A/N: I know this took forever, but my personal life is keeping me from writing. No promises when I'll post again.

Chapter 12

Maura muffles the sound of her laugh against her collarbones, she lays almost naked on Kate's stomach, legs tangled and hands slowly drifting down her sides. Her chuckle soon dies into open mouthed kisses along the tendons of her neck. Kate knows she can feel her goosebumps, her sharp inhale of oxygen when she finds a particularly sensitive spot.

She keeps herself grounded grasping Maura's biceps, but a hint of teeth sink into her flesh and she gives in. She accepts the teasing of her fingers on the side of her breasts, the warm lips still pampering her skin. Her eyes slip closed as she tries to focus on the friction of their bodies, on the leg safely nestled between hers, liquid heat pools at the bottom of her belly each time Maura moves against her.

Her weight slowly lifts off her, she holds herself up above her, smirks down at her when Kate's eyes open and immediately fall to her breasts.

She watches as her lips part and her chest heaves, rises toward her – involuntarily, maybe, but it feels like a silent prayer. And when she lowers her head, she meets her eyes halfway, dark and open. Kate follows her movement, lifts her head from the pillow to watch her mouth close around her flesh.

A hint of smile appears against her skin as Maura registers her swear, she tries to soothe her with her tongue but other curses make their way up Kate's throat. She keeps her head in place with her finger pressing on her scalp, and Maura hums.

Kate's impatient, itches to taste her in the same way, to have her fill her mouth, to hear her. She's too thorough, seems to know by heart what drives her insane, and it's painful. Mind blowing, but agonizing. Kate has no patience. She pays equal attention to the other breast, hands tickling her side in a way that makes her squirm under her.

Wet lips start to trail down her stomach and Kate is quick to catch her chin with her fingers. Maura's eyes are big and green and surprised and she smiles down at her.

"I want you here," she whispers. It's foolish because ordinarily she would just encourage her lover down but this time, instead, with her, she craves her lips and her kiss more than an orgasm.

And Maura comes, relieved, kisses her exactly as she wished and Kate wraps her legs around her, keeping her in place. Her hands tangle in her blonde curls, keeping them out of their faces. Somehow in this moment Kate realizes the ache that stings in her stomach since the first time she saw her is not going to vanish just seeing her naked and making her come. It is likely to hurt more after that, after she has memory of what the skin of her belly feels like and what it means to lie between her legs.

Only Maura's mouth seems to quiet the feeling down but it always blossoms back as soon as they part and it's no use. Kate feels the tip of her fingertips on her belly, trailing down. She lets her pop the button of her pants open, raises her hips to help her drag them down. With her palms she traces the outside of her naked thighs, methodically, painfully slowly.

Her hazel eyes are the only thing Kate can see as the last piece of fabric glides down and leaves her naked; Maura's palms stroke the back of her legs in the process. Kate returns the gesture, her hands clench in her thighs and force her forward.

Their kisses are sluggish, their minds focus solely on the fingers exploring between Kate's legs, taking in her warmth, unable to resist inching in almost immediately. Maura swallows her sigh, her lips match the slow rhythm of her finger and Kate answers but she's wound up, frenetic, maddened by her composure.

"Don't," she whispers as Kate starts to move, impatient. "Trust me."

It's difficult to listen, to straighten her back, to follow her command. She's used to having people listen to her, giving her what she wants only popping her tongue. But now she's pushed down, won by this woman hovering over her, soothing her with her mouth, and the denial that should sting actually excites her.

"Breathe, focus on my touch," she says as she tentatively starts to move her fingers. She's delicate and deliberate and so different from what Kate was expecting from the look she saw in her eyes. But the determination is there and although her thrusts aren't rough they feel extremely deep, full, and Kate surrenders to the slow agony.

Maura tastes the skin of her neck, warm lips sucking at the base of her throat. The feeling of her teeth slightly nipping shoots down where her fingers are buried and Kate moans. Eyes closed, it's like her tongue strokes between her legs, exploring in a way no-one else ever seemed to accomplish.

"Fuck," she can't help but swear when Maura finds yet another sensitive spot inside her. Her kisses vanish in a smirk before her thrusts get deeper, more rapid – subtly at first, but growing bolder with each move. She doesn't know what she's pleading for but she does whisper her name, fists her hands in the comforter not to claw Maura's back.

She's familiar with the feeling creeping inside her, with the flutter of her eyelids that forces her into darkness, and she warns her – tries to, but Maura swallows her moan and shifts. Her palm presses against her clit and Kate arches, breasts pressing against each other's and blood pumping loudly in her ears. Her voice sounds broken as she curses, mixes her name with her moans and waits for the end she's craving.

When she comes every sound gets strangled in her throat, her body goes rigid, head thrown back and mouth open on a silent scream. But Maura continues to move and her legs buckle, she shudders at her persistency, at the orgasm still rippling through her, at Maura telling her how good she feels against her neck.

Kate breathes aloud when she gradually stops, her chest heaves as it fills with oxygen. She sighs when her fingers leave her body and her warm lips kiss her cheek, so fondly it almost seems out of place after what she did.

She can't return the gesture right away, her arms feels still too limp to do anything, to bring her mouth down to hers as she wishes. So she stays still, enjoys the press of Maura's body to her side, her leg between hers again.

She knows she won't resist much longer anyway.

Maura has to push her away with both of her hands when Kate tries to make her come with her mouth for the third time.

Maura lies on her back with her bent arm under her head, her hair spread over the pillow; she keeps the sheets over her stomach but lets Kate trace the contour of her chest, a small smirk on her lips. Her features are relaxed and there's a halo of pure joy around her.

Kate would be lying if she said she doesn't feel proud.

She would be lying if she said she doesn't find her even more beautiful now.

"Is it always like this?" Kate asks as her fingers trail up along her sternum. Head propped up by her other hand, she has to fight the urge to kiss her again – she will as soon as they can breathe normally.

"What is?"

"With a girl, is it always like this?" Her voice is light but Maura turns anyway, with the look that furrows her brows that Kate has learnt to love. Kate keeps caressing the same patch of skin to reassure her, tell her that what she's thinking is true but also not an issue. Her curiosity is sincere.

Maura searches her eyes, tilts her head to study her better. She tries to figure out her expression although there is nothing to look for, the answer is in the question to begin with.

"This was your first time," Maura states at the end, her voice is calm but her eyes are slightly blown. "Why didn't you tell me, Kate? Why didn't I consider the possibility?"

"It doesn't make any difference, Maura," Kate whispers, smiling softly, leaning in. "There was no need to say it, you made me feel safe." And she means her words, she does, but Maura drops her gaze, fidgets with her hands over her stomach. She looks apprehensive.

Her nakedness somehow looks out of place now.

"It can be a negative experience with girls, too," she whispers. "As it can be good and everything in between. It's true that girls share your needs, so they are more aware of them, but men can be attentive lovers as well."

Kate knows she swallowed down her first answer, knows she held her tongue for whatever reason. Maybe she should bring it up again, tell her another time she's worrying uselessly. But she remembers Maura's reaction to lying and maybe, deep down, she's not prepared for her honesty.

Not now.

"Then it was you," Kate replies, uses two fingers to turn Maura toward her. Her head rolls and their eyes meet – they're clouded by fatigue, but they're warm and welcoming as usual. So Kate casts a glance at her mouth before leaning in, her leg comes up to hugs Maura's hips and keep her near. Maura slows the kiss down and acknowledges her naked thigh with her hand, leisurely makes her way up.

Maybe it isn't supposed to be excite her, but her strokes drift to her inner thigh and it does drive her mad. She moans in her mouth, but she's forced to stop her, grabs her bicep and distances herself from her soft lips.

"I'm- I don't think I can take more," she murmurs honestly, biting her lip and dropping her head on Maura's shoulder. She leaves a peck there, hides her blush against her skin. "Tomorrow?"

Maura reaches blindly for the sheet to cover them both, she smiles fondly at her but Kate doesn't see her. "Tomorrow," she just answers back.

TBC