Don't Get It Twisted, page 24
“That’s good. Anything else?” Claire stepped forward again, hunger written on her face as Haley lured her down the hall.
“He said I’m allowed to fuck again.” Haley glanced over her shoulder to see Claire’s reaction.
“He said that?” Claire half asked, half groaned before biting her lower lip.
“Well, not in exactly those words.” Haley stopped in the bedroom doorway. Their bedroom. They’d been officially living together for almost a month, and it was finally, finally time to consummate the arrangement. “‘Resume normal activities' was how he put it.”
“So I can do this?” Claire asked, and her hand was at the small of Haley’s back, fingertips pressing into the curve and pulling Haley into her.
Haley nodded, her breath catching in her throat. “You can do that.”
“And I can do this?” Claire’s hand slid lower, squeezing Haley’s ass.
“Yeah,” Haley whispered, melting into Claire’s touch.
“And this?” Claire dropped to her knees in front of Haley, her nose buried in the seam of Haley’s jeans, her breath hot through the thick denim.
“Especially that,” Haley sighed, the full force of her held-back desire stirring to life deep within her core.
Claire undressed Haley slowly, as if she hadn’t just spent weeks taking care of her at her least sexy and was just then discovering her for the first time. Unlike the first two times, there was no rush to claim each other, just languid sighs and soft caresses as Claire grazed the insides of Haley’s thighs with breathy kisses until Haley’s knees began to tremble.
“I need to sit down,” Haley murmured, starting to feel overwhelmed by the heat of the air in the space between them and how desperately she needed Claire.
“Are you okay?” Claire pulled back to look up at Haley, concern in her eyes.
“Very okay,” Haley said.
“Good,” Claire said, the playful glint returning to her gaze as she scrambled to the bed. “Then I can think of somewhere you can sit.” She lay down and beckoned Haley towards her, sending a jolt of excitement through Haley’s pussy.
Was she suggesting what Haley thought she was suggesting? She’d never sat on anyone’s face before, but the thought of riding Claire’s mouth until she came was exhilarating and natural and Claire was already guiding her into position, settling her warm hands on Haley’s thighs and pulling her down and thrusting her tongue into the folds of Haley’s wet cunt. Haley hesitated, afraid to settle onto Claire with her whole weight and suffocate her—how would she explain that one to the paramedics?—but Claire was insistent, her bright blue eyes hungering for more as her tongue worked its indefatigable magic and her hands reached up to toy with Haley’s swollen nipples, and soon Haley’s toes were curling into the mattress as she clutched the headboard with her good arm out of habit and moaned out Claire’s name.
“Fuck,” Haley exhaled heavily, her pussy throbbing from the long-awaited release. Claire’s chest rose and fell steadily beneath her ass, staving off any concerns that Haley was crushing her while catching her own breath. Still, she shifted to move away until Claire’s hands on her thighs held her in place.
“I was just getting started,” Claire said, her voice muffled in Haley’s curls. “As long as you’re still okay, that is.”
Haley responded by tilting her hips forward and gasping as Claire’s warm tongue ran the length of her slit before plunging into her. She moaned something incoherent and gripped the headboard as though she was clinging to the last shreds of her sanity, forest green velvet and thick foam crushing under her fingertips as she rode Claire’s mouth.
“Please,” she whimpered. “Please,” she begged, even though she was already coming undone, clenching around Claire’s tongue as pleasure washed over her for a second time. Her body was a quivering mess of nerve endings set on fire, but still she wanted more, to know that it would never end, that she and Claire would have forever.
Claire groaned beneath her and Haley realized she had been fingering herself as Haley came into her mouth. She looked like she was close, and Haley was suddenly desperate to bring her there. To feel her wetness and watch her eyes roll back and hopefully return to her a fraction of the pleasure she had given Haley.
Haley unstraddled Claire, laying beside her to kiss her deeply deeply, drawing Claire’s tongue into her mouth and tasting her own slickness on Claire’s swollen lips. Haley lowered her hand, tracing over the soft swells of Claire’s ribs and twirling around her flat naval before nudging Claire’s hand aside to take her place between her legs. She was so wet that Haley slid in easily, working two fingers against Claire’s inner walls until Claire groaned into her mouth.
Fuck. Claire was so turned on, and knowing how wet Claire was for her was turning Haley on again, and now that they had given in and started it was hard to see how they were ever going to stop. There was no reason to stop. For the first time, there were no planes to catch, no places to be.
Just each other, and the firm king bed, and the green velvet headboard. Claire’s legs twitched and she moaned, arching her back and bearing down onto Haley’s fingers as her body quivered and trembled. Her eyes, which had been locked on Haley’s since she walked through the door, closed softly and a smile played at the corners of her mouth.
“That was even better than I remembered,” Haley said after they lay together in silence for a while, cuddling as they descended back to Earth together. “Amazing, even.”
“You’re amazing,” Claire replied, kissing the tip of Haley’s nose. “And gorgeous. And smart. And sexy. And I can’t believe you’re mine.”
“We really have come a long way, haven’t we?” Haley sighed, thinking of everything that had changed in the past few months. Being in Claire’s arms was worth all of it.
“Definitely not what I expected when Whitney told me I was going to Oklahoma back in April.”
“Are you happy you moved here?” Haley rolled over to look at Claire, searching her eyes for the truth.
“I’m happy I’m with you,” Claire said, looking away.
That wasn’t really what Haley asked, though. “But you’d rather be living somewhere else.” It wasn’t like Haley could blame her. Claire was used to the East Coast, big city life. “I get it, Tulsa isn’t the most exciting place in the world.”
“It might be, I wouldn’t know.” Claire sighed. “We don’t ever go anywhere or do anything.”
“What do you mean?” Haley asked. “We were just over at Noah’s last night, and he had us over for brisket with the twins last week–”
“That’s exactly what I mean, though. We hang out here or we hang out with Noah. I want to go out, with just you.” Claire ran her thumb over Haley’s cheekbone and down her jawline. “On a real date. I know you’ve been recovering and I don’t want to rush that, but since the doctor gave the all clear, let’s go do something.”
“Okay,” Haley agreed. “I’ll plan a date.” Her mind raced to think of something they could do outside of the little haven they had created together. Going out to dinner was cliché and boring, and besides, they had already done that once. And it hadn’t ended well. Haley felt her cheeks getting hot as she remembered the cruelty of the internet that had followed. Yeah, she definitely wasn’t ready for that again. Especially because no one had even seen her in weeks outside of her comments on Noah’s stream that one time. “Something special, just for us.”
She played with Claire’s hair, twirling a strand between her fingers as Claire languidly stroked her hip. Claire deserved better than what the internet would throw at them. She had already sacrificed so much for Haley and everything still felt so new and fragile that Haley didn’t want to do anything that might jeopardize the bubble of tranquility they had built around themselves. She wasn’t ready for it to pop. Claire’s breaths deepened and her eyes closed as she dozed off with a smile pulling at her lips.
Haley had never planned a date for a woman before, let alone a date that needed to convince that woman to fall in love with a place as much as a person. She needed something that would show her Oklahoma as Haley saw it, with wild expanses of nothing stretching off into the distance and the bright stars shining deep in places civilization didn’t reach. She needed Claire to see the magic whispered in the wheat on the Plains, the sacred secrets that might convince her to stay. Losing Claire was not an option, not when Haley finally felt so close to having everything she never knew she wanted. So in the late afternoon sunlight that filtered through cheap plastic blinds, Haley began to formulate her plan.
***
“Don’t fuck my truck up,” Noah said, dropping the key into Haley’s outstretched palm. “You know she’s my baby.”
“I won’t,” she promised, turning to leave the office before she had to think about the work gathering dust on her desk. “It’s not like we’re going mudding.”
“You know, you could go get another car,” he said pointedly. “The insurance check came in weeks ago.”
“I know.” Haley bristled at the confrontation she knew was coming.
“It’s sitting on your desk.”
“I know.”
“Not gonna spend itself.”
“Noah…” She gave him a warning glance. He didn’t get it and she didn’t expect him to—not when she didn’t even understand it herself—but the least he could do was leave her alone about it. She was trying to get back to work; she just didn’t know where to begin. Rushing into buying another car didn’t feel like the right place to start.
“Have you checked the latest SPC outlook yet?”
“I’ve been busy.” Nothing could be further from the truth, and Haley knew Noah knew it.
He opened his mouth and then closed it again, shaking his head instead of saying whatever he was thinking. Good. Haley didn’t want to hear it. “Have fun with Claire,” he finally said, turning back to his array of monitors.
That was the spirit, and exactly what Haley planned to do. “I will,” she said defiantly, before she realized he wasn’t fighting her and had just done her a favor. It probably wouldn’t hurt to show a little gratitude. “I mean, thank you.” He glanced over his shoulder at her, one eyebrow raised. “Maybe I don’t say it enough, but I mean it. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
“I know you do,” he said, the tensed muscles in his shoulders relaxing as he broke into his easy, dimpled smile and waved her away. “Now get on out of here and go show that city girl of yours what a real good time looks like.”
“You’re an idiot,” Haley said, chuckling as she shut the door behind her.
Fear gnawed at the edges of her mind as she climbed into the tall cab and settled into the driver’s seat. The engine grumbled to life, vibrating the cab as she fastened the seatbelt with trembling fingers. Everything felt foreign and she almost gave up as she reached in the wrong place to put the truck in reverse, fumbling around until her hand finally clenched the gear stick.
“Get it together,” she muttered to herself, surprised at how out of breath she sounded. “It’s just driving. You’ve done it thousands of times before.”
Haley closed her eyes and took a deep breath, summoning Claire’s smiling face to the forefront of her mind and focusing on the excitement that had sparkled in her eyes when Haley told her they were going out that evening. There was no way Haley was going to let her down, so she was going to have to suck it up and remember how to drive.
The truck lurched as she pressed down on the gas too hard, then lurched again as she slammed on the brakes, throwing herself forward into the steering wheel. Haley took another deep breath and pretended to adjust the rearview mirror even though she was pretty sure no one was watching.
Fun.
The evening was going to be fun. And more importantly, it was going to be romantic and show Claire how much she meant to Haley. There was no other option, because if it didn’t go perfectly she knew would risk losing Claire. Haley had seen it on her face. Maybe not right away, but eventually. And the first step to preventing that was making it down the driveway.
Not only did Haley accomplish that task, it turned out to be easier than she thought. So was driving to the store to pick up flowers, which Noah insisted were essential. He had been on dozens, if not hundreds, of dates with women, so he would know. But as Haley stood at the display wondering if Claire was more into daisies or carnations, she realized Noah had no idea what the fuck he was talking about because he didn’t know Claire.
But Haley did.
She turned around and walked back to the front of the store, where she had already passed the perfect gift for Claire.
She started to relax as she drove to the condo, and was actually starting to feel excited when she texted Claire that she was ready outside. Claire’s eyes narrowed when she saw Noah’s truck, but her suspicion was replaced with a grin when she climbed in to find Haley behind the wheel.
“Thank God it’s just you,” Claire said, leaning over to kiss Haley. “For a second I thought you brought a chaperone.”
“Of course it’s just me.” Haley reached into the back footwells and produced the small potted plant she had spotted by the grocery store entrance. “I got you this. I know it’s supposed to be flowers, but–”
“I hate flowers,” Claire interrupted Haley before she could explain. “Cut flowers at least. It always seemed like such a waste to me, buying them just to watch them die. I like being around living plants much better.”
“Really?” Haley sat up a little taller, proud of her decision to ignore Noah’s advice. So far, so good.
“Of course,” Claire reassured her. “So, are you going to tell me where we’re going or is it still a surprise?”
“Still a surprise,” Haley said with newfound confidence. “But we’re going to be driving for an hour or so.”
“So we’re not going out in Tulsa?”
“We’re going somewhere better,” Haley promised, the confidence crashing back down as she noticed a flicker of disappointment cross Claire’s face. “We’ll go out in town soon, but tonight is special.”
“I’m excited for whatever you have planned,” Claire said. But was she lying to make Haley feel better? It was hard to tell.
“How’s writing going?” Haley asked. “It sounded like you were on calls all morning.”
“Interviews,” Claire explained, reaching for Haley’s hand as they merged onto an almost empty highway. “I think this one has a really good chance of selling, and it’s pretty much done, but I just don’t want to leave anything out.”
“Done enough to tell me what it’s about?” Haley made her question sound teasing even though she was dying to know. Every time she had asked before, Claire had danced around the subject, claiming she wasn’t quite sure of the direction she wanted to take and that she didn’t want to jinx anything by talking about it too soon.
“It’s not really a happy conversation for a date.” Claire stared straight ahead at the black asphalt stretching toward the horizon. “I’m writing about how sexual assaults get covered up on college campuses.”
“Are you using stuff from our interview?”
“No, but I got the inspiration from talking to you. There are other women ready to tell their stories, and it’s something I can shine a light on.”
“You can use mine if you need it,” Haley offered. Maybe Claire could correct the record on some of the things her stupid colleague—Haley didn’t even want to expend the mental energy to remember his name—had written about her. And if it helped Claire’s career, if it helped other women, then it was the least she could do.
“No, I can’t,” Claire smiled ruefully. “It’s a huge conflict of interest, because I’m very interested in you. And this date you’re taking me on.”
“Well, I’m proud of you for writing it,” Haley said, squeezing Claire’s hand. “And I know someone will publish it and you’ll get that prize—”
“The Pulitzer?”
“Yeah, that one. And—”
“They don’t just hand those out to anyone, you know.”
“But you aren’t just anyone.”
“Thanks,” Claire laughed. “At the very least, I’m someone getting curious about where you’re taking me.”
“We can be there if you want us to be,” Haley said, tires crunching on the gravel shoulder as she pulled over to the side of the highway. The view was good enough, with giant, round bales of hay speckled across a freshly harvested field. The sun was starting to set in the rearview mirror, somewhat dull in the cloudless sky, but the real show would just be getting started. “The destination is the journey, or however that saying goes.”
“I wasn’t complaining,” Claire said, looking bemused. “I love driving and talking with you. I just thought we were getting dinner or something.”
“I brought dinner with us,” Haley said, leaning over to kiss her. “Come on.” She climbed down from the truck and walked around to the tailgate to meet Claire, whose furrowed brow and quizzical look hadn’t changed since Haley parked. “It’s a picnic, but I still have to set everything up. Just give me a few minutes.”
“Can we just do that here?”
Haley shrugged. “We’re off the road. Besides, who’s going to stop us?”
“I guess so…” Claire looked around warily. “Isn’t this private property, though?”
“Trust me, it’s fine. Probably won’t even see another car all night,” Haley reassured her. She’d been driving without a particular destination in mind, lost in the conversation with Claire, but she’s specifically headed somewhere she knew would be quiet and dark. “Can you help me with this?” She climbed in the bed of the truck and offered Claire a hand up. The new air mattress she’d bought lay folded in its box, the thick plastic stiff as she wrestled it free.
“What can I do?” Claire asked.
“Make sure it’s flat while I plug it in.” Haley jogged back to the cab and opened the rear window. “There should be a cord, pass it to me if you find it.” A few seconds later, the cord appeared through the window and Haley plugged it in to the power adapter Noah kept tucked in the center console. “Turn it on?”
