The newly expanded family settled into their Christmas dinner later than usual. No one was hungry for an early dinner after their large brunch so Caroline set out just enough nibbles to tide people over while they opened presents, a process that took longer than Kate had ever experienced. She was pleased with herself that she thought to grab some presents from her 'gift closet' for the boys. She always kept a stock of things that were appropriate to give her students should the need arise. She knew she didn't have to bribe William to get into his good graces but she was concerned about Lawrence so she wrapped a couple of special items and tucked them into her suitcase.
Lawrence was thrilled to get the first couple of Death Grip comic books ever released. She only had them because her friend Greg had given them to her when they were hot off the press. She thought he might not have them since he was pretty young when they were published and assumed he would like them as she saw him reading some when she first moved in with Caroline. She didn't tell him about knowing the artist but was secretly thrilled they were a hit with Lawrence because they were very collectible. William too seemed very pleased to get a handsome leather bound journal. She knew he liked to tinker with writing poetry and she thought it would come in handy.
The only problem with having dinner at six was that by the time the meal ended, Kate's energy levels were flagging. All through dinner Caroline's thoughts kept drifting to what she and Kate could get up to when they were finally able to retire for the night. Her hormones were doing a low and slow simmer until she noticed Kate trying to stifle a yawn. Celia noticed it too.
"Kate, don't you dare bring in a dish," Caroline gently admonished her as she rose to clear the plates, quickly changing gears to wanting to pamper Kate rather than tire her out further by ravishing her.
"She's right dear, you stay put," said Celia as Gillian silently stood up to help as well. "I remember just wanting to sit with my feet up at this time of night when I was as far along as you are."
Caroline was both surprised and touched that her mum was showing some concern for Kate and thanked her for doing so when they were alone in the kitchen. She figured that if Celia was going to put forth an effort, she should show her some appreciation as a form of encouragement.
"Caroline, why don't you bring out the champagne now so we can have our Christmas toast and then I think you should send Kate upstairs for the night," Celia suggested as she carried the last of the dinner and salad plates over to the sink and looked at her watch; it was already a little past eight o'clock and she was tired too from all the wedding celebrations the day before. "I remember what it was like to overdo when I was pregnant with you. I always seemed to pay for it the next day. I don't think anyone would mind if she made her excuses. Lord knows she's earned an early night after putting up with all of us today."
Taking Celia's suggestion, Caroline sent Kate up to their bedroom promising to join her as soon as the dishes were done. Grateful for the escape, Kate didn't try to persuade her to leave them until the morning as she wanted some alone time to call her mum in the States not just to wish her a Happy Christmas but also to fill her in on the events of the last 24 hours.
By the time Caroline finally turned off the kitchen lights and saw the last of the guests out the door, she was anxious to get up to Kate. She said goodnight to her sons and Roxy and excitedly climbed the stairs. Although she was disappointed to find Kate asleep, she smiled when she saw she still had her eyeglasses on and her cell phone clasped in her hand. It made her think Kate might have tried to stay awake for her.
The sight of Kate back in her bedroom, and especially in her bed, took Caroline's breath away. She remembered all those long, lonely months when this was all she wanted and feared she'd never have again. She moved to Kate's side of the bed and turned off the light on the nightstand before carefully removing her glasses and phone. She leaned over and gave her a whisper of a kiss.
Caroline quietly slipped into the en-suite to ready herself for bed. As she was striping off, she decided to take a fast shower, forgetting that the tap to the shower squeaks loudly when it is turned off. Upon hearing the obnoxious sound, she feared she woke Kate but was relieved to find her still asleep, on her side, facing the bedroom door. She crawled into bed anxious to spoon in behind Kate but didn't out of a concern of waking her. When her head hit her pillow, exhaustion overcame her and before too long was she too was fast asleep.
Kate woke in the wee hours of the morning; she always did on nights she fell asleep too early, a fact that frustrated her. Upon waking, it took her a few seconds to remember she was in Caroline's bedroom. Feeling the mattress move when Kate returned to the bed from the en-suite, Caroline woke too.
"Everything all right," she inquired as she craned her neck to see the time.
Kate scrunched down under the covers to ward off the slight chill in the bedroom. She quietly responded, "I'm more than fine, just awake for some reason. Sorry if I woke you."
"Are you kidding? Anytime I wake to find you in my bed," Caroline began before Kate interrupted her with a kiss that woke her even further. Despite the darkness, Caroline could detect Kate's intent and was more than glad to oblige; her shower hadn't been nearly cold enough to fully extinguish the desire she felt building for Kate all through dinner.
As she was getting lost in Kate's kisses, Caroline slid her hands under Kate's pj top and over the baby bump to cup her soft breasts. Realizing the sleepwear was in the way, she deftly removed it and threw it toward the foot of the bed. Kate quickly returned the favor and seconds later Caroline's top joined hers on the floor, briefly followed by their pj bottoms.
Feeling well rested despite the abbreviated sleep, Kate had more energy for lovemaking than Caroline expected. When Kate pushed her back onto the pillows and began to kiss her way down her neck and across her collarbone, Caroline felt a tingle extend down her body all the way to her toes. Kate could tell the effect she was having on Caroline as her nipples were fully hardened by the time she reached them. After spending some time sucking and kissing both in turn, Kate kissed the soft underside of each breast at its crease, as she knew that was a spot that always thrilled Caroline.
While Kate was kissing and licking her way down her body, Caroline was trying to caress every part of Kate she could reach, which eventually became only the top of Kate's head when she approached Caroline's throbbing core, making her instantly writhe with pleasure upon making contact. Caroline began to rhythmically move against Kate's mouth and hands, urgently seeking as much pressure and contact with her as possible. Afraid to wake the others in the house, Caroline covered her mouth with her forearm to stop herself from crying out when her release finally came. Kate giggled with satisfaction as she watched and listened to her come down from her orgasm.
"Wow. Remind me to send you to bed early more often," she gratefully teased her lover. Her breathing was slowly returning to normal but her desire to return the favor was quickly building. After taking a sip of the water from the glass on her nightstand, Caroline turned back over to find Kate taking a sip of water from her own glass of water.
They reunited in the center of the bed and exchanged a few slow kisses before Caroline decided to take control and flipped Kate over to straddle her. She hovered above her for a few seconds to prolong Kate's anticipation of what was to come next, most of which imitated what Kate what had just done so magnificently to her although Caroline took her time to add a little flare of her own.
They eventually had to acknowledge the lateness of the hour and took turns in the en-suite. When Caroline finally returned to the bed, she found Kate settled on her back so she nestled into Kate's side and gently rested her head against her bosom intent on having Kate's heartbeat sing her back to sleep.