Touch

by Kris Bryant

  “That sounds perfect,” she says. Apple reaches up to play with a button on Stone’s shirt.

  “She has blue eyes like you do.”

  “They might change when she gets older, but I did it on purpose. That way, when I’m traveling, you can look at Apple and think of me.”

  “Wait. We need to get her set up. I need a litter box, toys, food.” I start to panic now that I’m suddenly responsible for another living thing. Stone gets up and opens the Tupperware container, pulling out everything I just mentioned.

  “She loves this kitten food. And this stuffed candy cane is her favorite toy.” Stone shakes the toy until the tiny bell on it jingles. Apple stands up and stares at Stone, waiting for her to give her the toy or throw it. Stone tosses it on the couch and Apple, in all of her adorable awkwardness, hops over to it. She pounces on it and flips over, candy cane held high in her front paws. “We need to figure out where to put the litter box so she knows. What do you think?”

  “Not the bedroom or out here. What about the hall bathroom?”

  Stone nods and sets up the litter box in the corner of the bathroom. She gently wrangles Apple away from the toy and carries her down the hall to the litter box.

  “It might be a good idea to close off the rest of the house so she can remember where her bathroom is.” Stone shuts the office door, my bedroom door, and the guest room before she places Apple in the litter box. Apple starts digging around in the litter and relieves herself. “And now she’s potty trained.”

  “Just like that?” I can’t believe it’s that easy.

  “Just like that,” Stone says. We watch as Apple investigates the bathroom and starts playing with the toilet paper. “That might become a problem.” Stone quickly removes the paper and hides it in the cabinet.

  Apple comes over to me and crawls up my jeans, her tiny nails scraping my leg. I’m so delighted she’s this comfortable with me. I pick her up when she gets close to my pockets and we head back into the living room.

  “Where should we put her little bed?” I ask.

  Stone laughs. “Chances are she’ll only use it tonight. Once she figures out where you sleep, she’ll be right there with you.” She hands me the tiny, fluffy bed and I put it on the couch next to where I normally sit. I place a very sleepy kitten on it. She drags her body to one of the corners and curls up.

  “How long will she sleep?” I stare at Apple, already so in love.

  “Hopefully for hours. Let her sleep for a little bit. Now we can finally talk,” Stone says.

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  That sobers me up.

  “Good idea.” I lean back on the couch and watch as Stone closes the gap between us.

  “Were you at a game a few weeks ago? Sitting in one of the boxes?”

  “Yeah, with my friend Rachel. She, the other lesbian on Earth who doesn’t know hockey, wanted to see you.” I might as well tell the truth.

  “I saw you. I was completely shocked and completely jealous. I thought maybe you were rubbing a new girlfriend in my face,” she says.

  I reach out and hold her hand. “I wouldn’t do that. Rachel is just a friend. You’re going to like her.” I rub my thumb up and down the back of her fingers.

  “She’s very pretty,” Stone says.

  “She is, but I’m not attracted to her. After being at the game, she asked me if I thought it was worth dating a hockey player.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “At the time, we agreed it wasn’t ideal, but obviously things have changed so I would probably tell her something different now. Although the players are young, something both of us failed to recognize at the time,” I say.

  She pulls my hand to her lips to kiss my fingertips. “I’m not too young for you, right?”

  “Not at all. Besides, you’re the oldest one on the team, right? Well, besides your coach.”

  Stone laughs. “I’m the second oldest on the team. Unless she likes dating baby dykes, then she probably shouldn’t waste her time. How about we talk about us and less about Rachel? At least right now.”

  “You’re right. Tell me what you want out of us.”

  “I want to have you in my life. I want to know that you’re my rock and we’re there for one another. I want to go out and do things with you, share hockey, work out, do things you like, do things I like. I want to fall asleep with you and wake up with you. I want to talk about everything and learn from one another. I want a girlfriend. I want a lover. I want a best friend. I want that to be you, Hayley.”

  “I want all of that, too. Can you just promise me that we will always talk about things? I can’t have you pull away like that.”

  She leans forward and kisses me softly. “I promise I will never do that again.” She continues to kiss me and within a matter of moments, it becomes heated and I pull her on top of me, anxious to feel her body against mine.

  “I’ve missed you so much, Elizabeth,” I whisper. She leans up to look into my eyes. She touches my face, slowly and softly. I release the last of my hesitation. Stone is who I want. She is my everything. I stare into her beautiful eyes and I know she’s the one. “I love you.” I see surprise register on her face and the line on her forehead deepens. I reach up and rub it smooth. “It’s not supposed to confuse you. It’s supposed to make you happy.” She leans down so that I can’t see her face, but I feel the tear that lands on my cheek. I hold her even closer. “Don’t cry.” She shakes her head at me. I feel another tear and another. I gently, but firmly pull her chin up so I can look into her eyes.

  “I’m crying because I’m so happy. You took me back after I was horrible to you, and now you tell me that you love me. What did I do to deserve you?”

  “Stop. All of that is in the past, remember? Today is a new start for us as long as you want it.”

  “Of course I want it. I want this, you, us, more than anything.” I try to wipe her tears away, but she stands up out of my reach. “Come here, I want to show you something.” She gently pulls me down the hall and opens the door to my bedroom.

  “What about Apple?”

  “She’ll be asleep for at least an hour. That gives us some much needed alone time.” She kisses me as we walk to the bed, her fingers quickly unbuttoning my shirt.

  I slip my hands under her shirt, anxious to feel her warmth again. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  That gets her to speed up. She pulls us onto the bed and backs away only to shed her clothes and rip off my jeans. My white lacy panties and bra stop her for just a moment. “You’re so beautiful, Doc. I’ve missed everything about you. Your taste, your touch. I love you so much and I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure you know that.” She crawls back between my legs and runs her tongue from my neck, down between my breasts, over my stomach and grabs my hips to lift them up so that her mouth is on my mound.

  “Stone, Stone. Take them off.” I want her mouth on my skin, not on my panties. She isn’t gentle when she rips them off, tearing them in the process. It’s so hot and I’m so desperate for her, that I don’t even care. I moan deeply when her mouth finally finds me. “I’ve missed you and your mouth so much.” I buck into her, wanting more. She slips two fingers inside of me. I lift my hips up and down, greedy for her. She holds me down with her free hand and resumes her glorious torture of my wet center. I come twice in a row.

  “I’ve missed us so much.” She takes off the rest of her clothes until we’re both finally naked. I reach out for her immediately. She flips us so that I’m on top. I straddle her waist and look down at her. I see love and trust in her eyes. She reaches up and runs her fingers over my breasts. I lean back and moan. “You’re still so wet.” She bucks her hips up and into me and I smile.

  “This feels nice,” I say. She gyrates her hips and I moan again. “Really nice.”

  “I can do something about that later,” she says. I lift an eyebrow at her. “Come here and kiss me.”

  I lean down and stretch myself against her. “You
’re so warm. And you have a certain spicy and sweet smell that I love.” I slide down her body, gently biting and touching all the way down to the junction of her thighs. I spread her with my hands and taste her again.

  Her hips press into me and I feel her hand at the back of my head, keeping me in place. She wants to come fast. We can go slower later. I carefully slip a finger inside her, amazed at her tightness. Her slick walls contract against me. I’m almost afraid to move inside of her, afraid I’m going to hurt her. Her moans tell me otherwise. I find her clit and lick and suck her until I feel her legs starting to shake. I slowly move my finger and she cries out when she climaxes. I can’t believe Stone is mine. This glorious, beautiful woman wants to be with me. I almost cry again. Instead, I make my way back up Stone’s body, dropping kisses along the way. She pulls me close to her, wraps her arms around me, and we fall asleep almost immediately.

  * * *

  Why is Stone scratching me? I’m groggy and open my eyes because whatever she is doing is no longer playful, but kind of annoying. Apple has found her way between us and is tangled in my hair. I smile.

  “What’s going on?” Stone croaks out.

  “Our little Apple found us and wants to play,” I say.

  Stone groans in response. “Is this what it’s going to be like when we have kids?”

  My heart skips a few beats. “Apparently. This is no different than if you wanted to play.” I playfully poke Stone in the back.

  She rolls over so she is facing us. “Apple, we did not agree on this. You were supposed to help me get the girl and then sleep the night away, not interrupt our sleep. We had a deal, munchkin.” Stone reaches out and pets Apple’s head. She falls down and offers Stone her belly instead. “Look at you. So much like your mom already.”

  I bust out laughing. “I thought you liked me like that.”

  “Oh, very much so. You’re absolute perfection.” She leans over Apple to kiss me, then kisses Apple on her tummy. “I love us.”

  “I love us, too. Do you want to know when I fell in love with you?” She nods. “In my kitchen, when you kissed me senseless and said you couldn’t wait to taste me. I fell in love with your passion, your mouth, the way you made me feel so desirable.”

  “Do you want to know what made me fall in love with you?” It’s my turn to nod. She takes one of my hands and brings it to her lips. “I fell in love with you because of your gentleness, your honesty.” She pauses for emphasis. “And everything about your touch.”

  About the Author

  Kris Bryant grew up a military brat living in several different countries before her family settled down in the Midwest when she was twelve. Books were her only form of entertainment overseas, and she read anything and everything within her reach. Reading eventually turned into writing when she decided she didn’t like the way some of the novels ended and wanted to give the characters she fell in love with the ending she thought they so deserved.

  Earning a B.A. in English from the University of Missouri, Kris focused more on poetry, and after some encouragement from her girlfriend, decided to tackle her own book.

  Kris can be contacted at krisbryantbooks@gmail.com

  Website: http://www.krisbryant.net

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