Cat awoke with a groan, lifting a heavy hand to her pounding head. The familiar aftermath of a hangover settled on the small woman with a wave of discomfort. Cat rolled over and a panic set in as she noticed the blankets pulled back on the other side of her bed, the sheets ruffled as if someone had slept there.
Sitting up a little too quickly, Cat groaned again, leaning back against the headboard. A slight chill came over her skin and she realized she was naked. Another wave of panic came. With a deep breath, Cat closed her eyes and tried to remember what had happened the night before.
The last clear memory was in her office the previous evening. She and Kara had been on the sofa, editing… something. Cat recalled mentioning that she needed a drink. Kara, always eager to please, had gotten up to pour the requested drink.
Next, Cat remembered Noonan’s. They were hungry and had gone there to eat. Cat thought she had a couple drinks. Based on the incessant throbbing in her temples, though, it must have been more than a couple.
Cat recalled the night air. They had walked… someplace. There was laughing.
Then there were cloudy memories of long, blond hair. Someone who sounded so sweet whispering Cat’s name. Hands and lips on her body, everywhere. Moaning, lots of moaning. Piercing blue eyes. Kara.
Cat’s eyes snapped open and she whispered, “Oh, god.” She’d slept with Kara.
Pulling the sheet around her, Cat scooted to sit on the edge of the bed. When her feet made contact with the floor, she lightly kicked something. Cat looked down and saw the kitten heel shoes she had been wearing the night before. Her eyebrows knit together when she saw them covered in paint.
“What the hell?” Cat spoke to herself quietly, unable to speak louder with the residual grogginess from the alcohol induced sleep.
Her eyes followed a trail of smudges and drops of paint on the wood floor from the bed to the settee chair against the wall. On the settee was a large pad of paper and a pallet of paints and brushes. Cat wondered what she had gotten herself into with a seven hundred dollar pair of shoes ruined and paint stains on her bedroom floor.
Just then, a gentle knock sounded at the door. Cat glanced over to see Kara slowly pushing the door open. The young woman’s expression was fraught with uncertainty. Their eyes met, both of them unsure of what to do.
Cat instinctively pulled the sheet a little tighter around her. But when a well known scent wafted to her nose, she began to relax. Kara eased into the room, a cup of coffee in each hand.
“I thought you could use this,” Kara said gently, extending a mug to Cat.
Cat looked at the cup and a slow smile came to her lips. She took it and shifted her gaze to Kara. Kara was wrapped in one of Cat’s robes, her hair falling around her shoulders. She was gorgeous.
Patting the bed next to her, Cat saw Kara’s face light up. Kara came to sit by her and they watched one another, sipping their coffee.
Cat pulled her legs underneath her, further relaxing. She pointed to the floor. “What happened here?”
Kara’s eyes widened and the casual look on her features became flustered and suddenly nervous. She glanced around the room, avoiding eye contact. “You don’t, uh,” she fumbled over her words, “you don’t remember?”
Cat slowly shook her head, amused that Kara was obviously afraid she was getting kicked out at any second, though Cat had no intentions of asking Kara to leave.
Kara swallowed. “Uh, you, uh, well, we went to eat and I mentioned, um.” She diverted anxiously. “It’s watercolor so it’ll come off the floor easily.” Kara stopped and closed her eyes, furrowing her brow together, trying to compose herself. “Actually, I was telling you about how I like to paint. And then, well, um, later we were walking, you wanted to walk, so we were walking.”
Cat interrupted Kara’s rambling with a light laugh. “Kara, relax.”
Taking in and releasing a deep breath, Kara whispered, “Relax, right.” Meeting Cat’s eyes again, she offered a small smile, continuing, “We walked by an art store and you insisted that we get some supplies so I could paint something for you.”
“I did?” Cat questioned her with raised eyebrows.
Kara nodded. “We came here. Up here,” she emphasized, indicating the bedroom.
The foggy memories were beginning to clear. Cat remembered the art store, and she remembered bringing Kara to her house. Cat adjusted her position, moving closer to Kara. “Then what happened?”
Making a perfect ‘o’ with her lips, Kara breathed out, calming herself at Cat’s proximity. “You, uh,” she paused for a moment, “you asked me to paint you.”
Cat smirked. “Did you?” Kara nodded slowly. “What happened to my shoes?”
“You wanted to wear them.” She glanced away, a little shy.
Cat’s playful smile left her face as more memories came back to her. She remembered laying on the bed, wearing the shoes. And nothing else. Embarrassed, Cat covered her eyes with her hand. “Oh, my god.”
“Yep.” Kara’s tone held a bit of teasing at realizing that Cat had remembered her own antics.
“You painted me nude?” Cat’s hand remained in front of her eyes, unable to meet Kara’s.
“Uh huh.” Kara chuckled at the rare sight of a shy Cat Grant. She reached up to take Cat’s hand away from her face. “You wanna see it?”
“No,” Cat said seriously, raising a finger.
Kara was immediately energized and quickly got up from the bed, setting her coffee on the night stand and going to retrieve the pad. She brought it back over and plopped back on the bed.
Cat glanced away, refusing to look at it, but Kara gently prodded, “Look. Come on.”
Breathing out, frustrated, Cat turned back, her attention going to the pad. Her lips parted as she took in the painting. Cat could hardly believe it was her. The woman in the painting was stunning. The colors of her skin and hair, the detail in the curves of her body, and striking look on her face, confident and sure.
“Kara, this is…” Cat trailed off, not knowing how to respond. She took the pad from Kara, further examining the picture.
“You’re so beautiful, Cat.” Kara took the pad from Cat and set it on the bed, then took the mug of coffee from her and set it on the floor. Kara moved closer, lifting a hand to Cat’s cheek. Her voice was soft when she spoke. “I don’t know if you’re going to regret last night, but it was the best night of my life.” Her eyes dipped down and her hand fell away when she added, “I hope I didn’t take advantage of you.”
With Cat’s fingers pulling Kara’s chin to look at her, the older woman said, “I wasn’t that drunk, and I don’t regret it.”
The embarrassment that Cat had felt was forgotten and she couldn’t tear her eyes from Kara’s. Cat was unable to fight the impulse to lean into her. Their lips met in a soft and slow kiss. Cat felt a rush from the simple touch and pulled back enough to look at Kara.
They watched each other, both somehow afraid of being rejected by the other in some way. But then instinct took over they leaned back into each other, this time pressing their mouths together more firmly.
Upon feeling Kara against her, more memories came to Cat’s mind. She remembered how tender Kara had been, but then she remembered how perfectly rough Kara had been later. Cat remembered standing from the bed the night before when Kara had finished the painting and pulling Kara toward the bed, making her spill paint along the way causing the smudges.
More than anything, Cat remembered how much she had wanted Kara, like she wanted her again right now.
Coming to her knees and pulling back to look at Kara smiling, Cat gave in again to months and months of repressed affection. She gently pushed Kara back onto the mattress, smiling to herself as the sound of Kara’s laughter echoed in her ears.