by Radclyffe
Abby smiled. “You’re what I want.”
“Done,” Flann murmured. “And if we stay here much longer I’m going to want you again. Sooner or later we’ll be missed.”
“I know.” Abby sighed. “We should get back.” She laughed. “But I’m showering first.”
“Good idea. I’ll help.”
Abby sat up, pressed her palm to Flann’s belly. Muscles jumped, and her blood heated. “Not the recommended course of action, Dr. Rivers.”
“Do you have a better treatment plan in mind, Dr. Remy?” Flann stretched under Abby’s caresses, indolent and satisfied.
“Mmm, I do.” Abby leaned down, kissed her, and quickly rose before her willpower deserted her. “Much more of that as often as possible.”
Flann grinned. “Sounds like the perfect prescription.”
Epilogue
Three Weeks Later
Thunder pulled Flann from a deep sleep. Rain pelted the tin roof of the old schoolhouse, filling the bedroom with a melody as familiar as her own heartbeat. Beyond the window, the faint gray light heralded the dawn. She listened to the sounds of the world awakening—a tree frog’s rumbling croak, the first trill of birdsong, the distant whistle of a freight train chugging along the river. Nature’s symphony washed over her like a soothing caress, but what warmed her most of all was Abby’s slow, steady breathing—her presence still new and already achingly central to Flann’s life. Abby slept on her side with her back to Flann, her hips pressed into the curve of Flann’s body as if they had been sculpted to fit together. Flann slid her hand around Abby’s middle and gently brushed her palm over the curve of her belly. Abby murmured, arched under her touch, and edged closer. Flann rested her cheek in the curve of Abby’s neck, breathing in the pure, clean scent of her hair and skin. The night was warm and they’d gone to sleep naked beneath the sheet. The sensation of Abby’s soft, warm skin against her nipples made her loins tighten.
“Mmm.” Flann kissed her neck.
“Again?” Abby murmured sleepily.
Flann chuckled. “What’s the matter, are you worn out already?”
“Three hundred times in three weeks? Not a chance.”
“That’s good. As I think we’ve got a few thousand more times to go.” Smiling, Flann cupped Abby’s breast and swept her thumb lightly over her nipple, inflamed as always by the quick indrawn breath, the tightening surge of Abby’s hips.
Abby turned onto her back, curved one arm around Flann’s neck, and drew her down for a kiss. “At least, but who’s counting.”
Flann kissed her again slowly, savoring the softness of her mouth, exulting in starting another day beside her. “I love you.”
Abby purred. “I love you too.” Another wave of thunder rolled through and Abby frowned. “Do you think they’re all right out in this?”
“Sure. Part of the fun of these weekend camping trips is getting caught in a rainstorm. They’ll be muddy and wet, but fine.” Flann rubbed her cheek on Abby’s breast and circled a tight nipple with her tongue. “He’ll love it.”
“It’s his first time with kids he doesn’t know. Who don’t know him.”
“Margie’s there, and Bill runs these outdoor work weekends like boot camp—everybody works, everybody contributes, no favorites. Bill will keep an eye on them, and they’ll have the pond cleared and be canoeing by noon.” Flann looked up, smoothed her thumb over the crease in Abby’s forehead. “And I asked Bill to keep an eye on him. He would anyhow, but I just wanted to be sure. It was Blake’s idea to go with the mountain club—we have to be as brave as he is.”
“I love you for loving him,” Abby said quietly, “but I fell in love with you for myself. I need you.”
Flann’s heart swelled. How had she gotten so lucky? “We need to do this every day.”
“Which part?” Abby teased, running her fingertips down Flann’s spine, caressing her ass. “Waking up together, having sex before the sun comes up, or sharing the joys and terror of raising a teen?”
“All of the above. I want to come home to you every night, wake up to you every morning, plan every day of my life with you and Blake.”
Abby’s eyes gleamed as she caressed Flann’s face. “Is that a proposal?”
“Damn right. I don’t just want us to live together. I want us to get married.”
“Married married, like married?” Abby’s voice trembled.
Flann laughed. “Dr. Remy, words seem to fail you this morning.”
“Oh no, I got that word just right. The whole deal, you mean.”
“I’ve never meant it more.” For just a second, Flann panicked. Hadn’t she been clear before that she wanted Abby to be hers, Abby and Blake? Granted, they’d spent just about every spare second since the barn raising in bed or figuring out how to get there, what with the way their schedules sometimes rarely lined up, but she’d thought she’d said everything she was feeling out loud. How could Abby not know? “I love you. I don’t want a life without you and Blake in it. Yes, hell yes, I want the whole deal. You said you wanted—”
“I know what I said. I want exactly the same thing. You are the one I want. Today, tomorrow, every day.” Abby kissed her, a firm, fiery, undeniable kiss of ownership. “The answer is yes, Flann. Always, yes.”
The tension in Flann’s chest eased, and she rested her forehead on Abby’s. “We’ve still got Harper and Presley’s wedding to get through, and—”
Abby laughed. “The wedding planning is not exactly a chore, but it is going to take everyone’s free time for the next little while. And then there’s Blake…”
“We should probably let him get settled in school first,” Flann said, “but I want to house hunt, okay?”
“Absolutely. If the three of us are going to be cohabitating, which it looks as if we are, we need a little more room.”
“Good. I saw a place just at the edge of town that looks perfect. Close enough so Blake can easily see his friends, but there’s good land, Abby. The house needs a little work, but—”
“Let’s go see it.”
“Until I met you,” Flann murmured, easing on top of Abby and framing her face so their eyes met, “I didn’t want to be needed. I was afraid I would fail somehow. That I might not be enough. You make me strong, Abby.”
Abby slid her leg behind Flann’s and pulled her into the cradle of her hips. “You have always been strong. And you’re everything I need.”
“God, Abby,” Flann whispered, feeling the hunger flare to life along with the joy. “You’re everything. I’ll never get enough of you.”
Abby smiled. “I’m glad to hear it, but I don’t mind if you try.”
About the Author
Radclyffe has written over forty-five romance and romantic intrigue novels, dozens of short stories, and, writing as L.L. Raand, has authored a paranormal romance series, The Midnight Hunters.
She is an eight-time Lambda Literary Award finalist in romance, mystery, and erotica—winning in both romance (Distant Shores, Silent Thunder) and erotica (Erotic Interludes 2: Stolen Moments edited with Stacia Seaman and In Deep Waters 2: Cruising the Strip written with Karin Kallmaker). A member of the Saints and Sinners Literary Hall of Fame, she is also an RWA/FF&P Prism Award winner for Secrets in the Stone, an RWA FTHRW Lories and RWA HODRW winner for Firestorm, an RWA Bean Pot winner for Crossroads, and an RWA Laurel Wreath winner for Blood Hunt. In 2014 she was awarded the Dr. James Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist Award by the Lambda Literary Foundation.
She is also the president of Bold Strokes Books, one of the world’s largest independent LGBTQ publishing companies.
Find her at facebook.com/Radclyffe.BSB, follow her on Twitter @RadclyffeBSB, and visit her website at Radfic.com.
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
Illicit Artifacts by Stevie Mikayne. Her foster mother’s death cracked open a secret world Jil never wanted to see...and now she has to pick up the stolen pieces. (978-1-62639-472-8)
Pathfinder by Gun Broo
ke. Heading for their new homeworld, Exodus’s chief engineer Adina Vantressa and nurse Briar Lindemay carry game-changing secrets that may well cause them to lose everything when disaster strikes. (978-1-62639-444-5)
Prescription for Love by Radclyffe. Dr. Flannery Rivers finds herself attracted to the new ER chief, city girl Abigail Remy, and the incendiary mix of city and country, fire and ice, tradition and change is combustible. (978-1-62639-570-1)
Ready or Not by Melissa Brayden. Uptight Mallory Spencer finds relinquishing control to bartender Hope Sanders too tall an order in fast-paced New York City. (978-1-62639-443-8)
Summer Passion by MJ Williamz. Women loving women is forbidden in 1946 Hollywood, yet Jean and Maggie strive to keep their love alive and away from prying eyes. (978-1-62639-540-4)
The Princess and the Prix by Nell Stark. “Ugly duckling” Princess Alix of Monaco was resigned to loneliness until she met racecar driver Thalia d’Angelis. (978-1-62639-474-2)
Winter’s Harbor by Aurora Rey. Lia Brooks isn’t looking for love in Provincetown, but when she discovers chocolate croissants and pastry chef Alex McKinnon, her winter retreat quickly starts heating up. (978-1-62639-498-8)
The Time Before Now by Missouri Vaun. Vivian flees a disastrous affair, embarking on an epic, transformative journey to escape her past, until destiny introduces her to Ida, who helps her rediscover trust, love, and hope. (978-1-62639-446-9)
Twisted Whispers by Sheri Lewis Wohl. Betrayal, lies, and secrets—whispers of a friend lost to darkness. Can a reluctant psychic set things right or will an evil soul destroy those she loves? (978-1-62639-439-1)
The Courage to Try by C.A. Popovich. Finding love is worth getting past the fear of trying. (978-1-62639-528-2)
Break Point by Yolanda Wallace. In a world readying for war, can love find a way? (978-1-62639-568-8)
Countdown by Julie Cannon. Can two strong-willed, powerful women overcome their differences to save the lives of seven others and begin a life they never imagined together? (978-1-62639-471-1)
Keep Hold by Michelle Grubb. Claire knew some things should be left alone and some rules should never be broken, but the most forbidden, well, they are the most tempting. (978-1-62639-502-2)
Deadly Medicine by Jaime Maddox. Dr. Ward Thrasher’s life is in turmoil. Her partner Jess left her, and her job puts her in the path of a murderous physician who has Jess in his sights. (978-1-62639-424-7)
New Beginnings by KC Richardson. Can the connection and attraction between Jordan Roberts and Kirsten Murphy be enough for Jordan to trust Kirsten with her heart? (978-1-62639-450-6)
Officer Down by Erin Dutton. Can two women who’ve made careers out of being there for others in crisis find the strength to need each other? (978-1-62639-423-0)
Reasonable Doubt by Carsen Taite. Just when Sarah and Ellery think they’ve left dangerous careers behind, a new case sets them—and their hearts—on a collision course. (978-1-62639-442-1)
Tarnished Gold by Ann Aptaker. Cantor Gold must outsmart the Law, outrun New York’s dockside gangsters, outplay a shady art dealer, his lover, and a beautiful curator, and stay out of a killer’s gun sights. (978-1-62639-426-1)
White Horse in Winter by Franci McMahon. Love between two women collides with the inner poison of a closeted horse trainer in the green hills of Vermont. (978-1-62639-429-2)
Autumn Spring by Shelley Thrasher. Can Bree and Linda, two women in the autumn of their lives, put their hearts first and find the love they’ve never dared seize? (978-1-62639-365-3)
The Renegade by Amy Dunne. Post-apocalyptic survivors Alex and Evelyn secretly find love while held captive by a deranged cult, but when their relationship is discovered, they must fight for their freedom—or die trying. (978-1-62639-427-8)
Thrall by Barbara Ann Wright. Four women in a warrior society must work together to lift an insidious curse while caught between their own desires, the will of their peoples, and an ancient evil. (978-1-62639-437-7)
The Chameleon’s Tale by Andrea Bramhall. Two old friends must work through a web of lies and deceit to find themselves again, but in the search they discover far more than they ever went looking for. (978-1-62639-363-9)
Side Effects by VK Powell. Detective Jordan Bishop and Dr. Neela Sahjani must decide if it’s easier to trust someone with your heart or your life as they face threatening protestors, corrupt politicians, and their increasing attraction. (978-1-62639-364-6)
Warm November by Kathleen Knowles. What do you do if the one woman you want is the only one you can’t have? (978-1-62639-366-0)
In Every Cloud by Tina Michele. When Bree finally leaves her shattered life behind, is she strong enough to salvage the remaining pieces of her heart and find the place where it truly fits? (978-1-62639-413-1)
Rise of the Gorgon by Tanai Walker. When independent Internet journalist Elle Pharell goes to Kuwait to investigate a veteran’s mysterious suicide, she hires Cassandra Hunt, an interpreter with a covert agenda. (978-1-62639-367-7)
Crossed by Meredith Doench. Agent Luce Hansen returns home to catch a killer and risks everything to revisit the unsolved murder of her first girlfriend and confront the demons of her youth. (978-1-62639-361-5)
Making a Comeback by Julie Blair. Music and love take center stage when jazz pianist Liz Randall tries to make a comeback with the help of her reclusive, blind neighbor, Jac Winters. (978-1-62639-357-8)
Soul Unique by Gun Brooke. Self-proclaimed cynic Greer Landon falls for Hayden Rowe’s paintings and the young woman shortly after, but will Hayden, who lives with Asperger syndrome, trust her and reciprocate her feelings? (978-1-62639-358-5)
The Price of Honor by Radclyffe. Honor and duty are not always black and white—and when self-styled patriots take up arms against the government, the price of honor may be a life. (978-1-62639-359-2)
Mounting Evidence by Karis Walsh. Lieutenant Abigail Hargrove and her mounted police unit need to solve a murder and protect wetland biologist Kira Lovell during the Washington State Fair. (978-1-62639-343-1)
Threads of the Heart by Jeannie Levig. Maggie and Addison Rae-McInnis share a love and a life, but are the threads that bind them together strong enough to withstand Addison’s restlessness and the seductive Victoria Fontaine? (978-1-62639-410-0)
Sheltered Love by MJ Williamz. Boone Fairway and Grey Dawson—two women touched by abuse—overcome their pasts to find happiness in each other. (978-1-62639-362-2)
Death’s Doorway by Crin Claxton. Helping the dead can be deadly: Tony may be listening to the dead, but she needs to learn to listen to the living. (978-1-62639-354-7)
Searching for Celia by Elizabeth Ridley. As American spy novelist Dayle Salvesen investigates the mysterious disappearance of her ex-lover, Celia, in London, she begins questioning how well she knew Celia—and how well she knows herself. (978-1-62639-356-1).
Hardwired by C.P. Rowlands. Award-winning teacher Clary Stone and Leefe Ellis, manager of the homeless shelter for small children, stand together in a part of Clary’s hometown that she never knew existed. (978-1-62639-351-6)
The Muse by Meghan O’Brien. Erotica author Kate McMannis struggles with writer’s block until a gorgeous muse entices her into a world of fantasy sex and inadvertent romance. (978-1-62639-223-6)
