Moonstone (31 page)

Kelsey couldn’t help but stare. Joy was in the shower, stripping off her bathing suit and there were no walls between the showerheads. Of course, that had always been the case. One small, square tiled room with a drain in the center and four showerheads—the space was efficient, but there was no chance for modesty. Kelsey hung her towel on a hook and stepped into the shower bay. She slipped out of her bathing suit, waiting for the water to warm up and stared at the wall rather than risk another glance at Joy. She stepped into the stream of water and closed her eyes. High school. All over again. And yet if she reached for Joy now…

She felt a light touch on her back. Fingernails brushed from her lower back up to her neck and then down again. Joy’s hands moved to her shoulders, massaging the dull ache out of the left side. She continued the massage from the shoulders to the neck and then lower down her back. Kelsey leaned into Joy’s hands. When she turned around, Joy’s lips were waiting for hers. One kiss led to another and Kelsey wondered if the other swimmers that had been in the pool would walk in on them. She decided she didn’t care.

“I want to go home with you,” Kelsey said.

Joy reached for her towel and stepped out of the shower bay. Kelsey watched until she disappeared past the hallway to the lockers.

“I didn’t think about dinner,” Joy said. She opened one of the cabinets and stared inside. “What can I feed you?”

Kelsey walked up behind her and pushed the cabinet door closed. “We can eat later.”

Joy turned around and faced Kelsey, a smile playing at the edge of her lips. “I see. You think that’s how this is going to go?”

Kelsey nodded. She pressed her hand against Joy’s chest. “Winner gets a kiss, remember?”

“I think I gave you a few already. Remember the shower?”

“I want another.”

Joy smiled. “In bed?” Her tone was light. When Kelsey didn’t answer, she added, “Or maybe not yet.”

Kelsey pulled Joy toward the stairs. One kiss was going to lead to more. And she wouldn’t stop it this time.

Joy pulled back when they reached the top of the stairs. She glanced at the bedroom door and then at Kelsey. “Are you sure?”

Kelsey stepped forward and met Joy’s lips. Since the shower, the only thing she’d thought of was what she wanted next. After the kisses. She unbuttoned Joy’s blouse, kissing her again. “I want you naked. And I want a bed.”

Joy slipped out of her blouse and then her bra. Kelsey couldn’t help but stare. She reached out to caress Joy’s breast but then hesitated.
Damn it
. She ached to feel Joy and yet… She didn’t want to screw up. Not this time. And she couldn’t turn off the thoughts in her head reminding her that it had been almost a year since she’d made love to anyone. Joy took Kelsey’s hands and pressed them against her breasts.

“You just gasped,” Joy said. She brushed a fingertip across Kelsey’s chin.

“No, I didn’t,” Kelsey said. “Maybe a little.”

“I like sounds.”

“Do you?” Kelsey murmured. Joy’s nipples responded to the lightest touch. All other thoughts slipped away. “I don’t think I could hold back anyway.”

“Change your mind about the bed?”

Kelsey shook her head. They were still in the hallway at the top of the stairs. She pushed open the bedroom door. “I’m not changing my mind.”

Joy turned and went into the bedroom. Kelsey slipped off her own shirt and bra. The sheets were already turned down. Maybe Joy hadn’t made the bed that morning. Or maybe she’d planned on company. Kelsey hoped it was the latter. She wanted Joy to be longing for this as much as she was.

Kelsey pulled her into another embrace. Their breasts touched and smooth skin brushed against smooth skin. They were nearly the same height. Joy’s breasts were small like hers, but her hard nipples were dark brown against the light brown of her skin. Kelsey wanted her naked, her body begging to touch every curve.

Joy’s kiss was hungry and Kelsey felt a warmth start between her legs. She unbuckled her belt and Joy reached to help undo the buttons on her jeans. Joy pushed the jeans down past Kelsey’s hips and then ran her finger under the band of Kelsey’s underwear. “I have this thing for a woman in a thong.”

Kelsey pulled her jeans off all the way and Joy immediately reached for her. She pulled Kelsey close, touching her butt first and then stroking down the back of her thighs. She slipped her finger along Kelsey’s thong, tracing the strap that went between her legs. When she pulled the material taut, Kelsey moaned. She wanted Joy to touch the wet place that was already swollen, but she only strummed her fingers over the silk.

Kelsey fumbled with the clasp on Joy’s pants. “I’m out of practice,” she admitted. “But I really need you naked.”

Joy slipped off her own pants and underwear and when the clothes were gone, she straightened up and faced Kelsey. The light from the hallway was all they had to see each other, but it was enough.

Joy stepped back. She sank down on the bed, stretched across it and then pushed up on one elbow. Her eyes were locked on Kelsey. “Tell me now if we have to stop at kissing.”

Kelsey’s breath caught in her chest. When she didn’t answer, Joy curled one finger, motioning her to the bed. Joy leaned back against the pillows. The sheets were pushed down past her toes.

Kelsey couldn’t resist anymore. She stepped forward and Joy parted her legs. Kelsey moved between them, her thigh pressing against the narrow strip of short hair. Joy was already wet.

The sheets were twisted and then pushed off. They moved together, each sound from Joy pushing Kelsey higher, one wave crashing into another. Kelsey lost track of which curve she’d traced, what soft place she’d kissed. She bent her head between Joy’s legs and slipped her tongue across her clit. Joy held her shoulders, moaning soft and low. She pushed her hips up, meeting Kelsey’s lips. Again and again. Kelsey moved with her. Joy was close. Kelsey could feel it. But then she pulled her up to a kiss. One long, deep kiss.

Joy guided Kelsey’s hand between her legs. “I want your hand here,” she said. “So I can still kiss you.”

Joy’s breath was ragged when Kelsey touched her. Her clit was swollen. Kelsey stroked faster, feeding her desire, and Joy held her in place with one kiss after another. She came hard, fingernails sinking into Kelsey’s shoulders, and then rode out the rush of her climax with lips parted and head thrown back. Kelsey wanted to hold on to that moment, to stop everything so she could remember every detail, but Joy only took one breath before reaching for Kelsey.

She nipped at Kelsey’s shoulder and then tugged the band on Kelsey’s thong. Kelsey had never been so turned on. She thought she’d come as soon as Joy touched her clit. Joy pushed aside the silk material and met Kelsey’s gaze. Her tongue brushed across her lips. Then she thrust her fingers inside. Kelsey gasped. She grabbed Joy’s hand, knowing that if she rubbed against her thumb, pressed hard against her clit, she’d come. But Joy pulled out as quickly as she’d gone in and her lips quivered with a smile.

Kelsey wanted to beg. She was on her back, waiting. Joy’s fingers slid past the strap of the thong again. She tempted Kelsey’s clit. But she didn’t press inside where Kelsey wanted her. Then her lips were on Kelsey’s nipples, bringing every nerve alive. Her hands moved all over Kelsey’s body. Kelsey lost track until suddenly she felt Joy’s tongue stroking her swollen clit.

Joy was greedy. And rough. She knew exactly what she wanted from Kelsey and she was getting it. Kelsey couldn’t slow down her response. She felt the climax coming. Then Joy’s fingers pushed inside. Fingers filling her. One more stroke and she was over the edge. She cried out and Joy held onto her.

Minutes passed before she relaxed. Joy’s fingers were still inside and she was clenched around her. She loved being filled. She felt Joy’s lips brush against her ear. She begged Joy not to come out. Not yet. Sleep tugged at her. But she didn’t want the night to end. She wanted Joy all over again. Slow—so she could savor it.

Joy stared at the alarm clock for a long moment, trying to arrange the events of the past several days. She longed to stay exactly how she was, Kelsey in the crook of her arm, sound asleep with a smile on her lips as if she’d just heard something funny, but it was Friday.

The sheet was pulled up to Kelsey’s belly, but her breasts were exposed. Her breasts were exactly as Joy remembered them. She’d burned up inside the first time she’d seen Kelsey naked in the shower after swim team practice. She couldn’t explain away the feelings then, although she’d tried. Now she didn’t need to try to explain anything. Joy had gotten up in the middle of the night and pulled on a nightshirt, but Kelsey had slept on.

Joy carefully shifted so Kelsey’s head would fall on the pillow when she pulled her arm free. She picked out work clothes and then went to shower.

Kelsey was still in bed when she returned. She was sitting up with a pillow hugged to her chest and staring out the window. “You have to go to work?”

“It’s Friday.”

Kelsey looked over at Joy and then back to the window. She sank back against the headboard, still hugging the pillow. “I don’t think I can get up.”

“I’m going to make some coffee. Stay in bed as long as you want.”

Kelsey didn’t say anything when Joy walked out of the room. Something about her expression made Joy wonder if she regretted last night, but she didn’t want to ask.

Kelsey came downstairs, dressed, her hair still wet from a shower. Joy finished buttering her toast.

“Coffee’s ready, if you’d like some. And there’s toast,” Joy paused. “I’m afraid I don’t have much else. I need to go grocery shopping.” Something wasn’t right. Kelsey’s eyes were red like she’d been crying.

Kelsey glanced at the clock above the door. Then over to the living room where she’d left her keys and purse. She went to the living room, opened her purse, fished out her phone and then after a moment, tossed it back inside. She gazed out the window and then sank down on the couch. “Last night…” Kelsey’s voice trailed.

She regretted it. Joy could hear the unspoken words. Joy went over to the sofa and sat down. She left a space between her body and Kelsey’s and she didn’t say anything. Kelsey had leaned back on the couch and her gaze was still trained on the window. The fog was dense and beyond the square of green lawn was only gray.

“I’ve never had a night like that,” Kelsey said. “I don’t know how to feel today. Was that a game?”

“A game? What are you talking about?”

Kelsey exhaled. “I feel crazy right now. I want you to hold me and I’m worried that if you don’t want to that it’s because this is—no big deal to you. That last night was a typical night for you. That your dates end like that all the time.”

Joy reached for her and pulled Kelsey into a tight embrace. Kelsey choked back tears.

“What the hell’s wrong with me?” Kelsey’s voice was a whisper. She continued, “I want to go back and change all the times I’ve screwed up in the past so that when we finally meet up, I’m not a total mess. I wish I could sleep with someone like you and wake up the next morning and go to work pretending like nothing was different. Normal people have sex and don’t have breakdowns afterward, right?” She shook her head. “Don’t answer that.”

Kelsey continued, “You know, I always hoped we’d run into each other in college. I had a meet at Berkeley one time. I knew you weren’t on the team roster, but I thought there was a chance you’d show up in the stands to watch. Or maybe we’d cross paths on campus somehow. I knew that if we ever met up again, I’d ask you out. I used to dream up ways I could impress you enough to go out with me.” Kelsey paused. “And now, when I finally have a chance with you, I can’t imagine why you’d want to deal with all my issues. I wish I’d had a chance to kiss you before.”

“Before when?” Joy asked.

“Before the shoulder injury. Before Hannah. Before everything that landed me in Raceda working a job I don’t like, feeling like all I’m doing is getting by, getting paid…And then you come along.” Kelsey took a deep breath and exhaled. “And then last night happened. And when I wake up, I remember you’re dating someone else.”

“I’m in an open relationship. Vanessa knows about you. What happened last night isn’t a problem.”

“Not for you, maybe, but for me it is.” Kelsey pulled away from Joy’s arms. She stood up and picked up her purse. “And it’s Friday. I have to get to work. You have to get to work.”

“Wait, what do you want me to say? We both wanted what happened last night.”

“Maybe last night. But now I don’t know.” Kelsey met Joy’s gaze, but she didn’t say anything more.

“Whatever is going on in your head, I wish you would tell me.” A lump had formed in Joy’s throat. “I don’t think the problem is that I’m in an open relationship. I’d call Vanessa right now and tell her that we need to break up. Again. But I don’t think that’s the issue. I think last night scared you. I don’t think you’re ready to get involved with anyone yet.”

Joy waited for Kelsey, hoping that she would argue. Finally she continued, “Maybe we should have crossed paths five years from now. After you’d already figured out what’s going on in your head. After you were really done with Hannah. I’ve already been someone’s rebound. I don’t want to be yours.”

“This isn’t a rebound. I haven’t been with Hannah for six months. And the last several months that we were together were a mess. We weren’t having sex. We hardly kissed.” Kelsey shook her head. “And I don’t even know that I ever loved her. I don’t need to wait five years. I know what I want now.”

“Do you?” Joy continued, “I don’t think you do.”

“You know what? Screw you,” Kelsey said. “Yeah, I have my issues, but I know what I want.” She stopped. “I want someone who holds me after a night like that. I don’t want someone who can casually have amazing sex and go to work the next morning without a second thought. I wanted to wake up and kiss you, but you were ready to walk out the door.”

Kelsey swung her purse over her shoulder and Joy caught her hand.

“Wait.” Joy thought of all the things she’d wanted to say to Kelsey last night. The words seemed too risky to say now, but she couldn’t let Kelsey leave upset.