insubordinate (gwynriel)

8

Gwyn rolled the cart of books down the aisle between the towering shelves stocked to the brim with every book imaginable for rows upon rows. She always felt most at peace here, among words from writers she'd come to know as close friends, despite never having met them. Books had always made Gwyn feel safe. It was one of the reasons she loved her life here among them. She never had to feel alone. 

Gwyn reached up on the tips of her toes, tucking a book back into the shelf it belonged in, the height being just above her normal reach. Two strong hands caressed her hips and Gwyn sucked in a petrified gasp, spinning and coming nose to nose with Azriel. He grinned at her lazily, enjoying the way her face flushed and her chest rose and fell quickly, tinted that perfect rosy shade that let him know he'd surprised her. 

"Hello, little Priestess," Azriel smirked.

"H-Hi," Gwyn stammered, swallowing and trying to get her bearings about her. She hadn't seen Azriel in at least a week and definitely wasn't expecting to during one of her late night library shifts. 

"Don't let me disturb you," Az said, leaning back on the opposite side's bookshelf, crossing his arms and ankles as he watched her with that familiar wicked glimmer in his eyes. He raised his eyebrows and jerked his chin to the stack of books still left on her cart that needed tending to.
Gwyn sucked in a breath, nodding, going back to her work filing and pathetically trying to act like she wasn't as distracted as she definitely was. She was hyperaware of the way her skirt lifted when she reached over her head to slide books back into their homes. Her shirt would rise, too, exposing a small sliver of skin between the bottom of her sweater and the top of her skirt.
"How did you know where to find me?" Gwyn asked, sparing a small glance over her shoulder. She was on a deeper level of the library than most people dared to venture, returning some referential texts that had gotten unshelved for use. She hadn't even told him she would be working in the library tonight, and hadn't seen him recently either. 

"I have my ways," he said absentmindedly, trailing his eyes down her body. She swallowed, nodding once and reaching for another book, this one on a lower shelf. She bent at the waist, sliding it into the empty space, and blushing at the way her skirt hiked up in the back as she bent. 

"Are you just here to watch me?" Gwyn accused, seeming more irritated than she really was. Maybe she felt like pushing his buttons tonight. Who could blame a girl?

"Just enjoying the view," he said with sleepy, lust-drunk eyes. 

"Want a closer look?" Gwyn raised an eyebrow, bending to place the second volume of the book beside the one she'd just shelved, careful to keep her legs straight and ass angled to his view. She bit her lip, looking back over her shoulder at him as she stood.

"Gwyneth Berdara, are you trying to seduce me?" Azriel said, hand flying to his chest in mock surprise. Fuck him. She could be sexy. She could be seductive. If he wanted that side of her, she'd make him regret it. 

"No," she shook her head, looking disinterested. It garnered her the exact response she'd hoped for. He stepped behind her until her back was pressed to his chest, snaking an arm up to allow his hand to caress the sides of her neck, squeezing as he tilted her head back to look up at him where he towered over her. 

"No?" He repeated, warning in his tone. 

"I'm not really interested," she shrugged, pulling out of his grip. He looked at her dumbfounded as she pushed her cart further down the aisle, looking for the F section. She found it with ease, scanning over the books and grabbing two, quickly sliding them back to where they belonged and pretending Azriel wasn't staring at her like she'd lost her mind. Maybe she had. It was likely.