Begin Again Read online

  Paxton placed tomatoes in three bowls of salad and replied, “Broccoli – yes. Cauliflower – no.”

  “Me too.” Chris looked up at her and smiled.

  Paxton smiled back and then returned to her chopping. Chris finished setting the table and moved back into the kitchen, standing next to Paxton, who was cleaning up the cutting board mess she’d made. Chris took a tomato from one of the salads and ate it. Paxton looked over at her and laughed.

  “You couldn’t wait, like, an hour?” Paxton asked.

  “Nope. I didn’t have lunch today because someone needed me to take a call with the contractor,” Chris retorted.

  “Because I was–” Paxton started and stopped. “Do you want a snack before dinner?” Paxton asked her. “They won’t be home until, like, six-thirty.”

  “What can I have?” Chris asked.

  “Cheese and crackers? I can open some now, and we can still have some later when they get here,” Paxton suggested.

  “I’ll get the cheese. You get the crackers,” Chris replied, moving to the refrigerator.

  Paxton pulled out the box of crackers they’d bought and tore open a sleeve. Chris returned with the sharp cheddar. They sliced some while chatting. Then, Paxton pulled out the two bottles of the same red wine she’d bought, poured them into Adler’s decanter that she’d gotten her for one of her birthdays, and poured the contents of both bottles into it, allowing the wine to breathe well in advance of dinner. Chris watched and ate as she worked. She smiled at Paxton occasionally but rescinded that smile when Paxton stole the last piece of cheese from the plate on the island.

  “What? Did you want this?” Paxton asked, holding up the slice of cheese between two fingers. “I didn’t know.” She smiled at Chris.

  “You know how hangry I can get,” Chris said. “Are you sure you want to take the last one?”

  “Maybe I like you when you’re hangry,” Paxton replied with an ever-widening smile.

  “You do, huh?” Chris took a step toward her. “Why is that?”

  “It’s funny.”

  “My hunger is funny to you?” Chris asked.

  “Maybe,” Paxton replied, laughing. “Do you want this, though? If you do, you’ll have to come and get it.”

  Chris’s phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out and said, “It’s Wes. Hold that thought.” She put the phone to her ear. “Hey. What’s up?”

  “My car died again. I’m at the tennis courts. Can you come pick me up? There’s no one here to jump it,” he replied.

  “It has a new battery.”

  “I know. I’m not even sure it is the battery. It just won’t start.”

  Paxton placed her hand on Chris’s stomach over her shirt as she leaned in a little, more likely, to make sure everything was okay with Wes. It was such a simple gesture, and in no way it meant anything, but that didn’t stop Chris’s body from reacting.

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” she replied.

  “What’s wrong?” Paxton asked.

  “His car won’t start. He’s over at the school.” She covered the phone and met Paxton’s eyes. “I need to pick him up. I can come back later.”

  Paxton picked up her phone and asked, “The high school, right?” She opened something on her phone.

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “Tell him I’m sending an Uber to him right now.”

  “Pax–”

  Paxton took the phone from Chris, put it on speaker, and said, “Hey, Wes? I’m ordering you an Uber. It’ll be there soon, okay?”

  “Hey, Pax. Okay. That’s cool.”

  “Is it cool if your sister has dinner with me and my sister tonight? And my sister’s girlfriend?”

  “Yeah, of course,” he replied, appearing to be surprised she’d ask.

  “I’ll have her home before midnight,” Paxton joked, smirking up at Chris.

  “Wes, are you sure? I can come get you.”

  “No, I’m good. You have fun at dinner. I’ll make a frozen pizza or something.”

  Paxton handed Chris back the phone. She said goodbye to her brother and disconnected.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” Chris told her, placing the phone on the counter.

  “I didn’t want you to leave.” Paxton looked up from her own phone. “The car is four minutes away. We can track him from the app if you’re worried or something. Do you guys have triple A?”

  “No,” Chris replied.

  “Okay. When we leave later, I’ll call a tow truck to meet us out there. I’ll have them take it to a shop, and they can figure out what’s wrong with it.”

  “Paxton, you don’t have to do that.” Chris took a few steps away from her and ended up with her back against the pantry door. “We can’t–”

  Paxton took a few steps toward her and replied, “You don’t like people taking care of you, do you?”

  “I wouldn’t really remember what that’s like. Wes tries, but he’s a kid,” Chris said.

  “He’s a great kid that’s about to be a great adult soon. He’ll be in college or somewhere else, and you’ll be on your own. Who’s going to take care of you then?” Paxton asked with a smile.

  “I like to think I can take care of myself, Paxton,” Chris retorted.

  “Sure. I know that. You’ve made it very clear how self-sufficient you are. To be honest, it’s…”

  “It’s what?” Chris asked when Paxton faded and looked down at the floor.

  “It’s sexy.” Paxton looked back up at her. “You are sexy.”

  “I am?” Chris asked, a little surprised.

  Paxton nodded and said, “Yes.” She paused. “And when I asked about someone taking care of you, I didn’t mean it how you took it. I just meant that it’s nice to have someone around to take care of you from time to time. Make dinner. Do the dishes.”

  “You just described a housekeeper,” Chris replied. “Is that what you meant?” Paxton shook her head from side to side; her green eyes were now a little darker than they’d been a few minutes earlier. “Then, what did you mean?”

  Paxton didn’t reply again. She moved into Chris then. Her hands went to Chris’s waist. Her green eyes remained on Chris’s blue ones. Chris’s heart pounded. This was not at all how she thought this night would go.

  “Don’t you want someone who’s there with you through everything? Adler has Morgan. Kinsley has Riley. Reese has Kellan.”

  “Who do you have?” Chris asked.

  “A few ex-girlfriends that never amounted to much,” Paxton replied.

  “Pax.” Chris gave her a light show backward.

  “What?” Paxton asked, taken aback a little.

  “You were supposed to say something like, ‘no one’ or, ‘I don’t know yet, but I want to see where this goes,’ or something better than referencing your ex-girlfriends while you were about to kiss me.”

  “Who said I was about to kiss you?” Paxton fired back.

  “Your hands were on my hips, Pax. What else were you going to do?”

  “Maybe I just thought you needed a hug,” Paxton returned.

  “Really? Really?” Chris moved around the open doorway of the kitchen and into the foyer of the large house. “Bullshit, Pax.”

  Paxton pulled Chris’s arm back and pressed the woman into the wall. The picture frames hanging from it shifted with the bump. Then, Paxton’s lips were on Chris’s. Chris’s arms wasted no time. They moved around Paxton’s shoulders, pulling her in closer, because this was it; this was what she wanted. She didn’t know it, at first. Then, she thought she knew it. Now, she definitely knew it. Paxton Williams was a great kisser. Her lips were soft and hot. They moved against Chris’s. Chris felt like saying ‘finally’ out loud, but that would break the kiss, which she did not want to do. Paxton’s hands were on her hips again. Then, they were traveling up, under Chris’s shirt. Chris thought about stopping this, but only for a moment. Paxton’s lips were on her neck then. They were nipping and sucking at the same time her hands grasped both
of Chris’s breasts through her bra, and Chris moaned when Paxton squeezed them. She couldn’t remember when she’d last done this. It had been so long ago. She tried to remember who it had been with, but as a few names swirled around in her brain, Paxton’s lips met her own again, and all those names disappeared.

  “Pax,” she whispered.

  Chris’s hands moved to Paxton’s jeans. She unbuckled the belt, then unbuttoned and unzipped the jeans to let Paxton know where her mind was heading. Chris knew what she wanted now. She wasn’t waiting any longer. Paxton pulled back for only a second to pull the shirt over Chris’s head. She glanced down at Chris’s breasts, smirked a cocky smirk, and met her lips with Chris’s again.

  “Upstairs,” Paxton said into Chris’s mouth. “Guest room?”

  “No, here.” Chris maneuvered Paxton against the wall across from them. “Now.” She slid her hand down into Paxton’s underwear.

  “Fuck,” Paxton let out in a sexy husk.

  Chris stroked Paxton hard, loving the wetness that now coated her fingers. She pressed into Paxton, kissing her neck for a few moments while she sped up her strokes. Paxton reached for the hem of her own shirt, pulling it off her body and tossing it to the floor. Chris used her free hand to lift the cups of Paxton’s bra, revealing the breasts beneath. She bent just enough to take a nipple into her mouth. Paxton’s hips bucked when she nibbled on it. Then, Chris slid inside and stood up straight, watching Paxton’s eyes close and open. She was inside Paxton. Her fingers were thrusting up and into her. Paxton was pulling down at her pants because she wanted more of Chris. Chris knew by Paxton’s expression that she wanted Chris everywhere. Chris used her free hand to help Paxton lower her own jeans down past her knees.

  Chris pumped inside her, curled her fingers, and used her thumb to play with the clit that had grown swollen and hard since she’d last touched it only moments before. She wanted to tell Paxton how sexy she was right now. She wanted to explain why she’d needed to just take her against this wall instead of going all the way upstairs to some guest room. She’d needed her after that initial kiss. She couldn’t wait to go upstairs because her brain might try to talk her out of what they were currently doing. What they were currently doing felt so good, she couldn’t imagine not doing it. She watched as Paxton tossed her own bra to the floor before reaching for Chris’s. Then, Chris’s was on the dark hardwood beneath their feet, too. She knew Paxton wanted to touch her. She could tell by the way Paxton was reaching for her jeans and unbuttoning them. Chris didn’t want that, though, not yet.

  “Pax, you first,” Chris whispered into her ear. “Come for me.”

  “Oh my God,” Paxton replied.

  Chris thrust harder, stroked faster. Paxton’s hips moved off the wall. Chris knew Paxton was close. She also knew she wanted to see her. Chris wanted to see all of her, touch all of her, taste all of her. She knelt in front of Paxton then, pulling on the light gray panties that were the only barrier to Paxton’s sex. She pushed back inside Paxton, who was clearly ready to come if the way she gripped Chris’s head and moved her mouth to her center was any indication.

  “A little greedy, aren’t you?” Chris joked.

  “I’m so close, Chris,” Paxton replied.

  Chris couldn’t wait any longer. She parted Paxton with her free hand and slid her tongue through her folds. She’d never understood how some women said women they’d slept with tasted good. She’d slept with a few women who had said that to her the first time they’d gone down on her, and she’d been convinced it was just their way of saying they liked doing that to her. In Paxton’s case, though, Chris thought she did taste good. She wanted more of her. She pulled out of Paxton entirely and looked up at the woman’s shocked expression as Paxton met her eyes. Chris slid both of her fingers coated in Paxton’s desire into her own mouth, sucking on them until she was done. Paxton’s jaw dropped slightly. Her eyes closed. Her head went back against the wall. Chris moved her fingers back inside and filled her. She sucked Paxton’s clit into her mouth. Paxton’s hand tightened in her hair. Then, she said Chris’s name a few times, her hips bucked hard against Chris’s face, and she came.

  CHAPTER 14

  “Holy shit, Chris,” Paxton said.

  Chris was still kneeling between Paxton’s legs; her tongue was sliding around Paxton’s folds, her inner thighs, and her abdomen. Chris’s lips kissed her hip bones. Then, she lowered again and kissed Paxton’s still hard clit, staying there for a moment.

  “Yeah,” Chris replied. “Holy shit.”

  “I can’t believe–”

  “Neither can I.”

  Paxton rubbed the back of Chris’s head to get the woman to look up at her, and then said, “I want to do that again.”

  “That can be arranged,” Chris replied; her tongue slid between Paxton’s lips.

  “Not right now,” Paxton said through laughter. “I’ll fall over if you do that again.”

  Chris looked around and said, “I am kneeling on your sister’s floor.”

  “You are. And I’m practically naked, leaning against the wall.” Paxton laughed. “I am very, very content right now, so I do not care.” Then, she looked down at Chris. “I’d like to make you very, very content right now. Can I?”

  “You’re asking permission?” Chris chuckled and moved to stand, but Paxton kicked off the rest of her clothes and surprised Chris by getting down on the floor with her. “What are–”

  “You said here.” Paxton pulled the woman in by the hips. “And you said now.”

  “Pax, what time will they be home?” Chris asked as Paxton kissed her neck.

  “Not until six-thirty. We’re fine,” Paxton replied, lowering Chris to the floor.

  “So, that wasn’t their car I just heard pulling up?” Chris asked. Paxton shot up and stared at the door. Chris burst into laughter. “I was kidding.”

  Paxton looked down at her and smiled. She reached for Chris’s jeans and pulled them down as Chris watched. She lowered them along with the woman’s underwear until Chris was nude and beneath her.

  “You’re annoying, but you’re beautiful,” Paxton told her.

  Chris wrapped her arms around Paxton’s neck. Paxton fell into her eyes then. They were so blue, so intense, so dark and yet so light at the same time. Paxton leaned down and pecked Chris’s nose with her lips.

  “Pax, maybe we should talk before…”

  “I think it’s a little late for before, Chris.” Paxton laughed but grew serious when she realized Chris wasn’t laughing. “What’s wrong?” She sat up, straddling Chris.

  “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong. We just kind of started and we didn’t talk about–”

  “Shit. That was a car pulling up,” Paxton said, climbing off Chris instantly.

  They both rushed to their clothing. Then, they rushed in two different directions to dress. Paxton wasn’t sure where Chris had ended up, but she had ended up in the dining room. She threw her jeans over her legs without the underwear, which she’d tucked into her back pocket. Her bra went on. Her shirt was pulled over it. She tried to straighten it, but she had no time. The front door opened. She hustled to the kitchen and went to the sink to wash her hands, but Chris had beaten her to it and was washing her own. Paxton just stood there with her hands pressed to the island as Adler and Morgan came into the kitchen.

  “Hey, guys. I saw your car out there, Pax,” Adler said. “Hey, Chris.”

  “Hi,” Chris replied without looking at them.

  “She’s just cleaning up,” Paxton said. “We were making you guys dinner.”

  “You were?” Morgan asked as she approached from behind Adler. “That’s awesome. Addie and I were just trying to figure out what we were going to have. Do I have time to change?”

  “We haven’t even started cooking yet,” Paxton replied.

  “I’ll get everything out of the fridge,” Chris added.

  “I assume you’ll be keeping an eye on my accident-prone sister?” Adler asked Chris.

&n
bsp; “One time. It happened one time,” Paxton replied with a smile in Adler’s direction.

  “You can go change, too. I’ll keep an eye on her,” Chris offered.

  “Awesome. We’ll be right back.”

  Adler and Morgan made their way up the stairs. Paxton turned around to see Chris staring at her. They didn’t say anything for a moment. Paxton reached for Chris’s hand and took it with her own.

  “When we finish up here, we’ll talk, okay?” Paxton said.

  “It’s fine, Pax.” Chris turned around to face the sink, placing both hands on the edge.

  Paxton turned back to make sure the coast was clear. Then, she turned to Chris, brushed the hair away from her neck, pressed her lips to the skin, and wrapped her arms around Chris’s waist.

  “Please don’t pull away from me.”

  “I’m not.” Chris sighed. “Your sister’s home, Paxton.”

  “I don’t care if she knows about us,” Paxton said and kissed the spot again.

  “What about us? We just had sex in her hallway. Are you going to tell her that?”

  “I wasn’t planning on it, no.” Paxton pulled back, leaving a foot of space between them.

  “Then, what would you even tell her, Paxton?” Chris moved to the refrigerator.

  “I guess nothing,” Paxton muttered to herself.

  ◆◆◆

  “I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” Paxton said.

  Chris turned her head to Paxton, sighed, and looked away. Then, she got out of the car. Paxton watched her walk to her front door, open it, and close it behind her. Paxton stared at the house for a while, not knowing what else to do. They’d gone from flirting to kissing, from kissing to having sex, to then not speaking the rest of the night. Paxton had called the tow truck for Wes’s car while Chris had been talking to Adler outside. They said they’d take care of it. Earlier that day, when Chis had dropped her car off at home after work and Paxton had driven them both to the grocery store and later to Morgan and Adler’s, neither of them, it seemed, predicted the night would go like this and that a drive home would get awkward as a result.