“Oh, come on, it can’t possibly taste that good to you.”
Rebecca shrugged. “I know some people are way into food, but I really don’t care. It’s just fuel to me.”
“Well, I’d like to enjoy what I’m eating, so I’ve got food covered. I’ll order something in. Any requests?”
Rebecca shrugged. “Nah, I don’t care. I’ll call this my cheat day. Want me to whip up some drinks?”
“That sounds great.” Annie smiled at her. “Thanks.”
“It’ll be fun!”
***
A few hours later, the three of them were curled up on the couches in the living room. Rebecca had made pitchers of ginger pear punch, and Annie was already feeling slightly buzzed.
“What exactly did you put in this?” she asked, peering down at her glass.
Rebecca snickered. “Brandy. Lots and lots of brandy.”
“Why didn’t we do this before?” Annie asked. “This is fun.”
Dee snorted. “Because I work all the damn time, Rebecca was always with some man, and you were a stuck-up bitch.”
“Oh, that.” Annie nodded. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
Rebecca let out a peal of laughter. “At least, you admit it.”
“I kinda was.” She shrugged. “I don’t like it, but there’s nothing much I can do about that now.”
“Nah, you’re cool,” Dee said. “So what did you want to talk about anyway?”
Annie looked down at her glass. “I’m thinking about moving in with Siobhán.”
“Damn! Are you ready for that?”
“I don’t know,” Annie admitted. “I think so. I’m just scared.”
“Why?” Rebecca angled herself so she was facing Annie and crossed her legs.
“I don’t know. I’ve been burned before. The whole reason I moved in here was because I got screwed over when Mark and I broke up.”
Rebecca shrugged. “Isn’t that always the risk with any relationship?”
“Yeah. I don’t know. I’m probably overthinking things.”
“No, you have a point,” Dee said. “You and Siobhán went through some rough stuff, and you want to be sure you’re not going to end up in a bad place again. I get that. You’re protecting yourself; that’s smart.”
“I don’t agree,” Rebecca said. “I think Annie’s just scared.”
“Of course, I’m scared. God, Siobhán nearly broke my heart. I’m not sure I want to do that again,” Annie pointed out.
It had been two months since The Laura Incident—as Annie had taken to calling it in her mind—and she was gradually beginning to let go of her wariness. But, it had taken time.
“Of course not. Who wants to get their heart broken?” Dee turned a look on Annie. “Does Siobhán love you?”
“Yes,” Annie said without hesitation.
“Do you love her?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think she wants what’s best for you?”
Annie thought for a moment. “Yeah, I really do.”
“Then you have to let go of all those doubts. Because it isn’t going to protect you from getting hurt. It’s just gonna keep you two from moving forward.”
“Huh. That’s a good point,” Rebecca said. She looked over at Annie. “We all know I’m a hot mess when it comes to relationships. You should probably listen to Dee.”
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. I don’t know what I’m doing either.”
Rebecca frowned at her. “What are you talking about, Dee? You’ve been with Trent forever.”
“And I think it’s about over. I don’t know.”
“Really?” Annie asked. “You guys seem pretty happy.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s thinking about proposing.” Dee sighed, but it wasn’t one of happiness. She sounded resigned. “He’s definitely been hinting at it.”
“Shouldn’t that be a good thing?” Rebecca said.
“It should, right?” Dee looked over at her. “But I don’t feel excited about it. I’m more excited about my degree, you know?”
“To be fair, a nursing degree is a way bigger accomplishment than marrying Trent,” Rebecca said.
Dee laughed. “Yeah, I’ve worked my damn ass off for the degree.” She shrugged. “Maybe that’s the problem with Trent.”
“What? Because you never had to work at it with him?”
“Yeah, kinda. He’s just ...” Dee seemed like she was struggling for words. “He tries so hard to be tougher than he is no matter how many times I tell him that’s not the kind of guy I want. He couldn’t even admit to Annie that he likes to eat pussy. Who wants a man like that?”
“It was weird,” Annie admitted.
“I’m torn because he’s not a bad guy despite all his bullshit. And being with Trent was great while I was in school. He cares about me. I never doubted that. The problem is he’s comfortable, but he’s not exciting. I want more than that. I want someone who challenges me.”
“Yeah, I understand that,” Annie said. Siobhán did challenge her. And when she thought about a future with Siobhán, she was sure it would always be interesting.
“Plus, I’m graduating in December, and I’m thinking about leaving Boston,” Dee continued. Rebecca let out a soft sound of surprise. “Do I really want to drag a husband along with me wherever I go? I’m not sure I do. I love him, but I can live without him, you know?”
“Yeah, I see your point,” Annie said.
“Wait. So you’re both going to leave me?” Rebecca said. “What the hell?”
“Sorry, girl.” Dee offered Rebecca a small smile. “But I’m not letting anything get in the way of me living my dream.”
“Oh, sure, you and Annie leave me, and I’m left with a heartbroken Trent. You guys suck.” Rebecca crossed her arms and pouted.
Annie laughed. “Hey, I haven’t decided anything yet.”
“Yeah, but you will.” Rebecca sounded confident. “You and Siobhán will move in together, you’ll write your blog, she’ll paint, and then someday you’ll have a beautiful lesbian wedding and babies together.”
Annie laughed. But a small part of her thought that the future Rebecca predicted sounded pretty damn good. Was it that easy though? Could she really just move in with Siobhán and move on to build a future together? What if she failed? What if they failed?
And what if they succeeded?
Sure, she had a lot to lose. But she had so much to gain. There was always the possibility that she’d regret choosing to move forward toward a future with Siobhán. But she knew if she didn’t try, she’d regret that for sure.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” Annie said softly. She took a deep breath and looked at the women across the room. “Okay. I’m going to do it. I’m going to move in with Siobhán.”
Dee gave her an encouraging smile, and Rebecca let out an excited squeal as she came over to hug Annie. It occurred to Annie that Rebecca was right. They were all going in different directions now.
“Ugh, why is it that now I feel like we’ve gotten to be good friends just as I’m leaving,” Annie said, surprised by how sad she felt at the thought.
“Just because you move out doesn’t mean we can’t stay friends, silly.” Rebecca hugged her again. “We’re not going anywhere.”
“I might be,” Dee said.
“Damn it, Dee; I was trying to make Annie feel better, not worse,” Rebecca said.
That struck Annie as one of the funniest things she’d heard, and it wasn’t until she splashed punch on the floor that she realized it was probably because she was rather tipsy.
She let out a small laugh and set the glass down before she stood.
“Where are you going?” Rebecca asked.
“To call my girlfriend and ask her if she wants to move in together,” Annie said with a smile.
“Aww, that’s sweet. But I thought we were hanging out tonight! What happened to hoes before bros,” Rebecca called after her.
“I don’t think that
works with lesbians, honey,” Dee said.
“Hoes before hoes?” Rebecca yelled. Annie shook her head as she walked down the hall, weaving a little from the effect of the brandy.
“I think you better quit while you’re ahead,” she heard Dee say with a snort.
Annie was still smiling as she closed the bedroom door behind her and flopped onto the bed, immediately reaching for her phone.
“What happened to girls’ night?” Siobhán said as she answered.
“I’m drunk.” Annie reconsidered. “Well, tipsy anyway. It was fun though. I’m going to miss Dee and Rebecca.”
“Why? Are they moving?”
“No,” Annie said. “Sort of. Dee is. But that’s not the point. I was kind of hoping I might be.”
There was silence on the other end for a moment. “Are you saying what I think you are?” Siobhán finally said. There was a hesitant, hopeful note in her voice.
“Yeah, I am. Do you want to move in together, Siobhán?” Annie asked. “Because I really want to start a future with you. I know I’m drunk-ish and that probably isn’t the best time to make these decisions, but I promise, I want this. I’m sure of that. So what do you say? Should we move in together? Plan a future together?”
“Mo gras,” Siobhán said, the words a hushed, reverent whisper. “Oh, yes, Annie. I’ve been ready. I’ve just been waiting for you to ask.”
Chapter Nineteen
June
Annie sighed as strong fingers dug into the muscles of her shoulders. Siobhán’s sweet scent surrounded her. “Mmm, hello.”
“Hello.” Siobhán sounded like she was smiling. “How’s the work going?”
“Good.” Annie let her head fall forward as Siobhán worked her way up Annie’s neck. “Better now.”
“I should hope so.” She could hear the smile in Siobhán’s voice. “Tell me about your day.”
“Oh, I spoke with someone at a whale watching company who’s interesting in being a featured company on the blog.”
“Are you considering it?”
“Possibly.” Annie moaned when Siobhán hit a particularly sore spot at the base of her skull. “Oh, yes, right there.”
“Pros?”
“Good money. The company seems good, or at least the contact person I’ve been dealing with does.”
Cons?”
“None that I can see so far. But, I’ll want to research the company more. And we’ll have to take a whale watching trip.”
“Oh, no,” Siobhán said. “How horrible. You really ask the worst things of me, Annie.”
Annie stuck out her tongue, even though Siobhán couldn’t see it. “How do you stand it?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Siobhán leaned in and spoke in Annie’s ear. “Maybe it’s all the orgasms you repay me with.”
“It could be that,” Annie agreed with a smile.
Siobhán lifted her hands and stepped away. Annie swiveled in her chair and looked up at her. “How’d the meeting with the auction winners go?”
“Wonderful!” Siobhán beamed. “The couple was delighted with the painting and, of course, Gabriel is salivating over the thought of the commission he’s getting.”
“I’m sure he is.” Annie rolled her eyes, but it was out of habit rather than real annoyance. Gabriel had been a huge contributor to the success of her blog. And the painting Siobhán was referring to was the Boston skyline piece she’d created for Annie’s blog. They’d auctioned it off as part of a charity auction, which had led to a flood of traffic. It had been a boon for everyone, including the local women’s center they would be donating the proceeds to.
“What do you have planned for the rest of the day?” Siobhán asked.
“Answering emails, writing blog posts, and updating expenses in my budgeting software.”
“All in a day of the life of a successful blogger!” Siobhán said.
“Yes,” Annie agreed. Her blog had been remarkably successful in a short time. She’d been astonished by the companies that had reached out to her once it was up and running, and while she wasn’t likely to grow rich on it anytime soon, it had been voted in the Top 10 for new blogs on the Boston A-List website. It paid the bills. And most importantly, Annie loved her work.
“What do you think about whale watching on Friday?”
“Sounds lovely. And who knows? Maybe it’ll spark some new ideas for me.”
Annie frowned at her. “Still struggling?”
Siobhán sighed. “Unfortunately.”
The one blemish in their otherwise wonderful life together had been that Siobhán had been struggling with her creativity since The Laura Incident. The flood of ideas she’d had slowed to a trickle, and she’d repainted more canvases than she’d completed. Even the ones she’d done, she hadn’t been happy with.
It broke Annie’s heart every time she walked into their office and saw Siobhán staring at a blank canvas with a deep furrow over her brow.
When Annie had expressed her worries that she or their relationship had somehow caused the creative block, Siobhán had assured her it had nothing to do with her. But whatever the cause, Annie hated to see the person she loved struggling.
Thankfully, Siobhán still had money coming in. The sale of her completed paintings from her last show had allowed them to put a little into savings and to move from Siobhán’s one-bedroom apartment into a roomier two-bedroom a floor above in the same building. They’d used the second bedroom as a combined studio for Siobhán and office for Annie. She often found herself sitting and staring around the space, smiling at the sight of their mingled passions.
The rest of the apartment had slowly come together as well. Annie had been delighted to realize that their new bedroom was shaded by the large, sturdy tree in front of the building, much like her room at the apartment with Dee, Trent, and Rebecca, and it gave her the same tranquil feeling.
“Everything okay, mo grá?” Siobhán asked, and Annie started.
“Yes. Sorry. I got lost in thought. Did I tell you Rebecca and Trent are dating?
Siobhán blinked at her. “Really?”
“Apparently. I guess the woman who moved in after Dee left—the one who took my old bedroom—was flirting with Trent, Rebecca got jealous, and one thing led to another. I don’t know. I’m baffled, but maybe it’ll make more sense after I talk to Rebecca. We’re grabbing a drink after she gets out of work.”
“I can’t decide if that’s a brilliant pairing or horrifying,” Siobhán said.
Annie agreed. “I’m inclined to think the latter, but we’ll see. I’ll let you know the details when I get home tomorrow. I’m combining drinks out with a review I’ve been meaning to do of the new bar that opened down the street.”
Siobhán laughed. “You can take a day off here and there, you know?”
“I know,” Annie said with a sigh. “But now that I’m enjoying what I’m doing, sometimes it’s hard to turn it off.”
Siobhán smiled faintly. “I remember that.”
The note of wistfulness in her voice made Annie’s heart ache, and she stood and went over to Siobhán. “I’m sorry things aren’t coming together for you right now.”
Siobhán shrugged and let out a quiet sigh. “As am I. But knowing I have you makes it easier. We’ll get through it.”
“Of course, we will.” Annie smoothed Siobhán’s dark hair away from her face. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Siobhán pulled her closer and brushed her lips across Annie’s. “More than you can possibly imagine.”
Annie closed her eyes and deepened the kiss. Living together had done nothing to blunt their passion for each other, and she couldn’t count the number of times they’d made love on the floor of the office-slash-studio. Siobhán had even joked about bringing a mattress in, but they’d settled on a large, comfortable armchair. It had seen plenty of use.
Now, Annie guided Siobhán toward it, steering her with her body. “What are you doing?” Siobhán said against her mouth, a hint of
a smile in her voice.
“You’ll just have to wait and see.” When the back of Siobhán’s knees hit the chair, Annie stopped. She reached down and lifted the soft, black cotton dress Siobhán wore, pulling it up and over her head. She unhooked the delicate cream and black lace bra, then slid the matching panties down over Siobhán’s hips. “Very sexy,” she murmured, planting a kiss on Siobhán’s neck. “Were you planning this?”
Siobhán looped her arms around Annie’s neck and let her head fall back. The long sweep of her hair brushed Annie’s hands where they were clasped around Siobhán’s waist. “I’m always planning this.”
Laughing, Annie guided Siobhán down into the chair. “Well, then I guess I better make it good.”
Siobhán paused and cupped Annie’s cheek. “You always do, álainn. Always.”
For a moment, they simply stared at each other. “Like you should talk. You are so, so beautiful,” Annie said huskily. She planted a kiss on Siobhán’s collarbone, nearly dizzy with the desire to taste Siobhán’s skin. She was going to press Siobhán down against the cushions and bury her face between Siobhán’s thighs until she came. Until she gorged herself on her lover. But for now, she simply looked at her, so overwhelmed by her feelings for Siobhán she could do nothing else.
Annie had never—would never—get enough of Siobhán Murray.
Annie and Siobhán’s story will continue in “The Greenest Isle”
Book 2 in the “Colors” series
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A Brighter Palette Page 18
