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When Carmen could feel her extremities again, she swallowed, returning moisture to her dry mouth and aching throat. Clutching Lola’s arm, she straightened. Turning, she realized that the floor beneath her was wet. The unexpected and overwhelming evidence of her life-altering orgasm.

“Oh, God,” Carmen shrieked in open horror. She looked down, vision still blurry. “Did I—”

Lola pulled Carmen’s body flush against her and held her in her smoldering gaze. “That was so fucking hot,” she said, kissing her so completely that she consumed Carmen’s embarrassment and swallowed it whole.

“I’ve never done that. I’ve never...” she lowered her voice and saidsquirtedlike it was a crime to utter the word.

“It was incredible,” Lola promised, still kissing her while moving her to the bed like she was something that might shatter under a heavier touch.

“There’s a mess—”

“I’ll take care of it,” Lola said as Carmen’s head hit the pillow. “After I take care of you.”

Carmen’s protest was cut off by Lola’s lips on her inner thigh. Erased by the soft kisses that continued until Carmen’s fully satisfied arousal returned, only to be sated again and again and again.

It was late afternoon when Lola agreed to let Carmen order them something to eat. Leaving her house was out of the question, so they’d ordered in. Body sore and bruised and exhausted, Carmen set the table while Lola took a shower.

Her phone buzzed on the kitchen counter, announcing that the lasagna she’d ordered was at her door. It was still steaming when she set it on the dining table she never used, with a view of the pool she hadn’t been in since last summer.

She walked through the kitchen, intending to tell Lola that the food had arrived early, when she stopped dead in her tracks. Frozen outside her bedroom, she was enraptured by the sound drifting past the closed door like a ship’s captain, lulled by a siren.

Lola was singing in the shower, her rich, velvety voice soaring through a rendition ofNo Me Queda Másby Selena.

The lyrics spilled from her in fluent Spanish, each note pitch perfect and infused with raw emotion. Lola sang with complete abandon, clearly not realizing she had an audience. Her voice glided effortlessly over the complex runs and heart-wrenching phrases.

Carmen was transfixed, goosebumps rising on her skin as Lola’s voice swelled at the chorus. She had known intellectually that Lola could sing, but hearing her now was an entirely different experience.

Singing couldn’t describe what Lola was doing. It was akin to a religious experience. A sacred incantation. Her tone was gorgeous and smooth and smoky, with a hint of rasp on the edges. Even muffled by the door, it seeped into Carmen’s body and seized her heart.

As the final mournful refrain faded out, Carmen forced herself to hurry back to the kitchen on shaky legs before Lola emerged. The sound of Lola’s voice reverberated in her chest, making her fingers tremble and her heart soar.

CHAPTER47

Lola layin Carmen’s bed staring at the pitched white ceiling and the dark wooden beams that ran across it. In the dark room, the only light was from the pool, making the shadows swim against the white walls. Her body was spent but her mind raced, replaying the day’s events on a loop.

Tucked into her side, light brown hair strewn across Lola’s bare chest, Carmen had fallen asleep. She’d been in the middle of talking. Telling her a funny story from law school when she drifted away. When her breathing slowed and she relaxed so completely against Lola, that it became impossible for Lola to take a full inhale without moving her. When Lola became completely and irrevocably trapped.

Every muscle in Lola’s body vibrated with the signal that she should leave. Her brain screeched the same refrain:Go!

They’d spent the night before in Carmen’s hotel room, but there hadn’t been any sleeping. This was different. This was going from sleeping together toSLEEPINGtogether. It was too soon. She should go. Shemustgo.

Move!

Lola didn’t move. Couldn’t will herself to slide out from under Carmen. What would Lola say if Carmen asked where she was going? She didn’t have to say anything. She would just leave. Jesus, Carmen wasn’t her girlfriend. She didn’t owe her a damn copy of her schedule. She’d just leave. People left after sex all the time. It was normal. Expected.

It’s Sunday. I was out of the office most of last week. I’ll have to get in early and catch up. That’s not weird. I have to sleep in my own bed. I mean, at the very least, I need clean fucking underwear.

Lola tried and failed and tried and failed to wind herself up. There wasn’t even a spark. She was lighting a fire with sodden matches.

Maybe if her stupid hair didn’t smell so good. If her skin wasn’t so warm and soft. If her body didn’t make for the most comforting weighted blanket and her heart wasn’t beating in a hypnotizing rhythm against her ribcage.

DAMN IT!

A high-pitched ding nearly sent Lola leaping out of bed, ready to do something with the mess of confusing emotions invading her chest and clouding her judgment. The light from a phone illuminated the dark room, giving Lola the perfect opportunity to leave.

Carmen muttered a curse before groaning. When she rolled away from her, taking her warmth and comfort with her, Lola was finally unmoored. Free to point out that it was midnight and time for her to go.

She didn’t move.