Chapter 25
Elizabeth watched Kelsey’s chest rise and fall, quick and uneven, as she settled onto the bed.
The sheets bunched under her back, pale against her skin, and Elizabeth stood there for a beat, taking in the flush across her collarbones, the way her thighs parted just enough to invite.
Kelsey wanted this, no question about it, her eyes fixed on Elizabeth’s face with that raw need that twisted something deep in Elizabeth’s gut.
She climbed onto the bed, knees sinking into the mattress on either side of Kelsey’s hips, her own weight shifting forward until she hovered over her.
The air between them felt thick, charged, and Elizabeth lowered herself slowly, careful not to rush it, letting their bodies align. Skin met skin where it mattered most, Kelsey’s breasts pressing soft and warm against hers, nipples already hard and grazing with the slightest movement.
The contact sent a jolt straight through Elizabeth, heat pooling low in her belly, but she held back the groan building in her throat. Kelsey’s body yielded under her, pliant and alive, every curve fitting against Elizabeth’s like they’d been waiting for this alignment.
Kelsey’s words echoed in her head, clear as if she’d said them again right now.
I want your fingers. Inside me, Liz. Please.
That plea, the way it cracked at the end, had undone her back against the wall.
Elizabeth had imagined tasting her first, dragging her mouth down that gold-draped body she’d eyed all night, but no.
This asked for direct, and she wouldn’t make Kelsey wait anymore.
She wanted to feel her clench around her fingers, watch her face when she came, know she’d been the one to push her there.
Their mouths found each other almost on instinct, the kiss starting slow but turning hungry fast. Elizabeth braced one hand beside Kelsey’s head, the other sliding up her side, tracing the dip of her waist where the skin was impossibly smooth, warmed from the reception’s heat.
Kelsey’s lips parted under hers, tongue meeting Elizabeth’s with a tentative slide that quickly turned bold, and Elizabeth angled her head to deepen it, tasting the linger of whiskey and something sweeter, like the lip balm she’d noticed earlier.
Kelsey’s hands came up to her shoulders, fingers digging in just enough to pull her closer, and Elizabeth let her own hand wander higher, cupping one breast, thumb brushing over the nipple in a firm circle that made Kelsey arch into her.
The movement pressed their bodies tighter, breasts sliding together with a friction that made Elizabeth’s breath catch, a sharp tug low in her core.
She broke the kiss to trail her mouth along Kelsey’s jaw, nipping lightly at the skin there, feeling the pulse jump under her lips.
Kelsey’s hand tangled in her hair, tugging just hard enough to send a spark down Elizabeth’s spine, and she murmured against her neck, voice rougher than she intended.
“You feel this?” Elizabeth said, her hand squeezing gently at Kelsey’s breast, rolling the nipple between her fingers until Kelsey gasped. “I’ve wanted to touch you like this since you walked out in that dress.”
Kelsey nodded, a small sound escaping her, half word, half moan. “Then do it. Touch me.”
Elizabeth’s mouth curved against her skin, confidence settling in like the first clear argument in a tangled case. She shifted her weight, knee nudging Kelsey’s thighs wider, settling between them now, the heat radiating from her core brushing against the thin barrier of Elizabeth’s panties.
She kissed her again, slower this time, letting her hand drift downward, over the soft plane of Kelsey’s stomach, fingers splaying to feel the muscles tense under her touch.
The skin there was warm, slightly damp with a sheen of sweat, and Elizabeth savored the way it quivered as her palm slid lower, hovering just above where Kelsey needed her most.
She could see it in Kelsey’s face, the way her eyes half-lidded, lips parting on a silent plea.
No pretending here, no contract clause about displays of affection.
This was real, and Elizabeth felt it coil tight in her chest, a mix of triumph and something softer, more dangerous, like finally admitting the brief was winnable after all.
Her fingers dipped lower, brushing through the trimmed hair at the top of Kelsey’s mound, then circling her clit with a light, teasing pressure.
Kelsey bucked up immediately, a whine pulling from her throat, and Elizabeth pressed a little firmer, watching her eyes flutter shut.
“Look at me,” Elizabeth said, voice low, her thumb taking over the circles while her fingers explored the slick heat just below.
Kelsey obeyed, brown eyes dark and glassy, and Elizabeth felt her own arousal spike, wetness soaking through her panties where their bodies pressed close.
She leaned down, capturing Kelsey’s mouth in a brief, hard kiss, then pulled back enough to slide one finger inside her, slow and deliberate, feeling the tight, wet clench around her knuckle.
Kelsey’s hips lifted off the bed, a sharp breath escaping her as she clutched at Elizabeth’s arms. “Yes. God, Liz.”
The sound of her name like that, needy and broken, urged Elizabeth on.
She added a second finger, curling them slightly to stroke the front wall, the angle hitting just right based on the way Kelsey’s inner muscles fluttered.
She kept the rhythm steady, thrusting in and out.
Their breasts moved with it, sliding against each other, nipples catching and sending fresh waves of sensation through Elizabeth’s body, her own hips rocking instinctively against Kelsey’s thigh for friction.
Elizabeth kissed the corner of her mouth, then her jaw, nuzzling into the crook of her neck where the scent of her shampoo lingered, floral and faint under the salt of her skin.
Kelsey’s walls tightened around her fingers, pulling her deeper, and Elizabeth increased the pace just a fraction, feeling the build in the way Kelsey’s thighs trembled against her sides.
This was what she’d denied herself for years, the control of giving pleasure without the mess of expectations, but with Kelsey it felt different, like the win came with a quiet ache in her chest, a recognition that she didn’t want this to end tomorrow.
Kelsey’s hand fisted in the sheets, her other arm wrapping around Elizabeth’s back, nails digging in lightly as she arched up. “Don’t stop. I’m close.”
Elizabeth didn’t. She thrust deeper, curling her fingers again, thumb pressing harder on the clit, and Kelsey’s body went taut beneath her, a low moan spilling out as she clenched around Elizabeth’s fingers, the pulses hot and insistent.
Elizabeth rode it out with her, slowing her movements but not pulling away, kissing her through the aftershocks, soft and lingering on her mouth, her temple, the curve of her shoulder.
Kelsey’s breaths evened out gradually, her body relaxing into the mattress, and Elizabeth finally withdrew her fingers, slick and warm, wiping them absently on the sheet before propping herself up on one elbow to watch her.
Kelsey’s eyes opened, hazy and satisfied, a small smile tugging at her lips as she reached up to trace Elizabeth’s jaw. “Fuck.” She sighed. “That was amazing.”
“You’re gorgeous,” Elizabeth said, voice steady despite the throb between her own legs, the way her body still hummed with unmet need.
Elizabeth lifted her head from the pillow, her hair spilling loose across Kelsey’s shoulder, sticking to the damp skin there.
The room smelled of them now, sharp and musky under the faint hotel lavender, and her own pulse thrummed between her legs, insistent, but she ignored it.
Kelsey lay splayed beneath her, chest still heaving, one hand loose on Elizabeth’s hip, the other trailing idly up her arm.
Those brown eyes held hers, soft at the edges, like she’d just surfaced from deep water.
“I want to taste you,” Elizabeth said, the words slipping out before she could weigh them. Her voice came low, almost a rumble against Kelsey’s collarbone where her lips hovered.
Kelsey blinked, slow, her body shifting under Elizabeth’s weight, thighs brushing against her sides.
She looked spent, beautiful in the wreckage, sweat beading along her hairline, but a corner of her mouth curved up, lazy and knowing.
Elizabeth caught the flicker in her gaze, the way it dipped to Elizabeth’s mouth, then back up, as if Kelsey pictured her own hands taking over now, flipping them, making Elizabeth shatter next.
But Kelsey just smiled that way, sexy in its laziness, head tilting back against the pillow in quiet agreement.
No words, just that curve of her lips, inviting.
Elizabeth moved before the moment could stretch too thin.
She pressed a kiss to Kelsey’s mouth first, brief and open, tongues touching once, then pulled back.
Her hands followed, sliding down Kelsey’s sides, thumbs tracing the flare of her hips, feeling the faint tremble still lingering from before.
The skin felt alive under her palms, warm and yielding, and Elizabeth’s breath caught at how easily Kelsey arched into the touch, unselfconscious, like she trusted this completely.