Beautiful

I came in, towel wrapped around my neck, my inky black hair still damp from the shower. The lights had been turned out and the only source of it left was from the moonlight streaming in through the open window, and the orange bulbs from the streetlights. Nighttime in LA was nothing special; just as hazy as it was during the day, except everything smelled a lot more stale. No stars...everything artificial. Fitting for a fake city.

He was laying on the bed, wearing nothing but his leather pants, shiny orange. Even in the sterile light, he took my breath away. His long, silky red hair was like molten lava streaming over his fiery orange shoulders. His eyes glowed like hot emeralds. Like a phoenix come to rest on the bed, wrapped in flame. Holy shit...

He looked up at me, radiating calmness that washed over me like a hot bath. He gets a freaking gun pulled on him and he acts like he just got a full-body massage?

I moved over to the bed, my legs like wet noodles, and laid next to him wordlessly. It was like a being under a spell...I took in the shape of his body: the round-ness of his shoulders, the curves of his slender waist, the way his hips stuck out slightly above the waistband of his pants...I wanted to touch him, to feel him breathe, the texture of his skin...

"What's wrong?" I heard him ask in his deep voice. My eyes flipped back up to his, and I was brought back to Earth with a slight bump. He looked almost concerned. This is what gets him worried, not looking down the barrel of a handgun?

"You're--you're beautiful..." I breathed, finding it hard to suck in air. Never in all my 18 years of life have I felt so young and vulnerable just by looking at him. Thank fuck he couldn't hear my heart thumping, because I sure could.

His cheeks flushed a faint pink, which was barely visible in the orange and darkness, and suddenly his gaze shot to the ugly, threadbare carpet. He looked so innocent...even though he was 3 years older, it was like he'd just aged backward in front of me. I ran my fingertips slowly down his body, feeling his soft skin, like milk, the movement of his chest...I could feel a rush of warmth going south. I inhaled.

"Tell me something." I said, laying on him.

"Hmm?" He sounded relaxed, sleepy. He petted my hair tenderly. I tried not to purr; he knew my body almost better than I did. I rested my head on his belly, stroking his skin and tracing patterns around his navel. I felt him shiver and I smiled fondly---I knew his body pretty well too.

"Weren't you--scared?" I looked up at him. He frowned down at me, like he didn't understand my question.

"What do you mean?"

I resettled into him. So warm...maybe I was part cat. But I stared into his face.

"You had a freaking gun pulled on you, Axl! That guy acted like a deranged fucking lunatic, and he was gonna pull the trigger! He was coked out of his mind! Weren't you...you know, scared?" He scoffed.

"The guy was a fairy-fucking dumbass; he brought it just to show it off, like the Big Bad Wolf. He wasn't serious."

I looked up at him, folding my arms across his chest and laying on them.

"How do you know?"

He smirked. Typical Axl, overconfident. Sometimes, I didn't understand him at all.

"Call it a hunch."

He leaned up, jarring me from his belly and sitting up completely. I felt two soft touches on either side of my face. I closed my eyes. His hands were warm too. Like fire...I heard a small gasp of pain.

"How's your hand? That cut bled quite a bit. Hope you got your tetanus shot recently." I asked, opening my eyes so I could look into his. He looked down at his palm.

"Eh. I'll live. It's not too bad. That's what I get for grabbing sharp metal." He flexed his palm and winced. I bent over it. It looked ugly, but not too deep. I took it in my own and kissed it gently. I could feel the heat creeping up his face from where I was sitting. Adorable.

"You should wash it and cover it. Though, I guess you're better off than fucking Nadir. I don't think he's going to his fucking gig tomorrow." I laughed. He cracked a smile, and the room got brighter in an instant. I caressed his soft cheek. Velvet. He leaned unto the touch. Perfect. That was kind of sexy. "My fiery little red-head..."

I straddled his lap and discarded my beat up T-shirt. The heat from him was overwhelming... like a phoenix...

His arms snaked up and around my shoulders, fingers winding into my hair, pulling my mouth onto his and I was tasting him, running my hands down his vulnerable throat and across his shoulders. His collarbone felt so smooth under my fingertips. The taste of nicotine and Jack Daniels flooded my mouth, making me dizzy. Every drop of blood travelled downwards so fast it hurt! My shorts felt way too tight now--

We fell back onto the bed, me on top of him, and I couldn't stop touching him--it was so addictive. I kissed my way down his jaw. I could see his pulse pounding in his throat, and I sucked on it. A gasp and a shudder. So responsive.

Axl ran his hands across my chest as I kissed my way down his body, down his chest and navel, kissing it and evoking another shudder. He was so gorgeous when he was turned on---

"Have I ever told you how fucking beautiful you are?" I breathed, brushing my sweaty hair out of my eyes. And just like that, he was on top of me, stroking my down my neck with his soft fingertips.

"No, baby...you're the beautiful one..."

* * *

I collapsed into him, his body much warmer, still trembling with the aftershocks. My limbs felt like wet noodles and I couldn't stop panting. My hair stuck to his chest. Trembling hands massaged my shoulders and head...it felt amazing...His breathing started to get slower and deeper.

I twirled a strand of his silky hair around my fingers, trying my best to stay awake. I didn't want to miss a moment of this...I felt so safe and wanted on his arms.

"I love you, you street-sign-wielding psychopath..." I smiled into his skin. I nuzzled his chest, relishing how warm and soft he was. I loved everything about him...his warmth, his hair, his voice, his scent...it was intoxicating. I heard him laugh, feeling the vibration echo in his chest.

"I love you too, you bastard, that was a one-time thing." He giggled.

"Uh-huh. Sure."

"Tracii, shut up and go to sleep."

And I did, the warmth of his body surrounding me and the sound of his heartbeat echoing in my head.