Letting Her In (cont.)

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase turned Anna back against the wall beside the door, one hand leaving her just long enough to push it firmly shut and fumble the lock. Then his hands were on her again, spreading against her body as he took control of the kiss, his protests shattering in the face of physical need. His mind screamed, but he could barely hear it through the rush of his blood.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna didn't know what happened, but she was now pressed up against the wall in her shop, which she had no objections to. It fact, she enjoyed the turn of events quite a bit. She followed his lead, giving as much as she took, meeting his demands with ones of her own. She didn't want to think about where things were going. She didn't care about what happened in 5 minutes, 5 hours, or 5 days; all she cared about was now. He made her feel wanton, wanting things she'd only ever read about. She was still nervous about some of those things, but he'd managed to wipe away most of her anxiety and fear of men.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase hadn't had much physical contact in the past months, none at all in weeks, and that one crack in the dam of his control tore open with Anna's responses. He forgot himself in a rush of need, of knowing she wanted this as much as he did, and pushed everything as far as his conscience would allow. He wouldn't take her virginity, not like this, spur of the moment against a wall; he wouldn't make that mistake again. He did, however, allow himself to take pleasure in everything he did to her, drinking every gasp from her lips, every shiver from her skin.

When it was over and he stood propped against her, one elbow bracing his weight against the wall, he was breathless and numb. He hadn't meant to let things get this far, but somehow, in the race to the flesh, clothing had been pushed aside, and now, he tugged her clothes back into some semblance of modesty, then set himself toward fixing his own.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna finished helping to straighten her clothing, then let her hands rest on either of his hips. Her whole body tingled with the aftermath of excitement that was caused by him, and him alone. She couldn't imagine doing these things with anyone else; not Michael, not anyone. She didn't want to think about what that meant, where she was leading herself, setting herself up to be hurt. She hadn't lied when she said she didn't want him as a boyfriend; she knew he wasn't into monogamy, and wouldn't want to have someone that would cheat on her. For some reason it was different if they didn't claim a title, and just did as they wished. She didn't feel possessive, and he didn't feel guilty, it was a win-win. She didn't know why he had changed his mind about the arrangement, but hoped that things had returned to normal for now. She shifted, placing a small kiss on his jaw before leaning her head against the wall and closing her eyes with a sigh of contentment.

[Chase Firebrand]

It took a while for Chase's blood to calm enough that he could think clearly. All his protests came back, one by one, first whispering at the back of his mind, then growing louder and more persistent until he couldn't ignore them any longer.

Chase repressed a groan as he finally pushed away from the wall, half turning from Anna. He didn't want to hurt her, but he had to make her understand. "We shouldn't have done this, Anna," he said, his voice low. Chase's hands rose to his hair, then lowered as he tried to keep himself level, distant. "You said you can't separate the physical from the emotional, and you can't get attached to me. Don't care about me, Anna. You'll just get hurt."

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna's eyes narrowed at his attitude, assuming that he knew what was best for her, for them. "So what, now I'm a regret? Weren't you the one that convinced me that sex and dating had nothing to do with each other? Didn't you tell me there were different levels to every type of relationship?" She started getting a choppy tone, hating that what he said was probably best, but dammit she didn't want what was best for her right now.

She was sick of playing things safe, she'd still ended up getting hurt that way after all. "So why can't I try that? Why does everything have to be black and white for me? Can't you just let me have a taste of this, of doing what I want to even if it doesn't make sense? If I get hurt, I'm the only one to blame, I've heard your warning." Her gaze had diverted to his chest, unable to keep eye contact as she'd boldly told him she was sick of not taking risks. Michael had been safe; she wanted to live.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase's eyes narrowed. He tried to find holes in her reasoning, but really, if she knew what they were doing, if she knew what she was getting herself into, then she could only blame herself if something went wrong. Something would go wrong, he knew it. Chase decided to give Anna one last chance to back out. He'd make this hard for her, push her away, and if she was stupid enough to persist, then she was asking for whatever happened. "Fine, have it your way," he said. "But we're not dating, and if I decide I want to be with someone else, I'm not answering to you."

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"I never said you had to." Anna thought it was slightly amusing that they were now setting rules for their non-dating relationship. A smile came on her face, glad that he wasn't walking away from her just now. Anna put her hands lightly on her own hips, wanting to touch him, but not knowing if he would be receptive to it. "And I won't answer to you if I decide to be with someone else." Her eyes gleamed with that statement, knowing full well that she probably wouldn't ever use that right, but still wanted to see his reaction to it.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase's eyes seemed permanently narrowed as he turned his head to give Anna a hard look. "Fine," he bit out, "but I don't want to hear about it." Why did he care? I don't. But didn't he? She'd hardly been touched before he'd kissed her at the masquerade, and now she could convince him to give up thought just by touching him. His eyes narrowed further. She was dangerous. But still, what if after all this, someone else, like that bloody Ryan Magby, came along and she just threw him her virginity? Why do you care?

Chase looked away from Anna, one hand rising to rub at his temple. He shouldn't be doing this. But she'd agreed to everything. He couldn't think of anything he could do to sweeten the deal without forbidding her to be with anyone else, but he wouldn't do that. She probably knew what she was doing saying that, too. Damn Ravenclaws. Why couldn't he have run into a nice, biddable Hufflepuff?

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna nodded, surprised that he'd agreed to her amendment, but what was she really expecting? At least he seemed agitated by the suggestion, and said he didn't want to know, which lead her to believe that he'd be a little upset if there was another guy if nothing else. "You won't hear of any other guys from me." She said softer, meaning for it to sound like they could exist, while in her head she meant because there wouldn't be any. She knew this was a dangerous game she was playing, knew that there was a 99.9% chance that it'd end horribly with her, and possibly him getting hurt, but she couldn't deny the attraction she felt toward him. It was like a magnet, pulling them together.

After a moment longer, she closed the space between them, stretching up and placed a peck on his cheek. "Thanks." She whispered gently, wanting to bring things back down to the norm. He'd been in such a foul mood both times she'd seen him lately, and wondered if this would become a routine. That thought led to another, her wondering when she'd see him next. She didn't know if this meant they'd see more of each other, which led to Anna wondering if they were keeping this a secret or not. She knew she should ask, but instead she kept quiet, not wanting to push him more than she already had.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase's jaw tensed, but he didn't pull away. "I'm not doing you any favors," he bit out. No, he was just being a complete and utter moron, and agreeing to something he knew he shouldn't. He didn't even know why. Why? It wasn't because he wanted her that badly. He wasn't getting sex out of this, even if he was getting close. It wasn't because he was attached to her. Her sunny disposition grated on his nerves. It was because he couldn't seem to say no to her, and that was as much as his mind could figure out.

Chase turned toward the door, closed and locked, and looked at it a moment before announcing, "I should go." There were infinite reasons for that. He needed to think about this was one reason, and another was that he didn't want to give her a chance to talk to him, to get to know him or get through his walls. He'd agreed to some physical pleasure to let off steam for him, and for her curiosity. He hadn't agreed to be friends.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"So soon?" Anna asked, looking up at him. She was enjoying her time with him, regardless of their arguing, and didn't want him to leave when she felt like things were so fragile. If he left, would he start avoiding her even though he'd agreed to continue? She wrapped her arms around his waist, standing on her tiptoes to brush her lips against his. Her body rubbed against him with the movement. "When will I get to see you again?" She asked, teasing him with her light kisses. "Soon?"

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase's eyes narrowed at Anna, sparks of scarlet rising in the red-brown. And still, he found his hands wrapping around her slender waist and refusing to push her away. She was practically purring against him, and though part of him was angered at how easily she was accepting all of this, the rest of him couldn't resist her innocent enthusiasm. "I don't know," Chase said. He didn't want to lie and tell her he'd come back, but he fully intended to avoid her. This was dangerous on multiple levels, and the easiest way to keep safe was to keep distant.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna gave him one last lingering kiss before sinking back on her heels and looking up at him. She knew it was getting later and potential customers would we wandering the streets soon. She hadn't liked his answer, but with their agreement she didn't have any ground to stand on. The thought that kept coming into her mind was that she'd lost Michael's interest by waiting around for him; she wasn't going to make that mistake again. "I guess I'll just see you when I see you then?" She asked, for clarification's sake. She could feel the heat where their bodies were still touching, and she couldn't force herself to break away that contact.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase nodded, his gaze refusing to leave her just yet. Then, all at once he realized what he was doing and set her back from him, prying his hands loose. "I'll see you around," he said. Unless I can avoid it. He'd just have to stop spending so much time in Hogsmeade, since that was where she spent most of her time, wasn't it? But she'd caught him at the lake, too. He'd figure it out. He wasn't going to let her trap him, even by accident. Chase turned and left the shop without another word, heading back down the street toward Hogwarts.