Page 130 of House of Crimson Hearts
She lays her head on the pillow next to me and threads her fingers through mine.
“Cordelia,” she says, serious.
“Yes?” I say, unable to prevent the hitch in my voice.
“I need to tell you something…”
“Okay?” I roll over onto my side to face her, lines already etching their way into my brow. “What’s wrong?”
She pulls me forward, laying a gentle kiss on my cheek, my nose, my lips. She’s soft and warm against the late afternoon air.
“If I don’t get to touch you soon, I think I might very well die,” she says.
“You’re already touching me,” I say, squeezing her hand.
“Not here…” Her eyes drop, drop, drop until they focus on the spot on my dress covering my core. “There.”
“Oh,” I squeak out. “Well, I. Umm.”
“Oh gods, sorry. You’re not ready. I shouldn’t have. No. Forgive me, I?—”
I cut her off with my mouth. Rolling her onto her back and sliding on top of her, I plunge a kiss over her lips and force my tongue into her mouth. Because gods, I am ready. I am desperate for her to touch me everywhere, taste every inch of me. As desperate as I am to do the same for her. I wore a light summer dress today despite the temperatures, daring to hope for just this to happen. I break off the kiss and pull the dress up and off my body.
I wear no bra and my nipples immediately harden in the cool air.
Eleanor falls silent. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her stunned into silence. It’s normally me flustered.
“Oh. I’m… is there something wrong?” I glance down at my breasts, worrying that perhaps I’m abnormal or hideous, but this time it’s me being thrown onto my back and lain on the pillows.
“Wait there,” she says and her whole face is alight. Like the sun’s own rays beam from her expression. She digs in a box beside the stove and pulls a log out, shoving it into the stumpy burner. Heat kicks out immediately and the gooseflesh that coats my skin dissipates.
“Now, where was I?” she says, and this time, instead of bright sunlight, there’s something dark and hot trailing through her gaze. She licks her lips.
“I have never wanted something so much in my life,” she says. “May I have you?”
“Yes, always. Now and forever. Today. Tomorrow and for eternity.”
“I love you,” she says. And I know in that moment she doesn’t mean the type of love between friends.
But between lovers.
The smile that peels across my lips is infinite.
“I have loved you since the first moment I saw you. Since I stumbled into your store and ran away because you made me feel alive and breathless and like the whole world was in your smile.”
She gives me the very same smile and I swear my heart ceases beating.
“If you want me to stop at any point, just tell me. I want to pleasure you, make you happy. Not scare you or push you too far too fast,” she says, stroking the back of my hand.
But I shake my head, “I want to give all of me to you.”
“Okay,” she says and leans down to remove my underwear.
“Wait,” I say suddenly. She freezes, her hands having only tugged them down an inch.
Her face falls as if I stole her toy. It makes me laugh.
“There’s a problem,” I say.
