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Their lips brushed, soft at first, tentative. A slow inhale, the taste of rain, and something warm and sweet. Then Evelyn made a small sound, barely more than a sigh, but it was enough to unravel Jo completely. She deepened the kiss. Evelyn responded immediately, her fingers gripping the front of Jo’s wet shirt, pulling her closer, like she didn’t want an inch of space between them. Jo groaned softly against her mouth. She tilted her head, tasting more of her, letting the heat coil between them. Evelyn wasn’t shy, wasn’t tentative. She kissed Jo like she had been waiting for it, like she had been holding back just as much.

Instinctively, Jo’s hand slipped inside the leather jacket, tracing the shape of Evelyn’s waist, memorizing every curve. Evelyn shivered under her touch, pressing closer. Jo exhaled sharply. She wanted more. She wanted to pull Evelyn into her lap, to explore every inch of her, to lose herself in the warmth of her body and the way she tasted like vanilla and salt and something entirely different. Something Jo was sure was entirely Evelyn.

Yet, when Jo’s hand slid down Evelyn’s thigh, wandering toward the hem of her dress, Evelyn slowed. Her hands, once urgent, softened against Jo’s chest. Jo felt it immediately, the shift in energy, the hesitation creeping in. She pulled back. “Are you okay?” she murmured, voice rough with restraint.

Evelyn nodded, but Jo saw the uncertainty flickering in her eyes. “Yeah,” she whispered. “I just don’t want to go any further. Not yet. I’m sorry.”

Jo exhaled, expecting to feel frustration, but instead, there was something peaceful settling inside her. She brushed a damp strand of hair back from Evelyn’s face, her touch lingering. “Don’t be sorry,” she said softly. “We don’t have to rush anything. I promise.”

“Thank you,” Evelyn said, her lips curving into a small, grateful smile. “Next time, maybe?”

Jo pressed a final, lingering kiss to her forehead before pulling back completely, settling into her seat. She reached for the keys, and the car rumbled to life beneath them. “That’s good enough for me. Let’s get you home,” Jo said, casting one last glance at Evelyn, who still looked slightly dazed, her fingers touching her lips as if memorizing the moment. Smiling to herself, Jo pulled out of the parking lot.Yeah, she thought.Evelyn was definitely worth taking it slow.

Ten

Staring blankly at her computer screen, Evelyn’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, but the words on the document blurred. Her mind refused to focus, instead replaying the events of the past few days in an endless loop. More specifically, replaying Jo. The way Jo’s hands had felt on her waist. The way her lips had moved against Evelyn’s, slow and teasing, then deep and consuming. The way Jo had stopped the moment Evelyn had hesitated, no questions asked, only a gentle, reassuring touch. Evelyn exhaled sharply, pressing her fingers to her temples.I have got to stop thinking about this, she thought.I’m at work, for God’s sake. She had research to review, data to analyze, and most importantly, a business presentation to complete. It was not the time to be daydreaming about a certain leather-jacket-wearing mechanic and the way her voice got all low and husky when she whispered, “Are you okay?”

A soft “ahem” from the doorway snapped Evelyn out of her thoughts. She glanced from the keyboard, blinking as her coworker, Oliver, stood there, clutching a stack of files to his chest. His light brown hair was slightly disheveled as if he had run his fingers through it one too many times, and his glasses had slid down his nose. He pushed them up quickly, offering hera boyish smile. “Hey, Evelyn,” he said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “I, uh, didn’t mean to interrupt. You looked, um, deep in thought.”

If only he knew, Evelyn thought, but forced a polite smile, sitting up straighter. “Oh, no, you’re fine,” she said. “What’s up?”

Oliver hesitated before stepping fully into her office, setting the files on her desk. “Dr. Wong asked me to drop these off for you. Something about the sustainability report needing final revisions before the presentation next week.”

Evelyn groaned internally.Right, she thought.The presentation. The one she had been avoiding because all her brain power had been occupied with thoughts of Jo. “Thanks,” she said, flipping through the files absentmindedly. “I’ll take care of it.”

Lingering, Oliver shoved his hands into the pockets of his khakis. He rocked back on his heels, then cleared his throat. “So... how was your weekend?” he asked, and Evelyn glanced at him, startled by the question. Oliver never asked her personal questions or at least, not in a way that felt so expectant.

“It was good,” she said carefully. “Fun actually.”

“Oh?” Oliver asked, his face brightening. “What did you do?”

Evelyn hesitated. She wasn’t sure why, but saying I spent the entire weekend thinking about a ridiculously attractive woman, who makes me feel like my entire world has tilted on its axis didn’t seem like the right answer. Particularly not to Oliver. She settled on, “I went to a car show. With a friend.”Now that,she thought.Is an understatement.

A surprised look on his face, Oliver blinked. “A car show?” he asked. “Like the gas-powered kind?”

“Yes,” Evelyn said with a shrug. “It was surprisingly educational and a good time.”

Studying her for a beat, Oliver finally nodded. “Huh,” he said. “I didn’t know you were into cars.”

“I’m not,” Evelyn admitted. “But someone invited me, and I figured, why not?”

Oliver’s expression faltered slightly, but he recovered quickly, adjusting his glasses again. “Well, that’s cool,” he said. “I mean, it’s good to try new things, right?”

Smiling, Evelyn was relieved that he wasn’t pressing for details. “Exactly.”

Before Oliver could say anything else, the sharp click of heels against the tile floor signaled Dr. Linda Wong’s arrival. The department head strode into the office with her usual air of efficiency, her forest green blazer perfectly pressed, her dark hair pulled into a sleek bun.

She barely glanced at Evelyn and completely ignored Oliver before setting another folder down on the desk. “Evelyn,” Dr. Wong said briskly. “I need your final notes on the renewable energy proposal by the end of the day. We’re presenting to the board next week, and I want everything to be airtight.”

“I understand,” Evelyn said in a rush. “I’ll have it ready.”

Nodding once in approval, Dr. Wong turned to Oliver. “And you,” she said. “Stop hovering. Don’t you have work to do?”

Flushing slightly, Oliver adjusted his glasses. “Right. Yes. Of course.” He shot Evelyn a sheepish smile before scurrying out of the office.

Dr. Wong turned back to her, arms crossed. “Are you distracted today?”

“No, of course not,” Evelyn said a little too quickly. “I’m just—”I’m just what?she thought.Completely in knots over a strong, handsome butch I met only Friday?