Page 18 of Better Than Expected

It was all over.

This tender, steady, stable, dependable relationship they’d cultivated would be gone.

Caroline tossed her hands in the air, exasperation apparent. “What will be different? What do you think I know because I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

She sounded so genuine, but how! Hannah couldn’t fathom it, she truly couldn’t. She’d laid in bed next to Caroline, staring at her when she’d been drunk because she’d been unable to keep her eyes off of her gorgeous body, and had Caroline fuck her.

Maybe not really. Not physically.

But in her mind, that had been exactly what had happened. That’s what it felt like. Hannah’s memories were blurry but clear enough. Her breathing had been labored and she’d heard her own arousal in her own voice. She’d been shaking, her nipples had been achingly hard. And then she’d rushed off to the bathroom to touch herself!

“Caroline,” her own exasperation was just about all she could feel, while she pressed her hands against her thighs. They were shaking from the sheer willpower to hold everything in.

Caroline, though, seemed to miss her inner-struggle completely. “And what box is better left closed? What’s better left unsaid?” She pushed, her voice growing louder, more distraught.

Caroline drew her hands through her hair, leaving the shoulder-length locks tousled and sexy, as she stared at Hannah with wide, wanting, dark eyes, her chest heaving.

And Hannah didn’t think – barring the night at the lake house – that she’d ever wanted anyone more.

No, she knew she had never wanted anyone more than this. Had never wanted anyone like this.

She wanted Caroline from the deepest, most urgent part of herself in this moment, and as Caroline’s words edged on begging…

Her gaze fell to Caroline’s lips, and she couldn’t stop herself.

Her hands reached out of their own volition and cupped Caroline’s jaw. That strong, sharp jaw that she’d wanted to touch for years; it felt just like she’d always imagined it would against her fingertips.

Pulling Caroline against her, she lowered her mouth to hers, and everything inside of her went off like fireworks behind her closed eyes.

The kiss was light, just touching, as she committed it all to her senses. She didn’t know for quite how long she’d wanted this, but she knew that with another brush of Caroline’s mouth against hers, that nothing had ever felt so – real. So raw. So important.

Caroline groaned into her mouth, and she felt it everywhere, as she pushed Hannah back until she felt herself hit the wall, and the urgency of it sent a thrill through her whole body. Yes. Yes, she wanted to feel the potent desire she knew Caroline had inside of her, wanted to feel all of that passion directed at her.

The line had been crossed, and so many thoughts raced through her mind like flashing lights.

There were so many what-ifs, so many places this could go wrong, so many unknowns ahead.

But, as Caroline gripped her waist and rolled her hips into Hannah’s own, igniting this arousal that burned right through her, she knew there was no going back. There was no taking back this level of want, no matter where it brought them.

It was scary.

It was –

It was so good, as she whimpered against Caroline’s mouth.

December 25 – Last Year

So, it was scary.

It was scary to want someone so much, Hannah could acknowledge that. It was scary to love someone as much as she loved Caroline and know that Caroline had the total power to destroy her.

But after the last six weeks, she’d faced those fears and found that they were generally easy to handle when she handled them with Caroline.

Caroline, who moved at her pace with every step of their relationship. Caroline, who looked at her with latent desire, but still kissed her softly and stopped at Hannah’s first sign of pulling back.

Caroline, who had made the most beautiful declaration to her days ago. Caroline who, unlike Hannah, had a way with words, and her words had landed so strongly in Hannah’s chest, they felt like they cradled her heart.

Caroline wanted so much with Hannah – she wanted everything, in her own words.

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