Page 24 of Unstoppable You (Sapph in the City #6)

Chapter Twenty-Four

James

It was nearly impossible not to message Delaney all day to check on her. She gave me an update during her morning break that she’d spoken with Larison and it had gone well.

I kept stopping myself from asking if I was going to see her anytime soon. Like tonight. I’d literally seen her naked yesterday and needed to see her again, but I didn’t know if it was too much to ask.

Soooo I was wondering. What do you think about coming over to my place tonight? I feel like I can’t make a true decision about my sexuality without another try. Don’t you think?

I agreed. I really, really did.

I’m happy to be your experimental buddy. As long as you want, as much as you want. I had a physical about six months ago and everything was negative.

There, now we could talk about that part of things.

I actually went right after Connor because I wouldn’t put it past him to give me something and not tell me. You know, since he was fine with fucking other people. I’m set too.

God, my brother really was the worst. I hated that I shared even an ounce of DNA with him. It wasn’t fair that you couldn’t choose your family. I never would have picked him or my parents if I’d had any other options.

He’s the worst.

I know.

I didn’t want to keep talking about my brother.

Do you want me to pick something up for dinner? Then we don’t have to cook. More time to do…other things.

If I had my way, we would do nothing but “other things” all the time.

Sounds perfect to me. I’m fine with whatever you want to pick.

We negotiated for a little while and settled on pizza from one of the best local places.

I was going to see Delaney tonight. And there would be food and nudity involved. Did life get better than that?

I almost wished I could go back in time and tell my awkward teenage self that one day she would get to see that girl she had all those confusing thoughts about naked. That someday things wouldn’t always be so awful.

I finished my last few tasks of the day right around the time when Delaney would be closing the bookshop. I put in the pizza order to be delivered in a half hour to Delaney’s house and changed out of my work clothes. It took too long to pick what to wear as I tore through my closet and drawers before selecting a pair of ripped black jeans and a purple shirt that was cropped just enough to allow my belly ring to peek out. Delaney had been riveted by my piercing and I wanted to show it off for her.

This time I put my hair up and took off most of the makeup I’d put on for my workday.

Too excited to wait any longer to see her, I got in my car and drove to Delaney’s apartment, parking a little ways down the street. Just as I was about to ask her if she was back yet, I got a message.

I’m home if you want to come over whenever.

Not wanting to appear too eager, I waited five endless minutes before I answered that I was outside.

She met me at the front door to let me in with a smile on her face and still wearing her work clothes.

“Hi,” she said, holding the door open.

I kissed her hello.

She laughed as I showed her with my mouth how much I’d missed her since I had seen her.

Once I had kissed her until my knees were weak, I leaned back. “Hi.”

Her eyes blinked open. “That was a hell of a greeting.”

“Should I apologize?”

She grinned and grabbed my shirt to drag me inside. “Hell no.”

“The pizza will be here in a few minutes,” I said in between kisses as she pushed me up against her door and pulled at my clothes.

“Shit, I’m hungry,” she said, but didn’t stop devouring me.

“We can’t eat and kiss at the same time,” I pointed out and she made a frustrated sound and pushed away from me, putting her hands up between us.

I laughed, still a little unsteady on my feet. “Food first.”

She nodded. “Right. Food first. Um, how was your day?”

We sat on her awful couch and discussed how our Mondays had gone while we waited for the food to arrive.

“I’m going to change really quick,” she told me.

It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if I could watch, but that would lead to us completely forgetting about the pizza and she needed to eat. Sometimes food had to take precedence over sex.

I sat on my hands on the couch until Delaney emerged from her bedroom in one of her T-shirts and a pair of soft green shorts, her hair up in a messy bun.

“You’re beautiful,” I breathed, and she snorted.

“You didn’t always think that.”

Fuck. My past misdeeds always came to bite me in the ass.

She flopped on the couch next to me, drawing her feet up.

“No, I did. I know it’s hard to believe that, but I did. I always had these really conflicting feelings about you. I’m not using that as an excuse, but it’s the truth. I always got these stomach flutters when I looked at you.”

Delaney adjusted her bun. “I think those are called butterflies, James.”

“I didn’t know that at the time. Didn’t know what they meant because weren’t you just supposed to feel those for boys?” I didn’t know then what I knew now.

A notification went off on my phone and I saw the pizza had arrived.

“I’ll go get it,” I told her, getting up and slipping my shoes back on.

We ate together on the couch, and I couldn’t wait until her new one arrived so I could help her put it together and have a better place to make out.

“Can you show me how your machine works?” I asked, nodding at her T-shirt press that took up a huge corner of the room.

“Sure. Not tonight, but sometime. I’ll even let you make one.”

That would be cool. “I’m excited.”

She rolled her eyes. “Dork.”

Once we finished eating, I put the leftovers in the fridge and turned around to find Delaney gazing at me with hunger in her eyes.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you today. And about things we could be doing together. Things I want to try.” My back pressed up against the fridge, making a few of her magnets fall on the floor. Whatever. They weren’t important.

I had to close my eyes for a minute to gather my composure.

When I opened them, I found her stalking closer to me.

“And what kind of things did you have in mind for tonight?” I asked her.

She tapped her chin with one finger, thinking. “Well. I want you to sit on my face. But I also want to sit on your face. And I want to give scissoring a go. And edge you with my vibrator and vice versa. That’s just a few things.”

I raised my eyebrows, almost at a loss for words. “Another list?”

Her smile was bright and mischievous. “A Fuckme List.”

A startled laugh burst out of me. “Oh my god.”

Delaney crossed the rest of the space between us.

“What do you want, baby? You can have it.” She could have everything. I’d get it for her.

“As much as I want to do all that, what about you? What do you want, James?”

Hearing her say my name that way was still so incredible.

“I want…” I trailed off. Too many things. Far too many things. But we had to start somewhere.

“I want to go down on you and have you come all over my face. I want to see if I can make you squirt.”

She closed her eyes and moaned. “Fuck yeah, let’s do that .”

Her hand clamped mine in a tight grip as she dragged me to her bedroom.

* * *

A while later I looked up at her with my face covered in her desire and watched as she drifted down from her climax. I’d gone down on her until my jaw was sore and she had been cursing my name to let her come. I licked my lips, desperate for more of her.

“I didn’t squirt,” she said, pouting.

“That just means we’ll have to try again,” I said, placing a kiss just above her clit. She trembled and reached down to cradle my head.

“You look amazing right now.”

I smiled, having never been happier in my life. “If I’d know this was where I’d end up, I would have moved back sooner.”

Her fingers tangled in a few strands of hair that had escaped my braid. “But I would have still been with Connor.” She pulled a disgusted face.

“Yeah, but I would have just stolen you from him.” I had full confidence in my skills to seduce her away from him.

Her eyebrows went up. “Scandalous.”

I gazed deep into her eyes. “He didn’t deserve you.”

“And you do?”

I thought about that for a moment. “Yes.”

“You’re awfully confident.”

I kissed the inside of her thigh, licking the line of one of her stretch marks. “You like it.”

She let out a sigh. “Yeah, I do.”

* * *

A little while later we lay together, sweaty and completely exhausted, Delaney’s head resting on my shoulder.

“I didn’t know sex could be like this,” she said.

“Me neither.”

She lifted her head to look at me. “Really?”

“Yeah. I’ve never felt anything like this before. It’s different with you.”

Her smile was dazzling. “So it’s not like this with everyone you’ve been with?”

Not even close.

“No. You’re special.”

Her kiss was sweet. “Are we dating now?”

The question shocked me. “I…don’t know? Do you want to date? Are you open to moving that fast?” Only a day ago she’d barely been able to say she wasn’t straight. I wasn’t opposed to dating her at all, but I didn’t want to go too fast.

“Is that the cliché? Lesbians bring a U-Haul to the second date?” she asked.

Now I was even more surprised. “What do you know about U-Haul lesbians?”

She snorted. “I work with Larison. I pay attention.”

Oh, right.

“Are you saying that word out loud now?” I’d never heard her use it before.

Her nod was slow. “I’ve been thinking it over and over. Trying not to be scared of it. That’s…that’s the first time I’ve said it out loud today.”

I wrapped my arms around her, bringing her close and kissing her hair.

“How does it feel?”

“I’m not sure yet. I’m still deciding. But it doesn’t feel bad?” That was something. She could try on any labels she wanted until she found one that fit her.

“That’s awesome, baby.”

She let out a happy sound and burrowed closer to me.

“I think I’d be okay with being a lesbian.”

I let out a snort. “I think I’d be okay with you being a lesbian too. It’s a pretty great thing to be, in my experience.”

No complaints from me.

“My parents are probably going to throw me a party.” She sounded a little grumpy about that and then winced.

“Now I sound ungrateful. I don’t mean to be. My parents are amazing, and I love them. But they’re going to make a big deal about it, and I don’t know if I’m ready for them to buy matching ‘I love my lesbian daughter’ shirts.”

That image made me laugh. They really were the sweetest people.

“You could make shirts for them.”

She fiddled with my belly ring. “I could. Maybe I will.”

A comfortable silence fell between us.

“I’m still nervous to tell them. Even though I know they’ll be fine. There’s a tiny part of me that wonders.”

It was only natural that she’d have that tiny bit of uncertainty.

“I’ll go with you. If you want.” If she needed me to have her back, she had me.

“Would you?”

I clasped her tight for a moment. “Of course.”

“I think I might like that. I’m having dinner with them on Thursday. And then spending all day Sunday with them. You don’t have to come on Sunday, but maybe on Thursday?”

The idea scared me a little, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. I’d suck it up and be there to support her no matter what.

“I’d love to.”

“Thanks, James.”