Orphan's Paradise

Chapter 8

Let's Get It Started

Disclaimer: I do not own RK!

Kaoru sat, frozen to her seat in the safe confines of the limo. There was a red carpet outside. A freakin red carpet. And she was going to walk down that red carpet. With movie star Kenshin Himura. Kenshin and a red carpet. In heels. In front of lots of people with cameras. A red carpet, with Kenshin, in heels, in front of way too many people.

Shit.

The door to the limo was already opening and immediately the inside of the limo was illuminated by hundreds of camera flashes. Sanosuke and Megumi elegantly stepped out, smiling confidently as they did so. Kaoru looked at them with envy. They looked so perfect together. Then Misao slid on out and hopped out of the limo, regardless of the dangerous heels she was wearing, waving at the cameras enthusiastically. Then Kenshin slid out to enormous applause and Kaoru felt the world sink as she realized she was to go next. Kenshin cleared his throat to grab Kaoru's attention, signaling that it was her turn to go. Her stomach clenched tightly and her heart leapt into her throat. Knowing that she didn't have a choice, and that it would be better to get it done and over with, she took Kenshin's hand and let him pull her out of the limo.

The sensation of having so many people cheer for you had her heart racing and adrenaline pumping. She could feel her hands shaking inside Kenshin's and then blushed when she realized that he hadn't let go. Her breath rose and fell unsteadily. Her eyes were bright and wide.

Kenshin's head dipped down next to hers and Kaoru was proud that she didn't jump back in alarm. "Just breathe, Kaoru. Smile, and breathe." She felt his hand leave hers and then wind around her waist. Kaoru promptly shivered at his touch. Kenshin, who seemed to feel her shiver, sent her a wicked grin in return. Kaoru quickly averted her eyes to all of the screaming fans with outstretched hands. With Kenshin's confidence at her side, she felt the noise of the crowd ebb away and she was able to walk down the red carpet with ease.

Misao was waiting for Kaoru just inside the doors of the lobby that hadn't been able to keep out the congregation of press and fans. She bounded over to Kaoru and grabbed her hands, her face glowing from excitement and the flashing lights. "You did it! Your first red carpet and you didn't trip!"

Kenshin's hand slid away from her waist, causing Kaoru to look up at him but he simply walked away without a backward glance and up to a group of chatty, dressy women. As soon as Kenshin left, Kaoru realized just how weak her legs felt when Kenshin's reassurance wasn't there by her side.

Misao giggled at her knowingly and hooked her arm with Kaoru's. "You don't need him when you have me! Let's ditch the lobby and let me show you around, we still have a little bit of time before the show starts."

Misao tugged at Kaoru and they waltzed off towards a set of doors leading to the actual arena. "But Misao, the doors don't open for another half hour!"

"Since when has that ever stopped me?" Misao shot Kaoru a not-so innocent grin and sidetracked to a side stairwell blocked by a burly guard.

"But how-?"

"Shush Kao, just follow me." Misao weaved around the crowds of people to pluck a glass of champagne off of a table. Then she headed towards a group of classy people just by the blocked stairwell. "This is the part where we hafta be quick. Just walk towards the stairwell, I'll be right behind you."

Kaoru mentally and physically braced herself for whatever Misao had planned. With a deep breath, she walked towards the stairwell, making brief eye contact with the guard. She simply smiled at him and he grinned sheepishly back, but his attention was immediately distracted when a girl shrieked from the other direction. After seeing that the screaming woman just had champagne spilled on her, he turned back to face Kaoru only to find that nobody was there.

Misao and Kaoru were panting on the other side of the stairwell; Kaoru didn't think that she had ever moved that quickly in her life. Misao straightened up, revealing a half empty glass of champagne. "Smooth as glass, right Kaoru?"

Kaoru giggled. She hadn't bothered to look at the woman when she screamed, knowing that it was Misao's doing. Instead, she had lunged for the stairwell, pulling on the handle just as Misao was pushing her onto the other side. Miraculously, they had hardly made any noise.

Misao tipped some of the champagne into her mouth and offered the rest to Kaoru. "Now for some real fun. All that waiting with all those stuffy people can be too dull." Kaoru drained the glass and set it down on the bottom step before following Misao up the stairs.

"So where are we going?" Kaoru asked.

Misao shrugged. "They have some pretty cool training halls that I could show you around to. Oh and the locker rooms are fancy! I would like to show you those too, but it would not be good if we were caught by Aoshi-sama."

Kaoru silently agreed and exited the stairwell at the next level. They could hear music drifting from the soon-to-be-filled arena down the hallway. The carpet muffled their footsteps, and soon they arrived at a long row of huge windows that looked into the lower level of the arena.

"It's much bigger than I thought it was gonna be…" Kaoru admired.

"Yeah, it's huge. These events sell out too. I think it's much more fun to see these men duel with authentic swords rather than wrestle."

Kaoru could see the seats rise way above the window and it reminded her of an indoor football stadium.

Suddenly a door opened from the stairwell they had just snuck into and Kaoru and Misao exchanged glances. "Quick, we'll go hide in a training hall." Misao grabbed Kaoru and together they attempted to run in heels. They rounded a corner and saw that the carpet ended at the door to another stairwell. Misao bent to yank off her shoes so that no one would hear their heels clicking in the stairwell. Kaoru followed suit before slipping soundlessly through the stairwell door. They launched up another three flights of stairs and came out on a landing that was above the arena. The floor was tile here as well and their feet padded softly across the floor until Misao arrived at a room tucked back into a corner. Misao poked her head inside to make sure the room was clear before the two girls entered.

Misao flicked on the lights and spun around on the hardwood floor. "This is one of the more modest training halls they have up here. Aoshi has taken me here a few times before to train, I love it here."

Kaoru glanced around the room. One wall was covered in mirrors, the other lined with windows overlooking the city. Then, to Kaoru's delight, she spotted a row of bokkens lined up on the opposite side of the room. She dropped her heels by the door and bounded over to grab one, feeling at home with the secure weight of the weapon in her hand.

A kunai whizzed by Kaoru's face and she quickly whirled around into a defensive stance. Misao stood facing her holding a handful of training kunai. "Care to duel?"

Kaoru grinned. "Love to."

The dance began. It was a little rusty at first since it had been so long since Kaoru had practiced, but soon she fell into the routine, feeling her muscles flex and body bend as she dodged the kunai.

"Tai would kill me if she saw my make up." Misao said while wiping away the sheen of sweat on her forehead, though she didn't sound very upset about it.

Both girls paused every once in a while to adjust their clothing and then restarted. Unbeknownst to them, the lobby doors downstairs had already opened letting the audience enter the arena, leaving Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Megumi to wonder where the girls had snuck off to.

"What do you mean you can't find the girl? We saw them walk in, and no one can leave the lobby!" Hissed a shadowed man pressed against the wall, surrounded by other press.

The other man nodded his head in the direction of Kenshin and Sano, who seemed to be looking desperately around the room for something, or someone. "It looks like we're not the only ones who can't find the girl."

"Well you better find the girl before they do. We've got a job to finish, one that you failed to do last time. Just get me a freakin picture!"

The shadowed man huffed and backed away, slipping seamlessly into the crowd despite his bulky figure.

"Megumi, Sano, just go ahead inside and I'll look for the girls. If they're not around the lobby then I have a feeling where they might have gone." Kenshin said coldly, his eyes still scanning the lobby. He was furious that the two girls would run off on him again. Why hadn't he been paying more attention to them? It was because of those girls that had been making eyes at him the moment they stepped into the building. He should have stayed with Kaoru.

"But Kenshin, what if something happened to them? You know that someone is after you. It may be a trap." Sano argued, Megumi gripping his arm worriedly.

Kenshin shook his head. "If they are in trouble then I better hurry. Go inside, Sano."

Sano scowled. "Fine. But if you are not back here in twenty minutes, I'm gonna come after you."

Kenshin hmphed and spun on his heel, walking briskly to a nearby elevator. The guard simply nodded to Kenshin and stepped aside as Kenshin entered the elevator and impatiently waited for the doors to close.

Both Kaoru and Misao were panting by the time they were finished with their sparring. "That was so much fun. We'll need to do it again." Said Misao as she walked over to the mirror to readjust her outfit and fix her hair.

Kaoru nodded. "Yes, somewhere where it is okay for us to lose track of time." She glanced up at the clock that read 7:05. The match started five minutes ago.

Misao sighed as she laced up her heels. "I bet Sano and Megumi are going to kill us when we come back in."

"Not since I found you first." Said a deep baritone from the entrance of the dojo, causing both Kaoru and Misao to whirl around.

"Kenshin!" Misao shouted, leaping up to her feet. "You should have seen Kaoru fight! Who knew that she's actually pretty good!"

Kaoru's breath caught in her throat as she took in Kenshin's appearance. Though he appeared to be calm, and pretty irritated, she could tell by his ruffled hair and the shirt clinging to his body that he had ran around the building looking for them. She looked away, ashamed, wondering why he'd be so frazzled looking for them in the first place.

Kenshin looked over at Kaoru in surprise once hearing that she could fight, but her head was bowed so that she missed the appreciative glance he gave her. He then remembered how he was supposed to be angry with the two girls for sneaking about and he cleared his throat to cut Misao off. "We need to return to the arena right away. Let's go."

Kaoru looked questioningly over at Misao. She expected there to be much more yelling, but it seemed as if they got off the hook easy. Misao was thinking the same thing and was beaming as they exited the dojo and headed back to the arena.

They never noticed the stairwell door opening as they climbed into the elevator. An angry scowl spread across Gohei's features as he just missed catching the orphan.

The arena erupted into bursts of cheering when Kenshin entered the arena with the two girls in tow. Misao automatically started cheering as well when she realized that Aoshi just got a hit on his opponent. Kaoru couldn't help but smile.

Kaoru was thankful that their entrance went unnoticed and she immediately picked out Sano and Megumi in the front row. They quickly met relieved glances once they took their seats to watch the rest of the match. Kaoru was left in thought wondering why they were so worried. She remembered the warning Sano had given her a few nights ago about keeping her eyes peeled for danger. But surely nothing would happen in such a public and crowded place? Kaoru tried to push the thought from her mind. She was here to enjoy herself, and after a sidelong glance to Kenshin, to make Kenshin look good. She turned her eyes onto the match and watched the progression of attacks with a well-trained eye.

The match continued on without a hitch. Aoshi won, obviously, and Misao was completely beside herself with excitement at the end. Sano was whooping merrily and Kaoru grinned when she noticed Megumi was leaning onto Sano's other arm with a content smile. Kenshin was clapping with the rest of the crowd, occasionally whistling when Aoshi came back out to receive his award. Everyone left the arena in high spirits and Kaoru was thankful that their limo was close by.

Once they all had taken a seat, Kenshin's phone went off. Kaoru turned her attention to the window, watching the crowds of people leave as she heard Kenshin speak into the phone. "Great job tonight… Yes? You going? Oh sure sounds great. I'll let them know. See you in a bit! Bye."

"What was that about?" Misao asked once Kenshin hung up.

"Aoshi's meeting us at the club tonight." Kenshin said with a smile.

Kaoru didn't think that it was possible for Misao's grin to be wider than when Aoshi won the match, but she proved her wrong. Misao's face was on the verge of splitting.

It was a short ride to the club. Once they pulled up to the curb, everyone climbed out and Kaoru went to go join the massive line of people that wrapped around the block outside the club.

"Whoa where are you going Missy?" Sano asked, grabbing Kaoru's elbow and steering her towards the entrance doors. "There's no need to wait when you've got Kenshin with you."

Kaoru's wide eyes fell on Kenshin as he straightened his shirt and strolled towards the bouncer at the door. The bouncer immediately opened up the door and winked at Kaoru as they walked in. Immediately she was encompassed by pounding music and bodies pressed against one another dancing and talking.

"Watch your mouth, tenuki, or you might catch flies." Megumi giggled at Kaoru as they walked in. Her mouth was gaping open. She had never been special enough to be put in front of others. Nor had she ever been around this many people before. Never gone dancing before. Never dressed up to go out before. It was an evening of firsts.

After entering the club, Kenshin led the group up a set of stairs by the dance floor to where all of the private booths were. Music was pounding out through the speakers causing the floor to vibrate. Kaoru hovered by the railing that overlooked the dance floor as Kenshin confidently walked towards the last booth in the corner. Sano and Megumi slid in on one side, Kenshin on the other. Kaoru was still clinging to the railing, dying to join the others on the dance floor, Misao standing by her watching anxiously for Aoshi.

A waitress strutted over to the table moments later ready to take drink orders. Those sitting at the table ordered their mixed drinks and the waitress turned to get Misao and Kaoru's orders. Before Misao could speak, however, Megumi but in. "They will just have a couple of cokes."

Misao pouted as the waitress walked away and Megumi shook her head knowingly. "No drinks for you girls yet. You're underage."

Misao rolled her eyes but Kaoru didn't mind. She leaned heavily against the railing realizing for the first time that day how tired she was. The little sparring match she and Misao had was enough to tire out anybody, and all of the excitement from the match was starting to wear off. She longingly watched the people dancing together on the floor beneath them, their bodies becoming one with the beat. She had never danced before and had no idea whether or not she could dance. Misao seemed to hear her thoughts and nudged Kaoru's elbow.

"Do you want to go give it a shot?" Misao asked, nodding her head in the direction of the dance floor.

She looked back at Kenshin, remembering how angry he was when she ran off with Misao in the arena. To her surprise, he was staring right back at her with glazed amethyst eyes. Kaoru quirked her head to the side wondering what he was thinking, but he was completely zoned out. Kaoru nodded her head in answer to Misao and then said to Sano and Megumi, "We're going to go dance for a little bit. That okay?" Sano eagerly waved them off and Misao grabbed Kaoru's hand leading her down the steps and onto the floor.

Misao wormed her way through the mass of people and found enough room for the two of them to stand comfortably together. Almost immediately, Misao started swaying her hips to the music, her arms rising upwards to twirl in the air. Kaoru swallowed nervously as she started to imitate what Misao was doing. It was easy enough to let the music consume her as she rocked her hips to it, then start to sway to it, and then her arms just fell about her as it followed her turning and twisting motions.

"Woo Kaoru look at you go!" Misao giggled, reaching out to grab Kaoru's hands to twirl her around. Kaoru threw her head back and laughed, reveling in the moment of freedom.

"Damn, would you take a look at that?" Sano asked up by their booth as he peered over the railing. "Who knew the missy had it in her? She could totally show up a belly dancer." Megumi rolled her eyes at him as Sano paused in thought. "I wonder- do you think she can pole dance?"

Megumi scoffed at him and slapped his arm. "Sano! How dare you say that! She's so young!"

"But legal." Sano responded, wagging his eyebrows.

Kenshin took a sip of his drink and walked over to the railing to see what all the commotion was about. It didn't take long for him to pinpoint where Misao and Kaoru were dancing. Their erotic moves were beginning to draw attention from the people around them and several guys began dancing with the girls without the girls even paying attention to them.

Kenshin was drawn to the way Kaoru was moving. Her cap was pulled down on her forehead, forcing him to focus on the confident smirk on her lips. Her pants hung low on her hips and her white top was sliding up her stomach, revealing a taught set of abs. Her skin was glistening in the lights and he could see her muscles pull and stretch as she danced. It was alluring. What Sano had just said raced through his brain, "She's legal."

Apparently the other guys dancing around her thought so too as one guy in particular stretched his hand out to grasp her hip. Immediately a wave of anger washed over Kenshin at the contact. Kaoru was his responsibility. Kaoru was his to look after. He couldn't let her go prancing around letting other boys touch her. Not when he hadn't touched her first.

Kenshin was ready to go down to the floor and take his position next to Kaoru when he noticed someone else had a similar idea. Aoshi had just entered the club and was met with tons of applause and attention from the people surrounding him. As he stoically made his way to the stairs to their booth, he caught sight of Misao. Kenshin watched with amusement as he stopped, watched, and then made his way onto the floor. The people parted for Aoshi as if they were the red sea, and soon he took his place with Misao. His hands grasped her waist firmly, spinning Misao to face him. She was shocked for only a minute, but then she smiled warmly at him. Her arms, which were still raised in the air, fell around his neck, and after a few moments of stillness, Misao continued to dance around Aoshi as he helped twirl her, hold her, rocked with her, always following her lead.

As Kenshin descended the stairs, he wondered at the relationship between Aoshi and Misao. It hadn't always been that way, their personalities clashing at first. His eyes focused on Kaoru's and he wondered if he and Kaoru were the same way. But after watching her continue to wind around the guy that was at her back, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his head. All he could think of now was dancing with Kaoru.

The crowd of people didn't part for Kenshin like they did for Aoshi. But they certainly tried to swarm around him. Just because he wasn't at the top of the A-list didn't mean that people didn't know who he was and they definitely still found him attractive. But no matter how the women pressed against him, he didn't feel them.

Within a few minutes Kenshin had finally arrived to where Kaoru was still dancing with the unknown man. The brim of her hat hid her eyes and her mouth parted slightly as she started to pant. When her arms lifted into the air once more, he grabbed at her fingertips and twirled her into him. The guy that she was dancing with was about to protest, but a hard amber glare silenced him.

Kaoru had stopped thinking long ago and let the music completely consume her. She was tired, but the music gave her all the energy that she needed. Kaoru vaguely noticed that someone had touched her waist and a thrill went through her body. The feeling was new and exciting and Kaoru reveled in the feel of being wanted. When Aoshi had walked towards the two girls and took up dancing, Kaoru couldn't help but watch in awe. Though they were such opposites, they looked so right together. She knew that Misao was brought here for Aoshi, and she was jealous at how well Misao had done her job. "And more," Kaoru thought as she saw Aoshi clutching to Misao protectively.

Just then, she felt two hands grab her and twirl her into a firm chest. She noticed a shock of red out of the corner of her eye and immediately realized that she was no longer with the guy who had been previously holding her waist. She raised her head and her bright blue eyes met amber. Her body froze to find Kenshin standing so close to her, and his eyes so focused on her. Slowly, his hands trailed down her arms, trailing slowly down her sides and finally resting on the skin at her hips. Kaoru's body was tingling, his fingers setting her skin on fire. She was suddenly very awake and very aware of whatever Kenshin was doing.

Kenshin sent Kaoru a confident smirk as he firmed his grip on her, forcing her to return to moving her body to the beat. Slowly she got back into the music, finding it harder to concentrate as she kept on staring into Kenshin's eyes. Her feet shifted so that she was straddling one leg. Together they swayed together, her arms falling lightly on his shoulders. What seemed like hours of never breaking eye contact, she couldn't take the intense emotions that were swirling in his eyes. She took a step back away from Kenshin, but his hands would not let her go far. Instead, she twirled herself around so that her back was pressed to his chest. His hands pressed against her stomach and Kaoru could feel heat emanating in his hands and pooling in strange places in her body. Yet it wasn't frightening, rather it was eliciting. Her eyes fluttered shut and her breathing became more ragged. She didn't know how long they were dancing together or when her fingers became entangled with Kenshin's, but her attention was distracted when Misao was tapping at her shoulder and drawing her away from Kenshin.

Kaoru pouted slightly and she felt how Kenshin was reluctant to let go, but Misao was insistent. "Kaoru, let's go back upstairs. There's someone taking pictures."

Kaoru herself couldn't pinpoint camera flashes from all of the other lights in the room, but she knew from Misao's sincerity and the determined look on Aoshi's face that they should stop dancing and go up to their private booth. Leaving Aoshi and Kenshin behind, Kaoru let Misao lead her back up to the booth where they sat sipping at some waters.

"So you and Kenshin looked hot on the dance floor!" Misao squealed, resuming her bubbly personality once they were alone in their booth.

Kaoru blushed. "Did we? I didn't notice…"

Misao slapped at Kaoru's arm. "You mean that you didn't feel the way his hands were all over you?"

Kaoru noticed the two men walking up the stairs then with serious expressions. "Ssh, not now, we'll talk about it later, kay?"

Misao giggled and continued to sip on her water.

"I think it's time that we leave." Aoshi announced once they arrived at the table.

"Sure thing." Misao said, saluting Aoshi.

"Where's Sano and Megumi?" Kaoru asked.

"They're meeting us in the limo." Kenshin responded, his eyes still smoldering.

Both Kaoru and Misao slid out of the booth and silently followed the men outside to meet Sano and Megumi in the limo.

It was so hard for Kaoru to wake up the next morning. Her eyes felt like they were glued shut. They probably were with the amount of make up she had on that she didn't bother to clean off when she came back from the club the night before.

As Kaoru pushed herself out of bed and staggered into the shower, memories of the night before flooded her mind. Images of the match she had with Misao, of Aoshi winning his match, of the limo ride to the club, and then finally dancing at the club. Her cheeks flushed at the way she remembered Kenshin's hands grabbing her and the heat they created.

She didn't want to think about it too much. She had completely made a fool of herself on the dance floor. Kaoru scoffed at herself once she clambered out of the shower. She quickly pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt, stuffing her hair into an unruly wet bun, and quickly walked downstairs to get some breakfast. But on her way down, she noticed the paper that was laid out on the table by the front door. On the front page was a picture of her. Correction: a picture of her and Kenshin. Kaoru gasped and quickly confiscated the paper, running into the nearest closet, flipping on the light, and thoroughly examined the article.

The picture on the front page was steamy to put it politely. It was of Kaoru and Kenshin dancing, her back to his chest, his hands splayed across her stomach, her arms arching up and backwards around his neck. Kaoru was grateful for the cap covering her eyes, but his eyes were smoldering and directed solely on her body. The picture, in Kaoru's opinion, was scandalous, and the article was almost just as bad.

"Our favorite actor was spotted last night at a night club after attending Aoshi Shinomori's match. He has not been spotted out and about the city's hottest nightspots since the tragic homicide and suicide on his estate a month ago. But being the actor that he is, he could not stay away from drama for long.

"Pictured above, Kenshin Himura dances with his new ward, Kaoru Kamiya. As thankful as we are for Ms Kamiya to pull Kenshin out of his secluded shell, we are shocked to see the type of girl the Himura household has taken in. Are the halls of Himura to be thus polluted?"

The article appalled Kaoru. How could she have acted that way on the dance floor? She knew what was at stake. She should have acted like the good little ward and stayed up in the booth sipping her coke. Poor Kenshin. They should have chosen someone else.

Kenshin strolled out of his bedroom and down the steps. He just received word from Shishio that there was to be a meeting discussing Kaoru's future press releases. Kenshin glanced out the window by the front door and took note of the darkening sky. It looked like it was going to rain soon. He turned to the closet to grab an umbrella.

Kenshin received quite the shock when he opened the closet door. Crumpled on the floor sat Kaoru, a newspaper article in her fingers, and silent tears streaming down her face.

"Kaoru!" Kenshin shouted, dropping to his knees and running his hands over her shoulders, instinctually thinking that she was hurt. As soon as his hands made contact with her body, he experienced the heat that he had felt last night when they were dancing.

Kaoru turned her face away from Kenshin and drew her body even more into herself. "I'm not hurt, Kenshin, it's okay." She mumbled, her face grew red at being discovered.

A pained expression took over Kenshin's face. "You don't look okay. Kaoru," he reached one hand to cup her face and the other to smooth over her hair, "tell me what's wrong."

Kaoru slowly lifted her eyes to Kenshin, finding comfort in his soft amethyst eyes. Instead of speaking, however, she handed Kenshin the article. "Here, I think this is for you."

Kenshin took the article from Kaoru, keeping one hand in her hair. He froze when he saw the picture of the two of them on the cover. Instead of being appalled, he was intrigued. The feelings that were running through his body that night suddenly returned with a searing intensity. He quickly skimmed through the article, his eyes darkening when he took offense to the way they disgraced Kaoru in the article.

"I'm so sorry, Kenshin," Kaoru sobbed once she saw the look in his eyes, thinking that the murderous rage that filled his eyes was at her.

"No, Kaoru, none of this is your fault." Kenshin seethed, "I will go fix this right now."

"No!" Kaoru cried, reaching out to hold onto Kenshin's arms. "No, that's not how this is supposed to work. I'm supposed to be helping you!"

Kenshin's body immediately softened and he gathered Kaoru's trembling body into his arms. "Kaoru," he nudged gently, trying to get her tear streaked face to look at his. The broken look in her eyes practically stopped his heart. He never wanted to see that look in her eyes again. "You are helping me. Much more than you realize. And you can continue to help me. But them attacking you like this was uncalled for." Kaoru sniffed into Kenshin's chest and Kenshin felt a surge of emotion swell within him. His voice dropped an octave as he continued to speak, "I will not apologize for the way we acted last night. It gives me something to look forward to in the future."

Kaoru's eyes darted up to Kenshin's. His eyes were smoldering now like they were last night, and it was very hard to ignore the heat that was building up in her body. His fingers were trailing down her cheek, cupping her chin, and tugging her face towards him. She could feel his breath on her lips they were so close. Her eyes fell closed as she waited with bated breath what inevitably would happen next.