Monday - February 16th, 2009
Who: Bastian and Estrella What: Conversation and then some When: Evening Where: Estrella's dorm, the grounds, Bastian's apartment Rated: NSFW
Monday evening, right after getting off work and double checking his verbal sparring with Estrella, Bastian stopped by his apartment for a quick shower and change of clothes before heading out. It was time to see if she was available for their discussion at least. Bas was hoping she'd be up for dinner. Wearing warm, comfortable boots, thick jeans and a jade-colored sweater under his bomber jacket, he trudged through the snow still on the ground to her dorm. It didn't take long before he was outside her door and knocking. ~~~ Estrella honestly hadn't anticipated him stopping by so soon. And since no one ever actually stopped by here, she was a bit surprised to hear a knock on the door. Closing the book she was reading after carefully dog-tagging her page, she lay it on the bed before she got to her feet and walked over to open the door. Clearly she was not expecting company, already in her pajama pants, house slippers and a tank top, but that didn't deter her from smirking when she spotted him on the other side of the door. "He listens," she remarked, then added, "And well," before she turned to walk back over to the bed, leaving him to enter as she plopped down on it and folded her legs beneath her indian-style. ~~~ Bastian rolled his eyes at the greeting. "And hello to you too." He walked in, shutting the door behind him. "I listen when it benefits me." Slipping out of his jacket, he tossed it over the back of the nearest chair and joined her on the bed. "Whatcha reading?" A moment later and he was tilting his head, trying to read the dust jacket. ~~~ "Oh?" Estrella asked, a brow quirking slightly. "And what benefit doest thou hope to have tonight?" She smirked and then eyed him as he tossed the jacket and plopped on her bed. Yes, she supposed they had reached a point where he could just do that uninvited and it would be okay. The book explained the wording. Selections of Shakespeare. She'd been re-reading Romeo and Juliet to be precise. She'd revisited it admittedly often since her youth. ~~~ Bastian checked out the book, noting the different plays and scenes marked on the back. One of his favorites was listed and he wondered if Estrella would get the quote. "There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures." He was here for no other reason than to see where things would go. Otherwise, he'd feel like a man with a lost opportunity. ~~~ So he knew his Shakespeare? Impressive. Of course what was more impressive was the quote that he chose of all the ones he could have picked from every single one of the works within the book. Estrella looked at him for a moment with a smile resting upon her features, curling her lips, and then she leaned in and kissed him. It was soft but not tentative, sweet but not exactly chaste either. "You know you pretty much just summed up exactly how I've been feeling lately," she remarked when she pulled away, though she kept their distance to one another close still. ~~~ The kiss was unexpected, but not unappreciated. Bastian returned it, understanding that it wasn't to be anything more just yet. When she pulled away, he stayed close. "Oh really?" Funny, he didn't realize that what he said would be that fitting. ~~~ "Mmm," she concured, a hand moving up to tuck a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear. "I've been feeling like I'm stuck in the shallows, just waiting on the tide to come in and sweep me away somewhere." She exhaled a soft laugh. "But every time it does, I get scared and paddle back until I'm safe again." She smiled a little as she added, "I've been thinking a lot about how tired I am of just being safe." ~~~ Bastian noticed how she was still holding the book in her hands. As a weapon or a shield? "So then how do you plan to start venturing out? The tide will only take you so far." Bastian watched her eyes, glancing away once in awhile so she didn't feel like he was staring at her. ~~~ Estrella frowned a little, thinking. "I dunno," she replied with a small shrug of her shoulders. "Stop taking everything so seriously?" She suggested with a small laugh. "Stop living in fear and just... live." She sighed and then she added, "It's just.. it's not easy. I've been through... so much shit in life already that it feels unwise to invite more but then I think about what happened just before I came here and how close I was to..." If she was going to go into that topic, there were a few things she should probably explain. ~~~ Bastian watched and listened, not interrupting. It seemed there was something on her mind that she wanted to get out, so he was willing to wait. To let her work through it in her own time until she felt she could tell him. ~~~ "Trey, my brother, pissed off the wrong people." Estrella hated talking about this just because it compounded everything that people thought about poor black people from Detroit. "And if you wanna get to Trey, the best way to do it is to use me, and they knew that, and so they did." The finer details she would not go into just yet but he could imagine a few and probably be fairly accurate. "That's why I'm here instead of back home finishing my degree." ~~~ Bastian had a very active imagination, and what he came up with was far from pleasing. Still, he tamped down his anger on her behalf. Instead, he reached for her hand, bringing it to his lips and pressing a kiss to the knuckles. "I'm sorry for what you went through." ~~~ Estrella wasn't sure she had anything to say to that, so instead she just continued with her previous point. "So understandably it's.. difficult to convince myself to invite the potential for more trauma but, on the other hand, I spent a lot of time while all of that was going on thinking about all the things that I had never done, that I may never get the chance to do, and now that I'm out of it, now that I'm here and safe, I feel... almost like I am indebted and it's my... my duty almost to do some of those things, to try new things, to now just... wait for something else to happen to make me realize what potential's being wasted." ~~~ Since she didn't take her hand away, Bastian didn't release it, stroking his thumb over her just-kissed knuckles. "So, given the choice, what would you want to do? What new thing would you want to try?" He was sorry for her past, for her family, but Bastian was more focused on her right now. ~~~ "It's not really about anything specific," Estrella remarked. Of course it was but not really something specific that you could just try. She couldn't just go out and try falling in love and eventually having children and growing old. Those weren't things you tried, but things you did, though the first one was the most difficult one because anyone could get pregnant at any time and everyone grew old eventually but not everyone opened themselves up to the possibility of falling in love. "It's more just.. a way of being, of living in the present instead of the past, of not... you know, allowing fear of the unknown to dictate my life." ~~~ Bastian could tell there was more behind her words, but he didn't press. "Anything I can do to help?" He was usually pretty good for people trying out a new adventure. He knew how to keep things safe and sane, but fun, even outside the bedroom. ~~~ "Just...." Estrella inhaled a breath and exhaled sharply before she put the book down the bed beside her and leaned back slightly on the one palm. "Push." That statement alone may not make much sense, so she added, "If you hit a point where your interests prove genuine and your feelings sincere, then push, because I'm probably going to pull and maybe even run if you don't." ~~~ "That's a dangerous thing to tell me." Right now, Bastian could very much push, but he wasn't going to. They still had quite a bit of talking to do, things to work out and know about each other first. He'd made that mistake with Syn and wasn't about to do it again. ~~~ "I know," Estrella replied quite simply. "But it's what I want, even if I'm..." She exhaled a small laugh. "Pardon my lack of eloquence, scared shitless of it." ~~~ Nodding, Bastian leaned forward, wanting to push a little this time. She kissed him before, it was time he returned the favor. He stopped an inch away, waiting to be sure she would want it. ~~~ She didn't flinch, didn't move away. If there were any more clear of an answer she could give, she wasn't sure what it would be other than actually taking it for herself, which she didn't. She didn't want to. ~~~ Bastian smiled for a moment before he pressed their mouths together, letting his lips explore hers for a long moment. He didn't take it any deeper than that, just using pressure and soft brushes to kiss. Finally he pulled back. ~~~ Estrella had... Well she had honestly anticipated more. But she wasn't disappointed when he pulled away. She licked her lips and considered him for a moment before she remarked, "You're a lot different than most of the men I've known." She paused before she asked, "Why?" ~~~ Bastian hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out if what she said was a good thing or a bad thing. "That depends. How am I different?" Reasonable question, he thought. ~~~ "Well, I give you an opening and... you don't take it too far." She was referring, of course, to the kiss, just now. Most guys she'd known would push for more, would pressure her, and he hadn't, not at all. Not ever. "I mean I know we have an agreement about taking things slow but... It's just very different than what I've previously encountered, how you are about things that is." ~~~ Bastian shrugged. "Sounds to me like you haven't met very many gentlemen. I don't push people into doing something they don't want. I'll push limits and boundaries, but I know when it's too far." He shrugged. "I'd rather you come to me freely than I take it from you." ~~~ "You're probably right." Estrella smirked, then the smirk turned into a smile as she remarked, "And yet you wonder why I say that my mother would have loved you." ~~~ Bastian shrugged. "I've never met anyone's parents. So I don't know the impression I'd make." Scooting back a bit, he gave them both some room to breathe and to think. "So I owe you at least dinner." ~~~ "It's too bad you won't get to meet mine." Or her mother at least. She wasn't sure if her father was still alive or not. She hadn't thought to really ask. She smiled as he scooted back, taking a breath because it felt like she needed one. "We've already established that. Though maybe without the surprise at the end this time." Last time had not gone so well. ~~~ "Yeeeeah," Bastian groaned. "It won't happen again." Especially not as there wasn't anyone to come over like that again. "I'm sure you could think of a better surprise if you wanted to." ~~~ "Mmm," Estrella grinned, her eyes sparkling. "I definitely can." Innuendo? Maybe a little. But she concluded the statement with, "Like dessert." ~~~ Bastian chuckled, giving the point to her. "Dessert is always an excellent surprise after dinner." He grinned. Coming over this evening was definitely seemed like a good idea. ~~~ Estrella smiled, and then she shifted on the bed, scooting up closer to the top so that she could lounge back on the pillows as she instructed, "Take your shoes off. Get comfy. Stay a while." She liked having him around, or being around him rather. It had been rather... lonely in her dorm since she'd decided he was well enough to be left this own devices and without her care. ~~~ Bastian leaned over the side of the bed, untying his shoes and settling them on the floor. He shifted on the bed so that he could sit up, leaning against the wall with her feet in his lap. Absently, he wrapped his hands around her foot and started massaging, thumbs pressing into the tense muscles. ~~~ A foot massage. She wasn't expecting that, but she wasn't going to complain about it either. Bastian had good hands and he knew just the spots to hit, it would seem. Was it wrong for a foot massage to make her wonder about how good a job his hands could do in other places? Distraction time. "Tell me a secret," Estrella said. "Or, you know, just something that I don't know about you. Like where you got you massage therapy license for instance." ~~~ Bastian chuckled. "I'll take that to mean you're enjoying yourself. I don't have a license for massage therapy. I also don't have many secrets." His thumbs slid over the arch of her foot, digging into a knot. ~~~ "Why wouldn't I be?" Estrella asked honestly, and then inhaled a breath as his thumbs caressed that arch. Sometimes she was a tiny bit ticklish. Just sometimes though. "Uhm, well, maybe not but there's plenty I don't know about you, right? So enlighten me." ~~~ "Let's see," Bastian murmured, more focused on her feet at the moment. He figured he could give her a basic background and if anything interested her, she would ask. "Let's see. I'm twenty-eight years old, from Cook City, Montana. I've never met my birth parents and was raised by my grandfather in our tribe. Moved to this coast when I turned eighteen and started cooking school." ~~~ Estrella listened and then she smiled. "One," she said simply. She'd wait for him to ask what she meant by that before explaining. "What interests you? What are your hobbies? Aside from cooking, of course. I already know that." ~~~ Bastian smiled in return, leaning against the wall as he worked on her arches. "Hmm?" He waited while she explained, and then huffed out a breath. "I've got multiple interests. I enjoy my tribe's beadwork. Got a couple different projects I'm working on. I read, as you know, most anything. Dancing, rock climbing. I'll try most anything once." ~~~ "One thing we have in common so far." Of course there were probably more, but she was keeping count only of what they talked about just now. "I never met my birth father." She shrugged. As he continued talking, she amended that statement. "Three. Reading and dancing. I've always thought rock climbing would be fun, just never had the opportunity to try it out." ~~~ "I'll take you sometime if you'd like. There's a decent indoor place in Boston. Though if you want to try the real deal, we'd need to get out of town." Taking a break on the foot he'd been working on, he switched to the other. "What about you? Hobbies and interests." ~~~ "I wouldn't mind a break from the cold." Estrella had always wanted to travel anyway, she just never had the opportunity. Wiggling her toes as he finished with the one foot, she wasn't at all reluctant in letting him take the other. Of course then he turned the question around on her and she wasn't sure how happy she was with that situation. "Uhm... I never really.. had a lot of time for much." She gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "I read a lot, of course, and... music. I.. compose once in a while, though nothing really... I mean it's just for fun." ~~~ "What style?" Bastian didn't know she wrote her own music and he was intrigued. That was a level of skill he couldn't relate to and so he was curious. ~~~ "Uhm... Well it's sort of.. soul mixed with a bit of pop and maybe a little r&b influence as well." Estrella gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "I don't really have a particular style, I just.. do what sounds good, whatever flows. On piano, mostly. We had an old upright when I was growing up. It was really out of tune, but it worked." She frowned a bit as she added, "I haven't really played since I've been here." ~~~ Bastian rubbed right under her toes. "Why haven't you gone to the music rooms here? There's several great pianos, I've been told." He watched her get lost in her thoughts again and continued softly, "I'd love to hear you play sometime." The best Bastian could play involved the drums and even then he wasn't exactly coordinated. He was much better with the dancing than the drum circles. ~~~ "Lack of inspiration," Estrella replied honestly. She'd felt bogged down in pretty much every way since the crap that had gone down in Detroit and creatively was no exception to that. "That might could be arranged," she smiled. She then remarked offhandedly, "I really hate feet." She laughed. "Like what you're doing right now, I could never do. I absolutely HATE the idea of touching someone else's feet." ~~~ Bastian shrugged. "They're just part of the body. Besides, doesn't it feel good?" He pressed his thumbs into her arch and slid them down towards her heel with even pressure. ~~~ "I know," Estrella remarked. "It's just.. one of those things that doesn't really make sense but just is." She smirked as she added, "And yes, it feels quite good. You have skilled hands." ~~~ Shrugging, he kept working, feeling her muscles relax from the pressure. "Thanks. I do try." Finally he finished with her foot, working on her ankle just to keep touching. ~~~ Estrella smiled a little as he moved up to her ankle, sliding down just a bit more to make it easier for him. "So tell me more. Tell me who you are." ~~~ Bastian chuckled. "I've never been very good at answering vague questions. I could talk all night and never give you what you're looking for." He slowly rotated her ankle, stretching. "Ask me a specific question." ~~~ "I don't know you well enough to ask specific questions," Estrella retorted. "But okay," she said after a moment. "Something specific." She clicked her tongue and then asked, "What are you thinking about right now? Specifically?" ~~~ Bastian watched her and finally answered. "A few different things. Like how gorgeous you are. How I'm enjoying just spending the time with you. Wondering what else I should share tonight and what I should leave a mystery." That was enough of a start to give her an idea. ~~~ Estrella flushed a little, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She was quiet for a moment before she made an executive decision. "Let's get outta here for a bit." She retracted her feet and added, "I'll get some clothes on," before she moved to climb over him. ~~~ Bastian paused her right as she was climbing over his lap, taking advantage of the situation to steal a brief kiss. He nibbled softly at her lips, just enough to taste her and then backed away. "Where would you like to go?" ~~~ Estrella would have been disappointed if he hadn't taken the opportunity that had been presented him. She exhaled a soft moan in response to the kiss, pressing against him for a moment before he pulled away and she smiled. "Wait and see," she answered, then managed to actually make it off of the bed then to go grab some jeans and a sweater from the closet and duck into the bathroom, door left partly open because she trusted him not to try and sneak a peek, while she changed. ~~~ Trusting him was one thing, but Bastian was no fool. He did look. He leaned back on the bed enough to see a flash of creamy mocha skin and then leaned back up. Bastian wondered what the hell had come over him that he was courting in the typical sense. It was new for him. The man was used to men and women alike approaching him, knowing exactly what they wanted, taking it, and then going their separate ways. Of course, Estrella wasn't looking to go her separate way. Was she? ~~~ Pulling her hair up in a messy ponytail once she'd changed, she peeked out the door and asked, "Got your shoes on yet?" She smiled, then checked herself in the mirror once more before coming out to find her own boots and tug them on over a pair of warm socks. Being from Michigan, she definitely knew how to dress for cold weather. ~~~ Bastian reached for his shoes the moment before he was asked. "Working on it. You dress faster than I'm used to." He slid his feet into his boots and tugged them back on, lacing them quickly. Standing, he grabbed his jacket to wait for her. ~~~ Estrella gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "I've never understood the women that feel the need to prepare for an hour to leave their house. Be yourself. I mean anyone that deserves you isn't going to run from that." She moved to grab her own jacket, phone and keys pocketed, and then she was ready, wrapping a scarf around her neck before moving to open the door and hold it for him, gesturing toward the hall. ~~~ While Bastian wasn't usually the first one through a door, it made sense in this case so that she could lock it behind him. "So does this mean you're driving to our destination or do you intend to tell me so I can get us there?" He smiled, fully teasing and happy to go along with her plan for now. ~~~ Estrella followed him out, looking the door behind them before she looked at him with a brow slightly arched. "Who said we're driving somewhere?" She took his arm as she came up beside him, linking her own with his and keeping herself close. "I thought we could just go for a walk." He'd been trapped inside for weeks while he was sick and, since she had been looking after him and helping with the kitchen in his absence, so had she. It was cold and there was still a lot of snow on the ground but that wasn't going to hurt either of them really. ~~~ "Ah," Bastian nodded, grinning. He wasn't a huge fan of the snow, but it was gorgeous. "Just don't fault me if for some reason you end up face first in a snowpile," he said innocently. Chuckling, he led the way down the hall, holding the doors for her as they headed outside. ~~~ Estrella arched a brow sharply, giving him a "you do it and you die" sort of look. "And don't fault me if you end up with half the snowpile down the front of your pants were that to happen, k?" She smiled sweetly and then she laughed. "I actually really like Winter, better than Summer, in fact," she remarked as they made it out onto the grounds. ~~~ Bastian laughed, not at all worried about her threat. "I think I love fall the most. The time when the world is settling down, leaves are changing and there's that bite in the air. Amazing." He kicked a pile of snow, watching the fluff rise into the air. ~~~ "Hmm, falls good. All the colors." Estrella smiled. "The rich golds and reds. I just like the cold," she laughed. "In spite of how much I complain about it. It's way better than when it's hot. You get all sticky and your clothes still all to you and stuff. There's nothing like cuddling up next to a warm fire with a mug of hot cocoa in the middle of a cold snap and getting all toasty and warm." ~~~ Bastian shrugged. "Yeah, but there's more layers in the winter." He glanced at her pointedly. "I'm not a fan of feeling like a marshmallow." It was very obviously not the direction his thoughts had taken, but it was what he said that counted, right? ~~~ "Ah, right, but..." Estrella smirked. "There are way more interesting ways of keeping warm than there are of cooling off." Maybe he'd not come out and said where his mind had gone, but she had. And why not say what they were both thinking? It wasn't like it was unnatural in any way. ~~~ "Now that I definitely don't mind. Keeping warm is one thing. Deliberately trying to get cold is another." Bastian stepped closer to her, bumping her hip with his own as they trudged through the snow. ~~~ "Oh no, I've been found out!" Estrella giggled. "I'm deliberately trying to get cold so I have an excuse for you to warm me back up." She smirked and then added in a soft voice, "But do I really need one?" ~~~ Bastian laughed along with her, then glanced down. "Only if it makes you feel better to have one." Did she need a reason for Bastian to put his hands on her? No, but if it made her more comfortable, he'd let her find one. ~~~ Estrella didn't give him a yes or no to that question. Instead, she slid her hand down to find him, lacing her fingers with his own and continuing to walk for a moment in silence. "You know what I miss?" She asked, thinking about it now that they were discussing the cold. "Having a bathtub. I mean having a private shower is great. It's better than most dormitory type situations, but I miss being able to run a hot bath and just... soak." ~~~ "You can use mine." The words were out before Bastian could even think of the consequences. If she took him up on his offer, she would be naked. In his tub. In his apartment. So tempting. "Can't exactly promise I won't want to join you," he muttered under his breath. ~~~ That part that he said under his breath did not escape her notice. It was quiet out here, after all. And every time one spoke, it created a puff of cold smoke. It sort of amplified everything. And so she responded to it, as if he had said it outright. "Only if you'll wash my back." ~~~ "Given the chance I'll wash more than your back." Bastian was now trying to figure out if this was still the innocent flirting, or if she was seriously considering asking him to join her in a bath. He decided to operate under the flirting tag until she made it clear otherwise. ~~~ "Oh?" Estrella asked, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "Going to wash my hair for me too?" She was sure that wasn't what he was talking about, but she would play it up because, well, it was amusing, right? ~~~ Bastian shrugged. Wasn't what he had in mind, but ok. "And anything else as well. Of course, I figured given it's a bath, just soaking for awhile would probably be on your list." He could just think about frothy bubbles dancing over her skin, silky warm water gliding over her as his hands traced her form. Oh that was a bad train of thought. Maybe he should get snow dumped down his pants. It would certainly help the strain on the seams. ~~~ "Mmm, with lots of bubbles." Estrella was well aware of what she was probably doing to. And did she feel bad about it? Not really. But did she intend to act upon it? Well, she wasn't really sure just yet. If they kept talking like this, maybe. ~~~ "Yeah, bubbles," Bastian mumured absently, now lost in his mental scene. God she was gorgeous splayed out in a porcelain tub in his mind. He groaned softly. "You're trying to kill me. I know it." ~~~ Estrella laughed a little, a slight shiver running up her spine as she replied, "I think I'm trying to kill us both." They were supposed to be taking things slow, getting to know one another. And she was all for that idea. She didn't want to rush into a relationship with him, didn't want to fall head over heels in love with someone she didn't even know. But still, it was only natural to have needs that, when not met, became a bit pressing and it had been quite some time since her needs had been met by anyone other than herself. Temptation to throw caution to the wind was... great. ~~~ "You're doing an excellent job of it." Bastian kept his hand linked with hers, but shifted their arms so his was around her shoulder and she had her arm crossed over her chest. "It's damned hard to be a gentleman when you're so tempting." ~~~ Estrella giggled a little as he shifted them and then leaned back against him. "I'm not the only one that's tempting." She smirked as she added, "That bath is sounding more and more like a needs to happen sort of thing." ~~~ Bastian dropped his head, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Just say when." He shifted a bit more so she was cradled against his body. She felt good there. ~~~ "I haven't changed my mind about taking things slow," Estrella remarked, tilting her head to the side so she could look up at him. "Emotionally speaking. I don't wanna rush things." ~~~ Bastian nodded, keeping his head close since there was no reason to move. "I understand. Don't think I'm asking you to give something you're not comfortable sharing. That's not how I work." ~~~ "I know," Estrella replied. "You've reminded me of that plenty. I believe you already." She exhaled a small laugh. She was quiet for a moment, silently considering things and then she remarked, "It really is kinda cold out here." She paused and then she added, "I'm going to put the ball in your court, Bastian. Do you want me to go home with you tonight?" ~~~ He chuckled softly, glad that he didn't need to repeat it again. When posed with the question, Bastian took a long moment to think it over. "I'll answer this way. If you came over, we'd both enjoy it, but you'd have very little in the way of rest." ~~~ "I'm not the one who needs recovering," Estrella replied, tilting her head to look up at him once more. "You were sick, not me so.... Do you need rest?" ~~~ For a response, Bas dipped his head, brushing his mouth over Estrella's, letting his tongue flick over the seam of her lips. When she parted to take a breath, he slipped inside, a hand coming up to cup her cheek. ~~~ That was a very good answer, and a very bad one too. On the one hand, she had not forgotten that thought that had gone through her mind while laying with him in his bed while he was ill and she knew that something more between them would only serve as a propellant for that. On the other hand, it had been a long time since she had been touched, been kissed, been caressed, and she wanted to be, most especially by a man who she just knew would know exactly how to do it at that. The second hand was quickly winning out. And with a soft moan, she shifted in his embrace, turning her body toward him, the voluptuous curves of her body arching against his own. ~~~ Bastian groaned softly into her mouth, bringing his other hand around her waist to hold her against him. He adored a woman with curves. There was just nothing that could describe how marvelous it was to feel that body pressed close to his own. He shifted his head, changing the angle of the kiss. ~~~ To put it simply, Bastian turned her on. So in spite of the warning bells, in spite of the reasons she had to mistrust him, in spite of all the pep talks she had given herself to try and convince herself to act in any way other than this one, Estrella knew where this was headed. Her hands slipped inside his jacket, palms pressed flush against his abs as they circled around him. She moaned, more like she whimpered, into the kiss as he shifted and changed the angle, claiming her mouth a bit more fully. ~~~ Sliding his hand from her cheek, Bastian tangled his fingers in her hair, holding her mouth right where he wanted it. Where he could ravish and feast on her flavor. After a long minute, he finally pulled away to let her breathe. "It's cold out here. Let's get inside," he murmured. ~~~ Estrella couldn't even remember the last time she had been kissed like this. He took her breath, left her speechless and weak in the knees. All she could do in response to the question was nod her head, a soft "mmhmm" of agreement managing to form before her hands slid from his jacket, one moving to take hold of his own. ~~~ Taking her hand, Bastian pressed a kiss to her knuckles, leading the way to his apartment. It was much closer at this point than her dorm. He walked quickly through the snow, forging a path for her and just trying to get them inside. They'd been out longer than he thought. His nose was practically frozen. ~~~ His apartment was closer AND it had a tub. Two distinct bonuses to going there over her dorm. She kicked the snow off of her boots once they'd made it inside the building and then exhaled a breath to warm her nose. "It was colder than I thought out there." This was one of those sorts of things where you didn't honestly realize how cold it was until you were met with warmth and it was definitely a lot warmer even in the foyer of the building than it had been outside. ~~~ The blast of warm air brought a moment of lucidity to Bastian. Turning, he smiled down at Estrella. "You sure this is what you want tonight? I don't mind waiting." She'd made it clear that she wanted to move slowly, and this was far from slow. Bastian didn't want her to regret this choice later. ~~~ It was kind of strange how the warmth of the air could bring clarity. But Estrella hadn't really changed her mind even with the blast of heat. And so she fixed him with a look, one that told him she would greatly appreciate it if he would stop asking her that. "Bastian, I want to go upstairs with you." ~~~ "Thank fuck," he murmured, tugging her into his body for a searing kiss. Bastian didn't know how on earth he'd be able to let her walk away if she decided to say no suddenly. ~~~ Estrella had just enough time for a small giggle to part her lips before that kiss was upon her lips. She moaned, arching her body into his, pulling his arm around her with the hand that held his. She had to force herself to cut it short, pulling back suddenly to say in a soft and low voice, "We need to take this inside." ~~~ Bastian chuckled, moving his mouth to her throat and licking. "You don't feel like giving security a quick show?" Groaning softly, he stood up. If she didn't want to give a show, he wouldn't blame her. "Bloody fifth floor." Bastian started taking the stairs two at a time. ~~~ "The only show I plan on giving tonight is to you," Estrella came back with quickly, knowing that that, if nothing else, would motivate him. She smirked when he grumbled about the floor and then took off, having to jog up the stairs to keep up with him because, well, he was a bit taller than her and while he could take two steps at a time, she couldn't quite swing that. ~~~ Her comment was most definitely a motivator, to the point where he was waiting for her at each landing, more than half tempted to toss her over his shoulder. Though chances were he'd be holding her soon enough so he wouldn't push this. Finally, they made it to the top of the stairs and he quickly unlocked the door, letting her through first. "You want that bath or to test out the mattress first?" ~~~ Estrella considered herself to be a lady by every measure of the word, but that didn't mean that she couldn't get naughty, couldn't be downright dirty when the situation called for it. And right now it seemed to call for it. She was in the process of sheding her coat and scarf when he asked her that question and she turned on him to fix him with a very deliberate look. "I want you to strip me down and fuck me. The bath can wait." ~~~ Given what she just said, Bastian wasn't certain they'd make it to the bed. "Then stop undressing." The moment her hands dropped, he backed her forcefully against the door, lowering his mouth to claim hers. This wasn't just a kiss, this was a battle for dominance. Bastian's cold hands tugged her shirt up and slid over her stomach, arching her against his body. ~~~ A brow quirked slightly and then she did as she was told, allowing her hands to drop to her sides as she waited for him to make his move. She didn't need to wait for long. The coldness of his hands against her warm skin made her hiss but the kiss made her moan. She used the wall against her back as leverage which allowed her to arch her lower body into his own, to press her stomach into his touch. She kept her hands to the side for the moment, palms pressed flush against the wood of the door. Her head felt like it was spinning and she couldn't wrap her brain around much of anything, it was like functioning purely on instinct. ~~~ Instinct was all that was needed to function, and not even really then. Bastian only required response and active participation. With still-cold hands, he slid up her torso, flipped her bra up and settled his hands over her breasts, squeezing and letting her warmth seep into his digits. ~~~ The coldness of his hands caused goosebumps to form along her skin and her nipples to almost immediately harden in response. It was like he'd put ice on them or something. She moaned, breaking the kiss but only because she had to breathe. She felt like she was going to drown in that kiss and while she may have been perfectly content with that prospect, it would have been a shame to put an end to things so soon. ~~~ Estrella pulling her mouth away only bared her throat. He latched on right over the soft spot where her throat met shoulder, sucking and licking. His fingers plucked and teased the hard points under her shirt, twisting lightly and releasing. The clothes needed to come off soon. ~~~ There was only so much of this whole behaving thing that she could stand. Her hands had to do something so they moved from the door to his hips, fingers hooking in his jeans and tugging on them somewhat impatiently. At least they were on the same wave length about one thing. His hands felt good so it only stood to reason that they would feel even better if they were able to touch more of her. Right? ~~~ Bastian groaned against her throat, finally removing his hands long enough to tug off her scarf and jacket. He didn't care that they were still against the door, moaning loud enough that anyone on the other side could hear. He wanted to touch, to taste. To feast. ~~~ Thank God he'd finally decided to strip off a few of those layers. She was starting to grow quite pleasantly warm in spite of the cool temperature of his hands. Estrella seized this opportunity to move her hands up to shove his own jacket back and off his shoulders leaving his upper body open to the exploration of her hands through the fabric of his shirt. He was very nicely built, this she already knew, but that didn't mean she appreciated rediscovering it any less. ~~~ He tugged off his jacket, throwing it to the side and not caring where it landed. Pulling his mouth from her throat, Bastian leaned back to check his handiwork. "Hope you've got turtlenecks," he murmured, returning his mouth to hers. His hands came around to cup her ass, lifting her off the ground and pinning her to the door with his hips. ~~~ Estrella exhaled a soft laugh and replied, "Got plenty of scarves." And at least it was winter. It would make sense for her to be wearing them right now, not that she would really care what anyone thought should they seem the marks regardless. The hands on the ass earned him a soft groan as her legs wrapped around his waist. She grunted slightly when he pinned her with his hips, rolling her own against him in kind. ~~~ Bastian groaned along with her. "Damned bed's too far." Still, he kissed her, spinning and walking nearly blind down the hall to his bed. He wanted her under him. ~~~ That would have made her laugh if she wasn't too busy being kissed to bother. Estrella hooked her arms around Bastian's neck to offer a bit more support as he pulled her from the door and headed down the hall. When he bumped the wall a little she broke the kiss and giggled, deciding it would be safer if she simply nibbled on his neck and ear the rest of the way down the hall so that he could actually see where he was going now. ~~~ The sudden nip to his ear only made Bastian bump into the wall again, growling softly. Who knew that the soft skin there could be so sensitive? Twisting his head away so he could focus, he let her kiss his neck, finally kicking the door open and tossing her down to the bed. She was along long enough for Bastian to kick off his boots and then his body covered hers once more. ~~~ Oooohhh. That was something certainly worth noting for later. Estrella was all smiles as he tossed her onto the bed, her dark hair splayed out perfectly against the comforter, deep eyes peering up at him. She was going to attempt to take her boots off as well so she wouldn't get the linens dirty but she didn't have time before he was on top of her once more, her arms and legs both wrapping around him, receiving him into her once more. ~~~ Bastian slid his hands between them again, tugging her shirt and bra up. He got the material over her head, but twisted it around her arms, locking it in place and keeping her hands ouf of the way. With a smirk, he dipped his head. His eyes stayed focused on hers as his tongue flicked out, catching her nipple.