Page 92 of Igniting Her

They lay half turned toward each other now, legs tangled, each woman’s hand between the other’s thighs. No one was pinned. No one waited for permission that had not already been freely given. Control passed between them in small, exact directions.

“Slower,” Cassie whispered, and Ellie slowed.

“More pressure,” Ellie answered. Cassie pressed harder over her clit.

Their fingers moved inside each other. Wetness gathered over Ellie’s hand and along Cassie’s wrist. They kissed through broken breaths, mouths missing and finding again as pleasure made precision impossible.

“I love you,” Cassie said against her lips.

Ellie clenched around her fingers.

“Say it again.”

“I love you.” Cassie curled deeper. “I love you, Ellie.”

The use of her name pushed Ellie over the edge. Her orgasm caught hard and low, body closing around Cassie’s fingers while her thumb kept moving. Ellie cried out into Cassie’s mouth. The contractions came one after another, hips driving helplessly into the steady hand.

Cassie stayed with her through all of them.

Ellie kept her fingers deep after her own release, moving more slowly now, her thumb firm where Cassie had asked. “Tell me.”

“Don’t stop.” Cassie’s control frayed; her forehead dropped to Ellie’s shoulder and her breath broke hot against the skin.

“Curl your fingers.” When Ellie obeyed, Cassie shuddered, thighs tightening around her hand. “Harder.” Ellie gave her more pressure and watched the request become pleasure instead of danger. Cassie lifted her head with want fully visible in her face.

“I love you,” Ellie said. Cassie came, her body contracting hard around Ellie’s fingers. A raw sound left her. Ellie held the rhythm through the sharp pulses and softened only when Cassie closed a hand around her wrist.

“Enough,” Cassie breathed. Ellie stopped at once.

They remained tangled with their hands between them, foreheads touching, both breathing too hard. Cassie eased her fingers from Ellie first. Ellie withdrew just as slowly. No one moved away.

After a minute, Cassie laughed, low and astonished enough that Ellie almost doubted the sound. “What?”

“You follow instructions selectively. Your performance review remains pending.”

“I followed every good one. Different battalion.” Ellie kissed the corner of her mouth.

Cassie laughed again, and this time Ellie felt it against her whole body.

They cared for each other without assigning roles. Ellie brought two glasses of water while Cassie found a warm cloth. Cassie cleaned Ellie’s hand. Ellie wiped the dampness from between Cassie’s thighs. They traded the cloth, drank, and pulled the blankets over skin cooling in the rain-washed room.

Cassie lay on her side facing Ellie. Her hair spread dark across the pillow. The unguardedness in her face did not disappear when sex ended.

“I went to Jules’s grave,” she said.

Ellie stilled. “Today?”

“Before Fire Administration.”

Cassie’s fingers rested open on the sheet between them. Ellie covered them with her own.

“I need to tell you what happened.”

Mo had already given Ellie the structure. Another apartment building. A correct withdrawal. A wrong tenant count. A voice that answered once. She could have protected Cassie from repeating the worst pieces.

She did not.

“Tell me,” Ellie said.