Chapter 24

Lori pausedoutside the elevator in the hotel lobby. “Wait here,” she said without looking at Gabe then headed toward the bank of iPads which served as the hotel’s AI reception desk. She needed some distance to cool down. Seeing Gabe standing in the alley in her dirty white T-shirt, scruffy combat pants, and work boots had almost exploded her resolve there and then. A super short and super sexy movie of Gabe taking her on the hood of the car with a strap-on had played in her head as she swept her gaze over Gabe’s insanely hot body.

A little time and a lot of anger had done nothing to reduce Lori’s sexual attraction, that much was clear.

She confirmed her reservation with the friendly machine, shamefully grateful that she hadn’t had to deal with a real person who would surely have spotted Gabe hovering in the hallway and made assumptions about Lori’s less than honorable intentions—even though Lori hadn’t decided on her intentions yet herself.

She activated only one keycard, made a mental note of her room number, and headed back toward Gabe. Either they’d be staying together, or she’d be leaving alone. Whatever happened, they didn’t need two keys. Gabe caught her eye, and Lori motioned for her to call the elevator. When she got there, she hit their floor number and then pressed the close button repeatedly as a well-dressed couple advanced toward them. The doors slid shut before they got there. Just as Lori hadn’t wanted the judgment of a hotel employee, she didn’t want loaded glances from other hotel guests either.

She didn’t speak as the elevator glided up to the thirtieth floor. In the small box, the musky scent of Gabe after a hard day’s work only served to ramp up her irritatingly active hormones, and she didn’t trust herself to say anything that wouldn’t indicate this was a booty call.

Even though that was exactly what this might turn out to be.

The elevator pinged to indicate its arrival, and Gabe motioned for Lori to exit first. She sashayed, one hundred percent on purpose, in the direction of the exact same hotel room they were supposed to have been in on Saturday night under very different circumstances. In the mirrored hallway, she could see that Gabe remained a few steps behind her, also very clearly one hundred percent on purpose. Her gaze was directed at Lori’s butt, so she exaggerated the swing of her hips just a little more.

When she got to the room, she handed Gabe the keycard. Gabe took it without a word, flashed it across the pad, and held open the door for Lori to cross the threshold first. Without looking back, Lori headed straight to the mini bar. Whatever it was she was about to hear, she was pretty sure a little kicker wouldn’t go amiss. She grabbed the ice bucket from the sideboard and turned around to hand it to Gabe. She’d stopped just inside the room and rushed over to take it from her.

“I don’t want to wait for room service,” Lori said. “Can you get that filled?”

“Sure,” Gabe said and left the room.

Conscious of the void that created, Lori took a deep breath and stopped questioning herself. Her session with Rae this morning had solidified what she already knew deep down: she was ready for whatever came next. She was ready to hear what Gabe had to say, and she could trust herself to make the right decision after listening to the sordid tale. Okay, so she was still feeling a little judgy right now, but she was being as open-minded as she could be under the circumstances and given her own experience.

And that was exactly what it was—her experience, but she wasn’t about to let that get in the way of what she was feeling for Gabe. Well, she was going to try damn hard not to anyway.

Lori took two heavy tumblers from the shelf and set them down before selecting the large bottle of Absolut from the fridge. Not so mini after all, thankfully. She cut a couple of slices of lemon and tossed them in the glasses then wandered over to the window, drawn by its view of Lake Michigan. The cloudy sky created a gorgeous palette of fire as the sun set, and Lori imagined Gabe’s arms around her waist as the light faded, and darkness settled around the city. Would they get to share romantic moments like that? Or had that ship sailed, and they would no longer even be friends?

She heard the click of the door, and Gabe returned with an overflowing ice bucket.

“Vodka?” Gabe asked, still standing at the edge of the hallway as if waiting to be fully invited in.

“Absolut,” Lori said. “Did you know that they’ve supported our cause since the eighties? They’ve donated tens of millions of dollars to LGBT centers. The one in LA got $2 million after the lesbian director Rix Reardon approached them for support.”

“I didn’t know any of that,” Gabe said.

Of course she wouldn’t know any of that. Lori only knew it because she’d read about it six years ago, and it had lodged in her brain, as everything was wont to do. Gabe looked lost and unsure of herself in a way that Lori had never seen before. She had to admit that she liked it a little bit; it made her feel powerful and in control, again in a way she’d never felt before. Gabe was over six feet tall and made of brick wall muscle, but right now, she was waiting on Lori’s cue. “I’ve put lemon in the glasses. Maybe you could add ice and pour.”

Lori took a seat in the huge armchair by the window. There was a couch, but she couldn’t risk being too close to Gabe. Not yet. Not until she’d heard and processed her story. She kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet under her. She watched Gabe cross the room, watched her open the bottle with ease and pour very generous measures for them both, watched the way her muscles shifted and flowed beneath the thin material of her shirt.

Gabe placed the glasses on coasters on the coffee table. She gestured to the pale cream sofa and then to herself. “I should’ve brought your blanket up from the car.”

“You could use a towel.” Or you could get naked and give me all the power. Lori bit her lip and tried to control her rampant sex drive. How had Gabe awakened something so base and almost uncontrollable within her where previous partners had failed? She’d never thought of them as failing though; she’d always just thought herself as not very good at it.

Gabe nodded and strode away to the bathroom. She returned with a graphite-colored bath sheet and draped it over the center of the couch, and then she sat on it carefully.

Lori picked up her glass and swirled the transparent liquid around, enjoying the hiss and crack of the ice cubes and the way they’d already begun to melt, a little like Gabe seemed to be doing as she waited in silence. “You wanted to tell me everything,” Lori said, focusing on the primary reason for being here.

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do that. I know you’re probably going to find it hard to hear.”

“Is that why you didn’t tell me sooner? Because you thought I was too fragile to hear whatever you have to say?” She partially regretted her combative approach, but if she’d learned anything over the past year of therapy, it was that she should give her emotions the oxygen they needed. Squishing them down into the bottom of her heart and mind was as unhealthy as feeding a dog chocolate.

“No, that wasn’t it.” Gabe reached for her own glass and took a long drink. “I was too fragile to tell you, because I didn’t want to risk losing your friendship.”

Lori hadn’t expected that. Nor had she anticipated complete honesty and a total lack of ego. And the softness in Gabe’s gaze made Lori glad she was sitting down, or her knees would surely have given way beneath her. A butch carved from marble and filled with marshmallow…was that even legal?

“It was obvious from our first couple of meetings that you were a special person, Lori, and when you declined my advances, I just figured that I’d wait until you were ready.” Gabe glanced away, and she blushed. “I knew you were worth waiting for. But then you told me about your ex-wife cheating on you, and I was bummed. Not just for what you’d been through, but for what that signaled.”

“Which was?”

“That you’d never go out with someone like me, someone who’d been part of a cheating thing, just like your ex.” Gabe rolled her glass between her hands. “But I also thought that I couldn’t tell you about my past in case that meant you didn’t even want to be my friend.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t face that. Shay is my best friend, and I’m close to the other guys, but not in the same way. I’ve only ever shared my past with Shay…and then you. Because it felt so easy, so natural to talk to you.”

Lori gripped her glass tight. “But they all knew about you and the sergeant major’s wife, didn’t they?”

“Everyone on our base knew about that eventually, and that wasn’t because I was bragging about it. It’s not something I was ever proud of doing.”

“So why did you do it? Surely there were enough single women on base that you didn’t have to pursue a married woman. Don’t those vows mean anything to you?”

Gabe ran her hand through her hair and leaned forward. “I didn’t pursue her at all. I resisted her advances for?—”

“For how long, Gabe? How long was it before you hit fuck it and fucked her?” Lori pushed back in her chair, surprised by her colorful outburst. From Gabe’s expression, it was clear she shared her reaction. “Well, how long?” she asked when Gabe didn’t answer.

“About six weeks.” She paused, perhaps expecting another indignant interruption. “Every night, Cynthia sneaked into my tent, sometimes when I was already asleep, and tried to…y’know.”

“Seduce you?” Lori laughed at the images Gabe’s story was manifesting in her head. “A big tough soldier like yourself was intimidated into sex with the older woman? I assume she was older, just to be that little bit extra cliché.”

Gabe shook her head. “I wasn’t intimidated, no. She was a beautiful woman, and yes, she was a decade or so older than?—”

“How old were you?” Lori asked, remembering that details like that mattered. She should probably have made a checklist, but it wasn’t like she would actually forget any questions.

“It was five years ago,” Gabe said. “I was thirty-two.”

“Have you done it to anyone else since?”

“No.”

“Had you done it to anyone else before?”

“No.”

She thought about asking Gabe how many women she’d been with but decided she probably didn’t want to know, not really, and that didn’t have anything to do with the cheating aspect anyway. Lori took another sip of the neat vodka and wished that she’d asked Gabe to add some of the Coke Zero which was sitting on the top shelf. Everything that Gabe had said so far indicated that she wasn’t a serial cheat or homewrecker. She recalled her mom’s words, “I’m giving you context, sweetheart. These things don’t happen in a vacuum. Circumstances are very important.”

“Why did you eventually do it after six weeks?”

“The sergeant major was a piece of work. Sexist. Homophobic. Racist. He was a good ol’ boy from Birmingham, Alabama. He’d been messing with all of us for one reason or another?—”

“All of you?”

“Shay, Solo, Woody, and RB. But especially Shay. Being a Black, gay woman, she represented everything he hated.” Gabe put her drink on the table. When she sat back, her fists were balled so tight her knuckles went white, and her jaw clenched and unclenched repeatedly.

“You couldn’t report him?”

Gabe gave a small laugh. “Not really. Not if we didn’t want to be shipped off to shit duty in BFE. But we supported each other, and we were handling it.”

“But?” Lori edged forward on her seat, gripped by Gabe’s tale and torn between wanting to hear it and dreading what Gabe was about to say.

“He went too far with Shay.” Gabe glanced over at Lori. “I’d rather not share the details. It’s not my story to tell. Suffice to say, it was bad.”

Lori held up her hand. “Of course not.” She’d seen far too much cruelty over the years, and all of it stayed with her in vivid technicolor; selfishly, she didn’t want Shay’s experience forever in her mind.

“I didn’t hold any power to do anything about it outright. None of us did. So I did the only thing that I could to hurt him. That night, and every night for three months, when Cynthia came into my tent, I gave her exactly what she asked for.”

“Why did she choose you?”

Gabe shrugged. “I never asked her.”

“And he found out somehow?”

Gabe shook her head. “He was too self-absorbed to have suspected, and he’d probably never have found out. Which was no good to Cynthia, who was doing it for the same reason I was in the end. To hurt him. So she told him. Everything. How often. How long. How many. How good. All of it.”

Lori gasped. If he’d been an asshole to Gabe before, she shuddered to imagine how he treated her afterward.

“His CO got wind of his subsequent actions, which had put me in a medic tent, and he was transferred off the base.” Gabe put her hand to her ribs and smiled. “So I’m not proud of what I did, but it was worth it to get rid of him and to get a little of our own back.” She gazed across at Lori. “At least, it was until now.”

Lori’s heart caught in her throat. If ever there was a justifiable reason for having sex with a married woman, twisted and unhealthy though it might be, that was definitely it. “I wish you’d trusted me with the truth earlier.”

Gabe pressed her lips together and looked at the floor. “It’s not a nice story to tell, and it’s a part of my past I’d rather forget. Even with the situation, it still seemed like it would be too much to expect you to ignore.”

So her mom was right. Circumstances were important. Lori emptied the remnants of the vodka and took a deep breath. “I can’t say that was the story I was expecting.”

Gabe nodded and stood up. “I understand. Thanks for letting me tell you what happened. I know that’s hard when you remember everything forever.” She gestured to her half-empty glass on the table. “And thanks for the drink. I’ll let myself out,” she said and headed for the door.

Lori pushed herself up from the chair. “No,” she half-shouted, and Gabe turned. “You don’t have to go.”

Gabe smiled, but it looked rueful more than happy. “Maybe I don’t. But do you actually want me to stay?”

Lori laughed lightly, remembering one of their exchanges about Gabe’s dislike of that word. “I actually do want you to stay.” She motioned at the room. “It’d be a shame to waste the use of this hotel room.”

Gabe narrowed her eyes as she turned fully to face Lori. “I don’t have anywhere to be,” she said quietly. “Do you want to watch a movie?”

Lori scoffed. “Is that what you think I want?”

Gabe stuffed her hands in her pockets. “I’m not presuming to know what you might want. I hope that we can still be friends now that you know the truth about my past. Friends watch movies together, right?”

“Don’t you remember what I said on Saturday night?” Lori asked as she strode toward Gabe, swaying her hips for maximum effect and feeling the kind of sexy she thought was reserved for movie stars and models.

Gabe’s lips parted slightly, and she swallowed so hard Lori heard it as she drew closer.

“Which part?” Gabe asked.

“The part about us being friends and how we both knew it wasn’t going to last.” Lori raked her nail along Gabe’s jawline then rubbed her thumb over Gabe’s bottom lip. The short breath Gabe exhaled may as well have been directed between Lori’s legs because it damn well had the same effect. Gabe’s chest rose and fell with quick, short breaths, and she looked almost drowsy, like she was too weak to stand upright. And her apparent powerlessness ramped up Lori’s desperation to finally get her hands on Gabe’s body…and her soul.

“Lori…” Gabe murmured. “What do you want?”

Lori smiled, a wicked delight coursing through her veins in anticipation of what was to come. “You, Gabe. I want you; I want us. Every way I can think of. What do you want?”

“Everything you just said,” Gabe whispered. “It’s what I’ve wanted since we first met, and it’s only gotten stronger with every minute I’ve known you.”

Lori tilted her head toward the bedroom door. “This is going to take a while; we should get comfortable.”

Gabe tugged at her T-shirt. “Then I should get clean.”

Lori wrapped her hand around the back of Gabe’s neck and pulled her into a kiss. Though she would’ve thought it impossible, the promise of desire exceeded their previous kiss. Gabe’s lips pressed against hers, and her passion sparked into a raging fire. Her core thrummed a heavy rhythm of craving through her whole body, consuming all logical thought and driving her need to desperation level.

Reluctantly, she pulled back. “Let’s get you in the shower.”

Gabe wiggled her eyebrows. “I’m pretty filthy from work. Are you going to scrub me down?”

Lori shook her head. “No.” She untucked Gabe’s shirt and pushed it up her body, revealing inch after inch of rugged muscle, tan skin, and inked art. The sight and feel of it all made her ache for release, but she was determined to take it slow. There could only ever be one first time, and she wanted it to last just like her memory of it would.

Gabe shucked off her shirt when Lori couldn’t reach all the way up over Gabe’s arms, and she tossed it aside.

“Lose that,” Lori said, and Gabe quickly removed her sports bra to expose small breasts. Lori stepped back to get a better look. “You are so incredibly sexy.” It was stating the obvious, for sure, and for a while, she simply stared at the Greek god-like form standing before her. She’d never seen such symmetry in a fitness magazine, let alone in real life, and she was mere inches away, her eyes pleading with Lori to touch her.

Lori nibbled on her bottom lip and sighed. Gabe was the perfect balance of virgin skin and colorful ink, none of which detracted from the hard, curved lines of her biceps, shoulders, and chest. She had the ridiculous urge to stay just as she was, so that she could appreciate Gabe as if she were a sculpture, wondering how the artist had gotten every detail so flawless.

Lori pointed to the bathroom. “Off you go.”

Gabe stuck out her bottom lip but didn’t complain. When she turned and Lori followed, Lori saw that God’s work had been marred. Gabe had told her about the bombing at her military base, but she hadn’t shown Lori the indelible map of the pain it had left behind on her skin.

“My scars?” Gabe asked as she turned around.

Lori thought she’d kept her reaction internal, but apparently she hadn’t managed that. “Is it still painful?”

“Sometimes, if I catch it wrong. When it’s desensitized enough, I’ll have it tattooed to complete my backstory… The story on my back,” she said when Lori frowned. “It’s a work in progress. Does it bother you?”

Lori took Gabe’s hand. “No, of course not. I just wanted to make sure I wouldn’t hurt you when I touch you—which I can’t wait to do, so please go shower.”

Gabe grinned then walked away. “Are you sure you’re not joining me?”

Lori’s gaze drifted from Gabe’s strong back to her tight ass. “I’m sure. I am going to watch though.” She sat on the small armchair beside the bathtub and leaned back to enjoy the show. When she was choosing a hotel for Saturday night, she’d wanted one with a wet room, a shower with no glass walls so she could do exactly this.

“I get it,” Gabe said.

Then she turned to face Lori and unbuckled her belt. Slowly. She pulled it from the loops of her combat pants with the urgency of a woman who held forever in her hands, then she draped it around Lori’s shoulders.

Lori nodded. “You do get it.”

Gabe opened the button of her pants, unzipped them, and then pulled them open to reveal snug white shorts. She turned around and bent over with her ass in the air facing toward Lori to unlace her boots. Which took an inordinate amount of time, but Lori reminded herself this was what she wanted. Even though she hadn’t really known it, or more accurately, hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it, she’d been waiting for this moment for two long months. Every meeting, every text exchange, every phone call had been a log on their fire, waiting to be ignited. The inevitability of their coming together was almost Biblical, as irresistible a force as the Earth being pulled toward the sun, and Lori was going to savor every single second of the crescendo.

Gabe kicked off her boots, and they were eventually joined by her socks and cargo pants, leaving her standing in just her watch and shorts and looking like she was ready for a Calvin Klein underwear shoot. She hooked her thumb in the waistband and edged them over her hips, low enough for Lori to see just the top of the triangle of hair that pointed down toward the good stuff. She maintained eye contact with Lori as she pushed them down further then shimmied them to the floor and stepped out of them.

Lori smiled widely. In all her naked glory, Gabe was even more magnificent than she could have imagined—and she’d imagined a lot.

Gabe backed away and got under the rainforest shower head before turning it on. The blast of cold water hardened her small nipples instantly, and Lori touched her own breast without thinking.

“Hey, that’s not fair,” Gabe said as she pumped some shower gel and began to lather up.

Slowly.

“You’re touching yourself,” Lori said. “How is it unfair that I’m doing the same?”

“Because I want it to be the other way around.”

Lori unbuttoned her shirt and slipped her hand inside to cup her breast. “And it will be soon enough. Patience is a virtue, Gabe,” she said, for herself as much as for Gabe.

Gabe let out a long, breathy sigh. “But I’ve never been virtuous, and I think it’s too late for me to start now.”

“It’s never too late to take the right path.” Just like it hadn’t been too late for her to venture down this road and rescue them from the hungry mouth of the failed relationships beast. Lori fell silent as the gel became a white foam all over Gabe’s skin, and she watched, fascinated, as Gabe paid particular attention between her legs. She turned away from Lori and faced the wall. The water ran over her head and down her back, chasing away the soapy suds to expose her skin again. Gabe turned the shower off, grabbed a towel from the rail, and began to pat herself dry.

Mouth dry, Lori wished she’d brought a drink in with her. Who knew all this voyeurism could be such thirsty work?

Gabe hung the towel back on the rail and approached Lori, stopping just short of touching distance. She held out her hand. “Can I take you to bed?”

Lori grasped Gabe’s hand and stood up. “Only if you promise not to let me sleep.”

Gabe lifted Lori up, and she wrapped her legs around Gabe’s waist. “That’s a promise I’d love to keep.”

Lori softened in her arms, more than a little swept away by the effortless show of strength as Gabe walked them into the bedroom. “You can put me down here,” Lori said, and Gabe lowered her to her feet slowly. She pushed against Gabe’s chest, hoping to push her backward onto the bed, but the muscle in Gabe’s chest didn’t budge, and she remained standing as solidly as a brick wall.

Gabe winked and jumped back onto the bed as if pushed by an inhumanely strong person. She put her hands behind her head and lay there as boldly as if she were fully clothed. Oh, to have that kind of confidence, Lori thought. But with a body like that, how could she not?

“Is it my turn for a show?” Gabe asked.

“No. You are the show.” Lori knelt on the floor between Gabe’s feet. “Scooch down.”

Gabe shuffled closer. Lori hooked her arms under Gabe’s powerful legs and placed her hands on the solid slabs of muscle covering Gabe’s hips. She kissed the soft skin on the inside of Gabe’s right thigh, starting at her knee and working her way closer to the strong scent of Gabe’s obvious arousal. Lori skipped over to Gabe’s left thigh as she blew a light breath over Gabe’s clit, and Gabe pushed her hips up in an attempt to meet Lori’s mouth.

Lori pressed Gabe back to the bed and shook her head. “What did I say about patience?” she whispered before returning her lips to Gabe’s legs.

“What did I say about not being virtuous?” Gabe gave a wicked smile then reached for a pillow and pulled it under her head.

Lori shifted and rocked back on her butt. “Getting comfortable?”

“Not so much. You’re the one in charge of that.”

Lori licked her top lip slowly. “And what could I do to make you more comfortable?”

Gabe pushed up onto her elbows and wrapped her hand in Lori’s hair, but she didn’t apply any pressure. “Putting your mouth on me would be a great start.”

Lori pulled Gabe’s hand from her head and nibbled her calf. “My mouth is on you.”

Gabe chuckled, dropped back on the bed, and rested her hand between her legs. “You know what I mean.” She began to draw slow and lazy circles over her clit. “I want your mouth here.”

Lori let out a slow breath and simply watched. “And is that the way I should move my tongue on you?” she whispered, her intention to take Gabe slowly fading along with the setting sun.

Gabe dipped her finger in the slickness between her lips and then returned to her clit. “I think you should figure that out for yourself.”

Lori raked her nails along Gabe’s thighs and edged closer. “It doesn’t look like you need me…”

Gabe raised her finger and offered it to Lori’s mouth. “Then looks have never been so deceptive. I need you more than a desert needs water.”

“That’s quite poetic for a grease monkey,” she said and parted her lips to take Gabe’s finger into her mouth. The taste of Gabe’s essence made her clench her thighs together—so sweet and fresh—and she moaned softly. Lori sucked it deeper into her mouth and ran her tongue along its length. Gabe’s eyes half-lidded in response, and she dropped her head back, muttering something Lori didn’t catch.

She withdrew Gabe’s finger and pushed herself farther onto the bed so she could take Gabe’s hardened nipple into her mouth. She flicked her tongue over it firmly and then traced circles around it. Gabe growled under her touch and snaked her fingers into Lori’s hair once more. Lori’s light nibble increased the volume of Gabe’s response, so she bit a little harder, and Gabe writhed beneath her.

“Aw, fuck…”

Lori eased up and switched to Gabe’s other breast while she ran her hand over her other one. They were so small and tight, unlike any woman she’d been with before, and the muscle beneath them seemed to strain for her attention. She lifted her head and moved so that she was lying fully on top of Gabe’s body, her heat searing through the thin material of Lori’s linen shirt. Gabe was so rock-hard underneath her that it was like lying on a marble table draped with a silk cloth. The combination took Lori’s breath away as the softness of her body molded over Gabe’s, a feeling as natural as breathing.

She pressed her lips to Gabe’s mouth and slipped her tongue inside, probing for a response. Gabe’s tongue met hers as they kissed, ramping up the intensity of their passion and deepening their connection. With the taste of Gabe fresh in her memory, she slid down the length of Gabe’s body until she was on her knees, her mouth inches from Gabe’s pussy. She looked up and met Gabe’s eyes, drowsy with desire, a look she was sure was mirrored in her own. “Remind me what you wanted.”

Gabe shook her head. “Like you forgot?”

“Okay,” Lori said. “Ask me to give you what you want.”

Gabe’s lip curled slightly, and she put both hands behind her head again. “You want to play those games with me?” she whispered hoarsely.

Lori looked deep into Gabe’s eyes and nodded. “I want to play every game with you,” she said, fully committed to exploring her sudden burgeoning sexuality like she was coming out all over again.

“Please would you wrap your mouth around me and make me see stars?”

Lori drew in Gabe’s scent. Unable to tease her any longer, she lowered her lips to Gabe’s sex and traced her tongue along her length until she reached the tip. Lori drew Gabe’s clit into her mouth and ran her tongue in slow circles to the same rhythm she’d watched Gabe touch herself.

Gabe let out a loud and throaty moan then clutched at the bedsheet. “Fuck me.”

Lori lifted her head momentarily to say, “We’ll get to that,” before slipping back into position. She moved her arms under Gabe’s thighs and gripped her hips as she quickened her pace slightly to sync with the rise and fall of Gabe’s body beneath her. Gabe’s breathing became shallow and fast, and she muttered incoherently as Lori continued to take her in.

Gabe put her hand on Lori’s head, and this time, there was a light pressure. “Just there… Don’t…”

Lori circled and sucked then she moved one hand so that she could slip two fingers deep into Gabe. She grunted hard and moaned lightly as Lori drove hard and fast, matching the pace of her tongue.

“Oh, God, Jesus, and fuck,” Gabe shouted as she exploded into Lori’s mouth.

Lori didn’t lose contact, even when Gabe bucked beneath her and shuddered. She felt Gabe’s orgasm run right through her, almost as if she was coming too. Gabe’s arousal filled Lori’s mouth, and she swallowed thirstily, as if this was something she’d been deprived of for decades. In a way, she had, but she was determined to make up for that now, and she kept driving her fingers inside as Gabe writhed and cried out. The heady sense of control to make Gabe, a woman so hard, soften like putty in her hands was almost overwhelming and so addictive.

She pulled Gabe further into her mouth, wanting and demanding more. And seconds later, Gabe released herself again, moaning and writhing, to Lori’s unrelenting desire. Still unsated though, Lori tried for a third until Gabe pulled away from beneath her.

“I can’t,” Gabe said breathily. “You’ve already had it all.”

Lori tilted her head and stuck out her bottom lip. “That can’t be everything you’ve got.”

“It’s everything I can take for you, but it’s nowhere near what I can give.” Gabe sat up, put her hands under Lori’s armpits, and lifted her effortlessly onto the bed beside her. She leaned onto her side and began to unbutton Lori’s shirt. “I think it’s time you got naked too, don’t you?”

Lori pressed her hand over Gabe’s, suddenly aware of the stark difference in their bodies, something she’d never been self-conscious about until she was lying beside the living, breathing female version of Adonis. “Mm, maybe not.”

“Please,” Gabe said quietly as if reading her hesitation. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Please trust me.”

“But…I don’t look like you, under these clothes.”

“I don’t want you to look like me.” Gabe kissed her lightly and shook her head. “Your body is stunning.” She caressed Lori’s cheek. “But if you don’t want to, that’s okay.”

“Oh, I want to. I really want to. I just—” she gestured wildly, “y’know, haven’t seen perfection in real life before.” She pushed up and got off the bed, determined not to let this uncharacteristic stumble keep her from making the most of this connection. Everything that had happened in the past two months had been building up to this moment, and she wasn’t about to self-sabotage with an unfamiliar lack of confidence. But then her confidence had never really extended to the bedroom. “I should tell you that I’ve never really been that into sex.” The words were out before she had time to censor them. Way to kill the mood.

Gabe sat up and wrinkled her nose. “So…what just happened was?”

“Fantastic.” Lori smiled. “I should have said that I’ve never been that into sex before. Before you.” She allowed her gaze to drift over Gabe again and throbbed hard in response. “You’ve kind of made me feel like a horny teenager on spring break.”

Gabe grinned. “I don’t think you want me to apologize for that?”

“God, no,” Lori said. “Definitely not.” She unbuttoned the rest of her shirt and let it drop to the floor. “It’s all just a bit new. Does that make sense?”

Gabe nodded. “So what would you like to do?”

“More of this, with you.” She unhooked her bra, slowly gaining in confidence when she saw the hungry look in Gabe’s eyes when she uncovered her breasts.

“I’m not sure I’ve got the self-control to keep asking if you’re sure,” Gabe said. “You drove me crazy at the pool hall and in that restaurant hallway. I’m desperate to touch you and fucking desperate to be inside you.”

Lori threw her bra to the floor and quickly shed the rest of her clothes.

Gabe smiled widely. “You are fucking gorgeous.”

Lori moved closer, and Gabe put her hands on Lori’s hips and kissed her belly.

“I’ve wanted you like this so long,” Gabe whispered and looked up into Lori’s eyes.

She’d felt the same. She still did. And God, did she want to see how much she could take; would she be satiated before Gabe’s stamina gave out?

Let’s find out.She pushed Gabe back onto the bed and straddled her, and the heat of Gabe’s stomach met the heat of the center.

Gabe wiggled her eyebrows. “Feels like someone’s ready for this.”

Lori rocked her hips back and forth, making Gabe’s abs slick with her excitement. She balled her fist into Gabe’s short hair. “What’re you going do about that?” she asked and got up on all fours, her breast hovering over Gabe’s mouth.

Gabe put her hand between Lori’s legs, pressed against her opening, then slipped two fingers inside her. “I’m going to do this for as long as you can take it.”

Gabe fucked her deep and slow, and Lori drove herself down onto Gabe’s hand. Any lingering doubts about anything and everything soon faded into the background as she became hyper-focused on the sensations darting through her body. Every cell sparked to life, every nerve ending tingled in anticipation, and her blood coursed hot and wild through her veins like a stallion running free. With Gabe inside her, she came alive in a way she’d never felt before, never thought possible.

“Gabe…” She moaned, feeling every inch like a woman re-awakened from a sexual slumber. “That’s so good,” she whispered around each penetrating thrust. But it wasn’t just her body; it was like Gabe was piercing the armor around her soul. She looked down at Gabe, who was staring at her intently as if there was nothing else in the world she’d rather be looking at, and her intensity made Lori’s heart soar, made her feel like the center of Gabe’s universe.

Gabe entangled her other hand in Lori’s hair. “Come for me,” she murmured.

Gabe’s quiet instruction brushed away the last of her resistance to their connection. Whatever had gone before was the past, and all Lori wanted to do was concentrate on the future, their future, and more—so much more—of this.

She rocked against Gabe’s fingers, and the wave continued to build inexorably toward its break. Every fiber of her being lost its density, and her body felt like it might float away on her next breath. Heat rushed over every inch of her skin, gathering and flooding to her very core. And through it all, Gabe’s eyes were fixed on hers, solidifying their physical and spiritual connection, melding their bodies and souls to become inexplicably linked and forever unbreakable.

And she just let it go and let it be. No more questions. No more second-guessing. And no more waiting. The rest of her life was here, ready for her to unleash her inhibitions and grab hold of it with both hands.

The wave rolled over her with immeasurable power, and she tumbled gratefully into its energy, washed out and simultaneously reinvigorated on the sands of a new life. She collapsed onto Gabe and moaned against her chest. “That was beautiful.”

Gabe wrapped her arms around Lori’s back and pulled her closer, her heart beating strong in Lori’s ear.

But she said nothing, and they embraced in a soft and steady silence that enveloped them in a protective bubble.

When Lori finally raised her head, she looked up to see tears edging Gabe’s eyes.

Gabe swallowed hard and ran her hand through Lori’s hair. “I think…” She shook her head, as if the words were alien and might never have passed her lips before. “Lori… I love you.”

Lori had heard those words pass the lips of other lovers and then, the lawyer’s. But only now, as they emerged from Gabe’s mouth, did she ever really feel and truly believe them. She kissed Gabe, crushed their lips together the same way as their lives were now entwined, then pulled away slowly. “I love you, Gabe.” And as she said it too, she realized it was the first time she’d really ever truly meant it.