My legs went so weak that if I hadn’t been leaning against the counter, I’d have fallen down. “Mercy.”
She grinned, and that was all the warning I got. Her head dipped and she took my mouth, not gently but with the pent-up frustration that I felt too after so many days apart. It was new and familiar at the same time, and it gave me the same adrenaline rush I remembered from those first passionate kisses I’d had with Seth and with the boys I’d dated before him. A rush born of newness, of anticipation, and it was wholly intoxicating. A moan slipped out, and she used the opportunity to dip her tongue into my mouth, brushing it against mine.
The spoon in my hand clattered against the counter, and she let out a throaty laugh. “How much longer until dinner?”
“An hour,” I managed, though I wasn’t sure how.
“That’s a good start.” She took my hand and started to lead me out of the room, but I tugged back.
“Pie.”
“Damn it,” she said petulantly. “I want that pie. Finish . . . fast. I’ll help.”
By help, she meant not help at all. Instead of working on the pie, she worked on me, brushing kisses on my shoulders, taking nips against my neck, slipping her hands under my cami and into the top of my pants, playing with my belly button ring.
My body went liquid hot and I rushed the rest of the pie, shoving it into the oven. I set the timer, then dusted my shaking hands off. When I looked up, Eve’s eyes were molten amber and my throat went dry. My voice came out in a husky rasp. “Done.”
“Thank God.” Eve practically dragged me down the hall and into my bedroom. “Take those pants off.” I dropped my hands to my waistband, but then she changed her tune. “No, wait. I want to undress you myself.”
She drew my top off and nudged my bra strap down my arm.
“It has a front clasp,” I offered, wanting her to hurry, hurry, hurry.
“I see that. But not . . . quite . . . yet.” She licked a path along the top edge of my bra, teasing me with her tongue until I was squirming.
“Eve, please.”
Another soft laugh, but she undid my bra and slid it off, freeing my aching breasts. My nipples contracted into tight points, and when she scraped her nails across them, I shuddered. “My turn,” I demanded, but she shook her head.
“Not yet,” she said again. She pulled me toward the bed and sat on the edge of it, then drew a finger from my sternum to my belly button, playing with my piercing again. “This is hella sexy. Is it sensitive?”
I moaned as she tugged at it. “What do you think?”
Her eyes twinkled with devilish intent. “I think I’m going to enjoy finding out just how much.” She played a little longer, then undid the button on my trousers with trembling fingers.
I wasn’t nervous, exactly, but it eased my mind to know she was as unsettled, and as desperate for touch as I was. Part of me, the part that believed I couldn’t possibly be this lucky twice in a lifetime, was worried I was making too much out of these feelings I had that didn’t want to be contained.
I ceased thinking and worrying as Eve drew my zipper down, kissing me just above the line of my panties. She shoved my trousers down my thighs. “Wonder Woman?” she said, a smile in her voice and on her face. “Love.”
“They called to me,” I said, resting my hands on her shoulders so I could step out of my trousers without falling over. “I have several pairs.”
She set her teeth against my hip, nipping me there. “Sexy.”
“I think so. You have this thing about biting,” I said, almost mildly. “I like it.”
“Good to know,” She nipped at me again. “I like the little noise you make when I do it.” All humor fled from her face as her eyes turned serious. “You sure, Tal? Really sure?”
I didn’t even hesitate. “Really sure.”
She hooked her thumbs in the sides of my panties, drawing them off, baring me to her. But rather than glancing down, she kept her eyes on my face, maybe waiting for signs of distress. I spread my legs the tiniest bit.
“Really, really, really sure.” I was so ready for this next step, and if she stopped now, I wouldn’t be held responsible for my actions. And since she was a cop, she’d probably have to arrest me. “If you don’t do something, I’m going to strangle you.”
She looked amused instead of threatened. “You can try. I’ll enjoy taking you down.” On that last word, she leaned forward and nuzzled my stomach—the one with the stretch marks and C-section scars—and then lower. “Mmm . . . coconut. I want to take a nice, long lick.”
“So what’s stopping you?”
Her eyes met mine, and then she stood so fast she’d have knocked me over if she hadn’t grabbed my upper arms. She pushed me down onto my bed on my back with a laugh. “Not a damn thing.”
I scooted back, grabbing a pillow to put behind my head so I could see Eve’s face. She climbed onto the bed and nudged my legs apart, kneeling between them.
I could only see the top of her head when she bent down to keep her promise. Her normal, workday twist hung to one side and several spiral curls had escaped the confines of it. I’d never seen her this disheveled, not even after running. As she licked my stomach, she reached up with one hand to tangle her fingers with mine. She didn’t rush right to the main event, but instead took her time, drawing out the foreplay, teasing me until I could barely keep still beneath her.
She shifted again, hooking one arm under my thigh, drawing my legs further apart. I felt the soft puff of air as she breathed against my bared, heated flesh, and thought I’d lose my mind. The noise I made was almost embarrassing and it made Eve laugh, but she squeezed my hand, then ran the tip of her tongue over my aching clit.
A shudder racked my body and my legs fell apart, and then her tongue was inside me, touching me in the most intimate of kisses.
My hips pushed up but she moved her arm and held me down with her forearms, licking and nipping and sipping like she’d never get another chance. When she added her fingers, my heart began to race as pressure built inside me. I was no novice to oral sex, but as good as it had been with Seth, it was amazing with Eve. She seemed to instinctively know what I’d like—maybe because she liked it too—and she used that understanding to her advantage. I bucked my hips again as she continued to eat me, and then all the heat coalesced and I went over, coming in a long, loud orgasm.
I lay there, boneless and sated, my chest heaving as she worked her way back up my body, coming to lie beside me on the bed, her head next to mine on the pillow, her hand splayed across my heart.
The sweetness of that made my throat tight, and I turned my head away, trying to hide the tears that escaped. Her hand touched my cheek and she leaned over me.
“What’s wrong, Tal?” Worry filled her eyes and I hurried to reassure her.
“It’s been so long since anyone has made me feel like this,” I admitted. “But it’s never felt exactly like this, either.”
“Is that bad?”
I wiped the corner of my eye, then kissed her, tasting myself on her lips. “No. It’s like . . . an emotional release on top of the physical one. And so different from the way my husband made me feel, but no less amazing.”
The furrow between her brow eased and she rubbed a thumb over my cheek. “Good.”
“Very, very good.” I played with the buttons on her shirt, smiled. “But I’d like my turn now, and you have too many clothes on.”
She groaned. “Jesus, I’m still in uniform. Don’t ever let this get out. At least I removed my weapon first,” she muttered under her breath, which made my grin morph into a flat-out laugh.
“Another secret? I’m going to have to start charging you to keep my silence.”
“Extortion?” Eve sniffed haughtily, her brow raised. “I thought you were more honorable than that.”
“Then my evil plan to snow you is working.” I tugged her to sitting and drew off her polo shirt. She wore a sports bra that had no hooks, and since those torture devices re
quired a contortionist’s skills to remove, I didn’t even try. “Take that off.”
“Bossy thing, aren’t you?”
“I have my moments. Off.” Instead of waiting for her to finish, I went to work on her trousers, undoing the button and sliding down the zipper. She pulled up her bra, and at the same time, I drew down her pants. When I saw her underwear, I burst out laughing.
Eve lifted a shoulder. “What can I say? We both have good taste.”
They were the exact same pair of Wonder Woman ones I was wearing. Rather, had been wearing, past tense, since she’d stripped them off me. “Or we both bought them on clearance because why not?”
“Or that.” She dropped back onto her ass and shimmied the rest of the way out of her trousers until she lay before me in nothing but panties.
I quickly tugged them off. “On your belly.” She gave me a say what? look, but did it, and I could barely hold back my groan. Her body was even better naked than it was in clothes, all lush curves and lithe muscles. I slicked my hands down her smooth back, over her toned ass and legs. “You’re gorgeous, you know that? All that running gave you sleek muscles, but your curves are giving me really, really dirty ideas.”
She laughed, low and hot. “Do your worst.”
I continued to stroke her with the palms of my hands and then with my fingernails, raising goose bumps on her legs. With a deep sigh, she crossed her arms and rested her head on them. I bent down and nipped at her ass, then licked at the two small dimples in her lower back.
“Good lord, Tal.” She gave a whole-body shudder as I licked her skin, tasting womanly sweat and apples and something that was uniquely Eve.
When I’d had my fill of her back—well, my first fill, because I definitely wanted to do this more than once—I guided her over so I could play with her front. Still naked myself, I straddled her, leaning down to take one taut peak into my mouth. This time, she was the one who made the needy noises, and they just inflamed me further.
For the next several minutes, I took my time exploring every inch of her—except the place between her legs. It was deliberate on my part, but I hadn’t realized how it would come across to Eve.
She laid a hand on my head. “Tal, if you’re not ready for this, I get it.”
I looked up and blinked. “Ready for what?”
She sighed, shifted her legs. “You’ve touched me everywhere but—”
“A little worked up, are we? I’m getting there. Weren’t you the one who said we could do this all night long?” I rubbed my nose against her stomach. “I’m never going to have a first time again, so I’m taking my time. Savoring it, you might say.”
Her face stayed serious.
I cupped her cheek, kissed her soft lips. “I promise I’ll tell you if something is too much, okay?”
Finally, she nodded. “Okay.”
Then I went back to my work of torturing her—and myself. The tighter I wound her up, the more aroused I became. I shifted my body so I straddled just one of her legs and I drew a finger along the crease of her thigh on the other leg. “Open,” I demanded, my voice deeper than normal.
“Bossy,” she muttered again, but she did it.
The smell of her arousal was intoxicating. I hesitated the tiniest bit, not because I was unsure of my desire but because I’d never done this before. Then my visceral need for her overcame my brain’s fear of doing something wrong. I brushed the back of my hand against the silky curls at the vee of her legs, then parted her with my fingers.
She was glistening wet, and instinct took over. I leaned forward and drew the flat of my tongue up her center. Her taste exploded on my senses, so different from what I’d been used to with a man, but So. Damn. Right. “You taste like heaven,” I murmured, licking her again. “Does that feel good?”
“Jesus, yes.” She lifted her hips as I pulled my mouth away for a second. “Don’t stop.”
“Now who’s being bossy?” I tried a few different things, noting which ones made her squirm and which ones didn’t seem to do much for her. She seemed to like it when I scraped my teeth against her tender flesh, so I did that again, this time slipping a finger inside her.
A keening moan burst from her throat. “Fuck, Tal. Fuck, you’re good at this.”
I tsked. “Language, babe,” I chided, nipping her thigh. It really didn’t bother me, but I loved riling Eve up. Her reactions got me every time.
“Girl, I am almost fifty years old. Don’t even think I’m going to change my language for you.” I giggled, and she reached up and pinched my nipple. “Smart-ass.”
The sharp bite of pain went right to my core and my back bowed. With an evil grin, Eve pinched the other one and drew up her leg like she’d done during our first time together. We’d had the barrier of clothes that night, but now we were skin against skin. Her bare leg against my core made me whimper with need, even though I’d come earlier and Eve still hadn’t.
Her throaty laugh curled around my heart and I grinned down at her. “You don’t fight fair.”
“Ever,” she said smugly. “Remember that.”
“Duly noted.” As I rode her leg, I had to force myself to focus. I withdrew my finger from her, slipping it into my mouth and sucking on it. “Neither do I.”
Her laugh was half groan and, while she was distracted, I tucked two fingers inside her and then three. She clenched around me, tight and hot, so I bent down, tonguing her clit. I didn’t let up until she was gasping under my touch, shuddering through an explosive orgasm, her chest heaving.
Satisfaction flowed through me. My core still pulsed with need, but emotionally, I was content to lie beside her, stroking her until her breathing eased back to normal.
After several long moments, she turned on her side facing me and I did the same. “You okay?” she asked, tangling her legs with mine.
I’d lain like this with Seth so very many times—not in this bed, which I’d replaced when I’d repainted, but in this room—and it felt so good and so right that I felt the smile on my face as it bloomed. “I’m wonderful. You?”
“Mm-hmm,” she admitted, playing with my breast, moving between it and my hip. “I’m thinking I’d like to do that again.”
But then the kitchen timer went off, so I handed her a robe while I put on one of the men’s XXXL flannel shirts I often wore around the house on weekends. Eve eyed it almost cautiously and I realized she might think it’d been Seth’s, so I moved to reassure her. “I know, not exactly me, is it? But it’s warm and comfy. I bought it at the end-of-season clearance this spring, and I wear it like a robe when I’m hanging out at home. My girls gave me grief but I noticed the other two I bought are missing, so I’m guessing one is away at college, and the other is in a tiny apartment in town.” I shook my head in mock annoyance. “They think they’re slick, but I’ve got their numbers.”
“It looks good on you. Sexy.” She started to unbutton it but the timer went off again. “Damn it.”
I laughed and batted away her hand, rebuttoning the shirt. “Food first. There are things I still want to do to you, and you’re going to need your strength.”
She grinned. “I knew I liked you, Talia Wasserman. Lead on.”
I woke the moment Eve slipped out of bed. One glance at the clock on my nightstand and I groaned. Seriously? “Where are you going? It’s only six thirty.”
“Shit. I was hoping you’d sleep in.” She tugged her trousers on, searched for the rest of her clothes. “I have to run home, get changed, and head to the office.”
I leaned up on my elbow and frowned. “On Saturday?”
She lifted a still-naked shoulder. “On Saturday. I missed a lot of days when I was in South Carolina and stuff needs to get done. I have a report due Monday, and with Thanksgiving coming up in just a couple of weeks, I can’t afford to fall behind.”
“I’ll come with you and help.”
She stiffened. “That’s not a good idea.”
I blinked and shoved up to sitting. “Why not?”
“It’s your Sabbath. And besides, it wouldn’t look right. Especially since we left together yesterday.”
That was ridiculous. “We didn’t leave together. We left at the same time, in two cars. There’s a difference.”
She wiggled into the sports bra. “Not enough of one for some people.”
Ice slid along my spine. It wasn’t always easy, but we kept our relationship completely platonic in the office. No innocent touches, no joking that might be taken the wrong way by anyone who happened to see us together. Even me prodding her to come have dinner last night had been couched as a mama-bear type of offer. “Did someone say something to you?”
She frowned. “No, but I don’t want them to.”
I got out of bed and pulled on the flannel shirt to cover the goose bumps on my skin. “If they do, so what?”
“We’ve talked about this.” Eve’s eyes narrowed, her voice tinged with frustration. “We have to be careful or things could blow up on us.”
We had talked about it, and I knew she was right. Caution was called for, but I was really starting to resent having to hide our relationship just because she was my boss and I was her employee. It was like a thorn in my side, and I lashed out. “So, what? I’m a dirty little secret?”
Eve jerked back as if I’d struck her. “What? That’s not fair.”
It wasn’t, and I regretted the hurtful words immediately. Work was work, with no room for anything personal. Period. I sighed. “I know it’s not. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me too,” she muttered, her body stiff and unyielding as she finished dressing. “I’ve got to go.”
“Eve, wait,” I said, following her to the door. She flinched when I put my hand on her back, and I dropped it to my side, my stomach clenching. “I am sorry.”
“I need to go.”
And she was gone, taking my heart with her.
Twice in a Lifetime Page 10
