EIGHTEEN #2
“Listen,” Caitlin measured, “I’ve known Hayley a long time. Yes, she can get scared, and yes, she has a history of bolting. But Mads, she has never been like this with anyone. Any amount of commitment from her is huge progress.”
“I’m falling for her,” Maddie confessed quietly. Even that was probably a bit of an understatement, honestly.
“Oh. Wow. I didn’t know it had gotten that serious.” Caitlin took a sip of her scotch. “Have you told her?”
Maddie shook her head. It had taken months for the two of them to get to where they were now. She was certain revealing feelings that massive would definitely freak Hayley out.
“Well.” Caitlin held Maddie’s gaze. “I think that before you say anything to her, you should figure out what you’re willing to give up for this relationship.”
Maddie hadn’t been expecting that. “Go on.”
“Hayley will never leave New York. Period. So if you want to be with her, you’d have to be okay with eventually leaving LA and moving here. I don’t see any other options,” she added softly.
Maddie hadn’t thought that far ahead. She had been so focused on the logistics of flights and weekend visits between coasts that she had never stopped to consider the long term.
But as she sat there, surrounded by the city she had grown to love, she realized she already knew the answer.
After this summer in New York with Hayley, Caitlin, and Gemma, it wasn’t even a question. There was nowhere else she’d rather be.
“I’d move.”
“Well, then, cheers to that.” Caitlin raised her glass to Maddie’s, smiling. “All right, that’s settled. Make sure you tell Hayley that part when you talk. It might go a little easier.”
“What if that’s not what she wants, though? Maybe she has no intention of continuing this after the wedding. Maybe her pride’s so big that she just didn’t want me sleeping with anyone else.”
“Maybe,” Caitlin conceded, but she didn’t seem convinced. “But wouldn’t you rather know now?”
Caitlin was right, of course. Maddie needed to lay everything out on the table because if she didn’t at least try to fight for what she wanted, she could still lose Hayley either way. The thought settled heavily in her chest, equal parts truth and fear.
Maddie did her best to push her worry aside.
The hard conversations would have to wait until another night.
She had spent the entire day fantasizing about seeing Hayley that particular evening, and she was determined to see her plans through.
They would talk another day, though. When the time was right.
——
Once Maddie and Caitlin left the bar, they parted ways. Maddie swung by a grocery store to grab a few things before heading straight to Hayley’s apartment. Hayley would be home from work in about two hours, and Maddie needed all that time to get everything ready.
After laying a silicone strap-on and harness out on Hayley’s bedspread, Maddie slipped into the new lingerie she had bought specifically for that night.
It was a deep crimson, sheer satin set trimmed with delicate lace.
Hayley had gone on and on about how sexy Maddie looked in her dress from the bachelorette party, so she’d decided to turn it up a notch.
She stepped into a pair of black six-inch heels, feeling a spark of confidence settle through her, and headed into the kitchen to start dinner.
By the time the food was simmering on the stove, Maddie checked her phone, and her heart flipped. Hayley would be home any minute. She poured two glasses of red wine and perched herself on the kitchen island with her legs crossed, trying to look seductive as she waited.
The door swung open, and Hayley stopped short. “My God,” she breathed.
Hayley dropped her Birkin unceremoniously onto the entryway table, her focus entirely on Maddie as she approached. She uncrossed Maddie’s legs and slid in between them. “I could get used to this.”
The thought sent chills across Maddie’s skin. She grabbed Hayley’s face and pulled her in for a kiss.
When their lips parted, Hayley leaned back, taking Maddie in again. “Fuck, you look sexy. And are you cooking? Wait, did you break into my apartment?”
Maddie handed Hayley a glass of wine, laughing. She slid the key off the countertop behind her and held it up for Hayley to see. “Gemma said you insist on only using this ‘for emergencies,’ but…”
“You’re right—this was definitely an emergency.” Hayley grinned, clinking their glasses together.
Maddie threaded her free hand through Hayley’s hair at the back of her neck and pulled her closer. Kissing Hayley had quickly become Maddie’s favorite obsession, but this kiss was different—soft and delicate, as if Hayley was being intentionally gentle with her.
“I have another surprise for you,” Maddie whispered, her eyes flicking toward Hayley’s bedroom.
Hayley took the long stem from Maddie’s hand and placed it on the island next to her own. Then she walked over to the stove and turned it off.
“We can eat dinner later,” she murmured, her dark eyes smoldering. “I want dessert first.”
A slow smile crept across Maddie’s face as Hayley lifted her from the marble and carried her down the hallway.
Hayley tossed her gently onto the bed, her lips parting slightly when she saw what Maddie had brought with her. She looked at Maddie, who spread her legs wide in encouragement.
Hayley dropped to her knees, her fingers trailing up and down Maddie’s bare thighs. Maddie reached down to lift Hayley’s chin, tilting her head up to meet her gaze. Hayley lingered there, looking almost conflicted.
Maddie sat up, worried. “Is something wrong?”
“No, I…” Hayley glanced at her, then back at the harness. “I want you to wear it,” she confessed.
“Me?” Maddie asked, confused. “But why would—”
“I want you to fuck me,” Hayley interrupted softly, her voice dropping low, causing the command to soften into something that sounded dangerously like a plea.
Maddie went perfectly still, her eyes searching Hayley’s for some hidden meaning. Finding nothing but pure intensity, an eager smile spread across her face.
“I’d be honored.”
Maddie took her time, deliberately undoing the buttons on Hayley’s shirt, one by one, as Hayley watched her hungrily. She paused when she finished, waiting to see what Hayley would do.
When Hayley didn’t move, her palms still pressed flat against Maddie’s bare skin, she slipped the silk shirt from Hayley’s shoulders.
“Stand up,” Maddie demanded.
Hayley hesitated, then slowly rose to her feet.
Maddie unbuttoned Hayley’s pants and eased the zipper down, never breaking eye contact. “Are you going to give me full control?”
“Yes,” Hayley breathed, her cheeks flushed.
Maddie glided the pants down Hayley’s legs until they pooled at her feet. She ran a hand up Hayley’s smooth inner thigh, forcing her to widen her stance. Between her legs, Maddie could see where Hayley’s thong had already darkened with desire.
“Is this all for me?” Maddie purred, brushing her middle finger along the damp fabric.
Hayley’s body shuddered.
Maddie pulled away, leaning back onto her palms, and watched Hayley expectantly. “Take it off,” she instructed. “All of it.”
Hayley slowly reached behind her back and unclasped her bra, letting it slide down her arms. With her eyes still fixed on Maddie, she hooked her thumb into her lace thong, peeling the final scrap of fabric from her body.
Maddie understood that for the first time, potentially ever, Hayley was freely handing over her autonomy. Her control. She stood in front of Maddie now, completely exposed and trusting her with her most vulnerable form.
Maddie rose from the bed and carefully curled her fingers around Hayley’s hips as she leaned in for a tender kiss. She wanted to savor this moment, imprinting it into her memory so that she could replay it again and again for the rest of her life.
Then Hayley moaned softly into her mouth, and a switch flipped in Maddie. This was it—a scene that Maddie thought would only ever live in her wet dreams. Hayley was letting her take whatever she wanted.
Something primal activated deep inside Maddie. She pressed her lips close to Hayley’s ear. “Lie down.”
Hayley obeyed without hesitation.
Maddie was about to slip off her own silky thong when she heard Hayley’s throaty whisper rise from the bed.
“Don’t. Keep it on.”
Maddie grinned and stepped into the harness, pulling the straps tight over her lingerie.
Hayley gazed at her, her dark eyes unmoving and filled with heat. She spread her knees as far as they would go, opening herself wide for Maddie.
Maddie’s breath hitched at the sight.
She knelt onto the bed, settling firmly between Hayley’s thighs. Keeping her focus locked on Hayley’s face, Maddie reached between Hayley’s parted legs and felt for the wetness that she knew had pooled there.
Hayley inhaled sharply, her back arching slightly.
Maddie slowly pushed two fingers inside, slicking them with Hayley’s arousal before pulling out to coat the toy. She repeated the motion a few more times, and Hayley gasped each time Maddie slid inside her.
“Please,” Hayley begged. “I’m ready for you. Fill me. Make me yours.”
The raw vulnerability in Hayley’s voice shattered the last of Maddie’s restraint.
Maddie’s pulse spiked, suddenly feeling just as desperate. She lined the strap-on up with Hayley’s entrance and watched Hayley’s face as she slowly rolled her hips, sliding inside. She moved gently, sinking deeper with every thrust until her pelvis was flush against Hayley’s.
As Maddie began a steady rhythm, Hayley moaned from the back of her throat. Inch by inch, Maddie pulled out, pausing for a moment before pushing back in at the same torturous pace.
“Faster,” Hayley pleaded. “Harder.”
Hearing Hayley beg was the final blow to Maddie’s crumbling control. Maddie gripped Hayley’s waist, anchoring her against the mattress as she thrust, driving deep into Hayley over and over again.
Hayley cried out in pleasure, and Maddie kept filling her, knowing she was fucking her like no woman ever had before.
Hayley’s breath broke into uneven gasps.