Chapter 24 #2
“Thank you for forcing me to talk.” Angelica slid her fingers under the edge of Hope’s tank top, teasing her skin with the edges of her nails.
“Any time,” Hope murmured.
“Hope?” Angelica asked, deciding to seize the moment.
“Yeah?”
“Two things.” Angelica backed away slightly, putting her hands on Hope’s hips to hold her there. “Work with me.”
“I already do.” Hope furrowed her brow in confusion. “I work with you nearly all year now.”
Angelica shook her head, her hair brushing her bare shoulders. “No, run my restaurants. All of them.”
“All of them?” Hope’s jaw dropped. “That’s…how many?”
“Five. Six if you include Mountain View.” Angelica deliberately reached behind her back, pinching the clasp of her push-up bra and letting the material relax against her skin.
“Am I working for you or with you?” Hope reached forward, tugging the material away from Angelica’s body and dropping it to the floor. “Because I really want to be under you, but not like that.”
Angelica chuckled and reached for Hope’s shirt, pulling it over her head. “I’m sure we can come to an arrangement.”
“Fuck.” Hope swallowed hard. “What, uh… what was the second thing?”
“Touch me.”
Their eyes locked. Hope’s were wide, pupils dilated, damp lips parted.
That look said nothing other than pure arousal and desire.
And Angelica wanted every ounce of it that she could get.
Hope didn’t wait. She pressed her lips hard against Angelica’s, sliding her tongue out and against Angelica’s in a mere breath.
Wrapping her arms around Hope’s neck, Angelica leaned in and held on. The world that was so chaotic around her stilled. The noises, the voices, the accusations, the worries, the anxieties, the dramatics—it was all silenced.
Angelica moaned, digging her fingers into the short hairs at the back of Hope’s head and tightening her grip.
She never wanted to let go. She never wanted this to end.
Arching her back, she tried to pull Hope as close as possible to her.
She nipped at Hope’s lip before she dove back in for another deep kiss.
Hope pushed the dress off Angelica’s hips so the fabric pooled at her feet. Before she could breathe, Hope’s fingers were deep inside her, teasing. Angelica gasped, tightening her grasp as she curled her toes in her heels.
“I love you,” Angelica whispered against Hope’s cheek. She should have taken the step to rely on Hope well before now, to confess everything that weighed her down.
Hope kissed her hard and then moved her hand away and stepped back, breathing heavily. “Get on the bed.”
Angelica’s heart raced. She kicked out of her heels and shimmied out of her thong.
She didn’t move her gaze from Hope’s as she walked to the edge of the bed and slid onto it.
She parted her knees and played with herself, sliding her fingers through her slick folds and keeping her eyes locked on Hope’s gaze.
“Sometimes I can’t believe I met you,” Hope said, pressing her knee into the mattress. “And other times, I can’t believe you haven’t been around for my entire life.”
Angelica licked her lips, rubbing a tight circle against her clit. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Of course you do,” Hope whispered, getting on her knees between Angelica’s legs. “I’m not exactly a saint.”
Angelica laughed, the sound riveting. She closed her eyes and just waited for Hope’s mouth to be against her, to taste and tease.
And at the first swipe of Hope’s tongue she sighed.
Pushing her arms over her head, Angelica spread her knees and reveled in each touch, each lick, each kiss.
She wanted nothing more than to be loved, and Hope was willing to give her all of that and more.
Her orgasm was easy and slow, building up to the pinnacle of release and then taking her back down gently. When Angelica opened her eyes, Hope was looking at her, a half-cocked smirk on her lips.
“Well?” Angelica asked, pulling a pillow under her head to make it easier to look at Hope and still be comfortable.
“I don’t know if I want to get any more tangled up in business with you, honestly.” Hope kissed Angelica’s inner thigh and then scraped her teeth lightly. “But I could be tempted to get tangled in the sheets way more often.”
Angelica barked out a laugh. For once, she hadn’t been thinking about work at all. “I’m not that awful to work with, am I?” The tease in her tone was there, and she prayed Hope heard it. “Though I can be a real bitch if I need to be.”
“I believe the preferred term for you is Ice Fairy.” Hope crawled upward, holding herself up over Angelica.
“When we first met, four years ago, you did tell me that some of your favorite things to eat were best served cold.”
Hope’s cheeks flamed red.
Angelica’s lips bowed upward. “So, was I good?”
“Delicious.” Hope bent down and kissed her quickly.
“Good.” Angelica reached up and undid Hope’s bra deftly and then immediately moved to the slacks she wore. “Why are you still dressed?”
“I think someone demanded I touch them first.” Hope kissed her again before sitting back and shucking the rest of her clothes. “And I always make sure to take care of you first.”
“Well, now it’s my turn.” Angelica beckoned Hope toward her with the curl of two fingers.
Hope laid her body out right along Angelica’s, stroking her skin and flicking her hardened nipple lightly. “This is for you.”
“Mm-hmm,” Angelica answered. “And right now I want to watch you fall apart.”
Hope kissed her quickly and then moved back in to deepen the embrace.
Angelica planted her foot on the mattress, swiftly turning herself so that she was on top of Hope, her thigh planted in between Hope’s legs.
She didn’t stop the kiss. She rocked her hips and listened for the gasp she knew she would get in response.
There it was.
Angelica buried her face in Hope’s warm neck, breathing in her scent and staying right here in this moment.
She closed her eyes, trailing kisses over Hope’s shoulder to her collar bone.
Her lips pressed delicately into the soft skin at the top of Hope’s breasts, the smooth skin as she moved down to Hope’s nipple.
Twirling her tongue in a circle around the hard nub, Angelica closed her eyes.
She teased it, tickled it, stayed there as long as she delighted before moving to the other one.
Hope groaned, grinding against Angelica far more than Angelica moved now. They moved together. Hope gripped Angelica’s back, nails against her skin as she tightened her entire body. Angelica kissed the underside of Hope’s chin as she tightened with a jerk and moaned. Her breathing evened out.
With one more kiss, Angelica slid onto the bed and pressed herself against Hope’s side. She trailed her fingers over her skin, not in a tease, but in a soothing touch.
“Angel?” Hope’s voice reached her ears.
“Hmm?”
“You know that whatever happens, I have your back, right?”
“Yes.” Angelica shifted to look up into Hope’s eyes. “Yes, I do.”
“Good.” Hope touched her nose lightly. “Please don’t forget that.”
All she could do was nod. Tears stung her eyes—the quick distraction from the chaos had been far too quick, and the same fears that were there before fell back down on top of her.
Hope slid out from under Angelica and stood at the edge of the bed. She pulled down the blankets and gave Angelica a hard look. “Come on. You need actual rest.”
Angelica narrowed her gaze. “And you would know that how?”
“When’s the last time you slept all night?”
Angelica pursed her lips, refusing to answer.
“Exactly. And when’s the last time you slept for six hours minimum?”
“Fine.” Angelica shifted, sliding under the blankets and turning on her side before tossing a look over her shoulder. “But you’re holding me.”
“Of course.” Hope climbed in behind Angelica, scooting up against her. She kissed Angelica’s shoulder and settled in.
Angelica sighed, staring at the wall as her brain spun wildly. She might not get any sleep tonight. But at least Hope would be there with her through it.