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Now Caz had finished her manoeuvre and pulled back into the slower lane, she let her hand land on top of Grace’s, still on her thigh.

“That sounds really good.”

“Can we go to that restaurant again? The one that overlooks the beach?”

“Absolutely. I’ve been dreaming about those burgers.” Caz smiled quickly at her before putting her eyes back on the road.

Grace was quiet for a moment, looking out of the window at the fields whizzing by as she said, “Can we sleep naked together once this bleeding stops?”

“Uh, I guess we could,” Caz said, a little unsure. “Won’t you be cold?”

Grace turned to face her. “I don’t think so. You’d keep me warm.”

“I am hot stuff, that’s true,” Caz joked, before getting serious and asking, “Are you sure you want that?”

“Yes,” Grace replied firmly. “We should be comfortable undressed around each other, don’t you think? We’ve been living together for over a year now, we’re married, and we—you know, we want to be more intimate with each other at some point, right?”

Caz nodded.

“I just think it might be a way of gently easing us there.” Grace continued, “You know, so we get used to the idea of each other in that way…”

“I’m happy to go at any speed you feel is—”

“Maybe we should just have sex? Rip the Band-aid off, so to speak?”

“That wasn’t… I mean, we could, but I didn’t mean that…I don’t think sex should ever be planned. It happens when it happens. I meant that… I’m happy to go along with whatever you need in order for you to feel more comfortable in any aspect of this…or not, if you change your mind and decide you don’t—”

“I won’t,” Grace said firmly, again. “You’re it for me, and I…I’m attracted to you. It’s not that I don’t want to be intimate…I guess, I’m just scared about it.”

She could see Caz’s mind working out how to answer that.

“I’m not scared of you, or us… Scared is the wrong word. I’m worried I won’t know what I’m doing and you’ll be disappointed, or I won’t enjoy certain things andI’llbe disappointed and then—”

“Grace?”

“Yes?”

“Do you like orgasms?” Caz asked as casually as if she were asking if Grace liked strawberries and cream.

“Of course I do.”

Keeping her eyes on the road, Caz continued, “Okay, and when men have gone down on you, you liked it?”

Grace felt her cheeks burn but she answered Caz’s question, “Yes, I did…well, mostly…some were better than others.”

Caz ignored that, preferring not to dwell too much on the men that had fumbled relationships with this beautiful creature in the past. On the other hand, she was grateful for that, too, because without them, they wouldn’t be in this situation now. She stopped thinking about men who had nothing to do with their marriage and got her mind focused back on what she was trying to say.

“And when they did, did they look like it wasn’t a pleasant experience?” She turned to face her. “And if you say yes, I want names and I’m going to go and punch them in the face for making you feel bad.”

Grace laughed. “No, none of them looked like they didn’t enjoy it.”

Caz grinned. “Good…and did you reciprocate?”

“Yes.”

“Even when it got messy and—”

Grace squeezed Caz’s thigh hard. “Yes. Please don’t ever say that out loud again.”