CHAPTER 29

W hen Raleigh woke up, it was to an unfamiliar sensation. It wasn’t unwelcome, but it wasn’t something she was yet accustomed to. She opened her eyes, finding Hollis trying to move slowly down her body while applying kisses to Raleigh’s bare stomach. Hollis had pulled her shirt up, but if she was planning on doing what Raleigh thought she was planning on doing, she’d somehow have to get Raleigh’s shorts and underwear off without waking her, which wasn’t likely because Raleigh was already awake.

“What’s your endgame there, dear?” Raleigh teased.

“Shit. You’re up?” Hollis spoke.

“Kind of hard not to wake up when my girlfriend is kissing me.”

Hollis smiled up at her and said, “I was just trying to figure out how to get your clothes off so that I could wake you up with my tongue.” Then, she looked down at Raleigh’s pants, adding, “And I realize now, I wasn’t ever going to do that.”

Raleigh laughed and lifted her hips off the bed. Hollis looked at her as if in silent request. Raleigh nodded, and her pants and light-blue bikinis were tossed onto the bed.

“You’re not worried about your mom?”

“Raleigh, my mouth is inches from your clit. Mom? Really?”

Raleigh laughed and said, “I’ll just try to be quiet, then.”

“Yeah, good idea. The night nurse is gone, and the day nurse isn’t here yet.”

“So, this is a quickie?” she asked.

“This is you shutting up so I can go down on you,” Hollis replied, lowering her mouth to Raleigh’s center and licking her hard.

“Oh, fuck,” Raleigh let out .

She hadn’t been turned on until that very moment, but now, she wanted to watch. Hollis’s blonde hair was a little messy from sleep and looked perfect between Raleigh’s legs.

“That’s good,” she said as Hollis dipped her tongue inside. “Oh, wow.”

Hollis moved it in tight circles at her entrance, causing every nerve in Raleigh’s body to snap to attention all at once. She wasn’t prepared for Hollis to move up to her clit and slip her fingers inside her.

“How do you feel this good?” she asked.

And Hollis did feel good. She felt amazing. She might even be Raleigh’s perfect match in the bedroom. Hollis’s long fingers fit inside her perfectly, finding a spot which, if Raleigh was being honest, no one, including Millie, had ever found before, making it very hard to focus on what Hollis’s mouth was doing because when she rubbed that spot with the pads of her fingers, Raleigh nearly came all too quickly.

“Wait. Babe, wait,” she said.

Hollis glanced up at her, confused.

“It’s too fast,” Raleigh told her.

“Slow down?” Hollis asked.

“No, don’t slow down. It’s so good.”

“Okay. Slow on the inside, fast on the outside?” Hollis guessed.

“Fuck, yes,” she said, loving that Hollis quickly figured out exactly what she needed without any further explanation.

“Done,” Hollis replied, lowering her mouth back to Raleigh’s clit and sucking hard.

“God, yes,” Raleigh managed out, breathing hard.

Hollis’s fingers remained inside but hardly moved. As Raleigh’s hips rose and fell, Hollis would slip them in deeper and pull them out again, driving Raleigh higher. Her tongue flicked at Raleigh’s clit before she pressed it flat against it and thrust her fingers deep inside.

“Hollis, yes,” Raleigh moaned, gripping the back of Hollis’s head and pressing her down. “Don’t stop. ”

Hollis alternated, sucking hard and then softly, before her fingers went back to that spot that she could always find. Finally, she rubbed it from side to side and pressed so hard that Raleigh felt it on the outside, too. Then, Raleigh came. Her wetness coated Hollis’s fingers. Of that, Raleigh was sure, but she couldn’t bring herself to care if it also coated the sheets. She’d clean them later for her, if needed. Right now, she could only feel, and when the tears hit her eyes, they were tears of release, not tears of sadness.

“Hey, are you okay?” Hollis asked when Raleigh came down and she climbed on top of her. “Babe, did I hurt–”

“No, no,” Raleigh said quickly, cupping Hollis’s cheeks and staring into her blue eyes. “No, you didn’t. I just don’t come like this, and you always make me.”

“Sorry?” Hollis joked.

“Never apologize for that,” Raleigh told her.

“I like waking up with you,” Hollis said, kissing her softly.

“I like it, too,” Raleigh replied, kissing her again and slipping her thigh between Hollis’s legs, rubbing it over her sex.

“Oh.”

“You’re soaked,” Raleigh noted. “Sexy.”

“It won’t take much,” Hollis replied.

“Well, how about I give it much , just to make sure,” she teased.

“Yes,” Hollis said.

“Slide up my body, babe,” Raleigh told her.

Hollis understood exactly what she meant, and within minutes, her center hovered over Raleigh’s mouth.

“Don’t grip the headboard. Hands on the wall,” Raleigh said.

“What?” Hollis asked, looking down between her legs at Raleigh’s face.

“If you shake the headboard, you might wake your–”

“Raleigh, please,” Hollis let out, lowering herself.

Raleigh took her in her mouth, gripping Hollis’s thighs and sucking until Hollis began rocking her hips fast. Raleigh could barely breathe, but she loved every minute of it. When Hollis came, it was with a soft gasp followed by a whimper. Her hips slowed before they stopped altogether. She backed up until she was straddling Raleigh’s hips, and Raleigh took that as an opportunity to slip two fingers inside, watching as Hollis began moving those hips again.

“There,” Hollis said after a few minutes, and Raleigh watched her come for a second time. “That is just the best way to wake up.”

Raleigh laughed and asked, “Shower before work?”

“That sounds good,” Hollis replied and then wiggled her eyebrows. “Any chance you’ll…”

“Whatever the question is, the answer is yes,” Raleigh stated.

Hollis laughed.

Then, while they showered, Raleigh touched her again and watched her come for the third time that morning. It was still so peaceful, and Raleigh could move everything out of her mind and just watch Hollis come like that forever. Hollis went to work after getting dressed, leaving Raleigh there to decide if she was going to work from her own house that day or stick around Hollis’s. With the day nurse already there, Olivia was in good hands, but Raleigh had gotten used to working from there over the past couple of days and liked having people around for once. She plugged in her laptop to charge, checked on Olivia, who was eating breakfast, and chatted with her for a bit before she went back to the living room and got to work.

“How is she?” she asked the nurse when she emerged from the bedroom later.

“Her vitals are good this morning, and she ate a little more than yesterday. We want to keep her hydrated, and I’ll check her vitals again in an hour.”

“Good,” Raleigh said.

“She’s awake if you want to spend some time with her,” the nurse added .

“Yeah? I’d like that,” Raleigh replied before she closed her computer and stood.

“How long have you been married?”

“Sorry?” she asked.

“You and Hollis. She told me to call her that,” the nurse said.

“Hollis? Oh, no; we’re not married.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I just assumed. Olivia said you and her daughter loved each other very much yesterday.”

“She did?” Raleigh smiled and shook her head. “No, Hollis and I are just dating,” she explained but didn’t like how that sounded. “Actually, we’re not just dating; she’s my girlfriend. But we’re not even close to marriage.”

“Technically, I shouldn’t be telling you things about Olivia’s condition if you’re not family,” the nurse stated.

“Oh, right,” Raleigh said. “I didn’t even think.”

“But if she’s okay with it, I can.”

“We can ask her, if you want. I don’t want you to get in trouble,” Raleigh said.

They walked down the hall and into the bedroom.

“Hi, honey,” Olivia said sweetly when she saw her.

“Hey. Your nurse and I were just talking, but I was rude and asked her how you were doing. She can’t tell me because we’re not family. I can check with Hollis, too, but I was–”

“What are you talking about? You’re family,” Olivia stated.

Raleigh smiled and said, “I appreciate that, but the law–”

“She’s family,” Olivia repeated in the nurse’s direction. “You’re going to marry my daughter one day, aren’t you?”

“Oh, wow,” Raleigh said. “We only just got together, Olivia. I don’t think we should be talking about marriage.”

“Why not? You love her.”

“I’ll leave you two alone,” the nurse said, closing the door behind her.

“Traitor,” Raleigh whispered. “Olivia, you know I care about Hollis, but she and I have only been doing this for–”

“I know. That doesn’t answer my question, though.”

Raleigh smiled wider and said, “I can’t tell her that this early.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s too soon. And things are crazy enough already for us.”

“When you feel something, you say something.”

“I know, but–”

“But nothing . Tell my daughter how you feel, Raleigh. You both deserve so much happiness,” Olivia said, sounding a little drowsier than she had a second ago.

Then, Raleigh’s phone rang in the living room.

“I have to get that, but we’ll talk more later, okay?”

“Tell her,” Olivia repeated as Raleigh left the room.

Raleigh rushed to the phone, thinking it was a client or maybe a potential client, but was surprised to find that it was Dylan.

“Hello?” she said.

“Hey. I thought I’d get voicemail.”

“Sorry, I left the phone in the other room. I was with Hollis’s mom.” Raleigh sat on the sofa.

“Can you swing by the station today?” Dylan asked.

“The police station?”

“Yeah, we might have something.”

“Something about Eden?” she asked, her heart racing.

“Raleigh, it’s a lead, but you can’t get your hopes up. It could be nothing.”

“But it’s something new?”

“Yes,” Dylan said.

“I’ll leave right now.”

“I’ll meet you there.”

“Okay,” Raleigh said before she disconnected the call and called Hollis immediately.

“Hey. Everything okay?”

“Your mom is fine, and the nurse is here,” she said quickly, knowing Hollis would be nervous. “Can you leave work? I hate to ask, but I need you.”

“Raleigh, what’s wrong?”

“Dylan just called. There’s a lead. She wants me to meet her at the police station.”

“I’m leaving now. Stay at the house,” Hollis replied.

“I need to go,” Raleigh argued.

“No. I don’t want you to drive right now, Raleigh. I’ll get there, and we’ll go together, okay?”

“Hollis, I can’t wait.”

“Ten minutes, okay? Please. I can’t lose you in some car accident because you were racing there.”

“Okay.” Raleigh sighed. “But, please, hurry.”

“I’m already at the elevator. Do you want me to stay on the phone with you?”

“Yes, please,” she replied.