Thirteen Hours (31 page)

It wasn’t as though she hadn’t enjoyed countless other happy—even blissful—moments since that first night in the elevator with Laurel.

And it wasn’t even like this particular moment was specifically happier than any of those. It was just that ever since she met Laurel, every day was better than the last, and with each moment they were together, Dana felt her hope and excitement about the future grow. Tomorrow she would be even happier than today, and even more in love.

After everything they’d experienced together, she trusted Laurel more than anyone else in the world. And she knew Laurel felt the same way, which was the most powerful gift Dana had ever been given. Yet Dana yearned for something more.

She watched Isis make a tentative circle around Laurel’s feet, flicking her tail in what looked like irritation. She meowed while Hamlet wriggled around on Laurel’s lap. With a smile, Dana said, “I’m glad Isis learned how to share you with me.”

“Yeah, she says you’re family now.”

Dana felt an unexpected rush of emotion at the sentiment. She did feel like they were a family now. It was amazing how much she had come to depend on the idea of sharing her life with someone. Knowing now how wonderful it was to trust another person, she marveled at how much she missed out on those many years she spent alone. She could find that depressing, except that it all led to her meeting Laurel. She couldn’t imagine wanting to be with anyone else.

Thinking about the possibility of starting a family with Laurel some day brought up thoughts of her parents, and even her brother. She had been close to all of them once, and all the recent changes in her life made her yearn to repair some of the damage she had done to their relationship by closing herself off from them after college. Part of her new desire to build bridges was knowing how important family was to Laurel, and seeing how happy it made her when Dana reached out.

Besides, if they did do something crazy like have kids some day, those babies deserved to have grandparents.

Dana’s musing came crashing to a halt when Hamlet leapt onto the couch and clambered onto her lap. Large, clumsy paws gripped at her thighs, and a wet nose pressed against her cheek. She could feel the wagging of his tail vibrate throughout his entire body.

“Hamlet!” Laurel said, and rushed to the couch to take hold of his collar. “Off.”

Dana couldn’t imagine what her reaction to the puppy’s playful enthusiasm might have been before she met Laurel. Now she laughed instinctively, even as she gasped for breath when a large paw landed on her stomach. The dog came home with Laurel a week ago, and it was already clear that he had decided to bond with Dana. She didn’t know what to make of that, but to her surprise, it made her feel pretty damn good.

“I’m so sorry,” Laurel said. “He definitely needs to learn some manners.”

“It’s okay,” Dana said as Hamlet finally hopped off the couch and struck a loyal pose next to her on the floor. She reached out and fingered his floppy ears, then gave his head an affectionate stroke. “I get it. I was socially awkward before I met you, too.”

“And look at you now.” Laurel leaned over and kissed her, smiling against her lips.

Dana considered her life: a former workaholic desperately in love with a sexy stripper-turned-veterinarian, flanked by a giant puppy and a spoiled cat, having idle thoughts about family and babies on an uneventful Wednesday evening. With a grin, she agreed, “Look at me now.”

———

That weekend, Dana tested her resolution. They were having dinner at her parents’ house, these days a regular happening. From the moment her father opened the door and invited them in, Dana forced herself to relax and reach out to her family. She greeted her father with a hug, then gave her mother a kiss on the cheek.

Trevor earned a mock punch to the arm, which he deflected with an expert block. Dana grinned at him, allowing herself to take pleasure in the familiar routine. To her surprise, he returned her warm smile.

“You guys really got a Great Dane puppy?”

Dana blushed. Obviously her mother had shared some of their phone conversation of the day before. She caught Laurel grinning at her, and said, “We’re
fostering
a Great Dane puppy. Until we can find him a good home.”

“That’s so cool. Maybe I could meet him? I’ve been thinking about getting a dog.”

“Think about it once you’ve moved out of here for good,” Dana’s father said as he shut the door behind them. “Until then, you can visit Dana’s dog.”

“Well, he’s not really—” Dana protested, until she could see that nobody was listening to her.

Laurel gave her a long-suffering shake of the head, and Dana rolled her eyes. Like Laurel would be devastated if Dana decided she didn’t want that big lug of a puppy to leave.

“Is there anything I can do to help with dinner, Vicki?” Laurel asked.

Dana’s mom lit up at the suggestion and took Laurel by the arm. “I have some potatoes that need peeling, if you’re interested.”

“Sounds like fun,” Laurel said, and let herself be led to the kitchen.

“I used to be the official potato peeler for my mom, too.”

Dana could hear her mother ask Laurel a question, but didn’t catch the words. She watched her lover go with a smile, unable to believe how quickly her parents seemed to have accepted her into the fold.

As though sensing Dana’s thoughts, her father stepped close and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You look happy.”

“I am,” Dana said honestly. “Things are going really well.”

“And I suspect we have Laurel to thank for that?”

Trevor shot her a grin full of insinuation but kept a lid on the rude comments. Dana sensed that he was trying hard to get along with her, and that it was probably due in large part to how hard she was trying to get along with him. She gave both Trevor and her father a smile, and said, “We definitely have Laurel to thank for that.”

“Tell me, does Laurel like playing Boggle?”

Dana laughed at the mention of her father’s favorite word game.

“I don’t know that I’m aware of Laurel’s feelings on Boggle.”

Her father widened his eyes and led her into the den. “You two have never played?”

Dana raised her eyebrow at Trevor, warning him not to go anywhere with that comment, then told her father, “No, we haven’t.”

“Well, Dana,” her father said in a serious voice, “she has to play Boggle if she’s going to be part of this family. I’m still looking for someone to dethrone me.”

Dana’s heart swelled at her father’s acceptance of Laurel’s role in her life. She could see he was fast pushing past the initial discomfort of this new part of his daughter’s life, and she was grateful for it. “Don’t I get another shot at taking the title?”

“Of course you do,” her father said. He looked extraordinarily pleased, and Dana wished she had thought of inviting him to play a game of Boggle sooner. They used to play all the time when Dana was a teenager, and she loved it. Why had they ever stopped?

“Am I going to be able to get in on this action?” Trevor asked.

“Only if you’re ready to get your ass kicked,” Dana said. She sat down at the round oak table in their den, staring Trevor down as her father got the well-worn box out of their gaming cabinet.

“We’ll see,” Trevor said. He cracked his knuckles, drawing a wince from Dana. He knew she hated that.

“It’s cute to see you two fighting over second place,” Dana’s father said, and opened the game.

Dana looked up to see Laurel watching them from the kitchen, gazing out over the bar to meet Dana’s eyes. She was laughing at something Dana’s mother was saying, and her face shone with happiness that Dana could see from across the room.

I love you
, Laurel mouthed silently.

I love you,
Dana mouthed back. She caught her brother looking at her, but he just gave her a friendly smile, and she couldn’t help but smile back. When she returned her gaze to Laurel, she was busy at work in the kitchen with Dana’s mother.

And she was positively radiant.

Dana was filled with a joy she had never known before. She felt almost wholly content, surrounded by people she loved and who loved her in return. As her father set up the game on the table, handing out pencils and paper, Dana made an important decision.

She couldn’t imagine her life without Laurel. And she was going to do whatever it took to make sure she wouldn’t need to.

———

Laurel lay on her side in bed, gazing at the alabaster skin of Dana’s shoulder bathed in soft moonlight. The ethereal light made her look as though she were glowing, which seemed appropriate, given the amazing time they’d had with Dana’s family that evening. Unlike their early visits with Dana’s parents and brother, when Dana had been uncomfortable and everyone seemed closed off, tonight was like being part of a real family again.

Watching Dana and Trevor tease their father for winning yet another Boggle game warmed Laurel thoroughly. And helping Vicki prepare dinner was a great time. She got to hear stories about Dana that she wasn’t sure her lover would have ever disclosed, and she also had an opportunity to tell Vicki more about herself. Laurel wanted so badly for Dana’s family to like and accept her, because she planned on being in Dana’s life for a very long time.

Dana mumbled, a small, sleepy sound, and turned slightly so that the comforter slipped off her upper body. Laurel touched her back gently, not wanting to wake her but eager to reconnect. Her skin was soft and warm, luring Laurel forward so she could plant a feather-light kiss on the nape of her neck. Funny, but when Dana slept, Laurel missed her.

So much had changed since they’d met. Dancing at the club was a distant memory, and she was finally a veterinarian working at an incredible practice, making a difference and helping animals. She was also deeply in love, and madly in lust. Nobody ever made her feel like Dana did, in bed or otherwise. At some point in the past few months, Laurel had almost stopped expecting the other shoe to drop. She found herself able to enjoy where life was taking them, and though the fear of losing someone she loved would never disappear completely, she could do nothing but hold on tight and let things happen. Dana had shown her so much courage, Laurel knew she had to do the same.

Dana. If Laurel felt different now, Dana was practically a brandnew person. Laurel had watched the past few months with breathless delight as her lover transformed before her eyes from a tightly controlled workaholic to a warm, passionate partner who made her feel safer than she ever had before. With the difference their time together had made already, Laurel was certain they both had much to look forward to.

No doubt more than either of them could imagine.

H
APPILY
E
VER
A
FTER

D
ana returned to their hotel room with a colorful bouquet of roses in her hand. When she walked into the bathroom, she was wearing a wide, crooked grin. “Best Friday of my life,” she said in a slow drawl.

Laurel rose from beneath a layer of foam and sat up in the large tub. The sight of the roses—red, pink, and white—made her smile, and she stretched out a hand for Dana. “They’re beautiful, honey.”

Dana knelt beside the tub and gave her a lingering kiss. “So are you, darling.”

Locking her hand in Dana’s hair, Laurel brought her back for another kiss. Their monthly lunchtime encounter had left her incredibly horny and needy for more. Now that her body had recovered and she’d spent the last four hours thinking about how crazy in love she was, she couldn’t get enough of her lover.

Dana placed the roses absently on the toilet lid and caressed a slow path over Laurel’s soapy skin, down into the fragrant bubbles to cup her breast. Her fingers found Laurel’s nipple, which was growing stiffer despite the heat of the water. When she gave it a gentle pinch Laurel gasped and whispered, with a catch in her voice, “So you had a good day?”

“The best.” Dana stroked along the curve of her other breast, into her cleavage. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you all afternoon.”

“I know the feeling.” Laurel felt fingertips tracing the shape of her belly button.

“I stopped by the apartment and picked up an overnight bag, then dropped Hamlet off for his overnight with Trevor. And I brought Chinese food.”

Really, Dana couldn’t be more perfect if she tried. “I knew I kept you for a reason,” Laurel murmured with absolute love. “Cashew chicken?”

“Of course. I know what you like, baby. And I always try to give you what you want.” Dana worked her way lower to cradle Laurel’s soapy-wet center.

“You’re getting your shirt wet,” Laurel said.

Dana joined in her study of the slowly moving arm and the shirt sleeve now fully submerged in the soapy water. “Indeed I am.”

Laurel blinked at the mild tone of her lover’s voice. Not so long ago, Dana would have been most unhappy about something like that. “I love you,” she said, in an effort to give voice to the intense feelings that consumed her at moments like these. “So much.”

Something flickered across Dana’s face, a happiness that lit her eyes and seemed to tug at the corners of her mouth. “I love you, too.”

“Do you want to eat dinner?”

Dana nodded but planted a hand on Laurel’s upper chest when she tried to lean forward and open the drain in the tub. “Wait.”

“For what?”

“I was hoping you could make one of my fantasies come true.”

Laurel chuckled. “Ooh, sounds like fun.” She wondered at the sudden emotion that shone in Dana’s eyes, so much more complex than simple desire. Her heart began to thump hard and fast as she sensed something important was about to happen. It was written all over Dana’s face—hope and fear and nervous anticipation. “What’s your fantasy?”

Dana started to dig around in her pockets. “I was going to wait until later, but…”

Laurel sat up straighter in the tub. Her breath caught when Dana produced a small black ring box from her pants pocket.

Clearing her throat, Dana said, “I want you to have this.”

Laurel’s eyes were glued to the deep red ruby set in a white gold band when Dana flipped open the lid. The ring was gorgeous, and perfect.