Archive of Our Own ^beta

It’s been a long day in Independence. A heavy thunderstorm had swept in the late afternoon, stranding everyone in town. Hagan’s is full, with some travelers doubling-up in the larger rooms. Hoyt had found himself a room upstairs next to Kate and Abby, and Gus had retired to the sheriff’s office for some peace and quiet. Calian, who had chosen to stay instead of fighting the weather on his way home, had been given a room all to himself down the hall from yours, and he’d trudged upstairs a few minutes before you had decided to retire.

You tossed and turned for almost two hours, trying to sleep over the howl of the wind outside and the patter of rain against the windows. It’s cold, and even with three blankets you’re unable to feel warm enough to be comfortable.

And you can’t stop thinking about the man asleep down the hall. It’s the second time you’ve been able to spend the night in the same building together; he’s only stuck around once before, a little over a week before when Kate had taught you and the others how to play a card game that involved a secret killer and almost total darkness to hide in. Two rounds had passed, and you’d been hiding from Abby in the changing room next to the stage when Calian had slipped through the door and somehow trusted that you weren’t the player holding the Ace of Spades card.

You haven’t been able to forget the way he’d felt against you, huddled together in the dark of the changing room that was large enough for the two of you to have plenty of space, and how you’d giggled almost loud enough for someone to hear and he’d lifted a finger to press against your lips, a ghostly-quiet “shhh” hissing between his teeth.

You’d been ready for him to do something about the tension that had already been brewing between you for weeks before Abby had burst through the door and you avoided each other as much as possible for the rest of the night because there was no way you’d be able to stop yourselves if you got left alone again.

Cursing the frigid air, you decide to get up, wrapping the top blanket around your shoulders as you head to the door. You might as well pass the time with a book or the newspaper.

The first floor of Hagan’s is empty, save for Calian, who’s stretched out on one of the lounge couches, flipping through one of the books that usually pile the top of the piano. He looks up when he hears your light footsteps on the carpeted stairs, and your stomach flutters a little when he lifts a hand for a weary wave as you approach. You hadn’t expected the object of your affections to be awake as well.

“What are you doing up?” He watches you nestle into the large cushioned chair on the other side of the small coffee table, tugging the nearest newspaper into your lap. “It’s late, you should be sleeping.”

“I couldn’t.” You wrap your blanket a little tighter around your shoulders. “The wind’s too loud and my room is cold. Thought I might pass the time by reading. What are you doing down here? I would have thought you’d have a room.”

He nods shortly.  “I do. I couldn’t sleep either. My bed creaks. I’m not used to it, anyway.”

You absentmindedly flip a page of the newspaper, not bothering to try and read the tiny print. “Is something on your mind?”

He shrugs. “Just thinking.”

“About?”

He takes a pause, arms folded over his stomach. “Last week. The night we played that card-draw game that Kate showed us.”

You bite your lip. “What about that night?” You tilt your head, unable to hide the burn in your cheeks.

He gazes up at the ceiling, too shy to meet your eyes. “I haven’t felt that way about someone in a long time. There was a moment where I forgot we were playing a game and all I could think about was being close to you.

You smile. “Oh?”

He lets out a quick sigh. “I thought you were with the other man. That’s why I’ve stayed away, I didn’t want to make myself think there was something there that… wasn’t.”

“The other man was a suitor my parents practically mailed out here for me to meet,” you reply, “he’s not for me and frankly I think he was less pleased with me than I was with him.”

He chuckles. “Why’s that?”

“He thought I was too rambunctious.” You roll your eyes. “And he saw us talking together and thought I was a little too comfortable around another man.”

He hums. “He thought you and I…?”

“I don’t know. All I know is he was very disgruntled when he got on his coach back to Austin.” You giggle. “There’s no need to worry about him.”

“Good.” Calian takes a deep breath. “Have you thought about that night?”

Your cheeks burn. You weren’t expecting to have this conversation tonight, especially not after you’d been tossing and turning, unable to get the very subject of it off your mind all evening.

“I have,” you finally admit, unable to look him in the eye. “It’s… partially the reason I couldn’t sleep.”

His eyes glimmer with something you can’t read — hope? Shock? “Oh?”

“I thought If we were alone for longer…” you chew on the inside of your lip. “Before Abby found us, I felt… I don’t know, I might be wrong because I couldn’t see anything, but I felt like you were going to kiss me.”

He blinks slowly, the corner of his mouth turning up into a smile. “I was.”

Your stomach flips, and you fight the urge to giggle in response. “In that case, I’ll say that Abby’s timing is horrible.”

“It is.” His mouth curves into a smile. “Would you have been upset if I did?”

You shake your head. “Not at all.”

His eyes track down to your lips, and you don’t miss it. There’s no way he’s only thought about kissing you — no man thinks about kissing a woman and stops himself there. It sends a thrill through your blood at the thought of him concocting all sorts of fantasies about you. 

“I’m glad,” he finally says.

You hum, a ripple of excitement flowing through you as you open up a proposition. If you don’t ask now, you might miss a perfect opportunity. “Calian.”

“Hmm?”

“I can tell you want to do more than kiss me, so come upstairs with me and do something about it.” 

His eyes go wide. Evidently he hadn’t been ready to receive such a bold response. You wait for him to respond, smiling when he seems to struggle to figure out what to say.

“What if someone sees us?” He sits up, intrigued despite his question.

You smile. “I don’t care.” 

He takes a quick breath. “What if someone hears?”

“I can be quiet.” You stand, offering him your hand. “Can you?”

He takes a long moment, apparently searching for some kind of verbal response that doesn’t come. He loops his fingers into yours and stands, quickly following you towards the stairs without stopping to grab his boots from the floor. It’s otherwise quiet in the hotel, and you do your best to keep your footsteps light as you take the steps as fast as you can. He nearly chases you down the hallway, one hand on your lower back.

He kisses you the second the door to your room closes, backing you up against the thin wooden panel and winding his arms around you. You have to stretch up on your toes a little, and he brings your body a little closer to his. You’re separated by layers of cotton and buckskin, and you gently slide your hands under his shirt. He steps back to tug it over his head, and you let him return to kissing you as he fumbles with the tie of his pants. They join his shirt on the floor, and you step forward to move him closer to the bed.

“Wait,” you whisper when he tries to lift you up onto the mattress. “My turn.”

You pull at the hem of your nightdress, gathering enough of it so you can pull it up. Calian has to help you finish getting it off, and you giggle when the fabric pulls your hair over your face.

You haven’t been naked around a man in a very long time, and the realization that you can’t hide from him makes you shiver. Calian skims his hands down your sides, and it takes everything in you not to melt right there. He takes a step back, casting his eyes up and down to take in the sight of your bare skin, and you let him tease the tips of his fingers over a nipple.

He scoops you off the ground before you can stop him, kneeling forward onto the mattress and situating you on his lap. He shivers when you touch him, ghosting your fingers up and down until you feel him pulse against your palm. 

“Do you like this?” The question leaves your mouth before you can stop it. Of course he likes it, it’s a stupid question.

He nods slowly. “I haven’t been with anyone in a long time.”

“I haven’t, either.” You squeeze him a little harder, just enough to make him let out a solid moan. “How long?”

He rests his forehead against yours. “Long.”

“Mm.” You tilt your head to kiss him. You almost want him in your mouth, just to hear and feel his reaction. There’s time for that later, though. You’ll take your time with him later. “I’ll go easy.”

He gives a quick nod in response. You rock up on your knees, and the change in your height allows him to kiss along the inside of your breasts, cupping soft, warm skin in his calloused palm. You let him pay attention there for a while, letting the stimulation of his tongue and teeth and lips feather heat through every single inch of your body until you can’t take the tease anymore and angle him into warm, dripping-wet flesh. He stiffens at the first brush of wet heat, and lets out a breathy groan against your skin when you take him inside with a swift grind of your hips. The sudden penetration steals your breath away, and his hands grip your waist and pull you down on him.

“God—“ you rasp, “Calian…”

He hums against your lips, shifting his weight underneath you so he can cradle you in his lap. You have to hold onto his shoulders and brace your knees against the mattress for leverage, and his hands dig into your sides to hold you as you start to move. Another ragged groan leaves his throat, and you tip your head back, taking in every slide of hot, hard flesh inside you as you grind down.

“Slow,” he whispers. “Don’t rush.”

You let him guide you into a slower rhythm, scooping your pelvis against his in a way that takes your breath away. You wind your arms around his shoulders, fingers threading up into his hair, and let him bury his face against your chest as you focus on the way he feels around you, inside you.

He lets out a deep moan when you give him a long, tight squeeze. Your head tips back, lower lip between your teeth as he tilts his chin and bites at the column of your throat. The sharp ache of his teeth makes you flinch, and Calian pauses, panting as he runs his thumb over the marks he’d left.

“Did that hurt?” he asks. 

You nod. “A little.”

He gives you an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be, I liked it.” You dig your knees into the mattress. “I need you to touch me.”

You take his hand and guide it between your legs. He shifts a little to make enough room to get his thumb on your clit, and his breath becomes a sharp hiss through his teeth when you pulse around him.

“Just like that.” You wind your arms around his shoulders, settling into a rhythm that has you holding your breath in your effort to stay as quiet as possible.

You take your time, letting the pleasure build and fade in waves. Calian dots your cheeks and throat with tender kisses and bites that make you want even more from him. His mouth opens when you pick up the pace, and it doesn’t take long to have a loud, surprisingly high moan escaping his lips.

“Quiet,” you remind him, contradicting the word with another solid roll of your hips that makes another sound crack in his throat.

“You’re making it difficult,” he whispers, staring at you like you’re the most wonderful thing he’s ever laid his eyes on. He doesn’t stop touching you, his thumb moving up and down in time with your body. He searches along your collarbones and throat, looking for a sensitive spot. You shiver when he finds one, right at the juncture of your neck and shoulder, and he latches on, panting hard against your skin as his teeth and tongue work a mark into your skin.

The sensation is the final trigger your orgasm needs. You work a little harder as it starts to coil up in your belly, breathing long and deep as Calian’s free hand digs into a cheek of your ass to pull you down on him.

“Gonna come,” you whisper, “I’m gonna come.”

He leans back, giving you more room to grind on him as you shatter, scooping your pelvis down as your orgasm rockets through you. Calian holds you tight, teeth gritted as he focuses on the way your body feels around him. It’s like he’s counting the beats of your heart until you finally go still and settle against him, breath high in your throat.

“I’ve been thinking about you doing that.” He kisses the bridge of your nose. “Here.”

He leans forward, dumping you on your back as he situates himself between your legs. Your fingers catch in his hair when he dips his head to lick and bite at the side of your neck again. Your skin is warm and musky under his tongue.

You bite your lip when he starts to move, feeling the smooth slide back and forth and the press of his hips against yours. His breath is hot against your jaw, and you whimper when his teeth dig into your skin. He’s being too gentle. There’s more he can give you, and you know he’s holding back.

“More.” You arch up to meet him. “Give me more, I know you can.”

He lets out a deep breath, propping himself over you. His body pushes harder against yours, and you give him an approving nod, lifting your head to capture his mouth in a kiss. He feels wonderful, and when he rocks his pelvis from side-to side to get you to open up more, you give him as much room as you can. It changes the way he fits inside you, and he tests a rougher shove that makes you shiver. 

“Oh my God,” you breathe, eyes squeezing shut as you grab at his back. “Oh my… ah—”

Every sound you make seems to spur him on. His breath is heavy through his nose as he kisses you, swallowing the sounds you almost make as he rocks in and out. He’s moving harder now, making the metal frame of your bed creak a little. Your legs hook around his waist, ankles crossed to keep him as close as possible.

“Right there,” you murmur, “go faster, don’t stop ‘til you come.”

He lets out a deep groan in reply, thrusting hard enough to make his hips slap against yours. The sound echoes in the room, and you let out a soft whine against his shoulder as the wet out-and-in slide of him overwhelms you. He backs off a little, putting just enough space between your bodies to keep the noise down.

His breath picks up when he starts to come. He doesn’t give you any warning, but you can feel it in the way his thrusts turn quick and hard and he stifles a desperate moan in the crook of your neck. You hold him tight when he finally lets go, lips parting against his as he pours a heavy sigh into your mouth. He pins his hips close at the end, rocking gently back and forth to tease the pleasure out until he’s satisfied.

Silence falls over you, interrupted only by the sound of your slow breathing and the swell of the wind outside. The light from the oil lamp on your nightstand throws a golden-yellow glow on your naked skin.

“I thought we might have taken this slower,” he murmurs.

You hum, closing your eyes as he nuzzles against your cheek. “You’ve been thinking about this, specifically?”

“Among other things.” He takes a deep breath, trailing his fingertips over your stomach. “I always thought we might talk about it first. Maybe go somewhere.”

You hum, the sound turning into a soft laugh when he teases his fingers over your stomach. “Like where? All the way to Austin?”

He smiles. “Not that far. There’s a pond about a mile from my home.” He lifts himself up, giving you a little more room to look at him. “Lots of trees, it’s private. We could be there for hours if we wanted to. And we wouldn’t have to be quiet.”

His hair is feather-soft under your fingertips. “Then take me there.”

“I intend to.” He smooths his hand over your belly again. “Do you want me to stay or go back downstairs?”

“Stay.” You smile up at him. “There’s room for two in here.”

The thing that wakes you the following morning is the shift of Calian behind you. His arm loops over your side, and you feel his forehead press against the back of your neck as he stretches.  Sunlight streams through the parted curtains, casting a sharp ray across the foot of the bed. The usual morning bustle of the small town drones outside. The storm had, thankfully, ended sometime in the night.

“Good morning,” you murmur blearily when he lets out a soft breath against your skin. “What time is it?”

Calian blinks slowly, lifting his head to glance over at the clock on the wall. “Late.”

“Mmph.” You bury your face into your pillow, wincing as what feels like every single muscle in your body aches. “I’m sore.”

“Me too.” He kisses the back of your shoulder. “Are you busy this morning?”

You smile into the soft fabric, reaching behind you to rest your hand on his hip. “Why?”

“Because I’d like to stay here if you aren’t.” He runs a palm down your side. “I want to touch you more. Maybe spend some more time with you.”

“Just touch?”

“Well…” he rolls you onto your back, lifting himself up so he can hover over you. “I don’t have to use my hands to touch you.”

You let him pull one of your legs over his hips, grinding long and slow against you. He kisses you gently, humming when you raise both hands to cup his face. He drops his head into the crook of your neck, letting his breath wash over your skin before pressing a warm kiss to the spot where his teeth had left a small bruise.

“You might have to hide this,” he murmurs.

You smile, catching your fingers in the ends of his hair. “What if I don’t want to?”

He presses his hips against yours again, earning a soft moan in response. “Then I won’t stop you.”

You’re both too occupied to notice the muffled sound of approaching footsteps in the hall, but the sound of the doorknob turning is thunderous in the otherwise silent room.

“You left your blanket on the couch and I have no idea where Calian’s gone—oh.” 

Kate stops in the doorway, brows raised at the sight of you scrambling to cover yourself as Calian quickly moves as far away as he can get without falling off the bed, keeping the sheet clutched high on his chest.

“I’ll just leave these here.” Kate gives you a warm smile, then flashes a wink at your lover. They set the blanket and his boots on the chair next to the door, and slip right back out, respectfully closing the door behind them.

“Oh my god,” you giggle, tipping your head back as Calian lets out the breath he’s been holding. He looks absolutely horrified at having been caught — you can’t help but laugh at his wide-eyed expression as he stares at the door.

“What?” He looks at you, refusing to drop his fabric shield.

You tug the top of the sheet, prying it from his fingers. “Your face, it’s adorable.”

“Kate saw us.”

“I’m pretty sure Kate’s fully aware of what two adults who find each other attractive do with each other.”

“What if they tell?”

“Who are they gonna tell, Hoyt? Abby?”

He gives you an exasperated look. “Yes.”

“Then let them tell.” You pull him close, distracting him with a deep kiss that has him making a soft hum against your lips. “Now what was that you were saying about touching me?”