Thirteen Hours (18 page)

Dana swallowed visibly. “I’ve never been in a relationship before.”

“I know, and I’m so sorry to dump all this on you. But like I said, I really like you. Pretty presumptuous for a first date, right?”

“I think the elevator was our first date, technically. Maybe even our first three.” Dana’s eyes crinkled a bit at the corners when she smiled. The teasing quality it lent to her face was utterly charming.

“And I don’t think it’s presumptuous to assume that this could turn into a relationship.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t get me wrong, the sex is incredible.” Dana’s gaze was full of desire, and Laurel felt herself drawn in. “But that’s not nearly all that I want from you. I have to admit, it makes me feel so much better, seeing this side of you.”

Laurel felt a surge of emotional release, a lifting of the burden of second-guessing where both of them stood. “Yeah?”

“I feel like it puts us on equal ground,” Dana said. “We’re both scared to death, and excited as hell. You’re feeling just as vulnerable as I am.” She took Laurel’s hand again and raised it to her lips to kiss the knuckles. “I’m not the only one risking my feelings on this.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Thank you for telling me what you’ve been thinking. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make you feel comfortable.”

“Even if that means not sleeping together tonight?”

“Of course.” Dana’s shrug wasn’t entirely convincing. “You’re the nymphomaniac, remember?”

Laughing, Laurel recalled the times she’d almost fallen asleep in Dana’s bed during the weekend, only to be woken by a desperate hand on her thigh, or a tongue sliding across her sweat-slicked skin. “As a matter of fact, that’s not what I recall.” She raised an eyebrow and stared pointedly at Dana, trying to communicate what she was thinking about.

Dana blushed, folding up her napkin and setting it on the table.

“Granted, I hope this won’t be a
long
moratorium on sex.”

“It won’t.” Laurel took Dana’s hand again, enjoying the warm softness of her skin. “Trust me, I’ll be lucky to make it through tonight.”

———

Later in bed, Laurel was sure she was the stupidest person alive.

Dana could be next to her right now, on top of her, inside her. But after a heated, groping kiss at her apartment door, Laurel had watched her walk away, against every instinct she possessed. All because she needed to prove to herself that she could.

And what revelation had this plunge into abstinence brought her?

That she wanted Dana and she would be damned if she didn’t see this through. Even if there was a chance of heartache, she would never forgive herself if she didn’t even try. Every moment she’d spent with Dana was so much better than the ones that made up every day. Yes, it was scary to imagine getting involved, but she was already invested.

Walking away now wouldn’t prevent heartache, it would just guarantee it.

Laurel shifted onto her back, closing her eyes at the way the sheets caressed her oversensitized flesh. She was naked, as she always was when she went to bed, but she was starting to debate putting a T-shirt on, if only to give her hormones a break. Staring across the table at Dana all night, then having just a taste of her during their makeout session at her door, left her wet and ready and entirely unable to sleep.

“Fuck,” Laurel whispered, and turned onto her side. She slipped a hand between her thighs and exhaled slowly. Maybe she could ease her own suffering and find some relief. “I’m an idiot sometimes.”

From somewhere in the dark bedroom, Isis chirped out a quiet meow.

Laurel began to laugh, aware of how pathetic she was at that moment. She rolled onto her stomach, lifting her hips slightly, and closed her eyes. Imagining Dana kneeling behind her, she slid a hand under her stomach, then between her legs. She stroked herself gently, exhaling at the wetness that coated her swollen labia.

“Dana,” she whispered, keeping alive the fantasy that her lover was watching her touch herself. The idea of letting Dana see her like this unleashed a fresh flood of hot wetness, and she swirled around her opening for a moment before pushing inside.

Ding.

Laurel jumped at the noise from her laptop, which sat on her nightstand. That was her e-mail alert noise, and she had left the volume up specifically because she’d given Dana her e-mail address at dinner.

She glanced at the glowing red numbers on her alarm clock and rolled onto her side again. It was almost one in the morning. Would Dana really still be awake?

Laurel knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep unless she checked.

She grabbed her laptop, bringing up the display with a swipe of her finger across the touch pad. Her heart started thumping when she saw the sender’s name on her lone unread e-mail.

Dana Watts. The subject of the e-mail read
Is this as hard for you?

Taking a steadying breath, Laurel clicked on the message.

Laurel, Please tell me that falling asleep after a kiss like that is just as difficult for you as it is for me. Every time I close my eyes, I remember how you looked the last time I was inside you. I need to see you tomorrow, and this time, I’m not letting you go to bed alone.

Dana

T
OMORROW

I
think we should wait,” Laurel said. Her eyes glinted as they moved from Dana’s mouth to her breast. But she sounded very serious.

“I don’t think so,” Dana said. Dinner had been eaten, they were finally back at Laurel’s apartment, and Dana wasn’t sure she could wait any longer to touch her again. “Did you forget? I’m not letting you go to bed alone.”

“Really?” Laurel dragged her gaze along the length of Dana’s body, stopping to linger on her thighs.

“I’ve never been so serious about anything,” Dana said, distracted by the naked lust on Laurel’s face. “Ever.”

“Trust me, it’s not that I don’t…appreciate your position.” Laurel stared hard at Dana’s lap, then casually drew her tongue across her lower lip. If she was trying to drive Dana crazy, she was doing one hell of a job.

“I have a lot of positions you can appreciate,” Dana said.

Overwhelmed by the intense arousal she was feeling, she couldn’t help but fall back on humor. “Remember?”

Laurel shifted imperceptibly closer on the couch, gazing at her with heavy-lidded eyes. “I’m just not sure if it’s a good idea,” she drawled, then lowered her gaze to her fingers, apparently distracted by a hangnail. “Sleeping together so soon.”

Dana exhaled slowly, trying to calm her racing heart. She had never been so physically attracted to someone in her life, and Laurel was oozing sex tonight. Her rich chestnut hair fell in waves just past her shoulders, and her olive skin begged to be caressed. She wore a form-fitting T-shirt that clung to her breasts like a lover and showed off the lean definition of her arms. She smelled lovely, in a way that was uniquely Laurel.

It was painful to be so close to her and not touch.

“Why wouldn’t sleeping together be a good idea?” Dana asked.

After a moment of hesitation, she reached out and took Laurel’s hand.

She tried to keep the contact as chaste as possible, even as her fingers burned to grab Laurel’s shoulder and haul her over for a long, hard kiss.

“I thought it went well last time.”

Laurel laughed, showing off her gorgeous white smile. Dana swallowed past the lump in her throat, remembering the delicious scrape of those teeth on her breasts. Her nipples tightened to the point of mild pain, and she had to tear her gaze away from Laurel’s mouth.

“You’re right,” Laurel murmured, sending a shiver through Dana’s body. “It went
very
well.”

The words dripped with seduction, but Laurel made no move to close the distance between them. Dana sought her eyes, trying to decide if Laurel was really saying no. Her words didn’t match her actions, and Dana found herself uncertain about how to react. She wanted nothing more than to push Laurel down onto the couch, wrench her T-shirt up over her breasts, and take a nipple in her mouth while sliding her hand into the low-cut jeans Laurel wore so well. She snapped back to attention at Laurel’s next words.

“I’m just not sure it’s the best move. You know, letting ourselves get swept away by our hormones so early in our relationship.” As she spoke, she traced a fingernail along Dana’s wrist, raising goose bumps in her wake.

Shuddering from the white-hot desire that lanced through her, Dana choked out, “Oh, really?”

With a sincere nod, Laurel tickled a path up the inside of Dana’s arm. “I just don’t want us to make a mistake.”

Laurel’s eyes were the color of the deep, tempestuous sea, and they flashed with unmistakable need. Her chest rose and fell quickly, even as her voice remained steady. The protests she raised didn’t agree with what her body was telling Dana. And that was all Dana needed to know.

Emboldened, she decided to test the waters. “Maybe you’re right.”

She leaned slightly away. “I don’t want to move you too fast.”

Laurel’s face betrayed nothing, but she smoothed a trembling hand over her hair and glanced away. “Thank you.”

“The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable.”

Laurel exhaled, giving her a tight nod. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Feeling a surge of confidence, Dana put a hand on Laurel’s knee.

“But you’re not really uncomfortable, are you?”

Laurel’s throat worked, and her eyes sparkled. “I don’t know,” she said quietly. “What do you think?”

Leaning in close, Dana inhaled the fresh scent of Laurel’s lush hair. “I think you’re a tease.”

Laurel shivered and said nothing.

“Are you teasing me, Laurel?” Dana asked. She closed the scant distance between them and let her lips touch Laurel’s neck, giving her a feather-soft kiss. “Does it make you hot to get me all worked up like this?”

“I’m just trying to…be responsible.” Laurel’s voice was weaker now, as though she could barely get the words out.

“What would you do if I stood up right now and walked out the door? Is that what you really want?” She listened to Laurel’s breathing hitch, and moaned quietly at the answering flood of wetness between her own legs. “I don’t think it is.”

“I never said I wanted you to leave.”

Dana could hear the desire in Laurel’s voice now, and brought her mouth to brush against Laurel’s earlobe. “No, you don’t want me to leave. Because your pussy is wet, isn’t it? Like mine.”

“Dana—”

“You’re so wet you can hardly stand it, right? Wanting me. Needing me.”

Even as she whispered into Laurel’s ear, Dana wondered at her newfound confidence. She sensed the nature of Laurel’s game, and it brought out a side of her that she had never known existed. Lust coursed through her veins, and she balled her free hand into a fist to try and control herself. Everything in her screamed to take Laurel, to claim control of this encounter.

“It’s not about not wanting you,” Laurel said. She seemed to be having trouble talking now, stumbling a bit over her words.

“What’s it about, then?”

Laurel offered no answer, not when the scent of her arousal hung in the air. Dana inhaled deeply, feeling her mouth stretch into a predatory smile.

“I came over here tonight with every intention of fucking you,” Dana breathed into Laurel’s throat. She kissed a jumping pulse point, then sank her teeth into warm flesh. “And I’m not leaving until I feel you wrapped around my fingers again.”

Something in Laurel seemed to break, and she brought a hand up to clutch at Dana’s shoulder, digging in with her fingers. “Then fuck me.”

Granted permission, Dana let herself lose control. She caught the back of Laurel’s head in her hand, crushing her lips to Laurel’s mouth.

Laurel returned her kiss, frantically, and brought her hands up to grasp Dana’s shirt.

Tearing away from the kiss, Dana growled, “I hope you want it fast and hard.”

She shoved Laurel back onto the couch, pinning her to the cushions. All restraint gone now, she pulled Laurel’s T-shirt and bra up to her neck, exposing her breasts. She found a rock-hard nipple and bit down.

Laurel threw her head back and grunted. Her hips crashed into Dana’s, as though directly connected to the nerve endings in her breast.

Dana ground her pelvis into Laurel’s, then slipped a hand between their bodies to jerk open the button on Laurel’s jeans. Roughly, she shoved them down to Laurel’s thighs, taking her panties with them.

“I can smell you,” Dana said. “Tell me you want to get fucked.”

At first Laurel said nothing. Dana drew her fingers down over her abdomen, through soaked curls. She forced her way between Laurel’s thighs with a groan of pure need. Wetness coated her fingers, stoking her desire.

Seizing Laurel’s clit firmly, she said, “Ask me to take you. Ask me to make you come all over my hand.”

Chest heaving, Laurel spread her legs wide. “Take me. Fuck me, Dana. Please.”

Dana positioned her fingers at Laurel’s opening. With a wild cry, she drove her fingers inside. Laurel was just as tight and hot as she remembered. Maybe even better than she remembered. Dana was in no mood to draw this out; they had all night. She used her whole arm for leverage, pounding into Laurel so hard that Laurel’s body jerked with every stroke.

“Yes,” Laurel gasped, using her hips to fuck back against her hand.

“Fuck my pussy. Take it. Take my fucking pussy.”

Dana gritted her teeth as Laurel tightened and swelled around her.

She kept up her battering thrusts and slid her mouth over to Laurel’s other breast.

Laurel released a guttural noise, stiffened, and squirted hot liquid into Dana’s hand. “Oh fuck,” she cried out, grinding her hips into Dana as she came. Tears streamed from her eyes, but Dana didn’t worry. She could read the satisfaction on Laurel’s face.

And for the first time in almost a week, Dana felt like she could breathe.

A W
EEK
L
ATER

W
ith a belly full of pancakes and her hair still damp from her second shower of the day, Dana lay on a queen-sized bed in Laurel’s little apartment in Royal Oak, thighs spread wide, watching Laurel lick her pussy like it was her one mission in life. Sparkling blue eyes stared up at her every so often, usually in conjunction with a quiet moan of pleasure from her feasting lover. The late morning sun crept into the room through gaps in the blinds, painting warm stripes across their bodies and picking out strands of copper in Laurel’s chestnutcolored hair.