Page 27 of All She Wants

Erin grinned and picked up her fork. Claire continued holding her other hand on top of the table.

Chapter Ten

Claire carried their plates into the kitchen while Erin followed with the serving dishes. Erin transferred the remaining tenderloin into a container and tucked it into the refrigerator. When she turned, Claire was starting to fill the sink as she reached for the dish soap.

Erin came up behind her and swept Claire’s hair aside and kissed the back of her neck.

Claire’s hand stopped on the soap dispenser.

Erin kissed her again, lower this time, while her hands slipped beneath Claire’s sweater and spread across her stomach.

“Leave them,” Erin murmured.

Claire shut off the water. Then she turned and caught the front of Erin’s shirt, pulling her into a kiss that drove them backward until Erin’s back met the island. Erin opened her mouth beneath hers and wrapped both arms around Claire, erasing the last inch between them.

They had spent dinner looking at each other across the table, their hands meeting between the plates. Claire had watched Erin’s mouth curve around laughter, watched her lift her wineglass, watched her take one unhurried bite after another while promising to keep Claire awake.

Now that mouth moved down her throat in a series of kisses. Claire tipped her head and gripped Erin’s waist. Erin slid one thigh between hers, and Claire moved against it without hesitation, seeking the pressure.

Erin’s hands traveled higher beneath her sweater.

Claire dragged her mouth back to Erin’s and kissed her until one flight of stairs felt impossibly far away. She finally pulled back before Erin had her stretched across the island for the second time that evening. “If we stay in this kitchen another minute, I’m taking your clothes off here.”

Erin brushed her lips over Claire’s once more. “Then you’d better show me where you sleep.”

Claire took her hand and led her out of the kitchen. The plates remained in the sink, the soap unopened beside them.

Their footsteps came quickly against the stairs. Halfway up, Erin caught Claire around the waist and kissed the back of her neck. Claire gripped the banister, laughing as the kiss nearly stopped them again.

Inside the bedroom, Erin stepped forward and kissed her. Her palms slipped beneath the cashmere and traveled up Claire’s sides before she drew the sweater over her head and dropped it beside the bed. Her mouth moved along Claire’s jaw and down her neck while her fingers worked the button on her jeans.

Claire caught her wrists.

Erin paused, and her eyes searched Claire’s face.

“My turn,” Claire said quietly.

She walked Erin backward until the light from the bedside lamp caught the surprise still moving across her features. Claire locked eyes as she began unfastening Erin’s shirt. One button. Then the next. She took her time, enjoying every inch of Erin that she uncovered.

The last button slipped free, revealing dark lace against Erin’s olive skin. Claire eased the shirt from her shoulders and let it fall beside the bed.

Erin reached for her again, but Claire caught her hands and placed them against her bare waist. “Keep them there.”

Erin’s fingers spread across Claire’s skin as Claire reached behind her and unhooked the bra. She slipped the straps down Erin’s arms and let it fall beside the shirt, then traced the faint impression the lace had left across her ribs. She bent to kiss the same path. Erin’s fingers tightened at her waist as Claire’s mouth moved over the curve of her shoulder and down to the swell of her breast. Claire lifted her head and guided Erin backward until the bed met the backs of her knees. Erin pulled Claire down with her, kissing her before either of them reached the sheets.

The rest of their clothes came off in a tangle of hands and shifting hips. Erin kicked free of her pants while Claire pushed her own jeans down and let them drop off the edge of the bed. Neither stopped to look. There was too much skin finally available, and Claire pressed herself against the full length of Erin’s body because she had spent hours imagining exactly this warmth.

Claire kissed the hollow of Erin’s throat and worked her way down. She cupped one breast and drew the nipple into her mouth, circling it slowly before giving it a gentle pull. Erin arched beneath her, one hand sweeping over Claire’s back.

“Oh God, Claire.”

Hearing her name in Erin’s pleasure sent a rush through her. Claire moved to the other breast, learning how much pressure Erin liked from the way her body rose to meet her. When Erin reached down to bring her back up, Claire caught her hand and pressed it gently against the pillow beside her head.

“Stay.” Claire followed the line of her stomach, taking her time until Erin’s muscles tightened beneath each kiss. She settled between her thighs and drew one leg over her shoulder. Erin opened for her without hesitation. The trust in that gesture made Claire’s chest ache.

Claire ran her palms along the outsides of Erin’s hips and thighs, feeling them tremble before her mouth ever touched her. The sight of Erin spread open beneath her made the last of Claire’s nervousness disappear. She wanted this woman. More than that, she wanted to learn her.

She parted Erin gently and dragged her tongue through the slick heat between her folds.