Sighing, Nicole shook her head. “Sometimes, it’s hard to tell which I’m doing, especially now that you pointed it out, but I knew then that would’ve been way too much. Especially since you told me that you could handle one glass.”
“Not to mention I didn’t care about the glass after we got to the other tradition.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
Nicole giggled, but blushed at the same time. “That’s actually why I was happy you said we should stay in. I’ve never been so happy to cancel on Mina before.”
“That’s why I wanted to stay in, too!” Well, it was one of the reasons, anyway.
Last year, the couple had gone out with Mina and her husband. It was actually pretty fun. They went to an upscale bar, had plenty of conversations with people, and even danced as much as Dane could before her knee throbbed. They did the countdown while watching the ball drop. They toasted, which was when Dane had her sip of champagne. They shared a New Year’s kiss, and moments later, they found out they probably shouldn’t celebrate the New Year in public.
The kiss started out simple enough, just a gentle press of their lips. Dane had even pulled away slightly, but Nicole hadn’t been ready to let her go. Dane wasn’t one to argue and stayed in place. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she forgot they were in a crowded bar. Nicole must’ve done the same, because seconds later their mouths were open and their tongues were caressing each other. Once Dane’s hand drifted to Nicole’s breast, the whole place erupted into cheers. The couple jumped away from each other as if poisoned.
Nicole blushed, but Dane got thoroughly pissed off. In the past, she wouldn’t have cared about putting on a show, but this involved the woman she loved. Nicole was sacred to Dane, and nothing they did was for the entertainment of others. They had left shortly after the kiss and never returned to that particular establishment.
“So, hot chocolate or do you want something else?” Nicole asked.
“Nah, hot chocolate is good. Are we going to have the little marshmallows in it, too?” Dane pinched her thumb and forefinger close together to show the size of the marshmallows.
“Of course.” Nicole laughed.
“Just hurry back. The ball’s gonna drop soon.”
Nicole nodded and went off to make their drinks. Dane had to find a channel that aired the ball drop. She found one showing musical acts before the big moment. The noise must’ve reached the den because Haydn rushed out, even though he had been asleep. Showing that pets sometimes took on the characteristics of their owners, Haydn moved along with the music as if he enjoyed it.
“Is that our little man up past his bedtime?” Nicole returned to the living room with two mugs of hot cocoa.
Dane made space on the coffee table for their drinks. Nicole put the mugs on top of the coasters. She sat down on the couch and cuddled into Dane. Haydn came over to inspect the beverages, but grew disinterested when he pressed his nose on the hot cup. Whining, he went back to the music, and his owners laughed a little at his accident. They turned their attention to the television and found Haydn blocking their view, because he kept jumping up.
“Hey, down in front,” Dane called to the energetic pup. His head popped up every few seconds.
“Let him tire himself out. We’re not really watching the show.” Nicole rubbed Dane’s stomach to keep her relaxed.
Dane didn’t argue with that. Haydn certainly did tire himself after a few minutes of constant moving and jumping. He went to have some water and put himself back to bed in the den. His owners couldn’t help laughing at his quick exit.
“He left at the right time,” Dane stated, as the ball appeared. The camera focused on the crowd below the ball. They all appeared to be having a good time in the freezing cold. Dane reached for her hot drink, took a sip, and ended up with a whipped cream mustache.
“You look silly.” Nicole giggled and leaned in, running her tongue over Dane’s top lip.
Dane’s eyes drifted shut briefly, and she moaned. “You keep that up and we won’t be counting down to the New Year.”
Nicole tittered. “Not much of a threat.”
Dane definitely couldn’t dispute that and didn’t try. Nicole reached for her own mug, sipping her hot chocolate. The countdown began when they had gotten halfway through the warm beverage. They stopped drinking to save something to toast with. Once the countdown was under five, they turned to each other. Staring into each other’s eyes, they gently touched mugs as the host on television wished the viewers a happy New Year.
“Happy New Year, baby,” Nicole whispered.
“Happy New Year, angel.”
Nicole held up her mug to make a toast. “To a lifetime of peaceful New Years with you and may this year smile good fortune on us as the previous year did by giving us the strength to carry on together.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Dane said, and they touched mugs again before taking drinks. “To years of enjoying each other, loving each other, and always being there for each other.”
Nicole smiled and tipped her mug to that. They finished off their hot chocolate quickly and turned to each other for the reason that they’d stayed home. Nicole leaned in for the other New Year’s tradition, capturing Dane’s lips with her own. The kiss wasn’t nearly as scandalous as the one they had shared a year ago, but they still preferred it without an audience.
“You taste like chocolate,” Nicole said, as they broke for air.
Dane couldn’t help laughing. “Gee, I wonder why.”
“While I like chocolate, I like you more, so we have got to do something about that.”
Before Dane could ask a question to play along, Nicole was on her again, kissing her deeply. Dane moaned from the swirl of Nicole’s gifted tongue, which seemed intent on getting rid of the chocolate residue inside of Dane’s mouth. She felt like she had to play catch, trying to stroke Nicole’s tongue with her own, but Nicole didn’t seem interested in her tongue. Dane cursed the fact that they needed more air and had to pull away.
“Do I still taste like chocolate?” Dane was certain she knew the answer, but she wanted to see how her lover would respond.
“I should check to make sure you’re all clear.”
Dane had hoped that was the answer. Nicole was on her again, hitting her with enough force to give the idea that Nicole wanted her to lie back. She eased down onto the sofa, not wanting to lose contact with her lover’s wonderful mouth. Nicole followed, making sure the kiss wasn’t broken. Dane’s hands wandered Nicole’s back and caressed her shoulders, while trying to pull her closer. Nicole moaned into Dane’s mouth and her hands roamed Dane’s sides. Again, the need for air broke them apart, and Nicole shifted her body to get comfortable on top of Dane.
“This is why going out is overrated.” Dane kissed her girlfriend’s cheek.
“Damn right,” Nicole concurred and placed a small peck on her lover’s chin. She playfully nipped the area, dragging her teeth down Dane’s chin. Dane held onto her tighter and rubbed her back again.
“You are so goddamn sexy,” Dane whispered, as her hands worked their way underneath Nicole’s tank top.
Nicole only smiled and started another kiss. She moaned into Dane’s mouth, as Dane’s hands fondled her breasts. Sitting up, Nicole rid herself of the top, and Dane filled her hands with wonderfully bare cleavage.
“This is quite possibly the best start to any year, ever in the history of the world,” Dane decided, before taking a pebbled nipple between her lips, which meant no more talking for her.
“Happy New Year to us,” Nicole moaned, holding Dane’s head to her chest.
Ice Pack
NICOLE SIGHED, READY FOR the day to be over. She was stuck at work, which seemed to go on forever lately. Shades of her former work life were peeking out, people pestering her for help when she had her own piles of work. Her parents tended to keep folks at bay, but only when she had school. When she was out of class, she was on her own. Much of the time, she no longer had a problem sending people away, but occasionally
there were those who really did need help, and she felt obligated to help them.
Making matters worse, she wasn’t looking forward to driving in the snow that was being predicted. She hoped she’d be home before the snow started. She partially got her wish—it started snowing as she was on her way home. Her phone rang, and she answered it on speaker.
“Hey, baby,” Nicole greeted her lover. I wonder what my sweet, precious pup would do if she knew I have a violin concerto as her ringtone.
“It’s snowing. You headed home?” Danny asked.
“I’m in the car as we speak.”
“Okay. Don’t wanna distract you on the road and everything. Take your time and be safe, okay?”
“I will. See you in about an hour. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
The call was disconnected, and Nicole focused on the street ahead of her. Shivering as she drove on, she sucked her teeth as she realized the heater wasn’t working as well as it should. With one hand on the steering wheel, Nicole checked the vents that were within arm’s reach.
“Great, just great. Another thing to make this week annoying,” she grumbled. Between her stacks of work, her coworkers bothering her, and now having to ride home cold with almost blinding snow, Nicole was done. By the time she pulled up to the house, she could see her breath and could barely feel her fingers. She glared at the snow, which lightly covered the front yard. A sigh of relief escaped as soon as the warmth in the house engulfed her.
The patter of paws caught her ears and Haydn was in front of her within seconds. He was getting big, looking like a “real dog,” as Danny had put it. He was still very much a puppy, though—a happy puppy.
“Hey, little man,” Nicole smiled, scratching behind his ears. Haydn barked, which was more like a chirp. He rubbed his head against her arm before moving deeper into the house, pulling her by the end of her coat.
“Just in time.” Danny exited the kitchen and went to help Nicole out of her coat.
“Just in time for what?”
“Hot chocolate.”
Nicole cooed. “I love you.”
Danny laughed. “I know you do, but what about that hot chocolate?”
“Just what I wanted.”
“Kinda figured that. It’s on the counter in the kitchen. I’m going to go run us a bath. Sound good?”
Nicole grinned. “Excellent.” Danny has to know how amazing she is just for these things.
With her coat hung up and her briefcase out of Haydn’s reach, Nicole went to enjoy the hot, creamy, sweetness that was cocoa. A single sip helped melt away the stress of the day. Haydn bouncing around her legs helped too. He was such a jovial little guy that his just being there brightened her day.
“You want a snack, Haydn?” The pup barked, probably because he had come to learn what the word snack meant.
She and Danny kept snacks for Haydn in a jar, but they had a system to make sure they did not overindulge him. They each only gave him one snack, so no matter what he only had two snacks maximum. She held the treat out for him.
“Okay, Haydn, let’s see if that expensive training school paid off. Roll,” she commanded, and he yelped before rolling over several times. She smiled. “You are too cute, Haydn. Here you go.” She put the snack on the end of his nose, as Danny had taken to doing. He balanced it for a second before eating it.
Laughing, while Haydn went to have some water, Nicole made her way upstairs carrying the hot chocolate still in hand. She wanted to take a quick shower before soaking in the tub with Danny. Finishing her drink, she stripped and cleaned her body as fast as possible.
***
Dane prepared the bath in the main bathroom, complete with bubbles, bath beads, and candles. She had to go get the dock for the music, and she put to use a new item they’d purchased—a gate for the stairs. Since Haydn was growing, he found it much easier to get up the steps and make a nuisance of himself.
“Maybe I should crate him,” Dane considered, but she shook that away. He’d whine loudly if he were locked away while the lights were still on in the house, and he had so many more things to explore.
Returning to the bathroom, Dane started some classical music. She checked the temperature of the water and was about to go get her lover when Nicole walked through the door only wearing a towel. They smiled at each other.
“Looks like you started without me,” Dane said as she pulled her lover to her.
“No, just wanted to wash away the grime of the day.”
“Did it work?” The tired look in her girlfriend’s beautiful green eyes told her all she needed to know.
Nicole offered her a sigh and a half-smile as an answer. Dane unwrapped her from the towel and helped her into the tub. Dane got in behind and Nicole settled her back against Dane’s chest. She began massaging Nicole’s back.
“Damn, angel, you’re tense here, all knotted up,” Dane said.
Nicole groaned. “I hate work.”
“Tough day?”
“Tough week and it’s only Wednesday. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it through the rest of the week.” She shifted, so that Dane could get to just below her shoulder.
Dane worked on her girlfriend’s back and kissed Nicole’s neck. “You’ll be fine, Chem.”
Nicole sighed and shook her head. “This is going to be a long month.” They were silent momentarily. “I was thinking of taking a couple of days off.”
A smile settled on Dane’s face. “I’m all for that. You’ve got tons of days, right?” She didn’t want Nicole to get in trouble.
“I do. Hey, want to take a vacation?” Nicole twisted around slightly to look Dane in the eye.
Dane startled at the out-of-the-blue suggestion. “Did you just think of that?” It sounded so spur of the moment.
“Well, not really. Of course, it’s been on my mind since our first trip. I figure if I’m going to take off a couple of days and then ask you to cancel some appointments…” Emerald eyes twinkled.
Dane pretended to gasp in shock. “You want me to cancel appointments? Why, I never!” She laughed.
Nicole chuckled, too. “Is that too much to ask?”
Scoffing, Dane pecked the end of Nicole’s nose. “Of course not, Chem. I’ll shuffle whatever I need to if it means going on a trip with you. Where do you want to go?”
Those enchanting eyes shined again. “Skiing.”
Dane’s eyebrows knitted close together. “Skiing? I’ve never been skiing before and don’t know if I can.” She knew she could barely run on her leg, so she wasn’t sure how her leg would hold up skiing.
“So? Baby, I know it’s uncertain with your leg and everything, but we shouldn’t let that stop us from going. We go for a few days, and you can find out if you can ski. If you can’t, we can do a bunch of other things.” Nicole smiled.
Dane laughed. “Guess you’re right about that. You have a place in mind?”
“Yeah, I’ve been there before. We can rent a little cabin. Four days sound good?”
“Sounds great. Do we get to surprise each other again?” Dane asked, grinning and waggling her eyebrows.
Nicole smiled, too, and purred. “Yes, but only one surprise again. I don’t want to spend the whole trip stuck in the cabin.”
Dane pouted. “You make it sound like a bad thing. Is making love with me such a chore?” she sighed.
Nicole kissed the expression away. “Making love with you is always a grand experience. I don’t want the trip to be only about that. I want to have some fun with our clothes on as well as off. I like you enough to want to spend time with you doing other things.”
Dane grinned and sat up a little straighter. “Sounds promising. Sure you can arrange this before you have to go back to class?”
Nicole scoffed. “Arranging it is easy. Getting the days off might be tricky.”
“What? Just tell your parents you need time off to fuck my brains out,” Dane joked.
“That would guarantee I never get anothe
r day off. My father would probably faint if I even said the word fuck in his presence and meant it in a remotely sexual way.”
“Then I guess he’d die if he knew what you do to me.”
Nicole chuckled and wrapped her arms around her lover. Dane returned the embrace, caressing Nicole’s back. The redhead sighed and relaxed, which caused her partner to smile. Dane looked forward to taking another trip and began thinking on what to surprise Nicole with.
***
“You didn’t want to take the train again?” Dane and Nicole were on board a plane, flying north.
Nicole’s hair bounced as she shook her head. “The train ride before was because you had never traveled by train. Now, I just want to get to our cabin and hit the slopes!”
The musician only smiled. She had been on an airplane several times before so she was nowhere near as excited as they moved closer to their destination. She held Nicole’s hand the whole flight. They both ignored stares and glares from a few people who obviously didn’t approve.
After landing Dane made sure to stand at her full height and glower at everyone who dared to stare and disapprove. Suddenly, several eyes found the floor interesting. Nicole grabbed their overhead bags, but Dane took them from her immediately. They had one other bag to pick up before Nicole drove the rental car to the cabin. She smiled as she stopped by the main office to get their card keys for the cabin.
“I know you thought it would be like a cabin in the movies, but I definitely couldn’t get something like that on such short notice.” Nicole pulled up to the little rental. There were other small cabins within view, but far enough that no one would be high-fiving Dane if they ran into neighbors in the morning.
“Your dad doesn’t own a cabin or something? I thought he was all outdoorsy and junk.”
“He is, but he prefers camping.”
Dane shrugged as they began unloading the car. The thick snow crunched under their feet and Nicole felt the chill through her coat. She hurriedly opened the front door, pleased to feel the heat on in the unit.
Bandages Page 18
