Chocolate Cake

[raydensharpola]

Rayden smirked. She was morphing into Cheeky Girl now, complete with extended tongue which made him feel like Frenching her.

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten what I said. I'd do all the work, all you have to do is smile and and sit pretty. And whoever said I'm fair?"

He let her take his hand, grasping it lightly with her fingers and he looked down, marvelling at how well they seemed to fit with his hand. He squeezed her fingers lightly, smiling up at her when she said she'd already forgotten about his reputation.

But his smile quickly faded when she asked the question, one that he dreaded answering. He thought he'd artfully steered her attention away from his unfinished words, but he had not counted on her excellent memory on what he'd said. But still he could not tell her what she wanted to know. It wasn't worth the risk getting her upset again when he'd just placated her enough. He cursed inwardly at the guy, using the choicest words he'd ever learnt, growing up on the streets.. This was probably what he wanted, causing problems between Stella and him.

"No, I'm not going to tell you. You can pout all you want but it's not gonna happen. Not from my mouth." Rayden set his mouth in a grim line, then pulled her down together to sit with him on the mat. "Come on, don't spoil our little unofficial date, it's already been wrecked enough." He smiled ruefully at her. "The least we could do is give it a good ending by watching our first sunrise together?"

[Stella]

"I'm always pretty" she said returning the smirk just as he started to pull her down on the mat. She almost protested when she landed firmly on her bottom beside him but couldn't bring herself to. Even though she didn't want to admit it he was right. They might as well try not to spoil things anymore then that guy all ready had.

"Okay... I'll forget about it for now but you better be prepared to answer me when I ask you about it later" she said firmly giving him another stern look. If he thought she was just going to roll over on this then he was totally wrong.

She turned her attention to the ocean and the sunset trying to calm down as she laid her head carefully on his shoulder not at all worried about the blood.

"It is a beautiful sunset..." she said softly finding his hand again and pulling it into both of hers "wouldn't want to watch it with anyone else."

[raydensharpola]

Rayden felt emotion well up in his chest as Stella laid her head on his shoulder. There was a strange deja vu feel about the whole scene, and yet he was sure he'd never done anything like this before, not even with Clarice because she hated sunsets for some inexplicable reason. The deja vu only served to convince him that he was meant to be here, watching this sunset with Stella and nobody else.

"It is a beautiful sunset..." she said softly finding his hand again and pulling it into both of hers "wouldn't want to watch it with anyone else."

"Not as beautiful as..." He started saying, but stopped immediately when she said the exact same thing he'd been thinking about just seconds ago. "You just plucked that thought straight from my mind!" He said, staring at her astonishedly. "Do you read minds or something?"

[Stella]

Stella chucked softly and brought his hand to her mouth brushing her lips across his fingers softly in a tender kiss. It was cold on the beach and she could feel a chill coming over her so she scooted as close to his warm body as she could her hip resting agaisnt his.

"No mind reading is not one of my many talents" she responded softly tilting her head up to look at him from her place on his shoulder. She gave him a teasing smirk, "but I am getting to know you fairly well"

"Maybe I'll get to know you so well that I really will be able to read you mind, ooo you'd be in trouble then" she giggled and kissed his hand again feeling extremely comfortable with him. In fact it was the most relaxed she had been since she arrived at Balamb and it was all because of him.

[raydensharpola]

"How can you be so sure I'd be in trouble?" He asked, trying not to be distracted by the warmth travelling from her hip to his body. She was probably right. If she had any idea what he was thinking now...He tried to shoo the thought away in case she really could read his mind.

"But...you're welcome to try." He grinned down at her. "In fact this is a really good case for...enjoying the process rather than the results."

[Stella]

"The process huh?"

"Hmmm...well then let's see if I can read your mind right now" she stated giving him a smirk. Shifting a little she turned sideways and slid into his lap letting her long legs slide across him. Making her self comfortable she pulled his hand back into her lap petting his fingers. Grinning she snuggled down agaisnt him feeling his heat practically wrap around her.

"Right now, you're thinking about how much you want to kiss me... among other things" she said looking into his eyes, their faces close together because of the intimate position, that mischievous grin still on her face.

[raydensharpola]

"Hey..." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "That's not fair. It isn't exactly that difficult to gues..." His eyes trailed on her legs stretched horizontally across his lap. And snuggling against him. "You're tainting the process." He tried frowning at her, feeling the heat extend from his lower region up to his neck. He swallowed. She was testing him. He wouldn't let her have the satisfaction of knowing that his inner dirty male would preside over any kind of thought processes with just a little provocation from her. He still had to protect his ego.

"You're a naughty girl." He frowned at her, making his lips turn deeply downward to mask the discomfort on edging on his face. His bermudas had the impending danger of becoming too tight. "Do you know what Raydie does to naughty girls like you?"

[Stella]

"I'm not a naughty girl" she said in an innocent little voice batting her eyelashes at him. She giggled and trailed her hand up his chest to let it rest there her fingers splayed out agaisnt his shirt. Hyne this all felt far too good.

"I don't think there's anything you could do to me that I wouldn't enjoy" she said in a much sexier voice as she lowered her head moving forward a little to kiss his neck softly remembering the way it had driven him crazy earlier.

[raydensharpola]

Rayden almost bolted off the floor. He was tempted to give in to her...goading or seduction, he couldn't decide, but noooo, not in the public. He liked to keep his stuff private, and there was always the danger of a paparazzi lurking nearby trying to catch some juicy snapshot. Given his reputation he didn't want that to happen, those tabloids were capable of painting something that was black, white, and vice versa.

"Heh. You asked for it." He grinned wickedly at her, then reached down and tickled her feet lightly with the tip of his fingers. "I noticed you had really sensitive feet in the restaurant a while back."

[Stella]

"Ahh!" she gave out a cute little shout as she squealed and kicked her feet a little. So he had noticed and was just saving it for the perfect moment. Evil.

"No, Rayden.. don't" she said trying to not to giggle, biting her bottom lip hard. But didn't he just trailed his finger along her foot again making her squirm around in his lap as she laughed.

"Stooop or else I'll tickle back" she responded lowering her hands to his side in a threatening way letting them rest there. She tried to squirm her feet away from him dumping herself out of his lap with a laugh.

[raydensharpola]

"That's punishment for messing with Raydie's head." He laughed, lifting his fingers away from her foot. The way she squealed and skirmed was incredibly adorable. He'd have to do it again another day. With foritfied armour of course, in case she decided to retaliate.

"At least, now we both know where our weaknesses are." He said smugly. "Or I'd be at your mercy all the time." He held out a hand to her. "Truce?"

[Stella]

"I was not messing with your head and I should kiss that smug little smile right off you" she said cutely sticking her tongue out at him again. It was amazing the they had only known each other for a short while but it felt like it had been years.

"But okay, truce... for now" she said giving him a smirk and leaning forward to kiss his out stretched hand right on the palm. She then took it and didn't let go as she scooted back into her earlier position beside him.

"I'll just sit here and be a good little girl for you, Raydie" she smirked at the cute nick name letting her head rest on his shoulder again as she watched the sinking sun.

[raydensharpola]

"Good girl." He grinned and squeezed her hand and enjoying the feel of her head on his shoulder. It felt so right, so comfortable that it seemed as if they'd done this forever. He simply let the silence settle over them, staring at the sun as it seemed to get swallowed gradually into the horizon.

"You know...in those romance movies, this is about the time a soundtrack plays in the background." He smiled meaningfully at her, clearing his throat a little.

Oh girl of mine hold my hand tight
Girl of mine don't ever leave my sight
I would trail you to the ends of the world
Chain myself to you if I had to
The scent of you invades my senses
The taste of you lingers on my lips
You make me feel whole again
Loved again
You are the angel
By whose hands I am healed
You are the mirage
In the desert that was my life

Oh girl of mine hold my hand tight
Girl of mine don't ever leave my sight

"So..." He spoke up again after a brief spell of silence from her. "I guess you didn't really like it..."

[Stella]

She was absolutely stunned. All she could do was sit there and stare as the words fell from his lips. Hyne, he had an unbelievably gorgeous voice. Just the sound of it sent shivers up her spine. And the words, oh the words, he was saying made her get major warm fuzzies inside. What a stunningly romantic moment. His voice trailed off and she still sat there looking at him in the resounding silence.

"So...I guess you didn't really like it..." he said breaking into her thoughts. She blinked a few times at him and then her lips turned up in a smile. How in the hell could he possibly think that? You're lucky I don't push you down right now and give you a long hard kiss for that.

"Hyne... that was gorgeous" she said a bit breathlessly, "how could I not like it?"

"You're amazing... you never stop surprising me..." she said suddenly blushing as she rubbed her cheek agaisnt his shoulder.

[raydensharpola]

"Yeah I like to surprise you." He replied with a wide grin. He'd thought she didn't like it, maybe it was too corny or something, cos for a while she didn't speak just staring at him. It made him feel a little disappointed, but the expression on her face now made all that evaporate away. "I love to see that delighted smile on your face when you're surprised. You should show it more often." He said, still with that cheek-achingly wide grin.

"So now I have another thing to add to the list of 'ways to make Stella happy'." He smirked. "OH you look so adorable when you blush." He turned his body, lifting her chin up and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.