Page 61 of Under the Table

“You thought?” Angelica asked.

“Something I know,” Hope corrected. “Didn’t you want it?”

“Yeah.” Angelica’s lips thinned with an emotion that Hope couldn’t quite name. “Yeah, I did.”

“And do you still?” Hope tightened her grip on Angelica’s waist, feeling the warmth of her skin under her shirt, the softness of the curves of her body.

Angelica lifted her chin slightly. She slid her hand from the nook of Hope’s elbow, up her arm to her neck, then her chin. Angelica nodded before she said anything, and Hope was smiling when she finally spoke.

“Yes.”

Hope moved in swiftly, pressing their lips together. Angelica moaned, stumbling back a step as Hope stepped forward and pushed her against the wall. A shiver ran down Hope’s spine and settled at the base of her back. Angelica cupped the back of her head, digging her fingers into Hope’s hair and firming up her grip.

God, Hope loved when she did that.

She parted her lips, sliding her tongue out to move against Angelica’s and teasing her into a deeper embrace. Hope settled into the kiss, her heart thundering away as she continued to press their bodies together. She moved her hand from Angelica’s side to the edge of her blouse, finding the spot where the fabrics met, and started to weave her fingers underneath them.

Angelica hummed, parting her legs and pulling Hope into her even more than before. She nipped at Hope’s lower lip before kissing her again and moving her fingers to the edge of her chef’s coat and underneath it to touch skin. Hope grunted, rocking her hips against Angelica’s and effectively smooshing Angelica against the wall.

“I’m so sorry,” Hope murmured against Angelica’s lips before kissing her again.

Angelica sighed, her body relaxing even more than it had before. Hope would say that a thousand times over if it would help make things right between them again. But this was entirely new territory for her. She’d never been in a relationship with two people at the same time, not that she was sure she could call this that either. She and Rex really needed to talk, but more than that, she and Angelica needed to talk, and everyone needed to be involved in the conversation.

Hope moaned when Angelica’s fingers reached her breast and teased her nipple through the thin fabric of her bra. This woman was so enticing. Hope wanted to touch skin like Angelica was doing. She wanted to slide her hands along Angelica’s body, tease her until she cried out loudly, until she was overwhelmed with pleasure and sensations.

She reached up, palming Angelica’s breast and massaging it gently. Angelica arched her back into the touch, moving her hand away from Hope’s nipple and down her side and around the small of her back again. The heat from a few moments ago was gone, the intensity of the moment. Hope eased her kissesslowly, not wanting to give them up entirely, but also not sure what the shift in mood was.

When she finally looked into Angelica’s eyes, she knew she wasn’t the only one who had noticed the change. She smiled at Angelica, kissing her again just for good measure.

“I don’t know where we go from here,” Hope said, keeping her lips curled upward. “I’m working on that still.”

“We have to be very careful with everything.” Angelica tightened her grip on Hope’s arms, still keeping her in her grasp. “My job is on the line.”

Hope nodded, understanding some of why Angelica had pulled back in the last week. But she also knew that wasn’t everything. “Yeah. I know.” She kissed Angelica again. “I’ll do everything in my power to keep this from blowing up.”

Angelica’s lips pulled tight into a line, and her gaze faded into something that told Hope she wasn’t fully present in the room with her any longer. She was off thinking about possible outcomes and possibilities.

“I promise you, Angel.”

Angelica nodded. “We should get back.”

“Yeah.” Hope moved away slightly.

But when she stepped back, Angelica’s knees dipped as though she’d lost all bearing on where she’d been pressed into the wall and had no idea where the floor was. Hope immediately tightened her grasp around Angelica’s waist and kept her upright.

“What’s wrong?” Hope asked.

Angelica shook her head, blinking wildly for a few more seconds before she straightened her shoulders and tightened up her entire body. “Nothing.”

“That wasn’t nothing.” Hope furrowed her brow.

“I’m fine, Hope.” Angelica breathed in deeply, but she was still gripping onto Hope’s arms like that was the only thing keeping her upright at the moment. “Or I will be fine.”

Hope stayed still, keeping Angelica steady. “When did you eat last?”

Angelica shook her head, her cheeks reddening from the pale color they’d turned. “I don’t honestly remember.”

Hope sighed heavily. She was going to have to work on that. She still couldn’t believe that anyone could forget to eat.