Page 7 of Emma
And that was it.
Emma’s body tensed, her back arched, and a cry tore from her throat as pleasure flooded her. Vanessa didn’t let up; her fingers moved steadily as her tongue pushed Emma through her orgasm, drinking up everything she had to offer.
Emma collapsed against the sheets, her breath ragged and her body limp with satisfaction. “Holy shit.”
Vanessa crawled up beside her, grinning as she slumped down. “You always taste so fucking good.”
Emma turned her head and sighed. “I can’t handle you. I swear.”
Vanessa nuzzled into the crook of her neck, her voice soft as she said, “Oh, baby. You handle me just fine.”
Emma turned slightly, brushing her fingers through Vanessa’s hair, then pressed their foreheads together. “You know what I love about you most…that I can have you whenever I want you.”
Vanessa laughed and brushed her bottom lip over Emma’s. “I’m all yours. Always.”
CHAPTER THREE
Emma strolledalong the sunnier side of the lake, the warmth of Vanessa’s hand cradled in one of hers, a cool bottle of water in the other. The world around them had fallen away the moment they’d stepped onto the trail, and the lake was a mirror—unmoving and untouched—reflecting a sky so blue that Emma was sure it had been painted. Autumn in The Lakes was Emma’s favourite season. The way the light filtered through the thinning canopy of trees, the quietness only interrupted by the chirp of birds, the crunch of leaves beneath their feet… All of it was beautiful, and today, all of it belonged to them.
Two hours earlier, they’d wandered off the beaten path to a quaint little coffee shop tucked away beneath a cascade of ivy. They’d shared sandwiches, coffee, and laughter at a table outside that overlooked Lake Windermere. And since then, they’d strolled along at their own pace, stopping whenever the view insisted on being admired.
Yeah, Emma loved this place. She loved the peace and the time away from their otherwise chaotic life. Most of all, she loved how unreachable they were in these moments. Her phone had been switched off since lunch, untouched and forgotten at the bottom of her bag. She was almost certain Vanessa’s had beenabandoned in the glove box of the car. Here…life didn’t have to try so hard to be beautiful. It just was. At every twist and turn.
“Did Lauren text you last night?” Vanessa asked as she gently rested her head on Emma’s shoulder.
“No. I haven’t heard from her. Have you?”
“Not a word.” Emma glanced down at her wife. Yesterday’s encounter must have lingered longer in her mind than she’d chosen to show. “Maybe you should call her when we get back to the car.”
“I’m sure she’s fine. You know how stubborn she can be.”
Mm. Emma knew. There had been a time, not too long ago, when Emma would have leapt at the opportunity to fix things, to get rid of the tension with an apologetic message. But that was before. Before the boundaries had shifted. These days, Emma was realising that peace came at a cost she was no longer willing to pay. If Lauren wanted to give them the silent treatment, then so be it.
“If I’ve learned anything over the last couple of years, it’s that I’d rather let her pout than try to reason with her. We only end up falling out with one another, and I can’t be arsed with it, babe. I know she’s your daughter, but fucking hell…she gets her attitude from King Dick.”
Vanessa barked a laugh, lifting her head as she grinned at Emma. “How long have you been calling him that for?”
Emma wrinkled her nose, aware that Lauren would hit the roof if she heard that being repeated. But she wasn’t here with Lauren. She was here with Vanessa, and Vanessa had been the one to take the brunt of his bullshit for so long. Richard hadearnedthat nickname like a badge of dishonour. “In my head? About ten years.”
“You know, Rosanna has left him…”
Emma blinked, surprised by that piece of information. “No way! When? And why am I only just finding out about this now?”
Vanessa turned her face to Emma. “I don’t know when exactly, but I bumped into a friend of a friend of a friend, and they told me.” She shrugged. “And as for why I didn’t tell you… Well, it’s as simple as it doesn’t really matter to us. I could have gone my whole life not knowing.”
Emma couldn’t argue with that logic, but she could laugh her arse off about the downfall of Richard’s relationship. He had burned down a marriage to chase a fantasy, and now it had slipped through his fingers.How fucking poetic.“Well, maybe he deserves to be alone for a while. If nothing else, it’ll show him what it feels like to be brushed aside.”
“Come on, let’s keep walking.”
As they followed the trail, there was a slight curve to the right, which opened up to a rocky overlook. As Emma stopped, the trees gave way to an endless lake. She tugged on Vanessa’s hand and stopped her in her tracks. “Wait.”
Emma side-eyed Vanessa as she followed Emma’s gaze out to the water. “Oh, wow.”
The lake stretched out before them, so still that even a single ripple would be noticeable, the surrounding edges lined with trees that went on as far as the eye could see. The late autumn sun hung lower in the sky, and the partial sunset was something to be admired. A streak of pale purple had scrawled itself across the sky, taking Emma’s breath away in the process. But it was the woman beside her who had really stolen her oxygen in this moment. “Every time we come here, it still gets me.”
Vanessa nodded slowly, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. “It’s almost like the world just…stops and takes a deep breath with us.”
They stood in silence, hand in hand, the slightest of breezes reminding Emma that this was real and she wasn’t dreaming. She leaned her head against Vanessa’s shoulder and enjoyed Vanessa’s gentle fingertips against her neck. “So beautiful.”
