Lauren closed her eyes, waiting for the kiss, desperately wanting. “You do them to me, too,” she whispered back. At those words, Carly’s lips were on hers, softly at first, and even that made Lauren’s knees shake and her muscles melt. When Carly deepened the kiss and ran her tongue along Lauren’s bottom lip, requesting entry, Lauren thought her brain might explode in the best way. She parted her lips and accepted Carly’s tongue, which lightly explored her mouth with soft, fleeting touches. It was like everything Carly did was designed to make her crave more, and oh, she very much did. Carly, clearly on a mission, walked Lauren backward as they kissed until her back met the wall of the entryway with a soft thud. Her hands moved up Lauren’s body to her shoulders, her neck, until they cradled her face. With her thigh pressed between Lauren’s, they made out like fourteen-year-olds against that wall. It was so different, kissing Carly this time. Yes, she knew what she tasted like, how their mouths fit, but this kiss? Had no destination. Outside, the wind sang. Inside, the heat tripled. Somehow, without fully planning on it, she was pulling Carly’s yellow blouse out of her jeans. This hadn’t been the plan, yet here they were. Carly pulled away from the kiss and watched her do it. God, she had such a sexy look on her face. Her eyes were dark and her lips were swollen from all the kissing.
A crack of thunder hit, loud. Carly stepped into her space and slid her arms around Lauren’s neck. She kissed just below her ear and down, sending a shiver all through Lauren. “I want you so badly,” she murmured between kisses. “I can’t stop thinking about you, touching you. God, you smell so good.”
Lauren’s eyes fluttered closed again as she attempted to deal with the sensations that flooded her from every direction. She could feel Carly’s breasts through her shirt. She wanted to see them, touch them, lick them. Another crack of thunder. What were they doing? Was this maybe too soon? This was technically just a first date. Carly felt amazing in her arms, warm and sexy and ready. Should we stop? She wanted to get her out of these clothes. She cupped Carly’s ass, which was firm and tight. Not at all surprising from the way it looked in every pair of pants she wore. Maybe we should log some more time together first. Lauren was on fire. Her bikinis were wet and her center throbbed. She slid her hands up to the small of Carly’s back and under her shirt. Carly gasped quietly when she touched her skin. Maybe slow down. There was her brain again, ruining all her damn fun. She pulled her mouth away and turned to the side. She heard the sound of her own ragged breaths, of Carly’s.
“You okay?” Carly asked, touching her lips.
“I need just a minute,” Lauren said, walking down the hall into the kitchen, and holding up one finger over her head. Carly waited a moment before following. Lauren could hear the soft click of her heels and turned to her, speaking across the granite island in her kitchen. Rocky raised his head, surveyed them, and dropped it again, returning to his midevening snooze. “Is it bad that I’m not a quick hookup kind of girl?”
Carly blinked, and rolled her lips in as if waiting for her wits to return after all the kissing. It was also possible she had whiplash from Lauren’s about-face. “No.”
“No? Okay, good, because as much as I want to…keep going, I’m worried I’m not her.” Lauren ran a hand through what had to be disheveled hair, from the wind, and the making out. She attempted to fluff it back into place.
“Your hair is sexy like that. Don’t touch it?” It was a request, not an order. Carly was watching her with interest. No, that was appreciation. But she also gave Lauren space, and that helped Lauren’s mind slow down.
Finally, Lauren gestured between them. “This is…good.” She blew out a steadying breath and leaned one arm on the counter in front of her. “The way we kiss…” Lauren shook her head in wonder.
Carly nodded.
The rain that she’d predicted was on the way was here and began to pelt the side of the house. They were in the midst of a storm, and Lauren could identify. Why wouldn’t her brain just shut up and let her enjoy this woman whom she very much wanted to undress?
“Lauren? We don’t have to jump into bed.”
“I want to.”
Carly grinned, but her eyes also held understanding. “But you also want to get your feet underneath you when it comes to me.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“It’s how you work. You like order, and processes, and all your pencils sharpened for the day.” Carly had been paying attention. Lauren, as stage manager, started every rehearsal with four sharpened pencils. When she’d taken on the role of Mandy, she’d kept the practice. Carly came around the island and faced her. “I’m not quite sharp yet.” She shrugged. “I’ll get there. Hopefully. But I’m not in a hurry.”
With Carly so close to her, Lauren’s body began to wake up all over again. She moved closer and touched Carly’s bottom lip lightly with her thumb. “Maybe we could wait a little bit?”
Carly nodded. “We can wait. I can wait.” She nodded about eight times and Lauren had to laugh and kiss her again. And oh, that led to a lot more kissing. God, they were advanced placement when it came to it. She’d never enjoyed kissing another human so much in all of her life.
“I’m regretting that decision about now,” she confessed between kisses.
“It’s okay. We can do this instead. I really like doing this.” Carly breathed, and dove back in, this time backing Lauren against the counter.
“You like me up against things.”
“Because you’re fucking hot up against things.” A kiss. “And up against me, too.” Another kiss. “Really anywhere, you’re hot.” More kissing. “Have you seen yourself play pool? God. It’s hard to stop kissing you. Distract me.”
“Tell me a joke,” Lauren said.
Carly paused mid-kiss. “That’s your solution? Stand-up?”
Lauren ran her hands up and down Carly’s shoulders. “I’ll try anything.”
“Who do you call when you need your pants hemmed tomorrow?”
Lauren’s gaze drifted to Carly’s collarbone. She touched it and traced it lower, to the glimpse of cleavage peeking out of her top. “I don’t know. Who should I call?”
Carly watched the progress of Lauren’s finger, her breathing rapid. “Taylor Swift,” she said and offered a half-hearted smile followed by a desperate swallow.
Lauren grinned and a portion of the tension eased. “That was a pretty good one.” She dropped her finger, knowing she’d been playing with fire and should back away from the ready-to-ignite flame.
“New idea,” Carly said. “Separate countertops, one fact each.” Carly pointed to the counter across from her. “Your back goes there. Mine will stay here.”
“Bossy, all of a sudden. I thought I was the stage manager.” She did as Carly commanded and stood across from her, back against the opposite countertop.
Carly mirrored her stance against her own counter. “Tell me one fact about you.”
Lauren looked to the ceiling as she combed her brain. “Office supply stores turn me on.”
“Really?” Carly nodded and touched her temple. “Filing that one away.”