<span style="color: #FF0000">There was the question that had been there since this thing between them began and now it hung in the air and nearly tarnished the start of tonight. Instead of answering her right away, he walked about the table to her side. For a moment he stood there eyes on her and nothing else, before his hands reached down to guide her up to him. Again he said nothing and just held her gaze. <br/><br/>“I want you....” he said softly and brushed some of the hair back from her face. “I don't know what this is between us, but I like it....a lot and I am sure that you like it as well, right?” he leaned down to rest his forehead on her own for a moment before he kissed her. Slow, sweet and tender he kissed her, then lingered once it's ended. <br/><br/>“Come with me....” he whispered while he kissed and nibbled on her neck. “I want to hold you...make you feel good...come with me....,” he whispered again, this time his lips and teeth were at her ear, while his hand slipped into her own. A single step was taken to lead her back and away from the kitchen, “Come with me....”</span><br/><br/>She regretted that question more than she could have expressed in that moment. The entire feel of the room changed, the atmosphere shifted. Everything went silent, her second question, her subject change, remaining in the air unanswered.<span style="font-style: italic">Fuck…</span><br/><br/>The sound of his chair shifting and his eyes on her, though she didn’t lift her own to meet them. Instead, she continued to pick up her plate, her cup, to get the crumbs that had managed to escape into the palm of her hand and then back onto the plate they’d escaped from. But, the longer he lingered there, the less she felt like she could breathe and the more she felt her cheeks burning. Her lips parted to say something, anything, to alleviate the awkward silence that’d settled over the room…<br/><br/>And nothing came out. His touch lifted her gaze to his, as much as she didn’t want to look, the dark hues bouncing between both of his, occasionally trying to drop with no place to drop to. Hair brushed back from her face, she instinctively leaned into it, just a hair, teeth nibbling hard on her inner lip while he spoke. Again, she thought to speak, to reply, but his lips were on hers, and it became harder to think. Yes, the kiss was sweet, perfect, but it made it impossible to think things through.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Yes, I like…</span>The kiss continued and her thought faded out.<span style="font-style: italic">But that doesn’t really…</span>As his kisses shifted, any more reasoning she tried to figure was a lost cause, the shift to her ear causing a shaky breath to escape and a shiver to run up her spine.<br/><br/>The only other thought that lingered was to his request, his whisper, tongue running out over her lips as she slowly nodded, following where he led. For now, everything else could wait, at least until she was alone and<span style="font-style: italic">could</span>think.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">To the bedroom he led her, similar to how she led him last night. Pauses punctuated with kisses and brief embraces, until they were at last in the bedroom. Now his hand was at the back of her head, the kiss given now deep and passionate, his tongue quick to find access and dance with her own. Hands at her waist gripped and pulled her close to him. <br/><br/>So much of this was wrong, so much of this should have kept them from one another. Yet, here they were...<br/><br/>The kiss broke and he kissed lower, his hand now gripped the bottom of her shirt to lift up and over her head. When it was out of the way, once again the kiss resumed with the same passion and energy that he had before.  This was likely a bad idea and there were any number of reasons to stop right now and reconsider what they were doing.<br/><br/>But, at the same time, this was something he missed and had longed for without even knowing he had. To hold another and feel another, it reminded him of how his life had been in the past, before he became the monster of a man he had been. For however long this would last he wanted to enjoy it and part take in it.</span><br/><br/>The brief pauses kept what breath he’d stolen from being regained, deciding to not think, not question, not wonder, and just go with the flow. Her arms held him close as he kissed her passionately, happy to be flush against him as she pressed, instinctively, into him. A sound of distaste as he broke the kiss, trying to lead him back, but her actions quickly ceased when he shifted lower, alright with the development. Arms rising to make it easier for him to remove her shirt, she immediately embraced him again, hands sliding over him wherever she could reach, wanting to touch every inch of him, feel every inch of him.<br/><br/>For the smallest moment, a thought tried to break through the slow-forming fog of pleasure that had inhabited her mind; A thought of how wrong this could be, how dangerous this could be, but she pushed it back without so much as a hesitation. She<span style="font-style: italic">liked</span>how this felt. She<span style="font-style: italic">wanted</span>what this felt like. Why would anyone want to ignore something that felt good, whatever it was that felt good, and pretend like it didn’t exist? Even if there was a chance something could go wrong, there was no point thinking about that right then; Doing such would doom it from the get-go.<br/><br/>Pushing back on him a touch, she started to return the favor, yanking his shirt up and over his head before taking matters into her own hands, or…onto her own lips, rather. While her hands moved over him, caressed and felt, her lips moved down his neck, nibbling, kissing and suckling the whole way down. At one point, she got the idea to do what he’d done to her the night before, so, while she was moving south, she moved over his shoulder and gave him a sharp nip, followed by a kiss, before continuing onward.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Skin bare and touching her own, he moaned from her touch. The sharp bite caused him to gasp and then moan all anew, the desire to return the favor there though ignored for the time being. The shower was mere steps away and it had been their goal this whole time, but the sensation of her lips as she went lower and lower. It was almost too much and he had begun to lose the motivation to even attempt the shower. <br/><br/>How he managed to find the ability to stop her, he may never know, but his hands were on her shoulders and still her from going lower. <br/><br/>“Wait....” he said in a husky tone that more than revealed his own current state. “Let's...move to the shower....” he managed to get out while he guided her back up to his lips for another kiss.</span><br/><br/>Had he not stopped her, she’d have continued downward. Her lips would have continued over his skin, across his chest, tongue slipping out to trace the contours of his muscles the lower she went. She’d have taken matters into her own hands, literally, as she’d have removed the pants he wore, the boxers following suit. But the “would have’s” were halted by his voice breaking through her fog, his hands on her shoulders, stopping her from going further.<br/><br/>The mention of the shower brought her back to reality, back to where she needed to shower, to shave, to clean up in general. His kisses made it hard to keep that train of thought, but it was there, thoroughly embedded; It just shifted from the forefront of her mind to the back and back again. “Wait…” This time it was her turn to stop it, voice breathless, needing to lean back to try and keep her thoughts from diverting back to his lips. “I need…I need to…clean up and…” Giving in, she stole another kiss, the feel of his body against hers drawing forth another moan, tearing her lips away with a groan for the second thing. “I need…I’m…prickly and…” Another kiss. “And…yeah…”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000"> “I don't care....” he panted against her neck and bent down to scoop her up into his arms, while his lips took her own into another kiss. The embrace only ended when he set her down in the bathroom, his body pressed against her own, “I want you....” he whispered again. Yet another kiss was given, her back pushed against the wall while his hands moved lower to undo her jeans. <br/><br/>Truly there was no care about her legs and whether or not they were prickly. What he wanted, what he needed was to feel her again. Feel her body against his own, to be inside of her again and take them both to that sweet climax and release once again. That is what he wanted, the fact that she thought her legs were prickly did not change his mind about this, did not change what he wanted or needed.</span><br/><br/>Another groan, but she didn’t fight him lifting her, didn’t fight when he put her down, nor when he pushed her against the wall and took her lips in a kiss. His words, the tone, his actions had been more than enough to push it from her mind…at that moment. Instead, her hands gripped at his shoulders, holding him tight while her tongue slipped passed his lips to dance with his own.<br/><br/>For the moment, she’d forget about the fact that he’d already released himself inside of her the night before. Something that no one else had done prior, and now she had to overlook it. Sure, she’d wanted to shave, but that’d been what she’d wanted to do most. But maybe he wasn’t those that worried about that.<br/><br/>Right then, she wanted more access to him, along the lines of what she’d wanted in the other room. Her hands slid down his back, scratching while she went, until her hands encountered his pants line. Fingers tracing its line, they made it around to the front, instantly undoing the button, releasing it, and pushing them down while the mere thought of where they were headed drew another moan.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">The kiss was hot and heavy, his tongue worked against her own for all it was worth. Nails down his back made him moan loudly, no worry or care about his neighbors may hear. When his pants were undone and the air hit him, he gasped against her lips. Silently he willed her to go lower, to touch him and take him into her hands. A low growl was made in his throat, the kiss broken by him to drag his fangs along her neck lightly and with care before he undid her jeans and pushed them down out of the way. <br/><br/>“Tempest....” name moaned with need and desire while he continued to kiss and nibble on her neck and shoulder.</span><br/><br/>Her hands were only so happy to comply, the urge to touch him, to stroke him, had been there and all she’d needed was the opportunity. She took her time, body trembling under his touch, under his nibbles and kisses, tracing along its length before taking it completely into her palm. It felt…larger than she thought it was, moaning as her hand started to work over him, stroking along its entirety as another moan loosed loudly, not even thinking about how someone else might hear.<br/><br/>“Athan,” she moaned, head dropping back before a finger hooked under his chin and brought him back to her lips. Right then, she needed that kiss, the passion she felt there; After that…she’d need more…and to move a little more…south.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He trembled under her touch, more than happy to indulge her in the kiss she wanted as it stifled the loud moan that was about to spill from his lips. The sound of his name being moaned on her lips, it was almost too much to bare and yet he knew he would want and need far more before they were done. Without even thinking about it he knew he wanted her to go lower, to kiss lower, to taste him....take him into her mouth....<br/><br/>The thought, the image was enough to cause him to twitch within her hand. As if he could not wait for it to happen. <br/><br/>Still, a part of him knew this could not last for long. That this would not be able to last for long and that he would have deal with what came from this. How this could affect them professionally....what this could do to their careers and that future dance they had planned. All of these were things that they should have considered, that he should have thought about first before giving in to what he wanted. Now, all of this was at the back of his mind and he just wanted her and cared about nothing else.</span><br/><br/>The kiss broke again as she shifted to his jaw, kissing along his jaw and down his neck, giving another sharp nip before continuing onward. Simultaneously, her hand kept up with its motions, her palm gliding over him, the rhythm a slow one, painstakingly so, as her lips kept moving further downward. Occasionally, she’d glance up at his face, gauging his reaction, the hint of a grin on her lips the further south she went, nipping, kissing and suckling.<br/><br/>Once she reached his hips, though, she slowed, deciding to take her time getting to where she wanted to go. Her kisses became roundabout, getting nearer to him, but never quite hitting the mark, eyes trained on his face as her hands, too, ceased.<br/><br/>Unable to hold herself from it anymore, however, she kissed its tip, tongue tracing out along it before her lips parted more fully, pulling just a hint of him in. Not as much as she wanted, but enough to make her moan, to have her one of her hands—once on his length—now holding his thigh while the other continued to skim over his skin, flitting from him to his hips, to his abs, and lower, tracing, touching and caressing wherever she got the urge to touch.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">The longer she took the harder it was for him to focus on anything else but her. The feel of her lips, the sharp nip, her tongue, everything burned with a delicious heat that had him on the verge of begging her for more. When the stroking stopped he whimpered and bit his bottom lip, hips of their own free will jerks slightly as if to try and get her to stroke him again on their own. Time felt like it ticked away at a painstaking pace, which said something because he had lived over 200 years and had been so obsessed over the passing of time before. <br/><br/>Just when he thought to beg and her name had just been uttered in a desperate moan she kissed and licked his tip. The moan that was pulled forth from that was loud, throat and primal. As she took him into her mouth, his knees went weak and he was forced to brace himself of the wall above her head. <br/><br/>“Oh...God....Tempest....” he managed to moan her name before his head dropped back and he dissolved into fits of deep throat moans and whimpers.</span><br/><br/>Her name was music to her ears, the moans and whispers the resounding orchestra that she timed her movements to. If he started to moan too loudly, too constantly, she’d pull back and remove him, leaving him with only the light licks and fleeting touches. When the whimpers became constant, she’d started in again to hear the deep, carnal moans she’d come to expect.<br/><br/>…Then, she got curious.<br/><br/>She’d not attempted it with anyone else, never having the urge to. This time, she wanted to try. After taking the tip of him into her mouth, she went further, taking him slowly (but surely) into her mouth, inch by inch. It was something she worked up to, each time she hit a new inch, pulling back until he was almost removed completely, and starting the slow crawl again. Inch by inch, she got further down his length, tongue massaging and tracing over it as she went until she couldn’t move anymore forward.<br/><br/>Part of her was shocked that she’d managed to take him in so completely, while the other half could justify it with how relaxed she was, even if there was still a vague notion of surprise. Pulling back out, she started to pick up the pace, suckling increasingly harder as her hands braced at his hips, moaning around him. She’d have moaned his name, had it not been for him being in her mouth, but the sentiment was there. Her moans grew increasingly steadier, louder, needier.<br/><br/>All the while, her eyes remained ever on his face, relishing in the reactions, the expressions, the smile that couldn’t be shown on her lips playing out in her eyes instead.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Lost completely in what she did, it took him a moment to notice what she had begun to do. As it was his hips worked in time to her actions, but when she started to pull him all the way into her mouth the world truly ceased to exist. <br/><br/>It took a moment....several in fact before he cried out her name. A hand left the wall to grab at the back of her head, his hips moved in perfect time to her actions. The end, he could feel it as it got closer and closer. <br/><br/>“Tempest.....I'm.....” he tried to form the thought to let her know that he was close, that he was teetering on an edge that would leave her with a mouth full of something she might not be expecting. As the thoughts failed him he instead grit his teeth and tried to hold out.</span><br/><br/>As his hand grabbed the back of her head, she stopped looking at him, focusing more on what she was doing and not what his face looked like, the expressions she’d seen already thoroughly memorized. What she hadn’t been expecting was his sudden, broken thought. Blinking up at him, she tried to implore him for what he wanted with eyes alone, asking what he wanted but preparing for what she thought would happen.<br/><br/>It’d be another first, if she were to take his ends, his release and swallow it. Not that it’d be a first for receiving such, but normally she’d nonchalantly spit somewhere. This time, if he chose to reach his ends in her mouth, she’d try; if only so as not to embarrass herself or break the current mood.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">It hit him and hit him hard, as he held her head still while he was still deep in her mouth and released every drop he had into her waiting mouth. Spasm after spasm, he felt his release. When it ended he rested his forehead on his forearm that was on the wall. That had never happened before, at least not that fast and not something that he did not control to some extent. The last time something like that had happened....well it had been a long time. <br/><br/>Even with that release he was still hard, which he planned on putting to good use as he guided her back up to his lips. A quick kiss was given and then he smirked, “My turn....”<br/><br/>Without any work up, his head dipped low and he took one of her nipples into his mouth and suckled on it hard. Tongue quick to flick across the sensitive bit of flesh, before he nipped at it, while his hand massaged and worked the other.</span><br/><br/>“Breathing was overrated.” That statement was heavily prevalent in that moment, as he held her head still, spilled his seed down her throat. The urge to gag was there, from the sheer surprise of how much there was; Only a small portion touched her tongue, but what little she tasted, she didn’t mind. It was better than the few times before him, and the gag was solely reflex-driven by the…rather large blockage in her throat right then.<br/><br/>Down it went, with no issue otherwise, instinctively licking her lips as he led her back up to him, still trying to recover from the lack of oxygen when he stole another kiss, when his head dropped to her nipples and all thought was gone. A sharp inhale followed, her hands clambering at his shoulders, his hair, the wall behind her; Anything to feel just that little bit more steady, trembling with anticipation and her knees long-since weak.<br/><br/>“Athan…” she moaned, loudly, back trying to press more into the wall just to catch that little bit of breath she was deprived of, to give herself a break as a whole. Overall, she was more sensitive than she’d realized, the touch, the feel of him, already a little too intense and he hadn’t even really done much to her yet…<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">His name on her lips only made him suckle harder, his tongue and lips going into overtime with her body. Soon her switched to the other nipple to give it the same attention, his ear ever on her breathing and moans. His mouth pulled away from her, where he kissed and nibbled lower and lower still. Hands on her waist scratched along her flesh, held her in place while he went ever closer to his goal.<br/><br/>Last night he had paused, he had built up the moment and made her wait for it. <br/><br/>Not this time. <br/><br/>This time his tongue went right for it wanted, a long lick across her once and then again. Pushing past her outer lips and as far in as he could get it before he focused his attention on her clit. Her taste was sweet, a flavor he would remember and long for many nights to come.</span><br/><br/>Another cry was given as he switched sides, the sudden shock of air on the newly released one sending shivers up and down her spine, goosebumps forming over her skin. The cries turned to whimpers as he lowered, moving further and further down her body, completely focused on watching his movements, anticipation building tenfold in the blink of an eye. And, where she’d made him wait, drawn out the moment…<br/><br/>…He didn’t.<br/><br/>Even watching him hadn’t prepared her for the suddenty with which his tongue was on her. Everything felt like it was on fire, his name tumbling free of her lips as her hands struggled to find something to brace on. Her knees went weak, her head went light, her heart pounded so hard she thought it’d fly out of her chest and her breathing became all the more shallow. “Athan…” she moaned again, hands bracing on the wall, nails scratching along the wall’s cool surface.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Over and over again, his tongue flicked across her clit until he heard her moans practically on top of one another. It was at this time that he stopped and stood completely to face her, “In the shower.” <br/><br/>The phrase was not a request but more of a command, eyes on her own as he waited for her to comply.</span><br/><br/>It was too hard to think, to do anything but focus on him, on what he was making her feel. Her moans were growing louder, eyes squeezed shut as the beginnings of that edge grew closer, her thoughts far from coherent enough to express such a thought. A hand had just started to inch and try to tap him to get him to stop, when he did on his own. And, because she’d been so into the moment, it took a moment for it to sink in he’d fully stopped, that he’d…<span style="font-style: italic">commanded</span>her to move to the shower.<br/><br/>Eyes widening a touch, she didn’t move right off, gaze flicking back and forth between the both of his. Finally,though, after that moment of indecision, complying and stepping into the shower as he’d told her to.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Into the shower behind, he stayed behind her while he turned on the shower. As the hot water began to cascade down their backs, his lips began to kiss and nibble anew along her shoulders. <br/><br/>“Tell me....what you want....” he practically purred against her ear, hands slipped forward to cup and massage her breasts.</span><br/><br/>She snuck a few cautious glances in his direction as she walked into the shower, the hot water paling in comparison to how hot he felt as his lips moved over her, as hot as his breath felt against her ear. The hands massaging her breasts earned whimpers, one hand finding a wall to brace on, having to fight to keep coherent thoughts just to answer his request.<br/><br/>“You…” she managed to moan, head dropping forward, breathing scarce, mumbling through the lip she currently nibbled on. “I want you…”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">One hand pushed her forward a bit, while the other guided himself to her entrance. “Tempest...” he moaned her name and slid himself inside. There he waited a moment, before he pulled back out and then pushed back in. Out and in, the pace steady and slow as he wanted to drag it out, to build her back up to that delicious peek so that she was on the verge of practically begging for him to pound into her. <br/><br/>To help with some extra stimulation, he leaned forward and used his hand to stroke and fondle her breast.</span><br/><br/>As he pushed, she didn’t hesitate, moving where he bent her to, bracing now on the wall in front of her. She’d have loosed a cry, moaned his name, but her breath was stolen and no sound broke free when her lips parted to do so. The most she managed was a delayed moan, deep, carnal, leaning a little farther forward as her moans, having temporarily quieted, took up a rhythmic sort of consistency. With each in, she’d moan loudly, the sound diminishing as he pulled back. Over and over, she moaned, his name falling free of her lips, trembling more and more as his hand joined in, fondling her breast and causing a sharp cry to escape.<br/><br/>The longer it went, the more she wanted, the glimmer of release on the horizon, but it wasn’t enough. The pace was too slow, too steady. Compared to the night before, it was almost like he was another man entirely. “Athan…” she moaned again, peeking over her shoulder at him with half-lidded eyes, pushing her hips back a bit harder in time with his movements. “Please…more… I need…more…”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He could feel her moving with him, feel her body react to his own as he moved in and out of her. Moans of his name music to his ears, which only served to make him want to give her more to do more to her. He could hear her desire and knew that her peek was near, that she would want more. So, when she moaned for more, begged for more he was not surprised at all. <br/><br/>Both hands were now on her waist and he gripped it hard before he started to give her what she wanted and needed. Hard and out, the pace picking up as he pounded into her. There was no way to describe this, to explain how this felt. Everything about Tempest, the way she moved and what she did to him, how she made him feel was beyond words. It had been years and years since he had felt this way about anyone. <br/><br/>A hand reached up and grabbed a handful of her hair, “Cum for me!” he growled and managed to somehow pick up the pace and force.</span><br/><br/>A chorus of “fuck!” and “Athan!”  were fairly screamed as his pace picked up, until nothing intelligible could be picked up in her moans, her cries. The instant he picked the pace up, everything became heightened for her, more intense. Looking back on it, she’d wonder at it, at why he made her feel so much more than those before him. How, with a single look, she felt like he was staring into her soul and that everything in her screamed to do as he said, regardless of what he said.<br/><br/>In fact, it was his growl, his commanding voice, that’d make her reflect on it. Almost as if on cue, she came and came hard, body spasming, contracting and releasing over and over, wave after wave of release washing over her. A final cry of his name tumbled free, fading out as her breath was lost, knees going weak and collapsing together.<br/><br/>Tempest had expected it to be intense, to leave her body shaking, orgasm continuing long after it’d normally have ended.<br/><br/>But, this was different. A different that scared her while simultaneously exciting her. There was a fear that the deeper into this she let herself get, the worse it’d be on the other side, for herself as well as him; The excitement of it, the way he made her feel, outweighed that.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">At one point he felt himself lose a bit of control, his fangs were fully to bear and he had to resist the urge to bite down. To feel her blood pulse and flow as she came. It was her orgasm that triggered his own, that made him cum yet again body seemingly eager to give her more of what he had just given her. With a final growl he slammed himself completely into her, buried completely insider of her while as he released his seed within yet again. <br/><br/>When it finally ended, when the world came back into focus he was able to breathe and retract his fangs. Kiss were then dotted along her neck, back and shoulders soft whispered words of affection given. What were they to do now, he was not sure nor did he really even care. All that mattered to him right now was how amazing it felt to have her body against his own. To feel himself deep inside of her....</span><br/><br/>Things were becoming increasingly complicated by the minute, a fact that resounded after the glow began to fade and the world began to come back.<br/><br/>She’d broken her own rule, multiple times over. It was something meant to keep her career and theirs intact, keep it from being complicated, and now…she was at his house, in his shower. The whispered affections and kisses staved off the majority of the thoughts that could have ruined the moment as a whole, but a few managed to squeak through, forehead resting against the wall as she caught her breath.<br/><br/>A small smile crossed her lips, glancing back at him again. “So…am I allowed to actually shower now?” Tempest asked, voice breathy as her heart continued to pound, its beats taking a while to slow.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He chuckled and nibbled on her neck and ear a bit more before he answered, “Yes. Want me to wash your back for you?” he offered with a few kisses down her back. <br/><br/>This moment, this thing between them was about to take a turn down serious talk and possible drama and he wanted to stave off of that for as long as possible. Enjoy this moment for as long as it would last because it was far better than trying to talk and explain whatever the hell it was that they were now.</span><br/><br/>Kisses and nibbles. If ever there was a combination to keep her thoughts from being completely coherent, that was it. For a moment, she didn’t answer, more content to just relish in the touches, in the way everything felt, until such time they had to move on from it.<br/><br/>“I suppose a little help wouldn’t hurt,” she finally replied, with a nod. “You wash mine and I’ll wash yours? Least I can do and all.”<br/><br/>Outwardly, her tone remained the same as it had been, but her mind was going into overdrive. She’d never been one for straight casual sex, nor had she been one to mix pleasure and work. Now that she and Athan had crossed that line, she wasn’t sure how to go back. Guaranteed when she was around him now, she’d think back on this, on the night before, remembering it vividly which would undoubtedly interfere in some capacity with focus, despite her best efforts to maintain otherwise.<br/><br/>And, if he chose to act with her like what he’d described at breakfast before their shower, she wasn’t sure she could hang around and pretend like it didn’t matter.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Fuck…</span>she thought with an inward groan, careful to keep her thoughts and expression just as it had been. Every fiber of her being was dreading the coming talk, even if a necessity. One way or another, at least she’d know what course of action she’d need to take.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000"> “Alright,” he said and got the body wash from the small shelf. The soap was poured into his hand and then he proceeded to wash her back. <br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic"> Great...now what have I done I could have left this alone, could have gone back to my place and went on with our lives. Now, here they were together...again and it was not just one night stand or anything. They worked together, danced together and now....what the hell were they? Colt would have a field day once he heard about this and there was no doubt he would have a lot to say about it all. At least for now I can pretend there was no need to talk about all of that and just enjoy the here and now. </span><br/><br/>“Maybe after the shower we could talk about our dance?” he asked as a means to fill the silence.</span><br/><br/>Everything felt…forced to her, at least right then. It was like there was an elephant in the shower with them; What’d started out as a spacious shower now felt tiny, stifling. As he washed her back, poured some body wash into her palm and started washing elsewhere. And her mind was no less stifling than the room itself, all these thoughts of possible scenarios filling her head, none of them of the positive variety.<br/><br/>As she’d been so focused on her own thoughts, his question took longer to resonate. “Oh, yeah, we should figure out what we’re doing,” Tempest replied, hoping she didn’t sound nearly as distracted as she felt.<br/><br/>Falling silent once more, the shower continued without much talking on her part, thoughts refusing to stay in the immediate moment now that it’d picked up on the worries she’d been pushing off. After he was done with her back, she returned the favor, washing his back and helping to rinse it off before leaving the shower to dry off. Grabbing up the first towel she saw, she wrapped herself up in it and picked up her clothes, exiting to his bedroom to finish up.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000"> <span style="font-style: italic">Well, there went enjoying the final moments...</span> <br/><br/>He thought with a mental sigh while she exited the shower. Left there alone, he ran his hands through his hair and waited a moment before he exited as well. Out of the shower he grabbed up his towel, a quick run across his head and hair before the towel was wrapped about his waist. <br/><br/>“Um, you can get dressed in here and I will get dressed in the other bedroom,” he smiled and grabbed up something from his closet then left her to get dressed. “If you want, you can borrow a shirt of mine and we could have your cloths washed....maybe....” he offered with an awkward smile then left.</span><br/><br/>Just as she was about to get dressed, he came out of the bathroom, her movement halting as she waited for the awkward moment to end. If anything, his departure left it more awkward, as the offer would prolong their awkward state if she accepted, or make it worse if she didn’t, regardless. Each way it could go left things more awkward, and there was no way of telling which was worse.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">We’ll have to talk at some point…</span>Tempest reminded herself.<span style="font-style: italic">Whether we do it now, or avoid it, it will have to happen. …Should probably do it now, to prevent something worse from happening later…</span><br/><br/>“I think I’ll…take you up on that offer,” she called out of the room.<span style="font-style: italic">That way I can’t leave the moment I feel the urge to…</span>she added to herself. “And we can talk about the dance in the meantime?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Clothing pulled on and situated, “That sounds good!” he called back to her before he found himself in the kitchen where he began to clean up from breakfast. Dishes rinsed and loaded in the dishwasher, he put on a pot of coffee. <br/><br/>“If you bring the clothes out here I can have the doorman come up and get them to be laundered,” he said while he waited for her to come out.<br/><br/>The dance was the last thing on his mind and he knew that they would have to talk about this thing between them and figure out what it was that they were to one another. Better to get that settled now rather than later.</span><br/><br/>Though he hadn’t actually given her permission to pick something out herself, she took it upon herself to pick out one of his shirts, a button-up that aptly covered her up, fitting more like a dress than anything else.<span style="font-style: italic">At least it’s something,</span>she thought, hoping he wouldn’t mind too much as she left the room, hanging her towel up and bringing the clothes out to him with as genuine a smile as she could muster.<br/><br/>“The coffee smells good,” she remarked, wanting to fill the void with anything but the necessary.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000"> “I hope it's ok,” he said as he went to her and held her close for a moment. “I have to say that you look better in my clothing then I do,” he teased her with a smile.</span><br/><br/>She hadn’t expected to be held, but didn’t push him away, either, instead allowing her mind to turn off for that brief moment and hold him back. “What can I say?” she teased back. “When you look this good, it’s hard not to show people up in their clothing.” Waggling her brows a bit, she shrugged and smiled. “Thank you for letting me borrow a shirt. Better than walking around in a towel in the meantime.”<br/><br/>Then she took on a thoughtful look. “So…smelling like you, dressing like you…what’s next? Dancing like you? Taking over your stage?” she asked, another teasing expression taking hold. “Better watch out.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000"> “That is why you are here to protect me,” he chuckled. “With those guns of your's, need you to help me be fend off the others who would seek to steal the stage from me,” he explained. “This is....nice, right?” he asked suddenly after a small pause. “You and I, together like this is nice, right?” he further explained his random outburst. “I know this has been hanging between us, this...whatever it is and now things are different. I know that and I am not sorry about it, not one bit. This is just what it is and I don't want it to go away. Whatever may come of this I want to at least give it a chance....” he paused to look away but then his eyes found her own once more. “It has been a long time since something like this for me and I don't want to waste or lose that chance because of fear....” <br/><br/>There it was, out in the open. How he felt and what he wanted. If she choose to deny this and take the safer route then he would support it. If things became awkward for them, then he could leave. Find another dance company, find a new place to start a new just as he has done countless times in the past.</span><br/><br/>His laugh was met with a small one of her own, relaxing for what felt like the span of only a few breaths before he spoke and a frown of confusion took hold of her features. Where he continued on, she didn’t speak, merely listening and trying to take it in.<br/><br/>It was crazy, that he’d want to take a chance with it. After what he’d said earlier, she’d thought he’d either try to downplay it or would avoid it as much as she wanted to. To try and preserve what semblance of a professional relationship that they had, keeping it merely that: professional. But, he wanted to pursue it? Her eyes, to say the least, were surprised, mind trying to process it all as he spoke to her, bore his mind to her.<br/><br/>“Athan, I…” Her words faded as she tried to think of what exactly to say. “I’d be…lying if I said I didn’t…want that…want to try it…That us, together, is nice. I’m not sorry about this, about us and what we’ve done.” This time it was her turn to look away, voice going quiet. “…But, at breakfast you spoke of your past experiences, of hurting them so they wouldn’t hurt you… How do I know you won’t do that to me the moment something gets harder?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">What she said made sense and if he was in her shoes he would likely have the same issues and reservations. “You don't know, save for the word that I give that I won't do that to you....” he answered honestly. “I have been hurt before and I have hurt to protect myself from being hurt, but with you...” he shrugged and looked away. “It feels different. You aren't like the other girls. You aren't just out to be with me because of who I am, in fact I am more positive that you are more opposed to being with me because of who I am. My reputation and title....” he looked back to her and gave a half smile. “You are honest with me and so I wanted to be honest with you about how I felt and what I wanted. It won't be easy and it won't be ideal, but I feel it is worth at the very least a try....” <br/><br/>Just a try. That was all that he wanted. One moment to try and live his life how it once was, to be human and normal. Care for another and be with them without thinking about what they really want or what they are really after. Was it too much to ask for such a thing?</span><br/><br/>His word, that was all she had. She’d trusted him thus far, at least to not drop her, and he’d held well on that. But this wasn’t as simple as not being a douche and dropping her out of spite. This was something that could end far worse than a drop to the floor. It could screw up their chemistry on stage, could ruin their chances of performing overall, could kill what camaraderie that they’d formed, their friendship.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">He’s right, though…Part of what has me hesitant is who he is…That alone complicates things…</span>she thought, remaining silent as he continued to speak.<br/><br/>And, long after he ended speaking, she was silent, eyes on his while she thought it over. The cons, from what she could see, didn’t outweigh any of the pros. While the cons could be potentially bad, that was if this, what he wanted, went south. Only then would the cons even come into play. “…If we…If we try this…How would you want this…? I mean, do you want something of a more…casual variety or…exclusive?”<br/><br/>No, she wasn’t outright refusing it, but she needed to know at least that much more.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000"> “You don't seem like the type who likes to share....” he teased. “Neither am I. I want this with you and no one else....” he said with conviction and without any hesitation what so ever. “So, exclusive to just the two of us....can't have you finding someone better and leaving me,” he joked to try and break the serious nature of the whole thing.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Yeah, I’m not too much for sharing…</span>she added to his sentiment. The few longer relationships she’d had had to be exclusive; The casual dating thing, while nice, didn’t work long term. But it’d been a while since she’d tried that.<br/><br/>A nod. It was slow to start after a long while of nothing. No talking, no laughter at his joke, solely focused on trying to weigh the options. Her hand rose to caress the side of his face, a small smile on her lips. “I don’t want to wonder ‘what if’…I want to try, to see what this is and where it goes…” Smile growing, she shrugged. “If you can handle that, of course…I mean, if you can’t handle the big, bad world…how can you handle me?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000"> “Hmm....good point. I guess I am going to have to tread lightly or workout, either way,” he leaned down and kissed her because he wanted to and because he now could. “I am prepared to give it my best at handling you....” he whispered when the kiss ended. <br/><br/>With the cat out of the bag as it were, Athan felt better. More relaxed and even....happy. “So, now that is out of the way....” he took hold of her hand and spun her away and then back into him. “Let's talk about that dance....”</span>