This chapter can be read two ways: 1.) You can read it and pretend that Graham never had sex with Regina inside her home OR 2.) You can read it as Regina having been reluctant to invite Emma inside thus far (*wink*) because she knows it would actually mean something (for the first time in her life).
Choose your own adventure.
The drive back to Regina's mansion was fraught with tension, sexual and otherwise. Emma barely bit back her breathy groans as Regina seductively reached over from the passenger seat and massaged her fingers in smooth circles over Emma's taut thigh.
She wanted so badly to continue their date, to once again make love to Regina, and to spend hours upon hours celebrating their True Love by worshipping her lover's intoxicating body until they were both too exhausted to move.
Unfortunately, the number of times Regina invited Emma inside to spend the night was still at a whopping, disappointing zero.
Emma knew she couldn't hold a grudge against Regina's cautious behaviour. After all, neither woman had anything remotely close to a stable, healthy relationship in their pasts. Regina's track record consisted of a first love murdered at the hands of her mother, an obligatory, older husband who abused her in more ways than one, and a slew of random conquests that meant nothing more to the woman than convenient, passing flings.
For her part, Emma had a thieving, unreliable ex who was willing to give her up at the slightest urging from a fairytale puppet. No one ever fought for her, no one ever made her feel worthy of love – and that was the common factor that bound the two women together. They found safety, security, longing, desire – all things missing from their past relationships – with each other. If Emma was yin, then Regina was yang. Their contrary forces complemented each other and brought them together, making the two women stronger rather than driving them apart. Simply put, Emma could no longer exist without Regina.
"Penny for your thoughts," Regina murmured next to Emma, startling the woman out of her dreamy reverie. Regina's thumb now traced slow, soothing patterns over Emma's tight pants, warming the skin underneath and eliciting a tingling pleasure low in her abdomen.
"You," Emma said honestly, glancing from the road to briefly meet Regina's eyes. "Always you."
Regina's heart thudded in her chest and she soaked up Emma's sincerity like a lazy cat absorbing its warmth from the sun. "Always you," she repeated, squeezed Emma's muscled leg as they pulled to a stop in front of the mansion.
Emma placed her palm over Regina's wandering hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before meeting her warm gaze. "Regina," she stated clearly, "I'm going to walk you to your door now, and I don't care who sees us holding hands."
Jittery with anxiety and struggling to maintain her confident front, Emma missed the way the raven-haired woman's lips curved upward in the barest hint of a smile before she dipped her head in affirmation.
"Okay, dear. You may walk me to my door."
Emma exhaled a heavy sigh of relief, nerves dissipating slightly. Despite her bold statement and the open declarations made by both women earlier in the evening, Emma half-wondered if the night had been too much for Regina to handle. She wouldn't blame the typically closed-off woman for suffering an emotional overload and running from Emma as fast as her spiky, black Manolo Blahniks could carry her.
After a moment's hesitation, Emma grasped Regina's hand within her own and led the woman up to her front stoop. Upon reaching the front door, Emma felt her face get hot, cheeks stained with red splotches as she regarded the regal, magnificent woman standing beside her. Compared to her, I'm a fucking street rat, she thought, plucking her dirty, grass-stained shirt with a morose expression etched on her face.
"What's wrong?" Regina asked. "You look like you're about to get sick." Crimson lips curled in displeasure and Emma felt her gut sink in despair.
"I would understand," she choked out, horrified to feel hot tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Seeing Regina's concerned expression and feeling the tightened grip against her fingers, Emma swallowed back the tears and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "I mean, I would get it, if you … you know … if you didn't want to keep this going," she said, gesturing wildly between them with her free hand.
Silent, Regina regarded Emma for no less than a full sixty seconds, her expression blank except for one arched eyebrow. Emma shuffled her feet back and forth, her insides blistering with discomfort and nausea as she waited for Regina to say something, anything. Beads of sweat were just starting to form on Emma's forehead and chest when the mayor finally spoke, her voice like molten silk.
"Would you like to spend more time with me, possibly in a romantic environment?" Regina asked, a teasing smile playing at her mouth.
"Are you actually asking me out on a second date?" Emma huffed in relief, dizzy and lightheaded with exhilaration as her lips quirked in a hopeful grin.
Regina hooked her fingers through the dark belt loops at the front of Emma's pants and tugged the woman close enough for their noses to softly brush together. "And if I was?" Regina asked, pressing a feather-light kiss to Emma's mouth.
Emma heaved a dramatic sigh and brought her finger to her chin, pretending think about it. Frowning, Regina pouted and dug her fingers into Emma's hip, pinching the skin through the thin fabric and causing the blonde to yelp in surprise.
"Well when you put it that way, I'd have to say yes. I would love to go on a second date with you, Regina."
"Good," Regina hummed. "Because I was thinking it could be a breakfast date. Perhaps tomorrow, if you are free."
"I'm free," Emma immediately responded.
"Good," Regina repeated, leaning forward so their lips brushed just enough to tease the blonde and jumpstart her heart with desire. "Then I assume you wouldn't be opposed to staying here tonight... with me."
"Not opposed at all," Emma croaked, voice cracking as excitement pooled in her stomach and coursed through her blood in a fiery rush. Regina grinned and pressed her pelvis against Emma's, both women releasing a husky moan at the contact.
"Regina..." Emma whispered, gliding her palms up Regina's sides, tripping nimble fingers over her ribs before coming to rest just under the woman's breasts. Scratching lightly over the dress' tight, black fabric, Emma trailed a string of delicate kisses along Regina's jaw before stopping under the shell of her ear. Regina shivered as Emma traced the outer shell with the tip of her tongue, releasing a hot puff of air and whispering, "Take me inside."
My apologies. I know this one was short but it is just a setup for the next chapter (which, you will [hopefully] be pleased to know, is halfway done). I can't decide if the next chapter is the final chapter or if I should split it into two installments, so I will ask you all to decide: please let me know if you would rather have quicker updates and two final chapters, or if you'd prefer one long chapter, with a less speedy update. As always, you can also find me on Tumblr under michaelawaffles.