Chapter 5
A spreading warmth ran from the gorgeous brunette’s hand to Court’s, then proceeded to fill her body. Court didn’t want to let go of the woman’s hand and lose that warmth. Never. It fit perfectly in hers. No one’s hand had ever been so perfect in her hand.
When she had walked over, she had just wanted to distract the woman from Rebel. Because it was a game and she played to win. Until she got close enough to touch her, and then she wanted Rebel to stop looking at her, period. A protectiveness came out of her that had never been there before.
Stephanie, with the shimmering short, tight red dress, was exactly her type. But the emerald eyes with brown flecks had taken her breath away. The tongue that had snuck out to lick her lips had stopped her heart, and the freckled shoulders had made Court want to kiss everyone.
But it had been the touch that had captivated her. Warmth spread through her from it, heating a coldness she didn’t even know she had. Thawing something in her instantly.
Stephanie didn’t seem in a hurry to stop shaking her hand, either. Did she feel the same attraction as Court did? The pull?
“Would you like to dance, Stephanie?” Rebel butted in loudly from somewhere that seemed so far away even if she was probably just mere feet from them.
Stephanie was looking at her with her rich green eyes. They didn’t move from her face. They didn’t turn to Rebel as she mouthed the word yes. Something that Court was glad Rebel couldn’t see, because she’d never get to dance with this woman as long as Court was near.
Instead of dropping her hand, Court set her glass on the bar, needing to maintain contact before grabbing Stephanie’s other hand pulling her from her barstool. The woman came willingly, even as Rebel protested behind them. Court didn’t care what her friend was saying. She wasn’t even listening.
Slowly, Court walked backwards towards the dance floor, not caring about who was behind her she might run into, because her entire focus was on Stephanie in front of her.
The moment she knew she was on the dance floor, she pulled her into her arms and pressed their bodies together.
Dancing was optional, holding Stephanie was all that was important at that moment.
“I don’t think we’re dancing to the song playing?” Stephanie said, but still kept her feet following Court’s lead, and not the tempo of the song that was playing around them.
When Court tried to pull away because the song was far faster than the slow dance she wanted, Stephanie’s grip tightened on her, keeping her right where she was.
Which meant that they were doing exactly what they both wanted to be doing.
Nobody else mattered to them. How many times had Court seen this exact scene play out in front of her and mocked the couple?
That, she was sure, would never happen again.
Right now, Court was even at a loss as to what to say to her. Chatting up a woman had always been easy. She was a natural. Until today. Today she was tongue-tied and wanted to know everything about this woman at once, yet she wanted to learn it all slowly across a lifetime.
Stumbling a little with her steps, she wondered why she was thinking about a lifetime, because this was, if anything, a one-night stand.
She wasn’t made for long-term relationships.
That was what she had learned a long time ago.
It just wasn’t in her. Her life had started as a brief affair, and nothing in her life had lasted long. She had accepted it.
“What brings you out tonight?” Court asked, because it was an easy one, not much thought. Usually, she didn’t care why a woman was in the bar, but with Stephanie, she wanted to know why she had walked into her life. How could she keep her there? Why she had never seen her before this night?
At the question, Stephanie laughed, not a little laugh, a full-body laugh that had Court wanting to join in, that ended in the cutest smile. “Your friend Rebel asked me the exact same thing. Do you two have all the same lines?”
“She steals them from me.” Court wished she had used nothing that even sounded like a line. Stephanie deserved more than a line.
Stephanie crocked her head. “So you’re the one with all the lines? Are you two really friends?”
Nodding, she splayed her hands over the woman’s taunt back muscles under the red dress, feeling the heat from her body through the thin fabric. “We are, for years. She and her sister are my best friends.”
“But you don’t like her? Or her sister, for that matter?” She asked, like so many people had over the years, but there had never been a pull towards either of them.
“Not even a little bit. Great women, just not for me. Not like you.” Court liked this woman more than she cared to admit.
Being with her, in her arms, made Court forget why she had even come out in the first place.
What had prompted her to be here on this night in particular? If it hadn’t been to find this woman.
“I’m here for a girls’ night out after a breakup. To get my mind off my ex.” She finally answered Court’s first question.
Pulling her even closer, Court relished the feel of the brunette barely touching the hair at her nape as they swayed to the music in their heads, because the new song playing was too fast for them.
She hoped Stephanie had already forgotten completely about anyone else in the world, Court had. “Is it working?”
“To tell the truth, it isn’t not working.” Inching closer, Stephanie admitted and then blushed, “What do you do? For a living, that is?”
“I work at a bank.” It was a little lie, one she told often.
Because if she told every woman she met she was a financial advisor at her own firm, she’d have more issues shaking one-night stands when morning came.
Once they thought you were successful, they became clingier.
It had happened far more than she liked to admit.
Even Rebel, her business partner, usually lied about her career. Though hers usually were far wilder than bank employee. Mostly, she was either a model or an heiress. Once, a woman believed she was a princess from some made-up Asian country for an entire month.
Rebel did it because she didn’t feel the need to settle down. She loved the bar scene, and Court couldn’t see her not going out every weekend. Something she assumed she’d join in for years to come. Until right now. Until this woman.
“And you?”
“Fitness instructor.”
“I could use some instructing.” Court flirted, knowing it was a sleazy line, and regretted it instantly.
Stephanie didn’t seem put off by the remark and raised a perfect eyebrow and flirted back. “In fitness or in other areas?”
“Both,” Court whispered, knowing this was a bad idea. The woman was just out of a relationship and was probably thinking about getting into another one.
“I think that can be arranged.” Stephanie pulled her head down and kissed Court.
The kiss wasn’t tentative at all; it was needy and demanding and everything Court needed from her right now.
To show her what she needed. Court could taste the rum she had been drinking and something that was purely Stephanie as their tongues met and mated.
Not getting enough of her sweet taste, Court deepened the kiss, pulling their bodies closer together.
Their steps had all but stopped, and they were just making out in the middle of the dance floor until a woman slammed into Court’s back.
Causing them both to nearly landed on the floor.
Stephanie seemed to be able to keep them on their feet, but the force had stopped the kiss in its tracks.
And Court knew this wasn’t the place to start it again.
Because her fingers were itching to touch every part of her.
Their eyes met and held in the flickering lights of the band. Court watched emotions flicker just as fast, regret, indication, lust, need, want, acceptance. Without a work, Stephanie took her hand and headed for the door. Weaving in and out of dancing couples like a pro.
Once outside, the silence was deafening, with only the thumping of the speakers from inside the building still present. The sound of traffic didn’t mask the sound of Stephanie’s labored breathing as they just looked at each other. Neither moving, saying nothing for long moments.
“Come home with me,” Stephanie's voice was far softer than the yelling they had been doing since they met.
Just the sound made the hair on Court’s neck raise. It was familiar and foreign all at the same time. Though she hated chatty women, she wanted this one never to stop speaking to her in that soft voice.
“Are you sure?” She asked and regretted it. The last thing she wanted was for her to change her mind and, even worse, if she regretted what was about to happen in the morning.
“Never more sure of anything in my life.” Stephanie sounded more sincere than ever.
“Where do you live?” She said in way of agreement.
Instead of answering, Stephanie flagged down a taxi, then smiled at her. “Not far.”
Inside the cab, she gave the address, and they were off. Ignoring the middle-aged driver, she turned her attention to the woman and traced the line of her jaw before kissing her again. Not caring what the old man saw, just needing to be close to each other.
At least the drive was short because Court was about ready to strip the woman from her dress right there in the cab to see everything she was feeling as her finger explored.
Throwing money at the man, Court didn’t wait for the change, because it didn’t matter.
What mattered was getting inside with Stephanie.
Following her as she went, Court paid no attention to anything but the shimmering red fabric on her back and the way her muscles flashed with every step.
It took what felt like hours for her to get the door open and let them in. Once the door closed, Court took over and pulled her into her arms where she belonged. Stephanie went willingly, with a soft purr that was Court’s complete undoing.