Casa Parisi (29 page)

"Yes, I do because it means everything to me."

Lucia touched Juliet's lips. "I love your mouth."

Juliet kissed those fingers and brought Lucia's hand to her chest. "Feel what your words do to me. My heart's pounding and I can't stop shaking."

"I'll hold on to you." Lucia took Juliet in her arms and kissed her. Suddenly her need for Juliet was urgent and everything around them receded into nothingness. Lucia's hands found their way underneath Juliet's shirt and covered her breasts.

Juliet broke the kiss, gasping as Lucia's fingers found her nipples. "That's so good." She stepped out of Lucia's embrace, kicked her sandals off and removed her shirt. Her eyes never strayed from Lucia's as she quickly freed herself of the rest of her clothing.

"You're so beautiful." Lucia openly surveyed Juliet's naked body. Juliet's pale skin glowed in the soft light and her cheeks were delicately flushed. Her exposed nipples, tight with desire made Lucia feel like she couldn't breathe.

"You're still dressed." Juliet tugged Lucia's shirt out of her jeans.

"I can fix that." In seconds, Lucia was completely naked.

"I love the way you look," Juliet told her. "You take my breath away."

Lucia brought Juliet's naked body to hers. "Being here with you, it's--"

"Don't talk. Just make love to me," Juliet whispered.

Lucia climbed onto the bed and brought Juliet down beside her. She faced her and kissed her over and over again. Her consciousness was consumed by the sensations of Juliet beneath her hands and her mouth. She let her hand glide over a smooth shoulder, down the length of a velvety arm to the indentation of Juliet's waist, over the curve of a hip to the firm muscles of her thigh.

Reaching between them, Lucia brought her hand to Juliet's breasts. She rubbed the nipples with her thumb as she cupped the supple weight of them in her hand. Juliet's soft moans and searching hips seemed to beg for Lucia's touch, seemed to tell her where she was needed. Lucia caressed a path down Juliet's abdomen until her fingertips brushed the soft hair between Juliet's legs. Holding her hand still, she gazed into Juliet's eyes.

"Please," Juliet begged. "Please touch me."

Lucia let her fingers slide into the warm wetness, her own arousal intensified by the sharp gasp her touch drew from Juliet. For a while, Lucia's touching was an exploration, a way to get to know the folds and lines of Juliet, the private places she only shared with someone special, but soon she found it impossible to hold back.

Juliet's series of moans sounded like they originated from the deepest recesses of her soul. Passion transformed her face, her eyes became unfocused. "Oh, God, don't stop."

Lucia watched Juliet, wanting to see her face when she came, wanting to experience every expression, every sound, every movement of her body. When she sensed Juliet was close, she entered her, filled her, and took her over the edge.

"How are you?" Lucia held Juliet close, lightly rubbing her back. She prayed Juliet wouldn't end up thinking of this as a mistake, something she thought she wanted only to find out she regretted it. The initial stages of a relationship were often filled with doubts and uncertainties and Lucia was experiencing many of her own.

"I'm wonderful." Juliet propped herself up on her elbow and leaned down to plant a few tender kisses on Lucia's lips. "And you're a wonderful lover."

"I'm glad I didn't let you down."

"I never thought you would." Juliet paused as if deep in thought. "I wanted you to touch me like that when we were in your bed in Atlanta."

"It took all the strength I had not to."

"You don't have to hold back anymore. You can touch me all you want."

"If I remember correctly, you didn't even need me to touch you."

Juliet blushed. "Wasn't that something?"

"Something magical," Lucia whispered before kissing her.

When the kiss ended, Juliet stared into Lucia's eyes for a very long time. "When I'm with you I know who I am and where I belong in this world. I've never felt that way and I want to thank you for giving me such a precious gift and for opening my heart. The part of my life I've paid no attention to makes sense to me for the first time."

"I want you to make love to me," Lucia said softly.

"I'm new at this. I don't want to disappoint you."

"Anything you do will be wonderful, believe me. Don't think, just--"

Juliet's kiss ended any need for words.

THE NEXT MORNING Lucia opened her eyes, taking care not to awaken her lover, the woman who lay peacefully asleep in her arms. They had made love well into the early hours of the morning and if it had been up to Lucia, they would have stayed in bed for the rest of the day doing the same. Right now they were at that insatiable stage and if not for bodily needs and functions they'd have no basis for getting out of bed. It had been years since she'd known sexual craving like this and she wanted to indulge in it for as long as possible. Every touch was pure bliss, every kiss a sweet, sweet torture, and every word their secret language of love.

Juliet stirred and stretched. "Good morning. What time is it?"

"It's ten of eight." Lucia kissed Juliet's hair. "How do you feel?"

"Superb. Never felt better." Juliet snuggled closer and kissed Lucia's neck.

"Are you okay about this, about what we've done?" Lucia asked, needing to know the answer, but knowing she would die if Juliet said she wasn't.

"Okay doesn't do it justice. I'm in seventh heaven." Juliet propped herself up on her elbow and kissed Lucia. "Nothing has ever felt so right. How are you?"

"I'd say I was pretty much the same." Lucia kissed her again. "This will change your life forever, you know. It's going to change everything."

"I know." Juliet smiled. "My life needs to change."

"What about your family?"

"I've been on my own too long to be worried about them. Maybe someday I'll tell them if it seems like I should, maybe I won't."

"I told my parents a long time ago."

"How did they take it?"

"They were shocked at first, but supportive, and by the time I met Devin they were used to the idea. They still lived here then and they were great about making Devin feel like she was a welcomed addition to our family."

"They must have been upset when she died."

"They were. They had moved away by then and when Luke brought me home from Atlanta they came and stayed for a couple of months just to be by my side."

"Do you think they would like me?"

"I'm sure they would," Lucia answered with conviction, touched by the question and all that was behind it. She stroked Juliet's cheek.

"When did you know you were a lesbian?"

"I knew for sure in high school," Lucia said. "But I suspected it earlier."

Juliet's face darkened. "I'm shocked I didn't discover this about myself before now. I've wasted a lot of time and I pushed everything aside for my career. I suppose I thought I'd get around to having a real life someday."

"Now you know. Don't waste any more time on regrets."

"Only because of you," Juliet told her.

"If it wasn't me, it would have been someone."

"I don't know about that. I've never felt this way about anyone."

"Then I'm honored. I was attracted to you all along, but I pushed you away because I didn't want to care about you. I needed to hold on to my pain and as long as I continued to suffer Devin was still with me, even if it wasn't in a healthy way. It was like the pain had replaced her in my life and I'd become addicted to it."

Juliet stroked Lucia's cheek. "You don't have to ever let her go. There will be room in your life for her and for someone else in the future."

"I hope so." Lucia wondered why Juliet had chosen the words she'd used. Was she telling Lucia that she would have someone in her future but it wouldn't be her? Was she simply trying on her new sexuality for size, exploring what it had to offer her, or did this thing between them mean more to her?

Lucia yearned to tell Juliet that she wanted her to be that someone, wanted to say that she didn't want anyone else, but it was too soon. She had no way to determine whether Juliet's feelings extended beyond their sexual attraction.

"There will be. You'll see." Juliet stretched along the length of Lucia's body. "Now that I'm an official lesbian, I feel an obligation to be totally honest."

"Uh, oh." Lucia tried to act playful.

"I only wanted to tell you you're a very sexy woman and I can't get enough of you."

"You're embracing the new you. That's a good thing." Lucia delighted in the slick wetness that coated her thigh as she wedged it between Juliet's legs.

"I'm embracing this." Juliet moaned as Lucia moved. "And you're wrong about this being a good thing. It's way better than good."

"So you've enjoyed being a lesbian so far?"

"God, have I ever. Oh, God, don't stop."

"Tell me what you liked the most?" Lucia grasped Juliet's buttocks and pushed her thigh in tighter. The increased contact seemed to drive Juliet crazy.

"When you--made love to me--with your mouth."

"Mmm, I'm glad to hear that because that's what I liked the most." Lucia shifted and began to kiss a path down Juliet's body. "You're awfully sweet and delicious."

"Are you going to--do that--to me now?"

Lucia paused and glanced up. "I was thinking I would."

"Like you said before, don't think, just--"

TWO HOURS LATER, Juliet lay on her side with Lucia's front curled against her back. Lucia's arm was draped over her ribs. "If I could, I would stay right here with you forever," Juliet said, grabbing Lucia's hand and pulling her closer.

"So would I and you have no idea how much I hate to leave this bed and your arms. But we have to go to work today. I haven't been there in two days and any minute now Luke will be calling or worse yet, coming to check on me."

"Do we have to?"

"Uh, huh." Lucia freed her hand and tugged at Juliet until she turned around.

Juliet groaned and buried her face in her pillow. "I suppose you're right. I have a lot of work to do and I don't want to get into any hot water with my boss."

"But you do want to get into hot water with your boss because I insist that you take a shower with me." Lucia climbed out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. "I'll turn the water on. Don't be long."

Juliet jumped out of bed and followed Lucia. "I'm right behind you, but you have to promise to feed me when we're done. I'm starving."

"I promise," Lucia said as soon as Juliet entered the bathroom. While Juliet used the toilet, Lucia tested the water temperature and stepped into the shower stall.

"Is this some sort of lesbian ritual?" Juliet asked when she joined Lucia under the steaming spray. She wrapped her arms around Lucia, amazed by the feel and warmth of their wet skin.

"It's a rite of passage so to speak." Lucia kissed Juliet on the neck, her mouth even warmer than her skin. "Otherwise you're not really official."

"I see. Are you going to behave in here?"

"Are you asking me to?" Lucia lathered her hands with soap and rubbed them over Juliet's breasts. Smiling, she brought her nipples to hard peaks.

"Are you serious? What do you think?" Juliet took Lucia's hands and held them still on her breasts. Her nipples were acutely sensitive and so tight they hurt.

Lucia's playful expression evolved into a serious one. "I love touching you, looking at you." She traced Juliet's lips with one finger. "You're a sexy woman and your mouth is so damn kissable." As she leaned in to kiss her, Lucia's hand slid the length of Juliet's slippery abdomen and ended up between her legs.

"And you..." Juliet allowed Lucia to back her up against the tiles. "You make me so crazy and out of control." She reached for Lucia's breasts.

"Don't you like being out of control once in a while?" Bracing Juliet's body with her own, Lucia separated the soft outer lips and slid into Juliet's wetness.

"I do--with you." Juliet moaned as Lucia stroked her. "I'm going to fall."

"No you won't. I won't let you."

With her hands in Lucia's wet hair and their foreheads pressed together, Juliet hung on and stayed on her feet. What Lucia was doing to her had transported her to a place of pure ecstasy. The pressure kept building and building and she kept climbing higher and higher until she reached the summit and tumbled over the other side. Clinging to Lucia, she heard her own screams echoing off the shower walls.

Lucia held Juliet until her orgasm subsided. "See. I didn't let you fall."

"I knew you wouldn't." Juliet knew what kind of falling Lucia meant, but she had definitely fallen. She had fallen hard. She had fallen in love for the first time in her life and because of it, nothing would ever be the same.

"Are you okay?"

Juliet returned from her thoughts and slid her hand between Lucia's legs. "I'm fine and now you're all mine."

A WHILE LATER, completely drenched and spent, they washed and stepped out of the shower. "I'm surprised we didn't both drown," Lucia said as she threw Juliet a towel. "I have a confession to make. I never really liked making love in the shower."

"Then why did you suggest it?"

"I guess I felt I owed it to you as part of your initiation process."

"In that case, I ought to thank you, but to be honest I found it a bit difficult. I'd rather make love in a nice dry bed than have a near drowning experience under a steady stream of water." Juliet dried her body and rubbed her hair vigorously with the towel.

"I lied about the initiation thing," Lucia said, staring at her. "I just couldn't keep my hands off of you. I'm finding that hard to do right now."

Juliet laughed. "Ah, the truth comes out at last."

After they were dressed, they went into the kitchen. Fulfilling her promise to feed Juliet, Lucia grabbed some eggs and a package of bacon from the refrigerator and began to make them some breakfast.

"Make coffee before you do anything else," Juliet said.