Page 32 of Balancing Act
Was what she thought was about to happen actually going to happen? The way Jamie was eyeing her made her feel absolutely out of her mind with need, and she wanted Jamie more than she had wanted her that night in the gallery, before she had ever known who she was. But now, after the last month, she’d gotten to know Jamie, and that feeling of wanting her so badly? Yeah, it had only intensified.
Confusion stiffened her body. Jamie had been very clear about wanting to be friends, so why the sudden change?
“I don’t mind being touched by you,” Jamie confessed, reaching a hand out to tuck a stray strand of Beth’s blonde waves behind her ear. Beth heard the catch of her breath as Jamie’s fingers brushed ever so slightly across her cheek. The sound only seemed to make Jamie’s mischievous smile stretch even wider. “I like it when you do.”
Time slowed as Jamie studied her, slowly sweeping chocolate-hued eyes over her body. Her pulse quickened as Jamie leaned forward into her space, and she felt her presence in every nerve ending. She shuddered as Jamie’s lips brushed against hers softly, tentatively—wordlessly asking permission tocontinue. She granted it, her lips parting, inviting Jamie in—an invitation she didn’t refuse.
Their mouths moved together, each desperate to taste as much of the other as they could. She lost herself in the feeling of Jamie’s kiss as she pulled at the fabric of the dark hoodie Jamie had worn that evening. Slipping her hands up and under the soft fabric, delighting in the feel of warm skin underneath.
Their kisses were full of contradictions—hard and soft, fast and slow, intense and languid, all at once. It was dizzying, and her body hummed with excitement, but a small voice in her head was telling her to stop, that this wasn’t a good idea.
“Jamie, wait.” With Herculean effort, she pulled her lips away from Jamie’s, pushing slightly against her chest.
Jamie immediately stopped the movements she had been making with her lips over Beth’s jawline and pulled back, moving herself a good foot away on the couch. She looked at her as if she had been caught doing something wrong.
Beth nervously ran her fingers through her hair, willing her breathing to return to normal as her chest heaved from equal parts excitement and nervousness about the implications of what they’d done.
Her words shook as she spoke. “I-I think we’re drunk.”
That had to be it, right? That could be the only reason for the momentary lapse in judgment they had both shared. They’d each had a little too much wine, and hopefully they could laugh about this tomorrow.
Except, she didn’t feel drunk. Maybe a little buzzed, but definitely not drunk.
It had been twenty-seven days since she had felt Jamie’s lips on hers, and twenty-six days of pure torture, knowing how badly she wanted to feel them again.
“I’m not drunk,” Jamie said, holding her arms wide before bending her elbows one at a time and bringing the tips of herfingers to touch her nose. “See? Full coordination.” She grinned. “Are you drunk?”
“No, I don’t think so,” she said slowly. She didn’t want to say what she needed to next, but she knew she had to. “I thought...” She took a deep breath. “I thought you only wanted to be friends?”
A slow grin spread across Jamie’s face as she let her eyes deliberately drag their way over Beth’s body.
“I thought so, too.” Jamie’s voice was low and husky as she leaned forward into Beth, running her tongue up Beth’s neck to nibble on her earlobe, sending a shiver of excitement down her spine. “But the problem is, I don’t think about my friends the way I think about you.” Jamie growled, the heat and thickness—a jolt of tightness coiling through her. “And I definitely don’t think about fucking them the way I’ve been thinking about fucking you.”
Beth couldn’t contain the whimper that escaped, her chest heaving as she stared at Jamie in disbelief. The last few weeks had been a test of her willpower. Having to see Jamie on a near daily basis but knowing she couldn’t have her, and all this time, Jamie still wanted her? This wassucha bad idea.
Or was it? She couldn’t tell, but her track record with romantic decision-making wasn’t great. But this? Yeah, this probably—no, definitely—would fall under the “bad idea” column. She didn’t care, though. Jamie still wanted her, and that was all that mattered.
She grabbed fistfuls of Jamie’s hoodie as she pulled her down on top of her, feeling her back crash into the cushions of the couch, and she relished the delectable press of their bodies together, Jamie on top of her as their lips met. A deep moan escaped her lips as Jamie parted her legs with a toned thigh, pressing ever so slightly up and into her.
If she thought her head had been spinning before, it was nothing in comparison to what she was feeling now. God, she felt like a teenager again, unable to handle even the lightest of touches. She could feel her clit throbbing against the fabric of her underwear as Jamie ground her thigh against her again. Her breath hitched, and her fingers grasped for something—anything—to hold onto. Her hands found Jamie’s waist, and she dug her fingertips into her and moaned again as Jamie pressed her thigh against her once more.
“I can tell you’ve wanted me, too.” Jamie groaned, slipping a hand under the hem of Beth’s sweater.
She gasped as Jamie’s fingers danced across the skin of her abdomen, causing her muscles to contract involuntarily. A never-ending loop ofOh my Godran through her mind as her excitement began to build. So many times, she had thought about what it would be like to feel Jamie touch her again.
“The way you’re always watching me at the gym...” Her fingers slipped under the elastic of the lacy bralette Beth was wearing. She quietly thanked herself for unknowingly planning accordingly, and she happened to be in one of her cute bras. Jamie’s hand worked its way up to cup her breast, massaging gently, running the pad of her thumb across Beth’s already-hardened nipple.
“When you think I’m not looking...” Jamie pushed the hem of her sweater up, exposing the navy blue lace that contrasted against her milky skin. “. . . and how you pretend you haven’t been when I catch you.”
A mischievous glint sparkled in her eyes. She was clearly delighting in the noises escaping from Beth’s lips as Jamie rolled a hardened nipple between her thumb and forefinger while pressing her thigh into Beth, harder this time. God, the things Jamie made her feel by barely touching her. It was too much andnot enough. She needed more. She needed more friction, more contact, more Jamie.
Her back arched up into Jamie’s touch, and in one swift move, Jamie pushed aside the lacy barrier swiftly before taking Beth’s nipple into her mouth and swirling her tongue around it, flicking playfully.
“Jamie.” Her name left Beth’s lips a hiss that morphed into a pleading whine as she held the back of Jamie’s head against her, massaging her scalp with the tips of her fingers. It had been the first thing she’d been able to utter besides a moan. Her eyes fluttered closed at the sensation of Jamie’s tongue making a series of small circles around her nipple. With each swirl, she grew wetter and wetter, and she bucked her hips up into Jamie as she felt Jamie’s teeth bite down ever so slightly.
“Take me upstairs,” Jamie whispered against her.
Beth did.