Page 58 of A Little Light

Andi’s entire body lit up at that. Knowing Rachel wanted them to be alone, well, it made Andi feel very good about herself. She had always felt positive about her body and her age, she knew she could give another woman what they needed, but with Rachel, it felt different. She hadn’t felt so wanted in a long time, and Andi was going to lap it all up. Occasionally menopausal or not.

There’s plenty of life left in you yet!

* * *

Rachel stumbled through Andi’s front door as they giggled and held one another close. This night had been the perfect blend of making new friends while admiring Andi at any given opportunity. She had tried to admire her at the last party, but Rachel hadn’t felt as though she was in a position to freely do so. Not until she’d backed Andi up against that wall and made her intentions known. Once she had felt that bravery deep within her, she knew there was no going back, and right now…she wouldn’t want to change anything since the moment they’d met. Why? Because everything had led them to this very point.

“Drink?” Andi asked as she kicked off her heels and moved towards the kitchen. But Rachel held her back, turning Andi in her arms. “I like this side of you,” Andi whispered into a kiss. “The ‘I can’t keep my hands off you’ side.”

“In case you didn’t know it already, I always find it hard to keep my hands off you, babe.”

“Oh, yeah? Maybe you should make it obvious more often.”

Rachel took her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes straying to Andi’s cleavage. “I fear that we’d never get anything done if I did that.”

Andi laughed. “I have plenty of time on my hands.”

“Then I will bear that in mind. But first…what did you want to talk about?” Rachel hated to break this moment, but whatever Andi wanted to say had been playing on her mind since she had mentioned it back at Hillary’s. “Sorry to be a turn-off.”

“A turn-off? Oh, I’m not sure anything could turn me off you.” Andi took Rachel’s hand and guided her through to the living room. They fell down onto the couch with one another, wrapped up in an embrace. “Your job…”

“Mmhmm. The same job I’ve had for a long time.” Rachel swallowed, aware that this conversation could go many ways. She just hoped it wouldn’t be the same way it usually went. Then the idea it could go exactly that way dawned on Rachel. “Are you…going to ask me to quit my job?”

“What? No. Why would I ask you to do such a thing?”

Rachel lifted a shoulder. She’d been here before. “Because that’s why it never ends well for me.”

“Rachel, I don’t want you to quit your job. I just…wanted to know what you would prefer I tell people. If someone asks what you do, what do you want me to say?”

“Oh, um…I don’t really care. If you’re not comfortable telling them I’m an escort, then I’ll leave that part up to you. Just make sure whatever you decide is something believable. Don’t imply that I’m a brain surgeon…you know?”

“I’m more than comfortable.” Andi squeezed Rachel’s hand. “The reason I ask is because the first time Sally asked me about your job, I wasn’t sure what to say. So, I told her you were some kind of therapist. That wasn’t because I didn’t want her to know, but because it’s your business as to who knows what.”

Rachel melted for this woman. Andi had to be the most considerate living soul on this earth. “I appreciate that.”

“I want us to be on the same page, that’s all. I have absolutely no reservations when it comes to anything we share. You should know by now that I’d never ask you to quit your job. I came into this knowing who you were…and I adore every last thing about you, Rachel.”

A tear slid down Rachel’s cheek at Andi’s admission. How the hell had she been lucky enough to be given a second chance the day she met Andi? “You have no idea how much you mean to me.” Rachel placed a hand on Andi’s chest and leaned in, kissing her. “I can’t believe I found you. I really can’t.”

Andi wiped Rachel’s tears away, that smile melting her. “Back at Hillary’s, you had a moment.”

“I just find it hard to believe that I could be so lucky. After the whole Juliet thing, I never thought I’d find the right person for me. I never thought I’d have the chance to meet another woman who could take me as I am. She was my client and couldn’t even take me as I am. You know?”

“I’m…glad she couldn’t. I don’t ever want to imagine the pain or hurt you felt in those weeks and months after she turned her back on you, but I am glad that you were available when we met.”

“We’re here with one another, and that’s all I want to focus on. Us.”

Andi drew Rachel into another kiss, smiling against her lips. “Me too.”

“Is it wrong that I just want to spend every waking moment with you, Andi? Do you feel as though that kind of thing could be an issue?” Rachel hated worrying about things she couldn’t change, but she wanted to make sure she got it spot on with Andi. One hint of her becoming too much and she would be devastated. “I don’t really know how the relationship thing works, so I don’t want to get this wrong.”

“Trust me, you’re getting everything right.” Andi eased Rachel down onto her back, resting above her. Those dark eyes pierced her soul and stole her breath. “Knowing you want to spend so much time with me makes me happy, Rachel. And since I feel the same way, I guess we can’t really get this wrong.”

Rachel slid a hand between them, stroking her fingertips up Andi’s thigh. She felt the heat, the want, craving to lose herself in Andi’s wetness. “I guess we’re done talking then.”

“If you move that hand any higher, talking will be the last thing on my mind for the rest of the night.”

“Well, then,” Rachel said, stroking her fingertips against Andi’s lace-covered lips. “I guess you should be quiet while I remind myself of how fucking good you feel.”

---