Audrey looked down at her, into shining blue eyes that felt eternal. “She was right. You are every good thing worth keeping hold of and I never want to forget a second of life with you.”
Hallie leaned up on her tiptoes, her lips grazing Audrey’s as she whispered, “So are you, Dr. Bee,” before pulling her into another soaring, perfect kiss.
Epilogue
Three years later
“Hands,” Hallie demanded as Audrey looked up at her, loving the feeling of Hallie straddling her.
As it always was, she obeyed without question, her mind filling with a blissful buzz.
It was their first morning back in Michigan. They’d flown in late and stayed at a hotel in Lansing. And they had about an hour alone left before they were meeting River and the rest of the Fullers.
“Good girl,” Hallie purred, tying Audrey’s wrists together with a bathrobe tie and, in absence of a good place to latch it to the headboard, slipping the length of it between the mattress and the headboard.
If Audrey wanted to break free of the restraints, she’d have no problem doing so—but shereallydidn’t want to.
Hallie hummed in satisfaction, looking down at Audrey spread out under her, naked and already begging.
They’d inadvertently started this little ritual their second Christmas together—or maybe their first, but Audrey had been the only one flying in for that and they had waited until they were alone in Hallie’s former apartment to have sex. But, the following year, they’d flown back to Michigan together for Fuller family tree week, and, unfortunately, Audrey’s family had somehow heard about it. Or, maybe they hadn’t, and her mother had just decided that was the day to reach out after a year of silence. They’d heard from River that it coincided with the Sinclair family get-together, so it wasn’t particularly surprising her mom had reached out.
While Audrey had made numerous trips back to Michigan over that year to see Hallie, she’d been particularly anxious about that trip. Her mind hadn’t quite been able to detract from the familiarity of that journey and that time and what usually waited for her on the other side.
So, when her mom suddenly started blowing up her phone, Audrey’s system had gone quickly into overdrive and its subsequent shutdown. When they’d woken up in the morning, all Audrey had wanted was to hand over control to Hallie for a moment, to not have to think, to know only Hallie and forget the rest of the world.
Hallie had been more than happy to oblige. She’d looked after Audrey, tied her up and driven her wild, fucking her with their strap until the rest of the world was a distant memory and Audrey’s system got the best reset she could have asked for.
Two years on from that, trips to Michigan weren’t nearly so fraught, even at this time of year. They didn’t hear from her family these days, and River was very low contact with them herself, so they didn’t get much secondhand information either, but… their first morning back, Hallie tied Audrey up and fucked her into blissful oblivion. It was perfect.
Now, they had to travel with their strap, since Hallie had long since moved out to California with her, taking a job managing a boutique hotel and even selling some of her photographs on the side. They got to wake up together every morning, they spent evenings on their balcony basking in the life they’d built together, and they made frequent visits back to Michigan to see their family, the Fullers.
Hallie hopped off the bed, washed their strap, and returned with it fitted to her harness.
Audrey writhed while she waited, desperate for Hallie.
“Ah, ah,” Hallie corrected as she stood at the foot of the bed, her eyes trained on Audrey’s straining body. “Be a good girl and wait patiently for me.”
Audrey deflated, working hard to stay still. She hadn’t yet figured out how to be patient in any part of adoring Hallie. She didn’t think she ever would, and that was more than okay with her. The throbbing between her thighs desperately needed attention but she’d do exactly as Hallie commanded.
“There we go,” Hallie said delightedly as she climbed back onto the bed and over Audrey, positioning the strap near her lips. “You’re going to do everything I tell you, aren’t you, beautiful?”
Audrey nodded eagerly. “Yes. Anything you want.”
“So eager to please.” She ran the tip of her thumb over Audrey’s lower lip. “Open.”
Audrey did as she was told, her thighs parting further as she did. She loved Hallie. She loved this.
Hallie slipped the tip of the strap into Audrey’s mouth. She was completely in charge but she knew Audrey’s limits every bit as well as her own, and she knew exactly how far she could push. “Get it nice and wet for me.”
Audrey nodded as she sucked the strap, her entire body tingling excitedly.
When she was satisfied, Hallie hummed and dragged it back out of Audrey’s mouth, moving slowly down her body. They probably needed to be a little quicker, but Audrey could tell Hallie was about as concerned with that as she was.
She traced her tongue down the sides of Audrey’s waist, licking and kissing and sucking. She wouldn’t leave marks, but Audrey wouldn’t have minded if she did. She liked being Hallie’s.
As she settled herself between Audrey’s thighs, she looked up, holding Audrey’s gaze. “Shall we check how wet you are for me, Dr. Bee?”
Audrey moaned, her hips bucking up off the bed eagerly. These days, Hallie only ever called her that in bed or to declare her love. It was an intoxicating cocktail that never failed to shoot excitedly into Audrey’s stomach and clit.
