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Ava stopped. “What?”

“I’ve only been with Noah, remember?” Hope said with a half-smile. “Not that I’m not anxious to change that situation, I just don’t quite know what I’m supposed to be doing.”

A huge wave of wanting swept over Ava. “You’re supposed to be doing nothing,” she said, low and deep, as she took another step forward and then dropped to her knees. “Nothing at all.”

“Nothing?” Hope asked, confused.

But Ava was already parting her thighs, was already insinuating herself between them, inhaling the scent of Hope, bitter and sweet at the same time, mouth salivating and stomach pulsing at the thought of tasting her.

“Ah,” breathed Hope. “Nothing.”

“Except perhaps stop talking?” suggested Ava, as she snuggled in closer, letting her hair brush against the soft skin of Hope’s thigh. She leaned in, pressed her face against the lace of Hope’s underwear and felt Hope’s thighs tighten around her as she gasped.

“No teasing,” Hope said. “And in exchange, no talking.”

As if Ava could wait, as if she could stop herself now, with Hope right in front of her, with the smell and taste of her filling up all her senses. She’d been worried that visions of her wife would come to her, but they didn’t. Her mind was so full of Hope that nothing else intruded.

With firm hands she pushed Hope’s thighs further apart, hooking her arm around one and using her other hand to slide her fingers under the side of Hope’s underwear and pull it to one side.

She heard another gasp, but true to her word, Hope didn’t speak, she wriggled a little and pushed her hips up and Ava, who’d somehow forgotten that foreplay existed in the last few seconds, knew that even if she’d been inclined to toy with Hope, now really wasn’t the time.

She pressed her face in, quested with her tongue, slipping deep into slick wetness. Jesus, Hope was turned on. Why that surprised her, she didn’t know. It wasn’t like the exact same thing wasn’t happening between her own legs. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been ready the second that Hope’s lips had touched hers.

Her tongue slid upwards, finding swollen hardness and Hope’s hands tangled in her hair, pressing her face into her center. Obediently, Ava began to suck and then to circle her tongue and Hope shouted out something incomprehensible.

Ava tried to pull back, fearful that she’d done something wrong, but Hope’s hands clutched her closer until she could feel Hope’s heartbeat pulsing through her center and understood that even so fast, Hope was so close that every movement brought her exquisite agony.

She smiled, hummed lightly and pressed her mouth against Hope who responded by pressing her fingers into Ava’s head, lifting her hips, and then shuddering as her breath stopped.

Ava held her position until she heard Hope’s first gasping, desperate breath, then pulled away.

“Jesus.”

“No, just Ava.”

“Jesus,” Hope breathed again. She collapsed backward onto the bed. “Jesus.”

“Wide vocabulary you’ve got,” Ava observed, climbing onto the bed beside her.

“It’s, um, it’s been a while.”

“No shit,” Ava said, but she was grinning, her smile so wide it was in danger of splitting her face.

“And why are you looking so self-satisfied?” Hope asked, regaining herself now and propping her head up on one elbow.

“I don’t think I’ve ever made a woman orgasm so fast in my life,” Ava said. Her lips still tasted of Hope.

“That sounds like a challenge,” said Hope. Her hand was on Ava’s chest.

“Not at all, no challenge.”

“Really?” Hope’s hand pulled at Ava’s shirt, lifting it until her fingers were touching the bare skin of Ava’s stomach.

“Really.”

“Really, really?” asked Hope, as her fingers slid underneath the waistband of Ava’s leggings and then in the same movement beneath her underwear.

“I thought you didn’t know what you were doing?” Ava said and she was proud of how controlled her voice sounded.