From the Hat Down, page 32
Gina mumbled something and moved her right arm a little so that her hand rested on Meg’s hip. “Hey,” she said sleepily. “You okay?”
“Much better than okay.” Meg pressed her lips against Gina’s neck.
“Mmm.”
Meg tried to move closer, as if that were possible, and hugged her a little tighter, careful of Gina’s injuries. She nuzzled her neck, acutely aware of the smell of their recent activities on Gina’s skin, and it aroused her again, made her think about how Gina had slowly undressed her just a while ago, and how she’d put her hands, warm and strong like she remembered, all over—
“Keep that up and you won’t be getting much sleep,” Gina said with a low groan.
“Promises, promises.” She nipped Gina’s earlobe.
“Something I like to keep.” Gina ran her fingers over Meg’s ass, squeezed gently, then traced lines to the small of her back, sending a shudder up Meg’s spine. Meg found Gina’s mouth with her own, and she kissed her languidly, savoring, enjoying the heat that built between them, and the way Gina’s breath sped up and how her hands felt on her skin.
Meg re-positioned herself, trapping Gina’s right thigh between her own, bracing herself on her arms above her. “You starting something with me again?” She asked playfully, looking down into her eyes, just visible from the weak living room light. Arousal throbbed between her legs.
“Hell, yes,” Gina said low in her throat. “The rest of our lives.”
Meg’s breath caught in her chest against her pounding heart and she kissed Gina long and hard, amazed at how easy it was to be with her again, how comfortable, how exciting. She lowered herself against Gina, mindful of her bad leg and ribs, and moved against her, feeling Gina’s response in the answering dampness between her thighs. Gina moaned against her lips and her hands dug into her back and Meg gasped involuntarily and slid her tongue between Gina’s teeth.
Meg worked her way down, slowly, and she tasted sweat and want between Gina’s breasts, felt desire in the slick heat between her thighs, and heard it in her ragged breathing. Meg ran her tongue over Gina’s nipples, eliciting a moan, and she grinned because it sent fire through her own bones and fed a fierce ache at her core. She moved so she could slide her hand lower, and Gina’s fingers dug into her shoulders as Meg cupped her with her palm, then slipped a finger in, slow, loving how wet she was and how her own body responded.
“Oh, God,” Gina whispered as she moved against her hand.
Meg continued to thrust, her pace slow and deep, and she added a finger as she glided her thumb over Gina’s clit, until Gina’s breath was a series of sharp gasps. Meg stopped moving then, but kept her fingers where they were.
“Meg? Something wrong?” Gina managed between breaths.
“Far from it.” Meg repositioned herself so she was kneeling on the bed, Gina’s right thigh between her knees. She guided Gina’s right hand to her own heat, and kept her free hand over Gina’s. “I need you. Right now.”
“I really like this bossy side of yours,” Gina said with a low growl as she slid two fingers inside.
Meg groaned, every nerve on fire. She thrust again with her own fingers, matching Gina’s strokes, and Gina’s breath hissed between her teeth as she covered Meg’s hand with her own free hand, as if closing a circuit between them. And something tightened deep within Meg’s core, and she knew that it had in Gina’s, too, and it released them both in a wave of heat and sensation that left them entwined, sweat-soaked and spent again.
“Gina,” Meg murmured as she fought sleep.
“I’m here,” Gina said, her lips against Meg’s forehead. “And I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Meg sighed with relief and contentment, and slipped into sleep.
Sunlight bathed the room when Meg woke up, and she lay, savoring the memory of the preceding night and the knowledge that she hadn’t dreamed any of it because Gina was next to her, features relaxed in sleep, morning light playing over her bare shoulders and the parts of her thighs that the sheet didn’t cover. Eight years had added a few pounds but also defined her musculature in different ways. Gina had always been athletically built and she still was, but Meg liked the softened curves of her hips and thighs and, after last night, the way Gina inhabited her own body with assurance and a self-effacing ease. Her gaze lingered on the swell of Gina’s breasts and the dark nipples then swept lower.
She jerked her attention back to Gina’s face and watched her sleep, thinking about the first morning they’d woken up together in a hotel room in Saratoga, the sound of the North Platte River drifting through the open window. Then, like now, Meg knew one night wouldn’t be enough, would never be enough, and it scared her a little then, since she had barely known Gina. She smiled. Gina had voiced Meg’s thoughts that next morning, and said she wanted to see where whatever it was between them went.
Here, Meg thought.
It went right here.
Full circle.
She carefully got out of bed so as not to disturb Gina, picked up her shorts and Gina’s T-shirt from the floor, and went to the bathroom. Done with that, she pulled her shorts on and slipped the tee over her head before she padded down the hall to the kitchen, tile cool underfoot. She poured coffee into a filter and loaded the basket of the coffee maker and filled the reservoir with water. While the coffee perked, she started breakfast, opting for scrambled eggs and turkey bacon. Gina had always liked that, and the fact that she’d bought that and not regular bacon made Meg smile. The kitchen had some basic spices available, so she added garlic powder and paprika to the eggs she broke into a bowl before she whisked them. She poured in a splash of half-and-half, whisked a little longer, and set the bowl aside then sliced some fruit.
The coffee maker finished and Meg poured a cup for Gina who, back in the day, usually took it black. She carried the cup to the bedroom.
“Hey.” Gina was awake and she smiled up at her, the sheet serving more as a showcase than a cover. Meg swallowed. Hard.
“Hey back.” She went to the bedside, leaned down, and kissed her. “Been up long?” she said against Gina’s mouth as another delicious kind of ache started between her thighs.
“Not really. And can I say that my shirt looks really good on you?”
“Feels nice, too.” Meg smiled and handed the cup to Gina, who took a sip. “How’s your leg?”
“Seems fine.”
“Shoulder?”
“Just as good.”
“Ribs?”
“Excellent, Doctor. And my other arm’s fine. And the coffee’s perfect.” She sat up, her back against the headboard, sheet no longer covering anything on her torso. The sight made Meg’s breathing speed up a little.
“The real question is, how are you?” Gina asked, holding the cup in both hands as she studied Meg over the rim.
“I don’t think there are words to describe it.” She sat on the bed next to Gina, facing her, and stroked her face. Gina leaned into her touch and set the cup on the bedside table before she covered Meg’s hand with one of her own. A flood of different emotions raced through Meg’s heart. Being with Gina physically knocked her breath right out of her lungs and set her bones to aching. It was just as exciting and arousing as it had been in the past but something deeper between them now made the experience almost spiritual.
“I don’t know how to say this,” Gina said after a few moments. She tightened her grip on Meg’s fingers. “But I’ll try.” She ran her thumb over her knuckles. “Last night was—I don’t want to sound like a cliché, but it was mystical. Amazing. Beyond anything I could have hoped for.” She paused, and Meg recognized the expression in her eyes. She’d seen it many times their first year together and it still set her heart to racing.
“But if it scared you—if maybe you weren’t ready, and you regret moving too fast, I understand and I’ll back off.” She smiled, though Meg saw a glint of concern in her eyes. “I want to do this right,” she continued. “I don’t want you to feel pressured or feel like you have to put walls up. I’m not going anywhere, Meg. And I meant what I said. I’ll wait. However long.”
Meg brought Gina’s hand to her lips. “The only thing I regret is not doing it sooner. And I’m working on that because the past is the past and this is now.” She kissed Gina’s fingers. “Being with you feels right.” She leaned in and kissed her. “I’ll let you know if something comes up. And the same applies to you. I’m not going anywhere, either.” She kissed her again, let her lips linger a bit longer this time before she stopped and studied Gina’s face. “I love you. It took me a while to accept that but I have, and now it’s time to figure out what we’re doing and where we plan to take this. It might be a while and maybe it won’t be a perfect arrangement, but I don’t care because you’ll be in my life and that’s really all I need to know right now.”
Gina sighed happily. “I love you back. I’m so happy right now I—damn, I feel like yelling and screaming and passing out all at once.”
“I know that feeling. But how about you have breakfast with me first? Yelling and screaming later.” She gave her a wicked grin.
“Doctor’s orders?”
“Definitely.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Meg laughed and went back to the kitchen.
Chapter 31
“Doctor Horse Chick!” Sean greeted her. “And Mr. Moonshine!” She leaned down and gave him a hug. He wiggled with joy and licked her on the cheek. “Get in here.” She beckoned them into her living room and appraised her.
“Oh, my God. You’re glowing.” She hugged Meg hard, like she hadn’t seen her in months when it had only been a little over a week.
“You think?” Meg laughed.
“Definitely. Like—like a nuclear waste dump.”
“Thank you. That is such a romantic image.” Meg pretended offense.
“Oh, right. Okay. You’re glowing like. . .” Sean’s brow furrowed in thought. “Definitely not like a pregnant woman. Um, like candlelight in a hot room.”
Meg snorted. “Honey, stick to nuke waste. I hope you didn’t try to seduce Ted with that line.”
“Please. All I had to do with him was give him a certain look and he followed me right to bed.”
Meg looked at her with a “you lie like a dog” expression.
“Fine. The strip tease helped, too.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Fine. And so did the hot make-out session beforehand. But enough about me. More about you. Do you want a beer? Or is that too much alcohol for your drive home?”
“A beer would be great.”
“Or we can go out.”
“Nah.”
“Yay. Let’s go forage in the kitchen.”
Meg laughed as she followed her. Sean’s dogs, a couple of mixed-breeds that were part bulldog, barked excitedly in the back yard.
“Keep Moonie inside,” Sean said. “You know how Jake and Vera can be. They’ll crush him with kindness. After they calm down a little, we’ll go out.” She shut the inside back door then rummaged in the fridge and produced a Rolling Rock. “This will have to do.”
“It’s cold. It’s free. Give it up.” Meg grinned and took it from her. “I should have brought some beer.”
“Whatever. Ted’s back tomorrow. He’ll take care of it. Hold up. Leftover cheese tray,” Sean announced triumphantly as she brought out a container and set it on the kitchen table. “Sit down,” she directed Meg as she pulled forks out of a drawer and tore off a couple of paper towels.
Sean got herself a beer and joined her at the table. “Seriously,” Sean said.
“What?”
“Spill it.”
Meg grinned and took a sip from her bottle. Moonshine ambled over and flopped down next to Sean’s feet.
“So. You clearly had more than one hot make-out session,” Sean said innocently.
Warmth raced up Meg’s back and neck to advertise her thoughts on her cheeks.
“Holy shit,” Sean crowed. “Look at you! You’re not only glowing, you’re on fire.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Meg mumbled. “I know. Go ahead and laugh. Get it out of your system.” She picked up a fork and speared a small square of cheese.
“Whoa! More than a make-out session. Damn!” Sean picked up her own bottle and raised it. “Here’s to Meg gettin’ some from Gina!”
“Nice. Really nice,” Meg said shaking her head as she tapped her bottle against Sean’s. “Classy.”
“Whatever. You love it.” Sean took a sip and put the bottle back. She took a piece of cheese and chewed before saying anything else. “Can Moonie have a little piece?”
Moonshine looked up at her hopefully, then at Meg.
“Okay. Just a little. I have to ride home with him, after all.”
Sean giggled and gave him a small piece of cheddar, which he took delicately from her fingers. “I love him,” Sean said. “He’s such a gentleman cowboy dog.”
Meg chuckled at another of Sean’s phrases.
“So for real now,” Sean said after she gave Moonshine another good petting. “How’d it go emotionally?”
Meg sat staring at her bottle, caught up in the rush from the weekend. Had she only just seen Gina two days ago? “Perfect,” she said simply.
Sean waited.
“I mean, even with the past, it was. . .God, I don’t know how to describe it.” She rubbed her forehead. “We picked up in a lot of ways where we left off. It was like we’d been in a long-distance relationship all these years. It was familiar and safe and exciting and—” she paused. “It felt like home.”
“And in the midst of all that, did you talk?”
“Are you just going to think about sex?”
Sean rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I meant. I’m not implying you were in bed the whole time.”
Meg flushed again.
“But clearly, you did spend some time there,” Sean said with a giggle. “What I’m asking is, did you talk. About where you’re going and what you want.”
Meg nodded. “We did. We talked about—shit, everything. It was really easy. Like catching up with an old friend but with this really excellent edge.” She stared out the nearby window, caught up again in thoughts of the weekend. “Even the hard stuff was easy. We talked. We laughed.” She smiled. “She’s really funny. I love that about her. I think she’s funnier now than she was.” She shook her head in wonder. “And yeah, we cried. And we just—we were together. I had photos of the ranch on my phone—some of the things Dad’s done there with the remodels. Pictures of the clinic and clinic staff. Pictures of you and Ted and some other people. . .” her voice trailed off.
Sean put a hand on Meg’s arm and squeezed. “You don’t have to get all deep about it if you don’t want to.”
“No, that’s not it. I love talking about it.” Meg looked at her. “She had some pictures of herself over the years. The people she’s worked with. The countries she’s been. Other people she’s met. Some are dead now.” She picked her beer up. “We talked about that, too. She says there are some things she’s seen that mess with her and she wants to see a counselor and try to work that shit out.”
“Wow,” Sean said. “That’s really healthy of her. How is she physically healing after the bombing?”
“Pretty good. She’s got that gash on her leg that still gives her some issues if she’s been on it too long. Her ribs are coming along fine. So’s her shoulder. Her head looks okay. She thinks from here on, it’ll be more the emotional stuff that bugs her.”
Sean took a sip of beer. Meg knew she was waiting for her to continue. Sean was good about reading people’s moods.
“It was like. . .it was almost like I never really left.”
Sean smiled and put her beer down. “Maybe you never did.”
“Maybe I didn’t. It was—shit, it was amazing.” She thought about the first night in bed with Gina, and the next day, which they spent sight-seeing at the beach and in town, and dinner at a quiet, romantic place. . .
Sean stared at her. “You are so in love. I’ve only seen you like this one other time.”
“Oh?”
“The first year we were in vet school. You were still with Gina. And you were so in love. It was so obvious. And she was so in love with you. I have no doubt Gina has the look on her face now that she did then.”
Meg smiled and studied her bottle. “Sean, I really want this to work. I can’t be without her. I just can’t. Not again.”
Sean squeezed Meg’s thigh. “She doesn’t want to be without you, either. So all you have to do is figure out how you’re gonna do that.”
“We talked a bit about that. She’s trying to figure out what she wants to do career-wise. She doesn’t want to go back overseas and she did apply for a stateside position with the Times, but she’s not sure she wants to do that, either, even if they offer it to her.”
“What do you want to do?” Sean picked up another piece of cheese and popped it into her mouth.
“I want to keep doing what I’m doing, and eventually have a clinic in Saratoga and maybe, hopefully, at the ranch some day.”
“So you’re not necessarily planning on packing the wagon and heading to California?”
“No. It did kind of come up. She doesn’t think I’d be happy in California. I told her I’d be willing to give it a shot but she doesn’t think it’s a good idea. She says that she has a feeling that what I’m doing now is what I’m supposed to be doing. Besides, Dad’s not getting any younger. I’d kinda like to stick around and help him with the ranch as much as I can. And I love it there. I know, that’s so cheesy. I haven’t really strayed that far from my roots.”
“Hon, there is nothing wrong with that. I love the ranch and I’m not from here. It’s a very spiritual place.”
Meg looked at her, surprised that she’d echoed some of the things her dad had said.
“You think Gina would come to Wyoming?” Sean asked.
Meg shrugged. “She loves the ranch and she likes my dad. But she’s this world traveler and I don’t know if she could deal with the isolation.”
