Chapter Twenty-five #2
“Ow, Christ.” She touched the cut on her head and eyed the blood on her fingertips. She sat up. “Fucking A, I fell down the stairs, didn’t I?”
“I think you tripped over your laces.” Abby sat back on her haunches, relieved that she was mostly okay.
Whit sighed and slapped her hands on her thighs.
The rain pummeled them, icy and fierce. Whit began to laugh as she angled her face toward the crying sky.
“I fell down the fucking stairs. Can you believe it? Of all the things to kill you out here, including a fucking grizzly, I go and fall down the stairs.”
Abby stared at her in disbelief. But then she, too, began to laugh, because it was rather ludicrous.
“Crazy, right?” Whit said. “And you’re nearly nude.” She helped Abby up, despite having been the one who fell. Then they walked arm in arm back up the slick steps, supporting each other. Once inside, Abby closed the door and they stood still for a moment, glancing at one another awkwardly.
“Guess I should get out of these clothes again,” Whit finally said.
“Guess so.”
Slowly, Whit undressed, wrung out her clothes, and placed them back on the chairs near the stove. Then Abby, after drying with a blanket, tried to examine Whit’s cut, but Whit drew away with a scowl.
“It hurts,” she said.
“It needs tending to.” Abby recalled seeing a first aid kit mounted on the wall above the kitchen counter. She retrieved some supplies from it before returning to Whit who was sitting on the couch, covered in a blanket.
“It’s fine,” Whit said, dodging her touch.
“It’s not, and I’m doing this, whether you like it or not.”
Whit stilled and Abby first cleaned the wound and then covered it in a butterfly bandage. “There. Was that so bad?” She grazed her fingertips along her cheek and down to her lips. Whit inhaled audibly but didn’t try to escape.
“This looks painful too,” Abby said.
“It’s not so bad.”
Abby dabbed it with gauze, but Whit stopped her, clenching her by the wrist.
“Am I hurting you?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“That’s not going to make it feel better.”
Abby got lost in her heavy gaze as it seemed to draw her closer and closer. So close she could feel the warmth of her breath. “What will?”
“This.” Whit tugged on her and pressed her lips to hers, gently, tentatively. Abby allowed the meeting of their mouths to linger, thoroughly enjoying the feel of her warm, velvet-like skin.
“Did that hurt?” Abby asked, remembering her wound.
Whit smiled. “No.” She brought her back in, this time for a more heated kiss. One where she openly and eagerly explored Abby, framing her lips with her own, while sneaking her tongue out to caress.
“Whit,” Abby whispered, her heart pounding. “You feel so good.”
Whit chucked the blanket aside and encouraged Abby to straddle her. As Abby did, Whit buried her face in her chest, where she grazed her awakening skin with kisses.
Abby sighed and knotted her hands in her damp hair.
She met her mouth again, this time for a searing, deep kiss, where tongues both welcomed and explored.
Whit moaned up into her, digging her fingers into the flesh of Abby’s back before quickly unclasping her bra to free her breasts.
She burned a stare into her as she flung the bra aside and then fully took her in.
“You’re more beautiful than I imagined,” she breathed, lightly running her hands up and down Abby’s torso, teasing her.
“You’ve imagined me?”
“Oh, yes. Many times. And the red bra, it didn’t help my self-control any.”
Abby laughed and stroked her face. “I’ve thought of you, too. Especially when we were in the shelter together and I was lying in your arms.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“Why didn’t you?”
Whit shrugged. “Fear.”
“Of what?”
“Rejection.”
Abby traced her sore lip, wanting to kiss it once again. “I would’ve never rejected you, Whit. I’ve…developed strong feelings for you.”
Whit blinked up at her, her expression softening with deep resolve. “Abby, I—me too.” She smiled, all starry-eyed, and then winced, reaching up to touch her lip.
“It does hurt,” Abby said.
“Only when I smile.”
“Not when we kiss?”
“No way.” She started to smile again but seemed to think better of it, which caused Abby to laugh.
“So, I can do this again?” Abby leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her scrape.
“Yes,” Whit said. “Please, do it again and again.”
Abby did as instructed, thoroughly enjoying the tease. Whit couldn’t take it, and she pulled her in for a deeper, more thorough probe of her mouth, while her hands massaged her breasts.
“Whit,” Abby said. “I’m getting really excited.” Her skin was on fire and she could feel her pulse between her legs.
“Something wrong with that?” Whit asked as she breathed upon her nipples, bringing them to a firm head, which she then lashed with her hot tongue.
Abby moaned and gripped the back of her neck. “Nothing at all,” she said. “I just—ah Jesus—wasn’t sure if you were okay enough—to continue. You did just fall down the stairs, you know.”
“I’m perfectly fine.”
“Thank God. Because I really, really don’t want to stop.”
Whit responded to that by pressing her hand against the throbbing flesh between Abby’s legs. Abby hissed and rocked into her, the pleasure mounting quickly.
“Whit, oh, God. Oh, my God. I’m so close.”