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tylersnecktattoo · 1 month

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With no safety net-Chapter 1

Summary: Tyler, a black market mercenary falls for his friend’s cousin Amara. But how will it go when two people who carry so much shit from their past date each other? How will it go falling without that safety net?

Pairing: Tyler Rake x OFC Amara

Warnings: mentions of smut

Word count: 2.1K

CHAPTER 2

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CHAPTER 1: “tell my why I get this feeling?”

“Come on, we’re already late!” Amara shouted from the hallway as she finished layering her fragrance with some final sprays of her vanilla perfume and put her coat on before grabbing her gift bag.

“Okay, okay! I’m coming, woman, calm down” her best friend replied in a teasing tone as she checked her makeup for the last time.

Amara was invited to her cousin Dylan's get together. Normally, she wouldn’t be in the mood to hang out with him and his friends since the hangouts only consisted of her listening to Dylan and his macho friends talking about stuff she wasn’t even interested in, but she couldn’t let him down when she already had turned him down too many times before. So she brought her friend with her to be able to survive this soon to be, unbearable night.

Amara’s face lights up when she sees her friend finally coming out of the bathroom. “You look absolutely stunning, Court” she says as she hands her friend’s jacket to her

“Yeah as if I don’t have a goddess of a friend standing right next to me” she says back as they exit Amara’s apartment

“You’re still delusional, I see”

“Don’t sell yourself short, you’re pretty damn gorgeous but it seems like your dumbass doesn’t want to realize it” she argues back and gets in the passenger's seat once they reach Amara’s car. “And my name isn’t Courtney if you don’t end up getting a guy’s number tonight” she states as she raises her finger at her friend before putting her seatbelt on.

Amara lets out a snort as she begins to drive. “Getting guys at my cousins little get together is the last thing on my mind right now”

“Come on, you're 25 and you don’t have a boyfriend. That’s like, genuinely sad. And alarming. It’s been almost two years since Chris. You gotta move on, Amara”

“Okay, first of all, there’s nothing wrong with being single at 25. Second of all, if I decide to start dating again it will not be with Dylan's mediocre ass friends that can’t even hold a five minute conversation with me without pissing me off” she blurted before turning her puzzled face to her best friend, “And when did you start getting all therapeutic on me? I’m dealing with myself just fine”

Courtney just sighs because she knows that’s a lie by how defensive Amara is acting. “Look, I’m just saying, you’ve been through hell and back but you can’t let that ruin it for you. Not everyone brings bad luck with them, you know” She takes a pause before sarcastically saying, “What, you’re gonna let the severe trauma of losing your parents on the same day and having a cheating ex fiance going to hold you back for popping that pussy?”

Amara tries to contain her laugh that is threatening to come out because she’s supposed to be irritated at her friend, but she gives in with them both feeling comfortable with this level of banter. “I fucking hate you”

“Yeah, yeah whatever helps you sleep at night” she jokingly waves off as they’re looking for a place to park the car and finally find an empty spot. “Are you sure I look okay?” Courtney asks as she checks herself on her phone's camera.

“Tryna look good for the Walmart version of Jacob Elordi again?”

Courtney snorts out a laugh and playfully slaps Amara’s arm. “His name is Sebastian and yes. So last chance, do I look good or not?”

Amara takes a closer look at her face and smudges off some mascara that has moved its way to her eyelid and says her final words of assurance to her friend before they get out of her car and walk up to Dylan’s porch. Amara rings at the door, mentally preparing for a whole night of having to be social. Shortly after, the door opens and she’s met by her cousin and his excited grin.

“Long time no fucking see, cuz” he says and pulls her in for a short embrace before letting them in and giving Courtney a familiar handshake. He takes their jackets and hangs them before turning to Amara again. “Whatcha got there for me?” he says as his gaze is plastered on the gift bag in her hand.

“Just a little something”

“I bet on my whole bank account it’s a perfume set” he says and takes the bag to open it, to see that it in fact, was another perfume set. “I swear, that perfume obsession you got in junior year hasn’t left you for shit” he says as he holds out the Versace set.

“It’s not like you ever complain though?” Amara playfully says

He chuckles, “Touche. Thanks, really” he says and gives her an affectionate squeeze on her arm before leading them to the living room where everyone was sitting and chatting over the background noise of a football game from the TV, including Tyler. He had known that Dylan would bring his cousin and that he spoke very highly of her. But as soon as she walked in with her friend next to her, he was caught up. Dylan didn’t mention that she was so beautiful.

Where had she been all this time and why the hell hadn’t Dylan introduced him to her earlier?

He could tell that he wasn’t the only one being mesmerized by her beauty as practically everyone rushed up from their seats on the couch and went to greet her, but they kept it respectable though, because Dylan had indeed warned them to behave when she and her friend would come over. Many friendly handshakes and shallow hugs towards her and her friend later, he stood up from his seat to greet her too.

God, she was gorgeous. She had these black doe eyes that you just wanted to look at forever and the way her plump lips smiled as she greeted everyone and the way she had freckles scattered across her cheeks that made her face look adorable. And let’s not get started on her hair. It was the most beautiful and unique color he had ever seen, a mixture between copper red and brown that ran down so softly down her back. He was done for. He was down. Real bad. He finally caught her attention as he walked up to her, towering her by his 6 foot 3 height as Dylan introduced her to him .

“Amara, this is Tyler. Remember that Australian guy I talked about last time we met?”

“Yeah, right.” she said in a recognizable tone. “Nice to meet you” she shot him a friendly smile, locking her gaze with his.

Now, she was never a crushy person but she’d be fucking dumb if she said this man wasn’t fine. He was a hunk and he knew it. And he definitely knew what he was doing when he put that button down shirt on, hugging his muscles in all the right ways and revealing a bit more of his neck with a few buttons loose. Fuck, that trimmed beard too. She was a sucker for beards.

He shot her a smile back, with almost a seductive look on his face. “Nice to meet you too. You got a beautiful name”. He tried to stay as cool as possible so it wouldn’t look like he was genuinely going crazy like he was as soon as he got a closer look at her with that whiff of her fragrance too.

Yep, she was definitely interested now. She knew that wasn’t an innocent compliment and that deep, husky voice with his Australian accent was too hot to not be attracted by. But she wasn’t down that bad though, it would take a lot more than his attractive demeanor to get her to really swoon over him, or any man for that matter. And Dylan probably sensed the tension as he cut them off, not wanting to go through the same hassle that happens every time his friends tried to flirt with her as he thought she wasn’t interested.

“Alright so now when everyone’s here, let's sit down” he says as he leads Amara to the couch, not even bothering to include Courtney as she has made herself comfortable with her guy a long time ago, too impatient to wait for Amara. As Amara gets seated between Dylan and the armrest of the couch, she shoots a “I thought you were going to stick by my side?” look to her best friend across the room, who currently had the time of her life flirting with her charming brunette as she shoots back a “There’s no way in hell I’m gonna stick by your side and get in between whatever you and that tall blondie have” look, making Amara hold back her grin as she understood what Courtney was saying just by the look she gave, a result of them knowing each other too damn well for their own good. As she thought things couldn’t get any worse, Tyler just had to take a seat on the couch that was facing her sideways, being completely in her sight at all times. It’s like he was doing it on purpose, choosing the closest seat next to her, the armrests of their couches touching each other.

Oh, this was going to be a night to remember.

The night went on and Amara just sat there and listened to the conversation being spoken, occasionally smiling and laughing with everyone else, not being aware of the glances Tyler stole from her everytime she showed any sign of smiling just to see that dimple pop out every time on her left cheek. She was divine.

And Amara wasn't any better herself, giving him quick looks from time to time when he wouldn’t know she was watching and admiring his neck tattoo every chance she got. She couldn’t quite make out what it was supposed to resemble as she never got a good look on it, but it looked like three stripes running up his neck sideways. Were they arrows, maybe? Well, whatever they were, it undeniably made him look hotter. So extra points for that. He just went from looking kinda fine to fine.

Other than stealing glances from Tyler, Amara’s night continued by just listening to conversations. Courtney had left doing God knows what with the Walmart version of Jacob Elordi and Amara just couldn't wait until she got home and started to regret that she even chose to come. She was never much of a talker anyway, especially not in front of many people and especially not when the whole room was filled with so much testosterone and boring topics that were typically guy talk. It seemed like Tyler wasn’t much of a talker too since he rarely talked. In fact, she hadn’t heard him fully speak since their interaction. Another few points to the hot Australian. She never liked it when a man was overly talkative anyway. Maybe he could get it if he ever decided to shoot his shot at her.

Time went by and people started to leave as she got tired of all the babbling and got up from her seat to go to the kitchen on the other side of the house so she could find some sense of peace and quietness, lying about going to grab a drink and come back despite Dylan stopping her and saying that the kitchen is too warm because some problems with the ductwork. Of course, Tyler saw this as the perfect opportunity to get closer to her so he decided to follow after her, but not right away though. He didn’t want to come off as too desperate even though he lowkey was. But she couldn’t know that.

When the right amount of time had passed he got up from his seat, leaving the living room.

“You’re also going to the kitchen?” Dylan asks him with a teasing grin while pointing his beer bottle at him before swinging it to his mouth, knowing exactly what Tyler’s intentions are. “Look, I’m not gonna stop you or anything but just know that my cousin- she’s no weak flower, and she won’t hesitate to put you into your place if she doesn’t like you or if you make her uncomfortable. She’s not easy”

Why did he find that extremely attractive?

Smirking, he made his way to the kitchen with his desire to have her stronger than ever. Usually, he’d go for the tall and blonde bombshells that he barely had to fight for. But there was just something about her that just drew him in and made him forget about the blondes he’d call beautiful, because their beauty was nothing compared to her. Fuck, she had only spoken four words to him and he was going fucking crazy for her. What the hell have you done to me?

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next part !

#chris hemsworth x reader #chris hemsworth smut #chris hemsworth fanfiction #chris hemsworth fanfic #chris hemsworth #tyler rake x female reader #tyler rake drabble #tyler rake x you #tyler rake fic #tyler rake fanfiction #tyler rake smut #tyler rake x reader #tyler rake #extraction fanfiction #chris hemsworth x you #chris hemsworth fic

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chickensarentcheap · 2 months

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Lost and Found - Chapter 30

Fandom: Extraction

Pairing: Tyler Rake and Esme Drummond (OFC. You do not have to read the original series to understand this fic)

Warnings: slight profanity

It's a lot of dialogue. Sorry :(

Tagging: @tragiclyhip @themaradwrites @secretaryunpaid @youflickedtooharddamnit @munstysmind @karimac @ninjasawakenedmystar @thebejeweledwatercat @alisbackalleybbq @asirensrage @residentdormouse @fanficanatic-tw @kmc1989 @arrthurpendragon @ocappreciationtag @occommunity

Link to Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43179357/chapters/139296199

My tag list is OPEN. Just let me know if you’d lke to be added :D

****

“I figure in a couple of days we’ll go into town. Get you and Millie all the things you still need.”

His voice is raw and husky; laced with both sleep and contentment as it rumbles deep within his chest. Scarred and misshapen knuckles repeatedly skim the length of her spine; their naked bodies pressed tightly together, caught in a mess of rumpled sheets and tangled limbs. Spent and sated; droplets of perspiration littering their skin and gathering at their temples and the napes of their necks. Their lovemaking had been uncharacteristically slow and tender; a combination of reconnecting and worshipping one another’s bodies and his desire to not cause any more discomfort as she continues her recovery.

“It’s a pretty lengthy list.” Her head rests on his chest; eyes closed as the fingers of one hand lazily trace the tattoo that graces his ribs. “We didn’t exactly come with much. Lots of things were left behind. At Alessio’s.”

“Doesn’t matter how much there is. I don’t care how many lists there are. Whatever you guys need…fuck, whatever you guys WANT…we get. Simple as that.”

“You’re going to create a hell of a predicament for yourself,” she chides and repeatedly brushes the tip of her nose along his collarbone. “People are going to think you hooked up with a gold digger.”

“Yeah, right,” Tyler chuckles, palm briefly lingering at the small of her back, calloused fingertips drifting over the curve of each buttock. “Because there’s just so much gold to dig for.”

“You know what people are like. They talk. It’s what they do.”

“I don’t give a shit. You should know that by now. Besides, you stuck around when I didn’t even have anything to offer you. Just tons of baggage and a shack in the outback. I think it’s safe to say you’re not with me for money.”

“Of course, I’m not with you for money.” She presses a series of kisses along his jaw. “I’m with you for your body.”

“As ancient and crumbling as it is?”

“It’s beautiful.” Lightly scraping the fingernails on one hand down his chest, she speaks between kisses and gentle nibbles on the side of his neck. “So…so…so beautiful.”

“And fat.”

She laughs against his Adam’s apple. “I did not call you fat. I called you thick. And I said it with love and admiration. And insane amounts of animalistic lust.”

His fingertips glide across her shoulders, then down the backs of her arms.“My favourite kind.”

“Mine too.” She rests her head in the nook between neck and shoulder, nose pressed against the long-healed bullet wound in the side of his throat. Her eyes closed as she reaches up to comb a hand through his longer strands of hair; allowing them to slip between her fingers before repeatedly curling and twisting sections around her index and middle fingers.

“Whatever you and Millie need, we’ll get it taken care of. Doesn’t matter how long the list is. Gotta take care of my girls, ya?”

“I like how that sounds. ‘Your girls’. There’s something so sweet about it. So…romantic. In a Tyler sort of way.”

“I can’t believe you’d call me romantic and sweet in the same sentence. What did I ever do to deserve that?”

“Listen, I know you have a reputation to uphold, but you DO have your moments. Where you’re just the softest, loveliest, cutest man on earth. You bring your own brand of romance to the table. And it’s perfect. For me, anyway.”

“Ever thought maybe you’re the one that brings all that out? That I’m not like that with everyone?”

“I already know you’re not. In the same way that I know how lucky I am. I get ALL of you. The REAL you. You’ve never hidden that from me. Not even in Dhaka.”

“I’ve never felt a reason to hide anything. Even back then. Something told me you were good people. That I could trust you. And believe me, I hadn’t felt that way about anyone in a long time. If I ever even did.”

“You trust Nik. And Yaz.”

“That’s different. That’s pretty much all business. Related to the job. I know that they always have my back. That they’ll step up if things go bad.”

“You trust them with me, don’t you? And Millie?”

“Not in the way I trust myself with the two of you.”

“That’s because you know what you’re capable of. You don’t second guess your skills or the things you can do. And you’ve always been protective of me. EXTREMELY protective. OVERLY, at times. Now add Millie to the mix…”

“I know that no one can take care of things the way I can; that the two of you are safest with me. Because I won’t fuck up. I won’t let that happen. Someone even thinks of coming near you and Millie, it’ll be the last thing they do, believe me.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. That everything just stays calm and peaceful. That we can just let Nik and her people handle things in New York while we do our own thing here. I just want to concentrate on us. And Millie. On being a family.”

“We’ll just take it one day at a time. Concentrate on getting past what happened.”

“Do you mean in New York City? Or me taking off and never telling you about Millie?”

“Look at me…” Pushing a hand into her hair, he gently tugs on the dark tresses; encouraging her to lift her head from his chest. “...I forgive you. I know you’re having a hard time accepting that, but I do. Yeah, sometimes I’m still pissed and sometimes it hurts like hell. But I DO forgive you.”

“Just like that? Just so easily?”

“I love you. I never STOPPED loving you. And you had your reasons; for making the decisions that you did. I don’t pretend to completely understand them. Not right now, anyway. But one day I will, I’m sure.”

“I really did do it to protect you. I didn’t want anything happening to you., Tyler. And I never would have forgiven myself; if I permanently lost you because of a mistake I made. It just sucks that in the end, all I did was hurt you.”

“That’s not entirely true though, is it? I mean, I AM alive. Nothing happened to me. And things would have gone really bad if the High Table had shown up while I was there. So you DID do the right thing. If you hadn’t left, we wouldn’t be here right now. And Millie wouldn’t even exist. They wouldn’t have cared. If you were pregnant. It wouldn’t have stopped them from killing you.”

“I don’t even like thinking about that. Her NOT being here. She’s everything I ever wanted. And everything I don’t deserve.”

“There you go selling yourself short again. You deserve so much, Esme. You’re not the monster you think you are. Far from it.”

“Boy, deja vu. I seem to remember saying those EXACT same words. More than once.”

“And I learned, didn’t I? It finally got through to me.”

“You’re a lot better, that’s for sure. You’re not filled with as much self-hatred as you used to be. You know what that means, don’t you?”

“What?”

“You really can teach an old dog new tricks.”

Tyler smirks. “You are such a bitch.”

Esme laughs when he aggressively slaps and pinches her ass, then gives a content sigh when he kisses her; long and languid and deep, naked limbs sliding along one another and against the cool, wrinkled sheets. Her breath soft against his skin when she once more rests her head on the centre of his chest; her fingers drawing continuous circles around his navel while his repeatedly comb through her hair.

*****

He finds himself teetering on the edge of sleep when he feels her move against him; placing a forearm across his torso, her chin resting upon it as she peers up at him.

Pressing a kiss to her nose, his hand slides to the nape of her neck. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“How have things been? With you?”

“You mean in general, or…?”

“In the last two, three years. That’s when you started scaling back on things, right? Trying your hand at a more normal life.”

“Nothing’s been normal about my life. Not for a long time. And especially not since you left.”

“I mean stuff like firefighting. And starting your business. How HAVE things been?”

“Guess I overestimated your spying abilities,” he teases and skims his knuckles across her cheek. “I thought you knew everything there was to know.”

“My spying stopped at your personal life. I knew the basics; the firefighting and how you started your own business. To be honest, I think I was scared to venture past those things.”

Cradling her cheek in his palm, he brushes the pad of his thumb over her lips. “Scared? Of what?”

“Finding out you were with someone. I know that sounds pretty stupid, considering I’m the one who fucked everything up. You had every right to go on with your life; to meet someone and fall in love and everything else that comes after that.”

“I was already in love. With YOU. And that wasn’t going to change.”

“Were you with other people? Other than Delaney.”

“Maybe in the biblical sense.”

“THAT I expected. For you to go back to sowing your wild oats all over the place.”

“Wasn’t all over the place. Just the vast majority of the northern territory. Well, the western part of it, anyway.”

“Oh, lovely. Does this mean I’m going to go to the grocery store and meet up with all kinds of women you’ve bumped uglies with?”

“I never pissed in my own front yard. It would have been too fucking awkward; running into a bunch of one-night stands.”

“I am marrying a whore,” she laughs, and presses a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth. Briefly capturing his bottom lip between teeth when she pulls away.

“I promise you won’t run into any of my conquests while picking Millie up at school or grabbing something at Maccas.”

“Good. Because the last thing I want is to be sharing stories about your dick and its abilities while I’m in line at the store, waiting to buy shit tickets. “

He arches a quizzical brow. “Shit tickets?”

“Toilet paper.”

“And you say us Aussies have weird slang.”

“You know how long it took me to get used to the words you’d use in conversation? Or even your accent for that matter? It wasn’t that easy; trying to decipher exactly WHAT you were saying half the time. I remember how strong it got; when we were living in The Kimberley. I guess it was from being home so much.”

“Think it was easy getting used to you? You’ve got a pretty wicked accent yourself.”

“I most certainly do not.”

“You do.”

“I’m from Colorado. People from Colorado do NOT have accents.”

Raising his head from his pillow, he presses a kiss to her brow. “Trust me, babe. You do.”

“So other than Delaney…” A fingertip drifts over the scar that runs over the bridge of his nose. “...it was just one-night stands? No relationships?”

“No relationships.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t want to be in one.”

“Didn’t want to be in one or couldn’t find anyone worthy enough to be in one with?”

“A mix of both, maybe. I didn’t want anyone else, Esme. Not in that way. A serious way. I wanted YOU. And if it meant I waited forever or you never found your back…”

“You would have found someone eventually. Someone that you’d fall madly in love with. Marry, have a family…”

“No. I wouldn’t have. Because that is everything I wanted with YOU. Not anyone else.”

“You don’t think you could have learned to love her? Delaney? That you could have moved on and…”

“How could I move on when I was still in love with you? When I always would be in love with you. And why are we even having this conversation? This is supposed to be the start. Of everything. Of US. And talking about this…”

“I’m just curious. Trying to fill in the gaps, I guess. Because I love you and I want to know what I missed. Even if it makes me uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t miss much, believe me.”

“Do you like it? Firefighting?”

“It’s a job. The pay’s decent. Got a little bit of edge. Keeps me busy, at least.”

“You’ve never been one to sit still for very long. Not that surprising you’d thrive at something that keeps you on your toes all the time.”

“I don’t know how much it keeps me on my toes. Not the busiest area. We don’t get a lot of action. I do get a lot of cats out of trees, though.” He gives a playful wink. “And ladies love a guy in uniform, so…”

“I’ve yet to see you in uniform, but I bet you’re hot as fuck. Especially in your turn-out gear.”

“I didn’t think you’d be into that kind of thing. Seeing as your brother is a firefighter.”

“Believe me, Tae. Nothing about you could ever remind me of my brother.”

His eyes close as her fingertips explore the scar on the left side of his forehead and the second one lower on his cheekbone. It’s a form of intimacy as its purest and most innocent of roots; the soft and tender touch of a lover who adores and worships you. Who knows every inch of your body; every blemish, every imperfection. And it’s a closeness…a level of trust and vulnerability…that he’s never experienced with anyone but her.

“What about the business? I assume that’s doing pretty good.”

“Better than I ever thought it would. Got a lot of regular clients, and more and more are coming aboard all the time.”

“Do you have people that work for you?”

“I have a few full-time guys. That deal with the heavy-duty stuff; concentrate on the real manual labour. And a handful of students who help out on weekends and during school breaks. They do small repairs, landscaping stuff, things like that.”

“Who’s in charge while you’re on your little sabbatical?”

“Koen’s my right-hand man. The guy that I trust with everything. Things are being taken care of. I’m not worried about it.”

“I knew you’d find something you’d be amazing at. You always liked working with your hands; doing your own repairs on your truck, putting up the walls and installing the new windows in that little shack of yours.”

“Of OURS.”

“Millie’s really going to get on you, you know. About that treehouse. And she’s definitely going to want to be your little helper. She loves to create. Build things. She’s got a real talent for things like that.”

“I’ll have to get her own stuff. Some tools and a toolbelt, little hardhat, some steel-toed boots.”

“She’ll love that. And probably drive us completely nuts trying to fix everything around here.”

“I’ll start her out slow. Small projects. Birdhouses, flower boxes, some planters for the garden. I promise I’ll keep her away from the power tools.”

“You’re going to have to really watch out for her. Because that child? YOUR child? Isn’t just headstrong, she is completely fearless. I wonder where she gets THAT from?”

“Her mother.”

“Hardly.”

“Well, it’s not from me, that’s for sure. ‘Cause there’s plenty of things I’m afraid of. And they all seem to involve you.”

Sighing, she presses a series of soft kisses along the scar that mars his left shoulder. “I know it did a real number on you. The accident. Seeing me like that. It’s definitely bothering you way more than you’re letting on.”

“I’m not shy. I admit it fucked me right up. All the things I’ve been through? All the people I’ve gone up against? I’ve never…EVER…been that scared. Seeing you like that? Not knowing if you were alive or dead? And if you were alive, was someone going to show up to finish things off? That was…rough.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m really proud of you. For how you handled things. Not just with getting me out of there and making sure I survived, but everything AFTER that. How you just took control. Stepped up. You were banged up and exhausted and hurting and you did what you wanted to do. For Millie. Just focused on her. Took care of her.”

“Why wouldn’t I have done all that? She’s my baby, too. My little girl.”

“It was all still so fresh. So new. You’d barely had a chance to catch your breath. Coming face to face with me, finding out you were a dad again. You had your entire world turned upside down. You…”

“No. I didn’t. I got my entire world BACK.”

His honesty is raw. Real. Powerful. Succeeding in both taking her breath away and bringing tears to her eyes.

*****

“So is this where I get to ask questions now?” His fingers move in slow, methodical circles on the small of her back. “When it comes to what you’ve been doing the last five years?”

“What more is there to know? Didn’t we cover all the bases?”

“Not quite.”

“There’s not much more to tell. Not anything of interest, anyway.”

“You didn’t work or anything? What did you do with your spare time?”

“I picked up jobs here and there. For Nik. Things I could just do from home. Background checks, basic research and tracking people down. Nothing that would draw a lot of attention. So I could stay under the radar. Or try to, at least.”

“Well, you did a pretty good job hiding from me, that’s for sure.”

“We’ve talked about this. I wasn’t hiding from you. Not intentionally, anyway. It was all so complicated. I had to protect Millie. Both of her parents were still in the life. In some way. And we’d both burned a lot of bridges and made a lot of enemies. I couldn’t take the chance that someone would come after her. I just couldn’t.”

“There were other reasons, too. You know there were.”

“Selfish ones. Staying away had nothing to do with you and EVERYTHING to do with me. You know that. We’ve been through it how many times now? It was never about you, Tyler. Not in the way you think it was. At first, it was about protecting you. Then Millie. And finally, it became about myself. Because…to make a long story short… I was a stupid, insecure little girl.”

“You’re not any of those things. It was just a messy situation. All around.” Tangling his fingers in her hair, he pulls her towards him, lips meeting the bridge of her nose. “What else did you do? Other than helping out Nik?”

“Just took care of Millie, mostly. Devoted myself to being a mom. I joined a couple of those mom and baby groups; just to get out of the house and socialize and try and make friends. When she was a few months old, I even signed us up for yoga classes and water aerobics. Millie always loved the water. She was always so comfortable in it. Confident, even.”

“She’s gonna love it here, then. Trips to the beach, being able to swim in the ocean.”

“Except for the fact the thought of an encounter with a shark will be exciting to her. She’ll probably pray for it to happen. I am telling you, that girl is fearless. She’s so much like you, Tyler. More than just the physical. There’s so much of you in her. And it was kinda bittersweet, you know? Seeing you every time I looked at her but knowing I couldn’t actually be with you.”

“I mean, you could have been. But…”

“But I was a stupid little bitch. Like I said. That’s something that will eat at me for the rest of my life, believe me.”

“I don’t want it to. And I’m sorry I bring it up so much. Make you talk about it. Explain yourself. That’s not fair.”

“If anyone has the right to bring it up, it’s you.”

“I don’t want to be that kind of person. I want to be better than that. For you. And Millie.”

“I remember the first time you told me that. How I made you want to be a better man.”

“It’s true. You do.”

“I never considered you a bad man in the first place. A good man who made bad decisions, yes. But bad to your very core? Not even close.”

“You always have been full of shit,” He teases, and curls an arm around her neck, drawing her into a long, deep kiss. His lips against her temple when she settles her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed as his fingertips repeatedly graze up and down her bicep. “Tell me about the guy.”

Her hand slips lazily across his collarbone, down his chest, briefly settling on his stomach before travelling back up again. Finally coming to rest on the side of his neck, nails lightly and repeatedly scratching against the skin. “What guy?”

“The one you dated. In New York. The cop. Or detective. Or whatever the hell he was.”

Esme raises her head from his shoulder, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. “How did you know about him?”

“A little birdie told me.”

“A little birdie, huh? What did you bribe her with? Two scoops of mint chocolate chip instead of one? Unlimited Bluey viewing on your cell phone?”

“I promised her a Porsche when she turned sixteen.”

“I wouldn’t put anything past you. You’re going to spoil her rotten.”

“I didn’t have to promise her anything. She just offered the information.”

“Out of nowhere? She just suddenly started talking about my personal life?”

“I MAY have asked her about it.”

“Mmmhmmm.”

“Okay, so I did. I DID ask her. If you’d ever had a boyfriend. I was curious. I wanted to know.”

“Curious, huh?”

“And a bit jealous.”

“Just a bit?”

“A lot.”

“Why are you like this? When it comes to me and other men?”

“Like what? What am I like?”

“Self-conscious. You’ve always been. Even at the very beginning of things. And believe me…” Slipping out of bed, she stretches languorously before padding towards the dresser; a pair of plaid pyjama bottoms and tank top folded neatly on top. “...you do not come across as someone who would be self-conscious.”

“Did I say you could get out of bed? That you could put clothes on? There’s a strict ‘no clothes allowed’ rule in this room. Once that door closes…”

“I know what Millie’s like; if she wakes up in the middle of the night. She’ll come looking for me. And the last thing we need is her seeing both of us in all our naked glory.” Climbing into her pyjamas, she tosses his discarded sweats in his direction. “And don’t do that. Deflect. Answer my question.”

“I’m old.” He grimaces as he swings his legs over the side of the bed, moving slowly as he puts one leg into the pants, followed by the other. Knees cracking when he stands to pull them up. “ My brain is mush. I already forgot what the question was.”

“I asked why you are the way you are. When it comes to me and other men. Why do you always get so bent out of shape about it?”

“I don’t get bent out of shape.”

“You do.” Removing her hair out of the back of her tank top, she moves back to bed; fluffing and moulding her pillows and arranging them to her specification. “And I don’t get it. There’s nothing for you to get prickly about.”

“Like you don’t get prickly about my ex-wife. Or Delaney.”

“Being curious is not the same as being prickly. What is your hang-up? When it comes to me and other people?” She gives a content sigh when she slips back into bed, settling her head on a pillow before rolling onto her side to face him. “It’s not like any of them are still in the picture. And even if they were, they still wouldn’t be a threat to you.”

“I don’t see them as a threat. I know what I bring to the table. It’s not about feeling threatened.”

“What’s it about then?”

“I just don’t like it. You being with other guys.”

“I mean, I was married, remember? I’ve had boyfriends. And girlfriends, for that matter.”

“Since you left?”

“I’m talking about throughout my entire life. And did you honestly think I wouldn’t date? Or at least try to? That I would have just spent the last five years completely alone?”

“You know how you said you were okay with me going on with my life? Meeting someone else? Falling in love, getting married, all that shit?”

Esme nods.

“I’m not that gracious. Not by a long shot. I didn’t want you with anyone else.”

“For the rest of my life?”

“Well...yeah.”

“You’re being ridiculous.” She reaches for him. “Come to bed.”

“So was this guy the real deal? Someone you could have moved on with? Gotten your ‘always and forever, happily ever after’ with? Totally forget about me and…”

“Tyler, I was never going to forget about you. I carried your child inside of me. Gave birth to her. She looks just like you. Kinda hard to forget you when I’m looking at your clone every damn day. Add the fact that I was still in love with you and always would be into the mix…”

“Would you have moved on with him? Gotten married, had more kids? All of that?”

“All of that was what I wanted with you. ONLY you. So no, none of that would have ever happened. I didn’t want that life with anyone else. Just you. And if that meant I never got any of that, oh well. Now…” She pats the empty spot beside her. “...come to bed. Please? I’ll answer whatever questions you have., but just come to bed. Because you standing there like that? It’s making me incredibly anxious.”

He relents. Laying on his side with her back pressed against his front and forearm draped across her collarbone. And he presses a kiss to the back of her head before resting his cheek against hers. “What was his name?”

“Don. His name was Don. And he was a detective. Homicide.”

“How the hell did you ever meet him?”

“I worked a small job for Nik. Nothing serious. I had to find my way into the main evidence locker at One Police Plaza and steal some papers related to an old case.”

“What the fuck….?”

“Someone hired Nik because an old money laundering and embezzlement case they were involved in was going to be reopened. And if that happened, it was going to cause a big old shitstorm; he had some big-name contacts and clients of his own that would be exposed. Some really well-known people, too. Politicians, lawyers, judges. And if all that got out…”

“Heads would roll. Most likely literally.”

“Exactly. So Nik and Yaz created an entire persona for me. I had the credentials; photo identification, passport, fake driver’s licence.”

“Who were you supposed to be?”

“An agent with Homeland Security.”

“Jesus Christ. And you don’t consider THAT serious?”

“You know, for such a huge police department with apparently the best security in the country, they were sure easy to fool. It was like taking candy from a baby. I was in and out of there in ten minutes. Not even.”

“I don’t know whether to be impressed or pissed off. That you even put yourself in a situation like that. Especially with Millie in the picture. If you’d gotten caught…”

“But I didn’t. Well, not until about six months later. But that comes further in the story.”

“So the cop…”

“We met in the elevator. I was running to catch it and he held the door open for me.”

Tyler scoffs. “What a gentleman.”

She scowls over her shoulder. “I thought you promised you wouldn’t get prickly.”

“I’m not getting prickly. I just…”

“YOU asked,” she reminds him. “You wanted to know these things, right? You have questions. I’m just answering them. Do you REALLY want to hear this stuff? Or do you just want to be angry about something?”

“I’m not prickly. Or angry. I’m jealous.”

“Of what?”

“Of anyone that even looks at you the wrong way.”

“Oh for God’s sake…”

“I was never like this before. I never used to give a shit about this kind of thing. I didn’t care how many people my ex dated or fucked before me. Because I was always so far up my own ass that I knew I was better than anyone that came before me. Sometimes I miss that guy.”

“The guy you were before me.”

“I was a drunk and a drug addict before you. So, no.”

“You weren’t ALWAYS that way. You didn’t always have those issues.”

“But I was a prick in other ways.”

“I liked the guy you were when we met. Yeah, you were messy and you had your issues, but so did I. I wasn’t a picnic, either. We were both fucked up. But it didn’t stop me from falling in love with you. And staying that way.”

“And now?”

“Now I like you even more. I’m glad you’re not totally up your own ass, as you put it. I like that you’re not afraid to talk about the hard things. That you’re able to admit you’re self-conscious or…”

“I never admitted to that.”

“Or you’re feeling spiteful or hateful or jealous. I mean, as weird as it sounds, everyone should want their man to be that way. Just completely honest. Because it doesn’t do anyone a lick of good if they keep that all bottled up.”

“So what you’re saying is that it’s okay to be a prickly asshole.”

“Don’t push your luck, Tyler.”

Grinning, he =presses a kiss to her temple. “So, this guy…”

“What more is there to know? You asked how I met him. I told you. What more do you need?”

“You just chatted in an elevator and hooked up with him, or…?”

“He asked me out for an Irish coffee. I said yes. It was as simple as that.”

“Irish coffee, huh? So that’s what the kids are calling it these days.”

“We went out. One date turned into two, two turned into three. Three turned into a relationship.”

“A serious one, or…”

“I mean, we were exclusive. We didn’t date other people. We just…I don’t know…we just did our thing.”

“Did you do HIM?”

“Tyler…”

“I want to know, okay? I NEED to know.”

“Why?”

“Because I do.”

Sighing, she presses a kiss to his forearm, then rolls over to face him. “That’s not an acceptable answer for anyone over seven.”

“Did you? I mean, I think I already know the answer, but…”

“I didn’t sleep with him. And believe me, it wasn’t for lack of opportunity. I won’t lie to you; we did other things and I enjoyed them. I enjoyed them a lot, actually. It was nice; to feel beautiful and wanted and to have someone completely and utterly devoted to you.”

“I would have given you all that. I DID give you all that.”

“And I WANTED it to be you. More than I ever wanted anything in my entire life. But it wasn’t a good time. To just show up on your doorstep. It was all so complicated. Confusing. And I needed to protect Millie. We’ve both burned a lot of bridges, Tyler. Crossed a lot of really bad people. I couldn’t put her at risk. I just couldn’t.”

“But you can now?”

“So much has changed. We’re both walking away. From this life. And I know all of this probably doesn’t make much sense to you. But it makes sense to me.”

“And you couldn’t seal the deal with this guy because…”

“Because it wasn’t fair. To him. To let things get THAT serious. He was a good man and he was great to me and Millie. But I couldn’t give him THAT. That part of me. I just couldn’t. And he didn’t realize it and I never told him about you, but It was always a competition. Between you and him. Everything he did, everything he said. All I would think about is how YOU would handle things. The things YOU would say. And I tried; I really did. But he deserved better than that; a woman who thought of someone else every time he touched or kissed her. That wasn’t fair to him. He wasn’t a bad person. Far from it.”

“I kind of feel bad now. For handling the five years like I did. Me and my wandering dick.”

“Why would you feel bad? Those were my issues. Not yours. You had every right to go on; to deal with things however way you wanted to. You were the one that got hurt.”

“Sometimes I wonder if you hurt yourself more than you hurt me.”

“It wasn’t easy. I didn’t want to leave. And I didn’t want all that time to go by; flying under the radar and keeping Millie a secret. But it was so complicated. The lives we were both living. It was never to punish you or hurt you. It was to protect you. And her.”

He nods slowly, considering her words. “So is that why things went bad? Between you and the cop? ‘Cause you wouldn’t pull the trigger?”

“He was very understanding. Very patient. He just assumed I’d come out of a bad situation and I just wasn’t ready for that kind of thing. And I didn’t bother telling him any differently.”

“So what happened? What made him walk?”

“You mean there’s something the little birdie DIDN’T tell you?”

“She did. But I’d rather hear it from you. How’d he find out? About who you REALLY were?”

“I told him.”

“That was risky.”

“Once I realized he was getting more serious and deeper into things than I expected him to, I just couldn’t do it anymore. I’d spent six months with him; half a year pretending to be someone I wasn’t.”

“Were you getting more serious about things? About HIM?”

“I mean, I liked him. I was attracted to him. And he was very good to me and Millie. He spoiled the hell out of her and she liked having him around; he took her to baseball and hockey games, they went to the zoo and the movies, he braved the Macy’s toy department more than once.”

“And I want to be happy about all that, but…”

“You weren’t there, Tyler. Through no fault of your own. Millie needed someone. A father figure. She wanted someone like that in her life.”

“She had someone like that. She had a DAD. That would have been there had he known she even existed.”

“And THIS is why I didn’t want to talk about this stuff. No matter what I say or do, it’s only going to upset you. You say you want to know everything, but deep down…”

“I have a right to know all of this stuff. I haven’t hid anything from you. About what I was up to in the last five years. I was totally honest about Delaney. It should go both ways, don’t you think?”

“I don’t want to fight. I get it; you’re hurt and you’re angry and you need to take it out on someone. I get it, Tyler. And I don’t blame you for feeling the way you do. You have every right to be pissed. But do you REALLY want to keep doing this? Bringing it up over and over again? Finding fault in everything I say? You tell me you want to hear these things and then…”

“I’m not trying to fight.” He uses his fingertips to clear hair away from the side of her face and loop it behind her ears, then presses a soft, reassuring kiss to her lips. “And I’m sorry. For acting like a prick sometimes.”

“I never said THAT.”

“Not in so many words.”

“I’m not trying to take away how you feel. You have every right to be pissed off. And hurt. You even have the right to take it out on me. But…”

“I don’t have that right. At all. And I don’t mean to do it. I know it hurts you. And you’re the last person I ever want to hurt, believe me.”

“We need help, Tyler. PROFESSIONAL help. Or we’re GOING to need it. To get past all of this. To deal with how we’re both feeling. You and your anger and your hurt and me and my regret and my guilt. I don’t think we can do it alone. Or that it’s healthy for either of us to even try.”

“You want me to see a shrink.”

“Not a shrink. A counsellor. And not just you. US. Someone who can sit with us and help us unpack all of this and work through it. I think deep down, you realize we need it. That kind of help.”

“If you think that’s the way to go…”

“I think it’s something we need to at least try. And then just go from there.”

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Including THAT.”

“Now that’s true love,” she teases, and presses a chaste to the corner of his mouth. “And I think it might do Millie some good, too. To talk to someone. She’s been through a lot; seen and heard things no kid should ever have to. I know she’s a tough little thing, but I also know she’s a lot like you; when it comes to shoving things down and pretending they don’t exist. I don’t want her growing up like that. And I know you don’t either.”

“I don’t. I don’t want that at all. Whatever she needs…whatever WE need…we’ll make it happen.”

Smiling, she kisses him; long and soft and sweet. And when she pulls away, his palm still cradles the side of her face; thumb repeatedly brushing against her cheek. “I didn’t love him.”

“I never…”

“You were going to ask. I knew it was coming.”

“Not even a little bit?”

“I was attracted to him. I cared for him. Deeply. But I didn’t love him. And I don’t think I ever would have.”

“He must have loved you. He just let you walk. After he found out the truth.”

“Maybe? I don’t know. He never said he did. Sometimes I felt, you know? And I wasn’t ready for that. I probably never would have been. None of it was fair to him; lying about who I was, allowing him to get so close, letting him think that maybe there was some kind of future…a happy ever after…in the cards. He deserved a lot better than that. A lot better than ME.”

“You’re not a horrible person, Esme. You’re…”

“I hurt people. Even the ones I love the most. It’s who I am. It’s what I do.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. You didn’t do things because you wanted to. You did them because you HAD to. It was just part of the job. If you didn’t lie about who you were, the ending would have been a lot worse than fucking up some guy’s ego.”

“I should have never gotten involved with him. I should have done everything possible to just keep my distance. But I was lonely. I wanted someone in my life. Maybe not to have a serious thing with; I didn’t want to live with someone or get married or grow old and gray with them. He made me feel beautiful. He made me feel wanted. I hadn’t felt that in so long. And if I couldn’t get it from the person I wanted it from, I had to settle. SETTLE. How horrible does that make me sound? Talking about another human being like that?”

“It doesn’t sound horrible. It sounds…”

“Needy? Desperate?”

“No. It just sounds…sad.”

“Sad as in pathetic or…?”

“YOU sound sad. When you talk about it. And you must have been sad when it was happening.”

“I missed you. Every second of every day. And it got worse when Millie came along. I had wanted to be a mom for so long. And I finally had this beautiful little girl. Everything I ever longed for. But I couldn’t share her with you. And that wasn’t fair. To either of us. Or you.”

“See? You did hurt yourself more than you hurt me.”

“You have no idea what I went through. I just tried to shut myself off. I was in love with someone I couldn’t be with. Through no fault of his. He’d done nothing wrong. So I told myself I’d never let that happen again. Get close to someone. That it was better if I just concentrated on being a mom. And that’s what I tried to do. I DID. But…”

“Then you met this guy…”

“All of a sudden, I wasn’t as lonely anymore. There was this man that wanted me. And no, it wasn’t nearly to the depths you did. But it was…something. And I desperately needed it. More than I wanted to admit. All I wanted was to feel something…anything…again. But the more I felt for him, the more I missed you. And that’s when the competition began. He was never going to be YOU. Not even close. No matter how good of a person he was.”

“Did he just walk away or…?”

“He was hurt. Rightfully so. It’s kind of a kick in the nuts when you hear something like that; that the person you’ve spent six months with was nothing but a fake. And he felt stupid; that he didn’t sense that there was something wrong or that there was something I was hiding from him. I told him not to take it personally. It wasn’t any fault or weakness on his part. I was just that good at my job.”

“You must have horseshoes up your ass. ‘Cause for him to just walk away instead of not locking you up…”

“Maybe he felt bad for Millie. Putting me away meant she’d have no one. And I don’t think he’s the type to do that to a little kid.”

“You know what I think? I think he was in love with you. That’s why he was so forgiving.”

“And I think you’re reading too much into things.”

“I can’t say I blame him, though. I know from personal experience how easy it is. And how fast it can happen.”

“Now I think you’re overestimating my appeal.”

“Not in the fucking slightest.”

A smile curves her lips, and she reaches up to sweep hair off his forehead. A hand on his cheek as she leans in to kiss him.

“Thank you.” The fingertips of both hands slide across her shoulders and down either side of her spine, gently squeezing her ass when his lips meet her brow. For telling me. About him.”

“Thank you for not totally losing your shit. I was worried there for a minute.”

“Oh believe me, inside I was throwing tables and punching holes in walls.”

“Because that’s healthy,” she chides, cradling his face in her palms as she presses a kiss to each corner of his mouth, his cheek, chin, and finally his lips. And when she pulls away, she finds herself rendered breathless by the way he regards her; the pure adoration and devotion that softens his face and sparkles in his eyes.

It’s overwhelming at times. To be worshipped and loved in such a manner. Realizing that you’ve become such an enormous and integral part of someone’s existence. Yet it’s a love that many fear will never find them; so beautiful and all-consuming and life-altering.

Running the pad of her thumb over his lips, she sweeps her knuckles along his jaw and then wraps both arms around him. Her body pressed tightly against his as she tucks her face into that favourite spot of hers; that secure, safe place between neck and shoulder.

“It’s always been you, Tyler.” Her breath is warm and sweet against his skin. “It will always be you.”

#Tyler and Esme series #Tyler Rake #Tyler Rake fanfic #Tyler Rake fan fiction #Extraction #Extraction 2 #Extraction fan fic #Extraction fan fiction #Tyler Rake x OFC #Esme Drummond #Esme Rake #Chris Hemsworth #Chris Hemsworth Extraction

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georgiapeach30513 · 11 months

Text

The Flowers of Waverley Road, Part 2

You Can Have it All

Summary: you have a suitor

Pairings: Ari Levinson X Reader (Lavender)

Rating: explicit

Warnings: explicit language, explicit sexual content, choking, female masturbation, voyeurism, fingering, mentions of forced arranged marriages, 18+ ONLY

Word Count: 4.2K

Series Masterlist

You Can Have It All Masterlist

*dividers created by @firefly-graphics

You flutter your eyes open as the first ray of light shines through your windows. Groaning, you flip to the side away from the window and deeper into your pillows, but the damage is done. It was enough movement, and enough irritation to your eyes that you can’t sleep. Sitting up in the bed isn’t much better. A bedroom for a child. You hated coming to this house. It was secluded and away from everything, and your father still insisted on having you put up in a room fit for a ten year old princess.

Things are too fluffy, and too pink, and too…childish. How were you ever going to get Ari inside of you if this was your room? He would see this space and think of you as a child. It would never do. But what would even be better is a swim to clear your mind, and think of a way to let your father change things a bit. At least it could keep you busy.

Hopping out of the bed, you start towards the closet, but stop almost immediately. No one should be here, save for Ari, and possibly Tyler. He was always here. If you are to be here with them, you should be able to have fun, right?

And what better way to get Ari’s attention than being naked, again? With a smirk you walk down the grand staircase. This house has way too much space for one person, and yet here you were. That stupid ass rule of Ari not being allowed in the house. Tyler was, but he wasn't supposed to be too close. That didn’t work out well the last time.

Going to the fridge, you’re at least thankful that the chef had prepared some food for you to eat. Making adorable little fruit cups that you grab, and a bottle of water before walking out to the pool. Tyler was most likely around, somewhere, but who cares? You take off your shirt, throwing it to the side when he clears his throat, and you swish to the side, showing off way too much of your body.

“Cover yourself up,” Tyler grunts at you, lifting his head up to the sky.

“Aww, Ty Ty, you don’t want to look?” Another grunt alerts you that he didn’t want to look at your body.

He lowers his gaze to look at you as he steps forward. Reaching a hand to touch your hip. It wasn’t the same as when Ari touched you, but there was a bit of a tingle. Excitement over what he was going to do, “Cover yourself up.”

“What if I don’t want to?” This wasn’t going how you thought. Tyler wasn’t interested. Always business with him.

“I really don’t give a fuck. There will be someone working here. You also have a visitor today, and trust me, he doesn’t want to see you strutting around like a little whore. Cover yourself up, and get back in the fucking house. You’re puppy dog eyes and hard nipples won’t work on me,” Tyler drops his hand off your hip, and you turn away. Grabbing up your shirt, and yogurt parfait. Tears start to fill your eyes.

“It worked with Violet,” you mumble over your breath, and Tyler jerks you towards his body. Your things drop to the ground, and your yogurt parfait shatters onto the pavement. Lip trembling when his hand holds tight to your neck.

“You better keep your mouth shut. If you want someone to fuck you so bad, I’m sure the gentleman coming by today would have no problem leaning you over the table and taking you from behind. And you would do best to keep your mouth shut about Violet. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You fucked her first. Beat Jack to what he paid for,” you try to cover up your chest now. Awkwardly wrapping your arms around your body so he couldn’t see anything. The thrill was gone. You were afraid of the man that was supposed to be your guard. “You took her…”

“It was consensual. The only time she had sex that really was. You think her life is easy? Sold off to an old man just so your father could get money. She lays on her back or is on her knees every night while Jack takes what he wants. I did your sister a fucking favor. Yeah, we fucked. She asked me to. She didn’t want the first time she laid down with a man to be a contract. But you being desperate with every dick that comes here is going to get you in trouble. Not everyone in this world is kind. And if your father knew that his daughter was soiled before Jack got to her, there would be hell to pay for both me and her. Is that what you want?” Tyler’s growls turn to whispers in your ear, and he lowers his hand from around your neck when Ari walks towards the house.

“Everything okay?” He shouts, and you nod your head, grabbing up your shirt to pull over yourself up. “You sure?”

“She said she was fine, Levinson. Sometimes she just needs a reminder on how to be a good little girl,” his mouth gets right at your ear, and you shudder. “Keep your mouth closed about your sister. You have no idea the game you’re getting into. Get dressed, and decent. You will have a visitor later. Keep your tits covered.”

You didn’t like it. In fact you hated it. Hated Ari having to see you in that vulnerable state, but worse, hearing Tyler’s words. He didn’t ask you how you knew what he and Violet were doing, but you know what you saw. Violet had a man in her room, and it wasn’t the man she was going to marry.

Huffing in frustration, you stomp up to your room. Irritated and hungry. He ruined your breakfast, and your swim. Why did he have to be here? Tyler had fucked many women, you was sure of that. But you didn’t understand how your sister got to be a withering little thing under someone, in this very house. What were the parameters of that relationship? How did Violet approach Tyler?

Getting frustrated even more you look at that stupid giant teddy bear. He was mocking you. It wasn’t fair. Everyone had left you, leaving you in this hell hole all alone. No one trusted you or told you what was going on. They treated you like a child. A stupid baby. You aren’t either. You are tired of the lies and secrets that everyone seemed to keep from you.

Slamming that teddy bear flat on the bed, you pull off your shorts, and move to straddle it. Slowly starting to grind on the stuffed animal. Lifting your head back to the ceiling as you try and work out your frustrations. Stunted, and didn’t even know it. Begging for something you just didn’t understand. Awkward in ways, and oh so desperate for attention and love.

Gyrating over the bear, you try and get out of your head. Try to forget about the people coming and going in this house. Rocking over it harder has your moaning, angrily searching for relief, and wishing the bear could touch you back. Your hands grip your tits, and you give them a pinch as you say Ari’s name out loud. He would touch you. He wouldn’t leave you to do all the work.

A tap on the window has you screeching, and scrambling off the toy. Rolling over on the bed, you use the teddy to cover yourself up, but Ari gives you a bit of a wave, “Why don’t you open the window?”

“You gonna come in here and fuck me?” You were right at the precipice of release, and he interrupted things. It was the least he could do.

“No,” he answers abruptly. You were a joke to everyone. “But I will watch you put on a show for me. See you fuck your toy, pretending it was me,” your cheeks heat up in embarrassment, and your vision goes red. Just how long was he watching you? And who would he tell? “I could always teach you how to suck cock.”

“You’re not supposed to be in here,” if he was going to mock you, you weren’t going to be sucking his dick.

“Didn’t stop me last time. Come on, princess. Let ole Ari in. If you don’t want the teddy, you want that desperate little pussy to straddle my thighs while I suck on those titties? I’ll let you move on me like you did that toy. Yeah, I know you do. Want my fingers to fuck that tight little twat,” he starts to chuckle when your hips start hunching the air. “You are a needy little thing, and I’m trying to help you. You said no sex last time.”

“But there’s a bed this time,” you counter. If he was going to make fun of you, he could at least fuck you.

“Oh, well, maybe we should get to know each other first. Open the window, and I’ll do whatever you want me to, besides fucking. It’ll be our little secret,” walking to the window, you unlock it, allowing him entrance into your room. Trying to cover yourself up as best you can.

Ari backs you up to the bed, and you slowly sink down, gulping as he spreads your legs, “You can make me stop at any time, okay?” He asks, licking his lips like he was about to get the best meal of his life.

“Okay,” nodding eagerly he presses one hand on your stomach, and the other slides up your leg. Reaching your lips, he pulls them apart wide, and kitten licks your bundle of nerves. Tongue flicking over your bean when you whimper, “What are you doing?”

“I am going to make you feel really good, and you’re going to talk to me.”

“But…”

“Shh,” he whispers, swiping two fingers up your slit. “You want me to fuck you?” You don’t hesitate to nod your head. It was finally going to happen. All your sisters had lost their virginity in this very house, but you hadn’t expected this. “Well, let me have some fun stretching you out. No sex today.”

You give him a little whine, but it changes to mewls as those two fingers slip into your warmth, and you look down between your legs watching him work your tight hole. Pumping his thick digits into you, and scissoring his finger. Stretching out the skin as much as he can, “I know. That is a big stretch. My cock is much thicker. Now tell me, what was happening between you and the guard.”

“He hates seeing me.”

“Why?” Ari’s brow cocks up, and his thumb adds pressure to your clit. Sound turns to static, and you hear nothing at all only feel. Feel him giving you the most pleasure you have ever felt in your life, “Uh uh. I asked you a question.”

“He took Violet’s virginity. I saw them in her room the night before her wedding.”

“Doesn’t matter. He just keeps people away from you. It’s his job. What isn’t his job is fucking your sister. Why did he send you inside?” There was more to that interaction, and Ari needs to know what was going on in this weird little house.

“Ah, Ari,” you moan prayers up to the ceiling. His fingers were magical, and you couldn’t wait to feel the rest of him. “Ari!”

“You quit answering me, I quit fingering you. Why did Tyler send you inside?”

“Someone’s coming,” Ari knew it. Magnus was setting his daughters up as bait. Depending on who was coming to see you would change the way that Ari felt.

“You’re not going to come if you don’t tell me who. Who would be coming all the way out here?”

“A man,” Ari’s fingers start to slow down, and you become desperate to feel some relief. “It’s what daddy always does. He brings men out here to see us. Men that want to marry us. I whined, and — and…someone is probably coming to look at me.”

Ari wants to vomit. Magnus was parading his daughters around like cattle. Especially the youngest two. All but two were married off. “Why isn’t Lotus married?”

“She can’t have kids,” this man could pull out every bit of information he wanted at this moment. You are completely pliable to his motions. It wasn’t Ari’s favorite thing, but you were proving to be useful.

“What? What do you mean, she can’t have kids?”

“She…she was sick when she was younger. Nobody wants her because — because,” your walls are clenching around his fingers. You had been most helpful, but you still had yet to divulge what he really needed to know. Judging by the pupils of your eyes and how wide they were blown, it was amazing he had gotten that information from you.

He pumps himself in and out of your warmth, waiting on you to see fireworks before he questions some more. A man was coming by to see you. That was making things a bit difficult. Magnus was speeding things up. But the question still remained, would it be a quick courting like how Jack wanted Violet right away. Or would it be a long drawn out relationship like how August was with Orchid. August actually valued his wife. Jack treated Violet like his property.

You lay back on the bed, letting Ari take all that he wanted of you. Screaming out in pleasure before you start to see stars. He was definitely better than a teddy bear. Pulling his fingers out of your warmth, he rubs your slick over your puffy lips before he sucks his fingers dry. “What happened to Lotus?”

“She had surgery, and she can’t have kids,” your voice was light as air. You were going to be so easy. “That’s why she’s alone.”

“Nick?”

“Business partner,” you didn't know everything. Blinded by your own needs, you didn’t even see that Lotus and Nick were completely in love, and she was fighting him. At least Ari knew now. Knew why Lotus was ‘undesirable’ by Magnus’ disgusting business partners. It was obvious what Dahlia’s problem was. Married to a criminal. “Ari, can you marry me?”

“I’m not vying for your hand. And who do you think is coming to visit you?”

“There’s a younger Bass,” Magnus was too predictable. If he was going to be archaic he could spread out the wealth. Marry his daughters off to other wealthy men. “There’s more.”

“I bet there is. Nothing like tight young pussy. Princess, maybe you should sleep. Will you let me know if Tyler tries to harm you again?” You give him a nod of your head and a tired smile. “And maybe we can talk about your suitor tomorrow. I just want to protect you. This is a strange world you live in. Maybe put on a show for me while I work. I can reward you later. It’ll be our little secret. No one knows what you feel like.”

“You should just marry me,” desperate girl. You were ready for the first man to give you any attention to open up. Your father was despicable, but he was also going to get you in trouble. This was not Ari’s mission, nor plan. He didn’t know if your information would be useful, but the fact that you so easily shared things could come in handy.

“Close your eyes, and go to sleep,” he smirks, walking back to your window. He hauls himself up onto the roof, and you flip to the other side, away from the window. You wonder if this is what Violet felt before she got married. Is that why she decided to give it up to Tyler?

So many questions run through your mind. You can hear Ari start beating on the roof, and there is no way you can sleep. It was beautiful. Wrong in so many ways. Daddy would hate to know you were screwing around with someone not worth anything. Looking at your phone, you grab it up, giving your favorite sister a call.

“Lavs, what is it you need, sissy?”

“Tyler won’t let me go outside,” straight to complaining. If anyone could get something figured out about Tyler, it would be her.

Lotus rolls her eyes as she snaps her fingers at Nick to close the door. “That is what he was instructed to do. Daddy and Nick will be by later to bring someone to you.”

“It’s a future husband, isn’t it?”

“Not that simple. There’s a few. A twenty year old virgin worth millions, and a stake in Romano family business. It’s a good deal,” Lotus hates the way those words roll off her tongue. If she had it her way, this will be over before you are to be wed.

“How old are they?”

“None as old as Jack Bass. Bart’s son is interested. Along with his rival, and…why do you care? Weren’t you whining the other day about getting married? You have a long line of people wanting to marry you. And need I remind you that Tyler sees everything? Let’s not forget the cameras. If daddy hears about you nude sunbathing, he will have a camera pointed right at your window. Keep your naked tits inside. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Explain it to me,” you pretty much had an idea of what she was saying, but like everyone else in the family, they spoke in codes. “I don’t think I quite understand.”

“Let’s say you want to take your future in your own hands, like the rest of us did, all in their own way. If you expose yourself where there are cameras, or you flirt with the builder while your tits are hanging out, you better believe that the security detail to your bedroom will be higher. Lavender, you were babied, and I fear you have no instinct on how to behave. How to use your body for information. How to take what you want and to not let any man tell her what she was going to get. And if you want to fuck around with Ari, make sure you don’t do it where people can see. Nick is no idiot.”

“Did he like what he saw?”

“No,” Lotus answers shortly. “He thinks you look desperate and needy. Said that he fears for girls that are willing to do anything for dick. Just make sure you’re showered and dressed by five. Nick will be there with someone for you to meet. Daddy may or may not be there. And Lavs, dress nice. No tits hanging out. You want to look demure, and unattainable. You wanted a husband, so daddy is finding you one.”

You worry now if that’s ever really what you wanted. A child making wishes for something she didn’t understand. One thing you did know was that it was boring out here all alone. You didn’t care if this visit didn’t amount to anything. It was going to be nice not to have to eat alone. Converse alone. But to have actual conversations. And someone to literally check you out. That was the scary thought. You didn’t realize all that had gone into finding Violet a husband. And now you feared for this meeting.

“Lav, can you come downstairs?” You sit up on your bed, looking at Nick. “There’s someone here that wants to meet you.”

“Is daddy here?” Nick shakes his head, and motions for you to follow him out the door. He wouldn’t fully step foot into your bedroom. “I don’t want to marry a Bass.”

“You wanted a husband. Your father decided to open up the bids,” you gasp, staring at him horrified. “Remember Lotus telling you to live your life when Violet was getting married? This is how it works. It’s not some fairytale fantasy. Men pay your father a lot of money for you to take their last name. Your father’s business continues running as it has been. You wanted this.”

“It is a Bass, isn’t it?” Nick nods his head, and you want to whine more. This is not what you were thinking when you said you wanted to get married. Why were your sisters always right? Why did they have the ability to foresee things such as this.

“He’s only a few years older than you,” you roll your eyes as you go to stand. There was no arguing. You were meant to be seen as an obedient woman. “Hey,” Nick lifts your chin up to look at him, “It could be worse.”

“How so?”

“You could feel that you don’t deserve happiness because your father made you feel that way, so you run away from something that’s real. But what would I know about that?” Maybe there was more to him and your sister, but right now you were miserable. You didn’t want to meet this boy. Not when Ari was just down the road. “It’s just one meeting. We don’t know if he’ll be interested in you past tonight. Make the most of it. Trust me,” he gives you a wink as he holds his arm out for you to go downstairs.

“What does that mean?” You hear him chuckle behind you, and you stop in the hallway, “What does that mean, Nicholas? Why should I trust you?”

“Don’t Nicholas, me. Only my — Lotus is the only one that can say that. Trust me in the fact that nothing is always what it seems,” riddles. There were always riddles when it came to this business. Huffing out your irritation, you start walking forward, but Nick grabs your arm.

“Ari isn’t here by accident. If he asks you questions, don��t resist answering.”

“I — I don’t.”

“No,” Nick shakes his head vigorously. “Don’t…don’t fall for him. He is a friend, but don’t…goddamit. While you’re meeting with Chuck, I need to speak with Ari. I knew your perky tits were going to be too much for him to resist. That…no, Lavender. Don’t. You don’t know what you’re playing at.”

“Then tell me,” when Nick shakes his head, you spin on your heels. Not saying another word as you walk down to the formal sitting area, and Chuck stands up immediately. Re-buttoning his jacket as he bows his head towards you. This wasn’t going to be the normal greeting. He was being kind because he had an audience.

You look back at Nick, and shake your head, “Don’t leave me,” you whisper. Something about Chuck was setting off your alarms. Instead of heading to the door, Nick walks over to the bar cart, asking what Chuck would want.

“Straight scotch. And for you?” You want to vomit. The sound of his voice was atrocious.

“I don’t drink. I’m not old enough.”

“I won’t tell if you won’t.”

“I said, no,” his mouth tightens up, and you see his jaw pulsing. You said the wrong thing. And you didn’t care. You meant what you said. He could fuck all the way off for all you cared. This was going to be a long night.

“Tyler,” Nick straightens his jacket as he watches you retreat upstairs for the night. Dragging your feet up each step. Putting on a show had exhausted you, and he saw the same thing he did with Violet. A bit of your life fade away, “I thought I told you to make sure she kept her clothes on.”

“I suppose you want me to stand outside her bedroom and make sure her tits are properly covered before she leaves?” Tyler’s brow cocks up. There was no taming a horny girl.

“Didn’t stop you before. Everyone in this fucking house knows what you were doing. They like you, so they’re keeping it from Magnus.”

“Everything I did was consensual. Can Jack Bass say the same? I saw her the other night. Fucking skin and bones. Magnus signed her life away the minute he agreed to that marriage. He’s…”

“I know. Why do you think we’re doing this? You said yourself, you’re a soldier and that’s all you wanted to be. You said you had no feelings for her.”

“I don’t!” Tyler shouts at him, starting to pace in the foyer. “I told her I felt nothing. The only thing I felt was the wetness between her legs,” Nick hits him hard on the shoulder, and Tyler shakes his head. “You know what I mean. She begged me. That girl was sold to slaughter. Magnus looks at his daughters only as cattle. Breeding tools for sick and twisted men with deep pockets. Even Orchid…”

“Is happily married. Don’t bring up fucking breeding to me. Don’t be an ass. I get it. Violet came to you. She wanted to own something in her life. Leave Orchid and August out of this, and remember your part. We’re going to right what was wrong. Do you understand, soldier?” Tyler responds with a grunt, and a quick nod. “Make sure the alarms are on. Don’t trust her. She plays dumb. I don’t think she’s as dumb as she wants us to believe. Smart girl.”

Nick stares up the grand staircase before leaving for the evening. He had a long drive, and he was ready to crawl into bed with a beautiful Lotus flower beside him. But first, one more thing. He needed to remind Ari what his part was. And it didn’t include sex. He couldn’t stop you, but he could stop Ari. At least he hoped.

Masterlist

Taglist: @tis-thedamn-season @marveloustaylortot @pono-pura-vida @sstan-hoe @missusbarnes-rogers @peaches1958 @seitmai @smile1318 @andydrysdalerogers @cjand10 @midnightramyeoncravings @cherrysweets @summersong69 @slut4henrycavilll @cavillxxo @astheskycries @wallacewillow0773638 @princesssterek @patzammit @sweater-bee

#the flowers of waverley road #you can have it all #ari levinson #ari levinson x reader #ari levinson x fem!reader #ari levinson x y/n #ari levinson x you #ari levinson smut #chris evans #ari levinson fanfiction #ari levinson fanfic #ari levinson fic #ari levinson fics #tyler rake #nick fowler

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allergictocolor · 8 months

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In an article about the end of the writers' strike, they called Xavier Wednesday’s love interest, and I almost screamed. Are you fucking kidding me? Who was she always seeking out? Tyler, not Xavier. Who did she dance for? Tyler, not Xavier. Who did she go on a date with? Tyler, not Xavier. Who did she let touch her without flinching? Tyler, not Xavier. Who did she kiss? Tyler, not Xavier! Get some fucking media literacy, people. JFC.

#wednesday #wednesday addams #tyler galpin #wednesday x tyler #tyler x wednesday #wednesday netflix #weyler #wyler #i hope they write xavier out of the show in the sillest way possible #oh Xavier’s not coming back to Nevermore #he stepped on a rake and died

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chemicalalice · 2 years

Text

Fic: All My Words in a Touch - Kinktober Day 24

Title: All My Words in a Touch

Summary: He was a hard man, living a hard life, in a hard world. Words weren't easy.

Pairing: Tyler Rake x female!Reader

Warnings: unprotected PinV sex, swearing. Please be mindful of yourself and do not read if this content bothers you. 18+ only!

Word count: 1359

AN: Another bruised and broken man I love to give some love to

He was a hard man, living a hard life, in a hard world. And even then, he still kept the worst of it from you.

You were a realist. You knew there were pieces inside of Tyler Rake that were shattered and no matter how much you loved him, you would never be able to put those pieces back together again. It didn't matter to you, though. You weren't looking to fix him. You loved him as he was. All you wanted was to be the bit of calm, that bit of softness, he so desperately longed for.

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

Rake liked being in control. It was rare that you got to have him like this. This being drowsy with sleep and spread out beneath you as you sat astride his thighs, his cock buried deep inside you.

"Baby-"

"Shhhh." You shushed him gently, and leaned down to kiss him, feeling his soft groan as your breasts pressed against his chest. "Just relax."

It was early, the grey light of dawn filtering in through your sheer curtains and filling the room. Everything was quiet and still, the sounds of gentle breathing the only thing breaking the silence as you rode him slowly.

He was often brusque, almost cold, in his dealings with most people; not one to mince words or draw things out. And you knew when people saw this, they assumed this was how he was in all aspects of his life. But with you, he was different. He was gentle, soft, and you knew he tried to do everything in his power to give you the world. He was haunted by the ghosts of his past, the sins he felt he had to atone for, and the fear that he would repeat it all again with you.

He had loved his family, but that love hadn't been enough for his ex, to make up for his long absences or the darkness that would chase him home. He had been losing her far before his son ever got sick. Those experiences had left him scarred when it came to intimacy.

Tyler was not a man who could sit around idle. His work was an inseparable part of him, something you did not begrudge him in the slightest. He never turned down a job when Nik called, but since you came into his life he became careful, not using his work as a means to an end anymore. It was a good thing, you knew, something you were so grateful for, but your presence in his life also meant that every time you kissed him good-bye the worry that you would not be here upon his return was clear in his eyes. He was a man of action, not words. And no matter how many times you told him you loved him, that you would be waiting for him, your words couldn't chase that fear away.

Usually your couplings were intense, bordering on frantic, as if you would disappear if he let you go. He would have you on your back, legs over his shoulders, spread out as wide as you could for him; or on your knees, one had on your back, pushing you into the mattress as he fucked into you, grip tight on your hip. He would pull orgasm after orgasm from you until you were worn out, words and thoughts blown from your mind. Only then, after he was convinced he had completely satisfied you, would he allow himself to find his own release.

But in the nights and mornings after he returned from a particularly fucked up job, when he was at his most weary, when his guards came down and he was almost fragile, as fragile as a man like him could be, that was when you used your body to show him tenderness and to give him the physical touch you knew he was craving like the air in his lungs. You knew he listened to you whenever you spoke, loved when you told him you loved him, but it was these rare moments you knew he finally allowed himself to believe it.

"I love you." You voice was soft, and yet you knew it hit him like a punch when his hands shot up from the bed to grip your hips. He always tried to be gentle with you, to treat you like the precious and delicate thing he thought you were, but you would have bruises the next day from where his fingers dug into your flesh. You didn't care. It was your own little reassurance of his feelings for you.

"I love you," you repeated, one hand lifting to rest on his where it gripped at your hip, the other on his chest for balance as you lifted yourself up off his cock. He groaned deeply as you slid smoothly back down.

Tyler was big, and occasionally, if he had been away for awhile, it could be a struggle to take him inside of you. This was not one of those times. You were so wet that you had had no problem guiding him into you, settling your full weight on him and taking every inch of his cock inside of you quickly. It felt so good like this. He felt so good. And the way he looked up at you, as if you hung the moon, sun, and stars, only made you wetter. You had thought you were in love with others, before him, and maybe you had been; but never in your life had you felt anything near to what you felt for the man under you.

You wanted to cum. The feeling only intensified on every slide down his cock, when your pelvis met his and you had the sweetest friction on your clit as you ground your body against his. But you wouldn't. This was about him. Thankfully, you could feel his heartbeat speeding up underneath your palm and you knew he wasn't going to last much longer either.

"Tyler," you moaned, finally breaking his gaze as you tipped your head back, mouth falling open slightly at how good he felt inside of you. You wanted to cum so fucking bad.

He had his feet under him now, pushing up slightly as his grip on your hips pulled you down at the same time, the action driving himself deep into you. He breathing was heavy, matching your own, as you both worked your way to release.

"Baby, please, please," he begged, his eyes still focused on your face. You weren't sure what he was asking for. To cum? For you to cum? To hear again how much you loved him? How you belonged to him for as long as he wanted?

"Yes! Always," you gasped in response, a response to every single one of his unsaid pleas. Your head tilted back further as your orgasm finally washed over you, you hips stalling as you tightened up around him, your body vibrating with the rush of pleasure he pulled from you.

He groaned wildly in response and with one more rough thrust that drove him deepest yet, spilled himself inside of you.

You legs finally gave out as your orgasm faded and you collapsed down onto Tyler's chest, ear pressed right over the pounding of his heart. You could feel him still twitching inside of you as the last of his spend emptied from him. In some regards, you were the same as him after all. Words were wonderful, but you never felt as close to him as you did in moments like this, joined together, his warmth filling your insides the same way the arms he had wrapped tightly around you, holding you to him, warmed your outsides.

"I love you too. Always." His words, mirroring yours, were quiet and rough, almost lost amongst his harsh breathing. But they were utterly sincere.

Later, his phone would ring (too soon, your heart would cry out) and the world would creep back in, but for now, tucked in his arms, it was just the two of you, lost in the little bubble of contentment you had created together.

#tyler rake #tyler rake x reader #extraction #kinktober 2022 #tppkinktober2022 #chemy writes

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whumpypepsigal · 11 months

Text

Extraction 2 (2023): “It’s pretty difficult to let someone you care about die.”

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ethereal--muse · 11 days

Text

𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓘 𝔀𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧

𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬

𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐑𝐮𝐦𝐥𝐨𝐰

𝐋𝐨𝐤𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐟𝐞𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫

◇───────◇───────◇

𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬 (𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞)

────┈┈┈┄┄╌╌╌╌┄┄┈┈┈────

Outer Banks AU

𝐑𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧

✶𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓✶

❥ 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈

𝐚/𝐧: 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐢𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐱 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐬/𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐈'𝐝 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 <3

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darklydeliciousdesires · 11 months

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Drabble Request - Tyler Rake - Prompt 16 - Preferred Mood: mostly passionate and intimate with just a touch of fluff and male savagery 💗 Thank you so much! 🤗

Hello! Why yes, I think I can manage that for you :)

Smut below the cut, minors DNI!

"Fuck me," he breathes, eyes fluttering shut for a brief moment before opening again, watching his cock vanishing into your throat as he holds your hair back. "God, you give the best head."

Your eyes find his, winking up at him, releasing his cock with a soft pop, your tongue whirling over the head of his erection. "Hmm, I do, don't I?"

He snickers quietly, shaking his head. "There's that modesty I fell in love with." His hand tightens the grip upon your hair, his hips beginning to sway forward, looking down at you with a devilish grin. "Always look so pretty when I fuck that gorgeous mouth, always take it so fuckin' well."

You feel him begin to twitch against your tongue before long, hands grasping his hips and pushing him back, Tyler grunting with partial annoyance as he frowns at you. "I was enjoying that."

"Yeah," you breathe, kissing the vein that runs over his hip. "A little too much. Not ready for you to come yet. You gotta hold me down and fuck me for a while first."

"Nah," he sniffs, moving to the bed, lying down on his back. “I need you to ride me, babe. Right now.”

"Well," you shrug, moving astride him, sinking down on the most perfect cock you've ever seen. "As long as I get this splitting my pussy, I don't mind."

He pulls you down to his level, kissing you softly, nuzzling your nose with his. "Good."

#tyler rake #tyler rake fanfiction #tyler rake smut #tyler rake x female reader #tyler rake x you #extraction #extraction fanfiction #extraction fan fiction #chris hemsworth #chris hemsworth smut #chris hemsworth fanfiction #chris hemsworth x female reader #chris hemsworth x you

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littlebosleepmusings · 1 year

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Lawless // MASTERLIST

Tyler Rake x Female Reader

Warnings: death probably...

Summary: When an old friend offers Tyler Rake a job helping her train a mercenary team out of young army rejects, he isn’t exactly sold on the idea. At least not until he hears what his cut will be. For a job with seemingly no real stakes, it seems like a cake walk. After that, he's free to go back to being a lone wolf. That is until he meets someone who makes him reconsider his chosen solitude.

COMING SOON...

Should I even bother posting these on tumblr chapter by chapter or just send everyone to AO3? Lol.

#tyler rake #tyler rake x reader #chris hemsworth x reader #extraction movie #extraction fic #chris hemsworth

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tylersnecktattoo · 1 month

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With no safety net- Chapter 2

CHAPTER 1

Warnings: Smut! (male masturbation), mentions of smut, mentions of substance abuse and angst

Pairing: Tyler Rake x OFC Amara

Word count: 2.7 K

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CHAPTER 2: “took one fucking look at your face, now I wanna know how you taste”

The first thing coming to his senses as he enters the kitchen is the cool breeze brushing past his body, and then there she was with the window wide open as she was bent over it, fanning the most of her upper body she could reach without falling down from the window. She had also taken her sweatshirt off and hung it on the closest chair to her, leaving her in just her flared jeans and a figure hugging plain white tee. Seeing her like that with her newly revealed curves and being bent over in a position like that immediately got him feeling hot as he tried his hardest to not imagine the dirtiest shit going through his mind right now, but it was hard. Not when she just had to look so damn pretty. Bet she’d look prettier when I bend her over, pounding her until she squirts around my cock, he managed to think before he mentally slapped himself and told himself to fucking behave. She was his friend's unfairly stunning cousin and she certainly wasn’t some girl he could treat like the women he took home at night. This was different. She was different. He cleared his throat and filled himself a glass of water from the tap for the sake of the sounds so she was aware that she wasn’t alone anymore.

He sees her turn around and he gets a good look at her front body and how good that t-shirt is hugging her slim waist and her plump breasts as she looked at him with a slightly surprised face. Don’t fucking gawk at her tits like a fucking creep, he mentally cussed himself out as his blue eyes locked with hers again and gave her his signature charming smile. “Mind if I keep you company?”

The Australian hottie wants to be here? “I don’t really need it if you do it out of sympathy because you think I’m feeling so miserable all by myself here”

He chuckles, “not asking because of that”

She closes the window ajar. “Then you can take your seat” she gestures her hand to the chair as she puts her sweatshirt back on before sitting down. It was probably for the best since Tyler wouldn’t know what he’d fucking do if he kept seeing those big breasts without being able to do anything about it. At least not yet.

“You’re not living up to the hype, you know” he says as he sits down, facing her, hiding his amused grin by taking a sip of his water. Also because he had to cool himself down from that damn show she pulled earlier.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Dylan. All this big talk about you being so fun to be around but I’m seeing just the opposite” He says with a teasing tone, locking eyes with her on purpose as he leans back on the chair, crossing his arms and giving her a view of his big arms.

Those biceps.

She lets out a huff with the tiniest hint of smile on her lips. “Then why are you sitting here with me?”

“Because I want to get to know you. And I think you’re beautiful”. Fuck, was that too risky?

She raises her eyebrows at him and lets out a soft chuckle. “Straight to the point, huh?”

He grins, “Always been”. Is she interested or is she just playing around?

“I like that”. Yep, she’s interested. She’s smiling at him and her body language is less tense as she’s more leaned forward against the table. “So you think my bland personality will make up for my good looks?”

He chuckles as he also leans forward against the table. “I never said you had a bland personality”

“The opposite of being a fun person? Yeah that’s what a bland personality is”

She keeps him on his toes. He likes that. Shit, what about her doesn’t he like?

“Well, I didn’t mean it like that” he says, aware that she’s just teasing him

She fully smiles now. “What did you mean then?”

“Just that maybe you weren’t feeling it today. Probably a bad day at work. Shit happens, yeah?” He pauses before he adds with a playful tone, “Or maybe you weren’t just feeling like talking and being open when you’re in a room with people you have nothing in common with and didn’t even feel like coming in the first place but you felt like you were obligated to because you had already turned your cousin down too many times before, and you got so fed up the whole situation that you wanted space so you went here, and here we are because I just wanted to have an excuse to be with you alone”

She blinks at him a couple times before letting out an impressed scoff. “Wow, I don’t know if I should be amazed or creeped out” she narrows her eyes at him. “How the hell did you know all that?”

A grin tugs on his lips. “I’m just an observant person”

She chuckles and shakes her head, “Still doesn’t explain how you could figure all that out though. That takes a lot more than just being observant. You work with the feds or something?” She jokingly asks.

He lets out his laugh with a snort. “Nah I think that’s just the opposite to what I do” he says as he doesn’t bother to hide his amused face as he waits for how she’s going to respond to that. Most women didn’t like what he did for a living and with his so-called “difficult” personality on the side, it resulted in him only having shallow relationships and hookups, which he didn’t mind because he could get any woman he wanted with his looks and ways with a woman. Plus, what was so bad about fucking hot blondes every weekend? But he was 32 now and got tired of going on with the casualty, and was not better than finding a woman you really wanted to try with if it wasnt with the most fucking beautiful woman he had ever seen sitting across him, that now had her brows knitted at him.

“Okay that gave me absolutely nothing. If you think we're gonna have a guessing game about what you do then get out of here. I hate guessing”

He laughs harder as he rests his forearms on the table. She’s feisty. “Are you always like this?”

“I'm just being honest” she replies with a shrug as she crosses her leg, looking at him with a teasing smile that makes that damn dimple pop out. She’s having a good time and she doesn’t even bother to hide it. “So are you going to tell me or do I have to wait 3-5 business days to know that very sacred thing about you” she sarcastically asserted, making it harder for him to not be more captivated by her than he already is

“I’m a merc. Black market.”

Now that got her attention as she raised her brows at his very blunt answer. “Is that like, a real thing?”

“Yep”

She cocks her head up at him “For real?”

“Yeah”

“Damn” she marveled. “That’s tough”

He chuckled lightly, “‘That’s tough’? That’s all you have to say?”

“It doesn’t matter what I say. Why would you let me judge you when we’ve only started talking like 20 minutes ago?” she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and that kind of threw him off guard. She really didn’t care about it? He was almost in a fascinated kind of trance when she broke him out of it, “it does kinda suit you though, with this whole look going on” she says as she moves her hand in a circular motion at him in the air.

“Yeah? Care to explain what you mean by that?” he says in an amused tone as he unconsciously leans in a bit closer to her

Should I go flirty now? Fuck it, I’m gonna go flirty. “You got the looks for it. You have a rough look with that body and that tattoo on your neck. But it’s attractive” she states as she crosses her forearms on the table.

Smirking, he says, “attractive, eh?”

“Yeah, you heard me the first time so don’t try to play coy now.”What’s up with these bitchy ass replies when I’m trying to act flirty?

That brings another chuckle from him as he remembers what Dylan told him about her. She’s no weak flower. “What do you do anyway, beautiful?” he asks, changing the subject to something easier.

It was only fair since she knows what he does now, something he shouldn’t even have said that soon in the first place. Honestly, he wouldn’t even be surprised if she was a model or something. She had this sexiness to her with those curves and tits. Fuck, he couldn’t wait until he got his hands on her body. She had to let him. He’d fucking die if he couldn’t at least get a kiss from her at some point. Now, did he sound like a horny teenager that has just discovered sexuality? Yes. Was he ashamed of it? Absolutely not. Could you even blame him? Everything that was sexy, she had. But she also had this innocent kind of beauty to her with that damn angelic face of hers and those alluring big, black eyes that he tried his best to not look too long at. He could complete every mission at work with ease and kill men with his bare hands, but not get lost in those eyes? It felt like a mission impossible. And every time he’d look at her face he just wanted to kiss every damn freckle she had scattered across her cheeks, or even better, those plump lips that were just teasing him by its mere existence. Would she let him kiss her? He really fucking hoped she would at some point because he’d bet it would be the best kiss of his life. Was she even real? It sure as fucking hell didn’t feel like it.

“I teach”

It was his turn to get surprised. In his logic, she was simply too beautiful looking to be a teacher. “You teach? Like, preschool kids and stuff?”

“More like high school kids. Psychology and sociology”

She was intellectual too? Hot. “You don’t look like you’re a teacher” he says as he decides to tease her just for the hell of it, “I don’t think it suits you very well though. You look like you just graduated high school. Can you even pull it off?”

She narrows her eyes at him as she gives out a scoff. Hot aussie has got a big mouth huh? I didn’t study my ass off while fighting depression and an oxycontin addiction and lastly trying to deal with my crumbling engagement just for some man to tell me that my job doesn’t fit me without me letting it slide. Pretty privilege could get you far but not THAT far. “For your information, I pull it off just fine and who are you to even question me like that? Just because you’re my cousin's friend and I respect him doesn’t give you the green light to say whatever you want so don’t get too comfortable.”

He’d lie if he didn’t say that made his cock stir a bit. Great, he just wanted to get her a little pissed off because he bet she’d look cute being all upset and now he had to fight the betrayal of his body to not get hard.

Deep breaths mate, deep breaths

His amused smile turns into a grin as he teasingly says, “Oh, did I hit a sore spot there? Did I get the hot high school teacher all cranky?”

Now it was turn for her body to betray her as she let out a laugh when she wanted to stay pissed at him. “What’s wrong with you?”

“There’s a long list for that. And I was just messing with you, beautiful. Bet you’re a bloody good teacher. But psychology and sociology? That’s pretty damn niche”

“Says the black market mercenary. You couldn't just have stayed in the army like a normal person? She teases

“You couldn’t teach something common like English or math like a normal person?”

That causes her to chuckle once again, feeling like she hasn’t had this much fun talking to a man since forever. Especially not with Dylan's friends that only seemed to think with their dicks and had zero shame with objectifying her when Dylan wasn’t paying attention. “I actually enjoy talking to you”

That almost got him blushing like a teenager. Almost. “Yeah? Before you were pretty quick to put me in my place but now you’ve done a 180. Feel like I’m getting mixed signals here”

“Well, I don’t regret putting my time into talking to you and I think you’re fun. Does that answer what I’m feeling?”

Time to get bolder, he couldn’t let her go so another man could take her out and potentially make her his. “Depends. Do you think I'm fun enough that I can get your number and take you out on a date?”

Why did that make her smile more than she intended to? He had made her feel the tiny couple of butterflies during their conversation, especially when he’d call her beautiful. But now the butterflies got a tad bit more inside her as they exchanged numbers and talked a bit more, words just flowing with each other as she had completely forgotten that she should spend some time with Dylan since she was in his house and came for his sake in the first place. But he should be fine though, it’s not like he didn’t have his other friends to talk to.

Time went unbelievably fast as she had to leave before getting a parking ticket, catching up with Dylan for good measure as he walked her to her car. And when she got home, she just felt happy as she unconsciously smiled to herself while she thought of Tyler. She wasn’t completely crushing yet but something about him made her mood go up.

Tyler on the other hand, he was down bad. Real bad. He didn’t want to be like this but it was hard not to when he had the number of the world's most beautiful woman in his contacts. He couldn’t stop thinking about it, or her for that part either as he laid in his bed thinking about all that feminine beauty she possessed.

She was just so seductive without even trying and the longer he thought about it, the more blood flowed south to his groin that was now painfully straining against his boxers. Now, to his defense, if she wouldn’t be his friends cousin, he’d fuck off with the respect and modesty and take her home so he could fuck her like there was no tomorrow.

But that wasn’t the case now, which led him to rubbing his glistening mushroom tip and slowly pumping down his shaft, groaning and desperately wished that it was her pussy he was fucking. He pumped harder and faster as he imagined her moaning under him, slick walls enveloping every inch he had to offer. Or her being on her knees while he ran his hands through her copper brown hair, making it to a makeshift ponytail as she twirled her tongue around his cock and sucked him off until he shot his seed down her throat. Deep gone in fantasy land, relentlessly fucking his fist and the sound of his wet skin slapping filling his bedroom as his dick twitched and he growled out a deep “fuck” before cumming all over his toned stomach. And there he laid, panting as he’d just jerked off at the thought of her like a fucking perv while she laid in her bed in her apartment, in contrast to him, innocently thinking about him as she genuinely couldn’t wait for when he’d reach out for her about their upcoming date.

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previous chapter

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chickensarentcheap · 28 days

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In a Heartbeat- Chapter 7

Fandom: Extraction

PAIRING: TYLER RAKE AND ESME DRUMMOND (ESTABLISHED OFC. YOU DO NOT NEED TO READ THE OTHER STORIES TO UNDERSTAND THIS ONE)

SUMMARY: Dhaka nearly ended everything before it even began. In it’s aftermath and with Tyler’s life teetering on the threshold between life and death, Esme is about to realize just how strong she can be. And that love happens when it happens. There’s no rules. No rhyme or reason. No timeline.

WARNINGS: profanity, very brief mentions of spousal abuse and rape

TAGGING: @tragiclyhip @youflickedtooharddamnit @secretaryunpaid @thebejeweledwatercat @munstysmind

@asirensrage @residentdormouse @kmc1989 @karimac @arrthurpendragon

@fanficanatic-tw @ocappreciationtag @occommunity @ninjasawakenedmystar

@alisbackalleybbq

My tag list Is OPEN. Please just ask if you'd like to be added :)

Link to Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48691714/chapters/141050257

***

Esme lingers on the threshold between the living room and kitchen; perched on the edge of the dining table, a mug of hot chocolate clutched in both hands. Nursing her drink as she watches him sleep; sprawled out on the couch, a lightly snoring Lucy curled up at his feet and two newly acquired chickens snoozing between him and the back of the sofa: his battered, still healing body and his traumatized, haunted mind at rest. Feet peeking out from the bottom of the plaid blanket covering him and the hood of his sweatshirt pulled over his head; those large, strong hands -with their various scars and calluses- folded together and resting on his chest. Worn out from the day and desperately needing a late afternoon nap; pushing himself past the point of exhaustion in his first full day out of the hospital. Attempting to make up for lost time; stubbornly refusing to cut the day short, or even to take short breaks to rest and catch his breath.

She already knows him so well; fully aware of his reluctance to accept his limitations and the worry he harbours that he’s somehow ‘letting her down’. Afraid -despite the months of devotion she’d already shown by remaining by his side in the hospital, that her continued care of her would soon become taxing; burdened by the task of helping nurse him back to health both physically AND mentally. Despising the mere notion of appearing weak in front of her; he’d turned down all suggestions to sit and rest; ignoring the reminders that they had lots of time left together. There was no rush; there were many more hours -days, weeks, months, YEARS- ahead to enjoy the fresh and get ‘out and about’.

The first hour they’d spent wandering the outdoor market; picking out produce and eggs, various baked goods and freshly cut meats. Afterwards, they indulged in a filling lunch at one of the smaller restaurants. Tucked into a booth at the back of the quaint establishment; engaging in small talk interspersed with sexual innuendos and flirtatious comments while sipping lattes and cappuccinos, and sampling various Austrian foods and desserts. Ending the day by finding a home furnishing store and ordering the first items to personalize their house; a bigger fridge, a stove, a mixer for her baking and new pots and pans. Everything she’d need to make cakes, cookies, pies and other desserts. A brand new -and much more comfortable- bed, dressers, a desk and bookshelf.

They’d only returned to the cabin once a list was made of the other ‘wants and needs’; workout equipment, new laptops, a larger TV. Paint for the both master bath and the much smaller, main washroom, cupboards and countertops for the kitchen. While unsure of how long the Gmunden would be home, they’re determined to make their surroundings as cheerful and livable as possible; planning on keeping the place a ‘getaway’ when it was time to move on to something bigger. Whether it be in Australia or one of the half dozen European cities that had made a ‘shortlist’. Prague, Paris, Zurich, Amsterdam, Copenhagen.

She shivers; a chill setting in as the nearby fire begins to die. Setting her mug on the cluttered dining table, she moves towards the fireplace; adding a handful of dry wood and then using the poker to stoke it ‘alive’. She holds her hands out towards the flames, warming both front and back and rubbing vigorously at her upper arms. And when she hears a dull thud and glances over her shoulder; Lucy’s ears immediately perking up, dark eyes widening, head raising out of curiosity. Tyler’s bad leg -brace and all- now hanging over the side of the couch, foot on the floor as he continues to sleep.

Esme pads towards him; carefully picking up his leg and placing it back on the couch. Peeling the throw away from his body, she stretches it out; tucking it tightly around his sides, under both legs and over his feet. And when she attempts to step away, he grabs ahold of her wrist and pulls her closer; fingers gliding over the top of her hand before pushing their way through hers.

His eyes remain closed. Voice -heavy with sleep- resonating deep in his chest. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Everything’s fine.”

“What’re you doing?”

“Babying you.”

Tyler scowls.

“I was making sure you were comfortable. Your bad leg was hanging off the couch; if I left it like that, you’d wake up in a world of hurt. Not to mention your big ass feet were poking out of the blanket. Don’t want you catching a cold.”

“My feet aren’t that big.”

“Your feet are massive, okay. You can house a family of four in each of your shoes.”

“Maybe your feet are just abnormally small. Like the rest of you.”

“You know, you’re lucky you’re cute. Especially when you're sleepy. You’re extra pouty when you’re sleepy.”

“I do NOT pout.”

“You most certainly do.”

He presses the heel of his palm into one eye, followed by the other, then squints up at her. “Everything alright? You okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Did something happen? You have a dream where I got hurt or something? Not one of those Dhaka dreams, was it? Gaspar getting a hold of me and taking me to Asif and…”

“No. Thank god. I don’t want to go through that again. Even if it isn’t real. There was no dream. I guess you’re just beginning to rub off on me. I’m starting to worry all the time now.”

“There’s nothing for you to worry about. I’m fine. Everything’s good.” Leaning over the couch, she presses a chaste kiss to his lips. “Everything’s very good, actually.”

“Yeah…” As a slow grin spreads across his face, he reaches up to loop wayward strands of hair behind her ears. “...it is.”

“Try and get a little more sleep, alright? You overdid it, today. And I don’t want you to be paying the price tomorrow.”

“Something tells me that’s inevitable.”

“You need to know your limitations. And be okay with them. Slow and steady wins the race, right? I don’t want you pushing it and getting hurt. Pace yourself, babe. That’s the only way you’ll get back to a hundred percent.”

“I was never there to begin with.”

“Well, with all the repairing and fine-tuning they did in Dubai, you’ll probably end up being in even better shape than before. But that’s a long way away. And that’s perfectly fine. You know that, right? That you don’t have to rush things.”

“I just want to be who you need me to be. Who you deserve. I just want to make you happy.”

“You know what makes me happy? You taking care of yourself. And letting me help along the way. THAT’S what makes me happy.”

A grin tugs at the corners of his mouth. “Not just me in general?”

“I think that goes without saying. Now…” Pulling the throw up to his chin, she tucks it around his body and then combs her fingers through his hair. Lips warm and soft as they meet his brow. “...you get a little more sleep and I’ll figure something out for dinner.”

“Will it be edible?”

Smirking, she flicks the tip of his nose with her thumb and forefinger. “Fuck you, Tyler.”

Chuckling, he grabs hold of her sweatshirt and pulls her downwards. An arm circling her waist when she loses her balance; giving a small shriek of surprise and then giggling when she lands on top of him. He settles one palm in the middle of her spine and cradles the back of her with the other; fingers pushing through her hair and softly massaging her scalp.

Neither speak again. And she finds herself quickly and easily relaxed by the warmth radiating off his body, the sound of his heart beating within his chest, and the familiar smell that clings to his skin and clothes. She feels content and secure. Adored. Protected. And she basks in the moment. Enjoying the contact; remaining where she is until his breathing slows and softens and his arms fall limp at his sides.

*****

She takes Lucy for her nighttime walk while dinner finishes; soup simmering on the hot plate, a salad waiting in the fridge, garlic loaves keeping warm in the toaster oven. Bundled up in boots and parka, knit beanie and mittens, she trudges through the snow and down to the dock; enjoying the cold, crisp air and the blanket of stars that shimmer within a black velvet sky. She feels free for the first time in a LONG time; able to breathe without the fear of either the past or present breathing down her neck. At last content in her own skin and comfortable and relaxed in her surroundings. Finally able to shed the last of her baggage; the mountains of bad decisions, the trauma left behind from time with an unstable and horrifically abusive man, a child and teenagehood spent walking on eggshells. She had devoted years to driving herself to the brink of both mental and physical exhaustion; weary and worn trying to win the love and respect of the woman who’d given birth to her, but had hated her from the moment she took her first breath.

It seems easier to deal with now. The memories of cruel words and vicious hands, the agony of the wounds inflicted both internally and externally. She has a safe place to fall; someone she trusts with both life and heart. Who wants nothing more than to make her happy and keep her safe, secure, and protected.

Someone who will stop at nothing to make those things a reality.

For once in her life, love doesn’t hurt. It’s patience and it’s sacrifice. It’s caring more about your partner than you do about yourself. It’s feeling happy whenever they’re in the same room as you; enjoying the sound of their voice and laugh, their touch and the taste of their kiss. Never able to get enough of them; the conversations and the feel of their hand in yours. And the way your body not only easily melts into theirs, but is also capable of eagerly and hungrily responding.

They’re halfway back to the cabin when she sees the lights flicker on; followed by the TV and Tyler’s form passing by the living room window as he limps his way into the kitchen. This is her life now. Her home. It’s modest and simple, yet she doesn’t find herself craving more. It’s the most content and comfortable she’s been in a long time; finally ‘seen’ and understood by someone who doesn’t judge her based on her past or things she’d done to make money and survive. Who somehow doesn’t see the mountain of flaws and imperfections that she does. Carving out an existence together; optimistic about both the healing process and their future together.

She’s a foot from the door when her phone vibrates in her jacket pocket. Using her teeth to yank off her mittens, she fishes the cell from its hiding spot; frowning when she sees the name and number plastered across the screen.

It’s become far more than a once-daily experience. Over two dozen texts and voicemails left; ranging from sugary sweet requests for her to call back to annoyed sighs and questions of her whereabouts and her well-being, Culminating in the ranting and raving of a narcissist; attempts at gaslighting, vile name-calling, and threats to ‘track her down and beat her ass’ and ‘drag her back to where she belongs’. And she’s finally had enough; unwillingly to disrupt or sacrifice the peace, comfort, and happiness she’s finally submerged in.

“Hello?”

“So you ARE alive.”

“Is that disappointment in your voice?”

“Don’t start. I didn’t call for THIS.”

“What did you call for, mother? What HAVE you been calling for? Non-stop.”

“You’re my baby. My little girl. My only daughter. Have you ever thought that…”

Esme rolls her eyes. Instead of opening the door, she heads for the battered and weathered loveseat that resides on the porch; sighing heavily as she drops heavily onto it. Lucy dutifully follows behind; lying across her feet, head cocked to the side as she curiously watches her. “Have you been drinking?”

“No, I haven’t been drinking! Why would you…?”

“The only time you ever say anything remotely nice to me is when you’ve got a few in you. How much have you had? If you’re at this level of ass-kissing, it has to be at least a bottle of rye. Or two.”

“Like I told you, I haven’t been drinking. I…”

“You didn’t call to hear my bullshit, and I didn’t answer to hear yours.”

“Okay, so I may have had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner. But…”

“And likely half a dozen for dessert.”

“What is your problem? I call to check up on you and see how you’re doing and this is the treatment I get? For caring about my child? It’s been months since we’ve spoken. Since you’ve even attempted to touch base. I’ve left you all kinds of voicemails and text messages and.…”

“What is your sudden interest in my life? What do you suddenly care about how I’m doing and what I’m doing? If I wanted you to know, I would have talked to you a long time ago. I called you from Dubai. I let you know that I was alive and well, didn’t I?”

“That was almost ten months ago! Almost a full year. Despite what you think, I DO care about you, Esme. I DO love you.”

She gives a derisive snort.

“You were the one that pushed me away. Severed ties. When you decided to up and leave the Marine Corps and abandon your family. You just packed everything up and moved to New York City and…”

“My then-husband put me in the ICU. I left to get away from him. To start a life without him. I…”

“You could have worked things out. Instead of filing for divorce. You could have tried harder. Despite all of his issues and all of his anger, he’s a good man. And he WAS good to you. At times. You just choose to ignore that. If you were just honest with yourself…”

“Being honest with myself would have been knowing to leave YEARS ago. Not waiting until he nearly killed me.”

Her mother scoffs. “It wasn’t THAT bad. But you have always been a tad dramatic. Quite infamous when it comes to exaggeration. Now, I know things got a little…testy…at times, but…”

“A little testy? He used to beat the shit out of me, mom. If he didn’t like the food I made, he’d throw it on the floor, force me down on all fours, and make me eat it. Like I was a fucking animal. ‘Testy’ doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface.”

“I know Mark has his faults. I know he wasn’t perfect, but…”

“He used to rape me. When I’d say ‘no’. I was property to him. Something he owned. He said it was my ‘wifely duty’ to put out for him. And it was his duty to punish me when I didn’t. So yeah, he had his faults, alright.”

“You’re not exactly an easy person to live with, Esme. You’re not some angel yourself.”

“I don’t claim to be perfect. In way, shape, or form. But didn’t deserve any of the things he did to me. You have some hell of a nerve sticking up for him, you know that? Choosing him and his bullshit over your own daughter? But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I’ve always been lower than dirt to you.”

“You always have to be the victim, don’t you.”

“I WAS the victim. I was Mark’s, I was yours. But here I am, mom. Thriving. Making a life for myself. Being happy. All those you and Mark tried to kill inside of me? They’re still here. And you’ll never get close enough to hurt me ever again.”

“And just where ARE you making this wonderful, imaginary life for yourself? Where are you…?”

“It’s not imaginary. It’s very much real. And you know, it might not be all sunshine and roses. But it is wonderful. In a lot of ways.”

“Are you with him?”

“I am.”

“So it wasn’t just a passing thing. Like we’d all hoped. When you’d called to say that you’d met someone and were running away with them…”

“I didn’t run away. I didn’t have anything to run away from. I started over. Made a life for myself.”

“You had a life here. A mother, a stepfather, brothers, nieces, nephews…”

“I haven’t bothered with any of you…REALLY bothered with you…in years. I haven’t lived in Colorado in a long time.”

“When you abandoned your husband and your marriage and…”

“I saved myself. You can pretend that Mark is some sort of golden boy; that he’s God's gift to women and has never done anything wrong in his entire life. You can ignore all the evidence that’s been gathered against him; the police and hospital reports, the pictures of all the bumps and bruises and scratches and broken bones. You burying in the sand or up his ass doesn't change the fact that he’s a massive piece of shit.”

“You’re not exactly perfect yourself, Esme. I’ve lived with you. I know what kind of challenge you can be. You’re stubborn and high-strung and confrontational and…”

“And I didn’t deserve a damn thing that man did to me. Look, if you called just annoy the hell out of me, congratulations. You were successful. I’m going to hang up now. Because I don’t have the time or the tolerance for your bullshit. Goodbye, mother. Don’t…”

“Where are you?”

“Somewhere you won’t find me.”

“Are you back in the States?”

“No.”

“Well, I know you didn’t go back to Prague. Kyle showed up at your place a couple of weeks ago; the landlord told him that someone had come for your things and handled what was left on your lease. Paid off the final eight months. In cash.”

“Now you have Kyle doing your dirty work for you? When you say jump, does he ask ‘how high?’? You really will stop at nothing to weasel your way into my life. Stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“You’re my daughter. My child. My…”

“No, mother. I’m a grown adult. Who is minding her own business and building a life for herself. Don’t start pretending to start giving a shit about me. It’s a little too late for that.”

“Am I at least allowed to know where you are?”

“I’m safe. That’s all that matters.”

“With him.”

“He has a name. I know you have this unhinged, bizarre hate towards him, but…”

“He took you away from me. From your family. He’s keeping you god knows where…”

“I’m here willingly. I’m here because I want to be. No one is keeping me under lock and key. Or holding a gun to my head. Why can’t that be enough for you? Knowing that I’m okay. That I’m safe and secure and protected. That I’m happy. Why…?”

“You barely know him. You…”

“Tyler, mom. His name is Tyler. Can’t you show him just that little bit of respect? He saved me. In every way a person CAN be saved. And we’re happy here. With each other. We’re making a life together. And I don’t want you or anyone else ruining that for us.”

“Where exactly is here? Australia? Did you go back there with him?”

“No. Not yet. We’ll get there, though. Eventually. Right now we’re just taking things easy. Lying low. Concentrating on each other. Getting to know one another.”

“And you can’t tell me where all of this is happening?”

“We’re in Europe.”

“Europe is a big place, Esme.”

“‘We’re in Austria.”

“Where in Austria?”

“Bergenz.” The lie rolls easily off her tongue. “A little place right near Lake Constance. It’s nice and quiet. Nothing fancy.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this. Throwing your life away for some man. You barely know him; you went away on a business trip and ended up someone’s whore. You…”

“I love him. And he loves me. He…”

“You’re in love with what he can give you. How rich IS he?”

“What the hell kind of question is that? I’m not some gold digger, mother. I never have. But for your information, he’s just a regular guy. Strictly blue collar. He’s not a rich man by any stretch of the imagination. At least not when it comes to money, anyway.”

“What kind of blue-collar job puts someone in the hospital for months on end?”

“I already told you. He does private security. A job went south. He got hurt. Badly.”

“And you just somewhat randomly happened to meet him? While doing your own job? You do realize how suspicious that sounds, don’t you?”

“It’s what happened. We ended up in each other’s paths. It’s as simple as that.”

“The whole thing reeks, Esme. Your entire story. How you met him, what he does for a living, what happened to him in some shit hole, third world country. You must realize how lame this all sounds, don’t you? How pathetic? I know you’re hiding something.”

“I told you the basics. You don’t need to know anything else. What goes on between Tyler and me? That’s our business. Not yours. So you’ll just have to learn to accept it; the fact I met someone and I’m not coming home.”

“The hell I do.”

“Look, let’s just end things here, okay? You know I’m alive. You know I’m safe. That’s all that matters.”

“It’s only a matter of time. Before things go bad. It’s how things in your life are. It’s how YOU are.”

“Goodbye, mom.”

“Don’t think you can come crawling back here when he tosses you to the curb. When he finally grows tired of your bullshit and lashes out. Just like Mark did. Don’t you…”

“I said goodbye, mom.”

Ending the call before anything else can be said, she sits with her eyes closed as she attempts to regain her composure. She feels light-headed and nauseous; her chest is impossibly tight, her hands tremble violently as they tightly clutch the phone. And she doesn’t move until Lucy gives a pitiful whine and rests her head on her thigh.

“Everything’s okay,” she assures the dog. Managing a smile, she scratches under Lucy’s chin, strokes her ears and ruffles the fur at the nape of her neck. “I’m fine, sweet girl” Leaning down to place a kiss on the dog’s nose, she laughs when her face is bathed in kisses in response. “Best therapist ever,” she declares and stands. “Now let’s go and get some dinner”

*****

Tyler stands at the counter; briefly glancing over his shoulder when he hears the door open. Greeting her with a smile before returning to the task at hand; removing plates, cups, and cutlery from cupboards and drawers, stirring the pot of soup that simmers on the hot plate.

“I was starting to get worried. Thought maybe a coyote got you. Or that you decided to run away from home.”

“Was that wishful thinking on your part?” she teases, as she toes off her boots and yanks the knit beaning from her head. Smoothing a palm over her hair, then shoving the garment into one of the pockets on her coat. “Were you hoping I disappeared? Or that I ended up some tasty snack for the wildlife?”

“Yeah…right…” He uses a pair of metal tongs to scoop salad onto the empty plates “I can’t believe you’d even ask me that.”

“I have bad news for you, buddy…” Shrugging out of her coat, she places it over his as it hangs on a hook next to the door. “...you can’t get rid of me that easy.”

“Maybe I don’t want to get rid of you at all. Have you ever considered that?”

“Have you ever considered you’re a glutton for punishment? What’s the saying?” Wanders into the living room, she shoves her feet into a pair of Ugg slippers before joining him in the kitchen. “Be careful what you wish for?”

“If spending the next forty, fifty years with you is the worst that could happen to me, I’ll consider myself extremely lucky.”

“Jesus…” Desperately needing that closeness, connection and security that only he can provide, she steps behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his back. “...maybe your brain injury IS worse than they thought.”

“This is probably the most coherent I’ve been thinking in years.” He gives her the time she needs; alternating between sipping a mug of coffee and repeatedly cleaning the same spot on the counter as she clings to him. Not moving or speaking until she pats her hands against his stomach, squeezes his hips, and steps back. Gulping down his drink before turning to face her. “Everything alright?”

“I finally got up the nerve to answer the phone. I wish I could say I’m pleasantly surprised about how things went…”

“That good, huh?”

“Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, but still pretty goddamn awful.”

“I’m sorry. I never should have got on you about talking to her. I just thought the sooner you did, the sooner she’d just leave you the fuck alone.”

“It’s not your fault she’s a total cunt. And you were right; I did need to get my head out of my ass and deal with her. She would have just kept calling and leaving voice messages until I finally had a mental breakdown. Which…who knows…could be her end game.”

“What did she want?” Handing her a bowl of salad and a fork, he leans against the counter and digs into his own. “Just checking up on ya? Making sure I’m not holding you hostage? Putting drugs in your food? Forcing you to comply and stay in my…what did she call it…den of iniquity?”

“She’s a crazy bitch. She wanted to know when I was coming home. Colorado hasn’t been home in over a decade. I don’t know why the hell she thought I’d head there. Want to hear the most fucked up part? A total mommy dearest moment? She sent my brother Kyle to Prague. To my apartment. I guess she thought I was bullshitting about where I was. That I was merely locking myself in the house and ignoring everyone.”

“Must have been a hell of a shock when he found your place was empty.”

“Just a bit. I told her we were in Austria; just lying low, taking it easy and recuperating. I didn’t say EXACTLY where, though. The last thing we need is her sending a search party to Gmunden.”

“Isn’t the biggest place. They could probably just ask in town and then track us down.”

“It wouldn’t be too difficult. I mean, a six-foot-three Australian with a bad limp and a resting asshole face doesn’t exactly blend into the crowd.”

“You’re going to have to tell her eventually. The WHOLE truth. Because it WILL get out. Somehow. And not hearing it from you will cause a whole world of trouble.”

“It’s not an easy thing to tell people, you know? Would you want to hear it? That your kid was caught up in black ops? That she was selling people out to mercenaries? That she was making money lying about who she was and using and deceiving people?”

“It would be hard to hear. But, they’re still my kid and…”

“My mother is NOT like us. She doesn’t think the way we do. And she’s hardly a parent. At least she was never one to me.”

“Are you embarrassed? Of the truth?”

“What would I be embarrassed of? And please don’t say you, because that is the furthest thing from the truth.”

“I kill people for money. Or I used to, anyway.”

“We are not getting into that conversation. You know where I stand; how I feel about what you do…what you DID. And you’re not going to change my mind But for the record? No. I’m not embarrassed of you. I have no reason to be. I didn’t do anything wrong: I knew exactly who you were and what you did and I went into things willingly. And I STAY in them willingly. I’m not trying to hide you, Tyler.”

“I never said…”

“I’m trying to protect you. And I know what you’re going to say; you’re a big boy and can take care of yourself and you don’t need little old me doing it for you.”

“You are just putting all kinds of words in my mouth tonight.”

“And I don’t mean PHYSICALLY protect you. I mean, look at me. I’m all of five feet tall and a hundred pounds soaking wet. I wouldn’t do much damage even if I tried.”

“I don’t know, it’s the little ones you usually need to watch out for. They’re cagey fuckers.”

“I’m talking about protecting you…US…from them. I know what my family is like. Especially my mother. She’s already on the warpath; talking all kinds of bullshit and trying to make you sound like some horrible, controlling and abusive person. She finds out the truth? She will make things worse.”

“I don’t give a fuck what she thinks about me. You should know that by now.”

“But I care. It hurts, alright? Hearing her talking about you like that. Because I know who you are. I know what you’ve been through and how you almost didn’t make it out the other side. And because I love you. Who wants to hear mean shit about the person they love?”

“I just think you need to take it with a grain of salt. I don’t want you getting worked up over it. I’m not the only one that’s been through it. In the past ten months. You shouldn't have to go through THIS, too.”

“If I tell her everything, she will make it her mission to tear us apart. She will do whatever she can to come between us. And I know you think I’m brave and strong and…”

“You are. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known.”

“...maybe I am. Most of the time. But I’m tired. I don’t have it in me to fight right now. I am so tired, Tyler. Is it really so wrong that I can’t do it right now? That I just want a fucking break?”

“No.” Plucking the bowl out of her hand, he sets it on the counter, then gathers her into his arms. Hands continuously running up and down her back as her arms circle his waist and her head rests against him. “It’s not wrong at all.”

“I just want it to be US. At least for a little while.”

“As long as you need it to be, okay? No rush.”

“I just can’t do it. I can’t deal with her. Not right now.”

“You don’t have to. She calls back, I’ll answer. You don’t need to worry about her. I’ll take care of things.”

She looks up at him, tears spilling down her cheeks. “What did I do wrong?”

“What do you mean? What…?”

“To make her hate me like she does. What did I do? To deserve it?”

“You didn’t do a goddamn thing. The way she is? It’s not about you. It’s about her. She’s a bitter, nasty old woman. She’s dead inside. She doesn’t give a fuck about anyone but herself.”

“But she’s only like that with me. She’s never loved me. She never even wanted me. Why? What did I ever do? If she’d just told me, I could have fixed things. I could have been better. I could have…”

“Esme…” Cradling her face in his palms, his thumbs swipe at the tears that glisten on her cheeks. “...it’s not about you. It never has been. You didn’t do anything wrong. And you didn’t deserve it. You still don’t.”

“I’m tired. I am so tired.”

“I know.” He presses a kiss to her brow, then gathers her even tighter into his chest. “It’s time to rest now, okay? You’ve fought enough. You don’t need to do it anymore. I’ve got just enough in me to do it for both of us.”

“I just want it to be us. No one else. Just us.”

“It will be,” he assures her, feeling her body tremble against his as she openly sobs. “There’s nothing for you to worry about. She can’t hurt you anymore. No one can.”

****

“When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?”

They lay on the couch; caught up in a mess of naked limbs and tangled blankets. Basking in both the aftermath of their lovemaking and the warmth from the nearby fire.

His knuckles slide along the small of her back. “Where did that come from?”

“I know, totally random.” Esme laughs against the side of his neck. “Not the most romantic of pillow talk, huh?”

“And you say I’m terrible at it.”

“You talk about food and football and how long it’s going to take you to be ready to go again. Whispering sweet nothings is definitely NOT your forte.”

“Sweet nothings? Who are you trying to kid? You’re not into the shit. You like the absolute filth that comes out of my mouth. Don’t even try to deny it.”

“The filthier the better.” Spresses a series of kisses along his jaw, stopping at the corner of his mouth. “I don’t want you to change, though. I kinda like you the way you are. You’re perfect. At least for me, anyway.”

“Are you sure you’re not the one with the brain injury?”

“You’ll never see yourself the way I see you. I’ve relegated myself to that fact.” Rolling onto her stomach, she places her head on his chest. “I think talking to the wicked witch of the midwest brought some things up. About my childhood. And where I ended up compared to where I’d hoped I’d be.”

“Where DID you hope you’d be?”

“Not here, that’s for sure.”

“So but ass naked with a mercenary wasn’t high on your list of dream scenarios, I take it?”

“No. But that certainly turned out extremely well, didn’t it? Of all the things I have no complaints about, you’re at the top of the list. Well, I could do without your snoring and how you leave your dirty clothes in front of the hamper instead of putting them inside…”

“I’m working on it. I’ve lived alone for a long time. I haven’t had to worry about that kind of shit in a while.”

“As far as cohabiting goes, I’ve lived with A LOT worse. And you’re hot, so you tend to get away with a lot more than other mere mortals.”

“Yeah, you’re not hard to look at either. Which is why I don’t get on your case about squeezing the toothpaste tube in the middle. Or how you leave half-empty mugs of tea all over the goddamn place. That’s something I don’t get, actually.”

“What’s that?”

“How you always leave some behind when you make yourself a drink. But if I do it for you, you drink the whole thing. What’s up with that?”

“Because when you make it, it’s perfect. It tastes just right. Way better than when I do it myself.”

“I think that’s all in your head. How different could it be? It’s boiled water and a tea bag. A bit of milk.”

“I can’t explain it, alright. It’s just the way it is. It’s just so much better.”

“You know what I think? I think you’re spoiled. Or you like to be, anyway. All that independent woman stuff? That whole ‘I don’t need any man’ thing? I think deep down it’s all an act. That you like being taken care of. Probably because no one has ever done it.”

“Is that so wrong?” Raising her head from his chest, she smiles as he pushes a hand through her hair. Fingers slipping through the long, dark tresses; calloused tips brushing against the nape of her neck before travelling down the length of her spine. “If I DO like it?”

“Nothing wrong with it at all. I just wish I was better at it. Not really my strength, you know? Taking care of other people.”

“I don’t think you give yourself enough credit.”

“I think you give me too much. That, and my past kind of speaks for itself.”

“You’re not exactly the guy you were back then.”

“Maybe not. But I’m not even the guy I was when I met you. At least not physically. I can’t take care of you and protect you the way I could nine months ago.”

“Nine months ago, you were clinically dead. I think you’re allowed to be a little rusty. Besides, if you had to? If there was some kind of threat? If I was in danger? You’d find a way to protect me. Nothing would stop you. Not even a bad shoulder or a bum leg. It’s one thing I never worry about when I’m with you. If I’m safe or not.”

“I may not have all the right words, and I may not know how to handle things sometimes, but there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Esme. To make you happy. Keep you safe. Even with my fucked up head. And body.”

“You’ve come a long way. In less than a year. And you’re not broken, Tyler. Mentally or physically. A little banged up and dented and tarnished, maybe. But not broken.”

“You have this uncanny ability of always seeing the best in people. Whether anything good exists in them or not.”

“A lot of good exists inside of you. I’ve never doubted that. I’ve always seen it. It was in your eyes; I saw it the second Nik introduced us. You had this kindness in them. This humanity. This sadness. You were carrying around all this baggage and all this pain, but it was still there. You weren’t like anyone I’d ever met on the job. In many ways.”

“Admit it, you were just thankful you didn’t end up having to be pretend married to some ugly, miserable old fuck,”

“Well, you certainly aren’t ugly. Or old.”

Tyler smirks. “You smart ass.”

“Before I met you, I’d never felt protected. Safe. I didn’t even realize I wanted…or needed… to feel those things.”

“I’m just sorry that everyone in your life has been such a fucking disappointment. Especially that dick head ex-husband of yours.”

“Falling for his bullshit was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made. The only thing bigger? Staying with him. I always told myself I’d never be that type of woman; someone who would just roll over and take the abuse and hold onto this faint hope that I could change him. Talk about being a judgy bitch, huh? I never understood why women stuck around. How could they be so weak and pathetic? Why would they just sit back and ‘take it’? And then it happened to me and I realized it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t as simple as just walking away.”

“There’s nothing weak or pathetic about you. I learned that quickly. IN Dhaka. Never mind everything you put up with afterwards.”

“The saddest part of it all is that I started to believe every word that came out of his mouth. That he was the best I could do. I was lucky to have someone like him; he kept a roof over my head, food on the table, and clothes on my back. Even if I didn’t deserve those things. He always called it tough love; the beatings and the verbal abuse helped ‘toughen me up’. I was too sensitive. Too soft. Especially for someone who’d been in the Corps. He used to say I must have ‘slept my way’ through the system.”

“You know, the more you talk about him, the more homicidal I become.”

“As much as I appreciate you wanting to defend my honour and rip him from limb to limb, it’s not why I bring him up. I don’t do it to piss you off; I do it so you’ll know more about me. We didn’t get much time for that kind of thing, you know? We were only in Dhaka for five days and then you were unconscious for half a year after that. We didn’t get much of a chance, did we? To learn about one another.”

“Yeah, we have been sort of thrown to the wolves, haven’t we? Not that I’m complaining. It hasn’t been that bad.”

“Hasn’t been that bad, huh?” She laughs, and tugs playfully at one of his ears. “I know you’re just speaking for yourself when you say that. Because I swear, living with you sometimes…”

Grinning he brings a hand down on her ass in a playful slap, then lightly pinches the supple skin. “Why are you mean to me all the time? Why do you tease me so much?”

“Because it’s fun. And it’s not being mean, I promise, everything I say? I say out of love. And pure animalistic lust.”

“That’s my favourite kind.” His free hand gently gathers up her hair. Moving it away from her face and off her shoulder; palm smoothing down it as it lays on her back. The smile quickly fading, his eyes darkening. “You know it wasn’t your fault, yeah? All the things he said. The things he did. You didn’t deserve any of it.”

“I’m starting to realize that. It’s taking a lot longer than I thought; coming to terms with just how awful he was and what I allowed him to get away with. I thought it would be easier; I’d just be able to put it behind me as soon as I got away from him.”

“You need to stop blaming yourself. You didn’t do anything wrong. It was never about you, Esme. It was always about him.”

“When I finally left, I told myself I’d stay single forever. It just wasn’t worth putting myself out there; having to explain my past and defend the choices I made. And forget about trusting someone; every person I’d ever had any faith in turned out to be nothing but a fucking disappointment. How do you get close to someone after going through all that? How do you ever feel comfortable with anyone again? Let them even get remotely close?”

“Something must have went wrong, huh?” He chides, and tugs on a strand of her hair. ‘Cause here we are.”

“Before you, the only thing I ever knew…or thought I knew…about love was that it hurt. It was painful; physically AND mentally. Everyone I’d loved…who had claimed to love ME...destroyed me.”

“No. They didn’t. Because if you did, we wouldn’t be here right now. Talking about this. You wouldn’t have even looked at me twice, let alone given me a chance. They didn’t destroy you, Esme. They tried. But it didn’t work.”

“Everything changed when you came along. I changed. All those things Mark said to me? About how no one would ever want me? That I was too difficult to love and didn’t deserve to be? It took you less than a week to prove him wrong.”

“Don’t make me out to be some kind of prize, okay? I’ve got my own issues. Maybe not nearly as bad as his, but…”

“You never hid them from me, though. And you never used them to hurt me. You made me feel beautiful. You looked at me like I was the most incredible woman on earth. And that was only four days into things.”

“To me you were, You ARE.”

“You’re not the monster you think you are, Tyler. You’re a good man who has been through some bad shit. Who’s had to do some questionable things out of self-perseverance. And yeah, maybe you have made some bad decisions. But believe me, even with all your baggage? The drinking and the pain meds? You are nowhere near being like Mark.”

“I’m trying. I don’t want to be a mess forever. You deserve better than that.”

“For what it’s worth, you’re not as messy as you were. I think nearly dying had something to do with that; hard to be an alcoholic and a junkie when you’re in a coma for seven months.”

“I think rehab would have been slightly less painful. Than taking a bullet to the throat.”

“How quickly you forget the seven others they pulled from you.”

“Trust me, my body reminds me every day. The only thing I really hate? About how it went down? The fact that you had to see all of that. That you had to see me completely fucked up.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know how bad things would go. And yeah, it’s going to stay with me. For quite a while. But I’ll deal. I’ll just take it one day at a time.”

“You know you don’t have to do that alone, yeah? Deal with it?”

Smiling, she presses a chaste kiss to his lips. “I know.”

Gathering up the edges of one of the blankets, she pulls it further up their naked bodies; tucking it under her chin as she once more lays her head upon his shoulder. Her breath is warm and sweet against the side of his neck as his fingers continuously glide up and down her spine; her own tracing the tattoo on his right rib cage and repeatedly combing through his longer strands of hair. He enjoys the closeness in a way he never had before; failing to remember the last time anyone had made him feel that relaxed and comfortable. This beautiful, impossibly tiny woman somehow his refuge. The one person that makes HIM feel safe and secure.

“You never did answer my question.”

He turns his face into hers, lips meeting her brow. “I forgot what it was.”

“When you were a little boy, what did you want to be when you grew up?”

“You mean other than as far away from my old man as possible?”

“What kind of things did you dream about? What did you hope to be doing as an adult?”

“I had a couple of things that were pretty far-fetched. Although when I was little, nothing seemed impossible.”

“What were they?”

“I wanted to be a professional surfer. Or a pro football player.”

“Honestly, I’m not surprised with either of those choices. You wanted to play for the Western Bulldogs, didn’t you.”

“Guilty as charged. They’ve always been my favourite. Which is weird, considering I was born and raised in the East. Once I got a bit older, I started thinking more realistically about things. Decided I wanted to be a firefighter. Or a cop.”

“Really?”

“You sound surprised.”

“I just can’t see you as a cop. I don’t know why. Definitely a firefighter, though. You’d look so hot in turn-out gear.”

“I didn’t think that kind of thing would turn you on. Not with your brother being one..”

“My brother is…I don’t know…my brother. Totally not in the same league as you. How come you never went in that direction? You would have passed all the training; you were athletic, you had the size, the strength. What made you choose the military?”

“My graduating year, they had one of those ‘career days’. You know where people from all different lines of work come and peddle what they do and try to drum up interest. There was a recruiter from the army there and I’m sure you know what they’re like; fatigues, boots all polished, overly cheerful and optimistic.”

“I was offered that job once. When I first joined the Corps. I was told it was a better choice for me; it suited my personality better.”

“What did you tell them? To go fuck themselves?”

“Basically, yeah.”

“I bet you were underestimated right from the day you were born.”

“I’ve always been a study in contraction. People expect meek and mild. I know you did.”

“I did. And man, did I ever find out the hard way. You didn’t waste your time telling me to get fucked.”

“And not in the fun, sexy way, either.”

“Nope. That came a few days later.”

She laughs against the side of his neck, then places a line of kisses along his jaw. “And when it did, it was very fun and very, very, VERY sexy.”

“I have no complaints.”

“So…” Lifting her head from its resting place, she uses two fingertips to clear strands of hair from his brow. “...this recruiter…”

“You’re nothing if not persistent.”

“I like to know things. About you. And I want to know ALL of them. All the things.”

“This guy knew how to sell things. He made it sound so awesome. I’d get to play with guns, learn how to drive a tank, jump out of airplanes. They’d even pay for it if I wanted to further my education; become an engineer or an instructor or just make my way up the food chain and be an officer.”

“Would you have wanted to be one? An officer?”

“I don’t think so. Being out there breaking a sweat and getting my hands dirty was always my thing. The idea of wearing a uniform, sitting behind a desk and getting old and fat doesn’t do it for me, you know? But you know what really sold it? I’d get to see the world. Travel to different places. On their dime.”

“Yeah, even in the States they try hard to sell that side of things.”

“I hadn’t even turned eighteen yet. I was desperate to escape; I wanted to be as far away from my dad as possible and being in the army made the most sense. But I was young and dumb; I never stopped to think that ‘seeing the world’ really meant going into war-torn places; displacing people even more, killing them, even.”

“That’s not ALL you did. You helped more people than you hurt. That’s something I’m sure of.”

“Isn’t helping what hurts them most of the time?”

“It’s easy to see it that way, I guess. Sometimes the road to helping others isn’t a pretty one. And war is ugly; you and I have seen that firsthand. But isn’t it sometimes beautiful, too? When the means lead to an incredible end? When you see just how much you’ve helped someone? How better their life becomes simply because you showed up in it?”

“I don’t know how you do it. See things…people…the way you do.”

“I learned a long time ago that if I didn’t find the good in everything and everyone, I wasn’t going to survive. Not mentally, anyway. I was there too; in the Middle East. And we may not have had the same job and the same responsibilities, but I saw just how awful things were. I heard the horror stories.”

“You of all people didn’t deserve to be there. Going through all that.”

“But I chose it. The poor people that lived there didn’t. And you know what? it’s so much easier to remember the bad stuff. One horrible thing can wipe out a hundred good things.”

“Every so often, that psychology degree of yours comes out to play.”

“It’s less what I learned in school and more I learned OUT of it. Not to mention PTSD is a monster. Sometimes it makes it pretty hard to see the good in anything.”

“Is there you start psychoanalyzing me? Do you charge by the hour or…?”

“It’s just the truth, unfortunately. And you DO have PTSD.”

“I’m not the only one in this room…this bed…that does.”

“Maybe…” (trails a nail along the length of his jaw, over the scar that mars the bottom of his chin). “...but you’re the only one officially diagnosed, so…”

He doesn’t push it; knowing she’s not in the right ‘headspace’ to confront her demons. That choosing to focus on his healing and his battles effectively -for now- silences and numbs her own.

“What about you?” His hand moves through her hair; dark, silky tresses slipping easily through his fingers, palm coming to rest in the middle of her back.

“What about me?”

“What were you like? When you were a little girl? Not that you ever grew… physically…past twelve.” Grinning, he places a kiss on her brow when she laughs. “What did a young Esme dream about? What did she want to be?”

“God, so many different things. I always had these lofty, little girl dreams; wild and crazy things that would never come true. Like marrying a Crown Prince or becoming a famous actress and winning a record number of Oscars. I even used to practice my acceptance speeches in the bathroom mirror. Or I’d write the next great American novel; it would top the charts around the world and I’d win a Pulitzer. I even once thought I’d invent a cure for cancer and win a Nobel.”

“I’m sure a couple of those weren’t too far out of reach. You could find a cure for cancer. Or write a novel. You’re still young.”

“The craziest thing I ever wanted to be? A fighter pilot. A female Maverick from Top Gun.”

“Now that I CAN’T see.”

“Once I realized I needed to concentrate on something a tad more realistic, I switched to teaching and nursing. I would have loved to have gotten into pediatrics. Or taught kindergarten kids. Catch them when they’re still so innocent and curious and so in love with the world and everyone in it.”

“You’d be amazing at both of those. I can see why kids would love you.”

“Why? Because I’m just as small as they are?”

“Well, THAT. But just the way you are. WHO you are. You see the good in the world. Everything you’ve been through…the things you’ve seen and heard and even DONE…you still find beauty in everything. Not to mention you have the patience of a saint, Look how long you’ve stuck around. Put up with my shit.”

“You’re not as difficult as you think you are.”

“But I AM difficult.”

“You have your moments.” She kisses him; signing into his mouth when he tangles his fingers in her hair and pulls her tighter against him.

“You know, you could still do one of those things. Teach or be a nurse. You’ve got a lot of years ahead of you still.”

“I’m going to have to figure out something. I can’t sit on my ass for the rest of my life.”

“It’s not like there’s a rush. We’re not exactly poor. We’re not going to run out of money anytime soon. And if you wanted to go back and work for Nik…”

“No. HELL NO. That ship has long sailed. You’re not the only one that’s retired. You know what I really want to do right now? Until it’s no longer financially possible or we drive each other crazy? Whichever comes first?”

“What’s that?”

“Just…live. With you. And without having to worry about what comes next. “ She once more settles her head on his chest; a hand on his shoulder, thumb continuously brushing against the Roman numeral tattoo that decorates the skin. “Do you want to know what I REALLY wanted to? When I was growing up? Something I still think about from time to time?”

“Of course I want to know.”

“I wanted to own a bookstore.”

“You know for some reason, that makes total sense with you.”

“I kept a journal for the longest time. Completely dedicated to the dream. I’d write down all my ideas, and even sketch things out. I had it all planned out. It would have snow-white walls, but I’d fill the place with tons of colourful furniture and decor and have neighbourhood kids submit artwork I’d frame and hang. And I have dedicated spaces for people to hang out; chess tables, comfy chairs to settle down and read a book in, a courtyard out back if they wanted fresh air. I’d even have drinks and treats. Coffee, tea, and juices, muffins and cookies and sandwiches.”

“Sounds like a pretty awesome place.”

“I’d have a dedicated kids' space; everything in primary colours, a little play area and craft station, a small party room where they could celebrate their birthday. There’d be fish tanks; a couple for turtles, even. And some cages for birds and a few hamsters. And there’d be a bookstore cat.”

“You had all this planned out?”

Esme nods enthusiastically. “I even had the name picked. Do you want to hear it?”

“You should know by now that you don’t need to ask if I want to hear things.”

“I wanted to call it Turn the Page.”

(smiling, he uses two fingers to loop strands of hair behind her ears) “That’s perfect. And you sometimes still think about it? Owning a place like that?”

“Sometimes. We all hold on to some little dream, don’t we? Something from our childhood that can’t seem to let go of?”

“I mean, it’s not like it’s impossible. If it’s something you really want to do…”

“It’s just a little something I like to think about from time to time. That dream of mine got me through some pretty rough shit growing up. I always could escape to it; when my mom was being extra horrible.”

“Would you WANT to do it? Is it something that would make you happy? Having your bookstore?”

“Right now, I have all I need to make me happy. All I want to concentrate on? Is you. Us.”

Pecking his ips, then moves onto her side; her back pressed against the rear cushions of the sofa, face nestled in the crook of his neck, Their eyes closed as his fingers continuously graze up and down her spine and they listen to the crackling of the fire and winter storm raging outside; the howling of the wind and the rattling of the windows and the patter of ice against the glass.

She yawns noisily, then rubs her cheek against him) “I love you, you know.”

“I know. And I love you. More than you’ll ever know.” He drops a kiss on the top of her head. “You make me want to be a better man.”

S raises her head to look at him, tears sparkling in her eyes. “What?”

“You do. I want to be better for you. I want to be the kind of man YOU want. That you can be proud of.”

“I DO want you. And I AM proud of you.”

“But I want it to stay that way. I don’t want to go back to who I was. I want to be better. Do better. Be what you need. And deserve. Hey….” (gives an awkward chuckle when the tears escape, quickly using his fingertips to swipe them off her cheeks) “...don’t do that. Don’t cry. I hate when you cry.”

“I think that’s the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me. It’s the best compliment I’ve EVER gotten.”

“It’s all true. It’s the way you make me feel. Not just wanting to BE better, but knowing I can get there.”

She kisses him; long and sweet and sweet; nuzzling her nose against his cheek and his ears and whispering words of adoring and affection that no one has ever bestowed upon him. And she once more tucks herself into his side; tighter than before, wanting, needing, and enjoying the protection only he can provide. Finding herself quickly lulled to sleep by his steady, rhythmic breathing, the stroking of her hair, and the warmth of his skin against hers.

#Tyler and Esme series #Tyler Rake #Tyler Rake fanfic #Tyler Rake fan fiction #Extraction #Extraction 2 #Extraction fanfic #Extraction fan fiction #Tyler Rake x OFC #Esme Drummond #Esme Rake #chris hemsworth

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