Archive of Our Own

     Tick. Tick. Tick. 

     Cady glances up at the clock. After checking the time, she rubs a hand down her face, groaning when she sees a little black line of mascara on her palm. She quickly pulls her compact out of her purse and flips it open, carefully checking her makeup. There’s a little smudge of black at the outer corner of both of her eyes, but it’s not a total disaster. She grabs for a q-tip initially before deciding to just smudge it out. It’s on both sides, so it’ll look intentionally messy, right? 

     It works for Regina. Given, Cady doesn’t have Regina’s supermodel face, but she thinks she looks alright. Pretty, even. Sometimes. Regina tells her she does, and she has no choice but to believe her, since Regina is the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen. Who’s a better authority on beauty than the hottest person you know? 

     Regina, Regina, Regina.  

     Cady’s been looking for reasons to be distracted all morning, and Regina gives her plenty. Thinking about the way she looked Monday night, the way she sounded . The words she whispered in Cady’s ear as she held her after, about how good and how sweet and how perfect she was. How Regina couldn’t stop touching her, even as they slept, keeping Cady tucked tight in her arms. 

     Regina crawled out of bed sometime early the next morning, dropping a kiss on Cady’s forehead as she left. The hazy, sleepy memory still brings a smile to Cady’s face, her cheeks burning as she feels the ghost of Regina’s lips on her skin. 

     They’ve hardly seen each other in the days since, with Regina working late Tuesday and Wednesday, and Cady at dinner at her parent’s house last night. She had wanted to bring Regina with her, but didn’t know how to ask. It’s been a while since they started doing… whatever they’re doing, and Cady would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t want more. Sex with Regina is great, and sleeping in her arms is even better, but the more time they spend together, the more Cady wants Regina completely. She’s always been a little territorial, and this limbo with Regina creates a lot of blurred lines and leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Cady prefers a level of rigidity. Regina says it’s because she’s autistic, but Cady thinks she’s just being reasonable . 

     Her phone buzzes on the desk, pulling her from her musings on her relationship with Regina. A flutter goes through her when she sees the message is from the object of her obsession, but her smile fades when she reads it. 

      Shane’s having a pre-Superbowl party tonight. You wanna go?

     No hi, how are you , no you’re so pretty , not even an I need you so bad, please marry me . Tragic. Just an invite for Regina’s ex boyfriend’s stupid pre-football party. 

     After three whole days and nights without Regina, Cady’s desperate for some… alone time. Alone with Regina, just the two of them, and not around anyone else. 

     She tried to have some alone alone time this morning, pent up from not seeing Regina all week, but she still hasn’t quite mastered the art like Regina has. 

     The phone buzzes again because Cady never opened it, just glanced at the message, and she sighs. She slips her makeup into her bag, snapping the compact shut. The R engraved into the sleek gold compact flashes up at her as it catches the light, and she sighs.

     Regina, Regina, Regina. 

     She could buy her own little trinkets, but then Regina would stop “lending” Cady hers, and where’s the fun in that? 

     It’s a little pathetic, how much Cady loves having these little reminders of Regina littered all around her. Even in highschool, when Regina was a Grade-A bitch, Cady loved when Regina would give her things. It was always “this is so last season, I wouldn’t be caught dead in it, but it’s cute… for you ” or something equally as nasty. Even then, though, it would’ve been hard to deny the care shown in every one of Regina’s gifts. She could be sweet, or thoughtful, or soft, but she had to cloak it in meanness, as if softness was a disease. 

     She’s still a bit like that—just not with Cady. 

     Cady gets the sweetest, softest version of Regina. The one that doesn’t need an excuse to slip a compact into Cady’s bag, or pick dinner up on the way home, or turn on one of Cady’s favorite animal documentaries after a hard day without even being asked. This Regina still needs a tiny bit of an excuse to touch Cady, to kiss her, to love her, but Cady’s hoping to change that soon. 

     If she doesn’t, she just might die. 

     Cady’s phone buzzes again. 

      Hello? Earth to Cady?

     Before Cady can even roll her eyes, Regina edits the message. 

      What do you think, baby?

     Cady smiles even though her stomach is sick. The bitch still sneaks through sometimes, but Regina’s always there to fix it, soft and sweet. 

     It’s the ache in her tummy that pushes Cady over the edge.

      Do we have to go?

      Regina starts typing immediately, then stops. Cady’s phone buzzes with a call a few seconds later, Regina’s insanely beautiful face lighting up the screen. 

     She gets up from her desk and quickly tucks out to the smoking balcony, grateful it’s empty for the time being. 

     “Hello?”

     “What’s wrong, baby?” Regina asks, her voice low and gentle.

     Tears prick at the corners of Cady’s eyes, and it’s hard not to feel completely insane.

     “Nothing,” Cady says, relieved when her voice sounds normal. “I’m just really tired, and I was kinda hoping, um…”

     “You can tell me, Cady.”

     “I was kinda hoping we could just spend tonight together. Alone. Without, um. Without any… distractions.”

     “Oh,” Regina says, and Cady can tell she’s grinning like a villain on the other side of the phone. “Tough week, baby? In need of a little… stress relief?” Regina teases, and gosh, Cady wishes that’s all it was. 

     “Yeah,” Cady says, because that’s much easier to say over the phone than the fact that she’s in love with her best friend. Cady swallows. “Is that okay?”

     “Of course it’s okay. Do you really think I wanna listen to Shane talk about the Chiefs for three hours? I’d much rather spend some alone time with my pretty girl.”

     “Yeah?” Cady asks, her voice breathy and hopeful. My pretty girl echoes around in her little gay head.

     “Always, baby. Do you wanna order something? Make a night of it? I bought something new I’ve been wanting to show you.”

     “We could order Thai food, or Ita—wait, something new?”

     “Mmh,” Regina teases, knowing damn well that sound drives Cady insane. “You’re such a good girl, Cady. I just thought you deserved something a little extra. Don’t worry too much, it’s a selfish present. I know it's going to get me exactly what I want.”

     “What, um, what do you want?” Cady asks, her breath hitching. 

     “You’ll find out. I’ll see you tonight, baby.”

     “Wait, Reggie—”

     “Goodbye, pretty girl.”

     The line beeps twice to signal that Regina’s hung up. Cady pulls the phone away and just stares at it, heat pooling in her lower belly. The screen lights up when she taps it, the 10:21 taunting her. 

     She takes a deep breath of fresh air—or at least, cold air—and resigns herself to the fact that it’s going to be a long day. 

     She’s only at her desk five minutes when another notification from Regina lights up her phone. She swipes to view it only to find that the picture is hidden. 

     She gulps. 

      Something to tide you over. See you at 6, pretty girl<3

     Cady hides her phone under her desk before she rubs off the blurry filter on the photo, her brain short circuiting when she sees it. 

     It’s Regina at her desk, bangs in her face with the rest of her hair carefully clipped back, her glasses on, biting on the back of a pen. She acts like the camera’s not there even though Cady knows she set the shot up carefully, her phone probably on a timer, propped against a plant on her bookshelf. 

     The photo looks rather innocuous at first. Regina has incorporated all of Cady’s weaknesses, like glasses, pen nibbling, exposed neck, and, well, Regina . It takes Cady at least five minutes to even look lower and realize that the top six buttons on Regina’s shirt are open, a delicate gold chain around her neck with an R resting between her full breasts. Her bra is black and lacey and at least partially sheer, and Cady feels like she’s going to fucking combust. If she knew she’d be able to seal the deal, she’d go to the single stall bathroom on the second floor and rub one out right now. But, after her unsuccessful morning and her overall anxious mood, there’s no way her first self-induced orgasm is going to happen at work. 

     Probably not a memory she wants to create anyway, come to think of it. Maybe if Regina was here, but—

     Okay, so she’s thinking about fucking Regina in the bathroom at work now. Awesome. That’s so great. I’m sure productivity is going to be at an all time high today.

—

     The elevator dings, and Cady steps off slowly, trying to project even an ounce of the confidence Regina always does. Maybe if she just acts like she knows where she’s going, no one will ask her any que—

     “Cady?”

      Well, fuck.

     “Hey, Kare,” Cady says, turning around to face her friend. Of all people to encounter, Karen is the best option. She’ll be friendly and won’t ask too many questions. Seeing Karen was kind of unavoidable, anyway. Unless she was on lunch, which Cady had hoped and prayed she would be, but... seeing Karen is not the worst possible thing that could happen. She just thanks God that she didn’t run into Gretchen, because—

     “Cady! What are you doing here?” Gretchen asks, because of-fucking-course. Gosh, do those two spend any time apart at all? They’re at work, for heaven’s sake!

     “Hi, Gretch,” Cady says, trying to shoot Gretchen a smile. “I’m, um. I’m just here to see Reggie.”

     “Here to see her? She doesn’t have you on her schedule,” Gretchen says, tilting her head to the side. 

     “How do you know her schedule?” Cady asks, doing a head tilt of her own. 

     “I don’t even know Regina’s schedule,” Karen says, trying to sip through the straw cover on her Stanley. Gretchen waits for Karen to pull it out of her mouth and flicks the straw cover off.

     Karen doesn’t even react, just takes a sip like this is an everyday occurrence. 

     “And I’m her secretary,” Karen finishes, taking another sip before offering the cup to Gretchen to drink. 

     Gretchen smiles, her cheeks going a lovely shade of pink. 

     “Thank you, Angel.”

     Karen winks at her. Or, at least she tries to wink. She ends up closing both of her eyes, but Karen’s so cute that it doesn’t really matter. Even Cady is charmed by it. 

     “Did I mess up and forget to put you on her schedule?” Karen asks, and Cady shakes her head. 

     “No, this is—it’s a surprise visit. I’m, um. We have plans tonight, and I just need to ask Regina about them. I couldn’t reach her on her phone,” Cady lies, hoping it’s convincing enough.

     “Really?” Gretchen says, snatching Karen’s office phone off of her desk. “I just texted her a few minutes ago about Shane’s party. You guys are coming, right? Gi said—” Gretchen prattles on, dialing the call number to Regina’s office phone. 

     Cady surprises all of them when she grabs the phone from Gretchen’s hand and thunks it back onto the receiver. 

     “Surprise, remember?” Cady says, a flush rising to her cheeks. God, this is harder than she thought it would be. 

     “Gretchy’s not very good at surprises. She likes to know everything about everyone,” Karen says, looking at Cady with wide eyes and a big smile. 

     Gretchen can’t be hurt by it, since it’s just the truth. She shrugs at Cady, then sets something on Karen’s desk. 

     “I should get back to work, anyway. Baby, I need those filed with the Wilson account, and I’ll see you for lunch in fifteen, okay?” Gretchen says, leaning towards Karen. 

     Karen meets her halfway for a quick peck. 

     “On it, boss!” She says with a salute, which makes Gretchen giggle. 

     Gretchen wiggles her fingers at Karen and blows her another kiss before she nods at Cady.

     “We’ll see you and Gi tonight? At Shane’s?”

     “No. We have plans,” Cady replies politely. 

     The skin between Gretchen’s eyebrows creases. 

     “Plans? Are you going to another party?” Gretchen says, her tone almost accusatory. 

     “Nope. Just, uh. Just plans.”

     “Oh, plans . Got it,” Gretchen says with an overexaggerated wink. “You guys are so cute together, by the way.”

     “Gretchen—”

     “We’ll talk later, gator,” she says, preening at the thought of gossip. Nearly ten years out of highschool, and she still lives for the drama. 

     Once she’s gone, Karen turns back to Cady and just stares. 

     “Could you, um. Could you check Regina’s schedule and see if she’s busy? I don’t want to interrupt anything,” Cady says.

     Karen nods enthusiastically, clicking a few buttons on her keyboard. 

     “Her schedule is green, so you should be good to go. You know which one her office is, right? Because I don’t remember.”

     Cady looks at Karen with concern, and Kare laughs.

     “Office 111,” Karen says with an almost-wink, pointing to the left. “Later, gator.”

     “Thanks, Kare,” Cady says, gently patting Karen’s hand. 

     The walk to Regina’s office is both the longest and shortest walk she’s ever taken. Long, because she wants to see Regina right now, and short, because holy fuck , what is she doing? Since when did she become the kind of girl to show up unannounced at her situationship’s place of work just because she’s all worked up?

     On her walk, she waffles between thinking she’s partly to blame for being some sort of sexual deviant and blaming Regina entirely. The first pic was bad enough, but the four that followed, roughly every half an hour, had been torture. Once Cady’s lunch started, she went to her boss’s office and announced that she was sick and had to go home early. Is horniness an illness? Maybe not, but Cady’s fevered like it is. Her boss took one look at her and let her go, telling her to feel better soon. 

     Cady can hear the pitter-patter of Regina’s keyboard through the door as she approaches.

     She takes a deep breath, then knocks. 

     “One second,” Regina calls. Cady hears the click of her heels on the hardwood as she walks over to the door and pulls it open. “Nelson, you’re early. Did you—Cady?”

     “Hey,” Cady says, her voice shaking. “I’m sorry, are you expecting someone? Karen said your schedule was green, and I guess—I thought that meant you were free, I guess, and—I’m sorry.”

     “You’re fine, baby,” Regina says, pulling Cady into her arms. “I just wasn’t expecting you.”

     “I’m sorry. I should’ve called. I just…”

     “It’s a good surprise, pretty girl. I’m happy to see you. You fit in my arms more perfectly every time, I think,” Regina says, her voice a low hum against the shell of Cady’s ear. She nudges the door closed and pulls Cady in too tight for just a second before she pulls back. “Is everything okay? The tub didn’t flood again, did it?”

     “No, no,” Cady says, already missing the feel of Regina against her. “It, um—”

     Cady can’t stand it anymore. She surges forward to capture Regina’s lips in a hungry kiss, pressing as close to her tall, blonde bestie as she can. 

     Regina kisses her back, long and slow. She keeps her hands on Cady’s waist between them, gently keeping her from coming any closer. 

     Cady fights against her grasp, trying to crawl into Regina’s arms and stay there forever. 

     “Cady,” Regina hums, pulling back just a bit. Cady tries to close the distance between them, but Regina keeps her right where she’s at. 

     Embarrassed, Cady takes a step back, her face as red as can be. 

     “I’m sorry,” Cady says, her chin falling to her own chest as she tries not to cry. She’s never taken rejection particularly well, and especially not from Regina. 

     Regina’s quiet as she presses a kiss to Cady’s head, wrapping both arms around her. She flips the lock on her door as she engulfs Cady, pulling her as close as possible. 

     Cady curls into her immediately, her greedy, desperate hands grabbing fistfuls of the wool and cashmere blend of Regina’s favorite pinstripe suit jacket. 

     Regina doesn’t give a single fuck about the suit. 

     She leads Cady over to her desk, perching on the edge of it and taking Cady’s overheated face in her hands. 

     “What’s going on, sweet girl?” Regina asks, gently stroking Cady’s cheeks. Her eyes are a little bit red and a lot blue, and Regina couldn’t look away if she tried. 

     Cady sniffles, and it would probably be disgusting if it were anyone else, but Regina finds it endearing when Cady does it. God, she’s disgusting. 

      Disgustingly in love with Cady Heron.

     “It’s stupid,” Cady says, pouting down at Regina, who’s just slightly shorter than Cady when she’s sitting on her desk. This angle offers a different view than their typical height difference, which gives Cady the chance to spot new freckles she can never see from below.

     “Maybe it is,” Regina says, smiling up at her. “Maybe it’s the dumbest fucking problem anyone has ever had. But if it’s making you upset, I’m still going to fix it. Out with it, baby.”

     Cady huffs out a laugh and rolls her eyes, absolutely melting at the too-wide grin Regina has fixed on her face. Her eyes are all squinty and her nose is all scrunched and Cady wants to kiss every single freckle on the bridge of her perfect button nose. It turns up just the tiniest bit at the end, and Cady couldn’t love the soft roundness of it any more. 

     “Please tell me?” Regina asks, her voice as close to begging as it ever gets. 

     Cady stares at her, leaning forward until their noses bump together. 

     Regina presses a soft kiss to her lips, and Cady sighs. 

     “I miss you,” she says lamely, leaning back just enough to look at Regina’s perfect face. 

     “You miss me?” Regina asks, her left eyebrow crinkling just a little. “I’m not going anywhere, bub.”

     Cady nods her head, struggling to say the rest. 

     Regina waits patiently, her expression soft. 

     “I just… Monday was really great, you know? And then I feel like I haven’t seen you at all since then. This morning I tried to… you know . But I couldn’t, because I need you. It’s not just that!” Cady adds, realizing how that might sound. “But not seeing you, or feeling you, for these last few days, and then this morning, and the texts, and the pictures… I’m going insane, Reggie. I need you.”

     That’s not all she has to say, but the other things, the scary things, need to be said at home. Maybe in Regina’s bed, while she’s wrapped in Regina’s arms. 

     A smile tugs at Regina’s lips. Cady breaks their eye contact and tries to pull away, because she clearly sounded just as silly as she feared she would, but Regina holds fast. 

     “I knew you were gonna think it was stupid.”

     “Cady, baby, It’s not stupid,” Regina says, gently stroking Cady’s chin with her thumb. “It’s… it’s got me a little giddy, okay? That’s why I’m smiling. You’re stroking my ego, and you know that gets me so hard.”

     “Regina,” Cady sighs, and Regina laughs, popping up off her desk and smacking a kiss to Cady’s forehead. Regina plops into her chair before opening her arms to Cady and gently tugging at her wrist. 

     Cady lets Regina pull her over, climbing into Regina’s lap and curling up against her. 

     Regina wraps both of her arms around Cady and tucks her chin against Cady’s head. 

     Cady sighs, feeling the most content she has all day. She’s still ridiculously turned on, even in this sweet moment where she probably shouldn’t be, but that’s the Regina George effect for you. 

     Regina holds her close. The longer they sit, the more her hands wander. It’s mostly tame at first—nails gently dragging down her back, a squeeze around her bicep, or her shoulder. 

     Those same nails trailing over her side, along her tummy, down to her hipbone. A squeeze at her hip, her thigh, then her bum as Regina presses a kiss against her neck. 

     “ Regina, ” Cady breathes, the grip she has on Regina’s bicep tightening. 

     “I didn’t mean to get you so worked up today, baby.”

     “You sure?” Cady says, because the pictures and messages Regina sent weren’t exactly trying to snuff out the fire. 

     “No,” Regina says with a warm chuckle, her fingers teasing Cady's bare thigh. “But I didn’t mean to make you worried. I always come through on my promises, sweet girl. And what did I promise you in those messages?”

     “That you’d, um. That you’d make me come?”

     “That’s right, love.”

     “Are you gonna do it now?” Cady asks, hoping she doesn’t sound as desperate as she feels. 

     Regina’s breath hitches, and Cady would be proud of herself if she could be anything but horny.

     “Is that why you came to see me here? Because you wanted me to bend you over my desk and have my way with you?”

     Now it’s Cady’s turn to gasp, the heat pooling in her belly becoming unbearable. 

     “Reggie, please,” she whines, freezing when Regina’s hand trails under her skirt. She skims her fingers along Cady’s center just once, and Cady can’t help but buck forward into her hand. 

     “Not now, baby,” Regina coos.

     Cady wants to fucking cry. 

     “I have a meeting in ten minutes, and I don’t plan to let you come that quick.”

     Cady whimpers, and Regina grins at her, slow and sharklike. 

     “You’re just so easy for me, aren’t you, sweet girl? So eager. Bet you’d come now if I asked, wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t take much. I’d lay you over my desk and slam into you from behind, and you’d just lay there and take it, wouldn’t you? You’d love it.” 

     Cady’s going to die in Regina’s office, she thinks. Can you die of sheer, unfulfilled horniness? Cady’s pretty sure she could right now. 

     “But that’s not what you’re getting today, baby. You’re just too fun to play with when you’re desperate like this. When I get you home, we’re going nice and slow. I’m going to take my time touching every inch of you. How does that sound, pretty girl?”

     Cady can’t form words. 

     “But first, I have my meeting. So you’re going to go outside, and talk with Karen, and tell her I’m leaving early. I don’t have any meetings scheduled after this one. I’ll tell Gretchen I’m taking off and she’ll cover for me.”

     “Are you sure? She seemed upset we weren’t going to Shane’s.”

     “If I promised Gretchen tea about why we aren’t going right now, she’d be so excited that she’d probably cover for me during this meeting.”

     “You should tell her something, then. I don’t care what you tell her, actually. Tell her anything. Just take me home. Now. Please,” Cady adds, biting the inside of her lip when she realizes just how bossy she’s being.

     Regina smiles back at her, tongue pinned between her teeth. 

     “Now where’s the fun in that?”

     “Regina Renée.”

     “You’ll be fine, baby,” Regina hums, giving Cady’s thigh one last squeeze and kissing her head before she nudges Cady up. “Alright, I need to prep for this meeting, and you need to go to my car and think about all of the filthy things I’m going to do to you when we get home.”

     Regina strokes Cady’s cheek and plants a quick kiss on her lips. 

     Cady begrudgingly hugs Regina and takes the car keys she offers before she stomps away. 

     Regina just shakes her head and smiles, watching her not-girlfriend walk away. 

     The idea of Cady not being hers still leaves a sour taste in her mouth, but this clearly isn’t the time. 

     Keys clatter against the hardwood and Cady murmurs an apology before she bends over to pick them up, making sure that her skirt gets flipped up as she does. She takes her time picking up the keys, pretending to have trouble grasping them so she can stay bent over longer and show Regina exactly what she’s missing. This isn’t the first time Cady’s used her ass as a manipulation tactic, and it sure as hell won’t be the last. There may be better strategies to win Regina’s attention, but Cady’s down too bad to think of anything more effective to do. 

      Click. Click. Click.

     Pointed patent pumps appear in front of Cady, and she looks up. 

     Regina’s staring down at her, trying to look tough, but her mask is slipping. In this moment, Cady can tell that Regina wants her just as bad as she wants Regina.

     Regina squats down and plucks up the keys. She straightens up, waiting for Cady to do the same. She puts the keys in Cady’s hand, then leans in to kiss her as she smooths her skirt back down.. 

     She nips at Cady’s lips harder than she ever has before. 

     “Go wait in the car.”

     The low, gravelly sound of Regina barely holding back makes Cady want to rip her clothes off. Just one more meeting.

     Cady leans in and presses one quick kiss to Regina’s lips.

     “I’ll see you in a few,” she says sweetly, turning to walk away. 

     Don’t ask her how, but she can feel Regina’s eyes on her with every step she takes.

—

     Regina barely speaks to her in the car, her eyes glued to the road. Cady is worried she’s done something wrong until Regina presses her up against the door as soon as they get home. 

     Cady is too desperate for it to be anything but overeager, licking her way into Regina’s mouth and clutching her biceps so hard that they may bruise. When she tries to grind into Regina, Regina pins her back again.

     “Bed. Now.” 

     Cady nearly sprints to the bedroom, Regina’s heels clicking quickly behind her. 

     Cady’s already got her shirt off and is making quick work of her skirt when Regina enters the room. 

     “Keep it on.” Regina commands. 

     Cady freezes. 

     “You really think you can tease me like that and get away with it? You sealed your fate when you decided to weaponize that tight little skirt earlier, baby. It stays on.”

     Cady nods quickly, her hands dropping the skirt as she does. Two of the buttons and the zipper are undone, but Regina nudges Cady’s hands away when she tries to fix them. 

     “Let me,” Regina hums, pressing a kiss to Cady’s forehead as she slips her fingers through the opening in the skirt. 

     Cady gasps, her hands clenching uselessly in the air with nothing to hold onto. 

     Regina strokes her over her panties, gentle fingers and almond shaped nails touching so lightly that it almost tickles.

     Cady’s already gasping, feral, desperate for Regina to give her more.

     But Regina’s in no rush. She keeps gently stroking Cady over her damp underwear and, just when Cady thinks she might explode from unfulfilled horniness, Regina slips one finger underneath the fabric and slides a single finger over her exposed clit. 

     Cady yelps, and Regina pauses, giving Cady a little pat before she pulls her hand back, tugs up the zipper, and fastens the buttons. 

     “That’s quite enough for now, don’t you think?”

     Cady thinks she might cry. She tries to beg, to plead, but Regina is having none of it. 

     “Lay down, baby. Come here,” Regina says, tugging Cady into place on the bed. She sorts out the pillows behind Cady just the way Cady likes, then presses a kiss to her forehead. She wraps her arms around Cady’s middle and squeezes, and now Cady wants to cry for an entirely different reason. 

     “You’re so precious to me, baby. My sweet girl,” Regina hums, pressing kisses to Cady’s chin. Cady doesn’t realize that Regina’s hands around her waist are undoing her bra until Regina pulls it off. 

     “So perfect,” Regina says, low and throaty. Her hands drift lower, tickling the skin just under Cady’s bellybutton and just above her waistband. Her lips string slow, wet kisses along Cady’s jaw, her neck, her collarbone, and down, down, down. She places a kiss just below Cady’s bellybutton, flicking her tongue against the soft skin, before she kisses her way back up Cady’s chest. 

     Her mouth closes around Cady’s tight, aching nipple, gently flicking her warm tongue across it, and Cady keens. Her hands find their way into Regina’s hair, tugging her closer. 

     When Regina kisses her way across Cady’s chest, a fingernail comes up to scratch across Cady’s wet nipple so softly that it almost hurts. Regina’s mouth soon finds her other nipple, which is just as hard and needy. As she teases it with her tongue and teeth, her fingers twiddle and pinch and roll the other, which has Cady moaning and murmuring and begging please . 

     Regina lavishes her attention over Cady’s nipples for what seems like forever. Cady loves the way Regina touches her, but she’s desperate for more.

     She manages to string together a semi-coherent sentence of “More, please, Reggie— lower, please,” and lucky for her, Regina is ready to oblige. 

     Cady expects Regina to finally take off her skirt, but she skims her hands right over it to tickle gentle fingers along her thighs.

     “Take it off,” Cady whines, lips pouty, cheeks red, and hair messilyl mussed. 

     “This?” Regina asks, grinning as she pulls off her suit jacket and tosses it towards her closet. She unbuttons her shirt about halfway down so Cady can see that bra again and salivate. 

     “Reggie,” she whines, more frustrated than she can ever remember being. 

     “Oh, I’m sorry, baby. You must’ve meant these,” Regina says, removing all of her rings and dropping them into a dish on her bedside table. “My mistake.”

     “Regina,” Cady murmurs, a frustrated tear actually leaking out of her eye. 

     Regina leans over her very slowly and kisses the tear away, making sure to brush Cady’s body with her own as she looms overtop of her. 

     “You okay, sweet girl? Do we need to stop?” Regina asks, and Cady shakes her head so quickly it’s almost comical. 

     “No, no, please,” she begs, grabbing Regina’s face with her hands. “Please, Reggie.”

     Regina leans forward and presses their lips together. 

     “Your wish is my command, baby,” she says, a wicked smile on her face as she leans back, returning to her position between Cady’s legs. 

     Regina traces warm fingers and gel-painted nails along the outer edge of Cady’s legs, slowly working her fingers closer to where Cady wants them. She gently tickles the skin of Cady’s inner thighs, so close to her apex, when her fingers finally find Cady’s underwear. 

     She keeps up her featherlight touches along the very edge of the fabric, never venturing underneath it. 

     Cady fists her hand in Regina’s open button-down, trying in vain to yank her closer. 

     “Is there something I can do for you?” Regina replies, so fucking cocky that it pisses Cady off.

     “Touch me,” Cady demands, tired of playing Regina’s little game. She’s been too worked up for too long and she needs Regina. 

     Now.  

     “Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Regina taunts, slowly bending over until her mouth reaches Cady’s thighs. She presses impossibly soft kisses from the tops of her knees up to her inner thighs, alternating left and right until her head disappears under Cady’s skirt. 

     Cady fists her hands in the blankets as Regina’s mouth presses kisses to the soft bits of skin at her inner thigh, then on either side of her mound, and finally, to her hip bones. Regina slides the fabric of her panties up so that her soft lips press against bare skin, her teeth scraping over the tender flesh followed quickly by her tongue to soothe the ache. 

     Cady’s murmuring constantly now, an incomprehensible stream of please and more and Regina peppered with expletives until Regina grabs Cady’s underwear with her teeth and yanks it down her leg. 

     Then, Cady can only gasp. 

     Once it reaches her knees, Regina finishes the job with her fingers, flinging the offending garment somewhere off into the ether. 

     She meets Cady’s eyes and winks, her face far enough away to no longer be hidden under Cady’s skirt. 

     Cady bucks her hips and tugs at said skirt, but Regina grabs her hands. 

     “It. Stays. On. Understand?” Regina asks, her voice gravelly in the way it only gets when she’s about to devour her best friend. 

     Cady nods, her frenzied feelings replaced with fear for just a moment, terrifyingly arousing in the way that only Regina can be. 

     “That’s my sweet girl,” Regina praises, ducking her head low to press a soft, tender kiss to Cady’s ever-sensitive inner thigh. 

     She kisses a trail up Cady’s legs, biting and sucking the skin as she goes, leaving the tiniest marks that will marr Cady’s skin for a brief couple of days at most. 

     Cady fleetingly hopes that Regina plans to defile her like this so often that the marks will never heal. 

     Regina’s head disappears entirely under Cady’s skirt once again, and Cady braces for what’s to come. 

     Still, at the first touch of Regina’s soft, slick tongue against her folds, she cries out. 

     Regina flicks her tongue over Cady’s slit once, twice, three times, paying special attention to her throbbing clit for only a brief second before she tugs Cady’s hips forward hard, thrusting her tongue into Cady’s opening. 

     A broken moan escapes Cady’s mouth as Regina fucks her with her tongue, shallow thrusts that will wind Cady up but never get her off. She should’ve known this is what Regina would do, tease her with release for a fleeting moment only to drive her even more insane. 

     Cady tries to buck her hips, to force more contact, but Regina hands gripping her hips and ass keep her anchored in place. 

     Regina pulls her head back just a bit, only far enough that her eyes are no longer hidden by Cady’s skirt, and she winks. 

     Cady needs her so fucking bad. 

     Regina ducks back in, her touches slower this time, her tongue trailing over the entirety of Cady’s slit, from her clit to her opening and back again, over and over and over. 

     Cady’s forearms burn from the way she claws at the mattress, but she barely notices the ache, too focused on the ever-growing ache between her legs. 

     Regina’s tongue gets faster, covering less and less area until she’s just flicking Cady’s clit with her tongue. Up and down, then back and forth, then little circles until she knows she’s found it. 

     All Cady can do is beg, pleading with Regina to push her over the edge. 

     Regina pulls back once more, her head still hidden under Cady’s skirt, her breath coming in warm puffs against Cady’s molten center. 

     And then, she waits. 

     Cady stops moving, stops breathing, stops begging, knowing that this submission is what Regina wants. At least, she hopes it is, because she can’t take any more. 

     “Such a good girl,” Regina murmurs, before finally, blessedly giving Cady what she needs. 

     Two fingers scrape against Cady’s front wall just as Regina’s lips encircle Cady’s clit and she begins to gently suck, flicking her tongue across the swollen, needy little nub. 

     Cady cries out, her orgasm hitting her like a big yellow school bus the second Regina curls her carefully manicured fingers. 

     She spasms over, and over, and over again, this orgasm longer than any other Regina’s ever given her. Regina nurses her through it with gentle thrusts and even gentler sucks until Cady stops twitching. She uses the hand not currently knuckle-deep in Cady to push her skirt out of the way so she can see Cady’s blissed-out face. 

     She’s so fucking pretty, is the thing. Hair a mussed mess, cheeks bright red, eyes closed and lips parted ever so slightly. If Regina had any talent at all, she’d spend the rest of her days sketching the plush upturn of Cady’s lips and the gentle point of her nose, her skin all pink and perfectly flushed. 

     The feeling inside Regina that screams for her to hold Cady forever only gets louder when Cady’s eyes flutter open, unfocused until they lock onto Regina’s own. In the golden light of the early-setting winter sun, they’re so, so blue. When Cady’s lips quirk up in a goofy smile, Regina’s heart aches, her chest feeling like it’s cracking in half. It’s worse when Cady holds her arms as high as she can manage in her current state, which isn’t very high at all, and opens and closes her fists, gesturing for Regina to come to her. 

     Regina crawls up to her right away, done teasing for now. Now’s the time to hold Cady as close as she can for as long as Cady will let her. 

     With any luck, maybe that will be forever. 

     Regina pulls Cady into her arms and squeezes her tight, pressing soft kisses to every inch of her face that she can reach. 

     Cady melts against her, her heart rate gradually slowing as her breathing returns to normal. 

     That’s when she notices that Regina, despite being the more athletic of the two, is still breathing heavy. Regina’s heart thumps madly against her chest, and Cady is worried something is wrong until she sees her thighs pressed together. 

     She slides a hand over Regina’s ass to test her theory, pleased when the goddess lying next to her gasps. 

     Cady’s lips need no further prompting to fasten themselves to the skin below Regina’s ear, gently sucking at the spot that never fails to make Regina weak. 

     “Cady,” Regina breathes, her head foggy with the way Cady’s hands travel up and down her body, Cady’s lips still pressed to the sweet spot only she knows exists.

     Cady’s lips nibble up her neck, hot breath fanning out against the shell of Regina’s ear when Cady pulls back just a little. 

     Regina can sense her hesitation when Cady’s lips part, but she doesn’t kiss her or speak. She slides a comforting hand along Cady’s waist, firmly holding Cady. 

     Just when Regina’s sure Cady must have lost her nerve, she whispers.

     “Can I eat you out?”

     The way Regina shivers at the question is quite promising, but still, Cady waits with bated breath.

     “You don’t have to,” Regina says, her voice wavering. It’s hard to think clearly with Cady pressed against her like this, soft and warm and offering to the very thing Regina desperately craves. 

     “Please,” Cady begs, tracing gentle fingers over the skin under Regina’s belly button. “I want to taste you.”

     Everything in Regina is screaming yes, but she can’t get the words out. This is new for them, something Cady’s never done before, and as badly as Regina wants it, she’s scared of being that vulnerable. 

     Cady pulls back a little so she can look Regina in the eye, her expression no longer blissed out, but focused. She still looks freshly fucked, all pink cheeks and dilated pupils and strawberry-blonde hair sticking up every which way, and Regina can’t help but sigh at the sight of her favorite person in the world like this. 

     “I’m sorry,” Cady says, biting her lip. “I didn’t mean to push. I just want to make you feel good. I know it’s—um. I know it’s probably annoying that you have to teach me all this stuff, but—”

     “Not annoying,” Regina says, gently stroking her face. She won’t let Cady think that having her like this is anything but the greatest pleasure of her life. Sex with Cady—being with Cady, period—is her favorite thing in the entire world. “I just don’t want you to do it because you feel like you have to, since I did it.”

     “That’s not why I want to eat you out,” Cady says, proud that her voice doesn’t so much as wobble. 

     “Then do tell, baby,” Regina says, swiping her thumb over Cady’s cheekbone. 

     “I want to do it because I want to make you come,” Cady says, her voice deeper than Regina’s ever heard it. “I want to make you squirm, make you moan. Make you let go.”

     Cady leans in closer, her lips hovering over Regina’s. Regina tries to lean forward to press their lips together, but Cady’s hand gently curls around her throat, holding her back. 

     “Will you let me?” Cady asks, staring into Regina’s eyes. 

     Regina’s too stunned to respond. She’s overwhelmed by Cady in the best way. Cady, pressed against her, hovering over her. Cady, voice low, eyes blue and pupils lust-blown. Sweet, soft Cady, her pretty girl, with her hand around Regina’s throat. 

     “Please,” Regina whispers, for once unable to care how weak, how desperate, how out of control she sounds. 

     The word has barely escaped her lips before Cady’s mouth is pressed to her own in a bruising kiss. Cady forces her tongue into Regina’s mouth as she fists both hands in Regina’s hair, careful to keep her hands high and away from the scar on the back of Regina’s neck and head. 

     Regina knows exactly what she’s doing, and it almost makes her want to cry. Cady taking control is already a lot, but in-control Cady taking special care to avoid hurting Regina in any way? It’s almost too much. 

     Cady’s tongue in her mouth is a good distraction from her feelings. Cady’s lips on her jaw, her neck, and down onto her chest are even better. When Cady’s hands wrap around her thighs, her mind goes completely blank. 

     Cady looks up at Regina from between her legs, her gentle fingers soft and slow on Regina’s thick thighs. Cady wants to bury her face between them, needs to feel Regina’s warm, soft skin against her face as Regina writhes.

     She leans over to press kisses to Regina’s thighs, resting her head against them as she gazes up at the woman she loves most in the world. 

     This isn’t the first time this realization has hit her, but it’s the first time it’s ever hit her in this position. She can’t help but stare at Regina, Regina’s blue eyes dark and her perfect face red. 

     Regina stares back, shooting Cady a comforting smile even as her chest heaves and her fingers curl in the sheets. 

     Cady can’t help but smile back in a way that is surely too big and too goofy for the moment, but it just makes Regina want her that much more. 

     “You’ll tell me if I do something wrong?” Cady asks, holding eye contact as bends lower, her face just inches from Regina’s center. 

     “Mmh,” Regina hums, fisting her left hand in the sheets and her right one in Cady’s hair. 

     Cady presses a slow kiss to the innermost bit of each of Regina’s thighs, the soft, tender bit that brushes together as she walks. The bit that she’s usually too self-conscious about to let anyone see, even Cady. 

     Regina doesn’t even have time to wonder whether she should be embarrassed, because half a second later, Cady’s tongue is swiping along her slit.

     A gasp falls from her mouth as her hand tightens in Cady’s hair. 

     Cady licks her again, less tentative this time, delighting in the sounds Regina makes. 

     It’s good, so good, but too slow. Regina tries to pull Cady closer, tries to buck her hips to get Cady to press harder, or speed up, but Cady holds firm. 

     “Cady,” Regina whines, tugging again. Cady teases her a little while longer before she gives in, moving her tongue a little faster for just a few moments. 

     Despite her inexperience, there’s no hesitation in Cady’s movements. She drinks Regina up, gripping her thighs and tonguing her deep and slow.

     Regina shoves her head forward, desperate for Cady to get her off, but Cady doesn’t seem to care. No matter how Regina whines, Cady is unaffected, content to tease her. 

     “ Cady ,” Regina begs, tugging Cady’s head away from her body so she can look her in the eye.

     Cady’s jaw hangs open even as Regina pulls her back, her mouth wet. She stares at Regina in a way Regina’s never seen her stare before, like Cady is dying of thirst in the desert and Regina is a freshwater oasis. 

     “Please,” Regina whines, too desperate to care how needy she sounds. 

     Cady grins up at her, slow and sharklike, and for the first time, Regina feels less like the apex predator and more like the prey.

     “Need something, baby?”

     “Cady, I swear to—”

     Regina’s breath hitches as Cady’s tongue flicks against her clit, whimpering when she tries to push her hips closer and Cady keeps her pinned to the bed. 

     No matter how Regina struggles, Cady somehow keeps her still with a strength Regina didn’t know she possessed. When Regina’s squirming becomes too much, Cady nips at her inner thigh, causing the most undignified squeak to fall from Regina’s lips. 

     Regina can feel Cady’s cocky smile against her thigh, but she’s simply too horny to care. 

     Cady slides one finger in, then two, her thrusts slow as she licks Regina up. When Regina moans, Cady knows she’s found the spot. She flicks her tongue unrelentingly over Regina’s swollen clit as she curls her fingers inside of her, a little dizzy at the way Regina’s thighs clench around her head. 

     She doesn’t stop once Regina’s come, doesn’t stop until Regina pulls on her hair so hard that it hurts. 

     She rests her head on Regina’s thigh, gazing up at the gorgeous, gasping girl as she tries her best to come back to earth. 

     Cady presses kisses to Regina’s thigh and watches her chest rise and fall, waiting for her eyes to pop open again. 

     Once they do, Cady grins up at her, and Regina can’t help but giggle. She puts her hands over her own face, a little embarrassed by how out of control she feels, but Cady’s there in a second to pull her hands away. She kisses Regina soft and sweet, tasting of Regina as she tastes Regina again. 

     Regina nibbles at Cady’s bottom lip, and Cady kisses her deeply before she pulls back. 

     She wraps Regina up tight in her arms, and Regina relaxes into them completely.  

     “Was I okay?” Cady asks, her voice soft and shy in a way that’s silly considering how take-charge she was just seconds ago. 

     Regina laughs, deep and throaty and from somewhere down inside, pulling Cady even closer.

     Cady kisses her again with no hint of the nervous hesitation Regina is used to from her, and Regina finds it unbelievably sexy. She has the briefest flash of the future, of surrendering to Cady’s every whim, letting her typically soft, eager girlfriend take control. 

     Regina would live in that thought forever, too unashamed in her boneless state to be embarrassed about her daydream of being an obedient little bottom, if it weren’t for the horrible voice in her head reminding her that Cady is just her friend. 

     The thought stabs into her gut and twists, but Regina is too blissed-out and heavy-limbed to react. She feels the pain, but she feels Cady’s arms around her too, and the latter is enough to soothe the former. 

     For now. 

     “Reggie?” Cady whispers.

     The best Regina can manage is a “hmm?”

     “Can I take my skirt off now?”

     Regina laughs, then turns in Cadys’s arms to find the skirt and pull it off. 

     “Thanks,” Cady says, nuzzling her nose against Regina’s. 

     The knife twists harder in Regina’s gut, begging her to let those three little words slip out. It would be so easy with Cady so close, their bodies flush, their lips only millimeters apart. 

     She’s saved by Cady’s stomach growling. Cady’s face flushes in embarrassment, but Regina just smiles and strokes her cheek.

     “Hungry, baby?” Regina asks, smiling so wide that her eyes squint and her nose scrunches and God, she’s so, so beautiful.

     “I guess,” Cady says, which gets Regina laughing again. “I kinda skipped lunch. I was a little… preoccupied.”

     “I can’t imagine why,” Regina teases, her grin growing when Cady snorts.

     “I’m sure you can’t,” Cady says, bumping their noses together again. “This unbelievably gorgeous woman called me at work and said she “bought something new that she wanted to show me.” And then she sent me all these pictures…”

     “Sounds hot,” Regina says, still grinning so big that her cheeks are starting to hurt. 

     “It was. Which is why I completely forgot about the peanut butter overnight oats I brought for lunch. They’re probably still in the break room fridge, unless Kevin noticed I was gone and decided to help himself.”

     “We better get you something to eat, then,” Regina says, stroking Cady’s cheek. 

     “I knew you were gonna say that,” Cady says, leaning into her touch. “Which is why I was gonna wait to tell you until we’d had at least an hour of post-sex snuggling time. Maybe two. And maybe I was gonna wait longer if the post-sex snuggling turned into pre-sex snuggling…”

     Regina laughs, because Cady is so goofy, and so beautiful, and so perfect wrapped around her like this. 

     “But then my stomach had to go and ruin it.”

     “Mmh. I’m just glad that mine hasn’t ratted on me yet,” Regina says, pressing a kiss to Cady’s lips because she can’t resist any longer. 

     Cady leans into the kiss for a second until she realizes what Regina said. 

     “Wait, you skipped lunch?” Cady says, pulling back far enough to look Regina in the eye. 

     “Not on purpose,” Regina says, stroking her cheek. “The prettiest girl I’ve ever seen stormed into my office shortly before my lunch break and demanded I fuck her. And who am I to turn her down?”

     “I could’ve waited until after you’d eaten,” Cady says softly, and Regina laughs. 

     “Could you?” She teases. 

     “I would have,” Cady says with a huff. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

     “The prettiest girl I’ve ever seen stormed into my office and—”

     “Regina,” Cady says, her voice so soft and her tone so serious. “I don’t want you skipping meals for me.”

     “It’s only…” Regina starts before she sees the time on her bedside clock blink 5:25 . Okay, maybe it is too late for lunch. “Well. We can have a big dinner.”

     “Reggie…”

     “Cady,” Regina says, tugging her ear. “I’ve been in recovery for almost half a decade. One missed lunch isn’t going to cause a relapse. But treating me like I could relapse any second just might cause a relapse.”

     “I’m sorry,” Cady says, leaning closer again. “I just worry.”

     “I know,” Regina says, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. “But I’m okay, baby. I swear.”

     “And you’d tell me if you weren’t?” Cady asks, and the way she’s looking at Regina, Regina could never even think about saying no. 

     “Swear,” Regina repeats, kissing her once more. 

     “Okay,” Cady says, brushing their noses together before kissing Regina again. “Do you want to order in? Or… we could probably get dressed now and still make it to Shane’s—”

     “Fat fucking chance,” Regina says, making Cady laugh. “If you think we’re going anywhere this weekend besides the kitchen, the living room, and my shower, you’re insane.”

     Cady’s chest fills with warmth, her arms tightening around Regina. 

     “I promised Shane we’d come over Sunday. For the Superbowl. But we can stay here until then.”

     “And why would you do a thing like that?” Regina pouts, being over the top on purpose. 

     “Because he’s your best friend,” Cady says, stroking Regina’s face. “And because he’s excited that his team is going for the threepee.”

     “Three-peat,” Regina corrects, which earns her a squint in response. 

     “What?” 

     “Three-peat. Like a repeat, but three times. The Chiefs have won the Superbowl the last two years, but no one’s ever won it three times. They’re the first team to make it back to the third Superbowl in a row.”

     “So doesn’t that mean they already three-peated? Since they made it back?” 

     “In a way,” Regina says after a long second. “But I don’t think it really counts if you lose.”

     “But they already made it back.”

     “Cady, baby, I don’t know what goes on in the sportsbro’s heads, okay? They like to make up words. During college basketball season a couple years ago, I almost smashed Shane’s TV because this fuckin’ idiot announcer wouldn’t quit talking about Quad-1 wins.”

     “What the hell is that?”

     “It just means you beat a team ranked in the top 30,” Regina says, irritated just thinking about it. 

     “Then why don’t they just say that?” Cady says, seemingly just as annoyed. Regina loves how Cady always matches her energy, even over dumb shit like this. 

     “That’s the million dollar question, baby.”

     Cady sighs. She spends a few moments dreading all the new, silly words she’s going to have to learn for Sunday when she suddenly remembers. 

     “Do you think there will be a parade?” she asks, her face lighting up. 

     “For whoever wins? Yeah,” Regina says, stroking Cady’s hair and wondering how she can get the conversation away from football and back onto things she actually cares about, like eating food, or eating Cady. 

     “Can we go?” Cady asks. “It’ll be like pride!”

     “It will be a bunch of drunk men taking their shirts off and spraying beer everywhere.”

     “That’s not not like pride.”

     “Cady.”

     “It could be fun!” 

     “We can go,” Regina says with an amused look, “If you want to book a last-minute flight to Kansas City.”

     “Kansas City?” Cady asks, her eyebrows knitting together. 

     “Mmh. Where the Chiefs are from?” Regina says with a  growing smile. 

     Cady’s jaw drops open. 

     “They’re not from Chicago?”

     “Baby, they’re called the Kansas City Chiefs,” Regina says with a little laugh. 

     “I thought they were the Chicago Chiefs,” Cady says, throwing her hands up in exasperation. 

     Regina laughs loudly, holding Cady closer even as she tries to pull away. 

     “Chicago is the Bears, baby.” 

     “I thought that was baseball.”

     “That’s the Cubs.”

     “That’s the same animal!” Cady shouts, her incredulity plain as day on her frustrated face. 

     “You tell ‘em, baby,” Regina laughs again, rolling onto her back and pulling Cady with her. 

     Cady is happy to be tugged around and immediately presses her cheek into Regina’s chest. 

     “Reggie?”

     “Hmm?”

     “How come Shane cares so much? About the Chiefs,” Cady asks, tracing a gentle finger over Regina’s collarbone. 

     “He grew up in Kansas City. His family moved here just a couple years before yours did. I’ll never admit it to him, but I’m happy for him. He used to wear his Chiefs stuff to school and get shit on because they sucked. He took it all in stride, told everyone that Andy Reid was going to save them. I thought he was delusional, because he’s delusional about a lot of things, but I guess he was right. And then when he found out the Chiefs hired Spagnuolo as their defensive coordinator, he cried. Like, wept. We were at a wedding, so everyone thought it was just that, but—”

     “Wait, was that at Gretchen’s sister’s wedding? Gretch thought he was crying because he’d secretly been in love with Millie for years and he was destroyed that she was marrying someone else!” Cady says, utter shock on her face. She squints up at Regina. “Why didn’t you tell Gretchen he was crying about football?”

     “Because that’s way more embarrassing,” Regina says, the duh implied. “Crying at a wedding because you’ve lost the love of your life? Tragic. Falling to your knees and sobbing because a balding white man that your uncle went to college with is joining the coaching staff of some football team? Demoralizing. That’s why I helped Gretchen spread that rumor.”

     “You know, sometimes I still think you might flip the script on all of us and go back to being evil,” Cady teases, her fingers leaving goosebumps all over Regina’s warm skin. 

     “Bold of you to assume that I’ve ever been anything but evil,” Regina teases right back, gripping Cady’s hip as she gently swipes her thumb over Cady’s hipbone. 

     “You were pretty evil earlier,” Cady pouts, which makes Regina laugh. “You made me wait so long.”

     “Yeah, and you loved every second of it. Just like you’re going to love every second of tonight.” Regina’s other hand trails along Cady’s chest, so close and yet so far. 

     “What’s tonight?” Cady asks, already hanging on Regina’s every word. 

     “Well first, we’re going to order dinner. We’re going to lay right here until dinner comes,” Regina says pointedly, her fingers just barely missing Cady’s nipple. “And then we’re going to go pig out on the couch. After that, I’ll mix us up some drinks, and we’ll put something on the TV.”

     “ Relentless Enemies ?” Cady asks, her face lighting up. 

     “Whatever you want,” Regina says, knowing they won’t really be watching it. “And then, I’m going to pull you into my lap, and touch you so, so soft, just how you like it.”

     “You are?” Cady asks, swallowing. 

     “Mmh. And then I’m going to show you what I bought, and you’re going to immediately drag me right into this bed, and we’re going to stay here until Sunday night. Okay?” 

     Cady nods just once before surging forward to press a hard kiss to Regina’s lips. She kisses her again, and again, and again, until Regina gently holds her back. 

     “Dinner?” Regina asks, and Cady nods eagerly. 

     “Right. Yeah. Food,” she says, trying to slow her heavy breathing. “I, um. Italian?”

     “Are you just saying that because I said Spagnuolo?” 

     “What?” Cady asks, looking so, so confused. “Is that like spaghetti?”

     Regina laughs.

     “Ask Shane about it Sunday. He’ll talk your ear off. Do you want to order from Calo or Regalia?”

     “What about Campagnola?” Cady asks, shrugging her shoulders like she hasn’t just suggested her very favorite restaurant within an hour of here.

     “We can do Campagnola,” Regina says with a smile and a fond roll of the eyes. “But they don’t deliver. Just let me get dressed, and—”

     “Regalia is fine,” Cady says, winding her arms around Regina so tight that it’s impossible for her to move.

     “I don’t mind going to pick it up, pretty girl.”

     “I mind,” Cady mumbles against her neck, and Regina laughs. 

     “Well, alright then. If you’re sure.”

     “Dead sure,” Cady says, not moving an inch. 

     Regina’s stomach flutters so much with affection for Cady that she feels a bit sick. The knife in her gut is still there, but she’s so delirious about the woman wrapped around her that she barely feels it. 

     She’s not talking about the food anymore when she says, 

     “Then I’m dead sure too.”