by Amy DeMeritt
“At the risk of sounding unobservant, did they drink mead in Hamlet?”
Elli releases a small laugh and shrugs a shoulder. “In the play I believe they only reference wine. In the days of Shakespeare, mead was a very common drink. Mead and wine are actually quite similar.”
“It’s also very delicious.”
Lana shifts her hips to shuffle over closer to Elli, pressing their hips and thighs flush together. As she takes another sip of mead, she places a hand on Elli’s thigh, sending a shockwave of electricity through Elli to rest between her thighs. As Lana swallows her mead, she closes her eyes in delight, tilts her head, and slowly opens her eyes with a grin as she looks at Elli.
“I love your eyes.”
Elli caresses Lana’s cheek as she leans towards her face. With their lips touching, Elli whispers, “Thank you,” then slips her tongue forward, engaging Lana in a slow, mead sweetened kiss.
As their lips and tongues dance, the emotions and affections that have been growing between them all evening begin to transform into passion, drawing them in closer to one another.
They had a wonderful dinner while sharing many stories, dreams, and laughs. Since they had to change their reservation time, Lana’s and Asia’s plan to scope out each other’s dates didn’t work out. They were able to have a completely uninterrupted dinner, except for the occasional visit from the waitress. Lana was enjoying herself so much that she was happy the original plan had to be postponed.
The performance of Hamlet they saw afterwards was well done, but the best part was watching it together, hand in hand, and occasionally sneaking quick sideways glances at each other.
After a few minutes, and lightly panting for air, they part their mouths, separating just a few inches to look into each other’s eyes. Lana’s hand twitches on Elli’s thigh, lightly gripping it in reaction to a spasm of pleasure.
Elli swallows hard as her own arousal and affections for Lana floods her body with a warmth stronger than the effects of the mead. Her body is tingling, her heart is feeling something quite akin to love, which both terrifies her and brings her a great sense of relief. It has been so very long since Elli has felt so strongly connected to another woman. She has missed these shared emotions and affections. But falling in love means she’ll be opening her heart to possible devastation.
Lana takes Elli’s glass from her and sets both on the coffee table before taking both of Elli’s hands in hers. She kisses the tops of both of Elli’s hands, then kisses Elli’s lips.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Many things, but nearly nothing at the same time.”
Lana releases a small laugh and shakes her head. “That is just not possible. You can’t be thinking about many things and nothing at the same time.”
“At moments like this, it’s very much possible.”
“What about this moment has you confused?”
“It has been a very long time since I have felt this way about someone.”
“I understand, I think. If we’re both worried about being hurt, does it cancel out the fears and mean we’re destined for a life of blissful happiness together?”
Elli’s chest swells with wonder and hope. The sincere affection and love in Lana’s eyes and sweetening her voice are undeniable. Since Isabell died, she has not believed it possible that there could exist a second perfect soulmate for her. But since her first date with Lana, she has been less sure of herself.
“I do believe the probability is very much in our favor if our hearts are pure and true to that desire.”
Lana places a hand on Elli’s cheek with her eyes moistening. “It is what I want more than anything.”
Their lips unite with a sigh and a sharp breath of air as their mouths part and close around each other’s lips. Hands glide and grip thighs and shoulders, bringing one another closer. Tongues slip and twist together as their torsos rock forward, pressing tightly together.
Elli places a hand on Lana’s cheek and with a slight tremble of anticipation, she glides down the smooth curvature of her slender neck and pushes her hand under the lapel of Lana’s blazer, pushing it off of Lana’s shoulder. Lana’s insides contract with the invitation, and she quickly pulls her arms back and removes her blazer, without losing momentum with Elli’s kiss.
After tossing the blazer behind herself, Lana places both hands on Elli’s thighs, causing a pulse of pleasure between them. Elli’s mouth stalls as she releases a quiet sound of pleasure. With her eyes still closed, she places her hands over Lana’s, which are resting midthigh. As she takes Lana’s hands, she opens her eyes with a decisive smile and stands up.
Walking hand in hand, Elli leads Lana to her bedroom. She turns the bedside lamp on a dim setting, and as she turns to face Lana, she’s drawn into a firm, warm embrace. As their tongues slip past their lips and clash together in fervor, Elli begins unbuttoning Lana’s top. As she reaches the waist of Lana’s pants and tugs the shirt free, Lana sways and inhales deeply. With lithe fingers, Elli easily releases the hidden inside buttons on Lana’s slacks, causing the fabric to become loose and slip a couple of inches off of Lana’s slightly jutting hips.
As Elli glides her hands around Lana’s hips and up her sides, over her cool silky-smooth skin, Lana’s breath catches in her chest and her body gently quakes with the sensations coursing her nerves. Elli relishes in the feeling of Lana’s skin, the curvature of her hips, the dip of her lower back, her delicate ribs, and the shallow of her spine. As her hands firmly palm up her back and under her bra, Lana releases a purring sound into Elli’s mouth. Elli smiles against her lips, then releases the hooks of her bra.
Propelled by the ecstasy Elli is spawning in her core, Lana quickly pulls her shirt off. Elli releases her from the kiss just in time to catch a glimpse of the black lace covering her modest milky smooth breasts before Lana discards the bra on the floor. Elli swallows hard as her mouth fills with saliva. Lana is beautifully delicate and smooth.
With an affectionate smile, Lana begins untying the wraparound closure of Elli’s dress on her left hip, then the inside ties on the right hip. As she slowly pulls the dress apart, her insides contract with need and pleasure. Elli is wearing a sky-blue lace and silk bra and matching panties. Lana’s hands graze over Elli’s shoulders, pushing the dress off to pool around Elli’s feet.
As she presses her torso against Elli’s, their mouths lock in passion. Lana reaches around to unhook Elli’s bra, and as it hits the floor and their breasts press together, they release moans into their kiss.
The heat between them, the quickened pace of their breathing, and the sensations overwhelming their senses fills every molecule of their beings. Every thought is only on this shared moment, on this culmination of a week of patient forgiveness, expansion of their hearts, and eager minds stripping bare for one another.
Hands glide and squeeze, trying to feel every inch of new skin and flesh, familiarizing themselves with each other’s bodies while removing every garment of clothing and their shoes. Panting for air, feeling drunk on the passion, and on the edge of release, they shuffle onto the center of the bed laying wrapped in each other’s arms on their sides.
Elli releases Lana’s mouth and bends into the dip of her neck to trail gentle sucking kisses up the full length, then back down and over her shoulder. She teases the curve of Lana’s defined collarbone with the tip of her tongue, then presses her lips to her sternum, slowly moving down to her chest.
With a sighing moan and following Elli’s gentle pressure, Lana falls onto her back, giving herself over to Elli completely. Elli paints adoring kisses from clavicle to hipbones while gliding feathery fingers in their wake, tenderly igniting and massaging every nerve in Lana’s body. As she lays down between Lana’s thighs, she runs both hands up her smooth slender thighs, spreading her wide. She firmly stamps nipping kisses along both smoothly shaven bikini lines, then with the faintest of touches, she kisses directly over top of Lana’s clit, eliciting a sweet gasping moan. Elli
wraps her arms around Lana’s thighs, pulling herself in tightly against Lana and keeping her thighs spread wide.
Lana’s subtly sweet musk fills Elli’s nostrils, awakening a hunger and desire inside of her that she hasn’t felt in a very long time. Eager to be whole again, Elli presses her tongue into Lana’s slit, and with the flat of her tongue, she glides up the full length with a firm pressure. Lana’s body bucks forward as she releases a moan and her hands grip the pillow she’s laying on.
Without a single desire to rush this, Elli works slowly, deliberately licking, sucking, and dipping inside in an attempt to draw out as much pleasure as possible. Lana’s breathing, frequent long moans, her arching back, and shuddering thighs tempt Elli to bring a fast, hard orgasm to the surface. But she wants the final explosion of ecstasy to hit Lana in waves, slowly building, slowly melting every fiber in her body. When it hits, she wants it to wash over Lana like a new layer of skin fusing with her entire body. She wants Lana to be one with her pleasure, one with her.
Lana tries to fathom what is happening to her, tries to focus on the woman between her thighs, but she is completely overwhelmed by the intensity of the pleasure. Each time she tries to remember a moment from the evening or something else entirely, the thought seems to be scorched to a crisp in the heat building inside of her. All she can see inside her mind is a kaleidoscope of colors, waves of blue, white, yellow, and red swirling and bursting together. Her lungs suddenly seize, her back arches severely, as if someone just pressed up on the center of her back, and her mouth cleaves open with an uncontrolled shriek of pleasure. The intense feeling spreads through her entire body, causing her to fall to the bed trembling and spasming while she moans, whimpers, and gasps for air. After an impossibly long time, at least a few minutes, her orgasm subsides into wonderful aftershocks that cause her to jerk about. She releases an elated giggle as her body shudders and she places a hand on Elli’s head, signaling for her to stop.
Elli kisses a trail up Lana’s torso and as she’s about to lay down next to her, Lana grabs her shoulders and pulls Elli down on top of herself.
Breathlessly and barely able to open her eyes, Lana says, “Oh, Elli, that was… there are no words. I’ve never felt something so wonderful.” She kisses Elli’s lips and caresses her cheek with a weak shaking hand.
“You look so beautiful right now.”
Lana releases a small laugh and kisses Elli again. “Thank you. I feel beautiful. You made me feel so incredible – it still feels incredible.”
“You look positively sloshed. It’s adorable.”
Lana giggles, and questions, “Sloshed?”
“It means drunk.”
“I like that. And yes, I feel drunk. But it’s your fault.”
Elli laughs and kisses Lana’s grinning lips. “I gladly accept responsibility for your current state, Sunshine. Do you need a drink? You keep moving your mouth in a parched sort of way.”
“I do, but I don’t think I can move yet.”
Elli kisses her lips and caresses her cheek for a moment before pushing up onto her knees. “I’ll get it for you.”
As Elli stands up next to the bed, Lana rolls over onto her side with a serene affectionate smile as she eyes Elli’s body up and down. Elli’s stomach flutters with joyous relief, making her anxiety she experienced earlier this evening about her body a very distant memory. Even with her self-esteem boosted, she still wraps herself in a robe out of habit before leaving the room.
She refills their glasses of mead and also fills two glasses with water. As she’s returning the water jug to the fridge, she decides to fix a snack for Lana as well, since it has been a few hours since they’ve eaten. She washes and trims the stems off of a bowl of fresh strawberries, spoons a mild soft goat cheese into a bowl and drizzles honey over top, then grabs a handful of imported Belgium chocolate squares.
As she walks back into the bedroom with a loaded tray, Lana sits up with a huge smile and releases a small excited giggle.
“What do you have there?”
Elli sits on the bed next to her, carefully setting the tray down between them. “You looked so tuckered out, I thought you might be a bit famished and need something to eat.”
Elli dips a strawberry into the honey sweetened cheese, getting a small dollop on the tip, then offers it to Lana, who parts her smiling lips to wrap around the berry. She closes her eyes and releases a small moan while she chews.
“That is delicious. Is this cheese?”
“Aye, goat cheese.”
“Seriously? I’ve only ever had goat cheese served in savory dishes. I love this.” Lana takes a sip of her mead and her smile brightens again. “This is a perfect combination. This is a really nice treat, but I was hoping to be able to…” Lana trails her fingers up Elli’s thigh, “make love to you.”
“When you’re ready. I just want you to…”
Lana presses her lips against Elli’s, cutting her off. She gently sucks Elli’s bottom lip, and as she releases her, she quietly says, “I’m ready.”
Chapter Sixteen
As Elli begins to stretch, her back and rear press in against Lana’s front, awakening her. Lana smiles as she tightens her arm around Elli, pulling her in even closer. Elli releases a long, deep sigh as she stretches, then rolls over to face Lana.
“Good morning, Elli.”
“Good morning, Sunshine. Sleep alright?”
“Fantastic. How did you sleep?”
Lana runs a hand through Elli’s tousled short hair to straighten it, making Elli laugh as she reaches up to fix the mess she always has when she wakes up.
“I slept very well. I could go for a bit of coffee and some breakfast. How about you?”
“Sounds great.”
Lana gives Elli a quick kiss on the lips, then they climb out of bed. Elli offers Lana a pair of pajamas, and after they’re dressed, they walk out to the kitchen. While Elli fills the electric percolator with espresso and water, Lana pulls two mugs from the cabinet and the milk from the fridge. Elli gives Lana a small sauce pot, honey, and a whisk, then Lana gets to work heating the milk on the stove to add to the espresso for cappuccinos.
Bent over at the hips and with her head in the fridge, Elli asks, “What would you like for breakfast? I have eggs, bangers, bacon, and…”
“Bangers?”
“Sausages.”
Lana giggles and Elli flashes her an amused grin. “I love how you talk. I’m fine with whatever.”
Elli pulls out a carton of eggs, a block of Monterey Jack cheese, a green apple, and a package of fresh chicken sausages she bought at a nearby butcher yesterday.
“What can I do?”
“Would you like to brown the sausages or grate cheese?”
With a grin, Lana accepts the package of sausages, saying, “I’ll take the bangers. Oh, and a kiss.”
Before Elli can respond, Lana presses her lips against Elli’s grinning lips. They share a short, soft kiss, then as they pull apart, Lana caresses Elli’s cheek and traces her bottom lip with her thumb with a look of pure love and contentment. The look and gentle touch tugs at Elli’s heart like a fishing hook caught in the fleshiest portion of the organ that’s thudding against her ribs with purpose – the purpose of alerting her to the depth of her feelings for Lana after just this short period. After just a little over a week, she has come to love the woman standing in front of her wearing her pajamas and helping her make coffee and breakfast.
“Elli, what’s wrong?”
Lana brushes her thumbs under Elli’s eyes, wiping tears away that Elli didn’t even realize were trailing down her cheeks. Elli clears her throat and quickly wipes her eyes as she starts to turn away, but Lana grabs her shoulders and pulls Elli into her arms. Lana runs her hand up the back of Elli’s head, combing through her soft short blonde hair, encouraging Elli to rest her head on her shoulder.
Elli takes a deep steadying breath as she wraps her arms around Lana and closes her eyes. She likes this – this feeling of being i
n Lana’s arms, the faint sweet feminine scent of Lana’s perfume, the way Lana runs her fingers through her hair, and most of all, she likes being in love.
She hasn’t truly been in love since Isabell died. She cared for a couple of women since, but she didn’t truly love them, not like she loved Isabell. A bit of guilt settles in her stomach like bile, causing her throat to jump with a silent gag reflex, but she swallows and pushes the feeling down. She tells herself that Isabell would understand – she would want Elli to find love again and build a family. It has been six years. It is time to move on. It is time to allow her heart to love again – without guilt.
Elli lifts her head off of Lana’s shoulder. The concern in Lana’s eyes nearly sends her resolve back into the depths of doubt and anxiety. But she takes a deep breath, expanding her chest and height, then kisses Lana’s lips.
“I’m sorry to worry you. I’m okay.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Aye, I think we should, but I don’t want you to get sick if you need to eat.”
“I can wait. Should I finish the coffees and we can go sit on the couch?”
Elli nods as she releases Lana. She turns the percolator off, fills two mugs halfway, then watches Lana strain the foamed hot milk into the espresso. They carry their mugs out to the couch, sitting close together. They take a few careful sips of the hot brew, then Elli takes one of Lana’s hands to hold on her lap.
“I think it is time to share something with you, something I’ve asked your patience of because I wasn’t quite ready to share it before. A little over sixteen years ago, I was shopping for wine for a large family party. I was a bit clueless on how to pick wine – you know, dry versus sweet, white versus red, flavor and aroma profiles – none of it made much sense to me. It was a daunting task and I was fretting terribly. Then, as if sent by the wine gods, a woman walked over to me, took the bottles I was inspecting out of my hands to replace onto the shelf, then pulled me over to another aisle. Isabell Moretti was a vintner from Italy. She had just finished with an appointment with the store owner, securing a new contract to continue supplying her family’s wine to all of the store’s locations around London. She was…”
