by Jae
“Woohoo!” Lynn slapped Drew’s shoulder. “So you finally earned that toaster oven?”
At Lynn’s loud cheering, the people at the neighboring tables looked over at them. One of the waiters stopped in the middle of pouring wine and stared too.
Lynn grinned at Annie as if she were just one in a long row of Drew’s conquests.
Annie couldn’t stand that grin any longer. She let go of Drew’s hand and pushed away her plate. Instead of jumping up as she wanted to, she mumbled, “Excuse me,” got up with as much dignity as possible—which wasn’t much under the circumstances—and fled to the ladies’ room. Maybe if she hid out there for long enough, Lynn would just disappear.
* * *
Drew threw down her napkin. She wanted to throw it into Lynn’s face but restrained herself. Making even more of a spectacle wouldn’t help. “Great.” She stared at the door of the ladies’ room that had just closed behind Annie, then pivoted to glare at Lynn. “You’re as diplomatic as a sledgehammer.”
“Me?” Lynn dropped into Annie’s chair. “What did I do?”
Drew ground her teeth. “That toaster oven comment wasn’t funny.”
“Oh, come on. People said the same thing when I first slept with you.”
“That’s different.” Drew rose to go after Annie and make sure she was okay.
Lynn refolded the napkin Annie had dumped on the table. “Why?”
Drew put both hands on the table and leaned forward to tower over Lynn. “Because we didn’t ...” She stopped herself from telling Lynn she hadn’t slept with Annie yet. In the past, telling her friends about her sex life hadn’t been a big deal, but with Annie, it felt like a private, almost sacred thing that she didn’t want to share with anyone else. “Because comments like that make Annie feel like she’s a notch on my bed post. Just one of many. And she’s not.”
Lynn stared at her. Her fingers tightened around the napkin. “And I was?”
“No.” Drew stopped herself from reaching across the table to cover Lynn’s hand with her own. She didn’t want to send mixed messages. “Please don’t think that. It just wasn’t working between us. I’m sorry. I know you hoped we’d get back together.”
With her free hand, Lynn scratched at a tiny sauce stain on the tablecloth. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”
“I’m not blaming you for that. But you being a bitch to Annie ... that’s got to stop. Right now.”
Lynn snatched her hand away from under Drew’s. “I’m not—”
“Yes, you are.” Drew glanced toward the ladies’ room again. “From the moment you met Annie, you’ve been teasing and needling her.” She leaned down to make sure Lynn caught each and every one of her words. “You’re my friend, but if you don’t cut out this kind of behavior, you’ll make me choose between Annie and you. And believe me, you won’t like my choice.”
For a moment, even the clinking of glasses and the conversation of other guests seemed to stop.
Drew bit her lip. She felt bad about hurting Lynn, but it needed to be said. She had left too many things between them unresolved after their breakup the year before.
A bitter snort from Lynn interrupted the silence between them. She folded her arms across her chest. “Why didn’t you ever fight for our relationship like this?”
Drew squeezed her eyes shut. Not that again. She didn’t have the patience to deal with this now. She wanted to go after Annie. “Jesus, Lynn, why don’t you finally get over it? We were together for all of three months, and we fought like cats and dogs for half of that time.”
“Bullshit. So there was a lot of passion in the relationship, but we never—”
“Just look at us now.” Drew pointed at their confrontational stances. “Even if you manage to scare Annie off and by some miracle we get back together, do you really think this is the basis for a happy relationship?”
Lynn stared at her and leaned heavily against the back of the chair. Her arms dropped to her sides. The anger disappeared from her expression like a snuffed-out candle, leaving behind a trembling lower lip and a resigned gaze.
Drew didn’t wait around for Lynn’s answer. She whirled around and hurried after Annie.
* * *
Annie gripped the sink with both hands and stared into the mirror. “Nicely done, Annie Prideaux.” She shook her head at her reflection. “You ran out on Drew at the first sign of trouble. Now she’ll think you’re not ready for a relationship with her.”
And maybe she wasn’t. There was so much she still didn’t know about lesbian relationships. Facing the curious stares of people when they were behaving like a couple in public was just one of her concerns. She also didn’t have a clue about what to do with Drew in private. Would they kiss again tonight? Or would Drew expect more than just kisses?
Annie wasn’t sure she was ready for that. I need to do more research. She had found some lesbian stories online that seemed pretty ... educating. Heat swept up her neck.
The door of the ladies’ room swung open, interrupting Annie’s thoughts.
She looked up and met Drew’s concerned gaze in the mirror.
For a moment, they stayed like that, just looking at each other in the mirror, as they had in the fitting room. Then Drew stepped into the room and let the door fall shut behind her. “You okay?”
Annie nodded and turned. “Lynn just ...” She broke off and shook her head.
“I know. Lynn can be an ass.” Drew took another step and pulled Annie into her arms.
The bathroom sex scenes from the lesbian television show she had watched as part of her research flashed through Annie’s mind. Heat exploded in her belly as her body pressed against Drew’s.
But instead of kissing her, Drew just hugged her.
Annie let her cheek sink against Drew’s head and forced her rebellious body to calm down. Jesus. You’d think I was a horny teenager. She felt out of control, a little scared, and entirely wonderful all at the same time.
Drew reached up and cupped the back of Annie’s head, the gesture comforting and tender instead of arousing.
Annie nestled closer and marveled at how well they fit against each other. When Drew held her like this, all her doubts and insecurities melted away.
“Whatever Lynn implied, you’re much more to me than a quick way to earn a toaster oven, okay?” Drew whispered against Annie’s neck.
The hot breath bathing her skin made Annie shiver. “I know.” She pressed even closer, trying to forget about Lynn and the rest of the world for a few moments.
Drew wrapped her arms more tightly around her. As tender as the wings of a butterfly, she brushed a kiss against Annie’s neck.
The door opened again.
Embarrassed, Annie pulled back a little but kept one arm around Drew.
An elderly woman gave them a fleeting glance before she moved past them into one of the stalls.
“So,” Drew said, “want to get the food to go?”
Annie squared her shoulders. “No. Let’s go back to the table and continue our date.”
Smiling, Drew reached for her hand and opened the door.
When they got back to the table, Lynn was gone.
* * *
After they left the restaurant, Drew walked Annie to her car.
Annie held her breath while she unlocked the trunk and lifted out Heart’s Offering. Would Drew recognize them immediately too?
“Another painting?” Drew asked.
“Not just any painting,” Annie repeated Drew’s words from earlier. She removed the protective material from around the painting and held it up for Drew to see.
For several moments, Drew just stood and stared. “Oh, wow.” She touched the face of the taller figure in the painting. “You got your mother to paint this for us?” She smiled and tapped Annie’s nose with her index finger. “And you say you’re not romantic.”
“I’m not. I mean ... maybe I am.” Annie’s cheeks warmed. “But my mother didn’t paint this.”
“No?
”
“No.”
Drew stared at the painting. “Don’t tell me the woman at the beach that day ...?”
Annie nodded.
“How did you find her?” Drew still studied the painting.
“Coincidence. She had a few paintings in the art opening today, including this one.”
“Incredible,” Drew said and looked up.
Their gazes met.
“Magic,” Annie whispered.
They stood in silence for a few moments, just looking into each other’s eyes. Then Annie handed over the painting and unlocked the door on the driver’s side. When she turned, her gaze fell on Drew’s lips. She wanted a good-night kiss but didn’t know how to ask for it. With Patrick, she had never needed to ask—and had never wanted to.
The painting safely held beneath one arm, Drew pointed to her car on the other side of the parking lot. “Want to come home with me and have coffee?”
Coffee. Even Annie knew what that meant. She swallowed and hesitated.
“I have tea too,” Drew said.
Her charming smile nearly made Annie give in, but nervousness held her back. She looked into Drew’s eyes, then let her gaze drop to the ground. “I’m not sure I’m ready.” She peeked up to watch Drew’s reaction.
“To have coffee?” Drew frowned. One second later, her eyes widened. “Christ, Annie. You thought ...?” She laughed and pulled Annie into a one-armed embrace. “When I asked you to come home with me for coffee, I meant coffee, nothing else. I just want to spend a little more time with you.”
“Oh.” Annie’s cheeks and earlobes were burning. “I didn’t mean to imply that you ...”
Drew stroked one of her hot cheeks. “Don’t get me wrong. I want you.” The smoldering heat in Drew’s dark eyes confirmed her words before it was replaced with tenderness. “But more than that I want you to feel comfortable. I can imagine that the thought of having sex with a woman seems pretty ... intimidating to you.”
Annie’s ears heated again. Here she was, in the middle of a parking lot, discussing lesbian sex. Who would have thought? “It’s not that I’m not attracted to you.” She was. During dinner, she had wondered how it would feel to press her lips against the skin left bare by the two open buttons on Drew’s blouse. In the safety of her own bed, she wondered how other places on Drew’s body might feel. But the thought of acting on these feelings was as scary as it was exciting. “It’s just that I need some time to adjust to this new me.”
“I know. We’ll take things slow, okay?”
Annie nodded.
“So,” Drew trailed her hand along Annie’s forearm, making her whole body tingle, “how about that coffee?”
“Tea,” Annie said. “Otherwise I won’t be able to sleep tonight.” Not that she would get much sleep anyway. Too many thoughts and questions running through her head would keep her awake, but that was fine with her. She had a lot of research to do.
* * *
Annie tried to fend off Cab’s sloppy greeting with one hand while she wrestled out of the high-heeled shoes that matched her burgundy dress.
“You make yourself comfortable in the living room,” Drew said. “I’ll make us some tea.” She whistled for Cab to follow her.
A new mix of scents greeted Annie when she entered the living room. Vanilla and pine now mingled with the smells of leather and wood. Red plastic apples, straw stars, and blue Christmas tree balls hung in the branches of a pine.
“Hey, you put up a tree,” she called through the half-open door.
“Yes,” Drew called back.
The sounds of water heating in a teakettle came from the kitchen.
Drew entered the living room, stopped next to Annie, and touched a golden angel that had clearly been made by the clumsy hands of a child, probably Drew. “I wasn’t sure I would get a tree this year. First, there’s Cab. Christmas trees and big dogs don’t get along well. And then there’s ...” Her voice trailed off. She looked at the mantle, where a picture of her parents stood.
Annie didn’t know what to say. Words couldn’t take away Drew’s pain. She slid one arm around Drew and pulled her closer. “I’m glad you decided to get one.”
“Me too.” Drew turned away from the photo and looked at Annie. “I thought maybe we could ... I mean, if you’re not celebrating Christmas with your parents, you could come over and we could spend Christmas together.”
Normally, Annie spent Christmas in Fresno, but the thought of being with Drew was much more appealing. “I’d like that. There’s just one problem.”
“Which is?” Drew looked determined to solve any problem single-handedly.
“We already exchanged the gifts we had planned for Christmas.” Annie grinned at her.
“Oh, you!” Drew swung back her hand to slap Annie’s ass.
Annie sidestepped and grabbed her arm before she could complete the maneuver.
Drew tugged to get free, but Annie refused to let go.
Within seconds, they were wrestling each other like two boisterous children. Annie was taller, but Drew was unexpectedly strong.
In her pantyhose, Annie slipped on the parquet and stumbled.
“Careful!” Drew gripped her shoulders but couldn’t stop Annie’s backward momentum.
Annie landed on the couch, with Drew on top of her.
Breathing heavily, they stared at each other from just inches away. The laughter and the playfulness were suddenly gone. Annie lay completely still. Her heaving chest pressed against Drew’s, making her even more breathless.
Drew bent her head until Annie felt her breath against her lips. She said something, but Annie couldn’t hear her over the rushing of blood in her ears.
“Um ...” She wrenched her gaze away from Drew’s lips. “Can you repeat that?”
“I said maybe you could just give me kisses for Christmas. You won’t even have to wrap them.”
“And what would you give me?” Annie asked, fighting to get out the words.
“How about a hickey?” Drew asked. “You heard of my famous Rottweiler technique.” She leaned down and playfully nibbled Annie’s throat. Teeth rasped over Annie’s sensitive skin.
Shivers raced up and down Annie’s body. She tilted her chin up to experience more of the tantalizing touches.
Drew lavished gentle kisses on the spots she had nibbled. Her smooth tongue flicked over the hollow of Annie’s throat.
Annie gasped.
Drew pulled back and looked down at her. “Is that okay?”
Still breathless, Annie just nodded.
Drew looked at her for a few seconds longer, then leaned down and kissed her. She took her time, first nibbling on Annie’s lips, then teasing the corners of her mouth before she slid her tongue against Annie’s in a tender caress.
Annie’s body temperature skyrocketed. She wrapped her arms around Drew and pulled her closer.
Her dress slid up, and one of Drew’s thighs pressed between her legs.
Annie pulled back with another gasp. Her head spinning, she gazed up at Drew.
Drew’s pupils were so wide that her irises were just thin rings of brown. She rolled off Annie and lay next to her on the couch. “Sorry,” she said. “That was a bit much.”
“No, it’s okay.” Annie pulled down the hem of her dress. “I’m just not used to feeling like my blood is boiling and everything is spinning out of control.”
Drew grinned and stroked Annie’s cheek. “My little control freak.”
Annie gave her a rueful smile and struggled to get up.
“No.” Drew pulled her back. “Let’s just lie here for a little while. No more making out. I promise. Just a little cuddling.”
Cuddling was even more out of the realm of Annie’s experiences than passionate kisses. Neither she nor Patrick had been big on cuddling. Still, if that was what Drew wanted, she would try. Slowly, she let herself sink into Drew’s arms and lay there without moving, taking stock of the way their bodies fit together.
Her fee
t dangled off the couch, and her knee probably cut off the circulation in Drew’s thigh. Could Drew even breathe with her weight resting on top of her? She tried to move back a little, but Drew held her close, so she sank back against Drew’s body. How strange it was to lie with her head on someone else’s shoulder, in a position that made her feel like the one being protected instead of being the protector. She couldn’t remember ever lying like this before.
“Relax,” Drew whispered. “You’re as tense as a rock.”
The words rumbled through Annie. She exhaled and let the tension drain from her muscles. For a few moments, she closed her eyes and focused on the steady beat of Drew’s heart beneath her ear.
Drew smoothed her fingertips up and down the small of Annie’s back, then started a soothing circular movement.
Just when Annie was starting to get used to lying in Drew’s arms, her ear began to hurt and her neck screamed at her. It wasn’t just the physical discomfort, though, that made her lift her head off Drew’s shoulder. She needed some time to process all the emotions she’d been through tonight. “I think I should go.”
“You’re not running away from me, are you?” Drew’s words were laced with humor, but her eyes didn’t smile.
“No, of course not,” Annie said. She paused when she realized she was falling back into old patterns that she didn’t want to repeat with Drew. “Maybe I am. But I promise I won’t run far. I just need some time to process all of this.” She pointed from her to Drew.
“All right.”
Annie sat up and then, following an impulse, bent to kiss the soft skin of Drew’s upper chest. “Good night.”
Drew trailed her hand over Annie’s cheek, then down her shoulder and arm until she grasped her hand and lifted it to her lips for a reverent kiss. “Good night and thank you for my Christmas present.”
“Which one?” Annie stood and smiled down at Drew. “The painting or the kisses?”
Drew laughed. “Both.”
Chapter 22
A log in the fireplace shifted, and the fire crackled.
Annie opened one eye.
