princeofitall (princeofitall) wrote in odysseyic, @ 2018-04-29 10:31:00 |
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Entry tags: | andrew |
dinner and more...
Who: Andrew and Emma
Setting: Andrew's apartment
After meeting Justin, Emma had taken a few minutes to freshen up. The food was all in its final stages, the souffle just settled into the oven, and she realized that in the craziness of everything that happened she had no real clothing to wear. She’d brought a bag and it had in it two pairs of mismatched shoes and one dress, a simple white sundress. So that was what she ended up wearing. She spent a few minutes wrapping her hair up into a low ponytail, using a strand of it as a hair tie when she found herself devoid of that also, and then she stepped back to look at herself in the mirror.
Aside from the scratches and bruises she had, she felt good about how she fared after the fight to get to this ship, and that was largely due to Andrew. It was the main reason she’d cooked him dinner, as a thank you for a gift for which she wasn’t sure she could ever repay him.
Heading back into the kitchen, she poured two glasses of wine from the decanter and sipped at hers as she stirred a simmering pot on the stove.
Andrew has made the rounds checking on his family then had a very depressing conversation with a small Asian girl that explained that Victoria didn’t make it back on the boat. The guilt that welled up with that made him sick, wondering if he should have stayed with her, gone back for her. But he didn’t. She’d been off with her friends and he hadn’t wanted to interrupt. And then they were gone. And she was gone. He made some calls, left her a few voicemails, telling her he’d get her back if she’d just answer. And then he called and someone else had picked up and shouted at him in Swedish.
He was upset when he made his way back to his apartment, a bag of things for Emma, clothes, shoes, pajamas. He was basing off what her style used to be but hopefully it hadn’t changed much. He frowned a little when he smelled the food after walking into the apartment. “Justin?” He called. His steward was a better cook than he was, but he hadn’t expected a nice meal for a few days.
“Not quite,” She answered, looking up as the door opened and she heard Andrew’s voice. She wanted to smile but there was something so obviously off about his expression that she just couldn’t get. Instead, she turned and reached for the other glass of wine, taking a few silent steps toward him to hold it out. She didn’t ask him how he was or what was wrong, just stood and waited to see if he wanted to talk about anything.
He’d almost forgotten. Not that he could actually forget her when he’d gone shopping for her, but still. It felt like she just appeared and with wine and food, like a balm to the aches and pains he was feeling over losing Victoria. He smiled at her, something soft and not at all what she must have been used to from him. He took the wine, taking a sip before handing over his bags. “For you,” he said, then headed into the kitchen where the smells were coming from, taking over the stirring (about all Justin let him do when it came to cooking).
That smile broke her heart. She’d seen Andrew with many different smiles. The ones he gave his family, the ones he gave the press, the ones he gave his people, but never one like that. And in that moment she wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to hide with her. That she hoped he already knew that. But it was too forward, especially right now, so she did what she’d been taught to do. She accepted the bags with a gentle squeeze to his hand on the exchange and a knowing look, something she knew he’d understand. Something that showed she was open to what he wanted to say, when he wanted to say it, but that she wouldn’t press.
“You shouldn’t have,” She answered, looking into one of the bags to see a soft set of rose gold, silk pajamas, and this time her smile shifted. Something brighter from the unexpected gifts. “Andrew, you’ve already done more than enough. Thank you.”
He watched her, taking a long sip of his wine while she looked through her things. “You need something to wear,” he pointed out. “Especially if you’re going to leave the room, since it’s still freezing out there.” He caught that knowing look, wanting to wrap her up in his arms and let her take away the aches, but he wondered if that was too much. Hadn’t she been through enough? He didn’t need to add more to her load. To expect her to solve his problems.
“I just talked to Alex,” he told her, mostly just to fill the space. “Father’s called and demanded he head home. There’s a helicopter coming for him. You’re more than welcome to go with him,” he said, but his tone said nothing about him wanting her to. It was more...well offering her a chance to go if she wanted. “Or you could take his rooms, if you wanted.” He stirred the pan again, not quite looking at her. He felt too damn vulnerable to ask her to do one thing or another, but it felt strange to ask her to stay. What did she owe him anyway?
She wanted to tell him that she was more than fine not leaving the room. There was nothing out there on this ship that she wanted to see more than his face. But she didn’t say that. Instead she just inched closer and placed the bags down beside the island counter. She was about to thank him again for the clothing when he mentioned a helicopter. An escape back home.
She spent a long moment considering it and though she’d never tell him, she did truly consider what leaving on that helicopter meant. But there was nothing there for her now. Her family was elsewhere and the only other person she really cared about from home was him, and he was here.
“I’m not so sure I’d like to be in one solid place. I think the idea of being transitory, on this ship with you, is much more appealing than being stuck somewhere...even if it is home.” She glanced at him and took another sip, curious to see if he caught more than just her declining the ride.
Honestly, her answer threw him off guard. He’d expected her to laugh at his suggestion, then lean in and kiss his cheek, thank him for arranging a way for her to go home. That was that. But she said she wanted to stay. Over going home. That was something. He looked at her, watching her face as much as she watching his, curious if she meant more in that line about being there with him than he might have assumed. He nodded, slowly, but nodded. “I can have Alex’s rooms cleaned up then. God only knows what he’s gotten up to and he had a boyfriend there for a little bit..” He shuddered as a joke. “We can have your things shipped to the next port as well.”
Emma just kept her eyes on him the entire time, waiting for some sort of change in the way he focused on her even if it was just a little. She didn’t see much, maybe a little acknowledgement in his eyes, but nothing more than that. When he mentioned Alex’s rooms, she nodded back a little and reached up to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. “There’s no need to rush there. I’m sure there are so many other things that need to happen for the ship to be considered safe again after what happened… As long as you don’t mind me staying with you for a bit longer.”
She didn’t want to say that, while the rooms sounded fantastic and the idea that she could officially stay on this ship was very tempting, but didn’t want to lose this. She didn’t want to be alone in a set of rooms just yet. She wasn’t sure she was ready.
That one he caught. It pinged at the ache of what had happened with Victoria, but Andrew still caught it. He abandoned the sauce and reached for her instead, brushing at the same piece of hair she’d just tucked behind her ear and nodded. “You’re not in the way,” he promised. “I’m not rushing you out. Just...I want you to be comfortable. I’m sure that’s not the case with me banging around.”
Instantly she felt better with him closer. She could feel her chest lighten, her breathing calm a bit more. She felt safe there, with their food bubbling away behind them and his hand in her hair. “You really don’t know how comforting you are,” She said, eyes caught on his as a smile started to form. “I thought you’d have figured that out by now.”
He made a noise and rolled his eyes at her. “That’s not something anyone’s said to me. Sort of ever.” Even Victoria. She’d gotten close, but she held back to keep it from being said. He ran his fingers along her jaw then shook his head. “Did you hit your head?”
“Maybe you don’t have the right people in your life, then,” Emma countered, looking up at him with nothing but seriousness. “You know I didn’t. You were with me at the clinic. I mean it, Andrew.” It was clear and calm with no sort of motive in it for her other than to just say it. She felt like it needed to be said; like he might need to hear it right now. The only reason she felt solid enough to have some sort of semblance of normalcy was standing right in front of her.
Maybe she was right. Maybe he didn’t have the right people, except… “Even you normally wouldn’t claim that role.” He knew she hadn’t hit her head, but he still wanted to check her over. He wanted to wrap her up, hold her and let her keep saying nice things. “You might want to tell me what to do about dinner or I’m going go settle for just listening to you say nice things about me.”
“I wouldn’t be the right person?” Emma asked, not fully understanding what he meant there. But it wasn’t as important as what he said next. “Dinner will keep,” she explained, meaning hidden in her words. “I have plenty of nice things to say about you.”
“More the one that would say I’m comforting,” Andrew said with a chuckle, but he did look back away from dinner at her comment. He hesitated, then turned the stove off, turning back to her. “I’m a little broken,” he murmured softly, not wanting to admit that, but if she was implying what he thought she might? She deserved to know.
She took a step closer to him when he spoke, hands gentle on his hips. Reaching up, she placed one hand on his cheek and ran her thumb gently over his cheekbone. Leaning up, she pressed a kiss to the spot she’d just run her thumb over and breathed in his ear, “Then let me try to heal as much as I can.”
He watched her for a long moment then drew her closer, wrapping her up in his arms. “Yeah, okay,” he said, kissing her cheek. “You’re taking on an a lot,” he said softly, still feeling like he should warn her.
Emma let her arms fall around him and pressed herself up against his chest, catching his eyes with her own. “You take on a lot every day. You did by taking me on. Let me take some of the weight, AJ.”
Andrew huffed a laugh, running his fingers through her hair. “Hardly. What kind of work are you? Spending time with a beautiful woman is always easy.” As was slipping back into his arrogance. It was just an easier shell to wear.
And she could tell, and she knew he was hurting even if she didn't know why. So she decided to change tactics. “I'm more than just a beautiful woman,” she said, lifting and eyebrow at him. She reached down for his hand and pulled him with her toward the bedroom without another word.
Andrew arched a brow when she started towards the bedroom, smiling a little before moving and catching up with her, hands on his hips. He leaned down to hook his chin on her shoulder. “You going to show me?” he teased, willing to go with that. It was a distraction but one he needed.
Smirking, she turned around so that her body was pressed against him again. “No,” She said, leaning up to nip at his jaw. “I’m going to remind you.”
Yeah, it had been a while for them. A long while. He looked down at her, threading his fingers into her hair for a moment before drawing her up to kiss her properly. It had been too long since they’d done this, and he had no idea if it would even matter, if kissing her liked this could change anything. He had a feeling it might, but that sure as hell didn’t stop him.
This was what she’d wanted all along. As soon as she’d seen him again, as soon as he’d gotten her onto this boat and she could think about anything other than sheer survival, she’d wanted to take him to bed. There was a security she found in him even more than just him ensuring her safety upon this ship. She wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him closer to her by his hips, forcing his body into hers even more as she started a slow walk back toward his room.
Andrew let her walk for about three steps then he drifted one hand to her ass to lift her up and off the ground. He might be getting old, but there were reasons he kept himself in good shape. And she was tiny enough. It wasn’t all that far to his bed anyway.
Emma let out a little gasp of surprise when he pulled her up, but it melted into a happy contented sound in her throat. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned in again to work her lips up his jaw, kisses turning to nibbles and bites before they even reached the bed. He was still so strong. She’d always loved that he could just hoist her up like this and to have him do it now had her hips shifting a little in his grasp.
He groaned as she nibbled at his neck and he took another step to get to the bed. He bent down on one knee and let her fall back on the bed. He went with her, rolling his hips down on her. “Tell me you want this,” he murmured, fingers pushing up her skirt. “Please.”
She took a big breath when they landed, hands already reaching for his shoulders when he spoke. Arching, Emma shifted just so she could see him and connect their eyes. “I never stopped wanting you,” She promised. “But I think I want you now more than ever.”
That...that would do. That would really do. He nodded, ducking his head to kiss the top of her thigh as he worked her dress up exposing her hips and kissing there as well. Then he leaned up to kiss her mouth, a gentle thing. “Good,” he breathed.
She let out a sigh when he kissed her leg, feeling the tingles of that all the way through her body as he moved up. When he kissed her, it was so gentle that she felt her heart melt a little. She moved, sitting up to pull him closer to her and deepen the kiss. It was still sweet, still soft, but she needed him to feel her words, not just hear them.
He ran his his hand down her thigh to hook around his hip. He kissed her shoulder then her neck, unsure of where to start. It was like remembering what someone liked, what they wanted. It was important to get his mind away from Victoria. Because Emma was incredibly not Victoria. He took a moment, then leaned back to undo his shirt buttons, then pulled it up over his head once it was loose enough.
She sighed again when his lips touched her shoulder. There had always been something about the attention he gave that particular spot that set her off. As soon as his shirt was gone, she ran her fingers down his chest and let them drink in the feeling of his skin underneath hers. It was so familiar, but still somehow felt like the first time, and every little touch exhilarated her. Leaning up, she pressed a breathless kiss to his ear. “You feel amazing.”
He almost laughed at that, sure it had been half a decade since she’d seen him last and while he worked hard at it, his body was starting to show his age. “You haven’t even felt anything yet,” he murmured, rolling his hips into hers. At least those parts worked just fine. He found the zipper to her dress, working it down so he he could get her out of it.
She did laugh, though, and worked her shoulders out of the dress as he moved the zipper down. “You think this isn’t anything?” She asked, letting her fingers run down the middle of his chest, over his stomach, and dance just at the edge of his pants. “You’re wrong.”
“I think I’m old,” he reminded her, then lifted enough to get her out of the dress. “But I hope I’m wrong.” He looked down at her. “Because you’re as beautiful as ever.” Maybe more so. The years had given her the right curves, the softness that her youth had taken away. He pressed his hand into her back and rolled them, her over him so he could look up at her.
“You are so wrong,” She said, just before he spun them over and she was on top of him, breathless with her hair falling down in front of her face. She settled on his lap, rocking her hips against his, and leaned forward to tease her lips along his in the briefest of kisses. “And you are still as alluring as ever.”
He shook his head and reached up to tug at her bra. “Trust me. That’s all you,” he murmured. He leaned up to kiss along her collarbones, then over the top of her breasts. He reached behind her to unhook the bra then slip it off her shoulders. “I’ve missed your skin.”
Emma couldn’t help herself. She leaned into his hands and shut her eyes, a soft moan coming from her lips. “I’ve missed your hands,” She said, her hair brushing against his cheeks as she tilted her head. “Why did we go so long without each other?”
He ran his thumbs over her nipples, then ducked his head to take one in his mouth. He circled it with his tongue until it was hard, then pulled back to pinch it lightly. “Because you left New York,” he said. “I think you threw a drink at me.” He caught her mouth with his and licked at the seam of her lips.
She was about to protest but every little thing he did made it so much harder for her to think. Her eyes closed when he licked at her, and the little pinch pulled a gasp from her lips for him. She finally had the start of words on her lips when he kissed her and all she could do was open them to give him more access, fingers threading into his hair to tilt his face up to hers and deepen the kiss.
He rolled his hips up into hers as she kissed him back, hands moving down her back to slip into her underwear. “Want you,” he breathed when he pulled back, pressing another light kiss to her lips. He was past thinking at this point. No, his focus was her now, and the desire coursing through him.
Emma made a soft sound as his hands traveled her body. She loved every second of this and she could feel that ache in her heart start to lessen. She'd purposefully tried to forget about Andrew in this way, because his shadow has been hard to push away from her memories but now she remembered why she always came back to him.
Leaning closer, she let her lips trail kisses across his jaw and you to his ear. And in one deep whisper against his ear she added, “Then take me, Your Highness.”
That made him groan, rolling them to press her back against the bed. He leaned back long enough to undoing his pants kicking out of them before going for her underwear and working them down. He kissed her hip, trailing his lips down as he slipped her underwear down. “Drawer,” he said with a nod towards the nightstand. He let her take care of that and went to kiss the inside of her thigh and worked higher. This still wasn’t really a thing he did, giving like this, but after Victoria...he was craving the closeness that only came with this kind of thing.
Emma was actually surprised when he slipped further down. For all their times together, she could count only a few times that this had happened but she wasn’t upset by it at all. She did as instructed, pulling their supplies from the drawer before letting herself refocus on him with a sigh. Maybe he really had changed...grown up in the best way.
Andrew ran his tongue over her, licking at her then working his way up to find that right spot, swirling his tongue before grazing ever so lightly with his tongue. He wanted her to come on undone, to taste her as her body opened up for him.
She arched as he hit right where she needed him to and the gasp she gave ended in a happy little sound, her lips curling up into a smile as her back settled on the bed again. Reaching down, she let her fingers drift into his hair, not truly guiding him but just needing to feel him as much as she could.
Andrew added his fingers, working both slowly, determined to torture her in the best kind of ways. He wanted her to keep making those noises. All those noises. To be his completely.
For as reserved as she was in public, Emma had never been that same kind of quiet behind doors, and especially not with him. She was loud and eager and certainly not in control of the sounds he drew forth from her. Time slipped from her and it was just her and him on this bed, and the way he played her. Before she could prolong anything, she felt her edge nearing and she cried out as she passed it, body tensing and shaking from the force of it.
There it was. Andrew worked her through it, watching her as she crashed over that edge. Then he pushed up, kissing his way up her torso, then her neck. He reached for the condom she’d gotten, leaning back after breathing her in for a moment. On his knees between her legs he opened the package, and rolled in it. “You’re beautiful you know,” he said as he leaned in and lined himself up.
Emma was in a sort of daze watching him move, committing to memory the line of his muscles and the perfection of his skin. She let her eyes drift down, captivated by even the mundane things he did. “Not nearly as much as you.”
Andrew grinned, liking that even if it wasn’t true. He gripped her hip as he slipped in, taking his time, mentally pretending it had been a while since she’d been with someone even if he knew it had only been a long time since she was with him. He groaned softly, kissing her shoulder once he was completely in. “You feel amazing.”
Inhaling a whimper, Emma reached for him as he settled and let her mind swirl in the sensations of his slow entrance. She reached up to drag him to her and take his lips again until she couldn’t breathe. “That’s you,” She exhaled, then brought her lips down to his neck to work on a mark lower than his collar, just out of habit.
He groaned softly at her lips on his skin. He worked his hips against hers, gentle rhythm, like they had nothing but time. He knew they did. There really wasn’t a rush. They hadn’t ducked out of a party. They hadn’t stolen a weekend in a hotel room. It was just them, with nothing waiting.
Matching his gentle rhythm, Emma rolled her hips against his and let another soft sound escape from her lips against his throat. Every time they’d been together in the past, there was always something or someone waiting for them. They’d never had time like this just to indulge. She felt peaks of her body rub against his as they moved and it pried another sound from her lips.
Later, maybe tonight, tomorrow even, he’d press her against the bed and make her cry out, but right now, no. He worked a hand under her, lifting her hips to change the angle and press her body more against his. “Come on babe,” he murmured. “Be loud for me.”
The position change pulled forth what he wanted, a loud moan and hitch in her breath as she settled further down against him. Clinging to him, Emma wrapped her arms around his shoulders and groaned again as her fingertips ran over the muscles there. She was already so gone that the new angle, the new rhythm she was able to give them forced her closer than she was ready to admit even if she was sure he could hear it in her voice.
He couldn’t deny that like this, she was perfect. He struggled to remember why he’d let her go. Ever. Why hadn’t he made her stay all those years ago? He picked up the pace as her voice got strained, wanting to make her come again, and again.
Her body shook under him, still a live wire from her previous peak. She rocked her hips against him, pace matching his with desperation as she sought for that edge again. And as she hit and passed it, she dug her nails into his shoulders and cried into the air in his room.
Andrew groaned when she clenched around him, thrusting into that tightness and working her through it. He wasn’t far behind her, just a few thrusts before he came with a shudder, moan buried against her shoulder. His hips stuttered to a stop but he stayed buried in her for a moment longer, breathing hard against her skin, trying to remember just what the hell he was doing.
She pressed her whole body into his, wanting to be enveloped by his strong arms and just held until they both passed out. Her vision cleared slowly, her breath following it, and as her muscles relaxed she dropped further onto him with a low whimper. Why had she ever left?
Andrew lingered for a moment more before leaning back to kiss her. Then he moved, pulling out and rolling off the bed to clean himself up. He meant to be gone just a moment, tossing the condom away in the bathroom, but something made him linger, holding on the counter there, head hung, trying to figure himself out.
By the time Emma had come around again, Andrew was already up and off the bed. She waited for him to come back, trying not to watch him so she could give him back some privacy but when he didn’t return she turned to see him in the bathroom. And she sat there in bed, watching him, for several minutes to try and judge what he needed. When he still hadn’t made a move back to bed, she carefully, quietly, left the sheets too and came to him in the bathroom. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around him, her body pressed against his back, and held him to her.
He almost jumped when she joined him, not expecting her to be there. Then he turned in her arms and wrapped his own around her, holding her against him. “Don’t know why you came back,” he admitted into her hair. “Why you’d want to stay.”
Emma softened inside his arms, but only enough to give him an easier hold on her. It was like she could feel it in him, the need for her to be strong for him. She shifted just a little to press her cheek to his chest and breathe him in. “You’ve always been with me, Andrew. You don’t know that?”
He ran his fingers through her hair. “I think I got my heart broken,” he said softly, hoping maybe she didn’t hear him. He wasn’t sure he should admit that, to anyone.
But she heard it. She didn’t immediately speak, still trying to judge how to react to that. It wasn’t something she thought he wanted her to know, but she did and not mentioning it would just make it worse. “Then we look for ways to mend it, when the time is right. When it’s ready.”
Andrew was quiet, just holding on to her. “I don’t want to risk losing you,” he admitted. “What…” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her against him. He couldn’t finish the thought. Not really. He wasn’t even sure what it was.
She didn’t press him to finish, instead just letting him hold her and stepping closer to rid them of any sort of space between each other. “I’m here,” She promised, squeezing him to prove it. “I’m here and you won’t lose me. I’m here as long as you want.”