Disclaimer: Characters and situations are all from my imagination. In fact, a couple of them might be familiar from other stories I've written.

Warnings: Sex and love between women.

Feedback: Constructive criticism and feedback, both welcomed at neil_j_miser@yahoo.com

Author's Note: Pretty much everyone who read my story "Everything for Time" asked for a continuation. This goes to show what feeding the bard can lead to! I hope everyone who asked for this enjoys it!

Better Sorry Than Safe

by Geonn

http://www.geonncannon.com

Copyright © 2008 Geonn Cannon

As Pachelbel's Canon in D major filled the shop with slow, measured violin music, Kira McManus deftly adjusted a gear inside of a gorgeous Patek Philippe moon-phase pocket-watch and smiled as it fell into place. She made a few more minute adjustments, and then put the watch back together. She left it on the placemat and reached behind herself to wipe her fingers on a handkerchief. She turned the watch over and examined the face. Gold roman numerals lined the outer edge, along with another set of odd numbers written in red ink. There were three inlays in the center of the watch face, showing month, day, and the phase of the moon.

There were days when she would have hyperventilated at the sight of this watch crossing her counter. There had been times when, stuck with servicing yet another regular, run-of-the-mill pocket watch, she had thought about all the amazing chronographs floating around in the world and praying that one would somehow find her. Now she was holding one of those coveted pieces, and her mind was only peripherally on work.

Her true prayers for a unique, luxury watch had been answered a few weeks ago when a 1947 Ulysse Nardin pocket-watch walked into the shop. That alone should have made her week, her month, her decade. And it would have, but for the simple fact of who had been carrying the watch.

Kira took off her magnifying glasses and focused on the Patek Philippe in her hands. It was a gorgeous piece. The owner was a lawyer from the mainland who owned a cottage on the island. He had wandered in to the shop a few days before while waiting for the ferry to arrive. The watch was basically just for show and hadn't run in ages, he explained. If there was any way she could make it work again he would be greatly obliged. He dropped it off on his next trip to the island and he was due to pick it up in three hours.

His pick-up was her last scheduled appointment for the day. She usually didn't close down shop until seven or eight at night, spending the last few hours doing paperwork in the office if no one came in and there were no watches to work on. But lately things had been different. Her schedule had changed dramatically. All thanks to that damn Ulysse Nardin watch and its owner, Hannah Talbot.

Kira stored the Patek Philippe in the safe until the owner came by to pick it up, wiped her hands one more time, and went into the office. She remembered, while apprenticing at the shop under her father, a time when the office had been a maelstrom of paperwork, order forms and appointment books. Her father had always shrugged at the clutter and said it balanced the universe. "A royal mess in the office, the king of cleanliness in a watch." And it was true. The man who couldn't remember to put an order form in the filing cabinet was the epitome of care while working on the delicate gears of a watch. Not a speck of dust could get into the works, not the tiniest hair that would eventually gum up the works.

The first thing Kira had done upon taking over the shop was organizing the office. The roll-top desk was tidy, and she knew without looking that the insides of the drawers were neat, tidy and alphabetically accurate. Her pens stood in a coffee cup on her desk, blank paper for the printer stacked neatly at the back of the desk next to her blotter. The small tools that she didn't keep in the front of the shop were safely tucked away in their drawers. She knew where each one was without having to search. As she walked into the room, she ran her hand over the top of the computer monitor and clapped the dust off her palm before sitting down.

She planned to spend the rest of her afternoon filling out order forms on the things the shop was low on. She needed more lubricants and graphite powder to begin with. She was in the middle of the last form when the bell over the front door rang. She checked one of the clocks on the wall and saw the Patek Philippe owner was early. She pushed away from the chair and said, "Hi. Your watch is... oh."

Hannah Talbot smiled from the doorway. "What about my watch?"

"Nothing, no. I thought you were someone else." Kira was aware she had been caught in a blush and looked away. She still felt nervous around Hannah, afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing. They had been on two dates, once to dinner and once to the movies, but Kira had been too nervous to enjoy herself either time. At the end of their second date, Hannah leaned in for a kiss and Kira tensed. Hannah changed tactics at the last second and pecked her cheek instead.

Hannah had looked disappointed and a little rejected, so Kira had asked for a third date right then and there, the first time she ever asked a woman out. The fact that this particular woman had already asked her out twice did nothing to make it easier. Hannah, of course, agreed, and now all the clocks in the shop were fast ticking toward their evening together.

There was still an hour to go until Kira's last appointment, and they weren't due to meet for another hour after that. But here Hannah stood, dressed for work in a red jacket and skirt and a cream blouse. Her blonde hair was up, but loosely so that a few strands hung down around her ears. Kira scratched her nose, stepped closer to the counter and forced herself to meet Hannah's gaze. "Hi. I didn't think you were coming by until later."

"That was the plan, but I got done early. I thought I would drop by and..." She stopped mid-sentence and Kira realized she was stumbling for words as well. For some reason, knowing that Hannah was just as uncomfortable as she was gave Kira strength.

"Do, do you want a tour of the shop?"

"Sure," Hannah said, visibly relieved to be rescued. She stepped to the space between two glass display counters and, after a brief, reverent hesitation, stepped into the workspace. She looked toward the front of the shop and took in Kira's stool, the hidden shelves of supplies, receipt forms, and other sundry bits of business that usually stayed out of sight. Hannah smiled and looked at the myriad of tools that lined the shelf behind Kira's stool. "What's that?" she said, pointing to something at random.

"Poising tool," Kira said. "It makes sure the balance wheel is, uh, b-balanced."

"Oh."

"Otherwise the watch won't run correctly if you, you know, swing your arm or hold it at an odd angle."

"Oh! I understand." She scanned the rest of the tools and Kira patiently identifying everything Hannah pointed to. The jewelling set, the staking and depthing tools. Hannah pointed to a small tool that resembled an ancient microscope, with a clip instead of a glass lens. "And that?"

"Luthy hairspring vibrator."

Hannah laughed. "It's called a vibrator?"

Kira's face flushed. "What? No. No, I didn't say... I-I meant... it's a Luthy hairspring vibrating tool. I don't, I don't use it much. But it makes sure that a spring is strong and long enough for a watch." She pushed her hair out of her face and wished she could kick herself. Vibrator. God, what the hell was I thinking?

Hannah smiled and decided her tour was over. She said, "This is all so amazing. I'm awed that you can do all... this."

Kira shrugged. "It's kind of a lost art, these days. People would rather buy a throw-away digital watch and then replace it with a twin when it dies six months later."

"It's a shame," Hannah said. She reached into the pocket of her suit jacket and withdrew the pocket-watch. She flipped it open, showed the face to Kira and said, "Still works fine."

"You decided to keep it." Hannah had originally brought the watch in so she could make sure it worked when she sold it. But Kira's admonition about the value of the watch had given her pause. She was extremely pleased to see Hannah still had it.

Hannah nodded and looked down at the watch face. She closed it and put it back into her pocket. "It's kind of a quirky character trait. I'm showing someone a house, I pull out a pocket-watch to check the time. It's somehow not quite as rude as looking at your wrist."

"Or, God forbid, your cell phone."

Hannah rolled her eyes. "Yes. The world got a little less classy when people stopped wearing watches all the time."

Kira leaned against the counter and hugged herself, cupping her hands over her elbows. She had started falling into a comfortable rapport with Hannah, but the second she realized how comfortable she was, the awkwardness came back. Hannah obviously sensed it and said, "Hey, look. I like you. I like that you can be sweet and cute and awkward and nervous. So you don't have to worry about saying the wrong thing or boring me."

"Well, if I don't focus on not making a fool of myself, I... I really don't know what to do with my mind."

Hannah laughed. "I guess I'll just have to keep your mind busy with other things. Do you have time to grab a late lunch? Or I could bring you something and we could eat it here."

The idea of having food in the shop triggered an echo of the past from her father, who was absolutely adamant about keeping cookies, juice boxes, sandwiches, anything that could leak, drip, crumb or spill was banned. Kira pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and said, "I-I would like that. Um, I'm waiting for a customer, so we'd have to eat here, in the office..."

"Okay. Any preference?"

"No, whatever you... whatever you get."

Hannah nodded and said, "All right. I'll be back in a few minutes." She slipped from behind the counter and headed for the door. As the bell jingled, she turned back and waved good-bye before stepping out into the street.

Alone again, Kira relaxed and sagged against the counter. She shook her head at her behavior and went into the office. The room was cramped, but she was sure that there was enough room for them to have a meal together. She hurried upstairs to her apartment and returned with two wineglasses and a sheet. She wasn't sure what kind of drinks Hannah would get, and she knew that it wouldn't be wine, but she felt the glasses were a nice touch.

She pushed her chair under the desk, spread out the sheet on the ground and put the wine glasses on the desktop. She shook her head and muttered under her breath, "You're such an idiot. She's going to laugh in your face."

Kira busied herself with paperwork, standing up rather than pulling the chair out and ruining the picnic spread she had made, and nearly hit the ceiling when the bell over the door sounded again. She went to the front of the shop and deflated a little when she saw it was just a customer, the owner of the Patek Philippe watch. She smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Davis. I've got your watch ready to go."

She removed the watch from the safe and handed it over to him for inspection. As he was writing out the check to her, the door opened again and Hannah came in. A bag with two Styrofoam boxes hung from the fingers of her left hand, and she held a drink caddy with two cups with the fingers of the other. She saw the customer, nodded her chin toward the office and Kira nodded. She took the check from Mr. Davis, filled out his receipt and handed it back to him. "There you go. Enjoy your watch."

"I will, thank you." He smiled, took off the digital watch he was wearing and replaced it with the Patek Philippe. Kira smiled at the sight of the ten-dollar piece of plastic disappearing into the pocket of his slacks. She thanked him again for his patronage and waited until he was outside before she went to the door and locked it. She flipped the sign around to closed and pulled down the blind. She shut off the overhead lights and went into the office.

Hannah's feet were bare, her high heels tucked against the side of the desk, and she was sitting with her legs curled up under her. Kira smiled and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Hi."

"Hi," Hannah said. She gestured at the layout. "Nice little picnic you set up for us."

"I didn't... um... it's just..."

"It's lovely. Thank you. We'll just have to do this again sometime outside. We live in paradise; it's almost a shame to waste this inside."

Kira said, "Oh. Do you want to go now? I mean, I'm closed for the day anyway. It's..."

"No, this is fine. We'll just do an outside picnic on our fourth date."

Kira froze in the process of sitting down. She recovered, knelt across from Hannah, and said, "So there will be a fourth date? Tonight is our third date. Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves?"

Hannah shrugged. "I have a good feeling." She had transferred their sodas from the plain white to-go cups from the restaurant to the wineglasses. It looked silly, but Kira was touched by it just the same. "What did you get for us?"

"Burgers and fries. Hope you don't mind. It's kind of pedestrian, what with wineglasses and the picnic..."

"It's perfect. Burgers and fries are perfect picnic food." She rearranged herself into a more comfortable position and flipped open the top of her Styrofoam tray. The burger was disassembled, with the lettuce, pickles, onions, and tomatoes set to one side for her to decide which to use. She lifted the meat to see that mayonnaise, not ketchup, had blended with the melted cheese. She smiled. "You got these from Duck Soup Diner."

Hannah nodded. "You told me you prefer their burgers because they put mayo on them. That's okay, right, it's..."

"Yeah, it's great. I've been craving them for a couple days, actually." She plucked up one crinkle-cut fry and bit it in half. "You don't mind mayo on burgers, do you?"

"I prefer ketchup, but I'm willing to expand my horizons," Hannah said.

Kira put her burger together, leaving off everything but the lettuce and tomatoes, and they began eating. They were comfortable in their silence, but every now and then Kira would ask a question or make a comment, just to make conversation. She was halfway done with her burger when she looked at the clock mounted over her desk. She smiled, laughed and said, "I just realized. I'm supposed to meet you in an hour and ten minutes so we can go to dinner."

Hannah laughed. "Well, we better eat fast, then."

"I'm just saying that, if you wanted to call this our date, I would be fine with that. If you don't mind, you know, having a date with someone who hasn't showered or changed into something nicer."

Hannah said, "You look plenty nice."

Kira looked down at herself and plucked the tan blouse away from her chest. She shrugged and shook her head. "If you say so." Before Hannah could insist she looked good, she changed the subject. "How was work? Did you, um, have to show... houses?" She closed her eyes and looked down at her food.

"Yeah, a couple," Hannah said. There was laughter in her voice, but Kira knew it wasn't aimed at her. She looked up and Hannah continued, "I showed this great little cottage with a view of the harbor. If you want, I could take you out sometime and show you a few places that are reasonably priced."

Kira shook her head. "No, that's... I mean, I like my apartment." She nodded toward the ceiling. "But... we could, you know, drive around and look at houses anyway. I love walking around in empty houses and imagining... people... living in..." She shook her head and said, "No, never mind."

"No, I do the same thing. Why do you think I became a real estate agent? There's just something special about being in a completely empty house."

"Potential."

"Right! There's potential in all the rooms. You can't help but imagine people living in them, building lives."

Kira nodded and focused on her burger. "Um, you know, we didn't... about dinner tonight. If you would rather call it off, that's fine by me."

"No," Hannah said. "I know we planned for dinner but, since we just ate, we could do something else."

"Like what?" Kira asked. She took a bite of her burger.

Hannah shrugged. "Bowling. We could drive around, like you suggested. And hey, it is our third date. We could just go upstairs and have sex."

Kira's throat closed up. She coughed violently, her face going red from lack of oxygen as well as embarrassment. Hannah jumped up and moved around behind Kira. She wrapped her arms around Kira's midsection, positioned her hand and pressed. Kira covered her mouth, coughed out the obstruction and wrapped it in a napkin. Her eyes were tearing up, her face was on fire and she was gasping for breath as Hannah moved in front of her. "Are you all right? My God. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." She brushed Kira's hair out of her face. "Are you okay?"

Kira managed to nod and coughed to clear her throat. She nodded again and said, "I'm fine."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... blurted it out like that."

Kira looked into Hannah's eyes and saw so many emotions there; embarrassment, worry, anxiety, fear. Everything rattling around inside of her was reflected in Hannah's eyes. Again, she was dumbfounded at the idea that this woman, this amazing, beautiful, brilliant woman, could possibly be feeling anxious about being with her, Kira, the quiet little watchmaker who seldom left the building where she lived and worked except to do errands.

Hannah moved her hands to Kira's cheeks and said again, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Kira's plan with relationships had always been that it was better to be safe than sorry. Now, with Hannah sitting so close in front of her, hands warm on her cheeks, she realized how stupid that idea was. How pointless it was. Better to ask forgiveness than beg permission, and better sorry than safe. She put her hands on Hannah's cheeks, leaned in and kissed her lips. Hannah made a muffled surprised sound, but then slid her hands to the back of Kira's head. She laced her fingers together and tilted her head, deepening the kiss. Kira kept her lips closed, so Hannah eased them apart with a few deft stroked of her tongue. Kira whimpered, her eyes squeezed tightly shut, her hands trembling where they rested against Hannah's face.

When the kiss finally broke, Kira turned her head away. She pressed her cheek against Hannah's so she wouldn't have to look her in the eye. "I'm sorry."

"Why? Are you not planning to do that again?"

Kira pulled back and looked at Hannah's lips. God, she wanted to kiss her again. Hannah took the option away from her by kissing her instead. Kira's eyes were drawn up to Hannah's furrowed brow and she moved her hands to the shoulders of Hannah's jacket. Kira gasped with surprise when their lips parted and immediately kissed Hannah again. She felt Hannah's tongue against hers and moaned, then slid her hands hesitantly down Hannah's chest.

She parted the halves of her jacket and put her hands against the smooth material of her blouse. Hannah moaned and arched her back into the caress and Kira suddenly found both of her hands were full. She felt the material of Hannah's bra through the blouse, her heart pounding, and suddenly wanted her so badly she couldn't think.

When they parted, Hannah said, "Upstairs?"

"No," Kira said. She moved her hands to the collar of Hannah's blouse and undid the top button. Hannah pushed their food aside, picked up one wineglass and put it on the desk, then reached back to get the other. Her hands trembled with each tiny, off-white button she loosened. She was focused on the material so she wouldn't get frozen by the sight of Hannah's slowly-exposed flesh.

Hannah shrugged out of her jacket, balled it up and dropped it on the sheet. She untucked her blouse, looped her fingers around Kira's wrist and leaned back. Kira was forced down with her, and found herself lying on top of Hannah. Hannah lifted her head, fanned out her hair so it wasn't pinned under her shoulders, and rested her head on her jacket.

Kira looked into Hannah's eyes, then spread the two halves of her shirt. She moved her hand over Hannah's smooth stomach, then up to her peach-colored bra. She was having trouble catching her breath as she watched Hannah's breasts rise and fall, as she watched the red flush rise from mid-chest to throat. She met Hannah's gaze and reminded herself that, for some reason, Hannah was just as nervous as she was.

They kept eye contact as Kira bent down and placed a kiss to Hannah's belly. She parted her lips and dragged her tongue up toward Hannah's cleavage, cautious as if she expected the skin to scald her. She kissed the bow between the cups of Hannah's bra and then sat up. She reached around Hannah, who lifted herself so Kira could work. She fumbled with the clasp, finally managed to get it loose and Hannah shrugged out of the shoulder straps.

Kira pulled the bra straps off Hannah's shoulders and bent down to kiss her neck. Hannah shed the brassiere and tossed it aside, then drew Kira's hands to her breast. Kira whimpered and closed her hands around them, finding the nipples and teasing them gently. She kissed her way down, eyes closed, and replaced her hand with lips. She kissed the slope of one breast, then brushed the nipple with her lips. She circled it with her tongue, kissed it, sucked and lightly nibbled on it. Hannah's sighs were raw, desperate, and Kira settled between her legs. She pushed Hannah's skirt up, suddenly too eager to think about being timid. She pressed herself against the crux of Hannah's legs and switched to the other nipple. She finally opened her eyes and examined Hannah's bare chest. Pale, like porcelain, with light pink nipples begging to be tasted. She closed her lips on one and Hannah pressed her hips against Kira.

Kira released the nipple and brushed her tongue along the inside curve of Hannah's breast. She tasted something salty that she at first took to be sweat, but then realized her tears had dripped on Hannah's chest. She brought one hand up and quickly swiped at her eyes, hoping Hannah hadn't seen, and then moved her hand between them. She pushed Hannah's skirt out of the way and rubbed her knuckles against the inside of Hannah's thigh.

Hannah sat up and rested herself on Kira's lap. She put one arm around Kira, holding herself up, and looked into her eyes. Kira swallowed hard, knowing her eyes were still wet and red, and moved her hand between Hannah's legs. Hannah gasped as Kira touched her, and her eyes drifted shut. She swallowed and Kira found herself mesmerized by the movement of her throat. She leaned in and kissed her neck, focused on that as two of her fingers rubbed Hannah through her panties.

As Hannah rocked against Kira, she moved her hands to the collar of Kira's shirt and undid the first three buttons. She couldn't go any further, because she needed both hands to keep herself from falling, so Kira used her free hand to work the buttons. It was a deft balancing act, but they managed it. Hannah pushed the shirt off Kira's shoulders once it was unbuttoned and Kira blushed at the realization she was wearing a plain, regular cotton bra. It should have been lace, should have been black or red, something other than this.

The best thing to do, she figured, was to get it out of sight as quickly as possible. "Take it off," she gasped. She bent forward, her head against Hannah's chest, as Hannah reached back to undo the clasp. She slumped her shoulders forward and shook slightly to get it down her arms. She tossed it aside and then Hannah pushed her back so she could get a good look.

Kira's breasts were spotted with light brown freckles, hidden slightly by a meager tan. Her nipples were large and dark, and she fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest to hide them. Hannah put one hand on Kira's breast, covered the nipple with her palm and squeezed gently. "Kira..."

They remained still for a moment, other than the slow, steady explorations of their hands. Then Hannah whispered, "Inside of me. Please..."

Kira swallowed, worked her fingers to pull Hannah's underwear aside, and touched her labia with two fingertips. Hannah grunted, licked her bottom lip and nodded. She pulled her legs in tight against Kira's side and lifted her hips. Kira brushed her fingers across the wet lips, getting them nice and lubricated, and then folded two fingers together like someone telling a lie. She leaned forward and pressed her face to Hannah's chest, inhaling her scent as she pushed her fingers inside.

Hannah grunted, groaned and sank down onto her. Kira gasped at the sensation and extended her thumb. "Can I... can I..."

"Whatever you want," Hannah gasped. "You can do whatever you want to me."

Kira shivered and brushed her thumb into the curls she had yet to see. She pressed, explored, searched until she found the little bud of Hannah's clit peeking out from its hood. She pressed, then circled it until Hannah's breathing became ragged. "Harder," Hannah gasped, breaking the word into two syllables with a breath between. Kira didn't know how to go harder, but she tried. She thrust her hand against Hannah, circling her clit again during each pass.

"I'm coming, Kira..."

Kira kissed Hannah's throat and continued to thrust into her until Hannah said, "Stop, stop, okay."

Kira pulled her hand free and Hannah slumped down to kiss her lips. They rearranged themselves, Hannah guiding them down to the floor. She pulled her jacket over and pushed it under Kira's head, offering her a pillow, and then kissed her way down Kira's chest. She teased the nipples with her tongue, circled Kira's belly button, and then undid the button of Kira's pants. Kira could barely catch her breath as she watched, her mind foggy, her thoughts occupied with the sight of Hannah on her knees, bowed forward, tugging her pants down her legs.

And, of course, she was wearing embarrassingly ordinary panties, too.

Hannah quickly remedied that by pulling them down to her ankles with her pants. Kira was still wearing her shoes, and there was no time to untie them and get them off. Hannah bowed again and kissed her way back up Kira's legs, pausing at the inside of her knees, the smooth expanse of her thigh. She brushed her face through Kira's copper-colored pubic hair and then brought her hands up.

She used her thumbs to part the lips, and Kira moaned. She brought her own hands up and clasped them on top of her head, blocking her face with her arms as if she was under assault. She lifted her legs and parted them as well as she could while shackled by her pants. Hannah settled between Kira's legs and pressed the flat of her tongue against the warm, pink flesh her thumbs had exposed.

Kira mewed as Hannah dragged her tongue up, then lightly flicked her clit. "God, Han-Hannah..."

"Is this okay?" Hannah whispered.

"Y-yes," Kira panted.

"What do you want me to do, Kira?"

Kira whimpered, brought her hand down to cover her eyes. She panted and said, "Your tongue... in m-me..."

Hannah kissed Kira's clit, sucked it gently, and then bent down. She stroked Kira with her tongue, curling the tip and then gently easing it into her.

Kira moaned and thrust against Hannah's tongue. "Like that, like that," she whispered. "Like that..."

Hannah moaned, partly from arousal, partly to send the vibrations through Kira. Kira's body jerked and her legs tightened. She lifted her feet off the floor and pushed her hands into Hannah's hair. "I'm... oh..."

Hannah dug her fingers into Kira's hips and held her tight. She pressed her lips tight against Kira, kept her tongue deep inside, and tasted her juices.

When her climax faded, Kira lowered herself to the floor. She wiped at her eyes and soon became aware of Hannah kissing her way up her body. Kira turned her head when Hannah reached it and they kissed, slowly, lazily. Hannah slipped her tongue into Kira's mouth and smoothed the hair away from her forehead. Kira swallowed and shyly averted her eyes, but Hannah nudged her chin until they were looking at each other again.

"That was... some Heimlich maneuver."

Hannah frowned, then her lips spread in a wide smile. "You liked that, did you?"

Kira nodded, and smiled. "Very effective."

"Well, I do what I can."

Hannah rested her head on Kira's chest, then said, "Oh, God." She pulled her coat out from under Kira's head, went through the pockets and withdrew her pocket-watch. She snapped the cover open and exhaled. "Oh, thank God. I forgot this was in there."

"Is it still working?" Kira asked. Hannah nodded. "Good. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking."

Hannah smiled. "Let's hope it's not the only thing."

"In a few minutes?" Kira asked. She was still trembling from her orgasm, and the thought of doing it again so soon made her afraid she would never stop shaking.

"Sure," Hannah said. She put the watch on the desk and lay her head back on Kira's chest.

Kira stroked Hannah's hair and listened to her breathe. Her mantra had worked once again. She had decided she would rather feel bad than stay safe, and it had worked out wonderfully. She had taken a leap, and she wasn't sorry. But she knew her 'better sorry than safe' didn't work. She wasn't sorry, not even a little bit of her could be said to be apologetic. But laying there, all but nude and sweating in the aftermath of sex, her lover breathing slowly on top of her, she knew that she was also in no way safe.

She kissed the top of Hannah's head and said, "Hannah."

"Mm."

"Are you falling asleep?"

"Mm-hmm." She snuggled closer and kissed Kira's breast.

"We should go upstairs," Kira suggested.

Hannah lifted her head and reluctantly separated herself from Kira's body. She moved to Kira's feet, untied her shoes and took them off. She sat them next to her high heels, then pulled Kira's pants off. Kira suddenly found herself completely naked and, for the first time in a long time, completely unashamed. She held out her hands and Hannah gripped them. She pulled Kira up, and Kira pressed herself against Hannah. Unlike Kira, Hannah was still wearing her skirt. Kira brushed her hand down Hannah's cheek, pressed her thumb to Hannah's lips and then kissed her. She had to stand on her toes, since Hannah was slightly taller then her, but she found that they fit together very well.

She stepped back, linked her fingers with Hannah's, and turned to lead her up the stairs.

Safe was overrated, anyway.

end

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