For the Night, page 9
“Maybe a dorky brat could teach you?” Nora suggested.
I grinned. “I’ve heard of worse ideas.” Then I gathered her hands in mine and kissed her knuckles, and I was rewarded with a faint blush bleeding onto her cheeks. “You’re getting under my skin, honey. That wasn’t the plan.”
She bit her lip as if she was trying to contain her smile. “To quote you from last night, that’s honest.”
Yeah, well.
“When one’s resolve breaks into a million pieces, all you have left is honesty.”
Part of me was still too wounded to rush into anything. Wounded from losing myself, nothing else. But I’d be an idiot if I didn’t at least give Nora a shot. She wanted it; I did too. Hell, I couldn’t go the whole event without seeking her out.
I wanted to open up to her. Tell her everything about myself, learn everything about her too, and pray she’d be okay with my sexuality being a little different.
“My heart’s freaking hammering right now,” she admitted.
She knew just what to say too. She made me hope. She ignited something within me that’d been stone-cold for years.
I leaned in and kissed her, and I cupped her cheek.
She smiled and kissed me back, and we—fuck, were interrupted by someone leaving. Or stepping out for a smoke. Whatever. Immediately annoyed, I broke the kiss and looked toward the door, only to see Ella there.
Good grief.
Excellent timing, really.
Seeing hurt slash through Ella’s features didn’t make a lick of sense, but I did see the fake indifference and anger coming from a mile away.
“I waited for you,” she said.
Nora cleared her throat and made a move to back away, and I didn’t let her. She wasn’t the intruder here; Ella was.
“I don’t know why,” I replied. “I’ve told you we have nothing to talk about.”
Ella’s jaw ticked, and she slid her gaze at Nora, then back to me. “It didn’t take you long to find a new toy.”
“Oh, meow.” Nora lifted a brow at her. “Have your claws always been catty, or is that a new feature?”
Salty hothead incoming.
I squeezed her hand and suppressed my smirk, because Ella was one insult away from lashing out.
“In response to what you said—I waited longer than you,” I told her. “You can leave now.”
She gnashed her teeth and stood there silently for a moment, but she had nothing. In the end, she headed down the porch steps and strode across the lawn toward the carport.
If I could catch a break, that would be the last I ever saw of her.
“So that was Ella.”
Nora snorted softly. “I saw her inside earlier. I guess she has some regrets.”
So she’d heard through the grapevine how our relationship had ended. I wasn’t surprised.
“I couldn’t care less.” I cared about what was right in front of me. I had to make sure I didn’t push Nora away anymore, and then… Fuck, I was too scared to hope or have any expectations, but I was going to open myself up for baby steps toward a future that didn’t depress me.
That was something, wasn’t it?
“What does the rest of your weekend look like?” I asked.
She quirked a curious smile and tilted her head. “I work tomorrow, ten to four. Then Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, ten to six.”
That sounded like retail. “What do you do?”
“I work at a reptile center in Arlington,” she responded. “Tiny place—it’s just the owner, me, and another part-time employee.”
All…righty…then. Reptiles. Snakes and stuff. Lizards. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised, given how close she and Lane were. Lane and Ty, with a side of Noa, were our reptile wizards.
“You like snakes and lizards,” I deduced.
She snickered, possibly because of my expression. I didn’t hate creepy-crawlies; I wasn’t afraid of snakes or anything, but I wasn’t fond of them either. I’d grown up in rattlesnake territory outside LA, so I could identify which ones got to stay on the property, which ones had to be removed, and which ones made me scream for Dad to take over.
“I love them, but I’ll never own one myself,” she answered. “The species I’m into are time-consuming and pretty expensive, so I’ll stick to working with reptiles and cuddling Lane’s babies.”
Lane’s babies.
“Have you heard of cats and dogs?” I had to ask.
She laughed and gave my arm an “oh, you” shove. “I love them too! But I live in a two-bedroom with three roommates, so that’s not happening anytime soon either.”
Oh, I remembered those days. When I’d moved out east for college, I’d shared a studio off campus with two other girls.
“But, so to, uh, circle back to what you asked earlier,” she went on. “I don’t have anywhere to be until ten tomorrow morning. Just so we’re clear.”
I smiled. I liked the sound of that.
CHAPTER FOUR
Nora Lilja
A few days later
“Someone’s got a date. You never rush out of here,” Cal noted.
I smirked and shouldered my messenger bag. “I have more than a date. I have a sleepover.” And the woman I’d be spending the night with was currently outside waiting to pick me up.
I was in heaven.
Well, cuddle heaven—so far. We’d spent the night on Saturday too, but nothing had happened besides kissing and cuddling. Which, to be honest, had been all kinds of perfect, because the Mistress in Penelope had come out to play. She hadn’t allowed me to derail her for a second. And she was clearly on a mission to get to know me.
“So that’s why you asked Ted to cover for you tomorrow?”
“Guilty,” I sang. “And on Sunday. See you next week!”
He chuckled. “Have a good one, kid.”
I blew kisses to my favorite lizards on the way out of the shop—particularly Daycrawler, who was being picked up by her new owner this weekend. They’d probably name her something ridiculous. To me, she’d always be Daycrawler.
I stepped out of one humid place and into another, though it wasn’t that bad yet. Come June, I’d hate Virginia just a little bit. It was why I tried to live in a swimming pool during the summer.
Just like she’d said in her text, Penelope was parked right outside in her old truck, and I beamed and opened the door.
“Hi!”
“Hey, sweet girl.” She patted the spot next to her, and I was quick to jump in. “You looking forward to a few days off?”
“So much.” I leaned over and kissed her cheek, because I wanted to. We didn’t have boundaries; otherwise, I would’ve gone straight for her kissable lips. But I had hope. The questions she asked me, the interest she had in my life—it wasn’t what one subjected a future buddy to so eagerly.
Last weekend, after the party, we’d spent a couple hours with the others by the pool, grilling burgers and talking and cozying it up in a lounger. And then she’d invited me to her cabin, where we’d lost track of time swapping childhood stories and how we’d eventually found kink. She’d once been invited to a party, whereas I’d found BDSM reading romance novels.
We’d friended each other online too, and we’d talked about friends’ activity in albums, discussion groups, and journals.
I wanted another weekend like that, only we switched out a daytime party for the big Game, and maybe we added sex to the repertoire, before we cuddled and talked all night.
Penelope had set a pace that I found myself needing but not wanting. The impatient girl who’d had a crush on Penelope for so long wanted to get down and dirty right freaking now, but I wasn’t sure my mind would be at ease if we’d gone that route. Instead, we’d texted a lot the past few days, and before we’d parted ways on Sunday morning, our alone time together had been so…almost tranquil. And fun.
“When were you and Ash getting together?” she asked.
“Tomorrow,” I answered. “He said he was bringing dinner.”
We were gonna discuss the last details of our boundaries and so on.
Penelope nodded and slowed down before a red light. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to sit in on your negotiation.”
Mind? Uh, no. Her wanting to join only showcased her interest.
“I don’t mind at all.” I smiled. “By the way, I saw you announced the next Game already online.”
She inclined her head. “It’s an annual event, so the Game will piggyback on the theme.”
An annual masquerade ball? Sign me up! With the announcement, they’d posted a couple photos from last year, and everyone had been dressed to the nines. It took place the first weekend of May, so I was gonna make sure I had that Sunday off too.
“Would you like to attend with me?”
Yes! A thousand times yes!
“I’d love to.” Gah, I wanted to bite her arm or something. Excitement bubbled up within me, and I couldn’t wait to find out what it would feel like to be her submissive.
Hopefully, I’d get a taste of that before the next Game. Today was Wednesday, and my schedule was wide open.
Before heading out to Mclean, Penelope proposed dinner, so we went to a Mexican place not far from where I lived. They had awesome queso, which really said a lot about a Mexican restaurant.
Once we’d ordered, my phone dinged with a message, and the designated tone let me know it was a certain group chat. But it would have to wait. I’d see Macklin and some of the others in an hour or so. He was the leader of this brat chat pack.
I put my phone on silent instead, and Penelope smiled and grabbed my hand on the table.
That gesture did something to me. As if I’d been floating in space before, she reeled me in and made me focus on my surroundings and on her. This was a date, wasn’t it? The tables did have tealights and white tablecloths to go with the multicolored cantina atmosphere. And everybody knew that candles and tablecloths meant date. Right?
“Did Master Lucian really send someone to assemble your furniture?” I asked.
She chuckled and nodded once. “Yup. They showed up bright and early on Monday. Two guys—they looked kinda lost on the property.”
I grinned. Well, aside from one of two features, nobody could guess it was a kink place from the outside.
Our sodas arrived, along with a basket of chips, salsa, and queso, and my stomach snarled with want.
“It feels nice to have the bed upstairs again,” she said, dragging a chip through the salsa. “And I can eat at a table instead of sitting on a mattress or a moving box.”
That was my everyday life, sans moving boxes. “You should see my place. My roommates are musicians, so our tiny kitchen is their storage space for instruments. Thankfully, I have my own room—they share. There isn’t much of a living room either.”
“Have you lived there long?”
“About two years,” I said, thinking back. “I returned home to Sweden for uni studies, and when I graduated, I was like, I can’t live with my parents again.” I chuckled and grabbed a couple chips. “Mom didn’t get it. She was all, you have more space in your old room, and you wouldn’t have to pay rent. And Dad kinda nudged her and was like, honey, she wants privacy. She’d rather pay rent and live in a dump than have us breathing down her neck.”
Penelope laughed. “I was the same way, except I had less of a choice. My dad didn’t understand why I didn’t move back to LA after I graduated. He kept saying I’d have less pressure if I stayed at home—I wouldn’t have to rush to find a job I wasn’t happy with—but…” She shrugged. “I’d found my home out here. And when you’re young, it’s okay to have two or three roommates and virtually no money because you’re free. Just…wait a few years, and you’ll start thinking it wouldn’t have been so bad to live with your parents.”
I snickered. Maybe she was right; maybe she wasn’t. It wasn’t like I enjoyed the no-money part, but yeah. I loved having my mother across town.
“I don’t know. I love my mom, and we have a great relationship, but it’s nice to have a Metro ride between us,” I said. “I hope…” Oh shit. I swallowed, and I accidentally forced down a piece of chip that was a size too large. Fuck. Ouch. Ohhh, the pain I put myself through in order not to say too much. I’d almost said I hoped Penelope wanted to meet my parents soon.
Yikes.
“Are you okay?” She was one part concerned and one part amused.
I coughed and guzzled my Sprite. “Dandy,” I croaked. And then I was always going to be me, and I found a way to say too much anyway. “I almost brought up meeting the parents with a woman who’s sworn off relationships, and now I’m paying for it.”
I rubbed my chest as the chip finally went down.
Penelope turned pensive, and the amusement softened in her eyes. “I’m going to try to be as honest as you are—because it’s very refreshing.” She paused, and I felt myself hold my breath. “I recently spent ten years with someone I thought I was going to grow old with,” she started by saying. “When that didn’t happen, I…I felt lost. And I still do, to a degree. I fell out of love with her, and it made me see all the flaws in our dynamic. I realized how the last few years had blinded me. I didn’t see my own unhappiness.”
I exhaled unsteadily.
“I’m not blind any longer, though.” She reached for my hand on the table again and linked our fingers together. “Even though it’s too soon for me to hope and have expectations, I recognize a forever-kind of girl when I see one, and I can’t be a for-the-night partner with her. I have to give her an honest chance. For her sake and mine.”
Herrejävlagud, jag tror jag älskar dig redan.
What did I say to that? How could I respond without it sounding super lame?
Heat bled onto my cheeks, and I swallowed hard.
“What, um…what makes you think I’m a forever-kind of girl?” I asked.
She smiled. “When I met Ella, I got swept away in a whirlwind that took me months to recover from—and in retrospect, I overlooked some things I shouldn’t have. With you, I don’t need or want the whirlwind. I think about you day and night, regardless. And I want to know everything about you. You’re stuck in my head like the most annoying song.”
She smirked to show she was teasing, and I felt so relieved. I needed that pressure release, mostly because I couldn’t form a coherent response, given the gravity of what she’d shared.
But man, did I light up like a Christmas tree. “You better learn the lyrics, Ma’am, ’cause I’m not going anywhere.”
She grinned and squeezed my hand. “Good. Just be patient with me. I’m not used to being rattled.”
“Do I rattle you?” I didn’t know why that made me smug.
“Girl, where do I begin,” she laughed.
Right here. This was our beginning. I could feel it. She was going to give us a chance.
A couple hours later, we were a world away, enjoying the last of the sunlight by the pool in Mclean. Penelope kept her hands to herself, for the most part, but she sure didn’t mind my going topless.
We shared a lounger, we shared a private little bubble, and we shared a drink.
“Gorgeous…” She dipped down and kissed my jaw, and I sighed contentedly and stretched out alongside her.
We didn’t have to talk much for me to know she was processing a lot. I caught her looking at me often, and I could tell she was living in her head tonight. And I couldn’t blame her. Maybe I wasn’t bringing a whirlwind into a future dynamic we might share, but I’d heard more than once that I could be a whirlwind all on my own.
“May I ask what you’re thinking about?” I asked.
She released a breath and caught a piece of my hair between her fingers. “Just…how you stormed into my life.”
Case in point. Storm, whirlwind, same thing.
“You’ve forced me to reconsider some things,” she murmured. “In a good way.”
I bit my lip, hesitating for a quick beat. “As long as I don’t overwhelm you. I’ve heard I can be…too much.”
She knitted her brows together and shook her head. “No. Think it of like the worst ringtone imaginable to wake up to, but the moment you wake up, you remember you’re going on a vacation.”
I exhaled a laugh, unsure that was a good thing. Even if I was off on an adventure I’d been looking forward to, I wanted to wake up without an alarm!
“Well, aren’t you two fuckin’ cute,” a very male voice said, bursting our bubble. It was Reese—I was fairly certain. Yeah, it had to be him. With the Tenley twins, you had to look at their tattoos to make sure.
He shed his tee and tossed it on a lounger, and it was followed by his trunks.
Penelope and I had gotten a glorious half hour all to ourselves.
“Always so naked,” Penelope said in response.
“Pffft, fuck that.” Reese gestured at me. “I have Nora on my side now. I don’t wanna hear shit about how little I wear.”
I smirked. “I’m gonna ride on a myth and claim I’m European, so that’s my topless excuse.”
He didn’t miss a beat. “I’m Southern. We need signs to tell us to wear shirts and shoes.”
I cracked up. He had a point!
Penelope’s shoulders shook with her silent laughter.
Reese dove into the pool at the same time as River and Shay emerged from their cabin, carrying towels and wearing trunks.
“Hi, Shay.” I waved. “Hello, Sir.”
River nodded once. “Evenin’.”
“Hey.” Shay walked over to us and lifted a brow at me. “Did you see the latest post from that weird account?”
I sat up instantly. “No—when was it? I checked it this morning.”
“Yeah, they posted about an hour ago,” he replied.
Oh my God, I had to check. I reached for my phone, and in my periphery, I noticed more people arriving. Two people I didn’t recognize, plus Gretchen. The latest addition to my friends list online. Like Nathan, she had reached out to me after I’d safeworded at their station, and I couldn’t really get past how compassionate they were here. Nathan had texted me both the same evening after the event and then the morning after too. Just to check in and make sure I was okay.
