Chapter 26

TWENTY-SIX

Diana’s heart was pounding, both from the knock against her ear and from seeing Emily. A confusing mix of emotions fizzed in her stomach, but one thing she was sure of: she wasn’t mad anymore. Hurt? Oh, yes. Her heart was tender and wounded, but she wasn’t angry.

Diana opened the door just as Emily raised her fist to knock a third time.

“Hi,” they said at the same time, then gave each other stilted smiles.

Diana stepped back to invite her inside. “This is a surprise.”

“I’m so sorry.” Emily surged forward, flinging her arms around Diana. Her cheek was wet with tears where it pressed against Diana’s, and Diana was powerless to push her away. They needed to talk. It had been killing her not knowing where they stood.

“Come in,” Diana said when Emily released her.

“Thank you,” Emily said breathlessly, her gaze roaming around the entranceway as she followed Diana inside.

Diana led her to the kitchen at the back of the house. Coffee might go well with this conversation, and brewing a fresh pot would give Diana something to do while she corralled her rampaging emotions. They were both quiet while the coffee machine gurgled. Then Diana poured two mugs and handed one to Emily.

Emily gave her a hesitant smile as she took it. They both bypassed the kitchen table to stand near each other at the counter overlooking the backyard, which might have been awkward, but Diana needed the ability to move more freely right now. She was too anxious to sit. Maybe Emily was too.

“Thanks,” Emily said after the silence had stretched a few moments too long. “Your town house is every bit as beautiful as I expected, and…I’m so sorry for being such an idiot yesterday. I overreacted and made a huge mess of things while you were trying to deal with what your dad did…which was really shitty, by the way.”

“It was shitty, but I probably should have anticipated it. I tend to get tunnel vision when I’m focused on something, as you know. You’re better at seeing the big picture.”

“I want to be,” Emily said quietly. “I want to expand my horizons. I want to go places and do things…with you, if you’ll have me.”

Diana’s breath caught in her throat, her heart thudding against her ribs as hope bloomed there. She sipped her coffee to control her reaction. “Which places do you want to go?”

“Anywhere you’re going. Diana…I’m so scared. I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to leave Crescent Falls. My grandmas think it’s got something to do with how my mom left, that my stupid brain thinks if I leave too, I’ll be like her. Speaking of my mom, I actually called her last night, and we had a surprisingly good conversation. She wants to come for Th anksgiving, which is… I have no idea how to feel about that.”

“Sounds like a big deal,” Diana said.

“It is…if it happens. I guess…it seems like people are always leaving Crescent Falls, leaving me . First my mom, then Jenny, then my grandmas, and Jack, and you .” She made a strange noise that turned into a sob. “In my heart yesterday, I wanted someone to pick me for once. I wanted you to pick me. But that was stupid and unfair, and honestly, it’s not even a choice. You can have both. You can have Boston and me. Once I’m not working at the inn anymore, I can come stay here sometimes, and you can visit me in Crescent Falls, and…we’ll work it out. I know we can. If you’ll forgive me for yesterday.” She finally paused for breath, tears streaming over her cheeks.

“Emily…” Diana put down her coffee and pulled Emily into her arms. “I knew all those facts separately, but I hadn’t put them together, and I had no idea you felt that way. I didn’t choose Boston over you. I wasn’t leaving you at all. I just wanted to come home for a few days to work on my business plan. I was upset too, and neither of us was thinking very rationally.”

“Can you forgive me?” Emily looked at her with flushed, tearstained cheeks.

“Of course.” She held Emily close, marveling as the ache in her chest went away, her wounded heart healing itself now that Emily was back in her arms. It was that simple. She needed Emily. She loved Emily. Everything else would work itself out.

It had to, because Diana was going to put her full effort into making it so, and this time, she wasn’t going to fail. This time, her eyes were wide open, and she was looking in every direction. She saw all the obstacles in her way, not blindly focused on the finish line.

She breathed in Emily’s scent, calm and resolute in her decision. “I think I have the perfect solution to our logistical problem.”

“You do?”

Diana nodded. “First of all, Carter told me last night that he’s staying in Crescent Falls. He’s starting college there after the new year.”

“Oh, that’s so great.” Emily smiled through her tears.

“Office space is a lot cheaper in Crescent Falls than it is in Boston, and since Aster caters to small, unique hotels, it strengthens our brand—and helps differentiate us from Devlin Hotels—to have our headquarters in a small town, especially the town where our flagship hotel is located. Devlin is corporate America. Aster is small town America. Crescent Falls should be its home.” She paused, meeting Emily’s eyes as her skin flushed hot and her heart began to pound. “Plus, the woman I love lives there.”

“Oh, shit. Oh my God,” Emily spluttered, her face beet red. “You…the woman you love?”

“Yes. It hurt like hell leaving you last night. Right here.” She pressed a hand over her heart, which was still beating out of control. She’d never told a woman she loved her before…or heard those words in return. “I realized something when I was with you in Vermont. In the past, I shied away from relationships because deep down, I feared career retribution. Devlin Hotels has some toxic ideas about family values. But at Aster, I can be the boss and have a love life. What do you think?”

“I think…I think…I love you too,” Emily blurted. “And…does this mean you are moving to Vermont?”

Diana shook her head, her skin even hotter now because Emily loves me too . Her eyes were wet, and her hands were shaking. “I didn’t say that. I still love this town house as much as you love your cottage in Crescent Falls, but why can’t we have both? I own this property, and you own that one, and we can split our time between them. It’s not a long-distance relationship if we’re both in the same place at the same time.”

A luminous smile bloomed on Emily’s face, as bright as the flowers she loved to paint. “I think it’s perfect, and I love you, and…” Emily pressed her lips against Diana’s for a kiss that soon had Diana panting, her body awakening the way it always did when Emily kissed her.

“So you want to travel with me?”

“Fuck fear,” Emily gasped. “I’ve always wanted to see the world. I only wish it hadn’t taken me so long to realize what was holding me back.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Diana murmured against her lips. “We’re all constrained by fear in one way or another. I hid my fears behind a mask of confidence. You’re the first person to show me that I can let my guard down, I can be vulnerable, and you won’t take advantage. You let me be myself and appreciate me for exactly who I am—flaws and all—and I…I didn’t know how much I needed that until I found it.”

Emily blinked at her through glossy eyes. “I…really?”

Diana nodded. “Want to start our travels in North Carolina next week? I just made arrangements to visit a hotel in the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

“I want to bring lots of canvas and paint,” Emily whispered.

“I can’t wait to see what you create. As you know, I was taken with your art from the moment we met.” She gestured to the painting in the hall, the purple aster Emily had been painting that fateful afternoon.

“You bought that?” Emily’s jaw dropped. “I had no idea…oh wow.” More tears spilled over her cheeks. “That’s so romantic. Oh, Diana…”

“I named my new company after that painting. After you , really. I never stopped thinking about you when I came back to Boston.”

“That’s so beautiful. Oh my God, I love you so much.” Emily wrapped her arms around Diana, grinning as she spun her.

“As much as I want to take you straight upstairs to celebrate in my bed, I also want to take you out to lunch and show you some of Boston.” She wanted to show Emily the world— right now —but damn if she wasn’t already aroused by their closeness.

“The theme of the day, Diana, is both .” Emily beamed. “Let’s do both, but maybe lunch first because I was too upset this morning to eat breakfast, and now I’m famished. And after that, who knows? We might not leave your bed for the rest of the day.”

“We won’t have to,” Diana murmured against her lips. “You may not know this—having lived in Crescent Falls your whole life—but food delivery exists. Whatever cuisine you want, you can have it…in bed…with me.”

“I love it. Two minutes in, and you’re already broadening my horizons.”

“Why don’t we go out to lunch first and see a bit of the city,” Diana suggested, “and then we can stay in this evening?”

“Perfect.”

“Come on, then, darling. Let’s go see Boston.”

“You were right. That was so much fun,” Emily said with a happy sigh as they reentered Diana’s town house later that afternoon, having enjoyed sumptuous lobster rolls on the waterfront, followed by several hours of walking around some of Diana’s favorite parts of the city.

Diana pressed Emily against the wall in the entrance way and kissed her soundly. “I love Boston, but I love it even more when you’re with me.”

“I feel so alive.” Emily kissed her back, hands on Diana’s waist as she nipped Diana’s bottom lip before soothing the sting with her tongue.

Diana throbbed between her thighs. “Keep that up, and we’ll wind up in bed sooner than later.”

“The sooner the better,” Emily murmured. “After all, we still need to have makeup sex.”

“Mm, the only good thing about fighting with you.” Diana pushed a thigh between Emily’s, and if the windows beside her front door didn’t overlook the sidewalk, she’d have taken Emily right here. The bedroom was only one flight of stairs away, though.

“I wish we hadn’t fought.” Emily’s expression filled with regret. “I feel like I need to apologize again for my behavior yesterday…and to tell you how sorry I am about what your father did. Have you spoken to him yet?”

Diana felt herself tensing, but she resisted the urge to pull away. “No, I haven’t, and I know I need to. I just…well, I was preoccupied with everything else going on, worrying I might have lost you. I didn’t have the bandwidth for that conversation yet.”

“I understand, and I feel terrible that I wasn’t more supportive yesterday when you needed me.” Emily’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “That I hurt you when you were already down.”

“You’ve already apologized for that, and I’ve accepted your apology.” Diana ran a finger over Emily’s sweater, soothed by its soft texture…and by Emily herself. “The truth is, I haven’t spoken to my father since the day I handed in my resignation, and now, I have to wonder if that was a mistake. Maybe he wouldn’t have done this if I’d made more of an effort to smooth things over between us.”

“From what you’ve told me, he’s the one who should have made that effort—not you—but at this point, I do think you should call him. If I’ve learned anything over the last twenty-four hours, it’s that it can be worthwhile to suck it up and have a tough conversation instead of just making assumptions and letting hurt feelings brew.”

Diana sighed, resting her forehead against Emily’s. Emily’s arms folded around her, wrapping Diana in the warmth and comfort of her embrace. “I know you’re right, and I’m not usually one to put off a difficult conversation.”

“So call him.” Emily sounded more assertive now. “Just get it over with. If you do it right now, we can spend the rest of the day in your bed. You can even introduce me to food delivery.”

“Among other things.” Diana gave her another hungry kiss, but her focus had shifted. Emily was right. She needed to make this call. Reluctantly, she stepped out of Emily’s embrace. “Okay, I’ll call him.”

Emily squeezed her hand. “I can go explore your backyard to give you some privacy?”

“No.” Diana held tight to Emily’s hand. “Stay.”

“Okay,” Emily whispered.

Diana walked to the couch and sat, still clinging to Emily with one hand as she used the other to bring up her father’s name in her cell phone. He’d be at work right now, but she selected his cell, not his office phone. This was personal.

It only rang twice before the call connected. “Diana? This is a surprise.”

“An overdue one, I’m afraid.” She exhaled, grateful to her medication and Emily’s presence for helping to keep her anxiety under control.

“I wasn’t sure…well…what’s this about?” He sounded brusque and businesslike, but there was something beneath it that she wasn’t sure how to read. It might have been residual anger over how she’d left Devlin Hotels.

“We need to talk…about the Cornflower Hotel.” The words came out haltingly, and she realized belatedly that she should have thought through what she was going to say before making the call.

“The what?”

“The hotel I tried to purchase for my new business that you outbid me for. I know you haven’t forgotten, but Dad…I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to fight with you, and I don’t want to compete with Devlin Hotels. In fact, I was specifically trying to buy smaller hotels you wouldn’t be interested in. I want Aster to be its own unique brand.” She paused for a breath, surprised to look down and see that she was rubbing Emily’s hand as if it were a calming strip. “So let’s talk. Surely there’s a way we can agree to be civil with each other instead of you trying to put me out of business because you disapprove of my life decisions.”

There was silence on the line. Total, devastating silence. Diana’s pulse raced and her stomach cramped, but she kept her breathing under control. No need for him to know the effect he’d had.

“I wasn’t aware we had bid on the same hotel,” he said at length.

She huffed. “Oh, come on. I’m not na?ve. This wasn’t a hotel that would ordinarily have been on Devlin’s radar. Don’t try to tell me it was a coincidence.”

“I never said it was a coincidence. I said I wasn’t aware.” He paused, and Diana held her breath, at a loss for what he meant or what to say in response. “Harrison did mention the acquisition of that hotel, but not that you’d been involved. I suppose he was trying to make a point about the way you’d treated the family, but I’ll speak to him, because that’s not how we do business around here.”

“Oh.” She exhaled roughly. Her brother had sabotaged her. Not her father. Was that better or worse?

Her father cleared his throat. “Your mother’s been after me to call you, actually, to…clear the air. She’s missed seeing you at family dinners. I, well…we both have. I still disagree with your decision to leave, but I’d like to think we can move past it.”

“I’d like that too.” Diana was reeling. That was a heartfelt apology as far as Edward Devlin was concerned. She inhaled, suddenly aware of how tense she’d been and the fact that she could breathe freely again now.

“Good. I’m on my way to a meeting with the board. Come to dinner on Friday?”

She gulped, meeting Emily’s eyes. There was only one way to respond, and it terrified her more than making this call in the first place. “If I can bring my girlfriend with me, then yes, I’d love to come to dinner.”

Another silence, and more throat clearing. “That’s fine.”

“Okay, then, Emily and I will see you on Friday.”

“Until Friday.”

With a click, the call disconnected .

Diana turned to Emily, drawing several deep breaths before she could speak. “How much of that did you catch?”

“Enough to get the basics.” Emily squeezed Diana’s hand, and when Diana looked down, she saw that hers was shaking. She didn’t pull away, though, even though she knew Emily could feel her trembling.

“I should have asked you first,” Diana said. “If you don’t want to go to dinner, I can?—”

“I do,” Emily interrupted. “I want to share everything with you, remember? And this is a big deal, right? You told me before that you’ve never brought a woman home to meet your parents.”

Diana nodded, swallowing roughly. “You’ll be the first.”

“That means a lot,” Emily told her with quiet sincerity.

“ You mean a lot.” She met Emily’s eyes. “It may be awkward, though. My family isn’t the easiest.”

“I’m not looking for easy, Diana. I’m here for the good, the bad, and the awkward.”

“Me too. God, I love you so much.” She tugged, and Emily slid into her lap, her hips pressing against Diana’s. And just like that, the heat was back. It had been an emotional whirlwind of a day. Two emotionally chaotic days, actually, and all that turbulent energy seemed to ignite under the warm press of Emily’s body, resulting in a sense of urgency that quickly overwhelmed Diana’s senses.

She shifted against the couch, frustrated to have her thighs pinned together beneath Emily’s weight. She anchored her hands in Emily’s hair so she could kiss her, licking her way hungrily into Emily’s mouth. Maybe it was the thought that she had almost lost this—lost Emily —that left her feeling so frenzied now.

“You mentioned makeup sex?” Diana tried for playful, but her voice came out rough and needy .

“I’m wholly in favor.” Emily rocked her hips against Diana’s, her eyes reflecting the same heat that was scorching Diana from the inside out. Without another word, Emily slid her hand down the front of Diana’s pants. Her fingers wiggled against Diana’s wet flesh, and she had to bite back a moan. “Miss me?” Emily asked with a wicked grin.

“So much.” Diana pushed herself more firmly against Emily’s hand.

And just like that, Emily withdrew. She stood, extending her hand to pull Diana to her feet. “Show me your bedroom?”

Diana nodded. Yes, a bed was a good idea. She’d mostly been joking earlier when she suggested they spend the rest of the day there, but it felt like a real possibility now. Keeping Emily’s hand in hers, she climbed the stairs, closing the door to the master bedroom behind them. She wasn’t expecting him, but Carter did have a key to the house.

“Nice.” Emily swept her gaze around Diana’s bedroom, taking in the gray walls and understated art Diana had chosen. “There’s just one thing that doesn’t match your décor.” She pointed to the brown shipping box on Diana’s bedside table, the box Diana had once been so desperate to get her hands on and then hadn’t found time to open after her return from Vermont.

“Funny story about that box.” She skimmed her hands up Emily’s sides, bunching her shirt under her arms before she lifted it over Emily’s head.

“I love a good story.” Emily’s hands were busy too, lowering the zipper on Diana’s pants.

“I ordered it while I was in Vermont. I was…frustrated.” She hissed as Emily’s fingers slid over the front of her underwear. “I was so fucking attracted to you, but I couldn’t ha ve you, and I was so anxious, especially at night, all alone in that house.”

Emily blinked at her out of wide eyes, her mouth forming a silent O.

“I was desperate for some relief, but sometimes it’s hard for me on my own when I’m that anxious.” Diana flicked her gaze to the box in question, surprised to realize how much easier it had already gotten to discuss her anxiety with Emily. “So I bought some toys for a little battery-powered assistance, but I forgot to update the shipping address, and they came here.”

“You poor frustrated thing.” Emily rubbed her over her underwear, and the ache between Diana’s thighs intensified. “You mean to tell me, the whole time you were in Vermont, you were in this state?”

“Not one orgasm.” Diana rocked her hips against the pressure of Emily’s fingers. “I was feeling pretty desperate before we got together.”

“I bet.” Emily rubbed faster as she nodded toward the box. “Do they come charged?”

“Um.” Diana was having trouble thinking through the haze of arousal that had overtaken her senses, but the idea of using her new vibrator with Emily sounded irresistibly hot. With some difficulty, she pulled away from Emily’s touch. “I think they do.”

She crossed the room and picked up the box, fumbling with the packing tape, her fingers clumsy with desire. Emily plucked it from her hands, easily peeling away the tape. She sat on the bed as she began to unpack the box.

“Nice,” Emily murmured as she lifted the wand. She set aside the clitoral suction device Diana had been so excited to try. “If anyone’s going to suck your clit today, Diana, it’s going to be me. ”

Diana swallowed with a click, her throat gone dry in anticipation.

“Strip for me while I open this.” Emily sounded as commanding as she had that first night, and just like she had then, Diana went absolutely weak for her. She shed her clothes and slid onto the bed as Emily went into the bathroom to wash the new vibrator.

Diana tried to calm her breathing as she waited for Emily’s return, but she was a lost cause. Her core ached relentlessly, and she couldn’t seem to be still, anticipation supercharging her system so that her legs slid restlessly against the comforter.

And then Emily was walking toward her, deliciously naked and holding the wand in her right hand. In all the nights Diana had wished for that wand, she hadn’t thought to wish for this . She pressed her thighs together.

“Do you want this?” Emily asked as she crawled onto the bed to hover over Diana. Her fingers slid over Diana’s wet flesh, discovering just how much Diana wanted it.

“Yes,” she managed, her hips pushing against Emily’s hand.

A faint buzzing sound reached her ears, and Diana felt herself grow even wetter. Her breath quickened, harsh and ragged.

“I love seeing you like this.” Emily licked her lips as she hovered over Diana. The buzzing intensified, and Diana felt the sound in her clit, even though she still had no idea where the vibrator was. Emily grinned. “I love it when you’re so worked up, you’re about to lose control, and I haven’t even touched you yet.”

Diana moaned, her hips lifting in search of the elusive vibrator, Emily’s fingers, anything to provide the stimulation she needed.

“It’s hot,” Emily murmured, her voice rough with her own arousal. “ You’re hot.”

Without warning, the vibrator pressed firmly against Diana’s clit, and she jolted in surprise before gasping with pleasure, because yes , God, it felt good. Its velvety, soft surface was already warm from Emily’s fingers, and pleasure swept through Diana’s system. She pulled Emily down on top of her, the vibrator rumbling between them.

“Yes,” Diana gasped, hips rocking beneath Emily’s, seeking… “More.”

The vibrations grew stronger. Emily was breathing harder now, her hand wedged between their bodies to control the vibrator, rubbing it rhythmically against Diana, and she was… oh, she was already so close.

“I’m…Emily…oh…” Diana arched beneath her as sparks began to light in her core. The heat and pressure built, and then it burst as the orgasm rushed through her. She gasped and writhed, her hands gripping Emily’s ass to press her impossibly closer as she rode out her release.

When it became too much, she slid the vibrator from Emily’s grip and brought it between Emily’s thighs, groaning when she felt how wet Emily was. She stroked her with the wand as Emily ground her hips down against it, and within minutes, she was coming too. Her whimper of pleasure awakened Diana’s body all over again.

They were definitely not leaving this bed anytime soon.

“That was a first,” Emily managed between gasping breaths as she reached between them to shut off the vibrator. Her sweat-dampened body relaxed, one thigh between Diana’s as she rolled them to face each other.

“Using a vibrator with a partner?” Diana asked, pressing herself a bit more firmly against Emily’s thigh.

Emily shook her head with a delighted smile. “You coming first.”

“Oh.” Diana exhaled, her skin flushing warm. “I guess I really missed you.”

“You must have,” Emily agreed as her fingers found Diana’s clit, beginning to stroke. “And I loved every moment. I love you so much, Diana.”

Diana smiled, biting back a groan as her arousal grew. “I love you just as much. We’re going to share so many firsts together.”

“A lifetime of firsts.”