Kisses Of A Criminal

Sweet Mornings

She sighed. "Yeah. Help me sit up."

I nodded, and reached down, pulling the blankets off of her. It was then that I realized that she still wasn't wearing a shirt from when I had taken it off last night to tend to the bullet wound. I blinked at her bare stomach, blankets still in my arms, a little caught off guard.

I looked at her face, and she shot me a glare. "Shut up." She said.

I dropped the blankets on the floor, raising my hands up. "I wasn't going to say anything." Then, I couldn't help it- I flashed her a cheeky grin and added, "nice pink bra."

She grabbed a pillow from next to her and chucked it at me. Laughing, I caught it.

"See? You just had to comment!"

Still chuckling, I said, "Sorry, sorry." Then I bent down, and carefully helped her sit up. She moved her legs over to hang over the edge of the bed. 

I sat down next to her, letting her put an arm around my shoulder. I held her waist, and slowly, we both stood. She leaned into me, letting out a heavy breath.

She hissed in pain. "Jesus, that stings."

"Feels worse before it feels better. It'll only hurt that much for a little while." I told her, remembering when I had been shot. I briefly worried about how unsafe it'll be for her for the next few days; obviously she can't run, she can hardly walk. What happens if we get ambushed again?

It was definite that I'd do everything to make them go after just me, and leave her alone.

We slowly walked to the bathroom, where I pulled the shower curtain aside. Using one hand to still hold her up, I used the other to turn on the faucet.

She snorted. "I haven't taken a bath in like, nine years."

"Well, I don't like the idea of you standing on a slippery floor." I told her. She let go of me, leaning a hand on the wall.

I hesitated. I wanted to give her privacy, but also wanted to be near her in case she needed any help.

I sighed. I'll just have her leave the door open. I looked at her bandages. Overnight, blood had soaked through them. I went to her, carefully taking them off and checking the skin. It wasn't pouring out blood anymore, but it still looked bad. My eyes drifted over the rest of her body. On the right sight of her ribcage, there was heavy bruising, probably from a hard kick. I closed my eyes for a second, anger seeping into me at the memory. I hadn't been able to do a thing about it when they pushed her to the ground and hurt her over and over. I had just laid there.

I took a step back, towards the door. Viva watched me with tired green eyes.

"I'll leave you to it, but can you leave the door open just a little? So I can hear you if you call?" I ask her.

She nods, giving me a smile. "Yeah."

I turn away, to leave her alone, but she called me back. "River?"

I looked back at her quickly. Her voice had changed; it was quieter, and with something behind it.

She met my gaze, looking back at me with strong emotion in her eyes. The emerald in them shined with care. Sadness. Affection.

My heart picked up a little at just the sight. I wanted to hold her. Closing a bit of the space between us, I walked back to her, so that we were just over a foot apart.

"Yes?" I asked her. A strand of hair was falling into her face, so I swept it out of the way, tucking it behind her ear.

She seemed at a loss for words, shaking her head slightly. "Just......I mean, look at you. You literally kept me alive. You got us out of that warehouse. By some miracle we made it. No, you're the damn miracle. You've been awake for two days and instead of sleeping, you're helping me take a freaking bath!" She stopped, and waved her hand. "I'm rambling. But, yeah..." She cleared her throat, shifting onto her other foot, and looked down. Frankly, she looked adorable. Viva? Having trouble coming up with something to say?

She continued. "River. Just thank you. It's more than the multiple times you've saved me. You've put me before you in every situation, and you're the first person who's actually cared. Ever. The things you did for me, even when you hardly knew who I was, were amazing. Do you even see it?" She stared at me in wonder.

"See what?" I asked. The way she was talking had my head in overdrive. It's like she's me talking. In my head, I'm constantly thinking about her like this. She's the only one I've ever felt this way about.

She dropped her voice to a whisper. She stepped closer, so we were inches apart. "What kind of a person you are." She shook her head slightly. "Of all people."

I looked at her face. Her bruised, beautiful face. She finished what she was saying.

"The best kind, River." She gave me a small smile.

I just shook my head at her. "You deserve the very best."

Have I given her the very best? I wish. 

We stayed in that moment for a few seconds. My breath caught in my throat when Viva tilted her head up, and my thoughts disappeared completely when I felt her lips press against mine.

It was a soft, slow, simple kiss. She pulled away, stepping back. I was lost for words. Her eyes shone, and the corners of her lips tilted up in a shy smile.

I stared at her, dazed. She had just kissed me. She talked in a way that made my heart soar, and then she kissed me. 

I smiled back at her. For a minute, we seemed to turn into a couple of young teenagers.

I pointed behind me, at the door. "I'll um," I took a step back. "Let you take your bath. Call me if you need me, okay?"

She nodded. "I will."

It's hard to describe the atmosphere that was between us, when we looked at each other for another moment. I guess she was thinking about my 'save' last night, and I know I was thinking about how relieved I was that she was still here, talking to me and kissing me. I guess the atmosphere was just full of what we felt for each other. It was enough to make us both keep the stupid smiles on our faces, though.

I tapped my hand against the door before stepping back, through the doorway, and going to the bed. I heard her slipping into the warm water, sighing.

Looking around the room, I got working on packing up everything. 

After she got out of the bath, I'd take a quick shower, and we'd very quickly and carefully get to the car. We need to stop at a store to buy her some real bandages, painkillers, and whatever else there is to help her. 

I yawned. Once we were far away from here, a hundred percent safe, I'll sleep.

I remembered my late night thought from before. There's no denying it. I'm not prepared for it, but this strong-willed, snarky, guarded and sometimes sweet girl has gotten under my skin. 

Falling? Yes. Fast.

The question is, what's going on on the other side? 

Imagine that. Viva feeling the same.

I closed my eyes. Damn. Just imagine. What would that mean?

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Short? yeahhh :( Sorry if it's a little rushed, but it's late and I'm a little blocked lately. The next chapter is all planned out though! 

Song is; All My Heart by Sleeping With Sirens.

Amazing song...Unedited chapter!