Disclaimer: still don't own
She looked up at his worried expression, carefully trying to think of an answer to his question.
Had he hurt her?
The simple answer was yes.
But the simple answer would kill him, and she knew it. No, not physically, but it would tear at his soul- possibly to the point of self destruction. She couldn't do that to him.
"It was consensual", she told him truthfully, hoping he wouldn't pursue the topic anymore.
But he wouldn't be him if he didn't.
"Wasn't what I asked Jen.", he growled, staring her down as if willing her to tell the truth and not spare his feelings. Something she was sure wouldn't be happening, regardless of her intentions.
"You were... Rough", she decided on.
He wiped his hand across his mouth, visibly tensing at the word 'rough'. But his eyes never left the bite mark on her neck- his bite mark.
She watched him reach out and caressed the mark so softly with the back of his index finger that she barely even felt it. But what she could feel was his guilt. He was a purebred chauvinist and that would never change. So to use his strength against her, a woman...
She knew he was in emotional turmoil.
Grabbing his hand, she brought his palm to her lips, placing a kiss against it before holding it to her chest, "Jethro... You were upset-", she started but was almost immediately cut off.
"No excuse for it", he said almost harshly, as if he were upset with her for attempting to defend him.
She quirked an eyebrow at him, and decided in a split second how she was going to handle this.
After all, actions did speak louder than words.
She ignored the soreness in her naked body and sat up, throwing the sheets off her, which also moved the sheets further down his body. Crawling toward him, she lifted one knee and sat down, straddling him so that their naked bodies were pressed against each others' very intimately.
She felt him tense under her as her arms circled around his neck and she buried her face into the crook of his neck. But after only a moment, his own arms went around her to engulf her into his embrace, holding her to him.
They sat there for a moment, just reveling in each others closeness. The closeness that came with the complete trust in one another.
"Does it look like I'm afraid of you?", she asked, placing a kiss on the side if his neck. She felt him exhale heavily before his hands began to wonder over her, exploring her body.
And she was being completely honest when she asked him that. She couldn't think of another human being alive that she would feel safer with. No one had ever had her back like he had. Sometimes it scared her when she thought about how much power he had over her.
He could calm her down with a whispered word, get her blood boiling with a the right smoldering look, melt her heart like a damn teenager with one of his charming smiles.
She shivered as his hand moved over her bare back, his finger tips tracing along her spine.
"Feels good", she muttered into his warm skin.
He continued sweeping his fingers across her skin until she was completely relaxed against him, his body heat soothing her far more than a hot bath ever could.
He shifted slightly under her and then she felt his hot mouth close over the bite mark, his tongue swirling around the bruised flesh before his lips started moving over it.
"Mmmm, Jethro.", she said huskily into his skin, thoroughly enjoying the attention he was giving her.
He leaned up, placing small kisses over the side of her neck, "Was it at least good for you last night?", he asked between kisses.
She tensed slightly, caught off guard by the sudden question and cursed herself for doing so, because he stopped his kisses and pulled back to look her in the eyes.
She tried to look away but the hand on her back slid into her hair, gripping it tight- not giving her the option to look away. Damn him and his ability to know her tell.
"You didn't come?", he asked and his expression was almost painful to look at.
Her lack of an answer was an answer in and of itself and she knew it.
"Fuck", he swore, letting go of her hair and moving as if he were going to push her off of him.
Like hell he was.
She quickly wrapped her legs around his middle, and her arms tightly around his neck, clinging to him until her muscles began to protest. But she paid no attention to them.
He wasn't going to leave her for his damn boat and bourbon.
He tried half heartedly to pry her off him, probably too scared to use his full strength, for fear of hurting her.
"Jen", he practically whined when it became apparent to him that she wasn't letting go and he stopped struggling against her.
"No Jethro, you're not gonna run away from me", she said.
He shook his head, letting out a frustrated sigh, "I hurt you Jen. And I didn't satisfy you. To me, that doesn't sound very consensual. You shouldn't even want to be near me, let alone letting me get away with that", he said darkly, clearly stuck in his self-loathing attitude.
She rested her chin over his shoulder, leaning her head against his, "Last night wasn't about me. My pleasure wasn't as important as-", she broke off mid-sentence with a squeal as he suddenly lifted her up and flipped her over onto her back, "Like hell it wasn't", he growled, settling on top her with his arms supporting himself.
He crushed his lips to hers.
She had a feeling he was about to show her she was dead wrong in her assumption.
A/N: why do I have the feeling the next chapter is going to be pure smut? Sorry if it doesn't flow, English is only my third language.
3 Lenea