Roux couldn't do anything but gape at the closed door with the white
gauze curtains for a long moment before the heavy fog lifted from his brain
and he was able to move his feet again. He took a few stumbling steps back
and almost toppled off the steps at the sound of a soft voice. "Don't fall"
The voice said. He cast an annoyed glare over his shoulder to the tiny
woman from before. "You jinxed me" He murmured and straightened himself.
"I'm terribly sorry," She said with a wily sort of smile. "You've been around all day. Who are you?" Her baby lips turned into a sort of pout. "I just happen to live here" She said and wrapped her arms tightly around the thick notebook she was carrying in her arms as if it were a shield. "Sorry," Roux murmured, slightly embarrassed, but he had had a rough time and had enough trouble with women.actually it was only one particularly sexy woman from Kinvarra that was giving him trouble.
"I'm Roux Callahan" He said and extended a hand. The girl shifted the heavy notebook in her arms and took his hand. "Jemima DeWitt.although everyone just calls me Jem" Roux smiled a little suggestively. "Jem huh? Never really seen one" Jemima eyed for a lengthy moment. "Well you're not going to tonight" Roux laughed and started down to the road that led to the little one story apartment that he had bought, even though he figured he was never one for staying.
He reached the building and to his partial surprise, Jemima climbed the three flights of stairs behind him, notebook still held tightly in her arms. He opened the door and let her walk in first. She stood and examined the slightly cramped apartment with polite interest, until she saw the rows and rows of pretty dazzling trinkets.
She rushed over to the shelves and immediately, yet gingerly cupped the delicate jade steamed tulip whose tip was craved out of amber glass. "Where did you get this?" she asked in a voice so filled with quiet awe that she didn't notice the stem of the flower slip between her fingers. "Mon Dieu I am so sorry!" Jemima apologized plentifully as she hurried to collect the thick shards of what was once the pretty flower.
"Don't," Roux said as he gently nudged her away. "You'll cut your hands". He scooped up the pieces into his wonderfully calloused hands and threw them into the trash bin, which was littered by oddly misshapen things wrapped in thick brown paper. He dumped the broken fragments into the trash unceremoniously and dusted off his hands. Rain began to fall miserably onto the cobblestones outside the fogged window and Roux noticed the slanted way Jemima was looking at from the corners of her astonishing eyes.
"I'd offer you something to drink, but I doubt you're a day over 20" He said as he moved to the kitchen. She placed her hands on her lean hips. "I happen to be 22 if you don't mind, but I'll have to decline, I have lines to learn" She said as she hoisted the notebook a little higher. "You're an actress?" Roux asked impressed with a slight tilt of his head. Jemima smiled showing perfectly straight white teeth. "The leading lady" She said as she ran her long manicured fingers through her hair so the cute locks fell across her breasts which where showcased by a fleecy strawberry hued sweater that was very thin and surprisingly low cut.
"That's very impressive" Roux said as he poured himself a pint of Guinness. Thunder rumbled distempered and the baubles rattled slightly on the shelves. "Where did you collect all those?" Jemima asked, turning her attention away from Roux's snug pants back to the shelves. "I didn't collect them anywhere, I made them". Jemima turned back to him, but her eyes were higher this time, and focused on his sculpted face. "You MADE them?" She asked skeptically. Roux nodded and picked up an exquisite bracelet of turquoise and Irish crystal and clasped it around Jemima's wrist.
"A gift" He said softly with a smile that took a moment to fully cross his face, but by the time it did, Jemima was already drooling. "A pretty trinket for a pretty woman". She blushed cherry red and lowered her head. A particularly loud bang of thunder caused Jemima to jump in shock and she laughed embarrassedly. "Sorry," She said as blue lightening streaked across the room. "How far do you live from here?" Roux asked as he stared concernedly out the foggy window. "Rue St. Laurel" She replied quietly and he shook his head. "You'll be struck dead before you reach Rue Viscount. You'll stay here tonight"
Jemima opened her mouth to protest, but he sent her a scorching look that quickly silenced her. "You'll sleep in my bed" He said curtly as he took her by the wrist and showed her the door to go through. "Where will you sleep?" She asked his back, a hint of a glimmer in her blue eyes. "On the couch" He said, turning about, and being a man, missed the disenchantment in her babyish face. "You'll find shirts you can change into, but no doubt they will be big on you". Jemima smiled her thanks and stood on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek, just as she were half an inch away; he turned his head quickly and stole a kiss from her lips.
Stars burst in her eyes but Roux missed them. He excused himself and disappeared down a short hallway. Jemima was still smiling when she closed the door of Roux's bedroom behind her and even though there were more charms and baubles on the stout shelves, the room was ultimately masculine. She pulled open a drawer that was closet to her and found about 6 undershirts in different stages of wrinkled and chose one that appeared to be the most newly worn. She was right, she could still feel the warmth of his strong body and sighed happily.
She slipped out of her sweater and pants and slipped Roux's undershirt over her head, the hem falling just under her thighs. There was a knock at the door and Roux stepped in. "Now that's sexy" He said with a leisure smile and Jemima grinned. "Well thank you," She said with a wink and Roux couldn't deny that he felt a tug in his stomach. "It's late, I'm tired" Jemima said and this time it was she who stole the kiss from his lips that still tasted like Guinness, and as if to test his resolve, licked her lips slowly and in a fashion that was designed to make any man alive below the waist excited, and smiled seductively. "Yummy" She murmured softly and much like Peony had, shut the door in his face.
Once Jemima heard his footsteps lead away from the door, she turned and nearly leaped into the bed that was crammed under the window. She nestled beneath the thick covers and breathed in the subtle scent of him, the slight smell of sweat, which wasn't at all disgusting, fresh laundry and sunshine; of which she guessed he tried the sheets outside on a balmy day. She sighed deeply and imagined how it would feel to have him under the sheets with her.
"I'm terribly sorry," She said with a wily sort of smile. "You've been around all day. Who are you?" Her baby lips turned into a sort of pout. "I just happen to live here" She said and wrapped her arms tightly around the thick notebook she was carrying in her arms as if it were a shield. "Sorry," Roux murmured, slightly embarrassed, but he had had a rough time and had enough trouble with women.actually it was only one particularly sexy woman from Kinvarra that was giving him trouble.
"I'm Roux Callahan" He said and extended a hand. The girl shifted the heavy notebook in her arms and took his hand. "Jemima DeWitt.although everyone just calls me Jem" Roux smiled a little suggestively. "Jem huh? Never really seen one" Jemima eyed for a lengthy moment. "Well you're not going to tonight" Roux laughed and started down to the road that led to the little one story apartment that he had bought, even though he figured he was never one for staying.
He reached the building and to his partial surprise, Jemima climbed the three flights of stairs behind him, notebook still held tightly in her arms. He opened the door and let her walk in first. She stood and examined the slightly cramped apartment with polite interest, until she saw the rows and rows of pretty dazzling trinkets.
She rushed over to the shelves and immediately, yet gingerly cupped the delicate jade steamed tulip whose tip was craved out of amber glass. "Where did you get this?" she asked in a voice so filled with quiet awe that she didn't notice the stem of the flower slip between her fingers. "Mon Dieu I am so sorry!" Jemima apologized plentifully as she hurried to collect the thick shards of what was once the pretty flower.
"Don't," Roux said as he gently nudged her away. "You'll cut your hands". He scooped up the pieces into his wonderfully calloused hands and threw them into the trash bin, which was littered by oddly misshapen things wrapped in thick brown paper. He dumped the broken fragments into the trash unceremoniously and dusted off his hands. Rain began to fall miserably onto the cobblestones outside the fogged window and Roux noticed the slanted way Jemima was looking at from the corners of her astonishing eyes.
"I'd offer you something to drink, but I doubt you're a day over 20" He said as he moved to the kitchen. She placed her hands on her lean hips. "I happen to be 22 if you don't mind, but I'll have to decline, I have lines to learn" She said as she hoisted the notebook a little higher. "You're an actress?" Roux asked impressed with a slight tilt of his head. Jemima smiled showing perfectly straight white teeth. "The leading lady" She said as she ran her long manicured fingers through her hair so the cute locks fell across her breasts which where showcased by a fleecy strawberry hued sweater that was very thin and surprisingly low cut.
"That's very impressive" Roux said as he poured himself a pint of Guinness. Thunder rumbled distempered and the baubles rattled slightly on the shelves. "Where did you collect all those?" Jemima asked, turning her attention away from Roux's snug pants back to the shelves. "I didn't collect them anywhere, I made them". Jemima turned back to him, but her eyes were higher this time, and focused on his sculpted face. "You MADE them?" She asked skeptically. Roux nodded and picked up an exquisite bracelet of turquoise and Irish crystal and clasped it around Jemima's wrist.
"A gift" He said softly with a smile that took a moment to fully cross his face, but by the time it did, Jemima was already drooling. "A pretty trinket for a pretty woman". She blushed cherry red and lowered her head. A particularly loud bang of thunder caused Jemima to jump in shock and she laughed embarrassedly. "Sorry," She said as blue lightening streaked across the room. "How far do you live from here?" Roux asked as he stared concernedly out the foggy window. "Rue St. Laurel" She replied quietly and he shook his head. "You'll be struck dead before you reach Rue Viscount. You'll stay here tonight"
Jemima opened her mouth to protest, but he sent her a scorching look that quickly silenced her. "You'll sleep in my bed" He said curtly as he took her by the wrist and showed her the door to go through. "Where will you sleep?" She asked his back, a hint of a glimmer in her blue eyes. "On the couch" He said, turning about, and being a man, missed the disenchantment in her babyish face. "You'll find shirts you can change into, but no doubt they will be big on you". Jemima smiled her thanks and stood on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek, just as she were half an inch away; he turned his head quickly and stole a kiss from her lips.
Stars burst in her eyes but Roux missed them. He excused himself and disappeared down a short hallway. Jemima was still smiling when she closed the door of Roux's bedroom behind her and even though there were more charms and baubles on the stout shelves, the room was ultimately masculine. She pulled open a drawer that was closet to her and found about 6 undershirts in different stages of wrinkled and chose one that appeared to be the most newly worn. She was right, she could still feel the warmth of his strong body and sighed happily.
She slipped out of her sweater and pants and slipped Roux's undershirt over her head, the hem falling just under her thighs. There was a knock at the door and Roux stepped in. "Now that's sexy" He said with a leisure smile and Jemima grinned. "Well thank you," She said with a wink and Roux couldn't deny that he felt a tug in his stomach. "It's late, I'm tired" Jemima said and this time it was she who stole the kiss from his lips that still tasted like Guinness, and as if to test his resolve, licked her lips slowly and in a fashion that was designed to make any man alive below the waist excited, and smiled seductively. "Yummy" She murmured softly and much like Peony had, shut the door in his face.
Once Jemima heard his footsteps lead away from the door, she turned and nearly leaped into the bed that was crammed under the window. She nestled beneath the thick covers and breathed in the subtle scent of him, the slight smell of sweat, which wasn't at all disgusting, fresh laundry and sunshine; of which she guessed he tried the sheets outside on a balmy day. She sighed deeply and imagined how it would feel to have him under the sheets with her.