“Yes?”
Silence. Then, “Come home with me.”
“Sure.”
“I mean it. Not to my room at The Lounge. Home. To my apartment.”
Warmth sprung up in Mel’s chest. “Okay.”
Chapter Eighteen
Mel and Vanessa walked through the door of Vanessa’s top-floor apartment. Vanessa flicked on the light. Mel barely even glanced at her surroundings. She was far too distracted by the woman standing next to her.
After a moment Mel realized that Vanessa was being unusually quiet. “Are you okay, Vanessa?”
“Yes,” Vanessa replied. “It’s been a while since I brought anyone back here, that’s all.”
Since Rose? Mel wondered.
Vanessa turned to Mel. She had a soft smile on her face which seemed to light up her eyes. And for the first time, Mel felt like she could see into their depths. Vanessa drew Mel toward her and kissed her, softly, slowly. It was just like the first time they had kissed, moments before they were swept up in a whirlwind of lust. But this time, there was no urgency. Just a deep longing that only the other could quell.
Their lips and bodies barely parting, they made their way to the bedroom. With a tenderness that Mel had never seen from her, Vanessa slid Mel’s dress from her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.
Before Mel could stop herself, her hands were at the straps of Vanessa’s dress. “Please?” Her heart thumped hard in her chest. “I want to touch you.”
Vanessa touched a finger to Mel’s lips and nodded. “Tonight, you don’t have to ask.”
Mel unzipped Vanessa’s dress and slid it from her body. It joined her own on the floor, a heap of black and blue fabric. The rest of their clothing soon joined it.
They tumbled onto the soft bed in a tangle of limbs. Vanessa’s scent, rose, and jasmine, and desire, filled Mel’s nose. She dissolved into Vanessa’s skin, relishing the feel of the other woman’s body against her own. Their hands roamed over each other’s curves, and their fingers caressed sensitive places.
Vanessa slid her leg between Mel’s thighs, and they ground and rocked against each other. Mel’s loud gasps were matched by Vanessa’s soft ones. It didn’t take long for Mel to come apart in Vanessa’s arms.
But Mel wanted more. Of Vanessa. Of them. And Mel wanted Vanessa to feel what she felt.
She ran a questing hand down Vanessa’s stomach. The way Vanessa’s body quivered at her touch was all the encouragement Mel needed. She slid her fingers down to where Vanessa’s thighs met, her light strokes eliciting short, sharp sighs from the other woman. The sound was so sweet to Mel’s ears. At the same time, Vanessa’s own fingers found their way between Mel’s legs. It took all of Mel’s will to keep her own hand moving.
Mel closed her eyes. It was refreshing to be freed from their roles, if just for a moment. It wasn’t that their roles were an act. They were an innate part of both women’s being. But this way, they both got to give and take and everything in between. This way, they both got to let go.
Vanessa began to tremble. Then she arched into Mel, her lips parted in a silent scream. Mel soon followed, descending into an orgasm so heavenly that Mel felt like she left her body.
But they didn’t stop. They used every part of themselves to bring each other pleasure. Their mouths, their hands, their skin. Mel lost track of how many times they came. Sometimes separately, sometimes together. The walls between them came tumbling down until Mel didn’t know where she ended and where Vanessa began. The entire time, neither of them spoke a single word.
Hours later, Mel and Vanessa lay in bed, wrapped in the soft sheets. The sun was coming up. They hadn’t slept all night. They had spent hours making love, which was the only way to describe what they’d done. Then they lay in silence, basking in each other’s presence.
Mel brought her hand up to her neck. She was still wearing the necklace Vanessa had given her. A gentle smile spread across her face.
“Melanie? What are you thinking about?” Vanessa asked.
“Just how lucky I am,” Mel said.
Vanessa trailed her finger over the curve of Mel’s hip. “And here I was thinking the same thing.”
Mel couldn’t keep her doubt from showing in her eyes.
“You really don’t see it, do you?” Vanessa reached out and stroked Mel’s hair. “I’ve been under your spell since that night I took you into my room at The Lounge. When you sat down on my couch, indignant that I’d helped you. I was telling the truth when I said I believed you could have handled it yourself. But I wanted to rescue you. I barely knew you, but I wanted to be the one to save you from hurt.”
Mel’s heart fluttered.