Astoria; I Need A Vacation

[travis_briggs]

His office was still buzzing with the latest Prophet article. Travis couldn't leave his desk with out somebody coming up to his, asking if he knew Lavender or any of the previous victims. That was the downside of being one of the youngest members of firm. Everyone assumed he knew what was going on in the world. Didn't they know Travis kept a much

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[so_astoria]

"I certainly wouldn't want to make a liar out of you. By all means, whisk away," she smiled, forcibly taking her eyes away from where they had unwittingly settled on the smiling curve of his lips.

She shook her head back slightly, both to sweep back a strand of hair that had settled against her cheek following the dizzying twirl and to hopefully rattle some sense back into herself. Giggling was one thing. Getting those kinds of ideas without even having gotten the chance to toy with him properly, that was another. She had a reputation to maintain.

[travis_briggs]

Travis brought them onto the dock and placed Astoria back down gently right next to his boat. A cool ocean breeze swept past them as he held out his hand to his guest.

"After you, my lady," he told her, nodding towards the boat gently swaying in the later afternoon tide. The waters seemed gentle today. It would be the perfect chance to take Astoria out for a while.

"I think I even have a cooler still stocked." It was charmed, of course, to keep his drinks constantly cold.

[so_astoria]

Astoria dipped and nodded her head in a mock sort of curtsy before taking his offered hand and hopping over the boat's railings, landing lightly on the wooden deck.

"And just when I thought this," she gestured generally to the boat, the sea, the shining sun, "couldn't get any better." The buzz of their previous cocktails had died down in the general excitment of the change of venue. More drinks were definitely in order if she hoped to keep any kind of cool in the face of this surprising man's growing charms.

[travis_briggs]

"Oh, it keeps getting better," he promised her and winked. Travis untied the boat from the dock and pushed off slightly, hoping on in one swift motion.

It felt good to be back on "The Amanda". There was something about being off land that always changed Travis, made him calmer. He smiled over at Astoria as the boat drifted out into the open water.

"Now,the tour!" Travis rubbed his hands together, wiggling his eye brows. "Cooler is over here....steering wheel over there. Tanning a few steps to your left and there's a bathroom and sitting area down below."

The boat was a pretty good side but Travis realized, giving a tour without even moving, that maybe a boat didn't need a tour.

[so_astoria]

"Not sure if I'll be able to remember all that. Someone could get properly lost and turned around between the cooler and the tanning area," Astoria teased with a raised eyebrow. She twirled away from him, giving herself a proper tour of the boat, fingers trailing along the railings as she walked up to the boat's bow.

Even with the wind blowing past her, the temperature had gotten more striking than she'd expected. She worked her way out of the large plaid shirt she had initally layered on, leaving herself in just the loose, off-the-shoulder gray tee with rolled up sleeves. She tied the discarded blouse around the front railing for safe-keeping and leaned forward against it, closing her eyes against the feel of the salty wind kissing her cheeks, tangling her hair.

This was definitely a preferable option to another tedious night with Clive. Yes it was.

[travis_briggs]

"Well, if you find yourself getting lost, you can hold my hand," he told her, taking his spot behind the wheel. Travis took the boat out into open water, which wasn't difficult considering they were already in a very remote part of of the town. With a flick of his wand, the sail sprung open and the began to coast along.

Once they were out far enough, Travis got up and walked back over to Astoria. She looked beautiful with her dark hair blowing in the wind around her. He couldn't help notice how much more relaxed she looked now, compared to out in the alley.

"So, how did I do? On the whisking and the woo-ing?" Travis leaned down on the railing by her side, grinning over at her.

[so_astoria]

Astoria ran a hand through her hair, gathering up the thick lump of locks to keep it from flying all over her face as she turned face him, still leaning an elbow against the railing. She did her best to keep her smile under some kind of control, the corner of her lips twitching slightly.

"You're doing surprisingly well so far," she said, a twinkle of laughter in her eyes. "Though I do seem to remember you saying something about a stocked icebox, and yet I still don't see a drink in my hand."

[travis_briggs]

"That's because I needed your hands free..." Travis told her, pausing for a moment. He took the sight of her in, a mess of curl and big brown eyes. They had only known each other for an afternoon but he felt intoxicated by her.

Travis reached forward and wrapped an arm around the small of her back to pull her forward. His other hand grazed her jawline, admiring the glow on her ivory skin. The Australian sun was already drawing out a the freckles on the bridge of her nose.

And her lips. Pink and full.

He leaned in, pressing his lips against her as his hand moved to the back of her neck. She tasted like cigarettes and alcohol.

[so_astoria]

Well, she certainly did have a live one on her hands.

Astoria's breath caught in her throat as he first wrapped his arm around her. How she managed to keep her legs steady under her when he cupped her face, then leaned in to meet her lips with his, she wasn't sure - though perhaps she hadn't even managed that, what with the way her weight was now essentially being pressed and held up against him.

She instinctively ran a hand up his back (Merlin but he really was more solid than she'd expected), wrapping around the top of his shoulder as she pressed herself up on the ball of her feet.

[travis_briggs]

She made him dizzy. The way her hands, soft yet intentional, ran up his back gave Travis chills. While she was marveling in his toned physic he was realizing just how tiny Astoria actually was. He held her petite frame against his own, his hands now resting at her sides.

Travis nipped at her bottom lip, breathing in her scent. He felt himself getting lost in the moment.

It wasn't just her curves or that devilish smirk she wore. For the first time in a long time, Travis felt himself connecting. He felt this kiss all the way done to his toes and it fueled him.

[so_astoria]

Astoria had always had a way of carrying herself, of putting on a certain demeanor and exuding a certain attitude, that made her seem taller, more imposing than she actually was (the six-inch heels she wore on the clock also helped). But truth was, she had essentially stopped growing already by the time she started at Hogwarts, and though puberty had been kind to her in certain areas, there still wasn't all that much of her to go around. Which, when she found herself completely encircled in a pair of arms, she was actually rather glad of.

She hitched herself up further into the kiss, her other hand sliding up his chest, fingers twisting themselves in the fabric of his shirt. While she wouldn't exactly say that this was as unexpected turn of events, it had certainly come about much more quickly and intensely than expected, and she found herself enjoying it quite a bit more than she'd imagined she would. He was all strength and straightforwardness and dimples, and she was...well, at a bit of a loss.

[travis_briggs]

Travis was thankful they were out in open water, drifted along with the security of a magical navigation system. Though, when he had first charmed it, he didn't have this in mind. It had come in helpful when he and Jake had a few too many. Sailing and drinking became a little safer when magic was involved.

But now he was sober and he was wrapped up in Astoria. His hands trailed at the bottom of her flowing shirt, playing with the edges. Travis stopped himself from moving further, still a little bit unsure.

[so_astoria]

An amused smile tugged at Astoria's lips against the kiss as she felt his hand pause at the hem of her shirt. She broke away from him momentarily (finally, a chance to catch her breath), tilting her head back just enough to throw him a teasing smirk.

"Not getting shy on me now, are you?" she asked breathlessly, eyes unwittingly drifting across his face, her focus distracted by the slickness of his lips. The boy could kiss, she'd certainly give him that.

[travis_briggs]

"I didn't want to make you...uncomfortable," he said very carefully, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Though, he had a feeling that not very much could make Astoria feel uncomfortable. She was definitely not the kind of girl to get roped into doing anything she didn't want to do. And yet, Travis paused.

He gave her a boyish grin, one side tugging up higher than the other in a goofy, lopsided smile. She was gorgeous and part of him was realizing that she was out here with him.

[so_astoria]

That smile. Those damn dimples, something about the way his lips curled in a way that was both thoroughly adorable and unbelievably sexy was getting her all sorts of uncharacteristicly flustered.

She was entirely out of her element in a way which was completely unrelated to their currently being on a boat off the coast of Australia, and yet that comfortable tingle warming the pit of her stomach couldn't be bothered to care.

She stubbornly steadied the hitch in her breath, tipping her head up at him with a softened version of her usual sarcastic raised eyebrow. "Sugar, do I seem uncomfortable to you?"

[travis_briggs]

She was absolutely stunning and brilliant. The way she moved her eyebrows and looked up at him. Earlier he would have found her intimidating but now he could only grin.

"No, you certainly do not," he told her, a new level of confidence in his voice. Travis's fingers found the waist band of her jeans, hooking into the belt loops. He pulled her closer, pressing her petite body against his own.