"Good evening."

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Isla grinned at the man in her doorway and accepted the bouquet he offered her with a shake of her head. "I never pegged you for the flowers type- not that they're unappreciated, Dee."

He lifted a brow over his Aviators. "Are you certain they're not too much? I was catching a hint of sarcasm."

"Aw, I didn't mean to be trenchant. Let me make that up to you." She slid her hand up his chest. Fingers tickling the hair at the nape of his neck, Isla pressed her lips to his own.

Deucalion accepted her kiss with a weak moan. His hand tightened on the grip of his cane, relishing in the heat from her flushed skin and the fresh, clean smell of her. It was clear she had just left the shower and he knew sex was out of the question, but her closeness pleased him none the less. Hand catching the curve of her hip, the Alpha pulled her closer until every inch of her voluptuous frame pressed against his own.

Isla broke the kiss, but didn't move. Rocking from foot to foot, she let her pelvis brush his, let her fingers explore his cheek and let her breasts press against his firm chest as she clenched the bouquet a bit too tight in her hand. Forehead resting against his and nose brushing his own, she told him, "I should really put these in water."

"Must you?"

"Mhm."

With a sigh, the man took a step back. He gave her hip one last squeeze for good measure, enjoying the slight give to it as he asked, "How was the funeral?"

"Depressing as all hell." Isla sighed, her scent tinted with sadness as she kissed his cheek. "Take a seat by the way, I'll be right back."

At the sound of her footfalls, Deucalion obeyed. Before he moved to the living room, he shut the door tightly behind him and locked it for good measure. He was fairly certain he hadn't been followed, but one could never be too careful. The man felt the tip of his cane hit the edge of the loveseat and with a sigh, he dropped onto it. Closing his eyes behind his Aviators, he listened as Isla ran the kitchen faucet, listened to her irregular heartbeat and her quiet humming and let a smile pull at his lips.

"You know, I think you're the first guy to ever buy me flowers."

"Really?"

Isla chuckled. It was a small bouquet, something she was thankful for. She didn't have much in the way of counter space and her table was rather cramped. Still, she appreciated the gesture and the flowers themselves were quite beautiful. A mix of colors and smells, of carnations and peonies. A faint blush rose on her cheeks as she thumbed a petal of one of the pink carnations. Placing them gently in an empty mason jar, she told him, "I'm going to take your surprise as a compliment."

"It most certainly is, my dear."

Isla rolled her blue eyes at his prim term of endearment. Deucalion had a certain air about him, confident and arrogant sure, but also a touch repressed. His words were carefully crafted and accented by well, his accent, giving each one of them a sense of careful purpose. The young woman barely felt the need to filter her thoughts, and often times felt somewhat out-smarted and frankly out-classed by the alluring older man. Every one of his mannerisms and courtesies suggested he came from money… as someone who most certainly didn't, it made Isla wonder why he was wasting his time with someone like her; someone so much younger and, well, broke. It was doubtful he saw any kind of future with her. He was probably just stringing her along for some fun. Her smile fell at touch at the thought, but she pushed it away. Deciding not to dwell on that and instead on the fact that she had a very attractive man on her couch, the woman turned to join him on it.

At the sight of him more or less splayed out on it, Isla shook her head. He had one leg propped on the seat beside him, an arm slung over the back of it, and he looked incredibly relaxed, if the smirk at the corner of his mouth was anything to go by.

"Long day?" She asked with a good natured smile.

Deucalion let out a long sigh. "You have no idea. Some people can be so uncooperative."

"Oh really?"

"Mhm." He offered her his hand.

When she took it, he pulled her into his lap. Isla went with ease. With her more or less straddling the long length of his thigh, the Alpha stroked her back. The silk material of her robe was worn from use, but cool to the touch and soft none the less. She was hovering over him, her long hair still damp as it brushed against his neck. Shifting to give her a bit more room, he brushed a strand of it behind her ear. As he cupped Isla's cheek, he traced the contour of it with his thumb. She had soft features and smooth skin. It smelt faintly of something sweet, coconut perhaps, no doubt from her shampoo. Her natural scent still held its normal bitterness, but there was a twinge of sadness to it as well. A byproduct of the Reyes girl's death, Deucalion assumed and he pulled her closer to him to kiss the top of her head.

Isla blinked, relishing in his affections as his fingers searched out her face. They trailed over her cheek and jaw, the touch feather light and tantalizing in their gentleness. Eyes fluttering closed, she leaned closer to him. His cologne was subtle, with a hint of spice to it and she sighed, completely content. If he decided this was just a short stint, just a roll in the sack and a quick game, Isla supposed she could live with that…so long as he didn't decide to end it tonight. She bared her neck for him, letting his fingertips skim the length of her neck. His nails tickled; her skin was still delicate and sensitive from the shower.

With a huff of amusement, the young woman asked, "What is it you do for a living again?"

"I'm in…let's call it mediation." Deucalion sighed as she moved to lean on her elbow that was rested just above his shoulder. At the feel of her body pressed against his, at the length of her legs between his own, her breasts (free of any kind of bra, from what he could tell) pressed against his chest and how carefully she set her brow against his neck, he repressed a shudder and firmly reminded himself that sex was out of the question. Still, the man was fairly certain she could feel the press of his erection against her stomach, although she didn't comment on it. Instead, the girl simply waited for him to continue and so he did. "I'm currently heading a merger…sadly it's not going well. It seems we have quite different ideologies when it comes to leadership roles."

"Oh?"

He rested his cheek against her brow. "Mhm."

Isla paused for a moment before she sat up. The Alpha frowned at the sudden lack of physical contact, but didn't move until she spoke, "Sit up."

"Must I?"

"Yup. On the floor, Dee. I might not know anything about business but I know plenty about stress relief." When he made to protest, she bent down and stole a kiss from him. "No arguing, handsome. Lose the shirt, too."

His lips twitched in a frown, but he obeyed. Mostly because a beautiful woman was asking him to take his clothes off, had it been anything else he probably would have resisted. Or at least pretended to for his own ego. Setting his cardigan on the couch, Deucalion slipped off of it as he asked, "What about your heart?"

He listened to her footsteps, quick and sure as she headed toward the bathroom.

"Oh, I have no intentions of fucking you- that can wait until tomorrow…" Her voice was steady as she returned, although her scent suggested she wasn't completely confident. "Assuming you're staying the night, that is."

The way her scent took on a twinge of embarrassment made him smirk, but he merely nodded to confirm he was.

Clearly pleased, she hopped onto the couch behind him. "Oh, well then, sex can wait until tomorrow morning." Letting her long legs frame his sides, she put her feet in his lap. As her hands fell to his shoulders, Isla gave the back of his head a peck. "I was thinking a little stress relief without getting all sticky- plus I just got out of the shower, so…sex is a no-no for now, babe."

"I assumed." The older man leaned back. He took hold of her feet, thumbing her ankles gently as he asked, "What did you have in mind?"

"Well," She eased the Aviators off his face with care and hooked them into the neck hole of the yellow camisole she wore beneath her robe. "Long day at the office…I was thinking a massage?"

His brows rose and he leaned his head back to rest on her thigh. "Were you now?"

"Mhm." She smoothed her fingers over his cheeks before placing a chaste kiss to his forehead.

With a grin at her affections, Deucalion sat up once more. "And what would you be getting out of this?"

Isla eyed the broad expanse of his shoulders, watched how the muscles in his back twitched under his white undershirt and bit her lip. "Oh, I can think of a few things."

A grin stretched over his lips, sharp and knowing as her hands eased over his biceps. He felt the coolness of his Aviators press against his back as she blanketed his form, stretching her long arms over his own. "So long as you're enjoying yourself, I suppose I see no harm in letting such a lovely girl have her way with me."

"Thanks, babe." The redhead pressed a kiss to the side of his neck and popped the small container of lotion open. It was very lightly scented (something Deucalion was thankful for) with frankincense.

Leaning back, she decided to start there. The man bowed his head as she began to carefully work her fingers over the tendons of his neck. She kept her touch relatively light, not wanting to hurt him or jar the possibility of any old spinal injuries. She hadn't forgotten that Deucalion had said he had lost his sight in some kind of accident. Since she didn't know the details she didn't want to risk it and moved away from his neck altogether.

Moving out over his shoulder, the young woman hummed quietly to herself. She flexed her toes, enjoying the weight on his hands on her ankles. With the fingers of one hand she braced his collar bone and Isla smirked at the low groan he gave as she applied a bit more pressure and pushed against a knot in his rotator cuff.

"Have I mentioned how much I enjoy these ideas of yours?" He asked as he stripped out of his undershirt.

The redhead merely giggled in response. Pleased by his limp limbs and trusting sighs, she began to touch and trace the muscles in his back. The woman bit her lip at the sight of it, enjoying the sharp contours of it and how strong he seemed. She squirmed a bit in her seat.

Deucalion smirked as a hint of arousal trickled into her scent. With him so close to her sex, it was rather heady and making his skin warm and giving him a rather pleasant buzz of adrenaline. Eyes fluttering, he inhaled deeply, enjoying the taste of it in the air before speaking, "Do you have to work tomorrow?"

The young woman huffed, "Unfortunately."

"The night shift?"

"Yep." Isla didn't stop touching him as she spoke, working the fresh smelling cream over his shoulder blades carefully. She eased it over his collarbones, moving to wrap her arms around his chest as she asked, "Why?"

Deucalion's grin was downright feral as he turned to catch her lips with his own. Biting her bottom one until it was plump and her cheeks flushed, he teased, "Just wanted to know how long I have to play with you before you go in."

Heart hammering unsteadily in her chest, Isla ignored the twinge of discomfort as she pulled him back to her. His lips were a bit chapped, but warm and he wasted no time turning to crawl on top of her. With a giggle, the redhead teased her mouth open. Tongue sliding against her own, Deucalion moaned as her nails slid down his chest. He shimmed a bit closer to her, spread her legs and settled between them. With one hooked over each of his hips, the man untied the front of her robe.

Surprised by the cotton, he pulled back a touch. "Did I interrupt your nightly routine?"

"What?" Isla asked a bit breathlessly. "I mean, yeah, but let's go back to the kissing thing."

He chuckled and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, his hand working over her ribs and over a full breast. His palm skimmed her erect nipple, the flesh underneath peaking the thin fabric of her tank top, but he didn't linger. Deucalion gently resting his hand atop her scar. He felt her heart hammer against it, heard it thunder in his ears and nudged her jaw with his brow. Resting there, he took in her scent; it's bitterness troubling him away from pouncing on her like he so wanted to. It was a hint stronger than usual tonight and he didn't want to chance any episodes from her illness. When the man pulled back, she reached for him with an irritated huff.

With careful hands, he eased her to sit up and kissed her once more before speaking. "I don't want to be detrimental to your health, Isla."

She rolled her eyes at his martyring ways. "You're not."

"Really?" Tone frustratingly calm, he told her bluntly, "Because I can hear your heart from here."

"You can?" The surprise, and embarrassment, in her voice was palpable. Worse was the meekness in her actions as she shrunk away from him.

Deucalion nodded. Cupping her cheek, he told her, "We can pick things up in the morning, but for now I think its best we both get some sleep."

"Well, okay," The younger woman agreed sheepishly. "If you're sure?"

"I'm sure. Come to bed, love."

Isla smiled to herself and allowed him to lead her to the bedroom.

A/N: Sorry for the wait! Hope you enjoyed it!