“I have to get changed,” Casey said between kisses, even as her hands kept exploring. “Into clean clothes.”
Stephanie laughed against her mouth, the sound warm and bright and so full of life it made Casey’s heart do something complicated. “Okay. Go.”
Casey groaned and rested her forehead against Stephanie’s shoulder, breathing in the clean scent of her skin. She could feel the heat of Stephanie’s body everywhere they touched. It would be so easy to stay. To text and say she was sick, to spend thewhole day learning every new sound Stephanie made when she came.
But she had made promises. And part of her needed the space, just a few hours, to sit with how much had changed. To figure out what she was going to do with these feelings that had grown bigger than any crush.
She pulled back just enough to meet Stephanie’s eyes. The hazel green looked softer in the morning light, heavy-lidded and content. Casey’s thumb traced the line of her lower lip, still swollen from all the kissing. “Tonight,” she said, voice low with promise. “My place. I’ll cook. We can swim after.”
Stephanie’s smile widened. She caught Casey’s thumb between her lips for a moment, sucking lightly before releasing it. The casual intimacy of it sent fresh heat pooling low in Casey’s belly. “I’ll bring wine.”
Casey let herself lean in, pressing one last lingering kiss to Stephanie’s mouth, then her jaw, then the sensitive spot just below her ear that always made her shiver.
“See you tonight,” Casey whispered against warm skin. Her hands reluctantly left Stephanie’s body and she stepped back, already missing the contact.
Casey forced herself to turn toward the door before she lost the battle completely. Her legs felt unsteady on the stairs, each step pulling her further from the woman who had somehow cracked her wide open in less than a day.
This could be real. She wanted it to be real.
The thought followed her into bedroom as she got changed for work. She would see Stephanie tonight. And tomorrow. And for as many days as they had left.
For the first time in years, Casey let herself hope the bubble might not have to burst.
25
Stephanie’s bare feet sank into the cool evening sand as she and Casey walked the beach, fingers laced together like it was the most natural thing in the world. The sun hung low, painting the water in streaks of orange and pink that made everything feel soft around the edges. She could still feel the echo of last night’s orgasms low in her belly, a pleasant ache that reminded her how many times Casey had touched her this past week. How many times she had touched Casey right back. Her skin felt alive in a way it never had in Charleston. Confident. Like she had finally figured out what her body was actually for.
She squeezed Casey’s hand and got a gentle squeeze in return. The simple exchange sent a warm flutter through her chest. This was her life now. Walking barefoot at sunset with a woman who looked at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. A woman whose laugh still made her stomach flip even after seven straight days of waking up tangled together.
“You look happy,” Casey said.
Stephanie glanced over. “I am happy.” The words came out simple because they were true. She didn’t have to hunt for the right ones anymore. Not with Casey. “I keep thinking how thiscan’t possibly be real. That I get to have this. That I get to be this version of myself.”
They walked slower, letting the waves lick at their ankles every few steps. The water felt good against her skin, cool and salty. Stephanie’s thumb brushed over Casey’s knuckles, mapping the familiar shape of her hand. She had spent the last week learning every inch of Casey’s body, and still the smallest touches kept surprising her with how much they mattered.
Further down the beach the crowds thinned out. Casey tugged her toward a quiet stretch where the sand rose into a gentle dune. “Sit with me?”
Stephanie nodded. They settled down, Casey scooting behind her so her legs bracketed Stephanie’s hips. Her arms wrapped around her middle, pulling her back until she leaned fully against Casey’s chest. The solid warmth of her felt perfect. Stephanie let her head fall back onto Casey’s shoulder, eyes drifting shut for a moment as the breeze lifted her hair. She could smell Casey’s sunscreen and the faint coconut of her shampoo.
Neither of them spoke for a while. The sky kept changing colors, shifting from pink to deep purple as the sun dipped lower.
Stephanie traced idle circles on Casey’s forearm where it rested across her stomach. The last week played through her mind in fragments. Casey’s mouth between her legs in the shower that first morning after. The way she had come so hard she saw stars. The way she had rolled Casey over later that night and taken control, learning what made her gasp and shake. Every time felt like peeling back another layer of who she used to be. She liked the woman underneath. A lot.
Casey’s breath stirred her hair. “What happens in three weeks?”
The question landed soft but it still cut straight through the glow Stephanie had been floating in. She opened her eyes. Three weeks. The words sat heavy in her stomach now that they’d been said out loud. She had been doing a pretty good job of forgetting that this was all supposed to be temporary. She’d given little thought to her life back home. Mail piling up in her Charleston apartment. Her boss emailing about the quarterly reports she was supposed to lead. The thought of going back to any of it made her feel sick with dread.
She turned her head just enough to catch Casey’s profile. “I can’t leave.” The admission came out raw but steady. She pressed back more firmly into Casey’s arms, letting the solid strength of her hold her together. “I can’t walk away from this. From you.”
Casey stayed quiet, just listening. Her hands stroked slow and gentle over Stephanie’s ribs, up and down, like she was trying to keep both of them calm. Stephanie shifted in the circle of her arms until she could face her properly. Casey’s blue eyes looked serious in the fading light but not closed off. Just open. Waiting.
“I want this to be the start of something,” Stephanie said. She kept her voice even. “I know what I want. Who I actually am. And it’s here. With you.”
Casey’s fingers found hers again, linking them together between their bodies. The touch grounded her. “What about your job?”
Stephanie let out a slow breath. The question didn’t scare her the way it would have a month ago. “I’ll quit.” She watched Casey’s face for any sign of doubt and found none. Only care.
“Steph…”
