[o] bad luck never lost a race

SOHALIA

and there we are again when nobody had to know

Soh's heart thundered in her chest as Ace leaned closer still, a smirk on his lips. She was playing a dangerous game - one she couldn't go back from once she'd decided to go down the path. She'd thrown herself into romance before, but this wasn't that. There was no gentle wooing, no perfect first date, no longtime friendship between them for her to inevitably ruin. For so long she'd been waiting for the perfect partner to come along, but what if that wasn't what she was meant for? What if she was waiting for a someday that would never come?

Ace might have been wrong about who she was, but in this moment, he was spot on with who she wanted to be. She hadn't lived in the moment for entirely too long, and while she might know what she wanted, she had no idea how to go for it (at least, in the big-picture sense). But this, right here, right now - this might be unfamiliar territory, but if she dared to tread it, she at least knew what to expect. And she knew where it would inevitably lead. So she leaned in further, warmth blooming in her cheeks at the insinuation, a thrill of anticipation racing up her spine as her gaze flickered from Ace's ice blue eyes to his lips.

And then, before she could talk herself out of it, she crossed the scant remaining distance between them to press her lips to his.

you kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath

There is no such thing as a bad idea.

Silence and flickering eyes were more than enough warning. He could see the indecision storming in her eyes, the toeing of the ledge that he was just begging her to leap from. And when she finally jumped? It was like a splash of scalding water running through his veins. 

Ace captured her lips with his own, tasting, testing with the slow, ministrative movements of a seasoned veteran. It was hard not to smile at the victory. She was sweet like a peach, mixing with the beer on his tongue, pulling him closer still. He wouldn't let himself give in just yet, keeping his movements slow and tender; but he lifted a bracing hand against her neck, thumb caressing the curve of her jaw. An encouragement for her to continue, to lose herself in his touch. It was another dare, for her prove just how much she wanted this - wanted him. And he didn't think she could resist the physical attraction sparking between them.

Only Poorly Executed Awesome Ones.

Ace

SOHALIA

and there we are again when nobody had to know

Sohalia couldn't remember the last time she'd kissed someone, but with Ace's lips pressed to hers and his hand against her neck, she couldn't say that she cared. He kissed her slowly, as though they had all the time in the world, and for the moment, Soh's awareness narrowed to all the places where they touched. She'd always thought that this kind of fire was reserved for someone she loved, but gods if her pulse didn't race and her breath didn't catch at Ace's experienced ministrations.

There was no doubt that she was physically attracted to the other Attuned, and from his many compliments over the course of the night and their shared kiss, she was confident that he was attracted to her, too. And maybe, instead of dancing around each other like moths drawn to a flame, it was okay to just fly into the sun. Maybe she'd like the way it burned.

So, without breaking the kiss, she sat her beer down in the sand and leaned into him, tilting her head just so, enough to deepen the kiss and invite him closer. She still leaned on one hand to keep her balance, but she placed the other on his chest, skimming it lightly up until she could feel her fingers twine into his hair. If you think you know what kind of girl I am, she purred through the Attuned bond, hoping to surprise him with the unexpected tidbit that she was an Attuned, too. Then show me what you think I want.

you kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath

There is no such thing as a bad idea.

Her hand against him pushed aside the loose upper buttons of his black linen shirt, the smooth skin of his chest cooling against the night air. Ace didn't discard it just yet, feeling her tempting fingers curl into his dark hair. He took it as a permission to deepen the kiss, his tongue stretching forward to taste her deeper. 

Sohalia certainly surprised him, and he let out a soft groan of delight against her lips. Who would have guessed the sweeeet, innnocent girl would have so many layers buried beneath? As if they weren't talking about 'emotional' or 'Attuned' layers, Ace moved his lips lower, trailing them to her neck and lower still, pulling aside the top of her shirt to kiss just over her clavicle. He sucked in the skin, nipping playfully around a grin. I think... A gentle tug of her hair would expose the other side as he started from the bottom to work his way back up at a painstakingly slow, teasing pace. - you want... Pulling away, he hovered his lips just above hers, close enough to feel the smirk spread across his face. - release. He waited another moment before he finally kissed her again, deep and full of a need, urging her to give in to the desire.

Only Poorly Executed Awesome Ones.

Ace

SOHALIA

and there we are again when nobody had to know

If Soh was surprised when Ace deepened the kiss, she didn’t show it. Instead, she curled her fingers into his hair to hold him more tightly to her, parting her lips to allow him better access. His groan of delight ignited her blood, the cool night air a tantalizing contrast to the heat building low in her stomach, and she smiled against his lips in triumph. Oh, you have no idea.

Ace’s fingers on her skin as he pulled her shirt gently aside left her gasping as he broke the kiss, his lips trailing lower and leaving fire in their wake. She’d only been this aroused once before, and she’d stopped things before they’d gone further - but tonight was different. She was different. And right now, she had no intentions of stopping.

Soh whimpered softly as Ace nipped at her clavicle, then tugged at her hair to expose the other side of her neck. His words, as tantalizingly slow as his actions, only served to drive her desire higher, and by the time his lips hovered once more above hers, she was breathless with want. As Ace paused, smirking, Soh wondered if she would regret this come morning, when the harsh light of day forced her to replay all of her choices over and over again.

But that was a tomorrow Soh problem. Tonight’s Soh wanted more from life than regret and what-ifs.

When Ace kissed her again, she sat up a little to take the weight off the arm she’d been leaning on, wrapping it around Ace’s neck to pull him closer. She nipped at his lower lip, drunk on want and need and desire, arching into him until she could feel the press of his chest against hers. She was dimly aware of the stars shining down on them and the breeze catching in her hair, but it all felt far away. All that mattered in this moment was Ace’s lips on hers.

you kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath

There is no such thing as a bad idea.

The words made him all the more confident that he had picked well tonight. A low, suggestive chuckle accompanied the smile as he worried her lip between his teeth. I can help with that. Ace straightened only enough to move his hand to her lower back, letting it slip beneath her shirt to feel the smooth skin against his callused hand. Arching her spine closer, he didn't break the kiss as he directed her body to lay back on the moss with the experienced guidance of lips and hands. 

Her soft whimpers made him smirk, but he wanted more. His blue eyes flared as they looked to her. Attuned-voice deep and sultry, he urged her on. Don't hold back, sweetheart. I want to hear your. Every. Sound. The last words were punctuated with more kisses down her jaw to her earlobe, where he bit gently against the skin, his hot breath brushing against her ear. He wanted to hear her scream, cry out his name, echoing their passion through the night sky.

Only Poorly Executed Awesome Ones.

Ace

SOHALIA

and there we are again when nobody had to know

Sohalia arched willingly into her fellow Attuned, feeling his hand slip beneath her shirt to rest at the small of her back. The heat between them had grown electric, and she wondered, briefly, what it would feel like to feel Ace's touch everywhere. Somehow, she didn't think she'd have to wait long to find out.

As he leaned her back against the soft, mossy stone, she had a flash of doubt. Ace was clearly more experienced than she; she was suddenly self-conscious, feeling small and silly and out of her depth. But so, too, did she want more. And the tiny, mutinous voice in the back of her mind telling her that this was a terrible idea was quickly and quietly snuffed out.

Ace kissed down her jaw, and she tilted her head to allow him better access to her earlobe, drawing a soft, breathy gasp from her lips. With one hand, she traced a line down his neck, slipping beneath his shirt, to reach a hand down his back in an effort to tug him closer still. Was her touch driving him higher, just as his was to her? Or was she the only one of the two of them growing more desperate with desire?

you kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath

There is no such thing as a bad idea.

Whatever uncertainties Sohalia felt weren't noticed by Ace, who was too thirsty for her to care if the hands trembled or stumbled. They tingled across his skin all the same, and he pulled back briefly to remove his shirt, giving her more real estate to work her seductive magic over the subtly toned chest and abs he exposed. He cast the fabric aside as he quickly replaced his lips on hers, his desire starting to eat through his restraint as he kissed her unimaginably deeper. 

Mouth distracting his hunger, Ace let his hands roam her body with tantalizingly light touches. They brushed gently from her chin down to her abdomen then up under her shirt, skirting around her breast with his thumb. His other hand braced against her hip, fingers pressing into the softness of her back side. Need flared down his body as it hovered over Sohalia. Inching his hand closer to her breast, he let out a breathy chuckle through the bond. You are so hot. Smiling against their kiss, he added, You make me so hot. And if her own hands explored lowered, she'd discover that for herself.

Only Poorly Executed Awesome Ones.

Ace

SOHALIA

and there we are again when nobody had to know

Ace pulled away, and Soh almost protested, her eyes flying open as she wondered if she'd done something wrong - but he was back in a flash, his shirt gone, and Soh's breath caught in her throat as she ran her hands down his toned chest. As she explored his body, he began to explore hers, his hands brushing down to her stomach to slip beneath her shirt. She could remember only one other time in her short life that she'd felt this exposed, and her mind slipped unbidden, for a moment, to Koa, before she slammed the door on that particular memory and forced herself back into the present.

The very, very hot present that she was determined to thoroughly enjoy. Even if she had no idea what she was doing.

So as Ace smiled against her lips, she nipped again at his lower lip before gently pushing him away - only to tug off her own shirt and discard it somewhere nearby, leaving herself bare from the waist up save for her bra. The night breeze kissed her skin as she pulled Ace back to her, eyes molten silver with want. In that case, she murmured, her mental voice low and sultry. I think we're still overdressed. A challenge? A promise? Soh wasn't sure anymore.

you kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath

There is no such thing as a bad idea.

The light push against his chest made him wonder if he'd pushed too far, but as she removed her own shirt, words echoing in his mind, it was apparent that there was plenty more room to go. He took a moment to breathe in her figure before she was pulling him in again. He didn't resist, pressing his chest against hers as he reached around her back, lips dangling over her, just out of reach. Then let's work on that. His smile was cocky and full of unbridled heat as he unclasped her bra. Following the slide of fabric with his mouth, Ace glanced up between each kiss of his lips to her bare skin, his own eyes darkening with desire. 

When her breasts were finally revealed, he let out a low, audible groan for her sake. His hands reached up to cup the mounds, thumb teasing against one nipple while he lowered his mouth to the other. It started with a slow kiss next to the sensitive skin. He worked his way around the target before licking over the nipple in a slow, aching motion. Whether it drove her crazy or not, Ace didn't make her wait much longer, mouth finally claiming it between his teeth, kissing and nipping in rhythm with the rolling of thumb and forefinger over her other breast.

Only Poorly Executed Awesome Ones.

Ace

SOHALIA

and there we are again when nobody had to know

Soh’s heart thundered in her chest as Ace reached for the clasp of her bra, realizing belatedly that in the haze of her lust, she’d forgotten about her scars. Suddenly self-conscious for a whole new reason, Soh tensed beneath him. As he pulled the strap of her bra, he’d find long, jagged scars across her chest and down her abdomen, a relic from the battle with the yeti. Panic that she hadn’t anticipated surfacing at this particular moment left her momentarily frozen.

But then Ace groaned as he took her in, a low sound filled with need, and Soh realized that maybe he didn’t care. He reached for her, and she hardly had time for her nervousness to return when he tweaked one nipple with his thumb, kissing the sensitive skin near the other. She squirmed beneath his ministrations, a soft moan falling from her lips as he sketched his tongue over her peaked nipple. The warmth of his mouth against the chill of the night air was delicious. Gods, why had she never done this before?

Tangling her fingers in his hair, Soh threw her head back, giving herself over to the physical sensations that wracked her body. Raw need coursed through her veins as shocks of pleasure emanated from her breasts. Ace - she whimpered, but whatever she meant to say was promptly driven from her mind, too fogged with lust to form a coherent thought. All she knew was the intense pleasure building, pooling between her legs, and an aching desire for more.

you kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath

There is no such thing as a bad idea.

Even in the darkness, he'd noted the scars riddling her body, but he pushed aside the curiosity for more carnal reactions to seeing her bare before him. Ace devoured her breasts, reveling in the way she squirmed beneath him. Her need was a taste on his lips, filling him with the same high that filled him with every race. Smiling against her skin, he switched his mouth to the other side as his name rang through his mind, a plea that had him hardening to the point of aching. 

Letting out a breathy groan in reply, he slid his other hand flat down her abdomen, skimming the top of her pants with painful patience. Tell me what you want, Sohalia. Her name a drawl in his mind as he trailed his hand just beneath the fabric. He wanted her to say it, to beg him to take her. That was what it was like to truly conquer a woman.

Only Poorly Executed Awesome Ones.

Ace

SOHALIA

and there we are again when nobody had to know

Sohalia moaned, squirming beneath Ace as he continued his slow, torturous ministrations. He moved to the other breast, and the contrast between his warm mouth and the cool night air left her gasping. As his hand trailed lower, skimming the top of her pants, Soh bucked her hips instinctively, a silent plea for lower and more. Ace’s voice in her mind was almost lazy, tantalizing in its patience, and for a moment, Soh felt a flash of something she couldn’t name: was he not as undone by her as she was by him? And if not, how did she change that?

Looking up at her fellow Attuned with hooded silver eyes, she fought to control her mental voice, but it still shook when she replied, I want you, Ace. Trailing a hand down his neck, over his shoulder, and down his arm, she urged his hand lower, slipping her own fingers just beneath her waistband to lead the way.

you kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath

There is no such thing as a bad idea.

He could feel her slowly losing control of her body, shifting torturously in the throes of passion. It only encouraged him to renew his efforts, nipping and tugging until he heard her beautiful gasp release into the air. The buck of her hips had him sucking in a breath of his own when the movement brushed against the hard tent of his pants. 

The combination of her voice in his mind nearly broke the dam of his self-control, his jaw clenching against the urge to devour her whole. As she guided his hand lower, Ace let her, liking the way she couldn't wait for him. Slipping past every material defense, he didn't hesitate to run a testing finger between her folds. The heat between her legs made it hard to maintain the attention on her breasts, his blood hitting a boiling peak. His body jerked in a deep groan of desire, eager to feel her wrapped around him. Every muscle tightened in a physical display of his efforts, his mind straining as he praised her, Ugh. You're so wet. Just in case Sohalia couldn't tell when his two fingers slid easily into her. He punctuated the entry with a bite of his teeth against her nipple, wanting to feel her fall apart beneath him as he slowly began to move his fingers.

Only Poorly Executed Awesome Ones.

Ace