Francesca snorted a laugh, and I bowed my head, feeling ridiculous for having said what now seemed so obvious. But then she stepped into my space, her voice a husky whisper as she said, “If you’re not going to do it, then I will.”
Next thing, her lips were on mine, and her tongue slipped into my mouth in a frantic, hot, wet kiss that tasted of cider and faintly of cigarettes. Neither of those werethings I particularly enjoyed, but now I would savour them, because they tasted like her. We backed into the countertop, and I banged my head on a cupboard.
“Shit!” I rubbed the spot, and we erupted into giggles.
A clatter came from down the hallway, followed by a burst of rowdy voices.
Francesca bit her bottom lip. “Shall we go to my room?”
The heat in my already-flushed cheeks intensified, and I gulped, envious of her confidence, but still hungry for more.
“I should, er… finish my dishes.”
Francesca tugged the sleeve of my sweatshirt and breathed into my ear. “How about you join me when you’re done?” She flashed me a wicked grin. “You should lose the bunnies first, though.”
As she drifted away, I glanced down at my pink slippers.Fuck!I’d forgotten I was wearing them.
I finished my dishes at the speed of light, uncharacteristically leaving them draining on the board. My body thrummed as I returned to my room to shed my slippers and run a comb through my hair. I exhaled a shaky breath, feeling like nothing more than a jittery bag of nerve-endings.Is this really happening?
I knocked before pushing into the room and closing the door softly behind me. Amidst the mess of discarded clothes and dirty cups, Francesca had lit a handful of tea light candles. Soft music played from her stereo — a woman’s voice singing a haunting song I hadn’t heard before. Francesca lay on her bed with her hands behindher head. She rolled onto her side and patted the space beside her. I swallowed hard as I stepped toward the bed. Her face was the plainest I’d ever seen it; she’d scrubbed the make-up from her eyes and tied her hair back. She looked so unbelievably beautiful I had to stop myself from rubbing my eyes to check she was real.
“You’re nervous,” she said as I settled next to her.
My stomach flipped. “Yeah, I…”
Francesca reached up and removed my glasses. She tucked some loose strands of hair behind my ear before cupping my jaw and softly steering my face towards hers. “Do you want to kiss me again?”
I didn’t trust my voice, so I just nodded dumbly. She crushed her lips to mine, parting them with her tongue. This time she tasted of minty toothpaste, and I couldn’t believe we were actually kissing on her bed. Francesca’s hand began to roam, at first over, then under my sweatshirt, her fingers making me gasp as they blazed a trail across my bare skin.
Jeremy came crashing into my thoughts, as well as everything I’d imagined happening on this bed while lying awake on the other side of the wall. I pulled back, breathless, and Francesca frowned.
“What is it?”
“I… I was thinking about Jeremy.”
Her eyebrows knitted together. “Why? You just told me you’re a lesbian.”
I exhaled a laugh. “No… I mean, yes, I am. It’s just that… there’s really nothing going on between the two of you, is there?”
Francesca cocked her head and pursed her lips into a tight line.
“I’m sorry for asking, but you’ve been spending a lot of time with him lately and, if I’m not mistaken, he’s keen on you.”
She hooked a leg over mine and pulled herself up until she was straddling me. My body ached for her, and I cursed my mind for thinking about Jeremy when the hottest girl on campus was trying to get off with me. But a nagging part of my brain needed to know.
Francesca stared into my eyes with a heart-stopping intensity. “Well, I’m keen onyou, soooo… I don’t want to think about Jeremy, or anything other than this, right now.” She dragged a finger over my lips and traced it down to the hollow of my throat. “Perhaps we should put your lesbianism to the test?”
I swallowed. She looked so beautiful in the sway of the candlelight. I arched up to kiss her again, but she pulled back.
“Hold on, it’s rather hot in here. Why don’t you take this off?” She tugged at my top.
I sat up between her legs and whipped my sweatshirt over my head, revealing nothing but a plain white bra underneath.
“There. That’s better.” Francesca gave a satisfied smirk and pushed me back onto the pillows. My breath hitched as she traced her tongue down my neck and along my bra strap until she reached the cup. She glanced up at me, her dark eyes full of want. “May I remove this?”
How was she so confident and hot, when Iwas nothing but a very un-sexy mess melting beneath her? My jelly-like limbs couldn’t comply, but before I knew it, I’d rocked forward so she could uncouple the bra hooks. She cupped my breasts in her hands. I moaned as she flicked her tongue over my nipple and took it into her mouth.
The ache between my legs grew so strong my hips bucked involuntarily beneath her.Oh God.Mortification dropped like a ball in my stomach. I felt Francesca’s smile spread across my skin.
