“God, you almost killed me.” Penelope sounded breathless, and a sliver of pleasure shot through Lucia at having catapulted Penelope into such a state.
“That would be a shame. The night is still young, and I have plans for you.”
“Give me a second.” Penelope snuggled closer with a sigh. “I want to enjoy the afterglow.”
“Of course.” Lucia pulled her in and kissed the crown of her head.
They fell asleep later, after thoroughly exhausting themselves—it had been a while since Lucia had spent all night having sex. When she woke up, stretching, she opened her eyes to Penelope watching her avidly.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.”
“It is indeed. And it’s the weekend, so there’s like a law that requires you to sleep in.”
“Is that so? What’s the penalty if you violate it?”
Lucia placed her finger against her lips. “Let’s see. How about…have breakfast with me?”
Penelope laughed. “How is that a punishment?”
“I don’t know, but it’s hard to think about penance when you look at me like that.”
“Aww.” Penelope leaned in and pressed a quick kiss on Lucia’s lips. “You can go shower if you want, while I make us some coffee. Or tea?”
“Yes, please.”
“To what?”
“The shower and the tea.”
“Eggs and toast, or are you more a cereal kind of person?”
“I don’t eat cereal, but you really don’t need to go through all that trouble.”
“I have to eat, too, no?”
“I suppose.”
“Now, go.” Penelope shooed Lucia out of the bed. “There should be a pack of shower caps in the top drawer.”
Lucia did a double take. Shower caps. The quiet thoughtfulness of it caught her off guard.
“Oh, great. Thank you.” And with that, she headed to the bathroom.
After a quick shower, Lucia joined Penelope in the kitchen, helping to set the table before enjoying a calm and peaceful breakfast.
Lucia’s gaze hardly left Penelope, drawn to her hair spilling over her shoulders, the way her hands cradled her mug.
They didn’t even talk about work, or anything else related to their extralegal adventure, and at some point, when Penelope laughed out loud at something Lucia said, she nearly gaped in quiet awe.
She wasn’t sure what home was, but this felt dangerously close: easy, sun-drenched, filled with laughter and Penelope. The realization stirred a fragile hope—that she could belong, that this could be a part of her future.
~ ~ ~
Lucia was still grinning like a fool when she entered her home Sunday afternoon. She and Penelope had agreed to meet again the following weekend, this time at Lucia’s.
At that thought, Lucia halted and looked around. She lived alone and had an art studio next door, so her place should’ve been neat.
It wasn’t. She wasn’t a slob, but organization had never been her strong suit.
