click on the source link to be redirected to a page with #43 #110 #196 [80x80] gif icons of singer and instagram model maggie lindemann. these were all made by scratch by yours truly. do whatever you want with them tbh, just donât claim them as your own. likes / reblogs are appreciated if you plan on using !
Description: Ryleigh cooks dinner for Bear, they enjoy some food, some conversation, a little smutty times.
Trigger Warnings: Smut.
Part 1
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh has never spent so long agonizing over what to cook for someone. She wants to impress him, though she really has no reason to want to do that. He's a nice guy who's having dinner with her because she'd offered and cooking is a passion in her life nobody can take away from her. People may have tried to take other things from her; her dignity, her innocence, her laughter, but they couldn't take this from her. So, Ryleigh finds her confidence between Bear's last message and her trip to the grocery store. She'd baked the dessert this morning - a strawberry shortcake cheesecake. He'd said he wasn't much of a sweets guy, so she tried not to go too overboard on the dessert, but cheesecake is one of her favorites and you can't go wrong with strawberries, right? She's just slipped a pan of vegetables, tossed in her specialty garlic and herb sauce into the oven when she hears a knock on her door. Thank God, she's managed to get Aiden out of the apartment for the evening without much argument on his part. Curiosity, yes, but her brother is never going to say no to spending more time with Cory, she doesn't think. "Just a minute!" Ryleigh calls, wiping her hands on one of the dish towels. The steak is still marinating and has about fifteen minutes left before she can slip them onto the small grill she'd bought about a week ago because Aiden needed one. Readjusting the cardigan on her shoulders, she smooths her hands down the front of her shirt, vaguely wonders if she should've just thrown on a t-shirt, but it's too late to change her mind as she shuffles toward the front door, pulling it open. "Hey, sorry, I was putting the vegetables in the oven, come in!" Ryleigh greets him with a wide smile, her lips lightly glossed as they'd been when she found him in the coffee shop, her golden hair down and spilling around her shoulders this time.
"Did you find the place okay?" She questions as her gaze drinks him in. It's not the first time her fingers have itched to touch his face, to push through the scruff there just to see what it would feel like against her skin. Instead, she closes the door behind him and flips the lock, making a beeline back toward the kitchen. "I hope you like steak? There were a couple of other dishes I thought of, but you can never go wrong with a good steak," she muses lightly, turning on the small grill so it can warm up while she waits for the steak to finish marinated. "Please, have a seat, take your coat off... can I get you anything? Water? I think Aiden has beer in the fridge somewhere," Ryleigh offers brightly as she faces him.
BEAR
Bear slept in late on Friday morning. He normally hated not getting up with the sun, didn't like what it felt like to wake up with sun streaming in through the window, the sounds of cars and and people who'd already begun their day filling his ears as he laid in bed. He hated that shit. And yet when he'd passed out, he knew he was going to sleep hard. That was what happened after you worked two overnight shifts at a strip club and spent the early parts of the morning peeling wasted guys off of girls who just wanted to go home and take a shower. When he'd finally decided to get out of bed and showered himself, he wondered why he'd agreed to go to Ryleigh's house. He didn't know her. She was definitely much younger than her. And, again, he didn't know her. This was not normal behavior for him, and he wasn't sure if it was a particularly good idea to be alone in an apartment with a girl he didn't know. So as he showered, he rehearsed how he would cancel. Should he text her? Call her? Should he wait until he got to her place, then get one of his buddies from home to call him pretending to be his boss calling him in for a shift? As he toweled off, he'd decided to just pick up the phone and bite the bullet, make sure she hadn't decided to cancel herself--which might have been a relief--before he gave her something that didn't sound too much like a line. But then...he hadn't been able to do it. He didn't know why. It should've been easy, especially with how disconnected he always felt with texting people--it always felt so mechanical and robotic...he didn't like not being able to gauge tone, either. But he found himself agreeing to go over there, adding her address to her contact information and wondering what the hell he was doing. He spent the afternoon distractedly watching TV. It was the first time he'd owned one since he lived in Alaska and he found he had like...literally thousands of things to watch but he was distracted as he flipped through the options, mind only
managing to stay on one thing for a few moments before he remembered his plans for the night and he was distracted all over again. When it got to be about an hour before he was meant to show up, he drove in the direction that Ryleigh lived and parked, walking through a few shops. She had told him not to bring anything but he couldn't just show up empty handed, eat her food, and fuck off. After debating a few things, he somehow ended up with a cactus. Why a cactus? No idea. Girls liked plants though, right? So he showed up at Ryleigh's place, cactus in hand, and knocked, nerves suddenly shooting to his gut as she answered the door. Something about that smile...he was totally baffled by how he felt when she smiled every time, like he couldn't help but matching it, feeling unaccustomed to the warmth after so long without it. "Smells great," he said as he walked in, following her into the house and looking around a little before he moved to put the cactus on a spot on the counter far from the food. Maybe he shouldn't mention it? Should he not of brought it? He felt stupid but pushed the feeling aside as he shrugged out of his coat. "I love steak," he said, genuinely pleased, and looked over at her, watching her for a beat before he hung his coat over the back of a chair. "Can I help with something?" he asked, leaning against the counter before slipping past her, hand brushing her waist, before he opened the fridge and grabbed a beer. "You're already doing everything, let me at least get this," he said, extending a bottle to her with one hand as he grabbed another for himself.
RYLEIGH
He's carrying a cactus. A small cactus, but a cactus none the less and the fact that he brought anything... she tries not to think too much on it, choosing to focus all of her attention on the cactus. "It's going to taste just as amazing. You brought me a cactus? I've never taken care of a cactus. I barely manage Elton, he's my hedgehog, but I love it, thank you," Ryleigh beams brilliantly in his direction while he removes his coat and drapes over the back of a chair. Her gaze lingers on his biceps, on the sheer size of him taking up space in the kitchen Ryleigh typically flits around so easily. It's part of the reason why Aiden calls her humming bird. She can never sit still. "N-o, I think.. I got it," she answers, hoping he doesn't catch the hitch in her voice when his hand brushes along her waist. Only just, but with enough presence for her to feel it down to the tips of her toes. Those familiar knots are back, the ones she'd felt sitting across from him in the coffee shop, and she hopes she's not going to make a complete fool out of herself. He offers her one of the beers, which Ryleigh takes, but doesn't drink, slipping the bottle onto the counter next to her. It'd be rude not to take it from him, and usually people are so put off by the fact that she doesn't drink. However, after a moment, she smiles warmly at him. "Thanks, I don't really drink, but you can keep that one out for you also, if you'd like?" She nods toward the bottle as she proceeds to cut up a few more vegetables for the small salad she's put together. There are potatoes, too, already boiled and ready to be mashed down, but she'll get to those in a second.
BEAR
Oh my God, why did he bring a stupid fucking cactus? Who brings a cactus to dinner? He had originally planned on bringing a bottle of wine but then chickened out, what if she didn't like wine? It turns out that both of his ideas were stupid because a) she doesn't seem like a plant person now that she's talked about it and b) she doesn't drink. Genius, Bear. His internal monologue is a lot of beating himself up which surprises him considering this was not supposed to be a big deal, it's dinner with a girl--a fucking beautiful girl who smiles all the time and who Bear is pretty sure can't weigh more than like seven pounds--but still just dinner. He reached into his pocket for something to do with his hands, pulling out his keys and using a bottle opener keychain to pry the cap from the glass. He tucked the cap and keys back in his pocket, wondering if he should've gone along with his original plan, why the hell was he so nervous? "What--no, it's cool, I'll--I'm good with the one," he said, clearing his throat and getting a handle on himself after what he was sure was a slightly too long pause. He leaned against the counter at a spot where he hoped he wouldn't be too much in the way, watching her hands because that felt like a safe option at the moment, taking a deep sip from the beer bottle. He vaguely wondered if she grew up around alcoholics too or if it was something else--he wanted to ask her, but it was definitely not the question for right now. "Damn, you've really gone all out," he said after he registered how many things she had going at once. "I hope I'm not putting you out."
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh loves the cactus, because it won't die if she goes a day without watering it (she vaguely remembers something about cacti being able to retain their own water?) and the fact that he'd thought about bringing anything at all? There was definitely more than meets the eye to this man and Ryleigh can't wait to learn as much as she can about him. "Okay, sorry. It's more of a personal choice than anything else. I've never really had a taste for it and the one and only time I ever touched alcohol back in high school, I ended up three hours away from home with no memory as to how I got there, so I typically avoid it," she explains as she finishes the tomatoes, tosses them in a mixing bowl with the lettuce, before moving on to the radishes. It wasn't the whole truth, but it was enough of it he probably wouldn't try to question it further. Parts of her past Ryleigh rarely likes to revisit. "What? No! Honestly, I love stuff like this," she assures him, lifting her gaze to meet his, enjoying the image of him leaning against the counter, in her kitchen (because she's definitely stolen it from her brother), a little too much. Finishing up the radishes, she tosses them into the bowl as well, before grabbing up the small bowl she'd mixed a dressing into. Dipping her finger into it, she slips it past her lips for taste, a soft sound of approval in her throat. "That's so good, here, try this," she insists with hopeful eyes and without thinking, repeats the action before offering her index finger to him, dressing dripping down the slender digit.
BEAR
Bear shook his head as Ryleigh explained the alcohol thing, not wanting her to feel obligated to talk about it but he winced a little all the same at the story. "Yeah...definitely not a stranger to nights like that," he said, scratching the back of his neck a little sheepishly, tone making it clear that he'd had his fair share of ending up somewhere with no memory of the thing, obviously not knowing the deeper layer there. "I'm not judging, whatever works," he said, not sure really how he felt about it or if he should feel a way about it given that this girl's choices definitely shouldn't have been something he was thinking about affecting him. He watched her work, half smiling when she reassured him, even more so when he met her eyes. He liked watching her work, the deft way she used a knife or moved about the kitchen. It was familiar and relaxed him a little, the routine of it, the obvious ease with which she moved through her tasks. When he watched her suck dressing off her finger, though, he tensed a little, feeling his adam's apple bob a little at the sight. Fuck. He looked at her finger as she offered it to him, wondering what the hell he was meant to do. About seven different options--including just dipping  and making his way out of there without saying a word--crossed his mind...but he was pretty set on not embarrassing her so, mind going blank, he leaned forward and sucked the dressing from her index finger, tongue grazing the tip of it before he pulled away, entire body aware of what he just did. "Mhm," he mumbled, nodding in agreement. "Better than the store bought stuff."
RYLEIGH
For a heartbeat, Ryleigh debates taking her hand back when he tenses. It's subtle, but her own gaze is drawn to his neck, where she'd been mesmerized by the tenseness of his muscle before. In the coffee shop, which seems like it was a life time ago, but it's really only been a few days. She's close to following through, to take her hand back and apologizing for how forward that might've seemed, when his lips close around the slender digit instead. Heat flickers up her arm as the warmth envelopes her finger, a bare brush of his tongue against the tip making everything south of her naval clench tightly. It happens so quickly, a blink of an eye, truly, and she's taking her hand back, a wild flush coloring her porcelain cheeks. "Absolutely better than the store bought stuff. I won't buy bottled dressing anymore unless I'm in a bind," she agrees, hoping her voice sounds a lot less breathless than she feels right about now. Lips quiver into a soft grin when she realizes the time, and she spins away from him - thankful her path to the refrigerator is clear - to grab the marinated steaks from inside. A couple minutes later, a familiar sizzle echoes through the kitchen as she lays the steaks onto the hot grill, inhaling the scent of herbs and spices. It's almost as mouthwatering as the warm, woodsy scent of him she'd caught the moment he walked past her earlier.
BEAR
Bear watched her intently as she pulled away, studying her as if the flush on her skin could give him some idea of what was going on in her mind, because his own thoughts were a mess. While his body was currently following every demand his brain was telling him to hide it--and successfully so, thank God--he was turned on. He tried to think of a time he'd ever not sexually had someone's fingers in his mouth or vice versa and he grew an absolute blank. Then again, he couldn't remember a time when he'd randomly accepted an invitation to have a girl cook for him, so maybe he was just going to have to lean in to the fact that everything was going to be abnormal. That said, he liked how the color looked on her cheeks and he wondered if it had traveled anywhere else. He sat with that thought as he took another long sip of beer, telling himself that he was only going to have the one as much as he wanted to get a little drunk and dull whatever weird thoughts and feelings were plaguing him. He kept his eyes on her, almost not noticing the food or how good it looked. He didn't feel the need to fill the silence...instead, he watched her, lips pressed together in thought. After a long pause, he spoke. "You really do know what the fuck you're doing, don't you?" he nodded to the grill top.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh steps away from the grill to allow the steaks to cook. His statement does nothing to diminish the flush in her cheeks despite the way she beams proudly at him. "I've been cooking since I was about eight? I kind of had to learn to fend for myself so ever since I started throwing things in a pan to see what worked, it's been a passion of mine. Baking on the side is more of a guilty pleasure." Ryleigh explains with a gentle shrug, shifting back to the salad where she finally mixes the dressing with the lettuce. "In that cabinet behind you? Would you mind grabbing a couple plates and bowls for me? I usually have to climb onto the counter to get them, but since you're here...?" Her voice trails, giving him a proper smile which says 'please?' before she moves to take the bowl of salad to the small table Aiden owns. She sets it down on the middle, along with the salt and pepper she'd grabbed, before making a beeline for the refrigerator again to grab out sour cream and an herb butter. Ryleigh's motions are fluid and graceful, there's no thinking twice about what she's doing with the meal because this is all second nature to her. "How done do you prefer your steak?" She asks while adding sour cream and butter to the potatoes she's already boiled so she can mash them down. Her gaze shifts back to him as she takes the hand held masher and starts to work it into the bowl in front of her, wondering if he's ever going to catch her in a moment where she's staring at him for a little too long. Can she really be blamed?
BEAR
Bear listened to Ryleigh talk about fending for herself from a young age and he raised a brow, especially at the age that she mentioned...he'd only been nine when his mom had walked into the bay, and that had marked the beginning of basically taking care of himself as well. He felt a kinship with her, definitely listening as she talked but a little distracted by the fact that it was starting to seem like maybe she'd had a rough upbringing. He felt a little of his awkwardness crumble at that, half smiling when she talked about baking. "Well, it seems like it paid of," he said, giving her a tight-lipped smile before hoe nodded, moving to carefully grab the plates and bowls she'd asked for, snorting because it was an easy reach for him and basically at eye level. He took them down and moved them to the counter, brushing past her again to wash his hands, looking over as he scrubbed his palms when she asked the question. "Medium, medium rare, I'm not picky," he said truthfully, watching her hands for a moment and then her face once she looked away.
RYLEIGH
"We'll see," she grins, a little envious of his ease with which he's able to grab the dishes from the cabinet. She hadn't been exaggerating when she mentioned climbing onto the counter - sometimes she uses the step stool, or she has to hop up to grab what she needs. He's able to do it so effortlessly and she appreciates his help. He brushes past her as he sets them down, a waft of woods and warmth completely distracting her, her motions stuttering just slightly. Ryleigh takes that as her cue to step away from the bowl for the moment, flipping the steaks about seven minutes after she'd first put them on. "You say that, but I've seen people go crazy when their steak isn't cooked right," she teases, crossing back to the bowl to finish mashing the potatoes. Once those are done, she, again, dips her finger into the mixture (it's not very sanitary and she wouldn't do it if she wasn't cooking for someone she considers a friend... an acquaintance?) to taste for seasoning. "Hey, can you try this and see if you think it needs anything else?" She asks, this time grabbing a spoon for him, because she's not sure she can take another moment like before without throwing caution to the wind and throwing herself on him. Dipping the spoon into the potatoes, she holds the silverware out to him, an expectant look in her eyes.
BEAR
Bear laughed a little at the comment about stakes being cooked wrong, shaking his head a little. "I've seen that too.." he said, thinking about a time his father threw a plate like a frisbee at his mother and then shaking the memory off. "As far as I'm concerned, having food in my stomach is about as good as I can ask for, anything else is just a bonus," he said, moving to dry his hands on a towel before he raised a brow and moved toward her. Bear took the spoon from her, sliding it into his mouth and making a pleased face at that. "S'good," he said as he swallowed, moving to scrub the spoon clean before he handed it back to her. "Really good," he followed up as he met her eye, meaning it genuinely. "Seriously, you've gotta give me something to do to help...like I told you the other day, idle hands," he said, clearly joking but God also just wanting something to do that wasn't stare at her.
RYLEIGH
If only everyone could have that same thought process, though. âI like the way you think, Bear,â Ryleigh compliments. When he tastes her potatoes, sheâs unable to stop beaming the way she is, grateful heâd enjoyed that small taste. âOkay... how good are you with a knife?â She asks curiously, brow arched in a teasing manner before she takes the bowl of finished potatoes to the table. Returning back to the kitchen, she reaches into the refrigerator to grab the package of half used strawberries, turning to him to offer the package to him. âCan you slice up some of these for me? Theyâre to go with dessert,â she explains, finding him a cutting board and a small knife to cut the fruit with, setting him up on a space of counter by the sink. When she moves to walk away from him, her hand absently brushes against his, fighting this innate urge she has to trail her fingers up his arm - to follow the strong chords of muscle until she reaches the peak of his tattoo. Taking a step back, her teeth dragging over her lower lip, she spins away from him to check on the steaks.
BEAR
Bear liked the way she said his name, the way she smiled at him...he was a little distracted, so much so that he didn't realize what she'd said at first. "Wha--oh, yeah, great with a knife," he said, shaking his head a little as he snapped out of it. He was glad to have something to do with his hands, glad to have the threat of slicing his thumb off keeping his attention on something other than her and how tiny she was and the fact that every time they touched all he wanted to do was stop what he was doing, for her to stop what she was doing, and for them to keep touching each other. But in a totally platonic way, don't make it weird, Bear, just cut the fucking fruit. He did a very passable job of slicing strawberries, only looking up a few times to watch her with the steaks. He took in the way her ass looked in her jeans, the sliver of skin between the bottom of her shirt and the waistband, how her hair was so blonde it almost looked white. After putting his attention back on the job at hand and finishing up, he looked at her over his shoulder. "Anything else you need me to do?"
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh takes care to plate the steaks, leaving them to rest because thatâs how they keep their juiciness. Behind her, she can hear the rhythmic chopping Bear is doing, and sheâs trying her best not to slip in front of him and take control, not because she doesnât believe in him, but because she wants to be close to him. Is that strange? To want to be close to someone sheâs only known for two weeks and has maybe three conversations with? The timer on the oven goes off, prompting her to pull the pan of roasted vegetables from inside, the aroma of garlic and herbs becoming more prominent in the kitchen. âHere,â she offers at his question, taking the cheesecake from the refrigerator and sliding it onto the counter beside him. âJust take the slices like this,â she starts, having to each over in front of him, her hand barely brushing his torso when she does, to grab a few of the slices before she starts fanning them out along the edges of the crust. âCan you finish this while I set the table?â Ryleigh queries softly, glancing up at him as she remains next to him. She pops a slice of strawberry into her mouth, a drop of juice from the ripe fruit caught on her bottom lip.
BEAR
Bear is glad for something to do because she's close to him, closer than before, and unlike before she's not moving right away and he definitely needs to do something with his hands. He starts to put the strawberries along the edge like she'd showed him, his work not as meticulous or as neat as hers because he was distracted and also because he didn't really care to be. He nodded at her, looking up from his work at the question and meeting her eye, head tilted down toward her. "Yeah, go for it--" he said, watching her eat the strawberry and catching sight of the juice on her mouth. Fuck. He cleared his throat and put his eyes back down to the cut up strawberries again before he looked at her. "You've got a little--" he said, rubbing his thumb over his lip to show her, just as he had the spot on his chin when she'd had icing there before.
RYLEIGH
She probably spends far too long watching his fingers with the strawberries, juices clinging to his own skin with ever strawberry laid down. Itâs a mess and she doesnât want to critique him because heâs helping her, especially when sheâs far too occupied with thinking about how his fingers would taste if sheâ âHm? What?â Her brows furrow together, a cute little crinkle in the center of her forehead, before she notices what heâs doing. âOh- shoot, Iâ wow, why am I always a mess around you?â Ryleigh laughs, wiping her hand over her mouth before stepping away to wash her hands. âEverythingâs ready, so once youâre done with that, we can eat,â she suggests while playing the roasted vegetable next to the steak. Utensils are grabbed, plates are carried to the table. Bowls are placed next to the plates for the salad. All appliances have been turned off. âAlright, come, come, have a seat,â she waves him over as she shrugs out of her cardigan because itâs warm in the apartment now. Â Her arms are bare, an ugly thin scar following the length of her forearm of her left arm from her elbow to two inches above her wrist, and thereâs a sliver of skin between her shirt and the high waist of her jeans. âThank you for helping me,â Ryleigh smiles at him, serving them both a small bowl of the salad.
BEAR
Bear watched her face and wishes he would reached up and smoothed the pad of his thumb across her lip so he would know if it was as soft as it looks. But thatâs definitely not something you do to a stranger when youâre in their house and theyâve done nothing but be nice to you. Maybe Ryleigh was like this with everyone. Maybe she was one of those girls who just didnât know how to not to move through the world in a way that seemed like he was always flirtingâheâd know them, there was nothing wrong with that aside from the fact that it was confusing, but it wouldâve ultimately been his problem. He wants to tell her sheâs not a mess but he knows his tone wouldnât be right so he doesnât, instead glancing at his finished work before he cross the room to the table. He sits down across from her, wondering how the hell it ended up this wayâwerenât first hangouts normally concerts or drinks or movies, platonic or otherwise?âbefore he moved his napkin to his lap and looks at her. His eyes trace briefly over the scar, careful to look away quickly so she wonât catch him staring. âI barely did anything,â he said, glad to have something to think about other than all of the new skin he can see. âThis is like...all fucking out though,â he said, watching her put salad into his bowl. âYou honestly didnât need to do all this, you couldâve put a hot dog in front of me and Iâdâve been grateful.â
RYLEIGH
"You did enough!" She's quick to argue lightly, no real heat in her voice. "You definitely helped, trust me. I know I didn't need to, but I like doing things like this. Food is a universal language because we all have to eat it and why not be able to share what I know?" Ryleigh shrugs gently, reaching for her fork before she realizes she'd left the steak sauce in the fridge. "Oh, wait," she stands from the table to rush back to the kitchen, another tug of the refrigerator door and she's grabbing the bottle of A1 from the door, a bottle of water for herself, and another beer for him just in case his was warm now. Returning, she drops back into her seat after setting the beer in front of him, the water in front of her and the steak sauce in the middle of the table. "Try it without the sauce, first, but just in case you prefer it with," she suggests, lips pulled into a knowing grin. Any time she's made steak in the past, nobody has had to eat sauce with it, and isn't that a testament to a truly well cooked steak, flavoring and all? "Tell me something about you, Bear. Anything you want to tell me," Ryleigh questions after taking a bite of her salad, eager to get to know all there is to know about this mysterious human in front of her.
BEAR
Bear likes that she doesnât seem to roll over when he disagrees with her, doesnât do that thing that girls sometimes do when they scoff and then act like theyâd meant to be saying the thing you were saying the whole time. He had spent time with girls whoâd been that way, heâd watched his friends back home marry them. He liked a bit of a background, someone who seemed like theyâd fight him if they thought he was wrong. He finds it admirable. He watches her get up, already knowing he wouldnât touch the sauceâit was basically sacrilegious as far as he was concerned, and he knew by the smell that it was well seasoned. He looks at the beer, deciding the break the rule he set earlier as he grabs his keys from his pocket and pops the cap off, setting it next to his knife before he took a sip. âTell me about you instead,â he shakes his head, picking up his fork to take a bite of his salad as well, tasting the dressing and thinking about how it had tasted different on his skin earlier. He chews before going on, âHow dâyou like it here?â
RYLEIGH
He deters from answering her question, which could mean he's not the type to ever talk about himself or he merely doesn't have anything he's itching to share. Or he simply doesn't want her to know, but if he truly didn't want to spend time with her, he wouldn't have allowed himself to come to dinner... right? Ryleigh bats away those momentary thoughts, because she's not about to let her own insecurities ruin a perfectly good meal. "It's different. I grew up in Kentucky and then lived in New York for a few years and I guess you could say Dayton's almost a happy medium between the two? Not quite big city, but certainly not a small town by any means." She answers after swallowing her first bite. "Honestly, I only moved here at first because my brother lives here and my friend Sadie convinced me I'd fall in love. I've been here two months already and... I'm not in love with the city, yet, but I guess I can see how it grows on people."
BEAR
Bear listens to her answer as he takes another bite, liking the way her voice sounds and the careful way she seems to talk. He watches her, fork hovering above his bowl of salad, next bite temporarily forgotten as he tries to imagine her in Kentucky, a place heâs only ever heard about on the news and in school. That would explain the accent then. He wonders where her brother is now, whether heâs going to show up and Bear is going to have to awkwardly introduce himself as a guy who once ran into his sister at a bakery looking for a coffee. He lets those thoughts ebb away though, nodding a little at her answer as he tires to think of something worthwhile to say. âThis isnât the forever place then?â He prompts.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh leans back in her chair, her legs crossed beneath the table at her knees, and she chews and swallows down the bite of her vegetables she'd just taken before answering him. "I wouldn't say it's a forever place? I don't know, honestly. I kind of left New York on a whim with no destination in mind." She answers, a shadow of quiet in her usually bright gaze as her eyes drop away from him to settle on her plate instead. Nobody knows her truth. Cooper knows a little bit, but not enough to really know anything beyond making his own assumptions. "I called Sadie my second day on the road and she convinced me to make the trek cross country, and here I am." Ryleigh adds, a soft almost laugh rolling off of her tongue before she pushes another smile onto her lips and raises her eyes to his once more. "What about you? Is Dayton a forever place for you?"
BEAR
Bear listens, brows drawing together ever so slightly at the change in her voice and demeanor, wondering if there was more to the story than sheâs telling him. He knows without giving it a second thought that there almost certainly is, but he doesnât push, instead nodding to show her heâs listening and taking a sip of his beer and snorting a little bit at her question. âNo. I donât know if thereâs such thing as a forever place for me, but if there is I know itâs not this,â he answers confidently, spearing a bite of steak on his fork and eating it, making a pleased sound. âSo good,â he complements, wiping his mouth.
RYLEIGH
She's not sure why his answer disappoints her. Dayton isn't really one of those places anybody should be settling down in, let alone someone who wants more out of life. From what she's seen, what she's heard... there's a chance Ryleigh won't last a year in Dayton, let alone six months, but to know Bear probably won't be around for long, either... however long that might be? "Out of all of the places you've been, what's been your favorite?" Ryleigh questions then, her smile warming genuinely as he takes a bite of the steak for the first time. His compliment warms her, and she appreciates his enthusiasm - ignoring how that familiar tingle behind her naval only grows when that pleased sound rumbles in his throat.
BEAR
Bear thinks about the question, running through the mental queue of places heâd been since heâd left Alaska. It takes him a moment before he answers, never having really given thought to the places heâd been in terms of liking one over the other....at the time, theyâd just been moments, transitory. âFor a couple of months in my early twenties, I ended up on an island off the coast of Washington state called Vashon,â he begins, pausing to take a sip of his beer. âItâs small, only about forty square miles, only about 10,000 people,â he adds, cutting his steak now. âI worked in a brewery there for six months...I liked it a lot. It was probably the easiest living Iâve ever hadâonly worked one job, rented a trailer from a farmer and lived out behind his lot...â he trailed off. âUncomplicated,â he said, taking another bite of steak.
RYLEIGH
Fascinated by him, Ryleigh leans forward as she cuts into her own steak, able to take a few bites of the meat while listening to him answer her question. She's surprised he does, considering how he'd skipped over her last one. "It sounds beautiful... life being uncomplicated for a while," she sighs wistfully, digging into her potatoes then. "Have you ever considered settling down somewhere? Or do you feel like you'll always constantly be moving?" She rubs her free hand against the top of her thigh out of habit, brushing away an invisible itch against her palm.
BEAR
Bear thinks of Ryleigh in a bakery with icing on her chin and wonders how complicated her life is now, knows that there must be more to whatâs going on with her than sheâs saying if she doesnât feel like lifeâs uncomplicated. âIt was,â he agrees when she says life like that sounded beautiful. It had been. He looks over at her, taking a bite of his vegetables before he answers. âIâm not sure,â he says honestly, meeting her eye. âIn some ways Iâm tired of starting over. In others, not being able to start over sounds awful.â
RYLEIGH
She hums softly, thoughts drifting toward a life where she doesn't have to constantly feel on edge. Worried one wrong move is going to send her hurdling back a hundred feet and completely negate all the progress she's made thus far. An uncomplicated life. Living in Dayton is the most uncomplicated her life has been, if you don't count the sudden surfacing of a sister she hasn't seen in six years and her brother, who's love triangle woes had left Ryleigh's head spinning the moment she'd moved in with him a few weeks ago. "Alright, if you could pick anywhere in the world you'd want to start over and put down roots, to make a home, where do you think that'd be?" She questions next, finishing off her salad after the query as left her lips before she's reaching for her bottle of water to cleanse her palette with.
BEAR
Bear thinks about putting down roots and is surprised when he doesnât know what to say. He opens his mouth, waiting for an opinion to come out, and....nothing. He takes a sip of the beer for something to do, shaking his head a little as he tries to come up with something. âI donât know,â he answers honestly. âNot a specific place, but Iâd like to live somewhere where itâs cold at least half the year...maybe have a cabin, a little bit of land, something near the water, some kind of rocky beach or a lake...â he trails of, surprised that heâs said this given that heâd never really given it a second thought.
RYLEIGH
He paints a pretty picture. Somewhere cold, a cabin in the middle of nowhere. She can picture him there, in the middle of winter, in the snow and she smiles warmly in response to the image she paints in her head of him. "I can see that for you... it sounds nice." Ryleigh appraises, taking a few more bits of her steak before she's more than ready to set aside the rest of her meal and dig in to the dessert. She's always had a bit of a sweet tooth. "My ultimate dream is to own my own bistro in Paris. I don't know that it will actually ever happen, but it's a nice thought. My back up plan, though, is to find a nice coastal town in Maine or Vermont, and open up a bakery there. I loved winters in New York and there's something magical about eating a warm pastry in the middle of winter with a good cup of coffee, snow falling around you," she sighs wistfully, rubbing her thumb along the side of her plate.
BEAR
Bear smiles a little at her as she talks about how sheâd live, totally able to imagine her in what he thinks Paris must be like and also somewhere on a coast. He canât help but acknowledge, somewhere deep in the back of his mind, that her second-best option sounds a little similar to his. He doesnât like his mind linger on that though, instead nodding at her. âFrom what I know of you, both of those fit,â he says before finishing his last bite of steak, sitting back from the table.
RYLEIGH
His words make her smile widen and when he leans back in his chair, she's far too happy that he's managed to eat everything. "So... what did you think?" She motions toward the empty plate, her own nearly empty, but there's still a few bites of steak left, a couple forkfuls of potato and one or two roasted vegetables. "Do you have room for dessert or do you want to hold off for now?" Ryleigh adds, leaning back in her own chair to take a few more sips from her water bottle.
BEAR
âYouâre a fantastic cook,â Bear says genuinely, smiling a little as she leans back and his posture matches hers. âIâm full up right now, Meadows, couldnât take another bite if I tried,â he says, taking a sip of his beer before he places it back down on the table and folds his arms across his chest.
RYLEIGH
Clapping her hands together, his compliment has her beaming so brightly, her cheeks hurt a little from smiling so much around him. "Dessert later then. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Any time you want another home cooked meal, just let me know. I'm your girl," she offers, standing to start clearing the empty dishes. She can store whats left over on the sides for Bear to take home with him, or if he doesn't want to do that, she knows Aiden will eat them.
BEAR
Bear quickly stands to pick up his own plate, gathering that and his silverware and salad bowl and whatever else he can carry. âNot gonna let you do this too,â he says, brushing past her and shooting her a half smile over his shoulder. âGive me you yours, show me to  soap and a sponge and I can take it from here.â
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh quickly follows after him, carrying her own set of plates to set them down on the counter next to the sink. âYou donât have to! I can wash them,â she tries to tell him, but has a feeling he isnât going to take no for an answer on this one. âYou wash, I dry?â She suggests a compromise while showing him where all the cleaning supplies are.
BEAR
Bear feels pleased that heâs basically gotten what he wanted, though he canât think of a single time in his adult life that heâs ever fought anyone to do the dishes. âDeal,â he says, meeting her eye for a beat before he turns on the warm water and squirts soap on the sponge, wetting it before he starts on a plate. He cleans it, eyes going over it once more to be sure, before he passes it to her, not minding the quiet.
RYLEIGH
She usually hates allowing anyone to clean up after her messes, but the compromise she makes keeps her close to him. Something she shouldnât aim for, but finds she wants to be as close to him as possible. Ryleigh dries the first plate carefully, setting it to the side, waiting for another. Sheâs chewing on her lower lip as the silence settles around them, contemplating where the evening might take them next.
BEAR
Bear works on his own plate next, scrubbing it in the same methodical way and rinsing before he handed it off to Ryleigh, liking the way that her hands felt cool on his even as he tries to actively ignore it. After a few moments, he fills the silence. âSo what did Dayton do before you became the unofficial welcoming committee?â he says tone light and voice a little quieter than before because sheâs so close. The question is a joke, rhetorical, but somewhere in the back of his mind Bear knows heâs asking if she does this often.
RYLEIGH
She takes the next plate, drying that one as well, setting it onto the one sheâs already dried. His voice breaks the silence, a pleasurable sound she definitely wants to hear more of as she laughs quietly. âIâm not sure, actually? I mean who doesnât want to be welcomed with a home cooked meal? Itâs funny, actually,â she answers, taking the next dish from him to dry that one as well, âabout a month ago I actually ran into someone at the grocery store who asked me for advice on a meal to help him get laid. He had a friend he was inviting over and wanted to cook dinner for, so I helped him out together this spaghetti meal. It was probably one of the most fascinating interactions Iâve had with someone.â Ryleigh finishes with fond sigh, reaching for the next dish, but when the remnants of water coats her fingers, she playfully flicks the couple drops in his direction. âIâm sure youâve received all kinds of welcoming committees, though, with a smile like yours.â
BEAR
For some reason, hearing her talking about helping someone get laid makes Bear laugh before he can stop himself. He grins, shaking his head a little and looking down at her. âSo you basically catered someone elseâs date?â He asks, looking amused at this. When she flicks water at him, he sticks his hand under the tap and splashes a little at her before starting to scrub one of the bowls. When she mentions his smile, his grin widens and he lets out a little bit of a snort. âIf I didnât know any better, Iâd say that sounded like a line.â
RYLEIGH
His laugh is even better than his voice, which she didnât think was at all possible. She wants to hear it again. âWell when you put it that way, yeah.â Ryleigh laughs with him. When he flicks water at her using the tap though, she squeals and holds up the dish in her hand to block whatever he flicks at her. Her mouth drops open, almost surprised he retaliated. âOh? Is that what you think it sounded like?â The faucet is one of those detachable ones, so while heâs mid scrubbing the bowl, she reaches across to pull it free from the spout and angling it to flick more water at him. Except itâs definitely more of a spray and thereâs definitely wet spots on his shirt now. An almost apologetic look dances over her face as she blinks up at him. âOops?â
BEAR
Bear grins at her agreeing with him, shaking his head a little because heâd expected a fight and hasnât gotten one which surprises himâwhy was he always surprised by her? âThatâs what Iâm certain it sounded likeâshit!â He laughs again, reaching for the nozzle in her hand and closing some of the distance between them. He wraps one of his hands around the spout and probably a few of her fingers to block it. âYou mightâve just gotten yourself in trouble, Meadows,â he says with a bit of a smirk. âHavenât you ever heard you should only pick on people your own size?â
RYLEIGH
His hand wraps around the nozzle in her hand, completely encompassing it and a couple of her finger in the process, but sheâs far too focused on how the distance between them has definitely lessened and heâs smirking down at her. âI grew up with three siblings in the middle of the country... you think I canât handle a little trouble, Everett?â She responds in kind, an easy smirk on her own lips, even as she tries to wiggle the nozzle free from his grip. âAre you kidding me? Picking on people my own size isnât fun, besides... I never pick in anyone. Youâre just easy.â Ryleigh teases, closing a bit more of the distance, dishes clearly forgotten for the moment.
BEAR
Bearâs smirk widens as she calls him by his last name and struggles against his gripâheâs definitely not letting up though heâs ready to let go at any moment if it was hurting her. âOh, so Iâm a special target then?â He asked, cocking a brow at her as she moved closer. âSort of rude, inviting someone over only to pick on them,â he adds, meeting her gaze, impressed by her confidence and the fact that she hadnât backed down.
RYLEIGH
When his smirk widens, Ryleigh swears everything around her fades as she zeros in on that smirk. Nothing else matters except this moment because heâs teasing her, and she doesnât feel threatened. Anyone else his size, with his strength, wouldâve made her cower and flinch away. Or maybe sheâd just found a lot more backbone since she left New York. âYou could say that, and Iâm not really picking on you. You could easily turn the tables on me,â she points out, motioning to where he still has a firm grip on the nozzle and her hand, water dripping down her arm and over his hand. âOr leave if youâre feeling really put out,â Ryleigh adds, but thereâs a small, knowing smile on her face as she slips closer, pressing her tiny frame against his own.
BEAR
Bearâs not sure what he expected when he offered to do the dishes, but it for damn sure wasnât this. He didnât think the front of his shirt would be damp and he didnât think that heâd be registering it was damp because he could feel Ryleighâs body pressing to his and his shirt pressing to his skin in turn. He looks down at her, wondering what the hell was going on...well, the back of his head was wondering that. Most of his mind was on the fact that he wants to know what it would be like to be pressed to her like this without any fabric between them, her skin on his. âI donât scare easy,â he said, prying the nozzle from her hand with both of his now, eyes still on hers.
RYLEIGH
Honestly, she canât even say what had possessed her to even start this in the first place. Maybe to see how heâd react to a little spontaneity, maybe to see how heâd react to her taking a little leap of faith regarding the tension between them. She has to tip her head back to look up at him, golden tresses spilling down her back when she does, her gaze heavy on his own. âYou donât seem the type that would,â Ryleigh agrees, and instead of letting her hand drop away, she moves it forward to brush her fingers against the damp material of his shirt.
BEAR
âSeems like you might not be the type either,â Bear says, not sure if heâs even making sense anymore because now sheâs touching him, a spot at his abdomen, and his body is tensing under her touch but heâs also leaning into it. Without breaking eye contact, he reaches back and lets go of the nozzle so it retracts back in place, one hand on the counter, the other hovering at his side as he wonders if he should touch her or not.
RYLEIGH
Oh. Sheâs definitely the type who scares easy, but sheâs not scared of him. Ryleigh is surprised he releases the nozzle to put it back, and she instinctively reaches out to shut the water off, but never once takes her gaze from his. His body is tense under her small hand, which lifts away from his abdomen to find the ink on his arm instead. Delicate pads trace what she can see, her body angling toward his enough so her front is against his front. âYou donât scare me.â A gentle shrug, lower lip slipping between her teeth again as her other hand rises to the spot the one on his arm had left previously.
BEAR
Bear watches her and feels her hand on his arm and heâs wondering how, about an hour ago, he was thinking about how the girl was smiley and cute and now sheâs touching his arm and now heâs totally lost track of himself. He tries to push the thoughts out of his head, focusing on the fact that he was there for dinner, they donât really know each other, how the fuck old was she...but then he watched her teeth go against her lip and all thoughts of anything else, all resolve, are absolutely gone. âNo?â He asks, raising a brow at her as he moves a hand to hook a finger through her belt loop, holding her to him.
RYLEIGH
Definitely no, Ryleigh thinks, because sheâs not scared right now. Especially when he hooks his finger into her belt loop, holding her body against his. Â Sheâs very aware of every breath she takes, because each one has her chest moving slightly against his abdomen, which only makes her wish sheâd decided on a bra this evening. âNo.â She answers plainly, for the first time not thinking about anything other than the fire under her skin. Sheâs not worried about her scars or how damaged she is, because fuck, sheâs so damaged. âDo I scare you?â Ryleigh hears herself ask as she shifts against him, her neck aching from having to look up at him for so long, but itâs worth it.
BEAR
Bear isnât sure if she scares him or not, he doesnât even know where to start to answer that question. Because he can feel her chest against him and her body is soft and heâs really thinking now about what it would be like for all of this fucking fabric to be gone. Because he can feel her breathing and sheâs looking up at him and he doesnât know what to do with any of this. He drops his hand, glad heâs able to convince himself that he needs to get the fuck out of there, taking a step backwards to give her some excuse but then his eyes are tripping over her body and he hasnât even realized heâd said âFuck it, câmere,â aloud before heâs hooked a finger back through her belt loop and closed the distance, mouth going hard to hers before he can really even register what heâs doing.
RYLEIGH
Thereâs something there between them. Some tension buzzing in the air around him and sheâs almost certain heâs going to do something, but then he drops his hand and disappointment is sharp and potent. As quickly as it starts to spread and sheâs trying to get a handle on her sanity, heâs back, hooking his finger in her belt loop, tugging her sharply and then his mouth is hot and hard against her own. A little whimper crawls into her throat as she rises onto her tip toes in an attempt to get closer to him, to the warmth of his mouth. One of her small hands rises to curl around the back of his thick neck and sheâs never felt more tiny than she does now, returning the kiss with fervor and pressing the length of her entire, supple frame flush against him - muscle and strength.
BEAR
Bear hadnât even let himself think about what he would do if heâs somehow read all of this wrong and she wasnât into it so when she kisses him back, when sheâs putting her hands on him and heâs backing her up against the counter, hunching a little at the shoulders so he can keep his mouth level to hers, tongue pushing into her mouth to stroke over hers as his hands spread open to either side of her waist. He absently realizes how tiny her waist is as he pushes the tips of his fingers under the fabric at her back and sides, grunting a little because her skin is smooth and it feels good under the calluses on his hands.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh wants to touch him everywhere. His mouth is demanding against her own, his hulking frame backing her against the counter and the same flare of heat sheâd felt when that same tongue if his flicked against the tip of her finger earlier becomes a raging inferno, thereâs no denying she wants him. He tastes of  beer and herbs and spices and sheâs ravenous, her tongue playing with his own because she wants to drown in the taste of him. Sheâs so enthralled by his mouth, she misses his hands on her waist, on his calloused fingers grazing her soft skin. This would be the moment she tenses, the moment she drags wandering hands from exploring further, to find the blemished skin beneath the waist of her jeans at her lower back, and further. Ryleigh doesnât tense, but rather pushes herself even closer until sheâs sure he can feel how hard her nipples are against his abdomen.
BEAR
Bear grunts again against her mouth as he feels her against him, feels her nipples against him and the idea of getting her naked is suddenly the absolute only thing on his mind, getting him hard as he slips a hand higher up under her shirt, fingers kneading into the skin at the small of her back. He finds himself almost annoyed at stooping over her so, without breaking the kiss, he moves his hands to her waist again and lifts her onto the counter, pleased that theyâre almost level now, one of his hands going to a knee so he can push her legs apart and step between them so theyâre close again.
RYLEIGH
Fuck. Ryleigh gasps against his mouth when he lifts her onto the counter without breaking the kiss between them. Her thighs part willingly, allowing him access between them, both of her arms wrapping around his broad shoulders to pull him closer still, as if he canât get close enough at all. In a moment of need, she nips at his lower lip, curls one of her legs around his waist and arches her his toward his in a way that definitely makes her feel how much heâs enjoying this. Ryleigh whimpers into his mouth, one of her hands shifting into his hair because she wants to explore every inch of him.
BEAR
When she arches against him, Bearâs body takes control and he rolls his hips against hers a little, friction doing wonders on his end on the one hand...on the other, it just makes him realize how badly he wants to be fucking her, how irritating it was to have clothes on when she was making sounds like the one that just came out of her mouth. He smoothes a hand along her body from her back to her abdomen, fingers spreading open against her navel over the fabric covering her before he inched it higher, thumb brushing over her nipple through her shirt, teasing her through the fabric as he kissed her deeply.
RYLEIGH
That friction against her, of him rolling his hips and pressing the tightness of her jeans against her heat, makes her moan and claw at his shoulder, as itâll convince him to never stop. His entire hand is warm against her, touching her, crawling up her torso untilâ- âBear, please,â she moans with a gasp, breaking the kiss because her lungs burn and his thumb is teasing at her nipple, so hard and sensitive to touch. Her once glossed lips are now pink and swollen, her skin flushed the prettiest shade of pink which definitely disappears beneath the high neck collar of her poor excuse for a shirt. Ryleigh dips her head, rolling her hips into his to grind herself against him, brushing her mouth along the scruff of his jaw.
BEAR
Heâs normally more measured than this, normally in the mood to tease and take his good ole time, to hold off at first to build the tension. But the tension is already there, has been building since he walked in the door if heâs being honest with himself, and thereâs not a single part of him that wants to pretend that delaying being inside of her would make it better. When she says his name, all he can think about is getting her to say it again. He drops a hand to the button of her jeans, flicking it open and undoing the zipper, hand going down the front of the flap to touch her over her underwear, fingers teasing over the fabric for a moment before theyâre pressing firmer, rubbing against the layer between his skin and hers in time with the roll of her hips.
RYLEIGH
Ryleighâs fingers tighten their grip on his hair the moment his hand sinks into her jeans. She shouldnât be surprised at how quickly heâd managed to do just that, thick fingers pressing firm over her panties and sheâs no doubt he can feel how wet she is through them. Sheâs been that way since he first put his mouth on her finger. âFuck,â she whimpers, her head falling back against the cabinet behind her. Sex is never about her. Her pleasure has never really mattered and sheâs always... itâs been so ingrained into her at this point, she almost feels bad sheâs not giving him anything in return. Â Her free hand reaches between the press her palm flush against his own arousal, desperate to make him feel half as good as she feels right now.
BEAR
Bear groans a little when he feels how wet she is. He doesnât take more than a moment to reach his hand back up and slide it down the front of her underwear, swearing under his breath at how the wetness felt against her skin instead of the fabric that had been in the way before. While he knows what heâs doing, thereâs nothing particularly measured or calculated about the way that his fingers work because all he wants to do is touch her, to get her to keep make the sounds sheâs been making. He moves his fingers down along her folds, then teases against her clit at the same time she touches him through his jeans and he makes a low sound in the back of his throat, free hand working into the hair at the base of her neck to twine it through his fingers relatively tightly.
RYLEIGH
If there was a way to keep him touching her like this forever, she would find it. His fingers are thick and rough as they slide over her bare skin, the contrast of them against her clit sending sparks through her entire body as she trembles beneath his touch. Combined with his fingers slipping tightly into her hair at the base of her neck, and the low sound in his throat, Ryleighâs dizzy with pleasure. Desperate to touch him, too, sheâs much more clumsy in unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans, but soon sheâs pushing beneath layers of fabric until her tiny hand curls around his cock - skin hot and hard against her palm. Sheâs throbbing under his touch, aching in a way she canât ever remember feeling before, wanting him to shift his fingers further, to push them inside of her, to fuck her. Her hand squeezes around him gently, working along the length of him and his clothes in the way only forces another whimper from her. Â âBear,â she gasps, his name a plea, but sheâs not sure for what, exactly.
BEAR
God, he likes the way she says his name, her breathing scant and her voice filling the kitchen. When she touches him, he feels like heâs firing on all cylindersâthe smooth skin of her hand curling around him makes him press his hips harder to the touch. He knows heâs hung, definitely more so than a lot of guys, and he has a fleeting thought about wanting to see her handâsmall as it wasâwrapped around his cock. But more than that, he wants it inside of her, basically any part of hm inside of her at this point. He moves his mouth to her neck, sucking hard enough that he knows heâll leave a mark just below her ear, at the same time that he slides a finger inside of her, instantly aware of how tight she feels around him as his broad finger fills her up. He works over her for a moment, still kissing at her neck, before he adds a second.
RYLEIGH
Her jeans arenât offering a lot of room for him to move around, but thereâs almost something entirely too sexy about how he doesnât let that deter him. His mouth falls against her neck, teeth and lips sucking hard enough at the sensitive skin, she canât quiet her louder moan this time. Crying out for him as her pussy clenches tight around that single, thick finger inside of her. Ryleigh is writhing against his hand, trembling under him, as he slowly adds another finger, stretching her around him, her while her hand stutters along his cock, trying to keep up, but failing miserably. Instead, thereâs a heady moment when she swirls her thumb around the head of him, gathering whatâs already leaking from him onto her thumb before dragging her hand away from him entirely and popping her thumb past her lips, just to taste him.
BEAR
Bear had thought that he had a decent amount of self control before, but when he feels her thumb slide against the head of his cock, when he watches it go into her mouth, self control be damned. In spite of how badly he doesnât want to, Bear pulls his fingers out of her and moves to strip her jeans off of her, mind entirely alight with the idea of being inside of her, at what it would feel like to have her grinding against his cock instead of his hand. âYou need to take these the fuck off,â he says, voice hoarse and husky as he meets her eye and tugs on the denim at her waist, hands already gravitating back toward her as he slips one past the hem of her shirt, fingers pressing firmly and insistently against her abdomen, tracing the underside of her breast, taking this opportunity to tease her only as it distracts him from the time itâs taking to get her jeans off of her.
RYLEIGH
Her hips chase after his fingers when she removes them from her, a pout finding her mouth as soon as theyâre gone. She meets his gaze, her own hooded and glazed with want. If the look in his eyes hadnât been enough for convince her, the growl in his throat is, a new wave of need soaking her panties. Theyâre ruined now. Theyâve got to be with out insatiably turned on she feels. Ryleigh scrambles to push her jeans from her hips, his fingers teasing at her bare skin so fucking distracting. Thereâs a bed not thirty feet away, but she canât be bothered to suggest they move when heâs touching her like this. Soon enough sheâs got her jeans almost completely off, struggling with one ankle before fabric thuds heavily to the floor, leaning Ryleigh in a pair of navy blue lace panties soaked through the center and a her top which barely covers anything at all anymore. Â Ryleigh peels her shirt over her head for good measure... baring her full breasts, peaked with pretty pink nipples aching to be touched. Sheâs flushed and panting and paying no mind to the fact that sheâs just gotten nearly naked with him when that never happens with anyone... not so soon and definitely not without a âno questionsâ promise.
BEAR
As she pulls her clothing off, Bear moves to kiss her heatedly, mouth hard and insistent against hers as he he reaches back behind him to tug his shirt off over his head because now that heâs seen her breasts, the color of her skin pink and pale at the same time, he wants to feel it against his. Heâs builtâheâs basically had to be given how much manual labor heâs done in his life, chest broad and hard, tattoos covering the majority of it and arching up to his arms down along the cords of muscle on his back. Once his shirt is pooled on the floor, he leans down and brings his mouth to her clavicle, tongue following the line where the bone protrudes slightly from her skin down to the center of her chest, lips hot as he moves his hands back to her and slides one down along her back underneath her underwear to grab at her ass firmly, squeezing the skin there as he draws her to him.
RYLEIGH
She wants to explore all of him. Every inch of hard, toned skin thatâs revealed, drag her tongue along the lines of the ink on his flesh. Such a stark contrast in comparison to her own; a small shooting star on her hip, her Gemini tattoo on her shoulder blade. Her small hands find purchase on his skin, unsure where to start, merely knowing she needs to touch him, as his mouth falls against her skin. Ryleigh, in the throes of what he invokes in her, doesnât even stiffen as she usually would when his fingers ghost over her lower back to curve against the plush skin of her ass. Both legs are around his waist, her hands falling to help push at the fabric of his jeans, needing them gone. Needing him inside of her.
BEAR
Bear shifts his hips to get his jeans off of him, the denim falling to the floor with a heavy sound thanks to the weight of his keys and wallet. He's wearing boxer briefs, the fabric stretched over the hard curve of his ass, waistband slung low at the v of his waist. Â They were tight under normal circumstances, even more so now that she has him hard and straining against the elastic fabric. He pulls away from her long enough to pull her panties from her, breathing hitching a little as his fingers register the wetness before he adds them to the pile of clothes on the floor, and then he's kissing her hand, palm of his hand coming to one of her breasts as he teases his fingers across her nipple, admiring the peak and the weight of her in his hand as he pulls her to him by her ass again.
RYLEIGH
Theyâll probably laugh at the absurdity of their inability to even make it out of the damn kitchen before theyâre naked, but the hunger in his eyes, the way he touches her, Ryleigh is not keen on changing anything about this moment. Her eyes drink him in, his boxer briefs giving everything and nothing away and as her little fingers hook under the waistband and she pushes at the fabric, she has a brief, solid moment of âJesus fuck, heâs not going to fit.â Heâs.... impressive and sheâs tiny, but sheâs so wet she can feel the slickness between her thighs without even pressing them together. Her heart stutters when he kisses her hand, his fingers dragging over one of her nipples, drawing a deeper, needier whimper from her. She dips her head, lips caressing over one muscled pec then the other as she rolls her hips forward in the same moment he grabs her ass and she call feel the hot, heavy length of his cock teasing the swollen lips of her cunt. Itâs euphoric, her body shuddering against his and Jesus Christ she might die here.
BEAR
If he's not inside her soon, he thinks he might literally lose his mind. He normally would ask, normally would know from the time he walked in the door of an apartment or climbed into the backseat of a car that sex was on the table, but right now he feels so turned on, so frustrated that he takes his cock in his hand and lines it up with her opening, teasing the head over her clit and along her folds for a couple of seconds--much shorter than he normally would, but he doesn't have restraint in him now--before he pushes inside her and groans louder than he has since he first put his hands on her. She's impossibly tight, the sensation of being fully surrounded by hot, wet velvet the only thing he can focus on for a moment even as his eyes come up to hers.
RYLEIGH
She wants more of that sound, from more of him, and she knows she canât possibly get any closer than she already is. He pushes into her and she can feel every solid inch, her slick walls drawing tighter around him because heâs... and sheâs.... Ryleighâs small hands lift to clutch at his broad shoulders, clinging to him as he meets her gaze and she swears she could come undone from that look alone. She shifts a little once she feels comfortable enough, even though thereâs that slight pressure from how big he is in comparison to her small body. âPlease, Bear... I want to feel you,â she whimpers, leaning into him to kiss his neck, his shoulders, nipping at his Adamâs apple, all while still clinging to him and practically dripping onto his cock since sheâs only growing that much more desperate for him.
BEAR
Hearing her say his name, the way the words sounded mixed with the plea makes him want to tease her so she'll do it more, makes him want her to beg him...but he can't because he wants it just as much. So he rolls his body to hers, pulling out almost entirely before pushing himself back in deeper than before, somehow even harder than he'd been when he'd first entered her. One of his hands goes back up into her hair, tangling his fingers in the strands firmly as holds her in place to the counter, mouth hot as he sucks hard at a spot where her neck and shoulder meet, breaths coming ragged through his nose.
RYLEIGH
Her eyes flutter as the pleasure rockets through her, the sensation of his skin against hers, of his length moving inside of her nearly enough to make her see stars. Is that even possible? Slender fingers curl into his shoulders, blunt nails biting into thick muscle and thereâs a chance he doesnât even feel it, but she clings heavily to him as nonsensical little moans and whimpers begin pouring out of her. One hand dives into her hair again, holding on so firmly her pussy pulses around him because she likes it, likes that heâs not letting her writhe like she wants to. Heâs holding her there, fucking into her so slowly she thinks she might go insane from desire, from a hunger so profound she canât stop trembling against him. She arches her back when his mouth falls back to her skin, her nails dragging down his bicep in response before her small hand clings to him there, moaning his name, pleading for more.
BEAR
Bear likes that Ryleigh is vocal, likes that her hands are soft and her skin is soft and God, literally every part of her his hand finds makes him want to find another place, wants to test if every inch of her feels as good as the last. He likes that he can feel her tight around the diameter of his cock, squeezing him hard as he fucks her, no matter if he's pushing into her shallowly or angling his hips up so the tip strokes over her g spot. His teeth leave a pattern of shallow marks in their wake, he's nipping at her but not hard enough to bruise, just enough so she can feel it and he can muffle the groans that are falling past his lips faster than he can try to stop them.
RYLEIGH
This is torture. Every moment wrapped around him is torture in the purest, most pleasurable form, and it's glorious. She's intoxicated - is this why people crave it so much? - by the feel of him, by how he can keep her on the edge with his shallow thrusts and then make her moan loudly enough she's sure the neighbors can hear her every time the tip of his cock nudges against that sensitive spot inside of her. Goosebumps kiss her skin under his lips, her fingers traipsing over his skin, gripping and curving, exploring as he fucks her on the kitchen counter. They're making a mess of the surface, too, because she can feel how slick she is, how there must be a fucking spot on the counter now because of it, but none of that matters as she bucks tries to buck toward him, his hard grip keeping her from doing so. "Do you want me to come, Bear?" She whimpers breathlessly, her sweet voice curling around the words with ease. She'll be embarrassed about them later, but right now? She's in the moment and he feels so good inside of her. "Do you want me to come on your cock?" Then her lower lip is between her teeth again, attempting to stifle another moan as he nudges against her g-spot once more, her thighs trembling as she teeters on the edge, so fucking close.
BEAR
Bearâs pretty sure heâs never wanted to make someone come more in his life. Heâs pretty sure that this is the first time in a long time heâs fucked someone sober, actually truly paid attention to what his body was doing aside from the most basic actions. He pulls back to look at her, hand moving from her hair to her jaw, thumb against her chin and fingers along the angle leading to her neckâhis touch isnât firm though, thereâs only enough pressure to tilt her head so she has basically no choice but to meet his eye. âI want you...â he began, slowing his strokes but easing up on how he was holding her so she could move against him freely, hand on her ass still guiding her in place, âto come all over my cock,â he says, the words punctuating another stroke.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh's breath stutters when his hand shifts, his thumb a heavy presence on her chin, his fingers long enough to spread down the angle of her neck. All he has to do is shift his hand a little lower, wrap his fingers around her neck and-- she flutters around him again, hoping he can feel exactly what his touch is doing to her and she dips her head instead, soft, still kiss swollen, pink lips wrapping around his thumb as she stares right into those dark eyes. His strokes slow, and he punctates his statement with another broad, slow stroke, making her eyes roll back for half a second. Ryleigh whines, canting her hips when she's given the freedom, fucking herself on his cock with a much faster pace than he'd been using while still trying to savor how he feels inside of her. One of her hands falls away from his body to sink between her quivering thighs, skin slick with her arousal, fingers finding her aching little clit with ease to circle the sensitive bundle. "Please? Please can I?" Ryleigh pleads with a breathy moan in her sugary sweet cadence, eyelids fluttering, gaze heavy on his. He's already said he wants it. She wants him to give her the permission to do it.
BEAR
When Bear feels her lips wrap around his thumb, all he can do his grunt a long sigh, the word that comes out his mouth guttural and almost hoarse. âFuckkk,â he groans, the word a long and drawn out exhale as he lets his eyes fall over her body. He lets her move against him, feeling his cock swell at the combination of the sounds she was making, the rhythm of her body against his, how her tight body looked where they were connected. He watches her work her hand over her clit for a moment before he moved it out of the way moving his fingers to the spot instead so he can circle the spot instead, fingers moving over her smoothly from her wetness in spite of how rough they were, wanting to be the sole reason she got off. Bear nods at her, leaning down to kiss her briefly before catching her lower lip between his teeth and pulling back. âCome,â he said in a tone that wouldâve sound like a command but was in fact a plea because she feels so good around him and he wants to watch her fall apart.
RYLEIGH
His reaction to her, as if he actually enjoys seeing her like this - desperate to come on his cock like it's the only thing in the world she needs to be doing - gives her a feeling of euphoria and one she rides as she continues to circle her fingers around her clit. Before she can comprehend anything else, he's pushing her own hand away and replacing the pressure with his heavy thumb, causing her to jerk against him, her walls fluttering as if doing so will convince him to find his own release. He kisses her briefly and Ryleigh's head spins deliciously, another moaning whimper caught in her throat as he bites her lower lip and the commands... pleads? ... for her to come. She shudders heavily, her hands gripping his arms as she follows through a minute later, shattering around his cock, her walls pulsing rhythmically with the aftermath of her pleasure, his name a sharp cry of pleasure rolling off her tongue as her head drops back against the cabinet once more and she succumbs to the tremors claiming her overwrought frame.
BEAR
Bear strokes her through her orgasm, thumb and cock keeping an even, fluid pace against her as he strokes in and out of her. As he feels her tighten somehow even more, he feels a familiar tug at the base of his gut, warmth beginning to pool there as he hitches his hips harder to hers, moving deeper now as he slides in deep, looking down between their bodies as he watches her slide all the way to the base of his cock and then back out again, then again, then again. His muscles are taut from his legs up through his chest, the hand on her face moving to tangle in her hair again as the other grips hard at her ass, fingertips pressing roughly into the supple skin there as he continues to work her over. He groans a little at the feeling of her skin under his hands and itâs not long before his husky voice fills the kitchen. âFuck, Iâm gonna come...â
RYLEIGH
Shuddering through the aftermath of her orgasm, so sensitive as he continues to fuck into her, she's torn between wanting to close her eyes and enjoy the feeling of him or watch him as he continues to enjoy the feeling of her. Watching him watching her, watching them as he sinks into her all the way to the base, only to pull out again, pushes her toward the verge of another orgasm so soon after her first one. She's almost too sensitive, at this point, but he feels incredible and when he simultaneously tangles his fingers in her hair and grips her ass again, an aftershock of need leaves her whimpering for him. "Do it," she encourages, voice breathy and almost needy as her arm wraps around his neck and she pulls him even closer, soft against hard. "Come inside me, Bear... please? Let me feel how good I make you feel," she whispers, brushing her mouth against his jaw, savoring the scratch of his beard against her skin, before she kisses him. As deep and hard as their initial kiss, tongue flicking out over his bottom lip.
BEAR
Knuckles white around where Bear has her hair in a fist, heâs holding onto her firmly but not pulling aside from a little tug at the root, fingers moving over her scalp as he kisses her back, moving against her hard a couple more times before he tips his forward against hers, breaking the kiss. He moves a hand to her breast, palming it and taking the weight of it in his hand as he reaches the edge of his resolve and topples over it, breathing scant as he makes a sound like heâs been hit in the gut, a sharp inhale before heâs mumbling, âOh fuck, goddamnit, Ryleigh,â and heâs pushed deep inside of her, words, totally gone, feeling her contracting around him still from her orgasm as he comes hard with a groan that reverberates off of the counters and floor, subconsciously realizing that her neighbors might have heard that one.
RYLEIGH
He's overpowering and she's succumbs to every second he spends inside of her. To his hand on her breast, his fingers tugging sharply on her hair encouraging the goosebumps to kiss her skin even more. Ryleigh trembles heavily and swears she feels another, much smaller, orgasm claim her as he comes inside of her. He pushes deep, stills and her arms wrap tight around his shoulders as he groans loudly, the sound echoing in her ears and filling the space of the apartment. Her own breathing is heavy, a fine sheen of sweat coating her skin and she can't stop herself from peppering kisses against his jaw, the side of his face as one of her hands slips up into his hair. Through the haze of lust, this primal need she'd had, she wonders what he'll think of her now. Whether he'll still--- she hadn't meant for this to happen, but there's something about him, something she hadn't been able to ignore. Challenging him probably hadn't been the smartest idea, but god, she doesn't regret it. Regret this. She trembles against him, a chill settling over her body as the cool air of the apartment is finally noticed around them.
BEAR
Itâs like coming up for air after being deep underwater when Bear finally comes back to himself. Heâs been leaning against her, letting her body and the counter prop him up as his knees had almost buckled when he came. His mind had gone totally bland, as it often did, brain offline to everything except how fucking good everything feels. He stands there like that for a few moments, aware of the sound of his breathing, of her breathing, the spots where their bodies touch that are damp from exertion...and then he realizes he should probably pull back a little so he does, hand in her hair moving over his back as he pulls back a little. Bear flashes her a smile, the expression much less guarded than before, reservation from before almost totally dissipated because heâs loose now and the good afterglow hormones flowing through him have him almost relaxed, more mellow than heâs been in a week. He lets out a short laugh as he meets her eye, shaking his head a little. âIs this part of the Dayton welcome too?â He asked, voice still husky.
RYLEIGH
He pulls back a little and her arms grow slack around him, her hands shifting to drift down over his skin, fingertips tracing the ink on his flesh as her eyes zero in on the ink. Able to really appreciate it now because she's not in some haze induced need for him to fuck her senseless. When her eyes shift back to his face, he's relaxed, that furrow in his brown smooth, and she smiles warmly. She'd done that. Or helped, at the very least, and it makes her proud she's able to have some kind of affect on him. His question pulls a laugh from her, the huskiness in his voice making her stomach clench and her body tight where she's still wrapped around him, because he might've pulled back, but he hasn't slipped out of her, yet. "Not even close. I'm not going to lie and say I haven't had my fair share of experiences in Dayton, but this isn't... you're different." Ryleigh answers with a small shrug, a pink hue staining her cheeks, but this time, from mild embarrassment with herself and not from the pleasure he'd stoked within her.
BEAR
When he feels her clench around him again, he swears quietly under his breath and shifts to slip from her, loosing a short laugh because heâs so sensitive he can barely stand it. He meets her eye again, a line forming along the center of his forehead as his brows pull together slightly. Heâs not sure what he thinks of that. He looks her over again, smoothing one of his hands over her thigh, smacking the outside of it lightly before he turns his back to her and picks up his boxer briefs, tugging them back on wordlessly before picking up his phone from the counter and checking the time just for something to do thatâs not talking. âGetting late,â He mumbles, not turning back around as he reaches for his jeans.
RYLEIGH
There's that crease again, appearing as quickly as it'd slipped away. She wants to reach for it, to smooth it away, but as quickly as the thought appears to her, he's slipping away, sliding out of her, leaving her empty. Ryleigh has to shut her thighs even as his hand slaps lightly against her skin in order to not be completely obscene because she's sure the combination of her slick and his cum leaking onto the counter would do very little for her sanity right now. Ryleigh watches him turn from her, reach for his boxer briefs and slide them on. Was it late? She'd lost track of time and she doesn't really care how late it is. He reaches for his jeans and sure, Ryleigh could do what she always does. Let him leave, clean up their mess, take a shower and hope the water washes away her tears as she's weighed down by every moment in her life which forces every insecurity to the forefront of her mind. Reminding her why she isn't important, why she's never going to be important. She's not the girl people stick around for; that's just her luck and somewhere along the way, she's learned to accept it. This, though? Watching him reach for his jeans is a kick to her gut she doesn't expect. She feels vulnerable and naked, a dull ache in her lower back, her thighs itching. Ryleigh slips from the counter and makes a split second decision to grab his shirt instead of her own. Easing it over her head, the fabric swallows her small frame, but shields her body down to her thighs, hiding away how damaged she actually is. "You offered me a ride after dinner... does that still stand or is this the part where you pretend this didn't happen with some bullshit excuse like you being too old for me?" Her arms wrap around her body as she leans back against the counter, eyes on his back.(edited)
BEAR
Bearâs surprised by her reaction. Genuinely, truly surprised. He was used to âcool girls,â girls who would go with the flow and nod along, disinterested and detached and happy to let him fuck them and go. Thatâs what it had been like on the road, thatâs what it had been like in Homer, and aside from a 3 month relationship he had his senior year of high school, itâs what it had been like the entirety of his life. He wasnât used to being held accountable, for anything other than saying the cursory âIâll text youâ to a girl who knew he definitely would not be texting her but she didnât care. He would get them off, they would get him off, it was an even exchange. Case closed, no hard feelings. And now this. He turned to look at Ryleigh over his shoulder, surprised to see her in his shirt, eyes on the spot where the hem brushed her thighs, noting the color difference between the dark shirt and the color of her skin, like cream or milk or something equally stupid and pseudo poetic. Sheâs challenging him. Bear doesnât know what to do with that. He debates making a joke about having already been for a ride but it seemed mean and he knew he didnât truly mean it. Heâs quiet for a beat, maybe a moment too long, just looking at her over his shoulder before he moves his hands to his fly, turning around and buttoning it as he speaks. âPants and shoes with some kind of hard toe,â he says, jerking his head toward where he guesses her room is.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh half expects him to say something mean, but she also doesn't believe he will. Not to her, at least, because that's not the vibe she's gotten from him this entire time. Not from their first meeting, or their second, and yeah, maybe it was unprecedented to fuck him so soon, but she's also been the kind of person who's blown a guy in a public bathroom because she could. Because she was good at it. So when he nods toward her bedroom and finally speaks, it takes her a minute to realize what he's saying. Her entire face lights up, though she tries to squash it as she nods, stoops to grab her clothes from the floor and shuffles through the apartment to he bedroom where her suitcase rests. There's a moment she debates cleaning herself up down there, especially because she's a little sore from being stretched so around him. Ryleigh shivers at the thought, removes his shirt to pull on a pair of clean panties, black jeans, a nude bra and a white t-shirt. A black denim jacket is eased on before she's slides her socked feet into a pair of pink combat boots she'd bought in a whim when she first moved to Dayton. She thinks the toe is hard enough at least. His shirt slung over her arm, she's finishing up the braid she'd started on her hair when she finally joins him. "Here," she offers, holding the shirt out to him, which she hopes smells like her when he slips it over his head.
Discord thread featuring: Ryleigh and Bear ( @laid-bear )
Where: Dayton, CA - Bearâs Apartment
When: Friday May 1st
Description: After dinner, Bear takes Ryleigh for a ride on his motorcycle and then back to his place.
Trigger Warnings: Smut.
Part 2
BEAR
As Bear stands in the kitchen waiting for her to put on clothes, he considers bolting. Not because he wants to, but because itâs what heâs done in the past, will probably do in the future. But he wills himself to stay rooted to the spot, instead doing up his belt again and moving to put his boots back on, pleased to see that heâs getting his shirt back when she enters the room again. Itâs almost strange to see her with clothes on even though what the hell else was she going to do? He takes the shirt from her, gathering the back of it up in his fists before he throws it over his head and lets the fabric settle around him. He catches a scent that isnât his and his eyes flick to hers before he picks up his jacket and puts that on as well. âNow?â He asks, even as he pulls his keys out of his pocket and shifts his weight automatically toward the door.
RYLEIGH
âOne second,â she answers, taking a moment to meticulously clean the spot in the counter theyâd just... you know. She can explain half cleaned dishes to Aiden. She canât explain why thereâs cum stains on his counter. Once thatâs finished and she washes her hands, she turns back to him and moves forward to grab her small wallet. It sinks into her back pocket, phone and keys into her jacket. âOkay, now.â Ryleigh nods, putting him out of his misery and leading him out of the apartment, shutting and locking the door behind them.
BEAR
Bear tucks his phone into his pocket, heading out in front of her and watching her lock the door over his shoulder. It was a mild night, the breeze rushing in cool and sweet against the parts of of him that were bareâthe v of his shirt, his face, the back of his neck. He moves to zip his jacket closed and nods at her, reaching to tug the front of her jacket. âYou need to do this thing up,â he said, looking down at her. âRoad rash is a bitch, God forbid.â
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh appreciates the cool breeze, breathing in deep to clear the web of sex and cologne from her head. His hands tugging on the front of her jacket draw her attention, hands lifting to bat his away gently so she can do just that. âYou planning on giving me road rash?â She teases, trying to put everything else out of her mind. She doesnât want things to be awkward between them, now, but maybe that was selfish of her. Wanting as much as she does.
BEAR
Bear likes that itâs dark. When itâs dark like this, he doesnât have to focus on holding his face even, he can smile and not feel like everyoneâs watching as he shakes his head at her. âNot planning on it, Meadows, but Iâm pretty sure nobody ever does,â he said, jerking his head down to the sidewalk where his bike is parked. Itâs old but in good condition and he walks over and picks up a single helmet from then handlebars, handing it to her. âSafety first.â
RYLEIGH
She appreciates the dark, too, and misses her rooftop evenings in New York where she could sit and stare up at the sky, unable to see the stars, but still able to know theyâre there. Years spent growing up in wide open country, you donât forget the stars. She misses the sound of her first name on his lips, her last name an intruder to the intimate moment theyâd shared. Ryleigh takes the helmet he gives her and itâs a little big, but does the trick. It wonât fly off if anything should happen. âAlright, Everett... show me the joys of riding a motorcycle,â she encourages, giving him a bright grin.
BEAR
Bear half smiled at the way she phrased the sentence, not sure why but he was amused and looked cute in the helmet and even though he was trying to play it cool, he couldnât help but feel his smile broaden at the way she grinned at him. He reached under the helmet and adjusted the chin strap, pulling it tighter before he stepped back from her, hands patting his abdomen. âYour hands go here. You donât let go. Youâre not gonna hurt me, you gotta hang on tight...â he said, nodding at the bike, âbecause when we go from stop to start, youâll jerk backwards. Your feet go here,â he said, pointing out the pegs on the bike. âAnd if you want a break, you pat me three times,â he said, tapping a spot on his chest, âright here. Got it?â
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh feels a sense of accomplishment over being able to make him smile like that. Heâs so handsome when he does and itâs a little distracting. She listens, absorbing his instructions, more than a little eager to wrap her arms around him, to hold on tight, toâ Ryleigh nods quickly. âYep, got it. Hold on tight, donât let go, let you know if itâs too much,â she reiterated, listing off the three things heâs just told her in simpler form. âIâm ready,â she adds with her own beaming smile, putting all other thoughts out of her mind. He couldâve easily as said no and continued on with his evening. The fact that heâs still here? Sâgot to be a good sign, right?
BEAR
Nodding as she repeats what heâs said back to him, Bear takes his keys out of his pocket and jerks his head toward the bike. âGood,â he says, walking over to it and putting his hands on the handlebars before he swings his leg over the seat and kicks the kickstand back up. He puts the keys in the ignition and turns, and the old Indian rumbles to life, vibrating under him as he cranks the clutch a little and coaxes the engine warm. He reaches back with one hand and pats the seat behind him, saying âCâmon,â over the roar of the motor which isnât muffled by a helmet because heâs only brought one for her.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh canât take her eyes off of him. He moves fluidly, swinging his leg over the bike, settling in place like heâs meant to be there. Nerves clench tightly in her body, but she squares herself and shuffles to join him. She braces one hand on his shoulder and moves to swing her own leg over, though sheâs nowhere near as graceful as he is. Thereâs power between her legs, a heavy vibration of the bike between them and sheâs already sensitive, not expecting the feeling to jar her. It does, just slightly and she hopes sheâs managed to keep her squeak to a minimum. Once sheâs settled, her arms curl around his broad chest and sheâs placing her hands where heâd told heâd told her, holding on tight.
BEAR
Bear waits until sheâs settled against the seat and has her arms around him before he cranks the clutch, the motor revving as he reaches to his chest and puts a hand over both of hers before he looks back at her over his shoulder. âAlright...here we go,â he says, patting her hands once more before he puts a hand on the throttle and releases the clutch as he pulls the throttle, the rev of the bike increasing before he checks for traffic and pulls them out onto the street, going a little faster than the speed limit as he heads through the center of town out toward some of the more rural areas.
RYLEIGH
The moment she feels the bike rumble and begin to move, her grip tightens further, her chest impossibly flush with his back and she has to close her eyes for a minute while her body gets used to the rush of air around her. Sheâs never done anything like this... getting on the back of a motorcycle with a potential stranger... though can he really be considered that anymore after what transpired in the kitchen? Blinking open her eyes, a Ryleigh watches the street lights, the store fronts, the word whiz past them as he drives them through the center of town. She laughs, but itâs muffled by her helmet and while she relaxes, her grip around him never loosens.
BEAR
Bear is careful to take the turns evenly and signal with enough time so Ryleigh knows what to expect. Heâs found that unlike in the real life, telegraphing what heâs thinking on the bike is fundamental. They ride out past the center of town and then the suburbs toward the coast where the land goes even and the dark sky is wide above them, moon a waxing half crescent and the stars flicking now that the city lights are no longer competing.
RYLEIGH
There's something freeing about leaving the city lights behind, artificial giving way to the scant darkness of nature. She can honestly say she's never ventured far past Dayton's city limits since arriving a couple of months ago, so to be experiencing this, to be able to glance up and see the stars above them, she's filled with a sense of joy. Her fingers tighten against his jacket, not caring where he takes them. She's along for the ride and is enjoying each moment, wind whipping around them, her body leaning into his and she wonders if his heart is beating as fast as hers is. He's probably used to this, to the rush.
BEAR
Thereâs a fondness in his chest that blooms as he feels her hold him tighter. He doesnât know why. He doesnât know if he wants to know why. Instead, he moves a hand up to hers and squeezes it, glancing back over his shoulder now that theyâre on an open stretch of road and there arenât any cars or pedestrians to dodge. âYou alright?â He calls over the rush of wind and the sound of the motor.
RYLEIGH
Her laugh is muffled by the helmet, but his question is heard over the rush of wind and she nods. Between the absolute freeing feeling she's basking in, his hand squeezing hers fills her with a sense of comfort. She doesn't know why she doesn't want to ruin whatever... this is. It's probably nothing. Perhaps a moment in time she'll treasure for the rest of her life, but his hand squeezing hers grounds her, makes her feel safer than she's felt in a very long time. "I'm amazing!" She responds when she realizes he wouldn't have been able to see her nod.
BEAR
Bear looks back at the road, checking to make sure he was pointing the front fire down the road the right way, before he looked back at her again and loosed a half smile at her and moved a hand down and patted the outside of her thigh. âGood!â He called over the wind, eyes going back to the road and hand lingering there.
RYLEIGH
Oh, that smile. She could pretty much watch him smile at her all day, especially with that little half smile, and she'd be perfectly content. His hand is warm on her thigh and it should bother her that he doesn't have both hands on the handle bars, but it doesn't. She trusts him. Ryleigh wishes the stupid helmet wasn't in the way so she could rest her head against him, but safety first and all that. Â Ryleigh does settle more firmly against his back, hands still tight against his chest.
BEAR
Bear shifts a little to get more comfortable, riding for a couple of minutes before he returns both hands to the handlebars and turns into a divided highway. He finds a safe place to turn off, the beach on one side and cliffs on the other side, the rolls to a stop in the berm, cutting the engine and looking back at her. âQuick break?â
RYLEIGH
As much as she's enjoyed their ride, she's also grateful when he pulls to a stop. Her thighs ache from being cradled against him the way they have been and as she climbs off of the bike, it takes her a minute to gain her footing. Like how it feels stepping off of a really turbulent roller coaster. Her helmet comes off and her face is flushed, but she's smiling so wide when she looks at him. "I can see why people would get addicted to riding these things," she muses, setting the helmet down on her vacated spot, looking around them as she does. "I can't remember the last time I looked up and just saw stars... I was seventeen, I think... seems like a life time ago." Ryleigh says as her gaze drifts up and she allows herself a moment of watching the sky, a few heavy clouds in the sky, but nothing to be worried about.
BEAR
Kicking the stand down, Bear stands as well, unzipping his jacket now that thereâs not wind whipping at them. He folds his arms across his chest and looks at Ryleigh for a beat before his gaze too turns skyward. He finds himself smiling and doesnât even try to hide it even as his attention is on the stars as he speaks, the tiniest bit of humor evident in his tone when he speaks. âHow long ago was seventeen for you?â
RYLEIGH
She laughs at his question, rolling her gaze down to meet his. âDoes it really bother you? The age thing?â She asks instead of answering right away, teasing him lightly. Her own hands rise to unbutton her jacket. âIt was 4 years ago, Iâll be twenty-two in June.â Ryleigh adds after a beat. âHow long again was seventeen for you, hm?â
BEAR
Bear is really ready to hear twenty-four but is hoping for twenty-five, waiting for her to say how old she is. When he realizes sheâs twenty-one, he exhales a long breath and laughs a little to himself, the sound rueful, shaking his head as he rakes a hand through his hair and keeps his eye on the sky even as she looks over at him. âThirteen years ago.â
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh isnât surprised by his answer. Sheâd known he was older, but it hadnât really bothered her. Â Is he really so bothered by how young she is? Some days she definitely doesnât feel like she should only twenty-one. âI knew it. Youâre an old man... Iâm surprised you were able to keep up,â she jests, her gaze slipping past his shoulders to the land behind him. Taking a few steps toward him, she makes it seem like sheâs going to press her body against his, but she quickly moves past him, heading deeper into the night and toward the sound of water crashing up onto the land.
BEAR
Watching her out of the corner of his eye, heâs waiting to hear some comment like âthatâs not that oldâ or âwho cares,â and he has to admit that heâs actually a little surprisedâin a good wayâat the joke. He finds himself turning toward her and watching as she passes him, eyes on her as she heads into the dark. He shrugs his jacket off and tosses it over the saddle of the bike before he follows after her, glad the sand was packed together wet so it was easier to follow after her. He comes up behind her wordlessly, shifting to stand next to her again as he folds his arms across his chest again, glancing over at her. âHow old would you have guessed?â
RYLEIGH
She stops when sheâs closer to the water she can hear crashing against the shore, their only source of light the half crescent in the sky. Peering sideways at him, she notices sheâs removed his jacket and she kind of wishes sheâd of done the same. âMm, thirty-five,â she answers with a small shrug, teasing him. Ryleigh merely hadnât given it much thought at all, but she canât resist messing him. Just a little.
BEAR
âPhew, good, Iâm actually thirtyâfour,â Bear deadpans, managing to say the words in a tone that heâs almost sure will sound convincing to her as he tucks his hands in his pocket, eyes going over to her. The only thing that could possibly give him away is a flicker in his jaw from where his forcing himself not to smile, but even thats almost imperceptible.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh canât tell if heâs being honest or messing with her, but she side eyes him carefully. âThatâs better than thirty. Old men are hot,â she responds, smiling innocently at him. âOn a scale of one to ten, though, how cold do you think that water is?â Changing the subject, she nods toward the water, the moon reflecting off of the dark expanse. It reminds her of home. They hadnât been near a beach, but the watering hole she spent every summer at was the closest they had.
BEAR
Bear snorts a little when she doesnât take the bait and then looks out at the water, pausing for a moment as he thought. âFeels like thereâs a way to find out,â he says, reaching back and tugging his shirt over his head. He decides thatâs better than talking more about the fact that sheâs so fucking young and heâs so fucking old.
RYLEIGH
She half expects him to tell her they donât need to find out, because anyone else she knows except maybe one or two people would have. Ryleigh watches his shirt come off, allows herself a moment to appreciate him, before she follows suit. She shrugs her jacket off and removes her t-shirt, finding a relatively dry spot of sand to drop them on. Her back turned to him, she kicks off her boots before unbuttoning her jeans and sheâs thankful for the semi darkness because she can keep the most damaged part of her hidden for a little while longer.
BEAR
Undoing his belt and unbuckling his jeans, kicking off his boots and then stepping out of his jeans before he  stands in his boxer briefs and looks at her over his shoulder. He watches her undress without shame because her back his to him, eyes moving over her in the dim light before he turns back towards the water and takes a few steps forward before waiting for her.
RYLEIGH
Thereâs a debate with herself for half a second whether to leave her bra on or not after she shimmies out of her jeans. Her bra does come off, because wet bras are not comfortable and worst case, she can at least wear jeans without panties. Theyâre they only thing sheâs wearing when she turns back to see him taking a few steps toward the water. Ryleigh grins, before she takes off running. She runs past him, and right into the water. Itâs fucking cold, but she loves it. âYou gotta move faster than that, slow poke,â she teases, as sheâs eases back into the water, lowering herself until sheâs submerged to her shoulders.
BEAR
Bear watches her run and heâs grinning a little to himself, easing into the water at his own pace only because she gave him shit and heâs starting to realize that he likes doing things that he thinks might get a reaction out of her. He wades in deeper, the water rushing around his waist and then up to his abdomen and itâs at a spot between his chest and the top of his abs by the time he reaches her. âNot too bad,â he said, noting that the water is pretty chilly but definitely not freezing like heâd thought it might be.
RYLEIGH
Heâs taking his time, which she doesnât really mind, because she enjoys getting to watch him. Water moving against his skin, highlighted by the pale, half light of the moon, heâs a vision of sheâs even allowed to do use that sort of description. She canât help herself. When he reaches her, Ryleigh closes the distance between them and theyâre almost eye level when her hands find purchase on his shoulders. âThank you for bringing me out here.â Her voice is quiet, genuine, as her fingers graze over the ink of his shoulder. âDoes this have any special meaning behind it?â Some people get tattoos for giggles or because they like the aesthetic. Others have stories.
BEAR
When he reaches her, he moves his body to break the waves even though theyâre small so he can keep his footing, watching how the moonlight lights up her hair like a haloâgiven how light it is already, it looks almost silver-white against the dark of the sky. Her hands are warm when she touches his shoulders and he moves a hand to her back so they can stand roughly face to face in the same place. He looks at where sheâs touching him, a large tattoo of tree branches there. âI got it when I was in Washington...I had a part-time job as a logger and I know itâs fucking counter intuitive, but I liked being out in the woods like that.â
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh tries not to sigh when his hand finds her back, because she likes the feeling of his skin against hers. Her gaze constantly shifts between his face and his shoulder. âCounter intuitive or no, I like it. Itâs part of who you are.â Ryleigh smiles at him, the water lapping around them shifting her body against his. âWhat did you like about it so much?â She asks quietly, her thumb brushing along one of the branches.
BEAR
He doesnât know what to do with all the questions she asks. Heâs not used to talking this much about himselfânormally heâs only talking to someone and telling them enough to get a job somewhere, maybe answering where heâs from to someone in a bar or talking about a sportâs team he doesnât mind watching. But Ryleigh asks questions that makes him think and that makes him nervous. Because he doesnât know what to say so he has no choice but to say the truth and that makes him even more unsettled. âI liked the quiet. When the saws were off and we were taking our lunch break, it was like going back in time or something,â he said, feeling like it sounded stupid.
RYLEIGH
Quiet. She understood quiet. Understood a need for a moment of peace in the symphony of the world. Her fingers continue their caress of his shoulder, eyes falling to catch the way the water drips over his skin. âThatâs why I like the dark. Night time. The ability to look up and see never ending sky,â she offers, because itâs only fair she gives just as much as she asks for. Ryleigh looks up, a fond smile on her lips. âWhen I was a kid, my brother and I used to look up at the stars and wish for aliens to come and take us away from everything. And when we realized what was never going to happen, we at least knew, no matter what was happening, the stars were never going to change.â A few heartbeats later, she drops her chin to meet his gaze again, cheeks warm. âNo matter what part of the world youâre in, you can always count on the sky even when you canât count on anything else. I imagine the woods give you that same kind of solace. â
BEAR
Bear is surprised by what she says, glad heâs not being asked any questions and even more glad that sheâs talking about her because he wanted to know more about her. He recalls the tattoos on her hip and he drops his hand into the water to where her hip is and brushes his fingers over the spot. âI think youâre right,â he mumbles quietly, wanting to ask questions but also not want to delve into anything too dark.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh trembles against him when his thumb grazes over her hip. Right where she knows one of her tattoos is. âI got that for my eighteenth birthday. Again, a thing for stars,â she tells him as her other hand rises to curl around the back of his neck, merely wanting to be close to him. He keeps her steady in the water and sheâs enjoying this with him. âIâd like to get all of the constellations eventually.â
BEAR
Bearâs brows raise a little at that as he looks down at her, thumb still lingering on her skin in the water as he met her eye. âThatâs a lot of tattoos, Meadows,â he was quietly, settling against her a little bit because why the hell was he resisting given the fact theyâd just banged on her counter like an hour ago.
âWhere do you want them?â He asked, now thinking about all the places they could go and finding a rush of heat to his gut as he looked over her body in the moonlight.
RYLEIGH
Why had she said that? His thumb is still lingering on her skin, finding comfort when he settles against her. Ryleighâs content to leave it at that, his quiet voice thrilling and smooth, but then he asks her where sheâd want them. Why had she said anything? Her jaw tightens as she bites down on the tip of her tongue. Debates not answering, but she seems to be doing a lot of things with Bear she hasnât done with anyone else. âMy back, mostly. My thighs, too. There are tattoo artists that specialize in covering up scars and if I can ever afford it, Iâd like for them to look like the stars.â She canât look him in the eye when she answers, her voice no more than a whisper. Ryleigh soothes herself via continuing to trace his own ink.
BEAR
His brows came together at her answered, straining to hear her over the rush of the water and how quiet her voice was. He cranes his neck a little lower to try to hear her, just barely catching what she says before he looks at her with confusion as he pieces together the meaning of her words. âWhat are you talking about?â He asked, the fact that he doesnât quite understand evident.
RYLEIGH
Thereâs an easy out. Ryleigh could laugh it off, break his old on her and swim away. She could shatter whatâs left of this moment, but she doesnât want to. Â And she doesnât want him to look at her any differently. Instead of answering him, she takes his hand from her hip and slides it around to her lower back, both of their fingers barely grazing one of the thirty or so puckered lines littered and cross crossed along her lower back and her the backs of her thighs. Itâs been less than a year since she received them, but sometimes they still ache as they did those first few months of her healing.
BEAR
Heâs not sure why he didnât notice before, but now that his hands are on the skin he can feel the ridges that he knows are scars and he feels the pit of his stomach twist as his fingers trace across them. Heâs not sure what to do or say but he looks up at her and itâs clear heâs at a loss. He wants to ask what caused them but he also doesnât know that heâs ready or if itâs rude so he doesnât. Instead, he focuses on meeting her eyes and takes her face between his palms, fingers along her cheekbones, and he kisses her.
RYLEIGH
Sheâs grateful he doesnât ask about them, because thatâs not a story sheâs ever willing to speak aloud. Knots twist up in her belly, trying to think of a time when sheâd willingly allowed anyone to touch them. Someone had tried, even told her she was beautiful when he did, but sheâd broken down and cringed away from him because thereâs not a single part of her that will ever believe it. Bear touching her puts her on edge, but doesnât... she doesnât feel that same swell of panic. His hands are large on either side of her face, drawing her gaze up to his and when he kisses her, Ryleigh melts against him, her small hands finding purchase against his broad chest.
BEAR
His mouth is slow and easy against hers, the urgency from before gone because he isnât out to get anything from her right now. Bear doesnât know what to say or doesnât have any guesses as to what happened that had left her like this, but he knows whatever it was, it was done to her and he canât imagine, given how systematic the slashes felt under his fingers, that it couldâve been done in any way other than via cruelty. And heâs done cruel thingsânot as cruel as that, maybe, but heâs done wrong, and the only way he can think to respond is with something thatâs not cruel and he doesnât have the words for reassurance. What he can do is bring his lips to hers and let his teeth graze her lower lip, tongue in her mouth as he deepens the kiss. Heâs taking his time, his touch is soft as he works a hand into her hair and he is again reminded of how small she is.
RYLEIGH
There are no excuses. He doesnât offer her words sheâll never believe, optimism she rarely feels when in the quiet of her own home. He kisses her and she focuses on that, on his hand sinking softly into her hair. A complete contrast to the wild heat which claimed them earlier, but no less welcomed. Her lower lip tingles in the wake of his teeth grazing against her, levying the water around them until her chest as she sinks further into him, one of her arms sliding up around the back of his neck. She doesnât try to deepen the kiss further, rather, enjoying the languid stroke of her tongue against his own.
BEAR
His arms go around her and he holds her closer to him, fingertips trailing once along of the scars on her back before he moves a hand down to to the curve of her ass and smooths his palm over it. Heâs not trying to make a move on her, but he likes touching her, likes to feel how cool her skin is now that the water has chilled it. After a few moments he pulls away from her and picks up one of her hands and moves it to a spot just above his heart. Thereâs a thick scar that slides across the top of his pec and even though itâs clearly old, itâs still raised from the rest of his skin. âWhen I was twenty-two, I got jumped by a couple of idiots outside of a bar in Fairbanks after I talked shit in a club. It wasnât even a knife, it was a fucking box cutter.â Heâs not sure why heâs telling her this, but he thinks she might be in her head and he wants her out of it. âThis,â he said, moving his hand down lower near his navel where a shorter scar curved toward his hipbone. âWas from falling from a tree onto some branches when I was on that job I told you about earlier.â Heâs afraid sheâs going to think that heâs telling her this so that sheâll tell him hers, but thatâs not what he wants because heâs, frankly, scared to hear what someone has done to her. His thoughts flash to his mother before he puts her eyes back on her face and moves to push some hair behind her ear, water trailing against her cheek as he seems to consider her a moment. âI donât know what Iâm talking about. Iâm just rambling. I donât do well when I donât know what to say.â
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh trembles against him, his fingers trailing over he skin, against her raised flesh, is simultaneously thrilling and nerve wrecking. He doesnât shy away or stop touching her and it means more than sheâs ever willing to admit. When he guides her hand to his chest, fingers grazing the puckered scar sheâd hardly noticed in her previous haze of need for him, she drags her thumb along the length of it. Â Her brows furrow, unsure what to say, so Ryleigh dips her head to kiss him there instead until her hand is being guided toward another spot, a smaller scar she canât see, but can feel underneath her fingertips. She imagines him, his big frame tumbling from a tree and she doesnât know why it brings a small smile to her lips. Makes him seem more human and less... mystery. Ryleigh blinks up at him when he tucks hair thatâs fallen loose from her braid behind her ear, cheek tickling where the water trails her skin. Â âIâm sorry.â Ryleigh apologizes, face flushing, because she hadnât meant to make this weird or awkward or... âI wish I had a story that made sense for them. I donât remember most of it because I blacked out and what I do remember...â Her thumb continues to trek across the scar on his chest, a quiet sound in her throat. Â âI like the sound of your voice, though, and I wouldnât say you were rambling,â she finally says after a long moment, bobbing up a little so she can kiss his cheek. âThank you for sharing them with me.â
BEAR
Heâs afraid heâs said something wrong. Even as she doesnât give him a look like âok, idiot,â even as she touches him and even smiles a little, heâs pretty sure heâs done it because she apologizes. He feels the weight of his own selfishness like gravity and it roots him to the spot. In spite of what she follows up with, he focuses on the apology and wonders how someone who had thatâwhatever it wasâhappen to her ends up in California apologizing to a man she barely knows for something that was obviously beyond her control. There is intimacy and there is distance together in the moment as he watches her, wondering why he couldnât have just ate the food she made without putting his hands on her, moving inside of her, creating the complicated static that lead to this. Heâs quiet and the hand on her back is still and his touch is light and he canât remember the last time he was at this much of a loss for the right thing to say. He is so very aware that he is not the person this girl should be spending her time around. He thinks of all the guys in the strip club, the bars he visitedâsometimes they seemed like boys to himâand their wide smiles and their ease of manner and he can imagine any of them in his place. âYou donât have anything to be sorry about.â
RYLEIGH
Doesnât she though? For any number of things. For not letting him leave when he was so clearly ready to before. For telling him he doesnât scare her, because he does, just not in the same way others have in the past. For putting her hands on him at all when heâs a grown man who definitely couldnât want anything to do with her. So many people in the world and Ryleigh has no idea why heâd said yes to dinner or any of this. Most of all, sometimes, sheâs merely sorry for existing. Wouldnât it be better if she didnât? Sheâs been told so before and for a while, with every bruise she had to cover up, she believed it. Still does, sometimes. âDonât I? You could literally be doing anything else right now, but here you are, nearly naked in the middle of the ocean, talking about something I never talk to anyone about because Iâm fucking damaged. Â You being here is partially my fault because I couldâve let you leave earlier. I didnât want you to and Iâm a little selfish for it.â The honesty is a raw thing in her throat and she expects him to pull away from her because of it. She keeps touching him, though, committing as much of him to memory as she can.
BEAR
Bearâs starting to realize that he literally has no idea what Ryleigh is thinking at any given moment. Like, ever. Heâs only talked to her three times but almost every time heâs been surprised by her, itâs like watching a play where only one person has rehearsed and itâs not him. Heâs left scrambling, trying to figure out what the hell to say, wondering if maybe heâs been more isolated than he realized because he canât ever remember struggling for something as simple as passable words as much as he is about every five minutes. Maybe thatâs why he watches her so closely, heâs trying to glean from her face what sheâs going to say, trying to buy himself a second or two or three of head start so he can have something ready. He feels a wave of guilt hit him as she calls him outâit sucks but itâs deserved and that makes it suck more. He wants to reassure her but heâs not sure what that would sound like. He tries a few things in his head as his eyes go to hers and the water swells and pushes and pulls around them, the sound of the surf filling his ears like white noise. âIâm a grown-ass man, Ryleigh,â he says before heâs really even decided on what he was going to say, voice a little gruff but not meanâfrustrated, clearly with himself, âI couldâve left whenever I wanted. Could be home on my couch right now if thatâs what I decided to do.â
RYLEIGH
She's not sure how they got here. How they've gone from dinner, to sex, to a motorcycle ride, to baring herself in the middle of the ocean. There's such a whirlwind of thoughts inside her head. He's right. He is a grown man and he could've said no. Is it horrible of her to like the frustration she hears in his voice? If only because he's seemed so unaffected most of the evening, minus when he'd been inside of her, and he's hard to read, to really gauge what he's thinking. "I'm glad you're not," she admits, bright eyes roving over his face as the water continues to swell and push them against one another. She hasn't let go of him, hasn't stopped touching him, and maybe it's a good sign he hasn't completely disentangled himself from her. One hand around his neck, she tugs gently until she's able to brush a kiss against his neck, to the left side, tasting the salt of the ocean on him. "Thank you for bringing me out here," she adds quietly, another brush of her lips across one broad shoulder. Even if he hadn't meant to bring her here, exactly, she's still grateful for it.
BEAR
Bear watches the moonlight illuminate her face, her eyes almost glowing in the pale light, and heâs suddenly aware of all of the places theyâre touching and he bends his neck when she tugs at him, one hand sliding down to cup her ass as he lets the buoyancy of the water do the work, lifting her slightly so he doesnât have to stoop as much and she doesnât have to crane her neck. He likes how her lips feel on his skin and he likes the contact and when she brings her mouth to his shoulder he moves a hand into her hair and he sinks a little deeper on the water so itâs around the middle of her back now and itâs crawling higher on his chest. âYouâre welcome,â he mumbles almost absently, relaxing a little now at the contact because now her mouth was on his shoulder and it felt nice and he didnât to say anything that might make her stop.
RYLEIGH
She feels weightless against him, with the water helping buoy them and his arm wrapped tight around her, Ryleigh doesn't have to focus on anything but him. He accepts her gratitude gracefully, making her smile against his shoulder before she moves on to another patch of skin. Exploring him with her mouth, kissing every tree branch on his flesh. Her tongue dips out to taste the heady combination of salt and him, before she's working a path back to his neck. To the hard tendon where she nips gently at him as her legs shift to wrap around his waist. There's no urgency in her movements, an almost languid exploration as she basks in the feel of him.
BEAR
It would be a lie if this wasnât doing anything for him. Bear can feel her tongue against him and her lips and her body and the roll of the water that bumps them together and the fact that itâs /not/ sexual makes it almost worse. He moves his hands down to the outside of her thighs, smoothing his palms from just above her knee up toward her hips and then back down again as he uses the motion to pull her a little tighter to him. He ducks his head a little when sheâs kissing his neck, exhaling a sigh that sounds both contented and maybe even a little tense as he hooks his fingers through the leg loop and around the waistband of her underwear, fingertips kneading lightly into the sink there.
RYLEIGH
There's a naturalness about the moment she's never felt before. She's not trying to be something she isn't and just as much as she doesn't back down from him, he hasn't back down from her. Maybe she surprises him, but he surprises her, too. She'd been so sure he would've told them to get dressed by now so they could head back, but his hands are crawling up her thighs, his fingertips leaving trails of heat in the wake of his touch. His sigh when she kisses his neck is music to her ears, her fingers sliding up into the back of his hair as his own knead at her flesh. She turns her head, lips drifting along the angled line of his jaw, scruff rough against her soft lips. For once, she has no desire to fill the space with the sound of her voice. She's content in the silence, in the white noise of the crashing waves, in the pounding of her own heart as she shifts against him.
BEAR
Bear isnât used to this. Heâs used to hard, fast, and rough hookups that start after more than a couple of drinks and end with a spent condom being tossed in a bar bathroom, out a car window, into a trash can on the way out of the house of a girl whose name he probably wonât remember a day or two later. Heâs not used to the way her hands move over him or how sheâs taking her time to move her lips along the plan of his check and to his jaw, the inherent tenderness in the act of kissing someone when you arenât in the process of stripping them naked and arenât so drunk that your movements are messy and erratic. He anchors her to him so theyâre waist to waist and one hand follows her thigh to the curve of her ass, brushing briefly over the scars along the way. He wants to dip his head lower to kiss her but he also likes the surprise of letting her do what she wants, his curiosity winning out as he decides to follow her lead.
RYLEIGH
This is new for her, too. The last time sheâs ever been given a chance to explore someone, and not even to this extent, Â had been when she first moved to New York and met Stevie. Their friendship had been the highlight of her entire time in New York, outside of culinary school. That was before, though. When she didnât feel so broken all the time. Right here, with Bearâs hands anchoring her against him, brushing along her ass and skirting against her scars, she doesnât even flinch away as she once might have. Ryleigh continues her exploration, kissing across his chin, nudging his head to the other side so she can explore him there, too. Teasing kisses down that side of his neck, toward the tender patch of skin behind his ear. Nipping at him there, her hand squeezes around the back of his neck, hand tiny against him.
BEAR
When she kisses across the angle of his chin, it takes everything in Bearâs power not to dip his face and kiss her, the desire to do that increasing exponentially as she moves away but heâs being patient and he had control earlier....now heâs giving it up to her. Itâs definitely a new shift for him, but at the moment heâs perfectly content to do it because everything feels good and it seems like the right thing to do after their conversation. Heâs breathing hitches a little when her mouth is against his neck and it must be increasingly obvious to her how into this he is because he can feel himself getting harder against the inside of her thigh. He makes a dent in his lower keep with his teeth as he moves his hand up from her ass, fingers tracing her spine toward the back of her neck as he ghosts water droplets over her neck, the tops of her shoulders, the drops running rivers down the front of her chest to meet the ocean that laps there.
RYLEIGH
Initially, her kissing him like this, exploring him, was merely her way to familiarize herself with his body. To commit as much of this moment to memory as she's able to, but when she feels him growing hard against her thigh, she's not at all deterred by her path. If it weren't for the coolness of the water around them, trickling over her skin as he moves his hand up her spine, toward the back of her neck, he'd be able to feel the heat of her where she's pressed so close to him. Her mouth lingers against his neck, licking at his skin, debating for a heartbeat before she bites down. Sucking hard on his skin, her own marks he'd left on her earlier throbbing in response. Her free hand dips down beneath the water before rising back up to brush over his still exposed skin, mirroring his touch of ghosting water droplets over his own skin. If he's as warm as she is, the reprieve is welcomed as the water is far cooler than the pink spreading over her flesh.
BEAR
Bear sucks in a heavy breath as her teeth sink into his skin and his hips sputter forward automatically to press closer to her, not exactly sure what the hell is going on here but it feels good and heâs not about to back down from that. The hand on her back pushes up past the hair near her neck to drag his fingers over her scalp. He feels the cold water drip over his shoulders and goosebumps bloom from the center of his chest up to his shoulders and down his arms. Sheâs so small that he could easily toss her around but right now sheâs clearly got all of the power here, who had the upper hand at the moment more than evident.
RYLEIGH
When his hips jerk forward, she can feel the press of him against her, feel how much he's affected and she's never wanted make anyone feel like she wants to make Bear feel right now. She doesn't stop sucking on him until she's sure she's left a mark and when she lifts her head after a solid minute, her hand slips away from his hair to fall to the tender, red skin. Brushing her thumb over it. His skin isn't as fair as hers and she bruises pretty easily, but she can still see the faint mark there. Is it bad that she really wants him as much as she does, right here? Her hand falls back into the water again as she kisses his neglected shoulder, peppering them down toward his bicep. Beneath the water, her hand drifts over his lower abdomen, precariously close to the waist of his boxer briefs, teasing against his skin but not quite dipping any lower.
BEAR
The words are out of his mouth before he can stop himself from saying them. âYouâre driving me crazy...â he mumbled under his breath, mouth against the top of her hair, his voice deep and almost hoarse sounding, the words almost a sigh over the sound of the surf as Bear moves his hand from her hair down to trace his thumb across the curve of her jaw and then the hollow of her throat. When Ryleighâs hand sinks lower, he closes his eyes and grunts a little, clearly pleased but also kind of dying because it feels so good and heâs letting her do her thing and for maybe the first time ever, he /likes/ the fact that heâs actually getting kind of desperate for someone.
RYLEIGH
âAm I?â Her query is more of a soft sigh than anything, as she follows the line of his shoulder back to his neck, still not rushing. Taking her time as her fingers follow along fabric, lightly tugging at the waist of his boxers briefs if only to see just how long itâll take before he breaks. Sheâs hardly unaffected by his own touch, because each brush of his thumb against her skin had a profound affect between her thighs and sheâs never been more thankful she has the ability to hide her own arousal. Not including how she trembles against him, or how hard her nipples are, both could  easily be attributed to the cold. Itâs not. She swallows down a small sound when his thumb works down her throat before kissing his own. Her hand beneath the water shifts beneath fabric, fingers dangerously close to the solid heat of him but never quite touching.
BEAR
The question simultaneously amuses and annoys him. It amuses him because he likes the coyness, likes the lack of hesitation with which she touches him, likes the confidence he perceives from the fact that sheâs taking free reign of his body. Annoys him because /of course/ sheâs driving him crazy, heâs hard from her mouth alone and now that her hand is dipping lower the urgency of his want is only more acute. He traces his hand from her throat to her collarbone, from there circling the round of her breast, fingers dangerously close to the nipple but he never touches it, only teases close and then circles away before he repeats the process with her other breast.
RYLEIGH
She wonders which one of them will break first, because his own fingers are taunting her. Smoothing over her flesh, teasing around her breast, never quite touching where she's the most sensitive and craves his touch. No, he jumps from one breast to the other without giving her that relief while her own hand does some taunting of her own. She hates his boxer briefs in the way, though, so both of her hands fall beneath the water and with a little shifting, using the water to help her, she manages to push the fabric down. She only pushes them down enough to free him, but doesn't go for the kill the moment she does, despite being able to feel him against the softness of her inner thigh when she settles back against him. Ryleigh's fingers explore skin revealed, but never quite touch where he probably wants her to most, her mouth returning to his neck, kissing a line up over his adam's apple, his chin, stopping just shy of his mouth.
BEAR
Thereâs strained levity in his tone when he speaks again, voice like gravel, the baritone tone he normally has pitching down to bass as he taunts him with her touch. âFuck you.â He doesnât want to break first so he moves his hand down the center of her chest between her breasts to her abdomen, drawing a circle around her navel with his touch before he finds the top of her panties, fingers tracing over the waistband and then under as hers had done with him before. Freed from his boxers, his cock twitches at the new sensation, full mast as he feels the silk of his shaft press into the plush of her inner thigh and he swears under his breath, hips rutting forward slightly.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh draws her head away from his and laughs, his words drawing the sound from deep in her belly and into the air between them. Almost melodic, but definitely amused, and it soon morphs when his hand drifts further down the front of her body. He's touched her not an hour before, maybe two? She's lost all sense of time, but it doesn't matter, because he's teasing her as he sinks his hand beneath her panties, mirroring her own actions on him. Her breath hitches, but she doesn't break. Not yet. He feels hot and heavy against her thigh, her fingers just barely grazing along the length of him, following the throbbing vein in his shaft. Her lower lip falls prey to her teeth as she watches him, watches his face while she touches him, taunts him. "That's what you want isn't it?" Ryleigh finally asks, her sweet voice raspy with want as her thumb brushes over the head of his cock, still teasing.
BEAR
Bear is in such deep trouble that heâs almost dizzy, blood rushing south as she finally, finally, finally touches him. The sound that comes from the back of his throat would have been embarrassing under other circumstances but right now he doesnât even care as the groan clears his lips and he presses toward her touch. Her voice makes him throb more, the quality reminding him of how she sounded when heâd been inside her earlier. âGod, yeah, thatâsâŠâ he trails off, wondering if it was possible to legitimately go crazy with desire. He pushes his hand fully past the waistband and his fingers are between her legs and he badly wants to one up her, wants to push a thick finger inside her to watch her faceâbut even as his resolve wavers heâs still holding out. He teases a finger against her clit but not making direct contact, instead passing it and then doing it again as he explores her.
RYLEIGH
He doesn't finish his thought, which she's proud of, making it incapable for him to say anything more as she touches him. Never quite fully wrapping her hand around him, but dancing her fingertips around the silky heat, following each vein once before drifting back toward the base. When his own hand pushes into her panties, despite the water around them, she's certain he'll be able to feel how wet she is. Still sore from earlier, she's sensitive and his rough fingers teasing around the sensitive bundle of her clit without giving her proper contact makes her fight through a moan threatening to ease out of her. Her own resolve cracks, but at this point, it's a focus on who can last the longest. Ryleigh's tiny hand curls around the base of his cock, finally working her palm up along the length of him, giving him friction she, herself, craves against her clit, but beggars can't be choosers and she wants him to break first. "It felt good, didn't it?" She whispers, leaning her forehead against his, her free hand cupping against the back of his neck. "How tight I was around your cock? How wet I was for you? About the same as I am now," she finishes with a barely audible chuckle, brushing her lips against his as the words leave her.
BEAR
Yeah. This is how heâs going to lose whatever grip on reality he has left. When she gives him the friction he wants, he legitimately moans, the sound coming from deep in his chest and his fingers are on that bundle of nerves between her legs before he even cognitively releases thatâs what heâs doing, heâs so tapped to the moment and the feeling that heâs not making plans or plotting  ways to make her break anymore. He feels how wet she is, the sensation slippery and thatâs how he knows itâs not the cool water that rushes around him and he canât get enough of how it feels to slide his finger against her, to coax something out of her. He needs something inside of her so he pushes a finger in, stroking the pad of it against her walls, familiarizing himself intimately with where his cock had been before. And then sheâs talking and meets her eye, dragging his eyes from where the water laps against her breasts and meeting her eye as theyâre forehead to forehead. âYou feel so goodâŠso tight. I just wanna be inside of you, youâre such a fucking tease,â he rambled, mouth going to hers like a moth to flame because heâd needed that too, craved it even.
RYLEIGH
Fuck. She could listen to him moan for hours, it's such a deep, sensual sound in his throat. Her eyes flutter when and her own moan leaves her when he finally gives her that friction she craves against her clit. Drawing her deeper into the intimacy of the moment with every firm, dedicated brush. She doesn't expect him to sink into her, but then his finger is there, pushing inside of her and her walls are so sensitive, she gasps loudly and can't stifle her whimper as he presses up into her. Ryleigh's trembling harder against him, now, her hand still working along his cock with such a languid pace despite who much she wants to shift and impale herself on his cock without giving it any other thought. She doesn't, not yet, and his rumbling voice makes her smile. "Not a tease if I want you inside me, too, Bear," she points out, though her words are muffled by the kiss he gives her, a kiss she gladly returns with as much fervor, tightening herself around him.
BEAR
Bear kisses her and focuses on how she feels against his fingers because itâs basically the only thing rooting him to reality at the moment. She feels so good around him, the sounds sheâs making go straight to his cock and he hardens even more in her hand, the fact that sheâs basically shaking around him only amplifying his want as he works against her slowly in your with her movements. âSo let me inside of you,â he says, pulling his finger out of her but shifting his fingers to her clit now as he rubs his fingers in circles against her, his mind totally fucked and incapable of the logic he managed from earlier about how young she was, the fact that she seemed soft and delicate and sweet in stark contrast to everything he was.
RYLEIGH
He throbs in her hand as she feels him grown harder, his cock a solid weight in her hand as she strokes along his length. She's content with continuing to tease him until he says those words. Until he pulls his finger out of her to circle her clit. She could've easily just nudged her panties aside and done just that, but no. Ryleigh takes the time to remove them all together, batting his hands away from her in the process, and she doesn't care as they're officially lost to the sea. Her legs are around his waist once more, taking hold of him once more and while the first time had been all him, pushing into her on her kitchen counter, this? She controls as she guides him against her, as she cants her hips and-- Ryleigh moans sweetly at the first push of him inside of her, the pinch of pain instantly giving way to pleasure. Both of her hands find purchase on his shoulders, then, as she slowly sinks herself down, every solid inch of him dragging along her sensitive walls and he feels just as good as before. Better. Maybe she'd broken first, but she doesn't think she's the loser.
BEAR
Bear doesnât know what he though the best case scenario here wouldâve been but this is so much better than anything he couldâve thought up. He sinks into her and as she takes every last inch of him, heâs huffing a long, shallow breath, the syllables of her name broken and laced through the sound as he feels himself burrow deeper and deeper so slowly that heâs doing his best not to lock his hips to hers out of mere impatience. He holds off though because the way theyâre positioned, the way the water holds their bodies, he has no choice but to be victim to what she wants, to how she decides to move her body to his. âHoly fuck, Ryleigh,â he rasps against these swell of waves.
RYLEIGH
She takes him much easier now than before, despite still being incredibly tight around him. Her movements don't stop until there's no more for her to take, every inch of him nestled inside the heat of her. Despite stilling against him, the ocean waves lapping around them don't keep her still, creating that little bit of friction between them with every lap of the water around their bodies. His voice, rasping her name the way he does, sends a pleasurable shudder through her and she's using her leverage on his shoulders to lift herself up and sink back down. Before, he'd had all of the control, keeping her pinned to the counter as he fucked her, and here? Here, he's still holding her steady, but she's the one moving, the one fucking him, and it's--- "God, you feel so good," she moans out, and maybe the next time she has him naked, she'll do more than just want to be on his cock like this, but she's content with this - is desperate for this. Is it possible to be addicted to something in such a short amount of time?
BEAR
All he wants is for her to move against him, to feel what she wants from him, to see if itâs different to how he leveled his hips to hers, different to how heâd stroked into her. Heâs not sure why but heâs absolutely on fire for what sheâs doing, attention on every bit of tension in her body, the curve of her lips which he covers with his own, tongue stroking against hers. He wants to get her off, craves the way she came undone before, wants to hear his name in her mouth as she hurtles toward her orgasm. But he plays his role now, mouth tasting hers, not able to get enough of her as he tips his head to hers so he can suck in some air. âYou feel so tight, Jesus fucking Christ,â he murmurs, voice husky and wrought with want.
RYLEIGH
Her gasp is drowned by the weight of his mouth against her own as he kisses her. She's never enjoyed kissing so much than she does when he's trying to taste every inch of her with his tongue. Even as she works herself against him, muscles taut, body tense, she can't help wondering how his tongue would feel on other parts of her body. If he'd dedicated just as much determination to making her come in other ways and as she clings to him, as his echoes between them, she has a feeling he'd be able to do anything he wanted to her and she'd fall apart for him, no questions asked. Ryleigh kisses him deeply, her hips stuttering when the water seems to grow with intensity around them. Every nerve in her body sparks with pleasure, her slick walls pulsing around him in time with the tumultuous rush towards a peak she doesn't want to reach just, yet.
BEAR
He takes her hair in a fist, needing some way to anchor her to him without affecting the way sheâs working her body against his, without disrupting the way he can feel the head of his cock making rhythmic patterns inside of her thanks to the roll of her hips. His mouth is hot and needy and demanding against hers, not sure of a time heâd kissed a girl as much as this, not sure of a time he craved the feeling of soft lips against hers as much as he did right now. His hand goes to her as and he squeezes the flesh between his fingers, forever intoxicated with the way it curves away from her tight frame. There are words of affection that climb in his throat but he pushes them down, focusing on the feeling of her.
RYLEIGH
Her body hunches against his, pressing herself impossibly closer, as his hand fists into her hair. Her braidâs a fucking mess now, but she doesnât care because she loves it when he tangles his hand in her hair like that. When those long, thick fingers escape into the tresses, as if itâs the only thing thatâs going to keep him grounded. Ryleigh moans when he does it, eyes fluttering, pussy pulsing tightly around him in response. Torn between kissing him and riding his cock, she doesnât know where to focus as his hands find her ass and sheâs trying to push herself further into his touch. âBear,â she whimpers after being unsure what to do with herself as she tries to focus on everything at once. âI canât... I want... fuck,â the blonde whines softly, unable to articulate the swell of warmth in her chest and how her body is so close to shattering completely for him.
BEAR
Bear feels yet another rush of blood south as she touches him, rock solid in side of her, the sweet ache almost painfully in need of release as he feels her side over his cock. His eyes find hers as she whines and for a moment heâs afraid heâs going to beat her to the punch but he recovers, hand sliding to her breast before he follows his lips after, breaking the kiss to bring his lips and tongue to the peak of her breast, hips hitting forward hard as he moves his mouth over her nipple in languid, warm strokes.
RYLEIGH
Could that really have been all she needed? The way she trembles as his mouth slides over her skin, as he teases at one of her pink nipples, drawing breathy little whimpers from her in the process, she fucks him faster. Her languid, easy strokes become more desperate as a need crawls into her throat, as her walls flutter rhythmically around his cock. Thereâs no plea for him to let her come this time, she just does. Shuddering heavily against him, slamming down and holding him there deep inside of her molten heat. Panting, full, plush lips brushing his temple, Ryleigh nuzzles into him as she shakes against him. Then she starts moving again, working herself along his length despite how sensitive she is, because she wants to make him find his own pleasure.
BEAR
Bear feels her start to tense around him before he realizes intellectually whatâs happening. As she does, he moves a hand to the small of her back as he feels her roll to him, body shuttering and pushing hard to hers as he flexes his hips forward to give her the friction he knows she needs, the tightening doing wonders for him as she clenches around him. Heâs so worked up he can barely stand it, focusing on her so he can help her through her orgasm and not beat him to the punch. Heâs a mess as she comes on his cock, a rush of wetness around him that he can feel even under the water as his tongue draws a circle around the other nipple, his body hitching hard to hers after the fact because heâs close, so goddamn close. He doesnât know how but sheâs tighter than before and that plus the sound that comes from her lips has him undone and heâs mumbling her name between breaths as he unloads deep inside of her just like heâs done before, her name and a deep sigh falling from his lips.
RYLEIGH
One of her arms slides to lock around his neck as she clings to him, his hips working against hers, fucking into her as she comes around him. Her name is almost sweet on his lips, finding she likes the way the syllables sound on his tongue. She doesn't want to want to get used to this. She doesn't have any clue if she'll even see him again after tonight, or if he'll even want to see her, but the way he feels pulsing inside of her, coming inside of her for the second time in at least two hours, she's mesmerized. Nobody's ever been this fucking good to her, sexually, and Ryleigh doesn't fucking know what to do about it except cling to him. Tightly as he sighs her name and rides out his pleasure, her walls fluttering around him to milk every drop from him.
BEAR
Heâs absolutely spent by the time he finishes, exhausted from his body pulsing against hers. He lays his head against her shoulder as he comes inside of her, breathes coming hard and fast and uneven as he tries to get a hold of himself. The water washes around them and he finds the normalcy of it jarring as he comes back to himself, heart hammering a staccato against his chest as he tries to get a hold of his breathing. âHoly fuck,â he rasps under his breath, tangling a hair into her hair. .
RYLEIGH
Her hand slides up until it's resting on the back of his head, fingers in his hair as he drops his head to rest against her shoulder. Waves lapping around them, crashing along the shore, slowly begin to filter in around them as she'd been completely immersed in him and nothing else. Turning her head, Ryleigh tries to stop herself, but she's kissing the side of his face, his jaw, nuzzling the warmth of his skin and despite the strong scent of sea water, she can still smell him. Warm and strong. A shaky sound of her own spills from her lips, legs still wrapped around him. "That's one way to put it," she whispers, afraid to speak any louder, afraid he'll have that same moment in her apartment where he wants to book it. He wouldn't leave her out here; she thinks, so she's not afraid of that, but she-- God, she's a fucking mess.
BEAR
Bear moves his mouth toward hers when he feels her nuzzle him, heart pounding his chest as he comes down form his orgasm and heâs turns his head, rubbing his forehead against her neck because he just wants contact at this point, body going from taught to loose within a couple of seconds flat and heâs so comfortable, so spent that he doesnât really feel like trying to do anything other than getting what he wants, which is contact. He plans a kiss absently against her shoulder, shaking his head a little. âThatâyouâreâGod, you felt so good,â Bear said, at a total loss.
RYLEIGH
She allows herself a chance to bask in the warmth of him against her, how he seems to sink into her with no desire to really go anywhere else. Her own heart is beating heavily against her ribs and she's trying to calm her own breathing, goosebumps kissing her skin between the aftermath of her orgasm, the warmth of his body and the way the water continues to move around them. Ryleigh kisses the soft patch of skin behind his ear as his own lips caress her shoulder. She closes her eyes at the sound of his deep voice, a low rumble against her chest and in her ears, a warm smile finding her lips. Â "You felt good, too. So good," she admits, nipping lightly at his jaw.
BEAR
Bear wants to feel her smile against his jaw literally always. He can feel it even as she nips at him and he can hear it in her voice, why does it seem like sheâs always smiling? Heâs tired, totally spent, and wishes he was some place he could lay back and pass out and not have to worry about driving a half hour down the road on his motorcycle. Heâs still hard somehow but slips from her, so sensitive that he swears under his breath. âFuck,â he swears under his breath, nudging his forehead against the side of her face. âFirst time Iâve ever done that...â he mumbles under his breath.
RYLEIGH
Maybe they hadn't thought better of where they actually were, caught up in the moment, but it's not like either of them expected this to happen. Ryleigh certainly hadn't thought it could, but she has no regrets. Except, maybe, somehow figuring out how to get them back home safely. When he slips out of her, she can't quiet her whimper of disappointment fast enough. No, he can't stay inside of her forever, but it still felt nice, being so connected with him. Ryleigh lifts her head just enough when he nudges his forehead against her face, turning to brush her lips against his. "Sex in the ocean? Definitely my first time for that, too," she agrees, an amused sound of light laughter bubbling from her throat. This hazy, lazy feeling settling in her bones, she's a little lethargic and she's almost certain she could fall asleep like this, with his arms warm and secure around her, which is a startling thought because she can't remember the last time she's gotten more than an hour or two of sleep at time without her body completely giving out on her first.
BEAR
The words are out of his mouth before he can stop himself from talking. âYou wanna come over?â Bear asks, voice still husky from what theyâve just done, mind only on what it feels like to feel her body against his. He canât remember the last time heâd craved having a body pressed to his like he does now, wanting it to last even as he knows heâs going to have to pull away from her before long to wade back to the beach, back to their clothes, back to his bike and back to reality.
RYLEIGH
His invitation surprises her, but she doesn't even have to think about it before she answers. "Yes." They'd never made it to the dessert she made for him, but this is so much better than the cheesecake sitting on her counter. Her hand brushes across his shoulder, fingers dancing up his neck until they're traipsing along his jaw. She gives him a small smile before she kisses him again, this one far less feverish, but with no less want behind it. "I'd love to," she adds, her nose bumping his as she lifts her head. Reality awaits them and Ryleigh really wishes they didn't have to go anywhere. "You might have to carry me... my legs feel a little bit like jelly right now and I'm pretty sure the ocean ate my panties," she chuckles, warmth in her cheeks, but her smile is genuine and accentuates her dimples when she meets his gaze.
BEAR
Bear looks down at her and his stomach does this stupid fucking flip when he sees her dimples. He looks away, watching the ocean rise and fall over her shoulder before he nods, not even really looking at her before he nods in turn. âOkay, sounds good,â he says absently, leaning down to brush his lips over hers before he leans over and pulls his boxers up over his waist and then bends at the waist and effectively flips her up over one shoulder so sheâs bent at the hips with her thighs and knees against his chest and her face to her back. He walks with her through the surf, smacking her ass as he moves, smirking a little to himself because he hadnât given her any warning.
RYLEIGH
Her lips tingle in the wake of his kiss and she expects him to keep her where she is. Ryleigh yelps loudly because she doesn't expect him to sling her entirely naked body over his shoulder, her face against his back, her ass practically in his face from this angle. When he smacks her ass, she knows he doesn't mean for it to be suggestive in any way, but God the sting he leaves against her flesh makes her squirm against him. Â She punches a small fist against the hard rock of his own because he's rude. "Bear! A warning would've been nice!" It also shouldn't turn her on so much, how easily he'd been able to do that, because their size difference alone is absolutely ridiculous, but it also-- she feels safe, despite being as exposed as she is.
BEAR
Bearâs got testosterone flowing through him so much after their romp that he doesnât even think twice about it, shrugging a little and honestly laughing to himself under his breath because itâs so....not him, honestly. He sets her down on a stand bar so sheâs his height for once and cocks a brow at her. âDâyou want to be carried or what?â He asks, tone challenging as he meets her eye.
RYLEIGH
When he sets her down, all the blood rushes from her head and she has to hold onto his arms to keep from losing her balance. Not that she believes he'd actually let her fall or hurt herself right now. "Yesssss," she answers, drawing it out, not backing down from the challenge in his eyes. "But warn a girl before all the blood goes rushing and I can literally feel my pulse in my ears." She teases, leaning forward to kiss him again, just because she can. "Also, your butt really isn't a bad thing to be looking at. You could bounce a quarter off that thing. Is that even the right way to use that term?" Maybe she's a little woozy between the blood rush and the amazing sex because she's definitely not making any sense.
BEAR
Heâs so thrown, so surprised that the laugh that comes out of him is loud and totally unreserved and it takes him a couple of seconds to rub a hand across his mouth to stop it from continuing, shaking his head a little at her as he folds his arms across his chest. âDid I knock your head against something, Meadows?â He asked, voice filled with amusement as he cocks a brow at her, still barely able to hold his laughter in.
RYLEIGH
God, he has a nice laugh. Ryleigh watches him, beaming in response to the rumble of sound he releases. Even as he tries to stifle the laughter, it doesn't look like he can, which amuses her to no end, but she shakes her head at him. "No, I don't think so. I think the amazing orgasm you gave me and all the blood rushing to my head made me a little woozy, but I'm good," she pats her bare hands against his chest. "Get a move on, though, because it's fucking freezing... please?" She bats her eyelashes at him, her lips pursing into a small little pout.
BEAR
Bear rolled his eyes eyes at her but also he was already ready to agree with the rest, the brow he had raised cocking more as he met her eye, trying not to grin at the pout on her face. âYou ready this time around?â He asked, making like he was moving to pick her up the same way as he had before.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh nods, lips morphing into a wider smile, pout completely gone. "Yep, I'm ready," she answers, shifting in front of him, ready for him to sling her over his shoulder as he'd done before.
BEAR
And so Bear did sling her over his shoulder, walking through the surf relatively smoothly as he reached up and patted her ass. âYou know, this,â he said, squeezing the flesh of her ass firmly before he spread his palm over it. âKind of fucking great.â
RYLEIGH
Who can really explain how she feels right now, other than completely light and utterly.... free? Ryleigh can't remember the last time she's ever felt like this, not a single worry to be had. She's living in the moment, embracing this with him, and when his hand reaches up to patt at her ass again, she squirms a little. When he squeezes it, though, she actually moans a little and doesn't even try to stop it. "Listen, unless you plan on fucking it later or spanking me a little, you might want to stop that," she warns him, though her voice is hardly threatening considering her position and... well... she's essentially talking to his ass.
BEAR
Bear is 900% thrown off at the comment, not sure if sheâs joking or not but heâs curious as hell so he tries to keep his tone light as if heâs working under the assumption that sheâs fucking with him even though he canât get the little moan out of his head so he smooths his palm over the other cheek and squeezes that too, maybe a little more roughly than before. âIâll put it wherever you want it, Meadows.â
RYLEIGH
Now that's just mean. Ryleigh does moan, a little louder, when he grabs at her other cheek. Her ass has always been really sensitive and his hand feels incredible - calloused fingers against the silk of her skin. Her ass, unlike most of her backside, is surprisingly unblemished, but she definitely doesn't hate when it's made sore because someone's been a little too rough with her. Not that she's had much chance to experience that in quite some time. "So you'd fuck my ass if I asked nicely?" She grins, her own hand shifting to pinch at the muscle of his own rear. "Or maybe I should beg for it a little? You did like it when I said please earlier..." Ryleigh muses, patting his ass where she pinched him. "We'll talk about the thoughts I've had about my mouth and your anatomy later."
BEAR
Bear isnât sure if heâs turned on or called out or neither or both as he listens to her talkâregardless, her words go directly to his dick and he can feel a vague tug at the base of his gut as she talks about him fucking her ass, at her comment about her begging him, when she said sheâd had thoughts about her mouth and his anatomy. What the hell. He smacks her ass again now as he reaches the beach, walking with her up toward where they left their clothes before setting her down at eyeing her as if trying to gauge if what she was saying or true. âYeah Iâd do it,â he said, eyes watching hers as if heâs not sure if thereâs a joke being pulled on him or not. âYouâre fucking with me, arenât you?â
RYLEIGH
His hand smacks against her ass again and she whimpers, because hadn't she just said-- Ryleigh huffs when he puts her down, her cheeks red, her head throbbing as all the blood tries to rush back to their normal places. Especially between her thighs, an entirely new sense of arousal there after all this talk about her ass and his hand smacking against the flesh. "Why?" She questions, her brows lifting, as she takes a step toward him. Their clothes are right there and she really is fucking freezing, but she enjoys the look on his face a little too much right now. "Do you like the thought of it? Spanking my ass red, until I'm begging you to stop, begging you to fuck me while my ass is sore because it'll feel so good?" Her voice is sugary sweet, bordering on innocent, even as the filth drips off her lips. "Or maybe it's what you want me to do with my mouth, instead. I can tell you the amount of times I've thought about dropping to my knees for you... can you?" Ryleigh cants her head, giving him a sweet smile and a pat of her hand against his chest before she spins away and makes a beeline for her clothes.
BEAR
Bear stands there slack jawed for beat too long and by the time heâs ready to come up with anything that might resemble any sort of reasonable or clever response, sheâs turned away and headed to her clothes. He huffs out a breath, clearly affected by what sheâs saying, before he heads over to where his jeans are. He steps out of his boxers, standing there stark naked as he picks up his jeans and starts to step into them commando. âIâd imagine itâs a similar number of times that Iâve thought about you riding my face,â he says almost as if this were an after thought, struggling over at her as he buttons up his fly and picks up his shirt form the ground.
RYLEIGH
Her back turned toward him, sheâs grinning, teeth biting at her lower lip to keep her grin from spreading any wider. Sheâs just pulled her own jeans back up her legs when his voice breaks the silence, a new wave of heat through her body making her knees tremble. God. She struggles to get her bra on, but is soon pulling her T-shirt back over her head and spinning to face him. âAnd how many times is that, exactly?â Ryleigh asks as she plops down and starts putting her boots on. Once theyâre on, sheâs on her feet again and pulling her braid loose so she can wear her hair in a low pony instead. âBecause you do kind of have the perfect jaw for it,â she points out when she approaches him, an easy smile on her mouth.
BEAR
Sheâs a smart ass and Bear /loves/ that. The confidence of her comments, the way that she challenges him...he likes being right, but he likes being fought with more, even if itâs just in jestâit makes him feel like someone gives a shit enough to play along with him, to pay attention, to not let him just get away with the first thing he says. He drops the fabric of his shirt over his head and it sticks to him where his chest is wet as he looks over at her, smirking a little to himself as he rubs his jaw with the palm of his hand. âThatâs what Iâve always heard...Iâve got a face for eating pussy.â
RYLEIGH
Of course her eyes zero in on where his plan scrubs along his jaw. As if heâs purposely drawing attention to it. âWeâll see... I mean, I donât think theyâre wrong, but Iâm all for hands on experiences. Practice makes perfect, you know?â She teases, easing her jacket back on as she leads the way back to his bike.
BEAR
Bear follows after her, watching her ass the entire way because now that heâs touched it and theyâve talked about him fucking it, itâs sort of the only thing he can think of. âI have references,â he said from behind her, smirking a little as he caught up.
RYLEIGH
âNah, I donât take references. I like to try things out for myself,â Ryleigh smirks back at him. Finding his bike again is easy, so is ignoring the very minor strike of something to her gut at the thought of references. Of course heâd have them. Heâs fucking gorgeous and she has no idea why heâs wasting an entire evening with her, but Ryleigh is going to bask in every single moment she gets with him. She reaches for the helmet still resting on his seat at the same moment a rumbling of thunder can be heard in the distance. âYou think you can get us back to your place before it rains?â She doubts driving a motorcycle in the rain is safe, but sheâs also no expert.
BEAR
Bear tips his head back to the sky and inhales deeply, suddenly surprised that he couldnât smell rain the the air earlierâit seems impossible to have missed in the first place now. âIf we get moving,â he said, picking up his jacket and shrugging it on before he picked up his keys and threw a leg over his bike, kicking down the stand and starting it before he nodded at her to get on. Once sheâs on, he revs the engine, waits for her to grip onto him tightly, and takes off faster than before, kind of booking it back toward the center of town.
RYLEIGH
Thereâs no easing her into it as she settles on the bike behind him and wraps her arms around his chest as sheâd done before. Her hands are tight, front against his back, and thereâs no need for her to stare in awe around them. She closes her eyes and lets herself be in the moment, holding just a little tighter than before, because heâs definitely driving much faster for good reason.
BEAR
Theyâre heading through the downtown when the sky opens up and it begins raining /buckets/. Theyâre at a stoplight when it starts and he swears, laughing a little to himself, shaking his head a little as heâs drenched within a matter of moments. He pushes a hand through his hair, sending it standing up a little before the rain pelts it down again and he shakes some of the water out as he looks at her over his shoulder. âFuck.â
RYLEIGH
Water must be their theme of the evenings. A water fight in the kitchen? A venture into the ocean? Rain? God she wants to take this helmet off and just bask in it because sheâs never more free than when itâs raining. Her hand rises to push through his hair again, the rain pelting it back down. âYouâre a mess,â she says, through her voice is muffled by the helmet.
BEAR
When her hand goes into his hair, Bear is suddenly aware of how much he likes the feeling of itâthe warmth from her palm against the cool water, her mumbling against the helmet. He shifts, craning his neck back to look at her. âFuck you, I look great,â he winks at her before theyâre off again, cruising toward the outskirts of town on the opposite way from which they came. He pulls into an apartment complex thatâs relatively forgettable and finds a spot, pulling in and cutting the engine as the rain continues to pelt them.
RYLEIGH
He does look great. Itâs kind of a problem. Ryleigh only laughs when he winks at her. By the time they pull into a parking lot, sheâs more than ready to be off the motorcycle. Not because she hadnât trusted him, but because... Ryleigh drags the helmet off and holds it one hand after she climbs from the bike. She turns her face up toward the sky, closes her eyes and just lets herself bask in every pelt against her skin. Her clothes are drenched, her hair is clinging to her skin, but she loves every moment. When she realizes sheâs been caught up in the moment, she finally peers in his direction , a light laugh leaving her. âSorry, I just really love it when it rains like this.â
BEAR
Bear climbs off of the bike as well, his shirt and jeans basically plastered to his skin as he pulls the fabric away at his abdomen because  itâs basically like cling-wrapped to him at this point. He watches her, smiling a little to himself until she looks at him and he shrugs a little. âI like it too,â he said simply, feeling a fondness in his chest at how she reacted but heâs not entirely sure why. âYou ready to go in?â He jerks his head in the direction of his apartment.
RYLEIGH
Heâs drenched. They both are. But thatâs not the first thing she thinks when she looks at him. She kind of really wants to kiss him, again, so she closes the distance between them and rises up onto her tiptoes to do that. Her hand not currently holding onto the helmet lifts to wrap around his neck, an attempt to draw him to her. After another minute, she nods up at him, smiling. âYeah, Iâm ready.â Not sure whether to leave the helmet or bring it with, she keeps a hold on it as she motions for him to lead the way, her free hand settling around his arm.
BEAR
When his eyes go to hers, Bear knows that she wants to kiss himâhe doesnât know why or what spurred the moment, but he moves toward her and kisses her, arm moving around her waist in a half hug, keys in hand. His mouth is soft and easy against hers and he can taste the salt water that the rain has washed from her hair down into her lips. When she pulls back, he jerks his head toward the steps and leads the way, reaching to take the helmet from her. He stops at a door not far from the second floor landing, all the apartment doors facing an open air courtyard. He moves his arm to use both hands, helmet propped against his knee and the door, to unlock it and nods for her to go in, following after. He flicks on lights and locks the door behind him, shrugging out of his drenched jacket. The apartment is clean if not a little spartan, with few person effects aside from a couple of books on some shelves and a wall where Bear has taped about a hundred photos in a neat grid, shots from his time in Alaska, Canada, Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Northern California.
RYLEIGH
She follows him easily, observing her surroundings, the open courtyard. Itâs nice, airy and makes her miss her nights spent on the rooftop of her building back in New York. Aidenâs building didnât have anything like what she was used to - sheâd tried to venture up to the roof once, but found it locked and sealed to âEmployee Accessâ only. When they enter his apartment, though, she lets herself look around for a moment before her gaze is instantly drawn to a wall of pictures. So many pictures. Sheâs wet and her boots make a gross sound as she walks across the room toward the wall, she canât help herself despite the goosebumps rising over her skin as a chill eases down her spine. âThese are beautiful,â she comments lightly, looking over them, not daring to reach out and touch.
BEAR
Most of the picturesâall black and whiteâof are scenery, occasionally some towns, the inside of bars, a couple of shots of auto shops or motorcycles. There are people in them but they donât tend to be the focus aside from a few pictures of Bear with some friends he probably doesnât keep in touch with anymore, a shot of him and Mariposa throwing back shots at a bar, a couple of him fishing. He kicks off his boots and socks and tugs his shirt over his head, leaving the white fabric on the rug in front of the front door as he walks over to her and looks at the photographs over her shoulder. âAbout the only thing Iâve ever collected,â he said, not really realizing it was true until he said it. It was the best way for him to keep track of all of the little towns he stopped through, his friends from home, the people who passed through his life.
RYLEIGH
Theyâre still beautiful. A montage of his life, and it surprises her, the personal touch. Her gaze tracks over the pictures, drinking up one image from the next before her gaze stumbles on one of them. âWait... you know Mariposa?â She asks, pointing to the picture of him and Mariposa, or Butterfly as Ryleigh has taken to calling her in her head. âI met her like a month after I got here... small world. Sheâs nice, though,â she muses, warmth coloring her cheeks because sheâd definitely spent a fair amount of time beneath those beautiful eyes. âSeems like she could kill me with one hand, but I dig it.â She adds, tucking her wet hair behind her ear before she removes her jacket. âI love them. Theyâre beautiful,â she reiterates before turning to him. âDo you have anywhere I can put theseâ a dryer to throw them in maybe?â Ryleigh shifts a little awkwardly, she doesnât want to drip all over the floor. âAnd maybe something for me to wear?â A little sheepish grin finds her lips as she looks up at him.
BEAR
Bear nods when she asks about Mariposa, looking at the picture of the two of them and grinning a little to himself before nodding and then shaking his head. "Uh, yeah," he said, rubbing his hand across his jaw as he tried not to smirk. "We spent some time together when I hitchhiking through Canada--she picked me up, we ended up in Washington and got jobs at the same garage, what have you..." he trailed off, then cleared his throat, nodding at Ryleigh's assessment of Mariposa. "She definitely could kill you with one hand, she's tried to kick my ass before and it was a close call," he joked, then nodded a little as he jerked his head toward a door past a bathroom. "Washer and dryer in there, I'll go grab you something," he says as he meets her eye.
RYLEIGH
"She mentioned something about liking cars. Thinks mine is a trash heap, probably," Ryleigh shakes her head, amused at the fact that they know the same person. It's only a passing thought, a flicker and it's gone, wondering if he's slept with her. Ryleigh can't say anything, because she'd definitely slept with her, too. Have you seen her? She's some kind of Goddess incarnate and incredibly hard to resist. As quickly as the thought appears, it's gone, though, and Ryleigh laughs at the image of her trying to kick his ass. "I'd pay to see that," she murmus with amusement. When he jerks his head, she follows the path with her eyes before allowing them to drift back to him. "Thank you," she smiles at him. She's usually smiling, has made a habit of forcing them, but around him? They don't feel as forced and she's not sure what to do with that knowledge. "Clothes please? I'll throw them in with mine," she offers instead of picking apart her thoughts, already dragging her shirt over her head as she waits for him to undress.
BEAR
He smiles a little at the comment about Mariposa because he girl knew her cars and probably was judgmental about just about everything related to motors. âSheâs got a mean hook,â Bear says, just giving Ryleigh something to latch onto because he can tell sheâs amused and when he turns to meet her eye sheâs grinning at him. He reaches down and undoes his belt as she tugs her shirt over her head and he watches as the pale of her stomach is exposed before he moves his eyes back up to her face. âNice of you,â he mumbles, unbuttoning his jeans and thinking about earlier in the evening, wondering how the hell heâd taken his pants off now for a third time today on her request.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh sighs, almost wistfully, when Bear mentions Mariposa having a mean hook. "Left or right?" She makes it sound like she's really interested, and she kind of is, considering her own hooks are terrible, but that's the point of learning self defense, isn't it? At least, it's on her list, anyway. Someone can't use you for a punching bag if you know how to throw your own punches. His belt comes loose, and it's not lost on her that this is the third time in about as many hours as he's going to be naked because of her. "It's the least I can do," she shrugs, and doesn't elaborate. Ryleigh eases her own jeans down her thighs - though it does take a minute and a struggle to get them off because they're practically clinging to her skin.
BEAR
Bearâs eyes fall down to her thighs as she shimmies out of her jeans and it takes a beat for them to go back to her face before he speaks. âRight hook,â he says almost absently, stepping out of his jeans and leaving his boxer briefs on as he folds his jeans over his arm. âLots of stupid drunk nights daring each other to do dumb shit.â
RYLEIGH
"You think she'd teach me?" Ryleigh grins up at him, having had to sit on the floor to finish pulling her jeans off because they hated her. Once they're off, she's very aware of the fact that she's wearing only her bra and nothing else as she moves onto her knees in order to stand, which puts her in a precarious position right in front him in only his boxer briefs. She stares for a beat too long, before blinking up at him and then jumping to her feet, stealing his jeans from him, grabbing up his shirt, and her own clothes, before making a beeline for the direction of  he'd indicated earlier.
BEAR
Bear opens his mouth to answer her but then sheâs on his floor and heâs watching her, brow raised and pulse pounding a little harder in his neck and then, whenâs heâs on her knees, he feels a rush of blood go south. His eyes are on hers and thereâs something about the doe-eyed look that she always has thatâs amplified by the fact that her mouth isnât far from his cock that makes him shift his wait, throat clearing as she gets up and takes the denim out of his handâhe doesnât resist but watches her ass as she retreats from the room. He lets out a short, loudish laugh before he rakes a hand through his hair, shaking his head as he walks do the corner of his room near the mattress on the floor, opening an old-school trunk and pulling out a pair of PJ pants, another pair of jeans, and two plain white v-neck shirts. He puts the PJ pants and one shirt on the back of the couch before he tugs on his jeans and the other shirt.
RYLEIGH
Honestly, she needs to get a grip of herself. She's already had him inside of her twice, but even that doesn't seem like enough and she's beginning to feel a little bit greedy. Ryleigh's meticulous about starting a load of their clothes, struggling to reach the detergent, having to stand on her tip toes to do so, but she manages just fine. Once the wash starts, she finally pads back through his home - completely fucking naked - and makes a beeline for the clothes she sees laid out on the bed. Ryleigh slips the shirt over her head and it swallows her just as much as his previous shirt had when she slipped it on at her apartment. This one smells more like clean laundry than him and she's a little disappointed by it. She forgoes the pajama pants, since the shirt covers all her important bits, before turning to face him. "Do you have any water or anything?" Ryleigh asks as she leans back against the couch, her hair a damp, tousled mess framing her face.
BEAR
Bear watches her walk naked through his house and heâs not really sure if heâs having actual thoughts anymore or if his brain is just sending signals to his cock that twice in one day is somehow not enough. And then sheâs standing in just a t-shirt and his eyes are on her thighs before they eventually take their time to get back to up hers and it takes him a beat to speak. âWhat?â He says, clearly getting over being distracted.
RYLEIGH
He's staring. Why does she like that so much? Usually, anyone staring too long at her the way he is makes her uncomfortable, makes her want to hide herself away, but she's bared more to him in the last few hours than she has to anyone, and he's still looking at her like he's just as hungry for her as she is for him. "Keep looking at me like that and I'm going to wonder why you bothered to put on jeans to begin with," she warns him lightly, choosing to make her way to his kitchen on her own. "Where are your cups?" Ryleigh calls over her shoulder, standing in the middle of his small kitchen space as she debates which cabinet to try first if he doesn't answer her in time.
BEAR
A smirk spreads across his face even as she walks away from him and he tries to bite it back but itâs there and he knows sheâs seen it as he rubs his hand over his jaw before he follows after her into the kitchen. He slips past her, hand against the small of her back actually out of need rather than because he wants to touch her...but also he wants to touch her so who actually knows. He reaches up and opens a cabinetâinside there are mismatched beer glasses, a couple of whiskey tumblers, and mason jars. He pulls down one of the jars and fills it with cold water from the tap before holding it out to her.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh sinks back into the warmth of his hand on her lower back, accepting the expanse of his hand against her. If they hadn't shared their moment earlier in the ocean, their talk of scars, she might've flinched away from the touch, but she leans into it because-- does she even have a good answer? Because she wants to. She watches him reach up for a glass, watches him fill the glass with water, watches him hand it to her. Ryleigh smiles with gratitude at him before the glass is lifted and she takes a few large gulps. Licking all that sea water off of him really made her thirsty.
BEAR
Bear pretends not to watch her out of the corner of his eye as he leans down and washes his hands, living the tap running as he grabs himself a jar and fills that as well, draining it almost like itâs a shot before he cuts the tap and walks to the other counter where thereâs a bottle of whiskey. He tips a little of the amber liquid into the jar, looking at her over his shoulder and cocking a brow at her. âI know you donât drink much, but Iâd be an asshole if I didnât offer anyway.â
RYLEIGH
She's still nursing her own water by the time he downs his and reaches for the bottle of amber liquid. Ryleigh immediately shakes her head at him, giving him a small smile. "I'm alright, thanks for offering, though," she answers, finishing off her water and reaching for the tap to fill her glass once more. This one she carries back to his living room and drops herself onto the couch, curling her legs bare legs underneath her when she does.
BEAR
Bear shrugs a little like âsuit yourselfâ and he throws it back like a shot before pouring more, following her back over to the couch and sitting down next to her, only hesitating next to the armchair for a beat before he decides that he can definitely handle being next to her, thatâs fine. âSo...â he said, clearing his throat. He didnât really have a plan for this so heâs trying to think on his feet. âWanna watch something? Play cards?â Ruin my couch, wake up my neighbors because weâre banging against the wall, literally punch me in the face, whatever.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh drinks down half of the cup before she sets it down on the coffee table in front of the couch. She stares at him for a half beat, her eyes heavy lidded because she is tired, but there's also an unmistakable buzzing beneath her skin that reminds her why she doesn't want to sleep and won't be any time soon. Slowly, she rises to her knees and shifts toward him until she's kneeling beside him on the couch, facing him. "Can I be honest with you?" Ryleigh questions softly, fingers tugging at the hem of his t-shirt where it stretches over her thighs.
BEAR
âYeah, you should definitely be honest with me,â Bear says without a hesitation as he watches her face, then her body beneath the t-shirt as her curves press to the fabric and then disappear when it billows with her movements. He sits up a little straighter as she nears and it takes basically all of his self control to not reach out and put a hand between her thighs as sheâs talking to him.
RYLEIGH
She leans forward, the front of her body brushing against his arm, crooking a finger at him for him to lean closer to her as well. "I've had a really good time tonight and I'm glad you let me cook dinner for you," Ryleigh tells him, her voice that same sugary sweet it's been all evening right before she does something completely the opposite. "I definitely didn't plan on letting you fuck me... I honestly thought I'd be able to hold out a little bit longer, but you're... somethin' else," she laughs, the sound low, and throaty, her fingers dragging down the front of his chest as her accent thickens in the moment. "What I was originally going to say, though," Ryleigh continues, gaze dropping to watch her hand as she pops the button on his jeans, "I'd really, really like to taste you." She finishes, gaze shifting back up his body to meet his as her delicate fingers tug on the zipper of his jeans. Why had he even bothered with actual pants again? Because they're not fucking rabbits, but he's under her skin and she's-- She's never been selfish, sexually, because she's never been given the chance to. Before Dayton, the last time she'd had an actual orgasm had been two and a half years ago. Sex usually wasn't about her pleasure, wasn't about her at all, but Bear makes her feel... Ryleigh wants him. She wants the pleasure he gives her, she wants... She leans forward, her soft mouth brushing against his jaw. "Can I? Please?" A nearly whimpered whisper into his ear.
BEAR
When he hears her voice all sweet like that, heâs in trouble. Like, somehow in even more trouble than her. Because instead of thinking itâs cute or innocent or whatever it actually sounds like, it shoots a direct route from his ears to his cock and heâs going to get hard if she keeps talking, what the fuck. Especially when she says fuck. Especially when she laughs and touches him and yep, heâs definitely hard. Sheâs moving slowly as she speaks and he half considers flipping her onto her back and pushing the hem of her shirt and.... He forces himself to listen to her as the sound of the zipper vaguely registers somewhere in the back of his mind. When she asks if she can taste him, he moves a hand on top of hers and his warm skin presses to hers, presses it the ridge where the denim pulls taut along against his length as it follows the inside of his thigh. He keeps it there, stopping her, before he looks from their hands to her eyes. âMe first.â
RYLEIGH
She thinks he's going to stop her when his hand moves over top of hers. His skin is warm against her small hand, but he doesn't necessarily push her hand away, so that's a good sign? Even better when he pushes her hand flush against the length of him and how he's grown harder in the last few minutes for her. Because of her? It's a heady feeling to have such an affect on someone, which is why she's always been a giver. She doesn't know how to be a receiver , though, so when he, instead, turns the tables on her, she laughs a little nervously. "You don't have to," she says, because it's instinctive, because... even with her more recent experiences with that, she's still... would he even like it? Ryleigh squirms at the thought of his face between her thighs, that strong jaw, his beard scratching against her silky skin, her fingers in his hair. Okay. Maybe it's really not a bad thought after all if the ache between her thighs is any indication. Her cheeks are warm and she's blushing despite what she's said not a minute before this.
BEAR
Bearâs brow furrows a little at the âyou donât have toâ comment because the last time he was inside her he was thinking about what it would be like to feel that wet, slick warmth between her thighs against his tongue. He shakes his head at her, cocking a brow a little as he nudges her head slightly with hers, his mouth going against the spot just to the left of her chin, following the plane of her jaw toward her neck, mouth meeting the spot below her ear. âYou should let me,â he said, one hand moving to her thigh as he shifts away from her to kneel on the floor in front of the couch, pulling away and jerking his head at her like he wanted her to sit and scoot closer to him.
RYLEIGH
If his gentle nudging of his head against hers, of his mouth brushing against her chin, before finding that sensitive sweet spot on her neck, just below her ear, then his voice absolutely cements how much she wants this. He's pulling away from her so quickly, his warmth gone from her, but then he's kneeling on the floor in front of the couch and she wants him to move, she can see it in his eyes. So she does, shifting around so she's in front of him, leaning back against the back cushion of the couch, knees drawn up slightly so her thighs are shut, but not tightly. His shirt slips down her thighs, but she doesn't allow her thighs to fall open, not yet. She almost smiles coyly, but finds she can't, because she's nervous and instead, bites hard into her bottom lip as she waits for him to touch her. To do anything, because in this moment, she's at a loss.
BEAR
Bear doesnât know if itâs acceptable that her hesitance and shyness turns him on but it does and he moves his hands high up on the outside of her thighs before he runs them down toward her knees. He sits up higher on his knees and slides his palms back up higher again toward her waist. âIf you hate it,â he says, reaching over and turning off the light on the end table next to them so the room is dim, the only light coming from the kitchen before moving to kiss along the inside of her calf, pushing her legs slightly open but only by enough to get his lips purchase. âWe can stop,â he said, voice low.
RYLEIGH
He doesnât dive right in, which she appreciates. His hands are gentle with his touch and she feels herself relax. Even more so when he clicks off the light and whether he meant to do it to help her or for another reasons, she releases a soft breath and nods. âOkay,â she whispers, her legs parting under his guidance as he kisses her calf. His voice alone increases the ache between her thighs and she can feel how wet she is, but the fact that being in this position leaves her so exposed has always made her feel uncertain. He knows about her scars so she doesnât have to make him promise not to ask about them, which is a relief, but also slightly terrifying. Breathing in deep, she allows herself to relax as his lips move higher, her trembling legs parting nearly on their own.
BEAR
Bear can feel her shaking and he shifts, mouth going up high on the inside of her knee before he pulls her away and looks her in the eye as his moves his hand where his mouth had been sliding it up higher along the inside of her thigh as they make eye contact. âYou alright?â He asks, his voice pitched a little lower, a little raspier than it normally is because heâs turned on and heâs not sure if he should be or not.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh almost whimpers when he pulls away because she definitely doesnât want that. His fingers feel almost as good, her eye lids fluttering, her body trembling from need more than anything else. âYeah... I just... donât have a lot of experience with this kind of thing,â she admits, because heâd told her she should always be honest with him, right?  Ryleigh bites her lip, contemplating her next words, but theyâre out before she can stop them. âWhat if you donât like the way I taste?â Because licking her from his fingers is one thing. Actually.... straight  from the source? Ryleighâs so wet at the thought of his mouth on her, though, her thighs parting a little wider and sheâs sure if he looks between them, heâll be able to see her arousal for him glistening on her inner thighs.
BEAR
Bear lets out a little bit of a snort as his fingers brush higher and his calloused fingertips feel the wetness and he feels his cock twitch against his jeans and he presses his lips together, shaking his head. âIâm gonna like it, you should put your legs on my shoulders,â he says, his voice going the tiniest bit firm because he was turned on and couldnât stop thinking about what she tasted like. He sat up straighter again, fingertips brushing almost high enough to touch her pussy before he backs his hand away again, trying to coax her closer to him.
RYLEIGH
She might be developing a little bit of an obsession with those hands because they feel wonderful against her skin; rough against soft, goosebumps rising the higher his hand crawls as she feels him taunting her. That little bit of firmness in his tone is enough to pull the tiniest of whimpers from her throat before sheâs scooting closer to the edge of the couch and lifting one of her legs over his shoulders. She already hates the cotton heâs wearing, more than eager to feel his skin against every inch of her own. His shirt slips higher up her thighs until itâs bunched fabric around her hips, baring her to him.
BEAR
âPerfect,â Bear mumbles as he brings his mouth up to the inside of her thigh, hands on her pelvic bone now as his eyes flick between her legs and he grunts quietly, huffing a breath against her skin. He pulls her a little closer, mouth working higher as he trails his lips and tongue over her, taking his time before he repeats this on her other thigh, eyes trailing over her body up to hers for a beat to gauge her response. He sucks at a spot high on her thigh, tongue rolling languidly over wetness and he huffs another breath. âSo good,â he rumbles, low voice vibrating over her skin.
RYLEIGH
His mouth moving over her skin effectively shuts off anything else not currently focused on him. All that seems to matter ache sheâs suddenly very aware of, the need to have his mouth higher. Except heâs teasing her, a pouting whimper leaving her as her thigh tenses, muscle twitching beneath the spot he sucks into her skin. Her head drops back against the couch, and with literally nothing else to do with her hands, one of them sinks into his hair as she shifts her hips in a silent attempt to convince him to keep going.
BEAR
Bear gets the message loud and clear, smirking a little to himself at her reaction, at the shift of her hips, because he knows that heâs not the only one whoâs wanting this to happen. It encourages him and he moves his mouth higher, nipping at the thin skin at the inside most of her thigh before he brings his mouth against her core, not teasing anymore as he rolls his tongue against her clit, grip on her waist going a little tighter as he sucks the spot where his tongue had just been.
RYLEIGH
As uncertain as sheâd been before, sheâs definitely not the moment she feels the heat of his mouth against her. Followed by the velvet heat of his tongue against her little clit and she moans so loudly when he closes his mouth around it instead. Her face flushed red, despite all the blood in her body rushing toward the most sensitive part of her, her hand tightening in his hair. Her eyes drift open to peer down the length of her body, wanting to watch him, wonders if he can feel how much sheâs enjoying this as she grows impossibly wet with every suckle of his mouth around her clit.
BEAR
The sound that comes out of her mouth is what does it for him the most. Yes, she tastes amazing and yes he can feel that sheâs getting wetter as he goes, but itâs the sound of her voice against the quietâaside from the sounds heâs making, the occasional hum from the back of his throat or grunt in response to her noticesâthat spurs him on, that makes him reach up to take her breast in his palm over the shirt, fingers splaying over her nipple as he runs the other hand down from her waist to the outside of her thigh, fingers kneading over the skin as he works his mouth against her in response to whatâs getting her to moan the most.
RYLEIGH
Thereâs something erotic about his hand in her breast with his shirt still covering her trembling frame, able to feel the heat of his hand through the thin cotton. Her thighs are shaking on either side of his with every second he spends between her thighs, thoroughly tasting her until all she can do is moan for him. Little whimpers when he taunts her, a louder moan when he sucks a little harder. Sheâs intoxicated by the feel and smell of him around her and sheâs struck by a wayward thought. How she could get used to this, to him and this and as quickly as she thinks it, she pushes it a way, both hands in his hair now as her back arches a curse rolls off her tongue. âFuck, your mouth is incredible,â she praises, savoring his ability to take his time. Right now, they have all the time in the world.
BEAR
It doesnât take long before that hand on the outside of her thigh is moving between her legs as well and he shifts up on his knees higher so he can slip a finger inside of her, mouth still on her clit as he strokes his tongue against her in time with his finger, finding himself getting harder now that he can feel her clench around his finger and taste her at the same time. âYou taste....so fucking good,â he mumbles against her, letting the sound reverberate against her core as he curls his finger a little to stimulate her g spot.
RYLEIGH
Those. Hands. Ryleighâs almost ninety nine percent sure he could make her come with his hands alone and not even from being inside of her, although thatâs an incredible bonus as her pussy clenches around him and she tries to work her hips down against his hand. His mouth is still on her clit and Jesus, when he talks, that little vibration of his voice against her makes her eyes shut as her head falls back against the couch once more. His are long enough or sheâs tiny enough but when he curls his finger, her thighs twitch and threaten to close around his head because unfair. Not that his cock didnât hit against her g spot every damn time, but itâs different, because heâs purposely looking for and sheâ- âBear, god,â is all she can whimper as she writhes under him, almost embarrassed by how wet she is as the sound of his finger moving inside her echoes in her ears.
BEAR
He likes the way his name sounds coming out of her mouth, like sheâs saying it by accident, like she canât help but let the syllable fall from her lips. When she sinks her hips to his hand, he pushes another finger inside of her and increases the pressure with his tongue, glad he only had a five oâclock shadow and not a full beard because he could feel her against his face, the way the hair on his upper lip, his cheeks, his jaw scratched against the skin of her thigh, her folds, all of the most sensitive parts of her. He wants her to come so he can see how it feels when his mind isnât distracted by his own impending orgasm, wants to feel her clench around his fingers and fall apart around him.
RYLEIGH
He curls another finger in with the first and while theyâre nowhere near stretching her the way he has with his cock, sheâs still tight around them and she moans so loudly sheâs sure his neighbors are going to hear her. She doesnât care. Sheâs overstimulated between the scratch of his facial hair against her sensitive, pink flesh and this overwhelming need she has to come apart for him. His tongue is wicked, his fingers are delicious and thereâs nothing stopping her from taking pleasure in this, in him. So she does. Her slick, soft walls fluttering around his fingers before they tighten, trying to keep his fingers still as she comes, coating his fingers, his tongue, in the aftermath of her orgasm. Thereâs been a loud âOh fuckâ on her tongue before it happened, but now sheâs trembling so hard, thighs trembling on either side of his head, a pink flush coloring her entire body from the wave of euphoria. Sheâs a little disappointed she hadnât held out just a little longer, but fuck... she canât be fucking blamed when heâs so fucking good at making her come undone.
BEAR
When he feels her starting to tense around him, heâs sure not to change what heâs doing aside from making sure his pressure is hard and steady. His eyes flick up to her face as she comes, the sound of her moaning going straight to his dick because sheâs not holding back but not over the top eitherâshe seems totally in the moment, not giving a damn about anything but the pleasure thatâs rocketing through her. As her thighs tighten around him, he moved his tongue so heâs not putting pressure on a spot that he knows is going to be almost too sensitive, kissing a little down toward her knee as he moves his hand from her breast across her abdomen, reaching up under her shirt to stroke over the skin there as he pulls his fingers out of her, sitting back on his heels now, eyes staying on her face all the while.
RYLEIGH
Sheâs not sure she couldâve taken much more against her clit, so sheâs thankful when he pulls his mouth away, but those fingers are still inside of he driving her wild. Ryleigh hums, limbs heavy, tongue darting our against her lower lip as she slowly unclenches. His fingers slip out of her but thereâs a pout of disappointment at the loss, however she slowly sits up, cradling him between her thighs, a hazy, blissed our expression on her face as her messy blonde hair spills over her shoulder when she tips her head toward you. ââI think you could probably kill me with an orgasm and Iâd die happy,â she laughs, a husky, quiet sound, as she cups his jaw and leans forward to kiss him, tasting herself on him with a low hum of approval.
BEAR
Bear doesnât hesitate to lean forward to accept the kiss, smirking a little at her comment as he twines his tongue with hers, then bites her lower lip gently before pulling away, looking pretty damn proud of himself. Because he was pretty damn proud of yourself. âIâd say âletâs find out if thatâs trueâ but I honestly am not sure I want to end up in prison,â he teased, picking up his glass of whiskey and taking a sip, liking how the taste of her went with the smokiness of the liquid. âTold you I was gonna like it,â he smirked, moving to sit next to her and bouncing the glass on his knee.
RYLEIGH
Her lip tingles where he bites it, drawing the flesh between her own teeth when he pulls away. On anyone else, she would've hated that smug as fuck look, but on him? She wants to see more of it. "Yeah, but hey, I'd at least be a small body to bury?" Ryleigh teases in kind with a low laugh. She only hums at him, watching him swallow the whiskey down as he moves to sit next to her. Though her legs definitely feel like jello now, she shifts onto her knees in front of him - mirroring his own position - before taking the glass from him and setting it on the table. Her small hands look even smaller when they lift to settle on his knees, sliding them slowly up his thighs until she's tugging on the loose fabric around his waist, because he'd never buttoned them back up after she unbuttoned them earlier. "You had your fill... now it's my turn." Ryleigh blinks up at him, before she's pushing up the hem of his shirt and leaning over his lap to graze her full lips in a soft kiss to the warm skin beneath his naval.
BEAR
Bear laughs a little at the âsmall body to buryâ comment, shaking his head at her and taking another sip before he returns the glass to the denim on his knee. He looks over at her as he feels the leather couch cushion shift next to him and his eyes follow her from where she moves in front of him to the path of the glass as it leaves his hand and ends up on the table. When Ryleighâs hands go to his waistband, he shifts so she can pull them down, tipping his head when he draws up a little, expecting her mouth to go to his but now itâs against the spot between where his jeans had rested and his abs, the thin skin there sensitive. He sucks in a breath, eyes on the crown of her head and he automatically relaxes heavily into the couch, not realizing he had been sitting so tense before. Heâs already mostly hard but he feels another surge rush south so he strains against the tightness of his boxer briefs, pulse thrumming in his neck.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh drags her teeth over the same spot she kisses as she tugs his jeans down to free him. She's seen him naked three times already, but the sight of him, already hard for her, steals her breath a little. Instead of going right for the kill no matter how much she wants to, no matter how bad her mouth waters for it, she nudges her lips upwards instead, pushing his shirt up with her nose at first. Her hand joins in a moment later, pushing up on the cotton to bare more of his torso to her, allowing her to kiss along the other scar he'd mentioned earlier, the one she could only feel beneath the water, but couldn't see. Ryleigh wonders if he's ticklish anywhere, giggling against his skin at the thought before her teeth nip at his side and she's pressing her little hands against the tops of his thighs. Pulling away from him, she looks up to find him relaxed into the couch and a swell of pride washes through her. She'd done that. This is why she's so adamant about giving - Bear's expression. Her fingertips graze lightly over his cock, teasing him, her eyes never leaving his face as she tries to bite back a small smile.
BEAR
His legs are tense when she brings her mouth to the scar near his hip, quad muscles working overtime and abs engaged in turn as her lips press to the spot above his hips, graze over his navel. Bear skitters a little in place, hips raising ever so slightly as he shifts because he /is/ ticklish, just a little, thanks. But heâs managed to get a hold of himself when she pulls back again, eyes going to her face as her hands find his thighs and he would have been embarrassed for being so hard and exposed if it wasnât for the fact that God, he wanted her mouth around him. He was willing to do basically whatever he needed to do in that moment to ensure that she wouldnât stop. He meets her eyes as she touches his cock and he thinks that maybe ten years ago, he wouldâve looked away embarrassed. Now, though, he meets her eye and holds her gaze, lips pressed together for a beat before he huffs out a frustrated sigh, jaw working as he smirks a little in spite of himself. âProud of yourself?â
RYLEIGH
If she hadn't been paying so much attention, she would've missed the slight shift, the way he jerks just slightly, but she files it away for future reference, as well as the spot she's definitely going to hit up later when she currently doesn't have something else in mind. For someone who'd been incredibly bashful at the mention of him eating her out, she boldly meets his gaze with her own as she curves her fingers around the base of him, dragging her palm upwards along the rigid length of him. "A little.. look at you," she answers, awe in her tone, her thumb swirling around the head of his cock as she continues to watch him. "Like you weren't proud two minutes ago," Ryleigh adds with a gentle scoff, though the smile on her lips belies her irritation. She likes that he challenges her, likes how he doesn't tip toe around her like she's made of glass. She might have her moments, might be shaken from time to time, but she knows how to hold her own. Green eyes locked onto his, she lowers her head, hair spilling over her shoulder, golden locks teasing the tops of his thighs in the process. Then her tongue is there, a teasing, experimental little lick to the head of him, her hand still moving, rather slowly mind you, along the rest of him.
BEAR
So this is how Bear dies. In an apartment in fucking California, mattress on the floor, girl about nine years younger than him between his knees. He hoped that one of his buddies from back in Alaska would hear about how he went and make sure that it ended up on the front page of the Homer Tribune, the fact that heâd had a heart attack while a girl with a voice like honey and a tight little body put her hands and mouth on his cock, the taste of her and whiskey on his breath. He likes when she talks, when she teases him. Bear figures he could listen to her talk about just about anything if she kept touching him, if she kept her tone like that, teasing him and giving him hell. When Ryleighâs tongue comes to his head, he huffs out a long sigh, a big crack in his facade sliding through him as he tips his head against the back of the couch, one hand moving up to raked through his hair. âYeah, a little proud,â he says and it takes a real effort to get the words out, breathing slightly belabored, voice pitched low. âYou didnât seem to hate it.â
RYLEIGH
How could she hate it when it'd definitely been one of the best orgasms of her life, not including the two she had while he was inside of her? Ryleigh doesn't even know how to put her experiences into words sometimes, and too often, she's ashamed of them. Of herself for letting them happen to her, for not being strong enough to get out before it was too late, but who she is now? She's never felt more like herself than she has with him, which should terrify her, because Ryleigh had forgotten who that girl was. A feisty sweetheart from a small Kentucky town who loved too much, had stars in her eyes and truly believed there could be good in everyone. Until she'd been made to believe otherwise. Until she'd been convinced good people were few and far between. Bear is someone she never expected and when he points out, albeit, his breath a bit labored, how she hadn't seemed to hate it when he'd had his mouth between her thighs? "Be more than a little proud, Bear, because I know I'm going to be when you cum down my throat," she tells him a second before her mouth wraps around him - pink lips stretching to accommodate the size of him. She doesn't sink down right away, because where's the fun in that, but she does ease down  enough for her tongue to swirl around the head of him before she's drawing her mouth up, hallowing her cheeks while still keeping her eyes on his.
BEAR
When her mouth takes him in fully, Bear's barely able to keep his eyes open. His head tips back fully, Adam's apple bobbing as he rubs a hand over his forehead, face parallel with the ceiling now. "For the love of God," he mumbles under his breath, wanting to say something clever or banter like she was doing but all he can focus on is how fucking good it feels, his lips and her hands and how slow she's going, the look she'd given him for the two seconds he'd been able to watch before he was pretty sure he couldn't have concentrated on anything to save his life. He's hooked up before. A lot. So many times over the years that most of them are just drops in an ocean of things that he's done to feel good, like feed himself or take a shower or treat himself to a night in a hotel instead of in the bed of his truck. So many of the times he'd put his dick in a girl, it had been out of unnecessary, something to do that got him feeling loose, less angry and pent up and caged in. It was literal and metaphorical release. It was fast and hard and quick. And here he was now, on a Friday night--was it almost Saturday now?--with a girl unlike so many he had known. He managed to open his eyes after a moment and directed his eyes back to hers, grunting under his breath as he reached down to stroke a knuckle over the hollow of her cheek, breathing much more labored now.
RYLEIGH
If her mouth wasn't currently occupied, she might've made some comment about his exclamation. She can't, nor does she have any desire to pull her mouth off of him because he feels incredible - almost as good as he does inside of her. Ryleigh hums her approval at the taste of him, his thumb stroking her cheek encouraging her. She nearly nuzzles against the touch, but chooses to suckle a little at the head of his cock before dropping her mouth back down. Her eyes flutter shut then as she works to building a steady rhythm, her hand working along what her mouth hasn't reached yet and her other hand refuses to remain idle. Drifting lower, tracing over the sensitive skin hanging heavy at the base of his cock.
BEAR
The sound of his own heartbeat fills Bear's ears as he watches her, moving to push hair behind her ears so he can watch, one hand on his hair as the other idly strokes over her the spot behind her ear. He knows it's a weird thing to be thinking about when she had her mouth around him, but Bear can't help but think about how fucking cute she is and how that makes this--her lips stretched to take him--even hotter. When her fingers stroke over his balls, he isn't prepared enough to bite back the loud groan that comes from deep near his chest, hips lifting slightly toward her touch as his fingers clench a little around the hair at the root near her ear.
RYLEIGH
Another swell of proud affection claims her as he groans for her, however, his fingers tightening, just that little bit, around the root of her hair near her ear makes her moan around him - the sound muffled by the sheer size of him and her still sensitive flesh between her thighs throbs in response to his actions. Â Her fingers take their path boldly until she's massaging his balls with her hand, hoping to garner more of a reaction from him. Her mouth works a little faster, too, and she's able to work a bit more of him into her mouth until he's flush with the back of her throat, a quiet, obscene noise leaving her when she feels him there.
BEAR
When she takes him deep into the back of her throat, he can't help the strangled sound he's making, especially as he feels her fingers against his balls. He moves the hand near her ear to the top of her head, fingers knitting through the strands that have gone a little curly from being wet from the rain and the ocean and he realizes he probably should've showered before he lets her put her mouth on him, but honestly it only turns him on more that she's just done and gone for it. "Fuck, you're...." there's a long pause between words as he lets out a quiet sound of pleasure, "...so fucking good at that," he ends as he sucks in a breath.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh had been so hungry for a taste, neither one of them had given thought to possibly showering before putting their mouths on bits they most definitely probably should've cleaned. God, she'd felt so damn needy, though, and now she has what she's been thinking about since she'd had her first taste of him off the pad of her thumb earlier. Another hum when his hand tangles in her hair while her hand slips down to the base of him, before pressing flat to the warm skin above his cock. She's dragged her mouth up, sucking a little harder, before breathing in deep and pushing back down, swallowing him past the tight ring of her throat - choking on him for half a heart beat, though barely making a sound, before she pulls back, his words still echoing in her ears.
BEAR
"Fuck--" Bear grunts as he feels her throat constrict a little around him, when he feels her hand on him, when he feels the rhythm of her strokes against his head. He's a goner. "I'm gonna come," He groans, breathing scant now, voice raspy and husky as his grip on her hair goes a little tighter, not pushing or pulling but just for something to hold on to. It's only another twenty seconds before he feels his balls tighten and his insides go hot and he groans louder than before, body going tense as he comes hard, hips angling toward her slightly.
RYLEIGH
Yes. Please come, Ryleigh thinks when he groans the words to her. She can feel him growing taut under her, feel his cock twitching inside of her mouth, against the back of her throat, and she debates, for just a moment, whether to slow down and keep the moment going. To delay the inevitable just a little bit longer, but he's lifting his hips into her mouth and a spurt of warmth hits the back of her throat before she can follow through. She swallows instantly, tries to swallow all of it, but her mouth is as small as the rest of her, and a little bit of the sticky essence leaks down her chin. Ryleigh moans through it all, savoring the taste of him, the feel of him throbbing against her tongue, and only when she's sure she's swallowed as much as he can give her, does she pull her mouth off of him. Teasing him with little kisses, to the sensitive flesh before dropping back on her haunches and lifting a hand to wipe at her chin. "Being a mess around you is definitely a common theme," she chuckles, her honeyed voice just a little raspy, thanks to him and that impressive cock. Her fingers wipe the dribble of his come away, popping them into her mouth because it's not like she's about to waste any of it, before she's climbing into the couch beside him - more like not so gracefully stumbles into place because her knees are a little weak.
BEAR
If he'd been standing up, it would've felt like his knees had been cut out from under him. He has a sensation of sinking as he finishes--cock sinking into the back of her throat, body sinking against the back of the couch, brain sinking into a void where all it registers is how good all of it feels. He has his eyes closed, hand tangled in her hair, but he opens them just in time to watch her throat constrict as she swallows him down. His chest is rising and falling rapidly now, shirt still pressed halfway up his body from where her hands had left it, pupils blown to hell as she kisses over him and he watches her suck him off of her fingers and he knows it's impossible for him to get hard again but he gives a little shutter at the image. He wants to fucking ruin her, wants to bend her over and shove her face into the couch and fuck her until she can't walk. But he also wants to pull her to his chest, wants to fucking praise that performance, wants to watch the way her eyes light up at whatever compliment he manages to string together. He settles for something in between, cheek pressed against the backrest of the couch as he looks over at her, labored breathing coming back to something akin to normal. "That was fucking fantastic," he mumbles, grabbing her by the wrist--touch firm enough to pull but not hard enough to hurt her if she resisted--and tugging her closer to him.
RYLEIGH
His look of complete euphoria, the heavy lidded aftermath on his face, she imprints the image inside of her head because she's absolutely certain she'll never see anything more perfect as long as she lives. Ryleigh has absolutely no desire to deny him, so when he tugs on her, she instantly shifts closer to him. Night quite on his lap, though so she might as well be as close as she allows herself to cuddle against him. There's no other word to describe the way her small body curls against his own, her face split into a beaming grin at his compliment. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," she says quietly, kissing his jaw as the words leave her. She'd very much enjoyed it herself and while she's given a lot of blow jobs in her life, she's never thoroughly enjoyed one as much as she had with Bear down her throat. "Whenever you ever want a repeat performance, just let me know," Ryleigh adds, grinning when she dips her head against his shoulder.
BEAR
Bear doesn't know what to make of the offer but he's tucked an arm around her shoulders because even though he might not seem like it--given that he's massive looks a little intimidating, and is pretty standoffish to begin with--after sex, especially in his own home, he wants contact. He wants to ride the good post-orgasm hormones without shame. He picks up his glass of whiskey and downs the rest of it--no small amount--in one go before he looks at her, brow raising at the offer. He's not sure what to make of it, if she's joking, what the fuck that grin means. Instead of lingering on it, he snorts and stretches to tug his boxer briefs back up to his waist. "Same."
RYLEIGH
For the first time since she'd learned what the heavy stench of whiskey could lead to, Ryleigh doesn't mind the smell when it's combined with his natural scent. As if the two are supposed to go together, hand in hand, earth and fire. She hums in response to his equal offer, a small smile, sated little grin on her lips. Ryleigh climbs onto his lap after he's pulled up his boxers briefs, because she craves the closeness and she rarely gets it after... not that she's ever stuck around long enough with anyone to make it to this point. "Careful... I might take you up on that," she teases lightly, leaning against his broad chest, the position definitely emphasizing how tiny she is in comparison to his larger frame.
BEAR
Bearâs hands immediately fall to her hips and he looks at her, eyes raking over her frame and then back up to her face. He takes the hem of his shirtâthe one sheâs wearingâbetween his thumb and index finger and tugs it from where it is on her thighs, just enough to pull the fabric taut before he cocks a brow at her. âHow are you so fucking small? This is...a normal sized shirt?â He said with a laugh, shaking his head a little at her.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh's laughing at the question before he can even finish it, because it's definitely one she's been asking herself her entire life. "Curse of the universe, if I had to take a guess?" She answers, gaze falling to where he tugs on his shirt, pulling the fabric taut enough for it to accentuate  her breasts a little, even though she's sure he's not trying to do that. "My mom has pretty much lived at the bottom of a bottle since before I was born, so my brother, my twin, and I were born as preemies - no by a lot or anything, but enough. He got all the tall genes and I, unfortunately, did not." Ryleigh adds with a small shrug, her own fingers tugging on the shirt covering his chest. "Not all of us can be bulky like Hulk." A little bit of a tease as her fingers tap against his hard chest.
BEAR
âOh hey, my dad,â Bear said as he pointed at himself when she made the comment about her mom living at the bottom of the bottle. âMy mom never drank like...ever. She hated it. I used to watch her pour my dadâs beers down the drain when he was at workâmind you, they couldnât even afford beer but that never stopped him from going to the co-op and buying more,â he rolled his eyes. He snorted at the Hulk comment, shaking his head a little at her as he tugged her shirt again, this time pulling it toward him as if to pull her closer.
RYLEIGH
She frowns a little at him, but her hand never stops moving over his chest. "Sounds like a good woman, your mom," Ryleigh says quietly, not missing the tense with which he refers to her, but also not bold enough to ask. Some memories aren't easy to live through, let alone repeat them aloud. "I don't know my father. He left when I was two or three? Apparantly he was never really that great to begin with, so no love lost there. My older brother pretty much raised us. He was a better father figure than my own father ever would've been, so I'm grateful for that." Ryleigh leans forward instinctively when he tugs on the shirt again, settling more comfortably against his chest.
BEAR
Bear pushes a hand up the back of her shirt, hand coming up over her ass and then the small of her back to play his fingers over her the skin along her spin, nodding a little at that as he listened. He knew sheâd been through some shit and he wondered vaguely how much shit before he pushed that thought to the side. âHow much older is your brother?â
RYLEIGH
"I don't want to tell you," she muses with a small groan - uncertain whether it's because of his hand sliding over her warm, bare skin, or if it's because she doesn't want to have the whole age debate again. "He's thirty-one," Ryleigh adds with a soft sigh, gaze on his chest. "So, ten years older than me?"
BEAR
Bear furrows his brow at her because he for some reason hadnât really known what he was asking when he asked and then she told him. Before he could stop himself, Bear was laughing pretty damn hard at that and he tipped his forehead against her shoulder.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh groans when he laughs, not because she isn't completely enamored with the sound, because she absolutely is, but because yeah... she can see why it would be amusing. When he drops his head against her shoulder, she shakes her head at him, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling as her fingers curl around the back of his neck. "Are you done?" She tries to sound stern, but she chuckles instead, his laugh unraveling something inside of her.
BEAR
Bear can tell from the tone of Ryleighâs voice that sheâs not actually mad at him which is good news because heâs still laughing under his breath as he pulls away and looks at her. âItâs pretty fucking funny that your brother who raised you is /my age/,â he snorted, shaking his head. âAnd you said heâs your /father figure./â
RYLEIGH
She wrinkles her nose at him with a small shake of her head. âPlease donât make it sound gross... itâs entirely different because I definitely donât think of you that way.â Her hand stills on his chest, right over where she can feel his heart beating.
BEAR
Glancing at where sheâs touching him before shifting his eyes, Bear looks back to at her face. âI didnât make it gross, I /quoted/ you,â he laughed a little, shrugging at her.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh sighs, letting her hand drop back onto her lap, biting at the inside of her cheek. âI guess I can see the irony.â
BEAR
Bearâs brow cocked up at that and he opened his mouth to ask what she was thinking but quickly closed it. He patted the outside of her thigh before sliding out from under her and picking up his glass as he walked to the kitchen.
RYLEIGH
She settles onto the couch after he slips out from under her, watching make the trek back to the kitchen. Ryleigh bites at the tip of her tongue, debates staying put or following after him. She decides on the latter, stopping to lean against the door frame leading into his kitchen. "Are you okay?"
BEAR
Bearâs picked up the bottle of whiskey and is starting to uncap it when she speaks. He shifts a little so his back isnât to her, glancing over his shoulder before turning and shrugging. âFine yeahâyou?â
RYLEIGH
Tilting her head to rest it against the door frame, she feels a frown pull at her lips. "Are you sure? Because I feel like the minute I told you how much older my brother was, this got weird."
BEAR
Unscrewing the cap and shaking his head, Bear shrugged. âNo, Iâm good,â he answered her. âYou good?â He asked, raising a brow at her.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh shakes her head after lifting it away from the door frame, a pit forming in the middle of her stomach. Does she have any right NOT to be good with any of this? He doesn't owe her anything. It's honestly silly of her to think--- well, she's not sure what she thought. "Since we've gone from sharing things with each to you giving me monosyllable answers, not really." She answers honestly, meeting his gaze. "Do you want me to go?"
BEAR
Bear furrows his brow because this feels a little like a fight and heâs basically either avoided conflict or ran headfirst into it his entire life and he canât quite figure out which he should do. He pours a finger of whiskey and picks up the class as he looks at her, leaning against the counter as he takes a sip. He considers the girl in front of him for a moment and feels a swell of desire to be cool and maybe even a little brash but he swallows it down with another sip of alcohol. âYou seemed bothered when I laughed about it but itâs kind of funny in a fucked up way, you know that right?â
RYLEIGH
"I wasn't bothered. Amused because I had a feeling it was going to happen the moment I told you, with our whole conversation before," she shrugs, referring to their time before his apartment. Ryleigh wants that moment back. She doesn't want whatever this weird tension is. Or maybe she does, because she could've very well left well enough alone, stolen his pajama pants, there's no way her clothes are done in the washer, yet, and left. "Explain it to me? Because I think we're seeing it from two different points of view and yeah, it is a little funny that you just happen to be the same age, but I don't-- age is just a number, Bear."
BEAR
âItâs fineââ Bear says quickly, tossing back the rest of the glass quickly because this was definitely his nightmare. âYouâre right, itâs no big deal,â he goes on, unable to keep himself from sounding short even as he tries to push levity into his tone. âLetâs just drop it.â
RYLEIGH
Against her better judgement, that voice in her head telling her to agree and drop it, Ryleigh crosses the kitchen, stopping just beside him, leaning against the kitchen counter. âBear,â she says his name quietly, green eyes peering up at him. âTell me whatâs going on in your head?â She wants to touch him, to put her hand on his arm, but she doesnât let herself... at least for the first thirty seconds. Then sheâs reaching for his arm, small hand curbing around his forearm. âPlease?â
BEAR
The way Ryleigh says his name is way too intimate for him. The way she touches him is, too. He feels a dull panic in his chest at the apparent kindness and while he doesnât pull his arm away, the muscles in his forearm go taut with tension and his jaw sets. âI told you alreadyâI donât care, Iâm fine, letâs drop it. Iâm sorry I made a dumb fucking joke about your brother, I really donât care, just let it go,â he says, eyes on hers before he shifts away from her to screw the cap back on the bottle and put his glass upside down in the sink.
RYLEIGH
Ryleigh feels him tense, sees his jaw tighten, and the tone of his voice only tightens the pit in her stomach. She watches him for little longer, biting her tongue, blinking back that familiar burning, before she leaves the kitchen, suddenly feeling far more exposed than sheâd been when she had her legs over his shoulders twenty minutes ago. He doesnât owe her anything, but sheâd thought... maybe... âI should go,â she says loud enough for him to hear, feeling far too raw. Sheâs shared more with him than she has with anyone in... so long and thatâs not his fault. Â Thereâs a chance sheâs reading way too much into itâ sheâs already too... maybe it doesnât matter. His pajama pants are way too long on her and she has to roll the waist at least five teams to keep them from falling off of her or from her tripping on them. Â Itâs still raining, she can hear the pelting of water against the building and it wouldnât be the first time sheâs walked home in the rain. She doesnât think he lives too far from her place. Doesnât matter either way, she needs to go before she says or does something so fucking stupid thereâs no coming back from it.
BEAR
Bear hesitates in the kitchen because he can feel himself locking up, like a vault on an automatic timer, not really sure whatâs triggered the response but itâs happening all the same. He can feel the taste of his fatherâs words in his mouth, words that do not belong to him but that heâd inherited like his eye color. When he comes out of the kitchen, he rubs a hand over his face and watches her in his pajamas and rakes a hand over his hair. He sigh he huffs out is long and exasperated. âRyleigh. Everything is fine,â he said, sounding almost tired. âWait for your damn clothes to dry, we can play cards or watch some TV or something, Iâll drive you homeâprobably like forty-five minutes or something, that dryerâs pretty fast.â
RYLEIGH
Thereâs a little furrow in the middle of her brow when he tells her everything is fine. Itâs a little absurd to hear him suggest they play cards or watch TV after... it makes her giggle a little, despite herself. In spite of everything? Â She slaps a hand over her mouth when the sound leaves her, because itâs... itâs all a little ridiculous isnât. âI donât have the mental capacity for a card game. TV I can do... one condition, though,â she finally answers after having an internal debate with herself for three minutes.
BEAR
Bearâs brow raises when she laughs and heâs not sure why sheâs laughing but he feels a little more at ease as he watches her, really wishing he could just get drunk but also realizing that itâs probably not a great thing to do when she had basically told him sheâd not had great experiences with or around alcohol. âWhatâs the condition?â
RYLEIGH
She crosses to him to take his hand in hers, tugging him over to his couch again. âLet me practically lay on you? I was gonna say let me cuddle against you but that didnât sound manly enough,â she muses, not even sure what sheâs saying right now as she sinks down on the couch again.
BEAR
Bear is surprised when she walks back toward him but he lets her take his hand. He pauses for a moment to try to figure out the last time someone held his hand. Six months? A year? Longer? He was used to physical contact but not like this. Heâs cracked a very small smile at her question and shakes his head no even as he says, âIs that a thing? Yeah, fine.â Heâs trying not to seem amused by it but he is as he sits down next to her.
RYLEIGH
Something eases inside of her when he smiles. Itâs a small one, but a smile all the same. When he sits down beside her, she waits for him to get comfortable before sheâs curling her body back into his side, guiding his long arm around her shoulders. âItâs a thing, trust me,â she nods, dropping her head against his shoulder. Ryleigh doesnât care what they watch, but she also canât promise she wonât fall asleep for a little bit, either.
BEAR
After a pause to let her get comfortable, Bear picks up the remote and turns his TV on. He doesnât have cableâhe always thought it was expensive to begin with and even now that he has a little bit of money, he doesnât see the allure of spending it sitting inside and flipping channels. Netflix and HBO, on the other hand, he could do. He fires up the screen and hands Ryleigh the remote, kicking his feet up on the coffee table to get comfortable. âChoose wisely,â he says through a yawn.
RYLEIGH
Taking the remote from him, she scrolls through to find one of her favorite murder documentaries. Why she finds those so soothing is beyond her, but she hits play and tosses the remote onto the couch next to her. Settling a little more against him, Ryleigh has no idea what sheâs doing, but she knows she likes how he feels around her. She makes it through the first ten minutes before her eyes canât stay open any longer, relaxing against him as she falls asleep - willingly - for the first time in years.
you can say weâre done the way you always do
itâs easier to lie to me than to yourself
forget about your friends, you know theyâre gonna say
weâre bad for each other, but we ainât good for anyone else
i told you i wouldnât call, i told you i wouldnât care
but baby climbing the walls gets me nowhere
i donât think that i can take this bed getting any colder
come over
"'He was sitting against a tussock near the middle of the field -- Murtagh. He'd been struck a dozen times at least, and there was a dreadful wound in his head -- I knew he was dead.'
He hadn't been, though; when Jamie had fallen to his knees beside his godfather and taken the small body in his arms, Murtagh's eyes had opened.
'He saw me. And he smiled.' And then the older man's hand had touched his cheek briefly. 'Dinna be afraid, a bhalaich.' Murtagh had said, using the endearment for a small, beloved boy. 'It doesna hurt a bit to die.'" ~ Voyager, Diana Gabaldon.