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her, her chin propped on the arm that was resting across Melanie's chest.

Melanie managed a shaky smile.

"Again, wow," Taylor commented.

Melanie took a deep, shuddering breath. "Wow is right."

"Wonder what will happen when I actually touch you." The thought sent an erotic chil through Melanie's entire body and her hips twitched involuntarily.

Taylor cocked an eyebrow at her and smiled wickedly. "Oh, you like that idea, do you?"

She inched up so their lips were even and kissed Melanie slowly, softly. Melanie felt herself

drowning in Taylor's touch. Her lips seemed to drive all thought from the redhead's mind, and

she lost herself in the silken mouth that was softly, yet insistently devouring hers. Despite

her recent exertion, she was astounded to feel the passion quickly building within her yet

again.

Taylor moved her lips from Melanie's, down her throat to fasten onto the nipple she'd

neglected earlier. She smiled as she heard Melanie inhale sharply, her fingers re-twining in

Taylor's dark hair. Melanie's body was subtly undulating beneath her, and she couldn't believe

the response she evoked from her. Taylor liked to think of herself as a good lover...she always

made the effort to be very attentive and sensitive to her partner, but this was different. It

was like she had some sort of inside information on where to touch Melanie and how, like they

had a kind of psychological connection to one another, allowing Taylor to take Melanie as high

as possible. The thought served to heighten her own excitement with the gorgeous woman

under her, and she shifted her position, gently spreading Melanie's thighs to accommodate her

hips between them.

Letting go of the nipple she'd thoroughly bathed, she raised herself up on her hands, firmly

pushing herself against Melanie's soaked center. The action caused the redhead to moan

erotically, arching her own pelvis up into Taylor's and grabbing the brunette's forearms,

hoping they would keep her anchored and prevent her from drifting away on the waves rolling

through her.

Taylor lowered herself down again, capturing Melanie's lips in a fierce kiss before moving

slowly down her body. She stopped to pay homage to each beautifully firm breast, before

continuing down and running her tongue from one side of the redhead's stomach to the other

and back again. As she did so, and without warning of any kind, she swiped one finger slowly

through the glistening folds of skin between Melanie's thighs...just once. Melanie's hips

jerked as she gasped.

"Oh my God," she whispered.

Taylor smiled at the exclamation and pushed Melanie's thighs farther apart, settling her

shoulders between them, kissing and licking each creamy smooth leg, taking her time and

enjoying the squirming and tremoring of their owner.

Melanie was nearly delirious. She was overwhelmed by the sensations coursing through her

from so many different directions.

Nobody had ever made her feel this way, and part of her was frightened by that fact. At the

same time, she'd never felt so safe or so loved in her entire life. Her heart was hammering in

her chest when she felt Taylor's tongue leave her legs. She could feel the brunette's breath

on her center, which, by this point, was absolutely aching for attention. Part of her wanted to

grab Taylor's head and push her into the wetness with savage authority. Another part was so

terrified, it wanted to cry.

"Taylor...?"

Taylor's voice came back to her husky and sweet. "Are you scared?"

"A little."

"Trust me. Okay?"

There really was no question. Somehow, some way, for some inexplicable reason, she trusted

Taylor implicitly, no doubts, no second thoughts. It only took her a heartbeat to answer.

"Okay."

The word was barely out of Melanie's mouth before Taylor's tongue descended upon her,

slicking across her once, from bottom to top. Another cry was ripped from her throat,

regardless of the effort she'd put forth to keep it inside. A second stroke of Taylor's tongue

got the same response, and the good little girl Melanie had always been was mortified to find

herself clutching at Taylor's head and making every attempt to open her legs as wide as

possible...anything to keep this incredible feeling from leaving her. She felt Taylor's hands on

her thighs, stroking them, sliding under to cup her rear and pull Melanie further into her

mouth. Melanie heard the gentle humming again, something she now knew was a sign of

Taylor's own pleasure. The sound sent another surge through her.

Melanie felt herself cresting, the orgasm so close she could almost see it behind her closed

eyes. One of Taylor's hands left her, and Melanie arched dramatically when she felt a finger,

then a second, slip deliciously into her. Taylor moved in a gentle rhythm, fingers and tongue

working together, and that was all it took. Melanie went plummeting over the edge, shouting

Taylor's name loudly all the way down. Taylor held tightly to Melanie's hips with one hand,

feeling the muscles contracting around the fingers of the other, and pressed the flat of her

tongue against Melanie, holding it there while she watched her climax.

It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

When Melanie's shudders had subsided, Taylor gathered her up in her arms and hugged her

tightly.

"Oh my God, Taylor," Melanie whispered over and over. "Oh my God."

Taylor smiled against Melanie's hair, then rolled them over so Melanie rested against Taylor's

side.

Melanie's entire body felt as though it was made of Jello. Her arms were weak, and she

couldn't feel her legs at all. She allowed Taylor to shift them around, pleased with the result

when she found her head tucked snugly under Taylor's chin, her own leg thrown possessively

over Taylor's.

"I can't even get my eyes to open," she complained. She felt Taylor's body move as she

chuckled beneath her.

"Shh." Melanie felt warm lips pressed softly against her forehead. "Go to sleep."

She needed no more coaxing and she drifted off in a scant few seconds, her last thought

being amazement at how incredibly well their two bodies fit together, like two pieces of a

puzzle.

Chapter Twenty-two

MELANIE OPENED HER eyes to the cheerful sound of birds outside the window and the sun

streaming across the bed in a dazzling display. She was lying on her left side, facing the

window. She'd never noticed the small birdfeeder attached just outside it, and she smiled as

she watched the sparrows chatter busily over their breakfast.

She let her eyes drift shut again, and snuggled into the warmth pressed against her back.

Taylor was spooned behind her, one arm draped over Melanie's stomach, one knee firmly

ensconced between Melanie's thighs. A flush crept through the smaller woman as she flashed

back to the previous night, and she felt her face redden. She sighed, amazed at how good it

felt to be held by this woman. Her eyes flicked to the bedside clock, then flew open wide.

Ten-thirty?

God, that's the longest I've slept since I was in college, she thought. Not to mention the

soundest.

She extricated herself from Taylor, and stood next to the bed looking down at her as she

continued to snore softly. A pang of guilt crept into her mind as she realized she hadn't done

anything to alleviate the pressure that must have been building in Taylor's body the night

before.

Taylor had been so gentle, so passionate... God, she knew how to touch me. She knew Taylor

had been excited...she had felt the proof coating her own thigh as she'd pushed against the

taller woman. But, Melanie had been very nervous about touching Taylor any more intimately

than that. After all, she'd never been with a woman. What if she didn't know what to do? She

immediately shook her head in self-deprecation. That wasn't it. She was rationalizing. She had

been scared, plain and simple. She vowed to talk to Taylor about it when she finally woke up.

Wel , she worked hard last night. She deserves a rest.

She smiled as she memorized each and every line of Taylor’s face, noticed the tiny brown mole

on the side of her neck, and catalogued four strands of gray hair, filing their locations away

for use as ammo later on. She bent and placed a light kiss on Taylor's shoulder, hearing

Lynda's snickering laughter in her head.

"I think I love you," she whispered. Standing, she found an old, oversized T-shirt in a drawer and slipped it over her head.

She felt reborn. That was the only word she could come up with as she padded to the

bathroom. Even her reflection looked oddly different. She studied it intensely for several

moments, before giving up on finding the change. Her stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her

that she'd had no dinner the night before and she padded into the kitchen, wondering if it

would be possible to salvage any of the food they'd left out over twelve hours ago.

The kitchen was a mess. Dishes and a large frying pan were strewn about. The eggs had been

left out all night...Melanie wondered if they were still usable and decided to wait until Taylor

was up. The white brick of cheese had darkened slightly and was covered with a greasy film,

causing Melanie to wrinkle her nose at the sight. "Yuck," she murmured.

She hummed a tune as she returned dishes to the proper cupboards, thinking maybe they'd

just go out for breakfast. She was so lost in her thoughts and the din of clattering plates,

that she didn't hear the front door open, nor did she realize she had company until the voice

from behind her nearly gave her a heart attack.

"Hey, Mellie."

Melanie dropped the plate she was holding and it shattered on the floor at her bare feet.

"Jesus Christ." She turned to meet the smiling eyes of her cousin. "Are you trying to scare me to death?"

"Sorry, baby cousin," Sam apologized with a chuckle, squatting to help Melanie pick up the pieces. She wore skin-tight jeans and a bright yellow tank top, her blonde hair pulled back off

her tanned face. "I forget how lost in your own little world you can get." She did a double take at her younger cousin, a smirk forming on her pretty face. "Um, Mellie? Did you forget

something?"

Melanie looked up. "What?"

"Your pants, maybe?"

Melanie's head snapped down and she realized her cousin was right. Before she could say a

word, Taylor came skidding into the kitchen, clad in only a sheet.

"What the hel was that noise? Are you okay...oh. Hi, Sam."

Samantha stood up slowly, the smirk sliding right off her face. Her eyes moved from her

cousin to her friend and back, taking in their various states of undress, comprehension lighting

her face.

"What exactly is going on here?" she asked in an unnervingly quiet voice.

"Um...well," Taylor began, searching for the right words. She turned to Melanie for help. The redhead's eyes were darting from Sam's feet to her own. She looked very much like a

cornered animal.

"We had dinner together," Melanie offered feebly, feeling like she had magically reverted to her awkward, shy, teenage years when she fought as hard as she could to please Samantha so

her cousin would look out for her socially.

"Looks like you had dessert, too," Sam added sarcastically. The disappointment in her voice cut through Melanie like a knife.

"Sam," Taylor began gently. "Melanie's a big girl."

"She's also straight," Sam snapped. Taylor flinched as though she'd been slapped. "What did you do, get her drunk? Get her drunk so you could seduce her?"

"No, I didn't get her drunk," Taylor responded, trying unsuccessfully to keep the anger out of her voice. "And I didn't seduce her."

Melanie squeezed her eyes shut as the animosity level in the room increased.

"Wel , then, tell me. How else does a dyke get a straight girl into bed?"

Refusing to begin a debate about Melanie's sexuality, Taylor decided to channel her anger in a

different direction. She focused instead on the pain of these insults that were being hurled

at her by somebody she considered a friend. Her only defense was to hurt back.

"What the hel is your problem, Sam? Rob dump you off somewhere?"

"Shut up, Taylor." Samantha's voice was a low, warning growl.

"Don't you dare tell me to shut up. You come in here spouting off about what a wretched

seductress I am, tempting innocent straight women to their doom with my lesbian charms, and

you have the audacity to tell me to shut up? No, Sam, I think you should shut up."

"What on earth is going on in here?"

Ben's voice was as unexpected as his presence filling the front doorway.

"Oh, God," Melanie whimpered upon seeing him, self-consciously pulling down on the hem of her T-shirt.

"I came over to see Melanie and I heard shouting. What is going on?" His eyes took in the

sight before him slowly. Several emotions visibly crossed his handsome face: realization,

shock, disappointment, anger, hurt.

"What's going on? I'l tell you what's going on," Sam spat. "Your daughter's fucking my cousin."

"Sam! That's enough," Melanie cried. "Please." Her eyes shimmered with tears. This was too much. Too much, too soon. She turned and walked to the bedroom, snapping the door shut

behind her.

Taylor watched her go, torn between running to hold her, to comfort her, and staying put to

defend them against this unexpected onslaught of hostility.