The day had been a really good one, but Rory would be lying if she said she didn't feel particularly odd in the time it took for her to drive home from her lunch. It wasn't like she'd sought out Jess, and it wasn't like there were any lingering feelings to deal with at all - but rather she wasn't keen on the idea that this was all happening now in the weeks leading up to her wedding. She just didn't want anything to put a damper on the unchecked joy that was the last weeks of being engaged.

But she wasn't about to lie about it or keep it from her, either. It was funny that however fast time felt to have gone by with Maris, it also felt like an eon since she'd been with the other woman. It'd been a year in actuality, which was a long time to go without even giving the past (where her ex was concerned anyway) a single thought.

Rory walked in the door and greeted Emma who had trotted out and lay in her way, chuckling a little bit as she stepped over her and scratched her ears. "Maris?" She called out into the house, following signs of life until she found her.

Putting her little bag of goodies down, she immediately found a spot to sink against her fiancee, resting her cheek against her shoulder as she hugged her. "Hi honey." She said softly, honestly wishing she could bypass whatever bad feelings this conversation might bring out.

Maris had spent most of her day around the house. After taking Byron for his morning walk, she did a bit of laundry, paid some bills online, and tidied up. When she was cleaning out the fridge (which was more an exercise in tossing out old take out she'd forgotten she'd had over the past week or so), she decided she wanted to cook, remembering she had the ingredients for brisket lying around.

Since it would take a while to cook, especially if it was going to be as fork tender as she liked it, Maris changed into the mossy green work out set she'd just bought, figuring she'd jump on her exercise bike to kill time while it was in the oven.

Feist was playing ever so softly from a speaker as she trickled marinade over the meat in her dish. Maris needed a bit of background noise, but didn't want her music loud enough to be a distraction.

"Hey," she said with a soft smile as Rory slipped her arms around her waist. "I'm making brisket. It's going to be better this time."

Maris' first attempts weren't bad. In fact, they were more in the decent, or even good category, but her brisket didn't taste quite the same as her father's or even Ramona's (who had never been quite as good at cooking as her brother).

Maris was determined to get it right.

Once she was satisfied, she shoved the dish into the oven and turned around to look at Rory.

"Well, I was gonna get on the Peletoon but..." She smiled, spotting the bag Rory brought with her. "Anything good?" she asked, nodding toward it.

The house smelled amazing, and Rory really loved how domestic they'd get in the kitchen, how natural it was for one or the other to decide it was time to cook. She'd have to remember to tell Maris about her friends she honestly had been quite worried about through quarantine, where the one did ... everything. Balance was something they never really struggled with when it came to most things in their relationship.

But she had more pressing things to tell her about now. She wasn't even sure why she was nervous about it.

"It was good last time! I mean, we happily ate it." She chuckled, taking a step back to fully appreciate how good Maris looked in her outfit. It was enough to want to convince her to have a far different workout.

"Anything good." She rolled her eyes and handed over the bag. "I got some of those homemade hohos and a smattering of their cookies, too." She leaned back against the counter, regarding her fiancee for a moment later.

"So I uh..." She hesitated, huffing a little sound and looking up at the ceiling, suddenly feeling annoyed, mostly at herself for making it weird, or even at Jess for being there in the first place. "I ran into Jess of all people outside the bakery." Her gaze was focused on Maris, chewing her lower lip as she studied her reaction.

"Ooh," Maris said, immediately peeking into the bag to see what kind of cookies her fiancee had brought home. With the kitchen smelling as good as it did, she was tempted to have one then and there, but she ultimately rolled the bag closed as tightly as she could, placing it far down the counter so she didn't spoil her dinner.

She wouldn't have been able to eat when Jess was mentioned anyway. Maris felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. She hadn't thought of her in months. Maris worried a bit, that Jess would come after Rory after the unpleasant run in she'd had with her in front of the library but as time passed, she breathed easier allowing herself to believe was all behind them.

Now those old fears were back with full force. "What happened?" she asked, panic already creeping into her voice. "Did she say something to you?"

They might be digging into the comfort food of cookies a little earlier than anticipated, really.

She felt the immediate shift in the atmosphere too, and wanted nothing more than to completely erase the woman from her past from their lives. But then, maybe that's really what today was. There had been a lot of anger she had towards Jess for how she treated Maris, particularly when Rory had been the one in the wrong out of all three of them. But it all took a turn towards actual indifference as the weeks turned to months. She didn't think of the other woman ... at all, really.

"Yeah. It wasn't... it wasn't terrible? But it wasn't some happy moment either, clearly." She sighed again, dragging her fingers through her hair. "She knows we're getting married, cause of course she knows the gossip." Rory lifted her gaze to her fiancee. "I think she said some things she's been holding onto, but it wasn't bad."

Maris had never really felt guilty for her part in everything. She knew getting involved with Rory when she was engaged to someone else was wrong, but it had never felt that way. She disliked Jess even before their very public argument and the other woman's very public name calling.

She never thought of her either. Not now, in the aftermath or while it was going on.

She'd never allowed herself, really. Thinking about Rory with someone else hurt too much.

Which was sort of why Maris never had any regard for her feelings.

She'd told Rory to let it all go, that being confronted didn't bother her and she'd been telling the truth. Maris thought she'd let it all go but now, being reminded of her again felt an awful lot like an old wound being reopened.

She was relieved Rory hadn't received the same treatment she had from Jess but the idea that they'd had some sort of heart to heart made her feel...

No, not angry. She was, but there was more to it than that.

Maris felt vaguely sick. Her stomach sinking like she was...

She was jealous.

Jess had been important to Rory after all, no matter how hard she'd tried to pretend otherwise. They had been planning to get married before...

She laughed, but it wasn't a very joyful sound, more of a noise that conveyed how ridiculous this all was. "Well her timing's impeccable."

Rory could have handled things better. She could have just cut things off with Jess the moment she knew that her feelings for Maris were just as strong as they ever were. Stronger. Even if she'd managed to convince herself in their years apart that she had been over her, all it took was seeing Maris to send Rory unraveling. It wasn't fair to Jess, but it couldn't be helped.

But even then, Rory wasn't guilty for any of it. Her mind could warp their memories and forget all of the negativity around any moment they shared while she was still technically with her ex. Their Gentleman Jack night that turned into their first-again time. The backseat of Maris' car. Countless nights, stolen moments. She wouldn't regret a single moment.

And still, it was important that she took accountability for it, maybe finally. It just didn't feel good to take away even a fraction of joy with something like this.

"Hey," She said softly, closing the space between them and reaching her fingers to take Maris' hands in hers. They always had been tactile people, and Rory felt the need to touch her as much as she felt the need to reassure her. If that's what she needed.

"I weirdly think it was okay... A chance to clear whatever the air still needed to be, you know? I haven't thought about her in so long, I kind of forgot that might not have been the case for her." She shrugged a little, squeezing Maris' hands. "I don't want this to make you upset. I just didn't want to keep it from you."

Rory's touch didn't soothe her as much as it normally would have. The room felt increasingly hot, her stomach increasingly knotted as the idea that Jess and Rory had some sort of big moment began to sink in.

But her words did have an effect, her cheeks suddenly burning a little more than everything else as she looked down at the floor. "No," she said softly, shaking her head before looking up at her with a bit more conviction once she'd snapped herself out of it. "No, I'm glad you told me."

She didn't want to be the sort of person people bit their tongue or walked on eggshells around.

She didn't want there to be any secrets between them and she supposed it would have been even weirder if Rory hadn't told her she'd run into Jess at all.

"As long as everything went well," she said, narrowing her eyes at Rory as if to be sure she was telling the truth.

Jess had said some very choice things about her, after all. And Rory too. But Maris supposed a lot could change in nearly a year. It was good that Jess had gotten over it. She could see how that would make Rory feel better, but...

Had she been sad at all?

Maris had never really noticed. Sure, Rory had spent nearly a week at her house recovering after the break up but she thought she'd bounced back quickly.

Another old fear crept up, a little voice whispering that Rory might resent this, her, because she'd passed up another choice.

"It is really strange timing though," she said, managing to push those thoughts away and offering her a weak smile. "But a good one, i guess. Now you won't have that weighing on you."

The thing about a connection and even a love as strong as Maris and Rory's was that she honestly didn't think she'd be capable of keeping something from Maris. Rory was an open book normally with her fiancee, but she also liked to think that she could read her pretty well. She was naturally empathetic - sometimes to her own detriment - but more so with Maris.

So she knew, she had to know, that this was affecting her fiancee.

"It was fine. Not nearly as bad as it could have been." She nodded, and that was the truth. While she wouldn't cheerfully declare a great time was had by all and now they should invite her ex to the wedding (shudder at the thought), it could have been far, far worse.

"Yeah, it really is." She huffed, brushing her fingers through Maris' hair as she slid her other arm around her waist. Her brow furrowed a little bit, as she caught Maris' eye. "That wouldn't be weighing on me, Maris."

She slipped both arms around her, her whole being feeling like she just needed to be closer to her. "Has that worried you? That I'd be thinking about all of that now?"

In truth, she didn't exactly know what she was worried about. She didn't think Rory and Jess seeing each other again would rekindle any sort of romantic feelings but there was this fear that it would remind her that she had been planning another wedding once upon a time.

Maris didn't doubt Rory, not for a moment. She knew this was what she wanted but part of her was still sort of disgusted by the idea that she'd ever been planning a future with anyone else at all.

"I'm not worried," she said a bit defensively. "It's just..." she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "A sore subject, is all. Especially now."

It gutted Rory that there was anything that could dampen their mood at all. Though, she supposed if there was something they needed to work through, maybe it was good to do that now, clear all the air.

Her hand rubbed softly against Maris' back, trying to soothe her with the light touch.

"I know babe." She huffed softly, biting at her lower lip as she pondered the whole of their situation here. "I guess it's just not something we've talked through, not really. It was so much easier and better just to move on. And I'm really glad that we did." She smiled softly before she leaned in and quickly kissed her fiancee's forehead. "I hope you know... I think I've said it, but if I need to say it again, I don't regret or feel guilty about a single thing that brought us to where we are now."

"I don't regret anything either," Maris said, reaching out to cup Rory's cheek.

But there was no denying Maris' decision to be with Rory, despite everything was a lot easier than her fiancee's. She didn't have anything to worry about. She'd made no promises to anyone. She didn't have a fiancee or even a girlfriend to worry about hurting. She didn't care about Jess in the least. She didn't even torture herself about it on a moral level and wonder if what she was doing made her a bad person.

Or at the very least, a selfish one.

Maris hadn't given anything up, not the way Rory had. But she'd gained everything, a whole new (or old, depending how you looked at it) life that was really going to begin soon.

Maris' dreams were close enough to touch and that was why this, as innocent and probably as good for her fiancee as it probably was, stung just a little. The idea of Jess always would.

She didn't blame Rory for moving on. It wasn't like she had been some sort of nun, cutting herself off from the world and other women until she returned to her. She'd been a mess when Rory left, falling back into her old pattern of not feeling much of anything except the rush that came with sex, one that faded far too quickly when there weren't other feelings under the surface that made things even stronger. So she kept chasing it.

There had been plenty of women, but there hadn't been one. Jess had been special in her own way, even though Maris knew she had never really taken her place and certainly wouldn't find her way back now.

"Maybe I deserved it," she muttered, a thought she'd often had but never voiced aloud before. She spoke up, figuring Rory might as well hear this, now that it was spilling out into the world. She deserved the sting she was feeling even now because..."I was so mean to you, Rory. And stubborn. I should have just said that I wanted to see you more. I should have told you I didn't really want you to go in the first place." But would Rory have listened? Would she have thought she was clingy or holding her back?

They could have parted ways just as easily after that too. It was easy to let her mind run wild on what ifs and maybes and Rory was right that everything sort of had to happen the way it did to get to now but the idea that they'd suffered, sort of needlessly and wasted so much time occasionally struck Maris hard.

Especially because she knew they wouldn't be waiting for their wedding in this other, less stubborn reality.

They'd already be married by now. Hell, Keats and maybe even Jane would already be in the picture too.

Maris gave her a quick kiss. "I'm... well, I'm never glad to hear about her but I've imagined much worse conversations for the two of you so..." She cupped Rory's face and managed a smile, a weak but slightly more genuine one this time.

Though Rory knew it, it was still a relief to hear. If she was holding onto anything at all, it was probably more wrapped up in that. That maybe they were glossing over things just in the interest of how goddamn happy they were together. That maybe there were some things that Maris wanted or more accurately needed from her, some acknowledgement of their past mistakes, whatever they needed to push them forward.

But it was all so easy with Maris, even in the hard moments. Even with this overwhelmingly weird moment for them, Rory wasn't afraid. She didn't think it would unravel them, or stall their plans in the slightest. That surety, that safety that she had with Maris was something that she'd never had with anyone else. Probably actually, something they didn't have even with each other, before. It took the loss of each other to actually feel the depth of what that kind of loss meant.

It was never going to be that way with Jess. Her decision was made the moment she caught sight of Maris in the coffee shop. Maybe even before, if she were entirely honest with herself. And when was the time for honesty, if not now?

"Maris." She said her name softly, her arms squeezing her a little tighter, as she was already shaking her head. "I think we were both stubborn in our own way. I shouldn't have let you push me away. I should have fought harder for us." It was honestly one of the biggest regrets of her life, and she really didn't let herself think about it that often. That night was the worst, hands down, she'd ever had. If she thought about it, the memories came back too vividly, too painfully. "I was miserable for a long time. But the worst part was i knew it was my own fault, and all I wanted to do was call you when I was feeling that shitty." She expelled a humorless laugh, but was glad she said it.

Looking at her fiancee, she kissed her again, soothing as it was to feel. "It could have been worse. It was jarring to see her, it feels like a whole different life." And it really did. "If I'm honest, the thing that gives me more guilt than anything was that I was with her at all. That I let it get that far..." She hesitated, feeling a little emotion tightening her throat. "I only ever wanted you. And god, that makes me such a bitch."

Maris didn't think it was all her fault. Loath to admit she was wrong even when she knew it, she didn't get some twisted sense of joy out of playing martyr.

She knew she had hardly broken them up all on her own. They'd both stopped talking and let things pile up. They'd both made the mess they ended up in, but she still felt like she should shoulder most of the blame. She'd been the one who brought up breaking up in the first place. She'd acted like she didn't care about Rory anymore which probably made it easier for Rory to walk away.

There was more to it than even that, really. In hindsight, she often wondered if Rory knew how much she meant to her, even in their happiest times. She couldn't shake the feeling she'd been colder than she probably should have been, at least in comparison to now.

She could be a real sap when she wanted to be, though she'd probably always fight that innate urge to reel things in a bit. She'd never be entirely comfortable with wearing her heart on her sleeve.

"You weren't a bitch," she said, shaking her head firmly. "I wasn't... I got lonely too." Maris begrudgingly realized that maybe Rory finding Jess was a good thing, at least for her fiancee. Having someone there to fill the void, even when they weren't the person you really wanted, well, it helped.

However briefly.

Maris took a deep breath, then a hold on Rory's hands, giving them a firm squeeze. "We're not doing this okay? This whole blame game thing. Let's just... its good that it went well. We won't have any soap opera moments at the wedding." She managed a weak smile. "Although, like I've said, not sure I could blame her." She gave Rory a soft, lingering kiss. "I know better than anyone that you're pretty much impossible to get over."

It felt weird to have any sort of hiccup in the utter high feeling they'd had over the past several months, and even more specifically the weeks getting closer to their wedding. But having all this dredge up their breakup wasn't something she wanted to rehash either.

They'd already been over it, and lived through that pain to begin with. Rory had spent years knowing it was the biggest regret of her life, and yet now here they were, literal weeks away from their wedding. They didn't have to live with their pain and regret anymore because they had the rest of their lives to make up for it.

If it were possible, Rory loved Maris even more now, and she thought back then that she'd clearly reached a peak. Not so, when she felt actually filled up by it. There was nothing she wanted more than to be her wife.

Rory exhaled slowly, bowing her head against Maris' after the kiss that soothed her even more. "God, I don't even want to think about that possibility." She smiled slightly, feeling deeply emotional and altogether needy as she held onto her. "Yeah well back at you."

She leaned in and kissed her again, slowly, lingering longer than before, her arms keeping tight hold of her fiancee. "If it's not clear every single day..." She said between another quick kiss before she caught Maris' eyes. "I can't wait to be your wife."

Maris had been teasing. She'd worried a bit about Jess coming after her fiancee after she'd done the same to her all those months ago, but she'd thought very little about Rory's ex since they'd gotten engaged. She'd never really thought Jess would cause any trouble, but now that she'd joked about some sort of dramatic wedding scenario, she couldn't help imagining, for a moment at least, just how terrible that would be.

No one knew, not even Maris' best friends (not even Eli who was usually pretty good at sorting out things Maris didn't or didn't want to tell him) knew exactly how they'd started up again.

And they never would, really. Their affair was as much of a secret now as it had been when it was happening. Everyone had been surprised when she suddenly announced she hadn't just found Rory again, she was dating her again too. Things had definitely moved faster between them this go around, but everyone just assumed Rory and Maris were glad to be back together and weren't about to waste any (lost) time.

Which was absolutely true.

no matter how little guilt she felt over their new start, the idea of everyone finding out was more than a little mortifying. All their stolen moments together had felt more sacred than scandalous. People finding out about them would have felt... invasive.

That was what she was most worried about. Not anyone else's judgement.

But she'd said it herself. That wasn't going to be a problem. Jess wasn't an obstacle anymore. She never really was one to begin with.

She let Rory's words and kisses wash over her, a low chuckle escaping her lips as she cupped the other woman's cheek. "It is. But I like hearing it."

Especially that last word.

Maris backed up against the nearest kitchen counter, letting Rory keep her hold on her as she parted her lips with her tongue.

Though they maybe hadn't planned out every moment of their wedding day - and for good reason to have room to go with the flow of events naturally, she didn't want any actual distractions. She hadn't even thought about it until today, and she knew after this conversation, she wouldn't again. Their wedding was theirs, and even though they joked that they didn't need anyone else there and should have or could have eloped, the truth was for Rory, she only cared about Maris. The amount of detail they'd put into the flowers, the music, the colors - all of that was just a bonus. If everything was rained out and they had to get married in a shitty rec room, well of course she'd care, but it wouldn't halt for one second her need to marry Maris that day.

Their past, the good of it, the bad of it - every piece of it made up the intensity of their love for each other. Rory couldn't compare it to anything else she'd felt because nobody had ever come close to giving her everything Maris did. She wanted to make her happy, and knew she'd spend the whole of her life making sure she did.

Even if this moment hadn't felt all that great, Rory felt an overwhelming sense of freedom. She wasn't holding onto anything, but also she didn't have to think for a single second the what-if of running into the other woman again.

"Good, I like saying it." She smiled softly against her lips, kissing her deeply, her hand coming to the back of Maris' head and curling her fingers into her hair. She sighed softly into her lips, kissing her deeply, her tongue immediately greeting Maris'. One hand went to rest against the counter next to Maris, the other sliding around her back. She held onto her tightly, until she used both hands to lift her fiancee up to perch on the counter, her lips parting only for a moment before she seized them again.

A soft huff of surprise escaped Maris' lips as Rory lifted her up onto the counter. Her fingers threaded themselves into Rory's hair in kind, a full body shiver buzzing through her as their tongues met.

Though unhurried, Maris kissed her like she didn't know how to stop, not really letting them part even though she eventually had to come up for air when her lungs ached for it. Her naturally full lips were even fuller, kiss swollen as they made their way down the curve of Rory's neck, gently moving her hair out of the way when it became an impediment.

She wanted her close and kept her there, her legs closed around the other woman's body, her chest pressing against hers as she soaked in the feeling of being held.

Her teeth sunk into Rory's skin, softly at first but with Jess still very faintly in the back of Maris' mind she found herself biting harder than she normally did, certainly harder than they ever had while they were sneaking around for fear of marking her and leaving evidence behind.

She could now. A wave of heat washed over her at the idea that Rory was hers. She knew it, of course. She'd always known it, even when Rory was engaged to Jess but... Maris sucked softly at the mark she'd left behind, feeling a sense of possessive satisfaction, a soft purr escaping her lips once she raised her head to gauge Rory's reaction.

It was so easy for Rory to shift gears at the slightest mood change, her need often taking top spot whenever it suited her. It was no actual surprise how much she needed Maris now, that heart-thumping, heat pooling need spreading through her like wildfire.

Her hands slid up Maris' thighs, squeezing them as she shifted her body in between her fiancee's knees. She hummed a soft sound as they kissed, keeping her close, her hands wandering.

A soft sound of protest left her lips as they parted from the other woman's, a pathetic sound even if her lungs were aching for reprieve. She wasn't bereft long, not with Maris' lips moving over her neck. Her hands slid further up until they moved over her exposed skin. God the outfit really was an inspired purchase.

Goosebumps spread instantly over her skin at the sharp pain of Maris' bite, a gasp sounding from her that blended into an almost desperate sounding moan. Her hands squeezed Maris' ass, harder than she would have, but that clingy, needy feeling only grew.

Her eyes were dark with desire by the time Maris caught them with her own, as one hand moved up to cup the side of her face and draw her in for a ferocious kind of kiss. Her tongue found hers as she made quick work of gripping the waist line of Maris' workout pants and tugging them down over her hips.

Maris had gone back and forth a bit on buying the set she was currently wearing. It seemed pricey. Too pricey for something she was just going to wear around the house because she'd cancelled her gym membership once her precious bike had been delivered two years before.

But the outfit was nice, made of the sort of soft, clingy material that actually stayed put when you were moving around. Which meant it was kind of a struggle to get in or out of.

Maris lifted her hips, making a little noise of frustration when the material didn't automatically give way. She let out a breathless laugh, lifting her hips more to help Rory out, but she nearly flew off the counter in the process, catching herself by gripping the edge of the counter with both hands.

But they eventually did get them off, their kisses (which had never really stopped) just as passionate as before as Maris eventually let go of the edge and slipped both hands into her lover's hair, eventually gripping a handful and using it to pull Rory's head back ever so slightly so she could accept even more of her kiss.

Rory had honestly been a little pressed to remove what Maris was wearing; she looked so damn good in it. But she was a practical woman and knew certain things had to be done -- even with fabric as clingy as this. She laughed against Maris' lips as they fumbled to get them off, as she tugged a little more insistently.

"Like we're back in your old house that first time." She chuckled into her lips, but gripped her fiancee's head to keep her close as she kissed her deeply, even more passionately than before. Her hands dropped to grip underneath her knees, pulling her legs around her waist as she stepped in so close their hips could press together. She was never more thankful for her long legs than in such moments.

A soft 'ah' sound came as Maris tugged at her hair, a thrill of pleasure racing through her veins. When she pulled back from the kiss, her breathing was heavy, cheeks flushed and lips swollen but she didn't care about the ache in her lungs. She needed more, as she leaned in and kissed Maris' neck, lashing her tongue over her skin as she slid one hand up the inside of her thigh. The other hand moved to palm over her breast, but she didn't take the time to get her out of the top. Not yet anyway. Her fingers splayed against her thigh as she rolled her thumb against the folds of her lover's pussy, a soft hum rumbling from deep in her throat. "So wet," She purred against her skin, her teeth gently nipping at her skin as her thumb found Mari's clit and began to rub slowly.

It was Maris' turn to let out a soft cry, a full body shiver coursed through her at that first bit of contact, her legs automatically spreading the tiniest bit further to give her lover better access.

That sharp sound slowly shifted into whimpers of pleasure and the occasional huff of breath as Maris started to rock against Rory's hand in time. She may have shed (half) of her workout clothes but she was suddenly sweating like she was in the middle of one, their slow burn making her body temperature go up awfully fast.

Once they had found their rhythm, Maris reached down and grabbed Rory's chin, pulling her up for another more of the kisses that had gotten them started and she couldn't seem to get enough of. She wasted no time in pushing her tongue past her lips, stroking Rory's as slowly as she was stroking her pussy.

Rory's grin split her features at Maris' reaction to her touch. God, she loved the way her fiancee responded to her, how immediate it was, the way their bodies felt so attuned and perfectly locked in to each other.

She sucked at her neck, her tongue rolling over the spot as she continued to roll her fingers slowly over her clit. Rory moaned, the slick feeling against the pads of her fingertips urging her for more. As much as they joked around about their sex life taking over any real need for exercise, it really did feel that way with how fast their heartbeat picked up, the sweat that formed along their skin.

Rory grinned in the split second between Maris grabbing her chin and their lips crashing together. She kissed her with abandon, her tongue finding hers easily. As they kissed, she made a soft noise against her lips, as she pulled her closer and slid two fingers inside of her lover. She moaned as she felt her wrap tightly around her fingers. She sucked at her lower lip and built a rhythm, a little faster than her strokes had been before.

No matter what certain pop songs said, Maris didn't understand how people could kiss with eye open. Kissing Rory had always been a full body experience, something that forced her eyes to flutter shut and her body to press that much closer. She lost herself in it every time it happened no matter where it did, whether they were on the green sofa, in bed or increasingly public places like the bakery booth or a random street corner.

But Rory's mouth and fingers working in tandem (two things that knew how to give her pleasure all on their own) working in tandem was almost too much to take. It was bliss and her lungs needed more and more air to keep that bliss coursing through every part of her.

The kiss broke slightly noisily, her eyes opening once they realized there was a world outside the one she drifted into whenever their lips touched.

And god, was there plenty to see.

Maris suddenly found herself watching Rory fuck her, getting a sort of shivery thrill as she looked down and watched her lover's fingers disappear inside her.

Her teeth sank into her lower lip, her hips suddenly working faster, keeping up better now that she knew exactly when to anticipate a thrust.

Whatever was happening, it was clear Maris loved it, her head eventually fell back in pure pleasure as she felt her body start to buck, a sign the end was near and Rory had found exactly the right spot. But she wanted to watch, letting out a noise of frustration before almost forcing her half lidded eyes back down between her legs again, letting out a little whimper as her thighs started to shake.

The pleasure that Rory got in giving her fiancee pleasure always felt like a little bit of a cheat. She loved to earn every bit of pleasure, every sound, every movement that came from her love and then give her more in return. No matter where they were or how they were, Rory gave her everything.

Rory's head bowed against Maris' as her fingers worked at a steady rhythm, picking up on her lover's cues and driving her thrusts a little harder, quicker to match with her hip movements. "That's my girl," She purred her words, that possessive quality laced in every syllable as it came so naturally when she was inside of her.

There took on an almost performative nature as Rory watched Maris watch her, her thumb found her clit again, rubbing quickly over her it and then slowing down, driving her fingers inside of her at matching pace. Her free hand reached to the back of Maris' neck, gripping her there as she kissed her shoulder, her throat. But she didn't linger long, she didn't want to obstruct her lover's view.

"Come for me baby," She purred against her ear, curling her fingers inside of her and thrusting faster, her palm wet from Maris' pussy and the sounds of their sex filling the room only serving to make her want to give her more.

Maris' gasps and wordless pleas for more sounded almost...surprised. She'd never stopped being in awe of what Rory could do and just how good she made her feel. But this...watching herself be taken, fucked with such laser focused intensity was new, something she had never really done before even her fiancee. It was easy to believe they had done everything because Maris had certainly done even more with her than any other lover but it felt new every time. She found things to make it new without even trying, further proof she'd never grow tired of this woman like she had all the others before her.

"Fuck me. Oh god, Rory, fuck me," she gasped, more of a breathy plea than her usual command. She knew her orgasm was going to be intense. Her eyes blurred in anticipation of it, even though she wanted to watch herself come even more than the build up. Her teeth sank into her lower lip but it was no use. Maris screamed as her orgasm hit, a roll of paper towels a few inches away from her arm tumbling onto the floor as her whole body jerked with the intensity of it, a fresh wave of warmth trickling down Rory's palm.

There was nothing that beat these moments, holding her fiancee in her arms, drawing every ounce of pleasure from her and still wanting to give her more, and more again. She fucked her deeply, alternating her pace between rapid thrusts and slower ones, making sure to change it up just when Maris began to tremble. She knew her lover's tells, she knew how close she was, and that only made her give her more. They truly were never wanting for passion, for things that upped their game again and again. It was any wonder they weren't entire addicts so much so that they weren't just blissed out on pleasure at all times. They were that goddamn good.

"Oh god, Maris," She murmured against her skin, her fingers moving faster, thrusting deep inside of her, the heel of her hand grinding into her clit with every thrust. A kind of surprised gasp sounded from her, a smile bursting across her face as Maris screamed for her. She felt a flood of heat through her body, her thrusts not stopping, but only slowing to draw out every shudder of pleasure, every gasp, every jerk from her lover. "Fuck," She groaned, leaning in and kissing the side of Maris' face. She kissed her warm skin a couple more times, before she drew back enough to take in the full sight of her. "You're so fucking beautiful." She smiled, keeping her close as she slipped her fingers from inside of her, gaze locked on Maris' as she slipped her fingers into her own mouth. The moaned at the taste of her fiancee, a shudder racing down her spine.

Maris really was a sight, though if she had caught a glimpse of herself in that moment, her description would have been "freshly fucked". Her hair was mussed. Her lips were swollen from self inflicted bites and still ever so slightly slick from Rory's kisses. Her sports bra seemed clingier than ever now that she had a thin layer of sweat on her skin but god, was all of it bliss.

Still half lidded eyes darkened as she watched Rory take her fingers and the taste of her into her mouth and marveled at how such a simple thing could make her mouth water with want and send a fresh pulse of arousal between her legs.

Hands (and everything else) still slightly shaky, Maris reached up to pull Rory's hand away from her mouth. "Share," she said, her voice a soft, groggy husk of it's normal self thanks to exhaustion. But it sounded more like a scold than a request.

She purred as the pair of them locked eyes and Maris started licking the taste of herself off them instead.

These really were moments that, no matter how many times they made love or fucked each other, seared themselves into Rory's mind. The way her fiancee looked, cheeks flushed and eyes dark, hair a little wild. A sweaty sight that just made Rory swell with complete pride.

Her brows shot up at Maris' demand, heat swirling through her body as she felt her own arousal reach new heights. "Whatever you want." She said, her eyes darkening as she watched Maris take her fingers into her mouth now, a soft whimper sounding from her as she did.

"Fuck," She sort of exhaled the word, drawing her fingers back just quickly enough so she could press a near desperate, passionate kiss to her lips. She could taste Maris on her tongue, what a thrilling feeling that gave her.

"Okay." She said as she tore herself away, taking a step back and flashing a cheeky grin at her fiancee. "You catch your breath. Tell me what to do with this brisket." Rory finished with a wink, knowing full well they'd have a long night ahead of them.