Make Room for Love

Chapter 30

30

Mira was home early, sitting at her usual spot at the table, wrapped up in one of Isabel’s flannel shirts. She got up and greeted Isabel with a kiss—not a chaste peck on the lips, but a real kiss, overwhelmingly hot and sweet after a hard week of work. And then another, and another, until Isabel had thawed from the cold.

“Sweetheart, let me take my coat and boots off,” Isabel said after they broke apart, both panting. Coming home to Mira was a balm. Isabel had started at a new job site an hour and a half away in the Bronx, working twenty stories up in a building with no walls in the bitter wind. She’d been on her guard all week, making sure her crew knew better than to try anything with her. Nobody had, but it had been exhausting all the same.

She wanted to get lost in kissing Mira. They’d seen so little of each other since Mira had taken on her new responsibilities, and all week long, Grace’s words had never stopped echoing in Isabel’s head. But Mira was so clearly happy to see her, and they had the whole weekend to enjoy each other and be close again.

The fear was receding. Maybe she could even talk to Mira about it, leaving out the truly painful parts, if she worked up the resolve.

Isabel hung up her coat, slipped out of her thick sweatshirt, and took her boots off and kicked them aside. Mira immediately grabbed her by the belt loops and pulled her in, pressing those delicious curves close, and Isabel went hot and weak.

She tugged at the flannel shirt Mira was wearing, adorably oversized on her. “This is mine.”

“Oh, is it? What are you going to do about it?”

Isabel slipped the shirt off Mira’s shoulders and let it fall to the floor, finding a sleeveless blouse underneath. “Now I’m cold,” Mira said. She batted her eyelashes.

Isabel laughed. She couldn’t resist even if she wanted to. She loved this woman so much it hurt. She pulled Mira close again and kissed her, stroking Mira’s bare arms and back as Mira happily squirmed against her. “Is that better?”

Mira replied with another kiss, making a contented sound into Isabel’s mouth. Her fingers roamed over the back of Isabel’s head and pulled out the bobby pins that kept her braid under her hard hat all day. Pins clattered to the floor as they kissed and kissed. Finally, Mira got the braid loose, unraveled it, and ran her fingers over Isabel’s scalp through her hair.

Isabel moaned, a shudder rippling from her head through the rest of her body. Undoing her tightly fastened hair after work was always a relief for her poor scalp, and Mira doing it for her was heavenly. Then Mira reached for the top button of her flannel shirt. Isabel smiled. “I’m gross from work. Let me shower first.”

“God forbid I enjoy my butch girlfriend when she gets home from her construction job.” Mira buried her face in Isabel’s neck and inhaled. Isabel flushed, hopelessly pleased. She’d never heard Mira say girlfriend before. What she wouldn’t give to keep hearing it. “Can I join you?” Mira asked. “You can say no.”

The idea of Mira naked under the spray of water, moans bouncing off the tile, made Isabel shiver. They hadn’t gotten around to fucking in the shower yet, and it was time to fix that. Truthfully, after the week she’d had, baring herself in the shower would feel like taking her armor off, which was nerve-wracking. But she could handle it. “Sure. You couldn’t wait?”

“I didn’t want to. Also, I’m freaking out a little. I could use a distraction.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing bad. We decided today we’re going to have the election as scheduled.” Mira sighed. “I’ll tell you more about it later.”

They went to the bathroom. Mira shoved her against the narrow strip of wall and started kissing her again, hot and messy, with plenty of tongue. Isabel moaned as she kissed back, giving as good as she got, heat blazing in her core. She could use a distraction, too.

Mira made quick work of her flannel shirt. Then came her undershirt, and then her sweaty sports bra. Mira looked at her with such greedy desire that Isabel flushed all over, her skin prickling and her nipples hardening from Mira’s gaze alone. She was already so fucking wet. She knew she looked good, but she would never, ever get tired of being looked at like this by the woman she loved.

Mira scooped up Isabel’s breasts in big handfuls, bent her head and took a nipple in her mouth, and moaned like she’d been waiting all day. Isabel cried out as pleasure arced through her. After a day of being hard and closed off while using her body for work, it was shocking to be soft and sensitive again, gasping as Mira sucked her nipple with that gorgeous mouth and looked at Isabel through those long lashes.

“Sweetheart,” Isabel said, her voice shaky. “We do have to shower.”

They ended up under the hot spray, Mira with her hair in a messy bun on top of her head. Water streamed down her body as the shower fogged up. Isabel was going to exercise self-control—she really did need to wash her hair. After that, she’d back Mira up against the tile and trace her tongue over those rivulets of water. See how many times Mira could come before the water ran cold.

“Could you get my shampoo?” Isabel said. It was in a far corner. The shower had been taken over by Mira’s curly hair products.

Mira handed it over. “Can I wash your hair?”

Isabel hesitated. She was suspicious of anything requiring her to relax and be patient. Even getting her hair washed before a haircut made her antsy. But Mira’s fingers had felt so good against her scalp earlier…

It wouldn’t kill her to enjoy this. And she wanted Mira to keep touching her—it reassured her that Mira wanted her. That Mira still wanted her. So simple, but it was everything.

“Sure,” she said. “Sounds nice.” She turned around, facing the showerhead, and let the water run over her body.

Behind her, Mira opened the bottle of shampoo, squeezed it into her hands, and massaged it into Isabel’s hair. Mira was getting her nails done differently these days: short on the right hand, and even longer than before on the left. She was being careful to not scratch Isabel, but the contrast still made Isabel smile.

Slowly but surely, Mira loosened her up. It wasn’t too hard to stay still and enjoy herself. She had leaned back into Mira’s hands without noticing, and Mira was cradling her head and giving her just the right amount of tingly pressure.

“Your hair is so luscious,” Mira said, her voice soothing against the backdrop of the shower spray. Isabel held on to every single one of her compliments, so sweet and sincere. “It’s so dark and glossy and a pleasure to run my hands through. I could do this forever.”

She let Isabel rinse out the shampoo, then worked in the conditioner and carefully loosened the tangles, as patient as she probably was with her own curls. Being taken care of like this wasn’t so bad.

Then Mira gently pushed her against the wall. Isabel’s back hit the cold tile, and she gasped and let out a laugh. “What are you doing?”

“Helping you shower.” Mira squeezed body wash onto her hands, lathered it up, and ran her slippery hands down Isabel’s sides. “Is that okay?”

Isabel nodded. Her arousal had been simmering before, but Mira was bringing it back to a full boil. Mira pressed their bodies close, her warm, lush curves sliding against Isabel’s, and kissed Isabel’s neck as her hands slid between them. She took Isabel’s slick, soapy breasts in her hands again and rubbed Isabel’s nipples with her thumbs.

The shock of pleasure made Isabel moan and her knees go weak. She grasped the soap holder behind her and gripped Mira’s hip with her other hand. Waiting this long had made her needy. “You know, there are other parts of me, too.”

Mira was still diligently soaping up her breasts. “I’m just being thorough. Can I tell you a secret?”

Isabel nodded. She would have said yes to anything. Mira said, “Remember that night I ran into you in the living room? Literally.”

Of course Isabel remembered, which had to be obvious from her reaction. Mira smiled slyly. “I didn’t actually take a shower. I leaned against the sink and made myself come thinking about you.”

At the thought of Mira sliding a hand into those little pajama shorts, eyes closed and head tossed back, fantasizing about her …Isabel shivered as she sucked in a breath, utterly helpless. Mira gave her nipples a light, teasing tug, with a taste of those long nails on one side, and Isabel whimpered, the sound echoing off the tile. “Oh, god, Mira,” she gasped out. “Did you really?—”

Another tug at her nipples, just as gentle, but the pressure was building. Isabel whimpered again and clutched Mira’s hip, unable to help herself. Mira hadn’t even touched her below the waist, and she was already desperate. She squeezed her thighs together, chasing relief, and Mira noticed and smiled. She was irresistible like this, shy but blazing with desire. “I did. I couldn’t sleep after we put up those shelves.” She looked down, both self-conscious and coy, before looking Isabel in the eye again. “I knew your hands would feel good on me. I just didn’t know how good.”

Isabel groaned. She was a mess. Hot, needy, roiling with the thought of Mira wanting her so much. Part of her wanted to flip Mira around, push her against the wall, remind her exactly how good Isabel’s hands could feel. But another part of her…

“I made myself come thinking about you, too,” she said. “Here in the shower. The day before we kissed.” She hadn’t wanted to tell Mira before. Hadn’t wanted to recall those long months of yearning. But now…maybe it was Mira’s hands working her up so much she couldn’t think, or maybe it was Mira tenderly washing her hair, or maybe it was how emotionally raw she’d been. But the words had spilled out.

Maybe it was because Isabel wasn’t done yearning. Mira wanted sex, and fun, and comfort, and the assurance that she could leave.

Mira’s hands went still. Isabel realized she’d clenched her eyes shut, and opened them again. Mira’s eyes were wide.

“Will you show me?” she asked.

Isabel inhaled sharply. She’d been naked all this time, but now she was exposed. She’d watched Mira make herself come at least a dozen times—flushed, writhing, tangled up in their sheets, so beautiful it hurt to look at her. But Isabel had never let herself be watched.

She could say no. But she wanted to keep going, to bare herself for Mira here and now, even if she couldn’t do it anywhere else. She nodded.

She gripped the soap holder behind her, closed her eyes, and tipped her head back against the tile. Heart pounding, she slipped a hand between her legs. She found her clit, swollen and needy and more than slick enough even in the shower, and whimpered, more naked than she had ever been with Mira.

“Can I keep touching you?” Mira murmured.

Isabel nodded, her eyes still closed. Mira cradled her breasts so gently, rubbed her nipples so slowly, like she knew just how sensitive Isabel was—and even so, it was overwhelming. At every touch, Mira’s and her own, bursts of light and heat spread through her body, building up the pressure until it was unbearable. She moaned and quivered, entirely at Mira’s mercy.

“So gorgeous,” Mira said, her voice thick with desire. “Can I go inside you? I want to feel you when you come.”

Isabel opened her eyes. Mira’s intent, scorching gaze made her burn even hotter. She nodded.

Mira rinsed the soap off her hands as Isabel made room between her thighs. Mira had been a fast learner these last few weeks, and she didn’t waste time. She easily slid two fingers in, the ones with the short nails, and curled them just the way Isabel liked as she raked Isabel’s scalp with her talons. Isabel gasped, trembled, squeezed around Mira’s fingers involuntarily. She clutched at Mira’s soft, slippery body.

“Oh, that’s good,” Mira said, voice full of wonder as she sped up.

It was too much, and Isabel needed more. She found her clit again, and her hand pressed up against Mira’s as they both moved. The intimacy of it made Isabel shiver. “So gorgeous,” Mira said again, her lips next to Isabel’s ear. “Such strong muscles there , too.” Isabel exhaled a laugh. She was so close to coming, so helpless, so in love.

She came with a quiet, high moan, clenching around Mira’s fingers. As her legs shook, Mira held her up.

Isabel slumped against the wall afterward, oversensitive and raw. Mira sucked her fingers into her mouth and licked them clean with a satisfied hum, making eye contact, and Isabel was overcome by a surge of…everything. Too many emotions she couldn’t name.

“I was going to let you have your turn first,” she said, still getting herself under control.

“Oh, I have,” Mira said. “And I will.”

They finished up in the shower. Isabel let Mira lead her to her bedroom, and immediately ended up on her back with Mira straddling her. Mira pulled her scrunchie out of her hair and shook it loose, and it tumbled over her shoulders, wild and a little frizzy from the steam. She was irresistible.

Isabel reached up, squeezed Mira’s small, lovely breasts, and swiped her thumbs over the hard brown nipples. Mira giggled. “Don’t distract me.”

“From what?” Isabel ran her hands down Mira’s ribcage, down her stomach, over her soft thighs.

“I’m thinking about what I want from you.”

“Why don’t you sit on my face while you think about it?”

Mira’s eyes widened, and she laughed. If only Isabel could have her like this forever—comfortable and happy in their bed. “Okay,” Mira said. “If you insist.”

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Mira said. “You distracted me too well. I never told you about the committee meeting today.”

After a late dinner where they’d split most of a bottle of wine, catching each other up after a long week of work, they were tangled in bed again. Isabel had forgotten. “What happened?”

Mira told her the news. “So, I’ll be knocking on doors every weekend for the next month,” she continued. “It’s going to be a lot of work. But I think I have to. I can’t ask people to do something I’m not willing to do.” She rested her head on Isabel’s shoulder. “I really, really need us to win.”

“I know, sweetheart.” Isabel kissed her on the forehead and stroked her hair. But Mira was still tense.

Truthfully, it would have been nice to have Mira relaxed and distracted for a little longer. But Mira was someone with obligations weighing on her, like Isabel was. They couldn’t keep out the rest of the world forever.

Mira sighed. “It’s also… To be honest, I don’t want to be wrong. I don’t want Patrick to say I told you so . I don’t want Shreya to be disappointed in me.” Mira was silent for a few seconds. “I know it’s not all my responsibility. But I am responsible. That’s the point of being on the committee in the first place.”

Isabel kept stroking her hair. Mira liked to work out her thoughts in words, unlike Isabel, and sometimes she just needed space to do it. Mira continued, “I know you think I should trust myself. It’s just so much easier said than done.” She nestled closer. “I hate how this feels. I hate not knowing.”

“I know.” Isabel kissed her again.

“Do you think I was right?”

“If you think it’s the right choice, it probably is. You made a lot of good points. You’d know better than me.” Mira looked dissatisfied. “I mean that. You know that’s true. You know your own coworkers and your own union better than I do. I’m proud of you for speaking up.”

Mira had a hard time making up her mind. She was too used to being disregarded, and whenever her decisions mattered, it scared her—that much was clear. Isabel would keep being patient. These things took time. But there was one question where she knew she couldn’t be patient forever.

And Isabel didn’t have all the answers, even though Mira occasionally seemed to think she did. Sometimes it felt like a burden, and Isabel had so many burdens already. She couldn’t protect Mira from the real risk that they’d lose the election after so many years of hard work.

The grueling uncertainty was the worst part, Isabel knew from experience. But there wasn’t much she could do to ease that for Mira. It was up to Mira and her coworkers now.

And Isabel didn’t like the thought of Mira being constantly busy for the next several weeks. It was selfish, and she had no right to feel that way, but the sense of loss made her ache. “You’re going to be out all day tomorrow?” she asked.

“And Sunday.”

Isabel tried to not show any disappointment. They’d barely had any time together all week, but Isabel would just have to deal with it. “You’re going to do great out there,” she said, and held Mira a little tighter.