Part 12: It Took the Words Right Out My Mouth, When You Knew That I Would Need 'Em
When Echo got herself together and walked back out into the bar, she didn't see him anywhere. She scanned the dance floor and then the bar, nothing. Did she imagine it?
She shook her head and walked back to the bar where Zach and Walt were still talking, so she sat back down on her stool, tossed the glass of tequila back, and signaled Henry for another.
Zach touched the back of her arm and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Are you ok? You look like you've saw a ghost."
Echo smiled up at him, "I'm fine, this is just the most I've moved around in 6 weeks, just a little winded is all."
"If you need me to give you a ride home, just let me know."
"Thank you, I appreciate it." Echo then tossed the rest of the new glass down.
She turned to face the dance floor, Ferg and Meg were all twirls and smiles. Vic was dancing with Travis, and Kady was dancing with Omar. That's when she saw it and her heart started racing and her breath got caught in her lungs. There was Mathias dancing with Ruby, his smile lighting up his whole face.
All of the sudden the room started to spin and she broke out into a sweat, jumping up from the stool she headed for the door. Busting out into the parking lot, she sucked in the cold air like she was coming up from the water.
"Echo?" She whirled around to find Mathias standing there watching her closely. "Are you ok?"
She just started laughing, "I'm perfectly fine, all thanks to you."
He stuck his hands down in his front pockets, "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, I'm alive. You've done your job, you don't have to keep checking on me."
"Can we just go somewhere and talk?"
"No, I've had enough of your talks. Do you really think I don't remember what you said to me in that cave? Cause I remember every word, every word that you said and then you just disappeared."
Mathias flinched and opened his mouth to say something when the door came flying open and Zach walked out. "Hey, is everything ok?" he asked as he looked from Echo to Mathias.
"Yeah, do you think I could take you up on that ride home?"
"Yeah, sure, let's go." he said as he walked past Mathias and led Echo to his car.
When they pulled up to the cabin Zach looked at her, "I know now may not be the best time, but would you like to go get dinner sometime?"
"I would love that, but right now.."
"Oh no, I understand, just here is my number when you're ready." he wrote it down on a scrap piece of paper, handed it over and kissed her lightly on the cheek before Echo stepped down out of his truck.
She waved goodbye to him from her porch and then went inside. First thing she did was kick those shoes off and tossed them over to the side, then headed to the stove and threw another log into it. Once that was done she reached over and turned on the radio and cranked it up loud as Gary Clark Jr started pouring through the speakers. She sauntered into the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of Jameson from the counter that Henry had bought her, forgoing a cup she turned the bottle up and took a long drink before swaying along to the music. Then there was knock on her door, so quiet that she almost didn't hear it over the music.
When she reached over and pulled the door open, there he stood, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.
Mathias watched Zach's truck pull out of the parking lot with clenched fists at his side. He wanted to chase after them, force her to listen to him, and maybe, just maybe kick that mans ass. That's when Henry came walking out behind him and laid one hand on his shoulder.
"You have a lot of time to make up for, Mathias. She will be one you have to fight for, but I do believe that she is worth it if I were you."
"She just left with another man, Standing Bear. What else would you like me to do?"
Henry just smiled at him, "You will figure it out in time, if you decide that she is worth it." With that he walked back into the bar and left Mathias standing there.
He continued to stand there in the cold for what felt like a lifetime, hoping that he would see the truck come back. Finally he walked over to his car and started it and sat there while it started to heat up trying to decide what to do. He smacked the steering wheel as hard as he could before throwing the car into drive and speeding off to her cabin.
It was like his body was on auto pilot as he pulled into the driveway, relieved that Zach's truck was not there. He jumped up the steps as fast as he could and pressed his ear to the door, there was loud music playing. It was like his nerve completely disappeared at that point, so the knock on the door was so quiet he didn't think she'd hear it.
But then the door opened, and his heart started pounding in his chest. One strap of the the black dress had fallen off her shoulder, the look on her face was of utter disbelief.
"Mathias? What are you doing here?" and that's when he also noticed the whiskey bottle in her hands.
"I uhm...I just wanted to talk to you."
She laughed then and just turned away from the door. "Then by all means, come right on in. Can't wait to hear it!"
Mathias followed her inside and shut the door gently behind him, she walked over to the stove and continued to sway her head side to side, sending her cascade of curls floating. He just stood there and watched her move for a moment, and then she whirled around and looked at him.
There was a beat of silence, and Echo noticed a shift in the air, like a sudden tightness. When she turned to meet his gaze, a heavy feeling settled in her abdomen-she recognized that look. It was the same look from the night at the bar, where they almost kissed at her truck. He walked over to her and he slid his hand down the back of her arm, taking the bottle from her. Without ever taking his eyes off of hers, he took a large gulp from the bottle and then sat it down on the coffee table. Obvious as it was, Echo still wasn't prepared when he pushed her forwards and pressed his lips to hers.
The world quickly shrank down to two things: his fingers twisting in her hair, and the crush of his lips against hers so hard she thought it may bruise. Echo couldn't do much but allow him in, and the feeling of his tongue running across the back of her teeth was both shocking and alluring.
Any questions or words that she had before flew from her mind when she reached up to grip the sides of his face. His lips were surprisingly soft, and the warmth of them only helped warm her down to her core. When she pulled away for air, he slid his mouth across her cheek and down the curve of her neck. Now that there was oxygen flowing to her brain, she was aware that he had slipped one hand beneath her dress and had pressed it to the small of her back. His fingers crept upward like a spider, over her ribcage and she nearly choked when he brushed the bottom of her breast.
With a hard shove, she separated their bodies, and they watched each other for a moment, breathing ragged.
"This...what...what are you doing, Mathias?" she stuttered and shook her head, "What are we doing?"
She stumbled reaching for the whiskey where she took a long drink. "I can't do this, whatever this is. Why would you even want to do this anyway, you hate me!"
Mathias raised an eyebrow at her, "I've wanted you. I thought that much was obvious, unless you've deliberately ignored it. Do you want me to leave?"
When Echo didn't respond, he took a couple steps towards her, until his chest brushed against hers. He placed a hand at the bottom of her neck and leaned down to touch his lips at her ears.
"Tell me if you want me to stop."
Echo nearly combusted, her want for him was a frightening, raw feeling that had her backpedaling across the room. "Mathias, I don't understand, this came out of nowhere." she said desperately searching for even a small bit of logic. She flopped down onto the edge of the couch and scrubbed her face, trying not to shrink when he came to stand in front of her.
He placed his hands on her knees to support himself as he knelt down in front of her and said, "You don't honestly believe that. I never pegged you to be so hesitant."
Echo laughed, "I'm not really a 'dives head first into the water' kind of person."
"Or maybe you're thinking too much. Some things are meant to be simple," he replied and bent his head to kiss the flesh above her knee. He paused briefly before moving his mouth upward, over the smooth skin of her thigh, the hem of her dress bunched in his hand. Her muscles trembled violently along with the last of any sane reservations she had.
"Okay," she managed to choke out, "you win." She felt him smile against her skin and he took her dress in both hands. With a quick yank, he pulled the fabric free from beneath her legs. He slowly stood, bringing her dress up with him.
Echo went to speak, but the words died in her throat as his fingers skimmed the sides of her ribs and snuck under the padded wires beneath her breasts. She held her arms up as he pulled the garment completely off, letting it fall softly to the floor. Echo stood, clearing her throat, she reached for him and began unbuttoning his black shirt. Working it off of his shoulders and down his arms, she could feel the heat rolling off of him more than the wood stove. She took a moment to stare at his beautiful chest before grabbing the front of his pants, and leading him into her room.
Mathias gripped the back of her thighs and with a swift lift and push, tossed her onto the bed, sinking down into the warm covers. Echo crossed one arm over her chest and lolled her head to the side, watching him pull his boots off and shedding his jeans. Echo laid there and stared at his lean golden torso, the muscles moving under his skin as if they were alive.
A tingle went up her spine as he climbed onto the bed. He pushed her arms back down to her side before gripping the slopes of her hips. Her thoughts were lost beneath his weight and the feeling of his tongue dipping into the notch at the base of her throat. He skimmed up her neck and over her jaw to kiss her, warm and demanding.
"Mathias.." she said quietly, as if to test his name out on her tongue. Echo ran her hands through his hair, disheveling it, and he sighed into her mouth. His breath was sweet, his chest was warm against hers, and it made her abdomen clench in anticipation. He rose up and bent back, hooking his fingers on the edges of her underwear, sliding them off of her hipbones and down her legs. She kicked them off and he placed a kiss on the inside of her thigh before settling his body between her legs.
Almost unconsciously, she dug her knees into the slight curves of his waist. Had someone told her on the first day she met him that she would feel like this, she would have never believed it; hell, even in the moment it was still hard to believe.
And with one smooth roll of his hips, the doubt she had was completely gone.
Her breath hitched in her throat with the sudden push, the feeling was searing and deliciously good. Mathias dipped his head and nipped her throat before rolling his hips again, and Echo felt a twinge deep in her abdomen. She twisted her fingers harder into his hair and then slid her hands down to grip the lean muscles of his back as he moved. The friction built like a slow burn until she was arching her spine, pressing into him as he whispered her name once into her ear.
He gripped the sides of her face and kissed her hard; the warmth of his hands combined with the heat pooling through her belly wrenched a deep moan from her, a sound that she had certainly never heard from herself. Suddenly, his lips left hers and they were pressed cheek to cheek.
With a few more quick, grinding rolls, she unraveled beneath him, digging into his back and gasping his name. A white hot burn of pleasure left her writhing, toes clenched into the sheets so tightly she thought her feet may cramp. Mathias pressed his face into her neck and breathed in hard, all of his muscles contracting under her hands.
Echo took a deep breath before he collapsed, and she wrapped her arms around him, the weight of his steamy body bearing down on her. They didn't speak, though he caught her gaze before pressing his forehead onto hers. She smiled up at him, and he gave her a smile that made her heart skip a beat.
"Get some rest." he kissed the tip of her nose, then shifted down so that he could lay his head against her chest. She stroked his cheek gently, and closed her eyes, heart still thrumming quickly against her ribs.