Billie met her gaze fully, offering the truth shecouldgive. “No.”
Debra didn’t say anything, but the look she was giving Billie said enough.
“Debra, my assistant is my assistant. What she feels orthinksshe feels isn’t my concern. And it definitely shouldn’t be yours.”
Debra’s shoulders relaxed. “Okay.”
And then it dawned on Billie. She’d stupidly suggested heading over to her place this evening. She didn’t know why she’d done that, perhaps it was the trust she felt with Debra, but now the idea didn’t seem so good. “Do you mind if we head to your place instead of mine?”
Debra lifted a brow, surprised but smiling. “I don’t mind at all.”
“Good. Then let’s get out of here.”
She opened the door for Debra, and as they stepped back out into the late evening, Billie allowed herself one private thought. She wouldn’t let the past bleed into whatever this was becoming. Not when Debra felt like the first real thing in years that she didn’t want to hide from.
Chapter Sixteen
Why areyou back here again so soon?
Billie hadn’t really meant for their evening to end this way. She wanted it to, of course she did, but wanting wasn’t always wise in her world. She looked around Debra’s space.As with the last time she was here, it felt intimate and lived-in in a way that Billie had avoided feeling within the confines of her own home. There was no air of tension here. No distance. Just…Debra.
The door closed behind them with a soft click, and Debra turned.
Billie reached for her at the same moment, and everything else fell away.
Their mouths met, slowly at first, then deeper when Debra’s fingers threaded through the short hair at the back of Billie’s neck. Billie’s body reacted instantly, betraying her with the kind of need she’d spent years keeping locked behind thick, reinforced walls. This wasn’t Billie at all. She didn’t throw herself at an attractive woman, and she certainly didn’t wind up with that same woman, two nights in a row.
“Come here.” Debra gently tugged her closer. “I’ve been dying to kiss you since we left the museum.”
Billie pressed herself to her willingly and melted into the kiss as Debra guided them to the couch. The cushions gave way under their weight as Debra straddled her, the warmth of her thighs pressing against Billie’s hips. Billie’s hands slipped beneath Debra’s blouse, tracing the soft dip of her waist, her muscles contracting beneath her fingertips as Billie grazed them over Debra’s stomach.
God, she was losing herself. She could feel it. That dangerous looseness, that…terrifying ease. All of this reminded her far too much of a life she no longer let herself think about. The version of herself she’d buried ten years ago.
Her breath hitched, and Debra pulled back, brushing her thumb against Billie’s cheek. “Hey,” she whispered. “You okay?”
Billie nodded, though she wasn’t sure it was convincing. “Yes.”
Debra studied her. She was far too perceptive for someone Billie had only known properly for a few days. “Why did we come here?”
Billie frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“Why not your place?”
Billie wanted to open up and explain why, but she didn’t have that kind of conversation in her. She would prefer to just enjoy Debra like this, hoping she would never ask again. She would, it was inevitable, but Billie needed more time to find an excuse.
Debra tilted her head, still perched in Billie’s lap. “I’m not accusing. I’m just…wondering.”
Billie’s mind scrambled for the first neutral answer it could reach. “Your flat was closer.”
Debra narrowed her eyes. “Billie.”
Billie felt her pulse rise. She felt her body wanting two opposite things at once. To pull Debra closer and to run away as far as possible.
Her mouth ran dry when Debra reached out and brushed her knuckles against Billie’s jaw. “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me. I’m not here to push you.”
But that softness and that understanding only made Billie feel guilty for not being forthcoming with the truth. Still, she wasn’t ready for understanding. She wasn’t ready to be truly seen.
So, she kissed Debra to stop her from asking again, and Debra melted instantly. She sighed into her mouth, her fingers sliding to Billie’s collar, tugging her closer as though she knew exactly what Billie needed and was willing to give it without question.
