“I’ll lead,” she whispered. “Just try to step after my feet to the rhythm. I’ll keep doing a few basic moves, so watch our feet until you’ve got it.”
“You got it, boss.”
She flickered a smile. “Don’t make it weird.”
“I’m nervous,” I laughed.
She smiled wider. “Me too. But doing a dance you know is calming.”
I pushed out a breath, and I followed her in a basic back-and-forth step pattern. Her hands guided me, small adjustments to my posture, and the casual touches on my hip, on my lower back, moving my arm, had me fluttery all over. I did get the hang of it before long, and she was right that it was calming, centering. Just focusing on the movement, one step at a time, like Jade and I were one unit. Her eyes locked on mine from so close up, the way she smelled, the soft and smooth texture of her skin, her body heat against mine…
She added in another movement, walking us slowly backwards in her direction, and then backwards in mine, and I picked it up quicker than I expected, our steps syncing up. Something about the way she touched me, moved me, led me, it felt like I was an extension of her in a beautifully blissful way, and it wasn’t long before we were turning slowly over the floor, not a word between us but everything being spoken in the way she gazed into my eyes.
Nobody had ever looked at me like that before. Nobody.
“Alyssa?” she whispered as a song came to a close and we settled in the center of the floor. I shivered.
“Yes?”
“Can I kiss you?”
“Oh, wow.” I bit my lip, and I nodded quickly, every part of me filled with butterflies.
“I want to hear you say yes.”
I swallowed, a dreamy sensation flooding me. “I want to kiss you.”
“That’s not technicallyyes.”
“Okay, stop nitpicking and kiss me.”
She laughed, and she leaned in, her lips finding mine, and I felt it like a first kiss all over again—as if we hadn’t already kissed, as if I’d never kissed anyone in my life, spectacular and indescribable. It started slow, soft, delicate, and it grew more passionate, more possessive, small nips and pecks turning into full-blown kissing, and I collapsed into her, feeling her strong arms holding me steady as our lips melted together. Her hands caressed over my back, feeling every part of me, roaming against the billowy fabric, and I moaned when she slipped one hand down to my thigh below the shirt, trailing her fingertips over my skin like she’d never felt anything more perfect.
“Oh, god, Jade,” I whispered, pulling back just enough to breath, my eyes still closed, my lips quivering.
“Do you want more?” she breathed, and I nodded, eyes slowly opening.
“Yes… yes please. I want to give you everything tonight. If… that’s okay.”
She tightened her grip on me, just a fraction. “I’ve never wanted anything more than that,” she said, her voice a silky promise in my ear, and I murmured blissfully in agreement. She slipped her hand into mine, and I went with her like we were in a dream as she led me towards the bedroom, where the windows cast long strands of moonlight over an old four-poster bed wrapped in thick flannel sheets, candles on the nightstands. Of course there were candles on the nightstands. She paused to light a few of them strategically, casting a soft, flickering glowthrough the room, already starting to smell like cinnamon and sandalwood, and she put her hands on my arms, walking me back until I sat on the foot of the bed.
“Tell me what you want, Alyssa,” she said, her eyes locked on mine, and I made a soft, needy noise in the back of my throat.
“Well… you.”
“I’m so glad you’re not thinking of someone else right now. You’d better not have been thinking of Abby while we were dancing,” she teased, touching her fingertips under my chin. I giggled nervously.
“I don’t think I remember a single face I’ve ever seen except for yours right now.”
“Okay, that’s a line.” She bent down and kissed me again, and she eased me slowly onto my back. The bed yielded gently below me, and I felt my breath leave me when Jade lowered herself down on top of me, pinning me down against the bed. “What do you like?” she said. “Do you want to take the lead? Or should I?”
“We can take turns. I want to experience all of it.”
She laughed softly, blush spilling out over her cheeks. “We can do that.”
“Does that work for you?” My chest ached with nerves, and she matched the nerves with her smile.
“I’ve never really let someone else take control. Not because I’m not into it, but just… I’ve never been with a girl who wanted to do it.”
