Embraced

Author's Note: I've had a number of requests to write some Silas & Sam stuff. Someday soon, I promise. Meantime, the Julian & Alexis bug bit me again.

"Why do you keep coming around? Letting me in?" As Julian asked Alexis those all important questions, he kept advancing into her personal space.

Resisting the connection between them was getting more difficult for Alexis. Each move that Julian made forward into her personal space caused her to back up in an effort to put some distance between them. Finally, realizing she was running out of room, Alexis side-stepped Julian and walked back towards the centre of the living room.

"Because…" she whispered as she moved away from Julian.

"Well, because what?" Julian demanded immediately, unwilling to let Alexis off the hook that easily. He turned to follow her as she tried to escape him.

"Because you didn't want them like you want me? And you're afraid that if you let me in and give in to these feelings that there's no turning back? So you keep pushing me away over and over again?" he continued to demand as he followed her across the room until he had her cornered against a side table in the living room. She still had not turned to face him, and he responded by trapping her between himself and the table. It was only then that Alexis realized she'd given Julian exactly what he wanted. She had nowhere else to run to escape him or the desire for him pulling at every fibre of her being.

"I'm disappointed in you, Alexis," Julian told her as he pressed against her from behind. She felt a sharp knife-edge of need as he spoke low and soft into her ear. He was so close she could smell his cologne and resisting him was becoming so difficult that she just wanted to give up the fight.

"I really thought you were different, but you're just like all the other sheep. You're afraid to take what you really want," Julian whispered to her. Alexis turned to deliver a scathing denial of his words, but then her eyes found his.

Unable to resist anymore, Alexis moved forward to kiss Julian, her traitorous arms curling around his neck to pull him close and keep him from escaping. He responded enthusiastically, deepening the kiss and holding her to him just as desperately. He took control of the kiss quickly, wanting to overwhelm Alexis in order to keep her in his arms. As fast as she had dragged him into the kiss, Alexis abruptly ended it and pulled back from him. His heart, mind, and body all screamed at him in agony. Looking her in the eyes, Julian softly questioned Alexis.

"What?" Julian kept his eyes locked on hers. After a moment, realization dawned.

"Ah, there it is. The rebuff, huh? Right on time. " Julian paused for a second to see the hardness begin to show in Alexis' eyes before he turned away with a bitter chuckle.

When he turned back, he was ready to use the nastiest trick in the book to break through her defences and her refusal to acknowledge her feelings – the ultimatum.

"Okay. Alright. Fine. I'm going to go. Keep in mind when I walk out this door," Julian gestured to the front door of the lake house as he spoke. "I won't be coming back. You'll have to find another player for your little game," he bit off impatiently. He began to move towards the front door, deliberately ignoring his coat, which was still hung over the back of a chair. He was taking a huge risk here, but Julian was almost certain it would work and he would finally tear apart that wall Alexis kept putting between them.

"Hey, and good luck finding someone that gives you a run for your money," he stated as he turned to look at Alexis one more time before he walked out the door. He paused for just a moment to give Alexis a chance to protest. He didn't have to wait long for a response.

In four determined and strong steps, Alexis was back in his arms. Frustrated beyond any other time he could remember, Julian took command of the kiss immediately. Turning their bodies, he pushed Alexis up against the front door of the lake house, giving her no chance to escape him. The kiss was short but hard, ending when she pushed him away from her again.

Julian was about to protest her withdrawal, but she followed him and her hands pulled at the lapels of his suit jacket. To his amazement and joy, she began to remove the jacket as she pushed him back into the living room. He was more than happy to assist her and shrugged out of the jacket even as she kissed him again. She wasted no time and began to work on the buttons of his shirt.

He reached for Alexis again but found his ability to touch her hampered by his partially removed shirt. Impatient to get his hands on her body again, Julian made short work of his dress shirt, and then pushed her hands away from him as she reached out to touch him again.

Placing his hands on either side of her face, he gave Alexis a quick and hard kiss before roughly pushing her back with a hand at her throat. He quickly turned her away from him and pressed himself against her back. Without pausing, Julian slipped his fingers under the neckline of her dress and began to peel it from her body quickly. He hoped the short pause would calm her down. He wanted this time with Alexis to be nothing like the first time in his car. She was important enough to him now that he deeply felt the need to get it right this time around.

As he removed her dress, Julian nuzzled Alexis' neck and shoulders. When the dress was gone, he reached around and grabbed her chin to tilt her head back so that he could see her face again. He eased her into another kiss. Her immediate response removed any uncertainty he had about her.

He let out a satisfied moan as he continued to kiss Alexis. Finally, he had Alexis in his embrace where she belonged. Now that he'd broken down Alexis' walls, there would be no turning back for either of them.

Julian would make sure that she never ran from him again.