A Club in Baltimore, Monday Night

[arboreal_priestess]

Between snake cults, dragons, and now singing fish going evil for a lack of participation trophies, it had been awhile since Verity and Liam had had anything resembling a real date. So Verity had skipped out on her shift at the Devil's Nest and headed out to the mainland with him, dressed to kill (both literally and metaphorically), and looking for a good time.

The club they'd ended up at was a lot smaller and quieter, one where they could have dinner the second floor up and actually hear themselves talk. "Oooh, good call," she said as they were led to their table. "Dinner and dancing. It's like you know how to show me a good time."

Comments

[arboreal_priestess]

"I dunno," Verity said, grabbing his hand and twirling herself beneath it. "Maybe it's the island that prescient and the mistletoe was just a tool in a very long game."

...Was that any better to think about?

[firstofitskind]

"Not actually sure if that's better or worse," Liam said with a laugh, pulling her close again with a flourish as she finished that twirl.

[arboreal_priestess]

"You don't think 'Matchmaker Island' has a nice ring to it?" Verity asked, stealing a kiss as he pulled her in.

[firstofitskind]

"Mmm, sounds like a cheesy reality TV show," Liam replied.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Yeah, but look at our lives there and tell me they don't half resemble on," Verity pointed out. "That or a super-weird soap opera."

[firstofitskind]

"Maybe a little," Liam admitted. But then, even his life pre-island would probably be considered weird by a lot of people's standards. Verity's too, for that matter.

[arboreal_priestess]

And she'd been on a reality show already.

"Matchmaker island," Verity said. "I'm putting my money on it now. Using plants to do its sinister shipping."

Like the pollen flowers! It all added up!

[firstofitskind]

"Sinister, huh?" Liam said teasingly. "You'd call this particular outcome 'sinister'?" Liam, you'd just admitted yourself that the idea was unsettling.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Yup," Verity said, looping her arms around his neck and pressing herself against him. "You might just be after my sweet, sweet knife collection."

[firstofitskind]

"I do enjoy taking them off you," Liam mused.

[arboreal_priestess]

Okay, yeah wow. That was both really smooth and really sexy, Liam. Verity had literally no choice but to lean in and give him the kind of greedy, ardent kiss that comment deserved. The kind that was definitely more in line with the later, private part of their evening.

[firstofitskind]

Oh god. She was intent on making it really difficult to keep to the agenda for the evening, wasn't she?

Not that Liam was complaining. Oh no, that noise he made was no complaint at all.

But he was seriously considering asking if Verity felt like booking it to that hotel right about now.

[arboreal_priestess]

"You know," Verity said, whispering in his ear, lips close enough to graze over the skin, "we could just as easily dance by ourselves. Maybe a slow dance, even?"

To, say, a bed?

[firstofitskind]

"That sounds like a fantastic idea," Liam said, voice low and full of desire. "Let's go find ourselves that private dance floor."

[arboreal_priestess]

His tone of voice made Verity's knees go weak and a deep ache between her thighs. "Yeah," she said, too turned on to be clever. "I'll give you a dance like you've never had."

[firstofitskind]

"You say the sweetest things." It might not have been her most clever quip, sure, but Liam liked the sound of that all the same.

He all but pulled Verity through the crowd and towards the door, Global out and making a call to reserve a room at the Pendry Hotel as soon as they were outside of the club.

[arboreal_priestess]

It probably would have been easier to make that call if Verity hadn't practically plastered herself on him as soon as they were out of the club, her mouth on his throat and doing her level best to wreck his concentration.

Her contribution was to order them a Lyft, but that was easily done without needing to talk to anyone.

[firstofitskind]

Easier, sure. But far less enjoyable. Now all they had to do was make it all the way to the hotel.

On the bright side, at least their driver wasn't obliged to make awkward small talk during the ride, given that both Liam and Verity were perfectly happy to keep each other busy?

[arboreal_priestess]

Honestly, it was only the seatbelt and the audience that kept Verity from seeing just how committed Liam was to enforcing Baltimore's indecent exposure laws - and, honestly, more the seatbelt than the audience. Safety trumped modesty every time.

They arrived at the hotel before Verity could be fully tempted to abandoning both and the check-in went smoothly, even considering her refusal to keep her hands to herself. At least they were below the level of the desk?

And then they had their keycard in hand and were alone in the elevator up and screw it, she was pulling him in for a kiss that practically scorched the walls.

[firstofitskind]

Liam let out a pleased moan as Verity pulled him in close, just letting himself get lost in that kiss.

Not so lost that they missed the elevator door opening, of course, though there was a bit of a scramble for the keycard once they reached their hotel door, given that Liam was loath to actually take his hands off Verity.

[arboreal_priestess]

They made it work, mostly by plastering Verity against the door, her legs wrapped around his thighs, his arms tightly around her and, therefore, close enough to the electronic lock to make it all work.

And by the time the door was closing shut behind them, she'd already managed to get her shirt off and was halfway done with his, too.

[firstofitskind]

So helpful, she was.

There was a trail of clothing discarded on the floor as they made their way to the bed. Weaponry would join it soon enough, but first... Liam was going to take a minute to trail kisses from Verity's mouth, to her jawline, the crook of her neck, her collarbone, the space between her breasts...

[arboreal_priestess]

Verity was a giver.

And a groaner, arching under Liam's mouth to encourage him to keep exploring wherever he wanted. Her hands slid into his hair, grasping sandy waves in a gentle grip. "Next time we're skipping dinner," she said, voice all breathy and low. "Room service exists for a reason."

[firstofitskind]

Liam's mouth was a little too busy as he worked his way lower to offer anything more than a hum of agreement, but hopefully Verity got the gist of what he was trying to say.

Which was: Yes, absolutely. And also why hadn't they done this before, because not worrying about being interrupted by roommates, be they human or mouse, was amazing.

[arboreal_priestess]

Verity would never, ever trader her colony of mice for sex, no matter how amazing. But taking a few nights off here and there?

Best. Idea. Ever.

Though the path Liam was taking with his mouth wad enough to knock all thoughts out of her head about anyone other than the guy she was here with and how he managed to make both her body and her heart sing. She wrapped a leg loosely around his waist and gave herself up to the magic of his mouth.