As she headed up the stairs, Zoe wondered how much longer she could keep doing this. It wasn’t that hard when she was younger, but now the guilt was starting to weigh on her. She was so close to her parents, yet she kept this huge part of her life a secret from them. Imagining casually telling her mother over tea made her feel nauseous, so she shook it off and replaced that thought with recent memories. There were no words to describe how amazing last night and this morning had been, and she could still feel Marcy’s hands everywhere she’d touched her. They were certainly a good match in the physical sense; Zoe had never had such great sex in her life, and this alone was enough to keep her fantasies going for years to come. The way Marcy had touched her, kissed her, held her… it hadn’t been like other one-night stands, when Zoe had left first thing in the morning, or even in the middle of the night after realising she’d made a mistake. It hadn’t been clumsy either; when they were together their bodies worked in mysterious ways, naturally moving like one. It was like they’d known each other for years and instinctively knew how to please each other, and that was rare. And on top of all that, it hadn’t been awkward afterwards, and there were no false promises. Just fun flirting and fantastic sex.But it will end in tears.
Zoe stripped off her clothes, stepped under the hot shower and closed her eyes, regretfully washing the morning off her skin. The situation was messing with her in many ways, but she didn’t want to stop. She couldn’t stop.
45
“You came.” Marcy’s heart skipped a beat when she opened the sliding glass door to let Zoe in. She’d almost given up on waiting for her; it was long after midnight and she hadn’t had a message.
“You’re hard to resist.” Zoe handed her a shopping bag. “I brought some wine on my way here.” She pulled at her chef whites and grimaced. “I didn’t want to go home to get changed first; my mother was asking a lot of questions this morning. Can I use your shower?”
Marcy laughed. “You can’t tell your mother you’re going on a date?”
“Remember what I said this morning? This isn’t a date, it’s just a casual thing.” Zoe arched a brow and shot her a playful look. “And my mother doesn’t need to know everything.”
“Fair enough.” Marcy pictured Zoe under her shower, and then an even better idea hit her. “How about a bath?”
Zoe bit her lip as she glanced at the freestanding roll top bath by the bed. “Hmm… that does sound appealing. Will you join me?”
“I’d love that. Help yourself to a drink while I run the bath.” Marcy hesitated when she returned. “Can I kiss you?” She was hyperaware that the tension in the room was increasing and not sure why she was asking for permission.
Zoe’s dark gaze was fixed on hers and a small smile played around her mouth as she pushed Marcy against the fridge. “Please do.” She inched closer until they were face to face and brushed her lips over Marcy’s as she backed her against the fridge.
“I’ve been thinking of kissing you all day,” Marcy whispered, cupping Zoe’s neck. She’d been longing for this moment since Zoe walked away from her at the beach, and the hours waiting on her own had only heightened her anticipation. Zoe’s lips were like balm to her moisture starved mouth and her soft moans sent a jolt of lightning through her entire body. It astounded her and she wondered what had caused the extreme reaction. She loved kissing; she always had, but kissing Zoe was so much more intense than kissing anyone else and she was insatiable with her. Her lips were pillowy, her tongue so sensual against hers and Marcy felt delirious with desire as they made out. No one had backed her against anything before; she was always in charge. But Zoe wasn’t afraid to take what she wanted, and that was refreshing.
“I think we should have that bath before we get carried away.” Zoe inched away and looked up at her. “I’m really, really sweaty from work,” she added with a chuckle.
“Of course,” Marcy said, kissing her one more time. She was throbbing as she crossed the room to fill the bath, taking off her dressing gown as she got in. It was no secret that she’d prepared for tonight; it was obvious from the candles burning on her bedside cabinet to the soft music playing in the background. She’d even been to the market to get snacks in case Zoe was hungry. Zoe seemed hungry all right, just not for food. She was stripping off on her way to the bath, leaving a trail of garments on the floor.
“That certainly is a nice, big bath.” Zoe tilted her head and stared at Marcy, deciding whether to face her or lie down against her. Finally, she stepped in and lay back, resting her head against Marcy’s chest. “God, this feels so good.”
“Yeah.” Marcy sighed in delight and wrapped her arms around her. Feeling Zoe’s skin against hers in the hot water was heavenly, and she inhaled deeply against her neck, loving her scent. “You smell good, butterfly girl.”
“I smell of burnt butter, garlic and the deep-fat frier,” Zoe joked, pulling Marcy’s arms tighter around her. “But I’ll take the compliment.” She let herself slide further under the water and elegantly placed her feet on the edge of the bath. “So, I guess all our rules went out of the window within a week…”
Marcy laughed. “Yes, we broke all of them. Do you care?”
“No. Do you?”
“No. I like breaking rules with you. We should make up more of them.” Marcy kissed her way down from Zoe’s temple to her cheek and her neck. “How was your day?” she mumbled against her skin.
“Well, it started out great,” Zoe said. “I woke up next to this gorgeous woman and I had great sex. We went to the nudist beach where we swam and had sex again in the sand.” She moaned quietly as if reliving the memory. “And then I had a very, very long shift at work.”
“That sounds great,” Marcy said with a grin. “Did you think about that woman during your long shift?”
“I did.” Zoe hesitated. “I thought about her a lot, but I didn’t want her to know that, so I refrained from messaging. Trust me; it wasn’t easy,” she said playfully. “How was your day?”
“Much the same, believe it or not. Except I finished work at five, so I was tortured by hours of anticipation, hoping to get a message, then more waiting while my hope of spending the night with this hot woman crumbled.”
“So, you’ve just been sitting here waiting for hours with the candles burning?”
“Yes,” Marcy admitted with a chuckle. “Tank stopped by, but he left when I refused to feed him. I was all alone.”
“Poor thing.” Zoe’s dramatic tone was dripping with sarcasm. “You sound very upset. We’ll have to do something about that immediately.”
Marcy closed her eyes as Zoe’s hands caressed her thighs. “Uh-huh. This is already helping so please continue.”
46
Waking up the first morning in her new home was a big moment for Marcy and having Zoe there, peacefully sleeping next to her made it all the more special. The way the light poured in through the glass doors, bathing the rough-hewn ceiling and the bed in an orange glow, brought a lump to her throat. Zoe’s naked body was half covered by the white sheets, the golden light highlighting her subtle curves. She was beautiful and sweet, and Marcy couldn’t stop looking at her. She had pins and needles in her arm from Zoe’s cheek that was resting on it, but she didn’t want to move. Unable to resist, she ran a hand through Zoe’s hair and placed a kiss on her temple.
