A/N: Holy freaking cow! I'm sooo sorry it's taken so long to get this
sucker up! You may throw things at me now. *cringes and awaits riot of
vengeful fans*. No? Well, read on then, my friend! The best is yet to
come! BTW, what does everyone think of Connor? Gimme the feedback and
I'll give ya' the goods! Now, where were we? Oh yes, chapter five is rated
R for a reason. I didn't want to make it NC-17, so it doesn't get graphic.
Let's just say Peachy knows her euphemisms ;-)
Chapter 5: The Soulmate Connection
Connor was walking on air. Well, not literally of course, but he wasn't far from it. He had gone out for coffee with the most beautiful girl in New York, and she had actually said she wanted to see him again! Connor had always considered the whole 'cloud nine' expression stupid, (why not cloud ten or twenty-two?), but today he seriously thought himself on cloud forty-five. He had already had three polite lunch dates with Piper, and tonight they were going out to dinner. Connor didn't consider himself a player, but he didn't think it was wrong to expect at least a small make- out session with Piper. For Pete's sake, she hadn't even let him hold her hand yet! Yes, a little compensation is in order here. Connor thought to himself as he stood in front of his closet. It is absolutely NO FUN to be a sexually frustrated college student. Connor had been anticipating tonight since the moment he'd asked Piper to dine with him. She'd seemed hesitant at first, but then she'd agreed. He was meeting her at his favorite restaurant in Little Italy at eight. It was seven o'clock and Connor still didn't know what to wear. "Dammit! Why didn't I do laundry?" he muttered to himself. Connor was digging around in a pile of clothes on his apartment floor. He triumphantly pulled out a blue sweater from the bottom, but it had a coffee stain on it. Scowling, Connor threw it into the trash. "Now what?! Hey, do I still have that suit I wore to great grandma's funeral last year?" Thirty-five minutes and a ransacked apartment later, Connor was ready to leave. The black dress pants and sport coat over a grey sweater set off his tan and bright blue eyes. Connor double checked to make sure he had cash this time, and dashed outside to hail a taxi.
****** Piper wasn't having any more success getting ready than Connor. Every dress was too dressy and every shoe didn't quite match. Besides, every elegant gown she owned was because of one of Adrian's Council parties. She didn't want such memories to taint her night with Connor. She had just settled on a plum colored, strapless dress, when Adrian's voice sounded behind her. "Going out?" His dark presence seemed to fill their master suite. Piper had asked for a room of her own in the beginning, but his icy reply had stopped that idea. 'You're mine, to do what I want with when I want to. You'll stay with me.' Time to lie your ass off, Piper. She was fiddling with her shoes when he'd entered, but stood now to look him in the eye. "Just some friends of mine from the Council parties-some of the member's wives. We were all going to go out on the town and then have a hunting party, if that's okay with you." Adrian moved from the double doorway to just in front of Piper. He grasped her chin in his left hand and looked her hard in the eye. Blank your mind! Piper thought frantically. She felt Adrian probing her thoughts, and then his mind receded. "Very well, but be home no later than midnight. Hunter is stopping by in the morning. He's coming all the way from the enclave off the East Coast. I want you presentable, if that's possible. Do you hear me, Piper? You can be sure that I'll wait up for you, Princess." He said the endearment with a sneer. Piper bit her lower lip and nodded submissively. Adrian turned and left Piper to her shoes. She sank onto their king sized, four poster bed with a lead heart. Hunter was Adrian's big boss, the guy he was always striving to please like an obedient puppy wanting a pat on the head. It made Piper sick. Hunter was coming here in the morning. Maybe seeing Connor was wrong. Maybe she could never be truly happy, never be anything but a monster. Suddenly, an image of Connor's bone melting grin flashed before Piper's mind's eye and her heart had wings. She grabbed her purse and flew down the spiral staircase to her silver Jaguar in the ten car garage.
@--`--,----
"I had a fantastic time tonight. Look at me! I can't stop grinning, and I don't even know what's making me so happy. I think it's just being around you." Connor's head was spinning like a dreidle in a sandstorm. It was as if his champagne had gone straight to his veins, and now he was bubbling over with giddiness. Piper was grinning right back at this handsome boy, practically a stranger. They were standing outside his apartment door. Connor was leaning his back against the door and she was standing a few feet in front of him. Dinner had been excellent; of course, both attendees would have felt that way at McDonald's as well as a fancy Italian restaurant as long as they were with each other. Connor's eyes suddenly dropped to his feet, and his heartbeat picked up as a nervous rush washed through him. Piper scanned his thoughts and her eyebrows shot up at the question lurking in his mind. "Do.do you want to come in? For coffee or something, oh wait, my coffee maker is broken! Scratch that! We could heat up some frozen ballpark franks." Piper smiled warmly at Connor's stuttering lips, and took a step closer to him. "We just ate." She gently reminded him. Connor's eyebrows furrowed. "Oh, of course we did. What was I thinking?" I know what you were thinking, Piper thought wickedly. "Uh, um, well, we could.aw to hell with tact! Want to come in for sex?" Connor's face was so hopeful Piper barely stopped herself from laughing in his face. Adrian's warning about her curfew rang in Piper's ears. She took a hasty step back, and turned away from Connor. What am I doing? Considering casual human sex, that's what! She thought shamefully. Not only that, but all of the pasta from the restaurant had done nothing to help Piper's real hunger. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Connor. "I'm sorry, I can't. I have to leave, I -" Connor's face fell and he reached out a hand to grab Piper's wrist in an effort to stop her from leaving. Now Connor's veins really were carbonated! Except it was more like an electric shock. Blue sparks seemed to radiate between his hand and Piper's wrist. Piper had stopped mid-step and turned to look Connor in the eyes. She could see his thoughts just like usual - shock, excitement, hope, wonder, confusion, completion - but when Connor touched her, HE could see HER thoughts. Piper had built up her walls so tight to keep out Adrian that Connor's mind was like an intruder who had broken past her guard. She immediately recoiled. No, don't! Please don't! Let me see, I promise I won't..judge you? Fear you? Be disgusted with you?! I could never feel that way about you! Connor reassured her panicking thoughts. His hands had migrated to cup her face with his palms on her cheeks. Her slender fingers were entwined in his sandy-blonde curls. As if a force greater than either of them, outside of either of them, were pushing them together, Connor pressed his lips to Piper's. Pleasure exploded in both of them, they didn't need telepathy to know that. Connor was fumbling with his key to the apartment with his back still to the door. He was afraid to break this.this connection that was happening between them. The door whooshed open behind them, and the lip-locked couple walked straight towards Connor's messy bedroom. Connor was trying to take off his left shoe by stepping on the heel of it with his right. That done, he went to the task of removing his sportcoat. Piper had already kicked off her stilettos and was fumbling blindly with her dress zipper. They were backed up now to the edge of his double bed, Connor's back was to his open window over looking the twenty stories below. Piper's back was to the bedroom door. Neither was willing to break away from the other. Connor was becoming frustrated with his sport coat. His arms were trapped in the sleeves behind his back. He was twisting his arms around and around to no avail. Piper suddenly heard Adrian's warning in her mind again. She didn't want to imagine the consequences these actions were going to bring her. Then Connor's tongue was stroking the roof of her mouth and those worries flew out the window - along with Connor's black sport coat.
Chapter 5: The Soulmate Connection
Connor was walking on air. Well, not literally of course, but he wasn't far from it. He had gone out for coffee with the most beautiful girl in New York, and she had actually said she wanted to see him again! Connor had always considered the whole 'cloud nine' expression stupid, (why not cloud ten or twenty-two?), but today he seriously thought himself on cloud forty-five. He had already had three polite lunch dates with Piper, and tonight they were going out to dinner. Connor didn't consider himself a player, but he didn't think it was wrong to expect at least a small make- out session with Piper. For Pete's sake, she hadn't even let him hold her hand yet! Yes, a little compensation is in order here. Connor thought to himself as he stood in front of his closet. It is absolutely NO FUN to be a sexually frustrated college student. Connor had been anticipating tonight since the moment he'd asked Piper to dine with him. She'd seemed hesitant at first, but then she'd agreed. He was meeting her at his favorite restaurant in Little Italy at eight. It was seven o'clock and Connor still didn't know what to wear. "Dammit! Why didn't I do laundry?" he muttered to himself. Connor was digging around in a pile of clothes on his apartment floor. He triumphantly pulled out a blue sweater from the bottom, but it had a coffee stain on it. Scowling, Connor threw it into the trash. "Now what?! Hey, do I still have that suit I wore to great grandma's funeral last year?" Thirty-five minutes and a ransacked apartment later, Connor was ready to leave. The black dress pants and sport coat over a grey sweater set off his tan and bright blue eyes. Connor double checked to make sure he had cash this time, and dashed outside to hail a taxi.
****** Piper wasn't having any more success getting ready than Connor. Every dress was too dressy and every shoe didn't quite match. Besides, every elegant gown she owned was because of one of Adrian's Council parties. She didn't want such memories to taint her night with Connor. She had just settled on a plum colored, strapless dress, when Adrian's voice sounded behind her. "Going out?" His dark presence seemed to fill their master suite. Piper had asked for a room of her own in the beginning, but his icy reply had stopped that idea. 'You're mine, to do what I want with when I want to. You'll stay with me.' Time to lie your ass off, Piper. She was fiddling with her shoes when he'd entered, but stood now to look him in the eye. "Just some friends of mine from the Council parties-some of the member's wives. We were all going to go out on the town and then have a hunting party, if that's okay with you." Adrian moved from the double doorway to just in front of Piper. He grasped her chin in his left hand and looked her hard in the eye. Blank your mind! Piper thought frantically. She felt Adrian probing her thoughts, and then his mind receded. "Very well, but be home no later than midnight. Hunter is stopping by in the morning. He's coming all the way from the enclave off the East Coast. I want you presentable, if that's possible. Do you hear me, Piper? You can be sure that I'll wait up for you, Princess." He said the endearment with a sneer. Piper bit her lower lip and nodded submissively. Adrian turned and left Piper to her shoes. She sank onto their king sized, four poster bed with a lead heart. Hunter was Adrian's big boss, the guy he was always striving to please like an obedient puppy wanting a pat on the head. It made Piper sick. Hunter was coming here in the morning. Maybe seeing Connor was wrong. Maybe she could never be truly happy, never be anything but a monster. Suddenly, an image of Connor's bone melting grin flashed before Piper's mind's eye and her heart had wings. She grabbed her purse and flew down the spiral staircase to her silver Jaguar in the ten car garage.
@--`--,----
"I had a fantastic time tonight. Look at me! I can't stop grinning, and I don't even know what's making me so happy. I think it's just being around you." Connor's head was spinning like a dreidle in a sandstorm. It was as if his champagne had gone straight to his veins, and now he was bubbling over with giddiness. Piper was grinning right back at this handsome boy, practically a stranger. They were standing outside his apartment door. Connor was leaning his back against the door and she was standing a few feet in front of him. Dinner had been excellent; of course, both attendees would have felt that way at McDonald's as well as a fancy Italian restaurant as long as they were with each other. Connor's eyes suddenly dropped to his feet, and his heartbeat picked up as a nervous rush washed through him. Piper scanned his thoughts and her eyebrows shot up at the question lurking in his mind. "Do.do you want to come in? For coffee or something, oh wait, my coffee maker is broken! Scratch that! We could heat up some frozen ballpark franks." Piper smiled warmly at Connor's stuttering lips, and took a step closer to him. "We just ate." She gently reminded him. Connor's eyebrows furrowed. "Oh, of course we did. What was I thinking?" I know what you were thinking, Piper thought wickedly. "Uh, um, well, we could.aw to hell with tact! Want to come in for sex?" Connor's face was so hopeful Piper barely stopped herself from laughing in his face. Adrian's warning about her curfew rang in Piper's ears. She took a hasty step back, and turned away from Connor. What am I doing? Considering casual human sex, that's what! She thought shamefully. Not only that, but all of the pasta from the restaurant had done nothing to help Piper's real hunger. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Connor. "I'm sorry, I can't. I have to leave, I -" Connor's face fell and he reached out a hand to grab Piper's wrist in an effort to stop her from leaving. Now Connor's veins really were carbonated! Except it was more like an electric shock. Blue sparks seemed to radiate between his hand and Piper's wrist. Piper had stopped mid-step and turned to look Connor in the eyes. She could see his thoughts just like usual - shock, excitement, hope, wonder, confusion, completion - but when Connor touched her, HE could see HER thoughts. Piper had built up her walls so tight to keep out Adrian that Connor's mind was like an intruder who had broken past her guard. She immediately recoiled. No, don't! Please don't! Let me see, I promise I won't..judge you? Fear you? Be disgusted with you?! I could never feel that way about you! Connor reassured her panicking thoughts. His hands had migrated to cup her face with his palms on her cheeks. Her slender fingers were entwined in his sandy-blonde curls. As if a force greater than either of them, outside of either of them, were pushing them together, Connor pressed his lips to Piper's. Pleasure exploded in both of them, they didn't need telepathy to know that. Connor was fumbling with his key to the apartment with his back still to the door. He was afraid to break this.this connection that was happening between them. The door whooshed open behind them, and the lip-locked couple walked straight towards Connor's messy bedroom. Connor was trying to take off his left shoe by stepping on the heel of it with his right. That done, he went to the task of removing his sportcoat. Piper had already kicked off her stilettos and was fumbling blindly with her dress zipper. They were backed up now to the edge of his double bed, Connor's back was to his open window over looking the twenty stories below. Piper's back was to the bedroom door. Neither was willing to break away from the other. Connor was becoming frustrated with his sport coat. His arms were trapped in the sleeves behind his back. He was twisting his arms around and around to no avail. Piper suddenly heard Adrian's warning in her mind again. She didn't want to imagine the consequences these actions were going to bring her. Then Connor's tongue was stroking the roof of her mouth and those worries flew out the window - along with Connor's black sport coat.