Lucy blinked against the sunlight that illuminated her bedroom and lazily made note that morning had arrived. It was Saturday and she had no plans, making it the best kind of morning ever. Her limbs felt heavy, her body felt fluid in the most wonderful way, and the events of the night prior came flooding back to her in all their detailed glory.
Kristin, she thought languidly to herself and then rolled over to find the object of her racy memories asleep next to her. The golden glow of the sunlight touched Kristin’s bare shoulders, and Lucy smiled at the sight, and at the recollection of the delicious things they’d done to each other. She placed a kiss on one of those shoulders and snaked an arm around Kristin’s waist, moving closer to her. It had been three weeks since the protest, and quite possibly the best three weeks of Lucy’s life.
“Good morning,” Kristin murmured with a slight smile on her face, though her eyes remained closed. Lucy delicately feathered her fingers into Kristin’s hair and moved it off her forehead, then took a moment to watch her sleep, knowing full well it would be a short-lived visual. Her hand drifted lower to Kristin’s breast, and with her index finger she circled the nipple. “What are you doing?” Kristin asked, though the smile had grown.
“Just saying good morning back,” Lucy said, dipping her head to taste the spot her hand had just explored. She heard Kristin suck in a breath as she pulled the nipple into her mouth. She dropped her hand between Kristin’s legs and greeted her properly, loving the murmur of approval she received from Kristin, who shifted against the touch and surrendered as Lucy slid inside.
“God,” Kristin breathed, lifting her head from the pillow. Her eyes were open now and she was fully engaged, looking beyond sexy. Kristin in an everyday moment was beautiful, but Kristin fresh-faced and turned on was another level entirely. Zero-to-sixty, Lucy reminded herself, the way it always was with them. It only took a few minutes before Kristin writhed beneath her touch and gripped the sheets as pleasure washed over her in a display Lucy would never get tired of.
As the final shock waves subsided, Lucy claimed her mouth in a tantalizing kiss. “Sorry I woke you. Kinda had to.”
Kristin blinked back at her. “You know how to make a morning a memorable one. That’s for sure.”
“I really like the morning.”
“And I like that you like it.”
Lucy relaxed back into the bed. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this happy. While their jobs kept them busy, she and Kristin had begun spending more and more time together in the evenings, and the weekend sleepovers were a definite favorite of hers. They were still very different people and probably always would be. Kristin stuck to her running schedule and would rather stay in and watch a movie together on the couch. Lucy liked to go out on a Saturday night and spent her free time planning parties or charity gatherings with her friends. Kristin attended environmental meetings. Lucy went to the spa. Kristin followed politics. Lucy followed baseball. But underneath it all, Lucy had developed a deep appreciation of their differences. How boring would it be to date someone just like herself? Hadn’t that been why she and Emory hadn’t worked out, back in the day?
Kristin slipped her hands beneath the hem of the Padres T-shirt Lucy had put on before falling asleep and caressed Lucy’s stomach with her thumbs. “Do you know what makes me happy?”
“I don’t,” Lucy said. “You should tell me.”
“Waking up in the morning and remembering that you’re here next to me.” Kristin gave her head the tiniest shake. “I can’t seem to get enough of what that feels like. That little burst of energy I get when I open my eyes and see you.”
They were maybe some of Lucy’s favorite words ever and she felt the smile break across her face. Honestly, she couldn’t agree with the sentiment more. Kristin made life shimmer in a way she’d never experienced before. Talking to her was enthralling, looking at her was mesmerizing, and kissing her was like heaven on Earth.
“Let’s just stay in bed for a couple of hours,” Kristin said. “What do you say? We can be lazy and adventurous at the same time. Though you’ve already checked your adventurous box once this morning.”
“While I want nothing more than to live in this bed with you, I must take a temporary leave of absence. I require pancakes. Sustenance.” And with that, Lucy was up and putting on her robe as Kristin gaped at her. “What?” Lucy asked nonchalantly.
“You can’t do that.”
“Do what?” She passed Kristin an innocent smile.
“You know exactly what. Ravish my body and then dash out of here before I get to have any fun myself. And Lucy, I really, really want to have fun with you right now.”
“You seemed to be having a good time a few minutes ago.” Lucy said with a circular point back at the bed. But the way Kristin looked now had her rethinking her plan. All sexy and amazing with tousled hair and pouty lips. “God, look at you.” Before she could help it, she climbed back in bed and claimed a final, scorching kiss. The kind that curled her toes and sent the tingling sensations dancing across her skin. “Okay, no more of that or we’ll never get pancakes. Chef Lucy needs to report to the kitchen.”
“Chef Lucy, stay here and be naughty with me some more. The pancakes can wait.”
“They can’t either. Pancakes can’t be made to wait. They’re too important in the scheme of life.”
“And the rest of the fun?” Kristin asked with the most adorable puppy-dog eyes.
“After the pancakes, we have all the time in the world to come back here and do…whatever we want.”
At that, Kristin perked up considerably. “Okay, now this is a scenario I can get behind.”
“We can try it from behind if you want.” She winked playfully at Kristin and headed for the stove.
Twenty minutes later, they sat around Lucy’s circular kitchen table, enjoying some of the fluffiest pancakes Lucy had ever managed to turn out. “I’m highly impressed with myself right now,” Lucy said, examining the substantial height of the bite of pancake on her fork.
“You excel at pancakes, Luce. Gotta hand it to you.” Kristin tossed a bite to BP, who inhaled the unexpected treasure and offered Kristin’s ankle a lick in appreciation.
“Thanks. And I swear that dog likes you more than she likes me, not that I blame her.”
Kristin rested her chin in her hand and smiled at Lucy. “Are you saying you like me, Lucy?”
“I think that is what I’m saying. Yes.” The mood was light, but the words sparked something in Lucy and she felt the smile dim on her face. Because she did like Kristin. She liked bantering with her. She liked the way Kristin consistently challenged her and didn’t always let her get away with things most people did. She loved the long talks they had late at night after making love. She liked the pensive look Kristin got on her face when she was thinking about whatever story she was writing in her head. She loved it all. Pause, rewind. Deep breath. How did the word love sneak in there? She wasn’t in love with Kristin. They’d known each other less than two months. Love took time. But in a shocking revelation, she did think she could be in the process of falling in love with her, and that was a little scary. Something to maybe push aside for examination later.
“Why do you look like you’re about to pull the fire alarm?”
She was now aware of the fact that Kristin was studying her. “Hmm?” Lucy asked absently. She hadn’t quite rejoined the conversation fully after her world had shifted on its axis moments before. Because, whoa, she was falling in love with this woman. As the seconds ticked by, she grew more and more sure of it.
“I was just asking, a moment ago, how long you were going to hold that bite of pancake half the distance to your mouth. Are you taking a break? Was it maybe a heavy pancake and you can’t move it any farther?” Kristin was smiling at her, and that smile did just what it always did, grounded her. It brought her back to the here and now and she remembered another thing she loved about Kristin. She served as an excellent voice of reason.
Lucy inhaled deeply and the terror dissipated. In its place, she found courage. She stared into those eyes the color of the sea and said what was in her heart. “I was just thinking how wonderful you are and how it’s hard to believe you weren’t a part of my life just a few months ago.”
Kristin relaxed back into her chair. “I know. I feel like I’ve known you for so much longer. Maybe it’s because I spend so much time thinking about you when we’re apart. I don’t like being away from you. Besides our fiery debates and playful chatter, you’re also super hot. Speaking of which…”
“Yes?”
“Are we through with the pancakes now? For the love of God, say yes.”
The fire in Kristin’s eyes gave Lucy a little thrill she felt all over. “We are.”
*
It was dark out and most of the newsroom had headed home for the day, but Kristin had done it. She’d put the finishing touches on her exposé and once she’d hit send, it was on its way to Dalton and then to the cover of the Sunday feature section. She sat back in her chair and let the feeling of accomplishment wash over her. It’d been a long row she’d hoed to get here. The move, the new job, and the intense hours of research and reshaping, had all led to this moment.
She felt like celebrating. Champagne, maybe. And there was only one person she wanted to share this moment with. Given, Lucy didn’t love the fact that her company was mentioned in the story, but she surely, by this point, understood that the story was merely an impartial examination of a series of events. Nothing personal. In fact, she seemed to root for Kristin as she worked long hours. That didn’t mean Kristin wasn’t fighting against the butterflies bouncing around her stomach at the thought of Lucy actually reading the piece.
She called Lucy instead of texting her, simply because she wanted to hear her voice. Whether she would have believed it three months ago or not, Lucy had come to mean everything to Kristin. And while the workweek kept them from spending any sort of appreciable one-on-one time together outside of the occasional quick lunchtime rendezvous, Kristin always seemed to crave more.
“Hey, sexy reporter person,” Lucy said upon answering. “Do I get to lay eyes on you tonight or do you have to work?” It was the last day of June and Friday night. Neither of them had work the next day, so of course, they’d get together and enjoy the summer night. Maybe even walk on the beach if Lucy was up for it.
“Oh, eyes will be laid.”
“That’s all though? Just eyes?” There was a mock sadness in Lucy’s voice that made Kristin smile.
“I have a suspicion there might be more. I can’t be sure.”
“Well, who can? Now come over here and let’s watch bad TV and talk about our weeks.”
“Sold.”
Lucy opened the door to her beach house fifteen minutes later. “Well, that was fast. Come here, because I have missed you this week.”
After a leisurely hello kiss that had Kristin walking on air, she held up the bottle she’d brought with her.
“And you have champagne?”
“I’m a ninja today.” She placed another kiss on Lucy’s amazing lips and followed her inside, tasting strawberry lip gloss, which was most certainly on its way to becoming her favorite taste on the planet. Lucy was more casual than she was, wearing workout shorts and a black tank top. “How do you manage to make a basic tank top look like that on you?”
“I think that’s a compliment, which I will accept. Oh, and you’d be proud of me. I stepped over to the dark side and went for a run to Emory’s house.”
“You ran the five minutes to Emory’s house?” Kristin made sure to sound extra shocked for proper ribbing to occur.
“Yes, Miss Pretentious About Running. I did. Though I hated every moment of it, I was glad I’d done it when it was all over.”
“I don’t know who you are, but I’m really impressed with you right now.”
“Is that why there’s champagne here? Because you’re celebrating my newfound appreciation for running. I’m like blue-ribbon-on-field-day caliber now.”
“Whoa. And yes, that is most definitely it. It’s here for your running celebration. I also finished my story, so both things.”
Lucy broke out into a smile that Kristin felt straight down to her toes. “As in, gone forever? It’s done?”
“I turned it in”—Kristin consulted her watch—“half an hour ago.”
Lucy stepped into Kristin’s space and snaked her arms around Kristin’s neck, looking up at her. “You, Kristin James, are one awesome and accomplished human. I’m very, very proud of you. I know you’ve been working incredibly hard on this story.” She leaned in for a slow kiss. “When do I get to read it and bask in your journalistic prowess?”
Kristin knew this moment was coming, and she’d imagined it on more than one occasion. Now that it was here, she felt sick inside. When she’d taken Dalton’s advice and made the decision to make Global NewsWire a bigger part of the story, she’d had her reservations. But the fact of the matter was that this was her career she was talking about, and journalistic integrity mattered. That meant she couldn’t let her personal life color her point of view when she crafted a story. It had been difficult to push her feelings for Lucy aside and write what she did, but in the end, it had been the right decision. The story needed that hometown anchor featured prominently in the exposition. Lucy was a career-driven woman herself and Kristin was confident she’d get that. At least, she hoped she would.
“You don’t have to read it right now,” Kristin said, releasing Lucy and turning to unwrap the foil from the bottle. “Let’s have a glass.” She was delaying the inevitable here.
“Oh, but I want to.” Lucy slid onto one of the bar stools facing the island. “I’ve actually been really curious about how it was coming along but thought I’d stay out of it until you were finished.”
Kristin struggled with the cork and considered this. “You didn’t have to do that. I would have let you read it.”
“And now I know for next time.” With a loud pop, the cork flew from the bottle and collided with the ceiling in a festive display. Lucy stared at the ceiling in amusement and then back at Kristin. “You give good cork.”
Kristin smiled. “Among other things.”
“And you’re still stalling.” Lucy patted the countertop in front of her. “I’d like my champagne with a side of news story, please.”
“Fine. Okay. Coming right up.” She placed a glass of champagne in front of Lucy and handed her the laptop, which was open to the story. “Let me say this first. Please try and keep an open mind as you read. The story runs on Sunday but I wanted you to have a chance with it first. So we can discuss it.”
Lucy studied her for a moment before nodding solemnly. “Of course.” A flicker of concern crossed her features as she turned her attention to the screen.
Kristin took a seat on the couch behind her, giving Lucy space to read. Suddenly all the reasons she’d given herself to write the particular story as she did fell by the wayside as she watched Lucy, who meant the world to her, read back the words. She controlled her breathing to calm her nerves and took note of the fact that time seemed to inch by. Seconds felt like minutes. Minutes felt like hours.
Somewhere along the way, it became clear to Kristin that Lucy had stopped reading. She closed the laptop in front of her, and though Kristin couldn’t see her face, she’d gone very still.
“Luce?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah?” But she still hadn’t turned around.
“Talk to me. What did you think?”
“I guess I’m a little surprised is all.” She finally did turn around then. To say she appeared stricken was an understatement. The color had drained from her face and her eyes appeared haunted, wide. “So I might need a minute.” She turned back around, but it wasn’t like Kristin could just sit there and do nothing. The look on Lucy’s face had about killed her. She was up and circling the island instantly.
“Hey, don’t pull away from me right now. What’s going through your head? You know this isn’t personal.”
Lucy stared at the wall and gave her head a slow but subtle shake. “How could it not be? Not only do you mention the company I’ve worked hard to build from the ground up, but you’ve made it the crux of your story.”
Kristin took a moment to compile her thoughts, because the distant look on Lucy’s face made her feel as if she’d been punched in the stomach. “I tethered the story to GNW because its corporate headquarters are in San Diego and it allowed readers a connection to the story.”
Lucy stood. “Well, I’m happy I could be that for you. Do you mind if we call it a night early? I’m suddenly not in the mood to socialize.” She headed in the direction of her bedroom.
“Luce, please, let’s talk about this. If you’re angry about the story, say so.”
Lucy turned back to her then, her eyes flashing. “How could I not be angry? I’ve spent the last two and a half months sleeping with a woman that thinks I’m morally bankrupt and a perpetuator of untruths.”
“The story doesn’t say that. I don’t think that.”
“Did you or did you not write a news article that begins with a call for truth in our society and then segues into an example where a local company failed to do just that?”
“That’s a really harsh way of putting it.”
“You used my name, Kristin, and associated me with the act of misleading the public. How are you and I supposed to come back from that?”
“We’ll find a way. Let’s talk this out. I don’t want to fight with you.”
“Too late, because I want to fight with you.”
Kristin took a seat because the words were coming at her fast and furious and she was struggling with where to go. The way Lucy phrased it made the whole thing sound horrible. And it wasn’t that. It was an objective story about a series of events that actually took place. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t understand why you’re so shocked by all of this. You knew the moment we met that I was writing this story and had plans to include Global NewsWire. It’s not ideal, but it’s how things played out. What kind of journalist would I be if I twisted the story to suit my own needs?”
“It’s true I knew you were writing the story, but things were different then.” Her voice was much quieter now, which Kristin wasn’t sure was a good thing. She moved toward Lucy because she needed to be close to her, to let her know that nothing had changed. But Lucy had her hand out.
“Please don’t touch me right now. I feel like I’ve given myself to you in so many ways only to find out that who I am is undervalued. And that is not okay.”
Kristin shook her head. “You can stand there and be as mad as you want about the story. I get it, but don’t tell me that I don’t value you, because you mean more to me than you realize.”
“Apparently not.”
Kristin backtracked, attempting to see the situation as Lucy did. “So you thought I would drop the whole thing once we started dating? Leave you out of it?”
Lucy crossed her arms, indignant now. “Actually, yeah, I did.” The warmth in the way Lucy looked at her was not only gone, but replaced with cold indifference. How was that possible? Something was off here and Kristin wasn’t sure what. Then a horrible thought occurred to her and the question left her lips before she could even fully process its meaning.
“Is that what this has all been about?” Kristin asked. Lucy stared back at her, her expression unreadable. Kristin felt a prickle of fear inch up her spine. “Please tell me that wasn’t your goal all along, get close to me to get me to kill the story?”
Silence reigned.
But it couldn’t be that. It was a ridiculous notion. The moments between them had been too authentic, too tender, to be part of anything manipulative. Lucy wasn’t that kind of person and Kristin was sorry she’d even raised the question, understanding how offensive it must have sounded. She held up a hand. “Wait. I should apologize for even suggesting something so—”
“So what?” Lucy asked, raising one shoulder nonchalantly. “What does it matter what my reasons were? It’s not like we had a bad time, and now you’re running with the story anyway. Oh, well.”
Kristin shook her head, wishing she could take it all back. “Stop it. This isn’t you.”
“It’s me in your eyes though, isn’t it?” Lucy said pointedly.
“No. God”—Kristin ran a frustrated hand through her hair—“I shouldn’t have suggested that what we have is anything but real.”
Lucy took a step toward her, her eyes flashing hurt. “No, you shouldn’t have. But at least now I know where we stand, what you feel I’m capable of. Lying and deceiving the public, and then faking it with you for months just to keep it all quiet. Yep”—she nodded—“that’s me to a T.” With a disgusted shake of her head, she was gone.
Numb. That’s how Kristin felt as Lucy exited the room, closing her bedroom door with a dignified click. Kristin took a moment before showing herself out. And as she drove home, she relived how her best laid plans had crumbled into something unforeseen and awful. Quite honestly, she didn’t know which end was up or how to fix it. Everything she did only seemed to make it worse. The story was one thing, but the accusation she’d hurled at Lucy was another. She wasn’t sure there was any way to come back from this, and she struggled to breathe as the hurt slashed through her.
She’d lost Lucy.
It was over.