AN: This is without question one of the longest smutty chapters that I've ever written. I know that it took longer than I expected, and I apologize for keeping you guys waiting, but hopefully you'll be satisfied by the ending? Again, ***explicit SMUT WARNING*** You'll find a whole bunch of nods to Secretary, as well. Thank you again so much for all of the love! You warm my cold little heart and make me so, so very happy!
Also, this part of the story was decided and started long before Liz sold the apartment, so ya know what? In this fic, she doesn't.
-...-...-
For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks... the work for which all other work is but preperation.
-Ranier Maria Rilke
-...-...-...-
After Red turned Madeline away, Liz continued to watch as he sat quietly, lips pressed as if he were humming or whistling to himself. The sight made her heart ache. He was probably fine, she reasoned, but he'd already spent too much time alone over the last two decades.
It should be enough.
Convinced of his sincere devotion, Liz decided to delay their reunion no further. She had a new mission, effective immediately. With her jaw set in determination, she closed her laptop and packed up her few belongings.
Sayonara, soul-smotherer!
Her hands were too full to make the phonecall on her way out the door, but as soon as she settled into the driver's seat of her car, she dialed Nick's Pizza, correctly assuming that Dembe would have Red's phone.
From anyone else, under the present circumstances, she'd expect a string of immediate questions. Dembe Zuma simply wasn't "anyone else."
He answered on the very first ring, "How may we help you, Agent Keen?"
"I'm in need of a strong man with ah.. exceptional disgression."
She paused for a question that never came, and then continued, "Would you mind helping me empty my locker? Not the one that Red's in. The other one."
Again, she waited for a reply, but got none. It occured to her how awkward it was to volunteer so much information without being asked. It seemed so... presumptous. "I've decided to move into The Audrey, but as a sort of.. surprise? For when I go back to Red."
"I think he'd like that. Actually, he'll be thrilled."
"So you'll help?" Liz grinned and bounced around in her seat.
"Of course I will."
"Alright. I'm gonna go rent a moving truck. Where can I pick you up? I think I'll need about an hour."
"I'm conducting some business in Dupont Circle. How about you pick me up at the statue?"
Liz scrunched her face. "No, I'd rather not. That roundabout is a deathtrap for a stopped vehicle. How about a block east of the statue, somewhere along the sidewalk?"
"That would be fine. I'll see you there."
"Thank you so much, Dembe! You're a life saver."
Whose life was he saving, anyway? Hers or Red's? The trio had all saved eachother countless times, anyway.
-...-...-
Navigating a moving truck through DC's traffic was no joy, but when they finally arrived back at the storage facility, it was all worth it. With Dembe's help, it didn't take long to clear the locker and load up the truck. Months ago, when she moved out, Liz had donated the majority of her belongings to charity, and she was so glad to have a lighter load.
They got it all in one trip!
By the time she'd returned the truck and she and Dembe clambered back into her car, they were both a little sweaty and gross from exertion, and Liz was STARVING. With Dembe's approval, she stopped at a local fast food joint and sprinted inside.
Moments later, she returned with a cardboard drink tray holding three milkshakes. She climbed in and passed one to Dembe, and then took a sip of her own, tipping her head back, eyelids fluttering. The sound that her mouth involuntarily emitted made her blush, but he had the grace to ignore it.
"Have you ever tried their piña colada shakes? They use frozen coconut custard and blend it with cream and fresh pineapple chunks. Incredible! I swear, I could LIVE off of these."
With one eyebrow comically arched in speculation, he gave it a shot. Both his grin and eyes widened. "Yes, incredible. You're right."
"I know," she crowed, "Now, where's Red's car?"
"Back in Dupont. Keep going this way and I'll direct you to it. I don't recall the name of the street."
"Will do."
-...-...-
Liz ran a red light on her way back to Red. "Can't let the milkshake melt!" she reasoned aloud to herself, as if she gave a damn about it.
After she parked, she quickly inspected her appearance in the visor mirror. She found a brush in her purse to give her hair a once-over, and dabbed a tiny bit of Chanel no.5 behind her ears. Normally, she'd apply it to her pulse points, but she could imagine that it wouldn't taste very good, should Red's lips happen to travel there soon.
She felt far from flawless, and perhaps a little self-conscious. Liz still wasn't used to being the first to crack, and while Red may have argued that she was doing no such thing, well, he would have been wrong, in her opinion. Still, having learned long ago that half of bravery lies in looking the part, she took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and headed inside.
Gently prying open the heavy door, she crossed her arms and leaned against its frame, hoping to appear nonchalant. Her lips upturned only slightly at the corners, and to Red, her eyes seemed to be a brighter, more sparkling blue.
He swallowed and held her steady gaze for nearly a full minute before uttering a single word, "Lizzie." It came out low, gravely, and to her ears, a little strangled too.
Liz further smoothed her expression and continued to stare, drinking her fill of him as if she had all the time in the world. Pushing away from the frame, she slowly crossed the space between them, taking a sip of her milkshake through pursed lips, still gazing at Red with languid, hooded eyes. She softly moaned at its taste, this time intentionally.
His breath hitched and his nostrils flared. Liz could have sworn that she felt his heartbeat quicken before they'd even touched.
Finally at his side, she set the milkshakes down on the desk and outstretched both arms in invitation. Red gladly accepted them and allowed her to pull him to his feet, their fingers intertwined. Both smiling softly, their foreheads rested against one another.
This time, it was neither an ambush nor a truce. Two rivers converged within the safety of opposing mountain ranges. Theirs was a lush, green valley, fed by inescapable, proven laws of science.
A surrender to
the inevitable.
They had finally shrugged off everything and everyone that would have told them that they were wrong. Their pasts, be damned. Society, be damned. Ancient, smoldering guilt, be damned. None of that mattered because they were right. Righteous, even.
Right here.
Right now.
As Liz's lips parted and drew closer to his, Red suddenly blurted, "Stop. Wait. Sorry to ruin the moment, but I intend to make you feel this kiss throughout your whole body, and my bladder can't take that much pressure right now."
Liz grinned and stepped aside. "By all means, go ahead. Try the milkshake too, when you-"
He was already out the door before she could even finish the sentence. 'Well,' she thought, 'I should have expected that.' What's a measly two-minutes compared to a twenty-hour wait anyway?
When Red returned, he didn't even bother to close the door behind him. He lunged forward to grab her hips, lifting her up onto the desk. Liz parted her legs to allow him to stand between them in the very moment that their lips collided. Neither made any attempt to temper their breathless moans. As if corresponding without their knowledge, their tongues quickly established a rhythm of deep plunges and slow circles.
He tasted, oh-
and she tasted so-
Charged by his beating heart, a continuous jolt of electricity pulsed through Liz's blood. Her only cognizant thought was, 'Jesus Christ, he wasn't kidding.'
Red's hands fell back to her hips once more, pulling her in tightly as he ground against her core. He groaned at the juxtaposition of anticipation and relief.
Liz stopped him when he reached for his belt buckle. "Now, I've gotta ask YOU to hang on." They'd only had sex twice before, but it somehow took her by surprise that he was trying to disrobe himself first.
How badly he must want her,
and no, she didn't mind.
"We should take this somewhere more comfortable."
He looked back at her with pleading eyes. "Your motor lodge is no more comfortable than this desk."
With her lips pressed together she grabbed the milkshake and thrust it into his hands. "I know, and I'm sorry, but try this. It's nice and cold. It should help." She gave his chest a gentle push and snapped her legs together. Why she felt sorry for him, she didn't know. It wasn't as if she wanted him discernably less than he wanted her.
Just the same, he allowed her to lead him away, and wrapped his lips around the straw to try the milkshake. "My god. Piña colada? Exquisite, thank you, but it could use a little rum. Tell me you've got some at that pay-by-the-hour roach ranch."
"I don't know," Liz replied. It wasn't really a lie. There may have been rum around there somewhere. As for her new apartment, as far as she knew, a fully-stocked bar wasn't part of the picture, but perhaps it was? She hadn't exactly opened every cabinet.
It didn't take Red very long to realize that they weren't headed towards the motel, and though he made no verbal comment, by his canted head and low hum, Liz noted the exact moment that it hit him. She too held her tongue, praying that she looked cooler-headed than she felt.
The air in the elevator hung thick with sexual tension, and neither said a word, their hands kept in check, shoved into their coat pockets. When the doors slid open, their shoulders rubbed together as they stepped forward simultaneously.
Soon.
Red was beyond pleased to see her headed toward the correct apartment without first looking to him for direction. She must have gone to check it out without telling him, and then liked it enough to return. When the door unlocked with a beep and she held it open, his stomach did somersaults at the sight laid out before him.
HER BELONGINGS. A jumbled mess of boxes nearly filling the foyer and living room.
Reading his mind, Liz spoke up. "Dembe helped me, actually. We did it today. Sorry it's such a mess. I thought you'd rather deal with it for now than wait for me to unpack."
In a heartbeat, Red backed her up against the wall, his lips covering hers as he tugged her coat free of her shoulders and arms, tossing it to the ground behind him. He let his own arms hang loose at his sides, allowing her to do the same with his coat.
As her arms circled his waist, pulling his shirt tails free, Red took the chance to wrap his arms around her tightly, sighing deeply and pressing a kiss to her temple. He lowered his head slightly to speak directly into her ear, "I'm so glad you changed your mind, Lizzie. I was only days away from begging. Maybe the motel didn't smother your soul, but knowing that you slept there-or rather, how little you slept there, well... it smothered mine." He nipped at her earlobe and grazed his lips down the length of her neck.
"Well, you know what that means-Mmmm." She broke off into a moan when his mouth opened over her carotid pulse. So typical of him to speak and then make it as difficult as possible for her to answer.
Liz redoubled her efforts to complete her train of thought. "Now, you'll have to make sure I don't change my mind. Show me that I made the right choice."
"With pleasure."
Of this, she had no doubt.
"You know, actually, I feel a little sweaty and gross from the hurried moving project."
"Didn't notice," Red replied, barely lifting his lips from her neck.
Was he kidding? "I seem to recall a lavish, enormous bathtub..."
But he must have liked the sound of that, because he made no further argument and guided her away from the wall and started to disrobe them both, swatting at her hands when she tried to assist. His lips seldom left her skin throughout. When she was fully nude, and he in only his boxers, he picked her up bridal style. She threw her arms around his neck, and he carried her down the hall to the bathroom, where he gently set her down on the marble vanity.
Liz yelped a bit at the unpleasantly cool surface, but Red was quick to step between her legs and pull her against his chest for warmth. He ran his hands up and down her back, taking his time to enjoy their reflection in the mirror behind her. She looked like an ivory cello, and he a masterful musician, most privileged to play.
When she realized that he was looking at their reflection, Liz twisted around to have a look for herself, and made eye contact with him in the mirror. "Mmm... We look good together," she crooned.
Red made no reply, but shifted his head back to what was immediately in front of him- namely, her breasts. He sucked one into his mouth, humming with delight, while cupping the other. Within seconds, his boxers were damp from grinding against her, and Red realized he'd gotten a little ahead of himself again. He offered an apologetic squeeze of her thigh as he stepped back, secretly delighting in her little mewl of protest. He opened the closet and pulled out a terry robe, draping it over her shoulders for warmth.
"You really thought of everything, didn't you?" Liz asked.
"I usually do," he smugly replied, and then turned again to run the bath, sorting through bottles to choose which liquids to add. As he bent at the waist, Liz shamelessly enjoyed the view. Within seconds, the room filled with steam and a heady amalgamation of lavender, hyacinth, and eucalyptus.
Red reached for her hand, and she scooted off the vanity, vaguely surprised to find the tiled floor warm beneath her bare feet. While he was occupied with taking the robe from her shoulders, Liz tugged at his boxers. "You ARE getting in with me," she said, hastily adding, but I'm getting in first.
Intrigued to find out exactly what she had in mind, his eyes seemed to smile as he held both her hand and gaze as she stepped into the tub and sat down, leaning against the back and wall. "Now you," she instructed, "sit here, and lean back." She parted her knees, leaving plenty of space for him to be seated comfortably between them.
Red's thoughts instantly drifted to the places that would be within reach of her wandering hands from such a position, and decided that he very much liked the way that her mind worked. Before complying with her wishes, he took a moment to watch the bubbles rising up around her breasts, and as his gaze slowly drifted up to her face, the corners of his lips lifted in a smirk.
Her's pursed with impatience. "Raymond?"
He chuckled and gingerly climbed in. Twisting around, he cupped the back of her head and kissed her. "Ooo... I like that. Say it again."
Lizzie opened her mouth to him and threaded her fingers through the hair on his belly, smiling at the way his muscles twitched at her touch. She pulled back and gazed into his eyes. "Raymond."
His low growl made her shiver, and he turned back around to grab a loofah, and then bent his knees to slip lower, resting his head on her shoulder.
Liz's eyes slipped closed while he lazily bathed her limbs, but opened abruptly when he lifted his foot to switch the water off. The sudden silence of the room hung heavy, and so she broke it once more with just his name. "Raymond."
"Elizabeth."
"I'm not sure if I like that quite as much."
"No?" Before she could go on, he'd already figured out why, and regretted asking. He didn't want to make her feel uneasy.
"That's what you call me when you're angry." She winced at the omission. Reminding him of unhappier times was the last thing she wanted to do in that moment.
"We just need to repurpose your name. In the same way it gained that link, we can just as easily build a new one."
"That sounds a little methodical. Maybe even TOO methodical."
And this is a thing that he does, practically a magic trick, it seems, each time. His already-low voice somehow dropping yet another octave, to that tone that's truly more felt than heard. A seismic rumble shooting down, down, down to her most intimate places. "Does it? So when I'm inside of you, pinning your hands over your head, and..." He leaned back a little further and turned his head to the side so that he could speak directly into her ear. His breath was barely discernable over the bath's steam as he continued, "you just feel so good that I can't help telling you so, with your full name, you won't like it,"
As she shuddered through the aftershock of his words and voice, Red lowered his mouth to gently suck on her neck, and added, "Elizabeth?"
Of their own volition, her hands, which were resting on his hips, slipped a bit lower, her thumbs tracing along the the v-shaped lines that lead to the juncture between his torso and upper thighs.
Red's sharp inhale, nostrils flaring, served only to highlight the involuntary hitch of his breath.
Because, of course,
Two can play at this game.
Liz flexed her fingers and stretched her arms as far as she could down the lateral planes of his thighs, and then dug her nails in as she scraped her way back to spot from which she'd started.
He tensed, shivered, and relaxed under her hands, which reached back once more to repeat the motion more gently, without nails.
The way he melted, of course, melted her as well.
As she threaded her fingers through the soft curls near his groin, Liz tilted her head and planted hot, open-mouthed kisses up and down his neck.
Impatiently, he grabbed one of her hands and cupped it against the swollen, solid ache between his legs. His voice came out strangled as he tried to explain, "I can't..."
Wrapping one arm around his waist to pull him closer, Liz left the other where it was, and used only her fingertips to lightly stroke up and down his length, as she switched to the other side of his neck.
Red forgot about the loofah immediately, and used both hands to caress her thighs, relishing the slippery smoothness of her skin. He wanted her, he wanted her so fucking badly that it physically hurt.
Without forethought, he hitched one of her legs up and used it for leverage to twist himself around to face her, using his other hand to guide her lips to his. When they came up for air, both gasping, Red asked, "Do you like your bathroom?"
She pressed her lips to his once more and finally wrapped her fingers around his solid length before replying, "Very much."
"Then we're off to a good start. Now, onto the next room?"
A smile spread across her lips as she caught his meaning, and her hand's steady movement matched the speed at which it bloomed. "Already making sure I don't regret my choice?"
"Let's start with the bedroom."
At her nod, Red stood up and reached for her hand, but rather than take it, she slipped below the water's surface and quickly combed her fingers through her hair a few times before resurfacing. She smirked and asked, "Is this going to leave a weird texture if I don't rinse it off?"
He pointedly ran a hand over his scalp while reaching for the drain and shrugged. "I wouldn't be comfortable with making an assertion either way."
"Hmm.." Liz stood up and turned the water back on, drawing the curtain closed.
"No fair," Red pouted, "If you're going to play with the detatchable shower head, then I should at least be allowed to watch."
Hey, nothing wrong with making a subtle suggestion, right?
She slapped her palm against the wall as she burst into laughter. "Actually, I hadn't even noticed that feature yet. I was just going to rinse my hair real quick." As she paused to turn the water on, Liz barely caught the sound of his tiny sigh. Damnit, she actually felt a twinge of regret for disappointing him. "But you're more than welcome to join me."
"My pleasure," he trailed off as he pulled back the curtain just enough to step in behind her. "If not yours."
Smirking, she switched the lever to engage the shower, closed her eyes, and tilted her head back to direct the stream against her scalp.
Moved by the sight, Red groaned. He hungrily watched the rippling cascade as it highlighted her very best features. In his minds eye, he singled out a molecule and traced its path in slow motion-from her chin, down the gully between her breasts, jumping over her navel, down her groin, and then down her thighs and shins- finally stopping at the top of her foot.
Her lips were slightly parted as if breathless, and god, what else could he do?
Red grabbed her hips and lifted her feet off of the ground, pressing her against the wall.
Those random displays of aggressive male strength drove her wild, and god, what else could she do?
Liz wrapped her legs around him and held on for dear life, clutching at his back.
His lips provided the perfect distraction while he freed one of his arms, reaching between them to guide himself into her with a single, very hard thrust.
"Oh my god!" Her inner muscles reflexively tightened around him, doing their part in helping her to continue holding herself up. Limply, her head rolled to the side, eyelids fluttering.
Pressed in all the way to the hilt, he shuddered at the effort to still himself while she repeatedly contracted around him, adjusting to accomodate the sizeable invasion of her body. He then dropped his lips to latch onto her throat, and he wasn't gentle. With lips, tongue, and teeth, he worked her over without regard for the marks left in his wake.
While doing so, he reached up for the shower head, flicking his thumb over the switch the strengthen the stream.
Now this, she probably should have predicted, but with that motion, Liz immediately figured out exactly what he was about to do.
As he started to pull back, he popped the shower head free of its bracket, but only held it at his side. He started off thrusting slowly, but increased his speed with each rock of his hips.
She desperately moaned and writhed against him, an indiscernable mess of hot skin and desire.
He smirked. "Close already?"
Miles beyond the ability to speak clearly, Liz responded with only a vigorous nod.
Good.
He moved his hand just enough to aim the stream where they were connected, and then watched in awe as she moaned and fell apart around him. Biting his lip, he drew his own blood at the effort not to follow suit. Instead, he stilled himself again, vainly summoning the will to gently return her to a standing position.
He couldn't do it.
He held on and remained inside of her as he turned off the water and carefully stepped out of the tub. He grabbed the robe and draped it across her back, making a half-hearted attempt to dry her off on their way to the bedroom.
He'd never known a better, more intense feeling than this. Save personal experience, Red wouldn't have believed that it was possible.
It's dangerous to love someone this much. These were neither the machinations nor the actions of a man inbued with the ability to think clearly.
But now.
Now.
Now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
At the bed, Red used one arm to cradle her body against his chest as he crawled up to the center of the mattress.
In her post-orgasmic stupor, Liz lifted her hips and shifted beneath him. "Very smooth, Ray."
"Just 'Ray' now?" As if to show her what he thought about that, in one swift motion, he pried both of her legs from his waist and hooked them over his shoulders.
"UNF, NO I DIDN'T ME- GOD, RAYMOND!"
"Oh..." he groaned, "Now that's more like it." Further dipping his torso, he lay pressed against her chest, decreasing the angle as he began to thrust into her both harder and more slowly, grinding his hips at the end of each stroke. He pulled back just enough to worship her breasts, sucking and gently nipping at each one.
As the hot and swirling tension in her belly began to coil more tightly, Liz found herself increasingly overwhelmed by both physical sensation and emotion. To be filled and stretched so perfectly, so exquisitely was beyond compare. The significance of their bound flesh would be lasting, completely devoid of the ephemeral qualities that characterized every man that had ever come before him.
She knew this.
She felt it.
He shrugged her legs off of his shoulders before the position could become uncomfortable for her, and then grabbed her knee to hitch it up, but not quite as high as before. His motions at the new angle made her cry out, and in turn, her screams drove him mad.
"Lizzie, you're incredible. I love you so much."
"So I'm just 'Lizzie' now?" came a well-deserved reply.
"I happen to like them both. There's nothing wrong with mixing it up."
She decided to file away that absurd statement for later dissection.
She dug her nails into his back when he dropped one hand between them. As he bit down sharply on her carotid pulse, she began to shake violently and soon exploded, clenching tightly around his shaft as her eyes rolled back.
Red released her leg and slowed his rocking hips, again waging a private war against what his body craved. "Your thoughts on the bedroom?"
Though hazy, unfocused eyes, she gazed back at him and nodded vigorously.
Somehow, it felt most appropriate to move on to the next room as they'd entered the present. After a moment of consideration, Red gripped her waist and rolled them over once, and then twice. Positioned on the side of the bed, with Liz on top, he swiveled until his legs hovered in the air, and rocked upward to sit.
Liz took the hint and wrapped her legs around his waist as he scooted forward to lower his feet to the floor. With a smooth rock backwards and then forwards, he stood up and carried her down the hall, towards the living room.
Could this become her life? After finally giving in to the electricity that pulsed between them, would they ever be able to stop themselves? Could she divert her own eyes when others were watching? Would he keep his hands to himself?
In summary, could they really do this twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and still continue to function?
Neither could say.
Kneading her ass as he walked, Red said, "Now, for the view." He bounced a little to lift her higher, and then pressed her up against the sliding glass door.
The contrast between his hot body and the cool glass was startling and made her shiver. Red took it as encouragement to pound into her harder, his hips doing most of the work to hold her up. In an animalistic display of brute strength, he grabbed both of her hands and pinned them against the glass above her head. Punctuating every word with an upwards thrust, he ground out a reassurance, "Don't. Worry. It. Isn't. Going. To. Break."
Though it probably should have, the thought hadn't even occured to her.
"I thought you were going to show me the view," Liz complained, half in jest.
Red released her hands and settled into a more natural position, gripping her thighs. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and released it with a 'pop'. While holding her gaze, he practically purred, "Être patient, mon amour."
Though uncertain of the translation, she clenched her inner muscles around him more tightly than ever, and was soon duly rewarded for the effort. Red slowed his pace and began a series of shallow thrusts as he attempted to rein himself in. Through a stiffened jaw, he gritted, "Careful, Elizabeth."
In response, she pinched his nipples and rocked her hips in opposition to his.
She never made ANYTHING easy for him, so why start now?
With his entire body on fire, Red sidestepped until he could reach the door handle. As he pulled it open, he latched onto her neck and planted a hot, open-mouthed kiss. "Now, as you wish." He turned to the side so that they could both see The Potomac.
The city below was illuminated by tiny lights, serving as a blanketed perimeter through which the river weaved like an enormous black snake. Secretly, Liz had always liked snakes. Rather than imbuing a menacing presence, it seemed curved before them in a protective fashion.
Longer. Deeper.
Better than a moat.
"Is it okay if I set you down?"
"Of course it is." She loosened the grip of her thighs while he loosened his hands' grip on them. Red quickly wrapped his arms around her in support as her shaky legs made contact with the floor for the first time since their christening romp began.
"I think it's a little cold for you to stay out here too long with wet hair, so I hope you don't mind abbreviating this part of the tour."
Pressing her hips against him, she squeezed her legs together and nodded. After all he'd done both to her and for her, lord knows she had no reason to complain.
He turned her shoulders to face the darkened district, nudging at her knees, first to part, and then to widen. She gripped the railing and gasped as Red wrapped one arm around her waist and took her from behind. With the steady breeze on their faces, it felt like they were flying, and Liz marveled at all that lay both before and behind her. It was maddeningly beautiful.
Red leaned forward and lifted one hand to grip the railing, intertwining his thumb with her pinky as he picked up speed and tightened the arm around her waist.
His breath blowing hot against her ear, his entire body tensed and his voice came out like a plea, "Are you close?"
Somehow, he seemed to suddenly swell and harden even further. The way his veins pulsed inside of her made her scream.
Red took that as a 'yes', and dropped the hand from her waist to rub circles between her legs. He moaned as she writhed and squeezed around him, and the very first jettison of his hot release triggered her own. The corners of her vision blackened as her body ripped open with his.
As if in response to one of humanity's most profound questions, she screamed his name out into the night sky.
-...-...-
Post-chap AN: This might need a brief epilogue. They haven't broken in the kitchen yet. Thoughts?
