Fall leaves in a riot of verdant color danced overhead in the crisp October air.  Underneath them, a man and a woman kissed and touched.  Their breath made small white puffs as they walked hand in hand through the arboretum.  It was all but deserted this time of year.  Swirling eddies of autumn leaves played around their legs and crunched under their feet as they strolled through the leaves that littered the ground like a carpet of fire. 

She wanted him to make love to her there.  He wondered if she'd let him.  Sexual energy crackled between them.  So did love.  Their two heads were bent together in intimate conversation, a hallmark of the intimacy that had only grown deeper these last few weeks as they waited to see if the seed he'd planted one damp September night had taken root.

It hadn't been in either of their plans, and yet, once the idea had become a possibility... well, hope is a funny old thing.  One little spark and suddenly there's a fire blazing where there was only darkness.  It burned brightly in both their breasts.  A child.  It was another word to add to the list of hallowed things they whispered to each other.  Home.  Family.  Forever. 

It was the perfect day.  The perfect place for their mood, somewhere between the gravity of creating life from an act of love and unapologetic joy in the simple pleasure of each other's company.  They were drunk on 'what ifs' and 'maybes'.  He might already be a father.  She might already carry life in that warm, dark place under her heart.  He thought if they were wrong that he'd like to try again.  Soon.  Maybe even here, in this place of growing things. 

And if they were right.... 

It was almost more than he could imagine.  He also knew if he had given her a baby that night, they wouldn't have too many more wild carefree afternoons like this one.  He was already feeling the urge to wrap her up, safe from the rudeness of life.  But not quite yet.  Today his spirits were high and he wanted to play.  He wanted her to play back.  Wanted to touch the fire he saw in her eyes.

He bent and murmured into her ear.  The fire grew.  More whispers flew.  God, he loved winding her up.            

"And I said, NO, you can't."  She teased, pulling away and darting behind a nearby tree with easy grace.  He let her go, riding a quiet wave of curious amusement at her childish antics.  He wasn't too old for a bit of hide and seek.  She kept him young.

And hard.

He waited for her face to reappear and quirked an eyebrow at her playfully, the barest hint of a smile curling the corners of his sensual lips and dancing in his eyes.  "Yes, I can," he growled with the confidence of a man who knew he could do exactly as he claimed. 

His smugness rankled.  He did not have more control over her body than she did.  "You cannot make me blush!" She countered hotly, still smirking at him from behind the tree, eying him up.  He looked so fine, like fall breathed to life, a flame that burned as bright as the season.  Timeless.  Wild.  And wholly intent on playing out this game with her here and now.  There was no escape- not that she wanted to.  That look he had.... it curled her toes inside her boots and made her womb flutter.    

His resulting smile was positively sinful.  She should have known better than to challenge him like that- but then that was the whole point.  She saw the wicked gleam in his eyes and realized her error a second too late.  His hand shot out and his strong fingers wrapped around her slender wrist.  With a startled yelp and a burst of strength from God knows where, she managed to wrench her wrist free and she fled deeper into the woods.  Her silvery laughter floated back over her shoulder to taunt him as she darted between the trees.  Hot on her heels and grinning like a madman, he felt the predatory thrill even this simple chase ignited in him. 

For a man who smokes, he sure doesn't have any problems with endurance.  She laughed at the double entendre in her thoughts. 

That's it, honey..... run.  You know I only let ya go so I could chase you.  She wasn't the only one laughing.

He caught her easily and backed her against the trunk of the nearest tree with his body.  Breathless from the impromptu run their chests heaved, drawing in great gulps of the frigid evening air.  The rough bark of the tree bit into her back, but the dull pain was secondary to the heady rush of pleasure washing through her.  She shivered in anticipation, waiting what seemed an eternity for that first elusive touch. 

He liked to play, to draw it out until the tension crackled between them like a living entity.  To see if he could strip away every shred of her hard won control and make her whimper.  A game he won more often than not, but one in which she took a decidedly sinful pleasure in losing. 

The fact that her behavior was so unpredictable made the game all the more attractive to him.  His girl liked to tease.  And she played dirty.  He loved that about her.  He knew one of these days she was gonna let him have it in a way he hadn't expected, and the anticipation of that moment had him salivating like Pavlov's goddamn dog. 

It wasn't a worthwhile challenge unless he could pit himself against someone who had a real chance of winning.  Like her.  She'd always had that ability to find some hidden chink in his armor and use it to her advantage.  Mentally.  Physically.  Something unexpected that threw him off his game.  She'd never really hurt him, he'd always known that, but she would hold out just long enough to let him know he didn't get to be the boss all the time. 

And he knew, he KNEW when it happened she'd just walk away and leave him standing there with his mouth hanging open, wanting her but impotent to do a damn thing about it except scrape his jaw off the floor and wait until the world stopped spinning.  His devious mind was already thinking of ways to retaliate.           

It was just that dynamic that made these little cat and mouse games so irresistible.  Sometimes it was over quickly, like today, and sometimes he stalked her for days, never knowing if and when he finally touched her what would happen.  It was a dangerous and addictive kind of foreplay, especially when he drew out stalking her until each of them held on to their monumental control by a thin frayed thread.  When the sexual tension that had been slowly building for days finally erupted and burned them both to ashes.

He liked the unexpectedness of the unknown, thrived on it.  Skating the edge inflamed him, made the rush so intense it bordered on pain.  The thrill it gave him was every bit as enticing as her tight body and intoxicating scent, and it was one that no other woman could ever hope to match.  Every time he touched her he knew there was always the possibility she might best him at his own game, and anyone who'd ever played with fire knew it wasn't any fun if you couldn't be burned. 

His eyes flickered over her.  She was fire personified.  Ready to scorch his flesh and capable of consuming his very soul.  She smoldered for him even now, frantically waiting for his touch to ignite the tension between them.  He knew she wouldn't ask... not with words anyway.  Not this time.  She knew as well as he did that the time for their harder edged games may well be at an end and he could tell she intended to make the most of this one.  Leaning into her a bit harder, he let her feel him grow hard against her belly, watching her eyes as each beat of his heart filled his body and made it ready to take hers.

He could feel her heart beating erratically in her chest and her skin glowed with a moist sheen.  The heady scent of her arousal excited him, stirring his blood until he could think of nothing but burying himself inside her lithe body.  It was almost as erotic as the thought of burying himself inside her body swollen and ripe with life.  Her hands fluttered against the small of his back, urging him soundlessly to end her waiting.  Pulling.  Asking.  Needing.....                            

Her eyes dropped to the sensual mouth hovering a heartbeat above hers.  His breath was hot against her cheek and she licked her lips with the unconscious desire to taste him.  He saw the wanton little gesture and growled softly, focusing all his attention on her lush wet mouth.  Thoughts of her sweet little mouth and what it could do to him filled his mind and unconsciously he growled again.  In an instant, her nipples peaked and she experienced a hot wet rush of arousal as her body responded to the base sound.     

She wanted him.  He could smell it on her.  Desire pooled hot and heavy between his legs.  He could see her pulse pounding at the base of her throat, keeping time with the throbbing in the hard ridge of flesh caught between them.  He cupped the sweet curve of her butt in his hands and hauled her against him, almost roughly.  He was taller and had to bend his knees a little to line her crotch up with his, but he'd always found the slight little movement incredibly erotic.  A man only ever made it for one reason and one reason alone.

It was akin to taking down a bottle of fine malt and a crystal tumbler.  You knew what was coming next.  Just that simple motion was enough to whet his appetite.  Hers too, if the soft pant of want she made was any indication.  It made his dick throb.  He swallowed hard and tried to force back the rising tide of desire.  As much as he would have liked to finish this right here, right now, and his aching body was telling him to do just that, there was still the little matter of the challenge she had flung at him. 

She was going to pay for that.    

He smiled a wolfish smile at her.  "And I said, YES, I can, honey."  He waited that extra heartbeat, waited for that little whimper of surrender she just couldn't keep from making, before he leaned into her and took her mouth with a kiss that was more feral possession than anything else.  It didn't matter how many times he heard it, that breathy little whimper got to him every fucking time. 

He pushed his tongue into her hungry mouth, greedy for the taste of her, wanting her focus solely on him.  Demanding it.  He tangled his hand in her long silky hair and the pad of his thumb stroked that shivery bit of skin just behind her ear while he deepened the kiss, swallowing each little whimper with arrogant satisfaction.  He loved that he could reduce her to that.  No thoughts, no words, just a primal mindless response.  A needy little sound that spoke directly to the animal inside him. 

He slid his hands under her sweater and her breath hissed through her teeth at the sensations his cold hands created on her warm skin.  He enjoyed her response and kneaded her flesh roughly, still unwilling to give her a moment's respite to center herself.  He wanted her lost.  Hell, he wanted her screaming and he'd damn well have it from her before he was finished. 

He pinched her nipple hard enough to make her cry out and then soothed the aching nub with the rough pad of his thumb, rolling it between his fingertips while he devoured her neck, drinking in the taste, the scent of her.  Wrapping her thick dark hair around his fist, he pulled until her neck arched under his mouth, bared to him in the ultimate gesture of animalistic submission.  Mother of my unborn children.  The thought flashed like quicksilver in his brain.  For a brief instant his control slipped and he ground himself against her with a snarl of unfettered lust, unable to resist her potent femininity. 

She closed her eyes, lost in the pleasure of his touch.  Her blood roared wildly in her ears, drowning out everything but him.  

He lifted his head and listened intently for a moment.  With her eyes closed, she missed his wicked smile before his mouth found her neck once more, biting her sharply, driving everything from her mind but his presence.  His scent.  His touch.  His need. 

Easily lifting her legs from the ground, he pinned her against the tree with the solid weight of his body, enjoying the feel her struggling against him.  Slowly, deliberately, he dragged her crotch across the hard ridge at the front of his jeans, hissing a little as the rough metal teeth of his zipper bit into his tender flesh.  The discomfort only seemed to spur him on.  It was a small price to pay for keeping the upper hand.  He did not intend to lose this battle of wills.  He did not often gain the upper hand so quickly and he was enjoying having her completely in his power.

He opened his mouth against her neck and rocked his hips against her.  It was like the dry fucking he'd done as a teenager- a lifetime ago- but now he was a man and it was satisfying for another reason entirely.  She panted against his throat and whimpered, asking him for more.  He knew what she liked.  He slid his hand into the back of her pants and pulled her closer, giving her the friction, the pressure he knew she craved.  He growled deep and low in his chest as she shamelessly rubbed herself against him.  She was so responsive he knew it wouldn't be long. 

It wasn't.  

A stinging bite followed by a violent thrust of his hips sent her hurtling over the edge.  Her legs clenched hard around his lean hips and her fingers tightened painfully in his hair.  Her back arched and she shuddered, grinding hard against his groin as she hoarsely shouted his name loud enough for it to echo in the clear autumn air.  Unable to stop himself, he thrust helplessly against her a few more times before he finally regained a small measure of his tattered control and lowered her legs none too gently back to the ground. 

She cupped her hand between her legs with a shiver and a smile and then ran a trembling hand over the front of his pants, massaging the thick erection under the worn denim. "You want me to-"

"Later," he smiled smugly at her.  Casually, with a practiced hand, he adjusted himself, trying in vain to find a more comfortable position.  If he was right, the discomfort he was experiencing was definitely going to be worth it, but only if they left right now.  If this was the temporary end to their wild erotic games, he wanted it to end on a high note.  

"I didn't blush, you know," she crowed proudly as he took her hand and led her back in the direction of the car.  "Not once."

Wait for it, honey.   

He swallowed his laughter and said nothing, just squeezed her hand and quirked that eyebrow at her again.  They emerged from the woods and stepped back onto the path leading to the parking lot. 

An elderly couple holding hands walked towards them on their way into the arboretum.  With a mischievous twinkle in his eye, the elderly man smiled pleasantly at them and nodded.  "You must be Dean," he said with a chuckle as they passed by and disappeared behind them.

Pay dirt. 

It took a minute for that comment to register in her passion-fogged brain.  He waited for it, watching her eyes.  They widened and he grinned with supreme satisfaction as a rosy blush stained her cheeks and crept down her neck to disappear into her knobby chenille sweater.  He brushed a kiss against her flushed cheek and hugged her to him, before whispering smugly into her ear.

"Told ya I could."