Page 46 of Balancing Act (Soulmate #1)
The way Beth looked at her, her gaze slow and deliberate, sent a shiver over Jamie. She felt exposed, laid bare by that look—like Beth could see everything she felt. Every unspoken thought. Every inch of want she was holding back.
And for what? Jamie didn’t feel like holding back anymore.
Beth leaned in, her hand brushing lightly against Jamie’s; the simple touch sent a bolt of heat straight through Jamie’s body, skin tingling where Beth’s fingers had just grazed her.
“Come inside,” Beth murmured, warm breath ghosting across Jamie’s cheek, her lips so close Jamie could almost feel their softness.
Jamie’s stomach clenched, her heartbeat picking up as her body responded to the promise in Beth’s voice. She nodded, her throat tight.
Beth unlocked the door, and Jamie followed her inside. Her senses were on high alert as every sound and touch seemed amplified. The soft thud of the door closing behind them echoed in Jamie’s ears.
She barely had time to process before Beth turned, her body moving toward Jamie with a kind of effortless grace.
She let her coat slip from her shoulders, hitting the floor with a soft thud, that glittering jumpsuit now entirely on display.
It clung to Beth’s curves in a way that left little to the imagination between the tight fit and the plunging neckline.
Jamie was in awe. She couldn’t stop her eyes from trailing down the line of Beth’s body, her throat drying at how the fabric shimmered and hugged her. She was stunning.
Beth’s fingers grazed Jamie’s forearm, and that slight contact sent a shock coursing through her.
Her skin burned where Beth touched her, pulse roaring in her ears.
Electricity surged through her as Beth stepped closer, her body pressing Jamie back against the wall with a soft but insistent pressure.
And that was it. Jamie’s heart raced as the wall she’d built around herself—the wall that had kept her safe and prevented her from letting anyone in—slowly crumbled, collapsing with every touch, every kiss.
Beth’s hand slid up her arm, brushing along her collarbone, her fingertips light as they traced the edge of her jaw. Beth’s touch was deliberate, and Jamie let out a groan, heat pooling low in her belly—so much heat.
Beth’s eyes darkened with that same intensity Jamie had seen earlier.
“You like what you see?” she asked, in that tone that would slowly be Jamie’s undoing.
Her hand cupped Jamie’s cheek, her thumb brushing her bottom lip, and Jamie held her breath.
She buzzed with anticipation, nodding ever so slightly, her mind whirling with desire and need as Beth leaned in, lips brushing lightly against Jamie’s, like she was testing the waters.
The moment Jamie responded—tilting her head and deepening the kiss—the floodgate opened.
Beth pressed into her, her lips moving against Jamie’s with a slow, deliberate intensity, making Jamie’s knees go weak in a way that was so god-damned cliché that she should have been embarrassed.
The taste of Beth—sweet, warm, and familiar—flooded Jamie’s senses, and she moaned softly into the kiss, her hands finding their way to Beth’s waist, pulling her closer.
The warmth of her body against her own was intoxicating, her soft curves pressing into Jamie’s chest, and Jamie felt herself melting into the kiss, into Beth.
Beth’s fingers trailed fire in their wake as they tangled in her hair, tugging lightly at the roots.
Jamie gasped, her body arching instinctively toward Beth, craving more contact, more of her.
The kiss grew hungrier as Beth’s lips trailed along Jamie’s jaw, down her neck, and back up, the soft scrape of her teeth sending jolts of pleasure straight to the growing ache between her thighs.
“Then what are you waiting for?” she whispered, her breath warm against Jamie’s skin.
Her body was on fire, her pulse pounding in her ears, and she couldn’t think—couldn’t focus on anything but this moment, the way Beth’s lips tasted, the way her hands explored her body with a kind of deliberate, consuming passion.
“I want you,” Beth whispered between shallow breaths, her voice dripping with her own need. “Please don’t make me wait any longer.”
Those words gripped her. They had each waited so long for this.
But it was the raw vulnerability in Beth’s voice that made her own chest ache with the weight of her feelings.
This wasn’t about desire or lust, like that night at the gallery had been.
This was about trust, about the connection they’d been building for weeks, for months now.
For her, this was about love. Jamie knew how much she wanted this, and Beth—not just for tonight, but for every night.
Without a word, Jamie leaned in, capturing Beth’s lips again in a kiss that she hoped said everything she couldn’t quite find the words for.
Her hands slid up Beth’s sides, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin fabric of her jumpsuit.
This kiss was deeper, more urgent, and she could feel the shared passion between them rise like a wave neither could stop, even if they wanted to.
Beth’s fingers fumbled with the hem of Jamie’s shirt, lifting it, and her skin burned where Beth’s hands touched her. Her mind was spinning, her body trembling with need, as they stumbled toward the bedroom.
This was what she wanted.
The back of her knees hit the mattress as she and Beth moved in a tangle of limbs. Her shirt, boots, and Beth’s heels had been discarded somewhere between the front door and the bedroom.
Her chest heaved as Beth pulled away, blue eyes dark with desire searching for any sign that she should stop. She wouldn’t find any.
“Do you know how many times I’ve thought about this?
” Beth let out, her eyes fixed on Jamie’s.
Soft, cool moonlight streamed into the room from skylights in the vaulted ceiling, reflecting every movement, and Jamie couldn’t help but hold her breath as Beth reached behind her neck, swiftly undoing the clasp holding her shimmering jumpsuit in place and shedding the garment in one swift movement.
If Jamie’s brain could string together a single comprehensive thought right now, she was positive it would be one long expletive of appreciation for Beth’s beauty.
She was drenched in moonlight, her milky skin glowing, as she stood in front of Jamie completely bare except for a scant, lacy black thong.
Beth didn’t move; she just watched Jamie watch her.
Jamie’s eyes traced a path down the curve of her neck, along her collarbone, continuing down over the lightly freckled skin and along the curve of her breasts, marveling at the way her nipples were already taut, ready for her.
She tried to open her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Beth had left her absolutely, irrevocably speechless.
Taking her silence as an opportunity, Beth took a small step toward her, placing her hands lightly on Jamie’s shoulders and gently pushing her down so she could sit on the edge of the bed before stepping between Jamie’s legs and spreading them.
“I need you, Jamie.”
The slight raspiness to her voice made Jamie’s head spin from her own want as she wrapped her arms around Beth, hands reaching up her back before dragging her fingernails down over her shoulder blades.
At the same time, she pressed a line of soft, open-mouthed kisses up her abdomen and over the swell of her breast before taking a hardened nipple in her mouth, swirling it with her tongue, savoring the feeling and the sound of Beth’s sharp inhale.
She glanced up in time to catch the way Beth’s eyelashes fluttered as she released a soft, guttural sound at the contact of Jamie’s tongue to delicate skin, and Beth sank her fingers into Jamie’s hair, massaging her scalp, holding her against her breast.
She needed Beth just as badly.
Jamie expertly pulled Beth on top of her, their bodies aligned in a delicious press of skin. With one fluid movement, Jamie flipped them, her forearm braced beside Beth’s head. She tucked a strand of blonde behind Beth’s ear and cradled her cheek.
“You have me,” she whispered, her eyes never leaving Beth’s. She wanted Beth to feel the sincerity in her voice. She had her. God, she had her so good. Jamie had never given herself to someone in the ways Beth got her. She wanted to drown in Beth, jump right in, and never come up for air.
A fire raged inside her as Beth’s arms snaked their way around her neck, pulling their mouths to each other, and for once, she didn’t care about being in control of what was happening. She wanted to let Beth consume her in any way she wanted to.
She let out a sigh as Beth’s nails grazed gently across her shoulders. At the same time, Beth thrust her hips up against Jamie’s thigh, her heat pulsating through the thin fabric of her underwear.
“You’re wearing far too many clothes,” she whined in Jamie’s ear, and the sensation of her breath against her already-sensitive skin sent another jolt of pleasure coursing through her.
“Then do something about it.”
Beth wrapped slender legs around her waist, and in a move that both shocked and impressed Jamie, she found herself lying on her back looking up at Beth, who was straddling her, looking down at her with a hunger in her eyes.
“I love these dimples.” Long, slender fingers brushed against Jamie’s cheek before her lips followed as Beth inched her way down Jamie’s body.
Every precisely placed kiss sent waves of pleasure right to Jamie’s center, and her hips involuntarily ground up, desperate for any kind of pressure they could find.
A hint of a smirk tugged at the corners of Beth’s mouth as she unbuttoned Jamie’s jeans, pushing them down over her hips with her underwear. Jamie swiftly kicked them off to join the crumpled jumpsuit on the floor.