AftergettingRiasetup in the shower and laying out some towels, Lissa plopped onto her bed, debating how to handle the situation.She’d thrown Ria’s clothes in the dryer, and now she needed to figure out how to get Ria to stay a little longer without pushing too much.
It had stung more than she expected to hear Ria say she didn’t trust Lissa not to hurt her.Yet at the same time, she couldn’t really blame her, given Lissa’s ulterior motive.Everything was getting so complicated, and Lissa was starting to feel like she was still in the ocean under that wave, being tossed around to the point she didn’t even know which way was up.
She wanted to abandon the marketing mission and just try to convince Ria they should be together, but that wasn’t an option for so many reasons.Sooner or later Ria would realize who she was and where she worked.Well, if the studio went under in a few weeks, maybe she wouldn’t.
Stop, Lissa’s brain ordered.Do not even think about that happening.
Yeah,her vagina chimed in.Think about the naked witch on the other side of that wall.
Images of Ria soaping up her lithe body infiltrated Lissa’s mind, but she shut that down faster than the time Lexi tried to drink red wine on her white couch.Nothing good would come from it.
She needed to focus.She wasn’t giving up on her studio, and she wasn’t giving up on a chance at a relationship with Ria.At this point, her only option was to come clean and hope Ria didn’t hate her.Of course the chances of that happening were about the same as Marge growing a soul and giving up her mission to crush Lissa’s studio.
When the water turned off, Lissa hopped off the bed and yanked open her dresser, searching for a shirt to lend Ria.She dug through the drawers until she found the one she wanted then headed toward the bathroom.
Rapping her knuckles on the door, she called out, “Are you decent?Can I come in?”
There was a long pause, and then Ria said, “Yeah, sure.”
Lissa pushed open the door, to find Ria wrapped in a towel, tucked into the back corner of the already tiny bathroom.
“Here,” Lissa offered, holding out a T-shirt.“I figured you might want something to wear while your clothes finish drying.”
Ria snagged the shirt and unfolded it with one hand, her other hand maintaining a death grip on the towel around her.
Lissa tried not to snicker at the witch’s drive for modesty, given what they’d been doing not long ago.If Ria needed to cover up to feel more comfortable, she’d dig out her damn parka and hand it over.
“Upper Arlington High School Volleyball?”Ria read off the blue T-shirt before giving Lissa a quizzical look.“I didn’t know you played volleyball.”
Lissa shrugged.“I despised growing up in Ohio, but my volleyball team was actually kinda awesome.Pretty much the only happy memories I have from high school.”
“Oh,” Ria replied quietly.“Well, thank you for the shirt.”
“Of course,” Lissa said.“I’ll, um, I’ll let you get dried off.”
Lissa backed out of the bathroom and shut the door behind her.Returning to the living room, she gathered up the small bits of glasswork she’d missed and tucked them into a kitchen cabinet alongside the mugs—a safe hiding place, given Ria’s disdain for coffee.Not that the witch would still be there in the morning after Lissa made her confession, but a girl could hope.
“Lissa?”called Ria’s quiet voice, and she slammed the cabinet shut a little harder than intended.
Whipping around, she sucked in a breath when she took in Ria standing in the living room, Lissa’s T-shirt hanging low enough to almost cover the petite witch’s knees.She’d wanted to see Ria wearing her favorite shirt, but she hadn’t expected it to hit quite so hard.A bloom of warmth flared through her body at Ria’s still perky nipples poking through the fabric, her face clear of all that makeup she hid behind.Ria looked perfectly rumpled and adorable, exactly how Lissa expected she would look first thing in the morning, crawling out of bed after an exhausting night.
Swallowing roughly, Lissa gave Ria a small smile.“Hey, I was just, um, cleaning up in here.”She brushed a few crumbs off the counter in a pathetic confirmation of her excuse, then joined Ria in the living room.“I’m going to take my own shower while your clothes finish drying, and then I can take you home afterward.”She paused, then added, “If you still want to leave.”
Ria nodded, sinking down into the cushy couch.“I’d appreciate that.Thank you for understanding.”
“Sure,” Lissa replied, then made a beeline for the bathroom.
The water was still warm from Ria’s shower, but Lissa was tempted to drop it to cold, like, Oregon ocean cold in an attempt to fight the heat pulsing through her.Some women might prefer lingerie.Some might go for the biker chick vibe.But Lissa?Give her a woman in an old, comfy T-shirt with a fresh face, and she was a goner.
Stepping into the shower, Lissa let the warm water run over her already too hot skin.
Lissa closed her eyes, and all she saw was Ria wading into the ocean with that sea lion tattoo on her cute ass, completely fearless and confident.Lissa ran soap over her breasts, and all she felt were Ria’s hands running over that same skin, exploring her body.Lissa washed her hair, and all she remembered was the caress of Ria’s nails on her scalp, gently tugging her hair as they kissed.
Fuck.
That kiss.There was no way Ria hadn’t experienced at least a little of what Lissa felt.You don’t get a kiss that passionate without something stronger behind it.
Lissa’s hand glided farther down her wet skin at the reminder of the kiss, her fingers sliding lower and lower until they reached the source of the throbbing.Placing a hand on the shower wall for support, Lissa circled her clit slowly and firmly, imagining what it would be like if it were Ria’s hand instead.Did the witch like it slow and hard or fast and shallow?These were the things Lissa was dying to discover.
