A Brighter Palette Read online

  “Oh God, I ...” She couldn’t even get the words out.

  “Tell me what you need,” Siobhán coaxed.

  Annie reached out blindly, yanked open the nightstand drawer, and rummaged in it until her fingers closed on her favorite vibrator. “Here,” she said as she thrust it toward Siobhán, praying she’d remembered to charge it recently. Siobhán’s eyes lit up.

  It took Siobhán a moment to figure out the controls, but she gave Annie a wicked grin when it began to buzz in her hand. She leaned forward, propping herself up on one hand as she straddled Annie. “Inside or out,” she asked, leaning down to kiss Annie before she could answer. “Tell me what you like best.”

  “Outside,” Annie said with a gasp when Siobhán drew back. “Mostly on my clit.”

  “Outside it is, so.”

  Annie jerked when Siobhán brought the buzzing toy in contact with her lips, but she moaned when Siobhán used it to gently part them and passed it over her clit, the barest whisper of a sensation.

  “Light like that?”

  “Yes,” Annie said with a gasp. She began to move her hips in time with Siobhán’s passes over the most sensitive spot on her body, but she wasn’t sure if she was running from the contact or seeking more. She just knew she felt helpless under Siobhán’s touch.

  Siobhán sat back and gently pushed Annie’s knees up. Annie let them fall open, giving Siobhán better access to her.

  The look in Siobhán’s eyes as she brought the buzzing toy to Annie’s clit again made the tension in her ramp even higher, and she shuddered at the contact. It didn’t take long before her hips were rising and falling with the rhythm of Siobhán’s movements, and Annie felt herself nearing the edge again.

  When Siobhán slid two fingers into her, Annie brought the pillow to her face to muffle her cries. And when Siobhán pressed the vibrator firmly to Annie’s clit, she came apart, screaming into the fabric as her whole body shuddered.

  Everything went blank for a moment as she rode the waves of the orgasm, mindless to anything but the pleasure streaking through her body. When she finally, dazedly, returned to earth, she weakly pushed the pillow away, then Siobhán’s hand. “Too sensitive,” she said with a gasp. “Holy shit.”

  Siobhán turned off the vibrator and tossed it onto the bed next to them, grinning at her.

  Annie reached out and drew Siobhán down alongside her.

  “If I’d known how much you liked vibrators, I would have suggested you bring one to my place immediately,” Siobhán teased. She pressed a kiss to Annie’s cheek.

  “That can be arranged in the future,” Annie said with a soft laugh. “And trust me; it’s not just the vibrator. I don’t come that hard when I get myself off.”

  “Now there’s a pretty picture.” Siobhán propped herself up on one hand.

  “What’s that?”

  “Watching you use the toy to pleasure yourself. I think I’d like to see that.”

  “That can be arranged too.” They shared a grin. “What if I asked you to do the same?”

  Siobhán ran her fingertips down Annie’s stomach and trailed her fingers through the soft bit of hair at the apex of her thighs. “I’d say you had a date,” she said huskily.

  Annie flipped onto her side, bringing the front of her body in line with Siobhán’s. In the process, Siobhán’s hand was dislodged, and she brought it to Annie’s hip.

  “Thank you for meeting my family today,” Annie said softly. “Even if it didn’t go quite how we planned.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m only sorry about my reaction when we got back here.” A shadow passed across Siobhán’s face. “I care about you so much, Annie, and it scares me to think of losing you.”

  “You aren’t going to lose me, Siobhán,” Annie reassured her. “Especially not because of my parents.”

  The sound of Siobhán swallowing was audible in the otherwise silent room. “Are you sure?”

  Annie nodded. “I’m sure. Can I ask you something though?”

  “Sure.” Siobhán trailed her fingertips up and down the outside of Annie’s bare thigh, making her shiver.

  “Did this happen with Laura?” Siobhán looked away, staring over Annie’s body toward the window. “Siobhán?” Annie asked softly.

  “It did.” She sounded a little hoarse. “More or less, anyway. We fought about what her family would think if she came out. She made me think she was just waiting for the right time. And when we got to their house on the Outer Banks, and I realized they had no idea we were a couple, and she had no intention of telling them otherwise, I lost my temper.”

  “What do you mean, you lost your temper?”

  Siobhán wet her lips, and she still didn’t meet Annie’s gaze. “I did something I’m ashamed of.”

  “What was that?” Annie coaxed, apprehensive about what Siobhán’s answer would be, but she needed to know.

  “I—I made sure her parents knew—in vivid detail—what kind of relationship Laura and I had. I was cruel about it too.”

  “Oh, Siobhán,” Annie reached out to pull her close. “You were hurting, and you lashed out. I’m not saying it was the right choice, but I’m sure you didn’t mean to be cruel.”

  “It felt good,” Siobhán said quietly. “Too good.”

  Annie stroked Siobhán’s hair. “What happened after that?”

  “Laura’s father informed her that it was time for her dalliance to end.” Siobhán shook her head. “That’s what he called it. A two-year relationship with a woman I loved passionately. A woman I lived with. A woman I would have spent the rest of my life with if I could have.” Siobhán’s laugh was hollow. “A dalliance.”

  Annie’s heart bled for Siobhán. “That was cruel,” she said aloud.

  “I suppose.”

  “What did Laura do?”

  “Nothing,” Siobhán’s tone was flat. “She cried a lot. Told her father she loved me, but when he put his foot down and told Laura she had to pick between me and her family ...”

  “She picked her family,” Annie said quietly.

  “Yes.” Siobhán looked away again. “Her family had money. I had none. I was still struggling then. It was before the Quinn Gallery started showing my work. When I met Laura, I was scraping by, living on tinned beans and toast in a tiny, run-down studio apartment, and wearing my coat inside so I could keep the heat as low as possible in the winter.”

  Annie winced. Boston winters were cruel. Annie had been living paycheck to paycheck lately, but it had never been that bad. And she knew if she got into a really serious jam, her parents would help. Her mother would never let her live it down, but she wouldn’t let Annie starve.

  Siobhán continued. “Laura’s parents gave her a generous allowance. All she had to do was ask for more money, and they’d give it to her. So when we met, it just seemed natural for her to pay for things. She rented a nice apartment, and we moved in together. She lavished me with pretty clothes, and real furniture—not the broken futon and milk crates I’d been using before—and she bought us delicious meals and wine. I thought our life was perfect.

  “I guess I shouldn’t have expected her to pick me over her family, not when they could give her so much more. But after that fight, I went home to our apartment alone, and two days later, someone showed up to collect Laura’s things. I think she felt guilty because the list she gave them barely included anything. She left most of it for me, even the furniture. I never saw her again or got to say a real goodbye. She was just ... gone. Back to her family, and that was the end of it. Of us.”

  “Oh, Siobhán. I’m so sorry.”

  Siobhán offered her a weak smile and flipped onto her back. “Every time I think I’m over her, something reminds me I’m not. When I heard you talking about how your mother felt, it hit a raw nerve. I love you, Annie, and I trust you, but sometimes I let my doubts get the better of me.”

  “We all do,” Annie reassured her. “I have my doubts about myself that I’m working on.”

  Siob
hán’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I hate to admit that woman has any control over me anymore.”

  “She hurt you badly,” Annie said. “I understand.”

  “It really is ancient history. I don’t know why I let it get to me like this.”

  Because you’re still hurting over it, Annie thought. And I don’t know how to help.

  “I won’t do that to you, you know,” she said aloud. “My mother is being ridiculous, but no matter what she says, I’m not ending things, Siobhán. I care about you far too much to do that. I promise. You will always come first to me.”

  Siobhán offered her a tremulous smile. They lay there in silence for a few moments. All Annie could do was stroke her fingertips up and down Siobhán’s arm and wonder if anything she could do would erase the hurt still inside Siobhán.

  “This is nice,” Siobhán said a while later, still staring up at the ceiling. “The light in here is beautiful.”

  Annie smiled as she flipped on her back to watch the sunlight through the trees make patterns on the wall and ceiling. “I’ve wanted to bring you here to see it for a while,” she admitted. “It’s the best part about living here.”

  “I can see why. It makes me feel at ease.”

  Siobhán reached out and took her hand. They lay there, fingers meshed together for a long time as the shadows lengthened and eventually the room grew dim. There were no sounds but the quiet rustle of the trees outside the half-open window and Siobhán’s steady breathing.

  “One good thing came about because of lunch with my parents, I guess,” Annie said when she realized it was nearly dark. She sat up and clicked on the lamp beside the bed, blinking at the sudden wash of bright light.

  “Coming here to your apartment?” Siobhán turned to look at her.

  “That too. I meant that I’m even more determined to start the blog.”

  Siobhán sat up, looking much less sleepy all of a sudden. “That’s wonderful.”

  “My mother was putting me down for not having my career figured out, and I blurted it out at her. It didn’t impress her, but it made me realize I really want to do it,” Annie admitted. “I’m excited about it.”

  Siobhán leaned in and kissed her. “Oh, Annie, that makes me so happy.”

  “You make me happy,” Annie said softly.

  ***

  A short while later, they ventured out into the apartment in search of food. Siobhán wore a T-shirt and pair of shorts that belonged to Annie, but she looked far better in them than Annie ever had.

  “This is a cute little place,” Siobhán murmured as they walked through the kitchen. “The hardwood floors are nice.”

  “It’s not bad,” Annie admitted, pleased to see that the room was spotless. To Annie’s surprise, Trent had cleaned sporadically—if not terribly well—a few times recently. At the moment, the room looked immaculate, so she suspected Dee was home. And according to the sticky note that Annie saw on the fridge, there was a work order in for the super to come fix the dishwasher. It was huge progress.

  “It would be a lot easier if I weren’t living with three other people.” She could hear the faint sound of voices coming from the direction of the living room. “I’m not sure who’s home, but I’ll introduce you to them.”

  As they approached the living room, Annie found Trent and Dee sitting on the couch. Dee was perched on Trent’s lap, and they were laughing about something.

  “Hey there, Annie,” Dee said as they walked in. She moved as if to rise, but Trent wrapped his arms around her waist and—still laughing—she sat back down.

  “Hey, long time no see, roomie,” Annie said with a smile. “Dee, this is my girlfriend, Siobhán. Siobhán, this is Dee, the roommate who I rarely ever see. And that’s her boyfriend Trent, who I see too much of.”

  Trent made a face. “Thanks.”

  “Lovely to meet you both,” Siobhán said with a smile.

  “Oooh, you got yourself an Irish girl,” Dee said with a broad grin, her teeth flashing white against her deep brown skin. “Nicely done.”

  Annie laughed and took Siobhán’s hand. She’d had no idea how Dee would react to her dating a woman, but it appeared Dee had no issues with it. “I’m pretty happy,” she admitted.

  “She’s definitely hot,” Trent said. “Not dyke-y at all.”

  Siobhán raised an eyebrow at him, but didn’t say anything. Annie squeezed her hand. At least, Siobhán couldn’t say Annie hadn’t warned her about what an idiot Trent could be.

  Dee craned her neck to look at her boyfriend. “That is the most asinine thing you’ve said all day, and that’s saying something.”

  Annie snorted. “How do you stand him, Dee? I have yet to figure that out.”

  Dee grinned at her again. “Well, I think it’s pretty similar to what I heard going on in your bedroom earlier. The man knows his way around a pussy. And I don’t mean with his cock, although he’s no slouch in that department either.” Dee wasn’t usually so blunt about sex, but maybe Trent’s lack of filter had rubbed off on her.

  “Damn it, Dee,” Trent muttered. “I don’t like to admit that.”

  Annie laughed loudly. So all of Trent’s bluster about not eating pussy had just been stupid macho bullshit. She should have guessed.

  “Now what is so wrong about admitting you’re good at pleasing a woman?” Dee gave him a perplexed look.

  “I’ll admit I’m good at pleasing a woman,” he said. “But people don’t need to know how.”

  “You are so full of it.” Dee rolled her eyes and turned back to face Annie and Siobhán. “What are you two up to today?”

  “I introduced Siobhán to my parents. Not much else.”

  “How’d that go?”

  Annie grimaced. “My mother was a jerk. My dad was pretty cool about things though.”

  “I can sympathize,” Dee said. “My mom was okay with Trent, but my father damn near had a heart attack when I brought a white man home.”

  Annie feigned shock. “You mean you were brave enough to take him home to meet your parents? That’s just crazy, Dee. He’s barely fit for human interaction.”

  Dee snorted. “Isn’t that the truth?”

  “What is this? Gang up on Trent day?” he muttered.

  “Oh that’s every day, honey,” Dee said. She finally extricated herself from Trent’s grasp and he slapped her on the ass as she stood. “Besides, I know you like it.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The next day, Annie and Siobhán spent a lazy morning in her bed, then ventured out again for food. They spotted Rebecca as they passed her open bedroom door.

  “Hey there,” she said, waving from where she was upside down doing some sort of exercise in the narrow space between her bed and the wall. Yoga? Pilates? Annie wasn’t quite sure what she was doing, but it looked painful.

  “Oh, hey, Rebecca. This is my girlfriend Siobhán. Siobhán, Rebecca.”

  She righted herself with a perky little hop. Annie wanted to swear at her for how impossibly perfect she looked even while working out. Annie was always red in the face and sweaty by the time she finished running. She tried not to wince when she thought about the last time she’d gone out for a run. Before she’d met Siobhán, actually. Whoops. She had a bad habit of letting it slide when she was in the new part of a relationship. Her mother had been on to something there, although Annie didn’t think five pounds warranted the public criticism.

  “Nice to meet you,” Rebecca said. “What are you guys up to?”

  “We’re going out to grab breakfast.” Annie glanced at the time on the clock on Rebecca’s wall. “Um, or lunch.”

  Rebecca laughed. “Are you coming back here after?”

  “I am,” Annie explained. “Siobhán needs to go to her place to paint. She’s an artist,” Annie clarified, so Rebecca didn’t think she was rolling paint on the walls.

  “Oh, right. You guys met at a gallery, right?”

  “Yes, we did,” Siobhán said. “At one of my shows.”


  Rebecca beamed at them. “That’s so romantic!”

  Siobhán scoffed. “Maybe if I hadn’t started off by swearing and insulting the gallery owner who I later found out is a friend of Annie’s, it would have been.”

  Rebecca laughed. “Well, clearly, it worked anyway.”

  “What can I say? I’m a sucker for an Irish accent,” Annie admitted. “Siobhán could have insulted my whole family, and I probably still would have been drooling, especially once I turned around and got a look at her.”

  “Aww, you guys are so sweet together!” Rebecca said.

  Annie’s stomach audibly rumbled with hunger. They’d snacked a little last night before bed but hadn’t ever really had dinner. Apparently, her stomach was convinced she was starving. “And I think that’s my cue it’s time for me to eat,” she said with a little laugh.

  “Well, I won’t keep you then,” Rebecca said. “I’m going into work soon, but you guys have a nice day!”

  “Thanks! You too,” Annie offered her a genuine smile.

  “I’m glad I got to come to your place,” Siobhán said as they left the apartment. “It’s nice to meet your roommates.”

  “Yeah, they’re not so bad, I guess.”

  “Rebecca seems nice.”

  “She’s growing on me,” Annie admitted.

  After Rebecca’s dismissive behavior about her sexuality in the past, Annie hadn’t been sure how Rebecca would treat Siobhán, but it was nice that she’d been friendlier lately. It seemed like Annie asking for help with her style had broken the ice between them a little.

  “Actually, all of my roommates are kind of growing on me.” Annie sighed when she realized she was the common denominator. “Or maybe I was just miserable before and projecting it onto them.”

  “Or maybe being in love means you’re a little more tolerant of them,” Siobhán said.

  “Yeah, that’s very possible.”

  It was a short walk to a nearby restaurant that served breakfast most of the day. They were quickly seated at a small table inside. Once they had coffee in front of them and their orders placed, Siobhán gave her a thoughtful look.