friends
she talked with, socialized with, but none of them gazed at her with the
intense focus that Derian had all evening. Derian’s attention was so absolute,
Emily could easily have believed she was the only thing in Derian’s world that
mattered. For a few hours, she’d let herself enjoy the feeling, knowing all the
while it couldn’t be true.
She laughed at her silliness as she put her
coat away and headed straight for the bathroom and a shower. As enjoyable as
the evening with Derian had been, it wasn’t likely to be repeated. Once
Henrietta was on the mend, Derian would disappear, returning to a life so far
from Emily’s as to be unimaginable. Constantly traveling, searching for the
next excitement—the next exciting woman. Emily was definitely not one of those.
The most excitement she usually ran into during the course of a day was a
fascinating new manuscript culled from the slush pile.
When she closed her eyes to lather her hair,
an image of Derian’s face formed beneath her eyelids. Deep gaze boring into
hers, drawing closer and closer until soft heat glided across her mouth. The kiss.
Eyes still closed, steam rising around her, enclosing her in a warm cloud, she
let herself drift on the memory for just a few more minutes. Fingertips to her
lips, she could still feel the electricity. She’d never in her life been kissed
when she hadn’t expected it, when she hadn’t somehow known it was coming. When
she’d spent an evening with someone whose company she enjoyed, who she found
attractive and knew was attracted to her, a kiss had been the next logical
step, or the last. Usually the last. Some had gone further than that. She
wasn’t a nun, after all. But truthfully, the few pleasant hours in bed hadn’t
been enough to drive her to repeat the encounters. She knew herself too well to
think she could have a sexual relationship with someone merely for the sake of
the physical, and she hadn’t felt anything deep enough to offer anything else.
She would never misrepresent herself to anyone. To her, lies were about far
more than spoken words. Actions were truth.
She stepped out into the small mist-filled
room, leaving only the light in the shower on. She wrapped a towel around her
hair and dried off with another, deciding the evening was a moment out of time
for both her and Derian. They both loved Henrietta, and her illness had shaken
them. Their shared affection was a bond that had drawn them together in a
moment of fear and uncertainty. Derian was fascinating, but she was anything but.
She couldn’t imagine a single reason why Derian would seek her out again.
As she slipped into bed, she accepted the evening
for what it had been, a fleeting intersection of very different lives, not to
be repeated. As she turned on her side and drew the covers around her, she
pressed her fingers to her lips again. The memory of the kiss remained.
Chapter Ten
Heart pounding, Derian grabbed her phone off the
nightstand before the second ring. “Winfield.”
“Still up before the sun, I see,” Aud said.
“Or have you not been to bed?”
Derian’s breath shot out on a curse. “I
thought it was the hospital.”
“Oh my God.” Aud sounded crushed. “Derian, I
am so sorry. I didn’t think—”
“No, that’s okay.” Derian rubbed her face,
glanced at the time. 5:30 a.m. “I was lying here awake. You’re right about
that.”
“I just thought I’d try to catch you before
the day got away from us. Really, I’m an idiot.”
“No comment, Counselor.”
“Can I make it up to you over breakfast?
That’s actually why I was calling. It’s been a long time.”
“There was Rio,” Derian pointed out.
“Yes, and that was nine months ago. And I
think we had about as much time together then as we had last night. I seem to
remember your attention was on a redhead, or was it the brunette with the
tattoo on her—”
“Breakfast would be good.” Aud had a way of
making her affairs with women seem like they
she talked with, socialized with, but none of them gazed at her with the
intense focus that Derian had all evening. Derian’s attention was so absolute,
Emily could easily have believed she was the only thing in Derian’s world that
mattered. For a few hours, she’d let herself enjoy the feeling, knowing all the
while it couldn’t be true.
She laughed at her silliness as she put her
coat away and headed straight for the bathroom and a shower. As enjoyable as
the evening with Derian had been, it wasn’t likely to be repeated. Once
Henrietta was on the mend, Derian would disappear, returning to a life so far
from Emily’s as to be unimaginable. Constantly traveling, searching for the
next excitement—the next exciting woman. Emily was definitely not one of those.
The most excitement she usually ran into during the course of a day was a
fascinating new manuscript culled from the slush pile.
When she closed her eyes to lather her hair,
an image of Derian’s face formed beneath her eyelids. Deep gaze boring into
hers, drawing closer and closer until soft heat glided across her mouth. The kiss.
Eyes still closed, steam rising around her, enclosing her in a warm cloud, she
let herself drift on the memory for just a few more minutes. Fingertips to her
lips, she could still feel the electricity. She’d never in her life been kissed
when she hadn’t expected it, when she hadn’t somehow known it was coming. When
she’d spent an evening with someone whose company she enjoyed, who she found
attractive and knew was attracted to her, a kiss had been the next logical
step, or the last. Usually the last. Some had gone further than that. She
wasn’t a nun, after all. But truthfully, the few pleasant hours in bed hadn’t
been enough to drive her to repeat the encounters. She knew herself too well to
think she could have a sexual relationship with someone merely for the sake of
the physical, and she hadn’t felt anything deep enough to offer anything else.
She would never misrepresent herself to anyone. To her, lies were about far
more than spoken words. Actions were truth.
She stepped out into the small mist-filled
room, leaving only the light in the shower on. She wrapped a towel around her
hair and dried off with another, deciding the evening was a moment out of time
for both her and Derian. They both loved Henrietta, and her illness had shaken
them. Their shared affection was a bond that had drawn them together in a
moment of fear and uncertainty. Derian was fascinating, but she was anything but.
She couldn’t imagine a single reason why Derian would seek her out again.
As she slipped into bed, she accepted the evening
for what it had been, a fleeting intersection of very different lives, not to
be repeated. As she turned on her side and drew the covers around her, she
pressed her fingers to her lips again. The memory of the kiss remained.
Chapter Ten
Heart pounding, Derian grabbed her phone off the
nightstand before the second ring. “Winfield.”
“Still up before the sun, I see,” Aud said.
“Or have you not been to bed?”
Derian’s breath shot out on a curse. “I
thought it was the hospital.”
“Oh my God.” Aud sounded crushed. “Derian, I
am so sorry. I didn’t think—”
“No, that’s okay.” Derian rubbed her face,
glanced at the time. 5:30 a.m. “I was lying here awake. You’re right about
that.”
“I just thought I’d try to catch you before
the day got away from us. Really, I’m an idiot.”
“No comment, Counselor.”
“Can I make it up to you over breakfast?
That’s actually why I was calling. It’s been a long time.”
“There was Rio,” Derian pointed out.
“Yes, and that was nine months ago. And I
think we had about as much time together then as we had last night. I seem to
remember your attention was on a redhead, or was it the brunette with the
tattoo on her—”
“Breakfast would be good.” Aud had a way of
making her affairs with women seem like they
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