Chapter 19 #2
Another moan broke from Casey, muffled against Stephanie’s lips. Stephanie’s own breath went ragged. She kept moving, every rock of her hips pulling fresh sparks up her spine. Her tank top had ridden up, bare stomach pressing against Casey’s side, and the contact felt electric.
She broke the kiss only to trail her mouth along Casey’s jaw, nipping lightly at the skin there before soothing it with her tongue.
Her hand kept moving, thumb circling slowly in a way that matched the rhythm of their hips.
Casey’s fingers dug into Stephanie’s hip, bunching the gray shorts, and the grip sent another wave of that strange power through her.
This was her. Doing this. Making Casey breathe like that, short and uneven, making her own body throb with need.
“I didn’t know it could feel like this,” Stephanie murmured, lips brushing Casey’s ear. Her voice came out breathy, almost embarrassed, but she kept touching, kept kissing the spot just below Casey’s ear that made her shiver. “Just kissing you. Touching you a little. It’s got me so worked up.”
She slid her hand back down Casey’s back, fingers slipping just under the pants to trace the top of her ass. The skin there was softer, warmer, and Casey arched into the touch with a quiet gasp. Stephanie swallowed hard, fighting the urge to push further.
Her free hand found Casey’s breast again, squeezing gently through the halter and the bra beneath it this time, feeling the weight of it, the way it filled her palm.
She kissed Casey deep, tongues tangling, while her thumb moved in slow strokes.
Another moan rolled out of Casey and Stephanie drank it down, chest tight with that heady rush of power.
She had spent so many years not knowing her own body could do this, could crave like this.
Now every touch, every sound, every slide of fabric against her center told her she had been starving for it.
Casey’s hand slipped under Stephanie’s tank top, palm hot against her bare back, and Stephanie pressed into it with a whimper of her own.
The touch felt grounding and overwhelming all at once.
She kept her own hand moving under Casey’s top, exploring every inch of skin she could reach without taking it further.
Her hips rocked again, chasing that building pressure, the ache that kept tightening low in her belly. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep from coming just like this, fully dressed and barely touching, but she didn’t want it to end. Not yet.
“Casey,” she breathed between kisses, voice cracking a little. Her fingers traced circles on Casey’s hip now, dipping just beneath the pants again. “Tell me if it’s too much. I don’t want to stop, but I also don’t know what I’m doing here.”
Stephanie’s breath caught when Casey’s mouth found the side of her neck.
Warm lips pressed there, soft at first, then firmer, sending a rush straight down her spine that made her hips shift against the bed without meaning to.
The contact felt too good, too much, her skin prickling everywhere Casey’s breath ghosted over it.
She tilted her head, giving more room, pulse hammering so loud she could hear it in her ears.
Casey pulled back just enough to meet her eyes, blue gaze steady even with her own cheeks flushed. “You definitely know what you’re doing.”
The words landed warm in Stephanie’s chest, easing some of the nerves twisting there.
But then Casey leaned in again, mouth trailing along her neck and up to her jaw, slow kisses that made her stomach flip and her thighs press together.
Each press of lips dragged heat through her, leaving her skin damp from the humidity and the way her body kept reacting.
She wanted to push closer, to feel more of Casey’s weight on her, but the words that came next stopped her cold.
“But I don’t think we should sleep together tonight. It’s too fast.”
Disappointment slammed into her, sharp enough that her chest tightened and a different kind of heat rushed up her neck.
Her stomach dropped, a heavy twist that left her feeling suddenly exposed, legs still tangled with Casey’s.
She swallowed hard, fighting the urge to pull away or argue.
Rejection stung even if it came wrapped in kindness.
Casey must have seen it on her face because her hand came up, fingers brushing Stephanie’s cheek with a tenderness that made her breath hitch.
The touch stayed light, thumb stroking along her jaw like she was something worth handling carefully.
“I know it would be easy to. But I don’t think we should. I could spend hours just kissing you.”
The honesty in those words loosened the knot in Stephanie’s ribs a fraction. Hours. Casey wanted to stay here with her, even if it meant not going further.
The thought sent a fresh wave of warmth through her chest, mixing with the disappointment until she didn’t know what she felt anymore. Just that she didn’t want this to end. Her body still hummed, the ache between her legs sharp enough that she had to fight not to rock against Casey’s thigh again.
Casey kissed her then, slow and deep, mouth moving like they had all night.
Stephanie melted into it, lips parting, tongue brushing Casey’s in a way that pulled a low sound from her own throat.
Her hand slid up under the black halter again, palm flattening against warm skin, fingers tracing the curve of a rib.
She squeezed Casey’s breast gently through the layers of fabric, feeling the shape of her, and the moan Casey let out vibrated against her mouth and went straight between her legs.
Stephanie’s hips rolled once, chasing the pressure of Casey’s thigh still wedged there, the friction dragging fresh heat through her center.
She broke the kiss enough to catch her breath, forehead resting against Casey’s.
Her free hand kept moving, sliding down to grip Casey’s hip, thumb dipping just under the waistband of those tan pants to feel smooth skin.
Everything felt heightened, her own breathing loud in the quiet room, the ceiling fan pushing warm air over her damp neck.
She wanted to keep chasing that pressure, wanted to feel Casey’s hands everywhere, but the words still sat between them.
Too fast. She understood it, even if her body protested with every throb.
“What do you think?” Casey asked, voice low, one hand still cupping Stephanie’s face while the other traced slow circles on her lower back, slipping under the hem of the tank top to brush bare skin.
Stephanie’s chest rose and fell too quick. She felt flushed all over, cheeks hot, the ache between her legs sharp enough that she had to fight not to rock against Casey’s thigh again.
Part of her wanted to argue, to say she was ready, that she had never wanted anything more in her life. But another part, the one that had spent forty-six years playing it safe, felt a flicker of relief.
This was already so much. The kissing, the touching, the way her body kept lighting up under Casey’s hands. She didn’t know how she’d feel when they went further, and the thought of rushing into all of it made her stomach flutter with nerves even as desire kept her skin tingling.
She kissed Casey again instead of answering right away, slower this time, mouth lingering. She kissed along Casey’s jaw like Casey had done to her, lips brushing the warm skin, tasting the faint salt there. When she pulled back just enough to speak, her voice came out soft and a little unsteady.
“You’re right,” she whispered. “We shouldn’t sleep together tonight. As much as I want to, I think you’re right.”
Her body felt alive in a way it never had, every nerve tuned to the woman beside her. The disappointment was still there, but it was fading.
For now, the slow kisses, the way their legs stayed tangled felt like enough and too much all at once.