Page 57 of Can We Skip to the Good Part?
She began to stroke, moving through wet folds that felt so fucking wonderful. Max moaned and went up on her knees, granting Ella even better access. She joined her there, kissing Max’s neck, the same expanse of skin that had her captivated at book club for weeks. “Lie down,” she whispered, “and open your legs for me.”
Max complied, and Ella followed her to the now rumpled sheets beneath them. She stretched out on one forearm alongside Max, letting her breasts sway as she continued to touch, play, and explore with her hand to the sounds Max offered up like signposts. That is, until she followed her urge and slipped inside. Max gasped as she entered her, her eyes slamming shut as Ella began to move, pressing deeper and sliding out, seeking out a rhythm she let Max set. “Yes. More. God. Just like that,” Max said, her voice a ghost of what it usually was. Ella moved faster and let her thumb glide gently over Max’s clit. Max whimpered beneath the touch, and Ella felt the way her body opened further, welcoming her in. It was heady—how responsive Max was. Ella moved with slow, deliberate thrusts, watching the muscles in Max’s stomach shift, the way her hands gripped the sheets for something to hold on to.
All the while, Ella couldn’t stop looking at her. Max—naked, vulnerable, and utterly gorgeous in the low light—was a vision Ella knew she’d never be able to forget. She kissed along her shoulder, tasting salt and skin, letting her lips linger as her hand kept working in a rhythm that made Max's hips press back into her.
The sounds Max made were addictive. Ella found herself chasing them, adjusting her angle, pressing a little deeper just to hear more. Her own center ached all over again, but thismoment wasn’t about that. It was about Max and the way she fell apart under Ella’s touch.
She could live right here.
Ella pressed her forehead to Max’s chest, breath catching. “You feel so good,” she whispered, her voice rough with want. “God, Max, you’re perfect. I love fucking you. I want to see what you look like when you come.”
Max nodded, obedient, breathing rapidly. Ella lowered herself between Max’s legs and pulled Max into her mouth, swirling her clit with the tip of her tongue. Skating it with her teeth, sucking gently until the sounds Max made grew louder and louder.
Ella raised her gaze to watch, not stopping, but not wanting to miss a second. Max’s head tipped back, her lips parted in a gasp. Each movement, each sound, felt like a gift Ella had somehow earned. She adjusted her rhythm, paying attention to every tremble of Max’s thighs, every breath that caught.
She slipped her fingers back inside, curling just right, and felt the way Max’s body tightened around her. It was happening. Ella could feel it in the way Max’s whole frame arched toward her, in the broken way she whispered Ella’s name.
And then Max came—hard, beautiful, shaking—and Ella watched it all. The rush of it. The surrender. The way Max's eyes fluttered shut and her mouth opened on a moan so raw it left Ella breathless.
Ella stayed there, pressing kisses to her hip, her stomach, letting Max come down gently while her own heart thundered in her chest.
“Where are you?” Max asked, prompting her to join Max on the pillow. “I need you.”
“I’m here,” she said, sliding a dark strand of hair behind Max’s ear. She pressed her body up against Max’s, not wantingto be apart even for a moment. She kissed the side of her face, her heart full.
“Better than I’d even dreamed,” Max said, pulling her even closer. “Pretty sure you just played me like a fiddle.”
Ella laughed and pushed up on her forearms. “Yeah, well, who played who first?”
“I couldn’t help it. I really like you naked.”
“Well, I was undressing you with my eyes before I even learned your name.”
Max laughed as she slid on top, which seemed to be her favorite place to be. “I don’t think I’m done with you yet.”
“No?”
She pressed her hips into Ella. “Definitely not.”
“Good,” Ella said, struck by newfound desire and the sudden, unshakable thought that this—whatever it was—had just changed everything.
FIFTEEN
Yip!
Ella stretched like a cat and smiled without opening her eyes. She’d had sex last night. Mhmm. She sure as hell had. She hugged her sheets and took a moment to revel becausedamn, it had been good. Every inch of her sore and satisfied body reminded her of that. She finally opened her eyes and took in the beautiful sunlight streaming in through the slanted blinds of her room, mirroring the high she was still on.
Not only that, but she hadworkwaiting for her that morning. Actual paying work that she’d been personally selected for, which, quite honestly, had done wonders for her self-worth in the wake of her unceremonious dismissal.
Floating on air, she made her way to the kitchen, realizing it was nearly nine and Rachel would have long ago left for work. She poured herself a bowl of Hoopties and moved to the fridge for milk. Hanging on the fridge was a light-blue Post-it with Rachel’s friendly and rounded handwriting on the front.
Hope it was good last night. -R
Next to the sentence was a rudimentary sketch of a pair of boobs. Forgetting for a moment that she was one hundred percent betraying her best friend, Ella laughed and pulled thePost-it off the door. Reality set in as she walked to the trash can and discarded it. Rach would have had a very different response if she’d known the truth. Ella rolled her lips in, sobering significantly. None of this was okay. She was focusing on her own happiness with blinders on, because, apparently, it had been so damn long since she’d experienced that emotion.
Ella felt like the main character for once and didn’t want this moment in time to end. Maybe she was reading too many romance novels and allowing herself to dream about love finding its way to her. Is that what was happening with Max? Surely, it was too premature to say, but the question, what if, certainly played on repeat in the back of her head this morning.
However, the situation was nearing a precipice, and she needed to act before she fell off entirely.
