Brenda/Sharon (5)

Card Shark

Brenda had learned her lesson a long time ago, back when Sharon had started flirting with her during a game of blackjack, distracting her so badly that she didn't win a single hand. Sharon Raydor, though Brenda had thought her an easy win before the game started, was by far the best player she'd ever played.

When the boys had invited both her and Sharon to a weekly game night – their way of trying to welcome the Captain and get used to her relationship with their chief – Brenda had been thrilled by the idea. It wasn't until she sat on the sideline with Tao (he liked to watch, spurting out facts along the way), watching Sharon talk to the guys like they had been friends for years, that Brenda realized the guys had no idea what they had gotten themselves into.

Sharon only lost a few hands. Luckily, they weren't playing for money. At the end of the night, after agreeing all around that they liked having Sharon around, Sharon winked at Brenda as she smiled. She knew how much Brenda wanted the rest of them to see the side of her most people didn't get to see. If it took letting the guys win a few games, so be it. But Sharon wouldn't go as easy on them the next time. They'd have to either pick up their game or learn just why everyone considered her a card shark.

Multitasking

Sharon was sitting on the sofa reading a book when Brenda came back downstairs from taking her shower. Sharon peered up from the book, glasses perched on her nose, a small smile lifting on her lips before she looked back down. Brenda smiled and went into the kitchen, getting a glass to bring back to the sofa with her. She poured herself some of the wine Sharon had and then sat down, sipping it.

"You smell good," Sharon whispered as the smell of honeysuckle engulfed her.

Brenda smiled against her glass. She took another swallow and then put it down. She looked up at Sharon before she lifted Sharon's right arm so she could rest her head on the woman's lap. Sharon made room for her and held the book in just her left hand. Brenda took the book from her hand and held it as she looked up at Sharon.

"Read it to me," she said with a smile.

Sharon reached for her glass, and with her free hand she started running her fingers through Brenda's hair. Brenda let out a purring sound and held the book up so Sharon could read it to her. She didn't really care what the book was about. Brenda just enjoyed the nights she could come home and unwind, listening to her girlfriend read to her as she fell asleep slowly.

Sharon read and Brenda would turn the pages for her. Sharon would take a sip of wine every now and then and make circles against the blonde's scalp and untangle the ends of her hair. She enjoyed this. These were things she looked forward to at the end of the long days. Even before her relationship, a book and a glass of wine were the norm. But having Brenda's head resting in her lap only made it better.

And when the book started to fall from Brenda's hand, Sharon smiled and reached for it, closing it as she put it down on the sofa. She put her glass of wine down, knowing she should get them up and into the bed. But for a moment she would just sit there, doing nothing other than think about how lucky she was to finally have something that came naturally and made her feel complete.

Clumsy

Oil was a bad idea. Oil was a really, really, really bad idea. Sharon thinks she should have known that. Who in their right mind would give Brenda a bottle of oil to do whatever she liked with? Clearly she wasn't thinking with her brain when Brenda was pushing her up against the wall, kissing against her neck as her hand rubbed against her center through her pants, making the seam and her panties create an amazing type of friction. No, Sharon hadn't been thinking with her brain at all.

"Would you be still?!" Brenda groaned as she slipped again, her hand slipping off Sharon's back, making her fall back on top of her, grunting.

Sharon winced in pain when Brenda fell against her, making her push harder against the floor. "I am being still. How much oil did you use? There's no reason for my back to be this slippery."

Brenda groaned as she got up, re-straddling Sharon's back. "I told you it spilled," she whined as she reached for the towel to wipe the oil from Sharon's back and her arms. "The stupid bottle was too hot."

Sharon couldn't hold back the eye roll. "And who warmed it up too much?" she asked as she tried to sit up a little, but because of the mess Brenda made, she was unable to do so.

"Stop movin'," she said as she stood up. "And stop actin' like it's all my fault."

Sharon turned her head and glared at the other woman. "And just whose fault might this be?"

Brenda waved off the accusatory tone in Sharon's voice. "Lemme just put this oil back in the bathroom and, and, and we can get in the shower and clean up." Brenda turned to Sharon, an apologetic look in her eyes and her bottom lip caught between her teeth. Sharon's eyes seem to soften, most likely realizing that she couldn't stay annoyed with her when she looked at her like that. "Okay?"

"Fine," Sharon murmured, taking Brenda's hand when she offered it to help her up.

After the mess was cleaned up in the bedroom, Brenda and Sharon went into the bathroom to take the shower. Everything seemed to be fine, and Brenda was redeeming herself. But as Brenda was reaching for one of the body washes that was behind a few others, she knocked down the surrounding ones, making them fall on the shower fall and against Sharon's feet. Sharon glared at her, but Brenda apologized profusely, her big eyes apologetic as she reached down and picked up the bottles. Sharon wanted to be annoyed, but she knew Brenda was a clumsy person from the beginning. Sharon would have to just focus on all the amazing qualities that she loved about Brenda.

It Was Supposed To Be a Surprise

The smell of smoke is the first thing Sharon smells as she gets her key into her door. She rushes as she unlocks the door, quickly coming in. She's not exactly sure what she was expecting to find, but what she finds isn't it. Brenda has aggravatingly kicked the oven door shut, a pan of something in her hand that Sharon thinks was supposed to be dinner, and an annoyed look in her eyes.

Sharon's panic dissipates as she clears her throat, making the blonde jump up, turning around to face her. Her cheeks are flushed to a bright red and she has a disappointed look in her eyes. "This is a nice thing to come home to," she says with a wave of her hand and a teasing glint in her eyes.

Brenda glares at her, stomping her foot. "Your stupid oven is too hot," she complains.

Sharon has to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing as she finally enters the kitchen, looking at the temperature the oven is on. "Next time try not putting it on so high."

Brenda groans to herself. It's not like she hadn't figured out her mistake on her own not too long before. "Well, this is ruined."

Sharon, curious, looks into the pan. "What were you making?"

"Doesn't matter now. It was supposed to be a surprise for you. You know, since you wouldn't tell me when your birthday was, and I had to find out on my own and then found out it had already passed."

Sharon smiles, pulling Brenda to her. "Thank you," she whispers before placing a soft kiss to her lips. "This was sweet."

"I burnt it," Brenda reminds her, pouting.

Sharon smiles, looking over Brenda's shoulder at the evidence of the blonde's lack of cooking skills. She looks back at Brenda, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "It's the thought that counts. I appreciate it, and now this just opens up another chance for me to take you out, get you dressed up, and..." Sharon gets the smile she wants from Brenda and then leans down and kisses her on her lips.

The real surprise here is how easy it is to just love Brenda. That, she never thought would happen, but she's glad it has.

Ice Skating

Brenda grips the edge of the ice rink. When Sharon asked her if she wanted to join her on her trip to New York, she hadn't expected to end up in Rockefeller Center, trying to keep up with Sharon as she skated circles around her – both literally and figuratively. She wobbles a little on the thin blades of her skates as she watches Sharon skate to her, smiling brightly, a few tendrils of her hair framing her face. She looks so carefree and happy as she stops in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Sharon asks, smiling softly.

Brenda nods. "Skatin' isn't really for me," she admits, pulling her hand from her pocket to move the hair away from Sharon's face.

Sharon takes Brenda's hand into her own and brings it to her lips to give it a quick kiss. "Come on," she says with a tilt to her head. "Just a little longer and then we'll get you some hot chocolate."

That's more like it. Brenda eagerly takes Sharon's hand, finding her balance with Sharon's help. She looks at Sharon, catching her beautiful smile widen as she meets her eyes quickly. Brenda hasn't seen her smile so often before; so if falling on the ice a few times is what it takes to keep her girlfriend happy, she doesn't mind. Besides, she knows Sharon will always be there to pick her up.