"Just wait till we start the jets," Annelie said as she joined her. "You want me behind you?"
"Yes, please. It seems to work well when we sleep, so why not?"
Carolyn jumped when Annelie started the jets. The water flowed and bubbled around her, massaging every inch of her body. Leaning back against her lover, she savored the feeling of soft skin. Annelie stretched out her legs on both sides of Carolyn, wiggling to get comfortable. Carolyn moved, twisting to the left so she could wrap an arm around
Annelie's hips and rest her head between her breasts. She closed her eyes, sighing in relief.
"Comfy?" Annelie asked, raising her voice to drown out the jets.
"Sinfully so."
"Good. Me too."
They lay in silence for a while, every now and then softly stroking each other wherever their hands made contact with hot skin. Eventually Carolyn raised her head and looked drowsily at Annelie.
"Think it's time to rinse off and go to bed. I'm too tired to eat. I'll do Mary's food justice tomorrow, I promise."
Annelie reached out and turned off the jets. "Let me help you. You look positively drunk."
"I'm very sober—but drained."
"I know. Come here."
Annelie helped Carolyn to her feet and into the shower stall. Slightly cooler water rinsed them off, helping Carolyn find her bearings. Annelie wrapped her in a large towel from a heated bar next to the tub and then took one for herself. "You okay?"
"I'm fine. I'll just grab my toothbrush out of my bag and—"
"Here, use one of my new ones." Annelie pulled out a drawer. "You're too exhausted to do anything but stumble into bed."
"That's what old age brings you," Carolyn joked.
"Oh, don't worry. I'm going to stumble right behind you."
Folding back the covers, Carolyn climbed in between the cool Egyptian cotton sheets, too worn out to bother with a nightgown. Annelie switched off the bathroom light and left on only a small lamp on the dresser before joining Carolyn. Unlike Carolyn, she wore a long white T-shirt.
"Mmm," Carolyn murmured and rolled into Annelie's arms. "We smell very nice. Is it vanilla?"
"Uh-huh."
Soft lips brushed her forehead. Drowsily looking up at her lover, Carolyn smiled. "Whatever it is, I like it." She raised a heavy arm and pulled Annelie down, kissing her. "And…I like you." Another kiss. "A lot." Her voice was a mere whisper. "Oh, God, an awful lot…"
"You're slurring. Come here." Annelie took the naked woman in her arms. "Temptress." Snuggling close, she arranged them with Carolyn's back toward her, one arm under her neck and the other along her hip. "We have the whole weekend to relax before I have to go to work."
"Good."
Carolyn felt herself drift off, her backside covered by Annelie, feeling utterly safe.
"Annelie?"
"Yes."
"Sleep tight."
Annelie brushed a kiss along Carolyn's shoulder. "You too."
***
"I can't believe I'm this late!" Annelie rushed through the kitchen, grabbing a shoulder bag and a briefcase before turning to Carolyn, who sat enjoying her first coffee of the day. "I never oversleep."
"Must be me, then." Carolyn grinned. "Calm down. They won't start without you."
Annelie made a face. "I hate to keep people waiting." She shot the amused woman a questioning look. "What'll you be up to today?"
"I'm going to start reading the script, swim, and also…I might meet Jared for lunch. He left a message on my answering machine. I've still got some clothes and other things at his condo—my address book, for one."
Carolyn noticed a subtle change in Annelie's demeanor. Squaring her shoulders and slightly setting her jaw, she gave an automatic smile. "Of course." Her voice was polite.
Uncertain what to say, Carolyn rose from the chair and tried to change the subject. "Are you sure it's okay if I move my things in here instead of the garage apartment?"
Annelie avoided her glance for a moment. Finally looking straight at Carolyn with expressionless eyes, she spoke in a low tone of voice. "Naturally. Feel free to use any space you see fit."
Knowing something was wrong, Carolyn walked up to Annelie and pulled her into an embrace. "Thank you." She tipped her head back and was surprised when Annelie's lips descended on hers, making her open her mouth and allow Annelie's tongue to examine her completely. Her head spinning, Carolyn clung to the woman now pressing her against the counter as she plundered her mouth. Caught up in the passion, Carolyn returned the kiss as fire rose inside her. She gasped for air as they pulled back, and she could see a myriad of emotions in Annelie's eyes.
"How am I supposed to let you go to work when you kiss me like that?" Carolyn said huskily. "Goodness, Annelie…"
"I'll be home around three, an hour later at the most."
Carolyn swallowed hard. "I'll be here. I can't wait."
A faint smile flickered over Annelie's beautiful features. "Me neither."
As Annelie walked through the house and out the door, Carolyn grabbed her mug of coffee and took a deep sip to calm her aching body.
What the hell just happened? She sensed she had involuntarily caused Annelie pain, and it stung her deeply. The mention of seeing Jared, no matter how trivial the reason and even though he had never been her lover, obviously tapped into Annelie's fear that Carolyn would leave her for a man. Me and my big mouth. I should have realized… Imagining the reverse situation, that Annelie was meeting an ex-lover at this fragile point in their budding relationship, made her stomach twitch. Later, once they were more established and secure in their roles together, it would be another matter.
"Damn," Carolyn whispered and picked up the cordless phone. She left a message on Jared's answering service asking him to ship her things to her New York address. No way would she risk seeing him; in fact, she was relieved not having to do so.
Carolyn sat down on the living-room couch, eager to start on the script. After only a few pages, she realized Delia Carlton must have been pivotal in adapting the novel. The language flowed, and the scenes were poignant, exciting, and occasionally even heartbreaking. Several scenes between Maddox and Erica Becker would challenge her and Helen. Carolyn read several of her lines aloud, absorbed in her work.
She wondered how Regina would tackle the romantic scenes, especially the controversial and quite explicit scene where Maddox and Becker made love in Maddox's office late one night. It would obviously entail partial nudity, which she had no problem with as long as it moved the story along. Reading through the scene again, Carolyn blushed, suddenly imagining Annelie as Becker.
Sleeping close to Annelie every night, Carolyn had shared passionate caresses with her, yet both women still restrained themselves. Carolyn had learned a few things that drove Annelie insane with pleasure. To her surprise, the serene and composed woman loved for Carolyn to lavish her with rough but loving attention. Carolyn had once used her teeth on Annelie's nipples during a particularly heated moment, chewing and tugging at the sensitive tips. Suddenly afraid she had gone too far, she apologized for being too eager, but Annelie arched beneath her, moaning and begging for more. That was the closest they had come to making love since Orlando. Carolyn had eventually pulled back, forcing herself not to spread Annelie's legs and plunge into the softness between them.
Checking her watch, Carolyn realized it was already time for her swim. She still felt a little unsettled after the emotional scene this morning, a warning tension around her temples. Hopefully, swimming would relieve it.
Dressed in her black swimsuit, she dived into the pool and began her laps, relieved how the strenuous exercise soothed her muscles. Carolyn lost track of time, and only when her legs felt like lead did she swim over to the ladder and climb up, her muscles trembling with an exhilarating fatigue.