Begin Again Page 13

  “Yes. I’m coming. I’m coming!” she let out.

  Her body flailed against Chris’s. Chris held onto her, moving inside and against her. The orgasm shot through Paxton like lightning, and without warning, she collapsed against Chris’s body. Chris held onto her as they both went down to the blanket. Paxton’s hips wouldn’t stop moving. She hovered over Chris, taking the fingers into her body deeper, wanting to ride out her orgasm all the way. Chris watched her as she rode faster and harder. When Paxton came again, she sat up, slowing her pace, but moved with Chris’s fingers still inside.

  “You feel so good,” Paxton said softly. “Like… Your fingers are supposed to be touching me like this.”

  “Maybe they are,” Chris replied, keeping her fingers in place until Paxton stilled. Then, she removed them and put them to her lips. “I want to taste you now.”

  Paxton watched in awe as Chris slid her fingers inside her mouth, sucking on them and then removing them. Chris put them to Paxton’s lips next. Paxton took them inside her mouth, sucked on them, and then let them slide out.

  “You are so damn sexy,” Paxton said as Chris put her fingers back into her own mouth.

  “So are you.” She kissed Paxton’s neck where her sweat had begun to build. She licked Paxton’s skin, nibbled at it, and then pulled back. “Lie down, Pax. I want to lie next to you.”

  Paxton rolled off of Chris. She pulled a pillow under her own head and moved one for Chris to lie on. Chris moved to lie next to her, but she rested her head on her elbow and stared down at Paxton.

  “I thought you weren’t the kind of girl that slept with someone on the first date,” Paxton said.

  “I’ve never had anyone take me on a date like this before. It doesn’t feel like a first date with you, Paxton.” She stroked Paxton’s abdomen with her fingertips.

  “It doesn’t for me, either,” Paxton replied.

  Chris’s fingers dipped into her wetness then. She stroked Paxton’s clit softly, with barely-there touches that Paxton knew were designed to make her go crazy.

  “I want you again,” Chris said, staring down at her own hand working against Paxton’s skin.

  “I want you again, too,” Paxton replied. “Kiss me.”

  CHAPTER 19

  “I want to fall asleep next to you tonight,” Paxton said hours later.

  “You can come back to my place, or we could go to your apartment where we can actually be alone,” Chris replied.

  They remained on the blanket, lying next to one another, using Paxton’s shirt and Chris’s dress to cover them in an attempt to keep warm.

  “I don’t want to move, though,” Paxton said.

  “Neither do I. But we can’t sleep out here, Pax. We’ll freeze to death. Also, there’s no bathroom, no kitchen, no heat or really anything else that works in there.” Chris pointed at the unfinished hotel behind them. “Let’s go to your apartment. It’s kind of weird that I haven’t seen it yet.”

  “Okay. But I have to warn you: it’s full of boxes. I only have the essentials unpacked.”

  “Still?”

  “Yes, still. I don’t plan on staying there beyond my lease, so it didn’t make sense unpacking things.”

  “Your lease is only six months, right?” Chris asked.

  Paxton sat up, dropping the shirt and dress beside them. She then straddled Chris, running her own hands along the woman’s stomach and over her breasts.

  “Before you start worrying about me leaving… I’m talking to Kinsley tomorrow.”

  “Kinsley?” Chris reached for Paxton’s hips.

  “Yes. She’s much more familiar with the area than I am, and I’m considering buying a place.”

  “You just did,” Chris said, but her attention wasn’t on Paxton’s words as much as it was on Paxton’s sex, which was moving ever so slowly against her own.

  “This is a hotel; I don’t plan to live here.” Paxton looked down and caught Chris’s eyes watching the movement. “Should I keep going?”

  “Yes,” Chris whispered.

  Paxton smiled down at her. She reached between their bodies, slid into Chris’s folds with two fingers, and started stroking her.

  “You’re still wet,” she said.

  “So, are you. I can feel you.”

  “We’re both clearly turned on. What should we do about it?” Paxton asked with a lifted eyebrow.

  “I think we should touch each other at the same time.”

  “You do?” Paxton asked as she rocked.

  “Yes; with our mouths, Paxton.”

  Paxton’s eyes got big, and she replied, “With our mouths, huh?”

  Chris nodded.

  “I would really, really like that,” Paxton stated.

  She lifted herself up, turned around, and straddled Chris again. She then rubbed her sex over Chris’s stomach, causing the woman to gasp; first, at the heat of the touch, and then, the cool it left behind. Paxton slid closer to Chris’s mouth and hovered her own center over Chris’s face. Not wasting any time, Chris grasped Paxton’s hips and lowered them down. Just as she tasted Paxton, soft lips engulfed her own clit, and Paxton sucked her hard.

  ◆◆◆

  Paxton had her pressed against the front door of her apartment. Her lips were on Chris’s neck. Her hand was trying to work the key in the lock to get the door open. Her other hand was under Chris’s dress.

  “Pax, just unlock the door,” Chris said with a laugh.

  “I’m trying,” Paxton said against her skin. “You’re really distracting.”

  Chris pushed her back with a laugh, took the key, and put it in the lock. She turned it, unlocked the door, then pulled on Paxton’s collar and pushed the woman inside her own apartment. She closed the door behind them, moved back against it, and dropped the keys to the floor.

  “Now, continue,” she said.

  Paxton lifted an eyebrow at her. She was still very turned on. So was Chris. That last round on the blanket was enough for then, but it wasn’t enough now. They’d dressed and packed everything away, stowing it in one of the guest rooms to deal with another day. Then, they’d taken the short drive to Paxton’s apartment.

  Paxton slid her hand under Chris’s dress. Then, she was inside her again. Chris had thrown out her underwear. There was no point in keeping something she’d torn so much, it no longer even resembled underwear. Paxton kissed her neck, her lips, and her neck again. She pressed her thigh between Chris’s legs.

  Chris loved the pressure. She loved how Paxton took her, claimed her. She also loved how sweet Paxton was. In this moment, Chris wanted to be claimed. But she knew that if she asked Paxton to take her slowly, Paxton would walk her into her bedroom and make love to her all night long.

  “There! There!” Chris thrust her hips into Paxton’s hand and came. “Oh, yes!”

  “I want you naked. And, in my bed,” Paxton husked into her ear.

  “And I’d like a shower,” Chris replied.

  “Even better.”

  Paxton unbuttoned her shirt, revealing the creamy skin beneath, and then unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the floor with her shirt. Chris watched Paxton’s nipples harden in front of her eyes. She wanted Paxton now, but she’d wait for the shower. Then, she’d take her against the wall while the water cascaded over her skin. Paxton lowered her jeans to the floor, kicked them off, and they landed on a box in the living room behind them. They moved to the bathroom. Paxton started the water. They shared sweet kisses and light touches until the water was warm enough for them to get in. They washed each other first. Chris pinned Paxton to the wall, knelt down, and took her with her mouth.

  ◆◆◆

  “Hey, what’s this?” Chris asked the following morning.

  “What’s what?” Paxton asked back.

  “I thought you went to Washington,” Chris said, looking down at the shirt she’d borrowed that had a University of Oregon logo on the front. “You had a shirt on the other day.”

  “Adler went to Washington. T
hat’s probably her shirt. I’m sure she has an Oregon one lying around her place.”

  “Oh,” Chris said. She pulled on the borrowed jeans, sans underwear. “Why’d you go there?”

  “Swimming scholarship, remember?”

  “I guess I just thought you’d always lived in Seattle,” Chris said.

  “I have always lived there. I just went to Oregon for school and moved back.”

  “Right.”

  “Do you have something against the ducks?” Paxton lifted an eyebrow over her coffee mug.

  “No, I’m sure it’s a great school.”

  “It is,” Paxton said. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m good. Just tired. You kept me up most of the night.” Chris looked down at her half-finished coffee. “I should go home. I need to change.”

  “Give me, like, ten minutes. Then, we can go.”

  “I’ll just get an Uber. That way I can pick up my car at home. I’ll meet you at work in an hour.”

  “Chris, I’ll drive you to your place.” Paxton placed her coffee cup in her kitchen sink.

  Chris turned to find where she’d put her phone the night before. She located it on the coffee table that had a box on top of it that was open. Chris grabbed the phone and noticed boxing gloves in the box along with various other items.

  “What are these for?” she asked.

  “What are what for?”

  “Boxing gloves.”

  “Oh, I kick-box sometimes. I haven’t since I’ve been here, but I used to belong to a gym.”

  “You’re a kick-boxer?”

  “Not professionally.” Paxton laughed.

  “Okay. I should meet the car downstairs. I’ll see you at the hotel.”

  “Chris, what’s wrong?” Paxton made her way over to her.

  “Nothing’s wrong. I just ordered the car. It’s only two minutes away.”

  “Chris, come on.” Paxton placed her hands on Chris’s waist. “Talk to me.”

  “Can we just talk later? I don’t like making people wait, you know?” She kissed Paxton on the cheek.

  “A cheek kiss? A night like that, and I get a cheek kiss the morning after?”

  Chris kissed her on the lips quickly, gathered her stuff, and headed to the door.

  “I’ll see you later,” she said, opening the door.

  Then, Chris closed it behind her. She made it outside where she climbed into the car that had just pulled up. She took the short drive to her house, got out, and went inside. Wes was already gone. She went into her bedroom and flopped backward onto her unmade bed. She’d had a perfect date with Paxton. She couldn’t imagine a better first date or any date, really. Paxton had planned everything so perfectly. They’d eaten their sandwiches and joked with one another about the day Paxton stole her parking spot. Then, they made love under the stars. Paxton had even asked her to dance. Their bodies were pressed together, no clothing separating them. They’d danced to a slow love song on a patio, overlooking the lake. It might have been the best night of Chris’s life.

  CHAPTER 20

  “Why are you here, Paxton?” Adler asked as she served Paxton her second cup of coffee that morning. “Shouldn’t you be at the hotel?”

  “Shouldn’t you be at the store?”

  “You’re drinking my coffee there, Pax. You want to be a little nicer to your big sister?”

  “Sorry. I had a weird morning.”

  “It’s still morning,” Adler said.

  “It’s been that weird.”

  “I assume you’re here to talk about it.” Adler sat next to Paxton at the kitchen table. “Does this have anything to do with Chris?”

  “How’d you know?”

  “Well, you did send her my way yesterday; to use your spa gift card.”

  “I don’t like spas; you know that.”

  “I do know that. Now, would you like to stop deflecting and tell me why you’re here?” she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

  “We’ve kind of been dating.”

  “You don’t say.” Adler feigned surprise.

  “Do you want me to talk or not?”

  “Go on.” Adler laughed.

  “It started when I got to town.”

  “You’ve been dating this whole time?”

  “What? No. I just have to start at the beginning so that it all makes sense.”

  “Oh, okay. I was about to be really pissed that you didn’t tell me.”

  Paxton told her about the first few days in Tahoe. Then, she talked about the trip she and Chris had taken together.

  “You took her to the speakeasy?” Adler asked. “You wouldn’t even tell me where that place was. And I’m your sister, Paxton.”

  “Oh, shit! I forgot you wanted to know all about that place when I told you. I totally planned on taking you one day. I was just postponing because it annoyed you.” Paxton laughed.

  “You really are an asshole.” Adler glared at her.

  “We had a moment there, Adler. We didn’t do anything about it then, but it was there. When we got back, Wes invited me for dinner. Chris and I flirted a little. Then, we came here to make dinner for you and Morgan, and…” She looked down at her untouched coffee. “We maybe…”

  “In my house, Paxton?!”

  “In your foyer, technically.” She blushed but looked up at Adler anyway. “I didn’t plan it. Neither of us did. It just happened. Well, it happened to me. I mean, she…”

  “I don’t need the details, Pax.”

  “I just mean that she did stuff to me, and then you guys got home. But right before you did, she said she wanted to talk. It got weird through the dinner. I dropped her off at home. She invited me in and told me she doesn’t sleep with women on the first date. She and I hadn’t even had a date yet. Anyway, I stayed there, but we didn’t do anything. Then, I went over to have a movie night with her and Wes. I stayed over again. Nothing happened, either. Last night, though, Adler, we had our first date.”

  “And something happened, I take it?”

  “A lot happened. It was amazing. It was perfect, Adler.”

  “Yeah?” Adler asked and lifted the corner of her mouth into a small smile.

  “Adler, it was the best sex I’ve ever had,” Paxton whispered for no good reason. “Every time.”

  “How many times were there?”

  “Many, many times. We went back to my apartment. She stayed over.”

  “It sounds like things are moving in a good direction for you two. What happened this morning then?”

  “I don’t know. She borrowed one of my Oregon shirts, made some comment about how she thought I went to U-Dub, and then she was surprised that I used to kick-box.”

  “Why would any of that be a problem? Is she a big Husky fan or something? I would understand that. Huskies over Ducks any day of the week.”

  “And the family feud continues… Back to me now, Adler.” Paxton glared at her sister. “I don’t know what happened, exactly. I just know she left the apartment acting strangely and gave me some awkward cheek kiss. When I called her on it, she kissed me on the lips, but it was like I had to convince her to do it.”

  “Did you ask her about all this?”

  “No, she left. I got dressed and came here,” Paxton answered. “I have to see her at work. I guess I’m delaying the inevitable.”

  “Just talk to her Pax. I’m sure it’s something silly. You really like her, don’t you?”

  “Yes, Adler. I’m here dealing with an existential crisis because I really do like her. If I didn’t really like her, I’d be at work right now, ignoring her.”

  “That’s mature.”

  “Adler, I’m here because I am being mature. What the hell did I do? She wanted to have sex last night, even though it was our first date. I swear I didn’t pressure her or make the night about that or–”

  “Paxton, you’d never pressure a woman to have sex. I don’t think that has anything to do with it.”

  “Then, what did I do?”

 
“Why are you assuming you did anything?”

  “I don’t know. She was fine; and then she wasn’t.”

  “Maybe she’s fine again. She could have just had a weird moment or something.”

  Paxton sighed, looked back down at her coffee, and asked, “So, I just have to talk to her.”

  “That’s what a relationship is, little sis.”

  “Look who’s an expert in relationships now.” Paxton smiled up at her sister.

  “Not an expert, but I am in a pretty good one, finally. The worst part of my relationship with Morgan came when we stopped talking. I hated it. I knew I needed to talk to her, to find out what was going on, but I was too stubborn. She was stubborn, too. We both had to work on our stuff, though. Then, we started talking again. Now, we’re here.”

  “I get it.” Paxton took a drink. “I just hope everything’s okay. I want to stay here, Adler. I have a meeting with Kinsley this afternoon, to look at houses.”

  “Houses? You’re renting an apartment.”

  “Not for long. I don’t want to renew the lease. I want to move here permanently.”

  “Not because of Chris?”

  “No. I like it here. I can see myself living here, running the hotel, being the maid of honor at your wedding. And yes, that’s a hint.” She winked at Adler, who smiled. “If you two decide to have kids, I’d be here to see them grow up. If I decide to have kids, you’d be here to watch mine grow up, and they could all play together.”

  “You planning on getting a wife before the kids?”

  “Yes, that’s the idea.”

  “And is Chris someone you might see filling that role one day?”

  “We’ve had one official date, Adler.” She pushed the coffee away. “If I’m being honest, though, I think I’m falling in love with her.”

  “Paxton, that’s amazing. I’m happy for you.”

  “Don’t be yet.” She stood. “I still need to figure out if there’s something wrong.”

  ◆◆◆

  “You’re later than usual,” Chris said when Paxton made it up the stairs to the guest room Chris had been painting.

  “Sorry, I stopped by Adler’s place.”

  “You don’t have to apologize.” Chris flattened out the tarp that had been on the floor. “I got the crew started on the restaurant.”