Outlaw Queen Shorts

A White Lie

Missing Year Drabble.
It's only short, but as a general question, would you like me to update more often with shorter stories like this (and possibly shorter) in between the longer ones? Comment and let me know!

"We can keep it between us," he whispered, fingers tracing their way over the soft expanse of her back, mapping the surface, the dimples indenting the skin at the base of her spine "if that's what you wish." She lifted her head from his shoulder, shifted onto her side so she was propped up on her elbow and looked down at him, her eyes almost black in the dimly lit room.

"You'd do that?" She whispered back, trying desperately to keep the tremble out of her voice because this man was too good for her. He was too good and she knew it but the selfish part of her didn't care. She would do her best to repress the voice of reason shouting at her to let him go, leave him and his son to get on with their lives because she would only bring them pain and misery.

His hand cupped her cheek as soon as the thought entered her mind like he knew - and all he wanted to do was dispel her doubts - thumb gliding back and forth over her night-chilled skin and fingers twining into the strands of hair behind her ear as he told her, "Of course." Because how did she not realise by now that he would walk the circumference of the earth barefoot if she so asked him to.

"Why?"

The words he wanted to say got stuck in his throat, a firm lump of things he knew he couldn't divulge to her just yet because he was certain it would send her running for the hills. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her to him, lips capturing hers in a languid exchange of breath that sent a shiver running through her. Every fibre of his being was reassurance and she hated how dependant she'd become on the feeling his strong arms enveloping her small frame instilled in her, but she loved it too much to let it go.

"Why not?" He replied when they finally broke apart, moving his head back just far enough to look into her eyes. "It'll be our secret." He was grinning and Regina chuckled, swirling the tip of her index finger over his broad chest which rose and fell with a calmness and contentment she tried to drink in.

"But what about your code?" She asked, not quite teasingly, but with enough of an arch to her brow that he huffed out a laugh. "I thought you have to be truthful." She said as she dragged her nails lightly up and over the firm muscle of his bicep.

"Well, it's not so much a lie as...withholding the truth." His eyes were dancing, crinkling at the corners and sweeping over her face, landing on her lips for a fraction of a second too long before he brought his gaze in line with hers. "A white lie, if you will."

"A white lie." She echoed, hand falling still against his arm. Her cool fingers curled around the skin, soaking up the warmth he was radiating and he lifted his own hand, palm covering the back of her knuckles as he nodded, hoping he could take her silence for agreement.

"Thank you." It was the only thing she could say. Even though there was a hundred and one things she needed to tell him, in this moment it seemed right. His lips began to part (Regina could tell from the look in his eyes that he was about to make some quip, or brush her gratitude off like what he did for her was nothing) but she spoke before he could, "I mean it, Robin. Thank you."

His grin faded into a shadow of a smile, eyes matching the softness of her gaze before he hugged her close, dropping a kiss onto her brow, then running his nose alongside hers so their lips were merely an inch apart. "Kiss me." She said and he closed the gap, catching her lips in a soft caress as their foreheads bumped.