She visualized what she wanted to do with Jenna, painted the picture in her mind, the slow peeling off of clothing, laying Jenna down on her bed and pushing her legs apart, pressing her mouth to the warmth between her thighs.
Making her pant and scream and come.
But in her mind, when she lifted her head to smile at her lover, it wasn’t Jenna.
It was a wild redhead.
“Fuck,” she said, pulling back.
“Are you okay?” Jenna asked, worry creasing her brows together.
Her fingers still rested on Jenna’s hips. She squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. Tried to get back into this moment, not imagined ones.
“Hey,” Jenna said softly. “It’s okay. We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
Stevie shook her head, tears already swelling.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“We could just talk,” Jenna said, so goddamn sweetly.
But Stevie didn’t want sweet.
At least, not Jenna’s kind of sweet. Maybe, at another time in her life, another world, Stevie and Jenna would’ve made sense. In fact, Stevie knew they would, even if just for one night.
“I’m sorry, Jenna,” she said, dropping her hands from Jenna’s hips and taking a step back.
Jenna’s expression fell. “Oh.”
“You’re amazing,” Stevie said. “You really are, but I have to go.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
IRIS HAD JUST settled on her couch with a bowl of popcorn and a bottle of wine—no glass required, thanks very much—when a knock sounded on the door.
She groaned and let her head fall against the back cushion. Should’ve known her friends wouldn’t let her get away with storming out of Stella’s like a toddler.
Another knock.
She heaved herself off the couch. “You know, Claire,” she called to the door, “sometimes, a good friend doesn’t go after the recalcitrant redhead. Sometimes, you leave the recalcitrant redhead the fuck alone and let her—”
But her words were cut off when she flung open the door, ready to act like a real pain in the ass, to find Stevie in her hallway. She was out of breath like she’d run all the way here, her eyes glossy and locked on Iris.
“Stevie,” she said. “What . . . are you okay? What happened?”
Stevie stepped into Iris’s space, no hesitations, hands sliding over her hips. She kicked the door closed with her boot, pulled Iris closer.
“You happened,” she said before crushing her mouth to Iris’s.
Iris barely had time to be surprised, barely had time to think, before her body reacted. Her arms went around Stevie’s shoulders, fingers sinking immediately into her hair.
And shit, she was tired of fighting it.
Tired to telling herself she didn’t want this.
Stevie turned them around, backed Iris against the door, one thigh immediately slotting between Iris’s legs. And fuck, Iris was already wet, her clit throbbing. Stevie devoured her mouth, pulling at her lower lip before dipping her tongue inside. She grabbed the bottom of Iris’s crop top and lifted, exposing Iris’s lacy bra to her hands.
“I fucking love your tits,” Stevie said, and shit, all Iris could do was moan as Stevie’s thumbs swiped over her nipples, seeking and pinching. Iris tugged at Stevie’s shirt too, and soon half their clothes were on the ground. Stevie didn’t have on a bra, and Iris was dying to get her nipples into her mouth, but Stevie would barely let her move, pinning her against the door with her thigh, hands sliding down Iris’s ass and pressing her leg harder against Iris’s center.
“Fuck,” Iris said, the feeling zinging straight through her sleep shorts and underwear.
Stevie laughed against her shoulder, letting Iris go for a second. Iris whimpered in protest, but then Stevie pulled Iris’s shorts down her legs, nudging Iris’s feet to kick them free. Iris obeyed every request, already half dizzy when Stevie resumed her position, palming her ass again and grinding her thigh against Iris’s pussy.
“Oh god,” Iris said, tilting her head back. Stevie pressed her mouth to Iris’s throat, teeth scraping her skin. Iris kept one hand deep in Stevie’s curls, her other finding its way between Stevie’s legs.
“Shit,” Stevie said when Iris found her target, burying her face in Iris’s neck. She ground Iris down on her thigh even harder, Iris pumping her hips for more friction.
Fuck, she was so close.
Stevie moaned as Iris pressed the heel of her hand to the seam of Stevie’s shorts, moving her palm up and down, getting her fingers into the mix too. Stevie met her every thrust, and soon there was nothing but humping and moaning right there against Iris’s front door.
“God, yeah,” Iris said, free hand clawing at Stevie’s shoulder. “Please.”
“Please what?” Stevie said against her throat.
“Make me come.”
“Beg me.”
Stevie stilled her grinding and Iris practically went feral with need.
“Fuck, Stevie, please, make me come. Make me come now.”
Stevie licked her throat then, pushed her own hips into Iris’s hand, groaning as she fucked Iris with her thigh. Iris could feel how wet she was, soaking through her underwear and sliding over Stevie’s skin. The smell of sex clouded between them, and Iris had never loved anything more.
She grunted in frustration, rolling her hips for a new angle, rotating her palm over Stevie. The feeling swelled, growing from her lower belly and spreading to her pussy, her fingers and toes.
“Oh my god, yeah,” she said, her orgasm rushing through her. She cried out, gripping Stevie’s hair and yanking, which seemed to be all Stevie needed too. Stevie locked up for a second, groaning into Iris’s neck as she came, hips jolting against Iris’s fingers.
They stayed pressed together for a second, both breathing heavily. Iris had just released Stevie, ready to laugh, and make some sort of sex joke, when Stevie laced her fingers with Iris’s and started pulling her toward the bedroom.
“I don’t think I’m done with you yet,” Stevie said, and Iris was wet all over again.
“That wild frenzy back there wasn’t enough?” Iris asked, tripping after Stevie as she all but ran into Iris’s room.
Stevie pulled her around to face her, hands on her hips. Her eyes searched Iris’s face, expression serious. “Not even close. I’ve wanted this since the moment I saw you. I’ve wanted it all along, I just . . . couldn’t figure it out.”
Iris’s breath tangled in her throat, Me too on the edge of her tongue. She couldn’t get it out though. Those two simple words felt huge, like a confession to some other life.
“Well, I guess you better take what you want, then,” she said instead, smirking at Stevie.
Stevie laughed. “Gladly.”
She kissed Iris once . . . twice, backing her toward the bed. Then Stevie slid her hands down the backs of Iris’s thighs, lifting her in some sex-adrenaline-fueled show of strength. Iris gripped her shoulders as she moved them closer to the bed, then all but tossed Iris onto the mattress.
“Okay, wow,” Iris said, laughing as she bounced and scooted toward the headboard.
Stevie grinned. “Yeah?”
“Very much yeah.”
Stevie crawled onto the bed and slid up her body, straddling her hips and kissing her. She palmed Iris’s tits, thumbs doing that evil pinching move, and Iris was already writhing underneath her.
“You have too many clothes on,” Iris said, panting, pulling at the button on Stevie’s shorts.
“So do you.” Stevie reached behind Iris’s back and undid her bra, nails scraping Iris’s skin as she slid the straps down her arms.
They made quick work of the rest of their clothes and Stevie settled next to Iris, wrapping her arms around her bare waist and kissing her.
They stayed like that for a few minutes, just making out, hands roaming. Finally, Iris couldn’t take it anymore. She needed her mouth on Stevie, on some part she’d never tasted before. She bent her head, tonguing one pink nipple before sucking it into her mouth.
“Shit,” Stevie said, inhaling sharply. Her finger went to Iris’s pussy, and Iris happily opened for her. “God, you’re so wet.”
“I’ve been wet for weeks.”
Stevie laughed. “Me too.”
She trailed her hand through Iris’s folds, then brought her fingers to her mouth, sucking on them while looking Iris dead in the eyes.