Chapter Text
The first time she'd taken notice of Stella's reaction was after they had dinner together, on the day she 'officially' moved in.
Dana had barely spent a night away from the house in months, but the keys to her flat had finally been relinquished earlier that day and the last remaining boxes of her stuff had been tucked away upstairs in Stella's home office. Rather than going out, her girlfriend had offered to cook for her as a sort of housewarming and she'd gladly accepted. Sitting on one of the kitchen stools and watching Stella move about her - their - space sounded like a far nicer idea than going anywhere.
After they'd finished eating, Dana thanked her and commented on the food, praising her efforts without really thinking about what she was saying until she saw Stella sit up straighter. She'd never noticed that before. Stella took in a short, sharp breath before relaxing again and carrying on as if nothing had happened.
The next time, Dana noticed a little more.
She was sat up in bed, on the receiving end of a sorely needed shoulder massage after hours spent hunched over her desk at work. Stella's hands felt like magic on her skin and Dana leant into the touch while telling her just how good a job she was doing. A brief falter in her movements might've gone unnoticed by some, but it was picked up on quickly and mentally added to the growing pile of suspicions. When Stella finished the massage, kissed along the side of her neck, and worked both hands around her front to slip them down towards the waistband of her trousers, she felt that was as much confirmation as she was going to get without a more direct confrontation.
So, a few weeks later, she decided to build up the courage to ask. They were lying on the sofa together, Stella with her back against the sofa's arm while she was curled into her side, and she wasn't sure there would be any better time. Now all she had to do was come out with it. Maybe one last test of her hypothesis would be an easier way to get there.
"You're so good at cuddling."
Stella froze against her for a millisecond before lifting her head and raising an eyebrow at her. She ignored it for the time being and decided to keep going. It felt like now or never.
"It's true, you are."
"Dana," Stella looked down at her again, "where are you going with this?"
"Shh, just listen. You're good at that too, I know you are. I've got a theory I want to test out."
With a sigh, Stella dropped back down to the arm of the sofa and turned her neck to keep watching. Her curious gaze lingered but she seemed to accept whatever it was that Dana was doing.
"Your arms are perfect too." Dana reached over her to take her arm and run a hand down it. "They're so strong and I love feeling them when you lean down over me. I guess it makes me feel safe."
At the comment, she felt as Stella's arm tensed beneath her hand. Nothing was said, as she'd requested, but it showed that at the very least her idea was being entertained. Offering a grateful smile in return, she set her arm back down and ran a hand along the side of her waist, pulling her in ever so slightly closer.
"You know how to use them as well, and your hands. I'm glad I live here now because I don't think anyone else could do what you do to me."
"Is that why you said yes to moving in?" Stella chuckled.
"I told you to be quiet," she replied through her own giggle, not meaning a word of it. "That's one of the reasons, but there are others. Anyway, stop trying to distract me. You're good at that too. You can think circles around most people and I love watching that face you pull when you're really lost in something. It's hot."
She shuffled closer herself and moved her top leg over to nudge it between Stella's before relaxing again.
"Something else I love is how attentive you are, you can always tell if I'm stressed about something and you're so good at making me feel better."
Leaving her waist, Dana pulled her hand back until it was across the middle of her stomach. She knew where she wanted to go next - and what she hoped to find there. One last hopeful glance up at Stella's face pushed her onwards. The expression she saw there was confused but not unwilling.
"You're so good to me. But you're also good for me. Aren't you?"
While she thought Stella's breathing had gotten shakier, it was hard to tell because hers definitely had too. She tried to muster up a little more confidence and watched on as her hand moved down from Stella's midriff and into her leggings, slipping beneath her panties. As hoped, Dana could feel that her fingers were already getting slick with arousal and she swiped a cursory stroke between her girlfriend's lips before bringing her hand back out to rest on her waist and looking up again.
"Stella," she paused to wait out her slight shudder. "Do you have a praise kink?"
Her question was direct to the point of being blunt, but she knew her girlfriend wouldn't have wanted her to circle it for too long. She thought she knew anyway. Stella was just laying there, not looking at her, and she wondered if she should ever have said anything in the first place.
"I- I've never thought about it."
It wasn't a yes, but it definitely wasn't a no either. Stella had tilted her head back up and directed her gaze towards the ceiling, staring vacantly up at the paintwork while Dana tried to work out where to go from there.
"Perhaps I do," Stella said without looking back down at her. "Fuck, I'm such a cliché."
"Hmm?" she gently pushed for further information.
With a sigh, Stella shuffled further down onto the sofa so that they were level with one another and turned her head towards Dana.
"A professional woman from a middle class family with an emotionally distant mother and a dead father, who apparently now might like being told what a good fucking job I'm doing in bed. The stereotype writes itself."
The tone of her words was so sure that it could almost be brash if it weren't for the self-deprecation, but her movements betrayed a different motive altogether as she slowly worked herself closer and rolled onto her side so that they were facing each other. Their legs tangled together and Dana tightened the grip on her waist.
"Well it can be our secret," Dana whispered conspiratorially before leaning in to kiss the tip of her nose. "I would promise not to tell anyone how unoriginal you are, but I don't think it's true anyway. There's only one Stella Gibson."
She pushed her then, rolling her onto her back once more so that she could climb on top.
"She's intelligent," Dana paused to kiss away the exaggerated downturn of her lips, "she's funny when she wants to be, she's caring, she's brave, she's cute, and she's my favourite person. Oh, and she's insanely hot too."
Stella broke at her last remark and the failed attempt at a frown disappeared behind a laugh. "She sounds like a real class act."
"Definitely."
As their conversation lulled, they began to look at each other in a different light. Dana wondered if the air really did shift around them or if it was just the effect her girlfriend had on her in moments like this. She moved in for another kiss, slower this time, and traced a line with her tongue along the crease of Stella's lips until they parted to grant her access. Hands lifted to hold either side of her face and her own moved to feel along the perfect form underneath her.
She forced herself to pull away, hearing the quiet sound of their lips separating, and said, "You're perfect, honey."
The pet name was meant as a gentle tease. It was something that she'd called Stella a few times in the past and it was met with an eye roll on each and every occasion, even after she'd explained her hastily made up backstory. Her girlfriend had given an entirely expected lack of credence to Dana's justification that she possessed the same qualities as a honey badger, adorable from a distance but deadly up close. Yet that didn't stop Dana from catching her off guard with the name every now and then just to laugh at her over dramatic reaction.
But there was no reaction this time, at least not a negative one. Her chest rose very slightly beneath Dana, forced upwards by a trembled intake of breath, and her eyes widened as if in shock from her own emotional state. She stayed silent, flicking her now almost panicked gaze across Dana's face and clearly hoping not to be tasked with deciding what came next.
There was an innocence to her expression that tugged at Dana's heart. She could imagine just how exposed Stella might feel and she wanted little else but to reassure her.
After another all too brief kiss, she smiled down at her. "I love you."
The simple comment earned her a smile in return and she was glad to see Stella begin to relax again.
"I love you too."
"Stel," Dana brought a hand to her face and brushed an unruly blonde curl from her forehead, "I don't want to do anything you're not comfortable with, but we're both good at pushing things aside and pretending they never happened. If this is something you want to try, remember you don't have to, but if it is then I need you to tell me."
She went quiet then, giving Stella a chance to think and trying to perfect a facial expression that mixed willingness with a distinct sense that there was no pressure either way. Stella scanned her features for a second time and whatever she found there can't have been too off the mark because she soon replied with a timid nod.
“Is there anything specific you want to do? Or anything you don’t want me to say?”
“I don’t really know.” Stella’s gaze drifted while she pondered the questions. “Honestly, you seem to have been more aware of my own reactions than I was. But I can’t think of anything you might say that would definitely put me off, I’ll tell you if you do.”
“Okay, that’s okay,” Dana reassured.
Unsure of where to go from there, she looked down at Stella and simply hoped that an idea would spring to mind. In theory, she understood roughly what to do, but in practice, it was proving harder than anticipated. But then she considered, rather than trying anything completely new, she could start somewhere Stella was already comfortable.
Continuing to speak softly, she explained, “I noticed you react when I praised you on something you’d done, so why don’t we start with something you know you’re good at?”
“I’m thinking of one thing in particular that I’m very good at,” Stella chuckled, sliding a hand down over her ass and pulling her in a little tighter.
Dana laughed along with her, pleased to see her growing less nervous with each passing second, before sitting up and climbing off her.
“Prove it,” she challenged.
Stella got up then and stood in front of her as she sat down, dropping to her knees just in front of Dana’s legs and parting them with a hand on either thigh to get between. Before Dana had a chance to think about the fact that her girlfriend was kneeling for her like this, she felt hands at her waist, tugging her trousers down with an urgency that almost made her forget the part she was meant to be playing.
“You’re eager,” she started at a whisper while Stella repeated the motion with her panties. “I like it.”
After giving a quick nod in confirmation of hearing her, Stella shuffled closer and sat down on her heels, resting either hand on top of her thighs and holding them apart for access. Dana looked down at her in awe, thrilled to be part of such a novel scenario when they were already a few years into their relationship. But the best part wasn’t that it was new, the best part was seeing just how excited Stella seemed to be - even if some of that excitement was hidden behind anxiety. Although bringing the whole thing up hadn’t exactly been the least awkward conversation of Dana’s life so far, she knew it was worth it now that she was witnessing Stella allowing herself to open up in this way.
Stella’s tongue parted her lips with a cursory swipe and she carefully held her blonde curls back for a better view. It wasn’t long before Stella went back in, lapping briefly at her entrance before moving up to run her tongue over her clit, and she slouched further down on the sofa, chasing the sensation. Dana watched her head bob up and down enthusiastically and she let out a satisfied groan at the sight.
“You’re right, honey. You’re so good at that.”
Her hand caught in Stella’s hair when she nodded again and Dana nearly apologised, that is until she both felt and heard her girlfriend whine against her sex.
“You like that too, huh? Having your hair pulled?”
She didn’t shy away that time when Stella nodded in agreement. Instead, she tightened her grip on the blonde strands between her fingers.
“Maybe we should think about other things you want to try. Would you like that?”
This time, Stella lifted her head to make eye contact and Dana’s mouth fell open at the deep set arousal she found there.
“Yes, Dana,” Stella replied quietly.
If she hadn’t been aroused already then those two words would have got her there by themselves. Her suggestion had been driven by what she thought Stella might like, thoughts of her own enjoyment hadn’t really come into the equation because she was happy to please her girlfriend regardless. But she couldn’t deny that it wasn’t just about pleasing Stella anymore.
“Keep going,” she requested, using the hand in her hair to gently push her back down.
She didn’t quite hold her down, but the demanding gesture clearly did something to them both as she stifled a moan while Stella dived back in without hesitation. Her hips began to follow the movement of Stella’s tongue and her hand stroked through her hair before giving another careful tug.
“Yesss,” Dana hissed when her tongue barely dipped into her entrance.
With slightly more force this time, she pushed her closer until she felt Stella’s nose brush her clit.
“Stay there,” she panted. “Just like that. Good girl.”
Almost as soon as the words left her lips, she felt one of Stella’s hands abruptly drop from her leg while the other tightly clenched her thigh. She tipped her head forward to look down just as Stella’s movements became sloppy. Her face was still pressed against Dana’s sex and her tongue was still thrusting eagerly, but her body had begun to move too, rocking against her own hand where she’d slipped it into her panties.
“Fuck that’s hot.”
The comment wasn’t as direct a praise as everything else had been so far, but Dana couldn’t think of anything to say except the truth. She watched Stella writhe between her legs and felt the wet slip of her own cum that was slicked across her willing girlfriend’s face. The sense of power that came with it was unexpected, sending a heady rush through her body not unlike the rush of arousal that had reduced her to panting and circling her hips in an attempt to somehow get closer still.
The combination of feelings, both mental and physical, pushed her further towards climax and she chased it desperately. Her gaze remained fixed on Stella’s frantic display and the only thing that could’ve made it better was if she’d had the forethought to strip them both before they’d started. She could make do though, her girlfriend was visual stimuli enough, never mind the heat brewing deep in her core as Stella continued to fuck her as deep as her tongue would allow. Holding onto the thought that this seemed to be going well, she hoped for a chance to rectify that earlier clothing mistake at a later date and pulled her hair again.
The reaction she’d been looking for sent her over the edge, hearing the desperate whimper that was muffled between her thighs right as her head fell back against the cushions. Her orgasm lasted longer than usual, sending what felt like sparks through her every nerve and leaving her to quiver helplessly as it subsided. The air in the room was suddenly stiflingly warm and her cheeks and chest flushed an even deeper shade of pink than they had from arousal.
Before she could give her own reaction much thought, Dana was pulled back into the fray by the whiny sound of breaths that she could feel being huffed against the exposed skin of her inner thigh. Stella had leant back slightly, resting her cheek on her thigh, and was working towards her own orgasm that clearly wasn’t far away. Her eyes were closed and her brow was furrowed in determination.
“You were so good,” Dana leant forward to whisper.
She twirled her fingers around to get a better grip in her hair before cautiously forcing Stella’s head back. Not letting her go far enough to actually risk injury, Dana kept her leaning there against her leg but made sure she was far enough away to make eye contact possible.
“Open your eyes, honey.”
Stella did as she was told, immediately and surprisingly obediently, letting Dana see the sparkling blue of her irises and sharing with her a searing gaze.
“Good girl,” she praised quietly, offering a reassuring smile as she did so.
Had someone told her even twenty minutes ago that Stella would be kneeling between her legs and moaning in response to her praise, Dana wouldn’t have believed them. Yet here she was, watching what was definitely the most erotic thing she’d ever seen and relishing the feeling of Stella caring so much about what she said as to react like this.
“I love watching you like this. I can’t wait to see you come. Are you going to keep being good for me? Are you going to come like a good girl? ”
Perhaps reusing the same phrase would lessen its effect, she couldn’t be sure. But she had time to get creative later. For now, she planned to keep using the phrases she already knew to be successful. Thankfully, it did work, because Stella whimpered and nodded vigorously, moving her head fast enough that Dana could feel the friction between her hair and her thigh.
It wasn’t long until she got what she was after, watching Stella’s mouth close from her panting as she bit her bottom lip and kept staring deep into Dana’s eyes. The intense expression almost made her look angry but it quickly gave way to another moan as her body shuddered. She gripped Dana’s thigh so tightly that it would leave a mark. Her hand slowed from its fervorous speed, relaxing to a more gentle pace while she rode out her orgasm, and Dana’s hand dropped from her hair to stroke a thumb across her cheek, collecting the wetness found there and presenting it to be lapped at by her willing tongue.
“You did such a good job, baby.”
Stella scrunched her nose up then, coming down from her high and looking at Dana like she might’ve said something wrong for the first time that evening.
“Not baby,” Dana chuckled and pulled her thumb back from between Stella’s lips to stroke her cheek again. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
The quiet that followed was a touch unnerving but she tried not to read too much into it. Silence was perfectly reasonable considering how new this was to them both and Dana just hoped that Stella would let her in on what she was thinking after some time had passed. She decided to focus on what she could actually provide and took her girlfriend’s hand from her thigh, pulling Stella up from the floor and patting her lap in invitation. They were often the other way round when sat like this, but at least it wasn’t something else entirely new to contend with.
“So,” she began slowly as Stella lazily curled up against her chest, “if you don’t have an answer yet that’s fine, I’m happy to wait. But what did you think of it?”
“Not baby,” was Stella’s equally slow answer.
“Message received. Anything else? Or do you need some more time?”
“I-” she hesitated, stopping herself and looking nervously up at Dana. “I liked it, I think. What about you?”
“It surprised me.” Dana saw the regret on her face as soon as she heard the reply and quickly added, “Not in a bad way. But, Stel, I only suggested it because I thought you might like it. What surprised me was how much I enjoyed it too. I’m starting to see why you like being in charge.”
“And I still like being in charge,” Stella quipped.
“I don’t doubt it. Besides, a praise kink can work that way round too.”
“Mmm,” she hummed, “that’s definitely worth a try.”
Dana didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but their conversation was moving towards safer ground and she was concerned that leaving Stella’s earlier remark without discussing it would mean that they never pushed themselves to talk about it again.
“Stel?” she questioned. “I’d understand if you just agreed in the moment without really thinking, but did you mean what you said about trying new things?”
‘New’ could imply what they’d just spoken about, trying something while Stella was in charge. But they both knew that wasn’t what Dana meant. Stella took on that adorably shy energy again as she glanced up at her.
“Although I was being honest when I told you I haven’t thought about being praised before, perhaps there are a few things I have thought about. I guess I’ve never brought them up because I was scared you’d think differently of me.”
Dana hugged her then, wrapping both arms around her tightly and squeezing for a moment. “You’re still my brave detective, even if I’m allowed to call you a good girl sometimes.”
“Promise?” Stella pulled away from the hug to pointedly arch her brow, managing to look serious for all of a few seconds before breaking it with a light giggle.
“Pinkie swear.”
They both looked down as their fingers locked, joined in more ways than one as they sat there in the comfort of their shared home. Dana wasn’t sure what ‘new’ would look like, but she couldn’t deny the excitement that bubbled away deep within her at the thought of it.