Chapter 30 Greta
Greta
MID-DECEMBER
After their walk, they ended up coming back to the house to find themselves ambushed by what turned into a team snowball fight. Inside, they warmed up with some homemade cocoa and then they all nestled under blankets to read.
The next day was watching a few holiday movies—including Die Hard, which Toni and Greta both argued was the epitome of a Christmas movie.
After a couple of years without a friend group, Greta was enchanted that the four of them managed to both enjoy time together and apart.
This was what, Greta realized, she wanted: a partner, friends, and laughter.
She was starting to think impossible thoughts of plans to work around the rest of the holiday season.
Could we just alternate weekends?
Together but not in the same city was possible with a train connecting their two cities. First, however, they had Christmas, New Year’s, and Kaelee’s book launch. There would be plenty of nights together the next six weeks.
Not as many as I want.
Greta felt increasingly unhappy to be apart, although that urge felt like it was too much, too fast.
I’m not that sort of person—and neither is she.
Finally, it was time to talk about the future, plans that needed to be made, conversations that needed to happen. The roads were cleared, and Greta had to return to New York for in-person meetings and practicalities.
“So I talked to Emily,” Greta said as they were sitting on the guest bed, just the two of them. She leaned back on the mountain of pillows with her legs extended in front of her on the still unmade bed. “And I talked to Ian last week, too.”
“I know. I told you it was fine, and I heard from both of them, and Charlie.” Kaelee sat on the foot of the bed, not touching Greta at all. “I heard from legal at the publishing house, too.”
“Good. I won’t be cc’d unless you ask them to do so, since Ian’s your editor now. You ought to talk to Emily about who your family is. She’s your agent. She’ll be at your side and—”
“Will you?”
“Yes. Even if we weren’t anything but casual friends, I’d be here,” Greta swore.
“I have you, Toni and Addie, Emily, Ian, my friend Cherie.…” Kaelee shook her head. “It’s strange to realize I’m not on my own facing him this time.”
Greta crossed her ankles primly; wearing her uncharacteristically long plaid skirt and oversized cardigan made her feel almost modest. “Even with all of us, I think you need to retain counsel outside of the house, though. I’m advising you that as your…” She floundered over the word.
“Person?” Kaelee suggested tentatively.
“Right. Your person.” Greta smiled at her. “I like that. Your person.”
“The firm I used for the name change stuff was just … someone cheap I found, but I don’t think that’s the caliber I want if I really do have to deal with Tripp’s lawyers.
” Kaelee made a frustrated noise. “I hate spending my money on this. I mean, I have it … but lawyers are so fucking expensive, and he’s like a bloated tick.
I don’t even know how to tell if a firm can manage to stand against—”
“I know a firm.” Greta caught and held Kaelee’s gaze. “A great one.”
“Your ex?”
“Not her, but her firm. I met a lot of great lawyers there, and some of them are vicious in the best ways.”
“Is that weird for you?” Kaelee asked.
“No. I’m not asking you to work with Tasha,” Greta stressed. “May I call the firm, though? Someone else there? Set up a consultation?”
“Do it.” Kaelee put one hand on Greta’s crossed ankles. “Thank you for being here this weekend, and Thanksgiving, and dealing with this. I worried that I’d lose out by losing you as an editor, but … I like having you in my life this way.”
“I have fun with you,” Greta said. “Maybe that doesn’t seem like a huge thing, but I was so focused on work that … well, I think I was hiding until I met you. So don’t think for a second that we aren’t both getting something more from this.”
“Good.” Kaelee stalked toward her. “We have forty minutes till we have to leave. Any thoughts on something fun to do?”
Greta giggled. “Board games?”
Kaelee growled as she pushed up Greta’s skirt to her knees and wrapped her hand around her ankle to uncross Greta’s legs. “No. Although you look innocent enough to prefer that sort of fun in this skirt.”
“Snow angels?”
“Closer. Show me again how that snow angel pose works?” Kaelee kept hold of Greta’s ankle, gently gliding it across the sheet. “Something like this?”
“Yes.” Greta moved her other leg so Kaelee could crawl between the wide vee of her legs.
She looked up at Greta. “I love you like this. Wide open and ready even in your sweet skirt and cardigan.”
“I was cold.”
“Oh?”
“Probably because I forgot a few layers,” Greta said with the most innocent look she could muster, unbuttoning the blouse she had under the cardigan and pushing it open. She started to pull it off.
“Leave it at your wrists.”
Greta complied.
“Snow angel,” Kaelee said. “Where are your arms for that?”
“Wide out to make wings.” Greta opened her arms, and the shirt and sweater that she’d shrugged off and pinned under her made her feel like her arms were restrained in that position.
“Can you keep them there?” Kaelee asked. “I feel like you’d like restraints, darlin’. Maybe next time I visit we can try that.…”
Greta’s lips parted on a gasp at the thought. “Yes, please.”
“Darlin’, you forget more than your bra today.” Kaelee pushed her skirt the rest of the way up and stared at her naked sex. “Were you hoping for a goodbye kiss?”
“Maybe.”
Kaelee got up and walked over to the bedroom door to double-check it was locked.
Then she came back and stood beside the bed.
With the barest glance of fingertips, she traced Greta’s sternum and bared breasts.
She trailed her fingers to Greta’s stomach until she met the waistband of her skirt.
“Someday, I want to walk into a hotel room and find you just like this. Will you do that for me?”
“Yes.”
“You like being under my control, darlin’?”
“Yes.”
“I wonder how long I could keep you this way. Maybe we should find out?”
Greta parted her legs wider. “Next time. Today … please? Don’t make me wait until the next visit.”
Kaelee stared at her and asked, “Will you do something for me?”
“Yes.”
“No touching until I’m with you again,” Kaelee asked, voice tremulous. “I’ll do the same. Can we … can you … starting right now.”
“Yes.” Greta bit her lip. “Now … please, Kaelee?”
Without another word, Kaelee lowered herself onto the foot of the bed and lifted Greta, canting her hips so she was held fast in Kaelee’s hands.
She didn’t start slow and languidly this time; she dove in like a woman possessed, feasting on Greta as if she were trying to chase away any possibility of being forgotten or replaced now or ever.
She licked and suckled; her tongue moved like she was writing sonnets on Greta’s skin.
Her grip on Greta’s hips would undoubtedly leave fingerprints, marking her as Kaelee’s.
When she paused at the edge of Greta’s orgasm, Kaelee ordered, “Oh your knees. I want you to ride my face, darlin’.”
“Will you let me touch you?”
Instead of answering, Kaelee shucked her jeans. She pivoted so she could put her head on a pillow between Greta’s thighs.
As Greta parted her legs wider, she fell forward. Her face was inches from Kaelee’s pussy. “Hands or mouth?”
“Fingers in me,” Kaelee said, her voice again unsteady. “Unless I say other … just that. Maybe … I could. I want to let you.”
“Your rules,” Greta moaned as Kaelee pulled her hips down, and her tongue darted out. Within moments she was back at the edge of orgasm, hips moving in a combination of her own movement and Kaelee’s firm direction.
The closer Greta came to orgasm, the more Kaelee’s hips bucked under Greta’s hand.
Finally, as Greta tumbled over, Kaelee gasped, “Tongue.”
Greta lowered her mouth and licked. She only had a few seconds before Kaelee orgasmed and pulled away. In the next instant, Kaelee had flipped Greta around and pulled her close. Her body was trembling in aftershocks, and tears spilled from her eyes.
“Thank you,” Greta whispered, kissing a tear away.
Kaelee laughed. “Pretty phenomenal for me, too. I’ll get there. With you, I’ll get to the point of letting you go down on me for real.”
“I’ll be here, but Kaelee, if you aren’t ready? I’ll still be here.” Greta snuggled in. “Even if that’s all it ever is, a few seconds, or if that’s the only time, I still want to be here with you. You get that, right?”
“I do.” Kaelee’s embrace tightened. “I want that, but I want to get past my hangup there, too, and I want that with you.”
Greta made a purring noise. “Happy to be of service eventually then.”