“I don’t believe in that ‘everything happens for a reason’ bullshit, because my dad shouldn’t have had to die like that, and neither should your wife, but I do believe everything that happens in our lives molds us and shapes us into the people we become.”
“That’s true,” Eve said. “And it changes us. I could never go back to being the person I was before.”
“You don’t think you’ll settle down again?”
“No.” She lowered her shoulders and softened the curve of her back, trying not to appear as tense as she felt.
“I’ve never really thought about settling down,” Josie said, deflecting the conversation away from Eve, although she wasn’t sure whether she’d done it on purpose. “Lately, I’m lucky to find someone I even want to have a second date with.” She caught Eve’s gaze. “But I already know I’d like a second date with you.”
* * *
Josie watchedan invisible lens slide over Eve’s eyes, hiding her behind its protective shield. She hadn’t really meant to blurt out her intentions like that, but the opening had been too good to pass up. “I know you’re not looking for a relationship. Neither am I. We’re both up to our ears in work. You of all people know how ridiculous my schedule is.”
Eve reached for her wine, the hint of a smile ghosting her lips.
“So maybe we try something casual, dinner on my night off, maybe occasionally you find your way into my bed after work…” She winked, trying to lighten the mood.
“Maybe,” Eve said quietly.
“I’ll take maybe,” she told her with a grin. “And I have a few ideas for later that might help persuade you.”
“Is that so?” Eve’s eyes met hers, heat simmering in their chocolate depths.
“Oh yeah. I mean, a whole night together? The kittens are a bit of a mood dampener, but if you want to know the truth…” She leaned forward, lowering her voice. “You look pretty hot in my T-shirt with a kitten in your lap.”
“Not sure I can agree with that last part,” Eve said, but her tone had softened, a playfulness there that made Josie’s grin widen.
“Well, I’d probably find you sexy in just about anything, so there’s that.”
Eve laughed, and the conversation slipped back into comfortable territory as they ate. After their entrees, they shared a crème brûlée as they finished up their bottle of wine. Josie was comfortably buzzed as she led the way outside, pausing to push Eve against the side of the building and kiss her, tasting wine and caramelized sugar on her tongue, the promise of endless pleasure in her fingertips as they brushed over Josie’s thighs before gripping her waist.
Someone whistled, followed by several men shouting lewd suggestions. Josie lifted her head just in time to see Eve flip them off, eyes glinting in the darkness.
“Hot,” Josie whispered in her ear.
“Let’s get out of here.” Eve untangled herself, leading the way briskly toward the subway entrance at the end of the block before the situation could escalate. The men in question were still shouting and making rude gestures, but Josie refused to give them even a moment of her time. Nothing was going to spoil tonight for her.
She followed Eve down the steps into the subway, where they both swiped their MetroCards and headed for the platform.
“Sorry,” Eve said. “I would have called an Uber for us, but I didn’t think we should hang around that crowd.”
“Agreed.”
Eve gave her a small smile, but it was one of those genuine smiles that made Josie feel like she’d won the lottery or just saved a whole shelter’s worth of kittens. As they waited on the platform, Eve stood close beside her, so close their arms brushed together and the scent of Eve’s perfume drifted over her.
They boarded the A train, sitting side by side as it whisked them toward Josie’s apartment. Someday, she wanted to see where Eve lived, but with the kittens needing to be fed in a little over an hour, there was no question whose bed they’d wind up in tonight.
They were mostly quiet as they rode, quiet as they climbed the steps to the street, quiet as Josie unlocked the back door to her building, letting them in. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, though, more of a calm before the storm, because she felt the energy between them building with each step toward her apartment door.
As soon as they’d stepped inside, Eve had her pinned against the wall, bodies pressed together, mouths meeting hungrily. “How much time do we have?” she asked, tipping her head toward the playpen in the living room.
“About an hour.”
“Perfect.” Eve spun them, stepping Josie backward into her bedroom, lips on Josie’s as her fingers worked open the button on her pants, andwhoa. Josie’s head was spinning, heat building beneath Eve’s fingers as she pushed down her fly, brushing against the front of Josie’s underwear.
Eve pushed her down on the bed, rocking their hips together as she slipped a hand beneath Josie’s top, sliding up to pop the clasp on her bra. She was a woman on a mission, hands everywhere as they rid Josie of her clothes, touching and teasing as she worked.
Josie tried to even the playing field, eager to get her hands on Eve’s dress, to run her fingers over it and beneath it and, even more importantly, get her out of it. But Eve had other ideas, ignoring Josie’s attempts to undress her.
