Previously: Chapter Twenty-Four: Between Your Legs [X, NSFW]

Can I give a big shout-out to Calgirl for delurking to comment on the last chapter? Thank you to all the recent delurkers, actually, like Takoo’s_cool and chelle5432. It makes my day.

Rating: A. Kissing. Perfectly safe for work or school, I reckon.

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Chapter Twenty-Five: Tu novia está loca

Spencer was sitting nervously on her parents’ couch, waiting for Ashley to come over. Her anxiety was heightened by the fact that her father kept coming through from the kitchen to check that she was okay roughly every three to four minutes. As much as she loved him, she had come very, very close on more than one occasion to shouting, "Dad, would you please, for the love of God, just fuck off and leave me alone?"

She wasn't just concerned about having Ashley over for Christmas. She was concerned about Ashley in general. The longer that things went on without them really talking – without clarification of what they were and where things were going – the more Spencer worried. She knew that she had to take responsibility for most of that. She had been the one who had started all of this. She had been the one who had decided to pursue Ashley. She had even been the one to ask Ash to go steady with her. And, although she had been the one who had been rebuffed, she still felt that it was her responsibility to be the one to do the chasing, as she had originally promised herself she would.

It had made choosing Ashley's gift difficult, though. Spencer had wanted a gift that said 'I love you and I want you but I'm not pushing you into anything right now, unless you want to be pushed, in which case, that's fine with me'. It was a complicated message to get across with a single gift.

She had first thought of jewellery, but that felt too girlfriend-y, for want of a better word. Also, she wanted to wait until she could afford some really special jewellery before she went down that road. She had then considered lingerie, but had worried that it might send the message that she was only interested in Ashley for sex. Music was an obvious choice, but Ashley owned everything. She had about five different iPods over and above all her CDs and vinyl, not to mention the fact that her home computer had a couple of hard drives full of mp3s.

"Spence?" It was her mother, rather than her father, who dragged her from her anxieties. "I think she's here, sweetheart." Paula squeezed her youngest child's hand. She suspected that something had changed between her daughter and the brunette who was parking outside, but she was determined not to pry for once. She'd come too close to driving Spencer away on too many occasions by interfering in her life. This time, she would be letting her daughter take the lead in choosing to share.

"Thanks, Mom." Spencer hugged her mother quickly and walked towards the door. Opening it, she squinted against the low winter sun as Ashley approached the house. She wondered if there would ever come a time when she wasn't left literally breathless by the other woman. There was something almost hypnotic about watching Ashley walk, about her easy swagger and the casual grace that she possessed.

"Merry Christmas!" Ashley beamed, sweeping Spencer into a hug and kissing her softly on the neck. Spencer shot a glance over her shoulder to check for the other inhabitants of the house and, seeing that the coast was clear, she tilted the brunette's head up and covered her mouth with her own. Slipping her arms around Ashley's waist, she kissed her slowly, letting her tongue drift out to taste the brunette's lips.

"Merry Christmas, yourself," she whispered against Ashley's mouth.

"Come and give me a hand with the stuff in the car before I have you here on your parents' front porch," Ashley replied, letting her hand trail down across the curve of Spencer's ass.

Spencer's mouth broke into a grin as she pulled back from their embrace. "Stuff? Has Santa been?" she squealed happily as they walked to the rear of the Aston Martin.

"That depends. Have you been a good girl this year?"

Spencer smiled shyly as she helped the brunette remove two large bags from the back of the expensive sports car. "I don't know. That's not for me to say."

Ashley leaned her head towards Spencer and, unable to prevent herself, sucked on the blonde's earlobe. "Oh, I think you've been naughty when required and good when it suits you."

The feel of Ashley's breath on her ear was causing Spencer to shiver. "Is… is that good?" she stammered.

"Very."

* * *

Ashley's presents, as it turned out, were as thoughtful as Spencer might have expected: a pile of cookery books for Arthur, a couple of them even signed by the celebrity chef authors; for Glen, some games for his console and a day pass to race sports cars at a nearby racetrack; and, for Paula, a beautiful hand-painted vase for her office which Spencer suspected cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Spencer hadn’t really expected a gift in front of her parents, but Ashley passed her a small, beautifully wrapped box. Opening it carefully, Spencer found a key inside. Looking at Ashley quizzically, Spencer waited patiently for an explanation.

“Um, you know, that Camry of yours is a death trap and I have a little black number that I never use any more just taking up space at the McMansion. I think maybe you remember it.” Ashley’s face was an adorable mix of shyness and expectation.

“The Mustang?” Spencer squealed in an extremely high pitch.

Ashley grinned, causing her nose to crinkle in that way Spencer found irresistible. She desperately wanted to smother Ashley with kisses but, instead, she settled for launching at her and wrapping her in a hug. Burying her face in the crook of Ashley’s neck, she pressed her lips against the smooth skin. Stifling the urge to suck the skin under her lips, she pulled back.

“It’s too much, Ash,” she protested. “It really is. I can’t possibly accept it. That car means so much to you. You love that car.”

“Oh, shut up. She’s sitting in Christine’s garage, barely getting used. I’d much rather that you had her so she could be driven every day by someone who loves her as much as I do.”

“Well, thank you, Ash, but we’ll talk about this later” Spencer murmured, giving her a look of tenderness and love. Ashley was just dipping her head to escape the intensity of Spencer’s gaze when Glen interrupted their private moment.

“This is so not fair,” he wailed “You’ve got an extremely hot car and an extremely hot girlfriend!”

Until he spoke, Spencer had almost forgotten that there was anyone else in the room with them. She felt like that a lot: like she and Ashley were the only people in the world. Now, however, she was acutely aware of four pairs of eyes on her, awaiting her response to her brother’s outburst. Unfortunately, she had no idea what to do or say. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She couldn’t even look in Ashley’s direction at all.

“Son, jealousy will get you nowhere,” Arthur commented. “Come on,” he added, “let’s get the popcorn and drinks ready for the movie.”

Glen looked crestfallen. “But we haven’t even opened Spence’s presents yet,” he protested.

“Glen!” his father warned him, standing and helping his wife up from her position on the floor. “Now!” he commanded.

With a look of dismay, Glen followed his parents into the kitchen, mumbling something about how unfair his life was. His sister, meanwhile, was staring intently at her hands, which were holding her knees so tightly that her knuckles had turned white in stark contrast to the deep red which her face had flushed. She had still been unable to meet Ashley’s eyes since her brother’s comment.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, hoping that the ground would open up and swallow her. Instead, she felt a hand reach out and cup her chin. Ashley tilted her face up until they were looking at each other. With her thumb, Ashley gently stroked her cheek.

“What for? Glen’s right. I am hot,” she stated plainly. “I’d be offended if he hadn’t noticed.”

Spencer allowed herself a small grin as she realised that Ashley had not freaked out about the other part of the statement and was trying to make light of the situation to calm her.

“And the other thing?” she asked, being as bold as she could remember herself being since she had first called Ashley all those months ago.

“It’s definitely a hot car.” Ashley continued to peer into Spencer’s face, as if trying to read what was going on behind her eyes.

“The other other thing, then,” Spencer retorted, finally closing her eyes and holding her breath as she awaited Ashley’s answer.

But no further words came immediately. Instead, she felt soft lips brush against her own as Ashley leaned forward to kiss her softly. Moaning, she unconsciously pushed forward to deepen the kiss, but she felt Ashley pull back. Opening her eyes again, she saw the brunette looking at her with softness and possibly even love. It caused a lump to form in her throat.

“What do you think?” Ashley whispered.

Spencer released the breath she’d been holding and answered without thinking, “I think you’re hot, too.”

The brunette shook her head. The intensity behind her eyes was almost overpowering. “The other other thing, Spence.”

“My hot girlfriend,” Spencer corrected, hoping fervently that she had said the right thing. This was not what she had planned for this moment at all. This was considerably more succinct than any of the several permutations of the Big Talk she had rehearsed in her head. Strangely enough, in her mind, Glen had played no part at all in the scenario. “I think you’re my hot girlfriend,” she repeated for emphasis.

“Extremely hot girlfriend. Glen specifically said ‘extremely hot’ and he’s totally correct for once,” Ashley murmured as she leaned back in for another kiss. “And don’t you ever forget it, either.”

“Extremely hot,” Spencer agreed in a daze, wrapping her hands around the back of Ashley’s neck and pulling her closer. As if she could or would ever forget for a moment just how sexy and beautiful Ash was. That was an entirely ridiculous notion.

She tried to keep things light, but that seemed impossible with Ashley. Never breaking their kiss, she raised herself to her knees and shuffled forward until she was straddling Ashley’s lap. The hands that held her waist became impatient and she felt Ashley’s fingers slip inside her top to gently skim up and down her sides. Growling into Ashley’s mouth, Spencer traced the brunette’s lower lip with her tongue before sucking it into her mouth, nipping it lightly with her teeth.

She was seconds away from pushing her girlfriend – her girlfriend! – backwards when she heard a heavy cough from the doorway to the kitchen. Pulling back slowly, she turned her head to see her father grinning at her, while Glen was staring open-mouthed.

“Sorry,” she said, although it was obvious from the smile that was threatening to take over her whole face that she wasn’t sorry in the slightest. She eased herself back out of Ashley’s lap to sit back down cross-legged on the floor.

Paula came through from the kitchen only to find her husband and son blocking her path. Looking at Spencer and Ashley’s flushed faces probably told her everything she needed to know about what she had missed. Placing a hand on Glen’s shoulder and her arm around Arthur’s waist, she asked her husband, “So, what’s the plan here?”

“How about the rest of the presents and the big movie?” Arthur asked, walking over to the couch with a large bowl of popcorn in his hands. Leaning down, he ruffled his youngest child’s hair and Spencer shared a smile with her father. She could immediately see how happy he was for her and it added to the giddiness that was threatening to overtake her.

She looked at Ashley, whose smile was as wide as her own, and she marvelled at how easy it all seemed. She had obsessed over how she would broach the subject of asking Ashley to be her girlfriend and how she would tell her parents. She had actually practised versions of the Big Talk out loud in her bathroom. She had prepared arguments and counter-arguments for why they should move their relationship to a more secure footing. She had dreaded, debated and deliberated, and now it seemed like the most natural and easy thing in the world to be sitting next to her girlfriend on her parents’ floor, enjoying a family Christmas. Being naturally-cautious Spencer, her mind immediately jumped to the thought that this was all too good to last. And it was then that she felt Ashley’s hand reach out and take her own.

Nodding, she leaned forward and passed Ashley her present. She grinned as the brunette dropped her hand and ripped open the wrapping paper like a kid. Inside was a plain white box. Opening it carefully, Ashley found inside the present that Spencer had fretted so long over. It was a 1928 copy of Robert Frost’s Selected Poems. It wasn’t a first edition – that would have been many thousands of dollars – but it was a second edition. It was in a slightly faded jacket and had suffered a bit of wear around its edges, but it was otherwise in good condition. It had cost her several hundred dollars, which represented her entire vacation fund for the next year.

“Spence, it’s beautiful,” Ashley breathed. “It’s so -” She turned to face her and Spencer could see that there were tears forming at the corners of Ashley’s eyes.

Pulling her into a hug, she whispered, “And you’ll get your other present later.” She felt Ashley’s arms tighten around her in response.

* * *

“So?” Paula asked as soon as Spencer appeared in the kitchen.

“So what?” Spencer replied teasingly.

Paula retrieved a bowl of eggnog from the large refrigerator and watched Spencer get some glass cups from a low cupboard.

“I did not pretend to need your help just so you could play coy, young lady,” her mother warned, setting the bowl down onto a tray.

Spencer laughed. “She’s my girlfriend,” she stated simply. The word itself felt as incredible as the woman it described. Ashley Davies was her girlfriend. And she, Spencer Carlin, was Ashley Davies’ girlfriend. Surely this was the best Christmas present since some wise men and shepherds visited a baby in a manger. “We’re officially seeing each other,” she continued. “Dating. A couple.” She was saying out loud more to test her own credulity than to explain it to her mother.

Paula raised a hand to shush her babbling younger child. “Since when?”

Spencer leaned against the kitchen island. “Um, since Glen blurted out his comment and you all beat a hasty retreat in here. Or, since the first time I ever saw her and she smiled at me,” she added wistfully, thinking back to the night Jerry had dragged her to the movies. She grinned at her mother. “I think it’s pretty much always been her.”

Paula clapped her hands with glee. “A hat,” she stated. “I’ll need a new hat.”

Spencer’s brow furrowed. “For?”

“For the wedding,” her mother replied.

“Um, Mom, don’t you think that it’s a little soon to be jumping to that conclusion after only,” she checked her watch, “an hour?”

“What? Are you saying that it’s not what you want?” Paula asked incredulously.

Spencer blushed a deep red and shrugged. Of course it was what she wanted, but even she thought it seemed a little previous to be heading there when everything was so new and precious. “Maybe. Some day. I dunno, Mom.”

Paula shrugged back and picked up the tray. “Well, we’ll see. It’ll do no harm for me to pick a new hat up just in case.” She winked at her daughter and sashayed out of the kitchen. “Ashley,” she nodded in greeting to the brunette in the doorway.

“Mrs C,” Ash replied almost bashfully as the tall woman left the room. “Your, um, dad sent me through to see if you needed help,” she said, by way of explanation for her sudden appearance. “I think him and Glen just didn’t know what to say to me,” she admitted, wringing her hands together.

Spencer assessed her girlfriend’s nervous demeanour and immediately surmised that she had overheard some, if not all, of her conversation with Paula. She walked purposefully towards the brunette and stopped in front of her, smiling.

“We should probably talk, huh?” She lifted her hand to cup Ashley’s cheek and slipped her free arm around the brunette’s waist, pulling her closer. “But, you know,” she stated, dipping her head to nuzzle the other girl’s neck, “I seem to recall that someone promised to feel me up.” As she sucked Ashley’s skin into her mouth, she could feel her girlfriend relax.

“In your parents’ kitchen?” Ashley asked with mock outrage, although Spencer could hear the laughter in her tone. “You really do know when to be naughty, Spencer Carlin.”

“So, you, uh, wanna come upstairs and see my etchings?” the blonde mumbled, tracing a pattern with her tongue against Ashley’s skin.

“You don’t own any etchings,” Ashley replied, tilting her head to allow the blonde better access and lifting her hands to tenderly hold the back of Spencer’s head.

“What’s your point, caller?”

Pulling Spencer’s head up, Ashley leaned forward until their lips were almost touching. “I have no idea,” she admitted. “There’s nothing I’d like more than to see your etchings.”

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Next up: Chapter Twenty-Six – A Mi Manero [U]