“Mm,” Nora hummed. “Lucky me.” She flicked her tongue over Quinn’s lips, and sighed as a quieter crash from upstairs reminded them why they’d put a stop to their early-morning activities. “I’m just going to shower real quick before I go upstairs to see what kind of trouble Fort’s gotten into.”
“Can I join you?” Quinn asked hopefully.
Nora laughed and pulled back with a fond smile. “Somehow…” She caressed Quinn’s cheek. “I don’t see that being a ‘quick’ shower.”
“Maybe not.” Quinn flipped Nora onto her back and angled a thigh between her legs. She flexed against the slick folds that waited for her as she captured Nora’s lips in a hot, quick, and dirty kiss that made Nora whimper and moan, and she grinned as she dragged her mouth over the curve of Nora’s cheek to whisper against her ear, “But I’ll replace whatever he destroys while I’m fucking you.” She nipped at Nora’s earlobe. “Whattaya say?”
Nora groaned and arched against her thigh. “Deal.”
The source of the crash earlier became clear the moment Quinn followed Nora upstairs. She laughed when she spotted Fort under the dining room table, trapped in a cage of his own making as he’d somehow managed to knock down every chair that surrounded it. He didn’t seem to mind too much, though, judging from the way he was happily licking at the remains of a shredded pastry box.
“Fortissimo!” Nora scolded, unable to keep from laughing herself. “Hva har du gjort?!”
“What do you mean, what has he done?” Quinn argued on the pup’s behalf. “He got himself breakfast.”
“I fed him breakfast!”
“Yes, well, I’m willing to bet that whatever was in that box was a million times better than the kibble you put in his puzzle thingy,” Quinn pointed out as she took in her surroundings.
Because of the townhouse’s location on the water, the main living areas were on the uppermost floor which provided the best views. The stairs from the lower, main entry and bedroom level opened to the center of the floor with the dining area and kitchen to the right of the stairs and, to the left, was an expansive living room and a wall of sliding-glass doors similar to those in Nora’s bedroom. Like the bedroom below, these, too, led to a sprawling balcony that overlooked the bay. Large skylights overhead brought in even more natural light, and she smiled at the small, artificial Christmas tree that was set between the television and the windows.
“Do you decorate onLilleJulaften?” Quinn asked, using the Norwegian phrase for the day before Christmas Eve as she gestured to the tree.
“Of course. That’s the proper way to do it, after all,” Nora said as she began righting the chairs Fort had knocked over. She knelt in front of Fort and lectured, “Those raspberry danishes weren’t for you.”
Quinn groaned. “Oh, damn. I love raspberry danish.”
“Then you really would’ve really liked these.” Nora gave Fort a stern look as she knelt to take his box away. “They’re from the bakery over by the pier, and they’re absolutely divine.”
Fort protested the loss of his prize with an utterly defiant, “Woof!”
“I really need to introduce you to Sasha,” Quinn told him. “You two could get into so much trouble together.” Though Nora did her best to hide it, she didn’t miss the flash of insecurity in her expression at Sasha’s name, and she offered her a reassuring smile as she closed the handful of steps between them to take Nora into her arms. “Hey—”
“It’s fine,” Nora interrupted, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “It’s none of my business.”
“It is.” Quinn hooked a finger under Nora’s chin to ensure she had her attention. “I know we don’t really know each other well, but this”—she shifted her hold to cradle Nora’s jaw—“isn’t something I usually do. And I’d never consider it if I was with someone.” She caressed Nora’s cheek as she let her words sink in. “Okay?”
Nora nodded. “Okay. And, same here,” she admitted with the most adorable hint of a blush creeping over her cheeks.
“Good.” Quinn kissed the tip of her nose, and huffed a laugh at the way Nora rolled her eyes in response. “I’m glad Fort tried to steal my skateboard the other day.”
Nora smiled. “Me too.”
“And are you still good with this?” Quinn asked. “Do you want me to leave?”
“Yes, I’m still good with this.” Nora covered Quinn’s hand on her jaw with her own. “And I don’t want you to leave.”
Quinn smiled with relief. Though she absolutely would have said goodbye and left it at this if had Nora asked, she was grateful that she didn’t have to let her go just yet. “Okay.” She dipped her head to nuzzle Nora’s cheek. “Can I kiss you?”
“Woof!”
“Wasn’t asking you, Fort,” Quinn muttered. She grinned at Nora’s delighted laughter, and shot the pup a playful side-eyed glare. “Thanks, dude.”
Fort tilted his head and grinned.
Still chuckling, Nora pressed onto the balls of her feet to deliver the desired kiss, and Quinn sighed as she melted into it. One kiss became two, three, then four, and Nora hummed contentedly as she pulled away. “You are so very good at that.”
“So are you,” Quinn murmured.
