Page 38 of September (New Orleans #9)

“C an you stay another night?” Juliet asked. “I’m being selfish, aren’t I?” She squeezed Gwen’s middle.

“Not selfish. And I wish I could, but I have to get back. I got coverage for my clients last night and this morning, but I’ve got a cat I need to visit with later, and she’s not a fan of anyone but me checking in on her.

Besides, Larry needs to be fed. Elisa is the only one with my apartment key, and she is not a fan of him. ”

“What? Why? Is it a lizard thing?”

“Well, she tried to feed him once, and he kind of attached his mouth to the end of her finger. It didn’t do any damage, but it does hurt when they latch on like that.

Safe to say, she’s not likely to want to go feed him again.

She would if I really asked, of course, and I guess now, she could have Myra do it for her, too. ”

“I like those two together. I can’t imagine Elisa living with your brother for almost two decades, being gay and staying for the kids, when it sounds like he wasn’t a great husband.”

Gwen ran her fingers through Juliet’s hair and said, “He was a shitty husband, yeah. He’s also not a great brother, which sucks because I should’ve had a good older brother and older sister to get advice from, at least once we reached adulthood.

As kids, we were so far apart in age that I couldn’t have expected them to pay attention then, but now, I should be able to call Archie and talk to him about football or baseball since he’s a fan and I watch sometimes.

It’s just something to do with your big brother.

I also should be able to call Annabelle to tell her that I met you and ask her advice on how not to screw it up. ”

Juliet shifted to look up at her and replied, “You’re not going to screw this up.”

“I might.”

“Gwen, how could you?” Juliet moved on top of her.

“Babe, you literally drove three hours to get here and make it so that I had decent food to eat, could see you and my dog, and so that I’d feel safer.

You’re amazing.” Juliet pressed her forehead to Gwen’s.

“I’ve been worried that I’d be the one to screw this up. ”

“What? Why?”

“Because of the travel.”

“We’ll figure that out. Maybe we can do this more: I can stay a night or something when you have to travel and it’s two to three hours away. I’d just need to get someone to cover if I have work. Once a week or every couple of weeks shouldn’t be a problem, though.”

“That’s money you’d lose just to see me.”

“Not just to see you. I’d get to see you.” Gwen cupped Juliet’s cheek. “It’s a partnership, right? We both have to work for it at times.”

Juliet smiled down at her and said, “I guess we can see, but I don’t want you to miss a lot of work for me and risk not being able to pay your bills. And you love your job, Gwen.”

“I do, and I’ll still be doing it. I might just actually have something else to do, too, so that I’m not working twenty-four-seven, because it can certainly feel like that sometimes.

I have no real hobbies, and before Elisa moved here, I had a few friends, but not that many, and we didn’t hang out a lot.

So, I worked. I’m one of the only dog walkers who wakes up early, walks them in the morning, walks them at midday, in the evening, and at night if needed.

Most people work a more standard day where they walk them in the morning and midday and the humans get home in the evening and take it from there, but because I do just about everything the app offers, I’m pretty much constantly working. I do love it, but it can be a lot.”

“What about the dog grooming thing? Won’t that just add work for you?”

“Maybe in the beginning, while I build up that part of the business, but eventually, I would be able to work a more standard schedule, and if I need extra cash, I’ll pick up more shifts on the app.

I don’t plan on leaving it entirely; just not adding new clients unless I need to.

” She ran her hands down Juliet’s bare back as Juliet smiled. “What?”

“Nothing. Just the way you’re talking about it now makes it sound like you’ve made the decision to actually do it. Before, you weren’t sure.”

“Oh, I still don’t know. I might.”

“The trust fund thing still getting to you?” Juliet asked, lowering her lips to Gwen’s neck.

“No, I can do it on my own. It’ll just take all my money to do it. Then, I’d have to tap into the trust fund if it doesn’t work out.”

“So, it is the money?”

“It’s more about the fact that if I use that money for the business, I won’t have it for other things.”

“What other things?” Juliet asked as her lips lowered to Gwen’s bare breast.

“You’re trying to make me talk about this while you’re doing that?”

“It’s a distraction to get you to actually talk about it.”

“I talk about it without distractions.”

“Not all of it,” Juliet noted. “Tell me, babe.”

“There’s not much to tell, I guess,” she replied as Juliet kissed her a little lower. “It’s just that this would be it for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is all I want. I don’t have some grand ambitions or a life plan or anything.

If I do this, and it works, I’ll like it.

I know I will.” Gwen shrugged a shoulder as Juliet’s tongue slipped into her belly button.

“I don’t know that I’m ever going to expand it or hire people or have my own store or something where people bring their dogs for grooming instead of me going to them. ”

“Why does that matter?”

“Because it’s not a big deal. It’s just a van and me driving around, taking care of dogs.

It’s a more regular workday and shift, which would be nice because I do want those kids we talked about before.

I want to be able to be home with them and my partner.

This would let me do that, but it’s not like I’m ever going to be raking in the money, you know? ”

Juliet looked up at her then and said, “You’re worried you won’t be enough.”

Gwen looked at the ceiling for a second.

“Babe, is that what you’re worried about? That your business wouldn’t make you millions or isn’t a medical practice, because that’s what your family thinks?”

“I want to provide for my own family.”

“That’s something you and that partner will figure out together,” Juliet told her before she kissed Gwen’s skin again.

“And, babe, you’re enough. You’re doing what you love, which means you’re happier.

That’s important.” Juliet placed her chin on Gwen’s stomach.

“I’ve always thought that happiness is something we have to find for ourselves, you know?

Like, we can’t just meet someone, fall in love with them, and expect them to make us happy.

We do that ourselves. Then, we meet the person who can contribute or add to that happiness.

How many people go through life hating themselves, their jobs, and their circumstances, and when they end up meeting someone, it doesn’t last because they’re looking to that person to make them happy?

I imagine it’s a lot, and I’ve never wanted to be one of them.

I know your family has their views on what success looks like, but success and happiness are different for everyone.

I don’t know if I’m that future partner of yours, but I am for now, at least, and you’re more than enough for me.

” Juliet smiled softly. “I love how you smile when you’re playing with Carly.

I love how you tell me stories of the other pets you’ve worked with and sometimes, the stories of their humans, too.

” She chuckled a little. “Personally, I don’t need to be a millionaire or have some giant house like I’m guessing your parents do.

I’d happily settle for a quiet life with the woman I love and whatever kids or pets we decide to have.

I’d love it if she were around more, but not because I’d demand it or anything but because she wants to be.

She’d be happy being at home with us, and she’d be happy going to work because it’s a job she loves, too. That’s the dream I have anyway.”

“That’s a pretty good dream,” Gwen replied.

“I think so,” Juliet said and kissed her stomach again.

“Does that apply to you, too?”

“What?”

“The job thing,” Gwen clarified. “If you’re really happy about all this travel for the foreseeable future, we’ll figure it out, and it’ll be fine. It just doesn’t seem like you are, Jules. It feels like you kind of hate it.”

Juliet rolled off Gwen and lay there naked, facing up at the ceiling.

“I’m just not built for this, I think, which sucks because other people have no problem with it.

Jordana loved it. She had all her travel accounts, points, and had no problem eating dinner night after night alone while she sat at some restaurant bar, checking her work email religiously and never taking a break. ”

“First of all, I doubt she was alone all that much, given what you’ve told me about this woman.

But second of all, and this is way more important, you’re not her.

You’re you, Jules.” Gwen rolled onto her side to face her.

“Some people thrive off of working all the time and traveling like that. I actually know someone who saved up all her travel points and miles for five years and used them to take a three-month vacation basically for free. She’d worked all that time specifically for this dream trip that she’d always wanted to take.

She took a leave of absence, and when she got back, she decided that she was done with that kind of grind and took another job instead.

Everyone’s different. I don’t think I’d like to travel all the time like this. ”

“I do love my job, though. I love training the teams and visiting the stores. I just liked what I was doing before, and I thought maybe adding another couple of classes would be perfect for me.”

“It sounds like you’ve got some ideas on how to improve things, babe.

Tell them to that boss of yours. Even if you still have to do this travel thing for a little while so that they can hire Andrew’s replacement or make those changes, you’d be able to see a light at the end of the tunnel, and that could help make the trips a little easier. ”

“ You made this one a little easier,” Juliet replied as she rolled to face Gwen.

“Well, I’m glad I could help.”

“You did. And I have no idea how Carly is still sleeping because we’ve been awake and talking for an hour now, and she hasn’t begged to go o-u-t yet.” Juliet spelled the word ‘out’ so that Carly’s ears wouldn’t perk up at it.

“We probably have at least twenty minutes before you need to get up, right?” she asked, sliding a hand along Juliet’s curves.

“Yes,” Juliet said with a smile. “And if we’re quick out here, we can also take a shower together before I have to leave for class.”

“Leave for class?” Gwen moved on top of her. “That sounds like you’re the sexy teacher again.”

“But I’m not wearing the outfit.”

“Trust me, you don’t need it to be the sexy teacher.”

Gwen lowered her hips, and Juliet’s legs spread wider for her.

“You know that the moment we start this, she’s going to wake up, right?” Juliet asked as she wrapped her arms around Gwen’s neck.

“She’ll have to wait.”

“I agree. I took her out at one in the morning when she woke me up begging.”

“You did? How did I not hear that?”

“You were out like a light and snoring a little. It was really cute,” Juliet replied.

“My snoring was cute?”

“Well, we’re still new, so everything you do is cute to me.”

Gwen laughed and said, “I hope that lasts forever.”

“Me too,” Juliet agreed.

Gwen kissed her slowly then, wanting to build this up, even though they didn’t have a lot of time.

Yes, she wanted to make Juliet come, but it was more about letting her know that this was about more than just that to her.

Before she knew it, though, Juliet’s hand was between her legs, spreading Gwen’s folds.

Gwen hadn’t even realized that she’d woken up wet, but since she was ready for Juliet already, she shifted so that Juliet could slip inside her before she found Juliet’s wetness and slid inside her as well.

Loving how good it felt to touch her and be touched by her at the same time, Gwen leaned back a bit as she rocked to let Juliet go deeper, feeling a little sore from the past two nights of lovemaking but not caring about that at all.

When Juliet’s thumb pressed to her clit and began to rub, she mimicked Juliet’s movements, and within a few minutes of them moving together, the mattress shifted a little more than Juliet’s had when they’d done this at her place.

It was now hitting the wall over and over again, making a slight thumping noise as it did.

“Fuck. I’m close,” she said as she lowered herself and pressed her palm to the wall behind the bed.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Gwen knew whoever was on the other side of that wall was probably being woken up right now because they were having sex.

“Yes! Yes! I’m coming!” Juliet cried out.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Juliet was thrusting fast inside her, and Gwen managed to hold in her scream as she came, but she let out Juliet’s name and then moved quickly up Juliet’s body, needing something else now, too.

“Good morning to me,” Juliet said as she grabbed her hips and lowered Gwen’s center down to her mouth.

Gwen’s hips rocked against her face as the orgasm built, and the mattress shifted a little more. There was now a repetitive squeak along with the thump. Finally, Gwen came into Juliet’s mouth and pressed her forehead to the wall.

“Fuck,” she said. “That was really good.”

“Yes, it was,” Juliet replied and smacked her ass. “Any chance you’ll do that to me in the shower?”

“I’ll do that to you right now,” Gwen said. “And again in the shower, if you want.”

Then, she heard it, Carly’s little whine from her bed, indicating that she was awake.

“I guess we should get used to this. It’s what it’ll be like with kids, right?” she said.