The Riches of Mercy (26 page)

Meredith kissed Natalie's cheek. She sighed as Natalie kissed her jaw.

"Are you going to be old-fashioned?" Meredith asked.

"Kátit," Natalie said.

Meredith tilted her head. "Bless you."

"The only phrase I know in Russian. Well, that I can use effectively. I learned it from the gangs at my high school, long before I learned the English equivalent from my defendants."

Meredith snorted, and said, "Fine, brat. Tell me."

"In the colloquial it means, 'Word.'"

Meredith slapped Natalie's stomach. Natalie laughed and pulled Meredith into a hug. Meredith tucked her head against Natalie's neck. Natalie stroked her hair.

"Kátit," Meredith said.

"There, now you're as bilingual as I am."

"Good." Meredith kissed her neck.

Natalie trembling, said, "I'm not sure who's supposed to take care of who."

"I've been thinking. We have complementary strengths."

Natalie pressed her cheek to the boys' door.

"Hear anything?" Meredith asked.

Natalie shook her head.

Meredith pulled back from the hug. She took Natalie's hand and led her upstairs to the bedroom. Natalie swallowed. Her hand was sweaty in Meredith's. Meredith held Natalie's fingers between both of her hands.

"Are you ready?" Meredith asked.

"Your bedroom."

Meredith nodded.

"Our bedroom."

"Yes."

"For the rest of our lives."

"Probably," Meredith said.

"I'm ready."

"You are old-fashioned," Meredith said.

"Maybe we should have waited. For this."

Meredith shook her head. "There were no guarantees."

Natalie lifted her hand to guide Meredith's fingers up to her lips. She kissed each one and said, "There are now."

"I love you," Meredith said.

She never said it in their epic phone conversations over the last two months, afraid her dream wouldn't come true, afraid to spoil it.

"I love you, too."

"Come inside." Meredith pushed open the bedroom door.

They walked in together. Natalie pulled away and went to the bed. She smoothed her hand over the pillow. Meredith was proud of the quilt on her bed, of the drapes she'd chosen, of the furniture matching, but her things weren't very modern. Maybe it wasn't the bedroom Natalie wanted to spend the rest of her life in.

"Hey," she said.

Natalie glanced up.

"Now, don't think I'm going to be sleeping naked every night. I have nightgowns and flannel pajamas and slippers."

"Slippers?"

"Bunny slippers from the boys--well, from Vince, through the boys, when they were two--kind of morbid, I suppose. Real fur."

Natalie raised her eyebrows, walking back to Meredith.

"And crocodile slippers. Those are fake."

Natalie settled her hands on Meredith's hips.

Meredith swallowed. "And my dad's old leather slippers. His feet are too big, though."

"What about tonight?" Natalie asked, slipping one hand around Meredith's waist to bring her closer.

"Tonight--" Meredith started, her words cut short by Natalie's kiss. She lost her breath when Natalie touched her. First her breast and then her side and then her hip. She guided Natalie's hand back to her breast. Natalie squeezed. Meredith squirmed. She wrapped her arms around Natalie's neck, afraid she would swoon.

Natalie worked her fingers under Meredith's top. Meredith clung to Natalie, unable to keep a gasp from escaping her lips. Natalie's kiss touched her neck. Wherever Natalie touched her, she felt answering fire inside of her. She pushed back against Natalie's hands.

She was startled by her own urgency. Natalie was touching her before she had a chance to breathe. She hadn't caught up to Natalie being there in her arms. Already making love to her.

They hadn't been sexual during their separation. Nor loving, nor tender. As practically as possible they made plans, rooted in realism, within their limitations. Flights of fantasy had no place between them. Romanticism was the enemy of anyone facing prison.

Natalie's lips touched her ear. She hissed, pulling herself more tightly against Natalie until she was pressed against Natalie's thigh. Her hands gripped Natalie's shoulders as hard as she could. Her shoulders ached.

The touch of Natalie's lips made her feel as if she were falling.

"Natalie, the bed."

"Right," Natalie said. She pulled back, breathing hard. She disentangled herself enough to pull them both to the bed. She turned down the sheets. She fluffed the pillows.

Meredith rubbed Natalie's back, feeling the muscles flex and extend.

"I'm sorry," Natalie said, sitting on the edge of the bed to take off her socks. "I've been thinking about this a lot."

"Me too." Meredith kissed the top of her head.

Natalie dropped her socks on the floor.

"We'll have to talk about that, too."

Natalie settled her hands on Meredith's hips.

"Later," Meredith said.

Natalie stood. She took Meredith's face in her hands to kiss her. Hard. Deepening. Meredith tangled her fingers in Natalie's hair. She tugged her closer. Natalie bit at Meredith's lip. Meredith seized. Natalie broke the kiss and showered smaller, damp kisses on her cheeks and neck.

"I've never wanted to do that to anyone," Meredith said.

"Not even Sharon Stone?"

Natalie turned them so Meredith's back was to the bed. She gently urged Meredith down. Meredith sank onto the mattress. Natalie worked up Meredith's shirt and pulled it over her head.

Meredith folded her arms around her torso, blushing and feeling cold. "Maybe when she was a cowboy," she said.

"I didn't see her as a cowboy."

"What were you thinking of?"

"
Basic Instinct
?"

Meredith poked Natalie in the stomach. Natalie sat beside her on the bed. Meredith shifted toward her. Then they were kissing. Natalie's hands were on Meredith's bare skin. Meredith found herself lying back on the bed with Natalie over her, her mouth following the slope of Meredith's breast to the cup of the bra.

"Natalie," she said.

Natalie worked her hands under Meredith's back, against the mattress, and unclasped her bra. She drew it back and Meredith freed her arms.

"Not on the floor," Meredith said.

Natalie snorted and got off the bed. "Where?"

"The closet--there's a hamper."

"A hamper?" Natalie glanced at the bra.

"Don't argue." She worked herself up on the bed to lie back on the pillows.

"I can see how this is going to go." Natalie tossed the bra in the hamper and turned around.

"Will you miss the bachelor lifestyle?"

Natalie knelt on the bed. She met Meredith's eyes with an expression of lust that made Meredith's chest ache. She thought she should be scared, but all she felt was an answering call inside her.

"Not as much as I would miss this," Natalie said.

Meredith reached for her, but Natalie ducked away. She opened the top button of Meredith's jeans.

"Hurry," Meredith said.

Natalie unzipped the fly and worked the jeans over Meredith's legs. Meredith blushed, feeling each inch of her exposed. Natalie tugged her panties down with the jeans. She didn't ask Meredith before dumping them on the floor.

Meredith, naked, sat up and cupped Natalie's chin and drew her forward. She leaned back and gazed into Natalie's eyes, dark and wide, gazing into hers. In the moment before Natalie's lips touched hers, Meredith whimpered. The light brush of Natalie's mouth was a relief.

Meredith pulled Natalie close, holding Natalie's head so their kiss became more intense. She arched up, rubbing herself against Natalie's clothed body. She hooked one leg over Natalie's calf.

They had been so careful at the beach house, so unsure. But now, no thinking. Just touching. Groping. Natalie's lips burning and Meredith tugging up the back of Natalie's shirt, stroking her back, wanting her closer. Natalie's thigh moved between her legs. She groaned. Natalie shivered against their kiss.

She groaned again at Natalie's hand on her breast. "Don't stop," she said.

Natalie kissed her shoulder. Natalie's lips were so soft they felt like cotton against her skin. Meredith wanted to lie back and feel each touch of Natalie's lips, but desire was building within her making the passivity impossible. She found the seam of Natalie's pants and pressed. Natalie shifted, bringing herself to Meredith's fingers.

"Yes," Natalie said. "Make love to me."

Natalie was on top of her, pressing down on her, and fully clothed against Meredith's nudity, but Meredith felt powerful when she pressed her fingers and Natalie trembled.

"You'll have to--" she tried to say. She pulled Natalie's shirt up her back.

Natalie stopped kissing her neck only when the shirt bunched over her head, interfering, and then she lifted her head long enough for Meredith to get the fabric off. Meredith reached for the bra.

"Wait," Natalie said.

Meredith didn't wait. She unclasped the bra and moved her hands underneath the loose cups. She stroked and Natalie shuddered.

"God," Natalie said.

Meredith lifted up to kiss Natalie's collarbone. Natalie made a strangled sound. It sent a charge through Meredith, ending between her legs. She clutched Natalie's shoulders, kissing her skin.

Natalie pushed her back to the bed, gently but firmly. She met Meredith's eyes.

Meredith grinned.

Natalie grinned back.

Meredith trembled, impressed with Natalie's strength, decisiveness, her own body's response to it. Natalie lowered herself. Their breasts touched. Natalie's weight on top of her, her nipples against her, was almost enough to make Meredith orgasm.

If Natalie's hand had been there--

"Please," Meredith said, sliding her hand down Natalie's abdomen, under the waistband of her slacks. The fabric accommodated her hand just enough she could curl her fingers into Natalie's panties and press to show what she meant.

"Please."

Natalie kissed her and then rolled off of her, Meredith's hand sliding free. Natalie sprawled onto her back, panting, gazing at the ceiling. Her chest rose and fell with great heaves.

Meredith watched her, propping herself on one elbow.

Natalie turned her head and said, "If you do that I'm going to--And I want to at least be naked, with you, in our bed. The first time." The speech seemed to take away her breath. She held Meredith's gaze, slightly open-mouthed.

Meredith reached for Natalie's fly.

Natalie twitched. "I won't make it if you--"

Meredith grinned.

Natalie closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and then unzipped her slacks.

Meredith pulled the sheets over them. She saw relief in Natalie's exhale. The slacks went somewhere to the bottom of the bed, under the covers. Natalie turned and took Meredith in her arms.

They kissed.

In Natalie's arms, with nothing between them, Meredith’s lips twitched against Natalie's kisses. Natalie held her loosely. She hugged Natalie back, nipping at her lips, opening herself up to Natalie's tongue, which was darting and playful rather than urgently forceful like before. Meredith's breasts tingled, but did not burn, against Natalie's. Only when Natalie rubbed her back, with long, sensual strokes, lightly using her nails, did Meredith lay back.

Beckoning.

Natalie kissed her, only kissed her, until Meredith took Natalie's hand in hers and brought it between her legs. "Now," she said, and let go of Natalie's hand and instead mirrored the action against Natalie, reveling in Natalie's surprised, urgent cry.

"Now," Natalie said.

Natalie breathed heavily against Meredith's ear. Meredith couldn't stop herself from shaking against Natalie's fingers, so eager to please her. Tears stung her eyes. Natalie's hips moved against her, first deliberately, and then erratically.

When she thought she'd have to stop touching Natalie because the orgasm was coming, shatteringly, Natalie froze and let out a choked sob. Meredith pressed. She forgot about herself and concentrated on Natalie's pleasure.

Meredith held her, reveling in the sweat of their bodies and the spasms against her hand. Natalie relaxed on top of her, slipping slightly to her side, and planted one sloppy, wet kiss on her cheek.

"Oh," Meredith said.

Natalie's body shuddered, like she was laughing but didn't have the breath for sound. Her hand moved, dragging across Meredith's skin, igniting her so completely, her skin flushed, her breath gone, and she came, lifting her hips up to Natalie's hand, shameless. She saw spots.

"Breathe," Natalie whispered in her ear.

She took a deep breath and her senses came rushing back to her body.

In the aftermath she felt sweaty and cold, and Natalie moved to hug her, half-spooning her until Meredith rolled over, her back to Natalie, breathing in and out, blinking as her bedroom took focus. Trying to recover herself. She tried to speak, and licked her lips and wetted her mouth before getting out, "Closer."

Natalie's grip tightened, and she felt Natalie's chin against her hair. She rolled back, crowding into Natalie's embrace, lifting her face so Natalie could kiss her. Then she settled back.

Natalie smoothed Meredith's damp hair off her forehead.

Meredith swallowed. "I think this will work out."

"As long as we don't have to get out of bed."

Meredith pulled her down into a long hug. She allowed herself a moment where the kids didn't knock on the door, and the cat didn't meow, and no one came to rob her or take her away or call her names. She heard nothing but Natalie's breathing. Her eyes drifted shut.

Natalie squirmed, getting comfortable. She left one arm splayed across Meredith's stomach, below her breasts. Meredith breathed deeply. She never slept on her back.

She'd learn.

"Don't fall asleep," Meredith said.

"I won't."

"I want to talk to you all night, and know you, and--"

"You're going to tell me to put my clothes back on, aren't you?"

"For the children's sake. Not mine."

Natalie nuzzled her shoulder. "Later?"

"Later."