Chapter 17 June
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
June
She would taste like key lime pie if I kissed her.
That was all I could think about on our drive back to Whynot.
After stuffing ourselves on tapas and sangrias, we’d watched the sunset while feasting on key lime pie from the bakery I’d sworn Madi into secrecy on. By the time we started our drive back home, the sky danced with stars and a bright sliver of the moon.
“You can see everything out here,” she whispered in awe.
Her gaze had been fixed out the window for the last few minutes. Seeing my world through her eyes was giving me a new appreciation for it.
I was pretty sure I’d spilled most of my life story to her. I’d skipped the ugliest parts. I’d made sure to highlight the good ones. But, I’d told her everything.
She’d told me everything too.
Justin was an asshole. I wished that guy would show his ugly face on our doorstep so I could shove my fist through it. And Veronica? Fuck that bitch. I hoped she choked on her fake diamond.
Needless to say, I was Team Madi.
I was also Team Kiss Her Again.
The Whynot town limits sign came into view, flashing our measly population number. I swallowed hard, realizing our date was coming to an end.
Date. It was a date, right?
All of this was probably a bad idea. But I couldn’t stop myself from asking . . .
“Do you want to hang out for a bit longer? You could come over to my place.”
“Yes,” she said immediately.
The air crackled with tension. There’d been moments here and there while we sat and talked and got to know each other, but right now I felt the full force of it. The full force of wanting her.
Silence followed again. Were both of us holding our breaths? Was she also slightly panicking, or was that just me?
I’d known I was pansexual for years. It was something I’d learned about myself early in life. My mother had always given me hell for being a weird queer kid, but I’d been lucky enough to have friends who always embraced me. And who turned out to be a little gay themselves, too.
Even knowing that, I’d never been with a woman.
Not for lack of trying, but the dating pool in Whynot was the size of a penny, and even though I’d somehow ended up with friends who were all pretty open, mostly everyone else our age here were straight.
Aside from a couple sloppy kisses in bars, I’d never had the chance.
I was nervous. In a good way. I wasn’t even sure something would happen between us, but god I wanted it to.
But what about Dallas?
Would he be upset if he knew about this? Did he know about this? Shouldn’t I have texted him and told him I was stealing his girl?
Did this even qualify as me stealing his girl?
“I think I can smell the burn of both of our minds working in overdrive,” Madi said.
“Oh, that’s what that is,” I joked.
“The whole time we talked, we never really discussed sex or relationships. Well, aside from me bitching about Justin.” She sighed as if she were disappointed in herself. “Sorry.”
“No, don’t be. I like having someone I don’t know that I can hate on unreasonably. He was terrible.”
I cleared my throat as I turned onto a quiet street. A couple lefts, a right, and then my house came into view at the end of the road—small and quaint and perfect for me.
All those nerves came rushing back. I thought I’d had them under control, but they were like a bunch of wild horses galloping free. I pulled into my driveway, my heart thumping wildly as we got out.
“Your house is so cute,” she said.
“Thanks,” I croaked.
Oh my god, I was dying. Sweating profusely.
I went up the three steps to my front porch. Madi’s hand caught mine and I gasped as she spun me around.
Madi’s hair was pulled back into a messy bun, loose strands falling around the curve of her neck. Her dark brows pulled together, her eyes searching mine. She had the longest lashes, and this close, I could see flecks of gold in her irises.
I couldn’t think straight. My blood buzzed with the electricity of her presence.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” I whispered.
“I haven’t stopped since Sunday.” She swallowed. “If I kiss you on your front porch, is that okay?”
“Yes. Please.”
Madi’s hands settled on my hips, her breath tumbling out as she leaned down. I circled my arms around her neck, moaning as she lifted me with ease and backed me against the brick wall. Her hands gripped my hips, our bodies pressing against each other.
Fuck. Desire soared in my blood, my head spinning. All the negative voices reminding me this was a bad idea went up in smoke. Her fingers tangled with my hair at the base of my head and she tugged it back, drawing a moan from me.
“You’re going on a date tomorrow,” I rasped. “With Dallas.”
“I am.” She searched my gaze. “I want to.”
A frown tugged at my lips. “I feel like I’m stealing you from him.”
“Not stealing me.” She shook her head, then leaned in, her lips meeting my neck. “I want him too, June. Is that okay? Is this okay?”
“Yes.” It tumbled from my lips as her tongue traced a hot line over my skin. I shivered, my nipples hardening to aching peaks, begging to be touched by her. “Fuck, that feels good, Madi. Will he care? That we’re touching each other?”
Would he care that I wanted her?
“I think he might like the idea, honestly.”
I jerked in surprise. “Really?”
Madi hummed as she pressed more kisses up and down my neck. I sucked in a breath every time her mouth touched this one spot. Just a small kiss right there was enough to make me wet.
I’d been too busy avoiding his questions on Monday to even consider that Dallas might not only be okay with this, but encourage it too.
My gut reaction wasn’t jealousy like I thought it would be.
Instead, all I could think about was what that would be like.
What would it be like to be sandwiched between a sexy bearded mechanic and tall curvy artist with slender hands?
What would it be like to get on my knees and pleasure both of them?
I whimpered as our lips met again. I rocked my hips against her, hungry for more. I was touch-starved.
“Have you ever been with a woman?” I rasped.
Madi’s chuckle only turned me on more. She was so different like this. Confident. All throughout lunch, I’d seen glimpses of this side of her, but now that she was holding me? Nothing else compared. Every single touch and kiss and movement was laced with knowing exactly what she wanted.
She was perfect.
“Long ago. You?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No.”
Her eyes widened. “Really? Between the two of us, I would have assumed you had more experience.”
I swallowed hard. “It’s a small town. I haven’t really dated that much. I’ve had some one-night stands when I’ve taken trips to a city. I’ve had a few failed first dates. A few relationships that only lasted a couple weeks.”
It felt embarrassing saying it out loud.
Between me, Evie, and Avery—I’d always been a late bloomer in a lot of ways.
It was easier to act like I knew what I was doing, but when it came down to it, I didn’t have the experience I craved.
Not to mention, all of the people I’d been with in the past had mostly been vanilla. They couldn’t match my appetite.
But Madi?
I knew she could. I knew she would.
Just like I knew Dallas would too if I ever gave him the chance.
Bad idea. This is a bad idea. Fear tore through me. What if I caught feelings for her? What if all of this went sideways? What if I somehow ruined everything?
I didn’t want this moment to end, though.
Madi’s palms smoothed over my thighs, then gripped them harder, holding me between her and the wall. “I can’t believe it. You’re beautiful and smart and you have cool tattoos and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since our kiss.”
“I think that kiss got me through this week actually. And now this one . . .” My gaze dropped to her lips. They were puffy and taunting me for another one. I wanted to bite her. I wanted to get on my knees for her. Fuck, I wanted to do a lot of things to and for her. “Are we going too fast?”
A smile curved her beautiful lips. “Maybe. But, I don’t care. I want this.”
Her honesty calmed down the raging beat in my chest. “I want this too.”
“And I quite like the idea of being your first time, even though it’s been too long for me.
Eight years with a man who didn’t know how to make me come was enough for me to build up a reservoir of yearning for good sex.
” Madi leaned in, whispering against my ear.
“I want to taste you on my tongue when I go home tonight.”
Her words were a match. Sparks flew as I found her mouth against mine again, our tongues tangling together, devouring, starving, begging. I was so hungry for pleasure.
“I have a bed,” I rasped.
“Thank god. I was worried I’d have to fuck you on the floor.”
I choked out a laugh. “I want to be in it with you. I’ll do whatever you want me to.”
She smirked. “I know you will.”
My pussy pulsed at her response, my breath catching.
Madi didn’t put me down. Instead, she kept my legs wrapped around her waist as she fished my keys out of my back pocket and unlocked the front door. She carried me inside, pausing every couple steps to kiss me again.
“Down the hall,” I directed. “To the right. Door at the end.”
We made it to my bedroom and she took me straight to my bed. I plopped down on the edge, already kicking off my boots. Madi stood up and started to undress slowly, taking her time even as I rushed to strip.
The moment I was naked, Madi made a sound of approval. “You’re absolutely beautiful, June. I’m obsessed with your tattoos. I want to lick every thorn on your thigh.”
“You can,” I squeaked, staring at her with wide eyes.