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  “Was that the first time you . . . ?” Chloe didn’t even know how to finish the sentence.

  Kai tilted her head, obviously debating whether or not to tell the truth. “Unfortunately, no. I’ve thought about you as a woman for at least the last couple of years. I was very grateful you were at a school all the way across the country.”

  “Thank you.” Chloe smiled.

  “For what?”

  “For being honest with me. I’ve wanted you for so many years that I felt completely alone and wrong.”

  “Make no mistake. Because it’s mutual doesn’t make it right.”

  Chloe shook her head. “I don’t want to believe that.” Then she remembered how Kai had been last night, tortured.

  I’m going to hell for this.

  She sighed. “But I don’t want to hurt you, Kai. Whatever you want is what we’ll do.” Even though it would kill her. At least she could get herself together enough to leave Georgia within the next month and be away from the source of her temptation.

  “I brought this on myself.” Kai lifted her fork but did not touch her food. “They are my own feelings, Little Bit.”

  “I’m not your Little Bit,” Chloe said gently. “I outgrew that nickname a long time ago.”

  “I have to keep thinking of you as that if I’m going to release this thing. It’s for the best. We’ll tell your mother when I get back to Atlanta.”

  Chloe’s heart thumped painfully at the thought of that conversation. She had screwed everything up so badly. The least of which was, potentially, the friendship between her mother and Kai.

  She gently blew on her hot cocoa to cool it then brought the mug to her lips in time to see Kai’s bright eyes devouring her in a way they never had before.

  It was because they had had sex. It had to be. Now that the dam had broken, now that they each knew how the other tasted, it was going to be even harder than before. Chloe put the mug down, licking at the corner of her lips to get rid of any errant traces of the hot drink. Across from her, Kai made a ragged noise.

  “I think you’re trying to kill me.” Kai put down her fork and gulped down half her water. “And I think you’re doing it on purpose.”

  Chloe smiled but shook her head. “I’m not responsible for your lecherous thoughts.”

  “And therein lies the problem.” She put down the water glass and braced her arms on the edges of the table. “Chloe—”

  “Let me stay with you for the rest of the time you’re in New York.”

  “What?”

  “Let me stay.” Chloe put a hand around the mug of cocoa but did not lift it. “I’m not ready to face Mom yet. Not about this.”

  “But you have to.” Kai’s voice was firm.

  “I know. But not yet. Please.”

  Her insides trembled at the very idea of it. How could she tell her mother, and Duncan, about the secret she’d harbored in her heart all these years? How could she have it exposed and treated like something dirty and perverted and wrong?

  “Just give me a few days’ reprieve. I’m waiting to hear back from my interviews. Maybe one of the jobs will pan out before you have to leave. Then we can tell Mom and I can move to New York. I don’t want to stay in the house with her if she’s going to flip out on me.” She’d feel too guilty if she had to look at her mother’s face, see the evidence of the friendship she’d destroyed.

  “I’m not sure that’s the best idea, Chloe. I’ve got to be here for another three days, and we’ll be alone together the whole time. It won’t be the safest situation.”

  Chloe propped her chin on an upraised fist, deliberately leaning closer to Kai. “I do have self-control, you know.”

  “But what if I don’t?” Kai was staring at her mouth.

  Heat surged up Chloe’s throat, and she swallowed, then cleared her throat. “Okay. How about this? It can be like a simple escort situation. We agree now to the terms. No sex.” She flushed harder as the words left her mouth. Just saying the word sex made her think of the other woman’s hands on her. “Just like an escort. Like when I was in college. We can even draw up a contract.”

  Kai’s face grew cold. “I’m not going to treat you like a whore, Chloe. That’s insulting to both of us.”

  “It won’t be like that.” She cut into her omelet, giving herself time to formulate the best argument to convince Kai. “I want to escape for a while. You may need someone to get your papers together, maybe arrange for dinner with your colleagues.”

  “I don’t know. . . .”

  “But I do. Why don’t we try it? I honestly don’t want to face being in Georgia alone with this thing looming over me. Over us. I know it’s cowardly, but just try to see things my way a little. Okay?”

  Kai sighed, a torn look on her face. “There’s a contract involved?”

  “There can be. I can put one together if you like.”

  “No. Let’s not do that. It makes me feel like I’m hiring you.”

  “But you are. And this way, you don’t have to worry about losing control and trying to have sex with me.” Chloe smiled gently. “I’d even wear a chastity belt if it helps.”

  “That wouldn’t stop me from getting what I want, believe me.” Kai cleared her throat and went back to her spicy eggs.

  Chapter 8

  Chloe and Kai didn’t end up drawing up a contract, but they might as well have. When they got back to the apartment, Kai immediately set up the office as her bedroom, firmly putting at least that boundary between her and Chloe.

  “Now that that’s all settled, let’s see if we can get back to some sort of normalcy,” she told Chloe.

  Kai stood in the living room with her hands in her pockets. The bright autumn light from the windows fell on her beautiful face, over the rippling length of her locks, the curve of her breasts in the buttoned-up shirt. Chloe couldn’t stop her eyes from lingering on those breasts. The pulse in her throat tripped as she wondered what it would have been like to taste them, feel their tips harden under her tongue.

  “We should probably go outside and do something,” Kai said as she watched Chloe’s face and the desire that had to be written plainly on it.

  Chloe blushed. Yes, they needed to go outside for the sake of her sanity and this invisible contract of theirs.

  Chloe had never been that much into sex. It was something she could take or leave. When she’d shared her virginity with Nicole Walker in college, it had been a nonissue, two young women sharing pleasure one night after a party. Nicole had been ravenous for sex, but Chloe had only shrugged, going along with the demands of her sudden girlfriend because what Nicole made her body feel was pleasant.

  But she’d never truly desired someone before, until Kai touched her. With her, Chloe wanted more, wanted to do more, see more, wanted that explosion between her thighs to go on forever.

  “And you’re sure you don’t want to reconsider this ‘companion’ thing?” Kai asked.

  “I’m sure.”

  Kai sighed softly. “Then let’s get out of here.”

  They left the apartment in search of New York in autumn. A train ride and a slow meander through the city took them to Central Park. There the fall leaves were in full glory, fluttering around them to the ground like pieces of sunshine. At the park, Chloe strolled at Kai’s side under the bright leaves, her hands tucked into her jacket pockets, while sunlight lightly kissed her face and throat.

  “Thank you again for allowing me to stay here with you, Kai. I really appreciate it.”

  “I’d thank you for not thanking me for being an enabler,” the other woman said dryly. “You should be back in Atlanta, confessing our sins to your mother, not hiding out here with me.”

  “But I’m not hiding out.” Chloe spun once, flaring her jacket around her hips as she gestured at the park and the people in it. “I’m with you, and we’re strolling under the sun, where anybody can see us. Mom will know everything soon enough. For now, I just want to be.”

  “Right.” Kai’s look was
a mixture of cynicism and amusement.

  Chloe smiled. Despite the sensual tension between them, she was enjoying their walk. Having Kai at her side was a natural high. The leaves crackled under their footsteps, and the air was crisp, smelling like happiness. Someone nearby was roasting peanuts, and the scent of dying leaves drifted through the air. The park was the perfect blend of empty and beautiful, the leaves and other sights bright enough to bring out the strolling locals, but the tourist season at enough of a lull that the paths weren’t so congested.

  Chloe sighed in contentment. “How long have you had this apartment?”

  “About six years now, give or take.”

  “Really? How come I didn’t know about it? I came to New York at least half a dozen times while I was in college. My friends and I could have crashed at your place.” She gave Kai a cheeky grin, knowing that would never have happened.

  “I’m never in the mood to entertain children, Chloe.” Kai’s eyes flashed an unknown emotion.

  “It’s a good thing I’m not a child, then.”

  They stopped at a stall to get hot cocoa, Chloe buying them both a hot cup, which Kai accepted grudgingly.

  “I thought you were my companion for the next few days,” Kai muttered, taking her cup from the vendor. “Shouldn’t I be paying for all your expenses while we’re here?”

  “I don’t think we need to take things that far.” Chloe paid for their drinks, then tucked away her wallet. “This is my treat to myself and a thank-you for letting me inconvenience you in your own home.”

  They started walking again, sipping their cups of hot cocoa.

  “You’re not an inconvenience, Chloe.”

  “And you’re not a very good liar.” She cupped her hands around the warm Styrofoam container. “I know you’re uncomfortable with me here. For various reasons. I’ll try to minimize the awkwardness as much as possible.”

  “It’s awkward only because I want you.” Kai’s voice was a hot whisper, one that Chloe felt deep in her belly. “I’ve always enjoyed your company, Chloe. When you were a child and even now, when you’re making my life far more complicated than it needs to be.”

  “Thank you for saying that.”

  Kai glanced at Chloe, her mint-ginger eyes haunted. “What? For confessing that even now I want to drop to my knees and give you something we both want?”

  Chloe flushed with pleasure and arousal, gripping her cocoa tighter. “Yes.”

  She and Kai took the bridle path under the Gothic Bridge as bright yellow and orange leaves scattered on the wind around them. The edges of their clothes fluttered in the mild breeze.

  Chloe sipped her cocoa, slowly coming to terms with the decision to tell her mother about what she had done to Kai. Seduced her, brought the tall woman tumbling down into sexual abandon with her. And what a tumble it had been.

  Flashes of the night before came to her: Kai’s hands cupping her breasts, lust-drugged green and gold eyes staring down into hers, tender fingers parting her pussy lips, then sliding, inch by inch, into her soaked cunt. Chloe trembled with arousal, happy she would have those memories until the end of her days.

  She sighed and, unthinkingly, looped her arm through Kai’s.

  The other woman looked startled for a moment before she relaxed against Chloe. A sudden wind swirled leaves in the air, some catching in Kai’s locks for a moment before flying away, the bright red and yellow leaves a fleeting kiss of color against her skin.

  “You have something . . .” Smiling, Kai reached out and plucked a leaf from Chloe’s hair. Her fingers brushed against Chloe’s cheek as she untangled the leaf from her coils. She let the leaf fall but traced a finger around her ear.

  Chloe shivered, unconsciously lifting her mouth to be kissed.

  “Kai, is that you?” A woman’s voice.

  Kai’s head jerked up. Then she smiled.

  “I thought that was you!” The woman who had called out to her muttered something into the phone she had at her ear, then tucked it in the pocket of her shorts before flying toward Kai.

  She threw her arms around Kai’s neck, forcing Chloe to pull her hand away and fall back.

  Kai leaned into the beautiful woman’s enthusiastic embrace with a grin. “Adi,” Kai greeted with the warm smile. “Good to see you.”

  Adi could have been a model. She was tall and had a graceful galloping walk. With skin like sweet blackberries and a brilliant white smile, she stood out like a diamond among the others strolling through the park. She had short natural hair cut close to her head, a regal neck, and a gorgeous body. She wore a slim-fitting black jacket, a scarf, and cream shorts over black tights that showed off mile-long legs. The cream and black wedges on her feet were precariously high.

  “Girl, you look good!” She released Kai to pull Chloe in with her wide and infectious smile. “And you do too, honey. Whoever you are.” She leaned in and pecked Chloe on the cheek. “You are gorgeous!” Her appraising gaze seemed to take in all of Chloe, from the toes of her high-heeled black boots to the thick kinks in her hair.

  Kai smiled down at the two women. “Adi and Chloe, meet each other.”

  “A pleasure, darling.” Adi touched Chloe’s arm, then brushed a finger across Kai’s cheek. “You look so happy. Is this a new thing or a seasoned love affair?” She looked at Kai as she asked the question but invited Chloe to answer as well. “I haven’t seen you in at least a year and a half. Not since Black Pride.”

  “We’re actually not together,” Chloe said before Adi could go any further. “Kai is a family friend.”

  Adi laughed, throwing back her pretty head. Her teeth flashed in the late morning sun, and her laughter rang out loud and long, attracting more than a few stares. “If you two haven’t fucked yet, I’ll eat this entire park full of dead leaves.”

  Chloe watched, shocked, as color flooded Kai’s cheeks. Who was this woman who could make Kai blush like a fifteen-year-old?

  Adi laughed again. “Good for you, Kai. I’m sure your performance was stellar, as usual.”

  “I’m going to let you go before my face catches on fire, Adi.” Kai shook her head, her cheeks still dark with embarrassment. “I’m never ready to play with you.”

  “Fine, honey. But you should come to the party I’m having this weekend. The bae and I are having a cookout on the roof. Bring your honey. We’ll make her feel welcome, and you’ll have a real good time.” She kissed Kai quickly on the cheek, leaving a touch of her bright purple lipstick. “Don’t tell me no.” She slipped a card in Kai’s pocket. “In case you forgot our address and number.”

  Adi squeezed Chloe’s arm. “See you then, hot stuff.” Then she was off, a strutting peacock on the path with her cell phone back at her ear.

  “Oh my God!” Chloe stared after the leggy woman. “Who is that?”

  “An old friend.” Kai tucked Chloe’s arm back through hers, and they continued walking down the leaf-strewn path. “I’ve known her for years.”

  “And you slept with her.” Chloe raised an eyebrow.

  “Once. Years ago, when I was at NYU.”

  At Chloe’s narrowed look, Kai raised a hand, laughing. “It was just once, and just enough for us to know that it wouldn’t work. She tried to hook me up with one of her friends about a week later.”

  “That’s weird.” Chloe shook her head. Since she had slept with Kai, she couldn’t imagine trying to give her to someone else.

  They continued down the paved path, passing a light trickle of people enjoying the late morning air, women with their children bundled up in strollers, joggers, groups of giggling teenagers who appeared to be skipping school.

  “Do you think everyone can tell that we’ve slept together?” Chloe felt a shudder run through Kai’s body after she asked the question.

  “Shit,” Kai muttered. “I hope not.” She rolled her shoulders under her elegant coat. “It might just be Adi. She’s very perceptive. On the morning after she and I slept together for the first and last time, she said th
at she would love to keep me but couldn’t, since I was meant for someone else.”

  Chloe made a noise. “And ever since then she’s been trying to set you up with random lesbians all over New York?”

  “Pretty much. She insists she’s just trying to help my woman find me.”

  Chloe bit her lip. “Do you think I’m that woman?” She held her breath, wondering what Kai would say.

  But she said nothing, only glanced down at Chloe with an unreadable expression. Then she finally sighed a word and looked away to stare ahead at the path.

  “Shit.”

  Chapter 9

  Chloe woke up to the sound of Kai moving around the bedroom. The other woman was quiet, but Chloe heard the muted tread of her bare feet across the rug and the hardwood floors, smelled the oils she had recently smoothed on her skin after her shower.

  She turned over in the bed to watch Kai, dressed in dark slacks and an unbuttoned dress shirt, slip beyond the bedroom door.

  Since their morning in the park, Kai had avoided her as much as she could in the shared apartment, working long hours behind the closed door of her office, leaving first thing in the morning, before Chloe even woke, staying out past midnight some days. Even though Chloe knew why the other woman did it, her avoidance still hurt.

  She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling for a long time, before she finally got up to tidy herself in the bathroom, then make her way to the living room.

  Down the hall, she could hear Kai moving around in her makeshift bedroom. Within moments, she emerged, dressed for work in a gray pin-striped suit and a paisley tie. She had her hair pulled into a neat French braid. Tiny diamond studs sparkled from her earlobes.

  “Good morning.” Chloe yawned and curled her legs under her on the couch.

  “Good morning, miss.” Kai was so utterly calm. So handsome. Chloe felt her heart clench, but she kept the welcoming smile on her face.

  Kai checked her watch as she straightened her tie. “I’m heading out to my meeting.” It was almost eight in the morning. “I probably won’t be back until late tonight.”