Matty’s hand caught one of hers and dragged it down. Reese lifted up just enough to let Matty guide their hands into her underwear. When Matty pressed Reese’s fingers against her clit, they both gasped. She was so wet, so warm, and the intimacy of being shown exactly where and how she wanted to be touched made Reese’s chest tighten.
“Just touch me here and come kiss me. Please?”
The plea in Matty’s voice nearly undid her. There was something so open in it, so trusting, that Reese felt herself soften all over. She would have given the woman anything she asked for.
Their current position wasn’t ideal, though. She needed to fix that.
“Let’s remove these.”
Matty lifted her hips for Reese to remove her underwear. Reese wished there was more light so she could take her in properly, because even in the dimness, she was breathtaking. There was more softness to her than her clothes ever revealed. The firm strength of herthighs. The shapely curve of her hips. The beautiful contrast of a body that felt both masculine and feminine. Reese’s pulse kicked harder. Every new inch of skin made her want her more.
She settled beside Matty, wrapping one arm under Matty’s shoulders while the other slid down her torso, past her belly button, through a path of curls, and right back to the little jewel that, when she touched it, made Matty shudder.
“God, that feels good,” growled Matty.
Reese captured her lips in a heated kiss, her tongue dragging over Matty’s bottom lip before slipping inside. The taste of her was warm and addictive. They moved against each other with growing urgency, mouths open and hungry, while Reese’s fingers stroked and swirled over her sensitive nub. Every sound Matty made spilled straight into Reese’s mouth, breathy little moans and gasps that made her shiver with delight. She was the cause of those sounds.
Beneath her hand, Matty’s hips began to writhe, chasing the touch, and the kisses turned more desperate, wetter, until Matty’s hands were gripping her back hard enough to make Reese shiver.
Matty broke the kiss with a ragged pull of air and buried her face in Reese’s hair. The scent of her shampoo and skin wrapped around them, warm and intimate, but the long line of exposed neck drew Reese in. She pressed her mouth there, tasting the faint salt of her skin, trailing slow kisses up and down while Matty trembled against her. The little cries she made were getting louder now, less restrained, and every one of them made Reese want to hold her tighter, give her more, keep her right there in the middle of it.
When Matty came, it tore out of her in a gasping cry that seemed to echo through the room. Reese held on to her as her whole body shuddered and jerked beneath her. Matty was breathing hard, almost shaking, her hands clutching at Reese as if she couldn’t get close enough, as if even with their bodies pressed together, there was still too much space between them. Reese gathered her in the best she could, holding her through every trembling breath until they were so close they felt like one body trying to remember how to separate.
Eventually, the hard breathing changed, and Reese realized Matty was quietly crying.
The shift was so unexpected that it went through her like a shot. One second Matty was trembling from pleasure, and the next she was shaking for a different reason entirely, tears hot against Reese’s neck while she clung to her like letting go would be the death of her.
Fear gripped Reese’s chest. She hadn’t expected this. Hadn’t been prepared for the sound of those small, strangled breaths or the feel of Matty trying so hard not to come apart while holding on to her like she was the only solid thing in the room.
All Reese could do was gather her closer. One hand slid up and down her back, slow and steady, while the other cradled the back of her head. She held her with no judgment, no impatience, no demand for her to get herself back together before she was ready.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, her own throat tight. “It’s okay.”
A cracked voice answered her. “I’m s—sorry. I’m sorry, Reese. I’ve spoiled this.”
Reese’s chest ached. She nuzzled her face against Matty’s hair and held her tighter. “No, baby, you didn’t spoil anything.” Her voice came out soft but firm. “Not one thing. You’re allowed to feel things. You’re allowed to be here with me exactly like this.”
It took a few moments before Matty pulled back just enough to wipe at her face, roughly as if she could scrub away the tears before Reese saw too much of them. She tried to drag in a breath through her clogged nose, but it caught and broke halfway in. Her fingers found a strand of Reese’s hair, and she began twisting it, her eyes fixed there instead of meeting hers.
“It’s just, um, this is the first time I’ve had sex since getting clean. I honestly don’t remember what it felt like without being messed up or at least high, you know? It was...”
“Overwhelming?”
“Yeah.” Her voice came out thin and unsteady. “Really overwhelming. It felt so good, and then it felt so raw. I…I guess I underestimated how numb I’d gotten to some things.”
Reese’s chest tightened painfully. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think about that. It’s only natural for someone in recovery—”
A finger pressed gently to her lips. “No, ma’am. You know the deal. No counselor Reese with me. If we’re doing this, I need you to be my partner, not my counselor.”
The words stung more than Reese wanted to admit. Not because Matty had been harsh—she hadn’t—but because she was right. Reese had slipped into the safest role she knew without even thinking. Into professionalism. Into the version of herself that knew how to manage hard moments instead of simply being in them.
She didn’t want that with Matty. She wanted them standing on equal ground, no walls, no roles to hide behind. Just the two of them, real and honest and trying.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I promise I’ll work on it.”
Matty finally looked directly at her. She brushed a piece of hair behind Reese’s ear. “I think we both have things to work on. I don’t know about you, but I would like to try navigating it together.”
“Me too. I like us together. We make a pretty good team.”
