 |
THEME BY LOSTMEMENTO
Brenden wasn’t exactly certain about what was going on, or what he was doing, but he wasn’t going to complain, not anymore, favour was a fortunate asset he had on his side, he deserved it after getting shot, that was the idea anyway. His fingers traced across her skin gently as their kiss became more and more passionate, drawing their attention away from what could possibly go wrong, what had gone wrong and what will go wrong. It was all down to what was going on now, and that’s all that mattered to the pair of them.
He set his hands loose from their restrained positions he’d left them in, and let them explore each and every curve of Ariella, pulling and tugging at fabric. Perhaps he’d got carried, away with it, but he wasn’t being violent, not like he would have been usually against her. His touch was gentle, caring, loving, not the usual pain and gain he went for with her. He really took care in what he was doing with Ariella, he’d caused her enough pain already, he’d caused her enough trouble, he had his chance to repair what problems he’d caused between them.
He withdrew his lips from hers as he rested his forehead on hers, eyes inspecting her momentarily in silence. He didn’t want to say anything to ruin the mood, but he wanted more, she wanted more. “Are you sure this is what you want, Ari?” He raised a brow curiously, hands gently grazing their way over her until they reached her hips, pulling her tightly against him. He knew she didn’t have anything to lose, neither did he, quite frankly. They’d managed to escape the grasp of the strip and their bosses and they were free, to do whatever the fuck they wanted.
He teased as he waited for an answer, lips softly nipping and kissing at the tender, soft skin on her neck, fingers tracing across her clothed back in response, waiting anxiously; eagerly. Whether he knew it or not this felt right, this is what he was looking for, he wouldn’t own up to it, because it wasn’t him, he was meant to be a cold-hearted psychopath who would beat slaves into an inch of their lives for his enjoyment, not some gentle giant who showed emotion and care for people, the only emotion he’d ever shown was anger and hatred, not this.
Ariella wasn’t used to the feeling of another mans hands traversing her body in such a gentle fashion, and she most certainly wasn’t used to liking the feeling of something like that. Especially considering whose hands they were… She couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh against his lips while those hands tugged at her dress. Both her hands here still against him, one at the side of his face while the other rest to the opposite side of his neck. There’d always been so much anger between them, so much pain an suffering, and here it was coming down to a gentle embrace. What better way to make up for years of abuse than a kiss that made her tingle.
A bright smile rest across her lips when he pulled back, leaning their foreheads together, her fingertips now idly playing with the stubble on his jaw, tracing up and down along the length of the bone, around to his chin and back. Before she really had a chance to say anything, his face was buried in her neck, tender kisses creating a path along her skin; this made her shiver and whimper lightly, the hand rested to his neck gripping gently. Always such a weak spot for her; the neck, and here he was paying close attention to it. Did he really need an answer? She wouldn’t still be in his arms if it wasn’t what she wanted - if HE wasn’t who she wanted.
It wasn’t to feel something, and it wasn’t because it was because she felt alone or abandoned. Ariella wasn’t like that. She tilted her head to the side, enjoying the soft bites. It was because it was Brenden, and she liked him more than she cared to admit. Despite the abuse, despite the anger before, he’d opened up to her in a way she’d never expected, and she liked who she found underneath the pain and rage. He was such a different person, his gentle gazes, soft smiles and loving touches. That’s what she wanted. He was what she wanted.
The hands that tugged at her hips were pushed away as she moved from his body, standing up and looking down at him. The smile she wore faded to something of a pout while her arms dropped from his torso, tracing his chest on their departure. Both her hands moved to smooth her dress before gripping the bottom and tugging it up over her head, dropping it aside. “I’m sure.” and she was, very sure. Taking a few steps closer she leaned against his legs lightly, waiting for him to either stand or tug her back down.
Brenden grinned gently as she locked her fingers with his, if it wasn’t obvious she wanted what he wanted, it was now. Their kiss had gone from a peck at his jaw to a full blown passionate kiss, it wasn’t expected, not at all. He figured she’d of broke the kiss, slapped him and made a run for it, clearly that wasn’t the case, clearly she felt the same way he did, that or it was a moment of weakness. Who knew? He’d exposed his soft side to Ariella and it’d paid off.
Eventually he broke the kiss, his hand had found it’s way to her cheek, the other still resting on her midriff as he set his eyes on hers. “…Sorry, moment of weakness.” He let go of her, it wasn’t what was meant to be, she’d only just left Ben, not even by choice, she was held at gun point by him, sure he did it for her own good but still, it wasn’t right, was it? He didn’t know, he wasn’t meant to be kissing her, but the fact that it was forbidden made it all that little bit more exciting, the kiss that little bit sweeter, maybe it was what he wanted, logic was all fine and well but when emotions started dictating what he did that wasn’t right, not with his job.
“I don’t know what came over me, I shouldn’t of, I’m sorry.” He apologised, he didn’t know what to expect, he’d never been so forward or open with somebody, not somebody he’d hated on for years, not somebody he’d beaten and bruised, it wasn’t right for him to be like this to her, if this weren’t mixed signals he didn’t know what was. He hated himself for his decision, he hated himself for showing a softer side to him, that wasn’t right, it wasn’t him. He wasn’t a gentle giant, it was all running through his head at the same time, he didn’t know what to say to Ariella, he just gave her hand a gentle squeeze in retaliation to his own actions.
Though, she wanted more, right? She leaned into the kiss, she was willing, why was he so up in arms against his own decision? He’d managed to confuse himself and it’d only made him look weaker, it was too late for him to even reconsider his mistake now, he’d made it. No point going back, right? Right, logical thinking had to go out the window sometimes, otherwise there was no fun in life. He set his eyes back on Ariella, giving her a smile and brushing a strand of hair out of her face momentarily, tucking it behind an ear. “Fuck it.” He grinned lightly, pressing his lips firmly against hers once more, you only live once, after all.
It was strange, new. But it was welcomed, it wasn’t a kiss she was supposed to enjoy, hell Brenden was a person she was supposed to fight back with tooth and nail, run, kick, scream and bite: not in the good way, of course. But Brenden had proven himself to be so much more than what she’d ever thought he was. She’d never actually hated him, even through the beatings and abuse, she just feared him. But now that the fear was gone, now that she didn’t shiver and cower every time he moved… She actually liked being close to him. The weight of his hand across her in such a soft fashion almost seemed to brush away all the times it had found it’s place there so roughly.
And then he broke the kiss, pulling back to apologize. She blinked, staring at him completely confused. Hearing Brenden apologize, truly apologize, that was rare. She couldn’t help but smile. The hand on his neck moving to his chin to keep him from looking away. She leaned against the hand on her cheek, nuzzling it softly like a kitten would. She’d not say anything just yet, let the boy get out his feelings and emotions, he seemed to bottle them up more often than not so maybe he just needed a second to vent. Maybe he thought he was forcing her into it. Either way, he was adorable. Yes, Brenden Fischer: Adorable…
“It’s okay.” she whispered, resting her forehead on his, keeping the soft sweet smile on her lips. Sure it was all a little confusing, but on the upside it was more confusing than Nicole wanting to kill her and Ben abandoning her; so he’d really done a good job at distracting her from all that bullshit. On the downside, she didn’t know for sure if this was all because he cared, or some game. She figured the former, considering his life was on the line…
Ari let out a soft chuckle, it was obvious the gears in his brain were just spinning out of control. “Lo—” her words were cut off by his, and then another kiss. This time she didn’t ease herself into it, both her arms moved to wrap up around his shoulder as she twisted her body to face him, sitting more comfortably in his lap. She wrapped her arms tighter, one hand moved to up into his hair while the other lay over his shoulder, pulling herself closer, resting against him while keeping her lips from breaking away from his.
Brenden raised a brow as she tried to convince him that he wasn’t all evil, he just needed a little love. He shook his head with a grin, sure a bit of love never hurt but he wasn’t all good, right? Of course not, he was a dick, he had to be, it was his job to be a dick. He just wasn’t going to be one to Ariella, not anymore. He had no reason to. He figured she deserved his care, she tried to convince him he wasn’t such a bad person, and for the most part she’d succeeded in proving that, he hadn’t been violent unnecessarily, he hadn’t fought back and he hadn’t started any conflict, it was a good sign for things to come.
“I’ll come by as often as I can, I promise.” He nodded, tracing his fingers across her cheek with a smile as he set his eyes on her, she was like a misguided puppy, adorable and cute, innocent and naïve, it was just who she was. He’d rolled his eyes as she continued to reinforce her apologetic attitude from shooting him. “Yeah, I know, it was an accident.” He nodded, she was sincere in her words and she truly was sorry for shooting him, that was enough, at least it was in Ariella’s case.
Watching her hand find it’s way down to his, he couldn’t help but find a smile on his lips, his heart almost skipped a beat as she placed a kiss on the bottom of his jawline, he wasn’t meant to feel this way about anyone, it went against everything he believed in when it came to the Mojave and the strip. Everything good got taken away from you in the end there, he’d assumed the same would happen with Ariella, and well, it had. But he wasn’t in the strip anymore, right? They were going their separate ways, Ariella was finally free and he was going to go back to work, act as if nothing happened and report back to Nicole. That was how this worked, not him falling for her and genuinely having emotions for her. It was far too confusing.
He took a pause as he looked down to her, taking his free hand from her hair and used it to lift up her chin, to look him in the eyes. He pressed his lips against hers softly; a moment of weakness, leaving himself exposed and open, and to Ariella. This wasn’t Brenden, it wasn’t right, but it was right, it felt right. The moment of ecstasy that was a forbidden kiss felt like it went on forever, perhaps because it did go on for as long as it felt like it did, maybe it didn’t, he wasn’t sure, it just felt like forever, a good sign.
“I’ll hold you to that.” she nodded and nuzzled into his neck, sighing heavily against his skin. The hand on her lap had moved to rest on her shoulder as she’d turned slightly, the other still played with his. Her fingers exploring the rough textures of his hands; they were so big and heavy, but she was enjoying her journey over his them far too much. Eventually she settled and laced her fingers with his, holding what she considered to be tightly; when really it was nothing more than a light squeeze.
“I just don’t want you to think I’d hurt you.” Probably a strange sentence coming from her… It almost made her heart ache to think she’d actually done something like that, especially to him; the only man who gave a damn enough to save her. Still weird… “Brenden, you know, you’re hard on yourself. But if you were evil and horrible you wouldn’t have saved me.” she whispered before that light little kiss at his jaw. After the soft peck she let her face linger for just a moment before it buried itself back into his shoulder.
There had been few men in her life, even fewer that treated her so kindly. Her brother; but, he was scum. Ben, who was apparently no better - no matter how big a game her former Owner talked it was all nothing more than that. Cheap talk, empty words and broken promises. Hunter, he was sweet, and he’d been there for her a few times sure, but… This was so much more. This was life and death, not some little token of gratitude or thanks; this was a man risking his entire life for hers. Through everything they’d been through, all the beatings and the fighting… Well, this wasn’t that Brenden. This wasn’t that angry man she’d grown to fear; this was a man she respected and cared about.
Ariella wasn’t expecting his hand to brush against her cheek, lifting it just enough so that his lips would find hers. For a second she didn’t know how to react, it was almost like she forgot how to breath. It wasn’t like Brenden hadn’t kissed her before - he had, but not like this… Most fucking certainly not like this. This was new territory she didn’t know how to cross, this was… Not expected. Eventually she recalled how to intake air and did so sharply against his lips, the hand on his chest moved to rest at his neck, leaning up to further press herself up against him, letting herself deeper into the kiss.
Brenden shrugged idly as he played with his bandage, he couldn’t help but break a snicker at her comment about standing in front of her, shaking his head at the idea. She’d shot him and he hadn’t flipped out and brutally beat her into an inch of her life, maybe there was a soft side to him. He ran his hands over his cheeks as he took a moment to gather himself, he’d been shot before, sure, but not like this, normally he’d be spending the rest of the month in bed, luckily this was just a flesh wound and luckily it wasn’t anything serious, just a bit of pain and stinging.
He opened his eyes as she made her way in front of him, raising a brow as she made her way into his lap. “I’m a good friend to those who deserve it, I guess.” He shrugged with a smile, wrapping his arms around the girl and giving her a tight, caring squeeze. She was small and fit quite well into his figure, they were an odd pair, sure. Not a week ago they’d been swearing and fighting, now they were hugging, curled up on the couch being all friendly, how the world worked was beyond him.
He ran his fingers through her hair idly as he observed her in silence, he didn’t have much to say to the fragile girl, she’d been through a lot in such a short space of time, including shooting her only friend in the wastes and losing her loved one. Shit wasn’t going too well for her so far, and it probably wouldn’t get any better in the Mojave. She’d not had any appropriate clothes and she knew nobody out in the wastes, she’d be relying on his word and his contacts, which would get her as far as Primm, and that was about it.
Without a doubt he’d had the urge to try and make a move on Ariella, who was he kidding? She was beautiful, she was talented and she’d fixed his arm, sure she’d given him shit and sure he’d taken advantage of her before, but this would be different, right? Right? He shrugged, he wasn’t going to, no, he wasn’t going to force himself upon her just after she had to separate herself from Ben. He just gently stroked his fingers across her midriff. “Besides, you’ve given me no reason to hate you, other than the fact that you’ve shot me.” He grinned playfully.
Ariella sighed lightly, it was strange that her problems were fading away with such ease. Like they almost didn’t exist. Okay, so someone wanted to kill her, the man she thought loved her was going to sell her and the man she thought hated her saved her… Yeah, it was a weird turn of events but honestly, right now, she was okay with it. “You’re just a good person, everyone makes mistakes, you just needed someone to care about you.” she nodded, happy she had that conversation with him the other day… Fearing had she not, things wouldn’t be this way.
When his hand combed her hair she closed her eyes, leaning her head down on his shoulder and sighing softly. One hand rested at his chest while the other sat in her lap. “I wish you didn’t have to go at all. Being alone is going to be strange.” she admitted, and how, she’d not been alone (at least, not truly) for years now. Her world was just turned upside down, and it was nice to know there was at least someone on her side. Ari shifted around a little to get more comfortable, running a hand over her dress to sort out the wrinkles.
She’d never known the man to be gentle; but here, now, he was one of the most kind and gentle people she’d met. It was hard for her brain to accept it, not flinch when he touched her expecting more than soft fingertips across her. She was now completely curled up on him, hell she could fall asleep with how comfortable she was. “I’m really sorry about that you know.” her hand moved to his arm, the pads of her fingers touching his skin and trailing down to his hand. “I really didn’t mean to.” she’d made that clear enough, but she wanted to reassure him.
Her hand was considerably smaller than his, at almost made her chuckle while her fingers danced on the back of his hand. “Brenden?” she spoke softly, barely above a whisper. She’d said it before, and she’d say it again; because she meant it. “Thank you.” she leaned up ever so slightly to kiss the bottom of his jaw before resting back into his shoulder.
