“No, I’m not.”
“And you were going to tell me that night?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” Larissa replied.
“It’s fine. I’m not mad about how it ended up. We’re still here. Well, we’re in your kitchen.”
“Harlow?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you ready?”
“For what?”
“Everything. I mean, the stuff we haven’t done together because we were friends. Now, we’re dating, but you wanted a hug last night, so I’m–”
“Oh, no – I wanted tokissyou last night. I’ve wanted to kiss you forever. I just thought maybe we should take some time to adjust or something.”
“You wanted to kiss me?”
“Definitely,” she said with a little laugh. “I think since birth, maybe.”
Larissa smiled and said, “And the other stuff?”
“Yes, Larissa. I wantallthe other stuff with you.”
“Can dinner wait?”
Harlow’s eyes went wide when she heard that. She went to say something, but Larissa moved swiftly and wrapped her hands around her neck. Then, Larissa’s lips were on hers before Harlow knew it, and it took her a second to realize that they were kissing. It was finally happening. She returned the kiss a moment later and nearly melted into the kitchen floor because the woman she’d loved forever was finally kissing her.
CHAPTER 31
Larissa didn’t know what had come over her, but something about seeing Harlow cook them dinner, after Harlow had had a long day and had sat in traffic probably for hours, had her realizing just how much she loved this woman. Before, she had known that she loved Harlow, but this was different. This was how it felt to beinlove with her and to want her; to want her so much that she couldn’t stop herself from reaching for Harlow and kissing her.
“Hey, are you sure?” Harlow asked, stopping their kiss momentarily to do so.
Larissa nodded and pulled Harlow back in to continue their kiss. Her toes were tingling, which was strange. Her toes shouldn’t be tingling; at least, not yet. Harlow’s hands were on her lower back, so it wasn’t like she was having an orgasm right now. She tried to stay in the moment with Harlow, but she was suddenly very aware of her body in a way she hadn’t ever been before, and when Harlow’s hands moved under her shirt, she felt the tingles in the spots Harlow was touching. Larissa understood what happened to the human body when it was aroused, and she’d had sex and touched herself, too – it wasn’t like she’d never been aroused before – but this was different.
“Bed,” Harlow stated and moved her lips to Larissa’s neck. “God, please let me take you to bed.”
Larissa had to nod again because her vocal cords didn’t seem to be operating properly, and her hands, so assertive on her behalf moments earlier when she’d reached for Harlow, were now mostly limp at her sides because she couldn’t focus on two things at once.
“Hey, are you okay?” Harlow asked and took both of Larissa’s hands in her own.
“What? Yes. Why?”
“You’re shaking, Larissa,” Harlow noted and squeezed both of Larissa’s hands between them.
“Oh, I… don’t know that I can stand for much longer.”
Harlow smiled softly at her and said, “Yeah?”
Larissa nodded again, which seemed like the only thing shecoulddo at the moment. Harlow nodded, too, but it was a motion with her head to the space beyond the kitchen, which, Larissa knew, meant that she wanted them to walk down that hallway and probably into Larissa’s bedroom, where they’d make love for the first time.
Harlow gave her right hand a small tug and dropped Larissa’s left one. Then, she started walking, and Larissa allowed herself to be pulled while she focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Part of her wanted to run to the bedroom because she was so ready for this. She wanted Harlow naked and above her. She wanted to touch her and be touched by her. But the other part of her was more nervous about this than she’d been about anything else in her life.
