Chapter 24
Casey stood at the foot of Stephanie’s bed, her legs still felt loose from everything that had happened yesterday, from the long slow hours wrapped up in this room where the air had smelled like them and nothing else.
She could still taste Stephanie on her tongue.
Still feel the way those clever fingers had learned her so fast, so completely, like she’d been waiting all this time just to figure out exactly how to unravel her.
She couldn’t believe it had happened. Not really.
Not how Stephanie had come apart under her mouth in the afternoon, or how she had taken control later in the dark and pulled one more orgasm from Casey when both of them were exhausted.
Last night had been mind-blowing, yes. Insane, even. But sex was only part of it.
The real thing sat heavier in Casey’s chest this morning. She had serious feelings for this woman. The kind that made her rule feel stupid and far away, the kind that whispered dangerous questions about what happened when six weeks turned into five, then four.
Stephanie leaned in the doorway of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a thin white robe that gaped at the throat and stopped high on her thighs.
The sash hung loose, like she had tied it in a hurry after their shower or maybe not bothered to tie it right at all.
Water still clung in dark spots along the collar where her hair dripped.
She looked soft and rumpled and so damn sexy Casey’s stomach did a slow flip.
“You’re really going to leave me like this?” Stephanie asked, voice low and teasing. A small smile played at the corner of her mouth.
Casey’s pulse kicked up. She wanted to cross the room and slide her hands inside that robe, map the warm skin she already knew by heart now.
Instead she stayed where she was, fingers flexing at her sides.
“I have a group of beginners at ten. I can’t exactly cancel because I’m too busy being happy in your bed. ”
The word happy slipped out easy, lighter than she felt. But it was true. She was happy. Stupidly, terrifyingly happy. The kind of happy that made her wonder how she would go back to her own quiet house later and not feel the absence of Stephanie in every room.
Stephanie pushed off the doorframe and closed the distance between them.
The robe shifted with each step, flashing a length of tanned leg, the curve where her hip met her thigh.
Casey’s mouth went dry. This woman had spent so long married to a man who never made her feel wanted like this, and now she moved like someone who had just discovered exactly how much power she held.
It did things to Casey that had nothing to do with the ache still lingering between her own legs.
Their bodies met in the middle of the room.
Stephanie’s hands came up to rest on Casey’s hips, thumbs slipping under the hem of the faded blue tank top Casey had pulled on after their shower.
The touch was casual and possessive at the same time, like Stephanie had already decided this was hers to touch whenever she wanted.
Casey’s skin prickled where those fingers brushed.
“I suppose I can let you go,” Stephanie murmured. Her hazel-green eyes held Casey’s, warm and a little mischievous. “But only if you kiss me properly first.”
Casey laughed, the sound coming from somewhere deep inside her.
God, she loved this version of Stephanie.
The one who asked for what she wanted without second-guessing anymore.
She leaned in, one hand sliding up to cup the side of Stephanie’s neck, thumb stroking the soft skin just under her jaw.
The other hand found the loose knot of the robe’s sash and tugged it free. The fabric fell open with a whisper.
Their mouths met slow at first. A soft press of lips that quickly turned hungry.
Stephanie made a small approving sound and opened for her, tongue sliding against Casey’s in a way that sent heat down her spine.
The kiss tasted like every lazy minute they had stolen this morning before reality tried to intrude.
Casey pressed closer, backing Stephanie toward the wall beside the window.
The robe slipped off one shoulder completely, baring the curve of her breast. Casey’s hand followed the movement, palm cupping warm skin, thumb brushing over a nipple that tightened instantly under her touch.
Stephanie gasped into the kiss, back arching to push into the contact.
The sound went straight between Casey’s legs.
“Fuck,” Casey breathed against her mouth. “You make it really hard to leave.”
“Good.” Stephanie’s fingers threaded into Casey’s damp hair, tugging just enough to send a pleasant shiver across her scalp. “I like knowing you’ll be thinking about me all day.”
Casey kissed her harder, tongue stroking deep, one thigh sliding between Stephanie’s legs so the heat of her pressed right against bare skin.
The robe hung open now, framing Stephanie’s body like an invitation.
Casey could feel how wet she still was, could feel the way her hips rolled once, seeking friction.
Part of her wanted to drop to her knees right there, taste her again, make her come one more time before work.
The responsible part of her brain, the one that remembered she had gear to load and clients waiting, fought a losing battle.
She broke the kiss but didn’t pull away.
Their foreheads rested together, breaths mingling.
Casey’s hand stayed on Stephanie’s breast, feeling the rapid beat of her heart under her palm.
“I can’t believe yesterday happened,” she admitted, voice barely above a whisper.
The confession slipped out before she could stop it.
“All of it. You. The way you looked at me when you finally let yourself want this. The way you touched me.”
Stephanie’s fingers tightened in her hair.
Her other hand slid down Casey’s back, slipping under the waistband of her shorts to rest warm against the base of her spine.
“Yesterday was amazing.” Her voice stayed soft, intimate, the kind of voice people used when they were still wrapped up in sheets.
“And now I don’t want to stop. So you better come back here tonight. ”
Casey’s chest ached with how much she wanted exactly that.
She kissed Stephanie again, softer this time, savoring the way their lips moved together like they had already learned each other’s rhythm.
The robe slipped further, pooling at Stephanie’s elbows.
Casey ran her hands down the newly bared skin, mapping the strong shoulders, the dip of her waist, the flare of her hips.
Every inch felt like a gift she didn’t quite deserve but would fight to keep anyway.
“I have to get changed,” Casey said between kisses, even as her hands kept exploring. “Into clean clothes.”
Stephanie laughed against her mouth, the sound warm and bright and so full of life it made Casey’s heart do something complicated. “Okay. Go.”
Casey groaned and rested her forehead against Stephanie’s shoulder, breathing in the clean scent of her skin.
She could feel the heat of Stephanie’s body everywhere they touched.
It would be so easy to stay. To text and say she was sick, to spend the whole day learning every new sound Stephanie made when she came.
But she had made promises. And part of her needed the space, just a few hours, to sit with how much had changed. To figure out what she was going to do with these feelings that had grown bigger than any crush.
She pulled back just enough to meet Stephanie’s eyes.
The hazel green looked softer in the morning light, heavy-lidded and content.
Casey’s thumb traced the line of her lower lip, still swollen from all the kissing.
“Tonight,” she said, voice low with promise.
“My place. I’ll cook. We can swim after. ”
Stephanie’s smile widened. She caught Casey’s thumb between her lips for a moment, sucking lightly before releasing it. The casual intimacy of it sent fresh heat pooling low in Casey’s belly. “I’ll bring wine.”
Casey let herself lean in, pressing one last lingering kiss to Stephanie’s mouth, then her jaw, then the sensitive spot just below her ear that always made her shiver.
“See you tonight,” Casey whispered against warm skin. Her hands reluctantly left Stephanie’s body and she stepped back, already missing the contact.
Casey forced herself to turn toward the door before she lost the battle completely. Her legs felt unsteady on the stairs, each step pulling her further from the woman who had somehow cracked her wide open in less than a day.
This could be real. She wanted it to be real.
The thought followed her into bedroom as she got changed for work. She would see Stephanie tonight. And tomorrow. And for as many days as they had left.
For the first time in years, Casey let herself hope the bubble might not have to burst.