Page 48 of Paradise Pride

“If I’ll let you?” She leaned forward to meet Meghan’s lips, and they lingered close, their breaths quickening.

Meghan’s heart was racing, and she cherished the long moment of anticipation. Chemistry oozed between them, and adrenaline coursed through her veins before she claimed Florence’s delicious mouth. She kissed her sensually and slowly while she pulled her to the edge of the bar to feel her closer, nipping at her lips and running her tongue over them before diving in and taking the kiss to a searing level that set her on fire.

Florence shifted against her as she wrapped her legs around her waist. “A thousand times better,” she whispered against her lips and moaned as Meghan’s hands slipped under her shirt to caress her back.

“Excellent. I would say my work is done then, but you’re older now, and there’s no harm in taking it a little further, right? To help you heal from the memory of that awful kiss,” Meghan continued jokingly, fumbling to open the buttons on Florence’s jeans. She yearned to taste her, to make her explode against her mouth.

Florence grinned as she kicked off her shoes and lifted her hips to help Meghan pull off her jeans and panties. “No harm,” she said, her eyes darkening when Meghan moved her legs apart once again and pushed up her shirt.

Meghan loved it when Florence surrendered to her, and she felt in charge rather than lost and confused in her thoughts and emotions. “I love how you smell,” she murmured, running her tongue over Florence’s stomach while she inched her hands under her sports bra to caress her breasts. After the nights they’d spent together, Florence’s body felt familiar yet thrillingly new at the same time. The feeling of her nipples hardening under her fingertips still baffled Meghan, and the soft touch of her skin was one she thought she’d never stop marvelling about.

Florence’s chest heaved fast as she watched Meghan kiss her way down to her belly button and lower. Meghan stopped to look up and shot her a teasing glance as she’d reached the thin strip of hair, then continued kissing the inside of her thighs.

“You’re killing me,” Florence murmured.

“Just trying to make your new memory as good as I possibly can, that’s all.” Meghan met her eyes again and bit her lip. “And I have a feeling this will top your experience with the tumble dryer.” She kissed her way up the smooth skin until her mouth was against Florence’s sex and inhaled deeply. “Mmm… I love this.”

“You are so not straight,” Florence said through ragged breaths. “If anything, you’re—” Her words became a moan when Meghan ran her tongue over her most sensitive spot. “Fuck, Meghan.” Weaving her fingers through Meghan’s hair, she pulled her closer and fell back, knocking a few glasses off the bar in the process.

Meghan’s lips pulled into a smile as she dragged her tongue up and down, salivating at the taste of her. Florence was wet and swollen, and she pushed hard against Meghan’s mouth, begging her to for more. Moving her hands to Florence’s thighs, Meghan tightened her grip and closed her eyes as she devoured her, drawing circles with her tongue and drinking her in. It didn’t take long until she felt Florence’s limbs tremble and heard her moans grow louder in sync with her own.

Pulling her hands away from Meghan’s hair to cover her mouth, Florence accidentally smacked another glass to the floor before she stifled a long and intense cry. Meghan didn’t stop until Florence became limp, then kissed her way back up to her stomach while she stroked her legs, her thighs and waist, taking in all her gorgeous, feminine glory. Florence was the most beautiful woman she’d ever known, and she felt privileged to have her.

“How about those memories?” she asked playfully, taking Florence’s hand to help her back upright. “Do you think you’ll have better ones next time you come here?”

Florence opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. Shaking her head, she let out a chuckle and kissed her. “Undoubtedly,” she said. “I’ll never look at this bar the same way.” She slid off it, took hold of Meghan’s waist and turned them around, wedging Meghan between herself and the bar. “But there’s one more thing…”

“Oh, what’s that?” Meghan asked, her voice hitching when Florence ran her hands underneath her dress and squeezed her behind.

Florence shot her a mischievous smile before she kissed her again. “The good thing about great memories is we can always make more.”

48

Florence

Florence reached for Meghan’s hand and kissed it. She’d tried not to let her mood get in the way of having one last, blissful night, but it was getting harder and harder to keep that smile on her face. She didn’t want it to end, and although they’d decided to leave their ending open for now, it still felt like this may be the last time she’d ever see Meghan.

“Not to be dramatic, but I’m really, really sad that you’re leaving,” she said, vaguely aware that she should probably turn off the oven. Meghan had made a stew, and although the smell wafting from the kitchen was delicious, she didn’t feel like eating.

“Me too.” Meghan turned to her and draped her legs over her lap. Manuel was at work, and they were sitting on Florence’s balcony. In between kisses and sweet caresses, there had been mostly silence since they came back from the grocery store. “It’s going to be strange being back in the real world.” She hesitated. “Because I won’t have you.”

But you could have me, Florence thought.You can have anything you want, Meghan.

“I’m also very sorry that I can’t take this any further right now,” Meghan continued as if reading her mind. “I need to take a step back, clear my head and have some space to think.”

“Will you be okay?” Florence asked, noting Meghan’s mood was possibly even lower than hers. She’d had a hollow look in her eyes all day, and she’d been far from her usual, cheerful self.

“Yes. I will, eventually. I just have a lot of processing to do. I’m not the same person I was before I came here.”

“You are, though. You just happen to like women as well as men. Or perhaps only women, but that doesn’t make you a different person.”

“You don’t understand. It changes my future,” Meghan said. “It changes my long-term plans.” She dug her fingernail into a mosquito bite on her leg, then scratched it until her thigh was red. “I really want a family one day.”

“You can still have children.”

“With whom?” Meghan stared at her. “With you? You’re way younger than me, and we’re in different life stages. It’s not the same.” She paused as she stared down at the street below. “I don’t want to be with a man anymore. I simply don’t think I can, and now that I’ve met you, I wouldn’t even be open to…”

“To another woman?” Florence clenched her jaw. “Someone who’s more mature? Someone with a better job?”

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