Page 30 of Learning Curves

Someone moaned, and it wasn’t Audrey. The sound of Michelle’s need drew an answering sound from Audrey’s throat, though.

Her body was flooded with pleasure, her mind reeling from the knowledge that Michelle was a better kisser than she’d imagined, and she’d fantasized about this moment a lot over the years.

This kiss was the culmination of half a lifetime of fantasies for Audrey, and right now, it was blowing every single one of them out of the water.

Michelle’s kiss was uninhibited, a little bit wild, even.

Her hands tugged at Audrey’s hair while her hips pressed into Audrey’s, and her tongue .

.. Audrey shivered with pleasure as the tip of that talented tongue toyed with her own.

Michelle’s breath came in rough gasps, and she let out an impossibly high-pitched whimper when Audrey’s hand brushed against the waistband of her jeans.

Audrey loved the sounds she made almost as much as she loved the feel of Michelle’s body pressed against hers.

Audrey closed her eyes and drank her in.

Her own ragged breaths filled her lungs with Michelle’s scent.

Her hands were on Michelle’s lower back below the T-shirt, resting against warm, bare skin, and god , it felt so good.

Without warning, Michelle broke the kiss.

She lifted her head, staring at Audrey out of wild eyes that blazed with heat, pupils so dilated her irises looked black.

Michelle’s cheeks were smeared with clay, her lips red and kiss-swollen, and Audrey would never forget the way she looked in this moment.

They were both panting like they’d just run a marathon.

“We shouldn’t have done that,” Michelle said quietly, as if she’d just returned to her senses, and it was probably good that one of them had, because Audrey had reasons not to do this, too—important ones—although she was having trouble remembering them at this exact moment.

“Probably not, but I don’t regret it.” Audrey reached out to touch a clay smear on Michelle’s cheek. It was in her hair, too, and all over her shirt. Audrey probably looked the same.

Michelle sucked in several deep breaths, and Audrey could practically hear her thinking, as that sexy brain of hers attempted to make sense of things.

Audrey’s brain was starting to come back online, too, whirling with a combination of I actually kissed Michelle Thompson , and That was the hottest kiss of my life , and We really shouldn’t do it again.

“You’re my student,” Michelle said finally, dropping her gaze to her clay-covered arms, where the hearts Audrey had drawn there had dried on her skin. They were white and flaky now, and what the hell was Michelle even saying? Had that kiss sent her back in time?

“I am not ,” Audrey exclaimed.

“You were my student,” Michelle clarified. “I mean, I wasn’t thinking about that while we were kissing, but I’m thinking about it now, and oh lord, I’m so much older than you. This is ... what was I thinking?”

She was rambling, and it was both adorable and annoying because Audrey didn’t like the path Michelle’s thoughts had taken, not one bit.

“I have reasons for not wanting to get involved with you, but they have nothing to do with your age or the fact that I was your student a long time ago.”

Michelle pushed a hand into her hair, frowning as her fingers snagged on a clump of clay. “I should probably go.”

“No.” Audrey was making this up as she went.

She had no idea what to do or say, but she knew nothing good could come from Michelle running out like this.

“No, you should stay long enough to talk about this. Actually, I’m starving.

Why don’t I make us some dinner, and we’ll figure things out while we eat? ”

“I just ... what is there to talk about?” Michelle had clearly cooled off now. In fact, she looked like she was having major regrets, but if she left now, things would be awkward. She and Audrey had already done awkward, and Audrey had no desire to go back.

“We kissed.” Audrey stated the obvious. “We are coworkers who kissed, so whether or not we plan to ever kiss again, we need to talk about it and get on the same page.”

“Oh lord.” Michelle rubbed her hands over her face, and bits of dried clay flaked off, drifting toward the floor. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Then let’s take a few minutes to regroup first. Why don’t you go rinse off in my shower and change out of those clay-covered clothes? I’ll start us some dinner. Do you like grilled salmon? I was going to pair it with a salad.”

“Did you buy enough for two?” Michelle gave her a slightly suspicious look, as if she suspected Audrey had planned to invite her to stay for dinner.

Really, truly, she hadn’t. Nothing that happened after Michelle sat at the pottery wheel had been planned.

“It’s frozen. The salmon. I bought a bunch at the beginning of the month, so it’s just as easy to thaw two filets as one, and as for the salad, that’s easy to double. So, what do you say? Stay for dinner?”

Michelle looked away, and Audrey knew she was desperately trying to think of a reason—any reason—to leave. But staying would be better in the long run. Audrey was sure of it. Talking about something before it had a chance to fester was always better.

“All right,” Michelle finally relented.

“Good.” Audrey led the way out of the studio.

Ordinarily, she never left without cleaning everything up, but right now, smoothing things over with Michelle was her top priority.

Audrey ducked into her bedroom for a clean T-shirt and then gestured to Michelle that the room was all hers.

“Go freshen up and then meet me downstairs, okay? Help yourself to any toiletries in the bathroom or anything else you need.”

Before Michelle could change her mind, Audrey went downstairs. She ducked into the guest bathroom to change her shirt, then spent a few minutes washing clay from her arms and face. She had some in her hair, too, and she combed out as much of it as she could with her fingers.

Then she stood there, staring at herself in the mirror as she replayed in her mind the events of the last fifteen minutes or so because ... holy mother of ...

She kissed Michelle.

Michelle kissed her back.

For a minute there, Michelle had looked absolutely desperate to do more than kiss, and that was something Audrey would never forget.

As long as she lived, she might never comprehend why she’d started finger painting hearts on Michelle’s arms like that.

It was like she’d fallen into a hormonal trance once they sat at the wheel together.

At first, she’d been sure it was just her, but then, Michelle had leaned into her. She’d been so visibly aroused by Audrey’s hands on hers that Audrey had completely lost control, and she’d painted hearts on Michelle’s skin.

The rest was history.

Now she’d kissed the woman who’d been her first female crush, her bisexual awakening, her professor . Who knew Michelle Thompson could kiss like that? Audrey’s cheeks flamed just thinking about it. Even if they never kissed again, she would never forget a single thrilling moment.

It was painted in her mind like a museum exhibit, one she planned to revisit—in her fantasies, at least—often.

Michelle stood in Audrey’s shower, idly tracing the hearts Audrey had drawn on her skin before she washed them away. There was something so romantic, so intimate about what Audrey had done. It made Michelle swoon harder than she could remember swooning in recent history.

She and Kelly had been together so long.

Yes, they’d been young and head over heels in love once, but that felt like a lifetime ago, nothing but a distant memory.

Mostly, she remembered the fights. The snide comments.

The way Kelly was never satisfied with anything Michelle said or did.

The many nights Michelle slept on the sofa.

She closed her eyes and submerged her face beneath the shower’s spray. Now wasn’t the time to think about Kelly. Or Audrey, for that matter. Not while she was naked, her body still aching from their kisses. She needed to rinse off and get downstairs so she could talk this through with Audrey.

Michelle scrubbed the remaining clay from her skin and rinsed it from her hair—Audrey’s hands had apparently spent a lot of time there, because her hair was full of clay—ignoring the urge to slide a hand between her thighs and finish what Audrey had started.

There was no time for that now, and Audrey’s shower certainly wasn’t the place.

Not when that kiss—however mind-blowingly fantastic—had likely just ruined their friendship. Michelle could hardly bear the thought of losing Audrey’s presence in her life, her cheerful smiles and handmade teacups and scintillating conversations over afternoon tea in Michelle’s office.

She’d known better than to see Audrey outside work. Everything about today had been a terrible idea, even if it had been so refreshingly fun and exciting, right up to the moment she’d ruined everything. Michelle wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.

She stepped out of the shower, surveying herself critically in the mirror.

Her makeup was gone now, her hair limp and dripping.

She looked terrible, not that it mattered at this point.

She toweled herself off and redressed in the clothes she’d arrived in.

She borrowed Audrey’s brush and ran it through her hair, and then she quit stalling and went downstairs.

Audrey was in the kitchen, preparing salads. She looked up with a smile, seemingly as at ease as ever. “Better?”

Michelle wasn’t sure exactly what Audrey was asking, but yes, everything did feel a little better after her shower, so she nodded. “Anything I can help with?”

“Nope. I’m almost done with the salads. The salmon is thawing, and then I just need to toss it on the grill for a few minutes. It’s an easy weekend meal. I’m trying to use my grill as much as I can before it gets too cold.”