Page 60 of To the Moon and Back

Lauren opened her eyes and tried to pay attention to her verymundane chili task but was losing ground.Allyou have to do is stir, she told herself. Another open-mouthed kisson her neck. Carly cupped her breasts more firmly, pressing them back againstLauren’s chest in a slow massage. Lauren was supposed to survive this, how? Whydid her breasts have to be so sensitive? As if reading her thoughts, Carlyabandoned that practice and dipped her hands up the hem of Lauren’s sweater,and then found her way into Lauren’s bra, circling her nipples with twofingers, then pinching lightly. It was as if someone had turned up the volumeon her body, and it was all she could hear or concentrate on. She felt thatfamiliar tugging between her legs, as everything woke the hell up for Carly theway it always did.

“Wanna take a break for just a minute or two?” Carly whispered inher ear. “We don’t even have to go very far.” To tip the scale even further,Carly ran her fingers along Lauren’s waistband, nearly causing her knees tobuckle. “What do you say?”

Lauren nodded, because her voice felt far away in her haze oflust. She didn’t recognize her life lately, in the best way possible. It wasbarely dark on a Monday, and she was about to have an amazing dinner and someaction with a woman she was growing to truly care about. Okay, she could admitthat Carly was also ridiculously hot and fun and taking Lauren’s shirt off withskilled precision.

She allowed Carly to lead her a few feet away from the hot stove, herhands on the exposed skin at the small of Lauren’s back. Carly turned heraround and kissed her, flooding Lauren’s senses. She tasted strawberry fromCarly’s lip gloss. She felt the soft tickling of Carly’s hair on her ownshoulders. She wanted Carly’s hands on her soon, all the while inhaling thescent of the most wonderful pot of chili she’d ever cooked.

She drew one breath before Carly lifted the cups of her bra up andover, exposing her breasts. Lauren tried to control her breathing, but air wasscarce. Carly pulled a nipple into her mouth as she unbuttoned Lauren’s jeanswith her other hand and slid them partway down. They didn’t need or wantforeplay. That wasn’t what this was. They’d developed a shorthand like noneLauren had ever known. It was fun to take their time, and oh, they did often,but fast and good in a kitchen had its merits as well, Lauren had learned.

Carly slipped her hand down the inside of Lauren’s underwear andtouched her intimately. Lauren hissed in a breath and pressed back. Once thesensations settled, they began. She rode Carly’s hand slowly, holding eyecontact, losing herself in a sea of soft blue. It didn’t take long. She saidCarly’s name, closed her eyes, and rocked her hips frantically. She came with ashuddering cry, rocketing to a wonderful oblivion of pleasure. She sucked in asteadying breath. She’d been innocently cooking just five minutes ago.

“You are so beautiful when you come,” Carly said reverently, stilltouching her. With her other hand, she cradled Lauren’s cheek and then kissedher softly. “Can there be more of that later?”

Lauren struggled to regain sentence structure, still in recoverymode. She nodded, however, imagining all the ways she’d even the score. Thethings she wanted to do to Carly entered her mind with gusto. It was shaping upto be a wonderful night off.

* * *

Tiny details mattered. The early afternoon sunshine on Lauren’sback patio caught the tiny hints of red in Lauren’s brown hair. Carly wasn’tsure she’d ever noticed them before and took joy in learning more tiny thingsabout Lauren. She liked her coffee warm, but not hot. She liked to take walksin her neighborhood but preferred to do so at night after a show. She lovedhaving her back tickled as she fell asleep and knew way more about footballthan Carly would have guessed.

“So I’m doing this?” Lauren asked, with a nervous smile.

Carly held up her palms. “I’m merely a supportive bystander.”

She watched Lauren take the pen and sign her name with a flourish,finishing with a twist of her wrist. “There. Done.” She raised her gaze intriumph.

Carly grinned back. “It’s official. You have an agent. A really,really good one, too. UTA is top-notch.” She shrugged extra-casually. “So,you’re going to give your acting career a second shot.”

Lauren hesitated. “Yes and no. I think it just means I’ll dip mytoe in the water and see if it’s warm. My plan is to go on an audition or twoand decide from there.” She shook her head. “It’s strange because I’m notunhappy stage managing.”

“I could tell. You were in your element.” The wind hit and Carlysnuggled farther into her oversized sweatshirt.

Lauren winced and stared at the contract with uncertainty. “Infact, I really like it. But what if I like acting more?”

“I think you owe it to yourself to find out. One thing I know?You’re really good at both.”

“First world problems.” Lauren shook her head, highlighting howtorn she felt.

Carly’s stomach tightened. They’d talked on and off about thepossibility of Lauren coming back West with Carly, but she’d never quitecommitted fully. From Carly’s perspective, she couldn’t imagine anything betterthan the two of them in LA, the town she loved. Though she hadn’t yet wrappedher head around what it all meant, she’d never had feelings as powerful asthose she was experiencing for Lauren. While still mysterious, she knew theywere too important to just wave to Lauren in her rearview mirror when she leftMinneapolis in ten days. In fact, she couldn’t.

“Pack a bag and come with me.” There. She’d flat-out said it.Again. “Just think. You, me, palm trees, and blue water.”

Lauren turned to her. Those sparkling green eyes carried hope andwhat looked to be interest. Jackpot. “I think that might be a nice idea. Ithink maybe that’s what I’d like to do.” Carly stared. So conservative. Socautious.

“I thinkmaybeyou should lose themaybe,”Carly said and leaned in. She paused just centimeters from Lauren’s lips,savoring the anticipation. Her favorite damn part.

Lauren closed the gap and kissed her softly, lingering. “Done.It’s gone.”

Carly’s jaw dropped. She’d said yes. “We’re LA bound. Look out,City of Angels.”

Lauren took a deep breath and reached for her phone. “I guess Ishould look around for somewhere to live for a few weeks.”

Carly shook her head. “You’re impossible. Do you have anyunderstanding of that?”

“Impossibly beautiful, sexy, and in charge, you mean?”

“Definitely, hell yeah, and”—she tilted her head back andforth—“all things are negotiable.”

Another kiss. A longer one. Kissing Lauren, she’d learned, was afantastic way to warm up in the colder weather. “I can live with those terms,”Lauren said, with that sensual look she always got right after being kissed,almost as if it left her a little dizzy. Carly could identify. “How aboutbefore I race off to LA with you, we have lunch, then later meet in a fakeairport and face destiny again?”

---