Ride or Die

Elements of Freedom

Chapter 15: Elements of Freedom

Theo walked into the office at Gringotts in time to catch the telling click of the safety from Fleur's pistol. She was casually draped across her desk chair, her chin propped against the narrow angles of her knuckles as she cocked her head to look at him, languidly expectant.

"Oh, hey," Theo offered coolly, putting his hands in the air and rotating slowly, fighting a grin at the sight of the black stilettoed heels peeking out from beneath the wood. "I thought we already agreed killing me would be too messy."

She tossed him a radiant smirk as he turned back to face her, promptly tucking the gun back in her top drawer and pushing her chair out to close the few steps between them. "Never can be too careful," she remarked upon reaching him, gesturing to the door. "No telling who could have been walking in."

"Ah yes," Theo agreed, his hands finding her hips as hers found his chest. "Especially not people you specifically told to meet you here," he drawled, arching a brow. "Right?"

She shrugged, stunningly unapologetic. "Well, you're late," she informed him, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder but allowing him to pull her closer, nipping at his fingers as he drew his thumb across her lip. "Took you seven minutes."

"Well," he said, grinning, "in fairness to me, I try not to come early."

She rolled her eyes. "Smooth."

"I have my moments," he agreed, not bothering to disguise his errant gaze as it drifted down, suddenly recalling with a thrill of anticipation the precise color of the bra she was wearing. "So," he said casually. "Did we agree to do it on the desk?"

"Well, there's always the chair," she offered flippantly, gesturing to it. "Orthopedic," she clarified, shrugging.

"Responsible," Theo acknowledged, looking around the room. "Maybe the wall?"

"Less orthopedic," she said. "But certainly an option."

"The floor, then," he murmured, drawing a hand down her thigh to let his fingertips flirt with the hem of her black pencil skirt.

"Unsanitary," she determined, making a face. "Dirty."

"I was actually aiming for filthy," Theo informed her, abruptly tearing open the slit of her skirt to nudge his hand higher on her leg. She sighed, glancing down at it.

"Are you going to repair that for me?" she demanded, though she didn't argue as he backed her against the edge of her desk. "You're a menace."

"You don't know the half," he agreed, nudging her backwards until she was perched on top of the desk, her fingers digging into his ribs. "Flimsy material, you know," he commented, giving her skirt another sharp tear, ripping it to mid-thigh and then resting his palm against her skin. "Poor choice of fabric."

She hummed her agreement. "Pity I don't have better taste," she said in his ear, drawing her leg up to pull him closer and then yanking him down by his collar, brushing her lips lightly against his. "If only I made better decisions."

He groaned as her fingers found their way to the top of his button-fly jeans, undoing them one by one. "You know," he began, already finding himself short of breath, "we could always go somewhere else. Do it right," he offered, nipping at her lip as she kissed him again. "I could fuck you on some rose petals or something."

"Messy," she whispered, and he drew a hand to her blouse, pulling open the buttons and lowering his head to slide the tip of his tongue over the curve of her bra, rejoicing in the pebbling of her skin beneath his lips. "Besides," she added, leaning back onto her elbow and pushing his head down to her exposed stomach. "I can't leave. Griphook's waiting on a buyer."