All In

by Amy DeMeritt

  “This is an urgent task because you’re going to take your girlfriend shopping to help her replace the things she lost in the fire.”

  “I am?” She pulls her phone out of her pocket to see if she missed a text from Skylar about a shopping date. “I don’t remember her asking to go shopping.”

  Gloria exhales hard as she rolls her eyes. “I am telling you that you’re taking her out.” She points to the giant pile of clothes. “She doesn’t need to move in here with a single bag of clothes compared to your mountain. It will just be a painful reminder of everything she lost. I’m going to weed out the things you don’t need to make this hoard of clothes less intimidating, and you’re going to buy your girlfriend a new wardrobe to bulk up her side of the closet. Don’t forget jackets and nice evening wear.”

  “I don’t mind taking her shopping, but what if you get rid of something I really like? You better let me go through the stuff before you actually remove it from my apartment.”

  “I’ll let you go through it, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you keep it. Now, call your girlfriend and make a shopping date.”

  “You’re so bossy.”

  “You love it.” With a proud grin, Gloria winks and puckers her lips. Ashton rolls her eyes and gives her a kiss. “Go get me some trash bags.”

  “Yes, boss, whatever you say, boss.”

  Gloria smacks her ass as Ashton turns to walk out of the bedroom, and she laughs as Ashton wiggles her butt at the door. After she’s alone again, she smiles as she lifts one of Ashton’s shirts that she’s very fond of. She caresses the fabric and lifts it to her face, burying her nose to inhale deeply. The shirt smells of detergent and Ashton’s cologne. It’s a familiar and comforting scent that makes her feel safe and happy.

  She startles as Ashton wraps her arms around her from behind, but then sighs as she leans back into the strong, warm embrace. Ashton bends to kiss her cheek and the side of her warm bronze neck.

  “You better not be getting rid of that shirt. It’s one of my favorites.”

  “I’m not. I’m taking those two though.” She points to two shirts hanging from one of the closet door handles. “I need new shirts to sleep in.”

  “How do your lovers feel about you sleeping in my shirts?”

  She looks up at Ashton with belligerence burning in her eyes. “I tell anyone who deigns to say something that they can get the fuck over themselves or get the fuck out of my life. Do you have a problem with me sleeping in your shirts?”

  “You know I don’t.” She playfully bites her neck. “You’ve been wearing my shirts since the beginning of our friendship.” She laughs a little and nibbles her neck again. “I was kind of pissed about you stealing that first shirt though because it was my favorite shirt at the time.”

  “You got over it.”

  “Yeah, I did.” She inhales deeply as she looks at the pile of clothes and squeezes Gloria tighter. “What do you think about this? I haven’t lived with a partner since before I met you. God, I think it’s been like eight years since I last lived with someone. Do you think it’s too soon?”

  “Are you having second thoughts, honey?”

  “No, I want to know how you feel about it.”

  “I already told you how I feel about it. I’m happy for you and I think you can have something really great with Skylar. I like her. And honestly, I haven’t liked any of your girlfriends since we met. I don’t mind hanging out with Erin, but she’s not good enough for you and never was.”

  Ashton sits down on the bed next to Gloria and pulls her down to sit sideways on her lap, wrapping her arms around her. Gloria pulls Ashton’s head down to lay on her soft generous breasts and runs a hand over her head and back.

  “We’re supposed to have dinner with her parents tonight and tell them together.”

  “I know. And I know you’re afraid they won’t take it well. But no matter how they react, this decision is not about them. This is about you and Skylar and your future. If you feel strongly enough about her, it shouldn’t matter what anyone else thinks.”

  Ashton lifts her head with a grin, and teases, “Even you?”

  Gloria gives her an unamused glare and lightly slaps her cheek. “Mine is the only opinion that matters. Do you hear me?”

  “Yeah, I hear ya, babe.” Ashton gives her a kiss on the lips then lays her head against Gloria’s breasts. “I told Erin earlier, before you got here.”

  “I’m guessing that didn’t go over well?”

  “No. She was angry and hurt. She accused me of never loving her enough because I never asked her to live with me. The woman just always seems to forget that she’s the one who has ended our relationship all four times.”

  “I’m sorry, baby. Did she break up with you, as friends, I mean?”

  “She insists she wants to be friends, but she also wants to be with me. She’s struggling to learn how to just be friends. That’s another reason she’s so mad at me – that I was able to move on so quickly.”

  Gloria runs a hand over Ashton’s head and bends down to kiss her head. She squeezes her shoulder, massaging her tension knots. “Erin has been keeping you in her back pocket for three years. This wasn’t quick by any definition of the word. It is long overdue for you to be in a real relationship. She knows that. She’s just jealous because she was an idiot and let you go instead of getting over herself so she could be with you. You better not feel guilty for this. You have done nothing wrong.”

  “I don’t. It hurts to see her hurting and to be accused of bullshit like that, but I don’t feel guilty. I’m really happy.” She sighs as she tightens her arms around Gloria’s waist. “I don’t know how you do it. How are you always right about everything? How did you know this would work out so well with Skylar?”

  “I’m very good at reading people.”

  “Skylar is too.”

  Gloria releases a small laugh and nods. “Yes, she is. I really like that girl. She’s such a sweetie and she has so much depth. She’s not just a pretty face with a sexy body.”

  Ashton lifts her head with a grin and pinches Gloria’s side, making her hop with a giggling yelp. “You’re not falling for my girlfriend, are you?”

  “Ashton Maria Hyland,” she lightly slaps her cheek, “don’t you dare accuse me of such things. I would never try to take a woman from you. I want you to be as happy as you can possibly be.”

  “I know, babe. What’s going on with you lately? How come you haven’t been on a date in a while?”

  “Because,” she lovingly caresses Ashton’s cheek, “you know I tend to fall on the asexual spectrum. I haven’t been feeling the need or desire for sexual companionship. I can be a freak in the bed when I want and need it, but I just don’t crave it like you do.”

  “Are you happy though? I mean, I can understand not wanting sex, but do you need or crave other things a companion can offer?”

  “Like what, honey?” Gloria scrapes her nails through Ashton’s short gray hair and kisses her lips. “What can anyone else offer that you don’t already give me?”

  Ashton’s eyes dampen with emotion and she perks up to kiss Gloria’s lips. “I love you, Gloria Sanchez. Are you really going to be okay with Skylar living here? You know I can’t kick her out of bed when you want to spend the night to snuggle.”

  “Oh, honey,” Gloria laughs as her own eyes mist over and she caresses Ashton’s cheek, “I don’t expect you to kick her out of bed.” She grins and winks, adding, “She can snuggle with us.” Ashton laughs and Gloria lovingly pats her cheek a few times. “I know some things about our friendship will change a little with this big change in your life. But I really do want what’s best for you, more than anything.” She caresses her cheek with her chin slightly trembling. “I love you, Ash, more than anyone else in the world. It makes me very happy to know you’re happy and being taken care of. I really hope Skylar is the one and I hope everything goes perfectly tonight with her parents. Is there anything I can do to help you relax before
or afterwards?”

  “Do you know Erin used to call you my wife?”

  Gloria releases a bursting emotional laugh and wipes a couple of tears from the corners of her eyes. “Yes, you’ve told me before.”

  “Skylar told me she’s not threatened by you like Erin was. Not that she doesn’t respect you – she respects the hell out of you. But she doesn’t feel like you’re trying to encroach on what we have. She’s the first woman I’ve been with since you and I met that has been cool with our friendship. That’s pretty promising, right?”

  “It’s very promising, honey.”

  “I want you to be here when we get home from her parents. I want to be able to tell you about the night. Will you spend the night with us?”

  “I’ll be here.” She gives Ashton a soft kiss on her lips and forehead. “Would you like me to make or pick up a dessert from Singer’s Bakery for us to share?”

  “Either option sounds great. You do whatever you prefer. I can give you the money for the dessert and some bottles of wine.”

  “It will be my treat. Now, you need to let me get back to work so I can get your closet put back together before you need to get dressed for tonight.”

  Gloria starts to stand up, but Ashton pulls her back down on her lap, making her grin. “What possessed you to come into my bedroom and start going through my clothes?”

  “Simple logic and my very compassionate heart.” Ashton laughs a little, earning her a light slap on the cheek. “I know Skylar lost everything, and if you haven’t noticed, her wardrobe isn’t very vast. She wears the same few outfits on a rotation. She had to buy that adorable dress and the accessories for your first date. You, on the other hand, have this giant mountain of clothes, and this is just from your closet. You almost have as many clothes as I do and you barely wear a third of this. Where did all of this come from?”

  “I’m old, babe. Shit collects over time.”

  Gloria laughs and shakes her head as she inhales deeply through her nose in an amused way. “You’re going to have to stop with that kind of talk now that you’ve got yourself such a young hot girlfriend.”

  “What, you think if I stop talking about my age, she’s going to forget, even with this mop of gray sitting on my head?”

  “She won’t forget. She likes that you’re older and I know she loves your hair. It’s sexy. You’re sexy. But if you keep talking about your age negatively, you might brainwash her into thinking something is wrong with you when there’s not.”

  Ashton’s cellphone starts ringing in her pocket. Gloria stands up so she can grab it and Ashton inhales deeply through her nose as she looks at the screen.

  “It’s Elijah Hunt.”

  “Pick it up, Ashton.”

  She swallows hard and hits the green accept button and puts the phone to her hear. “Captain Hunt. How’s it going?”

  “Lieutenant Hyland.” The cheeriness in his voice causes Ashton’s shoulders to untense, just slightly. “I apologize for taking so long to call you. First, tell me how you’re doing?”

  “I’m doing pretty good. I’m gaining strength and mobility every day. I should be good as new and able to return to work in two weeks.”

  “That’s fantastic news and I have a bit more to share. Can you come down to the firehouse tomorrow to meet with me and the chief?”

  “Yes. What time?”

  “Does two work for you?”

  “Yes, Sir, I’ll be there.”

  “Perfect, see you tomorrow.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  She disconnects the call and stares at the phone for several moments and only breaks her gaze to look up as Gloria runs her hands over the sides of her face to cup the back of her head. Gloria bends down with a loving proud smile and gives her a firm kiss on the lips.

  “I have a meeting with Captain Hunt and Chief Morris tomorrow at two. He said it’s fantastic news.”

  “Oh, baby, I’m so proud of you. This is such a wonderful opportunity.” She nods as she pulls Gloria back down to sit sideways on her lap. She wraps her arms tightly around her and lays on her breast, deeply inhaling her scent. “What’s wrong, honey? This is a good thing. You should be happy.”

  “I am. I’m just…” She takes a deep breath and squeezes Gloria even tighter, making her release a sharp gasping laugh as the air is squeezed out of her. “It’s going to be hard, for a little while at least. I know Perez is ready to lead the crew, but I just hope he doesn’t allow his promotion to go to his head and he gets too cocky and doesn’t call for backup when he should.”

  “After what happened to Eric, I don’t think Juan will ever make that mistake. Eric is his best friend. He’ll never be able to forget what happened when Decker failed to call in for support. How is Eric doing, by the way?”

  “He’s doing pretty good, actually. He should be getting out of the hospital soon, but he has to go back in a few months for a skin graph and reconstructive surgery on his right ear.”

  “Will he ever be a firefighter again?”

  “Physically, he could be, but I don’t know about mentally. Eric has never been through something that extreme before, so the chief has him in counseling with a psychologist to gauge where his mind is. Even if Eric thinks he’s ready, he won’t be able to return to work unless the therapist agrees. The therapist could say he’s ready, but Eric could still choose not to return. It’s all very undetermined at this point and we’re all trying not to ask so he can make the decision on his own.”

  Ashton exhales hard and slowly lifts her head off of Gloria’s chest. She looks over her shoulder at the mountain of clothes and releases another deep exhale.

  “You created such a mess in my bedroom.”

  “Yes, and I’m going to have it all cleaned up in no time. While I do this, I want you to go to your bathroom and do the same. Go through the vanity and medicine cabinet and toss out anything you don’t use or is almost empty so you can give Skylar half of the space for all of her stuff.”

  “You must really like her.” Ashton laughs a little. “You’re being super accommodating. You’ve never done anything like this for any of my other girlfriends.”

  “I think Skylar is great for you. Now, get up. No more procrastinating.”

  “Okay, boss.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  As Ashton walks into her apartment, her body instantly warms from the pleasant glow of lit candles, tall and short, dotting the sidebar behind the couch, side tables, and coffee table. She takes her black box-toe leather dress shoes off at the door and treads gently over the sprinkle of crimson rose petals leading to the living room. The coffee table has a box from Singer’s Bakery, a short bouquet of crimson roses in a clear square vase, and a bottle of champagne chilling in a copper ice bucket with two tall skinny flutes next to it. There’s also a note that simply reads, “Turn around.”

  Ashton smiles as she turns around and sees another note on Skylar’s vinyl record player that reads, “Turn me on.”

  She flips the power switch, then carefully lifts and drops the needle onto the record. After a few moments, her eyes close in pleasure from the mixture of the sweet violin, raspy saxophone, and the light playfulness of the piano. The romantic jazz music causes a hum of appreciation in her chest.

  As she turns to walk to the bedroom to look for Skylar, she comes face to face with her and releases a long involuntary groan of pleasure. Skylar’s smile widens as she walks towards her in nothing but Ashton’s dark blue button-up uniform shirt, which has her lieutenant’s badge pined to the left breast. The shirt is unbuttoned to show a teasing sliver of the center of her breasts, her flat stomach, and her sexy caramel colored lace panties. Ashton’s mouth salivates and she swallows hard as she scans her beautiful young girlfriend from her long slender legs up to her mesmerizing smile and glittering light brown eyes.

  “Welcome home, Captain.”

  Ashton’s brain is too slow to respond, but her body instantly reacts as Skylar wraps her arms around the back of her neck. S
he wraps her arms around Skylar’s trim waist and meets her mouth in a kiss that further warms her body and scatters her brain.

  But as Ashton is slipping a hand up under the shirt to graze over her small round ass, Skylar pulls away with a moaning gasp for air. She swallows hard and places a few fingers on Ashton’s chin to hold her back when she tries to come back in for another kiss.

  “How did your meeting go?” Ashton watches her mouth move to form the words, but her ears and brain just don’t register them. Skylar giggles as she lovingly pats Ashton’s cheek a few times. “You still here with me?”

  “What? Oh, yes. Babe, you are…” She inhales deeply as she looks down at Skylar’s bare torso pressed against hers. “Gorgeous.”

  She draws her hand off of her ass to trail her fingers up her center, teasingly gliding over her panties, up the center of her stomach, and to her badge that’s glittering in the candlelight against her breast. As Ashton’s light gray eyes lock with hers, Skylar’s knees weaken under the smoldering look of desire burning in Ashton’s gaze. She swallows hard and lightly bites her bottom lip as she runs her hand across Ashton’s cheek to the back of her head and gets a tight grip on her short locks.

  “I think you shorted out my brain, babe.”

  Skylar laughs and gives Ashton a soft kiss on her lips, and when Ashton tries to lean in for more, she tugs her head back by her hair, making Ashton laugh. She takes a deep breath to gain control of her arousal so she can answer Skylar’s question.

  “The meeting went very well. You are looking at Captain Ashton Hyland, effective immediately. I’ll be staying at the same station, which is fantastic. The new title comes with a bunch of new responsibilities, but it also comes with a very nice raise and extra vacation days. There will be a badge ceremony the Monday before I return to work.” She pauses as she takes a long slow breath through her nose. “I need to talk to you about that.”

  “Come here.”

  Skylar takes her hand and leads her to the couch to sit side by side. She turns sideways with a leg pulled up bent at the knee and an arm resting along the back of the couch to face Ashton. The way Ashton’s shirt is teasingly covering only part of Skylar’s breasts and exposing her stomach and panties is such a beautiful distraction that Ashton nearly forgets what they need to talk about.