Post by kayla on Jan 20, 2010 1:19:58 GMT -5
She'd slept deeply and her dreams, what she remembered of them, were nothing but a faint pleasant memory in the back of her mind. No distinct memories left but just that warm, happy feeling leaving it's residue to greet her when she opened her eyes to the bright afternoon sunlight. It was the day of New Year's Eve, a time for new beginnings. If only things were so simple. She rolled over to see the clock and noticed her bear in her hands, blinking, confused at the sight. As she laid there and tried to remember things she became more and more confused but the pounding in her head reminded her of the beer she'd guzzled on an empty stomach and she groaned. She couldn't even remember getting out of the bathtub! Wait....
Peeking under the covers she was wrapped in she saw the disentangled towel around her, barely covering her and groaned again, throwing her arm over her eyes and wincing inwardly. Had she basically streaked from the bathroom to her room? Had she done anything else embarrassing? Oh god! Her skin turned pink from the tips of her ears to the tips of her toes as she thought about it and slowly crawled out of bed to get tot he closet and quickly dress, slipping into a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt before grabbing her toothbrush and toothpaste and scampering to the bathroom to brush her teeth. It felt like something had crawled in there and died. Something furry. She'd brush her teeth, wash her face and throw her hair into a ponytail as she tried to figure out what happened before facing the owner of the place. "Oh please don't have let me do anythin' too stupid." she whispered to her reflection in the mirror a she turned on the cold water and splashed her face. Some aspirin would be in order shortly as well.
Ah, he so loved it when his dreams were less than their usual bloody mess. In his unconscious, he lay on a beach with a woman in his arm, the sun warming his chest and the water beating at his feet. He was content, comfortable...at peace. It was something akin to torture as his mind slowly dragged itself out of sandy beaches and back into the real world. He lay face down on his bed, dark sheets tangled around him and the dim rays of sunlight poking through the window shades. Something had woken him, but he was too damn comfortable to care. After a dream like that? An actual, ever loving break from the normal nightmares of blood, pain and the motionless bodies of his family? He was content to let himself get skewered, if only to keep the ever elusive sense of calm clutched to his chest.
But, as everything else in life, the dream slowly slid away and the oh-so-familiar realization of yet another day had begun to dawn replaced the easy feeling. With a low grumble, he pushed himself to his elbows and flopped onto his side. He ran a hand over the smooth top of his head and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Another day and another godsdamn dollar...why couldn't the world just end and have at it? Wasn't like various factions hadn't been trying to bring Armageddon about for the past thousand or so years. Was it too much to ask for a bit of oblivion? Gods.
Stretching his arms above his head, he peered over his shoulder at the cut he'd received the other night. Good, the thing was healed, just like he'd expected...but it was still good to check. With his luck lately, the kid would've used dead man's blood and he'd be a pile of crap on the floor in the next ten seconds. Tossing the sheet off of his lap, he stood, rolling his shoulders as he padded to the stairs. As any good Roman, he chose to sleep in the form that the Gods had provided him, and frowned at the pair of pants that hung over the chair back near the television. He wasn't one to leave clothes out, even if he'd been exhausted last night. Why were they hanging there? Slowly, as his mind worked itself from its normal suicidal morning wakeup call, he began to remember something about the other night. Something about...a truck outside of Wicked, guns in his locker and...and...
GODS. He was halfways on the staircase, naked as a jaybird and cursing under his breath as the events from the other night came flying right into his face. Oh that's right; THAT'S why he couldn't for the life of him get any sleep, for fear of letting his subconscious get too happy with certain unmentionable thoughts. Joy to his life, and after forcing himself away from that lusty body, he was now going to get sued for eyeball burning. Well...maybe she wouldn't notice if he just turned around and headed back for the bedroom? That was it; definitely the right way to go. About face, soldier! Wait...no, not you! With a growl as the sound of running water started to make him think of a certain naked body he'd found in the tub last night, he resisted the urge to start knocking his head against the wall, the words 'retreat! retreat!' echoing in his mind.
It didn't take long as she finished up in the bathroom, her hair pulled back from her freshly washed face, a little pink in the cheeks from the scrubbing, her mouth once again minty fresh. She hadn't heard anything with the water running and sighed as she rubbed her temples, peeking into the medicine cabinet for something for the headache the hangover gave her. Nothing. With a sigh she shut the water off and turned, dabbing her face with the towel once and heading to the door. Surely there was some asprin or something in the little first aid kit she'd taken down yesterday.
Without a thought she left the door and began to bound down the steps on the pads of her feet, trying to be quiet but wanting more to be quick. She stared down at her feet as she moved, only looking up at the last second as something caught her peripheral vision, nearly colliding with Ty as he began to turn to head down the stares. Pulling herself up short with a small, startled sound she looked up and her eyes widened till one could almost swear they would pop out of her head as she saw....Oh dear lord in heaven!!!! There before her in all that God above had given him was none other than her host and her cheeks flamed instantly to life, her ears tinting even as the heat flooded her skin in embarrassment. She hadn't seen that many men naked in her life. Not full on naked like this. One was a cousin when they were 10 and that didn't count. But even the other one in no way compared to what her eyes were seeing now. It was as if a sculptor had carved him with attention to every tiny detail. And not so tiny ones, her mind whispered making her blush even harder. She was shocked still, unable to look away or close her eyes for what seemed like forever. In truth it was probably not that long but boy did it seem like it.
She stammered as she tried to back up a step and nearly fell, her foot slipping off the step making her grab the sides of the narrow wall to catch herself and look away, staring at her toes like they were the most interesting things as she stammered "I..I.. Oh gosh.. I'm so sorry I shouldn't have.. I mean.. I didn't know that.. Oh my gosh!..I'm...I..." She gulps hard and closes her eyes tight, afraid she's just completely offended her host. "I'll just.. g..go back to my room and.." she can't even finish that sentence as she tries to turn quickly, her feet still stumbling from what is normally a rather nimble little thing. She didn't know about new beginnings but there was certainly new things in her life that she'd never imagined on this day of New Years.
Oh for all the GODS in Olympus, seriously? SERIOUSLY?! Could he just have ONE godsdamn moment in his entire godsdamn existence where something actually went right?! Gods forbid that he'd actually make it down the stairs without sending his house guest into conniptions. Though...that one look that she was giving him before the blush set in did strike him as interested...
Resisting the urge to groan, Ty shoved the thought back, grimacing as he fought the urge to cover certain parts that were becoming much too happy to see her. Like cupping himself would make anything better, for chrissakes. For once in his life- or, at least, for the first time in a very, VERY long time- the unfamiliar heat of a blush similar to hers began to climb down from the tips of his ears until it made tawny skin a bit more...colorful. He was in loathe to find something to make this a bit less awkward...but hell's bells, he was standing buck naked in front of an innocent! Unless he could find a towel, washcloth, FLOOR MAT...Gods, anything, they were both up Embarrassment Creek with no paddles. He muttered a curse under his breath and, gritting his teeth, forced himself to revert back to his normal surliness, if only to retain some composure.
"Guess this gives a new meaning to sexual harassment, huh?" He managed to growl, forcing out a laugh. The way her eyes were practically fused to the wall, then his face...either she was seriously interested, or he was just too fugly to fathom. And, given the fact that he did chance to glance into a mirror every once in a while, he'd probably opt for the latter. Who the hell wants to stare at a naked guy with more scars than a disobedient horse? His mouth was open to shoot something else her way, maybe throw in a 'take your time looking; you can see if that whole 'picture people naked' thing really works,' but it was immediately forgotten as she stumbled. Automatically, he was up two steps and sliding his arm around her waist to make sure she didn't make the staircase her next spot to pass out on.
Yeah...that little thing about his being naked? Also forgotten. Gods strike him down right now...because feeling those shapely curves right smack up against him? Definitely the way any man wanted to wake up. Practically biting a hole in his tongue to keep from groaning, he let her go as she hurried farther up the stairs...and promptly found himself reacting instinctively yet again as she stumbled for the second time. As if the first time wasn't enough, to make sure she didn't face plant on the damn stairs, he'd caught her around her middle, her half bent form causing some kind of back-to-front positioning that practically had his eyes crossing.
"FUCKING HADES," He snarled, using the railing to push himself away from her. Hopefully, she would find the stairs a bit more freaking easy to maneuver now and wouldn't freaking stumble, because if he had to get near her one more godsdamn time... With another almost animalistic noise- one of pain now, probably- he turned about face and stormed down the stairs. "Make more noise when you walk around, woman!"
His anger was irrational, but now that a certain part of his anatomy was doing a salute in hopeful anticipation of some fun, there really wasn't anything he could do was get as far away from the woman as he could. Gods, his ass was so fired, when he got to work.
The t-shirt she wore didn't offer much in the way of distance between herself and the large arm she found wrapped around her, steadying her form from falling. It was shocking, like little jolts of electricity moving through her as she felt the heat of that arm and the nearness of his skin to the rest of her. But there was also something strangely familiar about it that she couldn't place. It was enough of a shock to send her scurrying away yet again, only to find him saving her from herself again as she almost ate the steps, stopping just short as he grabbed her waist and held her up. But she nearly fainted feeling all that solid bulk behind her and quickly righted herself. "I'm sorry...I'm....I'm so sorrysosorry." she began muttering so quickly her words ran together as she heard him curse and push himself away from her, that growl sending shivers through her that weren't altogether unpleasant.
Her feet found themselves once more as she managed to run back up the stairs fast and just as silent as ever. A habit she'd learned young out in the woods hunting and playing hide and seek. It was just second nature as she fled to her room, shutting the door and leaning back against it with her eyes closed, silently cursing herself with words that would make her momma faint if she knew her little girl was even thinking them. With a soft thud she let her head hit the door a few times and winced at the added pain to her already throbbing cranium. "I'm so stupid.. stupid stupid!" she hissed at herself and looked over across the room to her bed and the towel and then to the closet and her things. What had she done last night! Oh god!
Had she slept with him?!? Was that why he was naked? Oh god! OH GOD! How could she show her face again. Moving quickly her mind was made up as she raced to the closet, slipping out of the shorts and into a pair of Wranglers, her belt with the knife slipped on just as quickly but not even bothering to tuck in her shirt. She packed up her sparse things except for that stuff that was in the bathroom. She'd just have to do without it, even if she would sorely miss her brother's jersey. Everything stuffed in the bag she went to the bed, making it up nice and neat with nary a wrinkle and folding the towel. When she opened the door she was ready to go. Ready to leave, an apology on her lips even as shame filled her heart. She wasn't the kind of gal that got drunk and slept around. Bare foot she padded carefully down the steps, looking cautiously as she did.
Moving across the floor she knew he was off to the side of her, her small frame struggling with the heavy duffel bag as she went to the door to pull on her boots she'd left there last night. "I'm really sorry Mr. Gla'dour. I...I don't normally do stuff like this..well never in fact. I'm..I'm not that kinda girl, honestly. So...whatever I did last night I apologize for and if you could just forget anything stupid I said or did I'd greatly appreciate it. I..." she swallowed hard as a lump built in her throat. "I won't mention it or nothin...I mean.. I know it wouldn't have been your fault or nothin...I know how silly drunk women can be and all and ..and I don't blame ya for nothing but I'll just be goin so's none of this is awkward for you. I'll get my things at the bar and be on my way." Her words were spoken fast and with a tone of embarrassment, clearly thinking she'd been some kind of drunk floozy the night before.
The day just could not get any worse, if he sold his soul for Armageddon, he thought with another snarl. Practically shoving himself into the jeans he'd layed out last night- next time, he was gonna put a neon sign up, fer chrissakes!- he stalked around the little bedroom, snatching up a shirt from the drawers under the mounted television. Mounted...GODS, wipe all such words from his vocabulary! Leaning a bit against the set of drawers, he couldn't help but groan, letting his forehead sink down to the smooth wood.
All of this, the attraction, the awkwardness, the protectiveness...it just didn't make any sense! He'd been around women like Kayla before; those weak, twitchy, scarred little birds, whose wings had been broken by some kind of horror in the past. Hell, he'd normally find them pitiful and kept his distance, knowing that any form of assistance he might offer would probably make things worse. Normally, his type of woman was feisty and mean. Mouthy, tough, ready to punch before pushing...THAT was what he was attracted to! Not her! And yet, there he was, pretending that he was some kind of African fertility statue, with the Hard-on of fuckin' Doom. For a minute, he just stood there, shirt gripped in one hand and forehead rhythmically banging against the dresser top, wondering why in all that was holy, he was feeling this way about a mouse. Sure, she was beautiful, in an almost fragile way, and she didn't seem to be as fazed by his ugly mug as most of the people who knew him well enough...and that smile that wasn't shown to often, but when it did, seemed to light up the room...
HELL, like that was helping! Another bang to the dresser and a headache started between his eyes, doing its best to chase away the utter longing coursing through his body. Gods, he really needed to get laid. It was really too bad that the only women he had an inkling of interesting in seemed to think he was the Boogeyman. And...oh, yeah, just great; NOW, the Boogeyman with no mysteries whatsoever under his dark robe. Joy to his godsdamn life!
He was in the middle of shoving his head into his shirt when he heard her voice from the hall. Pausing, brows crashing down in a show of confusion, he tried to interpret the stammered apology, his jaw slightly slack. What the hell? SHE was apologizing to HIM? For what? For being flashed? Gods, where did he find such a strange little chit? Pulling his shirt down to finally cover the scarred expanse of his chest, he stalked toward her, bare feet silent on the wood floor.
"Stuff like this? What the hell are you talkin 'bout, Mouse?" He asked once he was close enough, keeping a good distance between them. If she wanted to bolt after the ugly ass sight she'd just seen, he wouldn't blame her. But he wouldn't be letting her leave without her knowing that nothing she'd done was her fault. Now, to shift slightly so that he was leaning against the wall and half-hiding the little happy friend straining to make her acquaintance. Gods, he DID need to get laid! One little glance, and he was off like a shot... Shoving the thought down, he continued to eye her, a frown on his face. "Look, what happened before...I shoulda warned you that I sleep...eh...au nauterale. You wanna leave and sue my ass for harassment? Sure. But just know that I'm sorry and...dammit, I'm sorry." His hand came up to rub the back of his neck as he scowled at the floor, utterly hating the fact that a blush was beginning to stain his cheeks again. "But as for what you should be sorry about...I got no clue what you're goin on about. And...you don't have to leave. Not that I blame you if you do, but that isn't exactly how I say hi to most people in the morning."
Stopped dead in her tracks, one boot on, the other with a foot halfway inside the other as she teetered a bit, throwing out a hand to the wall for support as the heavy duffel bag tlted her balance too far one way as she was bent over. She kept her back to him for a moment as she straightened up and listened to his words. When she did look over her shoulder, looking back at him her face was full of confusion. He was apologizing? Him?!? She'd never heard him apologize to anyone...well except that one time to her. And twice in one sentence?!? That was when she got a glimpse of his own blush and his words registered. "I thought that...you and I.. that we...well..." she stammered as she turned around and threaded her hands together, fingers nervously working against one another before she irritatedly shoved her hands in her pockets. "I thought that we..you know.. since I woke up with only a towel and you were..." her voice cracked a little and the blush that came over her and the sound was nothing even in the same ballpark as disgust. Quite the opposite. She cleared her throat. and tried to go on, her eyes falling to the floor to keep from embarrassing herself further.
"Well I thought...I mean.. I'd been drinking and ..and well..." And she hadn't been with anyone since Ben and had been so lonely that maybe she'd acted like a total slut? No she couldn't say that. "I thought...because of the you know.. no clothes and all that I'd ...maybe made some untoward advances toward you and that ..." She just couldn't bring herself to say it, tears welling up in her eyes at her own shame.
But that was a foolish thought wasn't it? "And I'm making a total idiot out of myself aint I? I mean you wouldn't...okay so maybe if you were desperate or..or you know ....just um.. attacked or something but...I'm not blind okay..I mean a fella like you.. you could have any gal ya wanted and well I'm.....I'm me." Her tone was not complimentary of herself as she said the last. Clearly someone spent a lot of time making sure she didn't like a thing about herself to sink that one into her head. She shook her head, knowing in her heart he didn't think of her that way. "What I'm tryin ta say is I'm a waitress in a bar, sure but...I'm not one of those that just throw themselves at anyone and run off and sleep with them on a whim. I swear. I..I have to care about a person and be involved and I don't want you thinkin poorly of me because of what we may or may not have done last night cause I can't remember a damned thing." Whoa....the mouse cursed. She NEVER cursed. As her shoulder slumped and her posture fell the way of the dejected her foot slid on down into the boot with a sudden dropping of her frame and she shifted the bag on her shoulder a bit. "You'll tell Mr. Erik and Ms. Lexi I'm sorry? I don't mean to run out on 'em on tonight of all nights but...." she just couldn't go on, falling silent as a tear slipped down her cheek.
Okay...so of all the condescending things he was expecting to hear from her, THAT was definitely the last on the list. She'd thought...he and her...what? Really? And she was APOLOGIZING for it? Gods, if they had been together last night, it would probably have been him apologizing for making her walk funny for the next week and a half. The thought caused a surge of warmth spread through his body and he shifted a bit in an attempt to get comfortable. What the hell was it about this woman that made him so...discombobbled, or whatever people called it nowadays? However, as she continued to stutter and the real reason for her hasty departure sank into his head, he couldn't help a slow, almost predatory smile from forming on his lips.
"Kayla," He said, voice a bit deeper than usual. "Believe me when I say that, while I would have loved there to be some crazy memory of last night...nothing happened. You passed out in the tub and I took you to your room. I didn't think you'd appreciate it if I went and dressed you." With a little laugh, he rubbed the back of his neck again. Damn if the muscles weren't driving him crazy the past few days. It was probably from that pool cue he'd taken to the back last Monday that screwed them up...
The thought trailed off as she continued to talk, and before he could check the movement, Ty was less than an arm's length away from her, eyes on her face and hand going to grasp the top of her duffel bag to take the weight off her shoulder. Before she could protest, he slid it off of her arm and let it plunk to the floor at their feet. "Let's get one thing straight, Mouse," He said, a devilish glint in his eyes. Gods, she was so small compared to him. "You're being 'you' has had me in traction all fucking last night and most of this morning. While I don't doubt you aren't the kind of woman who'd throw herself at anyone...honey, it don't stop me from wishing that you did...and that that 'anyone' would be me." Almost as if it had its own will, his hand came up to gently slide one finger across the curve of her cheek, awed by its softness. All he'd have to do was bend down, and he could taste her...HELL. It took most of his self control, but the bouncer managed to take a step back, using his toe to push her bag farther into the apartment.
"Nothing happened, Mouse," The words were repeated, but this time, there was a weary undertone to his voice. "So stop apologizing. If anything, I should be the one getting out of the state before I get arrested for indecent exposure." Another roguish grin lit his face as he turned to stroll back into the loft. "Then again, this is my place, so maybe I'm safe. Go put your stuff back, Kayla. We've gotta get to the club a bit early to set up for the bash tonight, so get ready to leave in an hour." As if he didn't expect her to leave...damn, forget the chivalrous streak; his commanding one was much stronger.
"Oh." It was said so softly as he explained how she'd ended up asleep like that, that it could have not been heard, her cheeks coloring even hotter. Wait...he'd seen her naked! OH GOD ABOVE!! She flushed from tip to toe again and just wanted to die. It might have been why it took her a moment to register the rest of his words. Wait a minute.. he would have loved there to have been a memory?!?! Her eyes flashed up at him as he slipped her bag off her shoulder so easily as if she weren't an obstacle at all, her body weight shifting once more abruptly without the weight holding it to one side.
That devilish glint it held her gaze like a magnet, unable to look away, her own eyes wide as she looked at him but not in fear or worry as before, but confusion. So...nothing happened? They hadn't....She felt like beating her head against a wall a few hundred times as she realized what a fool she'd made of herself. That finger tracing the curve of her cheek where the tear had fallen shook her out of her thoughts as he went on, basically telling her that she'd somehow, and how she wouldn't have the craziest idea of how!, managed to turn him on and make him want. The Man of Iron himself. The unmovable giant had been moved. It was like a splash of cold water to the face. As he dropped his hand and pushed her bag back inside she raised her own hand and touched her cheek, remembering that feel, quickly dropping it as he looked back at her.
She nodded, utterly dumbfounded by his declaration, as he reaffirmed their innocence the night before. Grabbing the bag and dragging it a little before she got it up onto her shoulder. She'd make them a bite to eat before they left, she decided. Her own form of peace offering as she walked across the floor once her boots were off again and sat by the door. She'd just wait till he was in the shower and...And that thought made her flush again as she started up the steps. "I..I guess we're even then." she said, pausing on the steps and glimpsing back over her shoulder. "I mean... you've seen...well..you know all and stuff and I've seen the same." At least it's her way of rationalizing it. She turned and made it quickly up the steps as she called back. "The bathroom's all yours. I'll um...I'll ask before I come out of the room." It was an honest offer made.
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Peeking under the covers she was wrapped in she saw the disentangled towel around her, barely covering her and groaned again, throwing her arm over her eyes and wincing inwardly. Had she basically streaked from the bathroom to her room? Had she done anything else embarrassing? Oh god! Her skin turned pink from the tips of her ears to the tips of her toes as she thought about it and slowly crawled out of bed to get tot he closet and quickly dress, slipping into a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt before grabbing her toothbrush and toothpaste and scampering to the bathroom to brush her teeth. It felt like something had crawled in there and died. Something furry. She'd brush her teeth, wash her face and throw her hair into a ponytail as she tried to figure out what happened before facing the owner of the place. "Oh please don't have let me do anythin' too stupid." she whispered to her reflection in the mirror a she turned on the cold water and splashed her face. Some aspirin would be in order shortly as well.
Ah, he so loved it when his dreams were less than their usual bloody mess. In his unconscious, he lay on a beach with a woman in his arm, the sun warming his chest and the water beating at his feet. He was content, comfortable...at peace. It was something akin to torture as his mind slowly dragged itself out of sandy beaches and back into the real world. He lay face down on his bed, dark sheets tangled around him and the dim rays of sunlight poking through the window shades. Something had woken him, but he was too damn comfortable to care. After a dream like that? An actual, ever loving break from the normal nightmares of blood, pain and the motionless bodies of his family? He was content to let himself get skewered, if only to keep the ever elusive sense of calm clutched to his chest.
But, as everything else in life, the dream slowly slid away and the oh-so-familiar realization of yet another day had begun to dawn replaced the easy feeling. With a low grumble, he pushed himself to his elbows and flopped onto his side. He ran a hand over the smooth top of his head and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Another day and another godsdamn dollar...why couldn't the world just end and have at it? Wasn't like various factions hadn't been trying to bring Armageddon about for the past thousand or so years. Was it too much to ask for a bit of oblivion? Gods.
Stretching his arms above his head, he peered over his shoulder at the cut he'd received the other night. Good, the thing was healed, just like he'd expected...but it was still good to check. With his luck lately, the kid would've used dead man's blood and he'd be a pile of crap on the floor in the next ten seconds. Tossing the sheet off of his lap, he stood, rolling his shoulders as he padded to the stairs. As any good Roman, he chose to sleep in the form that the Gods had provided him, and frowned at the pair of pants that hung over the chair back near the television. He wasn't one to leave clothes out, even if he'd been exhausted last night. Why were they hanging there? Slowly, as his mind worked itself from its normal suicidal morning wakeup call, he began to remember something about the other night. Something about...a truck outside of Wicked, guns in his locker and...and...
GODS. He was halfways on the staircase, naked as a jaybird and cursing under his breath as the events from the other night came flying right into his face. Oh that's right; THAT'S why he couldn't for the life of him get any sleep, for fear of letting his subconscious get too happy with certain unmentionable thoughts. Joy to his life, and after forcing himself away from that lusty body, he was now going to get sued for eyeball burning. Well...maybe she wouldn't notice if he just turned around and headed back for the bedroom? That was it; definitely the right way to go. About face, soldier! Wait...no, not you! With a growl as the sound of running water started to make him think of a certain naked body he'd found in the tub last night, he resisted the urge to start knocking his head against the wall, the words 'retreat! retreat!' echoing in his mind.
It didn't take long as she finished up in the bathroom, her hair pulled back from her freshly washed face, a little pink in the cheeks from the scrubbing, her mouth once again minty fresh. She hadn't heard anything with the water running and sighed as she rubbed her temples, peeking into the medicine cabinet for something for the headache the hangover gave her. Nothing. With a sigh she shut the water off and turned, dabbing her face with the towel once and heading to the door. Surely there was some asprin or something in the little first aid kit she'd taken down yesterday.
Without a thought she left the door and began to bound down the steps on the pads of her feet, trying to be quiet but wanting more to be quick. She stared down at her feet as she moved, only looking up at the last second as something caught her peripheral vision, nearly colliding with Ty as he began to turn to head down the stares. Pulling herself up short with a small, startled sound she looked up and her eyes widened till one could almost swear they would pop out of her head as she saw....Oh dear lord in heaven!!!! There before her in all that God above had given him was none other than her host and her cheeks flamed instantly to life, her ears tinting even as the heat flooded her skin in embarrassment. She hadn't seen that many men naked in her life. Not full on naked like this. One was a cousin when they were 10 and that didn't count. But even the other one in no way compared to what her eyes were seeing now. It was as if a sculptor had carved him with attention to every tiny detail. And not so tiny ones, her mind whispered making her blush even harder. She was shocked still, unable to look away or close her eyes for what seemed like forever. In truth it was probably not that long but boy did it seem like it.
She stammered as she tried to back up a step and nearly fell, her foot slipping off the step making her grab the sides of the narrow wall to catch herself and look away, staring at her toes like they were the most interesting things as she stammered "I..I.. Oh gosh.. I'm so sorry I shouldn't have.. I mean.. I didn't know that.. Oh my gosh!..I'm...I..." She gulps hard and closes her eyes tight, afraid she's just completely offended her host. "I'll just.. g..go back to my room and.." she can't even finish that sentence as she tries to turn quickly, her feet still stumbling from what is normally a rather nimble little thing. She didn't know about new beginnings but there was certainly new things in her life that she'd never imagined on this day of New Years.
Oh for all the GODS in Olympus, seriously? SERIOUSLY?! Could he just have ONE godsdamn moment in his entire godsdamn existence where something actually went right?! Gods forbid that he'd actually make it down the stairs without sending his house guest into conniptions. Though...that one look that she was giving him before the blush set in did strike him as interested...
Resisting the urge to groan, Ty shoved the thought back, grimacing as he fought the urge to cover certain parts that were becoming much too happy to see her. Like cupping himself would make anything better, for chrissakes. For once in his life- or, at least, for the first time in a very, VERY long time- the unfamiliar heat of a blush similar to hers began to climb down from the tips of his ears until it made tawny skin a bit more...colorful. He was in loathe to find something to make this a bit less awkward...but hell's bells, he was standing buck naked in front of an innocent! Unless he could find a towel, washcloth, FLOOR MAT...Gods, anything, they were both up Embarrassment Creek with no paddles. He muttered a curse under his breath and, gritting his teeth, forced himself to revert back to his normal surliness, if only to retain some composure.
"Guess this gives a new meaning to sexual harassment, huh?" He managed to growl, forcing out a laugh. The way her eyes were practically fused to the wall, then his face...either she was seriously interested, or he was just too fugly to fathom. And, given the fact that he did chance to glance into a mirror every once in a while, he'd probably opt for the latter. Who the hell wants to stare at a naked guy with more scars than a disobedient horse? His mouth was open to shoot something else her way, maybe throw in a 'take your time looking; you can see if that whole 'picture people naked' thing really works,' but it was immediately forgotten as she stumbled. Automatically, he was up two steps and sliding his arm around her waist to make sure she didn't make the staircase her next spot to pass out on.
Yeah...that little thing about his being naked? Also forgotten. Gods strike him down right now...because feeling those shapely curves right smack up against him? Definitely the way any man wanted to wake up. Practically biting a hole in his tongue to keep from groaning, he let her go as she hurried farther up the stairs...and promptly found himself reacting instinctively yet again as she stumbled for the second time. As if the first time wasn't enough, to make sure she didn't face plant on the damn stairs, he'd caught her around her middle, her half bent form causing some kind of back-to-front positioning that practically had his eyes crossing.
"FUCKING HADES," He snarled, using the railing to push himself away from her. Hopefully, she would find the stairs a bit more freaking easy to maneuver now and wouldn't freaking stumble, because if he had to get near her one more godsdamn time... With another almost animalistic noise- one of pain now, probably- he turned about face and stormed down the stairs. "Make more noise when you walk around, woman!"
His anger was irrational, but now that a certain part of his anatomy was doing a salute in hopeful anticipation of some fun, there really wasn't anything he could do was get as far away from the woman as he could. Gods, his ass was so fired, when he got to work.
The t-shirt she wore didn't offer much in the way of distance between herself and the large arm she found wrapped around her, steadying her form from falling. It was shocking, like little jolts of electricity moving through her as she felt the heat of that arm and the nearness of his skin to the rest of her. But there was also something strangely familiar about it that she couldn't place. It was enough of a shock to send her scurrying away yet again, only to find him saving her from herself again as she almost ate the steps, stopping just short as he grabbed her waist and held her up. But she nearly fainted feeling all that solid bulk behind her and quickly righted herself. "I'm sorry...I'm....I'm so sorrysosorry." she began muttering so quickly her words ran together as she heard him curse and push himself away from her, that growl sending shivers through her that weren't altogether unpleasant.
Her feet found themselves once more as she managed to run back up the stairs fast and just as silent as ever. A habit she'd learned young out in the woods hunting and playing hide and seek. It was just second nature as she fled to her room, shutting the door and leaning back against it with her eyes closed, silently cursing herself with words that would make her momma faint if she knew her little girl was even thinking them. With a soft thud she let her head hit the door a few times and winced at the added pain to her already throbbing cranium. "I'm so stupid.. stupid stupid!" she hissed at herself and looked over across the room to her bed and the towel and then to the closet and her things. What had she done last night! Oh god!
Had she slept with him?!? Was that why he was naked? Oh god! OH GOD! How could she show her face again. Moving quickly her mind was made up as she raced to the closet, slipping out of the shorts and into a pair of Wranglers, her belt with the knife slipped on just as quickly but not even bothering to tuck in her shirt. She packed up her sparse things except for that stuff that was in the bathroom. She'd just have to do without it, even if she would sorely miss her brother's jersey. Everything stuffed in the bag she went to the bed, making it up nice and neat with nary a wrinkle and folding the towel. When she opened the door she was ready to go. Ready to leave, an apology on her lips even as shame filled her heart. She wasn't the kind of gal that got drunk and slept around. Bare foot she padded carefully down the steps, looking cautiously as she did.
Moving across the floor she knew he was off to the side of her, her small frame struggling with the heavy duffel bag as she went to the door to pull on her boots she'd left there last night. "I'm really sorry Mr. Gla'dour. I...I don't normally do stuff like this..well never in fact. I'm..I'm not that kinda girl, honestly. So...whatever I did last night I apologize for and if you could just forget anything stupid I said or did I'd greatly appreciate it. I..." she swallowed hard as a lump built in her throat. "I won't mention it or nothin...I mean.. I know it wouldn't have been your fault or nothin...I know how silly drunk women can be and all and ..and I don't blame ya for nothing but I'll just be goin so's none of this is awkward for you. I'll get my things at the bar and be on my way." Her words were spoken fast and with a tone of embarrassment, clearly thinking she'd been some kind of drunk floozy the night before.
The day just could not get any worse, if he sold his soul for Armageddon, he thought with another snarl. Practically shoving himself into the jeans he'd layed out last night- next time, he was gonna put a neon sign up, fer chrissakes!- he stalked around the little bedroom, snatching up a shirt from the drawers under the mounted television. Mounted...GODS, wipe all such words from his vocabulary! Leaning a bit against the set of drawers, he couldn't help but groan, letting his forehead sink down to the smooth wood.
All of this, the attraction, the awkwardness, the protectiveness...it just didn't make any sense! He'd been around women like Kayla before; those weak, twitchy, scarred little birds, whose wings had been broken by some kind of horror in the past. Hell, he'd normally find them pitiful and kept his distance, knowing that any form of assistance he might offer would probably make things worse. Normally, his type of woman was feisty and mean. Mouthy, tough, ready to punch before pushing...THAT was what he was attracted to! Not her! And yet, there he was, pretending that he was some kind of African fertility statue, with the Hard-on of fuckin' Doom. For a minute, he just stood there, shirt gripped in one hand and forehead rhythmically banging against the dresser top, wondering why in all that was holy, he was feeling this way about a mouse. Sure, she was beautiful, in an almost fragile way, and she didn't seem to be as fazed by his ugly mug as most of the people who knew him well enough...and that smile that wasn't shown to often, but when it did, seemed to light up the room...
HELL, like that was helping! Another bang to the dresser and a headache started between his eyes, doing its best to chase away the utter longing coursing through his body. Gods, he really needed to get laid. It was really too bad that the only women he had an inkling of interesting in seemed to think he was the Boogeyman. And...oh, yeah, just great; NOW, the Boogeyman with no mysteries whatsoever under his dark robe. Joy to his godsdamn life!
He was in the middle of shoving his head into his shirt when he heard her voice from the hall. Pausing, brows crashing down in a show of confusion, he tried to interpret the stammered apology, his jaw slightly slack. What the hell? SHE was apologizing to HIM? For what? For being flashed? Gods, where did he find such a strange little chit? Pulling his shirt down to finally cover the scarred expanse of his chest, he stalked toward her, bare feet silent on the wood floor.
"Stuff like this? What the hell are you talkin 'bout, Mouse?" He asked once he was close enough, keeping a good distance between them. If she wanted to bolt after the ugly ass sight she'd just seen, he wouldn't blame her. But he wouldn't be letting her leave without her knowing that nothing she'd done was her fault. Now, to shift slightly so that he was leaning against the wall and half-hiding the little happy friend straining to make her acquaintance. Gods, he DID need to get laid! One little glance, and he was off like a shot... Shoving the thought down, he continued to eye her, a frown on his face. "Look, what happened before...I shoulda warned you that I sleep...eh...au nauterale. You wanna leave and sue my ass for harassment? Sure. But just know that I'm sorry and...dammit, I'm sorry." His hand came up to rub the back of his neck as he scowled at the floor, utterly hating the fact that a blush was beginning to stain his cheeks again. "But as for what you should be sorry about...I got no clue what you're goin on about. And...you don't have to leave. Not that I blame you if you do, but that isn't exactly how I say hi to most people in the morning."
Stopped dead in her tracks, one boot on, the other with a foot halfway inside the other as she teetered a bit, throwing out a hand to the wall for support as the heavy duffel bag tlted her balance too far one way as she was bent over. She kept her back to him for a moment as she straightened up and listened to his words. When she did look over her shoulder, looking back at him her face was full of confusion. He was apologizing? Him?!? She'd never heard him apologize to anyone...well except that one time to her. And twice in one sentence?!? That was when she got a glimpse of his own blush and his words registered. "I thought that...you and I.. that we...well..." she stammered as she turned around and threaded her hands together, fingers nervously working against one another before she irritatedly shoved her hands in her pockets. "I thought that we..you know.. since I woke up with only a towel and you were..." her voice cracked a little and the blush that came over her and the sound was nothing even in the same ballpark as disgust. Quite the opposite. She cleared her throat. and tried to go on, her eyes falling to the floor to keep from embarrassing herself further.
"Well I thought...I mean.. I'd been drinking and ..and well..." And she hadn't been with anyone since Ben and had been so lonely that maybe she'd acted like a total slut? No she couldn't say that. "I thought...because of the you know.. no clothes and all that I'd ...maybe made some untoward advances toward you and that ..." She just couldn't bring herself to say it, tears welling up in her eyes at her own shame.
But that was a foolish thought wasn't it? "And I'm making a total idiot out of myself aint I? I mean you wouldn't...okay so maybe if you were desperate or..or you know ....just um.. attacked or something but...I'm not blind okay..I mean a fella like you.. you could have any gal ya wanted and well I'm.....I'm me." Her tone was not complimentary of herself as she said the last. Clearly someone spent a lot of time making sure she didn't like a thing about herself to sink that one into her head. She shook her head, knowing in her heart he didn't think of her that way. "What I'm tryin ta say is I'm a waitress in a bar, sure but...I'm not one of those that just throw themselves at anyone and run off and sleep with them on a whim. I swear. I..I have to care about a person and be involved and I don't want you thinkin poorly of me because of what we may or may not have done last night cause I can't remember a damned thing." Whoa....the mouse cursed. She NEVER cursed. As her shoulder slumped and her posture fell the way of the dejected her foot slid on down into the boot with a sudden dropping of her frame and she shifted the bag on her shoulder a bit. "You'll tell Mr. Erik and Ms. Lexi I'm sorry? I don't mean to run out on 'em on tonight of all nights but...." she just couldn't go on, falling silent as a tear slipped down her cheek.
Okay...so of all the condescending things he was expecting to hear from her, THAT was definitely the last on the list. She'd thought...he and her...what? Really? And she was APOLOGIZING for it? Gods, if they had been together last night, it would probably have been him apologizing for making her walk funny for the next week and a half. The thought caused a surge of warmth spread through his body and he shifted a bit in an attempt to get comfortable. What the hell was it about this woman that made him so...discombobbled, or whatever people called it nowadays? However, as she continued to stutter and the real reason for her hasty departure sank into his head, he couldn't help a slow, almost predatory smile from forming on his lips.
"Kayla," He said, voice a bit deeper than usual. "Believe me when I say that, while I would have loved there to be some crazy memory of last night...nothing happened. You passed out in the tub and I took you to your room. I didn't think you'd appreciate it if I went and dressed you." With a little laugh, he rubbed the back of his neck again. Damn if the muscles weren't driving him crazy the past few days. It was probably from that pool cue he'd taken to the back last Monday that screwed them up...
The thought trailed off as she continued to talk, and before he could check the movement, Ty was less than an arm's length away from her, eyes on her face and hand going to grasp the top of her duffel bag to take the weight off her shoulder. Before she could protest, he slid it off of her arm and let it plunk to the floor at their feet. "Let's get one thing straight, Mouse," He said, a devilish glint in his eyes. Gods, she was so small compared to him. "You're being 'you' has had me in traction all fucking last night and most of this morning. While I don't doubt you aren't the kind of woman who'd throw herself at anyone...honey, it don't stop me from wishing that you did...and that that 'anyone' would be me." Almost as if it had its own will, his hand came up to gently slide one finger across the curve of her cheek, awed by its softness. All he'd have to do was bend down, and he could taste her...HELL. It took most of his self control, but the bouncer managed to take a step back, using his toe to push her bag farther into the apartment.
"Nothing happened, Mouse," The words were repeated, but this time, there was a weary undertone to his voice. "So stop apologizing. If anything, I should be the one getting out of the state before I get arrested for indecent exposure." Another roguish grin lit his face as he turned to stroll back into the loft. "Then again, this is my place, so maybe I'm safe. Go put your stuff back, Kayla. We've gotta get to the club a bit early to set up for the bash tonight, so get ready to leave in an hour." As if he didn't expect her to leave...damn, forget the chivalrous streak; his commanding one was much stronger.
"Oh." It was said so softly as he explained how she'd ended up asleep like that, that it could have not been heard, her cheeks coloring even hotter. Wait...he'd seen her naked! OH GOD ABOVE!! She flushed from tip to toe again and just wanted to die. It might have been why it took her a moment to register the rest of his words. Wait a minute.. he would have loved there to have been a memory?!?! Her eyes flashed up at him as he slipped her bag off her shoulder so easily as if she weren't an obstacle at all, her body weight shifting once more abruptly without the weight holding it to one side.
That devilish glint it held her gaze like a magnet, unable to look away, her own eyes wide as she looked at him but not in fear or worry as before, but confusion. So...nothing happened? They hadn't....She felt like beating her head against a wall a few hundred times as she realized what a fool she'd made of herself. That finger tracing the curve of her cheek where the tear had fallen shook her out of her thoughts as he went on, basically telling her that she'd somehow, and how she wouldn't have the craziest idea of how!, managed to turn him on and make him want. The Man of Iron himself. The unmovable giant had been moved. It was like a splash of cold water to the face. As he dropped his hand and pushed her bag back inside she raised her own hand and touched her cheek, remembering that feel, quickly dropping it as he looked back at her.
She nodded, utterly dumbfounded by his declaration, as he reaffirmed their innocence the night before. Grabbing the bag and dragging it a little before she got it up onto her shoulder. She'd make them a bite to eat before they left, she decided. Her own form of peace offering as she walked across the floor once her boots were off again and sat by the door. She'd just wait till he was in the shower and...And that thought made her flush again as she started up the steps. "I..I guess we're even then." she said, pausing on the steps and glimpsing back over her shoulder. "I mean... you've seen...well..you know all and stuff and I've seen the same." At least it's her way of rationalizing it. She turned and made it quickly up the steps as she called back. "The bathroom's all yours. I'll um...I'll ask before I come out of the room." It was an honest offer made.
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