“How do you know?”
Laine’s face softens. “Because of you, Zoe. You’re the reason I believe in what I can do again.” Her hands slide around my hips to the small of my back, holding me there. “It wasn’t easy, trying to make something new after”—she releases a deep breath—“after my wine project at Le Jardin tanked. I felt so adrift, but you’ve helped me find my way back.” The corners of her mouth twitch. “My guiding gay light, if you will.”
I groan again, this time burying my face in her shoulder. “I’m gonna kill Mattie.”
“Please don’t,” Laine says through a smile, using the opportunity to wrap her arms around me tighter. “Your friends are amazing.”
We sway together, my head on her shoulder, her hands anchoring me to her beneath the full moon. The whole town will be talking about us after tonight, but I don’t care. They’re used to seeing the arc of my romantic exploits, the initial interest building until something inevitably punctures the balloon, and it fizzles out, leaving me holding nothing once again.
No one, once again.
“Tonight’s been hard on you, hasn’t it?” Laine murmurs into my hair.
“Yes.” I don’t explain, and she doesn’t ask me to.
“For me, too,” she whispers. Her hands bring me closer until our hips meet, her head dipping toward mine. My fingers ache to touch her hair, the memory of it like suede in my mind. “I know you’re a fighter, boss, and I love that about you. But it’s time for you to stop fighting us.”
Her full lips kiss my forehead gently in that little space between my eyebrows, where lines form when I’m thinking too hard. Like I’m doing right now.
“Laine,” I breathe. “I don’t—I can’t—”
“You’re scared.”
I pull back so I can meet her dark hooded eyes. “Yes.”
“Listen to me, Zoe.” Her hands slide up to cradle the back of my neck. “I’ll never leave your vineyard high and dry. Iwon’t.No matter what happens between us, I will give Bluebell everything I have until you no longer need me.” One hand drifts along my jaw, her thumb light upon my chin. “But if you don’t let me kiss you right now, I think I might die.”
Her words strike my heart like a mallet to a gong, its reverberations ringing through me. I search her eyes and see the truth of her promise reflected there, and the dam of my resolve comes crashing down. My hands tighten around her neck, and I pull her to me, my fingers snaking up into her hair, pulling there, too, as our mouths crush against each other. She moans into me as I taste her, tipping her into my mouth so I can drink her up, licking, lavishing, and sweet Jesus,havingher, all to myself.
Laine, Laine. My Laine.
“Yours,” she whispers back, and only then do I realize I murmured the words aloud.
The kiss may begin with our lips, but it flows through me like a rich, ruby wine, warming my insides with its fullness and heat, tweaking the buds of my breasts before puddling deep in my core, pulling deliciously between my legs like a finger, like a hand, beckoning me tocome. She said she’d stay until I no longer needed her, but does she realize thatuntilmay never come? In this moment, I’m convinced I’ll need her for the rest of my life. And that maybe, I always have.
I break away from her mouth, panting, but my fingers refuse to relinquish their grip. Her face fills my frame of vision, her lust-blown eyes starry and sparkling. Her lips are parted, bee-stung from the crush of my own, and I can’t stop myself from diving in once more, taking her bottom lip between mine, sucking, scraping it lightly against my teeth.
“Fuck, Zoe,” she says, her hands still cradling my head.
“Yes, let’s.” I breathe her into me. “Now.”
I pull Laine by the hand through the glow of the lanterns until night envelops us. My cottage appears ahead, the porch light a beacon, promising relief from the unrelenting desire as soon as I get her inside and onto my bed. My couch, my floor, the kitchen counter. It’s negotiable.
I thrust the key into the lock and have the door half open when Laine spins me around, pinning me against the door with her body. Her mouth leaves a treasure map of kisses down my throat, my collarbone, the hollow between my breasts.
“Zoe,” she murmurs, running a hand down the front of my dress and cupping my pussy through the gauzy layers, making me clench. “I want youso bad.”
“I want you, too.” Inside preferably, but frankly, that’s also negotiable. “Butsomeone won’t let me open the door.” I smile, lips parting as Laine slides down my body, pressing her hot mouth to my core through my dress and wrenching another moan from me. “How—are we going—to make this bad decision—if you won’t—”
“This isn’t a bad decision, boss.” Laine curls her fingers around the backs of my knees, making them weak. “This is the best decision,” she breathes the words into my dress, purring against my aching pussy. “Mmm.”
“You’re right,” I pant, canting my hips toward her lush mouth, holding her there with my hands. “I should’ve addedcasual sexto your job duties ages ago.” Her chin is pressed firmly against my clit, each movement bringing me closer. I think I couldcomelike this, if she would just—
Laine’s hands stop their slide midway up my thighs, and she looks up at me. “What if I want more than that?”
“Laine. You can haveanythingyou want right now.”
But she doesn’t move or smile wickedly or rip my panties off oranyof the things I desperately want.
