Then they were naked, and Nell flushed because Mattie looked at her in a way that made her forget how to breathe. “You make me feel so wanted and attractive.”
“You’re both of those things and more.” Mattie stretched along the length of her. “Making love is so much easier without my shirt flapping around the whole time.”
Nell hummed her agreement. Heat pooled in her core as Mattie trailed her hands lower. She hooked her thigh over Mattie’s hip and sighed deeply as she was reminded what a good fit they were.
Mattie’s lips and tongue followed the same course as her hands, kissing, licking, and sucking. “You are delectable.”
Waves of pleasure built leisurely, higher and stronger, until Nell couldn’t hold back any longer. She toppled over the edge and into a pool of bliss.
Afterwards, when they were both breathless and sated, Nell leaned back against the pillow so they were side by side. In that moment, she felt so safe and loved, the fear and weight of years had been liftedfromher. “Just being here with you means everything.”
Mattie ran the backs of her fingers along Nell’s collarbone. “Where do we go from here?”
Nell smoothed the soft skin of Mattie’s shoulder. “I know how ticklish the skin at the nape of your neck is, but I don’t know how you’d like me to respond when you’ve had a rubbish day at work. Or when you’re ill, do you like your hair to be stroked or would you rather be left alone? So we learn how to become anus, which means doing the small stuff as well as making big decisions together. We’re not used to that, but we’re smart, intelligent women. We can learn, right?”
“Go all in?” asked Mattie.
“All in.” Nell had a mental image of standing at the edge of a swimming pool, desperate to swim but knowing the water would be cold until she got warmed up. She blinked. Time to take the plunge. “About the interviews.”
Mattie growled against her shoulder. “No work talk now. This is us time.”
Nell lay on her side so she could see all of Mattie’s face. “This is about us. Well, me. But you too.” Now it was her turn to growl. “You wouldn’t believe I’ve practised saying this, would you?”
“I’m listening,” she said softly and stroked Nell’s hip.
“The other domestic abuse survivor who wanted to tell you her story?” Nell puffed out a breath. “It’s me.”
Mattie’s hand stilled.
“For so long, I felt ashamed and embarrassed that I allowed him to do what he did, and it’s taken forever for me to accept that it’s not as simple as that. I need to voice that. I’m a relatively high-ranking police officer, so it might be that you’ll have to do a voice-over and not show my face, but I’ll know it’s me, and that’s enough.” Her words fell out in a rush, but now they were out in the world, and there was no way she wanted them back. “It’s as close to healed as I’ll ever be. I know I can trust you.”
“And you call me brave?” Mattie’s hand slid up to Nell’s face. Her thumb stroked her cheekbone, and Nell leaned into the touch. “I’d be honoured to interview you.”
The kiss they shared was soft and slow. “I feel like we’ve come full circle, our jobs and past stories colliding,” said Nell. Her smile fell away at Mattie’s anxious expression.
“There’s something else I need to confess to,” said Mattie.
Nell’s heart thumped uncomfortably. “What is it?”
“Another job decision I made without including you.” She eased away from their embrace and sat up. “The European posting isn’t a good fit for me, not now. I need to focus on my mental well-being, and that means regular therapy sessions and living at home. I’ve got a meeting with my boss on Monday to discuss next moves.”
Nell sat up too, uncaring that the duvet fell to her hips. “What will you do?”
“I’m yearning for something different. The thrill of rushing off at the drop of a hat to chase a story isn’t there anymore. I want a lifestyle that’s equally as enriching but more stable. More time for family and friends and love.” Mattie smiled, her eyes dropping to Nell’s exposed chest. “I’ve got a few ideas. We can talk them through together.”
Nell held her arms out. “Come here.”
Mattie snuggled into the crook of Nell’s shoulder. “London is a very long commute from here, so I was thinking that I could rent a flat nearby and divide my time between here and the capital.”
“You could, although there’s not much point seeing as you’d be sleeping here every night.”
“I would, would I?” Mattie grinned. “What about my on-going laundry crisis?”
“You won’t be needing clothes.”
Mattie laughed. “Where’s the strict and slightly uptight woman I met last summer?”
“Oh, I can be strict.”
