“I think I’ll be okay if that’s all there is,” Scarlet replied.

  “Well, we’re only about fifteen minutes away, so I hope that’s true.”

  Dakota paid attention to the GPS as it told her to avoid an accident by getting off the highway and taking the streets from there. The higher they climbed, the more she focused on the road, and the quieter Scarlet got. Mountain roads in winter weren’t to be messed with. When they pulled up to the lodge, Dakota left the car running and went inside. She got the key to the cabin and came back out with a surprise for her girlfriend.

  “Here,” she said.

  “What’s this?” Scarlet asked, opening the paper wrapper. “A cookie?”

  “And you can have mine, too,” Dakota said, placing the second wrapped cookie in Scarlet’s lap. “They make them here fresh, so they’re still hot.”

  “You eat yours,” Scarlet said.

  “I don’t really like them. I got it for you.” She winked at Scarlet.

  “How are you so perfect for me?” Scarlet asked.

  Dakota wasn’t sure how to answer that, so she leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before she drove up the winding road to their reserved cabin. She pointed along the way, telling Scarlet about the cabin that her parents were already in and the one next door to them where her brother and sister-in-law would be. Then, they pulled into the spot for their cabin, which was one room with a small living area, a table for dining, a hotel-like kitchen, and a queen bed in the back corner. Other than the bathroom and very small closet, that was it. There was a fireplace in the living room with a sofa and coffee table, but the furniture was sparse and woodsy, and just walking in the door brought Dakota back to all the previous Christmases they’d celebrated here.

  “I thought there would be a tree,” Scarlet said as she walked in behind Dakota.

  “It’s in the car.”

  “What?”

  “I brought one, so we can decorate it together. I put it in there without you looking.”

  “How? I helped pack the trunk.”

  “You weren’t paying attention,” Dakota said, shoving the door closed behind them and wrapping her arms around Scarlet’s middle, moving Scarlet back into the door. “I took the blanket you had in the trunk already and put it over the box. I bought cheap ornaments, a tiny angel, and lights. I thought it would be fun. It’s only four feet tall, but it’ll fit in that corner, I think.” Dakota pointed to the nearest corner. “I’m going to get the stuff from the car. Why don’t you relax? They have the fire going already. There should be coffee and hot chocolate stuff in the kitchen.”

  “Just hold on a…” Scarlet said, wrapping her arms around Dakota’s neck. “Can we just stay like this for a minute?”

  “Yeah,” Dakota said softly, staring into Scarlet’s eyes. “Longer than a minute if you want.”

  Scarlet nodded at her and then connected their lips. Dakota kissed her back and deepened the kiss after a minute or two, craving more. In response to that, Scarlet managed out a cute little moan that had Dakota moving a thigh between Scarlet’s legs, pressing the woman back a little harder against the door. Scarlet gasped, and instead of pulling back this time like Dakota normally did to check on her, she moved her lips to Scarlet’s neck and rocked her thigh into Scarlet’s center.

  “Oh,” Scarlet said and reached for the zipper of her coat between them.

  Dakota didn’t give her much room but let Scarlet unzip it. Then, she took her own coat off and let it drop to the floor before slipping Scarlet’s off of her shoulders and pressing back into her now that their thick jackets were no longer between them.

  “Can you do that again?” Scarlet requested.

  “Yes,” Dakota replied.

  Her thigh, back in position, moved as she rocked her hips into the woman she loved.

  “Like this?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Scarlet said, resting her head on Dakota’s shoulder. “Feels…”

  “Good.”

  “Yes,” Scarlet said.

  Dakota ran a hand up under Scarlet’s long-sleeved shirt and rested it between her breasts. When Scarlet didn’t protest, she moved it over a little and cupped Scarlet’s right breast, earning another gasp. She massaged it through Scarlet’s bra and tried to keep herself focused. She hadn’t thought this would happen the moment they arrived at the cabin, and her brain was swirling with all the possibilities. Were they going to have sex for the first time now? Should she stop them and go get their stuff first? The car doors were still unlocked. She should at least lock them, right? Would that ruin the mood?

  Scarlet’s hands were under Dakota’s flannel shirt. Then, they were somehow between the two of them, and they were undoing the buttons. Why had Dakota worn a damn shirt with buttons? Scarlet had the buttons undone, and Dakota wiggled out of the shirt while she continued to rock.

  “Off, Dakota,” Scarlet told her, shoving the shirt that had bunched at her hips off her body entirely.

  Then, Scarlet’s hands were under Dakota’s T-shirt and on both of Dakota’s breasts at the same time.

  “Oh, fuck,” she said because Scarlet was massaging her breasts now, and she’d wanted this for so long.

  “I don’t…”

  Dakota looked at her, wanting to pause if Scarlet needed to tell her they should stop.

  “What?” Dakota asked.

  “I don’t know if I’ll be any good,” Scarlet replied, running a hand through Dakota’s hair.

  “Oh, baby,” Dakota said. “You will–”

  “Shit!” Scarlet said when there was a knock on the door she was leaning against.

  “Dakota? We saw you pull up.”

  “That’s my mother,” Dakota whispered.

  “Shit,” Scarlet repeated softer.

  They scrambled to pick their coats up off the floor, and Dakota tossed her flannel shirt onto the sofa. Then, Scarlet straightened her clothes and cleared her throat.

  “Will she know?” she whispered.

  “That we were about to have sex? I don’t think so,” Dakota said softly.

  “Dakota?” her mother said through the door.

  Dakota nodded at Scarlet and opened the door.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Hi, sweetie.” Her mom’s eyes went from Dakota to Scarlet. “You must be Scarlet.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Scarlet said. “It’s very nice to meet you.” She took a step toward Dakota’s mom and held out her hand.

  “Oh, we’re not formal around here. Just call me Cindy.”

  “Okay,” Scarlet replied and was promptly pulled into a hug by Dakota’s mom, glancing wide-eyed in surprise at Dakota.

  “So, your father made dinner reservations at the lodge. We’re unpacked already. Need me to get him over to help you unpack the car?”

  “Nope. We’re all good,” Dakota replied through gritted teeth as she clenched her thighs together.

  “Are you okay, honey? You look like you’re really tense right now. Was the drive awful?”

  “Drive was fine,” Dakota mumbled. “Can we meet you guys at the lodge later?”

  “I’m going to ask your dad to come over here. That car looks packed to the top. Meet him out at the car, and we’ll get you settled in before your brother gets here. We’ll help them unpack and all head to dinner together.”

  “Mom, I–”

  “It’s okay,” Scarlet said, wrapping an arm around Dakota’s waist. “We’d love the help.” She kissed Dakota on the cheek. “Right, babe?”

  “Sure,” Dakota said reluctantly.

  “To be continued?” Scarlet said in a whisper.

  Dakota lifted her eyebrows and looked over at her, checking for confirmation. Scarlet nodded.

  “Dakota, put on your coat. You can’t wear just a T-shirt out there. Why are you only in a T-shirt anyway? I hope you brought warm clothes. You know better than that.” Her mom turned and walked out of the cabin, leaving the door open and still talking about Dakota’s clothes.

  “So, that’s my mom,” Dakota said.

  Scarlet laughed lightly, turned to her, and said, “Let’s just get everything inside and help your brother.”

  “I don’t want to,” Dakota replied, giving Scarlet her best puppy-dog impression. “I want my lips back where they were.”

  “You don’t want them someplace new?” Scarlet asked.

  Dakota’s eyes widened.

  “Scarlet Sophia, are you propositioning me?” she joked.

  “Yes,” Scarlet replied, looking serious and nervous at the same time.

  “You know I want to, but that we also don’t have to, right?”

  Scarlet nodded and said, “I know both of those things.”

  “Dakota, the car’s unlocked. Why did you leave it unlocked with all your stuff in it?” her father yelled from outside.

  “To be continued.” She pointed at Scarlet.

  CHAPTER 33

  “And you built it?” Dakota’s brother said.

  “Yes,” Scarlet replied.

  “I can barely build a crib.”

  “You can’t build a crib, which is why I had to help you,” Dakota teased him.

  “How do you even start with building software?” her sister-in-law asked.

  “Do you have a year?” Scarlet asked.

  “No, she doesn’t,” Dakota replied for her, slipping a hand onto Scarlet’s thigh under the table.

  “She’s right; I don’t. I’m exhausted, babe,” she said, looking at her husband. “Can we call it a night?”

  “Sure,” he said, quickly finishing his beer. “And we’ll see you two tomorrow.”

  He stood and helped pull his very pregnant wife off the floor. They’d all eaten dinner at the lodge after helping everyone unpack. After dinner, they’d returned to Dakota’s parents’ cabin, where they’d all sat around in the living room and talked. Everyone had questions for Scarlet. Some she was able to answer. Others, Dakota intercepted for her. They’d had hot chocolate and coffee, and beer and wine, which was an interesting combination. Then, after a few hours, Dakota’s parents decided to call it a night and went to the bedroom of their cabin while the four of them remained sitting on the floor in the living room, talking for a little longer.

  “Too bad,” Dakota teased her brother. “Ready, babe?”

  Scarlet could tell Dakota was more than ready to get back to their cabin and be alone. She wanted that, too. She hadn’t been kidding earlier when she’d said that it was to be continued. In the moment, things were happening, and she wanted those things to happen. She hadn’t had time to think about anything. Since then, it had been hours, and she’d done a lot of thinking. She had zero experience. Dakota had, well, probably a lot in comparison.

  Scarlet had learned about sex with a woman mainly through talking to her friends about what they did, the romance novels she read, and, well, watching porn. That last one she’d done mainly in high school, and then again, when she’d moved out on her own, and she was so embarrassed, despite being alone, that she’d barely make it through a whole sex scene before turning it off. Lesbian movies didn’t often show everything, and sometimes, when they did, it was gratuitous or unrealistic, so Scarlet wasn’t sure what to expect with Dakota.

  “Hey,” Dakota said as they bundled up and left the cabin hand-in-hand. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” Scarlet said.

  “You two going to ski tomorrow?” Dakota’s brother asked.

  “Doubt it,” Dakota replied. “I’m thinking we’ll just sleep in, have a late breakfast in our cabin, take the snowshoes to go for a walk or something, and sit around being lazy until Mom and Dad beckon us for dinner at their cabin.”

  “Can I sit with you guys once you get back? I can’t exactly ski or snowshoe right now,” her sister-in-law asked.

  “Sure,” Dakota said. “We can play board games or something. We saw The Game of Life in Mom and Dad’s cabin.”

  “Too close to home,” the woman replied, patting her stomach. “You get those little cars and tiny people. If I end up with a car full of kids, I’ll just be pissed that this one isn’t out of me already.”

  Scarlet laughed and said, “Ready to pop?”

  “Yes. I wanted the kid, but not the pregnancy. We’d been planning to adopt, and then, this happened.”

  “Oops,” Dakota’s brother said.

  “Not oops,” Dakota’s sister-in-law scolded, smacking her husband on the shoulder playfully as they arrived at their cabin. “Do not tell our kid that they were an oops.”

  “I won’t. I won’t.” He laughed. “Anyway, good night, you two. I’m going to get my wife into a hot bath before bed.”

  “Night,” Scarlet said.

  “The water faucet has a hot and cold label. Hot is red,” Dakota teased.

  “You’re hilarious,” he said sarcastically to his sister.

  They disappeared into their cabin, leaving the two of them outside in the snow.

  “So,” Dakota said.

  “So,” Scarlet replied.

  “We don’t–”

  “No,” Scarlet interrupted, taking Dakota’s hand. “Don’t say it, okay? You’ve said that for close to two months now because you’re a saint.”

  “I don’t know if a saint would be thinking about what I’m thinking about right now,” Dakota argued.

  “What are you thinking about?” Scarlet asked her.

  “You. Naked. Under me,” she replied.

  Scarlet swallowed and looked down.

  “Too much?” Dakota asked.

  Scarlet didn’t say anything. She stared at her boots, which were covered in snow. Then, she noticed Dakota move to pull her phone out of her coat and knew what she was about to do.

  “I don’t need that anymore,” Scarlet told her, knowing Dakota was about to text her. “Let’s get inside.”

  “Okay,” Dakota said.

  Dakota continued holding her hand until they were inside. Then, she dropped it, and they both removed their winter coats. They hung them on the coatrack by the door this time and then stared at each other for a long moment.

  “Do you mind if I take a quick shower?” Scarlet asked.

  “Oh. Yeah, sure. Whatever you need,” Dakota replied. “Should I shower after you?”

  “It’s not really about…” Scarlet swallowed. “Will you… Will you shower with me?”

  Dakota took a deep breath and said, “Yes.”

  “Okay,” Scarlet said.

  The shower idea had just come to her. Scarlet didn’t know whether it was a good idea or a bad one, but now, it was what they were doing. She took off her boots while Dakota did the same and then went to her suitcase, which Dakota had placed on the rack for her, to pull out clothes to sleep in. She placed them on the bed and stared at them. Then, she started laughing.

  “What?” Dakota asked, walking over to her.

  “We’re going to have sex – I don’t need clothes for after the shower.”

  “Oh,” Dakota said. “Not right away, no. I mean, I hope. You can still sleep in them, though.”

  “Do you?”

  “Do I what?”

  “Sleep wearing pajamas after sex?”

  “Scarlet, if you want to sleep naked, I am more than okay with that. But you can sleep in whatever you want, babe.”

  “Okay. Good,” Scarlet replied nervously. “I’m going to… go in there.” She pointed to the bathroom. “And get the water running while I take off my clothes. Can you wait until I’m in the shower and then come in?”

  “Of course,” Dakota said.

  “But… be naked?”

  Dakota laughed and said, “Got it.”

  “Okay,” Scarlet said, taking yet another deep breath.

  She went into the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair was slightly windblown. She hadn’t worn makeup at all today, and her clothes had seen better days since she’d worn them since six that morning. Of course, that didn’t matter because she’d be taking them off soon. No, now. She was taking them off now. She started the shower and began removing her socks, jeans, then her shirt and sweater, leaving herself only in a bra and underwear. Looking at herself once more in the mirror, she closed her eyes and pictured Dakota standing just outside the door, without clothes, waiting for Scarlet to ask her to join her. Something about that made Scarlet feel so wanted.

  She removed the last two articles of clothing and hopped into the shower. The water was a little too hot, but she adjusted. A minute later, there was a soft knock on the door, and Dakota peered inside. Seeing Scarlet in the shower with the frosted shower door, she walked inside, closing the door behind her. Due to the frosting, Scarlet couldn’t really see much, except for shapes. Nipples were slightly pinker than flesh. There was a patch of dark blonde or brown hair between Dakota’s thighs. Scarlet stepped back a little to make room as the shower door opened. When Dakota met her eyes instantly, Scarlet tried to remember how to breathe.

  When Dakota stepped into the shower and closed the door behind her, her eyes finally wandered down Scarlet’s body. Scarlet’s eyes did the same, and her heartbeat sped up. Dakota was perfect. She had a scar from when she had her appendix removed and another from when she’d fallen in high school next to it. She also had a mole just under her right breast. She wasn’t model-thin but had muscles in all the right places, and she had the softest hands. God, they were so soft. Scarlet knew because they were touching her now. Dakota’s hands were on her stomach, moving around her back and pulling Scarlet against her fully for the first time with nothing between them.

  “Okay?” Dakota asked after Scarlet gasped.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “You’re so beautiful, baby,” Dakota said, smiling at her as water ran down her back.

  Scarlet ran both hands into Dakota’s hair, enjoying how the water slicked it back a bit more every time she did.

  “I don’t know what I thought… I just… thought about a shower.”

  “Well, we can start by kissing and see what happens,” Dakota suggested. “And if you want to stop, you just–”