Page 99 of Emma

Emma grinned. “Yeah, I think it does.”

“So, tonight? Is it something you still feel like?”

Emma’s brows drew together. “You mean with Dani and the new girlfriend? Absolutely. We’ve been terrible friends lately, babe. I don’t want to put it off any longer. She’s been there for us both, and we need to make the effort.”

“While I completely agree, Dani understands that we’ve had a lot going on with Freya.”

“I know, but life is moving forward, and I don’t want any of our friends or family to think they’ve lost us to all of this. We need balance. We need other parts of our life to keep ticking over. So, cocktails it is!”

“Cocktails, huh?” Vanessa lifted a brow.

“Yes. Plural. As in more than one.”

Vanessa smirked. “I’ll remind you of that once you’ve finished your second one and you’re on the floor.”

Emma splayed a hand over her chest in mock outrage. “Excuse me. It’s actually three,at least.”

“Mm. We’ll see.”

Vanessa hadn’t realisedhow long it had been since they’d gone out for the sake of it until she stood in front of the mirror, smoothing her dress down over her hips and deciding she quite liked how the soft cream colour brought out her skin tone.

Behind her, sitting cross-legged on the bed, Emma was fussing with her eyeliner, her tongue caught between her teeth the way it always was when she tried to concentrate. Vanessa watched her for a moment—the sheer focus on her face, the way she leaned in towards the mirror like the rest of the world had ceased to exist.

“You’re going to make me nervous if you keep staring at me like that,” Emma muttered, not glancing up. “If I poke my eye out, you’ll be going on your own tonight.”

“I wasn’t staring.” Vanessa leaned against the dresser, her arms folded loosely. “I was admiring.”

Emma snorted, dropping the eyeliner back into her makeup bag. “Well, whatever you were doing…I could still poke my eye out.”

Vanessa lifted a shoulder and smiled. “I’d still love you.”

Emma did look up this time. Their eyes met in the reflection, and Vanessa caught the twitch of a smile tugging at her wife’s mouth. “You’re too much.”

“And you’re beautiful.”

Those words may come easily these days, but Vanessa meant them as much now as she had the first time she’d ever said them. Emma’s cheeks flushed at her compliment, though she tried to cover it by busying herself with lipstick.

Unable to resist the urge to push a little more, Vanessa crossed the room and stopped in front of the bed, then leaned in and pressed her hands to the mattress. “If you keep pouting like that while you’re putting your lipstick on, I may have to kiss it all off.”

Emma lowered her lipstick slowly, her eyes narrowed. “That’s your plan, is it? Make me late so Dani thinksItake longer thanyouto get ready?”

Vanessa smirked. “Youdotake longer than me to get ready.”

Emma gasped dramatically. “Excuse you!”

Vanessa sat down on the edge of the bed and grazed her knuckle beneath Emma’s chin. “And no, that wasn’t my plan. I don’t care how long it takes us to get ready. Dani is with her girlfriend, and I’m sure they can keep one another company.”

“Then what was your plan?”

“Oh, I shouldn’t say.” Vanessa attempted to stand, but Emma caught her wrist.

“Tell me.”

“I…want to get back to us. The intimacy of us. I want to walk out of here tonight knowing that you’re so wet you can barely concentrate.” Vanessa leaned in and took Emma’s bottom lip between her teeth, releasing it slowly. “I want you dripping by the time we get back home.”

Emma whimpered as Vanessa drew back. “Y-yeah. Um, that’ll do it.”

“Then I’ll meet you downstairs.” Vanessa got to her feet and moved towards the bedroom door. “If I don’t leave you to get ready, we won’t be going anywhere.”