CHAPTER 35

“B abe?”

Raleigh heard a voice but wasn’t sure if it was a dream or reality.

“Raleigh, babe,” Hollis said a little louder.

Raleigh opened her eyes slowly and saw her girlfriend lying next to her in bed, dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of sweats.

“You’re home?” Raleigh said, smiling up at her.

“I am,” Hollis replied.

“Your mom is fine. I–”

“I know. I just checked on her.” Hollis ran her hand through Raleigh’s hair. “I sent the night nurse home.”

“Why?”

“I slept on the plane, so I’m good to stay up,” Hollis said. “And I really missed you.”

“I missed you, too. Come here.” Raleigh pulled Hollis in for a kiss. “I’d ask how the flight was, but it seems like you slept through it.”

“I did. So, I’m pretty much wide awake. I was a little disappointed to see that you were already asleep.” She lifted an eyebrow.

“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

“Well,” Hollis said, climbing on top of her. “It’s still early yet. I was thinking we could maybe…”

“Is that why you sent the nurse home?” Raleigh chuckled.

“Maybe,” Hollis replied, pressing her lips to Raleigh’s forehead. “But if you’re too tired…”

“I missed you,” Raleigh repeated. “And I’m not too tired.”

“No?”

“Did you wear this on the plane?” Raleigh asked, pulling at Hollis’s white T-shirt. “Hollis, there’s no bra under this shirt. ”

“I changed when I got home,” she explained.

“I didn’t hear you?”

“Nope,” Hollis replied, lifting the shirt up and off her body before straddling Raleigh’s hips.

“I’m glad that you woke me up,” Raleigh said, taking in the full breasts on display and Hollis’s already-hardened nipples. “God, what has gotten into you? You’re, like, really ready, aren’t you?”

“I put things in my rearview mirror,” Hollis replied. “Well, metaphorically speaking. My actual rearview mirror is in a lot in Vancouver, waiting to be sold.”

“And that’s got you feeling…”

“Happy and ready to start trying to move on,” Hollis replied, lifting Raleigh’s shirt and touching her stomach. “And maybe a little horny.”

Raleigh laughed and said, “Just a little?”

Hollis lifted Raleigh’s shirt higher then, revealing her breasts, and said, “Okay, I’m a lot horny.”

“Let me see if I can do something about that.”

Raleigh sat up, gripped Hollis’s hips, and pulled a nipple into her mouth.

“I have all the confidence in the world in you,” Hollis said, holding Raleigh’s head to her breast.

Raleigh sucked on Hollis’s nipple until Hollis started to pull at her shirt, silently demanding it off. When Raleigh pulled away, Hollis removed the shirt, and Raleigh’s mouth moved to Hollis’s other breast, kissing and sucking as Hollis’s hips began to rock into her.

“I don’t think I’ve spent nearly enough time worshipping your body,” Raleigh said, pulling back just to take Hollis in. “You’re so beautiful, Hollis.” She tugged at Hollis’s pants. “I want to see all of you.”

Hollis got up and removed her sweats and underwear, leaving herself bare to Raleigh, who motioned for Hollis to lie on her back. Hollis did, and Raleigh removed the shorts and panties she’d been sleeping in. She spread Hollis’s legs and licked her lips as she took in how wet Hollis already was for her. When she ended up staring for probably a little too long for Hollis’s liking, Hollis gave her a hint by lifting and lowering her hips quickly. Raleigh met her blue eyes, and they were definitely darker than they’d been a moment ago.

“What would you have done if I’d said I was too tired?” Raleigh asked.

“Gone back into the shower and taken care of it myself,” Hollis replied.

“What?” Raleigh asked. “You took a shower, too?”

“A quick one. I was on an airplane. I didn’t wash my hair, though, so should this turn into something sweaty, you can feel free to take me back to the shower and join me.”

Raleigh moved on top of her, settling between Hollis’s legs and rocking into her slowly.

“I think there’s a chance this could definitely get sweaty,” she said.

“The whole flight, Raleigh; that’s all I could think of: you touching me like this.” Hollis grabbed Raleigh’s ass and pressed it into herself.

“This?” Raleigh teased, rocking a little harder.

“Yes,” Hollis let out, closing her eyes.

Then, Raleigh watched Hollis’s expression change as she moved rhythmically against her, fast first and then slow before she sped up again. Hollis was already breathing hard and was ready for more, but Raleigh just wanted to live in this moment with her. She kissed her, moved her lips to Hollis’s neck, and sucked on her pulse point before lowering her lips again to her nipples, which she gave equal attention to. When Hollis was about to tell her to touch her finally and make her come, Raleigh smiled and kissed her to shut her up instead.

“I know,” she said. “You want more.”

“Yes,” Hollis replied in a sexy husk.

Raleigh smiled at her again and reached between them. When she touched her, Hollis jerked, and it was so sexy that Raleigh had to move her sex over Hollis’s thigh to rub her own clit along Hollis’s skin as she stroked her girlfriend. When Hollis seemed like she was about to come, Raleigh moved her fingers inside her and curled them.

“That’s so mean. I was almost–”

Raleigh didn’t let her finish, though. She kissed Hollis and rocked her own sex against Hollis’s leg as she thrust inside her. Before Raleigh knew it, she was coming herself, unable to contain her own orgasm.

“Oh, fuck,” she said as quietly as she could manage as she thrust herself harder against Hollis’s thigh.

“So sexy,” Hollis said to her.

Then, before Raleigh could even come down all the way, Hollis flipped them. Raleigh’s fingers were still inside her somehow, so Hollis began lifting and lowering herself on top of them, allowing Raleigh to watch her take what she wanted. Raleigh moved her thumb to Hollis’s clit and sat up, using her free hand to hold Hollis against her as tightly as she could.

“Yes, baby,” Raleigh whispered to her. “Don’t stop until you come for me.”

“I’m almost…”

“I know. I can feel you. You’re so tight, babe,” Raleigh said, nibbling on Hollis’s shoulder. “I love you like this. You’re so sexy, Hollis. Let go. Let go, babe.”

Hollis did let go then, and Raleigh pressed her body to hers even tighter, wanting for them to always be this close, although knowing that wasn’t possible. She ran her hand up and down Hollis’s back, whispering to Hollis that she was so beautiful when she let herself go like this.

“Raleigh?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you,” Hollis said.

Raleigh looked up at her then. Hollis’s eyes were still just as dark, indicating that they weren’t done doing what they were doing, but there was something new there, too, and now Raleigh knew what it was.

“You do?”

“Yes,” Hollis said softly as she nodded. “I think I’ve known for a while now, but when I was in my now- old apartment, sitting on the floor because all the furniture was gone, all I could think about was how much I wanted to get back to you because I love you. I know things are complicated, and we’re… I just wanted you to know. I’ve left everything there behind. I’m here with you, and you’re what I want.”

Raleigh knew she should just say it back. She felt it. She had for a long time, too. But there was something else she needed to say first.

“Hollis, what about Eden?”

Hollis cupped her cheek and said, “I’ll love her, too.”

“You say that now, but if I get–”

Hollis covered Raleigh’s mouth with her hand and said, “You asked me a long time ago if I wanted kids, and I think we got interrupted, so you never got my answer.”

“You remember that?”

“Raleigh, I remember everything with you,” she said with a small smile. “And I never thought I’d get to have kids. The way I was raised, I didn’t want that for a child. But I also didn’t know anything else, so I thought it would be better if I didn’t bother.”

“Babe, your dad–”

“I know,” Hollis interrupted. “And I know we’re still new, and there’s a lot to figure out, but if you let me, when we find her, I’d like to be in Eden’s life however you want me to be.”

“Yeah?” Raleigh asked, smiling up at her.

“I bought her a coloring book at the airport,” Hollis shared.

Raleigh swallowed and felt the tears well up.

“You’re not supposed to cry,” Hollis added.

“I love you,” Raleigh said.

“You can’t have the coloring book. It’s for Eden,” Hollis teased.

Raleigh laughed just as a couple of tears fell from her eyes.

“I think I can be okay with that,” she replied.

“Lay back, babe,” Hollis said .

“No, I like it here,” she replied, finally remembering to pull her fingers out of Hollis’s tight sex. Then, she wrapped her arms around Hollis, pulled her in closer, resting her head on Hollis’s shoulder, and said again, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Hollis said. “But I can’t do what I’d like to do to you if you don’t let go of me.”

Raleigh eventually relented and let Hollis have her way with her, and it was even better somehow, which Raleigh hadn’t thought possible, but Hollis found that spot inside her again, causing Raleigh to cover her mouth so that she wouldn’t yell expletives and wake up Olivia. When she finally came down, Hollis just held her, and Raleigh closed her eyes. A shower would have to wait because there was no way Raleigh was getting up now.

Minutes later, she heard Hollis’s even breathing, indicating that she’d fallen asleep. Raleigh hadn’t slept all that well when Hollis had been gone. She’d tried and had actually managed to fall asleep, but staying that way had been difficult. She’d wanted to stay awake as much as she could in case Olivia had needed something, but now that Hollis was here, and it was well after two in the morning, Raleigh felt like she could finally fall asleep. Then, she heard it and lifted her head, knowing that sound well by now.

“Mom?” Hollis asked, waking up likely for the same reason.

“I’ll check on her. Go back to sleep,” Raleigh told her.

“No, I’ve got it,” Hollis replied, kissing Raleigh’s forehead. “Just need to put on some clothes.”

A minute later, Hollis was dressed and walking out of the room. When she returned ten minutes later, though, she stripped her clothes off, which surprised Raleigh.

“Is she okay?”

“She just needed help with the bedpan,” Hollis said.

“Why are you naked again?” Raleigh asked, laughing as Hollis climbed back on top of her.

“Round two, obviously,” Hollis replied.

Raleigh chuckled and pulled her down for a kiss.