surprise starter for @trageadies
Ethan was a patient man; he could wait for something for a long time - with confidence, he could claim longer than anyone. But he’d be damned to say that this stand-off between himself and Payne had been eating away at him, breaking down his patience as well as his will and self control. Their flirtatious back and forth only added to the attraction and...intimate tension that made itself known pretty much from the first moment he met her at the bar - a place he really didn’t seem to belong. That night he decided to act on the idea of change, to do something he normally wouldn’t (within reason), and it was perhaps the best decision he has ever made - perhaps in his entire life - as it lead to inducting Payne into his life.
His affection and admiration for her only grew when he discovered she was a mother - while the child did not belong to her biologically, Ethan would be the last one to argue the maternity of the little girl; Payne was her mother, there was nothing that could nor would change that. Being a parent himself (despite the rocky relationship with both of his children, one more so than the other), Ethan had a special place in his heart for children (particularly little Nadia the more time he spent with her, taking his job as her babysitter quite seriously and close to heart) and seeing Payne with her child would’ve made his heart skip beats if the organ had any rhythm to it.
He extended the offer for Payne to stay, if not for the night then just a little while, as Nadia had been sleeping when she arrived to pick up the child. With the youngling tucked in and fast asleep, Ethan lead Payne to his study room - a quiet and cozy place for them to talk and have a drink together. Their conversation quickly turned heated and tense - not at all in the sense of anger and an impending argument, but in the way they could both sense the desire and want for each other as they stood close with their gazes locked, their eyes speaking so much more than words ever could.
Ethan’s patience had finally ran out - he was not normally one to act on impulse, but sometimes there was no point in even trying to fight certain urges.
The vampire’s hand reached out, one wrapping around Payne’s waist to draw her in closer while the other tangled in the back of her long, dark hair as he dove for her mouth, kissing her with deep and heated passion.
















