Chapter 35

Ada's bedroom was at the far end of the flat, on its own behind the kitchen and the bathroom. It overlooked the garden, and the door squeaked just a little when Ada pushed it open.

The minute they stepped inside, Cas started scanning the space, trying to take it all in.

"This looks exactly like what I would have expected," Cas said.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, this just feels right, looking at it and knowing you."

The room was an explosion of plants and color, with soft hand-knit touches that added additional warmth. She had fairy lights twisted around the curtain rod and woven in the bookshelf in the corner, and though they were off at the minute, Ada's room would be remarkably cozy if they were switched on.

"Thanks. It took me forever to get it looking how I wanted it."

Ada sat down on the edge of her bed and reached back to unzip her dress. The fabric loosened across her chest, the single strap sliding forward so she could slip her arm free.

And suddenly Cas's mouth was dry.

"This dress was cute," Ada said, "but, hell, so tight." She wasn't wearing a bra, just nipple pasties that she promptly peeled off and, as Cas saw when Ada shimmied the dress down over her hips, high-waisted nude underwear.

She leaned over, draped her dress along the stools at the end of her bed, and Cas took a step forward into the room.

"Can I...?"

Ada's eyes were on Cas as she reached up and took her simple gold hoops out of her ears. She set them in a small dish on her bedside table, and with a nod, she leaned back onto her hands, her body stretching long and languid.

And she knew, she knew what she was doing to Cas. Letting Cas see the way her body moved, trace the lines of her in the light from the streetlamp streaming in through the window. This was everything, everything, Cas wanted when they'd been in the villa.

Ada sat up as she reached her, her hands sliding up to the base of Cas's neck as Cas leaned down and kissed her. Cas couldn't touch enough of her. She trailed her fingers over Ada's collarbone, down the curve of her shoulder, along the dips and curves of her waist.

"Cas." Her name was a whisper on Ada's breath, and it sent a shiver down her spine in the best way. Cas brushed her thumb over Ada's nipple, and Ada bit her lip, her breathing picking up as Cas dropped to her knees in front of her.

The rug was soft, thankfully, against her knees. Cas leaned forward and pressed a kiss, two, to Ada's stomach, her fingers rolling softly over Ada's nipple as she moved. She put her free hand on Ada's thigh, and pushed her legs apart in a single, swift motion. Ada drew in a sharp breath, her fingers moving, in anticipation, to Cas's hair.

"You're gorgeous," Cas said, her palm sliding over Ada's thigh, pushing her leg up onto the bed. She was glistening wet and Cas felt like she could already taste her, the memory of her, on her tongue.

Cas wanted to tease her—to tease herself—but it was impossible when Ada was spread out in front of her like that.

Still, she forced herself to move slowly, to linger, before she trailed her tongue over Ada's clit.

Ada's fingers tightened in Cas's hair and she groaned, her hips arching immediately off the bed. Cas went in again, slow, gentle circles at first, each one drawing a breathy moan out of Ada's mouth.

"That feels so good," Ada said. She moved one of her hands to her breast, her fingers rolling over her nipple.

Cas sucked her clit lightly, and Ada moaned again, louder this time. She kept the suction light for a minute, alternating between drawing slow, languid circles on Ada's clit, before she increased the pressure. Ada's leg scrambled along the edge of the bed before hooking over Cas's shoulders, pressing her closer, and Cas exhaled hard, the sensation sending a shiver through Ada.

Ada's entire body went stiff as Cas moved to curl her fingers inside her and her back arched up off the bed. She trembled, her fingers loosening in Cas's hair as her hands flew to her breasts, pinching and kneading as she rode out her orgasm.

Cas didn't dare move, didn't dare stop, just slowed and eased her suction as Ada came down. She drew her tongue in lazy circles over Ada's clit before she leaned back onto her heels.

"Could you go again? Do you want to use a vibrator?"

Ada was nodding before Cas even finished asking.

"In the drawer." Ada was panting. It looked like she tried to push herself up onto her elbows but, ultimately, decided she didn't have the energy and pointed vaguely in the direction of her bedside table.

Cas went to open the drawer, but it got stuck at half a centimeter.

"Uh, Ada."

"You have to jiggle it," Ada said. She picked up one hand and wiggled it back and forth to demonstrate. "It's never really opened properly, but I got it for free and it's cute, so I'm just dealing with it."

It was typical Ada, seeing the good in slightly broken things. Cas wiggled the drawer and it popped open, suddenly sliding out several inches.

The drawer was deep, and behind the remotes and jars of face and lip mask and ChapSticks, there was a small pouch with a few condoms sticking out and a larger zipped pouch. Cas grabbed the zippered pouch and set it on the end of the bed. Ada pressed up onto her forearms and watched as Cas unzipped the bag, and, one by one, pulled out her vibrator options.

"That one is so good," she said, nodding at the suction vibrator Cas set on the duvet. There was a bright pink bullet, a light blue teardrop-shaped vibrator, but her eyes brightened as Cas took out the yellow, curved vibrator with what looked like a small tennis ball stuck to the end. "But oh, that one. Use that one."

Cas didn't need to be told twice. She threw the other vibrators back into the bag and, after hastily zipping it up, returned it to the drawer and closed it with her hip.

"I'm going to wash it quickly," she said, getting to her feet.

"There's cleaner in the cabinet under the sink," Ada said. She fell back onto the bed, her arms splaying wide. And like that, spread out, still sopping wet, Cas wanted to forget the vibrator altogether, wrap her arms around Ada's hips, and bury her face between Ada's thighs for the rest of the evening.

Cas was glad none of Ada's housemates were home as she ran out of Ada's bedroom, brandishing a vibrator on her way to the bathroom. She washed it quickly with the silicone cleanser underneath the sink and, after taking care to pat it dry, practically ran back to the bedroom.

Ada was trailing her fingers over her body as Cas walked in, her touch casual, light. She had been tracing her fingers over her nipple when Cas first walked through the door but, as Cas made her way to the bed, her fingers traveled down over her stomach before drifting in between her legs. Cas watched, her breath tight, as Ada's fingers tripped over her clit. She moaned softly at the first bit of contact and dragged her right leg up onto the bed.

"Do you have it?" Ada's voice was broken by soft exhales. "You can use it while I do this. That'll be really nice."

Cas switched the vibrator on and Ada moaned quietly at the sound.

"Just tease it first, but it should be— I might ask for more, but tease me for a second first, okay?"

"Okay."

Cas traced the round vibrator head along Ada's left thigh, delighting in the way Ada's entire body shuddered. Her leg twitched higher onto the bed, and Cas slid the vibrator up her thigh.

"Cas." Ada's fingers were slick, wet. "Cas, please."

Cas dipped the head of the vibrator inside and, just as Ada arched to try and take it deeper, Cas pulled it away. Ada groaned, her fingers picking up speed.

"Fuck."

Cas teased her again, before, on the third time, she slid the vibrator fully inside. Ada immediately moaned, her voice loud, carrying, and it went right to Cas's head.

"Oh fuck." Ada's fingers tripped. "Up a little bit, I— Yes, yes, right there. Just back and forth really small right there."

Cas could do that. She would happily do anything that Ada asked her to right now.

She barely moved it more than a centimeter, but each small thrust dragged a deep moan from Ada. She felt each moan viscerally, and she pressed her own thighs together to try to soothe some of her own need, before she leaned forward and started trailing kisses along the inside of Ada's thighs.

Thighs that were trembling under Cas's lips.

"Cas, I'm—" Ada moved her free hand to her breast, started rolling her nipple in between her fingers. Cas thrust the vibrator again, and Ada's entire body briefly went rigid before she lifted herself up off the bed. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

Cas continued to move the vibrator as Ada settled before finally pulling it away and switching it off. She'd just set it on the bedside table when Ada grabbed Cas by the shoulders and dragged her up onto the bed, moving until they were lying in the center.

Cas's body landed on Ada's with a heavy thump, and she laughed roughly as she picked some of her weight up onto her arm.

"Eager?"

"Yes." Ada barely got the word out before Cas was kissing her, pressing her hips desperately against Ada's, trying for any little bit of friction she could get. Her dress had long since ridden up around her waist, but it wasn't enough. She needed more of her skin touching Ada's, needed to feel the press of their bodies together.

Almost as though she was reading her mind, Ada's fingers found the zipper on the back of Cas's dress and slashed it open, her fingers immediately tracing the exposed skin of Cas's back.

Cas pressed her knees into the bed, sitting up just enough to start pulling the dress up over her head. The corset top was tight, but after some maneuvering she got it off and threw it back over her shoulder without a second thought, especially once Ada sat up and took one of Cas's nipples into her mouth.

"Oh god." Cas threaded her fingers through Ada's hair, holding her there. She rolled her other nipple between her fingers, a moan slipping out from her lips as Ada's free hand started tracing down her belly.

Cas knew where she was going, could feel the anticipation building. She wasn't quite naked yet, but the minimalist underwear she'd had to wear with the dress made her feel like she was.

"What is this?" Ada traced the top of Cas's underwear, her fingers trying to slide underneath.

"Strapless," Cas said. She was breathless, barely explaining. "No lines. And the slit, you know."

Ada nodded, dazed. "How do you...?"

"Just peel them off." Cas reached back and unstuck the back from the base of her spine, sliding it back over her bum. Ada peeled the front section off and managed to remove them completely and throw them onto the floor in the vague direction of Cas's dress.

Ada's fingers were between Cas's thighs before she could even catch her breath.

"You're soaking wet," Ada said, her voice thick with want, and Cas whimpered as Ada's fingers brushed, just once, over her clit.

"It's really fucking hot watching you come," Cas said. She was trying to keep her hips still, trying to let Ada lead, but she was desperate for contact. Desperate for Ada's fingers inside her. She reached up and rolled her nipple between her fingers, and at the movement, Ada leaned forward again and kissed Cas's breast, blowing gently until her nipple formed a hard peak.

"Ada." Cas rocked her hips, pressing down so she was very nearly grinding against Ada's thigh. Ada circled her tongue over Cas's nipple before, finally, drawing a deep, intentional circle over Cas's clit.

"Fuck." Cas wrapped one arm around Ada's shoulders, her hips lifting up, like she was trying to evade the sensation. Ada's hand followed her, her fingers persistent, slow, torturously good. But she needed more, needed the pressure inside her to ebb.

"Put your fingers inside me," Cas said. "Please, I—"

She was usually not one to beg, but something about Ada made everything in Cas fall apart.

Ada, luckily, didn't feel the need to tease her. She curled two fingers inside without hesitation, and Cas slid her free hand down to roll frantic circles over her clit as Ada fucked her with her fingers. Her thrusts were slow, deliberate, and with each one, Cas got closer and closer to the edge.

Ada slipped a third finger inside and that, finally, was what did it. Her entire body trembled, her arm tightening around Ada's shoulders like it was the only thing tethering her to the bed. Cas rode her fingers, the circles she was drawing on her clit loose and sloppy, until her orgasm passed, slowing her hips as her body settled.

Ada trailed her fingers up over Cas's clit as she moved her hand away, making a point to lick them clean.

"You're a dream," Cas said. She took Ada's cheeks in her hands and kissed her, slow, steady, savoring. She could taste herself on Ada's tongue, and it was a heady combination.

"Go again?"

Cas shook her head and slid off Ada's lap, her legs trembling a little bit too much to safely support her weight. "I just need to lie here for a second. Get my breath back."

Her skin was hot, sweaty, her hair was sticking to the back of her neck. She shifted her hair off her skin, but it was so short, it didn't move far enough to provide her with any real relief.

Ada slid over to the opposite side of the bed and fell back onto her pillow, Cas lying down beside her. As soon as Cas was settled, Ada rolled onto her side.

"It's a thousand degrees in here," Ada said. She was more speaking to the ceiling, but Cas nodded. Every single inch of her felt warm and sweaty.

"I'm going to open the window, hold on." Ada rolled away and walked quickly to her windows. She reached behind the curtains, and after a few seconds, Cas heard the distant sounds of traffic a few streets away.

Ada collapsed back onto the bed. She didn't curl into Cas's side again, but took her hand instead, her eyes falling closed as the breeze fluttered into the room. Neither of them spoke—it was just their breath, the brush of the curtains on the floor, the sounds of the cars out on the road—and Cas had never felt more at ease.

She'd been in these moments hundreds of times, these "afters," when they were both sated, but every time before, Cas had been keen to put her clothes back on. To go home, to forget, entirely, the person she'd just spent the last few hours with.

Cas could have lingered in this moment forever. Could have spent the rest of her life, here, in this bed, with Ada holding her hand.

Ada slung one arm around Cas's waist, her fingers trailing over the tattoos on Cas's right arm.

"I really like these." Ada traced the outline of the lion on Cas's biceps before moving to the triangle at the back of her elbow. It wasn't a cohesive sleeve, but she'd added so many one-offs to her arm over the years that it was steadily becoming one.

"I'm going to add another one." Cas twisted her arm and pointed at the blank space on the inside, just above her elbow. "A little heart right here."

"Your heart on your sleeve," Ada said.

"I—" Cas felt her cheeks heat. "Yeah. I thought it was fitting given... recent events." She squeezed Ada's arm, and Ada's eyes brightened.

"That's the gayest thing you've ever said."

Cas laughed and nudged Ada's side. "Shut up."

"It's cute, though," Ada said. "When are you getting it done?"

"Appointment's in a couple of weeks."

She'd scheduled it a few days before the reunion, determined, no matter what, to commemorate her time in the villa. Her time with Ada. Even if things hadn't worked out, she knew that Ada had changed her irrevocably.

It was a little scary, even now, but she knew it was for the best. And it was worth remembering that.

"Do you think your artist would be willing to pencil me in, too? I want one."

"Now this is the gayest thing you've ever said," Cas said, grinning.

"Shut up," Ada said, but Cas couldn't stop smiling.

"And here, I thought your perfume would be enough. Now you need a matching tattoo with your villa girlfriend."

Ada turned to look at Cas, their faces a few inches apart. "If you were my villa girlfriend, you'd take me on that tarot card, pasta-making, walking date."

Cas laughed and tightened her hold on Ada's shoulders, rolling onto her side so she could press their bodies together.

"We can go tomorrow if you want. I'm very, very free from now until the end of time."

Ada buried her face into Cas's neck, pressed a kiss to her pulse point. "Perfect."