Soon Daphne’s voice grew raspy too, and she buried her face in April’s neck as she shuddered, her cries warm against April’s skin. Even though she hadn’t been instructed to, April slid her hands to Daphne’s waist. She needed to hold on right now. She was in a free fall, couldn’t get her breath, her voice, nothing. There was only Daphne and moans and sweat as they both came, trembling against each other.
It felt like it lasted forever, hard and fast, and then slowing, bit by bit, their bodies connected and moving in tandem. Daphne was lying fully on top of April by the time they both stilled, her hair splayed over the pillow and half of April’s face, each other’s sweat slicking their skin, but April didn’t care. She loved it, in fact.
Daphne didn’t move either. She stayed cocooned against April’s neck, her warm breath slowing and tickling April’s skin. She was shaking, and April kept her arms around her, holding her tightly. In a few seconds, they were breathing together, inhaling and exhaling in an identical rhythm.
Daphne laughed into April’s neck, then finally lifted herself enough so April could see her face. And fuck, she was so beautiful—hair a mess, face flushed, eyes glassy. April couldn’t help but tuck Daphne’s hair behind her ears, then whisper, “There’s my good girl.”
She hadn’t meant to say it—or say it quite so tenderly, but she didn’t regret it either. It felt right, felt true.
Daphne’s eyes widened a bit, but she smiled so sweetly, April had to pull her down for a kiss. A perfect kiss. Slow and languid, still sexy as hell, Daphne’s tongue sliding against hers like a dance.
Jesus, April was completely addled by this girl in her arms, the soft sounds Daphne made as April held her face and kissed her. They kissed for what felt like forever until Daphne laughed into her mouth.
“My arms are about to give out,” she said, collapsing with her face near April’s ear again. “I think I just used muscles I didn’t even know I had.”
“Best workout in the world,” April said, trailing her fingers along Daphne’s back, and then they stayed like that for a while too, the rain still falling, ripples of thunder in the distance.
“Storm’s coming,” Daphne said, her voice muffled.
April said nothing, just held Daphne tighter.
Eventually, they shifted so they could remove the double dildo—April tossed it on a pile of her dirty clothes to deal with later—and then settled again side by side and facing each other, hands tucked under their chins, close but not touching. They stared at each other, skin still flushed. April had so much to say but wasn’t sure she knewthe right words. Wasn’t sure the feeling had even translated into a known language yet. She felt full to overflowing—overwhelmed, even—and had the sudden urge to disappear into the bathroom for an hour just to get her breath back.
As though reading her mind, Daphne hooked one arm around April’s waist, pulling her tighter.
“I’m not going anywhere,” April said.
“Good,” Daphne whispered, and April’s throat tightened. Just this feeling of being known—and by the unlikeliest person—it was a drug she never wanted to stop taking.
“I’m sorry,” April said after a few minutes, scooting a little closer so she could feel the warmth of Daphne’s breath. “About what happened on the dock at Ramona’s.”
Daphne inhaled, let it out slowly. “I panicked too.”
“It felt like a lot of different things happening all at once,” April said.
“Were you embarrassed?” Daphne asked.
“God, no,” April said, her hand going to Daphne’s face. “Well, maybe a little, but not about you. About me.”
“What about you?”
April sighed. “That’s just it. I don’t know. It’s like what you said on the dock. I deflect. All the time. I think I’ve made a life out of deflecting.”
Daphne’s eyes went soft, and she pulled April even closer. They were breathing each other’s air now, and April could feel herself shaking a little.
“I’m weird, I know,” she went on. “I’m strange and moody and maybe a little silly sometimes, and I don’t know how much of that is me, or how much of it is me trying tofindme, if that makes sense.”
“It does,” Daphne said, fingers ghosting through her hair.
“My tattoos, my hair, my rings, my wardrobe—don’t get me wrong, I do like it all. These are my choices, and I don’t regretthem, but sometimes, I just don’t…I’m not sure who April Evans really is. I don’t think I’ve ever known.”
“I think everyone feels that from time to time,” Daphne said. “But when you suddenly become aware of that feeling…”
“Yeah,” April said. “I think I’m lost. Like…I know that’s a thing that people say in movies and books, but I think I actually am. I have no fucking idea what I’m doing or what I want.”
Daphne cupped her face and kissed her forehead. April gripped her wrist, holding Daphne in place as she said the next part.
“That moment on the dock,” she said. “I think you scared me.”
