More Than Darkness

See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer and Author's Notes

Chapter 4

Fuck, she wasn't making this easy. Did they have something more than psychosis? Or was it all a lie? Did he really care? He thought for a second, and came to the realization that he did. He really fucking cared. "Look, you may choose to not fucking believe me, there's nothing I can do about that. But I do fucking care what happens to you. And I do think there's more than just psychosis between us or else I wouldn't care. I'd let you do whatever the fuck you wanted without a backward glance. But I'm not. And I can't. I'm fucking arguing with you here," he paused as that realization sunk in. "I'm really fucking arguing about this," he said, his eyes widening a bit. "I really do care about what happens to you," he said quietly, not seeming to be speaking to Salida any longer. "Fuck I'm not good with words. I'm an act first, think never kind of guy as you might have noticed. That's why I think I feel one of those mood swings that you mentioned coming on..." before she could guess his intentions, he had sealed her lips in a passionate kiss. While it was similar to the ones they had shared before; strong desire and passion was behind it, it was not the same. That passion and desire was not sexual. For the first time in perhaps...ever, Jeffrey's kiss had another intent. If he couldn't convince her with words, he'd try and convince her this way. If that didn't work, well they could always go back to arguing. But this was definitely more fun.

Salida starting crying in earnest now, although she took it out on Jeffrey, biting at him at the same time her fists pounded his shoulders. He was infuriating. He was overbearing. He enjoyed killing people for fun - not that that really bothered her. But he was dangerous for other reasons. He was dangerous because she could see herself with him. But he wasn't always himself, just like she was hardly ever herself. What were they doing?

Ripping her mouth away, she demanded that of him. "What are we doing? Who are we fooling? I can fall in love with you as deeply as I want and it doesn't change a thing until I can finally beat Tess. And even then, who's to say that there will still be anything between us? So what are we doing?"

Fuck, well there went that idea. "We're surviving," he said at last. "And no, that's not enough, but I don't have all the answers for you, Salida. I don't know what tomorrow will fucking bring any more than you do. I just know that I've never met anyone like you before. I know that sounds like a load of romantic bullshit, but it's true. No one has even come close. And I'm not fucking giving you a line when I say that I care about you, either. If I didn't, you would most likely be dead," he said with a shrug. "That's the way I am. It's not normal, it's not healthy, but I can't change it. I enjoy killing people. It's fun. I'm not likely to stop unless forced. And you forgot that option in your little tirade. Sure, we could get drugged into oblivion, it could happen, let's face it. But there's one thing you didn't mention. While your other seems pretty fucking even-keeled, she's a medical student, right?"

He waited until Salida nodded before continuing. "Well Sands is a rich sociopath who while doesn't enjoy killing people as much as I do, certainly enjoys it. And my love for exhibition and our combined psychosis are enough to get us noticed. And locked up. While you could get drugged into oblivion, Sands and I could get the death penalty for the things we've done. Or worse yet, the rest of our lives locked in a padded cell. These things scare the shit out of me, it'd be stupid to say that they didn't, but I refuse to let them dictate how I live my life, such as it is. And who says we can't fucking be together? I'm under the fucking belief that if you want something, you have to fight for it. And if you fight long and hard enough, you'll get it. And while you may not feel the same, I'll fucking fight for you," Jeffrey said at last, feeling like a romantic pussy. But there was nothing to be done about it. He had to make her understand, and if that meant saying things he normally wouldn't, so fucking be it.

That's what she wanted to hear - that she was worth being fought for, just not fought against. That she was worth it, not a cause, not a study. Her. And now she had that. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of how to respond to that. At least not verbally. But when Jeffrey's arms loosened enough for her to free herself, she simply pressed closer to him, suddenly aware that they were both completely and totally naked. I suppose this could be promising. "I don't think they've built a prison that could hold you," she murmured against his neck, languidly kissing him. "And as for killing people, have you ever thought of becoming a contract killer?"

Jeffrey noticed that she was trying to change the subject on him. And while she was definitely going about it the right way - he was a horny bastard - he wasn't about to let her off the hook that quickly.

"Does this mean you're going to fucking fight, or do I have to keep ranting? Because honestly, it's fucking exhausting. And there are definitely other ways I could be spending my...energy, that are incredibly more enjoyably that that," he said with a small smile, not quite a smirk, but close.

As long as he doesn't ask why, she thought to herself. "Yes, I'll fight. I'll fight her, and I'll fight them, and anyone who tries to bottle me up." Still trying to distract him so they could move on to more pleasurable . . . conversation . . . she said with a lewd smile, "And on a more immediate note, I intend to fight with you."

"Oh?" he asked with a raise of his eyebrow. He knew she was trying to distract him, and to tell the truth, he really didn't give a fuck. Let her. He was willing to have some fun after all of that if she was willing to give it. "How do you plan to fight me now?" he asked with a lewd smile of his own. Two could play this game.

She'd been so desperate to get him onto another topic, that she hadn't thought that part through yet. For one of the few times that night, she found herself without a reply, worn from their talk. So, instead of spending precious minutes trying to find an answer, she simply turned on her heel and started to run, suddenly glad that the suite was so big.

For a second, Jeffrey just sat there dumbfounded, watching her go. It took that long for him to realize just what the fuck had happened. "Why you little vixen!" he muttered to himself now that she wasn't there to hear him. "Oh, you think you can run, can you?" he called out, rising to his feet and quickly taking after her. "A foxhunt, is it? Well, I do love a challenge. I'll hunt you down my little vixen. And when I do, you're going to pay for this." Now, where did she go? he thought to himself, slowly and thoroughly scanning his eyes throughout the rooms he entered. She had to be here somewhere. While the suite was fucking big, it wasn't that big.

Salida his behind the rather large potted plant that sat next to a set of stairs. She wondered where they led. From what she remembered, this was the top floor, she they could even lead to the roof. She bet the roof could be fun.

Waiting for him to pass, she slipped out from behind the plant and silently climbed the stairs in her bare feet. Reaching the top, she carefully opened the door, and went through it, closing it just as carefully after her, totally unaware that it was still locked on the other side.

She looked around at the tennis court and the pool that took up a good deal of space. Everything was lit by pearly lights, giving the area a feeling of fantasy. She moved to look at the pool, watching as it steamed in the night air. She considered diving in, but decided not to as she realized how cold the air was. Better to go back inside and eventually let Jeffrey warm her back up.

Walking over to the door quickly, she turned the handle . . . and found she was locked out. Ah, shit. She thought. If she wanted back in, she was going to have to let him know where he was. Unless she managed to get back inside without him catching her.

Where the fuck did she go? Jeffrey thought to himself with a frown. He had searched every room of the entire place and he hadn't seen any trace of her. He wasn't about to give up though. She has to be fucking here somewhere. His eyes moved across the room until they landed on a set of stairs that supposedly led up to the roof. He had never been up there before but he knew what was up there, all the same. If she was up there perhaps he could interest her in taking a swim in the pool. He smirked. Or the Jacuzzi could be fun. He pushed open the door, mindful of his nudity as he stepped outside in the slightly chilled air, but not really caring that much. "Vixen? Are you up here?" he said, stepping through the door and letting it close behind him.

Salida just sort of slumped against the wall she was leaning against in defeat. She hadn't expected him to find her so quickly, so hadn't been prepared to warn him that the door was locked. Crap. "Apparently I'm out here for some time to come," she muttered, just loud enough for Jeffrey to hear her, but not pinpoint where she was.

Jeffrey's eyes widened a bit as he took in the muttered exclamation he heard from his vixen's lips. He turned back to the door and grabbed the handle, twisting it. Fuck. It was locked. He yanked on it. Fuck, still locked. "You know, you could have warned me, vixen," he looked down at his naked state and shivered a little, his arms breaking out in goose flesh. "I'm not exactly dressed for outdoor weather, you know," he said with a smirk, making his way forward toward the pool, hoping to catch a glimpse of Salida. He knew she was up here, but not where she was.

"Like I did that on purpose." Salida stealthily moved from her concealing wall, shadowing behind him silently. She was none too pleased with him at the moment - irrational, she knew, but what did that have to do with anything. The moment he stepped near the pool, she was going to push him in.

And she almost pulled it off. Just as they both neared the edge of the pool, she stepped on something sharp, hissing softly in pain. That slight sound was enough to tip Jeffrey off.

"That's not very nice, vixen," he said with a smirk. And before she could react he had moved behind her and pushed her into the pool. What he hadn't counted on was her lashing out with one of arms in surprise and knocking him in with her. Once they had both surfaced, coughing and spluttering, he glared at her. 'That was your fault, you know."

"What?" she asked, reaching for the edge of the pool to pull herself out. "The fact you locked yourself out? I don't think so. I'll take the blame for locking myself out, but you're on your own." Seeing how he was coming towards her, Salida quickly jumped out of the pool and headed towards the small cabana, hoping to find towels.

Jeffrey watched her go, not responding, and not hiding the fact that he was watching her. He decided to swim a few laps in the pool while waiting for Salida to come back.

Salida was pleased to find that there were indeed towels in the cabana, although now that she had something to wrap herself in, she became more aware of what being locked on the roof meant. Tess woke every morning at seven, which was a little over four hours away. She had to be back home by then.

Sighing and toweling off, she looked out to the pool, somewhat surprised that Jeffrey hadn't come after her yet. She really though he would have by now. It was just another small annoyance that added to the buzz of irritation under her skin. And then a different kind of irritation added itself to the mix as she saw he was doing laps, his naked body cutting through water and mist alike. He was supposed to be winning his way back into her good graces, not occupying himself in other ways. She waited until his head emerged from the water to yell, "I didn't know you preferred solitary . . . exertion . . . to fucking a pretty lady."

Jeffrey smirked at that and came to the edge of the pool, resting his chins on his folded arms on the concrete, looking up at her. "Oh I always enjoy...fucking a pretty lady, don't get me wrong. But you're the one who wanted to push me in, so I thought I'd take advantage of the situation. But if you'd rather..." he pulled himself out of the pool with a graceful movement, water dripping everywhere, and ran a hand through his wet hair. "I don't suppose you brought one of those towels for me, did you? No?" Well I guess I'll just have to use that one," he said with a smirk, yanking the towel out of her grasp and then pulling her in close to him, wrapping the towel around them both.

Salida stared up at him, almost daring him to touch her further. He saw the annoyance in her eyes and laughed. "What's wrong, vixen? Have I been ignoring your needs?"

She glared at him. "What makes you think I want anything you have to offer, junior?" Nevertheless, she didn't try to move away from him.

Jeffrey raised his eyebrows at the belligerence in her voice. "Well, you either need to be punished or laid. And I find I'm having a hard time deciding which. They'd both be fun . . . for me at least." At this pronouncement, Salida turned and tried to run again, but he stopped her with an arm around her waist.

"Not so fast, vixen. I can't very well go through with your punishment or pleasure when you're not here, now can I?" he seemed to ponder his choices before looking at her with a serious expression on his face. "How much time do we have left tonight?" he asked, pulling her close again, holding her tightly but gently so she wouldn't be able to get away.

She looked around, trying to judge the time. "Another four and a half hours at most, because Tess always wakes at seven. But I'd prefer to be back at the house before six when the rest start to stir, but it is the week before finals so that may give me more time."

"Hmm...so maybe I should save your punishment for another time when I devote more...energy to it?" he seemed to question himself, holding Salida close but looking over her shoulder in thought. "I would indeed like to fuck this pretty lady one last time before she disappears like some kind of fucking fairy tale figure, so how about we trying a way off this roof and back into the suite?" he asked, looking down at her, running a hand gently along her jawline in a somewhat uncustomary display of affection. She had him hooked, damn it.

"You're welcome to find a way back into the suite, but you're going to have to earn your way back into my good graces. I don't like people blaming things on me." It was somewhat exciting to pretend that he was having no effect on her.

Stepping away from him, she went back to the cabana to get herself another towel since he'd taken hers. Tugging one off the stack, she heard something metal hit the ground with a quiet rattle. Turning to see what it was, she had to smile. A key.

Going back out with the towel wrapped around her chest, Salida sat and watched as Jeffrey tried to find a way back into the suite, cursing not so quietly under his breath the entire time. She let him search while she admired his barely clad form. Finally, when she noticed that he was about to take a large piece of metal to the doorknob, she interrupted him. "Looking for this, junior?" she asked, holding up the key.

That fucking doorknob has got to go. Jeffrey thought to himself, ready to tear it down with his teeth. He was about to start bashing at it when Salida called out, "Looking for this, junior?" and he turned back with a scowl. Of course she would fucking find a key. "Perhaps, vixen. Why? Were you trying to hide it? Do you want to be up on this fucking freezing roof with nothing more than towels when we've got a nice fucking bed and hot shower waiting for us inside?"

"I could have let myself in when your back was turned," she replied, irritation returning. Deciding it was best to get it out in the open, she casually said, "You're really starting to piss me off, Junior. You're going to really outdo yourself to get me in a good mood again." Salida knew it was simply residual emotions from their fight earlier, but she was willing to let it slide. If the man found pain arousing, he probably found irritation arousing as well.

Jeffrey hated being irritated. He liked things the way he liked them; his way, right now. If it were fucking up to him he'd be back in the warm hotel suite pounding her into the mattress again, but no. She had to tease. "You're a fucking tease, you know that vixen?" He sighed and ran a hand through his wet hair, grimacing at the smell of chlorine that emanated from his body. Fuck, I need a shower. "You say I'm pissing you off. I won't waste timing in asking why that is, only what can I do to put you in a good mood again?"

She shrugged. "Tess usually goes for a run, but we've already tried that option, with disastrous results." She walked over and handed him the key, letting him unlock the door. He opened it and walked through himself, leaving her to catch the door before it once again shut and she was locked out. Jeffrey might very well lock her out as her 'punishment'.

Suddenly realizing just how badly she was behaving, and how well Jeffrey was taking it - he hadn't even raised a hand against her - she felt some remorse, which only served to put her in a worse mood. "Look, I'm sorry. It's not you. It's the fact that I'm going to have to leave. I don't want to, but I don't think it's safe to inflict Tess on you either - I'm not sure she'd survive."

Jeffrey turned back to face her, a smirk once more on his face. "You mean that literally, or metaphorically?"

"I'm not so sure that she wouldn't get so on your nerves that you'd kill her, and I'm not sure she'd ever be the same after meeting you if she survived."

"Who would?" he said with a wink and a smirk to let her know that he was still in a fucking cheery mood even if she wasn't. He walked down the steps and heard her following him, the door to the roof closing behind her. He then strode purposefully to the bathroom, in desperate need of a shower. He fucking hated smelling like chlorine. "I'm going to take a shower. You up for joining me, or are you still pissed off?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess that depends on whether or not you're going to try to take my mind off the reason I'm pissed. Not that it'll help later. If I'm upset about leaving you, then having sex again probably won't help. My body and my libido wouldn't mind though. It's up to you I suppose." She found it amusing that she was talking about sex as if she were discussing what toppings she wanted on her pizza. "God, this entire evening is just so surreal." Sighing, she ran a hand down his bare chest. "I don't think I'm ready for the dream to end yet," she whispered. "But I'm not ready for a better dream yet either."

"You probably should have taken it into consideration that I'm a fucking horny bastard at the best of times before offering me the choice of whether to have sex with you again or not," Jeffrey commented off-hand before grabbing her arm and dragging her into the bathroom with him. It was only when he had turned on the water and a filled the bathroom with steam that he let her go, and he only did that so he could remove both of their towels. "I hope you fucking like it hot," he said with a smirk, pulling her into the steaming hot shower.

"The water or the sex?" she asked, able to play now that a decision had been made. "Although, I'm fucking cold now. I'm always cold." Except when I'm with you. You warm me up. However, when the water hit her skin, she had to gasp. t had to be just a degree or so below scalding. "Jeffrey!" she exclaimed, reaching to add a bit a cold water. "I'm not that cold."

"Both," Jeffrey said, and to her amusement he almost seemed to pout when she made the water a little less scalding, and a little more hot. His disappointment didn't last long though as he pulled her close to him and pushed her somewhat violently against one of the walls of the shower, holding her arms tight should she slip. He then captured her mouth in a hungry kiss, pressing up close against her and enjoying the taste of the water on her lips and tongue.

Salida couldn't help it - she purred as Jeffrey forced her mouth open, his tongue surging forward to tempt her own. The sensation of heat and coolness, of Jeffrey's warm chest pressing against hers and the cool tiles of the shower against her back, was doing indescribable things to her.

She could hear their kiss as he kept pulling away and returning, playing with her and changing the angle and depth of their kiss with each move. Finally she struggled to free her arms so he could hold his head still so she could get some consistent contact, but he fought her. Holding her arms pinned, he moved his mouth down her neck, sucking water from her skin as he went, delighting in the way she was trying to fight but wasn't succeeding.

Jeffrey took great pleasure in kissing every droplet off of her skin, amused at her attempts to bring him back up to kiss her properly. He also took great pleasure at the way she continued to fight him; it turned him on more than a little bit, as she could no doubt notice. He trailed slow kisses down her shoulders and collarbone, along her chest, on the tops of her breasts, moving lower and lower with increasing slowness. He had noticed her purr earlier, and he now felt the desire to kiss and lick her clean like a giant cat would. And fuck, she tastes so good. He became so entranced with the sight of the water droplets on her dark flesh that he didn't noticed that his arms had loosened their hold of hers enough for her to break free.

Grabbing his head in both hands, she pulled him up to face her. Breathily she informed him, "If we're going to do this, I'm not against some playtime in the water, but I want to be in the bed before you fuck me again." She noticed that 'fuck' was slipping into her vocabulary more and more the longer she was around him. "God, you're such a bad influence," she muttered, trying to pull together enough willpower to refrain from attacking him. She was serious about making it back to the bed. While this would be fun - and definitely hot - she still had to worry about what condition she was going to be returning this body in. She could blame a few bruises on a night filled with nightmares, but she'd be hard pressed to do the same if her rear was black and blue from being slammed into the wall.

Jeffrey really did kind of half-pout this time and Salida couldn't help but laugh. "You can cut the act, hot stuff. I'm not buying it. And I was being serious."

Jeffrey sighed and pulled away from her. He leaned over to grab the various miniature bottles of soap and shampoo the hotel had provided. "Fine, have it your way. No sex for now. But I fully intend to have some 'playtime in the water,' as you so eloquently put it, my little vixen," he said with a smirk, before squirting a handful of shampoo into his hand. "Duck your head a little bit," he instructed before moving the shampoo-filled hand to her hair, using both hands to massage her scalp. "I still fucking intend to get clean while I'm in here if not lucky at least, but I figure I can...do you first," he said with a wink, thoroughly working the shampoo into her long hair. "As long as you do the same for me." She could hear the smirk in his voice even without seeing it. "And as for being a bad influence? Oh you bet I am, baby," he said with a short laugh. "I'm also a bad habit."

"I didn't know you were a nun," she murmured as his nimble fingers started massaging the shampoo into her hair. They felt so good against her scalp that she had to lean into the contact.

Jeffrey rolled his eyes at that, but it was a wasted effort since she couldn't see his face. He merely continued massaging the shampoo into her scalp, smirking when she leaned into his touch. "You like that, huh? Well just wait until I get to the soap," he said with a devilish chuckle. He continued his impromptu scalp massage for a minute longer until he instructed her, "Close your eyes. I wouldn't want to get soap in them." He leaned over to look at her and saw that her eyes were already closed, a somewhat blissful expression on her face. "Nevermind," he muttered to himself, reaching up to remove the showerhead so he could gently rinse all the shampoo from her hair before replacing it again, his body growing a bit chill at not being under the constant spray of hot water.

Again she purred as she felt the hot water trickling through the depths of her hair to run down her scalp. Two tiny streams ran over her shoulders, down her collarbone, and off her breasts, making her squirm a bit. She'd much rather Jeffrey's hands replace the water, but she supposed he would get to that eventually. "The question is, will he get to it before I turn into a puddle of goo?"

Jeffrey smirked, glad to see that he was having such a mind altering effect on her with touching anything but her head. Bending his own down, he whispered in her ear, "You're talking out loud, vixen. And I most definitely intend to see you turn into a puddle of goo." She shivered at his words, and the smirk turned into a broad grin. "And then I'm going to towel you off, leaving just enough moisture on your skin to make you look like some kind of freshly washed and picked fruit, and then I'm going to fuck you long and hard, taking time to ensure that you are completely satisfied."

"I thought you were going to let me wash you," she murmured back, turning her head so she could feel his breath moving over her skin.

"Ah, but that's my secret weapon," he replied. "I think you'll do a much better job of washing my hair if you can easily reach my head, which means I'll need to kneel." Evilly, he whispered, "Just think of all the interesting things that will put me at eye - and mouth - level with." She started to tremble, he knew she got the picture.

"Shall I demonstrate?" he asked, and before she could even begin to formulate a response, he was on his knees in front of her, kissing ever so lightly on the sensitive flesh of her legs, ignoring the parts that were certain to make her tremble even more, for now.

Salida knew she had to start washing his hair now before he upped the ante and she really did turn into a puddle of goo. She repeated his actions from earlier and squirted a handful of shampoo into one hand before reaching down to begin working it slowly into his scalp, making sure to cover every inch of his shoulder-length hair in suds. It was Jeffrey's turn to moan at the pleasurable contact, and he retaliated by planting an incredibly warm, open-mouthed kiss right on her sensitive nub, causing her to gasp aloud, and unconsciously pull on his hair a bit, in an effort to bring him closer to her body. He moaned again and began suckling and nipping at her clit rapidly, causing her to wonder just how much she could take before her knees gave out from under her.

Looking down, she saw that his eyes were locked on her face, and that said eyes were burning with desire and possession. I'm not going to make it out of here alive, she suddenly thought, sure that either desire or leaving him would kill her. Out loud she gasped, "Close your eyes so I can rinse you." Again he nipped her, this time harder, making her knees buckle briefly before she regained her balance. "Please?" she asked, not what she meant.

With a devilish grin, Jeffrey closed his eyes, but didn't give up his tormenting, even going so far as to part her legs further as she washed the shampoo from his hair. The moment she was done, the showerhead went clattering to the floor of the stall as Salida tried to stay upright under the onslaught of pins and needles taking over her legs and the desire fogging her mind. Moaning, she leaned against the wall, her hands going to his shoulders to help keep her upright.

He was forced to push himself even closer to her to keep himself balanced as she rested almost her entire weight on his shoulders, his tongue darting out to take advantage of the sudden thrust in movement, as his tongue entered her core, causing her to moan. He pulled out slowly, savoring her taste as he continued his onslaught of her clit, continuing his patterns of gentle sucklings and hard bites that made her moan, and grip his shoulders firmly. A part of his mind, perhaps Sands, was aware of the fact that he would no doubt have scratches from where her fingernails were digging into his skin on the tops of shoulders, but the rest of him didn't care in the least. Only a little bit more, she's almost fucking there. Only a little bit fucking more, he thought to himself, his manipulations growing even more passionate and forceful.

He took a moment to look up at her and smirked, sure that she could feel it, as he took in the image of her head thrown back, her mouth opened in a soundless moan, and her breath heaving as she attempted to keep her feet before him. That's one image that's going to linger, he thought to himself, before biting down hard on her clit. Not enough to draw blood, but enough to satisfy his own desires for the moment. She's mine. He asserted within his mind. She has to be made aware of that.

"JEFFREY!" she screamed, finally losing all control, her hips managing to thrust against him once before he pinned her back against the wall. "Oh, god, please," she begged. He'd thrown her from arousal to the very edge of climax in seconds, making every nerve in her body burn painfully, and continue to do so until he finished what he started.

Moving himself away from her a fraction of an inch, he commanded, "Tell me what I want to hear, vixen. Tell me you're mine. Totally and completely."

Her head tossing in agony, the single word sounding more like a sob than an agreement, she cried, "Yes!" Her hands were mindlessly trying to pull him close again, a true sob of frustration emerging from her as he fought.

"You didn't tell me what I wanted to hear, vixen."

"I'm yours," she whimpered, biting down on her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. "Please, Jeffrey. Oh, god, I can't stand it."

He felt a bit of a psychotic urge to lick that bit of blood from her lip and figured that he'd have a chance in a second. He had her in the palm of his hand, and she knew it. She had admitted to him that she was his, and now there was no turning back. Once something was his, he didn't let go, he didn't share. And she was his. "Totally and completely," he muttered to himself, repeating her words before biting down on her clit hard enough to bleed this time, and he sucked on that blood greedily, thereby increasing the suckling on her clit ten-fold. She screamed as she climaxed, her entire body trembling as the waves of pleasure cascaded over her. He kept suckling however, not wanting to stop, and it wasn't a minute longer that she screamed a second time, a second orgasm tearing through her body with even more intensity than the first. He would have kept on going; kept seeing how many times he could get her to scream his name before she had no voice left, but she pushed his head away gently, but insistently.

"Please stop, it's too much. Too intense. And I think the water's starting to turn cold," she commented slowly as if she were in a daze. Which, all things considered, probably wasn't too far from the truth.

Jeffrey rose to his feet with a growl, licking her chin and lower lip free of blood, and she could smell herself on his breath. He then pulled her in close, letting her feel just how aroused he was right now before turning and turning the water off, and throwing open the shower curtain, practically dragging her along like some sort of mindless animal. In fact, there seemed to be no higher thoughts to him at all. Only need, possession, and desire.

"Jeffrey, please." With what strength she had left, Salida pulled on the arm he was dragging her by. "I can't go that fast . . . my legs aren't quite working. Not to mention I'm sore as hell." When he relented in his pulling, her words were proved true as she wavered on her feet. It took a supreme act of will to remain upright at all on muscles that were barely the same consistency of butter on a hot day, but she refused to loose face in front of him.

With a smirk he commented, "Could have fooled me. I could have sworn that you enjoyed every moment of that."

"Why? Because I screamed?" She shook her head, the motion making her knees buckle completely. Jeffrey caught her before she hit the floor though. He held her against his hard body, groaning at the feeling of her skin against his. Breathless - either still or again - she finished what she'd wanted to say. "People scream when they get stabbed too."

Having said that, she rested her head against his chest, feeling his body trembling. "If I'm that fat, you can put me down."

"People don't always scream when they get stabbed," Jeffrey muttered to absently, shifting her weight until he cradled her in his arms, walking slowly and with some difficulty, although it was not all due to Salida's weight in his arms, back to the bedroom, where he laid her still wet body on the sheets before joining her. He then began kissing her neck and shoulders, with wild abandon. Well, not entirely. He stopped briefly to look up at her. "If you truly want to stop for a minute, say so. I don't know if I'll listen, but if you don't say anything now, I'll just keep going, regardless of what you want me to do, vixen. So speak now or forever hold your peace and all that," he said, kissing her a half a dozen more times before pausing to look at her and wait for her answer. "Just keep in mind, that I'm pretty much beyond the point of no fucking return here, so any pause you make better not last fucking long."

Salida thought about what he had said. True, she'd screamed because of the unexpected pain . . . but she'd come because of it as well. There was such a fine line between pain and pleasure, and while she did still hurt, a bit, it wasn't exactly distracting.

"Will you play with me a bit first?" she asked suddenly. Jeffrey just cocked an eyebrow, asking what she meant. Blushing, she murmured, "I'm beginning to wonder whether or not you find my breasts to be adequate. You haven't paid too much attention to them, and I know they're not the biggest, but they are rather sensitive . . . ." Trailing off, she looked back up at him, taken aback by the heat of his gaze. Almost as if she were hypnotized, she murmured, "I think I'm starting to get cold again." She shivered. "You'd best warm me up . . . ."

"Oh I'll do better than that, vixen. I'll set fucking ablaze. I don't have pyromania tacked on to my list of mental disorders yet, but I'm certainly willing. He leaned over and captured one peaked nipple in his mouth, enjoying the feeling of it on his tongue and in between his lips. He rolled it over and over again, before raising a hand up to fondle its opposite, giving them both equal attention. He'd lick and suck on it until it gleamed in the dim light of the still burning candles before he'd blow on it, the cold air causing it to harden and her to shiver. He repeated this process a few times before exchanging his hand and mouth's positions, and beginning anew with the opposite breath. "Is this kind of what you had in mind, vixen?" he asked around her nipple, his voice muffled, but not stopping the mixture of suckling and biting that he had just employed successfully on her clit. He was careful not to bite too hard though. He had been paying at least some attention to when she said her breasts were sensitive.

Salida couldn't answer him with anything other than a low moan, her back arching to press closer to him, one hand tangling in his wet hair to hold him against her. "Fuck yes," she hissed as he momentarily stopped to knead her breasts in his hands. "God, I must be fucking insane if . . . if -" a gasp interrupted her before she could finish the thought.

"If what, vixen?" Jeffrey lowered his mouth to her neck, loving the way it was arched in a graceful expression of torment and pleasure.

"If I've fucking fallen in love in less than a day," she gasped. As soon as the words left her mouth and she realized what she'd said, and that those words were the truth, she tried to pull away, thinking Oh god, what have I done.

Jeffrey's entire body froze and his muscles tensed as he pulled back to look at her, his arousal forgotten for a surreal moment. He looked deep into her eyes and saw that she fucking meant it. "I-I," Fuck, she's turned me fucking speechless. "I don't know love. I don't think I've ever been in fucking love before, and I'm not quite sure how it works, to tell you the fucking truth. All I do know is that I feel something for you other than lust. Whether or not that's love, is anyone's fucking guess," he said a bit softly, placing a gentle kiss on the corner of her mouth before completely ruining the moment in a purely characteristic way by exclaiming, "Are you fucking ready now? Because if I have to wait any longer I think I'm going to fucking explode," he said, illustrating this comment by running his now rock-hard length along her stomach and in between legs slowly, but insistently.

Salida laughed, a sound that quickly turned into a moan as Jeffrey finally decided to see just how flexible she was. He bent one leg at the knee, placing it at a ninety degree angle to comparison to her body. He pressed it into the bed, as if silently telling it to stay put. Salida easily kept it in place as he took her other leg and propped it over his shoulder. Still delighting in the feel of his arousal sliding over her damp center, Salida slid further down the bed, giving herself the leverage to bed her knee over his shoulder, pulling him closer. Her hands pulled his head closer and closer, until she could whisper against his lips, "Fuck . . . me . . . now, Jeffrey."

Jeffrey didn't have to be told twice as he thrust his entire length into her deep near scalding center as far as he could, not bothering to bite back a moan at the contact. He would have smirked to hear that he wasn't the only one, but the only thing he seemed to be able to do right now was to keep thrusting, faster and faster, his head thrown back as he reached out and grabbed Salida firmly around the waist, bringing her even closer to him, and in effect thrusting even deeper. His eyes fluttered shut and rolled back into his head slightly, as his mouth parted just a little. He didn't make any further noises, not yet anyway, just breathed heavily through his mouth as he kept thrusting. It was Salida's squeezing of his shoulder to bring them even closer that finally managed to send him over the edge with a chorus of "Oh fuck, Salida, My vixen, Mine, Oh god," that he didn't even fully realize was coming out of his mouth. He finally came with enough force to make him wince slightly with a long and loud moan than seemed to echo throughout the hotel bedroom.

Salida, for her part, felt nothing more than total warmth and satisfaction as Jeffrey's frenzied thrusts brought him closer and closer to release. As nice as it felt though, and as new to this as she was, she knew she wasn't going to come again tonight, no matter what he did. It was enough to be in his arms, to memorize the way he felt inside her, and to watch him loose all control . . . because of her. When he finally collapsed on top of her, she wrapped her arms around him, kissing the top of his head and sighing. She didn't want to, but she knew she had to check the time. 4:47. If she wanted to get back without alerting anyone that she'd been out all night, she would need to leave by 5:30. That gave her less than an hour. And it would be best for all involved if Jeffrey simply went to sleep so she could leave without painful and awkward farewells. "I don't suppose you'd consider taking a nap, would you?" she asked softly.

"Why, so you can fucking sneak out while I'm asleep?" Jeffrey muttered against her bare chest, but in truth, he could already feel the activities of the night beginning to take their toll on him. He could have gone a few more rounds without too much difficulty, but he'd have to get up off the bed to do that, and that idea didn't seem at all appealing right now. Salida seemed to notice his lethargy and didn't say a word. "Fine, I'll fucking go to sleep so you can steal off into the grand fucking night like some kind of voracious vixen, but only if you promise me this wasn't our last night together."

Her eyes closed when she thought how long it'd be before that happened, but she promised anyway. "I'm not some melodramatic Repunzel figure who'd throw aside the one man of any fucking interest or worth simply because it was going to be hard to be with him." She shifted as Jeffrey moved off her, onto the mattress, snuggling close to his weight as he laid there, his breathing still slowing. "I've gone and given myself to you - more than I possibly could afford to - but I'm not one to take back what I've freely given. If it weren't for Tess, you'd have to kill me to get rid of me . . . but there is Tess, and there's my fight with her. One I won't give up on. I can't afford to now."

"Good, because you're fucking mine. I don't give up what's mine," Jeffrey mumbled into the mattress, his eyelids growing heavy without his consent. "You're mine," he mumbled again, his voice now beginning to slur with sleep. "And you can fight...her. I know you can. I'd help...if I could," he assured her as firmly as he could in his now clearly sleep-slurred voice.

"I know." She kissed him again, brushing some hair out of his face. "Sweet dreams, lover." Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder, waiting for his breath to even out into the broad and even breaths of the truly asleep. She sat and listened to him breathe for some time before getting up. With some distaste she climbed back into her clothes from the night before, braiding her hair back as best she could so it would be out of her face. Her preparations didn't take long, leaving her with time to do what she wanted.

The suite boasted a desk, and the desk had stationary. Sitting down she wrote a quick note, making sure not to sound too mussy or spiritless. Then she quickly signed it, and took it back into the bedroom. She found the nightie from so much earlier in the night, and laid it out on a chair, setting the note on top of it. Then, turning to leave, she saw one of those silk scarves. With a wicked grin, she picked it up and tied it around her hair to keep it out of her face. With a final look at the man on the bed, Salida left the room, the suite, and eventually the hotel. Telling the cabbie to take her to the house her 'roomie' shared with her friends.

***

It was a good many hours later before Sands finally woke up, Jeffrey having decided to sleep in. He rolled over on his back and bent an arm over one of his eyes before moving it aside just enough to take in his naked form. His eyes then made a quick circuit around the room, taking in the number of melted candles scattered throughout. He sat up on the bed and cursed as he hit his head against something on the headboard, and he frowned to see that there were pair of black leather restraints attached there. He looked down at himself again and saw that he was covered with what looked like small red marks, smooth to the touch, that he knew from experience were burns. "Jeffrey! You inconsiderate fucking bastard! You got fucking laid last night, didn't you!" he screamed at the top of lungs, beyond pissed off.

"You bellowed?" Jeffrey asked, his voice sounding like a cat's would if it had just spent a day sleeping in the sun. He sounded smug, the fucking bastard. "Fuck, she's gone, isn't she? Dirty little vixen."

"Who's gone? You're fucking whore for the night? Or have you just already disposed of the body?" Sands seethed.

"Don't you fucking call her that, you bastard. And for your fucking information, she left me last night, and she left fucking alive."

"Well that's got to be a first," Sands muttered clearly sounding surprised, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

"You're fucking telling me," Jeffrey muttered irritably.

"And what was this mystery girl's name?" Sands asked, rising to his feet with a stretch, wincing as he felt a bit used and overworked. Especially when he didn't get any of the benefit. He was still muttering about inconsiderate second personalities when he noticed a rather expensive-looking red scrap of lingerie draped over a chair with a note written on what looked like hotel stationary placed beside it. "What's this?" he asked, picking it up in his right hand.

"Give me that!" Jeffrey yelled, snatching it out of Sands' right with his left before opening it to read,

Lover boy, it read, I remember my promise, so remember my own admission. I meant it - the next time I leave, one of us will be dead.

I had to leave, we both know that. I need time to tame Tess, and I'm sure you can use that time to do the same to Sands, or at least accustom him to the idea that he might be waking up a lot feeling rather sore.

Don't come looking for me. I'm determined to do this, and I've only one thing motivating me. Guess what it is?

I demand a rematch in pool. Honor demands it. Honor demands a lot of other stuff too, but it can go fuck itself.

Salida

P.S. - one day with you, any town I want? Hands down, Las Vegas.

P.P.S. - should you want, you can reach me at desert_fox@hotmail.com . . . Tess doesn't know about that.

"What does she mean tame me? How does she fucking know about me in the first place? And what kind of name is Salida anyway? Doesn't that mean sunrise?"

"That, you nosy bastard, is a long fucking story that I don't want to get into right now." He folded the note carefully and put it back where it was. "If you touch anything in here that isn't yours, I'll personally break your hand, pain be damned. Now if you don't mind, I'm going back to sleep. I don't know about you, but I had quite an"¦exhausting night last night." And with that, Jeffrey was gone, leaving Sands to curse his absence and women who named themselves after fucking nouns.

***

Salida managed to get inside the house without anyone hearing her, although she could hear people moving around upstairs. Damn college students, she thought, making her way upstairs as silently as she could.

Luck was with her and she managed to get into Tessa's room without anyone noticing her. Racing around the room, she stripped out of her clothes, putting them in the dirty clothes hamper and putting on some pajamas. She reluctantly took the scarf from her hair and tucked it into the bottom of the false drawer that Tess didn't know about either. Fighting the urge to check her e-mail, she got into bed, pulling the covers up around her head.

She was on the verge of falling asleep when a knock came on the door and someone opened it. "T! What are you doing in bed still? I thought you were going to hit the library with us."

I'll fucking burn down the library if you don't leave. "I was up studying last night." Leave.

Jessica shrugged. "Suit yourself. By the way, you sound kinda hoarse. Are you coming down with something?"

Yeah, a premature case of PMS. Salida had to get rid of this woman before Tess woke. "I'm sure I'll be fine if I can just get some sleep. I'll see you all later." Relaxing as she heard the door shut, Salida fell into sleep, confident that the weariness in Tessa's body would keep the other woman asleep for some hours. Long enough for Salida to get some rest and be waiting with excuses of nightmare laden nights and sleep walking.

TBC

A/N: This was the original end of the fic. Bet you're glad we kept going, huh? ;)