Chapter 20

Lori pressedGabe against the wall of the corridor beyond the restrooms. The shirt Gabe was wearing stretched against the movement, and two snaps opened, revealing the deep line between Gabe’s pecs. Lori ran her tongue along the gorgeous groove, loving how granite-hard Gabe felt against the softness of her lips. Gabe’s responding moan was hoarse and throaty, and she somehow softened against Lori’s hand, despite the firmness of her muscles. The thrill of having a woman this immense, this formidable under her hand pulsed through Lori like a natural high. No alcohol or drugs could compare, she was sure of that.

“I like this side of you,” Gabe whispered.

“I like all of you.” Lori popped another button open, and her breath caught at the sight of a huge tattoo under the line of Gabe’s chest. “Is this an angel?”

Gabe shook her head lightly. “It’s Alectho, one of the Greek fury sisters.”

Lori traced the delicate feather detail, and her nail grazed Gabe’s breast. She sucked in a breath at Gabe’s half-lidded eyes. She looked helpless, almost weak and desperate for Lori’s touch, but in the most fantastically seductive way possible, and the control it gave Lori ran through her like an electrical charge. She wanted to tear Gabe’s shirt off to fully appreciate the artwork, not caring that they were in a bar where anyone might walk this way and catch them.

Gabe wrapped her hand around Lori’s neck and pulled her in closer. “Kiss me.”

Lori put her finger against Gabe’s lips. “We shouldn’t. Not here.”

“Where then?” Gabe twirled Lori’s hair between her fingertips. She tilted her head toward the emergency exit. “In the alley?”

The thought sent a thrill surging through Lori’s body, ending with a fierce throbbing at her very core. She’d never been the kind of woman to indulge in spontaneous sex in public places. Even spontaneous private sex had been rare. But, God, Gabe made her feel things she’d only ever read about in erotic novels. Could she be that kind of woman? Even if it was just for one night?

Gabe stroked Lori’s cheek. “Let me take you to a hotel close by. I’ve wanted you since I first saw you—I can’t wait any longer.”

Lori ran her finger along the defined line of muscle under Gabe’s collarbone. She couldn’t wait any longer either. Maybe she’d always been this way, just waiting for a woman like Gabe to come along and untether her from self-imposed disinterest. “That’s the kind of woman you think I am?”

“I’m hoping,” Gabe said breathlessly. “I’m really hoping.”

Lori glanced down at the onyx black wings on Gabe’s skin. She didn’t want to deny herself an exploration of Gabe’s body, and to discover where she imagined the fury sister’s toes disappeared under the waist of Gabe’s jeans. She didn’t want to deny herself anything about Gabe anymore. She crushed her lips to Gabe’s and savored a kiss that gave passion and lust a physical taste, igniting a craving so all-consuming that Lori could never imagine it fading.

Lori’s phone buzzed insistently in her pocket.

“Ignore it,” Gabe whispered and kissed her neck lightly. “Come with me.”

The phone though. The phone just kept ringing, but it wasn’t in her pocket.

“Come with me…please. I need you.”

I need you too, but the words wouldn’t come out of her mouth.

And that damn phone.

Lori’s eyes snapped open and slowly adjusted to the bright afternoon sunshine piercing the window. Disappointment blanketed her awareness and dulled her still pulsing core. So now Gabe had made her way into Lori’s daydreams too.

And her phone was still ringing. She picked it up and shot out of her chair when she saw it was her mom calling. “Is everything okay?” A quick check of the time told her that her mom should still be in the air.

“Of course it is, sweetheart. You sound breathless. Are you okay?”

“Did you miss your flight?”

“No, I’m calling you from the plane,” her mom said. “I wanted to surprise you.”

“You certainly did that.” Though she was more surprised by the increasing intensity and regularity of her Gabe-themed fantasies. She didn’t need to check to know that she’d have to change her underwear before she left the house. That was another thing she’d never experienced before meeting Gabe. They hadn’t even slept together yet, and Lori was beginning to feel like her libido was a long-sleeping chrysalis finally metamorphosing and spreading its wings.

Wings. Did Gabe really have a tattoo of a Greek fury? Lori’s brief view of her abs indicated it couldn’t be real. All she’d seen there were perfectly symmetrical bumps of muscle.

“Lori? Are you still there?”

“Sorry, Mom. I just woke up.”

“Really?” her mom asked.

Her family didn’t waste time on naps; they always had too much to do. “I’ve been up a while… I had a late night, that’s all. I’m a little tired.”

Her mom cooed. “Really? I look forward to hearing all about that when I get there. Although we’ll have to send your dad to do some chores while you do.”

“Dad’s with you?” she asked. This visit would be even better for his presence.

“I just told you that,” her mom said. “You must’ve drifted off. That’s what the surprise was, but I couldn’t wait until I got off the plane, so I called you.”

“Oh, wow. That’s wonderful.” Unbidden worry kicked in when she thought of their donor recently pulling out. “Dad never comes with you; he’s always too busy. Are you sure everything’s all right?”

“Everything’s fine. We’ll talk when we’re all settled in with you. See you very soon.”

Lori wasn’t convinced. Everything’s fine and We’ll talk didn’t go together. “Okay, Mom. I’ll be there when you land.”

They said their goodbyes, and Lori hung up. The feeling that something was wrong persisted, and she stood to shake it off. Her mom never lied to her, so if she said everything was fine, then everything was fine. She looked at her phone screen again to see she had messages and missed calls—eight of them, a mix from Gabe and Rosie—and she realized she hadn’t looked at her phone since she’d woken. Care of her epic hangover had required her full attention. She read the messages then listened to the voicemails; Gabe was worried about her because she hadn’t heard from her since they parted last night, and Rosie wanted a full debrief of her behavior. God, what did I do? She drank a hell of a lot more than she had in a long time, probably since college.

And played pool.

She remembered hustling Gabe and having far too much fun for it to be legal. That explained the nature of the daydream; she’d spent all night thinking about doing all those things and a whole lot more to Gabe in that bar. And in the hotel: a hotel that would’ve needed thick, soundproof walls.

Stop it. Gabe would be here in a few hours; she was coming to see Max later than usual because Lori had to pick up her mom, and now her dad too, from Midway. She sent a reassuring text to Gabe and video-called Rosie, deciding it would be easier and faster to face the inevitable inquisition.

“Who are you and what have you done with my friend?”

Lori sank back onto her chair and stared at Rosie. “What did I do?”

“It might be easier to tell you what you didn’t do,” Rosie said. “You didn’t act like the Lori Turner I’ve known for the past six years. You didn’t stop drinking even when I advised you that it might be worthwhile to slow down a little. You didn’t act like Gabe was your friend, and you?—”

“Whoa, stop there. How did I act toward Gabe?”

Rosie shook her head slowly like a disappointed nun. “The word for it is ‘vampy,’ I think.”

Lori clasped her hand over her mouth. “Was I that bad?”

Rosie grinned. “You were that good.”

“But you just said?—”

“I was kidding. You were awesome.” Rosie was literally vibrating through the screen. “I’ve never seen you like that, and it was something to watch, I tell you. Don’t you remember any of it?”

Lori rolled her eyes to the ceiling and searched for recollection. “I played pool with her?”

“You played with her, and yes, there were a few games of pool too. Where did you learn to play like that?”

“It’s all angles and math; it’s not complicated.” She waved off the compliment to return focus to her main concern. “Did Gabe seem okay? Did she seem mad?”

Rosie raised her eyebrows. “Mad? Why would she be mad?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because I told her that we could only be friends and then acted like a clit-tease.”

Rosie shrugged. “Are you a clit-tease when you have every intention of following through in a few days?”

“But she doesn’t know that.”

“Maybe she does now.”

Lori covered her face with one hand. “What have I done?”

“Nothing to be embarrassed of, that’s for sure,” Rosie said firmly. “Never be ashamed of your sexuality.”

Lori looked up. Pieces of the night were coming together in her mind; Gabe certainly seemed to have enjoyed their interaction. And she would’ve surely stopped it or walked away if she’d been uncomfortable. All Lori could remember was her beautiful laugh and the joy lighting up her face. “Did we go home before them? Did Gabe stay at the club? We took a cab home, didn’t we?”

Rosie narrowed her eyes. “Did you fall out of bed and bang your head last night? We all took a cab. Gabe insisted on dropping you home first.”

Something passed over Rosie’s eyes, and her lips quirked into a smile, but it was gone in a millisecond.

“And then what?” Lori asked.

“Gabe walked you to your door, you went in, and we left.”

Rosie glanced off screen, and Lori saw a look she never wanted to see on her best friend’s face. She was clearly with someone from last night, and she hadn’t finished with them yet.

“I have to go. I’ll see you later in the week for lunch with your mom,” she said.

Rosie ended the call before Lori could ask who she’d—Shay? No wonder she looked like the cat who’d gotten the proverbial cream.

Lori’s phone pinged with a message.

Is it still okay for me 2 visit Max today or aren’t u up for visitors? I bet ur hangover is epic.

Lori’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, trying to decide on the tone of her response. She was desperate to know what Gabe thought of her after her “vampy” act. So I should be an adult and ask her.

Pain pills took care of that. I’m not quite as bulletproof as I was in my twenties. And yes, of course you should still come over. We have to stick to Max’s schedule, or he’ll get grumpy with us. I have a question I need to ask you though…

She didn’t have to wait long before Gabe is typing appeared below her name as Lori stared at her phone.

Cool thank u What’s ur question? U can ask me anything

Lori closed her eyes for a moment, hoping that might help her figure out how to word it. She decided she was overthinking the whole thing and should just get it out. Gabe had been straightforward with her to this point; why would she change now?

Did I do anything to make you feel uncomfortable last night? I don’t want to ruin our friendship. Please tell me if I messed up.

There. It was said, and she wouldn’t pull it back. While Gabe is typing flicked on and off the top of the screen repeatedly, Lori’s stomach churned with the notion that she had acted inappropriately. It didn’t matter that she’d never done anything like that before; she had to be responsible for her own behavior, and she definitely couldn’t blame Gabe for being so unbelievably sexy and apparently, utterly irresistible, like some kind of lesbian catnip driving her wild.

U haven’t messed anything up. U were funny drunk it was great 2 c u having such a gr8 time. U were more relaxed than I’ve ever seen u. I loved it. Trust me u couldn’t ruin our friendship. I think only I could do that.

Gabe was right; she’d had the best night she could remember having in a long time. And Gabe had been the catalyst. From the moment she’d entered Lori’s orbit, her world had begun to spin on a different axis, and she’d been able to see her life from a new perspective. And once she’d said the words out loud last night, the moment her intentions toward Gabe were out in the Universe, Lori had felt like she’d released herself from a self-imposed prison. Sure, the lawyer had helped weld the bars shut, but Lori had forged the iron herself.

Thank God for that. I don’t want to think of losing or hurting you. I have to go. See you at 3 x

She deleted and reinstated the kiss three times before sticking with it. She wasn’t a text kisser, not even with Rosie, but she was finding that she was changing in all sorts of ways and embracing it was feeling more and more like the most natural thing in the world. Satisfied that was settled and she could still forge ahead with her birthday and hotel plans, Lori went to the bathroom to put on makeup and get ready to pick up her parents. She smiled and touched her fingers to her lips. She hadn’t smiled like that in a while either. She couldn’t wait to see her mom, as usual, but a visit from her dad made it even more special. Everything’s fine. We’ll talk when we’re all settled in with you. Lori hoped there was nothing sinister going on, and everything really was fine.

Lori went faster than she ought to up the gravel drive back home. She hated being late for anything at the best of times, but she definitely didn’t want to keep Gabe waiting.

“Careful, honey,” her dad said and chuckled. “I don’t think these cars are built for cornering at this speed.”

“Where’s the fire, sweetheart?” her mom asked, clinging to the dashboard and the door handle.

She rounded the corner and saw Gabe leaning against her truck with her hands in her pockets. God, why did she always have to look like she’d stepped directly out of Lori’s fantasy world? Was the Almighty tormenting her just for kicks?

“Ah, there’s the fire, Hank.”

“Mom…” She could say little else. Her mom knew her too well for her to protest too much.

Gabe waved and pushed off her truck as Lori pulled up beside her. “Sorry, I’m a little early.” She opened the passenger door for Lori and held out her hand.

Without thinking—or maybe it was just without caring—Lori accepted Gabe’s offer. She still stumbled slightly in her heels on the uneven ground and had to catch herself against Gabe’s chest…Gabe’s incredibly hard chest.

“Have you thought about getting a section of this paved?” Gabe winked and held Lori’s weight like she was a feather. “I’d hate for you to sprain an ankle or worse in your cute shoes.”

Lori laughed. “Is that the first time you’ve ever used that word? Did it feel strange as you said it? Like you were speaking a foreign language?”

Gabe shook her head. “I’m learning a whole new language being in your company, hustler.”

Lori stayed in Gabe’s arms for a moment longer than she needed to but nowhere near as long as she wanted to. She’d all but forgotten her parents were in the car until they threw open their doors and emerged, all greetings and big smiles. Her mom pulled Gabe into a hug, and Lori laughed at Gabe’s look of total surprise and awkward body language.

“Don’t mind Karen; she’s always been a hugger.” Her dad came around the car and offered Gabe a more traditional greeting, which she looked far more comfortable with. “Lori tells us that you’re a highly decorated soldier, Gabe. I won’t bust your eardrums with the usual meaningless platitudes. We’re people of action; we’re currently negotiating a state-wide pilot to tackle food poverty among veterans. We figure that’s more help than an empty thank you, however heartfelt.”

Lori had watched Gabe’s expression turn from wariness as her dad began to speak to a look that said she was even more astonished than she had been at Lori’s mom’s hug. Lori’s parents had a long history of making her proud to be their daughter.

“That’s exactly what we need, Mr. Turner. Thank you for recognizing that.”

“Wow, Dad.” Lori wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tight. “I didn’t know that you’d finally gotten that project off the ground.”

Her mother grumbled. “Off the ground? It’s nearly put him in the ground. That’s why I made him come with me. He needs a break.”

“Hey now, you never have to force me to come see my beautiful, accomplished daughter.” He rolled his eyes. “But she is right, as usual. A little time away from the fray is exactly what the doctor ordered.”

Panic flared in Lori’s chest. “The doctor? Why are you seeing a doctor?”

“Oh, honey.” Her dad cupped her face and kissed her forehead. “It was a figure of speech. I’m fitter than I’ve ever been. Your mom has me on a new diet.”

“It’s not a diet. It’s a healthy eating plan. You’re not dieting.” Her mom looked at Gabe. “He doesn’t need to diet, does he?”

“No, ma’am, he does not,” Gabe said.

“Goodness, my mother is a ma’am. Please call me Karen.”

“And I’m Hank, not Mr. Turner.”

“Okay, Hank and Karen, can I help you with your luggage?”

Her dad widened his eyes. “God, yes. Karen’s brought her whole wardrobe with her.”

“We’ll leave you to it,” her mom said and took Lori’s arm. “I have a thirst for your homemade lemonade.”

Lori looked back over her shoulder as her mom pulled her away. She didn’t expect Gabe to be their valet, but Gabe waved her away.

“It’s okay,” Gabe said. “We’ve got this.”

“Thank you,” Lori said, once again marveling at Gabe’s generous spirit and easygoing nature. Could she be any more perfect? I’m going to find out on Saturday night. She couldn’t help but give Gabe a wicked grin, but she looked away before she could see Gabe’s response. It was one thing to flirt shamelessly fueled by alcohol but quite another to do it stone-cold sober.

When she and her mom were inside, Lori closed the door and took hold of her mom’s hands. “What do you think? Do you like her?”

Her mom twirled a strand of Lori’s hair between her fingertips and smiled. “You like her. It shouldn’t matter what I think.”

Lori’s heart made a resounding thud as it metaphorically dropped to the wooden floor. “You don’t like her? Why don’t you like her?”

Her mom pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I didn’t say that at all. I do like her. She seems lovely, so far. I’ve known her for nearly two whole minutes.”

“You don’t want to jump to conclusions because you were so wrong about the lawyer, do you?”

Her mom turned up her nose and muttered something Lori wouldn’t repeat.

“I might be a little cautious after that, yes.” She pulled Lori toward the kitchen. “Come on, I’m parched.”

Lori went without complaint and didn’t push any further. Gabe would prove herself to Lori’s mom easily, especially when she saw how great the rust bucket was looking, and how she was with Max, and just…just how she was period. She’d only just gotten the jug of lemonade from the fridge when Gabe and her dad came in with her parents’ baggage of two suitcases, a carry-on bag, a duffel bag, and a suit bag.

“I only travel light when it’s absolutely necessary,” her mom called after Gabe as she followed Lori’s dad upstairs as if pre-empting any comment.

Lori poured four glasses, all with ice except for Gabe’s, who she’d noticed never seem to have it. When they came back down, Gabe’s lips twitched into a crooked smile as she clearly registered the lack of ice in her drink.

“Thank you,” Gabe said and emptied the glass in one quick burst. She nodded toward the door. “I should go see Max. He’s gotten pretty good at telling the time.”

“I’ll come with you.” Lori placed her glass on the kitchen counter. “I won’t be long.”

“No problem, sweetheart. We know you have work to do.”

Gabe wasn’t work at all. Gabe was play, or she very much would be if Saturday went according to plan. But she’d let her mom know that later in the week. They had a lot of planning to do for the auction before Lori could let herself drift into birthday celebrations.

“It was wonderful to meet you both,” Gabe said. “Lori said she was going to bring you to the garage to see the Brewster during the week, so I guess I’ll see you then. My team would love to hear more about your vet plans, Hank.”

“Absolutely, Gabe. And if any of you have any buddies in New York who would benefit from being part of it, write me a list of their names and where to find them, and I’ll make sure they’re some of the first people to be part of the project.”

“Thank you, Hank. We’ll give it some serious thought.”

Lori followed Gabe out of the house. Gabe’s biceps strained at the cuffs of her T-shirt, still pumped from hefting all her parents’ bags upstairs. Lori bit her lip as she thought about Gabe’s arms straining for other, more fun, reasons. “Thank you for playing valet for my parents. Dad doesn’t look like his usual energetic self. I think that might be the first time I’ve ever heard him accept help like that.”

Gabe shrugged. “It was no problem, really. Luckily it was chest and shoulders day at the gym this morning, so my arms could cope.”

Lori laughed and tapped Gabe’s shoulder. “Like those few bags were a strain.” She looked away from Gabe’s inquisitive glance. She had to tone it down, or she’d never make it to Saturday. And she really wanted to make Saturday special. She wanted their first time to be on Egyptian cotton sheets in a room with a view of Lake Michigan, and their second round to be in a steamy, marbled wet room. And their third round over the back of a suede sofa with that same view, city lights and moonlight sparkling off the water’s surface.

She pulled herself together and unlocked Max’s gate. “Max is doing so well,” she said. He was already waiting at the end of his run for Gabe to arrive. Lori put him on a leash and handed it to Gabe. “I think it’s time to start thinking about getting him a forever home.”

“Oh, really?” Gabe ran her hand across the back of her head and nibbled on her bottom lip. “What does that entail? How long does it take?”

“It’s not complicated. Although potential adopters have to fill in an application form, and we do a couple of house visits to make sure they’re a good fit and the family home is stable. But it’s impossible to say how long that might take.”

“House visits?” Gabe didn’t look at Lori and stroked Max’s ears. “Do you only allow locals to adopt?”

Lori shook her head. “Our adoption program covers the whole country. That’s one of the reasons we can attract the funding we do.”

“You make it sound as serious as fostering kids. Do they have a checklist that they have to score a minimum percentage on?”

“It is serious, Gabe.” Lori thought Gabe understood that. “We have to make sure that people aren’t adopting our pups just to put them to work—or worse. There are some horror stories out there, you know? People might think our checks are excessive, but we don’t care. Our primary concern is for our dogs’ welfare.” She eased up, realizing that she’d gone into placard-waving defensive mode. “So yes, we have a comprehensive checklist and a pass percentage.”

Gabe cleared her throat and looked up at Lori. “Do you think I’d pass?”

Lori sighed. That’s what was going on. How had she missed it? “That depends on your answers to the questions and your home situation. Dogs are social animals, and a lot of what we’ve been doing with Max over the past couple of months has been on recultivating that instinct. If you’re out at work all day, every day, then?—”

“I’d take him with me to the shop,” Gabe said. “I wouldn’t leave him at home all day alone. I know that’s not good for a dog.”

“Has this been your plan all along?” Lori asked, not yet certain if she’d be angry if it had been. She didn’t want to think that Gabe had just gotten closer to her so that she’d have a better chance of adopting Max.

Gabe wrapped her arm around Max’s neck and pulled him closer to kiss his snout. “Actually, no. I wasn’t sure I’d be up to it until I got settled. I won’t lie and say that I hadn’t thought about it though, but I didn’t know if it would be possible, if he would ever go back to the Max I knew before the insider attack.”

“And has he?”

Gabe’s wide grin was a far more genuine answer to Lori’s question than any words she could utter. “You’ve got to admit that he’s a different dog from how he was even when I first showed up, right?”

Lori nodded. “I can’t argue that. He advanced more in the first two weeks of you being around than he had in the previous ten months.”

Gabe’s eyes lit up with a joy Lori thought could illuminate the darkest recesses of her fears and put the shadows to rest.

“Exactly,” Gabe said. “So who else do I have to convince that he’d be more than okay if he came to live with me?”

Lori looked toward the house. She had to get back to her parents. They had a lot to discuss, but she also didn’t want to leave this conversation, didn’t want to leave Gabe. “No one else. Whoever the dog or horse takes a shine to more than the other staff gets to do the interview process. Max has always been more comfortable with me, as much as he was comfortable with anyone until you came along, so I’ll be the one assessing anyone who wants to adopt Max.”

Gabe frowned. “Woody showed me the adoptee page on your website. Would Max have to go on there, and I’d have to compete with other people?”

Lori wanted to tease her and say that yes, that was the process, but Gabe seemed so vulnerable and emotional right now that Lori just couldn’t do it. “That’s how it usually works, but when the animal’s old handler shows an interest, they jump the line.”

“Oh my God, really?” Gabe half-moved toward Lori then stopped. She gave Max’s hind quarters a firm pat instead. “Just say the word. I’ll jump through whatever hoops you need me to, but I’m serious about this. I want Max to come live with me.”

Lori squeezed Gabe’s arm and smiled. “We’ll talk about it next week when my parents have gone. My focus is the auction while they’re?—”

“And your birthday,” Gabe said. “That’s the main reason your mom’s here, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Yes, it is,” Lori said. “And I really, really can’t wait until Saturday night. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She drew in a deep breath of fresh country air. “Life is so good right now. The rust bucket is almost out of my life, Ellery is moving into the clinic soon, and I have a very special new friend.” She gazed up into Gabe’s eyes and swallowed. How easy it would be to step up onto her tiptoes and press her lips against Gabe’s right now. She’d bet the reality would smash her fantasies out of the park.

Lori took a step back and motioned to the house. “I have to start dinner. If you’re okay to settle Max and lock his gate when you’re done, maybe you could stay for some food.”

“No, that’s okay. I don’t want to intrude on family time, so I’ll just honk when I leave.”

Lori almost pursued the matter but didn’t. Gabe was always honest with her answers, so Lori knew she wouldn’t feel comfortable having dinner with them tonight. What Lori didn’t know was whether it was yet another sign of Gabe’s sensitivity to the needs of others or whether their happy family was too painful a reminder of her own childhood. She nodded. “Perfect.”

“And then I’ll look forward to seeing you on Tuesday at the garage,” Gabe said.

“Okay.” And I’ll look forward to seeing all of you on Saturday night…