Perfect Storm

Chapter 9 - Don't Make Me Beg

Warmth.

Drifting in between sleep and wakefulness, Kate vaguely wondered if she had left the thermostat on full before going to bed as she clutched the sheet tighter around her body, burrowing her face deeper into the pillow and enjoying the last remnants of sleep before she was forced to join the land of the living.

It was in that moment that she realised the heat wasn't coming from the temperature of the room, but rather from the body that was pressed tightly behind her, an arm wrapped firmly around her waist holding her in place.

Then the memories came flooding back.

Her back hitting the cool wood of her front door as he braced his hands on either side of her head, mapping a path along her jaw and down one side of her neck with his lips. Her hands sliding up under his jacket, pushing the fabric from his shoulders as impatient fingers grappled with the tiny buttons of his shirt. Her nails scratching vivid red marks in the skin of his back, eliciting a deep groan as he moved inside her, his weight pressing her into the mattress. His fingertips digging into the flesh of her waist as she sat astride him, his hips bracketed by her thighs as his brown eyes watched her intently, mouth whispering words of encouragement.

Her eyes popped open, listening to the telltale sounds of somebody breathing steadily behind her.

'Oh fuck.'

She tried to turn over and face the other occupant in her bed but, as soon as she began to move, his grip on her waist tightened and he let out a low groan, nuzzling his face closer into the crook of her neck as his lips subconsciously pressed to the sensitive skin.

The subtle change in his breathing told her that he was awake, yet still he remained like a second skin, refusing to put any space between their bodies. A smile slipped onto Kate's face as he slowly covered her back, neck and shoulder with soft kisses, taking his time to ensure no patch of skin was left untouched.

"Morning." She muttered, interlacing her fingers with his as he continued his ministrations. He eventually pulled away and used their joined hands to roll her towards him, their eyes finally meeting. He looked half awake as he propped himself up on one elbow, eyes bleary and cropped hair sticking out at odd angles; Kate thought he looked adorable.

"Good morning."

In that second, all thoughts of Hank Voight being labelled as 'adorable' were immediately abandoned as his greeting sent a fission of lust down her spine. She was sure that his voice in the morning was the second best thing she'd ever heard in her life...surpassed only by how he sounded when he was in the throes of passion. Now she knew what both of those things sounded like, she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to listen to him bark orders at work in the same way ever again.

Separating their joined fingers, she traced her hand slowly across the warm skin of his forearm, thoroughly enjoying how the coarse hairs tickled her palm as she continued her path upwards, over his well-muscled tricep and shoulder until she eventually cupped the back of his head, tugging him down for an unhurried but passionate kiss.

"So, last night definitely happened, huh?" Kate muttered once they separated, her lips a hair's breadth from his.

"Mmm-hmm."

Hank dipped his head to run his mouth along her jawline, stopping to press a kiss to the sensitive patch of skin behind her ear before tracing his tongue down the column of her throat. Shifting his weight so that his elbows were braced on either side of her head, Hank settled his body comfortably in cradle her thighs provided, her hips instinctively tilting to accommodate him.

Kate's tongue darted out to trace his lower lip and he immediately granted her access, groaning low in his throat as they relished in the taste of one another. As her fingernails scratched his back lightly, she distantly wondered if the marks she had left there the night before were still visible, the thought of branding such a powerful man driving her hips from the mattress as she desperately sought some much needed contact.