"Just one night?" Kara supplied.

Ginny nodded.

"I haven’t wanted like this in a very long time, Ginny. You scare me, too. This is new for you. You don’t know what you want, you don’t know what’s out there."

"And you do?" Ginny whispered.

"I know I want you, yes. But you…"

"I want you, too. It doesn’t matter what’s out there, Kara."

Kara watched her, wanting to believe her. But Ginny didn’t know how it could be. She had no one to compare Kara with. And what did she want? A summer affair? No. She was too old for that. And her feelings for Ginny went beyond an affair. She was falling in love with her and her eyes widened, shocked by her own admission.

"What are you thinking?"

"Nothing," Kara murmured. "Let me love you," she whispered and she silenced Ginny with her mouth, swallowing her questions.

Ginny’s questions died as thought was lost under Kara’s insistent mouth. With gentle hands, Kara shoved Ginny’s shorts down, her hands moving lightly over her body. Kara shrugged her own shorts off and lay naked on top of Ginny, pressing her into the bed, warming her body with her own. Ginny held her, brushing her hands through Kara’s short hair, guiding her mouth to her breast.

Kara covered her full breast, her tongue raking lightly across the taut nipple. Ginny moaned in her ear and Kara closed her eyes, loving the sounds of pleasure coming from Ginny.

Kara drew back and smiled. "Tell me what you want," she whispered.

"Kara…"

"Tell me and I’ll do it. Anything."

Ginny’s hips pressed up, her desire boiling over. "I want your mouth… your tongue… where only you have been." She was so wet and she parted her legs, wrapping them around Kara’s thigh, pressing her wetness to her.

Kara kissed her, her tongue brushing lightly across her lips, then she gasped as Ginny sucked her tongue inside her mouth. Her thigh pushed harder against Ginny’s wetness, meeting the thrusts of Ginny’s hips.

"Please… your mouth," Ginny murmured against Kara’s lips. "I want your mouth to take me." She was so near orgasm already but all she wanted was Kara’s hot mouth on her, where she had been remembering it all day. Her hips slowed and she urged Kara downward, pushing lightly on her shoulders.

Kara felt the urgency in Ginny’s hands, saw the look of pleasure on her face as Kara slid lower along her body. Her hands pushed Ginny’s legs apart and her mouth found her, wet and wanting. Ginny pressed up and met her, opening wider and her breath hissed between her teeth.

"Kara… Kara." God, yes. This was what she wanted, what only this woman had ever given her.

Her whispered name was like a drug and Kara nearly devoured her in her desire to please her. Her tongue moved through her wetness, surrounding her. Her mouth opened and she covered Ginny completely, sucking her hungrily into her mouth.

"Dear Lord," Ginny breathed and she clutched at Kara, her heels digging into the bed.

Kara’s shoulders pushed into Ginny, driving her legs apart, pushing her farther up the bed with the force of her desire.

"Oh, God!" Ginny screamed. "Kara…" Ginny’s heart pounded in her ears and Kara’s mouth sucked her in, not letting her go and Ginny was filled with such sweet pleasure. Her body throbbed against Kara’s face and she felt as if she were drowning, sinking into blackness, trying to catch her breath. "Yes, yes… God, yes," she breathed, feeling her orgasm build, threatening to swallow her, to end this sweet torture. It came to her slowly, climbing, driving her mad and she pulsed in Kara’s mouth, spasms shaking her. Kara’s mouth held her, continuing her assault on her as wave after wave rammed into Ginny, causing her to cry out Kara’s name again and again.

When her body stilled and her hips lay limply on the bed, only then did Kara’s mouth leave her. Ginny could not even open her eyes and she rolled her head from side to side.

"I didn’t think it could possibly get any better than last night," she whispered. "But each time…"

"I know." Kara bit her neck gently, then moved to her ear. "I wanted you like that all day," she whispered back.

"I don’t think I can move."

Kara leaned up on her elbow, letting her eyes move lovingly over Ginny’s face, down to her breasts. She was in love with her. The certainty of that thought filled her heart painfully. Love brought hurt. It always did. She touched Ginny’s face gently, her eyes lingering on her full lips. She hadn’t been looking for love, of course. The women who had shared her bed since Marsha were simply diversions. Someone to ease a lonely night, someone to talk to for a moment, then gone. No feelings were involved. No commitments, no worries. Just a physical release that they both had needed.

But it was so very different with Ginny. Kara wanted her, sure. But she also needed her. A deep, burning need that touched her very core, causing her to question her very existence. How had she lived this long without Ginny in her life? How could she go on, now that she’d had her?

"What are you thinking about?" Ginny asked gently.

Kara closed her eyes, unaware that Ginny had been watching her. "I was just thinking about you," Kara admitted. "About how you make me feel."

"Then why did you look so sad?"

Why, indeed? Because now that I’ve had you, I don’t think I can live without you. She rested her head against Ginny’s breast again, letting Ginny stroke her hair.

"You’re not going to tell me?"

"No."

"Is it Marsha?" Ginny asked.

"Marsha?"

"Are you thinking about her?"

"Why would you think that?"

"You loved her once. Are you thinking about that?" Ginny asked again.

"No. That was a long time ago, Ginny."

"Was it… was it good with her?" she asked quietly.

Kara looked up and met her eyes. "It was never like this," she said truthfully. "It’s never been like this with anyone."

"I find that hard to believe. It’s not like I know what I’m doing," Ginny said, finally breaking the hold her eyes had on her.

"Does that frighten you?" Kara asked. "That you know how to touch me?"

"I’m not sure. I mean, I know I want you… like this. But, is this who I am? What I am? Is it just you or is it…"

"Or can any woman make you feel this way?" Kara asked. She closed her eyes against the pain that she was feeling. Always pain when you loved a woman.

"I don’t think so," Ginny said softly. "If any woman could make me feel this way, I wouldn’t have waited for you."

"But you won’t know until you’ve tried it," Kara said.

"I don’t think I want to… try it, Kara." In fact, she knew she didn’t. No one could ever make her feel what Kara did. She knew in her heart that it was the truth. But she couldn’t say the words. Kara would never believe her, anyway. Kara had experience. She’d been with other women, and Ginny was jealous of each of them. Had Kara loved them this way, too? Had they wanted her so deeply that nothing else mattered?

Kara raised up and kissed her softly. She’d had enough talking. "Can you stay the night with me? Please? I would love to wake up with you," Kara murmured against her lips.

"Yes, but I’m not ready for sleep," she whispered.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

"WHAT DO YOU mean, Phil is coming?" she asked, stunned by Nana’s words.

"Well, he called last night. He wanted to surprise you. He took off all next week and he’s coming tomorrow." Nana watched her. "I thought you’d be thrilled. I told him how you just haven’t been yourself lately."

"Nana!"

"Well, you haven’t."

Ginny paced behind the counter, thankful there were no customers in the store. "Where will he stay?" she asked.

"Well, with us, of course. Ginny, I’m not a prude. I know you sleep together. I won’t mind if he stays in your room," Nana said innocently.

Ginny closed her eyes, cursing silently. What was she going to do? She did not want to see Phil. And she certainly did not want him sharing her bed. And for a week? She would never survive.

"Ginny, you surely don’t want him staying in the lodge out on Lake Wenatchee, do you? That’s twenty miles away," she said.

"No," she murmured. We certainly couldn’t have that! "What time tomorrow?" she asked.

"He’s leaving in the morning. Should be here by noon."

"Noon?"

"Yes and I think you should just take the afternoon off. I know it’s Saturday, but Jessica and I can handle it."

Ginny felt like crying but she forced herself to smile at Nana. She meant well. "You’ll stay home tonight, I hope," Nana continued. "We need to clean house. And I’ll have meals to plan," she added. "Oh, this will be fun, won’t it? You can show him around, take him hiking or something. He likes that, doesn’t he? And, now Kara can meet him. I’m sure she’ll like him…" Nana rambled on, but Ginny had stopped listening.

Kara. What was she going to do about Kara? She closed her eyes, trying to ward off the wave of guilt that settled over her. She had just spent the night making love to Kara, waking up entangled in another woman’s arms and now she had to tell that same woman that Phil was coming to spend a week with her. A week in her bed.

She knew that Kara would understand. Ginny couldn’t very well tell Phil and Nana that she would rather Phil not come at all, that she would rather continue exploring her new relationship with Kara. That would be just crazy. Maybe it was good Phil was coming. Did she have any feelings for him still? This would be the only way to find out.

Suddenly, it was all just too complicated. But then, did she think that it wouldn’t be? That she could just ease into this new phase of her life without complications?

Nana left the store early to start dinner and Ginny waited until Jessica had left at closing to call Kara.

"It’s me," she said, when Kara had answered.

"I missed you today," Kara said softly. "Can you come over?" she asked.

Ginny closed her eyes for a moment, wishing she could go to Kara. "I can’t," she said quietly.

"What’s wrong?"

"Phil is coming," she said.

There was silence and Ginny pictured Kara standing there, clutching the phone.

"I see," Kara said finally.

"He called last night, when I was with you. He’s taking vacation next week and coming to visit. Nana’s got it all arranged," she explained.

"Where will he stay?"

"Here, at the house." Ginny heard the uncertainty in Kara’s quiet voice.

"In your bed?"

Ginny was silent for a moment. "Yes," she finally said.

"I see," Kara said again.

"Kara, I don’t know what I can do. I don’t know how to tell him or Nana that I don’t want to see him. They’ve got it all planned. That’s all Nana talked about today."

"I understand. It’s not like I didn’t know about Phil. I mean, I know you’re still technically involved. I just… I guess I didn’t expect him to show up so soon after we . . ." she let her voice trail off and Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to hear the hurt in Kara’s voice, knowing she could do nothing about it.

"I’m so sorry," she finally said.

"Well, there’s not a whole lot you can do now. And Ginny, maybe this is good, this is what you need right now. To see if… to see if you… still have feelings for him. Maybe you’ll see him and it’ll all come back to you."

Ginny wondered how hard it was for Kara to say those words. She hadn’t seen Phil in nearly nine months now. Her body told her that it was only Kara’s touch she needed but her mind still balked. Was it women or was it just Kara? But did it matter anymore?

"I don’t want to be with him," Ginny said. "I’m just so confused about everything, Kara. I know I want you… but…"

"I know," Kara said. "This is so new for you. Don’t worry about me, Ginny. You’ve got unfinished business with him. Maybe this thing between us is just…"

"Just what? A passing affair?"

"Something like that," Kara said.

"Don’t do this, Kara. I know how I feel about you," Ginny insisted. "This morning when I woke up, it felt so right to be in your arms. It was the most natural thing in the world to wake up with you, to make love with you this morning. No one’s ever made me feel the way that you do. Phil hasn’t come close," Ginny whispered. "And that’s why this is killing me that he’s coming."

"I’m sorry. If I could turn back time…"

"No. I wouldn’t want that. I don’t regret this, Kara. We both knew something was pulling us together. We both knew this would happen. Didn’t we?" she asked hesitantly.