"Miss Swan, that was wildly inappropriate!"
Regina barks angrily as she looks down at her ruined shirt in disbelief. She feels a cruel scrape against her clavicle as Emma's lips uncover her teeth; the blonde laughing huskily.
"I don't think anything about this is exactly appropri- Ah!"
Emma yelps as Regina tightens her hand around a fistful of gold and wrenches her head back forcefully; the brunette glaring into eyes that shimmer with what she suspects might be lust rather than pain.
Rather than just pain.
A smear of scarlet clings to the blonde's kiss-swollen lips, and the sparse spatter of freckles on her nose is just noticeable under such close inspection. Emma studies the Mayor testily; forbidding her eyes from watering as the grip on her hair intensifies.
"Quiet."
Regina orders, pushing the Sheriff off of her forcefully so that Emma lands on her back on the sofa. The blonde quickly pushes herself back up; crossing her legs, and looking up at the Mayor in disbelief. The brunette throws her a final scowl before turning her back and stalking away from the couch.
What the fuck! Is she serious? She only damn well went and started all this!... Whatever 'this' is...
"Regina..."
The Sheriff speaks up uncertainly. A sharp turn on stiletto heels and the Mayor faces her once again, the delicate click of the lock behind her deafeningly loud through the palpable tension. Ruined silk hangs open - the fabric pulled in places and missing several buttons - to expose a narrow swatch of soft flesh. The brunette runs a hand over the lust-marked skin of her throat and pierces the Sheriff with a dark glower.
"I don't know - nor do I wish for you to enlighten me on - what debauched activities you get up to after a bottle of cheap whisky and a night on the town, Miss Swan, but I do know that if you dare use your teeth on me one more time, you will find yourself outside in that storm so fast you won't even know what hit you..."
In spite of her perturbed tone, her hands move to her hips, and her stance is one of irritation, but the motion serves to part the fabric of her shirt further to display delicate ivory lace. The blonde trails newly exposed flesh with lust-darkened eyes, her tongue darting subconsciously over her bottom lip. From her position on the sofa, she can just about make out the flushed marks her teeth have left down the Mayor's throat; a stark contrast to the rest of her which stands as the epitome of perfection.
She understands. Regina is flawless and will not permit her to mark her.
She nods to indicate that she means to obey the rules of their game; curls falling heavily over her shoulders. She tucks her bare legs up beneath her and waits for Regina to resume her place on the sofa.
Placated, the brunette walks slowly back to her seat - heels clicking dangerously - but doesn't proceed to lower herself down onto the plush upholstery. Instead, she stands in front of the Sheriff - looking down at her with fierce brown eyes - running her hands sensually up to the front of her shirt. She slowly peels apart the ruined silk and allows the garment to drop from her shoulders in a whisper.
Emma finds herself curiously reminded of the porcelain doll owned by a young classmate a lifetime ago; the Mayor's skin redolent of that perfect, blemish-free china.
Flawless.
Faultless.
She stands up to face the brunette; hands moving to rest at the latter's waist. With Regina still in her heels, they are of exactly the same height, and dark eyes pierce her own intently. She feels unusually shy, begrudgingly in awe of the brunette's soft perfection and uncomfortably inadequate; a feeling distressingly familiar, yet no easier to accept for it. She suddenly wishes she'd kept her jeans on; the expanse of skin she has offered up for display paling in comparison to the Mayor's in more ways than one. A large bruise decorates her right thigh - a memento from a disagreement with the kitchen table a few days ago - and a splash of maroon colours the narrow bone of her shin where she's nicked herself shaving.
Sensing the blonde's uncharacteristic hesitation, Regina captures her lips; softly this time. She moves her body slightly, hinting that she will permit the younger woman's hands to explore. Her encouragement is rewarded when cool fingers run softly over her sides and back before stroking her ribs. She lets out a small sigh and Emma grins into their kiss.
"Ticklish?"
She teases, and in their current position, her words play gentle breath over the Mayor's lips. Regina opens one eye irritably and trails a finger lightly up the soft flesh of Emma's inner thigh, forcing the blonde to take an involuntary step back, shivering.
"No more than you, it would seem."
"I'm not ticklish, you just surprised me!"
The Sheriff counters, and Regina rolls her eyes at the younger woman's persistent stubbornness, despite privately discovering a growing taste for the blonde's ever-combative tongue.
"Really, dear? You stand here half-naked and willing, and it surprises you that I would desire to touch you?"
She challenges, and Emma gives a noncommittal shrug of indifference, but a deep blush creeps delicately over her cheeks in response to the Mayor's words. She swiftly strives to shatter the moment and pulls Regina into a harsh kiss; her body flush with the darker woman's bare torso. The brunette runs her finger up the Sheriff's thigh once again - much more deliberately this time - before continuing further to cup the blonde through delicate lace. Emma stiffens instantly at the intimate contact but doesn't pull away.
They stand like that for a couple of beats; each acutely aware of the other's breathing and heat. Regina doesn't move her fingers - just keeps them pressed against the blonde's centre - and the Sheriff gradually allows herself to relax. Emma eventually glides her own hand up the smooth skin of the Mayor's back and unclasps her bra with a flick of her wrist. She braces herself for whatever wrath this decision may incur, but her only penance is a delicate kiss to the side of her mouth. Their close proximity keeps the garment in place; held up between Regina's chest and her own.
The Mayor moves her fingers gently against the damp lace at the blonde's core; relishing the feeling as the latter trembles against her. Emma lets out a shuddered breath and wills herself to step away; allowing Regina's bra to drop to the floor. She takes another step back to better her view. The Mayor rests her hands on her hips; brazenly allowing the Sheriff's gaze to travel the perfect curves of her body. The blonde catches her lip between her teeth, causing Regina to smirk.
"I have a face, you know."
"Yeah, but I've seen that already."
Emma's eyes don't even flicker as she speaks and the Mayor scoffs at her humorously
"I won't bother asking you if you like what you see. If you were any more obvious, you'd be drooling."
"So don't."
Emma shrugs, stepping close once again and finding the clasp of the Mayor's dress pants, but Regina taps her hands away bossily.
"Oh no, Miss Swan, it's your turn to show and tell."
The darker woman reprimands, and Emma rests her hands on her hips irritably, throwing the brunette a disgruntled look. Her annoyance is simply smoke and mirrors for the unease she truly feels. Despite their spattering of bruises, she knows her legs are lean, coltish, and pleasing to the eye. She has always been more self-conscious about her upper body, and her current competition seems hellishly unfair.
Regina senses a shift in the Sheriff's demeanour and studies the younger woman curiously. She recalls her brief exploration of Emma's midsection - unbeknownst to the blonde herself - which had revealed those painfully damning silver stretch marks and the cruel scarring below her ribs. The sudden wave of understanding she feels surprises her almost into disgust, but she knows the younger woman won't stand for being coaxed out of her clothes with kindness anyway.
"Don't tell me you've lost your nerve, Sheriff."
The baits her opponent, and her words have the effect she knew they would as Emma throws her a withering look before pulling her tank top over her head. The blonde shakes out her hair and stands with her hands on her hips; her combative stance daring Regina to criticise her further. The lean muscle that lines her slender frame suggests the Sheriff may not be the best person to aggravate. Not that the Mayor could find many words of fault even if she'd wished to do so. She offers the younger woman a coy smile, before taking her hand and pulling her into the centre of the room; proceeding to stalk around her in an excruciatingly slow circle, drinking her in.
As with her legs, the Sheriff's torso is pale, smooth, and dappled with various freckles and marks. Her slight frame showcases both her bone structure and musculature pleasingly, and she allows Regina to continue her circle of observation uncomfortably but patiently. She holds herself awkwardly, unsure what to do with her hands; ending up with one in a tight fist at her side while the other hovers self-consciously over the scar above her stomach.
"Do you want to talk about how you got it?"
"No."
"Then I won't ask."
The Mayor replies simply. With that, firm hands push the blonde back towards the sofa, and when the backs of her knees make contact, she falls down with a yelp; eyes locked with the dark coals glittering above her. Regina stands with her shins pressed against the lip of the sofa - her legs between Emma's - smiling down at the blonde salaciously. She closes her eyes and runs her hands up into her hair and down her neck to cup her breasts, letting out a soft moan, before trailing her nails lightly down her stomach to find the clasp of her dress pants. Peering down through sooty lashes, she proceeds to finger open the clasp and let the expensive material fall to the floor. Stepping neatly out of her heels, she bends down to catch the blonde's awe-parted lips.
Their kiss deepens, and Regina shoves abruptly at the Sheriff's shoulders; forcing her down so that she lies on her back. The brunette smirks at the small sound of indignation that escapes the blonde's throat; straddling slim thighs and leaning down to capture Emma's bottom lip with her teeth.
The blonde breaks their kiss and trails her attention further south. The Mayor tenses - ready to scold harshly if bitten - but the Sheriff merely presses the flat of her tongue where before she had used her teeth; causing the brunette's pulse to race.
Ivory silk presses down over red lace as the Mayor runs her fingers through messy curls; eyes closed as Emma continues her heated exploration of her clavicles. After a while, she repositions herself slightly; wriggling until the sharp peak of the blonde's hipbone presses where she needs it most.
"Fuck..."
Gravelly laughter into the hollow of her throat and she pushes herself up to regard the Sheriff with a scowl.
"Something funny, Miss Swan?"
She demands, and Emma simply grins back up at her smugly; eyes flashing mischievously in the dying light of the fire. Regina pounces suddenly forward, nipping at soft flesh through cheap blue fabric.
"Regina!"
The blonde's hips buck up in surprise as her body jerks in reaction to Regina's teeth, causing the darker woman to groan softly before smirking down at her prey.
"Take it off or I'll do that again."
The Mayor orders.
"You say that like it's a threat..."
Emma breathes, and Regina raises a brow in surprise, before lowering her mouth with explicit purpose and biting down hard on the fragile bow of the Sheriff's clavicle, watching as the younger woman shivers with pained pleasure. The blonde's breathing quickens as she grazes her fingers over Regina's thighs. Finally pulling away, the Mayor studies the younger woman's face with something akin to wonder; green eyes clamped shut, and lips parted wantonly.
"...Take it off, Sheriff, or I won't do that again."