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“Kam…” Elia touched Kamryn’s knee. “Boards can be brutal and unrelenting sometimes.”

“I have a feeling you’re someone who would deeply understand that.”

“I am,” Elia admitted. She bit her lip, her mind working quickly on what to say and do next. “Let’s tell the board. Maybe not today, but soon.”

“When?”

“When we think the time is right, and when we know exactly what we’re going to tell them.” Elia squeezed Kamryn’s knee and then went to pull away, but Kamryn snagged her hands and pulled her back quickly, lacing their fingers. “Kam…”

“And what about us in the meantime?”

“Meantime?” Elia asked.

“I like you, Elia.” Kamryn smiled then, and it lit up her entire face. Elia loved seeing it, the honesty behind it all. Kamryn lifted Elia’s fingers to her mouth, kissing the backs of her knuckles lightly. “I really like you.”

“Kam.” But Elia didn’t know what else to say. She was at a complete loss for words. She watched with rapt attention as Kamryn turned her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. Shivers ran straight up Elia’s arm and into her chest. “I wouldn’t have suggested talking to the board if I wanted to end this.”

“Wouldn’t you have?” Kamryn kissed a little higher. “Because I do believe you said that we should tell them about the other night regardless of where we went from here.”

She had said that, hadn’t she? Elia’s mind was blurring with the touches, and it was becoming harder and harder to focus as Kamryn worked her way up Elia’s arm to her neck.

“What do you want? And be honest with me.” Kamryn stopped. She pulled away, leaving a rush of cold over Elia’s skin from her missing warmth. “Because I want to know.”

Here she was again, at yet another crossroads. She had to say something, and she wasn’t willing to mess this up. Elia raised her gaze, meeting Kamryn’s brown eyes, the steadiness of her look, the confidence in it.

Fuck.

Hiking up the edge of her dress, Elia took the biggest risk she’d taken in years. She moved swiftly, straddling Kamryn as she sat on the couch, her back now pressed into the cushion behind her. Elia stared down at her, dropping her dress and curling her hair behind her ear. Saying nothing, Elia bent down and touched her lips to Kamryn’s.

It wasn’t enough.

She lowered her hips down, feeling Kamryn’s hands against her waist, holding onto her. She pushed in, parting her lips and kissing Kamryn again. And again. And again. Elia slid her tongue out, tracing the edge of Kamryn’s mouth and delighting in the moment when Kamryn echoed her movement.

Sucking in sharply, Elia pushed her body against Kamryn’s—breast to breast, center to thighs. She had her fingers deep in Kamryn’s hair, tugging and pulling tight as she lost herself in this one moment. She shut out the world around them, the naysayers, the worries, the anxiety that all of this would be taken the wrong way, and she focused solely on how she was feeling in this moment.

Nipping at Kamryn’s lip, Elia pulled back and eyed her confidently.

“I want you.”

“Fuck,” Kamryn murmured, her heart thumping hard under Elia’s fingertips on her chest, her thighs taut with tension. “Fuck,” Kamryn repeated. “Yes.”

“I want more than one night,” Elia said, making sure that Kamryn understood exactly what she was saying.

“Me too.”

“And I want more than just sex.” Elia traced her finger along Kamryn’s damp lips. “I want a relationship—or at least to explore one with you.”

“Elia…” Kamryn eyes lit up, a smile blossoming on those kissable lips. “That’s exactly what I want.”

“Good.” Elia slid back in, kissing Kamryn again. “But I don’t think we’re going out to dinner tonight.”

“Next time,” Kamryn muttered as she took Elia by the hips and flipped her onto the couch.

Elia settled, the weight of Kamryn’s body resting between her legs as they kissed—deep and hard. She threaded her fingers into Kamryn’s hair and tugged, scraping her nails along Kamryn’s scalp. The resounding moan she received in response was music to her ears.

“Keep doing that and we’re not going to make it to the bed again.”

“Screw the bed,” Elia answered, lifting her hips up in a little buck. She wanted this now, and she wasn’t going to be apologetic about it, either. “Now. Here. I’m done waiting for good things in my life.”