Valentine's Day - Riley & Gianna

I love predicting what the winner will be for the polls... and this month, the result was precisely what I expected - Gianna as the winner as to who would plan the most hardcore Valentine's Day planner (with Regan being second)

--------- Valentine's Day ---------------

College – Junior Year

Gianna rolled her eyes at the TV, grimacing in disgust as she continued to scroll through her options.

Every streaming service wanted to promote Valentine’s Day. Ridiculous, cheesy movies about lOoOovE and how it conquered all, and all that bullshit.

If love conquered all, then why was the woman she was in love with out with someone else tonight, hmm? Because there was no one in the world that could love Riley Beckett as much as she did, and yet – here Gianna was.

February Fourteenth. Alone. In their shared dorm room.

While Riley was out on a date with Ashton.

She couldn’t help but scoff at the very thought of his fucking name.

He’d been a fixture for a little while, now, after Riley had met him last semester. Sure, he seemed decent, but seeing him with Riley never failed to make her stomach cramp.

It was really, really… hard. To be in the position she was in, right now.

She’d had to start coming to terms with the fact that she had serious, big, real, insurmountable feelings for Riley last year. And she was – she was managing that.

Really, she was doing exceptionally well with it, if she did say so herself.

She hadn’t allowed anything to change between them. Nope. They still lived together, went out together, cuddled, did their laundry, talked about their sex lives – ugh, that was the worst one but she was still figuring it out! And even if she hated hearing about Riley and other people, she thought… she really thought it might be worse to not hear about it. What a fucking tricky situation.

And Gianna had managed to pull it off. She’d managed not to give Riley even the hint that she had feelings for her. She’d managed to keep everything exactly the way it should be, between them.

Even if, sometimes, it felt like it was killing her inside.

Tonight was testing her.

Sure, technically, she didn’t have to be isolated in her room.

In fact, Riley had been concerned about her. Valentine’s Day fell on a weekend this year, and typically, Gianna would go out.

Though she considered her coping mechanisms to be far healthier now – thanks, in large part, to Riley – she still took a lot of comfort in being surrounded by people when she was feeling down.

She no longer looked to them for validation, but it did feel nice to go out and be engulfed by the crowd. To flirt. To just… talk. She liked the energy of other people around her. She always had.

Unfortunately, Valentine’s Day was not the night for that.

There was nowhere she could go that was truly safe. Not tonight. Everywhere was going to be filled with either couples, sad people that wanted to be coupled, or people that claimed they “didn’t care” about couples or love or Hallmark holidays.

In fairness, Gianna understood those people.

She’d never really bought into the whole Valentine’s Day schtick, either. In the past – pre-Riley – she’d loved to use this day as the time to get her older boyfriends to shower her in gifts and attention and time. She’d believed that was the true spirit of the day.

Even in the last couple of years, she’d been fine. This day felt like every other day to her, and she didn’t need to loudly proclaim it to try to make others believe her.

It was only this year that she felt different.

Because Riley was out with Ashton. Out there, falling in love.

And it sucked. Hard.

So, no. Gianna didn’t want to go out in the world tonight, when people were obsessed with love and coupling up – whether because they were super into it or super not into it.

She didn’t even want to be hit on or flirted with, which would be the inevitable outcome if she did decide to go out tonight. Tonight, that wasn’t going to make her feel better in the least.

Tonight, she was staying in. Wearing their Boston University sweatshirt that Riley still, adorably, insisted on calling “hers.” Eating lo mein. Snuggled up under her covers while it snowed outside.

And wasn’t that just so romantic?

She snorted, derisively, as she pointedly turned her back away from the window.

All of the couples out there, strolling around in the glittering snowfall.

Disgusting.

It wouldn’t be disgusting, if she was out there doing it with Riley. In that case, it would be beautiful.

But she wasn’t.

Therefore, it was disgusting.

These days, it wasn’t usually hard to tamp down on her… baser instincts. Her mean girl moments and thoughts. These days, they weren’t her first defense anymore.

Except, apparently, when her heart hurt.

She thought that was fair.

When she heard the lock on the door click open, she quickly sat upright, her heart pounding against her ribs.

Obviously, it was Riley. But… it was Valentine’s Day. She’d gone out with Ashton less than three hours ago.

Her stomach twisted in revolt – was Riley bringing Ashton back to their room?! When she knew Gianna was staying in tonight?

Granted, when she’d told Riley – as flippantly as she’d been able to manage – that she didn’t think she’d be going anywhere tonight, she’d said it exactly like that: flippant. She couldn’t exactly have shown Riley the truth of her feelings tonight, could she?

Had Riley ended up believing that Gianna would go out tonight?

She’d never brought Ashton back here after a date, before. Not when Ashton had his own apartment. Obviously. If Riley wasn’t spending the night with him, the farthest Ashton ever made it at the end of a date was the doorway for a kiss goodnight. He’d sometimes wave at Gianna with a little smile, and then take his leave.

She’d always appreciated that Riley respected the sanctity of their shared space, even though they’d never spoken that rule aloud. Even before she’d realized her feelings for Riley, she’d appreciated it.

But now? Right now? Tonight, of all nights?

If that was the case, Gianna would be running out of the room.

Even though she didn’t believe Riley would do anything remotely rated-R with Ashton while Gianna was in their room, that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t, like, cuddle up together or kiss or…

Yeah, Gianna would rather be surrounded by a sea of couples canoodling and proclaiming their love than be subjected to that.

She braced herself, trying to find the wherewithal to force a smile if need be, as the door finally opened.

And she breathed out the biggest sigh of relief, melting into her fucking bed, when she saw that Riley was alone. When she heard the retreating footsteps down the hall, knowing they likely belonged to Ashton.

The smile that slid over her face wasn’t forced in the least. It was the way it always was with Riley – natural and just… happy.

“Didn’t expect to see you back so soon?” She asked, double-checking the time on her phone just to make sure she hadn’t lost track of time in her wallowing.

Nope. It was barely ten p.m.

“Surprise,” Riley returned as she shut the door, shooting Gianna a cute little smile over her shoulder.

She sat up from where she’d ended up lounging half sitting up, half laying down like a gremlin in her bed, getting a better look at Riley as she walked farther into their room.

She placed down a heart-shaped box of chocolates and a teddy bear on the desk, before she reached up and combed her fingers through all of that thick, luxuriously soft hair. It was damp from the snowflakes drying in it, and she couldn’t help but smile even wider as Riley grimaced at them.

“I didn’t expect it to snow,” she muttered, before she unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it off to hang over the hooks on the back of the closet door.

And… ah, right.

God, Riley looked so fucking sexy in the dress she’d worn out tonight. Black, with a scooped neck that revealed the most perfectly tantalizing glimpse at her cleavage, cutting off mid-thigh.

Yes, watching Riley get ready to go out wearing that dress with Ashton tonight had really been one of the final nails in Gianna’s coffin.

“I didn’t expect Ashton to let you go tonight after seeing you in that,” she murmured.

Honestly, she hadn’t meant for that to be spoken aloud. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized…

Only to relax when Riley flicked her eyes over at her, chuckling. “And yet, here I am.”

She gestured at herself.

And, yes, there she was. Gianna bit her lip, eyeing Riley up and down.

Riley caught her stare, and popped out her hip, striking a pose.

Ah, and here was the crux of it all.

Gianna had been loud and unashamed in her commentary about Riley’s body for long before she’d realized she’d actually give anything to worship it with her fingers, her mouth.

The great news about that was – checking Riley out or making those comments slid right off Riley’s back, entirely unnoticed.

She let out a wolf-whistle, because… well, it felt right. If she was the one dating Riley, she’d absolutely let out a teasingly appreciative whistle like that. And if she was just Riley’s friend, with no romantic interest, she’d do it, too. So, in that way, she supposed she was lucky.

Even luckier when Riley laughed again, shaking her head as she dropped the pose.

“Given that precipitation wasn’t expected to start until after midnight, I definitely would have worn different shoes.” Riley frowned, deeply, as she reached down and took off the strappy heels she’d worn.

“While they do make your legs look fucking fantastic, I can see from here that your feet are freezing,” she acknowledged, sliding her gaze over Riley’s legs.

Which still looked fantastic, but Gianna would always appreciate a good heel.

“Exactly,” Riley breathed in agreement, before she turned and rooted around in one of her drawers. A moment later, she turned back around, victorious, as she held up a pair of thick wool socks. “As lovely as the date was, I’ve been fantasizing about these babies for the last half hour.”

Utterly and completely endeared, she watched Riley slide the socks on, taking her in wearing the thick socks and the sexy dress and her damp hair, and…

Her heart flip-flopped, as she was unable to hold back her soft sigh.

“Are you going back out, after you put on proper attire? I thought I heard Ashton leave…?” She knew she managed to sound appropriately curious.

In fairness, she’d have been curious about this even if she wasn’t drooling over Riley right now.

Riley shook her head. “Nah, I’m going to stay in tonight. I mean, we’re predicted to get almost ten inches of snow overnight at this point, and I don’t want to be stuck at his place tomorrow. You and I have snow day plans. I figured it made sense to come back home.”

Ah, and there was that warmth that skated through her whenever Riley said anything like that. Whenever she prioritized Gianna so… casually. Whenever she made Gianna feel so loved.

Even so, she put herself in the right mindset: Riley’s best friend. “You and I don’t have plans tomorrow, though.”

Riley gave her an affronted look. “Whenever we have a snow day, we always marathon one of the early seasons of our shows and make a disgusting amount of popcorn. Do you have somewhere else to be tomorrow?”

Now, Gianna was just as affronted, slapping a hand to her chest. “Of course not. I was just saying, if you wanted to spend the night with Ashton on Valentine’s Day, I’d understand.”

Yeah, this was how Gianna knew her love for Riley was the real deal. Because even though she wanted with every fiber of her being to have Riley here with her tonight, she simply had to give Riley the option to leave and be with Ashton, guilt-free. Because she wanted Riley to do whatever would possibly make her happiest, even if it wasn’t what made Gianna the happiest.

She’d never felt this kind of love before for anyone, romantic, platonic, familial.

Riley was different, in every way.

“Ummm, sorry to break it to you, Gianna, but there is no better snow day activity than being cuddled up watching my favorite shows with my favorite person. Can’t shake me that easily.”

Riley’s cheeky smile made Gianna’s heart trip in her chest all over again.

She held up her hands. “Then I’ll stop trying.”

It would be the easiest thing she ever did.

“Thanks. Now, can you unzip me?” Riley asked, gathering her hair up as she walked to the edge of Gianna’s bed and spun around to present Gianna with her back.

The bare, soft, smooth skin of the back of her neck… and Gianna couldn’t resist lightly stroking her fingertips over it. Sweet, sweet torture.

Only for a second – she wasn’t a creep – before she took the zipper between her fingertips and lowered it.

She didn’t take the time to do so that she wished she could take. Time that wasn’t hers to relish in.

Didn’t change the fact that she did relish in seeing the smooth line of Riley’s back revealed inch-by-inch. Okay, and maybe she skimmed her fingers down the line of her spine, in the lightest touch imaginable, following the zipper.

Damningly, it gave her a bigger rush than she’d felt the last time she’d had sex. Which was saying something, because Gianna had really enjoyed the last time she’d had sex.

This felt different, though. Bigger.

“There you go.” She released the zipper, giving Riley’s back a little scratch for good measure.

After all, Riley had obviously known Gianna was touching her bare skin; pretending she hadn’t been doing it would be weirder than straight-up acknowledging it.

Because a year ago, she’d have scratched Riley’s back or slapped her perfect ass after unzipping her dress without a second thought. If she completely stopped doing those things, it would be weird. And, truthfully, it would feel weird not to do it, even in a non-sexual or romantic way.

Really, a very delicate dance.

Riley chuckled as she slid off her dress, before she reached up to unhook her bra.

Though Gianna sometimes did look her fill at Riley’s naked body – because Riley often stood naked and shameless, in front of her in their shared room, she tried to walk an appropriate line.

She’d seen Riley naked so many times before being aware of these feelings, though, it felt like a moot point. She knew what Riley’s entire body looked like, so… seeing it when Riley was changing or whatever really didn’t change the fact that the image was burned into Gianna’s brain.

In this moment, Gianna decided to put the cover back on the lo mein she’d had settled next to her bed. Apparently, she didn’t need to wallow alone, anymore.

When she looked back up, Riley had put on a different sweatshirt, and was sending Gianna a look over her shoulder. “Don’t think I missed the fact that you’re wearing the shirt I was going to put on.”

Gamely, Gianna pinched the soft fabric between her fingers, holding it out from her body. “Did I look like I was trying to hide it?”

“After we do our laundry, I’m taking it back. As always.”

Gianna was looking forward to it. She always returned the sweatshirt to Riley after it was laundered; after all, the best part in stealing it was the fact that it had been worn by and smelled like Riley.

“Deal,” she agreed with her own sly grin. “Want to start our tv show marathon early?” She offered. And it really was insane, how much better she instantly felt now that Riley was back home with her.

“Obviously,” Riley answered, as she walked over to her desk and grabbed the chocolates and the stuffed animal, before returning to Gianna’s bed.

She presented Gianna the gifts with a flourish. “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

Gianna eyed the offerings, before dragging her gaze back up to Riley. “Mhmm… isn’t it really uncouth for you to be giving me Valentine’s Day gifts meant for you?”

Gianna supposed, at least, she had to appreciate that Ashton had gotten the gifts. If he had showed up to take Riley out on Valentine’s Day empty-handed, she’d have to lobby for Riley to toss him out post-haste.

Riley shrugged. “I mean – I appreciate the gesture. What I actually appreciate is the card that came with it.” A sweet smile played on her lips, and oh, how Gianna both loved and loathed it. But, more loved than loathed. If Riley was dating someone, he better show up with something that made her smile. “This stuff… eh. We’ve only been dating for a couple of months; I don’t expect him to know my in-depth feelings on this stuff yet. So, it’s nice, but you know I’m not super into chocolate. And you know that the only thing I’m going to cuddle in bed is a person. Soooo?”

Those gorgeous hazel eyes glinted brightly at Gianna as Riley pushed the chocolates and stuffed animal at her once more.

“And, I know that a certain someone loves chocolates,” she wiggled them in one hand. “And is also a secret cuddler.” She wiggled the bear next.

If Gianna was a better, stronger, wiser woman, she’d maybe have the resolve to resolutely say no. Even though Riley didn’t want the chocolate or the stuffed animal, she could just… toss them out. Ashton would be none the wiser.

But… she wasn’t a better, stronger, wiser woman. She was a woman that felt a sharp sense of satisfaction that Riley’s first thought when given these sweet – if cheesy – gifts, was to think about how Gianna would prefer them. A satisfaction that grew when she thought about the fact that Riley had left her Valentine’s Day with Ashton to come home to her, and give her these things.

“It would be incredibly wasteful to toss them out,” she gave in, reaching for both the chocolates and the bear.

As she settled the bear behind her and set the chocolates on her lap, she also scooted over to make room for Riley, who promptly hopped up into her bed.

She inhaled deeply, taking the moment in, as Riley scooted in to get comfortable. As such, their hips and legs pressed against one another – it was a dorm-issued bed; they weren’t winning any prizes on size, here – and she breathed in the scent of Riley’s shampoo as her hair brushed Gianna’s shoulder.

In a move that felt as natural as breathing, she slid her arm over Riley’s shoulders, so it wasn’t wedged uncomfortably between them, feeling Riley settle into her side. The way she always did when they cuddled and watched TV together in bed.

Riley picked up the remote, flicking through the apps to find one of their preferred shows, as she said, “Besides the weather, I thought you sounded a little… off, earlier. I really hated the idea of you staying home alone if you were having a shitty night.”

Well. Damn. Okay, so she maybe needed to get a little better at making sure she came off sounding totally normal. She gave herself a little slack; after all, this was unchartered territory.

And, as she stared at Riley’s profile, she couldn’t help the soft smile that tugged at her lips, as she gently wrapped a lock of Riley’s hair around her finger. “I really was fine; nothing to worry about,” she assured. “But I do appreciate you.”

So, so much.

Riley turned to look at her, returning her smile with one of her own. “Of course. You’re my… person.”

“You’re mine, too,” she confirmed, and… yeah.

Riley really was her person. No matter who Riley dated or fell in love with or anything like that, Gianna wouldn’t ever change that. She had to get better at making sure Riley couldn’t sense whenever she felt a little off, because… she couldn’t stand the idea of not being Riley’s person, like this.

Twenty Years Later

Gianna smiled as she pressed soft, sweet kisses against the warm skin of Riley’s stomach where her shirt had ridden up during sleep, teasing her fingers along the waistband of the tiny cotton shorts Riley had pulled on before bed last night.

She loved all of her daughters, dearly, but… she did miss sleeping naked with her wife. She hoped sometime – relatively soon – they could rectify this, but it would have to wait until the twins were a few years older at the very least.

The reality was, clothed or not, it didn’t stop how much she loved to feel Riley’s body against hers when they cuddled up. It certainly didn’t change how much she fucking wanted her, just from looking at her.

And it certainly didn’t change her plans for the morning.

She straddled one of Riley’s thighs, leaning down low to press another kiss to her wife’s stomach, inches lower than before.

“Carina,” she whispered, tracing her fingers down to the exposed skin of Riley’s thigh and scratching very gently there, too.

Just enough.

It worked, as Riley hummed – all heavy and sleepy – that sound she made when she was starting to wake up.

Anticipation spiked through her, the arousal she already felt working even headier through her veins.

She watched Riley’s face, intently, as she walked her fingers just under the leg of the shorts, stroking over the skin of Riley’s top inner-thigh.

And there it was.

Riley blinked her eyes open, before tilting her head down at Gianna. Her voice was raspy with sleep as they locked eyes. “Babe?”

She lightly scratched her fingernail along the skin of Riley’s hips, just under her shorts. “Good morning. And happy Valentine’s Day.”

She watched, always amazed at the way Riley shivered at her touch. Even now, after being together for a decade, Riley still responded to her like this.

The best blessing, really, because Gianna’s body responded to Riley the same way is had twenty years ago.

Riley’s full lips pulled into a smile. “Happy Valentine’s Day. Or should I say, happy Valentine’s early morning?”

She glanced over at their curtains, where it was clear that the sun had not completely risen.

“Mmm,” she hummed, dipping her head to press another kiss against Riley, this time using her fingertips to tug down her shorts just enough to grant her access to kiss the sensitive skin underneath.

This time, she felt the shudder.

“It’s before six,” she confirmed, just barely lifting her head up as she did so. “But I wanted to start the day off right. Especially since – in all likelihood, very soon – who even knows when we’ll have a moment alone this morning?”

Though they technically still set alarms to wake up by six – twenty minutes from how – it was rare that they wouldn’t have a wakeup call from one or multiple of the girls by six-thirty, anyway.

Looking more awake now, Riley pushed herself up to her elbows, looking down at Gianna more clearly.

Her hair was rumpled from sleep and her tank top was still askew and her nipples were hard enough that they were poking visibly against the fabric, making Gianna feel even hungrier than she already did.

Which seemed nearly impossible, given that she’d been vibrating with the need to taste Riley since she’d opened her eyes ten minutes ago.

“You make a good point,” Riley mused.

She dug her teeth into her soft bottom lip as she watched Gianna, and she knew Riley was deliberately making her wait another moment before she asked, “And… what do you intend to do with our brief, uninterrupted time together this morning?”

In response, Gianna grabbed at the waist of Riley’s shorts with both hands and tugged, making them slip down a few inches even without Riley’s help.

“Well, I was thinking…” she murmured, rising up higher to slide her tongue up the soft plane of Riley’s stomach. “That I’d love to worship your entire fucking body.”

Riley breathed out a deep sigh, one that resonated through Gianna’s bones, before she reached down and stroked her fingers through Gianna’s hair. “Oh?” She asked, arching an eyebrow down at her.

Gianna nodded, reaching up and pushing Riley’s shirt up high enough to bare her breasts to her wanting eyes. “Yeah,” she confirmed, barely audible to herself over the sound of her heartbeat picking up in her ears.

“You said it yourself – we don’t have much time. Maybe you should get to work,” the guttural tone in Riley’s voice had nothing to do with sleep, now.

The hand in her hair tightened, but Gianna needed no direction to close the distance, taking one of Riley’s nipples into her mouth. Laving her tongue over the stuff peak, before sucking it between her lips.

It would never cease to amaze her that Riley just felt so fucking good in her mouth.

She pressed herself against Riley’s thigh, already needy, rocking down as she slid her free hand between Riley’s thighs, so thankful that she’d already pulled her shorts down just enough.

It was Gianna who moaned louder as she used her fingers to spread Riley open, stroking her middle finger up her slit to feel how wet she already was. Sliding her finger up, she drew it over Riley’s hard clit, sliding her touch back and forth.

Instantly, the hand in her hair tightened, and the pinpricks of that pain arced through her body, landing solidly between her own legs. She scraped her teeth lightly against the tip of Riley’s nipple in response, grinding down harder against her thigh.

“Gianna,” Riley groaned, working her thigh up against her.

One that Gianna could very easily let herself get caught up in, if she wasn’t careful.

But she was. Because she had a plan, and that plan was to focus on her wife.

Keeping that in mind, she took her hand off Riley to grip at her shorts and tug them farther down her legs.

The guttural, disappointed sound Riley made at the lack of contact made her smile, as she leaned back from Riley’s chest.

“Is there something you want?” She teased, drawing her hand back up one of Riley’s legs, now that she’d tossed the shorts to the side. Leaving Riley completely bared to her.

Well, save for her shirt that was still haphazardly pushed up over her breasts, one of her nipples still wet from Gianna’s mouth.

Fuck. Her clit throbbed.

“Well, if you apparently don’t want me to touch you yet, then yes.” Riley reached her free hand, the one not knotted in Gianna’s hair, down, stroking her thumb over Gianna’s damp lips. Pressing the tip between them.

She didn’t even try to hold back the quiet moan that worked out of her throat as she willingly party her lips, stroking her tongue over Riley’s thumb.

“I want this mouth on my clit,” Riley took on that firm, absolute tone that drove her fucking crazy, before she gently pressed against Gianna’s head.

Having absolutely no resistance, she let herself be guided by the hand in her hair, settling between Riley’s thighs as Riley readily spread them for her.

For a moment, she simply… took Riley in.

How fucking wet she was for Gianna. Dripping. How she could already see how hard her clit was.

God, yes.

Even though she knew they were on a strict timeline, she needed to take this moment. Riley seemed to know that, as she flexed the grip she had in Gianna’s hair, but waited. Not directing her or demanding anything from her for several beats.

She stroked her hands up, slowly, from Riley’s knees, over the soft skin of her outer thighs, up to her hips. Feeling Riley shudder, and feeling it reverberate through her own body.

Riley’s body was all hers to touch.

And she would use any excuse to revel in it, especially a holiday centered on love.

Sliding her hands down, she cupped Riley’s ass and leaned in, licking up Riley’s pussy, flicking her tongue over the hard tip of Riley’s clit. Moaning at the taste, the way Riley swore under her breath, the way her hips jerked against Gianna’s face.

Moving down, she pressed her tongue into Riley as deeply as she could, loving the way she could feel her wife clench around her. The way Riley’s bitten-off moans sounded, as muffled as they were with the way Riley clamped her thighs around her ears.

She’d woken up early to do exactly this – to be able to take her time and taste Riley.

To be able to fuck her with her tongue.

To lick up and flick her tongue over Riley’s clit, first soft and slow. In a way she knew wouldn’t be able to make her wife come, but did make her thigh quake where it rested on Gianna’s shoulder.

“B-babe,” Riley’s choked groan sounded, as her fist tightened in Gianna’s hair. “Lick me. Harder.”

And who was Gianna to deny her wife on Valentine’s Day?

Obliging – and more than happy to do it, ravenous to make Riley come against her lips – Gianna moved her tongue harder, faster, feeling the way Riley’s clit pulsed against her.

She hummed, pushing in impossibly closer, digging her fingertips against Riley’s ass to pull her in as close as possible, and –

“Yes, fu – yes,” Riley groaned as she arched against the bed, pressing herself into Gianna as she came.

She worked Riley through her orgasm, every wave, reveling in every last second of her pleasure. It never got old. Not at all. And making Riley come never failed to make Gianna hot as fuck.

She ran the flat of her tongue over Riley’s clit one last time, feeling her jerk, hearing the sharp, sudden exhale escape Riley’s lips.

And she clamped her own legs tightly together, feeling herself dripping wet in response.

Riley’s hand in her hair gentled, combing her fingers through it, as Gianna placed a kiss on Riley’s hip, and lifted her head.

Sated Riley was one of her favorite sights. Her cheeks flushed and her lips swollen from having been bitten at while Gianna was going down on her, eyes bright and satisfied, but giving Gianna that glinting look…

She shivered from the look alone.

Then yelped, as Riley surprised her by leaning up, gripping Gianna’s hips, and pulling Gianna back up Riley’s body. Their torsos flush against one another, she could feel Riley’s nipples poking against her.

And more than that, she felt, acutely, the sensation of her own nipples rubbing against the fabric of the tank top she’d slept in.

She shuddered, even as she breathed out a quiet laugh, finding her balance as she gripped Riley’s shoulders. Settling down against Riley, she rocked down against her thigh. Though she was still wearing her own thin, cotton shorts, they were absolutely fucking ruined, and the way the seam pressed roughly against her was absolutely perfect.

Especially as Riley stroked her hands down Gianna’s back, then cupped her hips, guiding her movements.

She looked down into Riley’s eyes, only inches from her own. “This morning is about you,” she breathed, but didn’t stop rocking down into Riley.

Couldn’t stop.

“And I love being the one to make you come,” Riley murmured back.

She maneuvered one of her hands to wedge between them, working into Gianna’s shorts.

“I know you’d probably be able to come for me like that.” Riley commented, working her hand down lower… lower… stopping just as she brushed over Gianna’s clit.

She gasped, then groaned low in her throat as her hips stuttered. Jesus christ, Riley wasn’t wrong.

Gianna was often halfway to an orgasm, herself, after making Riley come. It was inevitable. And this morning, so wrapped up in her, was no different.

“But I want to be inside of you when you do,” Riley finished, pressing two fingers inside of her.

“Carina,” she moaned, gripping tightly at Riley’s shoulders as she clenched so hard at the fingers inside of her.

Riley’s palm brushed against her clit with every movement of her hips, her fingers flexing inside of Gianna.

Fuck, it was so good, and Gianna dropped her head down to rest on Riley’s shoulder as she rolled her hips into Riley’s hand, working against her. Feeling the heat building hotter and higher inside of her with every movement.

“That’s right; take what you need from me. I want to feel you come all over my fingers,” Riley’s voice was so low in her ear, and she groaned at it, nodding.

That was all the permission she needed. Rocking her hips back and forth, she rode Riley’s fingers for another minute. Then she felt Riley’s mouth on her neck, her teeth nipping against Gianna’s pulse, and –

Expletives and nonsensical groans fell from her lips, as she bit into the material of Riley’s shirt to muffle herself, as her orgasm hit her.

She quaked against Riley as she came on her hand, burrowing as closely to her as possible as she rode out every sensation. As always, she came harder, more intensely, when she was pressed so close to Riley, that every inhale filled her lungs with her scent.

When the white noise finally cleared from her ears and the tension slid out of her bones with it, she slumped down against Riley, finally able to take a deep, relaxing breath.

She still did so with her nose pressed into Riley’s collar, though, because post orgasm, it made her feel so close, so connected.

Hell, that was probably why she came harder, too.

“Mm,” she sighed, leaning her full weight into her wife, as she slid her arms down from gripping Riley’s shoulders into an easier embrace.  

Gently, Riley slid her hand out of Gianna’s pants, and wrapped her arms around Gianna, holding her right back.

Summoning her energy, she finally lifted her head and turned enough to place a kiss on Riley’s lips for the first time all morning.

The kiss was sweet, tender, and she could feel Riley smile into it. Which, in turn, made Gianna’s own mouth curl into a grin.

As if on cue, they both froze when they heard the toilet flush in the bathroom down the hallway, both turning toward the door, before turning back to lock eyes with one another.

Without any words, the understanding surrounded the both of them – yep. It was officially go-time.

Riley leaned in a stole another kiss – granted, could it be stealing when Gianna would always give it willingly? – before she lightly tapped Gianna on the ass. “I need to get dressed and wash my hands before the attack.”

She laughed, sliding off of Riley’s lap, deciding that it would behoove her to change her shorts too, for good measure.

Standing up, she grabbed a pair of sweatpants for both herself and Riley, pulling hers on, before she did her morning diligence and pulled their duvet up over the sheets. She then reached down and grabbed a couple of the fuzzy throw blankets the girls liked to cuddle up in over the bed – that would do until they washed their bedding later.

She walked over to their ensuite, where Riley had gone to the bathroom, washed her hands, and was now quickly brushing her teeth.  

“If I do say so myself, my ability to time our morning sex is one of my better developed skills in our later years.”

Riley shot her a wry smile as she rinsed out her mouth and took the pair of pants Gianna offered out to her. “You, Gianna Beckett, are highly skilled in a great deal many things.” She shook her hair out of her eyes as she shimmied the pants up her legs, giving Gianna a mischievous grin. “But… I’m not going to say that one hasn’t become a very handy ability of yours in the last few years.”

Gianna watched her wife pull her pants up over her thighs and her ass with a very vested interest. “Thank you for giving me my dues.”

They both turned at the knock on their bedroom door. Well, knocks, from multiple little hands.

Riley leaned in and kissed her again. “And the brilliant foresight to lock the door is also always appreciated.”

“Well, I can’t traumatize the babies. The world is going to be hard enough on them without running in to see their mama eating out their mom on Valentine’s morning,” she whispered back.

Riley laughed, that hearty, full-bodied laugh that made Gianna feel warm from head to toe whenever she heard it, as she walked over to the door. She landed her hand on the knob, before sobering and clearing her throat. “Hello?” She called out. “Is someone there?”

A chorus of giggles broke out on the other side. “Mom, come on! We got stuff!”

Riley exaggeratedly gasped, swinging the door wide open. “I didn’t know you got stuff out here?! Why didn’t you say?”

Without any preamble, the girls ran in. Riley dipped down and easily swung Pippa up into her arms as she tried to pass by. Both of the twins, at four, were a little small for their age, and with the way she’d started to run forward with the Valentine’s Day themed gift box in her arms screamed disaster.

Of course, Riley was there to catch her before it happened.

Gianna grabbed Annabelle, and tossed her into the bed, the sound of her squealing laughter echoing off the walls. Emmi and Anya were already situated in the middle of their king-sized bed, pulling their blankets up around them.

She reached out and situated the blankets to optimize cuddle potential – she’d never have been able to predict how much she’d fuss over her babies until she had them, but she was that mother.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” She asked as she stretched out on her side next to them, gesturing at the gift boxes they had all carried in with them.

Well, Anya had two, and she handed the one she’d clearly carried in for Annabelle to her little sister as soon as Annabelle wiggled and squirmed her way between her older sisters.

“Valentime’s Day presents!” Pippa answered, kicking out her legs in excitement, as Riley sat down on the other side of the bed, Pippa now situated on her lap.

All of the girls were sandwiched between them, which was a very typical occurrence.

And, as Gianna looked down the line of her daughters, before locking eyes with her wife, she felt a jolt of warmth through her entire body. She and Riley shared a smile, before she turned back to the girls. “And what’s in them?!”

“We don’t know, Mama,” Emmi answered, with the most exasperation. “’Cuz we aren’t allowed to open them without you.”

Coming as a surprise to no one, their daughter with the biological relation to Gianna was already – at six – coming in as the most dramatic.

She reached out and jokingly pinched up and down her daughter’s leg. “And don’t you forget it.”

“Let’s do it!” Riley encouraged, tugging at the bow on Pippa’s gift. “What’s inside?!”

As the girls started opening their gifts, Gianna drifted her gaze back toward Riley only to find that she was already looking at her, with that soft, sweet look in her eyes.

Riley had given Gianna her gift at the stroke of midnight – a beautiful card that expressed in writing how much she loved Gianna and their life together, flowers, imported chocolate, and the promise of a date night later this week in which she’d arranged for Ellie and Mia to watch the girls for the night.

And Gianna…

“Mom? I think this is for you?” Anya asked, pausing as she combed through her Valentine’s gifts – comprised of each girls’ favorite candy, a stuffed animal, and some random bits and bobs that Riley had picked up at the store the previous week.

But in Anya’s hands was a small package of the small Valentine’s Day cards that kids exchange in school, that was, indeed, imprinted with Riley’s name on the front of the box.

“Huh,” Riley hummed as she accepted the box, looking back over at Gianna.

Who smiled, as innocently as possible, right back at her.

Riley shifted Pippa off of her lap, who merely shifted to lean against Anya, before she slid across the end of the bed toward Gianna. Who also shifted, putting her own head at the bottom of the bed to talk to her wife.

“I thought you didn’t have time for Valentine’s shenanigans this year,” Riley mused softly, tapping her index finger onto the box.

And when she opened it, she would find that Gianna had written on every single one of those twenty-two cards her favorite memory with Riley from every year since they’d known one another.

Gianna tsk’d at her, before reaching out and tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Carina, do you really think my only gift to you today would be…” She slowly, deliberately ran her tongue over her bottom lip, arching an eyebrow at her.

“Well, you’ve been so busy dominating the PTA this year and planning the first-ever Valetine’s Day dance at Elliston, so… I wasn’t going to hold it against you.”

Though Anya and Emmi both attended Elliston, neither were able to attend the dance for the high-schoolers, but as newfound president of the PTA, Gianna had taken her duty to plan, execute, and chaperone the dance tonight very seriously.

Little did Riley know, that when she joined Gianna in chaperoning, she’d also arranged to have the band play the greatest hits of Riley’s favorite songs. It was especially important to her because she knew that Riley hadn’t attended most of her own high school dances in deference to staying home with Ellie.

So, really, the dance she’d planned was to give her wife the ultimate Valentine’s Day dance she’d never experienced in her youth, and it also happened to double as a fantastically arranged school event.

Gianna was a great multi-tasker.

A slow smile slid over her face. “You haven’t seen anything, yet. I’m two decades into loving you, Riley Jane Beckett, and I’m not sure we’re going to have enough Valentine’s Days together for me to run through all of my ideas.”

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