"Didn't you ever play any games as a kid?" Jane asked the question, but she already knew the answer. On their way back from dinner Maura had admitted that she had never played tag or foursquare when she was growing up, nor had she made a hideout with blankets and a bunk bed to play cops and robbers.

"I didn't have any siblings, so who was I supposed to play these games with?" Maura stood in front of Jane's bookshelf, looking for a DVD for the two of them to watch and pretending that her lack of experience with childhood games was nothing to be concerned about.

"I don't know, your friends? Your nanny?"

Maura just sighed, and gave Jane a look. Jane felt badly for making Maura remember what must have been a very lonely childhood, so she changed the subject quickly.

"Here, give me your arm and close your eyes," said Jane as she sat down on the couch and pulled Maura down next to her. She reached for Maura's arm and straightened it out, holding it tightly at the wrist.

"Jane, what are you doing?" Maura wasn't at all sure where this was going, but she didn't pull away.

"Just trust me. Me and Frankie played this game all the time. Now that I think about it, you know so much about human anatomy that you can probably explain to me how it works."

Maura still looked confused, but also interested, so Jane continued.

"Okay, you close your eyes and I tickle your arm, starting at the wrist and moving up. Then when I get to the crease of the arm, you tell me to stop."

"Why is this a game?"

"Because it's actually really hard to tell exactly where you're being touched when your eyes are closed."

Maura narrowed her eyes and gave Jane a quizzical look. She wondered if Jane was teasing her.

"C'mon, Maura, just close your eyes!"

"Okay, okay, I'm ready." Maura settled back on the couch and closed her eyes, a faint smile on her lips. Soon she felt Jane's feather-light touches on her arm.

"Mmm, that actually feels–" Maura paused involuntarily as her breath caught in her throat. The touch of Jane's fingers was sending chills up and down her arm, and she felt a strange flutter in her stomach.

"Really nice–"

"Shh, you're supposed to be concentrating or you'll lose the game."

Maura complied, but found it was nearly impossible to think about the game when all she felt was heat coursing through her body. She wondered if Jane noticed her blushing. She almost pulled away, afraid of what she was feeling and afraid of Jane finding out what she was feeling, when suddenly Jane stopped the movement of her fingers and poked her arm.

"You lose, look where I got to!" Maura opened her eyes and looked down. Jane's finger was resting nearly two inches above the crease in her arm.

"Oh! I had no idea." Maura looked up to see Jane grinning, and felt her heart beating very rapidly. She breathed deeply, digging deep down for the resolve to stop this little game before it got out of control.

She failed. "Okay, let me try." She took Jane's arm with shaky fingers.

Maura began the game again, telling herself that it was a scientific experiment but knowing that something else was happening, something she didn't want to acknowledge. She moved her fingers slowly up Jane's arm, watching Jane's face the whole time. Jane was concentrating, but her breathing increased and Maura wondered if her friend was enjoying the physical contact as much as she had.

Jane lost the game, telling Maura to stop just a fraction of a second too early. Then Maura held out her arm again for the next round. Jane took the proffered arm and Maura closed her eyes without being told, waiting to feel Jane's touch again.

When Jane spoke her voice was—different. Huskier than usual. Maura had never heard Jane speak like this, and it thrilled her.

"Let's try something different this time–"

Maura felt her arm being lifted, and then something soft and warm on her wrist.

Jane's lips. "Oh . . ." And then Jane's tongue.

"Do you like that, Maura?" Jane's voice was gentle, but very deep and very sexy.

Maura nodded, and stopped breathing as Jane's mouth slowly traveled up her arm.

By the time Jane had gone several inches past the crease in her arm, Maura had to breathe again, but she had no intention of telling Jane to stop.

"Jane." Her voice came out sounding a bit strangled, halfway between a word and a moan.

"Hmm?" Jane hummed into her arm.

"We're not playing the game anymore, are we?"

"No, I don't think so." Jane's mouth never stopped exploring Maura's skin.

"Then what are we doing?" Maura felt compelled to ask, despite the fact that she was nearly writhing with arousal.

"I don't know." Jane pulled back. "Do you want me to stop?"

Maura's eyes snapped open, and looked at Jane. Seeing signs of Jane's arousal—darkened eyes, flushed skin—only increased her own. She could only shake her head, and mouth the word "no."

Jane's lips moved further now, until they found Maura's collarbone. She dropped the arm she had been tasting so extensively and began leaving a wet trail across Maura's neck.

"Maura, you taste—so good."

Maura leaned her head back to give Jane more access to her throat and ran her hands up and down the soft cotton of Jane's t-shirt. She felt herself becoming impossibly aroused. How did this happen so fast?

All the times that she and Jane had cuddled on the couch, all the times they had shared a bed, every time they touched each other and let their fingers linger just a little bit too long—Maura had just told herself it was normal and that she and Jane just had an unusually close friendship. But these feelings—these strong, raw urges that were rapidly overwhelming her—a line had definitely been crossed, and there was no going back.

Maura's brain began screaming at her, telling her this was wrong, that Jane was her best friend, that Jane was a woman, that this wasn't supposed to happen, that she shouldn't, couldn't–

And then Jane sucked on a soft spot just below her ear and her body's screams for more drowned out her brain's reservations and she groaned out loud.

"God, Jane!"

Jane leaned away and smiled, happy to see that her ministrations were breaking down Maura's inhibitions. Jane's smile and her darkening eyes only served to turn her on even more, and before she knew what she was doing she had climbed into Jane's lap, straddling her hips and gripping her shoulders. Jane looked surprised, and it was her turn to moan as she felt Maura's lips press roughly against her own. Maura immediately thrust her tongue into Jane's mouth, finding it impossible to be patient or gentle.

Jane responded eagerly, and their tongues battled fiercely until Maura broke away and demanded more.

"Inside me, Jane—I want you inside me, please." She used both her hands to hitch up her skirt around her waist and then spread her legs as wide as she could while resting on her knees above Jane's lap.

Jane slipped her hand between Maura's thighs, pushing aside the black lace of her underwear. She softly touched Maura's wet and swollen pussy, tickling and teasing until Maura screamed in frustration.

"Jane! Please!"

As soon as she felt Jane's fingers enter her, Maura let her weight sink into Jane's hand. As Jane pushed upward she pushed downward, leaning on Jane's shoulders for support. She rode Jane's hand furiously until she came, and then crumpled into a panting heap, curled up on the couch with her head in Jane's lap.

It took a long time for Maura to come down from her orgasm. Jane stroked her hair patiently, amazed at what had just happened.

When Maura finally came down, she came down hard. In her mind's eye, she imagined what she must have looked like, grinding into Jane, panting and grunting like an animal. A fucking animal.

She felt her skirt bunched up around her waist, and Jane's hand softly caressing her bare thigh—only now she didn't find it arousing at all. Waves of shame and self-loathing washed over her, and she felt hot tears burning in her eyes.

"No, Jane, how could you let me do that?" She scooted awkwardly off of Jane's lap and then stood up, tugging down her skirt and smoothing her hair.

"What are you talking about—Maura—where are you going? What's wrong?" Jane stood up and tried to grip Maura's shoulders but her advances were shrugged off as Maura began hunting for her shoes.

"Maura, that was amazing, I loved it, I love you, please don't go! At least talk to me!"

Maura didn't say anything.

Jane pleaded with Maura, desperate to keep her from running away. "Maura, I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it—and I wanted you so much—we've been dancing around it all this time, haven't we?"

Maura turned away from Jane and headed towards the door, sobbing. "I can't, Jane, I just can't. I'm sorry." She stopped at the door and tried to get herself under control, wiping away the tears as best she could. She opened the door and walked out, closing it behind her without once looking Jane in the eyes.