Dinner had not been nearly as bizarre as Skye had predicted. She had wondered when she’d first agreed to go to some random stranger’s house for dinner if they were all going to be murdered, Jeffrey Dahmer–style. To be safe, she brought her pepper spray.
But when they’d arrived, and everyone had seemed so warm and friendly, she’d wondered if her mom had just made a new friend. But when everyone had started asking about where the other daughter was, Skye had known it was as ridiculous a setup as it seemed. Though just not a murderous one.
Her mother had never tried that before. She understood that work always came first, and Skye wasn’t ready to settle down. She had wondered if this was payback for Skye nagging her about moving to the North Side so often.
She’d never imagined in her wildest dreams that the wayward daughter would be the woman whose touch she hadn’t been able to clear from her mind since the gala.
That was, until she was chatting with Roxy and looked at the pictures on the bookshelf and everything had clicked into place. Bailey couldn’t have been more than twelve or thirteen while holding that Mathletes trophy, wearing a proud, goofy grin with braces larger than her mouth. It gave Skye a glimpse of a side of Bailey that she hadn’t known existed. The gangly dweeb. Very similar to Skye herself at that age.
Bailey’s family was also endearing. It was clear she hadn’t expected a setup, either, although her family had apparently been in on it. The way they maneuvered around the table, switching seats until Skye was next to Bailey, where neither of them had room to move away, was nothing short of masterful. As a long-term strategist, she could appreciate the work, even if it was uncomfortable to experience.
Sitting next to Bailey hadn’t been a hardship, though. They’d settled into comfortable conversation despite their previous questionable encounters. But Skye had kept catching herself staring at Bailey’s hand. She’d watched her thumb trace the top of her wineglass and had flashed back to that thumb running along her jaw right before Bailey had kissed her. The way Bailey had held her knife, gentle but with authority, had reminded her of those fingers gently but firmly pulling her closer as they were dancing and later kissing. Her heart rate had quickened again remembering that kiss.
What had happened to never thinking about it again?
Lost in her thoughts after dinner, Skye didn’t hear anyone approach her at the kitchen sink and jumped when she heard, “What are you doing out here?”
“Jesus, Bailey. What the fuck?”
Bailey was standing two feet behind her with her hands on her hips, looking good enough to eat. “You’re awfully jumpy, aren’t you?” Her cheeky grin created an unwelcome flutter in Skye’s chest. “This is the second time I’ve made you jump like that.”
“Well, when you sneak up on someone like a fucking ax murderer, what do you expect? Were you a ninja in another life?” Skye smiled at the pot she was washing, not daring to actually look at Bailey for fear she couldn’t keep a straight face. “Or were those the classes you took on your nights off from being a Mathlete?” She laughed and looked at Bailey from the side of her eye to see that telltale temple twitch. She had the impulse to touch it again, the way she had at the gala before the crashing dishes had broken the spell, but her hands were all soapy.
Bailey huffed through her nose. “I knew you weren’t going to let that damn picture go.”
Skye chuckled and continued scrubbing. “How could I? Little geeky Bailey was so adorable. I wanted to pinch her cheek.”
“Jesus.” Bailey shook her head, yet all Skye could think about was leaning toward her and kissing her, to hell with her soapy hands. “Anyway, what are you doing? You snuck off to the bathroom and never came back.”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m washing the dishes. I didn’t want your mom to have to do it after we all left. But I knew that if I said what I was going to do, she would have objected.” Skye certainly didn’t want Gammy or Loll to have to do them after they’d cooked for hours. She knew from experience that cabbage rolls took a long time to prepare.
“That’s uncharacteristically thoughtful of you.”
Skye’s back stiffened. Ouch. Bailey didn’t even look guilty after lobbing that grenade. Back to not being able to spend more than two minutes together without someone saying something shitty. She scrubbed the pot harder until her knuckles banged the lip of another dish, and she yelped. “That was harsh,” she finally said. “Am I really that much of a bitch that you don’t think I can do anything nice? Or hell, mildly considerate?” She tried unsuccessfully to keep it light, but the hurt and shame made her skin prickle, so she stared into the sink, scrubbing the pot ferociously while ignoring the sharp pain in her knuckles and pointedly not looking up.
“God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. Shit.” Bailey placed a hand on Skye’s shoulder. “Let me help you, at least. I was being an ass. I’m sorry. Really.” She grabbed the pot Skye had been scrubbing like Lady Macbeth trying to get out the spots and rinsed it on the other side of the sink. “I don’t know why I said that. I really don’t think you’re a bitch. Not anymore, anyway.” She let out a breath, and Skye could feel the tension radiating from her when their arms brushed. “Despite our differences, I’ve found myself quite liking you. Despite our promises to forget that kiss the other night ever happened, I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t stop fantasizing about doing it again. So to combat all of that, I’ve been trying to focus on the things you’ve done that have irritated me, and thus, I’m the bitch here.” Her hands stilled under the stream of water, and she looked at Skye.
Into Skye.
Her mouth went dry at the desire she saw there. Her hands rested on the edge of the sink, but she realized she’d started leaning toward Bailey even as she whispered, “This is a really bad idea.”
“I know.” Bailey’s eyes flicked to Skye’s mouth as she shut off the water without looking.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.” Skye chuckled mirthlessly and squeezed the counter. “After that first week, I started avoiding the Maxwell. I’ve been sending one of the junior brokers because I was afraid to run into you. Not the best behavior for someone who only makes money when she leases a space.”
“I actually haven’t been to the Maxwell in two weeks for the same reason. Who knew we were so alike?” Bailey’s lips curled into a smile, but her voice was so quiet, Skye could barely hear it. “See? We do have some things in common.” Bailey ran a thumb along Skye’s jaw as she had before their kiss at the gala, and Skye’s knees weakened. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she closed the gap between them, lightly brushing Bailey’s mouth.
Bailey moaned and pulled her closer. Skye ran her fingers up Bailey’s back, soapiness be damned as she deepened their kiss. Bailey’s tongue nudged her bottom lip, and Skye’s legs went wobbly at the delicate rasp. She leaned back against the counter for support and pulled Bailey in, seeing stars and stifling a moan when one of Bailey’s knees slid between her thighs. Had her body reacted this quickly to anyone before? From a simple kiss? Not that there was anything simple about this kiss, but she curled her fingers into Bailey’s lower back, hoping she could somehow get Bailey closer. Bailey pressed into her until she tilted her head back on a gasp as Bailey began kissing the sensitive spot on her neck, right below her ear.
The sounds of a low grumble preceded Bailey pulling away. She rested her forehead against Skye’s, breathing heavily. “Shit. Someone wants her evening walk.”
Skye’s head was still cloudy. “What?”
“Patsy. She wants her evening walk and is only going to get more annoying if I ignore her.”
“Maybe it’s for the best. We agreed this is a bad idea.” Skye suppressed a growl of her own. She’d never wanted to throw caution to the wind more in her life. The feel of Bailey pressed against her, her fingertips tracing shapes along Skye’s back through the silky material of her blouse, made her forget everything she’d thought she knew.
Another grumble had Bailey lifting her head to glare at her dog. “Patsy, can you give me one damn minute? Mommy is busy right now!”
Patsy answered with a grumble, but this time, it bordered on a bark.
Did people really refer to themselves as moms to their dogs? Was it just Bailey? It was almost cute. Perhaps everything about her would be cute while Skye was entirely too turned on to be standing in her crush’s parents’ kitchen.
“Fine, dog. You win,” Bailey said. “If I let her go on like this, someone is going to come in to investigate why I’m ignoring their favorite grandchild when she clearly needs attention. I’d better take her out. You aren’t going to sneak out while I’m away, are you?”
Skye took a breath to collect her thoughts. The rational choice would be to get the hell out of there before she fell farther down this rabbit hole. But she didn’t think she had the strength to do it again. To pull away. Bailey was looking at her as if she could see the gears turning in her head. The right choice was to make an exit.
But Skye couldn’t get that through her head, so she said, “No, I’m not ready to go yet. I’ll be here when you get back. Unless…” Was she really going to suggest this? Apparently, yes, she was. “Unless you wouldn’t mind company. I could stretch my legs after all that rich food.”
Before the words were even fully out, Bailey said, “That’d be cool.”
Bailey’s eyes got wide as she spoke, which was freaking adorable as well. How was Skye supposed to have any self-control when Bailey was vulnerable enough to say something as relaxed as “that’d be cool” and reveal how much she really wanted Skye to go? She tried to hide her smile.
Bailey cleared her throat. “I mean, Patsy would really think it’s cool. She desperately needs everyone’s love and approval.”
Skye wasn’t sure how she felt about Patsy, but everything inside her was pushing her toward Bailey, and she couldn’t ignore it. “Well, if it’s for Patsy, how can I deny her?” Jesus, where had those words even come from? However, the brightness of Bailey’s grin could rival the lights on Broadway, and Skye would have promised her anything in the universe to keep it there. Even pretending to like a smelly, drooly, blocky-headed dog.
She squeezed Bailey’s arm and said, “I’m not done with you today, either.”
After Bailey yelled to the family that they’d be right back, she clipped Patsy on her leash, and they went out the kitchen door. It was an unseasonably warm late-April evening, but a shiver ran through Skye at the coolness of the evening air.
Apparently, Bailey noticed as well. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t even thinking of the temperature tonight. Do you need to go grab a jacket or something?”
Skye was too embarrassed to admit it, but she hadn’t brought one. She’d thought her silk blouse would be sufficient for an evening indoors. She certainly hadn’t planned on a stroll outside. “I’m fine. Thank you, though.” Yet another chill ran through her, and she wasn’t able to subdue it.
“Come here for a sec.” Bailey grabbed her hand and pulled her toward a dark red truck. She opened the passenger door and pulled out a gray zippered hoodie with City Beautiful Construction’s logo embroidered on it. “Here. I know you’re fine but just in case it gets a little cooler. Patsy would hate for you to be uncomfortable because of her.”
Skye wasn’t sure what to say. The women she normally “dated,” in the most casual sense possible, were typically too concerned about fashion to care all that much about her comfort. And if they did, they certainly didn’t frame it in a way that wouldn’t make Skye feel weak. “Thank you.” She pushed her arms into the sleeves, and Bailey’s fingers brushed hers when they both reached for the zipper. Skye put her hands into her borrowed pockets and let Bailey zip her up.
“I like the way you look in my clothes,” Bailey said. A half-smile appeared as the zipper neared the top of its track, and she looked at Skye. Her concern had an easy warmth spreading through Skye’s chest and landing in an unfamiliar tangle of flutters in her stomach.
“Thank you.” Unable and unwilling to resist, she grabbed a handful of Bailey’s shirt and pulled her in for another gentle kiss. “Thank you,” she whispered again.
“Well, if that’s all it takes to get your appreciation, I’ll stop trying so hard.”
Skye pushed her away. “Just stop.” Had her knuckles just brushed the inside of Bailey’s breast? Maybe. Was she sorry about it? Not so much. That was certainly inappropriate, but again, she had lost her ability to really care. And as long as she didn’t examine that realization, it didn’t scare the shit out of her.
Skye wiggled her arms inside the sweatshirt, appreciating the softness against her skin. It also had the most delicious scent, one hundred percent Bailey. Lavender and vanilla and pure yumminess. “I didn’t want to admit to being cool, but this is lovely.” The warmth surrounding her skin was nothing short of decadent.
Bailey simply smiled and let Patsy pull them down the street.
“So where did the name Patsy come from? It’s so old-fashioned.”
“It is, but it’s her coloring. In pit bulls, that gray coat is actually called blue or a blue nose. Blue made me think of the song, ‘Crazy.’ You know, for feeling so—”
“Blue. Patsy Cline,” they both finished.
Bailey’s eyes twinkled in the light of the full moon blazing on the clear evening.
“You’re a Patsy Cline fan in addition to being a big band and jazz fan?” Skye asked.
“Are you surprised?”
“Not really.” She couldn’t pinpoint why, but it seemed to fit Bailey.
“I love old music. Sometimes, it seems like we complicate the shit out of things in this day and age, technology and connectedness, and it’s a lot. Things were simpler back then. Though I doubt I would’ve enjoyed being a lesbian in those days.”
“You’re a woman of many layers, Bailey Kaczmarek.”
They smiled at each other for a long moment when Bailey’s crazy-ass dog sprinted toward the deserted street, jerking the leash. The force knocked Bailey squarely into Skye. They stumbled for a few steps before Skye slammed into a tree and kept them from toppling. The air whooshed from her lungs. She tried to catch her breath as she found herself pressed tightly between the tree and Bailey’s muscled torso. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around Bailey, anchoring her in place.
“Patsy! Get over here,” Bailey yelled, the leash straining against her wrist. Patsy came trotting back as if she hadn’t just tried to kill them all, and Bailey leaned back as far as Skye’s embrace would allow. “I’m so sorry. I should have warned you that she can be erratic. She probably saw a bunny or something.”
“Hmm,” Skye said, not particularly concerned with how they got there as she appreciated the unexpected closeness. She dug her fingers into Bailey’s back, and Bailey’s hips answered, curling into her, causing the flutters in her stomach to flit even faster.
“Sorry,” Bailey whispered again.
“I’m not,” Skye said.
“You’re not?”
“You really can’t tell?”
Bailey shook her head weakly.
Skye didn’t believe the half-hearted denial. “I haven’t been able to get the memory of your body against mine out of my head for days, and now, here you are. Perhaps a little rougher than last time, but I can’t say I’m disappointed at all.”
“It is something, isn’t it?” Bailey dipped her head, and Skye hungrily took her mouth. It was uncanny how Bailey could generate an erratic heartbeat with a simple kiss. Though in all honesty, none of Bailey’s kisses could be described as simple.
When Bailey’s tongue slipped into her mouth, she slid her hands down Bailey’s back, stopping at the swell of her hips and pulling her even closer.
“Oh God. I need…” Bailey moaned.
Skye was pretty sure she could fill in the blanks. She bit Bailey’s lower lip, loving the feel of it between her teeth. Bailey moaned again, clearly loving it too, and her hips began to subtly move against Skye’s center. Pleasure coursed through her veins at this new pressure between her thighs. She tipped her head against the tree, offering her neck, and Bailey blazed a path along her skin, alternating between light flicks of her tongue and little nips of her teeth. She began to move her hips against Bailey’s on instinct.
Skye blinked at a quiet grumble from Patsy, their self-appointed chaperone that evening, and she remembered where they were. She loosened and pushed a little space between them, allowing the fog in her brain to begin to clear. “Jesus, we’re in the middle of the street.” It took every ounce of her self-control to get the words out when all she wanted to do was pull Bailey back in and kiss that sexy grin off her face, despite being on a public road.
Bailey swallowed as she stared. Skye squeezed her hands into fists on Bailey’s hips, as if she could physically hold on to her self-control “Yeah. Right. Sorry, I lost my head for a moment. This is where I grew up. I know all the neighbors. Jesus.” She stood up straight, removing her weight from Skye, and looked at Patsy, who was benignly sniffing at a dandelion that looked very out of place in the otherwise neatly trimmed lawn. Skye shivered, missing Bailey’s warmth.
“Well, that was…” Skye trailed off as Bailey assisted her off the tree and started walking back.
“Nice?” Bailey didn’t release her hand, and Skye’s wrist tingled where her thumb lightly brushed back and forth.
“Yes. And no.”
The corners of Bailey’s mouth fell.
Not wanting to hurt her, Skye quickly said, “I mean, yes, it was nice—very nice—but…” What the hell was she trying to say? She knew intellectually that they shouldn’t get involved for all the reasons she’d been agonizing over for weeks, but she couldn’t deny that it also felt so right. “Fuck.”
“What are we going to do about this? About us?” Bailey asked, releasing Skye’s hand to wag a finger between them.
It was a valid question. One Skye didn’t have a damn clue how to answer. “I have no—” She was distracted by the house in front of them. “Isn’t that your parents’ house?”
“Yeah,” Bailey said so slowly that it lasted nearly the length of a sentence.
“Where…is my sister’s car?” Where could she have gone? To the convenience store or something? “Tasha hates to drive. I actually drove her car here this evening. I can’t imagine where…” She didn’t realize she had stopped walking until Bailey looked back at her from a few paces away.
“Are you coming?”
“Yeah, sorry, it’s just weird.” Skye gestured toward the empty driveway.
“Why didn’t you drive your own car if you were the driver?”
“Oh, mine doesn’t seat four. No real back seat.”
“Ah. Why am I not surprised that you have an impractical car?” Bailey laughed, and Skye was surprised to find herself not taking offense at the implications behind that question.
“I cannot deny that I’m not always the most practical person.” She shrugged at her own insouciance. “I like pretty things, and my black Audi is nothing if not pretty.” She ran her finger over Bailey’s lapel.
Bailey shook her head and laughed. “Now, that I can see.”
“Maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll take you for a ride one day, and you can see exactly how pretty she is.” She bit the inside of her lip, surprised again at her blatant flirting. She couldn’t seem to help herself. Something about Bailey put her internal filter to sleep so deeply that whatever popped into her head popped out of her mouth almost in the same instant. This was dangerous.
“A ride, huh?” Bailey’s lips rolled in as she inhaled. An odd face on most people, but even that looked good on her. “I might be interested in going for a ride with you. I imagine you like to be in control.” She trailed one finger down Skye’s sweatshirt-covered arm, and Skye would have sworn she could feel her skin through the two layers of fabric. “I like to be as well, but I think letting you drive could be fun. Every once in a while.”
“We should check our schedules. Get something on the calendar,” Skye said. As though she was meeting an old colleague for a drink rather than talking about going for a ride together. As though the thought of that ride didn’t cause a shiver to ripple down her spine.
They stared, Bailey’s index finger hooked in Skye’s pinkie, finally finding skin beyond the end of her borrowed sleeve. Skye didn’t make a move toward the house or toward Bailey. She was afraid to break the spell. Afraid to voice how much she wanted to take Bailey for a ride in every sense of the word.
Skye had no concept of how long they stood there. She wondered what was going through Bailey’s mind. Wondered if Bailey was just as conflicted as she was. Wondered what was going to happen next. The last time they’d shared such an intimate moment, they’d both pulled away. She didn’t think she had the strength to do it again tonight. Not after spending time together with both their guards down.
“Where on earth do we go from here?” Bailey finally said on a long sigh.
Skye smirked. “Probably inside to see where the hell my sister is.” She didn’t want to break the tentative connection they seemed to be forming, but she also wanted to solve the mystery of where her sister was.
“That isn’t exactly what I meant, but it’s a place to start.” Bailey shrugged, released Skye’s finger, and gestured for her to lead the way. She tried to repress the feeling of loss at that break in connection.
Boisterous laughter struck Skye when she walked back into the Kaczmareks’ living room, followed immediately by the lack of people. Her entire family was gone. She stopped so suddenly that Bailey ran into her, though Patsy weaved her way past.
“What’s…Oh.” Bailey must have just noticed that it wasn’t only Natasha who’d left.
Skye used her public speaking voice to get the room’s attention. “Excuse me, where did my family go? Is everything okay?”
After a pause, Bailey’s mom said, “Your sister texted you.”
Skye reached into her back pocket to grab her phone and came up empty. She always had her phone. Had she lost it? Had it fallen out of her pocket against the tree? No. She’d put it on the counter before she’d started washing the dishes. “Excuse me for a sec.”
She darted into the kitchen, and there was her phone, right beside the sink. She grabbed it off the counter and saw two missed calls and four text messages.
Where’d you go? Babulya forgot to take her stomach pill, so she wants to head out so she can get home before her stomach starts to act up.
Loll says Bailey would be happy to take you home. Is that okay?
Even Mom is pushing us to leave now. Text me back ASAP, or I have to assume you are okay with us leaving you.
K, sorry, going. Text me later when you get this. Love you.
Seriously? They’d stranded her in Jefferson Park? Skye was flabbergasted. She clenched her right fist and restrained herself from banging her phone on the counter. She needed to stay calm. She certainly didn’t want to embarrass herself by making a scene in front of the Kaczmareks, who, as a whole, were some of the nicest people she’d ever met.
It wasn’t like she couldn’t call a Lyft. It would be expensive, but she could handle it. When she walked back into the living room, Bailey was sitting next to Loll, whispering something that looked heated.
Loll shook her head vehemently and shrugged. Skye could see Bailey’s temple twitching from across the room, so she must have really been clenching her jaw. Loll nodded toward Skye, and their discussion came to a halt as Bailey stood.
The irritation slid off Bailey’s face as she walked toward Skye, and her lips bowed into a smirk. “Looks like I’m going to be taking you for a ride first. Apparently, Patsy and I are your Lyft drivers this evening. Hopefully, you don’t mind riding in a little less luxury than you’re used to.”
“It’s a little early for me to be giving up control, but it would appear as though my family has forced my hand,” she whispered softly. Bailey’s eyes grew wide, and her final step faltered. Teasing mission accomplished. “But I don’t want to put you out. I’m rather out of the way, aren’t I?” Although she wasn’t yet ready for her evening to be over, she also didn’t want to be in Bailey’s debt.
“Eh, at this time of night, traffic won’t be bad. And Patsy loves car rides.” Bailey’s eyes gleamed with humor, and Skye decided to lean into the flutter in her chest rather than run from it.
“Okay then, Lyft driver. I’m ready when you are.” Skye was looking forward to spending more time with her, even if it was just going to be to talk since they would be driving. Skye found herself eager to discover the boundaries of what could be.