Page 80 of Cava with My Colleague

Jade sighs, bone-deep, and relaxes into me.

We might not have consciously cuddled before, but now we are. We stay like this for a long time, our breathing matching, while I play with her hair. Just when I think I might never get tired of this, Jade squirms a little closer to me, and I’m reminded that my body really likes Jade being next to me.

I kiss the top of her head and then rest my chin on her forehead.

A few more heartbeats, and Jade nudges my chin with her nose.

My pulse picks up, my stomach tightens in anticipation. I think about all of the things I want to do right now, and every leap forward is subsumed in breathing Jade in.

Slowly, glacially, our faces align.

All it takes is one stuttered breath, one tilt of my face, and my lips are on hers. The kiss is delicate, almost painfully slow. I trace my fingers down from her hair to cup her cheek, and soften my lips more.

It builds like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I take my time easing my lips over hers, ignoring the way her mouth opens and her tongue teases.

I want to kiss her like this.

When I finally let the tip of my tongue touch hers, Jade groans, and then cuts her groan off abruptly and pushes me away.

“Are you . . . bleeding?” She squints at me.

I trace my tongue over the tender spot where I bit myself. I’d forgotten, but I can barely taste the iron anymore. “Shit. Yes. I’m sorry.”

I start to pull away but Jade grabs the back of my neck and pulls me back in for a hard kiss. “It’s my fault, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” It comes out ragged.

She smiles through the next kiss, and deepens it. Now they are slick and drugging kisses, and I roll slightly to be on top of her. I’m so tall that we don’t quite line up unless I try to, and right now, I don’t want to try.

It’ll all be over too quickly.

Jade must sense my intentions because she huffs in frustration, her hips tilting up looking for mine. I pull back and hover above her.

Her eyes open to half-lidded, and I think of a cat, though I’ve given her nothing to purr about yet. Her hair fans out on the couch cushion and her lips are kiss-swollen.

“There is a different way to think about this,” I whisper.

“A different way than trying to stay professional? We work together. I’m leaving soon. I get the idea that you don’t think we’re compatible in the bedroom.”

“That didn’t feel like we’re incompatible,” I point out. “But maybe leave the riding crop at home.”

Jade grins. “It’s not usually a first-date accessory anyway.” She shifts a little and I slide off her to the side, wedging myself between her and the back of the couch. “I haven’t been on a date in a while,” she admits. “I mean, I haven’t even had a partnered orgasm in a while and the last one hardly counts anyways because I did all the work.”

“It’s been a while for me too.”

Jade twists and shifts again, turning so that we’re facing each other. “How long is a long time?”

I face the ceiling and run a hand through my hair, thinking. “Fifteen years?”

Jade jackknifes up, scaring Izan who huffs from the floor, and looks down at me. “Fifteen years? Wait, wait, you mean a date, right?”

“No, I mean . . . partnered orgasms.”

Her eyes widen even further. “Carlos, when I said a long time, I meant like ten months. Fifteen years? My god, I would—” She cuts herself off and contemplates. “Sorry. I don’t know what I would do. And I didn’t mean to project onto you. If you’ve been . . . happy, then I guess that’s . . . fine.”

I chuckle in amusement, and then sit up and pull her closer to me. “I was happy.”

A smile curls her lips. “Was.”