Page 11 of Emma
“Fuck, babe.” Her body screamed for full contact, to feel every inch of Vanessa against her, but even clothed and with just this sliver of space between them, the intimacy was overwhelming. Skin on skin would never be enough.Nothingever would be, not when it came to loving Vanessa.
“E-Emma.” Vanessa’s walls clenched around Emma’s fingers, her thighs twitching as she whimpered. Emma knew that sound; she knew the way her wife’s body trembled when she was right there on the edge.
“You take what you need.” Emma would give anything—everything—to this woman. “Take it all.”
Vanessa surged forward; her body taut as she wrapped an arm around Emma’s neck. Her lips brushed against Emma’s ear, her voice silky as she moaned, “Fuck me harder.”
That demand sent a blaze of heat down Emma’s spine. She didn’t hesitate. She nearly slipped out from the sudden shift,but caught herself, then pushed back inside, deeper this time as she added a third finger. Vanessa took it, clinging to Emma like she’d never let go.
Emma knew Vanessa. Every gasp, every twitch, every inch of her pleasure was programmed inside Emma. And from the moment they’d returned to this kind of intimacy after the surgery, Vanessa hadn’t held back. She had come back to Emma with a renewed hunger. With fire. With trust.
“I wanna feel you, babe.” Emma dragged her tongue along the curve of Vanessa’s neck, thrusting harder, her pace matched to the constant thrust of Vanessa’s hips. “I wanna feel you come for me.”
Vanessa shuddered, her body quaking fiercely as she clenched tight around Emma’s fingers. Her breath came hot and ragged against Emma’s neck, her mouth open in a cry muffled only by skin. “Oh, God.”
Emma grinned, dizzy with love and the sheer privilege of being the one inside this woman. “Mm. Must be something in the fresh air out here…”
Vanessa slowly pulled back, grinning with flushed cheeks. “No, I think you’re just capable of turning me on at the most unexpected of moments.”
Emma leaned her head back with a proud smile, a low laugh rumbling from her chest. God, this woman made her feel so many things. All those doubts she used to carry—about being enough, about whether she could give Vanessa everything or if it would even work between them—felt like distant memories. They had done for some time now. They’d built a love that was raw and real, and the sex? That had only grown more intense.
Vanessa reached between them and gripped Emma’s wrist, lifting her hand slowly. She brought it up, their eyes locked as she guided Emma’s slick fingers to her lips. Vanessa slid them into Emma’s mouth, and Emma sucked, tasting her, devouringthe moment like it was the first time all over again. “Am I enough for you, or should I start breakfast?”
Emma didn’t answer. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Vanessa’s waist, lifting them both from the couch in one smooth motion. Vanessa instinctively hooked her legs around Emma’s hips, dipping her head and kissing Emma deeply before Emma had taken a single step.
“I don’t think we’re going to be needing breakfast just yet,” Emma murmured against Vanessa’s lips. “I need so much more of you before I even consider this day to have started.”
Emma turned with her wife held tight against her, carrying her back into the warmth of the bedroom. The lake house was filled with the very love they’d continued to build on since the last time they were here.
“I love you,” Vanessa whispered as she buried her face in Emma’s neck.
“And I love you.”
CHAPTER FIVE
“Okay, folks. Great stuff today.”Emma slung a hefty sack of netballs over her shoulder, her arms feeling the weight but her stride somehow steady. She stopped just outside the changing rooms, the worn brick walls of the school blending in with the stench of old equipment and aged corridors. Her voice, though calm, carried a subtle authority as she glanced over her class, each of them standing in various states of tiredness, excitement, or indifference. “I’ve been keeping an eye on one or two of you, and I’ll be sending letters home about possible netball trials. I can’t commit to giving you game time at the moment, but some of you are showing a lot of promise.”
The class shuffled into a line, some heads nodding while others, like Kelsey, stared off into space, her arms folded across her chest in a posture that screamed defiance. Emma’s eyes softened briefly as she looked at her newest students. She had been so impressed with them so far this year. That fresh talent was showing, and the way they pushed themselves was inspiring. She could already see it. A few of them had the potential to go on to represent their county, perhaps even their country.
“Miss, can you tell us now who will be getting letters?” Kelsey’s voice cut through the silence, laced with frustration. She was one of the tougher students. One of the ones who tested boundaries and the ones who made Emma second-guess her approach sometimes. Standing there with her scowl, her challenge was clear. “Don’t see why we can’t just know now.”
Emma felt the weight of Kelsey’s stare but didn’t flinch. She knew why Kelsey was asking and why she was pushing. It wasn’t about impatience. No, it was about the need for validation, and the hunger to be recognised. But Emma couldn’t give her that just yet, not in front of everyone. “If you’ve made the cut, you’ll receive a letter, Kelsey. It’s all about having patience.”
Kelsey snorted, her stance more defensive than moments ago. “Probably gonna pick the teachers’ pets.”
Emma sighed inwardly. Shehadanticipated this. Kelsey’s words were a familiar mixture of resentment and sarcasm. Emma could see the insecurity beneath the bravado, but the reality was that there was only so much she could do. She couldn’t let her emotions show, not now. “I don’t base any of my decisions on anything other than what I see in practice or lessons. Though having a bad attitudemaymake me think twice.”
Kelsey rolled her eyes dramatically, and a small group of her friends nearby giggled at her antics. With a smirk, Kelsey mimicked Emma’s calm demeanour, folding her arms and leaning back as if to mock Emma’s poise. Emma saw it, the effort to rile her up and break her composure. She wouldn’t let it affect her, though.
“Do we need another detention, Kelsey?”
Kelsey’s shrug was nonchalant. “Don’t care. Won’t show up anyway.”
Emma’s jaw tightened slightly. She had seen this before, this rebellious act designed to challenge authority and to see how farshe could push, but Emma wasn’t about to be outmanoeuvred. “You won’t? Okay. Then a call home it is.” She unlocked the changing rooms calmly. “Get changed in a reasonable amount of time, all of you.”
As the students filed in, Emma paused for a moment and watched them with a mixture of resignation and hope. She had been where they were once. Young and full of potential, but also unsure of who she was and how to navigate the complicated world around her. If she had dared to talk back to a teacher the way Kelsey had, her parents would have known about it before she’d even had the chance to get home. A rush of nostalgia for her own school days hit her, but it was quickly replaced by a sobering thought. Her job wasn’tjustabout teaching sports. It was about shaping and guiding her students. And Kelsey was one of the more complicated projects. Emma wasn’t ready to give up on her, not yet.
With a sigh, Emma turned and carried the netballs to the storage cupboard. It wasn’t often she dealt with students like Kelsey, those who wore their anger like armour. But there was always one every year. This year, it seemed that Kelsey was the one. She’d keep an eye on her, dig a little deeper if necessary, and find out what was lurking behind the walls Kelsey had built around herself. Maybe then she could help. If nothing else, Emma would show her that respect was earned and given, no matter how many tests of patience it took.
