A Break in Communications

Chapter 10

Anna

Poor Lucy took her sweet time with the dishes. I rode the high through making drinks, bringing them out on a tray to where everyone was gathered in the living room, and I smiled and made conversation with everyone as I handed out drinks, determined to one-up that damn woman coming in and charming my whole family.

It took Lucy a while to join us, and I got to squeeze in plenty of comfortable time together with my extended family, making small talk, sharing stories. Anything to position myself subtly as the obvious choice to take over the department—anything that might have gotten back to Gould one way or another.

Once Lucy did finally join us again, it was with Veronica at her side, the two of them looking like they’d been talking for ages. Maybe Lucy had recovered faster than I’d expected, and Veronica had just held her up.

Just as well. I’d just go harder next time and make sure Lucy wouldn’t recover anytime soon.

“Sorry I kept you waiting, angel,” Lucy said, coming over to my chair next to the couch where Mom and Dad were sitting, and she held a hand out for mine. I kicked one leg over the other, looking up at her—my conversation with Uncle Matt was suddenly miles away, and Mom chatting to Dad about something was just background noise now.

I took her hand, lifted it up to my lips, and I kissed her knuckles. “I’m not going to have to start fighting my sister for you, am I?” I said in my best low, husky voice—because if she liked my voice, then I was going to use it to my advantage—looking up through my lashes at her. Her eyes glinted, and I think time paused for a second there, just for the two of us, eyes locked as she processed the challenge, and then she met it, because she turned and sank into the chair with me, where there was definitely only room for one. She pressed up against me, her legs across mine, and I felt my stomach tangle when she pressed a kiss to my cheek—not a quick peck like before, but a soft kiss that lingered there.

“Not a person in this world who could take me away from you, baby girl,” she said.

So—apparently she’d gotten her momentum back, and she thought she could take me. That was fine. I tucked a blonde curl back behind her ear, and I said, “That’s the right answer,” and I kissed her again, my lips against hers—the swooping, stomach-dropping sensation of it was different now, like there was nothing now that could stop me from doing it all I liked—and I lingered there for a second before I pulled back and enjoyed that dazed look in her eyes. “Now—let me bring you up to speed with the conversation, so you can weigh in on this, because we’re at an important impasse out here right now on the subject of Christmas markets.”

To her credit, Lucy recovered faster this time, which was hard to not take as a challenge. She stayed in my chair with her hands folded on my shoulder, head resting against mine, and I looped an arm around her waist, seeing if I could get a rise out of her, but she remained steadfast through the whole conversation.

It was about another hour or so before the kids showed up—we had a glorious few hours with just the grownups there at the house before the hustle and bustle of everyone showing up with kids was scheduled to arrive, my cousins Danielle and Amy crowding in with their husbands whose names I couldn’t be bothered remembering and bringing a gaggle of laughing children, and my youngest aunt Linda bringing up the rear with her kids too, the house getting even louder than it was just with Grandma’s music.

And of course, the kids loved Lucy too. She got down on one knee and introduced herself as Cousin Anna’s girlfriend , and they all squealed and crowded in to talk over each other. Didn’t take fifteen minutes before they all loved her too and she could talk about each kid’s favorite thing, and I think I was glowering at it all, because Veronica put a hand on my shoulder, making me jump at the sudden approach.

“Being jealous of a bunch of kids isn’t a good look,” she said. “You’ll get your girlfriend back.”

I rolled my eyes. “Getting jealous of children happens all the time, people just don’t admit to it. This is why I don’t want kids. I don’t want to share.”

She shrugged. “Hey, props for self-awareness. Nothing better than not inflicting your issues on another generation.”

“Thanks, Veronica. You’re loaded up with compliments today.”

She elbowed me, heading towards the door behind me. “Your girlfriend’s already giving you compliments enough. I’m going to go get my serious socks on. Amy’s kids are going to drag us into the snow in twelve minutes and you know it.”

She was wrong—it was closer to ten minutes before Amy’s youngest daughter Isabella was dragging us to the door shouting about going out in the snow, and we got bundled up and headed out to the back yard, which was expansive enough to count as a snowy field in of itself, set on a hill with dense snow-covered trees around the edges, evergreens lining the lot with sheets of snow resting in the deep jade-green boughs, and we were about five seconds in before two of the kids took a sled and barreled into a Christmas lawn ornament, a little elf sculpture carrying a present getting taken out. I wondered if vehicular elfslaughter was an automatic ticket to coal for Christmas.

Dad and I went up to the spot at the top of the hill with the swing seat, lined with snow and with string lights wrapped around the sides and the top, a little bit away from everything, and I was almost fool enough to expect a serious conversation with him once he brushed the snow out of the seat and gestured me to sit with him, but we got Dad-style small talk instead. Asked me how life and work were going and let me get about five words in before he interrupted me to weigh in on some trivial detail, and then he launched off into a side tangent, told some irrelevant story, went from there into a funny story from his work, and then jumped to talking about Lucy, nodding to himself as he leaned forward, arms folded on his knees.

“She’s a good one,” he said. “You know, your mother and I, we’ve developed a pretty good eye over the years. Once you’re our age, you’ll see it too—just know right away when you see someone who works. We were a little apprehensive when we heard about you bringing someone home after only dating her for a couple of months, but—Lucy won us over in no time.”

I deadpanned. “Dad, you just like her because she talked about basketball.”

He chuckled. “She’s a clever one, that Lucy.”

He never really responded to anything I said. Also, Lucy didn’t even know anything about basketball—even I could tell from listening—she just let him talk about it and he took it as that she was cool.

But, hey. That was how Dad showed love, I guess. I’d just have to make sure when I actually did date someone, she’d have to be able to do the Lucy thing where she could keep up with my family members on random topics, or else they’d all throw her out and tell me to bring Lucy back.

“She is really good,” I said softly, casting my gaze across the yard to where she was playing some kind of game with the kids. Seemed like she was playing a snow monster they all had to run from, deliberately trudging slow and dramatically through the snow to give them all time to get away. She made a pretty good monster, actually, all things considered. Little pretty for one, but whatever. “Kind of person everyone just… likes,” I said, finally.

He clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Well,” he said, just a little awkward. “She’s Dad-approved. I’m proud of you. Now, I gotta get back to find your mom. Don’t know what she might be scheming with your aunt Linda.”

He chuckled like we were all in on some big joke, and he stood up, walking back towards the house. Absently left staring at Lucy from afar, I folded my hands in my lap, letting the swing drift back and forth, and I didn’t realize I was staring until she turned and looked at me, making eye contact from across the lawn, over the heads of a crowd of little kids, and it made something nervous kick up inside me.

She smiled slyly at me, raising a hand in a half-wave, and I rolled my eyes, smiling and waving back. I didn’t know where she got off being so corny-cute with this whole thing.

Whatever. I’d show her up later. I glanced at my phone just for something to look at other than Lucy, and I instantly regretted it, because I had a message from Kelcey, just ten minutes ago. Hi Anna! How’s it going?

God, if she said a word about Veronica, I was going to give it to her straight. I opened the message, because I was a masochist, I guess. What do you want, Kelce?

heyyy , she sent. I forced myself to let out a long, slow breath. The girl was spoiled and sheltered. She could lose the job and never have to work again, probably. Only made sense she wouldn’t be too worried about professionalism and proper conduct. It wasn’t her fault she was a dumbass. She started typing again. how’s the party with Lucy??

fine, I replied. what do you need help with?

I’m a little jealous, she sent. I’m sure you two are having the best time

Kelcey, tell me what you did

is there still room for me to join?

If this was just her trying to get an invitation to come see Veronica, I was going to leave the party, go find wherever she was right now, break in if necessary, and strangle her. I’d just have to ask Veronica first to make sure she wasn’t into that. no, I sent. I’m putting the phone away now

wait wait just one question

Wonderful. Maybe we could have started here. do tell.

how do I shut off the coffee machine in the office breakroom? the pot is overflowing

Jesus Christ. Was she texting me about my party while the office floor was getting flooded with coffee? Kelcey what the hell can’t you just unplug it

She was quiet for a minute, and then she sent, oh that took care of it! thank you soooooo much

I pinched the bridge of my nose. how did it even have enough water to overflow?

I kept refilling the water because I thought it would break if it ran out

This woman had never made coffee once in her life. Why was she even in the office making coffee on a Saturday after a Friday off from the office?

Whatever. I didn’t care. I could not possibly have been persuaded to care.

For handy reference for next time, it’s supposed to run out of water, that’s when it stops brewing.

what????

I know. Wild how far technology has come.

Hey is your sister there?

I put my phone away. Right at the perfect moment, too, because that was when Lucy dropped down on the seat next to me, and I jolted at where she laughed, slipping a hand around my back.

“Just your darling girlfriend,” she said.

She was a little too confident. I turned and pressed a kiss to her cheek, and she laughed, ducking her head just a little. “Not the worst person from the office I’ve talked to today.”

“Someone messaging you about work right now?”

“Work might be a stretch… Kelcey wanted to know how to stop the office coffee machine.”

She pursed her lips in a weary smile. “And the reason it didn’t just stop when it ran out of water?”

“ I was afraid it would break if it ran out of water. ”

“Lovely. I’ll make sure the order gets in for a new machine on Monday.”

“And wanted to know if Veronica was here…”

She shook her head. “And you said?”

“Nothing. Left her on read and went to go spend time with someone who was neglecting me…” I said, adjusting the collar on her coat, “to go be a scary snow monster instead.”

She smiled wider, tugging on my coat in return. “Are you getting jealous, princess?”

She was harder to shake this time… I put a hand to her chin, cupping her gently and turning her to face me. “Absolutely,” I said, my voice low. “You know you’re supposed to be all mine.”

She quirked a smile at me, that glint in her eyes she got when I challenged her. When she wanted to meet that challenge. “So, does that mean you give consent, Miss Preston?”

“What’s this?” I raised my eyebrows. “You weren’t shy when you came up and pinned me to the counter earlier.”

“Do you want to repeat that experience? Because I could.”

I kissed her—leaned in and pressed my lips to hers, moving quickly and trying to catch her by surprise, but it didn’t work. She met me with a kiss like she’d seen it coming, moving her lips against mine, and something spiked up inside my body, something tight in my lungs. I pulled back, and my heart dropped when she chased me, her lips catching up to mine, and she turned to pin me up against the back of the seat, lips languid against mine, and when she slipped a hand into my coat to hold my side, I heard myself moan. It slipped out involuntarily, and I burned under the suddenness, the embarrassment of it, but she didn’t spare me, moving with me and kissing slowly, and I joined her, kissing, lips moving hot and wet together.

She’d… come prepared this time. Whatever. I could keep up with her…

I slipped a hand to the small of her back, pulling her tighter against me, and she let out this hungry growl against my lips, kissing me harder. I reeled, felt like I could see stars, and I felt heat flushing through my body.

She did want me… it was a distant hum of realization in the back of my mind, the biggest question in the world suddenly a random parenthetical right now. She wanted me and she thought about me, thought about kissing me like this. Every time she got embarrassed, it was her wanting this. Taken aback by me kissing her. How far could I go? The question was impossible to see past all of a sudden, burning heat between us despite the cold all around.

I slipped a hand inside her coat, looping my arm around her back, and I ran my finger over the band of her pants, and I got rewarded with Lucy growling again, deeper this time, and when she slung a leg across mine and shifted her weight to my lap, pressing against me, I whimpered, my whole body united in needing this, needing… more. Of this, of her. I didn’t care. I just wanted. Like I didn’t know I could. I parted my lips, and she took my lower lip between hers, tugging, sucking lightly on me, and I melted, body on fire, trembling with my hands gripping her so tightly it was like I’d drift away without her.

She pulled back, breaking the connection, and desperately, achingly, I wanted to lean in and kiss her again, touch her again. She smiled, her face flushed, a gleam in her eyes, and she spoke in a low voice to say, “Not bad, Preston.”

“I…” I couldn’t figure out what to say. My head spun… what was this thick, inky haze in my head? She was beautiful, I just…

She trailed her fingertips down my jawline, a glint in her eyes. “You look pretty like this.”

“What?” The words slipped out in a dreamy haze, and she smiled wider.

“Like you’re having a good time. That smile on your face… the cute little blush.” She stood up, moving slowly, moving… sensually. The lithe form she got up with, how she moved, the… curves as she stood up… “I’m going to get back to the others so I don’t get carried away with you in front of everyone.”

Carried away… was she talking about doing more? Kissing and touching and… was she talking about having sex?

That was horrible. It should have been. I felt my heart beat faster, and I blushed more, somehow, ducking my head.

“I, um…”

She cupped my chin, and she tilted me back up to meet her gaze again, bending down and pressing a kiss to my lips. “See you again soon, Anna.”

“Lucy,” I said, quietly, her name just slipping out, and she paused, a smile playing on her lips.

“Yes, darling?”

I didn’t know. I wasn’t trying to say it. I just couldn’t help… I swallowed. “What are you after?”

She smiled wider, and she bit her lip, eyes flicking down my body and back up to me again. It burned over every inch of me—body tingling with awareness, the thought of Lucy thinking about it, and just… wanting… her to want me. Wanting her. What? Wanted Lucy Masters to rip my clothes off and take me—

“We’ll find out,” she said, running her fingers along my jaw. “Later.”

She kissed me again, and I ached, body thrumming with awareness watching her turn and walk away, drawing her coat tighter around herself. Slowly, shakily, I stood up, just… needing… to be inside, away from all of this, away from everyone. Where nobody could see me thinking about Lucy Masters making love to my body.

Jesus Christ. I needed to fix myself. Sort myself out. Had to find some way to get rid of this, how to make myself not… I just didn’t know how. And I didn’t really want to figure out.