Beneath the Surface(33)

Sheryl marveled at the fact that Kristin could do this to her, could have her on the cusp of orgasm in a matter of minutes. Could undo the knots in her stomach and the worries in her head, at least for a little while.

The familiar heat spread underneath Sheryl’s skin, swarming out, increasing underneath Kristin’s finger.

Sheryl clasped her hands to the sides of Kristin’s face and looked her straight in the eye. She gazed into Kristin’s dark stare, met it head-on. The tiniest of smiles appeared on Kristin’s lips. The kind that was so minute no one else but the person who knew her best in the world could see it, could decipher it for what it was. Sheryl latched on to it, then let go. She came at Kristin’s finger with a strength that knocked her out briefly afterward. Then, when the shock had worn off, her hand still pressing against Kristin’s cheeks, she pulled her close and, without words, told her how much she loved her.





Chapter Fourteen





Nothing had been resolved yet, and Kristin thought it important to show Sheryl she was making an effort. She had postponed her late-afternoon meeting until the next day and was on her way home to surprise Sheryl well before her usual time. They could order takeout and just sit on the deck and talk. Because they needed to talk more. Kristin was patiently waiting for Sheryl to broach the subject of Hong Kong, but it had been a week and she still hadn’t said a word. Kristin didn’t want to push her, but her boss was pushing her for an answer. If she said no—this had not been said in so many words at work but was silently understood—Kristin could lose her current position. The post of Global Sales Manager would go to someone else, someone willing to make the move to Hong Kong, because, of course, Sterling Wines wouldn’t only be sending her there on an expensive expat package for her own convenience. The company was growing, their share in foreign markets kept expanding, and having a satellite office in a tax haven like Hong Kong made perfect business sense. If Kristin didn’t go, someone else would.

But, she had decided, her relationship was more important than rushing Sheryl to make a decision. Deep down, she also suspected that no matter how long Sheryl pondered the question, the answer would always be no.

Before she turned the key in the lock, Kristin took a few deep breaths in order to push all work-related issues from her mind. She had come home early to improve their relationship, not to think about work.

“Babe, I’m home.” Kristin did enough overtime to warrant her an early return home every Thursday, which was a day Sheryl often worked from home because she didn’t have any classes or recurring faculty meetings. No reply came. Had Sheryl gone to the university today without telling her? Something must have popped up. For all Kristin knew, really, Sheryl could spend most of all Thursdays out of the house and she wouldn’t notice.

Kristin saw a half-empty bottle of red wine on the kitchen counter, which struck her as odd. She walked over to it. It wasn’t a brand Sterling Wines distributed. Did someone come to visit? Kristin looked out of the kitchen window and saw the back of Sheryl’s head. Her heart sank at the prospect of them having company. That wasn’t why she had come home early. Oh, well.

She headed outside to greet Sheryl and their impromptu guest, wondering whether Sheryl had many people over on Thursday afternoons. If she had, she’d certainly never told Kristin about it.

“Hey,” she said, startled to only find Sheryl sitting outside, a glass of red wine in front of her.

Sheryl jumped. “What are you doing home?”

“Surprising you.” Kristin took a step closer. “Looks like it worked.” She eyed the glass of wine but didn’t say anything.

Sheryl’s glance skittered away. “You gave me a start.”

“But you are happy to see me?” Kristin squeezed herself between the table and Sheryl’s chair and sat down on her lap. “I thought we could talk a little.” She smelled wine on her breath. She kissed Sheryl on the lips, then reached for the glass and took a sip. “Where did you get this? It’s not one of mine.”

“Someone at the university gave it to me. I, er, felt like trying it.”

Kristin wrinkled up her nose. “It’s not the best. Whoever gave this to you does not deserve full marks.”

“Hm.” Sheryl reached an arm around Kristin and pushed the glass away from them.

Kristin turned to look at Sheryl’s face. Her lips were stained dark red from the wine. She had a light blush on her cheeks and her gaze was still skittering all over the place.

The question made it out of her mouth before she even had the chance to stop it. “Is there a special reason you’re breaking out the wine in the middle of the afternoon?”