“I still think you ought to take me,” Ellie said, propping herself up on one arm.
“No.”
“Obstinate woman. I just want to take care of you.” Ellie leaned down and caught Prospero’s mouth in a kiss. Her free hand cupped her wife’s breast, thumb flicking over the nipple hidden under both a vest and a blouse.
The hand that had been threading through Ellie’s hair tightened, holding Ellie to her, and teeth and tongues clashed.
Mine,Ellie thought yet again.Whatever we did wrong doesn’t matter.
But a few moments later, Ellie moved to undo the buttons of Prospero’s trousers, and her wife’s hand wrapped around Ellie’s wrist, stopping her.
Prospero turned her head, ending their kiss abruptly.
“What?” Ellie asked, looking down at her.
“No.” Prospero’s voice was ragged, but her words were clear. “You really don’t want this. Me. You don’t wantme.”
“The throbbing between my legs disagrees with you,” Ellie snapped.
“I’m trying to do the right thing.” Prospero rolled out from under Ellie and came to her feet. She sounded as upset and rejected as Ellie felt. “This is not easy for me, Ellie, but I care about you. I want to respect you.”
“By denying me? By making choices for me?” Ellie glared at her wife. “I’m able to make my own choices, Prospero!”
“Not without all the information.”
“And whose fault is that?” Ellie bit out.
“Mine. It’s mostly my fault, but I won’t compound it by doing this.” Prospero tidied her hair and clothes, not making eye contact as she did so, and when she looked up, her mask of indifference was securely in place. “I’ll see you again as soon as I am able. Please stay safe in my absence.”
Prospero leaned down and brushed a quick kiss over Ellie’s lips.
And Ellie decided to push the line a little more. She knew what she wanted. She wasn’t sure why Prospero—who clearly wanted the same thing and wascourtingher and had already married her—was being so difficult.
Ellie unfastened her jeans and shoved them and her underwear down. “Prospero…”
When her wife glanced back, Ellie said, “I’ll settle for thinking of you while I touch myself. If you weren’t so difficult, I would invite you to stay, but I won’t beg.”
“Ellie…” Prospero stared at her. “I swear I’m trying to be a better person, and later, you’ll probably understand why. I cannot take advantage of you, though.”
“You cannot take advantage of thewilling,” Ellie argued.
“If you remembered why you were angry, you wouldn’t be willing, love.” Prospero shook her head. “I’ll court you as you asked, but I can’t… we can’t…”
“So that’s a no toalltouch? No sex? Tell me that’s not forever,” Ellie begged, because maybe she was a little bit of a liar after all. Shewouldbeg for an answer.
“I need time, Ellie. I am asking you to give me time, to wait for me.…” Prospero swallowed, gaze fastened exactly where Ellie wished her wife’s mouth or hand was.
Ellie was done with her wife’s refusals. “Tell me you’ll at least stay and watch next time. That’s not going to require you to touch me, but I want youherewith me.”
“That…” Prospero’s voice broke as Ellie folded her left leg, so she was in a figure-four and exposing herself more fully to Prospero’s hungry gaze. “Ellie.”
Ellie held out a hand toward her, and Prospero moved toward her like she was unable to resist.
When Prospero was near enough, Ellie took her hand and directed it to her thigh. “Just hold on to me.”
“Ellie.” Prospero watched as Ellie widened her legs and touched herself. Her grip tightened on Ellie’s leg as Ellie started to tremble under the combination of her wife’s laser-focused gaze and Ellie’s own quickly moving fingers.
“I want you,Prospero,” Ellie pronounced as she hurtled toward orgasm. “And I know you want me.”
