Jennie

I sleep for almost ten blissful hours. I could probably lie in this bed forever, but it's after ten, and I can hear Lali downstairs in the kitchen.

I roll out of bed and pad across the floor to the bathroom. Once I get an eyeful of my hair, I decide it would be best to indulge in a shower before I go downstairs, especially since my cabin lacks hot water. While I enjoy the perks of a functioning hot-water tank, I replay that kiss—make-out session—from last night over and over in my head. I wonder if she'll kiss me like that again before I leave. I hope so.

I don't have a choice but to put back on my clothes from yesterday once I'm done, but at least I'm clean and warm. I'm nervous all over again, unsure how not to be awkward as I head downstairs. I plan to thank her for being so hospitable, and then I'll head back to my cabin. Lali is in the kitchen, pushing something around in a frying pan. She's wearing a pair of low-slung sweatpants and a white T-shirt that pulls tight across her back. All my words disappear as I watch her muscles flex under the cotton. I would like to be that cotton.

"Morning. How'd you sleep?" Lali gives me that smile that seems to make my brain short out for a moment.

"I slept great, thank you. I'm sorry it's so late. Those blinds keep out all the light, don't they?" My sweater is hanging over the back of the chair, so I pick it up. "I should probably be going."

"Or you could stay for breakfast," Lali suggests.

"Oh, I couldn't do that—I've already overstayed my welcome. I'm sure you have a busy day." I pull the sweater over my head, even though I'm already hot. If I go now, maybe I'll get that goodbye kiss I'm hoping for.

Lali props a hip against the counter. "Actually, my day is wide open. I mean, there's a chance I'll go fishing at some point, but otherwise I'm totally free. Do you have plans?"

"Uh, no, no plans."

"So you can stay? Have breakfast with me, and then maybe—if you're feeling up to it—we could go to town, or whatever you want, really."

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose." Staying means no goodbye kiss, but maybe we can spend some of the day with our lips against each other's.

"You're not imposing at all, Jennie. I'm happy you're here, and to be honest, I'm still looking for any excuse I can find to spend more time with you."

"Well, in that case, breakfast sounds great. What can I do to help?" And just like that, the awkwardness is gone.

Lali pours me a coffee. "You drink this, and I'll take care of the rest."

I add a little sugar and cream, stir, test, and repeat until it's perfect. "This coffee is amazing."

"You sure you got the cream-to-sugar ratio right?" Lali asks.

"Are you making fun of me?"

She holds her thumb and finger close together. "Maybe a little."

"Too much cream and sugar ruins coffee. I err on the side of caution." I poke her chest.

Lali wraps her arms around me, pulling me up against her. It looks like that kiss I was hoping for is going to happen a lot sooner than I anticipated. she drops her head, and our lips meet and part, tongues stroking in a wet, velvet caress.

I try not to get carried away like I did last night, but kissing Lali is like eating birthday cake. Once I start, I can't seem to stop. I run my hands over her chest and grip the back of her neck to keep them from wandering too much. Lali's hands move in the opposite direction, and she palms my bottom, pulling me closer.

With her free hand, Lali shoves aside whatever's on the counter and knocks the cutting board into the sink with a loud crash. We break apart for a second to check the damage, but everything seems fine.

Lali turns her attention back to me, lifting me onto the counter. "God, I love your mouth."

"Every time you kiss me, I feel like I've just consumed a gallon of coffee spiked with alcohol," I tell her.

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" she drags her lips along the column of my throat.

"It's good. I think." I tip my head to the side. "Although both are highly addictive. Do you think people can get addicted to kissing? I suppose it's possible, since people can be addicted to sex. I guess you can be addicted to anything, really." Crap, I'm babbling.

Lali chuckles and nibbles along the edge of my jaw. "I'm definitely developing an addiction to you."

I part my legs, and Lali steps into the space, groaning when her erection presses against me. I wrap my legs around her waist and hook my feet behind her back, sinking deeper into lust.

Just as Lali slips her fingers under the hem of my shirt, the pungent aroma of something burning—not related to the fireplace—causes her to break the kiss. "Oh shit!" she reaches over to shut off the burner and move the frying pan, now filled with semicharred hash browns, to an unused burner. In her haste, she knocks over my coffee, which spills across the counter.

I jump down before it can reach me, but it drips over the edge onto the floor, splattering our feet.

Lali nabs a dishtowel to sop it up, cheeks flaming just like mine. "That went wrong fast."

"Maybe we should save the make-out sessions for after meals," I suggest, breathless and a little embarrassed that once again I've gotten totally carried away. At least it's not one-sided.

"Probably a good idea." she pushes the charred hash browns around in the pan. "So . . . bacon, eggs, and toast?"

I pat her chest. "I'll make the toast, and you take care of the eggs?"

After breakfast Lali takes me for a ride in her boat. The only kind I've ever been in is a canoe, which tipped over, and yesterday I tried to put the one at my cabin into the water, but a family of squirrels was living in it, so that put an end to that.

Being on open water makes me nervous, so Lali distracts me with more making out. My lips are probably going to be seriously chapped after today, so I'll have to use some lip balm tonight to keep them from peeling.

By the time we get back from our boating trip—I didn't see one dolphin or whale, although I wasn't paying much attention to anything besides Lali—it's well past lunchtime. We make steak sandwiches with last night's leftovers, and Lali suggests a trip into town. I have a list of things I need to pick up, like a new space heater, so I'm all for it.

After a brief stop at my cabin so I can change into fresh clothes, we spend the afternoon shopping. We tour the quaint downtown and grab dinner at a pub. It's after eight by the time we head back to her truck.

"Do you want to come back to my place?" Lali asks once we're on the way to our cabins. Well, my cabin, her rustic house on the water.

The answer to that question is yes. I definitely do. However, I'm concerned about my ability to manage myself around Lali. I worry that things are moving too quickly, and as much as I dislike my cabin, it might be a good idea to spend the night on my own. "That's really sweet of you, but I don't want to impose, and I should probably do some work on my thesis paper, since that's why I'm supposed to be here."

"It's really no imposition, Jennie." She pauses, and I almost want her to try to convince me otherwise. I don't think it would take much. "But I totally understand if you need to work."

We pass Lali's cabin and continue to mine. She helps me carry all my purchases inside. While I set up the new space heater, Lali helps get the fire going.

Once that's taken care of, she hooks her thumbs in her pockets and rocks back on her heels. "Can I call you tomorrow? See what you're up to?"

I'm still bundled up in my parka, but I'm nervous again, which means I start to sweat—so I tug off my hat, then realize I probably have hat head since I've been wearing it all day. I can feel my bangs sticking to my forehead and static working its magic elsewhere. I want to put it back on, but I drop it on the lounge chair and fiddle with the end of my braid instead. "I'd like that."

"Okay. Well, if you have any problems tonight, I'm just a phone call away." She scribbles down the number for her cabin on a piece of paper, then pulls me in for a hug. I let my gloves drop to the floor and curve my palm around the back of her neck. I know she's leaving, so I might as well get in one last good-night kiss. It goes from soft to needy between one heartbeat and the next.

Several minutes later we come up for air.

"I'll call you tomorrow." This time it's not a question.

She comes in for another kiss that, once again, turns into a dance of tongues and a grinding session.

"If you don't go, I'm not getting anything done tonight, and no one gets any kind of reward tomorrow." I shermy us toward the door.

"It'd be a lot easier if you weren't such an active, enticing participant," Lali mutters as our tongues tangle again.

"It would be a lot easier for me if kissing you didn't make my whole body feel like it's been dipped in some kind of sensory-heightening serum." I fumble with the doorknob, sucking on her bottom lip at the same time.

Eventually I manage to get the door open. The shock of frigid air is enough to finally get us to separate. I pry my fingers from Lali's neck, and she releases me, taking a step back.

She slips a hand into her pocket and does some blatant rearranging, which both thrills me and makes me blush.

She smirks. "What can I say? We both like you."

I laugh and roll my eyes. "You're incorrigible. Now go, so I can make an attempt at being productive."

Lali holds up a finger. "Just one more kiss to tide me over?"

"Just one."

She leans in, and I put my hand on her chest, allowing only a couple of sweeps of tongue before I step back. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

She walks backward to her truck, and I stand in the doorway, staying there until the taillights disappear down the driveway.

I'm probably going to regret not staying at her place tonight, but I think I should at least try to resist her. Besides, this will inevitably heighten the very present chemistry between us. Theoretically, it should. I guess I'll find out tomorrow if I'm right.