Here it is, the third chapter! Leave your thoughts!
As always, thanks to everyone who followed/reviewed/favorited, and to my Chris for being my awesome beta.
Regina Mills did not wake up before dawn. She did not sneak out of the Mills' castle with her horse, Rocinante, to see Emma Swan. No, she wanted to go riding. After all, she wouldn't go see Emma Swan, covered in sweat after her morning run. No. She did it because she wanted to see nature in a different light. And she wanted some time alone, away from her bothersome cousin.
In fact, running across Emma Swan would have been completely accidental. At least, that was the excuse Regina was ready to give if she happened to cross paths with the blonde.
In the end, she didn't need to come up with a cover story. Emma didn't come.
Angry with everyone but herself, Regina rode Rocinante back home. Not wanting to run into family members, Regina skipped lunchtime and stayed in the stables, grooming her horse's mane until evening. It was not until Daniel, the stable boy, notified her that her grandfather and her mother had asked for her to join them for dinner that Regina reluctantly returned to the castle.
Dinner with her mother and grandfather was never a pleasant time. King Xavier and Cora were ambitious people. As the heir to King Xavier's throne, not only it was expected for Regina to marry and produce a heir, but she also needed to marry someone with money to add to the family's wealth.
"Regina, dear," her mother placed a hand over Regina's, "You are awfully quiet today."
"I apologize, mother. I'm not feeling well," she lied.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Cora feigned concern.
"Must have been the chilly weather from yesterday."
"Ah, yes. You were in the balcony when Robin and Killian caught that Swan boy," her grandfather pointed out. "Weren't you with the other Swan?"
"No," Regina lied again. "I was alone in the balcony. I don't know where the other Swan appeared from," she added. It was better if Xavier and Cora didn't learn of her shared moment with Emma.
Emma. Just thinking about the blonde made Regina's heart beat faster and her cheeks blush.
"I think you've come down with an ailment, dear," Cora pointed out, letting go of Regina's hand, "Your skin is warm. Why don't you go to your room and rest?"
Regina knew that the increase in her body temperature had nothing to do with poor health, but she was not opposed to leaving the dining room. So, she stood up and after addressing to Cora with a "Yes, mother." she bowed to her grandfather and walked towards her room.
Sleep didn't come easy to Regina that night. The young Mills kept on rolling from side to side, trying to sleep but her mind was too active, thinking about Emma. She had to see the Swan princess one more time; she had to taste those lips again.
Regina gave up on her pursuit of sleep and stared the ceiling in silence. She didn't want to go on a stroll around the castle because it would only end in unwanted attention about her insomnia.
After what it felt like a lifetime, she decided to close her eyes and try counting sheep. It was only then when she heard an almost inaudible "shit" being muttered. She opened her eyes and sat on her bed quickly wondering who would be stupid enough to break in into her room.
Her heart started beating faster when she recognized a blonde mane, which looked even paler under the moon's light.
"What are you doing here?" came as a hiss. It startled Emma, who let go of the helmet only to catch it few centimeters before it hit the ground.
"I left this here," the blonde pointed to her helmet, "So, I thought I'd get it back."
"How did you know this was my room?"
"Lucky guess."
Regina raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing Emma.
"Fine, fine," Emma raised both hands, "I might have paid a visit to one of your maids,"
"And by paying a visit, don't you mean fucked?"
"A lady like you shouldn't use such crude language, Regina," the blonde teased the brunette.
Regina huffed, clearly not amused by the banter. "Did you?" she inquired.
"In all fairness, you said you've heard stories about my adventures," Emma said, placing the helmet on a table and walking towards Regina's bed, "Are you jealous?"
"No."
Emma chuckled, "You're a terrible liar."
"And, why would you think that I'm jealous with the fact that you had sex with a maid?"
"Because," Emma climbed Regina's bed, kneeling in front of Regina, "I've heard stories about your dalliances, too," she said, running her thumb over Regina's lips, completely hypnotized by them.
"Emma." it sounded like a moan and a warning at the same time, and it made Emma crave for more.
"If you must know the truth," Emma whispered because she didn't trust her voice anymore, "David told me which one is Snow's room. I climbed to hers first and I asked her. I didn't sleep with any of your maids," the blonde explained before crashing her lips against Regina's.
Their kiss was not like the first one; it was longer and filled with passion. It made both of them feel so frantic and feverish. It also was the type of kiss that ignites every inch of your body and makes you feel alive and unstoppable.
"We… shouldn't," Regina managed to say when Emma decided to give some attention to her collarbones.
A muffled "mhm" came out of Emma's lips but she didn't stop placing kisses on Regina's neck and shoulder, being careful not to leave any marks. Regina moaned when Emma kissed a sensitive spot near her ear. Regina grabbed Emma's neck and brought the blonde closer. Slowly sliding one hand down Emma's back and the other one into the blonde's hair.
"Regina…" Emma said, pulling away for a moment to look into the brunette's eyes, "If it is alright, I would very much like to make love to you."
Regina nodded her consent, unable to articulate a coherent sentence. She had never seen such intensity in Emma's eyes. The dark emeralds conveyed so many emotions. The dark emeralds showed such fire that made Regina burn, not only with desire but with other feelings she had never experienced before.
She wondered if Emma's beautiful gaze was a privilege that only she got to enjoy, or if all of the blonde's lovers were as lucky as her. Before jealousy could invade her head, a hand made its way to open Regina's silk nightgown and all her thoughts were silenced.
Regina didn't know if her romance with Emma Swan would be forever or short-lived. But, as she realized while Emma's hands trailed down her chest, caressing her while making her way down to her nether regions, that the high she was feeling would be worth the pain.