They slid into two empty stools at the bar, shoulder to shoulder. Caitlin ordered two scotches—now that she knew Gemma liked to drink hers the same way.
“Of all places, why here?” Gemma asked, facing a long wall of shelves filled with bottles of liquor.
“I remembered this place was nearby. Thought it might be fun to revisit,” Caitlin said with a sheepish grin.
“Well, cheers to not getting kicked out again.” Gemma giggled, clinking her glass to Caitlin’s.
“As much fun as it was to get caught having sex in the bathroom, that’s not my favorite memory here,” Caitlin replied, meeting Gemma’s eyes.
They had taken their first trip together the summer after their high school graduation, not long after Gemma’s eighteenth birthday. They had driven the hour and a half from New Hope to Manhattan, a city that was new to them both, in celebration before starting their next journey at The University of Pennsylvania.
They devoured New York like it was theirs for the week, exploring every tucked-away alley and glittering avenue.They’d wandered hand in hand through Central Park, taken pictures above the skyline from the Empire State Building, and kissed beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. They’d eaten pizza and bagels in rotation until they could hardly move, then had climbed to the crown of the Statue of Liberty, dizzy with the magic of it all.
“It’s not?” Gemma asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“Don’t you remember?” Caitlin smiled sadly. “We ran in here because I had to pee so bad I thought I couldn’t make it back to our hotel.” She spun in her seat, now facing Gemma. “You told me—in this bathroom, for whatever reason—that I was your soulmate.”
Gemma’s features softened as she pictured the scene. “If I remember correctly, there had been a lot of tequila involved.”
“Do you still believe in soulmates?” Caitlin asked, looking deep into Gemma’s bronzed eyes and seeing the same intrepid girl she had fallen in love with a lifetime ago.
Gemma’s hand was suddenly cupping Caitlin’s face, answering the question with her lips. She claimed Caitlin with a slow, sure kiss, sliding her free hand up Caitlin’s thigh.
Caitlin returned the kiss with everything she’d held back for ten years—hunger mixing with apology and promise.
When she felt Gemma’s mouth leave hers, Caitlin slowly opened her eyes, resurfacing with reluctance.
“Come home with me.” Gemma didn’t pose it as a question, and Caitlin didn’t hesitate before getting up to settle the tab.
“My hotel’s just a few blocks away.” Caitlin pointed down the street once they were outside.
Gemma looped her arm through Caitlin’s as they walked, their steps eager and steady.
Caitlin scanned her room key and pushed through the door, her body buzzing with anticipation. Gemma wasted no time before tangling her fingers in Caitlin’sauburn waves and pressing her back against the wall. Their lips collided with a desperate need, as if finding water after a drought. But it wasn’t enough. Caitlin yearned to feel the heat of Gemma’s bare skin. She slid her hands under Gemma’s blazer, gripping her waist in a claim of ownership.
Gemma bit down on Caitlin’s bottom lip in response, then sucked on the tender skin, causing a raw groan to rise from her throat.
The kiss felt disheveled and beautifully unscripted as a knot of longing loosened between them. Each caress conveyed both adoration and devotion.
“Ineedyou,” Caitlin breathed into Gemma’s mouth.
Afraid to let go of Gemma even for a second, Caitlin reached down and threaded their fingers together before leading the way into her bedroom.
She turned to face Gemma, who gently pushed Caitlin backward until she was seated on the edge of the bed. Standing over her, Gemma held Caitlin’s gaze as she slowly unbuttoned her blazer and slipped it off. Her fingers ghosted along the waistband of her pants in a tease that left Caitlin yearning.
“Please, let me,” Caitlin crooned, reaching out to slide Gemma’s pants down her toned thighs, her movements feverishly measured.
Gemma sank onto the bed one knee at a time, straddling Caitlin’s lap. The warm, familiar musk of her cologne pinned Caitlin in her seat. Her dizzy intoxication had nothing to do with the glass of scotch she’d had, and everything to do with the woman on top of her.
“You’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.” Caitlin’s heart hammered in her chest.
Flushed with desire, Gemma bent down and kissed along the side of Caitlin’s neck, unzipping her dress, sliding the straps down her shoulders, and letting the fabric fall into a heap aroundher waist.
Gemma looked at Caitlin like she wanted to devour her, as if she had been craving her taste for half a lifetime.
She slid off Caitlin’s lap, pulling the dress down her legs before easing her back onto the bed.
Gemma bathed in the sight of Caitlin’s body, laid bare beneath her. Slowly, deliberately, her fingers grazed Caitlin’s porcelain skin, tracing the constellation of freckles across her chest.
