Delphine adjusts fairly quickly to her new routine. She crates Henri at night and when she goes to work. And finds after the first week, Henri begins to tolerate his crate. She buys soft blankets and toys to toss in there with him. Calls it his little bed, and tries to make it his calm place. Finally, things begin to go well. Henri behaves, more or less, like he did before. He sleeps in his crate.
"Henri, va au lit." Delphine demands, pointing and smiling when she notices Henri trot quickly into his crate and lie down. She'd had him professionally groomed and invested in speciality wrinkle-wipes for his facial folds. She was convinced it was working, either that or she was once again becoming accustomed to living with a dog.
"Good dog." Cosima comments as she opens the door. Giving Cosima the spare key had made sense. Cosima had even come over to let Henri out to pee three evenings this week when her schedule was tight. It just… functioned better with Cosima in the mix.
"He is." Delphine pets Henri's head and gives him a soft treat before closing the crate. "Fais dodo." She instructs her pet who whines, but only a little.
"Oh well this is an improvement." Cosima grins as she approaches. "How was work?"
"It was OK. Three clients back-to-back." Delphine shrugs. It has been too long. She needs to take more breaks. Actually eat when she works evenings.
"Women?"
"Two out of three were." Delphine answers with a smile. "One is about 32 weeks pregnant. So it was making adjustments to keep her more comfortable." That much is easy enough, a few adjustments to keep aches and pains at bay.
"So the kind of work you can feel good about?"
"Yes." Delphine nods. "No great pain for any of them."
"Jealous." Cosima quips quickly. This humour of Cosima's she was quickly becoming accustomed to.
"I won't work on you tonight, but if you want me to tomorrow morning - I will." Delphine offers. She suspects Cosima is experiencing some improvement already, but if she can increase the level of overall comfort she wants to. Why not offer?
"Yeah that is blurring the lines a lot." Cosima considers. "I mean… are you like going to get in trouble for working on me for free?" And part of Delphine wonders why this has not come up before.
"Non. You are no longer one of my clients." Delphine shrugs. "I don't need to justify who I use my skills on for free. It… it can't hurt me."
"Good." Cosima nods. "I am really happy you fired me as a client. In hindsight."
"Yes. It would make all this… impossible." Delphine gestures between their bodies. She quickly grabs a granola bar from the cupboard next to the sink and eats quickly.
"So… bed?" Cosima looks at the clock and at Delphine.
"Yes. So Henri can have lights out." Delphine is pleased enough to lead Cosima to her bedroom. She brushes her teeth quickly in the ensuite and looks herself over in the mirror. She doesn't really look good enough, Delphine thinks. She hasn't put in the effort like she used to with Simon. She remembers a lot of ...effort at times. If it's early days, shouldn't she still try to present herself like that?
"Are you coming out?" Cosima prompts from the other room and Delphine reluctantly emerges. Cosima is lounging on her bed, lights dimmed. Still clad in the same deep purple sleeveless dress.
"I just… I am not… as dressed up as you are."
"Delphine." Cosima can only laugh, shaking her head. "You worked today. I mean if you want to put on makeup and lingerie - you're totally welcome to. That can be super hot. But you don't have to. At least not all the time."
"Come here." Delphine decides, moving up onto the bed. She pulls Cosima in by her waist and kisses her deeply. Her tongue darts out quickly deepening the kiss and it's easy. Easy to grow hot and amorous in Cosima's arms. Easy to ease the zipper down on the back of the dress.
It's still so novel, Delphine thinks. Kissing softly at Cosima's neck, she inhales deeply, getting both the smell of Cosima's skin and a whiff of whatever bathing products Cosima uses. They smell almost...earthy.
She lets Cosima undress her, and climb on top of her. But she tries her best. She figures whatever she's read is second to Cosima's reactions. She teases at Cosima's nipples, wondering if Cosima will like that only to find that her lover moans enthusiastically whenever she tries. She grips at Cosima's buttocks, massaging the flesh with strong fingers. There must be many ways, Delphine thinks, to bring Cosima pleasure.
"Oh baby…" Cosima husks at her. "I missed this." And she had. They both had. It's easy. Delphine lets Cosima take the lead, knowing that is is the most comfortable for both of them. She ends up flat on her back with Cosima easing her body down, knees to the floor.
"Oui… oui…. Cosima." Delphine lets go, she's tired and there's nothing more to do. Cosima's mouth is eager, insistent, milking every ounce of pleasure from her body before she finally crests and feels the sheets dampen beneath them.
"Delphine…" Cosima moans throatily, beginning to kiss up her body.
"Good girl…" Delphine breathes out, this is slowly getting easier. "You… you give me so much pleasure. I… it's so easy with you."
"Good." Cosima smirks, pulling herself up over her. "It's… been too long. I can't get enough of you."
"Now let me have you." Delphine tries to sound more confident than she feels, and Cosima is quick enough to adjust their position. She pulls herself up, she rubs against Cosima at first, teasing her, feeling just how much arousal they have generated. And then she draws on hand to the apex of her lover's thighs and begins to touch her.
"A little firmer." Cosima instructs, and Delphine obeys, the soft rubbing more than enough to excite her. And Cosima gives herself over to it. Moaning, tossing her head back. She lowers her body. She needs to try again. She has to. And when her lips make their first tentative contact she's stunned by the taste of her, as much as she is by her own desire for it. She flicks her tongue, trying to mimic what her hands were doing moments ago but it's harder this way.
"Suck." Cosima urges a quick instruction. "Suck on me."
And she does, drawing the swollen bud into her mouth, she sucks softly, and then more firmly. And it's enough, Delphine realizes, trying to maintain the stimulation as she had with her hands.
Cosima only whines at her. "Oh god…yes… yes… Delphine… Please...please...please."
And she cannot stop, couldn't want to stop with Cosima making sounds like that. Cosima comes, and she can tell first from the sounds and then the whimpering sensitivity when her tongue swipes back over her clitoris. Delphine sighs, resting her head against Cosima's thighs. That definitely made more sense than trying to draw the alphabet with her tongue. Who came up with those stupid ideas?
When she comes up, breathing heavily, enjoying the almost primal satisfaction she feels with Cosima's arousal coating the lower half of her face. She looks to Cosima who looks delighted.
"That was ...wow." Cosima giggles a little.
"It was good?" Delphine feels the need to verify to enthused nodding.
"And now I want you in me." Cosima tells her, guiding her fingers.
"Take me in." Delphine tries to assume the role Cosima's wanted before. The insistent, mildly dominant lover that… Cosima needs her to be. She slips in with two fingers, and finds that it is doable. For a glorious two minutes, she is inside Cosima and Cosima is moaning and whimpering at her.
"Ohhh…" Cosima clings and she suspects there's pain. But she waits. Waits for Cosima to call it.
"Are you...alright?" Delphine tries instead. "Does this feel good? Do I feel good inside you?"
Cosima stops, looking up at her sobered. "It's… complicated. I want it. And I want it to feel good. But… today is… borderline."
"OK." Delphine pulls out and begins gently stimulating externally instead, and this is easy. Delphine thinks. She can follow Cosima's cues, Cosima's instructions until she learns what Cosima wants. But it doesn't always seem to be the same.
Cosima comes again, crying out loudly, so loudly she is concerned her neighbours will hear them. They settle themselves in the bed. Henri barks for a few moments and then whines, likely disturbed by their noises. But he settles again, and she spoons into Cosima's sweat-slick body. She can love Cosima. Maybe she can love her forever.
"Cosima...You are incredible." Delphine speaks into dreads, clutching closely.
"So… you're done? You only came once."
"Once is enough." Delphine used to think so anyway. Maybe a quick snack and they could do it all again. Try to make love without fear. Without anxiety. Maybe she would be able to now. Maybe it would all get so much easier in time.
"It's up to you." Cosima tells her, breathing starting to slow down.
"It's up to you too… this.. Our relationship is about both of us."
"So it's a relationship now?" Cosima's tone is teasing, but pleased. Delphine smiles at that. That is what this is. That is what this is becoming.
"It is… it's just very different for me. And… I told you. I don't want to promise forever again. I did that before and it turned out to be a lie. A big lie. I want…" Delphine struggles to find the words, words that don't always come so easy in a second language. "I want to be honest. I want to be with you. And I want to try. But…"
"Are you like… afraid?" Cosima throws out casually.
And it's that simple. The fear, that maybe the problem is her. And that maybe she couldn't be happy. And who knows what would happen. Or if Cosima would be happy with her in five years or in ten years… So much unknown. "Yes."
"Of like… it not working out? Or of getting hurt?" Cosima is soft with her, and Delphine finds herself wondering how it took so long to get back into bed with Cosima. She cannot imagine a scenario where she wouldn't find Cosima so intensely appealing.
"Both I guess." Delphine sighs. At least Henri has quieted down in the living room. Crate training was working.
"I don't know what is going to happen in the future, Delphine. But nobody ever does. I know I love you. I am crazy about you." Cosima promises with soft eyes and gently stroking hands, rolling to face her, to cup her face in her hands. "I want to be with you. I want us to be a couple. I want… everything we can have together. I want you to meet my friends, and I want to meet yours. I want… I want to give this a try."
"Je t'aime aussi. Completement. Je suis folle de toi." Delphine tries the words she knows. And they feel right. "I want to be with you, Cosima. I want to be yours. I want you to make me yours. I want to try. I know... I know I won't regret it."
Cosima kisses her again, hands once again roaming her body. And she knows. No matter what her future brings, she wants Cosima in it.