Alex placed his hand on the base of Lara's back as they left the
restaurant. They began to walk along the street and when she began
shivering slightly he placed his jacket around her shoulders. Strangely,
Lara found herself enjoying a gesture she would normally have rejected
sarcastically and said nothing as Alex hailed a passing taxi. Their
conversation was slightly stilted on the drive trough central London, both
of them unsure what to think about the obvious sexual tension that had
passed between them. As the door of Alex's flat closed behind them, the two
tomb raiders looked at each other.
"Lara..."
"Alex..."
He reached out and placed his hand on the side of her face, looking into her eyes. "Why would it be so wrong?" he asked gently, stroking her hair.
Lara opened her mouth to say something, but wasn't quite sure what her objection was. In her heart she knew the truth, that she was scared that if anything happened between them she wouldn't be able to go back, and she was terrified of getting hurt. And Lara Croft wasn't afraid of anything.
Alex leant forward and brushed his lips against hers, and she really couldn't resist. Her full lips parted and suddenly they were kissing passionately, exploring each others' mouths with their tongues. Lara let out a soft moan and Alex needed no more encouragement. He pressed himself against her and wrapped his arms around her. The kiss ended and he groaned into her soft hair.
Lara could feel his manhood pressing against her, and she wanted him as much as he obviously wanted her. She began to unbutton his shirt, running her fingers through his hair as their mouths joined again.
"Oh God, Lara" Alex murmured, pulling her through the debris of books, clothes, empty lager cans and some possibly important artifacts towards the large four poster.
Ripping off each others' clothes they fell together onto the bed but Alex paused, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "We don't have to do this, if you don't want..."
"Don't tell me what I want Alex!" Lara looked angry. "Don't you want me?" she asked, her expression changing from anger to concern.
"Come on, look at me!" he replied, gesturing down at his obvious arousal. Lara laughed. "It's just, well, we've both had a bit to drink and I really don't want you to regret this," he continued, "I'm serious Lara, really. If we do this, I want it to be special. Besides, I did promise to behave."
Lara looked at him and saw his obvious sincerity. She smiled, "you're right Alex, I just never would have expected you to say something like that!" She kissed him gently then reached over to grab the shirt he had been wearing, pulling it on. "You don't need to sleep on the couch though," she said, pulling the covers over them and cuddling up to his warm body.
*
Alex was snoring softly beside her but Lara couldn't sleep. Her thoughts kept turning back to the day she couldn't forget and the events that had taken place in the Tomb of Ten Thousand Shadows. Although that wasn't strictly true. While thoughts of the action inside the tomb had kept her awake many a night, what was keeping her awake now was more to do with what had happened afterwards.
Everyone on the sled had sat in silence for the past thirty minutes, worrying about how they were going to get back to civilization, but none of them voicing their fears. Even if one of the amphibious vehicles had been left for them, the engines didn't work in the dead zone and there was no other way they could get back across the area where the ice was melted. They were approaching this point now and a sense of gloom had settled over the group.
Lara was the first to hear the thudding engine noise in the distance, and when the others heard it too their spirits lifted. Although he was trying to hide it, she noticed that Bryce was grinning and she stood up and went to join him at the reins. "What did you get up to while I was in that tomb?" she asked with barely concealed amusement.
"Oh, I got a message out to a certain ex-marine," he replied, trying mostly unsuccessfully to sound casual.
She looked at him with new respect, "in the dead zone? I am impressed. Perhaps it's time I gave you a pay rise." Bryce glowed with pride as he reined the dogs, bringing the sled to a standstill.
"Well," he said modestly, "it wasn't without help from Pimms here," he gestured at the other man in the sled, "and his impressive knowledge of Morse code."
"Oh, well, certainly I..." Pimms mumbled. Lara gave him a warm smile.
Soon, a large helicopter was descending onto the ice beside them and the cargo ramp was opening like a gaping mouth at the back of the machine before the blades had stopped turning. A bulky looking man in camouflage gear and a buzz cut jogged across to her and Lara ran into his strong arms.
"Shugrave!" she exclaimed as he hugged her tightly, "am I glad to see you."
"You owe me one for this, Croft," he muttered as they broke apart and Lara had to agree with him.
Soon they were all strapped into the Kevlar seats of the Apache and flying at speed across a vista of white that seemed to be never ending. Lara glanced across at Alex, but he was leaning back with his arms crossed across his chest and his eyes closed. She frowned, why was he in a mood now? She thought they were having fun. She glanced towards the cockpit and her friend at the controls and laughed out loud. Alex was jealous.
He had opened his eyes when she laughed and looked at her quizzically, then started looking out of the window as if there was something to see out there. Which there wasn't.
Grinning to herself, Lara called out to one of the men at the front of the chopper. "Is there a, uh, water closet on this thing?"
The young man looked confused for a second before realising what she was on about. "Yeah, down there," he said bluntly, indicating a ladder descending into the bowels of the craft.
Lara thanked him as she unbuckled herself. Before she stood up she glanced at Alex, who was now watching her with a bored expression. She winked at him briefly before heading in the direction she had been shown.
At this point Lara finally drifted off to sleep.
"Lara..."
"Alex..."
He reached out and placed his hand on the side of her face, looking into her eyes. "Why would it be so wrong?" he asked gently, stroking her hair.
Lara opened her mouth to say something, but wasn't quite sure what her objection was. In her heart she knew the truth, that she was scared that if anything happened between them she wouldn't be able to go back, and she was terrified of getting hurt. And Lara Croft wasn't afraid of anything.
Alex leant forward and brushed his lips against hers, and she really couldn't resist. Her full lips parted and suddenly they were kissing passionately, exploring each others' mouths with their tongues. Lara let out a soft moan and Alex needed no more encouragement. He pressed himself against her and wrapped his arms around her. The kiss ended and he groaned into her soft hair.
Lara could feel his manhood pressing against her, and she wanted him as much as he obviously wanted her. She began to unbutton his shirt, running her fingers through his hair as their mouths joined again.
"Oh God, Lara" Alex murmured, pulling her through the debris of books, clothes, empty lager cans and some possibly important artifacts towards the large four poster.
Ripping off each others' clothes they fell together onto the bed but Alex paused, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "We don't have to do this, if you don't want..."
"Don't tell me what I want Alex!" Lara looked angry. "Don't you want me?" she asked, her expression changing from anger to concern.
"Come on, look at me!" he replied, gesturing down at his obvious arousal. Lara laughed. "It's just, well, we've both had a bit to drink and I really don't want you to regret this," he continued, "I'm serious Lara, really. If we do this, I want it to be special. Besides, I did promise to behave."
Lara looked at him and saw his obvious sincerity. She smiled, "you're right Alex, I just never would have expected you to say something like that!" She kissed him gently then reached over to grab the shirt he had been wearing, pulling it on. "You don't need to sleep on the couch though," she said, pulling the covers over them and cuddling up to his warm body.
*
Alex was snoring softly beside her but Lara couldn't sleep. Her thoughts kept turning back to the day she couldn't forget and the events that had taken place in the Tomb of Ten Thousand Shadows. Although that wasn't strictly true. While thoughts of the action inside the tomb had kept her awake many a night, what was keeping her awake now was more to do with what had happened afterwards.
Everyone on the sled had sat in silence for the past thirty minutes, worrying about how they were going to get back to civilization, but none of them voicing their fears. Even if one of the amphibious vehicles had been left for them, the engines didn't work in the dead zone and there was no other way they could get back across the area where the ice was melted. They were approaching this point now and a sense of gloom had settled over the group.
Lara was the first to hear the thudding engine noise in the distance, and when the others heard it too their spirits lifted. Although he was trying to hide it, she noticed that Bryce was grinning and she stood up and went to join him at the reins. "What did you get up to while I was in that tomb?" she asked with barely concealed amusement.
"Oh, I got a message out to a certain ex-marine," he replied, trying mostly unsuccessfully to sound casual.
She looked at him with new respect, "in the dead zone? I am impressed. Perhaps it's time I gave you a pay rise." Bryce glowed with pride as he reined the dogs, bringing the sled to a standstill.
"Well," he said modestly, "it wasn't without help from Pimms here," he gestured at the other man in the sled, "and his impressive knowledge of Morse code."
"Oh, well, certainly I..." Pimms mumbled. Lara gave him a warm smile.
Soon, a large helicopter was descending onto the ice beside them and the cargo ramp was opening like a gaping mouth at the back of the machine before the blades had stopped turning. A bulky looking man in camouflage gear and a buzz cut jogged across to her and Lara ran into his strong arms.
"Shugrave!" she exclaimed as he hugged her tightly, "am I glad to see you."
"You owe me one for this, Croft," he muttered as they broke apart and Lara had to agree with him.
Soon they were all strapped into the Kevlar seats of the Apache and flying at speed across a vista of white that seemed to be never ending. Lara glanced across at Alex, but he was leaning back with his arms crossed across his chest and his eyes closed. She frowned, why was he in a mood now? She thought they were having fun. She glanced towards the cockpit and her friend at the controls and laughed out loud. Alex was jealous.
He had opened his eyes when she laughed and looked at her quizzically, then started looking out of the window as if there was something to see out there. Which there wasn't.
Grinning to herself, Lara called out to one of the men at the front of the chopper. "Is there a, uh, water closet on this thing?"
The young man looked confused for a second before realising what she was on about. "Yeah, down there," he said bluntly, indicating a ladder descending into the bowels of the craft.
Lara thanked him as she unbuckled herself. Before she stood up she glanced at Alex, who was now watching her with a bored expression. She winked at him briefly before heading in the direction she had been shown.
At this point Lara finally drifted off to sleep.