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“You too.” She giggled as Abagail sat next to her. “We’re going home.”

“Home it is,” Cal answered.

thirty-six

With the car engine off and Cal already back inside the house, Abagail breathed in relief along with Nicola’s scent. She caught the stench of alcohol that Nicola must have spilled on her clothes, but it wasn’t overwhelming, and it didn’t overshadow the scent that was entirely hers.

“So…” Nicola said into the silent car. “Your room or mine?”

“Mine.” Abagail reached over and took Nicola’s hand. This, unlike before, felt right. She brought Nicola’s hand up to her lips and kissed her knuckles tenderly. “I need you to understand that I don’t do relationships. This isn’t something… I don’t do this.”

“O…kay?” Nicola squeezed Abagail’s fingers. “So what are we doing?”

“I don’t know.” Abagail shook her head, imploring Nicola to figure out what she couldn’t say. “Figuring it out as we go?”

“Do you want a relationship with me?”

“No.” Abagail said that firmly but softly. She wasn’t repulsed by Nicola, but everyone equated relationship or lack of relationship with either love or hate. There was never an in-between. “But I want to be near you.”

“What does that mean, though?” Nicola asked.

“I don’t know.” Abagail’s lips twitched. “That’s what we need to figure out.”

Turning Nicola’s wrist over, Abagail kissed the soft skin there. She breathed in Nicola’s scent and closed her eyes, memorizing it. Scraping her teeth across the skin, Abagail listened for the change in Nicola’s breathing, the one that would indicate that she was as into this as Abagail was. And fuck, she hoped Nicola was.

She did it again, and there it was. That little hiccup of a breath, the little whine in the back of her throat—it was exactly like Abagail remembered it being before and exactly what she wanted to hear now. Abagail kissed her again, moving in to press her lips to Nicola’s cheek. She slowly moved closer, nipping at Nicola’s earlobe and breathing against her.

“I want you so much,” Abagail breathed out the words, her heart thundering and her entire body begging for Nicola to touch. Not just anyone, but Nicola.

“I’m yours,” Nicola whispered, turning her head just enough so their lips touched in a slow, intimate embrace. “I’m not sure I could be anyone else’s again.”

A thrill ran through Abagail at that statement. She’d never quite thought about it like that before. But they were each going to give all of who they were to the other. Abagail nipped Nicola’s lower lip, smiling when Nicola hummed in pleasure as a response. She wanted Nicola, now.

Opening the back door of the car, Abagail slid out and waited until Nicola stepped out with her. She laced their fingers together and stepped into the house from the garage, locking the door immediately. She kissed Nicola again. Reaching between them, she undid the buttons on her jacket and dropped it onto the floor, along with the scarf that she’d wound around her neck.

She stared directly at Nicola, wanting and hoping that Nicola would follow every intention that she was setting. Abagail tooka step backward, her heeled shoe clicking against the hardwood floor.

Nicola grinned broadly, immediately pulling at her jacket and dropping it along with Abagail’s as she tracked every step Abagail took. As soon as Abagail reached the bottom of the stairs, she turned around and took the first step up. Nicola was right up against her, hands against her stomach and across her chest. She pressed her lips to Abagail’s shoulder and then scraped her teeth lightly over the skin.

Abagail drew in a shuddering breath and reached behind her head, holding onto the back of Nicola’s and sliding her fingers through the soft locks of hair she found. Nicola’s hand dropped to the edge of Abagail’s skirt, dragging it up her thigh slowly. Abagail groaned and leaned back into Nicola, holding onto the railing of the stairs for support.

“Don’t stop,” Abagail murmured, her eyes fluttering shut as Nicola slid her fingers underneath the elastic of Abagail’s panties and brushed the pads of her fingers over her swollen lips. “Fuck me.”

Nicola didn’t wait. She slid her hand under the fabric and rubbed against Abagail’s clit. Her knees nearly gave out, and she had to grasp tightly to keep herself upright and to keep Nicola’s hand against her. Abagail vibrated under the touch, her entire body trembling from just the slightest movement.

“Wait!” Abagail blurted out.

Immediately stopping, Nicola kept her hand in place, but Abagail moved it to the side. She turned around, standing barely taller than Nicola since she had a whole stair advantage. She grabbed Nicola by the front of her shirt and dragged her forward, kissing her hard. Their teeth gnashed together momentarily before Abagail caught her breath, easing the kiss so it wasn’t as intense.

Letting go, Abagail walked her way up the stairs. She pulled the zipper of her dress down and shimmied out of it as she went, dropping it right outside her bedroom door before she disappeared inside. She knew that Nicola would be following her. They’d been building up to this.

“Get on the bed,” Abagail ordered as she leaned against the bed to pull off her shoes and toss them into the corner of the room where she wouldn’t trip on them.

“Just on the bed?” Nicola asked, a light tease in her tone. “Or naked on the bed?”

Abagail let out a grunt. “Get on the bed.” She was curious what Nicola would do when she wasn’t the one directly in control. So far Nicola had been in charge, but it was Abagail’s turn. And she’d wanted this turn more than anything.

Nicola pulled her shirt off, but she didn’t take her pants off. She pulled herself backward onto the edge of the bed so she was sitting properly on it, her head canted to the side as she eyed Abagail with nothing but lust in her gaze. Abagail’s lips quirked upward, and she moved in to kiss Nicola again. She bent her backward, pushing her down into the mattress while she skimmed her fingers against Nicola’s smooth, warm skin.