I get changed quickly, balling up my dress and carrying it downstairs.
“Oh, good. The clothes fit. I was a little worried since I’m shorter than you, but those have always been long on me.” Valerie is smiling, her eyes twinkling. “They look really good on you,” she adds softly.
“Thank you.” I can feel myself blushing, so I press my tongue to the roof of my mouth and breathe through my nose. I stick a leg out, to show her the fabric ending above my ankle. “Well, they almost fit. They’re still better than wet clothes. You said you’d wash this?” I hold up my balled-up dress.
“Yes!” Valerie takes the dress from me and disappears.
I take in her house, the open floor plan allowing me to see the entire first floor. The kitchen is gorgeous. Black stainless-steel appliances, grey cupboards, white marble countertops, and an aqua backsplash to brighten the space. Her living room is equally as beautiful, with a double-sided fireplace differentiating the dining room and living space. And pictures. Everywhere I look there are pictures in white frames on the walls. Large ones, small ones. Basic frames and ornate frames. Valerie has her whole life documented on the walls of her home. And what a life it looks like she leads. A happy life full of adventures and doing what she loves.
“Dinner will be here in about thirty minutes, and your dress is in the wash,” Valerie says. “Want something to drink?”
“Water’s fine,” I reply, meeting her at the kitchen island.
She sidles up closer, our bodies only inches apart. “Want ice?”
Her voice is a whisper against my lips.
“No,” I say, my lips brushing hers as I speak.
The moment our lips touch, sparks erupt in my soul. Kissing Valerie is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. Her body is soft and warm, and everything about her brings me to life. Kissing Valerie feels like finding that onemagical piece of a puzzle and the rest clicks into place. All you needed was that one final piece and everything else makes sense.
Our lips move slowly as we learn about each other. Her tongue slips out and licks along the seam of my mouth. I open up and let her in, moaning as soon as she makes contact.
“Fuck, Ella,” Valerie groans. “I really meant for this to just be a simple kiss but I don’t want to stop.”
I kiss her again, changing from soft and testing to hungry. “Don’t stop,” I say between kisses. “Please don’t stop.”
Valerie dives back in. Her hands go in my hair and mine go to her waist, pulling her shirt up over her toned stomach. She pulls my head back and trails her lips down my throat. Her teeth graze my sensitive skin, her tongue licking at the spots she nips. She works her way back up to my lips and leads me out of the kitchen to the living room, kissing me the entire time.
Valerie pushes me onto the couch so she’s straddling me, her knees bracketing my hips, pinning me down. I pull her shirt the rest of the way up and she tosses it to the ground.
“Holy shit, Valerie,” I say, tracing the swell of her breasts with a finger. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this close to perfection before.”
I watch as the blush spreads from her cheeks down to the chest I was just admiring. I lean in and kiss her neck, her throat, the tops of her breasts. Valerie takes off her bra and I whimper.
“Your turn,” she says. I pull the shirt off quickly, followed by my own bra.
Valerie cups my breasts and I arch my back. “Lay down,” she says, and we shimmy around, Valerie almost falling off the couch in the process, sending us both into a fit of giggles. When I’m finally laying down, Valerie lays on top of me, her body warm against mine. Nothing has ever felt this good. This right.
She kisses down my body, stopping to suck on both nipples before continuing on her path. When she reaches my belly, she stops and looks up at me, her blue eyes sparkling in the waning sunlight.
“Can I take these off?” she asks, flicking the waistband of my borrowed sweatpants.
I nod and lift my hips for her to pull them down.
“Ella,” she breathes. “You’re not wearing any underwear.”
I shake my head. “They were wet. I slipped them into the pocket of the dress you’re washing.”
“You’re so naughty.” She kisses my thigh. Then a bit higher. Then another one on my hip bone. “I like it. I like you.”
I giggle-snort then quickly slap a hand over my mouth. “Sorry, that was not sexy.”
“Babe, I highly doubt there’s anything you could do that I wouldn’t find sexy.”
I raise an eyebrow in disbelief. “I’m sure there are plenty of things I could do that would turn you off.”
“No, not possible. I felt it as soon as I saw you. There’s something . . .” She trails off and hides her face in my thigh.
