Connie stood at the kitchen sink, turning a corkscrew into the neck of a bottle of wine whilst she stared at the window before her.
Beyond she could just make out the dead stalks of plants bristling and shivering in the wind as they tapped against the glass.
In no time at all, she thought,winter would pass and spring would come. Then the perennial borders in her back garden would be thick with rosy-pink foxgloves and cream-coloured lilies, each of which would hang like a pendant, collecting dew on it's satiny petals, and the roses about her windows and back door would shiver with the cool silver light of lengthening spring evenings.
She blinked, and saw herself in the window instead. Her hair was loose and her lips parted as she flexed her arm and pulled the cork free from the bottle in one swift movement.
"You've done that before."
Rita murmured, allowing her fingertips to come to rest on Connie's hips as she stood behind her, standing on tip-toes to peer over the other woman's shoulder.
"Far too often."
Connie smiled, and she placed the corkscrew down on the draining board before turning, bottle in hand so that she faced Rita.
The nurse shivered, her hair was still damp from the rain and she moved closer, holding Connie there against the work top, the cool of the sink against her lower back.
"Are you cold?"
Connie asked, holding the bottle to the side so that it wasn't between them.
"Little bit."
She answered, enjoying the warmth that emanated from the other woman.
Connie looked thoughtful for a moment. She pursed her lips and raised her free hand to smooth Rita's hair, slipping her fingers about the soft skin behind her ear and running it down along to her shoulder.
"I have an idea."
She said finally, a smile behind her eyes and Rita looked up at her, the corners of her lips upturned, and her eyes so dark and beautiful.
"Do you now?"
She asked, her voice barely a whisper, and without a word she stepped back, allowing Connie to gather the wine glasses, and to lead her through the hallway and up onto the top floor.
She opened the door to her bedroom and made her way directly to the en suite where she set the glasses and bottle down on the side of the bath.
Rita followed her, pausing in the doorway. The small bathroom was cast in a dim yellow glow from the bedside lamp in the bedroom beyond.
"A bath?"
She asked, as Connie leant over the large enamel coated bath to turn the taps on.
"Well spotted."
Connie glanced over her shoulder as she spoke, and Rita rolled her eyes, enjoying the way Connie's top fell away from her body as she reached for a glass bottle of pearly pink liquid that she poured into the water. It foamed up immediately and gave off the scent of lilacs.
She replaced the bottle upon the shelf above the bath and turned back to face Rita. Slowly she reached behind herself for the single button that fastened her top. She slipped it free of it's loop and took hold of the hem of the blue material, raising it up and off from her body, folding it loosely and placing it on the surface next to the sink.
Rita watched, her mouth open, her eyes unashamedly watching as Connie reached behind herself for the clasp of her bra.
"Are you going to join me?"
She asked, pausing, a perfect look of innocence within the green of her eyes.
Rita swallowed and licked her lips, realising how dry they were suddenly, and she gave a nod and cleared her throat.
Connie unclipped the clasp at her back whilst Rita fumbled with the buttons of the shirt she wore, her fingers seemingly useless, her brain forgetting how to perform such a simple task.
Connie slipped the straps from her shoulders, and carefully she removed her bra, and with a look of pure nonchalance she placed it alongside the folded top.
"Let me help you with that..."
She murmured, stepping forwards and reaching out to unbutton Rita's shirt whilst the nurse struggled against the heat that rose and prickled at her cheeks as she glanced down at Connie's chest, how sparsely freckled the skin was there, how soft it looked and how full her breasts were.
Connie's fingers slipped beneath each button of her shirt, popping them free one by one until the fabric hung loose and was easily pushed from her shoulders and tugged free from her wrists.
As soon as the fabric slipped to the floor, Connie's hands were at her back, releasing the clasp with such gentle movements , and she ran her fingers beneath the straps at her shoulders and lowered her bra until she was holding it, dropping it to the floor at her feet.
All the while the bath was running, the sound of water rumbled and splashed, the bubbles crackling and popping as they neared the rim of the bath tub and the whole room was dimly foggy and hung with the sweet smell of flowers.
With hands damp from the hot air in the room, Connie drew Rita towards her, and when their upper bodies touched for the first time, neither one of them could do little more than shudder into one another, nipples stiffening, just touching – grazing one another, until Rita could bare it no longer and she reached up with her arms, and curled them about Connie's neck so that she could kiss her – slow gentle kisses, kisses that fluttered at the corners of Connie's lips so that she was kissing the smile that would have her forever falling in love, and as Connie opened her mouth to touch her tongue against Rita's, she let slip the very briefest moan, a sound that vibrated within her throat more than it sounded out loud. At last she knew how it felt to take a chance when everything in the world was at stake, breathless and heedless and desperate for more...
She could taste the wine on her breath, she could feel Rita's fingers on her body, tentatively running from her hips to her ribs, wanting to touch more, but hesitant to do so.
Connie reached blindly for the button and zip of Rita's jeans, feeling the other woman's skin flinch from her touch as she grazed the sensitive skin of her stomach with her knuckles.
The button was stiff, but the zip slid down easily once it was released, and whilst she trailed soft, warm kisses across her jaw to her throat, Connie pushed the denim from Rita's thighs, coaxing it down and steadying her as she kicked it from her ankles.
They paused, catching their breath, Connie's fingers hooked into the elastic of Rita's underwear, pausing in her kisses to seek silent permission, and when Rita failed to stop her, she slipped her underwear from her hips where it joined the various other items of clothing, kicked to the corners of the room by bare feet.
Rita shivered despite the warmth of the room. Connie's eyes remained solely on hers, and with one hand she guided Rita's to the fastening of her skirt.
Rita swallowed. How many times in her mind had she played out this very moment. How many times, she wondered, whilst she lowered the zip, had she thought of Connie's skirt falling from her thighs as it did now, and how many times had she dreamt of running her fingers against the lace of her underwear, teasing the other woman with her feather-light touch before pushing the underwear from her as she did now, leaving before her, the most beautiful woman in the world.
With a touch to her fingers Connie led her backwards, and reached down with one fluid motion to turn off the taps, every muscle in her arm flexed and caught the light. And as the water turned off the air around them was silent, with only the constant blur of bubbles popping and the gentle lap of water.
"After you..."
Connie murmured, her voice low and she held the nurses hand steady as Rita stepped into the bath.
Apologies for the delay, my husband and I had to watch the Bake Off and then my son woke up!
The next bit will be updated tomorrow morning (first thing), but I'd like to know...would you like it 'M' rated, like the 'sofa' scene, or more, or less...or...you tell me and I will write it :) xxx