Topic: All in a Day's Work

Rhys Bristol · Date: 2019-04-13 12:29 EST

((These posts contain some mild adult content. Nothing too explicit. Just so you know.))

When Avalon called, the Champion and Priestess answered. Of course, Rhys preferred it when there was some form of action movie sequence awaiting him, an adventure that would get the blood pumping - that wasn't on the cards this time. This time, they were going to be in Natalya's comfort zone. The agents of Avalon had discovered the whereabouts of a possible Norse artifact, and in so doing, had arranged for the collector who owned it to hold a fundraiser for a new charitable foundation in his own mansion, to which the Bristols had been invited. The mission was clear - get in, find the BrÃsingamen, determine if it was the real thing and, if so, steal it. Simple, right"

Rhys had learned after nearly six years as Champion of Avalon that most of the jobs that seemed simple in theory were anything but, and yet, who was he to complain" He had it good, and he knew it. There was nothing wrong with a little adventure now and then, so long as no one got hurt. It was a hell of a lot better than hunting demons, that was for sure. This particular job required the Bristols to flaunt a little of the money Natalya had inherited and put Rhys in an expensive Armani suit, complete with diamond cufflinks.

"Am I overdressed?" he whispered to his wife as he sized up the other well-to-dos in attendance.

"You look delicious, my dumpling," his wife informed him, flicking a speck of lint from his shoulder and stroking a palm down his lapel. "You fit in perfectly." Nat tilted her head, smiling sweetly up at him. She herself was dressed in a simple white evening dress, complete with pearl and diamond accessories. Together, they looked the part of the wealthy entrepreneurs in a way that a fair number of the other guests just couldn't manage. She leaned close to his ear, her voice deliberately sultry. "Every woman here wishes she had you on her arm."

"You look good enough to eat," he whispered, returning the compliment, before offering a fake smile and a nod of his head to an elderly couple as they walked past. He was vain enough to know he looked good, but suits and soirees weren't really his thing, and the sooner they got this job done, the better, as far as he was concerned. "I think maybe I'll do just that, as soon as we're finished here," he remarked further, an impish sparkle in his green eyes as he glanced to his wife.

"Promises, promises," she murmured behind her glass, doing a masterful job of pretending to sip the champagne. They didn't know how well informed their hosts were, after all. "We need to find the back stairs if we are going to get to the collection hall at all."

"Have you ever known me not to keep my promises?" he countered, smiling casually as he glanced briefly in the direction that they needed to go. "Then we need to find a reason to roam around," he murmured in complete agreement. Breaking into a closed museum at night was one thing, but stealing something right from under someone's nose was another.

"Weren't you feeling nauseous earlier?" he asked, raising his voice just a little. She hadn't been, as far as he knew, but it was a good excuse to find the bathroom or maybe some place where she could either get some fresh air or relax for a while away from the crowd.

Nat caught on immediately - they had done enough of this to know each other inside and out at this point. "You just had to bring it up, didn't you?" she asked, loud enough for those around to overhear without seeming as though it were deliberate. "I was doing so well."

"Do you need to lie down?" he asked, also loud enough for others around to hear him ask, a feigned look of concern on his face for his poor, nauseous wife. He looked around, as if for someone who might be helpful - someone who had the authority to excuse them from the party for a short while.

As luck would have it, he managed to catch the eye of the hired planner who was overseeing the whole thing. The woman looked bored out of her mind, but on catching Rhys' eye, definitely perked up. Then her own eyes filtered to the woman leaning against him, and her gaze went from interested to disappointed in less than a second.

Rhys hardly noticed the change in the woman's interest level. It wasn't so much that he was afraid to use his charm and good looks to manipulate the situation, as he didn't really know how. What concerned him at that moment was finding a plausible excuse to get them near the back staircase, even if they had to split up to do so, not whether the woman found him attractive.

"Excuse me," he said, as he drew Nat along with him. "My wife isn't feeling well. Is there somewhere we can relax for a while, until it passes?" He feigned another smile and leaned closer, lowering his voice. "We haven't told anyone yet, but we're pregnant."

Quite how Nat could do this on command was beyond even her, but she had somehow managed to turn pale and sweaty within about a minute, leaning on Rhys with a tight-lipped smile that definitely suggested she might throw up on someone's expensive Louboutins if she didn't cool down and relax soon. The planner's eyes widened, forgetting the fact that the gentleman was gorgeous in favor of not having to arrange steam cleaning for the carpet.

"Oh! Oh, of course, this way," she said hurriedly. "There aren't any unused rooms on this level, but Mr. Holland did say that a couple of rooms upstairs were available if necessary." She gestured for Rhys to follow her.

"Thank you so much!" Rhys gushed, looking at the name tag pinned to the woman's dress to make it more personal. "Miss ....Louise," he said, looking to Nat with another smile. "We'll have to put Louise on our list of baby names, won't we, honey?" he asked laying it on a little thick, but hopefully not too thick.

"Mm," Nat agreed, sticking to the will throw up if I stay in this hot room much longer deception by keeping her lips closed.

Louise smiled at the both of them, leading the way up the side stairs, away from the main crowd of guests, and into a wide corridor. She opened the first door on the left, ushering them into a guest bedroom.

"There is an en-suite attached, should you need it," she told them. "I'll have someone come up in an hour to check on you if you have not rejoined us."

Rhys led Nat up the stairs to the guest bedroom, all the while looking like the concerned husband he was, though he wasn't so concerned about Nat's health right now as he was about getting them away from the crowd. "Thank you so much," he told the woman again. "I'm sure we'll be fine. She just needs to relax for a little while."

Still playing along, Nat stepped out of her heels and disappeared into the bathroom at speed. Louise winced sympathetically.

"I hope you're right, sir," she said politely. "And ....congratulations."

Rhys Bristol · Date: 2019-04-13 12:29 EST

Rhys frowned with more feigned worry as Nat disappeared into the bathroom. "Thanks, you're a peach! I'd better go and, you know, check on her," he said, gesturing toward the bathroom. "I'll be right there, honey!" he called.

"Of course, sir." Louise nodded, turning to go before remembering something else important. "Oh, and the rest of this floor is off-limits to the guests. If you wander around, you'll be ejected from the premises. Just so you know." She shrugged, and slipped out through the door, closing it behind her.

"Of course," he replied, just as a pretty convincing retching noise came from behind the bathroom door, so convincing Rhys winced and hoped Nat hadn't made herself sick on purpose. He didn't say another word, but headed straight for the bathroom.

"Are you all right?" he asked as he poked his nose past the door, this concern on his face genuine this time. She'd sounded pretty convincing.

He got a beautiful view of his wife unhooking her lock picks from the holster on the inside of her thigh as he peeped around the door. She straightened up, offering him a bright smile. "Is she gone?" she murmured, careful not to speak too loudly, just in case he wasn't alone in the room beyond still.

"Yeah, but before she left, she made sure to warn me that any guests caught wandering around will be kicked out," he told her, unable to hide the grin from his face. "I think we should name our next kid after her. What do you think?" he teased. Though it was nothing new to him, he couldn't help admiring the view of his wife's legs. "Definitely indulging in that when we're finished here."

"You want a Louis instead of a Dylan?" Nat asked him in amusement, tilting his chin up before he got lost in admiring her legs. Her smile was warm beneath sparkling eyes as she kissed the tip of his nose. "Can you remember where the collection hall is in relation to where we are now?"

"No, I want a Dylan," he replied without hesitation. He'd been given a sneak peek at their future family once and knew there was at least one more child in their future, but neither knew when that would be. "Mmhm," he replied, "Down the hall to the right, but ....Don't you think this has been just a little too easy so far?" he asked her.

"Dusha moya, how difficult would you like it to be?" Nat asked him innocently, looping her amulet about her neck once again. "I could let you walk through the halls and meet you in the collection, if you would like." She winked at him impishly.

He pouted, like a child who'd had his favorite toy taken away. "No, it's just ....If it's too easy, it takes all the fun out of it," he complained, with a sigh. "But this is your gig, so we'll do things your way."

"Darling, last time it was difficult, we almost were drowned, and then almost eaten by a giant serpent," she pointed out, easing up against him to concentrate on the amulet. "Forgive me for preferring no water or confined spaces." She focused. It had taken a while to work out how to do this, but finally Nat had learned how to bounce them through the mists and to a different location on Earth without materializing in Avalon.

"You have a point," Rhys admitted. He couldn't very well argue with that, but he did have something of a hero complex, always wanting to be the one to save the day. This was Nat's area of expertise though and he was just glad she'd let him come along. Relieved, really. He couldn't very well keep an eye on her and make sure she was safe, if he wasn't there.

As the mists faded, they found themselves in a circular room, half of which was open to the world via floor-length curved windows. And thank goodness for those windows, or they would not have been able to see a thing. They still didn't dare move - private security measures could be worse than public ones. Nat frowned thoughtfully as she looked around at the display cases. "Can you feel any wards in here?"

"Not yet, but I have a feeling one wrong move and we're going to trigger a silent alarm. Would you look at this place" How much of this stuff do you think is stolen?" he asked, as he cast a glance around. Thankfully, he no longer felt any of the dizziness that came with popping in and out of the ether anymore, though he doubted he'd ever become very fond of that particular mode of transportation.

"Most of it," Nat estimated. A faint smirk touched her lips as she glanced up at him. "Possibly even by me." Her hand slid into his tuxedo jacket, finding the hidden pocket and retrieving the smoke cannister within. "No wards means this is all mundane security. You did want more difficult." She snapped the cannister, letting it fall to the floor, kicking it toward the center of the room.

"By you?" he asked, furrowing his brows at her. "Well, if that's the case, then we're just stealing it back," he added with a grin, though he didn't think that was the case with the particular item they were interested in. He turned to look at the laser light show the smoke canister had illuminated. "Christ, lucky I've been practicing my yoga," he muttered, though he did no such thing.

Now knowing where the lasers were, Nat could bend and secure her skirt to her legs, to make sure nothing would flap and break the lights unexpectedly. "Over there," she said, jerking her chin toward one of the display cases about fifteen feet away from them. "That looks like our prize."

"Can't we just, you know, poof over there?" Rhys asked, eyeing the lasers skeptically. They'd poofed to this room. Why couldn't they just poof over to where they needed to be and poof back" Simple as pie. She was the skilled one here. He was just the brawn; she was the brains.

She shook her head. "If I was out by even an inch, we would set off the alarms," she pointed out. Her head tilted as she smirked at him. "You were the one complaining this was too easy, milaya."

"Yeah, don't remind me," he said, pouting. And they only had an hour before someone came to check on them. "Well, might as well get started. What can go wrong?" he asked, knowing one wrong move could get them killed. He might have to ask her to kick him later for grumbling about it being too easy.

With her hair tucked securely into the shoulders of her gown, Nat turned toward the shifting lasers, watching their movement for a couple of minutes. "Do you want to go first, or together?"

"Together to the end, baby," he quipped, with a grinning. He was always a little cocky, but Nat knew him well enough to know it was his way of dealing with a case of rattled nerves. With that said, he picked her up by the waist and easily lifted her over the first laser beam, following closely behind as the beam moved and slid behind his back.

She laughed softly, flashing back to their first heist together. He was much better at controlling his nerves in situations like this now, but she was always going to be fond of the way he had clung to her on the end of the wire as they rappelled down into the Louvre. Navigating the laser display was like traversing a challenging ballet, although it did put Rhys' rear end on display in a truly distracting manner.

Rhys Bristol · Date: 2019-04-13 12:29 EST

The same could be said for Nat's legs. It didn't hurt that she knew ballet. The same couldn't be said for Rhys, but he did pride himself on keeping in shape. "Why'd it have to be lasers?" he complained as the two of them navigated a difficult series of moves, just barely avoiding the lasers that would set off the alarm.

"Where is the fun without the challenge?" his wife teased him, flattening to the ground for a moment as one of the laser passed over her head.

"My point exactly," Rhys agreed. He enjoyed the challenge as much as her; he just didn't want to get caught. He pulled her to her feet once the laser passed overhead and lifted her over another, before rolling to avoid yet another. "It might have been easier just to shut down the power," he complained as he rolled to his feet.

Ducking under the last laser before the display case, Nat flicked him a wink. "Darling, if you wanted to do this in five minutes surrounded by chaos, shouting, and guards, you should not have told me it was my game to play," she told him, blowing her foundation powder over the glass to make sure there were no more lasers there.

"I can't always be the one having all the fun, can I?" he asked, as he came up beside her. This part was all Nat. All he could do now was watch and wait and hope they weren't caught. "Maybe I should have stayed outside, guarded the door," he murmured, worrying that his being here just made it more risky for her.

"You can unhook the decoy from my leg while I work on this," she suggested, unrolling her lock picks to begin delicately opening the mechanical lock on the case.

"It doesn't look like much, does it?" he asked, as he paused a moment to take a look at the thing they were after. "I'd imagined it would be more ....sparkly," he said, before moving to a crouch to slide his hands up her leg and unhook the lookalike from where she'd fastened it.

"Well, it is Norse, milaya," Nat murmured, smiling to herself as the first of the locks clicked easily. She bit her lip as she glanced down at him. "No getting distracted down there."

"I'll try to control myself," he assured her, though it wasn't as easy as all that when certain parts of his body had a mind of their own. Even after six years of marriage and two children, she never failed to entice him, even when it wasn't very convenient. He did his best to focus his attention on the task at hand, knowing they didn't have all day. "Why is Avalon so interested in this piece anyway?"

"I have no idea," she admitted. "I wasn't aware that Freyja's necklace had any power of its own, not like Thor's belt. I suppose it has an aura that will tell us if this is real or not." The second lock clicked open, and she set her picks aside to carefully open the glass. The Brisingamen was a simple torc of twisted bronze and gold, polished to a shine, each end bearing a smooth globe of amber. And the moment the glass was opened, the aura she had mentioned made itself known in a pulsing, suggestive brush against their minds.

"Next thing you know, we'll be going after ..." Rhys broke off suddenly as he felt something brush his mind. He moved to his feet with an exact replica of the necklace in his hands they were planning to leave in its place. "What the hell ..." he murmured, unsure what he was feeling exactly. The necklace was definitely radiating some sort of palpable power.

Nat was staring at it, feeling a strange tug to pick up the torc and set it about her neck. Her hands were already moving toward it before she caught herself. "Bozhe moi," she croaked softly, swallowing hard. Her eyes turned to Rhys. "Can you feel that?"

"Yeah, I can feel it," Rhys confirmed, not looking happy about it. There was something, some power, that emanated from the necklace that was trying to seduce them both. "Don't touch it, Nat," he warned, catching her hand. "Not without gloves. Just ....send it to Avalon and get it over with," he told her. He wasn't sure what it was about the thing that scared him, but anything with that much power couldn't be a good thing.

Tucking her lock picks back in her thigh holster, Nat unhooked her skirt from her legs, covering her hand before reaching to pick up the torc. The amber seemed to glow in the darkness with an almost sentient light. "This might be on a pressure plate," she warned her husband. "We need to switch them slowly."

"Of course it is," Rhys complained. There was always a surge of adrenaline when they started a job, but by this point, he usually became testy and just wanted it to be over with. "I'm ready when you are," he assured her, lifting the fake torc between his hands to swap it for the real one, when she said so. The timing had to be perfect, and they'd practiced it dozens of time to get it right.

As usual, when she was feeling the pressure, Nat's Russian accent began to make itself known more clearly as she took charge of the switch. "All right. Moving on three. One ....two ....three ..." As she named the number, she began to slide the powerful artifact toward herself, off the pedestal it sat on.

It wasn't easy, with both of them working in such a small space, but they'd practiced this plenty of times before, until they could do it in their sleep. As Nat slid the necklace toward her, Rhys' hands hovered above hers, ready to drop the fake into place the second she removed the real one from the pedestal. He drew a deep breath, holding it, as if he was afraid to exhale, waiting until just the right moment to do his part.

That one, nerve-wracking split-second when the pedestal was empty came and went too fast to be struck by it. They had practiced many, many times, and it went perfectly. Nat breathed out slowly. "How much longer do we have?"

Rhys felt a bead of sweat trickle down his back beneath his shirt and suit jacket. That had taken a little longer than he'd liked, but so far, so good. "Not long. Twenty minutes tops," he told her, hoping no one would think to look on them before that. So far, no one had come looking for them here. That was a good sign anyway. Rhys pulled a pair of gloves from his jacket and reached for the necklace so that he could strap it to his wife's leg, replacing the fake.

Nat handed him the torc with shaking hands, turning her own attention back to closing and locking the glass case once again. She had to stop for a moment when the torc came in contact with her skin, however. She had never felt quite that surge of pure loving desire course through her without prompting from her husband before. "Iisus Khristos ..."

"Nat?" he asked, pausing as he strapped the torc into place. He'd felt the power coming off the thing in waves, but with a pair of gloves between him and it, he didn't really know what that power was capable of. "What's wrong?"

Rhys Bristol · Date: 2019-04-13 12:33 EST

She breathed steadily for a moment, finishing the locks before she looked down at him, pupils dilated with unadulterated lust. "I do believe I know what gave Freyja her power over lovers, milaya."

Rhys' jaw dropped open, gloved hands still in place on her leg, as if he was having second thoughts of leaving it there. "You're kidding," he said, recognizing the look in her eyes, as he'd seen it enough times before. The first time had been on an airplane when she'd taken his mind off his fear of flying by seducing him. He had barely known her then. Their sexual adventures had become the stuff of legend since then.

Nat certainly seemed willing to go with the feeling, tucking her picks away before beckoning him close with a finger. "We should get back to that guest room," she murmured enticingly. "I wonder if Miss Louise would give us an extra 20 minutes if we asked nicely?"

"And what do we do with this?" he asked, tapping her leg to remind her of the thing that was strapped there. He could have hidden the thing in his jacket, but it was more likely to be found there. It was unlikely anyone would dare look under Nat's skirt. "You're just gonna have to resist the urge, until I can get you outta here," he told her, as tempting as it was to let her have her way with him.

She was already sliding her arms about his waist beneath his jacket, leaning close to nip at his chin teasingly. "I'm sure we'll think of something we can do with it," she purred, rising up onto her toes to press a slow kiss to his lips. And some part of her that had better survival instincts began the process of bumping them through the mists of Avalon and back to the guest room they had been left in.

He was far too easily swayed by her whims, and by the time they reappeared in the guest room, his mouth was devouring hers, their bodies locked together in a lovers' embrace. Realizing she'd at least had the sense to get them out of the collection hall and back to the guest room, he groaned as he reluctantly pulled away from her to hold her at arms' length. "Nat, stop. We've got plenty of time for that later. We've got to get out of here."

She whined, but managed to obey enough to pull back from him, turning to grope for her shoes. Her skin was flushed, she was trembling; it was a far cry from the pale face she had shown to the planner when they had made it to this room, but they might be able to spin it as her having got worse rather than better.

"Do you want me to take it?" Rhys asked, seeing how the necklace was affecting her. They only had a few minutes before someone came to check on them, and they had to decide quickly how they were going to make their exit.

Breathless, she shook her head. "We do not know how long the effects last," she pointed out. "If we are both so aroused we can't walk, we won't get out of here without causing a scene and drawing attention to ourselves."

"Okay," he agreed, knowing he wouldn't be much help to her if he was too distracted by feelings of lust to think straight. "Follow my lead," he told her, deciding there was no point in waiting for anyone to come looking for them, when they could walk out on their own. He reached up and purposely mussed her hair, so that it looked like she wasn't quite as put together as she'd been when they'd arrived. "Lean into me, and keep your face hidden," he told her. "And no wandering hands."

"Easier said than done," she murmured, glad she could at least think in short spurts through this. Just enough to slide her arm about his waist and raise her other hand to her mouth, dipping her head forward so her mussed hair hid her face. Pressed that close, no doubt he could feel her trembling with desire.

He just had to get her from the house to the car. As she'd said, easier said than done, so long as he didn't lose his cool and she didn't lose control. "Just trust me, Nat," he murmured, kissing the top of her head. He paused a moment to pull the gloves off and shove them into his jacket before leading her toward the door, one arm wrapped protectively around her.

Her hand clenched in his jacket as he drew her to the door and out into the corridor, concentrating on the feel of the cloth in her palm as much as she could to try and stave off the desire to slam him against a wall and strip his pants off him.

Louise was just coming up the side stairs as they reached the top, raising her brows in concern. "Oh goodness, is everything all right?"

"No, I'm afraid not. I'm going to have to take her home. She's just too sick to stay. You should have seen her the last time she was preggers. I can't tell you how many times she just barely made it to the bathroom," he told her, that worried look on his face again, only this time there was some real worry there.

"Do you need me to call an ambulance, or get a car for you?" Louise asked, easily caught up in the deception and definitely happy to go out of her way for the handsome Mr. Bristol.

"No, I'll have the valet fetch my car, but thanks for the offer. You've been very helpful, Louise," Rhys said, a warm smile for the woman. He felt almost sorry for her, hoping she wouldn't lose her job when it came to light that they'd been robbed.

"Please ....give our apologies to Diana and Rupert," Nat managed, though the words were uncomfortably slurred through tense lips.

Louise stepped backward, just in case she threw up. "I will, ma'am. Um ....I hope you feel better soon."

"I'm sure she will," Rhys replied. That part wasn't a lie, at least. He knew she'd feel better as soon as he unstrapped the necklace from her thigh - or after she had her way with him, whichever came first. That said, he continued on his way out, leading Nat through the house the same way they'd come.

Thankfully, the self-congratulating speeches and toasts part of the evening was in full swing, allowing them to bypass most of the crowd on their way to the door. What few people they did pass were familiar faces from these events, and knew enough not to ask what was wrong when Rhys Bristol had his wife in that protective a grasp. The cool night air on her skin helped, Nat had to admit, relieved when they stepped out into the evening. "I think I am going to have to sit in the back seat," she muttered. "On my hands."

Rhys Bristol · Date: 2019-04-13 12:34 EST

"Or just take the damned thing off," Rhys murmured in reply. He had never complained about his wife's over-active sex drive, but he'd rather it came from her than from some ancient artifact that they'd be tasked with retrieving for Avalon. "I don't really understand why Avalon wants this. Aren't there more important artifacts that need finding?" he asked, replacing the words important for dangerous and finding for stealing.

"Can you imagine the damage this thing could do to someone who wore it without knowing themselves well enough to control themselves?" she muttered, silently hoping that damned valet showed up sooner rather than later. "At least I have you with me. I know you will not allow me to become completely out of control."

"I can imagine a lot of sex," Rhys remarked with a slight smirk, wondering how that could be a bad thing. He was trying to take things seriously, but a torc that turned its wearer into a sexual maniac ....His thoughts came to a screeching halt there. "Okay, you made your point," he said, realizing that if the thing got into the wrong hands, a lot of innocent people could get hurt. The thing would probably make the worst serial rapist look like an angel by comparison.

Rhys waved a hand to get the valet's attention as he pulled up with their car. "Just hang on, Nat," he whispered, hoping she could hold out just a few minutes longer without losing her mind or her reason.

She snorted with laughter at his immediate reaction, nodding as he made the connection between what seemed like a harmless power and its potential consequences. Thankfully, Nat also had the protection of the Lady of Avalon, as did Rhys; she wasn't alone in resisting the temptation of the piece currently strapped to her bare thigh. "I am taking this off as soon as we get in the car," she muttered to him. "You had better drive fast."

"Why?" he asked. Why did he have to drive fast if she was taking the thing off" Was the temptation really that great' And if so, why hadn't it affected him' Oh, he'd felt its power, like a wave of hot air slapping him in the face, but he hadn't felt the desire to touch it or put it on. Was it his angelic origins that protected him against it or was it his connection to Avalon or was it something else entirely' Before he could put voice to any of those questions, the car pulled up beside them and the valet stepped out, holding a hand out to give Rhys the keys and expecting a tip. He exchanged the keys for a ten-dollar-bill, not really caring if the tip was too much or too little. Money was no longer much of a concern, though he preferred not to waste it needlessly. He muttered some thanks to the valet and something about needing to get his wife home, before going around to the passenger's side of the car to help Nat inside.

"Five minutes," he promised.

She nodded, sinking into the seat with a certain amount of relief. At least she didn't have to stay standing while she was shaking with desire. "I can't take it off until we're out of sight."

He wasted no time in taking the driver's seat and getting the hell out of there, though he couldn't risk driving like a bat out of hell. It might have been easier to just poof out of there, but that would have looked even more suspicious than escorting a sickly, pregnant wife from the premises. "I wonder what?ll happen when they figure out it's a fake," he muttered with a slight chuckle. What he wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall when that happened.

"They might never." Nat actually moaned as she raised her dress to unhook the artifact, tossing it into the glove compartment as the immediacy of the seductive aura eased from her physical being. "Remind me to bring gloves next time."

"Bring gloves next time," he echoed with a smirk that he had a feeling would earn him a swat. He sobered quickly, looking over to her with a concerned expression on his face. "Seriously, are you okay?"

"You mean apart from desperately needing to push you against a wall and have my wicked way with you?" she asked, letting out a breathless laugh. "I think I am. I think it may only work on women in that way, and I am lucky to have Avalon's protection."

"Well, I won't argue there. I can take one for the team. Poor me," he replied, still smirking, though he was more concerned than he seemed. "What now?" he asked. "I mean, as much as I'd like to get laid, I don't think we should risk that thing getting into the wrong hands."

"Hotel or home, your choice, and we'll take it to Avalon in the morning," she suggested. Attempting to cross the mists right now seemed like a terrible idea, especially when she remembered that the Lady felt everything that passed into Avalon. It didn't seem fair to do that to her.

"I don't want that ....thing anywhere near our children," Rhys blurted. Perhaps it would not affect them the way it had her, but he wasn't going to take that chance. Their children were everything to him, and there was nothing he wouldn't do to protect them. "It's just one night," he said, hoping that was all the time they'd need to get the necklace to Avalon.

"Hotel, then," she agreed, glancing out the window. "The Langham is the closest." Five star and luxurious, but they didn't need to worry about overspending. Besides, a luxury hotel had options when it came to changing their clothing in the morning if they found it necessary.

"The Langham," Rhys concurred, pressing a foot to the gas pedal to challenge the speed limit, hoping to get them there that much faster. He inwardly cursed for not securing the necklace in something more secure than his glove box, but it would just have to wait until they got to the hotel. "What's it do' What's it feel like, I mean?" he asked curiously, hoping his questions wouldn't upset her control.

"I think you can guess," she said in a laughing tone. "It feels like ....it feels as though I am being overwhelmed with desire. My desire is for you, but if you had not been with me, would it have been for any man nearby' I do not know."

"A necklace made for a goddess," Rhys murmured with a puzzled frown. They'd read about Brisingamen a little before going to steal it, but the legends hadn't told them much. "Wars have been fought over that necklace," he said, though in truth, the wars had been fought over Freya, not the necklace she wore.

"I think it is more appropriate for the time in which it was made than for this time," Nat managed, still struggling to keep a lid on her feelings but far more secure now that they were her feelings. "There are very few men who can resist a woman who wants him."

"Well, unless one prefers other men," Rhys pointed out with a shrug. He had a feeling the necklace didn't work that way though. It had been made for the Freya, a goddess prominent in Norse mythology, though Rhys had learned that most mythology and legend was at least in part based on fact. "Not much farther," he said, as he steered the car in the direction of the hotel, taking the shortest route possible.

Rhys Bristol · Date: 2019-04-13 12:34 EST

"Good, because I really want to touch you right now." Her speech was clearer, albeit thick with desire, proof positive that the influence of the necklace was slowly leaving her system. This was all Nat, and Rhys could definitely deal with that.

A smile flickered on Rhys' face. His body was reacting in ways that were all too familiar at his wife's warning, and he couldn't help but chuckle. "You don't need to ask me twice, Nat. I'm all too willing," he assured her, though she hardly needed reassuring. If she was observant enough, the proof of his own desire was clear enough. There was only so much he could do to control his own reactions to his wife's desire. "You're wrong though, you know. Just because someone wants you doesn't mean you want them back," he pointed out, speaking from experience.

"I know." Her arm tensed as she automatically tried to reach out to touch his hair, but her hand was still caught under her leg. "But in Norse times, when men were considered so much more important than women, surely having a powerful woman in lust with you would have been a real boon?"

"I suppose," Rhys replied with another shrug. He didn't know much about the Norsemen or their myths and legends, and though his immortal soul must have known something of those days, his mortal mind didn't remember any of it. A thought occurred to him then as he started putting together the missing pieces of the puzzle. "You know, if that thing really is Freya's necklace, and she used it to seduce men and start wars and gain power, it seems to me it would be worth a lot more to a woman than a man."

"I wonder if Cleopatra once owned it," Nat mused thoughtfully. In her slightly addled state, that was the only other powerful woman she could think of whose pattern of life seemed to suggest she might have taken control of the torc at some point. Without thinking, she drew her hands from beneath her thighs, one reaching across to gently drag her nails through his hair, over his scalp.

"Maybe," Rhys murmured.

It was certainly a possibility, and not one they could risk happening again. It wasn't that he didn't think women should be put in positions of power. If that were the case, he wouldn't be so willing to serve the Lady of Avalon. No, it was only that he thought they should earn that position, not seduce their way into it. He remembered how Namaah had tried to seduce him once, and how enraged she'd been when she'd failed. Nat's touch drew him out of his thoughts and he felt himself shudder at the memory of the demon, but that was in the past, and Nat was the future. Thankfully, they'd arrived at their destination.

"We're here," he told her, as he pulled the rented Cady into the hotel parking lot.

"Thank god for that." Without much warning, her familiar hands gripped his lapels and pulled him over to her, claiming a kiss that soothed her fractious nerves as much as reignited her passion for her husband.

He smiled into her kiss, never one to deny his wife in any way, especially when it came to him. She had been the only woman in all his life who'd truly been able to tame him, but it wasn't because of this; it was because she was the only woman who'd truly come to understand and love him. "Do you want to do this here and risk getting arrested, or wait until we get a room?" he asked, before taking a teasing tug at her lips.

This time, when she whined, it was more playful than pained, accompanied by a wide grin as she drew back from his teasing response to her kiss. "If we don't get a room quickly, I'm going to embarrass you in the elevator instead," she promised.

His smile changed to an amused smirk, as if that was a threat that bothered him. "Luckily for me, I'm not that easily embarrassed. What about you?" he countered, grazing her cheek and her neck with his tongue, daring to entice her further when she was probably already stretched to the limit.

A low groan vibrated through her throat as he teased her, fingers clenching in his hair to pull his head back, nose to nose and grinning wickedly. "Are you forgetting about who was the instigator on the day we met, milaya"" she asked innocently. "Or the nightclub in Paris" The hillside outside St Petersberg?"

He'd done his fair share of instigating, as she'd put it, but her threats meant nothing to him. He was already hers for the asking. "C'mon, Sparky. Let's go get a room," he told her, gaze settling on the glove box a moment as he remembered why they were there in the first place. "I'll take care of it this time," he told her, dropping a kiss to the tip of her nose before moving to get out of the car.

"Don't forget your gloves," she reminded him, only too happy to get out of proximity with something that had almost stolen her free will from her. She slipped out of the car herself, moving to open up the trunk and retrieve the warded box they had been given when they accepted this assignment. "I hope these wards are strong enough."

He didn't think he really needed gloves, as the necklace was clearly made for a woman, but there was no point in taking chances. Even if it didn't affect him, he could feel the power flowing off the thing, like heat from an open flame. He tugged the gloves from his jacket and pulled them onto his hands before going around to the passenger's side again and opening the glove box. Pandora's Box, he thought to himself, wondering if Avalon possessed that, too. He looked around the parking lot to make sure no one was around before reaching into the glove box for the necklace. "Ready?"

Crouching down beside him, Nat held the box open, ready to snap it closed the moment he set the Brisingamen inside it. The runes etched on the inside of the wood were glowing with a faint blue light, more than evidence enough that this was the real thing and that the wards had been prepared especially for it. "When you are."

"On three," he said, just as they had done in the collection room, when he'd replaced the artifact with a fake. They could both feel the power pouring off it, but hopefully they'd have it contained quickly enough not to feel its affects.

She nodded, steeling herself as she felt the first tingle of the object's power against her mind. "Do it."

"One, two, three ..." he counted, dropping the necklace into the box on the count of three.

Nat slammed the lid down very nearly on his fingers, just barely missing him. The lock snapped shut automatically, and they both heard the soft hum that was the wards activating. The sense of power faded, contained safely, and Nat let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness for that."

"Keep my fingers in one piece, babe, if you want me to still be able to use them later!" he warned, just barely getting his hands out of the way before she slammed the lid closed. He echoed her sigh of relief, as he felt the surge of power fade away, but couldn't help a cheeky grin her way. "Still want me?"

Rhys Bristol · Date: 2019-04-13 12:34 EST

She raised her brow, setting the now warded box into the glove compartment as she considered him. "Why don't you take me somewhere private and find out?"

"You don't think we should take it with us?" he asked, as she returned the artifact to the glove box, but then he smiled as she answered his question with a question of her own. "You're on," he said, sliding his arms around her waist only so that he could give her rear a playful squeeze.

"We don't have any luggage, carrying the box would only attract attention," she murmured, giggling low in her throat as he squeezed her rear end affectionately. Her arms looped about his neck as she leaned close, brushing her lips against his. "By the way, milaya ....how did you know?"

No, they didn't have any luggage. Checking into a hotel without luggage usually meant they were only there for one thing, but they were happily married, and he didn't mind boasting about it. He locked his arms around her waist, the expression on his face turning confused at her question. "Know what?"

She tilted her head, her smile half impish and half delighted. "That we are going to have our Dylan with us for Christmas," she clarified tenderly, stroking the backs of her fingers against his cheek. "I was saving telling you until after we were finished with tonight."

From the look of stunned shock on his face, he certainly hadn't been expecting that. Oh, he knew they were going to have another child sometime in their future, but he hadn't expected it to be now. "Wait, what? Really?" he asked, his eyes lighting up even as his jaw dropped.

She nodded, laughing at his dumbstruck expression. "Oh, so you didn't know," she teased fondly, kissing the end of his nose. "Tsk, tsk, Mr. Bristol, using your wife's womb as an excuse to rob a house."

"Apparently, it's true, so it doesn't count," he argued, not even bothering to defend himself. "So, Christmas, huh' That's the best Christmas present anyone could ever give me," he told her, brushing his nose against hers as he held her close. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

"Well, end of November, " she clarified, her smile deepening as he seemed to draw her even closer in his embrace. "Not since I knotted your tie for you this evening," was the answer to his question, followed by a tender kiss. "Dusha moya, milaya, lyubov' moyey zhizni."

He smiled again, both at the kiss and the words of love that followed. His Russian was getting better, and he had no trouble understanding her. It was his pronunciation that was usually lacking. "Lyubov' moyey zhizni to you, too," he told her, dipping his head to drop a kiss to the tip of her nose. "Shall we go celebrate in private before we draw a crowd?"

"In a parking lot?" She laughed, but conceded the point, easing back to take his hand in hers. "Yes, let us escape this crowd of invisible onlookers."

"Hey, you never know," he remarked. What he really wanted was to get her to himself behind closed doors where they could indulge in each other without worrying about anyone seeing or hearing, including their children. He lifted her hand to brush his lips against her knuckles before starting toward the hotel entrance.

The look she offered him from beneath her lashes made it abundantly clear that her immediate ambition matched his perfectly. They certainly had a respectable turn of speed by the time they reached the foyer and reception, where a brief conversation with the night manager got them a key and directions to their room on the twentieth floor.

Rhys made a mental note to call home, so that no one worried when they didn't show up at the agreed-upon time, but first things first. Nat needed the edge taken off, and Rhys was the only one who could do it. It was too bad their room was twenty flights up.

The ride in the elevator was pure torture, especially since Nat had given up on behaving herself entirely. Her hands were definitely wandering as she mouthed at his neck, murmuring into his ear all the filthy things she was planning on doing to him this evening. The elderly couple sharing the elevator looked very uncomfortable.

Rhys smiled over at the elderly couple, even as Nat was whispering in his ear and his own desire was making itself known. "Hormones," he told the other pair. "She just can't get enough of me." It wasn't exactly a lie; she was pregnant, after all.

The man was steadfastly ignoring them, but the woman frowned with deep disapproval, declaring, "Shameless, absolutely shameless," as they stepped off at their floor.

Nat laughed against Rhys' neck. "Am I scandalous, milaya?"

Rhys shrugged, smirking a little at the old couple's reaction to his amorous wife, but not looking too upset himself. "We're still dressed and we're married," he said, wondering if the elderly couple would think differently to know they were very happily married. "We're not breaking the law ....yet."

"Mmm, but you are so much fun to break the law with," she purred, her hand dipping below the line of his belt as she pressed her grin to his smirk.

"If you wanted to break the law, wife, we should have stayed in the car," he said, pulling her against him as he groaned into her kiss. If they didn't reach their floor soon, they weren't going to make it.

"So theft doesn't count anymore?" she teased laughingly, hugging her arms about his waist as he pulled her close. The press of his body to hers drew the breath from her lungs as she moaned into him. "Rhys, I need you ..."

"Baby, I'm right here," he reminded her, his hands moving to cup her rear and pull her up against him where there was no denying his own desire. His gaze shifted briefly to see how many floors they had to pass before they arrived at their destination, while his mouth covered hers to effectively silence her moan.

Her kisses grew more and more desperate as she clung to him, trying to control herself, trying not to give in completely and give the security staff a good eyeful of what had the potential to happen in their elevator. Breaking the kisses with a breathless gasp, she pressed her forehead to Rhys', gasping softly. "Please tell me we are almost there."

Rhys Bristol · Date: 2019-04-13 12:35 EST

The elevator dinged, almost as if in answer to her plea, but it was only to let someone on, not to let them off. "Almost there, baby," he promised, feeling his patience waning, his body stretched to the limits of his own personal restraint. Only two more floors to go.

No doubt he felt Nat tense as they were joined by a couple and a child. Had it just been adults, she might have kept going with those kisses, sating the edge of the ache, but not in front of the curious little girl who smiled brightly up at them and said to her mother, "Why's the lady all red, Mommy?"

Rhys stifled a groan, as they were joined in the elevator again, letting go of Nat and taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, though he didn't really want to calm his nerves - he just wanted to shag his wife. He only smiled at the couple, almost apologetically, one foot tapping impatiently as he waited for the elevator to start moving again.

"Maybe she's a little bit hot, sweetie," the mother answered, biting down on a knowing smile as she glanced at the Bristols briefly. "Shhh."

Nat bit her lip hard, closing her eyes as she pressed her face against Rhys' shoulder. Just two more floors. She could do that. Right"

"It is a little warm in here," Rhys said, though it really wasn't - at least, not temperature wise. He had one arm around Nat, just as he had before, so that she could bury her face in his shoulder, if she wanted. This had to be the slowest damned elevator on the face of the Earth. Every second seemed to drag out, until finally the elevator dinged again to tell them they'd reached their floor.

"Thank God," Rhys muttered.

"Feel better soon!" the little girl called to them as they made their way out of the elevator. Nat felt herself chuckle as she lengthened her stride, pulling Rhys along to the right door to fumble the key into the lock.

Rhys wasted no time in getting them to their room and unlocking the door, just about tumbling with her into the room once the door was opened. He wasted no time once they were inside either, shrugging his jacket off and tossing it onto a chair as he kicked out of his shoes.

"That took ....forever," Nat mumbled against his lips as she pulled his tie and belt loose, stumbling out of her heels in the process, far too worked up to worry or care about finesse at this point.

This wasn't about seduction anymore or even romance; this was lust, pure and simple. Thankfully, Rhys was only too happy to be of service. Nat was the one woman in his life he'd never been able to say no to, even when they'd only been strangers passing the time together.

They knew the steps perfectly, knew each other without needing to share words anymore. This was just the first round of several, they both knew, a hasty fumble to take the edge off and let them both think a little more clearly. Which was probably why it ended up taking place on the windowsill, with hardly any clothing removed at all. Why open the present when you can rip off the ribbon fast"

Thankfully, the blinds were closed or they might have gotten arrested anyway, even if they were married and behind closed doors. It was a fumbled and hurried first round, but one that took the edge off and left them both panting for breath. "Baby," he said, trying to break away from her kisses for half a second.

"We ..." Kiss. "....need ..." Another kiss. "....to call home."

She groaned, but it came with a smile as her kisses softened beneath his lips, finally letting him draw away. "Don't you feel comfortable calling our children while you're inside me?" she asked impishly.

"N-No!" he exclaimed, almost hesitating for a moment as the question tripped him up, distracted as he was by what had just happened between them. He obviously didn't trust himself to call home while his wife was teasing him. "Besides, they're gonna wanna talk to you, too," he pointed out. So, there.

She smiled up at him. "I'll be good," she promised, brushing a kiss to his chin. "I have things to remove so they don't get lost or misplaced, anyway."

"What ....things?" he asked, pulling his tie from his collar and tossing it on top his jacket. He removed his wallet and keys from his pants pocket and tossed them on a table, before pulling his phone from his other pants pocket.

"Tools of the trade, dumpling," she told him with a rather cheeky grin, raising her skirt to begin removing her thigh holsters and the little tool kits secreted within them. "Micah should already be asleep by now, but Ana will have insisted on staying up."

"Right," he murmured, admiring the view and feeling his pulse quicken again. Down, boy. Not yet, he told himself. Not until they'd bid the kids goodnight anyway. Then they were free to enjoy each other whatever way they wished. Rhys was considering new and creative uses for his neck tie.

Catching the direction of his gaze, Nat's grin became a very knowing smirk. She let her legs hold his attention for a while longer before dropping her skirt once more, moving to drawing her fingertips across his back as she headed for the telephone beside the bed. "Focus, milaya."

Realizing she was going to call from the hotel phone instead of his cell phone, he set that on the table, too. At least, he didn't have to worry about the kids seeing them in a tousled, half-dressed state. Or kid, as it seemed it was already past little Micah's bedtime. He dropped down on the bed, bouncing once as it to test the mattress, and drew her into his lap.

She giggled softly as he pulled her into his embrace, not bothering to fight back as she set the phone on speaker as it rang. Her lips brushed his cheek briefly before there was a click, and Gina's voice came across loud and clear. "Hello?"

It wasn't often they had the freedom to do as they pleased anymore without worrying about waking the kids. "Hey, Gee," Rhys said, even as his fingers wandered up his wife's leg. "Looks like we're gonna be delayed until morning, if that's okay."

"Is everything okay?" Gina asked, mildly concerned. "Do you need a fed and a lawyer to show up and get you out of trouble?"

Nat laughed, smacking Rhys' hand before his fingers could wander too far.

"No, nothing like that. Ouch!" Rhys said, adding that little exclamation as he got smacked. "Let's just say, we ran into a slight complication which is going to take until morning to work out. Nothing to worry about though. We'll be fine."

Rhys Bristol · Date: 2019-04-13 12:35 EST

"Uh-huh." Gina sounded as though she was smirking - she'd been the one telling them to make it an overnight escape from the children in the first place. "So where are you, in case we need to get hold of you?"

"Uh," Rhys murmured, already forgetting the name of the hotel. Thankfully, there was a pad of paper with the name of the hotel near the phone and he reached over to see what it said. "We're at the Langham, but I've got my cell," he told her, dropping the pad back onto the table.

Gina chuckled. "You didn't get far before you had to pull over, did you?" she teased them. "I guess you want to turn your adorable children into hyperactive fiends from hell just after we put them to bed, huh?"

"That would be lovely, Gina," Nat agreed, wriggling in Rhys' lap as she grinned at him.

Rhys had to bite back a groan, flashing a warning to his wife that said she was going to pay for that at some point. "You don't have to wake them if they're sleeping. We just wanted to let you know, so you don't worry."

"Ana's still up, I can hear her giggling," Gina informed him, and there was a pause as she presumably asked Adam or Joey to go and bring Ana to the phone.

"Everything okay?" Rhys asked, though there was no reason to be concerned, other than the fact that Adam and Gina's house had turned into Romper Room.

"Oh yeah," Gina promised him. "Ollie's been teaching the girls card tricks this evening. He nearly burst a blood vessel when little Morgan did that lights teleporting thing and took his cheat card out of his pocket." She laughed as she shared this. "Next time you decide to go somewhere, maybe don't do it on the same night the Evanses are out at a benefit, huh?"

"They're at a benefit, too?" Rhys asked, wondering if they'd been attending the same benefit that he and Nat had just left.

"The university arts council something-something-Arthurian-expert-something," Gina told him cheerfully. "Something about being introduced to an art collector in Albany who might have a few things Ian can I.D."

The sound of Ana's familiar giggles was growing louder in the background.

Rhys made a snoring sound at the mention of the Arthurian something or other. He knew he was going to earn an elbow from Nat, but he couldn't help himself. He was certainly a fan of all things Avalon, but he wasn't anywhere near the expert that Ian was, nor did he want to be. He was the Champion of Avalon, after all, not a scholar.

"So, are you working late or having fun?" Adam asked, as he made his presence known on the other end of the phone. "And ....herrrrrrrre's Ana!"

"Here I am!" The over-excited cheeriness of their eldest was enough to save Rhys from more than a gentle slap to the back of his hand for his snore. "Are you havin' fun" Will you bring me a present?"

Nat grinned at Rhys, wondering if he was going to hold out against his little girl's wiles.

"I don't know. What do you want?" Rhys asked, unable to ever tell his Ana no, but maybe a baby brother or sister would be present enough. He smirked at Nat's slap and stuck out his tongue, but said nothing about it. "Are you being a good girl?" he asked their eldest further. Of course, in his eyes, she was always a good girl.

"I'm a better girl than Joey," the apple of his eye declared, and somewhere in the background of the call, Joey objected through a loud laugh.

Nat snorted in amusement. "What have you been doing to Joey now, Anochka?" she asked laughingly.

"Amy and me did his makeup and his nails," Ana informed them proudly.

"Better him than me," Adam was heard to mutter.

Rhys chuckled. "Does he look pretty?" he asked his daughter, wondering if Joey looked more Goth than drag queen with makeup and nail polish.

"I look like you after a heavy night out!" Joey called from the background above Ana's cackling giggles.

"Don't you listen to him, sweetie, you both did an amazing job on him," Gina added.

"Like who?" Rhys asked, brows arching upwards. "Me" I'll have you know that I haven't worn guy liner in years." Did Joey remember that short stint in Rhys' life when he'd forgotten who he was and wasn't sure he wanted to remember" It seemed like another lifetime altogether to him now.

"Thank the Gods!" Adam remarked.

"Yeah, but we have pictures," Gina pointed out laughingly. Nat raised a brow at her husband, smiling broadly at the prospect of getting a better look at his Goth-punk phase.

"When are you comin' home?" Ana demanded of her parents, getting the conversation back on track.

"In the morning, sweet pea," Rhys was quick to reply. "Be there before you know it," he promised, her voice tugging at his heartstrings, but it was only one night, and it was rare that he and Nat got away at all.

"We will take you and Micah out for lunch, how about that?" Nat suggested, grinning when Ana let rip with a cheer. It was blatant bribery, but it worked like a charm on the eldest of the Bristol children. If Micah had been awake, it wouldn't have worked at all, but that boy was a master of the unintentional guilt trip.

Morning wasn't that far away, after all, especially for children who'd sleep the hours away. "You be good for Aunt Gina and Uncle Adam, okay?" Rhys said, knowing she would.

"Don't worry," Adam broke in again. "She's an angel." He meant that figuratively, not literally, of course, despite her father's background.

Rhys Bristol · Date: 2019-04-13 12:35 EST

"M'a angel!" Ana repeated. "And can we get burgers?"

Nat pinned Rhys with a look. "This is your influence, milaya," she said, smirking despite her tone.

"What's the matter with burgers?" Rhys asked, looking just a little defensive. He didn't see anything wrong with their eldest taking after their father, at least, as far as her culinary tastes were concerned.

Nat's smirk turned into a laugh as she rolled her eyes. "If you are very good and go to sleep quickly for Gina and Adam, Anochka, then of course we can get burgers."

"I will, Mumma," Ana agreed, and it was only too easy to imagine her nodding her head as she spoke. "I'm really sleepy." A very fake yawn made itself known down the phone line.

"Uh huh," Rhys said, knowing his daughter better than that. "Put the news on and she'll be asleep in no time," he told Gina and Adam, though they probably already knew that from experience. Either that, or she'd ask a dozen questions you couldn't answer.

"Yeah," Gina drawled. "Not sharing a room with Amy and Morgan, she won't."

Ana's attempt at keeping her giggle quiet made Nat huff with laughter herself.

"All right, Anochka, time to try and sleep," she said warmly. "We love you, little woman. Sleep well."

"You don't want to fall asleep in your hamburger, do you?" Rhys asked, hoping the promise of burgers would convince the little girl to go to bed. She'd eventually have to give in to sleep; it was just a matter of when.

"I won't, Papa," Ana promised faithfully. "Nuh-night, Mumma. Nuh-night, Papa. Don't let the best nugs bite!"

Natalya chuckled, wishing she could hug her little girl before bed. It was just one night.

"Night-night, pumpkin," Rhys told his daughter, echoing Nat's wish, but morning was less than twenty-four hours away. They'd be together again soon enough, and there was no one he trusted more than Gina and Adam to keep their children safe. "Love you, sweetheart."

"Love you, bye!" There was a grunt and a giggle as Ana presumably threw herself at the nearest male to be taken back to bed, and Gina took over the phone again.

"So, you're sure you guys don't need anything?"

"Are you kidding?" Rhys replied, not needing to look around to know everything he needed was right there - mostly on his lap - and anything they didn't have was only a phone call away. "This place is like the Ritz. But we'll manage somehow," he added, sarcastically.

"Clothes for the morning, Mr. Tuxedo?" Gina answered him in tones of deep, knowing sarcasm. Rhys was not known to love being all dressed up.

"That might be nice, but I can change when we pick the kids up," he replied. After all, they lived right across the street. It was too bad he hadn't thought to pack a bag and leave it in the car, but such was life.

"Wow, walk of shame Rhys," his friend teased. "Remind me to have a camera ready." She laughed, but didn't keep them much longer. "But you guys obviously have adult things to indulge in, so I won't keep you."

"Hey, I may not like tuxes, but they like me," Rhys argued, the amusement obvious in his voice. "We'll see you in the morning," he added, for good measure. If there was any trouble, the other couple knew how to reach them. "And take a picture of Joey. I'm sorry I missed it."

"What do you take me for" He Vogued for me," Gina laughed in response. "Try and get some sleep as well, okay' Lube is your best friend."

From the back ground came "Ewww, Mom!"

Rhys chuckled at both Gina's advice and Joey's response to it. "And on that note, goodnight!" he said, hanging up the phone. "She better have taken some pics. Poor Joey," he said, but he was chuckling again.

"She is a mama, of course she took photos." Natalya laughed, looping her arms about his neck as she booped her nose to his. "Do you think we will need lube?"

Rhys couldn't help but grin lasciviously at her question. "Not when I'm done with you," he said, flipping her onto her back and pinning her to the bed so that he could have his way with her, at least as far as his lips and teeth and tongue were concerned.

She giggled delightedly into his mouth, quite happy to be pinned down and ravished with kisses so long as he didn't object to those rather talented toes of hers gently tugging his pants off him inch by inch.

He only smirked at the attempt, and did his best to wriggle out of his pants without letting go of her wrists, but in the end, he didn't have much choice. He cussed quietly as he kicked the damned things off to the floor, before eager hands went to strip her of her own clothing. He was still half-dressed, but he was getting there, and without his pants on, his desire for her was even more apparent.

Unlike him, she only had her dress to remove at this point, easily stripped bare even as she tugged the buttons of his shirt loose. The cufflinks pinged off onto the floor, to be rediscovered tomorrow morning, tailored cotton opening to reveal his skin to her hungry hands and lips.

He took his time with her this time, even as his blood burned with desire. It was a good thing they'd taken the edge off once already, or they both might have gone mad with longing by now. He didn't care about the cufflinks or the expensive suit. He didn't care about the artifact locked in the rented Cadillac. He didn't care about anything in that moment, but pleasing his wife and proving to her, not for the first or last time, that he was hers, heart, body, and soul.

And he was not the only one doing the work there; Nat was just as eager to show him all over again the depth of her adoration for him, nuzzling, kissing, caressing, sometimes above, sometimes below, but always with him in every way possible. He had opened her heart and given her everything she could possibly have wished for. She loved him, and that was all there was to it.

Rhys Bristol · Date: 2019-04-13 12:36 EST

It was a few hours before they had collapsed in each other's arms, panting for breath, clothes strewn about the room. It hardly mattered that they'd been together a few years already - enough to have two children and another on the way. Rhys only seemed to fall deeper in love with her with each passing day. He touched a kiss to her bare shoulder, before drawing her into his embrace. Words could not express how much he adored her, but he'd try. "Wish I had my guitar," he murmured, apparently a song on his mind.

Smiling with languid pleasure, Nat draped herself over him, drawing her fingertips through his hair as her nose brushed his. "Do you plan to serenade me as well, dusha moya?" she asked tenderly.

"Kinda hard to do when you're on top of me," he said, smiling up at her. Had he said hard" There was that, too. It might be a little while longer before they slept. Rhys just hoped he wouldn't be the one falling asleep in his hamburger, or Ana would never let him hear the end of it. His arms went around her, fingers gently tracing her spine.

She laughed, careful not to stimulate that part of him again just yet. "I thought you liked it when I was on top," she teased, her voice low as she nuzzled to him. A gentle tremor followed his fingers along her spine, decidedly sensual in its own right. "Next time, I will wear tights."

"Tights?" he echoed, brows arching upwards. "What the hell for?" He'd only end up ripping them off, or maybe that's what she wanted.

She snorted with laughter. "So I don't get overcome by whichever artifact we strap to my inner thigh next time, of course," was her reply. Perfectly innocent, of course, but timed and phrased to make his mind wander in a different direction entirely.

"Oh, that!" Rhys said, laughing. "Think we could convince the Lady to let us keep it?" he teased, those fingers of his still tracing her spine, enjoying the reaction his caress elicited from her. It wasn't like they needed anything - sex aids or ancient artifacts - to further enhance their sex life.

"Am I not enough for you without it?" Nat asked, raising her brow in challenge. He knew exactly what he was doing to her with those gentle caresses up and down her spine, her body softly rubbing to his as she shifted to brush a kiss to his lips.

"Baby, you are more than enough," he assured her, one hand moving away from her back to trace the curve of a breast. "Love you, Nat," he told her, his voice and expression softening with the words that seemed somehow inadequate.

The tip of her nose circled his as she smiled with him, unconsciously arching into his touch even as she breathed him in. "Lyublyu tebya obratno," she whispered to him, no longer afraid to share such endearments in her native Russian. He knew what she meant.

He smiled at the simple declaration of her love. He didn't need words to know how she felt about him, his love for her mirrored in her eyes when she looked at him, in her kisses and caresses. It was almost as if they were meant to be together; if only they'd known years ago, but maybe all the pain of their pasts only made them know just how precious that love could be. He answered her words with another kiss, soft and tender, more ardent than hungry, sharing everything he felt in his heart without having to say a word.

Soft lips found his, tender and affectionate, pouring love into every breath shared between them. Natalya adored her husband, constantly counting her blessings that they had found one another in the crazy world they navigated daily. "We really should try to sleep," she murmured against his lips.

"We should," Rhys replied, a smirk still on his face as he continued to trace a circle along the curve of her breast. "Isn't sleep for the weak?" he asked, knowing they'd have to deal with two hyperactive toddlers in the morning, and that the wise thing to do would be to grab a few hours sleep while they could.

"You make me weak," his wife countered with a faint giggle. They both knew that Ana and Micah would be full of beans tomorrow, and that sleeping now would give them a fighting chance ....but what parent really does that"

"Do you wanna sing that?" Rhys asked, his mind wandering to the soundtrack in his head. "What's our record?" he asked, out of the blue, regarding how many times they'd made love in one night. Or one day.

She actually thought about that for a minute, tracking back over a few marathons they'd shared in privacy over the years. "I do believe ....something like eleven and a half," she said eventually, still teasing her fingers through his hair.

"Eleven and a half!" he echoed, whistling. He'd never been big on keeping count, but that number impressed even him. There was no way they were breaking that number tonight. "I must be a stud," he remarked, smirking in amusement again. It wasn't so much that he actually believed that, as he was teasing her.

Nat laughed, dipping her brow to his shoulder as she cackled quietly at his proud response to her best guess at their standing record. "Dusha moya, you are a stallion," she informed him in a wickedly breathy tone, deliberately teasing him through her giggles.

"I am, aren't I?" he replied, amusement still apparent on his face, but some pride, too. After all, he did take pride in being able to satisfy his wife, but he had never forced her into anything she didn't want to do and he never wanted to hurt her. It was Nat, in fact, who had seduced him first. "This is all your fault anyway. You created a monster," he said, tossing her onto her back and ducking his head to nibble at her neck.

"Then I suppose that means one of my kinks is teratophilia, my dumpling," she responded, laughing as he flipped her over, arms and legs reaching out to wrap about him. Her teeth grazed the curve of his ear impishly.

"Terato-what?" Rhys asked, between nibbles, shuddering a little at the nibble she'd taken of his ear. "Sounds like a dinosaur," he said, resisting the urge to roar like one. He increased his nibbling though, moving down her shoulder.

She shifted beneath him, gently arching her back, pressing her hips upward to tease his as he nibbled over her skin. "If a dinosaur was turned on by seducing monsters, then yes," she murmured laughingly.

"I haven't heard any complaints lately," he reminded her, as his mouth wandered closer to the curve of her breast, leaving a trail of soft kisses in its wake. It was already late and morning would come quickly, but he didn't really care. It wasn't often he got his wife all to himself.

Her breath caught in her throat, releasing a tender moan as his mouth teased at her skin. "You realize if you are the monster, that makes me the dinosaur," she pointed out impishly. "Are you attracted to dinosaurs, dumpling?"

"Only to Natasauruses," he murmured, too busy tantalizing her flesh to give her much of a reply. It was going to be at least another hour before they surrendered to sleep, but it was well worth the sacrifice.