Tina was the first to stir the next morning. Her body lay prone on the bed, the sheets tangled around her legs as she lifted her head up from under a pillow. She felt Bette’s forearm across the small of her back and quickly sat up to look at the clock.

“Fuck,” she said.

The one word, in addition to Tina’s movement, was enough to rouse Bette

“What’s wrong,” Bette asked groggily.

“I have to put some blankets on the couch or Angelica will know we slept in the same bed,” Tina grabbed the duvet from the floor and the pillow from her side of the bed after hastily putting on some clothes.

“Come back to bed, Tee, she won’t be up yet. She was exhausted.” Bette reached for Tina’s wrist in an effort to pull her back into bed. “Besides, wouldn’t you rather enjoy what time we have left before you have to go?”

Tina let herself be pulled back onto the bed. Truth be told when she turned to see Bette’s bronzed body in stark contrast to the cream coloured linens, she almost crawled back in of her own accord.

“Bette I should…” Tina’s voice trailed off.

“You should lean back and enjoy,” Bette said, taking the hem of Tina’s top between her teeth and moving it up as her naked body moved ever higher over her. “This won’t take long.”

“Fuck…”

“Exactly,” Bette whispered, before curling her tongue around Tina’s already erect nipple.

She worked her slacks back off with one hand, while using the other to hold her own body up from resting with too much pressure onto Tina. Bette couldn’t keep the self-satisfied grin from creeping onto her face when she felt Tina helping with the removal of the garment.

“You have to be quieter than you were last night,” Bette said as she paused in her attention. “Or she will wake up.”

Tina nodded silently, biting her lip as if in promise. As she felt Bette move between her legs, she bent them so the soles of her feet rested on the bed. Tina reached to hold Bette’s face in her hands as the kissing began.

“Oh God,” Tina whimpered.

“You love that, I know you do,” Bette whispered into her mouth. “You used to beg me to do it.”

“Don’t stop.”

Their movements were primal and intense as they re-connected once again.

Tina arched back and silently mouthed words that would not come. It’s the only thing that would not come as waves of pleasure washed over her. She dug her nails into Bette’s back with each surge.

The power that Bette felt as Tina quivered under her was unmatchable. She soon felt powerless though, as Tina pushed her off and onto her back, devouring her as if she was a last meal. Bette felt her wrists being held down to the surface of the bed as Tina gently bit down her neck and over one breast.

“You’re about to be fucked,” Tina growled into Bette’s ear. “Because I know you love that.”

Bette felt her body react to Tina’s words, but could do nothing because of the position she was in. She reached up for a kiss, but was denied at the last possible moment.

“Oh no, not without some teasing,” Tina said. She ran her tongue from beneath Bette’s ear to the notch between her clavicles. She moved further south and veered off to deliver gentle, persistent love bites over each breast in turn, encouraging her nipples into firm ripe peaks. She returned to place a kiss on Bette’s full lips before letting go of one wrist to reach between her legs.

She felt Bette grip at her fingers as she caressed her. She used a knee behind her hand to penetrate further while Bette reached with her free hand to provide the same pleasure.

They soon lay in a tangle of sheets and perspiration as they attempted to regain their breath.

“God was it always this good?” Tina finally was able to summon the ability to speak a complete sentence.

“If it was I think I must have blocked it out,” Bette managed. “Okay now we should go put some blankets on the couch.”

“I can’t move,” Tina barely raised her head to utter the words.

“You’re on top of me, you’re going to have to move,” Bette replied. “Unless you want to…” Her sentence drifted off as she rose her eyebrows and winked.

Tina made a show of rolling off of her and back onto the bed.

“I definitely can’t do that! Would you go take care of the couch?” she pleaded, with eyes wide, and lip out in a pout.

“Oh God, don’t pull that with me!” Bette said as she got up. “I’ll do it but we do have to get up. It’s almost seven and she won’t be asleep forever.”

“Just five more minutes,” Tina pulled the sheet back over her. “My brain is soaking in hormones right now; I need a little time.”

Bette smirked to herself as she pulled on some jeans, letting her eyes wander over the expanse of skin that was still visible as Tina tucked her head under a pillow. She picked up the bedding that had fallen to the floor and made her way to the living room.

***********

“We’re both so proud of you sweetie,” Bette finished the toast and raised her glass. “Congratulations.”

Angelica set her newly framed degree on the dining room table.

“What kind of wine mom?”

“It’s a 2003 Barolo,” Tina replied. “We bought the bottle the week you were born.”

“Oh my God, you know what that reminds me of?” Angelica laughed as she tasted of the wine. “When you and Mom were getting back together and didn’t think I knew what was going on! You must have thought I was an idiot.”

“What are you talking about?” Bette asked innocently.

“Please, give me some credit,” Angelica replied, rolling her eyes at Bette. It was a very Tina thing for her to do. She then turned to Tina. “Don’t you deny it either. I have a memory you know.”

“You knew?” Tina said sheepishly.

“Hello? All senses in tact…including hearing,” Angelica said. “You could have kept it down a little you know. It scarred me for life I’m sure. You thought you were being so sneaky. As if.”

“Well what do you think of that,” Bette asked Tina rhetorically.

“Makes me think we shouldn’t have waited eight months for me to move back in,” Tina replied. “ ‘For the sake of the child’.” She used air quotes for effect as she spoke.

“Actually, it was good I was around,” Angelica observed. “I think you would have rushed it again otherwise. You felt you had to put up the façade of not being together and it gave you a chance to talk things out.”

“I’m sorry, I thought we paid for an art history degree, not a psychology degree,” Bette pretended to look at the contents of the frame by tilting it up.

“How’d you get so damn smart?” Tina hugged their daughter close, silently shocked at how she grew up so quickly.