The early afternoon sun shined brightly through the numerous fabrics fluttering around the open balcony doors. The soft chirp of exotic birds filled the silence. The only other noise reverberation in Shelly's ear was the steady beat of Rin's heart. After they had eaten breakfast, she still hadn't felt like leaving the room. So Rin hand moved the small sofa over in front of the open balcony doors. Once he was satisfied with the view it's placement provided he pulled her over and flopped down. He turned sideways, throwing one leg over the cushion and dragging her down between his legs. Though caught by surprise, she hadn't fought him and instead leaned back against his chest. The gentle rhythm of his heart soothed her shredded nerves.
"Rin..." Shelly said, as something his mom had said earlier before the parts about... about him... came to mind.
"Hum?" his voice vibrated his chest beneath her head.
Shelly gazed out at the clear blue sky as she asked, "Why did you never say anything?"
Rin's voice was a soft purr as he asked in a sleepy tone, "About what?"
Shelly lifted her head and turned to place her hand down on either side of his hips so she could maintain eye contact with him as she asked the question that kept repeating in her mind. "Why did you never tell me how you felt?" She tilted her head as she waited for an answer. When he only stared back at her in wide-eyed shock she continued. "I... I liked you too... but Russ said you and Naru were secret lovers, that's why you live together... and the extra bedroom is to keep up appearances Naru's parents..."
Rin sat up straight careful not to hurt Shelly, "Let me just stop you there!" He arched his brows and shook his head vigorously, "You liked me???... You're a princess I'm just a... wait... You thought I was gay?!"
Shelly giggled, "Well yeah, you never dated anyone. You're surrounded by mostly naked guys all day. You avoided me every time I tried to talk to you alone... What else was I supposed to think?"
Rin grabbed Shelly by the shoulders but quickly released her when she gasped in surprise. He turned his head away and ran his hands through his hair. "Shelly YOU ARE A PRINCESS, I'm a Gen... a servant to a master. I didn't deserve your attention."
Shelly looked around the room then back at Rin, "Um... you're the one who lives in a palace." She pointed her index finger up toward the ceiling, "I live in a four-bedroom apartment at the edge of campus."
Rin turned sad eyes back around to meet her smile, "It doesn't make you any less of royalty and me any more than a slave." He raised his arm and unclamped the bracelet he always wore. Beneath it was an unusual tattoo. He turned his wrist up to give her a better view. "See? This mark is my shackles..." He sighed as he lowered his hand to his lap and hung his head. "This place is nothing more than a beautifully decorated lamp. My family was trapped inside of it for hundreds of years before the late master released us left the place to us on his death bed."
Shelly took his hand in one of hers and glided her fingers from the other and over the odd tattoo. "Rin, It's just a mark on your skin and just a useless title that someone else decided to rank in their hierarchy of social values." His eyes came up slowly to meet hers, but he remained silent. Shelly gave him her largest smile, "What you are means nothing to me... as what I am should mean nothing to you... If you truly... um... liked... me." Shelly blushed slightly as she struggled over the last few words. It was now her turn to turn away from his intense gaze.
Rin's hand shot out and captured her jaw before she could get her head fully turned. He gently tugged her head back around toward him, "Do you mean that?... What you just said?"
Her voice cracked with nervousness, "Ye...yes..."
Without another word, Rin pulled her in closer to him and sealed her lips with a kiss. When she moved to get closer to him, she slipped and accidentally bumped his forehead with her own. She blushed deeply as he let out an 'ouch' and began to laugh, but before she could pull away in awkward embarrassment he pulled her against him once more and laid back against the sofa. He wrapped both arms tightly around her as he continued to laugh.
When his laughing didn't stop, she pushed free and turned against him, anger coloring her embarrassed words. "What are you laughing about!? It was my first... real kiss... I'm sorry... I..."
Rin immediately stopped laughing and pulled her into his arms again. "Shelly look at me," he waited patiently until she stopped fighting against him and looked up into his eyes. "I love you, I always have. That's why I never dated, that's why I always tried to avoid being alone with you." His eyes trailed from her eyes down to her lips as he continued, a new hunger in his tone that hadn't been there moments before. "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep from doing this." He cupped her jaw and leaned in to capture her lips.
Their lips had only just brushed when the main door to the hall burst open. "Oh dear! Are you ok? I didn't mean to upset... y..o... owww..." Rin's mom stopped dead in her tracks a large smile spread across her face. She giggled as Rin shot her an irritated glare. "Oh don't mind me! Please continue! continue!" She quickly turned and skipped back out the door. "Oh, how I hope my first grandchild is a girl!... No... No, wait... I must be a boy so it can inherit this lump of earth! Then, then a granddaughter!" She was still talking to herself as the door came to a close behind her.
Rin sighed, a deep blush spreading across his cheeks, "Sorry about her... again..." He shrugged his shoulders, "She really does mean well..."
Shelly giggled and leaned in against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled her face against the soft cotton. "It's ok. I... I like her."
He chuckled softly and wrapped his arms around her once again. He leaned back against the arm of the sofa bringing her with him once again. "Did your brother really tell you I was gay?"
Shelly giggled, "Yep... and that you were a bottom, for me to just forget about you."
Rin began sputtering in irritation and disbelief, "He said what?!"
Shelly shrugged, "Yep, said he walked in on you and Kyle going at it in the showers one day... though I have to say I was a little skeptical when he said you were wearing a woman's hot pink thong teddy..." she glanced over her shoulder at his twisted expression. "I mean, you in hot pink... that would look ridiculous, you're definitely a dark crimson kind of guy."
Rin's eyes grew even larger before he suddenly realized these last few statements had been her messing with him. When she noticed he'd finally caught on she busted out laughing. "You little!" He moved quickly pushing her backward onto her back. He came up over her and began tickling her ribs. "I'll show you a 'crimson man'!" When their eyes met the laughter died from both of them. Rin slowly leaned down closer to her. He balanced himself with one arm against the back of the sofa and wrapped the other around the back of her head.
She let out a small moan as he took her lips in a tender kiss. He then kissed her full bottom lip letting the kiss linger much longer than necessary. When she eagerly leaned forward for another kiss, he kissed the corner of her mouth then moved over to the other corner and kissed there too. He gazed down into her excited eyes and smiled before kissing her bottom lip again. This time however he nipped it and gently tugged it. When her mouth opened in a shocked protest, he took as an opportunity to deepen the kiss and quickly captured her gaping mouth.
Shock temporarily overtook Shelly as she learned to adjust to the strange rhythm of this new kind of kiss., but it didn't take her long to adjust and begin to enjoy it.
***
She let out a small moan as he took her lips in a tender kiss. He then kissed her full bottom lip letting the kiss linger much longer than necessary. When she eagerly leaned forward for another kiss, he kissed the corner of her mouth then moved over to the other corner and kissed there too. He gazed down into her excited eyes and smiled before kissing her bottom lip again. This time however he nipped it and gently tugged it. When her mouth opened in a shocked protest, he took as an opportunity to deepen the kiss and quickly captured her gaping mouth.
Shelly stumbled along awkwardly as she adjusted to the strange rhythm of this new kind of kiss. She let her thighs widen to accommodate his body as he settled down against her body, pushing her farther into the sofa. An unfamiliar sound escaped her lips as he pulled away from her lips and began trailing kisses down her throat. The heat that began to build in the areas their bodies touched, caused her to become very self-aware. She could feel her cheeks redden as he continued to cover her neck and collar bones with kisses.
A tiny whimper brought Rin's attention back to Shelly's face. The expression he found there was enough to be the undoing of even the strongest of men. Rin clenched his teeth tightly together and squeezed his eyes shut. He pushed his arms under her body, pulling her snuggly against him into a tight hug letting his own head burry against her shoulder.
"Rin?" Shelly lifted her head to stare down at his head in confusion.
Rin's voice was muffled by her shoulder, "Sorry… I got… carried away." He snuggled tighter against her, being mindful of his lower half. "You've been through enough. I shouldn't be taking advantage of your vulnerable state like this."
Shelly's eyes widened. She ran her fingers of one hand through his short hair as her other hand traced patterns across his wide shoulder blade. "It… It's ok… Your not taking advantage of me. I… I… like being with you… like this…" Her cheeks heated once again but she didn't look away from him when he lifted his head to look her in the eyes.
Rin took in her shy but honest expression. "That means more than you know to me... to hear you say that… but…" Rin blushed and looked away, "The male brain isn't exactly wired to resist temptation, and with you like this..." He looked back into her eyes, "You are the sweetest temptation of them all." He chuckled as he leaned up and kissed her on the mouth, nipping playfully at the lower lip of her gaped-open mouth. He pushed himself up off her and adjusted his pants as he stood. He then turned back toward her and extended his hand out to her. "Come on, I'll show you around."
*******
Joslyn gently cupped her hands on either side of Xavier's face, bringing his gaze back around to hers. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, fighting the temptation of meeting her eyes straight-on.
Joslyn leaned down, her lips lightly brushing his ear, "Make me forget." The three little words were barely a whisper among the warm breath caressing his ear and neck, causing his eyes to fly open in shock. His eyes barely had time to focus before her lips pressed against his timidly. He stared at her blankly as she set back slowly, retracting her hands as she went. She looked away as rejected embarrassment colored her cheeks. She shifted and began to move away from him.
Without thinking, he quickly snagged one wrist as his other hand shout out around her waist. He quickly pulled her onto his lap. He captured the back of her head in one large palm and brought her mouth down to meet his lips. He released her wrist as she began to kiss him back. He tangled his fingers into her hair, gently pulling her down closer to him and deepening the kiss.
Joslyn broke the kiss to sit back his hands quickly released her hair and fell away as if giving her the chance to escape if it was her desire. She simply sat astride his lap letting her eyes rove over his body boldly. When her gaze locked with his, her breath caught. His eyes were glowing a brilliant green drawing her in. She let out a small sigh as broke the hypnotic gaze and focused on her thighs as he ran the tips of his fingers lightly over her bare skin. She knew he was only looking away to keep from pushing his will onto her. Joslyn leaned backward and retrieved the bottle of champagne, took a large gulp for a dose of liquid courage then. With her free hand she traced the contour of his well-defined jawline. When she reached the point where it began to curve upward toward his ear, she gently guided his eyes back up to hers. "It's ok, I want this. I want to forget… to move on… to get past this pain."
His eyes slowly met hers. His troubled expression didn't dull the brilliance radiating for his eyes. "As much as I want this to happen, I don't want to take advantage of your vulnerability." He kept eye contact, hoping that his desire for her to see reason was strong enough to trump his desires for her body. He trailed his hands up along her body. He took the nearly empty bottle from her and set it on the end table to his left and gripped her slender waist with the other. "I truly care about you, and I want this to happen… naturally. Not because you're drunk and hurt."
A tear slid down her cheek as she began to push off his lap. She turned her face away as one foot hit the ground behind her. "I understand…"
Sensing her violent mood shift, Xavier seized her wrist and pulled her back down onto his lap. He quickly cupped the back of her head, pulling her lips down to meet his. He kissed her with all the passion he could muster. He could feel the tension slowly begin to fade from her body as she melted against him. He broke the kiss and gently forced her head down onto his should, holding her firmly against him. "Don't cry. Don't you understand, I'm doing this because I don't want to hurt you… not to make you hurt more." He placed light kisses against the top of her head waiting for the last of her anxiety to pass.
Tiny fingers worked their way under the hem of his shirt tracing light patterns against the smooth cool skin of his hip and side. She kissed the collar bone he had her pressed against over and over until she felt the tight hold of his hands loosen. She smiled to herself {Men… So easily swayed…}. She slid her hands farther up his torso as she pressed more kisses to his neck. He let out a soft moan as his hands began sliding down her long torso. She nipped his ear before pushing herself upright on his lap again. She pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it over the back of the sofa. She moved quickly to capture his lips before he had time to reconsider her advances a second time.
The last of his resolve quickly faded away as she began to move against him, matching the rhythm of their kisses. He gripped her hips, pressing her harder down into his growing hardness as he shifted beneath her. Her soft moans against his lips drove him insane. With vampire speed he flipped her onto her back, following her down onto the oversized sofa. His gaze was met by surprised eyes and a wide smile. She ran her fingers over his chest sliding them playfully across his abs before finally gripping his sides and pulling herself up to capture one of his nipples in her mouth. He let out a gruff moan letting his head fall forward as pleasure flooded his body. Her small wet tongue flicked the hardened bud of his other nipple. He cupped her head with one hand as he carefully lowered his body down pressing her into the cushions of the sofa pushing her hair out to surround her head like a silver hallo. He forced himself to kiss her lips gently instead of taking her with a rough abandon he had fantasized about so many times. He ran his hand under the loss tee as he showered her neck in kisses. As he traced the outline of her nipple through the thin, lace bra she was wearing, she moaned loudly and arched against him. He sat up between her legs to better take in the view of her laid out before him. "God, you are beautiful."