Chapter 15

Authors Note: Okay, I have no idea where this is going. There are so many paths to choose from, and unfortunately it's not like those cool Animorph and Goosebumps books everyone used to read. Where if you picked the wrong ending you could go back and re-choose. I don't want anyone thinking badly of Sable, even if she swears that she could care less. . . and it's obvious what Sands thinks. Hahaha

"Shit!" Sands reached around to his dresser where a cell phone's ringing interrupted the makings of a very eventful night. He finally located it and flipped it open while Sable reclined on the bed and drew lazy circles on his back.

"Yeah, what?" Sands growled into the phone.

"Just checking in," Arnoldo spoke from the other side of the line.

"We're fine, no one's dead, fuck off," but just as he nearly had it closed again and thrown to the other side of the room. . .

"What now?" Sands was really starting to hate these things, he heard Sable muffle a laugh and she changed the direction of the circles. Now she traced squares and from right to left made small circles inside the squares.

"You have a new assignment."

"Now?!" Sands could have shot the phone in frustration, first the man harps about him not resting long enough, and now he was going to send them on a mission in the middle of the damned night!

"A few weeks."

"Great, fill me in tomorrow."

"Sands!" Arnoldo could sense the agent seemed a little distracted. With good reason, Sable had moved so the shapes formed on his shoulder. An invisible shiver went down Sands' spine as he tried to focus on what Arnoldo was saying.

"Yeah, got it, thanks very much." Sands finally turned around and tackled Sable to the mattress not able to take anymore without fighting back. Arnoldo shifted the phone wondering if he'd just imagined the feminine sounding laughter from the other end of the line.

"Am I calling at a bad time?" the devil inside him asked.

"It's eleven thirty, people tend to sleep at night." Sands had won, Sable lay mostly still as he reciprocated what she'd done on his back to her stomach. He grinned predatorily as the muscles clenched and shifted as he found ticklish spots.

"Bright and early tomorrow morning." Arnoldo hung up and Sands finally had the chance to get her back.

"Thought that was funny, did you?"

"Amusing, very amusing." Sable ran her nails lightly over the muscles in his shoulder and laughed when he drew in quick breath.

"Just remember one thing." He moved his hands downward and was rewarded when she kissed him, when he moved away to come up for air he paused and made her entwine her arms around his neck, "Revenge is a bitch."

"Mmm. . . "Sable's eyes glowed as she proved it.

* * *

It was as she knew it would be. Wild, reckless, uninhibited, and ultimately wonderful. Now, with her head on his shoulder the world didn't matter anymore.

The moment brought to mind a book she'd once picked up. The first and last romance book she ever read, the hero and beautiful maiden ended up with happy ever afters all around. It had been. . . interesting, but she didn't have the urge to buy another one.

Now she understood the meaning behind the women in said books. They wanted peace, security, and never-ending love. She didn't need any of those and took tonight for what it was. Just thinking about it brought a dull pang deep inside no matter that she tried to repress it.

Sands wasn't the type of man for happy-ever-after, maybe good times in between, but one simply could not tame him. Nor would she want to. She moved closer in his arms though as if trying to keep him for as long as she could.

This was a slowing in time where she could actually feel warm and show a side of herself that no one had ever been allowed to see.

Sands had his hand entwined in her long silky black hair. He was stunned by what she'd given to him so trustingly. Trust. It made his mind halt and stumble over the new concept. He'd never had anyone put such blind, no pun intended, faith in him before.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked wishing for all the world he could see her eyes. The old part of him whispered that he shouldn't care, but he pushed that away angrily. He might be a real son of a bitch, but now he was liking the fact that he had a different side.

He knew that he could revert to his old way of life, he had enough self-preservation to keep part of himself locked away. This was new to him, he enjoyed experiencing new things, why should this be any different?

"What was there to say," she shifted so that her hand rested on his heart before relaxing again.

Oh gosh, what was he supposed to say to that? He didn't know why he felt so damn guilty about it. Just the knowledge that she'd never before been with a man was puzzling. She certainly had the innuendos and off-hand comments down perfectly.

"Did I. . . hurt you?" he managed to ask. Old ways were hard to overcome, but she was no two-dollar whore.

Sable was glad that he couldn't see her face, she was certain that she looked stunned and confused. She was intrigued by the change, but also sure that she'd see his old side emerge sooner rather than later. He had either ingested a few too many painkillers or... the second thought was far too disconcerting to contemplate.

"No! Not a all! It was. . . nice." He could feel the warm puffs of breath against his skin, but didn't want to make another move on her tonight. Would she be in pain tomorrow? He didn't know how rough, or consequently how much care had been taken.

He remembered it all, the electricity that seemed to crackle in the air, and the contentment and utter happiness at the end. It was all etched into his memory, he could remember what she looked like from before when he had known her. She hadn't ever been afraid of him then either. In fact, she was one of the few that exchanged the jokes and sarcastic comments with him.

She hadn't stopped him as he'd joined with her, he'd felt her body jerk, but she had welcomed the pain instead of fighting it. She'd wrapped her long legs around his waist and screamed her pleasure. Happiness was a new emotion, for a long time he hadn't thought himself capable of it.

He felt her breathing slow as sleep overtook her. He paused before curling his arm around her waist, she had fallen asleep in his presence. His house was safe, he knew that, and he'd be alerted should anyone so much as step foot a mile from his perimeters, but the concept of trust was alien to him. What was she playing at, did he care, what was happening to him? Unable to find the answers he, too, let sleep overtake him.