Twelve
ERIN
Something was poking into Erin’s ribs, hard and solid and unmoving. She brought her hand up to push it away, but froze upon finding bare skin. She opened her eyes.
Right. Cassie.
Cassie, in her bed. The things Erin had whispered to her last night, three fingers deep. The look on Cassie’s face as Erin crawled over her toward the headboard.
Cassie was turned away, toward the pale light drifting through the window, but Erin hid her smile in the pillow anyway. She caressed Cassie’s elbow instead of moving it so her bones stopped jabbing into Erin’s. The touch roused Cassie. She grabbed Erin’s hand and tugged it over and around her.
Cassie yawned. “G’morning.”
“Morning,” Erin said.
She kissed Cassie’s shoulder then pressed her smile there. Cassie shifted toward her, like somehow their entire bodies against each other wasn’t close enough. Her skin was so warm. Erin’s body hummed.
Erin lifted her head to check the clock on the bedside table. Not quite seven thirty.
“Plenty of time,” she murmured, and kissed Cassie.
Cassie’s mouth fell open more than she kissed back, like shehadn’t been expecting it. Erin reveled in surprising her. She had been predictable,dependablefor most of her life. This felt better.
It was different from yesterday. More desperate. They’d clearly moved past the no-fucking-while-Parker-was-in-the-house rule, and Erin was sure she’d feel awful about that any minute, but for now she couldn’t help herself.
That wasn’t the only way it was different.
“You don’t taste like mint.”
Cassie squinted at her. “Are you saying I have morning breath?”
“Did you brush your teeth before coming to kiss me good morning yesterday?”
Cassie’s cheeks went pink, but she held on to her affront. “Of course I did. That’s not weird—it’s polite.”
“So I should go brush my teeth first?” Erin was mostly teasing but admittedly a little nervous she’d made a misstep.
“I didn’t say that.”
Cassie licked into Erin’s mouth, hard and intentional.
“You’re an idiot,” Erin said. She kissed her again, smiling almost too hard to do it properly.
Clearly neither of them minded if the other had morning breath. They kissed long enough to chase any remnant of it away, kissed until they tasted of each other. The only clothing between them was Cassie’s pajama pants, which somehow never got removed last night. Erin pushed them down, then pressed her entire body into Cassie’s.
“Again?” Cassie said.
Erin quirked an eyebrow at her. “Are you complaining?”
Cassie shook her head so quickly Erin laughed at her. She pushed her pants the rest of the way off.
It was slow, quiet, sleepy sex. Cassie got her fingers on Erin’s clit about halfway through, and they rutted against each other. They didn’t get any louder than whispers:right thereandChristandyou feel so fucking good. They came at the same time, faces buried in each other’s necks, panting.
Afterward they kissed, still slow, languid, melding into each other. Erin shouldn’t fall asleep, but how could she do anything else while Cassie’s fingers combed so gently through her hair?
“Shit.”
Erin breathed deeply, let out a murmur of acknowledgment as she exhaled.