|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:01 pm
The hour was late, and she was agitated. Anticipation was not something easily ignored, and she did not want to appear too eager. Sasha had checked her hair no less than eight times, had given herself a little pep talk in the mirror, and had brushed her teeth twice.
She felt silly. Frivolous. Ridiculous.
Excited.
It frustrated her. It thrilled her.
Peeking out of her door (why was it so important to keep this such a secret - or was that part of the appeal?) - just to make sure that the hall was empty, Sasha slipped out of her room when she confirmed the coast was clear. She walked briskly to his room, and promptly knocked.
Three times.
Quickly smoothing her hair, Sasha waited for his answer.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:17 pm
Wash had been laying on his small cot, phone on the nightstand, a Bible in his lap. The pages lay undisturbed for some minutes, however, as he carefully inspected a series of dog eared pictures taken from his wallet. A smiling young woman. The same woman, in a white dress. The two of them together. And the final one- hospital scrubs. A brand new baby boy. A house of cards, so easily lost; gone and blown away. He was still learning how to let go.
He had laid them out carefully across his sheets, and nearly sent them tumbling to the floor when he heard someone knocking. The room had been returned to a sort of general state of order - a pillow still lay on the floor here, a couple of towels were piled in another corner, awaiting a trip to the laundry.
He scooped the pictures up delicately, tucking them into the holy book's pages and setting it down next to his phone.
Could it be-
He opened the door.
"Sasha," he breathed. There was warmth there, but he couldn't hide the tightness around his eyes. He welcomed this - whatever this was - but he also feared it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:31 pm
She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting. Sasha didn't know what this was, but she knew she wanted it. She needed it. She craved it - him.
Her eyes narrowed just slightly when he didn't invite her in. She slipped past him, instead, and slowly slipped her shoes off. The jacket was next, carelessly tossed to the floor.
Her eyes landed on the Bible, and her mouth tensed before falling lax. She turned, hands on her hips.
She was nervous, but that nervousness was dominated, dismissed. Sasha knew what she wanted. She knew where she wanted to be.
It still felt a little awkward.
"Is now a bad time?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:50 pm
Would it be the same? Or had it just been that one moment; something that couldn't be recaptured? The air from her passing so close without touching sent goosebumps down his arms, a shiver down his spine. He didn't turn around right away, listening to the sound of her clothing hissing, the slide of her feet from her shoes - the thump of her jacket on the floor.
Wash turned to her slowly, relishing the movement- a slow reveal. He still wanted this, but - God. God, she made him feel like a teenager, all nerve endings and needs and uncertainty. He schooled his face to stillness, a small half smile that crinkled his eyes a bit. He wondered if she felt the same way. The air was heavy, tremulous.
"No," he replied, coming to meet her, shoulders back, arms relaxed at his sides. He didn't know how to act - so he resolved to be himself. This had been so much easier with the burn of the liquor, the crush of the sand and the soft whisper of waves. His tiny room just seemed so... insufficient, tonight. His reached for her, to let a hand hover just under her jaw. The short haircut accented something, a line here, a curve there - a strength underneath the delicate femininity.
He followed her gaze to the book, and back. He didn't know if he was ready to be that open; that honest. Not tonight. He let his hand fall, and stepped into her, gazing darkly down into a perfect pair of sky blue eyes. One step to the next, a minute at a time; he could do this.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:13 pm
She suddenly realized that she'd been holding her breath - with an exhale, Sasha let out a nervous, shaky sound. It wasn't a laugh, not really. It was simply an acknowledgment of how tense she felt, how ridiculous this was.
This was Wash. One of hers.
With a crooked smile that tilted the corners of her mouth, Sasha took a moment to simply drink him in. Sturdy, staid. Her own little pocket of comfort - hers and hers alone. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then slowly closed it. The curve of her lips held that little smile, and Sasha let her eyes speak. There was no need to verbalize how she felt.
I missed you.
She slipped her hands up his chest to his shoulders, fingernails digging in just slightly. Her skin tingled where she touched him, and it felt natural to simply press herself against him.
"Good," Sasha rocked forward to rest her forehead against his sternum, exhaling softly.
The need to keep her defenses up had slipped away the instant that he'd reached out for her. She pressed a kiss to his shirt, nipping lightly at the fabric before pulling away from him completely.
"I'm.. sorry."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:21 pm
Her fingers against his skin, still raw in places from her attentions; her breath against his heart. It moved him, made him forget what he'd been doing, where he was. They could be in a palace or a tomb - it didn't matter; she would own it just the same.
He watched her slide away from him, and he remained passive, watching. Waiting.
"Why?"
Anticipating.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:33 pm
She shrugged, the smile leaving her face in favor of something darker, more demanding and utterly undeniable.
Her fingers moved to the buttons on her blouse, deftly slipping each one free as she spoke, pausing after each word so that she could move to the next button.
"I should have called."
Her grin turned a little more feral, and she lifted a brow.
"Do you need help?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:55 pm
With a dark, intense look of his own, he slid his shirt over his head and let it fall to the ground. He reached out to cup her hands in his, gently guiding them to his chest.
Wash took two fistfuls of her blouse and pulled. The sound of buttons snapping and threads popping with the strain was a brief explosion tempered by the whisper of the silk as it fell away. He used his body on hers - the feel of her against his bare skin was exquisite - to guide her where he wanted, to shed the rest of their clothing in a rush of heat and passion.
~~~
It was some time later that he lay beside her, folded carefully around her, naked from the waist up and propped up on one elbow. His chin rested on his hand, his eyes lidded. Wash seemed content to observe the way the moonlight leaking through the window played across her skin.
The bible still lay forgotten on the nightstand, next to the dark shadow of the bedside lamp. He had long since forgotten it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:15 pm
The previous night had been filled with nothing but the light whisper of sheets and quiet, urging words. There had been no lapses, no time for words or idle conversation. Give and take, demands met. Almost frantic, frenetic in their actions - and yet, at the time, it had been exactly what they'd both needed.
Tonight as she reclined comfortably in the circle of his arms, a sated catlike smile curving her lips, Sasha took pleasure in the things she'd missed the night before. The stark contrast of her skin against his - the toned curve of his biceps and pectorals, the contours and hollows of his body.
There was a long, easy silence before she let out a pleased rumbling purr, turning her head to n** at his chest before seeking his eyes. It struck her, just then, how little she knew about Wash. There was no shame in the realization, just a sudden jolt that had her pursing her lips for a heartbeat before she spoke.
"Tell me who you were."
Not a question, but another demand - one to sate her curiosity. The information he gave would be tucked away for future use, should the need arise... but for now, Sasha was genuinely curious about his life before the island.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 7:35 am
Wash paused for a moment before resting his hand against her arm, tracing unseen patterns in her skin. He supposed she ought to know. Would it hurt anything? He would find out. Like ripping off a bandage - quick and clean.
"I was a lot of things." He took a deep breath. He would lead into it, gently, then.
"I went to school not that long ago. Majored in business, worked in construction." He kept that feather light touch, savoring it, letting himself narrow his vision down to the point where his fingers ran along the curve of her hip. "I... had a family. My father, mother. Brother and sister; twins." Small details, important ones. Not the one he wanted to share, though. Not the one he feared.
But Wash had bared himself before her already, hadn't he? Would it be so bad, to show her this last little piece, this tight knot of despair he'd tried to keep hidden? He remembered Jerry's reaction, his harsh words on that dark day in the schoolhouse, and frowned sadly. Would she judge him too? She had every right to it. When had this simple thing they had turned so complicated? It was all so, so very insubstantial. So frail. Wash let this final piece go with a unhappy sigh. "I guess, beyond all that, I was... A husband. A father."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 7:53 am
It was hard to think about the words he spoke when he touched her. Almost immediately she found herself wanting more than the light brush of his fingers against her skin - but she also craved to hear his answer to her question. She forced herself to ignore the pebbling of her skin beneath his fingers - the goosebumps were a telltale sign that she was aware of his touch, but that his words were more important.
She had to admit, there was a reckless surge of jealousy when he mentioned his wife. An irrational reaction, and aside from the tightening of her mouth, Sasha kept silent for a long moment. It was not so much that she was jealous that another woman had made him happy or given him a child - things that Sasha could never guarantee: no, it was a selfish, bitter jealousy that stung her throat and left a sour taste in her mouth.
She'd never been given the option to find a husband, have a baby. A family. Her own family. Certain truths had been kept from her until it was far too late for her to change her mind. Sasha took a moment to separate those foolish thoughts, instantly crushing them before moving on. This was her life now. She would not waste time on those whimsical thoughts.
The slight tightness around her mouth eased, and she lifted her hand to brush against his jawline. She doubted that Wash would have left behind his family if he hadn't thought it the only option left for him. He wasn't that kind of man. He was a protector. He was a good man.
For now.
Sasha smiled softly and leaned up to press a kiss against his chin before falling back to the pillow. His reasons were his own, and he'd done what he thought best. The knowledge of his family was kept close, filed away.
"And who are you now?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 9:45 am
Despite his admission, the goosebumps pebbling on her skin made his heart race, made his thoughts turn to darker, simpler things. He waited for her reaction patiently, ready to accept her judgement. He expected something- denial, damnation.
He wasn't expecting the hand along his jaw, or the kiss on his chin, and he sighed; letting go of a tension he hadn't realized he'd held. It meant... it meant everything, and nothing all - that strange sense of detachment lingered.
"Right now?" Wash leaned forward to press her lips to his ear. "Just a man," he replied teasingly. He ran his lips down the side of her face to the edge of her jaw, breathing in the scent of her skin. A man, with needs. A man who wasn't sure what path to walk anymore. What was righteousness, and what was sin, in this dark place?
"And you?" The question was soft, deep, gentle. He wouldn't force her to answer - wasn't she still on a crusade of self discovery? Weren't they all?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 10:21 am
Who was she?
A mess. A roiling ball of rage. A dedicated hunter. Walking the fine, razor-thin edge of madness and sanity. Imperfect in every way. Selfish, resourceful. Cunning, reactive to her environment. A little too careless. A little too relentless. A woman that didn't smile easily, and someone who found it a little too difficult to open up. Unafraid to use whatever means necessary to get what she wanted - power, control, everything.
Who was she?
"Le produit de la tragédie, le secret et le mensonge."
She used her hand to push him onto his back, a pale, lithe leg slipping across his torso. She settled on his stomach, braced her hands on his pectorals.
"The product of tragedy, secrecy and lies."
Sasha drew her nails down his chest, icy blue eyes never leaving the shadows of his face.
"I will never judge you, Wash." She tilted her head to the side and bit her lip, watching him with an almost predatory gleam. "Nobody on this island is free to judge another. We all have our demons. We've all done wrong. Made mistakes. Some are regrettable. But this?"
She shifted, just slightly - there.
A hushed exhalation.
"Is no mistake."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 1:36 pm
Her nails were a sweet sensation, and his breath hissed out, wild eyes meeting hers. He couldn't think - didn't have to - he just fell into that darkness that was there, in the way she held herself over him. That light in her eyes. That final utterance. Was this right? Was this healthy? Jerry had said he'd loved her. Such a soft word; one that didn't cover the way she burned him up. It was too primitive for all that - too primal. How had he not noticed her before, how had he not been drawn like a moth to this flame?
That dangerous edge about her. The assertion. Nothing here was safe or tame - but with that near-savageness came a kind of freedom. He didn't have to worry- didn't have to doubt.
He started to let his body answer for him, and then-
A loud clatter caused him to startle. The pile of books he'd used his weapon's tablet to support had gone crashing to the floor, and on top them rested a small, glowing alligator keychain.
Wash?
He blinked, surprised.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 1:43 pm
Sasha was startled, too - being torn from the haze of passion by the loud clatter-bang had her snatching for the sheet that had pooled around her hips. Was someone here? At the door?
Her gaze landed on the little keychain. Her eyes widened. She turned back to peer down at Wash.
Well.
This was awkward. Sasha didn't know his weapon well enough to judge what was going on inside of that head of his just now. She kept silent, unblinking.
Needless to say, Nona had been all for it. Was still all for it.
So was Sasha, but...
She lifted her brows.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
