Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
SARAH
FEbrUARY
Stay with me.
The words had just left Beth’s perfect lips, still warm on her ears as Sarah held her close, their bodies molded to one another like puzzle pieces meant to fit together.
“Always,” she whispered, pressing her lips to Beth’s temple, delighting in the way her hands flexed momentarily—an instinctual reaction to Sarah’s touch.
“I still can’t believe you’re here.” Beth tilted her chin slightly, looking up at Sarah with bright, sparkling blue eyes so full of wonder, almost as if she was truly seeing Sarah for the first time.
Beth’s nose scrunched with her smile, making freckles dance across her fair skin in a way that had a habit of making Sarah feel a little powerless—something she had always prided herself on never being.
“You really expected me to stay in London and work after our phone call the other night?” Sarah murmured, dipping her head to capture Beth’s lips with hers again, reveling in the faint tangy hint of grapefruit lingering there from the all-natural chapstick Sarah knew she preferred.
She had forgotten what kissing Beth felt like.
Forgotten the way Beth liked to play games with her kisses—some quick, some slow, some long and meandering, just a little unpredictable.
She had always been a sucker for the whimsical way Beth floated through life.
If Sarah was fire, Beth was the air that breathed her into existence.
Since the very first day she met Beth, she had felt the way the give-and-take of her attention had the power to expand and contract Sarah’s world.
And right now? Right now, it was expanding exponentially.
Sarah had filed every little memory and feeling away in that box labeled ‘Beth’ in her mind to shield herself from the pain of reopening them when she couldn’t do anything about them—at least not in the way she wanted to.
But now you can.
Her heart quivered, hand sliding down over the curve of Beth’s ass, squeezing gently, basking in the feeling of their bodies pressed together. A whimper escaped Beth’s lips, and god, she had forgotten how that noise always felt like magic.
Beth pulled back, chest heaving as she tried to slow her breathing.
Sarah tried to tamper with the excitement building deep within her.
She wanted to give herself a moment to acknowledge the swirl of feelings existing inside of her, each and every one of them so perfectly intense, so perfectly hers, and so perfectly tied to Beth.
“Feelings check,” Beth whispered, a gentle hand coming up to rest against Sarah’s cheek, thumb rubbing soft circles over her cheekbone.
Sarah leaned into the heat of Beth’s touch, inhaling deeply. Her eyes fluttered closed for the briefest moment as she smiled at the term. She had forgotten about feelings checks, too.
“I feel nervous.” Sarah’s voice was hoarse with honesty as she ran her tongue along her bottom lip, thinking.
How did Beth always know when there was more to what she was feeling than she was saying?
“And excited. And in love. And valued. And scared. And horny. And exposed. And so many other things. You have a knack for making me feel everything all at once,” Sarah said, taking a deep breath.
Beth’s eyes searched hers. “Is that a bad thing?” she asked, her voice quiet.
“It’s overwhelming, but in the best way.”
Beth nodded, taking Sarah’s hands in hers and ghosting her lips across the tops of her knuckles, feather-light, sending a shiver through her. “And that third feeling?” she asked thoughtfully, repeating the same motion on Sarah’s other hand as heat licked up her spine.
“Excited?” Sarah offered dumbly, knowing exactly which feeling Beth meant.
Beth shook her head side to side, leaning closer, breath hot against Sarah’s ear as she whispered, “No, the one after that.”
“In love.” Sarah’s mouth moved automatically, lips forming the words that came easily because if one thing had been true for most of her adult life, it was that Sarah loved Beth with her entire being.
Beth’s lips kissed the length of her jaw, moving to hover above hers. “I’m in love with you, too.”
Those words sent fire raging through Sarah’s veins, body thrumming with the sheer release of finally ripping off the lid of that box labeled ‘Beth,’ letting the contents spill everywhere.
They filled every corner of her mind, consuming her completely.
Beth’s words were like oxygen that Sarah swallowed greedily, lips demanding more contact—more of Beth, who obliged by parting her lips ever so slightly.
Sarah eagerly took her bottom lip, biting down with enough pressure to elicit the most perfect moan ever uttered, only fueling her desire more.
In love.
Their hands were everywhere, grabbing at clothes, pulling each other close, so close.
Sarah’s mouth claimed Beth’s, hands cupping her jaw as Beth worked her way under the hem of Sarah’s sweatshirt, her touch leaving a trail of fire across her skin.
It was absurd how the barest touch from Beth had the power to render Sarah completely useless, her mind temporarily forgetting where she was as Beth’s fingers explored, skimming across her abdomen, over her hips, and up Sarah’s back.
“Be-th.” A sharp, needy inhale escaped her, hot and heavy at the feeling of Beth’s nails raking down her back only to grab at the hem of Sarah’s sweatshirt, tugging it up and over Sarah’s head, temporarily breaking their kiss.
“Let me show you how much I love you,” Beth said, taking both of Sarah’s hands in hers once more.
Her heart hammered in her chest as Beth placed her hands on either side of her body, positioning her to grip the edge of the counter.
But it was Beth’s breath hot against her collarbone that made Sarah’s breathing stutter as Beth whispered, “It’s the least I can do after our call the other night.
” Her lips moved lower over the top of the white tank top Sarah wore, still smelling faintly of airplanes and travel.
Oh, my god, this is fucking happening. Keep it together, Gallagher.
Time slowed. Sarah, watching in awe as Beth dropped to her knees, hands bracketing Sarah’s hips, her fingertips digging in.
And when Beth looked up at her with those big, beautiful blue eyes and freckles, Sarah forgot how to breathe.
Seeing Beth like this—on the floor between her legs—sent a rush of heat through her.
“Let me adore you,” Beth whispered, placing a kiss on her left thigh, then her right, brushing her nose and lips over Sarah’s heat, fingers hooking into the waistband of her joggers and underwear.
Sarah nodded feverishly. “Fuck. Yes. Please,” she breathed, hands flying to her waist, rushing to help Beth pull the garments over her hips and down her thighs.
The warmth of Beth’s touch radiated up her legs as she scooted closer, positioning herself right in front of Sarah, leaning in, breath hot against her in the most delectable way.
“God B-b, oh—” Sarah inhaled sharply, groaning in a way that should have been embarrassing as Beth pressed her face into her.
Beth worked with a slow, agonizing patience, her tongue moving in languid strokes fanning the heat until it felt all-consuming, every swipe, every pass only spreading the ache further.
Reaching down, Sarah’s fingers tangled in Beth’s hair, gripping the golden waves as if they were the only thing keeping her tethered to reality.
“God, I missed how you taste,” Beth whispered against her, hands spread across her thighs. Holding Sarah still against the counter.
Sarah moaned, her grip in Beth’s hair tightening, inhaling sharply as Beth sucked gently on her clit.
She let her head roll back, eyelids heavy, gaze locked on the vaulted ceiling.
Heat flared within her, enjoying every one of Beth’s movements as she tried to keep a lid on her excitement, to stay in this moment as long as possible.
To stay here with Beth as long as possible.
“Fuck—”
Another sharp inhale as Beth sucked at her gently, alternating with teasing flicks of her tongue. Sarah’s hips instinctively rolled up, off the counter, causing Beth to press her hands more firmly into her hips, holding her in place.
“Stop moving.” Beth’s voice was firm, a gentle command in the way only she could deliver.
“You—aren’t—making—that—easy,” Sarah gasped as Beth slid her tongue inside of her at the same time their eyes met.
Jesus Christ.
Sarah’s walls shuddered with the familiar flutter of her own release, but she wasn’t ready for it, not yet. Not when there was still so much she wanted—needed—from Beth.
“Beth,” she whined her name, the sound of her own neediness catching her off guard. She was Sarah fucking Gallagher. She didn’t need anyone, but she needed Beth.
“Please. I—oh.” Sarah was so close, the wave of her orgasm building within her.
“Let go, love,” Beth encouraged. “Let me catch you.”
For once, Sarah didn’t try to hold on. She closed her eyes, telling herself it was okay to do as Beth asked and let go. Her grip in Beth’s hair tightened, her thighs clenching as a final flick of Beth’s tongue sent her tumbling over the edge.
“Beth, f-fuck,” she panted, hips jerking against Beth’s mouth, her hands still holding tightly to Sarah’s hips, keeping her pinned in place.
When her breathing finally slowed and her world turned right side up again, Beth placed a gentle kiss on the inside of her sweat-slicked thighs before standing.
Sarah reached for her, looping an arm around her waist, pulling her close.
When she kissed her, it was her own desire she tasted on Beth’s lips that made her growl with her need for Beth, out-weighed only by the overwhelming feeling of contentment coursing through her entire body.
“I love you,” Sarah whispered, their foreheads pressed together.
Beth’s hands were still on her hips, still holding her as she said, “I love you, too. Now let’s get you to bed.”