Celeste relented and kept trailing kisses down Ivy’s torso, her stomach, and finally the space just above her clit. Celeste breathed in Ivy’s scent before she ran her tongue between Ivy’s folds.
Ivy pressed her back further against the bed, trying to not scream out in pleasure. One of Celeste’s free hands reached up to cup Ivy’s breast without skipping a beat. Ivy rocked her hips in time with Celeste’s licks, barely able to contain the waves of pleasure threatening to consume her.
Celeste hummed against Ivy as she circled her tongue around Ivy’s clit and pushed two fingers inside her warmth, curlingthem upward to find that special spot, while she continued to suck on Ivy’s clit.
Ivy closed her eyes as they rolled back, the combination of everything too much for her to handle. Before she could stop herself, her pleasure crescendoed as her orgasm crashed around her.
Celeste continued to trail kisses upward til she was laying next to Ivy, satisfaction written all over her face.
They lay tangled together afterward, sharing soft kisses and even softer touches. Outside, the snow continued to fall, but inside, they had created their own warmth.
5
CELESTE
Celeste tugged her scarf tighter around her neck, the cold biting at her cheeks as she and Ivy walked along the snow-dusted path. The forest surrounding them was blanketed in white, each branch heavy with snow, as if the world had taken a deep, silent breath. The only sounds were the soft crunch of their footsteps and the occasional rustle of a squirrel dashing through the underbrush.
It was peaceful here, far removed from the noise of the town. The stillness allowed Celeste to breathe more deeply, a welcome relief after the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside her since she’d arrived in Hollyridge.
Yet even in this quiet moment, her thoughts refused to settle.
The way Ivy glanced at her from the corner of her eye didn’t help. It was that soft, curious gaze—the kind Celeste had noticed more often lately, as if Ivy were trying to see past the polished, hardened exterior Celeste wore like protective armor.
How much had Ivy already seen? The question tugged at her as the memory of last night lingered like a spark waiting to reignite. Their bodies intertwined, intimate in a way Celeste hadn’t anticipated, hadn’t even known she wanted until it washappening. The fire between them had flared hot and fast, leaving Celeste both exhilarated and uncertain.
How could she reconcile that impulsive desire with the careful control she usually maintained?
“How are you feeling?” Ivy’s voice broke through the silence, gentle but probing.
Celeste hesitated, watching her breath hang in the air before her before it dissolved into the crisp, wintry stillness. She wasn’t used to people asking her how she felt. In her world, vulnerability was a luxury she couldn’t afford. But here, with Ivy, things felt…different. Safer, perhaps.
“I’m fine,” Celeste said, out of habit. But even she could hear the hollowness in her words.
Ivy didn’t press, just kept walking beside her, their arms brushing occasionally as the path narrowed. The warmth from those brief touches seemed to linger longer than it should, filling the space between them with something unspoken. Ivy had been patient, not pushing after last night, but Celeste could feel the weight of it hanging between them, unspoken.
The forest was a world apart from the busy city streets she was used to. Here, time slowed. The evergreen branches were frosted with snow, glistening in the soft light that filtered through the canopy. It was as if the trees themselves had secrets, whispering in the wind as they passed. Celeste felt as though the world were holding its breath, waiting for her to speak her truth.
“I’m not used to this,” Celeste finally admitted, her voice low. “Letting people in, I mean. Especially not…after last night.”
She couldn’t help the way her heart raced as she spoke, the image of Ivy’s body under hers flashing unbidden in her mind. She could still feel the heat of the moment, how their desire had surged between them like a wave neither of them could stop.
Ivy slowed her steps, glancing over at her, a flicker of understanding crossing her face. “We don’t have to rushanything, Celeste. I’m not expecting you to have all the answers.” She smiled softly, the kind of smile that had Celeste’s guard slipping without her even realizing it.
They stopped by a cluster of tall pines where the path widened and offered a view of the town in the distance, nestled under its own layer of snow. The rooftops were dusted in white, and smoke curled from chimneys, rising lazily into the sky.
Ivy turned to face her fully now, her expression soft. “You don’t have to pretend with me, you know,” she said quietly. “I get that you’re used to having to be strong. In control. But here, you don’t have to carry everything on your own anymore.”
Celeste stared at her for a long moment, the words sinking in. It was strange, hearing someone say that. No one had ever told her it was okay not to be perfect. Not to be the poised, unshakable CEO who always had the answers. For so long, she’d defined herself by her ability to handle everything, to never show weakness. Yet here, with Ivy, that mask felt impossibly heavy.
“I’ve spent most of my life being what people expect me to be,” Celeste admitted, her voice almost a whisper. “And now, I’m not sure who I am when I’m not playing that role.”
Ivy’s gaze never wavered, and for a moment, the world felt even quieter. The only sound was a soft hush of wind through the trees.
“You’re more than just that role,” Ivy said, stepping closer. “I’ve seen it. The way you’ve been with Ellie, how you’ve let your guard down around her. You’re kind, and you care. You don’t have to be perfect for me.”
Celeste’s chest tightened. Ivy’s words were so simple, but they cut through the layers of doubt and fear she’d wrapped around herself for years. She wanted to believe them. Wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, she could be more than the polished image she’d worked so hard to build.
But could she? Was it even possible to let someone in without losing the control that had been her anchor for so long?
