Chapter 23

HANNAH

I leaned against the kitchen counter watching George transfer the pastry dough onto the floured countertop. It had been two hours since we’d kissed over the strawberry plants, and this was not how I’d anticipated things would play out once we got back to George’s apartment.

Mesmerized by the way George’s hands worked the dough, an excited shiver of anticipation shot down my spine. We’d finally had the talk and agreed to “give it a go”—I cringed again at the memory of my clumsy wording—and now, except for Max who was snoozing on the couch, we were alone in George’s apartment. I wanted those strong hands on me. My eyes drifted up George’s forearms to the t-shirt that concealed her upper torso, and then down the curve of her back. And I wanted to explore her body desperately. I was not in the mood for baking a damn pie.

“I thought inviting me back to help bake the pie was just a ploy to have a bit more privacy?” I asked.

George smirked. “It was. All part of my evil plan to get some alone time with you.”

“Well, all this baking is sending me very mixed messages,” I said, walking over to George and placing my hand on the small of her back.

George dropped the dough on the counter and turned to me. Looking deep into my eyes, she leaned in and gave me a slow, sensual kiss. Fuck. I opened my mouth to deepen the kiss, but she pulled back.

“Is my message clear now?” George asked, her eyes twinkling. “But I do need to get the dough and filling made and put it in the fridge to chill first if cherry pie is going to be on the menu tomorrow, so we’ll both just have to exercise some self-control.”

The heat from George’s body, her warm sweet breath on my face, and her soft lips so close to mine, was almost unbearable. Heat pooled in my core. I wrapped my arms around her back and pulled her in for another kiss.

“Uh-uh,” George said, chuckling as she shook her head and gently disentangled herself from my grasp, leaving flour dusting my skin. “Self-control, remember?” She stared at me sternly, narrowing her eyes, and then returned to kneading the dough.

I groaned dramatically and slumped back against the counter, even more turned on than I had been before.

“I guess I don’t want to have to explain to Betty that I’m the reason there’s no cake of the day,” I said grudgingly. “Can I do anything to help?”

“Well, since you’re such an expert at pitting cherries”—George grinned at me—“you can wash and pit four and a half cups of them.”

I eyed the bag of freshly picked cherries and then looked back at George. “Okay. But while I might be an expert at pitting cherries with my mouth, I’m not so sure how to do it in a more, um…hygienic manner. Is there a special technique?”

“Hmmm,” George responded, holding my gaze. She stepped closer to me again, sending a thrill of anticipation down my spine. Self-control is overrated.

“Yes, maybe save the mouth work—for now, at least,” she said, her eyes lingering on my lips.

Instead of leaning toward me as I’d hoped, George bent down, opened a drawer, and pulled out a metal utensil. “You can use one of these.”

George handed it to me slowly, like she was intentionally drawing out my torture.

I snatched it out of her palm, determined to pit those damn cherries as fast as I could.

I’d never been so focused in the kitchen in my entire life. A woman on a mission, I made quick work of the cherries. Once I was done George mixed them in with the other filling ingredients she’d prepped.

“Okay, that should do it.” George dipped a spoon in the mixture and tasted it. “Yep, I think that’s good. You wanna try it?”

I nodded, and she dipped another spoon in and carefully lifted it to my mouth.

I leaned in to taste it, opening my mouth, and she pulled the spoon away, a cheeky smile on her face.

“You…are such a damn tease, George O’Grady,” I said, shaking my head.

She laughed and moved the spoon back toward me. I closed my eyes as cherries, with a hint of lemon and almond extract, exploded in my mouth. “Oh shit, that’s incredible.”

“That’s just a taste of things to come,” George murmured near my ear, her hot breath sending my nerve endings tingling. “You, wait there.”

George put the cherry mixture in the fridge, washed her hands, and turned to me.

George’s eyes were so intense they took my breath away. Everything around us seemed to fade. Oh shit. Desire and nervous anticipation flooded my body, sending my stomach somersaulting.

George stepped toward me, wrapped her arms around my waist, and pulled me to her.

“I think that’s enough waiting,” she murmured, delicately brushing my cheek with her fingers. “Goddamn, Hannah,” she said, her voice husky. “You are so fucking gorgeous.”

My breath hitched in my throat. “You are…” I struggled to put into words just how attractive I found George in every way, so I decided to show her instead, leaning forward and kissing her slowly and with purpose. I slipped my hands under her t-shirt so I could feel her warm, smooth back. George let out a low moan that vibrated through me, shooting heat directly to my core. Our kiss turned hungry, verging on desperate. George’s hands slid under my top and caressed my back.

“Can I take off your shirt?” George asked between kisses.

“Mmmhmm,” I hummed into her mouth, not wanting to break our kiss unless absolutely necessary. I briefly pulled back and took off my glasses so George could yank my top over my head.

“Yours too?” I asked breathlessly, tugging at her t-shirt, itching to feel more of George’s bare skin against mine. She nodded, and I peeled off her t-shirt, my hands trembling in eagerness. Underneath, she was wearing a plain black sports bra, which emphasized her strong, sexy shoulders. I threw her top on the floor, and we pressed our bodies and lips together again. I reveled in the skin-on-skin contact. George felt strong, sturdy and incredibly sexy and my body pulsed with excitement at the thought of exploring her even more.

George pulled back for a second, her dark eyes glancing behind me.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

She grinned, pulling me back into her. “Yes, I was just thinking it would be hot if you sat up there”—she nodded at the kitchen counter—“but as much as I’d love to be one of those buff romance novel love interests who can effortlessly lift you onto the countertop, I think I’d need to significantly amp up my gym routine before I’m up to the challenge.”

I laughed. That would be hot. I stepped back, placing each hand on the counter behind me. “I think if you give me a boost, I’ll be able to get up.”

George placed her hands around my hips and lifted as I pushed up.

“There! Not as graceful as in a romance novel, but it still had the required effect!” I said, smiling down at George, who was now an inch or two shorter than me. This position gave me a distractingly excellent view of her cleavage.

She stepped in between my legs, wrapped her arms around my waist, and we continued kissing. My hands roamed over her shoulders and upper back, finally getting to explore the part of her body I’d been lusting after for some time. I ran my fingers through her short hair, gently tugging it, and George moaned again.

“Can I?” George murmured, reaching around me so her hands were on the clasp of my bra.

“Yes,” I said, biting my lip.

George unclipped my bra and flinging it off. Her gaze lingered on my breasts before she pulled her bra over her head and stepped back between my legs, giving me another intense kiss.

“Is there anywhere you don’t like to be touched?” I asked, taking the opportunity to admire George’s round, firm-looking breasts and her dark-mauve nipples. My hands itched to caress them.

“No. You?” George rasped.

“No,” I said, moving my hands down to cup her breasts, reveling in their heaviness. I bit my lip as I traced my fingers over her pebbled areolae and circled them around her nipples.

George trailed her hot mouth down my neck, making me giddy with need.

“Fuck,” I whimpered.

George kept going until her mouth was on one of my nipples. I groaned with pleasure as she circled her tongue around it and then sucked it gently. I grasped her hair with my fingers as she moved to my other breast, giving it the same treatment.

My entire body vibrated with desire. While George continued her attention on my breasts, her hand glided down and unbuttoned my shorts. Her fingers slipped in between my shorts and my panties and I tightened my grip on her hair.

“Mmmm, you’re so wet,” George rasped.

She circled her fingers around my clit, her mouth still on my breasts, and all my nerve endings started firing at full speed.

“That feels incredible,” I said, tugging her hair with more force than I’d intended as my arousal skyrocketed to intergalactic levels. George moaned again.

George’s fingers slipped under the top of my panties and then paused as she looked up at me, eyebrows raised in a silent question.

I nodded, biting my lip, and George dipped her fingers farther into my wetness and then back to my clit. The direct contact sent my whole body trembling. To steady myself, I moved my left hand to the counter. George kept going, increasing the speed and pressure of her fingers circling my clit and sucking harder on my right nipple.

Time lost all meaning as pleasure took hold, and then suddenly, I was leaning back on both hands to support my body as an intense orgasm rushed through me, making me arch my back and cry out in pleasure.

As the aftershocks subsided, I leaned forward, placing a hand on each of George’s pink cheeks. She looked up at me, flushed and smiling, and my heart leaped. Damn. I really like this woman. A lot.

“That. Was. Amazing,” I said, my breath still ragged as I gazed down at her. “Now, can you help me down so I can, um…do things to you?” Not the smoothest proposition, but with George, I was comfortable not being completely smooth.

George grinned, raising an eyebrow. “Do things to me? What sort of things?”

“Help me down, and you’ll find out,” I replied, a teasing tone to my voice.

George wrapped her hands around my waist and helped lower me to the floor.

I leaned in for another kiss, caressing George’s upper body, enjoying the extra reach I had now that I was back on solid ground. “Since I’m shorter than you, I don’t think you on the counter is going to work. Are you okay with the bed?”

George nodded, grinning, and I grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the bedroom. Max got off the bed as soon as we entered, wisely making a quick exit, and I focused my attention back on the gorgeous woman next to me.

“Mmmm,” I said appreciatively as I took in George’s body, so strong and sexy. I stepped closer so our breasts touched, the soft warmth of the contact sending a shiver of desire through me. I kissed her softly again before jumping onto the bed and holding out my hand. “Come here, you. And shorts off, please.”

George grinned, shaking her head, but obeyed, throwing off her shorts so that her plain black briefs were the only item of clothing remaining on her body. She grabbed my hand and jumped onto the bed with me. We faced each other, kneeling on the mattress, our thighs touching, and wrapped our arms around each other, pulling tight. I breathed in George’s familiar, faintly woody, scent, melting at the sensation of our naked bodies pressed together. Being this close to George felt incredible. Intimate, comforting, and hot all at the same time. I lifted my head and began trailing kisses along George’s collarbone, slowly making my way up her neck. When I reached her earlobe, I gently teased it with my teeth. George moaned, and I did it again, this time applying more pressure. She moaned louder. Encouraged, I continued my attention on her ear, lifting my hands to gently tug at her hair. George gripped me tighter.

“Can we take these off?” I murmured into her ear, tugging at her briefs.

“Yes,” she responded breathlessly, and we both scrambled to take off our only remaining item of clothing.

My eyes hungrily dipped to the dark brown curls between George’s legs as she tugged her underwear over her left foot. I bit my lip.

As soon as George was back on her knees, I pulled her closer again. She grabbed my butt and groaned softly into my ear, the warmth of her breath setting my nerve endings tingling. “You drive me wild,” she murmured before shifting her head to kiss me.

Deep and passionate, our kisses combined with George’s words sent me dizzy with need. Continuing our hungry kisses, I caressed her left breast with my hand, my thumb running over her hard nipple. She let out a hum of enjoyment, which I took as a sign to double down on my approach, moving my other hand to give her right breast the same attention.

“Fuck, Hannah,” George begged, panting in between kisses.

I trailed a hand down to her curls, cupping my hand between her legs. “Okay?”

“Yes,” George groaned, and I dipped my fingers into her wetness, determined to make George groan even louder. Circling her clit with one hand and her nipple with the other, it wasn’t long before my wish was granted.

“Oh fuck,” George let out a guttural moan, our kisses now messy. George’s hands roamed over my body, grabbing my butt and then my hair.

I shifted my hand so my thumb focused on her clit while two fingers teased her entrance and then dipped into her, over and over again.

“Do you wanna lie down?” I gasped, frustrated that our position didn’t allow for deeper penetration. George lay back on the bed, and I scrambled between her legs, letting my tongue take over for my thumb and my fingers going deeper inside her. She smelled and tasted incredible. I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.

George gripped my hair, and I increased my pace, paying close attention to her moans to gauge what pressure and speed she liked most. Fuck, this is hot.

Finally, her muscles contracted around my fingers, and she writhed on the bed, muttering curses as she came. I continued, relishing the enjoyment I was bringing her, feeling like I might almost come again simply from bringing George pleasure, until she cried out, “Enough!” while laughing.

From between her legs, I looked up, taking in her slightly dopey, happy face smiling down at me, and a rush of happiness shot over me.

“Come here, you,” she said with affection. I clambered up to her, wiped my face, and gave her a long, soft kiss before lying down next to her and resting my head on her chest. We lay there for a few minutes in silence, George gently caressing my back while I listened to her heart beating. It felt so right, so natural, so comfortable. Even though it was only early evening, my eyelids felt heavy, my body completely relaxed. This was where I was meant to be, who I was meant to be with.

A beeping sound broke me out of my reverie.

George jolted. “Shit, I better get the pie into the oven, and then we should really think about dinner.”

I let out a satisfied sigh.Sex, a delicious Vietnamese chicken salad for dinner, more sex, and now snuggling with George in her bed was a pretty perfect way to spend the evening. But instead of being ready to nod off to sleep, our activities had sparked something in me—something I was very eager to get down on paper.

“George?”

“Yes?” she responded.

“I know this is weird, but would you mind if I borrowed your laptop to do some writing?” While I sometimes wrote on my phone, it was currently low on battery, and I was bursting to get the words down as quickly as possible.

“Are you serious? But it”s so nice and cozy just lying here.” To my relief, George didn’t sound annoyed—just sleepy and a little surprised.

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m loving this too. But inspiration just hit me, and I know from past experience that if I don’t get it down now, it might fade away.”

George chuckled. “That’s okay. I accept that artists must make sacrifices for their work, including ending one of the best spooning sessions ever when inspiration hits.” She unwrapped her arms from around my waist, pushed herself up, and swung her legs over the side of the mattress.

A wave of guilt swept over me. “Don’t worry about getting up. Just tell me where it is, and I can find it.”

“No, it’s fine. I need to put the pie away anyway. It should’ve cooled by now.”

I followed her into the spare room, where she pulled her laptop open, put in her password, and set it up on the desk. “There you go. Can I get you anything. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate?”

I smiled, George’s offer bringing back memories of the night she’d discovered me signing 841 copies of The Realm of Furies at Novel Gossip. “No, you should go back to bed. I’ll be in when I’ve got this down.”

Forty minutes later, I flopped back against George’s desk chair. The words “[insert hot sex scene here]” in my manuscript had been replaced with the steamiest scene I’d ever written. And it had flowed out of me painlessly. No one could complain this one was wooden or lacking in chemistry. I chuckled to myself. While I had some regrets over not telling my parents about my success as an author, at least they’d never read this chapter.

I shut the laptop and snuck back into George’s room, reclaiming my position next to her and wrapping my arms around her warm body. What a perfect day. I was just drifting off to sleep when Max, who was now lying at the foot of the bed, began snoring loudly. I rolled onto my right side so my ear with unimpaired hearing was pressed against the pillow. With just my left ear exposed, the snores weren’t nearly as intense, and I relaxed into the warmth of George’s body.