When Gail wakes the next morning, she's already smiling. Her body aches in the most glorious way from the seven different ways Holly made her come, and her hangover is more in the mild category, which is rather surprising consider the amount of tequila she drank. Plus she's got both of Holly's arms wrapped around her comfortably and her soft, warm body pressed deliciously against her back.
A yawn from the body behind her signals to Gail that Holly's awake and she snuggles back further into the embrace, smiling when the arms around her tighten and lips press to the back of her neck.
"I swear I remember something about wanting me sober when you got around to doing all the things you did to me last night," Gail says softly, a smile coloring her tone.
"Hmm," Holly hums sleepily, her lips teasing pale skin and smirking when she feels the body in her arms shudder. "Might just have to repeat the performance now that you are sober. Plus, you looked ridiculously good last night and I couldn't help myself."
Gail sighs happily when she feels Holly's hand trail down her side, teasing and dancing over each dip and curve, and she turns in Holly's arms to pull her into a heated kiss that's part playful and part desperate, because even though they did it about fifteen times last night, her body is already humming and Holly's barely touched her. "I'm definitely a fan of morning sex."
Holly rolls onto her back, pulling Gail along with her, who immediately maneuvers a thigh between both of hers and they both moan at the contact.
Gail can tell by the wetness on her thigh that it won't take much to get Holly off this morning and she lets her hand trail down Holly's body, teasing a nipple, ghosting over her belly, until if finally slides between their bodies, meeting slick, wet heat and she eases into Holly gently, pressing the heel of her hand into her clit and using her leg as extra leverage as she slowly begins to pump in and out of her.
Gail was nervous the night before. She isn't used to not being good at things, and she was terrified that she was going to be awful in bed (not that she'd ever admit it). She was grateful for the alcohol they'd both had. It erased any awkward first-time-together vibes that might have arisen otherwise, and made it more giggly and fun.
Gail might have been nervous, but she's always been a fast learner. So after Holly made her come twice, rapidly and embarrassingly quick, Gail took the reins and quickly discovered several ways to make Holly moan her name.
And it was the hottest thing she'd ever heard in her life.
"Jesus, Gail," Holly moans just then, making Gail smirk as she ups her pace considerably to keep up with Holly's thrusting hips.
Holly shifts her leg, leaving Gail settled fully between her thighs, and she wraps both legs around the blonde, locking her ankles at her lower back as her hands grasp at Gail's shoulders, pulling her down into a desperate kiss.
Gail twists her wrist, scissoring her fingers and thrusts once, twice and that's all it takes for Holly to come completely undone. Gail slows her movements, allowing Holly to ride it out and keeps her forehead pressed against Holly's, waiting patiently for dark eyes to open and meet hers.
When Holly finally stills, she trembles and sucks in a deep breath, her eyes finally opening. She smiles lazily and pulls Gail into another long, languid kiss. "I still have a hard time believing you've never done that before last night."
Gail smirks and gently removes her fingers, remaining on top of Holly, suddenly hyper-aware of the heat pressed against her. "I'm kind of a quick study."
Holly laughs, her head falling back to the pillow fully and she hums appreciatively, letting her eyes close for a moment. "Just give me a sec. That was kind of amazing."
Gail presses a kiss to the underside of her chin and then to her throat. "No rush." She reaches a hand up to brush a few strands of hair away from her face, then rests one hand over the other on Holly's sternum and lets her chin rest on her hands, smiling when arms encircle her tightly and fingers begin to dance over her spine.
Holly's body suddenly shifts enough to deposit Gail back to the mattress and she pulls Gail into her arms from behind, spooning her. She's still for a few long beats until her left hand begins to move, trailing the expanse of Gail's tummy lightly, making her squirm.
Holly's lips move softly against the very spot Gail had warned her about and she feels the body in front of her respond immediately. Her right hand trails over the curve of her hip before slowly moving lower.
"Mmm." Gail fists one hand in the sheets, unable to really fathom how Holly has every one of her nerve endings on fire with only a few light touches. Her other hand reaches behind her to pull Holly as close as possible.
Holly feels Gail's thighs shift and open up to her, giving her better access as she lets her fingers tease a little before slowly pressing them into Gail.
"God, Holly," Gail groans, her hips instantly setting a pace for Holly to match.
Holly keeps her lips focused on her neck as both hands move methodically, inching Gail closer with every movement.
It doesn't take long before Gail lets out a strangled moan and tightens around her fingers. Holly eases her back down and scoots back enough to let Gail collapse onto her back, not removing her fingers because she found out last night that Gail is definitely one for back-to-backs, so her fingers begin to move again almost immediately.
Gail kisses her deeply, hungrily and her hands begin to roam Holly's body, one hand sliding around her as the other fists in her hair. She comes apart again ridiculously fast and has to grasp Holly's wrist when she seems content to try for three.
"I just need a minute," she says when she notices dark eyes questioning her teasingly.
Holly kisses her softly and removes her fingers gently, rolling over to her stomach and pressing her face into the pillow, inhaling deeply because it smells like Gail.
Gail rolls to her side and lets her fingers trail down Holly's spine. "Last night was fun."
Holly smiles, nodding her head lazily. "It was." She pushes up onto her elbows and leans in to press her lips to Gail's, letting them flutter teasingly across her jaw to her neck before finally landing on her chest. "Hungry?"
Gail smirks. "I could eat."
Holly laughs, reaching out to pull Gail's body into hers. "How about omelets?" she asks, ignoring the innuendo.
Gail pulls a face. "I don't like eggs."
"Okay," Holly replies thoughtfully. "Pancakes?"
Gail suddenly rolls herself on top of Holly, kissing her fiercely. "How about I just have you instead."
Holly just laughs and goes with it, and it's several hours before they have pancakes.
XX
Gail is leaning against the front of Holly's car, arms and ankles crossed, glaring at the house like it's the one responsible for taking her girlfriend hostage, when really the blame for that can rest entirely on the shoulders of the one and only Elaine Peck. She'd asked for a word with Holly just as they were leaving, asking Gail, Steve and Traci to wait outside for them to finish.
Gail was immediately suspicious, but her mother just shushed her and ushered them all out to the front porch.
"It's times like this I wish I smoked," Gail tells Steve and Traci, who are leaning against the back of Steve's car facing her.
"Gross," Traci replies, her nose wrinkling. "Don't even."
Gail shakes her head, her focus on the front door, counting down silently in her head until she can barge back in and take Holly back. "My mother just has a gift for stressing me out. And if Holly isn't out in 30 seconds, I'm going in after her."
"She stresses you out because you let her," Steve tells her. "Ya know, the detective rotation is coming up again. That would get her off your back. For a little while at least."
Gail shakes her head, still staring intently at the front of the house, letting out a relived sigh when it finally opens and Holly exits the house. "Mom would pull strings to make sure I got it. It would never feel like it was mine," she says absently as she watches Holly approach.
Gail feels her heart flip in her chest and her stomach drop. One look at Holly is all it takes for her to know something is wrong.
"You guys ready?" Holly asks brightly. Too brightly.
She's surrounded by two actual detectives and one who very easily could be one. They all notice something is off.
Steve and Traci exchange a smile and move to get into his car. "Sure. See you guys there in about an hour?"
"Yeah," Gail answers, not moving, her focus still on Holly. "What did she say to you?"
"Nothing." Holly feels three sets of eyes on her and she barely shakes her head, exchanging a look with Gail. "We can talk about it later."
Gail feels her stomach sink, exchanging a concerned glance with the other two before they all get into their cars and head out.
Despite something weird going on with Holly, Gail feels most of the tension seep out of her body the moment they get into Holly's car and she starts driving them away from her parents' house. "My mother loves you. They both do."
The gears in Holly's brain suddenly grind to a halt, switching from her private conversation with Elaine Peck to the girl in the seat next to her. The statement was innocent enough, but Holly easily picks up on the hurt laced in Gail's voice and it makes her heart ache. "I can't imagine having to live up to someone else's idea of how my life should be lived. You really don't deserve it."
Gail's heard the words before. She knows that it sucks to have to follow a long line of impressive law enforcement resumes. But for some reason, when Holly says those words to her, she feels like she honestly means them and believes them. But it also makes her stomach twist uncomfortably, because there's a bite to Holly's words and it doesn't take a detective to figure out that whatever her mother said to her girlfriend, Holly certainly didn't appreciate it.
"What did she say, Hol?" Gail asks, direct to a fault.
Holly's fingers grip the wheel tightly for a moment before she adjusts her glasses, buying herself a few more seconds. "She wants me to talk you into the detective rotation. Whatever it takes."
Suddenly Gail is seething. She should have known her mother would use any and everything at her disposal to get Gail into that rotation.
"I told her that if you wanted to go for it, I'd support you completely," Holly tells her, the hard edges falling off her tone and suddenly her gaze is fond as it turns on the blonde next to her for a moment before turning back to the road. "And if you decided you didn't want it, I'd support that too." She shrugs. "I want your mom to like me, but not at the expense of your trust. She also told me, under no circumstances, was I to repeat our conversation." She grins a little sheepishly. "I knew I'd never do that either."
Something inside Gail shifts in that moment. In all her years of dating, she's found herself constantly seeking the escape hatch, just in case. The moment things got bad she yanked the handle and abandoned ship as quickly as possible.
It's much easier to abandon someone else before they decide to leave you high and dry.
It's sort of a lonely way to live, only letting people closer than an arms length when she feels like it, and backing the hell up when they feel like it.
Holly's loyalty, however small it might seem to someone else, means more to her than she can really put into words – and she has a way with words (if she does say so herself).
"I'm sorry," Holly says suddenly. Her voice is soft and when Gail turns to her again, she looks sort of sad.
"Holly," Gail says, reaching out for Holly's hand, wrapping their fingers together. "Don't ever apologize for standing up to her. She doesn't care about anything but her image. She'll use anyone and everyone if it furthers her political agenda."
"I understand that," Holly says, and she pauses like she's trying to choose her words carefully. "I just wanted your parents to like me. I know how much easier relationships can be when the parents like you."
"Speaking from experience?" Gail asks. Once the question is out there, she's not sure she wants the answer. She's not sure she wants to hear about any of Holly's exes.
Holly shrugs a shoulder. "Sort of."
When she doesn't elaborate, Gail squeezes her hand, lifting it to her lips to press a few soft kisses to it. "I'm just sorry you got sucked into her whirlwind of self-serving bullshit after knowing her for two hours."
They pull into Holly's driveway and she cuts the car off, but neither of them moves for a few moments.
"Can we just go out and get drunk and forget most of the last two hours?" Gail says finally.
"Most of it?" Holly asks, Gail's favorite half-smile finally making an appearance.
"Most of it," Gail repeats with a nod. "There's definitely something about it that I want to remember."