Fugitive Fascination

Chapter Two

"Cece!"

Flinching at the nickname, Cierra braced herself before Reece launched himself at her as she opened the front door, nearly falling to the floor as he balanced his large body in her arms. It had been less than a week since they’d last seen each other, there was no need for him to react this way every time.

"Goddammit, Reece," She gasped. "Get your fat ass off of me."

Pouting, he obliged, sliding onto the floor. "I'm not fat. It's all muscle," He claimed, getting to his feet. "Now come along, I need you to accompany me somewhere." Lacing his arm through Cierra's he began to tug her out into the driveway of Hunter's old home.

Though it had been over two months since Hunter’s initial arrest and since she had been home, Cierra still couldn't force herself to leave for some reason.

She resisted, scowling. "What the hell are you doing? I'm not even dressed!"

All she wore was an old college sweatshirt of Hunter's with the name long faded away, and a pair of white shorts unfit for for the nippy weather. The Siren's scent was embedded into the sweatshirt, and Cierra often found herself sleeping in it when the memory of her intrusive ex lover was particularly strong, leaving her needy. Had she been given more time to react, she probably would’ve been embarrassed about it.

Reece paused only for a moment, his dark brown eyes scanning over her body in a tiny bit of concern.

"I guess you can go get some shoes and real pants but hurry up. We can't be late," He announced, and she arched an eyebrow as his grip slid from her elbow.

The boy was always late, and he usually would've been too wrapped up in his own extraneous thoughts regardless of the time; what was different about this time?

Crossing her arms, Cierra ignored the cold that bit into her legs as she glared suspiciously through narrowed eyes at Reece. "Where are you trying to take me? I'm not going shopping with you again if that's what this is about."

Last time they had spent four hours at one of the most expensive clothing shops in the city, for him to buy only a scarf and screw the sales associate in the changing room.

He now had a discount there whenever he wanted.

Glancing at his wrist in clear aggravation, he released a heavy groan, muttering something along the lines of, "She's going to kill me."

Before she even had a chance to object or question, Reece lunged for her, throwing her nimbly over his shoulder. Squealing in surprise, she automatically kicked her legs out then down forcefully, landing the perfect blow to his lower regions.

She felt the air leave his lungs, a smirk donning her face as he nearly crumpled to the ground. To her dismay, he maintained a grip on her person.

"I'm going to get you back for that." His threat broke off in a pained grunt as they wobbled towards his car, his grip on her thighs tightening, but not enough to leave a mark.

He tossed her onto the leather passenger seat haphazardly, then leaned over the side of the car to cup his injured parts. Cierra didn't bother to stifle her laughter which rang through the glass, earning her a dirty look from him. Slamming the door as he got in, he muttered curse words under his breath before backing out of the driveway, shooting onto the street.

In a matter of 20 minutes he was back to himself, cranking up the radio to some unfamiliar station, nearly bursting her ear drums as he sang along to some obscure pop song.

The car ride wasn't a long one; it took them into the heart of the city where her old precinct was. Having not left Hunter's house much even when she was able to, she cringed at all of the noise and plethora of people. She never liked crowds, but with her isolation the feeling had grown nearly out of control.

When they pulled into the lot of a familiar coffee shop a few blocks away from the precinct. She remembered it always smelled of peppermint hot chocolate and though it was smaller than the size of a typical classroom, it had a homey feel to it that brought her along with her co-workers back during their breaks.

As Cierra's eyebrows furrowed, she turned to look skeptically at Reece.

"You rushed me out of the house with no shoes on for coffee?"

Why did that seem so familiar?

Nodding, he grinned boyishly. "Yup. I have a pair of converse in the back seat, get 'em and come in."

He didn't bother to wait, skipping merrily into the brightly lit shop.

Grumbling, Cierra rummaged around in the back seat until she found a pair of classic black and white converse. They were just a couple sizes too big, but her socks were thick so it wasn't too bad.

A little bell tinkled on the door as she pushed it open, glancing around self-consciously before spotting Reece already in line, flirting with some lumber jack look alike in front of him. An older woman the two looked disturbed by his behavior, throwing her steaming coffee in the trash just beside Cierra, shoving past her into the outside.

Biting back the urge to make her head spin with a new dictionary of curses, Cierra moved towards Reece.

"Ree-"

Another solid yet soft body crashed into hers, nearly knocking her to the floor; an arm slipped around her waist, a warm hand grasping her arm to keep her from falling. She failed to notice the intoxicating scent that suddenly intensified, and the gentle yet firm way that she was held, in a way that only one person had handled her.

"Watch where the hell you're going," She snapped, stepping away from the stranger.

Cierra had already turned around, not noticing as the stranger simply smirked behind her sunglasses, pushing her hands into the pockets of her beaten down acid washed leather jacket.

"I see my absence hasn't done well for you behaviour."

Stiffening, she whirled around and peered into the woman's face. Her fingers curled into her palms as she recognized the cut of her jaw, the rosy pink lips pulled back, showing a set of ultra white teeth, and the gentle slope of her nose upon which the glasses slid off of to reveal a pair of smokey green eyes that had been ingrained into Cierra's dreams.

She didn’t recognize the short hair, nor the color, but everything else was the same.

Emotions crashed into her one by one, bleeding into the other as she felt her heart punch against her ribs.

"Hunter?"

"Actually, it's Dru now," Hunter said lightly, allowing a genuine smile to overtake her expression.

Cierra looked like she couldn't believe her eyes; as if she was torn between either hugging Hunter or punching her. She could see the confliction raging in her gaze, and she wondered what it was about. Wasn't she happy to see her?

"Where did you come from?" She finally settled on, eyeing her wearily and keeping her distance.

Even if this was the best option, it still hurt Hunter, who of course refused to let it show.

"That's unimportant. I need you to do something for me."

Her eyes trailed over Cierra's silently exposed body, pausing on her uncovered legs, moving onto the obviously stolen sweatshirt, up to her hair tied back into a bun. She smelled strongly of mangoes and a hint of lilac, but Hunter most definitely noticed the lack of a black strip of leather around the other woman's neck.

"Where's your collar?" She bit out suddenly as her territorial instincts surged, surprising Cierra momentarily.

"I took it off," She snapped back, glaring. "I told you, I'm not a damned dog, you will not have me wearing a collar as if I am one."

Clenching her jaw, Hunter drew in a sharp breath. Her hands flexed, but she forced them to remain in her pockets; Cierra and Reece had no doubt been traced to assure that Hunter didn't make contact with them, especially since the hunt was on for her, for lack of better word. There was no need to jeopardize her new identity by breaking character so soon.

Besides, her time would come when the two were finally alone again.

This was when Reece decided to show up again, throwing an arm around Cierra's shoulders. Hunter stared at it as if she wanted it to burn away in a flash of hell fire. Reece as well as Cierra noticed, but neither paid it any attention, although for different reasons.

"Listen up, Dru," He emphasized her new name, and Cierra couldn't help the frown that spread across her face; Dru didn't fit her as well as Hunter.

She then shook it off. Why should she care?

"You won't be able to go to your place or mine; they have eyes on us pretty much twenty-four seven since you escaped last month. I’m surprised there’s no one here watching us, but they can’t be too far away. I suggest checking into a hotel; I'd appoint someone else to run Drakes Enterprises as well, Samión is running it into the ground as we speak, and last things last," He glanced around, then leaned towards his sister. "The Ramzes are coming for our top spot, so I suggest you make yourself clear. Mom and Daddy are remaining impassive. This is up to you."

It probably wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone else, but Cierra saw something flicker in Hunter's gaze, still covered by the sunglasses.

It was something dark, and Cierra could imagine it storming across the beautiful smokey green seas like angry clouds as her mood changed. It almost akin to the look that she got when she got rougher with Cierra.

"Get her to nearest hotel and I'll meet you there as well as text you the room number. And be slick about it, I don't need any officers storming in on us." With that, she turned on her heel and exited the coffee shop briskly.

"Don't I have a say in this?" Cierra blurted, earning a single sharp laugh from Reece.

"I see why she likes you so much, you're too damn cute, Cece." He slapped her back sharply, and Cierra couldn’t help but feel patronized.

After being manhandled into the car once more, Reece drove to the classiest hotel in the city; the Compton hotel.

Cierra stood out of place as Reece made his way to the front desk, her arms wrapped about her in discomfort. With the red carpets and fancy fruit infused water, she felt annoyed every time she saw someone walking past in an obviously expensive outfit and luggage. She felt uncomfortable, and with every eye that lingered on her, she began to feel more and more defensive.

When he returned, all of those thoughts came second to the one that popped up when she saw his face.

"Why the hell do you look like that?"

A secretive grin distorted his features as he slipped a key card into her hand.

"You're in the honeymoon suite. Have fun."

Before she could protest, the man literally sprinted out of the large lobby. Seconds later, she imagined the tires squealing against the pavement as he drove off; even without the supporting evidence, she knew he had abandoned her. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she clenched the card in her fist. She didn't remember stepping into the elevator, nor cursing at the terrible elevator music that seemed to be in every posh hotel. She didn't remember forcing her legs to move once the elevator stopped, nor did she remember the walk to the honeymoon suite.

She did, however, remember standing in front of the door, nearly having a heart attack from her nerves.

Should she knock or just go in? What about both?

The decision was made for her as it was abruptly pulled open, and she was pulled inside. The door slid shut with a barely audible click, and that was that.

All she registered at first was that it was dark; then she felt the familiar arms wrapped around her, the feel of a chest rising and falling behind her.

For a moment, they just stood there.

Hunter held her tightly, her nose buried in her soft, dark hair. She couldn't believe that although Cierra had complained about it, she still smelled strongly of mangoes. She even wore her clothing. That had to mean something, right?

"Tell me that you love me. I haven't heard it in too long."

Shuffling, Cierra bit the inside of her cheek. "Hunter, I-"

"Say it."

"I love you," She finally said. And it wasn't untrue.

She shuddered as she felt Hunter's lips on her neck, instinctively craning her neck to give Hunter more room. She then realized what she was doing, twisting around to place her hands on the other woman's shoulders.

"Wait," She tried to demand, but it came out weak.

"Why?" Hunter challenged, pressing her up against the door.

This time, the glasses were gone and the ex Detective could see her favorite pair of eyes. The green was so dark it was nearly black in the darkness, slightly narrowed in aggravation, and Cierra knew she wouldn't be leaving without any punishment to show for her refusal to simply submit.

"I need you, Cierra," She murmured. The way her name rolled off her tongue, Cierra couldn't help the shiver that wracked her spine. It had been too long.

Her hands expertly slipped the sweatshirt off, her nails digging into the soft flesh of the ex Detective's hips. Cierra nearly melted in her hands right then and there, the confliction that raged within her at the suddenness of Hunter’s return being pushed to the back of her mind.

"Make no mistake; just because I was incarcerated for a bit of time, this body," She trailed her nose along the edge of Cierra's jaw. "still belongs to me."