death incarnate & night triumphant

Andras is almost surprised she agrees with him, he was certain the woman would have put up more of an argument. He's pleased, though he knew she was simply drunk and mostly likely was game for anything Andras would say at this point. A thought he kept firmly planted in his mind as his arm wraps around her slender waist, tugging her to his side. Their walk is a comfortable silence, Andras merely enjoying her presence at his side, though, entirely aware that her staggering feet kept trying to catch on the uneven sidewalk. He has to steady her a few times before they make it to the townhouse, Andras leading her up the stairs and positioning her against the door. His playful quip down at her has a smug smile curling at the corner of his lips as he disentangles himself from the woman, only to brace an arm against the door to keep her from falling over. Her delicate fingers on his bare forearm is momentarily distracting as he digs for the keys in his pocket, his askance if she was still with him.

Quickly, he flips the key into his hand and shoves it into the door just as Lani responds with a breathless yes and the sound of her voice sends his whole body freezing into predatory stillness. Eyes snapping to her flushed features, he can feel her drag a hand up his powerful arm, to his neck, to his face, Andras hardly daring to breathe as she closes the distance between them, soft lips pressing against him. His leash snaps. Keys forgotten, he pins her with his body, his lips crushing against hers, unable to get enough of her. One arm slides its way behind her lower back, pulling her up against him, the other hand cupping her cheek as he all but devours the woman. Nipping at her lower lip to seek entrance, he slides his tongue against her's, her taste just as he had remembered. He can't help the guttural growl that snags in his throat, full of desire and possession. What was this woman doing to him?

Pressing his hips against her, he hardens at the contact of her soft body, another growl loosing itself. He was all predator now and yet, there was a tug at the back of his mind, hounding him, distracting him. It's all he can do to release her mouth, his forehead leaning against her's as he pants, though he hardly releases her from her pinned position. Alcohol. Drunken stupor. Not the best combinations and he wanted all of Lani's mind for what he planned to do to her, he wanted her to remember all of it, not bits and pieces. "Lani," he breathes, pausing to catch his breath, "As much as I would love to thoroughly ravage you, you're drunk and not in the right state of mind," he leans his lips closer to her's again, unable to help himself as he brushes his lips, so, so softly against her's once more. "When I do take you to bed, I want you to be coherent, I want you to remember everything I do to you," he breathes against her lips, before trailing his mouth against her jawline, up to her ear, "Don't you see what you do to me?" He groans, grinding his hips into her, showing her exactly what he means, at how hard he was for her. "I want you to say yes when that time comes," he whispers into her ear, nipping at her earlobe before finally, finally he steps away, putting some much needed distance between the two.

This woman was going to destroy him. That had been clear to him since the moment he had found her in that clearing all those years ago. It takes all his effort to tear his gaze away from the flushing woman in front of him, to leash that predator that so desperately wanted out, wanted her. Swallowing, he reaches a hand up, his hands finding the forgotten keys left in the door and turning them, the lock releasing as he grabs the door handle and pushes it inwards. He quickly grabs Lani by the waist so she doesn't fall inside, Andras desperately trying to keep that distance between them despite his arm encircling her. Leading her in, he notices she seems a bit more unsteady on her feet, and despite the warning siren blaring in his mind, he scoops her up, cradling her to his chest as he kicks the door shut.

He doesn't say anything as he comes around the corner, the room entirely dark as he finds the stairwell leading to the top floor. Andras keeps his eyes trained on what's before him, not the delicious meal he had in his arms, lest his leash slips again. It takes him only a moment to find the room, his room, the thought of depositing her on the couch was abhorrent to him. Taking two powerful strides before the bed, he lays her down, with the utmost care, bringing the covers up to warm her. Leaning forward, he dares a kiss against her forehead, just like he had all those years ago, his lips lingering for the briefest of moments, "Rest Lani," he murmurs against her skin, before stepping away and out the door. Immediately for the hallway bathroom to take a very cold shower.

The Next Morning

The night had been restless, long and hard, pun intended, Andras unable to get the woman upstairs out of his mind. He had taken not one but two cold showers, the second being only moments ago as he now stood in the kitchen, barefoot, shirtless and a pair of grey sweats slung low on his hips, hair still dripping cold rivulets down his muscled chest. He had snuck upstairs only once, to deposit Advil and a glass of water on the nightstand table, Lani completely dead to the world. Andras had stared at her sleeping form, unabashedly, his gaze tracing those rosy cheeks, all manner of thoughts on how he could wake her up sending him directly into another freezing shower. It was an effort to not make those fantasies a reality and yet, he caged that predator in, it wasn't the time. Soon, he hoped, but not now.

Rummaging through the kitchen, he searches for a mug as the dripping coffee fills the silence of the townhouse. Snagging two, he sets one on the counter and the other he fills with the still brewing coffee, the sizzling sound filtering into the air. Inhaling that glorious scent, he brings the black liquid to his lips, taking a swig as he leans against the counter casually, head turning away from the entrance of the room to glance out the window. The weak sunlight filters in, casting long shadows through the kitchen, illuminating the partial destruction in the living area. He had still not gotten around to fixing it, something he would surely be working on in the weeks to come.

The silence envelopes him, almost like any other morning and yet, the woman he was so desperately in love with was in his bed. It was purely male satisfaction at the thought though he knew that the comforting silence would soon be broken, once the fae woman awoke.

Andras Steinhello darling