No More Running

Thea shuts her door quietly, eyes peeping down the corridor as her heart races wildly in her chest. It was quiet, not even the help was up.

Quietly and barefoot, she moved across the cool marble floor, the hem of her silk robe grazing her calves. One step after another, and a desperate prayer that the one person she was trying to avoid wasn't up either.

She hadn’t been able to sleep and that has been the case for a few days. She still avoided Seth like the plague; the reality of his identity seemed to weigh heavily down on her.

She recalled almost running into him that morning before school and her heart almost leaped out of her chest. She had to hide until he was completely out of the building before she could make a trip downstairs to the parking lot.

Thea walks down the stairs as quietly as she can, putting one step after the other before finally arriving on the ground floor.

She didn't hear him coming. One second, she was rounding the corner toward the kitchen; the next, she collided with a wall of warmth and muscle. She gasped, stumbling back, but his hands shot out and caught her before she could fall.

She stared up at him, eyes wide open, blinking mindlessly. And her pulse spiked! The one person she was trying to avoid wasn't right in front of her!

“You okay?” Seth’s voice was a low rumble in the dim light.

Thea swallowed, avoiding his eyes. “Yes. Thank you.” She managed, trying to wiggle out of his grasp but he just wouldn't move. Her eyes flickered back at him in question.

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

Her heart lurched. She tried to twist free but his fingers only tightened on her upper arms, strong enough force to make her stop struggling. “Let me go,” she whispered.

“Not until you look at me.” His eyes were shadowed, unreadable, but the air between them vibrated with something heavier than anger. “Not until you stop running.”

“I’m not…” she began, but her voice broke. The denial died on her tongue. She dropped her gaze to the space between them , scared he would see the truth in her eyes.

“I'm n0t avoiding you..” She muttered.

Seth sighed. “I saw you this morning running back to your room when she noticed I was in the foyer.”

Thea swallowed. “That was..”

“And the day before that and a few more before that..”

Thea opened her mouth but she ended up shutting it, there was no point denying it. He was certain about what he saw..

He tipped her chin up with a knuckle, gentle but firm. “You are running away from me.”

“I…” She couldn’t finish. Every nerve in her body seemed to hum where his skin touched hers.

Silence stretched. The house felt smaller, the night darker. His thumb stroked once over her jaw, a slow, absent-minded movement that sent a shiver down her spine.

“I’m tired of this,” Seth said quietly. “Tired of you hiding from me.”

“I…I need to go..”

Before she could step back, she tripped over the edge of a rug and he caught her again. They both went down together, a tangle of limbs on the carpet. Thea’s palms pressed against his chest, but instead of pushing away she froze. His heartbeat hammered beneath her fingers.

Seth sighed in relief on seeing she was okay.

“Running is not going to solve this.” His voice was rougher now, closer. “Stop running.”

She meant to protest, to tell him she needed space, but then his mouth brushed the corner of hers. The touch was light, testing. Her breath hitched. The second kiss landed squarely on her lips harder, hungrier. His hands slid up her back, spanning her waist, pulling her flush against him.

Thea pulled away, her eyes fluttering up to his lips and then his eyes like she was trying to decide which to focus on. “You…you said we needed to talk..” she said breathlessly.

“You tell me, Thea. Why are you running?” He asked, his breath warm on her neck, placing kisses down her shoulders.

“I…”

“Because it's too real now?” he asked, his lips grazing over that sensitive part on her neck. A gasp escaped her, toes curling in reaction..

“No..” she managed

“Are you scared?” He paused, a flicker of concern on his face.

Thea, body still humming where his lips had tormented, nodded. “Yes.”

Seth stared at her, how could he not have seen that?

“You're different…from what I thought. And..it's scary..” She muttered.

“I'm still the same person..”

Thea shakes her head. “No.”

He wasn't the same person she knew and it was scary. The amount of power he had, the connections he had and his empire….it was far beyond her comprehension. How could she have randomly run into this man the night of her engagement?

Was it fate? And should she be thankful or fearful?

Seth took her lips again in his. He knew words couldn't possibly do much right now but his actions would. He would just have to show her that he was still the same person..

Her fingers curled into his shirt. She told herself to shove him off, to get up, but her body betrayed her, arching into him instead. His mouth traced a hot path along her jaw to her throat; she felt the graze of his teeth and a tremor rolled through her. The taste of him, the scent of him, drowned out every rational thought.

He murmured her name again, a plea and a command at once. She caught his face between her palms, stared into his eyes. The distance between them vanished in a rush; they were kissing again, deeper this time, breathless, the sound of it loud in the quiet house. His hand slid beneath the edge of her robe, fingers splaying against her bare skin, and she shuddered.

For a heartbeat they broke apart, foreheads pressed together, both of them breathing hard. Thea’s robe was half-open, his shirt bunched in her fists. Neither of them spoke.

Then Seth bent to her again, mouth capturing hers. The kisses turned rougher, urgent, the last of her resistance crumbling. His hands mapped her body with a hunger that matched the tremble in her own limbs; her nails bit into his shoulders, drawing him closer instead of pushing him away.

He yanked the robe off her shoulders and her the short he had on. His lips crashed down on hers, with no care in the world for who could walk in on them at the moment.

Whoever did was getting fired.

Finally bare and wrapped in each other's arms, his lips trailed down her stomach and in between her thighs. Thea threw her head back, nails digging into his hair as he teased her with his tongue, finger rubbing her clot in slow tortuous motions.

“Seth…” she moaned, his hand holding her thighs in place when she tried to move away from him, overwhelmed by pleasure.

Thea threw her head back, thighs quivering with sheer pleasure as he thrust in his fingers, deeper and deeper into her wetness. And just when she was about to cum, he pulled away, replacing his finger with his already hard dick.

Her eyes flickered open as he slipped in, a moan that sounded more like gratitude escaped her. And then, he started to move, her thighs wrapped around his waist, his hand cupping one of her breasts as he drilled deeper into her until she lost her breath..

"Seth...you're..."

The words died in her throat. He was huge. Strangely, she loved it. Knowing he was filling every inch of her in every sense..

She arches closer, earning a smirk from Seth. "Easy. You don't want to hurt yourself.."

She didn't listen, only wrapped her thighs around his waist and pulled him even closer until every inch of him was in her.

Seth groaned, fuck that felt good. Then he thrust in deeper. Slowly at first, his eyes watching Thea's eyes glazed over with pleasure. And then, he lost himself..

Thea’s breath came in ragged gasps, Seth’s in low growls against her skin. He leaned closer, face buried in her neck as he thrust even deeper into her , hands wrapped around her to steady her as her moans filled the room.

That was exactly what he lived for, the sound of him pleasuring her and nothing else.