The Flower in the Lion's Den(Katarine/Private)

[KitKat]

Katarine watched him with concern on her face. He felt warm but he said he felt fine. Maybe the atmosphere on Zeltros made your body temperature rise? She wouldn't know, having never left her home planet before. She frowned and wondered if she should call his medical droid in to look after him.

"Why were you outside in the storm? Don't you know..." She was cut off as a huge clap of thunder made her jump again. A second latter the lightening lit up the whole room in a flash and then darkness fell once again. Katarine was barely holding back tears of insane home sickness, which she realized was probably nothing more than Stockholm syndrome overtaking her brain.

She curled up into a ball, pulling her knees up into her chest and leaning her head against the back of his sofa. "Does it always storm this bad on Zeltros?" She couldn't remember it ever being this bad before.

[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian looked at the young woman with a face of concern when he noticed her jump at the thunder. When she had, he'd noticed an immediate change in her mood as she became reserved and almost detached, she still managed to speak to him though, inquiring about the storm and if it was common for the planet of lust.

"No...", he whispered, finally relaxing a bit, but pulling himself up against the arm rest of the couch. He pulled his arms out from under the blanket and rested them on his knees as he pulled them up to his chest, those amber eyes watching her carefully as he thought about why the rain would bother her so much. "...but I wish that it would rain more often.", he finally admitted, though he was a little hesitant to say knowing that for whatever reason she didn't like the storm.

"Why does it bother you so much?"

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

Her deep green eyes watched him from her curled up position on the other end of the couch. Me mimicked her stance and watched her just as curiously as she watched him. He asked why it bothered her and she glanced away from him, feeling embarrassed.

"I like the rain... but not the storm. It reminds me of home. I used to sleep with my brother when the storm came." It sounded odd, even as she said it and Katarine buried her face into the back of the couch so she wouldn't have to see any judgement in his yellow eyes. She was by no means old, maybe in her late teens but she was old enough that she shouldn't have been scared of storms. She wasn't really scared per say, just mournfully nostalgic.

[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

"There is nothing going to harm you while this storm rages.", Christian said to the young woman in somewhat of an effort to sooth her. He stared at her then for a time with those golden eyes as he reached blindly out to the table next to him and retrieved his towel. When he had, he draped it over his head, leaning down just for a few moments so that he could dry away the moisture from his head.

After that, Christian let the towel slide off his head onto the back of his neck. As it did, he pulled it tightly against the back of his neck and draped either end down across his chest as he reached up and ran his fingers through his hair, airing his long brunette hair out and pulling his hair back behind his head so that it wouldn't appear so messy. He then reached up and grabbed either end of the towel and pulled it tightly to the back of his neck again as he leaned back against the sofa. "I won't let it or anything else harm you."

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

Katarine rolled her head slightly so she could stare at him through one eye. She hadn't ever met anybody before who seemed so interesting, or so nice. Yet he was a darksider and hadn't she left home to avoid the darkness her parents preached about? Maybe this was proof that the galaxy wasn't truly full of horrible people. From what Katarine had seen already she could tell not everybody did things the way her family did.

She watched him for a second more as he dried his hair and then proclaimed he wasn't going to let anything hurt her. She frowned and him, still watching with only one eye not hidden by the sofa. "Why?"

[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian didn't have a good answer for the girl as to why he had said such a thing. In fact, he was finding it hard to understand himself why he felt so responsible for the girl, but he did. She was intriguing and beautiful and had and effect on him that up until that moment no other woman had. "Because...", he said, hesitating for a moment as he watched the one emerald eye staring back at him.

"I feel protective of you.", he finally said, which was the truth, but his reasons were evading him in that moment. He knew that she might not understand, she may even question it, but it was what it was. A simple truth for a simple question.

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

Katarine smiled at his answer and felt herself blush. She knew she shouldn't be happy that he felt that way because it put him in such danger, but she couldn't help but be happy. She rolled her head slightly so she could look at him with both her green eyes.

She smiled at him for a second before she slid over on the sofa. She smiled again and closed her eyes and rested her head against his side, which was still wrapped up in the blanket. The storm continued to sound just as loud as ever but Katarine wasn't jumpy any longer. He felt warm through the blanket, his body seemingly so much warmer than her own body temperature. It wasn't long before her breathing was even, those deep green eyes closed as exhaustion finally took over in the first place Katarine had truly felt safe since leaving home.

[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian smiled ever so slightly while he looked down on the girl as she rested against his side. It was the first time in a long time that his smile was genuine and true, and he didn't know how to feel or what to do about that. That, however, was far from his mind as he watched the woman, feeling her spirit calm.

He watched her there for a moment, not knowing what to do. He hadn't been accustomed to closeness like that before, and it was confusing for him. He'd been no stranger to sex, having the pick of any woman he wished on a planet of beauty like Zeltros. Between good genes, money and power, they were the easiest of things to come by, but this was different. This woman made him feel things that he would have preferred not to feel, things that he couldn't hide or change. It was unnerving, maddening and humbling all at the same time.

There was another crack of thunder, lightning streaking across the sky following the sound, but she did not get startled. He knew that it was because of how he comforted her that she was able to brave that storm, and that warmed his heart in a way that he didn't like. It was so foreign, so different, and he was out of his element. He wanted to move from the place and get far away, but he couldn't. He was drawn to her.

Sighing lightly, Christian unfolded his legs slowly and gently, pulling the girl over so that she could rest in his lap, her head across his thigh. He then laid back against the couch, his head across the back of it, amber eyes staring straight up at the ceiling as the ran clattered above, one hand coming to rest on her hip as his other hand draped across the back of the couch.

He drifted off like that, completely open and vulnerable the man who was most guarded by walls, money and darkness...

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian smiled ever so slightly while he looked down on the girl as she rested against his side. It was the first time in a long time that his smile was genuine and true, and he didn't know how to feel or what to do about that. That, however, was far from his mind as he watched the woman, feeling her spirit calm.

He watched her there for a moment, not knowing what to do. He hadn't been accustomed to closeness like that before, and it was confusing for him. He'd been no stranger to sex, having the pick of any woman he wished on a planet of beauty like Zeltros. Between good genes, money and power, they were the easiest of things to come by, but this was different. This woman made him feel things that he would have preferred not to feel, things that he couldn't hide or change. It was unnerving, maddening and humbling all at the same time.

There was another crack of thunder, lightning streaking across the sky following the sound, but she did not get startled. He knew that it was because of how he comforted her that she was able to brave that storm, and that warmed his heart in a way that he didn't like. It was so foreign, so different, and he was out of his element. He wanted to move from the place and get far away, but he couldn't. He was drawn to her.

Sighing lightly, Christian unfolded his legs slowly and gently, pulling the girl over so that she could rest in his lap, her head across his thigh. He then laid back against the couch, his head across the back of it, amber eyes staring straight up at the ceiling as the ran clattered above, one hand coming to rest on her hip as his other hand draped across the back of the couch.

He drifted off like that, completely open and vulnerable the man who was most guarded by walls, money and darkness...

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

The rain continued outside for several hours and worked itself into a grey morning. The early morning streaming in through the window was what finally made the girl stir. Zeltros almost always seemed dark or nightlife like to her, and even this sunlight was not as bright as her home world. It was enough however to warm her face. She opened her eyes slowly and the room came into focus. She rolled her head and realized Christian was still there. She smiled at him, but then felt a little guilty. He couldn't have been comfortable. She sat up slowly and watched him, feeling her cheeks burn as she did so.

"Good morning..." She said, shyly, feeling awkward.
[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian felt the woman stirring in his lap as he woke, golden eyes flashing open and staring up at the ceiling he'd fallen asleep looking at. He watched it for a time, collecting his thoughts as he heard the woman's soft voice. "Good morning...", she said to him, to which he raised his head from the back of the sofa and looked down at her, brunette hair strewn wildly around in a mane, a few strands hanging off the top of his head down across his face as he watched her with those eyes.

"Good morning.", he said in return, not really knowing what to say or what to do in that moment. He was comfortable just sitting there, staring at the woman who seemed to have made herself comfortable around him.

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

Katarine grinned at him and sat up straight, running her fingers through her tangled hair. She thought about her brush, back at her apartment and frowned. She didn't want to go back there or leave him but she couldn't just hang around him for ever. She signed, pushing it out of her mind to be dealt with latter.

Instead she looked back at him and grinned, pulling her bare knees to her chest so she could rest her head on them. "I told you I didn't want to takeover your bed. It looks like I sorta did anyway."

[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

"You're a lady.", Christian said in a deep, still calm voice having just woken from his slumber. "You don't really have a choice in the matter. You get the bed anyway. It's how I was raised."

Golden eyes narrowed to a close as he softly let his head fall against the back of the sofa again, his broad chest rising and falling with long, deep breaths as he relaxed. He sighed, noting his relaxation, his deep voice vibrating up through his core and rumbling through his throat. "What do you want to do now?", he then asked softly to the girl, his head falling slightly in her direction, one golden eye cracking over just slightly so he could watcher her.

"Shall we have breakfast in bed or go somewhere else?"

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

She rolled her eyes playfully at him when he mentioned her being a lady. She had experienced this type of manners since leaving her planet though she supposed it must exist at home too. She just wasn't ever allowed around any males to find out.

He asked what she wanted to do and she smiled, happy he wasn't getting rid of her. Guilt however made her look down and start picking at the lose threads of the fluffy white robe. "I can probably go back to my apartment. Whoever wanted me is probably long gone.. And I don't want to be a nuisance."

She picked at one of the threads until it had come loose and then started twirling it between her fingers.

[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Laughing softly, Christian let his head rolled back so that he was facing straight up again. "You're not a nuisance.", he said, breathing deeply again for a moment as he laid there and thought in the few seconds of silence between his words.

"You're always welcome here.", he admitted as he raised both arms and draped them across the back of the sofa, not worrying about the closeness between he and Katarine. He wasn't shy and certainly wasn't afraid of the woman. In fact, if he had it his way, he'd have her much closer than she was, but for now he just made himself comfortable and let her make all the moves.

After about another minute, Christian finally raised his head, pulling one hand back from the sofa to run his fingers through is hair and smooth it back over his head. That was the only comb he needed. "In fact, I rather prefer your company.", he said, glancing past Katarine and out the window that held on the other side the entire city, strewn out beneath them. He watched the city as the light slowly rose over the city bringing morning with it, Christian's amber eyes stared for a moment. He then looked back into those emerald orbs she had and became so captivated, though it didn't stop him from pushing buttons.

"Now all we need to do is teach you how to cook."

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

Katarine glanced up and smiled at him when he said he enjoyed having her around. When he proclaimed that she should know how to cook she pushed him playfully. "I know how to cook. I'm not completely helpless. I used to cook all the time at home." It was very true and one of the things that irritated her parents to all get out. They had servants for house hold chores but Katarine hated asking them to help her because her parents were so cruel to them. Instead Katarine usually tried to cook for herself if she wanted something and made extra to try and feed the half starved Cathar creatures her parents forced into servitude.

"I could make you breakfast and prove it."

[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian smirked at the girl as she pushed him, his body swaying to one side and then slinging back towards her. As he did, Christian let himself fall playfully on top of the girl as if he'd been struck dead on the spot. He laid there on the couch, strewn out on top of the girl for a time, unmoving and silent, the only thing that was a dead giveaway was that smirk still in the corner of his mouth.

Finally he stirred lightly, raising his head up and looking up at Katarine. "Then prove it."

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

She giggled and watched him fall backwards on her as if dead. She was about to poke him in the forehead when he opened his eyes sand looked at her. She stared down at those yellow eyes and smiled, trying to ignore the dizzy feeling she had. She still hadn't quit figured out what that was about.

"You got it." She pushed him playfully so that he rolled off the couch and onto the floor with a soft thud. She then grinned and stepped over him in a pirssy playful way like she hadn't just tossed him onto the floor. His kitchen looked like it was hardly ever used and Katarine couldn't decide if he either didn't spend a lot of time here, was a neat freak, or had very good hired help to clean it. To her surprise she found it stocked with pots and pans, and wondered if this was where he lived most of the time.

"Do you like pancakes?" She asked, taking a very large bowl out and deciding it would be perfect to mix things in.

[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

When Christian flopped onto the floor he laid there, not moving a muscle as if she'd just dished out the finishing blow. A moment later she rose from the couch and stepped over him like he were road kill that she didn't want to step in, to which he said, "It had better be good.", in a muffled voice that was distorted by the floor his face was still firmly planted in.

Raising his head, Christian looked over his shoulder just in time to see that perfect little frame of hers, in every way supple, plump and ripe, prance into the kitten. She was jiggling in all of the places she should, which was quite unfortunate for his resolve. He could feel his body turn hot in that moment, his amber eyes quickly looking away as he felt his blood burn with intensity in a split second like the intense burn from the strike of a match.

He laid there a little longer to compose himself before he got up. When he did, he pushed himself up off the floor and let the covers slide off of his bare upper body and onto the floor, not caring to pick them up and fold them. He could take care of that later. For now, he had someone to entertain while she cooked, and as he walked across the room after the woman he reached down and tied the loose strings of his night bottoms before stepping into the kitchen.

"I haven't had pancakes in a long time.", he admitted, walking into the kitchen, a jolt rushing up through his foot as he felt the cold tile of the kitchen's floor. "But from what I can remember, I didn't think they were so bad.", he said, stopping and taking a seat on a stool next to the bar top where the stove was connected. He peered over it at the girl, reaching out and propping himself up by his elbows as he watched her work, a smirk on his face.

"I wasn't kidding. You had better impress me. I think I deserve it after all that roughhousing back there."

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]

 

[KitKat]

Katarine took down the bowl and found that he had joined her in the kitchen, perched on top of a stool on the other side of the counter. She smirked at him and stuck her tongue out. "Oh poor delicate baby... you will live I'm sure." She grinned and bent to get a bag of flour to put next to the large mixing dish. She then took large blue eggs out of the refrigerator and sat them on the counter. The next moment she was cracking eggs into the bowl, adding in flour, and then turning around to find something to measure water in. After those ingredients were in she started mixing the contents in the large dish until they were combined into a sloppy paste.

"Do you cook in this kitchen a lot?" She asked him, while she was peering into the fridge unit to find something to add to the batter. There were a bunch of small red berries in there, which she supposed would make the pancakes taste sweet. She grabbed them and dumped a handfull into the batter along with a handful of nuts. She stirred it all together and then bent to find a pan, which she placed on the stove and smirked at him while it started to heat.

[member="Christian Slade"]