Kayla woke slowly from a delicious dream. She couldn’t quite remember what it was, only that she’d wanted to stay there. She had been warm, comfortable, and happy. Whatever it had been about, it had been a wonderful dream.
Even as her mind fought to stay inside the coziness, her body started registering the world around her. The first thing she noticed—well, two things—were Mack’s breasts pressed into her back just above the curve of her shoulder blades. Her body very much enjoyed those. She also loved the strong arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close. It felt like a hug, and she loved Mack’s hugs. They were always warm and enveloping just like this. Mack was several inches taller than her, so she had to bend down to make their bodies fit. Kayla had always loved that in hugs, and she loved it even more in spooning.
That thought succeeded in completing the waking-up process. She was spooning with Mack. How wonderfully unexpected. Well, technically, Mack had warned her this would probably happen, and she’d said she would be fine with it. And she was fine with it. As a gentle throb of arousal coursed through her, she decided she was a little too fine with it. But that wasn’t her fault. It had been ages since she’d slept next to another woman and even longer since she’d woken up tangled with one.
It was easy to catalogue the differences between sleeping with Mack and sleeping with Skye—the last woman she’d fallen asleep next to. Skye rarely cuddled in her sleep, so it was arare occurrence to even have the sensation. While Mack’s arm was wrapped around her waist, making her feel warm and safe in her sleep, Skye had never missed an opportunity to grab Kayla’s breasts, and sleeping certainly qualified. Not that Kayla had minded at the time. It had led to more than a few rounds of sex—morning breath and unwashed bodies be damned. Skye’s breasts against her back were bigger, and her body had been softer. It was odd, now that Kayla thought about it. Skye was a professional athlete, though which adventure sport she was a professional in could change more often than her hair color. Mack was all lean muscle, and her breasts were small enough that more of that muscle pressed against Kayla in distracting ways.
It surprised Kayla how much she enjoyed all that firm muscle. She usually appreciated a little padding on her women, but Mack didn’t seem to have much. She must spend hours at the gym beyond the workouts they did together. What a wonderful thought that was. Maybe she should suggest that they do some weight training together in the future, just to see those muscles at work. At the moment, however, it was nice to indulge in the feeling of being enveloped by them. In fact, she was enjoying everything about waking up wrapped protectively in Mack’s body. The longer it lasted, the less it felt like a hug and the more it felt like something much more intimate.
Before Kayla could get too lost in the implications of those confusing feelings, a chirping, rattling cacophony sounded from Mack’s side of the bed. Her body tensed, her arm wrapping even tighter around Kayla’s waist for a heartbeat. She made an adorably croaking grunt of disapproval and then froze. It took every bit of willpower in Kayla not to laugh at the series of events. Clearly, Mack was conscious enough to realize she was pressed against Kayla. She froze in embarrassment for a moment, then scrambled backward with such vigor that sheyanked the sheets off Kayla’s body. There was a tumbling crash, and Kayla looked over her shoulder to see Mack’s bare feet sticking straight up from the floor where she’d fallen off the bed in her haste to untangle them.
As Mack scrambled to her feet, Kayla rested her head on her hand and pasted on a fake pout. “I can’t say I’ve ever had a woman so ashamed to have slept with me that she threw herself out of my bed.”
“It’s not…I just…Damn LaLa, I’m sorry. I told you I’m an active sleeper. I should’ve slept on the floor.”
The rambling was so cute, Kayla couldn’t help herself. She threw herself back onto the pillow and laughed until tears streamed down her cheeks. “You’re too cute, you know that? It was nice, actually. You’d think the islands would be warmer, but it got very chilly last night. Your heat probably saved my life.”
Mack’s cheeks blazed red, and little spots appeared on her neck. “Stop messing around. This is serious.”
“Of course it isn’t. It was nice to share a bed with someone. I haven’t had that in over a year. And you were a perfect gentlewoman.”
Mack stood to her full height, which was even more impressive with Kayla lying flat on the bed. With her sleeping outfit of boxer shorts and a tight black tank top, Kayla got a better view of those impressive muscles. Not to mention her perfectly shaped breasts. Kayla forced herself not to stare. This was Mack, after all. They were best friends. As close as friends could ever be. She should not be ogling Mack’s breasts or muscles, even though her biceps were now showing at their best since Mack had lifted one arm to run a hand nervously through her hair.
Mack said, “I was? So, I didn’t, um, do anything inappropriate?”
Mack’s blush was back at full force and Kayla even felt some heat in her own cheeks. What was that all about? Sure, Mack’squestion made all sorts of images pop into Kayla’s head. Images of Mack being far less protective and far more seductive in her sleep. But Kayla didn’t want Mack that way. She was just so focused on Skye and getting her back into this bed that she was transferring those emotions onto Mack. It wasn’t appropriate or fair, and she needed to get a handle on her libido right away.
Kayla hopped out of bed and instantly felt more in control. The mattress between them helped reinforce the barrier she needed to put up until her body could settle down and remember who it was supposed to be lusting after. “You did nothing wrong or inappropriate. Look, we are going to have to touch each other and hug and kiss this week. We talked about that, and you were totally okay with it. Has that changed? Because you are completely allowed to change your mind. We can figure something else out.”
“No. No, it’s fine.”
“Are you sure? Because I don’t want to do anything that might make you feel uncomfortable.”
“I’m not uncomfortable. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t uncomfortable.”
Mack did look a little bit less like she wanted to run from the room screaming. Still, this was Mack. The most important person in Kayla’s life. She had to be sure she didn’t screw this up.
She crossed the room and took Mack’s hands in hers. She was relieved that Mack handed them over willingly and didn’t hesitate to meet Kayla’s eye. “If that changes at any time, please tell me. I promise to tell you the same. But, for the record, I’m really happy you’re an active sleeper.”
“You are?”
“Yeah.” Kayla squeezed her hands and nudged her hip with her own. “I really needed a hug, and you give the best hugs.”
Mack laughed and looked away. “That wasn’t a hug. You sure it’s okay?”
“It’s definitely okay.” When Mack gave her a genuine smile, she gave her hands another squeeze. “Now get dressed. We need to go for a run so we can strategize before we bump into Skye accidentally.”
She’d put sarcastic emphasis on the last word, which made Mack roll her eyes. “You’re too much, LaLa.”
“For most people, sure, but not for you.”
“Nope. You’re just right for me.”
They were back to their old banter, and that settled Kayla’s fears. Still, she didn’t miss that they both turned their backs to each other as they changed into their running gear, as they had back in their days on the high school track team.
Chapter Ten
Rainbow Sands was atropical oasis nestled into a secluded cove facing an endless, pristine ocean. A few massive cruise ships sailed by, and there was the distant speck of another island, no doubt full of the same wide-eyed tourists as this one. The resort itself had the typical multistory hotel, all gleaming white plaster and massive, glittering windows. What made it different from other resorts Kayla had seen was the clusters of smaller buildings. Compact, four-unit bungalows that featured huge balconies instead of windows and then, as the beach faded from soft sand to craggy cliffs, cozy individual villas for the rich guests and honeymooners. Skye had one of those.
