Chapter 14 #2
Billie stared down at the screen. That message hadn’t been enough.
I was also choosing my words carefully.
Billie exhaled a sigh of relief when Debra started to reply.
Go on then. Choose them.
Oh, this was going to be an interesting time with Debra Allen. Even if Billie knew she should slow down and actually take stock of the last twenty-four hours, she could admit that Debra made her feel alive.
If you keep texting me like this, I’m not going to last the morning without needing to hear your voice.
Billie immediately winced. That had been far too much.
And then her phone pinged again.
And if I want you to need that?
Billie rolled her lips inward and breathed deeply through her nose.
Then call me. Before I lose the last of my self-control and do it myself.
The silence stretched longer than it had since they’d started this conversation. Maybe she’d been the one to scare Debra off in the end.
Debra?
Still nothing.
She could hear Nina’s voice outside the office, professional but carrying the faintest edge of spite as she answered the phone.
Billie simply let it fade into background noise.
Because right now, she was dealing with the fact that she’d done something uncalculated and real…
and for once, she wasn’t afraid of Debra’s response when it eventually came.
But first, she had a full service to decline.
Debra stared down at the last message Billie had sent her. Truth be told, she hadn’t expected to hear from Billie so soon, but she was glad she had. It meant last night hadn’t been for nothing. It meant last night had meant something to Billie, too.
Then call me. Before I lose the last of my self-control and do it myself.
Her pulse had been steady during their back-and-forth messages, but now there was a storm of electricity pumping through her veins. She moved slowly through her flat, her mind buzzing with the same question she’d been stuck on all morning.
What am I doing?
She knew what calling Billie meant. It wasn’t harmless, and it wasn’t casual; it was stepping deliberately into the gravitational pull of a woman who both unsettled her and made her feel more awake than she had in years.
Debra set her phone down on the kitchen counter and gave herself a moment to breathe.
Last night had been everything she could have dreamed of with Billie, but Debra wasn’t sure just how ‘in’ she would be if things progressed.
Craving more was one thing, but accepting it into your life was another.
Billie didn’t strike her as someone who accepted anything easily.
Still, as she pulled herself up onto a stool at the breakfast bar, she found herself smiling. She felt like she was in her twenties all over again. She took a deep breath and pressed the call button.
It rang out a few times, and then Billie’s voice slid through the speaker, sending a blaze of fire up her spine. “Debra.”
It was simple. Her name. But the way Billie said it made her skin prickle. She swallowed as she settled her palms on her thighs. “Hi. I didn’t know if you really wanted me to call or not.”
“Oh, I did. But I wasn’t sure if you’d listen or not.”
A laugh slipped from Debra’s lips. “You know, you text like someone who knows exactly what she’s doing.”
“Do I?”
“Mm. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing…” It wouldn’t surprise Debra if Billie confirmed her suspicions. This woman knew exactly how to draw every ounce of attention someone possessed towards her. “Is it something you’re used to?
“Texting?” Billie asked. “As far as I’m aware, texting is one of the most common forms of communication these days. It’s not my preferred method, but who am I to complain?”
“Texting women, Billie. You know exactly what I’m saying.”
“I can assure you that texting women is not something I do. I couldn’t tell you the last time I did.”
Debra narrowed her eyes at the screen. “Hmm.”
“You have my word, Debra.”
God, that tone. The gentleness threaded through Billie’s reassurance.
“Okay.” Debra smiled. “What are you doing?”
Billie sighed. “Sitting at my desk, pretending the cold coffee in front of me is doing something for me.”
“Long night?”
Billie paused, but Debra could almost hear the flicker of a smile. “You know it was.”
The ache that settled inside Debra was utterly ridiculous. “I wasn’t sure you’d be so…”
“Honest?” Billie replied.
Debra flushed. “I was going to say forward.”
“That too, apparently.”
Silence settled over them, delicate yet electric, as though stepping away first would mean admitting last night had changed something between them. Debra felt as though it had, but Billie wasn’t exactly easy to read.
Debra tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Are you always like this the morning after?”
“No.”
That surprised Debra. Surely Billie didn’t sleep with women and then just drop them. “What’s different now?”
Billie cleared her throat. “You. You’re different.”
Heat curled low in Debra’s stomach. “Meaning?”
“Well,” Billie said, pausing for a moment. “There isn’t usually a morning after. And when there has been, maybe two or three times over the last decade, I certainly don’t sit around waiting for their replies. And I absolutely don’t sit here hoping they’ll call.”
Debra gripped the edge of the counter at that. “Well, then I’m glad I didn’t disappoint.”
A low hum vibrated through the phone. “You didn’t.”
“Good.” Debra bit back a grin. “It was nice seeing you in that light last night.”
“Don’t get used to it,” Billie added, a hint of her armour slipping back into place. “I’m not suddenly domesticated.”
“That’s a shame. I think you’d look very good a little domesticated.”
“If you keep saying things like that, I may have to punish you,” Billie spoke low down the line. “Dangerous woman.”
“Okay, fine.” Debra steadied her tone and her heart. “What are you doing for the rest of the day?”
The line remained silent, but Debra could feel the shift in Billie. Calculating her next move and eyeing the exits even though she was beginning to lean towards her. “Why?”
“Because I was thinking that if you wanted to see me again…I wouldn’t say no.”
Debra was almost certain Billie’s breath had just hitched a little. “You should be careful with invitations like that.”
“Why?”
“Because I might take you up on them.”
Debra grinned. “I was hoping you would.”
Billie exhaled, slow and resigned in the most delicious of ways. “Where am I meeting you, Ms Allen?”
Debra’s brows rose. She hadn’t expected Billie to agree to meet her. Not at all. Not only because she was one hell of a woman to figure out, but because she was working, too. “I’ll…text you the details.”
“Okay. I’ll look forward to receiving them.”
Billie may have been playing it cool, but Debra caught the faint tremor in that usually unshakeable tone. One that said Billie was stepping towards something she wasn’t used to wanting.
“Billie?”
“Yes?”
“I’m glad you were waiting for me to call,” Debra said. “I’m not usually that brave.”
“You’re braver than you think.”
Debra’s eyes fluttered closed. “And you’re softer than you pretend to be.”
Billie laughed, most certainly shaking her head or rolling her eyes at Debra. “I’m hanging up now.”
“No, you’re not.”
“You’re right,” Billie muttered. “I’m not.”
They stayed on the line, neither one moving. Debra didn’t want to end the call for fear of Billie hanging up and immediately regretting her decision to meet her later today.
What will be, will be…
“Text me where to meet you, okay?” Billie said. “I have a fitting in an hour, and then I’m free for the rest of the day. I’ll make sure Nina doesn’t accept any more bookings for the afternoon.”
“I will. I’ll text you.” Debra couldn’t believe Billie was turning down fittings to be with her. Still, she was grateful for her doing so.
“And Debra?”
Debra frowned. “Mm?”
“Don’t keep me waiting.”
The shiver that ran up Debra’s spine as Billie’s low, husky voice reached her ears had wetness pooling between her thighs. She squeezed them together, took a breath, and gave nothing away. “I’ll be in touch. Don’t worry.”