Topic: Hooked

Ashlyn Radcliffe

Date: 2015-11-20 11:38 EST
((Continues on from here. Contains material of an adult nature!))

After the show, the tall, dark stranger with the vibrant blue eyes was waiting, as promised, down the street at The Eagle, sipping a glass of bourbon that he kept refilling from the bottle on the table. Who needed rum when one had bourbon' He was looking particularly thoughtful and grim as he sat there contemplating the glass and the bottle and the play, and the woman he'd just met whom he was not entirely sure would actually make an appearance, as promised.

He needn't have worried that he was going to be stood up. Ashlyn did her bit in the show with Daisy, let her brother hug her until she couldn't breathe, and promised Elle details the next time they met up, before leaving them at the theater to make her way toward The Eagle. She didn't even know if he was going to still be there, but it was worth a shot, wasn't it' She spotted him where he sat as she entered the room, moving over to his table. "Begging yer pardon, cap'n," she teased, leaning one hand on the empty chair. "Would this seat be taken?"

"'Tis now, lass, if you don't mind spending your time with a half-drunken sailor, who, by the way, is no captain any longer. Can't be a captain without a ship or a crew, can I, now?" he asked, though the question was somewhat rhetorical.

Laughing, Ash settled herself in the seat, leaning her arms on the table comfortably. "Okay, so ....spill," she told him. "You're Hook, but I don't see any hook. Start there and see where it takes you."

"Have you ever heard the saying, 'by Hook or by Crook'?" he asked, waving a waitress over to take the lady's order, assuming she didn't want to partake of his bourbon. "It means by all means necessary. That is, in part, where the hook comes from. As far as this is concerned," he said, lifting his left hand as if to demonstrate. "It's true the boy took my hand and threw it to the croc, but that was a long time ago."

She glanced up as the waitress came over, ordering a whisky for herself with a faint smile, but her attention was mostly riveted on James. "So ....he really did cut your hand off and feed it to a crocodile?" she asked, horrified. "How is he still alive at this point' I'd have beaten the little sh*t until he begged for mercy." As she spoke, she reached toward James' left hand, running her fingers curiously over his palm, his fingers, his wrist. "How did you get this back?"

"He's a demon, lass. A demon straight from hell. That is how he's still alive." It was unclear whether the man was speaking figuratively or not, but he seemed insistent on this point. He couldn't help but smile a little at her lack of sympathy for the boy who had become the hero of the story. He fell silent a moment as he watched her examine the hand that had once been replaced by a hideous metal hook. "A hook for a hand does not make one evil, you know, but it does make one hungry for vengeance."

Ash was absolutely fascinated by the fact that he had a full, working hand where there had once been a hook, trusting him to be telling her the truth. Of course, she was also enjoying the freedom he'd allowed her to touch him - yes, she had a type, and so far, Captain Hook seemed to be ticking all the boxes. "But in the end, he wasn't worth it?" she asked softly, barely even glancing up as her whisky was delivered to the table, utterly entranced by the way his fingers twitched as she traced her fingertips over his palm.

He watched, almost as if enchanted, as she moved her fingers over the palm of a hand that had once been replaced by a hook, something twisting inside him - some feeling he had long since given up hope of ever feeling again. "In the end, he was just a boy, after all, and what kind of man would I be if I slew a child in cold blood?" He closed his fingers around hers, entranced for a moment by the movement of fingers and sight of their clasped hands.

As his fingers closed about hers, Ash felt her breath catch in her throat. Now that was something she hadn't felt in a long time, that heated rush of desire that flowed over her skin and lit her face with a flush that was far from embarrassed. Raising her eyes to his, she smiled faintly. "I never liked Peter Pan," she admitted in a low voice. "I always preferred the pirates."

"Did you, now?" he asked, arching a dark brow. "And why is that?" It seemed it was his turn to ask the questions. He was certainly fascinated by her, and it wasn't just the fact that she was beautiful, though there was that. He found her strangely intriguing - brave and beautiful and just a little bit reckless. Enough to put herself in the company of a man with a bad, if over-inflated, reputation. "Ah, let me guess ....You're bored with your life and would welcome adventure."

She snorted with laughter, shaking her head. "I happen to like my life, thank you very much," she told him in amusement, her fingertips still tracing circles on his inner wrist. "Pan always reminded me of my sister. Smug and entitled, and always needing to be right. He's just a spoiled brat of a child who not only wants to stay a child, but wants every other child to do that as well. Like a girl really wants to get stuck right on the cusp of puberty' Wendy's a drip, but she makes the right decision."

"Wendy, now, she was a brave girl. Do you know why she really went home?" he asked, encouraged by her obvious dislike of Pan, as well as the bourbon, which was loosening his tongue. "She didn't want to be his mother. She wanted something else from him. I understood, but he did not. How could he" He has never loved anyone in his whole life. Not even his precious fairy. She would have sacrificed her life for him, and what did he care" He would have forgotten her, like he forgets everyone eventually. Wendy went home because she wanted to grow up and fall in love and have children of her own. That was something Pan could never give her. He has sold his soul for eternal youth, and it is both a blessing and a curse."

"He sold his soul?" That was something Ash had never considered. That a child would do something like that was almost inconceivable, and yet it was plausible, too. "That's such a stupid thing to do." Shaking her head, she lifted her glass to her lips to take a sip of her whisky, enjoying the burn as she swallowed. "I have a question for you. You obviously know the story, the way Barrie told it, and you obviously hate it. So why did you go to the show?"

He drained the contents of his own glass before picking up the bottle to refill it. He wasn't yet drunk enough to be a danger to himself or anyone else, and clearly not drunk enough to be free of the pain that haunted him. "I don't know," he replied as honestly as he could. "I saw that boy's blasted name on the marquee and I felt myself compelled to buy a ticket. I should stop hoping that someone will one day set the tale straight. It's too late for that, I suppose."

"Well ....this is Rhy'Din," she pointed out, tucking her hair back behind her ear. "There are ways to tell your story. You could sell it to a magazine or a newspaper, or get an interview on the radio - oh! The woman who was playing Peter Pan' She's a DJ on the radio ..." She trailed off, realising something. "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

"I'm afraid not," he replied, though he was smiling a little in amusement. "But do go on. You are rather lovely to look at and I like the sound of your voice, so please ....Do not stop on my account." He lifted his glass as if in toast to her before taking another swig.

She bit her lip, charmed by the compliment even if it was fueled by alcohol. "Are you asking me to tell you my life story, or letting me know it's okay if I start going into acute detail about just what touching your hand is doing to me?" she asked him with an arch smile of her own, more than comfortable in a game of sexual tennis.

Ashlyn Radcliffe

Date: 2015-11-20 11:39 EST
"The feeling is mutual, I assure you. It has been a very long time since I have had the pleasure of spending time with a woman as lovely as yourself," he told her, chuckling a little as he added belatedly, "or any woman for that matter." How long he'd been in Rhy'Din he didn't say, but if all he wanted was a roll in the hay, there were enough willing bodies around to accommodate him.

"I'm as average as mud around here," she chuckled, "but thank you for the compliment." Her fingertips found his pulse on the inside of his wrist, lingering there as she studied him. She wasn't anywhere near as impulsive these days as she had been once, but once she had made a decision, she usually went through with it. "You know, I have a flat not far from here," she told him. "Wanna buy a bottle and talk somewhere a little less ....open?"

He caught her wrist as she touched his pulse, leaning in so that his vivid blue eyes caught her gaze and held it. "You still have not told me why you prefer the pirates," he told her, pressing her for an answer. "Is it the danger that you crave?" he asked, pulling her closer, bourbon on his breath. His eyes flashed, but it was hard to tell if there was a warning or a promise in those blue depths.

Drawn closer, not so much by the pull he gave her wrist but by the intense look in his eyes, she held that gaze with a flicker in her own eyes that suggested she liked the thrill as much as anyone. "They seemed like they had more fun," was all she would say, but it came with a wicked little smile.

He met her gaze silently for a moment, searching her eyes as though he was searching her soul. Fun was a relative term, as far as he was concerned. It was a little ironic, he thought, how it was the pirates she thought were more fun, rather than Pan and his group of Lost Boys, who represented a playful and carefree youth. He even laughed at her answer, blue eyes dancing with humor, the smile far more becoming on his face than the scowl. "I will tell you a secret," he said, curling a finger to beckon her closer and lowering his voice to a whisper. "I am not a pirate. I am a privateer in the service of Bonnie Prince Charles." He touched a finger to her lips, as if this was a great secret. "Shhhh."

Ash leaned in as he did, ears perked for his whisper, only to blink in surprise. Unlike others, she knew a little bit about Earth history - enough to know who Bonnie Prince Charlie had been, at any rate - but it was the finger he touched to her lips that silenced any question she might have asked him about it. Her lips moved beneath that touch, a faint smile touching the words she murmured back to him. "A privateer and a gentleman, perhaps?"

From the look on his face, the question surprised him. No one had accused him of being a gentleman in a very long time, and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. "Perhaps," he replied, thoughtfully. "Would you mind if I am?"

She shrugged lightly, drawing his hand down from her face to capture it between both her own. "I think someone can be a gentleman and a complete bastard," she said quietly, her eyes on his fingers as she traced circles over his palm. "I'd rather you were a gentle man, even though I am kind of drawn to the bad boy attitude." Her gaze flickered to his with a teasing glimmer in her eyes.

"Bad boy?" he echoed, unsure what that meant exactly. He was from a different era, after all, and hadn't been in Rhy'Din very long yet. "I have not been a boy for a very long time, and I'm not certain what you mean by bad. I am told I can be rather charming, however, I'm sure my reputation precedes me." His gaze strayed to where her fingers were tracing circles against his palm. "I believe you said something about leaving?"

"A bad boy is someone my mother would definitely warn me against having anything to do with," she teased him softly. "It's a compliment, from me." She followed his gaze to their hands, gently drawing her fingernail over his palm. "Mmhmm. Want to keep me company?"

"And what would your mother say if she knew you were flirting with a pirate?" he asked, purposely choosing to refer to himself by a word he had just vehemently denied. His blue-eyed gaze darkened at her teasing, as he curled his fingers around hers. "A tempting offer. Are you sure you can handle it?"

She laughed huskily, her fingers tangling with his easily enough. "She'd probably threaten to sic my brother on you if you hurt me," she grinned back to him. "But I can handle a few scratches. Can you?"

"I've had far worse than scratches in my day," he replied, not bothering to bring up the subject of a missing hand again, or any other injuries he might have experienced over the years. He took up his glass and drained the contents, not wasting a drop of the precious amber liquid. "Shall we?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Draining her own glass, Ash moved to her feet, his hand captured in her own to draw him up with her. No doubt Dom was going to have a few things to say if he found out just how reckless his little sister could be when the mood took her, but right now, Ash didn't care. Her fish could handle one missed meal in the morning without death spreading through the tanks on Maple Grove.

He followed her to his feet, not forgetting to take the half-empty bottle of bourbon with him. He only swayed a little before quickly regaining his balance. He was a pirate ....er, privateer, after all. It would take more than a little booze to impair his faculties. Never mind his good sense; he'd lost that a long time ago. He couldn't help but admire the view as he followed her out of the place, as much as he tried to keep his gaze above her waist. How long had it been since he'd been with a woman' He wasn't quite sure.

Wrapped up in her cardigan, there wasn't a vast amount to see until they reached her apartment, not more than a couple of blocks away. It had been a long time since Ash had acted on impulse quite like this - after all, how often does the man you threatened to punch shortly after meeting turn out to be intriguing, not to mention drop dead gorgeous" Throwing her bag and cardigan over a chair, she turned to James with an inviting smile. "Should I get a couple of glasses?"

To his credit, he hadn't stumbled once during the short walk to her apartment. In fact, the cold air had revived him somewhat and by the time they got to her apartment, he seemed almost sober again. Once again, he admired the view, even more so now that she'd dispensed with the sweater to reveal lovely pale arms, as smooth as ivory. "'T'would be a shame to waste what?s left," he replied agreeably, holding up the bottle as if to prove his point.

"Mm, that would be a shame," she agreed, easing close to him. Her flirtatious teasing had only grown in strength since they'd left the tavern, utterly unafraid to let him know what she wanted. She'd been rejected before, she'd survive it. How else did you find out if your wants coincided with someone else's, anyway' Her hand slid beneath the hang of his coat, her palm curling over his hip as her breath brushed his lips, close enough to kiss ....and she stole the bottle of bourbon from his hand, easing away with a wicked little chuckle, beckoning for him to come with her as she headed for the couch, two glasses retrieved from the kitchen on the way.

He was no boy but a man, old enough and experienced enough to know what to do with a woman and to know when he was being flirted with. He could read her signals easily enough, and yet, half the fun of this little game was the chase, and he was in no hurry. His body, however, had other ideas and was reacting in ways he could not control, and yet, he let her play her little game of seduction, wondering just which of them was the cat and which was the mouse. A smile curled his lips as she moved close, though he made no move to kiss her ....yet. "I wonder ..." he said, as he shrugged off his coat and tossed it aside with hers. "Did your mother ever teach you not to play with fire?"

Ashlyn Radcliffe

Date: 2015-11-20 11:40 EST
"She tried," she grinned, insinuating herself onto the couch. The bottle and glasses found a home on the coffee table as she patted the cushion beside her. "I'm the baby, I got a lot of leeway when I was a kid. I've been burned, too. So does that make me a fool for still playing?"

"That depends on you, I suppose. What is it you hope to achieve" Are you only looking to have some fun, or do you want something more" A fool makes the same mistakes over and over. Wisdom is not something you are born with, but something that is learned." He settled himself on the couch beside her, close enough to run a finger up against her bare arm.

She shivered at the passage of his fingertip against her arm, unabashed by the soft flush that colored her skin in response. They both knew what they were doing, after all. "Fun is a good place to start," she murmured, glancing at him from beneath her lashes as she poured two measures from the bottle. "Something more requires a little more knowledge, and knowledge takes time. I've made the mistake of not taking my time before, too." She chuckled, leaning back against him to hand over one of the glasses. "You might have guessed, I'm not exactly the blushing virginal type."

He took the glass from her, a roguish smile dimpling his cheeks as he lifted the glass in salute. "To fun, then," he said, touching his glass to hers before finally taking a sip. "I have noticed women of this day and age are not afraid to speak their mind. It is a strange thing to someone like me, but personally, I find it refreshing."

The soft clink as their glasses touched went almost unnoticed in the quiet they'd drawn around themselves, sprawled together comfortably on the couch. Taking a sip from her own glass, Ash smiled her crinkly-eyed smile as she raised a hand to brush her hair back out of her face. "You're used to having to be the one doing the chasing, huh?" she teased him playfully. "I was always told that if I wanted something, it was up to me to see if it was possible. I just ....apply it in a way that would make my mother blush." She laughed her husky laugh once again, adjusting her settle on the couch to end up with one hand laying lightly on his thigh, where she could play to her heart's content.

"I will be honest ....It's been a long time since I've spent any time alone with a woman, despite the temptations that abound in this place. Call me old fashioned, but I think there should be some mutual attraction between a man and a woman. No one wants to wake up to regret what took place the night before." He drained his glass and leaned forward to set it on the table, before taking her hand from his thigh and kissing each finger one by one.

To say she was surprised by his unexpected gesture was putting it lightly. Mutual seduction wasn't something Ashlyn had really experienced before, and she found herself warming to him as his lips caressed her fingers. "You're quite romantic at heart, aren't you?" she murmured softly, unwilling to interrupt him as each kiss sent tingling desire rippling through her. She bit her lip, feeling her breath start to quicken as she watched him.

"Does that surprise you?" he asked, pausing a moment in his seduction before continuing, turning her palm upwards to touch his lips to her wrist, lingering a moment to feel her pulse against his lips. Whether he truly was the infamous Captain of the Jolly Roger, there was no denying he knew what to do with a woman - nothing like the ridiculous caricature she had seen on stage earlier that evening. Was there any wonder, then, that he was so incensed by the public defamation of his character"

There was no way to disguise the quickening of her pulse beneath his lips, her hand groping to set her glass down before she spilled what was left in it. "A little," she admitted that surprise, startled by how breathless she was becoming from what was such a chaste touch of his lips to her skin. Her fingers curled to brush against his cheek, impatience warring with curiosity to keep her still a while longer. "Pirates ....privateers ....you have a pretty ....lusty reputation."

"Would it surprise you, then, to know I can't recall when it was I last slept with a woman?" There weren't very many women in Neverland, that was for sure, and he'd had other priorities upon arriving in Rhy'Din. He leaned close, pressing her hand against his cheek, scruffy with several days of unshaven beard. "You are quite lovely, Ashlyn. Has anyone ever told you?"

Drawn closer as her own fingers caressed his cheek, she bit her lip, once again finding herself close enough to kiss. She'd been in control of the situation before he had started to play along; for the first time, she found herself not at all concerned about giving up that control for a little while. "Not like that," she confessed with a faint laugh. "I've been told I'm hot, sexy. No one's ever called me lovely." His own confession did nothing to cool her ardor as she eased closer to him, drawing her fingers slowly down the line of his jaw, his throat, lingering over the heat of his own pulse as her breath mingled with his. "I hope I don't disappoint."

"I sincerely doubt it," he said, close enough now to kiss her, to taste her breath, to breathe her scent. His pulse thrummed beneath her fingers, as he tilted her chin toward him. His lips parted slightly as he leaned ever closer, until his lips were brushing against hers, softly and tenderly, like an ardent lover.

Soft and tender to start, perhaps, but he had lit a fire that she knew how to stoke and damp down. As his lips took hers, she breathed him in, her lips parting as much in warning as in invitation before she deepened that kiss with a soft moan, wanting far more than a simple kiss. She surged to him, rising up to straddle his thighs, her fingers restless through his hair, over his cheeks, his neck, dipping into the collar of his shirt to find more to touch as she ravished his mouth with desiring kisses.

His arms wound around her as she crawled onto his lap, pulling her closer, his heart thudding hard in his chest as she deepened the kiss. The game was afoot, though it was obvious where it was going, unless one of them put a stop to it, and who was he to stop her" She was like no one he'd ever met, not only lovely, but sure of herself and of what she wanted - more an equal than a conquest. He had lit her fire, and in doing so, had kindled the flame that had been smoldering inside him ever since she had caught his arm in the theater and looked into his eyes. His hands wandered over her, grasping hold of her rear and pulling her closer. Her touch, her kisses, her closeness was driving him mad with desire. He had waited centuries to have a woman like this, and if her kisses were anything to go by, it had been well worth the wait.

It had been a long time since Ash had taken this kind of risk; the risk of bringing a man back to one of the places she called home, of openly desiring him, of actively seducing and allowing herself to be seduced. But there was something about him. A man out of time, and yet not out of place; a man who held strong convictions, but was not the man he had been made out to be; a man who could easily have walked away from her, but had not. As her lips trailed from his, eager to explore the line of his jaw as her hands sought to slowly undo the buttons of his shirt, she could taste the sea on his skin; that salt tang that betrayed anyone who had spent so much of their life in or on the sea, the same tang she knew lingered on her. Similarities were crowding in on her as she rocked against him. Where would they lead"

Though he was the type of a man who was used to taking what he wanted, a bit of a rogue and a rake, there was still too much gentleman in him to ever take an unwilling woman by force. He didn't think that was much of a problem with Ashlyn - she seemed to want him as much as he wanted her - and the time for talk had passed. "You have a bedroom?" he murmured, close to her ear, before grazing her neck with a fresh line of kisses, the scent of her filling him with such deep desire that was difficult to restrain. He didn't want for an answer, but moved to his feet, pulling her legs around his waist and supporting her weight with his hands.

Wrapped about him, she barely seemed to notice as he rose to his feet, supporting her so easily while she was distracted with him. Breathless, she swallowed, catching her breath to answer. "Door in front of you," she whispered back to him, a slow grin touching her lips as she found herself nose to nose with him. "Impatient, captain?" she teased, nipping at his lower lip.

Ashlyn Radcliffe

Date: 2015-11-20 11:40 EST
Why stay on the divan when a bed was so much more comfortable" "If you only knew," he replied, moving in the direction of the bedroom now that she'd pointed it out. He didn't bother to wait for a reply, capturing her lips once again and effectively silencing her as he carried her effortlessly across the room. He found the bed easily enough and laid her back upon it, his lips never parting hers, while his fingers searched for a way to shed her clothing. "Blast. How do you get this thing off?" he asked, clearly frustrated with modern fastenings.

She laughed at his frustration, arching up from the bed to distract him with more kisses. "Let me show you," she murmured, trickling her fingertips down over his bare chest. With a little creative wriggling, she got her boots off before finding her feet, holding his gaze with decidedly come-hither eyes as she undid her jeans, giving him a show he wasn't likely to forget in a hurry. It only occurred to her when she bent to shuck the skin-tight denim off her feet that he'd probably never seen a thong before.

Not one to waste time, he took advantage of the moment to shrug off his shirt and get his own own boots off, all the while watching her strip down to a garment that left very little to the imagination. "What is that?" he asked, laughing. He was well aware that fashion had undergone great changes while he was away in Neverland, but this was the first he'd seen of such a flimsy and useless undergarment. Still, he had to admit the tiny thing only made him want her all the more.

Not even bothering to try and hide her blush, she straightened up, showing off her wide smile as she drew her top over her head. Now dressed only in the skimpiest underpants this particular man had ever seen, Ash laid her hands on her hips and shrugged, posing for his enjoyment. "Comfortable, that's what it is," she informed him laughingly. "What, you were expecting bloomers?"

"I am not displeased!" he pointed out. "They just seem rather ..." He gestured toward her panties with a hand. "....impractical." But then, who cared about practicality at a time like this" "Mmm," he murmured as he admired the view, his body stirring further with desire. "Even lovelier than I imagined," he said, hinting at the fact that he'd already imagined her without her clothes on, though the real thing far surpassed his imagination. Though he was still wearing his trousers, they were starting to feel a bit snug. "You are quite possibly the loveliest woman I have ever laid eyes on."

She laughed again, returning to the bed to ease him back, skin to skin, her lips hungry for his. "You've just never met a girl like me before," she teased him softly, her hands wandering to help with that tight feeling in his trousers. "I'm lucky I got to you first." She smiled, brushing the tip of her nose to his almost affectionately as fastenings came loose under fingers that knew what they were doing. "You're quite a guy, James."

He didn't bother to stop her or slow her down, not when he presumably wanted the same thing that she did. Instead, his hands wandered, as well, his fingers in caress of that soft, ivory skin, eager to explore the soft curves of her body - that which had been revealed and had yet to be revealed. He was content to let her unfasten his trousers and free him of the burden of cumbersome and restrictive clothing. "Shall I take that as a compliment?" he asked as his hands found her breasts, his fingers as skillful as hers.

She moaned softly, the sound drawn from her without the need for conscious thought at the skillful touch of his hands. Blonde hair hung in a curtain about their faces as she teased kisses from his lips, eager to bare him to her own touch. This family night out had turned out to be quite some night. "It's definitely a compliment," she breathed, trembling as finally her fingers touched the treasure hidden from her until now. She couldn't resist a very bad joke, though, drawing a gentle cross on his flesh as she grinned down at him. "X marks the spot, hmm?"

"Seems you've found buried treasure, lass," he grinned up at her, going along with the joke. "Shall we see if we can find more?" he asked, kicking his pants off and flipping her onto her back so that he could return the favor, but instead of using his fingers to relieve her of that itsy bitsy bit of cloth, he decided to use his teeth.

She let out a yelp as he flipped her over, her fingers delving into his hair as she watched him take hold of the flimsy lace with his teeth. "Gods, you're sexy," she groaned, her hips rising almost of their own volition to help him as she arched against the soft coverlet. A quiet whimper left her lips as his stubbled jaw brushed over the sensitive skin of her thigh. "Don't tease ..."

He shrugged and grinned up at her as if he knew that already or at least, had heard it before. Deft fingers helped divest her of that flimsy bit of lace, grazing the smooth curve of her body before tossing the silly thing over a shoulder. Moving with predatory grace, he left a trail of nibbled kisses all the way back up her legs until he reached the treasure at her apex and then, he was savoring that, too.

She'd never been one to simply lie back and allow a man to explore her, and yet with him, there was no thought of fighting for the upper hand. And good gods, he knew what he was doing. She'd thought he was talented enough with his mouth when all he was doing was talking, but this ....Should she have admitted that it had been a good few years for her, too' Not that it would have mattered, on the whole, but he certainly got the full benefit of her abstinence. Restraint went straight out the window in a crescendo of sound that perfectly captured every last tease he delivered to her.

He was playing with her, toying with her, but not only for his own benefit. He was obviously skilled at the art of lovemaking, and though it had been some time since he'd been with a woman, it seemed he had not lost his touch. He only took her so far, however - just enough to further tempt and tantalize. It was a slow seduction, just as she had seduced him, tit for tat, and he was savoring every second. A small smile touched his lips, rather proud of himself for drawing those moans out of her, but he was hardly done with her yet.

She could only tolerate such blatant torture, however blissful, for so long, laughing in the midst of her moans as she reached down to grip his hair, unafraid to pull him up to her once again. "Don't you want to join in?" she complained lightly, a soft pout on her lips. She wasn't used to being the sole beneficiary of intimacy, much preferring the mutual race to the finish line.

"I was rather enjoying myself," he said, blatantly licking his lips, mostly for her benefit, though he had certainly enjoyed that tempting treat. He couldn't help but grin as he snaked his way back up her body to kiss her quite thoroughly, his readiness for her rather obvious as her curves fit to his angles.

She gasped as he slithered back to her, only too eager to gather him into her arms, the cradle of her thighs, as he kissed her so thoroughly she thought she might implode just from that. He tasted her desire on the moans that passed from her to him, as she arched from the bed to welcome him ever closer, as she finally took a little of the control back to flip him over and make damn sure he was as involved as she was. "How about now?"

"If you are asking permission, my lady, you already have it," he replied, pleasantly surprised by the way she took charge. A woman who knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to act on it was a rare treat in his day - a little bonus for staying in Neverland so long, perhaps. Every cloud had a silver lining and it seemed perhaps Ashlyn was his. The view was even better from this angle, so who was he to argue, and to know she wanted him so much she could hardly contain himself was a huge boost to his ego and his obvious desire.

"I got my permission when you didn't change your mind on seeing my thong," she teased him playfully, but the time for words was over, at least for her. As her back curved with wild abandon, she cried out his name - James, not Hook - pulling him up to her to trade desperate kisses as her body drove them both toward the reward for their patience with one another all evening. She was very glad she hadn't punched him after all, now.

He might have asked her why he'd change his mind, but it seemed the time for talk was over as she took charge of the situation - and of him. He helped where he could and did nothing to hinder her, his hands wandering over her while she drove them both toward the pinnacle of their mutual desire. Together, their bodies caught fire, igniting into a bright burning flame, until the heat exploded between them before slowly ebbing away. He clung to her, pulling her close and burying his face in her hair, as the fever slowly ebbed, his heart thudding in his chest. He whispered her name with a soft sigh of breath, breathing her in and sensing something familiar, something he hadn't noticed before. It was a scent he was all too familiar with and one that filled him with yearning. Was it his imagination or did she smell like the sea?

Ashlyn Radcliffe

Date: 2015-11-20 11:41 EST
Together, they fell back to the bed, each breathing hard, breathing each other in as the thud of hearts slowed slowly in the aftermath of a collision that couldn't possibly have been predicted by either of them when the night had begun. Nestling close, Ash sighed softly, her fingers stroking through the hair on his chest as she listened to her body thrumming with bone deep satisfaction.

He held her within the circle of his arms, hearing her sigh with satisfaction, feeling her fingers against his chest. He thought he could find happiness, contentment even, with a woman like this, but was it only wishful thinking" Was it too soon to tell" And now that they were finished, he found himself strangely at a loss for words. Him - James Radcliffe - a Balliol scholar. It was unthinkable. At length, he finally found his voice and some words he hoped she would understand. "You should know it has been a long time since I've been with a woman." A very long time.

"I wouldn't have guessed," she murmured, lifting her head to look down at him with a lazy smile. "It's been a while for me, too. Although I don't think quite as long as it has been for you." Her smile deepened briefly as she touched the tip of her nose to his. "Thank you for trusting me."

"That's the funny thing about Neverland. Time passes strangely there. It might have been a few months or a few centuries," he told her quietly, unwilling to shatter to quiet peace and contentment that had settled between them. Did he dare stay the night' Would she have him' He blinked in confusion at her question, even as she touched her nose to his. "Why should that come as such a surprise?"

Her smile faded gently. "It takes a lot for me to trust someone, especially a man," she admitted quietly. "I just assume it takes the same effort for everyone else." Her fingers stilled against his chest, her attention captured by the piercing blue of his eyes once again. "I've never admitted that out loud before."

He found himself touched by her confession, realizing it had been a very long time since he'd trusted anyone either. Not even his own men had proven trustworthy, but then, what could one expect from a band of pirates" He touched her cheek in a gentle caress, his fingers moving back through her hair. "You can trust me, Ashlyn. I would sooner perish than hurt you." He sealed that promise with a kiss, heartbreakingly soft and tender.

For just a moment, as his lips touched hers, Ashlyn wavered on the edge of tears, shocked at her own reaction. They had only known one another a bare few hours; how could she possibly be reacting to him like this" But then, she'd never acted purely on lust before now; why should she think she had done so tonight' There had been something in his eyes, in the pain he showed her even in the midst of his anger. She didn't pretend to understand most of what he had told her, but she had invited him in. Hell, she'd virtually thrown herself at him. And now ....he'd sooner perish than hurt her" It was almost too much to take in. "You're in danger of getting stuck with me for life here, you know."

He actually chuckled a little at that. He knew a thing or two about dying, or at least, about living a life that was as good as being dead. "You say that as if it's a bad thing," he said, reaching past her for the blankets to draw over them both before she caught a chill. "Tell me something ....I smell the sea on your skin, in your hair. Is it only my imagination?"

She bit her lip, touched by the unspoken care that had him drawing the blankets over them both to keep them warm. His question brought her smile back to the fore. "No, it's not your imagination," she laughed quietly. "I spend a lot of time in the sea. I'm a marine biologist - I study the ecosystems underwater, and the animals that live in them."

"I am not sure what all that means," he admitted, idly curling a lock of blond hair around a finger. "Biologist' Ecosystems" You study the sea and the animals who inhabit it," he said, realizing that must be what she meant. He wasn't stupid, after all, even if his knowledge was lagging behind by a few centuries.

"Yeah, that's it," she nodded. "My office and my room back at the Grove are filled with tanks containing specimens from the sea - not just the fish, but some corals and crustaceans, and a few anemones, too. I've loved the sea all my life. I'm very lucky that I get to see its secrets up close."

"That's something we have in common then, I suppose," he replied, though he was more interested in sailing than in studying the sea. "I wonder ..." he mused aloud, trailing off before finishing that thought.

"Mm?" She tilted her head as she looked down at him, curious to know what was running through his mind. "What do you wonder" There's pretty much nothing you can say that'll shock me, I've lived on Rhy'Din my whole life."

"I was just thinking it seems to ironic to be only coincidence, don't you think?" he asked. What were the odds, after all, that of all the women in Rhy'Din, he'd end up meeting her" Maybe it was a stretch, but he didn't really believe in happy coincidences. "You know more about this place than I do. What do you think?"

She chuckled, rolling onto her back to stretch out comfortably. "I think the Nexus has an interesting sense of humor," she shrugged. "There are families all over Rhy'Din that wouldn't exist if one of them hadn't been dropped into the city at just the right time and place to meet the other. Hell, another one of my cousins was almost driven off her own driveway when her now husband got dropped through a portal, and they're expecting their first kid together at Christmas."

"But the Nexus, as I understand it, isn't sentient. It has no individual personality or consciousness. In fact, I believe it's rather random. I don't believe it was the Nexus that brought me here, Ashlyn. In fact, I know it was not the Nexus," he told her, rolling onto his side as she moved to her back so that he could continue to make eye contact with her, propping himself up onto an elbow.

"I don't know," she admitted with a smile. "You learn to just go with the flow around here, don't sweat the small stuff. If it's gonna happen, it'll happen, and often you can make it happen if you really want it to. Like you - what do you want to do' You don't have to be a privateer or a pirate or whatever it is now. What do you want to do with your life?"

"Good question," he replied, with a thoughtful frown. "I'm not sure I have an answer." After all, it had been a very long time since he'd attended college, and his life and times were very different then than they were now. "Being a ship's captain is all I know and all I've ever been really."

"All right." She looked up at him, letting her knuckles trace tenderly along his cheek, over his shoulder, down the line of his arm. "What, ideally, would you like the purpose of that ship to be? Trade, or research, or military?"

"I've had enough of the military, though I was rather good at it," he added with a not-so-modest smirk. "Tell me, Ashlyn ....Why do you think people seem to think being a pirate is fun" Is it the adventure" Because I can tell you from experience that it isn't as romantic a venture as people seem to think. Certainly nothing like Barrie makes it out to be. But you've been to sea. What is it that draws you there, do you think?" he asked, distracted a little by her caress of his skin.

"Piracy has been romanticized over the years, especially since the development of moving pictures," she sighed, hoping that helped a little. "I can't speak for all women, obviously, but even I went through a phase of wanting some gorgeous pirate to capture me and ravish me until I joined his crew." She laughed at the silly fantasy from her teens. "What draws me to the sea" She's just like me."

"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky," he recited quietly by rote. "And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by." The poem had been written long after his time, but it seemed he'd been working on catching up on literature a little since he'd arrived in Rhy'Din. The way he recited the words, it almost sounded like a love sonnet - an ode to the sea from someone who knew and loved her well.

Ashlyn Radcliffe

Date: 2015-11-20 11:41 EST
She was quiet for a moment, letting the words - or rather, his voice as he said them - sink in. But, as she had already proved, she really couldn't resist a bad joke when it presented itself. "Just not the second star to the right, yeah?" She bit her lip, trying not to smirk. "Sorry."

She succeeded in distracting him from his reverie with her joke, though if the snort was any clue, he wasn't too terribly amused. "I would rather sail than fly, thank you very much," he replied. "More of Barrie's nonsense, I'm afraid."

Laughing, she rose up to him, her hand curling to his neck as her lips sought his out once again. "I did say sorry," she murmured through her grin, nestling closer once again. "Maybe now's a good time for a little tit for tat, huh?"

He arched a dark brow down at her as she moved closer, the talk of Pan forgotten in lieu of more pleasant prospects. "And just what do you propose?" he asked, tracing the curve of one breast with a gentle fingertip.

She shivered, catching his hand with her own as she nipped his lip. "It's my turn to play," she growled softly, pushing him onto his back to trace her lips down over his skin, her destination clear from the start. If he thought he had savored her, he was about to get a lesson in just what Ashlyn Granger considered teasing.

"Mmm," he murmured, settling back against the pillows, content to let her play all she wanted. "I think I like this game. Perhaps emancipating women wasn't such a bad idea, after all," he murmured, her fingers weaving in and out of her hair, each kiss from her lips like fire against his flesh, obviously having the desired effect.

"Don't be surprised if the rules change," she murmured playfully against his skin. Her head tilted into his touch, encouraging the play of his fingers through her hair as she reached the treasure she'd teased about earlier. Lips, tongue, hands, even teeth ....she may not have done it for a few years, but it seemed as though there were some things that just couldn't be forgotten.

Oh, she was going to be his undoing - he just knew it, and was currently proving it with her tantalizing attention to his body. He wasn't whimpering exactly - he was too proud for that - but he was groaning and not because he was in pain. He tangled his fingers in her hair, gripping it tightly in one hand, but not tugging or pulling, only holding on, as she played her little game. How far would he let her go before he stopped her and took what he wanted"

That was what she intended to find out. Each flicker of tension through his strong frame, each groan that touched her ears, they were like badges of honor, proof that she had not lost her touch. And she wanted to have a good touch for this man, daring to do to him what he had done to her - take him to the brink over and again, and not once allowing him the release that threatened. This was a game, after all.

It was a dangerous game, this tit for tat - not because it posed any physical danger, but if she played it too well, he could very well be in danger of losing his heart. It had been a very long time since he'd felt anything but rage and hatred and a desire for revenge, but at that moment in time, those thoughts were the very furthest from his mind. Time and again, she brought him nearly to the brink, only to leave him frustrated, until he could stand it no more. With a growl of warning, he let go of his hold on her hair and shifted his weight, throwing her over on to her back while he pinned her hands over her head. "You taunt me, wench," he hissed a whisper of breath in her ear.

She cried out as his patience suddenly snapped, laughing to find herself on her back, pinned to the bed by the bad boy she'd initially taken him for. Her back arched, adding another tease to the moaning sigh that reverberated against his ear. "Just wanted to make sure you're firing on all cylinders, captain," she whispered back to him, each word a husky taunt of its own.

"Whatever the devil that means," he said. So maybe he was a bit of a bad boy, after all, even if he wouldn't admit it. She had certainly fired him up, that much was certain. "You have no one to blame for this but yourself," he warned, though she didn't seem very upset by this turn of events. It seemed her fantasy about being ravished by a pirate was about to come true. He didn't waste any time or give her any further warning, taking what he wanted this time and not very gentle about it. If she wanted a bad boy, a bad boy she'd get. He plundered her body like the pirate he was, ruthlessly ravaging her mouth and her body and giving her no quarter. If he had his way - and if she didn't make any move to stop him - he'd make sure to ruin her for every man but him before he was through.

By the time he was done, she was boneless in his arms, whimpering with sheer, unadulterated delight as aftershocks rippled through her. She'd always fallen for the bad boy, always, but the bad boy had never been such a gentleman as this one had turned out to be. A romantic who could turn on the Alpha when pressed, intelligent, damaged ....Oh, yes, she definitely had a type, and James was wiping the slate clean bit by bit. Gasping for breath, she managed a cheeky smile up at him, moaning as she stretched beneath his weight. "I thought I was supposed to walk the plank?"

Most men would be exhausted by now, or at the very least, ready for a respite, but he only sighed and kissed her neck, like he had only just finished the appetizer and was working up an appetite for the main course. "With my sword in your scabbard" Not likely," he pointed out with a teasing grin, a little cocky about the analogy. "You do realize walking the plank is a bad thing, aye?"

"Every sword needs a sheath," she breathed back to him, laughing huskily as she fought to regain her breath. Her nails traced down his back as he kissed her neck. "It's only a bad thing if you don't know what to do when you jump."

"Hold your breath, I imagine," he replied, never having walked the plank himself, though he'd witnessed it a time or two. He wasn't about to say whether he'd ever forced that sort of punishment on anyone. There were actually worse fates than drowning. He seemed to belatedly realize that she was making an analogy of her own, though he wasn't really sure if it was very accurate when applied to them. What was it she was trying to get at, exactly"

She snorted with laughter, nudging her nose against his cheek, still not making any attempt to free herself from the way he had her pinned down. Her walk of shame in the morning was going to be more like a stagger, but she honestly didn't mind. "You're cute when you don't understand me," was her grinning answer. "Maybe I should confuse you more often."

"Cute is for babies and puppies, not a grown pirate. Maybe you should help me understand," he suggested mildly, pressing a kiss to her lips before releasing her from his grip and rolling onto his side, pulling her sideways with him.

Her laugh was silenced by his kiss, but soon found voice again as he drew her onto her side with him. "Or maybe I should just keep confusing you, so that you stay cute." He really shouldn't have objected to the word so quickly; she was the type who'd use it against him for fun as often as she could.

"Or perhaps I should try to sort it out for myself. I assume by walking the plank you are referring to taking charge in bed, aye' But your analogy is flawed because there is nothing pleasant about that form of punishment. Or am I being too literal?" he asked, ignoring her insistence on calling him cute.

Ashlyn Radcliffe

Date: 2015-11-20 11:42 EST
"Maybe a little," she smiled. "You're forgetting what I do for a living. I don't just study from a distance, you know." Her smile deepened as she relaxed against him, letting her head touch the pillow. "I spend a lot of my time in the water, under the water. So you'd think I'd know what I'm doing if I ever have to jump."

"Are we talking about plunging into the sea, or is this another analogy' You do realize that when one is made to walk the plank, one's hands are bound, so that they drown," he explained further. He wasn't too clear on how much time she spent in or under the water or how it all worked, though he had been in Rhy'Din long enough to know that there had been many technological advances during the past few centuries, both here and on Earth. "I assume you have a vessel or an apparatus that allows you to breathe underwater." There was a time when some might have called that sorcery, but he was intelligent enough to know it was only science.

She nodded. "We carry tanks of breathable air on our backs," she explained to him. "You need training to scuba-dive safely, but it isn't too complex. You could learn, if you really wanted to. See the ocean's secrets close up someday."

"With you," he added. Because without her, why bother" It was not a question. Of course, that was assuming he would see her again, and this wouldn't be a one-night dalliance on either part. Was it too soon to talk about a possible future, or should he take things one step and one day at a time"

She blinked, surprised that he should be so certain that he'd want to learn that skill to share the ocean with her when there were so many other women who might take his fancy in the city. "Sure," she agreed with a nod. "If that's what you want. I'd love to see your face the first time you see a coral reef in all its glory."

Ah, but how many other women shared his passion for the sea and could show him all the sea's wonders up close and personal" "Very well, then. You will teach me how to ....scuba-dive," he said, stumbling over the new words a little. "And what shall I teach you in return?" he asked, sliding his fingers along her bare shoulder and arm, his gaze drifting downward admiringly.

Oh, there were so many ways she could answer that, some truthful, some playful. But what came out was more hopeful than anything, startling her as she listened to her own voice with an unexpectedly bitter undercurrent. "That not all men are unscrupulous bastards?"

He arched a dark brow at her request, which told him quite a bit about her past experiences with men. She had, apparently, been spurned in the past, as she'd alluded to earlier. "I should like to think I'm an honorable man, but I'm afraid my reputation precedes me. You will simply have to trust me. Do you think you can do that?"

Ashlyn winced, shaking her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound so hostile," she apologized, her gaze dropping to where her hand lingered against his chest. "I do trust you. You're a gentleman, a real gentleman. That's pretty rare."

He smiled, looking a little amused even. "Such a gentleman you wanted to decorate my coat in ....I believe you called them gummy bears?" he teased, tracing her cheek and lifting her chin to meet his gaze. "I do not know where this is headed, Ashlyn, but I promise you I have no intention of breaking your heart." Tipping her chin toward him, he sealed that promise with a surprisingly gentle kiss.

"You were upsetting Daisy," she defended herself with a low chuckle, feeling her smile fade into an expression she would have been mortified to know was startlingly vulnerable as his finger traced down her cheek. It was just as well he kissed her - she had nothing she could say to that, sharing that shocked trust with him as she answered his kiss. As his lips drew from hers, she heard herself whisper one word. "Stay."

He smiled again at her question - a slightly roguish smile - one hand cupping her cheek, so close they were sharing breath. "As you wish," he replied, touching his lips to hers again and deepening the kiss, letting her know without speaking that he wasn't going anywhere, just yet.

((Well, that was an unexpectedly long scene! Fun, though - huge thanks to James' player!))