unconcerned with its fate. The wool slacks she'd donned that morning slid smoothly down

her legs. But when Carrie's hands reached for her bra, Jill stopped them.

"Take it off," Jill whispered, tugging at the bulky sweater Carrie wore. Her breath caught

as Carrie pulled the sweater over her head. She wore no bra. Her breasts were small, her

nipples hardening quickly as Jill stared. She finally raised her eyes to Carrie. "We're going

to make love."

Carrie nodded. "Yes, we're going to make love."

Her hands were sure as she reached out to touch Carrie. The skin was soft under her

fingers, soft and smooth, and she realized she had dreamed of this moment since the day

she'd first looked into Carrie's eyes.

She wasn't afraid when Carrie guided her to the bed, wasn't afraid when she pulled Carrie

to her. Instinctively, her hands moved across skin, knowing where to touch, how to touch.

But when Carrie's hands spread her thighs, when Carrie settled between her legs, Jill

wasn't prepared for the way her body reacted to her touch. Her hips rose, melding with

Carrie's, and she felt a flood of wetness soak her. Then Carrie's mouth was there, silencing

her moan, taking the breath from her. But then that mouth pulled away, moving lower.

Jill shuddered when soft lips covered her breast, when a warm tongue raked across her

nipple. Her body pulsed, moving wildly against Carrie's. She ran her fingers through

Carrie's short hair, holding her tightly against her breast. Then a hand moved between

their bodies and she felt Carrie shift, felt that hand slide over her hip.

She wasn't certain what she expected to feel when Carrie touched her, but the jolt of

desire that pierced her soul was not it. Fingers slipped into her wetness and she cried out,

her head tilted back, eyes slammed shut as Carrie entered her. Her hips jerked, taking

Carrie inside, moving with each stroke of her fingers.

Then she felt Carrie move, felt Carrie's wetness as Carrie straddled her thigh. Blindly, she

reached her hand out, wanting to touch Carrie, wanting to feel her. But the instant her

hand moved between their bodies, the instant her fingers felt Carrie's wetness as Carrie

slammed down on them, the instant she touched Carrie, she climaxed with such wild

abandon her throat ached from the scream she tried to contain. Her body nearly convulsed

as she came but she was coherent enough to feel Carrie's orgasm, coherent enough to feel

her fingers enveloped by Carrie's wetness, coherent enough to hear her name leave

Carrie's lips as she came.

Coherent enough to know what they'd just done.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

She filled the wineglass for the third time, noting absently that the bottle was nearly

empty. Numbly she set it aside, moving slowly along the deck, staying out of the drizzle

that had been falling all day.

Craig was not home and she had no idea where he was. Angie was up in her room doing

homework. And Jill paced nervously on the deck, her mind racing, thousands of thoughts

crowding in as she tried to determine how she felt. It stood to reason she should feel

guilty. After all, she'd just been intimate with someone other than her husband.

But surprisingly, she was able to push the guilt away. What they'd shared today was

inevitable. Jill couldn't have stopped it any sooner than she could have stopped a speeding

train. She knew when she went there what would happen. She knew it in her heart... she

knew it in her soul.

But what it all meant, she had no idea. There hadn't been time to talk, time to savor their

intimacy. Carrie had asked her to call in, had asked her to stay the afternoon with her but

Jill couldn't think of an excuse to give Harriet.

So in the end, she'd fled, her blouse and suit jacket a wrinkled mess, a testament as to how

she'd spent her lunch hour. As it was, she was twenty minutes late but Harriet didn't

comment. She simply raised her eyebrows as Jill hurried into the ladies' room. And she

nearly cried when she saw her reflection in the mirror. Hardly a hint of makeup remained

and her lips, still swollen from their lovemaking, were unnaturally red.

She looked frightful.

And it was just a blessing she didn't have to face Craig because she had no idea how she

would react when she saw him, no idea what her eyes would reveal. Would he know? Would

he suspect? And the next time he kissed her, would she pull away, would she shy away from

his touch?

His touch. How could she ever allow him to touch her after what she'd just shared with

Carrie? Carrie's touch couldn't have been more different than Craig's, yet her hands upon

her skin made her body come alive, made it tingle with want, with need. It was like Carrie

knew exactly how to touch her, when to touch her... where to touch her.

She paused, the wineglass nearly to her lips but she lowered it again. Yes, Carrie knew how

to touch her. Carrie knew exactly how to touch her.

"Oh my God," she whispered.

She's been with a woman before.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Jill sat in her car for a long moment, actually nervous about seeing Carrie. She wasn't sure

what to expect. She didn't know how she would react, she didn't know how Carrie would

react. Would they hug? Would they kiss? Would they have lunch like normal?

Or would they make love again?

Jill closed her eyes, aware of the trembling of her body at just the thought. Is that what

she wanted? To make love again? To touch Carrie? To have Carrie touch her? Was this the

start of an affair ... an affair with another woman? Or was it a one-time thing? A one-time

lapse in judgment?

She shook her head. She didn't know what it was, not yet. But she did know it was not a

one-time thing. Her body told her that. So she opened the door and got out, the rain that

had lingered overnight and into the morning had dissipated, giving way to colder

temperatures but clearing skies.

The low heels she'd slipped on that morning clicked loudly on the driveway as she hurried

around back to the sun porch. As expected, Carrie was standing inside waiting. And as

before, Jill stopped, her eyes colliding with Carrie's through the windows. Again, she didn't

know what she expected, but not this rapid hammering of her heart and weak knees. Only

when Carrie gave her a hesitant smile was she able to walk in, pausing to wipe her feet on

the rug before going into the sunroom.

They stood there, several feet apart, both staring, both silent. Finally, Carrie tilted her

head, eyebrows raised.

"Are you sorry?" she asked quietly.

Jill shook her head. "No." Then, "Are you?"

"No, not... not at all."

Jill nodded, her hands clutched together nervously in front of her. She finally asked the

one question that had been haunting her all night, all morning.

"You've been with a woman before, haven't you?"

Carrie was obviously startled by the question and she drew her brows together.

"Why do you say that?"

Jill met her eyes, holding them. "Because when you touched me, it was... it was a familiar

touch."

Carrie let out her breath then slowly nodded. "Yes."

Jill didn't know what to say, didn't know what to make of the sharp pain that pierced her

soul. For some reason, she wanted the answer to be no.

"Come inside. Let's talk. I'll tell you about it."

Jill wasn't sure she wanted to know the details, wasn't sure she could handle it. What if it

was someone like her? Someone just drifting along in her marriage, someone looking for

something more in life, something more in a relationship?

"Jill?"

Jill looked up, nodded and followed Carrie into the cottage, followed her to the tiny

loveseat in the sitting area. But before she could sit, Carrie took her hands, pulling her

close. Jill closed her eyes, moving into the embrace, letting her arms slide around Carrie's

waist, letting her body reconnect with Carrie's.

"I was afraid you weren't going to come today," Carrie whispered into her ear.

Jill shook her head then slowly pulled away, meeting Carrie's eyes. The desire she

remembered from yesterday was still there.

"Kiss me," she murmured, closing her eyes again as Carrie's lips moved lightly, softly

against her own. She moaned, all the emotion, all the excitement returning at her kiss. Her

mouth opened, wanting more, but Carrie pulled away.

"We should talk," she said, her breath coming as fast as Jill's.

Jill stepped out of her embrace, embarrassed by her desire. "Yes, okay. You're right."

Carrie walked into the kitchen, picking up the two glasses she'd filled with water earlier.

She handed one to Jill, then joined her on the loveseat. Jill reached out and took her hand,

letting their fingers entwine.

"Tell me."

Carrie nodded and cleared her throat. Jill was surprised at her own nervousness, her

apprehension as to what Carrie would say.

"I can imagine what you're thinking," Carrie said, smiling at the look of embarrassment on

Jill's face. "But it was a long, long time ago. In college," she said. "I had just met James,

had just started dating him. We went to this party, our first party together. And there

was this girl there, she was a few years older than me, a senior," she said. "Anyway, she

flirted shamelessly with me. Before the end of the night, she'd managed to steal a kiss and

walk away with my phone number." Carrie met Jill's eyes, holding them. "And two nights

later, I slept with her."

"But James?"

"I didn't quite know what to do with James and I certainly didn't know what to do with

her. She was just so exciting, so different. But three weeks later, after being with her

nearly every night, she up and left. Quit school and took a job in Los Angeles, just like that.

She barely said good-bye. And I was devastated." She shrugged. "And James was still

there, still wanting to date me. I convinced myself I had temporary insanity and went on to

pretend the whole affair never happened."

"And James never knew?"

"No. But we weren't sleeping together. It was a long time before I could sleep with him."

"And... and no one since then?" Jill asked quietly.

"No. Honestly, the thought never even crossed my mind. Not until I met you," Carrie said.

She squeezed hard on Jill's hand then brought it up to her lips. "And once I realized what

it was I felt for you, I couldn't stop thinking about it. It was like I was going to die if I

didn't touch you."

Jill slowly shook her head, her eyes staring at the lips that had just brushed against her

palm.

"I don't... I don't know what to say."

"Tell me how you feel, Jill. Tell me if you feel guilty for what we did. I'll understand. Tell

me if you don't ever want to ... to make love again," she whispered. "I'll understand that

too. Just tell me. Don't let me sit here and speculate, like I've been doing since you left

yesterday."

"No, no, I'm sorry. But I'm not certain how I feel. I should feel guilty, shouldn't I? But I

don't. Not really." She caught her breath. "The thought of not seeing you again, not being

with you again... it's not an option." She held Carrie's eyes. "Is it?"

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Jill looked up as the kitchen door opened, surprised to find Arlene in the doorway. She

closed the lid on the pot as she glanced at her mother-in-law, wondering at her

unannounced visit.

"Hello," Jill said. "Usually it's only Angie and Craig who don't bother to knock when they

come in that door," she said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

Arlene ignored her comment as she walked into the room. "Dinner?"

Jill nodded. "Soup."

"To hear Angie tell it, you seldom cook dinner."