A/N:

me: I am not going to write a Barnlaw fic.

me: I have homework.

me: I have responsibilities.

me:

me: I'm gonna write a Barnlaw fic.

I own nothin'.

He looked perfect.

Even as he sat there in full armour, bent over his work with his face curled in frustration, foot gently tapping against the table leg (a sight she had grown more than used to over ten years) she still couldn't help but admire the view. His face was only partly visible as his hair fell in short spikes over his forehead, the scar above his brow creasing as he frowned slightly. He wet his lips, biting them as he jotted something down on parchment and pushed it to the side, knocking it to the ground. He made a small grunt, standing to pick it up.

She leaned back in her chair, eyes subtly scanning his body with traitorous glee, taking in the broad shoulders, the shapely legs, the way the muscles on his arms moved with him as he sat and adjusted his armour, continuing to write. Often she had found herself wondering how he could bring himself to wear it so frequently. It seemed heavy and bulky, and had all those buckles that made her imagine what it would be like to take them off him, before scolding herself for such lecherous thoughts.

It wasn't like she'd never seen his body. How many times had he stripped his shirt to prevent overheating while training in the garrison? He didn't know you'd be looking as he did she told herself. And she had once spotted him swimming in the lake with that tavern owner, watching as they laughed and splashed each other, play-fighting under the moonlit sky. Even now, the thought of it sent pangs of envy through her. That girl could freely be with him, see him, touch him of her own accord. Every time she saw them together she felt this, ready to smack the poor girl for just daring to speak to what was her's!

Not that he's mine yet, she thought.

"Hm?" A sound snapped her out of her daydream, her head snapping up to meet those eyes she'd become so familiar with. "Did you say something, Miss Eve?"

Damn her mouth! She'd muttered it out loud, hadn't she? Eve shook her head shakily, hiding her embarrassment under a condescending smirk. "Perhaps you are hearing things, Sir Barnham." She motioned to her own desk. "Now I suggest you focus more on your uncompleted work and less on our relationship?" Surprise flitted across his face, then confusion, before bending head down once more.

What did you say that for?! 'Your relationship'? You have no relationship! You don't want a relationship, especially not with him! She straightened herself in her seat, glancing over her own paperwork. I don't want a relationship with him. How could I ever want a relationship with him? He's so…

Eve peeked up at him again as he flicked a strand of hair from his eyes. There was no denying how handsome he was, but… he's so annoying. And rude, and arrogant, and won't stop fawning over that ball of fluff he calls his pet. How could I be with someone who probably loves his dog more than he would me, she thought. He can't be my 'type', as that Fey girl would say.

But still, her mind continued to turn. If you don't want to be with him, why do think about him so much? Why do you stare at him so often? Why do you get jealous when he speaks to other girls? And if you don't like the way he looks, why do you go out of your way to see him? Why do you love how his eyes light up when he sees you, how his hair looks in the candlelight, the way he smiles, his laugh, his touch…?

Eve shook her head, sucking her teeth, expelling such feelings from her thoughts, knowing that any degree of affection towards the man would cause her nothing but pain. Despite this, she continued to wonder what she'd do if she only dared, so engrossed in her thoughts, she didn't even hear him leave for the night.

She blinked once, twice, the light in the room almost blinding. She was still at her desk in the office, chin resting on her palm. Had she fallen asleep or something?

"You're up, I see." She jumped at the sudden voice, sitting up ramrod straight in her chair. Zacharias chuckled at the sight, and she scowled at his obvious amusement. "You fell asleep. I didn't know how to wake you."

It took her a moment to realise that he was in his civilian clothes, his shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbows and his jeans dark grey. She met his gaze once more, to find his head tilted as he stared at her in fascination. "Why were you staring at me?"

The question caught her off guard, blood rushing to her cheeks as she stumbled over the answer. "I beg your pardon?! I did no such thing!"

"I'm not stupid, Eve." He leant against his own desk. "I can feel eyes on me. After all I do get stared at all the time."

She swallowed, unsure where this was going. "Why?" she decided to say, clearing her throat. "Why do people stare at you?"

He chuckled again, the sound sending warm shivers down her back, her body trembling suddenly. How could he make her feel this way without even touching her? "Is it not obvious? You've noticed it yourself."

Eve paused thinking it over. "Because I look good." He said bluntly, strolling closer to her. "I have every single girl in the town at my beck and call, and yet I don't want any of them. I'm just stringing them along, letting them flirt, letting them get their hopes up. I'm not to blame for that. I never offer them anything; it's their own fault for letting themselves believe I could be theirs." He came around the back of her desk, looming over her in her seat.

She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. "Zacharias-" She yelped as she was cut off, her world lurching as her back was lowered on top of the desk. He pressed himself onto her, grinding against her as she relished how his body fit with her's, soft moans escaping her as his lips brushed the sensitive skin on her neck until she was trembling and panting beneath him.

"Now really," he hissed between kisses. "You shouldn't be with me. You know that. You should find yourself a better man than me. Someone who would treat you as you deserve to be."

"H-he wouldn't be you," Eve protested breathlessly, chest heaving as she struggled to take a breath.

"I'm not 'me'." He whispered moving off her. "The real 'me's' in bed by now, or shining armour or reading or prepping dough for tomorrow. And here you are, in bed having indecent dreams about your ex co-worker." He clicked his teeth, shaking his head. "Really, Miss Eve…"

She smiled. "I cannot control my dreams any more than you can."

"Can't you?" Zacharias whispered his voice thick and husky. Eve had never thought she could be attracted to a voice, and yet his voice…

She cried out once more as he nipped her earlobe, running his tongue over the sensitive skin on her jawline. Her teeth grinded as she pressed her lips shut, biting back the soft moans and sighs that threatened to escape her. He chuckled as she held her breath, his hands coming up to open her shirt, coating her throat and chest with countless kisses. Eve didn't stop him, revelling in his attentions.

"You're not real." She hissed between breaths. "What you're doing right now, i-it's not real. It's all fake."

"It's just your imagination working, Eve." He didn't stop kissing her, clearly enjoying the way she was reacting to his touch. "Though I must say, I am surprised at you. I thought you were different from all the other girls in the town, but it seems you can't resist me either."

"Why are you talking like such an idiot?" Eve pushed him off her and he sighed.

"I'm not saying anything. It's all you, Eve. It's all in your head." He smiled warmly. His grin even looked good in her mind. Dammit. "What are you doing, Miss Belduke?"

"What do you mean?" She sat up, perching on the edge of her desk.

"Why are you dreaming about me?" Zacharias tilted his head, eyes glinting with curiosity. "Are you actually developing feelings for the man you work with, and fired, and hated for years? Or am I just some pretty boy for you to stare at on the job?"

"Heh. I don't even know myself, if I'm honest."

"Think about it. The get back to me."

Eve shook her head and smiled. "I will. I promise. You know, I should probably be waking up now."

He hummed in agreement, leaning against the wall behind him. "It must be dawn by now. We don't want you being late and miss seeing me, now do we?"

She chuckled. "Of course not."

"See you tomorrow then?"

"…yes. I'll see you tomorrow, Zacharias."

He left her with another smile, before the room spun and faded and-

Eve woke with a gasp, her sheets bunched up at the edge of the bed and her body coated with sweat. The birds sung outside her window, the early morning light tricking through a crack in the curtains. She sighed and lowered her feet to the floor, padding across the hall to the bathroom and peeling off her damp nightgown. She stood under the hot spray of water, mind turning as she rinsed the salty stickiness off her skin.

She repeated the dream over and over again in her head, running her fingers over herself, trying to recreate the feeling of his touch. She imagined him kissing her all over, his hands running over curves, a feeling of pleasure growing at her core, spreading through every part of her. She imagined his body against her's, in real life not just in a dream, teasing her, being with her, touching her where she needed him to touch her. Ecstasy rushed through her as the pleasure she felt reached its climax, and she gasped as the intense sensation burst within her.

She finished up quickly, drying herself off as she waited for her body to finally stop trembling. It was shameful and she knew it; fantasising about the poor man like he was some musician a teenager had seen in a magazine. It wasn't right, and she told herself this repeatedly as she pulled the dress over her head, struggling with the knots and ties that held it in place. She pulled on her boots, throwing on a coat before leaving the house and locking the door behind her. It took over an hour to get to the town, and she was anxious to get to the office.

And to see the man who would undoubtedly be waiting for her there.