Fire Drill

"Damnit, why did Ryo have to do a fire drill now?" Rowen muttered in frustrated anger as he entered his room and flopped back onto the bed. All the excitement had brought him to a state of complete awareness—it would take forever for him to go to sleep now. He buried his face in his pillow and groaned as he thought of the morning to come—he had to be up tomorrow at nine—nine!—and now Ryo had unwittingly fouled up Rowen's plans to go to sleep early. (Which, in his case, was midnight.)

"Ryo's just concerned for our safety," Kayura pointed out placidly as she walked in behind him tying the loose end of her long pigtail. This nighttime hairstyle was her way of preventing morning tangles in her long flowing hair. It was also a way to keep Rowen from anchoring her hair under him as he tossed and turned in the night. She had gotten used to his sleeping habits, but that didn't mean she had to risk a painful pull on her scalp every time she got up in the morning.

She flipped the long braid over her shoulder as she passed the bed and disappeared into the adjoining bathroom to brush her teeth, leaving the door open. Midnight was her bedtime, so she hadn't minded Ryo's disruptive impromptu house evacuation as much as her night owl of a husband did. Her body was ready for settling down to sleep, but after the fire drill Rowen looked like he could go on for four more hours. "You can hardly blame him after last time." she called out from the bathroom. After the last incident, Mia wasn't upset by the burnt living room wall as much as the length of time it took to account for everyone, especially the children. Accidental flareups she could expect as Wildfire's wife. But preventable danger she would not tolerate, and so Ryo had installed smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and had started planning fire drills.

"But in the middle of the night? Ryo doesn't start fires in his sleep," Rowen pointed out.

"He's just covering the possibilities. Fires aren't started by just him, you know." Kayura picked up the tube of toothpaste and squeezed some on her brush. She paused as something occurred to her. "And considering how you sleep, we need a plan to carry you out of the house in case there is a fire. It'd take too long to get you up."

He scowled in the direction of the bathroom. "If it were a real emergency, I'd come downstairs on my own two feet like everyone else."

"Oh, please." Kayura turned her attention back to the sink and wet her toothbrush with a quick turn of the faucet, on and off. She didn't believe in wasting water. "You wouldn't wake up if I straddled you in the middle of the night and made you come." She began brushing her teeth.

Rowen was silent for a moment, pondering her words, then lay back down on the bed, pulling the thin cotton sheet over him. Kayura's last remark had thrown him for a little loop. Out of propriety, she rarely spoke of sex, much less in explicit terms, even to him. Restricting the topic to the bedroom was her way of keeping it private and playful, and she considered the mention of sex in everyday conversation tasteless, and needless, when it could be so much more fun demonstrating it.

Ah, well, she probably didn't mean it that way. He rolled over onto his side and resolutely shut his eyes. Tonight he really needed to sleep. The sooner he got to dreamland, the better. Yes, off to dreams…

…Dreams…

Somewhere in his subconscious, he felt a prickle of recognition. Puzzled, he lay there, letting mind and body relax…and then the pieces clicked together. He froze, and then sat bolt upright in bed, shocked at the thought. She wouldn't do that, would she?! Considering the circumstances lately…………aw hell, she would!! "Kayura!"

"Mmmph?" She was still brushing her teeth.

"Come here," he ordered.

He waited in stern expectation, listening as she finished brushing and rinsed out her mouth. She came out of the bathroom, switching off the light. "Yes, Rowen?"

He folded his arms across his bare chest. "How do you know I wouldn't wake up if you were on me?" he demanded.

Her slight wince and guilty look confirmed his suspicion. "It was just an expression, Rowen—"

"Kayura."

She looked at the ground and capitulated. "I tried it once." After stealing a look at his face, she amended her confession. "Two, no, three times." After stealing another look at his face, she was contrite. "Oh, Rowen, don't be mad at me. It's just that I had wanted to…try a few new moves…you've been so busy with work lately and I didn't want to go to the trouble of trying to wake you…"

Rowen sighed and bowed his head. She did have a point there—he was notoriously difficult to wake up, period. And his increased workload and their schedules lately had put their time together at a premium. She had just wanted to please him…alone…and being the way she was, went ahead and did it. And he, being damned unreachable and unwakeable, just could not share in it with her. Oh, Kayura…"I'm not mad, not really. It's just… I like to be there when you're making love to me."

"You were there."

"You know what I mean." He paused and considered the look on her face. She seemed so disappointed that he found her out. "So you learned a few things and decided to try them out on me, eh? Is that why I've been having these erotic dreams lately?" He had chalked that up to their decreased nighttime together.

She perked up a little. "Yes. I would've stopped if…if nothing happened. But…it worked and…you didn't seem to mind…"

No, he realized, he hadn't minded at all. And he really didn't mind now, except…"You should have told me anyway Kayura. I don't like it when you keep something like this from me. It isn't good."

She bowed her head, contrite again. "I'm sorry. I didn't think it was important."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise and he leaned forward on the bed. "Kayura. Kayura, look at me." She met his gaze hesitantly. "Your happiness means everything to me. Especially in something like this. Just because I've been busy doesn't mean we can't talk. If you need me, or if you want us to try something new, I'll make time for you."

She stared into his eyes and smiled tenderly. "Oh, it's no problem talking to you, Rowen."

He looked at her, caught her meaning, and as usual, leaped to its logical implication. "Well." He smiled and lay back in bed, arms folded underneath his head, and devilishly raised his eyebrows at her. "Why don't you show me what you've learned?"

She looked at him askance. "Now?"

"I'm wide awake," he pointed out.

"Don't you have to get up early tomorrow?"

"That's what coffee is for. Come on, I think I'm entitled to know what you've been doing to me."

"Well…" Excited earnestness quickly replaced her hesitance as she thought it over. "All right. But you have to do your part. Close your eyes and lie still. And no grabbing. I'm still getting used to this and I don't want any distractions."

He smiled at her excitement and closed his eyes. "Yes ma'am".

Kayura walked over to his side of the bed. Swinging her braid and pulling up her white nightshirt out of the way, she sat on Rowen's thighs. Throwing one small shapely leg over him, she rose up on her knees on the mattress and sank down to sit on his boxers. Her eyes danced as she regarded Rowen lying submissively under her. Now that she had pinned him, she might as well try a few more new moves. It would be interesting to see his reaction to what her imagination had devised.

She smiled appreciatively as she ran her fingers over his bare chest, thinking of his quick mind. Anyone else, she was sure, would have never caught on to her, much less turned it into this in a single conversation. A reminder, as if she needed any, of why she married him.

She lifted her gaze to his face and stopped, blushing. His bright eyes had been watching her very intently with unabashed interest. "Close your eyes."

"You know, taking off your shirt might help."

She slapped him lightly on his side. "Close your eyes. I'm trying to show you what I did and it did not involve me undressing. Not that you were awake to see it, anyway."

He shut his eyes again and she leaned over to kiss him gently on face and neck, the touch of her lips a warm, welcome sensation. Her fingers softly tangled in his hair, and then lightly lingered over his ears and played down his neck, tracing the musculature of his shoulders. Her mouth trailed the same route as her fingertips and then doubled back to kiss its way across his neck to play with the other side of his head, sweetly exhaling on warm, flushed skin as his breathing increased. She was about to move her lips to his chest when she froze. His hands had slipped underneath her shirt.

"This is nice," he murmured, eyes closed.

"No touching, either. You really are a scoundrel, Rowen." she whispered in his ear.

He reluctantly removed his hands and slid them underneath the pillow as she ran her hands down his abdomen. "I'd have to be," he said, "to handle a little vixen like you—oh!" He broke off abruptly, hissing in a breath and squeezing his already shut eyes in shocked delight. Relaxing as Kayura's fingers stopped, he opened his eyes to regard her, impressed and intrigued. Gods, how could he have ever slept through that? not once, but three times! Was there a way his brain could snap awake when Kayura………mmmmm…oh, she was doing it again………wanted him?

Well, if Kayura couldn't rouse…his brain with body…then he'd really………have to talk to…Ryo……about……carrying him out of the house……in case of fire……mmmmm…he could catch…Ryo……next……next…………whatever--thinkaboutitlater…aaaaahhhh…he abandoned all thought to focus on Kayura continuing her attentions on him while keeping his hands still. Oh, Kayura.

Kayura smirked at the look on his face as she leaned over to work on him again. "Yes, definitely a scoundrel."

The End