The following morning, I find myself alone in the bed by the time I feel awake enough to take stock of my surroundings. It's light behind the curtains. I slide my arm across the sheet, turning over and wondering where the hell Diana has got to, but the sheet is still a little bit warm from her body, and I can definitely smell her on the pillows. I bury my face where she's been lying, and breathe deeply for a minute.
Then I notice that in fact the bedroom door is ajar and I can hear the kettle coming to a boil downstairs. I lean over the side of the bed and shout so I hope she'll hear me. 'Diana?'
Faintly, I hear her reply. 'Fiona? Are you awake?' There's some movement, then her voice comes much stronger than before. She's obviously moved out of the kitchen to the bottom of the stairs. 'Fiona? Did you say something?'
'Yes,' I call back. 'Tea for me, please. Not coffee.'
I hear her tut. 'I do know you well enough by now, my girl, to know you always have tea first thing. Good to know you're awake, though.'
A few moments later, I listen to her make her way carefully upstairs, then she nudges the door open with her foot, a mug in each hand. I move back across the bed as she comes over and puts both mugs down on the bedside table.
She clambers quickly back under the duvet, and we kiss. 'Good morning,' she says softly. 'It's going to be a nice day.' She reaches back to plump her pillows up against the bed-head, and sits up against them. She reaches for her mug and sips coffee.
'What time is it?' I turn on my side and pretend I'm rearranging her pyjama top as an excuse to touch her.
'About eight o'clock.' She shrugs. 'Maybe about twenty past, by now.' She puts her mug down. 'Do we want the curtains open?'
I groan. 'No.' I snuggle back down under the duvet and sigh. 'Well, if we must. I'm awake now, I suppose.' I have noticed that Diana seems incapable of sleeping beyond about seven in the morning.
'You don't like mornings, do you, Fiona?'
'I have nothing against mornings during the week. I don't see the need for them on Sundays, though.'
'It's Saturday today.'
I groan again. 'Oh, weekends, then.' I turn on my side, my back to her again, and nudge her with my foot. 'Go on, then, if you must. Open the bloody curtains.' I shut my eyes tightly and flick my hair over my face.
She laughs gently, then I feel her get up. As she draws the curtains back, the sunlight definitely spills into the room. I have to admit, I do like a sunny early Summer morning myself, and sunshine always cheers me up. I keep my eyes closed, though, and concentrate hard on not moving.
She gets back into bed. I hear her sip more coffee, then put her mug back on the side. I hear her breathe out heavily in an amused sort of half-sigh. I feel her turn and slide herself to lie behind me again, like the night before but not quite as close, and I hold my breath: is she going to make a move on me? She moves a pillow back down onto the bed to rest her head, and one of her hands tentatively snakes over my waist, under my elbow. I move my arm to let her slide it fully on to my stomach. She moves again, pressing her body up against my back, like the night before, and her other hand awkwardly brushes my hair.
I push back against her. I'm glad she's there, and I don't even try to hide how much I like feeling her close behind me. Her body and hands make several small requests: her leg pushing at mine, for example, her crotch lightly brushing my bum, her hand attempting to shift my arm so she can fully encircle my waist. I give her her way with all of them, relaxing my body and letting her move my limbs how she wants. It is very nice indeed to feel her do such things, and I enjoy the languorous way the arousal fills me slowly with each small movement of her against me.
She nudges my hair away from my neck as best she can with her nose, and I hold my breath as she plants a series of light kisses over my shoulders and neck and cheek. I reach for her hand on my tummy and slide my fingers between hers, guiding her down onto the bit of my navel where the top has risen up and her fingers can touch my bare skin. My insides start to swirl at the gentle pressure of her hand on me. I breathe in sharply, which allows her hand to splay fully out onto my bare navel. 'Diana, are you trying to turn me on?'
She hesitates. 'No.' Then she kisses my shoulder, lingeringly, and just plays one fingertip around the very edge of my belly-button. 'Yes. If I'm being honest.'
My voice is a little hoarse, and I can feel my pulse quicken by the second. 'You're doing a very good job.' I don't want to move or anything to put her off. I just want her to carry on as she is.
'Sorry.' She half-sounds as if she actually is.
'Don't be. Please?'
She holds still for a moment and places her mouth very close to my ear, her cheek resting on mine. 'Really?' Her cheek is warm, she's beginning to flush as badly as I am.
I push my bum back onto her crotch and like the way her hand feels on my bare navel. I like the feel of her dry lips on my cheek. 'Really. Keep going.'
She doesn't reply, just kisses my neck and shoulder again. With her mouth, she slides the strap of my top off my shoulder and down my arm, kissing every inch of skin as she goes. When she's got as far as the strap will go, she leaves it and just keeps kissing her way down my arm. When she eventually stops, I move my arm and slide it free of the strap.
She presses her leg up behind mine, and keeps pressing when I move my legs away. Her thigh slides on top of my lower leg, even as I lift my other one slightly. She takes advantage to slide her knee in between mine, then moves her hand down from my tummy over my hip and onto my thigh. I hold my breath as she slides her warm fingers down my bare raised thigh, gently guiding it to lie back down on top of hers, effectively trapping her leg between mine. She holds my thigh where it is as she slowly but firmly pushes her leg up between mine, just guiding it a little to make sure her leg can press high up between my legs.
Her hand lingers for a moment on the inside of my thigh, then trails up my leg again to come to rest on my bare navel. I breathe out sharply and press my hips down onto her leg.
'Diana...' I murmur.
She presses herself up behind me, nudging my chin with her head. I twist my head back and we kiss on the lips, clumsily. I'm surprised, but very pleased, to feel a more urgent desire in her kiss than I expected. As we kiss, her hand moves up my body, pushing at my top and stroking my bare skin. But she stops short, just below the curve of my breast. She flicks her wrist and her hand moves over my top to feel me, but with the safety barrier of the material between us. I hold my breath again as she fills her hand with the shape of my breast, and her fingertips feel for the shape of my erect nipples in the thin top.
She fondles me for a moment or two, then clears her throat into my hair. 'I'm sorry, Fiona...'
I grunt in pleasure. Spending the night next to her in bed has done nothing to stop me wanting her so much. 'Don't be. It's fine.'
She moves her hand under my crumpled top and slides a finger gently along the underside of my breast. I tug the top further up roughly, to expose my breasts and feel my insides melt as she touches me for the first time. Her fingers gently but deftly play with me, teasing my already straining nipple seemingly yet further between her thumb and forefinger. Her breath is ragged in my hair. 'I'll stop in a minute...'
I groan and push down on her leg with my hips, arching my back so that my breasts seem to fill her hand. 'Please, please don't. Seriously.'
'But...'
I try to gather my fractured wits. 'Diana? For God's sake. I don't think it counts through clothes. Or early in the morning. Or something.'
She sighs and passes her hand so sensuously over my bare breast that I shudder against her, making her shiver in turn. 'Are you sure? Through clothes?' She runs her fingers round the shape of my breast again, then pulls at my nipple. 'Really?'
'Yes,' I say firmly. I reach for her hand and reluctantly move it off my breast, down my body and over the front of my pj shorts. I press her finger against my wet heat through the rough material. 'Through clothes is fine.' I sigh. as she presses into me despite herself and sends jolts of pure pleasure right through me. 'Oh, god. It's very good, actually...'
She circles her finger on me, finding just where to touch as if we'd been together for ever and this wasn't the first time ever that she'd touched me. She waits for a moment, then asks, 'What about...?' and moves her hand away, as if to touch my naked breast again.
I catch her hand, and guide it back down between my legs. My pyjama shorts are soaked with my desire for her. 'I'll worry about that.' I grunt in pleasure as she begins touching me through my shorts again. 'If I'm doing it, that doesn't count either.' I move a hand and take my own nipple between my fingers.
'Oh, really?' She kisses my shoulder as she finds my crucial spot and begins to circle on it gently but remorselessly. 'I think you're making this up, frankly, Fiona.'
I tug at my own nipple and feel the pleasure connect directly with the pleasure washing through me from the pressure of her finger on my clit through my shorts. I grind my bum back onto her crotch and push down on her leg with my hips. 'No,' I gasp. 'It's official. If it keeps you going just like this, nothing counts. It's all allowed.'
***
The tipping point, when it comes, takes me by surprise, so poor Diana has no chance of preparing for it.
Just before, we are still spooning, with her hand between my legs and mine fondling my own breast.
She runs her mouth down my arm, then back up again, and I know her eyes are wide open and she's watching my fingers play with my own nipple. Her sighs are hard and sharp as she breathes in through my dishevelled hair. It excites me to know she's enjoying the sight of my naked breasts, and the feel of me under her fingers. All of a sudden, the swirling pleasure inside me tightens, especially as she goes back to kissing the crook of my neck.
Deep down, she must feel something too. 'God, Fiona.' She pushes slightly harder into me between my legs, possibly without really realising. 'You are so beautiful...'
It may be the thought of her liking the sight of my nipple; it may be the extra pressure on my slit; it may be that she's called me “beautiful” again. I'm not sure. I'm not sure, because it happens without warning and I just feel myself flush and tingle, as a gentle wave of sheer joy floods my body. I let go of all the tension inside and press back against her with a sigh. 'Oh, god, yes.' It comes out as a whisper. 'Oh Diana...'
There is a little moment of quiet as she realises and slowly, reluctantly, stops touching me. I'm glad she doesn't stop immediately, because even though it was only a subtle and quiet orgasm, and so unexpected, it felt so good. It's nice to feel her bring me down gently. She kisses my shoulder gently, then lets me turn over so I can kiss her properly on the mouth. I press up against her and she holds me and I am filled with pleasure that we have just shared that moment.
When we stop kissing, she says gently, 'I still think you were cheating.' She shifts to prop herself up in the pillows again.
'Oh well,' I reply happily, snuggling down onto her chest. 'Too late, now.'