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“Most people don’t know this about me,” Tove confessed, “but I’m quite domineering.”
“No! You don’t say.”
“Once I have what I want in my grasp, I tend to not let go. When it comes to women, I can be quite possessive and hard.”
“Go on. You’re getting me ready again.”
“You joke, but it’s the truth.”
“I’m not joking.”
Kayla’s smile was as bright as the snow outside. “If you couldn’t tell, I’m quite the pillow princess who likes a lot of attention in the bedroom. I think the reason we hit it off so well and so quickly is because we have the right things in common. You wanted to get on top and pound some pussy.” She shrugged. “I wanted someone to get on top of me and pound… well, you get the picture. Don’t have to say it twice.”
“That’s certainly one way to put it.”
“You’re right, though,” Kayla said. “I wouldn’t have immediately assumed that about you. I must have sensed it, though. Why else would I start throwing myself at you once the power went out? It wasn’t only a fear of the dark, although I dare say you made me forget all about it for most of the night.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re still putting the moves on me.”
“Do you like it? I could tell you were single. Doesn’t mean you’re looking, I guess…”
“Looking? For what? A girlfriend?”
Kayla’s coquettish looks were almost too well timed, too practiced. Yet Tove set any paranoia she felt aside. There was no point. When she succumbed to Kayla’s flirtations the night before, she did so with the knowledge that it might be a big mistake.Isn’t that the dice I wanted to roll, though? That I might be making the same mistakes everyone else in my family gets to make?There was control in that. Power.Self-directed destiny.Tove had always heard that when a woman reached a certain age, she no longer cared what people thought about her. Was that finally happening to her? Because the Tove of fifty was sometimes unrecognizable from the Tove of twenty, or thirty.
Still gay, but otherwise unrecognizable.
“Hey, I’m not suggesting that we rush into something.” Kayla finally picked up her fork and sampled her cooking. Until that point, Tove hadn’t thought about the flavor or texture at all, but she had to now admit that Kayla’s breakfast wasn’t bad at all.Better than I do it.That was a low bar. Tove knew how to cook, but she rarely applied herself beyond ensuring something nourishing went into her body. Even then… well, she knew every kind of instant ramen that qualified as vegetarian.
Tove was so engrossed in the breakfast before that she almost missed what Kayla said.
“…But I’m a big believer in following signs.” The tip of Kayla’s fork clinked against her plate as she chased scrambled eggs toward the toast. “Right now, I’m picking up quite a few that there might be something here between us.”
“You think so?”
Kayla hopped upright when Chase’s big, fluffy tail brushed against her bare leg. He had come looking for crumbs beneath the table, and a veritable feast awaited him already. When Tove was tired, she wasn’t the neatest eater.
“Your cats are so cute,” Kayla said.
“They’re butts, but that’s why I like them.”Speaking of butts…One hit her leg, the bushy tail attached to said butt dusting Tove.
“I love cats. You have cats.”
“I can’t say I’ve thought about getting into a relationship lately.” Tove was keenly aware of how hard Kayla steered this toward something more serious than a one-night stand. “You’re the first woman in a long time to respond to me. Romantically, I mean.”
“How long? Can I ask?”
Tove tapped her fork against her plate. “It’s a bit embarrassing. Ever since I settled down back near my family, I haven’t made dating a priority at all. Plus, there aren’t exactly a bevy of available women knocking down my door in Bend. Trust me. I’ve put myself out there over the years.”
“That long, huh?”
“Twenty years.”
Kayla dropped her fork. “Did you say… twenty?”
I regret this already.“Since my last actual relationship, yes. I’ve dated here and there since moving back, but I don’t count them as something serious. Sometimes, you go on a date with who’s available because you want to prove to yourself that you can.”
Kayla took that to heart. “Was last night you proving yourself?”
