Chapter 15

“When you put it like that, I guess not,” Lauren replied. “And I missed you too when I was at my place. So yeah, I want that.”

Lauren spent the weekend at Mika’s, but returned to her house on Sunday to begin cataloguing what to move and how, and what to sell. Most of her furniture would have to go. Her lease was up in June, so she’d have to start disposing of the furniture soon.

By the weekend, she’d moved most of her clothes, considering herself officially moved on Saturday. The first day of growing old together.

She was partway through moving clothes into the closet space Mika had assigned her when she noticed that the spot where the sculpture had been was now empty. She hadn’t seen it in a while, since Mika left a scarf covering it, but now the space was bare. The crystal ring holder, still with its rings, rested beside the gold-streaked heart.

Mika headed straight for the shower when she returned, giving Lauren a quick kiss. She didn’t take long, emerging wearing her red robe a few minutes later.

“Mika, where’s the bust?” Lauren asked.

“I’m looking right at it,” Mika said, dropping her eyes from Lauren’s face.

“No, you boob-obsessed Brit, where’s your sculpture?”

“I knew what you meant,” Mika retorted. She became serious. “I moved her to my studio. I’ll see her every day, and my clients will, too. I think that’s a respectful way of easing her out of our personal space. I have something I’d like to replace it with. If you agree.”

She moved to a chest, and took a package out of a drawer. It was enfolded in tissue paper. She presented it to Lauren, two-handed. Lauren took it, carefully removing the paper. She assumed from the size and feel of the object that it was a photo, but it wasn’t. It was a framed pencil drawing.

In the drawing, an incredibly lifelike Lauren had her hair up, wearing the hairpins Mika had given to her on their trip. Only the very top of the robe was visible, but the outline of a crane showed it was her blue robe. She’d never worn the robe with her hair like that, so clearly Mika hadn’t drawn it from a photo. Pencil portrait Lauren wore a mischievous smile that Lauren did not recognize from the mirror.

“This is wonderful, Mika,” she said. “You did this completely from observation? Do I ever look like that?”

Mika moved to stand beside her, studying the drawing before looking up into her face. “Indeed you do,” she said. “Not right now. When we’re joking around, or when you’re undressing me with your eyes, yes. When I see you like that, I know I’m in for a smashing time. I’m sure no one else will make that connection.” She frowned. “Mandy might?”

“Honey,” Lauren said, “I’ve never felt about a woman the way I feel about you. I’m sure I’ve never looked at one the way I look at you. And it’s over a decade since she and I were together. Whatever the look you’ve drawn me wearing, Mandy won’t have seen it. You can safely hang it in the living room, if you want, but I think it would look great on the shelf.”

Mika’s smile was tender as she nodded toward the shelf. “Go ahead,” she said.

Lauren set the picture frame down in the space. “Now I guess you will always be expecting a smashing? time.”

“I always do, love.” She stepped up to Lauren, who looked down at her affectionately, then took the belt of her robe and pulled it free.

Mika’s robe drifted open as Lauren’s lips met hers. A moment later, Lauren pushed it over her shoulders, hearing a soft swish as the silk glided to the floor. She stepped back, breaking the kiss, to observe the slenderly beautiful naked woman before her. Her heart surged with lust, but tempered by love. She wanted Mika, but she wanted always to have her. Now she knew that was their future.

“The first day of growing old together,” she said, softly.

“Uh, what, love?” Mika queried.

“I’m officially moved in. This is the rest of our life,” Lauren said.

Mika grinned. “If this is the official start of our life together, you are wearing far too many clothes.”

“That’s a problem you can fix,” Lauren said. “I’m not going to stop you.”

They kissed as Mika undressed her, then Mika stepped back to admire her handiwork, just as Lauren had done. “I would like to draw you nude sometime,” she said. “Or paint, or photograph, or all of the above.”

Lauren propelled her to the bed, pushing her down onto it. Mika moved up, then held out her arms to her. She moved onto Mika, threading her legs between Mika’s thighs, pulling one of Mika’s legs up so that she could fit their pussies together. Supporting her body above Mika’s, she rocked her hips, grinding against her while barely moving her body.

Breath whooshed out of her girlfriend at the feeling. She lifted her hips to increase the friction, Lauren’s sex sliding against hers, the wetness between them building.

Mika’s hands came around her neck, pulling her head down. Lauren leaned forward as much as she could without losing the perfect contact of her pussy against Mika’s. Her lips met her girlfriend’s, and her breasts quivered as Mika’s nipples pushed lightly into her.

Both women were making soft moans as their arousal built. Mika lifted her hips further, and Lauren found that she could lower her body more. Her breasts cushioned against Mika’s chest, and their kiss grew ever more intense. The warm, wet feel of Mika’s sex caressing her own was electric. She began to doubt that she could hold off her own climax until Mika was ready. Mika’s hands slid down her back in a long caress.

Then Mika groaned, and her body began to rock beneath Lauren’s. She was close. Lauren moved her hips further, her body now sliding against hers, her breasts rolling against Mika’s chest. She felt the pressure of Mika’s firm nipples dig into her soft flesh, and Mika’s caresses became harsh as her fingernails dug into her back.

Mika gasped into the kiss, then her pussy slammed upward as she came. Lauren stopped trying to hold herself back. Within moments her own climax took her. She snuffled as she tried to maintain the kiss while her lungs needed air.

She collapsed onto her lover, whose body still twitched beneath her. Mika broke the kiss, touching her lips to Lauren’s neck. “You do that so well,” she said.

“We do, love,” Lauren said. “And I think we’re going to enjoy growing old together.”