Maura opened the door, and Jane followed her in.
"Can I get you a drink Jane? I have a nice wine here, but I wonder whether you would prefer a beer?" Maura asked, as she moved towards the fridge.
"A beer sounds great, thanks".
Maura poured herself a glass of red, and levered the cap off the bottle of beer.
"what kind of glass do you prefer Jane?"
"just the bottle Is good, thanks Maura".
Jane took a long pull on the beer, before suddenly creasing her face in disgust, and looking like she was about to vomit. She frantically looked around for the sink, before managing to compose herself enough to swallow. She started coughing a bit of beer that had ended up in her lungs in her distress. Maura looked horrified.
"Jane, Jane, are you okay"
Spluttering Jane looked at the beer bottle. "What is this Maura? It tastes like pine floor wash"
They looked at the label. Dogfish head 90 minute IPA.
"When I was at the wine shop, I asked them to recommend a beer for you. I said you liked beer. They said this was one of the best known US craft beers worldwide".
Jane smiled at her
"so you got the beer just for me? You don't normally touch beer?"
"Yes Jane."
"I appreciate the thought Maura. Can I just mention, if you're still interested in beer shopping for me in the future, I like my beer cold, wet and fizzy. No crazy hops, no pine floor wash, no yeast from some brewer's beard and….never bought on the advice of some hipster with a bushy beard. Just Bud, or coors or blue moon. Just beer. Not something some artisan has gone crazy with"
"Thank you Jane. I had no idea. If you spend a bit more on wine, it usually gets smoother, better integrated, easier to drink in other words. It seems beer is a bit different"
"yeah, I think beer comes in two types. Beer, the fizzy, thirst quenching alcoholic beverage I know and love. Then there is craft beer, an interesting taste experience. I'm not particularly classy myself sorry, I just like a nice cold one"
"Jane, that's fine. I just wanted you to feel welcome and comfortable here."
"so, do you buy beer in the hopes of luring women back to your house often Maura?" Jane asked, the catch in her throat from the spluttering having passed enough she could do some imitation of sultry
"not often Jane. In fact I can't think when last"
"I find that hard to believe Maura, you're so beautiful, I can't imagine you don't have dozens of suitors"
"I'm flattered you would think that Jane but….half the people that show an interest just seem to be interested in my family connections, the other half seem interested in my looks or my job, but I put them off when I start talking and go a bit overboard discussing my passions. And then there are the people that I get set up with. My goodness. Some of them have been beyond awful. No Jane, until recently I had been beginning to think I wasn't going to do any more dating"
"and then"
"well then a tall, dark stranger appeared in one of my cases and…."
Jane raised an eyebrow
"so would that be the tall, dark stranger in your kitchen right now, with so little sophistication you buy her a fancy beer and she nearly spits it across your kitchen?"
"of course Jane"
"can I kiss you now?"
"I've been waiting all night for you to ask that"
Jane closed the gap between them. She could feel her heart racing. She leaned towards Maura and ran her left hand over Maura's cheek, before gently tilting Maura's chin up, moving Maura's face to an angle to meet her own. Their lips touched, and she felt Maura pull a hand through her hair, pulling her in. Mouths now opening, she felt Maura's tongue against her own, and felt the kiss as if with her whole body. She broke off for breath and smiled radiantly at Maura. "Wow. Do you feel that?"
"I definitely feel that Jane" Maura smiled as she reached up behind Jane's head to pull her back down again. As their lips touched, Jane felt both in exactly the right place, and almost overwhelmed at the same time. The most fascinating woman she had ever met was right there, kissing her passionately and it felt amazing. Jane suddenly realised Maura's other hand was running up and down the small of her back, and then felt Maura untuck the back of her shirt and run her hand underneath on to bare skin. She gasped against Maura and broke off the kiss. She gently placed her hand over Maura's and pulled it out from under her shirt. She smiled at Maura and in a husky voice managed "hon, you need to stop now, or I am not going to be able to"
"I don't mind Jane. You don't have to stop"
"Yeah Maura, I do. I'm torn between thinking this is a bizarre dream and some time I'm going to wake up and realise that the most gorgeous woman I have ever met is not offering to make me very happy in real life, and if that is going to happen, maybe I should just dive in whilst I can….but I am desperately hoping that this is real, and this is more than just a one-night stand, so hard as it, I am going to step away right now."
Maura's face fell.
"so you know what you mean to me. and I'd love that, but it's way more than just, ah, that. And Maura, you can still get me that drink, maybe I'll stick to wine though rather than your crazy beer. And I would love to cuddle up with you on your couch and get to know you better" Jane smiled wryly, then remarked with a pleasantly exasperated tone "I can't believe I just said I would love to cuddle. What are you doing to me?". This brought the smile back to Maura's face, and she poured a second glass of wine, handed it to Jane, and waved her over towards the couch. Jane sat, a little awkwardly, a little apart, before Maura ventured "I thought you wanted to cuddle up on the couch?". Jane shimmied along a little and slid her right arm around Maura, left still holding the glass. Maura dropped her head in to the crook of Jane's shoulder and sighed happily. However, Maura didn't settle in to position, wiggling her hips a couple of times, leading Jane to ask "are you uncomfortable?"
"No Jane. Well yes and no. The seating arrangement is just fine, I just got a bit aroused when you were kissing me. It will be fine. I just need to think about something else. Something dull maybe"
"Heck I'm sorry Maura, I didn't mean to get you…ah…hot and bothered" Jane flushed, "maybe I should go"
Maura held on to Jane's shirt. "No Jane. Look, it isn't your behaviour. It's just you. I have been thinking about you for weeks. I don't think you realise the effect you have on me. And that's good. I don't remember getting this excited about someone in, well I don't remember. And I am good to wait. I want this to work out too. I just wish I was better at lying, so I didn't answer that question and this wasn't awkward right now. But please, just sit with me. It feels wonderful to sit with you. Shall I put on some TV. Maybe a documentary. Some distraction"
Maura flicked on the TV. They heard David Attenborough's deep tones "and then to show her interest, the female marmoset bends over in front of...". As Maura quickly changed channel she then laughed
"oh this should be good. Look. Autopsies. Don't you find autopsies fascinating Jane? If I hadn't done law, I did wonder about medicine so I could be a medical examiner but..."
"ah Maura, could you please turn that off?"
"why Jane" before looking up and seeing a very pale looking Jane Rizzoli. "Jane, do you have a problem with autopsies? But you're a doctor, surely with medical school and..."
"My group-mates got me a chair Maura. When we went down to the morgue, I looked so inclined to faint they would get me a chair. Why do you think I ended up a psychiatrist?"
"Oh Jane, that is too cute, a squeamish Doctor"
"Yeah, nah. Cute is the last thing I would call it. Embarassing. Humiliating. Frustrating. Could be worse though. My colleague Frost, he vomited several times in the morgue."
Maura smiled "look maybe the TV wasn't such a good idea. But you still need to get me thinking less inappropriate thoughts. Tell me the most dull thing you have done all week"
Jane frantically thought, "Paperwork. Have I ever talked to you about the joys of billing insurers? No? Well you are in for a treat…"
Maura chortled as Jane then broke in to a monotonous voice, detailing different codes different insurers used for various conditions. She nestled in further, occasionally peppering Jane's neck with little kisses. Jane placed occasional kisses on Maura's forehead. More settled, they chatted amicably about various interests. Jane suddenly looked down at her watch and realised it was all but 1am.
"goodness Maura, the evening has melted away. It is after midnight. I'd best head for home"
"Do you have plans for tomorrow?"
"Laundry, walking Jo Friday, talking to my Mother. Otherwise good. Yourself?"
"I cleared the weekend Jane. I was a bit hopeful tonight would go well, and well, you would be here Saturday morning to plan a day with". She offered Jane a hopeful smile that Jane couldn't help but find adorable.
"I could call you first thing tomorrow?"
"I'd love that…or you could sleep here tonight…nothing more than snuggling I promise, but I would love to lie with you", again the adorable smile.
"I, uh, I don't have any pyjamas or anything and…"
"No problem Jane, I can lend you some boxers and a T if that is okay with you"
Jane found her head nodding, which resulted in an ever wider smile from Maura. Meantime her mind was asking how she expected this to work. She'd never stayed over with a date before just cuddling. How could she fall asleep lying beside this woman? Maura wasn't the only one feeling a bit "uncomfortable" this evening.
But, before she knew it, and with only a little awkwardness, she found that she had changed in to Maura's silky boxers and a loose gym Tshirt in Maura's ensuite and found herself padding towards Maura's bed. "ah, where would you like me?" she asked.
"Jane just come lie down, and we'll pretend we're on the couch, it's just a flat couch" and she soon found herself lying on the bed, with Maura curled up in the crook of her shoulder again. They shared gentle caresses and talked quietly about not much until the conversation gently petered out and Jane drifted off to sleep.