Chapter 35

HANNAH

George shut the door to her bedroom and turned to me, gripping my hips and pulling me to her. She kissed me on the lips slowly, deeply, firmly. It had been a long day, starting with the call with my parents at 7 a.m. this morning, but thanks to the stunning woman in front of me I was suddenly wide awake.

Returning the kiss with gusto, I closed my eyes, relishing the soft, wet warmth of George’s mouth. “I missed you…this…so much.”

“Me too,” George replied, her voice husky.

While I enjoyed the sensation of her body and mouth pressed against mine, it wasn’t enough. I slid my hands under the back of her shorts, feeling the warm, soft curve of her ass, and then ran them up her strong back, rubbing my fingers in patterns over her skin.

“Mmm,” George moaned softly. She deftly undid my bra and then tugged my t-shirt up and off before doing the same to hers. George’s eyes were dark and heavy-lidded as they lingered on my breasts. The sight of her half-naked, a sensual mix of strength and curves, combined with the obvious hunger in her eyes, sent desire gnawing low in my core.

“What about your mom?” I murmured, conscious she was just down the hallway from us.

“She won’t hear a thing. If she’s not asleep already, she’ll have her headphones in and be listening to sleep stories.”

Relieved, I stepped forward I stepped forward, pressing my body against hers. As much as I enjoyed the view of George topless, I was desperate to remove the space between us. There had been far too much of that in the past few days.

“You are so fucking sexy,” she growled, nuzzling into my neck before trailing hot, wet kisses down my neck to my collarbone.

A moan escaped my lips as I caressed her back with my hands. “What do you feel like doing?” I murmured.

“I want to watch you come,” George said, her voice husky. “How do you feel about using the strap-on?”

I bit my lip, excitement pulsing through me. We hadn’t used a strap-on together yet.

“That sounds amazing.”

George jogged over to the side table next to her bed, opened the drawer, and pulled out a black harness and a purple, medium-sized dildo.She held it up, and looked at me, raising an eyebrow in question.

I nodded, my body humming in anticipation. George yanked off her pants and hopped into the harness, pushing the dildo through the O-ring, and then adjusting the straps so the harness was fastened around her hips and thighs. While George was busy doing that, I took the opportunity to remove my underwear.

George grinned, walking toward me. “Now, where were we?”

I put my hands on her ass and pulled her to me, enjoying the pressure of the dildo pressing against me, and gave her a long, lingering kiss.

“Ah yes,” she murmured, deepening the kiss as she slowly walked me backward.

When the backs of my thighs hit the mattress, I clambered onto the bed, grabbing George’s hand and pulling her down with me. I rolled on top of her, legs straddling her waist, and leaned down to kiss her gorgeous mouth, running my hands over her firm biceps. Damn, she’s hot.

George slid her hand between my legs. I lifted my hips slightly to give her access, desperate for her touch. I moaned as her fingers, slick with my wetness, circled my clit.

“God, that feels so good,” I said before leaning in to kiss her again, closing my eyes to focus on the incredible sensations.

After a few minutes of George’s skillful fingers teasing my clit, I was well and truly ready for more. Desire pulsed through my body, making it difficult to think straight.

“I want you inside me,” I gasped, raising my hips up farther.

George, continuing to work her magic on my clit with one hand, used her other hand to turn on the vibrator nestled in the harness so that it pressed against her and then grabbed the dildo, positioning it upright for me. I slid onto it, closing my eyes as it filled me.

“Fuck, that feels incredible,” I said.

I opened my eyes, and our gazes locked, sending a rush of endorphins through my body. The connection I felt with George was like nothing I’d felt before. It was intense, loving, and deep, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

“You are so goddamn amazing, Hannah Taylor,” George growled, her voice low.

“You’re pretty fucking incredible too, George O’Grady,” I replied.

We slowly rocked our hips in unison, maintaining eye contact as our breathing became more labored. I picked up pace, and George followed suit, increasing the momentum of her hips and the pressure and speed of her fingers on my clit.

I gripped her hair, tugging, and George moaned.

“I’m so close,” I whimpered, my thighs trembling.

“Me too,” George said, her voice husky, as she pumped her hips and worked her hand harder.

Explosions surged through me. As the orgasm engulfed my body, George came as well, throwing her head back against the pillow and gasping as she continued to thrust into me, sending the last waves of pleasure washing over me. It was so intimate, coming together, knowing that we were both experiencing the same out-of-body experience.

“Fuck,” George said, pulling me close for a kiss. “That was…”

“Phenomenal,” I finished with a smile, my muscles continuing to twitch from the powerful orgasm.

Ten minutes later, my heart rate back to normal and my body relaxed, I lay on my side in bed, gazing into George’s warm brown eyes only inches from mine. I let out a happy sigh. She gently lifted her hand and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

“How are you feeling now about your identity being disclosed?” George’s voice was low and sympathetic.

“Honestly, still not great.” I made a face.

“I’m sorry, babe,” George said, stroking my hair.

“As much as I appreciate my readers, I really don’t want to be a public figure. And after years of carefully guarding my identity, it kinda sucks that now when you Google H. M. Stuart, my real name immediately pops up.” I pressed my lips together. “But in some ways, it hasn’t been as bad as I thought. Except for being recognized at Chris’s book event in Brooklyn, I haven’t had anyone approach me. And the event was full of fantasy readers, and it was the day after my identity was leaked, so it probably wasn’t that surprising.”

“That’s good. It shouldn’t be too difficult to avoid fantasy book events in Sapphire Springs, especially since we’re the only people who would organize them,” George said, her dimple on display.

“True.” I smiled at George. “And it was reassuring that no one mentioned anything about it in the café today. I have a good feeling that it’s not going to impact much, if at all, on my life in Sapphire Springs. And since I’ve pushed back on doing any further publicity, hopefully we’ve contained the damage as best we can.”

“If anyone bothers you about it at the café, just let me know, and I’ll set them straight,” George said, her tone serious.

I smiled, imagining George sternly telling off a customer who dared to ask for my autograph. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m sure I’d be able to cope myself.”

It struck me how differently I was feeling about the whole thing, compared to my initial reaction when I’d first heard the news three days ago. It still sucked, but it no longer felt like an enormous, catastrophic event that had ruined, or could ruin, my life.

“And while it has been kind of shitty, there have been some silver linings.”

“Like Mom finding her calling?” George chuckled.

I laughed. “Well, that. But it also led to me building up confidence to speak to my parents and Tania. And it’s been a bit of a wake-up call that I need to get back to therapy. My anxiety has felt a little out of control the last few days.”

George wriggled closer to me and put a hand on my waist. “I’m sorry to hear that. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”

George’s presence was so comforting and grounding it reminded me of the worries I’d had about our relationship while I was in New York. Was the fact that I was feeling so much better about everything now that I was back in Sapphire Springs evidence that I was too reliant on George? Maybe I should just practice my newfound skills at difficult conversations and talk to George about my worries. Before I had a chance to chicken out, I took a deep breath and went for it.

“After Tania and I broke up, I realized that I’d become way too dependent on her. We worked and lived together. I really relied on her for my social life—all my friends were originally her friends, and we were living in an apartment she’d bought. It also felt like she’d been so fundamental in my writing process that I couldn’t write without her. So, when our relationship fell apart, it seemed as if I’d lost everything—my home, my friends, and my writing. Sorry, I know that sounds really dramatic.” I gave George a weak smile.

“No, it makes sense,” George said.

I swallowed, shifting my body on the bed to get even closer to George. “And I guess I’ve been starting to worry if I’m falling into the same trap with you. I feel like I already rely on you so much for support, both emotionally and with my writing, and we obviously work together. I’ve also managed to infiltrate your friend group. While I love how supportive you are, I want to make sure I’m not relying on you to an unhealthy extent. So I’ve been thinking about ways I can avoid that happening.”

I bit my lip and stared at George, trying to gauge her reaction, leaving my words out there as almost a question. George looked at me with soft eyes, as if she was carefully considering my concerns.

She reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “Hey, that makes sense too. For what it’s worth, if we ever broke up, your job here would be safe—although, as you said yourself, you don’t need to work at Novel Gossip. I’m also confident that Blake, Jenny, Olivia, and Amanda would all want to continue to be your friend. They really like you. And while you sometimes bounce ideas off me, the writing is all you. Having said all that, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with relying on your partner for love and support.”

I smiled, my body sinking into the mattress. Everything George had just said was exactly what I’d tried telling myself. But somehow, hearing it from her was a lot more convincing. And I kind of loved that she’d just used the words partner and love in the context of our relationship, albeit in a roundabout way. But still, it sounded so…official. And serious. Which was how I felt about her too.

“But I also don’t want to minimize your concerns. Especially when we work together, it makes sense that you’d want to have some parts of your life that are separate from me.” George’s eyes twinkled. “You know, the book club is always looking for new blood. We could schedule your shifts to make sure you’re available. Or according to some flyers that were dropped off downstairs this morning, there’s a regular kayaking meet-up on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings you could attend.”

I snorted. “Ha ha! But point taken.” I furrowed my brow, thinking about possible options. “I’m pretty sure I saw a flyer for a hiking group, which might be more my scene—and more conducive to conversation than kayaking.”

George grinned. “That sounds perfect. And thanks for sharing that, by the way.”

“Do you have anything like that that would be helpful for me to know about?”

George paused for a moment. “Yeah. I think my hang-up is about a different type of relationship imbalance: where one person’s career or interests constantly take priority over the other’s, or where there is a significant power disparity. And I’m pretty sure that all tracks back to my parents and Alexis.”

“Oh, that’s good to know,” I said, wondering if George had any concerns like that about our relationship.

“Yeah. Mom was Dad’s secretary—that’s how they met—and since their marriage wasn’t very happy, I always wondered whether the fact that she was dependent on him for her livelihood might have stopped her from leaving him. And with Alexis, our relationship was unequal on quite a few levels, which caused me some grief at the time.”

“That must have been difficult. Can you please let me know if you ever feel like something like that is affecting our relationship? When I’m working toward a deadline, I might sometimes hole up in my study, but my relationships trump work.” My parents had always put work first, and I wasn’t about to follow in their footsteps.

I wriggled forward so our noses were almost touching and kissed George softly on the lips.

George returned the kiss and then smiled. “Great, so my nightmare that you committed to a twelve-month international book tour without talking to me about it first is unlikely to come true?”

I laughed. “I’d say more than unlikely. Impossible. I can’t think of anything worse. I’m not going anywhere—except, perhaps, to the city every now and again, and to Chicago to visit Barb a couple times a year.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” George pulled me in for another kiss. “I’m not going anywhere either.”