Communication

  ~*~

  Summer turned into fall, and fall into winter. Rather than moping, Tatiana picked up some extra hours at work and started spending more time with her friends and family. Her mother sighed over having lost yet another potential son-in-law, but she didn’t badger Tatiana about grandkids.

  Tatiana knew she should start dating again, but any time her friends mentioned a cute guy they knew, she found herself thinking about Jordan. Something told her to wait just a little while longer before she gave up on him.

  Her friends didn’t agree.

  “Come on, Tati, it’s been, like, a year since you went on a date!” Jason cried. “You gotta go to the New Year’s Eve party with us.” He threw himself down on Tatiana’s couch, his stilettos clattering on the tile floor. Jason had been wearing female bodies less often lately, but he had gone all out for the evening, giving himself curvy hips and huge boobs that were spilling out of the top of his tube dress. Tatiana thought his decision to go female had something to do with the way Adam’s eyes were glued to his chest.

  Honestly, she loved her friends, but having a gender-bending shapeshifter and a stoic psychic for best friends made for some interesting moments.

  Adam calmly took a seat on the armchair, his gaze attached to his boyfriend’s heaving bosoms. “Jason exaggerates, but it’s been four months. It’s time to move on.” He tugged on his shirt sleeves, tidying his appearance.

  Tatiana took a deep breath. It was New Year’s Eve. In less than a month, she’d be twenty-eight. She couldn’t wait forever. “All right, I’ll come.” Jason opened his mouth to cheer, and she cut him off. “I’m not going to scope for guys.” She’d give Jordan one last night. Starting tomorrow, she’d be a new girl for the new year.

  “Just come party and relax a little.” Jason grabbed the TV remote from the coffee table. “Go get yourself prettied up. We’ve got half an hour till the party starts!”

  While he and Adam fought over what channel some New Year’s Eve special was on, Tatiana took a quick shower. After toweling off, she pulled out her favorite club dress, a slinky silver number.

  She tied the halter behind her neck, then double checked to make sure her thong wasn’t peeking out the top of the low-cut back. She slipped on a pair of heels—silver ones just tall enough to make her butt look amazing—and grabbed a sequined clutch. She dumped her wallet and phone into it, then headed for her living room.

  Before she made it there, someone knocked on the front door. With a shrug, she dumped her purse on the entrance table and answered the door.

  Jordan stood outside.

  Tatiana squeezed the door knob. “Hi.”

  He cleared his throat. “I’m not ready for marriage.”

  “So you’ve said.” She tried to close the door.

  “Wait!” He grabbed the door and held it open. “I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for marriage. But I could be a dad.”

  For a moment, she wavered. Then she shook her head. “Not everyone wants kids. I respect that.”

  “I’ve been spending time with my nephew. I can shield around him, even when I’m angry.”

  “Being able to shield doesn’t mean you should have kids.”

  “I like being around kids. I always have, but I was afraid of ending up like my parents.”

  In the other room, the television switched off. Jason and Adam were undoubtedly eavesdropping. Rolling her eyes, Tatiana looked away from Jordan’s searching gaze. “Why tell me?”

  “Because...” He took hold of her shoulders and turned her gently so he could look into her face. “I love you,” he said quietly.

  His gorgeous hazel eyes looked green and sincere in her poorly lit hallway. This would be so much easier if he weren’t so perfect. But no one changed their beliefs, not this easily.

  His fingers tightened on her bare shoulders. “You don’t believe me.”

  “People can’t change their beliefs.”

  “You said you could give up marriage.”

  “That’s different. Marriage is a given for me, something you do because you’re supposed to. I’ve never been emotionally attached to it.”

  “I’ve never been emotionally attached to not having kids.”

  “You just said you’re afraid. Fear is an emotion!”

  “I’m ready to face that fear.”

  She wanted to believe him, but how could she know that he wouldn’t change his mind tomorrow?

  Closing her eyes, she shut down all of her senses except one. Her hearing had never led her astray.

  She could hear Adam and Jason in the living room, murmuring about whether they should leave. She couldn’t help but smile when she realized Jason was trying to convince his boyfriend that eavesdropping was logical. When it came down to it, he was as big a gossip as her.

  She deepened her hearing. The ticking of her kitchen clock became as loud as cannon fire. Her own breath became roaring wind. Her heartbeat became a heavy, rhythmic drumming.

  Jordan’s exhale rushed past her ears, but she couldn’t locate his heartbeat. She stretched her hearing as far as it could go.

  She still couldn’t find his heartbeat. Dumbfounded, she opened her eyes. He was watching her, his steady gaze searching her face for her decision.

  She took a step forward, her shoes clattering against the floor like thunder. Reaching out, she pressed a hand to his throat. As soon as she felt his heartbeat, she understood why she hadn’t been able to find it.

  She couldn’t hear his heart because it was beating in time with hers.

  Pulling her hearing back in, she slid her hand around the back of his neck. She pressed herself against him, standing on her tiptoes, until she thought she could feel his heart beating alongside her own. Then she tugged him into a kiss.

  Someone cleared their throat.

  Startled, Tatiana pulled away. Jason and Adam were standing in the doorway of the living room. Jason had on a lecherous smile, but Adam looked a little embarrassed to have interrupted.

  “We’re leaving for the party now,” Adam said. “Would you like to join us?”

  Tatiana caught Jordan’s eye. He looked a little flustered. She probably should have mentioned Jason and Adam were in the living room.

  “Another time,” she murmured. “We’re having our own party tonight.”

  She let Adam and Jason out, feeling Jordan’s gaze on her.

  As soon as she locked the door, he stepped behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She looked up at him, and he caught her lips with his own.

  As they kissed, his hand slid up her side to her neck. He gently untied her dress, and she let it slip off to pool around her feet.

  His hands came to rest at her hips. Hooking his fingers in her thong, he broke the kiss to tug them down to her ankles. She stepped out of them, and he threw them on top of her dress.

  Clad in nothing but a pair of stilettos, she headed for her bedroom.

  He stopped her in the doorway, grabbing her hand. “Wait.”

  She waited.

  He searched her face. “What are we doing?”

  She pressed a hand to his throat, feeling for his heartbeat. It thrummed steadily, still in time with her own. “I love you. This might be a mistake, but for you, I’m willing to try.”

  He closed his eyes. She wondered if he was feeling for her emotions.

  When he opened his eyes, a fire burned in them.

  She let him steer her towards the bed with kisses. Speaking and listening were important for communication, but it was time to let her body and emotions do the talking.

  About The Author

  Stella Notecor believes that love has no boundaries. She writes romances about people, be they straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer.

  If you are interested in reading more of her stories, please visit her website at www.stellanotecor.com or sign up for her newsletter at newsletter.stellanotecor.com.

  THE BET

  Coming Soon!

  Jason joins the Stanton and Assoc
iates private investigation firm on a whim. His rash decision soon leads to another—he bets his new partner Adam one hundred dollars that he can hide from him in between working on their assignments. After all, Adam might be the best psychic Jason has ever met, but Jason has a wildcard up his sleeve.

  He can shape-shift—and he isn’t confined to his own gender.

  With that in mind, Jason plans to win the bet by seducing Adam as a woman. Only, Adam’s actually pretty awesome. And the sex is totally mind blowing. And Jason might be falling in love…

  This SPICY story contains gender-bending, male/female sex, and male/male sex!