Rogue braced herself for Gambit's touch. He reached for her and Rogue complied, leaning her body into his. Wow, she mused to herself. His hands were nice and toasty. Not that they had been overly cold before, but now...well, now they felt really good sliding up her back. The warmth definitely added something to the mix. Perhaps this was going to be much easier than she thought it would be.
Gambit was an attractive male, at least physically, and she couldn't help but appreciate him warming his hands up for her. She liked that he was considerate enough to think of her comfort. She had expected him to just maul her and have his merry little way with her, given how he usually acted around the others. She had fully expected his selfishness and arrogance to come out and play.
But behind closed doors, he was different. His touch was gentle, his lips were soft, and he seemed in no real hurry to take off his pants and jump her bones silly. She could definitely deal with this side of Gambit. She even began to tentatively touch him on her own. She was supposed to be seducing him, after all. She whistled appreciatively in her head when her hand came into contact with his taut stomach. Lord, she could take him down to the river and wash clothes on that stomach. A sense of giddy wonder had begun to fall over her, and considering the circumstances, she was actually starting to enjoy herself.
She'd never been this up close and personal with a man before, and she was starting to like it. Granted, she should be on her guard, this was the MRD mutant's leader and she was a spy. But, somehow with Gambit's lips slowly trailing down her neck that tiny truth didn't seem to matter.
She had to force herself to keep her mind front and center. This mission wasn't a pleasure cruise. Rogue shuddered to think what her real team would say if they ever found out she had taken her undercover duties this far. She argued that it wasn't her fault, that she had no choice...but no one on her team would ever understand. No one knew what it was really like to be forced to make the best of situations to avoid exposure.
Exposure. She almost sniggered to herself. She was quite exposed in order to keep from being exposed. Too bad she had no one but herself to share the ironic joke with. She had to do whatever she could to survive, and sometimes it meant she had to do things that she wasn't morally comfortable with. This was her job.
Right now, she needed to be a convincing lover to keep her cover, and that was what she was doing her best to do. She slowly slid her hands up Gambit's chest, and he sighed passionately into her neck. She shivered at the unexpected delight of having his hot breath on her neck.
She gasped out loud in surprise when his lips made it down to her very exposed breasts. His tongue flipped over and around her nipples, darting around in a teasing fashion. Never had she felt anything like it. Gambit certainly had quite a skill set with his tongue. It was unbelievably wrong to be enjoying this. She had to keep reminding herself that this was not for her enjoyment, and that she didn't want to be here at all. Since she was beginning to have mixed feelings on this whole event, alarms were going off everywhere inside her brain. Alarms that were warning her of the danger she was quickly falling into.
"Mon Dieu," he sighed with his face nestled between her breasts. "You are driving me crazy, chere. Touch me already."
Rogue frowned in confusion. She was already touching him. Her hands were right there on his chest for crying out loud! When she didn't make any effort to move, Gambit interrupted her thoughts. With a slight growl that made her heart skip a beat, he grabbed her hand and moved it down to the hard bulge in his pants. He sighed in satisfaction when her palm pressed against him.
Rogue felt the heat rising to her cheeks. She was actually touching a guy's...you know. Suddenly she felt very stupid and awkward again. Now she really had no idea what she was doing. Panic seeped in, and her nerves were starting to go on edge. Not able to help herself, she pulled her hand away from him.
"You're such a tease," Gambit purred, moving his head back up to her neck so he could gently nip at her throat in the most delectable fashion.
"S-sorry," Rogue managed to say stupidly. What was she doing? Was she trying to get herself caught? She went to move her hand back, but Gambit spoke up.
"Don't apologize for it." He grinned, tipping his head up and raising his eyebrows mischievously. "I like having to work for it. Half the fun."
Rogue let out a sigh of relief. He honestly thought she was just playing hard to get. It was a lucky break, one she could roll with for at least a little longer. It still didn't comfort her as well as she would have liked, and her nerves were really starting to get at her.
She shrieked when she suddenly felt Gambit's hand sliding down over her hips and under the thin elastic of her thong underwear. Great. Just great. All that would save her from his touch was a teeny triangle of fabric. And it did a lousy job separating her from him. Gambit chuckled softly, still thinking her to be purposely teasing. She immediately went to remove his hand before it hit its mark—a place she did not want him going.
He was quick. Her hand hovered just above his as he slipped his fingers between her legs. Her eyes widened in surprise. She inhaled sharply. There was the briefest moment where she debated whether she should stop him or not. Then his body fell away from hers and landed with a heavy thump onto the bed. He was flat out unconscious, and although no longer physically touching her, his mind was suddenly in hers.
"Shit, shit, double shit!" Rogue hissed in a panic. She'd gotten too nervous or too excited or too something and she'd lost control of her mutation. This was exactly why she didn't get involved romantically with anyone. She mentally scolded herself. God, what had she been thinking?
Rogue waved her hands in distress trying to figure out what the hell she was going to do. Knocking Gambit out should have been a very good thing. It was a quick, easy way to avoid sleeping with him, except that she could see his thoughts. And right now his first and front most thought was not a pretty one.
It was an angry and suspicious thought, and when he regained consciousness, she was in a hell of a lot of trouble. In fact, it was quite possible that he was going to kill her. In Gambit's mind, there was only one reason why she would knock him unconscious: she was a spy and was after something, and had used him to get it. It was the truth, but he didn't need to be thinking that!
If she ran, he would find her. It would also prove his suspicions and blow her cover. No, she had to stay here in this room until he woke up. She couldn't even go back to her room to get some proper clothes. If he woke up and even suspected that she had left, his suspicion would remain no matter what she did.
"Think, girl, think!" Rogue rattled her brain for a solution to this disaster. She got up from the bed and paced the floor, nearly tripping over his discarded tuxedo shirt. She picked it up. One problem solved—something to wear. Slipping on the shirt, she was assaulted by his crisp, sultry scent. She was amazed how easily recognizable his scent was to her. It also kept his mind and its random thoughts and memories active in her head.
Perhaps she could use something of his to help her out. Rogue sat on the edge of the bed, keeping a sideways glance on Gambit and concentrated. His thoughts were a messy jumble. The messiest Rogue had ever encountered...aside from her own. Gambit had definitely mastered the art of double crossing and infiltration. Sheesh, she could learn a thing or two from him! Where Rogue's mind consisted of many different people, all separate and distinctive milling around in her head, Gambit's mind consisted of many personalities and characters all played by him milling around in his head.
She'd never seen anything like it. He was so good at believing every lie he'd ever told that it was near impossible to find the real Gambit or any truths. Not only that, he seemed to be able to keep track of every line, story or situation each of his alter egos had been involved in. It was incredible. If Emma Frost were here, she would have a field day with him. Rogue couldn't even begin to fathom the memory power this guy had. Photographic memory for sure.
She came across so many different Gambits in so many different costumes. In one, she saw him in S.H.I.E.L.D. prison garb behind a cell. In another, she glimpsed him in a S.H.I.E.L.D agent's uniform walking down a long hallway of cells as though he belonged there and was actually an agent. She saw him walk right out of S.H.I.E.L.D, even waving to the guards as he left.
So that's how he did it, Rogue mused. He'd broken out of the S.H.I.E.L.D prison in broad daylight, dressed up as an agent and strolled right on out. How embarrassing for S.H.I.E.L.D.
It'd be fun to tell Northstar how Gambit's daring escape went down, except she knew she couldn't do that. Northstar, as nice as he was, was still the enemy and Logan would have her skinned alive if she revealed everything her mutation was capable of. As far as anyone in the MRD knew, Rogue simply knocked people out by a mere touch. Knowing what she was truly capable of put her at risk. It was why the MRD didn't employ psychics. No one wanted anyone having access to private thoughts. Sure, anyone would hate their privacy invaded, but Rogue found that the guilty parties always protested the loudest.
Oh, now that was interesting. Rogue found a memory of Andrea and grabbed on. Northstar had told her that there was a rumour that Gambit had been with Andrea once upon a time. Rogue snickered. It certainly wasn't as romantic as Andrea seemed to make it out.
He was stealing antiques. Vases, to be exact. Lord only knew why. Apparently the von Strucker mansion had one he wanted and he broke in, entering through Andrea's bed chamber to get it. He'd seduced Andrea, and while she went to get herself into something more comfortable, Gambit slipped out of her room, got the vase and disappeared into the night. He had even worn a thief's mask! Rogue found it more amusing than she really should have.
Another memory stood out in his mind, and Rogue curiously took a look. It was night out, crickets were chirping. He was standing, facing an oddly familiar woman with long black hair. He gently cupped her face as a tear slid down her cheek.
"I promise you on my life, cherie," he whispered. He had never been more sincere in his life.
Then the memory was gone, slipping away from Rogue before she could finish it.
But another equally interesting facet of his many personalities caught her attention. He was sitting all alone, sullen compared to lavish extremes his other selves possessed. He was very insecure, hesitant even, and completely unsure who the hell he was anymore. Rogue felt a sudden ache in her chest. This was the real Gambit. She was almost positive.
The real Gambit had built a hard shell around himself, strictly following the code of 'do unto others before they do unto you'. It was the personality of someone who had had it rough, had never felt loved or accepted in their entire life. This was the reason all the other personalities and lies existed. Rogue tried to delve further into his memories, even reach out to him, but as quickly as she found him, he disappeared. Hiding was what he did best.
Suddenly she was bombarded with an image of herself, cocking her hip and sassing him off. It was their first meeting. She'd thrown him off guard in that meeting. He really had thought she was going to be a male. He was certainly surprised when she showed up being, well, her. She was most definitely different from any woman he'd ever met before.
Rogue was certainly surprised to see that he seemed to be very conflicted when it came to her. He was trying so hard to be the Gambit the mercenaries all knew and obeyed around her, yet his attraction to her got in the way. At first, he'd tried using it to try and put her off, thinking that she would distance herself from him. He was uncomfortable with how he felt around her and instinctively needed to push her away. At the same time, he found her intoxicating and couldn't stand not being around her. Then he'd tried using that as another method to display his dominance over the pack.
For the life of him, he couldn't seem to help but contradict all his actions when it came to her. He wasn't used to feeling anything about anyone, and he'd been hit full force with strange, new feelings for her. He had no idea how handle any of it.
Rogue was shocked to find that he really would beat the living daylights out of any of the other mercs that came near her. More surprising, was that he felt guilty for even having such possessive thoughts. He barely knew her and yet, she captivated him. He'd even gone out and bought condoms, just in case. Somehow, Rogue had managed to turn his world upside down in a matter of days.
In Gambit's world, he adamantly did not get involved with anyone. She was the first girl to catch his attention in over two years. She was the first woman he'd ever felt anything for that wasn't solely a physical attraction and even he couldn't explain it.
When he'd seen her lying in his bed waiting, he'd finally given in. He decided that maybe, just maybe this could work. Even while he thought it, he seemed to know he was kidding himself, but seeing her sexed up in his bed made him throw caution to the wind. It had been ages since he'd wanted anyone, even longer since he'd last had sex.
In Gambit's life when a woman came to him, it was because she wanted something he had, not because she actually wanted him. So, Gambit had closed himself off to the world in an attempt to protect himself from getting hurt. It seemed that against all his better judgement, he had placed his heart on his sleeve for her. He'd even suspected that she was the same as all the others, due to her current sexy—and uncharacteristic—behaviour, but he'd taken a chance on her anyway.
Rogue cringed. Double whammy. No wonder he was livid with her right now. Due to his line of work and background, he trusted no one and had carried on that way for years. He'd broken that rule for her. Now she was the one feeling guilty. He shouldn't be trusting her at all. She was the last person he should trust. Deep down, Rogue could see that he knew that, but a tiny spark of hope had made him take the leap. Rogue felt ill. She had just led on the loneliest man she'd ever met. She had made him think—no—believe that she was interested and liked him back. That she was attracted to him and wanted him. And then she'd knocked him out.
Sadly, Rogue had found her out. She knew how to diffuse his anger and erase his suspicion. Never had she ever thought she'd sink so low.
"I don't want to do this anymore," she whispered to no one, fighting back tears.
Over and over she asked herself what was more important: her mission, or a seemingly bad man's heart. Sighing in defeat, she crawled over to Gambit's unconscious body and lied down beside him. She pulled the duvet over their bodies and closed her eyes.
Gambit genuinely liked her and it was a delicate, fragile sort of like. The kind of like where if it was nurtured, he might be saved and somehow redeemed. If it was broken, it could do some serious damage to an already damaged man. Rogue did not like the idea of playing with someone's heart. Emotional warfare was not only unkind, it was downright cruel as far as she was concerned.
She had never hated Logan more than she did now. She knew exactly what he'd have to say about this.
"Use it to our advantage."
She'd never forgive herself for it, but that was exactly what she was going to do.
