Amanda glanced down, smiling at the image of their wet bodies. “Ithink I’m good.”
“I’m not. But I will be.”
Before she could ask what that meant, Quinn spun her around andplaced a hand between her shoulders. She got the hint, bending forward andbracing her hands on the shower wall. But she tossed a defiant smirk over hershoulder. “Is this because I—”
The rest of the question vanished when Quinn’s hand moved betweenher legs, two fingers buried deep inside her. Quinn raised a brow. “Maybe.”
There was a cockiness in Quinn’s tone, in her eyes. She shouldhave found it a turn off, but she didn’t. Maybe because it was such a departurefrom her usual demeanor. Whatever it was, it was sexy as fuck. “Should I talkback? Test you?”
Quinn slid out of her, then thrust back in with force. “I guessthat depends on what you want to happen.”
A shocking array of X-rated images and scenarios flashed throughher mind. She’d never call herself a prude, but her brain absolutely didn’twork that way. She was a mother, a woman pushing fifty.
Quinn tightened her grip around Amanda’s waist and filled heragain. “Having second thoughts?”
She bit her lip. “Not unless you count ‘more’ and ‘yes, please’as second thoughts.”
Quinn started fucking her, slow but deep. “No, I’d say thosethings put us right on the same page.”
“Oh, good,” she managed.
“I like you like this, pliant and at my mercy. Is that wrong?”
“Not. Wrong. At. All.” Each word came out staccato, matched tothe rhythm of Quinn’s hand.
“Because I profoundly respect you.”
Something about Quinn making that statement with fingers burieddeep inside her did wicked things to Amanda. “You should respect me harder.”
Quinn let out a groan. “What was it you said about testing me?”
She looked over her shoulder again. “I think I asked if that’swhat you wanted.”
“Right.”
Amanda squirmed, not really wanting to break free but enjoyingthis game they’d stumbled into. “Like this.”
Quinn’s hand stilled, her grip loosened. “I see.”
She wiggled. “Wait. Who’s testing who?”
“Does it matter?” Quinn angled her head, the look on her faceplayful.
“You know, I don’t think it does.” She liked everything aboutQuinn and wanted her pretty much any way she could get her.
“So agreeable.”
She made a show of batting her eyes. “I try.”
Quinn started her movements again and she moaned. Yep, prettymuch any way she could get her. Despite coming earlier, she had no troubleclimaxing again. Quinn had this way of getting her body to do things she had noidea it could do.
She wanted to have her way with Quinn, but the water had turnedcold. Not to be deterred, she hastily wrapped herself in a towel and pulledQuinn back to the house. Inside, she disposed of her towel, then Quinn’s. Thenshe nudged Quinn onto the bed and settled herself right back between Quinn’slegs. If the amount of times Quinn could make her come was a surprise, theseemingly insatiable desire she had to reciprocate proved an utter delight.She’d always enjoyed that, but with Quinn, she honestly didn’t think she couldget enough.
She couldn’t remember the last time she took an afternoon nap,but they did that, too, waking up just as the light took on the softness oflate afternoon. They got dressed long enough to take a leisurely walk to thelake at the edge of Quinn’s property and got back to the cabin with enoughdaylight left to enjoy a glass of wine on the porch before dinner.
They ate and cleaned up. Quinn opened a second bottle of wine togo with dessert and what turned into an epic game of Scrabble. By the time thelast word was played, she was more than a little tipsy and wanted nothing morethan to tear Quinn’s clothes off again. And since she had nowhere to be and,for the moment at least, not a care in the world, that’s exactly what she did.
Chapter Twenty-three
Quinn would have been content to spend the entirety of theirtime in bed, but Amanda insisted on a real hike. She’d been promised awaterfall, after all. They struck out after breakfast and made it back in timefor lunch and another shower together.
Amanda pulled on her clothes slowly. “I don’t think I want to goback to reality.”
“I always feel that way after a weekend in the woods. I’m gladyou do, too.” She didn’t add that she could already imagine a lifetime ofweekends spent like this. Or that Lesedi had never shown even a hair ofinterest in joining her.
“Are you ever tempted to play hooky and stay an extra day?”
Given Amanda’s reluctance to spend a weekend off-grid in thefirst place, the question made her smile. “I have a couple of times, but onlywhen I didn’t have anything essential waiting for me.”
Amanda laughed. “I’m not sure I’m familiar with that feeling.”
“Maybe when Cal and Daniella are both out on their own.”
She’d meant it in a lighthearted way, but Amanda seemed to turnthe idea over in her mind. “Maybe so.”
After loading the car, Amanda stood surveying the cabin whileQuinn locked up. She remained that way when Quinn descended the stairs andjoined her. “Ready?”
She let out a wistful sigh. “Yeah.”
They climbed into the car and Quinn started the engine. “Thankyou for running away with me.”
Amanda buckled her seat belt. “Thank you for sharing such aspecial place. I hope we can come back.”
“I never need much encouragement, so you just say the word.”
When they pulled onto Route 28 heading south, Quinn turned onNorth Country Public Radio. The Sunday afternoon lineup—more quirky programmingthan news—always felt like a gentle way to ease back into reality. They laughedover a Car Talkrepeat and ruminated on the weekly puzzle.
A few miles from Old Forge, Amanda’s phone winked to life with aflurry of chirps, pings, and sound bites. Quinn chuckled. “I guess we’re backin range.”
Amanda didn’t respond. She was already frowning at her screen.Quinn tried not to let it bother her. Amanda had owned the fact that unpluggingwas a rarity for her. Of course she’d be anxious to check in.
Amanda gasped, then swore.
“What? What’s wrong?” Quinn stole peeks at her while doing herbest to keep her attention on
