I ran errands back and forth to the kitchen, getting clean platters, condiments, utensils and other sundries as needed. Mom mostly sat near the pool, making sure nothing got out of hand.
As I came out with the relish from the fridge Kelsey came running up. “Aly!”
“Hey, sis, having fun?”
“Yeah, it’s great.” She looked back over at the pool and twisted her foot. “Just, um…”
I smiled at her. “Which one is he?”
She grinned shyly and pointed to a young man playing water basketball with several others. “Devin, there.”
The brown-haired head went up strong and dunked the ball through the little plastic rim, revealing a lean, reasonably muscled torso. He raised his arms in triumph as he came down, letting out a whoop as his friends splashed him for good measure. My sister actually sighed, which made me giggle.
I put on an affected air. “Wow, he is dreamy.” Kelsey gave me a pained look, so I shook my head. “What’s the problem?”
“I’ve been trying to get him to notice me.”
“Just give him a walk by.”
“A walk by. Walk past him look back over your shoulder and say ‘Hi, Devin’. Then keep going. Give her a good look at the bottom half of your swimsuit.”
She nodded and ran back off toward the pool to talk to one of her friends. I went back over to my dad.
“What was that about?”
“Your worst nightmare.”
“A boy?”
“Bingo.” I pulled a Diet Coke out of the cooler and popped it open.
Looking back at the pool I watched, completely amused, as Kelsey performed a perfect walk by flirtation. Poor Devin looked like someone had hit him over the head with a rubber mallet as he watched my sister stroll casually past. Damn, she was a natural.
“You never gave me problems like this at her age.” My dad flipped over a row of burgers. “Can you season the next batch, Aly?”
I took the Montreal Steak Seasoning and started sprinkling it over the meat. “What do you mean? I had boyfriends.”
“Yeah, but you never mooned over them. They didn’t seem to consume you like they do your sister.” He leaned close to me. “You have no idea what she’s been like the last few years. It’s all she can talk about.” I smiled at him. “But you have a new beau now, I hear. Still dating the lifeguard?”
Heat rose in my cheeks as I nodded.
“Your mother wants to meet this new flame, you know.”
OK, deep breath. “Yeah, I know. Maybe for dinner? It’s just tough ’cause Taylor works weekends.” My heart was pounding in my chest.
“How about this Saturday, after he gets off?”
I had a legitimate excuse for that one at least. “This weekend’s bad. We have the North Vista Art Fair. Taylor has a booth there. Tell you what, I’ll check with Taylor and see if sh-ahh-there’s another weekend he can get off. I’ll call you about it.”
I tried to be cool, and if my dad noticed my little slip of the tongue I couldn’t tell.
The house didn’t clear until close to nine. I’d watched Devin sit down next to Kelsey with a plate of food, and he even ran over to get her a soda once. By the time he left, my sister was floating around the house. She kept me up until after eleven talking, and I got a crash course in all things Devin, as well as the other assorted love triangles which seem to run rampant in the twelfth grade.
I finally got her to leave me alone and go to her own room, and I pulled out my phone as I rested on my childhood bed sending out a text to Taylor.
Me — Hi. You home?
I waited a few minutes but got no response. I was just about to give up when the responding bubble appeared.
Taylor — Hey, baby. Just pulled in, I was out at the warehouse. You OK?
Me — Yeah, just tired. Want to talk?
Taylor — Sure, let me get upstairs.
I stripped off my clothes and pulled on a cami and shorts before climbing under the covers. Just as I got comfy my phone buzzed.
“Hi.”
“Hey, baby. What’s up? Big party?”
“Actually, yeah, but not what you think. I’m out at the homestead. Kelsey had a bash I was helping with.”
“Aww, you’re such a good sister, baby.”
“Thanks. So, just wanted to let you know I talked to my parents, and they want to have you over for dinner. You just have to pick a day.”
“Really? Do they know who you’re bringing home?”
“Um, no, not exactly.”
“You gonna tell them, or is it going to be a surprise?” Her voice wasn’t happy. I was blowing this.
“What do you think I should do?” My voice was pleading.
Taylor breathed deeply. “I don’t know, baby. My coming out didn’t go well, so I really can’t give advice. But I’ll do whatever you want. I love you.”
“I love you, too. Good night, My Lady.” I hugged the phone close as it disconnected. I imagined what it would be like to have Taylor here, next to me. Maybe after an evening with my family, nothing to hide, her strong arms around me. It was a wonderful thought, and I slipped away into sleep.
***
Taylor and I spent most of Tuesday afternoon packing up the pieces she was taking to the fair. Some were good sized and had to be disassembled before they would fit on the pickup she was going to be renting Thursday. I had no classes Thursday and Friday, and I decided to blow off my Wednesday classes, too, so I could spend basically the whole week with Taylor. Normally Sadie and I spent fall break in my parent’s pool, but she was going up to Napa to visit Noah’s family, which meant I was free to spend the whole time with Taylor.
When I got to Taylor’s place after my class on Tuesday she was sitting on the couch with a bunch of papers on the coffee table. I kicked off my shoes and set my bag down by the door. She looked up at me with tired eyes.
“Hey, baby.”
“Hi. Whatcha doing?”
“Paperwork for the fair. I’ve been working on it for two days.”
“Oh, you poor thing.” I climbed into her lap, straddling her legs and nibbling on her ear. “Does My Lady need a break?”
“That’d be wonderful, baby.” She ran her fingers through my hair and looked me in the eyes. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”
I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers her. “There’s that, the most amazing kisses ever, or the fact that the world seems so much brighter when I’m with you, or that you make me feel safe and loved and cherished. There’s also the fact that you’re my hero, saving lives and all that.” I pressed my mouth to her neck, earning a sigh as she lifted her chin and settled back into the cushions. She made little cooing noises as I suckled her tender flesh. “Or that you taste so wonderful.”
With that I slid off her lap to my knees before her, my hands going to her fly button and undoing it. She lifted her hips as I pulled down the zipper and grasped the waistband, pulling both her jeans and panties off in one smooth motion. Taylor’s hips glided forward to the edge of the sofa, eyes closing as she gave herself over to my touch.
I pushed her knees apart, showing me her bare sex, just starting to moisten. I pressed my cheek against her inner thigh before rolling into a kiss on the tender flesh there. Taylor gave a contented little sigh as I moved closer to her core. God, I lived for those sounds. I pressed a kiss onto her outer lips before skipping over her sex and doing the same to the other leg.
“Baby, that’s so good.” The aroma of her arousal was building fast, and I couldn’t wait to taste her. I couldn’t believe how much I’d missed performing this simple act for My Lady last week. My palms ran around My Lady’s thighs and over her abs. I’d never felt her so tense, and it broke my heart. Let’s see what we could do about that.
I pushed my tongue inside her before drawing it up through her sex in a long, slow, broad stroke.
“Ohh, yes.” One of My Lady’s hands curled around the back of my head and held me to her as I continued to work up and down, swirling around the swollen nub at the top whenever I reached it. My palm caressed up towards her breast, and she found me there, our fingers entwining together as she pressed herself against me. I didn’t rush things, as I wanted her to relax completely before I brought her to her full.
I could feel the tension flowing out of her as I continued to work, which was wonderful. She slowly gave herself over to her pleasure, pushing herself against me as she started to crest, and my mouth was flooded with her incredible flavor.
I kept her going for a moment before wrapping my tongue around her clit and burying myself in her. “Oh, damn, baby, that’s so good. Don’t stop, please, just a little more, ahh.” Taylor began to shake, and moments later a second, powerful orgasm rolled through her.
Looking up from between her legs I watched My Lady’s beautiful face morph from a look of total pleasure to one of blissful happiness. She opened her eyes, her mouth stretching into a contented smile as she looked down at me.
“Come, here, baby.”
My own cheeks spread into a wide grin as I climbed back into her arms, sitting in her lap as she held me close.
“Is My Lady more relaxed now?” My voice was a breathy whisper, and I finished with a kiss on her neck.
“Oh, yeah.” She put her arms around me and nuzzled in close, which made me giggle, as I was completely in my larger and stronger girlfriend’s power. “But I still don’t want to do any more paperwork.”
I rested my head on her shoulder, luxuriating in her warmth. “You know, you could, if you wanted to, I mean, take your baby back to bed, and do delicious fun things to her.”
“Oh, I could, huh? Does my baby want that?”