Standard Disclaimer: The characters ain't mine, I'm just borrowing their strings for a while, so don't sue me please! Please point out any errors in grammar or spelling privately and I will correct them.
Chapter 4 – Spiral
Ruby was nervous. With the way her stomach was fluttering, she felt like a girl about to go on her first date. It was a strange feeling for someone with as much experience with romance as she had, but there was just something about Regina that was calling to her, motivating her to step up her game in every way. Not only did she feel pressured to be on her best behavior, she needed to look perfect in order to make a good first impression.
Stepping up to the door at 108 Mifflin Street, she gave herself one last critical appraisal before knocking to announce her arrival. It was Saturday night at last, and though Regina had told her not to dress up, for some odd reason she felt compelled to impress the woman. Accustomed to dressing for effect, Ruby decided forgo her normal preferences for dress to defer to Regina's stated guidelines and along that line, she settled on a casual yet sexy look. It was a compromise between Regina's wishes and her own, the best of both worlds as it were.
In preparing for the date, Ruby was extra careful to thread the needle between alluring and subtle, having made sure to apply a modest amount of makeup that was not too little and not too much but just the right amount to accentuate her eyes and cheeks. Also, instead of straightening her hair after her shower like she normally did for work or for other outings, she'd chosen to allow her natural curl to return, an impulsive decision that literally hit her out of nowhere earlier that day. Leaving it tumbling down her shoulders and back, she pinned a portion of her bangs braided and pinned over her right ear, creating a look somewhere between girlish debutante and alluringly mature temptress.
As for clothing, Ruby chose her favorite pair of skin-tight white washed jeans, torn artfully in a few places at the thigh. She loved these jeans because of the way they fit, clinging to her skin like an artificial second layer and accentuating not only her ass but the length and shape of her best asset: her legs. She hoped Regina would appreciate her choice and had a sneaking suspicion that the endlessly fascinating woman would do just that.
On more than one occasion, Ruby had caught Regina staring at her legs, although that was something she was not unused to. Most of the town stared at her legs, particularly when she was feeling frisky enough to wear her short-shorts, which quite honestly was most of the time. The feeling of being ogled never bothered Ruby so long as it was just looking without touching being involved. There were a few notable offenders in Storybrooke that she'd had to slap (on either hands or faces, whichever was closer), but for the most part, no one bothered her in that way. For some reason, though, she wanted Regina to touch her, craved it in a way that was very inappropriate for a first date with such a cultured lady as Regina. Still, she knew that if she was to draw Regina's attention without being lewd, her jeans were perfect for the job.
After squeezing and shimmying her jeans her jeans up and over her hips, Ruby chose a red strapless bra that matched her lacy panties, and then topped the look off with a well-fit burgundy sweater which hung off her shoulders and showed just the right amount of belly. The sweater was something she'd bought impulsively for the date with Regina. The second she was off work, Ruby had hit the stores, searching and searching for the perfect item to go with her whitewashed jeans. She had just about given up hope when she stumbled upon the sweater. While it wasn't her favorite shade of red, it was muted enough so as to appear more sophisticated yet bold enough to impress. The finishing touch was a pair of stilettos the same shade of red as her sweater. All in all, she thought the ensemble went together quite nicely. But that was before she had been standing in front of Regina's door, about to go on the most important date of her life.
Suddenly a little self-conscious, Ruby glanced down to study herself as best she could, hoping that she was setting the right tone. In matters of the heart and of the flesh, she had the unfortunate tendency of being a little too forward, which scared some people off. To those skittish individuals, her hyper-aggressive sexuality was a turnoff. Most of her paramours seemed to enjoy it, though. However, where Regina was concerned, Ruby was not quite sure what the enigmatic woman liked and therefore was unsure of how she should dress or behave. One thing was very certain: she did not to want to mess this up, and thus her somewhat conservative choice of apparel.
And speaking of Regina's proposition, the intimation that things might end in bed was not a new experience for Ruby. An all-too-large percentage of her social interactions outside of work tended to end that way. However, what was new for her was going on a real honest-to-God date, which in her own mind was a sad commentary on the quality of her love life. Sure, she had her fair share of sex, but it was always empty and meaningless. Sex worked to slake her more fleshly appetites, but beyond that, it never made her feel any less lonely than she had beforehand, which is why she only went out once a month when moon was at its fullest. Granny liked to joke that she was prime example of how people went crazy during the full moon, and while Ruby would have loved to refute the claim, she pretty much agreed. The monthly ritual was as inexplicable to her as it was uncontrollable.
Outside of those few days a month, she was not so reckless with her body. Normally, during the rest of the month she did a whole lot of nothing, following the same routine: wake up, get dressed, eat a bite, run to the Diner, wait tables and then do laundry for the B&B until she was ready to drop, and then fall into bed when she got up to her room. This pattern always held until that time of the month when she got so stir-crazy that she couldn't contain herself any longer. On those occasions, she would make her way to the Rabbit Hole to get drunk and blow off steam, which almost always ended badly for her because they entailed her either passing out in the Camaro or waking up in some random person's bed.
Sleeping around like that created a lot of conflict in Ruby. It always felt great in the moment because sex was quite literally the best distraction ever, and she always chose her partners well despite being hammered out of her mind. The men she went home with (and odd woman here and there) were always very attractive and usually very skilled lovers, but that did not make Ruby feel any better come morning when she was waking up to a pounding headache and a mountain of shame. Ever since she could remember, she'd tried to come up with an explanation as to why the same thing happened to her every month but could never adequately justify the unhinged and frenzied passion that possessed her. It was almost as if for a few nights a month, she stopped being herself and someone else took control of her body. When she came back to herself within a few days time, all she was left with were the physical reminders of her activities and crushing amounts of regret.
Ruby did not want to regret Regina and ever more than that, she did not want Regina to regret her. She was pretty sure that her worries were completely without merit because Regina seemed like a woman who was sure of herself and knew what she wanted, so, if she said she wanted Ruby, it was more than likely a frank statement of fact, and besides that, Regina was not the type to sleep around at all. To Ruby's knowledge, the Mayor had only taken one lover, Sheriff Graham, and that hadn't lasted long before Regina ended things. So where her date was concerned, Ruby had no doubts. It was herself that she doubted, if only due to her insecurity of not being good enough. She couldn't understand what a high-class woman like Regina saw in middle-class loser like her.
On a good day Ruby felt unbelievably unworthy of breathing the same air as the regally sophisticated woman, so how was she supposed to cope with actually dating Regina? Or sleeping with her? Ruby's previous track record suggested that she wouldn't be able to cope, that she would mess up somehow because that was what she did. Whenever something good came her way, it either fell through or she found a way to wreck it. Ruby broke things, including people. There had been more than one of her repeat lovers that got a little too attached, sending Ruby into a spiral of panic that always resulted in her running away with her tail between her legs only to cut off all contact with that person. There were at least 2 individuals she could name offhand that she had left devastated in her wake.
Beginning to pace on the front porch, Ruby became consumed with worry the more she thought about where this seemed to be going. It was no secret that Regina was not a woman to trifle about with, nor was she someone who made advances on someone flippantly. Regina, so far as Ruby was aware, did not do one night stands. So if the older woman was genuinely interested in dating, it was because she was looking to the long term and not for short term pleasure. While Ruby was many things, she wasn't an idiot; she knew the dangers that were lurking just beyond the door right in front of her, not only for her prospective paramour but for herself.
For longer than Ruby could remember, she had wanted Regina. In fact, it was hard to remember a time when she hadn't entertained fantasies about kissing those plump lips right over the prominent scar that marred them, or about discovering just how soft that olive skin really was because it looked so damn soft that Ruby wanted touch and taste every square inch of it, or about what it would feel like to wake up next to the stunningly gorgeous woman, all wrapped up in her bare flesh to bare flesh and just bury her face in sleep-ruffled raven hair. But truthfully, it went far beyond fantasy for Ruby. She was smitten and had been for since the moment she'd laid eyes on Regina, and that's why it seemed unreal that she was being given this opportunity. It was one that she could not afford to screw up, for it was the kind that only came around once in a lifetime.
"Are you going to wear a path out on my porch or come in, dear?" a voice broke through Ruby's anxious thoughts, startling her pacing to a halt.
Turning to the door, Ruby discovered Regina leaning against the jamb, barefoot and looking incredible in a simple pair of ebony slacks and a sleeveless cream colored blouse. Ruby had been so distracted that she hadn't even heard the door open. In the face of such a spectacular vision of perfection, her ability to speak fled. Gaping like a hormonal teenager, she was unable to help openly stared at Regina, to which the older woman smirked in a very mischievous manner. Butterflies began to churn in Ruby's stomach.
"S-sorry," Ruby eventually stammered out, shamefaced at her immature behavior. Her heart thrummed rapidly in her chest.
"Don't be sorry," Regina throatily replied, her eyes glinting with humor, and then allowed the smirk she was wearing to transform into a welcoming smile that warmed Ruby's insides. Turning in the doorway, Regina raised her arm toward the inside of the house. "Please, come in."
With a stunted nod, Ruby stepped through the door, passing so close by Regina that her shoulder accidentally and every so lightly brushed against the older woman's breasts. It was a small mercy that Regina chose not to comment while Ruby bit back a groan and concentrated intently on keeping one foot in front of the other. Being so distracted by arousal, she had to be cautious of her 4-inch heels. The last thing she wanted was to trip on the stairs and face-plant on Regina's landing. Not the kind of impression she was aiming for.
As she stepped into the house properly, Ruby heard the door shut behind her and then felt the heat of Regina's dark eyes on her body while the woman followed her inside. A shiver of delight jolted its way down her spine. She was getting worked up without any effort at all on Regina's part aside from the heady gravity of her presence. Ruby had never had such a visceral reaction to a person's mere proximity before, and if it didn't abate soon, her self-control was going to slip sometime during the next few hours.
"So, wow, your house is amazing," she said, initiating conversation to distract herself. It was true, too. The house was amazing.
It was a first for Ruby to be inside the Mayoral mansion. Her initial impression was that it fit Regina to a tee. The complexity of the interior seemed to reflect its owner perfectly, as it was sophisticated yet simple, varying between modern and classical. Every piece of furniture, every portrait and painting, and every decorative vase or bowl or figurine she laid eyes on looked expensive; yet even so, they lacked even a hint of ostentation which she would have expected to reside inside the magnificent home of an obviously wealthy woman. All in all, it was as stylish a house as Ruby had ever seen, even in the magazines she often looked at while bored at work during the lull between the lunch and dinner rushes.
"Why, thank you," Regina replied, brimming with pride that Ruby appreciated her style. "I designed it myself."
Her brow furrowing, Ruby looked over her shoulder at Regina from the portrait of an apple tree she was studying. "Huh? I always thought this house looked really old. No offense."
Her comment seemed to catch Regina completely off guard. The mayor stood still as a statue for a long moment with wide and panicked eyes. Very strange, Ruby thought.
"Well, of course I meant the remodel," Regina corrected. "I had it redone several years ago, and no offense taken. You were correct in your assumption, the house is very old, but sometimes the older things in life are the better things, wouldn't you agree?"
Though Ruby accepted the explanation, she could tell there was something Regina wasn't telling her. Even so, she found it did not matter much to her. Rather than question Regina further, she decided to address the innuendo, an obvious reference to their age difference. She hoped it didn't bother Regina to be a fair bit older than Ruby, because honestly, she could care less. To be fair, though, she didn't even know how old Regina really was and she wasn't dumb enough to ask.
"I agree wholeheartedly," Ruby said instead, her head tilting slightly as she allowed an easy smile to cross her features. Her eyes were glinting so as to reflect her understanding of Regina's point. "It's kinda like wine. Age refines it, makes it fuller and more satisfying. When its mature it can linger on your tongue for hours and fill your senses. I think it's because it's had time to settle into itself, like its comfortable in its skin, you know? Not that I'm a wine connoisseur or anything. Just an observation."
"That may be so but it was well said nonetheless," Regina replied, looking very pleased and very affected by Ruby's own double entendre. "I'm glad you see things my way, although I have to confess, you are much smoother than I imagined you to be."
Ruby laughed at that. "Hardly. I'm kinda bad at this to be honest." She shrugged bashfully. "Not really been a dating kinda girl. You can probably tell that because of the way I dressed tonight, but I wasn't really sure what to wear. I didn't want to overdress but I didn't want to under dress either. I just hope what I picked out is okay and I really hope that I won't embarrass myself too much tonight. But just in case, you should be prepared because I probably will."
Reaching out her hand, Regina placed it gently on Ruby's forearm, gripping lightly. It was a steady and warm pressure that felt wonderful, and which immediately relaxed her nerves.
"Just be yourself, dear," Regina said as she rubbed a few times very gently over Ruby's forearm. "That's all I expect. And I happen to already think you're an amazing woman, this coming from someone who is only just getting to know you properly. If I'm right, which I normally am, I will only be more awed as I come to know you better. As for your attire, well, I think you look lovely and I'm not saying that to be polite. I mean it."
Ruby blushed and ducked her head for long enough to take a deep breath before returning her gaze to Regina. "You look incredible, too. I mean, I think you always look incredible. Hell, you probably wake up looking incredible. But thank you for the kind words, I can't tell you how much they mean to me."
"You're welcome," Regina chuckled. "As for the rest, I'm sure you're bound to be disappointed. No one wakes up looking incredible, even me." Her eyes twinkled despite the self-disparagment. "However, if you play your cards right in the future, perhaps you'll get to see for yourself."
And with that, she stepped up into the hallway from the foyer and then sauntered away from Ruby, her hips swaying dramatically in a show that Ruby was praying was all for her. Even if it wasn't, Ruby enjoyed it immensely, feeling a coiling tension in the pit of her belly begin to spread southward until she was clenching her legs together to stifle her body's reaction.
Swearing, she turned back toward the door to collect herself. Ruby had thought that Regina's earlier proposition was as tempting of one as she had ever gotten, but the woman just had to go and one up herself. As a result, Ruby was pleasantly flustered. Her mind kept conjuring up images of what Regina would look like hovering over top of her, the warmth of her skin and the delicious weight of her body pressing down onto all the right places.
Shaking her head furiously, Ruby bit the inside of her cheek until the pain tempered her desire. She had to put away all such thoughts or her night was going to be miserable trying to contain her primal urges. It was already hard enough to be in Regina's potently sensual alpha presence without either melting into a puddle of goo or jumping her bones. If Ruby dwelt for long on the fact that Regina wanted her in such a way, her libido would quite literally run wild and she was already so turned on that she was weak at the knees.
"It takes two for a date, Miss Lucas," Regina called from down the hallway where Ruby guessed the dining room was.
"Coming," she replied after taking a series of deep, calming breaths. Stepping up onto the floor of the landing, she made her way towards where Regina's voice originated from. After rounding the corner of a doorway, she stepped into a large and open dining space. There in the middle of it a round table was set for two, covered by an expensive looking handwoven embroidered cloth and set in two places with delicate china, silverware, two fat crystalline wine glasses, and perfectly folded napkins. Gentle white candles resting in two five-stemmed silver fluted candlesticks served as the only light source, giving the room a very romantic glow.
"I hope it's to your liking," Regina said from where she stood behind one of the chairs, holding it out as she waited patiently for Ruby. "Dinner is ready but I have it on standby in the oven for the moment. Why don't you come and sit?"
Choked with emotion, Ruby wordlessly made her way over to the chair and took a seat. She was overwhelmed. No one had ever done anything like that for her. She always figured she was the kind of person people thought such gestures were wasted on. She wasn't. Despite her particular brand of dress and her monthly binges, Ruby was as much a sucker for romance as the next girl, and if anyone had ever bothered to ask her or get to know her beyond what they could get out of her, they would have realized that.
Yet here was a Regina, freely offering Ruby only ever dreamed about: being properly romanced, seduced, and lavished with attention. That Regina – a woman who could literally have any man or woman of her choosing and who just so happened to be the woman of Ruby's dreams – had chosen to show such attention to her was more than a little surreal. She felt like pinching herself to ensure she was still awake.
"I love it," she managed to reply after a moment, her voice tight as she choked back tears. "I...I'm...it's so wonderful. Thank you so much."
"Are you crying?" Regina asked after hearing a sniffle.
"No," Ruby lied, trying to surreptitiously wipe away her unshed tears. She was unable to do so before Regina knelt down next to her chair and was staring at Ruby as if worried she had done something wrong.
"Was it something I said or did?" Regina guessed, chewing her bottom lip anxiously. "Is it the candles? Too much too soon? I can take them away..."
"No, no," Ruby interrupted, "it's not that." She sniffled again as her chin trembled. Cursing herself internally, she averted her gaze so that Regina would not see this fresh wave of embarrassing emotion.
"Hey," Regina drew back Ruby's attention with a delicate finger under her chin, "you don't have to hide from me. Tell me what's wrong. Please. I want to fix it if I can."
"It's not you," Ruby said, not sure how to explain how she was feeling. "It's me. I just..." She sighed helplessly. "I'm being stupid. I'm sorry."
Regina looked so earnest that Ruby's chest ached. "It's not stupid if it's brought you to tears."
"I'm just not used to this kinda thing," she explained lamely. "The whole candles and cooking dinner for me and generally being interested in me as a person is not something I experience very often...ever really"
"Ruby," Regina sighed, looking grieved at such a pitiful statement. Ruby understood. She thought it was pretty pitiful, too.
"I know. Pathetic, huh?"
"Not at all!" Regina responded with fervency, her brows drawn together and her lips frowning as if she found the suggestion distasteful. "It's not your fault the idiots in this town can't see what's right in front of them!" Breathing through her nose, Regina allowed a smiled to grace her features as she then took Ruby's hand between both of hers and raised it to her lips. The chaste yet reverent kiss she placed there made Ruby gasp. "Luckily for me, I can see." Turning her brown eyes up to Ruby, Regina's gaze seemed to penetrate beyond the surface into Ruby's heart where her hurt was warring with her hope. "I see you, Ruby Lucas," she whispered, drawing Ruby's hands up to place another kiss on her knuckles, "and in you, I see someone who deserves to be appreciated. If you would allow me, it would be my honor to show you that in whatever way I can."
Breathless with wonderment, Ruby could only gaze at Regina, transfixed by the sudden warmth in her eyes. This was a side of Regina that Ruby had not imagined existed, a side that was romantic and thoughtful and insightful, that wanted to find someone to care for and spend herself for that person. A day ago, Ruby would have laughed off any such suggestion concerning Regina as absurd, but yesterday was over, and today, Regina was revealing a part of her heart to Ruby, laying herself more open and vulnerable than Ruby had ever seen her before. It was a humbling experience for Ruby to be someone Regina trusted enough to show this side of herself. Beyond that, it was thrilling yet terrifying in equal measure, for it exposed the fact that Ruby had the same power to hurt Regina as Regina to hurt her.
Finally, she was meeting someone on equal ground and it felt incredible. Along with that awareness came a slight amount of panic because Ruby also realized there was not going to be any taking this slow for her. She was going to fall hard and fast. Hell, she was already falling. And if what Regina had just said was any indication, the older woman was well on that same path. One part of Ruby, the cynical girl who had been hurt too many times, thought this relationship had disaster written all over it, but the other part of her, the part that still dreamed and hoped, was screaming at her to take a chance, to step out into the waters and wade in until she was completely immersed.
In the end, it was her better self that won. Ruby was tired of hurting and tired of living her life under a dark cloud of depression. She was tired of being lonely and feeling like no one really cared about her besides her Granny. For so long, she had yearned for someone, for anyone to make her feel wanted and alive, to make her feel like it was possible to be herself and be accepted for it. Here and now, with Regina, she felt at last like she had found that person and rather than being on her heel ready to run, she felt prepared to take the plunge.
Taking a steadying breath, Ruby smiled her biggest smile, her eyes watering with emotion. "I would like that very much."
Regina's resultant smile surpassed Ruby's in brightness. "I know things are moving fast, but..." Stopping, Regina flicked her eyes down to Ruby's lips and then back up before moistening her own in an inviting way that made Ruby heat up from her toes to her head. Ruby could feel her eyes dilate and her heart begin to pound.
"But?"
Worrying her bottom lip, Regina blushed. "I was wondering if you would allow me to kiss you."
Now breathing more heavily, Ruby leaned forward and down, inching her face closer to Regina's until their noses were brushing together and she could smell the sweetness of Regina's breath. Apples and cinnamon. She couldn't wait discover if Regina tasted as delicious as she smelled.
Leaning forward a fraction more, Ruby hovered her lips over Regina's. Looking into the Mayor's eyes, she saw them laden with desire.
"I would be offended if you didn't."
Without further preamble, Regina closed the gap and pressed her lips to Ruby's lips, drawing in a deep breath through her nose as they made contact. Ruby whimpered and pulled away as her senses were suddenly under assault. It felt like the instant Regina's lips touched hers she could hear everything in the entire house, every creak of the wood, and every subtle movement of the water in the pipes overhead. Her nose was being overwhelmed by various scents, such as the smell of dinner waiting in the oven (it smelled amazing), but mostly she was surrounded by the fragrances of the woman before her. The complex blend of Regina's essence and obviously growing desire was intoxicating.
"I'm sorry," Regina apologized, retreating back into herself when Ruby broke the kiss, her face a mixture of arousal and heartbreak. "That was too forward of me. I'll just go and get dinner. Please, don't let this ruin our evening."
When Regina tried to stand, Ruby reacted quickly, gripping her arm and pulling her back down. "Don't you dare," she insisted, her nostrils flaring. She felt like a woman possessed, like something deep down inside of her had been unleashed and was tearing its way to the surface, and all it wanted was Regina. It wanted to devour the woman whole, to swallow her breath and taste her skin, to lay claim on her mind, body, and soul until she was screaming out her release.
Wide eyed, Regina looked at Ruby who hadn't realized she was panting. "Are you alright?"
Nodding, Ruby leaned forward once more, nearly pained by the extremity of her want and need for the woman before her.
Regina, a voice in her head growled. My Queen. Regina, my Queen.
Not understanding what was going on, Ruby willed her mind to still and refocused her attention, though she had to concede how correct the voice was. It was like Regina had taken possession of her, had effortlessly ascended to the throne of Ruby's life to rule and reign over her heart, and all in the span of a few brief minutes. Such an abrupt development should have sent Ruby scurrying for the hills, but instead, it felt like the most natural and perfect thing in the world, as if she was exactly where she wanted – no, needed – to be.
"I won't be if you don't kiss me again," Ruby then replied, almost growling with the same low, rumbling timbre as the voice in her head.
Regina's worry melted off her face, replaced by a smugly lascivious expression. "Well," she practically purred, "we can't have that can we?"
Breathing heavily, Ruby shook her head, "No, no we can't. So kiss me dammit!"
Looking absolutely thrilled, Regina grinned. "Pushy, pushy, Miss Lucas. Tell me are you going to be this insistent in b..."
Too impatient to allow Regina to finish speaking, Ruby surged forward, pulling them both up to stand and then seized Regina's mouth in a searing kiss. Immediately, she slanted her head to deepen it, simultaneously winding her arms around Regina's shoulders and drawing her closer until they were pressed together chest to chest. A husky moan passed through Regina's chest and then reverberated its way down into Ruby's body, causing Ruby to respond with one of her own. She felt Regina's hand slide down her back to where the hem of her sweater stopped an inch above her jeans. At the very same moment those silken hands slid underneath the fabric to press against Ruby's bare flesh, the older woman thrust her tongue through the threshold of Ruby's parted lips.
Bucking forward involuntarily, Ruby felt herself grow almost painfully aroused. After a minute of heated kissing and groping, Ruby pulled away, panting loudly.
"Take me to bed, Regina," she insisted between bouts of the feverish attention Regina was paying to her flushed neck.
Forgetting all about their dinner, Ruby lost herself to the sensations Regina was eliciting from her ready and willing body. No one had ever made her feel so close to the edge of reckless abandon. Regina, it seemed, had a key to Ruby's body that was capable of unlocking whatever emotion, whatever physical reaction she wanted. Whereas most of the time such a lack of control made Ruby leery, she felt so safe with Regina that she lost all such reservations.
"With pleasure," Regina replied after finally parting from Ruby's neck. Ruby whined at the loss of contact. Chuckling, offered her hand to Ruby, her eyes smoldering furnaces of coal. "May I?"
"You may," Ruby replied in breathy wonder, still so lost in her arousal that she was not entirely certain whether or not this was real or just the greatest dream ever. If it was, she never wanted to wake up.
After taking Regina's hand, Ruby let herself be lead out of the dining room, into the hallway, and then up the stairs. The entire time, her hand never let go of Regina's and her eyes never wavered from watching the graceful woman move. It was incredible how effortlessly elegant and painfully sexy Regina was. She was, Ruby decided, the kind of woman for whom poetry was written and songs were sang, the kind that people stood in awe of and men went to war for. She was a goddess straight from Olympus who just so happened to be clad in Armani.
Once they were up the stairs, Regina lead Ruby to the end of the hallway to an open door and wasted no time in guiding them both inside. Ruby did not even get the opportunity to look around before she was being maneuvered to the side of the ridiculously large and comfortable looking bed.
With her hands on Ruby's hips, Regina quirked an eyebrow and quirked up the corner of her lips. "Shall I undress you or would you like to do so yourself."
Ruby shuddered. Could this night possibly get any better? "You."
"Mmm," Regina purred, "good answer."
Enthralled by every movement and every touch of Regina's fingers, Ruby allowed herself to be undressed. First, Regina instructed her to kick off her heels which she did promptly. Now much closer in height, Regina stepped into Ruby's personal space and brought their bodies together. Her hands slipping around Ruby's back, she leaned in for a long kiss that was deep and probing and worshipful in nature.
Sighing into the kiss, Ruby felt one of Regina's hands work its way down to rest on her jean-clad ass as the other slipped around to undo the catch of her jeans. When Ruby felt the pressure of the waistband relax, she knew the Mayor had succeeded in her goal. In very quick succession, Regina was sliding down the zipper and breaking the kiss to shimmy her way down Ruby's legs while bringing the jeans along for the ride, all the while keeping constant eye contact. It was one of the most erotic things Ruby had ever seen.
After her jeans were around her feet, Ruby stepped out of them. Unable to move or speak and completely entranced, Ruby watched as Regina traced lazy patterns with her finger tips and smoothed her palms over the skin of Ruby's calves and thighs. The feeling was phenomenal. Everywhere Regina touched, she left a trail of heat behind that unerringly worked it's way up into Ruby's belly, flooding her with warmth. Regina then proceeded to slide her hands slowly up Ruby's bare legs as she worked herself upright until she was standing once more.
Next, Regina reached up to the hem of Ruby's sweater, tucked her fingers underneath it, and then lifted the garment up until the pale flesh of her abdomen was exposed. Again, heated fingers were on Ruby's skin, causing her abdominal muscles to contract with every touch. She heard Regina hum with appreciation at the sight.
"Exquisite."
Taking her time, Regina then ran an open palm up the expanse of Ruby's stomach, pushing the sweater up ever higher as she went. Blazing brown eyes followed the progress of her hand all the way up to the curve of Ruby's breasts. Stopped there, Regina traced the outline of the sheer bra, causing Ruby to shudder and involuntarily press forward.
"Patience," Regina teased, smiling lazily. "Arms."
Ruby understood what was being asked of her and complied by lifting her arms to the ceiling. Her eyes slid shut when Regina pulled the sweater up and over her head, and then opened them once it had been removed to see the commanding woman gazing with open admiration at Ruby's almost completely revealed body. Unlike when most people got her undressed, Ruby actually felt good about being appreciated. Regina was not lewdly leering but respectfully projecting her desire.
Raising her eyes to meet Ruby's, Regina reached out once more to cup Ruby's covered breast. Moaning wantonly at the contact, Ruby leaned into Regina's hand. The touch was so gentle and reverent that it caused heat to pool low in her belly.
"My God," Regina breathed, "you are so beautiful."
"Mmm," Ruby replied, gasping as Regina brushed a thumb over a taut nipple. "So are you."
Removing her hand, Regina replaced them on Ruby's hips and then guiding them both back to the bed. With a gentle push from Regina, Ruby sat down on the edge and watched with rapt attention as Regina made quick work of her own clothes. A set of black lacy underwear was soon revealed, which accentuated every luscious curve and looked so amazing against Regina's olive skin that Ruby reached out to touch her.
Catching Ruby's hands mid-air, Regina guided the appendages to her hips and then stepped in close. After situating herself between receptively open legs, Regina then grasped Ruby's face between both hands, cupping around her ears so that Regina's thumbs were resting high on Ruby's cheeks. Looking down at Ruby, Regina's jaw-length hair fluttered forward, framing her face and casting a mysteriously heavy shadow over her features. Her eyes were pools of indiscernible emotion, fathomless, dark, and deep. Whatever it was Regina was feeling, it was momentous in nature.
Brushing her thumbs tenderly against Ruby's cheeks, Regina stepped in even closer, her back bowing inward to make contact with Ruby's front. Something shifted in the air between them, becoming more charged, more consequential, as if the world were rotating beneath the gravity of what was going on in one bedroom in Storybrooke, Maine between two magnetically attracted women.
Parting her lips, Regina breathed a heavy breath. "I'm going to make love you to now."
"Please, Regina," Ruby begged, her entire being feeling like kindling ready to be sparked by Regina's consuming flames. "Please."
With an almost otherworldly smile, Regina bent down and kissed Ruby, pouring all of her energy and all of her affection into it. Ruby melted into the other woman, surrendering herself to thoroughly attentive lips as she slid hands arms from Regina's waist to wrap them around the small of her back. Just as she imagined, the skin there was like satin under her fingertips. Parting her lips for her older lover, Ruby sighed into Regina's mouth as the older woman tilted her head to change the angle.
In that instant, with that subtle movement, something shifted again. With an influx of gravity that made it seem like the very fabric of the universe was being irrevocably altered, a mystical atmosphere descended over the room, flooding Ruby's already overloaded senses. The kiss changed, transforming into something so much more than just a physical act; rather, it seemed to Ruby like it was becoming a spiritual experience, and that her heart and soul were being permanently imprinted by the unspoken depths of Regina's passion.
Barely able to form the required coherence to do so, the brief thought flitted through Ruby's mind that of all the amazing kisses she had been on receiving end of, none compared to this. Surrounded by the enthralling, ultra-stimulating smells and tastes of the woman in her arms, Ruby gave herself over to pure instinct and emptied herself of all conscious thought, allowing every inch of her body, every facet of her being to be flooded with Regina and Regina alone.
With every languid kiss that followed, every nip of Regina's mouth and teeth on Ruby's lips and jaw and neck, Ruby was being brought back to life again as if from a slumbering coma she hadn't known she was in. And as Regina pushed Ruby back to lay across the bed, a whispered promise was made that the next few hours were going to be the most memorable of her life.
It was.