Waiting in the Wings (10 page)

I rubbed the back of my neck where a nagging pain had taken up residence. I glanced at the clock. One thirty-eight a.m. I knew I should do my best to catch some z’s but I couldn’t stop thinking of how I’d left things with Adrienne earlier. It was uncool how I had acted. I threw myself back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Was it possible she was still up? Even if she were, was she still speaking to me? I threw an orange into the air and mulled it over. I decided to risk it. As I walked down the hall to Adrienne’s room, I started to feel like maybe this was a bad idea. She might be more understanding if I didn’t drag her away from well-needed sleep so I could feel a little less guilt-ridden before morning. But I had to face it. That wasn’t the entire reason for my trip. I also wanted to see her, plain and simple.

I stood in front of her door a moment before finally knocking softly. I heard movement from inside and took a deep breath when I heard the door begin to open. And then there she was. Her hair was pulled up and she wore shorts and a Yankees T-shirt. She looked completely cute. She studied me for a moment, leaning against the door as if she wasn’t sure what to say. Before she could say anything, I held up my hands in surrender. “If I had a white flag, I would wave it.”

“You don’t need a white flag,” she answered softly.

“Still, I’m sorry I spoke to you the way I did at the theater. I shouldn’t have. I just wanted to say that before I went to sleep. I’m also sorry for waking you, if I did. I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow. I’m going now. Um, good night…yeah.” Not sure what to do with myself, and realizing I was clearly the biggest dork on the planet, I turned to go. Her voice stopped me.

“I’m a night owl. You didn’t wake me.” She grabbed the front of my shirt and gently pulled me inside. “Come in, let’s talk.”

I walked into her room, once again noticing the perks it seemed to have over mine. “You have a coffeemaker.” I pointed to the pot on the vanity as she dragged me past. “I totally have to go to the lobby for coffee.”

“Top billing has its benefits.”

“That it does.”

Adrienne sat on the bed and tugged on my arm for me to sit beside her. I couldn’t completely read her features as the room was only illuminated by a small desk lamp. But from what I could tell, she looked serious. An uncomfortable feeling crept into the pit of my stomach.

She took a breath before speaking. “Jenna, I need you to know you can talk to me. We’re friends. So what’s going on?”

I took a deep breath, not exactly sure how to begin. “My head wasn’t in the game tonight. I had a horrible show because I let myself get preoccupied. I reacted the way I did in the greenroom because I guess I partially blamed you for being that distraction. It’s twisted and stupid and I’m sorry. It wasn’t your fault.” I felt oddly shy all of a sudden.

Her answer was to lean in and slowly brush her lips against mine. She pulled back an inch or so to look into my eyes. “Thank you. And if it helps, I get it. It’s the main reason we should keep things between us light. We like each other. Let’s explore that, but we don’t have to get caught up.” I nodded my agreement, knowing it was the best course of action.

Adrienne’s tone lightened considerably. “Wanna watch a little of my movie with me?” I followed her gaze to the TV where she had a DVD player hooked up. “I’m watching
Speed
. Not for the faint of heart.”

“
Speed
? As in Keanu-Reeves-on-a-bus-
Speed
?” “Yep. Does that surprise you?”

“Actually, it does. You don’t strike me as an action type of girl.” “That only goes to show you have a lot left to learn about me.

I’ll keep you on your toes, woman.”

“So I’m finding out.”

We curled up on the bed and settled into the movie. Adrienne threw an arm around my waist and nestled her head on my shoulder. Already I was feeling better and enjoyed holding her, being close. I tried my damndest to concentrate on Keanu Reeves and his out of control bus, but it became increasingly more difficult fifteen minutes later when Adrienne moved her hand from my waist to rest on my bare thigh, just below the hemline of my shorts. I wasn’t sure if she was aware of the effect she had on me or not. I decided

to play it cool and focus on the television rather than the feel of her warm hand on my skin. But as her thumb started to trace light circles across my thigh, that got considerably harder to do. In response, I let my hand move into her hair and play loosely against the back of her neck. She inhaled slightly at the contact. Neither of us spoke, and I pretended to focus on the film. Adrienne moved her hand from my thigh to my stomach, pushing up my shirt slightly and running her nails back and forth along the plains of my abdomen. I closed my eyes briefly and stilled myself from too big a reaction. I wasn’t sure what was happening between us, or what her intentions were for the night so I was hesitant to take too many liberties. But I also realized she wasn’t leaving me many options. In about two minutes, I wasn’t sure I’d be in control of my actions. I still hadn’t taken my eyes from the TV screen. I moved my hands from Adrienne’s hair to the back of her T-shirt, making contact with the warm skin at the small of her back. I pulled her closer against me and ran my fingertips along the inside waistband of her shorts. At the audible gasp, I couldn’t resist anymore and looked down at her. She raised her head and looked back at me, her eyes dark and heavy. We stared at each other in silence for a moment. Adrienne turned off the movie with the remote control and we moved to each other. Waiting was forgotten. Adrienne’s hands went to my face and cupped it as her lips met mine. She moved her body on top of me and the weight of her elicited a moan from the back of my throat. As our legs intertwined, it occurred to me I might self-combust in response to the sensations it caused. I pushed my tongue into her mouth and was greeted with a muted cry. I moved my hands up her back, fully beneath her T-shirt, and I was pleased to discover she was wearing no bra. I tentatively traced the outsides of her breasts.

Her long eyelashes fluttered open and she pushed herself up on

her forearms. “Oh God, Jenna.”

I looked up at her. “Are you okay?”

She grinned and kissed me softly. “It’s just…a lot.” “Is that good?”

She nipped at my chin. “Yeah, I’d say it’s good.” Her voice slipped back into a whisper. “But there is this little matter of

clothing.” I loved her whisper. She sat up, straddling my hips, and pulled me up with her. We were face-to-face. She slowly pulled the tank top over my head and sat back, letting her eyes travel down my breasts, seeing me for the first time. For a moment she didn’t say or do anything, which left me feeling more than a little vulnerable. Finally, she looked up reverently.

“You have the most amazing body. You’re so beautiful.” She proceeded to remove the rest of my clothing piece by piece. Slowly, methodically. It was excruciating and it was wonderful and it was exhilarating all at the same time. Though I wanted to even things out, my need to touch her was stronger. I buried both hands in her hair and pulled her mouth back to mine, the kiss hungry and no longer slow. I pushed her gently back onto the bed and covered her body, deepening the kiss. The damn T-shirt was still in my way, but I made quick work of it. My hands moved immediately to her full breasts, kneading one slowly, then the other. Adrienne’s breath caught as my thumb began to circle her nipple. I felt her hips begin to move automatically against my thigh and I took that as a good signal. I captured that nipple in my mouth, my tongue moving across it in circles.

“You’re driving me crazy, Jen.” I felt her hands on my hips, pulling me down harder against her.

I couldn’t wait any longer and moved down the bed. I pushed myself onto my left forearm and with my right reached down the front of Adrienne’s shorts. She lifted her hips to receive me. The slick warmth I found was so welcoming and so soft that I needed better access. I pulled the shorts down the small curve of her hips and settled between her legs. Adrienne immediately pulled my lips to hers, plunging her tongue into my mouth as I began to move on top of her. She easily matched my rhythm until finally she pulled her mouth away, her breathing ragged.

“Please,” was all she could manage, and I could feel she was close.

Even though I felt ready to explode myself, I focused on what I wanted more. I placed my hand between us and let my thumb brush circles around her clit as I inserted two fingers into her depths.

Adrienne threw her head back in response, a small moan escaping her lips. The feeling of her enveloping me was unreal. I matched the rhythm she had already established and picked up speed. When I felt her on the brink, I lifted my head and watched as her body arched and sheer pleasure washed over her. At first she cried out, her arms pulling my body hard against her as she rode out the final waves of orgasm silently, her lips slightly parted. In this moment, she was the most radiant creature I’d ever seen. I was in awe of her. As the last tremor left her body, I simply stared. She looked up at me, shaking her head and pulling me up to her.

“I couldn’t describe that if I tried.” “Was it all right? Was I—”

“Were you not here just now?” She laughed nervously. “I’m usually a little more in control. You kind of caught me off guard.”

I was still processing the amazing thing Adrienne had said to me when I felt a warm sensation on my breast. I gasped as Adrienne’s mouth covered my nipple, her tongue lightly teasing. “Wow. Speaking of effect,” I gasped.

She rolled me over and continued her exploration, moving on to my other breast and using her tongue to trail a path up to my neck. I threw my head back as she traced the heated column with sensuous kisses. She had no way of knowing this, but my neck was one of the most sensitive spots on my whole body. She found my mouth and kissed me, pulling my bottom lip into her mouth and sucking ever so softly. My God, this woman knew what she was doing. The intense throbbing between my legs only grew stronger and I wanted her to touch me more than anything in this world. As if she could read my thoughts, she gently pushed my legs apart as her fingers began to wander. I turned my head on the pillow and moaned.

“You feel amazing, Jenna. Hold on for me.” “I’m not sure I can.”

“Yes, you can.”

Her fingers continued to tease. Giving me just enough and then pulling back. My hips sought her out and there was some sort of sound escaping from my mouth, I think. Adrienne moved down my body. As she did, she laced her fingers through mine and held on.

When her tongue brushed across my clitoris, I pushed my free hand into her hair, silently asking for more. The intensity of the sensations she was eliciting in me were new and shocking at the same time. I felt her everywhere, down to my fingertips. As she increased pressure with her tongue, I felt familiar stirrings as my muscles began to contract. Right on cue, Adrienne pushed her fingers inside me, shattering any remaining restraint I had. She moved with me insistently, and it was only a moment before I rocketed completely over the edge. Ecstasy filled my veins, causing my body to spasm uncontrollably as I clung to her. The remaining shockwaves of pleasure cascaded through my body, and I woke slowly from the sweet oblivion Adrienne had sent me into. I became aware of my surroundings once again and of Adrienne resting her warm cheek on my stomach, her arms around me in a protective embrace. I felt safe and incredibly happy.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time now,” she said. “But that was above and beyond I’d say.”

I nodded in silent agreement, still a little shaky on words at the moment. Adrienne moved up the bed and settled in next to me, moving the hair gently off my forehead. I ran a hand absently down her body, stopping at the small temporary tattoo. “I’m thinking that tonight we discovered a super power or two you already possess.” She opened her eyes, her smile filled with amusement. Adrienne pulled me to her so I was partially lying across her. I nestled my head into her shoulder, feeling tired, happy, and connected to her. At some point, I must have drifted off. I can’t say for sure when that happened because I was holding on to those lingering moments of silence.

C
hapter
F
Our

I

t must have been the sound of running water from the shower

that woke me from the deep sleep. At first I thought I had dreamt the night before with Adrienne, but a quick glance around the much larger hotel room reminded me that all was very real. I smiled into my pillow and sighed with content. It felt good. I felt good. I just hoped she felt good. We hadn’t talked about the night we’d spent together. It hadn’t been my goal to sleep with Adrienne when I came to her room last night, but I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t occurred to me somewhere in the depths of my subconscious. I didn’t get a ton of time to ponder that particular detail before the bathroom door opened. Adrienne emerged in a fluffy white towel looking as alluring as she always did. She paused when she saw I was awake and smiled shyly. “Hi.”

“Good morning,” I answered, sitting up.

She walked to the bed, sat next to me, and leaned in, lightly greeting my lips with hers. “How is it you look so goddamn good when you wake up in the morning? It’s criminal.”

“I do?”

“You do.” She finished the kiss we’d started.

“So last night,” I said.

“Was unexpected,” she concluded matter-of-factly.

Unexpected. Hmm. While there was some truth in that statement, “unexpected” wasn’t the first word that popped into my mind when I thought about the night we’d shared. I would have

gone with “amazing” or even “earth-shattering,” but that was just me.

“Yes, it was certainly unexpected.”

“Are you okay with everything? First I say we should keep it light, and then the very same night I practically attack you.” She walked toward the window. “It’s strange. It’s like I don’t know if I’m coming or going when I’m with you, Jenna. You’ve got me all turned around, and it’s a little unnerving.”

I followed behind her, pulling the sheet with me. “We could stop. Is that what you’d prefer?”