Blurred Lines by KD Williamson (36 page)

Nora smiled and reached for her keys. She slid her palm over Kelli’s as she took them. The touch left Kelli’s hand all tingly.

“Okay.”

Shit really does work out sometimes. “Good, you left wine in my refrigerator. We can drink the rest of it.”

Nora nodded. “Yes, it would be a travesty to waste it.” She grinned as she climbed out of the car.

Kelli had to jog a little to catch up, which was cool. She didn’t mind running behind Nora at all. When they reached the entrance, Kelli pressed her hand in the small of Nora’s back and guided her away as some guy exited. Kelli caught the door in time to keep from using her card key. “Was that the only reason?”

Nora pressed the button on the elevator. It opened almost immediately. Several people got off. “Only reason for…?” She asked as she pressed her back against the railing.

“Coming up.” Kelli reminded her.

Nora stared. There was no fear in her eyes. She didn’t look as if she was about to run, but there was a shitload of intensity in her gaze. Kelli felt her stomach tie in all kinds of knots because of it.

“No, it wasn’t. I just don’t want to stop feeling this way,” Nora whispered.

Damn, Kelli was sure that her heart stopped beating for a second. “What way?”

“Happy, accepted. Wanted.”

Kelli smiled. “Yeah, all those things.”

Nora glanced away for a second. When their gazes met again, Kelli’s stomach crashed to the floor of the elevator.

“I’m aware that you want me,” Nora said.

That look was back—the one from the hospital earlier today—and there went Kelli’s ability to breathe. “I never hid that from you, but it’s more than that.” Kelli walked toward her, and she didn’t stop until they were touching. She braced her arms on either side of Nora’s head and leaned in. She needed Nora to hear what she was about to say. She needed her to feel it too. “The way you are you’re incredible. I can’t help it.”

Nora slid her hands up and around Kelli’s torso, and it felt so goddamned good.

“You say these things, and you make me believe them,” Nora said.

Kelli welcomed the explosion of heat in her chest. It was a good pain, and she wanted more of it. Just one more kiss, she promised herself. Just one, and this night would be perfect. Before Kelli could put actual thoughts to action, Nora’s lips brushed against hers.

So soft. The connection was fragile, delicate.

Nora mumbled something and wrapped her arms around Kelli’s neck.

Kelli felt like she was being ripped apart. Everything inside her spilled out, and the funny thing was, she didn’t fucking mind at all.

Ding
.

The world stopped and started moving again. Someone cleared his throat. Distracted by the ass standing next to them, Kelli ended the kiss, but fuck him. Kelli didn’t move away. She pressed her forehead against Nora’s and wrapped her arms around her.

* * *

Nora was too energized to sit still. She got up from the couch and walked toward the kitchen and the sound of clinking glasses. Kelli stood at the counter. She had a package of grapes dangling from her mouth and an earnest look on her face as she cut pieces of what appeared to be sharp cheddar. She abandoned the cheese to put the grapes on a plate. Kelli glanced at Nora.

“What? Was I taking too long?”

“Yes, you were.” Nora meant for it to sound as if she were joking, but she was completely serious. She didn’t want to be away from Kelli right now.

“Sorry. I figured you’d want something to go with the wine. I’ve never seen you just drink it straight.”

“I would have tonight. Here. Let me help.” Nora’s shoulder brushed Kelli’s as they stood side by side.

“Okay. There’s some Gouda in the fridge too,” Kelli said.

“This is fine.” Nora cut an apple into slices.

“We gotta have more than one cheese. You taught me that,” Kelli said playfully.

Nora grinned. “It’s nice to know you’re listening, but I don’t want Gouda.”

Kelli turned to Nora. There was no teasing in her gaze. “What do you want then?”

The question wrapped around her. Nora’s body—something deep inside—reacted viscerally to Kelli’s words. On pure instinct, Nora closed the gap between them. She didn’t want to think. For once, she just wanted to feel. Nora leaned in. Kelli’s eyes darkened, and her breathing was already labored. Nora’s stomach coiled into hard knots. Her mouth grazed Kelli’s, then immediately, claimed her thoroughly, and Kelli was eager to give in return.

Need slithered like molten lead through Nora’s body.

She nipped Kelli’s bottom lip and found her answers inside Kelli’s mouth.

This…she wanted this feeling…this hunger. This woman.

Nora pressed Kelli into the counter. They stumbled slightly. Kelli’s hands tightened around Nora’s waist. Then they dipped lower and slipped underneath Nora’s skirt, palming and squeezing her gluteal muscles. Nora moaned as a wave of arousal slammed into her.

Kelli pulled back slightly, but their lips continued to cling. “You like being on top, don’t you?”

Instead of answering, Nora whimpered.

Apparently, that answer was sufficient for Kelli. “Maybe next time,” she muttered before kissing Nora again.

The remaining wall around Nora collapsed completely. The heat that suddenly blasted her left her insides singed. The meaning behind Kelli’s words were clear. Nora was safe.

Then, they were moving. Slowly but surely, Kelli was walking them toward the living area.

Kelli’s lips trailed over her chin to Nora’s neck. Initially, she was gentle, just dragging her mouth across sensitized skin, but that changed as Nora felt the sting of teeth.

Flashes of pleasure shot down Nora’s spine. She tilted her head back silently demanding more.

Suddenly, she was against a wall. Nora didn’t care where she was, so long as Kelli was touching her, kissing her. Their lips met again hungrily. Nora put everything into each glide of her tongue. When the caress ended abruptly, she murmured in protest and reached out for more only to see Kelli yanking her shirt and bra over her head.

There was so much skin. Nora didn’t wait to touch. She pressed her hands flat against Kelli’s stomach. Hard. Soft. And so very warm. Kelli’s abdominals twitched in response. Nora’s hands slid upward over brown-tipped breasts.

Kelli shuddered and moaned.

This wasn’t enough.

Nora dipped her head and pulled a nipple deep into her mouth.

“Fuuu…” Kelli cried out.

Nora’s body clenched in excitement.

Still, this wasn’t enough.

She unbuttoned Kelli’s jeans and yanked the zipper free before sliding her hand inside. The heat that awaited her there was staggering.

“Jesus!” Kelli exclaimed.

In a flurry of movement, Kelli pressed Nora’s hands against the wall high above their heads.

Their gazes met. And it was like a flame devouring dry wood.

Kelli surged forward, and this time when their lips collided, colors exploded behind Nora’s eyes as every synapse in her body ruptured.

They were moving again.

Kelli struggled with the buttons on Nora’s shirt. She cursed and gave up. Seconds later the material was being pulled over her head.

The next thing Nora was cognizant of was falling into bed with Kelli on top of her, and Kelli’s tongue sliding over her left nipple which was abruptly replaced by her entire mouth. Nora arched upward and whimpered with each firm suck.

Kelli’s hands were everywhere gliding down her torso and over her still clothed hips. Nora felt a cool rush of air as Kelli slid her underwear over her thighs. Nora wiggled and kicked them free. It was followed by her skirt. Realizing her heels were still on, Nora pushed one foot into the other until she was able to shake both shoes free.

The material of Kelli’s jeans felt rough against her naked thighs, but the friction the texture created was glorious. Nora rolled her hips seeking more contact. More everything. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to soothe the mounting pressure between her legs or strengthen it.

Kelli decided for her as she met Nora thrust for thrust.

Nora moaned, but the sound was swallowed by Kelli’s kiss. The caress was brief but intense. Kelli’s tongue left a wet trail between Nora’s breasts and she continued to move lower.

No. She needed…Nora tangled her hand in Kelli’s hair and pulled. She wanted to feel her strong and sure against her. Kelli glanced upward. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were darker than she’d ever seen them.

“I need…”

Nora never finished. Fingertips teased her clit before sliding home.

“Kel-li!”

“Yesss,” Kelli whispered.

Nora shivered at the feeling of fullness, and then she was empty again. She whimpered and then cried out helplessly as Kelli thrusted into her slow and deep. This became the center of Nora’s universe. Pleasure careened through her body, obliterating her senses. When Kelli’s fingertips curled inside her, Nora lost herself. Her hips rolled frantically. She dug her nails into Kelli’s back, but Kelli refused to be rushed.

“Please,” she murmured. Kelli moaned loudly as she covered Nora’s lips with her own. She grasped Nora’s leg and pulled it upward.

Nora saw stars and planets alike as Kelli glided in deeper. They all burst open in a blinding array of light that seeped into Nora and tore her apart.

Minutes later, Nora was still floating on a cloud of sensation. Kelli’s lips brushed over her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open, and Kelli came into sharp focus.

Her face was red. Her breathing labored. She was grinding her hips softly against Nora’s thigh, and there was hunger in Kelli’s eyes.

Nora’s stomach tightened. Urgently, she pushed at Kelli’s jeans in an effort to get them off as quickly as possible. Before Kelli had a chance to protest, Nora had flipped them over. She straddled Kelli’s thighs and looked down at her. Kelli was powerful, majestic, and helplessly aroused.

Nora grazed the hardened tips of Kelli’s breasts with her fingers. She cried out, and her hips surged upward. Nora’s heart jumped to her throat. To have this kind of power over Kelli made her dizzy.

So she did it again and again.

Kelli rasped, “I’m gonna…I can’t stop…”

Kelli grabbed Nora around the waist, holding her still as Kelli’s hips took on a mind of their own. Nora groaned. She had to feel it. She just had to, and there it was. Kelli’s release rushing over her fingertips.

* * *

Kelli blinked and opened her eyes slowly. She’d been fighting the urge to get up and pee for some time. She was way too cozy and warm to move, so she just lay there with Nora tucked against her side and breathing all over her neck. Kelli smiled. She wouldn’t have it any other way. Kelli had never been a snuggler, but there was a first time for everything.

Nora murmured in her sleep, and suddenly Kelli felt wet lips against her throat that sent a tingle all the way to her toes and then…nothing. False alarm. Nora fidgeted and stilled once more.

Damn. Because last night and early this morning was…damn. Kelli couldn’t wipe the smirk off her face. She had no regrets, and she hoped to God that Nora didn’t either. Sex with Nora? Yeah, Kelli planned on doing that with her.
A lot
. Funny thing, though, in the past she used to be an expert at slipping out in the morning or way before dawn. Hell, she was even able to convince a few women to leave under their own steam. No fuss. No muss. Right now, none of that mattered because she was where she wanted to be. It was more than a little frightening to abruptly realize how
much
she had changed. She refused to focus on that particular feeling, however.

Kelli gently lifted the covers and looked at all the naked skin hidden underneath. They looked so fucking hot all tangled up together like that.

“What are you doing?” Nora mumbled.

And, suddenly, Kelli felt like a pervert. “Uh…” Kelli moved back an inch or two until she could look Nora in the face and completely forgot what she was about to say.

Nora was free of makeup, and her hair was beyond messy. Not to mention the sleepy look in her eyes. In the light of day, this was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. “You. I was looking at you.”

Nora moved away slightly. Her expression cleared, and she was starting to look apprehensive. Kelli hoped it wasn’t the beginning of morning-after awkwardness. She had to do or say something to keep the ease between them. Kelli pulled her close again. “It’s nothing bad,” she whispered.

“Then what?” Nora asked hesitantly.

“You.” Kelli slid her hand down Nora’s naked back and savored the softness of her skin. “Me. Us. This. All of it. It’s so fucking good.” Kelli decided putting her feelings out there front and center was the best way to go.

Nora’s mouth opened but nothing came out. Her face was flushed red, and she looked startled. Her expression softened. She reached out to touch Kelli’s face with her fingertips. “Yes. That doesn’t…scare you?”

Kelli chuckled, but her heart was beating a mile a minute. “Scares me shitless. Let’s keep doing it anyway.”

Nora’s eyes widened, and she had never looked so open before. Her lips curled upward in a slight smile. “Yes,” she whispered and leaned in for a kiss. “Yes.”

CHAPTER 21

The sound of saxophones reached a swelling climax as Nora pushed aside the man’s large intestines to get toward the bleed underneath. Her gloves were coated with bodily fluids, which ensured that everything she touched slithered through her fingers. “Flush the cavity. I need a better view.” She expected to hear the music start again but it didn’t. Someone had forgotten to put it on repeat.

Without a word, the resident did as she was told and more as she suctioned the area as well. Minutes later, blood filled Mr. Brown’s abdomen again.

“BP is dropping. We need to close him, Dr. Whitmore,” Dr. Ford said, her voice firm.

Feeling hassled but determined, Nora glared at the resident. Dr. Ford was right. Nora was impressed that she’d attempted to stand up to her. “Just a few more seconds. I know I’m close,” Nora insisted.

Machines blared suddenly.

“Dr. Whitmore!”

“I found it. Clamp please.” Nora said, relieved.