Chapter 31

Dinner was delightful. Jane's cooking abilities were clearly understated. Conversation was light, casual and in abundance. Jane got Constance discussing her next installation and after that the topics flowed freely for the remainder of the evening. Dessert and coffee was enjoyed on the terrace. The evening had turned out to be quite lovely.

As the evening wound down, Constance excused herself to retire to the guestroom. Maura got up to make sure she was situated and Jane made her way towards the kitchen to tackle the dishes from dinner. Maura returned to the kitchen after a few minutes.

"Jane, I'll take care of the dishes. It's the least I can do. Dinner was fantastic."

Jane, not needing to be told twice, stepped aside and let Maura replace her near the sink. "Be my guest, Doc," she said with a smile.

"You've been holding out on me. If I'd known you could cook like that I'd never had placed Regina Pizzeria on my speed dial."

"I reserve cooking for special occasions. Our last night in New York just happens to qualify. And don't even think about taking Regina's off your speed dial."

Maura chuckled as she continued to load the dishes in the dishwasher. Jane poured Maura another glass of wine and then grabbed a beer from the refrigerator for herself. She then leaned up against the island in the middle of the kitchen. "So, no shopping today, huh?"

"No shopping today." Jane waited for an explanation. "We started talking in the cab and then really started talking. It seemed better to just go sit and talk instead of trying to shop."

"Heavy subject matter I assume?"

Maura nodded.

Jane, taking in Maura's slight mood change, proceeded cautiously. "Want to talk about it?"

Maura was quiet for a second. "Would you mind if we didn't? I'm kind of talked out for today."

"I don't mind at all. I just hope talking helped you both. You seemed more relaxed around each other all through dinner so clearly some things went ok today."

"It was a good day just long and a little draining."

"Well then, let's finish the clean up here and get you to bed," Jane didn't even try to hide the not so subtle message in that statement.

Maura chuckled lightly again. "Why Detective, are you flirting with me?"

"I have no idea what you are referring to, Doctor," Jane said with a wicked smile. She did, however, seem to take a new interest in the clean-up process and between the two of them it was finished in no time.

Jane leaned back up against the island and took a swig of her beer. Maura settled in beside her letting her shoulder rest up against Jane's. The sudden closeness sent shivers through both ladies. Maura looked at Jane who had a content smile on her face. Both were at ease. As new as all of this was, they had not yet found a moment where the natural comfort between the two had waivered.

Maura leaned her head onto Jane's shoulder and sighed. "Tired?" Jane asked.

"Physically, no. Mentally, yes. It's been a long couple weeks."

"Are you sure you want to go back tomorrow? I'm sure you can extend your time off and I have no set deadline for returning. Maybe you need a few days to rest without all the complications."

"No, it's time to go home. We both have a life to get back to Jane."

Jane had started to trace small circles on Maura's back as they spoke. The touch resonated for them both and the touch felt electric. Jane shifted her body towards Maura and leaned in for a kiss. Their lips met in a steady but passionate kiss. They held the kiss for a time. Breaking away to catch their breath, Maura rested her forehead onto Jane's.

Maura was struck by the softness of Jane's lips. Soft and gentle but capable of delivering a passionate message with ease. The feel of her lips up against Jane's was a sensation she had never felt before. She had heard language around the notion of a 'spark' in reference to a kiss but had never had any personal experience that would qualify. That was until her lips had found Jane's. No biology or physiology could account for her reaction to a kiss from Jane.

As if on cue, Jane leaned in for another kiss this one with a growing intensity. She felt Maura's hand rise up and caress her cheek and she shifted her hand to weave into Maura's hair. Jane ran her tongue across Maura's bottom lip and it took no time for Maura to allow entry. She released a soft moan that Jane found irresistible.

"I swear I could get very used to a sound like that," Jane whispered as they broke from the second kiss. Jane was savoring the taste of Maura's lips and her tongue, sweet with just a lingering hint of red wine. She definitely could get used to the taste of Maura.

Maura couldn't help but blush. "I'm certain I could get used to this," she whispered back and proceeded to run a trail of soft kisses down Jane's neck. Jane released a soft moan of her own.

"Bed?" Jane suggested.

Maura raised her eyebrow with a sly smile. "Jane…"

"I meant for sleep, Maura." She couldn't help but smile.

"Oh…"

Jane smiled. She straightened up breaking the contact between them. Quickly missing the feel of Maura's skin she laced her fingers into Maura's hands.

"Call me old fashioned but there's absolutely no way I can even think about sleeping with you with your mother right down the hall."

The sincerity of Jane's words and the absolute truth behind them hit Maura quickly with a mental picture so entertaining she burst out laughing. Having an issue controlling her laughter she at least got it to a giggle to respond. "A very valid point," and then she laughed again. "I believe that would pose a significant distraction."

"Not a distraction but definitely something resembling a poorly conceived after-school special."

"After school special?" asked Maura now completely confused.

"Really Maura, how did you get through your teenage years without all the appropriate after school PSAs?"

Maura's look remained confused. "Jane, I spent my teenage years in Europe. I feel I need a translation here. PS what?"

Jane laughed again. "PSA- Public Service Announcement. After school specials were these horribly written and acted hour long TV specials geared at teaching valuable life lessons to teenagers. Topics ranged from drug use to eating disorders to pregnancy. They were really quite awful but someone somewhere decided that was the best way to educate teens in the US before the creation of the Internet."

Maura nodded a half understanding. "Never mind Maura maybe I can find one on Netflix. I have a feeling you would appreciate them if you could see one. Now, like I was trying to say, shall we head to bed before this," and she stole another kiss from Maura, "starts to get out of hand and I test my resolve about the proximity of your mother."

Maura conceded. They made their way towards the bedroom. Upon entering she noticed Jane had successful thrown her piles of clothes into her open carry-on bag. "I see you've packed," she snickered.

"I was going to try to handle your packing but quickly admitted I would be in over my head there," she pointed to Maura's closet. "I know how you are about wrinkles. So I decided it was best for you to handle your clothes yourself. You'll have time in the morning to pack."

Maura nodded in appreciation. She would have been extremely bothered if Jane had attempted to pack her things in the same manner she was used to treating her own wardrobe. "I'm glad you realized it was a task that was beyond your comfort zone. Jane, all kidding aside, we really should talk about us."

Jane nodded, "I know we need to. We will. But I think you have talked enough today and you said yourself you are mentally drained. We have a three and a half hour train ride back to Boston tomorrow. It'll be just you and me. Why don't we both get some sleep and we can figure out all of this together tomorrow."

Maura yawned and nodded in agreement. They both got ready and climbed into bed. Maura curled herself up into Jane and Jane's arm rested around Maura's shoulder. It was a very nice way to end their last night in New York.