Seven
V ini woke slowly. The light was all wrong. She scrubbed a hand across her face before she was jerked into full wakefulness by the alarm on her phone. She scrambled to sit up, grabbing the damn thing before it vibrated off the table and woke up the whole house. It took her a moment to realize that she hadn’t needed to worry, because she was not in fact at home. When the bed shifted beside her, she turned, her eyes widening when she found a sleeping Jessica beside her. Memories of last night flooded her brain, and she felt her cheeks heat.
“So much sex,” she whispered looking down. She was wearing a T-shirt that didn’t belong to her so it must be Jessica’s, but the sheets bunched beneath her made it clear that was the only stitch of clothing she possessed. Her thighs were tacky with sweat and probably her own juices, so she slowly made her way out of the bed. Each step she took had her holding her breath as she gathered her clothes from last night. The room smelled like sex, and she didn’t doubt that she smelled the same. Before she could second-guess it, she darted into the adjoining bathroom and locked the door behind her.
There was no way she was going to be seen sneaking out like this. It would be just like the universe for her to get caught looking disheveled like she’d just gotten her back blown out for hours. But you did. She shushed her inner voice and turned the shower on. Just because she had had mind-blowing sex with a woman clearly out of her league didn’t mean she had to look like it. She would wash the night off, get dressed and walk out of the bed and breakfast with her head held high, damn it.
She could play it cool.
Her plan lasted the time she spent getting cleaned up and dressed. She had her game plan, and she knew how to play it. That didn’t explain, then, why her mind was filled with static when she opened the bathroom door and Jessica was sitting up in bed facing her. Vini had thought she’d gotten her fill of looking at her, but Jessica barely awake and still soft-looking from sleep was something totally new to behold.
“Was it any good?”
“Any good?” Vini swallowed hard. Dear Lord, were they about to actually talk about last night? She needed like two cups of coffee and a week or two before she was ready for that. She opened and closed her mouth twice not knowing how to respond. “What do you mean?”
Jessica waved her hand before her mouth parted on a yawn. “The water. In there. Is the pressure good?”
“Oh! Yeah, it’s totally fine. It felt really good when I did it.” Vini winced at the vomit of words. “The shower. The shower was good. You should have one.”
Thankfully, the flood of words didn’t seem to have any effect on Jessica. She yawned again before moving to stand. Vini’s eyes widened as the bedsheet fell away, but Jessica had apparently pulled on pajamas before falling asleep herself. The shiny fabric of the camisole and shorts covering her drew Vini’s attention, and she felt equal parts relieved and disappointed at not getting another peek of that smooth sand-hued skin.
“You leaving?”
“Me?” Vini jerked her gaze up and caught Jessica’s. There was no inflection in her voice, and her gaze was aggravatingly blank. It left Vini unsure of how to answer. She didn’t regret last night. It was hard to when it all felt so damn good. And they were both adults. They hadn’t done anything that they needed to feel regret for. “Yeah. I need to open up the shop this afternoon so...”
She didn’t know what else to say. Vini wasn’t completely naive, but she had never had a one-night stand like this. Usually, she wandered up to Atlanta, made out a little, and then booked it back home before they got to the main event. The last time she had sex, neither one of them had been particularly knowledgeable, and while it had been overall fun, it was nothing compared to last night. Last night was next-level action.
“Sure I can’t interest you in one more round?”
“What?” Thoughts came to a halt as Jessica’s words sank in. Vini was rooted to the spot as she watched Jessica move closer until they were once again pressed together. A sigh left Vini’s lips before she instinctively gripped those hips that had drawn her in last night. They felt just as good in her hands now as they had then, and Vini was helpless to do anything but kiss back when Jessica’s lips pressed against hers.
Any thoughts of last night being a fluke flew out the window as their tongues tasted, morning breath be damned. Vini wanted to pull some of those same noises that had blessed her ears under the cover of night. If not for her phone blaring from her pocket, she might have never stopped. Reluctantly, Vini pulled away.
“I wish I could,” she replied, eyes darting down when Jessica licked her bottom lip. A shiver wracked her frame as the hunger built again. If she was going to leave, she had to do it now. “Plus, it’s early enough that people might not catch me coming out of your room. Unless you want people to know we spent the night together?”
Jessica paused her dark brown eyes fixed on Vini. Truthfully, a part of Vini didn’t care who knew. If not for Ava and her penchant for being too damn overprotective, she would have happily crowed to the world that last night happened.
“You’re right. We probably should keep things quiet,” Jessica conceded finally. “I’m not trying to get on your sister’s bad side already. But if you aren’t going to follow me to the shower, then you better go.”
That sounded so much better than the day of work that was waiting for her. Vini let herself indulge in one last kiss, groaning when Jessica opened up so easily. She had to fling herself out of that sinful embrace just to leave the room. When Vini shut the door behind her, it took her far too long to step away.
This was hell.
Working over the weekend with the taste of Jessica still seared into her brain had been hard enough. When the scent of her finally faded from Vini’s skin under the smell of oil and grease, she almost screamed. The memory of lying wrapped in Jessica’s arms was all she had left to get her through today’s shift, and she was struggling.
Vini hadn’t run into anyone once she left the bed and breakfast, and even once she got home, there was no welcoming committee there to greet her. The weekend had passed easily enough, and when Ava came home Sunday afternoon, she hadn’t said anything to Vini about Jessica. The smile on her face had made it clear why and left Vini practically vibrating with jealousy. Still, she counted her blessings and kept quiet only talking about the shop when asked. Now it was another shitty morning with too much time and not enough to do to keep her mind occupied.
“Hey, boss. We got another shipment late last night, but I’m not sure where you want me to tag them,” Aiden said poking his head out of the back room when she walked into the shop ready for another day of work. Normally, she wasn’t reluctant to come into the shop. It had always been her happy place, especially when her mom’s health had taken a turn for the worse. Now, though, the thought of being behind these walls instead of out and about had her wanting to turn the other way. It had nothing to do with a certain woman she hadn’t seen for the rest of the weekend, though.
She was probably just in need of a vacation.
“Just leave them where they are, and I’ll take care of them.”
“Procrastinating already?”
Vini jerked around nearly colliding with the counter. Her heart raced, beating a furious rhythm against the back of her rib cage. She hadn’t seen anyone when she came in, but there Jessica was calmly sitting at the small table in the corner as if it had always been her place. As Vini tried to find some chill, she wondered what it was like to just feel so at ease in your own body that you didn’t bat an eye at someone being startled by your presence.
“Jessica. What are you doing here?”
Jessica stood up. “You said you would give me lessons. Remember?”
Lessons? Plenty of lessons had gone on a couple days ago, but it hadn’t been Vini who was the teacher. She racked her brain trying to come up with something, anything that would jog her memory. As it was, all she could remember was warm skin, wandering hands and the hit of salt on her tongue as she tasted just where those lines and curves of Jessica’s body led. None of those would help her now in the light of a new day.
Swallowing hard, Vini leaned back against the counter and did what she always did when she was caught unawares. She made shit up. “I’m surprised you remembered, considering I didn’t see you all weekend.”
Jessica raised an eyebrow. “Were you looking for me?”
Damn it. That had not been what she meant, but she would have to go with it. “I didn’t say we had to start our lessons on a Monday. We could have started sooner.”
“That eager to see more of me?” Jessica’s tone was even, though her expression said more than her voice ever could. Those brown eyes that had haunted Vini’s dreams were now just as heated as she remembered, and they were moving closer as Jessica walked over to her. She paused when they were only inches apart, and Vini knew she should do something to move away and regain the casual indifference that would show her as unaffected, but the warmth curling toward her kept her firmly in place.
“Yes,” she whispered. It was not what she had meant to say, and it clearly had taken Jessica by surprise as well, if her widening eyes were any indication. Seeing her surprise helped kick Vini’s brain into gear, and she finally recalled their agreement. “But as much as I would enjoy taking more of your money in car repair bills, I would prefer you didn’t get stranded anywhere else. Follow me.”
It took an extreme act of will, but Vini managed to turn away from those enigmatic eyes, gesturing for Jessica to follow her into the back room. Aiden looked up from behind a stack of boxes when they walked in. When his eyes landed on Jessica, he smiled.
“Hey, stranger. What brings you ’round again?” He nodded at Vini. “Did the boss lady fuck up your ride?”
Jessica laughed and shook her head. “I think the bastard was a lost cause to begin with, but it’s running just fine.”
Vini narrowed her eyes at his insinuation that she hadn’t done a perfect job fixing Jessica’s car. “The car is fine, asshole. I promised I’d teach Jessica some basic car care.”
Aiden nodded. “Makes sense. Peach Blossom is pretty chill, but you don’t want to get caught out in some of these other small towns. Not all of them are as friendly to outsiders.”
That was putting it lightly in Vini’s opinion, but she stayed mum about that as she led Jessica to the smaller back room that served as her makeshift office. There wasn’t a ton of room in it, but there was just enough space for her desk, a couple chairs and a small hutch that she kept extra clothes in. When the front lobby door chimed, she gestured for Aiden to take care of it.
“Come on in here and get changed.”
Jessica looked down at her clothes. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing now?”
Vini looked her up and down, trying her hardest not to let her gaze linger more than necessary. “Nothing, if you were relaxing at a café. But when you’re working in the shop, you can’t have anything loose or dangling. That includes jewelry, clothing and hair.”
“I didn’t bring anything else with me,” Jessica replied. “Should I head back and grab something different to put on?”
She probably should have said yes if only to give herself more time to handle the fact that she was going to be spending more time with Jessica than she had planned. It wasn’t unwelcome. Far from it. She just needed more time to prepare. Imagine her shock when her mouth answered for her. “No. I have some clothes in here that should fit you.”
Vini opened the small closet before she lost her nerve, grabbing a clean shirt and pair of pants. The pants would probably be slightly short given their difference in height, but they would have to do.
“If you wanted to see me naked again, all you had to do was ask.”
Vini almost dropped the clothes at the sound of that voice whispered so close to her ear. A shiver ran through her, but she forced herself to turn slowly. She shouldn’t have been surprised at how close they were, and yet somehow she was. Jessica hadn’t waited before sliding her loose blouse over her head. Curls tumbled down over her shoulders, making Vini’s fingers itch to reach out and take hold.
“I didn’t bring you back here for this,” Vini replied truthfully forcing her gaze to stay locked on Jessica’s. Thankfully, the door behind Jessica was shut hiding them away from prying eyes. It also left her reeling at how much privacy they had. The room wasn’t soundproof, but they could be quiet. It might even be more fun to try. “I just didn’t want you to ruin your clothes or sue me when you got stuck in a car part.”
Jessica chuckled softly before taking a step forward. She reached out her hand. “Well, in that case, I’ll get dressed. Sorry for the misunderstanding.”
Vini looked down at the outstretched hand. She could pass the clothes to Jessica, and they could put this behind them, or she could take advantage of the privacy. Clearly, Jessica was open to another hookup between them.
Was Vini?
“Vin?” Jessica’s voice was soft and her expression open. There was no smirk on her face as she watched waiting for what Vini would do. “It’s really okay. I can get changed, and we can—”
Vini moved then, dropping the clothes so she could take Jessica’s face between the palms of her hands. That earnest expression and her own desire had done her in. She wanted this, and there was nothing else holding them back, so why not? Vini had always been so good, holding back and making sure everyone else was taken care of. It was her turn to have something she wanted, and right now, she wanted heated kisses and blunt nails digging into her skin.
Jessica’s lips were just as addicting as she remembered, and Vini fell into them with relish. She backed them up until she felt Jessica hit the door. When arms wrapped themselves around her waist, she groaned, letting her desire unfurl. The office was small enough that in moments the air was heated. Jessica’s hands gripped Vini’s back, pulling her in farther until there was no space between them. It was a wildness Vini had never experienced or imagined. Whenever she had thought about sex, she had pictured soft kisses and sweet giggles. This was all that and more. Teeth dug into her bottom lip, making Vini groan, and a tongue sought entrance into her mouth that she granted willingly.
“Should we be doing this in here?” Jessica whispered, her lips forming a smile against Vini’s as they sucked in air.
“Not at all,” Vini replied with a smile of her own showing how little she cared about that fact. “This is probably a really bad idea, but I don’t give a fuck.”
One of Jessica’s hands came up and cupped her cheek. Her eyes had gone dark as she looked down at Vini’s lips. Vini licked them, loving the burst of heat she could see in those mocha depths. A thumb traced her lips, and she didn’t hesitate to suck it in, letting her tongue bathe it with wet heat.
“Such a dirty mouth for such a pretty girl,” Jessica breathed out before leaning in to taste from Vini’s mouth again. Her words set Vini’s blood aflame, and she parted her lips readily.
Everything was slick and hot. Vini trailed her hands over Jessica’s shoulders gripping for a moment when Jessica’s tongue traced the sensitive roof of her mouth. When it toyed with her own, she carved her blunt nails down Jessica’s back, enjoying the moaning vibration her actions brought. She was about to move her hands to Jessica’s bra strap when a knock came from the other side of the door making them both freeze.