A/N: Two years, oh my… Is there anyone alive out there?I genuinely don't know if any of you are still interested in reading this story, but here's a new chapter! Since it has been so long, here's a little reminder that Maya slept with a stranger in that night club she went to with Damon, and Katherine was very unhappy with finding said stranger's lingerie in Maya's pocket when she came back to Mystic Falls. Not that important plot wise, but I wouldn't want you guys to miss on a joke ;D
I hope you're all doing great and that you're going to enjoy that long awaited second date with Katherine hehehe ;P Happy reading! (:
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of its characters. This is a work of fiction written for entertainment purposes, but the original characters and original storylines.
"I've been kidnapped, injured and under bed arrest for two days, and your idea of a date is to take me hiking? Really?"
We had been walking for fifteen minutes already on a sloping muddy path and I still had no idea where Katherine was taking me.
She shot me a teasing side-glance. "I thought you were 'perfectly fine'?"
"I am. But for someone who escorted me to the hospital and moved in the boarding house to keep an eye on me, you sure did a good job at pretending to be worried."
"I'm sorry, did you mistake me for one of your overly dramatic nurses? I didn't move in, I was just tired of living in a bed and breakfast. And I can actually tell when someone's fine. But if you still feel a little...wobbly, you can always ride me. It would be my pleasure," she purred the last word suggestively.
She managed to make rather dirty thoughts pass through my mind, and I put on a show of pushing a branch out of my way to cover my fluster. I deliberately ignored the innuendo and gave her a smug smirk.
"Not necessary. I'm pretty sure that by using those trees, I'd be a lot faster than you to get wherever we're going, anyway."
"You probably would... Too bad you have no idea where to go."
"Speaking of which, do you really have to set our dates in the middle of nowhere? What's waiting for me this time...a chainsaw and a freshly dug hole?"
"I thought you loved the woods."
"I do. But I also recall you telling me that you'd sell out Mother Nature for a luxurious hotel room."
She burst into a fit of light giggles at my comeback. "True. But nature has some...perks I really enjoy."
She let her gaze roam quickly over my entire body from the corner of her eye, and I suddenly got a bad feeling about this.
"What did you plan this time, Katherine?" I drawled suspiciously.
"Well...see for yourself! We're here."
She pushed a few branches aside and revealed our destination. The large area bathed in light made me guess that we had reached a clearing, but before I could see any further, she bypassed the bush and let go of its branches, thwacking them straight into my face.
"Seriously?" I gritted through my teeth, pushing the bush aside angrily.
I was about to give her a piece of my mind when I took in the scenery before me. There was indeed a clearing, but not only. In the middle of it was a pond with water so pure you could see the rocks lying at the bottom of it. A small and lazy waterfall was filling it, creating a delicate and relaxing sound. The air around was fresh and smelling like moss, but the sun was warm on my skin. The entire scene was perfect.
"How do you know this place?" I asked, amazed. "I've been living in Mystic Falls for three years and I've never even heard of it."
"Well... 1864 Mystic Falls didn't really have a movie theater and a bar to keep you entertained." She added a lop-sided smile to her witty remark and dropped her backpack on the strip of grass running next to the pond. "It was either playing cards or walking around."
"Ha! Let me guess... This is the place you used to bring Stefan and Damon to get naughty without being caught."
She straightened herself up after pulling a picnic cover out of the bag and paused her action to look at me, one eyebrow raised in surprise.
"Actually, no. We didn't have to hide..."
The wicked smile that rose on her lips at the memory reminded me of the cold and calculating woman that she was. As much as I didn't want to be another one of her playthings, I knew better than to believe I was not and forced myself to keep that in mind.
Her swift shaking movement to unfold the cover snapped me out of my thoughts. She squatted down to guide the floating fabric onto the ground and turned her head to look at me.
"I never brought anyone here. The Salvatore estate could quickly become...crowded, and the lack of privacy coming with living in a village was suffocating at times. I made a habit of coming here to escape."
"Then, why sharing your secret spot with me?"
She stopped smoothing out the wrinkles of the cover and stood up to face me with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.
"Because I'm absolutely sure you get privacy." Before I could ask what that was supposed to mean, she kicked off her shoes. "Enough talking, let's go for a swim!"
"What?" I glanced at the water and then back at her quickly. "I'm not going swimming!"
She frowned and watched my face intently.
"What's wrong? You have a fear of water?"
"No, but I don't have a swimsuit just in case in my bag. You never mentioned anything about going swimming!"
"I didn't?" She pretended to be genuinely surprised and then shrugged, a pout on her lips. "Oh well, I guess I just forgot."
I crossed my arms over my chest, not having any of it. "Of course, you forgot. Just like you forgot to bring water on our first date."
"Oh come on... It's an honest mistake, I promise! And I brought a bottle of water for you this time," she sing-songed, exaggerating the perkiness in her voice.
I shot her a dry look. "No bathing suit, no pool party for me."
"Could you stop being such a buzz kill? You can just swim in your underwear..." A suggestive smirk curled her lips. "It's practically the same thing, and I know you're not shy about your body."
I tensed at her suggestion. I couldn't swim in my underwear for the simple reason that the lace would become even more see-through that it already was, as soon as I would walk in the water. Not to mention that I would have to stay half naked for a while to dry them afterwards. I was also certain that Katherine would never believe that I hadn't put lacy underwear on, this morning, for her benefit.
"Unless you're wearing lingerie?" she added, faking an innocent tone.
Her insight brought me back to reality and made me grit my teeth. I forced myself to remain as impassive as I could manage.
"Don't get any idea, I wear lingerie most of the time."
"Oh, I know..."
My eyes snapped up to burn holes in her skull. How the hell could she know that about me? I started to panic until it hit me. The day I collapsed in fever in front of the school.
I had woken up, wearing her lingerie. And Damon had mentioned that she undressed me, after they rescued me from Alejandro. Anger began to fill my chest at the reminders, but she raised a flat hand to stop me before I could even say a word.
"Before you cry fool and call me all the synonyms of the word pervert you can think of, I only removed your drenched clothes to prevent you from getting sicker. Same with your bloodied clothes but to check for injuries." She paused and stared at me straight in the eye to stretch her point. "I didn't ogle you. You were unconscious. Even I have principles. But it was kind of hard not to notice your choice of underwear..." A saucy lopsided-smile rose on her lips, and I had a sudden itchy desire to smack it off her face. "Speaking of which, if you could remember to give me my lingerie back, that would be great."
"I'm afraid I can't."
"Why not?"
"I burned it."
"What? Why would you do such thing?!" she exclaimed, looking as hurt and offended as if I had said that I kicked a puppy.
"Because I had no idea where they had been before ending up on me." I narrowed my eyes childishly at her, and her face turned into a dry expression.
"Really? The slut comment? Maybe you could've put away my lingerie next to the thong of that wench you fucked in a night club."
Touché. To be honest, I didn't even care if Katherine slept around. My only concern –if I really had one— was on a sanitary level, but knowing her high standards and control freak tendency, I wasn't worried about that where she was concerned. I was just trying to get back at her for making me nervous once more in barely half an hour.
"But just so you know, that bra had only ever cupped my breasts, and the matching cheeky shorts only my ass..." she revealed in a husky voice, swaying her hips lazilyas she walked toward me.
I tried to stop the images she described from passing through my head but to no avail. An uncomfortable heat built in the pit of my stomach. I forced myself to start breathing again and blinked a few times, trying to find something to say.
"Aren't vampires supposed to be afraid of water, anyway?" I mumbled, putting as much annoyance in my voice as I could manage.
She stopped a few feet from me, an amused expression on her face. "We're not afraid of water. We're just...twitchy. Not exactly in our element."
"Meaning you're not as fast and predatory as you like to be?"
She flashed me a devilish smirk as an answer.
"Then why risk it?"
"Because I used to love swimming! And I'm not going to let my..." she trailed off, waving her fingers in a dismissing manner, "...vampiric nature spoil all the fun. Although, it's surely the only thing that is not fun when you're a vampire."
"Yeah... I'm sure constantly resisting the urge to suck dry every human you cross paths with must be a thrill."
She looked up, a sparkle of mischief shining in her eyes, and bit her lip to hold back a smile.
"I'm five hundred year old. I learned to control those urges a long time ago. Don't you worry, I'm not going to eat you." She tilted her head to the side, letting her eyes roam over my entire figure. "Not like that, anyway..."
My mouth opened and closed a few times on its own but nothing came out of it. Her not so subtle allusion left me dumbstruck. The pleased yet amused expression on her face made it clear that she knew exactly the effect she was having on me, and she was enjoying it way too much for my liking. I swallowed through the dryness of my mouth to throw a comeback at her but before I could, she let her jacket slide off her shoulders. The leather piece fell on the grass with a soft thud. When she grabbed the side of her corset and pulled on the zipper to remove it, my heart jumped in my throat. Was she really going to undress right in front of me?
That answer came seconds later when she let her black top fall over the jacket and took the buttons of her jeans between her fingers. She pulled them open swiftly then hooked her thumbs in each side of the waistband. When she glanced up at me, I noticed the sparkle of defiance in her eyes and the small devilish smile on her lips. She locked her gaze on mine and pushed her skinny jeans agonizingly slowly toward the ground. A rush of lust spread through my body at the view, and I realized that despite my best effort, I couldn't look away. When my eyes traveled over her smooth stomach, I threw caution to the wind. I shamelessly drank in her endless legs, the heaviness of her breasts and the firmest of her butt that were barely clad in a strapless bikini. She shoved her jeans toward the pile of clothes lying on the ground with a playful kick, and with a final provocative look, she walked toward the pond, exaggerating the lazy sway of her hips.
My fists unconsciously clenched and unclenched as a desperate attempt to get a grip on reality. When the water finally swallowed her waist, I took a deep urgent breathe, suddenly aware that I had held my breath since the beginning of her strip tease. She turned around but before she could lock eyes with me, I focused on the surroundings, pretending that I hadn't gawked at her during her entire little show.
"So? What are you waiting for?" she asked lightly, drawing delicate patterns on the surface of the water with her fingertips.
"Huh?"
I cursed inwardly for giving myself away so easily with that brilliant answer. Trying to appear relaxed and detached again, I pulled on my shirt sharply to smooth it out and crossed my arms over my chest.
"Oh, come on... Once your body is under water, I won't see a thing."
I glanced at the crystal clear water, unimpressed. She looked up through her eyelashes and nodded her head playfully.
"Come on, despite your ridiculous effort to hide it, I know you're a fun girl, Maya Delacour. You're dying to come for a swim."
I glared at her but couldn't deny that she was right. I wanted to dive into that pond. To explore this little piece of heaven. I always loved swimming.
Sighing in defeat, I still made sure she noticed how annoyed I was.
"Turn around."
She laughed at my request. "Excuse me?"
"Turn around!"
"Seriously? You're going to play prudish with me again?" She looked at me with raised eyebrows, and I stared back at her without blinking. "Fine."
She turned her back to me, her heavy curls covering the thin strap of her bikini top, making it look like she was wearing nothing. Mentally slapping the back of my head, I urged my brain to keep its focus. Waiting a few more seconds to make sure that she wasn't going peep at me over her shoulder, I finally removed my shoes. When I started taking off my pants, I remembered her last comment.
"What was that prudish thing supposed to mean, by the way?!"
She moved her head slightly to the side at my question, making me tense instantly. I tracked any sign indicating that she was going to look my way, ready to cover myself up again, but she kept her eyes on the water.
"Like I said, I know you're not shy when it comes to your body...or anything else for that matter." She smirked suggestively, and I felt the sudden urge to strangle her.
She was twisting my self-confidence into something naughty, and it was infuriating— even more since I was fully aware that she was doing it on purpose.
"I'm not being prudish, I'm just very fond of my dignity!" I gritted out, and she giggled at my words. She then waved her fingers in the air in a cocky manner.
"Whatever you say, dear… Now less talking, more doing! Hurry up and come in the water with me."
She purred her invitation in a low voice, and it made a shiver run down my spine. I suppressed an irritated growl and yanked off my shirt before stepping warily toward the pond.
The water was so cold I barely managed to hold back a gasp when I put a foot into the pool. How had she been able to just walk in it and then stand still without freezing? Her supernatural perks were extremely annoying. I took another step, and another, biting the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from yelping.
"What's taking you so long?" she complained, unsurprisingly impatient.
Once the water finally reached my hips, I held my breath, braced myself and sank beneath the surface silently. The cold bit every inch of my skin but I ignored it and swam toward her, making sure to stir up the silt in my wake so she wouldn't be able to see me in lingerie. She felt my presence only once I was already close to her. She turned around in a swift move, and I let my head come to the surface. Interest shimmered in her eyes as she took in the wet hair floating around my shoulders, but I was too distracted by the hardened nipples poking through the fabric of her bikini to really notice. Apparently, she wasn't that immune to the cold.
She stepped forward, shaking me out of my haze. I glanced up and swam slowly backwards. Stopping in her tracks, she titled her head, surprised that I would flee from her. Instead of moving further, I trod water, hinting that I was waiting for her. Playing along, she walked toward me as I kept swimming backwards. I finally stood still once I knew that she would only be able to touch the bottom of the pond with the tip of her toes. For once, the situation was giving me an advantage over her, and luring her out of her depth would balance the forces between us for a change. Not entirely sure of what she had in mind for this date yet, I decided it would be wiser to keep an edge over her.
Having no choice but to swim to join me, she stopped when her face was only an inch away from my nose. She openly scrutinized my features, her gaze lingering on my lips. I could feel her legs and arms disturbing the water around me, her movements creating little currents stroking my skin. When she locked her eyes on mine again, I noticed how dark they had become, and it made me forget how to breathe for a moment. Goosebumps spread across my skin as she let two of her fingers slide along my jaw. She leaned in, and I moved my head forward to meet her lips halfway. She kissed and nipped my skin greedily, and I answered with the same intensity, the kiss quickly turning open-mouthed and urgent. She invaded the inside of my mouth with her tongue and raked her nails in my hair before clutching at it, causing me to gasp in her mouth. I grabbed her waist underwater to pull her closer and swirled my tongue around hers. The feeling of her thighs ready to circle my hips snapped me out of my lustful haze. Abruptly breaking the kiss, I disappeared under the surface and swam away from her as quickly as I could.
I was the one who had asked for that second date, but if she thought that she could trick me into undressing myself almost completely and have her way with me, I intended to prove her wrong. But remaining impassive was proven to be really difficult for me today- or if I was being honest with myself, since she had came back in town for the second time. I didn't trust myself to stay too close to her if I wanted to succeed in giving her a little lesson, but it didn't mean I couldn't tease her in order to do so.
Breaking the surface again slowly, I looked at her through my eyelashes and gave her a playful smirk. She paused and frowned, surprised that I would dare playing with her. A hint of mischief suddenly sparkled into her eyes before she dove under water. I froze, having second thoughts about encouraging her to chase me, but was startled into action when I felt something disturbing the water around me. I pushed on my arms urgently to move backwards and sank again under the surface. I emerged on the other side of the pond and realized that Katherine had waited for me to break the surface to catch a breath to spot me. Flashing me a predatory grin, she disappeared without even a single ripple disrupting the water. I mimicked her quickly and scanned my surroundings to see her coming. My attempt was pointless though, as our little cat and mouse game had clouded the entire pound. I swam around, trying to place her precisely but failed until I felt something trying to creep up on me on my left. I bolted to the right, swimming urgently toward the surface. I took a deep breath and looked behind me. Her head emerged from the water, and I couldn't help the laughter that escaped me when I saw her face. She looked clearly displeased with the fact that I was feeling at ease in the water, and she wasn't so much. My amusement seemed to strike a nerve as her expression turned into renewed determination. She swan forward, her moves oozing threat and her eyes flashing dangerously. My throat turned dry in an instant. The only thing that kept me from being really frightened was the light glint of playfulness shining behind the darkness. I felt myself oddly aroused by the sight and cursed my body for betraying me like this. She dove once more, looking like a deadly shark about to have a feast, and I swam into the opposite direction without further ado. When a barely noticeable wave hit my back, I knew she was getting closer. I sank under water to outrun her.
After swimming around the pool twice, I was certain that I had succeeded and started to rise toward the surface, when I felt a delicate touch around my ankle. It surprised me so much that I almost screamed and drowned in the process. My legs kicked the water instinctively as adrenaline rushed through my veins, and the liquid surrounding me suddenly felt cold as if sliding on me at incredible speed. Utterly confused, I looked around, trying to get a grasp of what had just happened. When I recognized a couple of rocks in the silt, I realized I had crossed the entire pound with only a few kicks, and without even breaking a sweat. My panic made my lungs scream for air, my arms whipping the water surrounding me urgently to join the surface. Katherine was already there, but at the opposite side of the pool with an upset expression on her face.
"That's cheating! You could've told me that you were a damn siren, too! Vampires are already not that great in water, but that just makes the whole thing even more perfect..." she gritted grumpily, a childish pout on her lips. I could have found her reaction endearing or hilarious if I had really paid attention, but I was too busy being shocked by my own feat to deal with anything else.
"I think I'm just...going to get out. I've had enough swimming for today," I mumbled as I unsteadily reached the bank of the pound. My behavior made her speechless for a moment until it dawned on her.
"You didn't know you were able to do that, did you?"
She was right. I didn't know. I always loved swimming and I had gone to the lake with my friends countless times as a kid, but never I had swum like a freaking torpedo. Maybe because neither of my friends had chased me with such a convincing hunter look in their eyes. It was the very first time my supernatural abilities had shown themselves while being in water, but I didn't want to discuss that with her. Not even for a second.
"Could you turn around, please?" I asked in a much smaller voice than I intended, not daring to look at her.
"What?" I heard water being splashed as if she had let her hands drop in disbelief onto the surface. "You just humiliated me by leaving me behind effortlessly! I didn't even get to make out with you, which was the whole point of the chasing around by the way, and now you want to get out and for me to turn around, on top of everything? Do I not get a glimpse of your hot body in soaked lingerie as compensation?"
I glared at her over my shoulder and she grinned seductively in response. When she finally understood she wouldn't win this case, she sighed heavily and faced her back towards me.
"Better hurry up, Ariel, I'm already frustrated enough as it is," she teased with a bitter undertone.
Finally walking on solid ground, I looked back at her and narrowed my eyes. Did she really just call me like the Little Mermaid? Before I could shoot a witty comeback, she spoke again.
"There's a towel in my bag... You can take it. I'll just dry in the sun." Her voice came out surprisingly soft and I even heard a smile, making any barb from my part die in my throat.
If she was so damn frustrated, why being suddenly so nice to me? Unless she was just getting a kick out of knowing another one of my secret powers. She was probably dying to write it down in that giant creepy file she had on me. I bent down to go through her bag and pulled out the towel. Wrapping myself in it, I relished for a few seconds in its softness before rubbing my arms through the fabric. The sound of water being stirred made me turn my head, and my hands instantly stopped their action. She was walking out of the pound unhurriedly, winding her fingers in her wet hair in such a carnal way that my mouth fell open against my will. She tipped her head back to shake her curls a little before slowly sliding her hands over her shoulders then her arms to remove the drops running down her skin. The drenched bikini was molding her curves even more if that was even possible, making the view positively breathtaking. When she was only a couple of feet from me, she locked her gaze on mine and made a mission of removing the beads rolling down her breast. A sharp pang of heat spread in my lower stomach and it finally hit me. That was the reason why she had so kindly let me have her towel.
I turned around and cleared my throat as quietly as possible, busying myself with drying up my body. I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of giving into her little show. I heard her chuckle behind my back, my reaction clearly not deterring her. On the contrary, she moved even closer, her warmth tickling my skin. I couldn't really blow her off since she was standing next to the picnic cover. Instead, I pretended to stumble a little forward as I was drying my legs to put some distance between us.
"So... Since you're being no fun with that prudish attitude you seem to hold onto," she teased huskily, "I think I deserve a couple of my questions to be answered."
"I'm not discussing my abilities with you," I shot back in a know-it-all tone, not even bothering to turn around to face her.
"Who was your first love?"
I froze and whipped my head around to catch her eyes.
"What?"
She raised an expectant eyebrow and cocked her hip, placing a hand over it to show off her body in all its glory. I lost my train of thoughts for a moment before remembering her question.
"Why do you want to know? So you can find their social security number and rip their head off?"
A cold smirk rose on her lips.
"What makes you think that I'd be jealous of them?"
"You're still fuming over that night club girl I slept with," I quipped, faking as much innocence as I could manage but failing to hide my amusement.
She squinted her eyes and growled slightly. "I'll figure it out eventually, you know."
"Elena," I answered a bit too quickly. The thought had emerged in my mind since the moment she had asked the question that this was the safest answer I could give her. Katherine had never tried to kill her. Well, not with her own two hands anyway. At first, because of Klaus and her hope to bargain her freedom in exchange of her doppelganger's life. Then because of Stefan and her wish of winning his love back. I wasn't entirely certain why she hadn't tried to hurt her since she came back in town a few months ago, considering that she didn't seem to be that into him anymore -or maybe she still was?- but I knew one thing for sure. She was very aware that if she wanted a chance to sleep with me, Elena was off limits.
She strutted forward lazily to stand right in front of me, making it hard for my eyes not to slip down and stare at her breasts.
"That's a big fat lie."
"Excuse me?" I moved backwards slightly and crossed my arms over my chest in a defiant attitude. "Oh, so I'm not in love with Elena anymore?"
"Oh yes, you are...but she's not your first love."
I frowned but tried to cover my discomfort by being as casual as I could mutter. "She is."
"She's not. You've been able to keep your feelings in check for the past two years..." She tilted her head to the side to look me over with an amused expression. "You know exactly what kind of reactions you need to hide...the way to behave so your little secret doesn't get revealed."
"Maybe I'm just really observant."
"You definitely are." She let a light laugh escape her lips. "But love is a very complex feeling... You can't understand it that well if you haven't experienced it before."
"Hmm... Does this mean the cold heartless Katherine Pierce has been in love before?" I teased, trying my best to change the subject.
She glanced up, an annoyed hint in her eyes. "I already told you that I loved the Salvatore brothers."
"To love and to be in love are two very different things," I replied with a smug smirk.
"Yet another thing you only know if you've already been in love..." Her knowing smile made me lose mine, only leaving a glare behind. "What don't you tell me already, and we can forget my shadow self has ever been mentioned?"
"There's nothing worth mentioning about her."
"Elena? Agree. Oh, you meant..." She pretended to catch up on who I was talking about and shrugged a shoulder playfully, before pacing a little in front of me. "So your first love is a she..."
I deepened my frown, hoping that it would make it clear I would rather not talk about any of this.
"What's her name? What happened to cause such a stern reaction out of you?" she asked, watching me intently.
The topic was sparking her curiosity, and she was obviously having fun.
"I don't want to talk about it, Katherine," I gritted out with a warning. I turned my back to her to close the subject.
"It ended that badly, huh?"
"Drop it!" I barked sharply.
It was taking everything in me to fight against the anger bringing up the past was making boil inside me. Her persistence was just fueling the fire I was having such a hard time extinguishing already.
"Did she cheat on you? That would explain your trust issues..."
I spun around in a blink of an eye, her barb causing me to lose it completely.
"What about you, hmm? What was the name of your child's father? How comes none of us even heard it once?" I clenched my fists in anger, unable to restrain the venom from passing my lips. "Was he even your first love, or was he just the first of your many hook ups?"
Her face shut down instantly, her eyes growing cold and murderous. The air became heavy with dark tension as she pressed her lips into a vicious sneer. I realized what I had just said the second the words left my mouth and felt immediate remorse. For what we knew of her life, there could be a horrible and gloomy story behind her maternity. But no matter if she had been forced or abandoned, if that guy was her first love or if it was all just for fun, she didn't deserve my harsh insinuation. Everyone of us knew all too well how it ended for her and for her child, with the tragedies and life that followed.
She took a menacing step forward to stand right in my face, but I raised a hand to stop her.
"Don't answer that," I said quickly but in a soft tone. "I should've never asked. It's none of my business."
She stopped in her tracks, seeming taken aback a bit by my change of attitude. Feeling awful, I lowered my eyes to the ground.
"I'm sorry... I just really hate talking about her."
She remained quiet for what felt like an eternity, studying my face with piercing eyes.
"I've noticed," she finally said with a hint of humor in her voice.
I couldn't help an hesitant smile to stretch my lips, relieved that she had decided to let my whole outburst slip. I wasn't sure why her usual short-tempered self was all of a sudden so understanding, but I wasn't going to question it if it meant I was going to leave this place alive.
Turning around a bit, I pretended that my skin wasn't dry yet and still needed my attention as an attempt to break the weird situation and change the subject. I froze when I felt her coming really close to my back, standing only a few inches away.
"For what it's worth...her loss," she whispered huskily, causing an unsettling icy shudder to run down my spine.
I frowned and shot my head to the side to take a good look at her face. I was surprised by her statement to say the least. Flattering my ego to have sex with me was one thing, but saying that I deserved someone better was pushing it a little too far. I tried to decipher what was hidden behind her words but she just flashed me a seductive grin before turning around to walk toward the blanket. It left me with a view of her naked back and her barely covered butt, the sway in her hips mesmerizing me despite myself.
"You can stop staring at my ass any time now."
She peeked over her shoulder and winked at me. I was so embarrassed that she had managed to catch me that I broke eye contact and tried to focus on knotting my towel securely under my arms.
"You know, instead of undressing me with your eyes, you could just undress me."
My head snapped up on its own accord to see that her eyebrows were raised in provocation, one of her legs swaying lasciviously as a playful grin played on her lips. My mouth parted a few times but I was speechless once again. A compelling giggle escaped her throat before she bent down to go through her stuff.
Taking a deep breath as discreetly as possible, I tried to calm my heart rate down. Damn, I needed to get a grip on myself. My fingers were slightly shaking, making it difficult to finish tying up my towel. I fiddled with it for a while longer before I eventually admitted to myself that if I wanted my underwear to dry at some point, I was going to have to lose it.
Katherine was busy retrieving glasses from her backpack, and I took the opportunity of her attention being distracted to drop the towel on the ground. I walked quickly toward the tablecloth laying on the grass but she looked up before I could reach it, causing me to freeze instantly. Her eyes raked over my entire figure, a small satisfied smile rising on her lips. I suddenly wished that feeling exposed was the only thing I was feeling as her eyes devoured my body, but I couldn't deny the fire dangerously spreading through my veins. She finally met my gaze, and her smile grew even wider.
"Don't stop on my account... Please, make yourself comfortable."
I snapped out of my frozen state and resumed my walk toward the picnic blanket, pretending to be unfazed by her stare. After sitting down quickly, I folded my legs and wrapped my arms around them self-consciously, realizing in the process that my underwear was still very wet. I sighed inwardly, knowing that the best way to dry them would be to lie down in the sun, but that meant offering an unrestricted view of my body to Katherine and I wasn't sure I could handle more of that. I looked around warily, unable to decide what to do.
She was setting the glasses and drinks along the edge of the tablecloth, not paying attention to me. Hesitating a bit longer, I eventually lied down on the fabric. The sun warmed my skin and it could have been nice if I wasn't feeling so on edge.
No further needing her bag, she dropped it on the grass and stepped on the blanket, not sparing me a single glance. She sat down, her back facing me, and lowered herself to place her head on my stomach. I gasped at the unexpected contact, her wet curls causing a shiver to run up my chest.
My head shot up to scowl at her with wide opened eyes.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Getting comfy," she replied casually, turning her head to the side to raise an eyebrow at me. "You?"
"I was trying to, but someone crashed my relaxing party."
She laughed lightly, playfulness written all over her features.
"Aw, I'm sorry... Did I invade your personal space?"
"Yes, very much! And I'd like you to stick to your side of the blanket."
"Make me," she shot back in a defiant voice.
I frowned and gave her an annoyed glance.
"We both know that I don't stand a chance."
"I guess you're stuck with me, then..." She shrugged a shoulder and nestled her head even further into my stomach.
I would have gaped in disbelief if her hair wasn't tickling my skin, causing burning knots to form in the pit of my stomach.
"Do you want something to drink?" she asked conversationally, seeming completely oblivious of my inner turmoil, but something told me that she knew exactly what she was doing.
I cleared my throat and tried to sound as casual as she was. "What are my options?"
"Red wine or water... I'm afraid that's all I have this time." She flashed me a lop-sided smirk and moved her hand toward the alcoholic beverage.
"Water," I declared, too happy to thwart at least one thing she had obviously planned.
"Water? So serious..." She looked me straight in the eye from her spot on my stomach, hoping that her teasing would make me change my mind, but I held her gaze without blinking. "Fine, suit yourself..."
She poured me some water lazily, only moving an arm to hand me the glass. She then served herself a glass of wine and took a long sip gracefully. I would be lying if I said that the view of Katherine drinking red wine, her dark curls spread all over my stomach, wasn't a beautiful one. It was in fact quite distracting and I missed my mouth, causing a trail of water to run down my chin. She hummed in lust at the sight, the vibration of the sound against my skin raising goosebumps all over my body. She stretched her arm and slowly ran her thumb over my lip to wipe the water off. She brought the finger back to her mouth and sucked on it. I felt a throb between my legs and completely lost it. Burying a hand in her curls, I eagerly bent down to catch her lips.