Lauren slipped her hand from between them when Grey’s trembling eased, and wrapped her arms around Grey’s waist as the brunette collapsed on top of her. Her stomach fluttered at the feeling of soft lips against her throat, and she sighed as she ran a light hand down Grey’s back, turning her head to the side as a nimble tongue flicked over her pulse point. “I don’t think we have time for that,” she pointed out softly, though she made no move to pull away.
“I know.” Grey sighed and dropped her head to Lauren’s shoulder. “I just…”
“Yeah,” Lauren agreed. “Trust me, I know. But, for now…”
“Work,” Grey grunted, making the word sound like a curse. She picked her head up and glared at her alarm clock as it snapped to life.
Lauren smiled at Grey’s antics and gave her ass a playful slap. She knew that, if left to their own devices, they would never get out of bed and that was, unfortunately not an option for them at the moment. “Come on, Wells. Get that gorgeous ass of yours into the shower, and I’ll make waffles for breakfast.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“I’M SURPRISED YOU wanted to do this.” Lauren waved a hand at the orchid-festooned woods that surrounded them. A morning hike had not been on her to-do list, though she did have to admit that it felt good to stretch her legs a bit. She usually started her day back in New York with a jog through Central Park, but an early morning run had obviously not been an option since she boarded theVeritas.
Grey looked over at Lauren and shrugged. Because the twins were feeling better, the Muellers were spending the morning at the yacht club, taking advantage of the rentals offered to do some parasailing and kayaking. She had one kayak on board theVeritas, but Max and Peyton had been fighting over it for pretty much the whole trip, so this way they would both be able to paddle to their hearts’ content. “Why not? It beats sitting on the boat waiting for the Muellers to radio and say they’re ready to come back for lunch. Wearekind of at their disposal for the week, ya know.”
“I know.” Lauren’s lips curved in a lecherous smirk and she added, “It’s just that, well, I’m sure we could have foundsomethingto do to keep ourselves occupied while we were waiting around on them.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that.” Grey grinned and hopped over a particularly tricky section of tumbled boulders. “I just don’t trustthe Cockblock Crew down there to leave us alone when everybody’s awake. And I, for one, do not want to get blue-balled again.”
Lauren laughed and nodded as she followed Grey’s path over the boulders to the uneven trail on the other side. The Muellers did have quite a knack for interrupting them. “Fair point,” she admitted as she eyed the steep slope in front of them. The majority of the climb had been manageable, but this last three-quarter mile section was pretty much a straight, unforgiving, boulder-strewn shot to the peak. “Isn’t there an easier path up there?”
“You tired?” Grey teased, brow arched in mock disbelief even as she pretended that her legs weren’t burning from the climb. “Want to go back down?”
“Well, I really do like going down,” Lauren drawled.
Grey laughed and shook her head. “I have yet to meet a lesbian who doesn’t like going down, Murphy.”
They traversed the next section side-by-side, witty banter forgotten as they concentrated on where they were stepping. The trail eventually opened up into a steep, relatively smooth path to the peak, and Grey nudged Lauren with her elbow. “Last one to the top goes down first?”
Lauren looked at Grey and smirked. “Okay.” She bolted up the hill, laughing at the sound of Grey’s surprised gasp as she left her in her wake.
Grey gritted her teeth as she started up the path after Lauren, ignoring the way her quads protested the more vigorous pace. To be honest, she was more than a little surprised at how lithely Lauren was scampering up the hill. Lauren had admitted to being a klutz, but she sure did not look like one now. Grey bore down when she was but ten yards from the edge of the peak, digging deep into her reserves to try and overtake Lauren, but her extra burst of speed was not enough to hurtle her into victory.
“Shit.” Grey set her hands on her hips and shook her head at the way Lauren was trotting around the small clearing, arms held victoriously aloft à la Rocky Balboa. “Way to be a gracious winner, Murphy.”
“Yup,” Lauren agreed, finishing her mini-celebration by doing a small lunge and fist-pump. She looked up at Grey and grinned as she sauntered over to her. “I win.”
“You do.” Grey smiled and wrapped her arms around Lauren’s waist. She leaned in like she was going to kiss her, but pulled back at the last instant and chuckled at the small pout she got for her antics. “What?”
“Nothing,” Lauren said, shaking her head as she tried to pull away. The arms around her waist held her tight, however, and she sighed dramatically as she sank back into Grey. “What do you want?”
Instead of answering, Grey sucked Lauren’s lower lip between her own and gave it a playful nip. “You.” She smiled as she kissed Lauren again, deep and unhurried, and hummed when she eventually pulled away. “While I have every intention of paying up on our wager, I’m guessing that you don’t want me to do it here,” she murmured as she kissed Lauren again softly.
“Probably wouldn’t be the wisest idea,” Lauren said, remembering the three families they had passed on their way up. She cupped Grey’s face in her hands and smoothed her thumbs over her cheeks as she kissed her again. “We should really stop doing this, then.”
“I know,” Grey whispered, even as she leaned in to recapture Lauren’s lips with her own. This kiss was slower, sweeter, one that hinted at softer desires, and she sighed when she pulled away for good. Grey’s stomach fluttered at the delicate flush on Lauren’s cheeks and the way eyes had darkened with need, and she cleared her throat softly as she slipped out of her embrace. Silence, warm and thick with longing surrounded them,and Grey had to force herself to look away to break its spell. “So…not a bad view, huh?” she asked as she folded her hands behind her head and walked up to the edge of the cliff, hoping that a little fresh air and distance would help clear her head.
“Not at all,” Lauren agreed, her voice noticeably rougher than usual as her eyes swept over Grey’s body. Grey was not wearing anything special, just a pair of royal blue Nike shorts and a red tank, but she really was spectacular. Tan skin and toned muscles, with her hair blowing lightly in the breeze, Grey was a vision to behold.
Grey turned to Lauren, and smiled at the almost dazed look on her face. “Come on.” She beckoned her closer. “I won’t let you fall.”
Lauren shook her head and walked over to where Grey was standing. She avoided Grey’s questioning gaze as she crept closer to the edge, and she gasped when she truly took in the view. Bitter End stretched out beneath them, the water in the harbor a clear, crystalline blue and the beach a golden strip of heaven dotted with lounge chairs and umbrellas. There was a handful of boats dotting the harbor, and Lauren nodded as her eyes landed on theVeritas, easily picking it out from the rest. “It’s stunning.”
“It is,” Grey agreed softly, her gaze locked onto Lauren’s face. She smiled when Lauren turned and looked at her, completely unashamed at having been caught staring. “So is this worth the climb?”
“Yeah.” Lauren nodded and looked back over the scene below as she pulled her phone from the pocket of her shorts. She thumbed the camera app open and smiled shyly at Grey. “Can you take my picture?”
Grey nodded and held her hand out. “Of course.” Grey took the phone from Lauren and held it up in front of her face. She pushed it closer to Lauren and then pulled it back, forcing the camera to focus, and smiled as she called out, “Say…blowjob!”
