by Bella Court
"What?" she demanded, suddenly agitated by the cocky look on his face.
"Did you stop to consider that maybe I don't like being dragged around like a dog in your iron clad hand hold?" he smirked, waving his hand in front of her face.
"Wha..." She stopped, as she realized that she had, indeed, been holding his hand and dragging him around with her. Seeing the self satisfied look on his face, she quickly snapped, "It didn't mean anything, okay?"
"Sure, it didn't. Just like your little confession didn't mean anything last night, right?"
She blushed, and fumed. "Are you going to hold that against me forever? Besides, if I recall, you like me, too."
His smile broadened, and grabbing her hand, he softly delivered a kiss that was so gallant and so strangely chivalrous and gentlemanly that Kristen felt herself reddening further.
"So go out with me."
"On a date?" Kristen asked, slightly puzzled. Now it was her turn to have a self-satisfied grin on her face. "As in, one of those things that happens before a girl sleeps with a guy?"
"Something like that," Connor conceded, not liking how smug she looked.
"I'll think about it."
"Well, don't, and just say yes," he murmured, pulling her against him and delivering a quick kiss to her lips. She smiled against his lips, as he continued to kiss her tenderly and softly. It was a sweet and perfect kiss, and as they pulled apart, Kristen felt herself breathlessly saying, "Yes."
* * *
He had been staring at her unblinkingly, which was quite the norm now, and by all means, Kristen should have been used to it. She sure as hell wasn't. She was starting to get really sick of feeling unsettled all the time.
"What is it?" Kristen demanded, shifting uncomfortably in her short trapeze style dress. He had no idea how hard it was for her to get dressed for their first date. She had spent hours tossing out outfit after outfit, trying to figure out what to wear for this date. Technically speaking, she hadn't been out on a date in years. Especially not with someone who made her half as nervous as Connor did.
No matter how nervous she was, however, she couldn't help but feel a rush of exhilaration go through her. She didn't realize that everywhere she went now, a gorgeous smile graced her usually indifferent face. There was a glow about her that made people look at her on the streets. Instead of seeing the cold, ruthless, bitter Kristen, they now saw the warmth and happiness that radiated from her. People thought she was in love.
After twelve rejected dresses and a little help from Jade, Kristen had finally settled on the little black dress. Perfect for first dates. It was made of a soft chiffon that pleated at the top and was connected to satin straps, and the trapeze style made it loose about her body like a shift, but it was beguilingly short, and it showed off her legs to perfection. She paired it with strappy silver heels and had put her hair up in a messy up-do with unruly waves occasionally coming free to caress the edges of her face.
"You look beautiful," Connor finally said in response to her demand, not in the slightest bit perturbed by her tone. He stared at her, drinking her in, and with more than a little satisfaction, he watched her face soften into a small smile and her eyes crinkle with pleasure. He gave her a long lingering stare that left no inch of her unseen. She a tingle go through her body at every place his eyes landed.
God, she hated men. Whereas women took hours to get ready, men simply tossed on a business suit, combed their hair a bit, and they were good to go. Connor probably spent a half hour, tops, on his appearance, and he still looked handsome in his tailored suit and gray tie that matched his smoldering eyes.
"You don't look so bad yourself." Her husky voice was softer and sweeter than ever.
He offered her his arm, and she slipped her arm into the crook of his elbow. He had taken her to dinner at Morimoto, one of her favorite restaurants, and she could honestly say that it was probably one of the best dates she had ever had. She felt so at ease, and conversation flowed easily and quickly. He had paid for dinner beforehand, so that Kristen couldn't even argue about paying her half, which she was secretly impressed by but would never admit to. But the real highlight of it all was what would come after.
When she crawled into his BMW after dinner, he quickly tossed her a jacket of his that he had stashed in his backseat.
"Wear that, you'll need it."
Compliantly, she pulled the jacket over her dress, glad for the warmth it provided. They made a quick stop at Serendipity to pick up some of their famous frozen hot chocolates, as well as a few desserts before continuing on their way.
Gently cradling their desserts in her lap, Kristen stared at their surroundings. She had no idea where they were going. They were somewhere between Fifth and Seventh Avenue, and it was surprisingly darker than usual. A few of the streetlights must've burned out, she figured.
"Where're we going?"
Connor didn't say a word, but his lips quirked upwards, and if it weren't for the fact that it was so incredibly stupid, she would say that he was taking her somewhere to kill her off.
Finally, the car came to a stop, next to a curiously dark building. She stared at it incredulously, more than a little apprehensive. Suddenly, a figure appeared at her side, pulling open the door. She opened her mouth to shriek, and her foot protectively connected to her attacker's stomach.
"It's me!" Connor's voice rumbled from the ground, where he was crouched over from her attack.
"You were just right here next to me! How the hell did you get out that fast?" Kristen demanded, still feeling jumpy, as she helped him up.
"I told you to stay in the car and I would open your door! Jesus, that is one powerful kick you have there,” Connor said, rubbing his stomach in circular motions.
"It's better than pepper spray,” Kristen said proudly, as Connor straightened, trying to play it off that he had just gotten kicked in the gut by a girl.
"Are you hurt?" Concern was laced in her voice.
Connor made a huff sound and uttered an indignant, "No!"
"So…where are we?"
Ignoring his bruised ego, he took her by the hand and led her to their final destination.
She was still fighting the urge to demand whether or not he was taking her hostage, but finally, things were starting to come into view. He had parked behind some sort of building and was leading her around the edge of it, and light posts were finally re-emerging.
She gasped when she saw the glowing golden statue of Prometheus against the backdrop of the New York skyline. The ice rink of Rockefeller Center glowed beneath the statue, and it was completely empty of people. It was never empty of people.
He grinned knowingly as he pulled her up to the side of the rink and handed her a pair of skates. He quickly laced up his skates, while she was still gawking at the rink.
"How did you do this?"
"I know some people." He forced her to sit down next to him, and reached over to slip her heels off and replace them with the skates. Delicately, he laced them up for her.
"I don't know how to skate,” she said quietly, watching Connor's hands gently finish tying her laces for her. Something strange jarred within her, as he wrapped the jacket he had given her earlier around her tighter.
"So we'll learn together." He flashed her a smile that took her breath away.
He stood up, and Kristen felt the loss of his warmth next to her. Tentatively, she reached her hands up and intertwined it with his, biting her lip as she did so. Her heart quickened when his larger hands closed tightly over her smaller ones.
She had never been so nervous and unsure in her life.
He dragged her out to the rink, and together they bumbled across the ice. Connor wasn't any better than she was. In fact, Kristen got the hang of skating pretty quickly, while Connor was left to clutch onto her hand when he started flailing out of control.
He ate the ice more than once, and he'd hit the wall of the rink whenever Kristen wasn't holding his hand and guiding him. Finally, he completely gave up and laid down
on the ice.
Chuckling, she rounded the rink a few times more, her cheeks rosy from the cold and hurting from how much she was smiling. She grabbed their desserts from Serendipity from the outside of the rink before lying on her back next to him.
His jacket kept her warm, and she snuggled deeper into it, as she let the now lukewarm hot chocolate heat her fingers.
"So do you always bring your ladies here?" Kristen teased.
He gave her a smirk. "Always."
She pouted indignantly and sharply hit his arm.
"All right, no. You're the first. The only one. I had to pull out all the stops to impress you. Did it work?"
His arm slipped around her shoulders and she laid her head in his arm, her cheek against his side. She nodded mutely against him.
For a long while they laid on the ice, ignoring the cold, and stared up at the sky. It was like a thick velvet blanket had been draped over the sky, and the stars shone with bright intensity that Kristen had never bothered to notice before. The moon hid itself beneath heaven's dome, afraid to outshine the stars.
"That's Orion's Belt," Kristen pointed out the only constellation she knew. The familiar line of three stars that made up the famous Hunter's belt.
His deep chuckle rumbled through the air, wisps of trailing steam came from his mouth from how cold it was. He pointed his fingers up into the sky and traced a path that Kristen followed with her eyes. "That's the Hydra, one of the largest constellations."
She didn't see it, but it didn't matter. His voice soothed her, as he pointed out constellations. "Kristen, you're beautiful," he murmured breathlessly. He watched as she slowly rolled onto him. He felt the heat radiate from her body and the softness of her fingertips as they brushed ever so delicately across his chest.
Now he embraced her. They took off their clothes. No hesitation. Connor felt the length of her naked body against his as she pressed against him. He savored it. His lips met hers hungrily, with a fiery passion he couldn't hide. Kristen didn't want him to hide it, he knew. Her fingers ran through his hair, pulling gently, and firmly massaged his shoulders and chest. His mouth moved from her lips to her cheeks, throat and heaving chest. He couldn’t get enough of her.
Finally, she felt his lips on her breasts, suckling at her nipples and Kristen felt passion grip her like no other time in her life. She wanted him inside of her, pounding her hard and steady. No one had made her want to be loved this much.
He rolled on top of her. Her hands slid down as reached down further to touch him, guiding the hard length of his organ into her. Connor gasped when she touched him there. It was a torturous bliss. Kristen exhaled heavily as he pushed forward into her, seeming to know what she wanted and how she wanted it. She worked herself against his thrusting hips; her tongue traced a wet line from the side of his neck across his muscular shoulder.
Then, as the orgasm began to grip her, her head fell back and she closed her eyes, experiencing his warmth. His skin against hers, their body’s connecting in an indescribable harmony. He was riding her as if the pent up passions Connor had experienced over his life, those times when he was forced to do without physical love, culminated into this one great moment of release.
Connor!' her mind cried but from her mouth came only little bleats of intense pleasure.
"Kristen! Kristen!' he whispered raggedly as he climaxed. She felt his hot fluids inside of her and the orgasm, like a blinding light, controlled Kristen to such a degree that she couldn’t say a word–or make a single sound for a few minutes after they had finished making love.
He held her and they quietly rested, never wanting this to ever end.
* * *
"Stay still!" Kristen commanded, as her fingers sifted through Connor's smooth dark hair, measuring the length on both sides to ensure they were equal. She was finding it increasingly difficult, when Connor wouldn't stop shaking and moving his hands about her body. It had been several weeks since their first date. They had gone on more since then and were now at Connor's apartment after a dinner and a movie date.
"I don't want it to be too short!" Connor whined, jittery about the outcome of his hair.
"You're worse than a little girl, it won't be too short!" Kristen scolded, but her expression softened when Connor pouted up at her adorably. She stifled a laugh. If someone had told her months ago that she would have the unshakeable Connor Wilde pouting at her, she would've slapped them silly.
"Because I look better with long hair, don't you think?" Connor's arms found their way around her waist, and he gave her a gentle squeeze that made her shriek. After much experimentation, he had found, to his delight, that Kristen was very ticklish. Since then, Kristen had begun to twitch uncontrollably whenever his hands even moved towards the general direction of her ticklish spots. He'd move his arms towards her only to swerve away at the last moment just to watch her squirm.
"Yeah, you do," Kristen agreed, snipping off an inch of his hair, "but a trim is much needed."
Bending down to meet him at eye level, she purposely avoided his silver eyes, which were piercing her much the same way they had on their first date.
Kristen smiled unknowingly, as she brushed away some of the loose hairs from the nape of his neck with her fingers. For the more stubborn pieces of hair, she gently blew them away, not noticing the goose bumps that arose on his skin, or the pleased expression on Connor's face, as her light cool breath fanned against his hot skin.
She was once again clothed in his oversized T-shirts and loose baggy boxers. After their date, she had come back to his house, but only to sleep in his bed. She spent the night on the other end of his bed, but by morning, she had curled against him, their legs entangled.
And now, she was crouched in front of him, drying his hair with a towel in soft motions, trying hard not to laugh as his hands kneaded her waist.
"There, all done,” she proclaimed, stepping back to look at her handiwork.
Connor stood up and went to the mirror, running his fingers through his newly cut hair.
"Pretty good," he admitted, running his fingers over the stubble at his jaw. He was going to shave it, but Kristen had immediately vetoed that idea. She had pried the razor from his fingers, insisting that he looked much sexier and rugged with his stubble. Then she had rained a set of kisses on his jaw line, effectively making him forget all about it.
Taking some gel into his hands, he carelessly ran his palms through his hair, setting his beautifully messy hair. It was more than enough to piss Kristen off that guys had it so easy.
"Thanks for the haircut. It was…quite an experience." He turned around to face her, his broad shoulders dwarfing her. He quickly backed her into the wall of the bathroom, and she was more than willing to let him corner her. She smiled lightly, as he planted his hands on either side of her. Her breathing had quickened, as he leaned awfully close to her, and she was reminded of all those closet moments they had had together. He would do exactly this to her, crowd her in an already small room.
"How should I thank you?" he pondered aloud. His breath danced across her features, and before he could get in another word, Kristen had grabbed his neck and forced his lips down to hers.
He smiled against her lips, and she knew that he would probably hold her impatience against her later on, but screw that. She wanted him now.
After what felt like hours of making out, but in truth was only a few hot, lingering minutes, he pulled away from her, and she was left leaning into his chest, catching her breath, while Connor breathed heavily from above her.
"I've…got…to….go. I'm already…late,” he said gruffly, reluctantly pulling away from her.
"Why? Where're you going?"
Connor didn't respond, and as the silence grew, awkwardness washed over them. It was as if the heat they had generated only moments before had dissipated to an arctic chill. She leaned back against the cool walls of the bathroom, willing him with her dark eyes to tell her what he was reluctant to.
"I'm supposed t
o have lunch with John and Melissa,” he said shortly, taking a few steps back, widening the distance between them.
Instantly, white-hot anger ran through her at the mention of their names. John and Melissa's names hung between them like a tangible wall. Up until now, she had almost forgotten Connor was related to John, and by law, related to Melissa, but nothing could make her forget what they had done to her. She had to bite down hard on the surge of anger rising within her so that her voice would come out perfectly controlled, as always.
"What are you going to tell them?” she asked carefully. Would he tell them about their relationship? Were they even in a relationship? She didn't give a damn if John and Melissa knew, but would Connor? Questions burned at the back of her throat.
Connor's usually vibrant eyes were blank, and he lifelessly shrugged as he left the bathroom and headed for his closet.
Her lips tightly closed, she closed her eyes, giving him a few minutes, before walking into his bedroom and sitting primly at its corner. He walked out moments later with a black dress shirt around his shoulders, making short work of the buttons.
"Are you going to tell them about us?"
Connor didn't skip a beat, "Do you want me to?"
"I don't give a damn if they know. You know I've stopped caring about their opinions long ago. The question is, do you want to tell them?"
Connor sighed, as he finished up the buttons on his shirt. He knew what she wanted him to say, but he didn't want to say it. "No, I don't. You may hate them, but I don't. John is my brother, and I…I'm not ready to tell him, yet."
"I'm not walking on eggshells around them to please them. I'm not going to hide whatever it is we have just so that your brother and his wife won't get hurt.”
She couldn't hold back the bite in her tone. She couldn't help it, anything that had to do with John and Melissa always made her more hostile and alert. She didn't want to ever let anyone hurt her the way they did again. And she was starting to fear that she might have already let Connor in enough to cause more pain.
"I'm not asking you to," he snapped in reply to her tone.
