Lucky

by Kris Bryant

  “I don’t even know what to say right now.” Gabrielle rubbed Serena’s stomach and watched as she rode out the waves of her climax. When Serena opened her eyes, Gabrielle was taken aback by what she saw. Raw emotion, total release, and something that made her heart swell. She saw love. It was brief and Serena reeled it in once her body relaxed, but Gabrielle saw it. The only part that frightened her was how calm she was about it. She wasn’t afraid. For years she’d run from it, and the minute it caught up to her, she didn’t have a desire to leave.

  Serena gave a half laugh and half moan. “I have no words either.”

  Gabrielle reached down and pulled the covers over them. She rested her head next to Serena’s on the pillow. “I do have words. You’re incredible.” She kissed Serena’s cheek and slid her arm across her waist. As revved up as she was to come, holding Serena felt right.

  “So worth the wait.” Serena turned so she faced Gabrielle. “But I couldn’t have waited any longer.”

  Gabrielle brought Serena’s fingers to her mouth and kissed them. “I know what you mean. I didn’t care that we were in Piper and Shaylie’s kitchen. I was going to kiss you.”

  Serena ran her fingertips over Gabrielle’s full lips. They were soft and slightly swollen. “You have the best lips. They’re full and kissable and magical.”

  “Magical, huh?” Gabrielle chuckled. She kissed Serena again and slipped between her legs. She slid her arms above her head. “Keep your hands up here.”

  “They’re tired,” Serena said. She kissed Gabrielle. “And I want to touch you.”

  Her pout was adorable. Gabrielle almost let her get her way but at the last second decided she wasn’t done with Serena.

  “Turn over,” Gabrielle said.

  Surprise registered on Serena’s face. “What?”

  Gabrielle repeated herself and sat up. She twirled her finger in a circle. “Turn over.”

  Serena smiled and did what Gabrielle wanted. “Now what?”

  Gabrielle covered Serena’s body with her own. She scraped her teeth on the soft muscle that rested between her neck and shoulder. She bit down hard enough for Serena to feel it, appreciate it, but not enough to leave a mark.

  “Okay, I approve,” Serena said.

  Her breathy affirmation made Gabrielle smile. “Yeah? So, this is okay?”

  Serena nodded.

  “What about this?” Gabrielle spread Serena’s legs with hers and pushed her hips into Serena’s ass.

  Another nod.

  “And this?” She reached down between Serena’s legs and stroked her swollen folds.

  “Oh, God.”

  The angle wasn’t the best, but Gabrielle pushed her thumb inside Serena and stroked her clit with her forefinger.

  Serena’s moans only fueled Gabrielle’s desire to fuck her again and again. When Serena lifted her hips and pushed into Gabrielle’s hand, the need to please her was overwhelming. Gabrielle got on her knees and slipped two fingers inside Serena. She was able to go deeper at this angle, but stilled when Serena cried out. Serena pushed back against her hand instead of forward to get away, and she knew it was a cry of ecstasy. She filled Serena with her fingers, marveling at how brazen she was in bed. How much she wanted this, wanted Gabrielle to do this. It was empowering. Nobody had ever been so trusting with her. She kissed Serena’s back, moving lower and lower. She pulled out and ran her tongue over Serena’s quivering opening. Serena gasped when she slipped her tongue inside her, tasting her. It was a hard angle and Gabrielle wanted her to come again. She stilled Serena’s gyrating hips, lay so her mouth was right below Serena’s pussy, and not so gently lowered her onto her mouth. It took Serena less than a minute to come again. And a third time. Gabrielle let her go when she felt Serena’s legs shake and knew she’d had enough.

  “Okay, I’m not complaining at all, but I need a few minutes.”

  Serena rolled onto her back and reached for Gabrielle’s hand. It was a tender gesture, one that made Gabrielle smile with smugness. She considered herself an above average lover, but being with Serena made her feel like she was the best. She pulled Serena into her arms and waited until they both caught their breath.

  “Do you need anything? Water? A thicker blanket?” Gabrielle brushed a piece of hair off Serena’s cheek.

  “No, thanks. I don’t want you to go anywhere. I finally got you right where I want you.”

  Gabrielle gave Serena a little squeeze and glanced at the clock. It was one in the morning and her adrenaline rush was still strong. She was dying to go to the bathroom and grab a water to hydrate, but she understood the need to be there for Serena. When she heard steady breathing and discovered Serena had fallen asleep, she carefully slipped out of her embrace. She gulped an entire bottle of water, smiled at all of the text messages from Rosie, Piper, and Shaylie, and ate a protein bar.

  Warm arms draped around Gabrielle’s waist. “I can’t believe I fell asleep.”

  She turned in the embrace and placed a soft kiss on Serena’s lips. “No worries. Did I wake you?”

  Serena rubbed her eyes. “Not really. I am the worst girlfriend for falling asleep.” Her eyes widened. “Not that I’m saying I’m your girlfriend. I just meant that—What I mean is—Well, you know.”

  Gabrielle got a kick out of how embarrassed Serena was. She didn’t mind the idea of having a girlfriend. “Don’t worry about it. Are you hungry? I can make a quick snack.”

  Serena averted her eyes. “No, thanks. I ate enough tonight. Can I please have a water?”

  Gabrielle pulled one from the refrigerator. “You look good in my T-shirt.” She hadn’t bothered putting anything on.

  “I found it on the chair in your room. I promise I didn’t go through your things.”

  “Whatever you need, you help yourself to it. I mean, what kind of girlfriend would I be if you couldn’t go through my closet to find a T-shirt?” Gabrielle playfully wrapped her fist in the shirt and pulled Serena toward her. She kissed her hard and fast before Serena had a moment to react. It was a kiss that meant everything to both of them. Passionate and promising. And just like that, in the span it took to say those words, Gabrielle committed herself to a relationship for the first time in years.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Serena kicked at the curing foundation, surprised at how fast the Pet Posh Inn was moving along. Gabrielle had given her three proposals, and while Trust & Company wasn’t the cheapest, their lead time was the fastest. Jake Trust met with Serena and Arnest & Max and promised to have the external plumbing, foundation, and framework completed by the first hard freeze. Gabrielle told her that was pushing it, but Jake had two crews dedicated to the project and he ran a tight ship. His projects were almost always perfect, but perfection came at a cost.

  “This is amazing,” Serena said. She turned slowly and looked at the framework, trying to see what Gabrielle was explaining.

  “The main staircase will be here. The other staircase is on the other end where that guy is standing. I know it’s hard to picture it, but everything looks great,” Gabrielle said.

  Serena didn’t like having to maintain the professional aspect of their relationship. She wanted to press into Gabrielle and kiss her and pull up the collar of her jacket as the wind picked up around them. But she respected Gabrielle and agreed to keep their personal and professional relationships separate. Technically, Gabrielle wasn’t in charge of the project anymore, but she had thrown Jake a lot of business over the years, so she was always welcome at the sites she had a hand in. “Okay, I trust you. You’ve done this for a million years now.”

  Gabrielle took a step closer. “I’m not that old.”

  Serena melted at Gabrielle’s look. She was a sucker for those amber eyes. “You know what I mean.”

  “Quit looking at me like that. I can’t concentrate,” Gabrielle said.

  “What are you concentrating on?” Serena leaned closer.

  “Not having my way with you right here, right now.”

 
“Oh, I’m sure we could go for a walk in the woods or maybe go for a drive,” Serena said. The last six weeks had been full of really incredible but sporadic sex. Gabrielle still worked her sixty- to seventy-hour weeks, so time during the week was impossible. She was also gone one weekend for a work retreat. It stung Serena a bit that she wasn’t invited, but she had to give Gabrielle space. To be fair, one weekend Serena was also unavailable because she was helping Faith move into her new condo. This past weekend was the first time they were able to spend a weekend uninterrupted, so they’d holed up and ignored all calls and texts from their friends. It was almost perfect. The only thing missing was L.B. Faith had offered to watch him while Serena was in town. Gabrielle said he could stay with them, but Serena didn’t feel the offer was sincere.

  “Tempting, but L.B. might not like that.” Gabrielle pointed to the Jeep where L.B. had his head hanging out the window staring at them.

  “I’m sad he can’t walk around,” Serena said.

  “He’ll step on a nail or something else just as sharp. That’s why we’re wearing boots and hard hats. It’s too easy to get hurt on job sites.”

  “I probably should get home anyway. I’ve been gone too long. Jake asked me to pick out paint colors and schemes, although it seems a bit premature,” Serena said.

  “This will go up fast. They’re trying to get as much done on the outside as they can before it’s too cold to work. I bet by the end of the week, they’ll have most of the framework done. Then they’ll work on drywall and mudding. Then it’ll be paint time.”

  “That’s incredible. I really like Jake. His crew is doing an incredible job. Call me later?”

  Gabrielle nodded. “I’ll call you when I get out of here.”

  Serena wanted to hug her but refrained. She turned when she got to the Jeep and waved instead. L.B. greeted her with sloppy kisses and hard tail wags.

  “Okay, okay. I love you, too. Now get in the back.” Serena pointed to the back seat. L.B. jumped back but continued to kiss her from there. Serena laughed at his enthusiasm. “I just petted you twenty minutes ago. And you saw me the entire time I was on the site. Come on. Let’s get out of here and hit the park. Pretty soon you’ll have a very large place to run and a ton of new friends.” Serena secured her seat belt and drove them to town. The new dog park wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was appreciated by the dog lovers in Vail. Serena had donated money for the waste disposal stations that were always stocked with bags. She pulled into the parking lot, secured L.B.’s leash, and took him over to the big dog park. There were only a few dogs lumbering about, their noses pressed to the grass, stopping at trees to either mark them or find out who was there before them. “Go be a boy dog,” she told L.B. He pranced away and made friends with the other dogs instantly.

  “Serena?”

  Serena turned and froze. Amber stood in front of her, holding a leash that tethered a small poodle. “Amber. Hi.” She didn’t know what to say, so she forced a fake smile and clutched L.B.’s leash tighter in her hand.

  “Fancy running into you here. How are you?” Amber reached down and picked up her dog. “This is Princess. I’ve had her about five months now. You can pet her if you want.”

  Princess was super cute. Serena could never resist the urge to pet a dog regardless of their owner. She tentatively took a step forward. “She’s a doll.”

  “She’s very lovable and has been a godsend this summer. You look great.”

  Serena wondered how long it would take Amber to bring up the lottery, so she kept her answers generic. “Thanks. How was your summer besides becoming a fur mama to this precious girl?” Serena stroked Princess’s silky, curly fur and avoided eye contact with Amber.

  “It was lonely. I miss you. I went to your place, but Mrs. Rhoads said you moved.” She shrugged like she didn’t have a clue, but Serena knew she knew everything.

  “I moved a few months ago. I finally bought a house.”

  “Oh? I’d love to see it sometime.” Amber flashed Serena her winning smile.

  Serena mentally berated herself for falling for somebody like Amber. She was attractive, but her heart was ugly. She used people to get what she wanted, and Serena thanked her lucky stars she got out of the relationship before she won the lottery. Amber was too much like her mother and would have talked her into doing stupid things with her winnings. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. My girlfriend probably wouldn’t like it.”

  Amber seemed stunned. “You’re dating again. Congratulations. Anyone I know?”

  “No. She’s not from here. She lives in Denver.” No way was Serena going to divulge Gabrielle’s name or anything about her to this snake of a woman. “Well, have fun with Princess. She really is a sweetheart.” Serena turned and walked the length of the chain link fence to where L.B. was playing with a sheepdog named Joe. She cringed when Amber followed her.

  “Is that your dog? He’s so cute. I remember you wanted to get one, but you always held off.” Amber wasn’t giving up that easily.

  “That’s L.B. I got him this spring, too. He’s perfect.”

  “He’s super cute.”

  They stood there in awkward silence. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Amber looking her over a few times as if finally seeing her, or her designer clothes, for the first time.

  “What’s different about you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re just different. For the better, I mean. Confidence looks good on you.”

  “My life improved. And I have a girlfriend who is good for me.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Oh, come on. Our relationship was poisonous. You didn’t care about me. You cared that you got attention when you wanted it. How many times did you cheat on me? Three times that I know of. We won’t even go into the ones I don’t.”

  Amber placed her hand over her heart in a ridiculously dramatic way. “You were emotionally unavailable all the time. I liked being your girlfriend, but I couldn’t get inside you. Inside your heart. You were so worried about Faith and your mother.”

  There was truth to that, but Serena had backed off after Amber’s first affair. It was worse after the second. By the third, Chloe and Jackie intervened. “They’re my only family. Of course I’m going to worry about them.”

  “How’s Faith doing? Did she graduate culinary school?”

  Serena turned to watch L.B. “Yes.” The less Amber knew of her life now, the better everyone was. Faith hated Amber, but Serena chalked it up to siblings and girlfriends not meshing well. Both vied for her attention. Faith got more of it because she needed it more.

  “That’s good. What about your mom? Is she doing well?”

  Serena took a deep breath and reminded herself to relax. Amber was her past and Gabrielle was her future. The days of Amber ruining her spirit were over. “My mom is fine. She moved to California a few months ago.”

  Amber took a step closer. “A lot of big changes happened in your life.”

  Serena looked her in the eye and nodded. “I’m pretty happy. I can finally focus on me for a change.” She winced when Amber reached out and touched her forearm.

  “I can tell you’re definitely stronger and you look great. Healthier. And as much as it pains me to say, happier.”

  Serena smiled for the first time since running into Amber. She knew it was a big step for Amber to admit any kind of fault. Unless it was a different ruse to get closer. “Thank you for saying that.” She turned her attention back to the dog park. “Okay, L.B. let’s go.” She rattled his leash to get his attention. He returned to her, tongue out, his signature sideways gait telling her he was happy and carefree.

  “He’s very sweet.” Amber reached down and scratched behind his ears. “And very lovable.”

  “He’s my true love.”

  “That probably doesn’t make your girlfriend happy to hear. I’m sure she doesn’t like coming in second.”

  Her words had bite because they held an element of truth. “Oh, she
’s fine with second place.” She knew Gabrielle tolerated her dog, but only because her fear prevented her from loving him as much as Serena did. She did try, though, and that was important. It worked with him from time to time. At least that’s what she told herself.

  They had a weekends-only romance. Serena was bored during the week while Gabrielle worked. It wasn’t fair on her part. That was Gabrielle’s dream and she had no right to interfere. She frowned as her future flashed before her. She loved having L.B. and couldn’t wait for future animals. She’d almost rescued two kittens, Nicole and Waverly, but decided against it. Because of Gabrielle. Even though she knew she had fallen in love with Gabrielle, they were on completely opposite ends of the relationship spectrum. The sex was amazing and everything she could have asked for, but there was a disconnect somewhere.

  Amber laughed. “Even as cute as he is, I doubt that.”

  Serena shrugged. “Listen, it was good seeing you, but we have to get going.”

  “No time for lunch?” The Amber bottom lip pout was out in full force.

  “No time.” Serena snapped the leash on L.B. She thought about going to the lawyer’s office today. There were a few investments she was considering, plus she had some personal paperwork to discuss, including an ironclad will. She was determined to make sure her mother couldn’t touch her money.

  When her mother flew back for Faith’s graduation party, she’d been cordial and charming until the subject of money came up. Even though Faith was twenty-one, they kept the party dry because of their mother. Serena didn’t want to tempt Diane. Nobody questioned it because everyone there knew there were issues. Other than her mother demanding more money and embarrassing the shit out of Paul, the party was a success. Serena had waited until her mother was back in California to give Faith her monetary present. What Faith did with it was up to her.