"You sure you're ready for this, Swan?"
"Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."
Giving her one last encouraging look and a tight squeeze of his fingers around hers, he braces himself for what's to come and pushes the door open with his free hand. His eyes are still adjusting to the change in light when he hears the first of it, building in volume as they come fully into view.
Oh, bloody hell….
"They aren't serious?"
"I'm afraid so, love. Why are we friends with this lot again?"
He tugs her closer as they take in the scene in front of them together. All of their friends (ALL of them) are standing in front of the bar, hooting and hollering, adorned with party hats and surrounded by streamers and a ridiculously large banner with "CONGRATULATIONS" sprawled across it. He's pretty sure he sees little graduation caps on it, but he guesses they had to use what they could find on such short notice.
"All of this because we finally went on a date?"
"Aye, looks like they've been pining for us as much as we've been pining for each other."
She tugs lightly on his hand and he turns to face her, the mischievous look in her eye worrying him for a second until she leans in close to whisper in his ear.
"What do you say we give them what they've been waiting for?"
He's not given a chance to respond, to her query at least, to her kiss, that's a different story altogether. Crushing her against his chest, he angles his mouth over hers as she wraps her arm around his neck, barely resisting the urge to press his tongue between her lips and really give their friends a show as she moves her mouth along his in earnest.
"Get a room, you two!"
Ruby's shout from behind the bar has him smiling against Emma's lips and she pulls back, her thumbs lightly tracing his dimples as they both get lost in each other's eyes. He's staggered by her beauty often, but now, when she's looking at him with such pure happiness, he swears he's never seen her look lovelier.
"You know, love, I rather like Ruby's suggestion..."
The light pinch of his cheek as she crinkles her nose and shakes her head signals the end of their private moment and he reluctantly lets her pull him by the hand towards their friends. He pretends to protest, grumbling "there had better be cake" as he stumbles in her wake. There is cake, as it turns out, and it's bloody delicious despite having "It's about time!" sprawled across it in bright red icing. He endures endless ribbing from his mates, David being the worst of the lot, spouting off about true love and destiny and other fantastical nonsense until Mary Margaret thankfully appears at his side and drags him away with a knowing smile. Killian's just finished tipping his beer in her direction when a bottle from across the bar taps against his and he turns to finds Ruby there, a look of sheer triumph gleaming in her eyes.
"Ah, Ms. Lucas. I do believe I owe you thanks."
"I believe you do, Jones. But…I should be thanking you as well, so let's call it even, shall we?"
He furrows his eyes in confusion and Ruby just smiles and takes a sip of her beer.
"Lass, I truly don't know what I have done to deserve your thanks?"
She sets her beer on the bar and leans down on her forearms and he watches as she gives him a smile so genuine that he finds himself holding his breath in anticipation of what she is about to say.
"For loving her so much, Killian. Thanks for waiting for her to come around."
He knows he should probably deflect the love part of her statement, but Ruby has proven smarter than them both already and he truly doesn't see the point in denying it.
"She's worth it."
"So are you, don't forget that."
Dropping his head slightly, he hides his embarrassment with a quick gulp of beer and turns his focus to Emma on the other side of the bar, seeing her deep in conversation with Belle he wonders if she's filling her partner in on their planned road trip.
"Emma told you of our plans, I believe?"
Ruby straightens and grabs her beer, planting her hip against the bar as she too sets her eyes on Emma.
"Yeah, I hope she's ready for this."
His gaze falls to his fingers as he begins to pick the label off the bottle in his hand, nervousness he's been pushing down rising uncomfortably in his stomach at Ruby's words.
"Aye..."
"Killian."
He looks up to see that Ruby is focused on him again and he finds himself straightening his posture, unconsciously reacting in kind to the power behind Ruby's gaze.
"This could get ugly, you know that?"
"I'm prepared for the worst, but hoping for the best. No matter what, I'll be by her side, you have my word."
She releases a long breath through her nose as she nods her head and he feels her hand cover his briefly on his bottle before she's moving along the bar to help an actual customer. He watches her for a moment before looking back at Emma, thankful that she's still too engrossed with Belle to have noticed his conversation with Ruby, lingering fears of what's to come prompting him to lift the bottle to his lips and drain his beer.
Resting his head against the back of the couch, he tries to focus on the television and not the one-sided conversation filtering in from the kitchen, but he is failing…miserably. Hoping to hear a laugh or some other sign that it is going well, he lowers the volume on the remote just one notch more. When he hears her boots on the hardwood he casually turns his head, hoping to gauge how things went by her expression and finds himself breathing a bit easier at the soft smile on her face.
"All good?"
She pauses next to the couch to toe off her boots, her hand bracing herself next to his head while she shuffles from foot to foot to extricate herself from the leather.
"Yeah, it was a little awkward talking after all this time, but she seems happy that we're coming."
"And tomorrow isn't too soon?"
She shakes her head as she slides in next to him on the couch, pulling her legs underneath her so she can lean against the arm and face him in the small space.
"No, she's on maternity leave right now and has 'all the time in the world', her words, not mine."
Sensing a tinge of bitterness in her voice, he reaches for her hand where it's resting on her knee and waits for her to take it, rewarding her with a smile when she curls her fingers around his and places their joined hands against her ankle. The casual intimacy they've fallen into should surprise him, but it all feels too natural for him to question.
"I'm really glad you're going with me."
"I'm glad you asked."
Silence stretches between them as she seems to get lost in thought and he leans his head back against the couch, watching her as she stares at their joined hands. The freight train of thoughts barreling through her brain right now must be on the verge of giving her a headache and he tries to think of something he can do to soothe her without making her talk, which he knows all too well is not the way to go. Despite not always being successful, Emma prefers dealing with problems in her own way and in her own time. This road-trip, while uncharacteristically spontaneous, is her way of doing that and he'll let this all play out as she needs it to. Squeezing her fingers to draw her attention, she shifts her focus to him and he smiles before letting go of her hand so he can shuffle to the other end of the couch and grab the throw pillow (the red one she bought for him after seeing his black couch, demanding that he add something of color to the room). Placing the pillow in his lap, he settles back against the arm of the sofa and gestures for her to join him.
"Come here and let me put my magic fingers to work."
She hesitates for only a second before she's crawling over to him on all fours and he swears to himself to keep his wits about him, her loose fitting top falling forward to give him a sinful view of her lace covered breasts certainly not helping matters. When she's just about reached his lap she looks up at him, a wicked smile curling her lips as she raises an admonishing eyebrow.
"Magic fingers?"
"Mind out of the gutter, Swan." (for now) "Lie down if you will?"
He pats the pillow and she flops over onto her back, the scent of her shampoo surrounding him as her hair fans out beneath her head when she settles into his lap. She smiles brightly up at him and he reaches for her hand by her side, turning her palm upwards so he can begin to push his thumbs into her skin in gentle circles.
"Oh man, that feels good."
"I'm just getting started. Close your eyes, love."
Expecting at least a little push back at being instructed, he's surprised to see her shut her eyes and give herself over to him, leading him to believe that perhaps she wants to rid herself of some of this excess stress as much as he does. He kneads her palm a few moments longer before lowering his head to brush a kiss along her knuckles, watching her face to see if she smiles (she does) before placing her hand back across her stomach.
Her hair is soft as he gently runs his fingers through so he can gather it and drape it over his lap and out of the way. She sighs when his fingertips press lightly against her temples and then backwards along her scalp, every goosebump he sees appear on her forearms like a badge of honor. When he presses downwards behind her ears, she digs her head into the pillow and curls her toes and he memorizes that spot for future reference. He continues to catalogue every movement and sound she makes as he works, fighting back his own arousal as she responds willingly to his touch. Never having done this for a lover before, he finds himself unprepared for his own response to her as she loses herself to the pleasure of the moment. Slowing his hands, he focuses his attention on her scalp, gently kneading and running his fingernails along her skin. He's distracted momentarily when her tongue peeks out to wet her bottom lip and he finds himself mimicking her actions, wishing he was tasting her sweetness on his tongue.
After a few minutes, her head falls slightly to the side and her breathing starts to even out and he realizes that she's beginning to fall asleep. As much as he would have loved for this massage to turn in a decidedly different direction, he knows that relaxing her into slumber is really what she needs and he's happy to have stopped her thoughts from churning for at least a little while. When he's sure she's out, he slowly lifts the pillow from his lap enough so he can slide out from underneath and gently places it back down against the couch. She rouses momentarily, but not enough to full awake and curls further into the back of the couch as she turns on her side. Kneeling down, he presses a soft kiss along her temple before tiptoeing to the kitchen, hoping not to wake her until he's ready to shift her to his bed.
The planner in him can't help but try to prepare for their road-trip in the morning, despite Emma's protests of "we'll find food on the way" and "if we don't pack it we can just buy it" ringing in his ears. Careful not to make too much noise, he fishes out his insulated lunch bag and drops in the last of the hummus, some baby carrots and reluctantly, a few foil wrapped pop tarts for Emma. Grabbing two travel mugs from the drying rack, he places them beside the coffee maker and sets the timer, knowing Emma without coffee will not a fun traveler make.
When two soft hands suddenly wrap around his waist, he nearly jumps out of his skin in surprise, her socked feet having masked her approach from behind.
"Sorry, didn't mean to alarm you."
She's warm against his back as she rests her cheek between his shoulders and he can't help but pull her arms in tighter and bask in her closeness.
"I thought you were sleeping, love, but I much prefer you where you are… if I'm being honest."
"I woke up and you were gone. I figured you were in here."
"You know me…"
"I do."
Unable to resist any longer, he turns in her arms and cups her upturned face in his hands as he leans in to kiss her sleepy smile. She hums against his lips as he kisses her slowly, every touch, from the gentle brush of her nose against his when he changes the angle of his head to the press of her fingers along his spine, pulling him deeper and deeper. He loves this woman to the very core of himself, a love so ingrained that he knows that he will never be truly happy unless she is as well. To say she has him under her spell would be an understatement.
So, when she pulls back to press her forehead against his and whisper "take me to bed" against his lips, he has no option but to sweep her off her feet and obey. He would have been happy just holding her while she slept this evening, but he definitely isn't complaining about her apparent change of plans. She clings to his lips as he carries her to his bed, refusing to release his neck as he lowers her to the mattress, prompting him to quickly maneuver himself until he's settled with one leg between hers as he braces his arm by her head. Her kisses turn heated as she sweeps her tongue between his lips and he can't help his body's response, his need to feel more of her prompting him to press his growing erection against her thigh wedged tight between his legs. He's harder than he realized and slows his movements, knowing his control is not firm in hand. Moving to bunch the material of her shirt at her waist, he wrenches free of her lips so he can pull it over her head, his lips seeking the swell of her breasts as she immediately arches beneath him.
When she reaches up with her hand to drag the cup of her bra down on her own, he realizes that she may be just as far gone as he is and he wastes no time in seeking her nipple with his tongue. He stops his attentions when she pushes against him to gain access to his shirt buttons, but she's pulling him back down to her as soon as she's parted the fabric to bare his chest. He groans against her breast when the soft skin of her belly presses against his stomach and he grips her ass to keep her in place as he rolls his hips down against her thigh.
"Emma, I need you..."
He's rutting against her now in earnest with his head tucked into the crook of her neck as he seeks her skin beneath her leggings (god bless the creator of the legging), as she snakes her hand between them to work on the button of his jeans. The feel of her hand wrapping around him inside of his boxers has him moaning against her skin and he knows he needs to get control of this situation before things come to a very premature end. Lifting himself to his knees, he moves to peel her leggings and panties down her legs as she leans up to fully remove her bra.
He's still working her feet from the leggings when he feels her hands hook into his waistband to tug his pants down and he scrambles to release her from the material with one hand as he reaches blindly for his wallet in his back pocket with the other.
"Restocked your wallet, I see?"
He looks down at her as she continues to push his jeans down his thighs and smiles at her as he tosses his wallet over his shoulder, leaving just the foil packet snug between his fingers.
"You know me, Swan, always prepared. My girlfriend is rather insatiable."
Her hands freeze suddenly and he realizes what he's just said. Taking a deep breath, he searches her face as he curses himself, praying he hasn't scared her with his slip of the tongue. She's definitely shocked, that much is obvious, but he can't quite tell if it's a good sort of shocked or the "holy shit" kind.
When she rises to her knees and shuffles until she's pressed against him, he releases the breath he's been holding in relief, watching as her eyes and then her hands move to the condom to retrieve it from his fingers. He swears his eyes must be bugging out of his head as she rips the foil with her teeth and deposits the wrapper on the bed.
"Yes…she is."
He has to grip her shoulders to keep steady as she works the condom over his length that's pressed against her belly, the warmth of her hands against his oversensitive skin nearly sending him over the edge. The second her hands are back at his waist, he circles her hips with his arms and leans them both back down to the mattress, crashing his lips against hers as he slides against her core to test her readiness. The sound of his name as she begs for him against his lips has him lining up and sinking inside of her without further preamble and her hands reach down to grip his ass to hold him deep as she stretches and adjusts around him.
They're breathing heavy, each inhale and exhale pressing their stomachs together and then back apart until he feels her arch beneath him, a signal to him that she's ready for him to move. He begins to thrust, slowly at first, but when he feels her hand slide beneath his on the mattress to intertwine their fingers, he snaps.
Her legs wrap around him as he sinks deep and finds a fast rhythm, her name escaping his lips each time he hits that spot that makes her dig her heels into his ass.
"Right there, oh jesus…"
"I've got you, love…Emma, you feel so good."
Her hand tightens around his and her neck arches and he prays she's close, prompting him to lean on his arm so he can pick up the pace, the first flutter of her release a relief, as he's teetering on the edge as it is. The sudden rush of her warmth surrounding him has him groaning into her neck as he comes, her walls contracting as her orgasm crests tearing her name from his lips.
When her legs fall slightly and he feels her feet catch in his pants, he chuckles against her shoulder before leaning up to smile down at her. Her eyes are closed and her mouth is slightly open and he leans in to press a kiss to the corner of her lips and then the tip of her nose. This action prompts her eyes to open and she smiles up at him as her hand moves from his waist to slide into his hair.
"You couldn't even wait long enough for me to get my pants off?"
"I'd say my boyfriend was in just as much of a hurry as I was, wouldn't you agree?"
His heart swells as she says the word, as even spoken in jest, he knows she means it. Leaning in, he captures her lips in a sweet kiss, punctuating it with a few quick pecks before rolling to his side to finally free himself from his pants and his shirt. As he's halfway to the bathroom her turns back to look at her to find her leaning on her elbow watching him, unabashedly admiring his assets.
"You know, Swan, I'm fully prepared to cover the bases we missed if you'd care to join me in the shower?"
He doesn't wait for her response, but smiles as he hears the shuffling of sheets and the groan of the mattress springs behind him.
A/N: I smile every time I see your responses to this story, it means so much, so thank you!
