Sweet Hearts Read online

  Lucy nodded, her eyes closing as Kristin’s hands wandered down the back of her waistband pulling her in more firmly, which was so okay with her it was ridiculous. Unfortunately, their travel to her room meant breaking the contact that she couldn’t get enough of.

  Wordlessly, she took Kristin’s hand and led her the short distance to her bedroom. She flipped on the light and Kristin flipped it off. “Well, okay,” Lucy said, just as Kristin’s mouth claimed hers, moving them backward. A slash of early moonlight illuminated the room and Lucy understood why Kristin wanted the lights off, as the effect was rather sexy all on its own. While taking it slow sounded like a really nice plan, Lucy didn’t feel so inclined. “I want to touch you everywhere,” she breathed. With a purposeful unbuttoning and unzipping of Kristin’s shorts, Lucy slid her hand inside to explore. The quiet moan the contact elicited only encouraged Lucy, as she stroked purposefully through the warmth, taking pleasure in the way Kristin’s breathing had shifted, now shallow and quick. Kristin moved against Lucy’s hand in a tantalizing display, searching for more, and while Lucy wanted to give it, there were other things she wanted first.

  It was time to lose those clothes. She eased back a step.

  Kristin was way ahead of her and pulled the T-shirt over her head, revealing to Lucy the white satin bra that showcased the tops of generous breasts.

  “God, you’re beautiful,” Lucy breathed, drinking in the image.

  *

  It was beyond hot the way Lucy’s eyes combed her body. Kristin felt that gaze all over, and a sizzle of pleasure moved across her skin.

  She hadn’t planned on sleeping with Lucy. Technically, this was only a third date, and in Kristin’s world, things moved a little slower.

  But this was different.

  The things Lucy inspired her to feel were new, overwhelming, and insistent and she could no more stop herself from breathing than taking what she so desperately wanted that night. That much had been clear after the spark-loaded kiss before dinner.

  Standing before Lucy in her bedroom now couldn’t feel more right. Need traveled through her like a thunderbolt, and while she wanted Lucy to finish what she’d started, Kristin had to even things out. She moved to Lucy, claiming that mouth once again, tasting just a hint of sweetness from the wine, as she backed her toward the bed. She broke the kiss and pulled the shirt over Lucy’s head and made quick work of her bra. She took a moment with Lucy’s breasts on display to her now before dipping her head and kissing one, pulling a nipple into her mouth and swirling her tongue around it. Lucy slid fingers into her hair, holding her in place, which was no problem at all because Kristin was in heaven and getting more turned on by the second. With her arm at the small of Lucy’s back, she lowered her onto the bed and took a moment to take off what remained of her own clothes. The moonlight fell across Lucy’s face as she watched, her lips parting noticeably as the rest of Kristin was revealed to her. She pushed herself up onto her elbows from where she lay on the bed and lifted her hips as Kristin slid the jeans and panties off her legs.

  Kristin was wet and craving release. And though she was beyond ready, she wanted Lucy to join her there first.

  On a mission, she started on those legs, newly tanned from the afternoon, and kissed her way up their length, up to Lucy’s inner thighs. The attention had Lucy squirming beneath her mouth and moving her hips in these subtle circles that drove Kristin wild. Too soon. She moved up Lucy’s body and paid ample attention to each breast, skating her teeth across each nipple. Lucy had the most awesome breasts, and as she explored them further, she slipped a thigh between Lucy’s legs and moved it upward, causing Lucy to hitch in a breath. She moved under Kristin in a teasing circle.

  “God, you’re stunning,” Kristin said and focused on Lucy’s neck. She ran her tongue across its column, as the pulsing ache from between her legs increased to the point that she thought she might burst. She found Lucy’s mouth and drove her tongue inside as Lucy continued to move against her thigh in a thrilling rhythm. That’s when hands were on her face and big blue eyes blinked up at her.

  “Now,” Lucy breathed. “Please.”

  Kristin nodded, knowing all too well. She parted Lucy’s thighs and eased her hips between in a move that had them both moaning in surrender. She pressed against Lucy, who tossed her head against the pillow. As Kristin began to move against her, Lucy matched her thrust for thrust in a dance that pushed Kristin closer and closer to the edge. Urgency swam through her and she buried her face in Lucy’s neck as they moved and moved, lost in the climb of sensation. As the dance escalated to a frenzied state, Kristin slipped a hand between them and pushed into her while applying direct pressure with her thumb to Lucy’s most sensitive spot. The result was breathtaking, and Lucy cried out and writhed in a display that slammed Kristin in the throat. She didn’t have time to dwell, however, because control snapped and she tumbled over and joined Lucy there, the bolt of pleasure speeding through her like a train. She was vaguely aware of sound coming from her mouth as her muscles contracted in a payout more powerful than she’d planned on. She reveled in the waves of pleasure that stormed her system.

  When all was said and done, she fell alongside Lucy and lay there, quivering deliciously, staring up at the light patterns across the ceiling, her arm across her forehead. Cognizant thought floated back to her slowly, though her limbs felt liquid and not fully hers.

  Lucy pressed against her side and placed a kiss beneath her jaw as they both continued to simply breathe. She wasn’t sure how much time went by, but the mood shifted to peaceful, and along with it, they shifted together. Lucy now lay partially on top of her and Kristin had her arm across Lucy’s back, holding her close. “Are we still alive?” Lucy asked finally.

  “Not sure,” Kristin managed. A long pause. “Wherever we are, I like it here.”

  “Have you ever done that before?” Lucy finally asked, looking down at her.

  Kristin smiled. “Had sex? I have, yes.”

  Lucy poked her ribs and Kristin laughed. “No, crazy. What we just did.”

  “I think you’re going to have to be more specific,” Kristin said. “Because a lot of things just happened.”

  Lucy propped herself up on her elbow and rested her head in her hand before tracing circles on the outside of Kristin’s breast. Her voice was quiet when she answered, almost shy. “Come with someone, at the same time. As in, what we just did.”

  “Oh, that,” Kristin said, now wildly aware of the sensations those traced circles were causing. She closed her eyes and forced herself to focus on the question. “No, that I have never done.”

  “Me neither. A first,” Lucy said, shifting the tracing to Kristin’s stomach. “Do you realize what an amazing body you have?” She placed a slow kiss on Kristin’s collarbone.

  Kristin swallowed against the onslaught of arousal in response to all the sensual touches. “I don’t know how to answer that.”

  “You don’t have to,” Lucy said. “I’m just doing a little marveling here.” As Lucy’s hand drifted lower to her abdomen, she steadied herself, not quite sure how it was that she was so turned on again so soon.

  “Yeah, well, the marveling goes both ways,” Kristin told her, and God, did it ever. Lucy was everything she imagined she would be and more. Beautiful, sexy, and so responsive in bed it was ridiculous.

  “The together thing,” Lucy shook her head. “That was beyond anything I’ve ever…”

  “Yeah?”

  Lucy pulled back from the careful touches that had Kristin so heated and brushed the hair from Kristin’s forehead. It was sweet, the gesture. Tender even. “Mmm-hmm,” Lucy said. “I like that we were able to do that together. Have you been with a lot of women?”

  “Oh, we’re going there? Okay. You make three,” Kristin said.

  Lucy took a minute with this. “Three. That’s it?”

  “That’s it. How many have you slept with?”

  Lucy frowned. “I don’t think I know the answer to th
at question, and in comparison to what you just said, that sounds awful.” She fell onto her back in devastation, prompting Kristin to laugh.

  “No, it doesn’t,” she told Lucy. “You’re you. I’m me. If we were the same person, that would be totally boring and I wouldn’t want to tear your clothes off the way I just did, see? I happen to like how crazy different we are and the clothes-ripping-off thing. Both. So there.” That seemed to help. Lucy smiled and slid on top once again. Kristin loved the way they fit together.

  “Well, that’s good,” Lucy said, “because we are, in fact, very different.” A kiss.

  “We are.” Another kiss, deeper, longer this time. “But I don’t think we have any chemistry.”

  “None. Zero,” Lucy said, her eyes heavy lidded. She moved until her mouth was very close to Kristin’s ear and whispered, “But if you don’t mind, I think I need to taste you now.” As Lucy crawled down her body, Kristin closed her eyes, her heart jackhammering in her chest because she didn’t mind at all.

  Chapter Five

  Kristin sat back in her desk chair and sighed, halfheartedly clicking off the notes she’d just reviewed from Dalton. She’d sent him the latest draft of her story that morning, with the knowledge that something was missing. The heart and soul of the piece was there, that much she knew, but the communication of ideas was off somehow and she couldn’t put her finger on why. While she wanted his feedback, she wasn’t sure she was prepared for what he’d had to say.

  The short entry in bold print at the bottom of her story was short and to the point.

  You’re playing it safe. This should be an evocative piece about the paper trail of that school-bus story and its hometown tie-in. Global NewsWire is headquartered in your readers’ backyard. You’re burying your lede. Why?

  She stared at the grooves in her desk and closed her eyes. Though Dalton had a valid point about the GNW angle, a story about a local company was not what she’d set out to write. But then again, maybe that was the better story.

  God. She shook her head.

  The ramifications of writing it could be significant.

  This was Lucy’s company. Lucy, whom she’d texted with daily but had yet to actually see since their amazing night together the weekend prior. Lucy, who occupied her thoughts on a loop of wonderful. How was she supposed to be objective about this?

  Kristin sat there for the better part of an hour working through her thoughts. There was a war waging within her, between her journalistic integrity and the very real feelings she already had for one of her subjects. She shook her head. No. She couldn’t think that way. She had to remain objective. Even if it meant hurting the one person she so desperately did not want to hurt. She flipped through her notes and set to organizing, seeing a natural progression of the story start to take shape. Her fingers couldn’t type fast enough as she set out on this new course. While she hated to admit Dalton was right, the story practically told itself.

  Her phone buzzed, pulling her from her thoughts. An incoming text message from Lucy. She smiled. While they’d tried to make time to see each other after work that week, it simply hadn’t been possible given her impending deadline and Lucy’s stacked schedule, given that second-quarter earnings releases loomed in the distance.

  Lunch tomorrow?

  While she wanted nothing more than to spend more time with Lucy, unfortunately, she was busy most of the day. She started to type her response when an idea occurred to her, inspiring a change of direction.

  I have plans, but I’m thinking you should come. You up for it? She paused and waited for the response to come in.

  Um, sure. What are we doing?

  Oh, this was going to be good.

  *

  “What are we protesting exactly?” Lucy asked, as they exited the car. She still felt a little skeptical and was unsure why in a million years she’d agreed to this—other than she’d really wanted to see Kristin again.

  “Irresponsible environmental practices for the sake of making a buck.”

  Lucy nodded. “Right. Irresponsible environmentalists are going down today.”

  “That’s the spirit.” Kristin gestured to Lucy’s attire. “And this casual thing you have going on here is a good look on you. Not a designer label in sight, yet you still rock it.”

  “Gasp. I think you just took a shot at my daily wardrobe.”

  Kristin handed Lucy a sign and kissed her cheek. “Never. I love your wardrobe. It could pay off my school loans and is thereby impressive.”

  Joking aside, Kristin had instructed her to wear comfortable attire, so she’d selected a worn-in pair of denim capris and her heather pink top. Pink was, after all, a feisty color. She was also quite proud of herself for arriving at Kristin’s place on time that morning. One coffee stop later and they’d made it to the plant well in advance of the scheduled meeting time.

  As they approached, there was a rather large group of people gathered on the sidewalk in front of the plant labeled Slater Energy. According to Kristin, Slater made a big show of making the public think it was green, when all the while, they were one of the worst polluters in the nation.

  “So what will we do exactly?” Lucy asked as they made their way to the group.

  “It’s a peaceful protest. We’ll hold our signs and make it known to the company that there are concerned citizens who are aware of their practices and are not going to stand for it. If we get news attention, that’s a bonus.”

  “Got it. And what is it we want them to do?”

  “Well, Slater is notorious for huge carbon dioxide emissions. If they spend the extra money to implement a carbon capture plan, they can significantly decrease those emissions. They just have to see it as a priority.”

  “And we hope to make them do that?”

  “Exactly. Are you a little nervous right now?” Kristin asked.

  “Not at all. I’m excited to see you in your element.”

  “It doesn’t get any more real than this,” Kristin said with a smile. Her blond hair was pulled back loosely into a clip today, and she wore white shorts and a gray shirt that showed off her awesome skin. If nothing else, Lucy would enjoy the view that morning.

  However, something kind of unexpected happened. An hour later, Lucy found herself…into it. The protest was made up of several local organizations pulling together for the cause, and these seemed to be smart, like-minded people, who genuinely cared. She held her sign and chanted Carbon capture plan! along with the others and watched as one executive after another filed past into the building, many of them sneering or shaking their heads in disgust at the protesters. She didn’t get it. How could they not care? How was that okay?

  When the news crews arrived, the mood shifted and the tension between the protestors and the Slater executives seemed to escalate. Two hours in, a spokesperson for the company addressed them and asked the group to disband, but the group leaders had no such intention, a decision that Lucy had to applaud.

  As the morning shifted into afternoon, the sun beat down overhead with a newfound ferocity. With summer in full effect, the community coolers were now empty. Kristin turned to her. “There’s a convenience store across the street. I’ll grab us a couple of waters.”

  “Great. I’ll chant double for you.”

  Kristin smiled. “You’re doing really well with all of this. More than I would have predicted.”

  Lucy raised an eyebrow. “You underestimate me, Ms. James.” But in all honesty, the whole thing had been eye opening for Lucy. While she still stood by the need for charitable donations, it was also clear to her that there was more to be done in the world, and these people all around her were good examples of that. “I’m actually happy to be here.”

  “I’m glad.” Kristin stepped into her space, dropping her tone in flirtation. “We should have dinner tonight. Somewhere nice.”

  Lucy closed her eyes at the concept. A romantic dinner would be killer after the week she’d had and the physical demands of standing on her feet all d
ay under the hot sun. “I vote yes.”

  “Perfect. Back with water in a few. You sure you’re good here? You could always come with me.”

  “And who would fight for what is right in your absence? You go. I got this.”

  “Lucy?”

  “Yes?”

  “You’re really cute right now.”

  Lucy broke into a smile because the way Kristin was looking at her made her skin tingle in the most wonderful way. “Stop objectifying me so you can start fresh later.” She winked at Kristin and went back to her chant.

  *

  After scoring a couple of waters and sandwiches from the small deli within the store, Kristin found herself in a rather long line. The guy at the front seemed to have made an Olympic event out of choosing just the right brand of cigarettes. She craned her neck to see what she could do about speeding up this process, but the rule follower in her kept silent and waited her turn. In the meantime, she ruminated over the events of the day. The protest, thus far, had been a successful one, and unless something over-the-top happened in the city, they should score some media time. She imagined they’d break up close to late afternoon, and that would give her and Lucy enough time to head home, freshen up, and change, before coming together again for dinner.

  She was picturing something quiet where they could catch up after the week prior, and maybe champagne to celebrate Lucy’s first successful protest. Given, it might be her last, but she had to award the woman big-time credit for showing up and being such a great sport. As dramatic a front as Lucy sometimes put up, she seemed game when faced with any sort of challenge, and Kristin found that admirable.

  “That’ll be twelve dollars and sixty cents,” the cashier said and bagged her items. She paid and headed back to the parking lot as a group text message came in from the leader of her environmental group.

  Okay, so that was less than ideal. Did everyone make it out of there?