The sun shining down on his bared biceps tingled more than the magic did. Gajeel frowned but walked through the mist of whatever enchantment was supposed to trap him. He felt a faint "pop" in his ears more than he actually heard anything.

Levi slowed and stopped, a considering look on her face. She looked around and licked her lips.

Gajeel considered he'd rather have her tongue on parts of his body, then he started cataloguing where he'd have her taste him. That thought led to which to try first.

"Well?"

"Huh?" The Dragonslayer's unfocused gaze sharpened on Levy's face and he realized she'd asked him a question. Only he'd been too busy fantasizing to have heard. "Whatever you think." He temporized in a gruff manner, crossing his arms across his wide chest and looking down his nose at her.

Levy blinked up at him. "I said, I think you broke the trap."

"I didn't do anything." Gajeel protested with a hint of a scowl, then reconsidered. "I felt something really weak, it just sort of went poof."

Levy nodded thoughtfully and licked the forefinger on her right hand before reaching out to trace some symbol in the air.

Gajeel tried to concentrate on what she was doing. This was his job after all. They were supposed to be catching the criminals here. Only …he really wanted her tracing things across his bare chest. Belly. Lower. He shuddered and looked out over the landscape in an effort to refocus on the mission.

Mission. Get that over with and he and Levy could …play? Gajeel stopped cold. No. If the mission succeeded, they'd go home. Fairy Tail. And this fairy tale of a honeymoon would shatter as easily as the trap spell had dissipated. He didn't want that. Not one bit. He wasn't satiated yet. More to the point, was Levy?

Gajeel walked away deliberately, making a circular path around the outline of what had been a very shoddy spell. It would look like he was working to Levy, but it was really to give him time to think. Time. That was the key. He needed time alone with Levy to make her want to keep him in her life. Hell, in her bed, that's what he meant. No. Images of Levy on the train, her voice in his ear as she read aloud to him and Pantherlily. Shopping with her. Eating with her. It wasn't just his bed that needed warming, it was his whole damned life.

New mission. Gajeel grunted then stilled. He sniffed. Acting on instinct he kicked lightly at the ground and overturned a rock. It wasn't buried in the ground. He grunted. A spell sheet.

"Nice! Good job Gajeel!" Levy's voice made him smile even as his stomach sank. He was supposed to NOT find the clues that could end this job too early. Then again, he hated to let anyone think they could take him down. Pride fought with need. In the meantime, Levy retrieved the paper with the spell inked on it.

"This is wrong." Levy wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Poor grammar."

Gajeel laughed suddenly, shaking his head. "Want to give them pointers, shrimp-girl?"

Levy gave him a scowl. It was so damned cute his toes curled to keep from stepping toward her. Grabbing her.

"Spell work has to be exact or it doesn't hold well. This is poorly written, and I don't think it's the first time it's been used."

Interest stirred in him despite his goals. "You think this may have been used to take the other couples? There was nothing to it. It broke without any effort on our part."

"The other couples weren't wizards." She said with a shrug of her shoulders. Shoulders bared with sweet little cut-outs in her top. Gajeel felt the urge to touch but held back out of habit and years of being a dangerous outsider.

Other couples. As if she considered them to be a real couple. Gajeel took a deep breath, which proved to be a mistake as the wind shifted slightly and carried her sweet scent right to him. Something dark and needed stirred within him as if recognizing that particular scent marker, something that identified Levy as his. His. Mine.

Levy looked up suddenly, as if sensing the predator stirring within him. She found his gaze fixated on her and he watched as she shifted her weight. As if to run. Nothing could have incited him more.

Gajeel growled and leapt, instinct taking over as he grabbed the petite wizard and rushed with her into the nearby stand of trees. He didn't stop until he had her back against the trunk of a huge oak.

o.o.o.o.o

Levy McGarden held still, her unblinking gaze holding that of Gajeel. Only this wasn't the Gajeel she'd grown to appreciate in the time since that battle with the Phantom Lords. Shouldn't she be afraid? She'd been attacked by him before. Only then there had been a coldness in his eyes. This time there was only heat.

It made her shiver, but strangely, it didn't make her fear.

"Gajeel?"

His eyes, already staring in to her own, dilated, then narrowed.

"You have a habit of putting me on trees." She said with the hint of a bite in her tone.

The eyes staring at her suddenly blinked and as she watched, she could see 'him' coming back, slowly. Deliciously his cheekbones reddened just slightly.

Levy sensed him pulling back and she felt the aching chasm of his need. On pure instinct she suddenly 'knew' something about him. Extrapolating what she knew of people, especially wizards and of those, particularly dragonslayers ….they didn't do well with being abandoned. Wendy and Natsu …and Gajeel, much as he tried to hide it. Even if she wasn't pulling away, he would probably think she was and it would hurt him.

Gajeel had her shoulders pinned against the tree and he had a longer arm span than she did. She wouldn't be able to touch his face. What could she do to let him know it was alright? That she wasn't afraid and wasn't going anywhere?

Arms, out. Feet? Levy smiled and quickly wrapped her legs around Gajeel's hips.

That didn't just stop his pulling away. She'd stunned him. It was obvious in how wide his eyes went, the slackening of his clenched jaw. Gajeel was back, and in shock.

Perversely, Levy reveled in the moment, pleased she could bring that look to Gajeel's face.

"Shrimp?"

"That's not my name." Levy whispered, then took the sting out of her voice by tightening her legs around his hips, urging him closer. He complied eagerly. According to the response of his body, Gajeel was very happy to be close to her. Very happy indeed.

Levy fought the urge to roll her hips against his erection, though she didn't let him go.

"Do you want me to take you here?" Gajeel growled. "Peanut, short-cake, kitten?"

"Worse and worse." Levy objected.

She wouldn't rub against his need, so apparently Gajeel decided to take advantage of his position. He rolled his hips towards hers. Sharp need bit deep within her and Levy sucked in a shocked breath at how much she really did want him there. Right there.

"Shrimp. Let me." He breathed into her ear.

Her ear? Levy blinked, when had they stopped looking at one another? Her face flamed, realizing she was staring at the leafy canopy above him, exposing her throat to the predator holding her.

"We're being watched." She hissed.

Gajeel hesitated, his muscles bunching. "I know." He muttered.

"You forgot." She sighed as she made an astute guess.

"You have your legs around my waist, of course I forgot." Gajeel protested, but did nothing to break free of her hold.

"We need to let them capture us." Levy said, her mind racing in two different directions. "Let go of my arms."

Gajeel pressed his weight against her body, pinning her to the tree effectively even as he moved his hands from her shoulders to her waist. He thought she'd wanted freedom to work some spell or another, but was more than mollified when she simply reached behind him and traced the lines of his neck and shoulders. He shivered.

"You're playing with fire, shrimp."

"I thought I was playing with iron." She dared to tease him. "Natsu is fire."

Gajeel drew back to give her a good snarl, his hands pressing her into his embrace even further. Only their clothing kept them from becoming part of each other. "Don't bring him up, not now." He warned in a low, menacing growl.

"I l….l ….like iron." She purred hoping he hadn't heard her stammer.

o.o.o.o.o

Levy had stumbled over the word 'like'. Had she meant to say another word? A word that also started with an 'L'? No, probably just caught up in the same heat he was. Feeling achy and needy.

"I can take them." Gajeel said, hoping she'd say no. He really, really didn't want this job to end too quickly. "I smell three."

"No."

Gajeel's heart swelled, pleased.

"Not unless you can fake getting beaten by them and taken prisoner." She added.

Gajeel drew back and gave her an incredulous look that had her giggling. "If they are as weak as that trap they sprung?"

"You wouldn't even break a sweat." Levy agreed.

"A sweat? Shrimp-girl, I'd have them beaten before you could blink." He boasted, though he was more than sure of his statement.

"So could I." Levy gave him an equally assured look and he grinned at her, all teeth. "But we won't."

Gajeel sighed, then brightened. Maybe Levy didn't want this job to end any faster than he did. Maybe she wanted to stay his "bride".

"We need to follow them." Levy said. "To find the other couples." She sounded all business even as her eyelids slid half-closed and she leaned in close.

Gajeel needed no other invitation but took her mouth in a drugging kiss. Her thighs pressed tighter against his hips and he thrust forward, grinding hard against her pelvis where she was cradling him close. He caught the sound of her gasp in his mouth and a sense of possession and approval roared through him.

Lost in each other, the two reveled in the heat of their shared kiss and rising passion, glued together even as their breathing grew ragged. Her hands slid under his open vest and around to score his back with her sharp little nails. Gajeel's hands slipped up under her skirt and had her panties in his fingers when she shook her head and pushed back, breaking the kiss.

"Stop!" She hissed.

"Why?" He whined, but he did go still, though he did not let go.

"Company." Levy shook her head. "You might be comfortable doing this with an audience, but I'm not!"

Gajeel thought to point out that she'd been the one to escalate matters, but nodded. Really though, it wasn't a problem for him to be watched. He could care less. But he didn't want anyone, absolutely anyone, seeing Levy like this but him. Damn, he had it bad.

"When did they leave?" Levy asked, sounding a bit hollow.

"What?" Gajeel sniffed the air, then froze. He'd let three potential targets leave without him even knowing about it? Cold tempered his hot blood as he cursed under his breath. He'd been so distracted by Levy that he'd let them get away. It barely helped that Levy sounded like she was equally chagrined. "Damn it."

"What do we do now? Wait for them to attack us again? We missed a prime opportunity to follow them." Grumped his shrimp-girl.

Just like that, Gajeel's mood lightened. They'd missed an opportunity. Making the job last a little longer. More importantly. "We're in private now." He gave a playful tug on the band of her panties and they slid down an inch. Delighted, Gajeel watched Levy's face bloom with a becoming blush.

"Not against a tree." Levy said.

"Why not?" He growled suggestively.

"It's not the first time you've had me against a tree." Her words made him freeze and back off, slightly. What she'd meant, of course, was when he'd beaten her and her team and left them strung up on a tree trunk for her guild to find. Not something she'd want reminding of, and definitely not something he wanted to remember either.

Gajeel looked down and around for a likely clearing.

Reading him right, Levy shook her head. "Bugs. Rocks. Grass stains."

"Beach?" Gajeel asked, feeling desperate. He tugged on her panties again, they slid down to her thighs.

Levy dropped her legs from around his hips and Gajeel felt a sharp sense of loss. "Blanket."

"The resort then. Our bedroom." Gajeel ran a hand through his hair, hoping she wasn't cooling off. He turned to look at her and then nearly stumbled over his own feet.

Levy hadn't been saying she wanted to leave, she'd used her solid script magic to summon an actual blanket. Soft and plush and king sized.

Gajeel's eyes flew to the petite wizard who seemed to hold his heart as she winked at him. With that she shimmied slightly, a bare move, but it dropped her panties further down her legs and past her knees. They laid there, a confection of rose lace, on the ground. She stepped out of them and onto the blanket, holding out a hand to him.

He heard Levy squeak with surprise at how fast he had her feet swept out from under her, but she didn't fall to the ground. Gajeel caught her and lowered her down slowly to the soft blanket, moving to kneel between her legs. She opened for him in a move that had his heart aching.

Levy's thighs were creamy and inviting and the top of her short dress teased him by hiding the center of her from his eyes. Gajeel sniffed the air, to make certain they were alone. They were. But more than that, there was the scent of her arousal. She was in need. For him. She needed him. Gajeel. The dragonslayer. The outcast.

"Gajeel?" His name on her lips. Her arms reaching for him.

Something sharp and jagged in his soul simply stopped. The ever present pain of wanting something out of reach ended. She wanted him. Gajeel felt choked up, unable to say what was in his heart. Levy McGarden wanted him and only him.

He couldn't tell her. It would make him vulnerable to her. But he couldn't help it if he showed her. Gajeel reached out and touched her knees, leaning down from where he was kneeling, and nosed his way under her skirt.

Levy squealed in immediate protest and Gajeel grinned, licking his lips, then licking her. Tasting her essence as she tried to push his head away even while opening her legs up further for his presence.

"Do you want me to stop?" He teased, pleased when her hands fell away to clench in the soft blanket under her. Gajeel's own hands slid beneath her bottom to lift her up to his mouth.

In short order he had her panting and whimpering as she bit her lips to keep from screaming. He loved it. He made the mistake of making fun of her little noises though and found himself shoved aside until she was kneeling on top of him.

It was funny until she undid his pants and did some intimate tasting of her own. Gajeel managed alright until her clever little tongue found the piercings down below and decided they were her personal playthings. Unlike Levy he was unable to keep himself from shouting aloud as he went over the edge.

As they basked in the afterglow together, both became aware of someone coming up the road toward the resort. They looked at each other and stood.

"They back?" Levy asked quietly, moving to dismiss the blanket she'd summoned and to find her shoes.

Gajeel fastened his trousers and shook his head, though she wasn't looking his way anymore. "Different scent. We can check them out though." Something caught his eye and he grinned. Looking at Levy and finding her still busy, he stooped and picked up her discarded underpants. He sniffed happily and stuffed them into his pocket.

Levy finished dismissing her magically summoned blanket and turned back, obviously scanning the ground.

Gajeel tried to look innocent and busy as he straightened his clothing.

"Have you …" Levy started, only stilling as Gajeel deliberately held up a finger to keep her quiet.

"They're getting closer. Come on." He moved toward the main road.

"In a minute." Levy called out to him.

Gajeel grinned evilly as he stuck his hands in his pockets, looking like he was just standing on the side of the road. He grinned and waved with one hand at the approaching farmer and his cart.

"Supplies for the resort?" Gajeel said in a friendly tone.

The man and his young son both nodded, equally as friendly. "Fancy a ride?" The farmer offered.

"Waiting for my wife." Gajeel savored the last word with pleasure, the one hand he still had in his pocket fingering that bit of rose lace. "She needed to answer a call of nature."

"Gajeel!" Levy came out from the tree line, walking gingerly towards them. He was greatly amused at the vicious blush coloring her cheeks. That and the way she was holding down her skirt as if afraid the wind might catch hold. "Oh, hello."

The farmer tipped his wife in Levy's direction and repeated the offer of a ride.

Gajeel looked over at Levy reading her mind. She would not want to sit on the short bench of the wagon with a young child and a stranger with her bare ass on the rough plank wood. Nor would she like to take her chances in the back of the wagon, not with a kid around especially.

"We accept." Gajeel called out jovially.

"No, no, we could use the walk." Levy demurred with an awkward smile.

The farmer looked back and forth between them.

Gajeel shrugged. "We had a large lunch." He said and waved the kindly man off with a grin. They both watched the wagon leave as they walked for several minutes. He wondered how long it would take.

Five minutes. She broke in five minutes. "Gajeel. Have you seen …"

"This?" Gajeel pulled out his left hand and dangled the bit of rose lace like it was a trophy, which he supposed it might be.

"You horrid man! Give that to me." Levy made a lunge but Gajeel just lifted his hand higher than she could reach.

"Shrimp." He teased, her panties hanging out of her reach.

She punched him and he grinned as she rubbed the sting out of her fingers, though he hadn't budged.

"Shrimp. Definitely a shrimp. And tasty."

Levy blushed hotter and spelled out a word with her magic. Lightning struck the ground at his feet. It missed him, and he'd have bet that was by design. Still, the electric shock was strong enough to knock him back several feet.

Her hands grabbed the pink lace, but Gajeel didn't let go. She pulled up short and glared at him. He let go and waved at her cheekily, giving her the win.

Levy nodded at him and then he snatched the bit of fabric right back away from her.

"On second thought. This is now my favorite color." Gajeel teased, racing forward and making her give chase. "I'm keeping it." What he didn't say out loud, was that he was keeping her too.

o.o.o.o.o

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