Harper had no intention of stopping. She curled her fingers just right and sucked a little harder, and that was all it took. Elise broke apart with a raw cry as her back arched off the mattress. Her hips pushed helplessly into Harper’s mouth as pleasure ripped through her. Harper held her there, easing the pressure only when Elise started to tremble too hard and her breaths turned into ragged little laughs.
Harper pressed a soft kiss to her thigh, then another higher up, and then moved carefully back up the bed. Elise blinked at her, dazed and beautiful, as if she were trying to remember how to form sentences.
Elise breathed eventually, and a shaky smile tugged at her lips. “Wow. That… yeah. That was definitely not my imagination.”
Harper laughed softly, brushing a thumb over Elise’s cheek. “Good. I wanted to give you a new memory to ruin all your old ones.”
Elise’s gaze dropped to Harper’s mouth, then lower, and something fierce and hungry flashed across her face. She pushed herself up on her elbows, closing the small distance between them until their noses almost bumped.
“Come here.”
Harper’s breath caught. “Really?”
“Ten years, Harper.” Elise’s hands slid to her hips, fingers firm, possessive. “I’ve been waiting ten years to have you like this again.”
There was no way to argue with that. Not when her entire body was already buzzing. Harper let Elise guide her. The familiar, dizzying rush hit as Elise settled back and pulled Harper into place with a confidence that hadn’t been there before.
For a second, Harper froze, overwhelmed by how right everything felt. Elise’s hands slid up her thighs, a gentle reminder of how electric the woman’s hands felt on her skin.
Harper’s pulse roared as Elise guided her upward with a grip that left no room for argument. The shift in power—Elise’s sudden, hungry certainty—made Harper’s thighs tremble. Ten years dissolved in a heartbeat. All that remained was the heat of Elise’s palms skimming her hips and the way those dark eyes tracked her every breath like she intended to memorize the rhythm.
“You have no idea how many times I have imagined this very thing,” Harper managed, as she placed a knee on each side of Elise’s head and hovered above her mouth.
Elise gave one flat lap with her tongue. “You taste like ten years of regret.” Elise’s voice cracked, and she gave a soft laugh as her thumbs pressed into Harper’s hips.
Harper opened her mouth to retort, but Elise didn’t wait. She arched up, sealing her lips to Harper in one fierce, claiming stroke. Harper’s hands flew to the headboard. “Elise… fuck!”
Elise pulled Harper’s hips down, and Harper’s thighs clenched, trapping Elise’s face closer. Every lick and every suck felt like penance and absolution tangled together. Elise gripped her ass, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise, and Harper’s vision blurred.
“Oh. My. God. This feels so good,” Harper moaned as she ground down against Elise’s mouth.
Elise dove back in with a singular purpose. Harper’s back bowed and her grip on the headboard slipped. Elise’s tongue mapped her with a precision that felt both practiced and obsessive. It was as if she’d fantasized about this exact position, this specific angle, a thousand times.
“Elise. I’m gonna—” Harper’s voice broke.
“Good,” Elise whispered.
Her fingers flexed, and then there was only a sensation so hot and so intense that Harper’s head tipped back on a groan. Every slow, deliberate movement of Elise’s tongue, giving an intense rise of pleasure, felt like an answer to a question she’d been carrying for a decade: what if we’d been brave enough to let ourselves be in love?
It turned out the answer was that it would have felt like this. An overwhelming rush of being wanted and of being taken care of by the one person she’d never quite managed to forget, no matter how hard she’d tried.
By the time Harper finally broke apart against Elise’s face, Elise was watching her as if she were witnessing some kind of miracle. Harper slid her bottom down and collapsed forward, catching herself on her forearms so she didn’t crush her. Elise wrapped her up, arms tight, hands splayed over her back like she was afraid Harper might disappear if she let go.
“Ten years,” Elise whispered into her hair. “You owe me at least a few more rounds.”
Harper laughed, the sound a little broken with relief. She nuzzled into the curve of Elise’s neck, breathing in the scent of salt, and something brand new layered over something achingly familiar.
“Deal,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere this time.”
Outside, it sounded like the sea whispered the promise against the cliffs.
~~
“How did you know I was in the garden? I didn’t think anyone saw me sneaking off, let alone could find me,” Elise asked lazily ten minutes later. She was sprawled on her side. One leg had fallen forward, and one arm was draped over the pillow she was holding.
Harper wished she could replace the pillow, but there was plenty of time for that later. She gave a low chuckle. “Really?” she said, like it shouldn’t be a surprise at all. “I track down elusive animals for a living. You, my darling, were not that hard to find.”
Elise laughed. Her body vibrated so much Harper could feel it in the sheets. “Fine, you’re good at finding people,” Elise said, rolling her eyes and smiling at the same time.