Page 73 of Love and Cherish

Another circle.

Haylee’s mind flashed back to that night together, to the twitching of Cherish’s legs, the tightening pull in her abdomen as she got closer to the pinnacle. Haylee’s heart rampaged, threatening to break out of her rib cage and run away with her sanity. She wanted to reach up and unhook Cherish’s bra, but without permission she wouldn’t. And forming tangible words right now was out of the question.

Grunting, Haylee bit her lip. She dropped her head to Cherish’s shoulder as she rutted into Cherish’s hand. She hadn’t anticipated this. She hadn’t thought—Haylee cried out. Her orgasm pulled through her sharply, tensing her entire body in seconds flat. She clung onto Cherish for dear life, knowing that if she let go, she would fall to the floor in a lump of spent energy.

Cherish kissed her breathily, her breasts rising and falling as if she was getting as much pleasure from this as Haylee was. Haylee kissed Cherish’s neck, her cheek, her lips. As her brain came back to her skull, Haylee focused on exactly what was happening in this moment.

“Tell Febe why you care so much, and she might start to see it your way.”

“Really?” Haylee frowned. “Work advice when you’re still two knuckles deep?”

Cherish chuckled lightly. “I’ll ask forgiveness later.”

“Fuck,” Haylee muttered. “How can you even think after something like that?”

“It’s easier than it should be.”

“So what now?” Haylee asked, finally able to breathe and semi-think again.

“Now we do this again.”

“Damn it, Cherry. I’m not going to be able to walk tomorrow.”

“Perfect.”

twenty-four

“Lunch? Really?” Cherish looked up at Febe. She finished the sentence she was typing and waited for Febe’s reply. Surely, she had heard Febe wrong. It seemed like a lifetime since they had gone to lunch together.

“Yes.” Febe chuckled, a real laugh that washed fond memories of the past over Cherish’s mind. “You’ve spent far too many lunches grabbing small bites of food while you continued to type away at your keyboard.”

“Not that many.” Cherish’s words were weak, even to her own ears. The lingering hostility between the two of them hadn’t been resolved. It had simply been ignored, as so many other things that continued to slip in between them making the distance greater.

“Do you think I don’t know what’s going on in my own office?” Febe quirked one side of her lip and a single eyebrow.

Such a look had once pulled all the heat in Cherish’s body straight between her legs. And while a smaller flutter still beat beneath her skin, like the wings of a butterfly, the effect was nothing in comparison. Now, without her consent, her eyes flicked over to Haylee’s empty desk, and then to the printing alcove before settling back on her screen. Cherish’s face chilled, blood rushed from her head, skipped over her hips and rushed in a pool all the way down to her toes.

“Come on, Cherry.” Febe’s laugh snapped Cherish’s head up and their eyes met. “Let me take you to lunch.”

“And what about the phones?”

“I’ve already redirected them.”

“You…” Cherish’s jaw dropped.

“Yes.” Febe didn’t laugh this time and behind her eyes was a worried sadness that formed a lump in Cherish’s throat. “I know it’s been a while since I’ve bothered to do some things. And I’m sorry for that. But I do still remember how.”

Cherish nodded deliberately and slowly as her eyebrows pulled together. She might be buying herself time, or she might be entirely unsure how to think at all. Either way, she locked her computer.

“Sure. Where are we going?” Cherish hoped she was the only one who heard the scraped sound of her words as she forced them over the lump that hadn’t entirely moved on yet.

“Le Rochelle’s, of course.”

The name solidified the lump in her throat. Of all the places. Of course Febe would know her favorite—damn her. The original bet with Haylee reared its ugly head and guilt swirled in Cherish’s empty stomach. She had been starving and had even gone so far as to think about ordering some delivery. Now, she headed to her favorite restaurant with Febe and probably wouldn’t even be able to eat a single bite.

“If that’s all right?”

Cherish forced a smile and nodded again. She could have declined, but Febe would ask why. The guilt churned like the sea in a storm, and her hands shook as she reached for the office door.

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