Sunlight lit the bedroom in a bright, hot wave. Faith yawned and glanced at the clock. Still early. She didn't have to leave for the office for another hour. Plenty of time. Careful not to wake the woman attached to the arm around her waist, Faith brushed a series of lighter-than-air kisses up a pale shoulder to a neck marked with a collection of love bites.

Someone would be wearing her collar buttoned all the way up today.

"If you go give me another mark any higher," a sleep-roughened voice warned, "I'll turn you into a rat companion for Amy."

When Faith glanced up, blue eyes twinkled at her. "'Cuz you're such a mean girl." Faith went back to work, tired of talking. Her lips skimmed sweat-tacky skin, all the way up to a tiny earlobe. She bit that lobe lightly. At first. With more pressure as the body against her arched and hot breath puffed against her shoulder in response.

"You'll…you'll be late," Tara gasped as Faith tortured her earlobe before dragging her tongue on the spot just behind it.

Faith chuckled. "Like I give a fuck." Cordelia didn't even bother to comment when she swaggered in well past her shift start. "I'd call in every day if you'd let me." Her hands yanked the sheet away so she could enjoy Tara further. "So beautiful." She reached for Tara's nipples, already sitting up and begging for attention.

When her fingers closed on both buds, Tara's back came off the mattress. "Goddess. Please."

"Gonna make you come from just playing with your tits one day," Faith vowed. Not today. Today she had other plans. Exchanging one hand for her mouth, she circled Tara's left nipple with her tongue – and waited.

A second later, Tara's fingers threaded through Faith's hair. If Faith hadn't been busy, she might have laughed again. Tara was predictable as fuck when it came to breast play. She lapped at the nipple, the flat of her tongue raking right over the hard, reddened tip. Her hand squeezed and twisted the other nipple.

She'd never get tired of the way Tara reacted to her touch. Faith didn't care what Cordelia said when she was late today.

"Faith…" Tara's voice held just the right touch of desperation as she yanked at Faith's hair.

Definitely going to make Tara come from breast play. Maybe right after this round. Faith switched nipples, repeating the same movements. The same teasing.

Until Tara's hands threatened to rip hunks of hair from her scalp. "Hey, watch the curls, T. Don't wanna have to get a weave to cover the bald spots."

"Then you might want to grab a shirt and answer the door." Tara tilted her head at the bedroom door, and now Faith heard the telltale rattle as someone tried to enter the room. "Good thing I reminded you to lock it last night."

"Uh, babe, I reminded you," Faith corrected. She rolled out of bed and grabbed her discarded shirt from the night before. She tossed Tara's in the general direction of the bed as she pulled on the shirt and buttoned it up. A quick detour netted clean underwear (no way was she wearing the pair Tara had made her ruin the night before).

The knob rattled more forcefully before a hard cop-knock rang through the room.

"Hold your horses. I'm comin'," Faith called out. Some people's kids needed to learn a little patience. Turning the basic lock in the knob, she opened the door. "Tryin' to wake the dead?"

"Mama says you could sleep through an apola..apolasyps, Ma. I had to knock loud!" Chin raised imperiously, Emily Grace Lehane swept past Faith.

Faith rolled her eyes behind her daughter's back. "Good morning to you, too, Emmy."

She got a cheery, "Morning, Ma," back as Emily clambered on the bed and into Tara's lap. "Morning, Mama." Her head nestled under Tara's chin. "Why're you still here, Ma? You're gonna make Aunt C mad again 'cuz you're late."

"Everyone's a critic," Faith muttered to the tune of Tara's giggles.

"Ma's calling out so she can spend the day with her best girls," Tara stage whispered when she stopped laughing. She winked as Faith stared at her in open shock. "Why don't you run into the kitchen and get Ma's phone? I made her leave it in the charger last night."

Emily was off the bed like she'd been shot out of a tiny cannon. "Be right back, Ma! Don't change your mind! Can we go to the zoo?" Her voice trailed behind her as she ran from the room.

Faith crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at Tara. At her smile. At her bottomless blue eyes. "You're pretty happy for a dead woman." She couldn't resist walking to the bed and kissing Tara.

She didn't pull away even as tiny, rapid footsteps announced Emily's return. "Yuck! Ma! Stop that!"

Slowly ending the kiss, Tara murmured, "I have so many things to be happy about, sweetie." Her teeth caught Faith's lower lip and tugged. "And I guess you weren't paying attention last night if you think I'm still dead."