Roxanne Hammerback @apsauga - Tumblr Blog

Aaron knew he was holding back. He was desperately clinging onto some semblance of control. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to completely lose himself in her but he had truly never let go in that way. As much as she was subtly pushing him towards that with each bit of teasing, he didn’t want to rush the moment. Even though the prospect of this aspect of their relationship had only become a possibility in very, very, recent moments - he did not want to treat it with any less respect than he did her. Aaron wanted to worship her, reflect the deep feelings he was holding for her in every kiss and touch. Right now, his body wanted to betray all that and utterly lose himself in her. If he wasn’t careful, he might miss out on their first moments together in a frenzy of intense passion. Not that he thought she would be at all opposed to that idea. Every gentle urging towards action and moan that slipped from her lips made it hard not to give in to the unspoken demands. Still, he wanted to savor her as much as he could whilst also not leaving any doubt for how much he wanted and needed her. There was no hesitation in the traditional sense, only a mindfulness of how he wanted her to feel. This wasn’t something to be rushed. This wasn’t some eager encounter that needed to rush to the finish line at the first sign of either of them being satisfied. He intended to put her previously touted stamina to the test in more than one way.

As soon as he felt her movement he was happy to go with her as she rolled them. Aaron settled on his back to take in the new view. He looked up at her with a mix of amusement and intensifying desire. There was something deeply attractive about her display of strength and power. He had felt the strength in her muscles beneath his fingertips as he’d grasped her thighs and now he’d gotten to have a small taste of the power behind them.He’d felt it before, of course, but in the context of a fight for both of their lives. The scramble and ferocity. This was something else entirely and he was more than happy to be along for this particular ride. He didn’t resist as she mimicked his previous movements and drew his hands up above his head. A smile lingered on his lips, amused at her teasing game. Aaron groaned softly as she took hold of his length. She hardly gave him a chance to recover as she whispered her command in his ear. She could’ve asked him to do anything and everything and he would’ve done it for her. Aaron was fairly certain she knew it too. He was far too caught up in her to care. Soft sighs followed as she trailed kisses down him until she finally sat back. As she rose up on her knees he looked down between them, watching as she slipped down on him and he disappeared inside of her. The visual combined with the physical sensation had Aaron’s head pressed back into the mattress, eyes falling shut for just a moment. It took every ounce of his self control not to move his hands from where she’d left them. His eyes quickly settled on her, not wanting to miss a fraction of a second of his new view. Somewhere in the back of his mind a young Kenny was having his mind absolutely blown. If he was being honest, the present moment Aaron was also experiencing the same. Best show of his life.

He watched her, utterly mesmerized as she moved on top of him. It was hard for him to decipher if the physical enjoyment of her movements or the visual of watching her wandering hands over her own body as she rolled her hips, clearly enjoying herself was driving him more crazy. Aaron was more than happy to oblige her as she gave permission for him to move his hands again. To her credit, it had been longer than fifteen seconds but regardless he wasn’t about to disobey her. Immediately, his hands came forward to slide up her thighs to settle on her hips. The feel of her hips rolling underneath his fingertips sent a shiver of pleasure through him. “God, look at you,” his voice barely a whisper as he took in the whole picture of what he was enjoying. Slowly his hands trailed upwards, enjoying the ability to have such unfettered access to her skin. “You’re so fucking beautiful Roxie,” he managed to murmur out between the sighs of pleasure as he slowly ran his hands up her body. He cupped her breasts tenderly squeezing in line with how she’d grasped his hand earlier. Thumbs moved to lightly tease her nipples. Touching her as she rolled her hips caused him to moan softly. His hands slowly trailed back down. One settled on her hip and grasped there lightly. He didn’t bring his own hips up to meet her or urge her on just yet. She slowly picked up her own tempo and he was frankly enjoying watching her work at her own pace, her hand pressed to his chest as she used him to brace herself. His other hand slipped down further, pressing against the crook of her hip and inside of her thigh. Thumb stretching down to rub against her clit, providing her that little bit more of stimulation for her as she continued to ride him.

apsauga

In another instance, maybe Roxie would've ordered him to keep his hands to himself for longer than fifteen seconds. Maybe she would've actually restrained him just to see how long it would take him to free himself and disobey her. Maybe she'd say 'not until I've had my way with you' and have him weak before letting him have his turn. All of those versions sounded immensely fun but as she settled into her rhythm above him, as she took all of him inside and saw - and felt - him react to her, she knew she'd need him to have his hands on her before long. Everything about this evening from the second she returned in only a towel and his jacket felt like it was a preamble to an inevitable end. She'd been overcharged since the dance began, she needed the friction. She needed him to touch her. She wanted him. She had him. Having his rapt attention, she made sure to stretch languidly and showcase her body as she traced trails over her own skin. It wasn't in an effort to take opportunities away from him, more a chance to provide a roadmap of directions he could take though he was more than welcome to forge his own paths. Her hips moved to an internal soundtrack, picking up pace every now and then but easing into a slow roll from time to time. As she rose she'd contract her inner muscles, squeezing his length as she climbed until just the tip remained and then she'd take him all the way back inside. As her pleasure built, she encouraged him to participate. She knew she'd given him the smallest command possible and he'd outlasted it by a few minutes but in case he was testing his own resolve she made sure he knew to take some initiative. Roxie was glad to find out he was eager, a triumphant smirk gracing her lips as his hands went from being beside his head to immediately on her thighs. Then her hips. She sighed happily, those hands had certainly been a focus of interest especially after he'd written on her skin the night before.

She could feel his fingers clenching at her hips, his body reacting to her just by touching her. The look on his face and the physical reaction combined pulled a soft moan from her throat as she continued her ride. What she was once again ill-prepared for was the utterance from his own lips. Thankfully his hands started to climb as she heard him. God, look at you. Her head fell back as she enjoyed his fingertips gliding over her skin with a louder moan, giving her the chance to hide her misty-eyed reaction to the deeply sincere statement. Roxie enjoyed how it made her feel. It was great, incredible even, and wildly unfamiliar to her. Usually if she was in bed with a man this quickly it wasn't this way. And she knew she could never truly compare her previous times with this one because this one came with a whole host of unseen and recently discovered and yet to be discovered context. And an attraction that felt more like instinct than anything else she could reasonably describe. There'd be time later to unpack how quickly she went from not trusting the man making her feel so incredible to letting him make her feel that way and more. To trusting him with her in such a vulnerable way and welcoming it gladly. He'd pinpointed her most closely guarded weakness and he was using it the way it was meant to be used - and she wasn't certain he knew he was doing it. She'd tried to kill him just a couple of days ago and now she couldn't even fathom how she could ever have done it. Not the man who was looking at her like she was an angel. "Aaron," she moaned, her walls tensing around him involuntarily as he massaged and toyed with her breasts though she couldn't be certain it wasn't because he'd called her beautiful. She glanced down to follow his hands' movements as he trailed back down her body, her hand braced against his chest. Her gaze moved up to meet his as she anticipated his goal as his hand slipped to her thigh and his thumb found its way to her center. She rolled her hips intentionally slow as he pressed his thumb against her clit, a deeply satisfied groan on her lips as the new pressure stoked the growing fire.

Roxie had been aching for him to touch her in many wonderful ways but by far, him feeling just how wet and engaged for him specifically was the top of the list. His thumb against her clit drove her so far passed the threshold she couldn't see the line anymore. If there was any plan to even try to slow herself down now, it wouldn't be on her accord. And if he did, then he had more of a tease in him than she might've immediately considered. Also a morsel of cruelty if he were to bring that particular party trick out now. Maybe later. She'd been halfway there before he had her pinned to the door and had he decided to keep her there, she'd be just as enthused. She knew he was just as excited for the direction the evening had taken, her arousal was just far easier to conceal. She was sensitive and receptive and eager. "We have all night," she breathed almost as a justification for letting herself lose her grip on the game and an encouragement for more, her hips moving in earnest against him as she angled to make sure his thumb was pressed tightly against her clit every time she seated herself back on him. Roxie sighed and keened, hips jerking erratically every time she found a particularly sensitive angle. "Aaron," his name fell from her lips not having the brainpower to form any coherent sentence so she simply settled on his name. Maybe he could read her mind, they were already insanely in tune with each other at this point she wouldn't be surprised. Though mindreading was absolutely unnecessary as her body practically screamed how close she was. Pushing off of his chest, she continued with a less measured tempo and instead focused on riding hard as she leaned into an angle where he was reaching perfectly to send her over the edge. With each impact, she moaned harder, shorter. Picking up speed. Her now free hands moved up her body, one hand on her breast and the other tangling in her own hair as she stretched before him. "Fuck. Fuck." Her muscles tightened hard around him, stars beginning to burst behind her eyes, "Aaron!"

#aaronxcross #v: elephant graveyard

aaronxcross

Aaron moaned softly as she arched her back and brought herself up against him. “Point taken,” he sighed out breathlessly as he grinned at her. Truthfully, she didn’t need her body to make contact with him at all to distract him completely. The way she spoke, the inflection of her tone, it all was strands of her hold on him. Not to mention the way she looked at him. That alone could likely undo him almost completely. The way she had looked at him with complete distrust and distance just a day or two before felt like another lifetime. Now she looked at him with a hunger and desire that made his heart race. She was nothing if not effective in her ability to pull at each thread of his self control until he was completely unravelling. Aaron couldn’t ever remember feeling like that. Usually he was so controlled, contained, there was always some measure of restraint. Whatever he had left of it now was crumbling with each touch and tease from Roxie. He wasn’t entirely sure what to expect if that dam cracked open. It was uncharted territory. Much like almost everything that had occurred between them since they’d stepped back into the hotel room after the diner. There was so much to learn about her. So many new aspects of her to explore. He was more than eager to take that time. Hopefully over, and over, and over again.

The way she breathlessly said his name stopped him. His eyes met hers as she pulled away from the kiss. Everything about the way she looked at him made him want to dive back into where he’d left off. The intense hunger in her eyes made him want her even more, if that was at all possible. I’m right here. A new wave of desire for her washed over him again. The soft kiss she pressed to his lips was such a contrast to the intensity that he was feeling, and that it seemed she was feeling too. The tenderness was unexpected yet welcome. A pause to simmer the burning desire between the two of them. It lasted only a second. Her hand was moving to close atop of hers. Aaron was learning the ways that she liked to be touched. There was so much to explore and learn and he appreciated that she was keen to guide him in exactly the way she wanted him to touch her. It was his inclination to be soft and go slow. And he could feel her encouraging him to lean in to something more, to let go and embrace a more intense expression of his desire. He moaned as she gently nipped at his bottom lip and squeezed his hand more firmly against her breast. She knew exactly how to get him completely lost in her. As she moved his hand away and slowly began to trail down her body, he felt all of his resolve slipping away. As she pressed his hand between her legs, he couldn’t help the soft moan that left his lips as he felt how wet she was for him. As much as he’d been painfully aching for her, it seemed it had been entirely mutual. When she invited him to have her however he wanted, there was no resolve left. He couldn’t even begin to pretend that he would be able to take his time and tease her any longer. He needed her. He shuddered slightly as she drew her hand away and grazed against his aching hard on. Aaron watched her for a moment, mesmerized by her. I’m all yours. Fuck, she knew how to unravel him completely.

Aaron’s fingertips grazed up her center, teasing against her clit before he pulled away. He wanted to take time and touch and taste every inch of her. But that was going to have to wait. She had shattered any last grasp he had on his self control. All he could think about was how desperately he needed her. His hand moved away from the warmth of her body and grasped his length. Aaron shifted his hips slightly so he could position himself at her entry. He slid his head down the wetness and he couldn’t help the moan that left his lips. Whatever teasing effect was meant for her only served to torture him equally. Aaron pressed a hungry kiss to her lips to silence himself. After aching for so long beneath the towel, hovering so close to her untouched, that sensation alone was mindblowing. He pulled back from the kiss just enough so he could see her face as he slowly slid himself inside of her, watching her face for every little reaction. They had flirted and teased and toyed with one another all evening. And now they were finally here. His hand moved away as he pressed himself into her, moving to grasp against her thigh. She had been so ready for him. The warm, wetness tightening around him made the coil of pleasure in his stomach tighten. “Oh, Roxie,” his voice shuddered softly as she completely enveloped him. Aaron pressed another tender kiss to her lips before it quickly grew to something more intense as he drew his hips back to slowly press into her again. He couldn’t help the moan that escaped into their kiss. Aaron kept his tempo slow and easy for just a few moments. He broke away from the kiss just enough to catch her gaze, checking in with her to ensure she was alright. But it was clear, while she may have enjoyed the tenderness, she was not fragile and she could not only take but desperately wanted the intensity between them.

apsauga

For a brief moment, Roxie thought she might have caused Aaron to malfunction. If it weren't for the look of extreme admiration on his features, she might've thought to kickstart him in some creative way to get him back on track. The pause in his actions was minor but long enough that it felt like ages. And just as she had time to consider her leading him straight to the promise land might've caused the operative a small aneurysm, he kicked back into action. Roxie moaned loudly as he finally touched her with his own action and not her direction. His fingers slipped against her folds and tortuously against her clit before he pulled away. It didn't feel tentative like he was testing the waters, it felt deliberate. Calculated. Maybe a little cautious, as if touching her too much before he got to the main course would sate him too soon. They were so close. So very close to the thing they'd been literally and figuratively dancing around all evening. And even without saying it too specifically, she knew the second they passed this threshold that she'd be in for one hell of night. She knew she wouldn't be able to stop and Aaron, while incredibly controlled, seemed more and more unraveled by the sight of her completely available to him. Roxie opened her thighs a little as he shifted above her, anticipating what was coming while ready to keep him steadily between her legs. A soft, needy moan fell from her lips as he slid along her slit - the fire within her burning brighter. Roxie kissed him back just as hungrily, moving her hand from where it was teasing his nipple to gripping his hip tightly. As he broke away from the kiss, Roxie found herself once again at a loss for words as he watched her.

She could recognize the hunger and the desire and the need but there was something more intimate and more tender than she was prepared for reflecting back at her. Something deep and cosmic that connected them intrinsically. And as he started to press into her, aided by how incredibly wet she was, her head pressed back against the mattress as she tried to keep her eyes on his while she instinctively moved with the pressure. A strangled moan pulled from her chest as she shifted her hips to accept more of him, the stretch of her walls around him leaving her fully breathless as he hilted himself inside. "Fuck" was the only coherent word that formed initially, her fingers pressing hard into the flesh of his hip to tug him somehow deeper against her. He fit so snugly within her, so firmly that before he even began truly moving she could feel every last inch of him against her walls. The anticipation paid off. His hand moved to her thigh and she squeezed against him encouragingly, letting herself get lost in the tender kiss offered. When he moved against her again it was slow and languid, as if he was savoring her. Roxie pressed her tongue against his, hoping to give him even more to savor. She caught his moan in her mouth as their kiss intensified, his thrusts a stark contrast as the energy between them became conflicted with itself. She was conflicted, craving both. Roxie was finding the passionate yet tender version of their connection deeply exciting and still she felt like it was a kindness she didn't wholly deserve. No one had treated her this way. Nobody. They'd only just begun and he was already outpacing all of them in how she felt about it. Granted, none of them were good men. Aaron Cross was treating her like a good man. Her fingers squeezed tightly where hers were laced with his, holding his hand tightly with each thrust. Their lips locked in an ever growing intensity that their body's weren't matching. Every sensation, every twitch of his body against hers, every soft thrust and hard kiss worked together to confuse and satisfy.

"Aaron," she pressed needily against his lips, her voice long since lost to breathless. The tempo he'd established had been ratcheting up the energy between them again. At a slow build, her nerves firing off at every stroke, that would likely continue to climb at a steady pace to a deeply explosive end if nothing changed. They'd get there. And she'd get there again. And again. In fact, there was a part of her that wanted to let him just take her on this peaceful walk. And there was a time and place for that. She let him push deliciously back into her once more, and again, and a third time - each one earning him a soft moan and a deeper arch up against him as she prepared to move. She didn't even need to pull her leg away from where he'd been clasping her thigh. In a quick movement, deftly using momentum and a decent amount of strength she flipped them so that he was beneath her in the middle of the bed. She smirked down at him, enjoying her own view of him fully at her mercy as she straddled him. Well, he could easily get out of this pin and she certainly hoped he would with expedience, but she had full confidence he wouldn't for now. "We're taking turns, right?" she leaned over him sensually, dragging her hands up both of his sides and coaxing his arms up above his head. Mirroring his earlier actions, she held the two of his wrists in one hand to press them against the mattress while she reached between them to take hold of his length. "Keep these to yourself," she nibbled at his earlobe, "at least for fifteen seconds. Enjoy the show a little first." She kissed along his neck and down to his chest before she sat up in front of him, rising to her knees just long enough to position his length beneath her. As she settled down upon him, she threw her head back and groaned with deep satisfaction, the new position adding more to an already raging inferno. She moved her hands along her torso up to her breasts as she began moving up and down. She started slow, rolling her hips as she rose and fell, but that didn't last long as she picked up speed. Roxie stabilized herself with one hand pressed to his chest as she let her free hand wander her skin. "Aaron," she gasped out a helpful reminder, "this is an interactive show."

#aaronxcross #v: elephant graveyard

aaronxcross

Aaron was caught in a desperate tug of war in his own mind and body. Everything about their encounter had him wanting to completely lose himself in her. There had been flashes in his mind about how easily it would be to fall into a frenzied breathless encounter. On the other side was the urge to slow down and appreciate the moment for what it was. He wanted to savor every step, savor every bit of her. The winning side of the war seemed to change from moment to moment. He hadn’t entirely given up on the idea that they could still have both. There would be plenty of other times, he hoped, for him to painstakingly explore every bit of her. Equally, he hoped there would be plenty of times for those intense encounters where passion and need took over completely. Though as she eagerly met him at every turn he could feel his resolve for the slower moments slipping away from him. He smiled as she blushed when he admired her beauty. It was preposterous for her not to understand how beautiful she was. It had been clear from the time he was Kenny that she was an absolute standout amongst her peers. Aaron could only take the blush as a specific response to him saying it. Which, of course, only made him want to say it more. The thought was quickly stored away for later usage as she sat up to meet him in an intense kiss.

Aaron found himself smiling into the kiss as he felt her reaching to return the favor and remove the last bit of fabric that was between them. He sighed softly against her lips as he was finally rid of the towel. It wasn’t restrictive but the rough fabric amidst some of their close encounters had certainly been less than pleasant against his aching hard on. While she had not specifically toyed with him in that regard, it would have been abundantly clear to her whilst they danced the physical effect she was having on him as they’d pressed close together. Now they were both rid of all barriers. He followed her glancing gaze as she broke away from the kiss. It was his turn to feel the heat on his cheeks equally as the heat spread downwards. Aaron was exposed in a way that he had not been often. The list was remarkably short. It momentarily struck a very vulnerable chord in him, yet Roxie did not let him falter with her reaction. He grinned as she seemed pleased by the full picture of what she saw. A soft almost shy breath of laughter escaped his lips as she quipped about what was or wasn’t in his file. He had gotten feedback from his previous partner so he wasn’t entirely unaware but still her comments left him at a loss for words. Suddenly her blushing at his comments made complete sense. He couldn’t manage to recover fast enough to shoot a quip back in her direction. He sighed softly into the kiss as she reeled him back in, expressing her anticipation of what was happening next. Again, the warring push and pull of fast or slow began again.

Aaron followed her pull of him as she laid back on the bed. One hand came forward to prop himself up as he leaned over her. His other hand came up to gently caress against her thigh where she had wrapped around him. Aaron couldn’t help but wonder what it might be like to sink his head between her thighs and feel those same strong muscles pressing in around him. He groaned softly into the kiss as she drug her fingernails down his chest, her hand eagerly beginning to explore him. All the intensity seemed to be rapidly building and he kissed her back intently. Another soft breath leaving his lips as she broke away in favor of kissing along his jawline as she held him in close. Her trail of kisses and wandering hands had him absolutely weak. But she nearly had him completely undone as she whispered her need for him in his ear. Who was he to delay her all her wants and desires any longer? Aaron all too eagerly followed her encouragement to come up closer to her on the bed. The feel of her pressing up against him elicited a soft moan. He dipped his head to take the chance to kiss along her jaw. They were pressed so close together it would only take a small shift in his position to slip inside of her. It had been clear she was as eagerly ready for him as he was for her. Aaron drew in a slow breath as he tried to steel his resolve. His mind urged him to slow while his body ached, demanding he pick up the tempo. One hand settled next to her head as he propped himself up ever so slightly above her. “You know,” he spoke softly as his free hand reached to gently take her hand off his hip and bring it up above her head. He shifted slightly to draw her other hand up to meet the other. With the hand he was using to prop himself up with, he intertwined his fingers with hers, using the pressure of that hand to loosely trap her other, “it’s really hard to focus when you’re using these,” he grinned at her. Aaron in no way meant to genuinely restrict her movement. Even the slightest resistance would’ve allowed her to free herself if that’s what she desired. He took the opportunity to enjoy the view he had of her completely exposed beneath him. It was taking every ounce of whatever remained of his self control not to lose himself completely in her. He wanted just a few moments to explore her the way she had him before they dove into one another completely. He dipped his head and pressed a few breathless kisses along her neck before he nipped softly just below her ear. Aaron worked his way down pressing a trail of hungry kisses down her neck until he met her collarbone. There was the tattoo that had helped spark a memory. The kiss he pressed there ghosted lightly over the ink almost reverently. His free hand trailed up her thigh towards her hip, tracing over the other tattoo that had sparked so much closeness the night before. His hand continued to explore upwards as he returned to kissing her neck as he gently caressed her breast. The contact caused him to groan softly against the skin of her neck. “Roxie,” he breathlessly sighed out as he moved to press a tender kiss to her lips, “I need you.”

apsauga

Roxie took note every time he reacted to her actions. Every sigh, every groan, every involuntary twitch of his hand against her thigh as she explored him. She'd take her time later, exploring every peek and valley formed by his tantalizing physique to lock him into her memory but for now she was too eager. Every reaction he had only poured more fuel onto her fire, the ache between her thighs only growing now that there was no towel between them. She'd of course felt his enthusiasm while they'd danced. It was part of the reason she'd turned then, catching her breath because she could feel him so tightly against her body and now that she'd seen what he was working with Roxie desperately needed to feel him inside. Deeply. She moaned softly at the thought, pressing her lips more intensely against his as she let her mind wander in the direction she so hoped the evening would take. At this point, it was highly unlikely that even a meteor strike could derail them. The world could be burning around them and she'd still be locked in and trying to make him lose the last specks of his self control. That control that she felt like she was chipping away at, especially as he kissed her back so eagerly before she began trailing along his skin. If she ignored her own control, it felt like she had him fully at her mercy. If she was honest, she was just as close to losing her mind as she hoped he was - once again they were toying with a line. This time, it wasn't them playing a game of chicken so much as it was seeing who would get there faster. Roxie may have boosted herself so much closer to said line with the move further onto the bed. The intention was good but as they shifted, her body pressed firmly against his and she let out a needy groan. His member had pressed against her waiting folds in the most delicious way without actually fulfilling what she wanted. It only served to remind her that he was so fucking close.

Without missing a beat, Aaron's lips were already on her jaw in their new position. She couldn't make a directed comment about him just taking her right then and there because her lips were already busy with an encouraging moan. Her fingers gripped at his hips as she saw him try to steady himself. Roxie had already started to recognize this action in him, Aaron Cross was about to zag. Her skin was on fire and this man was about to switch focus. She found herself both incredibly intrigued and frustrated. At least he didn't decide to move away from the incredible closeness they'd found. Instead, Roxie watched as he shifted and let him bring her hands away from his hips, his voice breaking through the intense fog as he teased her. First one hand, then the other. He laced his fingers with hers and almost tenderly pinned her in place. Roxie knew she could easily pull away but at least for now she found she didn't want to, his choice to hold her hand to keep her there was doing its own work for the heat radiating from her center. There was something incredibly endearing and sexy about the way he chose to restrain her. Something very Aaron. She laughed at his commentary, arching up against him briefly to make her point, "I don't need my hands to make it hard for you to focus." Her voice tapered off, her attention on him as he admired her spread out beneath him. He was looking at her in a way that made her heart flutter, warmth pooling even more between her thighs. Roxie was not used to being looked at in awe, like a wonder. A soft sigh fell from her lips as he began his own travels along her neck and was quickly replaced by a sharp moan as he nipped at her. Aaron mixed soft and intense masterfully, hungrily tasting her skin as he moved but stopping to take his time at the outline depicted on her collarbone. His hand trailed upwards from her thigh to pause a moment at her spots, her body curling instinctively with his touch as he moved. Her muscles twitching underneath his fingers.

"Aaron," she inhaled his name, the word losing all sound by the end as she gasped at his return to her neck and his hand trailing up her side. She mirrored his groan as his hand made contact with her breast. She pressed into his palm, encouraging him further, as he echoed her earlier admission. Sinking into the kiss, she hummed softly at the change in intensity that was becoming more and more expected. Breathless, she pulled loose one of her hands to come and caress the side of his face as she deepened the kiss. The one laced together with his stayed where it was. "Aaron," she pulled back from the kiss to catch his gaze, her eyes reflecting a deep, intense desire for him, "I'm right here." Roxie leaned up and kissed him gently on the lips before she moved her hand to join his at her breast, laying hers atop of his to encourage a firmer grip. She deepened the kiss, taking his bottom lip between her lips to bite it gently. She took his hand from her breast and started trailing it down her abdomen and further south until she pressed him against her wet folds making herself moan at the contact. Releasing his lip from her playful bite, she again pulled back to look him with burning need in her eyes, "and you're very welcome to have me, however you'd like." The leg hooked around his waist dropped to his side, not losing contact with his skin however. She rubbed her leg against him, briefly considering if she should simply just flip them over and just take him for a ride. While that image was deeply satisfying and she'd absolutely employ it later, she was having too much fun encouraging him to just dive in. She wanted him and with how she felt now, there was no way she wouldn't be wanting him again and again. Roxie left his hand down between her thighs and brought hers back up to her chest, not missing the opportunity to graze against his length in the move. She pinched and pulled at her own nipple before moving to trace around one of his. "I'm all yours."

#aaronxcross #v: elephant graveyard

aaronxcross

With the way she gasped, he was pleased with his decision to change their situation. Given their new arrangement, Aaron was asking a lot of her towel to remain in place. Though, he wouldn’t have been at all devastated if it did slip away. It would be a happy accident but there was something more enticing about being able to remove it himself or have her remove it for him. In fact, with the placement of her legs wrapped around his waist it was apparent that they were also asking quite a lot of his own towel. There wouldn’t be a need for them for much longer. With the when cleared up it only remained that the where would need to be resolved. The way she purred out his name made problem solving become increasingly more challenging. It wasn’t often that anyone or anything could knock him off his focus. Roxie was a force unto herself. He was absolutely weak for her and he didn’t mind that his focus and resolve seemed to have dissolved into nothing in her presence. Even though he’d been the one to pose the question, Roxie had a sensible retort. Could he manage to make it to the bed? He wasn’t sure. Did he want her right then and there? Absolutely. Did he also want to quite literally take her to bed? Yes, definitely. There were too many competing thoughts and feelings. He wanted all of it and more. It was clear they both seemed to be struggling with the new abundance of possibilities that had suddenly come within their reach.

The way that she was whispering in his ear had him quickly leaning towards right there and then, forgetting the bed entirely. She had a way of choosing words that painted a picture he was unable to ignore in his mind’s eye. He groaned softly as she nibbled at his earlobe and worked her way to his lips with more kisses. She was intoxicating. As he returned the intense kiss, he felt her move. As always, he was curious about what she had in mind. Aaron steadied himself as she pushed them away from the door. She was strong. Effortless. Even though he was easily holding her up, he could feel the power in her legs as she tensed under his hands. He was aching thinking about exploring her even further. He hummed a soft note of approval into their kiss. While his mind raced with all the possibilities and choices he had, he took her movement as the deciding factor. The picture suddenly became clearer about what he wanted.

Aaron continued to kiss her back as he carefully made his way towards the bed. When he felt his shins touch the frame he spared a quick glance to ensure exactly where they were in relation to the mattress. With her legs wrapped firmly around him, he shifted a hand off one thigh and moved to her back so he could support her as he set her down on the edge of the bed. Aaron broke the kiss momentarily as he slowly laid her back on the bed. His hand shifted from behind her back to propping himself up as he leaned over her. Aaron smiled at her as his other hand moved from her thigh to slide up to graze his fingers along the top of the towel. There was another brief flicker of searching her gaze looking for permission he knew well enough by now that he didn’t need to ask for. His fingers found the tentatively held fold that she had established and quickly unfurled it. Despite the fact he wanted to pull the towel away and discard it entirely, Aaron forced himself to slowly pull aside each edge of the towel as if unwrapping the best Christmas present he’d ever open. He wanted to savor the moment. Aaron untangled himself briefly from her arms so he could lean back and appreciate her fully. “Fuck,” he sighed out softly under his breath as he took in the full picture of her laid out beneath him on the bed as he stood between her thighs. The bed was the right choice. “God, Roxie, you’re fucking beautiful,” he murmured as he quickly closed the distance between them again to lean back down and kiss her passionately again.

apsauga

Even if she didn't have him physically unbalanced, she was quite gleeful to find him mentally so. She could feel it in his grip as she pushed off from the door. He wasn't gonna topple over or even begin to let her fall, but he tensed ever so briefly before he started to turn them towards the bed. It was incredible to feel rather than see his actions. They remained locked in a passionate kiss for a time but she could feel him navigate the room he likely had memorized out of instinct at this point. However, he did check to see he wouldn't drop her somewhere uneven. The fact that he moved his hand to her back to carefully lower her to the bed rather than tossing her was once again unexpected though unsurprising even given their frenzy. She welcomed it, actually - not that she'd be opposed to the more rambunctious act of tossing. Roxie was quickly learning to really appreciate Aaron's personal tempo. He clearly wanted her yet he couldn't help the natural instinct to admire. Roxie let her arms drop lazily by her head as he leaned in over her, his hand finding its way up her body over the towel. He wasn't even touching her skin but she felt light sparks where she hoped his fingertips would retrace later. It felt like they'd both been inching towards this moment all evening and in a million years, Roxie couldn't say she anticipated having so many butterflies in her stomach for it. She'd been ready for him to tear the towel away or for her to drop it when she got too frustrated to care or literally any other version of this moment. She hadn't expected to be laid out underneath him, his eyes asking for permission in a wholly intimate way. How was it they launched into each other but still found these pockets of pure affection? Aaron was why. He brought it to the table and it was every bit as sexy as if he'd decided to peel it off of her with his teeth.

Roxie nodded so slightly that only someone with their keen senses would've seen it, her gaze locked onto him to watch his reaction to her. To seemingly, finally, getting this opportunity. It was a memory she was glad to provide. Roxie licked her lips, again gone dry in the anticipation, as he carefully pulled the towel open and let the fabric fall to either side of her. The cold air of the room rushed over her bare skin and brought another wave of goosebumps over her skin. It was hard to discern if it was from the air or the abject hunger and appreciation coming from the man who'd caused it. Roxie moved to quip at him in response but found herself at a loss for words as he stood there between her thighs, staring at her like she was the best thing he'd ever seen. And he called her beautiful. She blushed, there was no hiding any physical reaction her body had to him anymore. He could see each and every blush for what it was, the simple and earnest compliment shooting heat straight to her core. As he moved back down, she leaned up on her elbows to meet him in the new passionate kiss, her body practically vibrating with energy as they got closer still. Not to be left alone in her state of undress, though she highly doubted he intended to leave her alone that way for too long, she reached between them and tugged at the edge of his towel and let gravity help her out. She kicked away the extra fabric before bringing her leg back up to hook around his hip to encourage him closer. It was her turn for a glance as she broke away from the kiss. Roxie dropped her gaze between them and bit her lip at the sight, "oh wow." Fuck. The man before her was a thing of beauty. She already knew his chest and his body in general was carved from marble but he was also apparently generously endowed. Aaron Cross was built to destroy her and she was ecstatic to see how well he fit.

"Well that's not in the file," she glanced back up at him with an encouraging smile as the hand that had freed him from the towel wrapped around his neck to pull him back to her lips, "can't wait to see how you use it, handsome." Roxie dropped her weight back fully to the bed to free her other arm and to force him to drop further atop of her with the anchor at his neck. She raked her fingernails down his chest as she found her way to his opposite hip to where her leg was wrapped before curling around to find the curve of his ass, pulling him ever closer. It was hard to decide where she wanted to touch next. Hard to decide where she wanted him to touch next. Whatever he chose was bound to be a resounding success. She just wanted to feel him admiring her with his eyes, his hands, his body, his lips and let her appreciate his in all the same ways. Once again she left his lips in favor of his jawline and his neck. She left a trail of hot, messy, eager kisses as the energy between them amplified at this new proximity. She pulled her hand away from the back of his neck, grazing along his skin as she moved towards his chest. Roxie traced along the lines of his muscles slowly, at direct conflict with the actions of her lips that had found their way to his collarbone. Giving his ass a good squeeze, she moved that hand to join the trails along his chest, both hands starting to mirror each others actions as she kissed upwards towards his adam's apple. Humming softly against his throat, she finally pulled away long enough to breath, "I want you, Aaron," in his ear before nibbling up his earlobe and adding, "I need you." Her hands stopped their movements, stopping at either side of his torso and settling against his hips. Her feet planted on the edge of the bed and she used momentum and the fact she knew she could easily make him follow her anywhere in this moment to shift them slightly further onto the bed so they were fully across the bottom of the bed - pressing right up against him in the process. Comfort. Leverage. Making it so she could stretch languidly underneath him and tease him more. He could choose the motive as long as he did something with it.

#aaronxcross #v: elephant graveyard

aaronxcross

Everything she did after the kiss only cemented that he’d made the right move. If there had been any hesitation left in his mind it was long gone now. The way she felt pressed up against him, arching against the door into him nearly had him coming undone. The trail she traced up his skin sent sparks arcing through his entire body. Aaron let out a soft breath of laughter as she teased him for taking so long. He gave her an almost sheepish look. “Couldn’t let you win too quickly,” he countered though they both knew there was much more to it than that. There was part of him that had known he was being exceedingly cautious. It was because he cared. He was almost positive that she understood that. It was why she had invited him so pointedly to cross the line they had both been dancing around. He wasn’t entirely sure why she hadn’t been the one to cross it first but that would be a conversation for another time. The last thing he wanted to do was mess something up with her. They had forged so much in such a short time. What they had didn’t feel fragile, in fact it felt like it could withstand both of them making an earnest misstep. Still, it didn’t mean he wanted to test it either. Aaron knew what could happen if someone began something like this when they weren’t quite ready. When the feelings of the situation hadn’t had time to settle. The situations were entirely different yet the pang of fear still lingered somewhere far in the back of his mind and kept him stuck and waiting for some explicit confirmation that he should make a move. That fear was so far away now, especially with how she was looking at him. She was teasing him yet it wasn’t a disappointment he was met with. It was a kiss. Something more keen and intense than they’d shared moments before.

A soft groan left his lips as she pulled away from the kiss in favor of kissing along his jaw. Despite his intense desire to explore her skin, she had gotten to him first. He was lost momentarily in all the new sensations she was providing to him. There was something he found deeply enthralling about the fact that she was technically in the more submissive position yet seemed to retain all of the power. She was pressed against the door with his weight against her. If a real battle ensued she had many options to get him away, of course, but it was the feel of it. Yet, she was still the one in control. She was soft and vulnerable and yet so powerful and intense. The mix was intoxicating. Her fingers raked through his hair and pulled him exactly where she wanted him to be. Whatever resolve he’d been grasping onto about taking things slow seemed to fade away entirely as she nibbled lightly against his neck. The concept of exploring her body slowly, inch by tantalizing inch before launching into anything further was tucked away for another time. Right now he felt like he needed to answer to the intensity that had been building between them. All the restraint he’d been white knuckling through their flirtatious dancing and teasing was slipping away into nothingness with each successive kiss. His fingertips that rested against her hip tightened as she broke the kiss against his neck and spoke so breathlessly. “I’d like to hear those ideas,” he smiled into the kiss as she intensely pressed herself against him. Aaron enjoyed the idea that her mind had gotten away from her just as much as his seemed to though perhaps in slightly different ways. He enjoyed having that effect on her as much as she seemed to enjoy what she was able to do to him.

It was Aaron’s turn to break the intense kiss in favor of exploring new territory. He pressed a kiss just below her ear. “I know I said that I wanted to take my time with you,” Aaron spoke breathlessly as he pressed a few eager kisses down her neck. “and I will. Just not right now.” Both of his hands settled firmly on her hips, “I want you sooner than that.” As close as they’d been dancing, as close as they were right now, his need for her was intensely evident. Aaron was more than capable of controlling himself, controlling his body and if she desperately desired for him to take his time, he would. But the want for her was undeniable. And based on her own eager kisses something told him that she was in no mood to take things as slow as he had in mind either. Aaron slowly kissed his way until he found the soft flesh he’d nearly been kissing as they’d danced before. Now he was unencumbered by the previously held hesitations. He was free to explore and enjoy. As he kissed along the crook of her neck and trailed towards her collarbone, his hands slowly slid down from her hips. His fingers trailed down slowly along the fabric of the towel until he finally found the bottom hem along her thighs. It was an exciting change in texture as he drifted from the rough feel of the cheap hotel towels to the soft skin of her thighs. Even the light graze gave him an insight to the feel of the strength of her muscles. Much like she had confessed. The ideas began to flood his mind with many different opportunities for what should come next. The discovery elicited caused him to sigh softly against her neck. “Put your arms around me,” he encouraged eagerly as he stooped slightly to grasp her thighs more fully and lifted her up against the door so she could wrap around his waist. His hands settled against her thighs supporting her mostly against the door but using the opportunity to press more fully against her. Aaron pressed one last eager kiss against her neck as he pulled back to look at her, a slight flicker of his eyebrow as he took the moment to appreciate their new arrangement, “bed?”

apsauga

It was incredibly endearing that while having her pinned to the door, he still managed to look sheepish when confronted with needing to be presented with the obvious open path. Honestly that very ability of his was turning out to be one of her favorites so far. The ability to be intense and passionate with her, kissing her hard and decisively one second and then pulling an earnest, sheepish look the next. Somehow he managed to mix the two into one swelling movement because while she responded with a bright, kind smile she knew there was no way they'd be able to slow down now. "This is just round one, don't go thinking you've won the war," she grinned against his lips. Roxie had no intention of comparing Aaron to her varying past dalliances, she already knew that he was by far better than any and all of them combined. She just couldn't deny the difference in herself. Especially now, as she found herself becoming more and more entranced by this man. He already easily made her laugh, made her blush, made her flutter in more ways than one. He was the first man in a long time that she wasn't just putting on motions for. And it was exhilarating. Roxie was pressing back, she was just as interested in making him respond to her as he was with her. She wanted him, vulnerably and intrinsically. There was no numbness, taking whatever was put upon her in order to satisfy someone else and leave her feeling empty. Roxie felt free. Her actions a direct reflection of her will after everything that had transpired in the last days. Aaron Cross was her choice, pure and simple. There was no unseen transaction, only want and need and that growing affection that no longer took her by surprise. She knew, deep down, that she was healing the worst of herself by trusting him with all of her. Even if he needed a little bit of gentle guidance. As she started her journey along his jawline she hummed smugly against his skin as he groaned, looking forward to seeing what else she could make him do. His reaction only spurred her on, the kisses planting more firmly along his skin, the nips a little sharper.

Roxie chuckled against his lips at his comment, her own response starting with a gentle bite against his bottom lip, "wouldn't you just." She sucked on his lip for a moment before locking into the kiss again, finding it genuinely hard to keep from finding that connection as much as she could. Her mind was running at top speed, she wanted to do everything that entered her thoughts and perhaps it was simply because they'd just started and she didn't have a direction. She wanted to tease him, she wanted to touch him, she wanted to kiss and feel him against her body in every intimate way she could and couldn't imagine. In every way he could imagine. She made a soft disappointed noise as he left her lips that quickly became a satisfied exhale as he began his own travels. Her skin bloomed with heat with every kiss. She let her head drop back against the door and found herself having trouble catching her breath. His voice reverberating against her skin didn't help. I want you sooner than that. She bit her lip, moaning softly in response to his intensity. More than anything she wanted that reality. The combination of his lips finally finding purchase on her neck after that torturous dance and his hands at her hips and the promise of slowing it down later sent her skyrocketing towards a break in control. "There's time for all of this," she breathed into his ear, somehow managing to speak and reassure him that this wasn't his only chance and also confirming it for herself. Her focus wasn't necessarily on her ability to speak as she felt his hands trail to the edge of the towel. Finally, someone other than herself choosing to adjust the damn thing. His hands found her thighs and she gripped tighter at his hair, her nerves firing in every direction. Without hesitation, she brought her other arm up around his neck at his command, letting him lift her with ease.

If she thought she was pinned in place before she was wrong. He pressed her more firmly against the door, the very hands she'd been admiring earlier holding her with a steady and controlled strength. He was enhanced, so was she, but it didn't stop her from being incredibly turned on by that strength. She knew full well the hands that held her could easily snap her in two and somehow that knowledge tied to how he was holding her now was incredibly alluring. Those hands, gripping her thighs, could also just as easily feel the heat radiating from her core if he'd not already caught on by pressing against her to just how eager she was. If that hadn't told him, the way she gasped should've. She anchored her legs around his waist, leaning into the continued kisses to her neck as she clawed back her focus. As his gaze returned to her, she smirked at his question. Once again, wound up and he was offering her a sensible choice. "Aaron," she purred, leaning back in to catch his lips in a soft kiss - vastly different from what they'd been caught up in. She deepened the kiss, intensifying her intentions with each passing second, "do you think you could even make it that far?" She moved to his jaw, grazing her lips along it before landing at the soft spot just below his ear as he'd just done to her, "Might want to unwrap me first but I'm soft, willing and enthusiastic no matter what you choose." She bit his earlobe gently before moving back. Roxie kissed his cheek, then the corner of his mouth, then locked in for another intense kiss. Keeping the hand in his hair in place, she reached her other hand out and behind her to press against the door. Trusting he would maintain his balance, she tightened her thighs against him and pushed them off gently from the door so the only thing keeping her up was him holding her. Now all he had to do was make a choice.

#aaronxcross #v: elephant graveyard

aaronxcross

He knew that he was playing right into her hand. And he didn’t even mind. No amount of enhancements or training could hide the reality of the situation from her. If she stopped to evaluate the situation amongst all the flirting and teasing it was abundantly clear - he was putty in her hands. Aaron wasn’t even sure when exactly it had happened. Maybe it had been the kiss at the door. Or further back somewhere in the diner. Or the laughter in the car before. The soft feel of drawing on another’s skin. Perhaps the intense moments of emotional exchanges as old feelings and new connections seemed to burst into existence. Or maybe it had been that way all along as far back as a cafeteria in a Reno high school. Still, there was something new and intense about the change. It was partly him and the changes since he’d last seen her. But it was also her. There was a fire and intensity that radiated from her and equally seemed to encourage the same out of him. He was the happiest moth alive drawn to the flame. I’d love to. There was something intoxicating about the note in her voice. It wasn’t a tease. It hadn’t been a deliberate draw to get him to ask a question only to taunt him further. Perhaps she would pose some other challenge for him to complete in order to earn it from her. Aaron wouldn’t have entirely blamed her if she had. It would’ve been a good play. He probably would’ve folded even quicker than was already forecast. That wasn’t what was happening or what he saw reflected back in her eyes as she let the words linger in the air between them. Amongst all the teasing and playfulness, there was something serious there.

Aaron wanted to kiss her. Moments before he had nearly given into that desire, halted only by the question she’d encouraged him to pose. It was still at the forefront of his mind particularly after the response she’d given. So, she’d left him breathless as she turned in his arms and pulled him in close. Always zigging when he was about to zag. It had almost come to be expected at this point. The very moment he thought he knew how things were going to go, she found a way to add to the intensity of the moment. The soft affection of her nose against his was uniquely reassuring despite the way his heart was fluttering in his chest at the rapid build in tension between them. Then she was talking about going to deal with the laundry. His hand tensed reflexively where his hand had come to settle on the small of her back as she’d turned in his arms. He didn’t want her to leave. That said, he wasn’t the type of person to force her to stay either. Maybe it was to cool things off, though that didn’t seem the pace based on proximity. Perhaps it was to simply add to the rising tension between them. And then, she continued and it suddenly made sense. An invitation. A challenge. Stop her, if he wanted. There was no doubt that Aaron was wanting. She was then moving away from him and he was forced to break the contact he’d become so comfortable with. Even though she was still technically within reach, the distance felt monumental. The readjusting of the towel nearly had him buckling. His mind rapidly ticked through multiple scenarios all at once. He tried to find any version of reality in which he was misreading all the signs. If there was any possibility he had missed something, anything in all their exchanges. As her hand settled on the door of the hotel room, he found no possibilities. There was only one answer.

A thousand words passed through his mind as he closed the distance between them. His steps were not rushed but certainly deliberate. In that short time his mind could not find anything that seemed to suitably sum up the intense rush of emotions that coursed through him. As he reached her, one hand came out to press against the door and frame to hold it shut in the event she tried to pull on it. The other came up to gently cup her face again. He used his body to press her softly against the door effectively shutting down any notion that he wanted her to go anywhere. His heart was racing and it took every fiber of his enhanced willpower not to dive headlong into a passionate kiss and so much more. Aaron paused for the briefest second to search her gaze for any sign of hesitation. When he found none, he leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. Aaron had promised her to be slow and tantalizing. That plan felt long abandoned as the tension rose between them but he still wanted that to be true of their first kiss. It was something he knew he would want to savor and hold dear in his mind. Despite never having kissed her before, as their lips met, there was something familiar. Something that felt so deeply right. A warmth bloomed in his chest and traveled through the rest of his body. All the pieces of a puzzle suddenly fit together in a way he hadn’t expected. This wasn’t at all what he’d expected with her and somehow had been everything he’d needed and more. The tender kiss slowly melted into something needier as the intensity of all the evening’s build up came rushing back in. His hand slid down from where it had held against the door and moved to gently grasp against her hip as he deepened the kiss.

apsauga

Roxie opened her senses as she approached the door. She didn't want to turn and beckon him. She didn't want to influence his decision outside of her very plainly laid out invitation. In her mind, this, the moment it felt like they'd been building to all evening - this was his. If it didn't happen now, it would happen later. But the way the air crackled in the room felt like a surge was imminent. She just didn't know what precisely to expect. She hoped. She waited. Time felt like it slowed as her fingers gripped the handle and then she heard him. He wasn't rushing her but his movements were clear. Determined. Decisive. By the time he reached her, she'd turned and was about to open the door when she was rewarded with a physical block to her scheme. His body pressed up against her and keeping her in place, one hand making sure the door wouldn't move, and the other reaching out to reestablish the previous connection at her cheek. She was boxed in, immobile, thoroughly contained in a way she was highly into from this man in particular, and if he had any doubts all he had to do was look into her eyes. Which he was, searching for permission that had already been granted. There was no time for words, she'd offered the invitation and Aaron had soundly responded. His lips pressed against hers and were it not for the firm pressure of his body holding her in place, her knees may have buckled completely. His lips were softer than she'd imagined. The kiss tender and warm. Not lacking in passion yet not at all what she had predicted either. They'd been volleying an inferno back and forth all evening with smatterings of something more peppered in. Something softer. Romantic even. A slow dance. Calm silence. Comfort. And now a slow, tender kiss reflecting their deeper connection more than the fire within. A first kiss that somehow felt like she'd been waiting for it her whole life and like she'd discovered something rare and vast. It was both overwhelming and incredibly balancing. It felt familiar.

While she didn't want to ruin the sanctity of the first, Roxie felt the intensity shift and responded to him taking hold of her hip by pressing against him. Stuck between him and the door, she could only shift so much but it didn't stop her from arching against him before deepening the kiss. She indulged in the now heightened sparks raging through her system as the hand that had been toying with the door now began a trail up his arm, to his shoulder, before settling at the nape of his neck to hold him in place against her lips. Her other hand gripped against his waist, dangerously close to his towel though no quite traversing that path. Yet. "Took you long enough," she came up for air briefly and took the opportunity to tease him, "I was starting to wonder if I was going to have to tap it out in morse code. 'Kiss me, Aaron.'" She returned to his lips, adding intensity and a neediness that wasn't there before. She'd been toying with him but it was never meant to be a fruitless endeavor. Roxie could feel her skin burning underneath his touch and his hand was still over the fabric of the towel. That desire had been climbing since the moment they started talking to each other like humans. At first it felt like a surface attraction, professional curiosity, but it quickly evolved, as she began to understand the man behind the mystery, it grew. And as she realized their inherent connection, her mind's primal reaction to him, the instincts left behind from a botched program - the knot of fire in her core was harder and harder to ignore. It was almost unexplainable to anyone else though she got the feeling if she tried telling Aaron, he'd understand if not simply feel the same way. She could feel his heartbeat. He could feel hers. He could tell when her's skipped a beat when he first kissed her and how it had only increased in tempo as things progressed.

Her lips left his and started a trail along his jawline as she suddenly realized, she didn't have to keep wondering about things she could now just do. Tasting his skin, having him discover hers. There were so many options, she didn't know where to start. And she had no way of knowing how unpredictable he'd be. Would she be able to finish a line of thought before he wanted to follow one of his own. She smiled against his skin, moving along to the soft point where jaw and neck met and lingering there with some soft suction. Him being unable to wait his turn and instead overwhelming need driving him to make his own fun was certainly something she was hoping for. Actually, taking turns wasn't it. This was a marathon. Her fingers moved from the nape of his neck and threaded into his hair, her fingernails scraping gently along his scalp as she pulled him closer. Her lips moved down his neck where she very gently nibbled at his skin. At this point she was following impulse, seeing how far she could go before he reacted again. If his twitches and tightening of his hold on her from simply dancing were what she thought they were with the context she had now of him holding back, Aaron had been using an astronomical amount of restraint up until now. As the floodgates had opened for her, she hoped that it was quite clear that he was also free to act on any and all thoughts he'd been having. What had he been thinking when his lips were so close to her skin? Did he have particular opinions about the dance positions she chose? Was he also considering the fact that with one move, one swift lift he could have her right then against that door? Roxie certainly couldn't ignore her surroundings. Her breath hitched in her throat at her own thoughts, "watch out, my mind is getting ahead of us. So many ideas." She left the pattern at his shoulder and moved back to catch his lips in another intense kiss.

#aaronxcross #v: elephant graveyard

aaronxcross

Aaron was pleased that he managed to get another subtle reaction out of Roxie. For now he knew he wasn’t likely to get any sort of overt admissions that he’d gotten a rise out of her. It was all hidden in soft breaths, the ever so slight change in her voice, and hesitations as she gathered her thoughts. Anyone else likely wouldn’t have noticed. Maybe could’ve believed she was completely unbothered by the things he was saying and doing. Aaron was so locked into every micro change that he was unlikely to miss anything. He wasn’t sure he had ever been so dialed in to any exchange. It was all part of the tantalizing game they’d somehow agreed to play. He found comfort in the instinctive knowledge that if he needed something more overt, some explicit confirmation that Roxie would be more than willing to give up the game in favor of that. Right now he didn’t need it but perhaps he might. There was always something ticking away in the back of his mind, the second guessing, the alternative plans, the what-ifs. If he let himself linger too long he could easily find himself derailed and worried about things that Roxie did not seem to be showing any concern about in the slightest. As had become expected, she quickly reeled him back in as she began talking about her own file. Aaron let the qualities play through in his mind. He had already gotten a taste of some of those in a much different context to where they both stood then. The stamina lingered in his mind as she had fully intended. Aaron had intimate encounters since having his enhancements but they’d never been fully put to the test. Particularly not in the way that he could with someone else that shared those same enhancements. The way she spoke the words combined with his own imaginative thoughts sent a pang of desire straight into his core. She really did know how to test him.

All you really have to do is ask. She did want to unravel him completely. And he didn’t mind. Aaron trusted her. He trusted what was happening between them. And despite any concerns that might have flared somewhere in the back of his mind, it seemed that Roxie trusted him too. It was in everything about her. The way she chose to be with him physically, the words she chose to say, right down to the tone. He knew her well enough to feel when something was genuine, to know that specific feel of hesitation. He had seen it on her face when they’d driven together before she remembered anything and even as recently as when he’d gotten out of the shower. And there was none of that now. Despite her playing their little game and doing her best to stay in control of it, she was being fully herself mixed with a new version that he hadn’t ever experienced. This wasn’t even the Roxie that he once knew. This wasn’t at all how they’d ever been together. It was a fast and intense change in their previous dynamics but not at all unwelcomed. “A demonstration, hm?” Aaron hummed a note of approval as the question lingered in the air, letting her know he was contemplating the idea. He hoped it might encourage her to wonder what he might want to ask to see specifically. If her mind worked any bit the same as his, it might lead her down a path of distraction similar to the way she seemed to repeatedly manage on him. Then she confirmed that he wouldn’t be imagining anything for too long. Any concern he’d had about making it sound like a foregone conclusion had evaporated. It wasn’t merely flirting and teasing and what-ifs. She was laughing and enjoying the idea that it was a rapidly approaching certainty. This wasn’t at all what he’d imagined for their evening but he found himself not wanting to shy away from it. Not in the slightest.

The way she squeezed his hand made him smile. Finally. He had managed to get something more substantial. As much as he was giving away everything, it seemed that he had finally begun to wear down some of her resolve too. Aaron remembered the younger version of her as someone who had taken most every situation under her own control. He’d seen enough glimpses of it in her current state too. That’s why he was surprised that she had not simply told him exactly what she wanted, how and when. Part of him wondered if it was merely because of the game and the fact she wanted him to fold first. It was becoming a more and more likely scenario, one he wasn’t opposed to in the least. But he wondered if for whatever reason she was waiting for him or perhaps there was some other hesitation he hadn’t fully comprehended yet. Aaron tipped his head to look at her as she rested back on his shoulder. He lost the immediate advantage of the proximity he’d had moments before but the added enjoyment of being able to see her face. Though, that added dimension quickly had his resolve unraveling completely. His eyes went to her lips immediately as she wet them. “Yes, I can,” he breathed out softly. It was another earnest admission, no hint of teasing or joking. He drew in a slow steady breath as she suggested he should ask about their second date again. Completely entranced, he likely would do just about anything if she asked him to. It was a control he had violently wrestled back from others and yet was effortlessly willing to give it over to her. Aaron brought his hand up that wasn’t pressed against her waist and gently cupped her face. His thumb lightly grazed over her cheek as he held her gaze. “Roxie,” his voice barely a whisper as he held her gaze, “would you be interested in going on a second date with me?”

apsauga

Roxie immediately brought to mind a handful of skills that she'd either honed or been trained in over the years that could be at the very least interesting to deploy in a manner not typically intended. And that was without putting too much energy into the thought. Her skin flushed; a cascade of imaginings and unrestrained wants rushed over her. If she could get so flustered only with her own thoughts, she could only imagine what he might be thinking of. She let his hum of approval wash over her as he pondered her question. The very one that stood at the forefront of her own mind. She already wondered what he was capable of as just a man, she'd opened the door to his and her own abilities and suddenly the evening that was looking more and more like a dance of passion had enhancements of its own. Roxie didn't feel like she was setting them up for failure at all, the spark between them was formed of familiarity and curiosity and a deep and growing passion. Anything she could imagine, she wouldn't be able to compare to what it would feel like for real. All it did was make her want him more and made her want to test each and every one of her ideas. And his. That was where there might be a problem. Where on earth would they find the time? Roxie's mind wandered to each and every touch they'd shared. From intimate to caring to simply connection. Every comforting touch. Each hug, increasingly more earnest. Every flirty graze and determined challenge. A bared hip, a touch to her back. The spark of history and connection catching into a wildfire with each passing moment. In some ways, she was starting not to be so surprised that she found herself a towel away from the man holding her. This was never how they were before, she knew that much - her memories would be returning in droves if they'd ever been like this, those memories wouldn't stay buried after the first touch. This was new and still it was the most right she'd felt about any decision she'd ever made. Aside from befriending him, maybe.

Roxie couldn't and wouldn't hide her smirk as his eyes fell immediately to her lips. He valiantly managed to respond to her words but she could hear him lose his breath. With every passing moment they walked a tight rope with no net, one of them would falter eventually. She was desperately close. She felt like he was losing his grip on his resolve as well. A light breeze could knock either of them loose. It was a wonder it didn't happen for her when his hand came to her cheek but once again, she was met with earnest and kind Aaron. The look in his eyes as he grazed his thumb against her cheek was enough to fuel her for years. That wasn't the look of a hungry man, saying anything to appease her. That look reflected affection and a boyish hopefulness that knocked her figuratively to her knees. There was no play in those eyes. No tease. She smiled brightly up at him, leaning into the touch on her cheek, "I'd love to." Roxie lingered, locked in the moment as her heart fluttered in a way she'd not felt before. With the game figuratively paused, she had a chance to gather some thoughts. Was it possible they started this as a game and he had absolutely no idea exactly how badly she ached for him? Well, surely he had an idea but would it ever go passed that wall? That's what they'd been doing, playing chicken since she had him draw on her and likely before that. Not once had it had an end point. She did love to play. There was no chance she would ever stop teasing or luring or tempting because she wanted a reaction. And she was getting reactions but it felt like he was being careful. Teasing back, certainly, but she'd never get the true reaction if she didn't make it clear that he had a green light. If there was one thing she'd learned about Aaron Cross is that he was going to be absolutely sure she was on board before he followed through. Annoyingly, that was a fabulous trait. She'd need to ensure that he knew he could.

Turning in his arms again, she unpaused the mental game and wrapped her arms around his neck. In the same action, she pulled him towards her. She leaned up and rubbed her nose gently against his before finally talking softly as if she wasn't millimeters away from his lips, "I think the timer on the machine might be done by now. It should only take a couple of minutes to change that considering I won't have an outfit change this time so I could be back quite quickly." It didn't even have to be her this time. He had the same dress code as she did in this moment. He could easily leave her satisfied and wrapped in the sheets and do this himself. She looked at him pointedly in this close, close position, "unless you can come up with a good reason as to why I shouldn't be leaving this room and wasting those precious minutes. Or can't." Stop me. Roxie's gaze flitted down to his lips and back to his eyes, "there's so many ways I could've been distracted." Then she pulled back from the closeness but not by too far, just enough to leave him missing the heat from her body. The very same heat they've been oh so curious about. Or using as an excuse to get close before they'd tossed the arbitrary rules from earlier. "So many positions I could've gotten into." She turned her back to him again and pulled the front of her towel open in a show of readjusting it and tucking it back securely in place, as if she was readying herself to leave the room. More accurately, reminding him of just how little fabric was between them at any given moment. If she got through that door, she wasn't calling it a loss so much as challenge to try harder as soon as she got back. She didn't know how much more obvious she could be at this point, practically to the point of finding that pen and writing 'have me' on her skin. She stepped closer to the door and put her hand on the handle. Stop me.

#aaronxcross #v: elephant graveyard

cvlwr

[x]

greeneyedlioness

What is Chris Evans doing with his mouth in the second to last gif?

tonys-snark-blog

[x]

#this interview is the one I meant #also he brings it up lol #aaronxcross

aaronxcross

Aaron couldn’t help but grin as she played into his fanciful concept of the tactical towel. Somehow no matter the topic, she managed to stay as engaging and alluring as ever. He was fairly certain she could open the drawer in the bedside table and read the phonebook or the Bible and he would find her equally enchanting. The way she was looking up at him after he teased her had him unraveling. It was hard to know exactly which one of them was getting the best of the other. It seemed they’d fallen into an intoxicating rhythm of landing the most tantalizing blows only for it to be equally reciprocated by the other. Aaron was nearly ready to forgo all concerns about the laundry in the washing machine and ignore many cycles worth of time. He smiled at her as he did his best to strengthen his resolve but it was slipping through his fingers like water with every exchange. “I want to take my time with you,” his voice was low and intense, all the playfulness of their previous quips gone. Aaron had quickly discovered his earnest confessions had seemed to weaken Roxie the fastest. “It would’ve been in my file how I handled things. Slow, methodical, taking every piece and figuring out how things work together to get the best result,” his voice stayed low and slow as he drew out the words to explain himself. “What wouldn’t have been in the file is that I like to apply that to more than just my missions,” he tipped his head to the side looking at her with a grin, “definitely need more than one cycle for you.” Aaron wasn’t sure if he’d be capable of taking his time right then and there. The fuel she’d managed to throw on the burning intensity inside of him had him doing and saying all kinds of things he would have second guessed before they managed to come to fruition. Starting anything now felt like it would ignite an inescapable inferno of passion and discarded towels.

He enjoyed the comfortable quiet they fell in together as they’d adjusted to their new position. While he would never get her to verbally admit that he was having an effect, her body told a different and very exciting story. The way they were pressed so close together there was nowhere for her to hide anything. Not that he really felt she wanted to. She’d chosen this. She’d willingly given him this access. Knowing that she was trusting him in that way only added more to the intoxicating feel of the moment. He found himself relishing in every soft breath and goosebump raising up on her skin. It only seemed to add more tinder to the ever growing fire that had him wanting to explore even more of her. Aaron wasn’t at all surprised she came back quickly to his quip about her attire. It was a win for her and she only cemented that win further with the way his mind completely wandered down the path of imagining what she might have in mind to wear. “I look forward to not having to imagine,” he managed to tease back as he wrestled his mind back from wandering away completely. It sounded cocky, like something between them was a foregone conclusion but he stopped himself from walking it back. She was right there with him with every touch and every tease. If there was even the briefest moments of overthinking and second guessing, all he had to do was evaluate the position they’d gotten themselves into and the attire in which they were doing it. There was something instantaneously thrilling about recognizing that it was, in fact, a foregone conclusion. Both of them now locked into an enthralling dance of when rather than if.

The soft gasp from her lips threatened to completely unravel his tenuous hold on any restraint and resolve he still possessed. It was, perhaps, the clearest reaction he’d managed to elicit. He found himself wanting to find what else he could do to cause her to make that noise, and others. Aaron wanted to drop all pretenses of their game and give in to that feeling. Again her questions managed to give him a pause to reel back in his fragile grasp on that self control. “That’s very thoughtful of you,” the way she’d tilted her head gave him far more access to her neck. Aaron drew in a slow breath, his lips lingered dangerously close to her skin. So close he could feel the warmth of her radiating to him. “Was the imbalance because you knew I was winning so you had to cheat?” He was grinning as he continued, “you can just admit you had to even the playing field so I was as distracted as you were,” he teased her, lips dangerously close to pressing against her neck. Aaron tried to imagine what the third date would look like if this is how they had started things. One thing he was certain of, is that he had never experienced anything like what he had with Roxie. If he’d had a moment to think, he could’ve easily overthought why he was falling into her so quickly. But the comfort and safety he felt with her overrode any of that. It was intense, unexpected, but yet felt completely right. Even as she continued to nudge him outside his comfort zones he felt comfortable enough to jump and know she’d be right there alongside him. “One and a half isn’t what I expected either,” he commented softly. He smiled at her returning his words to him. “If this half is anything to go by…” Aaron let the words hang in the air for both of their imaginations to fill the gap. “I don’t know. Don’t want to get ahead of myself or anything,” his voice was rising back up into the teasing tone, “you said how important the chemistry and spark was for that date. I don’t want to go assuming I’ll make the cut.”

apsauga

Roxie felt she had turned in his arms at the exact right time. The way he talked about his methods and skills in his file oh so innocently while using his tone in that way had her weak in the knees. He could talk to her like that about absolutely anything and she'd fall to pieces without him even touching her. He hadn't even been too coy, just honest. She could see it in his eyes; he wanted to take his time with her sincerely. Roxie wanted him to take his time with her and she wanted him to pin her down and see how quickly she could come apart. Both was also an option. It was precisely why she felt so light-headed. In an instant, they could be on the bed or hell the floor and their combined skillsets could leave them suitably entertained for days without any real need to come up for air. The thought of him carefully, intensely, methodically learning every single ripple of her muscles and twitch of her skin to get the best result damn near floored her. She needed to turn in order to catch her breath. She had to focus on something, even briefly, to gather her resolve. He must've seen it, reflecting back at him before she raised the stakes. He must've seen how close she'd come to surrender. However, Roxie was stubborn. She'd made a pact with her own self, Aaron got to cross that threshold no matter how hard she pushed against the barrier. She was his to have. A truth that had come far easier to the surface than Roxie had expected though she found she wasn't so surprised. That instinct that burned between them, the natural chemistry, the trust - she hadn't ever felt this way about anyone else she'd let get this close. Not even one. And in another instance of simply trusting that her body, her mind, knew something she had yet to recall, she couldn't deny the connection there. The safety there. Aaron Cross wasn't coveting her to pass time like the others had. He wasn't anonymous and borderline abusive. He wasn't a bad taste left in her memories. He wasn't anything at all like them. For the first time, in a long time, Roxie felt like herself. Carefree, flirty. Safe in the arms of someone she wanted to be with. And as far as she could tell, while she was mystifying for sure, he was just as interested as she was. For all the right reasons.

Swaying gently to the music, not for a second losing sight of how it felt to have him pressed so wholly against her, she tried to find a version of her voice that wasn't so breathless but ultimately failed, "it comes to mind that you don't actually know what's in my file. Or of what I'm capable of these days aside a small amount of first hand knowledge." Roxie let her mind wander to the many things she knew of him from intel she was provided, wondering which minuscule detail would be the one that he utilized most effectively to unravel her. "Dexterity, finesse, endurance," she listed, abilities they shared though he had certain edges where she didn't and visa versa. "Stamina," she practically purred, voice low and thick as she got lost in her own tease, "if you want to know anything specific or have a demonstration, all you really have to do is ask." Both tactically and intimately. It would benefit them truly to know what they were working with as their path took them closer to D.C. but that was not at all near where her mind was in that current moment. For now, remaining happily in their bubble was exactly where she wanted to stay. If she could freeze time to let this last longer, she would. Letting them exist in this bliss without the added worry of everything else. If everything went well, worry wouldn't stop her from leaning in to the chemistry. Tonight was simply clean of having to focus on the tedious part of their current situation. Right now it was just Aaron. Just Roxie. Just them discovering something that they'd previously denied themselves. Or at least she had. She never involved her heart before, just her body. Roxie laughed softly, "at this rate, I don't know if you'll be imagining for too long." Their first started so quickly. This 'half' was skyrocketing into something she barely could've imagined just a day ago. It was really starting to feel like they weren't following any real rules at all aside from the ones they made themselves.

Roxie squeezed his hand involuntarily, holding on for dear life as he spoke to her. His lips were so close to her neck that she could feel the words he was saying. Every syllable tickled her skin and teased her. If he just pushed a breath further, his lips would press against the soft skin at her neck and she was not sure the response she'd have would be anything but undignified. "I am very thoughtful," she responded before laughing at his accusation. She could feel his lips move into a grin, the closeness a new version of torture she hadn't anticipated. "Cheat? There was no rule established that I couldn't remove my clothes. And calling it cheating just because you've realized you weren't winning is not a very sportsmanlike reaction," she admonished playfully, downplaying her own weakness to his antics. In fact, she couldn't decide which one of them was worse off at any given moment. She felt like she'd given herself quite the edge but then he went and started his proximity play and at this point, they'd both lose. And she knew she wouldn't be upset about it in the least. At the back of her mind, Roxie still had the tactic of the washing timer to use not to derail the evening but to have him marinate. Maybe after a particularly good zag on her part. Or maybe to catch her breath if he kept inching closer and closer without tasting her skin. Humming in agreement, she let her head roll back and come to rest against his shoulder so she could glance towards him through her lashes. The angle wasn't so awkward though it stretched her neck for him and the towel felt as though if she breathed too deep it would simply pull open on its own. Risky. Intentional. There was a reason bodice rippers existed. "I have it on good authority that you're making the cut," she licked her lips gently, mostly because they'd suddenly gone dry as she looked up at him, "there's definitely a spark. Can't you feel it?" Roxie stopped to look at him, eyes searching his as she became lost in them and the palpable energy bursting between them. From his little proximity game and her movement they were impossibly close again. She didn't even need to whisper for him to hear her, "you should ask about date two again."

#aaronxcross #v: elephant graveyard

presidentmenace

#crossback #about roxie #she absolutely definitely would

aaronxcross

“What?” Aaron gave her a puzzled look. He absolutely had not missed her pointed downward look. If he had been any more exposed she might have gotten a stronger reaction. At this point, it wouldn’t take much. His little quip had gotten the intended reaction from her. “Do you not travel with your tactical towel? I thought that was pretty routine for all operatives. They’ve clearly let the standards drop recently,” the teasing grin pulled at the corners of his lips. Though as quickly as he’d managed to pull together some sense of resolve, she was looking up at him like that, licking her lips as she threw out a coy line. “I have a few in mind,” he added suggestively after a brief beat required to collect his thoughts, “but we’ll need more than a washing machine cycle for that.” She knew she had him off kilter regularly and he didn’t even mind. The effect she had on him was evident. Aaron admittedly was intensely enjoying getting to know this side of Roxie. It was completely uncharted territory between them. But also frankly, for him too. If the cover called for it, he could of course be charming and flirtatious. There had never been a genuine desire laced beneath the mask. Now there certainly was. Aaron breathed in softly as she continued to trace her fingertips up his spine. He couldn’t help the twitch of a genuine smile as she insisted that he should keep trying to convince her. Not that he needed it, exactly, but still the soft assurance that she was still enjoying their little game was welcome. She had been chasing him for a long time and it seemed only fair that he pursued her now. This time the terms of engagement were far more exciting and then ending would be far more enjoyable for the both of them.

There had been a moment when Aaron had been unsure whether he could keep playing the game. She was leaning into his hand. They were so impossibly close to one another. His lips were so close to her, nearly completely closing the distance between them. Suddenly he hadn’t been as interested in playing the game anymore and far more interested in exploring a whole new avenue between them. His original intention had been to twirl her away from him, maybe dip her into a playful dance bow. They’d been so closely tangled that it had seemed challenging but either way he had not originally intended to lean in and kiss her. Though, as he was second guessing himself and wondering what he should do next she, of course, jumped in with her own tantalizing answer to his question. He could hear the desire in her voice. It was rapidly breaking his resolve. As much as he was enjoying their back and forth, with each passing second she was starting to sway him even further towards the prospect of abandoning their game altogether. He was about to answer her request for a faster song when she suddenly took action. It was his turn to be left slightly breathless as she leaned in for a split second before changing their position entirely. He knew he really shouldn’t have been surprised that she turned his little teasing moment around on him. It seemed to be the natural cadence that they’d fallen into. A smile tugged at his lips as she turned around and pressed herself against him and settled into a new rhythm. She would be rather pleased with herself, that much he knew. It was an excellent move and certainly had the intended effect.

Aaron lightly pressed his cheek against her head as he took in the moment to fully embrace their new position. His hand flexed lightly against the towel in the new position against her waist. The feel of her arms pressing against his and keeping him there as he held her close to him. The feel of her damp hair against his chest was cooling amongst the heat that had ignited between them. He was deeply appreciative of the new access he had to the uncovered skin of her neck and shoulders, and the plunging neckline exposure her towel only choice provided him. As she had traced little lines along his back, it was his turn now to be able to explore. The fingertips of his free hand traced lightly up her arm and slowly worked up towards her shoulder and then slowly down again as they swayed slowly together. It struck him how vulnerable of a position Roxie was in. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t been close before, any stress and suspicion between them having evaporated long before. Still, he knew what it was like to feel that pang of deeply ingrained instinct warning of danger. They had never had the luxury of having a trusted partner before. Everyone was a threat. There was no opportunity to let your guard down and relax. Not even with people allegedly on your side. Now it felt like there was no trace of that. No hint of the operatives that they were. Just Roxie and Aaron. He tipped his head slightly so he could lean in to whisper to her. His lips lingered dangerously close to her neck below her ear, breath warm against her skin. “When you explained your idea for a third date, I’m not sure I even expected this attire for that one let alone our first, and a half,” he grinned, finally acknowledging her choice in towel. “Not complaining,” he clarified as his fingers along her waist lightly curled against the towel. While part of the unspoken rules of their game seemed to be appearing unbothered, he also couldn’t deny noticing the effect it had on Roxie when he did acknowledge her influence, “just expressing my appreciation.”

apsauga

Roxie tossed her hair back as she laughed, shaking her head, "it might be standard issue for male operatives. For us fairer creatures? Not so much. We operate on a much higher wavelength. And we don't need to be bogged down with gadgets when we're already so alluring." As if she wouldn't be immediately brought to her knees by this man if he made the right move. "Tactical towel," she scoffed playfully, "amateur." In a different world where maybe they had to genuinely work against each other for information, she did wonder how that would go. With both of them spinning at the highest level, using everything at their disposal. Knowing what she knew about his abilities, speculating about the things she didn't, she could guess there'd be a lot of stalemates - not too different from the game they were currently playing. Arguably, the one in the real world had the higher stakes. Her eyes lingered, locked to his as he admirably recovered from her pointed quip. The mere thought of finding a reason to have her beneath him and at his will had made the highly trained Aaron Cross very briefly malfunction. Imagining the real deal, had her weak in the knees. And this was all simply talk so far. "More than a cycle?" Roxie smirked, "lack of imagination or do you just want to take your time with me?" She couldn't deny the thought was intoxicating. That much was reflected in her eyes as her own teasing statement managed to give off a large amount of blowback. The thought of just whittling the night away at each other's whims was just as appealing as going hard and dirty. Honestly, there was room for both by her calculations. And yet she still hoped it would be on his terms, the worry from before no longer present but the want for it to be his choice at the end was. That remained important to all versions of Roxie, it seemed.

As her back turned to him, she still remained happily within his radiating warmth. It was objective fact that they ran hot, not that she'd really acknowledged that before tonight, even still there was a sparking heat in the room between them. Either it was within her own body or the air just felt that way. Warmth, comfort, heat, desire, safety. The crappy air conditioner rattled away, cooling damp hair but it didn't feel like it was doing a damn thing. Roxie used the opportunity of the position change to catch her breath. Her hands rested against his arm at her waist, happily anchoring herself to him. In the far reaches of the back of her mind, there was some training she was outright ignoring. Not ignoring. She didn't need it. Tactically, Roxie was exposed and vulnerable in a real way. That wasn't how she was thinking anymore, not now. Not within this 'and a half' they'd made their way to. That instinct that she had been confused by before had settled into a trusted warm and satisfying feeling. The trust that she had for him might be steeped in the past but there was tangible present reasons for it as well. It wasn't blind. It was inherent and deep. Old and new. Mostly new in this context. He'd already put his hand to her neck and she didn't flinch, in fact she leaned in and wanted more. 'Just Roxie' and the highly trained version of herself trusted this man. Trusted his hands. Her back was to him, his hands could trail easily to her softest and most vulnerable areas and she found that she'd welcome that movement. She breathed deeply, soothingly, in deep through her nose and slow exhale as she relaxed more as his fingers trailed up her arm. His cheek rested against her's and she let her eyelids slip closed as she embraced the sensations. A soft shiver ran through her as his fingers reached her shoulder and slipped back down her arm. There was no hiding any reaction she had aside from her face. They swayed to the music, Roxie fully immersed in the moment briefly.

She stayed happily lost in the sensations he provided until she felt him move. Her eyes opened as his lips came close to the skin on her neck. His breath adding to the warmth she was already feeling, a fresh wave of goosebumps rising on her skin. A smug smile pulled against her lips, not the first time she'd felt that way this evening. Roxie kept her tone even though she felt anything but, his whispered words were sending electric waves from her neck straight on down, "and this was improvised, imagine what I could be wearing if I had time to prepare." Roxie had an emergency dress tucked deep into her pack but she already knew he was worth more than that. And wouldn't he be curious to know that she didn't own a bra that didn't include lace. She already felt compelled to wow the hell out of him on date three and they'd barely made it past the first so far. They were still in the first. Technically. She tipped her head to the side, away from where his lips were teasing though not to get away from him. Just to provide more tantalizing options. His fingers gripped against the towel and she couldn't stop the soft gasp that fell from her lips if she wanted to. A couple inches north or south and he'd find himself in happy territory. Recovering as best she could, she explained, "I couldn't leave you being the only one in the towel, I think there'd be an imbalance on this date and a half." She grew silent for a second, contented but thoughtful, "speaking of third dates and those rules. What exactly does the 'and half' add to the originals? Let's say date three goes really well and there's chemistry and definitely a spark," as if there was nothing between them now, "what does three and a half look like?" Roxie ran one of her hands over his arm at her waist, tracing along the skin, "one and a half isn't what I expected." She smiled to herself, using his words, "not complaining. Just expressing my appreciation."

#aaronxcross #v: elephant graveyard

aaronxcross

The reassurance of her slipping her arm around him to hug him close was comforting. He was grateful that his words were well received. Aaron could feel the goosebumps rising up on his skin where her fingertips trailed along his spine. The continued gentle touch as he talked through his thoughts made it easier to keep sharing. No matter what he said she was still there with him and not pulling away. He nodded his head ever so slightly as she agreed with his assessment about their inner worlds. Aaron had spent a great deal of his time in Outcome wishing that he could speak to another operative and explain himself. It had been such an isolating and lonely time. It was only made worse by the abilities they’d been given. The overthinking and paranoia and distrust of their own handlers severed them further from anything and anyone. He remembered desperately trying to get the operative in Alaska to talk to him to absolutely no avail. The program had separated them all for a reason - it had made them easier to control. His heart had yearned for that connection for so long. Never in his wildest imagination could he have envisioned that the person he would finally be able to connect with would be Roxie. It was healing in so many ways. Her words made him smile and he couldn’t help but tighten his hold on her ever so slightly in acknowledgement. A gentle squeeze tugging her closer if that was even possible. She had made it exceptionally easy to tune out the rest of his world, even his own thoughts, and get lost in the moment with her. “I hope that can be the plan,” he remarked softly, “at least for the rest of the night,” Aaron added with a smile. He knew that they would need to eventually break the spell of what they’d created and face the reality of what awaited them in D.C. but both of them knew that. And it wasn’t something that needed to take away from their moment together.

A smile tugged at his lips as moved her head from his shoulder to look at him. For a moment, he could see the answer in her eyes. She was happy. That much was clear to see. And then just as quickly, he saw the mischief return. It was a look he knew all too well. Except now there was something else added, something new. It was an exciting new edge that was definitely keeping him on his toes in the best possible ways. Her words sent a bit of a thrill through him. Even though he knew it, he trusted what he was feeling was happening between them, he found himself enjoying hearing it directly. As her fingertips trailed up his back, he found it increasingly more challenging to stay focused on the banter. He was nearly overcome by the desire to abandon all the flirtatious back and forth and commit to something more physical. Aaron was certain that Roxie knew exactly what she was doing. That made it all the more thrilling. He breathed in softly as he tried to steel up his resolve. His face screwed up in mock confusion. “Who says I don’t have anything else planned? I have other places to put things other than my nonexistent sleeves,” he shot her a sly grin. “I don’t know. That sounds like a pretty good review already. I feel like I must be pretty close to convincing you to say yes,” Aaron sighed, as if legitimately pondering her question for a moment as they continued to sway together. The hum of the music was encouraging their beat somewhere in the background but it was nearly forgotten entirely for their own world they’d created. “Okay, if you need to reserve your answer for later, so be it,” he relented, the smile tugging slightly at his lips, “I’ll do my best to keep convincing you.”

The way she tilted her head to the side and bit her bottom lip practically made him melt. She knew exactly what she was doing. If he had struggled with his resolve before, he was holding onto the last single thread of it with white knuckles now. She had easily set the stage for his eventual loss of their little game. And for once in his life he was not daunted by giving that level of control over to someone. But it wasn’t over yet, he couldn’t let her win. Not so easily. He made a slight hum of disapproval and shook his head a little. “If it’s too soon for you to make a decision it’s definitely too soon for snacks,” he suggested. Aaron’s hand tensed gently against her back. It was a soft tug closer to him but enough he knew she’d notice. They were already tangled so close together there wasn’t much more distance to close. With the hand they had intertwined, he guided hers to gently come to rest against his side. It brought them that little bit closer. Slightly altering their sway to something more akin to a side to side shuffle of a high school dance. Something familiar now mixed with something entirely new. His hand freed, he brought it up to gently trace along her face where he brushed a damp lock of hair behind her ear. The touch lingering against her neck. “You haven’t done enough to work up an appetite yet,” Aaron proposed as he tipped his head to look at her. He was more than happy to echo the words that had caught his attention earlier back to him. He leaned in slightly, intentionally suggestive though he did not necessarily intend to follow through in that moment, “We can fix that though.”

apsauga

It was hard to decide which was her favorite: the way his skin felt beneath her fingertips or the gentle reactions he was having to her touch. Both battled for top billing, switching each second. One moment she was indulging in the smooth textures of his skin and the next she was relishing in the reactions she was causing. Almost her entire focus was there, finding the aimless patterns relaxing. Though she wasn't completely lost, her attention also on his voice relaying the very same thoughts she'd had several times since her induction into Outcome. The loneliness being the largest of them all. She never thought she'd be here, especially not in the arms of Aaron Cross, but in the presence of any other operative at all. Every single bit of her training had included some allusion to how important it was that she stay singular. Don't get attached. Failed. Don't lower your defenses. Failed. Don't connect. Really failed. She was rapidly becoming more and more comfortable with the complete eschewing of that training. It had started as soon as she'd unraveled the initial lie but the more time she spent with the man holding her as close as he was, the easier it was completely shed that part of her. The paranoia and the tactical necessities remained, likely never to fully leave as they'd been coded into her bones. But the ability to feel completely at ease? That was new and that was most welcome. "Let's not worry about time," she muttered, cozying up against him in a physical way of avoiding the truth of the oncoming morning. They'd need to focus up eventually. They had some important hunting to do. That was not at all on the forefront of her mind right then, right there. The only timer she had on her mind was the one for the washing and only because it served to create another reason to play with Aaron. "Right now is all that matters."

Glad to see her refusal to answer his question was met with an unspoken understanding, Roxie smiled at him playfully. He hadn't acknowledged her traveling fingers even though she could feel him reacting. She wondered if that was in response to her own refusal to recognize her towel or if he was simply using a lot of energy to keep it cool. The thought of him wound up so thoroughly made her smile brighten, her mind offering her a plentiful number of avenues to continue their game with. Would he snap or would he manage to maintain himself until that half hour break? The problem was, they both had the ability to withstand many outward forces. The question really was if they wanted to. "Other places than your sleeves?" she let her gaze wander downward, not getting a view of his torso because of how close they were but the intention was obvious, "who knew you found a utility towel. Complete with pockets for all sorts of sundry items." Roxie brought her gaze back up to his and shrugged her shoulder slightly. Not really giving him an affirmative or a negative about how close he was to his 'yes.' "If you say so," her smile twitched into something a little more wicked before settling back into her practiced innocence, "I'm sure there are a number of ways you could figure out how to get me to say 'yes.'" She licked her lips lightly, playing entirely as if she didn't know what she'd just alluded to. She let the moment linger between them as they swayed to the music, she felt her smile drift back into the contented one from earlier as she enjoyed his presence. The memory of this night would be locked into her mind for years to come, a first date full of things she couldn't even begin to have predicted. And they weren't even done yet. Roxie continued tracing along his spine as he promised to keep convincing her, "you had better."

Roxie's resolve almost wavered at the way he looked as her teeth gently played at her lip. Almost. The reaction she got instead encouraged her to continue. The look of desire leveled directly at her would fuel her for a while to come. "Now you're withholding snacks until I make a choice?" she laughed. He tugged her ever so softly closer, her back arching to press into him even more. At what point would pressed together turn into fused? There was only so much movement that could classify as 'closer' at this point. Curiosity spiked as he shifted their position. Her hand at his back moving upward to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. Quickly she understood what he was doing, the hand at his waist mimicking something that was actually familiar and something she actually could remember. Before she had a chance to linger too long in the happy differences of their position, his hand trailed along her face. As it came to a stop at her neck, she leaned into the touch as she tilted her head again. "Maybe if there was a faster song," she suggested, knowing they were at the whim of the radio for tempo. She just needed to say anything at all to make sure her voice was capable of a full sentence and not just breathless. It was definitely breathy. They were so very close. Roxie was not about to be outdone. She leaned forward as she moved to adjust their position as if moving to the music, letting her nose brush along his cheek, her lips gently grazing his jaw, before she turned in his arms. The brush of her towel underneath his unprepared hand was dangerous but ultimately nothing came loose. She leaned her back against him, resting her arms on the arm around her waist. Her head dropped to his shoulder as they continued to sway, pressed back to front. Roxie inhaled slowly, letting her breathing even out as she grinned to herself.

#aaronxcross #v: elephant graveyard

aaronxcross

As she leaned against the door, he could see exactly what she was doing. And now considering her firearm left on the bedside table, it was clear how premeditated the act had been. There were no complaints, of course. Only with an intense interest as to what she was thinking. ‘I need to work up an appetite first.’ The thought lingered in his mind and he couldn’t help but be momentarily distracted. It landed exactly the way she’d wanted it to, he was sure. “Dancing does usually work up an appetite,” he added in a knowing tone to his comment. Happy to let her think of whatever she wanted. Frankly, happy for any variety of that to be true. Aaron wondered if she was going to reveal what snacks she’d managed to pick up. Of course, she had other plans. Mostly her plans consisted of keeping him on his toes. It was challenging to hold together some measure of composure as she flirted with him. The smile, the little head tilt as she flicked her hair. He didn’t stand a chance. Not that he really wanted to. There was an added element of thrill knowing both of them were as good as the other at reading people. Nothing was getting past the other. And it didn’t really matter. Both seemed to be enjoying riling up the other as much as the other. The real game wasn’t in getting a rise, that appeared relatively easy for both of them, it was going to be who broke first. “No,” he agreed as she mentioned going out without his jacket, “that would be indecent,” the boyish grin tugged at the corners of his lips as he turned her phrasing back on her. Aaron’s gaze followed her fingers as they traced down the jacket. He wasn’t about to relent and admit that while it was his favorite, he much preferred it on her than him.

He watched her carefully as she removed his jacket. It completed the picture she’d been looking to display. Now nothing was obscuring the towel choice she’d made. Though both seemed committed to not acknowledging it, his resolve was rapidly faltering. He slowly drew in a breath as she tossed the jacket on the bed, pockets crinkling with whatever treats she’d secured. The snacks were the furthest thing from his mind as his eyes lingered on the freshly exposed skin. She didn’t give him much time to take in the full picture and think as she pulled him in close. A spark of electricity seemed to follow from where his hand had been placed on her back all the way back through him and down to his core. His fingers flexed lightly against the fabric of the towel as it settled where she’d placed it. He smiled at her approvingly. Aaron couldn’t help but wonder how much dancing they would actually be able to do. The towels might not be able to survive the movements of even a slow country croon. Again, he wasn’t entirely sure he cared or that Roxie did either. Aaron quickly was able to fall back into the same rhythm as the diner. He met her beat and fell into the sway of the music. It was a different kind of closeness than the diner. Something more intimate. Not only because of the towels. It was the two of them. No prying eyes of other diners. Even some of the initial uncertainty of what had been developing between them had been settled. There was something more certain now.

Aaron smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder. The warmth of her closeness and her own skin pressed against his made his heart flutter. The hand on her back drew her that little bit closer to him. The sigh that left her lips made him happy. It wasn’t the sigh of someone caught up in their thoughts or overthinking the next move. And her words only confirmed it further.“Well, you’re incredible,” he remarked softly, “so I’m glad you feel that way.” His thumb caressed lightly over the fabric against her back as they swayed together. “Ease is a nice way to put it,” he pondered as he tried to gather his own thoughts about how she made him feel. All of the teasing and flirting aside, there was no denying the real feelings amongst what was rapidly developing. “It’s a relief. Like I can breathe again. I didn’t even know I was holding my breath. But now it’s obvious,” He let out a slow steady breath as he tried to collect his thoughts. It seemed they were in a constant back and forth between something flirty and fun and something more serious and intense. Yet it felt as natural as their dance steps swaying together to slide in between each range of feelings. It was something neither of them had the luxury of having in Outcome. Fun, laughter, expressions of how they really felt about anyone or anything. Now that they were together they could finally be their whole selves. “I’m sure you know how exhausting it can be inside sometimes. Always reading into everything, thinking about what to say, not to say, what might happen next.” Aaron knew she would understand better than anyone how chaotic things could be. How normal it was, and how noticeable something different would be too. “But with you, I can be here, right now. Not caught in the noise of my head.” Aaron explained softly as he tipped his head a little to lightly kiss her head. “Just here - you and me.” Maybe later there would be time to overthink. The quiet moments without the other. But when he was with her it felt like he could stay so easily in step. The comfort and understanding that went deeper than he could’ve ever anticipated. There was something inherent. They knew when they could push, when things needed to pause. And even if they misjudged and made a mistake it was easy to trust that the other would understand their real motivations. And easily trusting was not something either operative was with anyone or anything else. “So if things are incredible right now. Do you think that means you might be interested in going on a second date with me?”

apsauga

Roxie loved the way his eyes seemed glued to her skin as soon as she'd lost the jacket. And if her intent to get him to touch her again wasn't already in motion, maybe she would've let them bask in that moment for a bit longer. The way she saw it, he'd have a lot of further opportunities to admire her and she wanted to dance. And to feel the way they'd felt earlier but with the added benefit of context for how she had been feeling. He'd pulled her out of that booth and she so willingly accepted that invitation. She'd felt both overwhelmed and perfectly relaxed at the same time. He'd swept her off of her feet literally and she'd felt like she was floating. Only a couple of hours ago and already everything felt much more intense. Their conversation, her spiral, had unlocked something. The games they played weren't one-sided or even games. Playful but not play. When the opportunity presented itself, she'd look back on their time in the diner without the veil of worry and realize it had been so much better than she already thought it was. Why wouldn't she want to slip back into his arms? She felt his grip adjust at her back, the pressure of his fingers teasing against the fabric between them. Roxie smiled back at him as he began to move with her, the dancing naturally pushing them closer to one another and truly testing their ability to roll a towel into place. Roxie felt secure that he'd definitely need to tug to get her towel loose but it wouldn't be too hard of a move. It was only a towel. And somehow those towels had created such an interesting environment. They were more or less naked and maybe that was why she could feel every single thing happening with such honesty. They were exposed, figuratively and literally. There was no where to hide, not that she was hiding what truly mattered. Not that she suspected he was.

She took in his scent as they danced so closely, clean skin and a natural musk that she was starting to really recognize as him. It was a much more pleasant experience than the earlier toxic explosion, though that spray did have its merits in memory gathering. He pulled her closer and she hummed happily in response, their bodies well and truly pressed together as they swayed. She couldn't be sure that they were even dancing along with the song anymore or if they'd fallen into their own comfortable pace. Once again, the world had fallen away quickly and gave way to their own little place. She blushed at the immediate compliment, slipping her free hand around him in a partial hug to somehow increase their connection. Her fingertips played at his spine, drawing little patterns, as he put to words something she'd definitely been feeling. Aaron had on multiple occasions been a steadying influence on her as they'd navigated the last few days. Feeling like she could finally breathe again after being held under for so long was something she could definitely relate to. It shouldn't surprise her anymore that he could truly understand and mirror her own exact experiences with the program. But it did. They were never supposed to interact, not with another operative and definitely not with each other. And absolutely not like this. "Always needing to be not just several steps ahead but an entire staircase," she laughed gently, "never being able to relax." Her eyes closed as she felt him shift and kiss the top of her head. Her heart brightened in her chest, warming her from within. A small, simple act of affection hitting her deeper than anything she'd ever experienced in her past. "You and me," she repeated. "If I wanted to, I could just forget everything else and stay right here with you and I'd be okay."

Roxie was incredibly comfortable where she was resting, she could stay there for ages but also didn't want to waste the time they had. It took great mental energy to lift her head from his shoulder so she could look him in the eyes, obviously her immediate answer was 'yes.' Her eyes said 'yes.' She knew he'd see it without a single doubt available to make him worry. "Things are incredible. Impeccable. Irresistible. You've given me exactly what I've asked for, you found music, you're dancing with me, you've got me all a flutter," she started, eyes sparkling with mischief, "and I might just be interested." She couldn't resist the opportunity he'd put before her. Just a little bit more of a challenge. They'd only just started to dance after all. The half hour timer on the washing machine didn't mean it had to be only half an hour for their act two of date one. In the grand scheme of things, she always knew there'd be a second date. Call it intuition, call it a hunch. Aaron Cross was going to ask her for more eventually and she would enthusiastically agree. "Do you think you've done enough to convince me to say 'yes'? Just one dance? Without anything else up your nonexistent sleeve?" Roxie teased her fingers up his spine to land between his shoulder blades, the data gathering at the diner coming to mind as she really started to understand the warmth of the man pressed up against her. Wandering across his skin only left her wanting to explore further and with more than just the one hand. She'd make do for now. "Don't get me wrong, you're knocking it out of the park so far. Might even deserve those snacks I found," she tipped her head to the side, chewing gently on her bottom lip.

#aaronxcross #v: elephant graveyard

aaronxcross

The grin she flashed let him know he was absolutely in danger. He had dumped fuel on the fire that had started in the diner and it had clearly ignited. He knew exactly what he was doing and it was getting the intended result. Much like she knew and admittedly was doing the same to him. Usually he would’ve hesitated. He would’ve overthought every aspect of their interactions much like Roxie had done. She was dealing with a flood of new realizations. She was stressed. Slow should’ve been the right call. But Roxie was fast. And he wanted to keep up with her. If there was one thing he had honed in on during his training was trusting his instincts. That primal feeling that had clearly been heightened from whatever they’d done to both of them. He leaned into that feeling now. Everything felt right. She was right there with him dumping more accelerant onto the flame right there with him. His gaze followed her hands as they worked on her hair, sweeping down along her jaw and down her neck and following the line of the tanktop. His gaze flicked back up to hers when she continued about the body heat. If he wasn’t already warm, he certainly was then. He shook his head with a soft breath of laughter as she claimed he would be indecent and brazen to be walking around like that. “I appreciate you being so willing to protect my honor like that,” he teased with a sly grin. The way she dropped her voice to match his teasing had a spark of electricity coursing right through him. She managed to always up the ante so effortlessly. Aaron was pleased when she agreed to his plan of coming back up after putting the washing machine on. “I’ll find some good music. Wouldn’t want to disappoint.”

Aaron grinned as she pushed past him. He turned where he knelt to watch her collect the clothes before he stood and watched her curiously. His eyebrow flicked up curiously as he watched her slip on his jacket. It looked better on her than it did on him, he was convinced. When she closed the door he couldn’t help but blow out a breath. How on earth did she have that effect on him? It didn’t even seem like she was trying. Aaron turned his attention to the alarm clock. It had a radio function that he hoped still worked. As he sat down on the bed, Aaron’s gaze lingered uneasily on the gun she’d left sitting on the bedside table. The likelihood of running into trouble was low, but never zero. He padded over and opened the door for a moment and listened out into the night. There was nothing unusual. No sounds of a scuffle or distress. He clicked the door shut quietly again and returned to what he was doing. The ancient alarm clock still soldiered on and was willing to play the local radio stations. It crackled and popped with static at times but it was mostly clear as he shuffled through. He skipped past the current chart hits and classic rock. They were more likely what they could listen to in the car together than what he was looking for now. Thinking back to the songs he’d heard her queue at the diner, he was looking for something more nostalgic of their high school years but couldn’t quite find it. He stopped when he heard the softer melodies of a country music song. It wasn’t the same pace as what they’d danced to earlier but he couldn’t deny the prospects of a slow dance close to her. Aaron kept that playing softly as a strong contender as he turned his focus to the old TV. He flicked through the channels hoping for some kind of music channel but it only gave him the most basic local news stations. He paused briefly to watch and of course there was nothing about two fugitives on the run from a shadowy government organization so he turned it off.

The sound of the key in the lock drew his attention. Immediately he was drawn to her sudden outfit change. Which she, of course, offered no explanation for as she came into the room. A wry smile tugged at his lips as he studied the new change. Aaron wasn’t sure why he was surprised that she would’ve found a way to take the game up to the next level. It wasn’t an option he was upset about in the slightest. She had proposed it as one of the three options she’d given him before. Technically they’d ticked two off the list now. He would’ve been lying had he not been considering the prospect of the third option. As she strolled into the room proclaiming her discovery of snacks, it seemed she was unwilling to acknowledge her sudden change in attire. Other than his lingering gaze, he was determined to ignore the change if that’s the game she was playing too. “Are you hungry already? You weren’t joking about being a furnace. Hopefully better than those stale chips you got earlier,” he teased her as he pushed himself up off the bed and made his way over to her. “We didn’t have a whole lot of options when it comes to the music,” he remarked as he spared a glance over at the radio. “The TV was mostly the news and I didn’t think you were looking for a club atmosphere to dance to.” Aaron stepped up closer to her. He reached out and traced his fingers along the leather on the shoulders of his jacket, “so I settled on the country station,” he looked at the jacket, pausing pointedly on the towel before meeting her gaze again. “My jacket looks good on you. Maybe you wanted to steal the jacket more than the wallet,” he broke into a grin. “Snacks or a dance?” Aaron offered as his hand dropped away from her shoulder and offered out, palm upturned for her to take.

apsauga

Upon entering the room, Roxie did a quick sweep to see what if anything had changed in her absence. The room being quite small made the job easy. Nothing seemed to have been shifted or adjusted, not even his towel, though she could hear the soft lilt of country music coming from the clock radio. The tiniest of smiles flitted across her lips as she caught him acknowledging her choice of attire without outwardly responding to it. Yet. She leaned back against the door briefly, cool as a cucumber and almost posing to give him a mental image to play with later, while she took in the image in front of her for own reasons. The fabric of this towel was thicker than the tank top she'd been wearing however it was held up by a solid twist and a dream. One wrong move, or maybe one solid correct move, and they'd be dealing with an entirely different party. And somehow, both of them clad only in a towel - her with the bonus of a jacket - felt relaxed even within the energy they'd created. Maybe there truly was something to this even playing field thing. She'd done it to tease him, and she hoped that remained true. She certainly had no intention of softening her blows. It was something else she'd analyze later as the feeling created wasn't one that scared her. It encouraged her. As he pushed himself up off of the bed, she pushed away from the door to meet him halfway. He'd have to put in the work to pin her to a door, she couldn't give him that for free. Though, eying him as he approached, he wouldn't have to work hard if he wanted it. "I'm not hungry yet, I need to work up an appetite first but I did consider having said snacks nearby would mean expedient delivery to my person. Besides, I think you're gonna like what I found." Roxie's expression softened for a second, remembering the stale chips and the context surrounding them, "I promise, you don't even have to worry about an expiration date on these things. I think they'd survive the apocalypse."

She kept her eyes on him as he closed the distance even further, listening to his process in finding the right kind of music for their continued date. "Dancing to the news would be an interesting feat but I don't much like the idea of wasting our time that way," Roxie could guess that while she'd been away, he'd checked up on potential avenues of threat. She wouldn't be surprised at all had he clocked her weapon left behind, she'd known there would be some difficulty concealing it as she left. The towel plan had been formulating since she'd mentioned it, taking his jacket had been impulsive. Her gun could've gone in the jacket. Coulda shoulda. Roxie herself was a weapon. He knew that all too well. Their evening didn't need to be hampered by that. Now the jacket, that seemed to hit exactly as she'd intended. Keeping her breathing as even as she could, she let the light touch over the leather light up the skin beneath. He wasn't even touching her skin and she could feel the similar sparks from earlier trailing where he went. "Country is good. Usually has a good rhythm," she returned softly, watching his eyes travel along the jacket before landing on the twisted fabric of the towel. Her smile grew as he brought his gaze back up to hers, her head tilting to the side as she flicked her hair. Roxie adjusted her tone, feigning surprise that she looked good, "does it? I just didn't think I should go out there with a mildly damp tank top without having something to cover up with." She knew she looked good. What was important was that he knew she looked good. Once again, crucially ignoring saying anything about the towel as her choice in garb and somehow implying she was covering herself with the jacket. "It is a nice jacket," she ran her fingers down along the zipper, brushing dangerously close to the towel in the process, "don't be too surprised if you find you've misplaced it in the future."

"Dancing, of course," Roxie answered, slipping the jacket and its snack-filled pockets from her shoulders and tossed it to the bed. She wanted to keep her prize a secret a little longer but the benefit of balancing their situation even further was not lost on her. She smiled at him sweetly and took his offered hand as if she was going to let him pull her into his own decided position. Instead, she pulled his hand towards her and planted it securely curled around her waist almost to her lower back as she stepped in closer. The proximity was immediately her favorite decision. They weren't pressed tightly together but she could absolutely feel his warmth radiating towards her, mere inches away. Where she'd placed his hand she could feel the blooming sparks spreading. It was reminiscent of how he'd touched her in the diner, both in the booth and when they were leaving. The minimal barriers between them heightened the sense of impending danger and Roxie could only imagine leaning in instead of running away. There was no fear there. Either she'd completely knocked that feeling out of her head with his reassurances earlier or it was the simple fact that they were already on a high wire of terry cloth so any move she made didn't feel so daunting. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she reached to join their free hands, starting the swaying to the music but fully hoping the energy from the diner had returned to him too. The song playing wasn't too slow but it also wasn't breakneck. That was the good thing about country, they were more than likely going to get more of the same and dancing with Aaron meant she'd get to be close. Amongst all the heightened intense emotions, deep down the quieted romantic Roxie flared into action - feeling so glad to be able to do something so nice again. Ever. Her head fell to his shoulder, a contented sigh fell from her lips and she forgot for a moment that there was a full chess game about towels at hand. She was just Roxie. He was just Aaron. "You make me feel so at ease," she admitted, "that's..incredible."

#aaronxcross #v: elephant graveyard

aaronxcross

Her smile and little breath of laughter made him smile back warmly. It felt like something had eased in the room. Aaron was aware that it was likely not the end of such conversations but it felt like he had managed to draw her back away from the edge. A slight shake of his head dismissed her concerns, “I don’t think you need to worry about that,” a boyish grin tugged at the corners of his lips as he looked at her, “it’s not the mystery that keeps me coming back.” There was no doubt that she was keeping him on his toes and he was enjoying the thrill of it all. Aaron couldn’t imagine being so bold in any other circumstance. There was something about the way she drew him in with the banter that had him at ease. Even though the back and forth had an edge to it, a risk. It was new and exciting and unexpected. Sometimes those things would cause him to pause and second guess. Particularly in matters of the heart. But because it was her, there was also something safe about it. There was a safety in knowing that he trusted her and her motivations. If he didn’t already know her heart, the spiral of anxiety that had consumed her proved it further. She didn’t want to push him. In fun, yes but not for real. If he ever faltered slightly in their back and forth he had no doubt she would gracefully bow out. Not that he could imagine a scenario in which he wanted to hesitate to meet her in any of her challenges. It was an exhilarating exercise. Every time she’d push him a little, she’d step right up with him. And back and forth again. The feel of her leaning into his hand let him know he’d taken the right step in the right direction this time too. He was grateful she was allowing him to see her candid reactions at that moment. There was no need to read deeply into anything. The reassurance about their moment at the door settled unspoken concerns about how he’d handed the ‘end’ of their date and left him enjoying the memory of the lingering kiss she’d pressed to his cheek.

Aaron smiled as she agreed to the dancing. It felt like a win. The room had already lightened noticeably from the tension that had built as they navigated the newly discovered intense emotions. Then she shot him that smile, a dangerous look coupled with the tone of her voice speaking his name. It caught him off guard until he followed her gaze along with her. Aaron dropped his hand away from her face as he looked down at himself and let out a soft breath of laughter. The pressure of the moment, seeing Roxie in such distress had entirely derailed his train of thought. Clothes, towels, laundry. It had all been forgotten in favor of trying to assist her. Now it seemed as the air had settled, the focus had shifted. The lingering look she gave him made him almost bashful. It was made no better by her subsequent comments. “You don’t need to be in distress, you could just ask,” he shot back. The sudden intense boldness resumed as it seemed they had stepped so easily back into that flirtatious game of chicken once again. Aaron felt he was at a slight disadvantage but he wasn’t about to give up without a fight. As he’d learned in the diner, it was certainly more fun that way. Getting Roxie off kilter even for a moment was a thrilling victory. His brow raised slightly as she proposed options for what would happen next. Aaron breathed in a slow breath as he contemplated her first two options for perhaps a beat too long. She was fresh out of the shower and the thin lines of her tanktop certainly left room for his mind to wander. Which it did, till she circled back to the suggestion of dancing. “Are there any other thoughts I’ve put in your mind that you don’t want me to take away?” He teased with a slight raise of his eyebrows.

“I don’t expect you to do my laundry,” he was aware the idea unsettled him less because of the laundry and more because it meant she would leave. Aaron much preferred the idea of her staying in the room and exploring some of the other options. “I guess this isn’t ideal for walking down there though,” he glanced at himself. Aaron knew the clothes needed to be addressed. In a dire situation, he’d of course wear dirty clothes or battle someone in a state of undress. But practically it needed to be addressed until he could get himself a spare change of clothes like she had. He didn’t want the pause for domesticity to shatter the happy bubble they’d found themselves back in so quickly. Aaron hoped it wouldn’t. “What if,” he paused as his hand came back up to graze along her cheek and settle against her jaw, “you put them on for a wash and come back up. I’m sure I can sort out some kind of music for us by then,” his thumb gently brushed against her cheek. “Then you don’t have to sit down there alone. We can pass the time together,” he paused, “dancing,” the suggestiveness was heavy in his tone though he truly expected nothing more than actual dancing. He couldn’t pass up an opportunity to try to get a little rise out of her. “It’s not on request so I can’t promise the music will be as good as the diner but I’m sure I can find something. I put it in your mind, I’m not about to disappoint,” he added with a sly grin.

apsauga

You could just ask. Roxie's eyes darkened a touch as a thousand requests sprang to mind. The gorgeous man in front of her was the most tempting thing she'd seen in her entire life, memories or no. Just straight up enticing. And it was all because she knew what he was doing. He'd picked up on the game in the diner and he was now restarting it like an expert. The thing is, she was not about to lose her own damn game. She was exhilarated, any residual stress remaining in her system slipping away as the familiar fire from earlier returned. She was thankful for it as well, falling back into the comfortable energy between them meant that while they'd definitely have more conversations in the future, they hadn't dampened the spark. If anything, he'd just dropped a ton of fuel onto it. She grinned, barely containing her glee as she physically witnessed his mind wander at her words. She hoped whatever it was he was considering doing to her would be in her future reality someday. Tilting her head in thought, she grabbed her own discarded towel she'd absently put down in her spiral and brought it back to her hair to attempt to dry some of the now dripping ends. Intentionally she swept her hair to one side to aid in this endeavor as well as revealing her neck, "there's a handful of things you've suggested," she mused, "somethings you've inspired. That I would absolutely hate if you took them from me." Innocently, one of those things was the eventual plan to find her a kitchen but his imagination could do what it wanted at the moment. "I believe there's still a lot of data collection to do in regards to body heat for one," she shrugged, twisting her towel around her hair a final time before placing it to the side. Her hair was still damp but it was certainly closer to dry than it had been.

"I know you don't expect it, I'm just being nice. And maybe I wanted the opportunity to steal your wallet," Roxie joked, "though you have mentioned I could just ask so there's that fun gone." Her eyes wandered back down to his towel briefly as she shook her head, "no, no. You can't be walking anywhere like that. It would be indecent. And brazen." Before she had a chance to think of her next move, Aaron's hand came back to her chin and pulled her focus right back to him. She couldn't quite tell if she'd turned her head back up or if he'd raised her chin but either way, she felt her breath hitch in her throat. The look in his eyes, the tone of his voice, she couldn't decide which had been the cause. Roxie licked her lips, feeling the familiar crackling energy from the shared seat in the diner rolling back into place. "I could do that," her voice was low, sultry, as she continued their seemingly innocuous conversation about laundry logistics, "that dance really just reminded me how long its been since I'd had a good partner. There's no need to waste my time in the laundry room when I could be having more fun." Not content to let him have her at a disadvantage any longer, she carefully extricated herself from the chair and stood as he still kneeled directly in front of her, using his shoulder as a brace as she brushed passed him. She padded gently across the room to gather his discarded pile of clothes and rifled through her own bag to add her own dirty items into the run, no need to be inefficient now. Heading towards the door with her pile, she paused briefly to grab the room key and not so discreetly slip into his jacket. "I'll be back," she smiled at him, "I promise. Don't miss me too much." She paused. "Or do."

It didn't take her too long to find her way to the laundry room, it was blissfully on the same floor they were on and not too too far away from the room they were staying in. Much like the rest of the motel, it was a little lacking but it had washing machines, detergent, a vending machine, and no cameras. However, it was incredibly useful because as soon as he'd suggested she return, ideas began swarming in her head. Some of where the evening could go. Some of where it would probably go. And one specific thought that simply wouldn't go away. Aaron was not indecent or brazen. Roxie had been known to be indecent, at times, and definitely brazen. So after finding a fresh towel in a supply closet, she quickly added her current clothes to the clothes in the washer and tucked the new towel around herself as a dress. "Welp," she added the soap and closed the washing machine, "no turning back now, Roxanne." If he was forced to be in a towel, it was only fair she even the playing field. Slipping Aaron's jacket back on, she smiled to herself and started to exit the room but detoured to the vending machine. With luck, there in the machine sat the perfect prize. She bought a couple snacks and a couple of drinks, this time hoping the processed nature of her choices meant they wouldn't be so stale. Tucking them away in his jacket's pockets, she made the quick jaunt back to the room. Roxie was so glad this place was very lacking in guests because it meant running into anyone on her return would be highly unlikely even though in the dark of the night she could get away with looking as if she's just wearing a nightgown under a jacket. As she made it back to the room she took a steadying breath. She wanted to keep a straight face for as long as she could. Unlocking the door, she slipped back into the room and into better, more revealing lighting. "Good news, I found snacks."

#aaronxcross #v: elephant graveyard

aaronxcross

“You aren’t deranged,” Aaron knew that she was joking, at least for the most part. Still he felt compelled to issue the reassurance. While she no longer held the same stressed and overwhelmed posture that she did when he’d first entered the room, there was still a hum of anxiety in the air. It felt like the reassurances he’d verbalized hadn’t quite soothed her heart completely. He was a persistent man. He’d keep trying. Aaron smiled as she suddenly began listing off qualities that she liked about him. He leaned ever so slightly into the pressure of her hand as an acknowledgement of the things she’d said. He didn’t want to interrupt her. It was clear she was battling the best way to describe what was troubling her heart. He nodded every so slightly as she explained herself. It wasn’t fair for him to look at her through the same lens of what had happened with Marta. The truth was they were different people despite the similarities that Aaron could pull together about their circumstances. When his heart was not whipped up into an anxious frenzy it was easy to see the differences far outweighed the similarities. “I know you are,” he started apologetically. “I know that here,” he lightly tapped the side of his temple, “sometimes fear makes it hard to remember that, sometimes it wins for a while,” Aaron paused as he let that admission settle between them. Admitting to fears, to weaknesses, it was counterintuitive but he knew it might help Roxie. It made the internal spike of anxiety and resistance of every survival instinct worth it. Roxie might not have helped Aaron work through fears but she certainly had helped Kenny. “I might need you to be patient with me because I don’t think I’ll always get that right.”

“I understand how you could end up there,” Aaron assured her gently. Had their roles been reversed he could easily imagine his own thoughts getting away from him. “I had the benefit of you telling me about your history at the diner. You didn’t,” it wasn’t something he had intentionally avoided. In fact it had been such a far thought from his mind that it hadn’t even dawned on him it could be something she was concerned about when he’d seen the change in her. A warmth spread through him as she began to describe the flirting, and her feelings. She was able to articulate the way he had been feeling all night with such ease. A contented smile lingered on his lips the more and more she spoke. She had answered a question he didn’t even realize he’d held - was she flirting with the idea of who he’d been to her before or the man in front of her now. He was surprised to hear it was the latter. Perhaps both, to some extent, but she was clear about it being him. Aaron wanted to interject and share how he felt the same but he stayed quiet. He wanted to let her continue. It was clear she needed to get something off of her mind and he wouldn’t impede that. I wasn’t just having fun. Before he could control it, there was a mere flicker of a frown that crossed his features as she dropped her hand away. The sudden withdrawal of connection felt remarkably noticeable given their conversation. For a brief moment he wondered if he had said something, or more likely not said something that had caused the retraction. Perhaps it was the discussion of Marta, and the recollection of the slow detachment that had unfolded that made him suddenly so sensitive to it. Aaron studied her features for a moment. Everything he saw did not appear to be a slow retraction. She was not pulling away from him or hiding. As she continued speaking, it quickly became clear that it was the opposite. She was doubling down on those feelings. It was about him. Aaron and Roxie. Not two operatives. Not old friends. Something else. Something new. Perhaps something more human and real than either had experienced in a long time, or ever.

“Roxie,” he dipped his head to catch her gaze, “you haven’t ruined anything. Not even close. You being worried and me being concerned about you doesn’t change anything.” Aaron tipped his head to the side a little as he studied her features, a faint shake of his head dismissing the concerns. “Everything you said is how I feel. This is fast, intense, unexpected,” he paused before adding, “and entirely welcome,” his lips tugged into a small smile. “I don’t want this to be too much for you any more than you want it to be for me. I don’t feel like it is. And I don’t think you do either, despite my own worries.” He paused and shrugged his shoulders a little, “this could’ve easily been the other way around. And most likely it will be eventually. I could’ve easily been there overthinking about something and you’d be the one trying to reassure me. It’s how our minds work.” Life and death was often easier, cleaner in the decisions. Matters of the heart were messy when the brain could rapidly connect so many things at once. He knew their training did not prepare them for the emotional side of what the enhancements impacted. Byer would’ve loved to suppress it entirely. Certainly in this case. “It is fast. But you’ve always been fast, and now I’m catching up,” Aaron joked gently with her trying to draw her back to the place they’d been before. Or at least close. One hand came up to gently settle on hers in her lap. He found himself eager to reestablish the connection she’d briefly broken. His other hand came up and gently tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear. Lightly he pressed his hand along her jaw, thumb caressing her cheek. “Nothing’s ruined. I’ll do whatever it takes to prove that to you,” he assured her with a smile. “We can go back outside at the door and start from there if you want. Or put some music on and we’ll dance again. Pick up where we left off. Date 1.5. Not number 2 yet. I still have to ask about that,” he grinned, “and I will.”

apsauga

The longer she sat there and sorted through her worries and as he picked through her thoughts and dismantled the unnecessary walls she had been building to protect herself, she had to admit there was further evidence to their earlier deduction. The enhancements hadn't only raised her abilities but they'd given her crippling anxieties. Her mind worked too quickly, built the tower of fear too high before she had a chance to really recognize what was happening. If she thought hard enough, she could likely pinpoint the times in her life where she'd gotten herself into this position and she'd be able to see those times were founded in something tangible. She'd made a mistake during a run, she'd burst off the line too fast and didn't conserve her energy, she'd done something that she could actually do and didn't for some reason. She'd get deep into her own head, she'd berate herself sure but eventually she'd find a way out. Or so it would seem, Kenny had pulled her free - though that she'd not had a chance to remember. Aaron recognized it. It had to be the case. This time felt different. The last few times were different. Post Outcome. Post enhancement. Like they'd surmised, post memory loss. The feelings were real. The fear was there. The anxieties felt primal and like she was trying to scream at herself from a reinforced wall in her head. Once again, her body trying to tell her something that she knew. Like the pit in her stomach in an old building warning her that she'd unknowingly targeted her best friend. Somewhere deep in her mind, she remembered him and didn't want to lose him. Lose Aaron. Lose Kenny. Both separately and the same. Current memory and past. Friendship and something so much more. She offered a small smile as he tapped his temple, asking her to be patient, "I think maybe we need to be kinder with ourselves while also trusting each other. I can be patient, you've already been so with me. Compassion can go a long way."

Roxie was content to stare at her own hands for the entire duration of this conversation if it meant getting to hide from the potential of him realizing that no, she wasn't where he'd intended to direct his attention. Baring her truth, opening up about how intense her feelings somehow already were, how she wasn't certain how to navigate it but wanted to try - it all felt very vulnerable. Then he dipped his head into her line of sight and she couldn't keep herself from looking at him. Not after he'd said her name in that soft tone again. Her eyes met his and instantly she felt at ease before he even affirmed that she'd not ruined anything. The anxiety washed away rapidly leaving room for the warmth from earlier to start returning. She could tell he was trying to read her, hell she'd been doing to same previously. Roxie did her best to open herself up to what he was saying, letting a smile and a puff of laughter break through the air as he referenced her speed. "Not too fast," she teased, "I have to make sure there are some things that keep you mystified. Coming back for more." Roxie let herself feel a little bit bashful again, his hand landing in her lap to reestablish their previous connection. It didn't hurt to show him how stupid she felt for getting lost in the spiral. She took his hand in hers and barely had a second to relish in the moment when she felt her heart skip a beat. His touch against her skin, his hand on her cheek gently holding her attention. It had been her touching him, her acting first, her kissing his cheek in thanks the previous night. She pushed him in the diner. She kissed his cheek at the door. It was such a simple touch yet it meant far more than he likely imagined and did a whole load of lifting to heal the rest of her worries away. Leaning into the touch, she felt like she was melting right before his eyes. "Reenacting the door isn't the move," she said softly, "that part was still good."

"Dancing though," she thought about it, something easy enough that would allow them to continue their evening, "nothing is stopping us from an act two on this date." Roxie finally felt like she was out of her head fully and back in the room with him. Her surroundings becoming more clear, the tunnel vision fading away. A dangerous, now familiar to him, smile started to pull across her features as she took note of the glaring situation in the room. "Aaron Cross," she let her eyes flit from being locked on his to his chest, downward to his abs, and back to his eyes again, "do you realize you're only in your towel? If I knew I needed to be in distress to get you undressed, the night might've gone differently." Thinking back to her fugue, she did vaguely remember in the back of her mind him mentioning a washing machine though she'd been otherwise occupied with her own thoughts to truly acknowledge his query. She didn't mind the idea of even just sitting around with him in a towel though she wondered if that playing field they'd mentioned would be wildly out of balance. Because she'd certainly be thinking about a lot of him. It was hard to even keep her focus up at his face now that she knew she had a nice view just inches below. "Now, the way I see it, we have a few options. I could join you in the towel game, we could go full nudist and just see what the other's working with, or," she smiled kindly, "I could go run your clothes through an express wash and dry. I remember seeing a sign when I checked in saying they had a laundry room. Besides, it will give you the opportunity to figure out what in this room can even play music. Because dancing is now a must. You put the thought into my mind and it would be rude to take that from me now." In that moment, Roxie didn't necessarily want to move but also knew the fresh air would do her some good. Suddenly the anxious nerves were replaced with a different kind of fluttering. It didn't take long at all to be back in that happy bubble, that had to be a good sign.

#aaronxcross #v: elephant graveyard

aaronxcross

Despite the passage of time, he gave a sheepish look, perhaps more Kenneth than Aaron in that moment as what felt like a long held secret was exposed. She knew. Of course she did. It was no great mystery with Aaron’s mind reflecting. Still, there was part of him that had held tightly onto that ‘secret’. “Even though we’re on a more even playing field I don’t think I could hide it now if I wanted,” he wasn’t sure he’d hidden anything at the diner. “Not that I want to,” he added with a boyish grin. Aaron was curious as to her admission that she hadn’t made mention of it previously. There had been some revelations along the same line that he’d been reluctant to divulge too. It was hard to look someone in the face who did not remember you and confess past feelings held by another version of yourself. Now it seemed both versions of him held those feelings. A feeling of relief settled in his chest as she insisted that he wasn’t taking advantage. He wasn’t sure if it would entirely shift the concern he had but having those words in his mind helped. As she often did, her gentle teasing made him smile, pulling him briefly out of his thoughts. He let out a soft huff of amusement and shook his head, “at the time, maybe offended, possibly concerned for a moment.” He shook his head a little, amused now that things had taken the turn they had instead of Byer’s intention. “Now, definitely impressed.” Professionally impressed. “I’m glad we’re both getting up to speed on the new versions,” he added with a smile.

Aaron had not anticipated how challenging it would be to discuss Marta. When he walked away from her, he had buried those thoughts and feelings. He thought that it meant he’d dealt with them. Yet, as Roxie brought up her name it gave voice to the feelings that had held him back from acting in the booth at the diner. The fears started to bubble up around him and threatened to swallow him whole. What if it happens again? The situation was fundamentally different but Aaron could see the threads of similarity. They had been brought together in a moment of stress and chaos, a life or death fight. Both had become rapidly aligned against a common threat. Both had truths about their lives fundamentally shattered. And both had him there in the wake of it all. The only person that could be trusted. An instant bond. Reliance. Safety. An illusion built on stress, survival, and trauma. Right now he was the single reprieve from all of it. What about when he wasn’t? Would all the feelings that Roxie alluded to suddenly shatter into oblivion too? The fondness and history she had with Kenneth might be enough to hold together something. But what about everything else that seemed to be rapidly forming between them? As much as Aaron had been cautious about how she might genuinely feel, it was clear that his feelings were not one-sided. The mere fact that she had asked about Marta at all revealed the depth of whatever was happening between them. It had been devastating when Marta had come to him with her realization. But Aaron wasn’t sure if he could survive Roxie coming to the same conclusion.

Her soft touch to his cheek pulled him from his thoughts. Before he could even consider it, he was already leaning into the warmth and comfort of her hand. It grounded him as a sea of emotions threatened to sweep him away. “It was different than that,” he reflected softly. “I was worried about you,” he explained softly, “I’ve only ever seen you like that when you’re being hard on yourself. Fighting something inwards, never me.” Aaron swallowed hard and tipped his head a little more into her touch, “I couldn’t think of anything that you’d done that could make you feel that way. So then I guess I worried too.” His gaze averted downwards as she spoke about Marta. The reflection of what she’d done to help him coupled with the acknowledgement of hurt. Aaron took note of the fact that he hadn’t explicitly said that he was hurt. He guessed he didn’t need to. It was there in every part of him as he’d spoken, he supposed. Roxie past or present wouldn’t have needed to be enhanced to see it. Aaron felt exposed and vulnerable. It was not often someone could see something in him that he hadn’t expressly decided to show. Yet, Roxie was there at every turn picking up on even the smallest revelations. Whether she had all her memories or not, she had certainly begun to learn Aaron Cross as well as she had Kenneth Kitsom. “There’s nothing to forgive, Roxie,” his gaze came up to meet hers again as he tried to convey the earnestness in his reply. “I can understand why you would think…” Aaron trailed off as he realized he wasn’t entirely sure exactly what she had envisioned. Based on the way she looked curled up in the chair, he could only begin to imagine. Self blame, doubt, worry. All things he was intimately familiar with. “If you were worried about what that meant for right now, then you care about right now. I don’t see anything to forgive in that,” he added with a faint smile. If she cared where his heart was, that meant something.

apsauga

Roxie couldn't read Aaron's mind but she could read some of the unconcealed emotions traveling over his features. She didn't think he'd be so transparent which just proved he was mirroring her vulnerability by showing his own raw nerves. She was grateful that he wanted to do that though it felt like maybe he'd shown more than he meant to. Fear and concern and loss and maybe a tinge of heartbreak. It wasn't hard to classify as she'd seen some of the very same in her own eyes over the years. Unless he spoke them out loud, she couldn't be sure of the exact causes of said feelings. And she certainly hoped that she hadn't caused them. If she wasn't the cause, she certainly unburied them. Roxie felt a pang of guilt rush through her again, hating that her own uncertainties had infected the mood entirely. Barely an hour ago they were laughing, holding hands, nearly kissing. She just had to bring her up. In the long run, maybe she'd see this as the smartest move she'd ever made by allowing them to address a potential weak spot but currently, Roxie felt like a complete ass. The only course of action was to continue working through her own insecurities, to him. Maybe it would allow him context into her own mind. Maybe it would help him. Roxie sighed, her own thoughts running into a conclusion she hated. Maybe it would push him away. "I want to be perfectly clear, having someone in your life before we met isn't the problem. I'm not deranged or at least I haven't remembered that I am." She offered a small joke before continuing, "In fact there's not a problem. Not really. You confirmed what I had kind of assumed that there was a something there. She's smart, she's beautiful. You're patient, you're funny, you're sturdy, you're handsome-" Roxie stopped herself from just listing everything she thought about him thus far, "it's not hard to see why the two of you found each other in all of that chaos." She didn't want to compare herself to Marta, that was actually the exact opposite of her point. Roxie could thrive in chaos. She longed for peace. That wasn't true for everyone. She could recognize the similarities and the glaring differences. She didn't need Aaron to be there with her, she wanted him to be. "I just.." Roxie mulled over her thoughts for a second, trying to put to words the fear in her chest, "I'm me. I'm my own thoughts and actions, even without some memories. Her choices are not mine." She looked at him, her hand at his cheek. If she were so lucky to have those affections, she couldn't see a world where she'd let go.

The fact that he almost immediately leaned into her touch healed some of her current anxieties. Even if it was instinct or simply just a habit at this point, she still didn't think he'd do it if he were shying away from her. Her brows knitted together again as she tried to pinpoint other times in her life she'd curled into this specific position and though every occurrence of it didn't come forth in a helpful slideshow, it happened enough to know he was absolutely right. Being hard on herself wasn't wrong for sure. She'd immediately devolved into fears of being compared or the other woman or just deluded. Curled into a protective position, hugging herself in a sense as she soothed away anxieties. Or made them worse. In the past she'd eventually have unfolded and either mashed down those thoughts or she'd succumb to them. The thoughts did win more frequently in recent years, maybe because no one knew how to stop them. Maybe because she was alone when they happened. Roxie was unfortunately very convincing, even to herself. Only someone who knew her well, like he clearly did, could recognize and derail the train. "Good thing I got into this position with someone who knows what it means then, even if I didn't realize I'd gotten here," in actuality, she'd gotten into the chair almost completely on autopilot. The walk from the bathroom to the chair almost non-existent as she was already deep in thought. She still felt sheepish. Not only because she'd gotten into a spiral but because he recognized it was a spiral by the very obvious physicality she'd assumed.

"I think there's an argument for some need," she shook her head, "I merely remembered her name and in context, I couldn't shake the thought. Then I worried I'd started something without regard to your feelings. Then everything just.." she made a vague gesture with her free hand, referring to her now shrinking mountain of thoughts. Roxie smiled gently in response to his words, still feeling unsettled and unable to keep her thoughts inside. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was a part of this that just wasn't clear. Or maybe it was and he was being kind. "I didn't act because I remembered you, I did it because I wanted to. Outside of everything I am meant to know and what I can't remember - I was flirting with you. Not someone I am supposed to know, you. It felt easy and distracting, at first. And then very quickly, very very. Almost shockingly fast, it went from just flirting to whatever ignited tonight. And I'd be a fool to ignore that there's likely a strong foundation there from something I can't place but I wasn't thinking about that. I wasn't just having fun." Roxie dropped her hand from his cheek to place it back in her lap with her other hand. The residual heat from touching him lingering in her clasped hands, comforting her as she laid herself bare again. The cliff she felt she was on got taller. "Of course it was fun. Moreover, it was new. I know I don't have any memories of feeling this way, I know this isn't something we're digging loose. This isn't Outcome or Byer or memory loss or lost time. This is" she glanced at him, again trying to see how he was reacting or even if he was agreeing with her, "intense. And sudden. And unexpected. And-" bashfully her gaze fell back to her hands, "really, really nice. Like getting to experience something brand new with the benefit of having a deeper connection on a first date. Where nerves don't need to matter, you're just free to feel however you'd like." The intensity of her feelings around this echoed in her earlier words. Maybe it's 'and' they have a history. "I feel like I ruined it before it got going."

#aaronxcross #v: elephant graveyard

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