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Nicola picked up her pace, thrusting into Abagail from behind at a brutal pace. She slid her hand down and pressed it back between Abagail’s legs, toying with her clit and finding a matching rhythm, one that was going to take Abagail over the edge.

“Nic,” Abagail said, the name getting lost on her tongue. “Nic, so close.”

“Come for me, Abs. Let yourself go.”

Abagail cried out loudly, her voice echoing around the room as she tensed and pushed back against Nicola even more. Nicola stopped, holding onto Abagail’s hips, her fingers tight against her skin as she just held her. Abagail’s head spun. Breathing was hard but not impossible. Her ears rang with white noise. She stayed right where she was, letting everything move through her, take her, consume her, release her. And Nicola was there with her through it all.

Holding her.

Touching her.

Kissing her.

Loving her.

forty-one

Nicola couldn’t figure out why they were here. Abagail had insisted that they come to a fancy restaurant for dinner, which was so not Nicola’s style at all. But she’d dolled herself up and let Abagail escort her inside.

Everything had been wonderful, even the early spring snow that was falling outside. She smiled as she looked out the window at it. She loved Boston in the winter. Most people didn’t, but she did. When it was blanketed in the white snow that dampened the sound of the city and the people.

She hated when it got nasty and dirty and started to melt, which she knew this snow would do in a heartbeat. But at least she’d had her winter already. Her first Christmas with Alanna at home and her first New Year’s celebrating not only with her blood family but with her family of choice.

And she loved Abagail more now than ever.

Abagail had kept every single promise that she’d given Nicola, and she’d never hesitated on what she was feeling, or wanting any more. The changes were stark from where they’d first started, but they’d worked hard to get there.

And it had so been worth it.

Nicola ordered another glass of wine along with dessert, fully expecting to have a belly too full as Cal drove them home that night. But if she was going to be eating a fancy dinner, then she was going to take full advantage of it. It wasn’t like this happened often. She and Abagail typically led very different and independent lives.

They had dates, and they hadplaydates more often than actual dates. But that’s what Nicola had signed up for and agreed to. And she was loving her life. Every single second of it. It was the first time in her entire recollection that she could actually say that she was happy and settled.

And that was all because of Abagail.

“Alanna said she wanted to go to the beach sometime soon,” Nicola said, toying with the stem of the wine glass as it was set down in front of her.

“Then make it happen. She deserves to go if that’s what she wants.”

Nicola nodded slowly and hummed. That was what she loved about Abagail. Nothing was too far out of bounds with her. “I was thinking we could take her to the Cape.”

“We?” Abagail asked curiously.

“Yeah. It’d be a fun trip for a weekend or maybe a week. Don’t you think? When the weather gets a little warmer.”

Abagail’s lips quirked upward slightly. “Yeah, that sounds nice. We haven’t been to the Cape without interruptions before. It’d be nice to try that again.”

“Agreed,” Nicola answered, sipping her wine.

They fell into a comfortable silence, one that Nicola was sure would have originally irked her so much. But now she knew that Abagail thrived in these quiet moments. It was when she did her best thinking, and her best imaging of whatever was going to come next for them.

“Nicola?”

“Hmm?” Nicola looked over to find Abagail leaning back in her chair, the low V-neck dress sliding just enough to the side that Nicola could make out the swell of Abagail’s breast. Oh, she had worn that dress on purpose. Nicola was damn sure she was right on that one. Abagail wanted to seduce her all evening before they made their way back home and didn’t emerge from one of their bedrooms until daylight again.

Nicola was going to love every second of it.

“Do you remember the first safe word that you gave me?”