He was going to lose his soul. He had come to terms with it, and was now accepting just what was happening. Or, more accurately, his body was coming to terms with it.

After Kahlan had locked the door, he knew he was a goner. She wanted him and he wanted her - there was no way for him to find a way out of this situation. He honestly didn't want to. After this, he would be her mate. No use in confessing Ryan as well, especially when Richard was already there and willing. Thoughts tumbled through his head as Kahlan directed him to a seat on the bed, moving to straddle his lap. Richard breathed in her scent and watched her with heavy eyes as she made herself comfortable. Her fingers locked behind his neck as she pressed her forehead against his.

"Oh, Cypher. Stop contemplating all the consequences," she moved her head to his ear, her hair falling to the right side of her head, "I promise you won't lose your soul. A little kissing and touching can't do much harm now, can it?" Richard felt his shoulders relax, she wasn't going to claim his soul. She was still going to claim Ryan's. He clenched his eyes shut and his hands found their way to her hips, drawing her closer to him as his mouth caught her neck. She stirred with the surprise, but soon arched her neck to give him more access. He trailed hot kisses on the exposed flesh, suddenly very upset that her dress was still on. It was for the best. if the dress came off he had no chance in keeping his soul. She fully in control on what was going to happen, and she knew it.

She placed the palms of her hands on his chest, one pulling the pendent he wore, urging him to continue. He smiled against her skin. He was sure he was going to leave a mark. It thrilled him. Still kissing her neck, he moved his hands from her hips up to her torso, right before the cups of her corset. Her hands found their way to his neck, pulling his face up to meet hers, her legs lifting as she positioned herself over him, gently pushing him back. Seeing her thighs exposed through her dress pushed him right over the edge. He made a quick move to sit up, circle his arm around her waist, and flip her onto her back. She let out a groan when she hit the bed.

Before she could object or make a move to be the one in control, Richard captured her mouth in a deep kiss. He supported his weight on his left arm as his right went to fumble with her boot, managing to pull it down enough so that she could kick it off. He then switched his weight and mirrored the action with her right boot. Kahlan grabbed a fist full of hair as she deepened the kiss, her left leg moving up until he could feel her knee on his ribs. He sighed into her lips, and then, as expected, she flipped him over.

She settled herself on top of him while pursing her lips. Her hair was messy and tangled, and Richard felt excitement knowing that it was tousled because of him. Before the night was up, he was going to make sure he buried his hands deep into her dark mass of hair. She waved her index finger at him, mouthing 'no, no, no' before flipping her hair to the side.

Richard wanted more of her to access.

He sat up and started undoing the laces of her jacket, Kahlan watching intently as he did so, seemingly not surprised by the action. When the jacket was fully unlaced, she shrugged it off her shoulders. Richard grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. He used his other hand to place it behind her neck, drawing her in to a kiss as they both fell back onto the bed.

Richard willingly let Kahlan take control, letting her shift above his body and relishing the feel of her hands on his burning skin. She soon digressed from his lips and started moving to kiss his neck. Richard moved his hand and buried it deep into her hair, drawing little circles with his fingers at the base of her neck. A tiny giggle escaped her throat.

Richard smiled, chuckling. He rested his head on the bed, letting Kahlan do as she wished. He tried to keep his body under control. It wouldn't take long before he'd want to bury himself inside of her. He tried to force his mind to wander, but was always brought back to the feeling of Kahlan nibbling and sucking at his skin. It was enough to drive a man mad. He was sure she'd leave a mark. That thrilled him as well. She started to move down his chest, leaving a trail of hot, messy kisses. When she reached his hips, she placed light butterfly kisses along them, making sure not to displace his pants. She crawled her way back up his body and leaned over, swiping her hair out of her face as she planted more light kisses along his jawline, Richard smiling like a child. She continued her way up his jawline until she hit his earlobe, where she bit down playfully.

Richard couldn't contain his laugh, and he snaked an arm around her as he rolled her back over. She took his tooth pendent in her hands, slightly rolling it and tugging at it, her legs on either side of Richard. He smiled as he leaned down to kiss her - not one of deep passion or lust, but one that was quite chaste. When he lifted his head and looked into her blue eyes, she was smiling. Genuinely smiling. He imitated her, placing light kisses all over her face while her hands made moves to bat him away - lightly hitting him as she stifled her giggles.

Richard was ecstatic he could make her giggle like a little girl. Make her smile.

He dipped his head and started placing light kiss all along her throat and shoulder. Her right arm rested on his back, drawing images on him with her nails. When he playfully bit down, she jumped beneath him, her left leg moving up on instinct. Richard grabbed it, slowly moving his hand down to her ankle. With just his fingertips, he moved his hand up her leg to her knee. When he reached her thigh, he started drawing patterns. She leaned up to place a kiss on his neck, slightly jerking underneath him as his fingers danced along her flesh. When he reached up to her waist, he tightly gripped her with one hand as he rolled over, allowing her to be dominant once again.

She leaned down and kissed him, grabbing his tooth pendent and dragging him up with her as she made herself upright again.

"See?" She breathed, her voice husky and strained. "A little kissing and touching can't do much harm." She leaned against him, breathing on his mouth. Hot, short breaths.

He smiled, "I don't know about that, Amnell." She playfully hit his shoulder as he enveloped her in his arms, dragging her back to the bed. He maneuvered them to where they were on their sides, facing each other.

She smirked at him while she squirmed. "We should do that more often."

Richard laughed as his hand found it's way to her leg, which was now fully exposed due to the angle she was in. He used his fingers to dance along her once again, and she grabbed his pendent and used it as leverage to draw him into a kiss.

"We should keep this a secret." She looked up into his eyes, lifting her chin and smiling.

He chuckled as he pulled her into him. She fit perfectly against his body, her head nestled neatly into the crook of his neck. His hands started playing along the stray strands of her hair, which was now tangled beyond belief. He kissed her hairline.

"I think that's a good idea." He felt her smile against his skin. "Spirits, if Zedd knew about this .."

She cut him off, "He never will." She leaned out of his embrace and smiled her half sided smirk. "I should get going. It will be awfully suspicious if I come sneaking out of the room at some late hour."

Richard didn't want to see her go, but he sat on the bed and watched her dress herself again. He had offered to help, but she just pushed his hands away, saying if he were to help, she'd end up losing even more clothing. When he stood up to say goodbye, she tugged on his pendent and met her lips with his. He watched her walk out the door with a huge smile on his face and his mind racing.

He looked down at the tooth that resided around his neck. He picked it up in his hand, tossing it around gently. Kahlan loved to use this to pull him closer to her, to kiss him. He would never look at this necklace the same again.