Page 77 of February

“It wasn’t all that giant.”

“It was a fence post.”

Monica laughed again, and Bridgette’s feet moved on their own accord until they were standing only about a foot apart.

“I liked dinner tonight. The three of us,” Monica said.

“It was fun,” Bridgette agreed. “Aaron has all the good stories about you.”

“You want to hear stories about me?”

Bridgette nodded and said, “I liked that it felt like… it was you and me there.”

“Itwasyou and me,” Monica replied with a confused expression.

“No, I meant that it was youandme. Together,” Bridgette explained.

“Oh,” Monica said softly.

“Yeah,oh,” Bridgette added.

She looked down when she felt something. Monica’s hand had reached for and taken her own, joining their hands between them.

“I liked that, too,” Monica shared then.

Bridgette leaned in about halfway, giving Monica every chance to pull back and tell her that this wasn’t happening. When Monica didn’t, though, Bridgette remained there, leaning in, hoping, and waiting until Monica leaned in, too, and connected their foreheads. Not exactly what Bridgette had been going for, but it felt good all the same.

“Aaron likes you,” Monica told her.

“Doyoulike me?” Bridgette asked.

When Monica’s nod forced her head to move a bit as well, Bridgette couldn’t wait anymore. She cupped Monica’s cheek with her free hand and gently pressed their lips together. Monica let out a gentle puff of air, and a second later, she reconnected their lips. Her kiss was soft and slow, just how Bridgette dreamed it would be. It wasn’t a kiss that asked for more, thatdemanded anything. It was a kiss that told Bridgette that Monica was exploring this, exploring how it felt to kiss her before really letting go, intensifying the kiss. When Bridgette heard her let out a very soft moan, she let go of Monica’s hand and placed her own on Monica’s hip, pulling her flush against herself as they continued to kiss, standing in her living room.

Monica’s other hand moved around Bridgette’s neck as her tongue slipped inside Bridgette’s mouth, and she explored a bit while Bridgette kept her tongue out of the way. When Monica’s tongue left her mouth, though, and Monica slowed down and then stilled the kiss altogether, Bridgette regretted that. She should’ve let her tongue play with Monica’s. Why hadn’t she done that?

“That…” Monica started.

“Yeah,” Bridgette said.

“I’m going to go now.”

“What? Why?”

“Because that was a perfect first kiss and the best way for me to end a perfect day.”

“Thebestway? I can think of better ways.”

“Can you?” Monica asked with a lifted eyebrow.

Bridgette almost said yes because sex would be a better way, but she shook her head instead because she realized that Monica was right: a perfect first kiss after the amazing day they’d had was the best way to end this day. Sex was something to build to. It was something she wanted as part of a relationship with a woman she could see herself falling in love with. Sex with Monica could wait.

“Good night, Bridge.” Monica pecked her lips sweetly.

CHAPTER 18

Monica had kissed her. Bridgette had kissed her back. They’d kissed each other, and she’d been right to tell Bridgette that it had been a perfect first kiss. Still, had Aaron not been staying at the hotel, Monica wasn’t sure she would have stopped it at that. She hadn’t wanted to. They hadn’t been that close to one another before, really, and the hug they’d shared when Monica had dropped her off earlier that night had been a wake-up call: Monica liked Bridgette. She really, really liked her, even though she shouldn’t, so when she returned to the hotel, Monica had tried to do everything she could think of to stop replaying that hug. Nothing had worked, though, and she’d ended up back at Bridgette’s apartment, where they’d shared a goodnight kiss.

Now, she was walking with Aaron around LSU, only half-paying attention to the tour guide, who was definitely not as good as Bridgette had been. Aaronwaspaying attention, but he didn’t seem as excited as he’d been the previous day. For whatever reason, her son was obsessed with his grandfather’s former school, and it didn’t appear that excitement had dimmed after seeing the place.

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