Chapter 5
Yelena entered the room slowly. She didn't remove her shoes or jacket at the door as she would have all those months ago. The apartment was dark except for overhead lights in the kitchen, which barely illuminated the front door. Yelena had half expected Lucky to be there the moment she stepped through the door, yet neither he nor his owner were anywhere in sight. It was almost like Kate wasn't home, but Yelena knew she was.
Yelena checked the time before slipping her cell phone into her coat pocket as she entered the kitchen. She'd arrived not a half hour after Kate had texted her. She'd practically been sitting on her phone since the day she'd left the number for Kate, waiting for a text or a call: anything.
Kate was leaning against the kitchen counter, picking at a half-empty tub of ice cream with a fork. Yelena bit her tongue to keep the words from coming out of her mouth. The room sat in tense silence with nothing but the sound of metal scraping against cardboard.
"I can't be myself like this, Yelena," Kate sighed, dropping the fork onto the counter. She turned to look at Yelena with misty eyes. "I can't. I- I don't know what else to say."
Yelena advanced with a narrow gaze, forcing Kate to retreat. Kate backed away from the woman until her back met the counter, one hand gripping the edge.
"Are you scared?" Yelena asked, her voice low, with an edge that sent a shiver through Kate's spine.
Kate shook her head slowly as she fiddled with the necklace against her sternum.
Yelena ran her hand along the counter's edge as she advanced toward the woman. She traced a finger around the stickiness of the fork before gripping it tightly. Yelena held the fork to her stomach, pointing towards Kate. Her knuckles paled a very light color as she advanced, the prongs only centimeters from Kate's stomach.
"And now?" Yelena held a steady gaze, waiting for an admission or a break in eye contact, but it never came. Yelena's lips parted. She watched in amazement as Kate shook her head again, never wavering or shaking. Her grip loosened as she pulled the fork to her mouth, sliding her tongue against it. The idea of mint chocolate chip had never appealed to her before now.
A clatter rang out as Yelena tossed the fork into the sink. Slowly, she dropped to her knees, letting her hands linger against the backs of Kate's thighs. She looked up at Kate, a nuanced sadness pulling at the corner of her eyes. She swallowed hard as she dug her fingers behind Kates's knee. She twitched where she sat, embarrassment creeping up her spine.
Kate stood stuck for a moment, eyes wide. A tinge of red shot up her neck, spreading across her face. She dropped her hand, hovering it beside Yelena's face. Just do it, Kate, she thought. She wavered, her hand twitching awkwardly against the still air between them.
Yelena moved in, pressing her cheek against Kate's cupped hand.
Kate glanced down at Yelena's lips, grazing them with the edge of her thumb.
"Please," Yelena mumbled against her palm.
Kate leaned forward, bracing herself on Yelena's shoulder to close the gap between them.
Yelena responded eagerly, slipping her tongue past Kate's teeth. She gripped Kate's neck, rubbing soft circles with her pointer. Yelena's other hand breached upward, carefully grasping at the woman's upper thigh and hip, finding the long shirt did not hide a pair of shorts.
Kate whined into the kiss, leaning heavier into Yelena.
Yelena offered a soft laugh, pushing Kate up onto the counter in a swift movement. Pulling away from Kate's mouth, Yelena started at the knee, working her way down, taking the skin into her mouth with delicate suction. Getting close to the center, Yelena bit down before swiping her tongue over the fresh mark.
Kate dug her hands into the other woman's hair, pressing her head into the cabinet above her. A deep shiver ran down her body as Yelena gripped her knee, spreading her legs apart.
Yelena pressed a light kiss against Kate's stomach over the hem of her underwear. Her fingers wandered up Kate's thigh, teasing under the edge of the fabric and against the stubble. Yelena let out a shakey sigh, resting her forehead against Kate's midsection as she moved her hands. She pressed her pointer into the wet fabric, softly rubbing along the crease.
Kate groaned into the touch, pushing her hips into the friction. She untangled one of her hands, pushing down on the fabric of her underwear.
Grabbing her wrist, Yelena pushed back Kate's hand, replacing it with her own. She kissed along the hem of the cloth, pulling down the underwear and tossing it to the side. Yelena smiled at the sight in front of her. After a moment, she paused, rubbing thoughtful circles along Kate's toned stomach. "I didn't think you, Kate Bishop, could go a day without opening your fridge."
"I was surprised too," she replied, her chest rising and falling with her heavy breathing. A small, teasing smile spread across her face.
Yelena pulled Kate down by the shirt, meeting her halfway.
"I needed you," Kate mumbled into the kiss, her hands roaming along Yelena's collarbone.
Yelena pulled away, looking into her eyes. She moved her hand down, ghosting a thumb against the base of her slit. "I know."
Yelena dropped her head, hesitantly gliding her tongue through the folds. She paused, looking up at Kate to find blown pupils staring back at her. She dipped her head once more, confidently slipping her tongue into the depths, lapping at the sweet slickness. She could feel Kate's grip tightening against her scalp. She circled the nub, licking softly along the plicate skin. Yelena sucked lightly against it, then followed it with a broad stroke, licking across. She picked up the pace, intently stroking her clit with the tip of her tongue.
Kate whimpered, squeezing her legs against Yelena's head. She gripped the woman's hair in one hand, pulling harder at each pleasing stroke. Her other hand roamed her own body, grasping delicately at her nipples. Kate finished with a hard shudder against the other woman's body, a wave of heat drawing through her. She sucked in a ragged breath, staring at the woman in front of her, who attentively stared back.
Yelena allowed Kate to back her into the living room.
Yelena's coat was the first to go; Kate swiftly dropped it to the floor. Then the shirt. Kate unclipped the woman's bra, throwing it to the side before pulling her into a chaste kiss.
Yelena bit back a yelp as Kate pushed her onto the couch, straddling her into the cushion. She recovered quickly, her hands shooting to Kate's hips.
Kate undid the buttons of Yelena's pants, unsurprised when several knives fell to the side. She smiled softly. "Busy day? Or were these for me?"
Yelena huffed, pulling the woman down by the neck. Kate's tongue brushed past her teeth, licking up her own tongue. A bead of saliva spilled past her lips, dripping down her chin as Kate's hand breached her waistband.
The heat was replaced with a sudden searing pain. Yelena let out a strangled cough, choking out a blood splatter across Kate's face. Yelena squeezed her eyes shut, lurching forward into the woman above her. She looked down, her face inches from Kate's.
Kate still gripped the handle; one of Yelena's blades protruded from her stomach. Blood oozed from the wound onto the white couch. Quickly, Kate twisted the knife.
"Fuck," Yelena sobbed, gasping for air. She was frozen, staring into Kate's loving, brown eyes. She wanted to question her actions, to demand answers, to ask for help, but she couldn't find the words. Kate didn't look at her with malice or regret. Her eyes held nothing but the sweetness they did just before, yet she was seconds away from being gutted by her.
"I can't be myself like this," Kate repeated softly, cupping the side of Yelena's face with her free hand. She leaned in, kissing her with a fleeting passion.
It was slow and bitter. Kate tasted like whiskey after chewing gum. Yelena savored it, savored the taste, savored the intent behind the action. It was like something she'd never experienced before; love as complicated as her own.
Kate pulled away, her eyes still closed with a smear of blood across her lips.
Yelena reeled as the knife was pulled from her stomach, red seeping down her pants. Her hands still gripped Kate's thighs, which, by now, were also smeared in the viscous liquid.
Yelena groaned as Kate finally rolled off her and headed to the kitchen. She could hear Yelena stumbling around as she moved out of sight. She slipped on her underwear, half expecting Yelena to have collapsed when she reemerged. However, Yelena was nowhere in sight. The woman's clothes were gone, her coat picked up off the floor, and her knives swiped from the table. Even the weapon used in the assault was gone. The only indication Yelena had ever been there was the pooling blood slowly dripping from the couch and the wetness in her underwear.