<span style="color: #FF0000">The dance that Colt and Tempest did was the only thing that anyone talked about in the dance company. A topic that Athan loathed beyond measure they he worked hard to keep it from showing. In front of everyone else, he was all smiles, kind words and sweet demeanor. Today would be the first day that he and Tempest would be together to practice and a part of him wondered if he would have to face Colt as well. It was hard for him to think that the brute would let her out without him as her back up.<br/><br/>“Are you sure you want me to stay here?” Colt asked from the kitchen as he prepared her something to take for later. “I can just go with you and you know…stand there and look all badass.” He tried to think positive about the whole thing, but the wolf in him did not trust Athan. Not at all.</span><br/><br/>To say she wasn’t nervous would have been a lie. She was incredibly nervous to go dance with Athan. After he left following their rehearsal, and the look he’d been giving prior, she wasn’t sure how a rehearsal would go. He could be the Athan she remembered, the Athan that she’d seen that day, or the Athan who’d been slipping away from a lack of feeding. She wasn’t sure which one she’d get, and it scared her on some deep level.<br/><br/>But she wouldn’t outwardly admit it. “I’m sure,” Tempest replied with a nod, making sure her bag had what she needed for the practice, doing a bit of a hop in place to try and get rid of the excess energy. “We’re only dancing; I don’t foresee anything happening, do you? He said he wanted to try the friend thing...and I’m going to try. Besides...the dance studio is the one place I doubt he’d do anything, even with a temper.”<span style="font-style: italic">You think.</span>A pause and she looked over at him. “...Do you think I need a bodyguard? It’s not like you can stay up there with us when we’re dancing so I have to...get reacquainted with being close to him again.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Colt sighed and nodded, “Well, if you need me just call me. You know it won’t take me anytime to get there.” He smiled and walked about the counter to give her a hug and kiss the top of her head, “I expect you to make his ass sweat!”  It was a friendly taunt, with his hopes that he would make her relax just a bit more. “Want me to have something waiting for you to eat when you get home?”</span><br/><br/>The hug was returned and the kiss had her relaxing just a bit, with his words making her laugh at the image of an impossibly disheveled Athan. “Actually, now that you mention it, yes please,” she replied with a nod. Given her nerves, she’d not eaten as much as she normally would have prior to the scheduled rehearsal, but she knew she’d be near ravenous by the time she was done. “I’m not picky with the what, but just having something ready would be awesome, thank you.”<br/><br/>Walking away, she grabbed her bag and gave him a final hug. “Wish me luck?”<br/><br/>And with that, she disappeared, taking a cab over to the dance studio. A quick stop to the dressing room and then she was up warming up, focusing on stretching herself out. It took a fair amount of mental preparation, though, to get over how this dance had come about and how they’d have to be reenacting their fight, but she managed. Now it was just a matter of how congenial he’d be.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Colt lingered with the hug for a moment, then grabbed up his keys to head out and gets stuff for dinner. <br/><br/>Athan was at the opposite end of the stage, <span style="font-style: italic">warming</span> up while he stood there and waited. Eyes continued to glance every now and again at Tempest as she warmed up. <span style="font-style: italic">Friends. Yes, that is what we are now. I can just be her friend and not get pissed thinking about her with him. This would not have worked out anyway, considering I would eventually have to leave her because she would just grow old and die. Plus, if I changed her, she would not be her, she would just be…like me…</span><br/><br/>“Alright!” the director called from his seat. “Let’s see if they two of you can shake off the dust and give me something like Colt and Ms. Tempest did the other day!” <br/><br/>A finally, unneeded breath, was taken and he walked over to where she stood. “You ready for this?”</span><br/><br/>Just as he’d occasionally look over at her, she’d occasionally look at him. Even if they were no longer together, that didn’t mean she didn’t still think about him. It annoyed her, in fact, that she’d still think him. Now that they were going to be dancing, she’d have to be close to him, essentially draped across him.<br/><br/>The director’s voice had her jolting back to reality, shaking herself out a final time as Athan walked up to her. Glancing up at him, she nodded. “Are you?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">In answer he just took his position on the floor and waited for her to do the same as the music was started. Like some kind of in sync machine, they moved together and in this moment in time, Athan remembered when this was how they were. How she felt as she moved against him, the scent of her hair and her fluid movements. The dance continued and he felt himself fall further into the past, into those moments when they were together. <br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Regret</span>. It was not an emotion he was familiar with, at least not one he had felt in sometime. It was a very human emotion and something that an immortal had no time for. Regret caused one to think and to feel all they may want to do is forget and move on with their eternal life.  Yet, here he was with this most annoying of emotions and all he wanted to do was shut it out. To just turn it off and move back into his happy world where there was no emotional pain. <br/><br/>Maybe…maybe he should just shut it all off? To forget and be nothing but the monster he was and not feel this…regret…</span><br/><br/>Sitting on the floor, she let out one final breath and started into the dance. Despite their lack of communication and their falling out, they’d managed to still be in sync, to still be just as fluid, just as emotional as they had when they first danced together.<br/><br/>And it killed her. It physically hurt to remember how it felt to be like this with him, without the barrier of clothing. Without inhibitions and the knowledge of what he was and how he handled things. He’d pushed her away and now here they were, dancing as though nothing had changed, portraying a relationship they’d lost just as real as if they’d not skipped a beat. It was like they were still in that moment, in the time leading up to the fight.<br/><br/>The part that killed her most, though, was when their fight came to a head. His hand was back around her throat, her body thrashing around before she eventually kicked him into the wall. It was...like living that fight over again, no matter how much more control was involved in the actions, it felt the same.<br/><br/>Just like all the other moments, it too passed, and it ended with her pushing him to the ground and climbing on top, the music done. Her chest heaved, her eyes were clouded, half-lidded as she looked down at him as the Director’s claps broke into her mind and had her climbing off of him. A hand was offered to him to help him up, but otherwise her eyes were diverted as she caught her breath.<br/><br/>“More involved with scenery, but you two have this...intensity, this feeling,” he praised. “It’s more than anything you had before you met her, Athan. You two have a chemistry, a very real chemistry and it’s not something that can be taught. Well done to you both!”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">For the purpose of blending in, Athan made as if he were out of breath. The praise for the director did make him feel better, but the feelings that had crept up were not ones that he wished to dwell upon.<br/><br/>“I want you two to try and figure this out more. Like, I just feel there is more that can be done with the stage and the athleticism that you both possess. Whatever props you want or need, just let the stage crew know and they will be sure to get it for you,” with that he stood and went off to work on some other aspect of the company, which left the two of them alone now. <br/><br/>“Your extension has gotten better,” he remarked after a moment. “You been stretching out more?” he asked as more of a joke than anything else, while he resumed his composure and stood there as if the whole dance had barely affected him at all.</span><br/><br/>As the director lingered talking to them, she felt a bit more at ease. He was there, another element of conversation that they could focus on before the full weight of the dance and what she’d felt was able to sink in. But, the moment he went away, she felt a sort of anxious energy stretching back out to make her back pop.<br/><br/>In a shocking twist, he broke the silence first...with a good critique of her extensions. “Maaaaybe,” she replied with a small smile and a look thrown in his direction. “Have to keep up with Mr. Fantastic, so I figured I’d better bring my A-Game.” Rolling back up, she stretched out her neck. “I think I need some help with some of our moves...Given it was all sporadic, you wouldn’t mind working with me on it a bit more, would you?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Is that my new name?” he asked as he sat down on the floor. “I would have thought that I had earned insensitive prick, or asshole by now,” he joked. “What parts do you want to work on first? I am at your disposal for the rest of the night,” the smile given was friendly as was the relaxed way he sat there now. Was this how he wanted everything to be? No, not at all, but was he at least going to try and see if they really could just be friends?</span><br/><br/>“Mr. Fantastic isn’t your only name; If it were, your ego wouldn’t fit through the door, and I’d not be able to get close enough to dance with you,” she reasoned, voice light and full of humor. Did she think that he was an asshole? Yeah, but she wasn’t going to voice it. “What about the parts after the...wall bit, so the chair? The chair is where I start to flounder most. Maybe if we practice that first and get it down, we can work on the other areas that don’t need as much work?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">With a small grunt of effort, he stood up and moved to the chair, “I think it has to do with your weight placement…” he said honestly. “After the wall I come at you aggressively, almost like I am stalking my way over to you,” he said demonstrated, his gaze intense before he turned his back and sat on the chair. “Now, you have to drape your leg over my shoulder…” he looked back at her as he waited for her to comply. “Just watch where the weight is on your foot on the ground, because I am going to flip you over into my lap…” <br/><br/>All the while as he spoke to her his voice was respectful and even friendly. It was hard to ignore the past and focus on the present, but for the sake of the craft they both loved he planned on doing his best.</span><br/><br/>The intense gaze made it a little harder to focus, but she nodded, waiting behind the chair as she draped a leg over the one shoulder as the rest of her torso along the other shoulder, her hands sliding down the body she could reach. “...Like this?” she asked, trying to feel if her weight was properly distributed, and trying not to focus on the position she was in. On how close she was. “Do I need to do anything when you flip me over or just brace, more or less?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">The touch of her hand down his chest, made him shiver though he tried to hide it. At her question, he thought about it for a moment before he reached for her. “Stiffen up slightly, not too much, but with just a bit a tension I can roll you over much easier,” he explained. “Ready?” <br/><br/>When she nodded he flipped her over his shoulder and cradled her in his arms, “See what I mean?” he asked with his face close to her own, just as it had been during the dance but moments before.</span><br/><br/>The shiver was noticed, and it had her all the more aware of how his chest felt beneath her palm, fingers splaying out across him while she tensed, waiting. And, as he flipped her, she went momentarily lightheaded, arms about his neck as his face was close to hers, as his voice reached her and held her attention. As her eyes held his and she slowly nodded, eyes dropping to his lips and then back up to his gaze.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Stop doing this to yourself,</span>Tempest scolded.<span style="font-style: italic">Stop remembering the past and focus on the present. He’s a friend...Friends don’t check out friends...nor dwell on how it feels to be held by said friends...they stay professional.</span><br/><br/>But, the longer they stayed like that, the more she wondered what he was thinking, how he felt about all of this. Her lips parted as though to ask, and then closed again.<span style="font-style: italic">No, no you’re friends. Friends can ask that, can’t they?</span>So...she plunged ahead. “...What’re you thinking about right now?” came a quiet question, voice barely above a whisper as she continued to watch him, not making any attempt to roll off of him as their dance would have continued.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Such a loaded question that pulled at some emotion that he had strove to bury when he ended their relationship. When her eyes looked at his lips he felt himself lean forward in a subconscious habit, the chair squeaked softly at the slight distribution of weight. “I’m…thinking about…how it used to feel when we were this close. Just before we kissed…” he answered honestly.</span><br/><br/>Her heart skipped several beats as he leaned forward, as he said the very thing she’d hoped he’d say. Simply because he’d ended their relationship, that didn’t mean he didn’t still care...right? He could still like her, even if he thought he was doing what needed to be done...right? “What if I said...I was thinking about the...same thing?” she asked, her tongue subconsciously slipping out over her lips. “And about...what it felt like...to kiss you….”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">His eyes darted from her lips and then back up again, as he warred within himself to give in to what they both wanted. For all his years of life, for all the experience he had endured at this moment in time, he found himself weak. Slowly, he leaned down and moved to close that bit of distance between the two of them. Carefully, with just a bit of hesitation he kissed her and wondered far too late if he had just made a huge mistake.</span><br/><br/>Nothing. He said nothing. There was a painful moment of silence where she waited for him to say something, to either talk sense to convince himself that this was a bad idea, or to admit that it was what he’d wanted. There was some hope, a glimmer of hope as his eyes darted to her lips, but that hope faltered as he hesitated.<br/><br/>...But, the moment his lips touched down on hers, her arms held him just a bit tighter.<span style="font-style: italic">This is wrong,</span>she told herself, lips going against what her mind was saying. Instead of ending it, though, she tried to continue it. She lost herself in it, lips parting as her tongue sought entrance, as her heart raced a mile a minute.<br/><br/>All she could hope was that his resolve was as weak as hers.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">There was little hesitation now, as her tongue was granted access and he pulled her up so that she was held tighter against him. This was wrong on so many levels, but at the same time, it felt so very right. He sat up in the chair, its groan of protest even more prominent now as he leaned back and continued with the kiss. What thought there was no longer registered, as instead he lost himself in a heady sea of emotions and desires that all originated from the point of contact between their lips. <br/><br/>Right now it was just a kiss, a single though heated kiss, but with how he felt and how little his restraint was in place one could not be sure where or when this would end.</span><br/><br/>It was hard, increasingly hard, to breathe as the kiss continued. Where she thought he’d push her back and keep her at arm’s length, he pulled her closer, held her tighter. She found herself shifting, trying to accommodate the kiss in a more comfortable position, so her body shifted. Instead of being draped across his lap, she found herself straddling it, her hands in his hair as the kiss continued.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">This isn’t right!</span>a voice in the back of her mind shouted at her.<span style="font-style: italic">You should be angry at him! Infuriated! Why are you continuing a kiss, instigating it, if you have to be mad? This isn’t going to go anywhere!</span><br/><br/>That voice was becoming quieter, though, with each passing moment. As one hand tangled in his hair, the other was feeling across his shoulders, down his chest, unsure of where to linger.<span style="font-style: italic">This is so wrong…</span>Breaking the kiss to come up for air, she shifted her kisses to his neck, nipping and suckling as her hand held his head to the side to allow herself more access.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000"><span style="font-style: italic">NO! NO! NO!</span><br/><br/>He warred with himself, as he fought against what was right and what felt really right. Now she straddled his lap and he allowed his hands to roam down, lower and lower still as he grabbed the back of her thighs and pulled her ever closer to himself. Just as he thought that he wanted to kiss elsewhere, she broke the kiss to trail nips and kisses down along his neck. <br/><br/>A groan, low and in his throat escaped and he felt his fangs crest in his gums as he began to give into his baser and primal urges. Along with the desire to pleasure her and lavish affection on her, he wanted to taste her. Taste her in the way that he had resisted since the moment they met. The chair groaned as he leaned back and his eyes cast down to the thick vein in her neck. With each second that ticked by, her heart beat sped up and skipped to the beat of some delicious song. A song that called to him and made his mind cloud over even more.</span><br/><br/>Her body closer to his was making each thought that she had go further and further away. Hips began to move of their own accord, her hands felt along his form and played with the hem of his pants, only just resisting the urge to take it off of him. There were a lot of urges right then: to undress him, to feel him, to take him like she had, or let him take her like he once had.<br/><br/>But, as her lips moved back up the line of his jaw, she noticed his eyes. Pulling back a touch, her eyes followed his gaze and it clicked what he was staring at. Her neck. He was staring at her neck. It dawned on her just how different this was, the reason he’d let her go in the first place.<span style="font-style: italic">This...can’t work…</span><br/><br/>Restraint. It took every bit of her restraint to pull back a bit more, hips slowing as a whimper and groan loosed, her lower lip caught between her teeth. Eyes half-lidded, breath coming in pants, she met his gaze, one hand rose up to caress his cheek. “...I’m sorry...This…” There was another breath loosed, trying to catch her breath and keep focused. “...I want this...but if we do this...it’ll be...harder for me to keep what...little distance I’ve managed...You wanted distance and I...I shouldn’t have pushed this…” Her hand made its way down his cheek and onto his shoulder. “I think our...practice should be done for today. That we need a...break.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">The grinding started and Athan had an even harder time focusing, which was impressive as he could have sworn his mental state had turned completely to jelly just a moment before.  Hands on her back clawed slightly down her flesh and he began to forget about everything, save for her in his lap. Another groan as she touched more of his flesh and he bit his bottom lip hard enough to draw a bit of blood with his fang. <br/><br/>Then just as suddenly as it started, it stopped and it took several moments for him to even begin and focus on what she said. For the longest time, all he could hear and center on was the sound of her blood as it pumped through her body. However, when it finally did sink in he could not help how his brow drew down and together in frustration before he finally nodded. <br/><br/>“Yeah,” his voice cracked a bit as he licked his suddenly dry lips. “You’re right. This….this is a mistake,” he coughed out then helped her off of his lap. “We can work on more stuff next time, no rush, right?” he attempted a smile as he stood to regard her for a moment then before he lost his moment of clarity he departed to gather his items.</span><br/><br/>Had he not removed her from his lap, she’d have stayed there, panting and staring at his lips. Even as she took in the blood that was lingering there from the piercing of his fang, she contemplated resuming the kiss. Everything in her mind was screaming “no” at her, but her body was screaming a vehement, obnoxious “yes”. Thankfully, where she’d started the trend of being responsible, he continued it. She was off of his lap and standing there, her hands itching to reach back up and pull him back to her.<br/><br/>Instead, when he departed, she did the same. Only once did she falter, pausing at the stage’s door before looking back at him. “I’ll see you in two days…” she said as she left, taking every ounce of restraint she had in her being not to rush back in there and steal another kiss. But, she only grabbed her bag, changed her shoes and left, catching a cab to go back home.<br/><br/>Outside the apartment, she took a moment to catch her breath and clear her head. The last thing she needed was to be visibly conflicted and confused, as Colt would be the last person who’d want to hear about her backpedaling. One minute, she was angry and the next she was kissing him.<span style="font-style: italic">Damn him…</span>came a final thought before Athan was pushed from her mind and she took the elevator up. “Alright, what’s for dinner?” she asked in greeting, without looking around as she dropped her bag.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Colt had decided to treat Tempest to a night out, but in. With her having to dance on Athan’s schedule, by the time she got out most places were closed or booked with no reservations. So, he got the idea to do a “date” with her. After all, friends can have dates together, right? Nice stuff cheese ravioli was made with some fresh toasted French bread and a nice red wine. It was not just a nice dinner that he had planned; this was to be as close to a date without having to leave the apartment. So, in the center of what was usually their dance place he had set out a square table with a white table cloth. Red candles set in glass holders waiting to be lit whilst they flanked a <a class="postlink" href="http://www.gifttree.com/images/super/16102a_Simple-Elegance-Bouquet.jpg">bouquet</a> of flowers. <br/><br/>Dinner was being kept warm on the stove as he finished getting ready in the bathroom. The bit of scruff that he had kept for a bit was gone; his hair combed and even cut slightly. Next was the clothing, which for this he went with something a bit <a class="postlink" href="http://www.homorazzi.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/colt-prattes-suit.jpg">dressier</a>. He had just straightened everything and checked his hair yet again, when he heard her enter. <br/><br/>“Pasta,” he called out and exited the bathroom to walk toward the front door and greet her. “How was rehearsal?” he asked as if this entire setup was normal.</span><br/><br/>The moment her eyes turned to look out at the apartment and find where his voice was coming from, everything just stopped. Everything in the apartment was...cleaner? It’s not that it was normally dirty, but this was as close to a...restaurant. There was a white tablecloth, flowers in the center, candles, even. Her eyes noticeably widened and her steps into the apartment halted, unsure of what she’d walked in on. Half of her thought he’d been planning a date for someone else and she’d been intruding.<br/><br/>But, when he walked out, dressed like...that...her heart skipped a beat. A suit, no scruff, and done hair? She stood there speechless, trying to gather her wits about her as she stood, suddenly underdressed and dirty. “...It went...fine…” Tempest finally replied, eyes glancing from him back to the table and then back to him. “...I’m not...interrupting anything, am I? I mean, if you have an impromptu date, I can leave?” Her tone tried for joking while the other part of her--a part she wasn’t quite willing to acknowledge--wanted this to be for her. “I’m a bit...underdressed for...all of this.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Colt smiled, “Well, this is kind of impromptu as I did not ask you before you left, but I figured you would not mind. Or at least that was my hope.” <br/><br/>He reached for her hand and walked her past the table to the bathroom, “Take your time and shower, change into whatever you want. When you get out everything will be set up and ready.” <br/><br/>The reaction could not have been better and he could hardly control himself as he left her at the bathroom while he went to check on the food in the kitchen.</span><br/><br/>Her hand was taken and she followed his lead to the bathroom, the nerves taking full flight the moment he told her to take her time. And, when he wandered away, she darted into the bathroom, door closed as her back rested against the door. She wasn’t even sure what she was going to wear, or why she had as many nerves as she did, but she was excited to say the least. Hopping in the shower, she washed the sweat and grime from her form, washed her hair and the like.<br/><br/>Then, stepping out, she quickly dried off and dried her hair, pulling it up so that she wouldn’t be as tempted to play with it and fiddle with it as she was wont to do when nervous. Some makeup came next. She’d considered not putting any on, as she wasn’t sure how serious a date this was...but, then she thought about how he’d done up the apartment and put himself together, so she didn’t want to leave her own appearance to chance. It was a natural sort of makeup, a light shine to her lips and some darkening about her eyes to add shadow, making the browns pop.<br/><br/>...Worst choice of all was<a class="postlink" href="http://www.starstyle.com/cheryl-cole-arriving-x-factor-auditions-pic88755.jpg">outfit</a>. A dress was chosen, one that wasn’t too dressy, but not too casual, and a pair of heels so he’d not have to look down at her like he normally did. Then it was a matter of letting out a deep breath, she left the bathroom, hands clasping and unclasping behind her back.<br/><br/>“So...what made you decide to…put this all together?” she asked as casually as she could manage, taking a few more steps out and mentally telling herself to relax. “It smells delicious, by the way.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">In the kitchen now he had stirred the pasta a few more times and now he gathered the plates that he set out on the table. “I hope you like it,” he said as he set the table. “As for why I decided to do this, I thought that it might be nice for us to have like a friend date? If that is even a thing, but yeah, just figured a nice meal and a pretty set up would just be nice,” he shrugged and went back to the kitchen to check on their meal, before he returned to the table where he pulled out her chair for her. <br/><br/>“So, I just got the table out of storage, got the white cloth and everything else,” he nodded to the chair. “You look lovely by the way,” he commented with a look of appreciation as he took a moment to regard the whole of her appearance.</span><br/><br/>A few more steps into the room, and she was at the table, smelling the flowers as a smile pulled at her lip. And, as he pulled out her chair, she sat down, hands smoothing over her dress. But, what caught her, was his compliment. Her eyes glanced up at him, a blush slowly creeping into her cheeks as she smiled a bit more, gaze dropping. “You don’t look so bad yourself,” came her reply as she let out a calming breath.<br/><br/>“This is definitely nice. And I think a friend date would be fun, even if I didn’t know they existed until tonight.” Laughter came next. “Anything else you’ve planned? Are we couch hurdling after dinner?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He chuckled as he set her chair back in place, then took the napkin off the table and gestured for him to be allowed to place it on her lap. Which he did once she nodded back to him, “No hurtling tonight. But depending on how we feel after the meal and such, we may do something else that is fun.” <br/><br/>That was all that he shared with her as he gave a small smile and returned to the kitchen, he was only there for a moment before he came back to the table with a bottle of wine and two plates with a fresh salad on each. “I hope you like red wine,” he said, plates set down before each respective seat. “I read that it pairs well with the pasta, so I got it…” all of this explained while he poured before he took his seat. <br/><br/>“This is just a simple caesar salad, nothing fancy. Figured I would try to eat more veggies and stuff with you,” he smiled and waited for her to take the first bite.</span><br/><br/>It was unexpected to say the very least. First the setup of the apartment, and now he was going through the motions of being in a five-star restaurant. He’d tucked her chair in, put her napkin in her lap and was bringing her the first course, along with pouring her wine. “It looks wonderful, truly,” she said with a smile, taking a first bite and letting out a quiet sound of approval.<br/><br/>Then, as she ate, she had to keep from eating as fast as she wished to. She was hungry; starving, in fact. Would she eat like the ravenous person she was in front of Colt? No. Why did that idea bother her so much? Maybe because she cared about what he thought more than she was openly willing to admit. Instead, she started small talk.<br/><br/>“So, I have to ask,” she started, tone casual. “What is the difference between a friend date and a date? Where I’ve never had one of these before, I’m curious as to know more about it. ...That, and just eating in silence has always had me feeling a little awkward.” Another laugh followed, nervous, light, as she replaced her fork on the table and took a sip of wine.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He ate some of his salad after she took the first bite, already happy to finally eat. Unlike his normal eating habits, he had staved off eating so that they could eat this meal together and enjoy it together. The question made him smile and he stilled in his eating to just rest the fork on the plate, “Well, let’s see. Well with a real date I would not be usin’ my accent unless I thought it scored me some extra points.” At that he gave her a quick wink, and then got back on track with the question. “Also, bein’ friends and all I don’t feel as pressured to impress you. I mean you have seen me in some really bad times so…I can’t really embarrass myself you know?”</span><br/><br/>The wink was met with a grin as she took another sip of her wine. “So, you wouldn’t be using your accent with me. Fair ‘nough, as I don’t break me own out, either,” came her reply. But the next part had her tilting her head, curious. “Well, if this is a friend date...what sort of moves do you have for a real date? What would you do differently, other than losing the accent, hmm?” Her grin turned more mischievous. “I’d need an example to really<span style="font-style: italic">understand</span>the difference.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Really?” he asked with an arched brow and a smirk upon his lips. “I mean you sure you want to have my moves? You may not be able to stand them and I don’t want to disappoint you when I’m forced to turn you down,” his confidence was nearly as thick as his accent. “You sure about this?”</span><br/><br/>She mock scoffed, and leaning forward in her chair a touch more. “It’s like you think I’d not be able to resist at all,” she replied with a light laugh. “I’m merely asking to see some of your ‘famous’ moves. This isn’t a date date, so what’s the harm in asking for a demonstration?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">For a long while he just looked at her before he took his napkin and wiped his mouth, and then he reached over the table to take her hand. “What made you decide to come to America? Was it just the dancing, or was there something more that you wanted out of life?” he asked with a look of complete attention and interest; as if she was the only woman in the world to him right now.</span><br/><br/>As he took her hand, her eyes dropped to it and then went back to him, and it was like night and day. Where one minute they’d been talking, but now it felt like she was the sole focus of his attention. It was like a bomb could have gone off and he wouldn’t have noticed. “Well, my mom and dad wanted to have that full ‘American Dream’ experience, so we moved. He wanted a better job to support us; I didn’t start dancing until things started go-...” A laugh fell free then, her eyes alight with humor. “That was pretty good!” she mused. “You got me talking about myself and feeling like you weren’t thinking about anything else but me. Bravo!”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He grinned, “Thank you. Now, to be fair you show me one of your moves. I have to see how you ensnare people who don’t just get to watch you dance and all that jazz.” Glass was picked up as he took a sip and waited to see just how she worked on people.</span><br/><br/>“Me, have moves?” she asked. “I don’t know...I mean, if they don’t like me fo-...” Another laugh broke out. “Okay, yeah, I have some moves. But mine are so simple in comparison.” Looking at him, she leaned a bit more forward, her attention now completely on him, eyes not diverting, and focus so completely on him. “So...where’d you grow up?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">This was a slow start and he was not sure what she hoped to accomplish with this, “I was born in Louisburgh, but my parents immigrated when I was about seven to the states, to escape the great potato famine…” his words carefully chosen.</span><br/><br/>“Did you have any brothers or sisters?” she asked next, voice careful, quiet, remaining perfectly attentive.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">This for some reason caused him some discomfort, "Um...I did have two. A little brother and a baby sister...."</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Clearly this was a bad train of thought…</span>she thought with a mental kick. So, instead of pressing, she broke eye contact and took a healthy sip of wine. “Well, that was the taste. I’d get people to talk about their family, their past, and when I have the opportunity to, there are little gestures of comfort...A thumb rubbing over the back of their hand, or perhaps holding their hand tighter to know that I’m there and to get them to open up. To show them they can trust me, and their walls just sorta...drop.” Another shrug, and the smile returned. “On to bigger and better things! How do you decide if using your accent will garner you extra points?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">A slight frown was given as he felt like he had done something wrong, “You did not have to change the subject. My family is a touchy subject, but if you want to know more I can tell you more.”</span><br/><br/>She instantly shook her head, her other hand reaching over and resting atop his. “No, no, Colt...I want to know more about you, I do...but tonight isn’t the night to make you uncomfortable talking about your family history…” Her eyes were reassuring, her thumb moving across the top of his hand as she sought to try and get back to where they’d been. “I want you to talk to me about that in your own time, not tell me about it because I brought it up when we’re supposed to be having a fun time. I don’t want to ruin that if talking about your family makes you uncomfortable…”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Colt smiled and nodded, “Alright. As for my accent, there are some girls that when they ask me where I’m from and I said Ireland, they get this look in their eyes. Before they can even ask for it, I break out the accent and they are like putty in mah hands.” Another sip of wine, another bite of salad and then he focused back on her, “Want to see another move?”</span><br/><br/>“Understandable. Accents can be the weakness. I’ll admit, though, when I’ve been asked...I don’t use my real accent. I tend to go posh, otherwise I feel like I sound too lowbrow,” she replied with a laugh. But, she was curious so she nodded. “You’ve got more moves?” Her head tilted and she leaned forward a touch. “Lets see this new move.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“I’m a man of many talents,” he said then took her hand back into his own, eyes diverted before he looked back up and made full eye contact. “I noticed something tonight, I doubt I’m the first one to notice but,” one of his hands reached up to cup the side of her face. “Whenever you smile, there is this…light…that just shines through your eyes and it spreads like a warm glow. I know it’s not just for me, but when our eyes meet I feel like the light, the smile and warmth were made just for me alone…”</span><br/><br/>As he took her hand anew, she noticed just how warm it was, how strong. Sure, Athan’s had been warm, but this was...like fire. It burned into her skin and drew her eyes. His eyes, however, then won her attention as he turned his gaze to her and leaned forward, eyes burning into his as brilliantly as the skin-to-skin contact they were sharing.<br/><br/>What truly had her transfixed, was the way his hand cupped the side of her face. Certainly, he’d done so before. Not too long ago, in fact, had his hand cupped her face to reassure her they’d be fine. This felt different, though. This felt like a gesture born out of attraction, of wanting to touch her, not just out of comfort. And his words...her cheeks flushed, her eyes shining brightly in the candlelight as she subconsciously leaned forward.<br/><br/>A sound outside, a siren, pulled her out of her reverie, out of whatever spell he’d woven to keep her so transfixed on him. “That...was quite the move,” Tempest breathed, her voice quiet, even slightly flustered. “I bet that line works with every woman you’ve tried it on.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Actually, no” he said as he sat back in his chair. “It’s not the line that I used, but more of what I allowed to happen,” he licked his lips slowly in a subconscious habit then went back to his salad, which was now done. “Are you done your salad?” he asked her. “Also, those can’t be all of your moves; I mean you got to reel them in somehow. Can’t just be all that wit and charm you possess.”</span><br/><br/>She looked thoughtful for a moment, as her eyes dropped to his lips and took in the motion of his tongue darting out over it, which had her doing this same. So, while she thought about it, she took the last bite of her salad and nodded, standing to clear the plates. “My moves are more...physical,” she admitted, picking up his plates. “More often than not, the dates I’d go on wanted to talk about themselves to impress me. To get their attention, I’d get them to focus on something on me. For example...I’d excuse myself to powder my nose and, as I got up and walked away…” Her steps started toward the kitchen, with a glance over her shoulder. “They’d watch my hips as I walked. And, by the time I got back, they’d still be staring at the place I disappeared in.” Plates in the sink, she started to rinse them off. “If I’m wearing a necklace...I fiddle with it, to draw their attention to my neck. Things of that nature.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He had started to listen and had planned to follow immediately after her, but true to her word his eyes were on her ass and hips. Had he not just the smallest shred of dignity his mouth would have been open as he openly gawked. When his eyes met her own as she glanced over her shoulder, he stood quickly, his chair made an awful scraping sound on the floor. <br/><br/>“I see what you mean,” he admitted as he came behind her. “You certainly had my attention as you walked into here,” he chuckled. “Guys really only talk about themselves?” he asked while he got the other plates ready for the pasta.</span><br/><br/>Inwardly, she took a great deal of pleasure at the look she’d seen as he stared, following her movements, but she remained calm and filled with good humor while she finished washing them and put them up to dry. “They really do,” she answered with a nod, another glance back at him as she finished up. “They may ask about me, but you can see it in their eyes; They’re waiting for their opportunity to speak. They’re waiting to say what they think I want to hear so that they can get what they’re after.”<br/><br/>Turning around to look at him, she was curious. “Lines like talking about my eyes, or how I make them want to be a better man. Lines about how they don’t see any other woman but me, or how my smile lights up a room.” There was a pause and then she continued. “You mentioned that what you said wasn’t a line but what you allowed to happen...what had you allowed to happen?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He grinned and blushed slightly, “Yes, it was not a line cause I speak from the heart every time I speak to someone.” He cleared his throat, “See…vampires have this thing where they can compel people. I have this thing that happens naturally. I can tone it down to some degree, but when I don’t it’s like I put out this aura that attracts those who are naturally attracted to me. Animal magnetism is what it would be called and I use it at times to get a more honest and natural response from people.”</span><br/><br/>Her eyes widened as she listened to what he said, a blush of her own creeping in and lingering.<span style="font-style: italic">So...he makes those attracted to him...more attracted to him? It...pulls us in?</span>That thought made her blush even more, as it was the first time she’d admitted to herself that she was attracted to him. Before, it was always that he was her dance partner, her friend, who was handsome...but now she was admitting it to herself.<br/><br/>“So...it affects people who are...attracted to you?” she asked softly. “It doesn’t affect everyone? Just...those that...find you attractive?” Suddenly it was harder to breath with him so close, her heart beginning to race.<br/><br/>Then, to change the subject, she cleared her throat. “Alright, what do you need help with for the rest of dinner? Do you need help plating?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">The change in her heart beat and how she began to react with him so close made him lean closer to her without even thinking about it. For a moment, he just stood there and looked at her, holding her gaze before he finally answered her. “If you would be so kind as to open the second bottle of wine let it breathe a bit, I will get around to the plating. Um, do you like any extra cheese on your pasta?”</span><br/><br/>He was leaning in, closer than he’d been before, and time seemed to stop. Her eyes were entranced in his, staring and unable to do a thing about it, for what felt like an eternity. Only when he moved away did she regain her vocal facets and caught her breath.<span style="font-style: italic">Just focus on the food and the wine. It needs to breathe, just like you do.</span>“Extra cheese would be wonderful, thank you,” she breathed out, before clearing her throat. “Where’s your wine opener?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Our wine opener is in that top drawer,” he said as he reached over to point. “You can take it back to the table, then come and get the bread too and I will bring our plates,” he instructed with a smile. Once he had everything in plates, he put on the finishing touches. Atop the plump and perfectly cooked cheese stuffed ravioli, he poured a bright crimson tomato sauce with extra freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. <br/><br/>Plates in hand, he walked them to the table to set them down before each respective chair. “Shall we?” he asked while he pulled out her chair and waited for her to be seated before he took his own.</span><br/><br/>Taking the wine opener and the bottle, she brought it out to the table and set it up, opening it so that it could breathe while he got the rest of the food ready. Then, as he did before, he pulled out her chair and lowered herself into it, a grateful smile up to him along with a murmured “thank you” was given.<br/><br/>So, when he took up his fork, she took a bite of the ravioli and couldn’t help the sound of appreciation, akin to a near moan with how delicious it was. Her eyes drifted closed, a smile pulled at her lips and she allowed herself to enjoy the bite before opening her eyes and looking at him with appreciation. “You made this all yourself?” Tempest asked, extremely impressed with his culinary prowess. “Far more than I could have done.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">A bite of his own was taken and he smiled at the flavor, but more so at how she reacted. “Well, mainly I just seasoned the sauce, the pasta itself is store bought. I’m clever in the kitchen, but I’ve not yet learned the whole making pasta from scratch thing,” he chuckled and drank from his near empty glass of wine. “Oh, I also made the seasoned butter that was put on the bread and I grated that cheese myself as well,” said with a good deal of pride. “I’m glad you like it,” he said after a moment.</span><br/><br/>“It’s still delicious, nonetheless,” she said with a smile, hand reaching across the table to grasp hold of his hand for a moment before pulling back and continuing to eat. When she noticed his glass was nearly empty, she looked at the wine bottle she’d opened. “Has this breathed enough, or do you think it needs to a bit longer? I see your glass is nearly empty.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Are you trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me?" he asked with a grin.</span><br/><br/>“Are you saying I’d need to get you drunk to take advantage? That you’re not attracted to me without the beer goggles?” she teased back.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"We both know that I don't need any of that to find you attractive, nor would you need that to take advantage of me," he smirked.</span><br/><br/>“Do I?” she replied to that with a look of innocence. “Do I, though? You’ve not once made an advancement on me, and all we know is that you turned on your animal magnetism on me as a demonstration of what you’d do on a date date.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">This sudden change in conversation made Colt pause for a moment, not sure if she actually meant what she said or if this was still them just having fun back and forth. “I…could…if you don’t think that is too much or inappropriate…” he said finally, his gaze shifted from her to his plate and then back again.</span><br/><br/>Now it was her turn to be uncertain. Was he joking? Was he serious? Did he actually want to hit on her? She’d initially merely been joking with him about how he didn’t need to be boozed up to find her attractive, but then it became...weirdly serious. “Unless it’s a demonstration, I don’t think you need to...make an advance,” she replied, with a light laugh. “I was only giving you a hard time since you say that I should know you needn’t be three sheets to the wind for me to take advantage.” Another laugh, though there was a deep blush that followed as her eyes focused pointedly on her place. “Though, if you find me as attractive as you let on, I don’t think it’d really be...taking advantage…”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Colt nodded and ate for a bit, not sure exactly what to say for the moment as he had unintentionally turned the conversation more serious. “Good to know, as I’m not the kind of guy that does that kind of thing,” he grinned and focused on his meal more just to give them both a break in conversation. “Though,” he said after a moment. “It would be nice if you poured me a bit more, a guy my size it takes a bit to affect me and well I know you have these plans for later tonight that involves you <span style="font-style: italic">taking advantage</span>,” he teased.</span><br/><br/>“So you’re not the kind of guy that makes advances, hmm?” she asked casually, refilling his glass before taking another bite of her ravioli. “Does that mean you don’t take charge at all? Leave it up to the girl to make the moves and let you know they’re attracted to you?” Her tone was still teasing, a humorous glint to her eyes as she took another sip of her wine. “I mean, a big, muscly man like yourself isn’t afraid of letting a girl know how attracted you are to someone are you?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Oh, I do,” he said with wineglass in hand. “I just don’t take advantage. Cause I pursue, well, in a word I hunt. When I get them alone I let them know what I want is them and no one else, then I lean in...,” as he spoke he leaned closer to her. “When they lean in to me, I kiss them, claim their mouth as my own and proceed to show them just how attracted to them I am,” he said with a slow pass of his tongue across his lip.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">He hunts…</span>she repeated, mouth suddenly dry as he leaned in and continued to paint the picture. Painted a scene of how he got them alone, of how he leaned in--much like he was doing right then, making it hard to focus--and how he’d kiss them. How he’d claim their mouth as his and show them just how attracted he was. Her head felt light, her heart was skipping a beat, and there was an ache she chose to ignore, even as her eyes fixated on the way his tongue slowly slid across his lips; lips she was noticing more than usual.<br/><br/>She found herself starting to lean in, just barely, and then she pulled back. Her face was flush, her demeanor slightly flustered and she took another sip of her wine. “It’s a wonder you don’t have a harem of women at your beck and call, with how easily you seem to ensnare them. Any woman would fall victim to that,” Temp found herself remarking, trying to sound like it’d not affected her as much as it had. Instead, she turned back to eating and finding something “interesting” to focus on on her plate.<br/><br/>“When was the last time you used that move on someone?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“What move?” he asked as he took a piece of bread and dragged it through his sauce.</span><br/><br/>“Turning on the magnetism...and separating them from those they’re with to...show them how attracted you are? Is that all you do, or do you lead up with the other moves you’ve been showing me this evening?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“I only really do that when I feel the need to make a point in front of some jerk who is an asshole to everyone,” he said with a shrug. “I allow it to turn on and just watch as their girl leaves them for me,” another shrug. “But, when I am alone with a woman and she has just a small hint of uncertainty I allow her to forget that and then show her how she appears to me. I only have ever done it to the extent of sharing a moment with someone maybe twice in my lifetime,” he explained honestly.</span><br/><br/>That part, she wasn’t certain she liked. He’d done it to prove a point with people, to pull someone away from someone else. But to what end? She supposed she had this friend date to thank, that he’d not turned it around on her, because, had she found out he’d done that, she’d likely not have spoken to him after that. But this was a friend date, a date where turning that on wasn’t to reach any specific end, so she was in the clear. “How often do you do that? Turn it on to prove a point? To take a girl away from someone else?” she asked, voice quiet, regarding him from across the table.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“When I was younger, I did it often and without really thinking about it. As I got older I curbed my behavior and only did it when I honestly thought the girl would be better off,” he shrugged. “Then when she left him and came over to me I would just talk to her and get her to see that she deserved better,” he looked down at his plate for a bit. <br/><br/>“Hmm…guess that is kind of sounds jerky huh?” he said after a moment.</span><br/><br/>“...A little…” she replied to that quietly. “It makes me wonder…” Changing her train of thought, she went back to eating, eating in silence as her mind wondered the one question she didn’t want to ask.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Wonder what?" he asked her after a moment.</span><br/><br/>“Nothing,” she said with a small smile. “For someone who’s supposed to eat a lot, you’re eating less than I am at the moment.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Tempest," he said and waited till she looked at him. "Please ask what you want to ask..."</span><br/><br/>Her motions ceased, eyes still transfixed on her plate. “...I know you’ve been honest with me...and I’m not about to suggest otherwise...but with what you just said...You...didn’t do that with...Athan and I...did you?” Instantly she started to backpedal, knowing it sounded worse than she meant it to. “I just know that you don’t like him, and I’m not even saying you did it subconsciously, but you’re not only...hanging out with me because of that...right?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He sighed and looked away for a moment as if to gather his thoughts, before he looked back to her. “Athan is an ass, yes, but he did appear to be treating you properly and you were happy with him. You can think back on it yourself, really, to a moment when you were with him that you felt suddenly more attracted me. You won’t find it, because I don’t do that to my friends. This is the reason why I’m hanging out with you, because you are my friend. Am I attracted to you? Yes, I’ve never denied that, but I would never try and break you apart from someone you cared about or genuinely seemed to care about you. Ok?” <br/><br/>It bothered him a bit; he would admit that, to think she thought for even a moment he would do that with her and Athan. Had he thought about it? Yeah, but he knew better than to do that to someone who was supposed to be his friend.</span><br/><br/>She felt ashamed for even asking. She’d known he hadn’t done it, known that it wasn’t him who’d been the reason it all fell apart, but when he mentioned what he used to do...the thought was an involuntary one. “I’m sorry...I know I shouldn’t have asked...and I knew you weren’t do that...but I…” Shaking her head, she removed her napkin from her lap, putting it on the table beside her plate as she sat back and rubbed her temples. “It was a stupid question.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Tempest,” he said her named softly until she looked up at him. “It was not a stupid question, it was a question that needed to be asked so that you did not just sit around and wonder all the time if I had done that to you. Please, try to just get back to enjoying this evening. I even have a surprise for you…” he said with a grin. “That is of course if you don’t fill up on the pasta and bread,” he chuckled.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">But it shouldn’t have needed to be asked...Unlike Athan, I’ve never had a reason to not trust you…</span>She nodded and attempted to smile again, pulling her napkin back into her lap. “...What’s the surprise?” she asked. “Can I have a hint?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Yes, a surprise and for a hint. It is something you put in your mouth,” he said with a grin.</span><br/><br/>“That is the most unhelpful hint of all time,” she replied to that. “So, I think I’ll be done with this so I can find out what the surprise is early. I wouldn’t want to fill up, after all.” Leaning back, one leg crossing over the other, she got more comfortable. “Now then, what’s this surprise?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Alright,” he said as he wiped his mouth and stood to clear away the table. “Now, this is something important about the surprise,” he said from behind her. “Close your eyes and trust me,” he whispered at her ear before he took his tie, removed it from about his neck and used it to essentially blindfold her. “Now, you wait here and I will get your surprise…” he whispered this time in her other ear, then retreated back to the kitchen where she could hear him rustling about. <br/><br/>“Ready?” he asked now seat beside her.</span><br/><br/>As he stood, she watched his movements, going so far as to try to follow him behind her. Rather than turn her head, though, she stopped when her eyes could no longer see him, tensing up in anticipation as he asked her to trust him. A small nod and her eyes were closed, heart’s pace rising faster and faster as the blindfold--warm from his neck--was now about her eyes. She lifted a hand to feel at it, but didn’t dislodge it, biting hard on her lip as she waited, turning her ear toward the kitchen to try and get a clue for what it was he was getting.<br/><br/>So, when he sat down beside her, her anticipation and nerves were through the roof. A shaky breath tumbled free of her lips before she nodded. “Ready,” she managed to breathe, face turned toward his voice just a hair as she waited for the unveiling.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Open your mouth,” he instructed and when she did so, he placed the end of a milk chocolate covered strawberry in.  This was a gamble, but since he knew she liked fruit and chocolate, he figured it was a good gamble.</span><br/><br/>There was a small amount of hesitance, but her lips parted and a pleasant surprise was given. A chocolate-covered strawberry. A smile immediately pulled at her lips, her body relaxing as she took a bite. Though a small piece of chocolate remained, she didn’t even care. She happily nibbled on the bit of strawberry, and then licked her lip, missing the piece. “How’d you know I liked chocolate covered fruit?” Tempest asked, voice a bit lower than it had been before, happy and still thoroughly enjoying the taste she’d gotten.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Carefully, he reached forward and used his thumb to wipe the chocolate from her lip, “Well, you like fruit and chocolate, so I took a chance.” Though she could not see it, he smiled and offered her another strawberry to eat, this one with white chocolate instead, “Try this one.”</span><br/><br/>His thumb burned as it slid across her lip, but it was a good burn. And, as he offered her the new piece, her lips parted again, taking another bite and letting out yet another sound of contentment. Once finished her piece, she licked her lips again and leaned just a bit more forward to where he was sitting. “Am I going to be just trying all of these...blindfolded?” she asked, playfully. “If you only wanted to look at me licking my lips, you could have just said so.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">His hand reached around to behind her head, so that he could undo the knot there. “Is that all that I had to do?” his tone pitched just a hair lower as he smiled. “I would miss the small sounds that you made whenever you ate one, though…”</span><br/><br/>“And what about you?” she asked, hand taking up one of the strawberries now that she could see and offered it to him, eyes focusing wholly on him. “Am I going to be deprived of hearing you make such sounds?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Without giving an answer he took a bite of the strawberry, his own sound of pleasure at its taste being made while he licked his lips of what bit of chocolate remained there. “Is that something you really want to hear?”</span><br/><br/>Her lips pulled into a grin, eyes dropping to his lips as her own became trapped between her teeth again. “Yes, that’s what I wanted to hear,” she replied to that, voice still pitching that little bit lower. “We can’t have it be completely one-sided now, can we?” A look flashed behind her eyes, but vanished as quickly as it appeared, offering him another strawberry. “So, what else would you do for moves at the end of a date?” she asked next. “Would it end with a dessert, or would you take your dates to do other things?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">For a moment he forgot about everything but the way her lip was pulled between her teeth and that brief look that flashed in her eyes. Now, she was asking about end of the date moves and he knew of one that he wanted to try, if only so that he could have a brief moment with her. The second strawberry was taken and he used the time to regard her further at his pleasure. <br/><br/>“Mmm…there is one move, but first how about we dance?” he said and stood before she had a moment to really think about what he said. Instead he walked from her, his fingers already deftly worked on the buttons of his shirt while he went to the radio to turn on some music. “Think you can handle it? Or have you had too much to drink?” he taunted slightly and then removed his shirt.</span><br/><br/>Watching him eat the next strawberry held her attention more than she’d admit, to herself or openly. It gave her time to regard him, to take in his eyes, his lips, his body as a whole (with her peripheral, of course). So, when he asked her about dancing instead of the move, it took her a moment to register the request. But, he was already up and removing his shirt, walking away as he turned on the music.<br/><br/>“No...no, I’ve not had too much to drink,” she replied, shaking her head as she leaned over, unstrapping her heels and leaving them beside the chair she’d been sitting in. Then, she stood, stretching just a touch as the butterflies took wing in her stomach and wandered over toward him. “You drank more than I; Are you sure you can handle this?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">The soft tinklings of ivory keys filled the air, mingled with the deep beat of a drum that gradually built in volume with each moment that passed. In answer to her comment he picked her up as if she weighed nothing at all. Two steps he took, at the end of each he turned until he set her back down on the ground,” I’m sure.” <br/><br/>Voice was slightly throaty as he spoke against her ear, from where he now stood at her back. One hand slipped beneath her arm, to rub and glide along her stomach before he reached her waist. Then he spun her about and lifted her up with her back against his chest.</span>