Ivy must have sensed her hesitation because she took another step closer, their boots almost touching now in the snow. “I know it’s scary,” Ivy said softly. “But you don’t have to be alone in this.”
Celeste’s breath caught in her throat, her pulse quickening as Ivy’s words hung in the air. The snow fell more gently now, delicate flakes drifting down like they, too, were waiting for something to happen.
“Ivy…” Celeste began, but her words faltered. She didn’t know how to explain the storm of emotions inside her, the pull toward Ivy that felt both exhilarating and terrifying at once.
Ivy reached out then, her hand brushing against Celeste’s gloved fingers. It was a small gesture, but it sent a rush of warmth through her, cutting through the cold that had settled in her bones.
“I’m here,” Ivy said, squeezing her hand. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Celeste looked down at their hands, the warmth of Ivy’s touch anchoring her in a way she hadn’t expected. She wasn’t ready to open up completely, not yet. But standing here in the quiet, snow-covered forest with Ivy by her side, she realized something important.
She didn’t have to figure everything out right now.
Maybe it was okay to take things one step at a time. To let herself be vulnerable little by little until the fortress she’d built around herself started to crumble. And maybe, just maybe, Ivy would still be there when it finally came down completely…
But right now in this moment, there was no denying the magnetic pull between them. Celeste squeezed Ivy’s hand gently, a silent promise that she was trying. She wanted to try.
They stood there for a long moment, the snow falling gently around them, but the chill in the air was no match for the heat slowly building between them. Ivy stepped closer still, their bodies brushing against each other, and the charged atmosphere from last night surged back, electric and wanting.
Without thinking, Celeste reached out and cupped Ivy’s cheek, her thumb brushing over her soft skin, the distance between them dissolving. The kiss that followed was slow at first, tentative, as if there were both testing the boundaries of this new territory. But it didn’t take long for the spark to catch, for the kiss to deepen into something more intense.
Ivy’s fingers tangled in Celeste’s coat, pulling her closer until their bodies were pressed together, heat rising between them even as the snowflakes drifted down around them. Celeste’s hand slid into Ivy’s hair, the strands soft between her gloved fingers, and she felt the last of her hesitation melt away.
They stumbled back against the nearest tree, and Celeste could feel the rough bark through the layers of her coat as Ivy pressed her against it, her lips trailing hot kisses along Celeste’s jaw and down her neck. The world seemed to blur at the edges, the snow, the forest the cold—all of it—fading into the background as the only thing that mattered was the heat between them.
Celeste’s senses were overwhelmed by every point of contact between them—the way Ivy’s fingers traced her body, the softness of her lips, the gentle press of her body. Every brush of contact sparked another wave of desire that made her feel dizzy with desire. She could feel Ivy’s heartbeat racing against her own chest, even through their coats, matching the frantic rhythm of her pulse.
When Ivy’s teeth gently grazed her earlobe, Celeste couldn’t hold back a soft moan. The sound seemed to spur Ivy on, her kisses growing more urgent, more demanding. Celeste’s glovedhands fumbled with the buttons on Ivy’s coat, desperate to feel more of her. The cold air nipped at their cold skin, but Celeste didn’t notice, too caught up in each other to care about anything else.
“God I want you,” Ivy breathed against her neck, the words sending shivers down her spine that had nothing to do with the winter air.
“Are you sure? Here?” Celeste asked half-heartedly. Instead of pushing off the tree, she rested her head back against it.
In answer, Ivy drew closer, her fingers tangling in Celeste’s hair as their lips met again. Their kiss was different this time—deeper, hungrier, full of unspoken promises. The forest seemed to hold its breath around them, creating a cocoon of privacy in their secluded corner.
Time became fluid, measured only in heartbeats and shared breaths. Celeste traced the curve of Ivy’s jaw with trembling fingers, memorizing every soft sound, every shiver that passed between them, and she leaned in to nip at Ivy’s neck.
Ivy pushed Celeste ever harder against the tree, slipping her hand underneath Celeste’s coat to paw at her body. Ivy cupped her breast over her shirt, and Celeste moaned, hardly noticing the cold anymore.
Their kisses were anything but gentle now as all hesitation was left behind. Ivy’s hand trailed down from Celeste’s breast, down her stomach, to her waistband where it slipped underneath. Ivy cupped Celeste over her panties, and Celeste moaned even deeper.
“Please,” she begged.
Smirking, Ivy teased Celeste, rubbing circles over the fabric while still pressing firmly, causing Celeste to squirm against the rough bark as anticipation coiled in her body.
Finally, Ivy gave her what she wanted as her fingers, now warmed, slipped inside her wet heat. She curled her fingersup, searching for the place she knew would make Celeste lose control, once and for all.
Celeste panted as she pushed herself against the bark, leaning her head back slightly. “Fuck, you feel so good!”
Celeste looked at Ivy, desire burning in her eyes, and she pulled her even closer, causing Ivy’s fingers to send another jolt of electricity through her body. She could hardly stand it anymore, and she needed to feel Ivy’s soft flesh under her fingers. She hastily removed her left glove and discarded it on the forest floor without another glance. She pawed at the waistband of Ivy’s pants, and Ivy shifted her body to make it easier for Celeste to undo the button as she herself was becoming undone.
Celeste slid her hand down Ivy’s pants, rubbing small circles around Ivy’s heat before she slipped in two fingers underneath her panties.
Ivy gasped, momentarily forgetting what she was doing and stopping her rhythmic motions, but then she restarted, doubling her efforts.
The two women stared at each other, passion burning in both their eyes, keeping them warm against the chilly forest air.
Ivy added a third finger, as she pressed her palm against Celeste’s clit and rocked it in circles in time with her fingers.
