Page 49

"Yes," Laia moans. "Don't stop."

And she doesn't. She starts to move inside her, and has to press her thighs together when she feels Laia tighten around her.

"You're so tight," she whispers against her mouth. "I love it." And Laia swallows her words with a kiss as she reaches for the clasp of her bra.

When she finds it, she undoes it on the first try and leaves it hanging from Claudia's right arm—who keeps fucking her with a rhythm so perfect that Laia isn't sure she can take much more of it.

"I love feeling your skin against mine," Laia breathes, not realizing she's turned a thought into a sentence she never meant to say out loud—but Claudia doesn't seem to startle. She bites her lip as Laia cups both her breasts in her hands, just before Claudia curls her fingers inside her and draws out a deep, low moan, making Laia release her and arch her back.

She comes in a rush—an orgasm that arrives without much warning and tears through her and shakes her like she's caught in the middle of a storm—and she wraps her arms around Claudia's body and shudders against her until the last wave breaks through her and leaves her limp on the mattress. Claudia goes still, watching her, feeling her pulse around her fingers, and stays there, watching, until the last flutter fades—then she slides her fingers free and moves directly above Laia, breathing in her breath.

Laia cups her face with both hands and kisses her, taking control of things in a way Claudia can't explain—she doesn't know at what point she ends up on the bottom, or when the rest of her clothes disappear.

"You're better at undressing women than I am," she whispers, surprised, and Laia looks at her and they both laugh—a nervous laugh that breaks the tension a little and lets Laia relax completely, and decide to take her time with her.

She lies on top of her once she has her naked, kisses her, bites softly at her neck and her earlobe, and shifts down the bed until she's off the edge and kneeling on the floor, taking a few seconds to memorize every line of this body she's sure she won't get to see again.

"You're going to make me blush if you keep doing that," Claudia says, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Sorry, it's just—" Laia can't find the words for what she feels, and she can barely blink, as if she's afraid that in the brief fraction of a second it would take, this image of Claudia might disappear.

"What?"

Laia blinks and shakes her head, placing her hands on Claudia's thighs as she leans down to kiss her stomach.

"Nothing. I just like seeing you like this."

Claudia's body quivers as Laia drags her tongue across her stomach and then kisses her hip, her palms stroking the insides of her thighs at the same time.

"Open up," Laia murmurs as she covers her pelvis with kisses.

Claudia obeys, spreading her legs wider, and arches against Laia as she drags her warm tongue all the way through her.

"Mmm, God," she gasps, and bites her lip—and those are the last words she says. Everything after is gasps that turn to moans when the orgasm hits her like a crack of lightning, making her shudder hard as she rocks against Laia's mouth.

When it's over, she notices her eyes are wet and doesn't know if it's from the pleasure or something else—but she blinks it away and smiles as Laia lies down beside her and watches her, waiting for her breathing to settle.

"What are you thinking?" Claudia asks.

"Nothing," Laia lies—because she is thinking.

Her mind is running at full speed right now, and she isn't being kind to herself at all, because all she can do is try to convince herself that this was what it was—that for Claudia, this is the usual thing, what she does on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Nadia or with anyone else. It was a good night, one where she got what she was looking for, and the fact that it was with her instead of someone else doesn't change anything for Claudia. It only changes things for her.

Claudia, on the other hand, can't think—it's as if there's a knot in her brain she doesn't know how to untangle, because what she felt with Laia was so intense that she can't find any logical explanation for it. It wasn't just sex. It was something else—something that has left her emotions raw, a tightness in her throat, and a sense of vulnerability that terrifies her.

"I should go," Laia says after a while, sitting up until she's on the edge of the bed.

Claudia stays still for a moment, looking at her back—the same back her hands were on not long ago—and opens her mouth to say something, but she has no idea what the right thing is right now. So she sits up too, finds a big T-shirt in the closet, and when Laia finishes getting dressed, follows her down the hall to the door with the discomfort of not knowing how to act. Should she offer the bathroom? Should she ask her to stay? It's late and she has to drive—but Laia drives back to Mataró plenty of nights, and Claudia doesn't usually let anyone stay in her bed, so she can't make it different with her.

"Good night," Laia says, bringing her back to reality.

Claudia opens the door and they stand there for a few seconds, looking at each other, before Laia steps through and walks to the elevator.

"Good night," Claudia murmurs when the doors open and swallow Laia whole, making her disappear.

Chapter 19

Claudia spends the entire shift with her head somewhere else—specifically in her apartment bedroom, in her bed, where if she focuses she can still feel Laia trembling against her fingers. She can see her naked body, the way she looked at her with those wide-open eyes as if she couldn't shake off the surprise, and she can feel the scorching heat of her tongue, hear the low, rough sound of her moans.