“Look who I found,” he says.
Rae follows him. Her brow furrows when she sees my face.
“What happened?”
“It’s nothing.” I try to smile at her but I can tell she’s not buying it. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”
“Ok.”
She takes both my hands in her’s and I instantly feel lighter. In a fluid motion, she brings my wrist to her mouth and kisses the tender underside. “We can…nottalk if you like.”
“Thanks,” I draw her in and kiss her softly behind her ear.
“Bed?” she asks.
“Yes, please!”
She picks me up easily and I can’t help laughing, feeling less tense by the minute. She carries me gingerly to my bed and puts me down, swinging herself onto it beside me. I love the easy way she moves, gentle and graceful. How complete I feel when she smiles at me. Like I’m everything in the world.
We explore each other slowly, like the earth and sky meeting. Her fingers find the buttons of my shirt and she undoes them each deftly. Before it’s completely unbuttoned she puts her mouth to my chest, kissing me. I laugh at her impatience, and reach up underneath her loose T-shirt, running my hands along her smooth skin. She arcs her back, moving against my fingers.
NowI’mimpatient. I pull the shirt over her head, her hair spilling through the collar and down around her bare shoulders. With one hand, she props herself over me. With the other, she pulls her hair to one side so she can kiss me again. I cup her face with my hands, running my thumbs over her jaw.
There’s a pleasant ache inside me. I run my hands down her body again, my mouth finding her firm nipples. I stroke them each gently with my tongue in slow, tight circles. She moans softly, the sound edging me on.
“Oh, Maggie,” she whispers.
I blush, heart fluttering. My name belongs on her lips.
She bends down over me now, opening my shirt the rest of the way and unbuttoning my jeans. With a cocky smile, she pulls them down over my ankles, along with my underwear, tossing them to the floor in a heap.
She props herself up on one elbow, her long dark hair falling in a shiny curtain beside her. Her eyes glint in the soft light of the candles atop my altar. Her lips part slightly as she looks at me.
“Oh, Rae,” I whisper back, meeting her gaze tenderly. “Yes, yes…”
Her eyes soften, and she brings her pointer and index finger to her tongue, wetting them thoroughly. Then she moves themdown between my legs, gently touching me. I inhale deeply, breathing in the rich cedar scent of her hair.
“You’re so wet,” she moans, her eyebrows knitting across her brow.
She moves her fingers rhythmically, in a slow, deliberate movement that drives me wild with pleasure. Every thought leaves my head as I bare myself completely, wanting only to be closer to her.
Impossibly close.
When I wake to the early morning sun, I realize I don’t remember falling asleep.
“Hello,” she whispers, her eyes fluttering open. Perfect dark brown eyes.
“Watching me sleep?” I tease, running a finger over her lips.
She smiles, “No, I only woke up a moment ago. I wasn’t sure if you were up.”
“I am,” I reply. I watch her rub the sleep from her eyes and yawn. “Thank you…for last night. I had a hard conversation with my moms.”
“Oh.” The corner of her mouth twitches. “I’m sorry. What was it about?”
“They…” I stumble over words, not sure how much I want to tell her. I don’t want to scare her away, or make things complicated. This is so perfect, just how it is. “They’re being overprotective. Like they always are.”
“Parents are like that,” she says, her fingers fiddling absentmindedly with her wooden necklace.
