Perfect Partners Read online

  “Wow.” Izzy seemed almost breathless when she broke them apart, wrapping her arms around Sara’s neck and burying her face in her shoulder. “Just, wow.”

  Sara knew what she was feeling. Her own body tingled everywhere, her pulse racing beyond her control. She hadn’t felt like this in…well, maybe ever. She held Izzy gently, kissing her cheek in response. “I know.” She dropped her gaze, feeling sheepish at being so emotional. Without overthinking it, she located Izzy’s hands and backed them both away from the file cabinet across the few feet of her office until she reached her desk. Perching against the front of it, she lost a few inches and was almost Izzy’s height. She had moved them so they could talk, maybe process what was happening here, but once she looked into Izzy’s beautiful dark brown eyes, she forgot everything she might say and instead guided her forward, the need to kiss her again immediate.

  Izzy didn’t protest. She rested her arms across Sara’s shoulders and leaned all the way in, giving herself over completely. They kissed for a good long time, fully swept up in the moment.

  Minutes passed, maybe more. “I need to go home,” Izzy finally said between soft kisses, her hands pressed against Sara’s chest.

  Sara stole another kiss. “I know you do.” She reached for Izzy’s hand and held it. “Your poor dog must be going crazy in the back.”

  “I’ll fill him in on the ride,” Izzy said.

  Sara laughed, completely believing Izzy would give him the play-by-play. “I’m sure you will.”

  They walked through the hall holding hands, and Sara took a moment to appreciate it, knowing they wouldn’t be able to be this open tomorrow.

  As if Izzy was tuned in to her thoughts, she leaned in close, squeezing her palm as she pressed against Sara’s body. “You’re not going to wig out tonight and pretend none of this happened tomorrow, are you?” she asked.

  Sara faced her as she reached for her ID card to access the kennel area. Pausing for a second, she cupped Izzy’s face. “No. I promise you,” she added, making real eye contact. She gave her a tiny kiss before holding the door open so Izzy could pass through first. “I do think we should be a little discreet,” she added, hoping the comment didn’t make her sound insensitive.

  She watched Izzy nod once, then explained, “There’s only a few weeks of training left, not that there’s any code preventing this”—she gestured between them—“but still.”

  Izzy pressed the button to raise the barrier separating Chase from them. She rubbed his head and his neck before looking at Sara. “Are you saying you want to put this on hold until the end of class?”

  “Not at all.” Sara touched the small of her back. “I’m just suggesting we keep it quiet. Not advertise it, you know?” Sara bent down to pet Chase, so she could see Izzy’s reaction. “Look, if people find out, so be it,” she said, as Izzy fastened Chase’s leash and collar with practiced ease. “I just thought it might be better if we stayed professional during the school day. Is that okay?”

  “Yes.” Izzy’s expression told her she was in agreement with the logic. “I’m with you,” she said giving the subtlest tug on the end of Chase’s lead. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t backing out already.”

  “I’m not.” She reached for Izzy’s hand. “I’m in this. For real.”

  “Thank God.” Izzy let out a sigh that was pure relief as she laced their fingers together. “Because if you were all meh now, after that kiss…” She fanned herself playfully. “I might not recover.”

  Sara felt herself blush at the tiny compliment, more than a little pleased to know the effect she had on Izzy. “So what now?” Sara asked, the newness of their courtship suddenly upon her.

  “Now I go home.”

  As they walked through the building, Chase strode between them, and when Sara dropped Izzy’s hand to hold the main door, he turned, seeming to wait for her to accompany them.

  “I’m coming, big guy. Hold your horses.”

  She let the door click shut behind her, and before she could reach for Izzy’s hand on her own, Chase nudged it with his snout, positively aggressive in his desire to match it with Izzy’s. Sara laughed out loud.

  “Oh, you think this is all your doing?” she said right to him.

  His pant was a smile and he kissed her palm in response, ducking his head underneath their interlaced fingers to steal some gratuitous head rubs as they walked to the car, where Izzy opened the door for him to climb in, then tossed the slack of his leash in after him.

  Sara followed Izzy’s eyes to the gravel parking lot beneath them and watched as she nudged the edge of her shoe.

  She bit her lower lip and Sara stared at it, swollen and wet, full and inviting. She brought her thumb up and touched it delicately. Izzy opened her mouth ever so slightly in response, the kiss she placed on the pad of her finger the promise of something so much more. Sara didn’t want her to leave. She was dying to ask Izzy to secure Chase back in the kennel for the night, beg her for even a paltry few hours in her campus suite where she could hold her and kiss her, live out every last fantasy she’d imagined since the first moment in this very parking lot.

  “This is where we met,” Sara said. The realization took her by surprise and she reached for Izzy’s other hand, drawing her closer. In the dark night, she saw something of a smile play at her gorgeous mouth. “I knew right then you were trouble.”

  “Pft.” Izzy leaned back against the body of her car, taking Sara with her. “You thought I was an idiot that day.”

  Sara laughed at being called out so many weeks later. “No.” She dropped a kiss on her lips. “I thought you were…beautiful. And sexy.” She moved her hands to Izzy’s hips and guided her lips across her face leaving kisses everywhere. “Maybe slightly ditzy,” she whispered in her ear.

  Izzy pretended to push her away. “You’re a jerk.”

  Sara hugged her closer. “But only that first day,” she said with a laugh. She met Izzy’s eyes, becoming serious. “After that, I was…” She got caught up in her own sentiment and didn’t want to overdo it. She dropped the sentence completely and leaned forward, finishing her heavy thought with action. At the end of the searing kiss, she backed away, still holding Izzy’s hand until the distance was too vast and she had to let go.

  “Text me when you get home, okay?” Sara called out in the space between them, watching as Izzy nodded agreement and climbed into her truck, started the engine, and drove away into the night.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Doug, can I bother you for two today?” Sara held up two fingers and smiled big at his easy nod. She loved that he asked for no explanation, just gave a simple nod and reached for more strawberries. She leaned against the industrial kitchen counter, trying to stay out of the way of the busy lunch crew. Grabbing her phone, she checked the time: 11:40. She shot off a hurried text to Izzy.

  Have lunch with me?

  There was a long pause before Izzy’s answer appeared: Um…okay?

  They had never eaten together during school hours and Sara knew her offer seemed to buck her own request for discretion. She could almost hear Izzy’s confusion pinging from cell tower to cell tower.

  Meet me on the trail in Arren’s Hollow. The one we hiked with Chase a few weeks ago.

  When Izzy agreed, Sara detailed the best place to access the path, describing the most precise markers she could think of. Fifteen minutes later, she stood in a small clearing, next to an oversized boulder, holding both smoothies.

  “You got me a shake.” Izzy’s tone was soft and lyrical as she swept over the brush and met Sara in the middle of the wide dirt path.

  “I did.” She leaned forward and kissed Izzy before handing over the drink. “It’s the perfect day for one of these.” She looked around them, acknowledging the eighty-degree heat from the shade of the woods. “I hoped I could steal you for at least a few minutes.”

  “You were a no-show during training this morning.” Izzy took a sip of her drink. “Busy?” Her voice had a k
ind of doubt in it, and more than anything, Sara wanted to put her mind at ease.

  “Come here,” she said, taking Izzy’s hand and pulling her close. She kissed her softly for a good long minute. Their faces were only inches apart as she whispered, “Hi.” She brushed her lips over Izzy’s. “I conducted three annual certifications this morning.” Leaning back against the huge rock behind them, she added, “Ones that were not on the schedule.” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Damn NYPD officers think if they just show up, the world will stop for them.”

  “As it should.” Izzy’s nod was playful in defense of her brethren in blue.

  “Cops.” Sara shook her head, still teasing. “You’re all the same.”

  Izzy stepped into Sara’s space, her body so close Sara felt the thick nylon duty belt press against her abdomen. “I think, Instructor Wright”—her lips grazed Sara’s neck—“in due time, you’ll see I am very different from the three people you dealt with earlier.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Mm-hmm,” Izzy purred in her ear, kissing the soft spot just below it.

  Sara found her way back to her mouth and kissed her again. Caught up in the moment, she turned them around, leaning into Izzy. Her hands moved along Izzy’s cotton T-shirt, over the soft curve of her breast, making her yearn for more. Breaking apart to catch her breath, she touched her forehead to Izzy’s. “You cannot do that to me.” Her breath came out tempered, her voice raspy as she spoke. “Not here,” she added with a slight laugh.

  “Me?” Izzy countered dramatically. “This is your clandestine rendezvous.” Sara felt Izzy’s hands slip alongside her waist and give a tiny squeeze before Izzy glanced back to assess the rock behind her and hoist herself onto it. She patted the space next to her. “Sit with me.”

  Sara complied and for the next few minutes they talked about the day, the beautiful weather, their delicious fruit smoothies.

  “Can we go out to dinner tomorrow night?” Sara asked, hearing unexpected nerves in her own delivery.

  “I wish.” Izzy ducked her face into a ray of sunlight sneaking through the trees.

  Sara pretended to remove a knife from her heart. “Ouch.”

  “I have dinner with my family tomorrow.” Izzy grabbed her hand away from her chest and explained. “We usually try for the weekend, but my brother is working Saturday and Sunday.” Izzy still held her hand, and Sara felt tingles all through her body when Izzy lazily matched their fingertips up. “I didn’t want to give up Friday, so tomorrow’s family night.”

  “Don’t tell me.” Sara squeezed her hand in response. “Your brother’s a cop too?” She stared at the clear sky above them. “And your dad and grandfather. Right?”

  “No, smarty-pants.” Izzy used their clasped hands to whack her thigh. “Rick is a fireman.” Taking her hand away, she folded her arms across her chest and levied no-nonsense sass directly at her. “My dad drives a truck for UPS. Abuelo is a butcher. They came here from Cuba when my dad was six.” She used three fingers to poke Sara’s shoulder, the gesture clearly indicating she wasn’t really upset by Sara’s assumption. “Don’t go thinking I’m some spoiled third-generation cop getting good details because I have family connections.” She was teasing but Sara heard truth behind her defensiveness.

  “I didn’t. I don’t,” she answered seriously. “I was honestly just kidding.” She touched Izzy’s uniform pants. “For so many people, law enforcement is in their family.” She traced lazy circles on the blended polyester fabric covering Izzy’s thigh. “Wait a second. You said you were keeping Friday clear. What’s going on?” Sara asked.

  Izzy let out a long sigh. “I was wondering when you were going to bite.” She took a long sip of her drink. “I was hoping after class on Friday”—she licked her full lips, making them shine—“you’d come to my house and teach me about Luke and Laura. Get my Star Wars on.”

  “Oh boy.” Sara slapped her forehead, hopping off the rock. “Leia. Luke and Leia,” she corrected with a mock sigh as she turned to lift Izzy down. “This may take all weekend.”

  Izzy let go a salacious smile. “If you’re lucky.”

  ***

  Class dismissed early on Friday and Izzy was happy for the extra time. Not that she needed to do much before Sara arrived at six, but she liked taking her time getting ready.

  She took a long hot shower, in no rush as she shampooed, conditioned, and shaved—just in case. Methodically lotioning everywhere, her skin felt soft and smooth and she wondered if Sara’s touch would be gentle or needy or both. She had to stop her mind from getting ahead of her. Sara was so reserved—she might want to take things super slow and that would be just fine, she lectured herself. Just because she’d been fantasizing about this for months did not mean Sara was on the same timeline. She closed her eyes and took a deep, measured breath, reminding herself to appreciate the fact they’d finally reached this level and not to sabotage things by pushing for more than Sara might be ready for.

  Taking a full minute to center herself and relax, she looked in her closet for clothes to match the occasion, ultimately selecting black leggings and a trendy T-shirt that was tight enough to show her curves. The mirror told her it was casual and sexy, the perfect combo for an at-home movie night.

  For the next half hour, she flitted about her kitchen, wiping the spotless countertops a trillion times until Chase hopped up on all fours and started his telltale dance. She looked out the window and saw Sara’s truck just making the turn onto her street.

  “You are good,” she said praising his early detection skills. As the car moved down the road, he let out a few excited whines, peppering his enthusiasm with welcoming yips and barks. “Be cool, Chase. Be cool.” Izzy followed him to the door where he was already pacing in eager semicircles. “We don’t have to tell her how excited we are that she’s here. Rein it in, okay, buddy?” she pleaded. But he responded by pawing the door, and she couldn’t help giving in to his excitement. She opened the storm door and watched him bound to the truck, practically assaulting Sara with wet kisses as she climbed out of the driver’s seat.

  “Sorry about that,” Izzy said, letting them both in the house at the same time. “He really couldn’t wait to say hi.”

  “He’s a sweetie,” Sara said. She held aloft a bottle of pinot and a bag of gourmet chili popcorn. “I brought snacks.” She dug into her bag and pulled out a stuffed chipmunk toy, squeaking it between her fingers. “This is for you,” she said, looking at Chase and tossing it a foot away to watch him dive after it.

  “Thank you,” Izzy said on behalf of both of them, leaning up to kiss Sara on the cheek. She smiled at Chase pawing and chewing the squeaker toy. “He’s going to annihilate that in about one second,” she said with a proud laugh.

  “I’d say he’s earned it,” Sara said.

  “Here, let me take these,” Izzy said taking the wine and the popcorn and placing both on the kitchen island. She turned to the far cabinet and had to reach for two wineglasses on the top shelf.

  “Let me help you.” Sara’s lithe body was inches from hers as she easily reached the third shelf.

  Izzy turned around and touched her hands to Sara’s bare forearms, caressing all the way up to the short sleeves of her super-soft, flawlessly antiqued V-neck. “Show-off.”

  Sara answered with a perfect smile. “You’re welcome,” she said, wasting no time before she leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips before taking a step back and resting against the island.

  Opening a drawer to retrieve the wine opener, Izzy stole a glance at Sara’s loosely fitted gray T-shirt touting Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. It was probably store-bought vintage with factory-applied wear, but damn, it looked good. Knowing the location’s proximity to Washington, DC, Izzy almost asked if she’d visited, but when Sara tucked her hand in her pockets, her jeans dipped down revealing the black edge of her panties just above the low-slung waistline. It was everything Izzy could do to ignore the heat she felt surge through her and form wor
ds.

  “So I have a little confession,” she started, avoiding eye contact.

  “Wait. Don’t tell me.” Sara looked positively impish. “You’ve actually seen all the Star Wars movies and this”—she circled one finger in the air—“is all just a ploy to get into my pants?”

  Izzy guffawed. Great, classy! Her face was surely bright red at her motive being called to the forefront, but she didn’t even care. “What’s gotten into you tonight?” she asked, pouring them each a wine.

  “I’m just teasing you.” Sara reached for her hand and pulled her in front of her, wrapping her hands around her waist. “What did you want to tell me?”

  Izzy took a sip of the dry white wine before placing it on the counter. “Ah, that.” She brushed her hands across the tops of Sara’s shoulders delicately. “Remember how you were going to change my life with these movies? And in return I was going to feed you?” She waited for Sara to nod acknowledgment while toying with the neckline of her shirt and letting her fingertip graze the skin just under it. “See, I don’t cook. Like, at all.” Sara seemed about to speak, but Izzy covered her lips with one finger. “But…” She hoped her coy act was coming off cute. “I have these amazing leftovers from yesterday. Paella my abuela made. Plantanos. Some salad too.”

  “Spanish?”

  “Cuban, actually. Do you like it?” She made an eek face, a little nervous she’d put all her eggs in this one basket. “We can order takeout if you want. I should have asked you first.”