"She's asleep..."

Rita made her way back into the kitchen. She had changed into her pyjamas upstairs and had checked on Grace on the way down. The little girl was flat out across her bed, arms and legs akimbo, hair sprawled up across the pillow in one long snaking plait that she hadn't thought to untie.

She had left her with the door only just open, the landing light casting one long yellow strip against the wall above her head before coming back downstairs.

She touched a hand to Connie's shoulder as she rounded the sofa where she sat making her jump at the touch, opening her eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't realise you were asleep!"

"Just resting my eyes."

She murmured, sitting up straight, adjusting the cushion at the base of her spine as she watched Rita step neatly over her outstretched legs before arranging herself on the sofa next to her.

"She's asleep."

Rita said again as Connie reached out for the glass of wine on the coffee table.

"She's had a busy few days..."

She said, settling back against the sofa again and taking a sip from the glass.

"We all have."

She added, swallowing.

She turned her head so that she could look at Rita sitting next to her, her face warm and softly shadowed in the dimness of the room, only the flicker of the fire in the fireplace to light them, it's flames dancing in the darkness of the grate, shining a murmuring, lulling light on the wine bottle, the glasses...the glimmer of their eyes, whilst the wood chips hissed and popped and the flames were forever curling up into spirals and plumes of blue-grey smoke.

Without thinking she reached out with her free hand and with her index finger she ran a line from the centre of Rita's forehead, just by her hairline, to just by her eyebrow, smoothing any errant hairs from her face. She smiled the ghost of a smile and let her hand fall.

"You always look so beautiful in the firelight."

She said quietly, and Rita laughed a vague self-deprecating laugh and took up her own wine glass, taking a large gulp of it before resting it on her knee. She was always beautiful, Connie thought, wondering at the smooth curves of her skin, her lips, the straight line of her nose and the arc of her eyebrows, all made golden by the flames. She was beautiful from the inside out, she realised, from her gutsy stubbornness and bravery to the way she danced to music whilst she made lemon cupcakes...

"Rita..."

The blonde glanced up, her eyes had strayed to the fire.

"I'm sorry for...all that happened yesterday, I-"

"You don't have to apologise, it's over now."

Rita cut in, pushing her toes beneath the warmth of Connie's thigh and leaning closer into the sofa, her head against the cushions.

Connie's lips twitched, and she looked back down to the glass that she held in her lap. She could feel the wriggle of Rita's toes beneath her thigh and the warmth of her breath against her arm.

"I feel like we lost one another for a moment...that we drifted apart."

She began, her voice low, hushed by the darkness of the room and the quietness of the house.

Rita leaned forwards and leant her head gently against Connie's shoulder.

"I suppose that's what I wanted to apologise for."

She added.

They sat for a moment, with Rita curled against her, her head on her shoulder, their breathing slowing to match one another until Connie felt her eyes begin to grown heavy again and she drew in a breath as she yawned, stretching herself out slowly so as to try to wake herself, it was barely past 9 o'clock, if she fell asleep now after a lay in this morning she would be up before the sun tomorrow.

She leant her cheek against the top of Rita's head and kissed her hair.

"You know I love you..."

She murmured, and she felt Rita smile against her shoulder. She looked up slowly, her eyes adjusting once more to the growing dark, the fire smouldering in the hearth.

"I worry I don't say it enough."

She said, finally looking Rita in the eyes.

"You show me every day that you love me...in so many ways."

She placed a gentle kiss against Connie's lips, smiling as they touched and brushing her nose briefly against hers as she pulled away.

"And I love you too."

She added, unable to stop the smile that crept up on her.

Connie drew in a long breath and released it with a sigh. The room seemed to blur with the muddle of light and dark, of shadows that played in the corners of the room, stretching out tentatively only to be shot back away by the flare of a flame that licked against the very bottom of the grate.

"Kiss me again."

She whispered, watching for Rita's reaction.

The blonde only bit her lip against a smile and, after a pause, she reached for Connie's glass, taking it from her and setting both hers and her own back down on the coffee table.

She kissed her again, still smiling, her lips warm, and when Connie kissed her back, parting her lips, she tasted the sweetness of wine upon her tongue.

"Should we go upstairs?"

Rita murmured, feeling the familiar weight of Connie pushing against her, pushing her down, down upon the sofa. She held herself up by her elbows, their lips only barely touching.

Connie gave a brief shake of her head, a long spiral of hair just falling free from where it was tired haphazardly at her neck and touched against her cheek.

"I want you here."

Was all she said, pushing again gently, smiling as Rita gave in and allowed herself to be eased back down against the cushions.

"What about Grace?"

She managed to say between the kisses that Connie seemed intent on placing over the rise of her jaw. But she didn't reply, instead she brushed her lips against her throat, deliberately slow wet kisses that made her whole body shudder and ache.

Rita's mouth fell open, her head rolled back against the arm of the sofa, giving into those kisses. Her fingers were in Connie's hair, threaded between the curls, until finally, finally she dared to cup her face, to raise it so that she could tilt her head back to look at her.

Connie's cheeks were flushed and her lips were parted with a look that could leave even the blind undone. Without a word she leaned closer, her breath warm as she kissed her lips, slow and gentle as Rita wrapped her legs about Connie's hips, urging her closer. But still Connie insisted on the slow torturous kisses that made her wince with pleasure and arc her back. She was making her wait, and she could hardly bare it. She wanted her body against her own, bare skin against bare skin, she wanted her between her legs, to touch her, to curl her fingers within her...Then she cupped her face in her hands, pausing, smiling only the briefest smile before giving her what she had known all along that she wanted.

With one hand Connie tugged at the chord of her own dressing gown, leaving the black silk ribbon to fall to the floor whilst the fabric gaped open, revealing the smouldering beauty of her body beneath. With her other hand she eased Rita up, tugging her top from her body, pulling it over her head, and all the while she was kissing her, teasing her, catching the plump flesh of her bottom lip between her teeth and making her whimper.

She gasped as Connie's hand touched her stomach, her skin fluttered from her touch and she glanced down between them..

There was something so disarming about seeing Connie naked – a vulnerability that she couldn't resist. Her gaze travelled from her face to her collar bone, delicate in the semi-darkness, then to her breasts, her stomach, and lower...

"You're beautiful."

The words caught her off guard and Rita looked up to see the glitter behind her eyes, her hair had come loose and hung in heavy curls over one shoulder, her lips were parted and her chin lowered, her eyes laughing as they followed the same path that Rita's had just taken – admiring the fullness of Rita's own breasts and the way her stomach curved down to the waist band of her pyjamas.

She looked up again, meeting Rita's eyes, she had only looked for long enough for Rita to see how beautiful she was to her. It was her eyes that she wanted to see after all, her hands could tell the rest...

She trailed her fingers lower, pushing beneath the waist band. Rita held her breath, her eyes threatening to close. She was too hot all of a sudden, blissfully hot and burning up, and as Connie slipped her fingers down between her legs, to where she wanted her the most, she found herself gripping hold of her, grasping hold of her back, her hair...anywhere she could to pull her closer.

She swore beneath her breath and gasped her name as Connie's fingers pushed themselves deep inside of her, curling upwards, moving in and out, in a rhythm so slow that she thought she might go mad. She rolled her hips, she knew she must be clawing at Connie's back but she couldn't seem to stop herself. She bucked her hips, quicker, forcing Connie to match her movements until she could barely breath.

Connie's lips pressed against the rise of her chest, her tongue warm against her nipples, flicking lazily before taking one into her mouth and rolling her tongue across the very tip, back and forth whilst her fingers seemed to touch everywhere at once, until she felt the burning hot ball of pleasure begin to grow deep within her, and she parted her legs as far as she could, biting down on Connie's shoulder as she came, squeezing her eyes closed. And then she fell back against the sofa, writhing beneath the flex of Connie's wrist, falling and shattering, until at last she collapsed beneath her, her thighs trembling and her knees twitching against Connie's waist.

It was a moment before either of them could catch their breath, the air between them heavy and panting.

At last a smile curled at the corned of Rita's lips and she let out a breathless laugh.

Connie eased herself down slowly and kissed her softly on the cheek.

"I think we should make this official."

She murmured, her words almost unheard against the beat of Rita's heart within her ears.

-.-

Chapter 100!

Hope it was enjoyed :) xxx