Emily nibbled at her lip and Derian groaned,
fingers tightening. She slid deeper, exploring the heat and soft secrets of
Emily’s mouth. Emily slid both arms around her shoulders, stroked her back,
explored in a way Derian hadn’t expected. Hands probed her muscles, traced the
ridge of her spine, caressing and delighting her, inflaming her. Derian pressed
closer and Emily leaned back against the pillows, half reclining. Derian braced
herself on an arm over Emily, wanting to cover her, wanting to consume her with
such urgency she had to struggle to be gentle. She kissed the corner of Emily’s
full, yielding mouth, the angle of her jaw, her long graceful neck, the hollow
of her throat. Unable to stop, she unbuttoned the uppermost button of Emily’s
shirt and kissed the soft triangle between her breasts.
“God, I want you.” Her voice was hoarse, an
unfamiliar desperation cutting through it.
“Derian,” Emily murmured, her voice low and
foreign. Her fist tightened in Derian’s hair. “Wait—”
Derian gripped Emily’s shoulders, angled a
leg between hers. The touch of Emily’s body sent heat sweeping through her. She
searched for another button, her mouth on the curve of Emily’s breast. “Emily.
I want to make love to you.”
Emily tugged Derian’s head up and kissed her,
catching Derian’s hand before Derian could clasp her breast. “I’m not—I can’t—”
Derian shuddered and gritted her teeth.
Taking deep, gasping breaths, she forced her head to clear. As soon as she
could manage, she pushed herself up and stared down. “Are you all right?”
Emily didn’t hesitate. “Yes. Of course.”
“You’re very beautiful.” She smiled wryly. “I
can’t help wanting you.”
Emily smiled, color flooding her face. “Thank
you.”
“I should go.” Summoning all her will, Derian
stood, extending her hand to help Emily up. “Thank you for tonight.”
Emily grasped her hand. “Derian, I—”
“No,” Derian said quickly. “You needn’t
explain. I won’t apologize this time, though, especially since I very much want
to do that again.”
“I enjoyed tonight too,” Emily said. “All of the night.”
“I’m not a patient person,” Derian warned.
“I’m not worried.” Emily walked her to the
door. “Good night, Derian.”
Emily didn’t say any of the things Derian
expected. She didn’t say she didn’t want to be kissed again. She didn’t say
they should keep their relationship professional. She didn’t say no.
For tonight, that was enough.
“Good night, Emily.”
Chapter Seventeen
Still grinning as she reached the street, Derian
strode to the corner, double-checked the street signs, and texted Uber for a
pickup. She typed in her destination and waited. The new service made getting
around so much easier. She didn’t have to think about which direction she
needed to walk to get a cab or explain to a driver where she needed to go, a
sometimes challenging feat when so many cabbies needed help with directions.
When she traveled and didn’t have a driver of her own, she’d found getting
around even in the cities she knew difficult, despite all the tricks she’d
learned over the years to defeat her directional dyslexia. She leaned against a
lamppost, feeling the smile fill her. Emily had definitely kissed her back.
There’d be another time, another kiss. She wanted it, and she wasn’t going to
waste time asking herself why. The answer was simple. Kissing Emily was
exceedingly pleasant.