Shit, did she have sub-drop? Emotions had been running high.

Kelly panicked, she had no experience with the phenomenon. Acting on instinct, she yanked the blindfold off Lucy, dragged her up, and cradled her in her arms.

“Shhh, shhh. It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

Hot tears dripped onto Kelly’s shoulder. Lucy snuggled closer, her body trembling against her side.

God, Kelly was so out of her element. She pulled the duvet up and covered them, hoping it would give Lucy comfort.

Laugh-crying Lucy flung the blanket off. “Are you crazy, woman? It’s sweltering in here.”

Confused, Kelly gazed into the depths of Lucy’s watery eyes, trying to get a read on her. Coming up blank, she forced a smile.

“You okay?”

“Goodness me, yes.”

That smile, the one that lit up Kelly’s world, spread across Lucy’s face. Her hair was plastered to her forehead, tears streaked her cheeks, beads of sweat rested on her upper lip, and she’d never looked more gorgeous.

“You’re doing it again.” Lucy quirked an eyebrow.

Happy to be the source of Lucy’s amusement, Kelly propped herself up against the pillows.

“Doing what?”

“Drooling.”

“Get used to it.”

Smiling, Lucy rested her head on Kelly’s shoulder.

Although the atmosphere was relaxed, Kelly was still concerned. She smoothed down Lucy’s hair and kissed the top of her head. “Wanna tell me what that was about?”

“You remembered,” Lucy said.

The gratitude in her tone made Kelly’s heart sing.

“I did,” Kelly said simply.

She’d often thought back to the day Lucy had told her, so casually, that she liked being restrained, to the extent that she’d tied herself up.

“When you said you were going to take me back in time, I didn’t know what you meant. I just needed to escape, to forget about the day.”

Kelly cupped Lucy’s chin, tilted her head back, and kissed her, hard.

A shy smile spread across Lucy’s face. “You know, I always felt embarrassed about the way I got off the first time. Who the fuck humps their bedsheets?”

More people than were willing to admit it, Kelly didn’t say. After all, it was a rhetorical question.

“Funny thing is, I’ve never told another soul, yet I just blurted it out to you.” A tear rolled down her cheek. She pointed to her eyes. “These are tears of gratitude. Thank you for recreating that time for me.”

A lump formed in Kelly’s throat. The gamble she’d made couldn’t have paid higher dividends.

Chapter 31

Cuddled up in bed after a quick shower, Kelly’s post-coital bliss took a backseat as more pressing matters took forefront.

“Now what?” Lucy asked.

The sad smile Lucy gave her made Kelly’s heart ache. She wished she could wrap Lucy in cotton wool and shelter her from the world. Which was ridiculous.

Wanting to offer comfort, Kelly rolled onto her side.