“Just—just your fingers,” Steph murmured. “For now. Just you.”
She swiped her thumbs over Erika’s hardened nubs as they kissed again, Erika pliant under her.
Erika slid her hands down and down until she could grasp at Steph’s thighs, just massaging the muscle as they kissed; Steph’s stomach fluttered. She felt like her body was coming alive in all the places Erika touched her, heat pooling low in her stomach. Erika cupped Steph’s mound with a hand and Steph trembled at her touch, couldn’t help but whine when Erika easily slipped two fingers inside of her.
“God,” Erika said, voice rough.
Steph breathed shakily, planting her hands on Erika’s shoulders so she could rock forward on her fingers. It felt so good. Steph moaned as she moved, and Erika moaned with her even when she wasn’t being touched, just from looking at Steph. Her hand on Stephanie’s ribs felt like a brand, hot and digging into her.
Steph bit her bottom lip and looked straight into Erika’s blown eyes as she rocked, for once not looking away, and Erika looked right back. Her mouth was open and her lips were swollen from their kisses.
“God, Steph,” she groaned.
Steph couldn’t open her mouth without gasping. She squeezed her eyes shut and let her head fall; Erika slid a third finger inside of her and crooked them, hitting Steph right in the best spot, and Steph couldn’t keep her loud moan in.
“Ah—Erika—”
She came like that, with Erika’s name on her lips. Erika leaned up and moved her hand to the back of Steph’s head, used that hold to bring Steph down for a sweet kiss, two, three. Steph sprawled over her, loose and satisfied and for once totally certain that she was exactly where she belonged: like this, in bed with Erika, sticky with sweat, and in love.
“Steph,” Erika said, strained, “please.”
Steph reached down between them and unbuttoned Erika’s shorts, lowered the zipper, and fit her hand inside. Erika was as wet as she’d been, and Steph swallowed her every moan as she slipped her fingers inside of her and crooked them. Erika gasped, back arching off the bed.
“Ah—Steph, your palm—”
Steph kissed her cheek, her jaw, her shoulder, and did as she was told: she dipped her fingers in deeper and rubbed her palm harshly against Erika’s clit. Erika cried out, fingers tightening around Steph’s hair, and came giving Steph a harsh, biting kiss—hot and wanting.
Steph got her hand out of her shorts and relaxed on top of her. The two of them just breathed together for a moment, bodies cooling, and though her half-opened eyes Steph admired how pink pale Erika got after they’d made love.
Her eyes slipped closed. She was so tired.
“… are you going to sleep?”
“’m tired,” Steph told her, tucking her face against the space between Erika’s neck and her shoulder. “And hungry.”
“I’ll cook something for you,” Erika promised, her voice very soft.
***
Steph woke up feeling happy, hungry, and sore, in that order. She didn’t recognize the room she was in and the smell of coffee and bacon hung in the air. A hand patted her shoulder. Steph turned around and Erika was sitting on the bed by her hip with a tray of food on top of her lap. Steph stared at the cup of coffee, the glass of orange juice, and the plate with eggs, bacon, and toast, then turned to look at the window. It was very dark at night.
“Breakfast for dinner,” Erika said, a bit shy. She reached out and tucked a wild strand of Steph’s hair behind her ear. “I thought you wouldn’t mind?”
“No,” Steph said, feeling a blush rise up on her face. “I’m starving, actually.”
“Oh, you’ve been driving a lot. I should have made something more filling…”
“It’s fine,” Steph murmured. “We can have a late dinner later?”
Erika swiped a thumb across her cheek. “If you’re going to stay that long, yeah.”
As if Steph weren’t going to stay forever.
She shuffled up and lifted herself to sit up on the bed. She put her pillow behind her back and Erika set the tray down on her lap. She went around the bed and sat down on Steph’s side, close enough she could easily wrap an arm around Steph’s shoulders to bring her closer to her.
“Aren’t you going to eat anything?” Steph asked, picking up the cup of coffee.
“I’ll steal some of your bacon,” Erika said. She turned toward Steph and buried her nose in her hair. “Steph, we… we still have to talk. About our fight, and all.”
“I know,” Steph murmured, closing her eyes. “But it’ll all work out.”
“Yeah,” Erika said, voice soft. She tensed, suddenly straightening up. “Oh, no. We left the door open. The cats were here. Oh, god.”
“The—my cats? I left them with Jay!”
“He left them with me!” Erika scrambled off the bed and shoved her feet into slippers. She rushed out of the room. “They’re probably around the house! Right? Oh, god, I didn’t properly introduce them to Luke. Stay there! I’ll find them! I’m so sorry! They’re probably on the yard at best—”
Her voice grew fainter as she ran off. Steph blinked at the empty doorway, alone in Erika’s bed with a tray of breakfast foods on top of her lap while it was pitch-black at night. She felt laughter bubble out of her, joyful and free.
Epilogue
“Look, all you have to do is get this net and put it over the window. What’re you so confused about?”
“Don, shut up,” Steph groaned, shoving the net at his chest. “You put it over the window! I’m on lemonade duty!”
He groaned. “I regret promising you I’d come help you with this.”
“Steph?” Erika called out. “The lemonade’s ready!”
Steph turned around and walked up to her girlfriend, who was on her kitchen making lunch for everybody; Steph didn’t know what she was making but it smelled like pasta. Maybe she was making her lasagna. Ve was there too, making the lemonade and keeping up a quiet conversation with Erika. Steph wondered what they were talking about. Ve had known Steph for years and could tell Erika a lot.
Steph knew Erika would gladly hear everything.
Steph snuggled up to Erika’s side, who dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
“No stealing other people’s lemonades,” Erika said.
“I would never,” Steph lied. She walked up to Ve, who handed her three full glasses after a warning look. Steph held them with her two hands as best as she could and went upstairs, where Jay and Maria were petting Steph’s cats while Suzannah and Charles screened Steph’s bedroom and other rooms.
Jay caught sight of her before the others and narrowed his eyes at her.
“One of these better be for me, girl,” he said, and Stephanie promptly handed him a glass. He stopped petting the cat on his shoulder to pick it up.
He hadn’t quite forgiven her yet for leaving out of nowhere and dumping her cats on him, but Maria was helping her win him over again. Steph went and gave the other glass to Maria, who smiled sweetly at her. The cat with her was lying on the crook of her arm like a baby. Steph still couldn’t tell the two of them apart.
“That one better be for me,” Suzannah said, sending Steph a glare. But she was holding up the net over Steph’s bedroom window, so Steph grinned at her and handed it to her husband. “No! Betrayal!”
“Thank you, Stephanie,” Charles said, patting Steph’s shoulder.
“Our parents never should have had a second daughter.”
“I’m bringing up a glass for you,” Steph told her with a roll of her eyes. “I just didn’t have another hand to bring more glasses.”
“Bring more for me,” Jay asked, already done with his. Steph took the glass back from him.
“Don’t you dare,” Suz said. “Your Brazilian grandfather has already had lemonade. Bring some for your big sister.”
“She is apologizing for leaving the cats with me,” Jay said, sounding smug. “She will bring me more lemonade.”
“The man’
s right,” Stephanie told her sister sadly.
Maria and Charles laughed. Steph shrugged apologetically at Suz and bounded down the stairs. Don had managed to cover the living room window and was now helping Edward install the netted door to the backyard, where Luke was having a lot of fun digging holes. They were talking about the restaurant, of all things to talk, of how Ed hadn’t taken proper care of it, but he was learning a lot with Erika, so he could go back to running it again.
“Hey, maybe you’ll hire me as manager,” Don joked.
Ed rolled his eyes. “Finish your damn internship and we’ll see.”
“Steph?” Erika called.
Steph left Don and Ed to their chat and made her way to the kitchen. Erika was leaning against the counter, a towel slung over her shoulder, and she caught Steph in a hug when she came close enough.
“Hey! I’m on lemonade duty, I’ve got to work.”
Erika hummed noncommittally, rubbing a cheek against Steph’s hair, making it stand up in an even bigger mess.
“Erika,” Steph groaned.
“Lemonade duty isn’t that important,” Erika argued. “Stay here a while.”
Steph complained, but she settled against Erika all the same, winding her arms around her girlfriend’s waist. Erika fit her arms more comfortably around her, leaning back as if content to stay there for the next few centuries.
“After lunch we head to the store get the new TV stand,” Steph murmured.
“And the boys will help me bring one of my couches over.”
“Then I’ll have some hours of writing, and later your mom wants us to go over for dinner.”
“She won’t apologize to you,” Erika said. “But she’s very aware that I won’t tolerate anyone insulting you.”
Steph sighed. “My hero. I suppose I have to meet your family sometime…”
“Yeah. Then next month we’ll visit your parents.”
“And Pedro,” Steph added softly.
“Yeah,” Erika said. “Do you think… I hope he would have liked me.”
“He would have loved you,” Steph told her. “Like I do.”
Erika smiled.
“I love you too.”
*THE END*
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