Wicked Games

by starsthatburn

Regina has long suspected that Emma may have a submissive side. When Hook disappears and Regina forces Emma to go out for Ladies' Night, she isn't surprised when Emma admits that she's wanted to try something with her for a while. Explicit Swan Queen BDSM.

4. Chapter 4

A/N: Just a heads up that while this chapter is still very much NSFW, it's a bit less BDSM-heavy than the others because I had a hankering to write a cute Swan Queen dinner scene. Normal kinky service will resume next chapter! xx

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Chapter four

If there was one thing Regina hated, it was feeling unsure of herself. She had always enjoyed breezing through life with her head held high, the swagger in her step telling herself and – more importantly – everyone else in the world that she 100 percent knew what she was doing. If she couldn't summon that feeling, she simply acted like she could.

The majority of her time as the Evil Queen had been one big performance, where she smirked and bluffed her way through her reign until one day she didn't have to fake the confidence anymore.

It wasn't so easy to force those feelings when she was standing on Emma Swan's porch, her jeans cutting into her hips and a bottle of wine awkwardly clasped in her hand.

She felt a renewed sense of admiration for the fact that Emma had ever made it to her own house on their very first night together. This was the fourth time they'd met up now and, even though Regina was feeling more and more comfortable around Emma – in fact, more than she'd felt around anyone for a long time – a cluster of nerves crackled away in her stomach. She very nearly didn't knock on the door.

But the thought of Emma's overjoyed expression when she opened it to find her waiting there was enough to make her lift one fist. She knocked three times, then took a step back, pursing her lips against the dry feeling in her mouth.

She was waiting longer than she expected before she heard footsteps approaching the door. When it opened, Emma's hair was a wild halo of freshly washed curls. Her mouth split into a delighted smile.

"Hey," she breathed before her eyes fell to take in Regina's outfit. "Wow – you look amazing."

Regina glanced down at herself. She was wearing her tightest black jeans and a black silk cami with lace around the edges. Her dark red heels were probably a bit much considering she was, for all intents and purposes, just going for dinner at a friend's house, but forcing herself not to wear one of her usual tailored dresses had already been a big step for her. She needed something to help her feel in control.

"Thank you," she said. She heard the flatness in her own voice. "I tried to dress down a bit, but I'm not sure how successful I was."

Emma's grin descended into a frown. "You look beautiful. Apart from the fact that you obviously wish you were somewhere else right now."

Regina looked up, exhaling heavily. "Sorry. That's definitely not true – I just feel nervous about being here, and I'm not used to feeling like that."

Emma was already smiling at her again. "That's really okay. The whole point of you coming here is to make you feel comfortable with my house. I won't force you to do anything you aren't ready for yet."

Regina felt a shaky smile taking shape on her lips as she asked, "Isn't it usually me reassuring you of that?"

"True," Emma said. "I guess the tables have turned. Hey, does this mean I get to order you around now?"

Her words had the desired effect: Regina snorted, shaking her head.

"That is highly unlikely to ever happen."

"But not impossible," Emma noted, quirking one eyebrow in what she hoped was a charming way. "That's good to know."

Regina laughed, her stomach feeling marginally less turbulent, and said, "You are ridiculous. But thank you."

"Any time," Emma said, taking a step back from the doorway. "Anyway, come in. If you still want to."

Regina edged past her, straightening her shoulders as she went. As she waited for Emma to close the door behind her, she allowed herself a quick look around the hall: she'd only been in this house a handful of times, and although she still couldn't say she understood why Emma had chosen it, it at least looked slightly more like a home than it had done on previous occasions. It was much warmer, for one thing, and Emma had obtained a dozen vast black and white photographs – all of them of either Boston or New York – and hung them throughout the entrance. There was still a lack of furniture, she noticed, but when she glanced through into the living room, she saw that at some point Emma had painted the walls a fresh, pale blue. The sofa was covered in a variety of throws and cushions and, to Regina's immense surprise, was surrounded on all sides by piles of books.

Emma suddenly appeared at her shoulder and followed her gaze. "Oh. I haven't had a chance to clean that room today."

Regina was still blinking at them. "That is a lot of books, Emma."

"Yeah," Emma shrugged. "I have a bad habit of acquiring them. Or checking them out of the library and then maybe forgetting to return them."

"You've been inside the library?" Regina asked, and she was only half joking. Emma nudged her arm.

"I have my own card and everything," she said. "Don't look so shocked – they do teach us to read in foster care."

Regina finally dragged her gaze away from the most unexpected thing she'd seen all week and turned to look at her. Emma was watching her with a small smile.

"Well," Regina said, uncertain of exactly where she was going with that sentence until she looked down and remembered the bottle that was still clutched in her hand. "I brought you this."

Emma's delicate smile broke into a grin. "Then you're already the best house guest I've ever had."

"Are my only competitors Henry and Hook?"

"Yes. And my mom," Emma said, taking the wine from her. "She doesn't tend to bring bottles of anything though, unless it's breast milk."

"Well, I'm afraid I don't have any of that," Regina said, and Emma rolled her eyes in mock dismay.

"I guess the wine will have to do, then," she said. "Come on, we'd better go check I haven't burned dinner."

Finally, Regina registered the smell that was flooding through the house. She was more than a little startled when she realised it actually smelled good.

"You made roast chicken after all?" she asked as she followed Emma across the hall.

"I had to," Emma said, pushing the kitchen door open. "I promised you a feast, didn't I?"

"It's a risky first dish, though."

"Not for an esteemed chef like me," Emma said, holding the door open so Regina could follow her into the kitchen. It was warm and smelled of chicken and herbs inside, and Regina blinked.

"It smells delicious," she said, unable to hide her shock. Emma raised her eyebrows.

"Your opinion of me must be so low," she said, taking the bottle of wine over to the counter. As she reached up to take two glasses down from the top shelf, Regina caught a glimpse of her taut stomach muscles. She swallowed.

"I'm sorry. I've just never thought of you as a cook," she admitted. Emma didn't look particularly offended by this.

"I've been taking care of myself since I was 13," she said, wrestling the cork free of the bottle. "If I hadn't learned how to cook, I wouldn't have gotten very far."

"That's true," Regina said, ignoring the sharp pang of guilt she felt any time she thought about Emma's lonely childhood. "What's your favourite food?"

Emma looked round at her, her eyebrows raised. "Why?"

"Because I want to know," Regina said, leaning her hip against the counter. "I don't actually know that much about you."

The corners of Emma's mouth flickered for a second. "I like most food. Except squid. But I'm going to have to be really boring and say my favourite food is probably pizza."

"I can't say I'm that surprised by that," Regina said, and Emma smiled back at her.

"I wouldn't be either," she said, turning back to the wine and pouring out two glasses. "Is yours lasagna?"

Regina blinked. "How did you know?"

Emma was smiling to herself, but she didn't turn around. "Lucky guess."

She lifted up both glasses and approached Regina, holding one out. There was a confident glint in her eye that she didn't have when they were in Regina's house – apparently, the home field advantage worked for both of them.

Regina couldn't decide whether she was happy about that or not.

Taking the proffered glass and clinking it against Emma's, Regina said, "For some reason, I was expecting you to be more nervous about this."

"You should have seen me this morning," Emma said, taking a sip and acting like she hadn't been in the middle of cleaning up a huge patch of spilled water, courtesy of her stupid, trembling hands, when Regina had knocked on her door. "You, however, are looking way more nervous than I was expecting you to."

Regina felt her cheeks grow hot, and she tried to hide the fact by taking a sip of wine. "I can't honestly say I feel comfortable with this yet."

"That's okay," Emma said, and her voice was so calm and gentle that Regina actually believed her. "This is only, like, the third time you've been here, and I'm pretty sure you've never been in another room before. You just need to get used to it."

"And how do you propose I do that?"

"Take a little tour," Emma said, reaching out to check the timer. "We have 15 minutes until the food is ready. Why don't you go and have a look around?"

Regina blinked. "You're going to let me loose in your house?"

"Sure," Emma said. "After all, you know all of my dirty little secrets already."

Regina smirked automatically, self-assurance bubbling up inside her like warm soup. "That is true."

"Or I can come with you," Emma said, her eyes dropping down and fixing on Regina's pursed lips. Her lipstick was the exact same shade as her shoes, and as much as she admired the commitment, she desperately wanted to kiss the colour clean off of her. "Whatever you prefer."

Regina took another sip of her wine. "Actually, if you don't mind, I'd quite like to go by myself."

"Sure," Emma said, her easy smile making Regina's heart skip. "Knock yourself out."

"Is there anywhere you'd prefer me not to go?"

"No, you're good," Emma said. "Just don't judge me too hard on all the rooms that either don't have furniture yet or are completely full of crap."

Regina laughed. "I must say, this was an odd choice of house for someone with your limited interior design skills."

"There's the Regina I know and love," Emma said. She nodded towards the door. "Go on, Madam Mayor. Go poke around."

Regina could feel the tension in her stomach starting to leave her, and without thinking, she leaned forward so she could press a kiss against Emma's warm cheek. When she pulled away, Emma's eyes had gone soft.

"Will you call me when you want me back again?" Regina asked.

"Of course I will," Emma said. Her voice was gentle, and Regina suddenly longed to reach out and kiss her again.

But instead, she picked up her wine glass and turned back towards the door. She thought she heard Emma sigh as she left.

---

Regina was already on her way back down the stairs when Emma called from the kitchen. She couldn't say she felt 100 percent on familiar ground yet, but she certainly felt looser, and she wasn't walking with such a sharp pain in her abdomen anymore. There was even a glimmer of a devious smile on her lips as she descended the stairs.

She had taken each room slowly, one by one, not opening any closets or cabinets but still doing an extensive sweep of each space. Emma had been right: several of the rooms were almost entirely bare, containing a few empty boxes or maybe a single suitcase. Others had somehow found themselves bearing the brunt of most of Emma's possessions, and were covered from wall to wall in old clothes, multiple chairs, stacks of photo albums and, in every room Regina visited, books. There were hundreds of them, but Emma obviously hadn't find time to buy any shelves just yet, and so they had made their way into the corners of every single room that had space for them.

At first Regina had been genuinely disturbed by Emma's book hoarding habits, but by the time she reached her bedroom, the collection had become endearing. Emma's bedroom was large and warm, painted pale jade and papered on one wall with a pattern of green and silver leaves. Regina had approached the bed nervously, not wanting to cross any boundaries in spite of what Emma had told her, and had felt a strange warmness fill her when she realised that the white sheets were freshly washed and ironed. Out of curiosity, she lifted one of the pillows to see if Emma had left pyjamas under there. She caught sight of a faded black t-shirt and soft, checked bottoms, and she replaced the pillow with a smile on her face.

On the nightstand was yet another pile of books, and Regina tilted her head to look at it: it was made up of a bizarre mash of genres, with a well-thumbed copy of Jane Eyre sitting at the bottom and an open copy of Twilight balancing on the top. Regina had laughed, making a mental note to endlessly tease Emma for that later, and retreated back into the hallway.

Emma looked up expectantly when Regina returned to the kitchen. "Well?"

Regina placed her empty wine glass on the counter. "We need to take you furniture shopping."

That was not what Emma had been expecting. Her eyebrows shot up. "We?"

"Well, I would say you could go alone, but clearly that hasn't worked very well up until now."

Emma snorted, switching off the flame underneath a pan of vegetables. "I've been busy."

"You haven't done a full day at the sheriff station in about six months," Regina said, soaking up the way that Emma laughed in response. "I know there aren't exactly many IKEAs around here, but come on. Why do you need so many spare rooms if they're all going to be empty?"

"They're not empty," Emma pointed out.

"Ah, yes," Regina said, rolling her eyes. "I forgot. They are working very well as book storage rooms."

To her surprise, Emma actually blushed. "I like to read."

"I can see that," Regina said, watching her drain the vegetables and tip them into a serving bowl. "Can I help with anything?"

"You can get us both some more wine," Emma said, pausing as she looked around the kitchen. The table was already set, and the food in the oven was just about ready. A flicker of nerves coiled through her intestines. "I think everything else is ready."

Regina did as she was told, refilling both of their glasses and setting them down on the table. They'd both broken her rule of not drinking too much when they were together, but the atmosphere was different tonight. They could both feel it. In fact, Regina wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have sex at all – this felt altogether far more innocent than normal, and if they just spent the evening talking and getting more comfortable with each other and with this new environment, she would be okay with that.

Emma told her to sit down, and she did so, watching as the food was gradually brought to the table. Regina was genuinely taken aback by how delicious the chicken and golden roasted potatoes looked. She was even more surprised when she looked up from it all to find Emma hovering beside her own chair, watching her worriedly.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

"It looks… perfect," Regina said, wary of admitting this too enthusiastically before she had actually tasted it. Besides, there was their bet to keep in mind: while Regina had absolutely no problem with owing Emma five orgasms, her pride might not take the hit too kindly. "Aren't you going to sit down?"

Emma blinked, like she hadn't considered this, before pulling her chair out. After a split second she realised that she was supposed to carve the chicken, and she awkwardly stood back up again.

Regina laughed. "Emma. Relax."

"It was me saying that to you 20 minutes ago," Emma pointed out, brandishing her knife a little too wildly. Regina inched backwards in her chair.

"Do you need any help with that?"

"I've got it," Emma muttered, and Regina nearly died when she realised that her tongue was poking out from between her teeth as she tried to concentrate on cutting neat portions.

Desperately trying to keep her voice level, Regina asked, "Do you have any idea how much you look like Henry right now?"

"Do you often let him use carving knives?" Emma asked, not looking up. There was a tiny crease between her eyebrows that Regina had an overwhelming urge to kiss away.

"I try not to," Regina said, leaning back as Emma placed the carefully cut chicken on her plate. "But if I did, he would be concentrating just as hard as you are."

Emma glanced up, her lips flickering with a smile, before turning her attention to her own portion of meat. Now that Regina had been served, she didn't seem as worried about her carving skills.

When she was done with that, she reached out to serve Regina some potatoes. Regina got there first, lifting her eyebrows.

"Sit down, Emma," she said, and it was weird how commanding she could sound when they weren't in the bedroom. "I can take care of myself."

Emma sucked in her cheeks and did as she was told. She could see a weird glimmer in Regina's eye as she served herself some food, and then piled some more onto Emma's own plate – it looked like hunger. Like she was actually looking forward to trying this meal.

"You do remember our bet, right?" Emma said, smirking when Regina glared across the table at her.

"Of course I do," Regina said, pushing Emma's plate back towards her. "I haven't had seconds yet. I haven't even had firsts."

"Well, go on then. Unless you're stalling."

"If I am, it's only out of self-preservation – I'm just trying to extend my last days for as long as possible."

Emma laughed in spite of herself. She finally reached out for her own cutlery and began to dig into her food, hoping that Regina would eventually follow suit.

To her tastes, it was pretty great. She hadn't been lying when she'd told Regina that she made a really good roast chicken – it had been her signature dish for a long time. However, she was well aware of the fact that Regina's tastes were quite different to her own, and suddenly the most important thing in the world wasn't winning this bet – it was just making something that Regina would enjoy.

After a minute of near-silence, she looked up. Regina was chewing with an expression on her face that she couldn't read.

"Is it… okay?"

Regina wasn't sure how to answer that – not when answering truthfully would force her to willingly lose a bet, and half her pride in the process. The food was delicious: crispy and meaty and laced with herbs that she wouldn't have thought Emma had even heard of. She thought maybe it needed a little more salt, but otherwise it was damn near perfect. But she couldn't very well say that out loud.

Lying, however, would make Emma's face do that sad puppy thing that made her heart bleed. Altogether, she had a dilemma.

"It's good," Regina said, wincing when she realised that she sounded like she was lying. She tried again. "It's actually very good."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "Seriously?"

"It is. I'm just trying not to be too enthusiastic," Regina explained, "because technically, I haven't lost the bet until I have seconds."

She could see Emma trying not to laugh as she said, "I should have given you a smaller portion then."

"No no," Regina said, tugging her plate closer to her like she was expecting Emma to reach out and snatch some of her food away. "This is just fine."

Emma smiled weakly, still unconvinced by Regina's reaction, and went back to her own food.

She realised right then that she shouldn't have invited Regina over for dinner – not because she didn't want her there, but because dinner meant eating, and eating meant no talking. She had always hated going to restaurants for dates, because as soon as the food arrived, the chatter died down and her knee would start bouncing uncontrollably underneath the table as she would try and think of something to fill the awkward silence.

This was exactly the same as that, except – she realised a second later – she probably shouldn't be thinking of it as a date.

Blinking, as if that alone would shake the thought from her mind, she grasped around for something else to think about. And, as was her wont, as soon as she'd thought it, the words popped out of her mouth.

"Is this weird for you?" she heard herself ask.

Regina looked up with a sigh. She had been forcing herself not to wolf the potatoes down too quickly, or else she knew she'd end up with hiccups. "I've already told you that it tastes good."

"No, not the food," Emma said, gesturing between them with her fork. "This. Us."

Regina raised one eyebrow and said, "Emma, I've had my head between your legs on multiple occasions. Why would this be weird?"

Emma laughed to cover her embarrassed blush. "I just… This is the first time we've really hung out together. We'd only just gotten used to being civil to one another when suddenly we had to get used to sleeping together too. Now we're being friends. It's just a lot of change in a short space of time."

She was surprised, and a little touched, when Regina's face fell. "You don't want us to be friends?"

"Of course I do," Emma garbled as quickly as she could. "I really do. I just meant that a lot's changed. I wanted to know how it felt for you."

Regina paused as she considered this question. Her gaze fell back down to her plate, and with a jolt Emma realised it was because she was embarrassed. "Actually, Emma, it feels really… nice."

"It does?" Emma heard the eagerness in her own voice and begged herself to tone it down.

"Yes," Regina said, swallowing. "I mean… You know I don't exactly have many friends in this town. I know that whatever everyone says about how much I've changed, they will always be slightly wary of me. I know that, and I'm okay with it. But I'm not going to pretend it's not nice to have someone who doesn't still act a bit scared whenever I'm around."

She paused then, her and Emma thinking the same thing simultaneously.

"Well," she corrected herself, flashing Emma a smile. "When I don't want you to be, anyway."

Emma grinned back at her. "I know what you mean. Part of me was always worried that things would stay kind of awkward between us, and maybe doing this would ruin what weird little semi-friendship we had going on. But instead, it's like…"

She couldn't articulate what exactly it was like, and luckily Regina didn't expect her to.

"We started this arrangement as a purely physical thing," Regina said softly. "And that's gone better than I ever could have imagined. But it's somehow even nicer to have found someone who I enjoy talking to after it's all done."

Emma's smile was broad enough to split her face in half, and all Regina wanted to do was lean over the table and kiss it off of her. But she didn't – instead she just went back to her food, ignoring the pounding in her chest and the fact she couldn't swallow so easily anymore because her throat felt like it was closing up.

They continued eating quietly, and Emma didn't feel as uncomfortable with the silence. But she kept finding herself glancing up from her plate, her eyes constantly seeking out Regina, and she begged herself to stop it. Regina would catch her, and she would be mortified.

She wriggled in her seat, trying to ignore the deep, twisting desire in the pit of her stomach – because that was its permanent state of being whenever she was in the same room as the mayor – as her eyes automatically sought out Regina's cleavage once more.

"Are you checking how much I'm eating?" Regina asked, making her jump. Emma looked up and caught the amusement on her face.

"…yes," Emma said, realising that this was less embarrassing. "You're nearly finished, you know. Do you want seconds yet?"

That mischievous grin made Regina's fingers twitch. For years now, she'd found herself falling into the terrible habit of imagining Emma in compromising positions whenever she smirked at her like that. Now, out of absolutely nowhere, she found herself faced with the most delicious mental image of Emma wearing nothing but that filthy smile while Regina fucked her with a strap-on. It hit her abruptly, and she forced back a moan of longing.

"Not yet," she said slowly. Would losing a bet really be that bad?

She was planning on giving Emma far more than five measly orgasms whatever happened. But she wanted to do it as the victor – it was the only way she worked.

"Suit yourself," Emma shrugged, going back to her own plate. She was scraping it clean of the remaining potatoes, her spare hand already reaching out for the serving spoon so she could help herself to some more. Regina watched her greedily, although she wasn't 100 percent certain whether her hunger had come from wanting the food, or wanting Emma herself.

It was infuriating, really. Not only was Emma beautiful, witty, wily and incredible in bed – she was a good cook too. She was full of surprises.

That was half of the reason why Regina had fallen for her in the first place.

Regina pursed her lips and lifted her wine glass, watching as Emma heaped a second portion onto her own plate. She glanced up and rolled her eyes at Regina.

"Regina," she said, gesturing to her mostly empty plate. "For god's sake. Don't starve yourself for the sake of a really stupid bet."

"It's no more stupid than any other bet," Regina pointed out.

"It is when it was kind of a joke in the first place," Emma said. Then she paused. "Besides. I only suggested it because I couldn't think of another way to get you round here."

Regina felt her eyebrows shoot up. "Really?"

"…maybe," Emma said. "If you let me give you some more food, I'll tell you."

She wiggled her eyebrows, hoping to lure Regina in with her mischievousness, but Regina just laughed.

"I don't think so."

"Oh, come on," Emma groaned, brandishing the potato spoon. "Forget the deal. I've had too many drinks for any kinky shit tonight, anyway. Just have some more food so you can go home knowing that maybe I'm not a completely useless cook after all."

"You're getting ahead of yourself, Emma. I never said that."

But Regina wasn't as good a liar as she thought she was. Emma could see the tremor in her pursed lips that meant she was trying to restrain herself from something, and she could see the glimmer of longing in her deep brown eyes. She'd seen the exact same look on her face for years, and it taken her far too long to put the pieces together and realise exactly what it meant: it was a look that had culminated in Regina's mouth being pressed hotly against her ear in the middle of Aesop's Tables, telling her in a dark, hushed voice exactly what she'd been wanting to do to her for the past three years.

Granted, the way she was looking at the crispy skin of the roast chicken didn't have quite the same voltage, but it was cut from the same cloth. Regina was hungry for something. Just, this time, it was actually for food.

Emma knew she wouldn't cave. Regina simply didn't do that. But, if she thought she might be able to get away with it in secret, she would probably give it a shot.

Emma suddenly pushed her chair back, wiping her mouth on her napkin. Regina blinked at her.

"Will you excuse me for a second?"

"Of course," Regina said, her fingers tapping against the edge of the table. For a moment she was worried that she'd hurt Emma's feelings, although the tiny twist of a smile on her lips hadn't given her any reason to believe that.

Emma left quickly, not looking back as she walked out into the hall. Regina was left staring at the swinging door, her eyes narrowed. If she'd taken a bit more time to think about it, maybe she would have suspected that Emma was trying to set her up. But she was two glasses of wine down and the smell of food was working its way up her nostrils, and her eyes drifted back towards the spread table far sooner than it normally would have done.

She wetted her lips, her gaze settling on a particularly crispy potato that she'd had her eye on for a while, and paused. When she didn't hear any footsteps, she reached out with her fingers and snatched it out of the bowl.

She chewed it quickly, like she was afraid of getting in trouble, and let her eyes flutter closed. Jesus Christ, she really can cook. She knew she was being stupid and stubborn by refusing to just concede that she'd lost this round, but her pride was the only thing she had left from her former life. She wasn't going to give it up just because a pair of pretty green eyes wanted her to.

She finished the potato and glanced towards the door. Emma must be in the bathroom, and Regina was almost certain she would be able to hear her footsteps approaching the door once more. She paused even so, waiting just in case Emma was tiptoeing around, but when she didn't reappear, Regina's attention fell back to the table.

She probably won't notice that crispy bit of chicken going missing…

Regina lifted her fork and tried to spear it as quickly as possible, but dropped it at once. Tutting to herself, she tried again, before dropping it a second time. She gave up on the fork, instead lifting it with her fingers and quickly navigating it towards her mouth. It was only then that she looked back towards the door.

Emma was leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyebrows raised. She looked like she was fighting through the desire to burst out laughing.

Regina fell still, the food still clasped between her fingers. She sighed.

"How long were you there?"

"Not long," Emma said lightly. "Long enough to know that I won fair and square."

"Spying on me is not fair," Regina huffed, lowering her hand. She still wanted the food, but humiliation was prickling at her cheeks and now she had a new reason why she should deny herself any more.

Emma saw the embarrassment in her jutting lower lip and stopped smirking. "Hey – it was only a stupid bet. I'm not actually going to make you follow through on it."

"Yes, but—"

"But nothing," Emma said firmly, walking back towards the table and grabbing the nearly empty bottle of wine on her way. "I was just enjoying teasing you. It's not important. I'm just glad you actually liked the food."

Regina sighed. She was still holding onto the offending piece of meat, but she was toying with it on top of her plate, trying to decide whether to drop it or not.

"It was very good," she grudgingly admitted. "You already knew that."

"I had an inkling," Emma said, pouring the majority of the wine into Regina's glass before putting the remaining trickle in her own. "Were you really pretending otherwise just so you wouldn't lose?"

There was a considerable pause before Regina said, "…yes."

"You have that much pride?"

"Is that surprising to you?" Regina asked, and her voice was snappier than Emma was expecting. She blinked, flinching back half an inch.

"Hey," she said, reaching out to touch Regina's hand. "I'm sorry for sneaking up on you. I thought this was a game, and I was just trying to win. I won't do it again."

Regina raised her eyes. The sincerity on Emma's face was startling – she'd been apologised to many times before, by hundreds of different people, but this was one of very few times when she unequivocally believed them.

Her treacherous pride was still burning at the back of her throat and it would have been so easy to let it overcome her. But Emma was watching her worriedly, her fingers still resting on the back of her hand, and suddenly she realised that some things weren't worth it.

Besides, she was still holding onto a cooling piece of chicken, so she didn't have much ground to stand on.

"Okay," she said, forcing a smile. "I guess I'm just bitter that you bested me."

"At least you can freely eat some more now, though," Emma said, nodding temptingly at the food. "Can I give you seconds?"

Regina finally dropped the morsel of chicken that had gotten her into trouble and sighed. "Go on. I suppose I will need my energy for all these orgasms I owe you."

Emma snorted, grabbing the serving spoon. "I was being serious, Regina – I wasn't actually going to make you do that. It was a stupid joke because I know how competitive you are."

"Ah, so you spied on me and you manipulated me?" Regina asked, expecting Emma to look repentant. Instead she just grinned wickedly, and the final trace of resentment disappeared from Regina's body entirely.

"Are you surprised?"

"No," Regina said, watching as Emma cheerfully piled more food onto her plate. "I can't say that I am."

---

When the food was finally finished and Emma and Regina had made major inroads into a second bottle of wine, Regina felt considerably more relaxed than she had done for many weeks. Maybe that was because she was slightly tipsy, or maybe it was because Emma was telling her a story about the sheriff station with a drunken flush tingeing her cheeks, but either way, she was forced to admit that Emma's plan had worked: she did feel comfortable.

She sighed happily, taking another sip of her wine, and watched the way that Emma's hands moved as she talked. She rarely saw her like this – they were similar in the sense that they both reined themselves in when they were in public, and it was nice to see Emma let loose and not care about how loud her voice was getting. Regina had heard her laugh more times in the past two hours than she had since she'd arrived in Storybrooke.

There was a warmness in Regina's heart that hadn't come from the wine.

"Why are you staring at me?" Emma suddenly asked. "Am I talking too much?"

"The opposite, actually," Regina said, putting her glass down. She was leaning back in her chair, one arm hooked over the backrest, and part of her was tempted to unbutton her jeans. "I was just thinking how nice it is to hear you talk properly."

Emma frowned. "I don't talk properly normally?"

"You only talk about things that other people want to talk about," Regina said, and Emma blinked. "Usually that's about fairy tale villains, or Hook, or your baby brother. Now you're saying what you actually want to say for once."

There was a faintly startled look on Emma's face that Regina wanted to remember forever.

"You're really observant," Emma said.

"I am," Regina agreed.

"Is that because when we're all in a big group, you prefer to just listen to everyone else rather than getting involved in the conversation?"

Regina knew Emma was simply trying to outdo her, but she was still right.

"Maybe," Regina shrugged. "It's not really my place to start weighing in on family discussions yet. For the most part, I'm just happy to be included."

There was something incredibly sad about that. Emma would have reached out to squeeze Regina's hand if she didn't already know that she would hate receiving her pity.

"Speaking of which," Emma said, suddenly grinning. "Do you think anyone has caught onto us yet?"

"How would they?" Regina asked. "Unless Henry came home while you were there and we didn't notice."

"Well – just because we think we are being subtle doesn't mean we actually are," Emma said. She was thinking of all the times she'd caught herself staring at Regina's ass in the middle of Granny's over the past month, but she couldn't really say that. "Like the other night, when Snow said something about me being tied up a lot of the time nowadays, I'm pretty sure she must have noticed me looking at you and sniggering."

"I think your mother is too wrapped up in her own world to notice any dirty jokes flying between us," Regina said, but she too was laughing at the memory. "Besides, the last thing she would imagine is going on is that we are secretly meeting up for kinky sex."

Emma snorted into her wine glass. "God, I hope you're right. Her head would explode."

"You don't think Snow White has ever heard of bondage?"

"I really hope not," Emma muttered.

"You don't think she and Charming ever got freaky in the castle—"

"Oh god, stop."

"Maybe tried something new with his sword—"

"I am begging you, stop."

"The four poster beds we had in that kingdom were good for many things, you know."

Emma was spluttering with laughter, but her face had gone bright red. "God, shut up. What is the matter with you?"

"So many things," Regina leered at her. Emma abruptly got up from her chair and grabbed their plates, carrying them over to the sink.

"You are sick," she called over her shoulder.

"The idea of them having sex surely can't make you that uncomfortable," Regina said as she walked away. "Besides, you were fine hearing about your mother's sex life when she was nailing Doctor Whale."

"Ew, Regina," Emma squawked, dropping the plates onto the counter with a crash. She turned her face to hide her burning cheeks. "Is this to get back at me for the bet?"

"Maybe a little," Regina said, getting up from her own chair and picking up the larger serving dishes. "Or maybe it's just because I really enjoy seeing you this way."

"What way is that?" Emma asked as she piled the plates into the sink and filled it with soapy water. She didn't notice Regina approaching her.

Regina placed the dishes onto the counter as quietly as she could and moved directly behind Emma. When she placed her hands on her waist, she relished the way that she jumped.

"Slightly nervous," Regina muttered against her ear, feeling her muscles tremble beneath her fingertips. "A little bit shy."

"I am not shy," Emma protested, but her shaky voice and flushed skin told Regina otherwise.

"Oh no?" Regina asked, reaching out for Emma's wrists and forcing her to turn around. "Let me take a look at you."

As soon as Emma was facing her, Regina nudged her backwards, pressing her body hard against the sink. Regina assessed her, a hint of a smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"You look a little shy to me," she murmured, leaning forwards and pressing her mouth against Emma's ear. Emma inhaled sharply, her fingers curling around the edge of the counter. "Did I embarrass you?"

"No…"

"Are you sure about that?" Regina asked, catching Emma's earlobe between her teeth. "You feel very tense. Perhaps we can do something about it."

Emma let out a soft whimper. "I don't…"

Regina pressed herself harder against her, lifting one hand and cupping the back of Emma's head. Emma leaned into her, shivering against the feeling of Regina's mouth slowly working over her ear.

"You've gone all timid," Regina chuckled, knowing full well that Emma couldn't resist that sound.

"I'm not timid," Emma insisted, even though her voice came out as little more than a murmur.

"Would you like to try that again with a little more conviction?"

"No."

"Would you like me to leave?" Regina asked, pulling back half an inch. Emma immediately snatched at her waist, pulling her back against her.

"No."

Regina smirked against her cheek, gently rubbing the tip of her nose against Emma's hot skin. "Then what would you like, Miss Swan?"

Right on cue, Emma let out a faint groan, her grip on Regina's waist getting tighter. As she shifted position, she felt Regina's thigh slip between her own.

"I thought you said you didn't like doing this when we've been drinking," Emma murmured, her eyes fluttering closed. Behind her head, Regina's fingers were beginning to slowly tease through her hair.

Regina pressed a kiss just below Emma's ear. "I don't like dominating you when we've had a drink. But I didn't say anything about doing that tonight."

"No?"

"No," Regina said, dragging her lips towards Emma's jaw. She liked to see the lipstick smears she left behind. "Maybe I just want to do something about that bet you won."

"I told you," Emma quickly said. "I wasn't being—"

Regina cut her off by kissing the words from her mouth. Emma moaned, clinging onto Regina's waist a little harder, and let herself be dipped backwards over the sink.

"What was it?" Regina murmured when she pulled away. "Five?"

She could feel Emma trembling as she replied, "…yeah."

"I think that's achievable," Regina said, her right hand leaving the back of Emma's neck and creeping down her body. Every inch of it was taut with anticipation, trembling beneath Regina's fingertips.

"Are you okay with this?" Regina asked, pulling away momentarily. Emma's eyes immediately locked onto her lips, a sigh of longing escaping her.

"With what?"

"This," Regina said, her hand settling on Emma's waist. "Doing this now. We can wait until another time, if you prefer – when we are sober and can go back to our normal arrangement."

The disappointment that flashed over Emma's face told her everything she needed to know, but just in case she hadn't got the message across properly, Emma reached out for the back of Regina's neck and tugged her forwards. She kissed her fiercely, desperately, with none of her usual finesse and the taste of wine still lingering on her tongue.

When she pulled away, her hands were trembling. Her wide eyes begged Regina to understand her.

"Being with you is exciting, no matter what game we're playing," she said. "Please don't go."

Regina never had any intention of leaving, but the fervour in Emma's voice made her never want to step out of that house again. She leaned forwards and returned Emma's kiss, curling her tongue deep through her mouth with her hand slipping upward to rest over her breast. Emma pushed herself into her touch, the alcohol making her more confident and more fraught simultaneously, and held onto her so tightly that she could feel the shifting of Regina's muscles beneath her fingertips.

With one arm holding Emma steady, Regina's other hand slid back down her body and settled at the top of her jeans. When she tugged Emma's shirt up and placed a hand possessively on her warm abdomen, she let out a little sigh of her own.

Emma giggled. "My stomach's a bit full."

But Regina hadn't been thinking that – she'd been thinking the exact opposite.

"You're unbelievably sexy even when you are full of food," she hummed against Emma's ear. "I don't know how you do it."

If she'd pulled away, she would have seen a blush of pleasure tingeing Emma's cheeks. But she didn't, because she was buried beneath Emma's soft, vanilla-scented curls, slowly kissing her neck and enjoying the sharp taste of her perfume against her tongue.

She felt Emma's fingers cling harder to the back of her neck, and she chuckled. She grasped at the button of Emma's jeans, popping it open with an easy flourish.

When she slid her hand into Emma's panties, she couldn't help the moan that escaped her own lips. "Oh, Emma."

If she had been with anyone else, Emma might have felt embarrassed. But she didn't, because she heard the throb of longing in Regina's voice, and she knew just how quickly her heart would have skipped when she realised how wet she was.

"Is this all for me?" Regina murmured as her fingers skimmed over Emma's slippery skin. Emma whimpered, feeling her legs go momentarily weak.

"Yes," she replied, then inhaled. "Well. Maybe 99 percent for you and one percent for those potatoes."

Regina laughed – a genuine, hearty laugh that came from deep in her chest – and Emma swore she felt herself get even wetter at the sound of it.

"I can relate to that," she said, still faintly chuckling. Her fingers had carried on moving like nothing and no one in the world could stop them. When she slipped one finger inside, Emma's entire body arched towards her, her own laughter dying in her throat.

"I like you in this house," Regina said, trailing kisses down the side of Emma's neck as she spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"You're more confident," Regina explained, her left hand sneaking up the back of Emma's shirt and swiftly unhooking her bra.

Emma didn't feel particularly confident then – not when Regina was nipping and sucking her way down her throat, sending electric shivers through every nerve in her body. As Regina's left hand slid up under her now loose bra and gently thumbed one nipple, Emma's head fell back, her knees trembling.

"I was timid a second ago," she somehow managed to point out, and Regina laughed.

"I'm excluding the past five minutes," she murmured, slipping a second finger inside her and slowly beginning to drive them in and out. "You're right – you do appear a little shaken right now."

Emma moaned, because she couldn't respond with words. Her right arm was wrapped around Regina's neck, desperately trying to hold her upright, while her other hand was gripped around the edge of the countertop like her life depended on it. Her body was shaking all over and she nearly asked Regina if they could go sit somewhere instead, but she didn't – she couldn't. Not when her wetness was slicked all down Regina's fingers, her clit was thrumming at the exact same rate as her pounding heart, and a familiar wave of hot, winding pleasure was creeping towards her.

"Regina," Emma gasped, her curls tickling against her spine, as Regina pushed her harder against the sink. Her fingers were plunging into her as fast and as hard as they could, and it seemingly didn't matter than Emma's tight jeans were getting in her way or that the wooden counter was digging into Emma's back. Regina recognised those gradually lengthening gasps like they were her own voice, and she grinned against Emma's throat.

"Are you going to come for me, Miss Swan?"

Emma whimpered, her nails digging into Regina's neck, and nodded feverishly. "Yes, yes."

Heat was spreading throughout her body, starting in her slick cunt and ending in her loose, tingling limbs, and when she finally felt it consume her, she collapsed back against the sink, the ends of her hair trailing in the soapy water. Regina held her up as her muscles quivered for what felt like hours, her fingers continuing to thrust deep inside her pussy until Emma finally shrieked, grabbing at her wrist.

"Stop," she gasped out, her heart pounding. Her panties were soaked through and she could already feel the dampness beginning to sink into her jeans. "Oh my god. That was intense."

Regina pulled away, pressing a kiss against her burning cheek. "One down. Four to go."

Emma nearly choked. "Can we reassess that number, maybe?"

"Absolutely not," Regina said, finally pulling her hand free of Emma's jeans. She left them unbuttoned and brought her fingers to her lips, sliding them deep into her mouth, one by one, and made sure Emma was watching her as she did so.

Emma let out a whimper, her eyes wide and glassy. Her legs were still trembling.

"Something the matter?" Regina asked, lifting her eyebrows.

"I was just…" Emma swallowed, still trying to get her breath back. "I was just thinking how much control you have over me, even when you're not dominating me."

Regina laughed, her eyes crinkling up at the sides. "Do you think so?"

"I really do."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Definitely not," Emma said, lifting a hand and slowly rubbing her thumb over Regina's cheek. "Well. Not until you force me to have five orgasms when I'm already exhausted after one."

Regina's soft smile immediately twisted into a satisfied smirk. "Miss Swan, I think you'll find that the conditions of our arrangement were clear. You even laid them out yourself."

"I know," Emma said, rolling her eyes and enjoying being able to do so for once. "I'm just so hot and sticky already. Plus I'm a tiny bit wasted – I don't know how easy it will be for me to come four more times."

"You're seriously complaining about having five orgasms?" Regina asked, pulling back an inch. "Good lord, Emma. You should be more grateful. You do remember what it was like being in a straight relationship, don't you?"

Emma laughed, tilting her head back. "Fair point."

"Besides," Regina said. "You should let me worry about that second problem."

There was a pause as she glanced down, taking in Emma's slightly smiling mouth.

"As for the first problem," she said, her voice dropping. The sound of it sent shivers through Emma's limbs. "I may have a solution."

Emma blinked. "Really?"

"I always do," Regina said, stepping back. She held out a hand, waiting for Emma to take hold of it. "Follow me, please."

She tugged her out of the kitchen and towards the stairs, not saying another word. She was infinitely grateful that Emma had let her have a look around – not just because she knew where she was going, but because she felt confident in doing so. Her self-assuredness had returned to her and she could feel it bubbling up in her veins.

"My pants are still undone," Emma giggled from behind her. Her bra was also flapping around underneath her shirt, and her wet panties were stuck to her pussy in an uncomfortable bunch.

"You won't be wearing them for long," Regina said, leading Emma up the stairs. They reached the master bedroom and Emma braced herself, expecting Regina to shove her towards the bed without preamble. But she brushed right past it, pulling Emma instead to the doorway in the corner that led to her en suite bathroom.

"What's happening?" Emma asked, blinking as Regina flicked on the light and dragged her inside.

"Get your clothes off," Regina replied by way of response. She may not have been Emma's Dom right then, but fuck, she still knew how to boss her around.

Emma shivered, tugging her jeans down without a word of protest. As she undressed, she watched Regina leaning into the shower cubicle and switching on the water.

Regina turned back to Emma and pulled off her own shirt, dropping it carelessly onto the tiled floor. Emma's eyes immediately fell to her lacy bra, her face flickering with longing, before she went back to peeling the rest of her clothes off. They didn't speak as the water heated up, but their eyes stayed on one another, silently willing the other to get naked just that tiny bit faster.

Emma won, but only by a second. She watched as Regina removed her panties, then stood upright, naked and toned and overwhelmingly beautiful. When she reached up to tousle her own hair, Emma's mouth went completely dry.

Steam was slowly starting to fill the room, but that wasn't the reason why Emma suddenly felt so warm. She watched as Regina lifted a hand, curling a single finger in Emma's direction.

"Come here," she said in her lowest voice. "Now."

As soon as Emma was within grabbing distance, she snaked an arm around her neck and pulled her close, pressing a fiery kiss against her already parted lips. Her other hand crept downwards and gently cupped Emma's pussy, soaking up the noise she made. It was half a gasp and half a whimper, and it was delicious enough that Regina wanted to drink it up.

"How do you feel about getting this lovely hair wet?" Regina asked quietly, her middle finger slowly circling around Emma's clit. Emma moaned, clinging onto Regina's shoulders.

"I don't care," she panted. She didn't care about anything – she didn't care that she was still wearing a full face of make up and soon it would be streaming down her face, and she didn't care that Regina was about to see that she still used store-brand shampoo because she liked the way it smelled. She didn't care that five minutes ago she had been exhaustedly slumped against the kitchen sink. Now her body was tingling all over and Regina's naked breasts were pressed up against her own, and the thought of four more orgasms wasn't terrifying anymore. If anything, she suddenly felt like it wouldn't be enough.

She whimpered when she felt something trickle down the inside of her thigh, her head falling forwards against Regina's shoulder.

Regina chuckled, pulling her closer. "I love feeling how wet you get for me."

"No one has ever made me this wet before," Emma mumbled. She felt embarrassed, though she couldn't explain why. Especially not when she could feel Regina's body growing warm with pride below her fingers.

"I'm very glad to hear that," she replied, pressing a kiss against Emma's temple. "I'm about to get you a bit wetter, though. Get in the shower."

Emma giggled and, though she was reluctant to let go of Regina, she did as she was told. Regina stepped in after her and slid the door shut.

The shower wasn't huge by any stretch, but it was big enough for them both to stand in it without getting caught under the water. However, the door had been shut for barely two seconds before Regina slid her arms around Emma's waist, pulling her close against her body, and edged them towards the stream.

Emma shrieked as the water cascaded down on her head, flattening her hair against the sides of her face and probably streaking her mascara down as far as her chin. Regina laughed at her, not really caring when she felt the water completely ruining the curls she'd spent hours perfecting earlier that evening. It was worth it to have Emma pressed up against her, wet and naked, with her face scrunched up in outrage and laughter.

"It's only water, Miss Swan," Regina said, reaching out to wipe the dark smudges away from below Emma's eyes. She dreaded to think what her own face must look like: she had put on waterproof mascara that evening, but she still suspected she couldn't look much better. "Do you always make this much fuss when it's time to bathe?"

Emma reached up and flicked the water stream in her direction. "Shut up."

"You shut up."

"I have never shut up in my life, and I never plan to," Emma said, and it was such a ridiculously Emma thing to say that Regina found herself cackling with laughter. She reached out for the sides of Emma's face and tugged her forwards, pressing a kiss against her lips that started off hard and fierce but slowly melted into something much more tender.

"You really are an idiot," she murmured against her lips, her eyes closed. She felt Emma smile back at her.

"Maybe a little. But I know you like it when I talk complete crap."

Regina opened her eyes. There were beads of water hanging like snowdrops from Emma's eyelashes, and the sight of her was more beautiful than anything Regina had ever seen before.

Regina's breath caught, and she swallowed down the desire to say the words out loud.

"I don't think I've ever told you that," was what she forced out instead. Emma grinned back at her, sliding both her hands up her body and gently grabbing hold of her wet breasts.

"You never had to," she said. "I just know how irresistible my charms are."

Regina moaned as Emma's fingers skimmed over her hardening nipples.

"This is what I meant about you being more confident here."

"Is that suddenly a bad thing?" Emma asked with a coy tilt of her head. She pinched Regina's nipples as she spoke, and before she could prepare herself, she was suddenly being pushed backwards against the cold tiles, Regina's hands holding tightly onto her waist.

"Not bad," she murmured, capturing Emma's mouth once more and kissing her with every ounce of passion she possessed. Emma was left breathless and gasping when she pulled away again. "Just different."

But Emma's sudden burst of self-assurance disappeared into the air along with the steam that surrounded them, and she blinked up at Regina with a glimmer of uncertainty in her eyes. It was the good kind of uncertainty – the kind that told Regina that she was in charge, no matter what stunts Emma was trying to pull.

Regina smirked when she saw it. One hand reached up from Emma's waist and snaked behind her neck instead, pulling her close for another deep kiss.

Emma sighed, melting into it. The feeling of Regina's body pressed so firmly against hers was making her go dizzy. She lifted her hands and cupped the back of Regina's head, teasing her fingers through the dripping wet hair. A taut thigh suddenly slipped between her legs and she moaned, the noise echoing off the tiles.

"I love that sound," Regina murmured into her ear, wedging her thigh more firmly against Emma's pussy. "I missed hearing you moan when we were at Granny's."

Emma was clinging onto Regina's neck for dear life, her hips already rolling forward against Regina's leg. "I think I moaned plenty at Granny's."

Regina laughed. "You did. But I do so love it when you can let loose, like this."

But even as she said the words, she could tell that Emma was trying to hold back. Her teeth were digging into Regina's shoulder and she was holding her breath, somehow afraid that someone was going to hear them.

Regina narrowed her eyes, hesitant for a moment, before she decided that – as usual – going on the attack was her best option.

She pushed Emma harder against the slippery tiles and buried her mouth in the crook of her neck, dragging her teeth over her thundering pulse point. Emma whimpered, grinding her cunt against Regina's slick skin, and sucked in a breath when she felt Regina's hands sliding down her body to grasp hold of her hips.

"Remind me," Regina murmured in her ear, brushing the tip of her nose against her wet curls. "How many more orgasms do I owe you?"

Emma swallowed. "Four."

"Are you certain?" Regina asked, her right hand slipping between Emma's legs. "I thought it was only three."

"No," Emma gasped, her voice hitching as Regina's fingers begin to trace over her pussy. "It's four."

"You're being greedy."

"I'm not."

"Don't disagree with me," Regina said. Her voice was low and commanding, and though it lacked her usual snap of disapproval, she still felt Emma's muscles tighten beneath her touch, torn between afraid and aroused. "Five minutes ago you were complaining that I was trying to make you come too many times. Now you're begging for more. I can feel how greedy you are on my fingers, Miss Swan."

Emma stifled a moan against Regina's shoulder, biting down hard and not caring that she was leaving a mark. Judging from Regina's soft chuckle, she didn't care much either – rather, she felt her own cunt throb from the sensation of Emma's teeth digging into her flesh. Her fingertips skimmed through Emma's folds, the water that was cascading down on them doing nothing to disguise her sticky arousal.

As Emma felt Regina's fingers graze over her clit, once gently and then harder a second time, she groaned, her head falling backwards. She waited for Regina to automatically swoop forwards, her lips seeking out Emma's exposed pulsepoint, but it never happened: Regina was busy, her sharp eyes on Emma's face, watching the way her expression changed with the pressure of Regina's digits.

You look so beautiful.

God, Regina snapped at herself, pressing a hard kiss against Emma's lips to stop herself from saying it out loud. Get a hold of yourself – you know you shouldn't be thinking things like that.

But she was, and when she caught the glimmer of confusion in Emma's eyes, wondering why Regina's body had gone momentarily rigid, it was all she could do not to tenderly whisper the words in Emma's ear.

She leaned back in to kiss the breath out of Emma's mouth, and rubbed the flat of her hand against the apex of her thighs. She felt Emma's legs trembling as she touched her, her fingers firm and demanding against her cunt, and Regina stifled a moan from the overwhelming sweetness of it all.

"Regina," Emma gasped into her ear, her hands gripping even tighter onto Regina's shoulders. She could feel her knees starting to wobble as a hot, tight wave of pleasure started to creep up the back of her neck. "Harder. Please."

Regina was sickeningly grateful that she wasn't Emma's Dom right then, because nothing made her happier than being able to do exactly what Emma asked of her. She leaned into her body and began to move her hand faster, her fingers never directly seeking out Emma's clit but the whole flat of her hand pressing furiously against every single nerve in her cunt that was longing for attention. Emma moaned, her short nails leaving gritty half-moons in the skin of Regina's shoulders, and rolled her hips forwards against the feeling between her legs that was slowly starting to make her come undone.

"Are you close, Miss Swan?" Regina murmured in her ear, and as soon as Emma heard that special name that Regina used for her, it was all over. The hot twist in her stomach began to creep through the rest of her body and she threw her head back against the tiles, gasping over the sucking sounds of her own wet cunt against Regina's torturing fingers.

When she finally came down from her high, she was vaguely aware of the fact that Regina was holding her tight against her body. Emma's legs weren't working as hard as they should have been, and after a few moments she realised that it was because Regina was holding her up instead, carefully pinning her against the wall to make sure she didn't fall.

The realisation made Emma sigh all over again.

She reached out for the back of Regina's neck and tugged her forwards, lapping up the sound of Regina's palm slapping against the tiles beside her head as she fought to hold herself steady.

"Regina," Emma gasped, her eyes glistening. "That was…"

And she didn't finish the sentence, because she couldn't. Regina smiled back at her, her spare hand pressed possessively over the small of Emma's back.

"Two down," she murmured, leaning forwards and sucking hard on the spot below Emma's right ear that she knew made her go weak all over.

She could feel Emma's entire body vibrating beneath her fingertips.

"Can I get a time out?"

Regina smirked, knowing she was only half joking, and pretended to consider the question. She took a minute step backwards, ignoring the water that streamed over her as she moved, and turned to look at the showerhead that was still pouring hot water down onto her naked body.

"No," she said, reaching up to lift it out of its holder. Emma suddenly went very, very still.

Regina approached her, the showerhead gripped in her hand like a weapon, and looked pointedly down at Emma's still-trembling legs.

"Are you going to be able to stay upright, Miss Swan?"

Emma genuinely wasn't sure how to answer that. One of her hands automatically fell behind her, pressing itself flat against the tiles, like that alone was going to stop her from crumbling under Regina's touch.

Regina chuckled under her breath, pressing the full length of her body against Emma's. Emma could feel the water – suddenly hot and intimidating – cascading down one leg from where the shower was dangling aimlessly from Regina's hand.

"In that case," Regina said, as if Emma had answered her. "Perhaps you'd better hold on."

She lifted her chin, waiting for Emma to do as she was told. A moment later, a pair of shaky hands slid up and around Regina's neck, securing themselves at the base of her skull.

Regina laughed, burying her face against Emma's throat, where her pulse was pounding out a rhythm so frantic and loud that Regina could feel it coursing through her own body.

"Don't let go," she murmured, dragging her tongue along the jut of Emma's jaw and relishing the way that her entire body shivered.

She felt Emma nod, and that was all the incentive she needed. Taking a breath, she lifted the showerhead between them and aimed the piercing stream directly between Emma's legs.

At once, Emma's breath left her. She tightened her grip around Regina's neck and gasped out loud, rolling her hips back against the cold tiles to get away from the torrent of warm water directly against her clit. Every cell in her body was still tender from the two ferocious orgasms she'd already had in the past 15 minutes, and the feeling of the unyielding stream against the most sensitive part of her body simultaneously made her want to scream out loud and come without a moment's hesitation.

She knew she was probably hurting Regina with how tightly she was holding onto her neck, but she couldn't stop herself from digging in just that little bit harder as that wave of pleasure began to tiptoe back towards her, coiling its way around her limbs and pinning her, helpless, against the wall. She heard herself moan, and it was a low, animalistic noise that she barely recognised coming from her own mouth. Regina laughed once more, the sound echoing off the tiles, and that just pushed her further along. Emma's toes curled against the slippery floor, and even though she could feel a cramp forming in her furiously tensed shoulders, she didn't loosen up. She couldn't. Not when Regina had focused every single shred of energy she possessed on the greediest part of her body, and she couldn't think of a single damn thing other than how good it felt and how close she was to coming and how delicious Regina's wet skin felt beneath her fingertips.

When Regina suddenly buried her teeth in the curve of her neck and sucked hard on her skin, she was gone. She came with a long, desperate moan that was dangerously verging on a scream. Her feet threatened to slip out from underneath her, but Regina had her – one arm was coiled around her waist and holding her firmly against the sweating tiles, while the other held the thick stream of water between her legs until it started to feel like fire.

"Stop," Emma gasped out, wriggling away, not saying 'red' because she didn't want to and she didn't need to. Regina pulled the water away at once, not bothering to hide her self-satisfied smile, and replaced the shower in its holder, not for a single second letting go of Emma's waist.

She continued holding onto her as she waited for Emma's breathing to return to normal. She was trembling in the most endearing way possible, her nose grazing over Regina's shoulder. Her usually blonde hair had gone dark from the water, and it made her look younger.

"Everything okay?" Regina asked after a moment. She could feel Emma smile against her skin.

"Yeah. More than okay," she sighed. "I have a request, though."

"Go ahead."

"If you're really planning on going through with the next two," Emma said, pulling away and meeting Regina's amused gaze, "can I please not stand up for them?"

Regina laughed, looking down at Emma's shaky legs. "That's probably smart. Let's get you out of here before you slip over."

Regina turned the water off and gently led Emma out into the steamy bathroom. After wiping the rest of their smeared make up from their faces and towel-drying their hair, they looked expectantly at one another. After a beat, Regina held out her hand and led Emma back into the bedroom.

Excited tingles shot up Emma's arm from the mere feeling of Regina's fingers laced through her own, and she drew in a breath to try and steady herself. She couldn't take her eyes off of Regina's perfectly sculpted body as she walked ahead of her, and she heard the beginnings of a wistful sigh escaping from her own lips. Regina glanced over her shoulder, a glimmer of a smile on her face, and Emma knew she'd heard it too.

But she didn't say anything – they both knew she didn't need to. She could feel Emma's desire for her radiating off of her naked body like the steam that was still curling around the bathroom. They reached the bed and the instant Regina turned to face her, Emma's body was pressed back up against hers, her lips desperately seeking out Regina's mouth while her hands slipped around the back of her neck.

"Are you already ready for round four?" Regina murmured when she paused for air. Emma didn't mind that she was laughing at her – the warm throbbing between her legs was only growing, and seemingly her body hadn't got the memo that three orgasms was more than enough. She wanted more, and she wanted it now.

"Yes," Emma gasped, her hands crawling down the front of Regina's body and gently grasping hold of her breasts. She loved the way Regina's head fell back when she did that. "Please."

"Always so polite," Regina said, a second before she grabbed hold of Emma's waist and pushed her towards the bed. Emma toppled back onto the mattress with a surprised laugh.

"I've learned how much you like good manners," she said, watching with a darkening gaze as Regina approached her. Crawling on top of her, her wicked smile grew bolder.

"I do," Regina agreed, dipping her head so she could capture Emma's mouth with her own. At once Emma's body arched up to meet her, her hand cupping the back of Regina's head. As Regina lowered herself down, Emma jumped, feeling a sticky warmth against the top of her thigh that she knew wasn't just water from the shower.

"Surely it's your turn now," Emma gasped, tearing her mouth away from Regina's. Regina was already smirking at her.

"Oh, no," she purred, burying her face against Emma's neck. Every nerve in her body crackled when Emma moaned, her back arching off of the bed. "That was never part of our agreement."

"But—"

"Shut up," Regina said, letting her lips trail down Emma's throat and over her pounding chest. She kept moving downward, using the tip of her tongue to draw up the last beads of water that were scattered over Emma's stomach like stardust. Reaching the edge of the mattress, she crawled back down onto the carpet and slipped her hands beneath Emma's trembling thighs.

Emma wanted to protest again, but her cunt was slick with longing and the words never reached her tongue. She groaned, feeling Regina's steady hands lifting her thighs and placing them over her shoulders. Just as Emma registered that she was supposed to tighten them, she felt the weight between her legs shift, and suddenly Regina's hot mouth was pressed against her cunt, sucking all logic out of her head altogether.

She moaned, her hands automatically sliding through Regina's wet hair, and pulled her closer. She felt Regina grin against her skin moments before her tongue slipped out, dragging up the full length of Emma's slit. When she reached her clit, Regina had to pin Emma's hips down to the bed to stop her arching away from her.

"Fuck." The word escaped from between Emma's teeth in a hiss of longing. Regina lifted her gaze and soaked up the way her chest was rising and falling; the way her shoulders were curved back against the creased sheets. Her stomach muscles were tensed, and Regina knew that was because she was, against all odds, fighting against the orgasm that was rising up inside her. It was something she'd come to clearly recognise and even love about Emma – the way that, no matter how desperately she cried and pleaded with Regina, when she was finally allowed to come, her body still tried to push it away.

Regina had asked her about it once and, with a bashful look on her face, Emma had told her that coming this hard was always a little bit scary for her. She'd never had to deal with it before she'd met Regina.

Filled with the memory of how badly she'd wanted to kiss Emma's lips sore in that moment, Regina re-focused her energy on kissing her someplace else. She curled her tongue through Emma's drenched pussy and moaned at the taste of her – something else she knew no one else had ever done for her before.

Emma whimpered with her, her hips lifting off the bed, and felt herself once again being pushed back down by a pair of firm hands. Her head was spinning in a drunken haze that was half wine and half Regina's tongue pressing against her clit, and she jumped when she realised she could feel tears pricking at the backs of her eyes.

Throwing an arm over her face so Regina wouldn't see and stop what she was doing, Emma let herself be swept under the feeling of orgasm number four creeping up her limbs. She knew she was shaking, and she knew her thighs were clamped so tightly around Regina's head that it must have been painful, but there was a fire spreading through her that she couldn't fight off. Her left hand tightened in Regina's hair, tugging her closer, like there was even the slightest chance that Regina was considering pulling away from her.

Moaning once more, Regina latched her lips around Emma's clit and began to suck, tugging Emma towards her release as slowly as she could. She could feel Emma wriggling beneath her fingertips and so she held her tighter, letting her eyes flutter closed as she devoured the taste of her. Emma had long since become her favourite flavour in the world, and from the moment this bet had been laid out, she'd known this would happen either way: giving Emma five orgasms in a row wasn't a hardship. Really, it was something akin to a privilege.

Just as that thought slipped into her mind, she heard the tell-tale breathlessness that told her Emma was close to the edge. Regina looked up at her, a hint of a smile still on her lips, and saw the deep flush that was growing in her cheeks. Her fist tightened in Regina's hair, her hips rolling forward against her probing tongue, and when Regina gently laughed, Emma came apart, her breath leaving her in a low howl.

Regina kept sucking, the tip of her tongue flicking out to tease at her clit again and again and again, and when Emma's body shuddered all over again, a faint cry escaping from her lips, Regina knew that technically she'd fulfilled her end of the bet. Five down.

Except she wasn't the type to let herself off on a technicality, and so when Emma's thighs finally went loose and she reached down to push Regina away from her, Regina had already decided that she wasn't done yet. If Emma had looked down, even through her slightly bleary eyes, she would have seen a twisted smile on Regina's parted, sticky lips.

But she didn't, because she was still frantically trying to catch her breath with one arm thrown over her face. Regina could see that her fingers were trembling, and the skin between her legs was pink and slightly puffy from the overwhelming attention that had been rained down upon it.

After a few moments, Emma's breathing began to slow down, and Regina knew that if she didn't move soon, exhaustion would overcome her entirely. So she climbed to her feet and gently tapped Emma's hip, waiting for her to come to her senses. Eventually, Emma pulled her arm away and looked up at her through glazed eyes.

"Wow," she croaked. Regina smirked back at her.

"Thank you," she said, nodding towards the pillows. "Now, would you be so kind?"

Emma blindly did as she was told, edging backwards onto the mattress. She began to heave herself towards where Regina had gestured, but before she could get too comfortable, Regina grabbed hold of her ankle.

"That's far enough."

Emma lifted her head, her brow furrowed, and watched as Regina climbed onto the bed beside her. There was an expression on her face that she didn't like at all.

"Do you mind if I take a minute before I return the favour?" she asked, and Regina could hear the tremor in her voice. She laughed.

"I'll give you a few minutes, Miss Swan. More than a few," she purred, positioning herself beside her. Emma blinked as she reached out, her fingers gripping hold of the curve of her hip, and gently tugged. "Turn over."

Oh, God.

"Regina," Emma stammered, feeling herself being pulled onto her side without registering that she could resist if she really wanted to. "We agreed on five. You did five. I came twice that last time."

"That didn't count," Regina said, her voice cool. She tugged slightly harder and, with a yelp, Emma fell onto her stomach. "That was barely a half."

"It was not," Emma spluttered, her exhausted limbs trying and failing to push her body off the bed. Regina laughed at her once more, bending forward to press a kiss against the back of her neck. Like an off switch, Emma immediately shivered, her body going still.

"It was," Regina murmured in her ear, climbing on top of her. "Which means I still owe you one."

Torn between wanting to cry and wanting to grind her hips against the sheets, Emma let out a frustrated moan. "You don't."

"Stop arguing with me," Regina snapped, the faint tremor of an impatient Dom crackling at the back of her throat. A new kind of shiver shot through Emma's body, and to her overwhelming annoyance, she felt something wet trickle from between her legs. "A deal is a deal, Miss Swan. I don't want you to think I'm not a woman of my word."

Emma simply groaned, her hands fisting at the loose sheets. As Regina shimmied down her body, settling between her legs, she felt her ass inadvertently lift up into the air, willing Regina closer.

Regina noticed at once and snorted. "Oh, tell me again how tired you are."

Emma buried her face in the sheets, hating herself. She could feel her eyes fluttering closed from exhaustion, but the rest of her body was seemingly just waking up again. It was yet another reminder of just how strong Regina's spell over her was, and it sent a jolt of fear through her. A jolt of fear that, quite inexplicably, only made her lift her hips higher.

Regina chuckled once more. "I do enjoy fucking you, you know."

Emma felt her cheeks sizzle. Her voice was infinitely quieter when she replied, "I enjoy fucking you, too."

"Good," Regina murmured, leaning forwards over Emma's sweat-slicked back and pressing another kiss between her shoulder blades. Her hands slid up Emma's sides and sought out her wrists, her fingers tightly curling around the warm skin. "But right now, you are being fucked by me. Do you understand?"

Emma moaned without meaning to. She knew they'd agreed on no rough play tonight, and she knew she was still slightly tipsy, but she also knew that Regina had dragged her deep into a pit of dizzying, heated desire, and now she wanted something that only one person could give her.

She also knew that Regina would take care of her, no matter the circumstances. The warm weight of her pressing down against her back was as reassuring as it was intimidating, and Emma wriggled under it, letting her body settle into a mind set that had long become a comfort to her.

"Yes, Madam Mayor."

She could feel the satisfied curve of Regina's smile as she kissed her shoulder once more. "Good girl."

Regina sat upright, gently pulling Emma's wrists with her. When they were crossed at the small of her back, Regina held them tight with one hand, letting her nails dig into Emma's skin just slightly – the way she knew she liked it.

Shifting backwards, Regina straddled one of Emma's legs, letting her slick cunt grind over the skin more than once before she settled down. She heard Emma's sharp intake of breath.

"Can you breathe okay?" Regina asked, and Emma nodded at once. Her face was turned away from her, but Regina knew exactly what kind of desperate expression it was wearing.

Her spare hand shot out and slapped the back of Emma's other thigh, surprising her. "Answer me."

"Yes, Madam Mayor," Emma said on the edge of a gasp. Her ass lifted once more, and Regina caught a glimpse of the glistening skin between her legs.

"Good," she said, sliding her hand over her Emma's ass and squeezing hard. Emma released a slow breath, her shoulders tightening, before Regina let go and moved her hand back between her legs.

For once, there was no preamble. She didn't tease Emma or torment her until she was on the brink of tears – instead, she plunged her two longest fingers deep inside her, feeling her own body shudder with desire when Emma moaned out loud, and let them wait inside, unmoving, as Emma's muscles clenched around them.

"Are you still sure that you've come enough times tonight?" Regina asked, her voice cool and appraising.

"No," Emma gasped, every inch of her body taut and clinging onto the feeling of Regina's fingers pushing her open. "You were right."

Regina chuckled.

"Aren't I always?" she asked, slowly drawing her fingers back out. They were shimmering with Emma's arousal, and she sighed. "Oh. I really was right."

Emma moaned, her hips wriggling against the bed, before Regina slowly pushed her fingers back inside her. Emma felt a jolt of desire shooting through her and, as every nerve in her body went hot, Regina twisted her fingers slightly, letting them spread inside her. The noise this tugged out of Emma's mouth was delicious and intoxicating and Regina couldn't help but moan, her fingers pulling free and then plunging deep inside again, the warmth and wetness of the woman below her spilling all over them.

She could see Emma's shoulders beginning to tremble, her hips lifting as high off the bed as Regina's other hand would allow them, and a whole new treasure chest of filthy thoughts was upturned inside her mind: Emma tied down like this, unable to move an inch, a ball gag in her mouth just barely stopping her from moaning out loud and her saliva dripping down onto the sheets. Emma against the wall, her legs spread and her hands bound above her. Emma bent at the waist, tears of gratitude and desperation streaming down her cheeks as Regina plunged into her with a strap on. Regina moaned, grinding her own cunt harder against the back of Emma's thigh, and fucked her deeper, a third finger joining the other two and forcing Emma further open. Emma whimpered, rocking herself back against Regina's hand, and in that movement spread herself wider. Regina's mouth dried, her insides turning to molten lava.

As she fucked her harder, and Emma's desperate cries began to fill the room, Regina took a gamble. She twisted her hand at the wrist and gently placed the tip of her thumb on Emma's asshole. When she didn't shriek or stop writhing beneath her touch, she pushed slightly harder.

A low, electric moan slipped from Emma's mouth, and she buried her face back in the sheets, humiliation and a desperate, agonising need burning at her cheeks.

"Is this okay?" Regina asked, but before she'd even finished the question, Emma was nodding. It was a careless thrash of her head that told Regina that she wanted more, but for once, Regina didn't give it to her. Not because she didn't want to, but because they'd already broken more than one rule tonight. There wasn't room for her to break another.

And so she kept plunging her fingers deep into Emma's swollen cunt, letting her thumb probe between her cheeks but never delving fully inside her. Emma cried out, writhing harder against the crumpled cotton, feeling the friction against her clit beginning to send hot ribbons of electricity through her body. She could feel Regina's wet pussy sticking to her leg and she could hear the mayor's greedy moans from behind her, and every single time her fingers thrust back inside her, she edged painfully closer to a release that she wasn't sure her body was entirely prepared for.

When she began to shake, Regina pulled her fingers entirely free. But before Emma could cry out or burst into frustrated tears, she felt Regina's thumb returning to its new favourite spot, while her other hand finally released her wrists and crept underneath her trembling body to seek out her clit.

With the tip of her thumb resting firmly inside her and the flat of her palm rubbing vigorously over Emma's throbbing clit, Emma heard herself scream. She didn't register that she was coming until she felt the wetness on her painfully tensed thighs, along with a throbbing in her cunt that told her that she'd finally, finally had enough.

She scrabbled away from Regina's hands, and Regina let her go. She too was exhausted, and she fell sideways against the sheets, watching as Emma rolled onto her back and desperately tried to get her breath back.

"Please tell me you're finally counting that as five?" Emma asked after a moment, her voice wobbly with shock. Regina laughed, reaching across the bed to nudge Emma's thigh.

"I am," she said, taking a deep breath of her own. "Any more would just be greedy."

Emma snorted. "Need I remind you that this was your idea?"

"That is wildly inaccurate," Regina said, propping herself up onto one elbow. Emma's head flopped lazily to one side as she turned to look at her, eyebrows raised. "You set this ridiculous bet."

"And you turned five orgasms into six."

"Five and a half," Regina said, waving one hand dismissively. "I was rounding up."

"Well, congratulations. You rounded up so high that I can't walk anymore."

"Now, you're just trying to get out of returning the favour."

"I am not!" Emma protested, although she didn't move to prove Regina wrong. "I just need to catch my breath a bit. Jesus, Regina, give a girl a break. We can't all be as highly strung as you."

Regina laughed – she would have been offended, but the fact was that Emma didn't know how right she was. She couldn't feel just how frantically Regina's cunt was throbbing, or how fast her heart was beating, or how badly her palms were itching. Regina should have been exhausted, and she was – but she was also wired and horny and desperate to come, even if it was just the once.

She pursed her lips, taking in Emma's flushed cheeks and still-wet hair and the faint sheen of sweat on her chest. She smirked.

She could still make this work for her.

"I suppose," she said, falling onto her back once more. She could feel Emma smiling at her. "Maybe I should cut you some slack."

"Thank you," Emma said, though she already sounded suspicious.

"Not just anyone can keep up with this."

There it was. At once, Emma forced herself up onto her elbows, her eyes narrowing. "Hang on a minute—"

But her sentence was cut off before it could really begin, because she caught sight of what Regina's hands were doing, and that was enough to make anyone's thoughts disappear from their head.

Regina wasn't looking at her. She wasn't looking at anything. Her eyes were closed, and her hands were gently cupping her own breasts. She was stretched out along the full width of Emma's bed, her right leg bent and accentuating the delicious curve of her ass, and when she caught her nipples between her fingers, the small gasp she released was enough to make even Emma wake up.

Sitting upright, Emma stayed where she was, her mouth dry and her gaze fixed on Regina's hands as they crept over her tan skin. Her lips parted with a sigh as her head tipped back, but her eyes still didn't open. Her fingers pinched once more on her nipples, drawing them up into hard peaks, before one hand slid gradually down her body, disappearing into the space that was hidden from Emma's view by her raised thigh.

Emma wasn't a patient person, and she barely lasted 10 seconds before she shuffled forwards. She reached out a hand and gently tapped Regina's thigh, and without opening her eyes, Regina lowered her leg down onto the bed. Emma was faced with the sight of Regina's long fingers slowly circling her clit while her other hand continued to pinch and twist at her left nipple.

With her bottom lip caught between her teeth, Emma watched the leisurely movement without interrupting. Regina knew she had her undivided attention, because she knew Emma only went truly quiet when she was engrossed in something. She didn't need to open her eyes to see the awestruck expression on the sheriff's face, or the see the hunger burning in her eyes. Her chest hitched slightly and she sighed, letting the tip of one finger slip inside her. She heard Emma suck in a breath from somewhere beside her.

The thought of Emma's seawater eyes on her only made her heart beat faster, and she plunged two fingers deep inside herself. She groaned, feeling them grinding over her tight, sensitive flesh, and kept her eyes closed, knowing the sight of Emma would only distract her. As the pleasure began to rise up inside her, she couldn't afford to think of anything else. She'd been wanting to come since the second she'd stepped into Emma's kitchen, and nothing was going to stop her now.

She pulled her slick fingers free and brushed them over her clit, whimpering at the electric contact, before thrusting them back inside herself. Then the mattress shifted beneath her, and before she could open her eyes and see what was happening, she felt Emma climb on top of her, her legs either side of Regina's waist and her hands reaching up to cup her hot cheeks.

She leaned forwards and kissed her deeply, her tongue curling through her mouth and the tip of her nose grazing against Regina's when she pulled free. It was only then that Regina looked up, and she was startled to see something dark and urgent flashing in Emma's eyes.

"Don't stop," she murmured, dipping her head once more and pressing a needy kiss against Regina's throat. Regina moaned, her fingers moving faster, as she felt Emma's mouth move downwards, skimming over her pounding chest and latching onto a hard nipple. Beneath her, Regina's entire body was trembling, her arm trapped beneath Emma's weight but her movements only getting faster. As she sucked her nipple into her mouth, Emma could feel Regina's hips rolling forwards, and she gently grasped it between her teeth before letting it spring free. Her other hand crept up and rested on Regina's throat, holding her in place.

They could both hear the frantic sighs coming from Regina's mouth, interspersed with the slick sounds coming from between her legs, and Emma moaned against her damp skin. Her grip on Regina's throat tightened, and she didn't seem to mind. Instead, Regina's spare hand crawled up and wrapped around Emma's wrist, not trying to pull it away but rather holding it in place, because the tightening of her airwaves and the feeling of Emma's possessiveness against her skin was dangerously, deliciously turning her on. She gasped, the air tumbling down her throat in bitesized pieces that made her head swim, and she felt the muscles in her cunt starting to pulsate. Her fingers were drenched, slipping almost too easily over her skin when she pulled them free and rubbed them furiously against her clit, and she held Emma's hand harder. She choked. She wanted to see stars.

Her orgasm erupted through her, tangling around her limbs like ribbons, and she threw her head back, her back lifting up off the sheets in spite of the body that was pinning her down. Her pussy continued to convulse, because it hadn't had enough and neither had she, and so she came for what felt like forever, her legs hot and weightless and her throat bruising under the grip of Emma's fingers.

When she opened her eyes, the room was bright white, and Emma was watching her with the same expression that had been on her face for the past three years: disbelief. Respect. Something that looked a little bit like reverence.

Regina let out a shuddering breath, her heart pounding, and reached up to gently stroke Emma's cheek. Emma leaned into her touch without thinking, turning her head to press a kiss against Regina's hot palm. It was a move so simple and natural that Regina didn't even realise that she should have shrunk back from it.

"Wow," she stammered, half laughing. Emma smiled back at her.

"Wow yourself," she said, gently stroking the red marks on Regina's throat. "That was all your work."

"Maybe," Regina said. She felt soft and wobbly. "I definitely don't come that hard when there isn't a very naked Emma sitting on top of me, though."

Emma laughed, tilting her head to one side. Regina's eyes immediately fell to the sway of her hair as it tumbled across one shoulder. "That's reassuring, at least."

And then she was moving, crawling backwards down the bed and disappearing from sight onto the floor. Regina felt a pair of hands slipping around her ankles and, before she could take a moment to anticipate what was coming next, she was being tugged forwards, squeaking with surprise as she moved. Emma stopped pulling as soon as her ass was level with the edge of the mattress, lifting Regina's legs and placing them firmly on her shoulders.

"Let's see how hard you can come when there's a very naked Emma between your legs then, shall we?"

Regina groaned, her head tilting backwards, and before she could prepare herself, she felt the tip of Emma's hot tongue ghosting over her pussy. Her hands delved into Emma's hair at once, clinging onto her like she was worried that she was planning on going somewhere else, as her ankles crossed over against her back.

Two of Emma's fingers were inside her in seconds, stretching and probing and reawakening every nerve in Regina's body that had gone to sleep as soon as her last orgasm her left her. She whined, lifting her hips, giving Emma better access, and then a third finger was inside her, pushing firmly and making her entire body light up with a fire that only Emma could bring out in her. The walls of her cunt were squeezing desperately around her, begging for more, and luckily Emma wasn't in the mood for playing games tonight, because she gave it to her at once. She rose up onto her knees, bringing Regina's hips up with her, and planted her tongue firmly on Regina's clit, soaking up the way she cried out. The grip on her hair was deathly tight, and Emma didn't care at all. She pressed herself harder against the crown of Regina's legs, driving her fingers in as deep as they would go, her cunt throbbing all over again as Regina whined and panted and wriggled beneath her.

"Emma," Regina gasped out, and it was hands down Emma's favourite sound in the world. She moaned against Regina's damp skin, even now drowning under her spell, and plunged her fingers back inside her. She caught Regina's clit between her lips and when she sucked, she felt Regina's entire body go rigid and pleading beneath her fingers.

"Emma."

Emma's tongue began to messily, desperately lap over Regina's throbbing clit, her fingers fucking her harder and faster. She could feel Regina's heels digging into the tender space between her shoulder blades, and she could feel the burn of her nails cutting into her scalp. It was excruciating and it was perfect, and she fucked her harder, willing her to hold on tighter, to scream out loud and bring the entire house down.

When Regina's body began to arc up, curving away from the mattress, Emma lifted her eyes and watched her. She was breathtaking when she came, and right then, as her release peaked and came crashing down on her tightly wound body like a flood of water, Emma blinked, her eyes prickling with something she didn't recognise. Her heart was pounding a little too hard.

She didn't want to stop looking at Regina. Not then, and not ever.

She was so lost in her reverie that she didn't realise her fingers were still moving, and after a moment Regina reached down with a gasp, pushing her away.

Emma fell back onto her heels, her breath caught in her throat. She could taste Regina all over her lips.

Regina lay back, her eyes closed, struggling to regain control of her breathing. Every muscle in her body had gone lax, and as much as she wanted to lift her head and tell Emma to come and join her, she couldn't. Stars were buzzing inside her skull, and she needed a moment to sift through them.

Eventually, she forced herself up onto one elbow, half expecting Emma to already be lying down next to her. She wasn't – instead, she was still kneeling on the floor, her brow crumpled and her cheeks slightly pink.

"Emma?" Regina asked, and Emma blinked like she'd forgotten where she was. "Are you waiting for permission to come up here?"

Emma hesitated. That wasn't the reason, but it was as good as any. It was sure as hell a lot easier to vocalise.

"Yeah," she said, trying to laugh. She climbed to her feet, surprised by how shaky her legs were, and sat down on the edge of the mattress. "Sorry. I've got into the habit, I guess."

Regina's laugh was low and chocolaty, and Emma closed her eyes, trying to steady herself.

Then the mattress was dipping behind her, and she shivered when she felt a pair of arms sliding around her neck.

"That was amazing," Regina murmured, her mouth hot against Emma's ear. Emma could smell her – the sweat and the perfume and something else that just smelled like Regina, even though it had no name – and she drank it in, her head falling back against Regina's shoulder.

"It really was," Emma replied. Her heart clenched when Regina pressed a kiss against her cheek.

"Thank you," Regina said, not pulling away. Her nose and mouth were pressed against Emma's face, her arms tight around her shoulders like this was the most natural pose in the world.

Somewhere deep inside her chest, Emma's heart was waking up from a sleep that had lasted for much longer than she'd realised.

"Right back at you," she said quietly, her hands reaching up to hold onto Regina's wrists. She knew she would go home soon, because that was their agreement, and if she had to say goodbye to her then at least she would cling onto this feeling for just a little bit longer.

They stayed like that, quietly sitting, their bodies warm and sticky and soft. Emma felt her jaw tremble.

She leaned back into Regina, naturally drawn to her, like she always had been. Regina had a small smile on her lips as she enjoyed the feeling of holding her for just a few moments longer, before she had to go back to her own bed alone.