Page 85 of Shift the Tide

Kiera grinned and pressed her hands to Izzy’s chest, gently pushing her down onto a step, straddling her hips without hesitation. “Then we won’t make it.”

She kissed Izzy’s jaw, then down her neck, taking her time as her fingers tugged at the hem of Izzy’s shirt. Her mouth brushed lower, and Izzy’s breath came rough and fast, her skin warming under Kiera’s touch.

“I think this is the perfect place,” Kiera whispered, her voice low, lips grazing the hollow of Izzy’s throat, “to take this off you.”

There was no doubt in her movements. No second-guessing. She explored Izzy’s body with a hunger she didn’t try to hide. Not worried about doing it right. Just letting herself want, and take, and feel.

“I always knew you’d be trouble,” Izzy teased.

Kiera slid her hands beneath Izzy’s shirt, pushing it up. "You like trouble," she teased, her voice husky as she peeled the fabric up and over Izzy’s head, tossing it somewhere behind them.

“I likeyou,” Izzy said, her gaze steady.

Kiera smiled. The sight of Izzy beneath her, out of breath and flushed, sent a wave of want through her so strong it shocked her. She leaned down to brush her lips over Izzy’s collarbone. “You are like, unfairly attractive,” she whispered against Izzy’s skin.

She could feel Izzy’s silent laugh as she kissed down Izzy’s sternum, her lips brushing the warm skin there, trailing lower, lower, feeling every shift of Izzy’s body beneath her as she navigated down a step or two, reveling in every small sound shemade. It was overwhelming, the taste of her, the softness of her skin, the way she arched under Kiera’s touch.

She had never wanted someone like this before, never felt such a deep pull to touch, to taste, to learn someone so intimately. She kissed just below Izzy’s navel, exhaling slowly, savoring the way Izzy arched beneath her. Then, with aching slowness, she tugged Izzy’s shorts and underwear down, fingertips tracing every inch of newly exposed skin.

When she finally dipped her tongue between Izzy’s thighs, she felt Izzy exhale a shuddering breath, felt Izzy’s fingers tighten in her hair. Kiera took her time, reveling in the way Izzy melted beneath her touch, the way Izzy tasted like warmth and earth and salt. She couldn’t get enough. She was desperate to experience it all. The uneven rise and fall of Izzy’s chest, the soft gasps spilling from her lips. Kiera pressed harder, her tongue teasing, exploring, drawing Izzy closer and closer to the edge with every calculated movement.

Izzy let out a broken moan, her hips lifting against Kiera’s mouth, one hand gripping the railing while the other stayed tangled in Kiera’s hair. "Don’t stop," her voice cracked, desperate.

Kiera glanced up, catching the wrecked expression on Izzy’s face — her parted lips, the blush blooming across her skin, how her eyes were squeezed shut with pleasure. It made Kiera’s stomach tighten with a rush of satisfaction that had nothing to do with ego and everything to do with the fact that she was the one making Izzy fall apart like this.

She didn’t slow down, didn’t stop, not until Izzy was gasping her name over and over like a prayer. Her body tensed, trembling, then shattering in Kiera’s hands.

Izzy exhaled sharply, collapsing back against the stairs. Kiera pressed a lingering kiss against her inner thigh before shifting up, kissing a slow path back up Izzy’s body, taking her time toexplore every inch of her. When their mouths met again, Izzy kissed her like she needed Kiera for air, like she needed her closer still.

“Jesus,” Izzy finally managed when they broke apart, her voice shaky. She let out a dazed laugh, fingers trailing over Kiera’s heated cheek. “You—” she exhaled, shaking her head. “You’re unreal.”

Kiera smiled. “You’re not too bad yourself.”

Izzy let out a soft, contented hum before pulling Kiera up onto the step beside her. Izzy brushed a hand through Kiera’s hair, her thumb skimming over Kiera’s jawline.

“We really didn’t make it upstairs,” she murmured, amusement threading through the exhaustion in her voice

Kiera laughed, nudging their noses together, then reached down to take Izzy’s hand. “Not yet. But I’ve got big plans for christening the bedroom, so hurry up.”

“You’re relentless,” Izzy sighed.

CHAPTER 24

Izzy

Izzy wasn’tsure how they made it up the stairs, tangled as they were in sloppy, desperate, exhilarated kisses and wandering hands. Every step they took was interrupted — Kiera pressing Izzy back against the wall, Izzy pulling Kiera closer until their bodies were flush, their mouths meeting again and again like they were making up for lost time. Each kiss deepened, more insistent, more consuming, until neither of them could think beyond the heat of the other’s body.

By the time they finally stumbled into the bedroom, they were both laughing and tripping over boxes — breathless, full of anticipation. Kiera reached for Izzy, but this time, Izzy was the one who guided her backward until the backs of her knees hit the edge of the bed. Kiera fell backwards, bouncing slightly against the mattress, looking up at Izzy with dark, wanting eyes, her lips parted, her breath uneven.

Izzy climbed over her, knees bracketing Kiera’s hips, and kissed her again — slow and deep, her weight settling fully as their bodies rocked together in a steady, deliberate rhythm. Thistime, there was a different kind of urgency — one threaded with a deeper intimacy, a need to touch, to explore, to memorize every inch of each other. Kiera’s body was utter perfection, lush and curved and soft. Kiera’s breasts demanded far, far more exploration, and her nipples peaked against Izzy’s fingers, drawing a gentle gasp from Kiera’s mouth.

Kiera’s fingers skimmed over the sensitive skin at Izzy’s hips, making her shiver. Izzy’s own hands continued their languid exploration down Kiera’s body, fingertips tracing the soft curve of her waist, the heat between her thighs. Kiera gasped at the touch, her body arching, her fingers digging into Izzy’s skin with desperation.

They found a rhythm, hands moving with growing purpose — searching, adjusting, responding. Izzy dragged her fingers through the slick heat between Kiera’s thighs, slow and deliberate, just enough pressure to make Kiera’s breath stutter and her hips roll into the touch. Kiera’s hand slipped between Izzy’s legs in return, hesitant at first, then more confident when Izzy moaned low against her shoulder, her body tipping forward with the intensity of it.

Kiera like this — open, responsive, chasing her own pleasure — undid Izzy completely. Not just the heat of her skin or the way she gasped when Izzy’s mouth skimmed over her chest, but the way she gave in to it. No walls, no second-guessing, just raw want. Izzy wanted to memorize every shift of her hips, every tremble in her thighs, every breath that caught when Izzy's fingers moved just right.

They didn’t speak, didn’t need to. Their bodies communicated in short exhales and tightening grips. Izzy had spent so long keeping herself reined in, but this — this felt like permission to let go.

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