The Muse (3 page)

With a beaming grin, Erato pivoted in place, arm extended. “Cleanliness breeds creativity.”

Kate wrinkled her nose. She was almost positive
that
wasn’t right. Still, she appreciated the gesture, even if she also felt horribly embarrassed that her new lover had sorted through her dirty laundry and discarded water bottles. “Well, thank you. You didn’t have to.”

“Sure I did.” Perhaps sensing that she wouldn’t make the first move, Erato closed the distance between them and took Kate’s hand. “Like I said, I’m here for you. Whatever helps you meet your deadline.”

Standing within touching distance of her supposed muse, she had no desire to think about that deadline. It was challenging enough to contemplate her albatross of a novel on a good day, let alone with a curvaceous, warm female body in the same room. Still, she couldn’t ignore how very strange her current circumstances were. “So do you do this for many authors?”

Erato smiled beatifically and trailed her fingers up Kate’s bare arm. “If that’s your way of asking if you’re my first, then I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

Kate’s nipples tightened into hard points, now visible beneath the thin cotton of her tank top. She blushed when blue eyes dipped to take in the sight. “Believe me, you’re not a disappointment in any way,” she said, then inhaled sharply when Erato hooked her fingertip under the strap of her tank top and pulled it down, baring her right shoulder. She watched, rapt, as Erato bent to kiss her clavicle. “At all.”

“Nor are you.” Erato straightened and pressed her lips against Kate’s. Her fingers found the spot her mouth had just abandoned, caressing the still-tingling skin. After a brief kiss that literally curled Kate’s toes, Erato whispered, “In fact, I can’t remember the last time I was so excited by an artist—or her work.”

Kate blushed. According to her worst critics, she wrote pornography.
Art
seemed like a pretty lofty description for what she did. Brushing aside the praise, she took a deep breath and curled her arm around Erato’s waist, pulling her close. The soft firmness of full, bare breasts pressed against her own triggered an obscene rush of wetness. No matter how wet the characters in her stories were when engaged in the passionate, earth-shaking sex at which they were so adept, she couldn’t help feeling embarrassed by the idea that Erato would soon see just how wanton and desperate
she
was.

Erato looped her arms around Kate’s neck and went in for another kiss. Despite her lingering nerves, Kate immediately melted into it. Her hands settled on Erato’s bare hips—triggering the startled realization that
she was holding a naked woman
—and her lips parted just as Erato’s tongue asked permission to enter her mouth. Their first deep kiss was perfect. Storybook, even. Kate suspected this wasn’t due as much to her own skill as it was to Erato’s otherworldly instincts. She was so quickly lost in the bliss of what had to be the best make-out session in all of history that she felt completely disoriented when Erato pulled back moments later.

“Touch me.” Erato followed up her sensual whisper by flicking the tip of her tongue against Kate’s top lip. “Please.”

Still in a daze, Kate struggled to understand what Erato wanted. She gently squeezed Erato’s full hips and went back in for one more kiss, desperate for another taste of perfection.

Erato only allowed her a brief press of their lips before she moved her mouth to Kate’s ear and whispered hotly, “Touch my body, Kate. I want to feel your hands on me.”

The direct words startled her into action. She dropped one hand to Erato’s bottom, curving her fingers so the tips teased at the crevice between her cheeks. With her other hand she reached for a perfect breast, and her gaze followed. Erato’s nipple was dark brown and hard as stone, searing into the center of Kate’s palm when she cupped the soft fullness surrounding it. Her caress drew out a throaty moan, a sound of unbridled pleasure that sent sympathetic vibrations straight to her clit.

“Tell me what you want, Kate.” Despite being quite obviously aroused, Erato managed to maintain the calm confidence she’d projected ever since walking through the front door. “Anything you want to do—or that you want
me
to do—is yours. Any fantasy you’ve ever had, now is your chance to live it out. Just ask for it.”

Kate wasn’t sure what to make of the bold declaration. She’d never been with someone willing to give herself over so completely. The trust Erato seemingly had in her—unfounded as it was—was astounding. She didn’t think she could muster enough trust of her own to reveal her most secret fantasies. Not to an almost complete stranger, at least. It was an ironic sentiment for someone accustomed to sharing plenty of lurid fantasies with thousands of readers, to be sure, but such was her contradictory nature. Besides, she couldn’t fantasize about anything with her brain turned to mush.

“Uh, we can just do it the normal way.” Kate wanted to smack her forehead as soon as the words left her mouth.
The normal way?
That didn’t even make sense. “I mean…”

Erato giggled, and incredibly, the sound helped put her at ease. “I understand. How about you let me take the lead?”

Kate exhaled. “Gladly.”

Stepping back, Erato slipped her hand into Kate’s and pulled her toward the bed. “You’re nervous.” It wasn’t a question.

“It’s been a while. And…I’m shy.”

Erato drew back the covers and gestured her into bed with a raised eyebrow. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. I would have never guessed you were shy.”

“Well, you didn’t really give me a chance to be. I guess.” Kate paused. She didn’t feel shy around Erato. Unsettled, yes. Questioning her sanity, absolutely. But not terribly shy, considering that she was willingly crawling into bed with the woman less than an hour after meeting her. “I usually am.”

Watching Erato slip into bed beside her was pure erotica in motion. Everything about her was so achingly feminine, from her full curves to the delicate softness of her skin. She scooted close, sliding an arm beneath Kate’s shoulders and cradling her against the warmth of her ample chest. Most of Kate’s apprehension melted away as she relaxed into the embrace. A warm hand stroked gentle circles over her belly, then trailed lower. Deft fingers teased the waistband of her pajama bottoms, scratching, tugging, just barely dipping inside.

“Is that why you came to bed fully dressed?” Erato bent to lick Kate’s top lip. The contact sent a sharp spark of pleasure careening down between her legs. She gasped, and Erato held her closer as her fingernails continued to scorch a suggestive trail across the bare skin of her abdomen. “Because you’re shy?”

Once again, her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. She could barely hear her whispered answer over the pounding. “Yes.”

“How many lovers have you had?” Erato pushed her hand down the front of her pajama pants until searching fingers found the soft silk of her panties. She scratched at the fabric over Kate’s clit, triggering a breathy moan that would have embarrassed her if she couldn’t see the satisfaction on Erato’s face. “And panties, too, my dear? You must really want me to work for it.”

“I’m sorry, I—”

Erato gave a delighted peal of laughter. “Oh, sweetie,
I’m
sorry. I’m just teasing.” She pressed her finger down against Kate’s labia, stroking her lightly through the soaked fabric. “I’m happy to work for it, believe me.” She drew a path from one side of her panties to the other, then played with the elastic leg band at the juncture of Kate’s thighs. “Now tell me, how many lovers?”

“You’re my fourth.”

“And were you shy with the others?”

“I knew them a little better by the time we slept together.” That was an understatement. All three had been friends first, then lovers. “I’ve never done this with a woman I just met.”

Hungry eyes scanned the length of her body, and for the first time Kate lamented the mid-afternoon sun that streamed in through the windows. As much as she loved being able to gaze upon Erato’s nude body in all its glory, she couldn’t hide her own shaking hands or heaving chest. A look of compassion softened Erato’s expression, and she flattened her palm against Kate’s center, outside her panties. “I like crossword puzzles.”

Kate couldn’t help it. She bleated unladylike, thoroughly unsexy laughter. “Okay?”

Erato’s forehead crinkled. “I’m trying to help you get to know me better. So you’ll relax a little.”

The sweet, quirky nature of the woman who cupped her between the legs
did
help her relax—degree by degree. Erato was like no one she’d ever met. In that way, she almost had no problem believing that this stranger wasn’t strictly human, and for whatever reason, the thought filled her with a powerful sense of safety. It was better than accepting that the woman in her bed was mentally ill. “I’m all right, really.”

“Just wound up tight,” Erato murmured. Her hand began to move, slowly, barely applying pressure. “I completely understand that this must all seem strange. I assure you that I’m harmless.”

Kate spread her legs, almost embarrassed by how
not
afraid she was. She bit her lip to hold back a gasp when a finger pressed between her labia, rubbing gently. She gazed at the full breasts that pressed against her side, then closed her eyes, exhaling through her nose. “And beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She could feel Erato smiling above her. “I’m also remarkably aroused, as long as we’re cataloging my attributes.”

Amused, Kate opened her eyes and looked up at Erato’s face. She was stunned by the honest desire reflected back at her. Gaining confidence, she spread her legs wider, holding her breath when the fabric of her panties was finally pulled aside and a warm fingertip drew a line through her abundant wetness. “Me, too.”

Erato seemed delighted. “Indeed.” She circled her fingers around Kate’s clit just long enough to establish a rhythm, then moved lower, causing Kate to whimper. “How long has it been since someone made you come?”

Intelligent thought was impossible with Erato’s fingertip tracing around the edge of her opening. Kate threw an arm over her eyes, determined not to allow her hips to chase the teasing contact. She wanted nothing more than to impale herself on a long, slim finger or two, but pride dictated that she not appear quite so shameless.

“Do you want me inside you?”

She hoped her nod didn’t look too frantic. “Yes.”

Without teasing or hesitating, Erato pushed a single digit into her body, watching her face. “Personally, I don’t think it’s healthy for a writer of erotica to go so long without sex.” She withdrew slowly, then penetrated her again with two fingers. “No wonder you’re blocked.”

“Well, it’s—” She moaned when Erato angled her fingers and hit a spot that made her body sing. “It’s not like I’ve gone that long without…” Exhaling, Kate focused on stringing together a sentence. “Without an orgasm.”

Erato’s thumb brushed over her clit, causing her internal muscles to tighten. “You know your body well, then.”

“I’m an expert.”

“Good. You can teach me.” Erato’s hand worked effortlessly within her pajama pants, coaxing wave after wave of pleasure from her hypersensitive body.

Kate cried out, startled that she was quickly climbing toward orgasm. She’d never been with someone so intuitive. “I don’t think that’s necessary.” She nearly slammed her thighs shut on Erato’s hand, overwhelmed by the mounting pleasure. It was nearly painful, and she wasn’t ready to have it end.

Erato giggled and stopped. “Why don’t you take off your clothes now?” She pulled away, leaving Kate torn between relief and painful anticipation. “As long as you’re feeling a little less shy.”

Kate sat up and tore her tank top over her head, then wrenched off her pajama pants and panties, kicking them over the side of the bed. She paused only when she saw Erato staring at her newly bared skin. “What?”

Erato raised her eyes with obvious effort. “You’re as lovely as your stories.”

“Thank you.” Battling a fierce blush, she pressed Erato back onto the pillows. The genuine attraction in cerulean eyes emboldened her, and warm, supple flesh seared her own everywhere their bodies touched, driving her crazy. A surge of confidence allowed her to crawl on top of Erato, caging her with her body. “I’m definitely not feeling shy anymore.” She lowered her hips and rubbed her wetness against Erato’s belly.

Erato grinned sunnily. “Good.”

Despite the throbbing insistence between her legs, Kate’s own climax was no longer her foremost concern. When had she last gone down on a woman? Suddenly she was starving for a taste. “May I lick your pussy?”

An instant change came over Erato’s face, eyelids lowering and becoming hooded, a pretty pink flush suffusing her cheeks. Her chest heaved. Clearly she liked the question. “I told you—whatever you want.”

Kate lowered her face to Erato’s slowly, enjoying the way her breasts rose and fell with her increasingly labored breathing. She kissed the corner of Erato’s mouth, then her chin. “Yes, but consent is so sexy. Don’t you think?”

Erato’s hand landed on her head, stroking her hair as she moved her kisses lower, over the column of her throat. “
Very
sexy.”

She licked a trail to the slope of one breast, then kissed a path to a rock-like nipple. Reaching for the unattended breast, she massaged lightly as she closed her lips around the turgid flesh. Erato moaned and arched her back, and Kate slipped her free hand beneath her, keeping her close.

“
Yes
,” Erato breathed, and that was
exactly
the kind of consent Kate enjoyed. She smiled around the breast in her mouth, then bit the very tip. The fingers in her hair tightened, almost bringing tears to her eyes. The slight pain sent a lightning bolt of pleasure to her clit, causing her to release a moan to match Erato’s. She seized the nipple beneath her fingers and twisted lightly, flicking its twin with the flat of her tongue. Erato’s hips rose, no doubt searching for contact where she needed it most. “Kate, please.”

She fought back a smirk. Erato didn’t seem like the impatient type. Raising her mouth from Erato’s breast, she locked gazes with the woman trembling in her arms. “It really feels that good?”