So...are you game?

[hatesgoodbyes]

“One more round.” The grin was clear enough in her voice one could almost swear they could see it in the reflective golden visor of her helmet. “Or are you ready to give up and hit the showers?”

In the months she and Shane had been spending time together they had grown much easier with each other. There was a playfulness between them now, usually retrained until it was only the two of them. The hard edged and serious combatant allowed much more lose movement, passing flirtation in the form of strike and hold and less than subtle pins. It was hardly the sort of behavior that the majority of the other Freelancers saw but Shane did, he knew what she was like under the ton of metal and mechanics.

Texas hopped a step, keeping a light dance in her movement while she eyed him. Honestly she was up for action be it there in the ring or elsewhere, she enjoyed the way the man kept her on her toes without the sharp stinging commentary of previous relationships. He was practically a perfect complement to her in battle as well as other arenas.

Comments

[ol_northy]

The way he pulled off his helmet and grinned spoke more than words could, and he inclined his head a bit as if to offer her a graceful win. Maybe it was intentional, but she always managed to defeat him, one way or another. Their sparring now was like a dance, carefully synchronized to the point that he'd have sworn they ought to be paired up rather than himself and the unpredictable rogue that was his twin sister. But that was a passing thought, and one he always quickly banished.

This time, he just canted his head to the side and kept that grin on his lips. She was something else, and she knew it, knew what she'd come to mean to him. That his opinions on her were forever skewed toward the positive.

"I think I'm down for the count."

[hatesgoodbyes]

“Hope not.” She walked past him, her glove slapping hard against the pauldron on his shoulder. She walked on past and strode with that arrogant swagger that was part and parcel of her persona. It was a game by now, he knew she’d be waiting for him and wanting to spend the rest of the afternoon and night in his arms. But first things first, there was the issue of those suits.

She slipped off the helmet as she passed through the doors, letting that wild fall of golden waves spill over the dark black of her armor. The contrast was shocking, softness over impenetrable steel, shimmering light over deep dark. Like Tex, the image was one of contradiction. Strength and beauty combined and hinted at in fighting as well as less brutal pursuits.

Once inside the doors and out of sight of those pale eyes she tucked herself in to the side of the door out of sight, plotting a surprise.

[ol_northy]

He couldn't help but keep a gentle smile on his face, which he tried--failed--to quell as he trailed along behind her. He almost reached for her hand as she passed, just to tap his glove against hers, to give her that little moment of acknowledgement, a pat on the back of sorts.

Watching her back, he headed out behind her, staying just a few steps behind until he knew they were absolutely alone. They weren't hiding behind anything, weren't trying to sneak around, but they kept everything quiet. Few, if any, could have discerned that something was going on between them. It would have taken a lot of spying to figure things out.

But the sight of that hair filled his heart with warmth, and he shook his head, shook it off until they got to the locker room.

Which, in his distraction, he missed her slipping into.

"Agent Texas?"

[hatesgoodbyes]

It was tempting to speak, but she held her tongue until those strong fingers closed over the edge of his breastplate and yanked him to the side. Her grin was lascivious as she pushed him back against the wall, armor hitting with the solid thump of metal on metal.

She pressed against him, in battle they had collided often enough in armor but this was different. Her fingers roamed over the suit, rasping slide of textured flexible material over the more substantial suit he wore. Her mind clicked with ideas that were just shy of kinky, the idea reflected in the shine on gray blue eyes.

“If you want Texas, the armor stays on.” She leaned in and dragged her tongue over the ridge of his neck guard and up along to his jaw.

[ol_northy]

The thud of armor on metal sounded much louder in his ears than he hoped it sounded over the rest of the area. For a fleeting moment he worried about perhaps being caught, but her body against his chased that thought away. He'd try not to care.

"I'd rather have Allison." It's low, almost hoarse as he felt her tongue roam up to his jaw. His own hands settled at her sides, then slipped down to her hips to hold her close. Hooking his fingers onto whatever armor he could grasp, he practically purred back. She always had this kind of sway over him, bringing out those qualities most of the other Freelancers would never guess he had.

[hatesgoodbyes]

They'd stayed later than most anyone usually did, aside from Carolina But tonight they had been the last two out. At least the last two she had seen. Allison felt reasonably sure that they were alone and even if they weren't she didn't care much right now.

"Then we need to get out of these suits." And she couldn't have been happier about that. She nipped at his ear as she tugged off her gloves and threw them behind her. Hands roamed over the cool metal sliding under panels to free latches and work bits and pieces of armor off his body.

[ol_northy]

"Right," Shane breathed, "suits off." And just as rapidly as her hand cast over his armor, his did over hers. Slower, more deliberate motions from him as he reverently slid fingers over the latches that held the pauldrons on, then each individual piece on her right arm. He was careful to set them down gently, rather than flinging them aside.

[hatesgoodbyes]

He wanted to be good, to be neat and careful and all she wanted was..him. Allison pushed in hard and close to him, bits of skin and suit and armor rubbing over the like. The hard coolness of metal giving way to the cool strong fabric and then heated skin, it was intoxicating really. Maybe one day they'd try it with the armor on, partially.

She paused a moment to catch his hands as they moved over her, she sucked along his index finger and nibbled at the end. How he could maintain such composure was beyond her but it was all the more hot for his ability to deny her. She got to push and push until he obtained his objective or gave in, she was never quite sure which it would be. But she loved finding out.

Allison reached behind him to release the catch that held the flexible back plate in place, the item that protected his delicate spine from shots that would otherwise pulverize it, it also let her drag her nails over his suited back. The suit had to deaden the force of the scratch but he would have felt the motion none the less. "Only you could make this sexy."