Page 311 of Every Almost

“All of you?”

Charlie pulled Reyna's hand and pressed her palm against Charlie's heart.

“All of me.”

The rose surged, Reyna’s hand finding Charlie’s wrist, bringing it up to her lips and kissing Charlie's fingertips.

"Charlie," Reyna whispered.

Charlie looked into Reyna's eyes, her own moving back and forth between hers.

"I need you to touch me," Reyna pleaded.

And for the second time that night, Reyna took Charlie's hand and placed it against her breast.

Charlie’s breath left her.

Reyna was warm beneath her hand. Soft, yes, but that wasn’t what stopped Charlie. It was the weight of her against Charlie’s palm. The rise of her next breath. The rose gathering beneath Charlie’s fingers as though even this part of Reyna knew exactly who was touching her.

"Charlie, it feels..."

"Different," Charlie said softly.

Reyna laughed softly. "Again, not the word I would use."

Charlie’s thumb moved across Reyna's nipple.

Reyna shuddered, then Charlie did a moment later.

And Charlie nearly lost whatever remained of her mind.

"It feels fucking extraordinary, Rey."

Reyna moaned, pulling Charlie against her and kissing her desperately. Charlie returned the kiss as whatever the rose was doing between them pulsed through Charlie, Reyna's want soaring through her.

Charlie made a low sound against Reyna's lips as she began to massage Reyna's breast in her palm, the nipple pebbling against Charlie's skin. She used her thumb and forefinger to roll the nipple between her fingers, eliciting a moan from Reyna that overtook Charlie's body in a way she couldn't understand.

Charlie pulled away from the kiss.

"No," Reyna pleaded.

"Wait, Rey," Charlie said, looking down at her hand against Reyna's skin. Her chest was heaving, but her eyes were so amazed she almost didn't notice. "Do you see what I'm seeing?"

Reyna looked down to where Charlie's hand was against her skin, and her eyes went wide.

"It's in my skin," Charlie whispered.

Reyna's rose had so fully collected against Reyna's breast under Charlie's hand that it would have been impossible to see, had it not been spreading into Charlie's fingers and hand, climbing up her wrist now.

Charlie's eyes fluttered closed as her hand grew warm, and everywhere her skin was against Reyna's felt like a million different nerve endings come alive.

"I don't know what's happening, Charlie," Reyna said.

Charlie opened her eyes and looked at Reyna. She saw a trace of worry there, and that would just not do.

"Hey," she said, bringing her hand away from Reyna's skin and cupping her cheek. Reyna covered Charlie's hand with her own, leaning into her. "Hey, Rey, look at me."

Reyna looked at her. Charlie saw the rose begin collecting against Reyna's cheek and begin moving into Charlie's palm. Reyna looked to the side, then pulled Charlie's hand away to look at the rose there before it spilled out of Charlie's fingers. Reyna turned over Charlie's hand, as if to examine it in full.