I Knew You Were Trouble - 6 (Patreon)

you asked and i delivered! (iykyk)

also, we're really heading toward something here, and I, for one, am delighted!

-------- I Knew You Were Trouble ----------

Maya was going to die.

No, really – really – she thought she was going to die, as she laid in her bed on her stomach, cheek turned and pressed down into her sheet.

Every single molecule in her body was on high-alert, and she was aware – so, so aware – of every passing second. Aware of how her heart was pounding in her chest. Aware of every rush of blood through her veins.

Aware of the arousal that permeated through her very being. Aware of how wet she was, because she could feel it soaking the inside of her thighs. More than that, she could feel what a complete and utter fucking mess she’d made of herself.

More aptly, the mess Autumn had made of her.

And she was so very aware of the strap Autumn was wearing, as it was buried deep inside of her, unmoving.

No, Autumn hadn’t moved in… well it felt like forever, even if she couldn’t be quite sure. Time didn’t feel real right now. Maybe it had only been a minute? But it felt like at least half an hour. The truth was probably somewhere in between.

Maya didn’t actually know, and she didn’t care; all she cared about was how much she needed Autumn to fuck her.

Like really fuck her.

“Autumn, please,” she rasped out, her throat so incredibly dry by now. After all of the panting and gasping and moaning since they’d started, and now, the ragged breaths she’d been trying to keep some semblance of control over while Autumn had her pinned down.

She could feel Autumn’s hips pressed firmly against her ass, Autumn’s thighs against her own, keeping Maya’s legs spread.

And for the first time in however the hell long it had been Autumn leaned down, placing her mouth at Maya’s ear. “Please… what?”

The low timber of it made her quake, clenching so hard around Autumn inside of her.

“Please,” she had to lick her lips. “Please fuck me.”

“Hmm,” Autumn sighed softly into her ear, the warmth of her breath washing over Maya, eliciting a full-body shudder.

Yeah, she wasn’t going to survive.

“Don’t you mean: fuck you, again?” Autumn asked, as she slowly lowered herself to rest on Maya’s back.

She moaned at the sensation of Autumn – all of Autumn – pressed against her, feeling her hard nipples dragging against her skin. “Yes,” she breathed out. “Fuck me again.”

Holy fuck – “God!” She cried out, clenching her fists tightly into the sheets as she felt Autumn grind into her.

No, it wasn’t what she’d been asking for, but it was movement, and it set every single one of her nerves alight all over again.

“Because I did fuck you, Maya,” Autumn muttered, before nipping her teeth firmly into her earlobe, continuing those subtle movements of her hips against Maya’s ass.

It was so good. So good. Just to feel this, to feel the friction inside of her. She’d felt so full, so stretched, and now – jesus – now, every small, shifting movement felt magnified.

“I fucked you, and you came. Not only without permission, but without even warning,” Autumn reproached.

Maya winced, even though… well, she couldn’t really feel all that badly about it.

She had orgasmed – hard – very soon into Autumn had really started thrusting into her, before. However long ago that had been. But, “I didn’t know,” she gasped out in defense, honesty lacing through her words. “I didn’t know I was going to come.”

She’d been taken by just as much surprise as Autumn had been. Really. Maya had never come that fast while using a strap-on, especially because Autumn hadn’t even been touching her clit at the time.

“So you said,” Autumn said, as she pushed herself up, bracing her hands on either side of Maya’s head. “But how do I know this time will be different?”

As she spoke, she slowly dragged her hips back, inching out of Maya slowly. So slowly, and yet, Maya shuddered, so hard.

She remained inside of Maya, but only just barely, and Maya grit her teeth and forced herself to stay present and focused on words. Using words. Talking words.

“It will be,” she promised.

“But how,” Autumn started, as she started to push back inside of Maya with that same careful, measured precision. “Do I know I can believe you?”

“You can,” she insisted, breathlessly. “You can, you can, Autumn. I swear.”

One of Autumn’s hands lifted from where it rested on the mattress to come up and grip a fistful of Maya’s hair. Just tight enough, and Maya’s clit throbbed in response. “You promise? You’ll only come when I’m ready for you to come?”

She nodded – as much as she could with Autumn’s hand in her hair, anyway.

“Say it,” Autumn ordered, her voice soft but firm.

“I’ll – god,” she groaned out as Autumn slowly inched out of her again. “O-only come when you’re ready.”

“Good. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” Autumn murmured, that haughty, satisfied tone alone making Maya arch up against her.

And then Autumn thrusted back inside of her, and Maya couldn’t process tones at all.

She dropped her head heavily onto the mattress, unable to put any effort into anything that wasn’t holding onto the sheets for dear life as Autumn fucked her.

No, all she could focus on were the little keening sounds and grunts that escaped from Autumn above her, the way Autumn’s hips felt slapping against her ass every time she seated herself inside of Maya, and the sensation of… this.

Of Autumn. Completely taking her over. Filling her up, keeping her legs spread. Every time she pushed inside of Maya, she would grind down in the perfect way that made Maya’s hips shift against the bed, and her clit would rub against the mattress in the most deliciously cruel way.

Making her gasp and roll her hips down hard, chasing more – more – of those sparkling flames shooting, the orgasm building and building and building.

She was no longer aware of the sounds that left her mouth, she just knew that she was anything but quiet. Shouts and moans and pleas – all she knew was that she was going to be so hoarse tomorrow, and she didn’t give a fuck.

All she cared about was this. Was how Autumn was fucking her within an inch of her life, and Maya wanted to soak in every second.

She felt herself clenching, her thigh starting to quake, and she grit her teeth, trying to ward it off. She wasn’t ready. She – she didn’t want it to be over again.

She had no idea how long Autumn had been fucking her, but she didn’t want it to end. She wanted this connection, to feel Autumn inside of her, longer.

Then Autumn thrust inside so perfectly, hitting a spot inside of Maya that stole her breath and made her pleasure start to soar, and she clenched every single muscle – all of her toes, her stomach, gripping the sheets so hard she might rip a hole in them – as she shot her head up, shaking it wildly.

“Autumn,” she panted out, “I – I’m – god.”

She collapsed back down onto the bed in relief when Autumn immediately slowed. She didn’t stop, but slowed enough. Enough for Maya to pull herself back from falling off the edge.

“You’re close?” Autumn asked, as she slid – inch by fucking inch – inside of her.

“Yes,” she confirmed, squeezing her eyes tightly closed, grasping at control. Any possible control. “S-so close.”

Autumn shifted so that her hands rested on top of Maya’s, her palms pressing Maya’s hands flat against the bed, interlocking their fingers. She really was everywhere, all around her.

“You did a really good job this time,” Autumn praised her, the rhythm of her hips not faltering with this new, relaxed pace.

Torturous, but heavenly. Fuck.

She felt another – very dangerous – bolt of heat strike through her, landing right in her clit, at the praise.

“Do you want to come, Maya?” Autumn asked, leaning back down, once more pressing her whole body against Maya’s.

Queuing the whole-body shiver, and she opened her mouth to answer, but found… no words.

Yes, she wanted to come. So, so fucking badly. Her body was ready. Both of her thighs were quaking, she couldn’t manage to take in a deep breath, and her full-body shudders started somewhere inside of her that she couldn’t pinpoint.

But. It was so good…

Autumn nuzzled into her neck, nipping her teeth sharply in, before asking again, “I asked if you wanted to come?”

Fuck it.

“Yes,” the word left her in a hurried whisper, nodding her head against the bed. “Yes, I–”

She cut herself off on a gasp, as Autumn remained flush against her, but started moving her hips in quick, hard thrusts. Never really pulling out beyond an inch or two, but grinding down with every push so Maya’s clit got that friction, and –

“Fuck!” She cried out, closing her eyes tightly as the orgasm rolled over her.

Autumn didn’t stop moving, didn’t stop that relentlessly perfect thrusting, pushing Maya’s orgasm to continue. The waves rolled through her, and Maya did the only thing she could do – dive in.

When the white noise of her orgasm started to fade, and her throat was a little sore, and she finally felt reality start to edge back in, she blinked open her eyes.

Holy. Shit.

Autumn had stopped moving… at some indeterminable point… and was on top of Maya, her weight a comforting, grounding warmth. Something that held her to the world.

She still had her lips pressed against Maya’s neck, her own breathing ragged and harsh and hot against her skin.

“Wow,” Maya breathed, and – yeah. Hoarse.

Autumn removed her hands from where they were on top of Maya’s, using one to brace herself against the bed as she pushed herself up, and the other to reach down and gently stroke back Maya’s hair from her face.

“Are you okay?” She asked, her voice soft and laced with concern.

Given their position, still on her stomach with Autumn still inside of her, she could only really turn her head enough to see Autumn out of her periphery. That same concern seemed to be etched over her face, though, and Maya’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the sight of it. “Yeah? I’m more than okay. I’m…”

She trailed off with a sigh and a shrug. Her body felt absolutely weightless right now. Not an ounce of stress or concern in the world; it had been fucked right out of her.

“Good. Because for a few seconds there, you seemed like you weren’t on this planet anymore,” Autumn whispered, stroking her hands through Maya’s hair, still.

“Oh, I wasn’t,” she confirmed. “But in the best way possible.”

“Great,” Autumn breathed, before she pushed herself up all of the way, shifting so that she – Maya presumed – was balanced more on her knees. “Ready?”

Maya nodded, intaking a sharp breath as Autumn pulled out of her. Yep, she was going to feel that tomorrow.

And, frankly, that made her clench all over again, despite the fact that she was in no way up for another round right now. But it was something she loved, something that always made her feel so hot, so wanton, so, just, good.

She languidly stretched where she lay, letting out a long, deep sigh again. Yeah, she felt absolutely on top of the world, just about.

When she heard Autumn taking the strap off, though, she quickly rolled onto her back, not wanting to miss the visual.

There was something so incredible about it. About the fact that she knew if she brought up how sexy Autumn was when she wore the strap tomorrow at work, Autumn’s cheeks would deepen ever-so-slightly. But here, in bed, when she was in this state of mind, she owned it. She owned everything in here, Maya included.

Autumn was fully and completely naked, her lithe body all subtle muscle and long, blonde hair tossed over her shoulder.

And when her eyes flicked up to lock onto Maya’s, her breath caught in her throat.

A dark, hungry look latched onto her, as Autumn fully discarded the strap to the floor with a thump, before she crawled up the bed toward Maya. Again, if she mentioned Autumn on her hands and knees, she knew Autumn wouldn’t enjoy the reminder. But she was… magnificent. All confidence and predatory, knowing that Maya was her prey and that she was right in her clutches.

And she was.

Her stomach dipped and tingled with heat all over again, and she licked her lips, wondering desperately what Autumn would want.

She knew immediately when Autumn reached out and lightly pushed at her shoulder. Maya let herself fall back with the simple touch, her blood thrumming like she’d just won some sort of victory.

“What do you want from me, Autumn?” She asked, even though she knew the answer already.

But she wanted – needed – to hear it.

“I want to come in your mouth,” Autumn’s voice was barely a rasp, but she heard it loud and clear.

“I want you to stay right here,” Autumn ordered quietly, as she dropped her hand to Maya’s shoulder again, pressing down. “And I’m going to straddle you.” She did just that in a move that was insanely graceful.

She held herself over Maya, knees digging into the bed over her shoulders, her dripping pussy inches away from her face, and Maya had never been hungrier for anything in her life.

“Please,” she found herself breathing out, licking her lips.

“And you’re going to lick me until I come into your mouth,” Autumn finished, reaching out and grabbing Maya’s headboard, before she lowered herself down.

Maya moaned as soon as the taste of Autumn was on her lips. On her lips, her tongue, sliding down her throat, on her chin… everywhere.

In the three weeks since Thanksgiving, this had quickly become Maya’s favorite pastime. The fact that Autumn let Maya taste her, that she trusted Maya to give this part of herself – and the fact that she seemed to love it just as much as Maya did.

One of Autumn’s hands came down to fist in her hair, tightly, as her hips started rocking down against her.

Maya lifted her hands, softly stroking over Autumn’s legs. Gently stroking at her calves, before moving up to her thighs, keeping her touch light. Feeling the way the soft touch made Autumn shiver, as it always did. Hearing the sounds that fell from Autumn’s lips, muffled as they were by the thighs pressing at her ears.

She slid her hands around to clasp at Autumn’s ass, kneading and stroking gently there, too, feeling Autumn’s hand tighten in her hair.

Through it all, she licked over Autumn’s hard clit, knowing exactly where Autumn liked to be touched.

“Maya,” her name escaped Autumn’s mouth on a long, gasping moan as she came into her mouth.

She felt her clit throb, the way her legs locked up, her muscles clenching tightly.

She moaned softly right back, working Autumn through every wave.

There was nothing on fucking earth that felt like this, Maya knew that for sure by now. Making Autumn come made her feel like the earth had centered to just the two of them, and she liked it like that. Like there was nothing and no one that could possibly be on Autumn’s mind other than her. This was the one time that she knew all Autumn thought of was her.

It was in the way she always said her name like a prayer.

Several seconds after the final aftershock worked through Autumn, she could feel the real world settle back in.

It was almost funny – it was funny, just not right now while she still had her mouth on Autumn’s pussy – how quickly Autumn went from sex-Autumn to regular-Autumn.

She could both feel and hear the deep sigh Autumn breathed out, as she carefully lifted her leg and removed herself from Maya, settling down onto the bed next to her.

Turning her head, she ran her eyes over Autumn. The way her cheeks were flushed right after she came and her hair was slightly disheveled and there was that light blush over her chest… god, Maya ate it up like she was a starving woman. But this was one of her favorite sights.

Especially because it was one of the only times Autumn was relaxed. Really relaxed, like none of the tension and stress from the outside world and her actual-life thoughts had caught up yet. They would very soon, but not entirely just yet.

“So… going to that store after work last night was a good idea,” Autumn muttered wryly, blue eyes blinking open, and settling on Maya.

She let out a surprised chuckle as she pushed herself up to settle in in the half-reclined position Autumn was in, shoulder-to-shoulder with her. “Thank you, I have them on occasion.”

Last night, they’d had dinner with Hamish, and Autumn had thrilled her by sending him on his merry solo way, afterwards. And Maya, as they’d been walking back to her place, had floated the idea of going to one of the adult stores that wouldn’t be too out of the way on the way back…

Though they’d purchased the strap last night, though, they hadn’t ended up using it. Not when they’d gotten really worked up by the scenarios they’d murmured to one another, and Autumn had pinned her against her kitchen door as soon as they’d entered.

But it was fine. Because they did overnights, now. Which meant not only nighttime, post-work sex, but morning sex.

It also meant waking up and seeing Autumn in her bed. She never moved when she slept, Maya had noted. Autumn would curl up on her side and fall asleep, and she stayed put in that exact place until she woke up.

At least, as far as she’d seen.

She was a great person to share a bed with, though. Not a mattress or a blanket hog, and when Maya cuddled up to her back, Autumn simply… melted into her.

Which actually was her favorite thing, even more than the morning sex, but she wasn’t an idiot, so she kept that to herself.

Autumn rolled her eyes, turning to arch her a look. “Yes, you have a good idea on occasion,” she echoed with exacting precision.

Maya shrugged. “I’ll take that; it’s not an insult to me. In fact, if anything, you admitting that is growth.”

Autumn, again, rolled her eyes, before they tracked down Maya’s face. A faint bloomed on her cheeks as she reached up and cupped Maya’s jaw, still damp and tacky from Autumn. She stroked her thumb over her chin, the tip touching at her bottom lip. “I made a bit of a mess of you,” she whispered, her eyes still transfixed by Maya’s mouth.

She flicked her tongue out and stroked it over her thumb, enjoying the shiver she could see work over Autumn’s body. “You did, but I have no complaints.”

Autumn rolled her lips as she dropped her hand down to the mattress. “Me, neither,” she said, quietly.

Maya felt her lips tug into a bright smile.

Before she could revel in that statement too much, though, Autumn cleared her throat. “Uh, I could probably – definitely – use a shower before I head out.”

And so it goes… Autumn never ran out of her place in the morning. In fact, she stayed for the morning sex and usually for a cup of coffee and sometimes something for breakfast. Occasionally, like this, a shower.

On the work nights she’d stayed over, they didn’t do breakfast, but had formed a comfortable routine of getting ready.

It was painfully amusing to her, though, that Autumn made it a point of ordered Maya to stay at the coffee cart for an extra three minutes before following her up to the office, just in case.

But progress was progress, and Maya wasn’t going to take that for granted. So, a shower and breakfast – that was great. For now, that could be great.

She watched as Autumn stood up and stretched her arms up over her head, running her eyes over the long lines of her back in appreciation.

She felt no shame when she got caught as Autumn turned to face her.

“Well? Are you going to join me?” Autumn asked.

“I guess that depends – how hot do you like your showers?” She asked, even though she was already pushing herself out of bed.

“Scalding,” Autumn dryly answered.

“I’d expect nothing less.”

***

Nearly an hour later, Maya was humming contentedly under her breath as she started brewing a pot of coffee.

Her wet hair was up in a twist, and she was wearing a pair of jeans and an old sweatshirt she’d stolen from one of her sisters forever ago.

What a start to a weekend, though. Some of the best sex of her life, paired with a shower in which Autumn had very thoroughly scrubbed her back – and not even in a sexual way, but an Autumn-does-everything-with-exacting-precision way, which was delightful in and of itself.

Autumn had a very serious skincare routine, Maya had learned in the last few weeks, that she did before bed every night and every morning when she woke up, as well as after every shower.

So, she’d left her to it in the bathroom so she could start the coffee and give Tort some love.

Her humming cut off abruptly, as she registered the sound of a key unlocking her apartment door. She turned around just in time to see it fling open.

“Auntie Maya!” Poppy shouted, running in and throwing her arms around Maya’s knees.

“Hey?!” She reached down, landing her hand on the top of her niece’s head – absolutely baffled.

She had to reach back and brace her other hand on the table behind her to keep her balance when both Gavin and Tommy toddle-rushed forward to give her a similar embrace.

Following up behind them all was Gwen, pushing an empty double-stroller.

Her sister huffed out a breath. “Good morning, littlest sister.”

“Uh… good morning?” She echoed back, shaking her head. “What are you doing here?”

“We comed for brunch!” Gavin squealed up at her, giving her calf another tight squeeze before he released her.

Gwen nodded to confirm his statement, as she reached into the stroller and lifted several bags. “I know, I know, we’re interrupting your Saturday, but I didn’t come empty-handed. I come to you with the cutest of our lineage, and a collection of every breakfast food you could possibly be craving.”

Her sister swiftly shut the apartment door, before reaching up and scrubbing her hands over her face. “Jesus. You could have warned a woman about your elevator being broken.”

“The kids seemed to have weathered the storm just fine,” she pointed out, as all three of them were rolling around on her kitchen floor, mimicking Tort, whom they were all enamored with.

Gwen stared back at her, affronted. “The kids only had to get themselves up the stairs. I had to bring the stroller, which is filled to the brim with brunch and diaper bags, so I couldn’t even fold it up.”

Maya held up her hand to stop her. “Ummm, how is any of this my fault? Again – what are you doing here?”

“We went to see Princesses on Ice!” Poppy shouted up at her from the floor.

Maya lifted her foot and put it over Poppy’s stomach, before shaking it with just enough pressure to make her niece shake with it, grinning down at her sharp giggles that pierced the kitchen. “Oh, yeah? How was it?”

“Great!” Tommy answered, his r sounding like a w, as he crawled around, following Tort.

“Remember? Ruby and I came in to D.C. to take the kids to see the show last night, and we stayed overnight because she has some big breakfast this morning with her D.C.-based colleagues?”

Maya took her own offense now, narrowing her eyes at her sister. “Yes, thank you, I remember that; scheduling is literally my job. I also remember that we have lunch plans.”

Just because her mind had briefly turned into jelly earlier didn’t mean she’d forgotten that.

“But I also remember that I was supposed to me meeting you all out. At a restaurant. At noon.”

“And I texted you five times this morning, letting you know that these hellions were going up the wall in the hotel. They were all up at five this morning; I couldn’t keep them locked up even longer. So, I figured I’d bring them to see their Auntie Maya a little early.”

Maya tossed her hands into the air. “My not answering any of your texts didn’t make you stop and think twice about that?”

“Um, no?” Gwen snorted, nonplussed. “You said when we made lunch plans that you didn’t have anything on your docket all weekend. I figured if you weren’t home, it wasn’t a big deal.” Gwen folded her arms over her chest, and Maya could tell just from the look on her face that she was about to place her ace. “How many times have you stopped over at my house, unannounced? How many times have you come over, eaten the food out of my fridge, and stayed the night in the guest room that you’ve never once been turned away from?”

Her sister pursed her lips, tilting her head at Maya, waiting for a strong rebuttal that they both knew wasn’t coming.

Maya narrowed her eyes. “Well, you’re the older sister. It’s your duty to put up with your baby sister coming over, needing some TLC.”

Yeah, that was the best she had.

“And I accept that responsibility with grace and aplomb, if I do say so myself. So, you’ll have to excuse me if I thought that for once while I’m in your neck of the woods, I’d return the favor.”

She knew there was no real aggrievement or heat behind Gwen’s words – in their family, a conversation or debate like this was the same thing as talking about the weather.

“You’re excused,” she allowed.

Honestly, she didn’t have a problem with anyone in her family stopping by, whether it was planned or not. It didn’t ever happen, given that they lived a couple of hours away, but she didn’t care. She, true to what Gwen had stated, dropped in on her parents and both of her sisters, all of the time.

… it just so happened that Gwen dropped in when Maya wasn’t alone.

“Besides, at least you did bring the cutest members of our–” Abruptly, she cut off, noting for the first time that the three under-fives were no longer in the kitchen.

And… Maya wasn’t home alone.

Oh, boy. Oh, boy.

Quickly, she turned on her heel and hurried toward her bedroom to give Autumn a warning, if possible.

“Maya, it’s fine,” Gwen’s voice was full of amusement, as her sister followed her. “Unless you have some unscreened windows open somewhere, the kids are totally fine.”

No, she didn’t have an open unscreened window.

She had her colleague that she was fucking who got spooked by the unexpected. She couldn’t even fathom Autumn around children. All of the chaos and disorder. She loud noises and the sticky hands and –

She came to a halt as soon as she entered her bedroom. Such an abrupt stop that Gwen ran into her back, and they both grunted, tripping forward.

It wasn’t chaos and disorder.

In the minutes since the hellions – Gwen, a loving mother’s words – had left the kitchen, they’d found Autumn, and…

Poppy was wrapped around Autumn’s back, her arms holding tight around her shoulders and legs squeezing her slim hips, while Autumn had somehow managed to heft Gavin in one arm and Tommy up in the other.

They were all giggling at something, and the smile on Autumn’s face was – was radiant.

Something Maya had not only never seen, but had never even been able to imagine. There was something bright and warm and alive in those blue eyes, and Maya could only stare.

“Auntie Maya, we found your friend!” Poppy shouted.

“What the hell? Is she some sort of genie?” Gwen whispered.

“I don’t know,” she whispered back.

The smile on Autumn’s face dimmed slightly. “Um. I’d just finished stripping the bed for you, and I found myself with some company.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” she automatically found herself saying, still trying to process the sight in front of her.

Autumn arched an eyebrow at her. “It seemed like the right thing to do,” she murmured, and she did this very smooth rocking thing with both of her arms, as well as bouncing Poppy lightly on her back. The motion seemed… thoughtless and automatic, and Maya was positive that even though she spent a ton of time with her niece and nephews, she wouldn’t be able to pull that move off.

“Here, let me grab one of them from you. Or two,” Gwen offered, quickly stepping out from behind Maya. “Sorry that the herd snuck up on you.”

They seamlessly transferred Tommy from Autumn’s hold to Gwen’s, and her sister wasted no time in offering her free hand to Autumn’s. “I’m Gwen, Maya’s oldest sister. Nice to meet you…?”

“Autumn. Maya’s… colleague,” she settled on, a deeper blush working over her cheeks, as she took Gwen’s hand and shook it.

Maya couldn’t help but grin. Sure, her colleague, here on a Saturday morning, changing her sheets, while her long, blonde hair was pulled over her shoulder in a braid still damp from the shower.

“I’d assumed,” Gwen flashed a knowing smile at Autumn as she gave her hand a quick, firm shake.

“Auntie Maya, will you give me a ride like when you’re the horse?!” Poppy asked from her perch on Autumn’s back, before she kicked out her legs and loosened her grasp.

Before either she or Gwen could attempt to rush forward, though, Autumn’s free hand moved in a flash, snapping behind her back to – presumably – hold Poppy up.

“You need to hold on tight, until I can let you down, okay?” Autumn said, her voice firm, but very soft.

Poppy tightened her arms again, linking her legs around Autumn’s waist. “’Kay.”

Gwen leaned down to set their nephew on his feet, giving him a little tap on the butt in the direction of the door, before she gently reached out and lifted her son from Autumn’s hold and did the same to him. “Why don’t you two go and find Tort out in the living room, hmm? Then we’ll all have some food.”

The boys set off on their journey, while Gwen turned her attention to Poppy.

Autumn, clearly reading the room, turned to give Gwen the ability to lift her off of her back.

“Come on, sweets, you can roll around in the cat bed while I get brunch out of the bags.” She turned her attention to Autumn again. “I’d absolutely love it if you joined us. We have more than enough.”

Maya had to bite back both a smile and a groan. The thing about Gwen was that when she used that tone – like she was asking or inviting you do to something, but it actually was an order? It was almost impossible to figure out how to say no.

Maya knew this, because she’d been on the receiving end since she’d been a child. But it wasn’t only her and Ruby that succumbed to that tone. She’d seen it work on their parents – adult lawyers – and many, many more people over the years. It was like magic.

What she honestly didn’t expect, however, was for it to work on Autumn.

Who was great at drawing hard boundaries. A world-class champion at it, actually.

Autumn worried at her bottom lip, though, hesitating far longer than Maya predicted. She saw Autumn’s gaze dart to Poppy quickly, before she slowly nodded. “Uh… sure. I can stay for a little while. Not too long,” she cautioned.

“Absolutely, just a coffee and a bagel,” Gwen agreed, her voice taking on the tone of a victory. “I’ll go get everything ready.”

Gwen wiggled her eyebrows at her as she walked by, and Maya did everything she could to hold back any muttered comments.

When they were left alone, she briefly was at a loss for words. Which never happened with Autumn, really, but… she was fucking shocked.

Autumn barely stayed long enough for coffee and breakfast when it was just Maya here; she’d expected Autumn to not walk but run for the door when accosted by her sister and three kids.

“I know Gwen can be – it’s that tone. I get it,” she started, ready to give Autumn an out.

Autumn slowly, consideringly tilted her head. “Yeah, she does have a tone. But it’s no different than the tone you have when you’re talking about something you know very well. I’m used to it.”

Surprise filtered through her, mixed with a pleased warmth. She’d always admired that tone, and she admired Gwen, so… yes, she liked this. And she really liked that Autumn had been the one to notice it.

“What I was saying was: you don’t have to stay.” She paused, before admitting, “If you couldn’t tell, Gwen knows… everything, basically. Between us.”

She figured that full disclosure was best.

“No kidding,” Autumn returned with an adorably wry grin on her lips, before she rolled her eyes. “Maya, I’m not an idiot. I know you’re close to your family, and that your sisters likely were aware of what we’re… doing.”

No indication in her voice as to how she felt about what they were doing, but Maya didn’t expect that.

Autumn finished with a shrug. “We have brunch with new people and make small talk with them constantly, at work. I can spend twenty or thirty minutes with your family and do the same thing. It wouldn’t really reflect well on either one of us to your sister if I couldn’t do that, would it?”

Even though Autumn was only stating facts, Maya couldn’t help but feel like she had to tread very carefully, here. “Uh, I guess not?” She agreed, hesitantly.

And she did agree, but she was mostly shocked that Autumn seemed to care? Not only about how she would appear to Maya’s sister, but how it would make Maya look.

“And it’s really not very different than what we typically do. Coffee and brunch; that was already in my mental itinerary for this morning.”

“Of course.” Maya murmured, diplomatically, doing everything in her power not to allow herself the excited smile that wanted to slide over her face.

But fuck, she was excited.

She’d been trying very, very hard not to get ahead of herself in the last couple of weeks. But the reality was, the addition of sleeping – literally, sleeping – together, spending the night with one another had moved things between them even farther.

And Maya… she felt she was doing a great job at letting Autumn drive this thing between them. At never pushing, never being the one to move the goal post.

Autumn had been the one to invite her to sleep over on Thanksgiving. Autumn had been the one to then take the initiative and spend the night at Maya’s place a few days later, after they’d had sex. And Autumn was now explaining why it made sense to have brunch with Gwen and the kids, if only for twenty or thirty minutes.

Autumn pointedly cleared her throat, arching a look at the doorway. “We should probably head out there, though; I’m not going to give anyone the idea that we’re getting up to anything inappropriate in here.”

Maya dropped her gaze, dramatically, to the stripped bed next to them – a necessity, because they’d both really made a fucking mess of her sheets. “Yeah, we absolutely cannot let Gwen think anything untoward was going on here today.”

Blue eyes narrowed at her. “Be good, Maya,” she dropped her tone to that fucking commanding voice, and all of the teasing immediately fled her system, especially as Autumn leaned in to place her mouth next to her ear. “Or maybe your punishment is that you won’t be getting fucked like that again for a long time, even when you’re begging for it.”

“Fuck,” she breathed, feeling herself throb – and yes, there was the pleasant soreness she’d been anticipating. “Autumn, there are children here,” she hissed back in a desperate whisper.

The reminder was as much for herself as it was for Autumn, though. Yes. Her niece and nephews were here. Just in the other room. That was a good way for her blood to cool back down.

Autumn’s cheeks tinged pink at the reminder, and she shook her head quickly, flitting her gaze to the doorway once more.

Maya was wildly fascinated – because it seemed that, if only for a moment, the two sides of Autumn had blended.

“They’re cute kids, right?” Maya followed up with, refusing to let Autumn’s mind jump anywhere that would be counter-productive to the last few minutes.

Autumn’s thought process was still heavily guarded and therefore still often a mystery to her, but she knew very well that there was a minefield in there, and unexpected things could set something off.

Those blue eyes flit once more to the doorway, where they both saw the kids flash by, chasing one another in a fit of giggles. Maya automatically smiled at it, and…

So did Autumn. That same warm, sweet, radiantly breathtaking smile, as she murmured, “Yes. They are very, very cute.”

Whew, okay. No mines had been stepped on.

Relieved, Maya gestured for Autumn to walk ahead of her. “Come on; it’s been long enough that Gwen has probably gone through all of my cabinets and laid out the spread like a feast.”

Autumn took in a deep breath and rolled her shoulders back as she led the way into Maya’s living area.

“Great, I’ve got everything laid out here, and finished putting together all of the fixings for your coffee, Maya,” Gwen called out, just as Maya knew she would. “Pop, Gav, Tommy, come and get it!”

As the kids ran by them toward the kitchen area, Gavin tripped over his own feet, and started going down. Again, before Maya could even register what had happened, Autumn had swiftly taken a step forward and caught him, firmly setting him back on his little feet. He took off like the Roadrunner, giving her an adorably wide smile over his shoulder.

Autumn made her way toward the kitchen as if her catlike reflexes with the kids was absolutely nothing, and Maya bit back the litany of questions that wanted to escape.

Because, what?!

But… asking Autumn about that might count as prying or digging, and even if Maya was willing to test those waters, she wasn’t going to do it with her sister here.

Gwen had set up a little feng shui set up for the kids on the kitchen floor, all with small amounts of appropriately cut-up and prepared foods on their silicone plates – Gwen, unsurprisingly, must carry them with her in one of her bags, because Maya certainly didn’t have those cute, kid-friendly plates on-hand – and sippy cups.

“I like this new treatment of the children in the family. They will sit on the ground like the peasants, while we dine like kings,” Maya nodded in approval, gesturing at her small kitchen table, which Gwen had arranged for the three adults.

Her sister shot her a dour look. “Yes, well, if I could set them up at the table with us, I would have. Being that your table only has three chairs, it was either we dine at the table or they do. And since I couldn’t feasibly bring three booster seats with me through D.C. – the state of your kitchen cleanliness is already thanking me.” She gestured at the kids, who’d all plunked down and were eating or picking at their food, making little random sounds or conversation with one another that sounded somewhat like toddler gibberish to Maya. “Besides, they love this. My back, on the other hand, would hate me for days.” She shook her hair back, focusing her attention on Autumn, as she smiled, “Now, let’s sit.”

They’d barely fixed their coffee before Gwen asked, “So, Autumn – great handiwork with the kids. I mean, two of them are mine, but even I struggle managing all three by myself like you did. Have a lot of experience?”

Maya froze, discreetly aiming a glare at her sister.

Who clearly had anticipated that and was ignoring her, pointedly looking at Autumn and only Autumn.

Autumn’s own movements paused for a second, and she kept her attention down at her coffee as she stirred the liquid slowly. “Uh, yes. A bit.”

Maya nearly choked on the sip she’d taken in shock at the fact that Autumn had answered.

“Family experience?” Gwen asked, and she did it in that masterfully faux-causal way she had.

It occurred to Maya that Gwen was treating Autumn like one of her clients – the way Gwen’s tone was quiet and measured, but probing. And even though there was no doubt about who she was talking to, Gwen was no longer even looking at Autumn, as she started putting food on her plate.

“Or did you work in a day care or something like that?” Gwen added, adding a scoop of scrambled eggs to her plate.

Maya felt very torn between telling Gwen to shut up… and wanting, badly, to know the answer. Wanting to know everything about Autumn that she’d possibly share.

In the seconds that she spent debating, though, Autumn shocked her once more by answering, “I’ve never worked in a day care.”

“Ah, so family,” Gwen surmised. “Do you have siblings?”

Maya cut her another sharp look, letting out an exasperated breath. Which her sister clearly ignored.

The thing that she reminded herself of again, though, was that Autumn generally had no problem telling someone to shove off, if they were crossing a boundary. Maya would know.

And the other thing was… she felt like a greedy little goblin, but she’d always wanted more from Autumn. Always.

She’d never once fathomed they’d end up here – sitting in her kitchen having breakfast with Gwen, while the kids were sitting next to them, about an hour after Autumn had completely wrecked her – but… if this was the situation in which Autumn was willing to share, who was Maya to disagree?

On the other hand, though, Maya knew asking about Autumn’s family was hitting a limit.

“You really don’t need to answer that,” Maya cut in, gently reaching out and nudging Autumn’s foot with her own under the table. She arched a look at her sister again, exasperated. “Also, what is the third degree?”

Gwen finally returned her stare, looking absolutely unbothered. “I didn’t realize asking someone if they had siblings counted as giving them the third degree.”

Maya bit at her cheek, but before their conversation devolved, Autumn cleared her throat and softly affirmed, “I do. Have siblings.”

Siblings! Maya quickly looked at Autumn, wondering if there was something going on today. Like, had there been something in the water?

“Older? Younger?” Gwen intoned, after taking a bite of her toast. “I assume a couple younger, given the expertise handling these gremlins.”

Autumn hesitated for a moment – Maya was pretty sure she was the only one that would notice, but she did notice – before she shot a look down at the kids. “Younger. All younger.”

There was something in her voice, then. Something that told her Autumn’s mind had gone to a different place, that she was picturing something definitely not in Maya’s kitchen.

“Ah, oldest sister energy.” Gwen nodded, snapping her fingers. “I knew I could sense that about you.”

The smile that flashed over Autumn’s face was shocking and warm again, and Maya just stared. “It is certainly a special responsibility.”

Gwen scoffed. “Yeah, I know. I had this one over here,” she jerked her thumb over at Maya.

Who sat up straight, affronted. “Excuse you! I was a fucking delight!”

At once, all of the kids snapped their attention to her, giving varying degrees of gasps and giggles. “Auntie Maya! You’re not s’posed to say that!” Poppy stated, her lips and chin awash with syrup, as she grinned mischievously up at her.

“I’m allowed to say it, Pop, when your mom is being mean to me,” Maya assured her.

“I wasn’t being mean,” Gwen defended. She paused with a thoughtful frown and allowed, “Granted, I will say that Ruby was a much bigger pain in the butt than you were.”

“Thank you, I accept this settlement.”

“Auntie Maya,” Poppy spoke again, clearly having decided her interest now was with their adults. She pushed herself up and walked over to the table to climb up into Maya’s lap.

She accommodated her niece immediately, settling her in comfortably on her thigh. “Yeah?”

Gwen automatically reached out and handed her a damp paper towel – apparently, her sister had foreseen the syrup situation – which Maya took from her and wiped over her niece’s mouth and chin, despite how she tried to shake her head away from it.

Poppy finally decided she had enough and reached her little hands up to lock on Maya’s wrist, stopping her next swipe of the paper towel.

Joke was on her; Maya already had done what she’d needed to do.

“I – I wanna know why you’re not a lawyer like mom or Auntie Ruby,” Poppy’s wide eyes landed on her, searchingly, as she started playing with the end of Maya’s sweatshirt with her little sticky hands. “’Cuz, um, b’cause Auntie Ruby said your degree is getting dusty.”

Scoffing out a laugh, Maya shot her sister a look. “Did she, now?”

Gwen lifted her hands in self-defense. “Hey, my girl only speaks the truth: Ruby said it. Not me.”

“Well, Pop, because… I have a different job,” she answered, pointing at Autumn. “With my friend, Autumn.”

She didn’t know why she felt slightly nervous, turning her attention to Autumn, now. It wasn’t like Autumn wasn’t aware that she’d gotten a law degree and had promptly not used it. But… Autumn knowing that, and hearing the conversation about it from Maya’s lawyer-family was – different.

Autumn’s hands were wrapped around her coffee cup, and her gaze was settled so intently on Maya, she felt her breath catch in her throat.

Mostly because she didn’t recognize this kind of intensity on Autumn. She’d seen a lot of variations of Autumn’s intensities, before. Work-related and sex-related, but whatever was in her expression now felt very different.

“Autumn, where did you go to college?” Gwen asked, and Maya wasn’t sure if she was relieved or annoyed that her sister pulled Autumn’s attention, breaking that look.

Autumn blinked a couple of times, her hands tightening on her mug, as she turned to look at Gwen. “Brown,” she answered, curtly.

Gwen let out a low whistle, eyebrows lifting. “Ivy. Nice.”

Autumn accepted the comment with a small smile, looking down at her coffee, before flicking her gaze to Maya once more. “Yes, well – I apologize, but I really do have to get going.”

“See you Monday?” Maya murmured, her attention firmly fixed on Autumn.

And, yes, she knew she’d see Maya on Monday at work. That wasn’t the question. The question, unasked, was if they were okay, despite the morning interruption.

Autumn twitched her lips into a smile. No, it wasn’t big and bright and radiant like the one Maya had learned the existence of today. It also wasn’t the same one that she normally received, these days. Exasperated and affectionate and a myriad of things in between.

But… it wasn’t fake, either.

“See you Monday,” she confirmed, quietly. “Gwen, it was nice to meet you,” she nodded at Maya’s sister, before settling her gaze on Poppy. She reached out and offered her hand in the cutest little handshake Maya had ever witnessed. “And it was lovely to meet you, Poppy.”

Poppy’s sticky hand unlatched from Maya’s sweatshirt, as she stuck it in Autumn’s, clearly tickled to be getting the adult treatment.

Autumn didn’t even blink at the fact that her hand was covered in syrup remains. Fucking fascinating.

She stood and quickly cleared her place, making it so she left not a single crumb behind. Which, Maya knew, was typical for her. She said goodbye to both of the boys, individually, kneeling down to do so.

When she stood again, she paused as she brushed back her hair. Her eyes settling on Maya once more, as she rolled her lips.

But she didn’t say anything other than. “Have a nice weekend, Maya.”

“You, too,” she returned, and desperately wanted to follow after her to make sure things really were fine.

But Maya knew that Autumn didn’t like to be pushed, and certainly not while there were other people around. So, she forced herself to be still, watching Autumn grab purse and tote bag from next to Maya’s front door, before leaving without another word.

As soon as the door had shut, though, she swung her attention back to Gwen. “What was all that?” She hissed.

Her sister shot her a baffled look, gesturing to Autumn’s empty spot. “That was me trying to get some information for my baby sister, who is… friendly… with this woman.” She answered, with a pointed glance at Poppy.

“You done eating, Pop?” She asked.

Poppy shook her head. “Nope.”

Gwen pointed at the abandoned plate. “Let’s hop to it, then.”

Maya let Poppy slide off of her lap, and once she was settled back in, Gwen returned her sharp gaze to Maya. “I’m not going to apologize for trying to dig a little bit, here. Because as much as you might try to deny it, you are enamored with this woman.”

Maya flushed. “I’m not–”

Gwen scoffed.

“– denying it,” Maya finished, falling back against her seat, dropping her head back with a groan, as she rubbed her hand over her eyes.

“Ahhh, there we go,” Gwen hummed, leaning back in her chair. “Rube and I were wagering when you’d fess up.”

“What, your spouses didn’t want in on that betting action?”

“No, they both think it’s terrible when Ruby and I bet on your love life. They’re sickeningly bonded with you as their de facto little sister.”

Grinning victoriously, Maya tapped her palm on the table. “I knew making a point to warm up to both of them when you two brought them home was the right idea.”

“Anyway,” Gwen deliberately kept them on track, in that frustratingly direct manner. “You aren’t even denying it, at this point; you know you have feelings for Autumn. You’re getting in deeper and deeper. And she’s still a closed book to you. I’m not going to apologize for trying to get a little more information to suss out what kind of person my baby sister is in way over her head with.”

“I’m not in over my head,” she defended herself, frowning at that.

Gwen merely stared back at her, unmoved.

“I’m not,” she insisted, even as her stomach twisted slightly. “Fine, maybe I’m… walking on a balance beam,” she could admit that. “But I have my balance. No, things with Autumn aren’t, like, a traditional dating thing. But it’s not nothing, either.”

They weren’t nothing.

Even if they didn’t have a name on what they were doing, even if they didn’t really talk about it, Maya was sure about that.

Autumn didn’t feel nothing for her, and she didn’t only have platonic feelings, either. Maya knew that. No, Autumn wasn’t an open book by any means, but she was also confident that Autumn was letting her in more than she let in anyone else.

And for now, that was okay.

Gwen rolled her lips, letting out a deep breath, before she shrugged. “I agree that she certainly doesn’t feel nothing for you. There was a lot of looking, especially when you weren’t realizing it.”

A zing shot through her, giving Maya a boost of energy that was worth far more than her coffee. “Really?”

Okay, maybe that was something this meeting had been good for. Because… she really had no outside perspective with it came to Autumn. Everyone they both knew was through work, which meant absolutely no discussing whatever they were doing together.

Even though Hamish knew – obviously – they were not talking about it with him. So…

“Really,” Gwen confirmed.

The door to her apartment opened once more, and for a moment, Maya thought Autumn might have returned. Excitement rushed through her at the idea –

Only to be dashed in a moment, when it turned out to be Ruby.

“Mama!” Tommy called out, waving with both of his own syrup-sticky hands.

“Hello, my boy!” Ruby mirrored his wave, waving with both of her hands back. “And my Pop and Gav – my favorites.”

“Well, thanks,” Maya shot back with an exaggerated frown.

“You know you two vacillate for favorite sister on any given day,” Ruby shot back, waving between Gwen and Maya.

Even so, she walked forward and leaned down to place a loud, smacking kiss on the top of Maya’s head, which she used to do when they were little, and she’d braid Maya’s hair. “Hello, my little sister. Perhaps today you’re my fave.”

“I spent all morning watching your progeny, where’s my kudos?” Gwen asked.

Ruby gave her a patently amused stare, dropping her hands to her hips. “If I tried to kiss the top of your head, you’d smack me away. The last time I did it after giving you a fishtail braid when you were fifteen, we ended up in a wrestling match on the living room floor. Never again.”

“Well, it felt weird,” Gwen defended.

“You ruined the braid! I spent, like, an hour on that so you could look all fancy for your date with what’s-her-name, and then you ruined it.”

“Actually, you ruined it, during the wrestling match.”

“Was that why you two got into that fight?” Maya marveled, remembering the interaction very clearly, but only because she’d been thrilled to see Ruby and Gwen facing off, and had cheered it on while standing on the coffee table.

“Yes,” Ruby confirmed, shaking her hair back. “And I would have won, even though Gwen was older and taller, if Dad hadn’t come in and put a stop to it at that exact moment.”

Gwen scoffed. “I had you pinned, sore loser.”

“I had you right where I wanted you; believing that you’d won!” Ruby held up her hand, “Pause. I’m about to pee myself.”

With that, she raced out of the room.

Gwen pursed her lips over her coffee mug, nailing Maya with a stare. “I won that fight.”

“Yeah, that’s how I remember it,” Maya affirmed with a nod.

Her sister narrowed her eyes in disbelief. “Oh, please. You’d say the same thing to Ruby if she was sitting here, now.”

Maya grinned, unashamed. “Yep. Because the only real winner that day was me. You two were both grounded. And I got to greet Jennie at the door when she came to pick you up.”

And Jennie – Gwen’s high school girlfriend – had really awoken Maya’s pre-teen heart. A true win that day.

Ruby came back to the room in a flash, her hands still wet from washing them. “Ummm, what is with all of those products on your bathroom counter? I knew you and Autumn sometimes were spending the night together, but – she keeps her products here? That’s a whole other level.”

Maya’s stomach got that tingling feeling again, and she squirmed a bit in her chair. “Those could be my products, for all you know.”

“They’re not,” Ruby stated, firmly, as she dropped into Autumn’s abandoned chair. “Because you copied my hair and skincare routines, including using all my same products.”

“Which you copied from me,” Gwen interjected.

Ruby nodded. Despite being at-odds over the memory of a fight that had taken place almost two decades ago only minutes before, now they were aligned. “So. She keeps her products here?!”

Gwen hummed. “Not only were she and Maya freshly showered when we arrived, but she’d stripped Maya’s bed for her. She only left a couple minutes ago.”

Ruby gasped, loudly, swinging her gaze between them. “She was here?! And I missed it?! Gwen, what the fuck?”

Poppy gasped again. “Swear words!”

Ruby aimed a smile down at her. “Don’t worry, Pop-sicle, I’m only swearing because your mom made me do it.”

“Ruby,” Gwen chastised, flicking Ruby’s thigh.

“Ow!” Ruby jumped back. “Anyway – you should have texted me.”

“You were in a meeting with colleagues; what, would you have left early?” Maya asked, exasperatedly.

But the question was rhetorical. She knew the answer, even before Ruby crinkled her eyebrows at her and scoffed, “Uh, duh. And maybe then, I would have been able to double-team her with Gwen before she left, because I would have been able to ask about the bathroom products! What, are you two officially in love?”

Maya’s heart skipped a beat at the love drop, feeling a warmth rush through her veins. “… no,” she eventually murmured.

Right? They weren’t, right?

Maya knew she’d never felt this level of intensity for anyone, before. Not… like this.

But she also knew that could be because they were in a fickle situation. There was secrecy involved, workplace politics – literally, and a lot of emotional guardedness. What would it say about her, if she was already blindly in love with Autumn and she barely knew anything about her?

Nothing good, she knew that much.

And, really, there was no reason to continue down this mental path, because it was a moot point.

If she told Autumn tomorrow, hey, I’m in love with you, Autumn would likely skip town.

Or, she would if Charlotte was located anywhere else, anyway.

“We’re enjoying one another’s company, and we’re not making things complicated,” she settled on with a decisive nod.

Which didn’t feel like a lie, so she stood by it.

“You’re enjoying one another’s company, and she keeps fifty-dollar face lotion on your bathroom counter… lesbians really do it differently.”

.

.

.

.

.

spoiler prevention

.

.

.

.

.