JaimeheldOlivia’sburninggaze, her heart pounding and her palms damp, unsure of what she was hoping for.
Oh, she knew what herbodycraved, and so she’d pushed for it, but a part of her mind sounded an alarm. Yet all these warning chimes morphed into shadowy echoes once she found herself in Olivia’s vicinity.
She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed her. It wasn’t just the broken routines—it was the joy and warmth Olivia had introduced to her life. She had struggled to admit it to herself because it imposed such a stark divergence from the life she led, the life she’d built with a purpose.
Her world might have been small, but she’d lived there in peace.
In the bathroom, Jaime had first felt trapped, even a bit resentful for having her plans derailed—again, a problem of her own making.
Putting on Olivia’s clothes (she noted the lack of underwear and hesitated for a second, choosing to go commando over wearing her damp garments) had been an experience in and of itself. The fabric smelled just like Olivia, and pulling the sweater over her head had left Jaime almost dizzy.
Somehow, it felt more intimate than all their combined hotel encounters, as if there were no more barriers between them, no more protection.
How utterly ridiculous and pathetic.
She still struggled to fathom what was happening to her, to her life. Yet, here she was, unwilling to back down, even though her emotions lacked clarity and direction. Something about Olivia felt inevitable, and her mind’s aghast shouts at the thought grew dimmer by the minute.
Olivia’s stance, her refusal to resume where they’d left off, and the loop of, “I don’t know where you live,” (Jaime could have sworn she’d told her) lapped up the sandcastle Jaime had, without realizing it, built too close to the edge of the tide. She’d come here with a plan, with a goal, but as always, it was all swept away when confronted with the force of nature that was Olivia Gray.
“Do you?” Jaime asked again when the tension grew unbearable. She felt she’d die if she didn’t push forward, if Olivia cast her away completely.
Instead of answering, Olivia grabbed Jaime’s shirt and yanked her closer, kissing her with a pent-up passion that laid waste to whatever remained of Jaime’s sanity.
Jaime clung to Olivia, barely noticing her hands trembling as she pulled her closer.
Olivia pushed Jaime to lean back against the couch before climbing onto her lap, kissing her senseless.
The heat of their embrace, of finally tasting Olivia again, left Jaime in a mindless fog with nothing but desire at the center.
Olivia deepened their kiss, her hands cupping Jaime’s face and her dark hair shrouding Jaime’s face like a curtain.
Lost in a sea of sensation, a desolate whimper left Jaime when Olivia broke the kiss and climbed off her.
Before Jaime got her vocal cords to function, Olivia rose and held out her hand.
Wordlessly, she grasped Olivia’s warm fingers and stood, following her to the bedroom.
There was no haste, no pushing anyone onto the bed.
Olivia guided her to the bed and pressed a lingering, soft kiss against Jaime’s lips. She drew back with a smile before crawling onto the bed, gazing at Jaime expectantly.
Jaime hesitated, almost as if her next step would change everything, though how could it? They’d had sex plenty of times before.
Not like this.
She couldn’t tell if her mind’s voice represented a warning or a promise, nor could she decide which she’d prefer.
Yet gazing at Olivia sitting calmly on the bed, leaning against the headboard, drew Jaime nearer, and she joined her, crawling closer, once more allowing someone else, no, allowingOliviato take the reins.
The bright smile on Olivia’s face as she intertwined their fingers and tugged her closer lightened Jaime’s heart, as if she’d chosen right.
Olivia pulled her near, kissing her again.
Jaime sighed, stretching out in Olivia’s arms and losing herself in their kiss, allowing this sea change to sweep her away, at least for now.
They kissed in a leisurely, unhurried way, as if they had all night. The thought of staying the night chased a shiver down Jaime’s back and she pressed closer, escalating the kiss to pure heat and need, something much more familiar, safer.
Olivia groaned, allowing Jaime to shift the pace. She raised her leg and pressed it up high between Jaime’s thighs.
