Flashback (Five Years Ago):
"How long have I been here?" the girl asked when she finally regained enough strength to be conscious for more than a few minutes at a time.
"You've been out of it for nearly three days, but your fever finally broke last night." Adam answered, keeping his voice gentle but impersonal.
"I... I have to go..." the girl mumbled and started to get out of bed only to fall back due to weakness.
"Right now, you are too weak to even get out of bed. Tell me what's going on, and I will help you." Adam said sincerely but she shook her head empathetically. He could see that she did not trust him, not completely, and he could not even make himself fault her for that. The girl had obviously been through hell. Once he knew she was safe, he was going to visit the same hell on the bastards who had hurt her.
"Very well, but you are not going anywhere until you're better." he told her before leaving the room. He would give her as much space as he could, and maybe she would start trusting him at least a little. He needed her trust if he was going to get the monsters who had harmed her. Somehow, without him realizing it, she had become very important to him.
Her impact had hit him like a ton of bricks since the first moment he had laid eyes on her and had only increased since then. God! but the girl was brave, and smart. She had not even told him what her name was yet. But he would wait her out. With some time, and more recovery, she would trust him. At least a little, and then he would move forward with that. It was all he had, and he had to start somewhere.
She lay there and tried to think after Adam left, but she was too weak to even stay awake for long, and very soon she drifted off into a deep dreamless sleep brought on by complete exhaustion, her last thoughts focussed on her saviour.
...
Present:
"I don't think this is a good idea." Ellis said, even as she lay down on her stomach on the quilt Adam had spread on the kitchen counter.
"It's a good way to relax." Adam offered from the living room. They had chosen the kitchen because it was the brightest room in the house, not to mention her favorite.
"So say you." She grumbled.
"Can I come in?" he asked.
"Yes."
Adam walked into the kitchen and it took a lot of effort for him to not smile. Ellis was laying face down on a quilt on her kitchen counter wearing a pair of denim shorts, and a mid riff baring strapless top. It made for a very interesting view.
Adam picked up a towel and placed it over her clothes.
"I'm wearing clothes."
"Yeah but this makes me feel like you trust me enough to strip and it'll save your clothes from the lotion. Two things at once, imagine that. " He retorted, sarcasm dripping from his tone.
Ellis took a breath to yell at him when he laid his warm hands on her shoulders and started the massage. His hands stroked and pushed into her body, rubbing away all the tension from each muscle they touched. She sighed in pleasure when he stroked his thumbs down her spine while his palms fanned out over her back.
He took her hand in one of his and laid the palm on his chest before using both hands to stroke down her arm. He rotated her elbow and then her wrist gently, before paying attention to each of her fingers. Then he repeated the entire process with her other hand. Ellis closed her eyes, her body and mind both pliant.
She was half asleep when he got her to turn around and lie on her back. He massaged her thigh, rotated her knee, and then went on to massage her calf, her ankle, and then her foot. He did the same for the other leg and then allowed himself a small smile at the contented expression on her sleeping face. Then he massaged her shoulders and collarbones. His hands slowly stroked over her throat, and then pressed on her forehead, her temples, her chin. His fingers feathered over her lips, and then he lightly massaged her cheeks, her nose and stroked over her forehead again.
She never felt the light kiss he laid on the tip of her nose.
...
An hour and half later, Adam looked in amused exasperation at Ellis. She was still asleep and he did not want to wake her, but he could not allow her to keep sleeping on the kitchen table either. He sighed before he picked her up and carried her to her bedroom, glad that her house had no stairs that he had to deal with. He gently laid Ellis down on her bed and lightly moved the comforter over her but she blinked and he found himself staring into chocolate brown orbs from just a few inches away.
"Adam." Ellis murmured softly before she reached up and stroked his cheek.
"Yeah baby?" he asked smiling and in answer she pulled him down and kissed him. Really kissed him.
Adam's eyes widened but he was not shocked enough to not kiss her back. Still, he was careful. He never pressed down on her; he even moved to the side and slowly, ever so slowly, manoeuvred her on top of him. When they finally broke their kiss, Adam was lying on the bed on his back and Ellis was sprawled on top of him.
She kissed his jaw, his chin, his throat, and then her hands moved to unbutton his shirt.
"Uh Ell?" Adam asked surprised.
"Its okay. Its just a dream. I won't get scared." She chanted, her eyes at half mast, as she steadily unbuttoned his shirt, while kissing his collarbone.
Adam gripped her wrists to still her.
"This is not a dream sweetheart." He said softly and when he did not release her wrists, she slowly looked up at him.
"Adam?" Ellis asked, her voice confused.
"Yes love?" He murmured gently as he released her wrists.
"I... " she looked around and then back at him. "I'm not dreaming?" she murmured.
"Nope."
"You carried me here and I kissed you?"
"Yup."
"Why am I on top?"
"I had a feeling you would be happier that way."
"Thanks." Ellis said before she slipped to the side, sat up and pulled the comforter to cover herself. Adam turned to look at her, his eyes serious even though his expression was light.
"Scared at all?" he asked looking up at her.
"I don't get scared in my dreams." She answered, avoiding his gaze.
"You dream of me." He did not make it a question.
"Yes." she answered anyways.
"What do you dream of?"
"It used to be about finally meeting you again, but then you came here, and the dreams became more detailed. I could touch you, hold you, kiss you, love you in a dream." Tears shimmered in her eyes.
"I've been dreaming of you since the first time I saw you. My nightmares are those where I fail to protect you, and my dreams are those where I have you close, where you touch me; where you want to touch me, and you want me to touch you." Adam said quietly, and Ellis finally met his eyes.
"How about we see if you can touch me with some help from me?" he asked and she stared at him for a moment before nodding.
Adam quickly kicked his shoes off and pulled out the shoelaces.
"Here, tie me up." he said and Ellis gave him wide eyes.
"Wrists together, or wrists to bed posts, whatever makes you feel more secure." He said and Ellis gaped at him.
"C'mon love, try it." Adam urged and finally she took the laces from him and tied his wrists together in front of his body. He raised his hands above his head, making all his chest muscles flex. Ellis could see them rippling through the half open shirt.
"I'm at your mercy. What will you do with me?" Adam asked Ellis in a teasing tone, but his eyes were still serious.
Ellis reached out and laid her palm against the beat of his heart. She felt it speed up from such an innocent touch, and slowly she ran her hand over his skin, slipping inside the shirt and feeling his ribs. She reached out with her other hand and touched his jaw.
Adam acted as if he could not break out of those restraints in a moment, as if his wrists were tied to headboard over his head, and because he stayed that way, Ellis found the courage to touch him.
Her hands whispered over his torso and her lips followed them. She opened all the buttons of his shirt as she moved over him, smiling when she realized that he had ticklish spots.
She tickled him and he chuckled, but his hands stayed where they were. Ellis felt the last vestiges of fear leave her at the restraint he was showing. She kissed the corner of his mouth and then rested her forehead against his. She reached up and pulled the shoe laces from his wrists.
Adam lowered his arms and carefully wrapped them around her, while she just cuddled close to him, her head resting on his now bare shoulder.
"Not scared." Adam murmured.
"Not scared." Ellis answered and he could feel her smile against his skin.
"But you're breathing hard, and you're heart rate is accelerated." he said innocently.
"They're not signs of fear." Ellis answered blushing, even though she knew he was doing this on purpose.
"Oh?" Adam asked archly and Ellis moved her hand over his chest until it came to rest on his heart. It was beating twice as fast as normal.
"Are youscared?" she asked crankily.
Adam laughed and turned to his side so that he was facing her.
"I enjoy being afraid of you." he told her with a straight face.
"You're such a..." Ellis growled in frustration but he just laughed and kissed her forehead. They talked for a long while; teasing, laughing, or just looking at each other.
Adam kicked the comforter over them both when she shivered, and pulled her close to his side at the same time.
"Go to sleep now. I'll be right here." he said gently.
Adam stayed awake while she slept curled into his side. His mind kept working on every way she could be harmed and how he could prevent that from ever happening. He would wrap her in cotton wool and protect her from everything forever, but he knew that it would make her unhappy, and it would make her weak, ill-prepared. He needed her strong, able to protect herself. That was the best defence he could give her.
Adam stroked her hair. "I'll keep you safe baby. Even after my last breath, I'll keep you safe."
...
Three Days Later:
" How did you con me into this?" Adam grumbled as he chopped off branches from the huge pine trees Ellis had growing in front of her house.
"You want to eat my cooking again or not?" Ellis asked from where she was lounging on a lawn chair in the garden.
"You're a damn mercenary, woman." Adam mock snarled as he jumped down from the ladder, finally finished after three hours of hard labour.
"Quit whining. I kept you company, did I not?" she asked crankily and Adam rolled his eyes.
"Sitting there reading a book is not called keeping me company." He told her and she just shook her head.
"You're just never satisfied." she retorted and Adam gave her a slow once over and then raised his eyebrows. Ellis felt herself blush, and hurriedly turned to go back inside. She could hear his soft laughter behind her. Jerk.
She stomped into the house and then came to an abrupt stop. Something was wrong. She could feel it, and she had learnt to never ever ignore her gut feelings. She did not react anymore than she already had, before she called out in a voice she knew was sure to carry to Adam.
"Adam!" she called out, before calmly walking back to the main door as if she had all the time in the world. Adam was at the door before she reached it. His expression was easy, and his body posture relaxed, but she could feel the tension in him, and the gun in his hand was a dead giveaway. He motioned for her to stay with him and silently moved into the house.
She followed him like a shadow as he went from room to room, gun held at his side. He checked every room thoroughly and secured all the windows. The last room they came to was the kitchen and there too he found nothing out of ordinary except that the back door was unlocked. Someone must have left hastily, but just to be sure he glanced at Ellis. She shook her head. She had locked it before she had gone outside. That was what he had expected but it was good to be sure.
He locked the door, and then turned to her.
"Pack a bag. You're staying at my place until I can have your house secured." He ordered coldly. Ellis gave him a long look that told him that she did not like him ordering her around but then went to pack the said bag. There was no point in arguing when he was right.