Page 69

"I love tasting myself on your mouth," Claudia whispers against Laia's lips.

She's sitting on her couch, naked from the waist down, thighs still trembling because she just came, and now Laia is straddling her and kissing her hungrily.

Three weeks have passed since their first date, and the second was in Barcelona, just as they'd planned. Claudia took her to dinner at a restaurant in the Born, and afterward they walked back to her apartment, where they started pulling each other's clothes off the moment they crossed the threshold and were already naked by the time they reached the bed. They're there again now. It's Saturday, and they arrived yesterday afternoon after work, had a homemade pizza they put together, and then spent the evening on the couch in the living room while Claudia sketched on her iPad and Laia watched a documentary about ancient civilizations that had her completely absorbed until bedtime.

And now here they are. They got up early because they wanted to walk on the beach before it filled with people, had a tortilla sandwich at a nearby bar for breakfast, and came back meaning to get ready and head to Mataró, but they never made it past the entryway.

Claudia grabs Laia's shirt and pulls it up, then goes straight for her bra clasp without any trace of the awkwardness she felt that first night they slept together, the night that started everything.

"I really love your breasts," she says, her eyes darkening, sliding her hands up Laia's sides until she cups them and squeezes, pinching her nipples at the same time, sending a jolt straight between Laia's legs.

"Mmm," the assistant murmurs, tilting her head back as Claudia slides her hand down and covers her over her underwear, feeling the wetness soaking through the fabric.

Laia rocks forward looking for more contact, but Claudia pulls her hand away and goes back to her breasts, kissing her neck.

"Please," Laia begs, grinding against her thigh to ease the ache.

Claudia kisses her and smiles against her mouth, trailing her hand from her sternum down to her pubic bone before pushing her underwear aside and finding her so wet that her fingers sink in completely, as if they've been pulled inside.

"God, you're so hot," Claudia hisses, feeling her tighten around her.

"You do this to me. Don't stop, please, I need to come right now."

"Already?" Claudia raises an eyebrow and watches her with a wicked look. "Not yet. I want to keep listening to you a little longer," she says, and Laia knows she can do it, because in these three weeks she seems to have memorized every reactive point on her body and now knows exactly what to do to drive her out of her mind with pleasure, and also exactly when to ease off if she doesn't want her to come too soon, and above all, when to push again so the orgasm doesn't dissolve before she can enjoy it.

Claudia's fingers stay inside her, moving slowly and sending small pulses vibrating through her walls, pulling low moans out of her that Claudia swallows with her kisses while she tortures her.

Finally, she pushes in deep enough to fill her completely and finds the rhythm Laia needs to reach the edge. Laia rolls her hips against her hand because she knows Claudia loves it when she does, but then the heat pooling low in her belly intensifies so much that she can't hold back anymore and she comes with her lips trembling against Claudia's, moaning into her mouth while her whole body shakes and her toes curl.

"Mmm, damn," she growls through a dazzling smile as she takes Claudia's hand to make her stop moving, because she's overstimulated. "What a good orgasm," she admits happily, letting herself fall against her to rest her head on her shoulder.

Claudia hugs her tight, pulling her close while she traces circles on the back of her neck with one finger and massages her back with the other hand. She loves feeling her like this, feeling her skin burning against her body, feeling her pulse racing and listening to her uneven, trembling breathing until it starts to calm and everything goes quiet.

These past few days, they've talked a lot. Almost every afternoon after work they'd meet to take a walk, grab something somewhere, or just sit in a car telling each other things. Claudia has opened up to her, explained everything it has meant to live under the weight of parents she never knew how to stand up to, and Laia has listened and helped her understand a lot of things, like that need to burn off energy at night, or the reason her mind sometimes disconnects because it's overwhelmed.

And Laia has told her about her father's death, about the abrupt change it brought to her life and how all the plans she'd had collapsed overnight. Claudia deeply admires her capacity for sacrifice, and she'll do everything she can to support her and, above all, to encourage her to pick up where she left off as soon as her younger sister finishes her degree.

"Just being like this is almost better than coming," Claudia says with her eyes closed.

Laia buries her hand in her hair and nods against her neck, and only moves away when her knees start to ache from the position, settling in beside her.

"Are you nervous?" Laia asks, tilting her head.

"Why?"

"About this afternoon." Laia takes her hand.

It's Saturday, and yesterday was Claudia's last day at Vidal Manufacturing, which means this afternoon there'll be a meeting with her parents at the factory, since no one's around, and that's the moment she gets their verdict—where they decide whether these six months have made her someone worthy of the family and return her privileges, or whether instead they cut her out of the will like they threatened that day.

"No, honestly, I'm pretty calm," Claudia admits, looking down at her hands.

And she isn't lying. In the past month, her life has taken a radical, deeply important turn. Being with Remei has helped confirm what her true calling is. The woman has answered every question she's raised, taught her things she'd never have thought to ask about, and even took her to the sample room and asked her to spend a couple of days there watching how fabric is chosen and how the first real version of a garment is made. That left her fascinated, and the hours flew by just like they had in the pattern-making section. In the evenings, when she got back from being with Laia, she'd have dinner with her aunt and then they'd sit on the couch—her aunt reading, because she's a passionate reader, and Claudia sketching on her iPad—and that led her to realize that all those quiet nights beside her gave her more peace than any night at the club next to Nadia or any other woman.

She's talked a lot with Elvira about her designs, and Elvira has given her advice more focused on the business side, asking questions that forced her to think about her ideas as something that could be real rather than a hobby she hides from her parents.

And then there's Laia, confirming every day that what they have makes sense, that Laia isn't just another person to Claudia and that Claudia isn't someone out of reach for Laia. She's discovered that right now she has everything she needs: a girl who complements her and makes her feel special when she looks at her, an aunt who loves her and values her talent instead of her last name, and a job—even if it's over now—that she loves. So whatever her parents say, she's sure it won't affect her the way it would have a few months ago.

"Do you want to eat here, or should we head out and grab something in Mataró?" Claudia asks.