Chapter 15

FIFTEEN

Dee

Dee couldn't stop shivering as she entered the flat above the craft store. Even though she'd had the good sense of keeping her coat dry, she'd used it to keep Millie warm instead. Stupid silly dog.

They'd never figured out what she was choking on either.

"Here." Clarissa handed her a large beach towel, her voice reduced to a whisper. "For Millie I'll crank the heating up. If you could just be quiet, my dad is sleeping already."

With a grateful nod, Dee crouched down to dry the spaniel who was entirely oblivious to the panic and inconvenience she'd just caused. She rumbled when her ears were dried and pressed herself more into the towel, totally pleased with herself.

Bork didn't seem to understand why Milli was getting all the fuss and put his paw on Dee's arm, begging for attention.

"You don't need drying," she said, but she did scratch him under his chin. Just to be fair.

The sound of bare feet behind her made Dee look up and she found Clarissa standing over her in just her underwear and a towel slung over her shoulder. There was a softness to her body that made Dee gulp and she felt herself grow a few degrees hotter.

She was reminded of seeing Clarissa fully naked and now that she was no longer panicked, she could really appreciate the image. And that wasn't all Dee had seen, she also got to witness Clarissa's bear form. She'd felt it more than she saw when she had grabbed hold of her. It had been such a reassuring presence, so safe.

"Towel for you," Clarissa said, drawing her back to the present. "If you want to take a hot shower first, you're very welcome to."

Dee hesitated, her gaze still fixated on Clarissa's bare midriff. It was smooth with slight dimples and dips, only made more appealing by the low light and the faint shadows. She looked like a marble statue come to life with that fierce red hair of hers.

"Dee?" Clarissa prompted.

"Sorry, yes, I will take you up on the shower," Dee said, eager to put some distance between the two of them before her inappropriate thoughts got even more out of hand. She was halfway across the room before she realised she didn't know where she was going.

"Second door on the right. You can use my shampoo and stuff," Clarissa said, quietly chuckling. There was a smugness resting on her lips that suggested she was well aware of the staring.

Dee practically fled to the bathroom, grateful to be putting a locked door between them. Her heart was pounding and not just from the events of the night. If she wasn't freezing cold, she might've taken a cold shower right here and now. Instead, she twisted the hot water all the way up and filled the bathroom with steam.

She lathered her hair with Clarissa's shampoo and the fresh citrus fragrance of neroli and bergamot surrounded her. She tried not to think too much about it when she ran her hands over her body to distribute the soap. That didn't stop the slight tingle zipping through her body when she brushed past her nipples or slipped her hand between her legs. She didn't know where her arousal had come from, she definitely didn't remember ever looking at Clarissa like that. Then again, it had been near ten years since they saw each other and both their bodies were very different now. No longer awkward gangly self-conscious teenagers but women with all the right curves to go with it.

Dee pushed the thoughts away and rinsed, hopeful that would put an end to her wandering thoughts. She only remembered how soaking wet her clothes were once she picked up her shirt. No matter the situation, she couldn't put those back on. Instead, she wrapped the towel around her body, glad that it was big enough to cover everything.

Back in the living room, Clarissa was waiting on one of the sofas with Millie sleeping at her feet and Bork curled up against her.

She smiled, her head cocked curiously to the side. "Good shower?"

"Yes, really good," Dee said, her ears still burning. "I tried to be quick. Do you have anything I can borrow because... well, I couldn't put my wet clothes back on."

Clarissa's eyes widened at the implication and her gaze dipped down for a split second, almost too quick to notice, but Dee noticed. The heat in her lower belly grew more fierce with the realisation that this attraction might not be one-sided. She wasn't sure why she was surprised by that, Clarissa had been the one who initiated the kiss in the first place.

Dee just hadn't given it much thought. Or rather, she hadn't allowed herself to think about it.

She deliberately looked away when Clarissa walked away and patted Bork's scruffy head. He let out a content rumble and closed his eyes, clearly enjoying the attention.

"You're a good boy. Mostly because you didn't jump in the lake," she said softly, mindful not to wake Clarissa's dad. If he found her standing in the living room in just a towel, surely he would get the wrong idea.

It wouldn't be hard to explain what had happened but that would involve admitting she'd been in the lake of fate. Dee's gaze went to the window. It wasn't even midnight yet, dawn was a lot of hours away. But once the sun rose, she would be able to check her body for shifter marks.

Clarissa returned with a large shirt that felt soft and worn and some pyjamas shorts. "Here, you can wear this for now. I'm going to hop in the shower too. I won't be long."

Dee could only nod, totally enraptured by the slight huskiness of Clarissa's lowered voice and the sweep of her body. This time, she didn't manage to look away and stared at her rival's bum when she walked away. She wasn't proud of herself for it, but that didn't stop her.

Once the bathroom door was closed, Dee let her head fall back against the couch. "What the hell am I doing?"

Millie gave her an equally confused look before curling back into a tight donut, clearly happy about being near the radiator. She had no idea what kind of trouble she was causing.

Dee rolled her eyes while she quickly changed into the spare clothes, trying not to think too much about how she smelled like Clarissa's shampoo and now she was wearing her clothes too. It was a good thing Clarissa's father was sleeping in the room next door or it might've felt even more intimate than it already did.

It didn't take long for Clarissa to re-appear and to Dee's relief, she didn't come out in just a little towel. She was wearing a similar long shirt with little boxer shorts. Her red hair was darker than usual since it was wet and it clung to her face. Her make-up was gone which made her look younger and more vulnerable. It was somewhat nostalgic and really drove home to Dee that the person she was staring at was her teenage rival.

"I put your clothes in the dryer. Do you want to drink something?" Clarissa asked softly.

"Some water, please. I'm kind of thirsty," Dee said, glad the other woman wouldn't know just how thirsty she was right now.

"Water coming up."

Dee couldn't stop herself from staring, her gaze dropping down to Clarissa's bare legs when she walked to the adjoining kitchenette. She didn't even notice she was being so blatant about it until Clarissa returned with two glasses.

She paused in front of the couch, a knowing smile hanging around her lips. "You're going to have to stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" she denied.

"Like you're trying to look through my clothes."

Dee's cheeks started to burn. She was totally busted.

She cleared her throat but the lump didn't go. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"It's not that. You're the one who said the kiss shouldn't change anything. This, that look, suggests something has changed," Clarissa said, proving again that she was always frustratingly observant.

Dee accepted the glass of water but Clarissa didn't let go that easily. She was only a step away, looking so cute and attractive in her long shirt, it was irresistible.

"Have things changed?" Clarissa asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Maybe." Dee let go of the glass and let her hand slide up Clarissa's arm, enjoying the smoothness of it. "Would that be an issue?"

Clarissa chuckled hoarsely and put the glasses out of the way on a side table. She reached out to Dee's face, cupping it gently but with purpose. The heat in Dee's stomach flared from the simple touch because it was loaded with promise.

She didn't want to give Clarissa the satisfaction of initiating again and pulled the bear shifter on her lap in one smooth motion. The little bubbly shriek caused Bork to shoot them an annoyed look as he vacated the couch.

"Sorry," Dee whispered to the dog.

"Shhh," Clarissa giggled, not wasting a moment to straddle her. "You're going to wake my dad."

"Way to make this sound like we're horny teens." Dee closed the gap between their bodies, capturing Clarissa's lips with hers, finally satiating her straying thoughts. Unlike their first kiss, this one was wild and searing hot, laced with urgency and desire.

When Clarissa pulled back to breathe, her voice was even more husky. "Well, we're not teens but I can't refute the other part."

Dee didn't need telling to know what Clarissa was feeling, she could feel the heat from where their bodies were pressed together. She slipped her hands under Clarissa's shirt and ran them up the redhead's back, causing her to tremble.

"Good shivers or bad shivers?" Dee whispered while she kissed Clarissa's neck.

"Good shivers," Clarissa murmured, her head tipped back. "Really good. Don't stop."

Dee hadn't been planning on stopping and she definitely wasn't going to now. She grazed her teeth over Clarissa's skin, up to her earlobe and back down her neck. She wanted to kiss even lower but the shirt was in the way.

Understanding glinted in Clarissa's eyes and she reached down to pull her shirt off. Dee only got a teasing glimpse of what was underneath when a creak sounded through the flat. Lightning fast, Clarissa dropped her shirt and jolted off of Dee's lap, her gaze fixating on her dad's bedroom door.

Dee held her breath, begging and praying that Mr Foster wasn't going to come stumbling into the living room. Even the dogs perked their heads up.

They waited for half a minute before relief settled back over them.

"My heart is racing," Clarissa whispered, looking a mixture of shocked and amused.

"If you want, I can make it go even faster," Dee said confidently.

A little laugh slipped from Clarissa's mouth. "Is that a challenge?"

"A promise."

The twinkle reappeared in Clarissa's eyes and she held out her hand. "Why don't I show you my bedroom then?"

Dee didn't hesitate a second to take the hand offered to her. The two dogs looked up curiously but neither of them moved, far too happy to be near the radiator. Or maybe they could sense they weren't invited anyway.

On the way to the bedroom, Dee caught a glint of the crescent moon through a window and was briefly reminded that tonight was all about finding fated mates. She knew what she was doing was insensible but she couldn't stop herself. Her whole body was humming and singing from the shallow touches they'd shared and she wanted so much more.