You Don’t Bring Me Flowers Read online

  Table of Contents

  Synopsis

  Acclaim for Radclyffe’s Fiction

  Applause for L.L. Raand’s Midnight Hunters Series

  By Radclyffe

  You Don’t Bring Me Flowers

  About the Author

  Books Available From Bold Strokes Books

  You Don’t Bring Me Flowers

  A romantic evening gone awry turns into a hot interlude when two women refuse to let unavoidable obstacles derail their passion.

  A romantic short story brings back two all-time favorite lovers from Turn Back Time.

  Acclaim for Radclyffe’s Fiction

  Secret Hearts “delivers exactly what it says on the tin: poignant story, sweet romance, great characters, chemistry and hot sex scenes. Radclyffe knows how to pen a good lesbian romance.”—LezReviewBooks Blog

  Wild Shores “will hook you early. Radclyffe weaves a chance encounter into all-out steamy romance. These strong, dynamic women have great conversations, and fantastic chemistry.”—The Romantic Reader Blog

  In 2016 RWA/OCC Book Buyers Best award winner for suspense and mystery with romantic elements Price of Honor “Radclyffe is master of the action-thriller series…The old familiar characters are there, but enough new blood is introduced to give it a fresh feel and open new avenues for intrigue.”—Curve Magazine

  In Prescription for Love “Radclyffe populates her small town with colorful characters, among the most memorable being Flann’s little sister, Margie, and Abby’s 15-year-old trans son, Blake…This romantic drama has plenty of heart and soul.”—Publishers Weekly

  2013 RWA/New England Bean Pot award winner for contemporary romance Crossroads “will draw the reader in and make her heart ache, willing the two main characters to find love and a life together. It’s a story that lingers long after coming to ‘the end.’”—Lambda Literary

  In 2012 RWA/FTHRW Lories and RWA HODRW Aspen Gold award winner Firestorm “Radclyffe brings another hot lesbian romance for her readers.”—The Lesbrary

  Foreword Review Book of the Year finalist and IPPY silver medalist Trauma Alert “is hard to put down and it will sizzle in the reader’s hands. The characters are hot, the sex scenes explicit and explosive, and the book is moved along by an interesting plot with well drawn secondary characters. The real star of this show is the attraction between the two characters, both of whom resist and then fall head over heels.”—Lambda Literary Reviews

  Lambda Literary Award Finalist Best Lesbian Romance 2010 features “stories [that] are diverse in tone, style, and subject, making for more variety than in many, similar anthologies…well written, each containing a satisfying, surprising twist. Best Lesbian Romance series editor Radclyffe has assembled a respectable crop of 17 authors for this year’s offering.”—Curve Magazine

  2010 Prism award winner and ForeWord Review Book of the Year Award finalist Secrets in the Stone is “so powerfully [written] that the worlds of these three women shimmer between reality and dreams…A strong, must read novel that will linger in the minds of readers long after the last page is turned.”—Just About Write

  In Benjamin Franklin Award finalist Desire by Starlight “Radclyffe writes romance with such heart and her down-to-earth characters not only come to life but leap off the page until you feel like you know them. What Jenna and Gard feel for each other is not only a spark but an inferno and, as a reader, you will be washed away in this tumultuous romance until you can do nothing but succumb to it.”—Queer Magazine Online

  Lambda Literary Award winner Stolen Moments “is a collection of steamy stories about women who just couldn’t wait. It’s sex when desire overrides reason, and it’s incredibly hot!”—On Our Backs

  Lambda Literary Award winner Distant Shores, Silent Thunder “weaves an intricate tapestry about passion and commitment between lovers. The story explores the fragile nature of trust and the sanctuary provided by loving relationships.”—Sapphic Reader

  Lambda Literary Award Finalist Justice Served delivers a “crisply written, fast-paced story with twists and turns and keeps us guessing until the final explosive ending.”—Independent Gay Writer

  Lambda Literary Award finalist Turn Back Time “is filled with wonderful love scenes, which are both tender and hot.”—MegaScene

  Applause for L.L. Raand’s Midnight Hunters Series

  The Midnight Hunt

  RWA 2012 VCRW Laurel Wreath winner Blood Hunt

  Night Hunt

  The Lone Hunt

  “Raand has built a complex world inhabited by werewolves, vampires, and other paranormal beings…Raand has given her readers a complex plot filled with wonderful characters as well as insight into the hierarchy of Sylvan’s pack and vampire clans. There are many plot twists and turns, as well as erotic sex scenes in this riveting novel that keep the pages flying until its satisfying conclusion.”—Just About Write

  “Once again, I am amazed at the storytelling ability of L.L. Raand aka Radclyffe. In Blood Hunt, she mixes high levels of sheer eroticism that will leave you squirming in your seat with an impeccable multi-character storyline all streaming together to form one great read.”—Queer Magazine Online

  “The Midnight Hunt has a gripping story to tell, and while there are also some truly erotic sex scenes, the story always takes precedence. This is a great read which is not easily put down nor easily forgotten.”—Just About Write

  “Are you sick of the same old hetero vampire/werewolf story plastered in every bookstore and at every movie theater? Well, I’ve got the cure to your werewolf fever. The Midnight Hunt is first in, what I hope is, a long-running series of fantasy erotica for L.L. Raand (aka Radclyffe).”—Queer Magazine Online

  “Any reader familiar with Radclyffe’s writing will recognize the author’s style within The Midnight Hunt, yet at the same time it is most definitely a new direction. The author delivers an excellent story here, one that is engrossing from the very beginning. Raand has pieced together an intricate world, and provided just enough details for the reader to become enmeshed in the new world. The action moves quickly throughout the book and it’s hard to put down.”—Three Dollar Bill Reviews

  You Don’t Bring Me Flowers

  Brought to you by

  eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com

  eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  Please respect the rights of the author and do not file share.

  You Don’t Bring Me Flowers

  © 2013 By Radclyffe. All Rights Reserved.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-225-6

  This Electronic Original is published by

  Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 249

  Valley Falls, NY 12185

  First Bold Strokes Books eBook Edition: November 2017

  Originally Published in Love Burns Bright: A Lifetime of Lesbian Romance, ed. Radclyffe (Cleis Press, 2013).

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  Credits

  Editor: Ruth Sternglantz

  Production Design: Bold Strokes Graphics

  Cover Design by Melody Pond

  By Radclyffe

  Romances

  Innocent Hearts

  Promising Hearts

  Love’s Melody Lost

  Love’s Tender Warriors

  Tomorrow’s Promise<
br />
  Love’s Masquerade

  shadowland

  Passion’s Bright Fury

  Fated Love

  Turn Back Time

  When Dreams Tremble

  The Lonely Hearts Club

  Night Call

  Secrets in the Stone

  Desire by Starlight

  Crossroads

  Homestead

  The Color of Love

  Secret Hearts

  The Provincetown Tales

  Safe Harbor

  Beyond the Breakwater

  Distant Shores, Silent Thunder

  Storms of Change

  Winds of Fortune

  Returning Tides

  Sheltering Dunes

  Honor Series

  Above All, Honor

  Honor Bound

  Love & Honor

  Honor Guards

  Honor Reclaimed

  Honor Under Siege

  Word of Honor

  Code of Honor

  Price of Honor

  Justice Series

  A Matter of Trust (prequel)

  Shield of Justice

  In Pursuit of Justice

  Justice in the Shadows

  Justice Served

  Justice For All

  Rivers Community Novels

  Against Doctor’s Orders

  Prescription for Love

  Love on Call

  Love After Hours

  First Responders Novels

  Trauma Alert

  Firestorm

  Oath of Honor

  Taking Fire

  Wild Shores

  Heart Stop

  Short Fiction

  Collected Stories by Radclyffe

  Erotic Interludes: Change of Pace

  Radical Encounters

  Edited by Radclyffe:

  Best Lesbian Romance 2009-2014

  Stacia Seaman and Radclyffe, eds.

  Erotic Interludes 2: Stolen Moments

  Erotic Interludes 3: Lessons in Love

  Erotic Interludes 4: Extreme Passions

  Erotic Interludes 5: Road Games

  Romantic Interludes 1: Discovery

  Romantic Interludes 2: Secrets

  Breathless: Tales of Celebration

  Women of the Dark Streets

  Amore and More: Love Everafter

  Myth & Magic: Queer Fairy Tales

  By L.L. Raand

  Midnight Hunters

  The Midnight Hunt

  Blood Hunt

  Night Hunt

  The Lone Hunt

  The Magic Hunt

  Shadow Hunt

  YOU DON’T BRING ME FLOWERS

  Dr. Pearce Rifkin leaned into the doorway of the OR office and waited while the nurse on the desk finished giving an update to the receptionist in the family waiting area. As soon as she hung up, Pearce said, “What’s going on in room seven? They were supposed to be ready for me an hour ago.”

  “Hold on.” The nurse switched screens on the small monitor tucked into the corner above her workstation, and Pearce angled her head to survey the activity in the operating room. Equipment and at least half a dozen people crowded around the operating table, obscuring the patient. He was only a shapeless mound beneath sterile green drapes. She frowned. “Is that Rappaport? What’s he doing in there?”

  “They called for him half an hour ago. Apparently they found something with the kidney they wanted him to check.”

  Pearce glanced at the big round clock on the wall. Three forty-five. She had to be done by six. “Look, call me as soon as they’re ready. I’ll be in the office.”

  “Will do,” the nurse said, her attention already elsewhere.

  Pearce cut through the pre-op holding area, skirted the row of gurneys waiting for patients to leave recovery, and slapped the palm-sized red button on the wall to open the double doors leading to the hall. Friday afternoon—always the same. Unexpected admissions, traumas, add-on cases. Delay after delay. She knew planning anything for Friday night was risky, but what choice did she have? Wynter was on call Saturday. Sunday was out—Wynter would be tired—and getting a sitter would be harder. Besides, anniversaries were supposed to be celebrated on the day, not some random who-knew-when-they’d-ever-have-time point in the future. And this was a big anniversary—six months since the baby was born. Six amazing, incredible months. Being a parent was completely unlike anything she’d expected—at turns exhilarating and terrifying. He was so little—perfect in every way, but so helpless. The responsibility and wonder were enormous, and from the moment she’d held him and looked into Wynter’s exhausted but exultant eyes, everything had changed. She’d thought she’d loved Wynter as much as she possibly could, but in that instant, she loved her in a way she hadn’t known possible. With reverence, with a soul-deep need that kept her awake at night, wondering how she could possibly do without either one of them.

  She punched the button on the elevator and glanced at her watch. Four p.m. “Damn it.”

  “Hey, Pearce,” a familiar voice said. “You look like I feel. What’s going on?”

  “Hey, Ali,” Pearce said to the other surgeon and her wife’s best friend. “I’m just waiting around to do triple tubes on the MVA from this afternoon. Waiting being the operative word.”

  “Typical Friday, huh?”

  Pearce watched the numbers slowly tick down as the elevator approached. “Yeah. Figures I’d get hung up when I’ve got plans.”

  “Anything to do with the special delivery to the trauma unit this morning?”

  Pearce grinned. “Maybe.”

  “Come on, spill.”

  The elevator doors opened, Pearce said, “Sorry,” to the occupants and let it pass. “You won’t tell her, will you?”

  “Not a word. The flowers were gorgeous. Wynter was speechless.”

  Pearce leaned against the wall and sighed. “I should have sent them a lot sooner.”

  “What’s the occasion?”

  “Nate is six months old today.”

  Ali’s dark eyes sparkled. “Oh my God. So fast. I have to get my godson a present. So—Wynter gets flowers on Nate’s half-birthday because…?”

  “She’s been juggling a lot since he was born—taking care of him, work, studying for her boards. She needs a break.” Pearce ran a hand through her hair. “We need a break.”

  “Everything okay?” Ali asked gently.

  “Oh yeah. It’s just—crazy, you know? And I don’t think…” Pearce sighed. “I don’t think I tell her enough how great she is.”

  Ali smiled. “She’s really happy, you know. You must be doing something right.”

  “Well, I’ve got a big evening planned—I sent the invitation with the flowers.”

  “Uh-huh. Still waiting for details.”

  “I just told her to dress for dinner so I could keep the rest a surprise. I reserved a private dining suite at the Four Seasons. The sitter is coming at seven, and we’ve got five hours all to ourselves.”

  “Wow. Nice date.” Ali grinned.

  “It’s the first time we’ve had a chance to get away since he was born.” Pearce glanced at her watch. “If I get this case done.”

  “I hope you make it.” Ali sketched a wave as the elevator doors opened again and Pearce stepped inside.

  “Me too.” Pearce squeezed past a stretcher bearing an elderly patient, who snored softly, and settled in the corner as the elevator descended. She’d wanted everything to be perfect. Wynter had taken a month off after Nate was born, and since she’d been back to work, they’d both been so busy with him and their hospital schedules she sometimes felt like she never saw her. When she did, they were both so tired all they could do was make sure the baby was taken care of before they fell into bed, only to get up a few hours later for a feeding, grab a couple more hours’ sleep, and then head back to the hospital. She just missed her, and tonight was supposed to be just them, a chance to reconnect.

  An hour later she was still waiting. She called the OR. “Gloria
, it’s Rifkin. Can you get me an ETA for room seven?”

  She listened to silence for a minute and then the night-shift nurse came on. “They said at least another hour—maybe. Rappaport is taking out that kidney.”

  “Thanks.” Pearce disconnected, rubbed both hands over her face, and picked up the phone to call home. “Hi, babe,” she said when Wynter answered. “I’m still here waiting on that trauma patient. It’s looking like a couple of hours.”

  “You’re not going to make it, are you?” Wynter sighed.

  “I’m so sorry. If I’m not too late, we could still—”

  “Hey, I understand.” Wynter paused. “The sitter will be here in a few minutes. I’ll just tell her we don’t need her and pay her for travel time. We’ll try again some other time.”

  “Wynter—”

  “It’s okay, really. I’ve got to be in early tomorrow anyhow.”

  “Okay, babe. I’ll see you later then.”

  “Take it easy, honey.”

  Pearce disconnected, hung up the phone, and switched off the desk light. Leaning back in her chair, she closed her eyes. At least she’d sent Wynter flowers. A dozen multicolored daisies—her favorites. She always meant to send her flowers just for no reason, but life always seemed to get in the way.

  She listened to her secretary Angela moving around in the cubicle outside her office, and then the light shining underneath her door went out. Everyone would have left the offices by now. She probably should work, but dictating charts wasn’t her favorite thing to do under the best of circumstances. She wasn’t in the mood now. She thought about stretching out on the couch and grabbing a nap and was about to get up when the door opened and Wynter stepped inside.