Page 69 of Marry Me

“Right. We do a variety of things, but the one most important to me is the assistance we provide to women who are struggling to find employment. We set them up with clothes for their interviews, coach them on what to expect, and prepare them for success at work when they’re hired.”

“Right. Incredibly valuable.”

“Well, they asked me to step down this morning, without much of an explanation. The only thing I can come up with is—”

“Let me guess. The Carmichaels are big donors.”

Megan smiled. “You spoiled the big reveal!”

Ally laughed, because what else could she do? Megan wasworking hard to keep her delivery light when the situation was anything but. “That asshole. I’m so sorry. You’re free to walk the hell away from me at any time. You really, really should, in fact. That’s my expert advice because I’m apparently a wrecking ball. An assault on your professional life wasn’t supposed to be part of the deal.” She shook her head and squeezed her fists. “I’m so angry. At them. At myself for not knowing better.”

Megan stood and came to her. “Don’t be angry, especially not at yourself. You followed the proper channels. You were open and honest. No one should be forced into marriage.” She kissed Allison’s hand. “Look at me, okay?”

Allison did begrudgingly, guilt still flowing like water through a freshly broken dam.

Megan’s eyes were friendly and focused when she met them, calming Allison’s turbulence quickly. “Do you see me running because I lost a seat on a board? No. If a bridezilla can’t rattle me, then the power-hungry Carmichael family can’t. Do you know what I am going to do?”

Ally felt herself relent, smiling. “No clue. What? Don’t TP their house.”

“I’m going to raid your fridge and find us some rough-times ice cream. I know you bought some. I saw it the other day.”

“I only have the regular kind.” She stuck out her bottom lip like a kid.

Megan, who’d already raced into the kitchen and probably had the freezer door open, called back, “You’re wrong. This is it! This is the perfect rough-times ice-cream, and there’s also hot fudge in here, which means you understand life’s principles. Congratulations!”

“Well, everyone should have hot fudge.” She frowned, thinking about the sad people who didn’t. “Are you staying tonight? Say yes.”

After some beeps from the microwave, Megan came around the corner, carrying two bowls of ice cream topped with warm hot fudge, a comfort-laced salve. “I’ll stay if you still want me to. I was planning on it before our depressing discussion.” Megan punctuated the sentence with a smile for contrast, still trying to cheer Allison up. She wore calf-length leggings and a Baylor University sweatshirt that exposed part of her left shoulder, the one with the small mole. Ally was growing to love her collection of Megan details and was eager to add more.

“I want you to.”

“Good. Then you have an overnight guest.” She placed a soft kiss on Ally’s lips and turned to her bowl, which was honest-to-God the best possible way to drown a difficult day and drain all the life out of its suckage.

They flipped on the TV to a mindless reality show that would allow them to decompress and not think too hard. Megan slid back on the couch and patted the spot in front of her. “Get over here, and let me take some of that tension off.”

“You don’t have to beckon me twice.”

She nestled between Megan’s legs and sighed in surrender when warm hands slipped onto her shoulder blades beneath her shirt and squeezed gently, releasing the pent-up tension. “How’s the pressure? Okay?” Megan asked quietly.

“You’ll have to ask someone else. I’m in a pleasure trance and refusing to come out.”

She heard Megan chuckle quietly, and as they watched rich women vacation together and argue on a vapid TV show that was also the best show ever invented, Allison systematically began to discard her troubles, one muscle group at a time. The one thing she couldn’t seem to escape, and thank God, was the effect Megan’s touch had on her. Not only was she feeling looser, but warm and full of very recognizable sensations. Her body loved being touched by Megan and was responding. She had a feeling her cheeks were flushed, which seemed to match her now shallow breathing pattern and an inability to concentrate on the show. Megan’s hands were at the small of her back, gently moving in circles with medium pressure. She closed her eyes and tried to enjoy the attention to her muscle groups, but the rest of her was jealous and wouldn’t shut up.

Megan had gone quiet, lost in the show, or perhaps her thoughts. Her hands moved from Ally’s back to her stomach, no longer applying pressure, just moving in lazy circles. Allison rolled her lips inward as those hands inched up her rib cage toward breasts that longed to be touched, fondled, held. Okay, maybe Megan hadn’t gotten lost in the show. A shot of need hit low. She was wet. She wore no bra, something she was now thankful for. As Megan’s hands found the undersides of her breasts, Ally sucked in air. She pressed her back against Megan, encouraging her with quiet murmurs. Instead of the overt attention shecraved, Megan touched the center of her breasts with her fingertips, featherlight. Intoxicating, torturous, wonderful. She circled her nipples slowly, refusing to give more. Ally didn’t hide what this was doing to her. Her fingernails dug into Megan’s legs, bracing. She could hear the sound of her uneven breathing, and surely Megan could, too. Her hair was swept to one side, and warm lips slowly began to kiss the exposed skin. Languid. Megan was clearly all about taking her time. Megan’s lips caught Ally’s earlobe, pulling it into her mouth as she increased pressure on Allison’s breasts, holding them firmly, lifting and releasing in rhythm with her mouth.

“Good God,” Ally whispered. Her arousal was intense and spreading like a fire long out of control. She could scarcely form a thought in the midst of the pulsing ache between her legs that seemed to grow exponentially, moment by moment. Her thoughts were too hazy to piece together. “What are you doing to me?”

“I missed your body. That’s all,” Megan said, pulling her hands from beneath Allison’s shirt and running her fingertips from Ally’s knees up to her inner thighs. Allison was seconds from combustion. “Lie down.” Megan’s voice was husky, and the words were firm, a command. She eased back on the couch and watched as Megan slid the leggings she wore down to her ankles and off. Her panties were on the floor two seconds later. Megan was between her legs, holding them expertly in place. Warm lips kissed her intimately, and Ally thought she might levitate off the damn couch. She couldn’t stop herself from pushing against Megan’s mouth, asking for release already. Megan’s tongue traced gentle circles, and Allison’s hips rocked of their own accord. She was merely along for the ride, which she could tell would not be a long one. She covered Megan’s hands with hers, and when Megan zeroed in on Allison’s most sensitive spot, sucking softly, the pleasure ripped through her like a shooting star through the night sky. She heard her own voice cry out, not at all like her, but the powerful sensations that jolted her body from every nerve ending had taken her over and catapulted her into a new understanding of the wordorgasm.

With that relief, Allison felt the stress and concern evaporate. In that moment, she was exactly where she was supposed to be, beneath the touch of this astonishing woman, who’d come to mean so much to her in such a short period of time. As each new ripple took its turn with her, she saw her life in sharp clarity and knew in her heart she’dfollowed her heart. Nothing had ever felt so right. With Megan, she fit. And she wasn’t sure she’d ever fit before.

She threaded their fingers together on both hands as she floated back to Earth. “Is there a tip jar for the massage therapist?” She grinned. Megan laughed and slid alongside her on the couch, kissing her cheek.

“Not an official one, no.”

She tipped Megan’s face toward her and sought her mouth, sinking into it and reveling. “Then I’ll have to get creative.”

She watched as Megan’s brown eyes darkened, sending goose bumps to Ally’s already alert skin.

---