Whenever an area turned from rocks to butter, she moved on to the next and the next. With every passing minute, pride in her accomplishments rose. She could do this, absolutely professionally, just to help Jess relax. Skin was just skin, and the woman under her fingertips was just muscles and tendons.
She stroked the thumb and forefinger of her right hand upward, one on each side of the spine, along Jess’s slender neck until she reached the hairline. The short hair had darkened and curled in the warm room. Lena spread her hand and slipped it into those silky strands. Her fingertips scratched along Jess’s scalp.
Jess moaned, and the vibration sent tingles up Lena’s arm.
Biting her lip to stifle her own sounds, Lena moved her hand through the hair again. Her knees weakened when Jess reacted. It wasn’t professional in the least, but she couldn’t resist. She added her other hand and gently massaged Jess’s scalp, eliciting even more sounds and vibrations.
The skin behind Jess’s ear was deliciously soft. Lena caressed the area with the tip of her forefinger, then moved to her earlobe. Barely palpable indentations hinted at old piercings.
Jess slightly tilted her head as if offering herself. So sexy.
And Lena wanted to continue her exploration, add lips to fingers, press herself to Jess’s back, and get lost in the sensual gliding of her body over Jess’s.
And that’s why she didn’t. Jess had consented to a massage, not to a seduction. She’d made it clear that no matter the attraction that flared between them, she wasn’t interested in pursuing anything physical.
Neither was Lena—that much she knew intellectually. But right now, with the scent of jasmine, orange, and Jess tingling in her nose, with one hand curled in Jess’s hair and the other playing with her ear, she couldn’t remember why.
With her last reserve of willpower and reason, she pulled back. “I’m sorry.” She straightened and pulled up the towel, careful not to touch Jess again. “I’ll let you get dressed.”
She fled to the bathroom and washed her hands in cold water, as cold as it could get. And washed her face. And wished she could douse her head in it too.
What the fuck had just happened? During the first massage, Jess had controlled her reactions. Not that the feeble touch of what’s-her-name had done anything for her. But now?
Now she had melted right through the table under Lena’s skilled hands. Not only had her muscles lost the tension they’d been carrying for days, but other parts of her body had reacted too. A totally inappropriate burning sensation had started low in her middle, and every stroke had fanned the flames. And when Lena had touched her hair, her ear… Had that been part of a regular massage? It had felt more like a caress. She shivered at the thought.
She wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of such affection. Or seduction? In the past she’d more often than not been the one to initiate physical contact. And often it had been enough to please her partner, to know she was giving something special—she hadn’t needed anything in return.
She rolled to her side on the narrow table and sat up. Her feet got tangled in the towel as she tried to remain covered, and she quickly sorted her legs and pulled the white cotton over her chest before Lena returned. Lena didn’t need to see her soft belly and breasts that still felt a size or two too large. Not that she herself wasn’t able to appreciate the attraction of large breasts or the feminine swell of a belly—but preferably on other women. It just didn’t feel like her body anymore.
Who cares? Get a grip and get dressed. She stood, expecting her knees to buckle. But they held, and the energy running through her was more than enough to keep her upright and help her move to the bathroom, where she’d left her clothes. The towel tucked tightly around her, she opened the door and froze.
Lena was in the bathroom, clutching the sink. She looked at Jess with wide eyes, and her hair was tousled as if she’d been running her hands through it.
Another wave of energy ran through Jess, and her fingertips itched with the urge to bury her hands in Lena’s hair, doing what Lena had done to her. She wanted to take charge, to hear Lena moan and whimper, see her squirm, affect her the way she had affected Jess.
Wordlessly, she stepped into the bathroom and cupped Lena’s face with one hand, holding her gaze. Slowly she moved forward, inch by inch, until their breaths mingled, giving Lena time to protest or draw back.
But she didn’t. Lena’s eyelids fluttered, but she didn’t close them. Her pupils dilated and her breathing quickened.
With a smile, Jess leaned in to kiss her, to overwhelm her with every skill she had, to show Lena she wasn’t the one in charge.
Their lips met in a hard kiss, all passion and heat and tongues. For a fleeting moment, Jess wondered why their teeth didn’t clash. But they fit perfectly, kissing as if they’d done it a thousand times before.
Soon, it wasn’t enough. She needed to get closer and stepped between Lena’s legs, pushing her back against the sink. One hand cradled Lena’s head, and the other found its way around Lena’s waist to the small of her back, pressing her even closer. Sneaked under her skintight T-shirt. Stroked silken skin.
A loud moan resonated through their kiss.
Jess tore back, gasping for air. Had she moaned? Or Lena?
Who the fuck cared?
She leaned in again, this time kissing and licking her way in a line from Lena’s mouth to her neck.
Lena’s pulse raced under her lips, and her skin burned as if with fever. Her hands clutched Jess’s shoulders and pulled her even tighter.
Through the thin layers of towel and T-shirt, their breasts
