Chapter 4

Raymond's breath alluded his usual conveyance to hide his feelings as it hitched slightly due to her tone, and his eye's locked with hers. A silence overtaking the room for what seemed like hours but was merely seconds. Elizabeth's eyes trying to tell him what she could not muster into words. His Adams apple bobbed sharply as he swallowed hard and finally blinked.

" Lizzie…you are a very intelligent young woman. Don't let yourself be pulled into mischief by the audacity of chance or mystery."

Reddington pulled away from her slowly and moved to stand before walking slowly over to the window he loved to watch the sunrise and set in on days he felt his barriers trying to collapse. As he spoke his words were preceded by a tone that could only be held closest to that of a chilling tale.

"You don't know me Elizabeth…you have only seen bits and pieces of the man I truly am. You've said it yourself and I know it to be true, I am a monster. I kill with no remorse, I scar without thought, maim with no disregard. Inside of this witty and charming persona I use is a man that is ugly, cold, and will always be as such due to the life I have chosen as my own."

Elizabeth watched him, unmoving from her position on the couch as she listened intently to the words that dripped from his tongue like cyanide. There was a slight pause before the only sound that could be heard was the movement of her leaving her spot on the leather couch, and then her bare feet padding the plush carpet, heading in his direction slowly. She didn't touch him as she stood a few inches behind him, canted slightly to his right side as she spoke in a hushed tone.

"A man should not be measured by his wrong doings, but by what he truly holds inside of himself…in his heart. You may kill, you may…say that you feel no remorse or sympathy but I know that to be an untrue statement. Your face may hide the sadness but your eyes tell a different story Red."

He shifted slightly as her warm hands found his shoulders, her fingertips pressing down lightly against the warm fabric of his white shirt. Moving slowly she walked to stand adjacent to him as she looked at his face.

"I want to know you…"

His voice was almost in a pleading tone as he slowly shook his head and released a sigh, and his head turned slowly to let his eyes look at her.

"Please…don't do this."

The pleading look she found in his eyes made her breathing quicken as she placed a hand on his chest. She knew she should be listening to him but something inside her made her shake her head and move closer to him. Her face inches from his, his breath tickling her lips as it became slightly elevated from her close proximity. His eyes seemed to change as they shifted down to her lips and then back up to lock with her own eyes. Elizabeth was caught off guard when he moved in and closed the distance between them that time, her bottom lip caught between his lips as she moved both hands to grip the fabric of his navy blue vest. Sighing into the searing kiss he moved his hands to her waist and pulled her body flush against his, to which she responded with a soft moan.

Moving from the window Red walked her backwards towards the couch as their tongues met in a ritualistic dance. Her hands moving to unbutton his vest and then slid it off of his shoulders to land in a heap on the floor, to be forgotten about for the time being. When the back of her knees hit the leather couch she lowered herself down while he slid a knee between her legs and followed suit, moving on top of her. His hands slid up from the back of her knees, taking her dress and bunching it up as he did so. Her skin so soft, like that of a forbidden velvet he had only dreamed of before. His lips moved in a needy fashion from hers to her jawline, his tongue tasting the sweet salt of her skin there before they found her earlobe. The feel of his hot breath against her ear caused her body to arch up against his as her hands mapped out the area of his shoulders and upper back, clenching the fabric between her fingers and tugging at it.

Lizzie moved her hands to the front of his shoulders and pushed him away slightly before her fingers gripped the front of his shirt, his eyes burning into hers as she pulled on his shirt with enough force to send the buttons to bury themselves into the carpet, a few falling into the cracks of the couch cushion. Her eyes dropped from his to take in the scars on his chest, her fingers gently running over them caused his eyes to close, and when she leant her body up and her lips caressed them he let out a quick breath as his jaws clenched. Pulling away softly she nudged him to stand before she did the same and then turned. Holding her hair to the side and turning her head she exposed the zipper of her dress to him. Instead of his hands moving to unzip her dress they fell to grip her waist as he rested his face against the top of her hair, taking in the scent of her shampoo before speaking in a deep and aroused tone.

"Not here Lizzie…"

Before she could speak he guided her with his hands to walk towards a closed door off to the right side of the room. Turning the handle he opened it and ushered her inside, a firm grip with one hand still on her waist. Her eyes took in the sight before her of his bedroom, the fine pieces of artwork on the walls, the dark wooden and elegant frame of his bed that was adorned with dark burgundy sheets and no comforter. Her eyes closed as she felt the cool breeze of air blossoming against her skin as his hands undid the zipper of her dress, and it pooled around her feet. His hand found hers as she stepped out of it before she turned and slid his now tattered white shirt off of his shoulders to join her dress on the floor. Taking in his physical appearance he was more muscular than she had originally thought when her mind had often wandered after he would unbutton the first two buttons of his shirt after their work day had ended.

Her hands moved, shaking slightly from the anticipation to the button of his trousers and then to the zipper. She could feel his erection pressing firmly against the zipper as she did so, and the look on his face while somewhat startling at how focused was also extremely arousing. Red stepped out of his trousers and eagerly moved her to lay back on his bed before covering her body with his. The feeling of her hot skin against his caused a jolt in his senses as his right hand slid down her side and then to her waist where he hooked the waistband of her panties with his forefinger. Her soft moans filled the room as his lips feasted on the newly revealed flesh of her breasts, and her nails dug lightly into the skin of his back when his tongue encircled her left nipple before encasing it with his mouth and sucking slowly. He continued his torture slowly as he made his way down her body, until he was level with her belly button. Glancing up at her face he watched her as he slid her panties down and then off, tossing them to land somewhere by the door. Red took a deep breath in as he leant down, placing an open mouthed kiss over her hipbone and took in the sweet succulent smell of her arousal. Elizabeth's legs spread wider for him as his teeth nibbled at her inner thighs, and then moaned again when she felt his thumbs dipping into her wetness to spread her apart. Her left hand gripped the sheets tightly while her right hand moved to grip his forearm as he lowered his mouth to her. His tongue started to make long and meticulous strides over her engorged bud, moaning at how sweet she tasted on his tongue while his taste buds enjoyed their splendor.

Her soft pants and moans encouraging him to continue, applying more pressure and accelerating his speed. Elizabeth's body started to continuously arch off of the soft sheets as her orgasm continued to build, finally reaching its peak as he took the pulsing bud into his mouth and sucking hard. His name spilling out of her lips in a long and drawn out moan, her nerve endings tingling all over her body from the rush. Releasing it from his mouth he made a final motion with his tongue before he started to kiss back up her abdomen. Her hands urging him up faster than the pace he was going at, and then pulling him down for a deep and urgent kiss, moaning at the taste of herself as his tongue pinned hers. Red's hands moved to slide his boxers down and then kicked them off with his feet before using his right hand on her knee to widen her legs for him. Breaking the kiss slowly her eyes met his in a final agreement as he guided himself slowly inside of her. Her eyes closed as her head pressed back against the pillow at the feel of him stretching, and filling her. Elizabeth's legs encircled his waist holding him in place as she adjusted, and after a few moments he began to slowly move his hips forward, a moan escaping his lips.

The feeling of her around him caused him to grip her waist with his right hand tightly, using all of his will power not to pound into her. Their breathing becoming more elevated as he moved his hips faster, moving to slide completely out of her to the tip before thrusting back in. Her hands slid down his back, reveling in the feeling of his muscles rippling beneath her fingertips. She urged him to go harder with a moan to which he obliged. The sounds of their bodies becoming one reverberating off of his bedroom walls as they raced to find that ultimate ecstasy they so greatly were seeking. Red buried his face in her neck, moaning and panting into her flesh as he felt her tightening around him, her hand sliding up his now glistening back before gripping the back of his neck and holding him tightly to her as she came hard around him. His name leaving her lips in a loud and strangled moan not once but twice before he released himself deep inside of her. His hips bucking almost frantically as he moaned her name against her skin, her body trembling beneath his as he collapsed holding her tightly. After a few moments to collect himself he slowly slid out of her with a reluctance and then moved to lay beside her and pull her close to him, encircling her with his arms as she continued to pant. Red leant his head over to place a kiss on the top of her head and then covered them with a sheet shortly before sleep overtook them.

Elizabeth awoke to the sunlight beaming in from a crack in the long drapes that adorned his bedroom window. Opening her eyes she focused on the sleeping man whose limbs were still tangled with hers in a tight embrace. He looked so much younger as he slept, the lines of worry and stress ceased to exist, his usually downward mouth was relaxed. Memories from the night prior flooded her memory, the sounds, the smells, the sensations all making her heart race a bit. Glancing over at the clock she bit her lip seeing it was after seven in the morning, a small smile graced her lips as she thought about how she hadn't slept so long or peacefully in such a longtime. Red's body shifted, his breathing quickened signaling to her that he was indeed awake, and fear set in as she wondered how he would react to everything that had happened between them. She lifted her head once again and was met with his greyish blue eyes staring at her, the small hairs on the back of her neck raising.

"Good morning Lizzie."

His tone held no clues as to how he was feeling, and it gave her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Biting her lip she reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Good morning Raymond."

Red's face didn't falter to offer her any sign as to what he was feeling, but when he moved to sit up and then got out of the bed and opened his closet and started to pull out what suit he was going to wear for the day she started to panic slightly and sat up, pulling the cool sheets around her body. He slipped on a clean pair of boxers before speaking with his back to her.

"Breakfast will be on the table in a half an hour, and Dembe will have the car ready to leave and head to the black site at promptly nine o'clock."

His cold and seemingly distant tone made her stomach twist before she simply said ok and then watched as he disappeared into his bathroom, the door closing behind him followed by the sound of the shower running. Elizabeth quickly removed herself from his sheets and grabbed her clothing before hurriedly exiting his room and going to hers, tears forming in her eyes that she vowed to not spill. She couldn't get into the shower fast enough, letting the hot water soothe her as she let her tears mix with the water rolling off of her face.

Raymond stood in the shower with his palms flat against the cool tiles, his eyes trained on the water circling its way into the drain by his feet as he thought about how much the previous night actually had meant to him. He closed his eyes mentally telling himself that he would never be able to slip his barriers down again, he could not bear the thought of her leaving him, the thought of feeling his heart break again as it did when he lost his wife and daughter. Turning the shower off he grabbed a white towel from the rack and dried himself off before moving to stand at the sink, staring at himself in the mirror as he questioned who he really was. Making quick work of shaving and brushing his teeth he moved back to the bedroom and avoided making eye contact with his bed, not knowing if he could fight the memories. He got dressed in a dark black suit and vest, no tie and went to close his closet door when his eyes landed on a black spiraled book and it lingered there before he slowly closed the door and composed himself.

The entire night she had only been a few feet away from every answer she had been seeking. Every detail of why he chose her, how he knew her so intimately, and what her past was in correlation to him. The details that would make her truly despise him and wish that he had never beckoned her name. But that book would stay there, hidden and securely tucked away as it had since his arrival so long as he could help it. But not even Raymond Reddington could have predicted what was in store for him and his life, or hers for that matter.