“No, that would be…” Before she’d finished her sentence, Jules had closed the distance and crushed their lips together in a rush of warmth that had Catherine’s pulse whooshing in her ears.
Catherine set her mug of tea aside, freeing her hand to clutch at Jules’s shirt and pull her closer. Jules responded by deepening the kiss, her breath hot and uneven as she tilted her head to capture Catherine’s lips more fully.
Heat surged between them, and they’d cross the line if they didn’t stop now. They parted, breathless and grinning, because they’d broken the rules before they’d even finished making them.
“So much for having the restraint of saints,” Jules said.
Catherine released a shaky laugh, her fingers still curled in Jules’s shirt. “We just failed spectacularly.”
Jules leaned back against the cushions, creating space between them, though her hand stayed close, her fingertips grazing Catherine’s knee.
“It’s the first day of my new job tomorrow.”
“Oh! Why didn’t you say?”
“I just did.”
Catherine leaned to pass Jules her mug before sipping her own lukewarm tea. “Are you nervous?”
“A wee bit, but also eager to get the first few days over with. No one likes being the new girl.”
“There’s our next date then. At the end of the week, I’ll take you out for dinner to celebrate. We can go to El Vino’s and you can help me with the menu again.”
“Sounds lovely, as long as you promise not to wear your frowny face this time.”
“I promise.”
“And how strict are we being in the no-sexting rule?”
Catherine shook her head. “No sexting. You can keep allthosethoughts to yourself, but do bear in mind I can hear the ceiling creaking when you move in bed.”
Jules’s eyes practically doubled in size, and a blush crept up her neck, staining her fair skin a delicate pink. “No, you cannot!”
Catherine grinned, reaching for Jules’s hand and threading their fingers together; a gesture somehow both chaste and charged.
“I have this mindfulness micro-blog I write for work…” Catherine shook her head. “Oh, actually, never mind… it’s silly.”
Jules squeezed her hand and smiled. “Go on, say what you were about to say.”
“The last couple of days spent with you have been… I’ve been really present in a way that I haven’t for such a long time. It’s like I’ve finally got out of my own way. Holding back isn’t about restraint, although it kind of is too; it’s…”
“I get it; it’s about enjoying where we are now and not rushing.”
“Yeah, exactly.”
They held each other’s gaze. For the first time in a long time, Catherine felt seen, understood. But as the moment stretched, Jules’s smile drained from her face.
“I… I need to tell you something. I wasn’t completely honest with you before.” She bowed her head, breaking eye contact and flooding Catherine with unease.
“You know how I told you I’d looked you up…”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I stumbled across your blog.”
“Oh, okay.” Catherine nodded. “You already knew about my blog?”
“It’s really good. I mean, I’ve enjoyed reading your posts.” Jules chewed her bottom lip. “But there’s more…”
