Remi met his gaze for a moment, but couldn't stop herself from glancing elsewhere. That glance quickly turned into a full-on stare. She had long forgotten the dog, and who could blame her? It was probably impossible to think of anything else at that moment except the way the water ran over his toned arms and chest. She instinctively licked her lips, and finally met his intense stare once more.
"Window shopping, again?" Ender smirked at her but didn't break the eye contact. He couldn't lie, the way she looked at him had him feeling some type of way.
"Hmm?" She moved her hands up and placed them on his shoulders. She couldn't stop herself from slowly sliding them down his arms. Remi felt out of breath at the sight of him, "I don't think I want to window shop anymore. I think I need to check out the merchandise--"
"Oh?" He worried they could be moving a little fast, but the tension had been there so it wasn't too far-fetched. Ender knew if he let her lead, he couldn't go too far, "I think you should..."
She should leave the room, she knew that much, but her body was frozen. There wasn't a chance she could walk out of there at that moment. Her arms went around his neck and she pulled him into a heated kiss. Remi didn't think it was possible to be any closer to him than she already was, but his arms around her waist crashed her into him further.
Ender shivered beneath her touch. He was positive he had never been quite so worked up. It was obvious what she wanted, and he had no plans to deprive her of that. He gently guided her a few steps back, pressing her against the wall. The kiss didn't break, which told him he wasn't wrong in his thinking.
Remi gasped as she felt his hands move under her shirt to grasp her hips. He was massaging small circles along the lower part of her back. She broke the kiss to catch her breath and allowed her head to fall back against the wall. Her eyes remained closed as she just enjoyed being lost in the moment. His lips found the exposed skin of her neck and she was positive that she'd never felt so blissful.
Ender's hands worked a little higher under her shirt, and he stopped kissing her her for a brief moment. He needed reassurance and he found it in her eyes. He didn't have long to admire her, though, because she found his lips again. He wasn't complaining.
Remi wasn't sure what she was thinking, but that was probably it, she wasn't thinking at all. Her hand slid down his chest and found itself rested on the towel around his waist. She deepened the kiss and softly moaned against him. Her fingers toyed with the edges of the towel as her mind toyed with the thought of doing exactly what she wanted.
Ender grabbed her hand gently and broke the kiss, breathlessly, "Be sure of what you want, Chica, I probably can't stop quite as easily as you if you keep this going..."
"I know," Remi whispered against him, "Please, Ender, I don't want to talk."
He was about to reply to her when their new friend barked, loudly. Ender decided against speaking and moved his lips back to hers for another kiss. It didn't last long though because the dog was persistently barking. He backed out of the bathroom and was stared towards the living room, his bark didn't subside, "We better see what's wrong-"
She nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear, "Do you smell something burning?"
Ender paused and realized she was right. He did smell something burning! Quickly, he followed the golden retriever into the living room and was shocked to see small embers from the fire had somehow landed on the carpet rug. Smoke had formed behind the tiny flames, and in a hurry, Ender grabbed the fire extinguisher and put it out, "Whoa, good boy-" He patted the dogs head before he looked across the room at Remi. She looked scared, and he was afraid to find out why.
Remi frowned as Ender stepped closer to her. She wasn't sure what to feel, other than shaken. Not only had the fire in the living room made her nervous, the fire in the bathroom had been equally as bad. She slightly calmed down mentally, even though her body still reeled. She felt tears stinging her eyes. Thankfully, the pup had stopped what would have been a horrible mistake, "I need to lay down-" She didn't give him a chance to speak, and briskly walked towards her room.
"Remi?" Ender sighed as the room filled with sounds of her slamming the door behind her. Hopefully, she would come around. It was a very intense moment, and maybe she had trouble processing it. He'd give her time and hope that she'd feel better after a nap. He ran his hands over his now dry hair and sighed, "I know, boy-" The dog nudged his hand and whined, "Women are confusing..."
_____
A couple hours had gone by and to pass time Ender had decided to clear the snow off the hot tub and enjoy it. Sure it was freezing outside, but what good was a hot tub if you couldn't use it on the chilliest of days. The sun had started to set, and he was hungry, but part of him just couldn't move. His mind was on Remi and the way she'd looked at him earlier. He should have stopped her. He shouldn't have lost control.
"Care if I join?" Remi shyly slid off her robe and stepped down into the hot tub. They must have looked crazy in the snow, but neither seemed to care. She avoided looking at Ender's gaze as she sank down into the water and closed her eyes. Being close to him comforted her, and she both loved and hated the feeling.
"I'm sorry, Remi," Ender spoke softly, "I shouldn't have.... allowed that to happen. I want you to know I respect you..."
She was a bit taken back by his words. If anything, she expected him to be angry. Her head shot up and she stared over at him in confusion, "You're...sorry? I can't say a guy has ever- I mean- I was clearly being a tease... by accident, sure, but still."
"You weren't a tease," He bit his bottom lip, unsure if he should move closer or not. Ender didn't have to think long though, she took it upon herself to close the gap between them, "You just had second thoughts-"
"It's not even that," She felt comfortable enough to rest her head on his shoulder. A few tears slipped from her eyes as she gathered her thoughts and tried to keep the emotions in check, "I'm scared, Ender. I'll just be honest with you. I'm not a damsel in distress, and I don't want pity, but I'm scared..."
"Tell me what happened," Ender boldly questioned and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "I want to understand your heart. Who hurt you, Remi?"
She felt like she could hyperventilate. Remi needed to do this. She needed to talk. She'd never told anyone, "My childhood wasn't perfect, and my mother was rarely around. I was forced to grow up too early-" She paused to catch her breath again, "So I think that's why when I turned nineteen I just went for whoever would have me..."
Ender didn't speak, he just ran his hand up and down her arm to soothe her as she continued on.
"My ex-came into my life at a really vulnerable time. I thought he was golden..." She couldn't suppress the tears that now slipped down her cheek, "He gave me everything, even a home, but it came at a price..."
Ender kissed the top of her head and held her close. The thought of someone hurting her in any way made him sick. He'd only known her a few days, but during that time, he'd come to know and care for her deeply. He wanted to be her protector now, and make sure it never happened again.
"After three years, I finally knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to write, so I started my novel-" She paused, "He told me he could get it published, but I'd have to pay---" Remi sniffled, her eyes slipped closed as she recalled the awful moments, "I changed my mind once his friends showed up, but he said there was no going back. It wasn't just once either. The bruises healed but the mental trauma-" Remi had never been loved in the proper way, which is why the realness of kissing Ender had sent her over the top with emotions.
She was full on crying and Ender turned to hold her completely against him. What a jerk he'd almost been! There was no way he could take advantage of her in such a way. He cared about her, and her feelings, "Shhhh," He whispered. He had no idea that it was possible to feel extremely sympathetic and pissed off in the same moment, "Where is this guy? How do I find him?"
Remi heard the anger in his voice and cried softly against him, "Ender, no. It doesn't matter... I ended up getting a book deal elsewhere. He's out of my life for good and he doesn't even know I'm in Miami-"
"Miami, huh?" He smiled sweetly, hopefully taking the attention off the pain she was feeling, "I love Miami. Sometimes, my work takes me there."
"Your work," She wiped her eyes and glanced up at him, "What did you say you did, anyway?"
"I didn't say," He shrugged, unsure if he should tell her. She had opened up to him though, so it was really only fair, "But if you really want to know.... I'm an athlete."
"Athlete-" She moved her hand to his chest and playfully punched him, "You're athletic alright. Still, doesn't help me."
"Fine, you win," He snuggled her closer to him, kissing her head again, "I'm a baseball player."
"Baseball player?" She paused a brief moment, before erupting into laughter. She kept it going for a moment, only to see he wasn't joining her, "A baseball player. Really, Ender? You expect me to believe that? I mean, not that you don't have the body for one but-- I've been to Marlins' games a couple of times."
"So you know the Marlins?" He mused, "That's nice, but I don't play for the Marlins.... the Braves."
She thought for a long moment, but couldn't place it, "Where... are they again? I'm sorry, I went to games with some of the publishers for business. I couldn't tell you the first thing about it. Other than those pants are nice-"
"Atlanta," Ender pushed back to stare down at her, "And just wait until you see me in those pants."
"Atlanta. Nice city. So you live there?" Remi questioned, still not sure if he was serious or pulling her leg. She figured time would tell, and if it were true, she did want to see those baseball pants on him.
"Yes," Ender nodded, before hearing a scratch at the door, "I think someone misses us-"
"He just doesn't want to give us a chance, does he?" Remi leaned back to see the dog pawing at the window.
"What did you just say?"
Remi thought, before repeating herself, "I said he doesn't want to give us a chance..."
"That's it!" Ender smiled, "Chance. His name is Chance. I knew the perfect name would come to us."
Remi grinned at his excitement and watched him as he stood and extended his hand to help her out, "Chance, huh? I like it," Ender wrapped a towel around her shoulders and began to usher her in, "He took a chance on us like we are taking a chance on each other-"
Ender stopped just inside the door and grasp her face sweetly. Her attention was on him and he grinned, "And it's by chance we're here together." In a sweet motion, he kissed her unlike he had before. It was slow and passionate, and even though the flame still burned, the urgency was gone and the reassurance that he deeply cared for the girl in his arms showed. This was all he could ask for and more, he wasn't going to let her get away without showing her what she'd been missing.