Page 114 of Backhanded Compliments

Juliette nods and blinks, looking a little dazed. “Yeah, wow, that felt so good. It was like all of the discord fell into perfect harmony.”

Luca smiles. Of course Juliette would come up with the perfect philosophical simile to describe the indescribable. “Come on.” She stands and pulls Juliette to her feet, leading her to the bedroom.

Luca sits on the edge of the bed. The lighting has shifted to be lower, more burnished gold than bright white.

She feels the bed dip and turns her head as Juliette drops her chin to Luca’s shoulder. “Ready?” she asks, her voice a low, sultry murmur.

Luca draws in a deep, fortifying breath and nods.

FORTY-FIVEJULIETTE

Juliette kneels back on the bed, memorizing the line of Luca’s back, the sharp edge of her bony shoulders, the curve of her waist to the flare of her hips. Juliette pushes the edge of her T-shirt up and sees those delicious back dimples. She is so undeniably and wildly sexy that she drives Juliette feral.

“God, you’re perfect,” Juliette murmurs as Luca turns to face her.

The sun slants over her face at the perfect angle as she looks up at Juliette. Her left eye has more flecks of green, while her right one is more gilded gold. Juliette wonders how she never noticed before.

Luca’s mouth parts, and her lashes flutter as Juliette touches her jaw. She skims her fingers down the column of her throat as Luca’s gaze softens with a reverent and gentle trust.

Juliette’s throat threatens to close, and she blinks rapidly as Luca sinks into the touch, a shudder shaking Luca’s shoulders. “Can I undress you?” Juliette asks.

“I don’t know,” Luca says, a cheeky smile tugging at her mouth. “Can you?”

Juliette walked right into that one. She drops her hand from Luca’s throat and shakes her head. “My dearest Lux, my most majestic partner and glorious girlfriend,mayI undress you?” Juliette asks, laying the teasing on extra thick, if only to get Luca to roll her eyes again.

Luca grins, her eyes crinkling. “I want nothing more.”

Juliette touches Luca’s shoulder. “Up on the pillows then.”

Luca scrambles to the middle of the bed.

Juliette crawls onto the bed from the bottom, and Luca laces her hands behind her head. She cups Luca’s hips, brushing her thumbs beneath the cut of them before dipping beneath the waistband of her sweatpants. “Lift your hips, babe,” Juliette murmurs. The term of endearment slips out easily, and she loves how it makes Luca’s eyes darken.

Her hips arch up, languidly. Juliette shimmies the sweatpants down her hips and, with a sharp tug, pulls them down to her knees. She slowly works the pants down over her calves and ankles until they finally fall free.

Juliette tosses them to the wayside, forgotten and unneeded. She lavishes soft, barely there kisses on Luca’s bony ankle, up to her calf, the inside of her knee again, the tender inside of her thigh. Luca’s breath hitches, but Juliette doesn’t kiss her where she wants. Instead, Juliette moves to the opposite thigh, kissing a trail down her right leg.

When she finally looks up at Luca, her fists are clenched into the comforter, her eyes dark and mouth ajar. Juliette wants to lurch up and kiss her, but she restrains herself. “I told you I wanted to”—she pauses, spider walking her fingers from Luca’s knee to her thigh—“know”—her thumb dips down to brush against her inner thigh—“every”—she sweeps her fingertips across the laced edge of her panties—“inch”—she slides her fingers beneath the band of them— “of you”—she finishes, peeling the panties from Luca’s hips slowly.

Even though Juliette has seen every inch of Luca’s body before, in the luminous sunlight, the pale skin the sun never touches is new and exciting.

Luca’s breath catches, and Juliette lowers her lips to kiss both of Luca’s hips as she gently tugs her underwear down and off.

Luca lowers her hips and lets out a breathy laugh. “You’re going to break me,” she mutters, eyes squeezing shut.

“I’ll always put you back together,” Juliette promises. This time, she is not going to push Luca away. Luca’s eyes are a little unfocused around the edges. Juliette smiles and leans over her to indulge in a kiss.

Luca latches on to her immediately, fingers lacing through herhair and tugging her closer. She makes a soft whimpering sound as Juliette licks into her panting mouth. Before, when they’d been hungry and desperate, this clash hurt, but now Juliette is careful and thorough.

And when she finally pulls back, her heart is throbbing in her chest, and she’s breathless. Luca tucks her curls behind her ear and smiles. “Now who’s a little flushed?” she teases.

Juliette shrugs. “Let me tell you a secret,” she murmurs, letting her eyes drift over Luca’s mouth. She brushes her fingertips over her wet lower lip. “I don’t have any problem telling you that you’re an incredible kisser and it’s hard to keep my mouth off you.”

“Is that right?” Luca asks, trying for confidence, but she’s out of breath.

Juliette nods, pecking her mouth again. “I wanted to kiss you about a thousand different times today.”

Luca draws Juliette down for another tender kiss. “Maybe you should’ve,” Luca says when she releases Juliette again. “I wouldn’t have complained.”

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