Kim set down her wine and moved closer to Jess. She started a gentle massage of her neck. Jess whimpered, and Kim increased the pressure.
Blowing out a breath, Jess pulled away. "I'm supposed to be giving you a back rub." She grimaced. "Sorry. I'm not doing a very good job of taking care of you."
You always find a reason not to let me comfort you for long. Who made you think you don't deserve to be comforted? "You're doing just fine." Kim placed a soft kiss on Jess's lips but made sure to keep her hands to herself. "Now how about that soak you promised?"
Jess smiled. "You got it." She jumped off the couch and offered Kim her hand.
She allowed Jess to pull her off the couch.
Anticipation and nervousness rippled through Kim. The thought of Jess in a bathing suit made her head swim and other parts of her body leap to life. The nervousness sprang from the expectation of just how this evening might end. As much as she wanted to be Jess's lover, she didn't want to make another mistake and ruin their first time together. Not knowing what other landmines might await in an intimate encounter with Jess was nerve-racking. Just remember to let her make the first move.
Shit. Something else occurred to her. "Oh. Wait, Jess. I wasn't thinking. I don't have a suit."
A familiar little half smirk made an appearance on Jess's face.
Kim would have given her next month's pay to know exactly what Jess was thinking.
"Not a problem." Jess grinned. A sparkle lit her eyes.
God. Is she going to suggest we go naked? Kim wasn't sure her heart could take it. And she sure as hell wouldn't be able to manage to keep her hands to herself.
Jess started to speak, then seemed to change her mind about what she had been about to say.
Kim didn't know whether she should be relieved or disappointed.
"I have a spare suit." Jess ran her gaze down, then slowly back up Kim's body.
Kim felt the look all the way to her core.
"It should fit you." Jess turned toward the hall. "Come with me."
I can only hope.
* * *
Jess pulled the bathroom door shut. Coward. When Kim said she didn't have a suit, Jess had almost suggested they both skip them, but she had chickened out. Then, when it came time to change, she had retreated into the bathroom. Seeing Kim naked in her bedroom was not something she was ready for just yet. Not that she didn't want to see her naked. She longed to make love to Kim. Her dreams were filled with the memories of that all too brief encounter in front of Kim's fireplace.
She started pulling off her clothes. What are you going to do when Kim wants to make love to you? And Jess knew that Kim would want to. In the past, Jess had been upfront with her lovers. She got her pleasure from touching them, not from them touching her. And both her exes had been willing to go along with that — at least for a while.
But things were different with Kim. Jess was ashamed to admit to her that she needed to be in control. But that wasn't all of it. You want her to touch you. That was the real crux of the matter. The thought of Kim touching her intimately filled her with longing — and apprehension.
Jess jerked her suit into place. Enough of this. It's too late to go back now. And you don't really want to anyway. That much was true. Kim already meant too much to Jess to not at least try. She just prayed she didn't disappoint her too deeply or worse yet, drive her away.
She opened the bathroom door and took a single step into the room, then froze.
Kim was standing next to the bed, dressed in a dark blue tank suit. It molded to her lush curves and full breasts like a second skin.
"You are absolutely stunning." The sound of Jess's own voice startled her and she flushed. She had not meant to say the words out loud.
A pleased smile graced Kim's face as she moved to stand near Jess. "Thank you." She appraised Jess's matching black suit. "So are you."
As Kim's gaze moved down her body, Jess felt it like a caress. Flustered, she blurted out the first thing she could think of. "Water should be nice and hot." But not as hot as I am. She was thankful she managed to keep that second part to herself.
Kim lifted darkened blue eyes and gazed at Jess. "Then we should jump in." Her eyes held a world of promise.
Dreams do come true.
* * *
Jess peeked at Kim through half-lidded eyes. She had urged Kim to try out the special lounge seat that was lined with jets. Kim's head was resting against the small pillow and her eyes were closed. In the muted lighting, Jess could only see a vague outline of her body under the water. But the sight of the tops of her breasts bobbing at the water line was enough to stir Jess's already simmering libido. She forced her gaze back to Kim's face. It was calm and smooth in repose.
I'm glad she's calm. This is killing me. She slid off the seat. Sinking farther down into the hot water, Jess tried to relax. She braced her feet in the corner to keep her head above water. It was no use. After seeing Kim in her swimsuit, every time she closed her eyes, her mind kept insisting on going back to that night at Kim's. Her eyes drifted shut. Oh yeah...The feel of Kim's silky smooth skin. The taste of her nipples as they filled her mouth. The heat between Kim's thighs as her fingers —
"Jess?"
Jess yelped, startled out of her fantasy.
Her feet slipped and she went under.
She came back up sputtering.
"Are you okay?" Kim slid over next to her in the water and lightly touched her back. "I didn't mean to startle you."
Damn. Jess hoped like hell Kim mistook her flushed face for a reaction to being in the hot water. She slicked her hands over her wet hair, then tucked it behind her ears. "I'm okay. I must have been nodding off." Better her think that than what I was really doing.
"You want to get out?"
With Kim so close, Jess could not resist touching. She trailed her fingers through the droplets on Kim's upper arm. "I still owe you a back rub."
Kim edged closer, and their thighs pressed together beneath the water.
Their eyes met and held.
"Where do you want me?" Kim's voice held a rich throaty tone that sent shivers through Jess's body.
Underneath me. Jess bit her tongue to keep the words from tumbling out. She clenched her thighs together.
Kim whimpered as if she had actually heard the words.
It was too much for Jess. She surged forward, desperate to taste Kim's sweet lips. Her arms wrapped snugly around Kim's back.
As she thrust her tongue into Kim's mouth, she pressed forward and, just for a moment, forgot where she was.
That was all it took.
She felt them both start to slide on the polished acrylic surface.
Before she could catch her balance, they went under.
Jess came up sputtering for the second time that night. Damn it. God. I've never been such a klutz with a woman. Then again she had never wanted any woman as she did Kim. Just relax before you kill her or yourself.
Kim rose out of the water next to her and stood. Despite her dripping hair, she looked like a goddess.
Shoving her hair back from her face, Jess said, "I'm sorry."
Kim laughed and sat back down next to her. "Don't worry about it. It always seems so sexy in books when the characters make out in the hot tub." She wrung her hair out over her shoulder. "Guess that's creative writing for you."
I dunked her and she still tries to make me feel better. Jess smiled. "Why don't we adjourn to someplace," she shook her wet head like a dog, "drier."
"Hmm..." Kim ran her fingers lightly up and down Jess's arm. "Where did you have in mind?"
The words were out before Jess could even think of stopping them. "My bed."