Disclaimer: I don't own any characters except Irbis and several innocent short-lived bystanders; everything else is Marvel's only.

12. Yielding

Creed washed up his dish after finishing, then took a deep breath and steeled himself for another argument. The woman hadn't touched the meat, which he had cut off his own steak, but at least she wasn't sulking anymore. He wasn't going to start anything though; she might still get some sense in her head and curb her stubbornness. So he leaned on the kitchen counter.

"I'm not hungry," she said, looking up at him.

What a surprise. Throw her into a bit of adrenaline and she just forgot she needed to eat. Ah, what the hell! It was too late for more drama. Maybe she'd have gotten over her soreness and unhappiness in the morning.

"Well, I'm gonna get some sleep."

The girl seemed confused as he moved away but he didn't care. What a pity his room still had the musky scent of sex… and tears. Nope, that wouldn't do. So as he got to his room, he opened a window to let some fresh air in, then quickly pulled the sheets off the bed. But when he got to his closet, for a new set of sheets, he was surprised to see Irbis standing at the door. She'd got there fast enough. Wait, too fast.

"Need help to make de bed?" She must have noticed his expression because she blushed lightly before looking away. But then she breathed out. "I admit I exagerate a bit."

He didn't understand.

"Quer dizer, I'm hurting. I didn't exagerate dat. But I… I didn't feel like move fast, so I walk slow. Very slow."

Smart ass. Then she dared to give him a lopsided glare when he growled, aggravated.

"What? If I don't exagerate be slow, you don't even remember I'm hurting."

Well, if that was the case… Creed opened a drawer and fished a set of sheets, threw them onto the bed. "Get to work!"

Creed was almost surprised when she sighed and complied. She was still walking stiffly, true, but not in the aggravating slowness of before. She started unfolding the sheets half-heartedly, the shirt climbing up her thighs and flashing him invitingly. He wasn't so blind he didn't notice some movements were clearly painful, but she went about her job without complaints, which only wetted his appetite.

Well, she had mellowed down of her own accord, so why didn't he take advantage of that? She was starting on the second sheet when he cut in and finished the job himself, ignoring her suspicious gaze. When their eyes finally met, she was almost holding her breath.

"You can't beat me until I obey," she said quietly.

Uh? Where did that come from?

"Yeah, I know. It was pretty clear last summer."

She shook her head lightly.

"I am your woman," she said carefully. "But… you can't beat me to obey you and… please don't force me to make sex when I don't want."

Drama all over again.

"I've told ya…"

"Dat was you pretend and be nice. I know, and you know, dat if you really want, you forget what you said about no sex until I say."

Well, at least she didn't believe everything folks said anymore.

"Look, girl, I don't need ta force ya none," especially since he wanted her willing, "'cause if I want, I can make ya beg fer me t'get in yer pants."

She didn't look convinced though. Worse, she was about to say it.

"I'm sorry, don't be angry. But after tonight, I don't think I believe you." She said it quietly, tiredly. A shrug of 'it's the way things are' that was mildly annoying. "You care about your uh… fun. You don't care if I or…"

"Get in bed."

The order shut her for a moment and then she paled, aprehension on her voice and a slight scent of fear around her.

"To sleep," she said uncertainly.

Great, now she was afraid of getting laid. Just great! The sooner he fixed that, the better.

"Just get in bed." He watched her obey with aprehensive movements. "And ya mark my words, girl, if I tells ya I'm gonna make ya scream my name and beg fer more every time ya set yer eyes on me, ya have better believe me 'cause that's exactly what's gonna happen."

She looked up at him. For a long moment, he saw hesitation. He even smelt a whif of fear around her. But then her eyes hardened.

"I don't beg." Oh, really? She lay down on the bed, eyes stubbornely on his. "But now we sleep, right?"

She really shouldn't tease if she wanted to sleep.

"Ya don't beg, huh?" He slid into the sheets "Why ain't I surprised."

"Uh… De lights…"

"Leave 'em lights on. I want ya ta see what's comin'." She closed her eyes with a groan, which wasn't exactly the state of mind he wanted her in. "Relax! I said no sex till ya says so, and I meant it. But we can always have one of your 'advances on sex', right?"

She looked at him confused. She was too near the edge for him to work on her, though, so he pulled her over nearer to the centre of the bed. It was a good thing the girl not only didn't resist, but actually helped the process. He stradled her then, carefully not to touch her. Not just yet.

"Maybe ya won't beg," she was stubborn enough to maybe just pull it off, no matter how well he did his part, "But ya will be callin' my name, girl. And ya will be askin' me to keep goin' till the sun is up."

First thing was to get rid of that shirt. Using a claw, he popped button after button. She could sew them back on later, and he grinned at the idea.

"Ya can't wear any other of my shirts, only this one."

She was looking at him with stubborn apprehension and Creed got the feeling she'd bite her tongue before complaining even if he did hurt her. But she was probably as determined to not as much as let off a sigh of pleasure. Good thing he enjoyed a challenge.

Leaning down, he kissed her irresponsive lips lightly, before reaching for her ear lobe and nibbling it softly, softly. Her breathing quivered. That's it. He kissed her neck next, nibbling it near the shoulder. She was already sinking her head backwards, exposing her neck to his mouth. Oh, yeah. He'd have her icy determination thawed even before moving below the neck. As he tried her lips again, he found them parted and slightly more responsive, even if she didn't kiss back.

"Ya want me ta stop or d'ya want me t' continue?"

She opened her eyes to him and blinked twice, unmoving, her breathing slow but deep.

He kissed her neck lightly, just above her collar bone. "Well?" Then kissed it fully, making her gasp "eenesh".

Uh? He looked up at her eyes, burning with a deadly determination.

"Inês," she whispered. "Dat is my real name."

Okay, this had better not go back into drama.

"I don't think ya got how this works. Ya're supposed t'say my name, not yers."

She chuckled, which was good. No drama then.

"I say your name, you say my name. Right?" The way she breathed in deeply was too determined for him to think she was melting. But then again, he had barely started. "Victor."

He kissed her as a prize for that. This time she kissed back, abandonedly, which wasn't quite how he wanted it, but this was a night for baby steps. She was waiting for him to say her name now and he hesitated just a moment, licking his lips.

"Agnes," he purred playfully.

Oopsy, she didn't look happy. Chuckling he kissed her again and, naturally, she was as irresponsive as a block of ice. So he trailed kisses down her neck. When his hand caressed her firm stomach fleetingly, she couldn't help the shudder going up her body.

"Ya like that?"

She breathed heavily and he saw her roll her eyes, as if quickly going over her options. Yield, damnit. He let a claw slither down her stomach and she arched her back.

"Yes… I like, yes. Veetohr?"

That was a funny accent. "Yeah?"

"Please…"

He interrupted her with a kiss and she frowned, not responding immediatelly; but then she yielded and kissed back. It wasn't that hard, was it, yielding to him?

"Ya want me t'stop?"

She snorted and glared at him. She definitely had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen on anyone.

"I don't beg," she swallowed, breathing shallow. "I don't beg dat you continue, and I don't beg dat you say my name."

He held that enticing glare in silence, savouring it. Let her kick about all she wanted; begging or not, she was going to yield to everything tonight.

She licked her lips. "But I ask… Please. Victor. Veetohr. My name… no one knows my name except you now. Because I am…" Her eyes flashed and she seemed to regain confidence. Control. "When you say my real name, you make me your woman. Like a… a spoken tattoo."

He laughed. That was funny, and it reminded him of that tattoo he had imagined on her back. Ok then, he could play along with that. He kissed her neck and crossed over the frontier of her collar bone, down towards the valley between her breasts.

"Enash," he breathed teasingly, and grinned at the aggravation that grumbled through her chest. "Hey, ya say my name wrong too."

She pushed herself up on her elbows with a frowned grimace. "Well, I'm stupid to learn languages, remember? But you are de genius dat learn Spanish from ear." Then she softened her annoyed voice. "You can say my name right. If you want…"

"Maybe ya have t'make me want to."

She smirked but quickly killed it. What was going on in that little head of hers? For someone who professed absolute honesty she seemed to keep a lot to herself. Her eyes had a mischieveous glint to them, though.

"I thought you have to make me want first," the smirk pulled her lip again and again she subdued it. He'd rather she didn't, but at least she was getting over her fears. Time to move on, even if he was still far from getting serious. Although, if he was to keep himself in check and not fuck her again, it was better if he didn't get really serious. Good thing she melted at almost anything he did.

He lay his hand palm down over her stomach and she shuddered. Then he took it off suddenly, making her gasp in expectation. When he started snaking his claws over her skin in a winding upward motion, her breathing became shallow, her hands grabbing the sheet on each side. She quickly drowned a whimper when Creed's hand cupped her right breast and massaged it lightly. Grinning, he stopped touching her and stood on his knees. She opened her eyes, confused, and blinked at him.

"Ya want me ta stop?"

He didn't even bother to hide the grin. Unexpectedly, she smiled – a relaxed, unguarded movement – and rolled her eyes.

"No, don't stop," was that amusement in her voice? "I like dat… and I want more. More, more, more."

Both her hands alighted on his thighs and Creed's body shuddered, his breath almost caught at the pleasure that shook his cool.

"Make me forget everything," she had just whispered, when he grabbed her wrists roughly and pinned them to her sides.

"Ya wanna keep this as an advance," he said sternly, stupidly breahtless, to her surprised face. "Ya'll keep yer hands off me. Ya touch me again, and as far as I'm concerned, ya want me t'go all the way. Got it?"

She nodded a quick understanding, a mute sorry under their breaths. Right. Now, where were they… Ah, yes. Trying to breathe away the hard on, Creed let go of her wrists and kissed the nipple again. A single peck. And yet she arched her back.

"More," she demanded. It was true, then; she didn't beg. He didn't like beggers anyway.

He touched the nipple with his tongue before swallowing it, making her whimper and gasp for god in her native Portuguese. Letting a hand come to rest on her hip, he started suckling.

"Deus, Veetohr. Oh, Veetohr!"

He interrupted himself and she tried to look up at him, eyes glazed over with pleasure.

"Veetohr…"

Her expectant gaze was so easy to read. He almost didn't say it, but she was yielding nicely and maybe she'd be willing to go beyond these stupid advances.

"Yes, Eenesh?"

She blinked quickly, eyes suddenly moist even though she was smiling. This giving in of his had better not blow in his face.

"Please tell me how I can touch you…" Bingo! "But please… Please." How could she make it sound so demanding? "I want dat is good like dis."

Nice and slow and tender. Sure, no problems. He kissed her hungrily before swallowing down her other breast and suckling it hard. She yelped and he froze for a moment. Nice and slow; nice and slow.

"Não pares," she whimpered, and one of her hands clasped firmly on his head. "No stop, Veetohr."

She really didn't have to say it twice. And he made a mental note of those Portuguese words. Those were things worth knowing in any language.

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