Heartbeat

          Gwen loved books with a passion.  Sometimes she worried that it was an addiction.  She always had one she was currently reading, and several stacked up, waiting.  It was time for a trip to the bookstore when there were only one or two left unread.
        She glanced at the clock on the dashboard of her Jeep.  She still had forty-five minutes before her favorite bookstore closed.  Just enough time for a quick look through the bargain shelves to see if there were any new titles, and then to look and see if there was a certain book in stock that a friend had recommended.
        An unfamiliar girl was behind the counter, talking on the phone.  She was very pretty.  Probably in her early twenties, she was slender and fit, had long dark brown hair, and perched as she was on a high stool in front of a computer, her legs seemed to go on for miles. Gwen had a brief flash of what they would look like naked and wrapped around her and she felt her face grow warm and quickly headed for the back of the store where the bargain shelves were.   
      If asked what her sexual orientation was, Gwen would have said she was straight.  But lately, in the past six months or so since she had broken up with her boyfriend, she had found herself noticing women in a way she never had before.  The sheen of dark hair as it fell forward, caressing the face of the girl who counted out her change when paying for a latte.  Or the sexiness of a woman’s mid-drift exposed between her halter top and low-slung shorts that she had passed on a sidewalk.  It was not the noticing of these things that had Gwen confused, but the desire she had to reach out and run her hands through the girl’s hair to see if it was as silky as it looked, or wanting to use her mouth and tongue to taste the woman’s skin. That’s what was perplexing, as was the clenching of inner muscles these thoughts produced.
      “Is there anything I can help you find?”  a smoky voice asked from behind, startling her.  Gwen swung around, cursing her fair complexion as she felt herself blush again. 
      “Um, yeah, sure,” Gwen replied as she reached into her jeans pocket.  Pulling out a scrap of paper, she handed it to the girl, reading her nametag.  Natalie.
      “Laura Adams.  A great writer.  She’s one of my favorites,” Natalie said once she had read the title and author listed.
      “Is she?  I’ve never read anything of hers.  A friend recommended it to me.”
      “If you’ll follow me, I will show you where she is shelved.”
      Gwen nodded, then took a deep breath and let it out as quietly as possible as Natalie lead her out of the aisle, trying to conceal her awareness of the other girl.  Watching the sway of Natalie’s curvy hips that were flattered by her low-rise jeans had Gwen’s mouth going dry, and she tore her eyes away before she had to resort to yoga breathing techniques in order for her heart to stop racing.
      Coming to a stop in front of shelves a few aisles over, Natalie showed her everything they had in stock by that author.  “Let me know if I can help you further,” she said before going to answer the phone that had started ringing.
        “Thanks.” 
        Gwen was glad she was alone as she read the back covers. These books were about lesbians!  Was the universe trying to tell her something?  And Natalie, she had read these books. What did that mean? 
        Selecting a few for purchase, Gwen carried them to the front counter.  Natalie looked up from the computer screen with a smile.
        “Did you find the one you were looking for?” she asked as she scanned the barcodes.
        “No, but these looked interesting,” Gwen replied as she took her wallet from her knapsack.
      Handing Natalie her debit card, Gwen let out a shocked breath and her eyes widened as she could almost see, and certainly feel, the electric current that sparked when the very tips of their fingers came into contact.  Looking up, she saw that Natalie had felt it too. 
      Natalie’s voice was low and throaty with an unmistakable provocative tone when she said “Thank you”, and she kept her gaze on Gwen while she completed the sale, assessing her out of almond shaped dark eyes that made you think of silk veils and incense.
      After passing the shopping bag over, Natalie rested her elbows on the counter and leaned over, all traces of professionalism gone from her demeanor, giving Gwen a view of her incredible breasts as they spilled over the neckline of her black tank top. 
      “Have coffee with me.”
      Gwen’s body reacted as if Natalie had said “Have sex with me.”  And Gwen was pretty certain that was exactly what she was saying.  She also knew that how ever she answered, it would be life-altering.  She couldn’t deny that she was attracted to this girl, but did she want to act on it?  She pictured herself kissing Natalie, wondered what it would feel like.
      “Yes,” she replied, more to herself than Natalie.
Gwen exhaled slowly.  She hoped she was ready for this.  She hoped she was ready for Natalie.  Something told her that it was going to be more than just a brief encounter, and that it would be quite a ride.
      “There’s a coffee shop next door. Give me a moment to close up, and then we can go,” Natalie said as she straightened up and started shutting down the computer.
      “Sure,” Gwen said with a shrug.
    She wondered towards the front door, looking at the books on a display while Natalie headed to the back of the store.  One by one, sections of the store went dark, until the only illumination was from  the street lights outside.
    A whisper of sound was the only warning Gwen had before she felt Natalie’s arms slide around her from behind, her hands slowly sliding over her hips and pelvis until coming to a stop, her fingertips only inches away from where was now the most highly sensitized area of Gwen’s body.  A heaviness spread through her, and liquid heat pooled between her legs.  Her knees threatened to give and Natalie shifted closer, supporting her.  Gwen let her head rest against Natalie’s shoulder, tilting it to give better access when Natalie lightly ran her lips along the exposed tendon.  She let out a small sigh.
      “You don’t say very much,” Natalie whispered against the delicate skin beneath Gwen’s earlobe as her hands traveled a slow path upward to cup her breasts.
      “No, but I see quite a bit,” Gwen whispered back as she turned in Natalie’s arms, bringing them mouth to mouth.
      Time was suspended, both of them frozen between one heartbeat and the next from the light touch of their lips against each other’s.  Gwen reacted first, closing her eyes and pressing her lips firmer against Natalie’s.  Natalie moaned and her arms tightened around Gwen briefly before bringing her hands up to tangle in Gwen’s blond curls, holding her steady, taking control of her mouth. 
      Gwen was happy to let Natalie lead, giving her a chance to simply enjoy the softness, the sweetness, the rightness of kissing this woman.  Had the feel of someone’s tongue caressing hers ever felt this good?  No, came the immediate answer.  She pressed her body closer, wanting to be consumed.
      Needing oxygen, and to simmer things down, they pulled apart by mutual intuitive agreement.  The hand Gwen used to rake through her hair was shaking, and Natalie was uncharacteristically trembling herself.  They stood looking at each other, both of them wondering the same thing.  What now?  They knew that questions needed to be asked and answered, but that could wait.  For now, something special and rare was happening, and it should be savored.                     
      They were both quiet as they headed towards the coffee shop after Natalie had locked up, but their senses were so attuned to each other that by the time they were seated at a small table the sexual tension was almost agonizing. 
      After the waiter left with their orders, Natalie picked up Gwen’s hand from the table, stroking each finger slowly.
      “You have never been with a woman before,” Natalie said with what Gwen was starting to recognize as her usual directness.
      “No,” Gwen replied as she shook her head, swallowing.  Natalie’s thumb was rotating in small circles on her palm and wrist, sending tingles up her arm, causing goose bumps to form.
      Natalie kept hold of Gwen’s hand while their coffee was placed in front of them, despite Gwen’s slight tug.  A quick look at Natalie’s face told her she would need to get used to public displays if she was serious about wanting some kind of relationship with her.  She was starting to realize just how life-altering this cup of coffee really was.
    They talked about what books they had read, their favorite authors. Where they had grown up, where they had went to school; verbally filling in the blanks while their eyes told each other every thing they really needed to know.
    The pointed look from their waiter as he cleared their empty coffee mugs made them realize they were the only customers left, and the place was getting ready to close.  Two hours had gone by, unnoticed. 
    Standing beside Gwen’s Jeep, Natalie looked at her.  She was a flower child.  Wise yet innocent.  And Natalie wanted her.  In every way.  To keep.  Natalie lowered her head and kissed her, pouring her soul into it, telling her everything she didn’t have the words to say. 
    “Stay with me,” Natalie whispered against Gwen’s lips.
    “Yes,” Gwen breathed back.
    The drive to Natalie’s apartment was a blur, as were all the rest of the details involved in getting from her car to Natalie’s bed.  Articles of clothing were thrown in every direction starting from the moment the front door was opened, and it wasn’t until they were lying wrapped around each other, skin to skin, that they felt they could finally breathe.
    The first time was fast and furious, an initial sating of the hunger.  Fingers were slipped into each other, pumping a frantic rhythm, mouths were devoured, and the orgasms were simultaneous, as were their cries of release.
    Enjoyment of the afterglow was momentary, too starved for each other to lay idle.  Natalie rolled onto her side, facing Gwen, and draped a leg over her thighs, needing the contact.
    “I wanted your first time to be perfect,” Natalie said as she combed Gwen’s damp curls off her forehead with her fingertips.
    Gwen laughed the laugh of a satisfied woman.  “It was.”
    Natalie leaned down and kissed her, slowly and thoroughly, imprinting Gwen’s taste into her very cells. In the space of a heartbeat, Natalie had gone from being strong and independent to needing this woman in order to live. 
    Straddling her, Natalie’s mouth moved down her body, stopping now and then to linger at a particularly delicious area before continuing her journey. Gwen rested her arms on either side of her head, slowly widening her legs as Natalie settled between them, and sighed in pure happiness.  The first touch of Natalie’s hot tongue on her moist folds was literally breath taking. 
    Natalie licked her, repeatedly. Broad sweeps with a wide, firm tongue and delicate swirls with a pointed tip. Gwen began thrashing her hips and Natalie captured them, impaling her.  She gave deep, rapid strokes with her tongue until the allure of that nub of hidden flesh was too much and she sucked it, pressing her face deep.
    “Natalie,” Gwen cried out, pulling on her hair. 
    Natalie ignored Gwen’s plea, rolling it lightly between her teeth and giving a slight tug before she resumed sucking, thrusting her chin. Gwen shattered, the million pieces her soul had broken in to souring among the stars before slowly drifting back to earth, complete.       
    Nine years have passed, and Natalie still gives her the stars, along with the sun and the moon.