Stay out of it

Him holding her was making her feel quite safe but she still felt exposed and vulnerable. It however seemed that he knew how to soothe her with the kissing and the closeness. Just knowing that she was as unappealing as she might think that she was. Which was interesting considering that he had just been really sick and probably still feeling a bit of it now, and yet she was the one who was most insecure. The compliments made her look at him with vulnerable eyes and yet if that was what he thought, then she would believe it. The hand that was exploring her skin felt good too, though the way he barely touched her was doing something to her. Was he teasing her on purpose or did he just not know? “I do like reminders.” She muttered, to then feel him press up against her. Gasping softly she had to clench her jaw and just listen to what he said, which wasnt helping at all! Her body reacted quite strongly and she had to adjust herself a bit as she almost felt instinctively restless. No, he was still in the middle of getting better! She had to not be so selfish. “You shouldnt strain yourself Rhys.” She muttered like she was trying to remind him, looking away, feeling rather shy now as she was the one who probably felt a little strained. It was odd. She couldnt remember a time where she had actually longed for someone. To be closer than now.

"I'm not straining myself," he argued softly, kissing her at the spot beneath her earlobe where he knew she liked to be kissed. The way she was reacting so far felt almost unreal. She was so soft, and he swear she could just make her feel so good just by being here with him. He could feel his own breath hiccupping slightly, but she was right, he was probably straining himself a bit. He just couldn't help how his body reacted to having her this close. It was just natural. "Do you want me to stop?" he whispered, his hand still teasingly grazing her skin, just innocently exploring her from her upper chest and down to her thighs, "I don't want you to feel like I'm overstepping."

He argued with her and maybe he was right. He was just touching her with gentle brushes. But maybe her imagination was going a bit further. Touching her chest, her body. She did stretch her body a little and sighed, gritting her teeth a little. He was frustrating her but also just right. The whisper felt like a point of no return. If she said no then he would take his hands off of her. And then what? Did she even want to stop feeling this way? “No.” She whispered, turning her head to press her forehead against his jaw. She wanted to hide a bit away, feeling ashamed in a sense. She was selfish wasnt she? “Just dont strain yourself.” She said. That were her terms, and after she stated them, she leaned in to carefully kiss his neck.

Had he been his normal completely sober self he would've perhaps been more gentlemanly about this, but he just craved that closeness and intimacy that only she could provide. She told him that he shouldn't stop, so he wouldn't, her small plea not to strain himself making him smile. However as she started to kiss his neck he had to grit his teeth, sucking air through his teeth as he tried not to just outright moan. "Fuck you feel good," he muttered softly, gripping softly at her hip. He didn't want to move too fast, hell he wasn't sure he could even go all the way successfully in this state, but he also couldn't stop himself from feeling a bit riled up. But that was pretty normal, at least if he considered how he reacted when they made out. "Let me feel your pretty lips," he pleaded, one hand moving up from caressing her body to lift her chin. Pressing his lips to hers in a tender kiss he felt truly alive once more.

She just did what her mind was telling her to do. Make him feel good too. The mutter made her tense up and she whined softly as he grabbed at her. Not because she was hurting or disliking what he did, no it was because he made her feel so good. The plea with the guiding hand lifting her face soon had their lips connected in a tender kiss. She couldnt help but turn a little to sit on her knees, placing her hands on his shoulders for support as she kept kissing him. It was like helping him through the withdrawals had been good at keeping her mind busy but now? He was behaving almost like his usual and it reminded her just of how long it had been since they last got to be close. It had been way too long. She felt her breath halter and it was like the tension and frustration just grew, making her more eager to taste his lips. “I love you.” She whispered, before gritting her teeth a little.

He didn't stop her from turning around, though his hands moved, touching along her back and down to her butt, nothing too crazy, simply feeling her skin against his palms. He wanted her closer still, and part of him felt a little selfish at that thought. Were they even ready for that yet? He wasn't sure, but he knew he wanted to be completely sober for their first time together. He didn't want something like a shadow to loom over that memory.
Gasping softly for air as their lips were separated, her whisper sending tingles down his spine that were definitely different from the shakes he had had during his withdrawal. "I love you too," he said because he couldn't deny it. He had fallen absolutely in love with her, and it wasn't more clear than right this moment. He leaned in, greeting her lips a little eagerly, savoring her taste as his hands grabbed at her butt. She could stop him if he wanted, but he wasn't trying to force her down on him.

He could practically touch her anywhere and it just felt like his hands were electric against her skin. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she kept kissing him. The whisper was pretty much a slip up in the turmoil of emotions inside of her and it was like when he said it back, she realized what he had said. “You love me?” She asked softly, smiling a little though tears were forming in her eyes from sheer happiness.
He leaned back in and she felt how eager it was, her own eagerness only getting worse. His hands grasping her behind made her push her body a little forward, pressing her chest to his, breaking the kiss off as she was gasping and hiccuping for air. She kissed his neck, kissed down it, even going as far as to gently bite, letting him feel her nibble on his skin, which was maybe better than the time she had bit him as hard as she could.

Of course he loved her! Couldn't she feel that with the way they were kissing? Her pressing herself closer made him stifle a moan, making it come out as a soft groan instead, feeling how her lips moved down, the nibbles at his skin making him grit his teeth in pleasure. "Yeah, I love you," he finally replied, one of his hands moving up along her body, cupping her breast gently, feeling her up a little. He was allowed to do that, right? She was his girlfriend after all. He was almost amazed at how perfectly the shape of her breast fit with his palm, his breath hiccupping softly, wetting his lips as his thumb caressed over her nipple. He didn't want this to stop. He just wanted to feel her lips all over, but perhaps a tub wasn't the best place to engage in too much. "Why else would I ask you to find a place to move in with me?" he asked, his offer still standing for whenever she was ready to take that step. "Why else would I want you this badly?"

He was going to drive her crazy this way. Why were the sounds he made so good? She almost wanted to do even more just to get to hear what he could sound like when he really moaned. His reply made her feel bubbly, almost intoxicated on happiness and love. The lust was only what drove her to do more than she ever imagined she could. His hand on her breast made her moan softly against his skin, having a harder time kissing him when he was grabbing around her like this. She could hear how he was also somewhat struggling. Knowing that the feeling was mutual made her feel safer, it made her feel like she could let him do whatever it was that he wanted to do to her. He asked a valid question but she wasnt much for thinking right now, or rather, so much was happening and half of it was new or so uncommon that all she really knew was how she felt some sort of itch that only he seemed to soothe in small amounts with his touch. “I want you too.” She admitted, looking at him with adoring yet yearning eyes. Would she feel embarassed by how easily she was ready to throw herself at him just because he was caressing her? Yeah. Would it really matter that she had? Yeah, but not in the sense she would think of at that time. No, this wasnt just something she did for anyone. He was special to her. In every way. “It hurts.” She whimpered, hiding her face away in his chest. “I want you so bad that it hurts.” She elaborated softly.

He felt a little overwhelmed as she admitted to wanting him too. He felt a sense of relief and excitement burst through his body, simply continuing to touch her ever so delicately. His breath became a little hasty, grasping at her skin as if it could soothe him, but he knew that at this point it wasn't enough. As she whimpered he was scared that he had done something to hurt her, loosening his grip, looking at her rather worried as she hid her face. However the elaboration made his heart skip a beat. He was supposed to be the man in this, right? Supposed to just be ready to give in to temptation, but he also felt like he needed to restrain himself. Not that he didn't want her, in fact he felt like he was going crazy only being allowed to touch her like this, but he also felt bad. Their first kiss hadn't been as special as she had expressed she had wanted it. They had a real chance of making their first time something unique, and he wasn't going to screw that up just because they both got a little needy and horny.
"I'm sorry baby," he whispered, genuinely apologizing for causing her any type of hurt. His hands slowly released her, instead wrapping around her, hugging her close as he hid his face away in her hair. His shoulders trembled a bit, taking a few deep breaths to calm down. "I don't think I'm ready for that yet," did that make him less of a man? Well yes, if you asked the toxic males in his life. But he was a bit unprepared to say the least. He knew he had shown confidence when touching her body, but having to please her and make her feel good was something for a more clearheaded Rhys than the one he was right now. "I really fucking love you and I don't want to screw this up."

He wasnt touching her as much and it did confuse her body enough for her to maybe realize that he was still in fact supposed to not strain himself right now. He apologized and she whined softly, feeling like she couldnt even be in her own body. She just needed to calm down, just like him. It was good that he wrapped his arms around her, it made her feel more grounded, better able to focus on her breathing and less on the frustrating need that was just edging her closer to almost beg for him.
“That’s okay.” She sighed after a moment of thought. It actually made him sweeter, that he could admit what he was feeling; and what he wasnt ready for. She closed her eyes and turned to lean her head back against his shoulder. “You couldnt screw up with me.” She muttered but it did depend on what he did; this wasnt something he could screw up. It was a part of loving him wasnt it? Every part of him. “The water’s getting colder.” She remarked or maybe she was just too warmed up in their heated moment that had come to pass.

He was perhaps a bit scared of voicing his feelings about this, because the last thing he wanted to do was let her get annoyed or angry. He liked her a lot, well he loved her, and while she said he couldn't fuck it up with her, he begged to differ. He just held her close, running his palms up and down her back in calming strokes. The remark made him hum, "we should probably get out," he agreed, but he wasn't really ready to do so yet. Kissing her forehead gently, he took a few minutes just to calm down and ground himself as he still held her.
When he finally let go he looked at her if her gaze met his, smiling at her, "thank you for not pressuring me," he said. Elaine had been a pusher. If he wouldn't put out, she would simply press until he gave in. While she got the towels, he pulled the plug to the drain, letting the water run out. Drying himself off he decided to sit on the edge of the tub, his hands still a little shaky, and it was clear that he had strained himself a bit already. Not that it was her fault, far from it, he had done everything willingly. However now his body had to pay for it.
The clothes he had been wearing for the last few days reeked, and he decided to just throw them out. Nothing could truly wash away the smell of a body detoxing like he had been. Instead he got in to a spare set of clothing that had been brought to him the first day. He struggled a bit with the shirt, his shoulders shuddering from the pain but he managed. The cat meowed softly, running over to him, rubbing its face against his leg making him chuckle. "Sorry, fella, guess you were worried too, huh?" Scratching it along its back as it started to purr softly.

The cat meowed happy as the can was placed down, scarfing it down in true alley cat fashion, making a mess over the floor. Rhys chuckled at her words, smiling as he felt quite happy and perhaps a little relieved to be clean and not reek of days old sweat. "He's a clever guy," he hummed with a small nod, leaning back to look at her as she was right now. The big shirt with basically nothing underneath; Was she trying to kill him? She looked too cute. "Would you make me a coffee?" he asked, knowing that normally he would make it himself, but he really felt like he had exhausted his body, leaning back in his seat as he tried to let his body relax a little.

“Way too clever.” She said, watching the mess that was being left. Of course, he’d leave no fish on the floor but it wasnt like cat saliva was much better to have stuck on the floorboards. “Yeah.” She replied, turning on her heel to go do that rather than get annoyed about the mess from the cat. “He also still need a name!” She reminded him in passing before she went to deal with the coffee machine. She made tea for herself too, letting it brew as the coffee was seeping from the machine into the coffee pot. In the meantime she decided to deal with some dishes, just to get them out of the way.

A name? Yeah they had sorta gotten away from that hadn't they? Well he just hummed, thinking it through as he looked at the cat. It was a male, that was for sure - even the animal shelter had agreed on that. "And you haven't got any ideas?" he asked when she eventually returned to the room. Taking his cup of coffee he just tried holding it still even with his hands still shaking slightly. He just looked at the cat who was now licking the floor and afterwards its paws clean. Breathing out in a small sigh, he blew on his coffee taking a careful sit. However of course he burnt his tongue.
He tried some different names, seeing if the cat reacted at all, but it didn't really seem to care at all now that it had been fed. He sighed, shaking his head, feeling a bit at a loss, though he seemed to remember something. "How was Nyx holding up?" he asked, wondering how she was doing with the whole arrangement.

“I’m not really that good with names.” She just admitted, handing him his coffee before she sat down with her tea. She held the mug between her hands, feeling her fingers warm up. She couldnt really feel that it was way too warm for her but then again if she did get burned, it would heal again. The question about Nyx made her sigh. That last encounter had been a little weird. “I forgot to ask. But I guess alright.” She shrugged. “She wanted me to…” she said, but then she frowned and wrinkled her nose slightly before she shook her head. “No, sorry, I asked about some Michael guy because she mentioned him. But she told me to ask you.” She said instead of what she would have actually said. She looked at him and shrugged. So who was this Michael guy anyway?

They could both focus on finding a name in the back of their head, because she was right. They needed to find a name for it. He watched her as she spoke about Nyx, humming as he nodded. He had been in too much pain to ask how her hand was healing up, so he felt a little bad. The wrinkly nose made him curious, tilting his head to the side as if it would make her say it faster, however the question made him swallow hard, looking down in to his coffee. He felt ashamed about that, but he supposed that Emily needed to know how things worked.
"Michael Barley .. Youngest of the Barley Brothers," he knew she had heard that before, and without going into too much detail, he just explained how the two groups had always fought for turf and clientèle. "The old man sold her out in exchange for peace .. So I could focus on getting you to safety," he felt like the worst person in the whole world, but it served him right. "He hopes that a medieval practice like an arranged marriage will fix our feud," he rubbed his nosebridge in frustration, taking a sip of his coffee to distract himself from his anger.

The look of shame said everything but it also made quite a lot of sense once he began explaining. She didnt really like any of what she heard, she had to admit it. Nyx had been sold so Rhys could focus on her..? She couldnt say that it didnt make her feel like she was also at fault. “It cant possibly work..” she just said downright, shaking her head. “You have to get her out of there. When you feel better again.” She said, because she couldnt quite believe it when she thought about it. Sold like some brood mare. No, that definitely didnt sit right with her and she looked down as she felt quite upset by the thought alone. Nyx didnt deserve that. No one deserved that.

"Of course I don't want her anywhere near them," he argued, did she think he hadn't argued with his father both sober and high? He sighed, shaking his head, it wasn't Emily that he was angry with, rather it was himself. Had he kept her safe that day then she wouldn't have been put in danger. "Jason took it worse .. They're really close friends because of her training," he shook his head as he was probably too dense to see what had been going on between him and Nyx besides a friendship. Perhaps because he didn't see his little sister that way. "But it seems that Michael Barley isn't as bad as his brothers .. I haven't been able to dig up anything, not even an angry ex or something." He felt quite at a loss. Breaking the deal meant breaking the peace. If they had evidence that Nyx was being mistreated or Michael was unfaithful then they could break it off with good reason. But this guy seemed to keep his image squeaky clean.

He sighed, "Sorry," he hadn't meant to argue with her, but he just felt so helpless in all of this. The notion of the dirt simply having been swept under a rug made him hum, "Maybe you're on to something," he nodded, clearly taking that statement to him. One thing was his own frustrations about this, another was the fact that he had no real power over this, unless his father suddenly died. And yet what sort of leader would he be setting himself up to be if he betrayed his own father?
He took another gulp of the coffee, placing down the mug and looked at her. "Come over here .. You're so far away," his voice softer reaching his hand out. He could perhaps make it over to her, but straining himself more would be trouble. "Please .. I know I can sound like a jackass, but it's not your fault, I'm just frustrated at the situation," he explained himself, sounding more calm, his eyes soft as he looked at her.

Rhys wrapped his arm around her, holding her close as she expressed her worry. It was a fair question but she seemingly changed her mind. He looked ahead with a sigh, knowing she didn't want to hear it, but he needed to say it. "I am not my father," he said quite seriously, "but I also don't know what other choices he had." But he wasn't sure he ever wanted to hear those from the old man either. He took a deep breath, his hand moving down to take hers, "If it was my kid I would rather sell myself out .. at least that would be my choice."
He held her hand rather delicately, caressing her palm with his fingers, just enjoying having her close. "But I wouldn't know before I would be placed in a situation like that." He had to be honest with her. Sure he could sit here and say that he wouldn't do it, but how could he know before he had experienced it himself? "Nyx is a strong girl .. I don't know what the old man has planned, but he's been acting strange for a while now."