Our secret

His bedroom was the most unlikely place for him to be on Sanctuary. He used to sleep very little. A few hours were enough for him. Most of his nights he spent them on the lab, or in front of the dojo’s computer. Being in his own bedroom forced him to disconnect from his job, and somehow to meet again some dark parts of himself he wasn’t willing to explore.

But that night… what else could he do? After staring for a while at Shalimar’s closed door, raised as a furnace to keep him away from her, he had gone to his bedroom. He hascarscarded over a chair the clothes he had been wearing, and changed into one of his overused pyjamas -just the pants -. He had thrown himself on the bed with a glass of vodka on his hand.

He didn’t even bother turning the light on, so when her silhouette appeared on the doorframe, his eyes were already accustomed to the darkness surrounding him, and he saw her before she had located him. Shalimar remained still for some seconds, narrowing her eyes. The corridor’s lights painted clearer zones over her white cotton shorts and top. Adam was used to see her walking through Sanctuary wearing all kinds of sexy clothes, and usually he didn’t give it a second thought -for his own sanity’s sake -, but that time he reacted as a man who is looking at a desiderable woman: his heart quickened and he felt his mouth suddenly dry.

Shalimar’s eyes turned yellow and almost immediately she fixed them on him. She took a few steps onto the bedroom, but stopped at once.

“Come in.” he encouraged her. That seemed to decide her, and she walked to stand in front of him.

“I’m sorry. For running away.” She said soflty.

“I don’t blame you.”

“Adam, I didn’t… you didn’t… I mean…”´

“You were right. It was wrong.”

“Yes, it was. The team…”

“This is not about the team.” He said firmly “It is wrong for a thousand reasons, and the team is hardly the most important.”

“What?” she blinked.

“I’m bad for you.”

“Bad for me?” she stared at him with a puzzled expression on her face “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Well, for a start, you’ve got a false image of me. I’m not the man up a pedestal you want to believe I am. I understand that when I found you as a child, you needed to look up at me and see something to believe in…”

“Now wait a minute! Don’t you dare to start with all that self compassion again!”

“It’s not self compassion. It’s true.”

“The hell it is! You’re a good man, Adam. One doesn’t need to be a child to believe in your cause, because it’s worth it. And I assure you I’ve thought about you in ways as far away from a pedestal as one can go.” He detected a tingle of embarrassment in her voice and tried not to smile.

“I’m old. I’ve made more mistakes than I can’t count and I’m trying to fix them. You’ve got all your life ahead of you. Don’t ever think…”

“What? Of loving you? It’s too late, Adam.”

“I won’t allow you to throw your life away.”

“It’s my life. Dammit, Adam, stop patronizing me. You’re not my father. I don’t see you as my father. I haven’t seen you that way in a long time. In fact, I don’t know if I ever saw you that way. You know, my crush on you started very soon after you found me.” She smiled “But it’s not a crush anymore. I think you already know that. I’m an adult, 26 years old woman perfectly capable of making my own choices. And I want us to make this choice together. If we decide it is wrong because it would destroy the team dynamic, that’s one thing. But don’t tell me it’s wrong because you’re old or I am naïve, because I won’t buy it.”

He stood and approached her slowly. She was breathing hard, her face flushed with fury.

“All right” he said “Maybe I underestimated you. You want to know where I stand? I do love you, Shalimar.”

The smile she offered him was wide and breathtakingly beautiful “That’s nice.”

He took a few steps and stopped when he was almost touching her body with his “Painful, sometimes.”

“It shouldn’t be.” She stepped into his embrace, circled his neck with her arms and rested her head in his chest “God, Adam…”

“I know…” he caressed her back and kissed her hair “I know…” he framed her head with both hands, forcing her to look at him. They moved at the same time to join their lips in a kiss. It was sweet at first, but became intense very soon. Mouths open, tongues touching each other, eager to explore new lands. Shalimar moved her hands to his chest, searching for the warm skin beneath his shirt. When she found a nipple and pinched it between her fingers, he almost growled in her mouth, and his hands travelled to her bottom to press her to his lower body. Feeling the proof of his desire hard against her stomach, she smiled.

“You do want me.”

“Oh, yes.” His voice was like nothing she had heard before. So different from the Adam she was used to. Darker, filled with passion. She had always known that when the man attached himself to a task he gave everything to it. But being aware of him centred on her was so intense it was almost overwhelming. He had something almost feral on him, and she felt her own eyes going wild as a response to that intensity “The things I wanna do to you…”

“Show me.” She dared.

He smiled and lowered his mouth to her neck. She threw her head back to give him better access, as her hands came to rest on his shoulders for support. Adam’s long fingers had somehow found their way into her top and were caressing her stomach. He cupped a breast in his hand, loving the way her smooth skin felt and how she trembled under his touch. His other hand travelled down her waist to find her soft curls. His thumb probed her hidden nub as his index finger made its way into her moistness. She shivered and moaned.

“God, Adam…”

Shalimar broke into action suddenly. Her hands went to his head and forced him to find her mouth for a hot kiss. His tongue mimicked the actions of his fingers still inside her shorts, and the combined attack made her almost insane with need. She reached for him and cupped him thought his pants. He gasped at the suddenness of it.

“Careful…”

“I need you.” She stated. He didn’t need her to tell him; it was crystal clear in her eyes, her face, the wetness coming from her into his waiting hand, and at the idea of her wanting him after all the years they had spent dancing around each other, but never quite coming together in the way they both wanted, made his chest ache with need and love for this magnificent woman.

“Let me…” he asked for permission, but didn’t stop for her answer as he pulled at her top, getting it over her head and out of her. The gesture left her naked from the waist up, and he stared in wonder at her firm, round breasts. He lowered his mouth to them, sucking on one dark nipple until it was as hard as it could get, and then did the same to the other. Her hands entangled in his hair, not holding him to her, but just caressing his dark curls. His mouth had left her chest and was now tracing a path through her firm stomach, stopping just above the waistband of her shorts. His hands travelled up her legs to her waist and pulled the pants down in one quick movement. She stood in front of him just in her cotton panties, and as she stepped out of the rejected garment, she pulled him up.

He stood, but took a few steps back. At her puzzled expression, he just smiled slyly and started to unbutton his pants. Her mouth hung open as she realized what he had in mind: he wanted to undress for her. The idea of standing there with Adam watching her watching him made her suddenly very nervous. She wetted her dry lips as she stared at his muscular chest. He wasn’t as wide as Brennan, but he definitely had a nice chest. Besides, there was something incredibly male and sexy about this man standing there with no shirt, unbuckled pants and that mischievous grin in his face. Maybe it was his age, his confidence or his brilliant mind. She didn’t know, and frankly she didn’t care, but the fact was that a man had never looked as attractive to her as Adam in that precise instant.

She heard a low thump and allowed her gaze to register the fact he had let his pants and boxers fall to the floor. He was naked in front of her, and she seemed more embarrassed with the idea than he was.

“Shalimar.” At his call, she found his eyes, and stared at the warmness, passion and love she saw there.

“You are beautiful.” She smiled.

He stepped towards her and took her in his embrace. The feeling of skin over skin made them both gasp.

“Thank you.” He kissed her cheeks, her jaw “You are more than beautiful. I have no words to tell you how you look to me right now.”

“Then stop talking.” She found his mouth again and kissed him deeply. After that, there were no more words. They walked to the bed without breaking the kiss. Adam sat on its surface and gestured for her to sit on his lap. She climbed and settled astride his thighs, her legs circling his waist. This new position made his cock rub against her sex, with just the thin barrier of her panties preventing a fuller contact, and both groaned at the sensation.

They kissed hungrily and Adam’s hand went again between her legs, touching, caressing and making her crazy with need.

“Enough” she breathed against his mouth. She stood to remove her panties then resumed her previous position. His hands circled her waist, positioning her the right way, and as their eyes locked, he guided his cock to her entrance and she started to take him inside her.

Shalimar gasped. He was big -much more than she had expected - and it had been a long time since the last time she had done this, so she had to go slowly, taking him inch by inch, trusting her hips a little to sink him in, then retreatiust ust to trust deeper the next time. He forced himself to remain as still as he could, realizing how tight she was, but it wasn’t easy. He still couldn’t believe she was going to be his.

Adam stared at her brown eyes, one hand still on her waist as the other rose to brush her hair away, to caress her face. Her gaze was full of passion, a small frown of concentration in her forehead.

“Am I hurting you?” his voice was full of worry, and she knew one word from her would be enouor hor him to stop. He wasn’t anything like the shadow Lewis had put in her head. He was her Adam, the real Adam, the man she trusted, the man she loved.

“No.” she moved her head, and smiled at him “It’s wonderful. Just…” her eyes opened wide and locked with his.

He understood. Smiling, he came forward, one hand buried in her hair, to kiss her. She circled his neck with her arms and allowed him to take possession of her mouth. He sucked at her tongue and she melted against him. Then he raised his hips, at the same time using the hand on her hip to force her down and felt her warmth enveloping him fully. His open mouth was ready to receive her startled gasp.

Shalimar remained still for a moment, her body adjusting to the invasion. Then she slowly raised herself and then sank down again, moaning at the sensation. His hips moved up to met hers and intensify the contact. She started a soft rhythm, then made it faster. Adam let her mark the speed of their coupling for as long as he could, trying to suppress his desire to take control. She was aware of that.

“I always wondered… What would it take for you to loose control.” Shalimar said, smiling.

His eyes darkened even more, and a soft growl was heard on the room. The next minute Shalimar found herself on her back, with him on top, his cock still deeply buried inside her. Adam’s eyes never leaving hers, he took her legs and put them around his waist, then started to move again, creating a maddening rhythm that made the feral threw her head back on the pillow. Every st pst put her closer to her release and, sensing it, Adam’s hand came between their bodies to add the extra stimulation she needed. He saw it on her eyes before it started, then she closed them and screamed his name as she convulsed around him. He followed her quickly over the edge, pulsing hard inside her and then burying his face on her neck. A hand came up to caress his dark curls as a soft mouth kissed and nibbled lightly at the skin of her neck, slick with her sweat.

Adam rolled on his side, bringing her with him so they were facing each other, arms and legs entangled. She moved her head to kiss him lightly, her lips curved into a smile.

“What’s so funny?” he was smiling too.

“God, you’re good.” She laughed a little, almost embarrassed. His smiled widened and a hand rose to her head to work through her blonde locks.

“I know.” She saw the bright in his eyes and punched him playfully.

“I’m so happy right now.” She sighed contently and closed her eyes

His intense eyes watched her carefully “I love you so much.” She opened her eyes again at that, and offered him a bright, beautiful smile.

“So do I.”

“And I intend to do everything in my hand to make you this happy everyday, always.”

“That’s sweet” she came closer to him and rested her forehead against his shoulder “We won’t fight this, then. But we’ll still fight together other things.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Just something that crossed my mind a little earlier.” He nodded and didn’t ask any questions.

“Let’s try to sleep a little.” He suggested “I bet tomorrow we’ll be asked to give some explanations.”

“You bet.” She giggled, then rose her face to him “Can I stay?”

“Don’t you dare try leaving.”

It was surprisingly easy for them to find a comfortable position together to sleep in. Or not so surprising, thinking carefully about it. Both of them together and comfortable. That was the first image -the first feeling -that came to Emma when she returned from her night out with the guys. She breathed in the couple’s easiness, relieved to see things had gone back to normal, or better. Emma didn’t think it was necessary to be a telemphatic to realize that those two were meant to each other.

THE END

P.S. I'm sorry I didn't notice before that there wasn't enough space for all the story in one chapter! Now it's all fixed, I think.