Between Today And The Last Time

by pirateygoodness

Summary:

Lauren hates this. She hates how things went from being so easy and fun to this, the forced conversations and awkward glares, and she hates that it's partly her fault.

Notes:

Many thanks to thrace_ and one6two6 for beta help. Title adapted from "If You Would Come Back Home," by William Fitzsimmons.

Bo is a lot of things, but she's always been true to her word. When the dust settles, after she's faced her mother and returned in one piece, she calls Lauren. She lets Lauren know that she's alive, and they set up a time to meet and have that talk.

Their first try ends in disaster. For once, it's not Bo's fault.

Instead, it's Lauren - rather, her pager - chirping just as they sit down, seconds after Bo fixes her with a stare and says, "So. talk."

She's being called back to the clinic. Some urgent forensics have come up, and the Ash's representatives have requested that they be analyzed as soon as possible. She resists the urge to groan into her cell phone, to roll her eyes and get frustrated with the fact that sometimes, being owned by the Ash is a little unfair.

(She hasn't had a real weekend in years.)

"I'm sorry," she says, and means it. "I'm sorry, I have to go back to the clinic. Something just came up, and I - it's urgent."

Bo shrugs, looking into her beer with an expression that Lauren can't read. "Of course," she says. "No big deal."

She sounds petulant, like this is somehow Lauren's fault, and Lauren hates this. She hates how things went from being so easy and fun to this, the forced conversations and awkward glares, and she hates that it's partly her fault.

"Hey," Lauren says, waiting until Bo meets her eyes. She takes Bo by the hands. "I'm serious. I want to - can we do this another time? If I call you?"

Bo fixes her with a long, calculating look, like she's trying to figure out Lauren's agenda. It hurts, more than a little. "Yeah," Bo says.

Her thumb drags across Lauren's knuckles, idly. For a self-indulgent moment, Lauren lets herself hope.

But then she has to stand, shrug her coat on, start thinking more like Doctor Lewis and less like Lauren. There's work to be done, and she's already going to be late for it, having to get there from the bar.

"I'll call you," Lauren says, again. She means it.

*

Their second attempt isn't much better.

Bo lets her explain, and to her credit, she listens. But Lauren's words don't come out the way she wants, and Bo keeps getting angry and twisting them, turning them back at her. Their conversation is full of words like liar and betrayed, and it ends with Lauren shouting, "God, would you just give a shit about someone besides yourself, for once?"

It's not her proudest moment.

*

They don't talk for a week. Lauren doesn't call, too embarrassed and furious and hurt to even try. Bo doesn't, either.

But, in her way, Bo's the one who finally breaks the silence. After all, she is the one who shows up to Lauren's clinic one evening, one night when she's working late. There's a knock, and Lauren looks up from her workstation to find Bo leaning against the wall.

For a moment, it seems like she's posed there, almost seductively. But then she stumbles forward, staggering a little, and Lauren understands.

As she comes closer, Lauren can see the split lip, the way she's favoring her right side. There's a large, damp smear across the side of her tank top.

"Bo," Lauren says, standing, trying to process a million different thoughts. She's mostly worried, trying to catalog injuries and work out what she can treat here, after hours, without help. But there's a petty, irrational part of her that's furious with Bo for having the nerve to come here at all.

Bo bends over, coughing wetly, and when she rises Lauren can see that her mouth is stained with fresh blood. She stumbles again, and all of Lauren's thoughts are put carefully aside as Lauren catches her, barely. She leans on Lauren heavily for a moment. When she finally rights herself, Lauren's hands come away slick and bloody. Just like that, Bo stops being the woman who broke Lauren's heart, and becomes a patient who needs Lauren's help.

"My god," she says, helping Bo to a stretcher, easing her onto it. "What happened to you?"

"Don't worry about it," Bo says, and her voice is whisper-soft, her breath coming in short, shallow puffs. Lauren would be willing to bet she's got more than a few broken ribs.

Lauren cups Bo's cheek with her clean hand. "Lie down," she says. "Where are you hurt?"

Bo shakes her head, half-sitting on the stretcher. The effort makes her lurch forward, until she comes to rest against Lauren's shoulder. "No, no, no," she says, pawing at Lauren's cheek, her hands sticky with blood. "It's alright. I just - need to feed a little, I'll be fine."

"Bo," Lauren says, almost a reprimand. She knows that Bo is right, that no amount of oxygen or suture or morphine will make up for the kind of healing a succubus can give herself with one feeding. Medically, it's the best thing that Lauren can do for her. Still, Lauren can't help but feel reluctant, and start to think outraged thoughts like what gives you the right and not after the way you treated me.

Bo whimpers, and Lauren takes a step closer, despite herself. She looks worse, close up.

"Lauren," she says weakly, nuzzling at the hollow of Lauren's throat. "Come on."

Lauren sighs, and Bo sighs back, against her mouth, kissing like her life depends on it. Lauren feels her lips and tastes blood, but she ignores it over the feel of Bo's hands gripping at the lapels of her lab coat, the warmth of her body. It's enough to make her sigh into the kiss, and close her eyes.

That's all the consent Bo needs, and before long, Lauren starts to feel it - that pull, the one that makes her feel exhausted and grateful and aroused, all over every square inch of herself. The one that means Bo is feeding.

The last thing Lauren remembers is collapsing into Bo's arms with a shudder, spent, and Bo's hand smoothing hair across her forehead.

*

Lauren wakes up sitting at her desk, in yesterday's clothes, feeling like she's been hit by a truck. When she straightens up there's a horrible, sticky sound, as Lauren pulls her skin away from her sleeve. She brushes a hand across her face, trying to clear the sleep from her eyes, and it comes away caked with old blood. There's more, mostly Bo's, smeared across her lab coat, her shirt - including, embarrassingly enough, a perfect set of handprints over her breasts. She checks her watch, and immediately abandons the idea of going home for a shower and a fresh set of real clothes. She barely has enough time to get a pair of clean scrubs from the supply closet.

Her morning is a blur. She hasn't been this tired and tried to work since residency, and it's even less fun than she remembers it. Things don't slow down until after lunch, when the clinic is finished and she has a chance to visit the lab and work on some of her research.

That's where Bo finds her, all but skipping into Lauren's personal space while Lauren's bent over the microscope, willing herself to focus on tissue cultures. Bo looks gorgeous, all tight jeans and bare shoulders, her hair framing her face just right. She seems perfectly healthy, without a sign of her injuries from the night before. Her healing abilities really are remarkable. Absurdly, Lauren finds herself regretting not observing them more closely.

"Hey," Bo says, one hand on each of Lauren's shoulders. She leans around Lauren's body, first glancing at Lauren's lab bench, then her face.

"Hey," Lauren says, resisting the urge to reach up and fix her ponytail. She still hasn't had time to shower, and she feels acutely aware of how greasy her hair must be, the fact that she's not wearing any makeup. "What's up?"

Bo shrugs, leaning back against the desk. Her hips jut out, nearly at Lauren's eye level. She has to know how distracting she is. "I just wanted to see how you were," she says. "You look tired, is everything okay?"

Bo smiles, like everything between them is fine. Like she didn't show up here last night, bloody and half-dead, and coax Lauren into being a booty call. Lauren shakes her head. "Is everything okay with you?"

Bo cocks her head to the side. "Of course."

Lauren sighs, pushing away from the microscope and standing. She needs to be on the same level as Bo for conversations like this. "Bo, what happened last night?"

She means more than that, of course. She also means things like what happened to you and why did you come to me last night, instead of anyone else. Bo shifts on her feet, eyes sliding away from Lauren's. For a moment, until she catches herself, she almost looks guilty. "Look," she says. "Come for a drink tonight."

"Bo, you can't just -"

Bo takes a step into Lauren's personal space, bumping their hips together. When she speaks, her voice is sweet, almost innocent. "I can't just what?"

"You can't just show up at my workplace and expect me to let you heal, alright?" It's an idiotic thing to say, and Lauren feels silly the moment she does. Bo can, and she did.

"I can't?" Bo says, quirking her eyebrow at Lauren.

"No," Lauren says. She wants to be assertive, to yell at Bo and make her understand how exhausted she is, how Bo doesn't have the right. "And you can't just assume we're okay. We're -" Bo reaches up, and traces the curve of Lauren's cheek with her fingertips. Lauren's breath hitches. "- we're not."

The problem, really, is that Lauren never feels in control when Bo's around. Not because she's a succubus; there's no Fae power at work, here. It's just Bo, the fact that she's female and beautiful and confident, in everything she does. The feel of her, this near, is all it takes to make Lauren step back and shiver. She tries to focus, tries to remind herself that she's at work, and boundaries are important, and everything about Bo is a bad idea.

Bo reaches out, catching Lauren's arm and rubbing it with her thumb to keep her near. "Please? Just one drink. It's Friday."

Lauren sighs, more heavily. She doesn't want to give in this easily, to be this comforted by a few well-timed kisses and pretty brown eyes. But she wants Bo, even after everything, and if she's honest with herself she's been waiting to be asked out for a drink for weeks, now.

The look Bo gives her as she waits for a reply is so hopeful, so inviting, that Lauren can almost convince herself that she might be sorry. "Alright," Lauren says. "One drink."

Bo's smile is wide and a little bit hungry. "Of course," she says, and Lauren starts to regret giving in. "I'll pick you up."

"Sure," Lauren says. It's just one drink, after all.

*

Bo picks her up at the clinic later that day, after Lauren's had time to go home and shower and find some real clothes. Lauren doesn't quite realize where they're going, until they miss the turnoff for the bar. Bo just keeps driving, right out onto the highway. The only thing Lauren can think of, in the direction they're headed, is Bo's apartment.

"Bo," she says. She wants to sound disapproving, but it comes out closer to indulgent.

Bo grins, clearly pleased with herself. She glances away from the road to catch Lauren's eye. "What?" she says.

Lauren just sighs.

*

Bo's apartment looks different, compared to the last time Lauren was there. It's tidy, for one thing - laundry in the hamper, magazines stacked neatly next to the TV, dishes clean. For another, it's quiet.

"Where's Kenzie?" Lauren says.

Bo shrugs. "She wanted to go out for the night."

Lauren smiles. "Without you? I figured you two were pretty much inseparable."

The look Bo gives her is two parts self-satisfied, one part self-conscious. "Not all the time," Bo says.

Lauren feels her chest tighten, and something flutters behind her ribs. She ducks her head, trying to hide the wide, goofy grin she knows is coming. "I see."

"So," Bo says changing the subject effortlessly. "White or red?"

She means wine, of course, and she walks around the kitchen counter to the cupboard, taking down two glasses. It's an incredibly presumptuous gesture that, on Bo, is almost sweet.

"Um," Lauren starts.

"Unless you don't want wine," Bo says, too quickly.

"No, no. Wine is good. White is fine."

Lauren leans against the counter, across from Bo. She finds her eyes drawn to Bo's hands, the way they shake slightly as she wrestles with the cork. It's something Lauren hasn't ever seen in Bo, before - even when they first met, and Bo was less sure of her own abilities, she'd always seemed sure of herself. "Are you okay?" Lauren asks. "You seem a little stressed."

"Yeah," Bo says. She pops the cork. "Fine."

"Are you sure?"

Bo pours a glass of wine for Lauren, another for herself, before she replies. "Yeah. I just -" Bo starts, then stops. She takes a long drink. "Okay. It's come to my attention that, sometimes, I can be a little selfish."

Lauren doesn't know what to say, whether to agree or disagree or let Bo speak. She settles on, "Okay."

"And that - maybe I shouldn't be," Bo says. She fidgets with the stem of her wine glass, watching Lauren. She looks earnest, almost shy, and for a moment Lauren forgets that she's a succubus.

"Is this an apology?"

Bo sighs, visibly relieved. "Yes."

"Alright."

"Do you - is that okay?" Bo hesitates, for a moment. "Are we okay?"

Lauren can't help but grin. This is the sort of conversation she can work with, the kind of apology she'd hoped for. "Yeah," she says. "I think we can be."

"Good." Bo says. When she smiles, Lauren's struck by how beautiful she really is. "But - I'm still mad that you lied."

Lauren chuckles. "That's alright."

Bo reaches across the counter, brushing her fingertips across Lauren's knuckles. Just like that, it's more than alright.

They settle into conversation, and slowly, one drink turns into another, and then the rest of the bottle. They end up on the couch, Lauren facing the coffee table, Bo sitting sideways with her feet propped against Lauren's thigh.

"Thank you," Bo says, curling her toes against Lauren. "For last night."

All it takes are the words, last night, and Lauren starts thinking about it. Her memory's a bit hazy around the edges, but she's sure she remembers the taste of Bo's mouth, the exhilarating-exhausting rush of being fed on. She feels herself starting to blush, and glances away. "You're, uh. You're welcome."

Bo is silent in reply. When Lauren looks back, she realizes that Bo's fidgeting, hands fisted around each other. It's an obvious attempt at self-control, at making an effort, and Lauren can't help but smile. She doesn't want to be that girl, the one who hears an apology and then falls into bed. But she wants Bo, wants to be kissing her, now, and after two glasses of wine that seems awfully important.

She leans across the distance between them, and hooks a finger through the strap of Bo's tank top. She pulls, and Bo moves with her, and when they kiss Lauren remembers why she wanted Bo so badly in the first place. Lauren feels breathless, too eager and just eager enough all at once, and she finds herself clutching at Bo's shoulders to pull her even nearer. Bo arches into the kiss, her hands coming up to cup Lauren's jaw, run through her hair.

Bo pulls away first, but only to breathe, and they sit on the couch like that for a long moment, panting. Lauren wants her, suddenly - wants her upstairs, naked and spread beneath her, instead of here on the couch. She stands, tugging at Bo's arm. To her surprise, Bo tugs her back down.

"Are you sure?" she tries to say, but it ends with a sigh, as Lauren leans in to kiss at her throat.

"Yes," Lauren says, lips pressed to Bo's pulse. "Yes."

Bo goes still. She pulls away and looks at Lauren, hard, and it's then that Lauren realizes what she's trying to do. "Really. Are you sure?" Bo says, eyes full of genuine concern. "Because you don't have to, just because I'm a succubus. I -"

"Bo," Lauren says. She reaches up, resting her palm against Bo's chest, half shirt and half bare skin. "Shut up."

It's only then that Bo lets herself grin, eager and excited. They stand together, and leave the couch behind.

By the time they make it to Bo's bedroom, Lauren's shirt is long gone, and her slacks are half-unbuttoned, slipping off her hips. Bo's all but naked, dressed in nothing but socks and her panties, and Lauren can't decide if she'd rather stare at Bo or touch her. She settles for a compromise, letting her eyes roam across Bo's bare skin as she reaches out to hook her thumbs through the waistband of Bo's panties and tug them down. Bo laughs as she steps out of them and tugs off her socks, gloriously naked and lovelier than Lauren can stand.

Lauren pulls Bo forward, kissing her fiercely, just once. Then she pulls away and shoves. She's being gentle, but Bo gets the idea, and she lets Lauren push her off balance and backwards, onto the bed. Laughing, she rests her head on her hands, watching with hungry eyes as Lauren shimmies out of her slacks, then the rest of her clothes. Lauren sinks onto the bed slowly, resting one elbow to the mattress on either side of Bo's. She can feel Bo rising up to meet her, and when they press together for another kiss, it's nothing but teeth and tongue and heated, gasping breaths.

Lauren's thigh is cradled between Bo's, and when she rocks forward just so, Bo whimpers against her mouth. It's a heady feeling, knowing that she's the one who can pull those sounds from Bo, and she finds herself making matching noise, low in her throat. She's suddenly hungrier for this than she's ever been, and it's a while before she can bring herself to break away from Bo's mouth again.

Bo looks up at her, face flushed, her breath coming in harsh pants. Lauren's hair is a mess, falling around them in tangled waves, and her necklace hangs down to bump against Bo's chin, the symbol of the Ash's ownership swaying on its chain. It's been long enough for Lauren that she hardly notices it anymore, but it's impossible to ignore the way Bo's eyes are drawn to it. She can see the dark thoughts behind Bo's gaze, the way she's judging, rebelling. Even after everything she's been through, she still has so much to learn.

Bo reaches up, dragging her fingers through Lauren's hair, gently coaxing it into some sort of order.

"You're special, you know," Bo says softly, staring at her with those dark, inviting eyes.

"Yeah?" Lauren says. She's acutely aware of the sound of her voice, the way it makes everything she says sound like please, fuck me.

"The first human I had sex with and didn't kill?" she says, swallowing hard. "That's kind of a big deal."

Lauren starts to feel butterflies again, all over. She reaches down, brushing Bo's hair away from her face, tracing the lines of her cheekbones. She knows that there's a time and a place that isn't now, in Bo's bed, but she can feel all of those sentimental words rushing up in her throat. She can feel herself getting ready to tell Bo she's sorry, how much she's always, always cared.

Bo blinks, and her eyes go hard, and guarded. "Don't hurt me again."

Her words are like a slap in the face, and Lauren has to turn away, just for a moment. "Alright," she says, voice suddenly rough. It hurts more than she'd like to admit, knowing that Bo still doesn't trust her. "Alright."

What she means is, I'd never hurt you, unless the Ash made me. She knows that's not what Bo hears, because in reply, she kisses eagerly and pulls Lauren close. There's a part of Lauren that knows this is a mistake, that wants to sit down and clarify things and actually have that talk. But the rest of Lauren is too focused on the soft curves of Bo's skin, the warm press of Bo's mouth and the heat between her own legs, telling her not to stop this for anything.

She rocks down with her hips, pressing her thigh against Bo's cunt until she gasps, nails digging in against Lauren's scalp. Bo huffs, warm and close against Lauren's ear, and then her hands slide down Lauren's back, across her ass, trying to find room between their bodies so that she can touch Lauren. Her hand slides across Lauren's belly, raising goosebumps as it moves lower down. Lauren sits up and swats it away, gently.

"What?" Bo says.

Lauren loops her hand around Bo's wrist and pins her hand above her head, pointedly. Bo's frown slowly dissipates into a smile, the kind that ends in a gasp as Lauren leans down to nip at Bo's breasts, her collarbone, the edge of her jaw. She teases until Bo is wriggling underneath her, arching up for more contact. When she kisses a path back to Bo's lips, Bo's far gone enough to lick into Lauren's mouth first, kissing and kissing, until Lauren feels her start to feed.

Just like all of the times before, Lauren groans into the feeling of it, overcome with a sudden, paralyzing rush of desire. She wants to give Bo everything, wants to let her take and take for as long as she's willing, just like before. But this time, she stops herself, shakes her head.

When she pushes Bo away, she's panting, and her voice shakes when she speaks but she manages to say, "Stop that."

Bo blinks. "Hey," she says, pouting. It's more effective than Lauren would like to admit.

But there's something about tonight - something about having Bo like this, naked and underneath her, and everything Bo's put her through, the past few weeks. She just wants to let herself enjoy this a little longer. "No," she says, smiling. "You feed when I say you can."

"Seriously?" Bo says, eyes still succubus-blue and too bright. Lauren nods, not trusting her voice. Bo smiles and licks her lips. "That's totally hot."

Lauren doesn't say anything in reply. She slides her hand, palm down, across the length of Bo's body, collarbone to breast to hip. She rises up to make room between their bodies, and slides three fingers across Bo's clit, then inside her. Bo arches up, gasping. Lauren hides a smile in the crook of Bo's shoulder, as she begins to thrust. She crooks her fingers forward, feeling the slippery heat of Bo's cunt and letting herself appreciate the sight and sound of Bo coming undone.

There's a part of Lauren that, even now, is fascinated by Bo. There's something about the pull of her, the way that every inch of her is elegantly seductive, that Lauren can't help but admire on a purely academic level. But she consciously puts those thoughts aside, instead burying her nose in the curve of Bo's throat and pressing rough, eager kisses to it. With her free hand, she starts to palm Bo's breasts, until she growls and clenches around Lauren's hand, lips parted, shuddering.

It's the most beautiful thing Lauren's ever seen.

Bo sinks back, clearly sated, as Lauren pulls out of her. Lauren moves to lie next to her, ready to wait for her to recover. But as soon as she shifts her weight, Bo finds the opening and moves on top of her, settling her weight across Lauren's hips. Apparently, succubi don't need to spend time basking in the afterglow.

"So," Bo says, leaning down for a kiss. "Can I feed yet?"

When she pulls back, her smile is playful, almost sweet. Lauren catches herself blushing, but she holds her ground. "No."

Bo leans down again, this time to drag her tongue up the length of Lauren's throat, ending at her earlobe. "How about now?" she whispers, breath tickling at Lauren's ear.

"No," Lauren says, laughing.

Bo smiles. This time, she moves even lower, leaning down to take Lauren's nipple between her teeth, gently. Lauren gasps. "Now?" Bo murmurs, lips pressed to Lauren's breast.

"Not yet."

Bo moves lower still, pressing kisses to Lauren's belly, her hip, the inside of her thigh. Then she leans forward, and laps the flat of her tongue across Lauren's cunt, the pressure just enough to make her moan. "How about now?" Bo says, her tone light and innocent.

Lauren huffs out a laugh, gasping. Bo licks at her again, harder than before, and Lauren shudders. "Now?" Bo murmurs, resting her cheek against Lauren's thigh. Her mouth slick and pink, and Lauren reaches out to drag her fingertip across Bo's lower lips.

"Alright," Lauren says, cradling the back of Bo's head with her hand. "Alright, you can feed."

Bo's smile is wicked as she dips her head again. This time, she starts to work her her tongue against Lauren's cunt in earnest, pulling gasps from her again and again. Before long, Lauren is teetering on the edge, about to come, and it's only then that she feels Bo begin to feed. It's familiar, by now - Lauren is, after all, an expert. It starts off gently, with a sense of being pulled towards Bo, physically. Then comes a rush of sensation, blooming from her cunt outwards, across every nerve ending Lauren has, until she feels so good she can hardly stand it. Despite knowing how exhausted she'll be once Bo's done, all Lauren wants is more. She lets herself get lost in it, in Bo, and the feeling pulls climax from her once, then twice.

Dimly, Lauren's aware of lying back on the bed, sweaty and satisfied, as Bo continues to feed. Her world starts to grow hazy around the edges, before it goes dark.

*

This time, when Lauren wakes up, her head is on pillows and she's curled under blankets. It takes her a moment to remember - she's at Bo's, they were in bed together, Bo tried to apologize. Lauren feels like she's run a marathon, sore all over and utterly exhausted, but in the best possible way. Her thighs are still sticky as she rolls over to find Bo sitting in bed next to her. Bo's hair is pulled back, and there's a book balanced on her knees. Every so often, she sips from a mug resting beside the bed.

"Oh god," Lauren croaks, sitting up. "What time is it?"

"Saturday. Chill."

Lauren runs a hand through her hair, makes a face at the tangles she finds there. "What time on Saturday?"

Bo's expression is gentle as she looks up from her book to take in Lauren, bedheaded and disoriented. "Early," she says. "You didn't sleep long, it's just after midnight."

"Oh," Lauren says, relaxing slightly. She still has to be at work, but she can get away with coming in a little late. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have -"

She ducks her head, trailing off. She suddenly feels self-conscious, acutely aware that she fell asleep and Bo didn't, that she's naked and Bo's at least half-dressed. From the corner of her eye, she sees Bo set down her book and turn to her. "Shouldn't have what?"

Lauren can feel herself blushing, embarrassed. She can't quite shake the feeling that she shouldn't be here, that this isn't a relationship. Lauren doesn't want to assume. "I - is it okay that I'm still here?

Bo's brow furrows into sweet, gentle concern. "Yeah," she says. "Of course it's okay."

"Should I leave?" she asks. She doesn't mean for it to sound quite so self-deprecating, but it is Bo's house, and the last time she was here, things didn't exactly go well.

"No," Bo says, brushing her fingertips across Lauren's bare shoulder, down her arm. "Not unless you want to."

Lauren rolls her eyes at herself, at the pair of them, and shakes her head. "I really don't."

"Then stay."

Lauren nods, settling back down onto the pillows. She really is tired, and Bo's bed is surprisingly comfortable. She feels the bed shift, and then Bo is gone, padding across the room. She hears the click of a switch, and the room goes dark. Moments later, Bo slides under the covers, her back to Lauren. She seems stiff, almost nervous, and there's a long, awkward moment that passes before Lauren realizes what she's after. She slides across the space between them, pressing her front to Bo's back, and drapes an arm across her waist. Bo relaxes all over, soft in Lauren's arms.

Lauren buries her nose in the warm skin at Bo's nape, trying to memorize the feel of her.

"Lauren?" Bo says, softly. Lauren hums an affirmative against her hair, listening but drowsy. "I'm glad things are okay between us."

Lauren's heart begins to hammer in her chest, so hard that she almost worries Bo will be able to feel it. She's never getting to sleep, tonight. "Yeah?" she whispers.

"Yeah," Bo whispers back. "I, uh. I sort of missed you, too," she says, shyly.

Lauren can't think of anything to say - at least, anything that won't make her seem silly, or naive, or too eager. So, instead, she pulls Bo a little closer, and kisses her shoulder. Bo laces their fingers together, pulling Lauren close.

Lauren knows this won't last, is the thing. The woman in her arms isn't just a woman, she's Bo, and it would be unreasonable of Lauren to expect any succubus to enjoy one partner for any period of time. It's also hard to forget that they live in the Ash's world, and Lauren's lived there long enough to know that good things like this are rarely ever good for long.

But for now, Lauren is warm and naked and satisfied in a beautiful woman's bed. She plans to let herself enjoy every second of it, while she can.