Page 31 of Sugar High
Kit nodded and ate a few bites in silence. “Believe it or not, they make everything fresh here,” she then said. “The blueberries come from Pungo. It’s all farm to table.”
“I make an awesome blueberry sauce, you know.” Sid noticed Kit’s lower lip shining with maple and raspberry and she nipped her quickly for a taste. “If you don’t mind getting a bit sticky, you might want to sample some.”
She smiled at Kit’s deep blush. No heads turned at the innuendo, but with a girl group crooning from the jukebox and the waitresses barking orders to the cook they had enough distractions. She twined Kit’s free hand in hers and rested them on the table between their meals. Kit made no move to hide their affection.Not so bad, is it?They weren’t marching in a parade, or making out like horny teenagers, but being themselves.
Two women living their lives, enjoying each other’s company. If anybody here had a problem with it, they didn’t have to look.
“Wanna get some to-go boxes?” she asked. Kit smiled at her and her pussy gave a squeeze. She wanted to get Kit home. Forget the syrup, the whipped cream, the toys. She craved a long night of slow lovemaking on her futon. Tangled limbs, mating tongues, hands caressing skin without a thought to time or the world around them.
Kit’s eyes darted side to side, as though assessing their options. “You sure?” she asked. “I know you want to stay out tonight, and I’m totally fine with it. We could even go back to the Den, if you want, for a drink.”
“Kit, I’m happy with this. I love hanging out with you anywhere,” Sid said. “I like to believe we have many years of this to come. Communication is the key, and we have plenty of time ahead of us to work on it.”
“Yeah.” Kit didn’t look away with embarrassment. She met Sid’s lips in a brief, exploring kiss that lasted until a shadow caught the corner of her eye.
Fake Lucy hovered over them, thankfully not scowling. The older woman set the check face down by the syrup dispenser. That was when Sid spotted the rainbow flag button among the other flair lining the straps of her apron.
“Get a room, you two,” the waitress said with a wink, then sauntered back to the counter.
“Don’t worry, we will.” Kit dropped a twenty and a ten on the table.
They left the booth and the diner, still holding hands.
If you enjoyed this story, read on for a preview of THE PERFECT PAIRING, another steamy Sapphic romance by M.Z. Arthur!
Destiny McNeille lives for the wine business. Since losing her wife, she’s relied on Clara Milner to keep her vineyard in top shape. Romance can wait; she’s not interested, anyway.
Clara’s ready to confess her love for Desi, who suspects Clara wants to move on. She makes an offer she thinks Clara can’t refuse, but it’s not what Clara wants.
A shared love of wine brought Desi and Clara together, but is it enough for Clara to stay? Can she convince Desi there's more to life than work?
~*~
Clara waited until she felt certain she couldn’t be heard before exhaling a loud, exhausted breath. Deep in the commercial kitchen, surrounded by stainless steel fixtures and high-end appliances, she set her palms on a wheeled butcher’s block and stretched her legs behind her. Damn, but she couldn’t just stand next to Desi without her heart pounding in her ears and her pussy giving a squeeze. She wondered if the winery owner noticed. Certainly, Ellie Garriston had. She couldn’t mistake the bemused look on the blonde’s face as she panned her gaze from Clara’s face down her chest, where two hard nipples dented her blouse.
She couldn’t blame it on the cold, either, not with the fireplace warming the grand tasting room.
Clara stood straight and turned toward the refrigerator. She removed the chocolate cake enrobed in chocolate raspberry ganache. She’d give the dinner a good half-hour before checking on their guests for dessert; the cake would be well thawed by then but still chilled. All the while, she thought of the interest evident in Ellie’s smile, and her heart shuddered. The couple’s presence, not the overload of paperwork, prompted her anti-social behavior this evening. Not that she didn’t like the Garristons, she barely knew them, though she appreciated their business, but she’d heard the stories. The couple enjoyed partying hard, and they gave all new meaning to Dareville’s reputation as the “friendliest” town in Virginia. Clara didn’t think either of them would drink enough to proposition Desi into a three-way tonight. That wasn’t Desi’s scene.
Still, the idea of even the Garristons’ mildly flirting with Desi set Clara on edge.
She loved Desi. Had so since the day she set foot on the property, when Shannon Sullivan-McNeille introduced Clara toher wife as the new assistant vintner. Her experience working the fertile soil of the Napa Valley had proved beneficial to Dare’s Destiny following Shannon’s tragic and untimely death, and, with Clara taking charge as Desi mourned, the winery didn’t suffer but weathered the emotional turmoil well.
A little over a year later, she wished to bring Desi away from Shannon’s grave and encourage her to completely reclaim the humor and zest for life, and her work, that had attracted her so long ago. Well, that, and Desi’s expressive blue eyes and sexy curves provided enough of a lure.
Damn. Clara took a deep breath to still her rapid heartbeat and will down her aching desire. If it didn’t subside soon, she’d have to take a moment in her office for relief before serving dessert.
A burst of laughter from the main room caught her attention, and she padded quietly to the door. Opening it just a crack, she watched the dinner party through the sliver of space, in particular Ellie Garriston with her hand on Desi’s shoulder. “Seriously,” Ellie was saying, “don’t you think it’s time you at least thought about dating? Would Shannon want for you to hole up here with nothing but work to keep you company?”
Clara bore her teeth down sharply on her lower lip, and she held her breath to make no sound as she eavesdropped. Of course, she’d expect Desi’s friends to suggest she dip her toes back in the dating pool, but since Desi remained somewhat out of the loop, Clara had thought she had time to plan her approach. Hearing Ellie’s suggestion that she and Brady invite her to a dinner party worried her. She could see the calculating gleam in the other woman’s eye from here, and she didn’t like it one bit.
“Ellie.” Brady’s warning tone rang through the great room. “I think Desi knows better than anyone else when it’s time to start seeing people again.”
Good on you, guy, Clara thought. When Ellie shrugged her silent acquiescence, her husband shifted topics, and Clara let go a slow, ragged breath. She didn’t need to spy on Desi. She knew her too well to believe two minutes of aggressive encouragement might lead her to seek passion in another woman’s arms. Or man’s. Clara knew the winery owner identified as bisexual, having been divorced from a man prior to meeting Shannon.
Clara had long ago decided it. The day Desi chose to return to love, she would be there to give it to her.
With at least fifteen minutes to kill before dessert, Clara backed away and retreated to her office and the thick ledgers needing her attention. Keeping the door ajar, she reached for the plastic bag containing a wrapped cold cut sub Desi would not have wanted her to eat, and took a large bite.
She wasn’t much for ribs and polenta, anyway.