"Yes. Hook. Up." He repeated it back to her slower this time. Making sure she could clearly understand his enunciation. But the man was so obviously reveling in this. "Or are you not familiar with the phrase...? Don't tell me you have a limited comprehension of words, despite working at a publishing house. Somehow, I thought your vocabulary would be a little more impressive than that."

Loquacious. Ignoramus. How was that for vocabulary? Raven rolled her eyes at him. She half considered saying this. Instead, she found herself letting out a great sigh and confessing to this strange man—red-haired deviant—more like. "Look, it's not that... I've just never..."

And again, he echoed her. "You've never...what?"

"I've never done anything like this..." Raven admitted, feeling foolish. "I don't really go to parties or hookup with guys..." She saw a glimmer in his eyes. It was one of danger, a challenge reflected in the depths of sea glass.

"That's not a bad thing; it's great, Raven." Speedy replied. The lightness in his tone was starting to sway her. "It's all the more reason to try something new." And then, he smiled reassuringly.

Raven found herself fixed upon the dazzling white rows. Could she? "I don't know, if... I even," She tried. "Know where to start...?"

"And that's perfectly okay…" He nodded understandingly. There was no pressure. Speedy was very willing to go at her pace - her timid and tentative pace. "So maybe... we'll start with a kiss." He suggested this with a raised red brow.

A kiss...from him?

She had met him mere hours ago, and yet the thought.

Of kissing Speedy...

Raven must have been standing there with a rather odd expression while pondering this possibility. Because he then followed up with, "I'm sure you've done that, right?" When his face finally snapped into focus she bit back a withering glare. She wasn't that inexperienced. No, she was currently in the best long-term relationship of her life - with her career. And Raven saw nothing wrong with that. Speedy reached out, turning over a lock of her hair. There was nothing wrong with that at all... And he eyed her closely.

N-nothing at all...

"Can I, Raven? I would really like to kiss you."

Her skepticism was evaporating smoke.

Probably, right around the time she first stared into those eyes, Raven knew she wanted this. The gears in her mind were whirling round at the prospect of his lips on hers. "You want to kiss me?"

Without any delay he replied. "Since the moment I saw you." He wet his lips in preparation. Dark orbs followed the slow, tortuous path of his tongue with wickedness of their own. "So may I kiss you, Raven?"

She hesitated for only a moment longer, and then nodded. Naturally, her face matched the color of his hair.

Speedy was thrilled at the prospect. And he grinned, a seductive and heart-grabbing grin. Raven felt a touch intimidated by all of it. All of him. He was someone who came by charm effortlessly. That and he actually had experience to draw on. For Raven, it had been a while since her last encounter with a man who she didn't work with - a sexual context even less so. In spite of that, she did. She really did want him to kiss her.

Speedy was steadily moving nearer to her. And he tipped his face to hers, to taste her. Raven moved a fraction of an inch at a time to him. Until... there was no more space between them. They paused, lips within inches of each other. She was tingling with anticipation. And then, need. Right as she started to get impatient, he pushed his mouth right down to hers. A sudden motion that swept her up and drew breath from her body. Her lids grew heavy to close. His lips were so soft. He was stroking her mouth with such a sensuality. Such an ardor. She hadn't thought it was possible to convey with one's lips alone. She had never been touched like this before. It was almost like Speedy knew what she was missing in her life. And for tonight, she was going to indulge in this feeling.

Maybe let him give her what she needed.

Speedy made sure to explore each inch of her mouth. Nipping and nudging all the right places and spaces, and making Raven's legs useless. He was such an amazing kisser. Speedy was doing things with his lips and tongue that she couldn't even describe, let alone process. Things that made her moan and her eyes roll back behind her lids. She wondered how he would touch her in other ways. It felt like she needed him to. The thought made her body throb in dangerous ways. Or was it the hot hand that caressed her cheek? Or the other smoothing over a pale leg?

Raven's were at her sides. Shaking. Until her soul re-inhabited her body, once he released her. Her eyes reopened reluctantly, when her mouth was surrounded by the chilled air once more.

"Mm..." He licked his lips, lapping it up, luxuriating in the act. Speedy held their inches bodies apart, she saw another smile split onto his face. His hand reached down, giving her knee a good squeeze. "How was that? Was it okay?"

The purple eyes trailed along the floor, before she said shyly. "It was good... Really good. I, um, liked it."

"Good... And you liked it. Well, that's very good. Now let's see..." Speedy guided her. At last, it was onto the bed with him. The redhead deliberated, dragged his hand over her sheets. Then, moving straight to the spot where dress met soft blue comforter. His fingers were snaking dangerously close to her legs. "Do you want to do more?" Raven's brain echoed the question, and her eyes took in the reflection of a blushing, pale girl in smoldering cyan. It all became clear.

That heated look he wore, coupled with his red locks - a fire had erupted. He wanted to burn with her. Or maybe just burn her. Either way, she didn't care. Her apprehension was waning away.

All she could think about was her desire to let him set her body ablaze. Even though her face was spread with scarlet, she held his gaze, and spoke firmly, "yes. I think I do."

"Excellent. Let's start off slow..." He suggested. "Since, I know you're new to all this, and all."

Panic lurched inside Raven. That certainly got her.

"I'm not that new." Raven folded her arms. She was newer than she wanted to admit. Speedy didn't need to know the extent of how new. "It's been... a while..."

"Right. Like I said, don't be embarrassed. It's your birthday. We can do whatever you want." He reached for her shifting hips, rubbing them sensually. "That means as little or as much..." And he scooted her closer. She let out a little indignant squeak. He smirked at the sound. "Cute."

Cute? "I am most certainly not -"

He affixed his mouth to Raven's own. All her musings were chucked straight out of the open window. Her head was swimming underwater - she was intoxicated. The way Speedy moved his mouth...

The warm lips crept along a rosily flushed neck. There was a sudden swarm of sensations spread across her skin. The stirring scratch of his stubble. And his huge hands... He placed them on her arms and slid off her large, black cardigan sweater. An action that exposed her to the cool breeze of the night presently blowing in through her window. Two fingers played with the bow-tied strap of her dress. They tugged it to the side, so he could kiss her shoulder. Nibbling and licking, he followed its delicate curve.

Raven hissed at the feelings of her skin tingling under his touch. It was like nothing she experienced before. This was better than her most desperate fantasies combined. Silently, the pale girl urged him on. Raven wanted to see where this night would lead. And today, she wanted him for a guide - caution be damned.

"Mm...you do like this... I can tell." His voice was breathier now.

"Ahh... Speedy, I - I..."

"You do...don't you?" He pressed, his deep voice in her ear. "Hmm, baby?" He placed lips to it.

Baby...? Speedy... called her baby.

Raven always thought that was...cheesy. Just a stupid pet name. Only mushy idiots called one another things like that. Largely, in those silly romance novels she would never admit to owning. And there were irritating couples who did it in places like the grocery store at 10 PM on a Wednesday night, in the aisle with the ice cream sandwiches. But, when he said it, when Speedy called her that. Like it was a term of endearment that one would say to a person they cared for. Someone special. Someone intimate. A lover. Raven's body flowed over with a bevy of indescribable emotions.

No one had ever called her that before. Her pupils expanded. Her heart pounded. Her hands shook. And she never imagined that it would make her feel this way.

"Yes... I do."

"Good. Good. I'll keep going..." He kissed her collar. A twisting tongue began dipping into the valley of her breastbone. Skimming her cleavage; he made her skin sing. The redhead started going lower. Her chest pulsated under his tongue. "Whoa - your heart is racing, babe. Are you alright?" She ripped her lids open and placed a trembling hand to her chest. "If you need me to stop. I can stop. Of course, I'd much rather continue this... See where it takes us?"

The dark haired girl moved her hand over to his. "Speedy..." He glanced into her hazy violets.

"Yes?"

"I don't... I don't want to stop."

He shouldn't have been surprised by this revelation. But, Speedy was pleased nonetheless. Even Raven, a shy recluse, wasn't immune to him. "Well then, let's continue... I certainly wouldn't want to disappoint you, Raven." And sweeping fingers brushed the long, amethyst aside, and he smoothly kissed her cheek.

She flushed. "This is a much more interesting birthday than I thought..." She admitted. "I never expected to get a gift I liked." Raven couldn't help revealing more pieces of herself to this stranger. Metaphorical and otherwise.

Speedy pressed his mouth to the other side of her face, allowing the words to ripple. "Well, it may be your birthday... but I'd have to say I'm the one who's getting a gift."

"Oh..." The implications of his words made her bite her lip. Did he really mean to say...?

"And now, I get to unwrap you." Speedy reached for the laced ribbon straps of the dress. He fondled the bows, idly, taking time to savor the process of undressing her.

A slow pull.

And the friction of fabric.

They watched it fall away from her body. Leaving her in no more than a thin, midnight-colored slip. "Yes..." He breathed, hungrily.

Speedy didn't give her another moment to breathe. Or to adjust to the temperature around her when more of the cool air passed over the milk-white flesh. He was intent on feeling her skin, under his fingers. "I need to touch you, baby." The tone of that throaty whisper made her ache. Raven's body went pliant, the second Speedy moved his hand down to cup her breast. The petite girl let out a breathy groan. Her brain barely recognized the sound. What was this man doing to her? Stiff peaks had already formed through the fabric. He gave her a dark glance, and used his fingertips to brush over them. Her hips bucked once. Then, he took her nipples between both thumbs and indexes. Raven shivered and she nibbled her own.

"You're really sensitive, aren't you?" Speedy stared down at her chest and then slid back to her face with a great grin growing. "Or, I'm just that good - either way, I'll take it."

"Don't...flatter yourself, Speedy," she managed, through clenched teeth. Though underneath, she felt foolish. She blinked, head turning away in the opposite direction. Sensitive? That was just another word for inexperienced. Lacking. And she was rather lacking in experience. But she had hoped it wasn't overt during their time together.

But he could see right through the front. "No need to be embarrassed. I'm going to have a lot of fun with you." Raven had finally ceased avoiding his eyes. "Hell, I already am."

He smirked and palmed her breasts with both hands now. "Speedy," she sighed, head falling, the column of her neck exposing. He began to bite it, commencing conflagration consuming her. The heat from his tongue was singeing and licking up her body. Next, he tweaked her nipples, harder and faster. As if she were a fine-spun instrument for his fine-tuning. She exhaled, desperate. Her hand thrust out and clutched the bottom of his shirt.

"That's right." His mouth was licking the shell of her ear. "If you like, you can touch me, babe."

Darkly colored orbs burst open. She couldn't believe he just suggested that.

Touch him?

Her fists tightened around the top. She didn't even know where to begin. She didn't know how to begin.

"Ah." Speedy realized immediately. "Where are my manners? Why don't I...?"

He undid the remaining buttons, reached up, arms above his head, and peeled the red shirt off, revealing himself. She stared, mouth agape, taking in the new senses. His smell - it was even stronger now. The burnt charcoal, firewood, and cinnamon. It was fire-hot danger and adrenaline. And what a sight - that chest, those arms, and abs - rows upon rows of abs. Stacks of muscles strained under tanned skin. There were stray scars and a cluster of freckles sprinkled around a lick of flaming hairs, singeing a trail down to the inferno... The inferno in his pants.

Raven was overcome with a more powerful feeling of wanting. Of need. For what - she didn't quite know, but she wanted to find out. The petite girl felt more wetness pooling in her belly, when she fixated on the large bulge formed in his jeans. Speedy was indulging in Raven's blatant enjoyment of his body. He grinned teasingly at her. His abs pulsed under her watchful eye. His turquoise eyes followed the sampling of her own bottom lip. Raven was so clearly lost in her thoughts.

His body... It was like art. And she wanted to see every inch of that canvas.

"You like what you see, don't you?"

"What...?" Raven asked, still staring. "No, I don't..." She mumbled. "I..." But she was so transparent.

Raven was pretty sure she just thought those words - not voiced her opinions aloud. But, who was to say? She wasn't exactly in her right mind. The effect that this man was having on her was unnatural. He was driving her mad in a myriad of ways. And Raven found herself enjoying every moment of this insanity. But... He was awfully cocky, wasn't he? This Speedy. She could already tell. He was a cocky and overconfident redhead that had no off-switch -

Another head-exploding kiss, and nothing mattered anymore. Speedy grabbed her hands and placed them right onto his burning skin. Raven emitted another noise to fruitlessly convey her apprehension to this. And again it was muffled by his mouth. He stroked her tongue with his own. Sucking on it, until she could no longer protest.

Or remember her own name for that matter.

The feel of him - Speedy's skin was smooth; it felt like cinders under her palms. The firmness was tapering over cut abs and a granite hard torso. Warmth spread up in her own body in turns. He brought her hands back up, over to his chest. Moving pale fingers by the ribs and obliques, Speedy guided her. They rubbed smooth little circles and downward strokes. Then, her hands were running up and down his abs. Marveling at him. Her fingers were frenzied as they moved - unaided.

How her hands were moving, they were wild. Unabashed.

She wasn't usually so emboldened. So, where had all this come from? Was it his body? Or was it him - the firebrand. She trailed lower and lower over tight, sculpted flesh, while he hummed quietly. His skin undulated under her touch, but overall he was silent. Patient. Letting her explore. It was the quietest Speedy had been since they met. Not including the multiple times that talented tongue was in her mouth. Pale hands started drawing closer to their goal, as though they were possessed. They moved downward from the tapered V shape. And she slipped down lower. And lower. Down they went, under unbuckled jeans and onto his hardness. It started to round under her fingertips as they grazed the creamy soft cotton.

"Uhn." His breath sucked in through his teeth. "Raven..."

"... Speedy..." Raven rasped. "You feel...incredible."

His sounds - the red-head was strained as he spoke. "You seem - like you know your way around just fine, babe... You sure... you never had a casual hookup...?"

The nerve. He just couldn't help himself. Even still. "No more - talking, Speedy." Raven ordered.

"Easy - I'm teasing... But, I do want to see what happens when you get riled up." He smiled, with a waver. A slight tremor of the lips.

"Be quiet." She demanded. Raven rubbed him faster, as if she was determined to finally shut him up.

"Perhaps another time then?" Speedy murmured so low she could barely tell if she had heard him correctly.

The possibility for a repeat. For more...

Her hands were sliding up and down his briefs firmly, more urgently. He grunted, his face fantastically flushed. "Raven...? Raven." Speedy reached down, and put his hands on hers. This time, he was trying to still her. But she didn't stop, Raven continued to move, to stroke him. This was amazing. Wonderful. He felt wonderful. White hot and pulsing. Skipping under her touches.

Raven longed to explore underneath.

"You're trying to make me crazy... and I've got to say, it's working." His eyes closed in concentration as he exhaled hard. "And now, I really need you to stop..."

"Hmm...?" Raven's lust riddled brain dropped out of its daze. Her fingers froze.

"Let's... focus on you some more for now." Speedy suggested. He was trying to get things back under control. "And then...we'll see."

"But I wanted to touch you." Raven almost felt baffled by her own bluntness.

Almost.

"Yes, I could tell." He took her adventurous hands in his own and placed them on his neck. "Wouldn't want to start anything we can't finish, now would we?"

She blushed.

Speedy tilted her face to his and once more, he took the lead. Raven closed her eyes and let him take her.

A/N: That was chapter 2, I really do hope you liked it! That was very, very much overdue! Life happened, among other things, and I apologize so much for the delay. (I have a lot of updating to do to say the least...) I am always active on my Tumblr where I post one-shots and other content regularly. It's my username and it's also linked in my profile. Feel free to check it out and other stories if you like this one!