Threading the Needle Ch. 18

Thank you Terry and snow for all your help in editing and improving this chapter. I couldn't have done it without you.

Like almost all of my series, this one will only be understood if you have read the chapters before it. Thank you to my readers for going along this journey with me. I'm sorry it's taking as long as it is.

Threading the Needle

Chapter 18

When the oven dinged a single time, Indigo glanced at her watch. It was almost 7 pm and everything she and Alex needed for dinner was just about ready. All that remained to do was pop the garlic bread into the oven and drop the spaghetti into the pot. She was keeping the water just below a boil, and now the oven was at the right temperature for the half a baguette smeared with butter and freshly minced garlic. As soon as Alex walked through the door to her apartment, Indigo could start those final things. The table was already set and there was salad in the bowls.

"Alex should be here soon," she murmured to herself, going to check the table once more. She fussed with the tablecloth and straightened the silverware. "Stop it," she told herself. It wasn't like her to display this degree of domesticity, although she certainly had more of that in her than Alex. For a moment she wondered if it was too much. "Is she going to think I'm feeling guilty?"

God knows, it was the truth. Whether or not she was compensating for having given in to her attraction to Liz, she wasn't sure, but Indigo knew she was feeling guilty about it. And not just for giving in. That was bad enough but this time, unlike all the other times, she hadn't confessed to Alex when she got home; not Monday night when they got together at Alex's place or Tuesday morning when they woke up arms around each other. She kept it hidden and it ate at her.

Even worse, when she knew Alex couldn't get together on Tuesday night, Indigo had called Liz to let her know that she was free and could get together. Naturally, Liz hadn't answered, and she'd been forced to leave a message; one that in hindsight she felt had been rather pathetic. "Like the women she picks up in bars or on the river and are sure that it's the beginning of a relationship. Leaving message after message with no answer, unless Liz just needs a booty call." She sighed.

"Am I just like them? Fooling myself that something more permanent was possible with Liz when all I really am is just a very convenient fuck."

And yet, she couldn't let go of those moments on Monday morning. "Maybe it's just been so long since Liz even tried to have a relationship that she doesn't know how to start," she thought. More than anything, that was why she hadn't confessed. It wasn't the great sex. That was why she had given in at the warehouse. Those moments were why she had called Liz as soon as she knew Alex wouldn't be around, and why she kept her phone with her for the next day, hoping to hear back from her.

As if thinking about it made it happen, Indigo's phone suddenly lit up and the sound of rushing river sounded. Her stomach did a flip flop and she grabbed for it. Just before she pressed answer, she couldn't help thinking, "Fuck. Why the hell does she have to call now, when Alex could walk in any second?"

Despite those feelings, she did her best to achieve some semblance of being calm before answering the call. "Hey," she said.

"Hey yourself. What's going on tonight? Maybe meet up at a pub for a beer or something." Liz too was trying to appear indifferent, although it was as much a facade as it was for the other woman.

"Or something?" Indigo asked with a throaty chuckle. She could hear her flirty tone and regretted it a little bit.

"I don't mean that... necessarily," Liz automatically answered back in her own flirty way. She felt more natural in that mode than in the serious sense the invitation had been made. "We could go to that pub with the pool tables and play for a while." She almost held her breath as she waited to hear Indigo's answer. "God damn it, why do I feel like I'm asking her out for a first date? We've been together probably a hundred times over the years."

Something in Liz's voice made her think that maybe this wasn't just a prelude to sex, and Indigo felt the temptation to say yes. "I could tell Alex that something came up early in the morning and that I just wanted to go to bed. She'd probably just..." The thought trailed off. "Fuck, why am I thinking this way. I know how much Alex is looking forward to some relaxing time together. We'll probably even make love after dinner."

"Sorry, I'm busy tonight. Alex will be here any minute. I've got dinner almost ready, and we are spending the night together," Indigo told her. Even now, she felt Liz's pull making her feel like changing her answer and finding a way to make it happen.

"Fuck fucking fuck," Liz thought to herself with a burst of anger. "I shouldn't have worried about seeming too eager and ignored her voice mail. I'm so stupid sometimes." But then she pulled on her normal front of indifference like it was the old friend that it was.

"No problem. I get it. She comes first. That's our arrangement. I'll figure out something else to do."

"Maybe another night?" Indigo responded as she felt a brief flare up of jealousy, knowing that something else was just code for someone else. It too was a well-known feeling, although rarely with this intensity, but just like Liz, she quickly suppressed it, knowing it was pointless.

"Yeah, sure. I guess I'll see you on the river. Have fun tonight." And Liz ended the call before Indigo could say anything else.

"Beep beep," the phone told Indigo it was pointless to say anything more. She just stared at it. The feeling that Liz was more invested in getting together than normal fled her. She seemed so indifferent when Indigo said she couldn't. Once again, she wondered if she had made the right choice. Those feelings of regret, jealousy, and anger at herself for feeling either swirled around her as she took some deep breaths. She needed to let them go before Alex got there.

"Tonight's about her. That's the decision you made, live with it. And make it nice for her. She doesn't deserve such a shitty girlfriend," she told herself. With a big sigh, she got up and went into the kitchen to check on dinner yet one more time.

In her own apartment, Liz gave a big sigh of her own. "That's our arrangement," she said with resignation as she looked at her phone and thumbed over to her contact list and typed in L.. E.. N.. A.

*********

When she got to the pub on Capitol Hill an hour later, she knew that Lena was already there. There had been a text to that effect. It was only a few minutes earlier, but she wanted Liz to know where she was. Liz made her way through the crowd. It was a mostly lesbian bar although not exclusively, but that meant that she knew a fair number of women there. Although if she was honest with herself, she actually "knew" relatively few of them. A far bigger number were just ships that had passed in the night. Some flirtatious banter followed by a tumble in their bed didn't count for getting to know them. Even now, she felt eyes on her and knew some would test the waters. Although she knew Lena was waiting for her, Liz couldn't help a little smile. She was in her element here, where she wasn't confused by unusual thoughts like when she was with Indigo, or around Rikki.

Finally, as she neared the back of the bar by the pool tables, she saw Lena. Liz smiled as she looked at the other woman who was wearing a blouse that was unbuttoned enough to reveal both the swell of her breasts and the fact that Lena wasn't wearing a bra. When she stood, Liz could see it was short enough, when combined with the low-rise jeans, to expose her belly almost from her mound up to her navel. Lena's hair was more carefully coiffed than when she was at a campsite, but still with a look of slight messiness that hinted of having risen from bed a short time before.

It was too late to be true, but the mental picture had the desired effect on Liz. Rather than playing it cool, she slipped a hand in behind the waistband of Lena's jeans and pulled her close for a hungry kiss. Lena enthusiastically returned it. She wasn't blind to the eyes that had watched Liz make her way back.

"Hands off," Lena thought fiercely. "She's here with me tonight," even though she knew if she hadn't been available or even hadn't answered right then, there was a high likelihood that Liz would be here anyhow. And she wouldn't have had any difficulty in finding willing partners. She probably hadn't thought nearly as much about what to wear, but Lena found the combination of tight ripped jeans and a Guns N Roses t-shirt extremely sexy. Like usual off the water, she left her curly blonde hair loose, hanging down just past her shoulders. The casual look was more genuine than Lena's, but just as effective.

Liz didn't let the kiss drag on long. PDAs were not something she felt comfortable doing for long, no matter who it was. "Although, if it was Rikki, I think it would take a crowbar to pull me off her," she thought. She conveniently ignored all the times she and Indigo had made out while camping, paying no attention to any observers. Thoughts of Rikki prompted her to put a little more space between them. Lena was fun to be with, but it wasn't the same as how she felt about Rikki or Indigo.

Almost physically shaking her head, Liz banished those thoughts. "So do you have dibs on a table?"

Nodding, Lena pointed at one of the pool tables. "We're next on that one."

"How far are they?" Liz asked, straining to look past the group clustered around the closer table. "Do I have time to go get a beer?"

"Probably less than half done. Sure. I would have got you one but wasn't sure what or if you would be drinking. And I'm fine myself," she said as she held up an almost full glass of amber liquid.

"Okay, I'll be back shortly."

Lena watched as she turned with a slight flick of her head that caused her hair to fly up before settling down into a halo that surrounded her face. Lena's smile faded into a small frown as she watched how Liz's hips swayed back and forth more than usual, making her way through the throng of women. Twice she stopped on her way to the bar when someone reached out to touch her arm. The way she laughed and her eyes sparkled, it was clear that Liz enjoyed the attention even if eventually she moved on towards the bar. It was almost worse as she came back. Now Lena could see her eyes as they roamed around the room, flashing a smile at various women. When Liz stopped to talk to another woman, Lena let out a big sigh.

"I should have suggested some place else when she asked about getting together," she thought to herself, as the minutes began to pile up since Liz went for her beer. "Or something else," unsure whether any bar they were likely to go to would be better. "Hell, I should have just told her to come over to my place and we could fuck." She sighed again when she realized that Liz had been gone long enough that the pool table she had claimed was now free. She grabbed her drink and waved to Liz, trying to catch her eye as she moved over to it. She succeeded with the wave but it was accompanied by a flush of embarrassment. When the woman with whom Liz had been chatting grabbed her arm in an obvious attempt to hold her up, a flare of anger was added to the turmoil of feelings.

She was mollified slightly as Liz immediately shook her off; although clearly it was gently since Liz flirtatiously laughed as she disengaged. As she racked up the balls, Lena tried to settle her emotions. "I don't want to act like a bitch and give her some reason to ditch me," she thought to herself.

Lena was leaning over to grab one last ball when Liz came up behind her. She took a chance to admire the almost perfect ass. "Goddamn," she murmured under her breath as she imagined sliding her hand down the little gap she could see between jeans and skin. A few kinkier thoughts passed through her mind as well that she filed for later that night.

When she sidled up beside her, Lena glanced up at her with a sunny smile on her lips. Her sparkling green eyes gave no hint of her feelings from a few moments before. Now that Liz was back with her, she didn't want anything to spoil their mood.

"You want to break?" she asked her.

Liz smiled back and nodded as she grabbed one of the available cues. She leaned over to shoot and break the pyramid. The hard shot managed to sink not just one but two solid balls. She chortled with pleasure and grinned again at Lena who playfully stuck her tongue out. She slowly walked around the table, spinning the cue in the palms of her hand as she examined the table. Lining up the shot she wanted, she leaned over the table again. Her eyes flicked along the cue to the white ball and then on to her target. She caught a little bit of movement and looked beyond the table.

There, leaning against the wall, was Lena, holding her own cue, but it was how she was holding it that kept Liz's attention. It was between her legs, pressed against her mound. Practically straddling it, the cue came up between her boobs and she rested her chin on the top of it. If that wasn't distracting enough, her hips were gently flexing back and forth as she arched her back slightly. Not moving from her bent over position, Liz's eyes flicked up and down to take in all of Lena. Her eyes took in the smoky sultriness that Lena could do so well. That, combined with the pouty pursing of her lips, made Liz groan just a little.

"Fuck me," she thought to herself before quickly revising that in her mind to a literally meant "fuck her." Taking in a deep breath, Liz tried to refocus on the cue ball and take her shot. It should have been an easy ball in the pocket but instead she missed her spot, and it flew off in an unintended direction to hit the largest cluster of balls. When they all stopped moving, Liz saw she left two of the stripped balls right on the edge of falling in.

"Fuuuuuuuck," she breathed. She scowled as she stepped away from the table. Her libido had lost to her powerful competitive streak, but when Lena pushed off the wall with a wicked smile and teasing eyes that promised passion later, it became clear that it was only a temporary loss.

"Bitch!" Liz said softly as they passed, and she ran her hand over Lena's belly. The fingers lingered to wrap around to touch her back.

"Ain't I just?" Lena replied, spinning to walk backwards to the table. She grinned and then stuck her tongue out at Liz. Holding up her fingers in a V, she slid her tongue between them and then pointed them both at her. With a little wiggle, she turned back to face the table.

As she lined up her shot, Lena felt pleased with herself. Not only had she reminded Liz why they were going out, she also made those intentions clear to anyone still harboring lingering thoughts about getting together with Liz tonight. "Yeah, bitches. She's with me!" she thought to herself.

Still, when she looked up after making the shot to sink both of her balls, Lena saw that someone new was chatting with Liz. Despite the moment just seconds before, Liz was demonstrating her ability to make whoever she was talking with feel like she was the center of Liz's attention. With the tightest of control, Lena managed to not let her irritation show and just moved on to sink four straight balls before she just barely missed and left one of her balls blocking one of the corner pockets. She glanced over to see that Liz had been paying enough attention that she was already moving over to take her turn. The other woman was still there, watching Liz. After a few moments, she noticed the daggers that Lena was staring at her. She at least had the good grace to look embarrassed before turning to walk away.

Slowly Lena turned around to watch Liz. Her flirtatious mood was gone, but she took several deep breaths to center herself. She didn't want to let a grumpy one take its place. "Do I really want to put up with this shit?" she asked herself. "Sure, the sex is great, but it comes with a lot of crap." She compared how she felt with Liz to how she felt being with Winnie. She always enjoyed her time with the blonde. Their relationship was more than some occasional tumbles in the hay. Deep down, she could feel it. "Winnie cares about me and my feelings. It isn't love but it's more than sex. We have fun together even when sex isn't in the cards."

Not that expanding her relationship with Winnie was what she wanted either. "Especially since Rikki is in the picture!" Lena thought and then subconsciously emphasized the point with a firm little nod. She had no real idea where Rikki wanted that relationship to go but it was clear to her that Winnie was willing to take it as far as she could. Knowing Rikki pretty well by now, she could sense her conflicting feelings. Better judgment was warring with her desires, and Lena wasn't sure which was going to win, either in the short term or the long run. Still, not getting in the middle of the two of them made sense, especially since she cared about both of the other woman. Leaning back against the wall, she let out a long sigh.

"Well," a soft voice broke into her thoughts. "That's a hell of a sigh."

Starting, Lena looked over to see a familiar face. "Hey, Rachel," she said with a smile. Although more a friend of some friends, she knew the other woman from parties and crossing paths at various bars. She always seemed nice. The last time she'd seen her was the same night that she met Liz and started down this particular path.

"Hey yourself. You alright?" the slender blonde asked her.

"Oh yeah, I'm doing fine. Just waiting for my turn."

Rachel turned to look over at the pool table where Liz was trying to figure out how to avoid knocking in one of Lena's balls while sinking her own. For the moment, other women were forgotten. Rachel watched a second and then slowly looked back at Lena.

"You're with Liz?" she asked. Her tone was a little dubious. While she and Lena didn't know each other well, the same couldn't be said of Liz. They were both avid skiers and had often run into each other, even skiing together in groups. For whatever reason, Rachel was one of the relatively few who didn't feel Liz's pull. Sure, there was no denying that she was attractive, but Liz made no effort to be anyone other than who she was. She was the female version of Bear, the patrol guy she met with Isab.... "Stop it, don't think about her," she firmly told herself. She took her own deep breath and smiled at Lena.

"We aren't together. Well, we are here together but we aren't a couple," she said before trailing off.

"No, I didn't think so. I know Liz well enough to know she doesn't do couples. I just didn't think that was your style. I know things didn't work out with Katie, but that seemed more about Katie and her jealousy than you not wanting a relationship with someone." Rachel looked over at the table and returned Liz's friendly wave as she noticed her talking with Lena.

"Yeah," Lena said softly. "I'm not always sure why I get together with her."

"Well, it's probably the sex," Rachel replied with a chuckle. "It's pretty amazing.... so I've heard." She crossed a finger over her heart. "I swear I have no firsthand knowledge. Just what a number of friends have said to me."

Lena's face turned red, and she stammered, "Yeah, that... that's probably it."

The other woman chuckled again. "It's okay. Sometimes great sex is enough... for a while." A sad look crossed over Rachel's face for the briefest of moments. Brief as it was, Lena still caught it and remembered Katie telling her that Rachel was still in the midst of recovering from a broken heart.

"What about you? Are you okay?" Lena reached out to touch the back of her hand.

From the way Rachel ruefully smiled, she clearly knew that people were aware of her situation, if not the actual details. "Yeah, I'm doing good. You know, getting back on the horse that threw me. And realizing that you don't always get what you want, but that doesn't mean something else isn't good too." Once again, she glanced over at Liz who seemed to finally make up her mind on her shot. Her sole focus was for once on something other than another woman. Impulsively, Rachel turned back to Lena.

"Speaking of which, I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime... with me. Since you aren't coupled." Rachel felt her heart beating hard. It was the first time that she had asked someone out since she started dating again. She took a breath to calm herself. It wasn't that hard, no worse than any other time in the past. Surprisingly, she didn't even feel the expected guilt. "I guess that's when you know you are over someone," she thought.

Clearly, she wasn't the only one surprised. Wherever the conversation was going, Lena didn't expect this. Her eyes glanced over at Liz who not only had missed her shot but had knocked in one of Lena's balls. As Liz rose up from leaning over the table, Lena saw her scan the room to check out any women she had missed before. She felt a flare of resentment. "It's never enough for you, is it Liz?" she thought. Still, she didn't want going out with Rachel to be about that. It was true she has no commitment with Liz or anyone else for that matter. Winnie was a friend, sometimes with benefits, but neither of them was making any more of things than they were. "Plus I know who she really wants." The thought put a smile on her lips, and she looked at Rachel. "Sure, I'd love to. You still have my number from that one ski trip with Katie, right? And you know, maybe put a raft together and you can come as my guest."

"That could be fun. I'll definitely give you a call." She smiled back. As Liz came over to say hi, Rachel felt a little thrill at the idea of making a date with her hookup of the night. She didn't want to be like Liz, but she also felt a little validation at being desirable enough to do it. The last few months had been hard and the feeling of being unwanted had dogged her. Being asked out over the last month had helped, but while they hadn't been bad, there was no spark. "Not like...." Once again, she cut off the thought. "It's just not helpful," Rachel told herself.

"Your shot," Liz said to Lena as she reached them before giving Rachel a hug. Over the years they had known each other, Rachel had always demurred from accepting any of her overtures. "She has known me too long to want to be another notch on the bedpost," she thought. Beyond that, she never struck Liz as someone who could separate sex from feelings. She didn't know which was the stronger reason for why she stopped trying. "There are lots of others who will say yes and don't mind just being a tumble in the hay."

And yet it was Indigo that crossed her mind at that moment. "It used to be like that for us. Easy. No commitment or complication. When had that stopped?" Liz had no idea. More puzzling was why she kept seeing her once it changed. Despite all the complications, for once in her life she didn't run away. As much as she tried to ignore it, she could feel the other C word raising its ugly head.

With an effort, she forced the thought out of her head. Not only was she here with Lena, but the bar was also full of women who would be happy with a one-night stand with her. If the brief moment of honesty had stretched out, Liz would have to admit that a fair number just accepted that was all they could get out of her, no matter what they wanted.

"That's just Liz." It was a common comment among the women she knew. It never bothered her. If someone else didn't like it, she didn't have to sleep with her. There were more than enough willing partners to satisfy her. "And I sure satisfy them," she thought smugly.

"How's it going, Rachel?"

"Doing good. Sad that skiing is over," the other woman said with a laugh. "But just wait a few months and it will be back."

"Hopefully more than just a few," Liz said with a laugh of her own. "I like the sun and the water. Speaking of which, I know you didn't want to guide but you should get a boat together and come rafting with us sometime."

"Mmhmm. That might be fun," Rachel replied. If Liz had really been paying attention to her, she might have noticed how closely she was watching Lena setting up her shot. Instead, she was checking out the room to see who else was around. Tonight might be Lena, but tomorrow was another day.

When Lena made a particularly difficult shot and spun around with a delighted smile, it was actually hard to tell for which woman it was meant. It might have been for both. Recognizing just how hard the shot had been, Rachel applauded and then raised her glass. Liz's attention shifted away from a couple of University students at the bar, making what might have been their first foray to a mostly lesbian bar. When she saw that all that remained was for Lena to sink the 8-ball, she gave a little scowl.

"Damn, I didn't think I left you a shot."

Realizing that Liz hadn't been paying attention, Lena's face fell slightly. "No doubt paying attention to some other girl." The bitter thought was lessened slightly by clearly having Rachel's full attention. "Well, well," she thought and found herself hoping that the other woman really would call her. She might be with Liz tonight, but that was one night. "Who knows when she will want to get together again. When it's convenient for her, I'm sure," she thought as she leaned over to knock the last ball in. It went down with a satisfying clack.

"Game... set... match!" Lena said as she came over to the other two women. If Rachel hadn't been there, she almost certainly would have given Liz a big kiss. As it was, she felt a little inhibited. Still, she put an extra wiggle in her victory strut and was rewarded with capturing the eyes of both women.

They were a study in contrasts, other than both being blondes. Even there, they were not the same. When not captured in a utilitarian ponytail, Liz's clearly bleached hair was a series of waves and natural curls that came down to her shoulders. It was as much a part of her presence as anything else about her. Like much of Rachel, her hair was understated. It was the natural pale blonde that reflected her Swedish family origins and hung in straight sheets that served to frame her face. Although 21, she looked far younger with a thin face and high cheekbones as well as a slender frame. Her breasts were only a small swell but the bumps marking her nipples pushed out almost the same amount. She had curves from her trim waist and modestly rounded yet firm ass, but they were understated. It would be easy to overlook her if it wasn't for how pretty she was. She had sky blue eyes, a perky nose, and lush full lips to go with her cheeks. Her nose had an adorable saddle of light freckling that extended out onto her cheeks. She was on the healthy side of pale.

Still, next to Liz, it would be easy to miss her. Liz drew the eye of everyone around her. Curvy in all the right places, she still was obviously buff with the toned muscles of an athlete. For her, going without a bra wasn't an option like it was for Rachel. Lena chuckled. "Hard to miss those puppies, even if she didn't dress to show them off." Her belly was flat and firm with a tapering waist that accentuated her slightly wide hips. Lena knew that her ass was just as toned as the rest of her body. She'd had her hands on it often enough, although it was rounded like a ripe peach. And of course, she was beautiful in almost a swimsuit model way. It was a healthy look with a deeply tanned face except around her eyes where her sunglasses gave her a slightly reverse raccoon look. Beyond her looks was how she seemed to radiate sexy.

As Lena looked at her, she shivered slightly. "At least I'm not fooling myself about what the attraction is." But as she joined in the conversation, she couldn't help wondering if that was what she really wanted. "I'm just the girl of the day for her and that's all it will ever be. I don't know if anyone can be more than that for her, except for Rikki or maybe Indigo."

The strange thing was she couldn't really feel any jealousy towards either of her friends. She was as certain as she could be that Rikki would never feel that way towards her oldest friend. Someday Liz would figure that out or maybe Rikki would finally wise up and find a way to let her down.

"And Indigo is even more twisted around than I am. Alex adores her but she's willing to risk it all for a pipe dream with Liz." She gave a silent sigh. "Maybe I flirted with Rachel because I'm okay with being the girl of the day." She glanced over at Liz only to catch her once again checking out the two college girls. "I just wish she wouldn't look for the next girl when we are out together."

"Hey," she said, more sharply than she intended and took a breath before continuing. "You want to play another one or do you want to take off." She tried to sound as if she was good either way, but she knew that if they hung around there any longer that her irritation with Liz would just grow. As ambivalent as she was about the relationship, Lena still was hoping to go to bed tonight with Liz.

Turning her head to look back at her, Liz dismissed her thoughts about the other women. They were cute but not in Lena's league and in any case, it would take some effort to bed one or even both of them. Some nights the thrill of the chase might have tipped the balance but then again it would piss Lena off. Given everything else that was going on, she didn't want to close the option of hooking up with Lena on weekends when Indigo wasn't available. "She's fun and an easy lay," she thought, not meaning it in any sort of a negative way. "She's like me, sex is play and isn't looking for a relationship."

"Let's head out. Your place?" she asked.

"Sure."

Liz looked over at Rachel. "It's good seeing you. I'm serious. You should put a boat together and come rafting with us. Going rafting can be as fun as skiing. You might be surprised how much you would enjoy it." Since it was Rachel, Liz almost managed to avoid any hint of flirtation, but because it was Liz, she couldn't quite pull it off. Her tone still held a slight open-ended aspect that made it clear if Rachel was interested, Liz was too.

Glancing past Liz, Rachel could see the spasm of annoyance that briefly crossed Lena's face. Refocusing on Liz, she nodded. "Lena said something similar a while ago. I was intrigued enough to tell her that I would." She paused and looked back again at Lena. "As I understand it, that means you'll be our guide, right?"

There was a grateful smile on Lena's lips as she nodded. "Sure does. Guarantees I will be working that weekend too. Like I said, I'll send you the details." She left off the part about Rachel coming as her guest and the other woman didn't mention it either.

Chuckling, Liz smiled at both of them. "Well, alright. Let me know which weekend it is and I'll be sure to be on the same river." There was not the faintest indication that she was jealous of either of them.

It was just one more of the numerous ways that Lena found she could be irritating. Of course, her flirtation with Rachel hadn't been very serious, but for god's sake, couldn't she at least pretend that her lover of the night trying to pick up her ski buddy was a little wrong? "Fuck, she is probably thinking about which friends Rachel will bring and whether she can get together with any of them."

As they left, Rachel gave both of them a quick hug. She also gave Lena a friendly kiss on the cheek. Maybe Liz would have felt slighted if she hadn't already been scanning the crowd as she made her way to the door. Rachel may have shorted her a kiss but at least three other women forced their way into her path to give her a replacement. One of them even managed to give her a full kiss as Lena caught up with her. The smirk on her face made it clear that she enjoyed doing that in full view of the woman Liz was going home with.

"Skank," Lena subvocalized as she pushed past them. If the other woman, or Liz for that matter, heard her, there was no sign. She waited for Liz just outside the door. Thankfully there was no further delay and Liz joined her a few moments later.

It wasn't far to Lena's apartment, and they started to walk in that direction. Liz started to slip her arm around the other woman's waist but was surprised when Lena took a step to the side to increase the distance between them. She could feel a wave of ice flowing off of Lena.

"Are you pissed at me?" Liz asked.

Lena gave her a withering glare. "Jesus, we are leaving to go fuck, and you are kissing another woman." She glared for another second and then looked straight ahead as she picked up the pace. "I'd ask wouldn't you be pissed if I did that, but I doubt that would be true. It would be true for every other woman, but not you." There was cold bitterness in her voice.

"Lena," Liz said as she came to a stop on the sidewalk. She repeated herself, more sharply this time. "Lena!"

The petite brunette slowly came to a stop. It looked like she was muttering to herself, but finally she turned around. She was several paces away from Liz. "What?"

Liz looked at her. The level of frustration showing on her face managed to take away a little bit of her beauty. She took in a deep breath and let it go, trying to rid herself of her own irritation at having to explain herself. It wasn't always easy, but she liked Lena and not just for the fun she was in bed, so she made the effort.

"I didn't kiss her. She kissed me. If I had known she was going to do that, I would have moved so she couldn't kiss me in the lips. She caught me by surprise as much as she did you. I know she's a bitch, and a skank...." She smiled wryly at Lena. "I must have better hearing than she does."

Despite herself, Lena couldn't stop a tiny smile from slipping through, but only for a moment. "It wasn't just her. From the moment you got there, you were flirting with almost everyone who crossed your path. You spent almost as much time chatting up other women as you did with me." Lena sighed. "Do you know how that makes me feel?"

"Like the one I chose to go home with. I thought that is what matters."

Lena stared at her. "I know there is no real relationship between us, but I thought maybe a little respect was in there somewhere. At least, just as friends who occasionally shack up? And you know what else, Liz? You asked me out. I didn't call you. You called me, so choosing to go home with me doesn't make me feel as good as you seem to think." She made little quotation marks with her fingers as she said "choosing."

Looking back at the other woman, Liz gave the tiniest of sighs. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew Lena had a good point. "This is why I don't date. I just hook up. Keep the expectations low; I can usually meet them," she thought to herself. What made it worse was that unlike most of her bed partners, there was no getting away from Lena. "Even if we stop getting together, we have rafting and I run the trips. Use your brain just a little," she told herself.

"Okay, I get it. I was rude and I'm sorry," she said aloud. "Both in the bar and just now, what I said." She scowled. "It's a habit but I should have been better about it. Kept my focus on you. I'm a thoughtless bitch."

"You said it, not me." Lena replied with a bleak look.

Liz gave her a slight half smile. "Doesn't mean it isn't true."

For a moment longer, Lena kept her hard look. "No it doesn't." It wasn't just tonight. She thought of all the other nights when Liz kept her guessing. Or Indigo. Or whoever. "It's just a good thing for you that the sex is so fantastic," she finally said with a little half smile of her own. "It's worth it... for now." A part of her hated to make that admission but she was more honest with herself than Liz was.

"Tonight is as far as I'm looking. You know that. Did I screw tonight up?" Liz asked

Coming back, Lena put her own arm around her waist. "Not irrevocably. Come on, you can make it up to me at my apartment, bitch." They walked in silence but before they turned the corner, she looked at her. "I guess it's better this way, just as a fuck buddy. You shine as that and it's good enough for both of us. If I ever started loving you, I'm pretty sure I'd end up hating you. And it probably wouldn't even take very long." She laughed as if even the idea was ridiculous.

She wasn't looking at Liz but even if she had, there was a momentary shadow that hid her face so she couldn't see the brief spasm of sadness that crossed it. It reflected a forlorn feeling Liz rarely experienced as she contemplated Lena's words. "Am I unlovable?" It was a thought she couldn't shake. "By any woman?" And it was a little bit of a surprise when it was Indigo who she thought of first, before Lena or Rikki. Then with an effort she figuratively shook herself and dismissed the thoughts. "Tonight's about tonight."

"Good thing we both just want the same thing." She squeezed Lena's ass as she said it and this time, they both laughed.

******

"What the hell is up with you?" Tereza asked her sister as she watched her check herself in the mirror for what seemed like the hundredth time. First, it was to check her face, and then she repeatedly checked her hair. Now, she was meticulously inspecting her blouse and skirt to make sure that she hadn't gotten anything on them from making dinner.

"Nothing," Marika said. "I just don't want to have big red splotch of spaghetti sauce on me when Winnie gets here. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look nice."

"Look nice? For Winnie? The way you are obsessing reminds me more of when you were waiting for Sleezeball to pick you up when you were living at home that first summer you were dating."

"I am not. And don't call Samuel that. I don't want Kieran to hear you say it and even though he is in the other room, if you keep it up you will slip." In the privacy of her own mind, she added, "however apt it is."

"Fine, but you're checking your makeup now. That didn't get any sauce on it." She looked suspiciously at her older sister. As Marika's face started to turn beet red, Tereza's jaw dropped.

"You're kidding me!"

Steeling herself, Marika turned to look her sister in the eyes. "I'm not going to act ashamed," she thought to herself.

"Fine, Miss Nosey. Yes, it's more than a coworker coming over. We are... experimenting. I still don't know what it means, but I like her and she likes me so..." She trailed off as Tereza continued to just stare at her. "What? I didn't think you'd be bothered by it."

"Whaaa? You think I'm bothered by it? Surprised, yes. Confused, a little. But not bothered in the least. Beyond knowing Liz practically my whole life, I'm a nurse. Half of the nurses in Seattle are one color or another on the rainbow flag. I'm used to having gay friends but I never thought my sister would be one of them," Tereza said. The last little bit was said with a little half smile.

Betraying her own confusion, Marika shook her head. "I don't know that I'm gay or bi or just playing. Maybe... I don't know."

Putting her arms around her sister, Tereza pulled her close. "Awww, here." She gave her a long hug. "I didn't mean to put a label on it." She could feel her older sibling clinging tightly back. "I've got your back, you know that. I get you are still figuring things out."

Finally, Marika pulled away and looked once again in the mirror. She blushed again but she didn't want to have smudged anything in the hug. Tereza's hand was reassuringly resting on her shoulder. Marika looked back at her reflection and gave a little smile.

"What about Winnie? Is she experimenting too?"

Marika gave a quick shake of her head. "No, it's more like being away from home and meeting Liz and Indigo and Lena is giving her the confidence to accept who she is. Back in Oklahoma, around her family, it was easier to just deny that side of herself. There is a guy, one of the other guides, but... I'm not sure if it is because of me... or Lena, but her interest in him is fading."

"Lena? She and Lena?"

"Yeah, it's weird, I know." Marika chuckled. "It's just play for the two of them. You've met Lena, she's adorable and sexy. But they were just leaving it as a friends with benefits thing."

"You think Lena's adorable and sexy too? You don't just mean...," Tereza started to say before trailing off. She thought for a moment and then tried again. "She's a gorgeous woman but you mean beyond that, don't you."

With her eyes sparkling at how she had thrown her sister, Marika nodded. "Yeah, I do, but it's not like we have done much."

"Much?" Tereza's voice pitched higher.

"Just a little kissing, but Winnie was there for that. She was kissing me too." Marika's face took on a dreamy look as she thought back to the wine tasting where her two friends had competed with kisses to win her favor and her leftover wine.

"Oh my god, how many women have you been kissing? Liz?"

"Nooooo! Not Liz! She's my best friend and it would be like kissing you. You're cute and all but no, just no. Not Liz," Marika said firmly.

There was something about how she said it that tugged at Tereza. "But someone else..." Marika's face reddening again confirmed her suspicions. "There is! Who?"

"Ummm, well... Yamile. But it was just kissing and a little cuddling. Winnie is the only one that I've done more with."

Once again, Tereza looked at her sister as if she didn't know who she was. She didn't even know where to go with that statement. "Wow, just wow. Yamile, who turned down Liz at that party?" It was fairly infamous among Marika's circle of friends. "You and Yamile made out?"

"And cuddled," Marika said matter-of-factly, now clearly enjoying shocking her sister.

"But you did more with Winnie."

This time Marika had to work at appearing calm and hiding her racing heart. Her blush was barely noticeable, but it was there. "Well, she did most of it." Her mind was already recalling how it had felt when Winnie went down on her, and the blush deepened.

"Ahhhh!" Tereza cried out. "Okay, now that is TMI! I don't need to hear about how Winnie.... With my sister! I don't care how good it was!" Pushing at Marika, she twisted away.

"It was extremely good," Marika proclaimed with a big grin. "She learned a lot from Lena. I should thank her, don't you think?"

With her eyes closed and her hands over her ears, Tereza shook her head. "No, no, nooooo! No more. It's not about Winnie, I never wanted to hear about your sex life with Samuel!"

"Not as good as Winnie," Marika quipped before falling silent under the glare of her sister. "Okay, I'll stop. I'm sorry Sis, but that felt good. It's been mostly bottled up inside me." She chuckled, thinking that her sister probably didn't want to hear about sharing what happened with Yamile. "Yeah, definitely not," she told herself.

Slowly Tereza smiled and nodded. "I'm glad I could help. Just remember sisters don't have to tell each other everything." She pulled Marika into a hug. "I'm just glad someone is making you happy." But as she let go, she couldn't help asking, "How is it with work?"

The smile on Marika's face faltered. "You would ask about the one troublesome part, wouldn't you? It's awkward. I'm senior to her, so when I think about it, it bothers me. Like I'm taking advantage of a subordinate."

Tereza wanted to kick herself for even asking the question. "It's been a while since I've seen her smile that way," she thought. Putting her hand on her sister's forearm, she gave it a squeeze. "But she isn't one, is she? She doesn't work for you, right?"

"No, but..."

Tereza cut her off. "No, she doesn't. And this relationship started outside of work, right?"

"Yeah, but..." Once again, her sister cut her off.

"Are you professional and keep this out of the office?" she asked with an affectionate smile. A small chuckle bubbled up out of her as Marika once again blushed. "What did you do?"

Shaking her head, Marika hurriedly said, "Nothing!" Since she could feel her face betraying her, she went on. "We didn't do anything, but I may have been distracted in meetings a time or two." She couldn't quite manage to meet Tereza's eyes.

"I think we could be slipping back into TMI levels again," her sister said. "But other than your daydreams, you two have been good?"

"Yes, we have been professional, but that's beside the point. Her manager usually asks me for input at raise time and with reviews," Marika said. "This is a bad idea I know," she added quickly before Tereza could either agree or disagree, "but I don't want it to stop either. Not yet. She makes me feel good, and that means a lot these days."

"I'm not judging, and don't underestimate someone who makes you feel good. That's actually quite a big deal," Tereza told her. "Enjoying yourself is enough for now. By the way, you look great so stop worrying about it and just finish making dinner."

Marika nodded with a smile and went back to working on dinner while Tereza went back to her room. "I'm sure they would have been very nice about it, but they already have Kieran for their date night. She doesn't need me making it worse," she thought as she stepped into her room and closed the door.

It wasn't very long after she left that Winnie pulled into the driveway. Just like Marika, she had spent far more time getting ready than she would for dinner with just a coworker. She had shed her business casual outfit to dress down with peasant blouse with jeans, although the jeans were tight enough to be a tad uncomfortable. She hoped Marika's reaction to how they hugged her ass would make up for it.

Grabbing a bottle of red wine from the passenger seat, she made her way to the front door. A moment after her knock, she could hear the patter of little feet rapidly approaching, accompanied by a more sedate click of heels. When Kieren peaked out from behind the door to look through the tall window next to it, she gave him a little smile and wave. His eyes widened and he ducked back out of sight.

When Marika opened the door, she drank in the blonde standing there. She felt a little flip flop in her tummy, accompanied by a warm pulse between her legs. Winnie's blouse hung loose around her with a V-neck that showed her cleavage very nicely. Though shorter than Marika, the way her jeans clung to her shapely legs before disappearing into a brown pair of calf-high boots made them look longer than they perhaps were. Winnie's blue eyes sparkled as she saw how Marika looked her up and down and then blushed as she realized she was caught.

"You look great, Winnie," she said as she opened the door wider.

"So do you," Winnie replied.

Marika chuckled, "you've already seen me in this. I didn't have a chance to change." She started to step back but then almost toppled over as she bumped into Kieran who had moved to hide behind her. In a flash, Winnie reached out to grab her hand and help steady her while Marika reached behind her to hold Kieran to make sure he didn't topple over either.

"Kieran, careful. Don't trip Mommy!" she said with a half laugh as she recovered. Lifting him into her arms, she gave his cheek a kiss. "Little monkey, you're quick." While Winnie stayed standing in the doorway, he hid his face by burying it into the crook of her neck. "Are you being shy? You know Winnie. She's been over here before. She's my friend from work."

"And rafting, Kieran. I go rafting with your mommy," Winnie said in a soft voice.

As Marika turned to try to show him Winnie, he switched sides and pressed his face once again against her neck. "Oh, you are being silly." She looked at Winnie and waved her in. Experience told her not to push hard when he was like this.

"A shame," she thought. Even if she wasn't quite ready to kiss Winnie in front of him, she had hoped to get away with a lingering hug. Now her hands were full of boy and any attempt to touch her would just be awkward. Maybe she could manage something once he was no longer clinging to her like the monkey she had just called him. "Come on, let's go into the kitchen. Everything is just about ready."

Winnie trailed behind them, watching the part of Marika's ass not covered by Kieran's leg where he straddled her side. When she noticed him peaking at her, she gave him a beaming smile. She couldn't help a little laugh when he jerked his head to look away, only to peak back a couple of seconds later. She gave him the tiniest of waves and was rewarded with a shy smile.

As they emerged from the hallway into the kitchen, she put down the bottle and looked around. "What can I do to help?" she asked.

Marika looked over at her. As it had been for several weeks now, seeing Winnie caused her heart to beat little faster, especially when their eyes met. "Like I said, I'm mostly done. Maybe put the garlic bread into the oven. It's already at the right temp," she said, as she pushed back the slight feeling of nervousness. After checking to make sure the pot of water was at a rolling boil, she one-handedly tossed in the spaghetti and set the timer.

Walking over to the kitchen island, Winnie picked up the baking sheet with half of a baguette sliced open. She looked at it and grinned. "It's a good thing we are both eating this. You must have used almost an entire head of garlic in this butter."

"There is never too much garlic for garlic bread," Marika replied. "And that thought did cross my mind." She gave Winnie a wink, but then gave Kieran her attention. "Mommy needs both hands now. Time to get down, okay?" His arms tightened around her and he shook his head. Both women chuckled.

After putting the bread in the oven, Winnie went over to a small nook that was clearly for Kieran. There were a few toys on the ground as well as a bookshelf of children's books. She started looking through the books, making enough noise to attract his attention. As she pulled out a book and started looking through it, he began to wiggle.

"Put me down, Mommy," he ordered. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he went over to where Winnie was. She tilted the book so that he could see that it was The Rainbow Fish. Reaching up, he took it and tugged it out of her hand. While he carefully put it back on the shelf, Winnie exchanged a look with Marika, a trace of disappointment on her face, but Kieran's intent soon became clear when he pulled a different book out. "That is a little kid book. I like this one," he told her.

She took it from him and smiled. "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," she read. "Shall I read this while your Mommy finishes making dinner?" she asked.

"Yes please," he said very politely.

They went to the window seat. Once she helped him up, he sat right next to her and craned his neck so that he could see. She carefully showed him each of the first pages until she reached the words. "If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk," she began.

From time to time as Marika finished getting dinner ready, she looked over at the two of them. The storytelling had progressed from Winnie reading to Kieran telling her the story. It was a combination of reading and just having heard it a thousand times. He had also migrated from being beside her to sitting on her lap with his head against her chest.

As they turned to the last page, they both read together. "And chances are if he asks for a glass of milk, he's going to want a cookie to go with it." He giggled and grinned up at her. She smiled back at him and chanced a hug. He accepted it for a second before squirming to get down. He started to grab "If You Give a Moose a Muffin."

"Later, Kieran. Dinner is ready," Marika told him. "It's spaghetti. That's still your favorite, right."

"Yes, Mommy, it is!" He pushed the book back in and, taking Winnie's hand, happily led her to the table. "You sit here." He pointed at one chair and then he got up into the chair beside it that had a booster seat. "Mommy will sit here."

"Shouldn't I help her with the plates?" Winnie asked.

"No, you're the guest. When you are the guest, she does that." He sounded very sure of himself, and she couldn't help smiling and nodding. Back in the kitchen, she could hear Marika calling out to her sister, letting her know that dinner was ready.

Within a few moments, Marika was putting down their plates and then sitting down in her Kieran assigned seat. By the time that she finished pouring three glasses of wine, Tereza had joined them.

"Good to see you," Tereza said, her eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief that told Winnie she was in on their little secret. The grin on Marika's sister's lips widened at the light blushes both women now wore.

"It's nice to be here," Winnie said as she tried to will the blush away.

Further embarrassment was avoided when Kieran obliviously interrupted to tell his aunt how Winnie had read him his favorite book, and then immediately segued into telling them about his day at preschool. With a willing audience, he dominated the conversation. The only time that he stopped was when Marika reminded him to eat his favorite meal. It worked for all of them to fill in the conversation when it might otherwise have been quite awkward. And it didn't hurt that Kieran was so cute and serious in the way he told the stories.

When they finished, Winnie offered to help do the dishes, but Kieran firmly said, "No, read me another book!" He grabbed her hand and pull her back over to the window seat and brought over "If You Give a Moose a Muffin."

"Read this one to me," he said.

Marika looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. "Read this one to me, what?" she asked him.

Give Winnie as big a grin as he could, Kieran said, "Pleeeaasssseeeee!" Unable to help herself, she chuckled and opened the book and started to read.

By the time she was done, Marika and Tereza had all the dishes in the dishwasher and the pots washed and drying. Tereza came over and crouched down so she could look him in the eyes. "Hey monkey, I think it's bath time. How about you let Auntie give you a bath tonight so Mommy can talk with her friend more? And then after, I'll read a couple more books to you before you go to sleep?"

Kieran looked around him at all the adults. He liked having all this attention, but baths were fun too. "Okay," he said as he leaned forward and put his arms around her neck. Despite the awkward position, she managed to lift him up without straining her back.

"You are getting so heavy. It gets tougher to lift you every day," she told him.

"It's because I'm a big boy now," he told her with assurance.

"Yes you are," she said as she started to walk out of the room. Before she made it out, she turned to look at her sister and mouthed the words "you're welcome." She grinned at the blush that provoked in her sister. She winked at Winnie, who seemed to be doing better this time in hiding any embarrassment.

They could hear Kieran's little boy voice as they went up the stairs. "Winnie's pretty, isn't she?"

"Mmhmm," came the replay.

"Course, not as pretty as Mommy. She is prettiest!"

"She is?" Tereza asked playfully. "What about your Auntie Tereza?" Whatever Kieran said in reply was lost as they moved further away.

The two women looked at each other, momentarily at a loss at finding themselves alone, then Marika took a breath, walked over to Winnie and put her arms around her. She bent her head a little and gave her a soft kiss. It was light and affectionate rather than passionate, but the ball of tension that was lurking inside Winnie dissolved. She slid her own arms around Marika to pull her close as she returned the kiss.

"Hi," Marika whispered as the kiss ended.

"Hi back," Winnie replied.

"I wanted to do that the moment I opened the door."

Winnie wore a happy sigh. "I knew that but it's okay. I get it."

Marika hugged her tight to her. "I'm not ashamed of you, you know that, right? It's just the divorce isn't done, and Kieran is still getting used to him not being in the picture. And it's not that you're a woman. I'd be like this if I was dating a guy."

Inside her, Winnie felt a spike of joy at the implication that they were dating but she kept it out of her voice as she replied. "I know that. Really, I do and it's okay. This is all new for both of us. It's okay to take baby steps."

Giving her a little peck, Marika hugged her again but then somewhat reluctantly let go and withdrew a half a pace. "I'm glad you're okay with it. So, do you still want to stay and watch a movie?"

"Try and get rid of me," Winnie told her.

Marika could feel her face blush yet again. She liked Winnie's confidence when her own was somewhat shaky. Even if there wasn't the lesbian aspect of it, she hadn't had a date night with anyone but Samuel in years. And when they watched a movie together, they had more been occupying the same space rather than being together. She admitted she was just as likely to be on her phone messaging Liz or Yamile as Samuel was likely to be looking at ESPN. Neither had made it a priority to find couples time outside of when they went out.

"Great, what would you like to watch?"

Winnie smiled. "I don't know... something romantic?"

After thinking for a moment, Marika said, "How about Roxanne? Have you seen it?"

"Ummmm, no. That's with Steve Martin, right?"

"Yeah, it's cute. I think you'll like it."

Nodding, Winnie smiled at her. "Sounds good, as long as it's with you, I don't really care what we watch."

After she had refilled their wine glasses, Marika led Winnie to the family room where there was a small couch, almost a love seat, a chair with an ottoman, and a television. There was another television in the living room, mostly for when Samuel had had friends over to watch a game or some other event where there were guests. As a couple, they had occasionally used it for watching something together but more often, they had watched them here. There was a door that could be closed to give them a bit more privacy. Marika shut it now and messaged her sister.

"We are watching a movie. Let me know when he wants his bedtime kiss, plz."

The response was short and conveyed Tereza's complete grasp of the situation.

";-) okay lol!"

"Fine, if she wants to immediately let her mind go into the gutter, I don't want to disappoint her," she thought as she took Winnie's hand and brought her over to the sofa. First, she sat down against one end, with her legs bent and spread wide, then she patted the seat between her legs. "Put your cute little ass down right here."

Winnie smiled with delight at the boldness of the direction. The time for pretending they were just friends was over and date night was truly beginning. She sat down between Marika's legs and leaned back against her, delighting in the softness of her body and then even more when she felt her arms go around her and hug her tight. The little sigh of happiness was impossible to suppress but she felt no embarrassment in the feelings it betrayed. This was exactly where she wanted to be.

She turned her head to smile at Marika. The other woman's eyes were warm and bright in the semi-dark room, lit by the glow of the TV. There was an answering smile on her lips. Gradually they came together in a long kiss. Once again it was more one of affection than desire, but this time there was a hint of passion yet to come. It went on for a while as their tongues slid into each other's mouths and danced together in a slow tango. Still feeling some lingering restraint, it slowly ended, and they rested there together, blanketed in a sense of contentment.

Grabbing Marika's left hand, Winnie pulled it around her so that it rested on her belly. The resulting embrace was light but still slightly possessive, and it gave her a feeling that things were heading in the right direction. She felt Marika's lips press against her neck to give her a gentle graze and she once again sighed.

It didn't take long for Marika to cue up the movie and start it. For a while, they just enjoyed the movie, content with being together. Marika's left hand remained around Winnie and was covered by the other's hand. Somewhat idly, her fingers stroked Winnie's belly, provoking little quivers that weren't quite big enough to distract her. Her own hand remained still but with a steady pressure to make sure that Marika's fingers never lifted.

Their other hands held their glasses of wine, at least until they were empty. That seemed to be a demarcation line, and their fingers began to alternate between entwining and caressing. Gradually they both began to caress more, touching the skin of their forearms and above.

The movie slowly began to be forgotten as they started to kiss. At first each kiss was short, and they both went back to watching the movie, but when Marika put her hand behind Winnie's head to tangle her fingers in her hair, the younger woman moaned and pressed hard into the kiss that followed. She slipped her tongue deep, sliding it along Marika's who gasped out a moan of her own.

Just as her other hand groped up to cup Winnie's breast and take it one step further, they heard Tereza and Kieran coming down the stairs. Tereza made sure they were extra loud so that there was no chance of walking into just this type of situation. The two women sprung apart and when the others came in, they were both leaning against the arms of the sofa and putting as much distance between themselves as possible. Marika tried to give her sister an innocent look, but Tereza just snorted in a suppressed laugh. Still, she didn't say anything about it,

"Kieran is getting sleepy and would like his goodnight kiss," she said.

"Kisses!" he said, looking from Marika to Winnie and then back to Marika. They all chuckled and Winnie held open her arms. All shyness gone, he came over and crawled onto her lap for a hug and a kiss on the cheek. His smile was adorable when he slid off her lap and went to Marika. "Tuck me in and kiss me upstairs, Mommy." She smiled and let him tug her hand until she stood. "I'll be back in a few," she said as she lifted him up into her arms.

Tereza made no move to follow her but just quietly leaned against the wall and looked at Winnie. For a few moments, Winnie just stared at the frozen image on the television but finally turned to look at her. Her slight blush was hard to see in the darkened room, but Tereza could tell it was there. Winnie's bright blue eyes meet hers and held her gaze steady.

"Thanks for watching Kieran tonight. You didn't have to do that."

"I know but while all this is a bit of a surprise, you are making my sister happy and she needs a bit of that right now." She gave Winnie a friendly smile.

"I'm not experimenting, you know, just in case you think that's what's going on," Winnie said, raising her chin a little.

Tereza gave her a little nod. "I know. Marika told me what was going on with you." She regarded the other woman for a few moments. They were pretty close in age, if not in experience. Growing up closeted in the Midwest was a very different experience than coming of age as a straight woman in ultra-liberal Seattle. "You know though, she might be."

Looking back, Winnie didn't react right away but eventually nodded. "I know. I'll be okay if that is all it is."

"Will you?" Tereza asked her in her gentlest tone. She could see the conflicting emotions on Winnie's face. "I probably see them better than Marika," she thought to herself. "You know, working in healthcare, I know lots of gay people. They all talk about not falling for straight people."

"Yeah," Winnie said softly. "I have lesbian friends now who have told me the same thing." She looked away from Tereza. After a lengthy pause, she spoke even softer. "You don't always pick who you fall for. It just happens." Looking back, she went on. "But yeah, I'll be okay even then."

Moving over to the sofa, Tereza surprised her by sitting down and putting both arms around her. As she felt her begin a hug, Winnie slipped her own arms around Marika's sister to hug her back. After a brief hesitation, she buried her face into Tereza's shoulder and gave into the hug, taking strength from it.

Finally, Tereza pulled back to look her in the eyes. "I want good things for my sister. I think you are one of them, even if it doesn't work out the way you hope for. You make her feel good about herself. And if it does go that way, well Win, you got my seal of approval. And I'm pretty sure that you've got Kieran's too, even if he doesn't understand it fully."

Winnie smiled at her, with eyes that had a suspicious degree of shine in them. "Thanks. We'll see. I'm trying to keep my expectations under control. Beyond the sexuality thing, there is work to consider. She worries about that more than I do, but I know it's an issue." She gave Tereza another, lighter hug. "You have a great sister, you know. In every way I can think of!"

"Wellllllll.... Terrible taste in men, but she seems to be making up for it with women," Tereza said with a laugh as Winnie let go and she stood up. Winnie smiled back with a little blush that hinted at the slight embarrassment she felt at the complement.

"I've got my own issues, you know," she said. "At least Marika has the support of her family for whatever she does. At least, I assume your parents wouldn't be bothered by her being with a woman." She looked at Tereza and sighed when she nodded. "I don't know how I'll ever tell my parents I'm gay, let alone introduce them to my partner." She paused for a second. "Not that I mean Marika and I... I mean we aren't... she and I are just...." She trailed off and Tereza couldn't help laughing again as Winnie turned so bright red that it was obvious in the darkened room.

"You are so adorable. And don't worry, I won't tell Marika that you are thinking about wedding dresses and honeymoon spots!" Tereza said in a teasing tone, which drew a choking sound from the other woman and causing her to laugh even harder. "God, it's like shooting fish in a barrel. You two have fun tonight. I'll keep my door open and keep an ear out for Kieran stirring so I can head that off at the path." After giving her a nod, she headed back upstairs.

A few minutes later, Marika came in. "He's asleep. Hopefully for good!" Winnie smiled at her and told her what Tereza had said. She smiled. "She's a bit of a tease but she's a good egg for all that. Moving in with her older sister, helping to take care of Kieran, and now this."

"She's great. I wish I had known someone like her growing up. Things might have been different," Winnie said as she leaned into Marika's body as she sat back down. There was an audible sigh of happiness as Marika's arm went around her again and the fingers of her other hand interlaced between her own. She took a long look at Marika's face before she leaned in to give her a soft kiss. "But most of all, I'm glad to know you."

They kissed for a long time, evolving from soft little caressing kisses into a deep French kiss. When it finally ended, both of them were a bit breathless.

As a distraction, Marika reached over to pick up the remote and turned the movie back on. It was the "20 Insults Better" scene and they watched and laughed as Steven Martin showed up the heckler. After that, exploring each other's bodies became much more interesting than the rest of the movie.

Undoing Winnie's blouse gave Marika access to kissing the skin of her chest, and she was pleased to note that the bra getting in her way could be undone in the front. "So convenient," she whispered as she popped it open and peeled it back. Her lips began to move back and forth between Winnie's nipples, suckling and swirling her tongue around them. The way that provoked little moans made her smile. Last weekend it had been her turn to be teased and pleased; tonight, it was Winnie's.

Even though Kieran was upstairs, she knew that Tereza was keeping an ear out for him and would prevent any interruptions. In her own home, she felt relaxed in a way that she hadn't found possible in camp. "I'll probably get there but for now, here at home is easier," she thought to herself. And then she let go of thoughts of anything but making Winnie feel as good as possible.

Her teeth came together to catch a nipple, giving it a little tug. Winnie gasped and then moaned as Marika's tongue flicked back and forth over the tip. Her fingers were in Marika's hair, tangling and pulling just slightly. Releasing it, Marika moved over to do the same to the other one, bringing out an even louder response. Her hips pushed up against her lover's belly as she slid down between Winnie's legs.

For Winnie, making love to Marika had been amazing. This was better. Her dream woman was touching all the right places and proving that she wanted her just as much. Winnie wanted more and her hands moved down to her hips to try and slide her fingers between them to get to her belt and then to the snap on her jeans. Realizing what she was trying to do, Marika pressed her belly down hard but moving it in a sinuous way. The grinding motion brought gasps of excitement and frustration.

"You... you're getting me back for teasing you," Winnie hissed.

"You know it," Marika said as she stretched forward to give her another deep kiss. That coincidentally forced her whole weight to come down on Winnie's mound and she moaned passionately into the kiss.

As Marika began to kiss her way back down the writhing body, Winnie panted, "But you are nicer than me, remember?"

With a wicked grin and her eyes on Winnie's, Marika bared her teeth and grasped a nipple again. She ground them lightly as her head lifted and stretched the little nubbin. There was a sharp intake of breath until Marika released it just before it started to hurt.

"Am I?" she asked before circling her tongue around the other one, then sucking it into her mouth. This time she turned her mouth slightly so she could catch it with her molars.

"Oh god," Winnie moaned as she felt the teeth come together and worry her nipple. "No... no... you aren't. You're a teasing bitch."

Lifting up from the nipple, Marika kissed between Winnie's two perfect conical breasts. She was young enough and small enough that they held their shape much better than her own. Her hands grasped them and pushed them together so that she could flick her tongue over both of them.

"I've been learning from you," she replied. "But I think maybe I am still nicer." Lifting up her body, she reached down to undo Winnie's belt, followed by undoing her jeans. While they looked amazing on Winnie, they clung a bit too much to make pulling them off her easy. Rather than being one fluid sexy motion, Marika contented herself with kissing the thighs and calves as they gradually became visible as she tugged and pulled to get off her jeans. When she was finally done, she threw them to the other side of the room.

Any frustration with the task vanished when she looked down at her blonde lover. Her big blue eyes were full of lust. Having shucked her blouse on her own, Winnie only had on panties now. Pink and lace, they had a big wet oval in the middle to show how excited she was. Without conscious thought, her hips were undulating in a slow motion.

"God, you are sexy," Marika softly said as she reached down to run her fingers over the wet spot. "Beautiful and sexy." She lifted them up and sniffed them. "Mmmm," she sighed before she ran her tongue over them. "Tasty too." This time the upward lift and tilt of Winnie's hips was completely conscious.

"It's all yours," Winnie told her. Her lust showed in her eyes but there was something else there too that Marika missed as her gaze was caught further down.

Her fingers hooked on either side of the panties and pulled them down. The lithe woman lifted her legs and then pulled them back towards her chest to make it easy for Marika to remove them. Her legs fell outward, bending so that her pussy was pulled open to glisten in the light from the long-forgotten television.

A little wave of nervousness washed over Marika. She knew that she wanted to do this, to take this step with Winnie but it was new. "Will I be any good? Will I be as good as Lena?" she worried to herself. She wanted it to be as good. "Better," she thought as she lowered her face down. She wasn't really jealous of the other woman. She knew that was just play. This was something more. Marika didn't know exactly what but there was an emotion here that made it more. As she lowered her face down, Marika took time to kiss the insides of both thighs, not in a way that was teasing but one of caring and affection. She wanted Winnie to know she felt it too.

As she came closer to Winnie's pussy, her aroma almost overwhelmed her. She felt saliva build in her mouth as her hunger rose. Swallowing, she stretched out her tongue and ran it over Winnie's pussy lips, starting low and then coming up along one side and then the other. Each time the tip of her tongue barely brushed against her clit. The moans left no uncertainty about whether Winnie liked it.

"God yes, Rikki," Winnie gasped. The use of the nickname unconsciously slipped out. The woman whose lips were now pressing into her pussy, whose tongue was slipping between her folds, was the sexy uninhibited woman who had become her companion on the weekends, not the complicated co-worker and superior at work. Thinking of her as Rikki made things simpler.

As Winnie pushed her hips up, Marika slid her tongue as deep as it could go into her soaking wet pussy. The taste was a salty, metallic tang that was sweet too. She loved it and eagerly swallowed it down as her tongue flicked in and out. Her hands slipped under Winnie to grasp and squeeze her ass, pulling her closer. Her cheeks were covered with Winnie's juices from pressing in so hard.

Winnie let out a long whine as Marika's tongue slid up and out, then over her clit. Swirling there, it moved it from side to side. Her hands grasped Marika's shoulders and her nails dug in as she arched up against the maddening touch.

"Fuck, Rikki, make me cum! I need you to make me cum!" she gasped out. Her hips were rocking now, pressing against her lover's face, grinding so that she could feel her everywhere.

Hearing her pleas, Marika went faster and harder. A finger found Winnie's rosebud and stroked it softly, then slowly gave it more pressure; not enough to open but it stretched.

Crying out, her body rolled slightly and Marika had to hold on and keep her face pressed against her pussy. Her tongue was now flicking in and out, giving her a hard tongue-fucking. She felt Winnie tense and then she began to shake.

"Oh my god, I'm cumming," she cried out.

Marika held on tightly so that she could continue fucking her through her orgasm. She vaguely felt nails biting into her shoulders but that didn't distract her. More juices flowed into her mouth, and she joyously sucked as much as she could down her throat. The rest dripped down over her chin and down her neck. The smell and taste of Winnie was all around her and she loved it.

Finally, she felt it start to ebb, and Winnie no longer writhed from side to side, and it was easier for Marika to continue her now far gentler ministrations. Her tongue cleaned Winnie's pussy... and thighs... and between the two hemispheres of her cute butt. Interspersed with the strokes were little kisses. All of it evoked happy sighs of contentment. When at last she couldn't find any more places to clean, Marika propped herself up on her elbows and looked up over her lover's body at her face. It had a sheen of sweat but the grin was wide. Her eyes held more of that other thing as she looked back.

Marika felt it too but that was complicated, and it was too soon. Whatever this was, it was just starting. She didn't need to think about the long term... yet.

She gave Winnie an answering smile. "How did I do for a beginner?" she asked.

Winnie fell back against the couch and ran her fingers through her hair. "God, if that was a first time, I'm in trouble. What will it be like when you get good at it?" she replied with a chuckle.

Taking a moment to give her mound a little kiss, Marika smiled as she looked back. "I guess you will have to see, because I liked this... a lot."

"Me too... a lot," Winnie said as she raised herself up again. In the background, she could hear Daryl Hannah telling Steve Martin how she loved him and his big nose. She wanted to say more but she didn't want to spoil the moment. Instead, she just crooked a finger in beckoning to Marika. "Come here, I want to kiss you." She loved the eager way that Marika scrambled to obey.

As their arms wrapped around each other, they kissed in a way that was far less hurried and needy but said much more by the depth of its passion. For now, this was enough for Winnie. She knew what she wanted, and she was certain it would be as good for Marika as it would be for her, but that was the future. Tonight was just about being together.

And the night wasn't done yet, she thought as she started to clean her juices off Marika's face and provoked the first of her own moans.