The words, it seemed, had been the right ones to day. She held back the others she might have used, curbed her desire to make demands. They seemed to be doing fine without them; perhaps any other words would really be extraneous now. And she could find better things to occupy her lips with, anyway.
But even with kisses and touches growing progressively bolder, with her hands caressing Aspel's breasts and the other woman's breathing heavy and uneven, Ari hadn't actually expected the hand at her back to go for her zipper. She felt a spike of anticipation as her back was exposed to the air, a gasp escaping her lips. It seemed her earlier invitation was to be taken after all.
When Aspel bent in for a kiss, Ari answered it eagerly, reveling in the heat rising between them and in the sensation of hands once again on her bare back. She was hardly thinking anymore of the fact that surely she would be halted soon, that this was going to end just as it was truly starting. Right now, the moment was enough. Her hands continued their exploration, her motions more certain now. With a recollection of their brief encounter in the kitchen not so long ago, her left hand trailed down Aspel's side. It was not the easiest to reach from this angle, and she spared a thought, instead, for exploring under the hem of the tunic, but in the end settled simply for a light but insistent stroke over Aspel's hipbone.
After all, Aspel had quite shamelessly exploited any and all of Ari's weaknesses - that she had found so far - and how was she to be certain of this one if she didn't try it a second time?