Chapter Eight: Can't Fight It Anymore

It was times like these that Lex almost regretted giving up the habit of getting drunk off his ass. But, as fate would have it, he had quit that practice before ever moving to Smallville, and subsequent years had taught him to content himself with a single glass of finely aged scotch. A shame, really. If there was ever a time he needed to sterilize his memory with alcohol it would be now, when the taste of Chloe, the feel of her under his hands, was still fresh in his mind. If he turned his head just right, he could still smell her on his clothes. None of this would be a problem, except for the fact that he wanted her, she wasn't there, and he had to talk to the engineer of this whole scheme instead of having Chloe still moaning beneath him on the pool table.

That thought was quickly followed by another swallow of scotch.

When Matthew entered the room, Lex was absently swirling the drink in his hand, leaning against the side of the pool table and staring at a spot on its red felt surface. He seemed completely absorbed in his thoughts and Matthew just stood, waiting for Lex to notice he was there.

"Was there something on your mind, Matthew?" Lex asked suddenly, never looking up from the spot he was gazing at. Disconcerted, Matthew looked around the room, saying the first thing that popped into his mind.

"Is Chloe in here?" Lex finally looked up at that, his face as closed as stone.

"She was." Lex's pointed tone was not lost on the younger boy; he glanced at the spot Lex had been staring at, and as the reason for Lex's displeasure dawned on him he had the grace to blush.

"Oh. Man, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you two were . . . y'know . . ."

"Never mind," Lex told him, waving his hand to dismiss the topic. The boy's obvious embarrassment was enough to erase most of the irritation Lex was feeling. "What can I do for you?" Matthew shuffled uncomfortably.

"I heard about the plant closing," he said, "and seeing as how Mr. Sullivan's the one who closed it, I figured it wasn't actually because of some safety inspection." Lex's lips twisted in grim amusement.

"Not quite," he confirmed, taking another swallow of scotch. "So Gabe's actually sticking with the inspection story around town? I'm surprised he hasn't been trying to rally the locals into storming the castle." Matthew shrugged.

"I think he would, if he weren't afraid Chloe would get caught in the crossfire." He shuffled his feet again, obviously nervous. "So he's shut the plant down to punish you for keeping Chloe here?"

"After a fashion. Apparently he's not going to relent until he gets his daughter back."

"Isn't there any way you can get around him? Some way to get the plant back open?" Lex sighed.

"I've spent the last three days trying to find one, and I'll keep looking, but I don't know how much luck I'm going to have. Gabe's made sure he's well within his rights in shutting down production, so unless I can uncover some hidden loophole, there's not much hope." Matthew nodded, his expression somber.

"Well, keep looking. A lot of people are going to suffer if this halt goes on much longer." He offered a weak smile. "I have to go. My parents are expecting me home. I really hope you can find something, Lex." And with that, he turned and left without waiting for Lex's response.

"Damn it," Lex muttered, running a hand over the back of his neck. He already knew what was at stake; he didn't need some kid to come tell him how many people depended on the plant to pay their bills. But there had been something in Matthew's behavior that was off. Like he knew something that Lex didn't. Like he was trying to warn him.

"Damn it," he swore again. This wasn't getting him anywhere; he should sit down and go over the paperwork again. Maybe there was something he had missed the first fifty times. But he couldn't shake the feeling of uncertainty that was lodged in his gut, tangled up with something that felt uncomfortably like worry. There was one last swallow left in his glass, but to Lex's surprise, he didn't want it.

Chloe. He needed Chloe. Just to see her, to let her presence wash over him until he was himself again. The alcohol in his bloodstream was just enough to take away any inhibitions he might have felt about seeking her out and, setting down his unfinished drink, he strode from the room to find her.

After five years he knew the mansion well, could probably navigate its twists and turns in his sleep if he felt inclined to try. Despite the distance it took him less than a minute to reach her door and knock soundly.

There was no answer.

Lex knocked again, more loudly this time.

Still, no answer.

"Chloe?"

Silence.

Lex frowned, a trickle of worry seeping into him. She wasn't answering him. Surely she couldn't be that embarrassed about what had happened. What if she was hurt?

'She's not hurt,' he thought fiercely.

But she could be. She could be lying hurt and unconscious. He knocked again.

"Chloe? Are you ok?"

Nothing.

'She's not hurt,' he insisted to himself. 'She's probably just somewhere else in the house; she's probably not even in there.'

But what if she was? The image of Chloe lying prone on the ground, a pool of blood spreading from her body out across the floor made up his mind for him, and without another thought he pushed open the door, thankful it wasn't locked. What he saw when he entered wasn't a tragic sight, but it stopped him just as cold as if it had been.

Chloe had just stepped out of the bathroom door, half bent over and toweling off her hair as clouds of steam billowed out from the room behind her. Another towel was wrapped around her, exposing a tantalizing expanse of soft flesh, pale skin flushed pink from the heat. The remaining alcohol in his system was burned away in a tide of lust that swept like fire through his veins.

With a few last swipes Chloe finished with her hair and straightened up. A movement at the edge of her vision caught her eye and she turned to face it; a small yelp escaped her when she saw Lex leaning casually against her closed door. A smirk just barely curled his lips as he pushed lightly away from the door. He prowled towards her, his movements slow and graceful; she couldn't help but feel once more like a rabbit caught beneath a panther's gaze, and like a rabbit she found herself frozen, unable to do anything but watch as danger stalked closer. His eyes . . . god, she thought she was going to burn to ashes in the heat there.

"I knocked," he told her, his voice mesmerizingly low, "but you didn't answer." He had crossed half the room now and was drawing steadily closer. "I was worried."

"I was in the shower." Her own voice was weak, her brain refusing to work properly. She watched with wide eyes as he came nearer. "I didn't hear." His gaze flickered briefly to the clouds of steam emerging from the bathroom before returning to her. He raised an eyebrow.

"Hot shower," he observed. Chloe nodded faintly.

"If it doesn't burn off the top few layers of skin, what's the point?" His lips curled at that; he had reached her by then, and she drew in a shaky breath. "Lex, you shouldn't be in here," she protested in one last attempt at bravado. He said nothing, but leaned forward and brushed his lips over her cheek. The noise she made was half-sigh, half-whimper as his lips trailed lightly to her ear, nibbling gently.

"Do you know how much I want you, Chloe?" His lips brushed against her ear as he spoke, his voice low and rough with barely leashed passion. "There's a fire raging in every cell of my body whenever I'm near you, and every time I try to put it out the flames just get hotter." Her eyes fluttered closed on a shiver as he pressed a lingering kiss to the soft spot beneath her ear. She swayed gently and moved her hands to his shoulders to steady herself.

"Lex, please," she whispered; though whether she was pleading for him to stop or continue even she couldn't say. His fingertips rested on her hips, the barest contact that nonetheless held her where she stood as surely as steel bands.

"Let me show you how much I want you." His mouth moved to hers, their skin barely touching as he whispered against her lips. "Let me love you." He pulled back slightly; she could feel his gaze on her and her eyes slowly opened again only to be trapped by the heat of his stare. "Don't ask me to go."

Her head was spinning, unable to hold onto a thought for more than a few seconds at a time. She knew she wanted him—God, she wanted him. To feel his hands on her again, taste his smooth skin, feel him hot and hard inside of her. The same fire he had spoken of was raging inside of her, as well, urging her to give in, to accept the pleasure he was offering her. A part of her was warning against it, whispering that it could be a huge mistake. Her eyes searched his, and it was the vulnerability shining out along with the desire that finally swayed her.

It might be a mistake. But damn it, if it was, it was hers to make.

She shook her head as her arms wrapped around Lex's neck, drawing him closer as she spoke.

"Don't go."

In one swift movement Lex captured her mouth with his and swept away what few thoughts she had left, his tongue moving skillfully past lips she had already opened for him. His arms wrapped around her, and one quick tug sent her towel tumbling to the floor. He took a brief step back, relishing the sight of Chloe standing bare before him: skin still flushed and damp from her shower, lips red and swollen from his kiss, eyes half-closed and cloudy. With a growl of desire he pulled her back to him, fusing their mouths together once more.

Chloe moaned into his mouth, the decadence of Lex's clothed body against her naked one heightening her arousal even further. Her arms were locked around his neck; his hands were at her bottom now, squeezing the flesh there and pulling her into him, grinding her against his erection. Small, broken sounds spilled unchecked from her throat as she rubbed against him, the fibers of his shirt abrasive against her stiffened nipples. A few moments of that was all either of them could bear, and Lex began walking her backwards towards the bed, his lips never leaving hers as he gently lowered her down. It seemed like his hands were everywhere, lighting new fires wherever he touched.

Suddenly feeling the injustice of their differing states of undress, Chloe's hands moved to the buttons of Lex's shirt, tugging them loose with impatient fingers. She pushed the offending fabric off his shoulders, reveling in the feeling of his smooth muscles beneath her touch. As her hands drifted over his stomach to undo his belt, a wave of dèja-vu swept through her and she grinned against his mouth. Lex pulled back, his breathing hard, and raised a questioning eyebrow at her. Her grin didn't falter as she pulled the belt free from its buckle.

"Just remembering a dream I had."

"Good dream?" She leaned up and placed a hot kiss to the skin just beneath his jaw, still grinning as he shed the rest of his clothes.

"Very good dream," she murmured. He smirked, leaning down to trace the shell of her ear with his tongue as his hand moved to cover her breast.

"Let's see if we can't improve on it," he whispered lowly.

His lips blazed a trail down her neck, pausing briefly to pull at the pulse throbbing there. He heard her moan, but just as her hands moved to hold his head in place he shifted, moving lower with a ferocious heat that surprised even him. His mouth latched fiercely onto one breast while his hand kneaded the other, rolling the nipple between his thumb and finger. Her breathing came harsher as he scraped his teeth over her before switching to her other breast.

His other hand reached blindly to her legs, coaxing them apart so that he could move between them. Feeling her heat, he felt his control slip another notch; he drove a finger roughly into her and returned his mouth to hers to drink in the cry she gave. The next thing he heard was his own voice, so rough he almost didn't recognize it, whispering to her as the movements of his hand drove her higher.

"You're so wet, so hot. I feel like I could just melt into you." He felt her shudder and, knowing what his words did to her, kept talking as he added a second finger. "And so damn tight; god, you feel like heaven. This must be what paradise is—having you writhing beneath me, feeling your walls clamped around me as I pump into you. And knowing that you want me just as much as I want you. Knowing that you want me to touch you here," his thumb teased over her clit, "that you want to feel me inside you." He added a third finger, stretching her even more so that she would be able to accept him inside of her. His thumb began rubbing her harder, and her breath came in short, sharp gasps.

Chloe was beyond thinking now; every fiber in her was focused on what Lex was doing. His voice washed through her head, adding to the pleasure building inside of her, but his words were barely registering. With every stroke of his fingers she felt the pressure swelling in her body, effectively wiping away any thoughts that tried to form. Just as she was sure she couldn't take the mounting tension any longer, it shattered. As her orgasm ripped through her Lex finally drove himself into her, burying himself to the hilt in one hard stroke as she arched towards him, insensible of the cry she gave. It wasn't a reaction to pain—if there was pain, it was washed away in the waves of pleasure that wracked her body; the feeling of him inside her, filling her so completely, only made her come harder, her nails digging sharply into his back. He stayed still, letting her adjust to him, and as her climax subsided she gradually became aware of the words she was chanting out on sobbing breaths.

She looked up into his face, seeing his desire mixed with hope and disbelief. A soft smile crossed her face as she realized that now, with him inside of her and his face above hers so open, the words no longer seemed frightening—they seemed right. As her breathing eased she locked gazes with him, letting him read the truth in her eyes as she repeated what she had said.

"I love you, Lex."

His mouth returned to hers, his kiss communicating all the emotions he couldn't put into words. All of the love and joy he felt at her words came pouring from him and set her head to spinning again. As his tongue wove together with hers he began to thrust in her, relishing the gasp she gave.

Resisting the urge to simply plunge in to his own satisfaction, he moved slowly as her gasps changed to whimpers, the whimpers to moans. Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him in deeper, and he lost hold of what control he had left. He began to move more quickly and Chloe began writhing beneath him again, raising her hips up to meet his thrusts, her nails scratching down his back as her eyes glazed over once more. She could barely breathe, the feeling of Lex pounding into her was so overwhelming.

Her second orgasm came without warning, an explosion of pleasure so powerful it bordered on pain. Her back arched into him, and she was only vaguely aware of the scream that ripped from her throat. The feel of Chloe's walls spasming around him pushed Lex over the edge as well, and he exploded along with her.

Lex's thrusts gradually slowed and he pulled completely out of her, pressing gentle kisses to her face as he shifted his weight off of her. He rolled to the side without letting her go, taking her with him to settle her in his arms. She willingly curled up against him, their legs still tangled together and her head resting on his chest. The world was slowly coming back into focus, enough for Chloe to let the feeling of Lex's arms holding her sustain the hazy afterglow that settled over her. Her body was limp, completely drained from the power of her climax, and she couldn't help but nuzzle her cheek gently against Lex's shoulder.

He had never felt so complete. The woman he loved was there, in his house, in his arms. She was finally his, although he wasn't so far gone that he was about to tell her that—Lex doubted she would understand that as surely as she was his, he was hers. They belonged to each other now, and always would. She shifted slightly, burrowing deeper into his side, and his arms tightened around her.

"I love you, Chloe," he murmured into her hair. He felt her smile and tighten the arm slung across his chest.

"Mmmm."

Lex glanced down to see Chloe drifting off to sleep, a satisfied smile gracing her lips. A wave of male pride swept through him at the sight; he pulled her a bit closer and, with a satisfied smirk of his own, settled back to watch her sleep.

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Chloe slowly drifted towards wakefulness, gradually becoming aware of her surroundings. Her head was pillowed on Lex's chest, her arm slung across him as her naked body nestled against his. She felt limp and satiated, and she stretched with a cat-like smirk, a small sound escaping her as skin rubbed against skin. Her attention focused on Lex, lying asleep beside her.

The room was dark—when had that happened?—and the moon was shining in through the window, spilling over the bed and throwing everything into highlight and shadow. His skin was pale in the moonlight and so soft beneath her cheek. Without thinking, Chloe brushed her lips gently over his shoulder.

Lex stirred slightly at the contact, and Chloe's lips curled up. Leaning forward again she brushed small, light kisses over his chest, moaning slightly when she dipped her tongue down to taste his skin. She shifted closer to him, and he woke completely.

"Chloe?"

She gave a low, purring sound in response. Lex sucked in a sharp breath as her teeth scraped lightly across his nipple.

"I didn't mean to wake you up." She moved to his neck now, her kisses still light. "But you taste so good." Her lips covered his Adam's apple and sucked gently; Lex's fingers dug into her flesh in response. Chloe grinned and shifted so that she was straddling his stomach. She wasn't quick enough to cover up her wince, however, and Lex caught it. With gentle hands he coaxed her down until her chest was pressed against his and he met her lips in a gentle, soothing kiss. Before she knew it he was rolling them over until she was beneath him once more. He looked down on her in loving concern, his hand smoothing her hair back from her face.

"I'm just a little sore," she assured him. A wicked grin overtook her face as her hand snaked down the front of his body. "But I'm betting you could make me feel a lot better." Lex gasped as her fingers wrapped around him, her teasingly light strokes hardening him even more. He grasped her wrist to still her hand and gave her a devilish smirk of his own.

"Well," he murmured, "if you're sore . . ." his lips moved and she could feel him smirking against her ear. "Maybe I should kiss it better."

Before she could respond, Lex was placing a trail of kisses down her body; over her neck, pausing at her breasts before peppering kisses over her stomach. His mouth drifted still lower, and his hand reached up to massage her breast. Her breathing grew heavier as he started to lick and kiss her inner thighs, her legs already spread for him. She was squirming now, trying to push herself closer to his mouth as he deliberately avoided the area she most wanted him to touch. Finally, he licked softly at her folds, his tongue lapping gently over her. She raised her hips towards him and he wrapped his lips around her clit; he sucked softly and her hips bucked.

"Lex . . . oh god . . ."

"Hmmm?" he hummed with his lips still around her, and the vibration humming through her clit had her whimpering with pleasure. Lex replaced his lips with his hand and licked lower, moving gently, soothing and exiting at once. She felt his tongue penetrate her, moving in sure thrusts as his hand rubbed her gently. Pleasure crested slowly, gradually, until it peaked, spreading like molten lava through her veins. When she came floating back down Lex was holding her, stroking her hair and whispering comforting words in her ear.

But she didn't want to be comforted. She wanted him.

It caught him by surprise when she rolled him over, catching him in a kiss so hot he wondered that the bed didn't just erupt in flames. Her tongue swept through his mouth, possessive and fierce. It took him even more by surprise when, in one swift moment, Chloe lifted her hips and slipped down onto him. Her back arched and she threw back her head, caught up in the feeling of having him so deep inside her. Slowly, tentatively, she began to move, relying solely on instinct to guide her. Following Lex's moans and her own pleasure, she quickly developed a rhythm and began to move with greater and greater urgency. Lex's hands moved to her hips, guiding her movements. Their breathing became more ragged until their climaxes came together, hitting them with all the force of an earthquake. Chloe collapsed on top of Lex, panting for breath and too exhausted to move. She finally summoned up the strength and began to shift aside, only to be stopped by Lex's arms tightening around her. She glanced up to see him half-asleep, a faint frown creasing his face.

"Don't leave," he mumbled. She smiled softly at him and settled her head on his shoulder, letting his heartbeat soothe her to sleep.

"I'm not going to leave, Lex," she whispered. "I promise."



TBC . . . 


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A/N: See, there was a good reason for that whole conversation in the last chapter. Remember kids—Chloe's on birth control pills. The author does not condone unprotected sex. All right, now that that little disclaimer is out of the way, tell me . . . what did you think?