Just This Once by K.G. MacGregor

breakfast meeting at 7:30.”
    Paula offered her arm as an escort and the two women walked slowly back to the parking lot. When they reached the car, they stopped, Paula guiding the tall woman to sit on the rear fender. “You know, there’s one real big drawback to me having to drop you in front of a busy hotel.”
    She’s going to kiss me .
    Indeed, Paula stepped closer and placed a hand lightly on Wynne’s shoulder. “Is this okay?” she whispered as she slowly lowered her head.
    Wynne raised her hand and cupped the blonde head, pulling the lips toward her own. She had tuned out that voice telling her she couldn’t have something as nice as this. Their kiss was coy at first, but soon, both women were breathing hard, open-mouthed as their tongues danced with a tentative passion. As her free hand made its way to Paula’s hip and beyond, a pair of passing headlights stopped them short.
    Stepping back, Paula looked into the dazzling blue eyes and smiled. “I really liked that, Wynne.”
    “Yeah, I could tell,” the dark-haired woman said huskily. “So did I.”
    The women gazed for a few more moments into one another’s eyes, both sensing a deep satisfaction at what they had just shared.
    “I guess I should get you home.”
    “Then I suppose one of us should move.”
    “Oh, that would be me,” Paula answered, stepping back to allow Wynne to stand. She unlocked the passenger door and held it while the tall woman slipped in.
    Too bad about that manual transmission , Paula thought. She wanted to hold Wynne’s hand again, but she needed both hands to drive in this downtown traffic. The hotel was only a few blocks away.
    “So…are you coming back in two weeks?”
    “That’s still the schedule.”
    “The next launch is the last weekend in April. If you have a chance to check your calendar, let me know if you think you can be here and I’ll get an extra pass to the press site.”
    “I forgot to look, but I will,” Wynne promised. That was almost six weeks away, but she doubted she could swing it. There were just too many variables.
    Paula wheeled the Mazda into the curved driveway. “Have a nice day at work tomorrow and a safe trip home. I had a really good time with you tonight.”
    The valet opened the passenger door. “Thank you. Me too.”
    ———
    I’m in such trouble here .
    Wynne readied for bed, her head swimming with the memory of Paula’s mouth on hers.
    If that kiss was indicative of what else they might offer one another, it wasn’t going to be easy to say no. But she couldn’t do this, no matter how much she wanted to. This was getting too complicated.

Chapter 7
    “Wow, where’d you get all this energy?” Val had been watching her friend for the last half hour, roaring through her circuit like a woman possessed. Paula was taking her time with all her reps so she’d get the maximum benefit, but as soon as she’d finish, she’d moved quickly to the next machine without a break.
    “I don’t know. I just feel…invigorated.” In truth, Paula was still savoring her night out with Wynne last week, and was full of nervous energy in anticipation of the woman’s return.
    “You’re in love,” Val pronounced.
    “I am not! We barely know each other.”
    “That may be true, but you’ve been in a great mood since last week, and you’ve talked about the woman almost nonstop.”
    “That doesn’t mean I’m in love. But I do like her a lot.” Paula mounted the ab cruncher and started her pulls. “And I think…she likes me…too,” she puffed.
    “Well, what’s not to like about you? You remember Kevin, the guy I was dating for a while?”
    “Yeah.”
    “He wanted to fix you up with one of his buddies and I told him I didn’t think you’d be interested. He said, ‘Aw, that’s too bad. She’s hot!’”
    “Just…what I need…not!”
    “So what do you think will happen with you two? I mean, the woman lives in Baltimore, right?”
    “Yeah…but she’s still…got