Library
Home / One Last Run / Chapter 13

Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

DANICA

Danica’s body felt flushed and tingly with anticipation as Pete slid closer to her. Their bodies drew together like magnets, leaning into one another. Pete’s nose slid down the side of hers, only an inch between their mouths as she listened to Pete’s shaky breath.

There was still a chance they could let the moment pass without ever leaping over that final hurdle. There was still time to pretend this never happened, to stop this from happening.

Danica didn’t know exactly what she wanted. Her mind was quiet, but her heart was beating wildly out of her chest as Pete’s hand slid up the side of her neck to cradle her cheek.

They were drawn to one another– they had always been pulled toward one another like magnets – and somehow it felt inevitable that they’d end up like this again. Pete’s thumb slid over her jaw, gently angling her face up. Every breath was a whisper against one another’s lips, a promise, a prayer, a warning. She shouldn’t let this happen, she thought through a haze. Pete's nose touched hers, a familiar warmth spreading through her, making her forget any lingering resolve she’d been holding onto.

Her heart thrummed a hard and fast rhythm as they both moved slowly, carefully, snow gently falling upon their bare shoulders as the air fogged from the hot tub and their bodies and their shared breaths.

Pete seemed to wait for her to close the distance between them, for her to take the lead, like this kiss was a when , not an if . Danica craved more. Chemistry had never been their problem. The memory of their tiny dorm rooms, the hushed whispers and frantic heartbeats, came back to her – hours spent kissing, exploring, drunk on lust and the incredible feeling that this gorgeous woman actually liked her.

She felt that same giddiness now, like it was the first time all over again. Danica’s tongue grazed over Pete’s lower lip, barely tasting the cool, melted snowflakes, and Pete caught Danica’s mouth with hers.

It was a kiss so soft, so slow, it felt like a whisper against her skin. Then another, with a little more confidence, a little less tentativeness. Danica threaded her hands into Pete’s hair. This was happening. This was really happening.

Pete let out a sigh, and when her lips found Danica’s again, the kiss was deeper, slower. Pete shifted closer, their kiss lingering only briefly before she gently brushed her thumb across Danica's lower lip, the light catching the brightness in her eyes as they studied one another. Kissing Pete felt like re-reading a favorite book — comfortable, familiar, and exciting all at once. Danica shivered in the cold air, snowflakes dotting her bare shoulders, filled with excitement, and maybe a little bit of terror. She was scared how Pete had always hold her heart so gently one second and precariously the next, how much her body ached for Pete’s touch, how right this felt.

Pete’s tongue slid over Danica’s, then their kiss deepened like she was reclaiming what had been missing for so long. Danica nipped at Pete’s lower lip, her arms sliding around Pete’s neck as their bare chests made contact out of the water. Pete let her hands fall to Danica’s hips, then pulled her closer until Danica was straddling her, a knee on either side of her thighs. The warmth of the water, the way Pete’s skin felt both soft and slick, the chill of the air — Danica’s body was going haywire with sensation, with the contact that she so desperately needed.

Each gasp they took between kisses was as tantalizing as the way Pete's lips danced over Danica's, leaving her feeling exposed and vulnerable.

Pete pressed her face into Danica's neck, licking and nipping at her skin, and Danica tangled Pete's hair in her hands to keep from moaning so loud that she'd wake up the entirety of Mountain Village.

Pete pulled back, her chest rising and falling with rapid breaths as she pressed her forehead to Danica’s. “Is this still okay?” she asked Danica in a hushed voice.

Danica could hardly find the words to voice that this was the best kiss of her entire life. That she had no idea that just kissing could be so good. That she could spend hours in this hot tub kissing this woman, holding her body close. Words were the last thing on her mind as Pete’s breasts brushed against her skin, as Pete’s hands slid over her back and hips, as Pete grabbed at her ass. Danica could only nod, catching Pete’s mouth again with hers.

"I could kiss you forever," Pete murmured against Danica's lips, and Danica moaned in agreement. Why had they spent so many years not kissing?

In all her years with Eddie, they had never just kissed like this. Why had she so quickly forgotten what such a satisfying kiss had felt like? Why had she let herself settle?

An overwhelming feeling crashed into Danica, part shame, part self-loathing, part voice in her head screaming, What are you doing?! And what was she doing? Her ex-fiancé had broken up with her only a month before, and now she was in a hot tub making out with another ex. She was making all the same mistakes, being so reckless with her heart all over again.

She needed space from Pete — it was like the nearness to this woman blocked all rational thoughts from her brain. Pete had broken her heart once, and once was enough. With Pete, things felt too complicated to move forward, to let herself get heartbroken again. She pulled backwards, her breath shallow and quick.

"What's wrong?" Pete asked, reaching to tuck a stray lock of hair back into Danica's beanie. "Are you cold?"

No. "Yeah," Danica answered. "I think we should go to bed."

Pete watched her face carefully, Danica’s expression infuriatingly neutral and unreadable. "To... bed?"

"To sleep. Separately," Danica said, standing suddenly. Pete stared at Danica's body, her eyes roaming everywhere, very obviously taking in Danica’s breasts, then lowering... "To sleep," Danica reiterated.

Pete nodded, reaching for their towels to hand one to Danica, then climbed out and Pete paused to replace the hot tub cover. Danica hurried back inside ice already forming on the fine hair at the napes of her neck. Danica shivered, pausing to grab her pajamas from a dining chair where she’d discarded them before. She was going to have to get in the shower to warm back up before bed. The thought of asking Pete to join crossed her mind, but she tamped that urge down just as quickly as it popped into her head.

"Goodnight," Danica said, the word coming out a little harsher than she’d intended, seeing Pete's confused and hurt expression.

"Goodnight, Wendell," Pete said softly, her gaze lingering on Danica, eyes wide with unspoken emotion.

Danica let herself zone out under the warm water until she grew self-conscious of personally causing a water shortage in Mountain Village. She climbed into bed, staring at the ceiling in the dark. Hours passed as she tossed and turned, oscillating between self-loathing and confusion. Somewhere around 4 a.m., she got out of bed and quietly opened the door to Kiera's room. Kiera's presence had always calmed her, and there had been more than a few times in college where they had climbed into each other’s bed for the comfort of being near a friend.

From somewhere in the dark, Kiera said, "Dani? What's wrong? Come here." She held open the covers for Danica, and Danica quickly climbed into the bed beside Kiera. Kiera's voice was still groggy and half-asleep as she asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Danica admitted, and Kiera let her hand rest on Danica's arm.

"Want me to sing you the girls' lullaby?" Kiera asked.

Danica smiled in the darkness, sniffling as tears stung her eyes. "Sure."

Kiera hummed Brahms' lullaby, and Danica felt instantly calmer and less alone. She could feel her mind quiet any lingering panic about what she’d just done. Perhaps it was the lullaby or the closeness or the company, but nothing seemed to be catastrophic enough to keep her from sleep. The gentle vibrations of Kiera's humming faded as she drifted off, a peaceful stillness settling over her.

Comments

0 Comments
Best Newest

Contents
Settings
  • T
  • T
  • T
  • T
Font

Welcome to FullEpub

Create or log into your account to access terrific novels and protect your data

Don’t Have an account?
Click above to create an account.

lf you continue, you are agreeing to the
Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.