Piper arrived home, arms laden with groceries, a little after one thirty. She unpacked the supplies and hit the 'play' button on her answering machine. There were two messages, both were from her mother.

The first one had a timestamp of mid-afternoon the previous day. It consisted of her mother trying to hide her displeasure beneath a veil of sympathy after receiving Polly's call. Piper rolled her eyes as she half-listened.

The second message had a timestamp of just ten minutes earlier. As the robotic voice stated the time before delivering the message, Piper breathed a sigh of relief that she'd missed being home to actually take the call. Her mother's voice filled the apartment.

Piper, darling. It's mother. We're still at the Forsbergs'. Daddy had a little too much to drink last night so we decided to stay over. He's playing golf with Magnus and Matthias at the moment and I'm on my way to lunch with Marjorie. He should be finished around five and we'll be heading home, so we'll call and see you on our way back. We should be in the city between seven and seven thirty. See you soon. Hope you're feeling brighter.

Piper listened to the message unfold with a growing sense of dread. By the time it reached the end she was shouting "No!" repeatedly at the machine. She approached it and jabbed at buttons frantically until the message replayed. She stared at the machine wide eyed as her mother's voice once again filled the air around her and she listened to the message once more, becoming increasingly panicked.

She snatched up her phone and dialled Polly. It was answered almost immediately.

"If you're phoning to gloat over how fantastic your sex life is, I'm hanging up now."

"Polly. I'm fucked."

"Yeah, I got that. Congratulations."

"No! No no no, I don't mean that-"

"You mean you didn't get laid?" Polly interrupted.

"No, I did, I mean-"

"Was she good? I take it from your text this morning it wasn't exactly terrible but you did promise me details, so..."

"Polly. My mother is coming."

"Ewww. It's your sex life I'm interested in, Pipe. Not your mother's. Yeuch."

"Oh my god. What is wrong with you?"

"What?"

"I meant she's coming here. To my apartment. Not coming coming, for fuck's sake."

"Ohhh! Oh. Oh well that's..."

"You're wrong, Pol. You're wrong in the goddamn head."

"Yeah, it's been said."

"I can't believe you think my mother still has sex."

"Of course she does. Just not with your dad."

"Polly!"

"What? It's true. You know it. You were with me when we found that fucking dildo in her drawers."

"Oh god, please stop. I don't want to be reminded."

"Reminded? Like we can ever forget. It was the size of a baby's arm! I'm mentally scarred."

"You're mentally scarred? She's not your mother!"

"Still. It gave me nightmares for weeks."

"Please stop talking about it."

"I can't. It's there now. In my head. I can't shake the image."

"Please. Just try. I need your help here."

"Why, what's the matter?"

"I can't have them coming here."

"Why not? Just put your dressing gown on, mess up your hair, move the doona and a pillow from the bed to the couch. It's not like you have to hurl in front of them, just act like you spent last night doing it. Instead of what you were actually doing, the details of which you've yet to share, incidentally."

"That's not gonna work."

"Sure it will. Make sure you boil the kettle when they're due, soak a washcloth in the hot water, then rub it over your face just before you open the door. She'll do that mother-thing where they take your temperature by a hand on the forehead, you'll be burning up, boom. Home run. Speaking of which..."

"It won't work, Pol. You want to know why?"

"It's a perfect plan! It has not a single flaw. Why won't it work?"

"Because Alex will be here."

There was a moment of silence on the line before Polly spoke again. "Yeah. Now that's a pretty big flaw in my masterplan right there."

"Uh huh."

"Why will Alex be there?"

"Because I'm cooking her dinner."

"But I thought you liked this girl..."

"Fuck you. I can cook."

"Does it have to be tonight?"

"I want it to be tonight."

"What time is she coming. Arriving."

"Seven thirty. And thanks for changing the wording there."

"What time are your parents due?"

"They said between seven and seven thirty."

"Can Alex come later? I mean arrive. Obviously."

"Yeah yeah, I knew what you meant. Stop that now."

"Sorry."

"Problem is, I have to cook dinner. Even if I put Alex back an hour, I'll still be preparing dinner when my parents arrive and I can't be prepping dinner if I'm supposed to have been crapping and hurling all night, can I."

"You could close the curtains, turn all your lights off and pretend you're not home."

"Yeah, because Alex isn't going to think that's weird at all, is she."

"You need to speak to her. Tell her. Warn her or something."

"I don't want to scare her off, Pol."

"So you need to call your mother back and tell her not to come. Visit."

"You know what it's like though, I just can't say no to her."

"Well now's the time to learn, babe."

There was another pause on the line before Piper spoke again. Polly picked up on the wheedling tone in her voice immediately.

"Pol, could..."

"No."

"Oh come on! You don't even know what I'm going to ask yet!"

"You're gonna ask me to call your mother and tell her you're still sick and not to visit."

Piper didn't reply. She just waited.

"No, Pipe."

"Please."

"You could do that."

"I could, but it'd sound way more convincing if you did it."

"Sit on the couch, then spin around so you're upside down. Feet against the back of the couch, head on the floor. It'll stretch your vocal chords and change the sound of your voice when you call. It'll make you sound sick without you having to put on the pretend-sick voice that everyone can see through."

"Seriously?"

"It works!"

"It sounds far easier you calling, to be honest."

Polly sighed. Piper held her breath, waiting.

"You have to give me something."

"What?"

"If I do this for you, you have to give me something."

Piper frowned, wary. "Like what?"

"All I have is a name. I know her name is Alex. I think I know which neighbourhood she lives in and what she does for work, unless you lied to me about that stuff..."

"I didn't."

"So I need more. If I'm gonna lie to your mother about how contagious you are, I need more."

"I thought you were gonna ask me for, like, my DVD collection or something."

"Fuck no, you have shocking taste in films."

"I do not!"

"Whatever. So I need something more on Alex. I want to know who this woman is that's making you lie to your mother."

"Well, technically, making you lie to my mother."

"Good point. So spill."

Piper took a breath, considering her response. Polly remained silent, waiting.

"Okay. We went to a club on Friday and I met some of her friends and then we went to the Angelika last night. She owns a bar, like I said, and she works there some nights too."

"Keep going."

"Umm, she… she's a little taller than me, but not much."

"So she's a giant."

"No, you're just a midget."

"Continue."

"She has dark hair. Really dark. Black, almost. It's long, past her shoulders, soft, with a bit of curl. It has blue tips and smells like coconut."

Polly raised her eyebrows at this, unseen by Piper over the phone, but remained silent.

"Green eyes. Really big green eyes. She wears glasses, glasses with dark frames, that just make her eyes look bigger. She looks like she should be a librarian or a secretary, not a badass bar owner."

"She's a badass or the bar's badass?"

"And long fingers," Piper continued as if Polly hadn't spoken. "She has really elegant hands, her nails are short and manicured and her fingers are long and her hands are soft, but strong and when she touches me..."

"Whoah whoah whoah. That'll do."

"What?"

"I don't think I want to know about her touching you."

"I meant, like, when she touches my arm, or takes hold of my hand, or..."

"Yeah, it's the 'or' that worries me."

"I didn't mean when they're inside me, Pol, but if you want..."

"Fucking stop right there!"

Piper laughed quietly, fully aware of what she was doing.

"I was just saying that..."

"I don't care! I've heard enough. I have to go now, I have to call your mother."

At five o'clock, Piper received a text from Alex.

I was going to bring wine later, but difficult as I don't know what you're cooking. Any preference?

Piper had no idea. Wine was wine as far as she was concerned: first and second glasses tasted like vinegar, third and fourth glasses tasted of nothing, fifth and sixth glasses and she could barely remember her own name, never mind how wine tasted. She opened the browser on her phone and Googled for an answer. After ten minutes of searching, she'd managed to confuse herself completely and had begun to wish she hadn't chosen to cook salmon for dinner.

It was a minefield.

She eventually took a punt on one of the wines that appeared to be paired more often than others and replied.

Chardonnay would be great.

Then she second guessed herself and sent a follow up.

Or a Pinot Grigio.

Alex replied quickly.

No problem. Need anything else?

Piper considered this, before replying.

Just you. x

The 'x' was definitely deliberate this time.

She returned to preparing dinner. By six thirty she'd managed to caramelise some onions and was keeping them warm in lime juice. She had potatoes and vegetables ready in the steamer and had prepared her salmon by brushing it with mustard and rolling it in crushed almonds. She'd remembered to preheat the oven and everything was ready for cooking once Alex arrived.

She took a quick shower and dressed in a simple white blouse and grey wool trousers. She'd just finished drying her hair and was about to apply her makeup when she was interrupted by the ringing of the apartment buzzer. She glanced at the clock and checked the display on the entry system before buzzing Alex in.

She left the makeup and moved into the kitchen, turned the heat on under the potatoes and put the salmon in the oven. A moment later she heard the soft knock of Alex's hand at the door.

She was still barefoot when she opened the apartment door. Alex was wearing her pea coat and carrying a bottle of wine and a small bunch of flowers. She looked a little awkward as she held the flowers out toward Piper, offering them by way of greeting.

Piper smiled as she accepted them. "Thank you," she murmured as she leaned close and kissed Alex lightly on the cheek before she stepped back to let her in.

Alex entered the apartment and glanced around as she unbuttoned her coat. Piper's apartment was compact, but the furniture had clearly been selected with care. Quality over quantity. She was immediately struck by the bookshelf that covered an entire wall and the lack of a television. A seat had been built into the bay window and there was a desk in the corner that was clearly used often; it was a genuine place of work rather than just another piece of furniture. On the shelf above the desk sat a Bose bluetooth speaker from which music was quietly drifting, a framed photograph of two young women and another framed photograph of two young men. There was a small couch, an armchair and a coffee table. Two unlit candles and a Macbook sat on the coffee table. The room wasn't exactly sparse but it wasn't overflowing with possessions either.

Piper took Alex's coat and hung it on the antique hatstand, then moved into the kitchen. She took the wine and placed it in the fridge, then busied herself finding a vase for the flowers which she placed in the centre of the coffee table.

"Can I get you anything? A drink? Anything?" Piper asked.

Alex shook her head "I'm good," she replied. "I'll wait and have wine with you for dinner."

Piper checked her watch. "It'll be about fifteen minutes."

"Great."

Piper busied herself setting the small table in her kitchen. It was just big enough for two place settings and she only had two chairs. She joked that she had no friends and usually ate from her knee in the loungeroom so this was a novelty, eating formally.

Alex joked back that she'd have been comfortable eating from their knees like she did at home, but she was secretly pleased that Piper had gone to the effort of laying the table and she couldn't hold back a small smile as she watched the blonde woman light a candle in the centre of it.

She leaned against the doorway as she watched Piper return to the task of cooking dinner. For some reason her eyes were drawn to her feet, she watched as she moved barefoot around the kitchen and chewed the inside of her lip as she watched. She'd never had a thing for feet particularly, but something about the way Piper moved just drew her in. Maybe it was the contrast that did it, the formality of her clothes versus the casualness of being barefoot. Alex didn't know. She just knew she couldn't stop staring.

"Is this Nick Cave?" she asked, tilting her head as she listened to the music coming from the loungeroom. Anything to distract her from those feet.

Piper paused from cooking and looked around at Alex with a surprised smile. "It is! Wow, I'm impressed. Most people have never heard of him never mind recognise his music."

Alex raised one shoulder and smiled as she shrugged. "I'm not most people."

Piper just looked at her for a couple of seconds before turning back to the stovetop. "No," she murmured. "You're really not."

"Is there anything I can do?" Alex asked, then added "With dinner, I mean."

"I don't think so," Piper replied. "Thanks, but I think I have everything under control."

I wish I did, Alex thought, as her eyes drifted over the woman standing before her in front of the oven. From the angle she was at, Piper was in profile, but mostly turned away from her. She could see a patch of skin on the side of her neck and had a sudden urge to press her lips against it. She pushed her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and leaned more of her weight against the doorframe, as if trying to anchor herself to it.

"I wouldn't have pegged you for a Nick Cave fan," Alex said, making conversation.

"You wouldn't have pegged me for a teacher either, apparently." Piper smiled.

"True," Alex conceded.

"What did you think I'd be into?"

"Oh, I don't know. Bieber?"

Piper burst out laughing and held a wooden spoon towards Alex in as threatening a manner as she could manage.

Alex grinned. "Or Taylor Swift. Yeah. Definitely Taylor Swift."

"Don't make me hurt you," Piper threatened, advancing towards Alex and trying to look menacing. A difficult task when brandishing a wooden spoon.

Alex's raised both eyebrows briefly and held Piper's gaze as she responded with "Promises, promises."

Piper's smile was quick and she ducked her head shyly to cover the flush that she could feel instantly colouring her cheeks. She turned back to the stovetop and cleared her throat quietly before speaking again.

"Could you get the wine glasses? They're in the cupboard next to the fridge, top cupboard."

Alex moved to the cupboard and removed two glasses as requested. She placed them on the countertop next to the fridge, then turned and leaned on it as she watched Piper busy herself with dinner. After a few seconds she moved up behind the other woman and placed her hands on her hips. Piper jumped slightly, but didn't pull away. Alex moved in close behind her, dipped her head and slowly pressed her lips against the patch of skin on Piper's neck that had had her so transfixed a few minutes earlier. She moved the tip of her nose against Piper's neck, inhaling her scent before she stepped away again.

"Sorry," she murmured. "Couldn't resist."

Piper smiled and rubbed at the goosebumps that had appeared on her arm, drawn out by Alex's brief contact. "It's okay," she mumbled, unable to make eye contact with her.

"The flowers are lovely," Piper said a few seconds later. "What are the small purple ones?"

"Violets," Alex replied.

"They're really pretty."

"So are you."

Alex's reply was instant and Piper blushed again, shaking her head, laughing quietly.

"They're a symbol," Alex continued a moment later. "Violets. They're symbolic."

"They are?"

"Mmm. But I'll let you Google it later."

Piper glanced back over her shoulder at Alex, then smiled a little. "Okay," she murmured. "I will."

She reached for a couple of plates and placed them on the countertop.

"I think it's ready," she said. "Could you sort out the wine while I serve?"

"Sure," Alex replied, already moving to the fridge.

Piper served up the potatoes and vegetables first, then removed the salmon from the oven. The almonds coating the fish had roasted, giving it a golden crust and she carefully placed it onto the plates with the veggies. She topped the fish with caramelised onions and lime, scattered some green onions and a couple of leaves of basil on the top, then stood back and breathed a quiet sigh of relief when it was done, grateful for having neither burned nor dropped anything.

Having poured the wine and placed the glasses on the table, Alex watched as Piper stood back after plating the food. She moved a little closer and peered over Piper's shoulder.

"Looks good, Pipes," she murmured.

Piper beamed.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

Piper's smile turned into a frown as she studied the plates in front of her.

"It's almond crusted salmon with caramelised onions and basil," she began. "New potatoes, asparagus, green beans and petit pois."

"Petit pois, huh?"

"Mmm."

"Peas, then."

"Well yes. But I'm still trying to impress you, remember."

"You don't have to try, Piper."

Piper remained silent for a couple of moments then turned her head and looked at Alex, who smiled and shrugged one shoulder.

"Just sayin'."

Piper smiled and turned back, reaching for both of the plates. She carried them to the table and placed them down carefully, then checked everything was turned off before joining Alex at the table.

Alex looked down at her plate, then up at Piper.

"So, is now the best time to tell you about my nut allergy and my intense dislike of salmon?"

Piper's eyes widened and her mouth fell open in horror. The stricken look on her face was too much for Alex to bear and she couldn't continue with the pretense. She started to laugh quietly, then reached across the table and covered Piper's hand with her own, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Joke, Pipes. Joking."

Piper continued to stare at Alex for a moment longer, before her brow furrowed.

"Really?"

"Really. Joking. I love salmon and have no allergies. That I'm aware of, anyway." Alex withdrew her hand slowly.

"That was mean, Alex." Piper said accusingly, the tension easing from her face and being replaced by a small smile.

"I know, right? The look on your face..."

Alex smiled across the table and watched as Piper began to relax again.

"I'm sorry," she said. "You're right, it was mean, but I just couldn't resist."

"You're one of those people, aren't you."

"People who find you irresistible? Yeah. You got me. Guilty as charged."

Piper smiled, that wasn't what she meant but she was happy with the answer. Alex reached for her wine and lifted the glass, tilting it in Piper's direction.

"We should toast."

Piper raised an eyebrow as well as her glass. "What are we drinking to?"

Alex thought for a moment before speaking. "To Nick Cave and new beginnings."

Piper held Alex's eye for a moment, before touching their glasses together.

"Nick Cave and new beginnings," she repeated quietly, then took a sip from her glass.

They sat together on the small couch in Piper's loungeroom. The room was illuminated only by the two candles that flickered on the coffee table before them. Dinner had been a success and Alex had been quietly impressed at Piper's culinary skills. They'd finished the wine Alex had brought and had moved onto a second bottle, found lurking inside Piper's fridge. Alex was seated at the end of the couch, Piper curled into her side. Piper's legs were tucked beneath her and Alex's arm rested around her shoulders. Nick Cave still sang softly to them.

"Who are the people?" Alex asked, gesturing toward the framed photos above Piper's desk.

Piper looked over, then smiled a little. "Well that's me and Polly. Freshman year at college. I love that photo of us, we both look so happy and like we didn't have a care in the world. Everything was so simple then."

"It isn't now?"

"I don't know. Sometimes yes, sometimes no." She fell silent, not expanding on this and Alex chose not to push it.

"And the guys?" she asked, a few seconds later.

"My brothers," Piper replied. "Daniel and Calvin."

She smiled, then added "Danny and Cal, really. But my mother doesn't like it when we shorten each other's names."

"Older or younger than you?"

"Dan's older by four years. He moved to Seattle when I was twenty and I miss him. Cal's two years younger than me and lives upstate." She looked over at the photo and smiled fondly. "Danny was my best friend when we were kids. My big brother, protector, teacher, ally against the monster that was Cal." She glanced at Alex and grinned then looked back at the photo again. "Cal's the hippy dropout of the family. He doesn't subscribe to the competitive capitalist dogma," she drew air quotation marks around this before continuing "so lives in an old motorhome in the middle of nowhere upstate where, as far as I can ascertain, he succeeds in disappointing my parents whilst living a quiet life filled with the aroma of the pot he smokes and I'm pretty sure sells."

Alex smiled. "I like him already."

"Cal's okay," Piper continued. "He's laid back to the point of being horizontal and nothing ever seems to make him angry or frustrated. I wish sometimes I could be more like him."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. He doesn't care what people think of him, he doesn't subscribe to the things society says we must have or do or be. He's just Cal and he's happy."

"Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Happy."

Piper remained silent for a couple of seconds, then smiled as she pushed herself up. "I think more wine is needed before I tackle that question."

Alex watched her as she moved into the kitchen, then came back with the bottle. She topped up both of their glasses before drinking some of her own then resuming her position on the couch, tucked into Alex's side.

"How about you?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"Hmm?"

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Oh," Alex started. "Nope. Just me. Although I've known Nicky since middle school and she irritates me just like any sibling would if that counts."

Piper rested her head against Alex's shoulder and smiled a little. "She's as protective of you as a sibling would be too."

Alex frowned a little. "She is?"

"Mmm."

Alex was about to ask for details when Piper murmured "Oh, I love this song."

She listened for a moment, smiling as she recognised the song that had just started.

I've felt you coming girl, as you drew near
I knew you'd find me, cause I longed you here
Are you my destiny? Is this how you'll appear?

She pulled away from Piper and stood, leaving the younger woman looking bewildered. Then she extended her hand and helped Piper to her feet. "Come on," she murmured. "Dance with me."

Piper looked confused for a moment, then shy, then she smiled and stepped closer as Alex pulled her in. She wound her arms around Alex's back and rested her head against her shoulder, letting the music and Nick Cave's voice drift over her.

Alex moved slowly in the small space, swaying in time with the music, holding Piper against her.

As you've been moving, surely toward me
My soul has comforted and assured me
That in time my heart it will reward me
And that all will be revealed
So I've sat and I've watched an ice-age thaw
Are you the one that I've been waiting for?

Piper touched her lips to Alex's neck and let her eyes close, feeling the music envelop her as Alex's arms tightened around her waist. They moved together with the music, their bodies pressed close, melding against each other. Piper breathed in the scent of Alex's perfume, noticed how it mixed with the smell of her shampoo and mingled to create an individual scent that was just Alex. She inhaled deeper, pulling herself even closer to the other woman and for just a moment wished she could bottle this, bottle it and keep it forever.

The song drew to an end, Nick Cave's low mellifluous tones repeating the song title twice before it faded to nothing.

Are you the one I've been waiting for
Are you the one that I've been waiting for

They pulled apart by only centimetres, arms still wound around each other as their eyes met. Neither woman spoke. Or at least, no words were uttered. The words hung in the air around them, the question unspoken by either of them, but answered by both as their lips met.

Her clothes lay on the floor, discarded in haste. One hand was looped back over the pillow, her fingers gripping the base of the headboard. Her other hand was between her legs, fingers entwined in Piper's blonde hair, holding her in place as she moved her hips against against her face. Piper's tongue was teasing and tormenting her, causing quiet gasps of pleasure to fall from her lips. She found herself parting her legs wider, her thigh muscles burning as she tried desperately to take more, have more, feel more.

Piper's tongue played a tantalising dance, pushing inside her then withdrawing and moving to focus on her clit, pressing against it, around it, flicking repeatedly over it until Alex felt she could take no more. Again and again Piper took her to the edge then withdrew, leaving her teetering on the brink, her heart pounding, breathing ragged, frustration and desperation growing.

"Please," she breathed. "Please, Piper..."

Piper withdrew briefly, and looked up at Alex from her position between her legs. She looked up over the pale skin of her abdomen noticing the way her muscles twitched, up over the swell of her breasts, over her neck noticing the deep flush that started on her chest and crept up over her skin. Alex's head was raised from the pillow and their eyes met.

Piper wet her lips, tasting nothing but Alex, and smiled up at her.

Alex groaned and let her head fall back to the pillow, before lifting it and meeting Piper's gaze once more.

"Please," she whispered.

Piper's smile grew then she dipped her head and kissed the other woman's abdomen. She moved slowly, placing small delicate kisses over Alex's skin as she moved up her body. She dragged her tongue in a long slow line from her navel up the midline of her body, between her breasts, to the base of her throat. She kissed the soft skin beneath Alex's chin, taking all of her weight on her left arm as her right hand eased its way between Alex's thighs.

She dropped soft wet kisses along Alex's jaw, then over her cheek and kissed the corner of her mouth as her fingers slid between the other woman's folds, moving ever closer to where Alex needed her to be. Her thumb grazed over Alex's clit, causing her hips to jerk without warning and Piper's smile widened.

She paused for a moment, looking down at the woman beneath her. Alex's eyes appeared more black than green, her lips were parted and her breaths were coming quickly, her chest rising and falling and pressing against Piper's own with every quiet exhalation. Her skin was covered with a light sheen of sweat, their bodies slipping against one another. Alex moved her hand to the back of Piper's neck and held her firmly in place, their lips almost touching.

Alex ran her tongue along her lower lip then lifted her head from the pillow again. The instant their lips touched was the same moment Piper chose to push her fingers inside her lover, two fingers sliding easily inside her. Alex's mouth fell open, the kiss forgotten as her muscles clenched around Piper's fingers.

Her thumb pressed against Alex's clit as her fingers thrust inside her, she watched the emotions play out over the other woman's face as her fingers brought her closer to the edge once more. Alex's hips were moving rhythmically, pushing against Piper's hand, her fingernails were digging into the back of Piper's neck, leaving half-moon shapes that would remain until the middle of the coming week.

Piper watched Alex's face, listened to her breathing, felt the tightening of her muscles around the fingers buried knuckle deep inside her. Alex's eyes had closed, her head was pushed back into the pillow, arching her neck. A quiet whimper escaped her and Piper shifted her position slightly, lifting a little higher.

"Alex," she whispered, her eyes fixed on the other woman's face, her warm breath ghosting over her skin. "Alex, look at me."

A quiet moan escaped Alex, but she slowly turned her head and opened her eyes and looked up at Piper.

They looked at each other, unspeaking, Piper's fingers still working as Alex raised her hips, pushing against her, the pressure building and building inside her. A tremble began in her thighs and her hold on Piper tightened, her other hand slipping against the smooth wood of the bedhead as she scrabbled for purchase.

A small smile played on Piper's lips as she intently watched Alex, gauging just how close she was to finally falling over the edge, revelling in the knowledge that it was her and her alone who was taking her there.

"Piper," Alex exclaimed, her voice shaky. "Oh fuck Piper..."

Piper closed the remaining gap between them and kissed Alex roughly, claiming her lips with her own just as Alex finally succumbed to the sensations that had been threatening to overtake her. She came hard, her hips jerking against Piper's hand, clutching her tightly, her cries lost into their kiss.

It was Piper's wide smile that eventually broke the kiss. She pulled away and looked down at the exhausted woman beneath her. She slowly eased her fingers from her body then hesitantly leaned down again and kissed Alex softly on the mouth.

"God, Pipes," Alex murmured when finally she felt able to trust her voice. "I hope you bought those suitcases, kid. Because I'm keeping you."