Giving In

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 27th August 2006

Characters: Larken, M'tone
Description: Larken finally gives in...
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 13, day 21 of Turn 3

"I'm so glad you were free this evening to do this with me, M'tone,"
Larken smiled shyly, looking at him as he settled himself next to her on the blanket. "I've been wanting to stargaze out here for a long time, and tonight is the perfect night for it! Not a cloud in the sky..."

"It is beautiful, Larken," he murmured, but his eyes had drifted away from the night sky and down towards the woman beside him. "I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at the invitation."

She blushed a little. After the last time they'd been alone together, she really couldn't blame him for being surprised. Larken was a little surprised herself that she'd invited him to come with her--alone, at night, in a secluded area on the beach... Being with him in the light of day was one thing. But at night... Well, it put ideas into her head--ideas that she _shouldn't_ be thinking about. Fidgeting with her skirts, she glanced up at him. Wistful ideas. Romantic ideas. And Larken knew she was willingly playing with fire--again.

"You like stargazing then?" he said, asking the obvious question. "Do you know any constellations?"

"A few. When I was little, Papa used to take me outside sometimes at night to teach them to me." A small smile crossed her face at the distant memory. "But mostly I just loved looking at them and seeing what shapes or animals I could pick out myself."

"That sounds like fun," he grinned. "So what do you see, then?"

Larken tilted her head back, dark hair whispering across the backs of her hands as she gazed up at the night sky. It was nearly black out on the shore, yet the cold light of the moon and stars bathed the beach in a soft glow, making the ocean shimmer almost like molten silver.

Faranth, it was beautiful.

Smiling, she pointed to a group of stars on his right. "You see that one that's shining the brightest over there? Well, I always thought of that as the fire-lizard's eye. Now follow that string of stars on the right...that's his neck." Her finger traced the outline. "Do you see his wing?"

The brownrider followed her finger along the 'firelizard's neck' but he couldn't quite catch what she was talking about for the wing. "I'm not sure..."

"Okay...from his neck, follow three brighter stars up. Then connect those to the two diagnol from them. Those are the wingsails. Do you see it now?"

"Ah, yes, ok, I see," he nodded. "But why a firelizard? Why not a dragon?"

Larken grinned. "I guess that works too, huh?"

M'tone leaned in close to whisper consipiritorially, "I think Encourth would be a bit offended if we found a flit in the sky and no dragon."

Her breathing quickened a little at his closeness. "You think so? Then maybe I'll rename it 'dragon'..."

"I think he'd like that," he chuckled, reaching out to trace a finger along her arm. "You've got goosebumps. Are you cold? Here." M'tone crawled behind her, a leg on either side, and wrapped his arms around her to pull her close. "Let me keep you warm. The sea breeze can get chilly sometimes," he murmured in her ear, just close enough that his lips brushed across it. The brownrider breathed her in, relishing in the excuse to hold her close.

She shivered--but it had absolutely nothing to do with the salty wind sweeping inland and everything to do with the way his lips touched her ear, the tone in his voice, the way he held her... **This is wrong... It's too forward, Larken. You _know_ what he's doing--and what you're doing by letting him!** But she couldn't bring herself to pull away. She couldn't, because this was part of the reason why she brought him out here. Blushing, she closed her eyes and relaxed into his arms, abandoning propriety for something sweeter.

He turned his eyes back up to the night sky as he laid his cheek against her head. They were silent a few moments, just enjoying the feeling of closeness they longed for. M'tone wanted so much more, but he had made a promise. Already he knew they were pushing the bounds of her propriety, and it was obvious by the way she leaned back so trustingly against him she didn't object to the idea. If she was willing to go this far, perhaps she wanted more... "I see a runner in a race, I think."

She shifted so she could look up at the sky. "Where?"

"Those three stars over there," he said pointing off to his right. "Those are the bent foreleg, the two stars above it the muzzle, the three stars in a line its back, and the four stars his hind leg. Do you see?"

"Oh! Oh...I think I do. You mean _that's_ his hindleg, right?" Larken asked, lifting a hand to point to what she thought it was.

"No no," M'tone said, wrapping his fingers around hers. "_Those_ three stars." He pulled her fingers a bit further to the right, laying his head along side hers, their temples touching as he alined his line of sight along hers. "That's the back, and muzzle... and there is the front leg. Do you see it?"

A moment of silence passed. Then another. "Yes," she whispered, her attention no longer transfixed curiously on the stars, but on every place he brushed against her. Again, goosebumps rose on her flesh, and she lowered her eyes, feeling her lashes kiss his skin, as light as the breeze.

"Good," M'tone murmered as he turned to look at her. Shards, they were so close. His fingers twined themselves with hers as he pulled their arms back to wrap around her once more. He practically willed her to look at him.

Shards...her heart was racing. Could he hear it? As he pulled her back against him, she took in a deep breath, and--steeling herself--glanced up to meet his eyes.

Reaching up to gently trace a finger along the contour of her cheek, M'tone's lips curled into a slight smile as their eye's locked. Hers were conflicted, but his showed without reservation just how much he wanted to kiss her in that moment. He could see the war in her eyes -
propriety versus desire. Which one would win out?

Her fingers laced with his--slowly, as if relishing the feel of this simple and yet significant act. Larken could feel the calluses on the inside of palm, just beneath the fingers. Her fingertips traced them as her eyes searched his. She wondered, not for the first time, if his cheeks were as soft as they looked. Used to Ojisan's light wrinkles of aging, she couldn't help but be curious... Before she could stop herself, she ran the back of a finger down it, blushing hotly as she did so.

Leaning into her touch slightly, he gave her an encouraging smile. "He would never have to know what we do, Larken. You can have us both."

She paused, eyes darting to his before she looked away again, desire for him warring with her conscience. Her fingers tightened around his. "He would find out," she whispered.

"No," he said, shaking his head emphatically. "This is only between us. No one need know. _No_ one but us."

"I..." Shards--why was she doing this? Shifting, she moved until her head rested against his shoulder. "M'tone, he would know... He would see through me. And..." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I'd be living a lie."

"Aren't you already?" he murmured softly, slowly running his fingers through her hair. "Isn't every time you look at me with that longing in your eyes and then pull away a lie? You can lie to your husband, shards to the whole world, but you can't lie to yourself."

Shards--how she knew she couldn't, no matter how hard she tried. **I wish I could.** "It's not... It's not right." She shifted until she was looking at him again. "I...can't."

"And holding you this way is? None of this is right," he whispered, gently tracing a finger across those perfect, tauntingly parted lips. "But I still don't want to let go of you."

As Larken met his eyes again, she knew she couldn't help the longing she felt. And she knew she couldn't lie--not to him, and not to herself. Scorch the consequences--she wanted to feel his arms around her, his lips on hers. Maybe she should have been concerned about how quickly she became undone by him, but at this point, she couldn't find the will within her to care. Softly she kissed that lingering finger. "And I don't want you to."

That was an unmistakeable invitation. He had promised he would do nothing she didn't want him to do, and he could see in her eyes exactly what she wanted. Leaning down he lightly brushed his lips against hers, almost teasingly nipping at them, daring her to give in.

A quiet sound escaped her, and she pushed herself forward, pressing her mouth fully against his.

So this was what it felt like....to give in.

Last updated on the August 27th 2006

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Giving In