As promised, another installment of "Dinner at the Stewarts". FYI: rating has been changed to M.

—

Gail was trying to focus on what Doug was telling her about the environmental benefits of his koi pond, but most of her attention was riveted on Holly who was standing across the room, talking to Jo. They'd been in deep conversation for almost twenty minutes, and Jo kept touching Holly unnecessarily. A pat here, a stroke there.

If Gail were the jealous type, she would be going crazy. But she wasn't the jealous type. She wasn't, so she really wasn't bothered at all.

"—which, in the end, is the real cause of global warming."

Doug had been silent for a while before Gail finally noticed the lapse in conversation. She refocused on Doug, looking sheepish. "Crap, I'm sorry. I totally just zoned out." She paused. "And I'm sorry for saying 'crap'."

Doug chuckled and glanced over his shoulder towards his middle daughter. Jo was telling her a funny story and Holly was laughing—but her happiness seemed to reach beneath the surface, making her glow from the inside out in a way that he hadn't seen in a long time.

"You're one hundred percent forgiven for getting distracted," Doug said amiably, smiling warmly at Gail. "She's quite extraordinary," he added, with the surety of a parent who loved his child unconditionally, for exactly who she was, for everything she had to offer.

"She is," Gail agreed, her throat suddenly thick. She cleared it, hoping the subject would change quickly.

"She loves you," he said, the simple surety behind his words making Gail's heart rate pick up—not unpleasantly.

She swallowed, stealing herself for the conversation Doug seemed determined to have. It wasn't that he was making her uncomfortable. Gail loved Holly, was in love with her in fact, a recent realization that still freaked her out a little. She didn't like to dwell on how effortlessly Holly had seen right through her, straight to the secrets Gail kept so carefully hidden—the parts of her that mattered.

"It sounds like there were a few before me," Gail said, deftly avoiding having to address Doug's rather loaded comment.

"A couple." He shrugged. "No one really special."

Gail blinked at him in astonishment. "Are you saying I'm special?"

Doug laughed aloud at Gail's bewilderment. He rather liked how easily the topic of Holly seemed to send her off-kilter "Yes, I am," he said, smiling. "Can you handle it?"

Gail was quiet for a moment. She expected panic, but felt only warmth in her chest—a pleasant glow of longing and affection. "I love her very much," Gail breathed finally, surprising both herself and Doug.

He looked impressed, and then his face softened into what Gail could only describe asas a look of fatherly affection. "That's all I need to hear," he told her.

—

Across the room, Holly shot a glance in Gail's direction, trying to figure out whether the emotion she saw shining in Gail's eyes was good or bad. When her father smiled fondly at her, she decided it was good, and allowed herself to relax, refocusing on what Jo was asking her.

She'd been interrogating Holly for the better part of twenty minutes, and had finally managed to figure out exactly what Holly had led Gail to believe about the nature of their relationship.

"You said I was your ex?" she asked, her voice pitched slightly higher with disbelief. "What were you thinking?"

Holly grimaced, having the grace to look genuinely guilty. "I was joking. Mostly. I mean we did date."

"Jesus, Holly, we were fifteen and had sex maybe twice."

"Good sex," Holly piped up.

Jo rolled her eyes. "Again, we were fifteen. Doesn't take much."

"Still," Holly grumbled, her ego a tad bruised. "But anyway, like I said, I was really just joking, but then she believed me and got all jealous and it was…really cute."

Jo swiped at her Holly's cheek with her thumb and forefinger, not hard enough to pinch, but still sending the message that she disapproved of what Holly was doing. "You're shameless, getting her all riled up like that."

Holly grinned. "She's insanely sexy when she's feeling possessive." Insanely sexy pretty much all the time, actually, she added in her head.

Jo groaned. "Please, spare me the details." Holly grinned again and Jo could see a faint blush working its way into her cheeks. "Whew, you've got it bad, baby girl. That's for sure."

Holly felt her gaze inevitably drawn back to Gail, who now seemed much more relaxed than she had a moment before. She was smiling at something her father was saying, the color high in her cheeks, her startlingly blue eyes bright and engaged. "Yeah, I guess I do," she breathed, almost to herself. "I really do."

—

Gail stood in the kitchen pouring two generous glasses of red wine. Doug had suggested a drink, and Gail had offered to pour them herself. The kitchen was easy to find and a very nice bottle of merlot waited for her atop an impeccably polished marble countertop.

Like the rest of Holly's childhood home, the room was decorated with cozy touches of family, the soft yellow walls only adding to the room's appeal. The wood floors, polished to a warm shine, looked slightly worn with age, but the appliances were all modern. Gail wasn't much of a cook, but she wouldn't mind spending time in a kitchen like this.

She was halfway done pouring the second glass of wine when the kitchen door swung open behind her. She paused mid-pour and turned, grinning when she saw Holly walking towards her.

"Hey there," Gail said, turning away briefly to finish her task.

Behind her, Holly stopped, still a good five feet away from Gail. "I have to confess something," she blurted out.

Gail put down the wine bottle, picked up one of the glasses, and turned to face her girlfriend. She took a sip, regarding Holly over the rim of her glass. "Is this the kind of confession you'd rather deliver to me a few drinks in? 'Cause this is only my first."

Holly shook her head. "No, nothing like that. It's not really a big deal, but I thought I should tell you."

"Don't tell me you're straight," Gail deadpanned, taking another healthy swallow of the merlot.

Holly had to work to keep the smile off her face as she raised her eyebrow at the blonde. "Nothing that serious," she murmured, letting her gaze trip suggestively over Gail's figure. When she returned her eyes to Gail face, the blonde was smirking. Holly pressed her lips together and plunged ahead. "Jo isn't really my ex."

Gail frowned, looking understandably baffled. Of all the things she thought Holly might blurt out, that definitely wasn't one she'd imagined. "What do you mean?"

"We had sex like…one and half times when we were fifteen."

"How can you have sex half a time?" Gail mused aloud.

Holly waved away the question. "The point is, Jo is basically like a sister to me and dating her at this point would feel vaguely…incestuous."

Gail sipped at her wine, then cocked her head to the side, looking thoughtful. "So why didn't you tell me?"

Holly sighed. "The truth?" Gail nodded, her eyes never leaving Holly's face. "You're really hot when you're jealous."

Gail grinned. She eased her hips back against the counter and set her wine glass down. "Come here," she murmured after a beat, lifting a hand towards Holly.

Holly immediately stepped forward and took her hand, letting Gail pull her closer until she was pressed securely against Gail's body. "So let me get this straight," Gail said. "You let me think Jo was your ex, to make me jealous, so I would be forced to fuck you all night long?"

Holly knew Gail was at least partly joking, but her words conjured a crystal clear image in her mind—Gail hovering above her, pushing into her, taking her over and over until Holly could barely remember her own name. She swallowed thickly, her eyes dropping to Gail's mouth. "That was the…general idea," she managed to get out around the surge of sudden arousal.

Gail's arms tightened around Holly, her hands moving down to grip her hips possessively. "You're mine, Hol, never forget that." She leaned forward, her breath hot in her ear. "But if you need me to…remind you every once in a while, just let me know." She nipped at her earlobe. "I'd be happy to oblige."

She pressed her mouth to Holly's ear, delighting in the helpless shudder that ran through the brunette's body. "You know," she continued, almost conversationally, "I think a little reminding might be in order tonight. What do you think?"

Holly closed her eyes, her face pressed to Gail's neck. "Oh, God, yes," she breathed.

Gail grinned and wrapped her fingers around the back of Holly's neck, tilting her head back so that she could meet her eyes. "I really like your family," she said, her voice soft and suddenly serious.

Holly smiled at her affectionately. "Give it another hour or two."

Gail shrugged. "I really like them," she said again, then leaned forward, smiling, and pressed her mouth to Holly's.

—

Thanks to scoobeedooh who told me the right way to spell "koi"! Not "coy". Whoops.

Hope you enjoyed this second installment. Stay tuned for the next chapter soon!