Chapter 42

The drive back was quiet, filled with soft music and the comfort of each other’s presence. When Celeste pulled into her driveway and cut the engine, she turned to Rowan with a grin.

“Come on in,” she said, unlocking the door and leading her inside. The house was warm, the faint glow of candles from earlier still lingering in the air. Celeste slipped off her jacket and kicked her shoes aside, glancing back at Rowan with a mischievous smirk.

“You want a shot?” she asked, already moving toward the kitchen.

Rowan followed, tossing her bag onto a chair and arching a brow. “Yes,” she answered, her tone smooth and teasing. Then she leaned against the counter, her smile growing wider. “But you know alcohol just makes me want you even more.”

Celeste laughed, low and rich, as she pulled two shot glasses from the cabinet and set them on the counter with a satisfying clink. “Good to know,” she said, pouring the amber liquid with a steady hand. “I’ll have to remember that.”

Rowan’s eyes sparkled in the dim light as she reached for her glass. “Remember it, huh?” she teased. “Sounds like you’re planning on testing the theory.”

Celeste slid her a glass, their fingers brushing briefly. “Maybe I am,” she replied, her lips curving into a knowing smile.

They clinked glasses together, the shot warming their throats almost instantly. Rowan licked her lips, her gaze never leaving Celeste’s. “Mmm,” she murmured. “Yep. Definitely works.”

The shot glasses had long been abandoned on the coffee table, their edges catching the faint glow of candlelight. Celeste leaned back against the couch, her shirt a little rumpled, the warmth of the alcohol humming through her veins. Rowan sat beside her, lips curved in a wicked smirk as her fingers toyed with the hem of her dress.

“Mm,” Rowan hummed, glancing at the empty glasses. “Told you… alcohol makes me want you more.”

Celeste chuckled, low and throaty. “So I noticed.”

Rowan shifted closer, her thigh brushing Celeste’s. Then, without a hint of hesitation, she swung one leg over Celeste’s lap and settled down, straddling her with effortless confidence. Celeste’s hands flew instinctively to Rowan’s hips, steadying her, but she didn’t push her away. If anything, she held her tighter.

“Well,” Rowan teased, leaning in until their lips nearly touched, her breath hot against Celeste’s mouth, “I warned you what happens when I drink.”

Celeste smirked, her voice dipping low. “And I didn’t believe you.”

“Your mistake,” Rowan whispered and then she kissed her.

The kiss was molten from the start. Rowan moaned softly into it, a sound that went straight through Celeste’s chest, setting every nerve alight. Celeste groaned in return, tilting her head, pulling Rowan closer until there was no space left between them. Rowan’s hips rolled instinctively, grinding down against Celeste, her moan deepening, muffled by the press of their lips.

Celeste’s fingers dug into the curve of her waist, then slid up her back, pulling her in tighter. Rowan’s hands tangled in Celeste’s hair, nails scraping gently against her scalp as she devoured her mouth. Their kiss grew hungrier, more desperate tongues clashing, lips bruising, breaths ragged.

“You’re killing me,” Celeste muttered against her mouth, biting down gently on her lower lip.

“Good,” Rowan breathed, voice husky, before moaning again as Celeste’s grip shifted lower, cupping her ass possessively.

The sound of their mouths and soft gasps filled the room until the front door creaked open.

“Celeste?” Simone’s voice rang out.

Rowan’s lips were still locked with Celeste’s when the front door opened wider and Simone, Lila, and Naomi actually stepped inside. The three of them froze, jaws dropping, as they caught sight of Rowan straddling Celeste, both of them flushed and breathless.

Celeste tore her lips away just long enough to glare at them. “Go away,” she said firmly, her voice husky from the kissing.

Rowan, entirely unbothered, smirked against her cheek and went right back to kissing her. Her hands moved lower, fingers working at the buttons of Celeste’s shirt until they popped open one by one, revealing the edge of her black sports bra. Rowan trailed her lips down her jaw, moaning softly into the contact.

Simone slapped a hand dramatically over her eyes. “Oh my god! I cannot believe I’m seeing this with my own two eyeballs.”

Lila planted her hands on her hips. “Nope. Girls’ night was planned weeks ago, and I’m not letting your hormones ruin it.”

Naomi raised a brow, calm as ever. “They look busy.”

Simone flapped her arms like she was trying to cool herself off. “Busy?! Rowan is literally undressing her on the couch!”

Celeste groaned, her head falling back against the cushion, half laughing and half frustrated. Rowan only chuckled, licking her lips as she leaned back just enough to meet Celeste’s gaze. “We can finish later, baby,” she purred, her tone deliberately sultry.

Celeste laughed, though her eyes were still dark with heat. “Or,” she teased, glancing pointedly at her friends, “they can leave.”

Rowan grinned wickedly at that, her fingers still teasing at the edge of Celeste’s shirt like she wasn’t ready to let go. Simone let out a strangled noise, Lila grabbed a throw pillow to cover her face, and Naomi just smirked faintly, sipping from her mug like she’d seen it all before.

“Lord,” Simone muttered, shaking her head. “This is going to be one hell of a night.“

Rowan leaned in, stealing one last kiss from Celeste before whispering against her lips, “Either way, I win.”

Rowan shifted like she was about to slide off Celeste’s lap, but Celeste only smirked and tightened her grip, refusing to let her move.

“You can’t move yet,” Celeste murmured, her voice low and teasing.

Rowan tilted her head, lips still hovering close, her breath warm against Celeste’s cheek. “Why not?” she asked, feigning innocence, though the mischief in her eyes gave her away.

Celeste leaned in until her lips brushed Rowan’s ear, her tone rough and husky. “Because my friend down there is very excited. And unless you want them”her gaze flicked toward her friends still standing in the doorway”to see, then go ahead. Move.”

Rowan stilled, her eyes glinting before she let out a wicked laugh. “In that case… carry me to the bedroom and do whatever you need to do.”

That was all the encouragement Celeste needed. With effortless strength, she stood up in one smooth motion, Rowan still straddling her waist. Rowan gasped softly, her arms instinctively looping around Celeste’s neck as her lips found hers again.

“Guys,” Celeste said over her shoulder between kisses, “I need ten minutes.”

Her friends’ reactions were immediate.

“Ten minutes?!” Simone shrieked, half laughing, half scandalized. “Girl, you better mean fifteen at least!”

Rowan didn’t even bother hiding her laughter this time. She leaned back just enough to wave cheekily at them, still locked around Celeste like she had no intention of letting go. “See you later!”

Naomi arched a brow, arms crossed but a faint smirk on her lips. “At least they’re direct.”

Meanwhile, Lila spotted the half-empty bottle and shot glasses on the table. She groaned dramatically. “Well, no wonder. This explains everything.“

Celeste adjusted Rowan in her arms, and Rowan took the opportunity to press another kiss to her lips, moaning softly as if to taunt the girls further. Simone covered her face with a pillow, laughing hysterically.

“Oh my god! I did not sign up to watch this live show!” she squealed.

But Celeste didn’t stop. She carried Rowan down the hall like she weighed nothing, Rowan still clinging to her, still kissing her deeply. The sound of their laughter and muffled whispers trailed off until the bedroom door clicked shut.

The girls all looked at one another, then at the bottle on the table.

Naomi shrugged, pouring herself another shot. “Guess we’re on our own for a while.”

Lila grabbed her glass with a smirk. “Hope the walls are thick.”

Simone groaned but raised her glass anyway. “To girls’ night… interrupted.”