For disclaimers, see Part 1
Part 19
Chapter Nineteen
Jeff felt a quiet melancholy settle over him as he pulled into his sister-in-law’s driveway. Michael’s taunting words echoed in his mind. Did coming home fulfill your expectations? He wished he’d had the guts to wipe the sneer off his brother’s face when he uttered the bitter remark.
He shifted the car into park and let the engine idle. The headlights illuminated the garage at the end of the driveway and their glare reflected back off the windows, forcing Jeff to blink and look away.
He watched Caroline turn and look over the seat at her son’s sleeping form. Her eyebrows knitted together in concern as Zachary shifted in the car seat and whimpered in his sleep. After a moment, she glanced back at Jeff and met his steady gaze.
"I’m glad Zachary is too young to remember what happened tonight." Caroline rested an elbow on the lip of the window. She settled her head in her hand as she studied her husband’s older brother, wondering briefly what the evening’s events would do to Jeff’s already jaded view of his family. In her mind, she couldn’t reconcile that it was her Michael’s hand that put the ugly, discolored mark there in the first place.
Caroline turned her gaze out the window. "When Mike walks into the room, Zachary just lights up; to him his father walks on water."
Jeff lowered his head and ran a hand over his face. "I think we all felt that way at some point about our parents. I learned a long time ago that they’re just human, suffering from the same frailty and weaknesses as everyone else. The sooner he learns that, the less he’ll be hurt in the end."
"Don’t say that." Caroline’s voice broke and she covered her mouth with a trembling hand.
"Why? It’s true." He flipped his hand in growing irritation.
"I want him to look up at his father and see the man that I know he is," Caroline pleaded.
Jeff exhaled and shook his head. "I’m sorry, Caroline. I just don’t know that side of my brother. If that’s what Michael wants him to see, then he will." He managed to get the curt response out, firmly setting the responsibility of Zachary’s opinion of his father on Michael’s shoulders.
"Jeff, I know there’s no love lost between you two, but it would mean so much to me if you would just talk to him."
"How can you ask me that, Caroline?"
"He’s your brother."
Jeff snorted and shook his head. "As if that should mean anything at this point. What the hell do you want me to say to him?"
Caroline leaned over in the seat and wrapped her hand around Jeff’s arm. "Jeff you’re the same man who gave me that box of airplane models to give to your nephew. So don’t try and convince me you don’t care, because I know you do."
Jeff closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Why don’t you go inside, Caroline. It’s cold and I’m sure you want to get Zachary to bed."
"You’re going to give up just like that?"
"Hey, it’s late, and frankly I’ve been through enough crap for one day."
A light flicked on inside the garage and then they heard the rumble of the door as the automatic opener was engaged. A familiar figure walked toward them, stopping just inside the door.
Jeff turned off the headlights when he saw his brother bring a hand up to shield his eyes from their brilliant glare. Impatiently, he reached across the front seat and opened the door for Caroline.
"Look, it’s not going to work. He had seventeen years to think about it and the first thing he does when he sees me again is take a cheap shot at me."
Jeff watched as Caroline’s expression sobered and she huddled deeper into the heavy, wool coat she was wearing.
"If you go back to California tomorrow, do you think you’ll ever talk to your brother again?"
No, Jeff thought to himself as he stared back at her. He realized his silence was an admission and looked away.
"That’s what I thought," Caroline replied sadly.
He remained silent the entire time while she stepped out of the car and then retrieved her son from the back seat.
Why the hell should I care? Jeff flinched when Caroline slammed the door and walked away from the car. He threw the gearshift into reverse, looked over his shoulder out the rear window, and then stepped on the gas. As he backed out of the driveway, he caught sight of the cardboard box sitting on the back seat.
"Ah, shit!" He hit the brakes hard, causing the car to lurch to an abrupt halt. After he fumbled for the handle in the dark, he finally got the door open.
"Caroline! Wait!"
He watched her stop halfway, turn around, and look back at him. She made no move to return to the car.
With an exasperated sigh, Jeff grabbed the box from the rear of the car and then stepped out of the front seat. He could see Michael studying him from inside the garage and he wished he could read what was going on behind the enigmatic expression on his brother’s face.
"I…um," he hesitated. Jesus, what the hell am I doing? "You forgot the box." Brilliant. You’re a lawyer and that’s the best you can come up with?
"I guess I did," Caroline stated offhandedly.
"I called your parent’s house and they said you weren’t there." Michael stepped forward and took the car seat from his wife’s hands.
"I changed my mind and Jeff gave me something to give to you."
Michael stared through his brother. "I can’t imagine anything he could have that I would want."
Jeff gnawed on the inside of his lip, wondering briefly if he should just chuck the whole box at his bull-headed brother’s head and leave now, with what little dignity he had left. He exhaled forcefully and shook his head, wondering why this seemed so important now, after all these years that he try and rebuild a relationship with his brother.
"Look, I really don’t care what you do with this stuff." Jeff stalked past Caroline and set the box on the top of the garbage can that was sitting next to the garage door. "They’re some old models that I made when I was a kid. Dad gave them to me today."
Michael turned his head and scowled at his older brother. "Why would I want those things?"
"Michael, just listen to him," Caroline insisted.
Jeff’s eyes met Michael’s and he returned the hardened look with one of his own "Like I said, you can throw them out or maybe, you’d like your son to have then one day. There was a time when you couldn’t keep your hands off them."
He ran his fingers over the top of the box, searching for something to say, then, stepped away from his brother and headed back to his car. As he opened the door, he stopped and looked back.
"Caroline’s right, Michael." He offered her a gentle, knowing smile. "I do care, and whether you like it or not, I’m still a part of this family. The question is whether you want to be a part of mine."
He hesitated uncertainly before he got back in the car. Without another glance at his brother, he backed out of the driveway, wondering briefly if he would ever hear from Michael again.
******
Alex entered their hotel room and shed her black leather jacket, dumping it unceremoniously over the back of a chair. She tossed her keys onto the nightstand next to her pager.
Her younger companion strode in behind her and slumped onto the king size bed with a loud groan. "I can’t begin to tell you how glad I am that’s over," Regina stated and dropped her head into her hands.
"It was pretty rough," Alex admitted, judiciously keeping her opinions of Michael to herself. She could see the tension settle in her partner’s shoulders and scooted back on the bed so she was sitting behind Regina with her legs straddling the smaller woman’s hips. "Come here."
She pulled Regina closer and started massaging the taught muscles at the base of her neck. "You’re really tight up here," Alex tilted her head and peered around to look at Regina’s face. "Are you okay?"
"I think so." Regina leaned back into the strong body behind her and sighed. "I don’t know why I feel the way I do. Jeff’s the one who got treated like shit today."
"You love him. Why wouldn’t you be upset?" Alex kept up the kneading motion with her hands, wishing she could take away some of the hurt Regina was feeling.
"God, I can’t believe what a prick Michael was. I guess I know how he really felt about Jeff and me all those years."
Alex pulled Regina back and rolled onto her side so they were curled up next to each other.
"Are you still up for driving out to Provincetown tonight?" Regina inquired. She nestled closer and rested her head on Alex’s outstretched arm. Inhaling deeply, a contented smile formed on her face as she savored the clean scent that lingered on her lover’s body.
"Absolutely," the brunette responded and then nuzzled the back of Regina’s neck with her lips. She smiled at the soft purring noise her partner made and felt a stirring sensation in her groin as Regina pushed her hips back against her body. In response, Alex stretched the fingers of her hand out and teasingly slipped them beneath the waistband of the blonde’s jeans.
"I thought you wanted to leave." Regina arched her back and rotated her hips into Alex’s belly.
"I do," Alex chuckled seductively and kissed her cheek, knowing full well that if she stayed right here, there was no way they were going to make it to Provincetown tonight. "Let me go throw some cold water on my face and then we can go."
"You’re such a tease," Regina pouted at the sudden loss of contact that left her feeling empty and wanting. She rolled onto her stomach when she heard the water running in the bathroom and settled her chin on her forearms. Several tendrils of hair fell forward and Regina brushed them back behind her ear.
Her thoughts turned inward as her mother’s parting words to her replayed in her mind from earlier in the evening. Of course any relationship can be difficult. We’ve certainly had our share of obstacles, but we’ve made it so far. I wonder if any of that would matter to you, Mom.
She propped her chin on her hands and stared at the wall with a thoughtful expression on her face. I wonder where we are going.
Regina picked up Alex’s beeper, turned it over in her hands, and looked at the time displayed on the screen. Just after ten. If we leave now and don’t hit any traffic we’ll be in Provincetown by one in the morning at the latest. Not too bad.
Out of habit, she checked for any pages and unexpectedly found one. Oh boy.
"Alex?"
"What?" Came the muffled response as the taller woman walked out of the bathroom while she wiped her face dry with a terry cloth towel.
"You got a page from the emergency department."
"What?" She reached for the beeper. "Let me see. I know Jon is covering for me while I’m away." Alex strode over to her jacket and pulled out her cellular phone. She hardly looked at the keypad as she quickly punched in the numbers.
The doctor tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for the connection to be made and then spoke after the voice on the other end told her she reached Saint Xavier’s Emergency Department. "This is Dr. Margulies. Somebody paged me."
She waited again as she was put on hold. A moment later a wry grin broke out on her face as a familiar voice came over the line.
"Hi Sandy. What’s up?" Alex rolled her eyes as the nurse recounted the chaos of the last couple of hours.
"What are you doing calling here while you’re off?" Sandy asked.
"I got a page earlier," Alex replied.
"I don’t know who paged you. At least, nobody is owning up to it and anyway. Jon is here manning the zoo."
The doctor chuckled at the image her mind conjured up. "Anything going on that I need to know about?" Alex inquired, as she ran a hand through her thick mane of hair.
"Some guy in a suit, was here looking for you earlier, but he wouldn’t leave a name or tell me what it was about."
Alex could hear the irritation in Sandy’s voice. "Was it someone from the hospital?"
"I didn’t recognize him, but that doesn’t mean anything. You’ve seen on suit, you’ve seen them all," Sandy drawled. "Oh I almost forgot. Pediatrics called a code six, twice tonight. I haven’t heard anything official, but security has been crawling all over the place."
"So no one knows if a patient is actually missing or if it’s just a drill." Alex glanced over at Regina and shrugged.
"No, not yet," Sandy replied.
Alex heard loud voices in the background and then Sandy’s voice came back through the line. "I’ve got to go Alex. We’ve got two gun shot victims on the way."
"Talk to you later. Bye." Alex turned her phone off and tucked it back into the pocket of her jacket.
Regina sat up on the bed and leaned forward. "What happened?"
Alex shrugged. "Pediatrics may have a missing patient on their hands."
"You’re kidding me! Maybe I should call the unit and find out what’s going on."
Alex frowned. "No, don’t do that. We don’t even know if it’s for real and there’s nothing you can do about it from here anyway." She turned away and tucked a few items back into her duffel bag. "Besides, if they did have a kid run off it’s going to end up being a police matter," she added offhandedly.
There was a hesitation before Regina spoke quietly. "I guess you’re right."
Alex heard the catch in Regina’s voice and turned around. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the hurt expression on her partner’s face. "I’m sorry, Reg. That sounded pretty callous." She sat down on the bed, rested her elbows on her knees, and looked over at Regina.
"It’s all right." Regina averted her eyes from Alex gaze and then looked intently at the floor.
"No, it’s not. You have patients up there, so you have every right to be concerned. I shouldn’t be telling what you what to do." Alex slipped her arm over the blonde’s shoulder and sighed. "You always think about everyone else before yourself. My motives were purely selfish."
"What are you talking about?"
Alex snorted, feeling rather ashamed that she so easily discounted Regina’s concern. "I just don’t want anything to happen that would ruin this time we have together."
Regina considered this while she regarded Alex’s stern profile. "I think I can understand why you would feel that way."
"Do you?" Alex asked, afraid to voice what she was feeling.
Regina leaned back, supporting her weight on her hands. "Maybe I don’t, but I know how I felt when you first went back to work. I resented it." She met the wary blue eyes and continued. "I resented it for all the times you sacrificed yourself to do what was right and no one bothered to even acknowledge what you’d done."
Alex blinked, surprised at the anger she heard in Regina’s voice.
"So, I decided that it was all right to be selfish about the time we spend with each other. After what we’ve been through I think we deserve to be for a little while."
Alex studied Regina serious expression for a moment. "I wasn’t sure what you would think of me if I told you that very thing. It’s not wrong to feel that way is it?"
"No, it’s not wrong and I’m not even sure it is being selfish," Regina reaffirmed tenderly, as she gazed fondly at the proud and stoic woman. She ran her fingers through Alex’s long hair, lifting it back off her shoulder. "It’s human," she admonished gently and pulled her lover closer, affectionately kissing her cheeks and forehead before lightly touching her lips.
Relieved, Alex let out a sigh and a slightest hint of a smile played around her mouth. She started to say something else when Regina leaned closer and kissed her again. She lost track of her thoughts instead, reveling in the sensations of Regina’s lips on hers and the warm hand lazily caressing her neck.
Regina slowly pulled away and smiled at Alex’s slightly unfocused gaze. "You don’t need to worry about what I would think of you. I love you." With a smile, she tugged the taller woman to her feet. "Now I believe we have someplace to go."
******
"Terry do you know where TJ is?" The nurse glanced at her watch, as she stepped into her patient’s room. The last time she checked, which had been over an hour ago, her patient had been curled up on his bed, staring at the television. Now, not only couldn’t they find him, but the plastic bag filled with his clothes was gone as well.
The young girl slowly pulled her eyes away from the television program she was watching to look at her. She shrugged. "Sometimes he goes down to the cafeteria to get something to eat."
"What? He has no money!" the nurse exclaimed and then shook her head. "Oh never mind." She ducked back out of the room and Terry heard her call out to the nurse’s station. "Tell security to check the cafeteria!"
Are they gone yet?" TJ craned his neck to peer up at Terry from beneath the bed.
"Shush. Just a minute." Terry crawled off the bed and shuffled out into the hallway with her IV pole to look. She returned after a brief inspection. "There’s still one security guard hanging out at the nurse’s station."
"The one that likes that nurse with the blonde hair?" He made a face and unrolled the towel where he hid the small stuffed animal he stole from the gift shop earlier that day.
It was easy since they were heaped up in bin by the door. All he did was wait until the woman behind the counter was distracted and then he stuffed the orange and black striped tiger underneath his shirt and slipped away unnoticed.
"Yeah," Terry responded.
TJ scooted out and sat cross-legged on the floor. "Thanks for not ratting me out." He tied the shoelace on one of his sneakers. He scraped at an old, brown bloodstain on the worn canvas.
"You’re not welcome." Terry pouted from her perch on the hospital bed.
"I’m not going to another foster home," TJ replied.
"Isn’t that better than living on the street?"
TJ stared up at her. "You wouldn’t understand." How could she? Terry had two parents and a house to go home to. Nobody had ever gone into her room in the middle of the night, woken her up, and told her to pack up her things because she couldn’t stay there anymore.
The first time that happened it was because the cops found out his father was selling drugs out of the house. "We’re going to take you someplace where someone can look after you," the man in the uniform told him.
He believed them, but it turned out to be a lie. Nobody told him how the foster parent’s real kids would resent him and make his life a living hell.
The last foster home he’d been in was no better. He suffered a beating at the hands of the woman’s drunken boyfriend one night. When it was over, he curled up in his bed and lay awake, afraid to go to sleep.
Without any real conscious thought as to where he would go, he had shoved his few possessions into a backpack and silently crept out of the house while everyone else was asleep. He couldn’t quite remember how long ago it was but he did know he was never going back.
TJ stood up and looked down at Terry. Her back was to him as she sat with her knees pulled up to her chin. He saw the shudder as she breathed and realized she was crying.
He looked nervously at the door, knowing he couldn’t stay long. They were looking for him. "Here." He unceremoniously shoved the stuffed animal into her hands and stepped back.
Her eyes widened in surprise and she wiped her nose, sniffing loudly. "You’re the only friend I have here," she whispered. It was true. TJ was the only kid on the floor who regularly came to visit her. He even brought her a bag of potato chips or an ice cream bar from his occasional late night jaunts to the cafeteria.
TJ looked down at the floor and frowned. "You’re my only friend too," he said, when he looked back up at her.
Terry knelt on the mattress and crawled over to where he was standing and hugged him. "Where are you going?"
He shrugged as he stepped back self-consciously. "I don’t know."
Terry wiped her eyes and reached into the nightstand by her bed. "Here." She shoved her gray sweatshirt into his hands. "Take this. It’s cold."
With a grateful smile he tugged it over his head. "Thanks." His eyes darted up to her face and then he kissed her quite awkwardly on the cheek before he walked to the door.
He peered out into the corridor, waited until the coast was clear and then sprinted down the hall to the doors that led off the pediatric unit. He yanked the door open and bolted across the tiled floor to the open stairwell. With his heart pounding in his chest, he waited, listening for any voices. Hearing none, he scampered down the three flights of metal steps to the ground floor.
He noticed a couple of people dressed in scrubs and lab coats walking towards him but they were completely engrossed in their own conversation and ignored him. He saw the exit sign up ahead and walked quickly towards the revolving door.
"Hey!"
His whole body jerked, when he heard the sharp voice. He glanced up and saw the gray-haired man, dressed in green scrubs, mopping the floor off to his right.
"Watch your step there, son. The floor is still wet."
TJ nodded and then stepped into the doorway. The cold air was a shock after the heat that was being pumped through the overhead vents in the doorway.
He pulled the sweatshirt sleeves down over his hands when he stepped outside. Without a backward glance he walked along the sidewalk and disappeared into the dark.
******
Alex rolled over in the queen-sized bed, folded her hands behind her head. The ride across the narrow peninsula the night before had been relatively uneventful. After stopping at a roadside diner for two large cups of coffee they were quickly on their way and arrived at Alex’s apartment on the Cape, early in the morning.
The bright light from the sun was just starting to peak through the glass doors that led out onto the small balcony. Through the windows, Alex could see the late winter sky. It was the off-season in Provincetown, and the town stood in stark contrast to summer season when its streets teamed with people.
She reached a hand out and stroked her fingers through the silky, flaxen hair that surrounded her lover’s head in a disheveled halo on the pillow. Her expression softened as she studied the fair-skinned woman’s youthful features.
Who would have guessed that this ornery, cynical, and untrusting soul would have found someone who believed enough in her to remain steadfast by her side? Certainly, not me, the doctor thought to herself.
Alex lifted a lock of Regina’s hair and curled it around her fingers while she continued to sift through her emotions. They’d known each other for almost a eight months now. It was hard to believe that it passed as quickly as it did.
The gray emptiness she drifted in before she met the Regina had been transformed and in its place was a landscape of vibrant colors. There were times when Alex looked at Regina and she wondered, what in her life she’d done right to deserve such a wonderful gift as her love.
Whatever it was, she vowed silently to god, that she’d spend the rest of her days trying to make sure she didn’t do anything to lose what had become as essential to her as the air that she breathed.
Alex exhaled softly as she acknowledged the powerful emotions stirring inside.
A tender smile crossed her lips as sleepy, green eyes fluttered open. Beneath the warm down covers, Regina shifted in the bed to curl her body into Alex’s and wrap an arm firmly around her waist.
"Morning," Alex whispered, with an amused expression on her face.
Regina stretched and rubbed up against Alex’s naked body. "I don’t think I remember falling asleep last night."
"You mean this morning," the taller woman replied in an uneven voice as her body responded to the contact.
Regina blinked and lazily let a hand drift up and graze Alex’s breast before it settled on her shoulder. "I’m so glad you suggested we come out here instead of staying at the hotel. It makes yesterday seem like it happened a long time ago."
"I wanted us to have more time together." Alex’s eyes twinkled gently as she looked at Regina’s wistful smile.
"So, what do you have in mind now that you have me all to yourself?" Regina squirmed closer and playfully nibbled the skin along her jaw. Her fingers caressed her neck and she teased Alex with her fingernails.
Alex flashed a smile and let a hand stray over the silken skin of her lover’s belly. "Oh, there are a few things I could think of," she replied, deepening the pitch of her voice, the one she knew drove Regina to distraction.
"Really? Mm, tell me," Regina coaxed in a huskily, as she abruptly scooted up and straddled Alex. She nipped lightly at Alex’s earlobe, sending a shiver down the taller woman’s spine.
"There’s a little café where we could eat." Alex caught her breath as a sensual wave of heat shot straight to her groin and ignited her desire. "Breakfast," she gasped, as Regina trailed her lips along her collarbone and then captured a nipple and tugged on it gently.
"Then what?" Regina ran her tongue along the underside of Alex’s breast and then moved up to suck the hardened nipple between her lips again. Slowly, she relinquished the swollen bud and focused her attention on the other one. "Mm, still thinking?" she asked, as she lay kisses across Alex’s shoulder and then down her arm to taste the tender flesh along the inside of her elbow.
Regina trailed her fingers over Alex’s belly, skirted the dark tangle of hair, and then caressed the skin of her inner thigh.
Alex attempted to lift her head up and let it fall back onto the pillow with a groan. "You talk about me being a tease." Regina smiled wickedly, before she tossed the bedcovers back and continued her slow, exquisite torture.
Nothing escaped her attention as she traced the contours of Alex’s calf with her tongue. Her exploration took her back the inside of Alex’s thighs where she rubbed her cheek over the quivering muscles.
"Oh," Alex arched her back and dug her heels into the bed as Regina’s fingertips traced a meandering path over the fine, pale-colored hairs running down the center of her taut belly.
"Oh, what?" Regina teased, as her hand stroked over the coarse, dark hairs covering Alex’s mound.
Alex shuddered as Regina parted her moist lips. "Oh god." She moaned and her hand covered Regina’s guiding it to where she needed her to be. Her body shuddered and she was sure she was going to explode long before Regina released her.
"Not yet," Regina told her. She straddled Alex’s hips again, leaned forward, and touched her lips to the sweet mouth below her. She increased the pressure, her tongue slipping between those lips, teasing the softness of her lover’s mouth. Slowly she pulled away and smiled into the blue eyes before she left a searing trail of heated kisses along Alex’s long frame.
"You’re going to kill me," Alex rasped, as she watched Regina slide down her body and settle leisurely between her legs. The only response she got was a knowing, seductive smile.
Regina teased Alex, blowing softly on the coarse hairs before she nuzzled the silky wetness of her swollen lips with her tongue. A moment later, Alex’s breathing went ragged and she pressed her head back into the pillow. Her hands clutched the sheets and she arched her hips, encouraging Regina to go deeper.
As Regina matched the rhythm of her lover’s hips with her thrusts, Alex reached overhead and grabbed the headboard. Their movements rocked the bed.
"Look at me, Alex." Regina lifted herself up, still working her fingers in and out of the warm, wet, suppleness of Alex’s sex. She watched the blue eyes darken with unrestrained passion as they fixed on her.
Alex whispered Regina’s name, chanting the words, "Don’t stop, please, don’t stop," she cried out, and her body arched and her hips bucked as the first waves of her orgasm raced out from her center. Bright lights danced in her vision and she clutched at Regina’s shoulders in an iron-like grip.
As the last shudders coursed through her, Regina wrapped herself around Alex and let the quiet afterglow consume them.
Sometime later, Regina smiled at the sight in front of her as she sauntered out of the bathroom. Alex was stretched out asleep on her stomach, head resting on her arms, with the bed sheet tangled around her waist. Her long dark hair, splayed out over the muscular expanse of her back.
Unable to resist, Regina straddled the firm buttocks and began massaging the strong shoulders. She pressed against the firm body and laid gentle kisses over the smooth skin until Alex stirred and lifted her head up.
"I guess we missed breakfast," she commented in a sleepy voice.
"We sure did." Regina rested the palms of her hands on Alex’s back, enjoying the warmth and the strength she felt beneath them.
Alex twisted beneath her, struggling to look up into those green eyes, which had held her captive during their lovemaking earlier. Up until now, she’d always been the one to initiate anything between them. "You, um, were more-" Alex frowned searching for words. "Aggressive today."
She watched the blush creep up Regina’s neck and highlight the blonde eyebrows. Regina ducked her head and started to roll off of Alex to hide her embarrassment.
"Hey." Alex shifted and caught Regina’s arm, stopping her. "Come back here," she whispered and struggled to sit up beneath her lover. She lifted the Regina’s chin with her fingertips and kissed the soft, full lips. Alex’s tongue grazed the edges of her teeth before gliding over Regina’s tongue in a playful caress. She pulled away and looked into uncertain green eyes. "I liked it very much."
Enough said, she flopped back down onto the bed and tucked her hands behind her head to watch Regina. A smile played at the corner of the blonde’s mouth and her blush continued. Instead of trying to slip away, Regina snuggled down on top of Alex and buried her head in her neck.
"I um…bought some books the last time I was here," she confessed.
Alex arched an eyebrow and tilted her head to look at Regina, thinking back to last summer and wondering when she read them. "Really. That was quite a while ago."
Regina giggled and nodded her head. "You’re telling me."
Alex laughed at her remark and tickled Regina’s side with her fingertips, causing her to squirm. "So, I guess you liked them."
"Very much," Regina whispered, still keeping her head buried in Alex’s shoulder.
"Maybe we should get some more." Alex rolled over and pinned Regina down, a predatory smile crossing her features.
"We’ll miss lunch," Regina gasped at the sudden change in her position.
"I’ll make it up to you later," Alex replied, as she ducked her head and kissed Regina again.