Adding a bit of spicy to the sweet. Wouldn't want you all to overload on sugar!
Warning: sexy times ahead...
Chapter Fifteen
"Mama?"
Christina stumbled from her bedroom, sleep still gluing her eyes and limbs as she wobbled her way excitedly to her parents' room. Knocking on the door, she grasped the handle and pushed without waiting for the summons. "Mummy?"
The sound of hurried scrabbling reached her ears and she paused briefly in the doorway, tilting her head curiously at the women's dishevelled appearance. Shrugging as she automatically assumed that they'd just woken up, she bounced onto the right side of the bed and into the inventor's lap. "Happy birthday, Mummy!"
Helena pulled her daughter into a hug, grinning both at the sentiment from the girl and her fiancée's swift shimmy to rearrange her nightwear. "Thank you, flower," she gushed as she pulled away and kissed the nine-year-old's cheek. "Did you get up so early just to wish me well?"
"Mm-hm," Christina smiled, displaying a new gap proudly, punctuating her next words. "And to show you thish!" She opened her clasped fist, revealing a lower incisor.
"Another trip for the tooth-fairy," Myka commented dutifully, her eyes sparkling with joy at her daughter's enthusiasm for the loss of yet another milk tooth. Panic forgotten from the near miss moments ago, she pulled the girl's face gently round to meet her gaze and inspected the gap. "It won't be long before you're due to see the dentist again."
Christina's expression fell slightly, a pitiful puppy-dog look taking the place of her earlier excitement. "Can't Dr Calder check my teeth?"
"Love, Dr Calder has many skills but she is not a specialist in every part of the body," HG explained patiently. She was still impressed and grateful that the woman had had enough experience to help deliver her son. "We have to see an optician for our eyes and a dentist for our teeth. That's just the way of things. Now, what do you say we get breakfast started and allow your Mama some time to rise? No doubt your brother will be hungry before long."
"Ok!" Christina high-tailed out of the bedroom, the sound of her carpet-cushioned thuds following after her.
Myka fell back into the pillows with a grateful rush of breath. "Oh my God, that was close!"
Helena lowered her lips to Myka's. "The day when she sees more than she's comfortable with will be the day she finally remembers to wait after knocking."
Myka's expression was not amused. "I'm guessing you never walked in on your parents in the throes of passion?"
"No," Helena admitted. "Though I found my grandparents on more than one occasion embraced amorously. I soon learned to announce myself in advance." She watched her lover's thought process and knew Myka wasn't convinced that Christina would survive catching them in the act. "Darling, we will of course continue to be cautious, but if it does ever happen, she will be neither the first nor the last."
"I had plans for you today," Myka replied with a pout, a hand reaching up to trace the curve of a cheek.
HG's eyes lit up. "There's still time." Green eyes appeared momentarily confused. "There are many dark corners at the bed and breakfast," she whispered into the shell of an ear. She felt the shiver that ran the length of the younger woman's body and forced herself to move away. A brief glance back at the wanton vision she was leaving behind made her long for those shadows filled with promise.
Myka's one 'absolutely cannot fail' wish for this day was to bring her fiancée to an earth-shattering climax. She had been more than ready to get back on that horse for two weeks now, following shortly on from their date, and frustration was beginning to build in her veins like liquid fire. Other than a few tender and/or heated make-out sessions, she had not made love to her bride-to-be for over two months and she couldn't begin to fathom how they had made it this long without that vital connection.
Helena had chuckled when a slack-jawed Myka had revealed this little fact to her. She confessed to having counted the days but was otherwise unperturbed by the knowledge.
"It is no hardship to wait when I do so enjoy watching you throw yourself into being mother for our children."
Once Myka found her carnal appetites returning however, parenthood seemed to surge into high-gear once again. Fredrick's regularly timed feeds shifted so that he woke more often during the night and was suddenly grizzly through the day, demanding constant attention while he was awake.
When she or Helena were not consumed with trying to keep the boy happy, Christina wanted to go to the park, or play kitchen chemistry, or invite Claudia over for a tea-party in her tree-house/fort. The girl had tentatively begun to make friends with one or two of the local children who attended her birthday party too and Myka spent the occasional afternoon chaperoning her daughter on play-dates while Helena met at the Warehouse to discuss their future with the mystical entity.
On top of their day-to-day vicissitudes, they planned to travel to Wyoming again at the end of the month to let their daughter spend a weekend out with Adelaide and her scout group. From there, they were going to take a short plane ride over the border into Canada. After reading about the beauty of the maples in autumn and the history of the country's ties with England, Christina was eager to see the place for herself, while her parents simply found it a logical step in their efforts to travel more.
Despite initial misgivings, Myka found that she was not unfulfilled at home with her children. She missed being an active agent like one might miss a favourite hobby that they no longer had time for, but the pang of that absence paled in comparison to the joy that filled her heart from time spent with her loved ones. Though her body thrummed with frustration now whenever her time alone with her lover was interrupted, she was placated by the knowledge that, by prolonging their time apart, the moment they craved would be all the sweeter.
Helena tried not to roll her eyes self-consciously as she entered the bed and breakfast ahead of her fiancée and was immediately met by a wall of people all shouting at her.
"Happy birthday!"
Claudia broke from the mass of bodies, skipping towards her with a comically large badge with the number one hundred and forty-nine emblazoned on its sparkling surface. HG narrowed her eyes but stood dutifully still to accept the 'gift'. She sighed internally, two halves of her inner thoughts battling for control over her responses. For too long now, she'd given precedence to the more serious side of her personality; the side that always found Pete's displays of childish abandon tedious, or eventually grew exasperated by long games of make-believe with her daughter. The side that she tried to repress more often than not these days, in favour of making her family happy.
She would always prefer the sort of dry, sarcastic banter that Myka indulged in with her and intellectual pursuits that challenged her abilities to use logic and solve puzzles. These things she always found entertaining.
However, somewhere buried under the years of pain and anger, there was the memory of a young girl who had delighted in finding hide-aways and pretending to explore the globe with her china-doll, Eliza. The young girl who had crawled into bed with her brother on cold nights to tell fantastical stories about things that only existed in her imagination. The girl who perched on her grandfather's knee and tugged at his beard so that he would break from his work to pull faces at her.
It was the memory of that little girl's unending enthusiasm for life and the pursuit of all things illogical, which made her smile belatedly at her friends and family. This group of professional adults reverting to the traditional post-card birthday celebration was, quite frankly, ridiculous, but she appreciated it nonetheless. A sardonic grin pulled at her mouth and a snort of amusement escaped her lips as she let her thoughts run wild and imagined Artie sat at his piano, ready to lead them all in a round of musical chairs.
A hand on her lower back and a whispered 'play nice' halted any thought that threatened to follow and, resigning herself to her fate, Helena allowed Claudia and Christina to drag her through the hallway into the living room.
Streamers, banners and balloons littered every surface and expanse of wall, offering the revellers multiple reminders of the inventor's advanced age.
"Do you know, Mummy, that makes me one hundred and twenty-four!" The boisterous nine-year-old exclaimed as the room filled. "Is it time for cake yet?"
"Yeah, old lady," Pete called over Myka's shoulder. "Where's the cake at? I've got the fire extinguisher ready." Narrowed eyes shot in his direction and a low 'oof' escaped him as an elbow connected with his solar plexus. "Sorry, Mykes," he gasped.
Helena smirked and took up prime position in the elaborately decorated birthday chair. Christina bounced helplessly by her side and with swift arms, she pulled the girl into her lap.
Last year, she barely paid attention to the fact that she had grown another year older. Her child had been returned to her and, as far as she was concerned at that point, nothing could top the joy she felt in having her angel once more in her arms. Now, as she gazed across the sea of faces and found her lover and the precious bundle of energy in her arms, she realised how incredibly lucky she really was.
A dozen voices faded into white noise as the inventor found her attention consumed by heated emerald. She read the intention behind her fiancée's eyes with sharp, puncturing intensity and knew that their thoughts were of a kind. How long will it take to open a few gifts? she thought absently.
Long, as it turned out. Not to mention time spent chatting to various guests about how much she was enjoying herself, or how much Christina was enjoying herself, or how much Fredrick had grown since the same time only three days ago! Her patience waned; crumbling piece by piece as the familiar feel of warm fingers on the nape of her neck, or hip, or thigh plunged her thoughts into purely x-rated territory. She knew that she would wait for Myka forever if needed but it didn't follow that the wait wouldn't drive her to distraction in the meantime.
Three hours passed torturously. Guests eventually found their own distractions and, after Fredrick finished his lunch and went down for a nap, Helena whispered two hoarse words into Myka's ear before slinking like a shadow from the room.
Myka felt anticipation coil in her abdomen and let her eyes follow her lover's retreating form. She noticed the same lull in the atmosphere and realised abruptly that no one was paying any attention to her now that her arms were not filled with an adorable little boy. Rather than feeling offended by the knowledge that her current level of popularity correlated directly to her children, she took one more look around the room, made sure that no one was watching and followed her partner's retreating figure.
The moment the laundry room door clicked shut behind her, lips and hands found her own and the length of Helena's body pressed her against the hard, wooden surface. Fingers entwined with hers, stroking wantonly, promising and leaving sparks in their wake as the inventor's mouth teased along her lips. Myka hummed and pushed closer, her mouth opening to taste more, only to find herself denied, Helena having retreated just beyond her reach. Green eyes fluttered open to find a gentle smirk beginning to fade in dark eyes. They gazed at one another as hearts beat in tandem, the heat in their eyes slowly being replaced by a depth of love that swirled around the room and pulled them both in.
Myka tugged her hands from Helena's grasp and placed them on either side of the Brit's jaw. Thumbs explored the plains of her lover's strong features, her mind working extra hard to commit every last detail to memory. "I love you... So much," she whispered as her gaze met warm mahogany once again. She watched with complete understanding as HG's eyes became glassy and her throat worked to find the right sentiment to express her feeling.
Helena gave up trying to swallow around the words that were stuck in her throat. Nothing she said could ever truly express what this woman meant to her anyway. Instead, she pushed her hands under the back of Myka's shirt, spreading her fingers for maximum skin-to-skin contact, and lowered her lips once more to Myka's mouth, capturing all of the delicious textures, tastes and sounds therein.
Myka tunnelled her fingers into inky locks and held her lover tightly, preventing any possibility of another retreat. The inventor's tongue made love to her own, the strokes full of passion and devotion, each caress making her knees increasingly weak.
Unaware of how long they'd been lost in their embrace or how much noise they might be making, the sound of their daughter's voice and a hesitant tapping on the door reluctantly dragged them back to their surroundings. Helena sank against Myka's neck and they both breathed heavily for several long seconds. Leena's gentle tones drew their unwitting intruder away but both women were suddenly very cognizant of where they were and who was around.
HG retreated from her hiding place and leant in to kiss Myka softly. A hand withdrew from its warm cave beneath the brunette's shirt so it could move to play with soft curls. "I think our little princess is due for an absurdly early night, don't you?"
Myka chuckled against her fiancée's mouth and deepened their kiss for a few blissful moments, deliberately keeping her hands away from temptation by wrapping them around HG's lapels. "Leena did offer to have her over night," she reminded herself as she leant back against the door. "It wouldn't be the first time she's stayed over here."
Helena's fingers brushed a few unruly strands of hair back from her lover's forehead. "I know you've been feeling particularly protective over our children since Fredrick's birth but I think Christina would be over the moon with the suggestion." The corner of her mouth turned up in amused thought. "Since we are already aware that her stay would not be an imposition, it does seem a shame to waste such an opportunity."
"Mmm yes," the American grinned into another brief kiss. "It does indeed."
Eventually managing to leave each other alone in order to exit the laundry room and rejoin to party, the couple made their way into the living room where they both found themselves abruptly weighed down by bags containing HG's presents.
"Guys?" Myka gazed round at her friends, who all appeared alarmingly pleased with themselves, and waited for them to explain what was going on.
Helena caught on quickly and cleared her throat. "Erm, darling? I do believe we are being thrown out." Her raised eyebrow questioned those gathered but she hardly needed an answer.
"Mykes," Pete stage-whispered to gain his friend's attention. "This gift's for both of you. Now, go get bi-zay."
The brunette flushed several shades darker and glared at her best friend as he fist-pumped her shoulder. To the rest, she tried half-heartedly to protest. "We can't just leave."
"We were considering asking Christina if she would like to stay for the night," HG added as she placed a hand on her partner's shoulder and rubbed soothing circles with her thumb.
"It's already sorted," Claudia declared, bouncing off the arm of the sofa where she'd perched and clapping her hands in delight. "A-ah!" she pointed suddenly at Myka, halting any further comment. "We broke into your house, Petie and I, stole PJs for CJ, and raided the fridge for Tiny Terror's next two meals. So go," she made elaborate arm gestures towards the front door. "Take your smoochies and make the most of them. Preferably where they're nowhere near my unmentionables."
The conflicted gratitude and fear in green eyes stalled the inventor before anyone could begin to force them to leave. She threw a pleading look in Leena's direction.
Taking pity on the couple, the owner of the bed and breakfast stepped calmly forward and took Myka's hand. "Take the rest of the afternoon to yourselves. You deserve it. And don't worry so much. I'll bring Fredrick home so you can give him his last feed before bed. I know you're not ready to have him gone all night yet."
Myka's body visibly relaxed and she finally managed to muster a smile. All of the butterflies she'd been feeling earlier returned to dance around her belly and she reached out to entwine her fingers with Helena's.
After checking on their snoozing prince and bidding farewell to Christina, whose profuse thanks reminded Myka forcefully that distance was sometimes a good thing, they left the bed and breakfast hand in hand and strolled the short distance home.
Entering the house, both women were hit by the unusual stillness. HG eyed her lover's stance and sensed that Myka needed a moment to herself to adjust. She brushed a hand over the brunette's hip and kissed her cheek.
"I'm going to put the kettle on. Would you like something to slake your thirst, darling?" She wandered off towards the kitchen, throwing a smile behind her at the blush that drifted up to Myka's hairline.
Helena's blatant flirting caught the younger agent unawares and her feet, which already seemed glued to the spot, felt as if they lost all function. The absurdity of nerves taking over her body caused a derisive snort to explode from her nose and throat. That Helena could still make her feel like a teenager falling in love for the first time was a torturous gift.
For a moment, she closed her eyes and took a breath. The time spent in the laundry room came flooding back to her mind and that familiar warmth she associated with her fiancée's close proximity tingled along her spine. Letting the sensation calm her racing heart, she peeled her soles from the floorboards and crept towards the kitchen.
Helena had her back to the door. A hand stirred a teaspoon idly as she stared out at the sun-drenched garden. She deliberately ignored her partner's approach, a simple, beatific smile pulling at her lips as she felt arms slip around her waist and the length of Myka's body lie flush against her own.
Having decided to grab the proverbial bull by the horns, Myka spread her hands possessively along the waistband of the inventor's slacks, pushing beneath the hem of her shirt with no preamble. She buried her nose into raven hair and breathed in her lover's intoxicating scent, a contented hum vibrating once again in the back of her throat.
"Eager now, are we?" HG teased even as a shiver chased her words and made them catch.
"Shh," Myka insisted firmly. "No talking, just..." Her words trailed off with her thoughts, once hand jumping up to push smooth strands from the path her lips desired.
As hungry kisses inched along her neck and shoulders, Helena's eyes drifted closed and a hand reached up to feel for the back of her lover's head. Fingers bunched reflexively into wild curls and pulled Myka's mouth tighter, silently begging for more.
Myka ran her hands roughly from her lover's navel, over lower ribs, to glide around the underside of the inventor's bra. Helena's grip on her hair tightened and she felt a tremble run the length of her fiancée's body. The Brit was already close and after a quick brush of a thumb over a nipple, her left hand dove for the buttons of HG's trousers.
As knowing fingers made short work of the fastenings and slipped deftly among a tangle of coarse curls, Helena felt the strength in her legs weaken. The hand that wasn't buried in her fiancée's hair clamped onto the work-surface in front of her and her head fell heavily against Myka's shoulder.
Her body was crying out for her lover's attention and had been for weeks. If her partner had not broached the subject, she knew she would have made her needs known by now, but that wouldn't have removed the demands of their children or their own exhaustion. Patience had been the only option and now, she was reaping the rewards.
"Myka..."
A sound halfway between a growl and a gasp escaped Myka at the feel of copious wetness easing the passage of her fingers through soft folds. With no desire to take her time, she used her free hand to tug Helena's slacks and underwear down several inches and pressed her lover into the faux-marble counter.
"Oh, darling," Helena moaned softly, her eyes shut, lips pulling short breaths from the air and her body rocking instinctively against her partner's hand, seeking closer contact. She finally let go of wild locks to reach for Myka's busy hand. Gripping it tightly, she moved it to where she needed it most and released a strangled groan when her lover filled her in one, fluid thrust.
They moved together, their uneven breathing and desperate sounds of encouragement filling the air as the inventor climbed ever closer to her climax. She let go of Myka's arm to press her own fingers against a small bundle of nerves and a few swift strokes sent her crashing into her orgasm, a low groan of approval accompanying it as her legs wobbled.
Myka caught her fiancée with one arm around her middle, supporting the suddenly spend body while the tips of her fingers continued to stroke the walls of their quivering cave. She felt Helena sag against the counter top and reluctantly pulled her hand free to wrap both of her arms around the inventor's waist as she painted soft kisses along the straining tendons of her neck.
"You are so incredibly beautiful," the brunette whispered against the shell of an ear, her voice husky with restrained desire.
Helena chuckled and eventually opened her eyes. She turned in the embrace, oblivious to the feel of her trousers slipping down to her knees or the air catching against sensitive and exposed skin. She only had eyes for Myka and every spare thought centred on making her fiancée feel the incredible satisfaction that now thrummed along her own veins. Her hands fell to the brunette's hips and she walked Myka back a couple of steps until the younger woman's bottom caught the edge of a stool.
The Brit's lips crashed into Myka's, swallowing a surprised gasp as her thumbs tugged at loose fitting jeans, easing the material out of her way. The minute her fiancée found a seat, she pulled the denim over thighs, knees and calves, until the mass lay bunched on the floor around a pair of sneakers. Hands wound behind knees to guide legs around her waist and she felt sock-clad feet finding purchase on her lower back. Myka's fingers bunched in her hair, nails scratching lightly at her scalp and pulling a whimper from deep inside.
"Myka," she murmured against moist lips.
Helena took a moment to slow down as she lifted the brunette's t-shirt and cupped twin peaks. Knowing from experience that her lover's breasts were still very sensitive, the inventor kept her explorations gentle.
Myka appeared to have other ideas though and, barely breaking their kiss, she retrieved one of the Victorian's hands and placed it amidst a mix of tangled curls. "Touch me, Helena. I can't wait any longer."
HG obliged willingly, excitement prickling along her nerve endings as she briefly teased Myka's entrance and slipped inside. A hiss against the corner of the Brit's mouth quickly became a series of hitched moans and squeaks as the American clung to her lover like she was a life raft and succumbed to the rhythmic waves of desire rolling over her.
Not possessing the presence of mind to prolong their kisses, Myka let her forehead rest against Helena's and tried to keep her lidded gaze locked on the liquid lust watching her. Stool legs scraped incongruously against the tiled floor while heavy breaths rent the air. Neither sound disturbed the lovers in their embrace.
Too fast, Myka thought as she recognised the throbbing heat overtaking her limbs. She was suddenly disappointed that her body had surrendered to her fiancée's attentions so quickly. She wanted to savour this moment, to spend another minute, an hour, a day, basking in this feeling of pure bliss as her soul mate claimed her and sent her spiralling into a chaotic jumble of spent nerves. For a moment, she tried to resist. Tried to pull back the reins and begin again but it was too late. The seductive taste of her completion was sweet in her mind and with another skilful twist of Helena's fingers, her eyes slammed shut and her head rocked backward, a sharp cry tearing from her throat.
The sofa followed their excursion in the kitchen and then the landing at the top of the stairs and a detour in the shower, with the idea that they should probably clean up a bit, before the couple finally found themselves cuddled up in bed, recovering after another vigorous bout that saw them getting sweaty all over again.
Myka's leg was thrown over the inventor's hip, her thigh resting temptingly close to a part of her fiancée's body that she had become lovingly reacquainted with over the course of the afternoon. Her head lay against a shoulder while one hand nestled contentedly between Helena's breasts, feeling the steady rise and fall of her breathing.
"Do you think perhaps we should see to another hunger, love?" Helena's fingers continued to slide through the brunette's hair, giving no impression that she was in any hurry. "No doubt Christina will be calling soon and Leena will be arriving with Fredrick."
"I don't want to move," Myka grumbled into Helena's neck. Almost immediately, a low growl make them both pause and chuckle. "I suppose one slice of cake and a sandwich wasn't much though." She stretched like a cat, a perverse satisfaction arising from her aching muscles and the odd abrasion. Rolling out of bed, she threw on an old button down shirt and sleep shorts, watching from the corner of her eye as Helena followed suit.
In the kitchen, they reheated some frozen lasagne and distracted one another with lingering touches and stolen kisses. At the dining table, as they finished their meal and sat, sipping tea, Helena propped a tablet between them and dialled Claudia's number.
As the call connected and an image appeared on the screen, it was obvious that the red head had prepared for this. Christina was kneeling next to Claudia, with an arm thrown over her shoulder, while Fredrick sat in the techie's lap, an expression of innocent bewilderment painted across his chubby features. Myka felt a swelling bubble of emotion fill her chest and reached for Helena's hand.
"Mummy!" the nine-year-old practically shouted through the connection, causing her brother's head to wobble back and forth as he tried to connect his sister's excitement with the disembodied vision of two familiar faces. "It's still your birthday; Freddy and I made this for you..." She disappeared momentarily from view and then reappeared holding a large piece of paper with tiny hand and foot prints around the border, and a painstakingly drawn picture story covering much of the middle. "Do you like it?"
HG couldn't contain her joy at the girl's thoughtfulness. Her gaze drifted over to the sideboard where a sculpture, made of carefully selected stones, depicted their little family – her first present of the day. Tears prickled the backs of her eyes. "I adore it, my love. I know just where I want to put it."
Fredrick, after gazing at the moving pictures with rapt fascination for several minutes, at last decided to join the conversation. With a loud 'eh!', he lunged forward, catching his baby sitter by surprise and drawing alarmed gasps from his parents, who jumped to grab him, despite the fact that they couldn't actually help. Thankfully, Claudia's reflexes were good and the hand that was already wrapped around his waist tightened, preventing him from diving from her lap. All three adults breathed a sigh of relief as the red head secured the boy back on her lap and smiled sheepishly into the camera.
Appearing oblivious to his almost disaster, Freddie squeaked and wobbled before pushing half a fist into his mouth. Now that the images of his parents were no longer smiling or talking, he quickly lost interest.
Myka fidgeted, her heart still beating unusually fast. "Claude, please don't take this the wrong way," she prefaced, knowing what her request would sound like after what had just happened. "But do you think Leena would mind bringing Freddy home a little earlier than we agreed?"
Claudia flushed, her friend's words hitting her gut no matter how much Myka might not want to hurt her feelings. She shook it off, recognising that the longing in her fellow agent's face was not really her fault. "I'm sure she will when she's finished cleaning up. Pete spilled the paint and then stepped in it." She sniggered and then quickly covered her mouth. At the couple's curious expressions, she explained, "I may have neglected to tell him that fact."
"Uncle Pete had a time-out," Christina giggled. "He had to stay in the garden while he cleaned all the paint off his shoes!" In a somewhat overly-dramatic move, the nine-year-old covered her face with both hands and rolled sideways onto the couch, her image disappearing temporarily from view.
A small smile replaced the lingering distress on Agent Bering's face. She could always count on her little girl to brighten her spirits. "I wonder what Lila's going to say," she joked.
"Pete says he's going to hide behind Sophie and hope she doesn't notice," the techie elaborated. "I don't think he's really thought that one through."
"Does he ever?" HG asked in an aside before addressing her daughter again, "Christina, I think it's time for you to start getting ready for bed. Are you staying there for breakfast or would you prefer a cooked breakfast at home?"
"May we make crepes?" Christina asked hopefully.
"Very well," Helena conceded, feeling more accommodating than usual. "Not with chocolate though," she added as an afterthought. I will maintain some boundaries, she told herself, though she knew that her standards were slipping with her immersion into parenthood in the modern world. For some reason, she couldn't seem to see that as a bad thing anymore.
Up next: some serious discussions about the future...