A Brighter Palette Read online

  “I think I would have liked teenage Siobhán,” Annie teased. She took another sip of her wine.

  “Teenage Siobhán would have enjoyed you as well.” She peered at Annie over the rim of her glass mug. The scent of whiskey and coffee filled the air. “The question is, were you one of the naïve, innocent ones or the secretly wanton ones?”

  “Neither,” Annie said with a rueful laugh. “I was the oblivious one. I used to fool around with the neighbor girl, but I had no idea what I was doing or that all girls didn’t do it together.”

  Siobhán smiled and smeared a bit of goat cheese on a piece of baguette. “I still remember the first time I rubbed up against another girl. We can’t have been more than twelve, but I thought we had invented the act.”

  “I think first sex is always like that.” Annie shifted again, aware of the growing tension inside her.

  Siobhán licked a smear of goat cheese from her thumb and dropped her hand to Annie’s thigh. “I think good sex should always feel like that.” Her voice held a hint of husky promise. “If you’re doing it right, it will, anyway.”

  Annie took another gulp of her wine. She felt strangely nervous around Siobhán. Her sexuality was so on the surface. She didn’t seem to hide behind all of the false modesty like so many women—Annie included—did. Instead, it seemed to seep from her every pore and drip from her lush mouth.

  “I can’t remember the last time it felt that way for me,” Annie admitted. “With a man or a woman. It’s so easy to fall into that rut where it’s satisfying but not passionate.”

  Siobhán gently stroked her thigh through the soft fabric. “Oh, but passion is the best part. That breathless sense of anticipation and need where you can’t even think straight because you want the other person so much.” Her hand crept higher on Annie’s leg, moving toward her inner thigh. “Don’t you agree, Annie?”

  “I’m very quickly becoming re-acquainted with it,” Annie admitted. Her fingers tightened on the stem of the wineglass as if it would somehow anchor her.

  Without conscious thought, Annie parted her thighs, allowing Siobhán’s slender fingers to slip between. Annie felt a sudden rush of regret that she hadn’t worn a skirt as Siobhán teased the seam of her trousers, gently pushing it between her lips. She could feel the silky fabric of her panties dampening and clinging to her aroused skin. The slight ache of desire grew, and she shifted, pressing into the teasing, probing touch. Siobhán’s finger grazed her clit, and even through two layers of fabric, it sent a delicious wave of pleasure through her.

  “Oh,” she said, the words flowing out of her on a sigh.

  “Careful, love,” Siobhán murmured in her ear, her lips brushing the shell and making another shudder run straight through Annie. “As much as I’m enjoying your reactions, we wouldn’t want to let everyone else know how well this date is going.”

  The words brought Annie up short as she was reminded of where they were. Flushing, she straightened and closed her legs. Siobhán’s hand was trapped between, and she gave Annie a wicked smile. She wiggled her hand free—sending another jolt of pleasure through Annie—and squeezed her thigh. “Forgot where we were?”

  “I did. I’m so embarrassed.” Annie pressed her palms to her cheeks. “I got a little carried away.”

  Siobhán straightened but didn’t slide away. “I enjoyed watching you get carried away. We’ll have to do that again when we aren’t in such a public place.”

  Annie glanced around. Thankfully, the lighting was subdued. They were toward the back of the nearly empty lounge, and the backs of the booths had dividers. Unless a waitress had walked by, it was unlikely anyone had seen them.

  “This is so unlike me,” Annie admitted.

  Siobhán tilted her chin and gave Annie an appraising look. “Perhaps it’s just what you need.”

  Annie’s embarrassment began to fade, and she offered Siobhán a small smile. “I certainly could use a bit more excitement in my life,” she admitted. “Although, that doesn’t necessarily include a public exhibition.”

  “Public exhibition is optional,” Siobhán said, “but passion shouldn’t be.”

  Chapter Two

  Annie’s pulse beat strongly as she exited the cab and waited for Siobhán to follow suit. They stood in front of an older, brick row house in Charlestown, just on the other side of the Charles River from North Boston.

  Siobhán captured her fingers and gently tugged her toward the front door. Annie wanted to make small talk or comment on what a beautiful building it was, but the thought that they were headed straight for Siobhán’s place left her mute.

  She’d been so eager she hadn’t thought twice when Siobhán had asked her if she wanted to come back to her place. But the cab ride there had allowed her far too much time to think, even with the distracting feel of Siobhán’s blunt nails tracing up and down her thigh and the occasional murmured promise in her ear.

  God, it had been months since she’d slept with a woman—or a man for that matter—and it just occurred to her that she hadn’t tidied up her bikini line recently. She’d gone to the gallery expecting to admire art, not end up in bed with an artist, so although her underarms and legs were smooth, her bush was a little wild. She cringed at the thought.

  As they reached the landing of the stairs, her nerves went haywire, and she felt a sudden, clutching moment of panic, wondering if she should just make up an excuse and beg to reschedule.

  “You’re thinking too much,” Siobhán murmured, pressing her up against the old, wooden railing. She kissed Annie before she could reply. “Just relax. Let go, love.”

  Siobhán pulled back and tugged her up the second set of stairs. Annie was too dazed and turned on by the kiss to argue. Siobhán let her into the apartment, immediately dumping her scarf and handbag on the couch. She kicked off her heels, and Annie had a brief glimpse of a charming little living room before she heard the distinctive sound of a zipper.

  Siobhán stood with her arms behind her as she pulled the zipper down. She let out a seductive little wiggle, and Annie gulped when the black dress hit the wood floor.

  Clad in nothing but a pretty black lace bra and panties, Siobhán spun on her heel and disappeared down the hall. “I’ll be in the bedroom,” she called over her shoulder, and her words finally spurred Annie into action. As she followed, she caught a glimpse of the bra on the hallway floor and then a lace-clad ass disappeared through a door.

  She must live alone, Annie thought wildly as she quickened her pace.

  She entered the bedroom in time to see Siobhán step out of her panties, illuminated by the single lamp beside the bed. God, she was perfect. Her body was slender but more softly rounded than Annie’s angular frame. Her waist was narrow, and her hips flared out into gentle curves that made Annie’s mouth water.

  Siobhán stretched out on the white sheets, and Annie couldn’t tear her eyes away from her breasts. They were high and firm, the nipples darkly rosy. C-cup at least, and Annie wanted to bury her face between them. A wave of shyness swept over her, and she stood at the side of the bed, frozen.

  “Aren’t you going to join me?”

  Annie nodded mutely and reached for the hem of her shirt. Her pulse pounded in her ears, and her fingers felt clumsy and uncoordinated. She dropped the shirt to the ground, followed by her trousers, then looked over at the bed. Her breasts were smaller than Siobhán’s and her hips narrower. Am I too bony? she wondered.

  Siobhán sat up gracefully, propping herself on one elbow to watch Annie. The look on Siobhán’s face was hungry, and it gave Annie the courage to continue. With clumsy fingers, Annie unhooked her bra and dropped it on top of her clothes. She hooked her fingers on the edge of her panties and pushed them down before she could second-guess herself.

  “I can hear your mind going like an out of control train,” Siobhán said softly, beckoning to Annie. “But I have no idea why. You’re lovely. Come here and let me show you how much I want you.”

  The words gave Annie th
e courage to step forward and kneel on the bed. Siobhán reached for her, drawing her close. Siobhán’s skin felt cool against Annie’s, and she gasped quietly when they were pressed together full-length. Siobhán kissed her, re-igniting the simmering heat that had been banked by nerves. Annie shuddered and returned the kiss with equal fervor. Siobhán rolled her onto her back and kissed her way down Annie’s chin to her neck.

  She peppered kisses and small nips of her teeth down Annie’s chest, stopping to circle one nipple, then the other with a warm, wet tongue. Annie gasped, feeling the throb in her clit as Siobhán sucked. She alternated between Annie’s breasts, sucking, licking, and nibbling until Annie writhed under her.

  “Please,” Annie begged, feeling breathless and desperate. She gripped the sheets below her as Siobhán moved lower, kissing her midriff and down to her hip. Annie felt the brush of soft hair against her inner thigh as Siobhán pressed her legs apart and traced her tongue along the crest of Annie’s hipbone.

  She cried out but Siobhán merely tongued her way over to Annie’s other hip, as if she had all the time in the world. Annie felt like sobbing when she moved lower, nipping and kissing her inner thighs but ignoring what lay between them. Annie had a vague, embarrassed thought that she was probably already dripping onto the sheets below her, but the warm, gentle lap of a tongue on her pussy sent her head spinning.

  She reached down, gathering Siobhán’s hair in her hands as she tried to wordlessly encourage her to continue. But Siobhán seemed to need no encouragement as she traced her tongue up and down Annie’s lips before teasing between them. Siobhán made a low, satisfied sound in the back of her throat before she pushed Annie’s thighs up and back and swiped the flat of her tongue against Annie’s lips, grazing across her clit.

  Annie closed her eyes and gave in to the feel of Siobhán’s clever mouth and wet, probing tongue. Siobhán licked her with gusto, like she was devouring a delicious meal she couldn’t get enough of. Annie panted with pleasure as Siobhán licked and sucked at her clit, drawing her close to the edge, then easing back, over and over, until Annie writhed on the bed and whimpered, lost and uninhibited in her pleasure. When Siobhán found a particularly sensitive spot, Annie’s grip tightened on her head.

  “There, yeah, right there,” Annie quietly pleaded.

  Siobhán used her thumbs to open Annie up farther and flicked her tongue across Annie’s clit more firmly. She didn’t let up when Annie threw her head back and cried out. The muscles in her inner thighs twitched as the orgasm went on and on. Siobhán didn’t stop until Annie was so over-sensitive she had to weakly push Siobhán away. She rested her head on Annie’s stomach and ran her fingers up and down Annie’s thighs, sending little aftershocks of ticklish pleasure through her as she slowly came down from the mind-blowing pleasure.

  Eventually, Siobhán slid up the bed and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. Annie felt wrung out and boneless, but she reached for Siobhán and managed to grab her hand. “Oh my God, that was ...”

  Siobhán propped herself up on one elbow and smiled at her. “For me too, love.”

  “I can’t remember the last time I came like that.” It occurred to Annie that she’d left Siobhán hanging. “But you ... I should ...”

  Siobhán silenced her with a languid kiss. “We’ll get there. I’ve got all night, unless you’re going somewhere?”

  Annie laughed and reached up to push Siobhán’s dark hair away from her face. “God, no. I don’t want to move from this bed.”

  Possibly ever, she added in her head and kissed Siobhán, tasting herself on her lover’s lips.

  ***

  “How long have you been in the U.S.?” Annie asked a while later. She and Siobhán sat on the bed as they finished a bowl of grapes and a few bites of rich, dark chocolate. It felt incredibly decadent. Annie had covered her lower half with the sheet while they ate but Siobhán lounged against the headboard naked. She had, in fact, prepared their snack naked, as well, while Annie lay in her bed and tried not to wonder about what happened next.

  “Twelve ... thirteen years?” Siobhán reached for the glass of wine on the nightstand. “I’d finished university in Dublin and decided I wanted to see more of the world. My grandmother lived here, and I still have a couple cousins in Boston, so it was a natural choice.”

  She swallowed a mouthful of the wine, then handed the glass to Annie, who drained the small remainder.

  “You didn’t have any trouble getting a green card?” Annie asked, curious. She waved off the plate Siobhán held out to her. “A lesbian couple I know had a massive struggle.”

  Siobhán moved the remainder of their snack off the bed and stretched out on her stomach. “I have dual citizenship. Da’s Irish and me ma was American.”

  Annie set the now-empty glass on the other nightstand, then settled on her side. She stroked her fingers up and down Siobhán’s bare back. “God, that accent of yours.”

  To her surprise, Siobhán flushed. “Impenetrable, isn’t it?”

  “No, sexy,” Annie said. She leaned in to kiss Siobhán’s shoulder. “Very, very sexy.”

  “You must have enjoyed yourself in Ireland then,” Siobhán murmured.

  “I did.” Annie smiled, remembering the redheaded woman she’d shared a bed with for most of the semester.

  Siobhán’s grin was salacious. “That sounds like a story I’d like to hear.”

  “Really?” Annie asked with a laugh. “You want to hear about Brigid, the pretty redhead I dated? Or about the time her roommate almost caught us? I had my head between her legs when the poor girl walked in the room.”

  “How naughty. I love that. You’re so cool and collected on the outside, Annie, but once we started talking, I could see the passionate side eager to get out.”

  “I used to have a very passionate side,” Annie admitted. “Actually, what I told you about the redhead wasn’t the whole story. There’s a lot more to it.”

  “I’m intrigued.” Siobhán propped her chin up on her hand.

  “Well, Nora—her roommate—was definitely shocked. But she was less horrified than Brigid and I expected.” Annie felt her cheeks heat a little. “One night a week or so later, the three of us had a few drinks, and well, Nora confessed she was curious.”

  Siobhán raised an eyebrow. “Curious about women?”

  “Yes.”

  “Go on then.”

  Annie laughed. “Well, one thing led to another, and it wasn’t long before I was in bed with two women. And Brigid and I showed Nora just how good it could be.”

  “Mmm, you little minx. And what did she think in the morning?”

  “Oh, we’d thoroughly converted her to our ways,” Annie said with a laugh. “I don’t think she had another date with a guy for the rest of the semester.”

  “And did she find her way into another threesome with you and Brigid?”

  “A few times,” Annie admitted. “In fact, after my going-away party, I staggered back to their room and had one hell of a going-away after-party.” She grinned at Siobhán. “And then I felt like I was going to die on the flight home to Boston.”

  “Worth it though?”

  “Totally.” Annie sighed. “But after I got back to the U.S., I threw myself into school and work, and everything else fell by the wayside. I felt like I had to grow up and be serious. Focus on my career, find the right partner, make the smart choices. Until tonight, it had been a very long time since my passionate side had come out.”

  “Why were you keeping her locked away?”

  Annie rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. “Fear, I suppose. After my last relationship went south, I just couldn’t work up the courage to try again.” She sighed. “So, my love life was boring, my job was boring, and I felt boring. Boring leads to more boring. I was just waiting for something to come along and wake me up.”

  Siobhán sat up and straddled Annie, her dark hair falling like a curtain around them. “Well, here I am.”

  She leaned down and kisse
d Annie, her mouth tasting of wine and chocolate now.

  Here you are, Annie thought, and she wasn’t sure if it was nerves or excitement that coursed through her when she realized she had no idea if this was one night or the promise of something more.

  ***

  Siobhán was still sleeping when Annie awoke. She lay on her stomach, sheet and blanket twisted around her hips, leaving her legs and back bare. The air was still and quiet, and sunlight peeked in through the curtains, striping Siobhán’s body with light. Annie was no artist, but she wished she could capture the quiet stillness of the moment.

  Instead, she slipped out of bed and padded quietly to the bathroom down the hall. A small, potted fern hung from a hook near the window, and the creamy yellow vintage tiles were accented with little splashes of color from the towels and rug. A few framed art pieces were hung on the walls, but none of them looked like Siobhán’s work.

  Annie groaned when she caught sight of herself in the antique mirror over the sink. She was a complete and utter mess. Her makeup was smeared around her eyes and worn off elsewhere, and her hair looked like birds had been nesting in it. She tidied up the best she could with what she had stashed in her purse and returned to the bedroom.

  She hadn’t paid much attention to the bedroom the night before, but it was charming. Siobhán’s bed was situated along the wall across from the door, and a single window filled the adjacent one. The room felt warm and welcoming, from the scarred wooden floors partially covered by the soft wool rug to the wrought iron headboard.

  A vintage wooden dresser sat next to the door. A few pieces of jewelry were scattered across the top, like she’d dressed hastily before she left for the gallery and hadn’t had time to tidy up since.

  Reluctantly, Annie reached for her clothes. They were draped over a small upholstered bench at the foot of the bed where Siobhán had left them the night before when she got up to make them the snack.

  Annie pulled on her clothes and had just finished dressing when Siobhán stirred. She turned onto her back, then frowned at Annie.