Hannah
Should I bring anything?
Kate
Just your sweet face.
Hannah
OK, see you soon.
Kate hopped up, made the bed, and fluffed the pillows—if the night took them to her bedroom, she wanted to make a good impression. She opened a drawer and pulled out a sandalwood room spray and gave the room a quick spray. Then she took the empty beer bottle off her nightstand and walked into the kitchen to put it in her small recycling bin. She had no idea how much time she had before Hannah arrived. Kate looked down at her faded pajama bottoms and her tank top that had bleach stains on it. Hopefully she had time to change. She rushed back to her bedroom and rummaged through her drawers. She pulled out a black tank top and a pair of black shorts and put them on. Kate checked her hair in the mirror and used her fingersto fix it. Once she was satisfied with that, she picked up her phone to check for a text from Hannah, saying she was here. Nothing yet. Butterflies were multiplying in her stomach as the seconds passed. She took a deep breath and blew it out. Then she remembered. Mouthwash! She swished and spit just as her phone pinged. Hannah was here.
Kate practically ran to her front door. She slid her feet into a pair of slippers, threw on a flannel jacket, and rushed downstairs.
The floodlights from the building backlit Hannah, making her look like an angel sent from heaven just for Kate. Her lush red hair was swept up, leaving only a few curling tendrils around her face. Her cheeks were flushed. Kate’s core throbbed as she watched Hannah’s pink tongue peek out and lick her bottom lip. Unable to wait until they got upstairs, Kate flipped down the doorstopper with her foot and closed the distance to Hannah. She put her hands on Hannah’s face and took Hannah’s bottom lip in her mouth. Hannah responded, placing her hands on Kate’s hips and pulling her tight. Kate loved the soft feel of Hannah’s breasts against her.
The weather was calling for flurries, and she was in shorts, but she was on fire for this woman. Kate pulled back.
“Thanks for coming over.” She held Hannah’s hand in hers and led her into the building.
“I was surprised to hear from you,” Hannah said breathlessly as they rushed up the stairs.
Kate barked out a laugh, “Honestly, I was surprised I texted you.” Kate opened the door to her apartment, and they walked in.
“Well, here we are,” Hannah said, and she toed off her shoes.
“Mm-hmm,” Kate said as she allowed her eyes to devour Hannah.
“I can’t believe you don’t have a pet. I was sure that you were a dog person.” Hannah glanced around the room.
Kate’s stomach twisted. She’d been about to pounce on her, and now Hannah wanted to talk about Kate’s lack of companionship? “I don’t think it’s that strange. It gives me more time to focus on the shop and help other people with all their pet needs. If I had a dog right now, it would divide my focus.”
“Even a cat?”
Kate nodded. “Yes, even a gerbil would be too much for me right now.”
“Sounds like you don’t have time for anything.”
Kate’s throat tightened. She didn’t want to talk about her ex and how much she missed her little pooch. Oreo had been the best dog she’d ever had. He would sit by the door with his leash in his mouth, waiting for her anytime she put on her shoes. He knew when she was sad, and he’d push his head under her hand, demanding pats. Months after the breakup, she still found herself thinking about going over to their house and stealing Oreo back. But she didn’t want to find out if she could survive the prison system or the bad publicity that would result. That’s why she didn’t have a dog. She wasn’t ready to make space to have her heart broken again. And that was the same reason she was only interested in a super causal relationship revolving around sex with Hannah.
She took Hannah’s hand in hers and began rubbing Hannah’s palm with her thumb. “Come on now, don’t be silly.” Her pulse sped up, and this time it was frustration with herself instead of anticipation. Maybe this had been a mistake. She was sure her emotions were visible on her face.
Hannah laughed awkwardly. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what I’m doing.” The little furrowing of her brows Kate recognized from the Instagram post returned to Hannah’s face, and Kate’s insides melted.
“No worries,” Kate leaned in and kissed Hannah softly and slowly, gently turning the kiss into something more.
Chapter Seven
Kate’s kiss took her breath away. Good thing Hannah didn’t need to breathe. All she needed was Kate. Her hand was tangled in Hannah’s hair, pushing them closer together. Hannah craved more contact with Kate. Feeling bolder than she ever had, she moved her hands from Kate’s waist and pushed them under her shirt. Kate’s skin felt like silk under Hannah’s hands. Kate took a sharp intake of breath as Hannah touched the hard planes of her stomach, letting her hands work their way up. Hannah paused in surprise when she realized Kate wasn’t wearing a bra. A shiver ran through both of them, and that gave Hannah the nerve to cup Kate’s left breast. Kate was placing kisses along Hannah’s collarbone as Hannah brushed her thumb across Kate’s hardened nipple. When Hannah did the same to Kate’s other one, Kate groaned and sucked hard on Hannah’s skin. The delicious pain and pleasure of her mouth and tongue on Hannah’s skin sent shockwaves of need through Hannah.
She hoped she was doing this right. She’d never gone this far with a woman, and all she knew was that she needed more contact. No, she needed all of Kate, and she wasn’t going to stop and ask if she was doing things right. Kate stopped kissing her, and Hannah whimpered at the loss of Kate’s heat. But then Kate pulled off her shirt, and Hannah’s mouth went dry. Kate’s breasts were perfection, and Hannah could not wait a moment longer to taste them, but before she could do that, Kate placed her hands on the first undone button of Hannah’s flowy lavender shirt.
“May I?” Her husky voice reverberated through Hannah, causing her core to pulse.
“God, yes,” Hannah said, wishing she’d worn a T-shirt instead of a shirt with so many buttons. After what felt like a long time, Hannah’s shirt was off and thrown on the couch. She stood in her bra, goosebumps covering her skin as she held her breath, waiting. Kate snapped open the front clasp of her bra. Kate let out a groan that was almost a growl, and then her mouth was on Hannah’s breast. Hannah gasped as electric shocks zinged through her. The rough feel of Kate’s tongue on her taut nipple was like heaven. Hannah had never felt so good and so free. With other people, she’d always felt self-conscious about her body. It was so nondescript. The only unusual thing about her was the mass of freckles all over her pale Irish skin. She didn’t want this night to ever end. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t worried about the size of her areolas or whether Kate preferred a Brazilian wax. Instead, Hannah imagined how good she would feel if Kate’s mouth was on her core, and she was practically ready to come.
Kate’s back was against the wall, and Hannah spread her legs and leaned in, bracketing herself against Kate’s thigh. She needed pressure; she needed to grind, and she didn’t even care if she got Kate wet. She craved Kate like a marathon runner cravedwater. Hannah ran her hands through Kate’s short hair, letting her nails lightly scrape her scalp. Kate moaned and continued laving her nipple.
