For a moment, she was boneless on the bed, gulping air.
Tarryn moved up beside her to kiss her again, and she tasted herself for the first time: salty, earthy. Good.
“Okay?” Tarryn asked. She lay on her side and wrapped an arm over Allie’s stomach.
“More than okay. You?”
“Oh yeah.” Tarryn sighed into Allie’s shoulder.
“I guess that’s our wedding night,” Allie joked.
“The only one I’ll ever have.”
“Well, I’m glad to have made it good for you.”
“You did. You still are.” Tarryn pressed a kiss to Allie’s upper arm. “And I know how you can make it better.”
She raised her head to stare into Tarryn’s face. The light in her eyes left her in no doubt as to what she meant. Her hand started to explore again.
“I think I can manage that.”
Chapter 22
The sunlight filtering through fromthe living room woke Tarryn. For a moment she lay there, getting her bearings. Whose bed was she in? A tourist’s motel? Then the events of the night before came back in a heated rush.Sophie. She turned her head. Sophie was sleeping curled on her side facing her, one hand under her cheek, her chest rising and falling.
Tarryn considered her options: Leave quietly as she often did after a night with someone, to avoid the awkward morning after? Or wake Sophie with a kiss and see where it led. Warmth settled in her stomach. Even if Sophie hadn’t been her friend, her sort of boss, sneaking out wasn’t an option. She wanted to end their working relationship on a good note, and stealing away into the morning wasn’t the way to do that. She had to own what had happened. It wasn’t that she regretted it—anything but. It had beenmagnificent.
She looked at Sophie’s lashes on her cheeks, the way her tousled hair snarled on the pillow, her shoulders as pale as the sheets. Sophie was a surprise package, both in her working style and in herself. A rush of tenderness engulfed her, and she reached out a hand to stroke Sophie’s hair back from her face but then hesitated. That would wake her, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that yet.
She glanced over to where her wedding suit lay crumpled on the floor. She should at least get up, smooth it out, and put it on a hanger. For a moment, she remembered Sophie’s calmness and confidence in getting her through the fake ceremony. Sophie had freed her from the worries and doubts that had surged to the fore and sealed her lips. She shook her head. One fake marriage hadn’t changed her views one iota, but that wasn’t her concern. No, her life was her shed, her welding tools, Ally and Elly watching her from the end of the barn, and a quiet life in a small town. One night with a beautiful woman hadn’t changed that in the past, even though she’d had invitations from tourists to travel with them for a while. Sophie was no different in that respect, even if she were to suggest it.
Sophie’s eyes opened, then widened, taking her in.
She smiled. Sophie’s bemusement mirrored her own.
“Good morning.” Sophie sat up in bed. The quilt fell to her waist.
Tarryn’s glance went to her breasts. Yes, still as gorgeous as she remembered.
Sophie licked her lips. “I need water. Want some?” She got out of bed and pulled on a robe from the back of the door. “We didn’t drink that much last night, did we?”
“Yes to the water, and I think we had more to drink than we should have.”
“My head says you’re right. I’ll add paracetamol to my morning.”
Sophie disappeared into the bathroom and returned with a box of painkillers which she dropped on the bed, then went out to the kitchen for water.
When she returned, she handed a glass to Tarryn and sat on the edge of the bed while she drank.
“It’s been a while since I woke up with someone new. Do I ask if you’re okay with this? I don’t want to pressure you, but I’d like it if you stayed for breakfast.”
The yes hovered on Tarryn’s tongue, but she shook her head. “I’d love to, but I can’t. Ally and Elly need feeding, and I’d like some different clothes. My jeans and T-shirt must still be in the community hall where we changed.”
“I’d forgotten about that.” Sophie’s eyes widened. “You’re welcome to borrow anything of mine, if you think it will fit.” She eyed Tarryn’s length. “But I’m not sure it will.”
“Thanks, but I’ll go home to change.”
“Okay.” Sophie worried the sheet with her fingers. “So we just say ‘thanks for a great night and see you around,’ then?”
