RKCB - Open Arms
*Matthew McConaughey voice* alright, alright, alright.
I have returned, had an amazing time; those holiday blues hit me harrddddd. But here is that update I promised!
The M.I.A Christian's POV
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Trekking the mountains of Cuba was not ideal in this heat but it was his only way of getting to this clairvoyant's house. He stomped his feet in front of the door to rid the dust and dirt from his clothes and boots.
Christian couldn't remember the last time he was here. Maybe the eighteen hundred's? It wasn't important. What was important was his need to see her. Even for a second, just to see if she was okay. He hadn't ever thought he would be this desperate to catch a glimpse of her blue eyes or that twitch to her mouth or eyebrow whenever she was mad at him.
At night, he found himself dreaming of her; dreaming of the feel of her skin, the taste of her lips and the sound of her laughter. He was addicted. Whether she was a phase or 'it' he didn't know. All he knew was he had to hold her again. Have her again. Not once had a night of sex hypnotised him the way Chelsea had.
He was stupid. He shouldn't have left her the way he did but he had to, if only so she wouldn't do anything ridiculous like follow him. Christian only hoped hurting her was enough for her to stay put and wait.
A sarcastic smile stretched along his face as he knocked. He knew her better than that which was why he was here, two weeks after leaving her, in front of this witch's house to see if she'd got bored sitting on her hands waiting for him to sort out the problem.
Which he hadn't by the way.
The young - in appearance - Cuban man Christian knew well smiled at him and greeted him in his rapid tongue.
No, he'd tried. He'd been searching under every rock and fucking hole for Feisal or even the Steinsson twins and their sister. Not one had surfaced. Which begged the question, what did that mean? Christian knew for a fact they wouldn't have given up so easily.
"Come, come. Join me we will start immediately." Ivan said with a grin.
Ivan led him through a few rooms and finally sat down on a plush pillow in front of a circular table. Christian joined him. All he had to do was take his hands, almost like Katherine's bother Samuel, and he'd be able to do more than what Sam can do. Ivan could see the future, yes but by specifying the person they were close enough to, like Chelsea, he could see her future including the present and the past and show it too.
Christian took Ivan's hands and closed his eyes, willing Chelsea's past, present and future to light. Images flashed across his eyes, old images of the day he met with her in Cairo, to the day they met.
This was enough. Just to see her smile at him in a past vision would have tied him over for the next few weeks. But Ivan showed more.
And more is what he bloody got.
Christian's jaw clenched at Chelsea rolling around the sand with... who is that? And there is not one lick of sand like this in Vancouver. These weren't old images; he would have known about this. There wasn't any sound to these visions for him but Ivan could hear.
And when she lifted herself above this bulk of a male she-
"Whoa." Ivan flinched as her fist connected with the stranger's face. "That must of hurt."
Christian remained silent, his mind working through the scenes in front of him. She threw another and anger seared through his chest when the male twisted out of her grip and flipped her beneath him.
But then he caught sight of his face. And fury burned his retina's at the sight of him punching her.
"When was this." He seethed, wincing when Vlad the fucking Impaler landed another one to her nose. "Ivan."
"This was three days ago."
What on God's green earth was she doing with Vlad? Of all people in this world she had to be fighting him? The fight ended quickly leaving them to talk on the sandy shores of- where hell were they?
"What are they saying, where are they?"
Ivan stuttered and sighed before answering, "I don't know where. For some reason a lot of what's happening is clouding my vision. I can't get around it."
Katherine. She must be covering them.
"And I can't hear what they're saying."
What a great help he was.
The scene transitioned smoothly into the two of them having bloody coffee but wearing something completely different. Something akin to possessiveness replaced his fury. Christian knew Vlad. He had loved Florence as he did but Vlad was lucky enough to realise her flaws before Chris could.
Once upon a time they were friends but with Chelsea young, beautiful and a little too openhearted she was ripe for the picking. And if she hated him – the way he left her standing in that airport he'd hate himself – then the two had a lot in common.
Christian released Ivan's hands and said, "I need your phone."
With quick fingers he dialled the number, the person on the other end of the line would be easy enough to manipulate answers from.
He answered on the third ring. "'Ello?"
"Sam where's Katherine?"
"Balls, is this Christian? Well, at least you're alive. Chelsea will be thrilled!"
"Where. Is Katherine, I need to speak with her."
There was a long pause on the line before Sam cleared his throat. "She's out at the moment, I can take a message-"
"I know she's with Chels gallivanting around some foreign country probably sixty-five percent of the time trying not to get themselves killed. Give me her phone number."
Again, a long pause. "Chris, I-"
"Samuel." He barked.
"Jesus, fine. She has a burner I'll give you the number."
Sam reluctantly listed the string of numbers and Christian quickly hung up without a goodbye. The dial tone rang only once before she answered. "Hi it's your friendly neighbour from State Farm. This switch board is located in Switzerland; your call will begin to charge eight dollars per minute unless you hang up in three, two-"
"Cut the shit, it's me." He interrupted with a growl.
There was a pause. Christian tried to distinguish the background noise, even tried to latch onto the language that he could faintly hear but for the life of him he couldn't. They were passing too quickly or Katherine was passing them too quickly.
Finally, she spoke, "Well, you're alive which is great."
"Of course I'm alive. Where is Chelsea?"
"She's around somewhere. Two weeks and now you call for her? Well, you must have a life or death reason to be calling."
"Why was she with Vlad?" He asked impatiently. "And why were they fighting, has she lost her mind? He's a dangerous man and someone his age with his background shouldn't be around both of you."
"Weren't you once a dangerous man?" She laughed. "Besides, Vlad wouldn't hurt a fly... you know unless it landed on him. I assume you've found a witch to spy on us, how else would you know about Vlad."
He felt like he was talking to a child with the way she wasn't listening. Chelsea was clearly rubbing off on her. "You're covering something up and I'll find out what."
"You will eventually."
Christian grunted a sigh and glanced at Ivan avidly watching him. "How is she at least."
"She's okay. Better than when you left her, asshole. Didn't I promise you an aneurism if you hurt her?"
A small smile curved his lips. "Did you? I can't recall."
"Rain-check then." And before he could ask anything more she hung up on him.
He had to think quick on his feet. He had to find them somehow but with the cover Katherine had on them, it'd be impossible to locate them. Slowly, he slid in front of Ivan again and began to think. Sand beaches could be anywhere; the tropics, parts of Europe, literally anywhere.
He had no chance at finding them. No chance.
Unless... "Were you able to see into any of their futures?"
Ivan frowned. "Not much, no."
Christian grabbed his hand from across the table and said, "Look for a man named Joe's from my memories and see if you could work underneath any cover. But be careful, don't let any of them find out what's happening right now. Try latch onto the girl I've been talking about."
Once again, he closed his eyes and images of Joe emerged. He knew he was with them, he remembered Joe saying he was going back to Vancouver to help them. The streets were familiar in this premonition. Christian smiled. They were coming here. To Cuba. The images were sketchy, there were more people with Chelsea than he expected, two more to be exact. Maybe Evie and Amy joined them, he couldn't tell.
Katherine was getting better at her visions if she was able to see beneath Christian's usual cover but clearly not good enough to stop Ivan from sneaking under the radar. He wondered when she'd seen where he was, before or after the call?
Ivan grunted lowly under his breath and the images trembled and shifted to focus on Chelsea. Ivan had done it but only just about. He was powerful, old as well probably three hundred years this summer. Practice made perfect. They were in a building; an old motel in the city he caught the name of.
Chelsea wasn't alone here, walking up and down stairs, compelling answers from the locals to ask whether they'd seen a man with Christian's description.
Then she was at his motel in Havana. From the way her eyes shifted and from her tense alert posture he knew she was alone, alone. She was senselessly looking for him. He knew she'd do this but seeing her so close to where he was staying only made it more real.
"When will she be here?" He murmured watching her enter a few of the empty apartment doors.
"Thirty-six hours."
That was enough time.
He had to make sure Havana was clear of any of the Steinsson's henchmen instead of the opposite. A part of him couldn't wait to shake some damn sense into her but another part of him couldn't wait until he got her hands on her in any sense.
"Thank you, Ivan." He stood. "I need you to do me a favour. I need you to use your strongest cover on me for the next forty-eight. You'll receive your payment in the next thirty."
**
Christian's body was hidden within the massive crowd's, his scent masked by the busy day continuing around him as well as Ivan's perfect cover. Staring ahead at the motel he saw in Ivan's vision, he lifted the bandana to cover his mouth and adjusted the hat on his head.
Thirty-six long hours later and he was here, at the exact time Ivan had given him. His palms were itching with impatience, his eyes burning from the fact he hadn't blinked in over sixty seconds.
The last day and a half he searched almost every crevice of the island and there was no sign of a Steinsson thug. For the first time in two weeks, he was grateful for that fact. Ivan had done good on his promise and provided him his strongest cover; not even a Steinsson could find him. He could feel the power around him, thick and heavy.
The doors to the building opened but strangers exited, joining the hustle and bustle of the morning streets. Now that America was free to travel to Cuba, there were so many more tourists than before. Cuba was a magical place really, their tourism levels going from zero to one hundred within only a few years.
Christian stepped out of the way for a family to pass by, his eyes scanning over every face that came out of those doors.
His watch ticked on by the 10:07am mark – just as Ivan had predicted – and finally he saw her. Her blonde hair floated out first as she walked backwards out of the doors. Every part of his body suddenly ached. He yearned to touch her but not yet. Not until she was alone.
A smile curved her beautiful mouth as she spoke to the little minx that was Katherine Philips. She was in a stark white v-neck cami and a long white flowing skirt. Half of her hair was up, away from her glowing make-upless face. Beautiful.
Joe and Callum came out after her, he wasn't even surprised to see them with her. But then Vlad hunkered out after them, quickly catching up to Chelsea with one of his rare smiles. She smoothly linked her arm through his and floated side by side together down the street.
Christian was glad the bandana was covering his face otherwise his veins would have been visible. So he came with them. Why, he continued to wonder. Why him?
More than anything he wanted to march over and demand answers but patience was key. He'd get his answers.
The hours rolled by sluggishly as he followed and watched them from afar. Every time she laughed at Vlad or touched his arm or shined him a smile, the more eager he grew to talk to her. They split up halfway through the day in what he assumed was the hunt to find him.
Christian noticed Vlad on the phone an awful lot. And every so often, he'd pass it over to Kate or even Chelsea. He couldn't begin to comprehend what the fuck has been happening since he'd left them. And it must have been that moment when he realised that it was the worst possible idea to leave them. They were troublemakers, all of them.
He shouldn't have left the three most mischievous people alone without just a bit of supervision. Well, to be honest he thought he left Jackie and Nate with them but it obviously looks like they've escaped their watchful eye.
Night fell, the group retired to their motel. But around 11pm, Chelsea stepped outside; the baseball cap he'd given her in Cairo was atop her head, her ponytail pulled through the back. Christian left her to do as she was supposed to and went over to his motel six roads over. He climbed the stairs to his floor and went over his plan in his head.
Further down the hallway, he'd compelled the neighbours to tell her that his room was the one opposite. It was possibly the worst time to be playful but he wanted to scare her a little. With Ivan's cover expiring only seconds after initially grabbing her, she wouldn't be able to tell it was him until that moment.
An hour went by and Christian paced his room, his patience growing thinner and thinner. There were too many emotions to account for: anger, want, guilt, possessiveness and a few he wasn't sure whether he wanted to dissect.
And when he eyed the peep hole and saw her pause in front of the door in front of his, his patience broke.
With sharp movements, he stepped out of his door and circled on arm around her body and a hand covered her mouth. Her reaction was slower than he expected as he crowded her against the wall but to no surprise she sprung to life and used her feet to push them away from the wall and through his open door.
Somehow, Christian managed to kick the door closed – she was getting better at trying to escape, he'll commend her for that later – and once again pushed her front against the wall, her hat toppling to the floor. No screams, again another thing to praise her for, just her hands trying to leverage anything and everything.
A few seconds before Ivan's cover dropped, Christian smiled and said, "Didn't I tell you to stay out of trouble, kitten?"
Her gorgeous body froze against him. He rested his chin beside her head and heard her inhale. Very slowly he loosened his hold and she turned within it. Her fiery eyes angry, which he expected, and her wet lips slightly parted in disbelief.
"You bastard." She said.
And then she surprised him by grabbing his head and kissing him.
Give me strength. Christian didn't know how much he missed her lips or the way her body melted into his like a second skin until now. He hadn't had anything so perfect, not like this. His hand snaked along her body, learning every line and curve that crossed his pathway only to stop on that delicious derriere of hers.
A lost cause. That's what he was. The kiss started simple and light before he began to stir and caress it into something more. Their tongues touched and it was that moment he started to recount when he started to fall for this vixen of a woman. She's kept him on his toes ever since the day he'd turned her. It must have been from then, he thought.
Christian didn't love, he didn't know whether he knew the meaning of the word anymore. But maybe he could learn, just maybe. Love came with complications. Love came with commitment, trouble and trust. And he wasn't sure whether that was what he wanted let alone what she wanted.
She arched her entire being into him and all he could think of was ways to get her naked. He'd have to kidnap her from all of this, away from Kate and her friends and away from her stupid new acquaintance Vlad even just for a few hours.
She found sense before him, breaking the heady kiss with a sharp inhale. Her hands smoothed down his shirt and across his shoulders before she opened her eyes.
And of course – why didn't he see it coming, it was her way of saying hello after all – she slapped him.
He stumbled a step back, rubbing his jaw and sighed. "I thought we were over those hello and goodbye's."
"Not even a little bit jackass." She licked her lips and Christian enjoyed the movement. "You scared me."
"You have a funny way of showing it."
"You're a psychopath. How did you know I'd be here?"
"I have my resources, sweetheart. And I had to teach you a lesson for showing up in Cuba when I told you to stay in Vancouver for Christ's sake." He chuckled.
"You hurt me, Christian."
The amusement left him as he gazed at her. Her eyebrow twitched from irritation but the hurt was behind her eyes. He did hurt her when he left her in Dubai. He wished he hadn't considering it didn't work anyway.
"I wrongly thought you'd stay home." He admitted sitting on the edge of the bed. "I evidently had too much faith in that. I did it to keep you-"
"Safe? I've heard that line before."
"Well you're doing a terrible job at staying out of trouble so can you blame me for trying? Now, why are you with Vlad?"
Her eyes grew guarded all of a sudden, his suspicion growing. "You'll have to trust me, Chris."
"Do you trust me?" He wondered seriously.
Her pause hurt him more than it should have but he should have known. Trust is earned and he'd thrown it in her face.
"Why are you in Cuba?" Christian asked instead.
Chelsea started wandering around the room, her eyes refusing to meet his. "We came to find Jannika and we knew you were here."
His blood ran cold. "None of the Steinsson's are in Cuba."
"Then why are you here?" She challenged, standing by the old vanity mirror.
"Because my lead led me here and now I can't find any of them. I searched the entire island the past few days and not a single sign. Also, why are you looking for them? You're supposed to be staying well away from any of this I told you to stay away."
"We have a plan."
"Who is we exactly, you and Vlad?"
She met his eye with what looked like amusement. "Do you have a problem with me hanging out with Vlad?"
"Yes."
"Well tough tits, Chris. We're friends. He's a nice person."
When she started to approach him, he reached out and circled his hands over her hips. Her skin burned him even through the material of her skirt. He angled his head upward and said, "I bet you a kiss he's infatuated by you."
"What would make you come to that conclusion?" Her voice was a murmur, the pupils of her eyes quivered betraying her need to touch him just as much as he needed to touch her.
"Because you're you." He replied, sliding his palms underneath her skirt. Her legs were smooth, the goose bumps that's followed urged him higher. "A beautiful, hot-headed blonde with a smart skilful mouth."
"Those sound like backhanded compliments." She grabbed his pursuing hands with narrowed eyes. "I'm still mad at you, Christian."
Cautiously, he dragged her closer to where he was sat, her grip on his hands loosening only a tiny bit. "You don't have to forgive me to let me touch you." His fingers moved to her inner thigh, dancing dangerously upward. "Do you want me to touch you?"
From the clench of her jaw, she had some fight left in her. But he had to smile at her judgment being clouded by such a simple skim of his hand. He still had a million and one questions for her but they'd get to them eventually. And when the tips of his fingers found the heat covered by her panties, he rejoiced at the sound of her throaty submissive moan.
"Your body is telling me yes but what are you saying." He grumbled huskily, applying the slightest bit of pressure to her moistening centre.
He drew a few circles and she clutched heavily onto his shoulders. "I'm... not sure."
"We could talk first if you want?" He used his thumb to move the fabric and gave a little thank you to God for sending this beautiful creature his way. Warmth enveloped his fingers as he slid a digit inside of her.
"We should only be talking- Jesus." She exhaled softly. Her palm gripped a handful of his hair. She yanked and his arousal grew. Chelsea had to say yes. For his sanity she had to. Just an hour, that's all he needed. And then they could talk.
"Let me make it up to you love," He removed his hand and urged her thighs to straddle him; she obliged. "I really am sorry. I was a fool."
"Was there any truth to it?" She spoke, her fingers unbuttoning his cream linen shirt.
Christian went over what he said in his mind and smiled genuinely for the first time in two weeks. "Only one part but I'll rephrase it: the sex really is incredible."
"I'm still not forgiving you." She clarified, running the tips of her fingers down his stomach.
"I'm not asking you to."
Her mouth twitched from her hidden smile and that was honestly enough for him curl his hand around the back of her neck and connect their lips.
Clothes were quickly discarded and his brain lost any and all function. His attention solely on the perfect body in front of him. His mouth and hands were everywhere, kissing her sun kissed skin in areas he couldn't wait to explore all over again. He ran his tongue along her lips and into her mouth covering her naked body with his own, not yet connected in the way she was urging him to.
He wanted to savour every minute, he didn't know what would happen tomorrow let alone later tonight. Her heart thumped loudly against his chest, her breathing quickening as he moved from her mouth to her chest.
"Christian, please." Chelsea begged tracing every plane on his back. "I need you."
He lifted his head from her breast and caught sight of her. Somewhere in between undressing and this point her hair band had snapped, her hair a glossy pillow surrounding her head. She bit the inside of her cheek as she gazed at him.
Leisurely, he slid his hand between her legs and circled his palm against the bundle of nerves above her opening. He watched her chest flush in pleasure, her eyes close and listened to her murmur a little, "Oh."
Upping his movements only for a few seconds, he drew back and plunged deeply inside of her when he sensed her orgasm building. Pelvis's completely aligned, he barely even moved before she was moaning out a powerful release, one that tested the fabric of his own restraint.
Christian swore a storm under his breath as he started moving; there was nothing tender about this. Nothing soft or sweet about the way she was angling herself upward to feel every last inch of him or the way he held both of her hands above her head and bruised her mouth with his. He could get to the soft and sweet later, right now he was aiming for her second climax while he was well on his way to an explosive number one.
"I'm going to..." Her voice quivered into his shoulder. "Bite me, Christian."
She didn't have to ask twice. His mouth opened against her neck as his release hit him like a fire truck. He groaned when her teeth opened against his shoulder.
The twitches around his member started to subside as he healed her wound and vice versa but he didn't dare move. He simply kissed the part he'd bitten. Chelsea didn't withdraw from him, didn't tense her body or move away; all she did was roll them over, their bodies still connected, and lay her head silently against his chest.
He could sleep like this, every part of them connected, her blood coursing through his veins. Nothing was hidden. But he wanted to seize the night. He could sleep later.
He tilted her head so he could stare into those baby blues. "I want to take you somewhere."
"And where's that when we have so much to talk about." She smiled a lazy smile and pressed her lips to his chest.
"One of my favourite places in Cuba. It's a bar before you're disappointed when we get there."
"You want to drag me out of bed for a bar?"
"You'll enjoy it, I promise. Cuban music, dancing, alcohol and you'll be there. So many of my favourite things. I know the owner; it'll be safe to talk there. Plus, I can't imagine we'll do much talking with a bed close by."
Her eyes glittered with mischief. "Who says we need a bed?"
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