[For Shadow]

[theirlawyer]

Ainsley normally had issues with saying too much and not stopping soon enough and going on and on and on and now, to her horrible surprise, it seemed like not only was she talking entirely too much, but she was also telling the truth. And while that wasn't so bad around people who already knew her political and personal leanings, there was a teensy, tiny, little problem.

That happened to be her personal life.

And oh, God, she was so not looking forward to any of those questions. It wasn't as if she wanted to hide, either. That would just make her look more guilty as she'd grown used to seeing certain people every day, especially now that she lived in a hut far, far closer to them.

Like a certain man she happened to be dating. There was that issue, of course.

Oh dear God in heaven, why couldn't Ainsley have just been struck mute?

Comments

[palmthemoon.livejournal.com]

"This isn't really a place for plans," Shadow pointed out but didn't quite know what to do in the face of a panicking Ainsley. He swallowed and shook his head. "It doesn't mean this isn't your home. Here, ah, where do you see yourself in five years?"

[playingtheenemy.livejournal.com]

She took a deep breath and stared up at him with wide eyes. "If by some stroke of fate, I'm here five years later, I want to be with someone I love." She took a deep breath and this one, she felt she owed him. "Someone like you."

[palmthemoon.livejournal.com]

Shadow looked back at her steadily and something in his chest twisted at the look in her eyes as she said it. ""I would like that," he told her, even t hough that wasn't nearly accurate, that didn't come close to describing it.

"That's waht I want out of five years on too. And a ten-year-old Karen. A quiet life."

[playingtheenemy.livejournal.com]

Ainsley gave a nervous laugh at that, imagining Karen at ten years old and she couldn't see her changing that much, in terms of personality. There was something though, that she needed to say, out and out.

She took hold of his other hand, ceasing their walking and looked up at him. "Shadow," she started, soft and sure. "I love you."

[palmthemoon.livejournal.com]

Shadow grinned at that and leaned down to kiss her against her mouth then pulled back enough to look at her with his free hand still cupping her cheek.

"I love you." It was a theory of Shadow's that adding 'too' to the end of it just detracted from the sentiment, somehow. "I do. I have. This is not a compulsive honesty thing."

[playingtheenemy.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't mind if it was," she promised, the tones of relief ringing through her voice and a bubbled laugh came out as she leaned up on her toes and kissed him, harder than the one before, throwing her arms around his neck for support as she leaned all the way up.

[palmthemoon.livejournal.com]

Shadow caught her up easily and bent down to meet her mouth eagerly. Smiling against her mouth, he kissed her back deeply.

It was a movie-ending kiss, James Bond with the heroine necking on the beach as the space craft burns in the background. In this case, Shadow wasn't exactly sure who was the secret agent and who was the eye candy, but either way he didn't care.

[playingtheenemy.livejournal.com]

Ainsley let her eyes flutter shut as he kissed her back and she was glad that she'd stopped caring about public perception so many months back. When she had to breathe, she eased back, licking her lips and tasting him and she liked it. Did she ever like it.

"I think between that kiss and all the panic, today is starting to come out evenly," she said.

[palmthemoon.livejournal.com]

He smiled at her but still didn't pull away by much. "Truth-telling doesn't seem so bad now, no," Shadow agreed easily.

"You've got another question chance, if we're still playing that game."

[playingtheenemy.livejournal.com]

Ainsley took a deep breath and kept close as she collected herself, pressing her lips together as she thought. "Would you choose to stay here? If that were an option?"

[palmthemoon.livejournal.com]

"I would stay here." His voice was quiet but sure. "There's nothing for me back home, not anymore. Here there is."

[playingtheenemy.livejournal.com]

She sighed, again in relief. It had been the answer she wanted and she'd already known it, somewhere deep down. It was just nice to hear it aloud. "I'm glad," Ainsley admitted. "I honestly don't know what I'd choose. Home is home, but here...I've found things here I never thought I could have."

[palmthemoon.livejournal.com]

Shadow nodded in agreement and ducked his head, still pretty sure he was smiling like a goofball.

After a moment, he asked her. "Are you happy here?"

[playingtheenemy.livejournal.com]

"Incredibly," she exhaled the word without a single moment of doubt and she smiled, happy to get to say that. "And a lot of that has to do with you, you know," she pointed out.

[palmthemoon.livejournal.com]

Shadow smiled at her with warm gray eyes. And, yeah, the fact that he knew she was being absolutely.truthful helped too.

"Yeah? Good. Good. Me too."

[playingtheenemy.livejournal.com]

Ainsley exhaled and her mouth formed a perfect 'o' as she beamed at him. "So, do you want to keep walking or should we just go home at this point?"

[palmthemoon.livejournal.com]

"I want to go home. If going home also includes sex with you, because at the moment, I would really, really like to." He paused and then flushed as he scratched his hand over his head. "And that last bit wasn't supposed to come out, so...bear that in mind."

[playingtheenemy.livejournal.com]

Ainsley couldn't help her broad grin. "Well, I do think that on this occasion, having sex would solidify the words we've exchanged. It's ritualistic, almost, and very much deserved," she continued, truthfully. "Shadow, wanna go home to my place and have sex?" she offered.

[palmthemoon.livejournal.com]

"Yes, I absolutely want to go home and have sex," he agreed with a decisive nod. It was probably a good thing they hadn't exactly gone far on this walk of theirs. He took her hand and started walking her back to her hut, but couldn't help asking. "What particular would you like to get up to when we get back?"

[playingtheenemy.livejournal.com]

"Well," Ainsley said, thoughtfully, her mind racing through about a dozen possibilities, but the only one that came out was, of course (of course!) the truth. "I do really have this fantasy about riding you that's yet to come to fruition and really should."

[palmthemoon.livejournal.com]

"We really really should," Shadow agreed fervently with a nod despite getting momentarily distracted by just the idea of that. And also Ainsley thinking about it at all, which is both unsurprising and really hot.

[playingtheenemy.livejournal.com]

Ainsley just smiled a very heated and sly smile, as if all her thoughts were coiled up inside of her and she tugged him along with slightly more speed. "I'd say I spend about twice a day, if not three times picturing that very image in my mind."

[palmthemoon.livejournal.com]

Shadow couldn't help the small sound that slipped out of him at that, at the thought of her thinking of them like that every damn day. He swallowed as they got to her house and opened the door for her. "So what're you going to think about when we've already done it? Or will this just make you think about it more?"

[playingtheenemy.livejournal.com]

"Well...I'm not exactly ruling out the notion of being blindfolded during the act," Ainsley copped to admitting, her cheeks going a very flushed color as she kept talking. "I've read so many articles about the senses being heightened when the eyes are closed and I have always, always been curious as to what sex would be like with a blindfold on."

She went into the little home, immediately picking all the assorted clothes off her bed and making it, just to give the slightest appearance of neatness.

[palmthemoon.livejournal.com]

He went in after her and shut the door, managing to wait until she was finished with the bed before taking a few quick steps over to her and catching her in a kiss.

"We can do the blindfold next," he murmured against ehr mouth as he put his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. "We can do it all, everything you think about."