Chapter 28

Reno turned onto his side when the bed dipped and shifted. "Mmn?" he murmured, before his eyes flew open as he realised that he wasn't alone. His hand found his EMR under his pillow as he rolled to see who was now in his bedroom. "Aur…" he left the EMR where it was as he sat up to look at her.

"I let myself in." she said, leaning toward him.

"Are… you okay?" Reno asked, adjusting the light sheet around his hips as he remembered that he slept nude and certainly hadn't been expecting guests letting themselves into his bedroom in the middle of the night.

"I'm fine." She bent and removed her shoes, dropping them to the floor before pulling her feet up onto the bed.

"What time is it?" Reno asked, glancing at the window. Judging by the faint glow outside he figured it must not be long before dawn.

"Nearly five."

He looked at her. "Are… What…" he ran a hand through his messy hair, trying to make his brain wake up enough to make sense of what was happening.

"Reno…"

"Hm?" He looked up as she moved closer to him on the bed, and he noticed that she was only wearing a thin slip of a nightdress. He had barely had time to wonder if she had walked all the way from her house in just that when she had closed the gap between them and climbed onto his lap. "Aur, what are you doing?" he asked a moment before she kissed him. Reno's self-control lasted about three seconds before his arms wound around her waist and he pulled her to himself more tightly as he responded to her kiss.

"What I think we both want…" Aura breathed her reply when she'd pulled back just enough to meet his eyes. Reno lifted a hand to her cheek, his fingers trailing down her soft skin as he drew and then released a shuddering breath. "It's true, isn't it?" she asked, one of her own hands sliding up his chest to rest on his shoulder. "You do want me?"

"I do…" His hand left her cheek and brushed her hair back over her shoulder. "I do…"

"I want you." She told him and her words went straight to his cock.

"Aur…" he groaned.

"I want you." She repeated, her lips trailing along his jaw, "Now…"

Reno couldn't resist another soft groan at that. "Now?" he breathed, his eyes closing as her lips moved down his throat. He didn't think he would be able to control himself much longer if she kept that up. "Are you sure?" he asked, struggling to form the correct words. Reno knew he was hard now, and he knew that he wasn't going to need much convincing.

Aura kissed his shoulder. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't…" she whispered, "Please…" she breathed in his ear and Reno lost any hesitation he may have felt. He wrapped an arm around her waist again and lifted her enough to pull the sheet out from between them while Aura hiked her nightdress up to her hips. When the sheet was out of their way, Reno's hand went between her legs, eliciting a soft gasp from Aura as she slid an arm around his neck. Discovering that she was already wet and felt ready for him, Reno met her gaze for a moment, silently asking the question. "Now…" she breathed, kissing him once more.

Both Reno's hands moved to Aura's hips and he lifted her gently, not breaking her kiss. He shifted himself on the bed and then settled more comfortably in the centre, pulling her to himself. Aura moved carefully, wrapping herself around him, her arms around his neck as she took her weight onto her knees. He deepened the kiss, drawing her in, one arm around her waist as his other hand moved down to take hold of himself, adjusting his position. Then, when he had everything where he wanted it, Reno carefully lowered Aura to meet him.

He paused when she let out a low moan, her hands clutching at his shoulders. Both of his hands were on her hips again, holding her in place. "Reno…" she breathed, resting her forehead against his, "Reno…" he felt her trying to move, and he nodded, guiding her hips with his hands. He watched as her head tipped back and she bit her lower lip, trying to hold back any other sounds she might make. He continued to guide her until they were rocking together, skin slick and flushed. Reno's hands moved up Aura's back, and one of her own lifted to his face, bringing his gaze up to meet hers.

It wasn't long before she had pushed him back down against his pillows, moving over him, her hands now braced against his chest as she guided herself. One of Reno's hands had found its way back to her hip while the other moved up to her breast. He watched as her eyes closed, her lips parted as she panted with her effort, and as her dark hair cascaded down over her shoulders he bit his own lip trying not to lose himself.

Reno awoke with a start. He slapped at his alarm, cursing the blasted thing, and then rolled to his feet off the side of his bed. "Sweet Shiva," he muttered, running a hand through his messy hair as he stumbled toward the bathroom. He turned his shower on and then stepped right under the water without waiting for it to heat up. The cold could only do him some good. He wasn't really surprised by the content of his dream after the conversation he and Aura had had yesterday, but he was a bit disappointed in his own subconscious considering what had happened to her with Rufus.

Once he had gotten out of the shower and wrapped himself in a towel, Reno leaned against the sink, staring at himself in the mirror. "You're an arsehole." He told his reflection. He was glad that Aura had no way of reading his mind. What would she think if she knew what his dream had been about? What would she think about the way his subconscious had shaped her? The Aura in his dream had been rather more confident and sexually aggressive than he suspected his Aura might be in reality. He caught himself at the thought. Was she really his?

She had told him yesterday that she wished he had been the one to take her virginity, but could that have been simple regret that it had been Rufus? He was somebody that she knew and trusted, and somebody like that was a far better choice than anybody else. Who else was there for her to choose? Telling him that she wished it had been him did not equate to telling him that she wanted him. It did not equate to telling him that she was his.

But the way she had kissed him…

Pulling a comb through his hair, Reno gave a grim smile. It had been an unfinished conversation between himself and Aura. That was understandable considering what else she was trying to process, and he hadn't wanted to push her. Was today still too soon? He didn't know. Figuring that his best option was to see how she was doing before deciding what he would and wouldn't try to discuss with her, Reno strode for his wardrobe and pulled out his clothing for work. He also had to remember to get some training in today. Perhaps Tseng would spar with him. He would bet that the man had some pent up energy he would need to get out after spending so much time sitting by Elena's bedside.

Stopping to pull the sheets up on his bed before leaving, Reno felt himself actually blush at the memory of Aura wrapped around him in his dream. The way she had clung to his shoulders while looking into his eyes as she had moved on him…

Reno sank onto the edge of his bed. He needed to get a hold of himself before he got to the lodge and came face to face with her. What if she didn't show up? He got to his feet. He suspected that Rufus was right about that. Aura had taken the job because of the opportunity she would have in trying to do her part in developing a cure for the Geostigma, and the opportunity to better help people. He did not think that she would give that up. Still, he wanted to be there when she arrived. He headed out his door, pulling it closed behind himself a good half hour before he usually would.

Aura walked stiffly up the hallway toward her workroom. The entire way to Healen Lodge she had been trying to convince herself that this was the correct choice. She knew that she had a better chance of doing something good, something useful, if she could keep her access to ShinRa's resources. To do that, she needed to keep coming back to this place. But, what if Rufus Shinra had it in his mind to repeat what he had done yesterday? What if it was now expected of her, to let him do what he wished when he wished it? The thought of his hands tight on her hips again made her chest ache, and her breathing quickened as she fought down a wave of panic. What if he called her to his office this very morning?

Red hair was the first thing Aura saw when she pushed open the door to her workroom. "Reno…" All thought of Rufus was pushed from her mind when Reno turned to face her, a wide smile spreading across his face. She couldn't help but smile in response.

"Good morning, Sweetness." He said, moving toward her. A thrill of excitement flooded Aura and she stretched up to wrap her arms around Reno. Her eyes closed momentarily when she felt his own arms come around her waist and he held her firmly. She instantly felt better than she had all morning, and she dreaded the moment that he would let her go. "I knew you'd come." He told her.

"Yes, well…" She didn't know what to say. "I…" she pressed her face into his shoulder, "I…"

"It's okay." He murmured, his breath hot against her ear. "He won't touch you again."

"How do you know?"

"He told me so."

"And you believe him?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I do."

Aura looked up at him, her eyes closing again when one of his hands came to her cheek. She couldn't help but lean into his touch and she wished that he would kiss her. His fingers traced her jaw before his thumb ghosted over her lips, and Aura opened her eyes to meet his, green and beautiful. His fingers moved down her throat and a soft shiver passed through her before she gently ran her hands up his shirt to rest against his shoulders. A strange expression passed across Reno's face and, if Aura didn't know him better, she would have sworn that it was followed by a light blush. "What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing…" he murmured, shaking his head, "Just… you're…beautiful." She watched his eyes move across her face and then down over the rest of her. "I wish that I didn't have to go and fill out a million tonnes of paperwork." Aura smiled at him.

"Well, you know where I am when you get tired of that, yo."

"I'll keep that in mind." He pressed his lips to her forehead before releasing her, and Aura was unable to do anything other than simply watch as he headed out the door, leaving her alone with her work.