kissed her. She pushed Royal over onto her back and settled on top of her. She rested her head in the center of Royal’s chest, listening to Royal’s rapid heartbeat. Lovey smiled at the comforting sensation.
Still aroused, Lovey began to kiss Royal’s torso and then moved up to her neck, the tender spot under her ear, before capturing her lips in a languorous kiss. She felt Royal’s hands drift to cover her ass, pulling Lovey tightly against her midsection.
Lovey propped herself up on an elbow so that she could run her fingertips over Royal’s warm mouth. As her fingers made a second sweep across her lips, Royal sucked two fingers inside. The sensation of having her fingers in Royal’s mouth sent an electric jolt straight to her core. She felt she understood Royal’s message.
Whiskey Sunrise Page 7
