Elizabeth bit her lip as she glanced out the darkened window, fidgeting on the chair a little. The sun hadn't long set and she wondered when Dwayne would come for her. He had told her to go to bed as usual but things had worked out so perfectly, everything had been timed so uncannily well that she was free as a bird. Sammy was so engrossed in his comic that the night was hers and she wished she had a way to contact Dwayne, to tell him to come now.
It was terrible, sitting in the living room and waiting.
She shifted again and sighed, looking at the TV guide in her hands.
"Would you quit it?" Sammy said, frowning down at his comic.
"What?"
He looked over at her, "the shuffling and sighing, I'm trying to read here..."
She grinned at him, a sheepish and chastised little smile, "sorry..it's just this chair.."
"Solid as a rock" he said in understanding, turning back to his comic, "spread out, it's better"
Making a non-committal but agreeable sound, Elizabeth bit her lip again and tried to focus on reading, tugging her dress down a little more towards her knees. She was already showered and prepared for bed, so there really wasn't anything else she could do.
Wait and try to read. Wait and try not to think about Dwayne.
She had showered and brushed her teeth pretty much straight after she had finished dinner, telling Sammy and Lucy that she'd felt kind of sweaty after dozing outside. Surprisingly, there had been no comments and no questions. Sammy had helped Lucy with the clean up and Elizabeth had been able to take a long and enjoyable shower, to wash her hair and slip on a clean, simple and comfortable dress long before the sun had even set.
She hadn't been able to keep the smile off her face when she made the short trip back downstairs. She felt clean, pretty and fresh and she was in good spirits because of it. She had moved to help Lucy shuffle some things around in the fridge. There had been two bowls of dinner left, enough for Grandpa and Michael but with one shelf being reserved, it had taken a few minutes of thinking before they could actually store them. When the task had been completed, Lucy offered both her and Sammy a coffee, saying she needed to keep her energy up for work.
Sammy had declined and opted for a hearty glass of milk but Elizabeth had gone for it and the three of them had sat in comfortable ease at the table, drinking and chatting. It had felt nice to be with them and, as she drank the coffee she usually rejected, Elizabeth couldn't help but feel the change in herself.
She felt a little older, a little more assured and confident and it was strangely welcome. She wished she could tell Lucy everything, tell her about how deeply in love she was, how wonderful Dwayne was and how wildly exciting things were becoming but she knew she couldn't.
Instead, she settled for the company of her mother, listening to Sammy talking about the comic book store he had seemingly fallen in lust with.
Seeing both her children healthy and in seemingly good spirits had seemed to assure Lucy that everything was going well with them and when she left for work, she did so with an easy and perky grace.
It seemed like everyone was happy with their situation and Elizabeth couldn't believe how perfect everything was..
After Lucy had left, the two siblings had sort of naturally meandered into the living room, Sammy with a comic and Elizabeth ending up with the TV guide. She knew that there were other, better reading materials spread about, as well as the radio but at that time, the sun had been well on its way to setting.
She knew she was just settling in to play the waiting game.
With another sigh, Elizabeth realized that she was once again staring out of the window. She'd distracted herself with her thoughts, which was a good thing - any distraction was - but, looking at the clock on the mantle, she saw it had only taken up few minutes.
It was torture to wait.
She shifted in the seat again and Sammy tutted loudly.
"Sorry" she murmured, "it's just..."
She trailed off, not bothering to make an excuse.
Suddenly, so suddenly that it caught her totally off guard, there was an excited, nervous and fluttering tingle right there, deep in her stomach.
Somewhat taken aback with wonderful and delightful surprise, she realized that it was him.
She had felt Dwayne.
He was here.
She closed the TV guide with a strong jerk of her hands, the material crinkling loudly and suddenly and Sammy jumped in response, "Jesus, Liz-"
"-sorry" she grinned at him, dropping the magazine onto the low table, "sorry..."
He looked at her like she was crazy and then turned back to his comic, swallowing a little as he took in the bloodied horror pictures before him.
"I'm gonna go up, read in bed.." Elizabeth said, trying to stretch and keep her voice and movements natural, "..way more comfortable than the sofa"
"Yeah, sure…yeah…" he mumbled, frowning down at his comic.
"Just gonna, um-" she shrugged, "call it a night when I get drowsy...OK?"
She grinned and turned, moving to leave the living room.
"Whatever..." he sounded distracted by the comic before him, "oh..hey, keep all the lights on, would you?"
"Scared?" she teased, her whole body tingling with excitement. She wanted to push him a little about his surprising choice of comic genre but she wanted to see Dwayne more and he was there, waiting for her.
It took everything in her power to keep herself calm.
"No…" he said, his eyes shifting a little as he lied.
"I've got you" she assured him, using all her energy not to run out of the room and up to her own. Taking the steps upstairs slowly, as naturally as she could, she flicked on the lights, illuminating the hallway leading to everyone's rooms and the family bathroom.
She paused and peered down the corridor, feeling but not seeing Dwayne.
Her stomach started to flutter and she skipped towards her door.
Smiling widely, she flung it open and bit her lip when she saw her staircase was dark and empty. She quietly bounded up her stairs, wishing she could play it cool but just so utterly thrilled to know that he was there, waiting for her.
She paused, turning and dashing back down again to shut the door she had just come through. She knew that Sammy would be in the living room for a while, reading his comic, spread out on his tummy on the stiff sofa. She also knew that when he decided to go to bed, he would take no detours out of fear. She knew that nobody else was home and she trusted that Dwayne wouldn't make his presence known but it felt prudent to take care, all the same.
Grinning, she once more bounded up the steps, all but throwing her door open before freezing as disappointment washed over her.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
She had felt him, she had known he was there, waiting for her but the room was empty.
He wasn't there.
She'd been so sure…
"What…" She whispered, holding her stomach a little as the excited feeling that had been building turned to a nervous, deflated sort of sadness.
Holding in a sigh, she moved and sat on the edge of her bed with a small frown. Maybe the instinct she had the other night was just a fluke? David had said it was pretty weak, anyway.
Weak and apparently wrong.
She couldn't help but feel disappointed.
She'd wanted to see him, she had been so sure that he was there. Not seeing him in the second floor hallway wasn't surprising, not seeing him on her staircase had been fine but an empty room?
She had felt him, she could still feel him. God, she could smell him.
Amidst all that, an empty room was the last thing she expected or wanted to see.
Looking at the steadily ticking clock on the floor – it still needed to be hung but she wasn't going to get around to doing that anytime soon – Elizabeth frowned. It was very early still...she thought she probably got caught in the moment, caught in wanting him but it was hard to fight off her sadness, despite how hard she tried to think logically.
Their time together was so precious, so fleeting. He said he would come, he'd promised her that he would be there when she went to bed...but she was free now. She had time, it felt so wasteful to wait for him.
If only she'd known how perfectly the evening would have progressed, she would have told him to come straight away, not wait for her bedtime.
She took a breath and closed her eyes, a little frown marring her face when, once again, she inhaled his scent.
She could still feel him and she could still smell him.
Why could she feel him when he wasn't there?
Her stomach exploded once again.
Why can I feel him if he's not here? she thought to herself, a smile slowly forming on her face.
"Oh my God..." she whispered, understanding.
"You are here" she said, her eyes bright, "I know you're here…"
She had felt him.
God, she was right.
She jumped up and spun around, half expecting him to be behind her, kneeling right there on the bed.
She was met with silence, empty and still silence but she knew that she was right.
He was there.
"I knew it!" she said, swallowing.
She was sure, positive.
Yesterday he had told her not to doubt herself, and, as she turned around once more, giving the room a quick once over, she knew that her feeling had been right.
She trusted it, she trusted her instinct. She trusted that he'd kept his promise.
He was there.
"I can feel you, I knew it..." she felt thrilled, vindicated and elated all at the same time.
She bit her lip through her wide grin as the silence continued to surround her, as she realized that he was hiding from her.
Suddenly she knew that she was in the middle of a game of hide and seek.
She gently knelt before her bed, crouching down with nervous excitement as she moved to peer under the wrought iron frame.
While the space underneath was tall enough for a person to lie beneath quite comfortably, the frame itself was long, almost touching the floor – it would be impossible to scoot under. But, just because she couldn't get there herself, didn't mean he couldn't. She didn't know the extent of his skills but he seemed to have no problem holding her weight, even for extended periods of time. She thought lifting the heavy iron bed wasn't outside the realm of possibilities.
She drummed her fingers against the floor in a thoughtful motion as she saw that, despite her reasoning, the space was empty.
She opened her mouth, ready to ask him not to scare her before stopping herself.
She knew that he wouldn't do that to her.
"….Marco?"
Silence.
"...this is where you say, 'Polo'…"
No response.
She gave a wry little smile, stomach turning once again.
She trusted that he wouldn't scare her and she couldn't help but embrace the nervous excitement she was feeling. When she had met David and Paul on the beach, she'd felt their predatory nature. Their silent movements, their quick steps. They were hunters, she couldn't deny it and it had intimidated her.
Logically, she knew that Dwayne was the same. She knew he must have the same abilities as his brothers but it felt different.
Wonderfully different.
There was no fear, no trepidation and no intimidation.
Knowing he was there, but not knowing where exactly was dark but thrilling.
She knew he was there, she could feel him close. Her heart was beating faster, her bare arms had erupted in little goosebumps...and she knew that he wasn't hiding from her as much as he was playing with her, hunting her.
She swallowed.
It had been unpleasant, uncomfortable with the two blondes when she'd felt them moving silently behind her but now, with Dwayne, she found that she wanted to be hunted. She wanted to look for him, to search him out but more than that, she wanted him to hunt her, to find her and kiss her and take her.
She wanted to be hunted by him. She wanted to be claimed by him.
"...what are you doing to me?" she whispered, swallowing as she began to feel warm despite the chill of the evening breeze in her room, the window open wide. She was blushing, too. Such a wholesome, innocent day had suddenly transformed into an intense, erotic night and Dwayne had yet to make himself known. The promise of what was to come was almost too much.
Slowly moving away from her bed, she opened her door, looking down the darkened staircase once more but knowing he wasn't there, either. Of course he wasn't.
She had already checked.
Closing her door gently, she turned and faced her room once more.
Her private little staircase leading down was out and she knew that he wasn't hiding in any of the family rooms, her bed was empty, as was the area around it.
That meant that she was left with the window or her little closet.
Trying to control the small, needful trembles of her body and trying hard not to think about about the sudden, erotic intensity of the situation, she took a step towards the closet.
It felt right.
Walking with hesitant purpose, she carefully peered into the small room. Her clothes were hanging undisturbed, her mirror was still covered with the shawl she'd yet to move...nothing was out of place.
Nothing was-
-she gasped, jerking as she was plunged into darkness. The room was still silent and empty and she knew, somehow she knew that if she turned to look out towards the light switch she still wouldn't see him.
Frozen to the spot, she swallowed again, closing her eyes briefly as another wave of knowing, wanting and need washed over her.
"Jesus..." she whispered, shivering as the smell of him seemed to flow around her.
As she opened her eyes and looked at the empty area before her, the weak moonlight barely illuminating her room and hardly touching the closet did little to help. She didn't know how much longer she could wait for him. She didn't know how much longer she could control herself.
Every part of her body was thrumming, almost pulsating with the most erotic, intense blend of fear, need and desire and she was close to begging him, commanding him to come out.
"Elizabeth..."
Spinning around desperately, feeling him right there behind her, she fought down a gasp.
She had heard her name, Dwayne's voice a deep and low murmur cutting through the air but, as she peered into the empty bedroom, she still couldn't see him. His voice was almost a caress and her eyes fluttered as she tried not to lose herself in it.
Shivering through another wave of need and lust, she once again heard her name.
"Elizabeth..."
Though his words were barely a whisper, there was a strength, a commanding power to them and in that moment she knew that he was behind her. She had checked the space, she been standing in the doorway of her closet...it should have been impossible, totally and utterly impossible for him to be there behind her but she knew he would be.
She knew he would be stood strong and tall among her clothes and shelves, dominating and owning the space that she had only just confirmed to be empty.
Lips opening and closing in need she could never articulate, she turned once again.
She knew that he would be there but the impossibility shocked her all the same.
She had never struck anyone in her life, not even Michael or Sammy and she would never dream to strike Dwayne but her hands moved on their own, impulsively reacting to the sudden but wanted surprise.
Him.
She gasped and then inhaled, acting instinctively and ready to scream, heart pounding thunderously. As she met Dwayne's dark eyes, his hand clamped down against her mouth, his other hand easily securing her arms above her head, using the motion of her confused and weak swing against her.
She was totally immobilized as his body pressed against hers. She was pushed against the hanging clothes, the material of her dresses and shirts dipping into the wall against her weight. She could feel the hangers straining a little against the pull of their bodies and she whimpered desperately against his hand. She wasn't in pain, she wasn't even close to being uncomfortable but she was utterly powerless under his strength and in that moment, she wanted nothing more. Breathing fast, she shifted her hips, watching as he observed her with dark, stormy eyes.
Making no move to release her arms, he carefully removed his hand from her mouth. His touch was soft as he moved his hand down her neck, before trailing down to her breast, cupping it softly.
She opened her mouth, ready to tell him how much she wanted him, how the timing had worked itself out so perfectly, that she hadn't actually wanted to hit him, to talk about how she had known he was there, how tangible and erotic their game had been but, as her eyes flickered to his lips, she found herself surging forward as much as he would allow.
All the thoughts racing through her head were replaced with thoughts of him and him alone.
His kiss came hard and fast and she met it fully. The second he loosened his hold on her arms she threw them around his neck, pulling him closer to her still, her fingers diving up and into his hair.
As she wrapped her legs around his waist, hitching herself up, his hands roamed her body.
"Dwayne..." she whispered against his lips, tilting her head back as he placed fervent kisses on the delicate skin of her neck.
She moaned softly as she felt him press against her, knowing that he needed her as much as she needed him.
As their eyes met once more, she gently and softly traced the line of his lips with her took a shuddering breath, "I could lose myself in you..."
"Yeah?" he whispered, his voice a deep timbre.
She found herself reacting to him, shifting herself against him, desperate to feel him.
"...I'm already lost"
The very second the words had left his mouth she captured his lips once more. As his hands moved up and under her dress, supporting her weight, she felt him pause in his actions. Trembling against his body, forehead pressed against his, she bit her lip.
She didn't need their connection to know why he had frozen.
Truthfully, she had surprised herself with her boldness.
"Elizabeth...?"
As his fingers danced over the bare skin of her thighs, grazing the soft and supple skin as they moved higher and higher, meeting absolutely no barrier on their path to her exposed center, she found herself blushing.
"I...I want you..." she whispered by way of explanation, "all day...you're all I've thought about..."
As her own fingers traced down to the zipper of his jeans, his eyes never once left hers. She took a breath as she felt him shift his body lightly, allowing her the small amount of space she needed to free him.
Still trembling in desperate anticipation, she looked to him for guidance and, with another hard and deep kiss, he took the lead once more.
A/N: thank you for the reviews! I have such a clear and distinct path for this story, I have everything mapped out and it's been so much fun to create!