Chelsea woke slowly. She felt so comfortable and peaceful that she was in no hurry to move. Instead, she snuggled even closer to the warm body next to hers. During the night she'd ended up with her head resting on Raven's shoulder and an arm and a leg thrown across the darker girl, resulting in a kind of full-body hug. She grinned mischievously and stretched to place a kiss on the delicate ear in front of her. Then she gave the lobe a gentle nibble and tug. She was rewarded with a husky moan.

"Mmm… okay, I'm awake. And you're in trouble! You know what that does to me!"

"I thought maybe I remembered you saying something about your ears being a 'special spot.' Just thought I'd try it out." A devilish grin played across pink lips. "So what exactly DOES it do to you?"

Raven growled playfully but didn't offer an answer. She shifted slightly and dropped an easy kiss on waiting lips. "Good morning, baby."

Chelsea raised an eyebrow. "Baby?"

"Well, yeah. I thought-, I mean-, well, we ARE girlfriends now, right?"

"Relax, Rae! I was just teasing you. Of course we're girlfriends now. And I think I like being your 'Baby.' It's got a lot better ring to it than 'Biscuithead.' Anyway, good morning to you too. So what are we gonna do today?"

"I didn't have anything in particular in mind. You?"

"Nope. We could just spend the day down on the beach, chillin'. I just have to remember to give Carlos a call later. Would you mind a little company for dinner?"

"Carlos is having dinner with us?" Chelsea was confused at the sudden turn in the conversation.

"I thought we could treat him and Mike to dinner, as thanks."

"Mike? Thanks for what?"

"Oh, sorry! I guess I should have explained. Mike is the DJ from last night and Carlos' boyfriend. And I need to thank them for helping me plan everything last night. Especially for pulling the strings to let me sing at the club when they barely even know me."

Chelsea burst out laughing. She doubled over and laughed so hard that tears slid down onto her cheeks.

Now it was Raven's turn to be confused. "What's so funny?"

"Mike is Carlos' boyfriend. Boyfriend. I can't believe I didn't see it before, I'm so stupid. There I was, feeling all jealous and insecure and there wasn't even anything to be jealous about!"

"You mean you thought-"

"Yeah. I was SO jealous of him, of all the flirting you two were doing. I thought he had stolen you away just when I was finally ready to confess my feelings for you. I feel so silly now!"

"You're too cute, Chels! Anyway, how about it? Should we have them over for dinner tonight?"

"Definitely! I owe them a big thanks too!"


"So, wait! You thought-, Raven and I-"

Everyone else at the table laughed as Chelsea groaned and ducked her head. She threw up her hands in exasperation. "What was I supposed to think?!"

Carlos decided to give Chelsea a break. "I guess it would be hard to tell with this one." He winked at Raven before going on. "She IS a major flirt!"

"You're not lying! I remember this one time in junior high…" Chelsea leaned in toward the boys conspiratorially as she continued her story.

Raven just smiled in response to all the teasing. Now that Chelsea knew there was nothing to be jealous of, she and Carlos were practically BFFs. Raven also noticed that her girlfriend seemed even more relaxed and radiant than ever. The positive energy that the beautiful redhead exuded seemed to affect everyone around her, Raven in particular. She hadn't been able to wipe the grin off her face ever since waking up with Chelsea in her arms that morning. Then again, she also hadn't been able to forget about the other feelings she'd had as a result of having Chelsea's body pressed against her own. The feel of her delicate ivory skin and the faint smell of sunshine and ocean breeze overwhelmed her senses. Every inch of her skin had tingled from their contact and her body ached for more. Now that she had finally told Chelsea about her feelings, she was more than ready to show her that love in every possible way. She didn't want to rush things though, so she'd have to try to control her hormones until the time was right.

Chelsea wrapped up another story about Raven's over-the-top flirtations with a laugh. As Mike launched into a story about Carlos, Chelsea glanced over at her girlfriend and noticed that the caramel beauty was completely zoned out. She quickly came up with a plan to bring Raven back down to earth. She eased her right foot out of her sandal and carefully inched her foot sideways until it was nearly touching Raven's own. Then she slowly lifted her foot and used the top of it to caress her way up and down the smooth expanse of Raven's calf. A dreamy smile spread on Raven's face at the contact, but Chelsea could tell that she was still lost in her own thoughts.

Deciding to up the ante, she casually shifted her arm from its place on the table down onto the armrest of her chair. She continued to focus her gaze on Mike as he spoke so that no one would notice what she was up to. She carefully laid her hand on Raven's knee and smoothed her thumb back and forth along soft skin. Slowly, so slowly, she began to slide her hand upward. She smiled internally at the fact that her girlfriend had chosen to wear another short skirt that evening. She inched her hand along the inside of Raven's silky smooth thigh. Chelsea knew the exact moment when she finally brought Raven back to the present. She felt more than heard the girl breathe in sharply. Honey eyes cut to the side briefly with a look of shock. Chelsea didn't meet the glance; she simply stilled her explorations, her hand remaining in place throughout the rest of dinner.

Raven was sure her body was on fire. So much for keeping her hormones under control! She could hardly believe how forward Chelsea was being. As far as she knew from their 'girl-talks' Chelsea had always been reserved in terms of her physical relationships, especially in terms of PDAs. Not that Raven minded this new turn of events. Nope, not at all. The feel of the redhead's hand on her thigh was deliciously distracting. It was all she could do to halfway listen to the casual banter going on at the table and offer occasional comments.

A low chirp-chirping caught Mike's attention and he reached for his cell phone with an apologetic smile. With the men momentarily distracted, Raven leaned closer to Chelsea. "You are in so much trouble later!"

Chelsea shivered at the husky tone in the darker girl's voice and the tickle of her breath on her ear. She knew all about Raven's passion and intensity and therefore knew her statement was no idle threat. She had no idea what Raven's revenge would entail, but she was suddenly ready to bid farewell to the guys.