“Shit, that could’ve been awkward. I heard light footfalls on the stairs and assumed they were yours.”

Boom! Gotcha.

A slow smile spread across Kelly’s face. “Are you saying you purposely dropped your pen with the intention of teasing me?”

“Oops. Busted.” Lucy bit back a smile.

For a minute, Kelly wondered if they needed to back up, but considering their relationship had started out arse about face, almost literally, there wasn’t much point in that.

“Do you know what I wanted to do when I walked in on that beautiful sight?”

“No, Miss.”

The submissive tone of Lucy’s voice, coupled with the coy look in her eyes, ramped up Kelly’s excitement.

Before lust overtook her, Kelly needed to know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Lucy was on the same page. And more importantly, that Lucy knew she had the power to stop things with a single word.

“I’m not in the habit of using a safe word.” Kelly stroked Lucy’s cheek.

A flicker of uncertainty flashed across Lucy’s face.

Wanting to reassure Lucy with a gentle kiss, Kelly lowered her head. Lucy’s pupils dilated and her heavy lids closed seconds before their lips met.

Heat exploded inside Kelly, rocking her to her core. She’d had her mouth all over Lucy’s body, but nothing could’ve prepared her for the intensity of their first kiss.

A soft moan escaped Lucy when she parted her lips, allowing Kelly entrance. Their tongues danced the dance of new lovers; long, slow, exploring, and panty melting hot. Bracing her weight on her elbows, Kelly ran her fingers through Lucy’s silky black hair.

The flat of Lucy’s palms pressed into Kelly’s back, holding her close. Breast to breast, their hearts beat a rapid tempo. Kelly yearned to be inside Lucy.

Needing to come up for air, Kelly broke the kiss. “Phew.” She fanned out the neckline of her dress. “Is it hot in here, or is it me?”

“Both.”

“You’re pretty hot, too.” Kelly returned the compliment. “As I was saying, do you need a safe word?”

“I don’t know, do I?” Uncertainty contorted Lucy’s features, and Kelly didn’t like it one bit.

“No means no to me, Lucy, and stop means stop. But more than that, I’d like to think I know when to push and when to pull back. However, considering we’re just starting out, and I don’t want a punch in the twat…”

Just as Kelly had hoped, the comment earned her a chuckle.

“I wouldn’t do that.” Lucy grinned.

“No, but you might think it and I don’t want you to ever go along with a scene just to please me.”