Chapter Nine - Long Time Coming
Natalia walked into the living room carrying two glasses of white wine. She smiled at Olivia as the older woman spoke to her daughter on the phone.
"You're going to behave right?" She rolled her eyes slightly. "You know what I mean, Em. If you say you want to spend the night with Susie than I expect you to spend the night with Susie and not give her mother a heart attack... You do so know what I'm talking about!" She accepted the glass of wine with a small smile. "Hey...hey jellybean? Let's pretend for a minute that I'm the mommy and you're my daughter, kay?" The smile grew huge. "Alright. I love you too, baby." Her eyes met Natalia's. "She loves you too. We'll see you after school tomorrow. Bye, bye." She closed the cell phone and tossed it onto the table before hanging her head in mock defeat.
"And she's only going to get older..." Natalia grinned.
"Gee, thanks for that!"
"Did you warn Susie's mom?"
Olivia looked at the wine in her hand for a moment before pursing her lips and sliding it onto the table untouched. "If you mean did I advise her to chain my daughter to the bed post, then yes."
Natalia laughed as she settled next to Olivia on the couch. "So..." She looked down at her hands nervously.
"So... We're alone... all night." Olivia slid a little closer, bending down slightly to try and look the younger woman in the eyes. "Hey... are you okay?"
Natalia nodded, a shy smile curling up the corners of her mouth as she took Olivia's hand, twining their fingers together slowly. "I just... " She shrugged as she laughed lightly. "I guess I'm just not used to thinking about it this much.... once it gets to this point..."
Olivia pressed her lips together, moving even closer as she whispered, "What point?" The blush that stained the younger woman's cheeks was instantaneous and she smiled as her heart swelled almost painfully. "Tell me... I need to hear you to say it."
Natalia gave her a long look and then nodded. "The point... " She whispered, her grin turning silly at the end. "...that we're at...
"That's cheating!" The older woman poked her in the ribs with one finger, delighting in the laughter that broke free from the woman she loved. "You're not allowed to just say the same thing backwards!"
"Who says?" Natalia squirmed, trying to get away from the fingers that were now tickling her on both sides. "Who made you the boss of me?"
"You did!" Olivia laughed as she half-tackled the younger woman, pressing her back into the sofa and laying on top of her. She grabbed both of her wrists in one hand and raised them over her head as her other hand continued its assault. "You took the job! I believe that entitles me to some perks..."
"What?!?" Natalia shifted, trying to wiggle free. "There are laws against this kind of thing you know!"
"Not in this state."
Natalia snorted. "That's not what I meant!" She pulled down on her wrists, amazed when they didn't budge. "You have strong hands." She whispered breathlessly, her own words sending a spike of heat down her body to settle hotly between her legs, where Olivia's stomach was pressed up against her. The older woman used her free hand to push herself up not realizing the affect her proximity was having until Natalia whimpered and laid her head back against the armrest.
Olivia looked down between their bodies, suddenly realizing where she was putting the most pressure and all of her laughter died away. She released Natalia's wrists, groaning when the younger woman's hands tangled in her hair and yanked her forward to bruise her mouth with eager lips.
And that kiss... the lips that pressed fiercely against her own, the tongue that... oh dear god, that tongue... she could feel it, feel it like fire through every part of her body and Olivia thought she would melt from the inside out. For a moment she hung suspended in a place of pure sensation, pure feeling... then Natalia's hands gripped her waist, hesitating for the briefest of moments before sliding down to grip her backside, using it to pull their bodies closer together. The heat low against her stomach intensified exponentially and the thought of where it was coming from drove Olivia to press down with her hips. The groan that tore Natalia's lips away caused her own flood of moisture and she ducked her head, breathing in deeply before pulling away. "Wait!" She panted. "Wait, wait, wait!"
The younger woman looked up at her incredulously. "Wha..." She swallowed, her hands reaching out to cup Olivia's face. "What's wrong?"
"We can't." She shook her head.
Natalia's forehead bunched in confusion. "WHAT? Why?"
Olivia couldn't help the happy smile that hijacked her lips at the disappointment in the younger woman's voice. "Easy, turbo." She ran her fingers lovingly down Natalia's cheek. "I just meant we can't do this....here.."
The brunette looked around in confusion. "You want to go to the Beacon?"
"No!" She laughed before continuing. "I have had a lot of different fantasies about the first time we make love." Olivia said firmly. "And none of them involve this couch. The stove, maybe, but not the couch." A slow smirk curled the corner of her mouth. "At least... not the first time." She glanced at Natalia, looking for a reaction, but the brunette was stuck three seconds back, her eyes wide as saucers.
"The stove?!?"
The older woman blinked. "What? It's not like it was lit or anything!"
"But... but... The stove??" Natalia squeaked, her mind racing as she tried to imagine what activity they could possibly engage in anywhere near, or on, the old range top.
"Hey." Olivia held out her hand, exchanging the smirk for a gentle smile. "Don't try so hard. We'll get around to it....eventually." She wiggled her fingers.
Natalia took her hand, her cheeks flushing as Olivia pulled her up from the couch directly into her arms and a passionate kiss. When they broke free, green eyes studied her intently until she nodded. With a smile, Olivia pulled away and led her up the stairs.
There was a brief pause on the landing as Olivia debated where to go, finally pushing open the door to her own bedroom and leaning back against it as Natalia entered behind her. She closed the door slowly, turning the lock for good measure. Sure they were alone, but why take any chances?
When she turned, she found Natalia looking up at her from less than a foot away, her eyes soft and vulnerable, and she was overcome with a wave of love and honest affection so huge she thought she would drown in it. She felt as though there was an invisible thread connecting their hearts, a lifeline of feeling that required no words to be spoken and took her breath away even on the days when it was stretched the thinnest. "Hey." She whispered, her voice breaking in the quiet of the room.
"Hey." Natalia smiled back.
Olivia moved closer, reaching out her fingers to tuck them into the front of Natalia's waistband, using them to pull her the rest of the way. The younger woman came slowly, her eyes seeming to glaze over as her tongue darted out to moisten her lips.
Olivia stopped pulling when they were a few inches apart. She used her fingers to brush the hair from Natalia's eyes before tracing her jawline, stopping at her chin to gently lift her head. She leaned in and kissed soft lips, lips that trembled wildly beneath her own. Concern filled her chest and she pulled back to gaze into anxious brown eyes. "Are you alright?"
Natalia nodded, a small, shy smile highlighting her much loved dimples as she finally met Olivia's gaze. "It's just.... a lot..."
The older woman nodded in commiseration as she focused on the hammering in her own chest. Her heart had been working double time since they lift the bistro and she was amazed her pacemaker hadn't sent her beeper into hysterics. There had been a few moments when it had calmed; like when Natalia had laid her arm across the back of her car seat and gently massaged the tension from her neck, or when she mentioned Emma's school books still being at home. But there had also been moments on the drive when she thought her heart would burst from her chest. Most noticeably when Natalia's eyes had lingered on her hand as she changed gears, her own fingers trailing lightly down that long, gorgeous throat as she swallowed and quickly looked out the window.
Not to mention that it was just a good rule in general to never look into Natalia's eyes at all when she drove. No matter how brief the connection, there was something about the younger woman's dark, gentle gaze that pushed her instantly to the point of internal combustion. More than once she had needed to roll down her window and allow the cold air to soothe the heat that suffused her face and body.
'A lot'. Olivia laughed quietly. 'A lot' was an understatement. "I know what you mean."
"Do you?" Natalia's fingers played nervously with the bottom edge of her shirt. "All day.... all week..." She blushed furiously. "Who am I kidding... for longer than I can remember... whenever I look at you there's been this..." She swallowed as their eyes met, the connection so palpable that the air around them seemed to crackle with energy. "There! That! There's been.... that! ...just under the surface. And sometimes I can... I can deal with it and control it and sometimes..." She shrugged helplessly. "Sometimes it just... consumes me. And I can't think... I can't move... I get caught up in it..." Tears filled her eyes. "And I freeze..."
Olivia swallowed her disappointment. "Hey..." She touched the other woman's face gently. "If you're not ready for this, it's ok...If you need more time or... mmmph!" Natalia's body slammed into hers as their lips met ferociously, her words cut off by a soft tongue that pushed its way inside her mouth to stroke against her own. The younger woman clawed at her sides, gripping the fabric of her shirt firmly; pulling at it until it was completely untucked from her jeans and she could slide her hands inside, onto the overheated skin that covered her ribs. Olivia groaned into the kiss, opening her mouth wider as Natalia's nails dug into her flesh. Their bodies melted together and Olivia felt the hammering in her own chest echoed from within Natalia's. She brought her hands up and tangled them roughly in the long, dark hair she loved so much, giving in as the kiss consumed her from the inside out. She felt the younger woman's body shift slightly and her baser instincts kicked in, a growl rumbling in her throat as her fingers tightened once again, using the grip on Natalia's hair to hold her right where she was.
Until a soft sound of pain finally broke through the haze of love and lust and she let go so quickly it left her senses reeling. "I'm sorry!" She panted. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you-" She groaned when Natalia once again pressed her whole body into her, closing her eyes as the younger woman's breasts fit snugly beneath her own. For a moment, she was lost in sensation. When she could think again, she blinked and found herself staring into half lidded eyes made dark with desire. "Natal-"
"Shut up, Olivia." Natalia's teeth nipped against her chin. "For once just shut up and stop talking yourself out of what you want. You didn't hurt me." She brought one hand up tentatively to graze the backs of her fingers across the hardened nipple that showed through Olivia's shirt. "I liked it."
Those three softly whispered words sent an intense spike of desire through Olivia, causing her head to fall back as her spine arched slightly.
"Do you know what I love the most about you, Olivia?"
The older woman shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.
Natalia played with the top button of Olivia's shirt. "How strongly you feel things." She popped it open. "Your capacity for emotion is as staggering as your need to keep it hidden." She moved on to the next one. "But when you want something..." Pop. "When you really want something..." Natalia's breath caught as her fingers faltered. She met Olivia's gaze and held it. "You just take it."
Understanding filled the older woman's features. With a small smirk, she reached out and hooked her hand behind Natalia's neck, using it to pull the smaller woman against her roughly. "I do." She lowered her head.
"Yes... you do." Natalia closed her eyes, falling into the kiss as desire filled her body with heat.