Shea Gallagher

She was killing me with those bare legs and wavy hair. The way she stood there, watching over the cookies as they cooled, knowingly keeping her distance. I don’t care how innocent she seemed, she had to know what she was doing to me. The impatience showed in my leg as I bounced my knee in the air while perched on the stool. But finally she was back in my vicinity with cookies and milk. 

I let out a small laugh as he looked satisfied with the cookies. But he was a boy and boys love food so it wasn't that surprising. Still, it made me feel good to know he enjoyed it. After quickly finishing his, he held up one for me. I had to admit, it was pretty damn good. "You're right. Mama would be proud," I agreed, leaning back against him as we sat there for a while. After a few I was already full but there was still some left so I placed them on the table. "You can take the rest with you. See if Cecilia wants some." It was the least that I could do considering she had agreed to let me in.

She sauntered over, taking her place between my legs and resuming our kiss. The tips of my fingers found the backs of her thighs and I couldn’t resist gently tracing lines against her skin. As she deepened the kiss, she pressed against me more and my palms followed up her body until I was holding her around the base of her shoulders. 

Goosebumps immediately rose over my skin as his fingers traced up my legs. Just the feel of his touch made my heart pound rapidly. I leaned more into him, letting my fingertips work into his hair as the kiss deepened. It was definitely the best kiss I've ever had, but then again the only boy I'd ever kissed was Leif.

She was being sly, checking on me, I knew it. But I played along because it wasn’t a lie. “You are, totally my girl,” I said softly and sweetly. She might still be worried about Cecilia and I, but she had no reason to be jealous. Still, I was glad I didn’t tell her about our night last night. It wouldn’t have done any of us any favors. 

I nodded my head and I was glad that he was behind me because right now I probably had the stupidest grin on my face. "Good," I said simply. It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago we hadn't been talking and now everything was okay, better than okay actually.

Her accent was just the cutest, especially when she was lightly annoyed and playful. I released her hips but only to wrap my arms around her and stay put. “Totally,” I added with a quick kiss to her shoulder. “No more distractions, I’ll be good!” 

"And I'm totally your girl, right?" I added, looking over my shoulder at him for a moment before focusing back on the batter. "Good, or else you don't get any!" Not that I didn't like his distractions or anything though... because I did, I definitely did.

Flirting with her was fun, different. It wasn’t laced with innuendo, but it was playful and fun and I could slip some in every now and again. I stuck my tongue out at her with a laugh. “Yes ma’am.” 

I couldn't help but smile as he rested his hands around my hips, leaning over my shoulder to watch. When he squeezed my hips, I jumped a little and let out a quiet gasp. "Leif, you are distractin' me." I laughed, shaking my head as I finished by pouring the two bowls of ingredients together. "You're totally my man, huh?" I teased as he continued standing behind me with his hands wrapped around my waist.

She was even more alluring when she was playful. I bit my lip and shook my head feverishly. “No… no they are not,” I replied as she made her way to the kitchen, leaving me alone with the longhorn steer again. I looked up at it and shrugged. “Girls, am I right?” 

As I was pulling out a bowl and a wooden spoon, he made a comment, which I know he was kidding about, but I still pretended to be offended. I hit him gently with the spoon and shook my head. "I'm not bossy!" I said back but let a smile form on my lips. I looked over the pile that had formed and realized I was missing one crucial thing. "Chocolate chips."

Her suite was empty, lifeless, and still. I wondered where everyone was, but clearly they weren’t sitting around waiting for her to return. The night before the arena, I suppose everyone had better things to do. The thought of it made me sad that Cecilia was likely alone or possibly having to continually hand tissues to Ebele all night long. 

His eyes glanced over me and it made my blush return, but this time I felt that it was fainter. Between Marcus and Leif I guess I was just getting used to having wandering eyes on my body. It still made me feel slightly self-conscious but it didn't make me want to run and hide either. Plus, it was just Leif so I didn't mind.

Would I turn them? Perhaps a few, but there would be some that I wouldn’t get the chance to, not with tomorrow being what it was. I respected Shea, which was more than I could say for a majority of the girls I’d been with. Her and Cecilia were now the most important people to me, the other two being at home. And while I would’ve loved to make Shea feel everything she could before… well, I just wish we had more time. 

I smiled happily when he agreed to come down with me. It would be the first time I wouldn't feel completely alone in the suite. Yes, there was Marcus, Calista, and Trystan, but all of us were usually separated into our own rooms all the time. I stood up, sliding my hand into his and laughed as he kissed it. Before we could disappear into the elevator, I looked back out to the roof to take it all in once more. It would be the last time I would see it and that made me sad, but I quickly shook the thought out of my head.

"I’m all topsy turvy around you, Shea, you know that. I don’t know how to act because with you I want to be better than who I am," I confessed. She made me drip wine and roses, and even so I didn’t particularly mind somehow. I softened my eyes and pursed my lips playfully, looking her over. "Hmmm yes but there are still a few pages I’ve left to turn…" I hinted. 

I couldn't help but smile at his words. It made me feel special again and of course I was at a loss for words. So instead I just leaned closer to him and squeezed his hand, hoping my actions would say enough for me. He started getting playful and it made me giggle. If I wasn't already in too much of a good mood it probably would have made me nervous but I just felt comfortable with him. Plus, I knew that I could trust him. "Hmmm yes but the question is will you turn 'em?" I teased back, glad that the mood had been lifted from the darker conversation before.

Tilting my head, I tossed her a look. “Please, there’s much more inside of you that you think, Ten,” I corrected her. “Otherwise, I’d have figured out how you make me feel the way I do when I’m with you. You’re not an open book, no, but I like that about you. When we first met… it’s like you threw the summary on the back cover at me… hooked me. I just had to read more,” I mused. 

I looked at him and raised my eyebrows. "Oh, yeah? And how do I make you feel when you're with me, hmm?" I said in a teasing manner, though I actually was curious about that. In a way I already knew just by the things that he did but I wanted to hear him say it. I let out a laugh at his words, finding them really cute in a cheesy way. "Tell me, have I been an enjoyable book to read so far?" I hoped so or I would be disappointed in myself.

I was bred to murder, I was raised to batter and bruise and make death look entertaining. I had dazzled the Game Maker’s enough for an 11 and if I intended on winning over Annabelle in order to help ensure my win, I would need to be fearless. As I held her, I wondered if it was possible for me to do so with her by my side. There was no way that I could second guess in the middle of a kill. I had to know. 

I smiled back at him, relieved that we had gotten that over with. Obviously it would come back in the arena, but that time it would be shown in our actions. For now it was all just words, things we were saying over and over again to reassure ourselves that things would be okay even when it got hard.

I kept going over things in my head. I should’ve done it sooner… I should write Erik that letter… I shouldn’t have let the Game Makers deliver him to me like that… but in the end, it was a relief that it was done and I had been rewarded for it, actually. 

As my head rested against his chest, I started counting his heartbeat. It was pounding so hard that I could feel it but it actually calmed me down. I stayed where I was as he started talking again, but by the time that he was finished I noticed that my grip on him had tightened. Maybe it was because I was afraid of the truth or maybe it was because I needed him to know that everything would be okay, even if it wouldn't really.

A smirk adorned my lips as I tucked my hands into the jacket and wrapped them around her waist. “Yup,” I teased with a wink.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and it made me smile. "Lucky me." It was a good thing that I felt comfortable with him or else I would have just freaked out about everything he did. In all honesty, I liked being in his arms. It made me feel safe and warm.

Her response made me smile. “Good. And… well, I kind of hope that you two meet before we head in… even though I’m not sure when that would happen since we leave tomorrow. But I don’t want you to have any reservations about her. Okay?” I asked sincerely. 

I nodded, willing to do anything to show how appreciative I was. I knew she wasn't happy about it at first but the only thing that mattered to me was that she agreed. I didn't care if she liked me or not but as long as she didn't try to kill me, we would have no problem.

If only the expanse of buildings around us was the ocean, crashing against the sandy beach. That’s the only thing that would make this more perfect. The night sky faded from navy to purple to orange with tinges of pink, reminding me, again, of home. She pulled me closer, bridging the gap between us until her lips met mine. She was enthralled by the view and thankful to the person who brought her to see it. 

My eyes flickered from him to the scene around us to him again. As we leaned against the ledge, I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and stared out into the city. The lights were so bright and the buildings were so tall. The people below us were annoyingly loud but I forced myself to ignore it. I didn't want anything to ruin this moment, and I had a feeling nothing would.