When All Else Fails (7 page)

The sun had just started to rise, sending rays through the lace curtains, and Eva woke with Andrea spooned her. Visions of the night before made her feel flushed, and she snuggled closer to the warm body and let out a contented sigh. No way would she go back to sleep, but she didn’t want to wake Andrea.

“It’s too early to be awake, baby.” A sleepy voice ruffled the curls at her nape.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. You don’t get enough sleep.”

“I’ll agree, but not every day do I get to wake up to a beautiful, sexy woman in my arms, especially not twice in one day.”

She chuckled. “Beautiful? These curls of mine are like an orange afro this morning.” She closed her eyes as Andrea brushed a kiss on her shoulder.

“Maybe a little, but still beautiful.”

“Thanks, I think.”

Arms tightened, and her partner laughed low. “No regrets?”

At the question she turned to stare, a joke balanced on the tip of her tongue to break the sudden tension, but Andrea’s worried expression stopped her. “Andrea.” Raising her left hand, she stroked her woman’s cheek. “I’ve thought about this longer than I want to admit. This I’d never regret, but if you’re having second—”

A soft kiss cut her off, and a sleepy brown gaze met hers. “No, there’s not an ounce of regret or second thoughts.”

“For someone who told me you just say good morning and good-bye to one-night stands….”

“You’re not a one-night stand. You’re a once in a lifetime, and I wasn’t blowing smoke when I said I wanted to give this a go.”

Her heart skipped a beat.
A once in a lifetime
. She’d never been thought of like that. Could she accept it at face value, or would she pick it apart for ulterior motives? “I know, honey. Last night turned out amazing, the best first date ever.”

Andrea laughed. “I had a whole night planned. Dinner at the best restaurant in town, dancing at Stiletto.”

She frowned.

“Hey, don’t do that. I’ve no complaints at all. I wanted to make it perfect.”

“It was, I promise. And we’ve plenty of time to do all the rest one night soon.”

“I’ve never danced with you, well, slow. We have in a group at Sappho, but I want an old fashioned slow dance.”

“Are you a closet romantic?” She rolled to her side and brought her hands up to trace Andrea’s features with the tips of her fingers.

“Not really. I’ve never been comfortable in the closet. Besides, I love the sweet little smile you get.”

She dropped her face to Andrea’s chest, hiding her heated cheeks. She’d overcome most of her shyness, but something about the woman caused her to blush quicker than anything. Slender fingers wrapped around the back of her head and pressed a kiss to the top. “A woman of my advanced years shouldn’t blush so much.”

“Advanced? I do see the gray. Is my baby ready for the nursing home?”

“Ha ha, very funny!”

“Kiss me.”

Lifting her head, she looked into Andrea’s eyes, and the emotion in her gaze lacked the heat of the night before, but contained something softer, sweeter. She didn’t want to analyze it. She just wanted to enjoy having Andrea belong to her while she could.

Their mouths met, everything around them forgotten except for slow, lingering kisses, tangled limbs, and whispered words. There were unspoken promises or wishful thinking. She didn’t want to assume, but nothing stopped her from wishing for promises of forever.

Stolen kisses, a few dinners, and a week of long night talks on the phone and she wanted more, but she had to work. Watching her lover all day every day in the office without being able to touch her the way she wanted was driving her insane. The memories of the weekend before weren’t helping. Flashes of visions—the sheen of sweat on Eva’s porcelain skin, flush of her cheeks, the way her body arched before she whimpered then screamed when she came—made her needy.

It wasn’t only about the sex. Silly things she’d never thought about before made her smile at strange moments. Things like coming home at the end of the day to have dinner with Eva, or finding the woman already standing on the porch waiting for her. Cuddling on the couch, falling asleep, and waking up with her lover for the rest of her life. She’d thought about it in daydreams but never in the context of reality.

The depth of her need for those things shocked her. With her parents’ pasts and her own dismal record in the romance department, she’d decided to push them away, filing them under unattainable.

Her phone rang. Eva had taken a personal day, leaving her in charge of her own phone,. “Andrea Slade.”

“Andrea, sweetie, have you come to your senses yet? I’m on my way home. No more business trips for a while. It’ll just be the two of us when I get there.”

“Natalia, we already talked about this, and you made no secret about of your feelings about me and my friends. It’s not going to work—”

“I’ll stop modeling,” she whined.

“It’s not about you modeling. I love”—the words came out of nowhere—“someone else.”

“Ava, it’s her, isn’t it? You left me. You’re daring to turn me down for her? The short, fat soccer mom. Does she do all those freaky things I wouldn’t lower—?”

“Natalia!” A steel edge sharpened Andrea’s voice. “What’s between
Eva
and me is between us. You have no say whatsoever.”

“You’ll realize your mistake, and then you’ll beg me to take you back. You will regret this!”

The call disconnected with a click, and she dropped the phone back into the cradle. Falling back heavily in her chair, she scrubbed her palms over her face and blew out a heavy breath.

She was confused by Natalia’s actions. Her ex couldn’t say good-bye fast enough after hurling insults when they’d spoken before. The breakup had been coming for a long time. She’d never made promises of forever. Natalia didn’t want to ruin her model’s figure, and the thought having something normal like a family was beneath her.

Her breath caught at the thought of a family with her partner. What the hell had she been thinking? Fuck, her phone rang—her cell, not the office one—and with a tap to her Bluetooth, she connected the call. “Slade.”

“Have you destroyed the office yet, screwed up my system?” A smile spread across her lips at the sound of Eva’s voice.

“No, your files are completely intact, baby. Enjoying your personal day?”

“Yes, matter of fact I am, but I miss my sexy boss and wonder if she’s caffeinating enough to keep herself going.”

“Sexy boss? Should I be jealous?” Eva laughed.

“Yes, you should. There’s something about a woman in a suit that just does it for me.”

“What would your girlfriend think about this sexy boss you work for?” Smirking as the silence on the other end lengthened, she could almost picture Eva’s blush. “Speechless, Eva?”

“Girlfriend?” Her lover asked.

“Yes, what did you think you were?”

“I don’t know. I’m not going to complain about the girlfriend label.”

“I’m feeling the love, baby.” She looked around the empty office, her gaze stopping on the spot on the corner of her desk where Eva normally sat. “You ready to come back to work yet?” The chuckle on the other end of the line caused her to smile wider. Eva always seemed quick with a laugh or a grin. She found the sweetness of Eva’s disposition irresistible.

“Andrea, you only have three hours of office time left. I think you can survive.”

“Do you have to take days off?” she whined, and her woman chuckled louder. “You’re laughing at my pain. My girlfriend is supposed to adore me.”

“Aww, my poor baby can’t go a day without me.”

“No, I can’t, especially since I’ve had a taste.” She smirked at the gasp that morphed into a sexy little moan. “Got you thinking, baby?”

“I’ve done nothing but think about our weekend. It’s a wonder I get any work done with you just an office away.”

Tipping back in her chair, she lifted her feet to the desk. “Does that mean my woman wants a repeat performance?”

“Yes.”

“Come stay with me this weekend.”

She needed time with Eva. Hell, she wanted longer than a weekend.

“Yes,” Eva answered.

“You’re very agreeable.”

“I can say no if it makes me seem less easy.”

The statement would’ve rubbed her the wrong way if there hadn’t been an edge of amusement in Eva’s voice. “You are anything, but easy,” Andrea teased.

“What do you have planned for us?”

“Sappho, tomorrow night, so I can dance with you and show off my gorgeous woman. The rest of the weekend, we won’t leave my bed.” The thought of her lover in her bed made her want to start the weekend early. She rarely took days for herself. Why not do it to spend time with Eva?

“That sounds like a helluva plan. Should I pack a bag and bring it with me to work tomorrow?”

It danced on the tip of her tongue to tell Eva to be at her place when she got off work. They said patience was a virtue, yet she didn’t possess it. “And work clothes for Monday. You can leave your car in the garage for the weekend.”

“Okay, your wish is my command. I’ll plan for a long weekend.”

She closed her eyes and pictured the smile she could hear in Eva’s voice. Not much was happy-go-lucky in the world of a divorce attorney, but the woman made her days not so dismal.

“It’s a plan.”

The desk phone rang again and Andrea groaned.

“Back to work, boss lady. Call me when you get home.”

“It’s a date.” She reluctantly disconnected the call and reached for the still ringing phone. “Andrea Slade.”

Eva squeezed their laced fingers and walked into a wall of oppressive heat. Sappho was packed to capacity, the temperature rising with body heat. While they pushed through the crowd, Andrea kept her tucked close to her side, and she grinned.

“Andrea!”

Her gaze shot to a familiar voice. Marley Young—close friend of Andrea’s, but the younger woman almost never showed at Sappho.

“Marley, hey!” The tall women hugged, one-armed, and pulled back. Andrea tugged her in front of her. “You remember Eva?”

Eva snorted with amusement. Andrea knew she’d gone on a date with Marley but had quickly discovered, even though they’d had a blast together, they didn’t mesh in the romance department.

“How could I forget such a beauty?”

Eva barely hid a grin.

Marley took her hand and brought it to her mouth, brushing a kiss over her knuckles. “I dated her first, remember?”

“Mine.” Andrea’s growl was low and harsh, vibrating against her back. It made the mischievous light in Marley’s eyes brighten. “One damn date doesn’t a relationship make.”

Marley’s left brow shot upward. “Were you keeping count?”

Eva had realized how the two women loved picking at each other the very first she’d come to Sappho with Artie. Nothing was off limits. The last time Eva hung out with them, they’d argued back and forth like children about who was sexier. A woman across the club had been staring at their table. If she hadn’t known the two women as well as she did it would have seemed the size of their egos would explode at any moment. Marley swore the woman was checking her out and playfully flexed for good measure. Andrea had rolled her eyes and adjusted her tie, giving the woman a wink.

She’d just sat back and watched the two make fools of themselves. Hormonal teenage Studs trapped in supposedly grownup female bodies. When the object of their attention had approached the table it had been to ask Eva to dance. Eva had laughed and pushed Andrea out of the booth to go dance leaving her two favorite women to stare and pout. A nip to her knuckles brought her attention back to them.

“Now, Andrea, I don’t see a ring on her precious finger. Besides, I’m sexier than you will ever hope to be, and I’m younger.” Marley’s shaggy, perfectly mussed hair framed a beautiful, makeup-free face. She reminded Eva of the actress who played Shane.

She bit the inside of her lips. Her woman removed Eva’s hand from Marley’s and wrapped herself around Eva. She leaned back into the slender body and didn’t even attempt to keep the goofy grin off her face as she stroked Andrea’s forearms with her fingertips.

“So, my friend, you finally got your shit together, huh?” Marley smiled, all signs of friendly harassment gone.

“Yeah, I did.” Andrea grinned back.

Eva shivered when Andrea pressed her face into the curve of her throat and brushed a teasing kiss to her skin.

“About damn time. We’ve watched you two dance around each other for too long. A few of us were planning an intervention. You hogged this beautiful woman. No one else had a chance.”

“A successful plan, if I do say so myself.”

Eva spun in Andrea’s arms, pretending to glare up at her. “You had a plan?”

Her lover smirked, nodding her head. “Oh, yeah, I called dibs.”

“Oh, really? Isn’t that interesting?” An evil smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and she kept her gaze on her woman. She spoke over her shoulder. “Marley, how about a dance?”

“Hot damn!”

She squeaked as slim fingers grabbed her hips and tugged her toward the dance floor.

“Andrea, I want my usual.” Eva blew a kiss, and Andrea’s eyes narrowed. The frown on her face promised payback. She couldn’t wait.

Marley pulled her close as they began moving to the music, hips grinding, and the other woman’s hands everywhere. Marley increased the pressure on her hips and turned her, pressed tightly to her back. A palm very much like Andrea’s rested low on her belly, but the other woman didn’t make her heart race or make heat and wetness gather between her thighs.

Marley’s fingers began a slow, flirty trip south, and she grinned. One minute she moved against Marley’s trim frame, the next she peered up into a dark gaze glowing with jealousy. “What, ba—?”

Andrea’s lips slammed down onto hers, a tongue thrust roughly into her mouth.

Music faded, no one else existed. She clung to her lover while strong fingers gripped her hips with bruising force. Somewhere in the back of her desire-clouded brain, a loud chorus of damns and whistles swirled around her, but the only thing she cared about was the woman possessively holding her, claiming her for anyone to see. The kiss broke too suddenly, making her dizzy.