12. Chapter 12
One song ended and another began. The beat shifted and Ceth threw yet another glance toward the bar.
If her slightly intoxicated dance partner—Claire?
Clara? Kira?—noticed how many times Ceth had checked up on Krystal while they were dancing, she didn’t show it.
She was still pressed against Ceth like the two of them were attached with Velcro.
It’d been nice at first. After all, it had been a few months since Ceth had been with a woman, but after a song or two, the woman’s clinginess was getting oppressive.
Everything about this setup was wrong. Ceth was out here dancing with a woman she had no intention of doing anything else with, despite Krystal’s grand plan that they both make conquests, while Krystal was at the bar.
Ceth did a doubletake and scowled at the barstools where Krystal and the preppy dude who’d bought her a drink had been sitting until only a moment ago. But now the seats were empty.
Ceth’s stomach dropped as her eyes scanned the rest of the bar area without seeing a trace of Krystal or the guy.
She was gone.
“Whatsa matter, babe?” Ceth’s partner slurred into her ear. Ceth barely managed not to recoil.
She glanced at the woman and shook her head. “Nothing’s the matter. It’s just getting hot in here. I think I need some air.”
“I’ll come with you!”
With a determined mixture of gentle and firm, Ceth managed to unwrap herself from the woman and back away. “No, that’s okay. You stay here and enjoy yourself.”
Ceth took two more rapid steps back then spun to face the bar’s exit. Had Krystal really left with that guy?
Her pulse picked up to borderline panic levels. Krystal wouldn’t do it this fast, would she? She hadn’t even told Ceth she was leaving. Did she drive herself or get in the car with this random man?
Ceth’s stomach began twisting itself into a web of knots as she moved to the edge of the dance floor.
Before she stepped away, though, she noticed the crowd of dancers begin to part as many of them turned to face something closer to the center of the floor.
Irritated by the distraction but curious too, Ceth turned also and her breath caught.
There in the middle of the small crowd stood Krystal, dancing alone to the sensual beat of the music.
Her eyes were closed as she lost herself in it.
One arm was raised above her head while her fingers mussed through her hair, and the other hand was slowly sliding down her body from her breast to her ribs and down over her hips.
The sway of her hips was pure poetry: simultaneously erotic and graceful.
An urgent buzz began to spread through Ceth’s body as she watched, concentrating in her center. Her feet seemed to carry her forward on their own as Krystal’s voluptuous energy drew Ceth with the force of a dozen magnets.
Once Ceth was directly in front of her, Krystal’s eyes fluttered open and met hers, a heat Ceth had never seen burning in their blue-green depths.
Krystal reached out and placed her hands on Ceth’s shoulders, sliding them up until they cupped the back of her neck. Ceth’s skin thrilled at the touch, even more so as Krystal leaned in to speak in her ear.
“Are you sure you really know me?”
Ceth swallowed and shook her head once.
When Krystal moved closer so that their bodies touched, Ceth’s hands came up to rest on her waist. Slowly, they started moving to the music.
It was so different than when they’d danced the day before. That had been lighthearted, even sweet. This was heated and electric. Ceth was combusting from the inside out at the feel of Krystal’s body against hers. Yet somehow it wasn’t close enough.
As the song’s screaming guitar instrumental replaced the vocals, Ceth spun Krystal in a half turn and tugged her backwards.
They melded together, Krystal’s ass firmly pressed into Ceth and she gyrated against Ceth in a tantalizing rhythm.
Breathing hard, Ceth nestled her face into Krystal’s hair and lightly brushed her nose against her ear.
When Krystal’s body shuddered in response, Ceth felt it deep in her core.
Emboldened, Ceth lowered her head and placed a whisper-soft kiss on the bare shoulder that had been distracting her all night long. She felt rather than heard Krystal gasp before she spun around in Ceth’s arms and stared up at her just as the song came to an end.
Ceth’s eyes widened as they looked into Krystal’s and her stomach lurched. She’d taken this too far. Gotten too caught up in the moment. What had she even been thinking?
“Krystal, I—”
“Come with me,” Krystal ordered. She grabbed Ceth’s hand and hauled her off the dance floor before Ceth could say another word.
In another minute, they were standing alone together in a small hallway near the restrooms. A single lightbulb flickered above them, and the carpet beneath was dingy and vaguely damp, but Ceth only halfway took any of that in as she looked at Krystal.
Ceth’s addled brain began formulating an apology but then went completely offline as Krystal once again reached up to cup Ceth’s neck with long fingers and pull her head down for a kiss.
Ceth’s breath stuttered in her chest as Krystal’s soft, plump lips touched hers. Her eyelids fell shut, and everything inside her came alive.
God, yes
Her arms flew up to wrap around Krystal’s shoulders. Ceth’s fingers stroked the smooth, bare skin before pulling their bodies closer together. Krystal’s generous breasts pressed against hers, and Ceth’s knees weakened at the sensation.
Krystal moaned into Ceth’s mouth, and her grip on Ceth’s neck tightened. Her lips moved sweetly, hungrily over Ceth’s, and Ceth kissed back, parting her own lips so her tongue could slide out for the taste she was craving so desperately.
Barely pausing long enough to take a breath, Krystal opened her mouth too, welcoming Ceth inside like she’d been waiting and yearning every bit as much as Ceth had.
Their tongues danced for what seemed like ages before they finally broke apart with a gasp.
For several seconds, they simply looked at each other, both catching their breath. But as the silence dragged on, the post-kiss euphoria filling Ceth’s chest began to fade into worry. With a shaky hand, Ceth reached up to stroke Krystal’s cheek. “Was that—I mean—are you okay?”
A wide, blissful smile stretched across Krystal’s now swollen lips. “More than okay.”
Heat flooded Ceth at Krystal’s words and expression. Yeah, “okay” was a shamefully inadequate way to describe what it had felt like to kiss Krystal Stevenson.
Krystal reached up and slid her fingers along the collar of Ceth’s shirt, her fingertips lightly brushing the skin beneath, and Ceth didn’t quite manage to suppress a shiver from the contact. Krystal’s smile turned sultry. “I have an idea.”
“What’s that?” Ceth’s voice sounded breathy even to her own ears.
She gave Ceth’s collar a tug to pull her closer and whispered, “I think we should be each other’s conference conquests.”
Ceth’s heart skipped a beat, and she released a soft groan. She dropped her head to rest against Krystal’s. “Conference conquests are supposed to be between strangers, Krystal. Not…whatever we are. We have a history.”
“That was years ago. We aren’t roommates now. We haven’t seen each other in forever. Who’s to say we can’t be strangers for the night?”
Ceth squeezed her eyes shut. Her mind was screaming what a terrible idea this was. But with Krystal close like this, surrounding Ceth with wanting and warmth, and her sweet honeysuckle scent, it was damn near impossible to listen to anything her mind had to say.
Screw it.
Ceth swooped down and captured Krystal’s lips in another desperate kiss. Krystal responded instantly, her hands clutching the fabric of Ceth’s jacket. They kissed and kissed and God, Ceth couldn’t get enough. Could Krystal feel how much Ceth wanted this? And for how long?
After several more breathless moments, Ceth pulled back. “Let’s get back to the room.”