In Charge

6.Winter In the Sun

"Ow! You stepped on my foot." Regina pulls back, trying to see through the tunnel that opened up through the peculiar wall.

"You know I'm surprised you were right about this. I can't believe I didn't notice it before."
He presses open his flashlight on his phone, as they walked through. The tunnel was dark and hollow. It was also old and grimy.

"Wait, is that Xander finally complimenting my skills. Isn't that refreshing?" Her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Could you repeat that once more?"

"Should not have said anything." He grunted.

Moving toward the way the tunnel led them, he felt her so close behind him. He suddenly thought of an idea. He grinned wickedly.

"Fuck, what is that?" He slips behind, pushing her down but she holds him back from falling.

"What? What?" She says frantically. Looking around for something. Did he see something?

He moves easily, turning and pressing his front to hers, against the grim tunnel wall.

"What did you see?" She ask again, persistently. Not even caring what he had been up to, she was more so fixed in finding out what he saw.

Xander couldn't help but play along. "I see something fierce and scary. Almost like a-"

"What are you talking about?" She said, now narrowing her gaze upon him.

"Almost like a dragon. A sexy dragon." He smirked, full blown. His body resting upon her soft one. He could feel her breasts meshing with his that he almost broke in a groan.

It dawned upon Regina what the brute was up to but she also decided to play along. If he thought he was the only one that could be impish, he had another thing coming.

She placed her both hands gently upon his shoulders which immediately stilled.

It was dark but the light shining from Xander's phone made their their faces dimly lit. So, she could see the confused arousal spread over him. It made her quietly wonder if he desired her.

She glides them down, her fingers feeling the strong muscles aligning his chest. She could feel how tensed he suddenly became.

When she began to run them up and down, he finally relaxed under her grip. He moved more closer to her making her head spin. She gulped, realizing how big he actually was and how small she was to him.

It shouldn't have given a small release of satisfaction but it did.

"I am scared of dragons, Xander." She leans a bit forward.

Whispering the words her hot breath fans across the side of his face.

Xander was no longer playing.

He wanted her to touch him some more, wanted to drag her fingers down to where it ached most for her. He imagined how she would sink in her nails on to his back, scratching them while he plowed into her hard and mercilessly.

"Especially sexy ones." She clutches the front of his shirt, bringing her knee up directly. Hitting his groin with a fatal kick that brought him to his knees.

He bellows, dropping the phone to cradle his junk. The sound echoes in the tunnel.

Regina smirks, dropping down to pick up the phone. As she moved forward she tells him, "Try to keep up and next time, don't waste the male shenanigans on me."

Still holding his precious jewels, he grunted. I hate that woman. "Fuck you too."

He yelled hoping it would make her angry but only heard her distinct laughter. It sounded like sultry siren.

Xander rolled his eyes. More like a witch.

He got up tersely, his crotch region still burning but followed her through the tunnel.

When he saw the small light, it was opened to the bedroom where they were sleeping in. His eyes widened in astonishment.
Adele's room.

That was strange. All his time over here, he never once saw a door other than the main one in Adele's room.

He looked to see Regina's head gear running.
"There was door all this while here? How come I never saw it?"

She closed it shut, when the door again disappeared. More as camouflaged into the wall's pale pink color.

"That's why." She states.

"This is interesting. If you didn't happen to know it, then only members of this house would know something like this." She puts on her gloves, tracing the wall. Trying to find a way to open it back.

"You're saying the killer is the family member, then."

"Yes, that's what it is inclined to be."

"That means Mel."

Her hands finally found a ridge in the wall, slowly with her nails opening the door back open. "Maybe. It's not affirmative. Wow..We have to report this."

"Now hold on. I think you should not."

This time Regina looked back at him. "Why not?" Biting back what she actually wanted to say: it wouldn't save his precious Melanie.

"I'm saying if you show this up, then it would spread like wild fire all over town. People will come and check it out. There is no lock on the other side."

"You are telling me to not show progress in this case. Look, if this is about Mel-"

"This is not about her!" He retorted back.

Touchy subject. "Look Xander, I need to show this. It's the only way we can narrow things down. My people have yet to check out with Stanley and if they don't find anything on him. It narrows down to Melanie." She tries to reason out.

"How about this? You get the results you want about Stanley and then show this."

His persistence on keeping this undercover was making her a bit suspicious. She strode to him till she was right in front of his face.
"Why are you trying to protect her?"

He stared back. Suddenly drawn into those slender whiskey color eyes.
"I'm not."

"Then what is it? Why can't I show this?"

"I think you are judging her too quickly."

"No what I see is you are protecting prospective suspects. You know that it is an offense."

"I'm well versed of my rights." He glowered at her. "And I'm not protecting her, god dammit!"

"Then what the fuck is it?" She shouted.

Both immediately fell silent.

They were so close and he could see an untethered emotion had passed through her eyes. He rarely could read her which always frustrated him but now seeing this was something. He usually liked it when she got angry but this was different. It was more primal. More personal.

Regina hated when she had slips like this. She was more in control of her temper. Most of the time but times like this just brought out burst of lava deep in her core.

"Ahem. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost my cool." She looks away, embarrassed. Taking a few steps back, she scratched the back of her neck.

She heard him sigh, as he sinks down on the bed behind her.

"Regina, I'm not protecting Melanie. I'm-"

She turned to view him. His shoulders were hunched.

"I'm saying that during the night of murder, I was with Melanie."