Julia followed Reed down the hallway and then up to the second floor. The twins shared a room and she waited in the doorway as Reed went to check on them. Both were sleeping soundly in the two side-by-side beds. Reed switched off a light someone had left on and then kissed each forehead before pulling both blankets up to their chins. She closed the door carefully and then turned to Julia.

  “Do you want to go back downstairs?”

  Julia shook her head. She glanced down the hall at a closed door and guessed it was the master bedroom. “Your room?”

  “If we go in there I won’t be able to concentrate on a conversation—if that’s what you were hoping for.”

  “I like conversations,” Julia said. “But I think we did that already.”

  Reed smiled, stepping closer. “It’s been hard waiting these two weeks…”

  “Tell me about it. That’s why I want to see your room.”

  Julia closed the distance to Reed’s lips. She wanted to strip Reed—tie first. They kissed the length of the hallway with Julia only managing to loosen Reed’s tie before they reached the bedroom door. Reed had her distracted. She’d unzipped Julia’s dress and her warm hands had slipped under the fabric to move up and down her back. By the time they’d crossed the threshold, Julia was ready for Reed’s hands to move lower on her body.

  Reed closed the bedroom door, kicked off her shoes, and started undoing her belt. She caught Julia watching her and stopped. “Am I going too fast?”

  “Not fast enough.”

  For a split second, Julia was embarrassed by her answer, but then she saw Reed’s face—a hint of a smile and then the longing in her eyes. She pulled Julia into another kiss, her chest pressed close against hers.

  When they got to the bed, Reed let go of Julia’s hand long enough to push the comforter down. She’d dropped her pants along with the belt but was still wearing the tie and her pressed white shirt was still perfectly buttoned.

  Julia smiled. “I like your outfit.”

  “I like yours better.” Reed slid her hand up Julia’s leg, pushing the dress up to reveal the red silk underwear. One fingertip traced the edge of the silk. When her fingertip came to the middle seam, Julia held her breath. If Reed wanted to push the fabric aside and dip inside she wouldn’t resist. She was having trouble waiting as it was. But instead, Reed traced the curve of Julia’s underwear up the other leg hole.

  Tonight she didn’t want foreplay. She wanted Reed to take her hard and fast. She started to take off her own dress and Reed caught her hand. Julia moaned softly. “Please?”

  The word slipped out but before she could be embarrassed, Reed responded with a half smile that made Julia realize it was exactly what she wanted to hear. Reed had the dress off a moment later and then ran her hands up and down Julia’s arms, kissing from her bra strap to her lips. Julia was too turned on to wait much longer. She kicked off her heels and sank down on the bed but Reed only looked down at her.

  Julia shifted to sit on the edge, wondering if that was what Reed wanted. Reed watched her, licking her lips. When Julia parted her legs, Reed swallowed and stepped toward her. She pushed Julia’s knees further apart and then moved between her legs. Kissing her again, she slipped her hand around to unhook Julia’s bra.

  Reed murmured her satisfaction as she cupped Julia’s breasts. She plied her nipples, rolling the tips between her fingers only hard enough for Julia to want a little more pressure as she found Julia’s lips. Their kiss deepened and Julia longed for Reed to reach between her legs.

  But then a moment later Reed was guiding her up to the pillows as she moved on top of her. With every kiss, Julia wondered if she’d come before Reed even touched her clit.

  When Reed finally reached between Julia’s legs, her satisfied moan turned Julia on even more. As Reed’s fingertip brushed over her swollen clit, Julia silently begged her to push inside. She circled and stroked, bringing Julia close but not giving her the satisfaction of what she wanted. “I want something inside,” Julia finally asked.

  “I know you do,” Reed returned, still holding back.

  “Please,” Julia murmured again. When Reed only stroked her clit, Julia met her gaze. She’d beg if that was what Reed wanted. “Please…I need you to fuck me…Please.”

  Reed’s eyes darkened. “That’s better.”

  Julia couldn’t hold back a moan when Reed entered her. Pressing against Reed’s hand, she clutched the sheets, enjoying the pulse of pleasure mixed with the pain. Reed was clearly turned on by the power play, while Julia realized in that same moment that playing submissive was her natural inclination. Giving in to Reed’s dominance only added to her own bliss. She’d say please to anything that made her feel this good.

  Reed moved so Julia’s leg was between hers and started grinding on her thigh. With every thrust, her thumb raked across Julia’s clit. The roughness of it and the intensity of Reed’s desire was exactly what she wanted. A climax was starting and she didn’t try to slow it down. She didn’t need to. Reed wanted her like this.

  When the orgasm caught her, she clutched Reed’s arm, desperate to keep her hand in place. Reed’s thumb pressed into her swollen clit and she couldn’t hold back. As she cried out, her nails sank into Reed’s wrist.

  Reed held her, one arm wrapped around her back and the other still between her legs, until she finally relaxed. Julia dropped back onto the pillows, her whole body tingling and her mouth slack. Reed kissed her cheek and then her neck. Julia couldn’t move her lips to kiss her in return.

  Slowly she became aware of the fact she was lying diagonally across the bed. Reed had stretched across the length of her body and her weight was so satisfying Julia didn’t want to move. She ran her hand up Reed’s leg to her boxers.

  “You’re still dressed,” Julia said. “How’d that happen again?”

  Reed shifted onto her side and met Julia’s gaze. “Do you want me to take off my clothes?”

  “Can you keep the tie on?” If Julia wasn’t still under the effects of the orgasm, she was certain she would have stopped at that. But now she was ready to voice her fantasy aloud: “I know you said you had your own plan, but…” Okay. Maybe she wasn’t quite ready. She couldn’t bring herself to ask out loud for the strap-on as much as her body was begging her to.

  “But?”

  “I’ve been thinking about what you said at dinner. Well, I was thinking about it before then too…”

  “Thinking about what?” Reed had already started unbuttoning her shirt. She slipped the tie off her collar and then pulled off the shirt. The tie hung loose around her neck and down her naked chest.

  Julia’s words caught in her throat. Reed leaned close and kissed her. She wanted her to guess what she wanted without having to ask. One kiss and then another. How was Reed so good at this? Must be practice. Lots of practice. Julia wished that thought hadn’t crossed her mind. Yes, of course, it was obvious Reed was better at sex than she was—but who wasn’t? And what difference did it make if she’d had more partners or more sex?

  Reed pulled away from her lips. She stared at Julia for a moment and then drew a line across her brow. “You okay?”

  Julia nodded. What had happened? A minute ago she’d nearly asked for a strap-on and now she was thinking she had no business being in Reed’s bed at all. Reed could have anyone she wanted. It wouldn’t have been hard at all for her to catch someone more attractive, someone more adventurous, or at least someone who was competent in bed.

  “Should we talk?”

  Julia shook her head.

  “Still trying to leave the thinking for later?” When Julia didn’t respond, Reed continued, “The thing is, I am really wet. Almost embarrassingly wet. And my clit needs a little something.”

  “Embarrassingly wet?” That was enough to rally Julia’s resolve. If part of why she was here was to get better at sex, she couldn’t let her mind get in the way.

  “It’s a problem,” Reed said, reaching between her legs.

  “I want you to wear your strap-on,” Julia blurted out.

  Reed grinned. “That’s what you were thinking about earlier?”

  “All through dinner.”

  “And now you tell me.” Reed leaned over Julia and kissed her again.

  “Please?”

  Reed shook her head. “Tomorrow.”

  Julia almost argued, but Reed caught her hand and brought it up to her lips. She kissed her fingertips and then guided Julia down to her groin.

  Reed moaned when Julia pressed between her legs. She was wet, exactly as promised, and her clit was as hard as one of the marbles downstairs. As Julia compared it, she knew she’d never be able to pick up a marble again without thinking about Reed.

  Reed moved against Julia’s hand, murmuring as she did, “Tomorrow I can show you the box I keep in the closet.” Her eyes closed and her lips parted. “Keep doing that to my clit…I have handcuffs, silk ties…Cocks in about every size you could want. Lots of vibrators. And rope if you’re into that.”

  “Maybe.” Julia didn’t want to admit she’d never tried any of it. She wanted to start with the strap-on, but the idea of being tied up was appealing too. She circled the edges of Reed’s center and then back to her clit, dragging a finger over it.

  Julia stroked back and forth, wondering if this was what she’d meant when she’d told her to keep doing what she’d been doing and then wondering how long she should keep it up. A familiar twinge of uncertainty made her fingers unsteady. She’d never gotten Sheryl off this way, but Reed had moved so her center was squarely on Julia’s hand and she was grinding faster. Still, her fingers were uncoordinated, and she wanted to tell Reed she wasn’t good at finger sex despite that one night in Hawaii and also she had no clue on how to use toys with someone else. But then she noticed the expression on Reed’s face. Julia held her hand in place and Reed stroked over it a few more times before she climaxed.

  It was almost too easy. But damn did it feel good. There’s no way she’s faking either, Julia thought, unable to hide her smile of satisfaction. She loved how Reed didn’t hold back the sounds of her pleasure.

  Reed lay on her for a minute, recovering, and then when her breathing slowed, she rolled off. Julia tried to relax too, but she knew sleep wasn’t coming for her.

  “It’s not that I don’t want to play with toys,” Reed said, several minutes later, her voice relaxed with the afterglow. “I used to be really into all of that. But tonight I wanted your hand.”

  “I noticed.” Julia turned on her side and moved her hand over Reed’s chest. “Can I tell you a secret?”

  Reed nodded. Her eyes were closed, which made it easier to go on. Julia exhaled. “You’re the only person I’ve ever gotten off.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “I’m serious. You should talk to my ex-girlfriends.”

  Reed opened her eyes and shifted onto her elbow. “I think we already established that you are not terrible at sex. Did you notice how fast I came?”

  “I love that about you. It’s a big confidence boost for me.”

  “Confidence boost?” Reed laughed again. “Happy to oblige.”

  “This is going to sound weird, but I want to see your toys before we use them. So I’m not nervous.” And then of course she was nervous. But she pressed on anyway. “I’ve never been with someone who I felt comfortable with trying things like that. Don’t judge.”

  “No judging,” Reed said. “But…you know it’s possible your exes were the issue, not you.”

  Julia shook her head. “It’s all me. Fortunately, you’re good enough at this for both of us.”

  “This isn’t all me,” Reed argued.

  Before Julia could explain exactly why it was all her, Reed had gotten out of bed. She opened the closet door and then stepped inside, half closing the door to get something from a shelf on the other side that Julia couldn’t see. A line of shirts filled one rack and pants half-filled the other. The closet was one of the most ordered she’d seen. No mess in sight. Even the shoes were all on a rack.

  Julia closed her eyes. Reed had her life together, that was clear. Which was why this worked. Reed took care of details and didn’t expect her to do anything on her own. They weren’t making love; they had an arrangement for sex. At least one benefit was that she could be honest.

  The room was warm and she felt perfectly comfortable lying on the bed nearly naked without any blankets. She reached between her legs and felt the wetness there. Although the orgasm had been exactly what she needed, she wanted more. She’d have to wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow. No way was she leaving tonight. That plan had gone out the window. Julia eyed the trail of her clothing from where her dress had landed to her heels. She liked seeing her mess in Reed’s space. Spreading her legs, she fingered her folds, thinking of what she’d let Reed do to her. She stopped as soon as the closet door opened again.

  Reed came back to the bed. Julia heard her footsteps, then felt the mattress give as she climbed into bed, but she only opened her eyes when she set a wooden box alongside her.

  “Looks like a pirate treasure box.”

  Reed chuckled. “Close.”

  Julia sat up and eyed the contents. She picked up a dildo, dark burgundy and ribbed with fake veins that she found herself tracing. The shaft was longer and wider than some she’d seen. She found another smaller version under this one and then a leather harness. “This harness is nice.”

  “I like it too,” Reed said. She picked up a bullet vibe. “This goes at the base of the little cock. The bigger one doesn’t have a spot for a vibrator. I have a midsized one somewhere in here that has a life of its own…the more you stroke it, the more it changes up the speed.” Reed sorted until she found what she was looking for and held up a different dildo. “If you’re new to this, we’ll probably start with something like this. You can turn it off so it doesn’t start vibrating until you need it. And it goes in easier than the bigger size, but it’s not going to slip out like that little one. Judging from how much you like my fingers inside you, I think you can take this.”

  Reed was so matter-of-fact that Julia decided to search through the rest of the box. She picked up something that looked like a cheerleader’s pom-pom crossed with a whip.

  “Flogger. Gotta be in the right mood for that.” Reed picked up a pair of velvet handcuffs. “Maybe you’d like these? My suggestion with all of this is to start tame and only try what you’re ready for. It’s more fun that way.” She held up two metal pieces that Julia recognized as nipple clamps and then a handful of scarves in different colors next. “Or we jump right in and go straight for the tie downs…”

  “What’s in here?” Julia had pulled out a small, unmarked box that was still taped as if no one had opened it yet.

  “Um, yeah. That…” Reed grinned. “That’s a butt plug. I was going to take that out of the box, but I couldn’t find it when I was in the closet looking for it.”

  “I was wondering why you were in there for so long.” This time, Julia laughed. “It looks new. Have you tried it?”

  “No.” Reed scratched her head, further messing up her already messed-up hair. Julia loved the look. The sheepish expression on her face was endearing. “It’s been on my to-do list.”

  “I want a peek at that list.” Julia smiled. “What about everything else in here?”

  “I’ve tried everything else,” Reed admitted. “And don’t worry, I’m ridiculously clean with all of that. Everything gets sanitized or I use a condom.”

  “Why am I not surprised?”

  Reed leaned back on the pillows, eyeing the mess on the bed and then reaching for Julia’s hand. “The thing is, I like vanilla too. We don’t have to do anything crazy.”

  Julia gathered up the toys and placed everything back in the box. If this was only about sex, she was going to learn all she could. “I think I need to try crazy.”

  Reed pulled her close and kissed her lips gently. The fire was gone, but the desire was still there. “Then we’ll start tomorrow. Tonight I just want to hold you.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Mornings are supposed to feel exactly like this, Julia thought. The house was still quiet and Reed’s arm was draped over her. Reed was still naked and pressed up against her back—a perfect combination of warmth and strength.

  A thin light slanted in around the edges of the shutters. She had to pee, but she stayed put for another minute. The room smelled of sex. Reed had made her orgasm more than once. But the feeling of Reed climaxing on her hand was better than all of that. If only what they’d done last night could be every night…

  When a knock sounded on the door, Reed shifted away from Julia and sat up. She rubbed her eyes and carefully climbed out of bed, probably hoping to let Julia sleep. By the time she’d reached the door, she’d pulled on a shirt and boxers. Bryn was standing on the other side, bouncing on her toes. Reed held her finger up to her lips to stop Bryn from asking whatever question she was dying to ask and then slipped out of the room. The door closed softly behind her, and Julia felt the first swell of regret. Even if last night had been perfect, this wasn’t the start of a real relationship. She had to be okay with that.

  * * *

  “When are we going to the park?”

  Bryn had asked the same question five times in a row, and still Reed only smiled and said, “Soon, kid. Are your shoes on yet?”

  Carly was standing by the door with her shoes and her jacket on. She was fussing with a bicycle helmet but refused any help. Reed checked her phone—she’d done so more than once, apologizing when she did and murmuring that it was something to do with work—and then glanced at Julia. “You ready?”

  “Ready.”

  Getting out the door had taken a little under an hour, but Reed had warned her the kids would be difficult the morning after a babysitter. Disrupted routines…They’d been a disaster all through breakfast, culminating with Bryn throwing her bowl of fruit at Carly and then a piece of buttered toast was hurled in retaliation. Ear-piercing screams had erupted a moment later. At one point, Julia was certain Reed was going to lose it and yell, but she managed to keep her cool and eventually she had both kids cleaning up the mess of fruit and toast. It was only then that Julia wondered if there was ever another parent involved. She didn’t ask, of course, but more questions came to mind. Did Reed ever get a break? Did she have help in the beginning and then that other mom bailed?