All In

by Amy DeMeritt

  “It’s customary for a family member or significant other to pin medals and badges on a firefighter after they’ve been presented with the award or promotion from their superior. While my mom was alive, I always had her pin my badges and medals on me. After she passed, I started asking Gloria.”

  Before Ashton can continue, Skylar cuts her off, softly saying, “Ash, I understand if you want to have Gloria pin your captain’s badge on you. I won’t be upset or jealous.”

  Ashton takes her hand and gives it a long, firm kiss on the top. “I’ll be receiving a few awards at this ceremony. I would like to have Gloria pin my badge on me because she has been here for me for six years to help me heal and recover from some pretty bad injuries and losses. I would like you to pin the awards on me, especially the one I’ll receive from the fire that brought us together.”

  Moved by the love in Ashton’s eyes and the invitation to be such a huge part of this major event in Ashton’s life, Skylar gets up on her knees and straddles Ashton lap. As she settles down on her thighs, she grabs the sides of Ashton’s face and pulls her into a kiss. With the romantic jazz music mixing with the sounds of their breathing and quiet moans of pleasure, they allow the moment to fully consume them.

  As Ashton reaches to take her uniform shirt off of Skylar, her arms are thrust back with Skylar’s urgent effort to shove her black blazer off of her shoulders. Ashton shimmies her arms out of the sleeves, and Skylar yanks the jacket off to toss to the other end of the couch. With glossy eyes, Skylar looks down to unbutton Ashton’s shirt, then shoves it off of her shoulders. While Ashton pulls her arms free, Skylar pulls the white tank top undershirt up to her armpits, then up over her head.

  As she grabs for her sports bra, she says with an impatient laugh, “You have way too many clothes on.”

  Ashton laughs a little as she quickly rips the bra off over her head to help, and Skylar yanks at her leather belt so she can get her pants undone. As she slips her hand under the waist of her underwear, she lightly pets Ashton’s groomed mound with a grin, then pushes her hand down further, parting her lips and easily gliding over her wet sex.

  With her fingers gently tracing Ashton’s clit, and with her lips hovering above Ashton’s, she says, “I’m so proud of you for accepting this promotion.” Ashton’s eyes close in pleasure as her head falls back against the couch. Skylar lightly kisses her parted lips and neck, then lightly tugs her earlobe with her teeth, and whispers, “I love you, Ashton.”

  Breathily, and while she slides her hands up Skylar’s thighs to grip her ass, Ashton replies, “I love you too, Skylar.”

  She opens her eyes and smiles as she admires her girlfriend sitting on her lap still wearing her uniform shirt. She inhales deeply as Skylar presses inside her, and as her hand begins to slowly pump in and out, Ashton glides her right hand off of her ass, over her hip, and between her thighs. Skylar shivers as Ashton lightly traces two fingers over her sex on the outside of her panties.

  “You are breathtakingly beautiful and sexy.” She traces the back of two fingers up her slim stomach, and when she reaches the center of her breasts, she parts the shirt so she can see both milky globes. “Beautiful.”

  Skylar gasps and thrusts her hips down as Ashton slips her hand in her panties and over her clit. While their hands work slowly and deliberately between each other’s thighs, their mouths meet in a deep kiss, a slow kiss, a mind-numbingly wonderful kiss.

  As Ashton begins to climax, she involuntarily breaks from the kiss with a grunting moan, making Skylar smile against her cheek. Then, with a loud moaning scream, Skylar falls against Ashton shuddering as her own orgasm bursts.

  While they catch their breath and let their heartrates return to normal, Ashton holds Skylar wrapped in her arms and gives her feathery kisses along the side of her neck. After basking in Ashton’s loving attention for a few minutes, Skylar lifts her head off of Ashton’s shoulder and kisses her lips.

  “Will you open the champagne?

  “Sure.”

  She gives her a light pat on the ass as Skylar dismounts her lap to sit next to her. After buttoning and zipping her pants so they don’t fall down, she stands to grab the bottle of champagne out of the ice bucket. She smiles as she looks between the label and Skylar.

  “This is a pretty damn good bubbly you bought, babe.”

  As she shifts on the couch to pull one leg up to tuck her foot under her knee, causing her shirt to part enough to give a beautiful teasing glance of her torso, Skylar says, “This is a really big day. I wanted to get you something really great. I also got some treats from Singer’s if you’re interested.”

  Ashton bends down to kiss her lips, the tip of her nose, and her forehead. “You’re wonderful. Thank you.”

  Using her discarded undershirt, Ashton wraps the neck of the bottle to catch the cork, then muscles it free with a muffled pop. She fills the glasses to within an inch of the rim, and Skylar stands up to accept one of the glasses. She takes Ashton’s hand with a serene smile and pulls her out to the center of the living room, and as she wraps one arm up around the back of her neck, she brings her glass up to Ashton’s.

  “Cheers, to Milltown’s newest fire captain. I want you to know I’m all in. I’m going to be here to support you, comfort you, help you heal, help you relax, whatever you need. I love you, Ashton, and I am so proud of you.”

  Ashton tightens her arm around her waist, pulling her in closer, and gives her a kiss on the lips. “I love you too, Skylar. And I wish I had words to express how much it means to me that you’re fully supportive of my career and want to build a life with me.”

  “We’re going to have a wonderful life together.”

  They lightly clink their glasses together, and after taking a few sips, Skylar lays her head on Ashton’s chest and starts swaying with the romantic jazz music still playing on the record player. Ashton kisses the top of her head, and while they hold each other close, they start slow dancing over the sprinkling of crimson rose petals.

  When the record is over, Skylar lifts her head with so much serenity emanating off of her that it causes a rippling flutter of joy to quake through Ashton’s body and tickle her stomach. She watches Skylar lift the needle off of the record to return it to its sleeve. Then she picks a new record from a stack they brought home from her mother’s collection. It’s another jazz record, and as Skylar turns back to face her, she takes a smiling sip of champagne and caresses Ashton’s cheek.

  “Gloria should be here soon. We’re taking you to dinner to celebrate.”

  “I guess that means I should put some clothes on.”

  Skylar shakes her head as she takes a step past her and bends over. She stands upright with Ember in her hand and places her on her shoulder.

  “Dance with us some more first.”

  Warmth fills her chest as she wraps an arm around Skylar’s waist, pulling her against her naked torso. “I could stay like this all night with you.”

  Ember meows, as if in response, and they look at her with smiles and both lean in to kiss the fluffy kitten. Ashton then kisses Skylar’s lips, and Skylar promptly parts her lips and presses forward, engaging her in a long, slow kiss.

  While they kiss, Ember rubs her face against theirs, making them smile and release short bursts of laughter in the shared heat of their kiss, but they don’t pull apart till their lungs are burning from lack of air.

  Skylar absentmindedly combs her fingers through Ashton’s short hair while looking into her loving gaze, and asks, “Did Juan Perez get the promotion to lieutenant?”

  Ashton’s eye mist over with pride as she nods, confirming, “He did. He’ll also be receiving his badge next week. Twenty new firefighters are receiving their badges and four of them are being assigned to our station. Things are going to be very different when I return to work in two weeks.” She smiles as she caresses Skylar’s lower back, and adds, “I think the best difference though is that I’ll be coming home to someone after work for the first time in eight year
s.”

  With a seductive, happy glimmer in her light brown eyes, Skylar asks, “And what time will you be coming home to me, Captain?”

  “It can vary. A crew has to be at the firehouse twenty-four hours a day to be ready the instant a fire alarm is called. We have shift rotations so no one crew is constantly on night shift. Three out of four weeks a month, I usually get home between five to seven at night. The week I’m on night shift, I get home between three to four in the morning. I guess I should have fully disclosed that before we moved your stuff in here earlier today. Still want to live with me?”

  “Yes.” Skylar leans in to give her a brief kiss. “I told you, I’m all in, Ash. I want to be with you and build a life with you.”

  The instant their mouths unite, Ember, who is still standing on Skylar’s shoulder, meows and stretches out to rub her face against their cheeks, making them smile. As they pull apart, Ashton pets Ember, and says, “I think Ember approves of us being together and you moving in here.”

  “That’s good because I really love this kitten. She had fun helping me scatter the rose petals.” Ashton laughs a little, and Skylar says, “I’m serious. Every time I dropped a few, and if they landed in a clump, she hit at them with her paws till they were more evenly distributed. I think she’s going to be an interior designer when she grows up.”

  Ashton laughs hard, making Skylar smile brightly. “I’m glad my girls had fun working together today. Thank you for doing this. It was a wonderful surprise to come home to. And my mother would love that you made her records part of the celebration.” Ashton’s eyes tear up and her jaw clenches for a moment. “I, uh...” She clears her throat. “I’ve never admitted this out loud, and I’ve attempted to hide it from myself as well, if I’m being honest. But another reason I’ve been hesitant to accept the promotion to captain is because they’re not here to celebrate it with me. My parents were always there for me and very supportive of my career, even though it terrified them. Every awards ceremony I’ve been recognized at since they’ve passed has been like reliving their death.”

  Skylar brushes her thumb under Ashton’s eyes to wipe a few tears away, and Ashton gives her a forced smile as she clears her throat and reaches up to wipe her own eyes.

  “I miss them so much. But since I told you about my parents when I was busted up and lying in a hospital bed, you’ve been giving pieces of them back to me. No other partner has been able to do that. None have had much interest in honoring their memory like you try to do.” Ashton smiles as she wipes tears off of Skylar’s cheeks and gives her a soft kiss on her trembling, smiling lips. “I love you, Skylar, and I believe you when you say you’re all in. And I hope you believe me when I say I am all in.”

  “I do. I believed it the first time you said it.” She caresses Ashton’s cheek and leans in to give her a brief kiss that’s slightly salty from their tears. As she pulls away, they wipe each other’s eyes and cheeks with loving smiles, and Skylar softly says, “I love you so much, Ashton. And I love that you were close to your parents. And I’m so sad I don’t get to meet them. I’ve always been close to mine and I appreciate that you’re making an effort to earn their trust and respect. I know I haven’t been with as many people as you have been, but my previous girlfriends never really cared for getting to know my parents. They always acted like it was a bother to spend time with them. I know my parents were a little awkward last night, but it meant so much to me to be able to bring you home for dinner and that you actually seemed to be enjoying yourself.”

  “I was enjoying myself. Dinner was nice. Much better than I expect. And I’m sure it will get better with each opportunity we get to spend time with them. We should invite them over here for dinner soon so they can see where you live now.”

  Skylar smiles brightly, then leans in to kiss her fully for a few moments. “I think they would appreciate that.”

  “Good. We’ll make the plans. How long do we have before Gloria will be here?”

  Skylar glances at the clock on the wall, and as she meets Ashton’s eyes with desire burning in her own, she bites her bottom lip momentarily, then answers, “Thirty minutes, unless she gets here early. Do you want to mess up the bed with me?”

  “I’m all in.”

  Thank you for reading!

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  Yours truly,

  ~ Amy DeMeritt

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