The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics (Feminine Pursuits, #1)

by Olivia Waite

The kiss went on and on, but when Catherine’s curious fingers slipped along the line of Lucy’s bodice, the girl broke away with a gasp. Catherine dropped her hand at once, panicked and aroused in equal measure. “Too fast?” She’d done it now: she’d lost control, tried to take too much, too soon . . . Lucy laughed and reached out to pull her back. Catherine stiffened automatically, shame at her unruly desire turning her yearning into ash. Lucy’s keen eyes watched her closely. “It wasn’t too fast for me—but perhaps it was too fast for you?” Catherine fought to loosen the tangled knots of her feelings, then huffed in frustration. “I don’t know.” Lucy took Catherine’s hands, gently rubbing them between her own. “Then we stop.” Catherine blinked. Her senses were still a riot, her breath still coming fast and hot in her throat. “As easy as that?” She didn’t know if she was protesting or demanding proof Lucy meant what she said. “Of course,” Lucy replied breezily, as though she hadn’t just said one of the most puzzling things Catherine had ever heard. “The whole point is to feel excited about one another, isn’t it? If you’re more anxious than excited, then we wait. Simple.”