Chapter seven

"I don't have sex before the third date."

Emma couldn't help but laugh. Regina had thrown a fistful of notes at the cab driver, tugged Emma by her hand into her house, and said those words while she was simultaneously pulling her into the living room.

"Okay," Emma replied. "I'm not expecting anything."

"Okay. Good. Good. Right." Regina let go of Emma briefly just to tug her coat off and throw it in the direction of the nearest armchair - something she'd never done before in her entire life - before grabbing Emma's wrist again and pulling her closer. "Then kiss me."

For once, Emma didn't have a witty reply. She just grabbed Regina's waist, properly feeling for the first time just how narrow and taut it was, and did exactly that.

Her own coat went flying before they tumbled down onto the couch. Maybe they'd both decided that they'd wasted enough time skirting around one another over the past month, because suddenly they couldn't move fast enough. Regina fell back with her arms around Emma's neck, and Emma instantly set up camp with her knee wedged between Regina's legs. She didn't push it any closer and instead returned to Regina's neck, needing to hear those frantic moans again but without the music from the bar there to mute it. Regina threw her head back instantly and whimpered, her nails digging into the base of Emma's head as she urged her to go faster.

They were both breathless. Emma kept on kissing her throat, desperate to leave a dark purple mark that would make her knees weak in the morning but refusing to blemish Regina's perfect skin. Instead, she headed downward, getting furious when she was cut off by the neckline of her dress and then suddenly remembering what Regina had just told her. Immediately, she stopped and went back up to her face, finding Regina's lips parted and waiting for her.

"I don't sleep with people before the third date."

The words were hissed practically into her mouth. Emma pulled away with a laugh.

"You just said that."

"I know. I'm just reminding myself."

"Reminding yourself?"

Regina glared at her, then wriggled free from beneath her. For a horrible second Emma thought they were done, but then she realised what was happening: Regina climbed out from beneath her, guided Emma up into a sitting position, and then clambered on top of her.

Emma looked up at her with a dry mouth. "Oh."

"I don't sleep with people before the third date."

"Regina," Emma sighed, gently holding her waist. "Do you think I'm going to pressure you into—?"

"No," Regina interrupted, kissing her hard before she pulled away again with a sigh. "I just know what I want right now and I need to show some self restraint."

"Oh, really? And what is it that you want right now?"

She got another glare for that, but it was worth it. Regina leaned forward, the warm weight of her body pressing down against Emma's lap, and hissed into her ear, "I want to spend the entire night fucking you."

Emma moaned out loud, throwing her head back. "Regina."

"But I don't sleep with people before the—"

"Say that one more time and I'm leaving," Emma snapped. "Please, can we at least keep kissing?"

"No, because when I kiss you, it makes me want to rip your clothes off."

"So, what then? Do you want to watch Monsters Inc and go to bed?"

Regina was visibly squirming. Her cheeks were red and she was gripping the back of Emma's neck like she was trying to stop herself from doing something much worse with her hands.

After a long moment of silence, Emma forced herself to sit up straighter and reached up to cup Regina's face. That, at least, seemed to calm her slightly.

"Regina," she said softly. "Do you want me to go?"

"No."

"Do you want to just talk?"

"No."

"Then, what do you want?"

Regina fidgeted again, groaning when her pulsing cunt pressed against the button on Emma's jeans. The five apple martinis were still swirling inside her and she suddenly wanted more than anything to reach down and shove Emma's hand inside her underwear, riding her fingers until she came with a gasp that extinguished the lights.

She realised then that Emma knew that. She could feel it burning from her. And yet, she was still waiting patiently for her to tell her what she thought they should do instead.

Regina swallowed hard. "I've never felt like this before."

"Ever?"

"I mean... I've been... aroused before," Regina said awkwardly. "I've wanted to have sex before. But I've spent so many weeks wondering... Not knowing why I kept thinking about you or whether you were thinking about me and wondering if I'd ever seen you again, and..."

She couldn't get her thoughts straight and it was infuriating. She groaned and rubbed a hand over her face.

Emma smiled. "I've been thinking about you since day one."

Just like that, Regina was looking down at her again. "You have?"

"Of course. You were so beautiful and so fucking grumpy," Emma said, ignoring the slap to her shoulder, "and I wanted you right away. But you were only dating men and I didn't know if you'd ever thought about women like that before and... I'm bi but I always worry that if I come on to girls too strongly, they'll pull away and think I'm disgusting or something. I didn't want to frighten you off - especially not if you're still struggling with dating and not ready for anything too heavy yet."

The smile Regina gave her was soft enough to melt her. "I could never think you're disgusting. You're the first person I've wanted to spend any time with at all in months."

"I am?"

"You are. And that's why I'm really, really struggling not to take you up to my bedroom right now."

Emma laughed, letting her hands drop from Regina's waist down to her hips. "Well, as much as I would love that - you have your rules and I'm going to respect them."

"You are?" Regina asked, visibly disappointed.

"I am. However," Emma added, her eyes suddenly flashing. "Can I try something else?"

It was almost what she'd said in the bar only an hour ago, and the memory made Regina lose her breath.

"Yes," she gasped. "Please."

"I'll stop as soon as you tell me to," Emma clarified. "And I won't take your clothes off."

"You won't...? What exactly are you planning to do, then?"

"You really have only dated men, haven't you?" Emma asked dryly. "Just tell me if you want me to stop, okay?"

Regina nodded furiously. "Of course."

Excitement skipped inside Emma's chest. She tilted her chin up to capture Regina's lips once more. Finally, it was slower - some of Regina's franticness had disappeared, and she was able to sink her body into the curve of Emma's chest and wind her arms around her neck like she was trying to disappear into her, rather than like she was trying to stop time from slipping away. She shifted her hips slightly and ground down once more against Emma's lap, moaning at the rush it sent through her. That single movement gave Emma the reassurance she needed to keep going.

She gently peeled Regina's arms away from her neck, soaking up her confused expression when she pulled away from the kiss and peered down at her. Emma coaxed her arms back, easing them slowly incase this was something that Regina would hate, until they were crossed behind her back. When her fingers shifted to grip her wrists and hold them in place, Regina's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"Too much?" Emma asked, but Regina shook her head.

"What are you doing?"

"I told you - trying something. Say stop if you don't like it."

Regina nodded, her body already heaving. Emma swallowed, keeping her grip tight, and placed her forehead on Regina's chest. The smell of her was so strong - expensive perfume and clean clothes and fresh air and just a drop of alcohol that must have gotten spilled down her in the bar. Emma inhaled and closed her eyes, steadying herself, and then brought her right hand up from Regina's hip.

The second it found its place over Regina's breast, they both groaned. Regina instinctively tugged her arms like she was trying to get away, but she was relieved when Emma ignored her. Her wrists were held in place as Emma gently caressed her over her clothes, feeling every curve of her chest and her waist before returning to her hips. Regina could feel herself throbbing, and she knew she was starting to shake. Emma's sweet, glassy eyes kept glancing up at her, checking she was okay, and whenever they found her panting and wriggling and silently begging her to go on, she smiled slightly and did as she was told. When she squeezed Regina's breast again, she could feel a hardened nipple against her palm.

Suddenly only having one hand was maddening, and she released her wrists. Regina fell forward at once, kissing Emma hard, and moaned out loud when she felt both her breasts being squeezed and toyed with. Right then, her rules were her least favourite thing in the world - she wanted Emma to grab the top of her dress with both hands and tear it open. She wanted to be thrown onto the couch and fucked until she was crying. She wanted to take Emma up to her bed and tie her to the headboard and spend the rest of the night between her legs working out exactly what it was that would make her scream. But then Emma's careful hands were sliding down again, grabbing Regina's hips and rocking her harder than she would have dared to do herself.

"Oh, God," Regina cried out without meaning to. She thrust her fist into her mouth and bit down. "Do that again."

Emma buried her mouth against Regina's neck and, as she licked and sucked, held Regina's hips firmly. She pulled her forward, guiding the join of her thighs to exactly where she knew the button on her jeans was, and moaned at the noises that followed. Regina started clinging to her again, her fingers diving into Emma's hair and gripping hard, trying to keep herself in one place. The rocking got faster - half because Emma was moving her and half because Regina's dignity had long flown out the window - and before she knew it, she was panting and whining as she humped herself against Emma's lap. The friction was blinding and she buried her face in Emma's hair, breathing it in as she rocked harder, whispering words she didn't even know the meaning of into her ear as she fucked herself on nothing.

She didn't noticed that one of Emma's hands had left her hips under she felt something new against the inside of her thigh. Emma was as good as her word: she didn't even try to peel Regina's underwear aside. She just pressed the pad of her thumb against the soaking wet spot in the centre of the silk fabric, and she moaned incoherently when she felt the full weight of Regina's body starting to grind against it.

Regina was burning all over. She was sweating. She could barely breathe and her mouth was full of fabric and Emma's hair, but all she could think about was the arm that was holding her steady and the hand that was fucking her without even touching her bare skin. She rocked and rocked and suddenly gasped, long and loud, and when she came, it was with a shake that made her head snap back. She moaned to the whole room, her chest heaving, and let the feeling of her thighs shaking uncontrollably wash over her until finally some sense of control came back to her.

When she slumped forward against Emma's chest, she thought she might cry. Emma was holding her tight, her hand removed from beneath her dress, and even though she was panting too, she didn't complain. She reached up to stroke Regina's hair and waited until Regina was ready to pull away. When she did, she grabbed Emma's face with both hands and kissed her hard. Her tongue was messy and desperate and Emma knew she was trying to say thank you when she didn't have the words.

She grinned when they pulled apart. She could smell Regina everywhere and even though she hadn't fucked her, she could taste her too. It was worth the weeks and weeks of waiting, and although she herself hadn't come and probably wouldn't for a long time, she felt satisfied. Exhausted, but satisfied.

She reminded herself of that when Regina reached down and began fiddling with her jeans.

"It's okay," Emma said, stroking Regina's hair away from her face. "Not tonight."

"Seriously?"

"Of course. I promised, didn't I?"

"But I... You..." Regina swallowed. "Was it... bad?"

Emma rolled her eyes and kissed her cheek, making her blush. "You can be really stupid sometimes."

"Then, why...?"

"Because we've done enough, and I wanted to make you come and make you realise you can trust me and that I won't do anything you're not ready for. Have you ever fucked a woman before?"

Regina blinked at the abrupt question. "I... No. I haven't."

"So, why rush? That third date isn't too far away, you know."

Laughing, Regina let her head drop forward. In a way, she was relieved - as badly as she wanted to touch Emma there and then, she knew it probably was too soon. She was glad that at least one of them had the sense to realise that.

She nodded. "Thank you."

"Seriously, don't mention it. And I really hope that was okay for you."

Regina snorted, like there was any chance Emma hadn't noticed how frantically she had been humping her five minutes earlier. "I can be stupid sometimes?"

"I'm being respectful!"

"Well, don't. I much prefer you when you're giving me orgasms that make me forget my own name."

Emma grinned. "I have loads more where they came from. And hey, I can recommend plenty of 'special' websites if you need them - you know, if you want to bone up."

Regina squawked with laughter at the disgusting pun and leaned forward to kiss her again.

"Idiot. But fine - maybe I'll take you up on that. Just to make you squirm."

After a few more kisses - long, deep, breathless ones that had lost their earlier urgency and instead become soft and grateful - Regina got up and held out her hand. "I hope you don't hog the covers."

"I don't, but I do sometimes snore after I've been drinking."

"Charming. If you wake up in the middle of the night with a pillow pressed over your face, it's your own fault."

Emma grinned and let Regina lead her upstairs, their fingers intertwined. Climbing into bed beside her was unreal - like slipping into pure silk and being cradled by it.

She wasn't at all surprised when Regina took hours to take off her make-up and apply all her serums, but it did come as a shock when she paused awkwardly before turning off the light and asked, "How do you feel about spooning?"

Emma's heart nearly broke. "I'm always a fan of that."

"Great. Do you..." Regina started, then swallowed. Yet again, even after seeing so many sides of her, Emma was blessed to see a brand new one in the soft hours of the night. "Would you mind holding me?"

But Emma was already slipping in behind her, loosely curling an arm over her waist and drawing her close. She felt the tension leave Regina's muscles instantly.

The light went off, and in the dark, Emma was left to soak in the smell of her and feel the stretch and shrink of her body as she breathed. Neither of them spoke again. It was the first time they'd simply been silent together since the night they'd met - Emma with her hand casually looped through the steering wheel and Regina clutching her purse like she was still planning to run - and both of them felt grateful when they were just able to sink into it.

When Regina turned her head, sought out Emma's face in the dark and gently kissed it, she felt Emma's smile radiate back at her. The warmth of it stayed with her until she was fast asleep.

THE END

A/N: Thanks again to shazmit for the amazing prompt!

You can find me on Twitter at _starsthatburn

xxx