The Night Off (17 page)

Emily’s shaky exhalation was exactly the reaction she’d hoped to elicit. “Yes?”

“Wear a skirt.”

It took Emily a moment to answer. When she did, Nat had to strain to hear her quiet whisper. “Should I wear panties, or no?”

“Yes.” Nat paused, savoring the image of playing with Emily beneath her skirt, over her panties. “I want to work for it a little.”

“Okay.” Clearing her throat, Emily suddenly sounded far more composed. “Done. I’ll see you tonight, then?”

Nat imagined that a co-worker might have just passed by, or perhaps knocked on her office door. The thought of Emily in her business attire, soaking wet and ready for her, made her day. “I can’t wait.”

“Me, either. Bye.”

Nat chuckled as she hung up. Then she turned back to Bridget, wrinkling her nose at the amusement written all over her face. “What?”

“Sounds like you just made a date.”

“Seems that way.” Nat pulled some money from her wallet and set the bill at the edge of the table. “Hopefully the first of many.”

Bridget bounced in her seat and clapped her hands. “
So
cute.”

Nat was too happy to disagree. “I try.”

Emily had never been on a real date. At least not one that involved being led to a private table at a small, elegant restaurant by a stunningly dressed suitor who pulled out her chair, then ordered them an expensive-sounding bottle of wine without missing a beat. She folded her hands in her lap—over the form-fitting satin skirt she’d worn per Nat’s request—and tried to quiet her nerves.

She could do this.

Nat caught her gaze when the waitress left to fetch their wine. “I know I’ve already said it a couple times, but you really do look gorgeous tonight, Emily. Breathtaking.”

She managed an anxious laugh. “Likewise.” In fact, Nat had never looked better. She wore black, well-tailored pants, a crisp white collared shirt, and a dark vest—she was Emily’s ideal butch, a veritable wet dream. “Nothing on the menu will compare to how delicious you look.”

Nat dragged her chair around the table to sit beside her. Her light, vaguely spicy scent filled Emily’s nostrils, stirring a gnawing hunger that wouldn’t be satisfied by any of the decadent entrées the restaurant had to offer. Leaning close, Nat planted a kiss where her neck met her shoulder. “I love your skirt.”

“Thank you. I don’t usually have a reason to wear one.”

“A crying shame, with legs like yours.” Nat drew away, putting distance between their faces. Beneath the table, her hand landed on Emily’s knee and quickly slid upward. “I recommend the roasted lemon and garlic chicken. Or the pumpkin ravioli, if you want to go vegetarian.”

The gentle caress of Nat’s fingertips along her inner thigh rendered Emily utterly incapable of thinking about food. “Chicken sounds good.”

“Are you sure?” Nat tickled a path higher up the inside of her thigh, scratching her nail along the elastic leg of her silk panties. “The ravioli is divine.”

“Maybe…” Emily gasped as Nat’s fingers rubbed over her sensitive labia, through her panties. She cast a furtive gaze around the restaurant, making sure nobody was watching. “Maybe we could order both and share.”

“That works for me.” Nat circled the pad of her thumb over her clit. Her fingertips pressed lower, between Emily’s swollen lips, and sought out her entrance. “I love sharing with you.”

Their waitress appeared, breaking their heated eye contact. She gave them a friendly smile. “Have you two decided yet?”

Nat never ceased the motion of her fingers between Emily’s thighs. “We’ll have the roasted lemon-and-garlic chicken, and an order of the pumpkin ravioli.”

Emily held her breath and tried not to react as Nat settled into a particularly pleasurable rhythm. She stopped listening to the friendly conversation between Nat and the waitress, who seemed oblivious to what was happening under the tablecloth. When the waitress finally walked away after shooting Nat a final, flirtatious grin, Emily sagged in relief.

“Oh, you are
cruel
.” She whimpered when Nat retreated, closing her thighs to trap her before she could withdraw her hand entirely. “Don’t stop.”

Nat wriggled her fingers between Emily’s thighs until she spread her legs slightly. Then she resumed her gentle teasing with a contented sigh. “You feel so good. I can’t wait until after dinner.”

“If you aren’t careful, I won’t be able to, either.”

Kissing her ear, Nat whispered, “That’s okay.” She hooked her finger in the crotch of Emily’s panties and tugged the material to the side. “I can take care of you right now.”

“Nat—” Emily inhaled sharply as Nat penetrated her in one swift motion. She gripped the edge of the table, knuckles going white from the effort not to cry out. “Oh…my.”

Nat eased away, propping her chin on her hand and doing a perfect impression of a dutiful listener. “Nobody will know. Not if you’re quiet and pretend that you and I are having a nice, innocent first-date conversation.”

Rocking against Nat’s hand, Emily cleared her throat and folded her hands on the table. “What do you want to talk about?”

Their waitress, a pretty brunette who clearly liked Nat, winked at Emily as she returned with their bottle of wine and poured two glasses without saying a word. Emily felt like she should speak, if only to distract from the subtle flexing of Nat’s arm and the pleasure she knew was written all over her face. But she didn’t trust her voice not to shake.

“Thank you.” Nat dismissed the waitress with a polite nod, then picked up her glass with her free hand. She continued to finger Emily with slow, deliberate thrusts as she took a sip. “I hope you like the wine. It’s one of my favorites.”

Emily lifted her glass and took a tentative sip. The bold flavor surprised her—she hadn’t taken a drink in years. “I’m actually not much of a wine drinker.”

Nat’s hand stilled. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“No, it’s okay.” Emily took another drink, hoping it would calm her racing heart. “It’s not that I
won’t
drink, I just don’t generally choose to.”

“Because your parents were addicts.”

“Yes.” Emily set the glass on the table. Then she closed her thighs on Nat’s wrist. “Please don’t stop.”

Nat curled her finger inside Emily, stroking a spot on the front of her vaginal wall that sent pleasurable shudders through her body. “I wonder what everyone here would think if they knew what I was doing to you right now?”

“That I’m a lucky girl.” Emily kept her expression stoic as she studied Nat’s face. Her eyes had gone dark and an air of sensual longing softened her rough edges. “And that you’re ridiculously sexy.” Her attraction to Nat hit her full-on, almost as though she was seeing her for the first time. Adrenaline made her palms sweat. “Honestly, Nat, you could have anyone you wanted.”

“Then I guess I’m the lucky one.” Nat gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. “Because I want
you
.” She moved her thumb up to circle Emily’s clit, sliding a second finger inside to join the first. With slow, hard strokes, she rubbed Emily’s clit and G-spot simultaneously.

“Oh, fuck,” Emily whispered. She turned her face away from Nat, bringing her fist to her mouth in a desperate attempt not to cry out as she came. The rhythmic contraction of her inner muscles around Nat’s fingers felt divine and made her thighs quake, which only seemed to encourage Nat to rub her clit more furiously. When the waitress suddenly appeared to deposit their salads in front of them, it took all of Emily’s willpower not to scream.

Her orgasm subsided only after the waitress left them alone again. Emily brought her hands to her burning cheeks and fought to regain her composure. “Was it obvious?”

Nat withdrew her hand, readjusting Emily’s panties and then the hem of her skirt. Eyes sparkling, she glanced around the restaurant before bringing her fingers to her mouth and sucking them clean. “Would it embarrass you if I said yes?”

“A little.”

“And would you regret having let me do it?”

Emily didn’t even have to think about that one. “No.” She took another sip of wine, then picked up her salad fork with a shaking hand. “That was definitely an experience I’ll never forget.”

“Me either.” Nat stabbed a bite of her own salad, chewing with an appreciative murmur. “And to think, our evening has just started.”

Emily watched Nat enjoy her food, once again surprised by the depth of the emotion such a simple act provoked. Even after their perfect weekend, their chemistry continued to sizzle—and only seemed to intensify the more time they spent together. With a woman who looked like Nat, physical attraction was a given. What shocked her was how far beyond sex her desire went. She could easily imagine late-night movie marathons, more trips to the grocery store, and rainy days cuddling in bed. She could even imagine confiding in Nat when she had a hard day with Colleen or simply needed her spirits lifted.

Emily chewed another mouthful of salad, trying not to spin out over the implications of her thoughts. Clearly her feelings for Nat were so much more than casual. Neither of them had admitted that yet, but she supposed it didn’t really matter whether they articulated the obvious or not. It was what it was. Closing her eyes briefly, she tried to contend with the rush of panic elicited by her acceptance of cold, hard reality.

Against her better judgment, she was falling for Nat Swayne.

“Are you okay?” Nat put a hand on Emily’s wrist, wrenching her back into the moment. “If I crossed a line just now, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to wait to touch you again, and from our phone calls, I got the impression that public sex might turn you on. But if I made you uncomfortable…” Throat tense, Nat looked like she might be sick. “I would never want to do that.”

Emily shook her head. “Unicorn, remember?” Seeing the confusion in Nat’s eyes, she clarified. “I know our safe word, Nat. If you ever do anything I don’t like, I promise I’ll use it.”

Nat held her gaze, then nodded, apparently satisfied. “Is something else wrong?”

She liked Nat too much not to be honest with her. Praying she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself, she said, “I’m a little shaken by how strongly I feel about you.”

Nat seemed to stop breathing. Hope lit up her eyes, making Emily feel as though someone had just grabbed her heart and squeezed. “Me too,” Nat said, then hesitated. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“I don’t know yet.” Emily had always assumed that developing feelings for a woman would divert her from her focus. It would set her up for potential heartbreak. But so far, getting to know Nat had only yielded positive results. She was happy, sexually satisfied, and optimistic in a way that felt both foreign and wonderful. She’d also taken an important step toward a closer relationship with Colleen. “So I came out to my sister Sunday night.”

Nat blinked in surprise. “Wow. She didn’t know?”

“She obviously suspected, but I’d never confirmed it. There’s never been a reason to talk to her about my romantic life. I haven’t had one.” Her rationale seemed a little ridiculous when she tried to explain it now. Not for the first time since Sunday night, she rejoiced that her days of hiding such a fundamental part of herself from Colleen were over. “For a long time I just felt like…well, she’s a kid. I’m not going to talk to her about who I’m attracted to. Once she was old enough to understand, I’d kind of sworn off dating anyway, so…” She managed an embarrassed shrug. “Well, it seemed easier not to talk about what I didn’t have.”

“What changed your mind?” Nat took a bite of her salad, affecting a casualness Emily suspected she didn’t really feel. Like she was hopeful for an answer she wasn’t sure she would get. “Did you tell her we spent the weekend together?”

“No. She did ask me why I was walking funny,” she slapped Nat lightly on the arm when she released an amused snort, “but I couldn’t tell her I was sore from hot marathon sex. That would be…ugh.” Emily shuddered. “No, the conversation sort of led to a natural opportunity to come out, but instead of doing my normal avoidance thing, I just…took it.”

“Congratulations.” Nat pushed her salad plate aside and put her hand on Emily’s knee. The innocent contact warmed her from the inside. “That must feel amazing.”

“It does.” With effort, Emily took one last bite of salad before setting down her fork. Chewing gave her a moment to regain her poise. “It’s strange, raising your sibling. I might as well be her mother, but she sees me as just her big sister. Yes, I raised her, but now that she’s eighteen, she’s eager to transition our relationship to one of peers. And I’m…still getting used to that idea.” She covered Nat’s hand with her own. “Colleen was obviously thrilled that I confided in her. She likes to tease me—about everything, really—but she was cool about it. We had a very nice evening together afterward. It made me feel closer to her—and her to me, I hope.”

“That’s wonderful, Emily. Really.”

“Thanks.” Emily fought back the tears that threatened to gather at the gratitude that flooded her body. “Even though I didn’t tell her about you, it’s because of meeting you that I said anything at all. Last weekend…changed me.” Afraid to say too much, she slowed down and considered her next words carefully. “I’ve always sacrificed my own happiness for Colleen’s. Or at least for what I
think
will make her happy. Our ‘date’ was the first time I’d ever done something just for me. Friday night alone would have changed me, in a way. But spending the whole weekend with you? Well, I can’t go back to the person I was before. I’m different now. You know?”

Nat gave her a bashful grin, then stared down at the tablecloth. “Yeah, I know.” She seemed pleased by Emily’s words, but hesitant to share her own feelings. Scared, even. “So am I.”

Nat’s reticence made her eager to further lower her own defenses. Exhaling, she admitted, “It is a good thing. Scary, but good.”

“For me, too.” Nat touched Emily’s knee, then turned her hand over so they could entangle their fingers. “Does that mean I can look forward to another date after tonight?”

There didn’t seem to be much point in pretending anymore. “Of course.”

Pure joy flashed over Nat’s face. “Excellent.”