Melanie blew out a breath when Esther finally crawled up her body, covering her with her length, kissing her with the lingering flavor of herself. Melanie curled her arms around Esther’s back and cradled her as she came down from the pinnacle of her release.

  Eventually their kisses slowed, and Melanie knew what was next. Surprisingly, she wasn’t nervous so much as she was lost. She didn’t know what Esther liked or didn’t like. She didn’t know what to do or where to touch. It had been so long since she’d had sex with someone that it felt like a lifetime or two had gone in between.

  “Esther,” Melanie said, kissing Esther’s warm skin on her neck and breathing in her scent.

  Esther didn’t verbally answer. Instead, she grabbed Melanie’s hand and brought it between her legs, sliding two of Melanie’s fingers through her hot slit. “See how much I like it? Don’t doubt yourself, Mel. I want you.”

  Melanie’s fingers were encased in warm heat. Esther hadn’t been lying, and the physical reminder of what they did to each other was so welcome. She shuddered as she moved her fingers of her own accord, and Esther released her hand and sighed as she rolled onto her back next to Melanie.

  Shifting, Melanie moved to get up on her knees. She put her hand right back where it had been, playing and toying but with no intention of bringing Esther to the precipice that way. Bending down, Melanie kissed Esther deeply, every moment of fear or worry about knowing what to do gone as she did to Esther exactly what Esther had done to her.

  Melanie started with her breasts, licking, tasting, teasing. She reveled in the softness of Esther’s skin, the squishiness of her curves, the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

  Esther’s noises were so soft that Melanie had to strain to hear them. Her breathing quickened as Melanie moved down. She didn’t take her time like Esther had. Instead, Melanie settled onto her belly and slid her tongue in a circle around Esther’s clit and smiled when she elicited a tiny moan in reaction.

  She’d known from the start that Esther was not someone who was overly talkative, so it didn’t surprise her that she was quiet when making love. Melanie grinned inwardly as she repeated her move. It took her a second to feel a little more confident, but when Esther mumbled out, “Oh, I like that,” Melanie repeated the movement exactly.

  She didn’t let up, she didn’t slow down, she kept the same slow rhythmic pace from when she had started. She wanted Esther to feel absolutely everything she was doing, every moment that it took for her to lose control because that was exactly what an orgasm was. It would be Esther losing all semblance of control over her body and giving it over to Melanie, and that was more beautiful than anything.

  She stayed between Esther’s legs, playing her, teasing her, pleasuring her until Esther tightened her grasp on Melanie’s shoulders, dull nails digging into her skin until she relaxed and settled fully into the mattress. Joy gurgled inside Melanie as she stretched out next to Esther, trailing her fingers over cooling flesh.

  This had been all she wanted and more. She was so happy that they had waited, that she hadn’t pushed, that they had both been ready for this to happen. Melanie moved onto her side and threw an arm over Esther’s belly, tugging her in closer and closing her eyes as she buried her face into Esther’s shoulder and hair.

  “See?” Esther started. “I told you that you knew what you were doing.”

  Melanie snorted. “I’ll give you this one. But the next time, you’re not going to get it so easy.”

  “Hell, I hope the next time is just as easy. What do you say we go for another round?”

  Groaning, Melanie kissed Esther’s neck. “Only if I get to sleep here again, because I’m not sure my legs will carry me home if we do this again.”

  Esther let out a full-fledged giggle, the sound shivering up Melanie’s spine.

  “Oh, I fully expected you to stay the night again.”

  Not quite sure what she’d just signed herself up for, Melanie tugged Esther into her and held on tightly, not wanting to let go. At least for one night, Esther was hers, and she would take every moment like this that Esther would give her.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  All week, Esther had spent as much time as possible with Melanie but also tried to give her all the time she wanted with her family. With Becky gone and Jeremy flying out that day, Esther sat alone in her house, waiting for her phone to chime with some sort of message from Melanie.

  Their one night together had been amazing, unlike anything Esther could have even hoped for. She had been so relaxed, so at ease with herself. She hadn’t lied when she told Melanie that she was never fully ready for sex, even years after everything that had happened with Carlisle and Skip, but Melanie had been so understanding about everything. She’d been tender and careful and attentive.

  Esther couldn’t stop the smile that echoed on her lips from it. She wanted to have that again. She wanted Melanie with her in the quiet moments when she was lonely, when she tried not to think about Anthony and what he might be going through. Esther frowned at her phone.

  She was supposed to get him back the next day, and somewhere in her mind she’d always suspected Skip would try to ditch Anthony on her early because of it being a good holiday for drinking and women, but she hadn’t heard a single peep from him in a week. Without seeing Anthony at school, the loneliness had set in harder than it had all year.

  She should have anticipated that, but she’d forgotten so quickly what it was like since she now had almost daily access to her son through the school. Summers would be the worst. Esther swallowed hard as she fingered her phone, flipping it in a circle in her palm.

  Finally her phone rang, causing Esther to jump. Glancing at the screen, she smiled when she saw Melanie’s name. Answering immediately, Esther sank into her couch cushion. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Melanie’s voice sounded slightly distorted as she spoke through the microphone on the car as she drove. “I’m just leaving Denver.”

  “Nice drive down?”

  “It was enlightening, that’s for sure.”

  Esther frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “I’ll tell you when I see you. That’s a face-to-face conversation. Trust me.”

  “That doesn’t sound good.” Esther played with the edge of her shirt before reaching up to grab her blanket and throw it over her legs. She wanted to ask Melanie over again that night, but she wasn’t sure how to get the words out. Sharing her wants and desires had never been a normal part of the committed relationships she had been in, but she wanted to do things differently with Melanie, and she thought for the first time that she might be able to.

  “It’s not bad,” Melanie added. “Please tell me you don’t have Anthony tonight so I can come over.”

  Esther grinned, but at the same time, a wave of sadness filtered through her. She didn’t want to be like Skip, getting rid of her kid so she could have a night with a woman without interruptions. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Esther pushed through the guilt to focus on the good feelings Melanie brought out in her. Instead, it seemed tainted now with shame.

  “Yeah, I get him back tomorrow.” Her voice had a hollow tone to it that hadn’t been there before, and she hoped Melanie didn’t detect it with the distraction of driving. The last thing she wanted was to explain that one to someone who wasn’t even her girlfriend yet.

  “Good. Though I am sorry he missed meeting Jeremy.”

  Esther’s lips quirked. “I have a feeling Anthony would stick to Jeremy like glue.”

  “I’m pretty sure the feeling would be mutual. Jeremy’s always lamented the amount of estrogen in our house. When Becky married Preston, he was elated, but then Preston hasn’t always been involved in our family quite like Becky is in his.”

  “It happens.” Esther frowned as her phone buzzed. Moving the device from her ear, she glanced down to see Skip was calling. Her heart raced, and her stomach plummeted. “Mel, I’ve got another call.”

  “Okay. I’ll swing by your house when I get back to town.”

  “Okay. See you soon.” Esther switched calls, her brow drawing together as she bolstered herself for whatever conversation might come. “Hey, Skip.”

  “Esther.” He sounded worried, which was odd coming from him. “I’m at the hospital with Anthony.”

  “What?” Esther sat up straight, her heart plummeting in seconds. “What’s wrong?”

  “He has a fever, and I couldn’t get it down. It got high.”

  “How high?” Esther was already standing up and grabbing her jacket and purse. She wasn’t about to sit in her house and wait for information from Skip, and she knew this was the one thing that he wouldn’t hold her back from.

  “One-oh-four.”

  Esther hissed as she slipped out her front door and shut it. “Are you in the ER?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Esther hung up as she locked the door and raced to get behind the wheel of her car. She was true to her word, and in ten minutes, she walked into the emergency room and was directed back to where Anthony was.

  Skip stood in the far corner of the small little curtained area, his arms crossed as he glowered at her. Esther swallowed hard when she saw Anthony on the large bed, pale and lethargic. His eyes brightened when he saw her, and Esther moved in, bending down to press a kiss to his forehead. Damn, he is burning up.

  “What did they say?”

  Skip shook his head. “Some virus that’s going around.”

  “Yeah, but how are they getting his fever down?” Esther gave Skip a pointed look.

  “They gave him some medicine, but that’s it so far.”

  “Which one?”

  “Tylenol.”

  Esther clenched her jaw at his slow answers. “How long have you been here?”

  “I called when we got here. It’s slow, so they were able to get him back here pretty quickly.”

  “Good.” Esther brushed her fingers over Anthony’s greasy hair. “How long has he been sick?”

  “Few days?”

  Esther raised her eyebrows in Skip’s direction. “Really?”

  He nodded. “He was doing okay until tonight, when his fever spiked. I called the doctor and she said to bring him in.”

  “Good.” Esther took a calming breath. So far, Skip had done what he should have done. Still, it worried her that Anthony couldn’t get his fever down. “Did you try a cool bath?”

  Skip shot her a look. “No. I brought him here.”

  “Okay,” Esther answered, giving as placating a tone as she could. Then she softened her tone, not wanting to argue in front of Anthony, especially when he felt awful. “We’ll figure it out.”

  Esther spent two hours in the ER before they finally released Anthony with nothing more than to take Tylenol to keep the fever down. Skip touched her arm, and Esther winced from the move before stepping to the opposite side of the bed.

  “Why don’t you take him home,” Skip said, his gaze soft.

  She couldn’t tell if he was being considerate of her feelings on the matter or if he didn’t want to deal with a sick kid for another night. Esther wasn’t sure she wanted to question it either. “Are you sure?”

  Skip nodded at her. “It’ll be better in the long run.”

  She desperately wanted to ask him if he had plans for that night and was trying to pawn Anthony off on her so he could still go through with them, but she kept her mouth shut. Pushing Skip never ended well for anyone.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  They waited another thirty minutes to be officially discharged, and Skip carried Anthony out to Esther’s car, sliding him into his seat and buckling him. Esther planted a kiss on Anthony’s clammy forehead again, brushing her fingers over his skin as she stepped away to shut the door.

  “Let me know how he’s doing.”

  “Yeah.” Esther eyed him carefully, trying to figure out what game Skip was playing. He was rarely this nice when he didn’t have to be, and she knew he was going to ask for something in return soon enough. It was only a matter of time, or he’d throw it in her face that she hadn’t allowed him to take Anthony home because he would twist the entire situation to his advantage. Preparing herself for that, Esther shifted around Skip’s bulky form and sat in the driver’s seat.

  Melanie hadn’t heard from Esther since they’d hung up the phone, but the unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach hadn’t eased up any. For the last hour of her drive from Denver to Cheyenne, her stomach had been in knots. She’d tried to call Esther back, but there had been no answer.

  Instead of driving to her house, Melanie went straight to Esther’s. Parking outside the small white home, Melanie sat in her car. Esther’s SUV was gone. Frowning, Melanie tried her again on her cell phone, but there was still no answer.

  Leaving her vehicle running, Melanie jogged to the front door and knocked. Then she waited, her heart in her throat. When there was no answer, Melanie bounced in her shoes and looked around. Something was so odd about the situation.

  Biting her lip, Melanie stared at her car. She knocked again, hoping Esther was just in the shower or something but knowing she wasn’t. She would have answered. She walked slowly to her car, fingering her phone the entire time. As she slid into her car again, her phone finally rang.

  “Esther,” Melanie breathed as she answered.

  “Hey. I’m sorry. I have to cancel tonight.” Nerves and exhaustion filled Esther’s voice.

  Melanie frowned and closed her eyes, listening deeply to try and see if there was something else hidden behind the words. “What’s going on?”

  “Skip called. He was in the ER with Anthony. He’s sick. He’s fine, I promise. I think Skip just overreacted for once in his life. He’s got a high fever.”

  “Oh, Esther, I’m so sorry.” Melanie pinched the bridge of her nose. “Where are you now?”

  “We’re on our way back. I have Anthony with me since I was supposed to get him tomorrow anyway.”

  “Right.” Melanie sighed. Now they would have to wait a while to have another night alone together, which she could easily do, even though she wanted that time with Esther. “What can I do for you?”

  “Oh!” Esther sounded surprised by the question, and Melanie supposed she might be. It wasn't as though Esther had been in a lot of reliable romantic or platonic relationships in the past. “I think we can manage.”

  “Esther, I’m here for you and for Anthony. Tell me what I can do.”

  “Really, I think we’ll be fine.”

  Melanie pressed her lips together tightly and was just about to put her car in drive and pull away when she noticed Esther’s car turning onto their street. She stopped and smiled at the sight of the vehicle. “I actually see you. I was at your house when you called.”

  “Are you?” Esther sounded surprised.

  “Yeah.” Melanie watched as Esther pulled into the driveway and parked. Hanging up, she got out of her own car after turning off the engine and pocketing the keys. She immediately walked up to Esther’s door, opening it for her. Esther looked beat and worried and over-the-top stressed. Melanie held her hand out to help Esther get out of the vehicle before shutting the door and stopping her with a light touch on her arm. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m just worried.”

  “I know.” Melanie eyed her carefully, reading every small detail in her gaze. “But that’s not everything.”

  Esther swallowed hard, glancing at the ground before she dragged her gaze back up to Melanie. “Skip still wanted to go out tonight, which I’m sure is why he called me. That and he doesn’t know anything about Anthony’s medical history.”

  “Are you sure that’s it?”

  “Mostly. We can talk in a bit. I want to get him inside and in a cool bath.”

  “Let me help. I raised four kids, so I do know some things about parenting, and at the very least, let me be there for you tonight. You take care of Anthony, and I’ll take care of you, okay?”

  Esther paused, freezing in place as she studied Melanie. She knew Esther was debating, that she was weighing the options of accepting help and letting Melanie in just that little bit more, of allowing Anthony to see the two of them together in an entirely different capacity. Not the relationship they had begun building the night before, but the friendship they were growing together.

  “Okay,” Esther whispered.

  Melanie grinned and squeezed Esther’s arm lightly. “Give me your keys so I can get the door while you get him.”

  “Thanks.” Esther handed over the keys to the house while she walked around to the other side of the vehicle.

  Melanie walked right up to the front door, inserting the key, then holding the door open so Esther could come inside with the precious cargo she carried. Anthony did not look well at all. His skin was ashen, his eyelids half-closed—though they opened slightly when they landed on her, as if in surprise—and his cheeks a flushed red. As soon as they were all inside, Melanie locked the door the way she knew Esther liked it and placed the keys on the dining room table.

  She went to the kitchen to make some tea and see what Esther had to offer Anthony to keep him hydrated. Fevers were exhausting for everyone, and while Esther worked on getting Anthony’s down, she wanted to keep everything else running smoothly.

  Anthony spent forty minutes sitting in a cold bath, crying and whining about how he didn’t want to be in the cold water as he shivered while his fever dropped. Melanie had checked in on them several times, giving them both as much privacy as possible but standing next to the door. Her heart broke for the kid.

  Finally, after what seemed like forever, Esther wrapped Anthony up in a towel and got him dressed in clean pajamas. Melanie read him a book while Esther snuggled next to him in his bed until he fell asleep just as the sun began to set.