Chapter Sixty-Six: Pretty

Tony ended up bringing back a mountain of cheap burgers and fries. He'd come through the door and thrown four brown paper bags on the coffee table, his jacket slick with rain. After a comment about how he wasn't an errand boy, they set to devouring the feast. People stopped by now and then, as they had all day and the day before, to get Tony's approval on certain things. Visitors were now treated to a foil-wrapped burger and a handful of fries before they left. Natasha received two when she came by-one for Barton.

There were a handful of nameless agents helping Tony set things up behind the scenes, namely making sure the gymnasium would look nothing like a gym by the time the party started. It was a high-tech training area to begin with, nothing like a high-school gymnasium-and the nicest of five in the building. There were no other suitable areas to hold the event, given that the facility was never meant to host such things. Most of the rooms were set up like classrooms or dorm rooms-and most of them weren't accessible by the general public. The gym they were using was on the fourth floor. They were currently building a temporary elevator to get guests there from the outside, with the doors leading from it into the building itself locked without a badge. Lower level SHIELD agents had signed up for a raffle, the winners of which would work security detail for the event. Otherwise newbies would have no way of attending-with one notable exception.

The rest of their planning went smoothly, with the three of them joking and arguing with caterers on the phone-dialing up one particularly nasty place with a prank call every hour on the dot. Darla, of course, only did one of these and it was such a sad attempt at a prank that it made Darcy and Tony coo at how cute and innocent she was. By the time Darcy got out her phone for the seventh prank call of the day, it occurred to Darla what time it must be. She hadn't thought about it. The rain had come down for hours on and off, making the transition from day to night impossible to notice.

She checked the time on the new phone Fury had given her: 8:07.

Tony noticed this and glanced at the wall clock. "It's late," he said.

Darcy checked the time on her phone as well. "Yes! You guys managed to help me kill almost an entire day. This leaves me about four hours to watch trash TV in my room downstairs. Fuck, it's a mess in there." She then noticed the shiny blackberry in Darla's lap. "Ooh! Hey! Gimme your number!"

"Sure, um, how do I look it up?"

"How do you look up what? Your own phone number?"

"This is a new phone. Brand new." Her last phone had only had one phone number in it, Fury's, but she knew better than to share that information.

"Okay, I'm sure there's a way to check it but how about I give you my number and you can text me." She didn't give Darla time to answer before snatching the phone out of her lap, typing her number into the contacts and labeling herself Queen Darcy. "Alright. Great hustle today, guys. We keep this up tomorrow and this work party might not totally suck!" With that, she grabbed up her things and traipsed out the door.

"She's a handful," Tony said. "I do have to admit, though," he eyed up his checklist, which was now over halfway finished, "she helped a lot."

"She's...energetic," Darla said, starting to clean up the frenzy of garbage from their enormous meal, which they'd picked clean over the course of the day.

"She tell you she's sort of seeing the Captain?"

"Yeah, she mentioned it."

"How nuts is that?" Tony moved to help tidy up, if far slower than she was.

"I dunno. She's pretty hard to say no to."

"Ah. Did she get you to spill your guts?"

Darla's cheeks flushed. "Yeah. Has she done that to you before?"

"That tactic doesn't really work on me. I can see why it would on you, though." He found a leftover fry and stuck it in his mouth. It was ice cold. He pretended not to be disgusted.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You're a people pleaser. She asks you a hyper-personal question that you don't really want to answer, but you also really don't want to let her down. Where did that come from, by the way? Distant parents?"

"That's not any of your business."

He narrowed his eyes at her, mildly intrigued. "Apparently you don't care about letting me down. But if Darcy were to ask about your parents…"

"I don't talk about my parents." Her body language had shifted subtly, he only noticed it now. She was completely closed off.

"Right. I understand. I've got some daddy issues myself."

"It's not a contest."

Tony hadn't been trying to one-up her. At least not intentionally. Without any information, it was easy to assume her situation was as cut and dry as a paragraph in a psych textbook. Like his was. "You're right. It's not."

"Do you think that's why your relationships suffer? I know it's why mine do," she said, not meaning exclusively romantic relationships, then realizing that was how it came off.

"That's not any of your business."

"I didn't mean…" She tore her eyes from his accusatory stare. "I thought it was maybe something we had in common."

He sat, a lone napkin still crumpled in his palm. "It is," he said. There was a weighted pause. "I was doing so well this time, though. Honestly. I've got my issues but I was on my very best behavior. It's like she's punishing me for the way I used to be."

Darla hadn't expected any meaningful insight from him, and sat speechless across the way until he sighed and went on, fraying the edge of the napkin between his fingertips. He wasn't making eye contact anymore, his line of sight shifted periodically from the napkin to the table to the arm of the couch.

"Sometimes I think she doesn't really want this. She wants to keep the job, of course, that's what she loves. I wouldn't take it from her if she wanted to leave me. With her contract, I don't think I could. That's why I sort of wish she'd tell me if she wanted out. Stop giving me hope that I can fix things. Because if I can't-and I'm not good at this stuff, I probably can't-then we both deserve to be able to move on." The napkin soundlessly hit the floor.

"You should tell her that. I think it would mean a lot to her."

Tony came back into the moment, realizing at the sound of her voice who he was speaking to. He would never have opened up to Darcy like this, as he'd brought up before, her tactics wouldn't work. Darla, however, had broken him open without a nutcracker in sight.

"I should," he said. "But what if I'm right? I say we deserve to move on but that's not what I want to do."

"I'm sorry, Tony."

He looked deeply unhappy and trapped in thought. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said and went to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Darla finished cleaning up, her empathy going haywire and absorbing his troubles. After one lingering look at his door, she gathered her things and went home for the night.

Elsewhere

Eve had been by the pool for what felt like hours, lounging under the huge glass windows that poured sunlight over her until she got too hot and retired to the shade. It was delightful to sit and do nothing and not be bothered. Naturally her instincts to be productive kept kicking in, but there was nothing for her to do or work toward. She had no responsibilities. She was able to enjoy herself despite the man on the beach earlier being right-she had no idea how to relax. With this activity, she was learning. If such a thing can be learned.

Just as she was patting herself on the back, Loki strolled into the cove, still in his swanky suit. Eve didn't sit up. "Decided to join me?"

"No," he said.

"Good, no one invited you."

"I was going to see if you were hungry."

She was. However, she had no desire to help Loki feel like he was in charge of her, so she stubbornly denied it. "I'm not."

"What an odd thing to lie about." Loki smirked at her.

"When I'm hungry, I'll fend for myself, thank you." She closed her eyes and let her shoulders relax.

"So determined to get under my skin that you won't so much as eat with me?"

"If that's what you want to believe."

He glared at her, though she couldn't see it. He walked to her chair. "Don't be ungrateful," he said.

Her eyes opened and her expression was instantly annoyed. She stood and met his stare. "Thank you," she said, "for leaving me alone." She stepped around him and dove into the pool, splashing up moisture onto his too-formal attire. The water was the perfect temperature. Soothing on her sun soaked skin, but warm like ideal bath water. It felt especially nice through her hair. She lingered, submerged, until she needed to breathe.

When her head broke the surface, she saw Loki had crouched down to look at her. "What have I done that's so abhorrent? To warrant you treating me like this?"

"I've done nothing to you," she said, kicking her feet up in front of her gently, splashing this time intentional droplets onto his hands and shoes. "I was minding my own business until you came by. You seem determined to fight with me."

"I'm not starting these fights, I came in here to ask if you'd like something to eat, I don't see how-"

"Oh, please! You were checking on me. Get me one of those house arrest ankle cuff things. Better yet, a shock collar. So you don't have to keep track of me, you can trust I haven't left the house."

"You're reading too much into it."

She was confident that she wasn't. Her sleeping alone had left him feeling insecure-and that was something he'd never admit. She didn't want to have to do all the work unpacking his baggage and catering to his glaring insecurities. He wouldn't meet her halfway with anything, he wouldn't ask her for what he wanted-and she was done playing those games with him. At least not in ways where he got what he wanted in the end.

She'd calmed down considerably. She wasn't angry, not in the slightest, in fact she felt a great deal of clarity. His every action was the same as the movement of a chess piece. Strategic, thought out and ultimately part of a game. He should have known that you can't take the queen by being so obvious. Maybe he didn't think he was being obvious. When emotions ran high, when they were on the run, manipulating her must have been so easy. She shuddered at the thought, but it didn't feel like that anymore. She believed they wouldn't be found, and she could see his childish, selfish antics for what they were.

If she played into his expectations, acted how he wanted her to act, she thought she might be able to get the upper hand on him. Then after enough upsets maybe they could be done with the exhausting back and forth.

She swam to the edge and looked up at him, eyes coated in an apologetic shine-something her mind didn't echo. "Maybe you'd like to join me now?" She took one of his hands and dunked it in the water. "It's warm."

He took his hand back and shook the moisture off of it. The drops rejoined the larger body in a flash, almost laughing. "I appreciate the offer, but-"

She took off the tank she had on, revealing the tube top underneath. The other shirt hovered in the water and floated away. "And now?"

"Nothing I haven't seen before," he said, sounding coy.

She could see curiosity brewing in him, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, and lifted herself out of the pool a bit so her hair dripped down her chest and shoulders. "Then maybe you could convince me to get out." Their faces were close together once she propped her elbows up on the slick tile.

He licked his lips. "Now why are we so friendly all of a sudden?"

She chuckled and pushed herself up so their lips nearly touched. Then, she grabbed his coat by the collar and pulled him into the water with all of her weight. It happened too fast for him to do anything about it. He gasped at once, expelling all his oxygen. His open mouth filled with water, so that when he reemerged he coughed violently, choking for air. He flicked his long hair out of his face and frowned, failing to see the humor in his demise. When the water had cleared from his shocked eyes, he was able to see Eve climb out of the pool stairs at the shallow end.

"You know what?" she said. "I guess I am hungry."

She was midway through preparing a meal before Loki gathered up his defeated self and found her. When he walked in, he was perfectly dry thanks to a charm, and still wearing the suit. He said nothing to her and sat at a stool next to the island, waiting for her to speak. She didn't-not even to gloat. She seasoned and sauteed the simple dish she'd started-chicken and vegetables-and ignored him entirely. Once everything was finished and cooled, she made a plate for herself and carried the pan past Loki so he could see how tasty it looked. Then she put it down by the dog's water dish. Her tail wagging feverishly, she set to demolishing it right away.

Eve sat across from him with her own plate and dug in.

"Has anyone ever told you how unbelievably charming you are?" She went on chewing, answering his question with a pleased grin across her full cheeks. "No? Shocking."

She swallowed and licked stray seasoning from the corners of her mouth. "I would have made some for you too, had you asked. You saw I was cooking."

"Tell me this. When we run out of food-what will you do then?"

"I'll climb in the neighbor's window and take some of theirs."

"Is that so?"

"No, not really. But you're not going to starve me to death. That would require an ounce of patience. Besides-if you kill me, you might die of boredom."

"On the contrary. Then I might be able to relax," he said.

"Did I ask you to sit there and taunt me while I eat?" She pointed at him with her knife as she said this.

"Well, I thought-"

"No, I didn't. Did I ask you to join me in the pool or track me down at the beach?" She cleared a small space on her plate so she could twirl her fork on one prong.

"I had to-"

"No. I didn't. You're free to relax. You're choosing not to. Now run along and think about why that might be."

He leaned over the island and took the fork out of her hand. "You can't speak to me like that."

"Why not? Please. Educate me. Do you want me to have my guard up all the time or do you want me to be unbridled? Make up your mind."

The fork dropped onto her plate with a clang. "I merely suggest you mind your tone with me. As you've said," he leaned in close to her, "I haven't an ounce of patience."

She gazed into his serious, malicious eyes and abruptly pat him on the cheek. "Do you wanna go watch TV?" The sweetness in her tone was cavity-inducing. She brought her plate with her when she went.

She clicked through the channels until she landed on a steamy Spanish soap opera. She was overjoyed to be able to understand it with no subtitles, and finished her meal with the plate in her lap.

Loki didn't follow her this time, as she expected he wouldn't. His threats had no effect on her anymore. Unlike when she'd first met him and so much as a change in his expression would elicit fear and concern from her, now it left her feeling empty. After so many threats he hadn't followed through with, and despite what had happened with Sam, he'd never hurt a hair on her head. In fact, he'd rescued her from SHIELD and saved her life more than once. Not to mention this far-away excursion to the exotic destination of her choosing. It was becoming apparent that, at least when it came to her, he was all bark and no bite.

Besides, Eve had left her old life behind. There was no way she was going to continue on as the same uptight girl. If her actions led to Loki lashing out and abandoning her or worse, it seemed like a chain of events she would have to accept and take responsibility for. Their relationship had an expiration date and she wasn't going to let him push her around for the duration of it. She wanted to fix the power imbalance between them if it was the last thing she did-and there was a good chance it might be.

She watched the marathon into the night, sucked into the cheap romantic twists and turns. She hoped Loki was off sulking, wishing he'd joined her. The thought was incorrect, but the truth was more satisfying. He was in his bedroom, in denial, struggling to focus on a book.

After hours of trash TV, Eve was antsy. When the next round of commercials came on, she hastily flicked the power button on the remote. It was the only way to avoid getting sucked into another hour-long saga. Even after it was off, she wondered what was going to happen to Sabrina's long lost sister. She shook the thought from her head and left the room. Sasha, who had come to cuddle with her as she watched, followed dutifully behind.

Loki was only on the twelfth page of the book he'd grabbed. Not only was it an awfully vapid work of fiction, he couldn't get his mind off of the events of the day. In his attempts to control Eve, to try and condition her and make her behave the way he wanted, it had only pushed her further away. Why did that matter to him in the slightest, anyway? His thoughts were circling, trying to fix the problem that had no clear-cut solution. Then she appeared in the doorway.

His head cleared. The rambling, nonsensical thoughts were swept away by a gust of wind. In an instant he hoped she was there to make up, to apologize. Her face didn't indicate that, though, and he thought maybe she was expecting him to say he was sorry. He jumped to the defensive, sitting up and preparing to deny her any such apology. He was ready to argue his point tooth and nail like a lawyer.

She walked to the side of the bed he was on and clamped her hands together in front of her. She said, "Let's go for a walk."

He was calmed in an instant, breathing out all of his prerecorded arguments. He didn't need them. "It's the middle of the night."

"And? I slept too late, I won't be able to fall asleep yet. Let's explore the city. We've never been here before."

"Won't be much to do at this hour."

"Walking is doing something." She wrenched him out of bed-a feat that was only so easy because he allowed it-then pat her hands on the suit he'd borrowed. "Only...you can't wear this."

"Why not? I think I look rather dashing."

"You do. But why don't you try something more casual? Let me pick it out!"

He gestured to the door. "Have at it."

She looked first at the wife's clothes, thinking it would be quite funny to bring him back a dress, but then she thought he might actually put it on and wear it just to be annoying and embarrass her. Instead she found an olive v-neck shirt and dared to wonder if he would put on a pair of jeans. In the meantime, she picked out something new for herself. Short shorts and an animal print top-something she wouldn't usually wear. She picked up Loki's outfit again.

He'd followed her on a delay and saw what she was holding. "Denim?"

"It's fashionable. Casual."

He set fire to the pants with his fingertips. She dropped them, yelping in a panic. By the time they hit the ground, they were a pile of ash.

"Hey. Hades. You said I could pick out your outfit."

"That was before I realized you had no fashion sense," he droned.

She took one look at his grumpy face and couldn't help but laugh. She put her hands on his abdomen, pushing him into the adjacent bedroom and sitting him down on the bed. "I'm not gonna bring you jeans, okay? Just sit there and wait." Sasha jumped up on the bed and into his lap. "There, see? It's a sign. Pet the dog. Pet the dog and shut up. Pet the dog and don't set fire to anything else." She caught sight of the curtains as she turned. "Well, if those got singed it wouldn't be the end of the world."

The outfit she came back with was simple enough that she couldn't imagine him complaining about it. As she folded the business-casual pants over her arm, she wondered if maybe he preferred clothing that wasn't simple. Extravagant armor and capes and helmets were more his style-and that wasn't the norm here. He couldn't walk around dressed as he preferred to without drawing attention to himself. The thought of getting dressed in drab mortal fashion everyday may have even depressed him. Still, when she brought them out to him, he put them on.

"Let's leave her here," Eve suggested, not wanting to keep track of the dog while they explored. "Put out some food and we'll bring her back actual dog food."

"I doubt she'll settle for that stuff after all we've given her."

"Obviously I'm still going to share my people food with her. Ah, I guess we don't have a crate for her."

"A what?"

"It's like a sort of cage. So she doesn't run around and cause trouble."

"Don't be ridiculous. This is our dog and she can cause as much trouble as she likes," Loki nuzzled noses with the pup and put her on the ground.

They went out and walked for miles, commenting on beautiful things they noticed along the way. The city was visible but they stuck to the outskirts so the dark, romantic streets were mostly abandoned. Here and there they came across couples out for a late night stroll, like them, and they'd all exchange a knowing look.

Eve was so curious and excited about being somewhere new that her feet never hurt like they typically would on long walks like this. In her mind, she was floating a foot above the ground anyway, taking in everything around her, breathing in foreign air in a foreign land. She tended to get ahead of him, at one point even chased an alley cat against his wishes.

They turned down a side street that had little shops with cute, ornate signs hanging over the sidewalk. Most had bay windows and hand-carved details in the woodwork. One in particular caught Eve's eye. It was a small boutique, but when she peered inside with her fingers around her eyes she saw it extended far back. She pulled her hands off of the glass and looked more closely at the dress in the window. It was emerald green and strapless, with a floor-length mermaid hem and a princess cut neckline. Her breath was fogging up the glass in a neat little circle.

"I want that," she said, almost too quiet for him to hear.

He looked at her, then at the dress, then back at her. "The gown?"

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"It is," he said.

"I wonder if they have more of the same kind of stuff inside."

"Let's see, then." He took her hand and teleported them past the glass and into the shadowed shop. Dresses and frilly tops hung on circular displays. Eve was overwhelmed at once. It was like being on a shopping spree with no cash or time limit. She piled things into her arms, anything that was her size, anything at all.

Loki had fun watching her for a bit, but got bored soon enough. "Go on," he said, "I'm going to look around the other stores. Call if you need me."

"Call?" She looked at him over the pile of fabric in her arms. He tapped his temple with his pointer finger, smiled, and walked through the wall on his left.

He was gone a while and Eve realized after a bit that she'd looked at every last rack in the place. She piled her treasures into large bags from behind the counter, sifting out things she knew she hated and wouldn't ever wear. There were jewely cases along the back wall that she was planning to ask Loki to open when he returned. Once done packing up her things, she dragged the bags into a neat rectangle and sat down to wait for him. A few minutes passed before she went back to the little shoe section and found nothing new. Bored, she looked to the front of the shop where the green dress was and realized she hadn't found it on any of the racks.

She went to look at it closer. The base of the display came up to her thighs, so she lifted one knee onto it and hoisted herself up. Her head bumped a round, hanging decoration. To her right she could see out onto the street, so she dragged the mannequin off the display with her and back away from the window so she wouldn't be seen. The tag read that dress was a size too small for her, but she took it off of the plastic torso anyway. The very bottom of the mannequin had chicken wire designed to show off the flaring skirt that started at the knees. The dress was beautiful and well-crafted. She wanted to try it on there to make sure she didn't drag it home and have it not fit.

Loki strolled back in through the opposite wall he'd left by-all without a sound. He saw her examining the dress from the window, and the headless, white mannequin standing naked and upright nearby. She didn't see him. He stayed silent to watch her. She took off her clothes except for her underwear and tossed them aside. Then she held the dress by the sides and stepped into it daintily with pointed toes. She had to jump up and down to get the dress over her hips, but the rest of the way was easier. It was tight. Snug. She fought to reach the zipper with her arm and could only graze it. It was the longest zipper on earth. She made mild struggling noises while she tried to stretch her body ways it wouldn't go. She sighed and held the fabric together in the back with her hands. Her reflection was almost as clear as a mirror, and she stood up straight to look at herself. The dress hugged her curves in pristine lines, accentuating everything she loved about herself. He saw the sparkle in her eye, the confident arch in her back. It was the same as when he'd caught her in the shower-which felt like ages ago now-and she'd stood before him without an ounce of shame. This was that girl.

She let go of the dress for a moment to swipe her hair out of her face. Without her fingers holding it closed, the bust went crooked. She frowned and tried at the zipper again. No luck. It was too far away. In a thought that brought her unfiltered sadness, she realized it probably wouldn't zip up even if she could grasp it. She hooked her thumbs into the top of the dress, prepared to take it off.

"Wait," Loki said, and set down the few things he'd gathered for himself. She turned her head to him, shocked.

"I didn't hear you come back. How long have-"

He approached so swiftly that she was taken aback and lost her words. His feet glided, deliberate and purposeful and measured. When he was close enough to touch her, he turned her around gently and straightened the dress. Her head turned around again to look up at him, but she left her back rigid. He put his hands inside the back of the dress, pressing his warm fingers into her skin and feeling how tight it was on her. With the same spell he'd used to augment Dana's clothes for himself, he loosened it here and there until it fit just right. Then his hands left her skin and she felt automatically chilled. He put his body close to her and turned her head facing forward to their reflection. Her eyes landed on his in the window, but soon trailed back to the dress. Her lips fell away from one another and she lit up, marveling at the extravagance and strangeness that was the current moment.

With one sure hand, he zipped up the long zipper. Eve slid her hands along her hips and up across her thighs. It was a simple thing-to look and feel beautiful. She'd never placed much value in it. Maybe because she'd never felt it before. Definitely not like this. The last time she'd worn a fancy dress was to her prom-which she attended with Sam-and the dress had been hastily picked out the day before. Part of her had rushed putting on this dress because she thought Loki would tease her, call her shallow or something along those lines. Instead, he'd helped her. Not only that, he was looking at her reflection the way she'd always dreamed a man would look at her some day.

She spun around, the wide hem of her dress twirling on the ground and landing in a neat spiral when she stopped. Loki's calm, intrigued expression was there to greet her. With both hands, one on each side, he moved her hair behind her so it hung down her back. The strands settled in on her bare skin and tickled, giving her a momentary shiver.

"You look beautiful," he said, taking a step back to look over every inch of her.

"Thank you." Her voice was low. Husky. His honesty was prevalent and factual. No tricks, no lies, just a simple truth. She smiled at him.

"See that?" He came back into her personal space and put his thumbs at the corners of her mouth. "I want you to feel like this all the time."

"Pretty?"

"If that's what makes you smile like this."

She held his wrists, pulling his hands away from her face. "And if I'm not smiling?" Their hands fell. He twisted his fingers into hers. "If I make a choice you don't like?"

"Eve, you have to understand, this is new for me too."

She'd never thought of it that way. In the moment, it didn't make up for anything. It didn't change the way she felt. "Is that why you keep lashing out? You're scared?"

He laughed. "Why would I be scared of you?"

His fingernails dug into the skin on her hands until she tore them away. "That's not what I mean. I know you're leagues stronger than me, I know you could hurt me or skin me or throw me up into the air just to see where I land, to see what bones I break. Then you could put me back together and do it again. My point is that you don't want to. Even when I'm pissing you off, even when I'm rude. Even when I'm right and you're wrong. You admitted that my happiness is important to you, but in your head you have to make it conditional. So when I'm upset you don't have to take any blame. Your fear has nothing to do with physical pain."

"Don't attempt to reduce me to an equation. You don't know enough about me to make these assumptions."

She rested her forehead on his chest and her hands folded in front of her. "You could be right. But you would never tell me if I'm on to something. I think that says a lot. You won't let me in."

He held her face in his hands again, more roughly than he had before. Their eyes met and she could've sworn he looked scared. Like he'd seen a ghost. "My psyche is not a place you want to be let into. Think about what I've done. If you were interested in the real me, you wouldn't have come. I don't understand. I can't imagine why you'd come with me."

"There must be something wrong with me," she said, lips breaking into a grin.

His thumbs found the corners of her mouth again. "See that?" He said, and he kissed her. Their lips met softly, and in an instant it was like a cathartic release of tension. In just one delicate kiss, Eve's shoulders relaxed in a shiver that traveled all the way to her toes. They parted and her eyes opened. His usually closed off features were soft as fresh daylight. To be close to him warmed her in the cool of the night. It was obvious without a word that in this moment, and for the first time in a while, they wanted the same thing.

She reached out for him, drawing him back into her, kissing him again with more tenacity. His hands hung on the border between the back of the dress and her skin, fingertips pressing her ever closer, as close as she could be. She clung to him like wet sand, poised to stay long after he'd tried to wash her all away.

Her toes began to strain from standing on them to meet his lips, so she dragged him along with her so she could sit on the ledge of the window display. It was tall enough that her feet were only inches off the ground. She hooked both arms around his neck and hoisted herself up, impatient to get to him, kissing his collar and shoulders and wherever she could reach. With a hand on her waist, he pushed her down so her thighs reconnected with the wood surface, and bent down to ensnare her lips. He leaned into her even further so that her head tilted up toward the top of the window, his tongue behind her earlobe and then his teeth on the nape of her neck. Not even the sight of the night sky outside could bring her back to earth. He bit her and she was entranced. Swallowed. Gone.

His right hand manipulated the dress, hiking up the bottom where it fishtailed out. It fit her hips perfectly, so he had to shift it all the way to her waist to get to the flesh underneath. The skirt of the dress hung down her still, covering the tops of her thighs. Both hands tore at her underwear, slipping the lace down her legs and onto the ground at her feet. He freed himself from his pants but kept them on, wasting no time whatsoever in getting where his desire was leading him. For a second, worried he'd gone far too fast, he checked in with her gaze. She bit her lip to one side and clutched the base of his shirt, untucking it and sliding her hands underneath to his tailbone. She forced him toward her. She was ready.

When he found his way inside, their eyes locked and they sighed simultaneously. Eve's legs shook beneath her and she lifted her knees, bearing them into his hips as he moved. If each thrust was poison, if each took a month off her life she wouldn't have stopped him. He held her under her shoulder blades and her hips floated off the surface to meet him every time, gathering up every inch of him, greedy and starving.

Seeing the unadulterated lust in his expression, feeling the way he touched her, like her skin was healing him, she burned brighter every second. She wanted more. She moved a hand to the base of his hairline and said, "You don't have to hold back."

After another charge, he raised an eyebrow at her, going in again before speaking. "I most certainly do."

"But what if that's not true? How would you know? I can take it."

"You're ambitious, but I'm afraid-"

She grabbed his hair from one side and pulled his ear to her lips. He tried to recoil, releasing a small ah in shock at the pain. "Show me," she said, latching her teeth onto the corner of his jaw. Again, the pain surprised him, but more delightfully this time.

"You aren't aware of what you're asking for," he said, distracted by the idea, even wanting to go along with it.

"Prove it," she taunted, one hand still tangled at his roots, tugging. She'd been denying how bad she wanted this. It lingered under her base desires at all times. Their tense, coarse dynamic a constant sandpaper on her tongue so she could pretend she didn't crave him like she did. But no more.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he said, and she ran two fingers in a fake zipper across her lips. His hands gripped her waist on either side, so tightly it pinched her skin in spots. With each movement, he took a second to gage her reaction, make sure she wasn't in too much pain. The mild sting of his hands seemed to interest her, heat radiated from her hips as she twisted into his hold. He gave her time to take back her request, and the anticipation simmered between them until her eyes were begging him.

When he bucked his hips again, there was more force behind it, and she cried out, knees drawing up to her own body involuntarily. Her back arched away from him, lips broken apart and trembling. He waited for her to object, scream No, not again. But she didn't.

Still, he hesitated, thinking that if he set that pace it would be hard to tone it down when it became too much for her.

When he loosened his grip, her mouth fell into an arrogant half-smile. Something she'd perfected from watching him. She said, "Oh, is that all?"

"Who knew you were a glutton for punishment," he said, diving into her again. He felt entirely connected to her, like once they were done it would be impossible to separate their bodies. She had no choice in the sounds that erupted from her, and they bordered the line between ecstasy and anguish. With a glance out the window and into the night, he slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her. She leaned into his wrist, eyes smirking, resisting for sport, so he forced her onto her back. Once there, she tried to prop herself up on her elbows, but he knocked her back down, lording over her as he pulled her lower half off the stage and left her to balance if she wanted to continue.

Her abdominal muscles clenched, she kept up with him, moaning into his hand and prepared to keep it up for as long as she was physically able. She wrapped her legs around him and squeezed. He was impressed by her stamina but hated losing his full range of motion. With his free hand, he pulled down the bust of her dress and bent over on top of her, licking her erect nipples until she melted. Still inside her, but not moving, he teased and toyed with her until her heart was pounding-and she had no voice to beg him with. She bit his fingers and he drew his hand away, laughing.

He lifted her up and carried her away from the window. She used this time to catch her breath, collapsing into the crook of his neck with her arms around him. He took her to the back of the shop and pinned her up against the wall. It felt like less of an exhibition this way, hidden behind the scattered racks. As definitively alone as they were, it felt permanent in this spot. She caressed his neck and shoulders. She was panting.

"Having trouble keeping up?" He said, already boosting his own ego, thinking he was too much for her.

"No," she said, a little disgusted by his arrogance yet aroused by it all at once. "I've had better."

The playful comment seemed to float right through his ears, with handfuls of seconds passing before he reacted. He said, "What an odd thing to lie about."

She held firm in her stare.

"Well, if this is a subpar experience for you, we might as well stop now."

She fidgeted but said nothing.

"How dedicated are you to this?" He ran a hand up one of her thighs. She realized then he wasn't holding her up, she was levitating. If she relaxed her legs, they stayed where they were. It was comfortable, but confusing to her senses. "Dedicated enough to leave us both unfulfilled?"

The breathy tone of his voice left her feeling less playful and more interested in finishing what they'd started. She tugged at the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head, enticing him close so she could kiss his chest. "I think you need this just as much as I do," she said, and that was enough. He started up again at an even pace, revving her up before the real ride began.

She knocked her head on the wall when she tilted it back.

"Don't hurt yourself," he whispered in her ear.

"Okay," she said, and took one of his hands, placing it on her throat, "you can do it for me."

He faltered, unsure if she was serious. She squeezed her hand on top of hers, eyes locked on him, and he curled his thumb into her carotid artery, not new to this sort of thing in the slightest. Here, he really had to watch himself. Sexual dominance was one thing, but he was aware he could actually kill her. His hips slowed and he made each drive count, monitoring her alertness. She tensed up, muscles flexed and rigid, and suddenly relaxed. He released her and she fell into him, shuddering with fresh euphoria.

"I didn't know that's how you liked it," he said, breathing heavy himself now without realizing. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She smiled with her teeth out, still shaking a bit. "I'm telling you now," she breathed. "Let me down."

The spell released her and her feet landed nimbly on the ground. Her legs ached and she felt it in waves, eventually falling into him in a graceless wobble.

This new revelation about her intrigued him, had him weak at the knees. To be taken off guard was such a rare thing, and this was a question he'd never thought to ask. All he'd had to do was flick the right switch. She looked at him with confident eyes, despite her defeated and weary posture. Her smile was natural and toothy and faded when the tiredness caught up with her mind.

He scooped her up into his arms, not bothering to adjust her dress. She didn't seem to care and leaned into his neck, eyes drifting shut. He held her close and took her home.

A/N:

Well it's been almost three months. I had this chapter written for a while but it wasn't meeting my standards so I took a break and came back to it. I participated in and won NaNoWriMo in November for a serious project I'm working on. That takes up most of my time lately, unfortunately. It's a bit ironic because your feedback from this story is what gave me the confidence in my writing ability to pursue something I'd like to get published someday. But sadly that means I have less time to devote to this. I hope you understand.

I thought about putting this fic on hold altogether, but I'll still be able to update here and there. I promise not to completely forget about it or abandon it. I just don't want to force it. Most of my inspiration goes toward my other project. As fellow writers and artists must know, inspiration is so valuable. It can't be manufactured-definitely not in a specific direction. But I was inspired to come back to this today, and I'm sure I'll have days like that in the future.

I say this a lot but thank you SO MUCH for your support. 110,000 hits is more than I ever expected, and it grows every day even when I haven't updated in a while. Your reviews always inspire me, and notifications about new favorites and followers are my favorite emails to get. Please feel free to message me or review asking me to update! I love hearing from you guys and I can't tell you how many times a message or comment like that has motivated and inspired me.

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! I'm feeling really grateful and happy when usually this is a hard time for me. Here's hoping it sticks ^^