Humbug's Holiday Homecoming

by J. A. Armstrong

  “That didn’t take long,” Ruby said.

  “Did you want some private time?” Mick joked.

  “No.”

  “I’m going to get the fire going. Do you want to open one of the bottles of wine that I brought?’

  “One of?” Ruby laughed. “Mick, are you planning to get me drunk?”

  “Do I need to?”

  “I guess that depends.”

  Mick tipped her head curiously.

  “Were you serious about the collar?” Ruby asked.

  Mick laughed. “I’m not sure that store is open now.”

  “Bummer,” Ruby replied.

  Mick closed the distance between them. “I’m not going to live that comment down any time soon, am I?”

  Ruby’s usual retort died on her tongue. She looked into Mick’s eyes and felt the world shift like the sand outside the window. She lifted her hands to Mick’s face and took a deep breath. “I love you.”

  Mick needed no explanation. Fires and wine be damned. It was impossible for her to believe she’d only known Ruby for a month. It felt as though Ruby had always been present in her life. Mick had never considered herself romantic. She didn’t spend hours buried in novels about true love. She seldom played sappy ballads in the car. Her life has always centered on the next accomplishment—the bigger task she could master. Only recently had Mick pondered the possibility that she’d traveled more than one lifetime. Perhaps, Ruby had been her lover in some distant time. How else could she explain the connection between them? It flowed beyond reason and explanation. She couldn’t claim that she knew she loved Ruby instantly. She felt drawn to Ruby from the moment they’d met. The pull went beyond fascination and curiosity. Ruby tugged at her heartstrings. Heartstrings were something Mick did believe existed. They were the invisible chords that connected a person to the world. Heartstrings were the part of a person that no surgeon could repair. Love was the only remedy to mend them. Ruby healed a part of Mick that she had long believed was broken beyond repair. What greater gift could a person receive?

  Mick smiled at Ruby. “I love you too.”

  Ruby’s lips met Mick’s softly. She coaxed Mick’s lips to part and sighed into their connection. Perfect. Mick’s kiss was gentle and searching. Sensation swirled in Ruby’s veins. Her heart ached with the truth. He mind fell silent, a prisoner to something far more powerful. She gave over to everything Mick offered. Mick’s hands dropped to her hips, seeking a tether. Ruby gentled their kiss and took Mick’s hand.

  “What about the fire?” Mick asked.

  Ruby’s only response was a smile. No more waiting—not one more minute. She led Mick through the cottage to the small bedroom they would share. She took a step away and began to undress for Mick. She would give Mick everything she possessed—her mind, her heart, her devotion, her body, and her soul. She felt no embarrassment, no shame, and no hesitation in her nakedness. Gone were the apprehensions of youth—how did Mick perceive her body? What would Mick think in the light of the day? Would she entice Mick? Would Mick want her more or grow cold? Mick loved her. Ruby was positive that Mick would love her in a day, a week, a month, in another lifetime. She would love Mick through anything life threw at them. Maybe some part of her always had loved Mick. Life and death led a person down winding paths. At the end of the darkest paths, there was always light. She was Mick’s. Mick was hers. There was no need to hide anything.

  Mick’s chest constricted, and her skin tingled with anticipation. Ruby was more beautiful than Mick had imagined, and she had done her share of imagining. “Ruby.”

  Ruby took a step forward and started to unbutton Mick’s shirt. She kept her eyes locked with Mick’s, trusting her hands to find their way.

  Mick licked her lips. She was torn between a desire to kiss Ruby and the need to stay with her. Ruby’s eyes held hers in place. A million thoughts passed between them without any words spoken. Mick’s shirt fell from her shoulders. Ruby’s lips pressed to the hollow of Mick’s throat and meandered lower until they reached the swell of Mick’s breasts. How had this happened? Mick had devised a plan. She would give Ruby the perfect weekend. Ruby never took time out for herself. She spent her free-time with Logan. She helped Leona. She even looked after Mick. Mick wanted Ruby to know how special Mick thought she was—the most incredibly generous person Mick had ever encountered. She closed her eyes and held onto Ruby’s shoulders as Ruby descended her body gradually. What was perfection? Nothing in Mick’s life compared to this moment. Images flashed behind her eyelids—memories, fantasies, hopes, and dreams. She opened them to find Ruby looking at her again.

  “What were you thinking about?” Ruby asked.

  Mick fought to conjure an answer. “I wanted to make this weekend special for you.”

  “It is. You’re here. I’m here. That’s all that matters, Mick. I don’t need a cottage at the beach. I don’t need a roaring fire. I love it. I appreciate it. All I need is you. You need to know that.”

  Mick smiled. “I do know. That only makes me want to make it perfect more.”

  Mick. There was truth to the notion that words were sometimes inadequate. Words did matter. People needed to know they were loved and cherished. They didn’t merely desire forgiveness. They required to know they were forgiven to free themselves. People longed to hear that they mattered. There were a million ways to express emotion. Sentimental gifts, romantic getaways, tender touches, and passionate kisses communicated love and longing. But words would always matter—the words, “I love you. I forgive you. I believe in you. I care for you. I will be here for you. I see you,” those words held significant power. Ruby led Mick to the bed. She pulled Mick down beside her and kissed Mick’s forehead. Mick had never given herself to someone—not truly. Ruby cherished the gift that was Mick.

  “I love you,” Ruby promised. She placed another kiss on the tip of Mick’s nose. “I believe in you.” Another kiss landed on Mick’s left cheek. “I care for you.”

  A fullness spread through Mick, as if all the air and all the life in the universe suddenly poured into her.

  Ruby kissed Mick’s right cheek. “I see you.” She smiled at Mick. “And, I will always be here for you,” she said. With that final declaration, Ruby’s lips met Mick’s again.

  Mick fell away. Any hope of thought or reason swirled into color and disappeared. All that remained was Ruby. She lost herself in Ruby’s kiss. The warm flesh pressed against her and the small sighs that escaped them both between kisses overwhelmed Mick’s senses. She let her hands traverse the softness of Ruby’s back. Gentle. Yielding. Patient.

  Ruby’s lips strayed to Mick’s shoulder. Mick brushed Ruby’s dark curls aside and kissed her temple. She’d read stories about making love. She’d watched a few iconic love stories play out on the big screen. Mick understood the inclination to seek comfort in someone’s embrace. She easily grasped the need for physical release. Making love encompassed it all and offered something indescribable. Mick watched as Ruby’s lips and tongue bathed her in faint kisses and nips, inching lower by the second. She strained into the body above her. Warmth surrounded one of her nipples, then the other—and, back again. Cool air replaced wet heat again and again—and again. Mick’s hand wound itself in Ruby’s long curls, urging her to continue. Don’t. Stop. Ever. Let me die here. Take me away. Make me ache. Make me beg without so much as a passing sigh. Mick wet the dryness of her lips with her tongue. She longed to taste Ruby—every inch and each curve. Now, she was helpless under Ruby’s methodical exploration. She struggled to breathe. Perhaps all the air in the room had evaporated.

  Softness unlike any Ruby had ever experienced greeted her lips and her fingertips. She memorized the landscape beneath her inch by inch. Mick’s body melded to hers, rising and falling as if commanded by an unseen force—begging Ruby to discover new territory. Ruby glanced up at Mick. Beautiful. She’d always found Mick’s strength enticing. It was Mick’s gentleness, the questions that flickered in her eyes, and the silent plea they conv
eyed for understanding and acceptance that lured Ruby to fall completely and hopelessly in love.

  Mick gasped when Ruby’s breath washed over her center, whispering a promise that Mick desperately hoped she would keep. “Ruby,” she choked on the name.

  A long, steady lick served as Ruby’s reply.

  Mick moaned and clutched the bedspread. She felt herself open to Ruby—more than an invitation—a desperate plea to be filled and released all at once.

  Ruby explored Mick in long, languid strokes, teasing her into a frenzy. She pressed her weight against Mick’s legs. Her nipples brushed against Mick over and over. It made Ruby dizzy with desire. She entered Mick cautiously with one finger, then two building a steady rhythm until Mick called out to her.

  “Please, Ruby," Mick begged. Her body swelled with need. Heaviness pressed on her chest as she gasped for air. Her hips met Ruby’s thrusts urgently. Hunger surged, and desperation knocked. Every cell in Mick’s body came to attention. Ruby coursed through her. Intoxicating sighs rose from the back of Ruby’s throat. Mick felt the evidence of Ruby’s pleasure against her leg. She needed to be released now. She needed to touch the woman who commanded her heart, Ruby could take anything she wanted. Mick would surrender anything. She wanted to relinquish everything at this moment and have Ruby accept it.

  “Let go, Mick,” Ruby’s voice echoed. She sucked gently and pushed deeper inside Mick until she felt Mick shudder.

  “Ruby!” Mick screamed. Her body shook, her heart thundered in her ears, her skin tingled, and her mouth went dry. Mingling sensations, competing urges—-let me go, hold me in place, take me higher—don’t leave, Ruby. Please don’t leave. As if Mick’s thoughts registered in Ruby’s ears, Ruby gentled her touch. Mick thought she was drifting toward a landing when she was lifted again more violently than the first time. She felt a tear trickle down her cheek. Sublime. Unbelievable. Ruby.

  Ruby withdrew from Mick gently. She let her body glide against Mick’s until she could claim Mick’s lips again. “Perfect,” Ruby muttered.

  Mick opened her eyes. She traced a fingertip over Ruby’s eyebrow, over her nose, and down to her lips. “I need to touch you—right now.”

  Ruby was happy to comply. She sat back on her knees.

  Mick’s hands reached for Ruby’s breasts, her palms gracefully skating across Ruby’s nipples faintly. She felt Ruby’s wetness mingle with hers. If perfection existed, it existed at this moment. She smiled when Ruby’s hand covered hers. Gently, but not too gently—that was Ruby’s unspoken message. Mick tugged Ruby’s nipples. She leaned forward and captured one between her teeth. Ruby cried out. Ruby’s body writhed against hers, making Mick dizzy all over again. She needed more. She needed Ruby—to feel Ruby submit to her touch. She would happily grant Ruby any request. Ruby’s body spoke for her. It quivered above Mick. Mick’s hands held Ruby to steady her as they both rode a cresting wave of pleasure. Mick watched as Ruby pulled at her bottom lip with her teeth and her eyes closed tightly. She’d never seen anything as magnificent. Ruby swayed above her, and an exquisite ache tightened Mick’s muscles again. This time, it was Ruby’s climax she longed to elicit.

  Mick swiftly turned them in the bed. Her tongue brazed a trail from Ruby’s lips to her breasts—lower still. She swirled her tongue around Ruby’s belly button and over the slight rise of her stomach.

  Ruby arched her hips.

  Mick hummed against the flesh beneath her. She lowered herself to taste Ruby’s arousal and groaned with excitement.

  Ruby’s head spun like a Ferris wheel at a carnival. Lights danced behind her eyelids. She wanted to hang on—to prolong her bizarre euphoria. She craved the feel of Mick inside her—part of her—filling her to completion. Her body had other ideas. Mick’s tongue danced over her lightly then firmly again and again. Ruby couldn’t breathe, couldn’t sigh or moan. She’d become lost in sensation—helpless to ask or beg for anything at all. Her legs began to tremble, and her core followed suit. She was pulled under by a blissful eruption of ecstasy. She held onto Mick’s shoulders, her nails leaving tiny marks there. Would it ever end? Did she want it to end? Yes. No.

  “Oh, God!” Ruby cried out when another orgasm rocked her without warning. Had she forgotten what it felt like to feel free and captured at the same time? No. She’d loved Katherine. She’d enjoyed their lovemaking. Ruby had never been rocked to her core—split in two by the force of physical release. Only one thing could elicit such a response—total surrender. She sighed as Mick released her.

  “Ruby?” Mick called.

  Ruby silently pulled Mick into her arms.

  Mick’s thought her heart might shatter. “Are you okay?”

  Ruby moved so Mick could see the truth. “Okay? Mick—” She took a breath. “Okay? Sweetheart,” she said lovingly. “I am so much better than okay. I just need a minute to stop shaking.”

  Mick nodded. She had thought that the first time they touched would be softer.

  “Mick, this is perfect—you, me—here together—exactly like we are. You don’t ever have to hold back with me—not ever.”

  “I never wanted anyone so much,” Mick confessed. “I want you again.”

  Ruby grinned. “Is that so?”

  It was so. Mick was positive she could touch Ruby all night—no sleep—no food—no thought—

  Ruby giggled at the flush of Mick’s cheeks. “We have all weekend.”

  “We might not leave this cabin,” Mick said.

  “Good.”

  “Good?”

  “It’ll give me a chance to voice my appreciation,” Ruby said.

  Mick gulped.

  “But first, I think I’d like to hear a little of yours.”

  Oh, dear God, she’s going to kill me. Mick smiled. And, no one will die happier.

  ***

  THREE WEEKS LATER

  “Mick?”

  Mick turned to look at Logan. “Yeah, Buddy?”

  Logan’s tips twisted, and he shuffled his feet.

  “What’s wrong?” Mick asked.

  “Why do you have to leave?”

  “Am I going somewhere?” Mick joked.

  Logan shook his head. “I have to leave,” he mumbled.

  Mick put the wrench in her hand down. “Logan,” she began cautiously. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

  Logan shuffled his feet again.

  “Okay. How about we take a break from the car and go upstairs for a while? I think Grandma made some cookies yesterday.”

  Logan nodded.

  Mick sense that Logan was worried—or perhaps he was upset. He hadn’t mentioned any problems at school, and Ruby hadn’t expressed any concerns either. Logan was usually upbeat and talkative. He’d been quiet, almost sullen ever since Mick had picked him up at school. If anything could get him to open up, Mick was confident some cookies and a cup of cocoa would do the trick. She followed behind him until they reached the kitchen.

  “I thought you two were down there tinkering with that spaceship of yours,” Leona said.

  “It’s a car, mom.”

  “Looks like a spaceship to me,” Leona said.

  “It doesn’t fly,” Logan offered.

  “No, but you will be able to drive it,” Mick said. “We thought we might liberate a few cookies,” she told her mother.

  “Help yourself. Don’t spoil your dinner, though.” She looked at Logan.

  Logan nodded.

  “Why don’t you go wash your hands in the bathroom?” Mick suggested.

  Logan nodded again and left the room.

  Mick sighed.

  “What’s going on?” Leona inquired.

  “I’m not sure. Something is bothering him.”

  “Did he say something?”

  “No. He’s been quiet all afternoon,” Mick explained.

  “Maybe he’s tired.”

  Mick shook her head. “No, it’s something else. He asked me why I have to leave.” Leona seemed unsurprised which surprised Mick. “Mom?
Do you know what that’s about?”

  “I could wager a guess.”

  “Feel like enlightening me?”

  “Mick, you practically live at Ruby’s.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Yes, you do—practically.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “No.”

  “But you think it bothers Logan?”

  “No.”

  “Mom! Help me out here.”

  “I said practically. You pick him up from school. If you’re not working, you’re there to tuck him in.”

  Mick was growing nervous. “Do you think that’s too much, too soon? I mean, Ruby seems to like when I’m there.”

  “Ruby loves you, Michaela. Of course, she likes it when you’re there. Logan does too. I think he might be a little confused as to why you are there for dinner or breakfast but never both.”

  Mick rubbed her eyes. “I didn’t want to freak him out.”

  Leona laughed.

  “Why is that funny?”

  “It is funny. It’s not as if you and Ruby hide your relationship from him.”

  “Well, no, but—”

  Leona rolled her eyes.

  “It’s been a month, Mom. I don’t think we’re ready for more than we have right now.”

  “That might be true. Do you realize what you have right now?”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that you and Ruby are more committed to each other than some couple’s I’ve known who were married thirty years. That’s what it means.”

  Mick was growing flustered.

  “Why does that make you nervous?” Leona asked.

  “It does.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t want to fuck it up, Mom. Sorry.”

  “Mick, I think it’s fine that you two want to take your time. Logan needs to know that you aren’t going anywhere.”

  “He knows that. Like you said, I’m always there.”

  “Mick, I’m going to ask you something, and I want you to be honest with me.”

  “Okay.”

  “Do you think you would want Logan to be your son?”

  “Logan’s not my son, Mom.”