"He's all tucked in."
Regina smiled at Emma.
"Good. I brought you a hot chocolate, although I wasn't sure if you'd want one."
Emma's belly warmed.
"Thanks for thinking of me."
If only you knew how much I thought of you, Regina thought to herself.
Emma sat down next to the other woman, smiling shyly before reaching for her mug.
"So."
"So," Regina parroted.
"Come here often?"
Regina chuckled.
"Feeling awkward, miss Swan?"
"A little. I'm trying to figure out how to tell you how much I liked sitting against you earlier. And how I can ask if you wanna sit with me now and watch something together and maybe do it again."
Regina's heart melted at Emma's hopeful expression, but her belly tightened at the thought of cuddling with the other woman.
"I'd like that very much."
Emma smiled widely before moving around a little.
"Um, how do you want to sit?"
Regina shifted on the couch, coming up to lean against Emma's side. She grabbed the woman's arm, draping it across her lap to tuck under her leg. Regina then pulled her legs up and bent her knees, curling up against Emma's side, tucking her toes under Emma's thigh before resting her head on the other woman's shoulder.
"This okay?"
Emma squeezed the thigh her hand was currently wrapped around, thoroughly enjoying the feel of Regina's soft weight against her.
"Very okay."
"Did you want to watch anything in particular?"
Regina paused.
"If you'd like to watch something, we can. I've missed you though. I'd prefer to talk, if you would."
"Yeah, of course. That sounds nice," Emma admitted. "But I'd kinda like to look at you though, if we're talking. I know we just got settled, but what if you sat with your back to the arm of the couch and you… you put your legs in my lap?"
"Would you like that?"
Regina thought that she already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it just in case.
"I would," Emma said, nodding eagerly.
Regina chuckled, giving her mug to Emma and untangling herself from the other woman, shifting so her back was against the arm of the couch, before gingerly placing her legs on Emma's lap and taking back her mug of tea.
"Thank you."
Emma put her own mug down, now that she had something much more enticing to touch. Her hands quickly found their way to Regina's calves, gently massaging them over her clothes. Regina's eyes closed, enjoying the feel of Emma's hands on her body. God, it had been far, far too long since she'd been touched like this. It felt incredible.
Emma watched Regina with rapt attention, her palms smoothing up and down her shins and calves. She really wanted to slip her hands underneath Regina's pant legs so that she could feel her skin, knowing damn well it was going to be soft as hell, but she resisted. This was the first time she was getting to touch the woman so purposefully, and she was going to take it slowly.
She briefly wondered when Regina had last shared any kind of intimacy like this with someone else, but she didn't want to break the mood by asking, so she kept the question to herself. There would be time enough to ask her those types of questions. Instead, she focused on Regina's face, her eyes, her painted lips, her absolutely stunning smile. God, but she was attractive.
"You're staring," Regina said, amused. She could feel Emma's eyes on her.
"You're beautiful. Can you blame me?"
Regina kept her eyes closed, surprised at Emma's boldness. She was grateful for it, though, secretly pleased to know exactly what the other woman was thinking, all the while refusing to acknowledge the blush on her cheeks, the same way she'd refused to acknowledge it the time they'd been sledding. Emma made her blush far too easily, but the sincerity in her voice had a powerful effect.
"Did I make you uncomfortable?" Emma asked, suddenly worried about the silence in the room.
This time, Regina did open her eyes.
"No. It's just… no."
"It's just what?" Emma probed, running a gentle hand up and over Regina's foot.
"It's been a long time since a woman's said that to me. Even longer since it's been welcome."
Emma couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips.
"It's a welcome comment?"
"From you, yes."
Warmth flooded Emma's belly. She bit her lip, grinning widely.
"Okay."
The happiness was entirely evident in Emma's voice. Regina's words held so much meaning, and they made Emma very, very happy. She looked over to the brunette, who was looking at her as well.
"Hi."
"Hello," Regina said softly.
They grinned at one another before Emma turned back to Regina's legs, enjoying the way they felt beneath her palms. They sat in comfortable silence, Emma loving the way Regina allowed her to touch her legs and her feet this way, Regina basking in her attention.
It really had been so long since she'd shared space with someone who wasn't Henry, and it was nice to feel Emma's warm body beneath her legs. It felt even better to have her strong hands massaging her lower extremities. God, those hands. She watched them, fascinated, as they pressed and stroked, massaging tender muscles that hadn't been touched by anyone but Regina in far too long.
"So," Emma finally spoke, looking at Regina and smiling. "I've been thinking about your birthday gift. I know it's still a few weeks away, but-"
"I don't want a present, Emma," Regina interrupted.
"Okay, so I'm gonna go ahead and stop you right there. You need a present. It's your birthday. Besides, the kid is gonna wanna buy you something. Throw me a bone here. I have some ideas, but I wanna hear what you'd like for your gift."
"For you and Henry to be here with me. Just the three of us. That's all I want."
Emma squeezed her foot affectionately.
"As much as I love that sentiment, you're missing the point. Capitalism is really disappointed in you right now."
Regina rolled her eyes. Emma waited, but when Regina made no further comment, she continued.
"Really? Nothing? Not gonna help me out here?"
"I don't need anything, Emma."
"I didn't say need. I said want."
Regina simply stared at her.
"Alright. No ideas from you. I'll just have to think of something then. Something really obnoxious, so people look at you. I know how you like attention."
"You will not," she responded, though there was no real malice in her voice.
"What about a flailing tube guy like you see at car dealerships? Or a novelty toilet scrub brush that I'll have you open in the staff lounge? Maybe I can find one that sings. Or what about a variety pack of animal hoof socks?" Emma was only encouraged by Regina's stifled giggles and half-hearted attempts to pull her foot away from Emma's grasp. Emma refused to let her go though, continuing, "Oh! I know. A year subscription to a magazine featuring half-naked chiseled dudes with no shirts on delivered right to your door?"
Regina finally lost her battle with her giggles, nudging the other woman with her toes.
"Idiot. Go home, Emma."
Emma sighed as she glanced at the clock, but the grin plastered on her face quickly returned.
"What?" Regina asked, almost dreading the answer.
"An audiobook of me reading the dictionary to you. In Spanish."
Regina laughed again, pulling away from the other woman and standing up.
"You're very strange, miss Swan."
"You know, your son tells me the same thing."
At lunch the following day, Regina slid a page before Emma, tapping at the faces on the sheet of paper.
"Can you guess what these are?"
Emma looked down at the sheet of what were obviously emotions, and then glanced up at Regina. She grinned. She loved how into teaching Regina got, the woman looking at her seriously, expectantly.
"Are we going to be emotional today?"
Regina rolled her eyes.
"Emotions," Emma finally responded, when Regina continued to wait.
"Sí, las emociones. Hoy, vamos a aprender las emociones."
"Today we're going to learn emotions," Emma translated.
"Muy bien. Repite."
"Hoy, vamos a aprender las emo-emo-" Emma faltered. Emotions. This was a new word for her. "Las emocionas."
"Emociones," Regina correctly gently.
"Damn it. I thought since it was 'la'…"
"Close," Regina encouraged. "Las emociones."
"Las emociones," Emma repeated, looking down at the sheet before her. There were a dozen or so pictures of colourful faces, along with a bunch of words that she did not recognise.
"Tell me the ones you know."
Emma scanned the page.
"Fay-lees. Trees-tay," Emma pointed out the easy ones (Happy. Sad.). "I can tell what some of these are by the expressions, but I think the only ones I actually know are happy and sad."
"That's good. It's a start. So, if you're trying to say I feel, you'd say, me siento, followed by the emotion. For example, me siento feliz. Or, me siento triste."
"May see-en-toh fay-lees."
"Bien. Y triste?"
"May see-en-toh trees-tay."
"Muy bien."
Emma beamed up at Regina.
"You can also say, I am sad or I am happy. Estoy triste o estoy feliz."
"I know that one. Estoy."
Regina nodded. They'd already gone over many basic verbs, including ser and estar. The truth was, Emma was already acquiring a good basic understanding of the language, picking up on it faster than Regina had expected. Emma had proven to be a good student.
"Estoy triste," Emma practised. "Estoy feliz. Hoy, estoy feliz."
Regina smiled at her.
"Yo también." Me too.
She then got up and moved to Emma's side of the table, sitting next to her as she began pointing out the different emotions, having Emma repeat the words with her. Emma responded in turn, trying hard to concentrate on the words on the paper rather than the woman sitting pressed up against her side. She grabbed the pen Regina offered her, writing the English word for the different emotions (excited, angry, tired, bored) as they moved along the page.
"I'm gonna have to change some of these, right? The ones that end in 'o', since I'm a woman?"
Regina smiled at her.
"Yes. I hadn't gotten to that yet, but you're right. Since these words are adjectives, you'll be changing some of them."
"Like, estoy cansada, right? Not cansado."
"Since you identify as a woman, yes. You would say estoy cansada or estoy enfadada. Well done."
Emma loved learning under Regina, not only because she loved the woman's undivided attention (which she did, thoroughly), but also because Regina was just so damn encouraging. She was heavy on the praise, seeming genuinely excited and pleased (which she was) when Emma got things right. And when she didn't, when she made a mistake, Regina gently corrected her, and then praised her when Emma repeated the correct response.
Emma loved their lessons and the truth was, the reason she was feeling so confident and doing so well in these private lessons was solely because of Regina. She made her want to learn. Regina made it fun.
"Emma?"
"Sorry. What did you say?"
"I said, tell me you're bored."
"But I'm not bored."
Regina bumped her shoulder.
"Pay attention to the lesson."
Emma gave her a sly grin.
"If you were the lesson, I'd be getting and A+."
Regina fought the flush on her cheeks.
"Emma," she chided softly, glancing around the teacher's lounge. No one was really watching them, the other teachers either engrossed in their own conversations or their noses were buried deep in marking papers. And as much as she liked Emma's flirting, enjoyed the words, and really liked the way Emma was looking at her right now, she didn't really want an audience.
"Sorry," Emma offered, seeing Regina's discomfort. "Okay. I'm paying attention. Estoy aburrida."
"Bien. Remember to roll your r's."
"Ah-boo-rrrrrree-dah."
Regina chuckled at Emma's exaggerated response, immediately stopping when she caught David and Ruby glance up at her in surprise. She then schooled her facial features, turning back to the page before them.
"Good. Okay. Now," Regina said, returning to the lesson, "if you wanted to use the negative form, you'd say no me siento feliz. Or, no estoy feliz."
"That's easy."
"It is. Just add 'no' before your sentence."
"No estoy aburrida," Emma said, though the words were coming out a little stilted. Still, she continued speaking, fuelled by Regina's encouraging look. It was worth it to press through the awkwardness of making her mouth move to form words and sounds it wasn't used to just to see Regina's pleased expression. "Estoy contenta contigo."
Regina, surprised, raised her eyebrows.
"Contigo," Regina repeated. "You learnt a new word."
"Yeah," Emma admitted, shrugging. "I saw it on my water bottle and it looked Spanish, so I looked it up."
Regina smiled at her. She loved this side of Emma, the side that was curious, inquisitive.
"It works in this context, right? Estoy contenta contigo," Emma repeated.
"Yes," Regina confirmed, her stomach warming at the words. I'm happy with you. "It makes perfect sense."
"It does," Emma nodded, but she meant the words in a different way. "Cause it's true."
Regina looked down at the page rather than at Emma, lest the flush from earlier return. Emma smiled, enjoying the look on Regina's face. She loved making her smile like that.
"Okay. So, next one. Estoy nerviosa."
"Muy bien. Próximo."
"Estoy contenta."
"Perfecto."
Regina focused on Emma's fingers skimming along the page as Emma sounded out the words. She continued encouraging her, smiling as Emma read aloud. Emma was doing so well, working so hard to sound things out properly. It made Regina proud, and she couldn't help thinking that it was adorable the way Emma used her fingers to follow the letters on the sheet before her.
Regina found herself wishing that she could reach out and grab Emma's hand, the thought popping into her head so suddenly that it surprised her. They were in the teacher's lounge though, and that was a very obvious gesture, one they hadn't even shared yet in private. They hadn't held hands, but she knew how good those hands had felt on her legs last night, even over her clothing, and she couldn't help wondering how good they'd feel clasped in her own.
Regina knew she couldn't take Emma's hand, but there was something else she could do instead. She shifted slightly into Emma's side under the guise of seeing the paper better, smiling to herself when Emma's voice caught as she pressed closer.
Emma cleared her throat and continued, Regina occasionally correcting slight mispronunciations, but mostly looking at Emma's dexterous fingers as they glided down the page. Regina was entranced, her eyes focused on Emma's callused fingertips, watching the woman's nails dance between white and pink as she pressed and moved along the sheet of paper. Emma's voice was soothing in her ear, and Regina could feel herself relax into the safety of Emma's side.
She'd eventually stopped listening to correct, slipping from her teacher mode into a more serene place, losing herself in the way Emma made her feel. Regina was now simply letting the woman's soft voice wash over her, embrace her, her body loose and at ease. But her eyes stayed glued to Emma's unbelievably alluring hands.
God, she loved those hands. Loved how strong she knew they were, knew from watching them move how good they were at gripping tables and heavy boxes, had watched them flex under the weight of moving gym mats and sports equipment. And now, after last night, she knew just how good they felt pressing into her muscles and tendons, even through a layer of clothing.
Regina sat there, pressed into Emma, her thoughts drifting. She wondered how easily those hands would be able to lift her, if Emma ever felt so inclined. Probably very easily, if she were to guess correctly. She then thought about how they'd feel against her skin, just as she had last night.
She'd watched from the couch as Emma's hands glided over her legs, over her feet, her toes, never pushing to make contact with her skin, never sliding under her pants. Emma had stayed respectfully over her clothing, and when the material had moved around, Emma always tugged it back into place.
But Regina had wondered. Had pictured how good those fingers would probably feel if they'd slipped under her pant legs to stroke against her skin. Her mind began envisioning those same hands moving a little higher, her heart beating a little more quickly in her chest as she began to imagine just how good they'd look moving higher, higher, reaching between her legs and wrapping around her hard-
Regina startled when the bell rang, eyes widening when she realised where she was and where her thoughts had been heading.
"Damn. Well, I can keep practising at home and we can start up again on Monday?"
Regina swallowed and immediately shifted away from Emma, reaching across the table to gather her things.
"Of course," she responded, perhaps a little more breathily than she'd have liked.
"Perfect. Come on. I'll walk you to your class."
"You don't have to do that, Emma."
The truth was, Regina should probably take a minute away from the woman who had just lit a flame to her libido.
"I want to," Emma responded, leading the way out of the teacher's lounge.
Regina took a deep breath, wincing slightly as she felt the stiff evidence of exactly how affected she'd become by her earlier thoughts. Fuck, she thought to herself, covering herself with her books. She really needed to get a grip on her thoughts.
Regina bit hard on her tongue, willing her libido to calm down, as she followed Emma out into the hallway. She really needed to go shopping for underwear that would hide the way that Emma made her body react. She hadn't had to wear such undergarments since she was a teenager. And though she probably should have been embarrassed, Regina couldn't help but feel excited.