A/N: For Cathy
This time of year has always been difficult for me for a variety of reasons. I had had a few good years, but things had happened over the last few months that brought back the old feelings. I had though I long gotten past them, but apparently not. And so it was that I stood out on the balcony watching the setting sun with a half a glass of wine in my hand. I stood there so long lost in my thoughts that night fell without my stirring. I was so deep in thought that I did not notice he was there until his arms wrapped about me.
There was a time I might have jumped or cursed or tried to strike him, but I did none of those things. Instead I leaned back against his strong chest and sighed at the feel of his warmth. I had secretly hoped he would come back although I had no reason for it. He sensed my odd mood and held me tighter.
"You're deep in thought tonight," his deep voice rumbled.
"Yeah, I guess," I answered non-committally.
"I could have shived you, and you wouldn't have noticed," he teased.
I smiled in spite of myself. "I would have eventually."
His chuckle vibrated through me before he asked, "Is that your first glass of wine?"
I looked down at the glass in my hand. I had entirely forgotten about it. I must have been off in another world. "Yeah, it is."
He heard the surprise in my tone. "How long ago?"
"Before sunset."
He chuckled again. He let go with one arm and reached back to the table for the wine bottle then proceeded to top off my glass. Placing his lips next to my ear he said, "Drink up."
Delicious chills running down my spine, I turned in his arms to look up at his face. Since it was night time, he had pushed up his goggles. His silvery orbs looked down on me, and he wore a slight mischievous smirk on his mouth. The sight of him chased away all those bad feelings I had been indulging in. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Are you trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me?"
"No, so you can take advantage of me."
I blinked as I took a second to follow that train of thought then laughed. "Oh, really?"
He gave me a mocking smile in reply.
I knew what I had to do. I had to kiss that mocking look right off of him. I could see he was going to make me work for it. His chin had tilted down, but he had not leaned over. Considering how much taller he was, I had to improvise. I put a booted foot up on one of the cross rails and pushed myself up so that we were eye to eye now. I could practically hear him mocking and teasing me though he said nothing. Gonna be like that, is it? Two can play that game. I put my head back and made a show of slowly drinking the wine purposefully letting some dribble down my chin and neck.
"Fucking tease," he said.
I took the glass from my lips just long enough to say, "You started this."
He caught the liquid sliding down my skin by plunging his tongue into my cleavage and following it's path upward to my mouth. His action had the desired effect as I growled a moan into his demanding kiss. Forgotten once again, the glass dropped from my hand as I wrapped my arms around him and eagerly returned the kiss.
The sight, the sound, the smell of him; everything about him turned me on, and he knew it. With a seductive chuckle, he picked me up from the railing and carried me indoors. He must have looked the place over before he came out to me because he knew exactly where he was going. He made the turn into the den, and I heard the crackle of a fire. One large hand stopped my head from turning to look.
"Not yet. Close your eyes."
I stared at him for a long moment trying to figure out exactly what he was up to. It seemed a million impossible things flitted through my mind, but there was really only one sure way to find out. I closed my eyes.
He set me down with a hand to steady me. Under the sound of the fire, I heard the rustle of fabric. I bit my lip as I imagined just what it might be. Then he was removing my boots and working his way up, discarding each piece of clothing I wore with sensual casualness. I don't know what it was about him that made me trust him like I had trusted no other man, but I did, and I was putty in his hands.
"No peeking," he whispered in my ear.
Damn him, how did he know? He lifted me up once again and lay me down on something amazingly soft near the fire. His lips caressed my neck, then he bit right over my jugular, not hard but not soft. My back arched with my gasp.
"Can I look now?" I managed to ask.
"I want you to taste something first."
I snickered at the first image that popped into my head.
"Not that," he said. "Here...bite down."
It was the most amazingly sweet strawberry I had ever tasted. I wrapped my lips around the fruit and suckled at it, the juice dribbling down my chin. He growled. "Fucking tease...you can look now."
I smiled, having made my point. He was not quite done toying with me yet. In the second it took me to open my eyes he had shifted to be out of my line of sight. The first thing I saw was the bowl of strawberries, then the chilling champagne and filled flute glasses. I licked my lips and turn to look for him. And there he was, in all his glory.
"No, you're the fucking tease," I said just before attacking him with my mouth and hands.
He laughed as we set to work rolling around on the white fur rug, teasing and pleasing each other in equal measure. Hell of way to forget my troubles.