ONCE BURNED was made by MEL. Copying, altering, or stealing any of the site's content is prohibited. All of ONCE BURNED's characters are the original work of their owners and may not be replicated or stolen. All images and graphics belong to their rightful owners and ONCE BURNED does not claim to own any of them.
Reciprocation was fast and well worth the inability to wait. Despite how she had instigated it all, Teddy felt herself being drawn in against a body that clearly wanted no space between them. She didn't fight it in the slightest, and so she found herself somewhere in the middle of the elevator ride pressed perfectly against the taller woman.
When she got a chance to breathe, it was only a handful of seconds and it was only to catch her breath. Despite the necessity, she didn't like it in the slightest. But she was more than willing to meet her half way the second her eyes could tell she was about to ease in again. Her hand eased down slowly, away from the back of her neck as fingertips dared to graze beneath the collar of her shirt she wore.
Space between them was short and brief, and when she felt the way the lawyer met her halfway for another kiss, it was another hit of assurance from the woman that instigated it - as if how they ended up there in the first place wasn't enough. Any thought to have to wait for the elevator to finish its climb to the eleventh floor was now a thought she didn't find concern in. The body pressed against her had her complete attention.
At the brush of fingertips against her skin shifted her pulse into a higher gear, a quick breath escaped her lips, forcing a break she didn't want but was quick to make up for the lost connection. Any sign to show that she didn't want her to stop.
It served as a sort of encouragement for her own, the hand at Teddy's back slipping beneath the hem of her jacket, fingers curling around the pressed fabric to untuck it.
Despite how confident and sure Teddy was about this interaction, there was always the slightest sliver of doubt. And the only thing that managed to combat it so completely was every little response and every greater reaction. She didn't like giving her room to breathe but she loved that she felt it necessary.
Perfectly pressed fabric drew up and away from the small of her back, conveying the kind of desperation that sunk in six or seven or eight flights up an eleven flight journey.
Fingertips drew back across the defined line of her collarbone. It was all she could get with clothing still in play but it was like its own brand of reduced, potent fuel. Enough to have her tongue breach the line of her lips to track along her bottom lip instinctively.
Then the floor leveled out in what felt like a sudden revelation. Her eyes squeezed shut at the sudden sound of the elevator's ping!.
Slivers of contact burned across her skin with a sort of desperation, quick to escalate the heat searing in her lungs the moment she felt her tongue cross the path of her bottom lip. With the material of her shirt pulled out from its secure place, her hand tucked below the fabric, fingertips drawing out along the small of Teddy's back before her palm pressed against her skin completely just as she felt the slowing speed of the elevator as it reached the appropriate level.
Were that not enough of a reminder that she would need to find the strength to step away from this woman, a loud ping accompanied opening doors. Natalie's eyebrows lowered, nose crinkling as she kept her palm in place, just for a few moments longer. She offered another kiss, although this one not as drawn out as she wished before she stepped back towards the doors, hand secured like she could keep her close for the journey to her apartment.
Natalie was overwhelming. Every part of being stick in an elevator with her was infuriating for all the right reasons. There went the perfect nature of her tucked shirt and she didn't care. She was mad about the elevator doors opening because it forced a sudden halt, but she was grateful because the thought of stopping herself had been completely eradicated from her mind.
A hand still clung to hers and she was being dragged out of the elevator despite that she didn't know where she was going. With an audible exhale Teddy used her free hand to haul her keys out of her pocket, ardently searching for the right one before she took fast steps to steal the lead back. She unlocked the door at the end of the hall, opening the door for her to walk in first.
It was, if nothing else, still a minimalist’s dream, because she hasn't done much to make the place feel like a home. She left her keys and her unanswered phone on the sideboard by the door because it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was present company, and she was already taking steps to lead her to her bedroom.
Though she hadn't known which way to turn, at the very least Natalie could offer the first step of some sort of movement, and it seemed to work. Momentum built up quickly, because suddenly she was being lead down the hallway, keys already out and ready to get them behind closed doors. She couldn't be more grateful for it. She followed willingly.
Inside, Nat felt the spark of curiosity to look around, but she couldn't manage much more of a glance before her attention became fully enveloped by the woman leading them into what she assumed was the bedroom. Only then did Natalie dare to let go of her hand, only in favor of curling her hands around the line of her jacket, slipping it off her shoulders.
Given the high pressure in the elevator, Teddy saw no need to awkwardly shift of shuffle through her apartment. Bright eyes connected with the growingly familiar set; it was hard to forget that she still sounded so new to this, so keeping track of how she was feeling was key.
So when her hand was let go of, she was staring at her with curiosity. But those hands went for her jacket, dragging it off her shoulders. She ignored the way she wanted to reach out to her, at least while she was drawing the first layer away. Where it ended up was out of her mind the second it left her body. It may as well have hit the floor and she wouldn't care, despite its price tag.
Reassurance packed itself into the way she kissed her then, because a hand had to leave her to reach for the door. Pulling it open felt like a chore, but expert steps carried herself and the woman fixated on her clothes through it. Only then did she even try to drag her out of hers.
From what she did gather from the space around her, was that it was minimalistic. Organized. Natalie doubted she would find an article on the floor, but it didn't prevent her from dropping the jacket as soon as she freed the lawyer from it. Hands returned to her form, making quick work of her blouse, failing to miss a beat as they made their way through another closed door. Every layer removed gave way to a form well appreciated beneath.
Despite the fast progression since meeting this woman, it felt absolutely right. Necessary, even. And when her own articles were reached for, Natalie made way to help draw them off, only to breach the distance again once she was free of them. Hands shifted down the length of her form slowly, and the trainer couldn't help but to look. She had to. Dark eyes took in details of the person in front of her, slowly traveling upward to catch her eyes.
It was so easy to feel self conscious under the eyes of another person. Teddy stood there knowing unsubtle eyes were taking in every part of her, but she didn't seem to mind. It felt intensely important to let someone like this familiarise themselves as they saw fit. Hands followed eyes and fortunately for Teddy, she didn't need to be so forthcoming to look.
When she did catch her eyes again, there was significance in it for the lawyer. Oddly unfamiliar words hit the air between them, and it was a volleyed moment harping back to just minute ago. She wasn't willing to reciprocate them for the way it could easily sound like a cop out., even if it was true. So she didn't talk. She just smiled for the recognition. It might have been the most genuine one she'd given all night.
Without a word, she breached the minimal distance to kiss her again. Slow, packed with a pure sense of longing. She barely willed herself a second to drink the moment in before she was easing her back against the bed.
Pressed against an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar person, her heart raced with new intention. It wasn't a situation that the trainer would normally find herself in, but the confidence her counterpart carried gave a boost to her own. There was nothing to question or regret, each sound that passed her lips a reminder of that fact.
Hands kept a tight grip against the back she so desperately clung to, each breath burning her throat as she tried to ease the ache of her lungs. When she did finally find the means to let up her hold, fingertips traced up along her spine, eventually catching dark locks to draw them back and out from the sides of her face. Even if breathing was a struggle, it hadn't mattered. Natalie pressed her lips to her's again, having already missed the connection.
This woman was overwhelming. Everything she was willing to give was intoxicating in its own way. Every moment was worth getting lost in, from the way she held on for clarity to the clarity she gave by every sound that passed her lips.
Light fingertips practically danced against her skin, offering a stark contrast in an adoring way for a relative stranger. It was comforting, hauling her hair away from the space between them. It gave her every opportunity to study the face of the person she was privileged to share a bed with. But she closed her eyes when she kissed her, drawing it out despite how breathless she was.
When she did ease back, it was just enough space to speak. She kept her eyes closed. She didn't want to cheat in a moment like this. "I'd like you to stay." She said quietly.
There had been no real way to determine how the night would go when she held the company of a relative stranger. A statement came off almost like a request, and Natalie kept her eye shut, forehead pressed against hers. It was far better than having to assume, and clever wording still put the decision in her hands. A heavy breath dusted her lips before she kissed them again.
"I'd like that," she replied finally, voice low to match the request. She let the words settle for a moment in the little space between them before she untangled her and from the mess of dark locks, traveling down to press her palm to the lawyer's shoulder, gentle pressure trying to ease her onto her back.
Teddy never had any intention of getting her to leave once she'd decided to ask her to come back to her home. Sure, the assumption could have been made, but it felt so much more important to just tell her it was what she wanted. Because the answer she gave cemented the fact that they really were on the same page.
With an agreement in place, Teddy felt a hand pressed against her shoulder. It was sad to lose the hands in her hair but there was a clever point behind it. Slight pressure was trying to ease her away, and it didn't take much to have her moving.
Nat had no desire to put any real distance in place, and as the lawyer shifted, she did her best to keep it at a minimum as she pressed her back against the sheets and shifted herself on top of her. To cement her reassurance, she caught her lips again, and once more between breaths with sweet intention.
Control was unfamiliar, but Teddy had a strange way of giving the trainer a confidence she didn't know existed. While it ran through her veins, she wasn't about to let the moment pass.
One of the greatest things Teddy loved about women was their ability to communicate on another level. Power was a thing often sought and fought for, but was a necessity to share, especially for someone who claimed to be so new at this.
But Teddy wouldn't have been able to guess that; not for the way she moved in the bed they decided to share. The control and poise Teddy was known for fell to pieces by the strength in her hands and the noise she let fly in the air between them. Encouragement was uncontrollable, and it was deserved.
Settling with such company felt impossible too. Generous was the way she kissed her lips and held it for as long as she could. Her mouth broke to an easy smile as she exhaled a heated breath against her skin. Perfection was the way she was allowed to catch and hold her eyes, despite how this stranger already knew the power hidden in them.
