“Get with the program, Darcy, my god.” She reached up and carded a hand through her hair, vexed by Darcy’s need tosay everything out loud. How did she not realize that there was an etiquette here? A silent etiquette. “A part of my irritation was how attracted I am to you. It’s far from the only reason, but it was certainly a part of it. Now, though, it’s mutual. We want each other. At the very least,Iwantyou,” she pronounced, leaving Darcy the opportunity to admit her own attraction or try to walk it back.
And really, everything hinged on whatever came out of Darcy’s mouth next. Juliet stared at that mouth – thatfuckingmouth that had been at the center of so many of her desires – waiting for the words.
“I want you, too,” Darcy admitted in a whisper that echoed through Juliet’s body.
She didn’t know if it was the tone or the words themselves or the combination, but – yeah, it worked for her.
Darcy still sounded like she was reckoning with that, her voice so… raw. Like she was wondering what it all meant.
But, again, this was Darcy’s first time. Not having sex, but having sex while in this new position in life. Juliet would be thrilled to shepherd her into it.
In fact, after these last several months, after this energy that had built between them… if itwasn’tJuliet, she’d go a little crazy.
“Great. Now thatthatis out of the way…” As she trailed off, she slowly brought her hands up to the lapels of the short, black silk robe she was wearing.
Honestly, she’d been a little put out that Darcy hadn’t really commented on it. But, as she was getting to know Darcy a bit more, she could see that Darcy was someone who really fixated on something when she dug her teeth into it. She wanted to discuss and equivocate and reach common ground, rather than superficially moving on.
Good to know, Juliet supposed. If this were to ever happen again, that was. And, given her life, she was never really certain if a hook up would ever continue more than once.
Now, though, she could see the focus snap through Darcy. She saw the way those green eyes dialed in on her hands, and she felt the thrill rush through her.
“You know, Darcy, the thing is that I realized at the studio that–” She brought her thumb and index finger to the tip of the sash, and tugged it with just enough pressure that the knot she’d tied slid apart. “– I really like having your attention.”
“You needed that moment at the studio to realize that?” Darcy breathed back, her gaze darting up to Juliet’s with a teasing glint.
She narrowed her eyes and let her robe fall open.
“Ialsorealized that you seemed a little fixated on my wearing a nice bra. So, I figured: what better way to start this off by giving you something you seem to like?”
With that, she dropped her hands to her hips, putting herself on display.
She’d beelined home after Shelby’s to get ready, havingassumedDarcy would be here fairly quickly. Juliet had no intention of admitting that she’d ordered this lingerie set from Worthy’s new line specifically for this moment. Dark red transparent lace in thin, delicate – skimpy, even – pieces were all that adorned her body, as she dropped her robe to her floor.
And she feltverysatisfied with the way Darcy’s lips parted, the color rising in her cheeks, as her eyes seemed glued to Juliet’s body.
“You’ve just been – this is how you go about starting a hookup?” Darcy asked, her voice as incredulous as it was low and raspy.
“What, do you require more finesse? Is that how you usually get into this position with a woman?” Juliet tilted her head up, both challenging and damningly curious.
She would like to know, really, how women had gone about picking Darcy up, before she’d becomeDarcy Kincaid.
“Finesse?” Darcy echoed, rolling her eyes as she tracked them back up to meet Juliet’s. “Not exactly. But it usually goes a little differently than a woman stripping down in front of me, wearing…”
“I know what I want. I know how I want it. And I don’t feel the need to dress it up. What, do you need to be romanced,Darcy? I didn’t realize you were so… delicate,” she taunted, her lips tugging into a small smile.
“Fuck you,” Darcy breathed back, but there was no vitriol behind it at all.
She knew, she knew as sure as the brain could recall a favorite tune, that Darcy felt the same exact desire she did right now. Staring at one another, squaring off,knowingthis was going to happen. She knew Darcy was running on the same energy that fueled Juliet.
“I’ve been trying to get you to do that all night,” she shot back, holding her ground. Challenging Darcy – make the move.
Because Juliet knew precisely how this was going to go: Darcy would be coming to her, closing the gap between them. Juliet had done enough of the work so far to make this happen.
“I’m notdelicate,” Darcy denied. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”
“Then don’t make it so easy for me.”
“You just love to start something with me,” Darcy shot back, taking a step closer.