"... Are you sure you have no interest in running me a bath?"
The brunette raises a brow, studying the Sheriff intently from her position in the doorway. Emma returns her gaze cooly; fully aware of the way the Mayor's dark eyes flicker favourably over her semi-clad form. She decides she doesn't much care; pushing herself up from the bed while subsequently offering the older woman a better view of her bare legs. Regina runs her tongue over her bottom lip, admiring the gap between the blonde's thighs and the simple black cotton to which it leads.
"I suppose I ought to make sure you clean that head wound sufficiently."
Her response is snide and she mimics Emma's shrug as though she spares the notion little interest. This lack of sentiment is easily overlooked, however, as both women know it's just a formality at this point. Emma smiles and pads towards the doorway, gesturing that the Mayor should proceed down the iron steps. Regina complies, wondering if she should call Sydney to let him know that her meeting looks to be taking a little longer than expected and that she'll be back later than arranged to relieve him of watching Henry. She decides this really isn't her problem and doubts the ex-reporter has anywhere he needs to be.
"Which way?"
She asks as she reaches the bottom of the stairs, casting an inquisitive glance back at the Sheriff who stands a few steps behind her. Emma points to a door to the left and the darker woman leads them through, finding herself in the small, lavender-scented bathroom the two younger women share.
A modestly sized clawfoot tub centres the room, with tarnished gold framework protruding up and around it to allow for a pair of lilac curtains to be pulled shut in a waterproof cocoon. The need for this becomes apparent when the Mayor notes there's no separate shower, but instead, just a handheld version attached to the bath. A mismatched hook has been welded to one of the gold bars and she supposes that when settled within this cradle, the shower head is at the perfect height to wash one's hair.
A white mat lies between the bath and toilet, leaving the unfinished wood in front of the basin and laundry hamper bare. Upon a rust-speckled shelf adorning the far wall rests an artillery of bath products; neatly separated into two sections. The collection of bottles on the righthand side is primarily pink and purple in hue and is comprised of a great many flowery and fruity concoctions. The smaller selection to the left is either nihilistic in design or strangely ornate, and seems to be predominantly honey and vanilla scented, or simply labelled 'odourless'.
Regina needs no clue as to which section belongs to which woman.
Feeling ever so slightly foolish, she makes her way over to the tub and turns the rusty taps to initiate a shuddering stream of hot water. She tests its temperature with the back of her hand in a way she hasn't done since Henry was an infant and deems it to be hot but not scaldingly so. Turning back to the blonde as she waits for the tub to fill, she primps at the invisible creases in her dress pants before fluffing her hair.
Emma stands with her backside rested against the sink and watches as the Mayor goes about fixing her a bath. She hadn't been sure how literally Regina would take her suggestion, and she raises a brow at the way the darker woman tests the water. She watches as the brunette makes her way over to the shelf that holds the bath products and feels a twitch at the corner of her lips as the Mayor deliberates over the selection before reaching for a bottle of almond-scented bubble bath and a bar of vanilla and orange-blossom soap. Both these items are two of her favourites, but she keeps her mouth shut.
Soon, the scent that fills the bathroom is sweet and inviting and a thin layer of steam rises from the water. Regina turns to the Sheriff inquisitively, and the younger woman offers her a small nod.
Emma pulls her sweater up over her head, along with the shirt she wears beneath, and the Mayor muses that no matter what state of play their relationship finds itself in, the blonde's lean physique is a sight she will find eternally exquisite. She watches the Sheriff expectantly as the younger woman stands in just her bikini briefs and an uncharacteristically pink bra.
"Shy?"
She teases, and Emma glances at her irritably before removing her underwear; leaving just the shocking white flash of the plasters covering her knees. She raises an eyebrow at the brunette who drinks in the finished product hungrily and takes a step toward her.
"You aren't joining me?"
She asks, and Regina spares the modest tub a wary glance before looking back at her with a smirk.
"My dear, I fear you may be overestimating the capacity of the bath somewhat."
The Sheriff shrugs, and again the Mayor is struck by how endearingly boyish the younger woman can be in contrast to pretty curls and feminine features.
"We can top and tail."
Emma suggests as she climbs into the tub, shivering slightly as the blissfully hot water turns her pale skin pink. She lowers herself down into the liquid warmth until the lather of bubbles covers her from the chest down.
"Plenty of room."
She lifts her leg up out of the water pointedly, unsurprised when her suggestion receives little more than a frown of disdain.
The brunette moves to perch on the edge of the tub, looking down at the Sheriff cooly. Privately, she decides that she prefers the blonde's bare-faced look - or, just bare look in general - but she's not about to go and tell Emma this. Instead, she plucks a lilac washcloth from its place draped between the taps and dabs its tip repeatedly into the warm water of the bath. She pauses before putting it to use, however, deciding that the almond-scented body wash is unlikely to be the best choice for cleaning the blonde's wound. Pushing herself up and considering the blonde's bath products once again, she finds an odourless, antiallergenic liquid soap and squirts some onto the flannel. Rubbing it into a lather between her thumb and forefinger, she reclaims her previous position perched on the tub's side.
"This will probably sting a little."
She warns, using her free hand to scoop back the Sheriff's hair as she rubs gently at the thin laceration to the blonde's temple. Her actions cause the injury to start bleeding again, and Regina finds herself feeling inwardly smug as she notes that the prissy purple cloth in her hand is now stained with a swatch of maroon. She also notes the way Emma grips the sides of the tub tightly, and she eases up her rubbing until she just dabs at the cut.
"Well... At least you're pretty much cleaned up..."
She sighs, and the Sheriff glances up at her awkwardly, aware that the darker woman's reason for staying has now been rendered void. Her eyes travel the intelligent lines of the Mayor's face and deliberate on the small nick to her upper lip. She has an intense urge to run her tongue across that small imperfection and shakes her head as though to will it away.
Beautiful.
Deciding she doesn't really give much of a fuck whether the brunette catches her cold, Emma suddenly pushes herself up and pulls the darker woman into a wet embrace; finding her lips and running her tongue over the scar before demanding access.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! I'm soaked!"
Regina steps back from the tub with her hands splayed in disbelief, allowing the blonde to take in the sopping wet fabric covering her chest. The Sheriff contemplates this curiously; her tongue darting out to wet her bottom lip as she takes in the clear shadow of the brunette's bra beneath her shirt. She raises an eyebrow and smirks impishly
"Well, you're wet now, you may as well get in with me..."
The darker woman offers her a long-suffering sigh as she plucks at the sodden material of her shirt. Emma waits expectantly, but the Mayor seems preoccupied with sulking in her bemusement and ignores her suggestion. The blonde relishes the way this causes the brunette to purse her lips as her dark eyes flash angrily. Coming to the realisation that Regina has no intention of sharing a quick soak, she climbs swiftly from the bath and presses the darker woman up against the sink; her naked form soaking the Mayor's clothes instantly as she wraps her arms around her shoulders.
"Really, Sheriff..."
Regina mutters, disgruntled, into the blonde's ear, but her hands find the younger woman's waist instinctively, and she searches out her lips with aggressive need. Running her tongue over Emma's, the Mayor groans as deft fingers slip between her legs; playing maddening patterns over the expensive fabric of her dress pants.
The blonde moves both hands to the Mayor's pleasantly rounded backside and cups firm flesh momentarily, before lifting her to sit perched on the lip of the basin and manoeuvring herself to stand between gently parted legs. She studies fine features for a moment, before moving her attention to the smooth skin of the darker woman's throat; letting out a hiss when Regina drags her nails roughly down her back.
Regina moves her hand between them so that her fingers brush against the blonde's exposed sex, causing the younger woman's breath to hitch. The position allows her knuckles to rub deliciously against her own covered heat and she gives a quiet moan of approval as she begins to move her hand at a steady pace, returning her lips to Emma's and leaning into the younger woman's touch as the latter begins to undo the buttons to her shirt.
Once her task of relinquishing Regina from her blouse is complete, the blonde moves her hands to cup perfect breasts; her thumbs playing teasingly over peaked nipples. She grins as the brunette groans against her lips, before letting out her own gasp of pleasure as Regina slips a couple of fingers inside her.
Murmuring into the mass of golden curls that fall against her cheek, the Mayor increases the speed of her fingers while her other hand presses softly against the blonde's stomach.
"You had me a little worried, Miss Swan; disappearing into the night the way you did. The way you looked... The way you look... Bad things can happen to a pretty girl, even in this sleepy town..."
"Did you just admit to being worried about me and call me pretty in the same sentence?"
Emma chuckles breathlessly.
"Mmm, I hope you appreciated it, Sheriff, because I can promise you such a slip of judgement won't happen again."
"Just admit it; you like me."
"Don't ruin this now... Dear."
Regina scolds, wrapping her legs around the Sheriff's waist and speeding up her ministrations until she feels the blonde sag into her; knees buckling with pleasure as she lets out a hoarse groan into the flushed flesh at the brunette's sternum. Regina bucks her hips once, twice, and lets out a choked cry as her hands fly into Emma's hair and she pulls the younger woman's lips to her own; their teeth clashing clumsily in the afterglow of pleasure.
As her breathing slows, Regina leaves one last, lingering kiss on the blonde's lips before pushing her away. Emma pulls a towel swiftly around herself, shaking out her long hair of which the bottom two inches hangs wet from dragging in the bath water. Looking up, she smirks as the brunette casts her eyes down to survey the water damage sustained to her clothing. With a coy grin, the Sheriff places her hand on her hip and regards the older woman with mischievous intent.
"Never mind. You'll just have to borrow something."
She grins, mimicking Regina's previous threat.