Chapter 5

FIVE

“I think you can wait just a little bit longer…”

Diana surged beneath Emily, her body automatically protesting those whispered words, but just as quickly, she felt herself breathing deep, pushing back the overwhelming need to come. She hadn’t thought she could wait another second, but now…

Emily was giving her exactly what she’d asked for, and Diana couldn’t remember ever feeling this exquisitely aroused. Her pulse pounded, her clit throbbed, and her core clenched, but she was in control.

There was only one outlet available for the tension coiled inside her, and she unleashed the full force of it on an unsuspecting Emily, who let out a startled gasp as Diana pressed her against the bed, covering her with her body. But she quickly realized this wouldn’t do. She couldn’t press her hips against Emily without surrendering to the need to grind against her, not when she’d been denied an orgasm for so long.

Holding in a groan, Diana lifted her hips from Emily’s. She pressed her thighs together in a fruitless attempt to ease the ache there as she dragged her hands down Emily’s back roughly enough to leave scratches.

Diana was driven so wild by her own need that there was no holding herself back where Emily was concerned, and her lack of finesse would give Emily exactly what she’d asked for: marks she’d have to cover up with her clothes tomorrow. Diana sucked a hickey onto her neck, then scraped her teeth over her collarbone until Emily cried out, her thighs parting beneath Diana.

Diana scooted down to settle in the space Emily had created for her. She covered Emily with her mouth, scratching her fingernails over Emily’s thighs as she licked and sucked with an almost punishing force.

Within minutes, Emily was writhing against her mouth, coming with a shout of pleasure that sent a hot jolt straight to Diana’s clit. She could feel her hand trembling as she wiped her mouth and crawled onto the bed beside Emily.

Desperate to get some friction where she needed it, she pressed herself against Emily’s side, whimpering with relief as her clit made contact with Emily’s warm skin. Technically, she was sticking to Emily’s rules. She hadn’t touched herself, but her willpower was waning.

“You need to come?” Emily asked, her voice oddly calm as she brought her hands to Diana’s hips, stilling her movements.

Diana bucked against Emily’s grip. “Yes.”

“Beg me for it.”

“Please,” Diana responded without hesitation, feeling nothing but a surge of arousal as the word left her lips. “Please, Emily. Please let me come.” Her hips were still moving, and she couldn’t have stopped them if she’d tried. Her pulse pounded in her ears and between her thighs, but still, Emily didn’t react. She just stared, seemingly mesmerized by Diana’s desperation.

“Please.” Diana felt herself grow impossibly wetter every time she said the word. “Please, please, please…” Her voice broke, her hips pushing more insistently against Emily’s thigh.

“Yes,” Emily said finally, licking her lips. “Yes, Diana. God, you’re going to come so hard.”

As she spoke, she rose onto her knees, separating their bodies. “But first, take a few breaths, okay? Because I want you to last long enough to enjoy this.”

And those were the magic words. Diana immediately went still, sucking in a deep breath to steady herself. She was in a fog of arousal, her senses overtaken by the insistent ache in her core, the tension coiled so tightly that if she didn’t get some relief—and soon—she might actually snap.

Emily positioned herself with her body hovering over Diana’s, kissing her fiercely before she brought the pleasure of her mouth to Diana’s neck and down to her collarbones. Diana could hear herself breathing, rapid and harsh, seemingly unable to bring enough oxygen into her lungs. It was all good, so good, and yet, not enough.

She’d been teased to her breaking point, and as Emily’s tongue swirled over her nipple, Diana could barely feel it over the urgent throbbing in her core. She closed her eyes, breathing through it, focusing on the way it felt to be so exquisitely aware of her body and the pleasure it could provide, so alive .

Emily kissed a wet trail over Diana’s stomach, and Diana wasn’t even trying to hold herself back now. Her hips bowed upward, seeking contact with any part of Emily they could find. She didn’t care if she only lasted five seconds once Emily put that wonderfully talented mouth on her. It would be worth it, so worth it.

Emily pushed Diana’s hips against the duvet, at the same time settling between her thighs. Her hot breath reached Diana’s overstimulated flesh, and she writhed, anticipation boiling over into agony. Then Emily’s tongue was against her clit, and Diana let out the most outrageous sob of relief. Any other time, it would have embarrassed her, but not tonight.

She ground herself shamelessly against Emily’s mouth, any semblance of control long gone. She could hear herself talking, an endless stream of “Yes!” and “Fuck” and “More!” Vaguely, she was aware that Emily was trying to slow her down, trying to transfer the attention of her mouth to less sensitive parts of Diana, but her body screamed in protest as Emily’s mouth left her clit.

“No. Please. Don’t stop.” Diana realized she had a fistful of Emily’s hair clenched in her right hand as she tried to drag her back where she wanted her. “Sorry,” she mumbled, trying to disentangle her fingers from Emily’s hair.

Emily looked up and caught her eye as she used her free hand to push Diana’s fingers more firmly into her tresses. “Don’t apologize. I like it.”

“Oh.” Diana’s fingers clenched.

“Hold on tight,” Emily whispered, and then she proceeded to devour Diana with all the urgency she’d been craving. Her mouth was all-consuming, everywhere Diana needed her, and her tongue…

It whirled and flicked and pressed, distilling Diana’s existence to the areas it touched. Her hips moved frantically as the orgasm that had been building inside her for what felt like hours finally crested. For several long seconds, she hung on the precipice, swearing profusely as pleasure swelled inside her, centered in her clit.

Perhaps sensing how close she was, Emily began to suck, her tongue continuing its relentless movements. Diana’s body went rigid as she broke. The orgasm rolled through her with a scorching intensity, centered in her core as the tension there finally found its release. Yes. Oh God. Yes yes yes…

She let out a moan that was more like a scream as her system filled with the most wonderful sensation in the world, so much pleasure, her body tingled with it, so much pleasure, she almost couldn’t handle it, her limbs thrashing against the duvet. She’d known her orgasm would be powerful from having waited so long, but this… God .

Eventually, the intensity ebbed, and she was aware of Emily still gently moving her tongue, helping Diana wring every bit of pleasure from her release. She flung a hand over her eyes, breathing hard as her body finally relaxed, aftershocks still twitching in her core.

“Goddamn,” she managed, her voice low and raspy. She wasn’t sure she’d ever come that hard before. And yet, she still didn’t feel entirely sated. Even as pleasure buzzed through her veins, there was still an undercurrent of arousal in her core. Her clit still throbbed against Emily’s tongue, and she didn’t want her to stop.

She pushed her hips more firmly against Emily’s mouth, letting out a long, low moan, and Emily took the hint. She kept going, kissing her way over Diana’s flesh, exploring her folds as she gave her a chance to catch her breath.

Diana breathed slow and steady, limp with relief and yet still unbearably needy, her hips soon finding a steady rhythm that matched Emily’s tongue. Arousal rose inside her until, almost before she’d prepared herself for it, she was coming again, grinding her hips against Emily’s mouth as pleasure pulsed from her core.

This one was less intense than the first, but it seemed to last forever, wave after wave of bliss that had her moaning, wondering if she’d ever known so much pleasure. She basked in it. This feeling…it was worth every moment she’d waited. It was pure ecstasy. She never wanted it to end…until suddenly, it was too much. Her clit became so sensitive that she pushed Emily away.

“Good?” Emily asked, looking up at her with flushed cheeks.

“Fuck.” Diana flung her head back against the bedding, so boneless, she wasn’t sure she’d ever move again. Warmth still radiated from her core, her body tingling with aftershocks. “That was so fucking great, I’m not even coherent enough to tell you how good it was.”

Emily slid up to lie beside her, eyes gleaming with happiness. “I didn’t know you were a sweet talker.”

Diana felt as though she’d melted into the duvet in a blissfully sated puddle. “Because I’m not. I just tell it how it is.”

She hadn’t come to Vermont looking for a hookup. Emily had caught her by surprise in so many ways, and now, she found herself hoping that this earth-shattering night was a sign of more good things on the horizon.

Emily woke to the unfamiliar sound of someone breathing beside her. Her eyes popped open to take in Diana’s sleeping form, barely visible in the darkened room. Oh . Memories of the night before flooded in, flirty drinks followed by the hottest night of Emily’ s life.

That really happened.

She grinned. Faint amber light filtered through the window, more likely a streetlight than the sun. Emily had the impression it was still dark outside. She squinted at the clock on the microwave, which told her it was just past five.

Emily had to be at work at eight, which meant there probably wasn’t any point in trying to get back to sleep since she needed to head home soon to get ready. What was the protocol for a morning after like this?

Had Diana even meant for Emily to stay the night? After who-knew-how-many orgasms, they’d both kind of passed out without having a conversation about it. Emily couldn’t bear it if anything happened this morning to dampen the magic of last night. Maybe she should just go and save them both any awkwardness.

That way, last night would remain a perfect memory.

Decision made, Emily slipped out of bed. She fumbled through the darkness to find her underwear and dress, then put them back on. She had to pee, but didn’t want to wake Diana by flushing the toilet. It was only a thirty-minute drive home. She could wait. Suddenly, she was desperate to be out of Diana’s hotel room, terrified Diana would wake up and be annoyed to find her still here.

Emily grabbed her purse and slipped into the hall, closing the door quietly behind her. She blinked against the brightness in the hall, running a hand over her sleep-mussed hair as she hurried toward the lobby. A different white-gloved porter was there this morning, nodding politely at her as she stepped outside.

Emily walked to her car and headed home. As she pulled into her driveway a half hour later, the sun was just peeking over the treetops. First order of business, she needed a shower. Then she needed to check on Jack, who would be eager for some attention after over twelve hours alone. She let herself into her cottage, tossing her purse on the table inside the door on her way toward the bedroom.

Already, she could hear excited chirping from the direction of the porch. Since the weather was nice, she’d left Jack’s cage on the screened-in porch last night so he could chat with the wild birds in the woods behind her house. “Be right there, Jack!” she called, and his twittering grew even louder.

Emily smiled as she entered the bedroom, already stripping out of her dress. What a night. If she’d known a one-night stand could be that hot, that intimate , maybe she’d have been having more of them, but Emily wasn’t generally a casual dater. She was looking for a serious relationship, especially now that she was thirty-five. Not to mention, the one-night stands she’d had in the past hadn’t in any way compared to what she’d shared last night with Diana.

Last night had been perfect .

Meeting Diana had shaken her. It made Emily realize how long it had been since she’d pushed herself out of her comfort zone. Now it was up to Emily to keep that momentum going.

She used the bathroom and then spun before the mirror, feeling a hot thrill as she saw the purple marks on her neck, the red scratches down her back, the imprint of a mouth on her inner thigh. She’d have to wear a scarf at work today, and she was going to love every moment. No, she wouldn’t be forgetting last night any time soon.

After a quick shower, she dressed in her Inn at Crescent Falls staff shirt and black pants, grateful her grandmas weren’t the kind of people who’d mind if she added a gauzy scarf to her outfit to hide the marks on her neck.

Mary and Eva—or Grandma and Gram to Emily—had met over forty years ago, and, as Mary told the story, it had been love at first sight. Eva maintained that she’d had to work to catch Mary’s attention in those early days.

They’d been living in Georgia at the time, both in their thirties. Eva was recently widowed by a man who’d been more of a friend than a lover, while Mary had been out since she was a teen. It wasn’t easy for them as an interracial lesbian couple in those days, but they’d found their sanctuary here in Vermont, running and eventually owning the inn.

In 2009, when Vermont became one of the first states to legalize gay marriage, they’d hosted their wedding right here on the grounds, and the inn, which had always been a popular local spot for weddings and events, soon became known as one of the most sought-after gay marriage locations in the area.

Eva and Mary had always run a queer-friendly establishment, and it was now a haven that many queer couples and families sought out for their vacations and special events, a place where they would not only be tolerated but celebrated, a place where queer was normal, where a rainbow flag waved proudly on the front porch and guests had the option to list their pronouns when they booked their registration.

Emily couldn’t be prouder of the Inn at Crescent Falls or her grandmas. After her mother left her behind to chase her dreams—or a man, which was the same thing for Violet Janssen—when Emily was ten, Mary and Eva had taken her in, raising her in their apartment at the inn, much as they’d taken Violet in a decade earlier when she’d shown up in town as a pregnant teenage runaway.

After college, Emily had moved into this cottage, which had once belonged to the groundskeeper, back when that was a job that required living on-site. It was perfect for Emily, though, a cozy little house all her own. She was out of sight of the main inn, but still close enough to walk to work on the days when she staffed the front desk.

Emily couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. The inn and its grounds were home. Once she was dressed, she fixed herself a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal and brought her breakfast to the back porch to spend a few minutes with Jack. He was a song sparrow, with pretty brown feathers and stripes on his chest. She’d found him a few months ago when she was painting in the field behind the inn, just a fledgling who had survived some kind of animal attack.

The local wild-bird rescue couldn’t take him due to an outbreak of avian flu, but when Emily refused to give up on him, they’d given her supplies to help her rehabilitate him herself. He was fully recovered now, except for a balance problem that caused him to fly in wobbly circles and would prevent him from ever being released into the wild.

For now, he lived in a cage on her back porch, but eventually, he would need more. Other birds to socialize with. Emily hoped the aviary would be able to take him once the flu outbreak was under control, much as she hated the idea of letting him go. She’d grown pretty fond of her sparrow.

“Hey there, my little pirate,” she crooned as she opened the door to his cage.

Jack chirped loudly as he hopped to the doorway, spread his wings, and began to spiral across the porch. It made her dizzy watching him fly, but he didn’t seem bothered by his disability. He chirped and sang as he soared around her, stretching his wings.

While he was out, she changed his cage liner and refreshed his food, adding a raspberry—his absolute favorite treat—to the bowl. Then she sat with him while she enjoyed her breakfast, telling him about her night while he twittered happily in response.

“Sorry for the quick visit, buddy, but I’ve got to go to work. I promise to spend more time with you this afternoon, okay?” She walked to where he was perched and held out her finger.

He hopped on and allowed her to transfer him back to his cage.

She washed her hands, grabbed her bag, and set out along the path that led to the inn, whistling her imitation of one of Jack’s favorite tunes as she walked. It was a gorgeous June morning, warm and sunny, and while Emily enjoyed working the front desk, today she couldn’t wait to get home and relax, maybe do some painting on the back porch with Jack.

She was tired from her adventurous night, sore in a few interesting places that made her blush just remembering. If the desk was slow today, she’d text her friends and fill them in. She knew they must be dying for an update after she left them hanging last night. The inn came into view ahead, its white fa?ade standing out in sharp contrast to the lush green trees behind it.

An American flag flew out front, swaying gently in the breeze, right next to the Pride flag, and it was one of the new Progress flags that included stripes for trans rights and people of color. The inn itself was a classic colonial style with white paint, black shutters, and a porch that wrapped around the far side of the building, providing guests with views of the mountains beyond. Emily jogged up the front steps and pushed through the door.

She stepped behind the desk and booted up the computer, then took down the sign that hung on the desk overnight, containing the emergency number for guests to call if they needed anything after hours. The inn had forty rooms, which was fairly large for the area, but it wasn’t large enough to justify staffing the desk overnight. Staff took turns being on call for the after-hours number, which received a handful of calls a week, usually from guests needing extra towels or late-night medicine for a sick kid.

Emily stowed her purse behind the desk and logged into the system. The inn was completely booked this week with a group of accountants who were here for a conference, meaning her Wednesday morning promised to be unusually busy.

Her grandma—Mary—breezed through the lobby a few minutes later, looking summery in pale-blue linen pants and a matching blazer, her short silver hair freshly styled. “Morning,” she called.

“Good morning,” Emily responded. “You look fancy today.”

“Oh, I have a meeting later, wanted to look the part.” Grandma touched the button on her jacket, then gestured to Emily’s scarf. “You’re looking rather fancy yourself.”

Heat traveled up Emily’s neck, but as close as she was to her grandma, she drew the line at talking about her sex life. “Thanks.”

“Dinner after your shift? Gram’s roasting a chicken.”

“You got it.” Emily smiled at her grandma before reaching for the telephone on the desk, which had started to ring. “Front desk, this is Emily. How may I help you?”

“Hi, Emily,” a male voice said. “The toilet in room 102 is running constantly. I tried fiddling with it, but I can’t get it to stop.”

“I’ll send maintenance right up,” she told him. “Thanks for letting us know.”

Emily ended the call and dialed the handyman who handled weekday maintenance requests. Then she settled on her stool and pulled out her cell phone. She’d barely had time to glance at it yet today, and unsurprisingly, there was a flurry of activity in the Adventurers group chat.

TOM BELLAMY

DYING for an update. LITERALLY DYING.

DREW NGUYEN

Don’t interrupt her, Tom. What if she’s still with the woman from last night?

ALEXIS BELL

Pretty sure Em works this morning

TALIA MICHAUD

Emily, send us an emoji if you’re alive!

I’m going to send out a search party if we don’t hear from you soon

jk but also not

Emily grinned as her fingers began to tap out a quick reply.

You guys are so dramatic!

my night was flame emojiflame emojiflame emoji

TALIA MICHAUD

Yassssss girl! Get it!!

ALEXIS BELL

wooooooooooooo!!! We need DETAILS

TOM BELLAMY

EMILY

I AM SO PROUD

I knew you had it in you!

Thanks, guys

I’ll tell you all about it at trivia night tmrw!

Emily texted with her friends for a few more minutes before things at the front desk started picking up. She checked out a family who’d been in town to hike to the falls…although they hadn’t been so na?ve as to attempt the summit trail. Her lips quirked as she remembered Diana’s unbridled confidence, despite having never hiked a technical trail before.

From there, she directed a conference attendee with a sore throat to the nearest urgent care, handled a report of a raccoon behind the toolshed, and helped the morning’s speaker get her laptop connected to the screen in the conference room.

All in all, a hectic morning, and while Emily wasn’t complaining, she was tired. She hadn’t gotten enough sleep last night. Now that she’d returned to reality, her time with Diana almost felt like a daydream. Could Emily really keep tapping into the bolder version of herself that she’d discovered last night?

When she was younger, she’d dreamed of traveling the world, painting the sights and supporting herself with the proceeds from her art. She’d never thought she would still be working the front desk at the inn at thirty-five. What had happened to her ambition and her sense of adventure?

Emily had just finished a phone call with a panicked woman who’d accidentally booked her reservation for the wrong night when she heard the swish of the front door opening. She glanced up, polite smile already in place to greet whoever had entered. The woman was looking down at her phone, but her hair immediately captured Emily’s attention, that distinctive blend of blonde and red. Her white silk blouse and maroon skirt hugged a familiar figure. What…?

Diana straightened to meet her gaze, her eyes widening as that confident stride faltered, just for a moment. “Emily? This is a surprise.”

Emily’s heart was racing, a warm tingly heat spreading through her system. She was irrationally pleased to see Diana, even if she had no idea why she was here. Diana’s gaze dipped to the scarf at Emily’s throat, and her skin grew even warmer.

This felt like a moment right out of a movie. Had Diana tracked her down because she wanted to see her again? Oh, wow . Emily was already swooning. But on second glance, Diana had on business attire, a sleek black briefcase in her right hand. She looked ready for a meeting. And just like that, the penny dropped.

“You’re in town to buy a hotel.” Emily’s voice came out weak and shaky. Her grandmothers weren’t selling the inn. It wasn’t for sale. Diana couldn’t just…take it, could she?

Diana nodded, watching Emily carefully.

“This inn?” Emily managed, as everything inside her that had been warm turned ice cold. “You’re here to buy my inn?”

Diana’s chin went up, just slightly, as if she were squaring off for a fight. “If this is your inn, then yes.”