“Don’t blame me. Blame the patriarchy,” Eliza whispered.
She had gotten closer than she meant to this time, and her lips brushed ever so slightly against the side of Rowyn’s ear. The hitch of Rowyn’s breath as it caught was unmistakable, and Eliza’s body flushed that it was because of her. She pulled back with her heart beating faster and took a deep breath. What thehell was she doing? She was supposed to be enjoying a movie with her kids, not trading closeness disguised as whispers with their nanny.
Eliza reached into the bowl of popcorn to distract herself, and her fingers brushed against the hand that was already occupying the space. She kept her eyes trained on the television as her hand froze, and Rowyn’s did the same. Seconds ticked by and neither of them pulled back. Every pulse in Eliza’s body beat harder as Rowyn eventually moved her hand, but not to remove it from the spot. Rowyn turned her hand and trailed her fingers lightly over Eliza’s palm. The energy that zapped between them was instantaneous and electric. Eliza held back a gasp that tried to escape at the unexpected connection.
Memories flashed through her mind of the other places on her body that Rowyn’s fingers had explored. The lines of her neck, the curves of her breasts, the skin of her thighs. The pulse between Eliza’s legs throbbed as her memories moved to Rowyn’s fingers on that exact spot, bringing her to heights of pleasure she hadn’t achieved in longer than she cared to admit.
Pleasure she had tried, and failed, to recreate alone since with the same memories dancing through her head. Eliza’s eyes widened as the thought crossed her mind that her body was reacting to Rowyn’s fingers barely touching her palm with almost as much arousal as it did when her fingers were buried inside her.
Holy fuck.
“I need to pee. Can we pause it, please? I don’t wanna miss the race.”
Rowyn pulled her hand back quickly, and Eliza’s face flushed. Elliot hopped up and ran to the bathroom without sparing a glance their way. She couldn’t see her own face, but Eliza could guess that she looked as if they had been caught doing something far more inappropriate than brushing fingers in apopcorn bowl. Her heart was pounding wildly despite neither of them doing anything that would look in the slightest untoward.
“Mom, your face is all red. Are you too hot? I hope you didn’t get sunburned today.”
Eliza willed the ground to swallow her whole as she steadfastly avoided Rowyn’s gaze.
“I need some water. I’m going to grab some now,” Eliza said as she hopped up.
Elliot returned as she walked past.
“Will we keep it paused?” Amelia asked.
“No, it’s okay, I’ve seen it,” Eliza replied.
Amelia shrugged, and the sounds of the movie continuing followed Eliza into the kitchen. She poured a glass of cold water from the jug in the fridge and gripped it tightly as her hand shook. She took slow sips as she tried to calm her racing heart, along with her throbbing clit.
“You okay?”
Eliza startled at the words before a different kind of shock ran through her system at the voice that spoke them. She had been too lost in her own thoughts to hear Rowyn enter the kitchen.
“The kids?”
Eliza spoke quietly as she glanced toward the door. She avoided Rowyn’s eyes but couldn’t avoid the reaction her body had to her presence.
“The kids are enthralled in the movie and the extra popcorn I snuck into their bowl. Are you okay?”
Yes. No. My body is on fire from the tips of your fingers grazing my palm and I can’t stop thinking about how much I want them everywhere else too.
“Fine. I just needed some water.”
“Elle, please look at me.”
The steadiness of Rowyn’s voice pulled Eliza’s eyes to hers.How could she be so calm, so collected? Had Eliza imagined the effect this was having on Rowyn too? Was she alone in the intensity? Rowyn’s eyes searched hers for a little longer than was comfortable, and it took all of Eliza’s remaining strength to hold her gaze.
Eliza had learned early on that eye contact was often used as a power move, and being the first to look away was a concession she rarely gave, even if the act of staring into someone’s eyes felt unnatural more often than not. This time, though, it wasn’t the irregularity of it that had Eliza itching to avert her gaze. It was the certainty that her eyes were betraying her and showing Rowyn every thought Eliza wanted so desperately to keep locked up tight.
“In a few seconds, I’m going to say goodnight to the kids, go to my room, take a freezing cold shower, and go to bed.” Rowyn walked slowly toward Eliza as she spoke. The slight unsteadiness of her gait conveyed to Eliza that maybe she wasn’t as cool and collected as she appeared.
“But first, I’m going to kiss you. Because I’m certain if I don’t, I won’t get a second of sleep tonight thinking about it. If we both wake up regretting it in the morning, then we can put it into the momentary blip column and move on. If we don’t, well…we can have a conversation when we’re both rested and thinking clearly.”
Eliza hadn’t moved a muscle while listening, and suddenly Rowyn was standing right in front of her.
“If you object to any of the above, please say so now.”
Rowyn’s eyes searched hers once more as she looked up at Eliza. She slowly lifted the same hand that had lightly caressed Eliza’s in the living room and had started them down this path. Rowyn ran her fingers lightly up Eliza’s arm before moving to cup her face. She arched up on the balls of her feet, leaving plenty of time for Eliza to stop this if she wanted to. There wasno part of Eliza that wanted to stop this, though, not even the logical part that knew she should. Eliza had already established that her strength was gone, and all that was left was the weakness in her knees at the memory of Rowyn’s lips on hers.
