[Reviews - 77]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story |
Printer Chapter or Story |
ePub eBook Chapter or Story |

Has been viewed 2610 times

- Text Size +




Taking a deep breath shot a sharp pain through the left side of her rib cage. Initially when Ororo had begun to fight with Logan he had taken it easy on her; letting her get a few hits in here and there. However, after she snuck a quick kick in the direction of his groin he suddenly decided to show her just how extensive his training was.

She hadn't been able to follow through with the blow that would have sent the Wolverine to his knees…he had blocked it in time, but it was obvious that he wasn't going to let her attempt go unpunished. It felt good to let loose for a little while. She had finally been able to express some of that pent up anger and emotion she hadn't been able to verbalize. Unfortunately, her zeal had now left her in a considerable amount of pain.

Logan however remained un-bruised and completely in control of his breathing. Ororo was lying on her back with her eyes closed hoping that the room would stop spinning. Logan stood over her, sipping a bottle of water "Sorry, I got a little carried away" he admitted. Ororo opened her eyes and focused on him…he was almost smiling "You think?" she managed and winced as another pain shot through her ribs. He looked down at her, concerned now "You okay?"

"Yeah" she grunted and to prove it she got to her feet, although slowly and with a great deal of effort. Logan watched her carefully. Ororo was holding her left arm close to her ribs, and bent slightly forward as if it hurt to stand straight up. She was in more pain than she was letting on, and he felt the twinge of regret beating on his conscience.

Ororo shuffled to the exit and just before she reached the door, her legs gave out on her. Logan was there in an instant. He lifted her into his arms easily and cradled her against his chest.

"I got it," she said weakly. "I just need to sleep it off."

Logan held her in his arms as if she weighed next nothing, his touch firm and possessive. "I'm takin' yah to tha infirmary," he announced and made his way through the sliding doors and down the hall. Ororo didn't argue. In fact she was quite sure that the infirmary was where she needed to go. She relaxed against him and angled her head up to look at his neck. Her mouth was dangerously close to his pulse which was jumping violently…faster than Logan thought it should have been.

"Take off yer shirt" Logan demanded, his hands busy opening a package of ace bandages. Sitting in front of him on the examination table, Ororo's eyes widened, and she suddenly felt very aware of her body and the feelings she tried so desperately to hide from him… and herself. He had already seen her in a bikini…What was the big deal? That was a bathing suit, and what she had on now…well it wasn't that. She was wearing a sports bra of course, but he'd also have to touch her in a place she'd never been touched before…at least not without the barrier of clothing. When Logan noticed she wasn't moving he looked up at her and immediately understood. "Look, I can do this quick. I think yer ribs might be broken. When I touch you it'll only be to check for that," he assured her. Another pain shot through her rib cage and she blinked back tears.

"I can't lift my arms" she said. Logan was angry with himself. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. Looking at her now she looked so fragile. Unlike the acrobatic femme fatale he had seen in the gym. He wanted to take care of her…he needed to take care of her. In one swift movement he ripped the top of her tank top down the center and eased the shredded material over her shoulders. Even though she was in pain Ororo couldn't help the rush of excitement that coursed through her veins with the potency of ice water, as Logan took charge of the situation. Seeing to her safety by any means necessary, and being ever so careful not to cause her anymore discomfort.

Suddenly her skin came alive, and seemed to vibrate in response to his closeness. Logan on the other hand was focused on the task in front of him...Along her ribs her skin was swollen and discolored, a mixture of red and dark blue. He had to make sure they weren't broken.

"This is gonna hurt" he said. Ororo braced herself and focused on him. She trusted that he would take care of her. Logan ran his fingers along her ribs as if he were sliding his fingers along the keys of a piano. Ororo bit back the cry of pain that longed to escape, and instead gripped her hands onto Logan's shoulders. Lighting struck someplace close outside the mansion and thunder groaned shortly after. Ororo's eyes flashed white.

"Okay" he said taking his hand away "Nothing is broken."

"Are you sure?" she asked her voice filled with unbelief. With this much pain something had to be broken. "I'm sure." He said confidently, "After you've broken enough bones you kind know the difference."

"Other people's bones right?" she said a small smile on her face in an attempt to lighten the mood. Logan wasn't interested in lightening the mood. He had to make sure she was alright. "They're just bruised that's all," he said and his face went grim "I'm sorry," he added and began bandaging her up.

"You'll have to stay home until you heal."

Ororo frowned "I'm not exactly working a job that gives me paid vacation time. It's an internship. I can't just-"

"I wasn't askin'," he said firmly and finished wrapping her up. Then he stalked over to the medicine cabinet and retrieved the highest dose of painkillers he thought was suitable. Logan filled a plastic cup with water and took it back to her. He lifted her hand and deposited the pills into it. Ororo looked at him for a moment, but Logan refused to meet her gaze. Somehow she could still see the anger and disgust in his eyes. "Logan, it's okay. It was an accident. I shouldn't have-"

"Jus' take it!" he snapped and Ororo jerked in shock. He met her gaze then, his eyes softer then his tone had been "Please" he added in a small voice. She knew that however bad she felt, Logan somehow felt worse. She took the pills.

Logan spread an examination gown over her shoulders, and said "I'll take you to your room" as he began to pick her up again. Ororo stopped him as best she could without worsening her injury. "I've got it, really" she said, but she didn't really have it. Ororo would have preferred being carried to her room. It would have hurt less, but the last thing she wanted was for Logan to feel sorry for her or himself. After all this was technically her fault. Attacking Logan, a trained fighter and god knows what else, hadn't been her most inspired idea. It took what seemed like forever but she finally made it to the door of the infirmary. She turned to Logan "Thanks for taking care of me."

Logan just nodded and watched her as she shuffled away. He dropped his head into his hands when she was gone. The reality of it all was that he could have killed her. A few times he had felt himself losing control. Perhaps once or twice he had put a little too much force in his attack…He had been working out his own frustrations. The bottom line was, he wanted her, and he hated himself for it. He hated her for making him feel the way she did…even if she didn't know it. Maybe on some level he wanted to hurt her. Logan didn't want to think about that. That wasn't who he was. That was the monster he wanted so badly to distance himself from.

The attraction he felt towards Ororo wasn't just physical; although that was a big part of it. He wanted to protect her…to be there for her…to-No. He couldn't love her. It was wrong. He was confused that's all. Blurring the line between love and lust.

"It seems that some of the students have fallen into an unfortunate situation and will be returning to the mansion early," The Professor informed. Logan balanced the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he tapped a few keys on the Professors computer. In the next instance the surveillance footage to the greenhouse popped up onto the screen. He sat back in the chair and watched the screen as Ororo worked diligently on some rare plant she had been nurturing.

"What happened? Some kinda accident?" Logan asked his eyes watching the screen intently. It had only been a week since the episode in the gym. Ororo had agreed to stay home from her internship, and had spent most of her free time in the greenhouse. The first few days Logan had brought her food and reading material, after making a big fuss about limiting her movements...Although he didn't have to say much to Ororo by way of convincing her. She was in enough pain even with the painkillers to do as he told her without protest.

"Food poisoning," The Professor explained. "Jean will be bringing them back, while Gambit stays with the others for the remainder of their vacation." Logan pushed away from the desk and stood turning his attention to the large bay window that overlooked the finely manicured courtyard. Jean was coming home early, Logan thought "Is that a problem?" the Professor asked.

"No. That's too bad. For the kids, I mean," Logan replied and the Professor knew that there was more to it than that. "How is Ororo?" he inquired.

Logan shuffled his feet "Better. Much,better. Getting around on her own these days." No thanks to me, he thought.

"It was an accident, Logan." The Professor said evenly. Logan frowned "Again with the head games Chuck?" If the Professor had heard that single thought, what else had he picked up on? Logan turned back to the computer screen, but Ororo was gone.

"Perhaps you should consider thinking a little more quietly," the Professor said a hint of a smile in his voice. "They left this morning and should be back at the mansion by the afternoon.

"See yah soon Chuck," Logan said and then he hung up the phone. Logan tapped a few more buttons on the computer, switching to the camera in the gardens, and then to the pool...no Ororo. The door to the Professors office suddenly opened and Ororo appeared.

She even looked better. Her hair was pulled into a pony tail again and she wore a simple fitted T-shirt and a jean skirt that cut a few inches above her knees. At least now she was standing up strait.

"That the Professor?" She asked.

"Yeah. Somethin' about food poisoning-"

"I know," Ororo said "I talked to Betsy this morning and she said that they were on their way back."

Logan clicked the computer off. "I feel like the vacation just started. Hard to believe it's almost over," she added. She was met with silence. Logan hooked his fingers in his belt loops and Ororo rocked on her feet...

"I guess things will be getting back to normal around here pretty soon" she said finally piercing the silence.

"It's been pretty-interestin'," he said, and they both smiled then.

"Maybe now you and Dr. Grey can make up," she suggested, but it sounded more like a question.

Logan sighed. He wasn't sure about that. While being with Jean would take his mind off of Ororo, he wasn't sure he wanted to trade one heart ache for another. Logan turned to the window and stared out. "Yeah, maybe."

Ororo stepped in beside him, focusing on his face. Logan glanced at her "It's complicated," was all he said. Then she slid into the space between Logan and the window, and he stepped back in surprise. She stood looking up at him, bold and unyielding. "How complicated?" she asked her voice was low, seductive, and inviting...When did she learn to talk like that? Logan crossed his arms over his chest to put more space between them, but Ororo didn't fold. Suddenly he felt like the inexperienced teenager. Her eyes fell to his mouth and then back to his face. A familiar heat rushed through Logan's thighs under her intense gaze, and he felt himself growing hard.

"What are you doing?" he said not recognizing the sound of his own voice. Ororo ran her pink tongue across her bottom lip and said "You know if you wanted to kiss me, I'd be okay with that." She stepped closer, and Logan stepped back in response.

"Yah, don't know what yer sayin.'" he said his mind racing. He wanted so much to pull her into his arms and kiss her until it hurt. "You're just a k-"

"How many times do we have to argue about this? I'm an adult, I can make my own choices," Ororo snapped.

"It's more than that and yah know it!"

"I don't care. We've been dancing around this-whatever it is, for weeks."

Logan dropped his arms, frustration blazing in his eyes "I aint no saint! I've done things-you can't even imagine what I've done-but this? This is a different kind of low. I won't take advantage of yah. This 'it' yer talkin' about. Its nothin!'"

His words struck her like a bolt of lighting...Ororo swallowed the knot in her throat...tears in her eyes. This is what being rejected felt like. She had dealt with it before. As a mutant she dealt with rejection on a regular basis, but this was different. She had actually played with the idea of being in love with him...really in love. Here she was putting herself out on a limb, and he was pushing her away...stopping whatever it was that they had before it even started. The tears fell then and she looked away from him "I'm sorry-" she said "This was just a stupid crush, I guess. Something to pass time during the summer break. I know now that you don't feel the same way about me-why would you?" She looked up at him again her eyes daring him to prove her wrong. Logan stood motionless. Ororo stepped past him then and forced a smile onto her face "Im sorry," she said again, and meant it.

As she began to leave, Logan cursed under his breath, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her against his chest. He cupped her face with his hands, and ignored every warning bell that went off in his head. His lips brushed hers, soft at first, and then she responded closing her eyes and falling into a gentle rhythm. Their lips massaged one another's, testing, and tasting. She opened her mouth to him and their tongues caressed. She tasted sweet, and the scent of her arousal filled his nostrils sparking his own desire. Ororo moaned her hands resting at his waist.

Logan's hands fell from her face and smoothed along the deep curve at the small of her back before kneading over her behind. He lifted her off of the floor just enough to carry her the short distance to the wall behind her...when he placed her down again her back was pressed up against the wall and his body was deliciously crushed against hers. Ororo's arms snaked around his neck, deepening their kiss. This was a kiss...a real kiss. Scott had never been this powerful, this possessive. He had always been a little too playful and clumsy. Logan's mouth moved to her jaw, and she whimpered not wanting him to pull his mouth away from hers. He gently tugged her pony tail so that her head tilted back and exposed her throat. He nuzzled her there, and her breath caught in her throat. Ororo managed a soft horsed whisper "Make love to me."

Logan stopped then, and leaned away to look into her eyes. He didn't read any uncertainty in them. She was sure that this was what she wanted. He kissed her on the lips again and she leaned into it, but he pulled away before the kiss deepened. "I can't" he said brushing his lips against her throat again. Ororo closed her eyes his touch making her head spin "Cant? or won't?" she said breathlessly pulling him closer. She moaned when his teeth grazed the sensitive skin at the base of her neck, then their lips met again. Logan forced himself to step away from her. He touched his mouth with his hand savoring the memory. She was out of breath, chest heaving and her mouth swollen from his kiss. He had thought that perhaps now his curiosity would have been peaked. It wasn't. If anything he had only added fuel to what was turning out to be an insatiable fire.

The alarm on the Professor's computer chirped, and suddenly drew their attention. On the screen the security camera showed that the Blackbird was entering the flight deck. Logan stared at the screen...what had he done? If only he could have resisted his desire for just a few moments longer...they wouldn't be in a now more complicated situation. He shook his head and replied "Both."





You must login () to review.