Love and Cherish

Chapter 12

“What crawled into your brain?” Cherish asked.

“Excuse me?” Haylee jerked back in surprise.

Cherish had sat next to her instead of across from her. Odd. Haylee couldn’t stop staring at her, analyzing everything Cherish said and did. It was as if the entire day yesterday hadn’t happened, like it was wiped clean from existence. Except it wasn’t.

The tension still pooled in the pit of Haylee’s stomach.

Maybe Jackson had been right. Maybe this was the way to move forward. Not quite back to where they were, but on the way to making amends. Cherish ordered another glass of wine despite the fact they had nearly finished eating. Haylee had stared at the prices on the menu and balked. She really hoped that Cherish was going to pay for everything like she’d said, because Haylee didn’t have any spare cash hanging around for this kind of meal. She’d spent what cash she had on Cherish’s coffee that morning.

“Haylee.” Cherish pressed a hand over Haylee’s, curling her fingers around Haylee’s hand.

Haylee kept staring at the touch. The number of times that Cherish’s knee had bumped hers under the table tonight was outrageous, too. If Haylee didn’t know better, she’d say this was a date. And Cherish was more than a little buzzed.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” Haylee lied. She didn’t even know where to begin with that one.

The fear of being fired?

Nope.

The worry about what all of this meant?

No.

The growing crush?

Hell to the no on that one.

Haylee valued herself too much to put herself in that situation, but with the way Cherish kept touching her, the lightness in her tone that Haylee had never witnessed before—just what was this?

“I don’t believe you,” Cherish crooned, leaning in slightly. Her breath was warm against Haylee’s cheek.

Haylee tried to bite back the words, but she was awful at making herself shut up on a good day. “To be fair, I firmly believe that women are always thinking about something. It’s harder to turn our brains off than our clits on.”

“What?” Cherish’s brow drew together in a sharp crease. “Did you seriously just say clits on?”

“Uh…yeah.” That had slipped out, hadn’t it? Shit, she shouldn’t have had that second glass of wine.

Cherish’s cheeks turned bright red, but her gaze didn’t waver. She sucked in a breath and blew it out, setting her wine glass onto the table. “I wanted to apologize for yesterday.”

“Like I said before dinner, there’s nothing to apologize for.”

“Don’t patronize me,” Cherish said firmly. “Yesterday was a disaster.”

Haylee grunted her agreement. She tore her hand from Cherish’s and grabbed her nearly empty wine glass. Maybe she should order a third just to get through this apology, or whatever it was Cherish was insisting on. Because the signals Haylee was getting were insane. She wasn’t sure she could keep up.

“I didn’t handle yesterday well.”

“You shouldn’t have had to,” Haylee countered.

“Will you shut up and let me do this?” Cherish’s lips parted, as if she was surprised by her own sharpness. “Sorry.”

“Do you always apologize with an apology for your apology?”

“What?”

“Never mind.” Haylee bit her tongue as amusement swam through her. “You really are just a small-town girl in a city world, aren’t you?”

Cherish lifted a shoulder in a shrug and let it drop. “And you’re a drifter.”

“I suppose.” Was that a compliment? “Can you apologize already so we can be done with this?”

“Haylee,” Cherish sighed her name. “I’m truly sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like I did. It’s not your fault, and you weren’t there last year—or the years before that—to fully understand the gravity of the situation.”

“What situation?” Haylee still didn’t know what was going on, that much was clear. But no one in that office wanted to talk about it. It was the invisible elephant in the room, and Haylee was pretty sure she was doomed to never know. This wasn’t just about a gala. This was something much bigger than that. “Your crush on Febe?”

“What?” Cherish froze, the color draining from her cheeks. “What are you talking about?”

“Cherish, you have a crush on our boss.” Haylee stared at her directly, her gaze unwavering. Is that what this whole shebang was about? Was Cherish finally going to admit it?

“I don’t like Ms. Aarts in that way.” Cherish’s tone was back to the icy veneer it had been yesterday.

Interesting. Haylee had clearly struck a nerve, one that she wanted to know more about. However, she was definitely going to have to tread carefully through this minefield. “Sure you don’t.” So much for being careful.

“I admire her, yes. She’s an amazing boss, and she has done amazing things with the companies and businesses she runs.” Cherish played with the stem of her wine glass, obviously using it as a distraction. “She can be hard at times, but it’s because she knows what’s best.”

“I’m sure that’s the only reason you hang on every word of hers.” Haylee gave in and waved the waiter down, ordering herself another glass of wine. In for a penny.

“I don’t—”

“I dare say, Cherish.” Haylee crossed her arms, purposely pushing her breasts up to see if she could get Cherish’s attention. “You doth protest too much.”

Cherish choked. “I don’t think that’s the actual phrase.”

“It’s close enough. The meaning gets across.” Haylee caught Cherish’s gaze dropping to her breasts, lingering there, and then lifting to meet Haylee’s direct stare. Oh yes, this was going to be good. “Do you know what makes Febe a good businesswoman?”

“She’s smart.”

“She is, but it’s more than that.” Haylee sucked in a breath. “She’s willing to take risks, Cherish. Which is something you aren’t willing to do. Ever.”

“That’s not…” Cherish stopped talking, a frown forming on her full lips. It was utterly adorable, and Haylee wanted nothing more than to lean in and kiss her. “You know what? You’re right. I don’t take risks.”

“But you did move here from…where are you from again?”

Cherish wrinkled her nose. “A small town in Idaho, north of Coeur d’Alene.”

“Really?” Haylee thanked the waiter and took a long sip of her wine. “Never would have guessed that.” It was another lie. She had pegged Cherish for not being a city girl the moment they met. Idaho—that had been the surprise. But she wasn’t about to clarify what she’d meant.

“Where are you from?”

“Portland. Born and raised, baby.” Haylee chinked their wine glasses together. “I’ve never lived anywhere else. Traveled? Yes. But this is where my roots are.”

Cherish nodded slowly. “I didn’t mean to be such a bitch yesterday.”

Haylee sucked in a sharp breath. Did Cherish really think her behavior was that bad? Had it ruined Haylee’s day? Sure, but it wasn’t like Cherish had made her feel so bad that she hadn’t shown up that morning. She’d thought about it, but it wasn’t that bad. Jackson had proven that to her. Haylee grabbed Cherish’s hand, folding their fingers together tightly. “You weren’t a bitch.”

“Don’t lie. I expect better from you.”

“Cherish…” Haylee waited until she had eye contact with the other woman. “You weren’t a bitch yesterday. You were just as thrown off by what happened as I was. We all were. I think in this case we all deserve some grace, don’t you?”

Cherish’s eyes were glued to their hands, her cheeks tinging pink, her lower lip pulled between her teeth as she sucked on it. She looked so vulnerable at that moment, indecisive and confused. Haylee wanted nothing more than to wrap Cherish in a hug and pull Cherish tight against her chest. “How can you give me so much grace with mistakes, but you can’t do the same for yourself?”

Fuck.

How had Cherish pegged her so well?

“I mean…you’re good at your job, Haylee. We all make mistakes, even Ms. Aarts. You should forgive yourself for this one.”

Haylee’s mouth went dry. Her fingers trembled as she reached for her wine glass to wet her lips and tongue, but Cherish didn’t let go of her other hand, holding tightly. What was happening? Cherish had denied liking Febe, although Haylee was damn sure she pegged that one. Her cheeks flushed at that thought.

“Come on.” Cherish tugged Haylee’s hand sharply. “Let’s go.”

“Go?” Haylee frowned but found that Cherish had already paid for their meal. She chugged the last of her wine before standing up, Cherish’s hand still folded in hers. What was happening? This wasn’t a date, was it?

Cherish led her through the restaurant and outside, a light misty rain falling and making everything wet. Including Haylee. She grimaced at that thought, but the sweet attention that Cherish had been giving her all night, the touches, the vulnerabilities she had witnessed had done more for her in the last two hours than any date she’d been on in the last three years.

Why was that?

Unfortunately, she’d have to wait another week to talk to Jackson about it since he was at an intense work thing. Haylee let Cherish lead the way down the sidewalk. Darkness had already cast itself over the city, but the streetlights were bright enough that they could make their way to where Cherish had parked.

They stopped at the street, waiting for the light to change and the cars to stop so they could cross. Cherish still held onto her hand tightly, fingers clasped together, like they were a real couple. Haylee’s heart hammered. None of this made sense. Yesterday Cherish was giving her the cold shoulder, today was just flat out awkward as fuck, and tonight? Tonight they could be mistaken for a regular couple out on a date.

A car drove by fast, its wheels loud in the puddles. Haylee lifted her chin just in time to see it coming. It wasn’t stopping. She turned her back to it, grasping Cherish’s other arm and pressing Cherish’s head against her chest. She held on as the cold splash of water sprayed all over her back, soaking into her clothes and drenching her from head to toe.

“Fuck,” Cherish muttered, but she didn’t move. She didn’t step back.

Haylee’s heart raced as she unclenched her eyes. She didn’t regret it for a second. Haylee lifted her chin, staring directly into Cherish’s shadowed eyes. They were wide, but not with fear. Surprise. Concern. And was that endearment?

Reaching up, Cherish cupped Haylee’s cheek, her thin fingers with plain beige nail polish pressed into Haylee’s wet cheek. “Why did you do that?”

Haylee shrugged. “Your clothes are nicer than mine.”

Cherish snorted and shook her head. “No, really. Why did you do that?”

“I don’t know,” Haylee whispered. Was the wine getting to her? She must have drunk one glass too many. She should have stopped at two.

Cherish took a step closer, their bodies lining up—hip to hip, chest to chest. Her mouth was only inches away from Haylee’s. The light changed, the incessant beeping for those who were blind to walk echoed in her ears, but Haylee didn’t make a move to walk across the street. Neither did Cherish. The rain started in heavier, large cold drops landing on top of Haylee’s head as she hunched down against it. But again, Cherish didn’t move. Haylee was completely entranced with the moment, the closeness, the arousal that coursed through her.

“Cherish,” Haylee murmured, wrapping her hand around Cherish’s side, the curve of her waist, under her blazer to the small of her back. The scent of her shampoo was so subtle, but this close, Haylee couldn’t mistake that note of intoxicating lavender. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t know,” Cherish whispered back. “For once, I don’t know.”

Cherish tilted her head up, nuzzling her nose against Haylee’s cheek. She sucked in a breath, the sound loud in Haylee’s ears. The rain around them started to hit harder, pounding the pavement, but for some reason, it didn’t touch them. Haylee’s heart hammered, and she pressed her fingers into the small of Cherish’s back, pulling her closer.

“I’m just…going with the flow.” Cherish turned her cheek, her lips brushing lightly against Haylee’s skin, just on the edge of her jaw.

“Are you?” Haylee’s eyes fluttered shut. What was she supposed to do? This wasn’t something she had ever expected to happen.

“You were right earlier.” Cherish’s lips were on Haylee’s jaw again. Haylee dug her fingers into Cherish’s back, holding on tight. “I don’t take risks.”

“I think we’ve both had too much wine.”

“Probably.” Cherish let out the most adorable chuckle in the back of her throat, a mix between a laugh and a moan. “Right now I think I want to take a risk.”

“Risk what?” Haylee turned her face into Cherish’s, pressing their cheeks fully against each other.

Cherish backed away slightly, enough that she could look up into Haylee’s eyes. Their lips were so close that it wouldn’t take much for Haylee to lean forward and press their mouths together, but she couldn’t do that, could she? This would mean so much more than a quick fling, and Haylee didn’t do relationships like that. She didn’t dive deep. But it was obvious that Cherish did. No one would ever accuse her of being flighty.

“Everything.” Moving in, Cherish fluttered her lips across Haylee’s.

Haylee’s breath caught. Her heart stopped briefly. Her knees went weak. She had to hold tightly onto Cherish just to stay upright. Water dripped down her forehead, over her eyes and mingled on her lips as Cherish slid the tip of her tongue across them. Warm and cold mixed. Haylee’s entire body lit up with pleasure.

“Cherish,” she whispered just as Cherish dove in for a deeper kiss.

Their mouths melded together, Cherish’s hands wild in Haylee’s hair, pushing the long strands to the side to reveal the buzzed undercut on the side of her head that she’d been so careful to hide from Febe. Cherish scraped her nails against Haylee’s scalp, sucking in another large breath before slowly sliding her tongue between Haylee’s lips. Cherish whined.

Haylee very nearly fell to the sidewalk, dragging Cherish with her. This was the best damn first kiss she had ever experienced. Nothing compared to this. Diving her fingers into Cherish’s long red hair, Haylee tangled them together even more. She nipped at Cherish’s lower lip and shoved her thigh between Cherish’s legs, hoping that Cherish would press more tightly against her.

The loud splash shocked both of them but not as much as the sudden dump of cold street water over their heads. Breaking the kiss, Haylee hunched down again before backing away to look Cherish over to make sure she was all right. She was drier than Haylee at least. Spinning around, Haylee glared at whatever car was now long gone.

Cherish giggled, the sound flowing up and out of her lips pure and beautiful. She snagged Haylee’s hand and dragged her back for another quick kiss. “We should probably get home.”

That didn’t sound like an offer to continue what they’d started. “Yeah,” Haylee answered on a shiver. “You’re not as wet as I am.”

Haylee smacked her forehead. She was an idiot.

However, Cherish beamed brilliantly at the unintentional innuendo. “Well, that’s something you’ll have to find out another day.”

“Har, har, har,” Haylee mumbled, trying to ease her embarrassment. “But seriously, yes, we should get out of the rain.”

“We should probably call a ride instead of driving.” Cherish still gripped Haylee’s hand tightly. “I think I’m too drunk to drive.”

“Probably a good idea.” Haylee managed to hold her grimace back. A ride share meant money she didn’t have.

Cherish whipped out her phone and had ordered the car before Haylee could object or say that she’d take the Max. They huddled close together for the two minutes it took the car to show up. Once they were inside, Cherish put distance between them again, the magic of the rainstorm and wine vanished.

But the memory of that kiss—holy fuck that kiss—was going to plague Haylee for years. She firmly believed that.