Eye of the Beholder

Author’s Notes I: Sorry for the delay, but with the holidays, life got a little too insane. Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers: blue_lioness, Cougar, moon_muse, Capt_Davy_Jones_Lover and Brier. You guys are the best.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It takes several moments for her words to penetrate his befuddled brain and when it does, she suddenly finds herself with her back pressed against the rough wood of the barn wall. His tongue invades her mouth and she moans with her need for him as all of the right parts of her body start heat up while her fingers sink into his mane. One of his hands sneaks up her skirt and he groans when he discovers that she’s wearing the thigh high stockings again and a scrap of lace posing as her panties.

With a great deal of effort, he breaks off their kiss and then pushes himself away from the wall with her still firmly in his arms while she rains kisses along his jaw to his ear. He staggers further into the darkness, the smell of her arousal and his quickly growing erection make it damn well near impossible to walk. By some miracle, they finally make it to their destination without him tripping and he slowly sinks down to his knees.

He carefully lies her down in the soft nest he’s made and only then does she loosen her hold on him with her legs, but she still has her fingers buried deep into his mane. He goes back to kissing her voraciously as his nimble fingers begin to work on the buttons of her sweater. Once the buttons are out of the way, she groans as his hands start to caress her body through her blouse and her own hands start to explore whatever she can reach on him.

He finally releases her lips and starts to work his way across her jaw to her ear and neck. She moans his name as she works at pulling his sweater further up his body. She just manages to pull it and the shirt underneath up enough for her questing hands to find him when he starts to unbutton her blouse.

She gasps as the cold air hits her bare skin, but soon his warm breath is caressing the area and his lips hungrily nibbling away at the exposed flesh. She pants between mewls as she squirms underneath him, going crazy with her need for him and when he finds his present to her still around her neck, he nearly loses it. It takes every bit of will power he owns, but he refuses to let Beast take over so it can slake its carnal lust. He’s determined to please his lady love to the utmost and no snarling Beast is going to stop him

As soon as the last button is taken care of, his hands explore and caress her soft skin and then gently cup her satin covered breasts. His thumbs carefully run circles around her nipples, getting them almost painfully hard and nearly driving her out of her mind with want. He finds the front clasp of her bra and easily undoes it, covering those wonderful soft globes with his hands as soon as they’re free of their imprisonment.

He kisses his way down her front until he’s between her breasts, shifting himself so there’s less of him for her to reach and she’s all but clawing at his sweater as she writhes underneath him. His lips find their way to one of her nipples and the only reason she doesn’t sit upright is because his weight is holding her down. He slides one of his hands up her skirt again and he plays havoc with her sanity as his finger tips gently outline her panties while his lips and tongue suck and lick the little pink bud on her chest.

Mindful of his nails, he slips his hand between her legs and starts to rub her clit with his knuckles through her already damp underwear. She lets out a strangled inarticulate cry and then starts to grind herself into delightful digits as her fingers dig into his sweater. He flicks her nipple with his tongue while he continues his assault on that sensitive bundle of nerves between her legs and a few moments later her body arches into him and she tries to hold back her scream through clenched teeth.

She collapses into a boneless heap beneath him, her fingers loosening their hold on his sweater and he can feel her panties become drenched from her release. The smell of her almost overwhelms him and he rests his forehead between her breasts as he fights Beast for control. His breath heats her belly as he trembles with the effort and he’s barely aware of her stroking the back of his head.

“I love you,” she whispers, her weariness evident in her voice.

“No falling asleep on me, my love,” he warns as he lifts his head up to look up at her face, though it’s pretty much impossible with the lack of light. . “I’m not done with you yet.”

“Then you better find some way of keeping me awake,” she teases as her wicked fingers caress his ear causing a shiver to run down his spine

“As my lady love commands,” he purrs as he moves up her body until they’re face to face.

It takes him a couple of tries to fully find her lips which has her snickering at him and he playfully nips her bottom lip. He hears her sharply take in air and a second later he feels her fingers sinking into the fur on his exposed midriff. A small, possessive growl escapes his throat just before his lips crash down onto hers and she eagerly responds to him.

The kisses become more heated as he collects her into his arms and her hands travel down to his hips. He grinds his hardness into her as her hands grab hold of his denim covered backside and they both moan. Her need to touch more of him drives her fingers to finding his waistband and sneaking under it which causes him to groan as he breaks off their kiss.

“Ammmandaaaa,” he moans as her fingers find the button to his jeans.

“Please tell me you have a condom hidden somewhere or we’re both going to be very frustrated,” she practically begs while she loosens the fastenings on his pants and he groans in relief.

“P-p-p-pants pocket,” he stammers just before she reaches into his jeans. “GAH!”

“That’s good to hear,” she purrs as she starts to frisk his pockets with her free hand, her other hand occupied with holding onto his silk covered turgid length.

“Wanton little minx,” he playfully snarls just before he starts nibbling on her ear.

“Only for you,” she groans as the ability to coherently think begins to leave her.

He continues his assault on her senses as he frees one of his arms and then retrieves the condom and lube from her now nerveless fingers. He unwillingly pulls away from her, causing her to whimper in protest and he silences her with a kiss. He gently removes her hand from his erection and then pushes the unopened condom into it.

While her brain tries to kick back into gear and figure out what she’s supposed to be doing, he quickly pushes his pants and boxer shorts off of his hips and down to his thighs. Just as he’s completing his task, she removes the prophylactic from it’s little foil wrapper and he guides her hand to where it needs to go. She manages to get it right the first time and it easily slides down his length causing him to moan as a shiver runs down his spine.

“My panties…,” she starts as he pushes the lube into her hand.

“Allow me,” he purrs.

His hands find their way under her already hiked up skirt, caressing her legs as he goes. She can’t think straight and when his fingers find her undies, she automatically lifts her hips to help him. But instead of pulling the lacy item of clothing down, he leans down and licks a nipple, causing her to gasp.

“My apologies,” he whispers as he takes a hold of her panties.

“Hank, don’t you…” she starts, but it’s too late.

With one deft yank, he tears her underwear off of her and he can feel her glare even if he can’t really see it.

“That’s two you owe me,” she growls, trying to ignore the fact that her body got excited by his act.

“I’ll buy you a whole warehouse full if it means I can keep doing that,” he murmurs against her breast as her aroused scent nearly drives him over the edge.

Before she can answer, her nipple is in his mouth and she grabs a hold of the back of his head, arching into his lips. He gently takes the lube bottle from her again and finishes getting himself ready as he works at getting her hornier than she ever thought she could be. Once he’s ready, he solidly makes sure Beast is put in its place and then positions himself at her opening.

“Hank,” she whimpers while he starts to kiss his way up her body. “Please.”

“Please what?” he softly teases as gently nudges the tip of his cock until it’s just inside her lower lips.

“Please,” she begs while her legs wrap around his hips, trying to push him in the rest of the way. “Make love to me.”

“As my lady love commands,” he whispers in her ear and then slides the rest of the way in.

“Oh God, yes,” she gasps as he fully sheaths himself inside of her.

He sets a delightfully slow and torturous pace that has her writhing beneath him. She grabs a hold of his shoulders as he continues to drive her crazy with his sedate love making and tries to encourage him to go faster. Unfortunately, a good part of his concentration is on Beast and keeping it contained, so he’s unaware of her growing frustration until she nips him rather painfully on the jaw.

That split second of distraction is all Beast needs and it leaps forward to seize control, leaving a startled Hank in its wake. Hank tries to wrest back control, but Beast’s hold is too firm and all he can do is watch as the woman he loves responds to Beast’s aggressive ways.

Beast sets an insane pace as his arms wrap around her and holds her close while she pants with her mouth wide open, trying not to yell with pleasure. Her fingernails painfully dig into his shoulders which cause him to start possessively nipping her neck and shoulder. With every little bite, she can feel herself getting closer to that delightful precipice. When his teeth hit a sensitive nerve on her neck, she goes flying over the edge and she can’t stop the scream, so to muffle it, she bites down on his shoulder…hard.

He slams into her one more time before his teeth sink into her shoulder and roars his completion into the sweater that she’s still wearing. A secondary orgasm hits her like a tidal wave and she shrieks as her body shakes with its force and she bites down so hard that her jaws and teeth hurt. The muscles in his jaw constrict further and she lets out a whimper as she lets go of him.

“Mine,” he rumbles deep in his throat as soon as he releases her shoulder.

“Yes, Beast, I’m yours,” she whispers as she wraps her arms around his neck, despite them feeling like their made out of lead.

He makes a noise that distinctly sounds like a purr as he starts to lick her neck where he had nipped her and she rubs her face against his.

“Give me back Hank now, please,” she softly requests in his ear.

A moment later his body shakes violently and she holds him closer. He takes a great gasp of air that sounds almost like a sob and he starts to pull away. She holds on even tighter with her arms and her legs despite her exhaustion.

“Please don’t pull away,” she begs.

“Amanda…,” he nearly cries, sounding absolutely miserable.

“I love you,” she reminds him as she starts to rub her cheek against his again. “All of you, both man and Beast. Please, don’t leave me.”

“I bit you again,” he points out in an agonized tone of voice.

“Only after I bit you,” she counters as she moves his head so that his forehead is resting on hers. “And yes, you bit me the first time we made love, I know that. Look at it this way, at least I had a little bit of protection with my sweater still on and it was the other shoulder you bit last time.”

“Still…,” he tries to argue.

“I could hardly call myself worthy of your attentions if I only loved certain aspects of you and not others,” she interrupts and he sighs.

“Am I going to so much as get a word in edgewise?” he teases, feeling himself slightly relax as she gently strokes his mane.

“I believe you got several in right there,” she points out, laughter evident in her voice.

“Willful little minx,” he mutters as he gently pulls away and this time she lets him.

“Yes, but I’m your willful little minx,” she shoots back with a chuckle as she quickly fastens her bra and then closes up her blouse and sweater, trying to ignore how incredibly cold it is in the drafty old barn.

“That you most definitely are,” he purrs just before he kisses the tip of her nose and then moves completely off of her.

She buttons up her top as quickly as she can, but the combination of the cold, late hour and their recent activities has her hands trembling in no time. She can hear him moving around next to her while she pushes her skirt back down and she can’t suppress the shiver that runs through her body when a gust of wind hits the barn and blows through every nook and cranny of the building. She manages to keep her teeth from chattering by clamping her jaw shut, but no matter how hard she tries, she can’t stop the shaking in the rest of her body.

A few moments later he wraps something around her and then he lies down next to her, pulling her down into his embrace. She doesn’t object as she snuggles up to his warmth, sliding a cold hand under his sweater that’s once again back where it belongs along with the rest of his clothes. He doesn’t object when her cool digits bury themselves into the fur on his belly, though she does hear him take a sharp breath. She can’t help but smile and then sigh as he vigorously rubs his hands over her in an attempt to get her warmer.

“I was worried that you weren’t going to come for me,” she softly admits several minutes later.

“Well, first I had to wait for your father to stop coming in to check on me to make sure I was still in bed,” he tells her, shifting around to get more comfortable. “Fortunately, your mother was finally able to distract him. Of course, as soon as his attention was elsewhere, I found myself with a bit of a dilemma.”

“What was that?” she asks sleepily.

“One of your parent’s cats had decided that the middle of my chest was the best place to sleep for the night,” he grumbles.

“What color?” she yawns.

“It was a bit hard to tell, but I believe it was orange,” he answers.

“Well, since Eddie is a scaredy cat and hardly ever comes out from under my parent’s bed or out of their closet, it was probably his brother, Siegfried,” she tells him. “I bet he was quite indignant when you finally got him to move.”

“That he was,” he quietly chuckles and then sighs. “I truly believe if cats could talk, he would have had several nasty things to say about my parentage. We should get back soon.”

“I know, but this is the first time we’ve been truly alone for more than two days and I’m not really interested in letting it end,” she sadly sighs.

“I feel the same way, but the weather is only going to get colder and if we wait too long someone is bound to notice our absence,” he says and she just buries her face in his chest. “Come, my lady love, it is time to go back.”

He stands up and she grumbles in protest to losing his heat and the wonderful feeling of his arms around her. She puts up a token fight when he goes to help her up and he chuckles as he easily lifts her up onto her feet and then into his arms. She gladly buries her face into the soft fur on his neck and sighs contentedly as he rubs her back, happy to have found someone like her to share his life with.

“Wait here,” he instructs as he steps away. “I need to set things back to the way they were. I should be but only a few minutes.”

He guides her hand over to the wall and then goes off to put everything back the way it had been. She listens to him go and then starts running her hands over the wood, trying to figure out where they are. When she encounters another wall that joins the one she’s next to that only comes up to just below her breasts, she knows exactly where they are.

“I can’t believe that we just made love in one of the stalls,” she mutters quietly.

“I figured it would give us a bit more protection from the cold air and prying eyes should anyone come out here, unlikely though it may seem,” he tells her as he shifts something rather large.

“What were we lying on?” she asks.

“An old mattress,” he answers and she can hear his voice coming from up above. “There were also some rather warn blankets as well. Your parents have quite the treasure trove of items up here. I even found a small heater, but I couldn’t figure out how to set it up without causing a fire hazard.”

“When did you get all of this stuff set up?” she questions, amazed by his ingenuity.

“While you and your parents were sleeping,” he replies and she can hear him lightly land nearby.

“You’re a very sneaky man, Ambassador,” she teases as he wraps his arms around her.

“I look at it as being resourceful,” he chuckles while he nuzzles her hair and then his voice drops down into a seductive purr. “And when there’s something I really want, I can be very resourceful.”

“How are we going to survive the rest of the week?” she sadly inquires as she melts into his embrace. “We shouldn’t do this again. It’s too easy for someone to find us missing and then go looking for us. Mike wouldn’t say anything, but Annie would hold it over us and if either of my parents was to find out…”

“I understand,” he assures her while he holds her closer. “If you do not wish for me to come to you during the night, then I will not.”

“What I wish is that we could just run away to Vermont and forget about my crazy family,” she sighs as she tries to suppress the shiver up her spine caused by an errant breeze up her skirt.

“Come, it’s time for us to return to bed,” he tells her as he steps away.

“Promises, promises,” she mutters and he chuckles while he takes her hand to lead her through the dark.

“In our own beds, my minx,” he chuckles and she can’t help but grin at him, even if he can’t see it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N II: A strange place to leave it, I know, but it was getting way too long. Have a happy and safe New Year’s everyone and may the coming year be filled with plenty of love and laughter.