Chapter 16

Ivory fell head first down onto the sofa. She hadn't the mental energy to get dressed following her shower, she had slid on her robe and mindlessly flopped down, her left leg hanging off the sofa. It was at times like this that she was glad she lived alone, she wished no one ever had the misfortune to see her like this. Her hair was a messy pile at the top of her head and so it would remain until the morning. She let out an irritated groan as she dragged herself off the sofa, rolling on the floor and then picking herself back up at the sound of her doorbell. It could only be Zoey and her best friend had seen her in worst circumstances courtesy of them sharing an apartment while in college.
She unlocked the door and dragged it open. "You could have used your key --" she paused mid-sentence.

"You haven't given one to me just yet." the domineering male presence rebutted casually.

"Mr. De Ville." the words a breathless whisper. She had momentarily forgotten her state of disorder but once she had been reminded, she had to fight the urge to slam the door in his face. If he decided to withdraw his proposal she wouldn't blame him, she was in a hot mess.

"I think under the circumstances, you should reconcile yourself to calling me Raiden." He pushed past her and entered her apartment. Ivory closed the door behind him, taking the second that his eyes weren't fixed on her to tighten her robe and attempt to call her messy hair into some form of an array.

"Can I?" she requested nervously, her entire body shaking. "I-I mean is it appropriate?"

"I think the usual standards don't apply to us anymore," he responded slyly. "Perhaps Raiden when we are alone and Mr. De Ville in a formal setting." he proposed and Ivory agreed.

Raiden turned around to look at her, her hands instantly fell to her sides and she smiled nervously. It wasn't the first time a man was in her apartment, but it was the first time it felt this small with just two people.

"I realized you had forgotten to take your lunch today and I know you left the office late so I decided to bring by some dinner." He placed the pizza box on the kitchen counter and heralded her towards him, Ivory hadn't known how she missed that when her eyes had first seen him. "Unless there is something else you prefer?" he questioned, instantly wondering if he had made a bad judgment call.

"Pizza is always a good idea, thank you," she responded, coming to sit next to him.

"Great! I don't know about you but I am starving." He made himself quite at home in her space, taking out a couple of plates and resting it on the table. Ivory couldn't think about her growling stomach, not when this fine male specimen was wondering around her kitchen sensually.

He seated beside her and placed a slice of pizza on both their plates. He immediately bit into his. She had to admit, seeing this man so human melted her. She adored him this way.

"How do you know where I live?" She questioned after taking a bite of her pizza. She waited for him to swallow the last bite he had taken.

"I confess that I took a second look at your employee records which contains, among other things, your address." he was on his third slice of pizza. Ivory no longer had an appetite, his presence commanding her utmost attention.

"I see," she responded.

"Are you not hungry?" he questioned, gesturing at her half-eaten slice of pizza. She was by no means a small portions sort of girl but at the moment her nerves were enough to full her.

"Not really." she smiled at him, her hands smoothing out the creases in her robe consciously as his eyes rolled over her. He eased back on the chair and stood up, carrying the plates to the kitchen sink and cleaning them before Ivory could object or offer to do so herself.
He turned around to face her. "How would you feel about me staying the night?" Raiden wanted her to be comfortable with him at her pace.
Ivory's eyes couldn't be any wider. She hadn't expected the question, yet she wasn't opposed to the idea.

"I don't have a spear bedroom," she responded, immediately catching her lower lip between her teeth as Raiden's smile interrupted her train of thought.

"We don't need one." his eyes glinting mischievously. Ivory's breath caught.

"Let me just run down to my car, I keep a change of clothes and some toiletries in case I work late." he moved past her and exited. Ivory hadn't the time to react, her major concerns circling around whether her body was fit to be seen. It had been over two years since she had slept with anyone and the thought of embarrassing herself in the presence of Raiden chilled her.

He re-entered her apartment and locked the doors. If she didn't know any better Ivory would have thought this was his home. "I'm going to pop into the shower for a bit," he said and Ivory directed him.

"Well, I guess I should actually get dressed." she was thinking out loud, tired of pulling at her robe to ensure modesty.

"If you'd like, but I can guarantee that they would just end up on the floor." He had heard her breathless words and responded candidly.
Ivory paced back and forth in her bedroom, the sound of the shower running heightening the intensity of the moment. She took the time to at least untangle her hair. The strands bounced at her waist, she then pulled them up into a ponytail.
Raiden walked out of the bathroom and into Ivory's bedroom. He noted her dazed expression, clearing his throat, he drew her attention to him.
Ivory glanced at Raiden, his modesty protected only by a single layer of cloth. Her eyes immediately glazed his bare arms, shoulders, and chest. It was difficult to feel equal to someone whose body was perfectly sculpted and toned.

"If you don't want to do this, I can leave." he had moved closer towards her, their eyes interlinked. He wanted her to be sure, to feel safe.

"No, that's not--" Ivory immediately rejected his train of assumption. She wanted him to stay, every part of her, the parts that weren't nervous, wanted this.

"I am a bit nervous." she averted her gaze. "It's been a while." the words barely audible.
Raiden reached his arm out towards her and under her chin, bringing her gaze to his. "Your nervousness. Your innocence, makes me want you so much more."

He wasted no time as his lips reached down to cover hers, his hands cupping her face. This time, Ivory welcomed him and the sensations that washed over her entire body. The intensity of the kiss deepened with each passing second. Raiden moved his hands lower, tugging at the tie hanging at the centre of her bathrobe causing it to fall open. Ivory gasped into his lips, his hands resting on her hips, driving her entire body hard against his own.
Ivory moaned instinctively, his most intimate part throbbing against her stomach. She reached her arms down to the towel at his waist and yanked it, occasioning it to fall on the floor.

Raiden gave a chuckle, the sound heating her body to the max. He tore his lips away from hers and nestled his into her neck, one hand at the nape of her neck the other, digging into her hips. Ivory angled her head to allow him as much access as possible. The pleasure she received from his tongue drawing circles into her skin was novel. Never before did she experience such torturous pleasure. Raiden walked her over to the bed, making her lie down onto the soft folds as he hovered over her. Ivory had then realized that her breathing was laboured. He stared down at her, his eyes lingering on her body. Ivory's arms instantly came over her breasts and her legs crossed over the other.

Raiden nudged a knee between her legs, causing her to spread them and his hands pulled her arms away. "Never hide your body from me," he whispered into her ears. His hands came down to cup her breasts, his motion gentle and satisfying. She was able to tell that he knew the workings of a woman's body. His lips soon replaced his hands, Ivory arched up against him as his sinfully heated tongue glided across her equally heated flesh. Every part of her that he touched was scorched with a lingering sensation. His lips reconciled with hers, as he sank a finger, then two, into her heated folds. He groaned against her lips.
He momentarily raised himself off of her to slide on a protective sheath. His lips met hers again as he sank himself into her, slowly, bit by bit. He knew she said she hadn't had sex in a while and was certain when he’d felt some resistance. He felt her arch against him, trying to take more of him into her, but he kept a slow place until her body could adjust, he exhaled as he was immersed within her. Her body fitting his snugly. Feeling her tension subdue, he quickened his thrusts as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Ivory's moans and breathless inhales urging him on, until they both collapsed, sated.