Chapter 9/?
Epico - A Sorta Fairytale: Chapter Nine
Authors: CJ [vylentcrymz], Emilie [emilierevan], Jen [savvy_elf] and Stacy [adayindreamland].
Rating: Hard R / NC-17
Pairings: Dominic Monaghan/Emilie de Ravin, Ian Somerhalder/Maggie Grace, Orlando Bloom/Evangeline Lilly
Summary: Love. Friendship. Growth. Sex. Change. Drama. But mostly just sex. Sure, we have a plot… somewhere around here (now where did I put that thing?), but when broken down into its simplest form, Epico = SEX!
Disclaimer: We don't own these people. They're real, sure, but none of these events have or ever will transpire. No offense is meant and we're making no profit from this. Title taken from the song A Sorta Fairytale by Tori Amos.
Authors’ Notes: First of all, vylentcrymz’s birthday is on Tuesday. Wish her a happy one because she totally rocks.
Second of all, we the writer’s would like to thank ALL the readers for…well, reading, of course. And commenting, and making icons and graphics and for epico_squee in general. We love writing this story and we love that you love reading it. *BIG hugs*
Please remember: Feedback is to us as sex is to Magsian, Domilie, and Orlilly. As in, very important, and something that needs to be done 24/7.
Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
---
“Hey, guess what?”
Maggie looked up from her magazine to see Ian placing the phone on the jack, a happy look about him. “You figured out the big secret of Lost?”
“No, still working on that.” He grabbed an apple from the centerpiece on the counter. “I just got off the phone-”
“You know, I love you and all and it’s not like I’m hurting for money but you have to stop making all of your important calls when you’re here,” Maggie joked. “Half the numbers on my phone bill I don’t even recognize, it’s like you live here. Doesn’t Dom ever miss his roommate?”
“There’s only so much soccer-I mean football-a man can take before he gets bored of it. Unless you’re Dom,” he explained and then, sweetly, “Besides, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to spend time with you, is there?”
Maggie shook her head, “Not that I can think of.”
“Good. How does Alan Wong’s sound on Sunday? My mom’s wanted to try the food there for a while.”
Closing her magazine, Maggie cleared her throat and looked at him, caught off guard. “Your mom? She’s…she’s coming to visit?”
He nodded, “Yeah, just got off the phone with her, they’re flying in on Saturday.”
“They?”
Again, he nodded. “Yeah, she’s bringing my dad. She wasn’t just going to leave him at home, Mags.”
“No, I know, of course.” She shook her head to try and clear her mind, offering a smile. “So we’re going to have dinner with them?”
“Yeah.”
“On Sunday?”
He took a bite of his apple, smiling behind it, “Yep.”
“Both of us? Together?” Maggie gnawed on her bottom lip. “With your parents?”
Nodding, Ian took another bite, still smirking. “You’re freaked out.”
It wasn’t even a question and Maggie scoffed to save face. “Yeah, right. Why would I be?”
“You’re meeting my parents for the first time, that’s why.” His amusement was barely contained as he watched her for a reaction, seeing straight through the mask of indifference she had over her face.
“I’m not freaked out,” she protested, buttering her toast and not making eye contact, her movements exaggerated. “I’ve met parents before, it’s nothing new.”
Ian made a face and Maggie felt a little triumphant. If he wanted to mess with her, she was going to do the same; the only difference was that she knew his Achilles heel.
“Oh, you have?” he inquired as casually as he could, taking a large bite out of his apple. “Whose parents?”
“Nobody you know,” Maggie raised an eyebrow at him. “Why so curious?”
He shrugged, clearing his throat. “No reason.”
“So you can find out where they live and give them a ‘piece of your mind’?” She walked around the counter and up to him, playing with the collar of his shirt.
“Yeah, actually.” Ian kissed her, smiling against her lips as his hands pinched her sides, tickling her. “Unless they’re big, then I’ll just send them a threatening letter or something.”
“Dork.”
“I am a dork,” his arms wrapped around her, keeping her body flush against his. “And you’re a dork for loving me.”
“Your logic doesn’t make sense half the time.”
“Of course it doesn’t, because I’m secretly a genius, remember?” he tapped his temple with his index finger. “You couldn’t figure out half the stuff I’m thinking even if you tried.”
“Are you implying I’m stupid?”
He shook his head, “No, not at all. It’s just that I’m so smart it’s hard to really understand me. But you’re close. Closer than anyone.”
Maggie rolled her eyes, “You’re not even making sense anymore.”
“What’re we even talking about?” he buried his face in her neck, lips teasing her pulse point.
“Mmm, something stupid.” She ran her fingers through his hair and let her eyes slide shut, enjoying the feeling of his lips on her flushed skin. “Talking is so stupid.”
“Isn’t stupid if we do it naked,” Ian smiled against her neck. “Being naked makes any situation better.”
Maggie smiled from ear to ear. “Genius.”
---
Just call him. Just press send and call him.
Evi’s thumb hovered over the button and she bit down hard on her bottom lip. Her stomach still did flips every time she thought about the last time she’d been with Orlando. It was crazy, but she sometimes could still feel his lips on hers. And if she put more than a moments thought to it, the feeling of his hands on her, his body pressing her against the wall and the way he felt like he needed to be kissing her.
Swallowing to get rid of the lump that formed in her throat, Evi hesitated. For the past few days, all she’d been doing was hesitating to call him, even to talk about him with Dom. The Mancunian had been curious as to why she got awkward every time he mentioned his friend, but nobody paid him any heed. He usually dropped it after a few minutes of being ignored and went off to find Emilie.
What if Orlando kissed her only because he was drunk? Only because he was reliving a traumatic moment and needed some kind of comfort to ground him and she was the first thing he could grab a hold of? And what if the kiss was just amazing because he just happened to be a great kisser?
What if…?
Evi swore under her breath. When was the last time this happened to her? Five, six years ago in college? Even longer? Ever?
You’re getting ahead of yourself, her thoughts warned her and she knew it was true. Here she was in between scenes thinking about a boy-correction, a man-like she was some kind of hormone-crazed teenager. And he was probably actually doing his job, with her being the last thought in his mind, if she was in it at all.
Foxy approached carefully, looking like he hadn’t slept in days, and Evi’s brow furrowed in curiosity at the way his entire body was slumped forward. Something was definitely wrong. She pocketed her phone, deciding to debate with herself back and forth endlessly another time. “Hey, I didn’t think you worked till two.”
“Uh, I…” he leaned against the trailer awkwardly. “I needed to get out of the house for a while.”
“Well, okay.” Evi turned to face him completely. The shadows under his eyes and the way his face seemed to sink were unavoidably noticeable. “Matt, what’s wrong?”
He managed a smile. “No Foxy today?”
“You don’t seem to be in the mood to be called Foxy.” She tilted her head to try and catch his stare. “Is everything alright? Did…did something happen to Marguerite?”
“No, no, she’s fine. It’s just-I…I don’t really know how to explain it,” he ran his hands over his face, sighing tiredly. “My marriage is falling apart, Evi.”
Evi couldn’t contain her surprise. “Oh my god, you’ve got to be kidding me. I thought you guys were-”
“Happy?” He shook his head and spoke in a humorless voice, “I’ll take that as a compliment of my acting skills, I guess.”
“H-how, I mean…” Evi reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing comfortingly. “What happened?”
“It’s the stress, working late nights. You saw what happened with Emilie.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I keep telling myself I can make it work but there are some days, like today, where I just don’t see any way I can.”
Evi couldn’t help but let her heart sink with him. She didn’t want him to feel like this. “Everything’s going to work out, Matt.”
“I hope so,” he seemed to believe-or really want to believe-Evi’s assurances. He hugged her again. “I’m probably just being a drama queen and I’ll get home to find everything good and fine.”
“Probably,” Evi teased.
“Don’t you have some scenes to finish?” Foxy tried to move away but she wouldn’t let him. “You should go.”
“No, hey, screw filming for a minute, alright?” she hugged him tighter. “I’m your friend before your coworker, remember that. If…if you need to talk, I’m here.”
He smiled when they finally broke apart and gave a nod, “Thanks, Evi.”
She squeezed his arm, “No problem.”
---
It was dark in Orlando’s hotel room except for the blue-green glow of his cell phone screen. He was in bed, one arm propped behind his head, and had been staring at that screen for a good three minutes already. He flipped the phone open and shut a few times, blinking to adjust his eyes every time the light turned on and off.
Finally he sighed and rolled onto his stomach, pressing a few buttons until he was staring at Evi’s phone number. They hadn’t spoken since Dom’s party, almost a week ago. More specifically, they hadn’t spoken since Foxy had interrupted the kiss.
Orlando had thought about calling her every day. After Dom’s party he’d discovered a voice mail from his agent, who told him he had to get back to set right away to redo a few vital scenes. He’d taken an early morning flight and had barely enough time to say goodbye to Dom. He hoped Evi didn’t think it was a way to avoid her, but he hadn’t gotten the guts to call her yet, even though he’d gone through this staring contest with his cell phone every night since then.
If he ever decided to press ‘send’ and actually connect with Evi, he had no idea what he could possibly say to apologize for his behavior. More than that, he didn’t know how to say that he’d been meaning to try that -kiss her, that is- for some time, only he hadn’t intended for it to go like that.
Not that it had been a bad kiss. God, no. Orlando shut his eyes and pressed his forehead into his pillow, taking a moment to just remember that kiss.
He knew he’d screwed up big time. He wanted Evi to give him another chance so he could show her that he was really a gentleman. He didn’t want things to be awkward between them; quite the opposite, actually.
What he really wanted was to see Evi again.
The phone snapped shut again. Doing this over the phone wouldn’t work. He needed to be face-to-face for it to be really sincere. If he wanted another chance with Evi he had to do it right. She deserved it, after all, just for putting up with his idiocy.
He reopened the phone and punched in a different number. After a few rings, someone picked up.
“Good evening. I need to buy a ticket for your next available flight to Hawaii, please. It’s urgent, so I mean it. The next available flight.”
---
Maggie had it coming to her. The second she decided she and Ian should go out for a romantic evening together the night before his parents arrived-a sort of evening to calm her nerves-and ever since she walked down the stairs in a slinky black dress that showed off her amazing legs, making sure to take each step slowly and coquettishly. And when she moved close, body pressed against his, to give him a lingering ‘Hello, there’ kiss to his lips, she knew it would drive him absolutely crazy.
They weren’t going to make it through the night without having their hands all over each other. She had it coming to her. And she loved it.
“I shouldn’t let you go out in public dressed like this,” Ian whispered as he helped her put on a coat. His lips lingered along the side of her face as his hand brushed her hair behind her shoulder, warm breath coasting over her neck. “Should just find the nearest room to lock you in and…”
“Then we’d miss our dinner reservations,” she smiled, turning to face him. Her voice was just as low, just as suggestive, as his. “You’re grumpy on an empty stomach.”
She fixed his tie and let her hand drop down to his belt for a moment. Ian groaned, “I’m grumpy when you’re a tease, too.”
“Yeah? I hadn’t noticed…” Maggie opened the door and slipped her hand under his to entangle their fingers together, pulling him outside with her.
“Can’t believe you convinced me to get all dressed up and-”
“Have a nice, romantic dinner with your girlfriend?” Maggie peered over her shoulder. “I’m sorry; this must be torture for you.”
“It really, really is,” Ian smiled, belying his words. He opened the passenger door for her but stepped forward, getting in her way. Before she could ask what he was doing, he leaned forward and gave her a kiss. Long, sumptuous, indulging. And when he pulled away she followed, nearly gasping at the loss of contact. He could hardly contain his arrogance. “You still sure about dinner?”
Cheeks flushed, she shook her head and pushed past him to slide into the seat. “You think you’re so-”
“Undeniably handsome?” he filled in for her, closing the door on her reaction and jogging around the front of the car to get into the driver’s seat. Starting the engine, he looked over to her. “What?”
Her fingers found his hair, massaging his scalp, and Ian’s eyes rolled back and closed. “I love you,” she whispered to him.
Ian turned his head to kiss the inside of her palm, eyes opening enough to look into hers as he smiled a lopsided smile. “Love you too, Mags.”
---
Orlando didn’t need a map to lead him to Evi’s house; by now, he knew the way by heart. Her car was parked in the driveway and a few lights illuminated the windows of her beach house when he parked his rental car by the curb and shut off the engine. For a few moments he just in the dark car, staring at the house and silently wondering whether he’d made a mistake in coming here.
Finally, he took a deep breath and got out of the car. He hadn’t flown across the Pacific Ocean to let the fear of rejection stop him from at least trying.
He remembered Evi telling him once that she preferred people to enter her house through the backdoor. It was more personal, she’d said, and he’d nodded in agreement and absentmindedly brushed his fingertips across the top of her hand. Now, he bypassed the front door and walked around the side of the house, hoping her feelings about this hadn’t changed and he didn’t come across looking like a creepy stalker.
He rounded the corner of the house, feet sinking into the soft sand while he walked, and froze when he realized that he wasn’t alone in the backyard. Evi was on her porch, a look of intense concentration on her face as she studied what he assumed to be a script. She hadn’t heard him approach and didn’t seem to notice that he was watching her from the shadows.
Not knowing what else to do, he took a moment to just look at her while he tried to build his courage up. There was a soft light on the porch, just bright enough for her to read by and just bright enough to remind Orlando of how beautiful she really was. Her hair looked slightly damp, like she’d just gotten home from work and showered off the dirt of the jungle, and one dangling bare foot was tapping a random beat against the wood floor.
Just go for it, a nagging, persistent voice in his mind was urging him. Orlando closed his eyes for a brief second, his hand braced against the wall of his house, before he strode out into the open, clearing his throat softly.
“Hello, Evangeline.” He paused at the bottom of the stairs that led up to her porch, smiling and scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
Her concentration broken, she sat up in surprise and stared at him almost uncomprehendingly. Orlando stared back, feeling his heart pound in his chest and realizing that his palms were actually sweaty.
What am I, 13? He walked up the first few steps, half-expecting her to order him off her property immediately. After all, the last time she’d seen him, he’d been little more than a lecherous drunkard who wanted to shove his tongue down her throat.
Just remembering that night made him flush with shame. The alcohol had dulled a few details from that night, but every second of that kiss was burned onto his mind forever. From his perspective it had been an amazing, mind-blowing kiss, and he distinctly remembered Evi kissing him back. It hadn’t been one sided.
But afterward, she hadn’t met his eyes all night. And after the party, he’d left Hawaii. She could think he was an absolute creep, just a Hollywood asshole who liked to scam on beautiful women.
So far, though, she hadn’t reached for any blunt objects, and Orlando took that as a positive sign
“Orlando.” Her expression was a mixture of surprise and confusion. She stood up slowly and he mounted the rest of the steps, standing a few feet in front of her and subconsciously biting his lower lip. “I… I didn’t know you were coming to Hawaii. Dom didn’t mention anything…”
“Yeah,” his voice caught in his throat and he blushed even deeper. He was sure he looked and sounded like a complete fool but at this point, he’d be an even bigger idiot to not go through with it. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” Evi looked ready to move a little closer but thought better of it, her cheeks becoming just as red as his. “You didn’t have to tell me you were coming-”
Orlando laughed, nervous and fumbling. “No, no. Not about that. About…about the last time we saw each other.”
“Oh.” She looked down to her feet and a small smile graced her lips. Orlando forgot how to breathe for a second.
“I was a drunken idiot and…I just don’t want you to think I just go around kissing girls-I mean, women.”
“Orlando,” she lifted her head and met his eyes. He felt an immediate warmth when he saw she wasn’t mad, angry or even sad. “You weren’t an idiot.”
He smiled a little too, then, taking a step closer without even thinking. “I…I wasn’t?”
“No,” her smile got a little bigger, but he could still see her hands playing with one another. She was having just as hard of a time deciding what to do next as he was, and it was comforting to know he wasn’t alone. “I was the idiot, really, I should’ve…I shouldn’t have walked away, not after what you told me.”
“You had every right to,” he assured her quickly. He was supposed to be the one apologizing.
“But I still should have stayed. The things you said-I…I should’ve been a better friend to you instead of leaving you like that.” The frustration she had with herself was evident in her voice. “I shouldn’t have walked away after you kissed me…”
"But that's exactly it..." Orlando held her gaze, picking out the confusion etched in her dark eyes. "I kissed you. Evangeline, I shouldn't have done that, I shouldn't have taken advantage of you. I would've walked away as well."
Evi laughed softly and looked down at her feet, her hair falling down to cover her face. "Now you're an idiot," she said quietly.
“I am?”
"You are." There was a long pause before she looked back up at him and reached up to tuck her hair behind her ears, searching him as if she was trying to find the answer for something. "Do you want to come in?"
He nodded slowly. "That would be great, yeah. I could do with a sit down," he admitted, the corners of his mouth quirking up.
Evi opened the back door and walked in, looking over her shoulder to make sure he was following; he was. "I think I have some new fancy tea if you want. Dom found some little English shop and practically wept when he found all sorts of tea and chocolate you can't get here."
"If they had Jaffa Cakes then I'll marry whoever owns it," Orlando said jokingly.
Evi smiled, ducking into her pantry and reemerging with a box of Jaffa Cakes in hand. “The owner is this wrinkly old British man with bad dentures and a worse toupee. Want to retract that statement?”
Orlando laughed and helped himself to a cake. “Love is blind, but not that blind. Thank you, Evangeline.”
“No problem. Now, what kind of tea do you prefer? Dom didn’t let anyone leave the store until we’d each bought at least three dozen different varieties.” Evi opened various cupboards to get out everything she needed, keeping her hands busy by fiddling unnecessarily with the kettle
“Whatever you like is fine.” Orlando sat down at the kitchen table. They lapsed into a silence that was only half-awkward, Orlando having been reassured that she didn’t hate him but both of them still very conscious of that kiss, until Evi started the tea and sat across from him to wait for it to finish.
“How long are you going to be in Hawaii?” Evi asked for the sake of small-talk.
“Couple days. Five, if I can avoid angry calls from my director for that long,” Orlando replied. “I guess you’ll be really busy with Lost, won’t you?”
“Yeah. We start on a new episode tomorrow,” she answered. When something in his expression changed and he looked inexplicably disappointed, she quickly added, “But actually, I’ve got a few days off this week. It’s not a ‘Kate’ episode, so I get time off when they’re shooting flashbacks.”
He looked at her, clearly glad to hear so. “Really? That’s great. I mean… I bet you’ll enjoy some time off.”
“Yeah,” she agreed quietly, nodding.
Silence came over them again. Orlando became lost in his own thoughts, gripped once again by a brand new case of nerves. He’d come here with two purposes. The first, already accomplished and over with, had been to apologize for his drunken antics. The second, which depended completely on the success of the first, was to ask her on a… a…
Calling it a date made it sound juvenile, somehow. Or maybe that was just Orlando’s paranoia talking. The fact was, now that he knew she didn’t hate him, he rather hoped she’d be interesting in spending time with him, minus alcohol so he didn’t make a prat of himself again.
But just because she’d forgiven him for the kiss didn’t mean she was interested in pursuing anything further with him. He didn’t want to fuck this up, and he wasn’t really sure he could handle a flat-out rejection at this point. Not when he was still so messed up over what had happened with… her.
Still. Orlando wasn’t the type to give up. He’d conquered a broken back once, he knew he had enough balls to ask Evangeline Lilly on a date.
“Ah, Evangeline…” Reinforcing the feeling that he’d been transported back to high school, his voice cracked. He cleared his throat and started again. “I was, uh, wondering if I could ask you something.”
Evi gave him a curious look. “Sure, Orlando.” Behind her, the kettle whistled. “Oh, the tea. Hold that thought just one sec.”
Orlando’s foot tapped impatiently against the linoleum until she returned to the table, handing him a cup of tea. He nearly scalded his tongue when he took a too-large gulp and cursed under his breath.
“What did you want to ask, Orlando?” Evi prompted, glancing from his eyes to her tea while she stirred a little sugar into it.
“While I’m here, would you want to… I mean, I understand if you don’t. Completely. But I thought it’d be cool if we could…” Bloody hell, could he possibly sound like more of a loser? “Do you want to hang out sometime?”
“Yeah, sure.” Was it really that easy? She smiled, still looking at him a little oddly, as though it were a very strange request to make. “You know you’re always welcome at my house.”
“Actually, what I meant was…” Orlando sighed. He was usually much smoother than this. He wanted to do this right so badly, why couldn’t he make the words come out? “Evangeline, I don’t think it’s a secret that I like you.”
She blushed faintly and looked down.
“So I was hoping that you and I could… hang out. Just us.” Was he imagining things, or was she biting back a laugh? His heart jumped into his throat, stomach clenching fearfully.
She looked up, smiling at him. “Orlando, you really are an idiot. If you want to ask me out on a date, you can say so. And just so you know, I’m going to say yes. I’d like to go on a date with you, because… I like you, too.”
Feeling like a sixth grader with a crush on the coolest girl in school, Orlando grinned and reached across the table, taking one of her hands in his. “Evangeline, would you like to go on a date with me?”
Evi squeezed his hand. All awkwardness or uncertainty that had been between them dissolved and she looked into his eyes, amused and happy. “Yeah. That sounds great.”
---
“I’m proud of you, Maggie.” Ian smiled at her, sliding his arm around her waist while they walked back to the car.
“Why’s that?” She turned her head to nuzzle his neck, grinning against his skin when he pulled her closer.
“You managed to keep your foot off my crotch for an entire dinner,” Ian answered. The car beeped when he unlocked it and he opened the passenger door for her. “That’s definitely an accomplishment, for you.”
“Doubt it’s going to last much longer.” Maggie’s tongue swiped across his lower lip and she watched his eyes darken. “I’ve never had good self-control around you.”
Ian’s eyes widened momentarily when she deliberately let her hand brush against the front of his pants when she was getting in the car. Smiling smugly, she pulled the door shut and waited for him to come around to his side.
“Well, try to stay away from the crotch while I’m driving,” Ian warned while he started the car. “Unless you want me to drive us off a cliff.”
“Oh, no, wouldn’t want that,” she joked, looking over at him, eyes lighting up just at the sight. “I think I like this. The whole dating thing.”
“Think?” Ian raised an eyebrow and shot a look at her. “You only think you like dating me?”
Teasing, Maggie shrugged one shoulder and bit back her grin. “Well, you’re a dork, but you’re a hot dork, so that sort of makes up for it. I guess I don’t mind being seen in public with you.”
Ian smiled, hands resting comfortably on the steering wheel once he’d turned onto the road. It’d be a few miles till he’d have to make a turn, which gave them plenty of time. “I guess you should feel lucky to have snagged such a hot dork.”
“Lucky is stretching it,” she teased, hand touching the inside of his legs, nearly making him jump. She leaned closer so that her lips grazed his ear as she spoke, “How good are you at multitasking?”
Swallowing-hard-Ian tried to keep a straight face when Maggie’s hand moved to his belt. “I…uh, it depends on what you have in mind.”
Kissing her way down his neck, smiling devilishly, she spoke in a hushed voice, “Just keep your eyes on the road and your foot on the pedal.”
Her hands deftly worked his belt off and within seconds Ian felt cool air against his stomach. He sucked in a breath when he felt her hair tickle his hips. Doing what she told him to-keeping his eyes on the road and not speeding off into the ocean-was a lot harder than he thought it would be, especially when her warm lips pressed a butterfly kiss just above the waistband of his boxers.
Jaw set firm, Ian glanced down and saw nothing but blonde hair in his lap as a warm hand slipped under the cotton fabric to wrap around the base of his cock. His hips jumped into her hand and he choked out a small moan. “Fuck, Maggie!”
Her other hand pushed the fabric down inside of his pants so that there were no barriers. Maggie rested her cheek on his hips and kissed what was revealed when she slowly, very slowly, started to move her hand up and down in delicate strokes.
Every muscle in Ian’s body tensed as her hand, after a few moments, moved up his cock until her touch left him. She didn’t give him a moment to protest, her lips touching his tip in a soft kiss before taking his cock in her mouth.
Ian, caught off guard, bit down on his bottom lip, head falling back against the headrest as he desperately tried to keep his eyes on the road. She took him in as much as she could, tongue torturing him mercilessly as she moaned, the vibrations sending flashes of blinding light to Ian’s eyes. The car swerved and he cursed, wiping away at the sweat forming along his hairline.
“Shit,” he breathed heavily, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles had gone stark white, and spied an exit sign, nearly crying out hallelujah. “Fuck it.”
One hand dropped to grab Maggie’s hair, massaging her scalp as her ministrations continued and he pulled off the main road into a small parking lot beside the beach. Probably some camping area for tourists but he saw no one within sight as he turned off the engine and dropped the keys to the floor.
“You’re going to be the death of me someday, Mags,” Ian panted breathlessly, his hips jerking when she slowly backed off of him, lifting her head so she could smile slowly at him.
“What a way to go though, hmm?” Her tongue darted out to lick her lips, her eyes bright even in the dark of the car. Ian closed the gap between them, kissing her hard while he fought with his seatbelt until he was free.
“I warned you about teasing me. It makes me grumpy,” Ian mumbled against her lips while her fingers deftly undid the buttons of his shirt. She dragged her nails down his chest and he shivered.
“You don’t seem too grumpy,” Maggie pointed out, sighing when his hand ghosted along the inside of her leg. “Certain parts of you seem pretty happy, actually.”
“And if you want them to remain that way, you’d better stop teasing.” Ian grinned and nodded at the back seat, gently tugging her arm until she scrambled through the space between the driver’s seat and passenger’s seat. He followed her, losing his shirt in the process. Somehow, amidst the tangle of limbs and clothes, Ian worked her dress up around her hips and she shoved his pants down around his ankles.
“This is a little crazy.” Maggie laughed breathlessly, burying her hand in his hair while he kissed her collarbone, following the neckline of her dress down its deep V. “But there’s no way we’d make it all the way home.”
“Not a chance in hell.” Ian’s hand crept up her leg, stroking the silky soft skin and watching her eyes close while she shivered in pleasure. He took his time slipping his pinky under the thin strap of her panties, fingers ghosting over her heated skin as he worked them down her legs and…
“Ian, if you don’t hurry up then I’m going to-!” Maggie gasped when he ripped them off in a sudden movement, her head thrown back and hitting the window. She hissed, “Fuck!”
Ian placed his hand between her legs, separating them, as he laughed gently. His other hand reached behind her head to rub the sore spot gently. “You alright?”
“Yeah, I’m…I’m good,” her breathing was frantic as she waited with barely enough patience while he hovered over her.
“You sure?” he kissed her chin and when she nodded, he pressed two fingers inside of her.
“Oh…!” One hand buried in his hair and the other shot down to grip onto his wrist as she tightened around his fingers. She could feel his warm breath coasting across her neck and allowed herself to realize how amazing it was that Ian was doing this to her.
She would’ve said ‘I love you’ in that moment if he hadn’t started to move his fingers inside her. Her hips bucked against his hand and she threw her head back again. This time, though, Ian’s other hand prevented her from smacking against the window.
He kissed a path down her neck and to each strap of her dress, snagging the fabric between his teeth and pulling it off with ease; kissing the skin that was exposed.
“Could just stare at you all night, Mags,” Ian murmured. “You’re fucking gorgeous.” He took her nipple into his mouth, feeling it harden while she moaned softly. His fingers moved faster and he moved to her other breast, paying it the same attention while she arched her back, gripping his shoulders tightly.
“You better be doing a whole lot more than staring, and soon,” she half-moaned, nails digging in lightly. “God, Ian, just… GOD!”
Ian twisted his fingers and her hips bucked. “You ready?”
She nodded, not trusting her voice by that time, and let out a quiet whimper when his fingers left her. An instant later his cock was pressing against her and she opened her eyes, holding his gaze while he thrust into her in one movement, both of them crying out.
“Shit, Mags,” he kissed her fiercely, moving inside of her. She arched her back so that her breasts pressed against his chest and he moaned into her mouth. He thrust harder, faster, muscles flexing underneath her trembling hands.
Meeting his thrusts, driving him wild, Maggie clutched at his arms, his shoulders; anything, really-her brain wasn’t functioning enough to decide where her hands should stay-and moaned at the touch of his fingers on her hips.
“Fuck, Maggie…” Ian groaned, fingers digging into her hip. “I love you.”
“Love you, too,” she panted, her hips meeting his every thrust. Her eyes shut and her head fell back against the window again. Ian’s breath coasted across her cheek and he breathed her name, stroking hair away from her brow.
They were both trembling, unlikely to last more than a few more minutes, when Ian happened to look above Maggie’s head at the beach outside the window. And what he saw made him freeze, his entire body tensing up for an entirely different reason.
“Ian…?”
“Fuck!”
“Ian, what the hell…?”
A sudden flash of light went off and Maggie screamed. Ian pulled out of her so quickly she gasped, hardly able to comprehend what was happening. Ian was pulling her dress down to cover her, frantic and frenzied.
“Fucking paparazzi!” Ian hissed, frantically hoisting his pants up.
“Shit, Ian, what do we do?” Maggie yanked the straps of her dress up, ripping one in the process. Ian fumbled with the zipper on his pants while more flashes went off, a small cluster of photographers standing only a few feet away from the car.
“Smile for the cameras, kids!” one of them shouted.
“Those bastards!” Ian slammed his head against the roof of the car when he stood up too fast and let out a string of curses while he reached for the handle of the car door.
“Ian, what are you doing?” Maggie grabbed his wrist, stopping him. “You don’t have a shirt on! And going out there will just give them more of what they want!”
“Assholes,” Ian spat, face white with anger. “I can’t believe they…!”
“Get in the driver’s seat. Just take us home.” Maggie’s grip on his wrist tightened. She looked at him, wide-eyed with shock and fear. “Get us the fuck out of here. Please.”
“But those pictures! Maggie, god knows what they got!” Ian ran a hand over his reddening face. He’d literally been caught with his pants down, and he cringed to think what the PR department of ABC would have to say about this. “We’re dead.”
“Now’s not really the time to think about that,” Maggie hissed. “The longer we stay, the more pictures they get. Wrestling the cameras out of their hands isn’t going to help matters any.”
Reluctantly, Ian gave in and struggled back into the driver’s seat, ignoring the flashes and the faint sound of clicking from the cameras pressed against the window. He swore under his breath as he started the engine and abruptly put the car into drive, startling the paparazzi as he slammed his foot down on the pedal. He nearly took out two or three, if they hadn’t had such quick reflexes he would’ve run them over.
Shifting into drive when he was pulled out far enough, Ian turned the wheel all the way to the right and turned the car around as quickly as he could. Once they were on the open road, the photographer’s far behind them, Maggie silently climbed into the passenger seat. Her cheeks were just as flushed as they were before they had been interrupted but the look on her face suggested what’d just happened was as traumatizing to her as it was to him.
“We’re uh…” She shook her head, putting on her seatbelt. “We’re going to have to do some damage control come tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” Ian gripped the steering wheel, still fuming. “We should start by checking to see if there’s anyone around before we have sex in public.”
Maggie didn’t laugh. “Maybe next time we should just try and wait till we get home.”
TBC…
Authors: CJ [vylentcrymz], Emilie [emilierevan], Jen [savvy_elf] and Stacy [adayindreamland].
Rating: Hard R / NC-17
Pairings: Dominic Monaghan/Emilie de Ravin, Ian Somerhalder/Maggie Grace, Orlando Bloom/Evangeline Lilly
Summary: Love. Friendship. Growth. Sex. Change. Drama. But mostly just sex. Sure, we have a plot… somewhere around here (now where did I put that thing?), but when broken down into its simplest form, Epico = SEX!
Disclaimer: We don't own these people. They're real, sure, but none of these events have or ever will transpire. No offense is meant and we're making no profit from this. Title taken from the song A Sorta Fairytale by Tori Amos.
Authors’ Notes: First of all, vylentcrymz’s birthday is on Tuesday. Wish her a happy one because she totally rocks.
Second of all, we the writer’s would like to thank ALL the readers for…well, reading, of course. And commenting, and making icons and graphics and for epico_squee in general. We love writing this story and we love that you love reading it. *BIG hugs*
Please remember: Feedback is to us as sex is to Magsian, Domilie, and Orlilly. As in, very important, and something that needs to be done 24/7.
Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
---
“Hey, guess what?”
Maggie looked up from her magazine to see Ian placing the phone on the jack, a happy look about him. “You figured out the big secret of Lost?”
“No, still working on that.” He grabbed an apple from the centerpiece on the counter. “I just got off the phone-”
“You know, I love you and all and it’s not like I’m hurting for money but you have to stop making all of your important calls when you’re here,” Maggie joked. “Half the numbers on my phone bill I don’t even recognize, it’s like you live here. Doesn’t Dom ever miss his roommate?”
“There’s only so much soccer-I mean football-a man can take before he gets bored of it. Unless you’re Dom,” he explained and then, sweetly, “Besides, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to spend time with you, is there?”
Maggie shook her head, “Not that I can think of.”
“Good. How does Alan Wong’s sound on Sunday? My mom’s wanted to try the food there for a while.”
Closing her magazine, Maggie cleared her throat and looked at him, caught off guard. “Your mom? She’s…she’s coming to visit?”
He nodded, “Yeah, just got off the phone with her, they’re flying in on Saturday.”
“They?”
Again, he nodded. “Yeah, she’s bringing my dad. She wasn’t just going to leave him at home, Mags.”
“No, I know, of course.” She shook her head to try and clear her mind, offering a smile. “So we’re going to have dinner with them?”
“Yeah.”
“On Sunday?”
He took a bite of his apple, smiling behind it, “Yep.”
“Both of us? Together?” Maggie gnawed on her bottom lip. “With your parents?”
Nodding, Ian took another bite, still smirking. “You’re freaked out.”
It wasn’t even a question and Maggie scoffed to save face. “Yeah, right. Why would I be?”
“You’re meeting my parents for the first time, that’s why.” His amusement was barely contained as he watched her for a reaction, seeing straight through the mask of indifference she had over her face.
“I’m not freaked out,” she protested, buttering her toast and not making eye contact, her movements exaggerated. “I’ve met parents before, it’s nothing new.”
Ian made a face and Maggie felt a little triumphant. If he wanted to mess with her, she was going to do the same; the only difference was that she knew his Achilles heel.
“Oh, you have?” he inquired as casually as he could, taking a large bite out of his apple. “Whose parents?”
“Nobody you know,” Maggie raised an eyebrow at him. “Why so curious?”
He shrugged, clearing his throat. “No reason.”
“So you can find out where they live and give them a ‘piece of your mind’?” She walked around the counter and up to him, playing with the collar of his shirt.
“Yeah, actually.” Ian kissed her, smiling against her lips as his hands pinched her sides, tickling her. “Unless they’re big, then I’ll just send them a threatening letter or something.”
“Dork.”
“I am a dork,” his arms wrapped around her, keeping her body flush against his. “And you’re a dork for loving me.”
“Your logic doesn’t make sense half the time.”
“Of course it doesn’t, because I’m secretly a genius, remember?” he tapped his temple with his index finger. “You couldn’t figure out half the stuff I’m thinking even if you tried.”
“Are you implying I’m stupid?”
He shook his head, “No, not at all. It’s just that I’m so smart it’s hard to really understand me. But you’re close. Closer than anyone.”
Maggie rolled her eyes, “You’re not even making sense anymore.”
“What’re we even talking about?” he buried his face in her neck, lips teasing her pulse point.
“Mmm, something stupid.” She ran her fingers through his hair and let her eyes slide shut, enjoying the feeling of his lips on her flushed skin. “Talking is so stupid.”
“Isn’t stupid if we do it naked,” Ian smiled against her neck. “Being naked makes any situation better.”
Maggie smiled from ear to ear. “Genius.”
---
Just call him. Just press send and call him.
Evi’s thumb hovered over the button and she bit down hard on her bottom lip. Her stomach still did flips every time she thought about the last time she’d been with Orlando. It was crazy, but she sometimes could still feel his lips on hers. And if she put more than a moments thought to it, the feeling of his hands on her, his body pressing her against the wall and the way he felt like he needed to be kissing her.
Swallowing to get rid of the lump that formed in her throat, Evi hesitated. For the past few days, all she’d been doing was hesitating to call him, even to talk about him with Dom. The Mancunian had been curious as to why she got awkward every time he mentioned his friend, but nobody paid him any heed. He usually dropped it after a few minutes of being ignored and went off to find Emilie.
What if Orlando kissed her only because he was drunk? Only because he was reliving a traumatic moment and needed some kind of comfort to ground him and she was the first thing he could grab a hold of? And what if the kiss was just amazing because he just happened to be a great kisser?
What if…?
Evi swore under her breath. When was the last time this happened to her? Five, six years ago in college? Even longer? Ever?
You’re getting ahead of yourself, her thoughts warned her and she knew it was true. Here she was in between scenes thinking about a boy-correction, a man-like she was some kind of hormone-crazed teenager. And he was probably actually doing his job, with her being the last thought in his mind, if she was in it at all.
Foxy approached carefully, looking like he hadn’t slept in days, and Evi’s brow furrowed in curiosity at the way his entire body was slumped forward. Something was definitely wrong. She pocketed her phone, deciding to debate with herself back and forth endlessly another time. “Hey, I didn’t think you worked till two.”
“Uh, I…” he leaned against the trailer awkwardly. “I needed to get out of the house for a while.”
“Well, okay.” Evi turned to face him completely. The shadows under his eyes and the way his face seemed to sink were unavoidably noticeable. “Matt, what’s wrong?”
He managed a smile. “No Foxy today?”
“You don’t seem to be in the mood to be called Foxy.” She tilted her head to try and catch his stare. “Is everything alright? Did…did something happen to Marguerite?”
“No, no, she’s fine. It’s just-I…I don’t really know how to explain it,” he ran his hands over his face, sighing tiredly. “My marriage is falling apart, Evi.”
Evi couldn’t contain her surprise. “Oh my god, you’ve got to be kidding me. I thought you guys were-”
“Happy?” He shook his head and spoke in a humorless voice, “I’ll take that as a compliment of my acting skills, I guess.”
“H-how, I mean…” Evi reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing comfortingly. “What happened?”
“It’s the stress, working late nights. You saw what happened with Emilie.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I keep telling myself I can make it work but there are some days, like today, where I just don’t see any way I can.”
Evi couldn’t help but let her heart sink with him. She didn’t want him to feel like this. “Everything’s going to work out, Matt.”
“I hope so,” he seemed to believe-or really want to believe-Evi’s assurances. He hugged her again. “I’m probably just being a drama queen and I’ll get home to find everything good and fine.”
“Probably,” Evi teased.
“Don’t you have some scenes to finish?” Foxy tried to move away but she wouldn’t let him. “You should go.”
“No, hey, screw filming for a minute, alright?” she hugged him tighter. “I’m your friend before your coworker, remember that. If…if you need to talk, I’m here.”
He smiled when they finally broke apart and gave a nod, “Thanks, Evi.”
She squeezed his arm, “No problem.”
---
It was dark in Orlando’s hotel room except for the blue-green glow of his cell phone screen. He was in bed, one arm propped behind his head, and had been staring at that screen for a good three minutes already. He flipped the phone open and shut a few times, blinking to adjust his eyes every time the light turned on and off.
Finally he sighed and rolled onto his stomach, pressing a few buttons until he was staring at Evi’s phone number. They hadn’t spoken since Dom’s party, almost a week ago. More specifically, they hadn’t spoken since Foxy had interrupted the kiss.
Orlando had thought about calling her every day. After Dom’s party he’d discovered a voice mail from his agent, who told him he had to get back to set right away to redo a few vital scenes. He’d taken an early morning flight and had barely enough time to say goodbye to Dom. He hoped Evi didn’t think it was a way to avoid her, but he hadn’t gotten the guts to call her yet, even though he’d gone through this staring contest with his cell phone every night since then.
If he ever decided to press ‘send’ and actually connect with Evi, he had no idea what he could possibly say to apologize for his behavior. More than that, he didn’t know how to say that he’d been meaning to try that -kiss her, that is- for some time, only he hadn’t intended for it to go like that.
Not that it had been a bad kiss. God, no. Orlando shut his eyes and pressed his forehead into his pillow, taking a moment to just remember that kiss.
He knew he’d screwed up big time. He wanted Evi to give him another chance so he could show her that he was really a gentleman. He didn’t want things to be awkward between them; quite the opposite, actually.
What he really wanted was to see Evi again.
The phone snapped shut again. Doing this over the phone wouldn’t work. He needed to be face-to-face for it to be really sincere. If he wanted another chance with Evi he had to do it right. She deserved it, after all, just for putting up with his idiocy.
He reopened the phone and punched in a different number. After a few rings, someone picked up.
“Good evening. I need to buy a ticket for your next available flight to Hawaii, please. It’s urgent, so I mean it. The next available flight.”
---
Maggie had it coming to her. The second she decided she and Ian should go out for a romantic evening together the night before his parents arrived-a sort of evening to calm her nerves-and ever since she walked down the stairs in a slinky black dress that showed off her amazing legs, making sure to take each step slowly and coquettishly. And when she moved close, body pressed against his, to give him a lingering ‘Hello, there’ kiss to his lips, she knew it would drive him absolutely crazy.
They weren’t going to make it through the night without having their hands all over each other. She had it coming to her. And she loved it.
“I shouldn’t let you go out in public dressed like this,” Ian whispered as he helped her put on a coat. His lips lingered along the side of her face as his hand brushed her hair behind her shoulder, warm breath coasting over her neck. “Should just find the nearest room to lock you in and…”
“Then we’d miss our dinner reservations,” she smiled, turning to face him. Her voice was just as low, just as suggestive, as his. “You’re grumpy on an empty stomach.”
She fixed his tie and let her hand drop down to his belt for a moment. Ian groaned, “I’m grumpy when you’re a tease, too.”
“Yeah? I hadn’t noticed…” Maggie opened the door and slipped her hand under his to entangle their fingers together, pulling him outside with her.
“Can’t believe you convinced me to get all dressed up and-”
“Have a nice, romantic dinner with your girlfriend?” Maggie peered over her shoulder. “I’m sorry; this must be torture for you.”
“It really, really is,” Ian smiled, belying his words. He opened the passenger door for her but stepped forward, getting in her way. Before she could ask what he was doing, he leaned forward and gave her a kiss. Long, sumptuous, indulging. And when he pulled away she followed, nearly gasping at the loss of contact. He could hardly contain his arrogance. “You still sure about dinner?”
Cheeks flushed, she shook her head and pushed past him to slide into the seat. “You think you’re so-”
“Undeniably handsome?” he filled in for her, closing the door on her reaction and jogging around the front of the car to get into the driver’s seat. Starting the engine, he looked over to her. “What?”
Her fingers found his hair, massaging his scalp, and Ian’s eyes rolled back and closed. “I love you,” she whispered to him.
Ian turned his head to kiss the inside of her palm, eyes opening enough to look into hers as he smiled a lopsided smile. “Love you too, Mags.”
---
Orlando didn’t need a map to lead him to Evi’s house; by now, he knew the way by heart. Her car was parked in the driveway and a few lights illuminated the windows of her beach house when he parked his rental car by the curb and shut off the engine. For a few moments he just in the dark car, staring at the house and silently wondering whether he’d made a mistake in coming here.
Finally, he took a deep breath and got out of the car. He hadn’t flown across the Pacific Ocean to let the fear of rejection stop him from at least trying.
He remembered Evi telling him once that she preferred people to enter her house through the backdoor. It was more personal, she’d said, and he’d nodded in agreement and absentmindedly brushed his fingertips across the top of her hand. Now, he bypassed the front door and walked around the side of the house, hoping her feelings about this hadn’t changed and he didn’t come across looking like a creepy stalker.
He rounded the corner of the house, feet sinking into the soft sand while he walked, and froze when he realized that he wasn’t alone in the backyard. Evi was on her porch, a look of intense concentration on her face as she studied what he assumed to be a script. She hadn’t heard him approach and didn’t seem to notice that he was watching her from the shadows.
Not knowing what else to do, he took a moment to just look at her while he tried to build his courage up. There was a soft light on the porch, just bright enough for her to read by and just bright enough to remind Orlando of how beautiful she really was. Her hair looked slightly damp, like she’d just gotten home from work and showered off the dirt of the jungle, and one dangling bare foot was tapping a random beat against the wood floor.
Just go for it, a nagging, persistent voice in his mind was urging him. Orlando closed his eyes for a brief second, his hand braced against the wall of his house, before he strode out into the open, clearing his throat softly.
“Hello, Evangeline.” He paused at the bottom of the stairs that led up to her porch, smiling and scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
Her concentration broken, she sat up in surprise and stared at him almost uncomprehendingly. Orlando stared back, feeling his heart pound in his chest and realizing that his palms were actually sweaty.
What am I, 13? He walked up the first few steps, half-expecting her to order him off her property immediately. After all, the last time she’d seen him, he’d been little more than a lecherous drunkard who wanted to shove his tongue down her throat.
Just remembering that night made him flush with shame. The alcohol had dulled a few details from that night, but every second of that kiss was burned onto his mind forever. From his perspective it had been an amazing, mind-blowing kiss, and he distinctly remembered Evi kissing him back. It hadn’t been one sided.
But afterward, she hadn’t met his eyes all night. And after the party, he’d left Hawaii. She could think he was an absolute creep, just a Hollywood asshole who liked to scam on beautiful women.
So far, though, she hadn’t reached for any blunt objects, and Orlando took that as a positive sign
“Orlando.” Her expression was a mixture of surprise and confusion. She stood up slowly and he mounted the rest of the steps, standing a few feet in front of her and subconsciously biting his lower lip. “I… I didn’t know you were coming to Hawaii. Dom didn’t mention anything…”
“Yeah,” his voice caught in his throat and he blushed even deeper. He was sure he looked and sounded like a complete fool but at this point, he’d be an even bigger idiot to not go through with it. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” Evi looked ready to move a little closer but thought better of it, her cheeks becoming just as red as his. “You didn’t have to tell me you were coming-”
Orlando laughed, nervous and fumbling. “No, no. Not about that. About…about the last time we saw each other.”
“Oh.” She looked down to her feet and a small smile graced her lips. Orlando forgot how to breathe for a second.
“I was a drunken idiot and…I just don’t want you to think I just go around kissing girls-I mean, women.”
“Orlando,” she lifted her head and met his eyes. He felt an immediate warmth when he saw she wasn’t mad, angry or even sad. “You weren’t an idiot.”
He smiled a little too, then, taking a step closer without even thinking. “I…I wasn’t?”
“No,” her smile got a little bigger, but he could still see her hands playing with one another. She was having just as hard of a time deciding what to do next as he was, and it was comforting to know he wasn’t alone. “I was the idiot, really, I should’ve…I shouldn’t have walked away, not after what you told me.”
“You had every right to,” he assured her quickly. He was supposed to be the one apologizing.
“But I still should have stayed. The things you said-I…I should’ve been a better friend to you instead of leaving you like that.” The frustration she had with herself was evident in her voice. “I shouldn’t have walked away after you kissed me…”
"But that's exactly it..." Orlando held her gaze, picking out the confusion etched in her dark eyes. "I kissed you. Evangeline, I shouldn't have done that, I shouldn't have taken advantage of you. I would've walked away as well."
Evi laughed softly and looked down at her feet, her hair falling down to cover her face. "Now you're an idiot," she said quietly.
“I am?”
"You are." There was a long pause before she looked back up at him and reached up to tuck her hair behind her ears, searching him as if she was trying to find the answer for something. "Do you want to come in?"
He nodded slowly. "That would be great, yeah. I could do with a sit down," he admitted, the corners of his mouth quirking up.
Evi opened the back door and walked in, looking over her shoulder to make sure he was following; he was. "I think I have some new fancy tea if you want. Dom found some little English shop and practically wept when he found all sorts of tea and chocolate you can't get here."
"If they had Jaffa Cakes then I'll marry whoever owns it," Orlando said jokingly.
Evi smiled, ducking into her pantry and reemerging with a box of Jaffa Cakes in hand. “The owner is this wrinkly old British man with bad dentures and a worse toupee. Want to retract that statement?”
Orlando laughed and helped himself to a cake. “Love is blind, but not that blind. Thank you, Evangeline.”
“No problem. Now, what kind of tea do you prefer? Dom didn’t let anyone leave the store until we’d each bought at least three dozen different varieties.” Evi opened various cupboards to get out everything she needed, keeping her hands busy by fiddling unnecessarily with the kettle
“Whatever you like is fine.” Orlando sat down at the kitchen table. They lapsed into a silence that was only half-awkward, Orlando having been reassured that she didn’t hate him but both of them still very conscious of that kiss, until Evi started the tea and sat across from him to wait for it to finish.
“How long are you going to be in Hawaii?” Evi asked for the sake of small-talk.
“Couple days. Five, if I can avoid angry calls from my director for that long,” Orlando replied. “I guess you’ll be really busy with Lost, won’t you?”
“Yeah. We start on a new episode tomorrow,” she answered. When something in his expression changed and he looked inexplicably disappointed, she quickly added, “But actually, I’ve got a few days off this week. It’s not a ‘Kate’ episode, so I get time off when they’re shooting flashbacks.”
He looked at her, clearly glad to hear so. “Really? That’s great. I mean… I bet you’ll enjoy some time off.”
“Yeah,” she agreed quietly, nodding.
Silence came over them again. Orlando became lost in his own thoughts, gripped once again by a brand new case of nerves. He’d come here with two purposes. The first, already accomplished and over with, had been to apologize for his drunken antics. The second, which depended completely on the success of the first, was to ask her on a… a…
Calling it a date made it sound juvenile, somehow. Or maybe that was just Orlando’s paranoia talking. The fact was, now that he knew she didn’t hate him, he rather hoped she’d be interesting in spending time with him, minus alcohol so he didn’t make a prat of himself again.
But just because she’d forgiven him for the kiss didn’t mean she was interested in pursuing anything further with him. He didn’t want to fuck this up, and he wasn’t really sure he could handle a flat-out rejection at this point. Not when he was still so messed up over what had happened with… her.
Still. Orlando wasn’t the type to give up. He’d conquered a broken back once, he knew he had enough balls to ask Evangeline Lilly on a date.
“Ah, Evangeline…” Reinforcing the feeling that he’d been transported back to high school, his voice cracked. He cleared his throat and started again. “I was, uh, wondering if I could ask you something.”
Evi gave him a curious look. “Sure, Orlando.” Behind her, the kettle whistled. “Oh, the tea. Hold that thought just one sec.”
Orlando’s foot tapped impatiently against the linoleum until she returned to the table, handing him a cup of tea. He nearly scalded his tongue when he took a too-large gulp and cursed under his breath.
“What did you want to ask, Orlando?” Evi prompted, glancing from his eyes to her tea while she stirred a little sugar into it.
“While I’m here, would you want to… I mean, I understand if you don’t. Completely. But I thought it’d be cool if we could…” Bloody hell, could he possibly sound like more of a loser? “Do you want to hang out sometime?”
“Yeah, sure.” Was it really that easy? She smiled, still looking at him a little oddly, as though it were a very strange request to make. “You know you’re always welcome at my house.”
“Actually, what I meant was…” Orlando sighed. He was usually much smoother than this. He wanted to do this right so badly, why couldn’t he make the words come out? “Evangeline, I don’t think it’s a secret that I like you.”
She blushed faintly and looked down.
“So I was hoping that you and I could… hang out. Just us.” Was he imagining things, or was she biting back a laugh? His heart jumped into his throat, stomach clenching fearfully.
She looked up, smiling at him. “Orlando, you really are an idiot. If you want to ask me out on a date, you can say so. And just so you know, I’m going to say yes. I’d like to go on a date with you, because… I like you, too.”
Feeling like a sixth grader with a crush on the coolest girl in school, Orlando grinned and reached across the table, taking one of her hands in his. “Evangeline, would you like to go on a date with me?”
Evi squeezed his hand. All awkwardness or uncertainty that had been between them dissolved and she looked into his eyes, amused and happy. “Yeah. That sounds great.”
---
“I’m proud of you, Maggie.” Ian smiled at her, sliding his arm around her waist while they walked back to the car.
“Why’s that?” She turned her head to nuzzle his neck, grinning against his skin when he pulled her closer.
“You managed to keep your foot off my crotch for an entire dinner,” Ian answered. The car beeped when he unlocked it and he opened the passenger door for her. “That’s definitely an accomplishment, for you.”
“Doubt it’s going to last much longer.” Maggie’s tongue swiped across his lower lip and she watched his eyes darken. “I’ve never had good self-control around you.”
Ian’s eyes widened momentarily when she deliberately let her hand brush against the front of his pants when she was getting in the car. Smiling smugly, she pulled the door shut and waited for him to come around to his side.
“Well, try to stay away from the crotch while I’m driving,” Ian warned while he started the car. “Unless you want me to drive us off a cliff.”
“Oh, no, wouldn’t want that,” she joked, looking over at him, eyes lighting up just at the sight. “I think I like this. The whole dating thing.”
“Think?” Ian raised an eyebrow and shot a look at her. “You only think you like dating me?”
Teasing, Maggie shrugged one shoulder and bit back her grin. “Well, you’re a dork, but you’re a hot dork, so that sort of makes up for it. I guess I don’t mind being seen in public with you.”
Ian smiled, hands resting comfortably on the steering wheel once he’d turned onto the road. It’d be a few miles till he’d have to make a turn, which gave them plenty of time. “I guess you should feel lucky to have snagged such a hot dork.”
“Lucky is stretching it,” she teased, hand touching the inside of his legs, nearly making him jump. She leaned closer so that her lips grazed his ear as she spoke, “How good are you at multitasking?”
Swallowing-hard-Ian tried to keep a straight face when Maggie’s hand moved to his belt. “I…uh, it depends on what you have in mind.”
Kissing her way down his neck, smiling devilishly, she spoke in a hushed voice, “Just keep your eyes on the road and your foot on the pedal.”
Her hands deftly worked his belt off and within seconds Ian felt cool air against his stomach. He sucked in a breath when he felt her hair tickle his hips. Doing what she told him to-keeping his eyes on the road and not speeding off into the ocean-was a lot harder than he thought it would be, especially when her warm lips pressed a butterfly kiss just above the waistband of his boxers.
Jaw set firm, Ian glanced down and saw nothing but blonde hair in his lap as a warm hand slipped under the cotton fabric to wrap around the base of his cock. His hips jumped into her hand and he choked out a small moan. “Fuck, Maggie!”
Her other hand pushed the fabric down inside of his pants so that there were no barriers. Maggie rested her cheek on his hips and kissed what was revealed when she slowly, very slowly, started to move her hand up and down in delicate strokes.
Every muscle in Ian’s body tensed as her hand, after a few moments, moved up his cock until her touch left him. She didn’t give him a moment to protest, her lips touching his tip in a soft kiss before taking his cock in her mouth.
Ian, caught off guard, bit down on his bottom lip, head falling back against the headrest as he desperately tried to keep his eyes on the road. She took him in as much as she could, tongue torturing him mercilessly as she moaned, the vibrations sending flashes of blinding light to Ian’s eyes. The car swerved and he cursed, wiping away at the sweat forming along his hairline.
“Shit,” he breathed heavily, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles had gone stark white, and spied an exit sign, nearly crying out hallelujah. “Fuck it.”
One hand dropped to grab Maggie’s hair, massaging her scalp as her ministrations continued and he pulled off the main road into a small parking lot beside the beach. Probably some camping area for tourists but he saw no one within sight as he turned off the engine and dropped the keys to the floor.
“You’re going to be the death of me someday, Mags,” Ian panted breathlessly, his hips jerking when she slowly backed off of him, lifting her head so she could smile slowly at him.
“What a way to go though, hmm?” Her tongue darted out to lick her lips, her eyes bright even in the dark of the car. Ian closed the gap between them, kissing her hard while he fought with his seatbelt until he was free.
“I warned you about teasing me. It makes me grumpy,” Ian mumbled against her lips while her fingers deftly undid the buttons of his shirt. She dragged her nails down his chest and he shivered.
“You don’t seem too grumpy,” Maggie pointed out, sighing when his hand ghosted along the inside of her leg. “Certain parts of you seem pretty happy, actually.”
“And if you want them to remain that way, you’d better stop teasing.” Ian grinned and nodded at the back seat, gently tugging her arm until she scrambled through the space between the driver’s seat and passenger’s seat. He followed her, losing his shirt in the process. Somehow, amidst the tangle of limbs and clothes, Ian worked her dress up around her hips and she shoved his pants down around his ankles.
“This is a little crazy.” Maggie laughed breathlessly, burying her hand in his hair while he kissed her collarbone, following the neckline of her dress down its deep V. “But there’s no way we’d make it all the way home.”
“Not a chance in hell.” Ian’s hand crept up her leg, stroking the silky soft skin and watching her eyes close while she shivered in pleasure. He took his time slipping his pinky under the thin strap of her panties, fingers ghosting over her heated skin as he worked them down her legs and…
“Ian, if you don’t hurry up then I’m going to-!” Maggie gasped when he ripped them off in a sudden movement, her head thrown back and hitting the window. She hissed, “Fuck!”
Ian placed his hand between her legs, separating them, as he laughed gently. His other hand reached behind her head to rub the sore spot gently. “You alright?”
“Yeah, I’m…I’m good,” her breathing was frantic as she waited with barely enough patience while he hovered over her.
“You sure?” he kissed her chin and when she nodded, he pressed two fingers inside of her.
“Oh…!” One hand buried in his hair and the other shot down to grip onto his wrist as she tightened around his fingers. She could feel his warm breath coasting across her neck and allowed herself to realize how amazing it was that Ian was doing this to her.
She would’ve said ‘I love you’ in that moment if he hadn’t started to move his fingers inside her. Her hips bucked against his hand and she threw her head back again. This time, though, Ian’s other hand prevented her from smacking against the window.
He kissed a path down her neck and to each strap of her dress, snagging the fabric between his teeth and pulling it off with ease; kissing the skin that was exposed.
“Could just stare at you all night, Mags,” Ian murmured. “You’re fucking gorgeous.” He took her nipple into his mouth, feeling it harden while she moaned softly. His fingers moved faster and he moved to her other breast, paying it the same attention while she arched her back, gripping his shoulders tightly.
“You better be doing a whole lot more than staring, and soon,” she half-moaned, nails digging in lightly. “God, Ian, just… GOD!”
Ian twisted his fingers and her hips bucked. “You ready?”
She nodded, not trusting her voice by that time, and let out a quiet whimper when his fingers left her. An instant later his cock was pressing against her and she opened her eyes, holding his gaze while he thrust into her in one movement, both of them crying out.
“Shit, Mags,” he kissed her fiercely, moving inside of her. She arched her back so that her breasts pressed against his chest and he moaned into her mouth. He thrust harder, faster, muscles flexing underneath her trembling hands.
Meeting his thrusts, driving him wild, Maggie clutched at his arms, his shoulders; anything, really-her brain wasn’t functioning enough to decide where her hands should stay-and moaned at the touch of his fingers on her hips.
“Fuck, Maggie…” Ian groaned, fingers digging into her hip. “I love you.”
“Love you, too,” she panted, her hips meeting his every thrust. Her eyes shut and her head fell back against the window again. Ian’s breath coasted across her cheek and he breathed her name, stroking hair away from her brow.
They were both trembling, unlikely to last more than a few more minutes, when Ian happened to look above Maggie’s head at the beach outside the window. And what he saw made him freeze, his entire body tensing up for an entirely different reason.
“Ian…?”
“Fuck!”
“Ian, what the hell…?”
A sudden flash of light went off and Maggie screamed. Ian pulled out of her so quickly she gasped, hardly able to comprehend what was happening. Ian was pulling her dress down to cover her, frantic and frenzied.
“Fucking paparazzi!” Ian hissed, frantically hoisting his pants up.
“Shit, Ian, what do we do?” Maggie yanked the straps of her dress up, ripping one in the process. Ian fumbled with the zipper on his pants while more flashes went off, a small cluster of photographers standing only a few feet away from the car.
“Smile for the cameras, kids!” one of them shouted.
“Those bastards!” Ian slammed his head against the roof of the car when he stood up too fast and let out a string of curses while he reached for the handle of the car door.
“Ian, what are you doing?” Maggie grabbed his wrist, stopping him. “You don’t have a shirt on! And going out there will just give them more of what they want!”
“Assholes,” Ian spat, face white with anger. “I can’t believe they…!”
“Get in the driver’s seat. Just take us home.” Maggie’s grip on his wrist tightened. She looked at him, wide-eyed with shock and fear. “Get us the fuck out of here. Please.”
“But those pictures! Maggie, god knows what they got!” Ian ran a hand over his reddening face. He’d literally been caught with his pants down, and he cringed to think what the PR department of ABC would have to say about this. “We’re dead.”
“Now’s not really the time to think about that,” Maggie hissed. “The longer we stay, the more pictures they get. Wrestling the cameras out of their hands isn’t going to help matters any.”
Reluctantly, Ian gave in and struggled back into the driver’s seat, ignoring the flashes and the faint sound of clicking from the cameras pressed against the window. He swore under his breath as he started the engine and abruptly put the car into drive, startling the paparazzi as he slammed his foot down on the pedal. He nearly took out two or three, if they hadn’t had such quick reflexes he would’ve run them over.
Shifting into drive when he was pulled out far enough, Ian turned the wheel all the way to the right and turned the car around as quickly as he could. Once they were on the open road, the photographer’s far behind them, Maggie silently climbed into the passenger seat. Her cheeks were just as flushed as they were before they had been interrupted but the look on her face suggested what’d just happened was as traumatizing to her as it was to him.
“We’re uh…” She shook her head, putting on her seatbelt. “We’re going to have to do some damage control come tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” Ian gripped the steering wheel, still fuming. “We should start by checking to see if there’s anyone around before we have sex in public.”
Maggie didn’t laugh. “Maybe next time we should just try and wait till we get home.”
TBC…