Page 35

"Why are you a genie?" I watched her as she poked at the remotes that turned on the television and streaming movie application.

"I like to grant wishes."

"Fairies do that, too. Like the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella."

"Well then." She turned back to me after taking a small bite of the éclair. "We're in the wish business together. This is great by the way. Want a bite?"

"Sure." I held my hand to her. Instead of the dessert, she placed her palm on top of mine then leaned closer, holding the food out for me to taste. My gaze met hers, and only after a brief hesitation, I accepted the offering. My lips wrapped around the chilled confection, and I took a bite. Cold cream met my tongue along with the dough and chocolate icing. I licked my lips after and my brows lifted. "Very yummy."

"It is." Samirah's hand rose to my face, and she used her thumb to brush away a bit of chocolate from my lips. She smiled before licking it off her thumb. "Absolutely delicious."

To say I nearly melted on the spot wouldn't do it justice. Heat rushed my face, and burned at the apex of my thighs. Samirah's gentle yet clandestinely erotic gesture ignited the ache of want in my belly, and it had nothing to do with pastries.

My eyes fell to her lips as she finished the last bite then lashed her tongue over her bottom lip. The opening sequence of the movie startled me when the volume kicked on. Samirah pulled a blanket from the arm of the sofa before shaking it out to full size. She held her arm to me and without a second thought, I scooted closer to her, tucking my knees against her thighs while I settled with her. She wrapped her arm around my shoulders, and draped the blanket over our laps.

"Comfortable?" she asked, and I nodded. "You can touch me, Rosie. However you want to." She glanced to the way I kept my arms huddled against my chest. I hadn't noticed it until then, then relaxed enough to drape one arm across her middle. In this position, my head fell naturally to her shoulder, and she pressed her lips to my forehead again.

"Better," I said and she smiled.

"Much." Her body angled toward me as we, indeed, cuddled together on the sofa.

Our attention turned to the movie, and away from each other for a little while. Samirah's chin came to rest against my forehead when I allowed myself to relax on her shoulder. Our last two dates became fonts of unusualness in my dating playbook. Normally, dinner or a movie in a theater meant date. Even a cup of coffee or a drink at Wildrose, but this was different. I didn't hate it, and my comfort in her presence grew with each interaction. Samirah stroked my arm, rubbing in a soft up and down motion which encouraged me to squeeze her around the middle. Even in the dim light, she was the most attractive woman I'd ever met. Or at least it felt that way.

Half way through the movie, when the two protagonists finally admitted their attraction to each other and fell into bed, both of us shifted in our seats. Neither of us acknowledged it, though my heart thumped louder in my chest.

"Stop it here," I said after the happiness of the two women seemed to reach a peak.

"How come?" Samirah clicked pause on the remote then met my gaze, her brow wrinkled with concern.

"Because it's going to get sad now. I can just tell. Let's just leave it while it's happy."

"Are you sure?"

"No. I'm being silly, but it's going to get sad. Does this have a happy ending?"

Samirah chuckled softly and unexpectedly brushed her nose against mine. "I didn't check. I think I've learned a lot about you today, Rosie."

I closed my eyes under her gesture and my lips grazed hers.

"Can I kiss you?" she whispered and it made me smile.

"Of course." I opened my eyes to gaze up at her. "How come you ask me each time?"

"I want everything we do to be consensual," she said, reaching up to stroke my cheek. "I want you to know that you have the right to decline anything that makes you uncomfortable, no matter what it is."

"I didn't think of it like that," I said, leaning into her touch.

"I know what it's like to have things happen without consent and I don't ever want to make you feel that way. Not after what you've gone through." Samirah placed her palm to my cheek and my fingers tensed against her stomach when her words struck me.

"What do you mean you know what it's like?" I sat up so that I could meet her gaze properly.

Her lips pursed, and the softness in her expression faded. Her gaze flickered to the space between us before meeting mine again.

"Sam? What do you mean?" I pressed as my heart thundered in my chest.

"I think you know." For the first time, her confidence fell away and her normally broad shoulders slumped slightly.

My hands trembled as my mouth fell open at her disclosure. I cupped her face, as the horror of what could've happened to her stabbed me in the gut.