“If that kiss earlier today was a fluke, or if you can make my toes curl every single time you kiss me.” Anja peered over at her from under half-lowered lids. How could she look so shy and yet so damn sexy at the same time?

“You know I can never resist a challenge, don’t you?” Susanne murmured, her voice husky.

“Then don’t.”

With a groan, Susanne tossed the remainder of her reservations overboard and decided to do exactly what Anja wanted her to do: live in the moment—and kiss her senseless.

She slid even closer on the couch and turned until her knee touched Anja’s thigh. Gently, she put one hand on her hip, just resting it there, even though her fingers wanted to explore immediately. “Are you really—?”

Anja surged forward, and then Susanne was the one being kissed senseless.

Their mouths connected with urgency, as if both of them wanted to make the most of every minute together.

Anja clasped the back of Susanne’s neck with one hand while cradling her jaw with the other, holding her against her.

Not that Susanne had any intention of pulling back. She returned the kiss with equal heat.

The cat gave a meow of protest as he was squished between them and then jumped to the floor.

Susanne slid her other hand onto Anja’s waist and pulled her even closer. The heat of Anja’s body seeped through their clothes, making Susanne’s temperature skyrocket too. She nipped at Anja’s bottom lip and then slipped inside her mouth, teasing her with lips and teeth and tongue until the small noises Anja made were nearly constant. Or maybe some of them were hers. She could no longer tell.

Finally, she broke their kiss with reluctance.

Anja straightened and took her hand away from Susanne’s neck but left the other where it was, softly brushing her thumb along Susanne’s jaw.

Susanne tilted her face into the caress and stared into her eyes. So much emotion—passion but also something gentler—swirled in those brown depths that Susanne had to look away. She bent, untied the laces of Anja’s sneakers, and pulled off one shoe and sock.

A giggle burst from Anja, and she pulled back her foot as if she was ticklish. “What are you doing? If this is your attempt to undress me, I’ve got to tell you, it’s not very sexy.”

Susanne suppressed a moan as visions of undressing Anja and exploring each centimeter of her warm, soft skin danced before her mind’s eye. “Believe me, when I undress you, it’ll be very sexy.” She lowered her voice to a seductive burr. Then she paused as she realized what she’d said: when. Not if.

The flush on Anja’s cheeks deepened. She licked her lips. “Then what’s this?” She wiggled her toes.