Only One Bed: A Steamy Romance Anthology Vol 1 (Romancing The Trope)

by Lucy Eden

  The neediness hit Anvita like a wave, and together, they stroked Shazza, with Anvita’s fingers inside her and Shazza’s hand over the top of her own to control the pace. In the shadow of the fading light, Anvita could just make out the blissful expression on Shazza’s cheeks. She pressed her thumb against Shazza’s clit, her hand all stretched out under Shazza’s guiding movements, and kissed her as she came.

  “Oh my God. That was amazing.” Shazza’s hand relaxed, sliding slightly off Anvita’s hand. Her fingers were still buried deep inside Shazza, and she could feel Shazza’s body slowly return from the brink of her orgasm and start to relax all over.

  “Yes. Amazing.” She pumped her fingers twice more, before sliding them out of Shazza’s sated body. She kissed her on the lips, a gentle, thank you kiss, before rolling away to lie beside Shazza.

  “But you?”

  Anvita shrugged. “I don’t need anything more.” She’d almost come from giving Shazza an orgasm, and she was content with that.

  “Maybe not, but I want to give you more. Sex is supposed to be good for both people.” Shazza half-sat up and traced her hands down Anvita’s sides, over the rounded edges of her tits, along her waist, and over her hips. She bent over her and kissed her on the forehead, on the chin, and then on the belly button. Not quite, because Anvita still had all her clothes on, but the intent of the kiss quickly reawakened the burgeoning orgasm.

  “Making you come is good for me.” Anvita’s voice croaked, almost in protest against Shazza’s attentions. She hadn’t realised she was so close, she’d been concentrating so hard on Shazza’s pleasure, but now, as Shazza fumbled with her clothes and dragged her lips across the skin of her stomach, she trembled.

  “So fit and beautiful.”

  “What? You can’t see anything.” The sun had fully set, and the birds had stopped chattering in the trees in the surrounding bush. Anvita’s whisper seemed to echo further than before in the quiet evening. A few stars were scattered in the sky, peeking between the dark patches of the tree canopy.

  “I don’t need to. I have a good memory, and excellent touch.” To hear Shazza compliment herself, instead of those usual backhanded comments, thrilled Anvita as much as her touch did. Fingertips roughened by work added texture to the way they glided over the bare skin on her belly, and the short nubs of her fingernails grazing as Shazza slid her fingers under the waistline of her skirt. All the way around the edge of her clothes until she found the little zipper against her hip. The zip sounded loud in the clean country air, and Anvita swallowed.

  “Tip your hips up.” The gentle command sang over her and she obeyed gladly. With a woosh, her skirt was tugged down, and Shazza shifted with a huff and a puff in the dark.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Just getting comfortable.”

  “Good.” Anvita started to chuckle at the way Shazza wriggled beside her, but it came out as a rough cough when Shazza leaned over her stomach, and her tits pressed against the skin of her belly. Did that mean? She stretched out her hands and ran them over Shazza’s body. Yes, it did. Shazza had shifted so her head hovered above Anvita’s curls, and her broad hips lay beside Anvita’s shoulder.

  “I’ve never done this before, so—”

  Anvita swallowed. “You’ll be great. Just do what you’d want me to do to you.” And Anvita hoped she wouldn’t expire from the pleasure about to be unfurled on her. Anticipation built like champagne in her veins. Effervescent.

  “Okay?” Shazza’s mouth must be very close, as her breath was all hot on her curls. Anvita wriggled her knees to push her skirt further down, so she could spread her legs more. She jerked a little when Shazza traced her fingers from her knee up the inside of her thigh.

  “Yes.” Anvita could only whisper her agreement as Shazza’s mouth brushed over her curls. The wet heat of Shazza’s tongue flicked over her clit and Anvita cried out. In the dark of the evening, she could only make out the shadow of Shazza’s head, leaving no visual cues, only feelings. And phew, those were building like a rocket. All fire and explosive tension about to achieve take-off in a great pile of flame and smoke. It was all she could do, but cling onto Shazza’s back and round arse as she licked and sucked at her.

  “Holy fuck you taste delicious.” Shazza’s breathy awe added more heat to her core. Every stroke of her tongue had Anvita panting. She bucked her hips, desperate to get more, crying out for more, and her fingers dug deep into Shazza’s flesh. Shazza scraped her teeth over Anvita’s clit and that was all it took. The most epic orgasm walloped her, her body shuddered and moaned as sensation ruled. The rocket flew out of the atmosphere and Anvita clung on for the ride of her life. She slid her hands between Shazza’s legs and slipped into her moist entrance, purely by instinct. She needed to be as close to Shazza as possible as her body unwound from the release of pleasure.

  Anvita lost track of time, but eventually she managed to speak. “Thank you so much.”

  Shazza chuckled, and cool air from her mouth across Anvita’s vulva sent a shiver of delight up her spine. “Just imagine how good I’ll be with practice.”

  “Girl, you are going to destroy me for anyone else.”

  Shazza’s laugh filled Anvita’s chest with joy. “That’s the idea.” She shuffled around again and lay with her head touching against Anvita’s shoulder. Anvita reached out and held Shazza’s cheeks and kissed her gently on the lips. The taste of her own orgasm on Shazza’s lips was the last thing she knew before she dozed off, utterly sated.

  Shards of pink and orange pierced the sky as Anvita cracked open on eye. She’d slept all night on the back of a ute? Shazza must have covered them both with blankets at some point because she was cosy and warm. After a couple of blinks to clear her eyes, she realised that she was warm thanks to Shazza’s body pressed up against her. If they could achieve this level of bliss in the outdoors on the hard back of a ute, imagine being in a real bed with her. Anvita closed her eyes again and hugged Shazza a little tighter. If she could hold onto this moment for a little longer before she had to face reality, she would.

  “Good morning.” Shazza’s voice was husky in the morning. “We’d better get going if we are going to get tidied up for work and have some coffee.”

  “Oh my god. Coffee. I don’t suppose…”

  “No, my organisational skills didn’t go that far. Besides, I’m sure you want decent coffee, not camping quality.”

  “Yes. And hey, thank you for last night.”

  Shazza rolled over and squinted at her. “No worries.”

  “The sex was excellent. I’d like to do that again sometime. Maybe after filming, you could come back to my place?” Anvita held her breath as Shazza frowned. Had she misread the situation?

  “After filming I have to get back to the kids.”

  Anvita tried to hide her disappointment. “Of course.” That was it then, the best sex of her life was just a one-off, thanks purely to a weird situation. She should thank Logan for doing exactly as she’d requested.

  “If you don’t mind spending time with my kids, you could stay at my place after work,” Shazza said. Anvita’s pulse sped up.

  “There’s just one problem.”

  This conversation was going to be the death of her. Despair then hope and now a problem? “Oh?”

  “I only have one bed.”

  Anvita laughed, partly in relief but mostly with hope. “I think we can make that work. And speaking of work, we really need to get on the road if we are going to get to Mr Lee’s house on time to start the day’s filming.”

  ONE YEAR LATER

  Anvita walked in the front door to the house she lived in with Shazza and their two kids. She smiled at their grandmother Marie, who had picked them up from school today. Marie lived in a granny flat in the backyard but was keen to leave for her weekend with friends on Rottnest Island. It was only one of the reasons Anvita was home early today. All three of them waved as Marie waltzed down the front path to her car.

  “Hey
kids, want to go camping this weekend?” Anvita was ready to burst with her news. Shazza had agreed to her plans but didn’t know all the details because Anvita had wanted to surprise her with the location, although given the date, she’d probably already guessed.

  It’d taken several months of Anvita basically just living in Shazza’s tiny flat before they made the decision to buy a house in the suburbs. After that first night, she hadn’t intended to move in, but one night turned into a week, and then a month, and before she knew it, she hadn’t been back to her apartment to sleep for ages. They’d spent hours researching schools who would accept a family with two mums and bought a very suburban house nearby, going halves on the mortgage. Shazza had sold her apartment and the business was growing rapidly thanks to the exposure she’d gotten during Uplift’s first season. Anvita kept her apartment but shared the ownership with Shazza, and the rent from that place covered the mortgage she still had on it. In the past couple of months, Anvita had a promotion at work, so now she had acquisition power and could help get stories from diverse writers made into tv shows. Life was pretty damned good.

  “Camping? But you hate the outdoors.” Joe said.

  “It’s the bugs.” Shazza’s daughter, Tess, rolled her eyes. “I don’t like bugs either.”

  “This weekend is a special one for me and your mum, and I thought we could go camping in a special place with all of us.”

  The front door banged.

  “I hope you intend to pack the tent, because I’m not keen to sleep on the back of the ute again. My back was sore for a week after that.” Shazza’s laugh filled the house with warmth, and Anvita knew her love for Shazza would be forever. This was her family now. Shazza, Tess, Joe, Marie and her.

  “Actually, I had Logan book two rooms in the motel for us.” Her PA had grown in confidence with more time in the role, and slowly she’d been able to give them more responsibility. She was glad she’d persisted with Logan because over the last year, They’d become a real asset to her in her work.

  Shazza’s laugh grew bolder. “So not real camping.”

  “As you say, It’s not good for your back to sleep rough. And that motel isn’t the flashiest. It’s almost like camping.” Anvita kissed Shazza on the lips, a welcome home kiss, and grinned. “How was work? I hope you are ready for a weekend of pampering.”

  “I love you. Let’s go back to where it all started.”

  “I love you too.” Shazza had a heart big enough for all of her family, and they worked together to keep Shane’s memory alive for the kids too. One night on the back of a ute had given Anvita her best life.

  About The Author

  Renée Dahlia

  Renée Dahlia is an unabashed romance reader who loves feisty women and strong, clever men. Her books reflect this, with a side note of dark humour. Renée has a science degree in physics. When not distracted by the characters fighting for attention in her brain, she works in the horse-racing industry doing data analysis and writing magazine articles. When she isn’t reading or writing, Renée spends her time with her partner and four children, volunteers on the local cricket club committee, and is the Secretary of Romance Writers Australia.

  More Books by Renee Dahlia

  Her Lady’s Honor: An Historical Lesbian Romance

  Liability (Farrellton Foster Family Book 2)

  About In The Cards

  Emme is about to embark on the creative project of her dreams but first she’ll need help from Kendall, the local river guide and Emme’s long time crush.

  What will a day on the river and a night by the fire have in store for these two women?

  In The Cards

  Sarah E. Lily

  Grunting from exertion, whilst trying to spit out tendrils of curly red hair that had invaded her mouth, Emme tossed her well-loved black camera gear bag into the backseat of Kendall’s dusty red truck, “I really appreciate this. It means a lot, honestly.”

  Kendall’s mischievous top lip curved in the right corner, “Hey, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s going to be a beautiful day, might as well be on the river. Plus we haven’t hung out since Sierra’s engagement barbeque.”

  Emme’s stomach dropped a bit. That damn smirk. That damn swagger. It had been a killer in college, and it appeared it had exactly the same effect on her now, that it had when they were rushing to biology class, drinking cheap beer, or chilling out to perpetually sad indie pop music. Who knew swagger aged well, like whiskey?

  Dragging the toe of her neon pink sneaker through the gravel, turning it into a parking lot Zen garden, the photographer collected her secret self. “I know, but you guide people on the river all week...and they actually pay you.”

  “I told you not to worry about the money. It’ll be fun. I haven’t actually camped out since my brother’s bachelor party, where the highlight was his best friend getting drunk and pissing in the food cooler. This is bound to be better. Although I should have asked, do you have a habit of peeing in coolers?”

  Emme half snorted, half giggled, “I can guarantee that nothing of the sort will happen on this excursion. The strongest thing I packed was soda that wasn’t diet.”

  Kendall covered her mouth feigning shock, “Emme, I believe you have gone to the dark side.”

  Emme wrinkled her nose at Kendall, then turned to finish loading her things into the truck, smiling the whole time and trying to remember the last time she felt nervous excitement.

  A memory of their senior formal popped into her head, a kaleidoscope of Polaroids cascading through her mind. She had spent weeks looking for the perfect dress, something that said, “I’m a woman and I’m proud of my body but I don’t give a fuck what you think of my body.”

  Something blue that definitely had nothing to do with the fact that Kendall had once told her that blue made her green eyes glow. Two days before the dance she’d stumbled across a vintage, indigo, sequined creation that molded to her hips as if it was second skin, the bodycon design hinting at the curves that lay beneath. The big night came and when she’d slipped that damn dress on, she felt radiant, excruciating excitement, and for an evening, unstoppable.

  She was a goddess in that thing.

  It was going to be one of the last nights the class would be together before graduation and the inevitable natural scattering of newly enlightened minds into the world. She knew Kendall would be there with Marina, and Emme had her date Tyson, but if for a few minutes she glowed and Kendall noticed, all the nervous buildup would be worth it.

  Everything would be worth it.

  Kendall had stared so much that Emme was pretty sure she remembered her stepping on Marina’s feet during a slow song. After the dance, Emme and her show-stopping dress went home alone, to the dismay of Tyson, a cutie from her art and theory class. He was nice but it just didn’t feel right. Not because he was a guy, because goodness knew she liked guys just as much as she liked girls, but because he wasn’t her.

  He wasn’t Kendall.

  And years may have passed, but still no-one was Kendall. Their ride to the boat dock wasn’t far, but it was long enough to allow Emme’s attention to linger on the way her friend worked the stick shift. Christ on a cracker. When did changing gears become so hot? What else could those hands do? Emme thought to herself. It’s been five fucking years since college, and she still does this to me.

  Morning sun cascaded through the window creating a delicate pattern across the river guide’s neck. Emme watched the pattern, noticing how the dappling of the light across Kendall’s rich brown skin resembled a delicate piece of lace. She focused on the visual, cataloguing it in her mind. Something so beautiful needed to be remembered.

  “Em, you okay?

  “Yeah of course, why?”

  “You’re pretty quiet over there.”

  Just busy salivating over your damn sexy neck.

  “Yeah, no, I’m just enjoying the sun.”

  Kendall glanced over at her passenger with a puzzled expression, “Okay, well we’re here
and you’ll get plenty of sun. I hope you brought sunblock because if I remember right, you go from red to lobster in 60 seconds.”

  “Yep, still true. The curse of being a redhead.”

  Emme quickly unbuckled and hopped out before Kendall could notice that she was undeniably the color of a tomato. No, make that a humiliated tomato and it had nothing to do with the sun.

  After taking a couple deep breaths, she pulled it together and headed around the bed of the truck to get her next set of instructions from her guide. With all the deep breathing required to be around Kendall, she resigned herself to the odd hyperventilating moment on this trip.

  Kendall was already preparing to unload the canoe, loosening red and green striped bungee cords.

  “Can I help?”

  Please don’t let this end with me losing an eye to a bungee cord.

  “Yeah, sure. Stand toward the end of the canoe - get ready to grab it when I loosen the last cords.”

  As explained, Kendall undid that last bungee cord, and Emme grabbed the end of the canoe. Slowly, they walked it over to the dock and lowered it in place. Emme found herself mesmerized by the sight of her partner for the day. She was pure strength and beauty as she grabbed that canoe. Muscle and tendons came to life starting in the tops of her hands, running up her thick toned arms and into shoulders that could have been carved by the Goddess herself.

  Gently, Kendall began to lower the canoe to the ground signaling Emme to do the same. As Kendall squatted down, Emme focused on not choking. Had Kendall’s calves always been so beautiful? And her thighs, rippling with power…