Emma stared at the closed door of Regina's apartment. Hot. Damn. What had just happened to her? She managed to shut her mouth and shake herself out of her stupor. Regina Mills was going to be the death of her, of that she was sure.
She managed to get herself to turn around and walk towards the Bug. Whatever it was that just happened, she was pretty sure that was the best date she'd ever had in her life. So good that she wanted to go out again like the next day. But that was a little much. Probably. Maybe. Maybe it would be cool too. She wondered what Regina would think. Then again she didn't want Regina to get tired of her. Maybe she should wait. But she didn't want to wait. Oh God she was already starting to go insane.
Instead she pulled her phone out of her pocket as she opened the door to the Bug and brought up her messages as she slumped into the driver's seat. She quickly typed out a text to Regina.
Was this a long enough wait?
Too long.
Emma smiled down at her phone.
Sorry to keep you waiting, your majesty.
See that it doesn't happen again.
But I have to drive home and I can't do that while texting you.
Fair point, I suppose I can be patient enough to wait for you to get safely home.
Good. I'll be sure to text you right as I get in my driveway.
Good. Have a safe drive, Emma.
Emma sighed, happy, before flinging her phone in the passenger's seat and starting the Bug. She quickly made her way through the streets. Traffic was at a minimum this late at night. It had taken her thirty minutes earlier in the day to drive to Regina's from her place but now it took barely ten. As soon as she shifted into park she grabbed her phone and texted Regina once more.
Home and now completely at your service, your majesty.
Almost completely at my service. If you were completely at my service you'd be here waiting hand and foot on me.
Emma snorted. The fake royal title is really inflating your head isn't it?
Who said it was fake?
I see no tiara on your head.
That would be too obvious, dear. I'm trying to blend in with the common people. One does not wear a tiara when blending in.
Right, of course, and I'm part of your blending in am I?
You're a perk of blending in, dear. Noblemen are entirely too pompous and noblewomen completely vapid. I much prefer you.
Feels good to have the favor of royalty. ;)
Oh, you will have more than that in due time.
Why do I have a feeling that was an innuendo, your majesty?
Because you're perceptive, dear.
Emma smiled and finally managed to get out of the car. She kept her phone within hand's reach at all times as the texts flew back and forth. She managed to get ready for bed slowly, texting all the while. She even resorted to putting her phone in a plastic bag so she could take it in the shower with her. Emma recognized that this was all completely ridiculous, but she really didn't care. What she did care about was that plastic bags made it really damn hard to type accurately. She sent off a string of texts with more spelling errors than humanly possible and tried not to feel too embarrassed when Regina called her out on it. She still refused to explain why she was spelling so atrociously, though. That would have been even worse.
Just as Emma managed to lay down in her bed Regina sent her a message that made her smile widely.
Emma, would you be averse to going out again on Sunday? This time I'll do all the planning since you did everything this time.
That sounds great, Regina. Just let me know what time I need to be ready and everything.
I will, once I figure out what it is exactly that we are doing. I have a few ideas but nothing concrete.
Take your time, I'm sure whatever you come up with will be great :)
Thank you dear. I do have quite a lot to live up to from this date, however.
Emma felt her cheeks heating up. Aw, it was just dinner, nothing special. It's not like I took you to the moon or anything.
This date was special, Emma. Don't sell it sort. I had a wonderful time.
So did I, but I think that was due to the company more than anything else.
That was definitely a big part of it. No one else I know would take a date to a castle made of books, however, and that was rather amazing.
Emma bit her lip contemplating her next response. The castle has nothing on you.
Well of course, the castle should not overshadow the Queen and her most loyal knight.
So I'm your knight now?
Of course, dear.
Emma kept texting Regina, the spaces between her responses getting longer and longer as she kept drifting off to sleep and then jerking awake to respond. She finally fell to sleep once and for all with her phone still gripped in her hand, thumb poised to type yet another letter. She dreamed of Regina in medieval queen dresses and herself in muted grey armor, sweeping up and down halls cast in torch light, ruling together easily, and damn if Emma didn't wish those dresses were real.
She woke up in the early afternoon and stretched, groaning as her spine cracked a few times. Emma rolled over and grabbed her phone from the far side of the bed, where it had somehow managed to end up. She hit the button to wake it up and saw she had five texts from Regina.
Did you finally fall asleep?
Goodnight, Emma.
Good morning.
I think I know what we're doing tomorrow. Tell me, have you ever ridden a horse before?
It's unseemly for a knight to sleep in so long, Miss White.
Emma snorted at that last message and quickly typed out a reply. Just because you can still wake up in the morning after going to bed at three AM doesn't mean we all can. But good morning. And yeah, I've ridden before. I'm not exactly fond of horses. Or more they're not exactly fond of me. For some reason I have a better time with camels. Don't ask me why, it doesn't make any sense.
The response from Regina was almost instant, almost as if she had been sitting by the phone waiting for her to text back.
No, by all accounts that doesn't make sense. Camels are such stubborn creatures.
Yeah, I know. Maybe they just sense the aura of a fellow stubborn creature.
If that was true then I would have more luck with them.
Emma snorted. Maybe.
But if you really don't like horses than I can change the plans I had for tomorrow.
No, it's cool. As long as you're there I really don't care what we do. Though the second I get bitten by a horse I'm going to curse like a sailor, just a warning.
What do you do to get yourself bitten?
Beats me. Probably something rather stupid that most people who know how to act around horses don't do.
I'll point it out to you if I notice. I don't want the horse to bite you before I can.
Emma felt a wave of heat wash over her at the image. God, Regina biting her would just be so damn hot. And her biting Regina? Even fucking better.
I wouldn't be bitching about you biting me. Though maybe probably still cursing, just in a totally different context.
Mmm, well. That sounds much more pleasant for the both of us.
Much, much more. Should've known you were a biter.
What does that mean, Miss White?
You're a tad feisty, don't worry totally hot.
Well, I'm glad you approve.
Emma could practically hear the eye roll in that text message. Another came before she could type a response.
But you have no idea of how feisty I can really be. Perhaps you'll find out tomorrow.
Her mouth went dry. Did that text message mean what she thought it did? Oh fucking hell, she hoped it did.
Now I have to go make plans for our date. I'll pick you up tomorrow at noon so long as you text me your address.
Emma quickly typed her address in and sent it, but her phone remained silent ever after. She huffed. God, the day was going to drag now. If Regina was going to go on radio silence she had absolutely nothing to stop her from thinking about everything that just been brought up in their conversation. Images of Regina naked flashed up behind her eyelids.
God. It really was going to be a long day.
Somehow Emma had made it through Saturday. She figured that she had to have superhuman patience for that feat. Or was just very good at distracting herself. With her hand in her pants. Whatever, patience was patience.
Now she was standing in her foyer, in clothes that were fit for riding but she was sure still made her look fabulous. Thank God jeans were good for riding. Skinny jeans made her ass look fucking awesome. The simple t-shirt she was wearing pulled incredibly tight over her boobs, she thanked God that she'd accidently grabbed the wrong size at the store when she'd bought it. She was dressed as well as the situation allowed.
Emma felt herself perk up every single freaking time that a car passed her house. She felt a little pathetic, like a puppy waiting for its owner to come home, but that didn't stop her from doing it every time. When a car slowed just outside her house she raced to the window and surely enough there was the brunette in the front seat of a black Mercedes Benz SL Class. God damn, how did the woman afford a car like that on a government salary? Fuck was that car was hot, though.
Regina got out of her car and started to walk up the sidewalk towards Emma's house. Emma panicked. Oh god, she was going to seem way too eager standing down here in the foyer waiting, but it would look even stupider if she ran away and Regina caught a glimpse of her retreating down the hall.
Oh, fuck this.
Emma opened the door and smiled at the brunette. The breath left her as she really took in what the other woman was wearing. Regina's legs were incased in honest to god jodhpurs that looked like they should be cutting off circulation they were that tight, and leather boots that came up to her knees. A white button up was tucked into her riding pants, with three buttons undone, showing just the right amount of cleavage. Her eyes finally made it to Regina's face just as the other woman stepped up onto her porch. Her face had very little make up on it, making her look younger.
She stepped forward. "Hey."
Regina smiled at her. "Hello, Emma." Regina took another step towards her. "Impatient, I see. Couldn't let me even ring your door bell?"
"Nope. Maybe next time I'll summon up some restraint, but not if you're dressed like that again." Her eyes flicked up and down Regina's form yet again. She unconsciously licked her lips.
Regina reached out and grabbed her belt loops, pulling her forward. "Yes, well, I find that I'm quite fond of these skinny jeans that you seem to have a habit of wearing."
"Well, I'm glad, I put them on just for you." Emma sounded more than a little breathless. She swallowed hard and leaned just a little forward and kissed Regina lightly. She felt Regina sigh and wrap her arms around Emma's waist.
"Now, that it the proper way to greet someone, Miss White," Regina said after she'd pulled back. "Grab your things though, dear, we have places to be."
"I'm sure the horses can wait a few minutes." Emma leaned in to steal another kiss, but Regina's hand stopped her.
"The horses are only one part of our plans today, dear. And to get to those on time we have to hurry along."
Emma huffed, but stepped back and grabbed her wallet and keys, locking up her house quickly. She turned back around and looked at Regina.
"Lead the way, your majesty."
Regina just smirked and turned, swaying her hips absolutely more than was necessary. God, the woman was really trying to kill her. They both slipped into Regina's car. Emma looked over the controls with a sense of awe. She really did love cars and this one was so fancy, top of the line package, recent model, looked to be the SL65 model of the car. God, what she would give to get behind the wheel of this thing. She bet it did 0 to 60 in like four seconds. It would put her little bug to shame.
"You're staring at my car like it's an attractive woman." Regina sounded extremely amused.
"I said I like vintage cars, right? Well, it's more just I have a thing for cars. And no fucking wonder you like your Benz more than my Bug. This is like a piece of fucking art."
Regina actually laughed. "Well, I wouldn't go quite that far, but I do have my own appreciation of a fine car." She started the car, the engine purred quietly, but Emma could feel the power of it through the floorboards. "But I might become jealous of an inanimate object soon if you don't stop staring."
Emma snapped out of it and looked up at Regina. "Car still has nothing on you. Pretty much nothing has nothing on you. Even if I stare at it excessively. Just never get me around older model sports cars. You'll never ever be able to drag me away unless there's promise of sex. Or if I get hungry. Whatever comes first."
"In that case, you would be, dear."
Emma's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. "Uh, um, yeah."
Regina smirked over at her before she gunned the car and peeled out into the street. Emma felt herself being pushed back into the seat and smiled. Oh yeah, this car had the get up and go she thought it did. A thought idly crossed her mind. She wondered what it would be like to fuck Regina in this car. She shivered as her body heated up exponentially in just a fraction of a second. She really didn't need those images.
"So where's this stable you're taking me to?" Emma asked mostly just to distract herself from how hot it would be to have Regina straddling her.
"It's about forty-five minutes from here, maybe a little more depending on traffic."
"Ah, so it's really outside of town, then."
Regina hummed her agreement. "It's right outside one of the smaller suburbs, on the outskirts of the metropolitan area. Far enough away that it actually smells of fresh air. That's why I picked it."
"I think I might be allergic to fresh air." Emma laughed. "I've almost always been in a city my entire life."
"That's a shame, dear. I like the peace of being in the forest."
"Too quiet. I always feel like something is going to jump out and grab me."
"You watch too many horror movies."
Emma had to stop herself from laughing. Oh, if only the woman knew that her life was more like one of those horror movies sometimes than should be allowed.
"Nah, just take anyone who's grown up in a city out to the country. We all think something is wrong when it's quiet."
"I'll take your word for it, dear." Regina shook her head fondly.
As they drove the buildings around them started to thin out, the trees started to thicken, billboards less frequent. Emma was always surprised how quickly things transitioned from city to rural. It was almost like a line was drawn somewhere that just denoted that civilization stopped there. A few houses were scattered, and then passed through little towns, but that was nothing like the sprawl of D.C. that just stopped miles ago.
Regina turned off onto a gravel road sometime later. The car handled perfectly even on the rough surface. Emma barely felt the bumps. God, she really, really wanted behind the wheel of this car.
They pulled into a parking lot and Regina popped out of the car with a smile on her face. Emma followed and was immediately assaulted with the smell of hay and horse. A hint of pine was in there somewhere and Emma tried not to flinch at the memories of being trapped in a pine forest in Belarus for days on end. Not one of her more pleasant memories.
She walked up to Regina who had stopped to wait for her. The smile on the woman's face was more open than she'd ever seen before. Emma's hand reached out of its own volition and grabbed Regina's interlacing their fingers automatically.
"Ready to ride?" Regina asked.
"I suppose. As long as you keep your promise to point out whatever it is that I'm doing to get bitten."
Regina reached up and tugged on one of Emma's curls. "I would think that's obvious." Her smile morphed into a smirk and she pulled Emma towards the stable door.
She led them through the aisle of the stables, coming to a seemingly random door and stopping. A girl, wearing a polo with the emblem of the stables called hi to Regina as she walked by and Regina smiled at the girl. Regina clicked her tongue and suddenly a horse was poking it's head over the stall door.
"Hello there, Atlas." Regina stroked the horse's nose gently.
Emma just stared at the horse. God, she'd seen horses before, but this one was just so big. She wasn't even sure it was possible to get on him.
Regina smiled over at her. "He's big, but he's a big baby. A few nose rubs and he's putty in your hands, aren't you?" She looked back at the horse.
Emma stepped forward hesitantly and reached out, gently petting his nose like Regina was. The horse whickered softly, pleased. She felt a small smile creep onto her face.
"Well, he hasn't bitten me yet."
Regina snorted. "If you got this horse to bite you then there would be something seriously wrong. Or you were being an idiot and not holding your hand flat while giving him a treat."
Emma looked over at Regina, who was still focused on the horse. "That's a thing?"
Regina's head snapped around to look at her, seeing if she was being completely serious. "Of course it is, dear. Has that been how you've been getting bitten?"
"Um, yeah." Emma fought the blush that was creeping up her neck, but she was losing quickly.
Regina hit her with her hip, knocking Emma off balance. She stumbled but managed to catch herself before she completely humiliated herself.
"That's the first thing they teach you, dear, when dealing with horses. Someone wasn't listening their first lesson, were they?"
"Who said there were lessons?"
Regina just looked at her.
"Ok, so maybe I spaced out while my friend was talking to me, so sue me." Or really, she hadn't been too fluent in the language that the guy who'd given her the horse on one of her first missions so she could out run the idiots chasing her for the file she'd stolen. She'd only caught enough to know the basic gist of how to get on and get the horse to go before she'd taken off. That had been a ride to remember.
"Well dear, now you know, so you can stop getting bitten by things that aren't me."
"You talk big game, but I've yet to see it."
The smile on Regina's face was positively devilish. "Because we're in public, dear. No need to scar the horses."
Emma took a deep breath. Dead. She should probably be dead. Or at least a puddle of goo.
Regina stepped back after giving the horse one final scratch. "I'll be back in just a second with a saddle for this guy. We'll get him all suited up and then I'll introduce you to the horse I'll be riding."
Emma watched almost helplessly as Regina walked off. God damn, her ass in those pants was even better than normal. Yup. Her heart had stopped she was sure of it.
Regina returned a few minutes later holding a saddle, reins, and a blanket. She handed them to Emma as she opened the stall door. Regina stepped inside the stall, edging around the huge horse, stroking his neck.
"Come on, Miss White, don't just stand there."
Emma stepped around the horse and the stall door shut gently behind her. She walked to Regina's side. Regina grabbed the blanket from Emma and threw it over the horse's back, adjusting it carefully. Next she grabbed the saddle and threw it over the horse's back.
"You're just a little too tall to make this easy, aren't you Atlas?" Regina mumbled to the horse.
She walked around the horse, keeping a hand trailing on his coat, letting him know she was there. Regina tugged the straps down so they hung down the horse's sides. She grabbed for the other side hanging near Emma's leg and soon she had the saddle cinched up easily.
"Come on, now Atlas, don't stick out your belly like that." She patted him on the stomach and immediately the horse snorted but complied. Regina smiled and pulled the strap another notch tighter. She carefully checked over everything once before circling around again. She quickly slipped the bit in the horse's mouth and pulled the reins over his head.
"He should be all set." Regina stepped back and bumped her hip into Emma's.
"Uh, how exactly do you think I'm going to get on this behemoth of a horse?" Emma asked. The stirrups were at like hip level on her. She was flexible, but not that flexible.
"There are stairs around here somewhere." Regina smiled at her. "Just think dear, he could be bigger. He's a Clydesdale crossbreed. His father was almost nineteen hands."
"That literally means nothing to me."
"Imagine him eight inches taller and probably about four hundred pounds heavier."
"Jesus Christ."
"Mhm." Regina opened the stall door again. "Now come on, dear, we still have to saddle my horse." She grabbed the horse's harness and led him forward easily.
Emma scrambled to catch up, not wanting to be anywhere near behind the horse. She planned on living today, not being kicked in the head. Regina led them down to another wing of the barn and stopped at yet another stall.
"I'll be right back." Regina slipped off again, leaving Emma with Atlas. Now that he was out of his stall he made Emma just a little nervous. He was a freaking huge horse. He could totally squish her like a bug if he wanted. Instead, he butted his head against her hand and whickered softly when she started to scratch his nose again. She relaxed a little after that.
Regina came back and saddled her own horse, not asking Emma for help. Emma looked on, surveying the all black horse with better hair than she had. She could swear the thing was glaring at her.
The other woman opened the stall door and led the horse out, smiling at Emma. "We'll find a set of stairs for you and then we'll be off. I know the best trail around here, not super crowded, but it'll be easy enough for you to keep up."
Emma just kept looking at Regina's horse. "I think that thing wants to kill me."
"He might." Regina smirked at her when she took a step back. "But no, he's a wonderful horse. A tad bit temperamental if you don't know what you're doing, but that suits me just fine. Doesn't it?" She stroked the horse's neck. The horse neighed his confirmation.
"Whatever you say, Regina."
Regina just shook her head and started to lead her horse away. Emma grabbed the harness of Atlas and they followed. They found a set of stairs about halfway towards the exit and Regina helped Emma on carefully. She looked around the stable from the back of her horse. Holy hell, she was high up. This was totally different than her almost pony that she'd had all those years ago.
Regina swung up on Quixote and turned to look over her shoulder at Emma. "Ready?"
"After I get over the altitude sickness." Regina sitting on her horse was at least half a foot lower than she was.
"I'm sure you'll be fine, Miss White." Regina clicked her tongue and Quixote started walking.
Emma nudged Atlas in the side and he ambled forward as well. Once they were clear of the stables Emma maneuvered her horse so that she was riding side by side with Regina. The other woman smiled up at her, more relaxed than Emma had seen her.
"You really like riding, don't you?" Emma asked.
"I do. My mother signed me up for lessons when I was small because it was a useful skill and I ended up loving it. I might have ended up competing professionally if my mother hadn't had other plans for me."
"Your mother's plans were to have you become a CIA analyst?" Emma looked over at her, eyebrows scrunched.
"Yes and no. She wanted me to be in government, but I imagine this wasn't where she thought I would end up. I imagine she wanted me to become a congresswoman or senator. She died when I was eighteen, though, so I was freer to choose my own pathway. Had she lived longer…well she wasn't a woman who took no for an answer, especially from her own daughter."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Regina."
Regina looked away at the trees they were slowly passing, horses rocking under them. "It's fine, Emma. It was a long time ago"
Well. She had just gone and killed the mood really, really fucking fast. How the hell was she supposed to recover from that? She let them ride on in silence for a few minutes as she tried to think of a way to dispel the heavy air that had settled over them. Regina for her part seemed too lost in her head now to try anything. Emma could hit herself. She just had to ask stupid fucking questions.
"So what's your favorite color?" Emma held back a groan. That's what she could come up with? Yes, she'd wooed women in at least twelve different languages, but of course she couldn't actually manage to impress the one woman who mattered for more than a one night stand. Of fucking course.
Regina just turned and looked at her, amusement overtaking the melancholy in her eyes. "Blue, royal blue to be more precise."
"Oh, wouldn't have pegged you for that."
"What did you actually think my favorite color was black?"
Emma shook her head. "Nah, red."
Regina snorted. "Why red?"
"Because you're, uh, a little temperamental."
"Totally an indicator for the love of the color red."
Emma blushed. "Don't ask me, it's just a connection in my head."
Regina's eyes swept up and down her. "Hm, and let me guess, your favorite color is…green."
Emma shook her head. "No, purple, well more like lavender. One of the houses I stayed at in the foster system was right beside a field of wild lavender. God, in the summer it smelled so fucking good there and it was always so pretty. I used to go there when I needed out of the house, which was a lot, so it became one of my favorite places." She smiled fondly at the memory. That house hadn't been one of the worst nor one of the best, but the lavender field had somehow made up for it.
"Oh," Regina said simply.
Emma shook her head and snapped out of it. "Yeah, I try to keep a little lavender plant with me in whatever place I'm staying at, but it's sort of hard. I really don't have a green thumb. Like at all. I'm lucky to keep a plant alive in summer."
"Now that, I can picture." Regina laughed. "You forget to water it, don't you?"
"Sometimes, other times I think I over water it. I really just can't win."
"Maybe I can give you a few tips. I quite enjoy gardening. When I was growing up I had my own apple tree. Just before I left home it produced so much fruit that literally our home was over flowing with apples. They're still the best apples I've ever had."
"No wonder you had apples every day at lunch."
Regina cocked an eyebrow. "You watched me at lunch?"
Emma's hand came to rub at the back of her neck. "Uh, yeah, I kinda watched you…like every chance I could get. Which sounds sort of creepy. And it kind of was, but Jesus, look at you. And there was just always something about you. So I kinda turned into a stalker, sort of, without meaning to."
Regina shot her an amused smile. "It's ok, dear. I may have snuck more than my fair share of glances at you. Though that may have been more so I could plot your death instead of admire your beauty."
"Gee, thanks."
"There's a thin line between love and hate, as they say."
Emma felt her eyes widen at the mention of love. Her mind was off like a rocket trying to dissect every single connotation of what Regina had just said. She shouldn't make a big deal out it, she knew, because that was the saying. There was no need to change the saying just to avoid saying the word love. That would be stupid. But still, her mind wouldn't listen.
"Yeah, there really is," Emma finally managed to say.
They rode for a good part of the day. By the time Regina suggested they take a break she was starving. When Regina turned Quixote off of the path between a few trees Emma wondered just where they were going until the trees opened up into a large clearing. In the middle sat a picnic blanket and basket. Emma's stomach grumbled its approval. Regina turned back to look at her, smiling widely.
"Regina, this is awesome."
"I'm glad you approve." She hopped off her horse and walked over to Emma. Emma carefully dismounted, and Regina caught her when she stumbled a little bit on her landing. She looked up into Regina's face, now very near hers. Regina was shooting her a fond glance and Emma didn't miss when her eyes slipped down to her lips.
Emma leaned forward and kissed the other woman gently. The hands that were already on her hips from catching her slipped around to her back and drew her in tighter. Emma was sure that she could get used to being kissed like this every single day of her life. Regina could do sinful things with her tongue.
When Regina pulled back some time later she said, "Why don't we eat, dear? If we don't stop now I'm afraid we won't ever get to the food."
Emma smirked, but didn't disagree. Regina led them over to the blanket and sank down gracefully. Emma joined her, albeit with much less grace. Regina started digging in the basket and pulling food and plates from inside.
"How did you manage to set this up?" Emma asked, eyeing the spread that Regina was laying out.
"I may have bribed one of the younger stable hands to come out here just before us and leave everything. He should be back just before dark to collect everything as well. Nice boy, great with the horses."
"Huh, talk about using your connections."
"Indeed." Regina handed Emma a sandwich wrapped in plastic wrap.
Emma fought the wrap off of the sandwich before taking a large bite. She moaned at the taste. This was not just a sandwich, it was a work of art. She chewed slowly before swallowing.
"What the hell is in this, it's fucking awesome."
Regina laughed. "Cracked pepper turkey, roasted red pepper mayo, spinach, and swiss cheese. I made them earlier today. I'm glad they pass your taste test."
"You made these? Jesus, woman, how the hell did you make a sandwich taste so damn good, witchcraft?"
"No, just good quality ingredients. I find that helps greatly."
Emma took another bite. "I think I might be in love."
Regina laughed and took a bite of her own sandwich. "I thought it was men's hearts that you were supposed to be able to win through their stomachs."
"It also applies to women if you're a damn good cook."
"Well, thank you, dear." A light blush coated Regina's cheeks.
"You are most certainly welcome."
Regina pushed forward another dish. "If you like the sandwich, you're going to love this." She took the top off the container and revealed a good sized mound of potato salad. She handed Emma a fork.
"Lord, woman, it's like you know all of my weaknesses." Emma stuck a fork in one of the potato chunks and brought it to her mouth. "Yup, no, I'm totally in love with your cooking skills." She took another bite of the potato salad.
"My cooking skills are flattered." Regina shuffled around for a minute before pulling a bottle of wine from the basket. She uncorked it quickly and poured two glasses, handing one to Emma.
Emma took a sip and sighed. "This is really nice." The trees rustled around them and the sun reflected off of Regina's eyes in just a way that her eyes looked golden instead of brown. It was a stunning transformation.
"It is."
Emma scooted closer to Regina, careful not to spill any of their food or wine. She leaned her head on the other woman's shoulder for a second before popping back up and shoving more food into her face. Regina's hand came to rest on her thigh for a second, squeezing gently before going back to helping the woman eat.
They ate talking quietly at times, but mostly staying silent, enjoying the scene around them. The horses grazed on the grass of the clearing, never straying far. The birds chirped from their perches and various other wildlife darted in and out of the trees. She had never really just sat like this in the woods. She'd almost always been out there for work and that really hadn't left the time to just sit and appreciate everything. She loved the city, but this was nice too when she wasn't actively trying to avoid getting killed.
They finished up their food and repacked everything in the picnic basket. Emma now fully leaned her head on Regina's shoulder, closing her eyes. The heat coming off the other woman was soothing. She felt like she could just take a nap here now that she was fed. Her Sundays usually didn't involve her being out of bed before noon, let alone horseback riding. She could probably use a nap.
Regina laid her head on top of Emma's and sighed, content. Her arms encircled the blonde and leaned them both back onto the blanket. Emma snuggled into the other woman further now that they were laying down. Her eyes blinked open and she looked up at Regina. Regina was looking down at her, a slight smile on her face. Emma returned her smile and leaned forward slightly.
Their lips met again, lazily, unhurried. The sun beat down on them, warming them, as the wind blew gently, caressing their skin. Emma slipped an arm around the other woman's waist and smiled into their kiss. This, oh this, was worth all those years of hell to get to this point. Regina's hands migrated up her body and tangled themselves in her hair. The gentle tug every now and then shot bolts of arousal straight to her core, yet she kept the kiss still languid. She wanted to enjoy this for as long as she could.
Regina tangled one of her legs with Emma's and turned over so she could kiss Emma more easily. A sigh escaped her. She knew this was going to escalate soon. She probably shouldn't do this in the middle of the forest with the most important person she'd met to date, but she couldn't force herself to draw away either and tell Regina she wanted to wait until they had gotten back home to finish this. It was suddenly as if Regina had replaced all of the oxygen in her lungs and she was going to die if she drew away from this.
They broke the kiss, pulling away to catch their breath. Emma panted, forehead resting against Regina's for a few seconds before she attached her lips to Regina's neck. Regina groaned under her and titled her neck to the side to allow Emma more access. She kissed down the long column of tan skin, nipping lightly and licking to soothe the sting. She didn't bite hard enough to mark, but oh the thought of marking Regina as her own turned her on immensely.
Regina's hands wandered up and down her body, unabashedly. Her fingers trailed reverently over the plains of her stomach and back. Emma gasped at the feeling of fingernails raking down her back through fabric. Regina took advantage of Emma's momentary distraction to latch her own lips onto Emma's neck.
If Emma had thought that Regina was a good kisser before, when she felt the other woman's lips kissing and licking up and down her neck, she about died. Regina kissed down to her collarbone and drew her t-shirt aside. She bit down hard on the skin, but instantly licking to soothe. Emma arched into her mouth. God, she felt like she was on fire right now in the best fucking way.
She pulled Regina's head back up to her and kissed her hard. This kiss was all teeth and tongues and none of the gentleness from before, both of them were too far gone now for that. Regina tasted like the wine they'd just drank and sunshine. It was far more intoxicating than the alcohol they'd just drunk. She couldn't get enough. And the way Regina was holding onto her she couldn't either.
Regina's hand fell to the hem of her t-shirt and tugged it up. Emma pulled back and looked at the other woman.
"You sure?"
"Shut up, Miss White, and get that God forsaken t-shirt off of you." Regina's eyes were blown wide in lust.
"I'll take that as a yes." Emma chuckled, sat up and stripped her t-shirt off, throwing it on the other end of the blanket.
