Morgan squeezed her shoulder. Emilia knew the gesture was meant to reassure, but the human touch against the rawness of her grief severed what little control she’d managed to maintain. Need raced along her synapses and forced everything else out of its way. The scent of Morgan’s shampoo flooded her senses, erasing the smell of the ocean and the slightly musty odor of the boathouse. Heat from her body cut through the chill of shaded concrete and damp wood.

Something that might have been a curse or a prayer beat its wings in her throat. She pushed Morgan against the row of lockers, taking her by surprise and knocking her off balance. Her blue eyes flew wide, and she didn’t move from where Emilia had pinned her. Beneath her hands, she felt like the only solid thing in the world. Barely four inches separated them. She searched Morgan’s face. Shock faded, and the sound of Morgan’s rapid breathing filled her ears. This close she could count the freckles peppering her cheekbones. There was still time to pull away, apologize, and blame her actions on grief and emotional instability. Her eyes fell on Morgan’s lips. Need lanced through her again. She met Morgan’s eyes and saw the same need reflected there.

Morgan’s mouth met hers with hunger. Her lips brushed over Morgan’s once, and then she deepened the kiss with her body, pressing her full weight into Morgan. Hands pulled her hips in closer. A moan escaped her throat. The hair tangled in her fingers was thick and soft, almost as soft as the mouth beneath hers. She drew her teeth over Morgan’s bottom lip, brushing her tongue along it as she did.

This isn’t a first kiss, she thought, breathless. This is . . . Her mind blanked as Morgan ran her fingers up her back, thumbs dragging up her sides and drawing a whimper of desire with them. Morgan’s lips moved downward, but Emilia closed her hands more tightly around her hair and stopped her. Instead, she kissed the smooth line of jaw leading down to her throat, tasting sweat and something else, something purely Morgan.

Morgan gasped when Emilia nipped at the skin along her neck. The sound, so feminine and so at odds with her androgynous persona, drove any last shred of resolve out of Emilia’s mind. She abandoned her hold on Morgan’s hair and raked her nails down her arms.