WARNING: Sexiness is in this chapter. Fangirly (and fanguyly, if you swing that way) screams of "I'm gonna kill this author" will be heard across the world.

Disclaimer: Yet again, I do NOT have Altair's body in my duffel bag.

...it's Ezio! XD

I moved my body so I was facing him. I took his face in my hands and moved it so our noses weren't smashing the others'. I counted to ten (I kept losing track of numbers) in my head before I pulled back. He reached past me and showed me the ten of spades he had pulled from the deck. I almost ripped my shirt off when he took the lower hems in his fists and tugged it over my head.

A slow draft rolled over my body, and I shivered onto his chest. I managed to blindly find the pile of cards and pick up a ten of hearts. "Your shoes. Take 'em off." I ordered into his chest. I felt the floor thump twice as the vintage Converse hit the floor. He looked at me expectantly. Oh. I reached around for the deck of cards. I placed them in the waist of my jeans, pulling out a king of spades and letting it drop to the linoleum. I waited for him to move. I realized I hadn't said anything. "Oh. Your turn."

He smiled slowly and took the rubber band out of my ponytail. My long black hair fell around my bare shoulders. I took another card. Queen of hearts. I found an interesting scar on his body, dangerously close to his waistline. "What about…this one?" his eyes glazed over in pleasure as I gently rubbed circles around it. It curved like a moon. I don't think I was going to kiss this one…yet.

"I…I can't remember." He huffed. My actions were muddling his thoughts. I rested my forehead on his, letting us breathe for a second.

"Yes you can…" I taunted.

"I…was…running over…rooftops, and I…miscalculated…" he managed to whisper, his breath hitching every few seconds.

"Altaïr…that's a little dangerous, don't you think?" I whispered to his nose. I pulled a two of spades up from my hip. I showed it to him before tossing it over my shoulder. He shook his head no, and move on.

"Who's the bastard that did this to you?" he began to trail kisses over my own scar. It snaked the entire way from my elbow to the middle of my palm. I froze.

"…later. Not now." I promised. He nodded. I pulled the red card—he had gotten it himself—from his hand and this time pulled him in for a kiss, letting the card fall down his back and onto the chair. He managed to get his warm tongue in my mouth, and I breathed in his musk almost like it was air to survive. I took the three of diamonds from his grasp again and left it on the table. My bra was uncomfortable against his chest, but I didn't want to remove it. Yet…I took the next card. A queen of clubs. "I think we should go into the bedroom." I breathed.

He stood up, and I did as well. He slammed me against the wall on the way to the bedroom, and wrapped my legs around him. How the cards stayed in my pants was a miracle. I remembered the cards as he kicked the door shut. The light was on, thank goodness. I would've forgotten it otherwise. There were only about fifteen of cards left, but I somehow knew that they would be enough. "Hold on." I whispered into his neck. He growled like some feral animal. "Calm down, tiger." I took the card in my hand and managed to register it. Three of spades. I said to him, "Get on the bed." And he did. He bit his lip in a lack of patience, lust radiating off of him. I set the deck of cards down on the side table and picked up the next card. Five of diamonds. I showed it to him and—wait. Wasn't I red? I ignored it and showed it to him. He suddenly had that same look of confusion that I did, and immediately threw it over his head.

"Get on the bed, now." He growled. I teased him by sitting down daintily on the edge of the bed, my back towards him. With a yelp, he had pulled me down underneath him, our legs tangled in the others' as well as the sheets. I was about to protest, but he waved the jack of hearts in my face. He stopped waving it so he could slide the seven of hearts and the six of diamonds out from the back. "I get a longer turn." He growled, pressing his body against mine, earning him a whimper of pleasure as he bit down on my lip. His hands were on either side of my face, and they suddenly buckled and he went down on his elbows, almost all of our skin touching. He pressed his lips to a soft spot in the crook of my neck, and his tongue shot out. My back arched into him, and his hand went to the small of my back. I managed to unhook myself just enough from his grasp so I could snatch a black card from the pile.

"My turn." I stated, taking the zipper of his pants in my index finger and thumb. His need pulsed against my hand. He let out a high-pitched moan and I dragged the small tab down, releasing his tension. I took the button in my fingers, then stopped.

"Wh-why'd you st-stop?" he said, his voice thick and heavy with want.

"Is it my turn?" I asked. He let me pick up a card. I showed him the queen of diamonds. "Nope. All yours, Altaïr."

"Undo it." He whispered in my ear. My blood was rushing, and my heart was pumping like a machine. My hands fumbled against the rough denim, just brushing against the bulge in his pants. He moaned again and almost fell on top of me. I managed to undo the button and he snatched my hands away and pinned them up by my head. He swooped down to kiss me, but I twisted my head away and felt his lips on my ear, slightly improvising by nibbling on the lobe. I started to giggle.

"Take a card, babe." I managed to say through my laughing. I heard him groan in annoyance, but he picked up a card anyway.

"Black." Mine. Catching him off guard (but I think he just let me), I twisted my body just so, so that I could flip him over with ease. We were now in the center of the bed. The card pile was getting thin…I reached over to the pile, tucking a couple strands of hair behind my ear.

"Red." I gave another yelp of surprise as he flipped me over to where I was before.

Altaïr reached for the pile again, when I evaded his lips for a second time. "Black." He growled. I flipped him again. I reached for the pile.

"Red. Please—" but before I could say anything, he had flipped me again. "Are we just going to keep doing this?" I asked, no longer evading his lips. The furious kissing had been replaced with a gentle push. No longer was there a desperation for sex, but it was just an option, thank God. I don't think having sex with him would strengthen our relationship any…

"As long as we need to." He growled, moving his lips down to my breastbone. I shuddered, reaching for a card. Black. I shoved his head back with unnecessary force, and flipped him over. He was inevitably expecting this. He turned around, smiling at me like I was a goddess. I pouted at his face.

"If it's red, don't flip me over again." I warned, straddling his hips. I reached for a card. Black. I smirked at the card and set it down next to him. I leaned forward towards Altaïr, crawling up his chest until I was flush with his lips. I leaned forward tantalizingly slow, and barely brushed my lips against his. He shivered in pleasure. "Next card, babe." Another black. He was putty in my hands. I crawled down his body, leaving soft kisses down his chest. I rested my ear on his heart. The beating was putting me into a trance.

"It's still your turn." Altaïr reminded me. "For…two more cards." He smiled and I told him to sit up. He complied, and I matched his movements.

"Have you ever been in love? Like, deep, passionate, I-never-want-to-stop-kissing-you love?" his face slowly broke into a large grin that took my breath away.

"I am now." He took me in his arms, and kissed me once on the head, and once more on the mouth. His steady breathing, strong arms, and now-even heartbeat lulled me to sleep.

This was crazy. I felt like I was falling through a long tunnel when I was with her. Her small body fell limp against my own. I kept an iron grip on her. I was not letting her go. Ever. I would kill myself if I were to go back home. It would be the first thing I'd do. I'd drown for her. I'd bleed myself dry for her. I'd ram my brain with a stone for her. I'd poison myself for her.

See, she is trying to kill you, the sarcastic voice told me.

I will kill you, if it's the last thing I ever do. I would never hurt Lacrima. My perfect teardrop. I traced the long white scar with my fingertips, suddenly angered. Who in their right mind could have done this to her?

I eventually fall asleep, my arms still around her.

Awww wasn't that so CUTE?

My friend (guess who) was taunting me to go further, but I have yet to delve into that sort of writing. For now, let's strangle Lacrima with her own words and take it slow.

A/N: if you have time, and you count all the cards, there're 52. I used an actual deck of cards for this chapter, and it took surprisingly less time than I thought it would. The cards come into play later, as does L's scar, and Maria, and L's parent's deaths, and so many other things I overlooked when writing this chapter.

Review nicely!! But tell me if I suck at these sorts of scenes! (i.e. the rolling and flipping—blame my impatient mind and the deck of cards)

Love,

Bailey

BTW I need a beta DESPERATELY.