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As a little girl, christmas had always been Tegan's favorite holiday. She'd spend hours in the kitchen with her mom, baking christmas cookies and helping her prepare for dinner while singing along to the Christmas music on the radio. They'd go to church and Tegan and her brother sister would sing in the children's choir. Misses Price was easily fascinated by anything her daughters did, but hearing them sing was especially touching for her. That is also why she poured her heart and soul into recording their performances on her camcorder, shamelessly blocking other churchgoer's views to get the best angle. Tegan didn't particularly like singing, but she gave it everything she had anyway. She even sang the solos if the choir teacher asked her to - only to see her mother's face light up when they rewatched the tape later.
When she got older, Christmas would be one of the only occasions that the Prices would reunite. She would come back from college and catch up with her younger siblings about their high school love-lives. She'd join her mother in the kitchen to cook dinner before going to church and then drink beers with her dad on the couch until it was way after midnight. Her dad wasn't one to talk about feelings, but in those moments, with his daughter next to him and the both of them being slightly drunk, she could tell how much he'd missed her. He never told her, but the way he looked at her right then - with his eyes glistening and his cheeks rosy from the alcohol and a fond smile on his face - she could feel it. She always looked forward to the end of the year.
But since her family had passed away, her love for the holidays had turned into bitterness. She tried to ignore the festivities as much as possible. Her office was the only one in the whole company without any decorations and she would change the radio station in her car as soon as an intro with christmas bells started playing.
She'd usually spend Christmas Eve by herself, getting drunk over watching reruns of Dr. Phil so she could at east focus on someone else's problems instead of her own. She survived, basically.
But this year, things would be a little different. Being a managing partner at C&G came with a lot of positive things; higher income, more responsibility, more power and many other things, but there was also one big downside to it.
She had to be present at the company's annual Christmas party.
Caplan and Gold's Christmas parties were infamous in Philadelphia's small world of lawyers. It was the one night where partners, associates, interns and receptionists all felt like equals. The building was transformed into a winter wonderland, and they'd spared no expense in creating that true "Christmas feeling." Every year, they'd hire a Santa and a group of elves who took care of waiting the tables as well as some entertainment. There was a huge christmas tree in the middle of the building, all the offices and desks were covered in christmaslights and every vase of flowers was replaced by a centerpiece with at least three Christmas baubles in it.
Before her last promotion, she had always been able to find a reasonable excuse to explain why she couldn't make it. She'd just tell her boss that she wasn't feeling well, that she had a hot date or a huge pile of work that was long overdue and it had always worked.
Until her boss had told her that she was expected to give a speech. Apparently, it was tradition that one of the managing partners took it upon themselves to give a speech about their goals and wishes in the new year. And with Tegan being the newest addition to the club, the task had been assigned to her.
She'd tried to get out of it; she'd told him that she wasn't the best public speaker and that he'd be way better off with someone else, but he had insisted. He'd told her that it came with the job and that he'd be very disappointed if she backed out.
Tegan had always prided herself on not being a people-pleaser. She didn't give a shit what other people thought of her, but this was her boss and that meant that if she didn't do this, all it would do is hurt her reputation with him. She literally had no choice.
And so she spent the next few weeks dreading this evening, hoping that she would get the flu or some kind of stomach bacteria, but she stayed annoyingly healthy, didn't even get her usual winter-cold.
So here she was, hanging up her heavy wintercoat on a hanger with a burning piece of paper in the pocket of her pantsuit. She took a deep breath before she turned around to walk towards the rest of the room.
That's when she saw her enter the building. She looked more beautiful than she'd ever seen her, wearing a dark red dress that reached all the way down to the ground and hugged her body in all the right ways. Her make-up accentuated her facial features and her smile... Oh God, her smile...
"Annalise!" she called her, suddenly feeling more nervous about her presence than about the whole speech thing.
She waved when Annalise spotted her and saw her eyebrows shoot up.
"Hey!" The taller woman greeted her as she made her way over to her. She held her coat in her arms as she looked her up and down. "I didn't think I'd see you here."
Tegan pursed her lips. "Yeah, me neither." She looked at Annalise's coat. It looked warm and heavy and it probably smelled like her perfume and Tegan wanted to live in it.
Her crush on Annalise was almost embarrassing. Since she's started at C&G, her work days had gone by a lot quicker. She always looked forward to their meetings, and not only because the woman was gorgeous. Annalise was the only colleague who actually dared to stand up to her. Her bosses did, too, of course, but that wasn't the same. It was their job to give her feedback and they always did it in a presumptuous, degrading way, like they had to make sure that she knew who was superior. When Annalise did it, it was... different. Not only because she was actually above her in the hierarchy, but also because their arguments were based on mutual respect and a strangely high amount of physical attraction. Sometimes she even felt like the only reason Annalise would disagree with her was to poke her a little. It worked, too. Tegan would bite whatever bait she'd chosen, getting into their usual quick banter. She loved those moments; they made her feel alive.
It was also during these conversations that Annalise looked at her like she was about to either strangle her or kiss her and Tegan wanted her to do both.
She never did, though. It never lasted more than half a minute before one of them would break the tension by changing the subject or cracking a joke, or they would be interrupted by something else.
Seeing her now, dressed in this attire, she wanted nothing more than to walk her right back out the door again and spend the entire evening with just the two of them.
She was snapped from her thoughts when she saw a hand appear on the other woman's hip.
"There you are," she heard someone say in a low roar. It took her a second to figure out that this was the man that hand belonged to.
His eyes looked up and down Annalise's face, while hers were still on Tegan.
"Eh... Tegan, this is Stephen. Stephen, Tegan."
Tegan swallowed. Of course Annalise had brought a date. She was the only thing that could've made this night any better, but this was only adding to the disaster. Having to watch her flirt with someone else was not something she was looking forward to.
Stephen looked oblivious to the tension in the air and held out his hand with a wide smile.
She shook it firmly and tried not to think about it too much.
"Hi, Tegan. Nice to meet you."
Tegan gave him a quick nod. She couldn't say the same thing.
When she didn't make an attempt to say anything else, Stephen took Annalise's hand and guided her to the wardrobe.
She looked back at Tegan and smiled softly, almost as if she wanted to apologize for leaving her alone. Tegan watched them walk off while she put her hands in her pockets.
This was about to be the worst night of her life.
"So... No special woman in your life, then?" Simone, an associate at C&G, was looking at her while she nipped at her drink. She was leaning in their standing table with her elbow, eyeing her face up and down. Tegan had always wondered if she had a thing for her; she knew the woman wasn't afraid of making flirty comments, but she'd always brushed it off as friendly remarks. This, however, was on a whole other level. She had been searching for eye-contact all evening and when she'd finally gotten it, she'd gotten her a drink (one that she actually liked, surprisingly) and walked over to the table that she was standing at. Tegan had noticed that she moved closer and closer towards her, but she just let it happen. It was a nice distraction.
She also couldn't deny that she felt flattered by her attention. Simone was gorgeous; a redhead with dark green eyes and a nose covered in freckles. It was no secret that she had had sex with most of the queer women at C&G (and some "straight" ones, too) and it was rumoured that she had kept scores of every bed partner she'd had. It seemed like Tegan was her next woman of prey. Her finger was tracing small circles on her forearm, but the Latina's focus was pulled toward something behind Simone.
There, at the other side of the bar, she could see Annalise laughing at something Stephen was saying. It was a real laugh, making her whole upper body shake as she laid her hand on Stephen's arm for balance. She rarely ever laughed like that and Tegan felt a pang of jealousy.
Simone moved her head so she blocked her view and looked at her expectantly. "Hello? You still there?"
She batted her eyes and smiled apologetically. "Oh, sorry. Eh... No, no one special."
She tried really hard not to look at Annalise while she said that, and Simone didn't seem to notice.
"Ah, okay. Good to know." She looked at her from the corner of her eyes and smiled wide, showing off the smiley piercing that was glistening beneath her upper lip.
Tegan felt like she was way too sober to continue this conversation and lucky for her, someone tapped at her shoulder to tell her that it was time for her speech soon.
She excused herself from Simone and made her way over to the small podium. The small piece of paper that she'd written a short speech on that afternoon was burning in her pocket. She couldn't wait for this to be over.
The show was kicked off by William Gold, the son of the company's owner, who really took his time in saying how happy he was with every department in the company. He took about twice as much time as he would have needed if he had been sober, but the man was known to love his whiskey and since he was usually slightly less of a dickhead if he was intoxicated, no one really made a problem off it. Tegan just felt reassured that whatever she would say, it would probably not be as bad as this guy.
When it was her turn to step on stage, she did so while faking confidence. The audience responded immediately when she walked up to the microphone and she could hear Simone's voice above everyone else's.
It wasn't as hard as she'd thought it would be, and she quickly discarded her paper. No one would notice if she changed up the words anyway.
When she talked about her fondness of her newly afound equals, she heard a snicker from the audience. It didn't take her long to find Annalise's face in the crowd. She was hiding her smile behind her hand, trying to look casual while purposely not looking at Tegan.
Tegan wished she hadn't looked over to her. Of course she would laugh at her speech - it was complete bullshit, after all, and Annalise could see right through it.
She went on to tell a very rose-colored story of her first meeting as a partner. She told it like everyone had been supportive, like she had felt welcome from the start, when in reality her co-partners had purposely taken a chair out of the room so there would be no place for her to sit and then laughed at her when she had rolled it back in.
The people in the room didn't need to know that, though, and they ate up this version of the story anyway. Except Annalise, of course. When she looked over to her, she saw that she had turned her back to the stage and was bowed over her drink.
"So... I just wanted to wish everyone a very merry christmas and a happy new year." There was some cheering while she walked off the stage, which she fully ignored. She was just glad that it was over.
She made her way to the back of the building, all the way down to the back exit which she pushed open to step outside, where she finally felt like she could breathe again. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, trying to take in as much fresh air as possible.
The door opened and closed again, and when she opened her eyes shortly to see who had come after her, she sighed.
Annalise held out a pack of cigarettes to her. "Want one?"
She looked at the packet and took a cigarette before thinking about it twice. "You smoke?" She asked as Annalise handed her a lighter.
The taller woman shrugged. "No. But I suspected that I was gonna wish I did tonight, and I was right - as always."
Tegan rolled her eyes. She inhaled through her cigarette and closed her eyes as she tasted the tabacco. She hated smoking, usually. but somehow it felt like this was exactly what she needed right now. At least it calmed her down a little.
Annalise lit herself a tabacco stick as well and leaned against the wall beside her. She propped her leg up against the wall and looked at Tegan. "Nice speech," she said, the sarcasm dripping through her words.
Tegan laughed through her nose, pushing her against the shoulder. "Shut up. I had to."
The older woman chuckled as she took another hit. "At least you looked hot doing it."
Tegan coughed. She didn't know if it was because of the smoke or the statement, but at least it gave her an excuse for why her face turned red. "Well, thank you," she got out as she cleared her throat.
Both women were quiet after that. They listened to the sounds of the streets around them and watched the smoke from their mouths evaporate into the dark sky.
"Who's your date?" Tegan finally broke the silence, and Annalise let out a deep breath.
"Some guy Bonnie set me up with. She said he was just my type. Turns out he's just a nerdy white guy who wants to work here." She laughed humorlessly and tapped the ash off her cigaret.
Tegan raised her eyebrows. "You have a type?"
The other woman smirked, squinting her eyes at her playfully, like she was challenging her to ask her more.
"Tell me." She took another hit from her sigaret and tried to play cool, she tried to come off like it was just another question when in fact it was so much more than that. It felt like she was heading into uncharted waters.
"Oh, wouldn't you like to know." Annalise pressed a finger to her shoulder and pushed against it, but not hard enough for her to actually move.
She rolled her eyes at her and swatted her hand away. "Well, then not. I just thought I might know someone, you know."
Annalise looked at her for a few seconds, before mumbling "Hmmm," in a disbelieving way. "Sure."
Tegan was watching her sternly, her facial expression as neutral as she possibly could. She was not about to give in any more.
When Annalise realized Tegan was staying quiet, she rolled her eyes again before clicking her tongue. "Alright. I don't think I have a type. But with guys, I usually go for the calm ones who like doing their own thing. I need my space. Oh, and I don't mind some muscle."
Tegan nodded understandingly, a small smile dancing around her lips. She could see Annalise's former lovers fitting that description, even if it wasn't very specific. "And with the ladies?"
"I don't think I have a type with women either, although..." She bit her lip shortly and looked at her from the corner of her eyes. "I do have a weak spot for hot lawyers with a nice ass."
That comment made Tegan's mouth go dry. She licked her lips as Annalise continued, "Extra points if I can beat them at Monopoly."
She leaned in to say her next words a little closer to her ear, laying two fingers on Tegan's shoulder to accentuate her point. "And it also helps if their tongue game is strong."
When she moved away, Tegan saw a self-assured smirk on her face that she wanted nothing more than to kiss away, but right at that moment, the door to the building opened again.
Three male colleagues from finance walked out, loudly talking to each other about one of their girlfriends. They didn't notice the two women who were in the alley with them at all.
They kept staring at each other for a few seconds, before Annalise threw her cigarette on the ground and put it out with her shoe. "Alright, I'm going back in. See you at the dancefloor." She winked at her one more time, before walking through the door and disappearing from Tegan's sight.
Tegan finished the rest of her cigarette in silence, trying to ignore her already tipsy colleagues who were talking about how much they hated being in the relationships they were in.
Had Annalise just made a move on her? Her face had been pretty close to hers and then she'd started talking about oral sex... Maybe this night didn't have to be as bad as she thought.
When she stepped onto the dancefloor, her eyes were searching the crowd for her favourite colleague. It took her a few seconds to find her, and when she spotted her, her heart sank. Annalise was in a tight embrace with Stephen. She couldn't see her very well, but it looked like she was enjoying herself. Stephen's hands were on her hips as she moved her body against his. He wasn't really doing much, though. He looked like he had not a rhythmic bone in his body, and judging by the awkward bopping of his head, that was probably correct.
Tegan tore her eyes away from them and turned around. This was exactly what she was dreading. If this was how Annalise wanted to spend the rest of the night, then so be it. Tegan had been here long enough anyway, no one would miss her if she left now.
Except... Just before she made it to the wardrobe area to grab her coat, someone took a hold of her arm. She was ready to pull it free, until she saw Simone standing in front of her, flashing her an innocent smile.
"Hey!" She exclaimed as she let go of her arm. "There you are. I was looking for you all over. Your speech was amazing." She winked at her teasingly. "Wanna dance?"
Tegan wanted to say no. She wanted to go home and judge other people's problems on Dr. Phil and get drunk by herself and avoid all the annoying colleagues who wished her a merry christmas like she had every year, but Simone was looking at her like he was the only person in the room and maybe that was exactly what she needed right now.
Maybe dancing with Simone would be a good way to release some of the tension that had built up inide of her. Hell, maybe she'd even get some real action out of it and finally find out if the rumours about Simone's unearthly skills between the sheets were true. It was better than being alone.
She nodded and let herself be pulled back towards the dancefloor. Simone took Tegan's hands and put them on her hips as she danced in front of her, stroking her own hands through her red curls.
Tegan smiled. She looked beautiful. She exuded confidence and sex and it felt like that was exactly what Tegan needed right now.
She pulled the woman in closer and moved her body with hers, while Simone wrapped her arms around her neck. Her hands had a tight grip on her hips and she guided her body effortlessly.
Simone shrieked when Tegan suddenly took her hand and made her turn around in her arms, catching her at her waist when she'd turned a full circle.
"Oh, you're good!"
Tegan smiled for a second, until she spotted Annalise again. Her hands were in Stephen's neck and she could clearly see her face - she looked
Her smile turned into a grin, which didn't go unnoticed by the woman in her arms. "Wha- Oh..." She turned around to see what Tegan's eyes were focused on, and then looked back at her with a knowing look.
"Annalise, huh?"
Tegan swallowed thick, trying to think of an excuse, but then she saw Simone's face. She didn't look offended or jealous at all It was almost like she was excited about it.
"We could give her a show." Her voice sounded low and her eyes were glistening as she pulled Tegan closer.
The shorter woman understood what she meant when she felt her hands on her hips, her fingers grasping at her buttcheeks. "Eh..." she demured, but Simone quickly shushed her.
"Just dance with me. Is she watching us?"
Tegan looked over at Annalise to see her quickly divert her eyes. She had Stephen pressed against her body now, his head was in her neck and it looked like he was saying something to her that she wasn't listening to.
"Yes," she told Simone, who grinned widely.
"Good. So you like her, right?" She lifted Tegan's hands up and placed her right one on her shoulder and her left one at her waist.
Tegan felt like her face was on fire. Was it that obvious? She was about to deny it, but then she saw the look on Simone's face and she realised it was useless. She already knew.
"Yes," she admitted softly, making the redhead smile. Tegan bit her lip in embarassment. She had never actually said it out loud, but here she was spilling her feelings to a woman who was obviously into her.
Simone didn't come across as a jealous person, though, and her genuine smile proved that to be true.
"Alright, then spin me around again."
Tegan looked at her in confusion, not knowing where she was going with this, but when she raised her eyebrows at her, she did as she was told. She stopped her from turning too far and Simone made use of the situation by stepping even closer to her, her forehead now almost touching Tegan's.
"She still watching?" she whispered against her nose. Her breathing had gotten heavy from the dancing and Tegan could feel it hit her cheeks with every breath.
She could also feel Annalise's eyes burning in her skull. When she looked up to see what she was doing, the other woman didn't even try to hide it anymore. Their eyes locked and she could see her raise an eyebrow. She didn't look surprised, though. It was more of a look that said "is that all?" and it made Tegan's breathing speed up, too.
She nodded to Simone, who immediately took it upon herself to take it up a notch. Her lipstick stained Tegan's neck as she was peppering it with kisses. and Tegan actually closed her eyes for a second at how good it felt. They were barely dancing now, definitely not in sync with the rhythm anymore, but she didn't care.
"Slap my ass," Simone whispered in her ear, and Tegan complied immediately. She caressed the place where her hand had come down softly The redhead gasped and stopped her motions for a second, until she leaned back to look in her eyes again.
"What is she doing?"
Tegan looked at Annalise through her lashes and found her now dancing in front of Stephen, whose hands were moving up and down her sides while she was grinding against him. She was reaching over her shoulder to touch his neck and pull him even closer, all while she was shamelessly full on staring at Tegan. It was clear that she was only doing it to get a reaction out of the Latina.
She couldn't tear her eyes away from hers as she told Simone, "still watching," and the woman in her arms looked at her lips when she lifted her head from her neck.
"Kiss me," she breathed as she laid her hand on Tegan's cheek.
Tegan swallowed. She didn't know how far she wanted to take this and she also had to remember that she was at a work function, even though no one seemed to be paying attention to them. But Annalise's eyes were on her dark and hot and she could feel it throughout her whole body and Simone smelled so good that it was alost effortless to lean in even more and smash their lips together.
Her lips felt soft and wet and she kissed her swiftly, with a purpose, almost business-like. There was no room for tongues and certainly not for any feelings.
It didn't last more than a few seconds before she pulled away. The taller woman was panting lightly, her forehead now resting against Tegan's.
"Please tell me she saw that," she whispered against her mouth and Tegan looked back at the spot where Annalise had been dancing just a few seconds ago. She wasn't dancing anymore, though. She stood absolutely still and her eyes looked like they were about to shoot fire. When she saw Tegan look back at her, she pulled herself loose from Stephen's grip and stormed off through the crowd.
"Eh- I..."
Simone turned around just in time to see Annalise run off and then took a small step away from her. She flattened her blazer as much as she could. "Go after her," she told her as she cleaned up some of the smeared lipstick on her face.
"And if you somehow don't end up taking her home, just give me a call." She tied a few strands of hair that had fallen out of Tegan's ponytail behind her ear and smiled at her warmly.
Tegan looked at her dumbfounded. She was still having a hard time grasping what had just happened, but Simone wasn't having it. This couldn't have been for nothing.
"Go!" She shoved at her shoulder lazily.
Tegan felt sorry for her. This was probably the most supportive thing anyone had ever done for her and even though she knew Simone had women lining up for her, it made her feel guilty to use her like this. She seemed fine with it, though. It even looked like she was about to get angry if she didn't move quickly.
"Thank you," Tegan managed to get out before she walked backwards to the edge of the dancefloor.
Annalise was trying to get on her coat while she walked through the door. The cold air hit her in the face harder than she'd expected. She cursed softly, trying to get her arm through the sleeve while she descended down the stairs in front of the building.
She wasn't seeing clearly. The streetlights were a blur and the sound of her heart pounding in her head was louder than anything else around her.
There was no way she could ever get that image off her mind. She should have expected it, somehow. She had been the one who'd brought the date, after all. Even if it was only because Bonnie had been pushing her endlessly.
She had thought about asking Tegan to go with her. She had even played out that conversation in her head countless times, but that was before Tegan had told her about her chagrin towards christmas. If she had known that Tegan was going to be there, she certainly wouldn't have brought that man with her. Hell, if she hadn't challenged her by getting it on with Stephen right in front of her, she might have been the one dancing with her instead of that red-haired woman. She might have even been the one kissing her.
She'd thought that it would add some spice, being touched by other people while they only had eyes for each other, but she didn't expect Tegan to take it that far. It had looked like she was on the same page initially, especially since she had been watching her like she'd wanted to devour her for a good few minutes.
Maybe it had all been in her head. It could just as well be that Tegan had actually wanted to dance with Simone because she just wanted to dance with her, not because she was trying to get a reaction out of Annalise. Maybe it had just been her selfishness that had gotten that thought into her head.
She hated feeling like an insecure teenager again, but the image of Tegan kissing that woman kept coming back and she just couldn't make herself feel better.
"Annalise!"
She didn't turn around.
"Annalise," Tegan's voice sounded closer now. She could see her stepping next to her from the corner of her eyes and sighed deep.
Tegan looked at her in concern. "Are you okay?"
She scoffed as she finally looked up to the woman in front of her, only to look back down immediately after. "I'm fine."
She wasn't fine.
The Latina wasn't fooled that easily, though. She crossed her arms and sighed deeply. "You're shaking."
"Yeah, I don't know if you've noticed but it's fucking freezing, Tegan." She wrapped her coat around her body a little tighter and hid her hands in her pockets.
Tegan tilted her head. She jingled her keys in front of Annalise's face. "I could give you a lift," she offered, expecting to be refused with how the other woman was acting.
Annalise had a completely blank look on her face. "Really?" she asked dryly, her voice low. "You wanna take me home while there's some hot nympho waiting for you in there?"
The shorter woman bit her lip.
"If I were you, I'd get back in there as fast as I could." She looked at her sternly, but Tegan didn't seem affected by it.
She shrugged as she slipped her keys back into the pocket of her coat. "Well, aren't you lucky that you're not me. Come on." She hooked her arm through Annalise's, who let herself be pulled away from the street.
She sighed deeply and followed her in to the parking garage. At least she didn't have to wait in the cold anymore.
"So... Simone," Annalise broke the fairly awkward silence that hung in the air since Tegan had switched off the radio for playing Christmas music. She knew they'd have to talk about it sometime, so she'd rather just get it over with right away. "I didn't know you liked her."
Tegan shrugged. "I don't. She was just... there. It just happened."
She felt Annalise's eyes burning on the side of her cheeks. "What?"
Annalise blew out a breath through her nose. "I just don't get you sometimes."
Tegan's brow furrowed and she turned to look at Annalise shortly, before watching the road again. "What do you mean?"
"She was all over you, Tegan. And she's not just 'hot,' she looks like some sort of perfect elf. Like the one with the dragons. And yet you're here, driving me home while you could have been doing God knows what with her."
She was clearly referring to Daenerys since Tegan had made her watch the first few episodes and it made her kind of proud that Annalise remembered her favourite character, even if she got the terms wrong.
"She's not an elf," Tegan muttered.
"Oh, you know what I mean."
Tegan sighed. "Yeah, she's beautiful. But she's not here. Stop talking about her."
She didn't want to tell her that she'd pick Annalise over Simone every time, in every single situation.
Her fingers tightened their grip on the steering wheel as she saw Annalise lay her head against the headrest. "Besides, you're one to talk. Did Stephen have some kind of hidden talent that I wasn't seeing? It looked like you were really feeling it back there."
Annalise groaned, placing her hand on her forehead. "Oh, shut up. I've never seen anyone dance any whiter than him."
Tegan chuckled. "So nice of you to let him dance with you. What a fun way to get in your charity work," she teased as she drove her car up Annalise's street, looking around to find a parking space.
The older woman rolled her eyes, but a smile crept upon her face. "Well, I didn't really have a choice. The person I wanted to dance with was occupied, so..." She clicked her tongue and looked at the woman next to her for a long moment, watching her facial expression change from flattered to playful as she moved the car into a parking spot.
Tegan put the car in park before she looked at her, too. Their eyes locked and both women could feel something shift in the air. There had been tension between them since the moment they entered the car, but this was different. It was like there was something magnetic between them that made their blood rush.
Annalise made no attempt to leave the car. She just sat there, staring at Tegan intensely and she couldn't pull her eyes away from her. It felt like a full minute later before Annalise cleared her throat to softly ask, "You wanna come up?"
The Latina felt her heartbeat speed up. She couldn't help but feel enthralled by what that question implied. "Sure."
They waited for the elevator to come down in silence.
Tegan had been here a few times before, and she had always come alone. Annalise would be waiting for her in her appartment and Tegan would have one last moment to herself during the short elevator ride. She longed for that peacefulness now. Something about them standing there, next to each other, close enough to hear each other's breathing but just not touching, made her feel giddy.
"What do you think mr. Stiff 'n Skinny is doing right now?" She broke the silence, attempting to break the tension between them a little.
Annalise snorted.
"Probably telling his lawyer friends that I'm a horrible person."
Tegan looked at her with raised eyebrows. Annalise didn't even look fazed by saying that about herself. They would have to address that some day.
"And Simone?"
Tegan sucked in her lips as a grin formed on her face. "Probably fucking some of her lawyer friends who probably treats her way better than I did."
Annalise laughed through her breath. She looked at Tegan from the corner of her eyes with a half-smirk on her face.
"Maybe we deserve each other," Tegan joked. She hadn't realized how the words would sound until they were out of her mouth. They hung heavy in the air between them and she wished she could take them back.
At that moment, the doors to the elevator opened and she stepped in quickly. Annalise pressed the button to her floor and then froze when she looked up at the closing doors.
"Maybe we do," she said in a low voice as she straightened her back.
Tegan followed her gaze and felt her breath hitch when she saw what was sitting just above the doors. Right there, stuck to the doorframe, was a tiny branch of mistletoe.
The doors closed in front of them and Tegan felt her heart rush.
Annalise's pinky finger was softly brushing against her hand, before slowly taking it in hers and turning to face her. She looked at her triumphantly.
Tegan didn't know how to react to the situation. She didn't even know if she liked what was happening just yet.
"Really? Mistletoe?!" She wanted to sound unimpressed, but it came off more annoyed than she'd meant it and she swallowed the rest of her snarky comments about how lame she found that tradition when she saw the sparkle in Annalise's eyes.
The older woman shrugged as she took her other hand in hers as well, stepping closer just a little. "I know you are the less green, way hotter, female version of the grinch, but..." She queezed her hands softly. "Just don't think about that now."
Tegan rolled her eyes, but then the situation dawned on her: Annalise was about to kiss her and she was actually complaining about it. She had to get it together.
She looked at her hands in Annalise's. Darker skinned thumbs were running circles over the backs of her hands and she could feel herself calm down at the touch.
When she looked her in the eyes again, Annalise was already looking at her lips and it was so easy to just let go. She closed her eyes when she saw her lean in, sucked in a breath and felt her whole body light up when she felt her lips on hers. They were soft and smooth and Tegan squeezed at her hands and then...
She pulled away.
It was over before she knew it, just slightly longer than a peck, and Tegan wanted to lean in and kiss her again, the right way, but before she had the chance to do so, the elevator's bell rung and the doors opened.
Annalise jumped at the sound. She felt Tegan's hands slip from her fingers and she missed the touch immediately.
Tegan wanted to curse at the terrible timing, but Annalise was already walking towards her appartment so she followed her as quick as she could, her heart pounding in her chest. She waited patiently as the woman in front of her opened the door.
Annalise's hands were visibly shaking. She had not expected to feel this way after a kiss like that, but here she was, struggling to get the key into the slot because her fingers were trembling so bad.
When she finally managed to push the door open, she walked in straight away and then closed the door behind Tegan, leaning against it as she watched Tegan turn around.
The latina was looking at her with eyes darker than she'd ever seen, her chest heaving slightly as she unwrapped her coat.
They hadn't said anything to each other since their very short kiss and neither woman felt the urge to break the silence. Not when the way they were looking at each other was enough to communicate exactly how they felt.
Annalise let her eyes roam over Tegan's body. She looked awfully good in that pantsuit, but still she wanted nothing more than to rip it off of her.
Annalise's keys dropped to the ground and the sound made something snap inside her. She took a step closer to Tegan and looked her in the eyes, waiting for her to give her permission this time.
And Tegan didn't even have to think about it. She took Annalise's face in her hands and kissed her like she had wanted to do for so, so long.
She felt her sigh against her lips and let herself be pulled against her, wrapping her arms around her neck while she felt Annalise's hands roaming her back, pulling her flush against her body. She sucked at the taller woman's lower lip playfully and heard her groan as she opened her mouth.
Something fluttered in Tegan's stomach when she felt a tongue brush against hers. Meanwhile, Annalise's hands were moving down to her lower back and it didn't take long until she felt a strong hand grasp at her ass. She gasped into her mouth and made Annalise step back, pressing her up against the door.
Both women were already out of breath when their lips finally parted. Their foreheads were still pressed together and Tegan smiled through her panting. "Finally," she breathed before pressing her mouth to Annalise's again.
"Guess all we needed was fucking mistletoe." Another kiss, to which Annalise leaned in a little to make it last longer.
She laughed warmly as she stroked a loose curl behind Tegan's ears. "I figured we could use some encouragement."
Tegan's mouth fell open. She leaned back and looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You...?"
"Of course. Someone else put it up there, so all I had to do was get you in there with me."
Tegan watched her with wide eyes . She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You planned this?"
Annalise chuckled. "Well no, I didn't plan you making out with Ariel from a porno, but I guess it worked out anyway."
Tegan's brain was working overtime. Did that mean she'd kissed Simone for absolutely no reason? "Jesus, Annalise... And what if I hadn't come home with you?"
"I'm patient," the taller woman shrugged as she stepped out of her heels, kicking them to the side shortly after. "I'm sure there would've been another opportunity."
Her calm demeanor made it seem like she was dissecting a business deal and Tegan was starting to see the humour of the situation. She shook her head, laughing in disbelief as she walked over to the couch to lean against the back of it so she could watch Annalise turn on the lamps in her appartment. "So I kissed that poor girl for nothing." Her eyes followed the older woman as she walked back to her. She watched her bare feet as she went to stand a few inches away, taking her hand into hers to softly run her thumb across it.
"I'm sure Simone didn't mind. You're a great kisser."
The smaller woman laughed quetly while she felt her cheeks heat up.
"Damn right," she agreed, leaning into Annalise's hand on her face. She let out a deep sigh. "But I would never have done that if I knew I could be kissing you instead." She lifted her hand to the back of Annalise's neck and softly carressed her jaw.
Annalise bit her lip as a warm smile appeared on her face, leaning her forehead against Tegan's. "You can make up for it now."
Tegan grinned. She closed the small distance between them and kissed Annalise softly. A heartfelt sigh escaped her as Annalise kissed her back. This kiss was different; slower, more passionate, like they had been doing this for ages. It made her feel like her entire body was on fire.
Annalise was still holding her face in her hands, while her own hands were running through the taller woman's hair.
She felt Annalise's tongue brush against hers and it didn't take long for the kiss to turn more intense. Hands were exploring places where they'd never been and while Annalise had told herself that she wanted to take it slow, she could already feel her own wetness when she clenched her thighs and she knew there was no point in trying to deny her utter need for Tegan's touch.
Tegan flipped them around, trapping Annalise between the couch and her body and started pulling at the bottom of her dress. Annalise wanted to tell her they could continue in the bedroom, where there was a bed that would make this so much easier, but Tegan was peppering her neck with kisses that would surely leave marks and all her protests went out the window. She reached down to help her pull her dress up. It stayed put just above her hips and then Tegan's fingers were running over the outside of her thigh.
Annalise gasped in anticipation. She bit her lip when she felt Tegan's hand softly brushing higher and higher, finally touching her at the inside of her thighs, just next to her pantyline.
Tegan was sucking at her skin in the nape of her neck, and Annalise moved her head to give her more access. She wrapped her leg around Tegan's hips to pull her in even closer and the smaller woman grinned when she felt her eagerness.
She hummed in content as she kissed her just beneath her ear. Annalise moaned softly and let her head fall back into her neck, closing her eyes when she felt Tegan's mouth suck on her earlobe.
Tegan slipped a finger in her underwear and smiled when she felt how wet she was. "You want this?" Judging by the sounds the woman was making, she could already guess her answer, and her smile turned even wider when she saw the older woman nod eagerly.
"Yes," she breathed, wrapping her arms around Tegan's shoulders to keep herself upright. She felt her panties being pulled aside and then Tegan's fingers were exploring her folds ever so carefully.
She moaned when she felt her thumb graze her clit and tightened her grip on Tegan's blazer as two sleek fingers entered her. "Fuck..." she moaned into Tegan's hair.
Tegan grinned against her neck. She loved how responsive Annalise was to her touches. She slowly rubbed her thumb over her most sensitive spot while she started moving her fingers inside her. Her movements sped up when she felt Annalise's leg pull her closer and her fingers scratching at her skin through her jacket.
"You like that?" she asked softly, looking at her face from up close. Annalise's eyes were shut tight, her brows had formed into a frown and her mouth was wide open. The sounds of her laboured breathing alone would be enough to get Tegan wet. She had never seen her look hotter.
"Yes," she whispered, her voice shaking when she felt Tegan's fingers speed up, fucking into her with precision. It was clear that she knew exactly what she was doing and Annalise was just glad to be on the receiving end of it. Her thumb was rubbing over her clit with every thrust and she could feel her walls starting to clench already.
She felt her other leg being lifted as well and wrapped it around Tegan's waist, whose free arm was now steadying her on the back of the couch. Her hand was trapped between her thighs now, but she tried to keep moving as well as she could. Her moans got louder and she could feel something building up from the pit of her belly.
Tegan felt the other woman's muscles tightening and was panting into her ear softly as she kept her fingers going.
"Let it go, baby," She whispered into Annalise's ear. "Come for me."
And that was all she needed. Her hands were grasping at Tegan's hair and the fabric of her blazer as she let out a loud moan.
It had been a long time since she'd come so hard.
Tegan's fingers were being coated by her wetness as she kept slowly fucking Annalise through her orgasm. She really hoped she'd never forget the sounds the woman in her arms was making right now.
When her breathing had slowed down ever so slightly, Tegan pulled her hand away and then put her panties back in place, which somehow made Annalise feel even warmer. She slipped down to her feet again and pulled Tegan in for a kiss.
The smaller woman pulled away shortly after, but only to lift her hand up to her face and lick her fingers clean. Annalise watched her with dark, wide eyes and Tegan grinned mischeviously
"Something wrong?" She batted her eyes in feigned innocence and Annalise didn't know how she'd managed to resist kissing this woman for so long.
She shook her head absentmindedly before closing the distance between them again. She could taste herself on Tegan's lips and it made her head spin.
"You're so hot," she breathed against her lips. Her hands were pulling at Tegan's blazer, which she dropped to the ground quickly before letting herself be led backwards, into Annalise's bedroom.
They were both smiling through the kiss, breathing hard as their hands were starting to wander again.
"Merry Christmas," Annalise whispered when she pulled Tegan's shirt open, sending a few buttons flying through the air.
It was the first time that evening that Tegan was actually happy to hear that sentence. It was a merry christmas.
The younger woman laughed as she shook the garment off her shoulders. Annalise started kissing the top of her breasts immediately, looking up at her through her lashes shortly before she moved her lips back to hers again.
Tegan kissed her back quick and hot as she let her hands drop down to the other woman's ass. She turned Annalise around in her arms and pulled at the zipper of her dress. It took her only a few seconds before it was pooling at her feet.
She licked her lips when Annalise turned back around and she wanted to lick so much more. This was a present she could get into.
She looked back up at the other woman with eyes full of lust and hopes and wishes and maybe even a hint of something more. "Merry christmas."